The Second Chance.

Christoph's body was floating along the gushing currents of the pearl water river. His body would submerge in the waters, and the intensity of water tossed his already broken body like some rag doll. The pain he was experiencing could not be described in words.

It was not only physically but even emotionally he was in agony. His entire life changed because of something out of his control. The regrets and the pain bought along by his helpless appearance broke Christoph's heart.

However, despite all this, he wanted to live. His only goal was to find and kill the people involved in this. Those vigilantes left him to die on a high note, making their actions look like some charity.

His heart was filled with hatred—the people who killed his parents. Christoph did not want to die before all the accounts were settled. His consciousness was slipping off his grip when a sudden collision with a boulder knocked him out completely.

…

Three months passed, and the world had moved on. Christoph was declared dead in the accident, and after a period of grief, all the people who knew him or his family got busy with their own.

On the other side, Christoph gazed at a chandelier while lying on a bed. He did not know where this place was, and neither did he know how he came here. He thought to himself, 'Am I dead? Well, what is the point in even asking? After all, that happened, isn't it obvious?'

The young man sighed and moved his head around. He was surprised at the luxury of this scene, 'Whoa, is this place heaven?'

He tried to sit up, but a streak of pain shot from his arms to his brain, and he groaned. At this moment, he realized he was not dead and that this situation was not a dream.

After a few minutes, the pain vanished, and he wanted to look at his body when he heard an aloof voice, "I would not be moving if I were you."

Christoph was surprised but gradually calmed down. He wanted to ask a few things when the voice said, "You can turn your head to the left, and you will see what your situation is."

The young man followed the instruction. Earlier, he did not look around properly. As he turned his head, Christoph found a variety of machines. He could tell these were all medical status monitoring and support units. He could see all the wires and tubes were likely to be connected to his body.

His brain processed the details, but he could not come to terms with the scene before him. The aloof voice sounded again, "You have seven broken ribs, two broken vertebrae. The neural network below the waist is also non-responsive. The bones in your arms are shattered and cannot be repaired. Half of your face is disfigured, and your jaw is shattered too. There is also a spot of your skull that caved in. I wonder how you are even alive."

Christoph closed his eyes when he heard his condition. At this moment, he recalled the man's words at that bridge, 'He was correct. My body is already like this. How can I even think of avenging my parents? I should have died.'

As if she could look into his mind and sense his remorse, the lady said, "I have a way to treat you and help your body recover to a level you would have never imagined. However, I have a question for you. Only when you have answered to my satisfaction will I help you?"

Christoph turned his head around to look for the person, but he could not find anyone. The voice sounded again, "No point in looking around. You will see me when the time is right."

Christoph sighed and calmed down. His gaze returned to the chandelier above his head as the lady asked, "If I told you that seeking recovery would make you give up on your humanity. Will you agree?"

The young man thought for a bit and then nodded. The lady asked, "What if the sacrifice was not limited to your humanity, but even your soul or being? What if the recovery came at the cost of upending your entire life and the world view? What if everyone you knew became an enemy or something you could not relate to?"

Christoph thought briefly, 'I wonder if I have anything else to bet on. I already lost everything, and the world probably does not even know I exist. Will it be alright if I give in? Will I still be able to go after those people and kill them?'

The lady replied to his thoughts and said, "You can find what you seek. But you must be ready to give up everything you have, your entire being. You would die if you hesitated. So think again before you answer me, for this is the last way out. After this, I will put you on the operation table, and you will not be able to back off, even if you wanted to."

Christoph thought again and nodded. His eyes were determined. He did not care about anything but his revenge on those people. The rage buried deep in his chest was why he held on to life.

The lady sensed it and said, "Go to sleep now. We will talk when you wake up."

The voice was akin to a sleeping pill. The instant Christoph heard this. He fell asleep. As soon as his eyes closed, a lady appeared next to him. She reached out her hand to caress his face and mumbled, "Fate bought you to me, and now fate will decide whether you live or you die."

The lady was so beautiful that no words could describe her. She was elegant, poise, and charming, akin to the moon in the night skies, alluring.

The lady walked over to the side of the room. The wall behind the medical monitors had a secret vault. She pressed her hand on the wall, and a clicking sound echoed. A hatch appeared on the smooth surface of the wall. As she opened the hatch, a vial was revealed.

It was as if the ruby had been melted and filled inside the glass container. The lady picked up the vial and said, "Vincent."

An older man dressed in a butler suit appeared. He asked, "My Lady."

The lady said, "Prepare the isolation room."

Vincent was surprised, but then he reined in his exclamation and said, "Pardon me, my lady, but is it wise to use something that precious on a person you do not know?"

The lady glanced at the old man with a chill in her eyes. Vincent shivered, and the woman said, "It is not yet your turn to teach me what or what I should not do."

Vincent bowed his head and heard the woman say, "Prepare the room. After the injection, there will not be much time."

The butler nodded, unplugged Christoph's body from the medical equipment, and then pushed the bed outside the room. The lady followed behind slowly. Only their footsteps echoed in the corridors.

After a few turns, Vincent stopped in front of another room. He opened the door and pulled the bed inside. The room was different from the normal ones. Every inch of this room was covered with white padding. It looked more like a psych hold room than an isolation room.

Vincent placed the bed in the center of the room. Then he gazed at the lady, who walked closer to the young man and raised the glass vial in her hand over Christoph's mouth.

After opening the vial, she allowed the red liquid to drip into Christoph's mouth. She made sure to preserve a few drops of the juice before she retracted her hand and then used the nail of her index finger to carve a mark on his chest. The pattern looked like a circle; inside the circle was a star.

The lady opened her cherry lips and whispered in his ears, "Nox tibi erit anima, tenebrae duce te duce, et in nomine deae Lunae, jubeo te surgere."

Her nail was akin to a sharp knife, gliding over the skin and carving these words on Christoph's chest. As soon as she finished carving, then dripped the last few drops of the liquid in the vial over the mark.

The drop had not contacted the person when it glowed, and the lady said, "Let's go. All that's left is on him."

Vincent sighed as he walked out behind the lady. He closed the door behind him and asked, "My lady, what are the chances of this ritual being successful?"

The lady turned around and said, "Around eight percent."

Vincent was shocked and asked, "Then why did you rush?"

The lady gazed at the door and sighed, "It was not me but him. After three months of artificial support, how much time do you think he had left? I am sure you noticed the drop in his heart rate as soon as you disconnected the life support."

Vincent nodded and said, "I wonder if this one will make it out on his feet."

The lady kept gazing at the door with her heart filled of uncertainties.