NOVEL WEB Chapter 12 – The Only Path
...
In a dark room, I stared at my younger self.
Behind a transparent screen that separated me from the past.
I laid my hand over the screen, obscuring the face of my past self.
Ah, I see.
That day…
That must’ve been the day I changed.
Why did it take me this long to realize it..?
My love for Delilah…
Which had accumulated over time…
Was built on a foundation stemming from a lie.
From the start, I never truly loved her.
It was a lie to protect Delilah from the awful truth.
So when Delilah had cheated on me…
I felt nothing because my feelings were artificial.
Ever since I told that lie… My relationship with her was fragile.
From that day on, my guilt was eating me from the inside…
I tried to run away from the ugly truth, by disguising my true feelings as ‘love’.
…
Such bullshit.
Because of my lie, I lost my former self.
I cut ties from my friends, from Taylen, and even Constance.
I became a loner…
But I kept telling myself that Delilah would make my life exciting from now on.
Eventually my life had solely revolved around Delilah’s life…
Constantly wishing for her happiness.
I… I should’ve known better.
…
Looking back on it, it was truly hell.
A shackle I placed on myself…
That ruined me for life.
And all of it was my fault.
My social life died.
My personality died.
And most importantly…
I died.
Not literally, but in a philosophical sense.
…
Again, that kid’s voice rang in the back of my mind,
“Have you not noticed?
You’ve been running away from your problems.”
I see now.
“And everytime…
You’ve suppressed your inner desires.”
What I was lacking.
“Your inability to acknowledge yourself is limiting your potential.”
All of it… It’s much clearer to me now.
Although the boy wasn’t here in my inner mind, I could hear him asking me the questions once more.
This time, I knew the answers.
“Tell me, would a warrior fight a battle if he has nothing to fight for?”
No, because a warrior picks up a sword in an effort to fight for their beliefs.
“Will a doctor save lives if they do not have compassion for human life?”
No, because if they can easily abandon a life... Then they have wasted their time studying to save lives.
“Take as an example a professional artist…
Can they really create a masterpiece if they do not incorporate any passion and dedication?”
No…
Because they have already failed to acknowledge… What had driven them to start painting in the first place.
They had failed themselves.
Then-
In front of me…
The boy had finally manifested into my inner mind.
I couldn’t tell if he was real or not.
Perhaps, his appearance was merely a fabrication of my mind to console myself.
But it didn’t matter.
The boy smiled and opened his mouth,
“Do you know what all of them have in common?”
Yes.
Just like me.
They have forgotten the foundation that made them who they were.
They destroyed themselves.
The boy was now clapping,
“Wonderful… Wonderful! Wonderful!”
“Now… The final question.
When you wake up…
What will you do, when you face that monster again?”
…
I curled my hand into a fist and raised it towards the boy.
“I’m gonna kill it.”
This is my answer.
I’m done running away.
The boy exclaimed,
“Yes! Yes! Yes!
You’re on the right track!
Confront your problems head on!
That is exactly what the store is looking for!”
The boy was swept away by an unknown wind, he turned into dust and dissipated into the darkness once more.
My inner world crumbled around me… Leaving me in the dark.
In the distance, there was a light shining brighter than any light source could emit.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
I walked towards it.
There was an item on the ground that was emitting the vibrant light.
The light grew larger and larger…
Eventually entering my sight…
It was a white gun.
Specifically, it was a revolver that seemed to be made out of an unrecognizable material.
I stared at it…
For some reason…
I knew what to do.
I picked it up.
On the side of the revolver’s handle was an engraved symbol. With 6 line marks creating a weird pattern.
Oh, I see.
6 bullets.
I steadied my resolve.
“If there isn’t a light that can guide me to the right path…”
I pointed the gun towards the darkness.
“Then I just have to make one myself.”
I shot a bullet from the gun.
The darkness around me was swallowed by the light from the gunshot.
White light surrounded me.
Before being entirely engulfed in the light, I looked back at the gun in my hand.
One of the lines disappeared, and 5 line marks remained.
5 bullets. 5 chances.
Once again, I was going to confront that monster.
But right now... I feel calm and resolved.
I tightly held onto the gun.
Alright you shitty monster…
I'm done running away.
…
…
…
I woke up.
Just like before, everything was enshrouded in darkness.
Except for a single lightbulb dangling above the monster’s head.
We were still in the infinite storage room.
“You’re just running in circles…”
The boy was right.
I should’ve known from the start…
There was never an emergency exit to begin with.
The monster was just playing with me.
Even if I avoided the monster by hiding in the darkness, I would never see the light to the exit.
… I looked down at myself.
Checking my condition…
It seems like my dominant arm, my right arm, is useless.
My ribs are broken.
And my legs are littered with bruises.
But…
In my left hand, was the gun from my dream.
The monster realizing I was now awake, was staring deeply into my eyes.
"Interesting... Your eyes..."
The monster was intrigued,
"They aren't as desperate as they were before."
Then monster noticed the gun in my hand,
“T-Thats..!"
...
The monster took a step back,
"No way..!
You actually found the answer…
I made the right call to not kill you so soon.
Magnificent... Magnificent! Magnificent!”
Just like before, the light bulb swung back and forth.
Swish... Swish... Swish...
The monster stood tall, and got ready to sprint.
“This is the final round, do your best to survi-“
BANG!
A bullet of light pierced through the monster’s abdomen.
“…”
…
…
The monster looked at me with fierce eyes.
I chuckled,
“Let’s get this over with.”
4 bullets left.