I was still dragging Dan.
Each step sank into snow crusted with ice, the wet, slapping crunch of his body echoing with every movement.
Every few inches, his blue sapphire pendant clinked against stone—a sharp bite that pierced the otherwise silent air.
A trail of crimson carved into the pale snow, steaming faintly in the cold.
My jaw felt unhinged. Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, yet I pressed on.
"Wake… up… bastard…" My voice was rasp, dry and brittle.
THMP
My forehead collided with his shoulder.
Layla… Carlos…
I closed my eyes.
But I didn't see any memories, only the moments with them.
The campfire.
The bodies we had buried.
"Eugh—Uagh!"
A cough shattered the silence, like a gunshot echoing between the trees.
"Dan!" I yelled.
Tiny cracks of ice formed on his eyelashes as he blinked.
"You—you look like…" He dragged his words, shaking his head slowly.
"…shit."
I let out a shaky and ragged sigh.
VWMMMM
A faint green glow flickered at his fingertips.
My arms itched violently, like invisible needles stitching my charred flesh back together.
But I could still feel the tingling in my right hand...
"That was the last of my mana…" Dan's head sank into the snow with a soft poof.
"Drag me with your hands now lad..."
He went limp.
"Today."
I collapsed beside him, snow crunching under my weight.
I covered my legs and chest with snow as if it were a blanket.
Although… it didn't provide any warmth.
The wind screamed through the high branches, a long, low howl that seemed to mourn with us.
"Was a rough day…" I whispered to no one. My voice was hoarse, almost foreign in its own quiet.
---
When I opened my eyes, I was back in the abandoned cottage.
Layla and Carlos were there, as well as Dan, who still looked fragile, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths.
"Heard you reunited with quite… an acquaintance." Carlos scoffed, crunching an apple. His tone was flat and teasing, but the edge in his voice was unmistakable.
Layla studied me with sharp eyes, her gaze like a scalpel, cutting through every lie I could try to hide.
Then suddenly—
Maps appeared, floating in the air.
The Awakening fragment will be supplied at the marked location immediately after a candidate reaches the desired point.
Good luck.
"Guess there's no time to rest…" I muttered, staring at the map.
"What are we even going to do with the fragments?"
"We could lie low," Layla said, rubbing her eyes. The exhaustion in her voice was raw, tangible.
"The awakening fragments give immense power," Carlos said flatly. "We can't let anyone else get them."
"I… have one too."
I held up the purple amethyst. It glowed brighter than ever before.
"Layla and Dan can use these fragments to awaken," I said. "Since Carlos and I have already awakened."
"Wait," Layla said. "How did you get one?"
"The system… gave it to me."
Her eyes widened. "If the system gave it to you… that means…"
"I haven't awakened to my fullest potential."
"…That's not good."
We had to reach the fragments first. Before anyone else.
Before their power grew beyond control…
---
We split into two teams.
Carlos and I approached from the left, Layla and Dan from the right.
We couldn't see anyone—not a single soul…
Were they hiding…?
We leapt over buildings, scaled walls, vaulted towers.
"Carlos, see anyone?" I whispered, scanning rooftops.
"No—I can't sense any mana either," he replied.
"They must've hidden their presence. Whoever they are… they're strong."
We ran until—
A girl appeared, standing in the middle of the street, a knife trembling in her hand.
Her eyes were wide, filled with fear—yet something darker lingered beneath the surface.
"G-greetings…" Her voice shook, weighted with dread.
"Carlos, I'll take it from here. Get the fragment."
Mission: Judge 4/5 souls.
I hadn't forgotten…
"I—I don't want to kill you. They are… forcing me…"
For a moment, my guard wavered. I looked down at my dagger.
Then she lunged.
All I could see was the raw bloodlust blazing in her eyes.
CLANG
Our blades collided with a ringing metallic scream. I parried just in time.
With my left hand.
I moved, anticipating and calculating—
And stopped.
The blade barely touched her forehead, a bead of blood tracing down her skin.
"You know." I whispered, almost to myself.
"The dagger counts as a part of my body..."
I smiled.
Judgement System Activated
Light and colours twisted against each other. The world spun violently.
I closed my eyes—
And opened them again.
---
SPLASH
I was walking on water. Cold. Still.
Trees bloomed with pink flowers.
It felt peaceful…
In front of me, a woman sat beneath a tree.
Her hair was white as snow, her robe spilling outward—its length matching the roots beneath her.
Finally, a normal manifestation…
I exhaled slowly. My breath fogged the air, briefly blurring her figure.
Instead of charging mindlessly, I waited for the woman to strike at me.
She didn't move. Not even an inch…
I summoned my dagger.
FWMP!
I threw it at the branch above her.
It splintered—the branch dropped straight toward her head—
But she caught it.
And flung it back at me—so fast it felt like it had teleported.
With the dagger in my left hand, I split the branch clean in two.
When I looked behind—
She had already leapt a great distance.
Her fists clenched, aimed straight for my skull.
The branch was a distraction.
SPLASH
Her hands pressed into the water she had crouched on.
Her eyes didn't move. Didn't blink.
I dropped a dagger into my right hand.
I need to maintain distance. I'll throw fireballs at her and if she manages to outsmart me, a dagger will protect me.
Souls cannot use magic.
I learned that a long time ago.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
I fired three fire bullets at her. She deflected two of them with ease, but the third one burnt her foot. She fell one her knees.
I leaped towards her, covering a huge distance.
GUSHHH
Her fist went right through my stomach, my blood spraying like a fountain.
Then—
CLICK
That wasn't the sound of a clock ticking.
It was the sound of the universe rejecting what had just happened.
My stomach wasn't scratched.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
her stomach collapsed inward.
and burst.
I fell on my knees, the immense shock made me hyperventilate because I had just gambled my life...
with repulsion magic.