Chapter 15: The End (2)

BOOOOOOOOM!

Bittu had a serious face with the yet another deafening sound that came from the west. He frowned. Should he… go and check what was going? If he does not then how would he understand how deep in water he was? But, if he does, with his level…

"..."

He might as well die if it was anything dangerous!

After some thoughts, he decided against going. He should first rest and find some food and water and only when, he is in his optimum condition should he try to explore this land and a weapon was a must. With what happened saw recently… he has become a lot more careful and paranoid.

He first dismantled his tent he was in and began walking north where the mountains reside, with a high vintage point, he should be able to find something useful.

...

The sun vanished into the horizon, staining the sky a hue of gold and orange, as stars pierced the dusk like splinters of ice. Bittu knelt by the lake, the water's surface reflecting the chaos above—shattered, red-rippled. Around him, the forest stood silent, ancient trees clawing at the dark.

The buzzing surrounding was suddenly silent, unusually so. The crisps of birds and the sound of insects all around vanished, all at once.

The water drinking Bittu was immediately alarmed. From the beginning, after the sudden deafening sound he could feel this unease, this unease creeping upon him at the back of his mind. That something bad was going to happen soon and this sudden stopping of all that sound confirmed his thoughts.

But he did not have to think too much since right at that moment a gaze swept over him and goosebumps started to form all across his body. He froze on the spot not because of fear but because he could feel it in his very soul that if he moved even a little then he would have to forfeit his life and he would not be able to do a single thing to change that… and he was right.

The air felt thick, like it was choking on the smell of burnt air and crushed leaves. Bittu's breath stuck in his throat, his back stiff as a broken stick. Something behind him watched, sharp and hot, like a thousand needles poking his skin. Don't move. Don't even breathe, he told himself, every muscle locked. It hasn't seen you yet. He did not know why but he could feel that.

He didn't dare turn, but curiosity got the best out of him, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it—a dark shape peeling away from the trees. The mantis towered over him, its hard body armor cracked in a dozen places, jagged splits oozing glowing green goo. One eye—a bulging, glassy ball—was smashed, a milky cloud covering it, while the other burned with wild, confused anger. It's half-blind. Maybe it'll miss me? he thought, but the hope died fast. Its knife-like arms twitched, dripping poison that sizzled as it hit the ground. It doesn't need to see, he realized. It smells me. It hears me.

The mantis staggered forward, then froze, its good eye jerking around like it couldn't decide what to focus on. It hissed—a wet, raspy sound—then backed up half a step, wings thrashing like it was lost. Bittu's heart slammed against his ribs. Is it… hurting itself? he wondered. Is it dying? Or just getting ready to kill faster?

A drop of sweat fell from Bittu's chin. Suddenly, somewhere under his shirt, a cold, slippery squish pressed against his skin—a frog, fat and blind, wriggling up his back. No. No no no, where did this frog come from? he screamed inside his head, but his body betrayed him. His arm twitched—just a tiny jerk—as the frog nuzzled into his armpit. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm—

The mantis screeched, a sound like metal tearing. Its good eye locked on him, the pupil wide like a predator spotting movement in grass. Its arms raised, shaking, the blades glinting. A high-pitched buzz vibrated in its throat, a sound that screamed chopping him apart. It bent its legs, creaking, the ground exploding into dirt and acid as it readied itself to lunge.

Bittu shut his eyes. I should've run. I should've fought. I should've—

And the mantis charged.

This is how it ends.

Bittu's mind clawed at the thought, his body locked in place as the mantis's blade-like arm whistled toward him. Alone. Always alone. He'd told himself it didn't matter—he didn't need anyone—but now, staring at death, the truth gutted him worse than any knife. I was never enough. Never brave enough. Never… anything. The last time he did not have time to think about it, but now that he did these thoughts couldn't help but manifest in him like thunder.

The mantis lunged.

'Atleast the afterlife be good…'

At least that was what he thought…

But still life was precious...

Instinct screamed in his skull. He twisted, a single desperate spin, his feet skidding in the dirt. The blade missed his heart by inches. It tore through his side instead, from left chest to stomach, peeling flesh like paper. Ribs gleamed wet in the open wound.

Pain hit like a lightning strike. White-hot. Blinding.

Then—something else.

Mana, raw and searing, flooded his veins. It burned colder than ice, hotter than fire, as if the world itself had cracked open inside him.

Time snapped still. The mantis froze mid-lunge, its wings suspended in a blur. The forest held its breath. Even the blood dripping from Bittu's lips hung in the air, droplets glinting like stars.

A voice—if it could be called that—thrummed in his skull:

"CHOOSE."

He knew what this phenomenon was. This was written in the one of the books he read: Beneath the Veil: Histories Erased by—, if you have not accepted the choices given to you by the system even after participating in the tutorial then, you would be forced to choose one in the circumstance that you were about to die and if you didn't then the system will assign you a random one, cause death here needed to be justified by the system. Since the one who killed you needs to get something for being able to kill you in the tutorial. This was a rule of the system, something it can't go against.

Seven glowing words materialized before him, each pulsing with a force that made his bones hum. This time they appeared to come alive unlike the last time, where they appeared as if dead.

[ 1. AEDRAKAR: STRENGTH. SURVIVAL. GROUNDING.

A mountain that cannot fall. Roots that devour stone.

2. IGNAERA: EMOTIONS. CREATIVITY. DESIRE.

Flames that forge new paths—or burn everything you love.

3. SOLVAHR: PERSONAL POWER. WILL.

A storm in a fist. A whisper that bends the world.

4. SYLVARIS: LOVE. CONNECTION.

A thread that binds souls. A light that fades if you let go.

5. ECHOLYN: COMMUNICATION. TRUTH.

A mirror that shatters lies. A tongue that cuts deeper than steel.

6. ASTRAVYN: INTUITION. PERCEPTION.

Eyes that see through shadows. A mind that hears the universe breathe.

7. LUMIVHAR: SPIRITUALITY. UNITY.

A soul untethered. A heartbeat merged with all that is. ]

The mana's fire surged again, louder. "TEN SECONDS."

Bittu's breath hitched. Blood soaked his shirt. His mind raced.

Strength? No—I've survived for long enough. Survival is all that I have done until now. What's the point if I'm still… alone?

Love? Do I even know how to let someone in?

Truth? Would anyone even listen to me? Or would I even be able to speak?

The seconds dripped away.

6…

His eyes darted to SOLVAHR. Power. To never feel helpless again.

7…

He flinched. But power without purpose is just another prison.

8…

SOLVAHR. IGNARA. SYLVARIS.

The mantis's eye, milky and blind, flickered in his memory. It couldn't see. Just like me.

9…

His trembling hand hovered. If I could be what I always wanted…

Not just stronger. Not just loved. Then what would it be that I need?? Just when this question his his head… his eyes instinctively moved towards one word… and he chose it.

10.

Chosen.

The world snapped back. Time roared. The mantis's blade ripped free, and Bittu screamed—

—but the pain was his. The mana was his. The choice was his.

And the forest trembled as the power he'd chosen surged through his blood.

The mana coiled inside him like a trapped beast, gnawing at his nerves. What did I pick? he wondered, panic clawing up his throat. His vision blurred, the world tilting like a storm-tossed ship. The mantis hissed, its broken eye twitching, as if the pause had confused it. For one heartbeat, two, Bittu stared at the creature—not as prey, but as a man who'd just gambled his soul.

Then the power hit.

A scream tore from his lips, but it wasn't his own. His blood roared, his skin prickled, and the air around him rippled, like heat off stone. The mantis shrieked, recoiling—its remaining eye widening as if it suddenly saw him.

Bittu's knees buckled, but he didn't fall. The mana had fused with him, filling the hollow spaces he'd carried all his life. He felt it now—sharp, hot, alive.

[ You chose… ]

The voice faded, leaving only the answer in his bones.

The mantis lunged again, faster this time, its blade a silver arc. But Bittu moved first at least that was his first thought but instead with his half-conscious eyes took a deep breath… and braced for impact.

Within that split of a second, he could feel the mantis closing in but he stood still, trembling, as a truth settled over him.

After making his choice, he did not know why but something within his was unleashed, not changed but unleashed, something that he was unable to do so all his life but now it was, bare, in the open. Now, he realized he had finally taken that step. Now...

He wasn't the same.

But was he what he'd wanted?

Or what he'd needed?