Pity

"Your farewell.", the emperor scoffed.

"Since when were you considerate of other people's feelings.", he stood up, leaning over his desk and moving his face as close as possible to Var's.

"You are my subject, I shall not let you die without a proper reason.", The Emperor's voice was firm and he squinted his eyes until they were nothing but slits.

"Haha." Var laughed.

He already knew the Emperor's cold demeanor was nothing but a facade. In truth he was the most just ruler the empire would ever have, in the past, present and future.

"I have found a way...", Var enjoyed the Emperor's attention.

He stopped for a moment, and looked at the Emperor's face. Cyrim's eyes were brimming with astonishment. His stupefied expression made Var smile.

"...to free the Empire's... no... to free your people."

Silence struck the Empire's office like lightning. Even the huge standing clock in Cyrim's office stopped ticking. Var could once again feel the might of the Emperor, the most brilliant strategist and gracious leader.

Cyrim's Aura [Blind Dominance] gulped up the room and made everything bend to his will.

"Var...", the Emperor closed his eyes.

"I trust you.", he sat back down on his golden chair and continued with his work before Var could interrupt him.

******

The Embers, next morning:

Dutti collapsed and let her body be engulfed by the sand. Neither her body nor her mind could cope with what she was going through right now.

Just yesterday, she fell asleep on her desk, just to wake up in the middle of a desert, finding the corpse of her favorite character right next to her.

"This doesn't make any sense.", her eyes were irritated and red.

Mercilessly, another breeze swept sand in her face. She didn't drink any water for 11 hours.

"Perphaps, this is my limit...", she murmured. What did she work so hard for.

Did she create a whole world, just to end up dying in it.

"No...", Dutti didn't want her creation to turn into her grave.

She couldn't. After all, everything she had done until this moment, was for this world, for its inhabitants. She wanted to see every last bit, wanted to discover every secret until her mind burst.

Just as her eyes were about to close forever, a striking figure with long blonde hair towered over her.

******

The Embers, one day ago:

Var closed his eyes, he knew he would die now. He thought about the Emperor, who trusted his foolish self. At least he could leave him behind without regrets, now that he had fulfilled Cyrim's expectations.

Such bitter happiness.

With a drop of hope left to live, he activated his skill [Artificial World], and left his body behind.