Chapter 4: Echoes of the Past

(Juno is seen kneeling over Krar’s lifeless body, tears streaming down her face. She mumbles to herself, her voice barely above a whisper.)

Juno: “No… no, I can’t lose him… not him…”

(Buddy stands a few feet away, staring at Krar’s body with an unreadable expression.)

Buddy: (flatly) “I think we should kill him.”

(Juno snaps her head up, eyes red with rage.)

Juno: “How fucking insensitive are you?! Are you dumb?”

(Kaisler, standing beside Buddy, sighs, rubbing his temples.)

Kaisler: “Not gonna lie, I have to agree with Juno on this one.”

Buddy: (shrugs) “If he hasn’t gotten up by now, he’s stuck facing his worst memory. You know what that means—he powered both of you. If his own strength couldn’t pull him out of this, what makes you think we can?”

Kaisler: “Still… there’s gotta be a way to save h—”

Buddy: (sharply cutting him off) “NO, WE CAN’T SAVE HIM.”

(The sudden outburst makes the air tense. Then, Buddy exhales, his voice calmer but firm.)

Buddy: “…We can’t save him. You stay here, you die. That’s it. Your choice.”

(Kaisler clenches his fists, weighing Buddy’s words. Deep down, he knows Buddy isn’t wrong. If Krar is gone, then waiting around only puts them all in danger. Buddy could probably take down any reanimated soldiers alone, but he wants Kaisler to get stronger—so if Kaisler stays, Buddy won’t help him unless he’s at the brink of death.)

Kaisler: (gritting his teeth) “Alright… if you promise to help me carry her, I’ll go.”

Juno: (through choked sobs) “No… don’t carry me. If I don’t leave with Krar, I’m not leaving.”

(Kaisler exhales, looking away, disappointment heavy in his tone.)

Kaisler: “I told you dumbasses this was a fucking death wish. But you still wanted to come.”

(Buddy steps back, adjusting his jacket.)

Buddy: “I’m leaving.”

Kaisler: (calling after him) “Wait… you’ll save me if I’m on the brink of death, right?”

(Buddy stops. When he speaks again, his voice is low, serious—almost cold.)

Buddy: “…No.”

(Kaisler stares at him for a moment, then scoffs, shaking his head.)

Kaisler: “Ight.”

(As Buddy walks away, the tension lingers in the air. Kaisler looks back at Juno, then at Krar’s lifeless body. A weight settles in his chest—no matter what happens next, things will never be the same.)

Kaisler: (gritting his teeth) “Oh my God, I hate that guy. He’s such a dumbass. Why can’t he listen for once?”

(Juno lifts her head, snot running down her nose, tears streaming down her face. Her voice cracks as she screams at him.)

Juno: “JUST LEAVE ME HERE!”

Kaisler: (firmly) “No.”

Juno: (desperate, voice trembling) “Why?! Why are you trying to save me?”

Kaisler: (scoffs, shaking his head) “I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t want an 18-year-old dying infront of me.”

Juno: (sniffles, barely audible) “It’s not your fault… You killed most of the reanimated—”

Kaisler: (cuts her off, suddenly shouting) “FOR ONCE, SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

(Juno flinches, stunned into silence. Her hands tremble as she clutches Krar’s body.)

Juno: (whispers, voice breaking) “Why… why is it always me?”

(A weak, raspy voice cuts through the cold air.)

Krar: (barely above a whisper) “I… I can’t defeat it. I can’t win against my past self…”

Juno: (screaming, shaking him violently) “NO, NO, NO, NO! KEEP FIGHTING! DON’T FUCKING DIE ON ME! YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T DIE! YOU SAID YOU COULD DO IT! DON’T DIE, PLEASE—YOU’RE MY LAST FRIEND! PLEASE DON’T GO!”

(Krar’s breathing slows. His body goes still.)

Krar: (in a hollow, defeated whisper) “…I’m sorry.”

(Silence. Then—his heartbeat stops. His body goes limp in Juno’s arms.)

(Juno lets out a gut-wrenching scream, her cries echoing into the night. She clutches Krar’s lifeless form, sobbing uncontrollably.)

(High above, standing on a distant mountain, Buddy watches from afar. His arms are crossed, his expression unreadable.)

Buddy: (murmuring to himself, eyes locked onto Kaisler) “Now… let’s see how his mind handles watching someone die right in front of him.”

Kaisler grabbed Juno and started running, her fists pounding against his back as she kicked and screamed.

Juno: “LET ME GO! KRAR—WE CAN’T LEAVE HIM!”

Her cries cut through the air, but Kaisler didn’t stop. He gritted his teeth, pushing forward. The rain mixed with his sweat, but the moment he thought he had a clear path—

Thirty reanimated soldiers emerged in front of him.

His heart pounded. Shit. Without Krar’s buff, he was down to his base strength—enough to deal 2,500 kg of damage per hit. But with thirty enemies? He was outnumbered.

A spear slashed toward him. He dodged, twisting mid-air and summoning four strings, bouncing off them like a springboard.

With a flick of his fingers, thirty more threads shot out, wrapping around twenty-five reanimated soldiers. He clenched his fist—SNAP—the strings constricted, hanging them lifelessly.

A sudden movement—one had tried to sneak up behind him.

Kaisler ducked the first strike, barely avoiding a decapitation. Instinct kicked in—strings lashed onto the attacker’s legs, slicing through flesh like razors. The soldier collapsed, and without hesitation, Kaisler drove his heel into its skull, kicking its head clean off.

He gasped for breath. This isn’t enough.

At this rate, he’d be overwhelmed. He had only one choice—go all out.

Summoning all 100 strings he could manage, he attached thirty to each of his legs. His usual Mach 25 speed was now multiplied by 30.

The world blurred.

Kaisler became a streak of motion, running along the walls, weaving between attacks, moving too fast for the undead to react. The remaining soldiers barely had time to turn before his strings wrapped around them—limbs were severed, bodies torn apart.

He did all this while carrying Juno and being mentaly equsted becuase of the prisvous fight and facing his worse memory.

His body moved on instinct, but his mind was breaking. Krar was gone. Juno’s sobs were the only sound aside from his pounding heart.

But he couldn’t stop.

His legs burned. His vision blurred. He wasn’t sure if it was rain or tears clouding his sight.

With the last of his strength, he web-slung forward, his strings pulling him through the shattered battlefield like a phantom. The Nexus Gate was in sight—glowing, waiting.

And there, sitting casually at its entrance, waiting for him… was Buddy.

Buddy smirked.

Without a word, they stepped through the gate.

They had completed their first mission as explorers.

With only one casualty.

exsited the muliverse strand and is in Multiverse Explorer HQ

Buddy stood at the entrance of the Multiverse Explorer HQ, arms crossed, watching as Kaisler and Juno stepped through the portal. His usual cocky smirk was in place.

Buddy (smirking): "Well, you did it."

Kaisler, still panting from exhaustion, shot him a glare. His body ached, his mind was a mess, and his brain felt like it had been thrown through a blender.

Kaisler (grumbling): "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. No thanks to you."

Buddy: "Hey, credit where it’s due—you did good."

Kaisler rolled his eyes. His exhaustion was starting to fade, but frustration replaced it.

Kaisler: "Be honest. Could you have saved him?"

Buddy hesitated, then shrugged.

Buddy: "I mean… not unless he died."

Kaisler narrowed his eyes.

Kaisler: "What the hell does that mean?"

Buddy: "If we had killed him, I could've revived him. But you guys didn’t trust me, so I left."

Kaisler’s fists clenched.

Kaisler: "And you didn't say that before because…?"

Buddy: (grinning) "I wanted to test your mental resolve. See if you could make the right call under pressure."

Kaisler stared at him in disbelief.

Kaisler: "You’re a prick."

Buddy: (chuckling) "But hey, you did save her." (He nodded toward Juno.)

Juno stood there, silent, looking at the ground, her arms wrapped around herself. Her voice was quiet, almost broken.

Juno: "Can I… crash at your place?"

Buddy’s expression hardened.

Buddy (firmly): "No."

Juno flinched but didn’t back down.

Juno: "Please. I don’t have anywhere else to go."

Buddy sighed, rubbing his temples.

Buddy: "Listen, we’re not a charity."

Kaisler smirked, sensing an opportunity.

Kaisler: "Or… are you just scared Sarah will think you cheated?"

Buddy glared at him.

Buddy: "Both."

Kaisler: (laughing) "Come on, just let her stay for a week. Her friend did just die right in front of her."

Buddy looked at Juno again, then sighed heavily.

Buddy: "Fine. One week. But if she eats my food, she’s paying rent."

Juno barely nodded, her expression unreadable.

Buddy and Kaisler cashed in their mission, collecting their reward, while Buddy immediately bolted home at full speed. Meanwhile, Kaisler turned to Juno.

Kaisler: "Guess you’re coming with me."

Without another word, he grabbed Juno’s hand, shot out a string, and swung them both across the city, soaring between skyscrapers toward Buddy’s place.

Juno clung tightly to him, her grip trembling. Kaisler didn’t say anything—he just focused on moving forward.

10mintues later

Buddy (standing outside the door with Sarah): What took you so long?

Kaisler: Am I meant to be sorry that I can't run at boundless speed?

Buddy (smirking): So what? Just get faster.

Kaisler: Anyway, I'll just drop Juno here.

Sarah (cutting him off): Uh, who is she? (she says, glaring at Buddy)

(will contune to part three of the chapter)