I was back in the dark room, barely able to breathe. My chest heaved, lungs screaming for air. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground, trying to gather whatever strength I had left.
I noticed another figure beside Mr. Rodulf.
Juwel.
The girl from the flashbacks. The one who had sacrificed everything for her mentor. Her bravery left me speechless. I looked at her, admiration glowing in my eyes. She seemed to sense my thoughts, but avoided meeting my gaze—perhaps unwilling to be comforted or comfort me.
Then, the throbbing pain returned, hitting harder than ever—another memory pulling me into the depths of a long-buried truth.
---
FLASHBACK 3 — THE FINAL FLASHBACK
Rodulf sat on the floor, tears streaming down his face, a coarse rope tied cruelly around his neck like a wild animal awaiting slaughter.
Before him, his wife kissed Betard—the man who had stolen his life's work and now, the woman he once called his soul.
The world had already crowned Betard the discoverer of Complex Mathematics.
Rodulf's heart broke visibly in front of me.
"I loved you, Agnes," he wept. "Gave you everything—my name, my home, my trust. You were part of my soul, and—"
"Oh, shut up already, Rodulf," Betard interrupted coldly.
Agnes grinned. "Now we can finally marry and live happily ever after."
"Yes, honey," Betard said as he stepped closer to hug her.
Then…
"Ouch!" Agnes gasped, eyes wide in shock. A massive knife now lodged in her back.
"AGNES!" Rodulf screamed, his voice echoing through the walls.
"Why, Betard?" Agnes whimpered, collapsing to the floor.
"Because anyone who can betray their own husband can betray anyone," Betard sneered. "You turned on him today—tomorrow, it would have been me."
"But I loved you… with everything I had," she choked.
"Just like Rodulf loved you, and look what you did." Betard crouched beside her, voice twisted in mockery. "Did you really think you'd get love? Marriage? What a joke. I'm done with this entire 'genius couple' farce."
Rodulf, still bound by the rope, was dragged away. They locked him in the rest room of his own house.
Then they lit it on fire.
He burned alive in the same place he built with love and dreams. The flames scarred more than just his body—they scarred his soul. Betrayed, murdered, and forgotten.
Even in death, he couldn't cross the borders. His soul stayed behind, feeding on the thirst for revenge. And Juwel—who had died trying to protect him—her attachment held her back too.
---
I was pulled back into the present, trembling with the truth. Rodulf wasn't just a terrifying tale or a cursed grave that appeared at night.
He was a man—a brilliant man—whose life had been turned into ashes by betrayal and greed.
"You don't have to sympathize with me," Rodulf said slowly. "It's you who should be sorry—for yourself. I'm going to drain every last drop of your energy. They will all pay through you."
Without warning, my strength began slipping away. My vision blurred. He was taking everything from me.
"Her soul is powerful," Rodulf muttered to Juwel. "So pure… it hurts to drain it. But justice demands sacrifice."
"We waited for this moment for years, sir. There's no going back now," Juwel said, eyes hard.
I was helpless, fading, broken. I thought of Alan. Of Maria. Of Michael. Of home.
But I knew no one was coming.
Then, Maria's words echoed in my ears.
"The Universe is listening… speak to it. Believe in it. Fortune favors the brave."
I didn't need rescue.
I was the rescue.
"STOP!" I shouted with everything I had left, a final surge of strength tearing through my chest.