System warnings

A curse has been detected. The usurpation of reality is imminent.

I blinked, and a square message clearly appeared in the center of my field of vision. A dozen discordant voices screaming together to read this message gave me goosebumps all over my body. A second later, the alarm in the mall sounded, sounding like an air raid siren. The sound raised a primal fear in my heart, and a hollow chill spread through my body. Memories of every curse emergency drill we conducted at school flashed through my mind.

System Information

Emergency shelters are open. Follow the arrows on the ground to the nearest shelter. Please stay calm and proceed in an orderly manner.

Reminder: Once a shelter's emergency shield is activated, it cannot be disabled without proper authorization. Do not activate manually unless there is an immediate threat of destruction and the automatic splice system fails!

Estimated time of usurpation: 9:59

Everyone in the food court frowned, and the mall's magical-tech warning system simultaneously sent information to everyone's mental frequency. When the message itself was read out, when the voice read out the last number, I flinched in horror. 10 minutes!? Arcadia is one of the seven most advanced island cities in the world, created by the Zenith themselves. The early warning system should have raised the alarm at least thirty minutes before the attack! I looked at Lily in shock, the sirens continued to sound, only to find that her previous expression had been replaced by a great deal of fear.

Below us, ethereal particles of green light form arrows on the floor below different groups of people, pointing to safety.

There was a few seconds of stillness in the food court, and almost at the same time, people began to panic. People stood up and shouted as they pushed forward, and the chairs were knocked over. Pushing, screaming.

I stared at the chaos in front of me, unable to shake off this debilitating fear.

But now I'm in the middle of it, and despite the training at school, none of this can ease the fear. It was so heavy inside me that I could feel it coiling around my ribcage and wrapping my heart with teeth. Each rapid pulse pierced the tips of those knives, causing my chest to throb sharply with fear. I tried to breathe my breath.

"Mai!"

I snapped back to reality as Lily shook me, she was so close with a worried look on her face. I took a deep breath with a shudder and nodded to her with a shudder. She responded with a smile, alert, her eyes rolling back and forth as she looked at the chaos around us. She gave me a gentle tug, and I got up from my seat, grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

"Don't worry, we're not actually that dangerous," Lily said after a moment, smiling at me. "Listen to me."

I looked at her in surprise, but she just smiled.

"Next time. Now, we wait for our arrows to appear - ah, here we go! ”

Glowing arrows bloomed along the ground beneath our feet. Lily grabbed my arm and began to pull me, and we began to run along the path formed by the arrows.

The food court soon began to empty, but there were still a handful of people standing up and following the arrows they appeared.

These arrows are a magical technology that is used for evacuation. They act like an active GPS, constantly updating the path to the nearest available shelter. Each group has their own customized path to try to avoid bottlenecks between the fugitives. As long as the arrow is green, we can hopefully achieve this before the usurpation goes into full effect.

。 Everyone is running around in panic, but it will hopefully stop people from being trampled and the shelters will not be overcrowded.

We rushed through the store, turning in the direction of the arrow, believing that the arrow gave us life. Lily could have easily overtaken me, but even though she let go of my arm after a minute, she still held on to me. As far as I know, we had a great time. I'm not mentally perfect, but I do remember looking at the floor plan the night before. Know the approximate location of the shelter.

Along this indirect path, you can get there in a few minutes at most at full speed.

Even though the shelter was full, the stairs were nearby and we could go to the large shelter entrance on the first floor. We're good. Everything will be -

"Brian!" A young girl screams, her crying interrupted by sobs.

Lily and I stumbled and stopped. Then another wail rang out, and Lily rushed down a path to where the sound had come from. I blindly followed her, and we turned in a direction where the arrow was not pointing. Lily moves fast, I've never seen her move faster before. I tried my best to follow her, but soon lost track.

We took another turn in the trendy mall and found a store selling stuffed animals in front of it. A young girl stood there crying and looked around. When she spotted us, she almost broke down, holding a stuffed bear in her chest. We slowed down and crouched down in front of the girl.

"Hey, dear," Lily said with a smile. "What's wrong? What are you doing here alone? ”

The girl sniffed and wiped the snot off her nose, her lower lip trembling.

"The alien alarm is off! Everyone started running around, and so did the lady! No one will stop to help me! Daddy, Daddy went to buy something."

She looked like she was about to cry again, and Lily held out her hand.

"It's okay, can we help you? We will take you to the shelter. Your mom and dad might be waiting for you there. Come on, we can come together and you can tell me everything you have about a cute teddy bear. Ha ha. ”

The girl hesitated, then looked between the two of us.

"What about Brian? Who will help Brian?

"Brian?" Lily tilted her head. "Who is Brian?"

"He's my brother!" She whimpered. "He was supposed to wait on the bench with me, but he's going to the football and baseball shop again! But he snuck away—"

"Shhhh "Do you know where the store is? We can go with him. ”

"Walk through the place of the beautiful fountain," she said, looking up at Lily, her body trembling slightly. "There are too many people."

I quickly reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. The internet was cut off, as during the usurpation, but I still pulled out the map of the third floor. I scanned it and looked for our location according to the path so far. I found us very quickly and started looking for different shops on the other side of the food court.

"Found it!" After a while, Lily looked up and looked at me in surprise. "There is a sporting goods store across the street from the food court. It had to be that. ”

Lily grinned at me, a flash of warmth on her face.

"Well done, Mai! Well, my dear, how about you go with us? We're going to pick up your brother, and—"

"Wait a minute!" I interrupted, my heart beating to my throat. Lily turned around and looked at me inquiringly. Biting my lip, I studied the map again, thinking about what the "system message" was saying. To my surprise, it popped into my head, showing the time remaining. Eight minutes and thirty-two seconds. Under our feet, I could see new arrows forming, and the previous green had turned yellow.

As the sirens continued to sound, icy logic began to take shape in my mind at an alarming rate. Turn back, find the girl's brother, and run to the shelter...... There is not enough time, if we drag the girl, there will not be enough. She won't be able to keep up. Maybe one of us can get to the store, find Brian, and run to the shelter, but that shortens the time.

This means......

I swallowed, my legs shaking at Lily's inquiring gaze. If we want to save our two children, there is only one option.

I'm not going to leave a little boy under a curse either.

"If we take her with us, we won't survive." I finally sighed. "She won't be able to keep up with us."

Hearing my words, Lily's eyes widened, and when she looked back, I saw the determination on her face.

"Well, just do it," she said quickly, her voice a little breathless. "Mai, you take our little pumpkin to the shelter, and I'll—"

I quickly shook my head, and she stopped.

"Lily, you don't have me to navigate," I pointed out, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "You're just going to get lost. I...... I'll do it. I'm the one who always navigates for us in the game. I was able to arrive in time and return to the shelter. ”

She opened her mouth to defend herself, and I raised my hand.

"Seven minutes and fifty-five seconds," I urged. "There's no time to talk about that. It has to be me. …… Wish me luck. ”

"Mai!" Leigh hugged me tightly. I hugged her tightly, hoping she wouldn't feel my body trembling.

"He may not be there at all," she whispered in my ear.

"You have to try, a life," I replied. "When you get to the shelter, you make sure they don't activate the emergency shield? I...... I've heard even more terrifying stories. ”

"On my corpse," she promised, hugging me tightly and making me feel pain.

After another second, Lily broke away from me, squeezed my shoulder tightly, and then she pulled out a small object and shoved it into my hand.

"Here. Take it. Anyway, promise me that if you see the arrow turn orange, you will turn back. In spite of. What. ”

"I promise," I lied.

I followed the map in my head and winded my way through the maze until I reached a main road and ran straight to the food court. I stopped by to see what Lily had slipped into my hand. A matte black switchblade that I almost tripped over.

I quickly regained my balance and put the knife in my coat.

Why did she carry a knife? For that matter, Are switchblades legal in Arcadia? I thought about it for a while and decided that it definitely didn't matter at the moment, and moved on. I'll have to ask Lily later.

If there is a future.

When I entered the food court, I ignored the chill of thought. It's horrific to see that it's empty, tables overturned, and food strewn all over the floor. I started sprinting, and when I got to the store, I was out of breath. Soon, I came back with a message telling me that the rest of the time was focused on thinking. Five minutes and twenty-seven seconds. The arrows are now orange, but I ignored them as I continued to move. I hope Lily will forgive me.

Please come here.

I rushed into the store and quickly looked around. The store itself is a medium-sized sporting goods type that offers a variety of sports groceries. Rows of shelves are stocked with everything from soccer balls to climbing gear. I began to scan the aisle quickly, trying to slow down my breathing in order to speak.

"Brian?" I shouted. "Are you here? Brian, your sister sent me! Come out, you're not in trouble, but we've got to go! I'll take you to your parents, come out quickly! ”

Then I heard a shuffling sound and a little boy crawled out from under a hanger with a football jersey. He sniffed and looked up at me with fear on his face. He has cute messy blonde hair and wears a simple blue striped shirt and cargo shorts. Seeing that he was safe and sound, my heart was flying, and with a relieved smile, I stretched out my hand.

"You're here! Now let's go, I'll take you to a safe place—"

Brian rushed to my side and hugged my leg tightly. I blinked in surprise, then hurried to comfort him, gently rubbing his back.

"It's horrible!" He sniffed. "The sirens are so loud! I want Mom! ”

"I know." I gently quieted him down, gently pushed him away, and looked him in the eye. "How about we go to her? As long as you hold my hand, we can run. What do you think? ”

He was radiant and gave me a big smile, how many teeth were missing? We went to the door of the store, where I stopped and waited. Sure enough, arrows appeared on the floor. Deep orange up, hovering in red, but that still means we can get there as fast as we can.

We have four minutes and two seconds left. My heart was racing.

Then the alarm stopped.

After a few moments, the lights in the mall went out, and the arrows under their feet disappeared, plunging into darkness.

Emergency alerts

The power supply is damaged. The main shielding station is offline. SOS sent. Evacuate in place until help arrives.

The emergency lights were turned on, and a dim crimson light illuminated the area. My hands suddenly became wet. In desperation, I thought of the time-bound message to see how much time we had left, but nothing came up. Brian whimpered and curled up beside me.

I heard a loud crackling sound scraping at my bones. I jerked my head to look into the air, and the pitch-black cobwebs were trembling and sticking out from one point. It looks like the glass is cracked, and the cracks extend in all directions, not along a plane. The black cracks in the void shook unnaturally, and as I looked at them, they began to spread and share more bursts of static electricity.

Emergency alerts

Multiple usurpation cracks have been detected on the following floors:

Basement 1

Building 1

Building 2

Building 3

Building 4

Building 5

Reality Bending: Moderate

Partial Dream Class: Restless

Guardian Command alert successful.

The system enters a low-power mode. This will be the last message.

My throat is dry. We retreated to the store, and a crack appeared in the area above the food court, forming a jagged hole, and a pitch-black figure fell from the pitch-black space and landed on the floor of the food court with a dull "whoop" sound.

I quickly turned around and pulled Brian behind the cash register. I crouched down and pushed Brian into the corner, my pulse pounding. When he opened his mouth to say something, I quickly covered my mouth, put a finger in front of my lips, and made a "shhhhh His eyes widened and he nodded. I slowly removed my hand from his mouth, thinking wildly.

We screwed up. It's over.

That thing that fell out of the crack was definitely one of the curses. Monsters will not hesitate to seek out humans and kill them...... If you're lucky. Now that it has come to our world, it immediately begins to look for it, and as far as I know, they have super hearing. Brian remained quiet, but his mouth still made a faint, desperate sound.

Those monsters are so close to us. Either sneak around that thing, which can't possibly work, or-

I swallowed. Distraction. That's doable. I need tools to come. Planning and analysis have always been my strongest abilities. Now, rely on your instincts to act. There is no time to think carefully about the right.

I can do it.

I had to do it.

I turned to Brian and smiled confidently.

"Stay here." I whispered earnestly. "I'm going to find something. You don't move, don't make a sound, okay? ”

Tears began to run down his face, but he nodded to me and covered his mouth with his hand. He shivered and broke my heart.

I nodded to him again to show that I was reassured, and continued to walk around, walking around the store while maintaining a low position. I kept my eyes glued to the window in the direction of the curse I was seeing, but the food court's fence walls were high enough to block my view.

I was so scared inside that I couldn't breathe. It felt like my ribcage was crushing my lungs and my chest was filled with anxiety. Still, something inside me was screaming that I couldn't sit quietly, that I had to move. If I don't, it's not just me who is at risk.

I would never let that little boy die.

There was a box full of sports balls, and I reached into it and grabbed a couple of baseballs while unloading them from my backpack. I put four in and one in the palm of my hand. I continued on my way, picking up my backpack again.

I have to fight, or at least stop the monsters while Brian runs, which means I need weapons.

After hesitating for a moment, he took an aluminum bat. As I passed by the mountaineering gear, something caught my eye.

It is an ice axe, wrapped in a thick layer of plastic, with a protective case wrapped around the head. My eyes widened. It's used for ice climbing and can pierce things. I quickly grabbed two axes, threw away the bat, and crawled back to the counter.

On the way, I saw a box on the floor with some kind of picture of a volleyball game on it. A new idea formed, and after rearranging my loot between my hands and backpack, I began to slowly push the large box back behind the cash table.

When I returned, I took a quick glance above the counter to make sure I couldn't see any enemies, then crouched down again and got to work. First of all, I need an ax. I grabbed the package and looked at it closely, trying to figure out the best way to open it quietly.

I almost slapped myself when I remembered Lily's knife. I grabbed it from my pocket, figured out how to pop the blade, and started cutting. Slowly, as I pierce and cut the plastic, I try to minimize the wrinkles of the plastic. It still makes noise and I make sure to stop and listen every few minutes.

The first axe took me the longest to get free, but the second one was much faster. When I took them all out, I picked up one of them and shook it a few times, feeling its weight.

When I was satisfied, I started to open the volleyball box. Seeing me holding an ice axe, Brian watched me work curiously, and his fear seemed to calm down a little.

My knife helped me get the job done quickly, and inside the box was exactly what I was hoping for: a huge, slender net folded into a thick pile. I pulled it out and carried it.

Good. Two weapons, a net, and a baseball. Is there anything else I'm missing, or is there anything that could improve what I already have?

I slowed down and took a closer look around the counter where we were hiding behind. There were some small cabinets in there, and I opened them. There's a variety of things inside, from cleaning supplies to duct tape. I grabbed the tape because it could be magic technology and it could be used for a lot of different things. When I went to close the cupboard, I noticed a broom leaning in the corner next to Brian.

A thought popped into my head, so I grabbed my broom. I grabbed the bristle of the broom and unscrewed it off the wooden pole. Then I grabbed one of the shafts, aligned it with the pole, connected them together with tape. I had to slowly tear the tape off the roll to avoid making too much noise, but even then, I couldn't avoid it completely. Whenever I pulled something down too quickly, I frowned at the noise and stopped to listen, only continuing when I was sure nothing was happening.

When I was done, I looked at my improvised weapon. It looks ridiculous, with a Xiaoice pickaxe attached to one end of the long wooden pole. It's the weakest-looking scythe in the world, ha.

I slung my backpack and grabbed my makeshift scythe in one hand and a baseball in the other. Finally, I tied the net under my left arm and took a few deep breaths.

Stress and anxiety plague me. Everything went as expected. My plan has been perfectly combined, let's put it into action. After tidying up my belongings, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. There was no service, no internet, but the map was still pulled out and I memorized three different paths to the shelter.

I put my phone away. Ignoring the fear in my heart, I turned to the little boy. Seeing that I had everything ready, he seemed a little calmer now.

"All right," I whispered to him, smiling the gentlest of all. "That's what we're going to do. You have to follow me. When we get to the door, I'll throw this baseball and distract the outside. Then we went to the shelter as soon as possible. If something finds us, you run to a store and hide it, okay? Don't come out and don't make a noise until I find you. ”

I paused, then quickly added.

"Whatever you hear, stay hidden. You understand? ”

He nodded violently at me, and I gently stroked the top of his head.

"Don't worry. I will protect you. Now, let's go. ”

I started moving, still crouching, making sure Brian was following. He stuck to me like glue and we walked to the entrance where I stopped and looked around at the food court. The strange rift disappeared from the sky, and the mall was silent, like a cemetery...... Unlucky!

I noticed that my hand was reaching for my blindfold.

Never mind. No one around will be staring anyway. You might as well go all out.

So I took off my blindfold and tucked it into my blazer, and my right eye quickly adjusted to the dark red color of the emergency light.

My reflection looked back at me, my left eye was bright azure and my bare right eye was blood red, two different colors just due to heterochromia, a combination that eventually led me to wear an eye patch to avoid the odds.

Of course, I'll still be stared at. Eventually began to call me "Cyclops Girl". Then, at the start of the school year, she plucked up the courage to completely remove my blindfold in the middle of lunchtime. After that, word quickly spread through the grades.

Monster. Crazy Eyes. Demon Maiden.

My vision finally adjusted to the darkness and I used my eyes again, so I shook off the thoughts that came to my mind. Now is not the time for introspection. It's time to move.

I stood up cautiously, still searching for movement. Seeing no one, I took a breath, withdrew my arm, and threw the baseball as far away as I could, aiming for the shop window on the other side of the food court. I'm not particularly strong and I've never really practiced throwing, so I just arched it as best I could, hoping it would hit something and make a sound.

I watched in shock as it flew all the way through the food court. It didn't reach the store I was aiming at, but then it bounced off the floor with a loud bang and bounced to the window. Slamming into the glass, the entire window frame shook violently, echoing across the empty mall floor. Victory poured into my veins, and wild smiles spread across my lips—

Four figures suddenly blurred from the shadows and rushed towards the sound. As they moved, I could faintly see the sound of monsters with long tails and claws scraping against the tiled floor. My heart jumped to my throat when one of the figures emerged from behind a half-walled hedge on the outskirts of the food court, right where our path to the shelter was.

I waited, making sure there was no one else, and then moved, shaking my head sharply at Brian to keep him along. As I walked with Brian towards the hedge wall, I clutched my scythe and prepared the net in my left hand along the edge of the food court away from the direction I threw the ball. My heart felt like it was going to tear my chest, but I crouched and shuffled, ignoring it. When we were about a quarter of the way through, I took another closer look above the hedge, but saw nothing.

I moved, broke through the wall, and walked towards a path. From there, I knew the path to the refuge if we turned right for a while. As we moved, Brian clung to me, almost clinging to me. I led him all the way, and if the monster was hiding inside, there was nothing I could do but be alert and prepared.

Make as many turns as you can, taking advantage of the small "laneways" between the shops. This way, we don't find ourselves on a long straight where anything can see us from a distance. Before each turn, I would stop, look down the hall, force myself to observe for at least a minute, and then walk, feeling like I was traveling through a city.

Brian did a great job and I gave him a reassuring smile every time we waited around the corner. I don't know how this kid managed to keep it all so good when I was almost none. Maybe he was just shocked. Maybe I'm shocked. Any. It doesn't matter as long as we make progress.

Halfway through, I stopped to catch my breath and observe. I didn't see anything, walked out, turned around and gave Brian another reassuring smile.

He gave me a trembling smile for the first time, and a cursed man stepped out of the storefront ten feet behind him.

It is about the size of a wolf cub and similar in shape, but instead of fur, it has a smooth black carapace covered with armor between which red muscles protrude. The thing's tail was serrated and hung down behind it, almost twice the length of its body.

It turned to me. I blinked when something that looked almost like a giant eel's head. It was unassuming, looking back with dull eyes, no eyelids, motionless.

Then it opened its mouth, and I found that its head was not an eel but a lamprey.

Its sucker mouth is full of teeth, and it hisses with a scream, bouncing strangely in the shorter passages. Brian started to roll over, but I was already moving. The lampreys also scrambled to move, crawling and slipping on the tiles, trying to find traction to pounce on us. I pushed him behind me.

"Run!" I screeched with my scythe, my voice hoarse.

The monster managed to take a step forward, but was entangled in the messy web I threw over. Its leg got stuck, and it tripped forward, falling to the ground. I grabbed the weapon with both hands and swung it downward. The ice axe smashed directly into a carapace, and then through the carapace, deep into the flesh. I felt the squeezing sound of the meat being pierced by the broom rod, and I suppressed the trembling.

The thing hissed in pain, spitting gray slime into the ground as it tried to stand up, only to have its legs further entangled in the net. It still manages to slide forward, and it can't seem to stand up. I pulled the scythe out of the monster and shot a black pus onto the walls and ceiling.

Then I swung down again.

And then again.

Not again.

The ice axe stabbed the creature five or six times, and then the creature finally began to tear the net with its claws. I pulled the scythe back, and fear struck me like a bolt of lightning. Suddenly, I realized that the ice axe didn't pierce deep enough, and if I wanted to kill it before it could escape, I would have to aim for its head.

I adjusted, took aim for half a second, and swung the scythe again, straight at its head and neck. Suddenly there was a blur, and the monster's jagged tail curled up violently, entangled in my weapon. My scythe flew. I stumbled backwards, reached behind my head, and grabbed the ice axe sticking out of my backpack. My fingers were covered in sweat, and I cursed, took off my backpack, chopped off the axe, and tossed the backpack aside.

The monster broke free from the net and made a tearing sound. It lunged at me, slammed into me, and threw me to the ground. When my head was whipped and hit the tiles, I poured out of my lungs. The pain spread from my head and back, staining my vision red. I blinked, driving the color away, but when my vision returned to normal, the thing was standing above me, its head hanging above my chest.

I put my foot on the ground, trying to keep myself away from the monster. It stared at me for a moment, then pulled its head back, opened its mouth, let out a scream of triumph, and buried its face in my stomach. Dozens of jagged teeth rippled in rapid succession, grabbing into my skin, tearing my blazer and shirt and into the flesh of my navel.

I gritted my teeth and let out a scream as it tore me apart. Finally I grabbed the axe with my right hand and—

It felt like a serrated knife stabbed me in the stomach and I screamed. Tears welled up in my eyes as what pierced me began to tear through my guts. The edge of darkness closed my vision, and a burning pain came over me. After a few more tosses, the knife-like object withdrew from my stomach in a quick, steady motion, and I gasped at the sudden sensation. I tried to see the blur in front of me, and my abdomen spasmed from the intense burning pain. I found that the creature was still clinging to me, its eyelidless eyes meeting mine. Suddenly, its neck moved, and I felt a sudden suction, and it began to suck my blood and internal organs.

That thing is eating me.

Breaking down, I let out a scream, my throat cracked, and a whole new kind of pain flooded my body. This intensely intrusive sensation made me panic and hopeless as my internal organs were sucked away. I tried to grab its head with my left hand and push it away, but I couldn't find anything on its smooth skin. I changed my strategy and used the feeling of the monster's head to aim and swung it at it with an ice axe.

The axe pierced the thing's neck, and it spasmed all over, and the suction faltered, and before it could do so, I swung it down again, and the axe pierced its head, this time just above its eyes.

The monster's whole body stiffened, completely frozen. Then, when it landed on me, its teeth suddenly loosened from my abdomen. As I pulled out the axe and slashed at its neck again, I could hear my own whimper. Nothing happened because it was a bit deep, but I didn't stop. I kept wiggling, poking holes in that thing until my arm became weak. As I lay there, I could hear my own gasps, and the corpse of the creature lay on my lower body.

For a while, I didn't move. Every breath caused my stomach to rise and fall, leaving me with a sharp pain. I tried my best to slow down my breathing, and the pain gradually lessened. When it went from being painful and paralyzed to making me cry, I started trying to get myself out of it. This action caused my abdominal muscles to contract, and I choked with more sobbing as I forced myself to continue until I was finally free.

I wiped my blurry vision and regained my composure. From where I was lying, I tried my best to look around for Brian, but I didn't see him. He must have taken refuge in a store as I told him. It was good because I was sure my screams were echoing in the hallway. Hopefully the mall's maze will reflect the sound enough so more creatures can find me, but I can't waste a second.

Move, for this I have to assess the damage in the abdomen. As I lifted my head and shoulders off the ground to examine the wound, I felt panic rise up in my throat. My blazer and shirt had a hole around my navel and my skin and muscles were scratched. There was a distinct hole in the center, and as I watched, blood bubbled out of it with every breath I had. As fear swept over me, soft, whimpering pains began to fade from me. The bile rushed up my throat, and I forced myself to hold back, not wondering what kind of pain it would cause to vomit.

I allowed myself to lie on the floor and closed my eyes. As I gently placed my hand on the wound, I couldn't stop myself from letting out a faint whimper, feeling a hot, sticky warmth. I tried to put a little pressure on the wound, but the slightest thrust would make stars appear in my field of vision. My weak, painful voice became raw and sharp.

Even though the monster didn't hit the vital part, it still tore through my guts. If I try to move, the pain will almost certainly make me pass out. I was stuck, bleeding, and there was nothing I could do.

I realized I was dying, and tears ran down my cheeks.

I killed an abomination, an alien monster, but so what? What does it matter if I'm going to die anyway? I saved Brian, but what happens to him now? Would he really be safe if there were more of these things hovering around? I failed in every way.

And Lily. Oh my God, Lily. I never saw her again, her blonde ponytail bouncing every time she ran and her mischievous smile when she surprised me. I couldn't play more games with her, watch her run in track training, never see her smile at me anymore.

I really want to see her smile again......

The heart is broken.

I cried out loud, gasping uncontrollably, ignoring the throbbing pain that followed. My sobs sounded completely undignified, full of snot and suffocating wails, but I didn't care. It doesn't matter anymore.

Nothing matters anymore.

Faintly, I heard the sound of something tapping on the tiled floor, and I almost let out a wry laugh as it got closer.

The clatter of footsteps drew closer and closer in a strange, jumping rhythm, and it wasn't until I heard it stop near my head that I decided to open my eyes and face anything that was about to end my life.

A stuffed animal?

A pure white, lop-eared rabbit sat next to my head, staring at me with red eyes. The rabbit was huge, the size of an adult cat, and when I looked at it, nine fox tails spread out behind it, gently swinging back and forth. As I looked at the thing in bewilderment, I noticed that instead of solid pupils, they were black circles with a seven-pointed star made up of seven overlapping straight lines. Everything about it is perfect, just like a stuffed animal. The rabbit's head moved suddenly, tilted slightly, and continued to stare.

[Congratulations! A woman's voice sounded in my head. [Your actions have not gone unnoticed!] Zenith thinks you have what it takes to become a magical guardian and continue to defend humanity! ]

I blinked, completely confused about what was happening. I thought about the words again in my head, but couldn't seem to understand them. The rabbit's head tilted to the other side, and the woman's voice reached my ears again.

[It seems that your conflict with the curse has put you in a critical state.] I should tell you that if you choose to become a Magic Guardian, you will have access to resources that will prevent you from dying eventually. Since you seem to be losing blood and consciousness, I'm going to skip the extra intro and get straight to my only question. ]

The rabbit's seven-pointed star eyes began to glow scarlet, and I felt a chill down my spine.

Are you willing to sign a contract? 】