CHAPTER FOURMy blood turned to ice. In my first life, Julius and I had been friends in high school, or so I thought. He was the charismatic one, the leader, the man everyone followed. He had seen something in me, or perhaps he had just seen a useful tool. He had protected me from the bullies, given me a sense of belonging, and in return, I had given him my absolute loyalty.Until the gemstone, I stared at the screen. The message was simple."Hey Aeron. Long time no see. I'm back in Oakhaven for a few days. Want to grab a drink at The Neon Coil?"I felt a surge of nausea. The betrayal flashed before my eyes: the feeling of the knife, the look of boredom on his face. I wanted to scream. I wanted to find him right now and drive this new blade into his throat.But I stopped. If I killed him now, I would be a murderer in a world that still had laws. I would be in a cell when the System descended. I needed him alive. Not as a friend, but as a target. I wanted him to see the world fall. I w
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