Impetus System: The power of chaos

Satsu slept deeply, but it was not a restful sleep, but rather a torment. The images of the Cave of Terror projected themselves into his mind like living specters.

Haruto... Daichi... Hana... Akira...

The weight of his losses came back to haunt him, a suffocating despair that seeped into every beat of his heart. Hana's last moment... Her eyes wide, despair etched into her expression as she struggled.

Satsu woke up gasping, her body shaking in pure reflex of terror. Cold sweat stuck her hair to her forehead.

Beside her, Yumi sobbed softly, curled up like a frightened child. Her shoulders shook, her breathing was irregular, and every moan that escaped her lips carried the crushing weight of failure.

When his swollen eyes realized that Satsu had woken up, a sob turned into a hoarse cry of relief.

"Satsu!" His voice broke in the middle of the word.

She threw herself at him, grabbing him with a trembling hug, as if she wanted to protect him from the cruel reality that surrounded them. He didn't know how to respond. He felt empty, his chest tightened by a knot that wouldn't come undone.

"Hey, Yumi, I'm fine..." Her voice came out low, almost a whisper. He swallowed hard before asking: "And... and you?" But Yumi only cried more. Her small body seemed incapable of containing so much pain and suffering. Her friends, or rather... her family, would never come back.

"I tried... I swear I tried...!" Her voice was a thread of anguish, interrupted by uncontrollable sobs. "But I couldn't! I didn't save anyone! I couldn't... do anything..." Satsu clenched her fists. He felt each of her words as if they were blades stuck in his flesh. Because he understood. He also felt the same cruel helplessness, the same crushing weight of guilt. I'm a fraud dressed as a healer. A weakling.

"Daichi and Haruto... died protecting us... protecting me! And I... I'm pathetic, I don't deserve to be alive...!" The last word came out as a lament, a stifled cry for help.

Satsu wanted to comfort her, wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault. But the words wouldn't come. The lump in his throat was suffocating him. He was broken too. He also believed that his weakness had caused this.

Slowly, he raised his gaze, desperately seeking a way out of that unbearable weight.

"Yumi... Where's Hana...? Kaito...? Akira...?"

Yumi swallowed hard and rubbed her already swollen eyes, taking deep breaths, but her voice still trembled as she answered:

"Can you walk...?"

With great effort, Satsu nodded. Her muscles protested, each movement felt like she was pulling on invisible chains. Yumi helped him up, and together, they dragged themselves out of the room.

The hallway seemed longer than ever. The silence, more deafening.

When they entered the next room, Satsu felt as if a blade had pierced her heart and soul.

Hana was lying down, her skin pale as porcelain, her breathing weak, artificially maintained by respirators. But what froze Satsu's blood were the marks on her neck. The creature's claws had left black, pulsating wounds, like cracks in Hana's very essence. The light seemed to fade around them, as if they absorbed everything around them.

Satsu felt hatred, as if that weren't enough, there was still a curse. A bitter taste rose to her mouth. That sight was a cruel reminder of her weakness.

"She... was without air for a long time..." Yumi whispered. "The healers said that the chances of her waking up are..." Her voice broke, and she bit her lips to hold back her tears.

But Satsu had already understood.

He approached, with slow and heavy steps, until he stopped next to Hana's bed. He wanted to say something, but what could he say? Apologies? Empty promises? Nothing would change what had happened.

A single tear ran from his eyes and fell onto the white sheet, blending into the sepulchral silence of the room.

Yumi finished saying — I tried to heal her but... I couldn't...

—I called a friend of mine, of a higher rank who owed me a favor, he's also a healer... but... —Her voice broke.

—He said it's a curse of a very high level—she said with tears in her eyes—Only an S-rank healer can help her... but... who will help us?—she finished putting her hands over her eyes in an attempt to wipe away the ocean that was dripping onto her retinas.

—And Kaito...?—Satsu asked, her voice coming out hoarser than she expected.

Yumi hesitated before answering:

"He gave up." She took a deep breath, as if trying to gather the strength to continue.

"He doesn't want to be an adventurer anymore. He said that… it was too much for him. And I… I can't blame him."

Satsu closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't blame him. But the pain was suffocating.

"And Akira?"

Yumi answered:

"She's fine… we hid from the monster together, but she's very shaken."

"Take me outside…" He whispered Satsu. "I need to breathe a little. I need to be alone…"

Outside, the air was cold, but not enough to ease the fire inside him. The breeze blew against his face, bringing with it the pain and loneliness. He looked up at the sky, at the sun setting on the horizon. The world continued on, indifferent to what had happened. Indifferent to his pain.

But something had changed in Satsu. Before, his heart had seemed like pure silk beneath a lake of pure water. Now, a burning flame that would be able to burn hell itself.

Then, a glow appeared before him. A translucent panel floated in the air, displaying a message:

[User in recovery. Do you wish to unlock the welcome skill?]

Satsu hesitated. He felt broken, crushed by emotions that seemed to have no room inside him. But, at that moment, something inside him screamed. A spark of revolt, of denial, of something that still burned in his soul.

He thought "yes".

The panel glowed again.

[New skill unlocked: Accelerated regeneration by 4x.]

[Effect: Healing of physical wounds in 1/4 of the normal time.]

Satsu read the message, but felt no relief.

"This..." He murmured, staring at the screen with empty eyes. — That won't bring anyone back...

Her curiosity was stifled by the weight of the loss, Satsu's indifference towards that hologram... the mourning was still severe, as if a piece of her soul had been ripped out and her joy thrown into the abyss of oblivion.