You can't escape from destiny part 2

POV Ethan:

I moved slowly through the corridor of this cave, which was filled with a strange mineral I had never seen before.

Does a luminescent blue mineral exist on Earth? If it does, I had no idea.

*Step, step...

I kept walking until...

"Wow," I said, amazed as I entered a room made entirely of this blue material.

Everywhere I looked, there was that soft blue glow, something truly strange yet fascinating.

It was a gigantic and, above all, silent room.

*Step, step...

(Too bad I don't have a pickaxe or something), I lamented not being able to extract some of this material for analysis.

As I thought about this, I kept moving deeper into the room, occasionally dodging large chunks of the mineral or...

*Step, step...

(If I fall there, it'll be a sure death...), I thought, seeing a massive hole about the size of a person.

I pondered for a moment before moving on...

But curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to experiment.

"How long does it take for a bullet to make a sound?" I dismantled a bullet from the rifle's magazine and tossed it into the hole.

1...

2...

3...

4...

10...

20...

Nothing. No sound at all.

"Better keep my distance," I told myself, moving cautiously and keeping a constant eye on the ground.

*Step, step...

I continued until I reached a chamber where, in the center, I saw what looked like an altar with...

"A sarcophagus..."

I couldn't help but remember certain stories and animations from my youth, so I gripped my rifle and approached it.

*Aiming

Without forgetting to watch the ground.

*Step, step...

(What could it be? Sleeping beauty or a hidden boss? Or... maybe both?)

I kept walking until I reached some small steps, where I could better see the sarcophagus.

It was a large sarcophagus made of dark blue crystal. I couldn't see its interior from my position, so I had to get closer...

I hesitated.

I started feeling really uneasy, although I couldn't pinpoint why.

There was no sound, no smell, and the light wasn't making me dizzy, but I felt bad.

(Maybe there's some kind of unknown toxic gas...), I used my reasoning to excuse the feeling.

"I'll leave after a quick look," I promised myself, approaching the sarcophagus quickly to see inside.

What I saw was...

"A woman?"

Yes, there was a woman in there.

Her skin was quite pale, her hair was black, and she wore a thin black dress with golden decorations.

Her face was beautiful, but the most striking feature was the thin antlers on her head, making it hard to identify her species.

A woman... deer? Dragon?

Unfortunately, I couldn't come to a conclusion just by observing her antlers, so I examined her body more closely.

She was in the typical position of a deceased person: hands crossed, limbs stretched out, and little else, except for one small detail.

A small wound on her neck, just a medium-sized red dot that didn't reveal much.

*Discomfort

Seeing that dot made me feel worse than before.

But my curiosity knew no bounds, so I decided to touch her abdomen with a finger.

[Congratulations on finding a mythical resource!

???]

That's all that appeared...

--

I pondered for a few moments about what on earth that woman in the sarcophagus could be useful for, until I found the answer.

[Floor 0:

Enemies defeated (Gobrakian): 0.003%

Allies eliminated (Earthlings): 0.04%

Enemy bases: Unknown locations.

Allied bases: 10

Minimum monster kill quota: 350/20,000 monsters

Resources (Earthlings): Precious metals/Material for muta-gens

Enemy resources (unknown race): Human resources]

(Surely it's material for muta-gens...)

It makes a lot of sense since to develop these muta-gens, you need biological material.

What better than a presumably fresh body for that?

"It's a bit disappointing...", I said, looking at the woman.

She was really beautiful, so beautiful that I thought it was a waste to use her to create mutagens...

It was then, in my lamentations, that a stupid idea came to me.

(What if I use a potion? What will happen?)

I imagined a scenario where the woman wakes up without her memories and becomes a supremely powerful ally or even something more...

But I also remembered a scenario where she wakes up as a zombie and kills me, unleashing an unstoppable calamity.

Though the most likely outcome is that nothing will happen since a potion (or at least the one I have) can't revive the dead, and it would just be a waste.

(In one scenario, I gain an ally, in the second I die, and in the last I just waste a potion...)

*Discomfort

The discomfort didn't go away and, instead, urged me to choose since I didn't want to stay here for long...

"Screw it, it's just a damn game. Even if I get killed, I just have to wait a day."

I remembered that this is a game. Even if I unleash an apocalypse, it will just end in a game over, and that's it.

(Yeah, why worry so much?), I resolved and took out the potion.

[Universal emergency potion x4]

I had 4, having already used one in a previous shootout...

Pop!

I uncorked it and approached the woman.

*Discomfort

Seeing that wound on her neck, the discomfort increased a bit more, so I quickly applied the potion and stepped back a bit.

I waited for a few minutes to see if anything would happen, but...

Nothing happened.

(What a shame), I really wanted to see her wake up, but I guess it'll be next time.

I reached out my hand, and just as I touched her to store her in the inventory...

*Eyes open

(Holy shit!!!)

She suddenly opened her eyes.

Her eyes, which were a light green, remained static for a few moments before seeing me.

*Discomfort

The discomfort intensified to the point where I wanted to get out of there.

*Step, step...

The woman began to move slowly, and I, in turn, stepped back and aimed the rifle at her.

*Aiming

*Trembling

For some reason, my hands were trembling quite a lot. I was terrified, but I couldn't figure out why.

(Why am I afraid of a woman who technically hasn't done anything?)

Most likely, it's my survival instinct seeing something that shouldn't be happening...

Meanwhile, the woman sat up from the sarcophagus, and I watched in surprise as the mineral of the sarcophagus deformed to allow her to sit as if it were a bed.

(...well, now I know she's powerful...)

Innocent woman without memories or... apocalyptic zombie?

I couldn't deduce it since she remained silent, sitting while analyzing her surroundings.

Then she fixed her gaze on me.

*Staring

*Gulp!

Step, step...

I couldn't help but swallow before taking a few more steps back and aiming at her.

*Aiming

--

Pov ???:

I opened my eyes.

Where was I? Who am I? What's happening?

I asked myself that for a few moments before seeing a human.

He was terrified; I didn't know why.

I stood up slowly and looked around.

A strange room surrounded by a strange blue material...

I stared in confusion for a few moments before something clicked in my head.

*Click!

(I see...), I remembered everything in a blink.

Everything around me, from the walls to the sarcophagus where I had been resting.

Everything was my blood.

The last thing I remember... a lost war, a lost world, and everyone being imprisoned in this eternal prison.

I, however, resisted and paid the price by losing my mortal body.

I looked at the human.

His hair was strange, black with a faintly glowing white, his eyes... demon eyes? Was he a hybrid? A descendant of some demon?

I don't remember any demon with those pupils, but his hair seemed vaguely familiar...

*Gulp!

*Step, step...

He swallowed and stepped back from me, aiming a strange device at me.

It didn't seem powerful...

(How did he get here?) was the first question I asked myself until a more important one took its place.

"How did you heal my soul?"