Ethan stood at the edge of the rooftop, the city sprawling beneath him like a distant memory. The wind tugged at his dark cloak, but it did nothing to stir the numbness in his chest. The moon hung above, indifferent, casting long shadows on the cobblestone streets below. His once-heroic figure was now a hollow shell, a prisoner of his own despair.
Once, he had been hailed as the savior of the kingdom. A prodigy in both combat and wisdom, the people had adored him. His name was synonymous with hope. He had fought for a cause he believed in, one that promised peace and unity. Yet, it was that very cause that had led to his downfall. Betrayed by the very people he had sworn to protect, Ethan had been abandoned in his moment of greatest need.
His eyes scanned the darkened streets below, each light a reminder of his failure. He had fought valiantly, sacrificed everything for the kingdom, only to be discarded when he was no longer of use. He had been their hero—until he became their enemy. The truth was clear to him now: heroes are only as good as their usefulness.
"Is this all it amounts to?" Ethan whispered to the night. "All my efforts, my sacrifice... for nothing?"
The wind howled in response, a cruel reminder that the world was indifferent to his suffering. The weight of his choices pressed down on him, each one a dagger to his heart. His mind was a battlefield, torn between the longing for revenge and the hollow emptiness that had consumed him.
A single tear escaped his eye, tracing a path down his cheek before it was swallowed by the darkness. He had no purpose left. No reason to keep fighting. The very people he had once called his allies had turned their backs on him. His trust had been shattered, and with it, his soul. The idea of continuing this pointless existence seemed unbearable.
But as the cold wind swept through the city, a flicker of something stirred within him—a strange sensation, like a whisper in the dark, urging him to look beyond the edge.
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, a soft light illuminated the space around him. A figure appeared before him, glowing with an ethereal radiance that cut through the darkness like a beacon. Ethan's heart skipped a beat as the figure stepped forward, its presence commanding yet soothing.
"Who... are you?" Ethan's voice trembled, the hopelessness in his words contrasting with the power that emanated from the figure before him.
The figure smiled gently. "I am a goddess, Ethan. And I have come to offer you a second chance."
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