Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Rotting World

Arlen’s footsteps echoed through the ruins, the only sound in a world that had long since forgotten how to live. The silence was suffocating, pressing in on her as she walked, the weight of the relic heavy in her chest. She had everything she’d ever wanted, everything she’d fought for, but now that it was hers, there was nothing left.

The city around her had fallen into oblivion. Once teeming with life, it was now just an abandoned wasteland—broken glass, shattered buildings, and twisted metal littering the streets. Everything she had known, everything she had tried to save, was gone. Nothing but rubble remained.

She should have felt victorious. The relic’s power surged inside her, crackling like fire beneath her skin, but it didn’t feel like triumph. It felt like rot. Like decay.

Her eyes moved to a broken storefront window. Her reflection stared back at her—unrecognizable. The woman she had once been was gone. Her features were sharp, her skin pale, and her eyes hollow. Her humanity had been chipped away, piece by piece, until there was nothing left of the person who had set out on this journey so many months ago.

Is this what you wanted? The voice of the shard hummed inside her mind, cold and indifferent.

She could feel it, feeding off her insecurities, twisting the emptiness inside her into something darker. She had become everything she had once feared: powerful, but hollow.

Her breath hitched as the memory of Caleb flooded her thoughts. His face, his voice, still haunted her, even though he was gone. She had made the choice. She had sacrificed him for this power.

You did what you had to do, the shard insisted, its voice smooth and soothing. He was weak. He couldn’t have helped you. You’re stronger without him.

But the voice inside her—the part of her that had once cared, that had once felt something—was still there, buried deep beneath the power. She could almost hear Caleb’s voice in her head, faint and distant. Arlen, please… I wanted to be with you. I wanted to help.

She clenched her fists, the power of the relic surging inside her, but it didn’t fill the void. It couldn’t.

The world she had saved—had she?—was gone. The people she had fought for, the things she had once believed in, all lay in ruins. And here she was, standing in the middle of it, the relic pulsing with energy, but nothing left to do with it.

You were weak, the shard whispered again. You needed this. You needed to be strong.

Arlen stumbled forward, her knees buckling beneath her. The ache in her chest was unbearable. She had everything now. Everything she had ever dreamed of. But it didn’t feel like enough.

The city stretched before her, empty and dead. She wanted to scream, but no sound came. She wanted to feel something—anything—but she was empty inside. The power, the strength, had consumed her. She had paid the price, and now she was left with nothing.

She sank to the ground, her hands trembling as she reached for the relic that had cost her so much. She had crossed every line, done things she never thought she was capable of, all for this moment. But the moment was gone, and there was nothing left to fill the hole that had opened in her heart.

Was it worth it? she asked herself, her voice barely a whisper.

And for the first time, she wasn’t sure.

The shard pulsed within her, its voice insistent, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the silence. Does it matter? You have power. You have everything you ever wanted. The world has always been a cruel place. You did what you had to do.

She could feel the pull, the desire to keep going, to use the power, to keep pushing forward. But then, in the silence of that desolate city, a thought occurred to her:

What if she was wrong? What if she had been so consumed by the desire for power that she had destroyed everything that had once mattered? What if the price had been too high?

Her fingers curled around the relic, its cold surface burning against her skin. She could feel the power vibrating beneath her fingertips, waiting for her to take the next step, to use it.

But she hesitated.

You’re not weak anymore, the shard coaxed. *You’re stronger than ever. ***This is the way**. This is the only way.

She closed her eyes, the weight of her choices crashing down on her. She had sacrificed Caleb, the only person who had cared about her, the only person who had ever seen her as more than a tool. She had given up her humanity for this power, and now she was left alone in a world that had been destroyed by her own hands.

She could feel it—the sharp, biting edge of regret. But it didn’t matter anymore. The world was gone. Everything was gone.

And yet, there was a part of her that still clung to the hope that it wasn’t too late. That she could make it right.

But as she stood there, the weight of her decisions pressing down on her, she knew the truth.

There was no going back.

The world was dead. She had killed it. She had killed herself.

Does it matter? The shard’s voice asked once more, cold and detached.

And in that moment, Arlen wasn’t sure. The answer didn’t come.

The city around her crumbled, the remnants of a world she had lost, and as the last pieces of her humanity slipped away, she was left to wonder:

Had it all been worth it?

The relic pulsed, its power still strong within her. But Arlen was no longer certain what it meant to be strong.

What has she become…?

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