< The cycle continues >

  A voice from beyond the infinite void spoke to her again.

  < Hatred fuels bloodshed >

  An ever-familiar ticking clock accompanied that somber voice.

  < Bloodshed churns the gears of wrath >

  < And wrath becomes a machine that forges a bullet >

  Who… is that voice anyway. Are you Agate…? Maybe? But Agate doesn’t write in riddles…

  It assailed the girl from every direction, her words stinging her like tiny needles.

  Once again, she had found herself suspended in a boundless abyss. She could still feel her body, and her hearing worked fine.

  But everything else had shut down.

  She was in a state of pure existence.

  < O’ Child of Wrath, has your tale come to an end? >

  Never… My life… still goes on. I don’t want to be here.

  Red had done nothing wrong to deserve death.

  Why should she accept that this was the end?

  No, how could she accept it?

  I can’t be here… Snow… the villagers. Rockie– they’re all waiting for me. I… cannot stay here!

  Her resolve manifested as a faint spark of light. The tiny, little bead was no more than a fleeting firefly on the brink of being squashed by the darkness.

  But it glowed regardless, illuminating a small fragment fo the world around her.

  Water? Am I floating?

  She had no way to confirm this other than she saw faint ripples expand from beneath her body, fizzling out into the great unknown beyond the light of her star.

  It was the only source of light that existed in this silent world.

  She realized that she was not in a state of pure existence but was instead a piece of driftwood sailing a starless sea.

  Then, the ticking intensified. Each tick reverberated through her bones. Finally, she heard the roar of a forlorn trumpet.

  A golden star appeared in the horizon. It was a ring of light, no different from the light of a solar eclipse.

  What… am I looking at…?

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  And within that ring of light was an inexplicably dark nothingness that surpassed the world around her. Even if it were compressed into a singular shade of black it would not be even a fraction of what she saw.

  An eye…

  “Tell me Red. What do you see yourself as?”

  That voice echoed within her mind.

  It was not the ambience of the world anymore.

  What am I…?

  She could feel her lips moving. Her fingers trembled. Her body was returning to her.

  “I am…”

  Only one answer left her quivering lips.

  “A… human…”

  An answer that neither satisfied nor angered the voice. Her answer was the same as the last time she encountered this voice.

  That was when I thought I died, right? I’m always hearing this person’s voice every time I come close to dying.

  The ring of light faded unceremoniously, like it was no more than a figment of her imagination.

  Her own tiny spark of light remained as the darkness manifested into wuthering waves.

  Waves higher than five meters rocked her body, flipped and plunged her into the shallow depths of the cold sea.

  Red’s strength returned. She flailed as a torrent of bubbles left her gaped mouth. But not matter what she did, she could not beat this unnatural force.

  She was carried along the by the flow of the very world, dragged along as her lungs were filled with water.

  Which way was up or down was impossible to determine. The currents flipped her endlessly as if to say: “You are powerless.”

  But Red refused to die a second time.

  I… Hatchling Red… Won’t let you or anyone else take me down!

  She reached towards the orb of light within herself.

  And when she clasped it–

  “Red!”

  “Brrr!”

  –She was swallowed by the light.

  * * *

  < One Sanity Token has been deducted >

  //////// < WARNING > ////////

  < Lowering Sanity increases the likelihood of instability >

  < When Sanity reaches 0… >

  The vision she saw had to be the product of her dwindling Sanity. She still did not know the purpose of it, nor what ‘instability’ meant, let alone what it implied.

  < Sanity Scale >

  < 7 >

  But even a child knew that nothing good could come from becoming insane.

  * * *

  “Kch! Urgh! *cough* Graaaaah!”

  A violent, guttural roar left Red’s mouth as she flailed at the ground. Her back arced, and she clawed at her chest in search of the thorny bolt.

  “Where – *cough* – Where is it!? Gone…? Wait – I can see again!?”

  Her hand quickly reached for her eyes. The return of her depth perception and binocular vision should have been proof enough, but she wanted to be extra sure.

  Due to her shaky hands and renewed vigor –

  “O-Ouch! Be careful Red, you idiot... You almost took your own eye out!”

  –she ended up poking her eye with a nail.

  “No holes… no blood? My skull feels fine, and my ribs – they’re all back!”

  Once again, she awakened in perfect condition. The first time was a miracle. The second and third she had believed was thanks to Snow. But with everything she knew about Snow, her limited Healing magic could not have restored her body so immaculately.

  Red | HP: 16,500 | 16,500

  First, her fingers. All digits were present, and her right arm had returned. Stars sparkled in her eyes as she brought them close to her heart.

  “Hehehehe…”

  She began with a small cackle.

  “Ahahaha.”

  A laugh, and then, she burst into a triumphant roar and punched the air several times.

  “HAHAHAHAHA! I’M BACK! RED IS BAAAAAACK!”

  She celebrated by drumming on her thighs. Even her clothes were perfectly intact! It was as if she had been reborn.

  Her rush eventually faded as she returned to reality.

  “Snow… can she even restore limbs? Is that even possible in the first place?”

  It was bizarre. If it wasn’t her, then how was she still alive? And unscratched for that matter?

  Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind her.

  “I definitely can so long as it’s limited to your extremities.”

  Before Red could even turn to greet her, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Two warm mounds pressed against her back as the woman held her close.

  “Eh? Snow. Aren’t you a little too close? Not that I’m complaining or anything. Hehe –”

  “Red…”

  Snow’s voice trembled.

  “Hm? Yes? That’s me!”

  “*Sniffle* Red…”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re alive… You’re still… alive…”

  Her back felt damp suddenly. Snow’s tremors travelled across her body as she felt her heart pound against her back.

  “… Mhm. Yep. Like I never left.” Red wasn’t used to receiving affection from people, but she wasn’t complaining either.

  Her heart felt at ease knowing that Snow was worried about her. It was also equally remorseful that she was the reason why she was crying.

  No, Red. It’s not always about you. She also lost Mister Huntsman. If she lost me too then what would have happened to her?

  She reached down and held Snow’s hand, affirming that she was here.

  “I was afraid I was going to lose you too.”

  Snow whimpered, right as Rockie scurred from behind a tree. The Steel Bug dashed towards Red, its beady eyes glistening like they had also been crying.

  “Brrrr!”

  “I hate that I can’t understand why you’re happy that I’m still alive.” Red grumbled as Rockie rubbed its head against hers. “But… thanks. Gotta give it to you, you’re pretty sturdy! But you’re still my emergency rations.”

  Their reunion was filled with smiles and tears. The atmosphere was no longer grim, but the melancholy did not disappear. Red’s survival was a miracle. If this scenario were to occur over a million times, then this would be the only one where she survived.

  Her survival was a reminder of how much could have been lost.

  “You… just died… how can you be cordial?”

  “Because I just wanna live.”

  13 Chapters ahead over on the

  Discord! We have cute Vengeful Red emotes!