Yuri gave them no chance. In an instant, she released a paralyzing gas that spread across the entire forest.
Ren managed to resist, but Ryo could not endure it.
Ren shouted:
"Ryo! Hold on a little longer!"
And he rushed toward Yuri.
Ryo (worried):
"Ren!!"
But Ren did not turn back, and he charged at her, aiming a powerful punch at her stomach.
Yuri dodged the strike, but the wind pressure from the punch tore apart the poisonous cloud that covered the forest, dispersing it completely.
A hand-to-hand battle broke out between them.
Yuri was a fierce opponent not to be underestimated. Soon, her hands were coated in poison, putting Ren in a difficult position since he could no longer touch her.
As for Ryo, after a short while he was able to stand.
He raised his hand toward Yuri, and suddenly a dark sphere formed, mixed with black and violet hues, while his eyes turned pitch black like the night.
A gloomy aura enveloped the sphere, and everything it touched withered and died.
Ren felt the coming danger, and so did Yuri.
Ren turned back to see Ryo... but it was not the Ryo he knew.
His eyes were dark, and suddenly black horns grew from his head, along with six crimson wings like blood.
Ryo prepared his attack, and the dark sphere launched toward Yuri, tearing through time and space, dragging her into another dimension.
The moment the sphere touched her body, Yuri exploded entirely, evaporating as if she had never existed.
Then, Ryo collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Ren ran to him in fear:
"Ryo! Are you okay?!"
But Ryo did not answer.
Ren felt dizzy and lost the strength to open his eyes, collapsing to the ground as well.
Before his eyes closed, he saw someone approaching them.
Ren (weakly):
"Please... help Ryo..."
Then he lost consciousness.
The stranger carried Ryo and Ren back to the city. After two hours, Ryo woke up screaming from a terrifying nightmare.
He heard a cold voice say:
"Shut up! What an annoying sound."
Ryo turned toward the voice and saw Andreas applying strange herbs to Ren's body.
Ren looked as though he were on his deathbed, breathing heavily, his body burning with fever, too weak to move.
Ryo approached in panic, stammering:
"Ren...?"
Ren opened his eyes and looked at Ryo with a hopeful smile, a tear falling from his eye.
Ryo hugged him tightly and began to cry bitterly:
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being weak... I'm sorry I didn't help you... If I hadn't existed, this wouldn't have happened to you... It's all because of me!"
Despite his pain, Ren laughed and said:
"What are you saying, my brother?! This has nothing to do with you. I neglected the fight, and I wasn't focused in my battle with Yuri. I underestimated her... I was arrogant."
Ryo (screaming in despair):
"Don't die! If you leave, I'll have no one left... no family, no friend... I'll be all alone. I beg you, Ren, don't leave me!"
Ren smiled at him and said:
"Ryo... I loved you so much. You were everything I had in this life. With you, I never needed a family or anything else. Sadness never had meaning as long as you were by my side. You are the best thing I have... But even the most precious things we have eventually leave us... And it seems my day has come."
Suddenly, Ren's arm dropped lifelessly to the ground, and he closed his eyes forever.
Ryo trembled as he realized Ren was gone, no heartbeat remaining.
Andreas tried everything to save him, but it was hopeless.
Darkness filled Ryo's heart, drowning him in grief that shattered his soul from within. He staggered out of the room and went behind the house.
He screamed at the top of his lungs, crying in agony for days on end.
His cries did not stop until he lost his sight, and his hair turned white from sorrow. He lost all emotions completely, no longer caring about anything.
His eyes became blank white, shedding endless tears.
He tried to stand, but grief had destroyed both his body and his soul.
Andreas went to help him, but found him like a lifeless corpse—no food, no sleep, his voice broken from screaming, his body too frail to take a single step, and his hair had grown even whiter.
A full month passed like this, and strange symptoms began to appear: gradual memory loss. He quickly forgot everything, remembering only that he was a young man walking and crying.
Andreas tried to heal him, but it was useless. Ryo lost his sight, his voice, and his memory. His hair grew long and turned completely white, and his tears never stopped.
Three years passed... Ryo spent most of them bedridden, doing nothing but weeping.
But finally, he was able to stand again, eat by himself, and regain some of his combat strength.
However, his sight, his voice, the color of his eyes, and his hair never returned. He had lost them completely.
His memory was gone, and he kept crying endlessly... without even knowing why.
Andreas showed clear exhaustion over those three years, tirelessly taking care of Ryo.
"Ryo, it seems you've fully recovered!"
Ryo stood by the window, his long white hair flowing behind him. He turned toward Andreas, his eyes blank white, still weeping. He smiled gently at Andreas, wanting to say something, but he couldn't.
Andreas felt deep sorrow for Ryo's state and tried every possible way to help him regain at least his voice.
During that time, Ryo developed a new kind of magic. He called it Writing Magic. It translated his thoughts into words, making it seem as if he were speaking.
"Thank you, Andreas."
Andreas looked at him in shock and shouted:
"You can speak!!!"
Ryo neither laughed nor reacted, as if he had no emotions. He only said:
"I cannot speak. Nothing has changed. But I created a new type of magic I call Writing Magic. What you're hearing now are my thoughts, not my voice."
Andreas:
"That's truly amazing."
Ryo:
"Then I shall leave now, Andreas. I don't want to be a burden any longer than I already have been. Thank you."
And suddenly, Ryo vanished before Andreas.
Andreas smiled:
"He hasn't lost his soul yet! See you later, Ryo."
---
Elsewhere...
Suddenly, a young dragon was born, pure from the elements of the world.
That dragon was sleeping, protected by a barrier.
To be continued...