Heavien only experienced 60% of the pain when Zarod wounded her a few times. And only 60% of the suffering she experienced? Well, First did buy some sort of healing in the inventory for her while fighting Zarod, which greatly helped her to recover fast and defeat him.
She got disturbed instantly. She's not sure if she can handle this. She assures First that he can, no question about it. He might be quiet for the entire time, but he's already plotting something, and he will surely survive this. She turned to the left and saw him. As usual, he's looking calm. How she wishes she could also look calm like him, even though she's really not.
Her school uniform is transforming. She is now wearing black fitted long sleeves, black fitted jeans, and black leather shoes with low heels. The same goes for boys, but with flat black leather shoes. She put her long hair into a bun so as not to interfere. She was dazed when she felt a heavy grip. She checked her right hand, and for an unknown reason, she was holding a bow. A set of arrows clings to her back. This must be what they call archery. She watched the others. They have grenades, katanas, pistols, bows and arrows, and swords.
"Those weapons are exceptionally well-made. The grenade and pistol contain only 20% of their decibels when used compared to the ordinary grenade and pistol in your ex-planet. The katana has a unique material that cannot create a sound when colliding with other solid substances. This will test your hearing abilities.
The pistol contains gunpowder but cannot be detected easily by smell. It's a magic bullet that turns into dust when you fail to hit the target. But it can lower your sense of smell and taste when inhaled. A test for smell and taste.
The bow and arrow, the arrow itself, have poison. When it invades the skin of the victim, the victim will feel numb, and worse, it may result in death. This is a test of feeling.
And the sword can be turned invisible, which can attack someone off guard. A test for your sight."
Wait, hers is a bow and arrow. If she hits the opponent, they will become numb, and they can even die. It's scary that she can't seem to bear to see someone hurt, especially when she's the one who has hurt them. She should be careful in using this deadly weapon. Might as well refrain from using it.
"Your new marks on your nape will be your new names. And remember, hit your opponent where your new mark is embedded. The game will start momentarily." And then Author disappeared.
Heavien thought for a moment. The letter H. The opponent must hit the nape where their new tattoo is. She should protect her nape. While Author was away, First approached her. The black suit he is wearing is just right for him. He looks way cooler since his weapon was a sword.
"Hey"
She just smiled. She has no clue what to say to him. She feels uneasy again.
"We're partners again," he stated calmly.
"Mm." She nodded.
She can't look directly at him. First is good at playing the games that they previously had. He looks calm, so he must already know what to do in this actual fight. As for her, she can't even come up with a strategy yet.
Since her memories came back, she has become more fearful than before. She's afraid not only that she can die in this fight, but she can even harm First and her friends, who are their current opponents.
She didn't say anything more to him. She is wondering how to escape this kind of trial. She stared at her friends one by one. Some are getting fidgety, but some are rehearsing, and they seem to be working on a strategy.
Heavien is hurting. It hurts to think about what will happen to them at any moment from now. They will be forced to fight each other again, like when they played basketball and volleyball. But this time not by a team, it will be by pair. Others are a bit used to this kind of setting. They might even be expecting this already. Accustomed to being forced, they all must expect the worst things to happen. It's just that she still clings to that small ray of hope that there must be a way not to kill each other. Even though they always do this, she still can't avoid the dominance of her emotions. Thinking of the possibility that she would hurt them minutes from now... She can't handle the idea of it.
Due to deep thoughts, she only realized that First was holding her right hand. She looked at him, he gazed up front, and his face is serious. She moved her hand a little, then he turned to her and smiled.
"Another charm"
"Huh?" She is puzzled by what he uttered.
"To give you peace of mind."
She beamed with joy at his gimmick. Somehow, she forgot what she was thinking because of his new 'charm'. She just pays attention to him.
First has a time when he is very serious, and he has a time when he is a joker. When someone else is with him, he has a poker face but when it's just the two of them, he has a new gimmick and smiles.
She is grateful that they became close, and he is her partner. Even though he is very mysterious and sometimes she can't understand him, she is happy that they became friends. He was always there to make her laugh, help her, and protect her. She just wishes that he also feels the same about her, even though she can be a burden sometimes.
"Okay, now players..."
It's Author again. It has started.
"You will be given 60 seconds to run and hide. After the counting, the actual battle will start... 60,"
The others have already run away. She was a little confused. First tightened his grip on her trembling and cold hand. He gazed at her.
"45 ... 30 ..."
"What's up?" She wanted to know what their plan is.
His deep brown eyes are captivating.
Some ran away and scattered.
"20... 10 ..."
"Uhm, First, aren't we going to run?"
She doesn't know what he is thinking right now. She gazed at him. His eyes seemed blank yet yearning.
She sees others, and they are far away.
"5 ... 3 ..."
Heavien doesn't know, but her heart stopped beating fast due to fear and anxiety. The opposite of what she should feel. First's blank eyes blanked out her unnecessary feelings.
"I won't let you go," he assured.
"1, go!"
When Author said 'go', the two of them ran while he was still holding her now warm hands. She doesn't know what First is up to and why they just ran now. She also calmed down when he said that he would not let her go. Even though she doesn't know what that means, she knows that First won't leave her in the middle of the fight.
She glanced at him as they ran, and he was being himself. When he noticed she was looking at him, he turned to her and then smiled. His smile says, 'Relax, she got you'.
With that smile of his... She can tell that they can do this.