The Absolute Chair
Omnipotence Is Not Freedom
Chapter 8 — Survive, or Die
The alley was quiet. Too quiet.
Karl-Jay sat leaning against a crumbling wall, bandages wrapped tight, body aching in ways he hadn't thought possible. Around him, the rest of the group slowly stirred, bruised and bloodied but alive. La Dang and Li Fang still lay unconscious, but Siel hovered above, keeping watch.
"This world doesn't stop," Karl-Jay muttered, staring at the street ahead. "And neither can we."
Sheila carefully distributed what little food they had scavenged. Zuko sat beside her, poking at a bundle of meat, still pale from shock. Junior quietly cleaned his weapon, eyes darting down the ruined alley.
"Bang Min's going to come back," Li Fang said finally, sitting up, eyes heavy but focused. "And he's not alone. That Sea… it's everywhere."
Karl-Jay clenched his fists. His scar throbbed faintly—reminder of the demon blood still coursing through him.
"Then we survive," he said quietly. "We move. We adapt. We fight if we have to. And we don't die."
Siel hovered down, floating lazily despite the tension. "Yeah… surviving is kind of the minimum here. Not dying is already winning."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Minimum, my ass. It's terrifying out there. You hear that roar? You see what we escaped?"
Junior shook his head. "Then we stick together. Simple. Watch each other's backs."
Karl-Jay nodded, eyes scanning the shadows. He knew it wouldn't be enough—this world didn't care about simplicity.
They moved through the streets carefully, avoiding large open spaces. Broken cars and collapsed buildings offered cover, but the city was alive with danger. Every shadow could be a monster. Every alley could be a trap.
Karl-Jay kept his broken sword ready. He didn't trust his body completely yet, even though he could feel the demon blood giving him strength beyond normal. His eyes glinted red in the darkness.
Hours passed in tense silence. The group scavenged, reinforced their temporary camps, and set traps along the ruined streets—simple wire and trip mechanisms, but enough to slow down a small pack of monsters.
At night, the fire they made for warmth flickered weakly. Karl-Jay sat apart, staring into the flames.
This nightmare will never end, he thought. And the only way to survive… is to accept it.
Siel floated beside him, surprisingly quiet. "You're thinking too much," he said. "You can't stop thinking. But you can keep moving. That's the trick."
Karl-Jay's fingers clenched. "I won't just survive," he whispered. "I'll endure. I'll reach the top… even if it kills me every step of the way."
The fire cast flickering shadows across his scarred body. Around him, the world waited, endless, full of monsters, humans turned against themselves, and the whisper of something far worse waiting above them—the tower.
Later, they scavenged again, finding an abandoned apartment building filled with canned food and water. As they carried it back to their hideout, a massive shadow moved above the city.
A giant creature passed, tearing through ruins like paper. The group froze. It paused, sniffing the air. They ducked behind rubble, hearts pounding.
It roared and moved on.
Karl-Jay exhaled sharply. "We live. This is how we survive."
Li Fang looked at him and said softly, "Every day is a fight. Every step forward… is survival."
Junior shook his head. "And some days, that's all we can do."
They reached the hideout. Everyone collapsed in exhaustion. Karl-Jay sat leaning against a wall, looking at his companions. They were alive. Injured. Broken. But alive.
For now.
Siel hovered above them, eyes scanning the street. "We'll survive," he said quietly. "Because we have to."
Karl-Jay nodded. "Then we survive… no matter what."
And in the distance, far above the ruined city, somewhere on a throne of bones, Bang Min watched.
The Sea whispered.
And the game of fear continued.
End of Chapter 8