Chapter 123: Unwanted Ending 2

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    "I love you, Riley..." she said, her tone as delicate and ethereal as the night sky itself.

    Her words hung in the air, charged with a sincerity that made my heart skip a beat, despite the heavy confusion coursing through me.

    The memory of that confession was vivid and poignant.

    I recalled the gentle touch of her lips against mine, a moment of pure connection when we had first acknowledged our feelings for each other.

    The kiss we shared was like a blossoming flower in a desolate landscape, a love that felt almost too profound for someone like me.

    ''I knew I didn''t deserve her...''

    Yet I ignored the world''s warnings and proceeded to pursue an impossible love.

    Together, we had navigated the tumultuous hardships of our world, our bond growing stronger even as the world around us began to crumble. No matter how dire the situation, we clung to each other, never letting go.

    Wherever she went, I was there; wherever I went, she followed.

    We supported one another through every trial, our love an unbreakable shield against the chaos that sought to tear us apart.

    Our love was not just a feeling; it was our shared strength and determination.

    The sight of Snow now, in her current state, was an unbearable torment. Tears welled up in my eyes, and an intense, confusing storm of emotions surged within me.

    Love, happiness, regret, and hatred all collided in a maelstrom of pain and longing. Memories of a past filled with warmth and joy intermingled with the stark reality of her death, creating a dissonance that was almost too overwhelming to bear.

    My voice cracked as I spoke her name, a whisper of sorrow and disbelief. "Snow...."

    The name felt foreign on my lips, weighed down by the enormity of what I was witnessing.

    The tears streamed down my face, each drop felt like sharp needles to the love we had shared and the heartache of seeing her reduced to this state.

    The scene before me was a cruel mockery of the love we had built together, a painful reminder of the price we had paid for the world''s struggles and the dreams we once held dear.

    ''She didn''t deserve this...''

    The weight of Snow''s fate crushed me.

    She had been innocent, a beacon of light in my world that so often consumed by darkness.

    The guilt gnawed at me with each passing second. It was my own selfish choices that had led her to this twisted end.

    The painful thought lingered: if only I had allowed myself to succumb to the inevitability of my fate, would the sight before me be different?

    ''If only I gave up my love for her....''

    Would things have been different?

    As these thoughts swirled in my mind, Liyana''s voice intruded with a chilling, serpentine quality.

    "Hm Hm~ it seems a reunion with your wife has brought you to tears, my dear-"

    Her touch was unnervingly gentle as her soft hands brushed against my neck, forcing me to maintain eye contact with Snow''s lifeless form.

    Her fingers were like cold tendrils, steering my gaze to the grotesque sight of Snow, dressed in a uniform that spoke of the corruption that had claimed her.

    "Did unwanted nostalgic memories return upon seeing your beloved wife in a uniform-?" Liyana asked with a teasing inflection, her voice dripping with a cruel amusement.

    The question seemed to mock my grief, her tone implying that my pain was merely an entertainment for her.

    Without waiting for a response, Liyana knelt down, her face inching closer to mine.

    Her eyes, red and gleaming with malevolence, locked onto mine as she used her tongue to lick the tears from my cheeks.

    The gesture was both intimate and horrifying, a perverse display of affection in the midst of my torment.

    Her actions were a cruel reminder of the love I had lost and the love that she couldn''t fulfill, twisted into something grotesque and unsettling.

    "Don''t worry, my dear- there are more surprises coming in just a moment~" she whispered softly in my ear, her breath warm against my skin despite the coldness in her voice.

    Chu~

    The gentle kiss she placed on my cheek felt like a mockery of the tenderness that Snow and I once shared.

    "Why..." The word escaped my lips as a choked whisper, the anguish evident in my voice. "Why are you doing this?"

    Liyana''s response was a melodious hum, as if the answer was something obvious and trivial to her. "Hm~?"

    "W-why are you doing this!?" I repeated, desperation coloring my voice.

    "I believe you already have an answer to that, no~?"

    Her voice carried an unsettling satisfaction, as though she was reveling in my confusion and despair.

    Standing up, she moved behind me with an unsettling grace, guiding the wheelchair toward the center of the meadow.

    The crackling sounds of Snow''s decaying body, each creak and groan of her brittle bones, echoed behind us as her foul, rotting flesh trailed a sickening stench.

    The smell was overpowering, a constant reminder of the grotesque reality of her death.

    Every noise and every scent seemed to intensify my internal conflict, a mix of anger and regret boiling within me.

    ''Haha...''

    An absurd chuckle almost slipped from my lips, a twisted reaction to the nightmarish absurdity of my situation.

    It was as if my mind was struggling to process the incongruity between the serene meadow and the macabre procession.

    This raw, unfiltered hatred-why was it directed at Liyana? The realization struck me with a

    jolt of clarity.

    I was misplacing my anger.

    Fool!

    The true fault lay with me.

    I was the architect of this tragedy.

    ''I settled our fates''

    Every event leading to this grotesque tableau was a direct result of my choices. I couldn''t shift

    the blame to Liyana; the responsibility rested solely on my shoulders.

    That knowledge was inescapable and undeniable.

    Liyana was destined to end the world-my world.

    I knew that fact well. The moment I had asked Snow to abandon her place in the world, to

    leave behind the life she was fated to live, everything had already begun to unravel.

    It was then that the chain of mistakes, sorrow, and regret had started its inexorable descent

    into disaster.

    The world around me had become a grim testament to my selfish desires.

    Everything was bright and peaceful here but beyond this grand illusion, I knew only fire and death remained.

    The weight of my choices bore down heavily, knowing there was no one left alive to bear witness to the great sin I had committed.

    My selfish desires had set this course into motion, and with every choice I made, I cemented the path to this inevitable end.

    "What do you think? I made sure it would be as grandiose as possible, you know~" Liyana''s voice carried an unsettling blend of pride and cruelty, yanking me back to the chilling present.

    Before me was a lavishly adorned circular table, its surface laden with an array of delectable

    dishes.

    The silver and gold embellishments of the domed covers glimmered invitingly under the bright sunlight, creating a stark contrast to the dismal surroundings.

    Each dish was a promise of culinary delight, its aroma wafting through the air and teasing my

    senses.

    "It smells good, right?" Liyana said with a gentle push, guiding me closer to the table''s edge. Her tone was deceptively cheerful, a fac?ade that did little to mask the sinister undertone. Despite the deep sorrow that clung to my heart, my body reacted instinctively. I reached out, my hands trembling with desperation as they sought to lift the domes and reveal the

    promised feast.

    The intoxicating aroma made my mouth water uncontrollably, an almost primal response to the scent of the rich, inviting food.

    reason?"

    Her question was a jab, meant to break through the layers of my emotional barricade.

    ||

    "1

    .......

    ||||

    My silence persisted, a stubborn refusal to give her the satisfaction she sought.

    "Hn- Since you won''t give me an answer, I''ll take a wild guess, okay-?" Liyana''s tone was light, almost whimsical, as she made her way to the final covered dish on the table.

    She hovered her hand over it, the anticipation in her movements palpable. "Is it because of

    this?"

    With a deliberate, slow motion, Liyana lifted the dome from the last dish. Steam billowed out, swirling into the air with a warm, pungent odor.

    As the mist cleared, a grisly sight was revealed: a small, grotesque figure, floating within a

    hot, murky soup.

    The figure was unmistakably human-like, its tiny, familiar eyes that was yet to form locking

    onto mine with a haunting, accusatory gaze.

    A Fetus.....

    "N-no," I stammered, my voice barely a whisper, trembling with dread as I recognized the

    macabre form before me.

    The sight was more than disturbing-it was a jarring reminder of a memory I had desperately

    tried to suppress.

    The realization was crushing; it was a part of the dark past I wished to forget.

    Another memory surged forth, unbidden and painful.

    It was a memory I shouldn''t have forgotten, a memory that had seeded my motivations and

    actions.

    It was a moment that had defined my reasoning for everything I had done since, a harrowing event that had altered the course of my life.

    "I made sure to handle it gently when I took it out of your wife''s womb, you know~ I''m a

    great aunt, right?" Liyana''s words were a venomous whisper, each syllable a stab into the

    heart of my anguish.

    Her tone was deceptively sweet, but the cruelty of her words cut deep.

    ''I''m sorry Snow....''

    I couldn''t fathom the depth of pain Snow had endured.

    "Monster..." The word escaped my lips as a broken, anguished whisper.

    The woman before me was no longer just a tormentor-she was a living nightmare, a literal

    monster.

    As tears flowed freely down my face, my vision clouded by a haze of desperation and sorrow, Liyana''s malevolent presence loomed large.

    Her telekinetic grip seized control of my powerless body, manipulating my movements with

    an unyielding force.

    My hands, against my will, reached out and grasped the fork, the cold metal biting into flesh

    as it was forced toward the grim meal before me.

    "No, please!" My voice was a choked plea, a desperate cry to regain control over my own body.

    I strained against the invisible chains of Liyana''s power, but every effort was in vain.

    My attempts to resist were met only with the cold, mocking presence of darkness that

    replaced Liyana.

    Where once she stood, there were now a thousand reptilian red eyes, glaring out from beneath

    a shroud of dark smoke, their malevolence palpable.

    The once bright and vibrant heavens above us turned an oppressive shade of dark red.

    The green meadow, once serene and tranquil, was consumed by flames, its lushness withering

    into charred remains.

    The ground beneath us became a grotesque river of blood, an unending flood that suffused

    the landscape with an aura of death and decay.

    "Eat slowly, okay? My love~" Liyana''s voice, now distorted and echoing from the abyss,

    taunted me with a cruel and mocking gentleness.

    Her words were an agonizing contrast to the horror that surrounded me, an unbearable

    reminder of her twisted sense of affection.

    With a mind clouded by dread and resignation, I was forced to open my mouth.

    The fork trembled in my hand as I brought it closer to the grotesque contents of the soup.

    As I took the first bite, the sensation was overwhelming.

    The texture was abhorrent, and the taste was a nauseating mix of bitterness and decay.

    My senses were assaulted by the rancid flavor, and every chew felt like a betrayal of my very

    humanity.

    Crunch~! Crunch-!

    The sound of my own chewing echoed in my ears, a horrifying symphony of suffering.

    Each bite was a torment, each crunch a reminder of my helplessness.

    In the depths of my agony, the world seemed to collapse inward.

    The once-vibrant scene was now a nightmarish tableau of blood and darkness.

    The ground beneath me seemed to dissolve into nothingness, the blood rising and enveloping

    everything in its path.

    "By the way My dear it was a girl~"

    As the final morsel was consumed, a deafening snapping sound echoed through the void.

    It was a final, chilling punctuation to my suffering.

    My senses were overwhelmed by darkness, and the last remnants of the world slipped away,

    leaving me in a profound and absolute nothingness. [Note: Bad End NO.????]

    [COMPLETED!]

    [Note: Memory transfer complete!]

    [Note: Effects of skill [Forgotten Guidance] has now been nullified]

    [Note: Energy of a forgotten world has seeped within you]

    [Note: Congratulations! New unique skill unlocked!] [Proceeding user return] [Return blocked!!!]

    [Note: New memory has been transferred!]

    [Commencing scene redirection.....]