Chapter 22: The Long Night
In the darkest night of the journey... we often meet the most fearsome demon... which is our own past self...
And in the moment we are about to surrender to its whisper... the only light that can save us...
is the reflection of trust in the eyes of a comrade who still remains by our side.
— From "The Diary of a Lost Cleric"
The final week of the mission... was the most stressful period.
All the materials were prepared... over fifty runestones lay in rows, awaiting installation...
Now was the phase of "connecting the circuit."
"This is the most dangerous part," I explained to everyone as we stood around the blueprint. "We have to embed each stone into the ground at the exact calculated position, then use 'mana-conducting silver thread' to link them together into a network... If any point is connected incorrectly... the circuit will short, and the main control stone could explode."
This task required both physical precision and mental stability...
Throughout the week... we worked relentlessly from dawn till dusk.
The accumulated fatigue... the lack of sleep... and the swirling dust... it all began to take a toll on my body.
My [Imperfect Breath] flared up. I started coughing and having trouble breathing more often...
One night ,everyone worked until late at night.... as I was trying to calculate the most complex angle for embedding a stone... it happened.
The pressure of the deadline... the physical exhaustion... and the complexity of the task... they became the perfect fuel for the "Shadow."
[...MP has fallen below 40%...]
[...States 'Pressure' and 'Exhaustion' are amplifying the effect of 'The Devouring Shadow'...]
Negative thoughts began to surface in my mind...
'What if we fail...'
'If it explodes... everyone will get hurt because of me...'
"Faelix... maybe you should rest?" Lunaria asked softly.
"It's fine... I can still go on," I answered... but the hand holding the chisel began to tremble...
I tried to force myself to carve the final rune... but then...
...a drop of blood fell onto the wooden plank...
[...Exceeding MP and concentration limits has triggered the effect of 'Fragile Blood Vessels'...]
"Faelix!" my friends' voices cried out in unison...
I raised a hand to my nose... Shame and self-disappointment washed over me.
'See?... I can't even control my own body... How can I protect anyone?'
[...You have entered the state: [Self-Disappointment]...]
[...Effectiveness of all MP recovery temporarily reduced by 70%...]
This was the reality of my internal war... no matter how good things seemed on the outside... the most fearsome enemy was always the one within my own heart.
Lunaria rushed to support me... my parents ran out of the house in alarm.
"That's enough for today,"
Father said, his voice firm and absolute.
"Everyone, go home and rest... We'll deal with this tomorrow."
That night... I couldn't sleep...
I lay staring at the dark ceiling... letting the "Shadow" consume my MP, bit by bit.
Just as I was about to sink into despair...
Knock... Knock...
A soft knock came from the door... Lunaria...
She entered with a glass of warm milk and the "music box" my father had once repaired...
She said nothing... just placed the milk by the bed... and wound up the music box...
The familiar, clear melody began to play... chasing away the oppressive silence...
"I... have felt like this before," she said softly. "When I first escaped... I felt worthless... a burden to everyone..."
She looked at me... her eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"But you... and your father and mother... you made me realize... that being alive... isn't a burden... The fact that we are still here... and are trying to fight... that's what matters most."
She reached out her small hand... and held mine.
"You are not fighting alone... Faelix."
> You have received the effect of 'A Light in the Darkest Night'...
> Status [Self-Disappointment] has been nullified...
> The effect of skill 'Balance of Shadows' is activating...
> MP restored by 30 points!
The warmth from her hand... and her simple but sincere words... were like a light that pierced through the darkness.
My fear didn't disappear... but I was no longer alone with it.