Inaudible gasps escaped the mouths of the people in both groups, while the cowering individuals further away on the floor shrugged together.

My body, which still was intangible to everyone around, strode — on its own — to my other self. It slit over the floor, completely out of my control. What? My feet couldn't find a hold on the clean-cut stone tiles. I assimilated with her more and more the longer I stayed.

The other Yu Anya had come out from the fog but now turned around again towards the tower. The mysterious force lugged me along. To be exact, it dragged me into her body. Terrified, I registered that I couldn’t move my body at all anymore. Then our bodies overlapped completely like a full-body suit.

My fate was up to the other me now.

I saw through her eyes that the black-haired woman, who almost fell down and then later died… or will be killed? Anyway, she ran towards the tower. After her, another man followed. Then, more and more people dashed and arrived next to Yu Anya and me.

There were at least 30 people here. That was way too many! ‘We are definitely more than 24 people,’ the thoughts of my other self confirmed. ‘How should I get rid of them? I am sure that we can only be 24 people! Or should I just accept it and die?’ Driven by a foreign force, which was my other self, my head shook left and right. ‘No, no, no, not now. I haven’t even tried to have any higher education. That would be a waste of opportunity!’ She thought.

I nodded internally at my other selves’ will to survive, which didn't have any impact on the actual head.

How could I ever accept death that easily? I should struggle before with all my might, wriggle on the ground… maybe not wriggle around. But I could at least have a somewhat meaningful death. Truly a waste of opportunity to just die here. In the middle of nowhere.

Even I still didn’t know where this was! And I was an hour older than this self.

The people at the tower gate looked up to the hundreds of arms of the giant stone angels. I would have gotten goosebumps if this body was mine. Yu Anya looked up and shrugged it off. She concentrated back on the original plan. ‘Who is the ruler? And what is his love?’

‘Maybe it’s one of the statues.’ 

– Yes! I thought.

– Now please just find out which one! It’s the boy! Come on, I believe in you… me… yes, let’s say I believe in me. You can do it, me!

I cheered silently.

Sadly, nobody else cheered. Instead, they mutely argued, some shoved others a bit too forcefully. A fight broke out. Again.

Before it escalated, however, the Chinese programmer intervened — again. 

Quickly, the knot of people dissipated. Only a few stayed. One of the remaining onlookers was Thomas Donau.

‘The ruler’s love is probably a statue, right?’ Yu Anya thought. From the corner of my eye, I saw Thomas Donau still engaging with the Chinese programmer. Their deputies had joined their silent discussion as well.

In the meantime, my other me, that had still complete control of the body, picked up one of the black bricks that fell down from the tower. Then she smashes it into one of the female statues. 

“Seo-keok”

“Kwa-ahhh!”

The sound was earth-shattering. Literally. The statue cracked and crumbled into pieces. 

Had it been that easy? Why didn't I do that back then? I was flabbergasted. Was I the stupid one? Then I remembered that earlier, it had been Gwan Shinil, who fell over one of these blue fire basins and destroyed the statue with just his body.

“Seo-keok!”

“Kwa-ahhh!”

Another statue burst. Doubts paralyzed my other self.

‘That didn't work. Maybe that wasn't the right answer… I don't want to sit here and wait, doing nothing.’

– My girl, you didn’t even destroy a majority of statues, just the women! Aside from family love, the ruler could have been gay or a woman. This is sexist! My other self was misogynistic! Was I misogynistic?

I decided that only my other self was being sexist, and it had nothing to do with me.

The other people were not misogynistic. They followed my example and picked up some stones themselves to smash the diverse sculptures. Even though, they probably didn't even think about the sociologic implications behind their actions. Simultaneously, about five people also tried to stop the destroyers, probably scared of the Fate Voice, and what the Voice would do if the environment altered or demolished.

I thought it was weird. Even though I could hear the statues crack, I could not hear any of the people’s voices around me. Either nobody was talking, or there was some sort of restriction in this world that prevented their voices from reaching me. My Yu Anya’s thought voice seemed to be the exception.

At this point, the timeline of this world was completely different. Maybe it was really a trial? But now I could not even move. What sort of trial should that be, where you can't even do anything? Was this just showing me a distinct reality? To break me?

George Kruger stood aside from the turmoil. He did not pick up any stones. He just watched me. I could feel his eyes burning holes in the back of my head. I really wanted to know what they argued about earlier. His superior glow of a leader, actor, or whatever it was earlier, that made him shine, never appeared here. He had slumped shoulders and clasped his hands together. His look slid off me and the working humans and wandered off to stare into the endlessness of the sky.

When the Voice announced the last countdown, he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. {There are 100 seconds left.}

‘Only one minute.’ Yu Anya thought. I could feel her—my—body solidify, then quiver. She gulped. I felt back to an hour ago when I tried my hardest to suppress all emotions so that I would have enough energy to survive till the tower. The next three stones she finally threw on the statue of the prince. The face cracked. He lost his nose. Then he lost his hand. The last brick snapped his neck. He "died" and shattered into tiny pieces.

Under loud groaning, the angels retracted their one hundred spears.

Hurriedly, person after person rushed to the entrance. ‘I should run.’ Yu Anya thought. She should. But there were too many people. 

– No! I thought.

I could feel how my body was pushed to the side more than three times, before someone's body weight tackled me to the ground. People made way for their own survival. This was different from my turn. This time there were so many people. Would the gate close if there were more than 24 people inside?

The masses drove me to the back. If only my body was a little bigger, stronger. George Kruger was gone. Thomas Donau and the other leader, the Chinese Programmer, and Arno Holmann, were nowhere to be seen as well. The safe womb of the tower had already swallowed them all, leaving only the leftovers. 

Beside me was an old lady. Next to her lay the husband of the middle-aged couple I met inside the tower. The man had been cast aside and rubbed his behind. Yu Anya stood up again. Our view was shaking. She had tears in her eyes that obstructed the clearness of the scene. It was blurry. Then she stopped moving.

Now, I panicked.

– Run, girl! Run! This is your last chance. We will be burned alive by a meteor soon! Get moving!

But she just stood there, tears in her eyes, looking at the remaining people filling the quota.

‘I guess that’s it,’ she thought.

I disagreed strongly.

– NO! The meteor…!

But there was no meteor in sight. No orange ball of light was falling from the sky. My own thoughts halted, too.

– What would have happened if I hadn’t made everyone believe in the meteor?… Would there have been no meteor at all?

As confusing as that line of thought was, it actually made sense. There was no meteor.

– But how is the prophecy coming together then?

Yu Anya exhaled, getting in as much air as possible. Our breathing was still unstable.

"Thud!"

The portal closed, inevitably, forever. It had something of an eternal end to it. Dust whirled up, making my skin feel icky.

A clatter followed it when the giant stone angels raised their spears back into position. The old and weak who couldn't make it wept without a sound. They directed silent screams to the tower, which loomed darkly over the scene.

I spotted the small Nanuq Thiel among the people. Her blood-splashed face showed her gritted teeth, which also were stained red. She showed the tower the finger. I could guess her thoughts exactly. ‘If I die, I'll definitely hound you as a ghost, you bastard!’ I chuckled.

…

I chuckled?

Did I have control of this body?

Now? After everything was over? I shook my head in disbelief, sending my messy platinum hair flying. I could move! My excitement for the newfound mobility only lasted a moment. Then I looked up at the tower.

It was the first time I could see it in its entirety up close. Before there was the mist. Later, there were so many events taking place at the same time that I couldn't heed it.

Suddenly, the black bricks tremored, faintly at first, then stronger. The basins full of blue glowing and fuming water emitted a blazing light. The water started bubbling up, then it danced into the air like a snake in front of a serpent charmer. Higher and higher, it danced to the inaudible rhythm of a heavenly flute. Then the tower's top flared up.

Blinded, I only could make out an incredibly bright blue light before I had to close my eyes. The light grew bigger and taller. Then it became longer and longer, developing into a long rope of blue flames. The top danced, just like the water in the basins, to the same silent, eerie melody as the glowing water in the basins. 

Another quake went through the tower, sending black bricks flying. Then the giant flame rope flared up at the bottom and turned into the head of a gigantic blue glowing fire snake. It opened its colossal mouth with its razor-sharp glowing teeth and descended along the tower’s stem downwards, headed here.

Nanuq Thiel, who had witnessed the whole spectacle with great interest so far, showed horror on her face. My own blood pressure rushed up, and nausea kicked in almost immediately, too. My body became hot. Sweat drops accumulated on my palms. 

‘Fuck,’ I thought.

‘I guess, I will die now,’ the voice of thought from the other Yu Anya speculated. ‘Kind of pathetic.’ She thought, ‘Still, at least I saved these 24 people…’ Why did these people survive?! ‘I destroyed the statue! Well, the other me, but still! How is it that they get to live and I can only be eaten by a fucking, flaming snake? I don't even like snakes!’

‘I guess Ellie will be sad.’ the other me thought, ‘I just wish I wouldn’t wear this boring-ass gray blazer.’

‘Seems like I will die in this gray blazer nonetheless,’ I agreed to the regrets.

How could it be that I survived the meteor, even the black smoke figures, and now had to die to a burning reptile? Even though this turn was much worse than my own first one, it was still a second chance.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel like giving up my life at all. 

‘I am the main character of a story called [My Life]’, my brother told me years ago. 

‘If my life is a story too, I wouldn’t read it. Instead of the main character, I’d rather be the author. Fuck being the author, fuck all the characters in their story! I want to live! I am important too! These ignorant people left me here. They…’ I teared up again, but only my face cried. My whole body was alert.

Fresh energy rushed into me, filling me up. I was ready to fight. My hands and feet tingled.

‘No, I refuse to give into this.’ 

When I looked up, the snake was already above me. The teeth shone white. Its head was 20 meters wide, mouth wide open, ready for the meal. It was impossible to escape. My heartbeat was fast and loud. I didn’t perceive anything aside from me and the snake at the moment. I looked into its eyes; it looked into mine. It was a fight of the minds.

However, it was too late. Blue flames closed up to me when the snake bit through the ten or so humans on the ground. Blue glow all around me. It felt magical for only a moment. Then the heat came.

My hair caught on fire first. It was a normal red-orange flame. And it was hot. The snake reared up, shooting forth the fiery tongue that lashed out at me like a fire whip. It was only millimeters from my neck when suddenly…

“Di-rring!”

Time stopped. The world was gray.

The sizzling from the fire had disappeared, and the flame on my hair did not move anymore. It felt familiar, like shortly before we teleported here the first time.

[A huge amount of ‘Existence’ was perceived. Proceed to activate various functions…]

[Loading…]

[4%]

Two floating translucent neon blue-green screens had appeared in front of me. Was this like in the novels? Now, after I had decided to break character, cursed the world, and was ready to have a strong and meaningful end, I became the protagonist? What was this bullshit? 

The bar below [Loading…] steadily filled.

[23%]

[30%]

[62%]

[86%]

[99%]

[100%]

[The System is ready for service. You have one chance to absorb the abundant ‘Existence’ in the terrain. Would you like to proceed?] 

[☐ Proceed] [​​☐ Cancel]

If this was a dream, it was a cool one. If it really could absorb the real fire serpent, I would get out of this situation almost unscratched. It was a win-win situation for me. “Cancel” wasn’t even an option.

Since I could not move, and even my hair was frozen in time, like the flame on it, the only options to select the options were thoughts or voice. Thoughts did not work, it was voice activated.

“Yes!”

“Di-rring!”

[System will commence with absorption.]

The blue fire changed its state. It became powdery, burning dust and flowed into the window like sand in an hourglass flowing into the bottom chamber.

[29%]

[84%]

[99%]

The whole, almost a kilometer-long snake disappeared in seconds.

[100%]

“Di-rring!”

[Congratulations on your first acquisition of ‘Existence’. It will now be injected into your body.]

“Wh-what?!”

I didn't want to touch the blue blazes, but I had no say in this. The burning dust sparks that came out of the system window were much brighter than the flames from the snake earlier. They seemed to be cleansed from any impurities. Shining, they danced as the only color in this situation before my chest. They were still blistering hot, though. Even more so than before.

“Ahhhhg-ahhhh!!”

Although they did not burn my skin, it was immensely painful. I gritted my teeth to endure, but I felt how my tears started flowing out. It hurt like I was scorched alive.

“Ah-gnnn!” I gulped. Snot was coming out of my nose, obstructing my breathing. 

“Di-rring!”

[Error! Error fixed.]

[The system is protecting your body. Please focus entirely on absorption and assimilation.]

‘Protect my ass. It hurts like hell.’

“Di-rring!”

[Error! Error fixed.]

I wanted to throw up. 

When the ‘absorption and assimilation’ process became slower and a bit less painful, I felt how my senses dulled. I drifted into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.