Faye tilted her head slightly.
"I.. I thought you died." Aren asked as a sudden sense of guilt swelled up within him, recalling what had happened.
Faye let the silence linger for a few moments before finally answering, a frown on her face, "I don't quite understand what you're saying."
Aren's thoughts began to overwhelm him, his confusion only growing.
After meeting with the proclaimed Guardian of Reality, he's back with Faye? If so, that meant he truly sent him back in time, which could also explain the last time it happened when he'd lost his senses — when something overtook his entire body.
That only raised another question in Aren's head.
'If Horacis was responsible for the time looping, then who was it the last time I lost hold of myself?'
To him, it didn't feel the same. Horacis radiated a completely different aura and presence, but he couldn't quite capture the same feeling when he was practically blocked out of his body, lost in a quiet dream until eventually dying and regaining memories of what happened after going back in time.
"Aren? Is something the matter?" Faye interrupted his train of thought.
Aren blinked, his emotions overwhelming him completely. He was letting his Aberration take control of him.
'No. I won't give up now.'
He looked at Faye, then said in a quiet tone, "No. Everything's fine… Let's continue."
Faye nodded wordlessly, unsure of what to think of his behavior. It seemed abnormal to her, but all she could do was stay quiet.
He went through the door and felt the same uncanny sensation of the room with lined statues of the Pathfinders. His expression grew stiff.
'I should've trusted Horacis.'
Aren thought it was a dream. Dying then coming back isn't something that would happen to anyone.
He'd only believed that once somebody dies, their consciousness is sent to Lamentra.
It was evident that his consciousness remained anchored in the normal world. This realization altered everything he had ever believed growing up. However, it could also have been his Aberration that was affecting his soul. Regardless, it wasn't something he could easily dismiss, but he didn't have the time to dwell on it. He never even had the luxury of 'time'.
The torches lit up in the room all of a sudden as they were walking, causing Faye to flinch.
Aren's eyes narrowed. He knew the next thing that was going to happen after that was the appearance of the small Armored Scouts.
"Watch out, Faye. There are Armored Scouts next to the statue of the Pathfinders."
Faye's brows raised. "Armored Scouts? I'm not sure if you're aware, but those only guard Velione."
"No. I'm sure." He said, his tone growing desperate.
A few seconds passed, then it got to a minute of silence with no sound in the room other than the fire of the torches.
Two minutes. Nothing came out. Aren froze, seeing the result.
"I told you. These only guard Velione, they can't be all the way here." Faye reminded.
'Where… I'm sure I fought them!'
Faye tilted her head, signaling for Aren to move once more and follow her lead. But Aren was still baffled by the fact that they hadn't come out, despite everything being the same until now.
She started walking as he followed slowly from behind, still unable to accept the fact that nothing came out.
As he was taking slow steps, one of his feet hit something hard on the ground, causing him to stumble and fall on his stomach.
His palm hit something metallic on the floor. Then, he felt it binding to his arm. A feeling that was familiar to him.
He quickly turned his head only to see the same chain that had stuck with him before meeting Horacis.
The only difference was that it didn't happen after he fought the Scouts.
"Then... how is it that this happens while the Scouts don't?"
He got back up on his feet after letting the chains bind themselves to both his arms crudely. It didn't burn as much.
Faye was staring, her face expressionless. Neither a smile nor a frown was on her face.
"I tripped."
She turned around, then continued walking on ahead.
Aren followed, then he remembered the fact that there would be a Warden waiting for their arrival down the staircase. He couldn't believe that Faye didn't know about this before.
For he had forgotten to mention it due to just how much stuff happened all at once.
He stopped walking, "Faye. Have you heard of the tale of the Warden of the Needle? It all traces back to this. Well, not that I know a lot, but I've listened to some stories in Helmond."
Faye stayed quiet for a moment.
"No. I have not heard of such things. Wardens would never reside in lowly areas like this."
As soon as Aren opened his mouth to respond, Faye instantly stopped him by continuing,
"Skepticism could only get you so far… keep doubting, and the world will start doubting you back."
Hearing that, Aren slowly closed his mouth. He simply nodded in response and let Faye take the lead once more.
He was basically leading her and himself to their own grave by going face to face with that Warden.
However, it wasn't the Warden himself that spooked Aren. It was the other person who managed to sneak up and end Aren's life with one blow. They hadn't even let his memories flash in his head.
And the fact that he didn't know who it was made it even worse for him.
Too many abnormal things were happening all at once, and Aren didn't know how to react at this point.
Why would the chains be there, but the Scouts that he fought wouldn't? His body shivered, realizing the fact that just knowing the outcome and the future might be the true problem for all of this. But that too was just mere speculation.
They reached the same staircase that led to the closed gate leading to the throneroom. Aren took the lead by going first down the staircase until eventually reaching the end of it.
"Wait here."
A cold gust of wind bit at him as he quickly reached the lever to open the gate. That's when it hit him.
There was no lever.
He turned his head, only to see that the gate wasn't closed either. It was dimly lit, but a figure in black stood amidst the center of the throneroom.
Between him and Aren were only a few meters.
Aren blinked. The black figure disappeared. His heartbeat intensifying, he turned his head left and right, but nothing was seen in his eyes.
Unknowingly, the chains started gripping tighter around his arms.
He heard loud footsteps coming from behind, startling him. Aren's breath got heavier, inhaling and exhaling quickly.
The dimly lit throne room, which emitted light for visibility, suddenly blackened. Nothing was visible anymore.
"Aren."
Faye's voice came from beside him.
"He's here!"
He replied, communicating in utter darkness with her. He let his instincts take over.
All of a sudden, the torches inside the throneroom started lighting up one by one, their sounds heard all the way across the entrance.
The light emitting from the throneroom provided visibility. Again, Aren quickly checked left and right, making sure there was nothing.
He sighed, relieved.
Aren turned his head to check on Faye as he heard her mumbling words.
'F—'
What loomed behind him defied all his expectations, a sight so unexpected that it sent a shiver down his spine.
A figure made of shadow, with its eyes as white as snow and eyeballs of jet black color, stood behind him in the absence of Faye.
The figure smiled. Not with lips, not with teeth — but with something that stretched far past what a face should hold.
Before he knew it, a sword burst out of his chest, piercing right through his heart.
Before he had a chance to think, speak, or react… he was already dead.