The Twelfth Night - Part 4 - Sceke's Mysterious Repentance

How many seconds has it passed? Minutes? Hour? Nights?

I can feel every skin dissolving, pulling it bit by bit, little by little yet, everywhere.

My eyes are tightly closed, but even my eyes are burning in pain. I could only see the blinding darkness.

I cannot scream because I am drowning with my throat painfully dry.

Some parts of my body already went numb and limp. But why do I still feel pain?

How many nights has it really been? I wanted to die already, let me bleed to death.

I'm sorry, Veronia.

I'm sorry, Old Ze.

I'm sorry, Hanzee.

I'm sorry, Little Ye.

The Pentafive is no more.

I was the one who named our group such a ridiculous name because it will only be the five of us no matter what.

I know it is because of our fragile resolve or weakness that we don't want any more others in our group...

Bad maybe, that was the reason I've changed.

Before, I am like the others; arrogant, merciless, and cruel.

But when I was brought into this world, where my strength was useless, I met fear and all of you.

And... I don't want to die yet...

Blood was finally fleeing from my veins, draining me. I couldn't help but shout under this erosive water.

My mouth opened but no sounds came out.

But something came in.

I realized my mistake when I drank a few of these erosive water.

Abruptly, without warning, I feel my power increasing by tens of times!

If I could get out of here, I will be much stronger than before!

However, that is too good to be true.

My whole being was shaken as if it was about to erupt from too much energy. Am I this weak?

So we really just got lucky that we already survived till the 30th night once...

The trembling got more immense the more time passed. But the time is so slow!

Why is it that when I'm enjoying my time with them, it was short but when I'm suffering this, it took almost eternity?!

I feel like every vibration of my body was just a little movement.

But then, it stopped as a different kind of darkness swallowed me.

I think I exploded.

.....

One bead left... I don't know how much time passed but I've woken up to see a golden white shining from my golden light

Am I going to experience that all over again?!

Is this karma?

For all the people I've killed, swindled, tortured, and deceived?

I could see the golden white, but once it disappears, MY SKIN WILL BE TORN APART!

Is this what the people I've killed felt? When I let them die the harshest way possible?

So much for being a demon in human skin, I am going to die harsher than they had.

So this is my hell...?

And sadly, the light vanished...

AHHHH!!!!!!

After feeling the otherworldly comfort, the pain multiplied. I could... feel my skin tearing up!!!

This is much worse than being skinned alive! It was like a million ants covering my whole body, eating me!

And after this death, there will another chance?

Another chance to suffer? NO! NO! NO!

PLEASE LET ME DIE!

But if I do die and have gone to hell. Will I experience this for eternity?

No...

I've changed, aren't I?

Have I been forgiven?

God?

Don't let me fall into hell... I don't want to experience this for eternity...!

I've sinned but I have repented and redeemed.

Isn't that why you brought me here to this world? For me to repent and redeem myself?!

Please, I've changed. Let this be my last death!

Once again, blood escaped my veins. If I drink just a bit of this erosive liquid then it would be a quick and painless death.

But... I can't.

I'm too scared... I don't have the will.

And, eventually... after my heart skipped beats countless times...

After all my nerves popped one by one as I could clearly feel it...

After my sanity vanished and all hope was lost...

After it only tortured my mindless body...

I bled to death.

But this time, I didn't lose consciousness like before

As soon as I was revived, it came back to me.

I was protected by the golden light and I see it again, the golden white.

I don't want it anymore. It already felt a week of torture when you could feel every bit of your skin dissolving!

I don't know how many nights have passed but I don't care anymore!

Let me die now...

If only I have the courage to take a sip of this erosive liquid, it would be painless.

Just one last time... I don't have any beads left.

The golden light heals me. I have experienced this many times before and this is exactly the tenth time.

I died from the Giganslik five times. Now that I think about it, I was pretty courageous to come back even after I died that many times.

The fear helped me changed. It lets me view what was right and what was wrong, and also, what was dangerous.

I've never hated this fear, it is the push that made me look at who I am. It was ridiculous, I was blinded by false power, prestige, fame, and riches.

I was never happy, I was always dissatisfied, greedily looking at the above that I've never looked down...

This comfort was shorter when you most needed it. The bead already broke and let out the last golden light I will ever experience.

I want to enjoy it, but I can't...

I hate it.

This fleeting comfort will only increase the pain I will experience later.

The anticipation of pain is greater than the pain itself, they say. Even if this last golden light heals the spirit and mind, I was bathed in fear.

The fear that I did not hate before.

This kind of torture is more painful than its anticipation.

Then... the golden white dimmed.

Please, no more...

AAHHHH!!!!!

I desperately flailed and resurfaced from this erosive liquid. My face covered in blood as I got my first chance to scream before my death,

"HELP!!!"

"SOMEBODY.... SAVE ME!!!", I cried, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE YET!"

What am I saying?

I already want to die.

And it's not like somebody can save me. Those people already ascended the third stage. Those people with abnormal strength. Abnormal strength like... the man who I last met in my life, Renir.

I couldn't blame him...

"BROTHER SCEKE!"

Am I losing my sanity earlier than before?

Is it because I have yet to accept my death or is it because this is already the third time I was experiencing this hellish seconds?

At that moment, I felt something grabbed me.

That was the first time I opened my eyes without the protection of the golden light.

What I saw was the newly familiar face.

Impossible...?

"Renir", I weakly whispered.

As soon as I whispered that name, I was out of the hellish place and felt water grazing upon my wounds. It hurts but it was many times a relief than where I received these wounds.

"Huaaa-!!", for the first time, I breathed, and I breathed sharp.

"Don't worry, Brother Sceke, the Water Sentinel stopped its movements after its attack. Bear with our speed first. I know it is hurting your wounds but we are almost there!"

When I heard that, I felt relieved that I even laughed, "Haha... drop the formalities... you've saved me.", I spoke to his ears since the wind was howling.

Was it already the fourteenth night?

But Renir was quiet at the time. Did he not hear me? But if he did and he was still quiet, I knew the reason why...

He saved me but he failed to save my life.

I was already bleeding this much and there is no way I could be saved any longer.

But I was happy.

After a short time passed, I was brought back to the cave.

My face couldn't help but bring out happiness and satisfaction.

The reason for this is even though Renir failed to save my life, he saved my death.

It is true when I saw the mourning faces of my comrades, my friends... my family.

We had a very short time together and sometimes we are fighting with each other. But they were the only ones that filled hope and joy to me. The hope and joy that I did not only fell in Gantlet but also not in my previous life in my original world.

At least, my death was with them...

"Renir, thank you..."

I could hear their sobbing and quiet cries. Even after all I did with my previous life where I treated everyone I knew as pawns or deadmen, my death was with people I care about and people who care about me.

Do I deserve this?

Whatever the answer is, the only regret I have now is that I have to leave them.

It seemed like the Pentafive was in sync again, they all accepted that I am in my deathbed.

However... one still has hope.

"Don't you have any chylefruits left? It is a waste of a bead! I will repay you all again. I am sorry! Please, give him some to recover..."

I guess Renir still had no idea about us. He really was overestimating the Pentafive too much.

"We can't if we can, we would do it without hesitation... If we were to give him chylefruits now, it will not be enough to heal him and if it's too much, it will just increase his suffering. We just have to hope he still has beads of revival left."

"What? How many does he have before...?"

"Two"

...They were still hoping I still have left?

"No... I don't have any more left.", I muttered.

What?

Why did I say those words? Why did I mutter my thoughts? They will know that after I die.

I'm being greedy and cruel again.

But I know exactly why I said those words...

"Sceke!", Veronia was first to shout then the rest of them said something that I don't understand because of my weakening and hazy consciousness.

But I do know that those were the last words that they wanted to tell me since they now know I will die, the last time.

I really am greedy, but I guess it wouldn't go my way. I can't hear the words that I wanted to hear so much.

Don't worry, Renir, I already accepted my death. Don't feel guilty.

I wanted to say that but instead, I said something I didn't want them to hear;

"I... don't want to die yet..."

I quietly cried.