Chapter: 0
The place was dead quiet—except for my breathing and the rustling of my cloak in the persistent winds. I sat on the edge of the cliff, Boots planted up on the scorched edge, looking up at the red sky.
"This sky used to be a resting place, a canvas of peace, a sanctuary for the weary," I said. "But now, it's an eternal reminder of humanity's impending downfall."
The sun, if you could still call it that, hung low. A black spot had swallowed its core… it was growing wider slowly but surely. You could stare at it right now. It didn't burn anymore… Just like us.
My fingers curled around the chipped edge of my mask, crafted from one of the ores of this hell. Feeling the stains and cracks from battle. Thin lights of orange and gold leaked from the fractures, like our souls trying to escape.
"Six years of blood, fire, and suffering," I whispered. The words echoed in the abyss below. "Six years of watching everyone we held dear get torn apart… and we just walk away with another scar."
A Breeze blew past. It carried the scent of ashes and something faintly sweet, like smoke burned from prayers.
'Maybe Marielle would find poetry in that.'
I swallowed.
"You might think I'd accept it by now. But I won't. And I never will." I didn't say it for anyone else; it was just for me.
"Gabriel..?"
Far behind me, I heard the crunch of boots stepping on the grass. Footsteps that seemed familiar. Reyna Vale. I turned to meet her eyes from a distance. Her golden pure spiritual energy still glowed around her like a warrior still riled up.
She hesitated. Her voice softened.
"I didn't want to bring it up, but you're not human anymore… Am I correct?" She asked.
The question didn't sting. Because this time she was right.
I stood up. Cloak billowing. The ground below my feet was still drenched with the blood of a demon lord and every one of his soldiers.