"Ow, ow, that hurts!"
Surya tried to stand himself up from the ground, as if he was waking up from a completely nightmarish dream that had left his entire body in pain.
Back in the real world after the death in the supernatural game world, he gazed dizzily around with blurry eyes and saw that he was still in the same position in the gulmohar grove where he had begun.
Although he had passed away begrudgingly at the entrance of the Taekwondo Club in the warped game version of his school, in real life he had stood absolutely still by that particular gulmohar tree.
The very spot where the magical clay diya seem to appear out of thin air in the game world.
It appears my body would respond only when I was about to die within the game.
Fortunately his soul was dragged the exact moment when his mind was going to be destroyed otherwise he would have been brain dead or worse today.
Surya had first realized this abnormal phenomenon yesterday in his first fatal encounter.
This was certainly not good actually to have his actual body replicate all his actions in the game.
What would happen if he were to have someone walk by when he was fighting?
And What if a teacher walked through the grove during one of his death scenarios?
Try explaining to passing students why he was yelling and running around, and waving his arms at imaginary foes beneath a tree at six in the morning.
Well...yeah thankfully it was safe to go in the game otherwise it would not have taken a second and he would have known as the some crazy guy in a matter of hours.
The buzz would go around social media before the first period even started.
Surya clutched his phone with shaking hands and read one huge word on the screen in big, red block letters: "BRUTALLY DEAD."
Surya glared at the screen with a combination of fatigue and irritation.
Yeah, I realize I just horribly died, thanks for the nice reminder, he thought bitterly.
Before this he had not realized that the death messages in this game world would be different each time.
Yesterday it had merely read "DEAD," but it was clear that the game was advanced enough to change its taunting remarks based on how messy your death had been.
He imagined what other death scores there were.
"MESSY"?
"CATASTROPHIC"?
"EMBARRASSING"?
The game had a morbid sense of humor regarding player death it seems.
[Substitute paper doll has been consumed. Remaining paper dolls: 0. Refresh In: 12 hours.]
Under the gulmohar tree was another little white paper doll, just like he had seen yesterday.
This time this paper doll was much more mutilated and pathetic than the last, folded and torn in ways that seemed to reflect the savage manner in which Surya had been slain in the game this time.
There were real tear streaks across its torso region. Black stains that looked suspiciously like dried blood marked the paper surface.
Surya quietly lifted the almost destroyed paper figure, folded it gently into his pocket along with the earlier one, and slung his school bag over his shoulder before setting off towards the main academic building for his first lesson of the day.
His legs were wobbly under him. Every step was seem to taking a huge effort from him.
The world outside seemed abnormally calm after what he had been through, but he knew that twelve hours from now, he was going to be again facing the headless students.
Twelve hours of coming up with a new plan.
Twelve hours to prepare to go again.
Twelve hours to live like any other student knowing what lay ahead tonight.
Twelve hours to....to...forget it.
The sun was rising higher in the morning now, painting long shadows on the campus walks. Other students would also begin arriving shortly for morning activities.
Surya glanced at the time on his phone. 6:47 AM. His first lecture began at 7:30 AM.
He had close to two hours to collect himself, splash some water on his face, perhaps pick up something from the canteen.
Two hours of being able to pretend everything was fine.
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