The realization of what he had done crashed over Korig like a tidal wave.
The weight of his actions, the sacrifice he had made, bore down on him with a force that threatened to break him.
With a heart heavy as stone, he sank to his knees in the midst of the transformed parking lot.
The crowbar slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground beside him.
His shoulders shook as sobs wracked his body, the dam he had erected against his emotions finally giving way.
The cries that tore from his throat were raw and guttural, a primal release of the pain, anger, and grief that consumed him.
The echoes of his cries reverberated through the parking lot, bouncing off the walls like a haunting lament.
Each cry was a testament to the agony he felt, the torment of having to choose between two unbearable options.
Lily's lifeless smile, her final words, they haunted him like a specter.
The image of her falling, the blood mingling with her tears, was etched into his mind with a brutal permanence.
The parking lot seemed to close in around him, the silence only broken by the sound of his own cries.
He clutched his head, his fingers tangling in his hair as if he could physically tear away the pain that consumed him.
The enormity of the world's darkness, the weight of his own decisions, it was all too much for him to bear.
He cried for Lily, for the friends he had lost, for the innocence that had been stolen from them.
As the echoes of his cries continued to fill the air, he became acutely aware of the emptiness that surrounded him.
The remnants of their battle were all that remained, a testament to the horrors they had faced.
Korig's body shook with the force of his emotions, his tears mixing with the blood of the wreckage he had caused, it had become a constant companion.
His heartache was a symphony, a mournful melody that echoed through the transformed parking lot.
...
In a place shrouded in darkness, an eerie ambiance hung heavy in the air.
Thousands of screens lined the walls, each one a portal into the ongoing chaos that had gripped different parts of the world.
Scenes of destruction, despair, and turmoil played out on the screens, a twisted tapestry of humanity's struggles.
Amidst this sea of screens, a single figure sat in silence, a silhouette cloaked in shadows.
The figure exuded an air of mystery, its presence commanding attention even without revealing its identity.
The screens before them cast an otherworldly glow upon their features, illuminating only their outline while keeping their identity shrouded.
The figure's gaze moved from screen to screen, each one displaying a different facet of the chaos that had befallen the world.
But their attention was fixed on one screen in particular, a screen that showcased a scene of raw emotion.
On that screen, Korig knelt amidst the parking lot, his body racked with sobs.
The weight of his choices, the pain of his sacrifice, it was all laid bare for the figure to witness.
The tears that fell from his eyes were like gems in the dim light of the room.
As the figure's eyes scanned Korig's form on the screen, a smile tugged at the corners of their lips.
It was a smile that seemed to originate from the darkness itself, a malevolent expression that hinted at their pleasure in witnessing the turmoil they had orchestrated.
The figure's gaze seemed to penetrate the screen, their eyes locking onto Korig's form as if they could see into his very soul.
They reveled in his agony, in the aftermath of his battle, and in the choices he had been forced to make.
The silence in the room was punctuated only by the sounds of Korig's cries, which echoed through the speakers of the screens.
The figure's smile persisted, a twisted emblem of their enjoyment.
In that moment, it was as if the figure and Korig were connected by an invisible thread, bound by the darkness and chaos that had consumed their worlds.
But only one of them enjoyed it.
With a final lingering gaze at the screen, the figure leaned back in their seat.
The screens surrounding them continued to play scenes of despair, but their focus had been satisfied for now.
The figure's presence exuded an aura of malevolence, a force that reveled in the suffering of others.
As they continued to watch the chaos unfold on the screens, the darkness seemed to close in around them, creating an unsettling tableau of power and intrigue.
...
Minutes passed, maybe even hours, as Korig remained on his knees, his grief a storm that raged within him.
The transformed parking lot bore witness to his torment, the scars of their battle mirroring the scars on his heart.
Eventually, his sobs subsided, leaving him drained and hollow.
His tears had been shed, his cries had echoed through the desolate landscape.
But the pain remained, a dull ache that refused to be numbed.
As Korig stared at the ground, his vision blurred by tears, he realized that this was his reality now.
The parking lot, the memories of their struggle, Lily's sacrifice, they were all a part of him, etched into his very being.
With a heavy sigh that carried the weight of the world, Korig pushed himself upright.
His body felt both exhausted and liberated, as if the burden of his decisions had temporarily been lifted.
The crowbar lay forgotten on the ground, a symbol of the choices he had made.
The parking lot seemed to stretch before him, a world forever changed by the events that had unfolded.
As Korig surveyed the desolate landscape, he felt a strange mixture of emotions.
The tragedy of Lily's sacrifice weighed heavily on his heart.
...
Amidst the aftermath, a sudden flicker of light caught Korig's attention.
A series of windows popped up before him, their appearance almost surreal against the backdrop of the transformed parking lot.
The words on the windows seemed to glow, catching his eye with an almost hypnotic allure.
Tutorial Complete
The words were simple yet laden with significance.
It was as if a chapter had closed, and Korig had moved from the realm of the unknowing to that of the experienced.
You have unlocked a System!
The declaration hung in the air, a proclamation of his growth and progression.
The challenges he had faced had not been in vain; they had led him to this point of discovery and evolution.
Click to continue
The final prompt beckoned, a call to embrace the journey that lay ahead.
Korig's fingers hovered over the screen, his heart racing with anticipation.
He knew that his path was far from over, that the choices he would make from this point on would shape the destiny of both himself and the world around him.
He seemed to hesitate.
His fingers continued to hover.
...