Darkness slowly descended upon the world, tearing apart the remnants of what had once been — light, hope, life. The air was heavy, suffocating with a spirit that seemed endless. Melania stood amidst the ruins, where once there had been everything. Now, only the shadow of their choice remained, and every step echoed with the loss of what they had sacrificed.
The end of the battle brought no relief. She felt pain not only in her body but in her soul, as if every cell of her being had been torn apart, unable to reconnect. Each breath became heavier, and even the light that once gave strength now seemed like a distant illusion.
“This isn’t a victory,” Melania whispered, staring at the shattered remnants of Eternity. “It’s only the echo of defeat, the aftershock of what we’ve done.”
Endar, standing beside her, appeared equally broken. His gaze was empty, as though he himself had become part of this dying world. Every thought of his was consumed by the darkness surrounding them. The suffering he felt was not only physical but spiritual. He had endured so many losses that even victory brought him no peace.
“We’ve paid such a price,” he spoke, his voice cold as death itself. “And not just us. Everything we’ve created is just another illusion, another grain of sand that will be destroyed.”
Melania turned to him, her eyes filled with inner pain, but she was resolute.
“We can’t go back,” she said. “But we can create anew. We can gather the pieces of this world and build something more, even if it hurts. Our sacrifices cannot be in vain.”
Yet even her words couldn’t lift the chasm that stretched between them. She felt her strength fading, as though the very creation they had tried to protect was consuming her. Eternity was no longer just a place; it was the state of their souls — broken, filled with pain and sacrifice, with no hope of recovery.
The same threads that had once woven their world into a single reality were now torn, and every movement of the world caused pain. She saw them in the air — threads pulsing, trying to pull her into their very center, where there was nothing but darkness. And this darkness was not external; it was part of her very being.
“How do we move forward?” Endar asked, dully.
She remained silent. The answer was obvious, but it was hard to speak it aloud. What remained after all of this? So much suffering, so many unanswered questions. They were not just creators but destroyers of this new world. And every new choice was another pain that pierced deeper into their hearts.
“You’re right,” she finally said, looking at the shattered dawns around them. “There is no victory without suffering. And we will carry this suffering until we understand if we can truly build something real from this ruin.”
Melania and Endar stood side by side, feeling their souls shrink, facing the weight of the choice they had made. Eternity was no longer an abstraction. Now it was their burden, their personal sacrifice.
“They are waiting,” Endar said, lifting his head. “And we can’t escape this. They will find us, wherever we are.”
Melania looked at him and nodded. She felt the darkness closing in once again, as each step pulled her deeper into the abyss. But with this choice, retreat was impossible. They had already become part of this world, and even if it meant pain and suffering, they had to keep moving forward.
“We can’t let them destroy what we’ve created,” she said, more to herself than to him. “Even if it costs everything.”
And so they moved on, leaving behind traces of pain and destruction.