Chapter 28: The Weight of the Lost
Ethan stood motionless, his gaze locked onto the drifting, wisp-like forms before him.
They weren't just wisps.
They were souls.
Each one a fragment of a life once lived, now trapped in this labyrinth of sorrow.
But how was he supposed to free them?
How could he give them peace?
He had no idea.
Instinctively, he checked his skills and inventory.
'All intact. Perfect.'
Then, with no other choice, he began to walk.
The labyrinth stretched infinitely in every direction, its walls shifting like living shadows. The deeper Ethan ventured, the thicker the air became—filled with whispers.
Soft. Endless.
Voices of the lost.
Some murmured in confusion.
Some called for people who were long gone.
Some simply… screamed.
Floating lanterns lined the corridors, their glow weak and flickering, like dying stars struggling to stay alight.
Ethan took it all in, a chill running down his spine.
"This place is eerie."
And the further he walked, the darker it became.
The light vanished.
The whispers grew louder.
Shadows pressed in.
Ethan stopped.
He was wandering aimlessly. And more importantly—no one here seemed to notice him.
Not even the lost souls.
So, he took the initiative.
He approached the nearest soul—a small girl, curled up in a corner, trembling violently.
Her body flickered, transparent.
Her lips moved in a whisper, repeating something over and over.
"The monsters will take me… Mother… Father… where are you… I'm afraid…"
Ethan crouched beside her.
"Uh… hey, can I help you?"
No response.
She didn't even look at him.
She just sat there, shivering like a leaf, her voice never stopping.
Ethan frowned.
She was suffering. He could see it. But if she couldn't hear him—if she couldn't even acknowledge his presence—how was he supposed to help?
His gaze lowered to her hands.
There was only one way to find out.
He reached forward and touched her.
The moment his fingers brushed hers—
His world shattered.
Ethan's vision twisted, dragging him into an illusion.
He was there. Inside her memories.
A house on fire.
Flames consuming wood and flesh alike.
Figures in black masks stormed through the halls, cutting down everyone in their path.
Merciless. Unstoppable.
People screamed.
Blood splattered across the floors, across the walls, soaking the very earth.
And then, in the middle of it all—
A girl.
Kneeling.
Her eyes bleeding golden tears, her small hands clutching at the bodies of her parents.
Dead. Butchered. Their limbs scattered across the burning floor.
The girl trembled.
Something in her broke.
A scream ripped from her throat—a sound so raw, so agonizing, it nearly blanked out Ethan's mind even through the illusion.
A holy light erupted from her body.
Cracks spiderwebbed across her skin.
Her fragile body wasn't meant to contain this power.
The masked figures recoiled, panicked.
They moved to stop her.
But it was too late.
She screamed again.
This time—Everything vanished in golden light.
And then—Blackness.
Ethan gasped.
His body convulsed as he was yanked back into reality.
His lungs burned, his breath came in ragged heaves.
His mind—
His mind was breaking.
The horror he had just witnessed clawed at his sanity.
The corpses, the limbs, the merciless killing, the fire…
The girl.
His Eyes of Discernment kicked in at the last moment, shielding him, preventing his consciousness from collapsing entirely.
Even still—he staggered back.
Away from the girl.
Away from the weight of her memories.
Tears streamed down his face.
Unbidden.
Uncontrollable.
His body trembled with something he had never quite felt before.
Pure, absolute terror.
It took everything in him to steady his breath.
To process.
To understand. And even still, he can't seem to understand what just happened. His mind cannot process it.
He forced himself to look up—
And met her gaze.
The girl was staring at him now.
For the first time.
Those same golden eyes.
Bleeding with golden blood.
"Are you going to save me?"
"Are you going to save me?"
"Are you going to save me?"
Again.
Again.
Again.
Her voice echoed—a sound that wasn't just spoken, but commanded.
Her very existence seemed to shake with authority. An authority higher than Ethan.
Ethan's vision blurred. His mind wavered.
It was as if reality itself was crumbling around him, bending under the weight of her words.
"But it's too late."
"But it's too late."
"But it's too late."
Again.
Again.
Again.
A broken record. A curse.
Ethan's breath hitched. Goosebumps crawled across his skin.
His body screamed at him to run.
He didn't understand.
What madness was this? What am I supposed to do in this damn trial ?
Then—
A voice.
Calm. Absolute.
It guided him.
The voice of the Tower.
{To lead the lost… to free them… is to carry their burdens.}
{Take their burdens. Take their traumas. Be their light. And save them from their eternal torment.}
{But be warned. The more burdens you take… the more of yourself you will lose.}
{So, choose wisely which burden you are willing to shoulder, O Giver.}
—End of Chapter 28—