The night felt unnaturally quiet.
Cold wind moved softly across the village paths as lantern light flickered weakly outside scattered homes.
Most people were asleep.
Those still awake spoke quietly about the mine.
About Elios.
About the strange feeling surrounding him lately.
None of them noticed the figure emerging from the forest at first.
Slow footsteps echoed faintly through the dark.
Uneven.
Dragging slightly.
Elios walked toward the village in silence.
The black flow poured endlessly from his body now.
Not flickering.
Overflowing.
Like darkness leaking from broken cracks.
His breathing sounded unstable.
His vision blurred constantly.
Every few seconds—
the world distorted.
Trees stretched unnaturally.
The ground twisted slightly beneath him.
Voices echoed strangely in the distance.
"…Ghh…"
Elios grabbed his head hard.
The whispers hadn't stopped since the cave.
If anything—
they had become worse.
Louder.
Closer.
His thoughts no longer felt fully his own.
Then—
someone noticed him.
"Elios?!"
A villager quickly ran toward him.
Relief filled the man's face instantly.
"You're alive! We heard strange sounds from the moun—"
The words stopped midway.
Because Elios suddenly froze.
His vision distorted violently.
The man's face twisted unnaturally.
Skin stretched.
Eyes darkened.
Teeth sharpened.
Goblin.
Elios' breathing broke instantly.
"…No…"
The villager stepped closer.
Concern replacing relief.
"Elios…?"
But the voice no longer sounded human.
It sounded like screeching.
Goblin screams.
The black flow exploded violently around Elios.
The villager's eyes widened in horror.
And Elios moved instinctively.
Too fast.
Steel flashed.
Blood splattered across the ground.
Silence.
The body collapsed.
Elios froze completely.
For one brief second—
his vision returned to normal.
Human.
A human body.
"…What…"
His eyes widened violently.
Then—
the whispers screamed louder.
The distortion returned instantly.
Movement erupted nearby as more villagers rushed toward the sound.
"What happened?!"
"Was that Elios?!"
"What's going on—"
But to Elios—
they no longer looked human.
Dozens of goblins rushed toward him from every direction.
Screaming.
Mocking.
Threatening.
"No…"
Elios staggered backward violently.
"…STOP…"
The black flow surged harder.
The goblins kept approaching.
Fear.
Hatred.
Pain.
Trauma.
Everything exploded together inside him.
And Black Veil responded.
Pulse erupted violently from Elios' palm.
The street exploded apart.
Screams filled the night.
Human screams.
But Elios only heard monsters.
The massacre began.
Chaos swallowed the village instantly.
Buildings collapsed.
Blood covered the streets.
Villagers ran in terror.
And through all of it—
Elios kept fighting monsters that didn't exist.
Everywhere he looked—
goblins.
Even when people cried his name—
the voices twisted into screeching.
"ELIOS—!"
Goblin screams.
"PLEASE STOP—!"
Monster shrieks.
His vision no longer separated reality correctly.
The black flow consumed nearly his entire body now.
Dense black mana flooded the village like smoke.
Elios moved through the destruction like something no longer human.
And yet—
deep inside—
part of him was screaming.
Because somewhere beneath the distortion—
he knew something was wrong.
Then—
he saw her.
Mira.
Standing near the destroyed street.
Terrified.
"…Brother…?"
For one single moment—
his vision cleared.
Mira.
Not a goblin.
Mira.
Elios froze completely.
The black flow trembled violently around him.
"Mira…"
His voice broke.
Tears formed in his eyes instantly.
But then—
the distortion returned harder than before.
Mira's face twisted violently in his vision.
Goblin.
Elios staggered backward.
"No…"
The whispers screamed louder.
The black flow surged uncontrollably.
And Elios completely lost control.
A massive Pulse detonated outward from his body.
The village exploded into darkness and destruction.
The force shattered homes instantly.
Screams vanished beneath the impact.
Then—
silence.
Heavy.
Absolute.
The black flow slowly weakened afterward.
Elios stood alone in the destroyed village.
His breathing rough.
Unstable.
Smoke drifted through the air.
Bodies covered the ground around him.
And finally—
his vision returned completely.
Human.
All of them.
Not goblins.
Humans.
Villagers.
People he knew.
Elios' eyes widened slowly.
"No…"
His sword slipped from his hand.
"…No…"
His knees hit the ground heavily.
The reality finally reached him.
The whispers stopped.
The black flow weakened.
And for the first time since entering the cave—
Elios saw everything clearly.
The blood.
The destruction.
The bodies.
What he had done.
A broken sound escaped his throat.
Not rage.
Not hatred.
Pain.
Pure unbearable pain.
Then—
the sky above the village split open.
White light descended silently from the heavens.
And the gods finally looked down upon Elios.
End.