The mini sun in the sky had been burning for almost half an hour. Its outer shell was completely transparent, and a small bird covered in veins of flames like blood veins was growing inside.
In contrast to this otherworldly view of the sky, my mind was filled with dread of what may have been coming next.
'They still haven't appeared. Could they be planning something?'
My mind was getting a bit restless cause these night rangers still haven't shown themselves. Just as I was wondering where these people are. A figure appeared on the distant horizon before I could even react. Suddenly, he appeared in front of me, slamming down a punch at my face.
Next instant, my body was sent flying. I tried to maintain balance, but he instantly appeared in front of me, throwing a kick at my head.
"Fuck!"
I twisted my body in mid-air, barely dodging the kick and trying to grab his head. His reaction was lightning fast; he evaded my hand, delivering a straight blow to my face. Just like this, one after another punch came at me.
'I was clearly no match for this guy. If it continued like this, maybe I won't have to wait for night, everything will end here.'
He was moving several hundred times faster than that Crazy Monkey at night. I couldn't even see his image clearly. I could only see the result of his action: my face being almost distorted, a broken nose, and blood spilling into the air. While my body was getting continuous hits.
I was losing my focus; my vision was getting blurry, and blood was covering my eyes. I felt a strange hunger; my tongue licking the dripping blood from my mouth, increasing my lust for blood. My blood started to burn, and the sweat started to stream down like a bucket of water poured over my body.
My thoughts were becoming hazy, and I started losing control over my body.
'What the hell is happening? Could it be because of the red crystal?'
Every passing second was turning me into something else. I had completely lost the sensation of pain; my body had become completely numb. The only thing I could do was barely remain awake and watch whatever was happening as a spectator.
Suddenly, I saw my body moving, avoiding the blow from that guy for the first time. In the next second, I was in front of him, slashing my hand like claws. Only to get another punch. He moved like a phantom, thrusting his fist at my face. But instead of avoiding it, I actually tried to bite his fist. A few of my teeth flew into the air, but for the first time, this person got hurt. His hand had a few small scratches. Black blood dripping from them like charcoal, thicker than that of an advanced-grade Night Monster.
'Fuck, this trade-off didn't even make sense. If it continued like this, maybe I won't even need to care about the future. This crazed power is almost useless if I can't control it.'
I could feel the blood lust increasing in my body. My body gulped down my own blood like water, which was carrying a few droplets of the enemy's blood. While he just stood there watching my crazed reaction as he wiped the teeth marks from his fist like dust. Looking at his behaviour and my insanity, I felt like - This is the end.
The next second, another wave of pain crashed on my head.
'Aah…'
My vision started to fade, but what I saw next made my body freeze.
A pair of pitch-black eyes, staring at me, not just my body, but my soul too. My blood, which had been burning like magma, turned cold. Leaving those eyes and me, the whole world falling into darkness. No sun, no moon, no human, no monster, just me and those eyes which seem to be a part of this dark world.
'It… can't be real. You… are…'
I had seen these eyes before, and I had felt this horror of freezing to numbness before. Nothing is new.
'So… you escaped… at the end.'
This was the greatest fear I had been hiding in my heart. I thought I wouldn't have to see these eyes again.
'I lost…'
"No"
A cold, distant voice echoed in the darkness.
"Kai, are you still there?" I asked with expectation.
"Hm", I light nod came from the void.
"Then, why… why are you doing this… don't you know what will happen if he comes back?" I asked with a distorted voice. This darkness was devouring with every passing second.
"Why…" His voice came again, but just leaving a single word, it vanished.
The darkness crumbled like it had lost its source, and a bright light illuminated the frozen world, but it didn't bring warmth to my soul.
'The world had lost its last hope. Now, what remains… is just a meaningless struggle and a truth which is too harsh to be accepted.'
The Broken World appeared again in front of my eyes. The mini sun dangling in the sky had vanished. I stood up from the ground, my body covered in blood, teeth fallen, face distorted, and took a deep look at the setting sun.
'So, all of this ended like that, those 14 days of struggle, and carrying hope for the future, everything… was just a dream which shattered when reality hit.'
'Well, it was my fault for being delusional; I wasn't the protagonist or saviour of the world.'
My gaze was fixed on the setting sun, which was creating a beautiful contrast to hopeless reality. Giving people a fake hope that it will come again tomorrow, nothing is lost. This is how things are meant to be.
The light was slowly fading as the sun disappeared from the horizon, replaced by the familiar darkness, followed by the howls of Night Monsters. I just stood there watching the world change.