***

Verity scratched his head as a demon disintegrated before him. He hadn't killed it, nor destroyed any of its cores, but somehow, the demon was dying.

Verity found it strange, but mulling over it would not change a thing, so he decided that he would ponder on it later.

For now, he needed to find his companions.

Just as he was about to trace back his steps, Verity heard the system speak to him.

[The skill -Lesson Learned- is being activated.]

He then felt a sharp jolt of pain course through his head. It was such that he felt forced to take a knee, but he was left no time to acclimate to the pain before a scene of a bygone time unfolded before his very eyes.

It was just as it had been that day in the dark cave. A silent scene, hazy figures which told a story, and an end. Except this time, Verity was not exactly sure how the figure which he understood to be him, perished. Also, this time, there were no specific emotions associated with the vision. No sorrow, no fear, no despair.

"It's as if… I'm there, and then I'm just…. not." Verity mumbled.

This is what he understood. It seemed he ran, then reached a 'place', where he met 'someone'' and then…. Died.

'Not very helpful… but better than nothing.'

Indeed, little information was better than no information at all. Verity exhaled sharply and considered his options. In sum, all he had to do was not encounter that 'someone' and he would be safe.

"I'll just have to be careful, I suppose."

So, Verity began running, tracing back his steps.

What else could he do?

If he ran into anyone, he would just ignore them. That, or pour all of his energy into escaping, no questions asked. That seemed like the best course of action at the moment.

Yet, Verity never ran into anyone. The streets were strangely empty, and although he could hear the faint tremors of battle faraway, Verity was never able to reach them.

In the end, all he managed to do was reach a garden overflowing with flowers that had yet to bloom, their crimson petals neatly pressed together.

In the center of that garden, a man with ashen hair stood, his back turned to Verity.

Verity had many questions, but as he had concluded previously, he chose to save them for later, and he immediately turned tail to flee.

"..."

A man— no, a demon clearly, appeared before him, not allowing Verity to take a single step.

Verity did not feel any particular sense of dread or fear from the demon, but still, he raised his spear, and immediately thrust it toward the being.

[You are engaging in a challenge with odds that are impossible to overcome.]

[Experience is withheld due to null chances of success.]

"You are not the one I am waiting for."

CRACK

Verity died.

***

After defeating, or rather witnessing the unexplainable death of a demon before him, Verity felt a sharp jolt of pain curse through his head.

[The skill -Lesson Learned- is being activated.]

It was the hazy figures again, but this time… it was also different.

Simultaneously, there were two scenarios unfolding before him.

The two were extremely similar, but bore slight disparities.

Still, in the end, Verity recognized his death in both scenes.

"Two futures…? What does this mean?"

Until now, Verity had thought that [Lesson Learned] was a premonition type, or some sort of future-sight skill. Overpowered certainly, but it only ever seemed to activate if he was truly in danger, so it wasn't all that useful in regular battle.

But how could there be two futures?

Was this related to the multiverse theory he'd heard a lot about back on Earth? But then why would he only see two visions now? The skill had activated before, after all, and he'd only been warned about a single danger, or threat, but never two.

Or perhaps, the enemy, the being in those visions was just that dangerous.

A time related ability?

Reality manipulation?

Had he stumbled upon a truly terrifying existence?

He wasn't sure, but what he knew for now was that–

"I can never, ever, run into whatever that is. They're dangerous."

His expression hardened, and he felt his blood rushing through his veins. Verity was… apprehensive.

There were too many things he could not understand.

In both scenarios, he had chosen to run through the streets of Colosseo, likely to return to his companions, so he would proceed differently this time.

He would head in the opposite direction. He'd join back with his friends after this crisis was averted. They were strong enough to survive until then.

"H-How…!? I-I'm sure I went the opposite way…!!"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Verity was back at the garden, staring at a being with ashen gray hair.

The man turned, and he re-appeared only an inch from Verity.

Verity tried to back away by guiding Aura to his legs, but the being's hand softly landed on his head.

"You are not the one I am waiting for."

CRACK

Verity died.

***

Three visions befell Verity as he questioned why that demon had just died by itself.

Three separate, yet overly similar visions. In all three, Verity died without understanding what had happened to him.

After overcoming the searing pain that came with the usage of his skill, Verity scratched his head.

Three visions?

Was that even possible?

How could there be three different futures? He'd only ever had one vision, or warning, before when [Lesson Learned] was activated, so how could there be three now?

Still, he understood that no matter where he ran in these visions, he would meet his end. He sighed and crossed his arms. If he would die no matter where he ran, then he would not run.

Verity sat down and he stared at the wall before him.

For now, this was the best choice, at least until he understood what the hell was going on.

"AHHHH!!"

A chilling scream resonated somewhere nearby.

It sounded like the cry of a young boy.

Verity's body twitched.

'That's… probably a trap, right?'

"M-Mommy!! I'm scared!! Please wake up! Wake up mommy!!"

Verity twitched again.

"Hehehee… If I kill you too… I should be able to hold myself together a little longer….!"

'It's definitely a trap…. Their acting isn't even good….'

The boy broke into tears. "Mommy!! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Why won't you wake up mommy! Why are you being like daddy!?!"

Again, Verity's body twitched.

'Am I an idiot?'

What the hell was he thinking? So what if it was a trap!?

He instead asked himself, what if it was real, and he stood there doing nothing? Could he call himself a hero, a protagonist? Would his favorite characters do something like this?

He stood up.

They wouldn't

Yet, someway, somehow, even as he ran toward the screams at breakneck speed…

Verity found himself in front of the garden of budding flowers where a man with ashen hair stood, back turned to him.

Movement faster than he could follow.

A soft hand on his head.

"You are not the one I am looking for."

CRACK

And Verity died.

***

Four visions this time.

In hopes of attempting something different, Verity tried to settle upon the rooftops to get a better look at the city.

Still, as he moved across them, he ended up back at the garden.

"You are not the one I am looking for."

CRACK

Verity died.

***

Five…

"You are not the one I am looking for."

CRACK

Verity died.

***

Thirteen….or was it fifteen visions simultaneously?

"You are not the one I am looking for."

CRACK

Verity died.

***

Dozens, certainly. Verity wasn't sure. Too many to count, too little time to care. It was a mess, yet all had the same end.

How strange.

Was his skill broken?

That didn't seem right. The visions were nearly all the same, save for a few differences here and there, but some seemed... clearer than others. More colorful, perhaps. He even caught a glimpse of red in one of the visions, or maybe that was just his tired mind playing tricks on him.

But again this time, it ended the same.

"You are not the one I am looking for."

CRACK

Verity died.

***

A hundred, maybe more, who knew?

"You are not the one–-."

The demon froze. At his feet, one of the flowers bloomed. He paused for a moment, and he allowed a silence to fill the air.

'This red... just like in the visions...Or is it more vibrant now? In any case, this must be the place I end up in, in all of them..!'

The demon looked at Verity, and his entire expression changed. What was before indifference, disregard even, turned into the faintest… curiosity.

Verity, beyond words at the idea that he had ended up here again even after all these visions, simply dropped to his knees. 'Seriously... In those futures…. I've tried more than everything I can think of and still… still… I'm here! Always here!'

To him, it was the first time he had ended up in that garden, but the visions carried a sense of 'reality' to them, which made him feel as though he'd gone through this countless times. He had carefully thought about what he had tried in almost all of them, which was much more than what he could think of, but despite this he still attempted to try something different.

Even though they were merely hazy figures that carried close to no emotional weight, seeing himself die over, and over, and over, and over, Verity began to wonder, especially now that he was here, whether this outcome was not inevitable… He began to wonder if those visions weren't instead his… past.

Did that make any sense?

But what would be the point of showing him several 'potential' futures, as he had initially suspected.

He wondered.

'Am I a... regressor?'

Were those futures ones he had lived through already? Were they all, even before, things he had gone through already? The more the visions accumulated, the more real they felt. The more Verity felt as though he had been through those scenarios. And now, after nearly a hundred deaths, that sensation was stronger than ever.

The demon appeared before Verity, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You. Have we… met before?"

Verity looked up at the towering being speaking to him. His eyes widened. "You're not… going to kill me?"

The being did not consider his question. "It is faint, but tell me, Why… Do you carry my mark?"

Verity, seeing a spark of hope, stood up. 'Right, this skill has always shown me the future… because it wanted me to change it! This future can be changed! I just have to choose my words wisely!'

He stepped back, and he cleared his throat. "Your mark, you say? Is that what this is? I was just told it'd help me serve you demons better…!"

Verity was lying through his teeth.

There was no such thing as honor in death.

As long as he was alive, there was always a second chance.

There wasn't a single person who was okay with death. No one wanted to die, or at least that's what Verity believed.

The demon with ashen hair seemed to take a single step, and his clawed finger landed on Verity's chest. "It is not you I wait for, and yet, you have caught my curiosity."

His obsidian eyes stared straight into Verity's own fiery pupils. "You… carry more than my mark. A scent. You carry a scent… of death, of life, of Above."

The demon slid its finger tip across Verity's chest plate. "It appears I am only able to perceive this because of Them."

And then his face twisted, it contorted into pure fury. "Always… Always… They treat us like toys…!! I grow tired of their games! When will this farce end!!"

Verity lost the ability to breathe. His legs lost all strength, his face paled, and he even forgot how to speak. He completely lost control over his bodily functions and he began convulsing on the ground.

'W-What is this…! This… person… it's not something that should exist in this world!! Ah..! Ah…!! No! This… this isn't something humans are meant to go against!! From the beginning, there was never any hope…!'

His train of thoughts derailed, and his sanity slipped.

The demon, noticing this, frowned, and he calmed himself. "Forgive me. It seems you do not yet know how to walk."

He sighed. "How unsightly of me." And then, an idea streaked through his head. "At the very least… this can be an act of defiance."

He was about to do something to Verity. Something bad.

Verity could feel it.

As the demon's hand approached, Verity sensed that this would be very, very bad.

[Your sponsor clicks her tongue. 'Sorry.']

Verity's head exploded before the demon could touch him.

***

Hundreds of visions, but one unlike the others. In that last one, Verity definitely saw 'how' he died. His head exploded. Why was only that one different?

And why did a part of it seem to be censored? A part right before his supposed death.

Rather, in the first place, why was he having so many visions!?

Why did they feel so real despite looking so hazy?

Why did he feel as though all those things had really happened?

Wasn't his skill one that allowed him to see the future?

So many questions.

He mulled over this as he wiped the blood leaking from his eyes and nose.

—

Somewhere un-reachable, a being bound in chains atop an obscured seat leaned back lazily. "Considering what I just did… I won't be able to do this subtly… They most likely will not let this one go easily, haha…."

She laughed in exasperation. "You're lucky I need your help, you fool."

Her chains trembled, and a few links came undone. She reached her now freed hand below.

Some heads turned.

Others burst in fury.

"I warned you…!! What have you done this time, you foolish woman!!"

—

On the battlefield in front of the city gate, as she was battling, or rather dominating Asmodea, Evangelina felt a tinge of pain course through her head.

[You have been forcefully granted the skill -Please help me!-]

The skill window opened before her immediately.

Skill : [Please help me!]

Rank : EX

Level : N/A

Rarity : Unique

Type : Active

Description : A certain being is bypassing all rules, regulations and laws to give you this! Your disciple is on the verge of death! He needs your help! Activate this skill and find him immediately! Save your disciple, Evangelina Dreadmoore!

Effect - When active, this skill will lead you to your disciple, no matter where he is.

Evangelina frowned. "What the…"

Then she heard a voice in her ear. 'Is your suspicion worth more than his life? Choose wisely. You will only get one chance.'

Evangelina, still confused, pondered for only half a second.

Then, she turned to Senna. "Take care of her too, since you seem to be bored."

Without waiting for a reply, she disappeared.

Senna raised an eyebrow, and she looked toward Asmodea who was riddled with spear marks, and barely able to heal her wounds. "...You could have at least left her in a better state…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.