A Last Chance

Richard's sword glinted in the air once more, but with each swing, each thrust, it slowed him down a little more. His breathing became erratic, and with each inhalation, exhaustion sank deeper into his body. The number of them surrounding them grew, each creature he killed heralding another nightmare. Fatigue and hopelessness began to overtake his mind. He felt it was impossible to escape them.

Grace took steps backward, holding Damian tightly. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The eerie, rasping sounds of the creatures closing in on them tore at her nerves.

It was then that Damian's bright crimson eyes focused on his mother and he smiled. At that moment, a thought struck Grace; did they even know that their seemingly innocent son possessed a power potential of which they were unaware? They had never understood how Damian saw the world. Yet this tiny child looked at them like he was aware of everything.

Richard glanced at Grace and Damian for a moment. He didn't know how much longer he could endure, but one thing was certain. He would protect them. At any cost. He forced a word through his clenched teeth.

"Run... If you get the chance, run without looking back."

Grace saw the determination in her husband's words. But they had nowhere to run; they were surrounded by creatures. Behind them was a wrecked car and a huge pile of rubble. All she could do was hold onto Damian and wait to see what would happen.

Suddenly, Richard's sword plunged into the chest of one of the creatures, and the beast groaned as it collapsed to the ground. This moment of victory lasted only seconds, however, as it was quickly replaced by another. Richard stumbled backward, almost falling to the ground. Seeing him stagger, Grace tightened her grip on Damian as the despair inside her grew. She began to blame herself.

'What can I do? How can I help them?

It was then that Damian suddenly became restless. He gently touched his mother's chest with his tiny arms and suddenly his eyes turned an even brighter red. As Grace noticed the change in her son's eyes, a shiver ran through her. Damian's innocence seemed to vanish for a moment, replaced by an indescribable power. It was like he was aware of all the dangers and was preparing to fight them. This sudden change in Damian frightened her.

Damian's tiny body seemed to calm down in his mother's arms. Yet something had stirred in the depths of his eyes; though he looked like an innocent newborn, there was something else inside. As Grace looked into her son's small face, she tried to keep a peaceful expression, but the fear gnawing at her grew stronger. This child, born just hours ago, was no ordinary child.

Grace held Damian tighter. Richard, unaware of what was happening, was doing everything he could to keep the Faceless away. Grace felt Damian's tiny hand clench instinctively. At that moment, a strange shiver ran down her spine. Could newborn babies have such power?

Damian's tiny body suddenly became still. Then a large black tattoo appeared on his back. A strange tattoo shaped like a sword. Soon after, black lines formed tattoos on his shoulders and arms.

Grace was at a loss for words, not knowing what to think as fear took over her body. Her son was not normal, but what was he? How could he possess such power? How could a baby display such strength... questions plagued her mind, even making her wonder if her son was even human. She couldn't be sure.

She probably never could be.

Damian's eyes opened suddenly. A look so firm, so unexpected from such a tiny, delicate body... Grace's hair stood on end. The depth in the baby's eyes momentarily resembled that of an ancient sage. The indescribable wisdom, experience, and... sorrow lay within him. There was no pure innocence in those eyes that should belong to a baby. Instead, there was the shadow of a being who had witnessed countless lives, who had faced the cold face of death again and again.

"This... this is impossible..." Grace whispered to herself.

Damian's tiny lips twitched for a moment as if to say something. But instead of baby sounds, a whisper - softer but deeper than a whisper - emanated into the air. Though it remained unclear what it was, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Grace tightened her grip on Damian, yet felt frightened. This baby had just been born, yet its presence seemed to absorb all the energy around them.

Suddenly, Damian's tiny hands gripped his mother's arm tightly. The strength of his little body brought tears to Grace's eyes. There was a fiery glow in the baby's eyes. But it was a terrifying glow, the same color as the Blood Moon.

As Damian displayed a pained expression, the air around him thickened. A power emerged that was unlike his childhood. As he began to cry softly, even the vibrations in his voice held an unexpected strength for a baby. It was like he were a being not of this world.

Damian's small body tensed and the bloody tears streaming from his eyes reverberated through the air with a strange vibration that penetrated everything and everyone. The peculiar power that appeared in his tiny hands revealed an unprecedented power never before seen in this world. He stood in his mother's arms like a baby, but at that moment he was about to lose control of the energy growing within him. The baby's body could not withstand the power. As the light flared in his eyes, Damian's subconscious memories, wisdom, and pain from hundreds of different lives flooded his mind like a whirlpool.

At that moment, as though it weren't enough, they began to emerge from the debris behind them. Grace's eyes widened, but she couldn't move. Instinctive fear had paralyzed her body.

"Richard! Help!" she screamed as loudly as she could.

Richard turned back, his eyes filled with worry at the sound of his wife's call from behind him. The fire and the twisted, toppled streetlights illuminated the surroundings. His gaze shifted to the grotesque creatures on the debris. They had already climbed over the wreckage, closing the gap between them and his wife and son with each passing second. He abandoned his fight with those in front of him and ran quickly to close the gap between them.

When he reached them, his focus shifted away from the Faceless. Grace stood frozen in fear, her face pale. The cause of her terror was the child in her husband's arms, his eyes glowing bright crimson. There was an incredible energy emanating from this baby - interestingly, this energy couldn't be felt without getting too close.

Damian could not control his power, but he knew he had to escape from these creatures. The light in his eyes flickered once more. For a moment, his hands clenched over his chest, and at that moment, a powerful burst of energy erupted all around him. The bodies of the Faceless vanished for an instant, erased like they had never existed. The power seemed to erase them completely. As Damian teetered between exhaustion and unconsciousness, he felt he could no longer withstand the energy flowing through him.

However, the disappearance of them was an illusion. Damian thought he had destroyed their existence, but the system had other plans.

[Three minutes remain to the end of the scenario. The transition to the Third Phase has begun. The Faceless are now under the protection of the System. Skill attacks and weapons granted by the System can no longer kill them. They have gained extraordinary regeneration, speed, power, and durability. The rewards for survivors will be even greater. Good luck.]

"Grrrrrrrrr..."

Their bodies began to rise from where they had lain like nothing had happened. But the power Damian had unleashed had also opened a path for them.

Damian's eyes were closing slowly. His small body had exerted too much energy. He slowly fell asleep in his mother's warm arms.

As Damian's baby body settled, they had already risen from the floor.

As Grace watched her son's body slowly relax in her arms, she felt the atmosphere grow heavier. The temporary disappearance of them had only provided a momentary relief, for they had reappeared. Stronger, faster, more dangerous...

Richard trembled not only with desperation but also with sheer fear. His arms had to be strong enough to protect Grace and Damian, as always, but what was a human's strength against these monsters? As the Faceless advanced once more, he quickly scanned the area before they arrived. When he noticed a way out, he turned to Grace without a moment's hesitation.

"The debris has gone. Hurry, we need to get out of here now," he said, his voice hoarse and shrill with fear.

Grace took a deep breath before looking at Damian's still body and turning to her husband. She tried to remain calm, but the panic growing inside her was consuming her with each moment. She knew they were powerless against these monsters, yet somewhere inside, a spark of hope flickered, believing they could do something. Grace held Damian tighter, then nodded at Richard.

"Okay..." Grace whispered, a look of determination flashing in her eyes.

There were no Faceless in the path Damian had opened. A path had been cleared for them, and the spark of hope within them was rekindled.

Richard quickly led Grace, who was carrying Damian in her arms, towards the road. They tried to escape the shadowy figures chasing them, suppressing their fears. They veered off the path, but a horde of Faceless were chasing them at incredible speed.

The opened path led to another road. Unlike the others, this one was almost untouched. When they reached it, the beastly sounds they heard startled them. They was charging wildly at them from the left side of the street. The right side, however, was empty - no Faceless, no corpses, no debris, no fires. It was like a path to salvation.

"Hurry... keep running... Huff, huff..." Richard tried to speak, but his breathless body hindered him. He gasped for air, but his coughing fits prevented him from breathing properly. He was so exhausted that his lungs could no longer take in air. He collapsed on his knees, completely drained. He had been running and fighting non-stop for almost an hour. His mobile phone fell out of his pocket and he looked at the time. At that moment, a digit changed.

23:59.

Salvation was only seconds away.

"Richard!" Grace cried out as she realized her husband wasn't following them.

She ran to him and took Damian in her left arm. With her right hand, she grabbed her husband's arm and tried to pull him along. She was tired too. She too had been running for an hour, constantly on edge. Perhaps it was the fear that was wearing her down, or perhaps it was the questions in her mind that were exhausting her. The day she gave birth was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but it had turned into a complete nightmare.

"Huff... Huff... We're almost there. If we hold on just a few more seconds, this hell will end. You, me, and our son. The three of us will live a happy life together."

'Please, just a little more...

Stand up, please... stand up...'

They were all exhausted - worn out.

"Grace... go."

A weary voice echoed in her head.

"W-what?"

Richard slowly rose to his feet, gripping his sword tightly.

"Grace..." he said, his voice soft and reassuring. The calmness in his tone went straight to Grace's trembling heart. There was no fear in Richard's eyes, no hesitation - only deep acceptance and honorable determination.

Grace tried to speak, but no words came out. The fear and helplessness growing within her told her that she understood Richard's plan. Her eyes filled with tears, but Richard maintained his calm gaze.

"I will save you. It is my duty," Richard whispered.

"Perhaps I'm paying for the mistakes I've made, both today and in the past, aren't I?"

He turned his back and looked at the approaching the horde.

"Maybe the three of us won't be together, but you can be with him. No matter who or what he is, he will always be our son. Take good care of him."

He wasn't in a hurry or making a dramatic farewell; he was just speaking from the heart. But even that cut Grace to the quick. He turned his head to his wife.

"Remember what you used to tell me?"

He smiled - even as death approached. Without breaking eye contact, he began to move forward with heavy steps.

"No matter what hardships you face, always put on your best smile and keep moving forward."

He did as he had always told her. He smiled his best smile, even though his body was weary, even though he knew he was about to be swallowed by the darkness. In that darkness, he shone like the sun. He kept moving forward, even though he wanted to escape with them, even though he wanted to live - he kept moving forward. For them...

Grace fell silent, utterly silent. She could barely stand. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. She wanted to scream but she couldn't. There may have been storms raging inside, but her face - perhaps because of her husband's last words - remained calm, as did his. She returned his smile.

"G-goodbye, my love." She spoke to him one last time, her voice shaking. Then she turned and walked on, her eyes full of tears and her steps heavy.

As Richard watched his wife walk away, he let out a deep sigh and turned his head towards the horde, who were far away. They were like a horde of zombies.

A horde of armed zombies...' he chuckled.

He continued walking slowly. There was a smile on his face, but it was a bitter one - a smile filled with regrets.

"I wish I hadn't made these mistakes..."

But there's no use crying over spilled milk.

.....

Grace had already turned her heavy steps into a sprint. She ran and ran, without stopping. She wanted to be with her husband, but she didn't want to hear his agonizing screams. Her steps faltered, but she didn't stop - she couldn't. She had to keep moving forward. She kept running until a screen appeared in front of her.

[Congratulations! You have survived. Your rewards will be delivered tomorrow. Until they are delivered, you are under the protection of the system.]

Her legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed and began sobbing uncontrollably. After a while, her sobs subsided, her expression became blank, and she fainted, still holding her unaware and sleeping son in her arms.