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December 27, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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Chalcedony couldn't help but tremble. He looked at her, lifeless, and couldn't believe his eyes. Her maid Cassidy claimed that Lady Paraiba herself opened the floodgate that nearly flooded the village. She herself had stabbed herself in the heart with a thin dagger, falling into the raging stream. To be sure. To no longer feel the painful loneliness in which she was literally drowning. The wandering Soma users only just managed to save the village before it was completely overwhelmed. And say goodbye to the beautiful and unhappy Marin…
He didn't believe a single word! His Paraiba... His beloved Paraiba couldn't do such a thing! She would never flee her obligations by committing suicide. And especially she would never put her people in danger! He believed in her with all his heart. A heart torn in agony by the loss of an already impossible love.
"No…" was all he could say. Strangled. Not in his own voice. Shaking his head.
A lump in his throat made it hard to breathe, and tears choked him. A single half-step was incredibly difficult. And all for the sake of falling to his knees and screaming hysterically into the sky, scaring all the birds around and striking terror into the hearts of people. Because through it, Chalcedony's pain, his anger, and his encroaching madness were all too clearly felt.
Suddenly he jumped up, throwing everyone out of his way, grabbed his beloved by the shoulders and began shaking her, as if trying to wake her up.
"Wake up! Please, wake up! You have to open your eyes! I beg you!" he cried through his tears.
Anyone who dared to try to reason with him or stop him, he drove away with a painful blow, not skimping on using Soma. Eventually, his strength quickly waned. All he could only hold the cold, lifeless body to his chest and stroke its tangled hair.
"Who?" Chalcedony asked, his voice weak but level and stern. "Who did this?" he asked, his voice laced with nascent hatred. "Who did this!?" he raised his voice threateningly.
No one dared speak. Fear and sadness enveloped everyone's hearts. It took Cassidy a moment to step forward and repeat her words:
"Lady did it herself."
"And you expect me to believe that!?" Chalcedony pointed the tip of his spear at her, burning with killing intent.
"It's the truth. And it won't change even if you kill me."
All that remained was emptiness. Chalcedony was persuaded to leave and no longer disturb Lady Paraiba's peace. He wandered around the area all night without stopping for a second. He shuffled his feet, stumbled, even fell, but still walked on, not looking anywhere, only at his own feet. Seeing nothing but emptiness. How he found himself at the lock by dawn, he himself could not say. And it didn't matter. He stood in the same spot where the now-dead Paraiba had fallen. And for some reason, it was so easy to imagine the beautiful girl falling backwards, her hands reaching up toward him. Calling. Smiling sadly, Chalcedony answered the call…
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