Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

As people entered the place, they were worried and felt out of place. Maybe that was what the angel wanted them to experience.

"Where even are we?" Yuna mumbled.

But no one replied. They were all as confused as her.

Yeji and Min-Ji stood at some distance, their face gloomy and... detached. Gina was with them while Lysandra and Yuna, along with the soldiers, tried to maintain some sort of order.

Why? Because they were now free to revolt and take revenge on YuWon. After all, he was ready to sacrifice them to the giant and would have followed through had it not been for the red-haired lady.

YuWon could sense their eyes on him and was about to step up and deal with them when Anna grabbed his hand.

"We need to talk," she said, dragging him back. "Now, before you kill someone."

"Kill someone? I have some control--"

"Really?" Anna crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

YuWon couldn't argue with that and followed her away from the others. Still, he was alert, not trusting Anna just yet.

"Alright, what is it?" YuWon asked.

"First thing, you need to stop killing people?"

YuWon raised an eyebrow. He wasn't a serial killer, unnecessarily killing people. He only killed those who wanted to kill him, and he would not stop doing that anytime soon.

Except for that one time on the base. Even so, they deserved to die.

"Look, I know you only kill people in retaliation... most of the time," Anna sighed. "But you have no idea what happens when someone dies and you're involved."

"What do you mean, what happens?" YuWon laughed. "They're dead. End of story."

"Can you be serious for a moment?" Anna said firmly, stepping closer to him. "When you kill someone, there's a chance that they're not really gone."

YuWon rolled his eyes. If they aren't dead, then where were they? Busy having an afterparty in the afterlife, placing bets on what kills him? Anna looked at him and knew what was going on in his head.

Anna sighed and took a deep breath, as if preparing to explain something complex to a child.

"Listen, there's only supposed to be one version of someone in any timeline. But when you kill someone in this timeline, their counterpart from another timeline could take their place."

YuWon stared at her but said nothing, so Anna continued.

"You must have heard about the concept of parallel worlds. Every time you make a decision, it creates an alternate world--a new timeline where you made a different choice."

"Yeah, I've heard about it," YuWon said, remembering the corpses of himself he saw in the penalty zone.

It was the first time he thought things weren't as simple as he thought. But having Anna confirm his thoughts troubled him.

"You already know, don't you?" Anna asked and YuWon nodded.

"The gist is that every time you die, you're shifting between timelines instead of going back in time. Every time you die, you shift between timelines instead of going back in time."

She continued, "This is what your skill does. It creates a safe point through the multiverse and if you die, you're sent to a timeline where you're still alive."

Anna looked at YuWon, hoping he would show some surprise or shock. But that was far from the case. He calmly stood there, taking every word coming out of Anna's mouth.

"So," YuWon started slowly, "when I kill someone..."

"That person dies in this timeline. But because the multiverse exists, another version of them remains alive and could step into this one. Just like I did."

YuWon nodded, finally understanding what Anna wanted to tell him since the beginning.

"So you mean..."

"Yes," Anna said, scratching the back of her head. "The Anna you killed wasn't me. I'm from a different timeline. After she died, I could step into this timeline with no restrictions."

"And if I keep killing people, there's a chance their persona from a different time could enter this timeline and cause problems?"

Anna nodded. "It's difficult to do so, but it's not impossible either. One would have to know exactly what to do and have a hell of a luck. But yes... anyone you kill can come back to ruin your plans."

YuWon's stomach churned. The idea of people he thought had gone for a good returning wasn't a pleasant one. But he still had a question.

"What does it have to do with me killing anyone?" YuWon mumbled. "People die every day, but I don't see them making any time jumps."

"That's the thing I haven't figured out yet," Anna sighed. "But I know it has something to do with the blessing and curse duality."

"...why does it feel like I'm in a boring physics class?"

Anna smiled and continued explaining to him. But the gist was that every class they get comes with a hidden drawback, and the risk of getting jumped by strangers of different timelines was the curse of his class.

"Then what do I do? Stop fighting as I might end up killing someone?"

"No," Anna said. "I'm not saying don't fight. But think before you act. You can't keep slaughtering your way through every problem without thinking about what happens next."

YuWon was silent for a moment, then spoke up again.

"Why should I worry so much about this? As a regressor, you should know what happens--oh right, I forgot about the timeline thing."

Anna's face darkened slightly, and she nodded. "The more we make decisions, the more we change this timeline. Soon, it'll differ from anything I remember."

She continued, "Every time something major happens, the timeline changes in subtle ways. Eventually, we'll change things so much that everything I remember will become useless and we'll be in the same position as everyone else."

"And why should I believe you?" YuWon asked the last question.

"Because... you have to."

"That's not a great--"

Before YuWon could say anything, their lips connected. But there was something else, as if something had tied them together. A moment later, a notification appeared before him.

[You're bound to another awakener with the thread of fate.]

[Should the other party betray you in any manner, they'll get executed and their soul will be eternally confined in hell with no possibility of redemption.]

"You--!" YuWon wanted to curse her out, but Anna chuckled and turned around, teasing him.

"What? You always told me we were bound by fate, so I just did what the future you wanted," she said, running away. "See you later..."