Thanks for the 600 powerstones! Here is your bonus chapter!
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I carried Sonya's body myself.
The weight of her felt wrong—too light, too still.
No one spoke as we trudged back through the oasis. Not even Nicole, who kept glancing at me when she thought I wasn't looking. The rune stone pulsed occasionally in my pocket like a second heartbeat, but I ignored it.
Alexander led our broken procession, barriers shimmering faintly around us despite his exhaustion. Shikamaru supported Yuzuriha, her arm still partially paralyzed. Theodore focused entirely on keeping Jin stable, his hands glowing weakly over the unconscious man's chest.
The trek back to our makeshift camp stretched endlessly. Each step felt heavier than the last, my enhanced strength meaningless against the true weight I carried.
Two dead. Maybe three soon.
I had known Sonya for a few days, yet her absence left a hole in our group that seemed to swallow sound itself. She had been the bright counterpoint to Jin's methodical nature—creative, intuitive, alive in a way few people managed. Now she was gone, and with her, some vital spark that had kept our group's spirit intact.
Elise's body, carried by Alexander's barrier like a stretcher, floated behind me.
Both lives snuffed out because I'd treated this place like a game. A hunting ground. An opportunity.
I'd prioritized leveling up over proper reconnaissance. I'd been so focused on my own growth that I'd forgotten the fundamental truth of hunter work. The truth I learned after Utah: people die.
Real people. Not game characters.
I glanced down at Sonya's still face. The silver-blue glow that had illuminated her eyes during combat would never return. Jin would wake—if he woke—to a world without his other half.
'Arcan,' I called mentally. 'What were those mimics? What did they mean?'
『I'm still trying to figure that out,』 she replied, her usual confidence absent. 『The language pattern they used when addressing you... it's similar to ancient thaumaturgical dialects. What they called you translated roughly to 'Monarch' or 'Sovereign' in that context.』
I pushed the questions aside as we approached our camp. Dave and Josh spotted us from a distance.
"What happened?" Dave asked, his eyes widening as he registered our condition. "Who's—"
He stopped as he recognized Sonya's body in my arms.
Josh moved past his shock faster, professional training taking over. "Medical supplies," he said, already turning toward their gear. "Theodore, what do you need?"
"Everything," the healer replied hoarsely, his focus never leaving Jin. "And more than we have."
I laid Sonya gently on a prepared bedroll, arranging her arms at her sides. The motion felt mechanical, disconnected from reality.
Dave hovered nearby, his face pale. "What happened?" he repeated, softer this time.
"Snakes," Alexander explained, his voice flat with exhaustion. "Camouflaged as vegetation. Paralytic venom. We lost Sonya and Elise. Jin's critical."
Dave nodded, the information registering in his eyes even as his hands moved automatically to help. Josh returned with medical supplies, kneeling beside Theodore to assist with Jin's treatment.
I stepped away from the group, my enhanced senses picking up every detail of their grief and shock. Every whispered question. Every aborted gesture of comfort. The sound of Josh's heartbeat accelerating as he processed what he was seeing. The smell of antiseptic as Theodore cleaned Jin's wounds. The taste of failure bitter on my tongue.
This red gate had seemed like the perfect opportunity when I found out. A chance to test my abilities. To level up.
I'd convinced myself I was being cautious, strategic—but I'd been arrogant. Treating real lives like pieces on a chess board. Moving them according to my calculations without considering that every piece lost was a person. Someone's partner. Someone's friend.
Someone who wouldn't be going home.
The world around me seemed to fade, voices becoming distant echoes as I stared at nothing. My thoughts spiraled inward, circling the same grim truth: I had failed them.
Not as a hunter. As a human being.
The rune stone pulsed again, more insistently this time. I pulled it from my pocket, staring at the strange symbols etched across its surface. They seemed to shift as I watched, rearranging themselves into patterns that almost made sense before dissolving back into incomprehensible runes.
"—avier? Xavier!"
I blinked, realizing someone had been calling my name. Yuzuriha stood before me, her hand half-extended as if she'd been about to touch my shoulder. She took a step back, eyes widening.
"Your eyes..." she said, voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" I looked at her, suddenly aware of a strange heat behind my vision.
"They're purple," she said, gesturing vaguely toward her own eyes. "Not blue. Purple. And... glowing."
I frowned, slipping the rune stone back into my pocket. The heat intensified briefly, then faded. Yuzuriha's expression shifted from surprise to something closer to concern.
"They're back to normal now," she said. "What was that?"
"I don't know." I turned away. "How's your arm?"
"Better." She flexed her fingers, wincing slightly. "Theo managed to counteract most of the venom. I'll be fine by morning."
I nodded, still avoiding her gaze. "Good."
Yuzuriha studied me for a moment longer, then sighed. "It's not your fault, you know."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"I know." She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "But I'm going to say it anyway. We all chose to come here. We all knew the risks."
I nodded, saying nothing. What could I say?
Yuzuriha lingered for a moment longer before accepting my silence. She stepped away, rejoining the others as they tended to Jin and prepared the bodies.
Minutes stretched like hours as I stood apart from the group, watching Theodore work. His hands trembled with exhaustion, golden-green energy flickering weakly as he fought to stabilize Jin's condition. The paralytic venom had shut down most of his autonomic functions—breathing shallow, heartbeat irregular. Theodore's healing abilities were forcing Jin's system to process the toxin faster than it naturally could, but the strain showed on both men.
The camp fell into a hushed routine around me. Alexander maintained a perimeter barrier despite his fatigue. Shikamaru sat cross-legged nearby, eyes closed but clearly awake, conserving energy while remaining alert. Dave and Josh moved efficiently between tasks, avoiding the still forms of Sonya and Elise as though proximity might somehow make the deaths more real.
Nicole sat alone, arms wrapped around her knees, watching Theodore work on Jin. Her enhancement ability had faded completely, leaving her looking smaller, younger. The glamorous socialite image she projected had cracked, revealing something fragile underneath.
A harsh, wet sound broke the silence.
Jin coughed, his chest spasming as he fought to clear his airways. Theodore leaned back, surprise mingling with relief on his face.
"He's coming around," Theodore said.
Jin's eyelids fluttered, then opened. He stared blankly upward before his gaze sharpened with sudden awareness.
"Sonya?" The name emerged as a question, hopeful despite the pain evident in his expression.
No one answered. No one needed to.
Jin's eyes moved across our faces, registering the absence of the one he sought. His gaze settled on me, silently asking for confirmation even as his features began to crumple.
I couldn't lie to him. "I'm sorry, Jin."
He turned his head, spotting the still form laid carefully nearby. Recognition hit him like a physical blow—his body jerking as though struck. A sound escaped him, raw and animal, tearing from somewhere deeper than his throat.
"No." The word came out strangled. "No, no, no..."
Theodore placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Jin, you need to stay still. The venom—"
Jin shoved him away. "Sonya!" He tried to stand but collapsed immediately, his legs still paralyzed. He began to drag himself toward her body, using only his arms.
No one moved to stop him.
He reached her side, trembling fingers brushing her cheek. "Sonya, please." His voice broke. "Please wake up."
The silence that answered him was absolute.
Jin gathered her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as his body shook with silent sobs. Minutes passed before he looked up, his gaze settling on Nicole.
"You. This was your gate. Your expedition."
Nicole flinched as though he'd struck her. "Jin, I—"
"She's dead because of you." His voice remained flat, disconnected from the tears streaming down his face. "We followed you into this death sentence."
Nicole's composure cracked completely. She slid from her seat to her knees, then bent forward until her forehead touched the ground.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her pink hair falling around her face like a curtain. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault. It's all my fault."
Jin stared at her, clearly shocked by the display. Nicole Demara, daughter of tech billionaire Damian Demara, was prostrating herself before him.
"I just wanted to prove myself," she continued, words muffled against the ground. "To show I could do something without my father's help. I never meant for anyone to die. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Jin's expression shifted, anger giving way to something more complex. He looked down at Sonya's face, then back at Nicole's shaking form.
"Get up," he said quietly. "Sonya wouldn't want that."
Nicole raised her head, face streaked with tears and dirt. "What?"
"She wouldn't want you blaming yourself." Jin's voice caught. "She always said gates were about choice. We all chose to come."
Theodore moved cautiously toward them. "Jin, you need more healing. The venom—"
"Stop." Jin looked up, meeting Theodore's gaze directly. "Don't waste your energy."
Theodore froze. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying stop." Jin's arms tightened around Sonya's body. "At least I can still be with her in the end."
"That's the venom talking," Theodore argued. "It affects brain chemistry, causes depression—"
"It's not the venom." Jin looked down at his wife. "We promised each other. Together in everything. I won't break that promise now."
I watched the exchange silently. The rational part of me understood it was his right. The human part remembered the way he and Sonya had moved together in combat—two halves of a whole, perfectly synchronized. One without the other felt wrong on some fundamental level.
But another part of me—the part that had been growing since I discovered the system—was already calculating. Two dead. Maybe three soon. The loss diminished our group's combat effectiveness. Reduced our chances of clearing the gate. Complicated the path forward.
The rune stone pulsed in my pocket, resonating with my thoughts.
I needed to get stronger. Quickly. The Sentinel wasn't just another obstacle—they were the key to escaping this place. But at my current level, facing them would be suicide.
I'd seen what Nicole's enhancement could do, temporarily boosting me beyond my normal capabilities. But it wasn't enough. I needed strength. True strength.
Alexander stepped forward, his military bearing momentarily abandoned. "Jin, think about what you're saying. We can still—"
"I've made my choice." Jin didn't look up, his fingers gently tracing the curve of Sonya's cheek. "Please respect it."
Theodore shook his head, jaw tight with professional frustration. "At least let me neutralize the pain. The paralytic venom—it's not a gentle way to go."
Jin hesitated, then nodded once. "Thank you."
I walked away, needing space from the crushing weight of death. The oasis stretched around us, beautiful and deadly in the perpetual twilight. Two suns hung low on opposite horizons, neither fully setting nor rising, casting the landscape in permanent dusk. The deceptive paradise that had already claimed two lives would soon take a third.
Footsteps approached from behind. I pocketed the stone and turned to find Yuzuriha, her usual playfulness absent.
"Jin's fading," she said quietly. "Theodore says it won't be long now."
I nodded, unsure what response she expected. What could I say? That I was sorry? That it was all part of the risk? Empty words wouldn't bring Sonya back or save Jin.
"You should say goodbye," she added. "He asked for you specifically."
That surprised me. Jin and I had barely spoken beyond tactical exchanges during our time in the gate. What could he possibly want with me now?
I followed Yuzuriha back to camp, where the mood had shifted from shock to somber acceptance.
Nicole sat alone, arms wrapped around her knees, tears dried on her cheeks. Our eyes met briefly before she looked away, shame evident in the hunch of her shoulders.
Theodore knelt beside Jin, monitoring his condition with gentle hands. Jin himself looked peaceful now, the pain gone from his expression. Sonya's body remained cradled in his arms, her head resting against his chest as though she were merely sleeping.
"Xavier," Jin said as I approached, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for coming."
I crouched beside him, maintaining a respectful distance. "You wanted to see me?"
Jin nodded weakly. "I need to ask something of you." His gaze was clear despite the venom coursing through his system. "A promise."
"What kind of promise?"
"Get them out." His eyes flicked toward the others, then back to me. "Get them home."
I studied him, searching for signs of delirium. Finding none, I asked, "Why me? Alexander is the natural leader here."
"Alexander follows protocols." Jin's lips curved in a faint smile. "But this gate doesn't play by the rules. I've seen how you fight, how you think. You'll do whatever it takes."
I couldn't argue with that assessment. "I'll try."
"No." Jin's hand shot out, gripping my wrist with surprising strength. "Not try. Promise. Swear it."
I stared at his hand, then at his face—the desperation there, the need for something certain in his final moments. "I swear it."
He relaxed slightly, his grip loosening. "Thank you." His gaze shifted to Sonya's face. "She liked you, you know. Said you reminded her of her little brother. Same... intensity."
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I remained silent.
"One more thing," Jin whispered, his voice growing fainter. "Our rings. On the chains around our necks. When you get out... find my parents in Koreatown. Restaurant called Seoul Garden. Give them both rings. Tell them... tell them we were together at the end."
"I will."
"Thank you." Jin's eyes drifted closed. "I'm tired now."
I stood, giving Theodore space to continue his ministrations. The healer's expression told me everything I needed to know—it wouldn't be long.
Nicole approached hesitantly, her usual confidence nowhere to be found. "Is he...?"
"Soon," I replied.
She nodded, blinking back fresh tears. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming—"
"Stop."
"But—"
"We all chose to come. Like he said." I turned to face her fully. "Your guilt doesn't honor their sacrifice. It just makes this about you."
Nicole flinched as if struck, but I saw recognition in her eyes. The truth hurt, but she needed to hear it.
"What do we do now?" she asked after a moment, her voice small.
I glanced around the camp, assessing our diminished group. "We survive. We complete the gate. We get out."
"How? We've lost three people. The monsters—"
"I'll handle the monsters." My hand closed around the rune stone in my pocket. "But first, I need to get stronger."
Nicole studied me, something shifting in her gaze. "Your enhancement. When I boosted you earlier, you were... different. More powerful than before."
I didn't answer.
She hesitated. "My father has theories about hunters that could grow continuously. Research he's been conducting in Utah—"
"Utah?" My attention sharpened. "What kind of research?"
"I don't know the details. Just that he's been obsessed with it since the S-Rank gate incident years ago."
The same incident that had claimed my parents. Coincidence seemed unlikely, but now wasn't the time to pursue that thread.
A soft exhalation from behind us drew our attention. Theodore had placed his hand on Jin's chest, feeling for a heartbeat that was no longer there. He looked up, shaking his head slightly.
Jin was gone.