He opened his eyes.
What met his gaze was an entirely unfamiliar realm.
Boundless darkness enveloped everything, not a single glimmer of light.
The ground beneath his feet felt illusory, impossible to tell if it was solid earth or nothingness itself.
"Where... is this?"
Ray looked around, trying to find any familiar trace within this chaos.
But there was nothing except the all-consuming void.
"Second Young Miss! Lupa! Luno! Where are you!?"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, but his voice seemed swallowed by the darkness. No echo returned.
Was this place... hell?
"This place is far more... interesting than hell."
A strange male voice echoed abruptly through the space. It carried an elusive rhythm, a tone Ray had never heard in his memory.
"Who are you?"
"Who I am isn't important. What's important is, who are you?" The voice was steeped in pure delight, as if savoring a carefully orchestrated drama.
Ray frowned.
He detested these enigmatic riddle-masters more than anything.
Talking to people like this was like playing a puzzle game with no hints you never got a clear answer, no positive feedback whatsoever.
"A wandering traveler? An amnesiac visitor? Or perhaps... just Ray?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." His voice was heavy with accusation. "But how do you know my name?"
"Yes, how indeed? I'm searching for that answer myself." The voice still evaded the question, but carried a hint of amusement. "But more than that, why did you step into this dangerous place? You know full well what the Dark Tide means. Look at these lost lives their ending had nothing to do with you. If you hadn't accepted the Ephor's request, you might be somewhere else right now, enjoying more peaceful moments."
The surrounding chaos began to twist and spin with the words, finally coalescing into a vivid image, the brutal slaughter of the gladiators, every detail so clear it was suffocating.
"And now, because of your 'selfish desires,' your companions... are suffering torment far beyond what you can imagine."
The surrounding chaos twisted and shifted again. Fragments of light and shadow gradually formed into cruel scenes.
Carlotta lay on the ground, her twin guns scattered beside her, her body motionless.
Lupa was pierced through the chest by a grotesque tail spike, yet stubbornly used her spear to prop herself up, standing firm.
And Luno...
was dissolving into specks of phosphorescent light, vanishing into the void.
Ray's pupils contracted sharply. His heart felt gripped by an invisible hand. Even his breathing stopped for an instant.
These images... could it be...
"Look. You shouldn't have come. And this shouldn't be their ending."
"Their deaths are all because of you. If you hadn't agreed, if you hadn't come here, how could they have fallen into such despair?"
The voice echoed through the darkness like a demon's whisper.
"You can't save anyone, you can't change anything... all you bring is destruction."
"If it weren't so, why were you so resolute back then, so quick to cut ties with the past?"
"Hate yourself. Hate your incompetence, hate your arrogance. It was this very conceit that pushed them to their deaths."
"Both in the past, and in the future."
"The one who can walk the path to the end alone... was always, only you."
Ray: "..."
"You don't like this ending, do you? Yes, who would? Watching your companions, one by one, because of your incompetence, die right before your eyes."
"So, where is your atonement? You caused the deaths of your friends. You stole their futures."
"And yet here you stand, perfectly fine. Don't you think... isn't this terribly unfair?"
Ray slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling blankly on the longsword in his hand.
"Yes, that's it."
"Lift it, and then—"
"Shut up!"
A sharp shout cut off the seductive whisper.
"I don't understand what you're saying. Past, future... I don't get it."
Ray kept his head down, gripping the sword hilt tightly.
"All I know is what I must protect and cherish... is the present, right now!"
"Maybe their deaths are tied to me."
"And yes, I will hate my own incompetence. But before I reach my own end—!"
Ray snapped his head up. Golden light blazed in his eyes like molten lava. Each word was tempered with bone-chilling cold.
He stared into the chaos, into the depths of the darkness.
"I will annihilate, every single Resonance!"
From the void, a shadow suddenly lunged!
Kelpie's claw, wrapped in a bloody gale, shot straight for his heart.
But in the final instant, it was firmly blocked by an abruptly blooming golden radiance.
Ray blocked with one arm. The golden light swirling in his palm formed an invisible barrier. No matter how the sharp claw tips screeched and pressed forward, they could not advance another inch.
Between the claw tip and his heart—only a hair's breadth remained!
Time stood still.
Until the storm descended once more!
"You think you can.."
"Kill me!?"
His right fist suddenly clenched, wreathed in blazing golden light, and slammed into Kelpie's face like a heavy cannon!
Kelpie's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
But Ray's assault had only just begun, his form shot forward like lightning. In mid-air, he grabbed the creature's head and smashed it viciously down onto the void ground!
Fist shadows fell like falling stars. One punch! Another!
Golden light burst with every impact, tearing the darkness to shreds.
The final fist descended with mountain-crushing force. The entire chaotic space shattered on impact!
Kelpie collapsed amid the cracks in the void. Its remaining strength tried to summon a Dark Tide counterattack but Ray would give it no chance.
"Anby, devour it!"
"Coming!"
The Tacet Mark flashed with a burst of golden light. The moment Anby leaped forth, its mouth gaped wide.
An invisible force field, like countless fangs, tore at Kelpie's form, distorting and disassembling it into screaming frequencies.
No matter how it struggled or wailed, it was utterly consumed by that abyssal devouring force.
"Burp~ That hit the spot."
Anby patted its round little belly and let out a satisfied, loud burp.
It spun lightly in the air, floated over to Ray, and blinked with lingering fear. "Back in that chaotic space, I was really afraid you'd listen to that guy's whispers and do something stupid..."
"I'm not that fragile." Ray smiled helplessly, though his eyes dimmed slightly. "But those images... were indeed hard to bear. Wait, the Second Young Miss and the others!"
He spun around sharply to find Carlotta and the other two lying quietly on the ground. As the Dark Tide creature was devoured, the darkness shrouding them gradually receded, and they, one by one, began to stir from their unconsciousness.
"Huh? We... what happened?"
Carlotta gently rubbed her throbbing temples, only vaguely recalling fragmented fragments of a nightmare.
"Are you all alright?" Ray hurried forward to help them up.
The three of them shook their heads dizzily, speaking in unison: "We're fine, just a bit lightheaded... The anchor points must have worked, blocking the Dark Tide's erosion."
Luno suddenly lifted her head alertly. "Kelpie? Where is it?"
She tried to stand but staggered back from a wave of dizziness, only to be steadily caught by Ray.
"It's already dealt with." He patted her shoulder gently. "Anby and I eliminated it."
"What? You actually took care of it?!" Lupa's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did I miss a really important part of the plot?"
Ray offered a noncommittal, faint smile. "Anyway, the immediate trouble is over. Now..."
He turned to face the blood-soaked plain, his voice gradually growing lower.
"It's time to contact the camp and bring our heroes home."
...
...
"Just as expected."
Cristoforo gently closed the script in his hands, gazing at the distant figures of Ray and the others. The corner of his lips curved into a satisfied arc.
"This is the script you arranged? A bit dull." Scar crouched nearby, idly chewing on a grass stem. "Would've been better if I'd gone to face him myself."
"No need to rush. Your time will come." Cristoforo turned and departed, his robes fluttering slightly in the wind. "Now that the Dark Tide's agent has been anchored, it's time for us to proceed to the next step."
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Scar could only shrug helplessly and fall into step behind him. "Anyway, I hope it won't be too boring."