Eternal Undying Chronicles

Summer watched in horror as the Reaper located the last group of survivors—Christina, Caden, and Lucky—together on the ferry.

The daylight was heavy with tension, the water beneath them foreboding as the ferry slowly passed under a bridge. Without warning, the Reaper's steed leaped from the bridge above, crashing down onto the ferry's deck with a thunderous impact.

The vessel shook violently from the force, causing passengers to stumble and cry out in fear.

The Reaper's gaze, cold and ruthless, locked onto Caden. The hood of his dark cloak concealed his face, save for the eerie violet glow of his eyes that pierced the shadows.

With a slow, deliberate movement, he lifted the severed heads of Chrona and Petra, displaying them like trophies.

"You are the last ones left," the Reaper's voice echoed across the deck, sending a chill down the spines of all who heard it.

Christina, her voice trembling but defiant, called out, "We won't go down without a fight! You won't take us as easily as the others!"

Lucky stepped forward, his voice shaking but resolute.

"Why are you killing us? We haven't done anything to you."

Caden, his tone calm yet steely, added, "This ends here, one way or another."

A fierce battle erupted as they fought desperately against the Reaper. The air filled with the sounds of breaking bones and the crackle of energy as the trio unleashed everything they had.

The Reaper moved with deadly precision, each strike calculated to bring them closer to their deaths.

As the despair of the battle consumed Summer's vision, she felt herself being pulled away, back to the Metaverse. Her mind screamed in protest, her fear too overwhelming to witness more of the horror.

She snapped her eyes shut, her consciousness yanked back to her physical body. The transition was jarring, and she collapsed to her knees, trembling uncontrollably.

An unbearable, yet strangely familiar, agony wracked her body as she convulsed, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Her friends rushed to her side, their faces etched with concern. Oliver stepped forward, his hands glowing with a soft, healing light as he tried to ease her pain.

Petra, her abilities focused on mental resilience, placed a comforting hand on Summer's head, helping to reduce the strain on her mind.

"Hang in there, Summer," Oliver whispered urgently. "We've got you."

Petra added softly, "You're safe now. Just breathe, okay? We're here."

The others stood around, their faces pale and silent. They hadn't seen the vision to the end, but the outcome was clear—they had all fallen, and the Reaper was closer than ever.

The weight of what Summer had witnessed hung heavily in the air, a wretched reminder of the deadly game they were trapped in.

Lucky, his features hardening in fear, spoke up. "We can't win... and we can't escape either."

Caden, his eyes dark with resolve, added, "We've come too far to back down now. We don't need to win… we just need to survive."

He gritted his teeth, determination etched into his face. "We just have to survive, all of us."

Ping, deep in thought, nodded. "This guy is really powerful—immortality, gravity powers, super strength, speed, mind powers, and some aura attack that makes us feel fear. We need to figure out what we're missing here."

Anne placed a hand on her chin, thinking intently. "Hey Petra, answer me honestly. If someone killed those you loved, would you tell the survivors to give up and die?"

Petra's eyes widened. "W-what? No, I wouldn't… I'd want them to survive, to keep fighting."

Anne smiled knowingly. "Exactly. That's it."

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Ping frowned, still confused. "I don't get it."

Caden caught on to Anne's line of thinking and turned to Ping.

"She's saying the last time around when Petra told us to submit, it was her way of saying we might survive if we surrender."

"Yeah, that's right," Anne added. "We all saw it from Chrona's perspective, and being in her shoes made us biased toward her emotions and interpretations."

"The Reaper always leaves bodies behind," Anne continued, "but not all those bodies are dead. Some actually survive. He gives two options—submission or death. Depending on how fast you submit, you might actually live, even if you're hurt."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Ping nodded, now recalling something. "Yeah, I remember reading about a guy who walked away unscathed after a Reaper attack. He was just some local thug."

"Can you look up every incident where the Reaper has shown up?" Caden asked.

Ping nodded, though he still wasn't entirely sure where this was going. Christina, however, remained skeptical.

"Why are we doing this? I don't understand what you and Anne are getting at," she said, her tone laced with frustration.

Anne's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I'm thinking… maybe we can reason with him. What if we give him what he wants?"

John shook his head, clearly skeptical. "Didn't we already establish that he can't be reasoned with? He just kills us."

"Yeah, he's evil," Oliver added, his voice filled with fear.

Anne's expression softened. "If he's the one who saved me before, then maybe he isn't completely evil, right, Petra?"

Petra nodded slowly, her face thoughtful. "Based on what we've learned from our encounters with him… something is definitely off."

Everyone fell silent, reflecting on their past encounters. Christina was the first to speak, her frustration palpable.

"He loves toying with people, like letting me hit him just to mock me during Chrona's first run."

"And he takes his time torturing the last survivor. It's always drawn out," Ping said, his voice trembling slightly.

"He ripped off my arm when he could have just killed me," Maya added bitterly.

"And in each run, he keeps saying the same thing," Lucky said, his voice low. "'Submission or death.' He's used that line more than once."

"That's it," Chrona said, her eyes narrowing in realization. "He offers us submission as a way out, but we never take it."

"No its more like, we never realized it"

Ping's eyes lit up as he found something. "Daddy Ping got it—videos of the Reaper taking people down in the last few days. The government probably tried to take them down, but they missed a few, and I know their patterns."

"Gross, did he just call himself 'Daddy' again?" Maya muttered, cringing.

Ignoring her, Ping continued, "Here, look at this."

The group gathered around Ping's screen, watching footage of the Reaper in action—fighting soldiers, taking on gangs, even assassinating a city official. In every instance, the Reaper toyed with his targets, offering them submission or a brutal death. Those who surrendered quickly seemed to live, though mostly with broken bones.

Anne shook her head, her voice hushed. "I'm a supernatural enthusiast, so I've seen all of these videos before. I always thought he was psychotic—like a mix of Batman and Spawn. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say he was a psychopath. In fact, I even wrote an academic paper with feasible evidence to suggest so, although Professor Malefica rejected it, even though she said it was good."

"You wrote a paper on the Reaper... ummm, why?" Petra asked, her voice curious but skeptical.

"Because I'm a student of psychology, and studying psychopaths and serial killers is what I do," Anne replied with a sly grin. "And I have a plan."

The group exchanged uncertain glances.

"What's your plan, Anne?" Caden asked, his voice tinged with both hope and doubt.

Anne's eyes shone with cunning. "The answer is simple. I have a way for us—well, for you guys—to not die. But I'll need you all to trust me with your lives."

Caden looked around at the others. "We don't have any other options, do we? We trust you, Anne. Just tell us what we need to do."

Ping leaned back in his chair, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, it's not like we have many options left, right? Last hope and all that. No pressure, Anne."

Christina gave a small smile, nodding. "You've been with us through this mess, Anne. If you think you've found a way out, I'm all in. Plus, anything's better than waiting around to get slaughtered."

Maya chuckled softly. "We've been through the worst of it. Either way, I'm with you, Anne. If we're going down, might as well do it with a plan and some grace."

John crossed his arms, a half-smile on his face. "You've got our backs, Anne. I'm not about to start doubting you now. And if this is our last shot, let's make it count."

Oliver, still a bit nervous, managed a small grin. "I trust you too. It's not like we've had much luck so far. So, yeah, let's see what you've got."

Even Lucky, who had been quiet, spoke up with a smirk. "Well, it's not like we can screw this up any worse than we already have."

Anne hesitated for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Hmmmm, okay, but my plan is pretty stupid. Hope you won't regret it."