Cycle of Ruin - Arrival: A LitRPG Series

Chapter 16

"Hey, Leo, I need to swing by the office to pick up a few things from work. Let mom know I'll be back in a bit!" called his dad as he finished tugging on a pair of thick leather boots before standing up and unhooking his fur overcoat from where it hung on a wooden hook next to the door.

Leo stared up at the back of his dad's curly brown hair, as his father reached for the worn brass doorknob that would lead him out of their house for the final time. "No, you won't," he said somberly to the back of his old man, who paused just before he grabbed the knob in hearing his words. "You never made it back from work that day." The world distorted for a split moment, revealing the burned-out husk of their family's sedan before snapping back into shape. The investigators had claimed the vehicle had exploded from a leaking fuel line that had ignited and set off a chain reaction in the main tank.

His dad's hand fell back to his side as his broad shoulders slumped. "You're right," he replied, deflated, slowly turning around to reveal the charred flesh of his face and neck. The eye sockets where his light-blue eyes once sparkled with mirth and laughter were empty.

Leo let out a cry of shock at the horrid disfigurement. Stumbling away from the dead father he had loved so much, he bumped into the body of another person standing behind him and whirled around to meet the tear-stricken face of his mom. Black eyeliner ran down her beautiful, refined face while her hair was a frayed golden mess.

"You look just like him," she stated in a hollow voice, staring into Leo's eyes as she clutched the bottle of wine in her hand closer to her chest. "Why do you look just like him?" Her voice formed a note of desperation as she asked that question, begging to know why his face reminded her so much of the heart she had lost. Leo looked at his own hands, which began to smolder and burn. He screamed as fire erupted beneath his skin, burning his flesh a charcoal-black.

A slender pearly-white hand took hold of his own, grabbing and somehow pulling him out of the all-consuming flames. "This time I'll take care of you for a change," came a girl's youthful declaration. His downcast eyes slowly moved up the person in front of him, taking in the small black sneakers with tall white socks that hugged her calves, then the sky-blue dress that draped down to her knees outlining her slim form, and finally the fierce, proud blue eyes that looked ready to challenge the world.

The girl had a petite button nose and her jubilant face was wrapped in locks of curled gold that matched her mother's. She gave him a radiant smile that shined with an innocence a cruel world had failed to stamp out, and she moved the hand not holding his over her chest. "You still have me and I promise I'll never leave you!"

"Melody, I-" he started to say before her form fizzled away and the world collapsed in on itself.

Leo shot up from his bed with a start, breathing heavily as his body overheated under the thick covers. Something wet tickled his cheek, and he moved his hand to rub away the tears that were trailing down his face. But I left you, he thought solemnly. Probably without even a note to say goodbye. His mind flitted back to the note their mother had left for them just before she had walked away.

His hands had trembled as he had brushed aside a check containing half their dad's life insurance, to read the tear-stained red letters beneath. "Every look your way reminds me of him."

Leo let out a shaky breath, calming what he could of the raging sea of emotions inside him and shoving what he couldn't to the corner of his mind. He took in one more deep breath before throwing off the covers and checking the long list of notifications he had muted the day before.

You have killed Forest Wolf (Level 5). You gain 378 Exp.

True Mimic activated.