These were dreadful times. Famine spread across kingdoms. Forests vanished. Realms fell. Homes were scattered, and conflict erupted wherever hope remained. Ever since Hell descended upon the world and the Court of Aeon began to stir, the world had become a powder keg.
No place, destination, city, realm was safe.
Danger lurked in all corners at all times everywhere, it was a calamity.
Sand drifted endlessly across the realm, turning the landscape into an endless desert. The sky was purple, the moon an eerie blue. Instead of scorching heat, a crushing heaviness filled the air. Even the laws of this place felt distorted as dunes rose and collapsed without reason.
And at the center of the realm stood two figures dressed in black.
One wore a black suit beneath a weathered cloak that fluttered in the wind. A murder of crows circled endlessly above him.
The other sat nearly a mile away atop a massive stone, resting his forehead against a katana planted upright in the earth. Two more swords remained sheathed across his back.
the man with crows overhead him sat quietly on a stone, a cracked sword laid vertically before him, a faint flicker of white in his eyes, his expression was quite calm, though the atmosphere was dim then he spoke softly
"Nephew was it worth it, at the end, was it worth it all, Code, Honor, courage, Hunt, you abandoned it all for nothing but pride"
a voice drifted in the wind, replying
"Yes, yes it was, The world is so much bigger now, i was never meant to be chained Hunter, i was born to be free" Ren876 replied
"And your definition of being free is working with the enemy?" Hunter questioned back
"it simply depends on what everyone wants Hunter, there is no good there is no evil, there's only you, Good and evil are names people give to whatever protects them. In this world the moment you build your own cage, you're no different from the bird trapped inside it."" Ren876, voice said once again
"Freedom is ultimately an illusion. There is no such thing as absolute freedom. Every person, no matter how detached they claim to be, is bound by ideals, convictions, and loyalties"
"And you, nephew, are bound by all three more than anyone else, despite claiming you abandoned them for freedom.
For a moment there was silence and Hunter, pressed on,
"the person you work for from his actions alone directly confirm he has no care of the world, nephew do you think he would care about a so called subordinate who betrayed family, do you think he would care about freedom"
and then there was silence again, Hunter said nothing but kept shut, waiting and after time had passed, Ren876, voice sounded again,
"I hope you do understand this one day, but what i seek is not a illusionary freedom, because
In the end, freedom was never the absence of chains, It was simply my refusal to let them become part of who i am"
"And don't call me nephew no more, you and i know for all effort the moment i crossed the line, i was dead to the family
Goodbye Hunter, the next time we meet one of us will fall"
and then the world fell silent once again
Hunter Everblack rose, leaving the cracked sword where it lay. Without another word, he walked forward, a flock of crows trailing behind him. The realm grew quieter with every step. Then, from the stone where he had been sitting, a single purple flame appeared. It spread without sound until the entire realm was swallowed in violet fire.
Standing at the edge of the void, Hunter watched in silence. Only when the flames had consumed everything did he turn away. His body dissolved into a murder of crows, disappearing into the endless darkness and leaving behind nothing but drifting black feathers.