Surviving the Death Hunt-Chapter 71: Resonate

Standing there, face-to-face with his best friend, someone who seemed to have gathered every bit of rage and regret they possessed and pointed it directly at him, Adisa took a moment...

’I’ve long known how merciless this world is, how devoid of hope it has become. But when my Inheritance awakened months ago, any lingering doubt vanished.’

Adisa thought.

’And yet... it’s strange. Couldn’t fate spare me even a small mercy? Not even one last chance to look back on the past with my childhood best friend before everything ends?

’Inheritance, life, even the air in our lungs, none of it was ever meant for humanity. This world is the Red’s dominion. Nothing is beyond its reach. Not the Scarlet Kins. Not our Inheritances. Not even the moon that hangs above us.

’I believed this would be my last option. If my best friend stood beside me, together we could surrender this world to the forces that rightfully claim it.’

Adisa’s eyes flickered as he held Scar’s gaze. Then his hands found his head, gripping with a force that bordered on violence, as though he meant to break something loose from inside.

Scar watched, unable to make sense of it. The expression on Adisa’s face sat somewhere between a smile and tears, and he couldn’t tell which was winning.

Adisa was conflicted in a way that went deeper than words.

’Upon my awakening, I was swallowed by rage, terror, and boundless resentment. A voice resounded in my soul, unmistakable in its authority. It was Baal. His will towered above all other predecessors, silencing their emotions as though they had never existed.

’Baal’s suffering was boundless... eternal solitude, unbroken darkness, and imprisonment that stretched infinitely until fate itself, the Highest One saved him. The torment was not merely physical but deeply mental and spiritual. Even death denied him mercy... to inherit those memories and emotions nearly ended me. It was a miracle, but that proved I was fitting for this job.’

The thoughts brought him pain, and his face didn’t hide it.

’Baal held me captive, and every passing day was agony. Still, I wasn’t alone. Ever since I believed Scar had died eight years ago, loneliness had consumed me. Baal became the voice that answered the silence. Painful as he was, he kept me company.

’Time revealed the truth hidden beneath this fragile world. Humanity was never meant to endure. We are fated to fall, and only through death can we be freed from this false existence.’

Scar’s death stare landed exactly as it should have, and Adisa felt it. He knew what it meant—knew Scar wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t flinch, and wouldn’t stop himself if the moment called for it.

And yet something in Adisa settled. He smiled, soft and unhurried, his body relaxing as though he were genuinely prepared to take whatever Scar decided to give.

The openings were obvious, almost generous, but Scar didn’t move on them. This was his first life and death battle. One he couldn’t forfeit. The weight of that was its own kind of hesitation.

Adisa laughed. It came from somewhere deep, pulled along by memories... childhood with Scar, the texture of those years, and then the more recent rush of learning he was alive.

The joy of it had been almost overwhelming. The excitement. And underneath all of that, something quieter but just as powerful was the satisfaction of having believed, having held onto it, and having been right.

’I never belonged. They mocked me for being naive, for being too kind in an age that devours kindness. The bullying was relentless... until he stepped into my life.

’The first time we met, he beat me senseless. At least, that’s what it felt like. But Scar wasn’t like the others who preyed on my weakness. He hurt me to force me to stand up for myself. To harden me. From that day on, I chose him as my savior. I vowed to follow him and inherit his toughness. The scar on my chin... is the mark of that oath.’

Sigh.

’I couldn’t shake the strange feeling when I saw someone who looked just like him... the one who went by the name Scar.

’Maybe I was too rash. I overstepped by killing the man who raised him, just because he wouldn’t confirm if this was truly Scar Rover, and not Scar Hide.

’The one who should be beside me, the one I would have followed without a second thought... now seeks my death.’

The laughter darkened as it grew, and Scar couldn’t help the thought that crept in; was Adisa actually sick in the head? He’d been standing there, spaced out, for close to five minutes.

Openings everywhere, and not one of them taken. It unsettled Scar, Adisa wasn’t careless. He wasn’t reckless. Someone like him didn’t leave that many openings without intending to. And whatever the intention was, Scar didn’t know it. That terrified him.

Even so, Adisa continued to drown himself in his thoughts.

’The letter made me certain it was an ambush, some plot by the Supreme Council to kill me. Even so, I held onto the hope that Scar was waiting. I made the right choice... but it wasn’t the reunion I had longed for.’

He exhaled deeply.

’It had to be done. I made the right call. I ended the life of the man who raised my best friend because he hid him from me and refused to tell the truth. This isn’t my fault; the world’s cruelty bears the blame.

’Mr. Isaac must rest in peace. I would have, too, if it weren’t for this. I will kill everyone. Even those I call allies will not escape. It must be this way. Only through this can we be freed from the horror of this world. Soon, we will all be with Isaac.’

Adisa stopped laughing. A single practiced breath, and the calm returned.

’I am the wielder of the Breath of Hell, the vessel of my predecessors’ will, and of Baal’s above all. I will save this world, even if it costs my best friend his life, sparing him from the world’s horrors... yes, that’s the only way to save him from this world. The least I can do for my best friend.’

Finally, Adisa raised his guard. A cocky smile came with it, easy and unbothered, like he’d been waiting for Scar to catch up. He beckoned...

Scar was the strongest person Adisa knew. That was why he had followed him. Truthfully, he doubted he could win against someone he looked up to like that.

But doubt and defeat weren’t the same thing. He wasn’t losing.

"Scar... I’m sorry. But I can’t let you live. No matter what. At least I must honor the Highest One with your life."

Scar’s lip curled in aggression.