rejected by the reincarnation system

Shadows between us

The morning in the Nether wasn't morning at all.

A gray sky bled through the cracks of the cavern like a wound that never healed, casting a cold, unnatural

glow over the stone. The fire had died, and the embers were nothing but memory. Alis stood by the cave

entrance, sword in hand, her silhouette half lost in the mist.

Hinata sat in silence, his shirt clutched in his fist as he stared at the brand carved into his chest. The broken

circle glowed faintly, pulsing with something deeper than mana. Something wrong.

?Nightmares again?? Alis asked without turning around.

?Yeah,? Hinata lied again. It was becoming easier.

She turned this time, brow furrowed. ?You were sweating. Mumbling, too. Like you were in pain.?

?I said I?m fine.?

He didn?t mean to snap, but the words came out sharp. Alis narrowed her eyes, then strode over.

?You sure?? she asked. ?Because ever since that last fight, you've been... different.?

Hinata pulled his shirt over his head and stood. ?What?s that supposed to mean??

?I don?t know.? Her voice was quieter now, uncertain. ?You heal faster. You haven?t slept. And your aura?if

you even have one anymore?it?s like a void. I can?t sense you the same way.?

He stiffened.

Alis stepped closer, brushing her fingers through the air near his chest, not touching but feeling. Her handtrembled slightly. ?What happened to you that night??

Hinata met her gaze but said nothing.

?I?m your ally,? she said, voice harder now. ?You trust me, right? Or am I just some sword-wielding

babysitter while you spiral into whatever this is??

There was a long silence.

Then Hinata exhaled. ?Something came to me. Not a monster. Not a ghost. A being.?

Alis blinked. ?A what??

?A god. Or... what used to be one. Val?Kyros.?

Her eyes widened in horror. ?You?re joking.?

?I wish I was.?

?You made a *deal* with *him*?? she asked, stepping back, eyes full of disbelief. ?Are you insane??

?I didn?t have a choice. He offered me power?and not just strength. A way to survive this place. To fight

back.?

?And what did he take in return?? Her voice was low now. Sharp. ?Because beings like him don?t give out

freebies.?

Hinata hesitated. ?He said... I was already broken. That makes me useful.?

Alis stared at him, silent.

Then she punched him.Not hard, but it was enough to catch him off guard.

?You *idiot.* I don?t care if you?re broken. You?re still *you.*? Her voice cracked just slightly. ?Don?t let him

change that.?

Hinata touched his cheek, stunned.

She turned away, gripping her sword tight. ?If you turn into something else, I swear I?ll cut you down myself.?

He wanted to argue. To say she was overreacting. But he couldn?t. Because a part of him *was*

changing?and he could feel it, deeper than bones, in the echo of his own heartbeat.

?I?ll keep fighting,? he said quietly. ?For me. And... for you.?

Alis didn?t turn, but her shoulders relaxed just slightly.

?Good,? she said. ?Because if you become the next demon lord of this hellhole, I?m still not splitting my

rations.?

The moment of silence that followed was broken by a sound neither of them wanted to hear.

*Skrrkkk.*

A low hiss. Wet. Viscous. Hungry.

From the mist beyond the cave, shadows slithered. One became three. Then five.

Dozens of red pinpricks glimmered in the dark, eyes reflecting hatred?and hunger.

Alis stepped forward, sword drawn. ?I thought this place was cleared.??They?re not hunting us,? Hinata said, eyes narrowing.

?They?re hunting *you.*? she whispered.

The lead creature stepped into view.

A hulking, lurching beast with an exposed ribcage and chitinous limbs. Its mouth was vertical, unhinged, split

down the center like a rotting flower. Its chest bore a broken symbol?an imitation of Hinata?s brand.

?Corrupted remnants,? Hinata breathed. ?Drawn to the fragment.?

The beast roared?and the cave trembled.

They didn?t wait. The monsters charged.

Alis leapt into motion, blade dancing silver arcs through the mist. One creature lunged?she spun midair and

split its head in two.

But there were too many.

Hinata stepped forward, hand outstretched. The brand on his chest flared.

And then?*something answered.*

A ripple of dark light pulsed from his palm.

Reality wavered.

A twisted scream echoed?not from a monster, but from the air itself.

One of the corrupted beasts halted mid-leap, its body contorting, bones cracking backward as if time

reversed and devoured it from within. It collapsed, steaming.Hinata fell to one knee, chest heaving.

?What the hell was that?? Alis shouted, cutting down another.

?I don?t know,? he gasped. ?But I think that was... a piece of Rewrite Existence.?

Another beast lunged. Alis blocked it, screaming, ?THEN DO IT AGAIN!?

Hinata forced himself up, power trembling through his blood like wildfire.

He raised his hand once more.

This time, the air screamed first.