The great escape came without warning. It was just like that one unexplainable moment that some people claim before an earthquake. They would begin to feel discomfort followed by queasiness stemming from one’s gut.

‘Now. Feel it!’

Izo had a sudden feeling, maybe supernatural but probably instinct from days on end watching other soul’s struggle to raise their strength thus gaining an insight on the trend.

As the unfathomable being finished draining another newcomer soul’s energy, it went back to the void boundary as it always does. The instant it disappeared, one of the large souls burned its energy to escape the mass. Then another one, then 10 followed.

Like a stampede, almost a thousand brave souls who suffered the pain that other’s chose to die from than feel again left the safe zone. From this point on was complete uncertainty as even when a few entered the rift, they were always spit out.

The first leg of the escape went well with the being not even appearing. It was only when they really got close to the void boundary that Izo felt a massive spike in energy.

This was the first time that he was this close to a rift opening but he knew that this one spewed more energy than others.

The suffering beast which looked like a sparsed hair meat at this moment appeared and dove towards Izo. He was ready however. Instantly burning 10% of his energy just to gain a sudden speed boost.

“Suffer. Terror. Cry!”

It seemed enraged though not enough it seems to prioritize Izo. Maybe it was its coding but it targeted the larger souls.

Unfortunately for the beast, these souls were brave heroes of their world and when it attached itself to the closest one, it was tricked. When there was a slight drain in energy, the large soul burned a bit more to escape.

Confused, the now thousand eye beast wished to continue its attacks but even thought its gaze followed the weakened soul, it’s bulbous body turned to the closest and brightest one.

They simply repeated this tactic again and again, sharing the burden so everyone benefits. The monster let out screams of anger like a sore loser trying to get the ball in the playground park but the witty kids passed it every time it got close.

‘Good. Good.’

Izo felt happy that their plan was going well but this feeling died down in a couple seconds. Rifts farther away appeared with the monstrous power that lesser beings should venerate like it was their God’s.

These escapees however ignored this holy order and continued their quest to defy. So, another 30 of the suffering beast descended to punish the insolent mortals.

With a thirty-fold increase in punishment, the escapees were thrown into chaos. And the sharing of burden plan was abandoned in favor of the most primal everyone for themselves.

This time Izo was far from the epicenter with the most suffering beast. So, while the others were stalled with the need for evasive measure, he reached the void where the rifts open.

‘Uhm. Too many.’

Unlike the times in the past when one soul that made a run for it would be greeted by one rift, Izo was greeted with a thousand.

They had no indications of where they lead to except for the energy they released. A handful of other souls that arrived before him were also deciding. Most chose the weaker rifts. If they were correcy, who knows?

Izo chose a weaker rift at random as he heard the screams of terror of the other souls as the beast ate in relish.

It was a glass world that rained diamonds. Izo was glad that he was in soul form because if the lack of oxygen couldn’t kill him the razor-sharp blade storm would’ve.

‘Not here.’

Just when he was about to consider what to do next, a force enveloped him from all around. The rift reopened and he was forcefully expelled from this place.

Izo returned to the feeding frenzy and without stopping reentered another portal, only for the same thing to happen.

The chum was getting too small for the piranhas and they crept closer and closer to the void area where Izo was. This spurned him to try two more times for the same effect to happen.

‘I’m back!’

Izo’s soul was back in the hut. He stared at the bedridden but still breathing body. The two Spirit Printers and two small nuclear reactors were there too among other new items.

The most distinct change was a robot that was holding a pitcher that it suddenly dropped. It seemed to be malfunctioning a bit. This wasn’t important however as this fifth try was correct.

A second after the rift disappeared, Izo felt the space around him rejecting him. Unsure what to do and on limited time before he could be sent back to that infernal place, Izo tried hard to think.

‘Get body?’

He tried touching his body but he only phased through. Laying down on the same position didn’t help either.

‘How?’

*

Sun Hee heard a crash like something cracked. She opened the door and found the servant robot twitching with a broken pitcher at its feet.

Unsure of why it was malfunctioning, she thought to secure it first.

“Servant, shut down.”

It didn’t so Sun Hee would’ve pressed the power off button if it weren’t for the electricity going haywire. She had to roughly force it towards the open door with shockwave magic.

‘I hope the electronics were not affected.’

She checked just in case but other than reporting minor interference in the case of the Spirit Printers, each of them were fine.

Sun Hee messaged one of the candidates that she had gotten close with about this phenomenon. This injured person can’t use spirituality anymore thus he was unable to continue the training. He instead volunteered to stay in the camp here till the end and guard the comatose candidates. Izo was only one of the few.

After doing that was Sun Hee able to rest her mind.

She gazed at the body that was healthy from potions and care of the robot. Izo’s complexion was hale and the problem was something way worse.

By Jane their scouts’ words, his soul should already be gone. No amount of the treatment that she and her father did would have healed Izo.

It was only normal for her father to wish to help since he was that kind of a person but her? By all metrics and probabilities she researched, the chance of Izo waking up was realistically nil. The months had only made it approach infinitely to zero even more.

So why then despite logic? One of the reasons, was Izo would do it for her or her father if this happened to them. Another was…

‘You won’t be able to hear this anyway.’

No matter how hard she tries to deny it, Sun Hee felt genuine happiness when they were together.

“Izo, I like you.”

It wasn’t love just yet and that’s what made it more painful. They only had a short few days. Deep in her soul, she felt that if they were given more time, it would’ve developed into something really special.

She saw how devoid of familial and all forms of live Izo was. She was privileged with amazing parents so this made her heart ache for him. If only she was given more time, Sun Hee wanted to share the happiness to clear the darkness within his heart.

“I’m sorry for not visiting. It’s just- every time I see you, I only feel bitterness. You’re smart enough why’d you have to do something so stupid and turn yourself this way?! Is it because of your damn debt? You feel hurt by relying on people?”

Sun Hee’s felt her eyes get teary but she steeled herself.

“We stand by your side not to look for benefits. Losing it all wouldn’t have mattered. We- I wanted to help you so you can learn to rely on others. I wished you gave me more time but-“

She felt feverish, her emotions taking over her.

“Now I’m leaving for a long, long trip. When I come back, if you’re still here, I can’t visit you again. So, this is goodbye.”

She held his hand with hers. Izo might not have spoken about it but Sun Hee had a feeling he never dated anyone. She dated in school a few times. They were all puppy love however and those never lasted.

“Though this is not my first kiss so I’ll just have to take yours.”

Their lips touched for a bit. A soft peck that slightly parted his lips thus hot breath escaped and graced her face. When they parted, even more bitterness suffused her.

“Life sucks.”

The unmoving Izo suddenly moved his hand towards her and held firmly. Those brown eyes appeared once more with equal or more sharpness.

“I wish to hug you for hours and hours on end right now Sun Hee. But fuck it seems like I’ll be going to go for an even longer trip than you.”

Izo stood up and began grabbing his equipment that had been laid down there.

“Arrived at source of all souls. Escaped. Could be sent back through a rift in a moment. Need all equipment and items that could help.”

He was stumbling and felt woozy but the casual Izo from seconds ago was replaced by the battle one. Sun Hee also after months of training switched her tack instantly.

“Got it. Jane and I had made this to-do-list for when you wake up.”

It contained all the equipment that he could buy and how his growth should be from now on,

“Can’t use Dream State Consciousness anymore?”

Izo nodded then read the list and began buying everything written faithfully.

“Figures. Exchange the 20,000 point award for the Gene Editor Platform Mk.1.”

[ Sun Hee: Izo had woken up. Inform the buyer. ]

The Mk.8 Life Booster was such a rare and expensive item that it couldn’t be sold and only bartered.

[ Jane: Done. How is he?

Sun Hee: I’m arming him, said something about being transported through rift.

Jane: Those are very dangerous and random. ]

Before long Izo was wearing a metalic G.R.E.D. suit, a powerful new gun, two spirit items and all the necessities in the suits backpack storage. Then a spherical orb appeared which would enable him to use the most expensive to practice spiritual art.

“I hate promises and I got myself killed for it, you should know.”

Izo chuckled with his dark joke.

“Don’t wait up for me and continue your life Sun Hee.”

“Are you assuming something? It was only a kiss so don’t be arrogant.”

“I like you too fool.”

A rift did open up but it only had effect on Izo. She could imagine him smirking as he was sucked up by the portal.

*

"Ah just my luck!"

He had just confirmed that a rift wasn't threatening to suck him up anymore then the issue was sadly, completely invalidated.

Izo stood in front of a 10 meter tall skeleton knight who was raising its 15 meter club to the height of the cliffs. Around him were undead with tattered armor, hiding inside dark ruins. The moon was up high and there was barely any light to clear the darkness.