(His past-life comrades have found him, but Seth no longer sees them as allies. Their pleas, their pain—none of it matters. The man they once knew is gone. What remains is something colder, something monstrous, something that no longer fits within their world. But the past does not let go so easily. And in the face of his rejection, all they can do is break.)
This chapter contains themes of grief, loss, emotional devastation, and shattered bonds. The characters experience deep heartbreak, irreversible consequences, and the painful realization that some things cannot be undone. Reader discretion is advised.
?? SYSTEM NOTICE: ? EMOTIONAL DISTRESS DETECTED AMONG OBSERVERS. ? HOST REMAINS UNMOVED.
Seth stood in unshaken silence.
His past-life comrades had found him.
And yet, they did not move closer.
They couldn’t.
Because standing before them was not the man they had fought beside.
Not the man who had once laughed with them, bled with them, died for them.
Not Seth Valerian.
"Please," the woman with crimson-streaked hair whispered, her voice barely holding together. "Tell me this isn’t real."
Seth’s gaze did not waver.
His silence was an answer in itself.
The silver-haired warrior’s fingers trembled around the hilt of his blade.
"You died."
His voice was low, raw.
"We buried you. We grieved for you. We—"
His words broke.
He gritted his teeth, inhaled sharply, and forced them out.
"We loved you."
Seth remained impassive.
"That was a mistake."
The warrior froze.
The crimson-haired woman let out a sharp, choked breath.
"A… mistake?"
Seth’s expression was unreadable.
"Love is just another chain. You should’ve let me rot in the ground."
The pain in their eyes was unbearable.
But Seth didn’t care.
He refused to.
?? SYSTEM WARNING: ? HIGH EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY DETECTED. ? OBSERVER REACTIONS BECOMING UNPREDICTABLE.
The crimson-haired woman took another step forward, her hands shaking.
"You don't mean that."
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Her voice broke.
"You can't mean that."
Seth tilted his head.
"Why do you care?"
His tone was calm, detached—too detached.
And that was the final crack.
The woman’s knees gave out beneath her.
She collapsed, her hands gripping the ground, shoulders trembling as silent sobs tore through her body.
"Why…?"
"Why are you doing this?"
The silver-haired warrior stood frozen, his knuckles turned white.
"You were the best of us," he whispered, his voice laced with devastation. "You were the one we all looked up to."
"And now…"
His throat tightened.
"Now you're just—"
Seth cut him off.
"Nothing."
The warrior flinched.
Seth’s smirk was cruel.
"I am nothing to you anymore. And you are nothing to me."
Silence.
A silence so deep, so suffocating, that it felt like the world itself was mourning.
And then—
The woman’s broken sobbing turned into a soft, bitter laugh.
It was empty. Hollow.
Like something inside her had finally snapped.
"You’re lying."
Her breath was ragged.
Her eyes, red from unshed tears, locked onto his.
"You’re lying."
Seth raised an eyebrow.
"Am I?"
She let out another laugh—short, sharp, full of pain.
"You can say all the cold things you want."
She wiped at her face, her fingers trembling.
"But you were the one who sacrificed yourself for us."
"You were the one who smiled when you bled for others."
"You were the one who gave everything for the people you loved."
She let out a shuddering breath.
"The Seth I knew would never be this heartless."
"So I know—"
Her voice cracked.
"I know you’re still in there."
Seth stared at her.
Then, slowly, he crouched down, bringing his face level with hers.
And whispered—
"Then you don’t know me at all."
She stopped breathing.
For a moment—**a single, agonizing moment—**all hope died in her eyes.
And Seth stood up, turning his back to them.
"Go back to your little world. Keep mourning your dead friend."
His voice was calm, final.
"Because I am not him anymore."
And then—he walked away.
Leaving them to break in his absence.
?? SYSTEM NOTICE: ? HOST HAS SEVERED PAST-LIFE CONNECTIONS. ? WARNING: LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES INEVITABLE.
Seth walked into the darkness, unflinching.
And yet—
For the first time in a long time—
Something inside him felt heavy.
Like something had been torn apart.
Like something had been left behind.
But he ignored it.
Because he had chosen this path.
Because there was no turning back.
Because he had become something else entirely.
And they—they would never understand.
?? SYSTEM NOTICE: ? PAST-LIFE COMRADES LEFT IN DESPAIR. ? HOST CONTINUES FORWARD. ? A FUTURE REUNION… MAY BE UNAVOIDABLE.
End of Chapter 9: The Death of Hope
?? Author's Note: This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and settings are purely imaginary. This novel contains dark themes meant to enhance the story and character development. Reader discretion is advised.
