In the dark recesses of consciousness, the scenes on the luminous screen shifted like ripples in water. A weeping girl crouched helplessly in the boundless darkness, pleading in anguish.
"Please... I beg you, don't make me see it again! Please, don't let me see it!"
Arnoia lowered her head in silence, her sorrowful gaze fixed upon her, softly asking, "Do you regret it? Regret your selfishness? Or do you regret... falling in love with your brother?"
On the screen, the golden-haired girl cried as she drew a dagger, pressing it against her pristine neck, her cries echoing...
A tall man, filled with guilt, spoke to the red-haired woman before him, only to be met with a sharp slap and her unhesitating departure...
Atop the mountain, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, a heavily armored man stood quietly, his gaze lost in the distance towards the enemy's stronghold, a hint of melancholy and nostalgia shadowing his typically sunny demeanor...
Moments of time flew by, scenes replaying before him...
The images on the luminous screen flowed and transformed continuously, until, with a soft "pop," the vast screen shattered like a burst bubble, scattering into a myriad of twinkling lights.
"Because of your jealousy, because of your threats, your brother forsook the happiness that was once within reach," Arnoia said, her sorrowful gaze cast downwards, "Your possessiveness, your love ultimately destroyed the lives of three people. So... are you sad?"
"You knew you shouldn't have fallen for your brother, yet you couldn't help but love him; you understood that your affection would lead to no resolution, yet you refused to let go; you stubbornly bound your brother with your unreciprocated desire, yet you also knew that his love for you was not of a romantic nature," Arnoia gently remarked, "And despite this, you still refuse to release him, do you?"
"Stop talking! Please, stop! I beg you! Don't say any more!" The golden-haired girl pressed her hands tightly against her ears, weeping helplessly.
"Why... do you cry?" Arnoia asked, her gaze fixed on the sobbing girl, her eyes reflecting a sadness as deep as water. "Is it because you are weary?"
"Weary of continuing to hold on, weary of the emotions that bind both you and your brother?" Gently extending a slender hand, Arnoia tenderly stroked Lux's head, softly saying, "If you are already tired of this endless suffering, why not choose to end it all?"
"End... it all?" The girl stiffened for a moment, raising her tear-filled face to gaze blankly at the sorrowful woman before her.
"Yes, indeed, end it all," Arnoia nodded gently, her sorrow deepening, "Once it is ended, nothing will remain."
"Sadness, love, bonds, shackles, pain... everything will cease to exist," Arnoia lamented, "Is this not the best conclusion?"
"End... everything?" The girl's vacant eyes stirred slightly as she asked, "How do we end it?"
"Very simply... just leave it to Arnoia," came the sorrowful tone, as Arnoia gently lowered her eyelids, her voice ethereal, as if tears might soon grace her cheeks, yet they did not appear.
With a gentle and sorrowful gesture, Arnoia enveloped the bewildered girl in her embrace, her porcelain cheek brushing against Lux's tear-streaked face, as she softly whispered, "From now on, just leave it to Arnoia. Soon... you will no longer suffer. Your sadness, your despair, your love, your bonds... I shall inherit them all, and you need only close your eyes gently, as if drifting into slumber. The pain will soon fade away."
With a slight blink of her vacant eyes, Lux lay quietly in the embrace of the goddess of despair and sorrow, gently closing her eyes.
In the next moment, ethereal green lights accompanied by softly floating green ribbons gently rose from Arnoia, like living sprites, tenderly descending upon the girl named Lux.
"Soon... it will be alright."
In the darkness, a faint sigh echoed.
...
A fierce gale swept in, accompanied by a cruel and violent aura.
At the forefront, Jarvan suddenly halted, his spear held horizontally across his chest, squinting as he surveyed the grotesque figure that had unexpectedly appeared to block their path.
Upon glimpsing that figure, even the battle-hardened elite of the ninth tier sensed an overwhelming terror akin to a bottomless abyss.
This place seemed to be an exit.
Behind them lay a deep corridor, while before them stretched a vast platform extending from the corridor's mouth.
The other three sides of the platform were engulfed in boundless darkness, and amidst the fierce winds, Jarvan and his companions could make out a floating castle in the shadows, its grand entrance facing the corridor, with a raised drawbridge that, if fully lowered, would perfectly connect to the platform before them.
Gazing from the corridor's mouth, their view was dominated by the platform and the vaguely visible massive castle, surrounded by an infinite, dark void, giving the illusion of standing at the edge of a precipice.
"Ha ha... greetings, my human friends!" The grotesque figure at the edge of the platform took a step forward, illuminating its true form under the magical lights flanking the corridor.
The figure was revealed to be a massive crocodile... or rather, a corpulent crocodile hybrid.
Its blood-red eyes glinted with a cruel ferocity, this enormous crocodile-man dragged a lengthy tail behind it, clutching an enormous blade carved from unknown beast bones, its vicious little eyes fixated on the group as though they were delectable prey. The crocodile man sneered, "Prepare for calamity! Ha ha..."
"Clang!"
Upon seeing the crocodile, Riven unsheathed her jade-green greatsword without hesitation, the sharp blade aimed directly at the foe, but Jarvan stepped forward, crossing his spear to halt her impending strike and to prevent Shyvana beside her from intervening.
"Don't move; let me handle this," the grave-faced man declared, standing resolutely with his spear.
"But Your Highness!" Shyvana voiced her concern, only to be silenced by Jarvan's dismissive wave.
"It's fine; let me take it on one-on-one," Jarvan said, gripping his spear tightly as he advanced, "You all stay out of this."
"Oh? You wish to face me alone? Heh heh... brave little human, you have guts!" The crocodile man chuckled in surprise at Jarvan's choice, grinning wickedly, "Though my strength has waned somewhat, it won't take much effort to crush a mere ninth tier! Come to think of it, I haven't encountered someone as audacious as you in many years, have I? Ha ha ha..."
With his spear angled, Jarvan showed no sign of fear on his face. "Demacians never back down!"