Xavier was on a rush home. In order to avoid any and all interactions with the ghouls or the vampires in uniform, he moved as sneakily as he could.

9:23 AM.

*Riing* *Riing*

*Static*

[The number you are trying to reach is not available, please hang up and try again later.]

‘Damn it!! Why won’t they pick up!? They’re not responding to any of my messages either?’ Xavier wondered as he scrolled through the message app on his phone.

Only a few minutes have passed since everything began, but he already felt like he’d die of fear.

*Rattle*

Xavier’s eyes widened as he suddenly came to a halt beside one of the houses down the road. Watching the chaos erupt everywhere, he hid by its side.

*BOOM!* BOOOM!* *BOOOOM!*

One after another, explosions were heard throughout the city and on the roads. Shockwaves were sent toward him.

The screams of people echoed throughout the city, as did the sound of shattering glass as the ghouls entered the houses.

Hell was on earth.

On his run, he also noticed that people were experiencing strange symptoms, they were mutating in a way, and they had special abilities.

In his mind, all that mattered was getting home safe and protecting his family, so he didn’t think too much of it.

Everything else was cut off.

Xavier rushed towards his house, fully aware of how quickly things were becoming worse. He and his family had gotten a house not too far from or too close to the school, which was fortunate for him.

He was just three minutes away.

In that spirit, Xavier ran, he ran with all his might. Despite his short stature, he was exceptionally fast when it came to sprinting and was remarkably strong when it came to stamina.

For him, a three-minute run was nothing.

‘Please be safe… Please be safe…!’ He repeated over and over on the inside of his mind.

[New Quest has been added.]

[Daily Quest Available.]

[Main Quest Available.]

[Quest: Confirm Family’s Safety.]

[Safety Confirmed: 0/3.]

[Reward: 50 XP + 2 SP.]

Xavier ran until his lungs felt like they were going to burst, but he didn’t stop, his legs wanted him to slow down for even a second after wasting all of their explosive energy in the sprint, but he did not.

‘Almost ther-‘

*CRASH!*

From the house to his left, a bloodied Ghoul smashed through the window, interrupting Xavier.

It munched on a chunk of flesh that had likely come from inside the other place.

After growling at Xavier, the ragged ghoul lunged at him.

*FWOOSH!*

This thing was absolutely fast. It jumped off the ground and lunged at him at a speed almost impossible to follow –

*Sway*

In spite of this, Xavier managed to avoid it by swaying to the side at the very last second.

After sliding down the slick, wet road, the monster lunged once more at Xavier.

The fear-stricken Xavier took advantage of the slippery roads to his advantage, and slid right past and under the Ghoul before bolting away.

The ghoul crashed into the window of the car behind him as he ran without looking back.

*Huff* *Puff* *Huff!*

Xavier’s pants were even heavier than before, and he took a few turns to get the Ghoul off his trail.

He was not sure how sensitive their noses were, and they might have been able to smell him if it hadn’t rained. Therefore, he was grateful it had rained on this day.

Having thought about all of that, he continued running, before eventually stopping at his doorstep.

“I… I made it!” He muttered with a smile.

Using the door handle, his heart felt as if it would jump out of his chest.

While entering, he noticed something was off, it was quiet, almost as if no one was there.

It was strange since everyone was on vacation today except him.

‘Maybe they’re hiding…?’ He wondered as he rushed into the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, he experienced a chill run down his spine.

The kitchen walls were covered in dark blood and the window leading outside was broken.

Someone or something broke in.

“Haha… Haha…. This can’t be real, right?” Xavier asked with a smile as he walked along the Kitchen and grabbed a long kitchen knife.

-Memory

“Are you sure, you can’t wait for everyone to have breakfast?” She asked with a worried look.

Ahead of him stood a woman with beautiful long light brown hair and round brown eyes. This beauty of a woman was his mother. Elaine.

Sitting at 169 CM, she pretty much towered over him despite him wanting to admit it..

“It’s 8:30, school starts at 8:40. I’m late… I’ll eat on the way.”

“Alright… Just make sure you eat everything, Okay…?”

“Alright mum…”

-Memory End.

“I mean, just this morning… Just this morning she was here and fine… They must be hiden somewhere…” He murmured as he made his way over to the living room with the kitchen knife in hand.

The room was a mess, the sofa was ripped, the TV was broken, and there was no one in sight but the trail of blood. It led upstairs.

-Memory

He heard humming coming from the living room just before leaving the house. Upon turning to the source, he sees his sister, lying on the couch.

Long honey yellow hair, bright orange irises. Despite being 17, a year younger, she was somehow almost a whole ten centimetres taller than him, standing at 165 CM of height. It was his sister, Viera.

Her mind was occupied with the news that was currently being broadcast on the TV ahead of her couch.

“The storms still rage on, scientists haven’t been able to figure out the cause for this abnormal weather, and with the way things look, this could go on for a longer while! Has global warming reached it’s end phase?”

For a split second, They made eye contact but it’s quickly avoided as she turned her head away, humphing in the process. “Hmph… Have fun at school…”

She was somewhat mad at him over a recent event and still haven’t gotten over it.

-Memory End

“She was just here this morning… Come on sister… Where’s your nagging like always? We still haven’t even made up after that fight…” Xavier murmured as he slowly ascended the stairs.

*Step* Creak*

The wooden material creaked with every step.

His fear of reaching the top increased with each ascent.

Though he was hopeful, he was also afraid. What if something bad happened?

*Step* *Halt*

After reaching the top of the stairs, Xavier stopped moving. He glanced down the short hallway and remembered his conversation with his father this morning.

-Memory

Walking down the hall, he was suddenly caught off guard as the door to my parents’ room opens and his father emerges wearing nothing but his underwear.

Short curly black hair, light blue eyes visible through his rectangle glasses. His shredded muscular 6-pack abs, muscular arms and legs were covered in sweat. A gentle smile grew on his face as he noticed him.

It was his father, Eric.

“Oh- Morning Xavier. Want to join me for my training this morning?” He asked.

A smile grew on Xavier’s face as he replied. “If you call my school and let them know I’m sick like last time.”

His father’s smile grows more nervous, as he lets out a strained chuckle.

He quickly looks left and right before leaning in and whispering. “You remember what your mother did to us last time when she found out you were faking, don’t you?”

Xavier’s punishment wasn’t actually that bad, he was just grounded from reading his precious novels since grounding his introverted self wouldn’t have changed anything.

His father on the other hand was tied to the tree on our backyard for three hours and forced to sleep in the living room for three whole days.

“Guess we’ll have to settle for next time then…” Xavier muttered with a dejected look.

“Boys, the breakfast is ready!” A voice called them from downstairs.

“Coming!” They reply.

They look at each other, and smile before bumping each other’s fists.

-Memory End.

The Trail of blood made it’s way over to his father’s room.

Xavier gulped.

His steps suddenly became heavier as he rushed to the room and slammed open the door.

What he saw… Tore him apart.

There was a severed arm lying on the floor on top of a pool of blood just in front of his parents’ torn bed.

Xavier stared at the arm without saying a word.

He recognised it, there was no way he wouldn’t.

After all it… The striped tattoo on it… Was the same as his father’s.

“…”

Xavier didn’t dare enter the room. Shadow loomed over his face as he grinded his teeth and raised his knife to his head.

[Main Quest Completed.]

[Situation Confirmed!]

[Rewards received!]

[XP: 50/50]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL 0 — 1]

[XP: 0/100]

[SP: 0 – 2]

[LEVEL UP OPTIONS AVAILABLE!]

[1 – 2 Stat points.]

[2 – Full Body Recovery.]

[3 – Mysterious Pill.]

[4 – Mysterious Skill Roulette.] (Level 1 Special+)

Xavier ignored the Level up options, he wasn’t interested in it. Rather he was clinging to but one hope and one hope only in his heart.

“System. Show me my skill.”

A system interface tab opened up before him showing but a single skill.

[Skill.]

[Rewind]

[Level 1: Return.]

[Effect: User is able to return to a point before death. Each Return costs 10% of the User’s energy until the user passes the point of return.]

[Cost: 10% Per Return.]

“…Return.”

Without hesitation, with the shadow looming over his face covering it, Xavier pierced himself right in the middle of his temple.

*Piece*

Everything turned black.

[You have died.]

[Skill: Rewind has been activated.]