The GOD-SLAYER'S INFINITE REGRESSION

The Healer’s Debt

The guards threw me into the infirmary. The room smelled of rot and cheap herbs. I looked around. Most of the men on the cots were already dead.

"Wait! You can’t put more in here!" a woman’s voice cried out.

I turned. It was Lyra. In my past life, I watched her skin turn black from the Curse of the Weeping Vein. I watched her die screaming. Here, she was still alive. She looked thin. Her hands were stained with blood.

"Get back to work, slave!" the guard barked. He shoved me toward a corner.

"He's bleeding!" Lyra said, rushing over. She looked at the gash on my shoulder from the wolf. "Why do you keep sending them to me without supplies?"

"Because they’re meat, Lyra," the guard sneered. "And so are you. Fix him or don't. It won't matter when Brax kills him tomorrow."

The guard slammed the iron door. We were locked in.

"Don't touch me," I said.

Lyra flinched. She held a damp cloth in her hand. "You’re the one everyone is talking about. Vaxen. The wolf-slayer."

"I don't need a healer," I said.

"Everyone needs a healer in the Vorax Pits," she whispered. She reached for my arm. Suddenly, she gasped. She stumbled back, clutching her chest.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The air," she wheezed. "It’s... it’s heavy around you."

I looked at her neck. A thin, purple vein was pulsing. The curse. It was already starting. In three days, she would be a corpse.

"You’re sick, Lyra," I said.

"I’m just tired," she lied. She tried to stand up, but her knees buckled. "There is a plague in the pits. The Overseers call it a gift from the Gods. It keeps us weak."

"It’s not a plague," I said. "It’s a Soul-Eater Curse."

"How do you know that name?" Lyra asked. Her eyes went wide. "Only the High Priests know the types of magic used here."

"I know many things," I said.

I opened the Store menu. The red screen flickered in my vision.

[DIVINE SLAYER STORE] [CURRENT KARMA: 300] [SEARCHING: ANTIDOTES]

[ITEM FOUND: DIVINE DETOX PILL] [PRICE: 250 KARMA] [DESCRIPTION: PURGES ALL MID-TIER CURSES AND TOXINS.]

"What are you looking at?" Lyra asked. She leaned closer. "Your eyes are glowing gold again. It’s terrifying."

"Do you want to live?" I asked.

"Of course I do," she said. "But there is no cure. The Overseers say only the Gods can heal the Weeping Vein."

"The Gods gave it to you," I said. "They don't heal. They harvest."

"Don't say that!" she hissed. "If they hear you, they’ll strike us both down!"

"Let them try," I said.

I pressed the purchase button. A small, white pill appeared in my palm. It glowed with a faint, silver light. The smell of jasmine filled the room, masking the scent of death.

"What is that?" Lyra whispered. She reached out a trembling finger. "I’ve never seen medicine like this."

"Swallow it," I said.

"I can't take your things, Vaxen," she said. "Give it to one of the fighters. They need it more."

"They are already dead," I said. "You are the only one worth saving in this hole."

"Why?" she asked. "I'm just a slave. I'm a failed healer from a fallen house."

"Because I decided you live," I said. "Now, take it."

I grabbed her chin. I forced the pill into her mouth. She sputtered, but she swallowed. For a second, nothing happened. Then, she let out a piercing scream.

"It burns!" she shrieked. "My blood is on fire!"

"Stay down!" I commanded. I held her shoulders as she thrashed on the dirt floor.

Black smoke began to rise from her pores. The purple vein on her neck turned gray, then vanished. Her skin, which had been pale and sickly, began to glow with health.

"What did you do to me?" she gasped. She sat up, breathing hard. Her eyes were clear. The pain was gone.

"I cheated the Gods," I said.

"That pill... it cost a fortune, didn't it?" she asked. "Where did a slave get something so holy?"

"It wasn't holy," I said. "It was looted."

The door to the infirmary flew open. Overseer Malek stepped in, followed by two mages in black robes.

"I felt a surge of Divine energy!" Malek shouted. He looked at Lyra. He froze. "You. Why aren't you dying?"

"I... I don't know," Lyra stammered.

Malek walked over to her. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. He looked at her neck. "The curse is gone. That’s impossible. No one survives the Weeping Vein."

"Maybe your Gods are getting weak, Malek," I said.

Malek turned to me. His face was a mask of pure hatred. "You. It’s always you. What did you give her?"

"I gave her a future," I said.

"Search him!" Malek screamed at the mages. "Check his soul! He’s hiding a relic!"

The mages stepped forward. They began to chant. A circle of blue light appeared under my feet. I felt them trying to pry into my mind. I felt them searching for the Store.

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED SOUL-SCAN DETECTED.] [BLOCKING ACCESS...]

The mages suddenly flew backward. They slammed into the stone wall, coughing blood.

"He’s shielded!" one mage yelled. "His soul... it’s not F-Rank! It’s a void! I saw a mountain of skulls!"

"Skulls?" Malek stepped back. He reached for his whip. "What are you, Vaxen?"

"I’m the debt collector," I said.

I stood up. I walked toward Malek. He backed away until he hit the door. He was the one in charge, but he was trembling.

"You stay away from me!" Malek yelled. "Guards! GUARDS!"

"They can't hear you over the alarm," I said.

"What alarm?" Malek asked.

Suddenly, a loud siren echoed through the pits. Red lights began to flash.

"Prisoner escape in Sector 4!" a voice boomed over the magic speakers.

"It's not an escape," I whispered to Malek. "It's a slaughter."

Malek scrambled out of the room, locking the door behind him. I heard him running down the hall. Lyra stood up, shaking. She looked at me, and for the first time, she didn't see a savior. She saw something much worse.

"You knew that would happen," Lyra said. "You knew the mages would come."

"I needed them to see," I said.

"You used me as bait," she whispered. Her voice was cold.

"I saved your life," I said.

"No," Lyra said, backing away from me. "You didn't save me because you're kind. You did it to spite them. You're not a hero, Vaxen."

"I never claimed to be," I said.

"You’re a monster," she said. "You’re just a different kind of monster than the ones who built this place."

"Get used to the sight, Lyra," I said. "I’m the only monster that’s on your side."

I turned toward the door. I could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. The rebellion was starting too early. The timeline was shattering.

"Wait!" Lyra called out. "Where are you going? The guards will kill you if you leave this room!"

"I have a meeting with a Champion," I said. "And I don't like to be late."

I punched the iron door. The metal screamed as it tore off its hinges. I stepped out into the chaos.

"Vaxen!" Lyra yelled.

I didn't look back. I had a world to burn.