The Absolute Chair
Omnipotence Is Not Freedom
Chapter 3 — Blood That Should Not Be drink
Karl-Jay was running.
As fast as his legs could carry him.
His breath tore through his throat, feet slamming against broken pavement as the world blurred around him. Fear drowned out thought—pure instinct screaming one command:
Run.
A sudden slash cut through the air.
Karl-Jay dropped—
The blade passed where his head had been an instant earlier.
Behind him, a nearby building was cut cleanly in half, the upper section sliding apart in slow, impossible silence before collapsing in a thunderous crash.
Karl-Jay rolled across the ground and looked up.
Horror froze him in place.
It stood there—tall, skeletal, humanoid, yet unmistakably not human. Its skin clung tightly to its frame like dried flesh over bone. Its face was wrong—too smooth, too stretched—and its mouth curved upward into a wide, delighted smile.
In its hand was a sword.
Not rusted.
Not broken.
Perfectly sharp.
The creature's eyes locked onto Karl-Jay.
Then it screamed.
A sound so sharp it pierced the skull.
The demon lunged.
It didn't run—it vanished, its body turning into a blur of motion.
Karl-Jay turned and sprinted, but the next instant a brutal kick smashed into his back. His body flew into a wall, concrete exploding on impact. Pain exploded through his ribs.
He slid down, coughing blood.
The demon approached slowly now, savoring the moment.
Karl-Jay tightened his grip around his broken sword, teeth stained red as he forced himself to stand.
"…Stupid monster," he rasped.
"You ran straight into my trap."
The demon paused.
It looked up.
A massive, half-collapsed building began to fall.
The creature caught it midair.
With one arm.
Then it threw the entire structure aside like trash and charged.
Karl-Jay's eyes widened.
Too late.
The blade pierced his chest.
Warmth flooded his body as blood spilled down his torso. His vision shook. His knees buckled—but he didn't fall.
Karl-Jay grabbed the sword still lodged inside him.
With a broken scream, he lunged forward and jumped onto the demon's shoulder, clamping his teeth into its neck.
Black, burning liquid flooded his mouth.
The demon screamed.
Karl-Jay drank.
Something inside him ignited.
He ripped the sword free from his own body and drove it into the demon's eye.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Screaming—his voice and the demon's blended together as he twisted the blade deep into the skull and slashed sideways.
The demon collapsed.
So did Karl-Jay.
Blood pooled beneath him as his vision went dark.
---
When he woke, the sky was dull crimson.
His body lay drenched in thick, black blood.
Karl-Jay gasped and sat up, hands flying to his chest.
No wound.
Only a deep, jagged scar remained.
He touched it slowly, disbelief flooding his face.
"…I was dying," he whispered.
His body felt… different.
Stronger. Heavier. Sharper.
His muscles tightened instinctively as he stood. His senses were clearer. The broken sword felt lighter in his hand.
"…The blood," he muttered.
The demon's blood.
He clenched his fist and smiled faintly.
"I guess I'm stronger now," he said quietly.
"…No. I can definitely survive."
A presence loomed in front of him.
Karl-Jay froze.
A massive creature stood inches away—its body bloated and deformed, its face twisted into a grotesque grin stretching far too wide. Its eyes were milky white.
Blind.
The smile widened.
Karl-Jay's heart slammed violently.
Don't move.
Don't breathe.
For some reason, his body felt both alive and dead at the same time. The demon blood inside him pulsed strangely, masking something—hiding him.
The monster sniffed the air.
Once.
Twice.
Seconds passed.
Then it turned around and walked away.
Karl-Jay collapsed to his knees, gasping silently.
Relief lasted half a second.
His body convulsed.
He vomited violently, black-red fluid spilling onto the ground as pain ripped through him. His eyes burned—turning red.
His fingers bent backward with sickening cracks.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He screamed.
Then darkness swallowed him once more.
---
Time passed.
Footsteps echoed.
Six figures approached.
The fighter, La Dang, tightened his grip on his weapon.
The leader, Li Fang, stared down at Karl-Jay's broken body.
"Is he dead?" Li Fang asked quietly.
Zuko, the funny one, poked Karl-Jay with a piece of metal.
"He probably isn't even human."
"Stop," La Dang snapped. "He's alive."
Sheila, the shy girl, knelt beside Karl-Jay.
"…He's still breathing."
Junior, the hard worker, looked uneasy.
"Should we bring him with us?"
Siel, the lazy one, shook his head furiously.
"No. No no no. Look at him. This world makes monsters out of people. He's dangerous."
Li Fang closed his eyes and sighed.
"…Bring him," he said. "To the hideout."
They lifted Karl-Jay's unconscious body.
---
Inside his mind, he was drowning.
A sea of blood.
He died.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each time his body burned from the inside, the demon blood tearing him apart, rebuilding him wrong.
"Please stop!" he screamed.
"Please—someone help me!"
No one answered.
Only blood.
Only pain.
Only the beginning.
---
End of Chapter 3