Kailus's PoV:
"Oh ho ho ho, I love that look in your eyes! That fire, that despair, that perfect blend of rage and helplessness—it's exquisite!
You thought you could save them, didn't you? You thought you could fight back, change the outcome, make a difference. How delightful! But no, my dear, this is my world. My stage. And every tear you shed is a masterpiece painted for my amusement.
So go ahead, let the fury consume you. Let the sorrow drown you. Scream, cry, fight—it won't matter. Because in the end, you're just another piece on my board, dancing to the tune I play.
Ah, but don't lose hope just yet. This isn't the end for you, no, no. There's still so much more for you to endure, so much more for me to see. So rise, Lira. Rise and show me what you're made of. The game's only just begun, and I'm dying to see how far you'll fall."
Now this , this is what I called peak entertainment.
**********
Lira's PoV:
I couldn't breathe. My chest felt hollow , empty yet painful.
Lily's voice still echoed in my ears, her sweet, trembling, "Sister, don't worry, I love you," cut short as her body crumpled like a lifeless doll.
Kira's wide, horrified eyes met mine, his mouth open as if to scream, but no sound came. His head joined hers moments later, rolling to the ground like discarded toys.
The old neighbor, Maeve, even the butcher Jack each of them fell. Each of them silenced forever.
"No, no, no!" My voice cracked, hoarse and useless. I slammed against the invisible barrier that held me back, clawed at it with everything I had, but it didn't budge.
The forest mocked me, its branches twisting and writhing like cruel spectators. The earth swallowed the villagers remains, pulling them into its greedy maw as if erasing every trace of their existence.
"STOP IT!" I screamed, my voice breaking into sobs. "Stop it, please! Take me instead! Just stop!"
But nothing stopped. No, I felt that my despair seems to even fuel their entertainment as they devoured even more.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed against the barrier, trembling. Tears streamed down my face, hot and unrelenting, blurring my vision. My hands curled into fists, nails biting into my palms until they bled.
They were gone. All of them. Every single one.
And I was still here, alive, breathing when I–I didn't know.... I didn't know what I am anymore.
"Why?" I whispered, my voice shaking. "Why them? Why not me?"
The silence that followed was deafening, heavier than any scream. I pressed my forehead against the barrier, my heart shattering into a thousand irreparable pieces.
I was alone. Completely and utterly alone.
*****
Seok-Hyun stood at the edge of the crumbling world, his expression unreadable as he watched the chaos unfold. The forest, once a realm he had begrudgingly protected, had become a stage for horrors beyond his comprehension. The villagers were taken one by one, their terrified screams swallowed by the forest's malevolent hunger. The trees moved like living monsters, their twisted branches spiraling out to claim the helpless townsfolk.
It was a grotesque spectacle, and yet, his gaze was drawn to one figure amidst it all—Lira.
She fought against an unseen barrier, her fists pounding against the invisible wall with a desperation that struck him. Her screams echoed, a raw, primal sound that carried the weight of her anguish. Her tears streaked her face as she clawed at the obstruction, watching helplessly as those she cared for were consumed by the forest.
Seok-Hyun clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms. He had been bestowed with knowledge and power unparalleled, abilities that could bend reality itself. But as he stood there, it all felt meaningless. What good was power when it couldn't stop this?
He thought back to his own past, the betrayals, the losses that had shaped him. He knew what it meant to be powerless, to watch everything fall apart while being unable to do a thing. But this—what Lira was enduring—was cruelty on a scale he hadn't imagined.
The scene reached its zenith when Lily, the bright-eyed girl, a little kid, turned to her with a trembling smile.
"Sister, don't worry, I love you," she said, her voice soft, almost serene.
Seok-Hyun's breath caught as the next moment unfolded in brutal clarity. Lily's head fell from her body, and Lira's scream tore through the air like a knife. Kira, wide-eyed and frozen, stood in shock as the carnage continued.
For a moment, Seok-Hyun averted his gaze. Not out of fear or disgust but out of something deeper—pity. The girl named Lira had been thrust into a game she neither understood nor consented to, and yet she bore its weight with a ferocity that defied reason.
He turned his gaze back to her, watching as she crumpled to her knees, her cries filling the air. Her grief was palpable, a wave of raw emotion that made even the forest seem to pause in its malevolence.
Seok-Hyun felt a pang of something foreign—regret, perhaps? He had thought himself beyond such emotions, hardened by his own trials and the endless cycle of existence. But here, in this moment, he couldn't help but feel for the girl.
She was a fighter, like him. Yet, unlike him, she still had hope—fragile and fleeting, but hope nonetheless. And now, that hope was being stripped away piece by piece.
He sighed, his shoulders heavy with the weight of what he had witnessed. He could sense the being responsible for this, watching with amusement from wherever it resided.
"Is this what you wanted?" he muttered under his breath, his voice laced with disdain.
Seok-Hyun cast one last look at Lira, her figure trembling but unbroken in her despair. There was strength in her grief, a defiance that refused to yield completely. For that, he respected her.
Turning away, he made a silent vow. If there was a way to end this twisted game, to grant her the peace she deserved, he would find it. Because, for the first time in a long time, Seok-Hyun felt the stirrings of purpose.
The world around them trembled, cracks spreading across the sky like fractured glass. The ground beneath Lira and Seok-Hyun began to split in shards, floating fragments of earth drifting into a void of nothingness. The once-vivid colors of the forest dulled, fading into shades of gray as if the world itself was bleeding its essence away.
Lira stood in the midst of it, her knees weak but her resolve unbroken. She clutched at the air as though trying to grab hold of something, anything, to anchor herself amidst the chaos. Beside her, Seok-Hyun remained silent, his expression heavy with the weight of his newfound pity and frustration.
And then, the voice echoed—taunting, cruel, and brimming with amusement.
"Oh, Lira, Seok-Hyun," Kailus drawled, his laughter reverberating through the crumbling realm. "You've played your parts so well, my dear pawns. But remember this—this world was never real. Nothing ever was."
Lira froze, her eyes wide as the words sank in. Her fists clenched, her mind racing as memories of the village, the people, and the lives she thought she had touched flashed before her. Were they all lies?
"Mockery," Seok-Hyun muttered, his voice low and filled with anger. "You toy with us like children's playthings. Is that all you amount to?"
Kailus chuckled darkly, the sound a cold knife against their ears. "Oh, Seok-Hyun, you wound me. But alas, the game is over—for now."
The disintegration grew worse, entire pieces of the landscape vanishing into the void. Lira opened her mouth to scream, to demand answers, but before she could, a new voice cut through the chaos.
Deep, commanding, and utterly foreign, it silenced even Kailus's laughter.
"I claim these two souls."
The words boomed across the collapsing world, resonating with a power that felt ancient and unyielding. A golden light began to pool around Lira and Seok-Hyun, wrapping them in a protective aura.
Kailus's tone shifted, his mockery replaced with something that sounded almost like… irritation.
"Oh? And who dares interfere in my domain?"
The golden light grew brighter, forcing both Lira and Seok-Hyun to shield their eyes. Within the radiance, a figure began to form—a silhouette of immense stature, its presence suffused with authority.
"I am no mere intruder," the voice declared, its tone unwavering. "These souls no longer belong to your game. They serve a higher purpose now."
Kailus snarled, his control over the crumbling world visibly faltering. "You think you can take what is mine? Do you even understand what you're interfering with?"
The golden figure didn't respond. Instead, it raised a hand, and the disintegrating world stopped collapsing. Time itself seemed to pause, the void held at bay.
Lira looked up, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't find the words to speak, her mind overwhelmed by the sudden shift in power.
Seok-Hyun, however, found his voice. "Who are you? And what do you want with us?"