Drip! Drip! Drip!

"It can't be… no…"

"Uwaaaa!"

Incomprehensible mutterings, a loud wail, and the sounds of rain dripping against the ground.

All of it reached my ears, and yet at the same time didn't.

Standing where I was, my mind was blank. I couldn't think of anything, and the noise around me came from one ear and left from another.

I was numb, so numb… Staring at the figure that lay before me, I didn't know how to react.

'He's dead…'

I tried to check up on him moments prior, but his heart and breath had stopped. There was nothing I could do at the moment, and it was this sense of helplessness that made me numb.

Why? …why did it have to happen again? Why did someone else have to leave me? Especially my father, of all people… the one person I was supposed to protect?

I closed my eyes, the rain still trickling down my face. Images of the past flashed in my mind, moments that I had shared with my father.

'Is this how he felt?'

At last, I was able to understand the constant agony that the other version of me had to endure on a consistent basis, and I noticed that something was beginning to eat away at my chest.

"Haa… uhaaa…"

Breathing was becoming incredibly difficult at the moment, and if not for me being used to this, I would've already lost it at this point.

'Not yet… I can't show weakness just yet…'

I held back everything that was threatening to come out at that moment and kept it to myself.

There would be a time later when I could show weakness… The time wasn't now.

Not yet, at least…

The rain continued to pour down, drenching my clothes and making me feel cold. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of raindrops hitting the ground.

"B,brother."

It was upon hearing Nola's voice that I turned around. The pain that I was feeling further intensified when I caught her gaze, and I raised my head to look up.

She had grown up since I had last seen her. With the time she spent in Immorra, she was now 14 years old… a teen. She had grown into a beautiful young girl and was no longer the little girl that I used to know.

Unlike before, she was aware of what was happening, and I couldn't bring myself to look at her.

"B,brother."

She called out again, but I didn't respond. I didn't want to face her. To see the look of sadness and confusion on her face.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The silence was deafening, the only sound being the raindrops hitting the ground. It was as if the world had stopped for a moment, frozen in time.

"Hiek… b,brother… answer me…"

The rain masked her soft whimpers, and my heart ached at the thought. I really wanted to go to her at the moment and give her a hug, but I stopped myself.

Now was not the time…

'Not yet.'

I couldn't mourn just yet.

Not when I still didn't have the time to mourn Kevin's death.

"Huuu."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. It was hard, but this wasn't the first time I lost someone important to me. I had already readied myself beforehand and was somewhat prepared.

Even so…

It hurt like hell.

"Nola, mom..."

I called out to my family, my voice trembling as I struggled to contain my emotions.

The weight of my father's death hung heavily over me, threatening to crush me under its enormity.

As I turned to face them, I could feel their eyes upon me, their concern palpable in the air. I knew I had to be strong. To keep it together for my own sake. But when I saw the sadness etched on their faces, my composure wavered.

"Uhh."

I took a deep breath and pointed towards a small house in the distance, my heart aching at the thought of leaving them behind. But I had no choice.

"For now, the two of you go over there. Bring...bring dad's body with you."

I said, my voice shaking slightly.

Nola's eyes widened in shock as she spoke up, her voice thick with emotion.

"You're leaving?"

I nodded, unable to meet her gaze.

"I want to stay with you too, but...I can't. There are things I need to do, and I can't afford to waste time here."

The words left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I regretted them almost immediately. Nola's reaction was swift and fierce, her grief and anger boiling over.

"Dad just died, damn it!"

She cried, her voice growing louder and more desperate with each passing moment.

"Did you seriously say that staying here with Dad is a waste of time?! What's wrong with you?"

"No... wait..."

I flinched at her words. This wasn't what I had meant, but how could I explain that to her in the midst of her pain?

"Nola, calm down."

My mother intervened, trying to diffuse the situation.

But she was beyond reason, her emotions raw and unbridled.

"No! Mom, why are you taking his side?! Did you not hear what he said? He thinks being with us is a waste of his time!!"

"Stop it! That's not what he meant, and you know it!"

She said strongly, her arms wrapping around Nola's trembling form.

"So what did he mean!?"

Nola demanded, her eyes flashing with fury.

I met my mother's gaze, silently pleading for her to handle the situation. She nodded her head, a subtle signal that she was with me.

"Stop; let's listen to your brother. We're only a burden to him now."

"No, fuck you! Damn it! Let me go, Mom!"

Nola trashed under my mother's arms, but she was perfectly restrained by her, and she continued to glare at me.

"Fine, go!"

Nola finally relented, unable to escape from our mother's grasp. The tears that streamed down from her eyes were masked by the gentle raindrops in the sky.

"I… I…"

Nola's body limped over in our mother's arms, and she finally wailed.

"Uwaaaa! Daaaad! Whyyy!?"

I averted my gaze from her while simultaneously biting my lower lip and turning my head to look in a particular direction. My vision began to blur, and the next thing I knew, I was floating on top of the vast sea that encircled the island.

Silence returned to my surroundings, and when I thought back at what just happened, I started to hyperventilate.

"Haa…haaa..haaaaa…"

'Not yet.'

I had to force myself once again, but unlike before, it proved to be a much harder task. The pain… it was a lot harder to mask than I thought.

"Fuck!"

Cursing out loud made the situation a bit better, but it was not enough. I needed to vent… I needed to let out what was built up in me, and slowly, the pain that I was feeling turned into something else.

Rage…

It was a rage unlike any other, and right then, as if something within me snapped, the world around me turned completely gray, and I felt endlessly calm.

Extending my hand in a certain direction, the waves beneath me quaked and the sky rumbled.

Rumble! Rumble!

I quickly brought my hand down as the projection of a massive sword soon materialized on the surface of the sky.

***

"Do you see it?"

Jezebeth's voice loudly echoed within the space the two of them were in. His gaze was currently fixed on a certain projection.

Nothing escaped from his grasp, and he was able to see everything that was happening within the pillars.

"What happened is a consequence of your decision!"

Jezebeth wanted to see a reaction from Ren, but even as his own father died, he showed no such reaction. It frustrated Jezebeth to no end, and he knew that the man in front of him was not someone who would be influenced by such tricks.

"Haa… it looks like I've severely underestimated how the situation is."

He scratched the back of his head, annoyed.

"Hm?"

Just then, he noticed something trickling down the side of Ren's mouth. It was blood. Jezebeth's eyes widened in surprise at the sight.

"Oh?"

A smile finally returned to his face.

"Perhaps… you really are affected."

"You think too much."

Ren responded coldly, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Jezebeth.

Rumble―! Rumble―!

The void between them trembled as Ren stepped forward, appearing in front of Jezebeth in a single stride.

Turning his attention back to the projections, Ren caught sight of something that elicited a rare smile.

"Welcome to my world."

Whether his words were meant for Jezebeth, only he knew.

***

[Pillar of Envy]

A particular spot within the pillars served as a slumbering area for the patriarchs. From within that room, they were able to keep an eye on everything that was going on inside the pillar, and if something out of the ordinary occurred, they would immediately take action.

"It doesn't look like I'll have to make a move."

Prince Murdock, the Patriarch of the Clan of Envy, muttered something under his breath as he continued to stare at the projections in front of him.

He was content with the circumstances at hand, and as he watched the demons slaughter members of the four races, a smile broke out on his face.

It was a pleasant sight.

"What a nice sight."

There was nothing that brought him more satisfaction than watching members of his race brutally murder members of the other races.

He had only been a child when his majesty had risen to power, but in those days, he had seen how the situation was back then.

It was the complete opposite of now, and the demons were the ones being hunted.

He could still remember the time when he was forced to flee because of the other races. They had struggled, clawed their way to where they were now, and were now reaping the benefits of their hard work.

"Soon…"

He silently muttered.

"Soon we'll be the only race that remains within the universe."

...and when that occurred, he would at long last be able to feel a sense of reassurance over his fallen comrades who had fallen at the hands of those who belonged to other races.

Rumble―! Rumble―!

"Ha?"

But just as things appeared to be running smoothly, he was startled by a sudden tremor. The area on top of him was suddenly enveloped in pressure, and his expression changed to reflect the gravity of the situation.

"Who in the wo―"

BOOOM―! The ceiling collapsed above him, allowing water to fall into the room above him.

While looking up, Prince Murdock paid no attention to what was going on around him. It was then that he caught sight of a shadowy figure standing in the sky and staring down at him with an expression that he could only describe as complete indifference.

"I… found you."

He whispered in a low tone, his voice devoid of any emotion.