Chapter 3: Julien D. Evenus [2]

Chapter 3: Julien D. Evenus [2]

'It hurts...!'

The vision shattered, leaving behind a raw, unrelenting pain that refused to leave. It felt as if someone had punched at my chest over and over again.

No...

It felt more like someone had stabbed right through my chest.

"Ukhh!"

A light groan escaped my lips as I tried to move my body.

'...Wait?'

My eyes flared open and light immediately entered my sight.

"I'm... alive?"

My voice came out hoarse.

But without a doubt, it was my voice. Albeit unfamiliar.

As my eyes absorbed the light, the world around me seemed hazy. I swallowed my saliva.

"This..."

— ●[Julien D. Evenus]● —

Level :17 [Tier 1 Magician]

Exp : [0%—[16%]———————100%]

Profession : Magician

」 Type : Elemental [Curse]

」 Type : Mind [Emotive]

Spells :

」 Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Anger

」 Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Sadness

」 Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Fear

」 Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Happiness

」 Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Disgust

」 Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Surprise

」 Beginner type spell [Curse] : Chains of Alakantria

」 Beginner type spell [Curse] : Hands of malady

Skills :

[Innate] - Foresight

— ●[Julien D. Evenus]● —

Something floated in front of me. I only caught a small glimpse of it. By the time I blinked, it was gone.

"Ukh."

My head continued to throb.

How am I still alive...?

It didn't make sense.

The last memories I could recall were the last moments before my passing.

The exchange with my brother, the lingering scent in the room, and the bittersweet, yet smoky taste of the whisky coming down my throat.

"How is this possible...?"

As my vision cleared up, I tried to make out my surroundings.

It was an unfamiliar setting.

Nothing like I'd ever seen before.

My initial focus was drawn to the large desk right before me. It loomed large, dominating the space with its gleaming, well-polished wooden top.

Strangely, there appeared to be nothing resting atop the desk except for a vintage, antique night lamp, which emitted a soft, subdued glow, casting an eerie light across the room.

Clank—!

"...!"

A sudden noise jolted me from behind, and my body tensed. The back of my hair stood on end, and I flicked my head to look behind me.

Expecting the worst, my legs tensed as I readied to move out of my spot, but...

"...A tatoo?"

A four-leaved clover was deeply etched on my forearm.

It looked like a cheap tattoo. It was all in black, and besides the soft glow that was slowly subsiding, there seemed nothing special about it.

The more I stared at it the more I felt like there was nothing special to it.

Uh...?

That was until all four leaves lit up with a strange white glow.

Stunned, I felt my eyes widen, and just before I could do anything, the world around me froze. I lost control of myself. I could no longer move, and everything around me gradually lost its color.

From the pool of blood beneath me, as though time were unwinding itself, the blood began to defy gravity, trickling upward and returning into my body.

"...Uh."

Yet again, I was shocked. But I could do nothing.

I was stuck in place.

All I could do was watch as time seemed to reverse.

The elaborate blood patterns woven on my forearm began to shift and retract, seamlessly returning to my chest. Simultaneously, the sword that had penetrated my chest initiated a similar backward motion, gradually withdrawing from my chest.

I struggled to come to terms with what I was seeing and all sorts of thoughts flashed my mind, but...

Clank—!

They all shattered when I heard the clanking sound of the sword behind me.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

The world regained its color, and I felt my breath again.

"What...?"

Everything around me was back to normal. From the book that fell from the bookshelf to the floor which was no longer stained in blood.

I remained seated where I was. Confused and dazed. It took me a moment to recover my bearings, and when I did, the first thing I did was stare at the sword that was lying on the floor.

There was something about it that felt unsettling to me.

It was as if there was a certain connection that linked between it and me. One that I couldn't explain.

Just as I was about to move to pick it up...

Clank—!

The door to the room opened.

"Young master."

A cold and even voice echoed within the confines of the room. It was a familiar voice. One which I vaguely remembered hearing before.

When I turned my head, my hair stood on end.

What...

Two dull gray eyes stared back at me.

For a moment, my thoughts stopped. Why is he here? Who is he...? And where am I?

The man from the vision.

The man from the game.

And the man who killed me in the vision.

"They've called your name. It's your turn to take the test."

Why was he standing before me?

And why did it feel so real?

"Ah."

I've finally lost it, haven't I?

I wanted to laugh but found myself unable to.

"Young master?"

As if my actions seemed weird, he tilted his head.

"Are you okay...? Your face looks a little pale."

He took a step to approach me but I raised my hand to stop him. Recollections of the last memory kept replaying in my mind over and over again. As if it was a tape on repeat.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask him but kept my mouth shut.

My instincts, or more like, brain, was telling me that it wasn't a good idea.

"Young master...?"

And just as my name was called out again and he was about to approach me, I helped myself up from the chair.

"Lead the way."