Everything shattered. Emptiness consumed Ruigh's body, creeping into every corner of his soul. His life was destroyed. The core—his anchor, the source of everything—was gone. His gaze faltered, blurred.
The man's hand tightened around Ruigh's throat. His hollow, furious laughter pierced the silence, gnawed at Ruigh's very being as the man continued to choke him. Each of his fingers dug into Ruigh's neck, stealing the air from his lungs. He gasped, his body trembling in panic. Ruigh grabbed the man's arm and squeezed with wide eyes. The emptiness inside him began to burn. His mind caught fire with rage.
This man... had taken everything.
His world, his life, all of it—gone.
A scream tore from Ruigh's throat. He arched his back and fought back—against the pain, against the helplessness. Against everything.
He tore at the vines that held him, thrashed wildly, and struck the man's face. The man stumbled, his grip loosening. Ruigh collapsed to the ground, coughing and crawling backward, desperate for distance.
But it wasn't over.
The man recovered almost instantly, his eyes glowing with hatred.
"You dare raise your hand against me?" he snarled.
"You dare defy your fate as a worthless wretch?!"
The man raised his hand, pointing straight at Ruigh.
"I'll send you to hell."
Ruigh tried to retreat, his mind a mess of panic.
(No—what is he doing? What's going to happen? Is it the same as before? How is this even possible?! Does this mean I'm going to die?)
Frozen. He couldn't move. Something—some foreign force—held him in place. The man approached slowly, his hateful gaze locked on Ruigh.
"I am Rero," he said.
"Remember that name. It is the most valuable thing you'll ever hear—
and the last."
Rero stepped forward. Ruigh trembled, crawling backward in desperation. A sharp spike shot from the ground, aimed at him. His eyes widened with terror. He tried to roll away, barely avoiding a direct hit—but the spike tore across his left side.
A scream ripped from his throat.
Pain exploded through his body as he crashed against a wall. Rero now stood before him—tall, ominous, brimming with murderous intent. He pointed again and declared, voice full of triumph:
"Die in your worthlessness, boy.
With your worthless life."
Those words broke something inside Ruigh. As if something within him screamed in defiance.
"Why...? Why are you doing this?! Why are you so cruel—why destroy my life?!"
Ruigh's voice cracked, fading into a whimper. His words echoed in the space around them.
Rero froze.
He had heard those words before.
His eyes flickered, vision blurring. The boy before him—Ruigh—faded into a different image. A boy in a white coat, bound in chains. The one they had thrown away. The one they had once called their prince… their star.
Rero's breathing quickened.
He clung to his rage, his hatred.
With a howl, he charged toward Ruigh—
but suddenly, his body convulsed.
Rero collapsed to his knees, just inches away from Ruigh.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, time froze.
Ruigh stared deep into the eyes of a murderer.
And then... the air changed. A strange pressure flooded the space, radiating from Rero's frozen body. Something... someone else was there.
A presence filled the room—vast, ancient, impossible. It swept over Ruigh like a wave. And when it touched him—
something broke.
Something awakened.
Just for a moment, the world was only them. Then Rero gasped, breaking the silence.
"Wh... what are you?" he stammered.
"Who are you?! Get out—this is my power!"
He jumped to his feet. Fire burst from him. Lightning cracked around him. The elements spiraled in a storm of madness. Ruigh ducked behind a crumbled pillar, heart racing.
Rero screamed.
He buried his face in his hands, shaking uncontrollably.
"Get out! Not my power, too!
You've already taken everything—
not this too!"
His last hope—his only strength—was slipping away.
The presence within him, enormous and overwhelming, was vanishing.
And then—
it was gone.
Silence returned.
Only Rero remained, broken and trembling in its wake.