“This… is it then?”

  Colliding with the ground without any form of protection would surely kill me, considering how weak I was now. I could do nothing but accept my death.

  “No.5, grab him, before your energy runs out!” No.9 yelled using the loudspeaker.

  I heard what sounded like someone running up the steps, and looked down. No. 5 was running on steps made of solid blood, reusing blood to conserve energy. I was about 40 feet from the ground when he cut open his arm and made a small slide of blood curved at an angle to catch me without breaking my back. I slid down before tumbling on the ground, barely making myself able to stand upright.

  “963, are you ok?!” No.9 yelled as she ran up to me.

  “I….”

  “Don’t stand, lie down! You need your rest, you look like death!”

  “I can’t…..it’s…..not over yet!”

  “What are you talking about, you gutted him right in the chest didn’t’cha?” No.5 said, stumbling forward after collapsing his slide.

  The nexus on his head faded completely, making one of his legs gave out, forcing him to one knee.

  “Haah….damn! I can barely feel my body….”

  “963, what did you mean? Is it not over yet? He’s dead, right?”

  “An ability I gained passively from awakening was the ability to sense energy. Every living being has some form of energy, with different types used for gifts, movement, and thought. The only time it’s not there is if they're dead. I….can still sense energy from Zagra!”

  “But, his body is limp! His eyes are clouded over, and he has a gaping wound in his chest!”

  “.....”

  It was the same feeling I unknowingly felt when I awoke and saw Zero over me. A spark of energy, one that held a large reserve. She...gave it to me. But if he has one for himself....then!

  As if on cue, flaming wings resembling a phoenix suddenly rose from Zagra’s corpse. They enveloped him and lifted him, covering his entire body, before unwrapping after a few seconds. When the wings unfurled, all of his injuries were gone, and he looked completely refreshed.

  “There’s…..no way!”

  “This has to be cheating!”

  I merely stared in silence as I sensed his energy. His life force was severely weakened; it seemed this ability happened automatically if he were dead or at least near-death. Even when he gets up, he should barely have the energy to walk, but the problem is, I don’t know what other tricks he has up his sleeve.

  He stood upright and slowly opened his eyes, and started hyperventilating.

  “Haaah….haaah. My rebirth….I just got it back…..Now I have to wait……30 more years!” He said with a furious visage.

  He took a step forward before almost collapsing on the ground, yet I could see in his hand flames beginning to form.

  “963, what do we do? If he starts shooting fire at us, we can’t do anything to stop him. I can't use my voice!” No.9 whispered.

  “That won’t be necessary,” I said as I shrugged her off and began walking to the left. I quickly bent down, picking up No.1’s gun that I had dropped earlier, and aimed it at him. It was steaming slightly.

  “We’re done here, Zagra. Put away your flames, unless you want to get shot.”

  “Haaah…..ha! Weren’t you the one preaching about how much you wanted to kill me? Yet the second you’re put in a disadvantageous position, you want to call it a draw?! After getting rid of my Rebirth ability, you won’t leave here alive!”

  “Oh, but I will. Because if you don’t let me leave, we’ll both die here. Do you have the energy to survive an energy shot while focusing on offense? What about the other two here? What do you think they’ll do once we trade blows one last time? You see, my words remain true. I will kill you, I will rip out your heart with my own hands, but as of now, I am unable to do so without dooming myself in the process. However, I have time. Time to bide, wait, and hunt everything you’ve built and tear it all down. Something you don’t have, because you have something far more urgent to take care of.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “And what in the hell would that be?!”

  “Well, Zagra, you can come do battle with me again, while also having to fight those two next to me, wasting time. Or, you could go save your fake daughter in the Forbidden Area from the destruction my last attack caused.”

  “What?!”

  His eyes immediately darted to the right as he finally realized that the facility was burning intensely due to the spear I threw. It was in the midst of collapsing, and the fire was spreading around the entire facility. From the destruction, countless children spilled out of the facility to escape

  “Maybe if you go now, you can still save that thing in the tank. So, what will it be? Your fake daughter, or your real one?”

  He looked between us, Dawn’s corpse, and the fire multiple times before frantically limping and stumbling in the direction of the facility with a desperate look on his face. He ran past us off-balance and dove into the facility without abandon, disappearing into the smoke.

  After confirming he went inside the facility, I stood there motionless.

  “Why didn’t you shoot him?!” No.5 asked. “You had him right in your sights! That was our--!”

  "You damn fool, do you think I would have let him live if I wanted to?!" I screamed, feeling water streaming down my cheeks. "Just the thought of him walking another step, with his heart still beating makes me want to mutilate myself!" I screamed once more, stumbling over to No.5 and grabbing his shoulders.

  “I tried!” I said, clenching his shoulders tight. “The gun was malfunctioning! If I could have shot him, I would have! It was all a bluff! We weren’t in a state to take him on, even if he was weakened.! I'm powerless, No.5! All this battle did was shorten whatever life I had left! All to let him fucking go! ” I said, slightly shoving him away as I turned to walk towards Zero's corpse.

  "Wait, what?!" No.9 shouted with shock. "Shorten your life? What do you mean?!"

  "My body can't handle my own gift." I said, picking up Dawn's body. "By using it at full power, I shortened my lifespan by an undisclosed amount. Although I'm assuming it was most of it."

  "So, you mean....?" No.9 gasped.

  "That power ya gave us back there...that was your life?! Why would ya do that for us?! If ya didn't do that, then....!

  "I've already lost so many people." I said, clutching Dawn tighter. "My family, my life, Dawn, and all the people I killed here, their souls weigh me down every step. It's all because I wasn't strong enough, and back then I only cared about myself. I only realized my wrongdoings and mistakes....when it was far too late. Now that I'm awake, I won't let anyone else I care about die due to my actions. Never again." I said, walking towards the forest.

  “Wait! Where are you going?” No.9 asked from behind me.

  “I’m going to bury her. In a beautiful place where her soul can enjoy the sights the land has to offer.”

  “And after that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can….we come with you?” No.9 asked sheepishly.

  “Yeah, no way you can survive out there by yourself, especially in the state you’re in!” No.5 yelled, astonished by my decision.

  “No, this is where we part ways. For good.”

  “W-What?”

  I turned around to face them, smiling as brightly as I could.

  “Thank you all for being my friends during my time here. If it weren’t for you both, I wouldn’t have survived this place. I wouldn’t have won against Zagra either. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to see the outside world, or even begin to feel anything again. For that, I can’t express with words how much you both mean to me. Thank you, truly.

  “H-Huh? Well—I mean….I didn’t do much…” No.9 said, twirling her hair and looking away.

  “Y-Yeah, whatcha gettin' all sentimental for, man? Givin’ me the creeps, I already know you wouldn’t have survived without me, y-you know?” No.5 whispered while scratching his neck.

  “Kind people like you who fought with me deserve to live a good life. You fought for your freedom, and you earned it. You should see the world and enjoy all that life has to offer. I’m sure….that’s what she would have wanted to.”

  “Then come with us! Why do you have to leave?!”

  “Because I can’t explore the world yet. I can’t enjoy all of what this life has to offer because I’ve given myself a mission. A mission to change this world into a place where nothing like this can ever happen to anyone, ever again. And to do that, I will stoop to any low to make sure that happens. I can't escape the things I've done, but I have to rectify my mistakes. I don’t want to include the people I care for in my immature revenge, so if you really do care about me enough to want to go with me, then don’t. Live happy lives, have fun, eat candy, play with toys like every other kid, and live in normalcy. Think of it as a favor to me.”

  “But–!”

  “Please.”

  No.9 looked like she was about to say something more, but No.5 grabbed her shoulder and shook his head.

  “We’ll respect your wishes, man. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m gonna be the strongest there ever was, ya hear! And when I’ve reached my peak, I’ll come find ya and show you my progress!”

  “Haha, sure. I’ll be waiting to give you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

  He scoffed at me and laughed, while No.9 looked down.

  “Will….will we ever see each other again?”

  “I’m sure we will. I hope that the next time we see each other, I’ll be able to be proud of the things I’ve accomplished. And that we can both laugh and look toward the future.”

  I turned around and started walking away.

  “But until then…..goodbye.”

  With her corpse in hand, I walked through the brush as the night itself covered my tracks behind.