"Hey, man, I think we took it too far. Sir Eisen is really gonna gut him—" Grizz muttered, a hint of worry in his tone.
Ralts' eyes showed the same hesitation. "Yeah, man… should we stop Sir Eisen? We don't actually want Sieg to be killed," he murmured.
But Knuck had a different opinion, "We can't. If we tell Eisen we have the money, we'll be the ones paying it back. And I can't let the two of you be gutted like that boy, Sieg." His tone came out like that of a concerned older brother speaking to Ralts and Grizz. "Just don't say anything, and don't bring it up. It's already too late."
"We are pieces of shit, aren't we?"
Hearing Knuck's words, Grizz and Ralts simply nodded, a scent of guilt weighing on their hearts.
Sometimes — somethings are taken a little too far.
"I pity your mother. I can't imagine giving birth to such a worthless son, who doesn't even know his place." While Eisen continued with his insulting remarks.
Who even are you?! You don't know me!
Eisen drew his own knife, far grander and sharper than Sieg's. "Your organs can cover most of the debt. That's the only thing of value you have."
"Huh?! Stop it!" The guards tied Sieg's mouth shut with a towel. The boy squirmed as his live butchering was about to be watched by numerous slum dwellers — yet once again, no one was willing to save him, not even with the boy who was a doorstep away from becoming a victim of organ harvesting.
"Don't worry, we know someone with healing arts, we won't let your organs spoil—" Eisen murmured, and it only fueled Sieg's growing terror.
The thugs watched closer — silent as regret seeped into their consciousness. Some slum dwellers couldn't even watch, as Sieg's muffled screams disturbed them to their core.
"MHHM! MHHHM!"
As Eisen stepped closer, Sieg tried with all his might to fight back, flailing like a trapped fish, kicking wildly. But one guard delivered a sharp gut punch, forcing him to the ground.
"AUGHH!"
"MHHHM!"
Why is this happening to me?!
Without a choice, he was forced to beg the very ones he had ignored for most of his life — the gods themselves.
Goddess of the Moonless Night! God of Machinery and Stone! Forsaken God of Tempest! Great Ruler of the Decaying Sun! Great Sage of Jade and Prosperity! ANYONE, PLEASE SAVE ME!
Sieg was desperate for a savior — but he had never been a worshipper, knowing no proper chants or prayers for any deity.
I'LL OFFER YOU EVERYTHING! MY SERVITUDE — I'LL BE YOUR ETERNAL SLAVE!
None answered.
Not even the All-Forgiving Mother of Life and Decay, the gentle goddess of Strovian answered him.
And if no deity was willing to answer his call, then who would?
I'm going to die…
Ahh… I'm losing my sanity…
But Eisen's knife was already aimed at Sieg's exposed stomach but before he could ever begin his harvesting — the deranged old man from earlier was already right next to them.
When did he?!
"The collapsing eclipse is coming! We are all gonna feel the king's arrival! And he demands new children! New sons and daughters! All hail to the lord of the night! The dark star and aether! Devourer of the worlds!"
The old man kept repeating and repeating until Eisen had enough, "CAN ANYONE SILENCE THAT NOISE? WHO'S GRANDFATHER IS THIS?"
One of the guards continued to pin down Sieg and the other one stood up and handled the old man, he was rough with the senile fool but the old man pointed at the horizon of the Blackwater shoreline.
Instinctively — everyone looked at the direction of his finger.
"The Collapsal king — is staring back at us—" he murmured and the waves of the shoreline were singing with the song of the harrowing father.
"Are the people here this retarded? What the hell does this old ma—" Before Eisen could finish his words, something covered the sun, and light as they knew it began to wane.
The sky above the shoreline darkened unnaturally, the sun slowly swallowed by a creeping shadow.
Murky waves lapped against the mud, catching a dim, unnatural light. Birds of feather scattered, and animals fled without a sound.
"No… it's too early for this… I'm not ready—" Eisen murmured to himself, eyes widening as he stared at the horizon.
Then it became impossible to ignore — the collapsing eclipse wasn't ordinary; it was neither a bane nor a boon, and not even the color of the Tribunal Eclipse.
A dark circle hovered beyond the horizon, its edges rimmed with a sickly crimson glow. And at its center… an eye opened, immense, ungodly and unblinking, staring directly at their wicked souls.
What is that color…
Which god… answered me…
Its gaze felt ominous, penetrating the minds of everyone on the shoreline. Even the dirty wind seemed to halt in utter reverence, and the tide of rubbish stilled as if the world itself were holding its breath — for the coming of a new rebirth.
The world knew better than to look at a collapsing eclipse, particularly an unknown one, yet Sieg and Eisen met it with unwavering eyes.
Sanity's Eclipse— Sieg muttered under his breath.
…How do I know its name—
Eisen clenched his teeth, anger blazing in his eyes. "Fine! TAKE ME! GIVE ME THE POWER TO SURPASS HIM!" he declared.
Ralts and Grizz fled immediately, fear for their lives driving them away.
"SIEG — DON'T LOOK AT IT!" Knuck yelled.
But Sieg didn't hear him.
Knuck tried to stop him, desperate to keep Sieg from turning his gaze toward the Eclipse — but it was already too late. Sieg stood in stillness, utterly mesmerized.
Knuck tried to gaze at it — but he couldn't. Every time he attempted to do so, he felt his sanity wane rapidly. He couldn't understand how some were able to look upon it, especially someone like Sieg.
Then fear seized him whole. He turned his back instead, clenching his fists, choosing to prioritize his own family.
"…Damn it."
Most of the slum dwellers panicked due to the horror of the cosmic sight. It wasn't only them — every single person in the world saw it, from Strovian, Lianese, Azmarian, and Iberian, to Obarun.
The eclipse occurs outside normal orbital mechanics, it's a cosmic overlay, not a physical shadow. It appears in the sky of every region simultaneously.
Some people see it directly, others see it via reflections, visions, or mirrored skies.
Evacuation was almost immediate — but there were still those daring enough to gaze at the unknown eclipse: men, women, even teenagers, risking it for a challenge, even though the fatality rate was unverified.
Some would die, and some would ascend…
Slowly, on Sieg's and Eisen's right back hand, an intricate masterpiece emerged. The sensation brought only agony to their skin, both groaning in pain — it was the mark of the Ascendant.
For a moment, both Sieg and Eisen merely looked at one another — they both knew what it entailed.
A sign that they had been chosen.
But others weren't so lucky. There were those unchosen weaklings who still dared to stare; almost instantly, they started to lose their minds, hallucinating horrors beyond human comprehension. And after losing to madness, they began to laugh and transform into mindless grosteque forms, wreaking violence on those near them.
"You two now stand among the chosen… the newest children of the Collapsal King!"
"Two souls aligned under the collapsing star… dual heirs of ruin… on the path to walk with both the righteous and unforgiving!" The old man was ecstatic at the sight, rejoicing in his prophecy while on his knees.
Before the two boys realized it, with one blink from the eclipse — Sieg and Eisen felt it: the agonizing sensation sweeping through both of them. Not even those with the strongest hearts could stop themselves from screaming in despair.
They were being twisted and compressed into a singular point, as if undergoing spaghettification. They didn't even have time to cry out — their mouths were already distorted by an unknown force.
The guards could do nothing to save their boss, as they tried to defend themselves from the approaching horrors from shapeshifted humans.
Before long, the two of them had transformed into ominously glowing black-red orbs. Both teenagers were reduced to one floating sphere — and within it, they fought for their lives.
— [Astral Imprisonment]
Chapter End.