This can't be real. She didn't do it. I refuse to believe it happened. It was all a nightmare. This all has to end soon. I can't take it anymore. If I wake up, I don't know what will happen. Just let this end once and for all. The world is safe... Right? The world... Is still safe...

~

The wind was blowing. The cold breeze blew on the dead leaves, and the sky was flooding with gray clouds. A small rock rolled down a cliff, continuing to move with the wind behind it. It rolled for a long time, until it bumped into something. Into someone. A face, a familiar one.

"Ugh..." Eli grunted as he slowly opened his eyes. "What was that for..."

He stood still as he observed everything in front of him. It was as if everything was lacking color. He glared at the distance and saw an endless path of fog and dust. To his sides it was no different. He took a deep breath, and he put his hand on the ground. It wasn't the floor that he felt though. He felt something more soft. He turned around and saw a body. Only a glance was enough to make him remember everything.

"Oh, right. Mara." He said as he sighed. "Well, you're dead now. That's a win for me."

He slowly got up, feeling like he had little to no strength in the process. But getting on his feet was the hardest part. After that, he could easily walk, but not in a hurried way.

"What happened to this place..." He asked himself. "And why is it so cold? Fuck..."

He snapped his fingers to try and create fire that could keep him warm, but nothing happened. He looked at his hand and tried again, but not even a spark appeared. "Come on!" He said as he started to lose his patience. And when he snapped his fingers again, it wasn't fire that he had created, but a single orb of darkness.

"What the..." He said as his eyes widened. "I... Guess I have these powers again? Or did I ever really lose them? I don't know anymore..."

Eli was confused. His last memory was him killing Mara, and all of a sudden everything was completely different. He looked at his cape and saw that, along with everything around him, it had lost its color as well. Perhaps that's why he felt so weak. He also felt that his hair was heavier. It had grown a lot while he was asleep, and he didn't know how to fix it so it wouldn't get on his face. He looked at Mara and saw a blue hairband on her hair. A little disgusted, he decided to take it off and put it on his hair. He now had a very small ponytail that he really didn't mind. However, it wasn't enough to distract him from everything that was happening.

"What am I supposed to do now..." Eli said as he closed his eyes. "I ruined everything. I can't fix this! Why am I still alive!?"

He stomped the floor in anger. Tears started to come out of his eyes. He was desperate yet another time. But he knew it was too late to be acting this way.

"Okay, get your shit together, Eli." He said. "Penny and the others might still be out there. I should start looking."

He balled up his hands as fists and started walking. Not even the sound of a bird could be heard. He only felt the cold wind on his face, which was a little painful. He looked at the cracked and dry ground, hoping to find some signs of life. He refused to believe he was the only one alive in this vast realm. And to his luck, he'd soon find the answer he was looking for. He looked up and saw something in the distance. It looked like a sign made out of wood, so he decided to take a closer look.

"Path to... Harutown?" Eli wondered as he read the words etched across the sign. "Who even put this here?"

He looked at the ground and noticed a path that wasn't full of dust. Eli thought that maybe there were people around here. He only had to follow it and hope for the best.

"This better give me at least an answer..." He said as he walked down the path, wishing for this to at least give him an idea of what to do or where to go.

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