Guto's tears flowed uncontrollably as he gazed upon Amber's lifeless form. His voice quivered, overwhelmed with grief, "This can't be happening. We were supposed to explore the world together."
While still mourning his beloved's tragic death, Guto noticed an unfamiliar figure approaching. When he looked up, he recognized a face he hadn't seen in quite some time. "Throel?" he inquired.
"Oh, you poor thing. What's happened?" Throel's tone dripped with sarcasm, and his companions laughed sinisterly in the background.
Guto, his voice shaking, asked, "Why are you here? Don't tell me... this was your doing?"
Throel sneered, "As much as I'd like to take credit, no. But I did have to part with some coin to find out you'd be here."
'Coin?' Guto wondered, his thoughts racing. "What was the name of the person who gave you this information?"
"Hermes or something," Throel replied with a careless shrug.
'Hector!' Guto realized.
As Guto lay defeated on the ground, Throel ordered his henchmen, "Alright, boys, bind him."
As they closed in on Guto, a strange sensation overcame him, and he suddenly found himself transported into the cosmic void, floating in space with the Earth receding below him. Before him loomed a colossal, luminous eye, its gaze filled with curiosity and intelligence beyond his comprehension.
"Guto," the voice echoed, "I am intrigued by your story. It would be a shame for it to end here."
Guto, stunned by the ethereal spectacle before him, managed to stammer, "Who are you?"
The colossal eye blinked slowly, and the voice replied, "Many names have been attributed to me over the ages. The Egyptians called me 'Theós,' the Greeks 'Pantodýnamos,' and countless others have whispered my name in reverence."
Guto's heart raced as he considered the extraordinary being that beckoned to him. The enigmatic eye continued, "I can offer you a mark that will grant you a powerful ability, one that can reshape your fate, or you can leave empty handed. The choice, Guto, is yours."
Gut still confused asked "What? Mark? Choose a mark?"
"The mark it is!" The eye answered.
Guto, still confused and overwhelmed, began to protest, "No wai—"
But before he could finish, he was abruptly teleported back to his body.
Guto awoke in the dead of night on a forest, his heart pounding in his chest. The events in the cosmic void played in his mind like a haunting dream. As he tried to calm his racing heart, he realized he was not alone.
Before him stood a man he had met in the past, Lugarious. The dim light casted by the bonfire revealed a sly smile on Lugarious's face as he said, "You look like you've seen a ghost, Guto."
Guto's voice trembled as he responded, "Lugarious? What are you doing here?"
Lugarious chuckled softly and explained, "I saw what was happening with Throel. I couldn't let that man get his hands on you."
Guto couldn't shake the surreal sensation of something burning in the back of his left hand. As he looked he saw the mark of the eye on his hand. "What is this?" Guto wondered aloud, bewildered.
Lugarious extended his hand and peeled back a bandage on his own left hand, revealing the same eye-shaped marks but his had three pupils. "We share the same mark," Lugarious admitted. "We've been chosen, Guto."
The forest fell into a heavy silence. Guto's mind raced, attempting to process the extraordinary events. The notion of the mark symbolizing something greater filled him with a mixture of awe and dread.
As the weight of recent losses pressed upon Guto's heart, he felt the deep sadness well up. His voice trembled, "Amber... she's gone."
Lugarious acknowledged the gravity of the moment. "I know it's a terrible time, Guto. But I want to share something with you. I have grand ambitions. I want to be a king, and I believe someone like you could help me make that a reality."
With an air of determination, Lugarious handed Guto a small slip of paper with coordinates. "When you're ready, meet me here. You can rebuild there with me."
He also added, "You might want to keep that mark hidden. The Elysian Seekers are everywhere."
Guto did not respond. He couldn't fathom the mark's significance. Guto's emotions swirled, a tempest of grief and anger threatening to consume him.
The mounting turmoil within him sought an outlet. He began smashing objects around him, an outpouring of frustration and despair, each shattering object serving as an echo of his inner turmoil.
As the last remnants of the little camp lay in ruin, Guto crumbled to the floor, his energy spent. The silence punctuated only by his ragged breaths. He lay there, his face buried in his hands, as tears streamed down his cheeks.
But as the fury gave way to sadness, Guto's expression shifted. The sobs subsided, and his tear-streaked face contorted with resolve. A fire of determination sparked in his eyes, a blazing promise to the woman he had lost.
"I'll have my revenge, Amber. I promise you."
In this tumultuous moment of transformation, Guto set his course. His life, once marred by sorrow, had now become a quest for justice and retribution in a world marked by chaos and enigma.
The following days Guto wandered with no destination in mind, he only sought to become stronger. Guto's newfound mark remained hidden beneath a bandage, as he took Lugarious's message to heart. He knew that concealing this emblem was paramount in a world filled with dangers.
Lugarious's dream of becoming a king intrigued Guto, but it was a distant promise that resonated with the promise he had made to Amber. Revenge fueled his determination, and he carried her memory with him like a torch, guiding him through the darkness of this chaotic world.
After days of wandering Guto had reached a city. This was the beginning of a new chapter, one that held the promise of a power unknown to him. He was driven by the need for retribution and the memory of Amber, the love he had lost in the chaos.