When Roran opened his eyes, he saw Lucia still curled up in his arms, sleeping peacefully. Despite such a serene moment, his fear of losing her hadn't lessened in the slightest. One thing was certain, though—his desire to pummel Dukhe's face into the ground had only grown stronger.
He was afraid—so afraid that he felt he could barely stand. He was angry—so angry that it took all his willpower to stop himself from rushing off to tear Dukhe apart that very instant. Yet he was also happy—grateful to the gods that Lucia still lay in his arms.
But time was slipping away, and with each passing hour, it felt like he was one step closer to losing her. Every hour felt like another spent in a hellish torment. Memories of his time with Lucia came flooding back to him—he longed for the strange mixture of sadness and comfort he had felt while staying at her house. Back then, he had been sad, yes, but at least he had been at ease.
Now, however, he was consumed by an overwhelming sense of despair and unease, a crushing weight that seemed to settle in the center of his chest, spreading through his entire body.
As the darkness within him grew, Roran suddenly felt movement against his chest. The suffocating gloom inside him seemed to be swept away by gentle, pure white hands, which surrounded the darkness and erased it completely. Snapping out of his despair, Roran looked down to see Lucia holding him tightly. She was smiling—a serene, relieved smile, as if she knew everything would be okay, as if she was confident they would never be separated.
That calm certainty enveloped Roran as well, banishing the remaining darkness from his heart. He, too, began to smile quietly. Placing one hand on Lucia's waist and the other on her head, he held her close.
For a while longer, they lay together in peaceful silence. But soon, the time they had dreaded began to draw near. Rising, Roran and Lucia stepped outside together without a word. The air was growing colder, yet the combination of the crisp chill and the warmth of the sun created an oddly comforting sensation against their skin.
Hand in hand, they walked silently through the village, keeping as far away from Lucia's house as possible. They said nothing, not even glancing at each other, simply walking in a companionable, wordless understanding.
When the sun began to dip toward the horizon, they arrived at the place they had promised to meet: the cemetery.
Dukhe was sitting on a stone, waiting for them. When he saw them approaching, he stood up and began walking toward them. With each step he took, memories of Roran's time with Lucia flashed through Roran's mind. Each of Dukhe's steps seemed to emit a spreading darkness, but the memories that surged through Roran pushed back against it with a radiant brilliance. The light of his resolve, born from everything he held dear, effortlessly overpowered Dukhe's encroaching shadow.
Finally, they stood face to face. The oppressive darkness radiating from Dukhe clashed against the blinding light emanating from Roran's heart and mind. By the time they locked eyes, every ounce of fear in Roran had vanished. Dukhe, however, wore a devilish grin, as though he had already claimed victory.
Roran noticed it and felt nothing but pity for him. They stared at each other for a moment longer before Dukhe's voice broke the silence:
"Alright, if you're ready, let's begin, my dear Roran."
Hearing this, Roran's sense of pity instantly turned into anger. From within the light inside him, red flames suddenly rose, blending in harmony with the brightness. These flames were Roran's anger. In that brief moment, the only thought in Roran's mind was how many ways he could beat Dukhe.
Roran gave a slight nod to acknowledge Dukhe's words and took a defensive stance. Seeing Roran's response, Dukhe stepped back, spread his arms wide, and began cracking his fingers. As he did, strange words spilled from his mouth.
Roran waited in place, watching Dukhe carefully to see what would happen. But with each snap of Dukhe's fingers, the harmony of light and flames within Roran began to change. A dark fire entered the mix, growing larger and darker with each snap.
Snap, darkness. Snap, darkness. Snap, darkness…
In the end, Roran stood frozen in place. Inside him, neither light nor fire remained. The only thing left was the black flames, a suffocating fear that consumed him.
And one final time—snap, darkness.
Roran began trembling, shaking uncontrollably with terror. Just then, he felt something at the nape of his neck. Reflexively, he jumped back, trembling and straining to turn his head. But what he saw behind him chilled him to his core—nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Yet he knew. He was certain something had touched him. Fearfully, his wide, trembling eyes turned to Dukhe. There he was, standing still, exuding confidence, staring at Roran with a smug, domineering gaze. Though Dukhe was shorter, from this distance, he loomed over Roran like a giant.
And Roran knew—Dukhe understood exactly what was happening to him.
Another sensation—this time on his face. A punch. But once again, Roran saw nothing. Nothing at all. Dukhe remained where he was, at least five meters away, unmoving, unbothered.
Yet Roran was being pummeled. Dukhe wasn't lifting a finger, just staring.
Then, again, the sound. Snap. This time, every crack was followed not by fear but by pain. Each snap brought another blow—his face, his jaw, his stomach, his kidneys, his chest, his back.
And finally, one last snap.
Roran felt a hand around his neck. He was choking. Struggling in an endless, indescribable, overwhelming darkness.
Desperate, he clawed at his neck, and his hands found it—a hand, cold and firm, gripping his throat. He could feel it. It was real. But he couldn't see it.
Roran was drowning in an infinite void of darkness.
Roran began to rise into the air, his feet leaving the ground. He resembled a corpse strung up by the devil's invisible chains, suspended between earth and sky. His hand slipped away from the unseen force gripping his throat, and his body went limp.
His eyes stared blankly into nothingness, his arms and legs hanging lifelessly downward. He looked like a body abandoned to the void. As he hung there, even his neck tilted unnaturally to the side, further heightening the eerie image.
The sight was horrifying.
Lucia's legs trembled violently, her hands clasped tightly over her mouth as she stared at Roran's corpse-like figure, dangling as if held aloft by invisible strings. The terror froze her in place.
Then, overwhelmed by the horrifying spectacle, Lucia dropped to her knees. The same suffocating darkness that consumed Roran now engulfed her, drowning her in despair.
Her lips trembled, and from the depths of her soul came a scream—a woman's most anguished cry.
"Roran!"
And then, she collapsed, fainting on the spot.
Dukhe, standing in the now silent battlefield, let out a maniacal laugh. However, after a moment, he felt something and immediately turned to Roran. Roran was breathing. With every breath, the grip around his neck tightened, but with each constriction, his breaths grew deeper and stronger. Finally, Roran raised his head and locked eyes with Dukhe. This time, what burned inside him was neither light nor fire—it was a pure, white flame. Slowly, with every breath, it consumed the black fire born from his fear.
At last, Roran placed his hand on the invisible force gripping his neck and began to struggle. Finally, his neck was freed, and he collapsed to the ground. Yet, the invisible hand remained in his grasp. Taking one final breath, he stood. Inside him burned a pure, untainted fire.
With a final forceful pull, Roran yanked the unseen entity towards him, and as it moved, it seemed to drag Dukhe along with it, propelling him toward Roran. At that exact moment, Roran delivered a perfect punch to Dukhe's face. The impact extinguished the black flames within Dukhe.
However, now Roran himself seemed empty—devoid of any feeling. Dukhe slowly rose to his feet and shouted:
"You despicable coward, how dare you hit me?!"
However, Roran just stood there, unmoving. After staring at him for a moment, Dukhe watched as Roran collapsed next to the unconscious body of the girl he loved, and fell into unconsciousness himself.