-Lv3-
Ryan dreamt that he was trapped in a vast, endless darkness, a place with no end in sight, only memories that shattered before him like broken shards of glass. He saw himself as a child—innocent and small, caught in the unending arguments between his parents. Back then, he hid in his room, believing that if he stayed out of sight, everything would settle down on its own. But that was a mistake!
Then came the time when his mother remarried, and Ryan tried to bond with the new stepfather, hoping that his family could be whole again. But instead, it only led his mother into the arms of an abusive man. Ryan thought that this time, he would stand his ground. He faced the truth head-on. But that, too, was a mistake… A mistake that made his mother bear the brunt of the wrath instead of him, leaving her once again a single parent.
Ryan sank to the ground, the memories crashing over him like waves, drowning him in an abyss of regret. The wrong decisions continued to spiral, an endless loop of failure. And now, was he repeating them? Had his leadership pushed the entire group toward death?
Ryan sat there, his shoulders trembling, his mind clouded in the darkness. The wrong choices continued to haunt him, like ghosts that never left, carving into his soul. He had always chosen wrong, time and time again. He wanted to run, to escape it all. But then, a familiar voice pierced the gloom, strong and unyielding, pulling him from his endless nightmare.
Sacium: "You're scared, aren't you, you coward?"
Ryan jerked his head up, his confused eyes meeting Sacium's. Behind him, light spilled like a warrior's aura, unyielding and fierce.
Sacium: "Tired? Bullshit! You're not tired, you're just scared!"
Ryan: "I—"
Sacium: "Shut up! I don't have time for your whining. You're cowering like a dog with its tail between its legs, sitting there, crying about the past! Everyone makes bad decisions, you think I haven't? You think I'm so perfect I've never done something stupid?"
Ryan: "But—"
Sacium: "But what? Shut your damn mouth! Listen here, you idiot! If you keep sitting there and crying, we're all gonna die! The whole team is counting on you, and here you are, shriveling up like a coward. I thought you had more guts than that."
Ryan clenched his fists, a fire igniting within him. He wasn't angry at Sacium—he was angry at himself. Angry for being weak. Angry for letting fear consume him. He gritted his teeth, rising to his feet.
Ryan: "...Enough."
Sacium: "Hmph, at least you still have a bit of spirit. Now, get back out there and fight, kid!"