Quest

Yichen picked up a sound before him; the door swung open, and within his view, he saw bright white snow falling. The snow melded with the white ground and a figure appeared within seconds. 

The figure approached Yichen and seemed to observe him for segments of time. Momentarily, Yichen caught a glimpse of a hand reaching out toward him. His instincts screamed at him to run, but all he could do was close his eyes and cower in fear, crawling backward until he hit his back against the wall. Feeling the tape on his mouth being ripped off, he opened one eye and caught sight of the man before him speaking.

"Don't scream, wait here."

Yichen observed the man who emerged from the van. He seemed to be preparing for something. Looking around, Yichen found himself surrounded by a dense forest covered in snow, nothing but trees and snow in sight for miles. The man glanced at Yichen before turning around once more and returning to his preparations. He took a knife from a bag and set it aside. Even behind a mask, Yichen could sense a smile spreading across the man's face.

It'd be pointless to scream here. I doubt anyone will even hear me.

"I don't have to kill him, do I?"

[Then you just want to survive and escape? It's kill or be killed.]

"But you're asking me to kill someone. That's murder! I will be arrested and sent to juvie if I get caught. Are you crazy!?" 

[Do you want to die?]

"No. How about you find another way? Compromise?" 

[You find another way. This is the only way I can help you.]

While Yichen silently argued with the system, the man approached him, standing above and taking off his mask. Looking up, Yichen saw him smiling, with messy short black hair, droopy eyes, and eye bags. His eyes were venetian red and looked like he could see his secrets. Those eyes sent chills down his spine. A single thought went through his mind: he was going to die. 

Trying to avoid the piercing gaze, Yichen saw three huggie earrings on the man's left ear and a cross necklace around his neck. Hearing a voice, Yichen stiffened and looked back up to see those red eyes peering down at him.

"Well, aren't you unique? This means you can talk to me, right? After all, you didn't scream. Aha, let's have some fun."

Yichen nodded and tried not to provoke him. He gave a hesitant smile, trying to appear non-threatening. The man sat down and continued speaking.

"My family never loved me. Sad, right?"

Huh? Am I your therapist?

"They would beat me just because they could. Not just that, they would also find tiny things to use as excuses for beating me." he paused, eyes glassy with the thought of long-past memories. "I used to hide under my blanket, terrified of the phone charger in my father's hand. He would yank the blanket away, angry at me for trying to protect myself, and wielded the charger like a whip, slamming downwards toward my back while I tried to move toward the corner of my room. It felt like my skin was burning with each strike, tears streaming down my face. My heart was racing trying to endure until it was over. 

"Originally, I blamed myself, convinced I must have done something again. I did something wrong-I'm the issue! But later, I realized that I was not wrong; they were.

"I tried to seek help, but nothing worked. So I figured my only solution was to kill them! I made it look like an accident. The police never thought a kid could have been the killer because I made it look like they had killed each other in the heat of the argument."

No! I think you are pretty wrong there.

"Then I kept having thoughts about that day, and the pleasure I took in it. And look at me now-I've come so far."

Yeah, look at you now.

"The second time, I was meeting a friend at a bar. We were going just to have dinner, but that idiot had to bring up my past and started going off about how horrible of a friend I was.

 "Of course, I was 18, unlike my friend. But people drink illegally all the time, and he would always talk shit about me and his other friends. It got annoying, so I just dealt with it, by shutting him up forever. I get that he was drunk, but seriously, I got irritated. I even had to take him home! Of course, when he got back home, he would not have expected me to torture and kill him."

I bet you were drunk too. Why would you do that? What the actual fuck is wrong with you?

"This time, I felt relieved. It was quite fun taking my anger out on someone who deserved it. The way I tortured him was beautiful."

Why are you so proud of that?

"When he got to his house, I waited for him to sober up so that he could feel it all. I let him sleep for an hour before I splashed water on his face to rouse him. I think he was quite awake when I said I was going to fuck him up.

"When he woke up, he saw that he was tied up and everything ached.

"Why? You might be thinking, it was because I skinned him alive. I can still remember the betrayed look on his face when he realized it. He saw his body, flushed with red, revealing every muscle, while the off-white bones were visible. The mirror I put in front of him gave him quite a scare. Of course, when he saw me coming from behind the mirror, well, that was most likely scarier.

"With each movement, he groaned, and with each sound he made, I would use my knife and make small cuts to his epimysium. 14 minutes later, he was begging me to just kill him, but I didn't. He slowly died within an hour from blood loss. I wish he had lasted longer.

"After he died, I wiped the blood away with hydrogen peroxide and cleaned up any possible evidence of me being there. That made me a suspect. It was too clean. 

"The way I cleaned up made a detective suspect me of being the killer. Although the timing lined up, there was no motive and they had no admissible evidence. So I escaped that detective and lived a free and wonderful life out in this world. After all, all he had was circumstantial evidence that couldn't be used against me. If he knew that I would become a serial killer who is responsible for multiple serial murders, I wonder how angry he would be?"

You had done more? Was three, not enough?

"'How many?' You may be wondering. 13 people. 10 guys I met visiting various bars, that friend I mentioned, and both my parents. How's that? Isn't this fun?"

While thinking to himself, Yichen noticed how young the guy before him looked, as well as how tired he seemed. Recalling his memories, he realized that he knew this man. He remembered reading a book in The Library of Consciousness. The book depicted a scene where he was in the living room watching television with his father. His father was angry at the man who appeared on the screen. 

Three years from now, this man would be arrested for homicide and released due to a lack of evidence. He would be a college student, much more put together and blonde. 

A screech came from him when he felt a sharp pain in his arm. The pain broke his momentary distraction from the imminent future awaiting the man in front of him.

"It started to become an addiction. I would trick the people I met at the club, and I told them that I would take them home. I surprised them by bringing them to a forest. Then I could have some fun with them, by first cutting the muscles that make their arms function."

It became quiet. He had stopped talking. He looked at Yichen's arms and looked back to glare at Yichen, who was stifling his cries of pain.

"Nothing? I thought you would at least scream."

Feeling the pain of his torn muscles, he looked down and tried to ease it. Yichen looked back up at the man, trembling, scared he would let out a sound. He recalled the knife within his inventory, beginning to rethink what he had first declared. 

Maybe it would be better to survive, even if it means killing another human.

The man noticed Yichen's eyes filling with bloodlust and grabbed him by the hair.

The man opened the van's door and dragged Yichen out by his hair. Frowning and looking around, he searched the wide plain of snow and trees. The man looked back at Yichen who, by now, had come to the understanding that he wouldn't be able to escape or try calling out for help. Yichen's tears flooded his eyes, but he remained silent.

Seeing the boy's watery eyes, the man almost cried out of joy, like a kid who got a new toy. He was enjoying the sight of Yichen's suffering, the tears, and the pain. Taking the knife in his hand, he pointed it at Yichen's leg. He crouched down with a face filled with joy, and the knife in his hand rapidly closed in on Yichen. 

He could see the knife's handle protruding from his body; the searing pain spread up Yichen's leg. He began to feel his skin tear apart with each second, and hot blood splattered on his pants, soaking them.

Yichen felt his muscles reacting to the pain, wishing it would stop. His eyes started to water. His cry was almost inaudible, but it was still there.

Upon hearing the muffled cry, the man swiftly pulled back the knife. This only served to increase Yichen's pain. The air within the dry winter forest made the wound sting like hell. Wanting to scream for help, he started to beg with a voice low and on the verge of breaking.

"Please, I don't want to die. I beg you don't kill me! Stop!"

Seeing the kid in front of him speak for the first time after getting away, the murderer became quiet, which almost made Yichen think he would let him go. After a few seconds, he replied with a simple no and plunged his knife deep into Yichen's other leg. Finally screaming out in pain, Yichen saw another message from the system. 

[Please Survive]

"Goddamn it! I don't know how!"

Hearing the kid talking to himself, the man took the knife out from his leg.

Moaning in pain, Yichen looked at the man, who was staring at him with a baffled expression. He felt sick. He couldn't understand why the man was looking at him with such an expression. 

You're the crazy one. So why? Why are you looking at me like that?

The man before him cast aside his baffled expression, smiling again instead. The man before him turned to the side and hurled the knife at the snow-covered grass beside Yichen, chuckling. Stiffening from the sudden action, Yichen heard the voice again.

"You want to survive, don't you?"

With a look of suspicion mixed with a hint of hope, Yichen quickly nodded his head. The man, smiling, gestured to the knife, and then to himself. He was sure that the boy would not kill him. After all, even if he was only 12, he was old enough to know that there would be some consequences.

Slowly, the implications of his question dawned on Yichen. Despair fell over him, underscored by a small drop of hope that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to survive. Looking back down at his wounds, he sat there, with emotions that were waging a war in his head. Out of breath, he heard the man once more.

"You have a minute, decide then."

He started to count down from 60. Even while counting the numbers, Yichen's mind was in shambles; the thought of killing gave him chills. Scared, he tentatively asked the man before him.

"And if I don't?"

The man took his hand up to his neck and gestured that he would kill him. Yichen felt chills from the action and his mind began to spiral. Upon further reflection, he began to realize that if he did follow his instructions, it would inevitably be traced back to him. Which then can affect his future and he would not be able to protect his family, much less save the world.

He thought about it again, the other option was the same. The consequences of either action would yield the same results. If he died now, he wouldn't have to live with the guilt, and not needing to take such an action seemed like a much better option, since the guilt would eat at him.

Hearing the seconds tick away, his mind was still clouded. As the numbers fell from 10 to 9, he tried to ask the system to help him calm his mind, so he could make the right decision. The system dinged just as he looked up, the blue screen in front of him gave a reply.

[Do what you must. You know the solution.]

Seeing this reply, he felt as if it was fate. Wishing to go against fate, he heard the numbers tick from 3 to 2. He was set on not becoming a murderer. He held strong to his decision.

"One. Zero."

"I'd rather die than become someone like you," he spat at the man's foot.

"Aw man, I thought it would have been fun playing with you. Although, did you think I was going to let you kill me just because I wanted you to? You're mature, right? You should know how the world works; it's not fair."

The man reached out for the knife again. This time, he wasn't smiling. Seeing it almost within the man's reach, Yichen kicked his leg toward the knife, trying to untie the rope binding his legs. Seeing this, the man grabbed Yichen's leg and the knife. Laughing at Yichen's failed attempt, he cut the rope from his legs. Although the first part of his plan was accomplished, Yichen still could not move his legs. It was still a failed attempt. Scared to death, he screamed out loud, trying to call for help even though he had already known that he would not get a reply.

The man, still grabbing onto his leg, hurled him toward the ground, near a tree. Hitting the ground and the tree simultaneously, Yichen let out a cough. His back burned with pain, his wounds throbbed more intensely than before. Short of breath, he felt as though he was dying.

Approaching him, the man observed Yichen who was on the brink of death, losing too much blood his consciousness began to fade, and Yichen saw the knife with greater clarity than usual. As he stared at the knife, which drew closer by the minute, he glanced down at himself. 

He tried to stand up, but the world seemed to spin around him, blurring the edges of his vision. It caused him to sway unsteadily on his feet and ultimately sent him back to the ground. Unable to do anything, he saw the man standing before him.

As he felt his life slipping away, memories of his family flooded his mind, and his life flashed before his eyes. The memories of him smiling with his sister and being part of a loving family filled his head. He remembered the times they would argue and joke around.

He smiled while he remembered his mother who he had loved dearly. Her smile always brought light into his life. He also remembered that afternoon, the gift he received from his best friend that he never got the chance to open. He regretted that deeply. Tears welled up in his eyes as memories flooded back. He saw the snow in the forest and remembered playing with Zhongshu that day, his birthday.

He yearned to open the present and lamented this outcome, anger surging in him, anger at the world for how unfortunate his life had turned out. Even his last life was plagued with misfortune. He longed to see Zhongshu again, the best friend who had always been there for him, even in his previous life.

"Damn, I haven't opened your present yet. Sorry, Zhongshu." He murmured regretfully.

Looking at the knife, he felt as though the world had slowed down. All he could think about was his regrets. Slowly, the regret turned to anger, and he wished he could shift the blame onto someone else entirely.

The time slowly passed and he saw the system once more with the quest menu and a countdown till his demise. Seeing the message of the countdown going from 5 to 4, he sighed and said out loud in front of the system. 

"I don't wanna die, and I don't wanna kill a human. Isn't it too late?"

Watching the time tick from 2 to 1, he looked at the man in front of him with disgust and anger. Seeing the knife in slow motion, he tried to dodge it. Swaying to the right, the knife barely grazed his shoulders. He hesitated for a moment, wondering how he moved out of the way so fast, then seeing the system's number stop, he smiled. 

The guy in front of him was impressed, but he still stalked toward him. Swinging toward him once more, Yichen dodged again. He was on the verge of fainting and he bit down on his teeth and tried to regain his balance. Trying to gather as much energy as he could, he limped backward. 

Although he was barely surviving at the moment, a thought came into his mind. 

I don't want to kill another human, but can this man even be considered human? So it would be fine if I killed him. Right?

Yichen promptly realized what he was thinking, and tried to shake that thought away. He felt scared of his mind. As he panicked, desperately trying to dodge, the man continuously made deep cuts with each swing toward him. Abruptly, the man stopped swinging and only ran toward him. Caught in that moment, the man sped toward him, knife in hand. 

Yeah, that's it. I have to kill him. After all, how can he be considered human?