There was no pain. That was the first thing Evelyn noticed. No knife in her stomach. No burning sensation beneath her ribs. No desperate struggle to draw another breath.
Nothing.
For a moment, she was grateful. Then she realized she couldn't see.
She opened her eyes. At least, she thought she did. Nothing changed.
Darkness stretched in every direction. Not the darkness of a room at night, where shapes eventually emerged if you waited long enough. This was absolute. There were no walls. No ceiling. No distant light. She couldn't even see her own hands.
"Hello?"
Her voice sounded wrong. There was no echo. No sense of distance. The word simply existed for a moment and disappeared. Evelyn swallowed.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
No answer.
She tried to sit up. The movement was strangely easy. Her stomach didn't hurt. She reached down, pressing both hands against the place where Daniel had stabbed her.
Nothing.
No wound. No blood. Her shirt felt dry beneath her fingers. She pressed harder.
Still nothing.
For several seconds, she sat perfectly still. Then the memory returned.
Daniel's arms around her. His apology. The knife.
She remembered looking down and seeing his hand wrapped around the handle. She remembered screaming. Begging him to call an ambulance. And she remembered the blood.
So much blood.
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"No, no, no..."
She pulled her knees toward her chest. That didn't hurt either.
Her knee.
Even her knee felt fine.
She tried to remember what happened after Daniel took her hand. His face had become blurry. She'd been cold. So terribly cold.
Then...
Nothing.
Evelyn stared into the darkness. A thought formed. She pushed it away. It returned.
Am I dead?
Her breathing quickened.
"No."
She shook her head.
"No, I'm not dead."
She couldn't be. She was thinking. She was breathing. She could feel her fingers digging into her arms. Dead people couldn't do those things.
Could they?
She didn't know. Nobody knew what happened after death. Not even the System had ever answered that question.
"Help!"
Her voice broke.
"Somebody, please!"
Nothing answered.
She tried to stand. Her feet found something solid.
A floor?
She crouched and touched it. Smooth. Neither warm nor cold. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it beneath her palms.
"Where am I?"
She took a step. Then another. She held her arms out in front of her.
Nothing.
She walked farther. Ten steps. Twenty. Thirty. No wall. No door. No change.
She stopped.
"Daniel?"
The name escaped before she could stop it. For one terrible moment, she wanted him to answer. Then she remembered. Her stomach tightened.
"Daniel..."
She could still hear his voice.
I couldn't let someone else do it.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Why?"
She covered her mouth.
"Why would you do that?"
She sank to her knees. The darkness didn't change. There was nowhere to go. Nothing to hold on to. No one to help her.
She thought about Lucy. Her mother. Her father. Were they looking for her? Did they know? Had someone called them?
A sob escaped her.
"Mum?"
Her voice sounded small.
"Mum, please..."
No answer.
Evelyn wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't know how long she stayed there. It might have been seconds. It might have been hours. There was no clock. No light. Nothing to measure time against.
Eventually, something changed.
Not in the darkness.
Inside her.
A strange pulling sensation spread through her chest. Evelyn gasped. It felt as though something had caught hold of her from somewhere impossibly far away.
She tried to stand. The sensation grew stronger.
"Wait—"
The ground vanished beneath her. She screamed.
And the darkness tore apart.
Evelyn inhaled.
Hard.
Air rushed into her lungs. Her body jerked. She coughed. The sound was horribly loud. Light struck her eyes. She squeezed them shut.
Something cold pressed against her back.
A floor.
A real floor.
She could hear voices. A distant door closing. Footsteps. And someone breathing nearby.
"Evie?"
Her eyes flew open.
Daniel.
He was kneeling beside her. His face was pale. His hands were covered in blood.
For one impossible second, she simply stared at him. Then she remembered everything.
The knife. The pain. The way he'd watched her die.
Evelyn screamed.
She scrambled backward, her shoes slipping against the blood-smeared tiles.
"NO!"
Daniel jerked away.
"Evie!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
She pushed herself backward with both hands. Her bag lay beside the wall. The knife was on the floor near Daniel's knee.
She saw it.
Her whole body went cold.
Daniel followed her gaze. Then he looked back at her.
"Evie, wait—"
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
He raised both hands.
"Okay! Okay, I won't."
She kept moving until her back struck the wall. There was nowhere farther to go. She pulled her knees toward her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
Daniel stared at her. His mouth opened. Closed. He looked at the blood on the floor. Then at her stomach. Then back at her face.
"You're alive."
Evelyn couldn't answer. Her teeth were chattering.
"You're..."
He let out a shaky breath.
"You're alive."
A strange sound escaped him. Almost a laugh. He pressed a hand over his mouth.
"Oh, thank God."
Evelyn stared.
Thank God?
Daniel began laughing. Not loudly. Not happily, exactly. It sounded like someone who had been holding his breath for far too long and had suddenly remembered how to breathe.
"Evie, I thought..."
He shook his head.
"I thought you were gone."
She couldn't understand him.
He was smiling.
He had killed her.
And now he was smiling.
Daniel wiped his face with the back of his hand, leaving a red streak across his cheek.
"How?"
He looked at her again.
"How are you alive?"
Evelyn pressed herself harder against the wall.
"I don't..."
Her voice failed. She swallowed.
"I don't know."
Daniel glanced at the place where she'd been lying. There was a dark pool of blood. Far too much blood. Her blood.
He looked at her shirt. The fabric was soaked red. A ragged hole remained near her stomach.
But beneath it...
He leaned forward.
"Evie, your wound—"
"STAY AWAY!"
He stopped.
"Okay."
She began crying. She couldn't help it. The tears came so suddenly that she barely managed to breathe between sobs.
Daniel's expression softened.
"Hey."
He moved one hand toward her. Evelyn recoiled. He lowered it.
"You're okay."
She shook her head.
"You're okay now," he repeated.
"No."
"Evie—"
"No!"
Her voice cracked.
"I'm not okay!"
Daniel hesitated.
"You're alive."
She stared at him through her tears. As though that explained anything. As though being alive now somehow erased what he'd done.
"I died."
Daniel's smile faded.
"Evie..."
"I died."
She pressed a trembling hand against her stomach.
"I felt it."
"I know."
"No, you don't!"
Her voice rose into a scream.
"You don't know!"
Daniel looked down. For a moment, neither spoke. Then he said quietly, "I didn't know you'd come back."
Evelyn stared at him.
"What?"
"I thought..."
He swallowed.
"I thought it would be over."
Something inside her seemed to twist.
"Over?"
Daniel nodded slowly.
"The quest. All of this."
Evelyn's mouth fell open. He was talking about the quest. After everything that had happened, he was talking about the quest.
"You killed me."
Daniel flinched.
"I know."
"Then why?"
He took a breath.
"Everyone saw the quest, Evie. Everyone. Do you understand what that reward means? People kill each other over a fraction of that."
"So you decided to do it first?"
"No." His voice tightened. "I wanted to protect you."
Evelyn stared at him.
"Protect me?"
"You know what people are like. Adventurers, criminals, people who have nothing to lose. Someone was going to find you eventually."
"You found me."
Daniel stopped.
"You found me," she repeated, her voice shaking. "And you stabbed me."
"Because I thought I could make it quick."
Evelyn looked down at her blood-covered hands.
Quick.
She remembered the pain. The cold. The desperate struggle to breathe. She remembered begging him.
"I begged you to call an ambulance."
Daniel's expression crumpled.
"I know."
"I was lying right there." She pointed toward the blood on the floor. "I couldn't breathe. I was bleeding, and I begged you to help me."
"I thought..."
He swallowed.
"I thought it would only make things worse."
Evelyn stared at him.
"You could have done nothing."
Daniel looked confused.
"What?"
"Nothing!" Her voice broke. "You could have taken me home. You could have called my dad. You could have helped me hide."
"That wouldn't have stopped the quest."
"I didn't ask you to stop it!"
She was crying so hard she could barely speak.
"I asked you to help me."
Daniel had no answer.
For several seconds, the only sound was Evelyn's uneven breathing. She wiped her face with her sleeve. It came away streaked red.
She looked at it.
Blood.
Still blood.
Her stomach lurched. She turned her head and gagged. Nothing came up.
Daniel shifted toward her.
"Evie?"
"Don't."
He stopped.
She tried to breathe slowly.
In.
Out.
Her chest kept hitching. She could feel her heart hammering.
She was alive. She was really alive.
But she remembered dying. She remembered every second.
And the person responsible was sitting a few feet away, looking at her as though he couldn't understand why she was upset.
"Did you ever care about me?"
The question came out so quietly that Daniel almost missed it. He frowned.
"What?"
Evelyn looked at him.
"Did you?"
"Evie, of course I did."
"Then how could you do that?"
He opened his mouth. She shook her head.
"No. Don't tell me about the quest again."
Daniel closed his mouth.
She looked down at her hands. They were trembling.
"You were there when I hurt my knee."
He blinked.
"What?"
"At the hospital."
"Evie—"
"You brought me that stupid stuffed penguin."
Daniel's expression changed.
"I remember."
"You said it was supposed to help me recover."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"It was ugly."
Despite everything, the corner of Daniel's mouth twitched.
"You kept it."
"Of course I kept it!"
Her voice cracked.
"You gave it to me!"
His smile vanished.
Evelyn pressed her palms against her eyes.
"You were my friend."
"I still am."
She lowered her hands. For a moment, she couldn't speak. Then she whispered, "No."
Daniel looked startled.
"Evie—"
"No."
"We've known each other our whole lives."
"I know."
"Then you know I'd never deliberately hurt you."
Evelyn stared at him. The words seemed to hang between them.
Daniel realized what he'd said. His expression faltered.
"I mean..."
She started laughing. It was an awful sound. A laugh tangled with sobs.
"You'd never deliberately hurt me?"
"That's not what I meant."
"You brought a knife."
Daniel went still.
"You brought a knife to the university."
He looked away. Evelyn felt something cold settle in her chest.
"You planned it."
He didn't answer.
"Daniel."
Her voice trembled.
"You came here to kill me."
"I came because I was worried about you."
"With a knife!"
He looked back at her.
"I didn't know if I'd need it."
Evelyn stared.
There it was.
The answer.
He'd seen the quest. He'd come looking for her. And somewhere along the way, he'd decided that killing her was an acceptable way to help.
She thought about every time she'd trusted him. Every time she'd let him into her house. Every secret she'd told him. Every time she'd believed him when he said everything would be okay.
Had he always been capable of something like this? Had she simply never noticed? Or had the quest changed him?
She didn't know which possibility frightened her more.
"How did you even find me?"
Daniel frowned.
"What?"
"You didn't have class today."
"I told you. I heard what happened."
"That doesn't explain how you found me."
He hesitated. Only briefly.
"I know where your lectures are."
Evelyn watched him. That was true. He did know.
But she'd left the lecture hall. She'd taken the stairs. She'd wandered through corridors she'd barely recognized herself.
And he'd appeared exactly where she was.
She wanted to ask more. She wanted to demand an answer.
But Daniel was still sitting beside the knife.
And she suddenly couldn't bear to be near him another second.
She pushed herself to her feet. Daniel stood immediately.
"Careful."
Evelyn flinched.
"Don't."
"You're shaking."
"Stay away from me."
He held up his hands.
"Okay."
She looked toward the corridor. The exit was perhaps fifteen meters away. Beyond it, another hallway led toward the main entrance.
She could get there. She had to get there.
Daniel followed her gaze.
"Evie, where are you going?"
"Home."
"Okay."
He nodded quickly.
"Good. I'll take you."
"No."
He blinked.
"What?"
"You're not coming with me."
"Evie, you can't go out there alone."
She looked at him.
"I'd rather be alone."
He flinched as though she'd struck him.
"That's not fair."
Evelyn almost screamed.
Not fair?
He was talking about fairness?
She took a step toward the exit. Daniel moved with her. She stopped.
"Move."
"I'm not trying to stop you."
"Then move."
He hesitated.
"Just listen to me for a second."
"No."
"Evie, please."
She looked down at his hands. He followed her gaze. Slowly, he lowered them.
"You're scared. I understand that."
"No, you don't."
"I do."
She shook her head.
"You really don't."
Daniel exhaled.
"Look, something happened. Something impossible. You died, and now you're alive again."
Evelyn's stomach tightened.
He said it so easily.
You died.
Like he'd misplaced something and found it again.
"I don't know how," he continued, "but this changes things."
She stared at him.
"What things?"
"The quest."
Of course.
The quest.
Daniel looked almost hopeful now.
"If you can come back, maybe there's a way to figure this out."
Evelyn felt a fresh wave of dread.
"Figure what out?"
"How it works."
She took a step backward.
"Daniel..."
"The System wouldn't issue an impossible quest."
He said it with such certainty that she barely recognized his voice.
"It has to be possible somehow."
Her skin went cold.
"What are you saying?"
He shook his head.
"I'm saying we have options."
"Options?"
"Maybe we can find someone who understands resurrection skills. A healer. A researcher. Someone who knows what happened."
For one brief moment, she almost felt relief.
Then Daniel continued.
"But first, we need to understand why it didn't work."
Evelyn stared at him.
"Didn't work?"
Daniel glanced at the blood on the floor. Then at her stomach.
"The quest."
She felt sick.
"You still want to complete it."
"Evie, that's not—"
"You do."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I just want this to be over."
"By killing me."
He didn't answer.
That was enough.
Evelyn stepped toward the exit.
"I'm leaving."
"Evie, wait."
"No."
She walked past him. For a moment, he let her.
Then she heard him speak.
"Maybe I did it wrong."
Evelyn stopped. Slowly, she turned.
Daniel was looking at the knife.
Her stomach tightened.
"What?"
"The first time."
He crouched. Evelyn watched his hand close around the handle.
"Daniel..."
He stood. The blade was still stained with her blood.
"I panicked," he said. "I thought it would be quick, but I must have..."
He looked at the knife, frowning.
"I should have done it differently."
Evelyn took a step backward.
"Put that down."
Daniel looked at her.
"Evie, listen."
"Put it down!"
He shook his head.
"No, wait. Let me try again."
For a moment, she couldn't understand the words.
Then he stepped toward her.
"I can do it right this time."
Evelyn screamed.
Daniel reached for her. She stumbled backward, hitting the wall.
"NO!"
"Evie, please, just—"
He moved the knife. She threw up her arm.
Pain flashed across her forearm.
Sharp.
Hot.
Immediate.
She screamed again.
Daniel froze.
A thin red line appeared across her skin. Then blood began running down toward her wrist.
Evelyn stared at it.
For one horrible second, she was back on the floor.
Bleeding.
Begging.
Dying.
"No..."
Her voice broke.
Daniel looked at her arm.
"Oh, Evie."
He sounded genuinely distressed.
"I didn't mean to—"
She shoved him.
Hard.
He stumbled backward.
Evelyn turned and ran.
"EVIE!"
Her shoes slipped against the blood-smeared tiles. She caught herself against the wall. Kept moving. Her arm burned. Blood dripped from her fingertips.
Behind her, Daniel shouted something. She couldn't make it out.
She reached the corner. Turned. Her shoulder struck the doorframe. She barely felt it.
"EVIE, WAIT!"
She didn't look back.
She ran.
And behind her, Daniel's voice echoed down the corridor.
"I JUST WANT TO HELP YOU!"