NOVPUBIf one were to translate those murmurs into human tongue, it would spell out -
Behemoth!
An entity of legends, spoken of in ancient myths, the Behemoth!
With the revelation of this creature’s name, a chilling thought materialized in Daniel’s mind.
Everything Pierce had said was true!
Humans weren’t born of the Earth; they originally hailed from the Abyssal Realm.
Much like those maggot monsters, they were merely fodder in the legends for greater beasts.
Perhaps, in an attempt to escape such a grim fate, humanity had risen in rebellion.
But faced with overwhelming power, they were brutally suppressed.
Ultimately, they were banished above, to Earth.
And those mighty beings of the Abyssal Realm? They became the fabled creatures in human tales.
Perhaps there’s another narrative.
After all, Pierce was one amongst the monsters, and his words couldn’t be wholly trusted.
Daniel’s thoughts raced incessantly.
Suddenly, another possibility dawned upon him.
Humans remained human, born and nurtured by Earth.
However, the beasts of the Abyssal Realm, upon discovering the serene expanse of Earth, grew jealous and envious.
Thus, they began their invasion.
The myriad of monsters and calamities chronicled in human myths stood as testament to this!
Supernatural phenomena, or perhaps the incursions of these creatures, commenced billions of years ago!
Because they began their siege on Earth so long ago, myriad versions of myths emerged.
The deities within these tales might very well have been the Evolvers from eons past!
Later on, for reasons unknown, perhaps in mutual annihilation, both monsters and deities vanished, leaving human society to once again find its equilibrium.
Generations later, the monsters invaded Earth again.
Evolvers were reborn, only to once again vanish, and then re-emerge!
And so the cycle continued until the present day.
Throughout human history, occurrences that defied understanding would surface, only to vanish once more.
Perhaps, as he had deduced, eras of monster invasions perpetually recurred, in an endless loop.
And now, that cycle had begun anew.
In a fleeting moment, Daniel’s body was dissolved by gastric acid, succumbing to an utter end.
The power of the Echo Stone surged, shattering and reassembling the world.
...
[Remaining retrospections within 24 hours: 9.]
Revived once more, Daniel retraced his earlier choices.
The group arrived at the gate beneath the towering wall, and again, they unveiled the gateway to the Abyssal Realm.
Wielding the power of the Enchanted Eye, Daniel carved a bloody path through the relentless swarm of maggot monsters.
Moving towards the exit, he advised, "Find a safe place to wait. I’ll return shortly after scouting ahead."
Leaving behind these familiar words, Daniel stepped beyond the threshold.
At this juncture, no means existed to vanquish the Behemoth -- even the combined strength of all humankind would falter.
His resolute choice wasn’t a quest for death, but rather for truth.
He intended to discern the reality of the Abyssal Realm from the tormenting, incoherent whispers.
Only with deeper understanding could he devise ways to annihilate more of these monsters.
Stepping outside, Daniel was once again enveloped in the pungent, poisonous mist, with darkness stretching as far as his eyes could see.
He calmly located the towering mountain that seemed to pierce the heavens and stared intently.
Yet, in the depths of his eyes, there existed an indescribable madness.
Perhaps, compared to the chaotic murmurs, he appeared the more unhinged.
"Behemoth?"
"I’ve come for you!"
Swiftly, Daniel was once again ensnared by Behemoth’s tongue and thrust into its gaping maw.
Within Behemoth, the ceaseless murmurs surged over him like a tidal wave.
Daniel kept his eyes tightly shut, indifferent to where his body might be falling.
All his energies were directed towards deciphering those whispers.
Yet, unbeknownst to him, as he delved wholeheartedly into understanding the murmurs, they began to materialize, enveloping him completely.
Swirling around him were cryptic black characters, so arcane and foreign that they seemed not to have originated from any earthly civilization.
These characters invaded his being from all directions, piercing through him, wandering across every inch of his skin, clinging to each individual cell.
Even his consciousness, his very soul, was entirely encased.
His soul underwent a transformation, becoming elusive and grotesque.
Moments later, Daniel perished.
He met his end trying to fathom truths so profound, they were akin to divine revelations.
...
[Remaining retrospections within 24 hours: 8.]
He repeated the previous actions.
And met death once again.
...
Still, he repeated his prior steps.
And yet again, he met his end.
...
Seven times, six times, five times... until only one remained.
Daniel halted in his tracks.
One more death, and he’d be without his life-saving trump card.
Nine ceaseless ventures into death had elevated him beyond the mundane, gradually unveiling truths alien to the human realm.
He felt that if he could truly decipher all of those murmurs, he would unlock the key to annihilating the monsters.
But for now, he was out of retrospection chances.
Would he just give up?
A fierce unwillingness burned in Daniel’s heart.
Who’s to say the next time he returned, that door would present itself again?
With that thought, Daniel made a choice.
He sat down, catching his breath and recuperating.
Seeing Daniel’s actions, everyone found it odd.
Mike, pointing to the door, asked, "Daniel, aren’t we leaving?"
Daniel shook his head, "That’s not the exit."
With his hand already on the doorknob and a curious gleam in his eyes, Mike challenged, "You foresaw it? Want me to open it and see?"
Smack!
Julia’s palm met Mike’s head.
"If Daniel says it isn’t, then it isn’t. Don’t touch anything! In a place like this, with a mysterious door that’s not an exit, what do you expect behind it? Your favorite strip club?!"
Mike, feeling wronged, rubbed his head and stepped aside.
Everyone took a seat nearby, silently observing Daniel.
Though none knew what he was waiting for, no one voiced any objections.
Time ticked by.
Suddenly, Daniel’s eyes snapped open, and he rose to his feet.
Mike, having grown impatient, blurted, "Over twenty hours and you finally decide to get up. What do we do now?"
Daniel approached the door, raising his hand to activate his Enchanted Eye in advance.
"Upon opening this door, endless maggot monsters will emerge. Find a safe place to wait for me. I’ll take a look and return shortly."
Without waiting for a response, he opened the door.
The group’s faces turned pale with sudden alarm.
Just as Daniel had warned, a seemingly infinite swarm of maggot monsters surged forth like water released from a high-pressure valve.
Brooks, having just woken from a deep sleep, still had the drowsiness of slumber upon his face.
Confronted with this sudden horde, he almost wet himself in fear.
"What the hell! Couldn’t you have let us leave first?!"
The rest of the group quickly rallied, launching a counterattack.
By this time, Daniel had already stepped outside the door.
"Behemoth, I’m here!"
Predictably, he was swallowed whole. Behemoth seemed devoid of any intelligence, acting like a simpleton, driven only by a primal hunger.
Or perhaps, to such a formidable being, creatures like Daniel were as inconsequential as ants, hardly warranting any attention.
Countless insane whispers swirled again, forming a tempest that enveloped Daniel.
Madness flared brighter in his eyes.
Were his hair a bit more disheveled and his clothes a touch more tattered, he would have been indistinguishable from a complete lunatic.
Then... he died again.
The second time, third time, fourth... the nine chances were quickly exhausted.
He needed to keep one chance in reserve, lest something unforeseen happened during the waiting period for the chances to replenish.
Endless hours of waiting ensued.
Twenty-four hours later, his rollback chances were restored to ten.
Once more, Daniel stepped into the Abyssal Realm.
...
Death, repeated time and again.
Thirty times, forty times, fifty times, eighty times.
Daniel was on the brink of madness, his mouth now echoing those same incoherent whispers.
But it wasn’t enough, nowhere near enough!
He sought to become one with those whispers, to join the legion of those countless mouths.
Yet, this endless cycle of death was too slow.
Suddenly, Daniel opened his mouth wide, frenziedly biting into the rotting flesh of the surrounding stomach wall and swallowing a chunk.
The putrid taste assaulted his palate, an overwhelming urge to vomit rising within him.
He hastily covered his mouth, even pushing down the regurgitated flesh with his fingers.
He couldn’t throw up, absolutely couldn’t!
Not only did he have to resist the urge, he had to consume even more of Behemoth’s flesh.
One bite, two bites, three bites...
Soon enough, the stomach walls around him bore the evidence of his relentless feasting.
Behemoth, however, was entirely unaffected.
To it, the morsels Daniel consumed were akin to mere bacteria on its vast form, neither painful nor irksome.
The whispers, accompanying the rotting meat, tumbled into Daniel’s belly.
A cacophony of frantic lamentations emanated from within him.
Yet, before long, Daniel met death once more.
Death for the ninetieth time, the hundredth time, the hundred and tenth time.
The truths Daniel gleaned from the whispers transformed him from sane to mad, and then from mad back to sane.
The frenzy that once dominated his eyes began to recede, yet it never truly vanished, instead buried deep within his soul.
His gaze turned ever more serene.
A tranquility that mirrored the abyss, even surpassing the very darkness of the Abyssal Realm itself.
