The atmosphere in the guild shifted suddenly, an unnatural chill creeping through the air. Conversations halted as the cold wrapped around each person like icy fingers, filling them with a growing sense of dread. Leo felt the change deep within him, as if the very air had become heavy with the weight of his decision. He slowly began to stand, his movements deliberate and almost mechanical, his face a blank canvas devoid of the turmoil raging inside him.
The weight of his failures pressed down on him like a physical burden. He tightened his fists. “I promised to protect her,” he muttered, the words barely escaping his lips. His voice echoed in the silence, a harsh reminder of his broken vow. A shadow flickered at the corner of his vision—Ai’s presence. She said nothing, but her eyes reflected his turmoil. “How could I have been so weak?” he asked aloud, more to himself than to her. The question hung in the air, unanswered, as he stood abruptly, the mask clutched tightly in his hand. Action was the only answer he could find.
He raised his hand, and the air above his palm shimmered, darkening as something began to materialize. The object that took form was small at first, a swirling mass of shadow and malice that seemed to pulse with its own malevolent energy.
Talia’s heart raced as the air thickened with dark energy. She hesitated, a cold sweat forming on her brow, her mind screaming for her to run. Without thinking, she reached out, gripping Elois’ arm with trembling fingers. "We need to move," she whispered, her voice shaking as much as her hands. She pulled Elois back, her eyes darting between Leo and the growing shadow, fear and confusion warring within her as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
Across the capital, in a bustling marketplace, a figure suddenly paused mid-stride. A demihuman’s senses flared, sharp and unyielding. He had felt this kind of energy before—an intense, concentrated malice that couldn’t be ignored. His nose twitched, and his ears perked up, instantly locking onto the source of the disturbance. The dark energy was no longer a distant threat; it was here, surging with a terrifying intensity.
“This is it,” he muttered to himself, his fingers tightening around the staff he carried. Without wasting a moment, he launched himself into the air, moving with the swiftness and precision of a predator zeroing in on its prey. He vaulted from one rooftop to another, his pole extending to propel him faster, closing the distance between him and the growing malice that was radiating from the heart of the capital—the guild center.
With one final, powerful leap, the pole stretched out, propelling him through the air like a spear. He landed lightly in front of the guild, the massive doors looming before him. Without hesitation, he pushed them open and stepped inside, his eyes immediately locking onto the figure standing at the center of the room—Leo.
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The sight of him, standing there with an object radiating dark energy in his hand, sent a chill down his spine. He moved cautiously, approaching Leo with a mixture of concern and determination.
"You shouldn’t give in," he called out, his voice firm but laced with urgency. The figure’s eyes were sharp, a flash of gold reflecting in the dim light as he took in the scene.
Before Leo could act, a sudden stillness settled over the guild. The flickering candlelight dimmed, and a strange, almost imperceptible rustling echoed through the air—like the whisper of wind through the trees, but sharper, more deliberate. He barely registered the sound, his focus consumed by the mask in his hand, but Ai's gaze shifted slightly, her mechanical eyes narrowing as if detecting a presence on the outskirts of her awareness.
Leo turned his head slightly, a faint, unsettling smile curling at the corners of his lips. His eyes, once filled with uncertainty, now gleamed with a dark resolve. But even as he spoke, there was a flicker of something else—hesitation, perhaps doubt—barely visible but present nonetheless.
"Don’t worry about me," he said, his voice eerily confident, yet with an edge that hinted at the turmoil still churning within him. He paused for a moment, as if considering his next words, or perhaps the weight of the choice he was about to make. "Right now, it’s clear what I need to do. My body, my very being, isn’t what matters."
His gaze drifted downward, the mask of shadows pulsing faintly in his hand, as if it were alive, waiting for him to make his choice. "As long as I can protect what’s important to me… as long as I can save them…" His voice wavered for just a heartbeat before it steadied, the finality of his decision settling over him like a shroud. "The end always justifies the means."
He hesitated, the mask inches from his face. A flicker of doubt, a final spark of resistance burned within him, urging him to turn back, to reconsider. But it was so small, so distant, drowned by the deafening roar of his own need to be stronger, to never feel this weakness again. His heart hammered in his chest, a desperate plea for another way, but his hand moved on its own, slow and deliberate, as if savoring the last moment of hesitation.
The mask hovered before him, pulsing with dark energy, its presence a living thing, eager for him to submit. With a deep breath, Leo silenced the last whisper of doubt and pulled the mask over his face. The room exploded with dark energy, flooding the air with a power that crackled and hissed, suffocating in its intensity. Leo was no longer just a man—he had become something else.
"Ruyi Bang!" The shout reverberated through the guild as the figure hurled his pole toward Leo with blinding speed, the weapon extending in mid-air like a striking serpent. But before it could reach its target, Leo’s form dissolved into the shadows, leaving behind only the lingering echoes of his presence.
The weight of his words hung in the air, a chilling testament to the sacrifice he was willing to make. His smile didn’t waver, but there was an edge to it—a recognition that the path he was choosing might lead him to places he could never return from.