Elias couldn't process a single thing.
His mind refused to understand what his eyes were seeing, as if reality itself had broken apart in front of him. His heart was racing so violently it felt like it would tear his chest open from the inside. Each breath came sharp and shallow, burning his lungs.
In front of him—
A body.
A guard of Sancthorn.
Collapsed on the wet ground.
Headless.
The rain washed over the armor, over the blood, over the broken shape that had once been a living man. The sight made Elias's stomach twist painfully. His legs felt weak, barely holding him upright.
"I…" His lips trembled. "I… I…"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Then—
Something moved.
The severed head slipped from his shaking hands.
It rolled across the ground slowly, leaving a thin trail of blood behind, until it stopped near the feet of the other guard standing ahead.
Time froze.
The guard looked down.
Then screamed.
"What the fuck did you just do?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with horror and rage. "You devil!"
The scream tore through the night.
Elias flinched violently, his whole body shuddering like he had been struck. His heart pounded even harder, faster than before. His hands shook uncontrollably, fingers twitching as if they weren't under his control anymore.
Fear—real, pure fear—filled his eyes.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Only terror.
"I… I… I didn't…" Elias whispered, his voice breaking apart. "I don't… do… anything…"
His teeth chattered as rain mixed with tears on his face.
"I don't know how I came here…" he murmured again and again, like a prayer, like a plea. "I don't know… I don't know…"
The guard took a step back instinctively, gripping his weapon tighter, eyes locked onto Elias as if staring at a monster wearing a human face.
Elias stood there, drenched, shaking, surrounded by death he couldn't understand—
A boy trapped inside a nightmare he didn't choose.
The guard's fear turned into rage.
His body tensed instantly, muscles tightening beneath his armor as training took over his mind. His stance lowered, feet spreading apart, weight balanced perfectly against the wet ground. Rain ran down his face, but his eyes never left Elias.
A monster.
That's what he saw.
With a sharp stomp of his foot, the guard surged forward and swung his arm with all his strength.
The sword left his hand.
WHOOSH—!!
It cut through the air violently, spinning as it flew straight toward Elias. The sound alone made Elias flinch, his heart slamming painfully against his ribs.
Then—
The blade ignited.
Flames erupted around the sword mid-air, magical fire wrapping around the steel like a living thing. The rain hissed and evaporated near it, steam rising into the night.
Elias's eyes widened in pure horror.
"I—!"
His body refused to move.
His legs wouldn't respond. His arms felt heavy. His breath locked inside his chest.
Even though every part of him screamed to run, to move, to survive—he was frozen, stiff like stone.
The burning sword came closer.
Closer.
So close he could feel the heat against his skin.
And then—
His body moved.
Not slowly. Not carefully.
Instantly.
In a blur, Elias's body twisted sideways with impossible speed. His feet barely touched the ground as he slipped out of the sword's path, his movement sharp and precise—far beyond anything he could ever do.
He didn't choose it.
He didn't think it.
His body simply obeyed something else.
The flaming sword missed him by inches and slammed into a tree behind him—
BOOOOM!!
The impact was explosive.
The tree shattered completely, wood splintering apart as fire ripped through it. The trunk collapsed in pieces, burning fragments scattering across the ground.
Elias stumbled back, gasping loudly.
"What—?" he whispered, staring at his own hands in disbelief.
His heart hammered wildly as he looked at the destruction behind him, smoke rising into the rain.
"I didn't—!" Elias raised both hands desperately, palms open, blood and rain dripping from his fingers. "I didn't do this! Please—stop!"
His voice cracked, shaking with panic.
But the guard didn't listen.
His eyes burned with fury now.
And he charged.
The guard didn't slow down.
He ran straight at Elias, boots pounding against the wet ground, rain splashing with every step.
"Don't lie, you bastard!" the guard roared, his voice breaking with fury and grief.
"You're the one who did this!"
Elias shook his head violently, backing away without realizing it.
"No—no—please—" his voice trembled. "I swear—"
The guard lifted his hands, shoving them toward Elias's face.
"Look!" he screamed. "Look at my hands! They're covered in my comrade's blood because of you!"
Elias's eyes dropped.
And his world collapsed.
His hands—
They were soaked in blood.
Dark red. Thick. Slippery.
It coated his fingers, smeared across his palms, clinging beneath his nails. It looked exactly like the hands of someone who had slit a throat.
Elias's breath left him in a broken gasp.
"No…" he whispered. "This… this isn't mine…"
His entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. His knees felt weak. His stomach twisted violently as his mind refused to accept what his eyes were seeing.
"I didn't—" his voice cracked. "I didn't do this…"
But the guard didn't care.
With a furious shout, he lunged forward, sword raised high.
Elias had no time.
No strength.
No control.
He shut his eyes tightly, panic taking over completely. He raised his arms instinctively in front of his face, trying to protect himself, trying to disappear—
SLASH—!!
A sharp, tearing sound cut through the rain.
Something heavy hit the ground with a dull thud.
Elias felt a sudden burning pain—
Then nothing.
For half a second, his mind went blank.
Then the pain arrived.
Explosive.
Blinding.
He opened his eyes.
And screamed.
"AAAAARGHHH—!!!"
His hand—
His hand was gone.
It lay on the ground a short distance away, fingers still curled, blood pouring out violently from the torn arm. The rain mixed with it, spreading red across the earth.
Elias collapsed backward, clutching his bleeding arm with his remaining hand. Blood soaked through his clothes, dripping endlessly.
"I—IT HURTS—!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face. "PLEASE—STOP—!"
But the guard didn't stop.
His face was twisted with madness now.
He attacked again.
And again.
And again.
The sword came down in fast, brutal strikes. Elias barely managed to move, stumbling and falling, slipping in the mud and blood. His body reacted just enough to keep him alive—but not enough to escape.
Each dodge was clumsy.
Each movement slower than before.
Cuts appeared across his body—his shoulder, his side, his leg. His vision blurred, rain and tears mixing until everything became hazy and distorted.
His breathing turned ragged.
His strength faded fast.
"I… can't…" Elias whispered weakly, barely able to stand anymore.
The guard raised his sword again.
And Elias knew—
He wasn't going to survive like this.
--
Blood kept pouring from Elias's arm.
Warm. Endless.
His vision blurred, the world swaying violently as he staggered backward. Every breath burned. Every heartbeat felt louder than thunder inside his skull.
The guard didn't stop.
He came again.
Steel flashed through the rain.
Elias barely twisted aside. The blade cut across his side, tearing through cloth and skin. Pain exploded through his body, ripping a scream from his throat.
"AAGHH—!"
He fell to one knee, his remaining hand pressing desperately against his bleeding arm, trying to stop what couldn't be stopped.
That was when—
A voice spoke.
Not outside.
Inside him.
Calm. Cold. Almost amused.
"Are you already scared?"
Elias froze.
His breath hitched.
"N-no…" he whispered weakly, trying to push himself up. "Get out of my head…"
The guard attacked again.
Elias stumbled, barely dodging, but the sword sliced his shoulder. Another cut. Another burst of pain. His body was covered in wounds now, rain washing blood down his skin.
His vision darkened at the edges.
"I can't see…" he gasped. "I can't—"
The voice returned.
"So you want to kill him, right?"
Elias shook his head violently.
"No!" he screamed. "No, I don't! I don't want to kill anyone! I'm not like you!"
The guard didn't listen.
With a furious roar, he swung again—
The blade caught Elias near the eye.
Pain tore through his face.
Elias screamed so loud it echoed against the walls.
"AAAAHHH—!!!"
He dropped to the ground, hands shaking, tears streaming down his face. Blood mixed with rain, dripping into the dirt beneath him.
The voice spoke again.
"If not now," it whispered, closer than before,
"then never."
Everything stopped.
For a single moment—
The rain. The pain. The fear.
Elias stood still.
His body went numb.
Completely.
He closed his eyes tightly, trembling.
"I don't want to die," he whispered.
The guard raised his sword one final time.
And then—
SHASHHH—
It happened in less than a blink.
Elias's body moved.
Not slowly. Not carefully.
Instantly.
A flash.
A violent rush of motion that Elias himself didn't feel—didn't control. The world blurred, air tearing apart around him.
Then—
Silence.
The guard's body froze mid-motion.
And then—
It fell apart.
Not in one piece.
Not in two.
Hundreds.
The body collapsed into countless pieces, scattering across the wet ground as if sliced by invisible blades.
The sword clattered uselessly to the earth.
The rain fell harder.
Elias opened his eyes.
His breath caught.
"What…?" he whispered.
He stared at the remains in front of him, his mind unable to understand what had just happened.
His body trembled violently.
"I… didn't…" his voice broke. "How did I…?"
Tears streamed down his face.
He didn't want to do it.
But he didn't want to die either.
And somewhere deep inside—
The voice was silent.
Satisfied.