1 Dark Rebirth

Nell was lying on the cold ground, his body covered in blood and wounds. His eyes slowly opened as he looked around at the ruined landscape that had once been a city.

He saw corpses scattered all over with only their hands and feet left to show where they'd stood moments ago. The screams of those who were still alive echoed through the trees, the sounds of pain and fear filling his ears.

It didn't take him long to understand what had happened. A great battle between heroes had occurred here, leaving no survivors.

Now he could hear more than just the cries for help from those dying or already dead. There were voices now, screaming curses at the heroes who had betrayed them, threatening them with death and destruction if they ever came back again.

One of Nell's legs had been severed when a hero fell upon him, crushing it against the ground. He screamed out in pain as he tried to move but couldn't feel anything below his waist.

It took him a minute before he realized how lucky he was because the same thing would have killed him if not for this new ability of his. Looking down, he saw that the leg wasn't even bleeding anymore, there was nothing left to bleed. Even his head wound had healed thanks to his new healing powers.

Nell started to crawl across the ground towards the bodies closest to him. They were the ones that had been left behind after the fighting ended.

He felt the anger building up inside him as he got closer to one of these bodies. Its owner had been a small girl, maybe eight years old. She must have been one of the children living nearby.

Her throat had been slit open, her blood staining the ground around her. Nell wanted to kill whoever had done this, cut off their heads and use them like weapons against other heroes, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything. What good would a weapon do if you didn't know how to use it?

The rage within him grew stronger as he got closer to the corpse. This girl hadn't deserved to die like this. Neither had any of the others.

They shouldn't have died like this, they should be allowed to live! Heroes or not, they were people just like everyone else. Their lives weren't better than anyone else's. He couldn't believe that the heroes had done this to them.

"You fucking monsters!" Nell yelled out loud, forgetting about his injuries and ignoring the pain in his chest as he continued crawling towards the body. "Fucking monsters!" He kept repeating the words until he reached the girl's side.

Tears were pouring out of his eyes as he stared into her lifeless face. The girl had been so beautiful, she had such lovely brown hair and big green eyes. But now she lay dead on the ground, her face pale and empty.

As Nell sobbed uncontrollably tears began falling from his eyes. The girl's blood was getting all over his clothes, soaking his skin. He looked down at himself and saw red liquid running down his body.

At first he thought it was the blood of the girl, but then he realized that it was the same red color that came from his own wounds. It was his blood. He was bleeding again.

How long had he been crying? It felt like hours, yet he didn't seem to have moved an inch. When did he start feeling the pain again? The burning sensation in his chest was gone, but his leg felt numb. His stomach was hurting too as if it was trying to reject everything he'd eaten recently. He was starving, hungry for food, thirsty for water.

He was so tired. He needed to sleep. But he couldn't. How could he? He had to find the answers to these questions. He couldn't accept the fact that he was alive, that he was still alive. The world had changed while he was asleep.

Everything had changed. Every hero had turned against each other, killing each other without mercy. Destroying everything in their path. Buildings were collapsing and fires spread everywhere. People were screaming out for help, begging to be saved.

Nell had tried to help them. He'd picked up his sword and charged towards the nearest hero. He was strong, he had to be strong, he had to fight! He had to protect the innocent people! He had to make sure they would get away safely, that they wouldn't suffer the same fate as the others.

But he wasn't strong enough. One of the heroes had grabbed him by the shoulders and thrown him aside. Like a rag doll, Nell had been tossed right onto the ground where he was trampled underfoot. That's when he'd lost consciousness.

Nothing would ever be the same again. He had to keep moving. He had to find out more, get to the bottom of it all.

But how?

His breathing was becoming heavier by the second. Soon he wouldn't be able to hold it anymore. He was going to choke. He was going to die. That much was certain.

He closed his eyes tight, hoping that the darkness would take him away. He didn't want to see anything else. All he wanted was to go to sleep, to dream of the past, back when things had been simple. Back when his life had been normal.

A sharp pain shot through his stomach and he gasped for air. Suddenly he began coughing, throwing up everything he had taken in lately. Blood mixed with the vomit, making it look black instead of red. He kept coughing and coughing, unable to stop for a moment even though his lungs were burning.

The pain in his chest grew worse as he coughed, the pressure pushing against his ribs and making him gasp for breath. He could feel his ribs crack, breaking as they strained against his skin.

"Am I finally going to die?" He asked himself, his voice weak and raspy.

It didn't seem right. Death should be quick.

There should be no suffering, no pain. If you were lucky, you wouldn't even realize you were dead.

It would just happen, just like that.

But this was different. This was horrible. This was torture.

"Please, make it stop," Nell begged, pleading for someone to save him.

There was no answer. Nobody heard him.

Nobody cared. Or, maybe, nobody was alive to care.

All he wanted was to die in peace. Was that so much to ask for? Why couldn't he just close his eyes and go away forever?

"I'm sorry..." Nell mumbled, closing his eyes.

His breathing became slower and slower. His heart rate slowed down.

Then, suddenly, his body relaxed. His chest stopped rising and falling, his arms went limp, his single leg ceased moving.

And Nell died.

Ding!

[Host has died.]

[The 'Dark Evolution System' has detected the death of the host.]

[The 'Dark Evolution System' will activate now to absorb the 'Death Essence' of the host.]

[...]

Ding!

[The 'Dark Evolution System' has absorbed 100% of the 'Death Essence' of the host.]

Ding!

[You have gained the 'Dark Evolution' Skill.]

[Congratulations, host! You have been awarded the title 'Evolving Soul'.]

Ding!

[Due to the unique 'Dark Evolution' Skill, your current race has evolved.]

[You are now a 'Dark Zombie' race.]

[You have gained a +10% Physical and Mental Defense and Attack Buff.]

[Your physical and mental endurance have increased.]

[You are able to survive in environments where you wouldn't have survived before.]

Ding!

[The skill 'Dark Evolution' has evolved into the skill 'Dark Rebirth' due to the title 'Evolving Soul' effect.]

[You are granted 200 Dark Mana.]

[You can evolve yourself into a different race.

The skill has gained the ability to 'Evolve' other creatures too.]

[You can 'Evolve' yourself and the creatures you have under your command.]

Ding!

[Turning back time... 1 minute. 30 seconds]

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[Turning back time... 10 seconds]

[9. .]

[8...]

[7...]

[6...]

[5...]

[4...]

[3...]

[2...]

[1...]

Ding!

[You have been resurrected, Host!]