ZigZagkers

"What is life, and what is death?" the deep scary voice speaks.

"They love life because they forget it is borrowed.

They fear death because they remember too late—

it was never theirs to keep."

The voice was not a whisper.

It was everything in the darkness.

A crawling vibration that seemed to come from within Enix's own bones.

The world faded into ink.

And then—

Light.

But it wasn't white. It was golden and red, flickering like candle flames on silk.

Paper walls. Wooden floors.

Bamboo swayed in the wind.

Enix stood in a world that breathed like the past.

He looked down—bare feet on stone.

A white kimono, simple but embroidered with strange symbols.

Old Japan? He couldn't explain it, but somehow he knew.

He felt the era in the air, tasted incense and dried blood on the wind.

And then—

CRACK!!!

Lightning tore down from the sky, like a spear thrown by a furious god.

It struck him directly in the chest—

—blinding pain—

—and he staggered back, skin steaming, nerves twitching like puppets on snapped strings.

Before he could scream,

SHIIING—THUCK!

A katana pierced through his back.

Out his chest.

Steel ringing as it split ribs.

His knees buckled.

He fell forward—

—onto a battlefield.

The scent of death was everywhere.

Mud soaked in blood.

Arrows blackening the sky like a swarm of angry crows.

He turned his head, dazed.

CRUNCH!

A boulder collapsed onto him.

Bones cracked like dry twigs.

Then—

A new scene.

His hands trembled, holding a bow—

Too late.

THUNK!

An arrow struck his temple.

He dropped.

Then—

Another version of himself, shaking and cornered.

A trembling hand holding a pistol.

He pointed the gun at his own temple then—

BANG.

Darkness again.

Then—

A guillotine.

The world upside down.

SWOOSH—THUD.

Then again.

And again.

Each death faster, sharper.

A hundred lives.

A thousand ends.

No breath between.

No time to scream.

Only pain.

Only the voice.

"If you fear death...

then what would you become...

if you could never die?"

Enix's eyes shot open.

His chest heaved.

His fingers curled against damp stone.

Breath returned like fire in his lungs.

He was alive.

He was awake.

"I don't want to die!" he screams.

"I am gonna die again! How!?, where!?, when am I gonna die!?" he screams in panic.

His vision was blurry, then suddenly a hand came straight to his face and punched him in his forehead so hard that his eyes turned white.

He still was in the mysterious demonic form. His vision cleared and the first thing he saw was a silver-haired man standing in front of him who just punched him, a man wearing glasses, and behind them, a woman with long pink hair and pink eyes sitting in a chair wearing an oversized brown hoodie, looking at him.

"Oh he's awake..." Aaru said while looking at him.

Enix, totally confused, looked around his surroundings. He was inside a room which was filled with unknown words on the wall, creepy dolls, and he—he was sitting in a chair wrapped around by a pink glowing chain.

"What is going on..." Enix asked in confusion.

"Who are you people! And where am I?!" he asked in frustration.

"Listen here, you evil spirit." Koru speaks while looking at him with cold eyes.

"Evil spirit?." Enix gasped in confusion.

"Leave this boy's body right now or we will have to perform a Divine Exorcism."

"Huh what ya yapping about?! I didn't understand a single thing you said. Who is this evil spirit you're talking about?" Enix replied with confusion.

"Looks like it won't listen to us." Koru said.

Aaru nodded and said,

"Listen here, we are not playing around. You know what a Divine Exorcism does to scum like you."

Enix gritted his teeth and replied,

"Who are you calling scum, you who have hair color like sperm."

Aaru looked at him with eyes filled with rage.

"I think we should kill this thing right now."

"No." Koru denied.

"If we kill him in this body, then the boy will die too."

Aaru clenched his fist and looked at him with cold eyes.

"Tch."

The girl with pink hair stood up and slowly walked towards them.

"Don't get too cocky, you devil. We three can easily kill you right here, but if you listen to us, then we will give you a painless voice." The girl said with a soft yet scary voice.

She sat right in front of him and her breast bounced softly.

Enix stared at her with cold eyes then he said,

"Don't think you can seduce me. My girl is way more beautiful—"

Before he could complete, his eyes widened in realization. He looked up and spoke,

"Where is Nki...."

They looked at him in confusion.

"Answer me... where is Nki!!"

Aaru punched him in the cheek hard and said,

"Don't scream at us, you piece of shit."

Koru walked closer to him and said,

"Are you talking about the girl with blue eyes? Why? Do you want to kill her or something?"

"Huh what are you talking about, you jerk? She is my girlfriend!"

They looked at him in shock.

"Hahahahaha this thing is nut!" the girl started laughing and walked back to sit in the chair.

Koru closed his eyes and said,

"I see, so you wanna play like that, huh... then fine."

He stepped behind and said,

"Aaru, beat him so much that he will beg for his existence."

Aaru gave a small smile and said,

"Leave it to me."

Enix looked at them in confusion. Aaru cracked his knuckles and stood in front of him.

Enix looked up at him and said,

"What are you doing, you little—"

Before he could complete, Aaru punched him in his guts so hard that it broke the sound barrier.

Then he punched him again and again and again.

Enix, in his mind, started thinking,

("What.. what is going on... who are they and why are they trying to kill me... and how am I even alive after getting hit by punches this hard... damn it... it hurts... Nki...")

Aaru raised his fist up and it started glowing blue, and fire-like particles started appearing in his fist.

Enix, with his weak eyes, looked at it.

"Wha—what is that...."

His punch dashed towards him and hit him in his guts. This time the punch's impact sent shockwaves through his body and tore the back of Enix's shirt.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed in pain.

The voice echoed in the whole area.

Nki's eyes wide open, she was sweating and breathing heavily.

"Darling..."