Ethan stood motionless, his gaze locked onto the drifting, wisp-like forms before him.
They weren't just wisps.
They were souls.
Each one a fragnt of a life once lived, now trapped in this labyrinth of sorrow.
But how was he supposed to free them?
How could he give them peace?
He had no idea.
Instinctively, he checked his skills and inventory.
'All intact. Perfect.'
Then, with no other choice, he began to walk.
The labyrinth stretched infinitely in every direction, its walls shifting like living shadows. The deeper Ethan ventured, the thicker the air beca—filled with whispers.
Soft. Endless.
Voices of the lost.
So murmured in confusion.
So called for people who were long gone.
So simply… scread.
Floating lanterns lined the corridors, their glow weak and flickering, like dying stars struggling to stay alight.
Ethan took it all in, a chill running down his spine.
"This place is eerie."
And the further he walked, the darker it beca.
The light vanished.
The whispers grew louder.
Shadows pressed in.
Ethan stopped.
He was wandering aimlessly. And more importantly—no one here seed to notice him.
Not even the lost souls.
So, he took the initiative.
He approached the nearest soul—a small girl, curled up in a corner, trembling violently.
Her body flickered, transparent.
Her lips moved in a whisper, repeating sothing over and over.
"The monsters will take … Mother… Father… where are you… I'm afraid…"
Ethan crouched beside her.
"Uh… hey, can I help you?"
No response.
She didn't even look at him.
She just sat there, shivering like a leaf, her voice never stopping.
Ethan frowned.
She was suffering. He could see it. But if she couldn't hear him—if she couldn't even acknowledge his presence—how was he supposed to help?
His gaze lowered to her hands.
There was only one way to find out.
He reached forward and touched her.
The mont his fingers brushed hers—
His world shattered.
Ethan's vision twisted, dragging him into an illusion.
He was there. Inside her mories.
A house on fire.
Flas consuming wood and flesh alike.
Figures in black masks stord through the halls, cutting down everyone in their path.
rciless. Unstoppable.
People scread.
Blood splattered across the floors, across the walls, soaking the very earth.
And then, in the middle of it all—
A girl.
Kneeling.
Her eyes bleeding golden tears, her small hands clutching at the bodies of her parents.
Dead. Butchered. Their limbs scattered across the burning floor.
The girl trembled.
Sothing in her broke.
A scream ripped from her throat—a sound so raw, so agonizing, it nearly blanked out Ethan's mind even through the illusion.
A holy light erupted from her body.
Cracks spiderwebbed across her skin.
Her fragile body wasn't ant to contain this power.
The masked figures recoiled, panicked.
They moved to stop her.
But it was too late.
She scread again.
This ti—Everything vanished in golden light.
And then—Blackness.
Ethan gasped.
His body convulsed as he was yanked back into reality.
His lungs burned, his breath ca in ragged heaves.
His mind—
His mind was breaking.
The horror he had just witnessed clawed at his sanity.
The corpses, the limbs, the rciless killing, the fire…
The girl.
His Eyes of Discernnt kicked in at the last mont, shielding him, preventing his consciousness from collapsing entirely.
Even still—he staggered back.
Away from the girl.
Away from the weight of her mories.
Tears stread down his face.
Unbidden.
Uncontrollable.
His body trembled with sothing he had never quite felt before.
Pure, absolute terror.
It took everything in him to steady his breath.
To process.
To understand. And even still, he can't seem to understand what just happened. His mind cannot process it.
He forced himself to look up—
And t her gaze.
The girl was staring at him now.
For the first ti.
Those sa golden eyes.
Bleeding with golden blood.
"Are you going to save ?"
"Are you going to save ?"
"Are you going to save ?"
Again.
Again.
Again.
Her voice echoed—a sound that wasn't just spoken, but commanded.
Her very existence seed to shake with authority. An authority higher than Ethan.
Ethan's vision blurred. His mind wavered.
It was as if reality itself was crumbling around him, bending under the weight of her words.
"But it's too late."
"But it's too late."
"But it's too late."
Again.
Again.
Again.
A broken record. A curse.
Ethan's breath hitched. Goosebumps crawled across his skin.
His body scread at him to run.
He didn't understand.
What madness was this? What am I supposed to do in this damn trial ?
Then—
A voice.
Calm. Absolute.
It guided him.
The voice of the Tower.
{To lead the lost… to free them… is to carry their burdens.}
{Take their burdens. Take their traumas. Be their light. And save them from their eternal tornt.}
{But be warned. The more burdens you take… the more of yourself you will lose.}
{So, choose wisely which burden you are willing to shoulder, O Giver.}
—End of Chapter 28—
Reviews
All reviews (0)