Riyu lay in front of me, alive and seemingly unwounded.
I kneeled beside her. Just a moment ago, we were teasing each other on top of that giant tree. Then everything turned upside down—she died right in front of me. But now she was breathing. My hands trembled as I touched her stomach.
No wound. Nothing.
Thankfully.
But what just happened? I was still completely confused.
While I was lost in thought, I suddenly felt a tight grip on my hand.
"I—I'm alive!!!" Riyu screamed as she woke up.
For a full minute, we simply stared at each other.
…
…
...
"What the fuck is happening!?" we both shouted together.
Yeah, we really shouldn't waste time like this.
"Are those things still listening to you?" I asked. Earlier it was a tree that stabbed her.
"I suppose so," she said—and a branch casually offered her a fruit.
Why the hell is she still flexing!?
"You shouldn't trust that branch at all, you know," I said seriously, eyeing it.
"I know," she replied, taking a big bite of the fruit anyway.
Instead of climbing trees again, the two of us just started roaming through the forest aimlessly.
…
"Idiot! You shouldn't have provoked it!" Riyu screamed as we ran for our lives.
A strange creature chased us—green-skinned, lower body human, upper body like a snake, with four arms swinging wildly.
What the hell was that thing!?
"Don't act innocent now! You said it would be fine!" I yelled.
Apparently, her 'calculation' failed, and we ended up provoking it on purpose because she wanted to test if she could control it. She managed for a few moments… Then the sky turned black, and the creature attacked.
A massive branch suddenly appeared in front of us—we had no time to react—and it slammed into both of us.
What the hell is even happening anymore!?
Before we could run, a tree root shot out of the ground and wrapped around us, trapping us completely.
"Not this time again!" Riyu shouted.
I knew what was coming. She knew it too.
Her powers weren't working at all in this darkness.
The root twisted and transformed into a cocoon, crushing us inside with no room to move. It tightened, squeezing us as our bones cracked. Tears burst from my eyes. I stopped feeling my muscles, as if they no longer existed. Riyu was enduring the same.
My consciousness faded—
A drop of water hit my eye, jerking me awake.
Then another.
And another.
It wasn't letting us stay unconscious; it was forcing us to stay conscious.
At this point, I would've rather died.
But the water kept falling.
We couldn't speak, couldn't turn, and couldn't do anything. The cocoon filled with our blood, yet we remained alive—truly hopeless.
Just stop this or kill us now. I started to feel like my bones were getting crushed to a point where they became powder. It starts shrinking more; pain is increasing every second. My head will blast if it continues like this.
…
Suddenly something sliced the cocoon in half.
Blood gushed out as we were freed, completely covered in it. Somehow, I managed to lift my neck. It was the same creature chasing us earlier.
Was it listening to Riyu again?
"I… tried to ask for help," she said weakly.
Her blessing wasn't working earlier.
Now it was.
The sky was normal again.
Does her blessing stop working in darkness?
But something bothered me more.
"Why… did you ask for help?" I asked quietly.
I grabbed her shoulders and shouted, "WHY!? Just let me die!"
"Shut up!" she snapped.
"What's the point of living like this!? Like a corpse!" I shouted again.
Every time I try to die, someone stops me. They say I have to live for my loved ones.
Loved ones. Or to not give up.
That's the weakness that holds me back.
I always wanted to be the protagonist, but I know I can't be one. I'm just a weak, pathetic guy who only thinks about himself.
I remembered when I tried to kill myself after getting bullied by my classmates in middle school. Aunt stopped me. She said my cousin Riyu cared about me—that she would fall apart if I died.
That's the only thing that kept me alive. I am not brave enough now to take my own life; I am truly a coward. To kill myself, I have to kill my weakness, since it is the only way, I have.
My weakness. "I'm sorry… Riyu," I whispered.
"What!?" she said, eyes widening.
Before she could react, I pressed my hands around her neck and pushed her to the ground. We were both weak—she couldn't resist. I can see tears from her eyes; I know she will hate me after this.
I closed my eyes.
"Sorry… Riyu."
My hands trembled violently as I strangled her. Tears streamed down my face.
Suddenly, something pierced my chest.
The creature.
The one she controlled earlier.
It stabbed me, making a big hole in my chest, and my heart fell on her chest—saving her.
My consciousness faded.
"…Thank you," I whispered and smiled. The smile I gave was definitely the worst smile she had ever seen. Bye Riyu, I hope I die permanently. My only regret is I couldn't do anything for her at all; even now I try to kill her. What a horrible person I am.
(Riyu's POV)
My breathing stopped as I watched Ren die in front of me.
Why did it have to happen?
Why?
Was I ignoring him?
Was I not good enough for him?
I couldn't stop crying. Tears kept falling, and I kept shaking.
Then the creature that killed Ren began feeding on his body like it was nothing but meat. My body was too weak to move. I notice Ren's heart on my chest and am left speechless. I closed my eyes, but blood splattered onto my face—some hitting my eyes and forcing them open.
I kneel to Ren's half-eaten body, and tears start coming from my eyes; I start crying.
Suddenly, everything around me began to crack like breaking glass.
[Trial failed again…]
[Restarting…]