Chapter 02 – Page 04/06
Edgward: Second chance [?]
As I ate, I watched him, the way he moved about his home with an air of contentment. He spoke of his life, his work, his dreams, and for a fleeting moment, I found myself strangely captivated by his genuine enthusiasm. Perhaps not all humans were insufferable, after all.
Nightfall came, casting a cloak of darkness over the city. My host prepared a makeshift bed for me, and as I settled in, a sense of security wrapped around me like a cocoon. Perhaps I had misjudged these humans, maybe—
The door burst open, and a group of men barged in, their presence aggressive and imposing. My host stood before them, his expression a mixture of fear and confusion.
“Where’s the money, old man?” one of them demanded, a sneer etched across his face.
“I… I have it,” my host stammered, his trembling hands reaching for a pouch on the table.
Their impatience grew, and in a flash of violence, everything changed. A blow struck my host, and the room erupted into chaos. The sounds of struggle, of pleas and threats, filled the air like a discordant symphony. My heart raced, my body tense as I observed from the shadows, helpless and paralyzed by fear.
I should have acted, should have intervened, but the sight of their brutality was paralyzing. And then, as swiftly as it had begun, it was over. The men left, their greedy desires fulfilled, leaving behind a lifeless form on the floor.
My host, the man who had shown me kindness and hospitality, lay there, his life snuffed out by the very darkness I had chosen not to confront.
“Snugglefluffies,” I whispered, my voice a hollow echo of my guilt.
In that moment, a mixture of anger, shame, and regret coursed through me, intertwining to form an overwhelming bitterness toward humanity. They were a species of contradictions, capable of both kindness and cruelty, and I had been foolish to think otherwise.
As dawn broke, I left the man’s home, the taste of disillusionment sour on my tongue. The shadows of the city felt colder now, their depths harboring a truth I had been reluctant to accept. I walked among the humans, a stranger once again, but my heart was a heavy weight within me.
The chapter continued to unfold, a symphony of choices and consequences. As the city buzzed with life, I realized that while I may be an observer of this realm, I was not immune to its impact. My journey through the shadows had illuminated not just the heart of Aranor, but also the complexities of my own emotions.
And so, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting long shadows upon the cobblestone streets, I moved forward, my steps driven by a newfound understanding—a bittersweet revelation that I was, in my own way, as much a part of this world as any human.