— Manifestation of the Fallen God —
By the time the story ended, rage smoldered in every heart.
Aveline wept openly, words failing her.
Cael gasped for breath, his chest heaving as if he had endured that cursed night himself.
Nadia wished it were only a nightmare—but the black mist shrouding the land was undeniably real.
This was no natural disaster.
It was a calamity born of boundless hatred, a darkness twisted from the deepest recesses of the human heart.
"Aarav... this isn't you," Eren murmured, his voice low yet resolute.
"It's resentment consuming you. I will set you free."
He steadied his breathing, forcing down the fear coiling in his gut.
Though his body felt hollowed out, his will remained unbroken.
The path ahead was razor-thin.
First—absorb the mist.
Then—release Aarav.
Eren sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy.
Shadow energy surged toward him like a tide, but he drew it in with extreme care, subtly shifting his position—
creating the illusion that it was the corrupted Vigil-Wyrms devouring the foul power instead.
Time crept by.
An hour passed.
A faint smile tugged at his lips—the colossal blood-red hand from his nightmares had not reappeared.
But the relief barely lasted.
The absorption was far too slow.
At this rate, cleansing the mist would take years.
Frowning, Eren drew a sharp breath and cautiously increased the flow of his power.
Shadow energy surged wildly.
Then—
A roar tore through the fog.
"WHO DARES—DEVOUR MY HATRED?!"
Space split open.
A towering figure emerged, wreathed in dark violet light.
Everyone gasped as their souls trembled under the crushing pressure.
Cael, Rowan, and the others instantly dropped into combat stances.
"Aarav? Is that you?"
Eren forced himself to look up through the crushing pressure.
The face was unmistakable—identical to his classmate's.
Yet the aura surrounding it was abyssal and unfathomable, like an evil god staring back from the void.
A single glance felt enough to shatter one's vision.
The colossal figure fell silent, as though a buried memory had been stirred.
"Aarav," Eren said urgently.
"I know what the villagers did. I understand your hatred. But you've already taken your revenge. Don't let that fury consume more innocent lives!"
"Silence!" the demonic Aarav hissed venomously.
"It is not nearly enough!"
"The villagers wronged me! Heaven is unjust!"
"Since I have become a fallen god, I will turn this rotten mortal world into a living purgatory!"
Resentment erupted outward like a tangible shockwave, violently shaking the space.
"I can feel it..."
"There is a mysterious, formidable power within you."
"Once I refine you, I will possess the strength to destroy the world."
"Then all of humanity shall become demons and fiends!"
Mysterious power...
The Lumin & Umbra Sigil?
The thought had barely formed when an irresistible force seized Eren completely.
The world shattered.
In the next instant, he found himself submerged in a boundless ocean of blood, thick with putrid stench.
The surface churned with mutilated limbs and bleached bones, countless corpses drifting endlessly.
Foul, corpse-like energies gnawed at his body and soul, bringing indescribable, excruciating pain.
"Damn it!"
Realization struck—he had been dragged inside the Fallen God itself.
If he failed to escape, he would become just another nameless corpse, refined and dissolved in this sea of blood.
Yet even as his body lay immobilized, one thing remained.
He could still absorb the surrounding corrupt energy—
at an astonishing rate.
— Call of a Pure Heart —
"Aarav... you are wrong."
Eren's voice was not loud, yet it resonated through the void, steady and unwavering.
"You once said, 'The sunlight bathes the land, yet there are corners it cannot reach.'
But have you forgotten?"
"Even in darkness, there are still those who light lamps."
He slowly raised his head, his gaze burning like twin torches in the crimson abyss.
"Yes, there is greed in this world. Betrayal. Cruelty."
"But that is not all."
"Countless people still walk through the night carrying heavy burdens—protecting their families, clinging to kindness, asking for nothing in return."
"That light, too, is born from the human heart."
His voice softened, yet its weight only deepened.
"You once did the same."
"You worked yourself to the bone for that village, scrimping and saving, dreaming only of giving them a better life."
"You had a sincere heart. You were once the kindest among them."
"Aarav—someone like you should not be devoured by hatred."
Those words cut through the blood-soaked void like pure light.
The colossal shadow trembled violently, roaring in agony, as if that radiance were tearing it apart from within.
"Stop it! Silence!" Aarav bellowed, clutching his head.
"I returned full of hope—only to be met with betrayal!"
"They dragged me into the icy river!"
"Sealed me alive into the bridge pier with concrete!"
"How ironic!"
"How unjust!"
"I hate this world!"
"I will destroy everything—let this rotten, unjust world vanish completely!"
Boom—!
The sea of blood erupted, monstrous waves crashing skyward as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
Overwhelming resentment crushed down on Eren like a suffocating tide.
I must awaken the goodness in his heart, Eren realized.
Aarav spared Mira.
That alone proved that, deep within, a pure land still remained untouched.
"Aarav," Eren called out, his voice firm yet earnest.
"I understand your pain. Your bitterness. Your hatred."
"But do you truly wish to be trapped here forever?"
"Come back."
"Mira is still waiting for you."
"You promised to marry her once the bridge was built."
"The bridge is finished."
"And Mira is still there—waiting. Longing."
"Aarav... come back."
With those words, Eren invoked The Lumivora Art.
His voice rang out like a great bell, washing through the abyss, cleansing the corruption.
"Mira... Mira... Mira—!"
"Aaah—!"
The colossal figure shattered with a thunderous roar.
Boundless resentment collapsed inward, sinking back into the sea of blood.
Before Eren stood a thin, plainly dressed young man, glasses resting on his nose—
the original Aarav.
Eren's heart surged with relief and joy.
"Aarav," he said softly, extending his hand.
"Come with me. I'll take you away from this endless hell."
Aarav hesitated—then slowly raised his hand and stepped forward.
Just as their fingers were about to touch—
Sudden change.
Thick black energy surged violently, crawling over Aarav's face once more.
His features twisted as resentment erupted anew.
The fallen state had returned.