The mist drifted through the forest like a living thing, curling around the ancient trees and dissolving into the night. Liven ran, his eyes narrowed against the creeping darkness, his heart hammering like a drum in his chest. He did not look back—not even once—though the sound of his own ragged breathing echoed against the silent trunks. A scream, primal and raw, clawed its way up from the deepest parts of his being.
"Run!" he shouted, his voice breaking the fragile calm of the forest. "We don't stand a chance against it!"
Elya rose to her feet, Neriah clutched against her back. "Darel…!" she gasped, fear and determination warring in her chest.
Liven lunged forward, shaking her. "Elya! Stop time. The longer we can hold it, the better our chances!"
Panic flashed across Elya's face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. She closed her eyes and traced sacred symbols in the air with her fingers, the movements precise despite the chaos around her. Time shivered, trembling like a held breath. Then the world fell silent.
Time had stopped.
In that suspended moment, Liven, Elya, and the few others who remained conscious began to flee. Their footsteps made no sound. Their hearts beat in silence.
But barely five steps carried them before a voice sliced through the frozen air.
"You are extremely insolent."
It was everywhere and nowhere at once. The sound cracked like lightning. Time began again, and the world returned with a shudder.
Vel was there.
His long white hair shone like a pale moon against the black of night. His eyes, pitch-black and endless, drew Liven in like a trap. A cat rested motionless in his lap. He sat upon a stone that resembled a throne, his hands planted firmly on his knees as lightning danced around him.
"Liven," he said simply, raising a hand and beckoning. "Come."
Liven's knees buckled. A tremor ran through every bone, every fiber of his being.
"No… this can't be…" he whispered. "These eyes… this being…"
Vel's gaze seemed to pierce through his soul, summoning him forward. Liven stepped, driven by an instinct he could neither name nor resist.
The cat's eyes met Liven's. In their depths, he saw a figure: an angel, bright and winged, struggling like a flickering flame amid the consuming darkness.
Vel raised a hand, signaling "stop."
"There's something about this child… an angel hides behind him."
"Is that so…" Vel murmured to himself as he rose to his full height, the lightning around him dancing in sync with his movement. He pressed a finger to Liven's chest, but the touch had no effect.
Vel frowned, deepening the lines on his face. "Just as I thought. My power has no effect."
The cat purred. "This child… is different."
Vel tilted his head, his eyes sharp as blades. "You… are the one I've been looking for."
Liven froze, fear rooting him to the ground. Yet Vel's eyes lifted to the sky, as if measuring some invisible scale.
"But… there is another who can fight me. He has yet to awaken."
The cat hissed softly. "Shall we kill him?"
Vel shook his head. "No… I'm curious to see what he will become."
Suddenly, his gaze shifted toward the void. A dark aura radiated outward. The demon that had remained unseen now circled them, invisible to all but Vel.
"Hey, demon. You've been absorbing his power, haven't you?" Vel's voice cut through the silence.
The demon paused, then bowed its head. "No… my lord."
The cat's voice rang high and clear. "He's lying."
Vel raised his hand, and in a movement faster than thought, severed the demon's arm.
The demon screamed, a sound of pure agony. "Aaaah!"
"Forgive me! Yes… I take it…"
Vel turned, his gaze as lethal as a blade. "Now, look at me."
The demon lifted its eyes… and in that instant, Vel's gaze tore its head from its body. It had no time to comprehend what had happened before it was destroyed.
Vel exhaled, the sound long and deliberate. "This child… I will grant him a little more power. Let's see how much he can withstand…" He threw back his head and laughed, a sound that shook the forest.
The cat stepped back, cautious. "Are you sure?"
Vel's eyes snapped to it. "Since when have you questioned me?"
The cat lowered its head. "Forgive me."
---
Darkness no longer lived only in the night—it now resided within Liven.
Once, his crimson eyes had meaning; now, only emptiness remained.
Vel walked a few steps behind him, silent. Even his footsteps were swallowed by the forest. The trees themselves seemed to hold their breath. Liven's steps were careful, measured, like treading over gravestones. Ahead lay the village—silent. Too silent.
Streets once filled with children's laughter were now littered with ashes and whispers. When Liven lifted his hand, the sky darkened. When he exhaled, the air froze. Villagers had fled long ago. Only cracked houses and faded flags remained.
Then came a faint sound—a snap, a rustle.
He turned. A little girl stood there, pressing her hands to her chest. Her eyes were wet, but her resolve was stronger than the darkness around her. Liven's shadow fell over her like a living thing. His eyes were nothing but black voids.
> "Are… are you a monster?" the girl asked, her voice trembling.
Liven's hands darkened. A wave of aura radiated from his body. He could destroy her in a heartbeat. Yet she knelt and opened her palm.
A flower. Pale, fragile, but alive.
> "My father said… everyone has a wildflower inside. Yours is wilted… but maybe it's not completely dead."
Liven's right eye twitched. His fingers shook. A single tear slid down—a shard of the humanity he still possessed.
Vel approached, voice sharper now.
> "Enough. You've forgotten your duty. These emotions no longer belong to you."
Liven lowered his head, took a deep breath, and whispered:
> "It doesn't matter. None of it. Neither the flower… nor the tears."
He stepped forward. The flower was crushed.
---
Far away, in another world, Elya sifted through rubble and dust. She lifted a chest, revealing an old wooden box. Inside lay a necklace bound with a rusted chain. A photograph peeked out: a young woman, a man, and a gray-haired baby cradled in her arms.
> "Liven…" Elya whispered.
Voices approached. Two men stepped into view.
> "What were you doing there?!" one shouted.
Elya lifted her gaze, fearless.
> "I wanted to understand why this child became like this. Not you… him."
The men fell silent. One spat on the ground.
> "That house was cursed. A storm broke out when the child was born. To protect the village, we had to burn them."
Elya shook her head, eyes brimming with a mix of anger and grief.
> "You… wrote his fate. Now, we must reclaim him."
Vellan waited in the distance, face resolute.
> "We haven't lost him. We can still reach him."
A low hum rose in the sky. Black light surged from the mountain where Liven stood.
Elya pressed the necklace to her heart.
> "Hold on, Liven. We will return. I'll save you…"
---
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Elya pressed forward, walking alone through the ruined village streets. Fear was gone from her eyes; only determination remained.
A few elderly men noticed her. They whispered among themselves.
> "Isn't she after the cursed child?" "Poor thing… she'll be doomed too… That child is darkness itself."
Elya stopped. Her fists clenched.
> "HE IS NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON!" she shouted.
Silence fell over the crowd. Rebellion burned in her eyes.
> "If you knew that child was still alive, you'd be the ones ashamed."
A man stepped forward. His beard was unkempt, lips cracked, eyes fixed on her.
> "I killed that woman," he said calmly. "The child's mother. Darkness surrounded him even before he was born cursed."
Elya's eyes widened. Her heart skipped. She moved closer. Hand to her sword, but…
No.
> "Liven… this is your fight. Not mine."
A woman appeared behind him. Beautiful, but her face carried rot.
> "Darling," she laughed. "And who is this Codolos?"
The man turned. She was the new wife of the one who had killed Liven's mother.
Elya's mind went dark. Only Liven's eyes remained in her vision. Empty. Broken. All-consuming.
> "But I can kill him, can't I, Liven?" she whispered. Sword drawn.
The woman screamed. Silence fell over the crowd.
Elya turned to them.
> "I am leaving to find him. He's still out there. I will bring him back."
She walked away from the village. Behind her, only silence and fear remained.
---