SCRAPE, SCREEECH...

The sound of a sword tip dragging limply across the floor echoed down the corridor.

Armor that had always been pure white lay brutally shattered. The arms that had once swung a sword as though to cleave the heavens could now barely lift it, leaving its tip trailing along the ground.

Yuto Belkain.

The young king and hero of the Kingdom of Belkain, beloved by the constellation known as the Shattered Star.

"..."

His legs were barely moving, their strength steadily draining away, but Yuto kept walking.

His body was dying. A sword thrust into his back had pierced through his chest. As if that were not enough, lightning had seared his entire body. He was holding on through superhuman willpower, but he had reached his limit. Even the aether forcing his body to move when movement should have been impossible was nearly exhausted.

'Keep... walking...!'

He swallowed the blood filling his mouth. He had already lost far too much. Even if swallowing it back accomplished nothing, Yuto did not want to cough up any more blood.

It would be easier.

If he simply collapsed, gave up everything, and closed his eyes, he could escape this terrible agony and find peace.

But Yuto could not. The despair and rage etched into his eyes burned far too fiercely for him to sink to the ground and close them.

He could not fall here. Not for the sake of the partner who had enabled his escape. And—and for his wife, who had died so horribly before his eyes, and his daughter, who had been taken from him.

He could not die in agony and despair now. If he did, it would all have been for nothing. His partner, who had sacrificed their life to help him escape, would have died a pointless death. His wife's screams still haunted his mind, crying out their daughter's name even as she died.

CRACKLE...!

As he dragged his sword and his feet onward, pain surged through the back of his hand as though it were being seared by fire. Yuto bit hard into his lip and looked down.

The light of the Shattered Star, the constellation that had guided him and bestowed its power upon him all this time, was fading.

No. It was leaving him. Yuto glared at the mark on the back of his hand with hatred in his eyes.

The Shattered Star, the constellation that had made Yuto a hero. Its starlight had protected him and lit his way through every deadly crisis—yet in his most desperate moment, it had neither guided nor cared for him.

Today, on what could rightfully have been called the happiest day of his life, the Shattered Star had betrayed him.

Alongside the dear friend he had held closer than a brother, though they shared not a drop of blood.

'Shiro.'

The mere thought of that name made the corners of Yuto's mouth tremble with fury.

Shiro Ristal.

The name of his dear friend. A prince of Ristal, the kingdom neighboring Belkain.

They had been like brothers since they were children too young even to speak properly. To Yuto, who had lost his father—the former king—at the tender age of nine, Shiro had been a brother in all but blood.

'Shiro. Shiro Ristal.'

GRIND.

Once, he had thought of that name with nothing but affection. Now he could not. Merely recalling it made his body tremble.

They had fought back-to-back on countless battlefields. Wherever Yuto's sword could not reach, Shiro's had struck, and whenever Yuto was in danger, Shiro had willingly shared the risk.

Without Shiro at his side, he could never have become a hero. In this world, Callisto, the title of "hero" belonged to Yuto and Shiro together.

A dear friend. And more than that. The woman Yuto had married was Shiro's younger sister. They might not have shared a drop of blood, but Yuto and Shiro had unquestionably been family.

And tonight, the sword of that irreplaceable friend, that member of his family, had pierced Yuto's back.

He had watched the open smile he had known since childhood twist into a sneer. He had watched Shiro cut down the younger sister he had cherished so deeply, his expression indifferent. He had watched him pick up his sobbing niece as though she were an object.

'Why?'

Yuto clutched his chest. Blood was still gushing from the wound betrayal had carved through him.

'Why... did you betray me?'

They had learned swordsmanship together since childhood, crossing blades with one another.

He had been an affectionate friend, worthy of every ounce of Yuto's respect. They had promised to join forces to govern their kingdoms, and, in time, to work for the good of the world.

'You were my friend. My comrade. When my father died... you wept for me, saying how sorry you felt for me.'

When the former king was murdered by an unknown assailant and Yuto took the throne, he had been only nine years old. It was thanks to the Kingdom of Ristal's support that Belkain had survived and Yuto had established himself as king.

How many years had they spent together? How many battlefields had they fought across? If Shiro had wanted to betray him, he could have done so at any time.

'The peaceful world we promised to build together was right before us.'

They had defeated the seven Eclipses that were throwing the world into chaos. Though that feat marked only the opening of their holy war, it had brought them closer to the peace they had promised one another.

Then why?

'Why the hell did you betray me?'

Tonight, Belkain had been swallowed by crimson flames.

Shiro Ristal, Yuto's brother and comrade, the man who shared his title of hero, had trampled Belkain beneath not only his own kingdom's army, but the army of the Valistera Empire as well.

'None of it makes sense... We finally managed to bring about peace. Why...?'

Even after such a devastating betrayal, some corner of Yuto's mind still held on to his faith in Shiro. He did not want to accept it. Perhaps Shiro had betrayed him for some unavoidable reason.

No—perhaps this was all a terrible nightmare. No matter how he considered it, none of it made sense.

The friend and family member he had trusted most for so many years had betrayed him at the very height of his happiness. Even the Shattered Star, the constellation that protected him, had joined in. How could something so absurd be real?

["Hahaha."]

["Hahahaha."]

As Yuto denied reality through his haze of consciousness, mocking laughter rang inside his head. It was not just one voice. It felt as though dozens of beings had entered his mind at once to laugh at him.

["Ahahahahaha!"]

The laughter echoed through his mind. His head felt ready to burst, as though his brain were submerged in boiling lava inside his skull.

The legs that had kept him upright through mortal wounds, forcing him onward, stopped moving. They shook violently. Favored by a constellation and hailed as a hero though he was, Yuto could not remain standing before that vast, chilling laughter.

"Ugh...!"

At last, Yuto sank to his knees with a groan.

His heart hammered so fast it felt ready to burst, and his vision swam. Whatever people called him, before these beings, a hero was merely human. Much as he hated to admit it, that truth was now painfully clear. This was no nightmare. It was reality. The sharp, mocking laughter ringing inside his head forced him to recognize it.

["A hero?"]

Beings far beyond human comprehension whispered as they gazed down at Yuto from high above the heavens.

["Who do you think made you a hero?"]

["Hahaha! A hero? The likes of you? You're nothing but a failure. A loser."]

["In the end, you accomplished nothing. Even this miserable ending was for our amusement."]

His heart pounded furiously. Amid their jeers, Yuto clutched his head. With despair, he realized what those countless voices were.

Constellations.

The beings that had created this world and shone upon humanity through the darkness were mocking him. Yuto gritted his teeth against their taunts.

"Shut... up...!"

Once, Yuto too had been ignorant. He had worshipped the constellations, believing them benevolent, and fought the evil plaguing the world with their aid.

That was why the devastating truth had shaken him. The constellations did not care unconditionally for the world or its people. Just as there were good humans and evil humans, there were good constellations and evil ones.

Yuto's father, the former king, had been murdered for discovering that truth. The enemy Yuto had searched so desperately for was high above him in the heavens.

Those lofty stars toyed with the world for their own pleasure. The history of a kingdom and the lives of its people were nothing more than entertaining plays to the constellations.

The oath he had shared with Shiro, to bring peace to the world, had also been a vow to free it from those wicked constellations.

["Struggle all you want. It won't help."]

["You've already failed!"]

["This is your fate. Your ending."]

["No matter how hard you fight, you're alone in the end."]

Shiro, who had sworn that oath alongside him, had betrayed him.

The Shattered Star, which had illuminated his path and guided him, had abandoned him when he needed it most.

The great feat of defeating every Eclipse. The righteous cause of freeing the world from evil constellations. Before this ending, all of it was meaningless.

["Do you finally understand? Your entire life was nothing more than a play for our entertainment."]

["You became a hero because we wanted it."]

["And now you're dying because we grew bored."]

Still kneeling, Yuto laughed, his shoulders shaking. Blood rose in his throat and dripped onto the floor with his laughter.

"Yes. I see."

The constellations had written and directed this goddamned play. And Yuto Belkain was its foolish leading man, who had mistaken everything for his own free will without even realizing he was a character in a script.

The leading man would die a miserable death amid the constellations' jeers. That was the play's final act.

"Ha... Hahaha!"

Realizing that all thirty-five years of his life had been a cruel joke, the leading man burst into laughter filled with despair and rage. The constellations watching the climax laughed louder still.

["No. No, that's not true."]

A warm voice rang out through the mocking laughter filling Yuto's mind.

["Yuto Belkain. Hero of Callisto. Not every constellation wishes for your story to end in tragedy."]

The jeering vanished. At the same time, Yuto's pain began to subside.

["Not everyone takes pleasure in tragedy. You have devoted yourself to the world, and you deserve happiness."]

Another voice joined in. The blood flowing from his pierced chest slowly began to stop.

["You want revenge on the traitor who took everything from you, don't you? You can have it. You're still alive. But—being alive isn't enough. You need power. More power. Only then can you take your revenge."]

A chuckle echoed. At the same moment—something appeared before Yuto's eyes.

[The Dream Weaver proposes a new ending.]

[The Guardian of the Forest supports your happiness.]

[The Seeker of Gold whispers of a chance for revenge.]

Yuto's eyes trembled.

RUMBLE.

Thunder rolled inside his head.

["Understand that this was a trial for your sake. It was the best way to change your fate."]

Yuto's shoulders flinched at the new voice. He knew it. It belonged to the Shattered Star, which had granted him its blessing so many times before.

[The Shattered Star extends a hand to you once more.]

Yuto caught his breath as he stared at the constellations' offers. All of them were names of constellations he knew. Especially the Shattered Star. He raised a trembling hand and reached toward their offers.

The voices inside his head fell silent and waited. They seemed genuinely eager to see what he would choose.

Anticipation.

That was all. The only thing he could sense from the constellations making those offers was anticipation for some new entertainment. They held not a shred of sympathy or understanding for the betrayed, broken man before them.

CRASH!

Gritting his teeth, Yuto swung his fist. The Shattered Star's offer was the first to shatter beneath it. He kept swinging, smashing the other constellations' offers as well.

"Right... to the end."

The pain that had briefly disappeared returned. Blood poured from the wound in his chest once more.

"You're... toying with me."

His voice seething, Yuto staggered to his feet. Clutching the wound in his chest that would not stop bleeding, dragging his sword behind him, he began to walk again.

The voices filling his mind cut off all at once. All he could hear was the scraping of his sword, the dragging of his feet, and the wet splashes as he stepped through his own blood.

'Have they gone?'

The moment that thought crossed his mind—

["Ahahahaha!"]

["Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"]

["See? I told you he wouldn't fall for it!"]

["So you weren't a complete fool after all?"]

Mocking laughter filled his head again. Dozens of voices mingled into a dreadful cacophony. Their booming jeers spilled out of his head and echoed through the underground corridor, shaking the world before his eyes.

["What a stubborn human. Still clinging to your pride in that state?"]

["What if we really had made those offers for your sake?"]

The constellations chattered noisily. Yuto walked without answering. Every one of their offers was contradictory, and none reflected what he truly wanted. Revenge was not what he desired now.

He wanted to bring his dead wife back to life, to reunite with his partner, to save his daughter. The Shattered Star's words in particular made him sick. The best way to change his fate? A trial for his sake?

'If only...'

The legs he had forced onward began to falter again. Not because of the constellations, but because his body had exhausted its strength so completely that it could no longer walk. He could barely see now, and even the jeers circling his mind sounded distant.

'If I could have... one more chance...'

The moment he thought it—

WOOOO...!

Something devoured the constellations' laughter, wiping it away. Something intervened in the world. The constellations' presence vanished, and the world around Yuto began to tremble.

["Impossible!"]

The constellations' screams reached him from far away.

["The Void? Why is the Void...?!"]

ROOOAR!

Darkness surged down the corridor and swallowed the world. Pitch-black tentacles shot up from the floor, writhing grotesquely around Yuto.

Darkness had erased the constellations' jeers and their gazes. Tentacles approached Yuto, their nature so indistinct that they seemed not to belong to this world.

BZZT, BZZZT.

A tentacle reached his face and flickered amid static. Then a screen appeared, its feel distinctly different from the constellations' offers he had seen earlier.

[The Void is watching you.]

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

The sound of his dying heart drifted faintly through the stillness. Standing in a daze, Yuto stared at the swaying black tentacle. It had nothing resembling an eye, yet, strangely, he could feel its gaze.

In that gaze, he sensed neither the constellations' mockery nor their anticipation of amusement. Only quiet stillness.

"You..."

Yuto spoke without realizing it. The swaying tentacle moved toward his chest and gently caressed his wound.

"Ah."

The instant the tentacle touched him, Yuto instinctively sensed the nature of this being. Its overwhelming stature had silenced every constellation that had laughed and toyed with him. Unlike the other constellations, it offered him nothing for its own amusement. Through its sheer presence, it simply conveyed a vague sense of what it was.

And Yuto knew with certainty. The being before him possessed the power to undo this terrible ending. It would make no offer of its own, but if he wished for it and accepted it, it could surely fulfill his desperate desire.

Yuto gritted his teeth and released his sword.

Instead, he seized the tentacle touching his chest and drove it into the wound betrayal had opened.

"I don't know... who you are."

The blood spurting from his chest turned pitch-black. So did the blood flowing from his mouth. With eyes that were themselves darkening, Yuto glared at the tentacle. The darkness filling the corridor slowly surged into him.

"Who you are... doesn't matter."

The tentacle he had thrust into his chest writhed. Darkness consumed his dying body and his soul, so damaged it was on the verge of shattering.

"What matters..."

WHOOOOSH!

The darkness gathered around Yuto began to seethe. Still, it remained silent, doing nothing but quietly watching him. Yuto twisted his lips, smeared with black blood.

"Is that... I need you."

CRUNCH...!

Yuto tightened his grip on the tentacle and drove it into his chest, all the way to its root.

Yuto's existence vanished, swallowed by darkness.