A sealed past [3]

Empty, yet heavy. 

A hollow ache followed after. 

It pressed down on his chest, and the world around him turned gray. 

Leon felt everything slow down at that moment. 

Overhearing Amell's words, he lifted his head to meet his gaze. It was then that Leon finally saw a change in his appearance. He looked so... Bitter. 

Why...? 

Wh—

Leon stumbled forward, barely managing to keep his grip on the sword. 

The sword in his hand appeared to grow heavier by the second. 

Images flashed in his mind. 

Sweat dripped down from his body as he stood in the training chamber, practicing by himself. He swung the sword for how many times he could remember. 

Swoosh! Swoosh—

He could distinctively remember the ache in his arms and body as he persistently swung his sword. Even as his hands were riddled with blisters, he didn't once stop swinging. 

He just swung over and over and over again.