Darkness, or shadow, or perhaps gloom? Yes, it was darkness that reigned in the vast throne room of the old stone castle. Although now it resembled less a castle than an ancient ruin.
The throne, split in half, the scattered rags that had once been red carpets, the holes in the walls and roof—all hinted that this place had seen better days. A deathly silence added to the atmosphere, but it was instantly shattered by the rain that poured in large drops from the holes in the ceiling.
A clap of thunder rumbled, and for a moment two figures appeared in the room. A knight in dark armor knelt, leaning with both hands on a sword thrust into the floor. The charred helmet that lay nearby no longer covered his head, and his long white hair hung down, matted with water.
Across from the white-haired man, a young man of about twenty lay on the floor. His black hair, along with his black clothing, blended perfectly into the darkness, making him almost invisible. One might have considered him part of the wrecked interior if not for the brightly glowing structure in each of his eyes: a five-pointed blue star, around which two runic circles revolved in opposite directions.
But somewhere outside the hall, rapid footsteps echoed, and the enormous door creaked open. Light flooded the room, adding to the scene and revealing a pool of crimson blood beneath the black-haired figure. A tall, slender girl stood in the doorway. With blond hair, blue eyes, and a beautiful figure that seemed capable of captivating anyone.
Wasting no time, the beauty—aka Ferris—began to look around, her eyes darting across the room. Her ragged breathing and the bloody sword in her hands indicated that it had cost her considerable strength and perseverance to get here. A shadow of relief crossed her face when she spotted the knight in dark armor kneeling, but it was instantly replaced by horror when she saw the pool of blood. The sword fell to the marble floor with a sickening clang, and her legs gave way.
At that moment, the sound of the rain was drowned out by a loud cry "Ryner!" The girl quickly ran to the boy's body, who lay in his own blood.
Falling to her knees, she quickly lifted his head, placing her hand on his chest. Her fingers instantly sank into the thick, scarlet liquid. Looking at her bloody palm, Ferris's panic grew; her pupils dilated, and she desperately peered closer, hoping the blood would actually be just rainwater.
At the same time, the pentagonal stars stopped contemplating the holey ceiling and smoothly descended, looking at the blonde's face, then just as smoothly moved to the dark knight. A forced smile appeared on Ryner's face.
He took a deep breath, and slightly hoarse words escaped his lips. "Hey, workaholic king."
The knight raised his head. A deep sadness was visible on his face. His fingers trembled on the hilt of his sword. He was still playing dumb, just like he had the first time they met.
"You did a great job; it's just... I won't pay you for overtime, so..."
Sion's face twitched. It looked like he was crying, but the rain hid it, and it was impossible to tell whether it was rainwater or tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. "Enough... Please..."
This casual atmosphere his friend was creating was killing him, because despite his cheerful tone, he was dying.
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad..."
The blonde's hands trembled. For a moment, he imagined a raised fist, but it was only a vision of the bonds he had destroyed with his own hands.
"Isn't this what you always wanted?"
"No. Definitely not this..."
"Well, well." Ryner smiled, but he couldn't keep the mask up all the way; his body was giving out. "So big, and you're still dreaming..."
"With your strength... You..." Anger gradually began to appear on his sad face, but it immediately vanished, like the mask from his former friend's face.
"You know very well how much you can hold onto with bloody hands." Sion gritted his teeth and looked at the floor again. He was right. With such hands, you could hold onto anything except what you desired, but even so, the path he had chosen...
"Maybe a lousy world will finally come to an end, so here's the Demon King's last wish for you..."
"Ryner..." the blonde screamed his name. But despite the trembling and pain from it, he continued: "Save it… Break this cycle for me, Sion."
That was the truth. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't stop this madness, or at least he didn't want to pay for such a chance, for the price was too high for him.
"Do you think about your actions…" The knight in black finally couldn't hold back. His voice echoed through the hall like a clap of thunder.
In contrast, Ryner remained just as calm. "Perhaps not… But… This continent is finally united." That's how it was. In the face of danger, even the stubborn King of Gastark made concessions and joined a single faction.
"Seriously, I've done all the work again. All that remains for you is to prolong the peace, and that's all… That will be your atonement." Sion gripped his sword until his skin creaked, having an entirely different opinion. He could not atone for this sin with anything. "Oh, and one more thing… If the opportunity arises… Well, just the smallest… Create the Kingdom of the Afternoon Nap…"
"Please…" First there was a drop, so warm it burned. Then another, and another… Looking up, he saw perhaps the most beautiful picture, the beauty of which no artist could capture. She was crying, and despair was reflected in her eyes.
"Don't, Ryner, you promised me… Why? Why can't you keep even one insignificant promise? I… I'll kill you…" He smiled inside, but used all his strength to keep that smile from appearing on his face. Despite her tear-stained face, she was beautiful, much more beautiful than when they first met… She was crying, and she was crying because of him. Somehow, even in death, this made him damn happy.
The Mad Demon's blue star didn't reflect any emotion, but her gaze, her feelings, penetrated much deeper...
"Fool..." He truly considered her an idiot, for she had managed to fall in love with him. "It's about time you realized that I never keep my promises..."
"No." The blonde, blocking his view with her golden curls, shook her head so desperately, as if her words could actually change anything. "Just this once, don't fall asleep... Please, don't fall asleep... Just not now... You... I need you..." But there was no answer: the cold body finally went limp, and the damned star faded, leaving behind only brown eyes, covered in a veil of death.
The Demon had fallen... Forever vanished from this world, forever vanished from her life... The girl still looked into his eyes, still hoped... But with every second, reality took over. With each passing second, his death became more and more of a fact, until at one point the huge drops turned into streams, and it wasn't rain… Definitely not that, because, hugging the corpse, she simply sobbed from the realization that the warmth of her bod
y was not enough to warm again the one she loved with all her heart…for the price was too high for him