His temple throbbed, thoughts and awareness sluggish.
The world soon returned to focus.
He was in a dark room - the only source of illumination the thin strands of moonlight peeking through the drawn curtains. For some reason, his surroundings seemed familiar.
Alden didn't know why.
He blinked again, mind gradually returning to its former sharpness.
Alden rubbed his temple. Flashes of the past few scenarios appeared inside his mind. He groaned silently, his mental state on the precipice of disorder. Alden slowly exhaled.
He took a few moments to focus on his breath… the slow rise and fall, the air travelling into his lungs. He immersed himself in the calming sensation. Gradually, tranquillity returned.
His shoulders sagged.
It was only then that he realised he was lying on a bed.
As his eyes continued to adjust to the dim light, strangely, Alden felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him.
Why did it feel like he was back home?
Suddenly, Alden froze, picking up on a very, very, very important detail.
Alden's entire body stiffened.
His heart raced at a million miles an hour.
Slowly, carefully, he shifted, doing his best to make as little noise as possible.
As he turned to face the individual sharing the bed, Alden froze again.
Alden struggled to breathe.
All his efforts at restoring calm disappeared just like that.
For the person he slept next to was…
And while her silhouette was vague in the dim light, her features were anything but.
Alden would instantly recognise that beautiful face anywhere.
Alden struggled to understand how his precious love was here. He knew with certainty that she hadn't entered the Trial with him - if that was even possible? -, so how did she end up here?
It was simply a manifestation of his desire that the Key had picked up on and thus sought to test him.
In that case, what was the pain?
Alden's heart twisted.
Wasn't this too cruel?
Breathing some more, Alden forced himself to retain a semblance of calm.
'At least, the only positive is that she's still asleep.'
Alden didn't know what he would do if his precious love suddenly decided to open her eyes. Banishing the unhelpful thoughts, he settled for staring at her gorgeous face. Her tiny eyelashes, cute nose, and softness of her skin… all of it entered Alden's vision.
He made sure to burn that sight in his memory.
For he knew that he wouldn't forget it for a long, long time.
Alden's gaze turned tender.
A pang of loneliness struck Alden.
He desperately wished to hold her.
…To revel in her warmth.
However, he resisted.
Both because he wasn't sure if the Trial would allow him to touch her, and because he wanted to touch the real her, and not some fake, artificial copy.
Alden sighed for a second time. He closed his eyes and shut off his mind, doing his best not to crumble under the weight of his longing… and love.
Some more time passed, before Alden sensed a slight rustle.
He eagerly opened his eyes, joy flooding his crimson pupils.
However, what he found upon opening them…
Celeste's gaze contained an almost infinite amount of hatred.
Alden's stomach dropped.
Both his heart and mind experienced a seismic shock.
The very core of his being trembled.
At the back of his mind, he sensed something within him shatter like glass.
What did he do to warrant such loathing?
An intense, sharp, overwhelming pain sprang up in Alden's chest.
His world lost focus, turning dull and grey.
And with it, his will to live also disappeared.
As he drowned under the suffocating emotion gripping his heart, Alden understood the pain that the Trial wanted him to feel.
It wasn't longing or love.
Alden's world crumbled around him.
Deep, tenebrous darkness swallowed him whole. The lightless void was impenetrable.
…Perfectly reflecting his dark mental state.
Alden's heart was in pieces, his mind in chaos. Disarray.
And while he knew that these events hadn't occurred in reality, they were still very much real to him. Each one left their own scar, so now internally, he was like a patchwork quilt of negative experiences.
Under the weight of such pain, such suffering, his mental state threatened to give out.
'At this rate, maybe becoming a vegetable isn't so bad.'
Alden gripped his chest, curling in on himself.
Ah, he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy.
Alden's breathing turned heavy as he continued to recall the events of the Trial.
The torture, the betrayal.
Which was enough to kill him.
Alden's mind trembled violently.
Tears pricked his eyes.
He curled deeper into himself, hoping to escape the pain.
However, as if things couldn't get any worse… the darkness suddenly shifted, heralding a wave of insidious whispers.
"They need to be eradicated."
"Slaughtering innocent children just to become stronger?"
The darkness cackled.
"All of it is so vile!"
Alden's body trembled in response.
He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to block out the whispers.
Unfortunately for him…
The darkness seemed to turn deeper around him.
"Child, the human race is vile."
"That is an inescapable truth."
"What a foolish thing."
The darkness laughed once more.
"Only then will I stop."
The voice paused for a moment.
"There is no reason for you to struggle so much anymore."
Alden growled, sealing his mind off.
His face was stained wet with his tears.
"Yes. If you give up, it will all go way."
Alden's mind quaked against his best efforts.
'What's the point of struggling so much only to be met with so much pain?'
"Yes, that's right. There is no point."
Hazily, Alden sensed a substantial change take hold of the darkness.
…It was coalescing, forming a figure.
The next moment, a shadowy being covered in a tenebrous mist floated over to him.
A pitch-black scythe lay in their grasp.
Alden turned towards the figure, his vacant gaze settling on the weapon.
The darkness grinned, a gaping maw of blackness manifesting in response.
"This will all be over very soon."
The shadowy figure inched closer, smile growing wider.
"Because I have come to claim your mind."