Amid the ruins of
Aeralis Ruins—
Silence lingered.
Above—
Ignis
Vernix
held back the raging
Abyssion
Below—
Everything rested on one answer.
Elior looked at
Umbrael
And then—
He smiled.
Not a mocking smile.
Not a confident one.
A simple one.
Warm.
"…I don't know."
Umbrael's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
Elior scratched the back of his head lightly.
"…I wasn't there."
"…I didn't go through what you did."
No Judgment
"…So I can't say I would've done better."
Silence.
Elior stepped forward.
"…But I do know one thing."
His voice became steady.
"…You're still here."
Umbrael frowned slightly.
"…What does that—"
"…You survived."
"…Not because of fate…"
"…But because you chose to."
After hearing Elior's answer Umbrael froze.
Those words—
Simple.
But they hit deeper than anything before.
Elior Continues.
"…You say you accepted fate."
"…But that's not true."
A pause.
"…You fought to live."
"…That wasn't fate."
"…That was you."
Inside Umbrael heart
The world around him faded.
Darkness surrounded him again—
That same place from before.
A room.
Cold.
Silent.
Filled with everything he buried. Like he Inner Prison
Regret.
Loneliness.
Grudge.
Pain.
All locked away.
Then a Words Echo inside of his heart.
"You chose to live."
"…That was you."
Then—
CRACK—
A small fracture appeared in the dark room.
Light seeped through.
Umbrael stepped back slightly.
"…No…"
CRACK—CRACK—
The walls began to break.
All the darkness he held—
All the anger—
All the loneliness—
Shattered.
Into countless pieces.
From within the cracks—
A soft light emerged.
Warm.
Gentle.
Not overwhelming—
But real.
Umbrael staggered slightly.
Back in the ruins—
His breathing uneven.
His eyes—
Different.
For the first time—
The weight he carried—
Was gone.
Not completely.
But enough.
"…This…"
Umbrael whispered.
"…What is this feeling…?"
Elior smiled again.
"…That's hope."
Above—
Vernix shined brighter—
Responding to the change.
Even Ignis burned differently—
Not opposing—
But steady.
Abyssion roared violently.
As if rejecting this change.
Umbrael looked at his hand.
No longer trembling.
No longer clenched.
Then—
He looked at Elior.
Not as an enemy.
But as someone who showed him something he forgot.
A faint smile appeared on Umbrael's face—
Small.
Uncertain.
But real.
As light reflected in his eyes—
For the first time in years.
And the journey continues....