SURVIVAL 31: FRAGMENTS OF TRUTH

SECOND’S / HEAVIEN'S POV

“It may be a selfish thing to hold on to you, but I will never let go of you even if it kills me...”

“Letting you go is the last thing I would do...”

“I will become someone else to protect you...”

I keep having dreams that seem déjà vu. I know that my goal to play this game is more than just to claim the tri-prize. There must be something more important than it… more valuable than money, time, life… life.

While in the castle, Thirzen was announced game over by Author, yet he lives. He clarified that it only means he was considered ‘game over’ at that level and stage but got cleared after it—making him eligible to play again in the next levels and stages to come, except on the last level. All are required to play with no escape.

It was 1:00 PM. I went downstairs and saw everyone in the living area.

“Where’s Thirzen?” I asked everyone.

“Thirzen, you mean Jecko Noman? He might be in his room.” Trake answered me.

We saw First enter the kitchen holding a mug. First, and I were left in the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" he asked me, then yawned.

"Nothing," I can't look at him directly.

"This is not so you, that's why I know there's something wrong with you.” He sat across from me, and there was only a table between the two of us. "Okay, I'll listen.”

I sighed first. "I already know who you are…You and Trake. Why don't you tell me who you really are when all my memories aren't coming back yet?"

“I'm just afraid of losing you. Surely, you'll get mad when you know that I dragged you here.”

"So, that was you...”

He nodded and couldn't look at me too. "I-I'm so sorry. I caused you nothing but trouble."

Confirmed. He was the one who dragged me to the school's garden on the day of the moving-up ceremony which got me stranded in the middle of space.

He is the class president of our school, and he is my classmate. We only talk once when there are group activities.

It was time to go home, and there were almost no more students in the school. He just stared into the window with earphones plugged into his ears. Fingers drum on the armchair to the rhythm of the song he’s listening to.

"Are you playing the piano?" I asked him. He is still staring at the window.

I noticed that he was doing chords when he drummed his fingers. I don't know how to play the piano, but my friend taught me about chords, so I had some ideas.

I was about to leave because he didn't seem to hear or even see me.

"How'd you know?" I turned to him. He then removed his earphones.

"H-Huh? Ah, I just have an idea about pianos from my friend. Sorry to disturb you." And I ran out of the room.

Why the sadness in his eyes?

Everyone knew he was rich. His belongings are branded and expensive. A few months after I asked him that question about him drumming his fingers, he started to spend more time with me. He became one of my close friends. Until our moving up ceremony arrived. The ceremony ended. My mother and brother—were the two people who took a photo with me. We were taking a picture of the class, and then I bumped into him. His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. We ran and stopped in the school garden.

I went on again. "Why did you include me in the game?"

"It is to save you.”

"What for?”

He looked directly at me. "This is the fourth Tri-Games. I have no idea what happened with the first and second Tri-Games because I was never part of it. I was one of the players in the third Tri-Games and I am its winner.”

The Tri-Games we played today is the fourth time? And he's the third winner of it?!

"I know you won't believe it, but I won. I won the wealth, health, and stealth levels. We weren't rich then. That's right, we got richer because of what I won.” That explains his ridiculous wealth that we see in school. “But the bad news, my parents were already dead when I won the game. I asked Author if I could bring back the dead from claiming the 'health' prize, but says, I cannot. 'Health' could not bring back the dead, but can only cure an illness of a living person. I also questioned Author if I could bring back my parents by 'time'. I recognized that I could go back from the past and reunite with my family. Author said that every event, incident, and accident that happened can be avoided, but cannot be escaped. So, if mom and dad die because of a plane crash, if I had stopped their flight, they would have lived, but maybe the next day, they consequently die because of another kind of accident. That’s the downside of it.”

I am devastated by his revelation.

"I’m sorry," was the only word that came out of my mouth.

"You don't have to... And so, when I won the game, I came back to earth. I lived normally again with the prize. There are certain reminders about the game:” He continued. “The victor will lose their memories of entering and playing the game for 60 days. There's an object that you will receive as an acknowledgment gift from the game. And when you don't destroy that gift Author bestowed on you for 60 days, you cannot bring yourself back in the game.

In exchange for playing Tri-Games again, you shall sacrifice one of your prizes, which is the 'time'. And if you want absolute power that raises your level compared to an ordinary human like having supernatural power, you must trade 'health' in exchange for the superhuman ability that Author will choose for you.

And because I cannot use 'health' and 'time' to bring back my parents securely, so I only made use of money. While the two, I traded 'health' by wielding a superhuman ability. Author chose the 'death clock' for me. It is a pair of eyes in which I can see the life span of someone on their forehead.”

When I bumped into him and his eyes widened when he looked at my forehead...

"Yes, I heard your mother and brother’s conversation that you'll be having your vacation trip say after the moving up ceremony.”

"Heavien, after this ceremony, we're going on a month-long vacation on the beach and province.”

My mother and brother have planned a moving-up ceremony gift for me, and that is a month-long vacation with them.

"But when I saw your life span… You only have 2 days and 15 hours left. You will leave the town soon. I have no other choice but to let you play the game.”

I should have gone long before.

"That's why I dragged you into the garden. I don’t know how you were going to die. All I can foresee is the exact time you’ll die.” He interlocked his fingers. “I traded 'time' in exchange for returning to the game. And that necklace that we held was the acknowledgment gift that Author bestowed on me before leaving the game. It was just in time. The day of our ceremony marks the 59th day after I won the game. And the next day will be the 60th day. Before I completely forget about the game, I didn't waste any opportunity."

He did it all because of me. "I also lost my memories at the beginning of this fourth Tri-Games. I beg for your forgiveness for telling you this late.”

We all lost our memories of the Earth and suddenly entered space.

“Actually, there’s a consequence. I was the only one who was supposed to go back to the game to play again, but I included you in it. In exchange for it, the fourth Tri-Games became different from the third Tri-Games, the first one I played. My co-players, settings, mechanics, and strategies were all different from this one, making it more difficult to win again. But they have a certain pattern that can be played intuitively.” He looked at me. "Letting you play the game is the only way for you to live."

I frowned. "Why did you do that? You don't have to save me from death because it's destined to happen.”

"It's because I already lost three members of my family. My mom, dad, and younger brother. I'm the only one who left. And I don't want to lose you, too." He stopped speaking for a moment and resumed as if he remembered a bitter incident. "You remembered Eleventh?”

I nodded. Eleventh was one of the first to die when Neinuko rushed. He was with Jecko, but Jecko stayed alive until now.

"Why?”

His two eyebrows met. "He's my younger brother.”