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The moment Rosy whispered the name—
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The Devourer.
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The world reacted.
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Not metaphorically.
Literally.
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Reality folded.
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The shattered sky darkened.
The winds stopped.
The snow froze midair.
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Even time itself seemed to hesitate.
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Because some names were never meant to be spoken.
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And that name—
Was one of them.
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The red eyes widened slightly.
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Then curved into something almost resembling approval.
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"GOOD."
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Its voice echoed through countless layers of existence.
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"YOU REMEMBER MORE THAN I EXPECTED."
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Rosy couldn't breathe properly.
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Because the memories weren't returning gently anymore.
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They were breaking through.
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Like a flood bursting through a collapsing dam.
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She saw another world.
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Not the human world.
Not the Void.
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Something older.
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A place without stars.
Without time.
Without life.
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Only endless existence.
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And inside that endless darkness—
Something slept.
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The Devourer.
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Not a king.
Not a god.
Not a monster.
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Something beyond those concepts.
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A being that consumed possibilities themselves.
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Worlds.
Timelines.
Histories.
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Anything.
Everything.
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Rosy staggered violently.
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Blood trickled from her nose.
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"Rosy!"
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Azrael caught her before she could fall.
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The moment he touched her—
The painful flood slowed slightly.
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Not stopped.
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But slowed.
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Rosy stared at him blankly.
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And suddenly another memory surfaced.
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A much older Azrael.
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Holding her exactly the same way.
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Thousands of years ago.
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"Stay awake."
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His voice.
The same voice.
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The same eyes.
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The same concern.
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Her heart tightened painfully.
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Because she finally understood why the memories hurt.
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He wasn't new.
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He never had been.
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Azrael had been appearing throughout her memories long before this life.
Long before this kingdom.
Long before this story.
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Always reaching for her.
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Always trying to pull her back.
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And every single time—
Something tore them apart.
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Rosy's fingers unconsciously gripped his sleeve.
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Azrael immediately noticed.
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"…Hey."
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His voice softened slightly.
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"Stay with me."
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The simple words nearly shattered her completely.
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Because he'd said them before.
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Many times.
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Across countless forgotten memories.
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Stay with me.
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And every time—
She failed.
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The Devourer laughed.
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The sound was enough to crack mountains.
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"PATHETIC."
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Its attention remained fixed on Rosy.
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"YOU STILL CLING TO HIM."
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Azrael's expression darkened instantly.
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"…You talk too much."
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The red eyes gleamed.
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"AND YOU DIE TOO OFTEN."
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Kael immediately looked between them.
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"…Why does that sound personal?"
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"No idea," Azrael answered immediately.
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The Devourer laughed again.
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Rosy almost wanted to scream.
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Because the being sounded amused.
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As if all of reality was some entertaining game.
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The silver eye finally spoke.
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Its voice shook the Void itself.
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"ENOUGH."
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For the first time—
The Devourer stopped laughing.
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Silence fell.
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Heavy.
Dangerous.
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The silver eye stared directly at the red eyes.
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"YOU LOST."
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The Devourer's amusement faded slightly.
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"DID I?"
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"THE SUN CHOSE."
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Rosy's chest tightened.
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Because she understood what the silver eye meant.
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Long ago—
Before the war—
Before the destruction—
Before becoming the villainess—
She had made a choice.
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And that choice had ruined everything.
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But what exactly had she chosen?
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The answer remained buried.
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The Devourer's attention returned to her.
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"DO YOU REMEMBER WHY THE WAR STARTED?"
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Rosy froze.
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Because despite all the memories returning—
That piece remained missing.
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The most important piece.
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The thing that destroyed two worlds.
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She remembered the consequences.
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But not the cause.
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The Devourer smiled.
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"THEN LET ME HELP."
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Immediately—
Rosy's pupils shrank.
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Another memory slammed into her mind.
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Not fragmented.
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Complete.
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And suddenly—
She was no longer standing in the capital.
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She was somewhere else.
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A memory.
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Thousands of years ago.
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A grand hall stretched before her.
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Human kings.
Void representatives.
Ancient rulers.
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All gathered around a massive circular table.
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Negotiating peace.
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Rosy felt her own younger self standing there.
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Hopeful.
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Happy.
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Because after centuries of conflict—
Humanity and the Void were finally willing to talk.
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A peace treaty.
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A real one.
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Her younger self smiled.
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For the first time in centuries—
Everything seemed possible.
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Then—
A voice whispered.
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One whisper.
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One tiny whisper.
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And everything collapsed.
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Rosy's eyes widened.
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Because she saw it.
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The Devourer.
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Not attacking.
Not invading.
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Whispering.
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One king suddenly mistrusted another.
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One accusation became two.
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One misunderstanding became ten.
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Fear spread.
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Panic spread.
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Hatred spread.
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The meeting exploded into chaos.
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Within hours—
Peace negotiations collapsed.
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Within days—
War began.
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Within months—
Entire worlds burned.
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Rosy snapped back into reality violently.
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"…You."
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Her voice shook.
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The Devourer smiled.
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"ME."
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Darkness exploded around Rosy instantly.
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The capital trembled.
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The Void creatures lowered themselves further.
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Azrael immediately stepped in front of her.
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"Rosy."
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But she couldn't stop.
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Because she finally remembered.
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Millions died.
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Not because peace was impossible.
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Not because humanity and the Void couldn't coexist.
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Not because Isle failed.
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Because one ancient monster became bored.
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The realization ignited something inside her.
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Fury.
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Pure fury.
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The Devourer tilted its head slightly.
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"THERE SHE IS."
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Rosy's power surged.
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The sky cracked wider.
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Reality screamed.
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The darkness inside her awakened completely.
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And for the first time—
The Void creatures looked afraid of her.
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Azrael's expression changed instantly.
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Because he recognized this.
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Not the power.
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The emotion.
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This was the same fury that destroyed kingdoms before.
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The same fury that once nearly ended existence.
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"Rosy."
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No response.
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"Rosy."
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Still nothing.
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Her eyes glowed violet-black now.
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The ground beneath her feet dissolved into darkness.
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Kael's face paled slightly.
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"…She's losing control."
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The silver eye watched silently.
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Concerned.
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Because this wasn't what it wanted.
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The Devourer, however—
Looked delighted.
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"YES."
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The red eyes widened.
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"SHOW ME."
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Rosy's voice emerged slowly.
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Cold.
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Dangerously calm.
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"…You killed them."
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"YES."
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"Because you were bored."
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"PARTIALLY."
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The casual answer almost broke something inside her.
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The darkness surged harder.
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The capital shook.
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The oceans beyond the kingdom rose violently.
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The stars flickered.
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Reality itself began bending toward her emotions.
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Exactly like before.
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The Devourer smiled wider.
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"THAT'S IT."
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Because now it understood.
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Rosy finally remembered the truth.
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And truth could destroy people far more effectively than lies.
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Azrael looked at her.
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Really looked at her.
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And saw something terrifying.
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Not hatred.
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Not rage.
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Pain.
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The unbearable pain of someone realizing all their sacrifices meant nothing.
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All the deaths.
All the suffering.
All the years.
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Caused by one creature's amusement.
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Azrael stepped forward.
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Then grabbed her hand.
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Immediately.
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Firmly.
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Rosy froze.
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The darkness paused.
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The entire world paused.
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Azrael met her eyes directly.
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"…Don't."
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Her voice cracked.
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"…Why not."
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A dangerous question.
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Because for one horrifying second—
Destroying everything sounded reasonable.
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The Devourer seemed to agree.
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"EXACTLY."
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Azrael ignored it completely.
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His grip tightened slightly.
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Then quietly—
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"Because if you become what it wants…"
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A pause.
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"…Then all those people who believed in you really died for nothing."
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Silence.
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Rosy's breathing stopped.
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Because those words hit somewhere deep.
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Somewhere the fury couldn't reach.
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And for the first time since the memories returned—
She hesitated.
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The Devourer's smile slowly faded.
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Just a little.
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And that tiny reaction—
Was enough to make Azrael realize something important.
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For all its power.
For all its age.
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There was one thing the Devourer genuinely feared.
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Not the Void.
Not humanity.
Not even the Eternal Sun.
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It feared Rosy choosing hope again.
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End of Chapter 33