Grace let out a sigh as she looked down at herself, pausing her escape through the woods. "Maybe it would have been better to do this after washing myself," she muttered. Although she was less covered in blood compared to the others, the sticky, drying substance clung to her skin unpleasantly. "Oh, whatever. I can just clean myself later. I've bothered them enough already," she said to herself, continuing her walk. She stopped abruptly before she could take another step, hearing footsteps approaching fast from behind her.
*Could it be a stray demon?* she thought, turning around and preparing to fight whoever or whatever was coming toward her. Her eyes narrowed as the footsteps grew louder.
"I found you," a familiar voice said, and her eyes widened as Xain, still smeared with dried blood and looking utterly exhausted, stumbled out of the thicket.
"What? What are you doing here?" Grace asked, her voice a mix of confusion and worry.
Xain leaned against a tree, panting heavily. He must have been running for a while. "I could ask you the same thing. Why are you out here? And why is everyone saying they don't remember you?" he asked, locking eyes with her.
Grace took a step back in shock. "How... how do you remember me? How did you even find me?" she asked, her fists clenched, sounding truly unsure of herself for the first time since Xain had met her.
"Wait, you know?" Xain asked in surprise. "You know that everyone's forgotten about you?"
*I still can't see his thoughts,* Grace thought to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them with a cold glare. "Yeah, I know. I don't understand why you're not affected," she admitted harshly.
Xain stood frozen for a moment. "Why—why are you talking like that? Why are you acting like the mastermind behind all of this!?" he exclaimed, pushing off the tree, his fists trembling with anger.
"You're far too naïve, Xain," Grace said with a shake of her head. "Think for a moment. Someone as powerful as me, just living in a random village in the middle of nowhere? It doesn't add up, does it?" She looked at him with a condescending smirk, watching his anger build.
"And besides, if I wasn't the one who erased their memories of me, why would I run off? You're such an idiot," she said, with a chuckle filled with mockery.
"Shut up!" Xain yelled, punching the tree next to him with such force that it snapped in half, crashing to the ground.
*That... he wasn't that strong before,* Grace thought, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the fallen tree.
**Meanwhile inside Xain's mind**
Ercale lay curled up on the couch, trying to tune out the outside world. His emotions were in disarray, his mind scattered from what he had heard from Zalathor. "I hate you," he muttered, though only he knew to whom those words were directed. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation fill the 'room,' causing him to slowly rise from his position. He looked around, sensing a presence with him. "So this is what happens when that Hatred fills his eyes," he mused, before spotting something out of the corner of his eye. "I figured," he muttered, turning to face it. "He was too unique to not have a part of you in him," he continued, his lips forming a thin smile.
**Back to Xain**
Xain could feel it, the Hatred building up inside him, urging him to give in. "I know you're lying! I can tell! You're not who you pretend to be," he said, trying to control his emotions.
"And why do you say that? You've only known me for a day, even less, and yet you speak with such confidence? You're more naïve than I thought," Grace retorted sharply, her eyes filled with contempt. "Don't tell me, back when I said I liked you, you took it seriously? Ha, how cree—"
"Stop that!" Xain interrupted, his voice trembling. "You can't make me fall for your act. You just can't!" He let out a shaky sigh. "Listen, I—I don't know why you're doing this. I don't know why you erased everyone's memory of you. I don't know why I wasn't affected, or how I even found you," he said, desperation creeping into his voice. He looked into Grace's eyes, hoping she could see his sincerity, his raw emotions.
"But just explain to me, just tell me why. Stop pretending to be someone you're not," he pleaded, his voice choked as he covered his eyes. Grace noticed he was trying to hold back tears. "I'm tired of bad endings," he muttered, his voice breaking as tears began to flow freely.
"Xain," Grace started, reaching out to comfort him, but then hesitated and pulled her hand back. Xain continued, his voice filled with anguish, "I just want everyone to be happy. I don't want everyone else's struggles to be wasted. I don't want there to be any more tragedies, any more deaths. No matter what I do, someone always dies or suffers or loses something dear to them," he said through his tears. "I just want everyone to get their own happy endings. So please, just explain to me," he begged, looking at Grace with tear-filled eyes.
Grace let out a sigh, her expression softening slightly. "You want me to explain?" she asked, holding her arm. "Fine, I'll explain."