The goblin charged again. Its one good eye was locked onto Aiden. The other was still bleeding heavily, a thick stream of green blood running down its cheek. Despite the injury, it didn't slow down. If anything, it was even faster. Its rage seemed to sharpen every movement.
Aiden instinctively stepped back. His legs were trembling. His breathing was uneven. Every heartbeat sent a fresh wave of pain through his shoulder and neck.
The goblin's stone knife had missed his throat by mere inches. He had never been so close to dying.
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The window still hovered before him.
"Not now..."
His voice was barely above a whisper. He still refused. He couldn't sacrifice a part of himself without looking for another way.
The goblin let out a shrill screech.
"Kriiik!"
Then it sprang forward. Aiden threw himself to the side. The blade sliced through the air.
Fshhh.
It passed so close to his face that he felt the rush of air against his cheek. He rolled several meters before crashing into a tree root. Pain exploded through his injured shoulder.
"Argh..."
He gritted his teeth. His fingers dug into the damp earth. He tried to get back to his feet. His legs barely responded.
The goblin gave him no time to recover. It was already coming again. Faster. Closer. Aiden searched desperately around him. A branch. A rock. Anything. There was nothing but dead leaves, tangled roots, and his own blood slowly dripping onto the ground.
His gaze drifted toward Bone. The skeleton was still scattered at the foot of the great oak.
And yet... something had changed. A rib had slid closer to the spine. A finger bone was slowly crawling through the leaves. The pelvis was inching toward the rest of the body. Agonizingly slowly. Far too slowly.
"Bone..."
The soul bond pulsed faintly. An emotion reached him. Frustration. Then... a determination so intense it almost hurt. Even reduced to a pile of bones, Bone was still trying to pull himself back together. He was still trying to protect his master.
The goblin finally noticed the movement. It briefly turned its head. Its ears twitched. Its gaze shifted from the scattered bones to Aiden. Then a cruel grin spread across its face. It understood. The skeleton was no longer a threat. Not for several more minutes.
And Aiden... only had seconds left. The monster charged again, this time without the slightest hesitation. Aiden instinctively raised both hands. A pathetic defense. He had no weapon. No strength. No plan.
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The goblin was on him in an instant. The knife came down. Aiden managed to knock the creature's wrist just enough off course. The blade scraped along his forearm.
Slash.
A new gash split open. The young man stifled a cry. The goblin immediately slammed its shoulder into him. Aiden was hurled against the trunk of a tree. The impact drove the air from his lungs. His vision wavered. Black spots danced before his eyes.
The monster didn't stop. It slowly raised its knife. This time... it wasn't playing anymore. It was going to finish him.
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Aiden stared at the three options. Lose three points of Vitality. Erase a precious memory. Accept the Mark of Death. None of them were acceptable. None.
"There has to be... another way..."
The goblin moved closer. One step. Then another. The knife was now only inches from his face. And for the first time since his reincarnation... Aiden felt true fear. Not the fear of pain. Not the fear of loss. The fear of disappearing. Here. Now. Before he'd had the chance to change anything.
Only the goblin's ragged breathing echoed through the trees. Its knife remained raised. It was taking its time, as if already savoring its victory. Aiden no longer dared to move. His arms felt heavy. His vision was growing blurrier by the second.
The blood flowing from his shoulder soaked through the makeshift bandage wrapped around it. Every beat of his heart drained a little more of his strength.
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Aiden gritted his teeth.
"Why..."
His voice was almost inaudible.
"Why give me a choice..."
The goblin let out a low grunt before resuming its advance. Slowly. Very slowly. As if it wanted to watch the fear grow in its victim's eyes. Aiden felt another pulse ripple through his mind.The Soul Link.
Bone.He turned his head with difficulty. The skeleton continued rebuilding itself. The pelvis had finally returned to its proper place. Two ribs had reattached to the spine. His skull trembled slightly. His fingers twitched. He was coming back. But too slowly.His right arm was still embedded in the tree several meters away. His left leg hadn't even reattached yet. Bone would never make it in time. Not for several more minutes.
The goblin was already standing before him. It raised its knife. Its lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Kriiik..."
Aiden understood. The monster was toying with him. It could have killed him several seconds ago. But it wanted to see his fear. To see the despair in his eyes. A quiet anger began to rise in the young man's chest.
"You..."
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You think... you've already won..."
The goblin chuckled. The knife was now only inches from Aiden's face. The young man felt his breathing quicken. He looked at Bone one last time. The skeleton kept moving. Inch by inch. Never giving up. Never hesitating. Even reduced to a pile of bones, he was still trying to save his master.
The sight tightened Aiden's chest.
"You're... doing everything you can..."
The bond pulsed once more. An emotion. The same as always. Determination. Bone refused to give up, even if it seemed impossible.
Aiden lowered his gaze to the three options.
Option One. Permanently lose three points of Vitality. He remembered the stats displayed during his Awakening. Already so low. Three points. That was a huge portion of his future. Every level would become harder to earn. Every battle would become more dangerous. He would survive today...
Only to spend the rest of his life weak. Option Three. The Mark of Death. No explanation. No details. Accept the unknown. A curse. Perhaps something even worse than death.
He shuddered. That left... Option Two. Erase a precious memory. His gaze drifted into the distance. He thought of Earth. His old life. His mother. His friends. His childhood. Every moment that had made him the person he was today. Which one would disappear? He had no idea.
The system would choose. And he would never get it back. Never. A very different kind of pain pierced his chest.
"It's not fair... Why do I have to... pay..."
The goblin finally raised its knife above its head. This time... it wasn't waiting anymore. Aiden looked it straight in the eye. One last time. He had never really had a choice. Ever since that window had appeared... the system had already known his answer. He wanted to live. No matter the cost.
His lips slowly parted.
"System..."
The knife began to fall.
"I..."
Time seemed to slow once again. The wind stopped. The leaves became perfectly still. Even the birds had fallen silent. Aiden closed his eyes. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he murmured,
"I choose... Option Two."
The whole world lurched.