Grief

Silence enveloped the vicinity as we all stood, shell-shocked by the undeniable truth that confronted us.

"Kuzon is… dead?" A voice echoed in the vast, golden room.

I wasn't certain whether it belonged to me or not. The voice gave off a hollow sound, almost as though it was straining to speak. I couldn't understand, but I knew very well the tight and deep emotion locked in the sound.

"U-uh…?" I felt my vision blur, and my heart tightened in shock.

Kuzon was the one person whose death I never expected. We weren't particularly close, but… I hadn't expected his demise—at least not like this.

"Hicc… hicc… no way. I don't believe it. I don't… it can't be…" Ana's shaky voice was accompanied by her sobs.

Her small frame trembled, and the paleness of her face showed a look of despair mixed with a bit of disbelief. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, and her scrunched-up face depicted the agony and frustrating sorrow that was permeating her very being.