They say when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes.
It is said that this occurs due to the individual's instinct to survive. They automatically search their memories for a means to overcome death.
Well, this is a testimony of an individual who had no such experience.
And yet, overcame death.
*****
Lying weakly on the floor, Nick's mind wondered randomly.
With his Manna nearing zero, and his Health not far behind, He was pretty much at the end of the road.
He had been through a lot, and harder survived a whole lot more. But–
'I have no regrets though' he though faintly.
Yeah right. He snickered.
Living in a world you created without being a part of it was bad.
But going to college three times was just sad.
Then there was that time when he had encouraged Anita to go for a raid, only to find out she never returned.
Or was it the time he taught that damn Duchess how to fully harness her power, only to find out she was an Underworld boss.
Even the time he was being a bitch at work, and caused all his employees to despise him, even Victoria
Especially Victoria.
Or when he saw people he had fought with being killed left and right and yet was unable to do anything about it. And it didn't help that he was a [Chronomancer] yet he was unable to give his friends just a bit more time.
That feeling of weakness was one of the worst
Oh, let's not forget how he was a wimp and refused to accept Yue'er. Well that was one big regret alright.
"F*ck 'no regrets'! I have a whole bunch ov'em—bluergh" he cursed aloud, followed by a bout of coughing and blood
*clop *clop *clop
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Nick looked up weakly.
The area around him was dark. A full moon hidden within the clouds barely illuminated the area, casting shadows around the edges. It was an open space, with four-meter tall stone fences surrounding it almost completely. It gave of the feeling of being in the center of a maze made of stone.
And that is exactly what it was.
Surrounding him were a few 'sculptures' scattered randomly in the area that seem to have been made with a strange grey material resembling ice.
If one were to view the maze from a birds eye view, they would notice similar 'sculptures' placed randomly in the corridors, leading to the spacious center where Nick currently was.
The 'sculptures' were in various positions. Some in the middle of throwing out a punch, others with hands crossed in front of their chest as if blocking a strike. A few seemed to be running in random directions.
There was even one stuck in midair a few feet above ground, held in place by an incomprehensible force. This one seems to have been thrown into the air by a strike to the gut.
Nick couldn't help but grin as he saw the scene. It was a testament of the power he had accumulated over this short time.
Over fifty A-Rank Mercenaries, and an A+ Rank, yet all of them were subject to an "eternal life" as inanimate sculptures.
"I see you are as lively as always, Nicholas." a calm voice said as the source of the aforementioned footsteps came out of the shadows.
It turned out to be a man who seemed to be in his early thirties. He donned a dark purplish-red suit and walked with a black cane with silver swirls, making him look like a pimp. At least that's how Nick saw it.
The man was handsome, to say the least. He had neatly combed silver hair with a few deep red, almost black streaks in it and deep blue eyes. A small smiled stayed on his lips. The light from the hidden moon cast shadows on his face, giving him a handsome but mysterious vibe.
"Well I was just feeling happy for them." Nick replied, the grin on his face getting wider, if that was possible.
"And why is that?" The man asked in a strong and yet strangely calm voice, as if unperturbed by anything. He glanced around indifferently at the statues who were once his underlings.
"Well, you know how everyone wants eternal life? Well I gave them for free" Nick replied, unbothered that his words caused his injuries to worsen.
"They didn't even say thank you" he continues "But I am benevolent, so I won't hold it in on them" he added in a righteous tone, completely opposite of his current tattered look.
"Then I would have to thank you on their behalf" The man said while giving a slight bow.
"No need" Nick waved his hand indifferently like a sage who is too kind to accept thanks from those he has helped.
"It's the least I can do for them since they have been chasing me around for over three days. I couldn't possibly reject their desperate requests now could I?" he completes the sentence with his head down in a tone akin to a kind man who helped others at his own expense.
Suddenly looking up at the silver haired man, he added "It's a shame you couldn't join them though"
"A shame indeed" the man says in the same calm voice.
They then fall into a seemingly comfortable silence like old friends who are enjoying each others quiet company.
"Ah. It seems your time is up the Nicholas" the man breaks the silence.
"Come'on. I could go for s few more rounds" the grin returns to Nick's face.
"I don't think so" The man replied.
A blood-red light flashed across his eyes as the Manna in the area became active. The blood on which Nicholas lay squirmed before taking the form of a spear which thrust itself into his heart in an instant, causing him to spurt out even more blood.
[Fatal Hit!]
A notification similar to a virtual reality interface popped up at the edge of his vision.
"Bloody... bastard—kurgh~" Nick couldn't help but spurt out more blood after speaking weakly.
He glanced at the upper left corner of his vision causing a barely visible small pale blue interface to became clear.
===————====————===
[Health] 8.8%
[Manna] 18.9%
[Status]: Heavily Fatigued...
===————====————===
His Health was dropping slowly as his Manna increased gradually. A small smile played on the corners of his lips as he noticed his Manna.
Seeing his ever strong spirit, annoyance surfaced through the silver haired man's eyes which quickly disappeared as if it wasn't there in the first place.
"I said your time is up young man..." he spoke, his voice slightly louder than earlier as he clapped his hands twice in quick succession. "And I meant it. Your little tricks to stall won't yield anything"
That's right. Nick had been secretly waiting for his Manna to rise above twenty percent so he had a chance of surviving. Of course he knew that the Hemokinetic man obviously realized that, he didn't have much of a choice.
Not like he really cared anyway. Oh wait, he did, considering it concerned his life...
Well whatever, let's continue narrating
In response to the man's clap, another person emerged from within the shadows. This time it was a lady with long auburn hair falling below her shoulders. She wasn't very tall, nor was she exactly short. She was not too beautiful, but in no way ugly either.
If there was something to note about her, it was the her hazel-coloured eyes which appeared hollow and devoid of emotion. In fact, they seemed to be devoid of a spirit even. Like someone who was simply alive, yet without living.
Nick's eyes widened in shock, which quickly morphed to hatred and anger.
Ignoring the excruciating pain he was facing currently, he launched himself at the silver haired man like a savage beast ready to tear it's prey apart, his actions completely catching the man of guard
"Stop"
A simple word from the lady sealed all his actions completely, including the Manna he had secretly been channeling.
"Kuhum"
The man, taken aback by his abrupt jump, let out a dry cough and steadied him self.
"I see you recognize your sister is completely under my control. Well I'll let you have a few moments alone before you die" he said, still maintaining the smile on his face as he turned and walked away.
"Don't allow him to recover his manna" he added as he disappeared into the shadows.
"Don't use manna" the lady said simply. However her simple words were an absolute spell that restricted him completely . "You can speak if you want" she added, unsealing his mouth.
Nick however said nothing. His eyes radiating immense killing intent were firmly locked at the spot where the tuxedo wearing man disappeared.
An involuntary shiver went through the silver haired man's body.
"Time's up" he said, not wanting to take the chance that Nicholas had a hidden card.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Silla" Nick finally spoke, as a hint of sadness and regret flashed through his eyes. However, the lady— Silla— who he was speaking to did not seem to hear a thing.
"Goodbye brother" she said without the slightest hint of emotion.
"Don't resist death" she said, her words carrying powerful magic, then she turned and left, disappearing into the spot where her companion was last seen.
"May we never meet again Nicholas Vanessa" the man's voice echoed from the shadows.
Nick fell on the floor. His whole body filled with pain.
[Warning! Health is running low!]
[Warning! Health is running low!]
[Warning! Health is running low!]
He ignored the notifications as he though of one more regret he had. He though of how he despised his sister for childish reasons and failed to teach her to protect her Player Code, causing her to end up in such a situation.
===————====————===
[Health] 4.5%
[Manna] 19.1%
[Status]: Heavily Fatigued • Heavy Bleeding • Dying
===————====————===
His Manna had been greyed-out and his Health was a deep bloody red font as if to emphasise his dangerous situation.
"Dying? Well that's a first" he chuckled weakly.
He hadn't fully read the HUD initially, causing him slight surprise.
"Player Interface" he called out, with the strongest voice he could muster. He might as well be his stats one last time.
===————====————===
[Player ID] Ashbourne ¤ Observer
[True Name] Nicholas A. Vanessa
[Player Code] NV** **** *** **** *003
[Class]: Chronomancer
===————====————===
[Health] 4.4%
[Manna] 19.1%
[Status]: Heavily Fatigued • Heavy Bleeding • Dying
Player will Die in 079 Seconds
===————====————===
[Physical Stats]
[Power Level]: 79.5
[Power] 12.0...
===————====————===
[Unique Stats]
¤
[Soul Tier]: Tier-2
[Luck Ratio]: 9.7
===————====————===
[Skills]
¤
[Chronomancer] [Player Class] [Time Attribute]
»Chronokinisis
»Time Spells
»Time Seal
»??? [LOCKED]
[Master Chef Assistant] [Talent]
[Observer] [Unique Skill]
[Inspect LV. Max] • [Retreat] • [Sprint] • [Intuition]...
===————====————===
"I guess I've come a long way...khuhum" he coughed up more blood and smiled weakly. He couldn't help but smile seeing the thighs he had achieved in the past few years.
[Dying: 031... 030... 029...]
"I guess this is the end..." He smiled. He had a lot of regrets. A whole lot.
'Well it's too late for regrets' He thought to himself. It was better to die in peace.
[Dying: 024... 023... 022...]
He closed his eyes and calmed himself.
His mind wandered to that [LOCKED] skill in his status.
"I wonder what it was. Oh well, it's too late now"
[Dying: 019... 018... 017...]
He stayed calm. He would pass on soon, no need to rush.
[Dying: 015... 014... 013...]
Oh come on! Can't death come any faster?!
Nick chuckled at his own joke. They say when you're about to die, your life will flash before your eyes.
What a joke.
He was a person who absolutely believed in logic, despite his attitude suggesting otherwise.
Knowing he was going to die, what was the point of panicking?
Why not pass on happy note.
[Dying: 010... 009... 008...]
He listened to the monotonous voice in his head, his eyes closed, his entire body still.
[007...]
It was coming closer...
[006...]
Wait for it...
[005...]
Wait for it...
And then suddenly.
«All prerequisites have been met»
«Unlocking Skill»
«Inheritance Skill: [Second Chance] unlocked»
"Hmm...?"
[Dying: 004...]
«Activating Skill»
«Skill activation in T-Minus 03 Seconds»
[Dying: 003...]
«T-Minus 02 Seconds»
[Dying: 002...]
"What the hell—!!"
«T-Minus 01 Seconds»
[Dying: 001..]
«T-Minus 00 Seconds»
«Skill Activated!»
[Dying: 000 Seco— $'*...♤• ERROR!]
A white light descended on Nicholas out nowhere. All his wounds healed in an instant and his body started to disappear starting from his feet. They broke down into millions of tiny pixels and faded into thin air. His body disappeared rapidly, along with his hands and torso. As his neck faded, he uttered one final word
"Shit!"
.
.
.
.
The entire place was empty for a few seconds, then it started to twist and warp. The silver haired man who had been observing was beyond surprised. He screamed as his body started twisting along with the entire atmosphere.
The entire universe rumbled as it churned and the very existence of reality swirled with loud noises.
Then it disappeared into nothingness. And then, there was silence.
*****
Oh, and did I mention he did that more than once?
This is the story of one who overcame laws and constellations.
Who was normal, yet absolutely beyond that.
A man who absolutely believed in logic, no matter how illogical, yet defies every form of it.
This is the story of a manipulator of Time and countless Fates.
This is the story of a Chronomancer.
And I, your loyal Observer, am thrilled to share this story with you.
===————====————===