–Are you Cello?
A strange voice echoed in Cello’s head. Cello mumbled with her mouth.
‘I couldn’t have come to heaven…It must be hell. So, are you the devil?’
–A devil, how dare you to a spirit… You rude thing. Open your eyes and speak.
Cello blankly lifted her eyelids. A bullet that was flying came to a halt right in front of her eyes.
‘What…what is this…’
Cello opened her mouth in surprise. The black stone that was in Cello’s possession slipped out and spread its small wings. The stone slowly became transparent, shining brilliantly in various colors. Inside it was a small snake flicking its tongue.
–Do you want to live?
‘Of course! I want to live!’
Cello shouted without hesitation. The voice of the snake-shaped spirit echoed in Cello’s head once again.
–I’m giving you a chance to live, not saving your life. Knock your thumb and index finger together. Then you can turn back time. But be careful.
‘Ah, I got it, just give me whatever it is!’
–Be careful. If you’re not careful, you may be stuck in the gap of time forever…
The voice of the spirit slowly faded away.
“Huh!”
When she came to her senses, Cello was hiding in the silk.
“I’m… alive.”
Cello mumbled blankly. Although her leg was still broken, the fact that she was alive was important. Cello held back her tears and got up.
From now on, Cello knew what was going to happen. Then, first of all, she had to fix her leg.
“He said to knock my thumb and index finger together.”
The spirit only said that much, but strangely, the method was drawn in her head as if it was engraved.
When turning back the time of the whole world, knock your thumb and index finger together. To turn back the time of a specific something, touch that space or object and knock your thumb and index finger of the other hand together.
“Like this…!”
Cello touched her broken leg with and knocked her thumb and index finger together with the other hand, making a sound.
“Ouch! Why is this happening?”
But the pain became even more intense.
Cello looked at her leg with an aggrieved expression. The pain was stronger, but the swelling was gone. Just like right after falling from the vent.
“…Wait, could it be?”
Cello put her hand on the pendulum clock and knocked her thumb and index finger together. The clock hands went back exactly 10 minutes. It seemed that the maximum amount of time she could move was 10 minutes.
“No, what am I supposed to do with just 10 minutes!”
Cello lost her temper. Her leg was injured before, so it was impossible to fix it. Then she heard X’s voice.
“Cello, can you help me?”
X, full of wounds, crawled towards her, babbling. Cello held back her anger then approached him.
“You shameless bastard…”
She wanted to rip off his neck right away, but she couldn’t. Cello grabbed X’s head and knocked her fingers together. Then, a few of X’s wounds disappeared as if they had never been there.
“…It seems it’s been more than 10 minutes for the eyes. Too bad.”
“Cello, were you a healer? How…”
At Cello’s muttering, X’s eyes widened. But Cello ignored his words and spoke harshly.
“Listen to me carefully. In about 2 minutes, a man will enter through the door. You rush in first. I’ll set the direction. You aim for his neck in one shot.”
Cello handed him a knife.
“Can you do it?”
“Cello, can’t you do it? I can’t even see…”
X grabbed Cello’s sleeve in a cowardly manner. Cello spat out a curse and rolled up her pants.
“Do you know who ruined my leg?”
X shrunk like a snail hit with salt. Cello glared at the pendulum clock and whispered softly.
“Get ready. He’s coming.”
The door opened. A tall man revealed himself, then Cello pushed X’s back.
“Go!”
“Ugh! Die!”
The man rushed towards the other man who looked like a grim reaper with a black tie wrapped around his neck.
‘Please.’
Cello clasped her hands together and muttered earnestly. But fate did not change.
“Ah!”
X spat blood from his mouth and bounced off from the man.
It was a failure again. Cello looked at the man with a horribly distorted face.
“I’ve been waiting for today…”
The man growled low and drew his gun.
Bang!
Once again, Cello’s body collapsed. Just before her leg broke and her red hair scattered on the floor,
‘Damn it…!’
Cello knocked her thumb and index finger together, making a sound. Then the whole time twisted and the sound waves hummed. Cello, who was dying, gritted her teeth in silence.
‘You said you’re a spirit! You gave me the ability to turn back time for just 10 minutes, where should I use it!’
Ting, tsk. The spirit clicked its tongue inside the bead.
–I’m also surprised. The amount of time you can turn back is based on the weight of existence. What have you lived for…
‘Do you think a pickpocket has something like existence? Just use it all up, you arrogant spirit!’
–I can’t. You were originally destined to die here.
‘Then what should I do!’
–Only humans can defy fate. So you have to do it with your ability.
‘Ah, I don’t have that…’
As Cello’s eyes slowly brightened, she was about to pour out a round of curses.
She came back. 10 minutes ago.
****
And it was a repetition of death, death, and death again. This was exactly the situation the spirit was talking about being trapped in the gap of time.
“…This useless!”
Cello, who had revived for the sixth time, gritted her teeth and took out a bead from her pocket and slammed it on the floor. Then wings sprouted from the bead shining in various colors and flew up flapping.
–Don’t treat the great spirit lightly!
A jingling sound echoed from the bead. Cello glared at the snake inside the bead.
“What’s so great about it. The others have already run away alive, but I’m stuck here praying luck for the seventh time! I’m going to die for the seventh time again!”
–No. Those guys are all already dead.
“What? Why?”
All the humans who invaded this prison today are destined to die here. Including the original you.
“That’s impossible…”
Cello shook her head.
“Cello, can you help me?”
The same voice was heard again. Cello’s expression crumpled.
–Remember this. The only one who can change fate now is Cello, who found me. It’s your existence. Then.
The spirit flapped its wings and disappeared transparently.
“Ha. Existence? How can a pickpocket create such a thing…”
Cello rubbed her face as if she was choked up.
Fleeing with X on her back was a failure. Controlling X to kill the man was also a failure, and of course, rushing at the man herself was a failure. Then…
‘Yeah, what about that method.’
Cello dragged her leg and approached X.
“X… Are you okay?”
Cello hugged X without hiding her disgusting expression. X, who couldn’t see Cello’s face, giggled.
“Cello, I’m sorry. I was wrong earlier. If you find the way, I’ll carry you.”
X rubbed his face against Cello’s waist. Cello suppressed her discomfort and spoke softly.
“Okay. Let’s treat the wounds first.”
Cello soothed him and pretended to wipe his face with the silk she could grab.
He was a nasty man. He lent a small amount of money and ripped off an outrageous interest, and tried to grab the wrists of women as an excuse to whet his appetite. A human who said he would give more money if he did more.
“Thank you, Cello. We’ll be found here soon, right? Ha, how long can we hold out…”
“5.”
“5 minutes?”
“4. 3. 2.”
“What?”
“1.”
Cello grinned.
“0.”
Bang! The door opened. Just like before, a man in black clothes entered.
At that moment, Cello stabbed a knife into X’s back, who was hugging her waist, with all her strength.
“Ah, ugh, ugghh…!”
X, whose pupils were dilated, couldn’t even scream and looked up at Cello. The man who entered also stopped abruptly as if he didn’t expect this.
Cello calmly pulled out the knife and threw it on the floor. Then she put one hand on X’s wound and knocked her fingers together with the other hand, making a sound.
“Ah, ugh, damn, Cello!!”
The hole in X’s back slowly recovered. Cello ignored his scream and threw him back on the floor again.
For the first time, Cello and the man’s eyes met.
‘That person, his eyes…They’re the same color as gold.’
Somehow, she felt like things would go well. Cello asked with a faint smile.
“…Do you see my worth now?”
“Cello, you, were you a healer? How did you…”
“Interesting.”
The man cut off X’s words and took a step towards Cello.
‘Did I survive?’
A thrill rose in Cello’s stomach. However, as the distance between Cello and the man narrowed, his eyebrows twisted.
“You…”
The man glared at Cello with a stiff expression.
“Why, why?”
Cello, scared, took a step back. The man put his hand in his pocket. That meant…
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot echoed. Cello slumped down.
“Ugh…”
Cello opened her eyes thinly. The one who was shot was not Cello, but X.
The man slowly bent down and lifted Cello’s chin with the muzzle of the gun. Although her throat pressed against the muzzle was hot, Cello still stared at the man’s face.
His black hair, which brushed his shoulders, was loosely tied, half-covering his face. Even the exposed face was a mess with splattered blood.
But even in that distorted appearance, Cello could feel the hidden dignity and elegance.
‘I’ve definitely seen this man somewhere…’
“Ah!”
Cello’s pupils shook.
[Thank you, miss.]
It was that man.
“No, so…”
Before Cello could say anything, the man pulled out a knife from his pocket.
‘Is it a failure again?’
Cello closed her eyes tightly.
But what he cut was not Cello’s neck.
Along with the chilly blade, Cello’s red hair scattered on the floor like blood.
“Why…”
Cello blankly looked up at him.
“It stands out.”
He took off the coat he was wearing, wrapped Cello in it like a bundle, and got up.
“What’s that?”
A conversation was heard beyond the coat.
“It’s the corpse of my subordinate. Your Majesty.”
At that moment, the spirit’s voice clearly echoed in Cello’s head.
–Well done. You have now become the true contractor of Serpiente.
‘What is it saying again…’
Cello grumbled silently, but there was a faint smile on her lips. The worn leather shoes Cello was wearing dangled from her feet.
‘Anyway, I survived.’
😮😮👋🇧🇷