The agents of darkness continued walking toward the void, engaged in conversation.
"I understand, thank you."
Teyat glanced at Mr. Handsome's tall yet delicate figure, whose head was turned towards the darkness ahead. After thanking him, Teyat focused again on the dark path before him when an object appeared within his line of sight.
Due to the pitch-black surroundings, he couldn't quite make out what it was. In astonishment, he stared at the object that seemed far away but was gradually getting closer.
Surprised, Teyat called out to Mr. Handsome to ask about the strange object.
"Mr. Ugly, that thing ahead... in the darkness... what is it?"
Without responding, Mr. Handsome continued walking.
He walked silently for a while, then murmured in quiet bewilderment.
"I don't know what it is either, sir, but we'll find out soon."
Teyat sighed hopelessly, his curiosity growing as he quickened his pace. He moved alongside Mr. Handsome, and the two continued forward.
After walking slowly for some time, Teyat's eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw ahead.
He fell to the ground, collapsing near the black flames rising from the dark water below.
"W-what?"
•
What he saw left him utterly shocked.
As he fell to the ground, he found himself engulfed in a blaze of fiery thoughts.
The thing that had brought him to his knees was something he hadn't seen since his previous life, before he had taken his own life. It was the same rock he used to sit on at the edge of the cliff, the place where he would lean back and gaze at the majestic beauty of the sky, the place that served as his solitary refuge. The long, slender, round-topped rock with small protrusions and indentations—dark as coal—stood before him, the very same stone he had cursed for disappearing.
"M-my rock..."
Teyat's eyes, wide with astonishment, were fixed on the long, coal-colored stone. Mr. Handsome, too, was in shock.
Mr. Handsome's eyes grew large, his hands falling loosely behind him as he stared at the stone in disbelief.
In that moment, countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Then, he turned his stunned gaze toward Teyat.
'Could it be... Is he really the final heir? The last chosen heir of the God of Darkness? No, it's too early to make that call. I'll wait for the book. Then, I'll do what needs to be done.'
After these internal musings, Mr. Handsome reverted to his usual self and cleared his throat.
"The heir of darkness, Teyat—"
His words were cut short because Teyat had already risen and attempted to strike him.
The reason for Teyat's anger was prejudice. The coal-colored rock that Teyat cherished so deeply was now in the "Moon Soul" realm. The attempt to strike Mr. Handsome was not because the rock was in this realm, but because Teyat believed Mr. Handsome had stolen the rock, which once stood on the cliff where Teyat shared some of his happiest memories with his sister.
Teyat, filled with rage, screamed and swung again at Mr. Handsome, but once again, his punch missed.
"You filthy bastard! First, you make me a pawn in your twisted game without a choice, and now you're stealing the one thing I care about most, you scum!"
"Listen to me, I didn't—"
"Shut up!! Pain? Oh, I've had plenty of that. I don't care. Drag me into eternal suffering, it means nothing to me! You and your wretched god can burn in hell! You're going to return what belongs to me, and it will never be part of your game!"
Teyat's angry words flew from his mouth as he hurled insults toward Mr. Handsome and the God he was supposed to inherit from, while Mr. Handsome continued to effortlessly evade his attacks.
Mr. Handsome tried to interject, but Teyat, still furious, kept shouting insults and attacking with a wild, burning rage.
It was normal for Teyat to be this angry. After all, the cliff where the rock once stood was the place where he had shared his happiest moments with his sister, where he would sometimes lean back against the stone instead of speaking to anyone. It was the rock he confided in during his loneliest times, the one he laughed and cried with when there was no one else around. That rock, the only thing that had ever understood his isolation, meant everything to him.
However, the insults Teyat hurled at Mr. Handsome and the God he served were anything but normal.
Instead of continuing to dodge Teyat's attacks, Mr. Handsome vanished, engulfed in a thick, black smoke.
Teyat, now filled with both rage and shock, halted in his tracks. He scanned his surroundings, searching for Mr. Handsome, ready to strike again. Then, in the midst of the dark, moonless expanse, a chilling sight appeared.
Just a bit farther away, standing in the shadows with crossed arms and staring down at him with black and white eyes, was not Mr. Handsome, but death itself.
The eerie voice of Mr. Handsome emerged, colder than ever, sending a shiver down Teyat's spine, transforming his face from one of anger to pure fear.
"My god can burn in hell, huh? You once told me something, didn't you? About wanting to be tormented by demons in hell, dying over and over in agony."
He began to approach Teyat, step by step.
'Damn it... no...'
"As I recall, that's what you said. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. But... I won't repeat myself. I will give you exactly what you wanted."
Mr. Handsome, now only a few paces away, disappeared into a cloud of black flames or smoke, only to reappear suddenly right in front of Teyat.
The appearance was swift—just before Teyat, at a slight angle, Mr. Handsome materialized, staring not at Teyat but into the abyss. His cold, half-closed eyes did not meet Teyat's, and his right hand emitted strange black symbols that flickered in and out of view amidst dark smoke.
Without so much as a glance toward the terrified Teyat, who was now drenched in cold sweat, Mr. Handsome leaned in and whispered in a cold, wind-like tone.
"You might want to start thanking me now."
And with that chilling whisper, the black symbols in Mr. Handsome's hand released thin, crisscrossing vertical and horizontal lines of dark fire. These lines extended infinitely across the entire realm known as the "Moon Soul" and tore Teyat apart into countless, unrecognizable pieces.
Teyat's body, now reduced to flesh-like cubes, oozed black blood as they spread across the ground.
After tearing Teyat to pieces with those infinite dark lines of smoke and fire, Mr. Handsome, devoid of his usual kind and gentle expression, smiled cruelly.
"Well, I suppose I should be the one thanking you. Because before you even have the chance to speak again, I'll kill you... and then bring you back to life."