That night, there were 200 people in the village, but the next morning, there was nothing but a gargantuan hole spanning hundreds and hundreds of metres in the ground where the village had once been. Not even the rubble remained; it was impossible to tell that this had once been a bustling village. Everything within that hole had simply ceased to exist.

  The sun gradually peaked into midday, and then sank behind the mountains once again, painting the desolate landscape in vermillion.

  At this moment, right at the centre of the hole, a single figure lay unconscious and soon his eyes fluttered open. They were no longer the pitch black which had covered the entirety of his eyes, but rather his usual purple eyes, with heavy bags under them.

  He sat up, but all he could see was a barren land around him, which stretched on for a couple of hundred metres before it rose in inclination. The land was so hollow that not even a single rock was to be seen.

  "Where… where is this…?" He muttered as he got up and frantically looked around. Nothing existed except desolation and loneliness. The wind swept to the tragic sight, syncing with the melody of the crimson sun rays.

  Eclipse then recalled the events of yesterday:

  Duozian’s demise, the villagers ostracising him, his encounter with Nite and Lern...

  But what happened after that?

  He couldn't remember anything past that besides torturous pain, but he did not care

  A sharp pain arose in his heart. It felt like a dark void. Everything he once had had been lost - Duozian, his home.

  He felt… empty.

  His soul felt so hollow that he had the sudden urge to simply cease to exist.

  But not just yet. He still had something to do.

  Under the faltering vermillion moonlight, a lone boy made his way out of the exceedingly large hole and looked over the dismal and bleak hole.

  For some reason, his mind took him back to the strange dream he had that night. Only now did he understand its significance.

  Every single corpse he had treaded on that night, while he frantically searched for Duozian, belonged to everyone he had killed today. As for the bodies inside the strange warehouse, they belonged respectively to his mother, father and Rosaria.

  He felt… nothing.

  Simply emptiness.

  He looked around and recognised the forest pathway which led to Duozian’s house and immediately let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the destructive sphere hadn't reached this far.

  As he limped through the pathway, sorrow and denial built up in his heart once again. Each step took a large portion of willpower as the fallen leaves under his feet sang to his melancholy in his mind.

  He finally reached the end of the pathway and looked ahead.

  Standing there in the gentle breeze was a muscular old man sitting on a chair while sipping on tea. The birds around him tweeted happily as he fed them grains of rice. Seeing the unnatural combination of his muscular physique and gentle disposition, Eclipse's eyes teared up, "Ol… old man?"

  Duozian didn't seem to hear him. He continued bathing in the cool wind whilst the autumn leaves showered him. Eclipse's lips trembled as crystalline tears ran down his face. Then he rushed towards him while happily shouting, "Old man!"

  As soon as he touched Duozian's shoulders, everything disappeared. What lay in front of him was the corpse of an old man.

  There were no birds. No autumn leaves. No flowers.

  Nothing.

  Just him, the charred remains of the cottage he once called home, and dead, leafless trees swaying in the hollow, winter breeze. He was alone with the lifeless body of the one whom he loved the most. The sole person in this world whom he cared about most… was now nothing more than an empty shell. His eyes were semi-open, revealing lifeless azure pupils, and dried blood had soaked the ground under him.

  From behind the collapsed cottage, a faint rustle sounded. Shadow slowly emerged, his steps weak and unsteady. Ash clung to his fur, and his eyes were dim, shimmering with sadness and fear.

  The wolf whimpered softly. When it recognised the boy standing beside the corpse, it dragged itself forward and nuzzled against Eclipse’s leg, as if trying to comfort him despite its own misery.

  Eclipse knelt with trembling hands and pulled the small wolf into his arms. The cub’s body was frail and cold.

  Eclipse’s voice cracked as he buried his face into the creature’s neck.

  “I still have you, don’t I?”

  The cub answered only with a quiet whine, as if making a silent vow to stay by his side.

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  All of a sudden, Eclipse's eyes flashed with a sudden epiphany.

  He gently let go of Shadow, stood up and ran desperately through the woods. Before long, the aggressive waves of the ocean rang into his ears as he stepped onto the cliff's surface.

  Duozian's words from a few days ago ricocheted endlessly into his ears.

  'If, one day, I do pass away…then come to this same spot to let out your grief, after all, my heart rests here.'

  His eyes doggedly scanned the cliff's surface until they landed on a single spot. Beside the tombstone, a single neatly folded piece of paper fluttered to the wind under a small rock.

  Eclipse's eyes widened, and he rushed forward and knelt. With quivering hands, he reached for the piece of paper, then reluctantly unfolded it.

  In Duozian's eloquent handwriting, a message was written. As Eclipse's tearing eyes scanned through its contents, time seemed to slow down:

  .

  .

  .

  Dearest Eclipse,

  Seeing as how you're reading this, I presume that you're safe and sound.

  How are you, my child? Knowing you, your hair must be all over your eyes right about now. Do not feel sad or guilty, my boy; this is but a resolution of fate.

  Before you came along, I lived in a very heavy silence. I never told you much about my past, but there was a time when I had people… a lover whose smile I still see when I close my eyes, a small circle of friends, a place I could call home. One by one, they all slipped away

  War, sickness, betrayal, fate… I lost them all.

  I spent years painting beside an empty chair. I truly believed I was meant to die alone, Eclipse. And then you appeared, like a beacon of light.

  Every day with you was a joy. I might not have let you in on this before, but ever since that day I took you in, my life was filled with colour. Taking care of you as if you were my own child was amongst the most fulfilling and purposeful things that I’ve achieved all my life.

  Such an innocent child as yourself has been suffering many dark nights and cold mornings since you were born, but you've changed a lot over the past few years, which really makes me satisfied. To me, you were like a bright moon. Seeing your eyes the first time you took an interest in my painting really made me so happy, Eclipse. I wanted to paint with you a lot more, but alas, fate has driven us away from each other.

  You must be really furious at me for passing on while leaving you behind. I can't blame you either. My own failures and problems were what led me into this situation, and I didn't want to drag you into it. Please don't be too sad over a useless old man like me anymore, and go somewhere. Make a name for yourself and soar into the future without letting the past drag you down.

  Make sure you don't starve yourself and eat enough food, but not too much. Make sure to wear a scarf and heavy clothes during the winter. I've also left you my earring. Once you start wearing them, you'll truly be a ladies’ man. Don't forget to find yourself a beautiful wife one day and make sure you treat her nicely like a gentleman. Continue making artworks to your heart's content and make lots of friends! Oh, how can I forget, don't get in too many fights since I won't be there to apply medicine on you anymore and make sure you take good care of Shadow.

  Ok, ok, I'll stop now, how am I nagging at you even after I'm dead, haha. Knowing you, you're probably cringing right now and scrunching up this piece of paper.

  Remember one thing, though: No matter what happens from here on out, I will always be your companion, watching over you from heaven.

  Farewell, Eclipse

  And Happy Birthday.

  .

  .

  .

  Shadow let out a sorrowful growl and rubbed itself against Eclipse as if to ease his pain, but Eclipse had his eyes fixated on that piece of paper, his fingers trembling.

  "I miss you, old man... even after death, you're so worried about me. I miss you so fucking much..."

  Rivulets of tears trickled down and splattered onto the piece of paper. As the phase of time lapsed, nothing could be heard in the plain other than the weeping of a boy writhing in grief...

  After an unknown amount of time, Eclipse finally rose to his feet. He bent down and carefully lifted Duozian’s cold body onto his back. The corpse felt unbearably heavy, but it was not the weight of flesh that dragged him down. It was the weight of every memory, every lesson, every warm moment that would never return.

  Eclipse’s breaths were very uneven, and each step sank into the muddy earth. His clothes were torn. His hair clung to his damp cheeks. His shoulders shook with every movement, yet he kept walking, staggering forward stubbornly.

  He was a boy with nothing left but the strength to move.

  Shadow padded beside him in silence, glancing up every so often as if terrified he might collapse again.

  With the limp body of the man who once saved him resting on his back, Eclipse walked into the far distance.

  He arrived at the nature garden.

  When the memories of the first time they came here welled up in his heart, so did the tears. Duozian had promised to come with him a second time, and here they were.

  But the reality of it was far more unforgiving and cruel.

  “Since you failed to keep your promise, I’ll do it on your behalf, grandpa…” Eclipse muttered.

  Duozian’s eyes were faintly open, just enough for the fading world to seep into them. Eclipse slowly turned his body so the old man faced the scenery. Even in twilight, the garden was beautiful. The flowers swayed weakly in the dusk breeze, their colours glimmering faintly under the dimming sky. The shimmering river flowed gently beside them, reflecting the darkening sky. It was nothing like the bright, vibrant paradise they had once visited together; instead, it was gloomy and eerily beautiful, as though the world itself was mourning with him.

  Eclipse let Duozian witness this final sight, holding him steady, letting the winter breeze pass over the old man’s half-open eyes.

  “This is the second time… just like you promised,” Eclipse whispered, his voice trembling.

  After a while, Eclipse’s shaking hands reached over and brushed Duozian’s eyelids, and with a heavy breath, he gently closed them.

  Only then did Eclipse realise how much his own body was failing. Having carried Duozian all the way here, his arms felt like they were filled with rock. His legs shook beneath him, and his back screamed in agony. But none of it truly registered in his mind. His exhaustion was drowned beneath grief.

  He eased Duozian’s body onto his back again, gripping Duozian's cold wrist over his shoulder, “I’ll take you back.”

  And with trembling knees and eyes clouded with sorrow, Eclipse walked back, Duozian’s lifeless face hanging over his shoulder.

  Soon, the sundown of the next day arrived.

  Eclipse knelt on the ground next to a large tree. Waves of water swashed against the cliff of the small peninsula.

  He was back at the cliff.

  His hands were dirty and covered in soil. After all, he had dug a grave with his own hands.

  Shadow sat by his side and wept silently as Eclipse descended Duozian's body into the earth, his face cast by a despondent shadow.

  In front of his grave, which Eclipse had dug right next to the memorial of Duozian’s past lover, Eclipse knelt for a very, very long time before he finally got up.

  "I'm sorry, Grandpa... but I WILL get revenge." He muttered silently as dead leaves swept past him.

  Taking one last look at the grave, he walked off into the unknown with his wolf companion, the black glint of an earring which had once been Duozian’s resonating from his right ear.

  Snow fell as his form drifted into the unknown.

  He was completely oblivious to what fate had written for him.