Game Over

Leo couldn't comprehend how it happened. He couldn't stop himself from vomiting the blood welling up in his throat, his vision tinged by a murky crimson haze as the sea of voices echoed and battered at his mind, forcing him to his knees. 

'PICK MEEEEEE! I SHALL GRANT YOUR DEEPEST WISH'

'SUBMIT! SUBMIT! SUBMIT! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT! YOUR BODY WILL BE MINE'

'Just give in dearie and I shall lay the world at your feet~'

The voices were incessant, drowning out even his own thoughts as they threatened, cajoled and cooed, trying to make him choose them. Yet he knew that he couldn't stay here like this. Not only would he lose his mind but his death would be all but guaranteed. 

Even now, in the corner of his eye he saw an ominous clock counting down.

[Remaining Time : 7 minutes, 42 seconds]

He only had been given 10 minutes to make a choice. One that could be the difference between life and death

'No. I am not going to give up now. I'm not gonna leave Luna alone. I can't! I WON'T' he howled.

He struggled to stand, his knees threatening to give way at any given moment. Looking around him, he found himself in the midst of an endless aisle of display cases. 

Each case displayed some sort of mystical weapon, armor or accessory. He had no idea where to start and too little time. 

'This Quest is Bullshit!' he mentally groaned, afraid to speak aloud lest he vomit more blood. 

The task he had been given? Find a piece of equipment that has the power of adaptation or evolution and bind it to his 'soul' so that he could continue to live. 

The catch? He couldn't have any information on the item until he picked one. He had to make a choice based off luck and his own intuition? 

'How am I supposed to choose? "Follow your heart for it knows the answer~" That so called Goddess just spouted some mystical bullshit!' 

Despite his complaints, he began walking forward following his gut instincts, each step labored and unsteady as if he was about to be crushed by gravity itself. 

He only made it a couple steps before he doubled over, retching up another mouthful of blackened blood. He felt dizzy as if he was about to pass out as even the air around him felt like it had begun to bubble. 

Yet despite it all, his will remained strong even as the voices continued to gnaw away at his mind, as if billions of ants were swarming his body and devouring him little by little from the inside. He instinctually felt that it would be mere moments until he would collapse when suddenly

'SILENCE!'

The bubbling erupted air erupted into a majestic roar, akin to that of a massive lion. The boom ripped through the space and Leo could feel his heart skip a beat as the whole world grew quiet. It took him a moment to realize that even the voices were gone. 

"Wha-heuk heuk" 

He instinctually tried to speak out of surprise but wasn't able to manage uttering a proper word anymore. His breathing was becoming more and more haggard and he had a feeling that if the time on the clock hit zero, he would most likely be dead. Both here and in reality. 

With no solid lead, Leo once again hobbled forward, praying that following his heart was not just some bogus advice. Ever so slowly, he traversed the aisles leaving a trail of blood with each and every step. 

Each display case featured some sort of mystical item like a Greataxe made of moonlight, A shadowy crown or a Chestplate made of light. While pleasing to the eye, there was something about them gave Leo the feeling that they were not the one. As if they weren't good enough. 

'Why the hell am I being picky?!'

He knew he needed to choose fast but something deep inside of him was restricting him from just choosing any random case.

[Remaining Time: 42 seconds]

He could barely breathe now as the air became almost too thick for him to inhale. Even still he continued his search with a will unbroken

'Shit! Is this how I die?! Because I hesitated?

Leo felt despair slowly sinking in but his feet refused to stop moving. It was then that he noticed something different about one particular display. While the other ones were perfectly manicured as if they were museum pieces, this one was covered in dust and dirt. 

An unknown feeling surged from the depths of his being, screaming at him 'This is it! That's the one!'. Through the grime of the glass, he could faintly make out a pair of what could only be described as ancient bracelets laying there.

Honestly, they didn't look impressive in the slightest, A mixture of rust and age gave it the impression that they would crumble to dust with the slightest touch. 

Leo was more than a little skeptical about it.

They certainly did NOT look like what he needed but he didn't have time to look elsewhere and could only trust in that unknown feeling that seemed to beckon him towards the bracelets.

He hobbled as fast as he could to the dirty display but all the blood loss made him stumble and fall at the base of it. 

No matter how much he tried he couldn't lift himself off the ground, he had lost the ability to even support himself. 

'No…! I can't fall….Not here…Not Now!' 

Scraping together the last bit of his waning strength and fraying willpower, he used the base of the display as a support and began dragging his body up, reaching out to put his hand on the glass. 

Remaining Time: 0 Seconds.

Just as his hand touched the glass, Leo's eyes opened wide as he couldn't breathe feeling his lungs completely shut down. In what seemed like an eternity, he slowly collapsed backwards, his hand reaching for the glass where a bloodied palm print remained. 

There was an incessant buzzing in his ear that he couldn't quite place. Was it the doctors fussing over him again? He couldn't understand as even his mind began to fade away

'I failed..? I…I am sorry…Luna. Forgive me...It seems your foolish brother is going first."

The last thought that passed through his mind was that of the only family he had left as his heart stopped and his body crumpled to the ground with a thud, head bouncing off the concrete floor.

His unfocused eyes remained open, staring at the sky, the unwillingness of accepting his fate etched onto his face as his consciousness faded into nothingness. 

'What a Tragic Child. Following his heart even in the face of death. Was it Fate that led him to us? Or was it something else?'

Melodic voices heard by no one echoed in unison throughout the space as the case around the bracelets shattered. The seemingly ancient and fragile bracelets began to radiate a rainbow light from somewhere deep within as they began to float into the air above Leo.

'Ahh but to be sought out means we are linked. We must not let him die, no matter the cost. It is now our duty to see the future he yearns for. Today shall not be the day where this childs' story ends'

The bracelets melted into a stream of resplendent light akin to that of a massive water droplet before falling and engulfing Leos broken body. The dazzling light coursed through his body like a stream before settling at his heart. Through his skin, his chest began pulsating a prismatic light. 

Soon even that light faded and the room fell silent once more.