Rebirth in Darkness

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"Huff... Huff..." Nellas struggled to breathe, the air had a faint smell of blood, death, and smoke. His body was shaking uncontrollably as his eyes slowly opened.

The first thing he saw was the ground beneath him, the grass was covered with blood, and the dirt was stained crimson.

"...W-What is this...?" He murmured as he forced himself to stand, his legs wobbled as he looked down at his body.

There were multiple cuts on his body, his clothes were torn, and blood was pouring out from the wounds.

"Huff... Huff... I... Am... Alive..." He struggled to get the words out, his voice hoarse and weak.

He remembered everything that had happened, but he couldn't believe it. How was he alive? How was this possible?

How did he get here?

Where was this place?

What was going on?

Questions raced through his mind. He couldn't make sense of any of them. He was confused and scared and angry. He couldn't think straight. He didn't know what to do. He didn't even know what was real anymore.

"Is this afterlife? Is this hell?" He whispered, his eyes scanning the area.

It was dark. There were no lights anywhere. The only light came from the moon. It was full tonight. And it was a cold night.

There was no one else around, not a soul. No people, no animals. Nothing. Just silence.

The silence made him feel uncomfortable. He felt like someone was watching him.

But there was nothing around him. Only trees, bushes, rocks, and dirt were there.

He could hear sounds in the distance. There was a river nearby, and it was flowing. He could hear the rushing water and the wind blowing through the trees.

"Huff... Huff. I'm not dead yet?"

He didn't know what else to say. He couldn't say anything else.

He felt dizzy and weak. He couldn't move.

He sat down, resting against a tree trunk, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down.

His body ached, and his muscles were sore. His head throbbed, and his eyes burned.

But he was alive.

"Did I die and come back?"

He stared at the ground. His vision blurred, his eyes unfocused. He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision.

"I... I don't know."

He wasn't sure what he meant. He wasn't sure of anything.

He looked down at his hands, staring at them. He couldn't tell if they were real or not.

"Am I going mad?"

He touched his face. His cheeks were cold and clammy. His fingers felt numb, and his nails were cracked and broken.

He was unsure of everything.

Just a moment ago he had been dead. Dead, dying, and now... He was here.

He remembered his death vividly. The pain. The agony. The suffering. The helplessness.

He shuddered, shivering slightly as he recalled those memories. He was cold. So cold.

But it wasn't the cold of death. No, it was the cold of life. Of living. Of being alive.

Ding!

An alarming sound suddenly echoed in his mind.

[You have been resurrected, host!]

A blue, holographic screen appeared in front of his face and his attention was forced to focus on the text that was written on it.

The light from the screen caused his vision to blur, making it difficult to read. He had to squint to see clearly.

"Huh? What's this?"

It was strange, unnatural. It wasn't something he had seen before.

He read the words carefully, trying to understand their meaning.

"...you... have been... resurrected..."

It was difficult to comprehend.

Nellas could only stare at it in shock, unable to apprehend what was happening.

This couldn't be real. It was impossible.

No one could come back from the dead. It was simply impossible.

But here he was. He was alive.

"Does it mean that I'm reincarnated?"

Reincarnation... He never believed in it before, but now, in this situation, it seemed that he had no choice but to accept it.

"Or, am I still in the same world as before?"

That was the most probable explanation.

It wasn't like he had traveled to another world. It was more likely that he was still in the same place, the same world, and the same time.

If that were true, then the only difference would be that he had somehow come back to life.

Ding!

Another notification flashed across his vision, forcing his attention to the next line of text.

[Host, your current race is a 'Dark Zombie'. You have gained a 10% Physical and Mental Defense and Attack buff. Your physical and mental endurance has increased.]

"...I see. So, I'm a zombie."

That explained a lot.

He didn't come back to life or got reincarnated. He turned into a zombie. A 'Dark Zombie'.

And that was why he was still alive. Because, technically speaking, he was already dead.

Zombies were the walking dead. They weren't alive, but they weren't dead either.

They were undead creatures.

"Am I the only one who became a zombie?"

There was no way to know for sure, but he suspected not.

He remembered how everyone else had been killed too.

Some had their heads cut off, others had their throats slit open, and some had their bodies crushed.

Everyone had been killed.

But now, somehow, he was still alive.

"So, does this mean I'm the last survivor of the battle?"

It wasn't like he had been the strongest or even the bravest, but he had fought well enough.

Maybe the gods were merciful, and let him live?

"No, there's no way they would care about someone like me."

He couldn't believe in such fairy tales.

If the gods really existed, why would they let all those people die? Why would they let him suffer?

Why would they let him live when everyone else had perished?

Ding!

Yet another message popped up in front of his face.

It was getting annoying.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

He had no choice but to keep reading.

[All of your skills, powers, and abilities are locked.]

"My skills are locked?"

It was an odd term. But he supposed it made sense.

He couldn't use his skills. He couldn't use his powers.

If he could the wound he had now would have been healed long ago.

"Is there no way to unlock them?" He wondered.

And as if to answer his question another screen appeared before him.

[Do you want to 'Unlock' all your locked skills, powers, and abilities?]

[Yes / No]

"Hmm, it's not asking for payment or anything," Nellas muttered to himself as he considered his options.

"I can unlock them right now?"

That sounded good. He wanted to get stronger, to grow more powerful, and unlocking his skills would help him achieve that goal.

So, he chose yes.

"Yes, I want to 'Unlock' them."

Ding!

Immediately a new screen appeared before him, displaying a long description of something he had never expected to see.

"This is... This is not possible."

Nellas stared at the words written on the screen.

It was unbelievable.

He could not believe what he was reading.

[Error! Host status: Unmarried, Single.]