Chapter 59: Regrets and Decisions

Sometimes, the true weight of our decisions doesn’t fall upon us… but upon those left behind.
The night feels heavier when the soul can’t find rest. High above a broken world, silence weighs more than words, and the past —like a relentless echo— insists on returning.
There are moments when moving forward isn’t enough: one must stop, look inward… and decide which part of oneself is still worth saving.
Because not everyone who fights does it for glory.
Some fight seeking forgiveness. Others, a reason.
And some, deep down, just want to stop running.
Today, under the uncertain sky of a ruined world, someone will have to choose.
And every choice… always comes with a lament.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The wind howled across the mountaintop. The clouds dragged themselves heavily through the sky, as if they too could feel the weight of what was to come. Zero and Quil, separated by an abyss of shared past and unspoken words, gazed at the horizon in silence.
“Why?” Quil whispered.
Zero turned his head slightly, not looking surprised.
“Hm? What is it?”
“You’ve changed,” she said, her tone a blend of nostalgia and quiet certainty.
“Me? How? Isn’t this the first time we’ve met?”
“No. I saw you at the Torneo of God… many years ago.”
“Did you? What a surprise,” he replied flatly — not denying it, yet showing no emotion.
“At first it was hard to recognize you… but I’m good at identifying people by their energy.”
“How nice…” he muttered, lowering his gaze.
“What’s wrong? It’s like you’re ignoring me.”
“Sorry, Your Majesty,” he said, awkwardly. “I just don’t like talking much about the past.”
“I see. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s just… a bit strange to bring it up.”
“I understand,” Quil said softly.

A brief silence settled between them, until Zero was the one to break it.
“May I ask you something?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“What was Guayas expecting to achieve with all those sacrifices?”
“He never told me directly… but he always spoke of becoming a god.”
“A god, huh?” Zero exhaled — a sound between irony and weariness. “People really do have strange desires.”
His eyes narrowed as darker thoughts ran through his mind than the clouds above them.
If those “sacrifices” were drained for their Zenka energy… he should have a massive accumulation stored. But that wouldn’t be enough to become a god. Transferring energy that way is impossible — at least to a human body… Zero thought.
“Did Guayas ever say anything else?” he asked again.
“No, I’m sorry. He never shared anything with me.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be some kind of offering to the gods?”
“Yes…”
Zero clicked his tongue.
“Hey, hey… this isn’t looking good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I hope I’m wrong, but I think those bastards set him up.”
“A setup?”
“That energy isn’t meant for him.”
“For the gods, then?”
“No. They can’t absorb it…” His eyes flickered for a moment. “Looks like they’re trying to open a door.”
“A door? What do you mean?”
“I can’t say much more. But I think they’re trying to bring someone. From another world.”

A chill swept through the air — as if fate itself had already been sealed.

Meanwhile, miles away, Edén walked through trembling shadows, the ritual’s growing energy distorting the air around him.
“Well, well… looks like you came alone,” Guayas said with a twisted grin. “This time, will you still freeze in fear?”
“Shut up. I’ll kill you,” Edén spat, his eyes burning.
“I’m glad you’re here to witness my final act — the one that will lift me to the summit. The one that will make me… a god. A god of the new world.”
The ground shook. The air cracked. An immense energy burst forth from the ritual circle, thick with darkness and ambition.
“What… is this?” Edén whispered, unable to move beneath the overwhelming pressure.
“Yes! YES! I can feel it! This is the power of a god!” Guayas shouted, completely deranged.

From afar, Zero narrowed his eyes.
“Damn it…” he thought. “Looks like I’ll have to step in. Though… I won’t be doing it alone. By now, he should already have a powerful ally beside him.”

Zero turned toward Quil. His words were gentle but firm.
“Your Majesty… I think I’ll be a little busy. So I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
“Uh… o-okay,” she replied, still confused.

In the blink of an eye, Zero appeared at an improvised camp where the remaining townspeople had taken refuge.
“Your Majesty!” exclaimed one of the guards upon seeing her.
But his expression shifted when he noticed Zero. The guard drew his sword.
“Who’s this scoundrel?”
“Are you seriously talking like a pirate now?” Zero quipped sarcastically.
“Let the queen go, you bastard!”
With a barely visible motion, Zero snapped the guard’s sword in half.
“Min, you idiot. It’s me.”
“Huh? Orze?! What the hell happened to your face?! And your scrawny body?!”
“It was just a disguise, moron,” Zero said, raising an eyebrow.
“And what are you doing with the queen?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you someday. But right now, I need you to protect her.”
“M–me?”
“Yes, you. Don’t let anyone get near her.”
“Y–Yes, sir!”

The murmur of the wind mingled with whispers of uncertainty. Quil stood before her people, trembling — not from cold, but from doubt. The mountain surrounding her was vast, yet it was nothing compared to the weight pressing against her chest.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked in a fragile voice, not looking at Zero.
“Your Majesty,” he replied plainly, “the only one who can guide your people now… is you.”
“B-but… I never protected them. They must hate me.”
“Maybe,” he said without cruelty. “But… why not try to win them back?”
“How…?” she whispered.
“Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

A silence heavy with emotion filled the air until a voice rose from among the refugees.
“Your Majesty,” said a villager, his gaze steady, “we would give our lives for you.”
“Eh?” Quil looked at him, disbelieving.
“We know you did everything you could to reason with King Guayas… but it was impossible. No one blames you for that.”
“How… how do you know that?”
“It was me,” interrupted another voice. It was one of the guards, standing with his head lowered. “I’m the one who told them, Your Majesty.”
Quil recognized him instantly.
“You…”
“I’m sorry. I’m deeply ashamed of everything I’ve done. If necessary, I’ll pay for all my mistakes with my life.”

For a moment, the queen stood still. Then, with firm steps, she approached him.
“Rise, Niu.”
“Your Majesty…?”
“Not just you… I am guilty too. As queen, I should have protected my people, even if it cost me my life. But I was afraid. And that fear made me silent — made me look away… But from this day on, I swear upon this land, I will give my life for this people.”
Niu fell to his knees, overwhelmed. And with him, everyone present knelt.
“Long live Queen Quil! Long live the queen!”
Quil tried to speak, but her voice broke. She pressed her lips together and raised her head, her eyes searching for Zero.
“Zero, tha—”
But he was gone.

He had vanished like a shadow in the wind, leaving no trace.
“Thank you,” she whispered to herself, as the echo of his name faded among the trees.

In the distance, dark energy began to envelop everything.
The ritual had finally reached its climax.
“Here I—!” shouted Guayas, before being cut off.

A demonic arm pierced through his torso with brutal force. Blood gushed out — dark and thick — as the ritual circle shattered with a horrifying crack.
“W-what…?” the king gasped.
From the center emerged an abominable figure — a demon with blazing red eyes, wrapped in grotesque gold and jewels that seemed to whisper with a life of their own. Its body stretched unnaturally, as if flesh itself rejected its form.
“Tell me…” it murmured mockingly. “Do you desire great wealth?”

In a blink, it appeared before Edén. Its finger, sharp as a spear, aimed straight at his forehead.
“Tsk!” Zero intercepted the strike with his sword, appearing out of nowhere.
“How amusing,” the demon laughed wickedly.
The force of the blow sent him crashing against a wall, and Zero was thrown back as well.
“N-no… I couldn’t even react,” Edén muttered, paralyzed by the overwhelming power before him.

Guayas, clutching his wound, gasped on his knees.
“Is this it…? Did I go through all of that for this? No… I didn’t do it for this. I will become a god, no matter the cost. I’ll leave everything behind… everything… to become stronger. And this time… this time I’ll have my revenge…”

His thoughts sank deep into the corners of his past.
The sky roared. The earth trembled.
And within the depths of memory, a broken promise reopened scars deeper than any wound.

Flashback – Years earlier, before the name Guayas inspired fear

A small village surrounded by mountains, where life was simple and decisions weighed no more than a day’s labor. There, beneath the sun and the red soil, a boy trained under the stern gaze of his father.

Guayas (narrating):
From a young age, I understood that destiny isn’t always written for you.
My brother was the chosen one — the heir, the pride of the clan.
And I… was just “the other.”
But even “the other” can hunger. Hunger to be more.

Guayas, now a teenager, is shown knocking another youth to the ground during combat training — pride and emptiness crossing his face.

Guayas (narrating):
I didn’t want a throne.
I just wanted to prove I could be strong too.
That I deserved a place.
That I wouldn’t be invisible.

That night, by the fire, young Guayas spoke with his father — Kunak, a man with a deep voice and wise eyes.
“Are you sure you want to leave, son?”
“Yes, Father. I need to find my place beyond these lands. I want to grow stronger… to help our people someday.”
Kunak handed him a small talisman of carved stone.
“Then you have my blessing, Guayas. We’ll await your return with open arms.”

Guayas left at dawn, crossing the mountains alone, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

Guayas (narrating):
I promised to return with power. With wisdom.
I promised to come back and protect my people…
But the world is not kind to the naïve.

A rapid sequence followed — ancient books, dark pacts, sacrifices, voices of forgotten gods, blood spilled, and the twisted smile of someone who no longer recognized himself in the mirror.

Guayas (narrating):
Hanan Pacha. The land of the Incan gods.
I thought it was a myth.
Until it was offered to me…
…in exchange for everything.

Final image: Guayas years later, now wearing the crown of Santay. His trembling hands, his eyes — no longer the same as the boy who once left home.
Guayas (narrating):
Sometimes one goes so far in pursuit of power
that they forget what they meant to protect in the first place.
Sometimes… they can’t even remember why they started at all.