Agony

Raphael looked at the giant tree above him.

'Fuck me if I go near it.'

Raphael sighed. From the beginning, his worries were never about the Soul-Devouring Tree itself.

Raphael continued west, taking care to steer clear of the Soul-Devouring Tree.

Crossing past it, Raphael arrived at the edge of the Ashen Barrow.

Beyond the western edge of the Ashen Barrow, the slope of this side of the island was much steeper. At the point where it should have ended, the familiar sight of the flat wasteland was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the ground kept sloping downward at a less drastic but still sharp angle.

It extended so far into the distance that the entire island seemed perched on the edge of a colossal depression in the earth, one that stretched as far as the eye could see. With its edges slightly curved, it resembled a massive crater left by an unimaginable impact.

The crater's diameter could only be measured in hundreds of kilometers. The roots of the Soul Tree, visible protruding from the soil far below, looked like tiny blades of grass compared to the sheer scale of the abyssal chasm's wall.

'This is the place where the Nephilim descended, huh... the one who brought the curse of all-consuming darkness when it died.'

Raphael sighed.

The way Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie crossed the crater was by crafting a boat and sailing across it.

The problem was, Raphael didn't know how to build a boat. And it wasn't entirely his fault—most people from his world never even considered how boats were made.

'The only way to cross the crater is by going around it, but that'll take forever!'

Still, Raphael knew there was no other choice. He didn't have the luxury of time to waste thinking of alternatives. There was only one and a half months left until the Siege of the Crimson Spire.

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It had been a whole year since Raphael was summoned to the Dream World. To celebrate such a feat, Raphael was now drowning.

The beasts that lived in the Dark Sea didn't leave Raphael alone—how could they, with such high-tier prey in front of them?

They devoured his flesh and organs, leaving nothing behind—not even his bones.

After two hours, the Dark Sea subsided, and the sun of the Forgotten Shore rose.

An hour later, a young man could be seen flying through the air.

The young man wore a light lamellar armor, his luscious dark auburn hair and mesmerizing green eyes catching the light. His well-fitted armor was crafted from burnished brown leather, with deep blue embroidered garments underneath. He was tall, slender, and strikingly handsome. His small, perfectly shaped face featured high cheekbones, flawless ivory skin, and electric green eyes.

This was none other than Kai, also known as Nightingale.

Kai hovered above, scanning for the newcomers who had been summoned to the Forgotten Shore—a mission given to him by Lady Nephis, the Changing Star.

After some time searching, he spotted a pile of bones resembling a human exoskeleton.

Kai descended to where the exoskeleton lay, his face clouded with sorrow.

He approached the remains and quickly started digging a grave. Once finished, he carefully placed the exoskeleton inside and covered it.

"I don't know who you were... but your Nightmare is over."

Kai didn't linger. Rising into the air again, he resumed his search for survivors.

What Kai didn't know was that the man he had buried... his Nightmare was just beginning.

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Cough! Cough!

'The fuck? Why was I buried?'

After coughing for a minute, Raphael forced himself upright. He needed to keep moving—there was no time to waste.

Grinding his teeth, Raphael swallowed his fear. He might have seemed confident, but deep down, he was shattered beyond repair. The countless deaths he had endured had left scars on his already fragile mind.

If he couldn't reach the Crimson Spire before the Siege, he might just give up.

Ahead of him, the silhouette of the Crimson Spire loomed in the distance.

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Raphael was riding Tank, the massive beast charging forward as the sounds of battle grew louder. The clash of the Dark City's inhabitants against the creatures defending the Crimson Spire echoed through the air.

'Fuck! Fuck! Am I too late? No! There's still time.'

"Faster, Tank! Faster!"

There were about 100 kilometers (62 miles) left between him and the Crimson Spire. He had no idea how long the battle had been raging, but he guessed it was either in its middle stages or nearing the end.

Suddenly, Raphael felt a sharp, unnatural pain deep within his soul. Alarmed, he entered his Soul Sea, only to find it in chaos. His previously calm Soul Sea had turned turbulent, and his Soul Core was being damaged.

"Ah…"

Above the Crimson Spire, the sun shone brighter than ever before. The perpetually gray sky of the Forgotten Shore had turned a blinding white.

Ding! Ding!

The sound of a bell rang out, and Raphael's heart sank. He knew exactly what it meant.

Quickly, Raphael unsummoned Tank—continuing to summon him would only lead to his Echo being destroyed.

He could see the Army of Sleepers sprinting toward the Crimson Spire.

Raphael kept running, the pain in his soul intensifying. His regeneration was slowing the damage caused by the sun, but not enough to stop it. Still, he pressed on.

"Anyone! Please, I'm still here... hic... hic..."

With tears in his eyes, Raphael looked toward the Crimson Spire.

"Sunny! Don't leave me here. Sunny!!"

In this world, the only person Raphael could consider a friend was... Sunny.

"Hic... please, anyone, don't leave me here... I don't want to be alone anymore."

Raphael cried, but he didn't stop running.

After two hours of excruciating soul pain, Raphael finally reached the Crimson Spire—only to realize he was too late.

The Crimson Spire was collapsing before his very eyes.

Falling to his knees, Raphael watched helplessly as his last hope crumbled into nothingness.

Then, an injured woman emerged from the ruins of the Crimson Spire.

Her silver hair fell to her shoulders, her blood-covered face still breathtakingly beautiful. Her cold, determined gray eyes glinted in the sunlight, and her slender, ivory-skinned body was partially revealed through her broken armor.

Nephis, the Changing Star, stared at Raphael in surprise and shock.

'The Sun should have killed everyone outside the tower... how is he still alive?'

The man before her had long black hair that reached his shoulders, light-tan skin, and lifeless, dull brown eyes.

Nephis raised her sword and demanded:

"Who are you?"

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Hello Rzxs here 👋🏼

I tried to write Raphael emotions the best I could be it his despair, sadness, and agony and other things and this is the best I could write..

What do you think of the chapter overall?

Hope you like it 🤞🏻