บท 6: Chapter 6: O Otherworld Traveler
[Third-Person POV]
The monster rushed at Ruichi with terrifying speed, a juggernaut of snapping legs and gleaming red eyes. He barely managed to throw himself out of the way as it barreled past, slamming into the wall with a force that sent a shower of dust and shattered stone coffins scattering across the floor. Its needle-like appendage was now embedded deep in the stone, momentarily trapping the creature.
Seeing his chance, Ruichi lunged toward one of its exposed legs, raising his sword in a desperate, sweeping arc. But as soon as the blade connected, it snapped clean in half, barely scratching the creature's limb. It felt like striking iron with a twig. His breath caught, but he didn't have time to process the shock; the monster wrenched itself free from the wall, twisted its massive form, and swung that deadly spike straight at him.
The blow landed with brutal precision, sending Ruichi hurtling through the air. He hit the ground hard, the impact reverberating through his bones. A sharp, sickening pain flared in his ribs, and his left arm hung at an unnatural angle. Every nerve screamed with pain, but he swallowed the urge to cry out. He could only breathe in shallow, labored bursts as he staggered to his feet, adrenaline dulling the worst of the agony.
The monster was already charging again, its needle tip gleaming in the low light. Ignoring his throbbing injuries, Ruichi flung himself sideways just as it lunged, and again, it lodged itself in the wall, momentarily stuck. Desperation flared in his chest. He scrambled for a chunk of stone that had fallen nearby, gripping it tightly with his good hand, and charged.
With a roar of determination, he slammed the rock against the creature's thick shell. The first strike sent a splintering crack along the surface, and he kept pounding, blow after blow, until pieces of the shell began to fracture and fall away, revealing the insectoid body beneath. Its "head," a grotesque ball-like structure with glaring red eyes, turned to face him, shrieking in fury.
The creature wrenched itself free, lashing out with one of its spindly legs, and this time the strike caught him low. His legs crumpled under the impact, and a sickening crack echoed through the hall. He hit the ground with a gasp, his vision going blurry as blood spilled from his mouth. Pain overtook everything now, every breath like shards of glass ripping through his body.
He could barely move, his vision swimming as he tried to process the extent of his injuries. His legs were twisted, his ribs ached with every breath, and his arm hung uselessly at his side. Yet, through the pain, he could still hear it—the monster, pulling itself free once more, preparing to strike. He tried to lift his head, tried to muster any last ounce of strength, but the creature was already upon him.
"Shit…" the boy chuckled with a pitiable broken voice. He dragged himself near the wall, and that was that, he ran out of stamina.
With one final, devastating thrust, the needle-like appendage drove straight through his torso, pinning him against the wall. Stone crumbled around him as the impact resounded through the chamber, his blood staining the stone in dark rivulets. For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The world faded at the edges, and he could only stare down in numb horror at the monstrous weapon buried in his chest, his eyes wide with the dawning realization that he might not get up this time.
—
[First-Person POV]
So this is it? After all that talk about a second chance, this is how I go out. Impaled by some mutated roach monster in a stone dungeon. How fitting.
Funny thing is, I barely feel the pain now, just… exhaustion. A deep, bone-crushing tiredness that's sucking me under like quicksand. If it'd been a regular reincarnation, I could have just lived a normal life—gone to school, got a job, been comfortable. But no. Fate had to throw me into this mess.
But why… Why does it have to end like this? I was given another shot at life, and I wasted it. Like an idiot.
With the last of my strength, I move my hand to the monster's needle-like appendage sticking through my chest and try to push it out. It doesn't budge. I can't… I can't go like this. I still have so much I want to do. I still need to live. I can't die now. I need to—
"O fate-saddled child…"
Wait… What? Did I just hear—
"O otherworld traveler…"
Is this real? Or am I hallucinating in my last moments? But if this is what I think it is… if this is finally my Persona calling out to me…
"Thy fate is disaster-twined, yet thy soul is bound to the world…"
Disaster… Yeah, no kidding. If I couldn't handle some skeletons, there's no way I'm surviving what's coming next.
"The future yet unknown dawns at this moment. Thy path may fork, but only one may be chosen. Confront the threat before thee, or die in obscurity… Now choose."
No hesitation. I'm not dying here. Not like this. If this is a chance, then I'll take it. I won't waste this one, I swear. So please…
…
"So be it."
—
[Third-Person POV]
A surge of raw power exploded from Ruichi's core, radiating outward as his eyes blazed with a newfound fury. As his body convulsed, glowing tattoos flared to life across his skin, intricate lines scorching from his face down to his heart and legs, pulsing like molten metal. He roared, the sound primal and filled with defiance.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!"
With a single, ferocious twist, he snapped the monster's needle-like joint still impaled in his torso. The creature shrieked, and Ruichi dropped to the ground, yanking the remaining shard of bone from his chest. Blood pooled around him, and his breaths came shallow and ragged, yet his eyes never left the monster. Stumbling to his feet, his stance wavered—he looked almost possessed, his face contorted in pain, fury, and something else entirely.
And then, to his own disbelief, he thrust his hand into his own chest. There was no heart, no soft tissue—only a cold, metallic imitation pulsing in his hand. He squeezed, bending it with a fierce grip, and as he crushed it, a thick, inky liquid erupted, covering him and forming a cocoon.
"Awaken," he whispered, the word rippling with power.
The dark liquid expanded, morphing into something more than armor, growing limbs and appendages that seemed to merge with his being. When it finally solidified, Ruichi stood transformed, his true form veiled beneath a towering metallic figure. He wore a long cloak, his silhouette lean and sharp, with limbs that gleamed with the same heated glow as his tattoos. His face was masked by a triangular helm, and he wielded a massive sword, pulsing with energy. He now dwarfed the creature, towering over it with an aura that emanated both control and imminent wrath.
'This... this isn't a Persona,' he realized. He felt knowledge rushing into his mind, new skills, abilities that bordered on magic, just waiting to be unleashed. 'It's something else entirely.'
Without another thought, he lunged forward, swinging his sword down with brutal precision. The monster reeled back, screeching as a deep gash split its form, yet it staggered forward for one last attempt. Ruichi sidestepped effortlessly, raising his sword and pointing it at the wounded creature.
"Wind!"
In an instant, a cyclone of sharp, cutting wind erupted beneath the monster, shredding it to ribbons with each swirling gust. With a final agonizing scream, it dissolved into a pulpy mess, scattered across the stone floor.
'To think I almost died to that,' he mused, shaking his head. His body began to shrink back, reverting to his battered human form with a blinding flash. His clothes were tattered, soaked in blood, and his legs threatened to give way beneath him.
"I… should keep moving," he whispered, every step a battle against the exhaustion wracking his body. He stumbled toward the door, the one he had fought so hard to reach. With a final heave, he pushed it open, stepping forward into a blinding, all-consuming light.
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