A shattered heart.

The flames had long since died down, leaving only smoldering embers where the pyre once stood. The square, now empty and silent, bore the scars of the night's violence—blood staining the cobblestones, bodies lying where they had fallen. But none of it registered with me. My world had narrowed to a single point, a single spot on the ground where the love of my life had been consumed by fire.

I knelt there, the cold seeping into my bones, but I didn't care. My heart felt as though it had been torn from my chest, leaving behind nothing but an empty void. I had failed her. I had failed Elaine.

The weight of that failure crushed me, driving me to my knees as I stared at the charred remains of the pyre. My vision blurred with unshed tears, the world around me fading away until all that remained was the image of Elaine, her face etched in my mind—her eyes filled with fear, her body engulfed in flames.

A choked sob escaped my lips, the sound raw and broken. How could this have happened? How could I have let this happen? She had saved me, given me a reason to keep going, and in return, I had let her die.

I closed my eyes, the memories of our time together flooding back, each one a painful reminder of what I had lost. The way she had smiled at me, the sound of her laughter, the warmth of her touch—all of it was gone, taken from me in a moment of unimaginable cruelty.

And then, as if to twist the knife even deeper, a memory surfaced—one that I had forgotten, buried deep in the recesses of my mind.

It was late at night, and I had fallen asleep in the small cottage we shared. I was exhausted, my body still recovering from the wounds I had sustained in the battle. Elaine had insisted I rest, her concern for me evident in the way she had cared for me, tended to my injuries.

I remembered the softness of the bed, the warmth of the blankets, and the way Elaine had sat beside me, watching over me as I drifted off to sleep. I had felt safe, comforted by her presence.

But now, as the memory played out in my mind, I realized there was more to it—something I hadn't noticed before, something that had been lost in the haze of sleep.

I saw her lean in close, her hand gently brushing a strand of hair from my forehead. Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, as she spoke words meant only for my sleeping ears.

"I wish I could tell you that I love you," she had said, her voice trembling with emotion.

My heart lurched at the memory, the pain of it nearly overwhelming. How had I not known? How had I not seen the depth of her feelings, the love she had kept hidden from me?

The weight of her words crashed over me, a tidal wave of grief and regret that left me gasping for breath. She had loved me, and now she was gone—taken from me before I could even tell her that I felt the same.

I let out a scream, a raw, anguished sound that echoed through the empty square. The name of the one who had betrayed me, the one who had orchestrated this nightmare, tore from my lips—a name filled with venom and hatred.

"Rendell!"

As the last echoes of my scream faded into the night, something inside me shattered. The man I had been—the man who had dreams, who had loved, who had hoped—died in that moment, leaving behind only a shell, hollow and empty.

I felt the change begin, a cold darkness spreading through me, seeping into my very soul. My hair, once a vibrant shade of yellow, darkened, turning black as the night around me. My eyes, once filled with life, became dead, devoid of any warmth or light.

I was no longer the Reimer Rose who had dreamed of a future filled with love and happiness. That man was gone, burned away in the flames that had taken Elaine from me.

In his place stood someone new—someone forged in pain and loss, driven by a single purpose: revenge.

I rose to my feet, my body trembling with the effort, but the weakness was gone, replaced by a cold, unyielding determination. I would make them pay—all of them. The one who had betrayed me, the soldiers who had taken Elaine's life—they would all suffer for what they had done.

And when it was over, when I had avenged her, there would be nothing left of me. Nothing but the ashes of a man who had once been whole, who had once loved, and who had lost everything.

I turned away from the pyre, my mind already racing with plans, with thoughts of how I would track them down, how I would make them pay. The night was cold, the air biting against my skin, but I felt nothing. The fire that had burned in my heart was gone, replaced by a darkness that consumed everything in its path.

I would find him and I would destroy him. And when it was done, when I had nothing left to live for, I would join Elaine in whatever world lay beyond this one.

But until then, I would be their worst nightmare.