Chương 8: Abandoned by Death

Even though I'm feeling unbearable pain, I can't do anything. Can't share it with anyone. Not even death. I'm even abandoned by death.

Why does it always end up with me being all alone? Why...?

Am I that unlucky?

"Eden, consider this your luck—that you are inheriting this domain." The cat's voice echoes through my head, sharp and cold.

Luck? I want to scream. You b*stard, what have you done to me?

But the cat's voice is gone, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.

I can barely hold on to myself. And then, somehow, everything dulls into a fog, as if my mind is fading.

Is this it? Am I finally going to fade away like I never existed?

A single spark flares deep inside me, faint and buried. It's like a heartbeat, breaking through the numbness. A warmth, weak and almost hidden.

I won't just rely on hope; I'll embrace despair as part of me.

The pain isn't fading, but I'm holding on. A stubborn part of me clings to one thought—I have to survive. I won't let this be the end.

Time slips away. Hours, days, maybe years crawl by. The agony sharpens, stretching into eternity. I can feel each second searing into my bones. After what feels like a lifetime, something shifts. Slowly, the pain starts to dull—not vanish, but soften, just enough for me to breathe without feeling like I'm tearing apart.

Seven days. It takes seven days to come back from the edge.

When I finally open my eyes, the world itself feels different. My body feels… wrong, but at the same time, it feels perfect.

I push myself up, barely recognizing the pale hands that tremble in front of me. My skin—nearly translucent, drained of all color. White hair falls into my vision—my hair?

Even the ground beneath me feels different, my perspective slightly… lower?

I stare into the shadows, trying to make sense of it. Then I notice something even stranger—my vision; there is something different about it.

When I close my right eye, everything looks back to normal, except my body. But when I close my left eye, my vision sharpens, more intense.

"What… happened to me?" I whisper, hearing my voice, softer and higher than I expect. It's like I've lost years, regressed to some younger, unfamiliar version of myself.

Even my clothes have changed to black leather ones. Their design is strange but feels majestic.

I stare at my reflection, heart pounding with disbelief. I barely recognize the person staring back. I look… smaller, thinner. A part of me wants to reject it, to fight against this twisted reality, but deep down, something cold and calm begins to settle.

Maybe it's the exhaustion, maybe it's acceptance, or maybe I've just run out of strength to deny it. I've accepted this fiction as my reality.

This is who I am now. And somehow, I can't change it.

As I take a breath, the faintest trace of light appears in the air, barely noticeable with my right eye. These lights swirl together, forming intricate patterns before settling into letters, glowing softly in front of me:

Eden Snow

Snow… My last name? It feels foreign, but I take a liking to this name. As if it fits me perfectly.

More words form, flickering in and out of existence like breaths on a winter's night:

Compatibility with the domain: less than one percent.

It's almost as if the world is measuring me, testing me. But the words continue, shimmering with a quiet authority that leaves no room for doubt.

Collect the lost fragments that have fled from here. With your right eye, you'll be able to distinguish those fragments.

The more fragments you gather, the higher your authority will be.

A rush of questions floods my mind, each one branching into a dozen more. Fragments? Authority? What does any of this mean? But the words dissolve before I can make sense of them, disappearing as quickly as they gather.

Still, that final message lingers, etched somewhere deep in my mind. I have no idea how to retrieve these fragments, no idea what this new title really means, but something within me stirs, like an instinct guiding me forward.

'I'll figure it out. And find a way out on my own.'

Days pass by, each one adding to my understanding of this place.

Eventually, I see that light again.

Eden, your compatibility has finally reached one percent. You are now allowed to leave here and carry out your mission.

But keep in mind that the place you are heading next is filled with dangers. There, you won't be immortal anymore. You will be just a mere human.

"You mean I can finally leave?" I mutter. I can't deny the excitement bubbling inside me. Even if it's dangerous.

The light doesn't gather to form an answer. Instead, the space in front of me starts shattering, dripping with a crimson liquid. It forms a portal.

I come closer to the portal, feeling the life emanating from the other side. This is finally my chance.

To test it, I put my hand in first. Nothing feels strange. When I pull my hand out, it's intact.

Now it's my turn. But before entering, I take one last look at this place as a message forms:

Be careful, my liege.

Even when I'm leaving, this place has given me yet another mystery.

The moment I step through the portal, screams filled my ears from all direction and a thick smell of blood fills the air, making me feel dizzy and sick.

But that was nothing compared to the igneous before me.

Infront of me, there were countless lifeless bodies. Drained of blood. As if they were sacrifice.

And I was standing on an alter.

Does this mean they were sacrificed for me? Just the thought of that makes me want to throw up.

And suddenly I remembered the cat's words.

'Nothing comes for free.'

I collapse to my knees, pressing my palms against my face.

How could this be happening? How could I be standing here, surrounded by death and despair, when all I wanted was to escape a damn nightmare?