Chương 3: End?

The sky changed color at three in the afternoon. The light turned a sickly, bruised purple. Then, the Shadows invaded the school—masses of living darkness with glowing red eyes. Their only target was Aurelia." Run!" Ren shouted, grabbing her by the wrist. They escaped through the back of the school, plunging into the only route available: the dense forest surrounding the area. The moment they crossed the tree line, the world twisted. There was no sound. There was no wind. The road was gone.

The school behind them seemed to have vanished into a void, leaving nothing but the endless woods. And the two of them. Where is everyone? Ren thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. The panic from the school is gone. This place... it's completely empty. It's like a chessboard isolated from reality. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath among the ancient trees. Aurelia looked up at the purple sky, her face terrifyingly serene." Do you remember when you called me creepy for just observing?"

she asked, her voice far too calm for the situation. Ren scanned the perimeter, every muscle tense.

"I remember. What about it?""There is an energy that connects the mind to the real world," she explained, looking at her hands.

"The ancients called it the Flow. We call it magic. This rigid world blocks it. But if reality breaks... magic is all that's left." Before Ren could process her words, the trees shook violently. The shadows on the ground came to life, writhing upward. The creatures had caught up. Ren refused to go down without a fight. He grabbed a heavy branch and swung it with all his might at the creature leaping toward them. But the wood snapped in half the moment it touched the shadow, as if striking solid iron.

The impact threw Ren backward, slamming him hard against a tree trunk. His head hit the bark violently. Vision blurring, he tried to stand, but his legs faltered beneath him. When he finally raised his eyes, the world froze. In the middle of the clearing, a blade of pure darkness pierced through Aurelia's chest. Her pristine white uniform instantly stained deep crimson. She fell to her knees on the dry leaves." Ren..." her whisper was barely audible. She collapsed to her side. Lifeless.

The first person who had pulled him out of his isolation was dead. Ren's chest burned with a cold, absolute hatred. He crawled toward her body, her words about the Flow echoing in his mind. Break reality... use my will! He bit his own finger hard until it bled, frantically drawing a circle of blood on the rock next to Aurelia. He tried to force the world to obey his mind, screaming internally for her to come back. Nothing happened. The logic of this world was still too heavy for him.

He lacked the power to change destiny. A shadow loomed behind him. Black claws tore ruthlessly through Ren's back. His blood spilled over the leaves, mixing with hers. As his vision began to fade into gray, a final, grim realization washed over him. My mind failed. I lost. But if the chessboard resets... I will master the rules of this game. Everything turned to darkness. His first life had ended. Damn it, it all ends like this? Ren's final, fading thought was bitter.

I haven't even gotten a girlfriend yet, and this is my end... Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.