The Inescapable Fate

As they continued talking, Kyne leaned back against the chair, his expression dark.

"You can ask me anything while I'm here," he said.

But before Mykal could respond, Kyne suddenly coughed—his entire body convulsing. Something wet splattered onto his palm. Blood.

Mykal's stomach twisted. "Hey, are you—"

Kyne wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I told you… I only have three days left."

His voice was different—hoarse, broken. He clutched his chest, his breathing uneven.

"I don't have much time left… and I don't want this phone predicting anything or controlling my life anymore."

Then, without hesitation, Kyne climbed onto the windowsill.

Mykal's heart nearly stopped. "What the hell are you doing? No—"

Kyne turned his head, smiling even as blood dripped from his lips.

"Nice meeting you. I hope we don't share the same fate."

Then—he jumped.

"NO!" Mykal shouted, rushing to the window.

He looked down, expecting the worst.

But against all logic… Kyne was alive.

Instead of pavement, he had landed in a massive pile of dry leaves—probably swept together by street cleaners.

What the hell?

Mykal didn't waste a second. He ran out of his apartment, rushing downstairs to where Kyne lay groaning in pain.

His foot was bent at an unnatural angle. Dislocated.

"Holy sh*t," Mykal whispered, grabbing Kyne's arm and pulling him up. "You're alive."

Kyne let out a breathless laugh. "So even death couldn't be escaped, huh?"

They made their way to a nearby clinic. As the nurse wrapped Kyne's foot, he kept staring at Mykal, his mind clearly racing.

Then, he spoke. "So basically, whatever's left in your phone... will happen no matter what."

Mykal's fingers curled around the mysterious device in his pocket. "You're saying… I have seven years left. So I can just skydive without a parachute and I'll still survive?"

Kyne exhaled sharply. "I don't know. But it seems like it."

A cold chill ran through Mykal's spine. If the phone was right, then no matter what he did… he wouldn't die before his time.

Kyne clenched his fists. "I wish I had explored the phone more. But I was greedy… I took my remaining life for granted."

Mykal narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Kyne looked down at his bandaged foot. His voice was quieter now.

"When I first got my phone… I only had 3%."

Mykal's breath hitched. "Three years?"

Kyne nodded. "At first, I shrugged it off. But as time passed… I started to panic."

His hands trembled slightly.

"I was hunted. Multiple people tried to kill me. They knew what this phone could do. And they wanted it."

Mykal's stomach dropped. He suddenly realized—if the phone was real, then someone else probably wanted it too.

And if people were willing to kill for it…

He might be in danger already.

Mykal sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at Kyne. "I think… you should enjoy your remaining days."

Kyne gave a tired chuckle. "Enjoy, huh? Never thought I'd hear that."

"Do you have anything in mind?" Mykal asked, watching the other boy closely.

Kyne hesitated, then exhaled. "…Could you let me stay with you? I don't have anywhere to go."

Mykal thought for a moment. Letting a stranger stay over wasn't exactly safe, especially after all the crazy sh*t that just happened. But then again—Kyne wasn't just some random guy. He was the only person who understood what was happening to him.

And besides… he only had three days left.

Mykal sighed. "Alright. But don't get any weird ideas."

Kyne grinned, despite his exhausted expression. "Noted."

That night, Kyne was discharged from the clinic, and the two of them headed back to Mykal's apartment. The air was cold, the streets empty. It felt strangely quiet—too quiet.

When they arrived, Mykal flicked on the lights. The familiar space felt different now, like it wasn't entirely his anymore.

Neither of them could sleep.

Even though Kyne was clearly exhausted, he kept shifting in place, lost in thought.

Mykal sighed and stood up. "Alright, you take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

Kyne blinked. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Consider it a courtesy for the half-dead guy."

Kyne snorted. "Half-dead, huh? Sounds about right."

Without another word, he limped toward the bed, lying down with a sigh. Mykal grabbed a blanket and settled on the couch.

The night stretched on. The dim glow of the streetlights seeped through the window, casting eerie shadows along the walls.

Even with his eyes closed, Mykal couldn't shake the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine.

Something felt off.

Like something is bothering them.

The silence in the room was suffocating. Mykal stared at the ceiling, his mind racing with everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey… are you asleep?"

A beat of silence. Then—"No."

Mykal turned his head toward the bed, barely making out Kyne's silhouette in the dim light. "I still have a lot of questions about the phone."

Kyne exhaled. "I figured."

"Can I extract magical things from it? Like a sword that has fire—something crazy like that?"

Kyne chuckled softly. "You can. I told you, anything searchable in the browser."

Mykal's mind reeled at the possibilities. A weapon, power, immortality…

Another question burned in his throat. "What if I search for a way to increase my lifespan? Could I get more years?"

The room fell silent.

Kyne didn't answer right away. His body was still, as if even breathing too loudly would shatter something fragile.

Then—"…I don't know."

Mykal frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kyne sighed, turning slightly toward him. "I never tried it. The phone gives, but it also takes. I was too scared to see what it would demand in return."

That made Mykal pause. Something in Kyne's voice sounded… haunted.

But he wasn't done asking. "One last thing… if people are after this phone, who exactly are they?"

Kyne's grip tightened on the blanket. "You'll find out soon enough."

A sudden chill ran down Mykal's spine.

Kyne turned his back to him. "Get some sleep, Mykal. You'll need it."

But sleep never came that night.