System's POV - Chapter 851

Chapter 851: Would You Like To Try Dying Once? [Part 2]
When Aiden opened his eyes, he found himself in a very dark place.

A moment later, he heard the sounds of splashing water, which made him raise his guard.

Slowly but surely, the darkness around him didn’t seem as dark as before.

He was starting to gain a better view of his surroundings, making him assume he was in some sort of underground cavern.

Just as Aiden was starting to faintly see his environment, the sound of splashing water once again stole his attention.

He gazed in the direction where it was coming from, and he saw a faint light coming closer and closer to him from the river.

As he focused his attention on the glowing light in the distance, he was soon able to make out the silhouette of a boat boarded by a cloaked person, rowing it to head in his direction.

Half a minute later, the boat stopped near the riverside.

“Come,” the cloaked Ferry Man said in a raspy voice. “It’s time to go.”

“Go?” Aiden asked. “Go where?”

“To the place where you will be judged for your sins,” the cloaked Ferry Man replied.

“Sins? What Sins?!”

“Enough talk. Just come!”

Aiden suddenly felt his body being pulled toward the boat, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t break free from the power that had wrapped around his body.

The Ferry Man didn’t care what the young man thought and placed the latter on the boat before he started to row, following the flow of the river.

Aiden, who once again regained his freedom, realized something he didn’t notice earlier.

His body was almost transparent, and his hands could pass through each other.

The realization made him remember what happened before he regained consciousness, and it made his expression turn grim.

“I’m dead…” Aiden muttered.

The Ferry Man didn’t say anything and just continued to row the boat, allowing the young man to lament his current situation.

A few minutes later, they arrived at what seemed to be a port, where several torches of light illuminated the surroundings.

“Go,” the Ferry Man said. “Your destiny awaits.”

Without even waiting for Aiden’s reply, the Ferry Man made a gesture with his hands and tossed the pitiful soul to the port, not giving a hoot about the young man’s feelings.

He then rowed the boat in the direction where he came from, leaving Aiden behind without a second glance.

Aiden sighed as he slowly propped himself up to look at where the torches were leading him.

But no matter how hard he tried to see what lay beyond the darkness, the result was the same.

It was dark, like his future.

Knowing he no longer had anywhere else to go, the young man started to walk.

As he walked, the memories of his past appeared in front of him, as if watching a movie.

He stopped walking to watch how he lived his life.

Aiden saw his childhood, where his mother and father looked happy as they held him in their arms.

He saw how his grandfather laughed happily as he raised the two-year-old Aiden high up in the air, who also laughed alongside his grandfather.

He saw how happy he was as he kissed the cheeks of his little sister, Rianna, who was only a year old at that time

After that, he saw a three-year-old Shana walking hand in hand with the eleven-year-old Aiden as they took a stroll in the garden.

Happy memories of his childhood and teenage years appeared one after the other.

The more Aiden watched, the more his vision blurred with his tears.

He didn’t know how long it took, but the scene where he, his family, and their guest were having lunch finally appeared.

Aiden gritted his teeth as he saw his past, arrogant self talk back to his mother.

His heart almost broke when he saw the beautiful woman, who had loved and cared for him all those years, nearly tear up as she looked at him with a heartbroken gaze.

Aiden bit his lip, wishing he could punch his past self and shout at him for doing something stupid.

How could he make his mother cry after having reunited with her?

Was he really that stupid?

What was the point of having pride and arrogance once you were dead?

The only thing that would be left behind were regrets!

Finally, the scene of him facing Zion in a duel appeared.

As if making him understand how he lost, the battle was played in slow motion, allowing him to see the sneer and contempt on his face before Zion gave him an uppercut and slammed his face on the ground.

He saw the look of disappointment on his Grandfather’s face as he walked away.

Aiden wanted to scream at his past self and tell him how stupid he was.

But regrets were called regrets because people only realize it the moment when everything had already ended.

The last thing he saw was Zion sitting on the throne, looking at him with pity.

Once again, the scene where he tried to demand that he be released by using himself as a hostage flashed in front of his eyes.

Aiden saw how the sneer on his face changed to a frown.

He watched when that frown turned into confusion, and that confusion into panic.

The scene of him being eaten by wolves, made his body shudder because the pain returned to him as if he was experiencing it for the second time.

When the scene of him about to breathe his last appeared, he heard a sigh from the teenage boy responsible for his death.

“In your next life, be sure to become a better person, okay?” Thirteen said. “After all, you live only once.”

The scene of him gurgling blood as the life faded from his body was the last thing Aiden saw before the memories of his life slowly faded in particles of light.

When everything ended, he suddenly found himself standing inside a courtroom, facing the judge who would give the verdict to his case.

The judge was none other than Metatron, who looked down on Aiden with a devilish smirk.

“Aiden Summers, I have reviewed the actions you have done in your lifetime,” Metatron said. “And now, I will pass judgment on to you. But before that, I will ask you a few questions, and you will answer.”

Aiden, who for some reason, had started to feel anxious once more, nodded in acknowledgment.

“If you could turn back time, what part of your life would you return to, and what would you do after that?” Metatron asked.

“To the time when I reunited with my family after seven long years of separation,” Aiden answered.

“And if you were to return to that time and meet Zion Leventis again, what would you do?” Metatron inquired.

“I…” Aiden hesitated.

If he really returned to that time and faced Zion for the first time, he would probably ask him for a duel again.

Now that he knew what the young man would do, he was confident that he would win against him.

However, after remembering the heartbreak in his mother’s eyes, he paused for a while to think if beating Zion in exchange for his mother’s heartbreak was worth it.

Clenching his fists tightly, Aiden sighed before giving his answer.

“It’s not worth it,” Aiden replied. “I’d rather just follow his orders than hurt my family’s feelings.”

Metatron nodded. “Does the prosecutor have something else to say?”

The door of the courtroom opened, and a teenage boy with black hair and green eyes appeared before Aiden.

“Do you wish to have a second chance in life?” Thirteen asked the young man, who was looking at him with a fearful gaze.

The trauma that he had experienced moments before his death, made Aiden fearful of Zion.

“I do,” Aiden replied through gritted teeth.

“Very well, I can make that happen, but only if you agree to my conditions,” Thirteen stated.

“Name them,” Aiden, who was starting to feel hopeful, looked at the person who orchestrated his death with conflicting emotions in his heart.

“Your sister and I are going to be secretly engaged to each other,” Thirteen said. “I want you to support us.”

“Okay.” Aiden nodded. “But only on the condition that you will not make Shana cry. If you do, even if I were to die again, I’ll fight you with everything that I have!”

“Deal,” Thirteen replied before raising a finger. “The second condition is that you should never make your mother cry again. Can you do that?”

“Yes!” Aiden replied.

The teenage boy then patted the young man’s shoulder and smiled.

“I don’t really care if you hate me or not,” Thirteen replied. “But the moment you get in the way of my interest, you won’t be getting another chance. Do I make myself clear?”

Aiden once again gritted his teeth before nodding his head.

“Good.” Thirteen smiled before clapping his hands together thrice.

The scenery around them then shattered, and Aiden found himself standing on the training ground where he and Zion fought earlier.

The young man’s breathing became ragged as he scanned his surroundings, hoping to see the people who mattered most in his life.

“Go,” Thirteen replied, giving Aiden’s back a slight push. “Apologize properly before it’s too late. You won’t get another chance after this.”

Aiden, whose back had been pushed, took that first step forward, followed by another.

Before he knew it, he was already running towards his house, intending to reunite with his family, whom he thought he would never see again.

Tiona, who was coiled on Zion’s neck, nudged her Master’s cheek with her head before flicking her tongue repeatedly.

“I know, Tiona,” Thirteen said with a smile. “If he backstabs us in the future, just bite him, okay?”

The Black Snake nodded and once again nudged the teenage boy’s cheek, making the latter pat her head as he walked towards the Summer’s Residence, with a spring on his step.