Elion's sleep was interrupted by sounds coming from the street.
The boy opened his sticky, tear-filled eyes and immediately regretted it when he saw the harsh reality.
"Hey, what the hell happened here?"
"Something terrible happened... People heard terrible screams and an explosion during the night. Looking at this, it seems they weren't exaggerating."
"Damn, what a mess early in the morning."
Two men responsible for law and order in the city deftly stepped over the collapsed walls and found themselves in the kitchen where the boy was lying.
"Hey, is that a kid?!"
"A-apparently... Kid, how are you? Are you okay? Can you tell us what happened here?"
The boy sat up with effort and put his toys aside.
He looked at the two men, but he couldn't speak, either because he had lost his voice from screaming or because he didn't want to.
"Why isn't he talking?! Is he mute or something?" The first man asked the boy, sounding a little irritated.
"Maybe he has post-traumatic stress disorder, or maybe he's still in shock..." the second man speculated.
"Hey, kid. Tell us what happened here. We've got plenty to do without you."
The boy remained silent, which made the man lose his temper. He abruptly approached the boy and grabbed him by the collar.
"Hey! We're actually working here! You're going to help us whether you want to or... Oh, damn..." The man pressed down on the boy furiously, but then his gaze fell on the boy's dark blue chest, visible through his torn shirt, and his bloody head.
"Calm down! He's covered in broken bones!" Another man forcefully pried the first man's grip loose, causing the boy to fall to the floor like a limp doll.
"Damn it I..."
"Hey, boy, how are..."
But they didn't have time to finish talking. The boy pushed himself up onto all fours, ran out of the house, stood up, and ran as fast as he could.
He ran without looking where he was going.
Thick clouds filled the sky, and the sun was nowhere to be seen.
It was as dark as night.
It was as dark as his soul.
Despite the terrible pain in his chest, he ran, not caring about it.
But It was okay, though, because she was no longer in this world.
He ran through the forest, the branches mercilessly tearing at his skin.
But, it was, though, okay, she was no longer in this world.
He ran, forgetting all the people he had once known.
But, it was okay, though, because she was no longer in this world.
He ran...
Ran.
And kept running.
He didn't care about the whole world.
But that was okay; after all, she was already dead. Then...
If she's already left this world... Then why should I stay in it?
There was no emotion on his face.
He didn't smile.
He didn't cry.
He didn't scream anymore.
He didn't care.
Finally, when his strength left him and his shoes were about to fall apart, he reached his destination.
Endless dark blue water stretched far beyond the horizon before him.
The boy remembered this place. He first visited it with his sister on a beach day off from school.
He remembered how they had played and splashed happily in the water.
He remembered how his sister had taught him to swim.
He also remembered how they had learned to throw stone pancakes across the azure water.
He remembered when they used to bathe together in the sunshine and have picnics on the beach.
Looking up, he saw a sky thick with clouds that seemed to stretch on forever.
He looked at the dark blue water, which appeared to have an infinitely terrifying depth.
He looked at the dark reflection of his memories.
He looked away and headed for a small rock, from which he could jump straight into the lake.
He didn't want to die.
He just didn't want to live in a world without her.
But that's okay. After all, she's no longer in this world, so no one will scold me," The boy thought emotionlessly.
It probably won't be so easy to die. My body is wounded, but it will still resist... I have to think of something...
Without thinking twice, the boy pulled off his torn shirt. A terrible bruise covering half his body appeared, but he didn't glance at it. Instead, he reached for the laces of his shoes.
Then, he looked for a stone of the right size and went with this one to a small rock.
As for why he couldn't use his pants to secure the rock instead of the less reliable shoelaces...
I don't want to die without my pants. He thought emotionlessly.
...
After finishing his preparations, he made his way to the rock jutting out about thirty meters from the shore into the lake.
Reaching the very edge, he began to tie himself to the rock with his shirt and shoelaces.
When he was done, he looked down, then forward, and finally lingered a little longer on the sky above, as if hoping for something.
He didn't look back. The world didn't care about him. And he didn't care about it, either.
Finally, he looked away from the dark sky. His face was expressionless.
He took a step in silence, and then...
*Splash!*
He was in the water.
It hurt, but he didn't care.
It's dark and... so cold...
Elion began to drown.
In the depths of the dark water, the boy closed his eyes.
His outstretched hand reached toward the sky.
...
The world was silent.
Not a sound could be heard.
Dark clouds covered the entire sky above the town and its surroundings.
They seemed as if they would remain there forever and that the town would never see the light again.
The water was calm.
After a small splash, there was no sound.
All creatures and insects were silent.
The world watched silently.
The curtain of clouds parted slightly.
A single ray of light squeezed through the only open space.
It began to shine into the dark depths of the lake, growing brighter with each passing second and seeming to take shape.
The ray pierced the dark abyss of water.
A lone creature, drowning in darkness, opened its eyes.
"..."
He said nothing.
He thought of nothing.
It was as if it had always been, was, and would always be.
Without saying a word, he...
Reached out his hand toward her last light.
She clasped his lonely hand.
...
And then a voice in his head said:
"Let the whole world witness your joke."
The End of Volume One: Joke