The water around him was a whirlpool of shadows and desperation. Jason's movements beneath the lake were monstrous, as if death itself was swimming beside him. Adam, with trembling hands, searched for the medallion buried in the mud. The chain was in place, ready. But without the artifact, it was useless.
His heart pounded like a war drum. His breath was slipping away.
Then he saw it—a faint silver gleam between submerged roots. He dove with all he had, ignoring the burn in his eyes and the pressure crushing his lungs. He reached out… and grabbed it.
As he turned, he felt the water stir behind him. Jason was coming. The monster's eyes glowed like hellish beacons, each stroke slicing the water like air.
Adam wouldn't make it in time.
But then—a figure hurled itself at Jason. Larissa.
She came from behind, grabbing Jason's shoulders and shoving him toward the trap. He twisted with fury, trying to slash her, but she was fast. Seconds. Just enough.
— NOW, ADAM! — her scream echoed even underwater.
Adam pressed the medallion against the marked stone and shouted the mental command. The system responded:
[Chain of Silence Activated]
Entity temporarily sealed. Duration: 10 minutes.
Mystic chains erupted from the lake's bottom like black serpents, coiling violently around Jason's body. They yanked him down with brutal force as he thrashed in feral rage.
A guttural roar escaped the creature before he vanished beneath the churning surface. The lake bubbled… then stilled.
Adam floated there, breathless, stunned. The pain in his chest was overcome only by disbelief.
— Larissa… — he whispered.
He turned, smiling in relief, expecting her to be celebrating. And she was there. Standing on the shore.
But she wasn't smiling.
She staggered, arms limp at her sides. And then he saw it—Jason's machete lodged through her left eye, protruding from the back of her head. Blood trickled down her face. She didn't speak. She just stared.
— N-no… — Adam stammered, voice cracking. — No… no…
Larissa took two shaky steps toward him… and dropped to her knees.
Adam rushed to shore, stumbling on the wet rocks, eyes burning with tears.
He caught her just before her body hit the ground.
— Why? Why did you do that...? — his voice came out small, broken.
She was still breathing. Barely.
Larissa forced a pained smile.
— You… have to survive… pro… mise…
Her body went limp in his arms.
Adam's scream echoed through the entire forest.
The forest was silent.
No wind, no insects, no rustling leaves. Just silence... a heavy, suffocating silence. The kind that only comes after death.
Adam remained on his knees, his arms still wrapped around Larissa's lifeless body. Her blood had already soaked through his shirt and hands, but he didn't move. His gaze was lost, frozen somewhere between pain and denial.
— This… isn't a game… — he murmured, voice hoarse.
His mind screamed in despair. The world felt distant, as if he were watching it all through cracked glass. The smell of blood, wet earth, death… it clung to him.
Larissa.
She had only known him for a few hours. She could've run, hidden, let Jason get him. But she didn't. She fought. She died.
For him.
That truth crushed him.
His throat tightened. The tears, long held back, began to fall.
He screamed.
A raw, guttural scream, carrying no words — only pain. The kind of scream that echoes in empty places and dies unheard.
Then the thought came.
"If this is going to happen again… if I'm going to be thrown into more of these nightmares… maybe it's better to end it now. Here."
His hand reached for the knife at his belt.
It would be quick.
Peace.
An end to the torment.
But then, he looked at Larissa once more.
Her face, even smeared with blood, held something peaceful. A final smile. A trace of hope. She believed he would live. That he was worth saving.
"If I do this… everything she did will be for nothing."
Adam threw the knife away, shouting again — this time in anger.
— I swear, Larissa… I will find a way. Even if I have to walk through hell and back. I will bring you back!
At that moment, the system activated with its cold, mechanical tone:
[Main Mission Completed]
Entity Sealed: Jason Voorhees
Time Remaining in World: 00:00
Reward: 1 Random Horror Movie Ability
[Mission Complete: Judgment –+2000 Reward Points]
The light around Adam distorted. The forest shattered like broken glass. He felt himself being pulled by an invisible force. Everything spun. Darkness.
And then… light.
Adam collapsed to his knees on the floor of his bedroom. He was back in Brazil, in his house in the northern zone of São Paulo.
The sound of cars, a distant street vendor yelling about pamonha. Everything normal. Everything… wrong.
He looked around, the real world feeling fake. Like he no longer belonged.
[Break Period: Remaining]
[Reward Received]
Ability: "Whispers from Beyond"
Origin: The Sixth Sense
Description: Allows Adam to sense spiritual presences and, in moments of extreme emotional connection, hear words or echoes from the dead.
Adam's eyes widened at the description.
His mind immediately went to Larissa.
Maybe… just maybe…
A thread of hope was born in the middle of all that pain.