The windows blinked like dying stars.
One by one, the Smiling Entities peeked through the cracks of their crooked homes — their black, bottomless eyes locking onto Percy.
No longer hollow joy.
No longer masks of peace.
Now they stared with hunger.
With malice.
With the kind of intent that made the air feel sharp.
Percy didn't move.
He stood in the center of the street, the last flicker of light in a town that had forgotten warmth.
Their eyes met his.
And then —
They vanished.
Back into their homes.
Back into the dark.
The sun began to bleed into the horizon.
A slow, aching descent.
The sky dimmed into ash.
And Percy felt it —
That thought.
That ache.
That quiet, unbearable truth.
'Am I really going to die here? '
'Alone?'
'With no arms to catch me? No voice to say my name?'
He curled into his usual shape — a fetal knot of despair.
His chain glowed faintly beside him, casting iridescent sparkles that drifted like fireflies.
But even light couldn't comfort him now.
He wanted a normal life too.
He wanted a family too.
He wanted children too.
He wanted peace too.
He wanted happiness too.
But the world had hated him too...
He layed there for hours.
Still.
Silent.
Immersed in thought of a life that no longer existed.
A life that might never have existed at all.
Then —
A sound.
Doors creaked open.
In the pitch-black world, Percy rose slowly.
His chain lit the ground beneath him — a soft, shimmering path.
They were coming.
Smiling Entities.
Weapons in hand.
Knives.
Scythes.
Pitchforks.
Hoes.
They smiled.
Always smiling.
But now it was different.
Now it was death.
They had grown fond of his chain.
The only light left in their world.
And they wanted it for themselves.
To harness the only light left in their dark world.
Percy ran.
'What the hell? These bastards are trying to kill me now!' He thought.
He sprinted, making as little noise as possible.
The Bird of Forgotten Songs was still listening.
He ran to the beach.
No escape.
Then — a cave.
Far west.
He dove inside.
Curled up again.
Chain glowing.
Body trembling.
He knew there was no way he could stay here in the cave.
his chain was so long that they would eventually spot the light radiating off of it.
The night grew cold.
Shivers crawled down his spine.
He couldn't sleep.
He couldn't breathe.
Alone.
Sad.
Isolated.
His mind fractured.
He hallucinated.
A life where peace existed.
A family.
A home.
Then —
Another hallucination.
Not warm.
Not kind.
A darker version of himself.
Staring.
Whispering.
"This is your fault."
"I won't forgive you."
"Why do we have to die?"
Each word stabbed deeper than any blade.
Percy clutched his chest.
'Do I even have a soul left to hurt?'
Percy thought.
The sun peeked through the ocean.
Grey light returned.
The world was no longer black — just faded.
Percy rose.
Dark bags under his eyes.
Skin pale.
Body malnourished.
He was dying.
Slowly.
Quietly.
But today —
He would fight.
He walked toward the town.
Each step felt like a goodbye.
His life flashed before him.
Memories flickered like dying stars.
Every time his life would flash before his eyes he would always remember the café.
The girl.
Ariel.
Just for a few hours, she had brought light into his life.
And for the first time in what seemed like months he made a wish.
'Please survive your trial.'
'Please become a renowned Entity Hunter.'
'Live. For both of us.'
He didn't want to see her die or even think about her dying.
He wanted her to live.
Because he knew —
He wouldn't.
The Entities had searched all night.
They wanted him.
They wanted the chain.
He reached the top of the path reaching back into the mainland.
And then —
A white cat.
It stood in the center of the path.
Glowing.
Sparkling.
Percy froze.
It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Its fur shimmered with iridescent light.
Its eyes — glowing white — stared into his soul.
The sparkles followed it like stars.
It licked its paw.
Then ran off.
Percy watched.
Stunned.
Moved.
So this is what they feel, he thought.
Seeing light branded to someone else.
And for a moment he had actually understood the entities why the shrived so hard for something so little to him.
Light no longer existed in this world.
So of course they'd do anything to get their hands on it.
He looked down at his chain.
His only light.
His only connection to whatever was out there deep in these forgotten lands.
And he made a decision.
He didn't know where it led.
Didn't know what it meant.
So maybe…
It didn't matter.
He gripped the chain.
It flared white.
Flares burst from it — soft, beautiful.
Percy gave it a sad smile.
Then pulled.
The chain cracked.
A sound so quiet.
So sweet.
So beautifully.
So complete.
It was heartbreaking.
He didn't want to say goodbye.
But if he was going to die —
He wanted to do one good deed.
"Right, Ariel?" he whispered.
His voice cracked.
Broken.
Then —
He snapped the chain.
It faded.
Grey.
The light vanished.
The glow disappeared.
A wave of sadness came over him as his chest felt empty, like he had let go of something so important it made his heart ache.
The chain stretched into infinity —
a stream of grey in a world that had lost its color.
The Entities watched.
They we're infuriated and all begun running towards him.
[ Wow….]
The Wisp appeared.
[ No one ever thought anyone would remove the chain. ]
[ The chain was your soul. ]
[ You have severed your connection to it. ]
[ Your dormant spirit core has shattered. ]
[ Your spirit realm has collapsed. ]
[ You are no longer connected to your soul. ]
[ You have gained a title: The Soulless. ]
Percy stared.
Eyes wide.
Heart silent.
He didn't know what was coming.
Didn't know what he had awakened.
But the trial wasn't over.
[ You have completed the first step to succeeding your trial. 1/2 ]