Faith slowly opened her eyes.
The vibrant realm of endless life had vanished.
In its place stood a world swallowed by silence.
Gray clouds blanketed the sky without end, concealing even the faintest trace of sunlight. The wind carried no warmth only cold air that drifted through forests of lifeless trees. Their branches were brittle, stripped bare long ago, reaching toward the heavens like countless hands begging for salvation. Faith stood alone. The silence was unsettling.
She looked around slowly before taking a cautious step forward.
"…So this is my trial."
There was no answer. Only the sound of her footsteps against the cracked earth.
As she continued walking, something caught her attention. A body. Then another. Then another. The further she walked, the more corpses she saw.
Some lay peacefully as though they had fallen asleep. Others had collapsed where they once stood, their expressions forever frozen in despair.
It didn't matter where she looked. The dead covered the world. Faith's breathing grew heavier.
"It… can't be…"
She quickened her pace.
Perhaps there was someone alive. Anyone. Hours seemed to pass before a city finally appeared on the horizon.
Unlike the forests surrounding it, the buildings remained standing. The streets were untouched. Doors remained closed. Windows remained whole. Hope flickered inside her chest.
"…Someone has to be here."
She hurried through the empty streets.
"Hello?"
No reply.
"Is anyone there?"
Silence.
Not a single footstep answered her call. Not a single voice. The city was intact.
Yet it was just as lifeless as everything else. Faith's pace slowed.
Then…She froze. Her eyes widened.
"…No…"
There, standing at the end of the street…
was a house she knew better than any other.
Her childhood home. Every detail remained the same. The worn wooden fence.
The flower pots near the entrance. The old porch her father had repaired countless times. Her heart began pounding. Her legs moved on their own. She reached the front door.
Slowly…she pushed it open.
Creeeak…The familiar scent of home no longer existed.
Instead only death. Faith stepped inside. She already knew.
Somewhere deep inside…she already knew what she would find. Her eyes slowly moved across the room. Then stopped. Her breathing caught. Her family. They were all there. Motionless.
Exactly as she remembered. Her mother. Her father. Every member of her family. The same horrifying sight. The same unbearable silence. Tears instantly filled her eyes.
"…No…"
Her voice trembled. She remembered. The day she came home. The day everything changed. The day her entire world collapsed.
Faith covered her mouth.
"I…"
Her legs refused to support her.
Unable to bear another second inside that room, she stumbled back outside.
The moment she reached the yard—
she collapsed onto her knees.
Her hands dug into the cold earth.
Tears streamed endlessly down her face.
"It's…"
She struggled to breathe.
"It's sad… to relive my worst nightmare…"
Her fingers tightened around the dirt until it slipped between them.
"If I could change it…"
Her voice cracked.
"I would do everything I could…"
She lowered her head.
"But nothing happened…"
Nothing. No miracle. No second chance. No one came. Faith remained there for what felt like hours.
Eventually…she stood, With no destination in mind, she wandered through the dead world. She walked through forests. Through abandoned villages. Across rivers that no longer flowed. Everywhere she went death followed. She was alone.
Completely alone. Time lost all meaning. Eventually…her feet brought her back. Back to the same house. Faith stood quietly before the doorway.
This time…she didn't run. She walked inside.
Her tears still fell. But she forced herself forward. Step by step. Until she stood before her mother. Faith slowly knelt. Her trembling hand reached forward.
She gently held her mother's cold hand. At that moment a memory resurfaced.
Years ago…She had been only a little girl. She remembered crying after failing something she believed she could never overcome.
Her mother had smiled gently. She placed a warm hand against Faith's chest.
"Even if the odds are against you, my child…"
Her mother smiled.
"Never lose faith in yourself."
The memory ended.
Faith's eyes slowly opened. The tears remained. But something inside her had changed.
She carefully placed her mother's hand back where it rested. Then she stood.
Without another word, she walked outside. She closed her eyes. The memories came flooding back. The bodies. The pain. The loneliness. Her family's lifeless faces. Every heartbreaking image flashed before her mind.
But this time…She did not run.
She listened. Not to the silence. Not to the grief.
She listened…to her own heart. A gentle warmth spread through her chest. Steadily, Quietly. She opened her eyes.
Determination replaced sorrow. Faith slowly rose into the sky above the ruined realm.
Her hair danced gently in the cold wind. She inhaled deeply.
Then exhaled. Her voice echoed across the dead world.
"Blessing of Idun…"
A brilliant emerald light began gathering around her.
"…the God of Rejuvenation and Youth."
The green radiance erupted outward.
It expanded like an endless sunrise, washing over mountains, forests, rivers, villages, and cities alike.
Every dead tree touched by the light sprouted fresh leaves. Flowers bloomed where only ash had remained.
Grass spread across the cracked earth. The gray skies slowly began to brighten. The emerald aura continued expanding. It reached every lifeless body lying upon the world.
One by one…the light entered them. Silence lingered for a single moment. Then fingers twitched.Eyes slowly opened.
The world that had known only death…began to breathe once more.