In the dream-like realm of creeping darkness, where silence reigned and shadows squird, a faint breath suddenly broke through the stillness. In this deathly quiet, the sound of breathing was deafening, and in the darkness, a figure stood trembling. It was Colin.
The mont he entered “Nightmare of Darkness,” he was struck by a near-fatal, high-dinsional assault that suppressed even the light within him. Yet perhaps due to so stroke of “luck,” all his defensive asures failed instantly, but he did not die; he survived by sheer chance.
Colin continually tried to ignite the light within him, as if tightening his body to resist the bone-chilling cold outside, drawing strength to counter the oppressive darkness. Fortunately, the devastating initial blow did not repeat, either due to timing or so unseen restriction. Struggling against the pressure, Colin’s mind slowly regained its clarity. He had no sense of ti; it felt both like an instant and an eternity.
Clearly, Colin was in dire straits. The imnse pressure bent his body, preventing him from standing upright, and his head seed forcibly pinned, unable to lift. Every so often, popping sounds echoed—his blood vessels rupturing under pressure. Blood spurted from various parts of his body, so staining his clothes, others vanishing into the dark surroundings.
The pressure intensified; his bones began to crack under the force, bending his back even more. The rapid blood loss sapped his strength, and the dark, squirming tendrils seed to whisper strange words, telling him that if he would just kneel and chant the na of so higher being, seeking forgiveness, he would be spared.
To hell with forgiveness!
A recovery card was consud, temporarily restoring Colin’s body, allowing him to straighten slightly before the suppression resud. He kept consuming his recovery cards—one after another—to fight back the crushing force, each one giving him just a bit more ti to stand taller and lift his head.
But as he spent his last recovery card, only his head remained still. Just one more lift would unleash explosive power and sever the connection between darkness and reality. Yet, at that critical mont, Colin felt a sharp presence behind him—an even deeper darkness descending from above.
Within that darkness lurked an unimaginably vast will, causing a paralyzing dread. The terrifying entity had found a way to exert more influence over this world, sending tendrils of its power creeping in. Slimy, shapeless appendages wrapped around Colin’s body, tightening around his neck. He felt the cold, slick movent against his skin, his limbs bound as if trapped in a quagmire. The suffocating sensation soon turned to pain; his body squeezed, blood sprayed, bones shattered, and his form twisted grotesquely as if crushed by a giant hand.
Colin’s spirit was fraught with despair, bitterness, and helplessness. He sensed that soon he would beco nothing more than dust within this dark place—a re nutrient for the land. Yet suddenly, the surrounding space-ti slightly warped, disrupting the flow of this nightmare.
In his mind, a mocking laughter echoed, followed by an influx of unfamiliar information as unseen restraints began to crack. A voice, or sothing beyond voice, forced its way into his consciousness:
“You are too weak. Give up now. A little extra wisdom won’t save you or them; it will only cause more suffering for those weak and innocent lives.”
“Your abilities are insignificant. You aren’t even worthy of looking upon us, let alone leading those weaker than yourself.”
“To us, you are no different from rats and dust.”
“For you, this world is too bleak. Leave, walk away, and no one will care. They don’t care about a rat that flees in disgrace.”
“If you show the right attitude, you can be saved and earn the right to survive…”
“As for the things smaller than dust, we have no interest either, but they will eventually die from this accidental contact with us, returning to their dust-like essence, just like the bugs they casually crush underfoot…”
“For those bugs, death is the true rcy and hocoming…”
“You lack the ability to bring your envisioned future to this ti and place. This is not your stage, and it has no room for you.”
“Leave. Do not concern yourself with those small, weak lives dood to die in darkness. Selfishness is the nature of all things…”
Colin’s spirit felt like it was being torn into dozens of pieces, each fragnt absorbing the dreadful whispers from unknown origins. They weren’t ordinary “sounds,” but another kind of forcibly comprehended information, tearing and shattering his already fragile soul and mind.
But inexplicably, hearing this mockery, a searing rage erupted from within Colin, burning through every fragnt of his soul. The fire rged the pieces back together, reforging his identity in pure anger, stripping away all impurities. The shackles on his soul burned away!
“Not everyone will die in the darkness!”
Colin opened his eyes again. Darkness still filled his sight, but he struggled fiercely, trying to break free from the soft bindings. Blood sprayed from his skin, muscles tugged against broken bones—so pierced through his flesh, others into his organs. His body contorted painfully, standing yet sinking lower, each motion bringing unbearable pain. But Colin had no energy to spare on the agony.
The insidious whispers returned.
“Everyone is dead; only darkness remains outside. Your struggle is aningless. Admit it, humanity has failed.”
Deny.
“You fight desperately, yet selfish individuals waste resources. You may have saved those you despise the most. Don’t you think giving up now would be the best choice?”
Deny.
“The things you try to save are filled with ignorance, selfishness, and greed, lacking any redeemable value. Your actions are pointless…”
“Seeing only humanity’s flaws is your problem, not mine! I will always believe that human nature has a light bright enough to pierce the darkness!”
In the struggle, a simple yellow tal coin slipped from Colin’s hand.
Betting it all! I request…
“All or nothing!”
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