The faint light of night scattered across the desolate wilderness. There was no smell, no sound. Not a single blade of grass or a rock to serve as a marker was visible.0

With every step I took, the faint sound of dust rising became the only background noise in this place. The further I walked, the eerier the surroundings became. It felt like even Elwin and I were engulfed by this unfamiliar stillness.0

Was there ever a place like this?0

I called it a place, but that wasn't the correct term. After all, there weren't many places I truly knew. 0

At most…0

I spent a year in the Ice Valley and three years in the cave with mazes, The Ossuary of Wraiths, and the mountains near Erast. The narrow geography around Erast was all I really knew. 0

After that, I joined a Demon King's army and was dragged around as one among a massive horde. I traveled a lot, but all I saw were the backs of other skulls like mine. Within that, I lived as a mere number, swaying as part of a mass for seven thoughtless years. That time was so unbearable that it required the absence of thought to endure.0

Looking back now, a question popped up in my ...0