Chapter- 45 Return Ø 

"Is this my overpowered ability?"

"Let me see my status."

"Hero of Reincarnation... sounds interesting, but is that it? Don't heroes or isekei characters, usually have overpowered abilities? Where are mine?!"

"Die die die die die!"

"S-stay away from me!"

"Guek!"

"Ah... I died again?"

"Please, have mercy!"

"Again,"

"Again..."

"Again?"

"AGAIN?!"

"I've been reborn... hic-hic W-why?"

"Pathetic..."

"Weak..."

"...."

"I was arrogant"

"The demon king in this world was stronger than anticipated"

"WHY?!"

"KEkeKEKEKE"

"When will it be my turn to die..."

"Too weak."

"WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!"

"I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING!"

"Everything I do feels pointless..."

"In my next life, all my progress will regress"

"Power? When did such a thing exist?"

"HAHAHehe!!! kekekeke!!" 

"Why can't I die?"

"I'm not ready to die...

"I'm not ready to die…" 

"I'm not ready to die…" 

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!"

"I just want to die... I have no purpose... Am I even human? Is it normal for a human not to fear death? Is it right for someone to live after dying? Why do I have the ability to reincarnate? Why must I endure this suffering?"

"..."

"..My purpose, what was it again?"

***

"Haaah…."

Opening his eyes, Edward lay still as he gazed towards the sky, it happened to be night. The dark tapestry was dimly illuminated by the moon, as a skirmish of stars filled the 

monotone darkness, each one competing to shine the most brilliantly.

"Beautiful," Edward finally spoke. 

 Observing the sky, Edward's gaze landed on the moon's distant silhouette. The night, a strikingly normal phenomenon. A daily occurrence, something so absolutely normal it was forgettable. Something which had been absent from Edward's routine for some time now. 

Raising his forearm across his face Edward continued.

"13,334,464 seconds… that's the amount of time it's been since I've last seen the night… it's quite sentimental" Edward spoke, muffled by his arm. 

Every second of every day of every month Edward had counted. Those numbers were his salvation. 

When fighting against those monstrosities that dwelled within the spirit realm Edward counted. When he had a mental breakdown he counted. When he rested under the irregularly colored sky Edward would count. He counted and counted and counted and counted and counted and counted. His mind, a place of pain, rancor, anguish, anxiety, and despair, was his self-destruction. 

Every single numeral counted was held as a form of preservation. That abyss… No, that thing had always triumphed over him. Each one of its guises had haunted him. 

"Sigh" Releasing a long breath Edward elevated his head. What met his gaze was what seemed to be an ally and not a nice one, The ground was damp and hard. An ambiguous substance pooled on the floor and trash loitered around Edward's figure. Rats and other rodents roamed around the trash bins searching for any morsel of food they could salvage. The brick walls were old and chipped, worn down by the passage of time. On either side of him stood two modest establishments, and a decrepit wall blocked access to one of the alley's paths.

Observing a skirmish between rats, Edward let out a soft chuckle. For several seconds more Edward watched before inevitably one of the rats purged the other with a strong bite to their opponent's nape, ending its feeble life. The gruesome sight held little significance, other than serving as a testament to the survival of the fittest. 

Raising his body to his buttocks. Edward slowly stood up, but his body felt sluggish, his breath became ragged, and the brilliant ethereal glow emitted from his right eye had dullened significantly. 

Something was amiss, or something was missing. 

"Gasp ha-hu-ha-hu-ha-huu" Correcting his irregular breath, Edward leaned against the wall.

The surrounding rodents scurried away, detecting the newcomer. 

Concerned with his body's condition, Edward raised his arm commanding the mana around him to form a small sphere of frost within his palm. 

"The Mana" Edward replied with his head lowered, his face sunken, his body starved of mana and spiritual energies. 

"It seems my body has become spoiled" Edward mused with a malcontent frown.

During the past five months, Edward's physique had gradually adapted

to the rich pure abundant amount of energy within the spirit realms atmosphere.

But now, his body was starving.

Stimulating his mana reservoirs, Edward felt his mana pathways begin to consume the frost and spiritual energy insatiably.

_______________________

I was only able to write this much today, had homework.