The infirmary of the Sanctuary was stifling. The scent of medicinal herbs and the hum of holy energy from the Great Tree's roots usually brought peace to the wounded, but for Leo, it was a torture chamber. He lay on the cot, the silver 'Star of Valour' still pinned to his chest, glinting like a mocking eye in the moonlight.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the alley. He saw the Stalkers. He saw Kaelen's "bloody" face. But now, thanks to the [Mirror of Truth], the memory was distorted. The Stalkers had his mother's face. The blood on the floor turned into gold coins that screamed when he touched them.
"Leo? Please, drink some water."
Elara sat by his side, her face pale and drawn. She reached out to touch his forehead, but Leo flinched away as if her hand were a branding iron.
[System Notification: Target 'Elara' is experiencing 'Rejection Trauma'.]
[Shadow Seed Activity: 12% Growth.]
[Despair Points Harvested: 80]
Kaelen stood in the shadows of the doorway, leaning on his cane. He watched the scene with the detached interest of a scientist observing a chemical reaction. The [Shadow Seed] he had planted in Elara was feeding beautifully. Because she loved Leo, his erratic, guilt-ridden behavior was beginning to erode her own mental stability.
The brother's guilt becomes the sister's grief, Kaelen thought. A perfect closed-loop system.
"He's just exhausted, Elara," Kaelen said softly, stepping into the light. "The weight of being a hero... it's a heavy burden for someone as kind as Leo."
Elara looked up, her emerald eyes brimming with tears. "He won't even look at me, Kaelen. He's shaking. He won't say a word about what happened out there."
Kaelen sat on the edge of a nearby chair, placing a comforting hand on Elara's shoulder. He felt the cold pulse of the [Shadow Seed] under his palm. "He's traumatized. He feels responsible for the others we lost. He thinks he didn't do enough, even though he saved the village."
"But he did do enough!" Elara cried, her voice rising. "Horgus said he was a lion! Why can't he see that?"
"Because he's a perfectionist," Kaelen lied, his voice like velvet. "He needs someone to ground him. Someone who doesn't see the 'Hero,' but just Leo. But... I worry about you, Elara. You're carrying his pain as if it's your own."
[System Notification: Skill Trigger - 'Puppeteer's False Smile'.]
[Effect: Targeted Empathy.]
Elara leaned into his touch, her shoulders sagging. "I feel so helpless. I just want things to go back to the way they were. Before the ambush. Before... everything."
"They can't," Kaelen whispered, leaning closer until he could smell the faint scent of jasmine in her hair. "But they can be better. You have to stay strong, Elara. If you break, Leo has no anchor left. He'll drift away into that darkness forever."
[System Notification: Target 'Elara' is experiencing 'Burden of Responsibility'.]
[Despair Points Harvested: 220]
[Current Balance: 1,200 Points.]
Good, Kaelen thought. Pressure the anchor until it snaps.
"Kaelen..." Leo's voice was a dry rasp from the bed. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes bloodshot. "The Stalkers. They're still out there. They're coming for the tree."
Kaelen stood up, moving to Leo's bedside. He leaned down, his face inches from his "friend's." Through the [Mirror of Truth], Leo didn't see Kaelen's handsome face; he saw a skull wrapped in purple flames.
"Of course they are, Leo," Kaelen murmured, loud enough only for the boy to hear. "And when they come, the village will look to you to lead the defense. They'll expect the 'Star of Valour' to shine. Are you ready to lead them to their deaths, Leo? Or will you run again?"
Leo let out a choked, whimpering sound and curled into a fetal position.
"Leo! Stop it!" Elara cried, grabbing her brother's hand.
"I'll take over for a bit, Elara," Kaelen said, his voice returning to its gentle, supportive tone. "Go to the chapel. Pray to the Tree. It will give you strength. I'll watch over him."
Elara hesitated, then nodded, wiping her eyes. She squeezed Kaelen's hand gratefully—unaware that she was squeezing the hand of the man who was slowly dismantling her family. "Thank you, Kaelen. I don't know what we'd do without you."
The moment the door closed, Kaelen's smile vanished. He stood over Leo, the purple glow in his eyes illuminating the darkened room.
"You're pathetic, Leo. Truly," Kaelen said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "But you're useful. I need 2,000 more points to unlock the 'Abyssal Shop' Level 2. And for that, I need Oakhaven to feel true terror."
He reached into his mind, navigating the System interface.
[System Query: Can I use 'Despair Points' to attract local monsters?]
[System Response: Yes. 'Abyssal Pheromones' (Single Use) - 500 Points. Effect: Draws all 'Dark-Aligned' creatures within 5 miles to the user's location for 1 hour.]
Perfect.
Kaelen spent the points. Immediately, a low-frequency hum began to vibrate in the air, a sound only he could hear. It was a dinner bell for the horrors lurking in the mist outside the Sanctuary's barrier.
He then walked to the window, looking out over the peaceful, sleeping village. In his first life, this was the night the Crimson Hand had returned to finish the job. But this time, they wouldn't find a desperate group of survivors. They would find a "Hero" who was paralyzed by his own shadow, and a "Martyr" who was leading the monsters to the gate.
"Kaelen..." Leo groaned, sensing the shift in the air. "What... what are you doing?"
Kaelen didn't turn around. "I'm giving you a chance to prove you're a hero, Leo. A real one. The monsters are coming. Thousands of them. And everyone in this village is going to look at that shiny medal on your chest and wait for you to save them."
A distant, blood-chilling shriek echoed from the forest. Then another. And another. The village bells began to ring—the frantic, panicked peal of the alarm.
[System Notification: Event 'The Siege of Oakhaven' has begun!]
[Objective: Maintain the 'Hero' facade while the village falls into chaos.]
[Bonus: Every life lost while 'trusting' the MC yields 2x Despair Points.]
Kaelen picked up his cane and adjusted his tunic, looking perfectly composed. He walked back to Leo's bed and leaned down one last time.
"Don't worry, Leo. I'll be right beside you the whole time," Kaelen whispered, patting the silver star on Leo's chest. "I wouldn't miss this harvest for the world."
He turned and walked toward the door, his limp perfectly timed as the first panicked shouts of the guards reached the infirmary. The harvest was no longer just about guilt. Now, it was about Terror.
[Status Update]
Level: 6 (Exp: 400/1800)
Current Despair Points: 780
New Attribute Points: 3 (Allocated to Agility)
Active Status: 'Lure of the Abyss' (59:00 remaining).