《Apocalypse The Fantasy》


 Prologue

    "Seems like, we will have to search for each other again¡­ Cerys"


    A man on the brink of death spoke as he smiled wryly, losing color on his face and held my hand with his cold hand. I forced a smile as I slowly lied down next to him.


    I closed my eyes as I tried my best to withstand the pain at my waist. Both of us has lost too much blood and this would be our end. Yet, we still smiled as we face each other.


    This might not be too bad...Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Unlike the previous life, I had to die alone. The pain of losing someone near you was not even close to the pain of dying alone at a night being surrounded by the¡­ aberrants.


    Who knows how the time had passed by?Before we knew it, Alan and Ihad fallen into a deep slumber.


    When I opened my eyes, I have returned to the past for the third time.


    "This time, I had a purpose. Not just surviving¡­ I will also start searching for him."


    With the power I held inside me, I vowed to search for him and protect those that I treasured.

 Chapter 1: Rebirth

    I have returned to the time, where I activated my power for the first time. It was my third time to experience going back through the time. It should be a bit over a month after the apocalypse has started.


    My head turned to the left and right, realizing that I was standing on top of a building.


    "This building..."


    I remembered it. This was a mall and everyone was rushing inside to secure food and weapon for themselves. My family also went in together and after a while, a gunfight started to take place. People died and we went hiding while panicked inside a storage room in the basement. It only had clothes and several bottles of water. After a week, we couldn¡¯t stand any longer and dad started to explore the upper level.


    Afterward, I followed behind and saw that he got himself killed by a bandit. I panicked and ran back inside the storage room. From the room, there was a small black stained-glasses window. When I heard the bandits have left with their cars, I told mom and little brother to stay inside the storage room as I sneaked around and got food for them.


    That time, I was still frustrated that I couldn¡¯t save my dad but I knew that he wouldn¡¯t want me to get revenge for him. He wanted to save his family as much as he possibly could. I closed my eyes and clasped my wristwatch on my left hand.


    "Don¡¯t worry dad, I will protect your treasure for you."


    Tears streaked down to my cheek even though I tried to restrain it. I wiped the tears and looked down the building to the road. What I saw was, aberrants. They were slow and look weak.


    They had a different color of skin to determine their strength. The weakest, for now, would have red and brownish skin color while the strongest, for now, would have a beaming copper skin.Stolen novel; please report.


    Having identified their number, I went down the stairs. I remembered the blueprint of this place. There was nothing on top of the building except for some broken pole and electric wires.


    I felt confident as I climbed down the stairs. The power that I have was the power of Tree Life. In the past, it was a hidden treasure behind the disguise that made people think we were weak.


    Even though for the first few stages, I needed some seed or plant to mediate with my abilities, I would be strong enough after I fought the aberrants. Around this time, the aberrants were still dumb, deaf, blind and slow. Also, if they ate something, they would need time to digest it and get stronger afterward.


    Hence, I was not worried while going down the stairs.


    ¡¾F3¡¿


    Floor 3, the gaming center and cinema. As I sneakily open the emergency door and saw a few aberrants walking around the corridor while some were sitting on the bench.


    Having lived for the third life, I experienced many things. Including being killed as an aberrant. Being an aberrant was the most suffocating experience ever. You had a consciousness but you couldn¡¯t control what you think or what you do. You only know, hunger and kill.


    Being aberrant did not mean dying but killed by someone who was alive did kills you.


    "Fuu..."


    I took a deep breath and walked toward the gaming center which on the left side while most aberrant was at the right.


    There was no weapon as to be expected but what I want was still available.


    Inside, the chairs were broken and just perfect for me. I sneaked in and took a few steel rod from the broken chairs and put them behind my back as I held one in each hand.


    After I took another breath and calmed down the adrenaline in my blood. I ran toward an aberrant that was standing nearby. My muscle was not trained yet, thus I ran slower than expected and I made noises while running. The aberrant took notice and started to walk toward me.

 Chapter 2: Silent

    I held the steel rods in my hands tightly and rapidly smashed his head and took a step back to dodge his claws. He tried to bite me but I dodged to the left and hit him from behind. When I landed the last smash and broke his skull, I hit him one more time and crushed his brain.


    Even though my arm was still weak for combat, the aberrant was not strong either. My ears perked when I heard growls coming from my behind.


    Two aberrants walking toward me, probably because of the loud sound that I made from smashing earlier. I ran toward the one at the front and started beating him quickly and backed away when he was about to bite and scratch me. I hit as hard as I could as the last blow to his skull and attacked the one in the back without finishing him.


    Once I smashed the brain of the one in the back, I went back to smash the other one.


    "Ha... Ha..."


    I gasped for airs and panted as my whole body trembled from the exhaustion. It was still too much for me to take. I looked around to see if there was any more nearby and saw only a few aberrants at the few meters apart near the escalator.


    I sat down and crawled toward the dead aberrants. When they died, their skin became weaker than cotton. Even the strongest aberrant I ever knew only left a weak skin like a duck meat. Thus, we could never use their skin as a protective armor.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I cut the chest open using the tip of my nail and inserted my hand into the inner part and go to the back of the heart to take a small piece of pink stone.


    The expertise of the past lives called it as the "Wall."


    I had no idea why they called it that way but everyone called it as the ''wall'' and it also became a currency for item exchange.


    I moved toward the other two and took the walls. I was too tired to fight another, so, I crept toward the elevator and went to the basement floor. Unlike the first floor where the aberrant manifested, the basement was practically empty and safe.


    At first, my family thought that basement would be filled with people as a safe place and would soon be an aberrant base. I thought the same but after few years of surviving, I found out that the basement was one of the safest places in the city.


    As I walked down the corridor, I saw a mirror. I have definitely returned to the past.


    My face became younger. I had a long hair that I would then cut after few years. I always had a plain look to begin with and a bit malicious. I have jet black eyes that were narrow and small. Adding with my eyebrows that were thin, my long face and sharp jaw. I looked a bit like a man but a bit feminine with a perfect symmetry cupid bow lips.


    I¡¯m glad that I was wearing a black sweatshirt and could hide the blood of the aberrant in disguise. I also wore a dark blue tight and red sneaker.


    I took the mirror with me and walked toward the last room of the corridor. I knocked the door twice and called out to my brother.


    "Sam, it''s me."


    Only silent came and I knocked again in panic. They shouldn''t have gone anywhere. It wasn''t that long since I''ve been gone.

 Chapter 3: Basement

    "Sam, open up, this is Cerys!"


    I knocked the door without stopping until after a bit moment of silent, a hoarse voice spoke with doubt and the door opened.


    "... was that really you, Cerys?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you open it faster?"


    "because¡­ You didn¡¯t say the password."


    "Ah..."


    I forgot the password that I have created myself for them. I couldn''t say that I forgot but it''s not like anyone could imitate my face and voice.


    I entered the practically empty room with only few boxes at the corner and sat down on the cold cement floor as I faced with what left of my family.


    My mother, Julie used to has a youthful pretty face and always being told as my sister by most people. Ever since father died, she looked older than she already did. She had a small build and looked smaller and thinner since we don¡¯t have enough of food stock and kept eating lesser than we ever had. Father was also not here to cheer us up.


    I finally remembered that I only brought steel rods and not food. I covered my face and thought to myself secretly.


    How stupid! I should have gone to the grocery before returning even though I was tired!


    We haven¡¯t eaten anything for the last five days and if this goes on, we couldn¡¯t last for the other two days. I wanted to avoid going inside the mall at night as the electric didn¡¯t function started from three weeks after the apocalypse.


    Then, I remembered.


    "Sam, mom, did you activate your ability yet?"


    "Ability? Activate?"


    "Sis, are you talking about the thing that the radio talked about?"


    Radio?


    "I didn¡¯t know we had a radio?"


    "We didn¡¯t but the empty cars outside played the radio and told about it."


    I peeked at the window and saw the parking lots were full with aberrants surrounded the cars. If I listened closely, I heard announcement aside of the growls.


    "Right, like the radio has told. Everyone does have an ability that would need to be activated. I have activated mine."


    "Cerys, is that true?"


    I knocked my brother head because he called my name and he curled on the floor as he held his head.


    "Call me sis and it¡¯s true. Mom, could you hand me the water, please?"


    I drank a bit and left half of the water and put it down on the floor.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Mom, put your hand in front like this."


    I made her point her hand toward the bottle and told her to imagine the water to ripple inside her mind. At first, she wasn''t focused enough and was about to stop but when she saw the effect inside the bottle, her eyes widened open.


    My brother crawled toward the bottle and shook my shoulder as he asked about his power.


    **BAM**


    He got his second bumps on his head.


    "Mom has the power over water. While you¡­ "


    I knew exactly what his power was but how do I explain that I knew about it? I looked left and right, then stood up as I probe the boxes at the corner. I found a few batteries and gave them to him.


    "Try something. Imagine."


    He took one and put the rest on the floor and groaned as he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the battery that he held exploded.


    "What the--"


    "It was a power over electricity. You have a strong power, good job, bro."


    "Wow¡­ Am I a Pikachu now?"


    I scoffed and he pouted. As expected from a middle school boy, his imagination was like a kid.


    After knowing their ability, their face showed a bit energy and they smiled brightly. I told mom to wash the three walls and I took one to eat while giving the other to them. When they looked at the pink stone, they were confused as to why I ate such a thing.


    It was not a poison but it was a strange thing for them, but I needed to make them eat it. It was too much to explain everything without proof. Thus, I told them the secret of the apocalypse with a serious face.


    "Sam, mom. I have died three times and this is my third life. I know that it''s hard to believe it but the proof is right in front of you."


    "What do you mean died three times?"


    They frowned as they looked at me. I knew it, they wouldn¡¯t believe it because they didn¡¯t experience it.


    "The activation of the ability just now was set as a checkpoint of lives. If we die, we would be returned to the checkpoint and had to start all over again until someone buries us when we die again."


    "Sis, stop talking nonsense..."


    I glared at him and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Do not speak as if you know, Sam. Just shut up and listen."


    I told them everything. They couldn''t accept it but I told them that if aberrant and power exist, so, why was the thing I said was impossible. They were half convinced but that was enough.


    They asked in hope if dad was also revived. I told them that it was hopeless. In the past, if someone became an aberrant, I could easily turn them back into a human which was one of the abilities of the Life Tree. But, to turn someone who was dead into alive, I could never do such a thing.


    They became silent again when they came to know about it. I ignored the feeling that lingers in my heart and explains further about the walls.


    "The pink stone just now was called the wall. There were many types of wall. Pink, blue, emerald, and red. Depend on the color, its effect varied."


    "What did the pink do?"


    "It was the most common wall. It enhances people¡¯s power and strengthens our skin as well as resistance to the infection. Then, the wall size depended on the aberrant rank."


    "Wait, that monster also got stronger?"


    "Yes, they do."


    Sam slumped as his face paled. Was it too much for them to take?


    "They only get stronger if they eat more. But, the disadvantage for us was, they basically eat everything that was alive except for trees."


    He slowly raised his head and looked into my eyes."... Why not the tree?"


    I thought for a while before saying,"They did not eat things that did not move. Their sight and hearing were bad at the start. They would recover when they got stronger, though. But later on, the tree that was infected would become a new type of aberrant as well as the animals."


    He knitted his brow and complained."Could you please stop saying the disadvantage we have?"


    "Why? If I did not say it, we would really be the one with the disadvantage."


    It probably was night as I couldn¡¯t see the outside. I told the two to practice their power until exhaustion as I slept with steel rods at my side while Sam stayed on a lookout at the corridor.

 Chapter 4: First floor [1]

    My body sub consciously stood up when I heard the growl noises nearby. While half-awake, I took the steel rods and looked around. It was the basement room, mom and Sam were alive and well with their body intact. I remembered that I have returned to the past and calmed down. Then, I heard another growls coming from them.


    They had a strained smile as they held their belly. This was the fourth day without food. I stood and wiped off the dust at my bottom and back.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the first floor.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Sam shouted and stood in panic. He shook his head and rejected the idea of going to the first floor.


    I ruffled his hair and convinced him that it was fine.


    ¡°If the situation was too hard for me to handle, I won¡¯t foolishly go inside and leave you guys alone.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That''s not it¡­¡± He looked into my eyes and paused for a moment of silence and shook his head as he allowed me to go. Mom wanted to say something but she knew that it was hopeless to stop me since I am the only one that they could rely on now. If she was strong, I''m sure she wanted to replace me and be in charge rather than risk danger on her children.


    With the steel rods at my back, I went to the boxes and took a short cutter and a miscellaneous knife with me. I scratched off the mosses that grew on the damp part of the ceiling with the pole and walked into the elevator as I kept the mosses in my hand.


    I closed my eyes and heaved a deep breath.


    I¡¯m not planning on killing any aberrant. What I want was just food and it would be taken and run plan.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When the elevator door opened, I immediately charged toward the left where the grocery market at. The aberrants crowded inside the market, which expected.


    I held the cutter in my right hand and rod in my left hand tightly and rushed inside without stopping. The noises I made attracted their attention but I have planned it beforehand. I stopped running to throw the steel rod far away as strong as I could and it made a loud thud sound as it fell on to the floor and it continued for a couple of time before rolling on the floor.


    Most of the aberrant ran toward the steel rod and leaving only a few that was far away from the door.


    I walked calmly toward the can shelves. I also secured some water bottles which at the paying counter and took a basket with me. Then, I put every can that available on the shelves. I looked around and there was many chocolates bar in the shelves untouched. When the basket was full, I walked toward the elevator and knew that the aberrant started to run toward me.


    I ran fast toward the elevator and held the mosses in my hand and it started to grow and bound the aberrant and they couldn¡¯t move. Some forcefully stuck their head in the elevator to fit in. Seeing they''re enthusiastic, I could not let them be disappointed, of course.


    **slash**


    With the cutter in my hand, I sliced their head off and smashed their brain relentlessly as the elevator went down to the basement.


    I slumped on the elevator floor and panted heavily. This body endurance was worse than I thought. In the past, I only needed to stab the aberrant in the head once with the power of life tree. Now, in addition to the weak muscle, I uselessly wasted the energy. After sitting and regained a bit of my stamina, I stood and held the basket tightly in my hand as I put on a huge smile on my face.


    I opened the door and spoke loudly.


    ¡°Here come the bounty!¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    Sam flustered as he stood up and took the basket from me while mom hurried to me and touched me all over my body with her face paled and eyes not focused. Need not to say, she was worried about me. She hugged me into her arms as she sobbed. I obediently let her pat my hairs and back.


    As I closed my eyes, I felt bad for her. It was normal for her to be worried but for someone who experienced deaths in various ways, I already forgot what it was to be afraid of the death and danger. I only know the risk but not fear. I was able to adapt to any situation and be calm no matter what.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5:


    Mom calmed down and smiled wryly, then the stomach grumblings caming from Sam belly reminded us of the dinner. I laughed and allowed him to take the can to eat. There was a lot of choices to take. But, all of us took the chicken soup first because the expired date would be tomorrow.


    After we filled our belly, mom and Sam slept as they needed to stay awake at night. Meanwhile, I checked the other room beside the room we stayed at. There was a stair to upward but it led to the parking lot where aberrant were at. I entered the room next to ours and realized that it was a room full of lockers for the mall¡¯s staffs.


    There was nothing except for keys and pictures inside the lockers. I went to the next room and immediately cupped my nose from the stench that I smelled when I walked to its door. I went back to our room to take the steel rod and cutter.


    After sharpening the cutter for a bit, I went back. I struggled to open the door and fiddled with the cutter to unlock the door. The door creaked when I opened it and stuck midway. I glanced downward and saw a corpse lying down on the floor.


    I took an immediate action by slashing its throat and smashed its brain. It did not respond thus, it was not an aberrant. I kicked the body few times to confirm it.


    ¡°Perhaps this guy thought that he already lost hope on living.¡±


    I said as my hand traveled through its body. It was normal to see people locking themselves in the room back in past lives. They secured some food for themselves and hiding in the room alone because they were afraid of people and aberrant. It was nothing bad but it was a stupid action by the coward.


    They could only survive for a month if they did so and when the aberrant got strong, it was too late for them to get out.


    He only had a wallet with few buck and a card with nothing else on him. I looked around and took the knife that was under the man¡¯s body. There was also a gun and a bag of bullets inside his backpack. All the cans were empty, he probably ate it all thus nothing left. I thought that it was weird that he didn¡¯t get out but when I saw his body, I saw a slash obviously from a sharp item across his belly and his left leg.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    He died from the blood loss and hunger. So it seemed.


    After I took the loot back to the room, I went to the last room near the stair. It was just an empty room. There was not an item but full of clouds of dust and spider¡¯s web.


    Just when I was about to leave, I saw valuable thing behind the door gap.


    It was a simple long grass vine but for me, it was a treasure. An ultimate weapon. I carefully plucked it off the wall, put it in my pocket and left the room. There was no need to go upstairs, so, I returned to the room and checked outside of the window.


    I still heard the sound coming from the radio and the aberrants were all surrounding the cars. Just straight in my eyes direction, I saw the light slowly faded away.


    It was hard to not make noise while sitting. When I sat down, Sam woke up and was in a daze.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright to sleep more. The aberrant won¡¯t attack us so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    He replied with a moan and went back to sleep. I also rested as I leaned back to the wall. As I looked into the ceiling, Alan¡¯s face appeared and his voice whispered into my mind.


    ¡°Seems like, we have to search for each other again¡­ Cerys.¡±


    His masculine voice made me shudder from the goosebumps. My mouth can¡¯t stop forming into a smile though. The first life I had during the apocalypse was lonely and the second life was sweet because of him. I had thought that the world would be perfect if not for the aberrant. Thinking it on the positive side, I wouldn¡¯t have met him if not for the aberrant.


    As I closed my eyes, I remembered the promise we made a day before dying.


    ¡°Cerys, I will create a fortress before you find me.¡±


    ¡°I know, I trust you.¡±


    As we sat on the rooftop, he held my hands tightly while looking in daze straight into the direction as the sun sunk down. He timidly requested and I coldly answer.


    ¡°Please find my sister for me.¡±


    ¡°Only if she alive. If she did, I will take her to you.¡±


    ¡°If she was an aberrant...¡±


    ¡°I will turn her human but what happens afterward would not be my concern.¡±


    ¡°That was more than enough.¡±


    He said that even though I did not promise him anything. That showed how much trust he had in me. I was never cute or feminine in any sort of way. But, I couldn¡¯t help it to fall in love with him that has always bear with my cold attitude. We fought sometimes which was normal as a couple but it was what got us even closer.


    ¡°Sis, you have been grinning creepily...¡±


    An annoying voice cuts into my mind and destroyed all my memory¡¯s bubble. I glared at the culprit and he stiffened on the spot.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Sam stuttered as his eyes avoided mine.


    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to glare at me¡­ I only state the truth.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to taste my fist, don¡¯t chip.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh...¡±


    ¡°Since you have woke up, practice your power. Hurry and advance to a rank and we will move soon.¡±


    ¡°Soon?¡±


    His mouth didn''t stop speaking even when he yieldingly did as I told him and formed an electric spark at the tip of his forefingers.


    ¡°It would be two days more and I will find two bikes for us. Mom will ride behind me while you rode the other one and the stuff behind you.¡±


    ¡°Why not take a car? Plus, you don¡¯t have experience riding a bike, do you?¡±


    ¡°Idiot. The road would be full of dead cars by now and you want to ride one? Want to die?¡±


    At my remark, he muttered in to complain as he looked away. Though he whispered, my ears were keen to hear his every word.


    ¡°I only ask and was scolded. Truly unfair.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°... You have become devilish by days, Cerys.¡±


    *Thud*


    He got a hit to his head for calling my name without the honorific. I was particularly sensitive about it and he got one as if he asked for it. He wriggled on the floor as he held the part where he got hit.


    ¡°You asked for it.¡±


    ¡°I. Did. Not.¡±


    His teeth clenched as he spoke each word one by one.


    A while later, mom woke up and we ate again. Afterward, I taught mom the water skills that I knew by observing someone.


    ¡°As you put your hand mid air, the energy should flow straight. Water should go out from here.¡±


    I pointed toward her palm as I told her what to do. I told her to hold the water that was out of her palm and it started forming into a round shape of water ball.


    ¡°With this, you should be able to manipulate it however you want. Mom should do it as your feeling told you.¡±


    ¡°I will try...¡±


    Unlike Sam, mom was hard-working to practice her ability. Unfortunately, water element that I knew was weak even in the past. It could drown the aberrant and make them slow down but it could never kill it in one hit, unlike ice element. Since water user did not kill enough aberrant, their element could not evolve into a new rank.


    My first element was just the power to control tree. As I killed more and more aberrant, it evolved into the Life Tree that I had now.


    The requirement for the element to evolve was killing thousands of aberrants or kill seven tier-7 aberrants. It did not specifically say to use the element to kill thus I only relied on my combat skills. But, not everyone has a nimble and a courageous heart to fight close-combat with the aberrant. Most water users were timid and soft-hearted, just like mom.


    Thus, they died earlier than the other user did. If I did not evolve my element, I would die earlier too just like the other floraelemental users.


    The only elements that was powerful from the start to the end was... Fire.