As I walked this hollow life,
my feet dragging across a world
that once danced with colors—
I questioned everything.
I roamed,
watching the earth rot in slow motion.
The warmth faded.
The light dimmed.
And I…
I kept on running.
But no matter how far I ran,
I saw it—
the world turning into me.
Not just dark.
Empty.
The world was killing itself,
birthing demons behind the masks of men.
Greed.
Envy.
Hatred.
Wrapped in flesh that once resembled human.
And as it spread—
this infection of the soul—
I felt something
monstrous.
I felt joy.
For a moment, I liked seeing it—
the world collapsing under the weight
of the same corruption I carried.
If I couldn't have joy,
why should it?
I told myself it was the only thing I felt—
but it wasn't.
I felt disgust too.
Hatred.
Not just for the world.
But for me.
My dreams,
my desires,
my soul—
they all turned into reflections of what I hated most.
This world no longer deserved trust.
People wore words like armor—
polished lies to look like kindness.
But their souls were faker
than the shattered ghost I'd become.
And so I ran.
Further.
Faster.
Everything blurred into grayscale.
Darkness took over everything.
My body ached.
My soul screamed.
I collapsed.
And in that collapse,
I saw it—
a flicker of light.
Just a sliver.
A faint glow
in a universe that had long since turned black.
And there…
she stood.
A girl.
Not a mask.
Not a mimic.
But a real soul.
A human.
I stopped.
For the first time in eternity,
I felt like the world still had something…
something worth looking at.
Something worth remembering.
I turned to leave.
But she called out.
"Hey… are you okay?"
I ignored her.
Tried to fade back into shadow.
But she didn't let go.
She kept asking.
Kept insisting.
Wanting to know me—me of all things.
The one who was worse than this broken world.
I warned her.
Told her who I was.
What I was.
The monster I had become.
The curse I carried like a tombstone around my neck.
But still…
she didn't back away.
And the more I looked at her,
the more I felt I should run.
Leave.
Vanish.
But I couldn't.
There was no strength to move.
No will left to leave.
The memories came back—
the blood,
the guilt,
the deaths.
The people I lost
for daring to feel hope.
I was trembling.
Split in two.
A command to run…
and a whisper begging me to stay.
And then—
darkness.
I lost consciousness.
When I woke,
the vision was blurred.
Flickers of warmth danced in my mind.
A soft voice whispered,
"Don't move.
You're safe now.
Let me get you something warm."
An angelic figure,
a candle flickering beside her,
and a warm hand pressed to my forehead.
I felt her presence
more than I saw her.
A warm drink touched my lips.
And I slept.
And for the first time…
in ages uncounted…
I slept in peace.
No screams.
No blood.
No ghosts whispering my name.
Just silence.
And her voice:
"Everything will be okay."
I woke again.
The air was cold—
mountain cold.
The walls leaked winter
into my bones.
I couldn't move.
Only a small candle glowed in the dark.
And yet—
I felt warmth.
That tiny flame—
fighting the storm,
standing alone,
never once extinguished.
It didn't matter
how hard the wind howled.
The candle burned on.
And staring at it…
I felt something.
Maybe, I thought,
there is still hope…
if we don't give up.
Or maybe—
maybe the candle's only fate
was to burn
without ever dying.
I closed my eyes again.
And the world faded softly.
No pain.
No weight.
Only warmth.
And in that moment,
I wasn't a monster.
I wasn't cursed.
I wasn't alone.
I was…
just me.
And I let myself
sleep again.