Sorrow. Gloom. Despair.
That's what now permeated every corner of Auren's heart. Lisea's lifeless body before him made Auren feel as if the entire world had crumbled around him. The pain wasn't just from the sword that had pierced Lisea's chest, but from a far more bitter truth—that he had killed someone who meant so much in his life.
Auren gazed at Lisea's body, lying stiff, not moving at all. The blood soaking the ground created a soul-shattering image. From the first moment they met, from their youth full of love and friendship, he never expected this day would come, and all of it would end so tragically.
But even more shocking was that despite Auren feeling profound loss, his heart felt empty. It was as if all the emotions that once existed, all love and hatred, had simply vanished, disappearing without a trace. This sorrow was something that couldn't be explained—it was a darkness that enveloped his entire being.
> "Why... why did I have to do this?" Auren whispered hoarsely, without tears, only an indescribable emptiness. "Lisea... you were everything to me... why did I have to kill you?"
>
But there was no answer. All that remained was the crushing silence. The system that had controlled his steps guided his hand to stab Lisea, but Auren couldn't understand why he couldn't stop himself. It was like a command he couldn't refuse, even though his heart screamed against it. Fate had played him, leading him to the end of this inevitable path.
> "I... I can't feel anything anymore," Auren's voice sounded weak, almost inaudible. His body was like an empty skeleton, no longer having spirit, no longer having purpose. Madness began to creep into his mind, seeping into his shattered soul. "What is left for me now? I have lost everything. My friend. My love. Why did all this have to happen?"
>
But there was no answer from this world. Nothing could heal the wound now gaping within him. The despair deepened, further stripping away his humanity. He felt empty, directionless. What was the point of living if such great loss had to be accepted? What was the meaning of struggle if in the end he could only destroy the one he loved most?
Auren fell to his knees beside Lisea's rigid body. His eyes were blank, expressionless. While the world seemed to continue around him, Auren was trapped in a darkness of the soul he couldn't escape. An intense pain wrung him, and for the first time, he felt he had lost himself.
The world around him began to blur, feeling hazy, like a nightmare he couldn't escape. The darkness that had previously only existed in his mind now became an inescapable reality. He no longer knew if he could survive—or if he should end everything.
> "Lisea, forgive me. Forgive me, my friend... I no longer know who I am." Auren looked at Lisea's face, his tears flowing despite his heart feeling frozen. "Maybe I don't deserve to live anymore."
>
General Zehnar, who had been observing from a distance, now approached. Without a word, he raised a hand, as if signaling to end Auren's suffering. But before he could say anything, Auren greeted him with an almost inaudible voice.
> "No need. Let me feel this. Let me feel this darkness."
>
Auren was trapped within his own soul, a world full of an emptiness he couldn't escape. Everything he had ever dreamed of, everything he had ever fought for, was now shattered.
No more love. No more friends. Only darkness controlled his entire being.
Will Auren return from this darkness? Or will he fall forever, trapped in a world full of sorrow and loss?