11 Death by...Everything

"You won't die for real, I mean you will but this space is yours, you can resurrect any time." It tried to convince him, the system knew he hasn't actually going to die — it was the pain it wasn't sure about.

When he was quiet the system continued, "look on the bright side, you'll be much stronger after the countless deaths you'll go through."

'C-countless?' He audibly gulped. Levi felt his chest tighten, he was breathing faster than he could think.

"At least you'll be stronger?" Was just about the only thing the system could say, it didn't know how else to console him. Lying wouldn't have made things better.

It much preferred he knew the truth before digging into it. That way, there wouldn't be surprises. Levi didn't have to do this kind of training but it preferred that he did — it couldn't force his hand though.

The man on the other hand was having a full-blown panic attack. He had no reason to not trust the system but he was nervous nonetheless. All the killings he'd done, he never once thought about pointing the knife to himself.

'I know what you're thinking or processing? How can a serial killer like myself be so afraid to die, right?' He chuckled.

"Not at all, Master." It reassured him.

He sighed, 'nobody wakes up thinking 'Ah today I'm gonna die' I tried you know, killing them as humane as possible.' He didn't know where he was going with this but he felt like talking or thinking in his case.

Levi felt the more insane because what he was talking to was inside of him and it made it seem like he was just talking to a personality he created in his head.

'I didn't create you, did I?' He stopped pacing to wonder.

"I can assure you master, this is all real."

'How — do I kill myself?' He finally asked.

"Easy, go to the centre of Gi like the first time. This will need immense concentration, gather the energy into your being, as much of it as possible and then let it implode."

Levi gulped, but his mouth was dry. Killing yourself was one thing but making yourself explode into bits? He didn't even try to lie to himself — he was scared shitless.

He accepted his fate faster than any of his victims ever did, he took a sitting position and started. His breathing had become a little bit even, he was doing a great job at calming himself down.

It wasn't long before he felt the warmth that felt like a mother's love. For a brief second, he forgot why he was there and bathed himself — completely giving himself up to the energy.

But that warmth gradually turned into unbearable heat, as he was overstaying his welcome and greedily taking way more than he could handle. He was doing things differently than before but thought the energy was overreacting a little.

"It feels that you want to strengthen the things it can touch within every being and I don't think it likes that very much."

When the system said that Gi was life energy, it wasn't kidding. The energy felt very violent and alive.

He felt like if he stayed there for longer he'd more than just die. He'd lose the pieces of himself he was already trying to mend together. Getting cold feet, he immediately aborted the mission.

"Come on master you almost had it! You almost died!"

'I-I didn't get cold feet okay? My concentration just slipped, it just slipped, that's all.' He convinced himself. 'That's not a very nice thing to say you know, I almost died? And the excitement in your voice couldn't be hidden!'

Surprised that he could hold a conversation, he'd already broken into sweat. He was slightly shaking, as if he were cold.

"Go back now, you're vulnerable right now it's perfect."

'I'm not scared.'

He tried convincing himself and the system pretended to have been convinced for his own sanity.

'Okay Jonathan, I mean Leviathan. Levi. You can do this, you've died before it wasn't so bad.' He gave himself a little peptalk.

He concentrated once again, it didn't take even a second and he was already back there. It was as though the energy was very fond of him, but he didn't really feel the same — not at that moment.

With that, he absolutely gave himself to it. He braced himself for the pain. And just as Levi expected, the experience didn't disappoint his expectations. He felt very sharp claws, tearing his mind, soul and flesh.

'It feels like my soul is bleeding.' He was surprised that he was even able to think at that moment.

The pain of feeling like his very essence was being stabbed faded away and quickly replaced by a burning sensation, that also faded replaced by the feeling of being clawed to death.

Gi felt very different from when he first came here and he couldn't figure out why. This was also then that he realised that the energy didn't love him, it wasn't his friend.

If he didn't make their positions clear, him as the master, he was afraid the energy would rob him of his sanity.

He could do nothing to ease the pain, screaming made it better somehow, so he screamed his lungs out. Counting from a hundred to keep himself from losing his mind.

It didn't make anything better. But thinking about something else, ignoring the pain made him feel in control of the situation.

That's how he liked any situation, being in control. He chuckled at the thought that the personality he created was so docile he didn't care about such things.

He's the one, he's the one who was always the problem.

Before he knew it he exploded within Gi. When he opened his eyes, he was on the ground, the sky was familiar — he was back within his self.

'I-I can't. I c-cant do that again, I can't do that again.'