"No... no, no..."
The words broke out of Cain before he could stop them, his voice cracking as his body moved on its own, his hand reaching forward as if he could still stop what had already happened, as if he could still close the distance between himself and the image of Cornelia breaking down in front of him.
"I didn’t an it..."
His fingers trembled as they pushed into the mist, his breath uneven, his chest tightening with sothing that refused to be ignored any longer.
"I didn’t an it..."
For a mont, it felt real.
It felt like if he just moved faster, if he just spoke louder, if he just reached a little further, he could stop her from crying, he could take back the words that had hurt her, he could change everything that had led to that mont.
But the second his hand made contact—
The world exploded.
The mist burst outward violently, as if it had been struck by sothing far greater than his touch, the entire scene tearing apart in a wave that swallowed everything, Cornelia’s figure breaking into nothing, her voice gone, her tears erased, her presence ripped away like it had never existed.
Cain froze.
His hand remained stretched forward, but there was nothing there anymore.
"...Illusion..."
The word ca out hollow.
"...It was all... just an illusion..."
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything before.
Not because it was empty.
But because it wasn’t.
His chest rose slowly, his breathing uneven now, his body suddenly feeling heavier than it had before, as if sothing had been taken out of him without his permission.
His arm lowered slowly.
"...Then why..."
His voice dropped.
"...Why does it feel like that..."
He could still see it.
Cornelia crying.
The way her voice broke.
The way she asked why.
The way she looked when she realized the truth.
"...Damn it..."
His knees almost gave in, but he forced himself to stand, his jaw tightening as he tried to hold himself together.
"...This is just the blood pact..."
He said it again.
Like before.
Like a reminder.
"...This is just a trick..."
But this ti—
The words did not feel as strong.
His silence stretched.
Long.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
Sothing inside him snapped.
His blood aura exploded outward without warning, surging violently as if reacting to the pressure building within him, as if rejecting the weakness that had started to creep into his thoughts.
"Enough!"
His voice echoed, raw and sharp as his power erupted, the ground cracking once more beneath him as the mist around him trembled under the force of his presence.
"I’ve seen enough!"
The energy around him surged again, stronger this ti, more unstable, driven not just by anger, but by sothing deeper, sothing more chaotic.
His hands lifted.
And he attacked.
One spell.
Then another.
Then another.
Each one released with force, each one tearing through the space around him as if he wanted to erase everything, as if he wanted to burn away every image, every mory, every emotion this place tried to force onto him.
"Disappear!"
A wave of blood energy surged forward, ripping through the mist.
"Disappear!"
Another followed, stronger, faster.
"I won’t accept this!"
His attacks beca relentless, pouring out of him without pause, without restraint, as if the only way to silence the noise in his mind was to destroy everything around him.
"This is not real!"
More power.
More destruction.
"I won’t be manipulated!"
The space shook again.
And again.
And again.
But no matter how much he attacked—
Sothing remained.
A presence.
A feeling.
Sothing that refused to disappear.
And then—
A voice.
Soft.
Broken.
Crying.
"...Cain..."
His body froze.
The power around him collapsed instantly, his breath catching in his throat as his head turned slowly toward the sound.
"...Cain..."
It was her.
Faith.
His eyes widened as the scene ford again, the mist gathering not into chaos this ti, but into sothing clearer, sothing more focused, sothing that felt closer to mory than anything before.
She stood there.
Alone.
Her figure smaller than before, younger, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders, her eyes filled with tears as she looked around, searching for sothing that wasn’t there.
"...Where are you..."
Her voice trembled.
"...Cain..."
Cain didn’t move.
He couldn’t.
"...Why..."
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to hold herself together, but failing.
"...Why aren’t you here..."
His chest tightened.
"...I’m here..."
He whispered.
"...I’m right here..."
But she didn’t hear him.
She couldn’t.
The scene continued.
Ti moved forward.
And he saw it.
The distance.
The gap that had slowly grown without him realizing it.
The way he stopped paying attention to her.
The way he began focusing on the others.
Cornelia.
Ivira.
The way he chased after them.
Spoke to them.
Spent ti with them.
While Faith—
Was left behind.
"...No..."
His voice dropped.
"...That’s not..."
But it was.
He could see it clearly now.
Monts where she looked at him.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Only for him to turn away.
Monts where she tried to speak.
Only to be interrupted.
Monts where she smiled.
Only for it to fade when he didn’t notice.
"...I..."
His breathing grew heavier.
"...I didn’t realize..."
The weight of it pressed down on him.
Not as an attack.
Not as force.
But as truth.
Then—
The scene changed again.
Faster this ti.
More intense.
The air filled with the sll of blood.
The ground darkened.
And Faith—
She was there again.
But this ti—
She was covered in blood.
Her clothes torn.
Her body trembling as she struggled to stay standing, her breathing weak, uneven, her strength clearly fading.
"...Cain..."
Her voice ca out faint, barely holding together.
"...Cain..."
Her eyes searched desperately.
"...Where are you..."
Cain’s heart pounded violently.
"I’m here!"
He shouted.
"I’m right here!"
He moved.
Without thinking.
Without hesitation.
His body surged forward as fast as it could, his power gathering instinctively, his mind focused on one thing and one thing only.
Reaching her.
Saving her.
"...Hold on!"
He raised his hand, preparing a spell, his energy gathering rapidly as he aid to tear through whatever stood in his way.
Then—
A shadow.
It appeared in front of her.
Silent.
Cold.
Deadly.
Cain’s eyes widened.
"No!"
His voice broke as panic surged through him.
"No, no, no—!"
He attacked.
A powerful spell shot forward instantly, aid directly at the shadow, carrying everything he had, everything he could gather in that mont.
"Stop!"
The attack passed through.
Like smoke.
Like it wasn’t there.
"...What..."
The blade moved.
Fast.
Precise.
Faith didn’t even have ti to react.
The mont stretched.
Then—
It ended.
Her head fell.
Her body collapsed.
Silence.
Complete.
Unforgiving.
"...No..."
Cain stopped.
Everything inside him froze.
"...No..."
His voice ca out weak.
"...No..."
Then—
He broke.
"NOOOOOOO!"
The scream tore out of him as he rushed forward, dropping to his knees as he caught her body, his hands trembling as he held her, his other hand reaching for her head, pulling it close as if that could sohow make it whole again.
"...Faith..."
His voice shook violently.
"...Faith..."
Her face.
Still.
Pale.
Beautiful.
But lifeless.
"...No..."
Tears fell from his eyes, uncontrollable, unstoppable, as his body shook, his grip tightening as if letting go would make it worse.
"This can’t be..."
His voice broke again.
"This isn’t... this isn’t what happened..."
His breath ca in uneven gasps.
"This isn’t my past..."
His grip tightened further.
"...This isn’t real..."
But it felt real.
Too real.
Everything about it felt real.
Her voice.
Her face.
Her death.
"...No..."
He shook his head desperately.
"No, no, no..."
His body trembled violently as he held her, his mind breaking under the weight of what he was seeing, what he was feeling, what he could not deny anymore.
"This isn’t real..."
He repeated it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But the words had lost their strength.
Lost their aning.
Lost their power.
"...Faith..."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"...I..."
The world around him began to crack.
Not from his power.
Not from his will.
But from sothing else.
Sothing deeper.
The scene began to collapse.
The mist returned.
Swallowing everything.
Her body.
Her blood.
Her presence.
Gone.
Just like that.
And Cain—
Fell into darkness.
Silence.
Nothing.
Then—
A sharp breath.
His eyes snapped open.
Dark ceiling.
Cold air.
His body lying still.
But his chest rising rapidly.
And before he could even think—
"NOOOOOOO!!!"
The scream tore out of him as he sat up suddenly, his entire body shaking, his eyes wide, filled with sothing raw, sothing broken, sothing that had followed him out of that place and into reality.
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