Ashes of humanity

The world had fallen into darkness—war carved deep scars into the land and the souls of its people. Smoke choked the sky while blood turned the earth into a tapestry of pain. Every scream echoed the collapse of humanity itself.
Amidst the ruins of a broken home, a six-month-old infant lay lifeless, a victim of the merciless chaos. His mother, trembling and desperate, had taken his fragile life, only to be crushed by unbearable guilt. In her torment, she ended her own existence, leaving behind silence and sorrow. Around them, shattered families screamed in agony, their bonds severed by hatred and death.
No mercy remained. No love endured.
Rayo stood silently in the chaos, his eyes reflecting the devastation. His voice cut through the discord like a blade.
“This is the world today—the world we have become. If someone had warned me a week ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. No humanity. No bonds. Only revenge.”
He lowered his head, whispering, “I’m sorry.”
Flashback: The Price of FreedomRayo’s mind drifted back to a darker night.
In a dimly lit room, a man lay asleep with his hands bound. Silent and helpless, he was caught in the shadows—an unwilling prisoner.
Rayo entered quietly, placing a chair beside the bed. Turning on the table lamp, his face revealed a strange blend of joy and fear—joy for what was to come, fear for what he had to do.
The man’s eyes opened, wide and unable to speak, tears streaming down his cheeks. Rayo’s own eyes welled with tears too, but his voice was steady.
“These tears don’t come from sorrow,” he said softly. “They come from a heart filled with happiness.”
He drew a colored pencil and began tracing painful marks on the man’s hands and legs.
“To earn freedom, you must pay the price—one of pain and suffering.”
The man’s silent cries filled the room, but Rayo’s tears never ceased. In this darkness, mercy was cruel—but it was mercy nonetheless.