The Soulreaver collapsed under my hands, its body tearing apart as the last of its form faded into nothing. The fight ended, but the burning in my eyes and the weight in my body didn't fade. My muscles still trembled, and my breathing refused to slow down.
But none of that mattered.
There was something worse.
I bent down and picked up the black stone card from the ground. It felt heavier than before, as if it carried everything that had just happened. My fingers tightened around it instinctively.
"Mr… Ze…kai…"
Aron's voice shook as it reached me.
I turned immediately.
He was lying on the ground.
For a moment, my mind went blank.
Then everything hit at once.
"No… no…"
I rushed toward him and dropped to one knee beside him. My knee hit the ground harder than I expected—the impact barely registering, lifting his upper body carefully and resting his head on my lap. His body felt light… too light.
Like something inside him had already been taken before I touched him.
"Aron...!"
I didn't know what to do.
Aron looked at me the same way he always did—with a calm, gentle smile.
"Mr. Zekai… am I going to die?"
His voice was quiet, but his eyes told the truth. He was in pain.
"No. Don't say that," I said quickly.
But even as I spoke, I knew something was wrong.
"Ah… I can feel it," Aron whispered. "My soul… it's slowly leaving me."
His voice felt distant—like it wasn't coming from his body anymore.
"No… please… don't talk like that."
"This isn't your time," I said, shaking my head. "I'll find a way. I'll save you. We'll get out of here together."
He didn't reply.
Panic rose in my chest.
"There has to be something… something…"
I looked around desperately, searching for anything that could help. There was nothing left except the shattered remains of the Soulreaver knight and the empty, ruined space around us.
No way forward.
No help.
Only the card in my hand.
I looked back at Aron.
He slowly raised his blood-covered hand and touched my cheek. His fingers were cold—cold in a way that didn't belong to someone still alive.
Too cold.
"I guess… this is goodbye, Mr. Zekai."
"No."
"I'm not letting you go."
"You gave me something," Aron continued softly. "Something I won't forget."
"Don't talk like that," I said, my voice breaking.
"Thank you… for every—"
His voice faded.
He couldn't finish the sentence.
His chest rose—
then didn't fall again.
It didn't feel like it stopped.
It felt like something had been taken.
His eyes stayed open—
the light in them faded—not slowly, but all at once.
but whatever was looking back at me…
was gone.
His hand—
slipped from my face.
"Aron?"
No response.
His fingers twitched once—
like his body tried to hold on—
then went still.
Silence.
For a moment—
even the wind stopped.
Like the world didn't know what to do next.
My grip slipped slightly against the blood on his clothes—but I held on tighter.
too hard.
Like if I held on long enough—
something would come back.
"Oii… Aron…"
My vision blurred.
"Say something."
"Please…"
"Just once... look at me and smile..."
Nothing.
No movement. No breath. No Life.
My chest tightened as something inside me broke.
"Why… him…?"
Not anger.
Not yet.
Just… confusion.
He wasn't weak…
He was just kind.
And the world chose him first.
The word came out before I could stop it.
My hands trembled as I held him.
"I'm sorry…Aron."
That was the only thing I had left to say.
Tears fell before I even realized it.
Memories flooded in without control.
The first time I saw him at the store. The way he spoke to everyone kindly, even when they ignored him. The way he treated me—not like a customer, but like someone who mattered.
But with me... he was different.
More caring to me... But first, I ignored it.
But slowly... that kindness changed something in me.
At some point, without realizing it…
I had always lived quietly with my grandfather.
But Aron…
He felt like a brother.
I had always seen him that way.
"…Just once," I whispered, my voice barely holding together.
"Call me brother… just once…"
But Aron didn't move.
There was no answer.
He was gone.
And it was my fault.
"I left you alone… this is because of me…"
I clenched my teeth.
"I'm sorry… forgive me…"
I slowly lifted his body in both hands. His head tilted slightly with the motion—no resistance, no tension. And I stood up. His weight rested against my arms, but it felt like I was carrying something far heavier.
Then I looked at the black stone card.
I could feel it now.
This thing…
It wasn't just an object anymore.
It was the reason for everything.
The world changed around us and his death also.
My grip tightened.
"What are you…?"
"An artifact… or something cursed?"
Rage rose inside me.
There was only one thought left.
I had to destroy it.
Dark energy wrapped around my hand, mixing with a faint white glow beneath it. The two forces moved together, unstable but controlled.
I raised the card.
My bones creaked under the pressure—
like even my body wasn't meant to fight this thing.
The force pushed back—not against my hand, but against my will.
"Disappear."
I crushed down with all my strength.
"AHHHH—!"
The card resisted.
It didn't resist.
It refused.
Like breaking it was never an option to begin with.
A violent force pushed back against my hand, lifting me slightly off the ground along with Aron's body. The pressure felt unnatural, like the card itself was alive.
Still, I didn't stop.
"Break...!"
I poured everything into it.
"Ahhhhh—!.... disappear."
A thin crack spread across the surface—like something watching me had just acknowledged my attempt.
The moment it cracked—
something inside my chest tightened—
like something had noticed me.
But it didn't break.
"What…?"
Why wasn't it breaking?
Before I could react, the air around me shifted.
That same feeling returned.
The one from before.
The moment reality changed.
The world around us began to fracture like broken glass.
Reality shattered.
The ruins disappeared.
Then—
everything collapsed.
The sound came back first—
too loud.
Too sharp.
Like the world had been muted—
and suddenly remembered how to exist.
Reality didn't return.
It snapped back into place.
✦ End of Chapter 16 — Loss ✦