The bunny was nibbling on grass in the middle of the forest peacefully, unaware of the four eyes watching it from the bushes.

"Be quiet or he'll hear us," whispered a girl's voice from the bushes.

"Come on, it's now or never. We've been following him all day," replied a boy's voice, also in a whisper.

Suddenly, the boy leaped from the bushes and grabbed the rabbit, hugging it tightly while it kicked at his face.

"I told you, waiting and thinking too much can make you miss the chance to act," said the boy, a 15-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes.

"Amadeus, you always act on your instincts without thinking things through," said the girl, stepping out of the bushes and brushing herself off.

She was also 15, with long black hair and black eyes. "Don't be a killjoy, Isabel. The important thing is that I got it," said the boy, who had grown from baby Amadeus into a spirited teenager. He stood up and grinned at Isabel, hoping to make her jealous.

"Your methods are rushed and risky. We spent the whole morning chasing one rabbit, and the only reason we caught it is because you finally listened to me," said Isabel, recalling how Amadeus had even jumped off a cliff in pursuit of the rabbit. Thankfully, it wasn't a big fall.

"The method doesn't matter; what matters is the outcome. Trial and error are part of the process," said Amadeus, looking at Isabel seriously. Silence filled the air until it was broken by a sudden shout.

"Aaaaah!"

"It bit me! Does this mean I'm going to die?" said Amadeus, holding his hand where the rabbit had nipped him.

"Don't worry, you big baby. It's not poisoned. It just got annoyed because you were hugging it too long," said Isabel, patting the rabbit to calm it.

"You should be comforting me, not the rabbit. I'm the one who got bitten," said Amadeus angrily.

"You must have scared it, having such a big idiot hold you," Isabel said to the rabbit, ignoring Amadeus.

"Come on, let's start heading back. We've been gone too long," said Isabel, turning toward the village.

"Oh no, time passed so quickly! My mom is going to kill me," said Amadeus, suddenly sprinting ahead of Isabel.

"Hey, wait for me!" called Isabel, running after him.

"Sometimes he acts like a childish idiot, but other times he seems so grown-up. I don't understand him," Isabel thought to herself as she ran, watching Amadeus's back.

They kept running through the forest until they reached a cliff that overlooked their village, which had grown larger over the years.

"I never get tired of this view. Even though it's just a village and not a luxurious castle, it's home... my home," Amadeus said, looking at the village with warm eyes.

Isabel, standing behind him, started blushing. "Hey, are you alright? Your face is as red as a tomato," Amadeus said, noticing her flushed face.

"It's nothing. It must be from all the running," Isabel replied quickly, averting her eyes from Amadeus.

"Whatever. Let's go. I have to show the rabbit to my sisters before it starts biting again," Amadeus said, continuing to run toward the village.

"Focus, Isabel. He's just a man-child, but why does he have to be so cool?" Isabel muttered to herself, shaking her head as she followed Amadeus.

They finally entered the bustling village, where people were busy selling goods and gathering resources.

"Hey, Amadeus! You promised to help me get wood for my forge. Where have you been?" called out the forge owner, a tall and bulky man, from behind Amadeus.

"Sorry, Mister William. I was busy getting a gift for my sister," Amadeus said, lowering his head in apology.

"It's okay. Just remember to do it after delivering the gift. It's her birthday, after all," William said, his frustration dissipating.

The two bade farewell to William and continued toward Amadeus's house.

"He sure moves quietly for a man his size," Amadeus commented to Isabel.

"If you had done the work he assigned you a week ago, you'd have free time now. And of course, he moves quietly because he was an adventurer in the guild," Isabel replied.

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Finally, they reached Amadeus's house, which was larger than the others because it belonged to the village chief, his father Alexander.

"Sisters, look what I got you!" Amadeus called, bursting into his sisters' room. There, two beautiful 19-year-old ladies were doing their hair.

"You are so beautiful, sisters," Amadeus said, stunned by their beauty.

"First, thank you for the compliment, little brother," Elizabeth said, smiling. "Second, didn't we tell you to knock before entering? This is a girls' room, not a horse stable," Beatrice added, looking angry.

"From my perspective, they're not that different," said Thomas, who had just arrived. Now 22, he had a handsome face and a calm demeanor.

"Of course it looks the same to someone who spends all his time with horses," Elizabeth mocked him.

"It's my job, and the best part is that horses don't have long tongues," Thomas retorted.

"How long are you going to ignore me?" Amadeus yelled, feeling left out.

"Sorry, little brother. You know your sisters can be difficult. Let me see what you have," Thomas said, bending down to look at the rabbit. "Wow, it's such a beautiful rabbit," Thomas said, patting it.

"Rabbit? Did you say a rabbit?" the sisters exclaimed, finally noticing the rabbit.

"It's so cute. Thanks, little brother," they said, snatching the rabbit from Amadeus's hands.

"What's all this commotion?" Alexander asked, entering the room with Celestina.

"Look, Father, what little brother got us as a gift," the sisters said, showing off the rabbit.

"So, that's where you were all day," Celestina said in a menacing voice, glaring at Amadeus.

"We don't have time for this. We barely have time to finish before people start arriving," Alexander said, clapping his hands to get everyone moving.

"Come with me, Isabel. We could use your help in the kitchen. You must be tired of following my idiot son all morning," Celestina said, leading Isabel away.

"Come on, I'm not an idiot," Amadeus muttered under his breath.

"I love them all so much... my family," Amadeus thought to himself as he looked at his family.

Everyone got to work, leaving Alexander and Amadeus alone. "I think I'll sleep until the party begins," Amadeus said, trying to sneak away.

"Where do you think you're going? A true man keeps his promises, don't you agree, my son?" Alexander said, placing a firm hand on Amadeus's shoulder.

***

Time passed, and Amadeus found himself in the middle of the forest, collecting tree branches from the ground. "Everyone else is together, laughing and having fun, while I'm here gathering wood," Amadeus grumbled.

He remembered his father's words: "You made a promise to Mister William, so you have to keep it. Go now and collect wood. By the time the party starts, you should be done," Alexander had said with a serious face.

Amadeus bundled the wood he had collected and set it down. "I told him I could finish this quickly, but who listens to me?" he muttered, cleaning his hands.

He looked at the sun, which was directly above him. "This means I have time to lie down before heading back. This way, I can avoid housework," he said, stretching out on the ground and falling asleep.

"Happiness is such a good feeling. I don't want to lose it. Please, sovereign, don't take it from me," Amadeus prayed with all its strength.

Suddenly, the world around Amadeus morphed, the solid ground dissolving into swirling black smoke. Shadowy figures, their forms faintly luminous, emerged from the darkness, their anguished cries filling the air.

"It hurts a lot," a shadow moaned, its voice heavy with pain.

"Make it stop, please," another begged, its tone filled with desperation.

"We're all doomed," said a third shadow, its voice trembling with despair.

Amadeus, unfazed, opened his eyes, revealing a deep irritation. "This dream again," he muttered to himself, "I hate when this happens. I hope I wake up soon."

As the screams and cries grow in number and sound, Amadeus's patience wore thin. Clenching his teeth, he pressed his hands over his ears, trying to block out the tormenting noise. "Come on, be done already," he growled through gritted teeth.

And just as suddenly as it had begun, the noise ceased. Silence fell over the dark, smoke-filled expanse, leaving Amadeus alone in the unnerving quiet.

Boom!

A loud explosion shattered the silence, waking Amadeus. "What was that? What time is it?" he said, confused. He looked up to see the sky filled with smoke.

Amadeus felt a surge of panic.

He grabbed the wood and started running toward the village as fast as he could.

As he reached the cliff overlooking the village, his favorite spot, his heart sank. The village was burning, with half the buildings destroyed. "I must still be dreaming. This has to be a nightmare," Amadeus said, nearly losing his mind but a sharp pain snapped him back to focus.

His hand was bleeding from where he had clenched it too hard. "Pain... so I'm not dreaming," he said, staring at his bleeding hand in shock.

The Dark Domain, a realm composed entirely of darkness and inhabited solely by shadows, is the place Amadeus visits in his sleep. Believing it to be just a nightmare yet hes not far from the truth.

in the dark domain a shadow who has a cloak with fur on it and a battle armore was sitting like a general on a rock made of dark smoke like everything in this domain, said with a deep menacing voice " it started, the end of this Cycle "

Another shadow who had clothing like that of an assassin was carving a wooden statue with his knife and leaning on a wall of dark smoke said with a mocking voice " how fast do you think this one will end?"

A third shadow of a man bound in chains that wrapped around his hands, neck, and legs, standing in a high point and giving his back to the other shadows, looking only at the endless darkness that filled this place and said with a warm voice " i hope that it wont be long "

A forth shadow that seemed like a bagger who had lost his arm and leg, sitting on the floor leaning on a rock with a Cain beside him said with a depressed voice " i agree, i think we saw enough "

A fifth shadow, dressed in noble clothing playing chess with himself said with a smile " There is no need to rush the inevitable "

A sixth shadow, in magician's robes and holding a staff had a scared expression. With a trembling voice he said "D-don't you think y-you're being too harsh? ".

the assassin shadow looked at the magician shadow with an annoyed face and said " what did you just say? ".

Terrified, the magician shadow screamed and ran behind a boulder, shaking with fear. "S-sorry! I didn't mean anything,"

The general shadow spoke with a calm yet menacing tone, "All we can do is wait and see what happens."

Back to Amadeus who started running toward the village, his heart pounding with fear—not for himself, but for what he might lose.

"My home is gone, but I still have my family... right?" Amadeus said, looking at the burning village as he ran towards his house.