Silence returned to the cave.
The soul projection of Edrin Solace hovered above his lifeless body, its faint glow illuminating the ancient stone walls. The air itself felt heavy, as if the cave was holding its breath.
Ethan did not speak immediately.
He stood there, staring at the corpse of a being who had reached a realm so high that even gods would kneel before it. A being who had failed. A being who had died trying to break free from the cage that imprisoned all existence.
To inherit that will meant inheriting that failure as well.
The human race.
A race that was weak, divided, short-lived, and riddled with flaws.
A race that killed its own kind over ideology, resources, and fear.
A race that bowed before stronger beings and survived only by adapting, hiding, and enduring.
Ethan closed his eyes.
And yet, it was also a race that refused to disappear.
