Story dump

Chapter 17

Kilmn Being a mc
(Original date: 9/8/22)

"I'm going to die here." Those words echoed in his head as he took another step back, nearing the sheer drop of the cliff behind him. Kilmn's opponent, Feirn, took a step closer, their sword glowing from the magic imbued within it. He knew they could read his mind, but he didn't care. He was panicking. "Aww.. giving up already~?" They teased. "Such a shame.. I thought you stood a chance against me.." Kilmn looked behind him, seeing the rocky ground at the bottom of the cliff. He knew it would not be a comfortable landing if he fell. He heard the sound of Feirn's magic firing at him, causing him to jump upwards. His leg had grazed the slash of magic created by the sword, falling down to the ground as he landed. He struggled to stand back up, but he ultimately wobbled and fell back down. He hissed in pain as he heard Feirn approach him, the low hum of their sword sending a shiver down his spine. He was rolled onto his back, staring directly at Feirn's smug smile. They chuckled as they spoke. "Y'know, I could simply capture you.. but what fun would that be?" They said. "I have a feeling something interesting will happen once you die, and I'd like to know that outcome. Wouldn't you?" Kilmn couldn't get a single word out due to panicking and not being able to think of what to say. "I don't want to die," he thought over and over, Feirn's smile growing wider. "Really now~?" They asked in a mocking tone. "Well.. too bad!" They raised their sword, a small shockwave pushing Kilmn over the edge. He scrambled to grab onto the ledge, no longer daring to look down. He attempted to hoist himself back up, but he felt Feirn stomp on one of his hands and place their foot on the other. He winced, feeling as though he may now have a few broken fingers. His hand slipped, the hand that Feirn's foot was on now being his only support. "If only you hadn't left me behind back then. Maybe none of this would have happened." They said, kneeling down.

They flicked his nose before speaking again. "Farewell, my sweet prince..~" they stomped on Kilmn's other hand, moving their foot. He struggled to keep his grip, but the excruciating pain caused him to quickly lose his grip. He felt himself begin to fall, the wind blowing through his hair. This was it. This was goodbye. He clenched his eyes shut, a piercingly sharp pain going through his whole body as he hit the ground, and soon everything around him grew cold and dark.

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REVIVAL ONE
New characters
Appol - Vessel
Dircho - Vessel's companion
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"... Ap..! Wa... u...! Appol...! Come o...! Wake up!" Kilmn snapped back into consciousness, suddenly confused. Hadn't he died? Why did he feel as though he were alive again? "Appol!!" He heard a voice shout. "Come on! You've been sleeping all day!" He didn't recognize the voice, but he listened anyways, slowly opening his eyes. He was immediately greeted by sunlight flickering through tree leaves, along with the sounds of birds chirping around him. He sat up, surprised he wasn't sore from his previous fall. He jumped in surprise when something collided with him, causing him to assume it was Feirn and begin to panic. He clenched his eyes shut, shuddering at the thought of being killed again. "Hey! Relax! It's just me!" He heard a voice say. It didn't sound like Feirn, so Kilmn slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by a black and blue haired person, relieved at the sight of someone completely unfamiliar to him. "See!" The stranger said, grinning. "It's just little ol' me!" He glanced around, confused. Was he supposed to know this person? He didn't recognize them, although they seemed to recognize him. They hugged him, laying their head on his chest. "I'm so glad you're back, Appol.." they said. "I missed your old self." He felt a twinge of guilt, realizing this person thought he was someone else. He sighed, not wishing to break the news, but he knew he had to. "Uhm.." he mumbled, the stranger looking up at him. "My name's.. not Appol.. it's.. Kilmn." The black and blue haired person raised a brow, a look of confusion on their face before giggling. "Oh. Haha, App.. very funny." They said, grinning. Kilmn felt slightly irritated, realizing they didn't believe him. ".. You don't think I'm telling the truth, do you?" He asked, the stranger's grin growing slightly wider. "Of course not! I'm not falling for one of your pranks this time!" They said. Kilmn thought for a moment, trying to think of how to prove he wasn't this 'Appol' person.

A few moments later, an idea came into his mind. "Well, I'll prove it to you." He said. "Ask me a question only this 'Appol' person knows." The stranger raised a brow, confused once more. "Uhh.. okay..?" They said before thinking for a bit. They looked up again soon after. "What's my favorite food?" Kilmn tried to rack his brain to see if he knew anyone who had blue and black hair. When he drew a blank, he sighed, deciding to simply guess. "Uhm.. chocolate..?" The stranger's expression seemed to fall, letting go of Kilmn. "... I assume that's.. incorrect.." he said, the stranger nodding. They were quiet for a moment before asking another question. "What's.. your favorite food..?" Their tone was slightly duller than before, seeming to grow less hopeful. "Anything.. sour or.. spicy.." he responded. This seemed to upset the stranger more, Kilmn noticing they were beginning to tear up. Kilmn placed a hand on their shoulder, attempting to cheer them up. They quickly brushed his hand off, seeming to grow irritated. He sighed, looking down. "Who are you." They snapped. "I already told you, my name's Kilmn." He replied, looking back up. The stranger was glaring at him now, and for a moment he thought they were about to attack him. "Well then, 'Kilmn', where is Appol. Clearly you'd know, since you've managed to take over his entire body." He was silent, thinking for a moment. They were right, he SHOULD know where the real 'Appol' really was. Yet, he didn't know the answer. Suddenly, he had a thought, though he decided to ask the stranger to confirm. "I think I can figure this out.." he said. "This.. "Appol" fellow.. has he been acting weird for the past few days?" They seemed to think for a moment before responding. "As in..?" They asked. "As in.. loss of personality.. as though he was becoming a hollow shell..?" Slowly, the stranger nodded. He knew it. "Then he must've developed Lamia." "Lamia..?" They asked, confused.

Kilmn nodded. "Mhm. It develops when specific types of people are near death." He explained. "It's usually characterized by the loss of an individual's personality, before eventually falling asleep for a day or two. Once they 'wake up', the person that had died becomes reincarnated in the infected's body, still retaining all of the memories of their own life." The stranger's glare seemed to fade, now looking upset. "Oh.." They mumbled, looking down. "Does that mean.. Appol's...?" He shook his head. "No," he said. "He'll come back to his normal self once I die. Any lethal injuries that happen to me will be very painful for him, but he won't die from it.. at least for a day or so.." The stranger was silent, seeming to think. "If you.. don't want me in your friend's body, you can.. uh.. kill me.." He said, assuming they were still upset with him. He didn't like the thought of dying again, but he knew it was the only solution. The stranger shook their head. "No.. I.. I won't.." They said, surprising Kilmn. "Just because you're.. a different person.. doesn't mean I'd.. be able to bring myself to kill you.." he let out a quiet sigh of relief, thankful he wasn't going to die again. "I see.." he said, wringing his hands together. The stranger nodded. "I'm.. Dircho.. by the way.." they said, still solemn. "Oh! Well, it's.. nice to know your name..!" Kilmn responded, smiling slightly.