Bonds of Darkness: Swordmen's Redemption

Chapter Fifty-Nine: I Am You

"Why falter? You, who have been given everything, do not deserve to."

"You, who shall not be named, have failed. Why persist? Realization should come that you ought to be grateful for this being your end. What falls is you, your very existence."

"That isn't nice."

"Your adherence to what you proclaim as niceness—pray tell, why has he failed?"

"..."

"What if we give him another chance?"

"Many opportunities were mismanaged, poor decisions made."

"I can do it. I can show him the Path."

"..."

"Beauty will always reveal their Paths."

"..."

"And Equilibrium shall judge them."

---

Once again, he found himself enveloped by the darkness that had greeted him upon his first awakening in this surreal realm. This void, where the essence of his soul had entwined so intimately with the Abyss, now reflected his own transformation—once a pure entity, now smudged by corruption, his being had merged into something far more complex, darker, and arguably more potent. He was a changed entity, a force that bore the enigmatic depths of the Abyss within, symbolizing a profound and irreversible metamorphosis.

Ah, yes, he remembered with a flicker of clarity through the gloom—that was him, now merely a pitiful shadow of a man. His soul, aimlessly wandering the void, awaited the trials that would determine his fate. Would he be granted entrance into Nirvana, he wondered?

"No."

Startled by the interruption, his soul spun in a wispy turn to face the imposing figure that loomed large over him, its singular eye piercing through him with the intricate judgment of Equilibrium. Recognition dawned grimly upon him.

"HooH," he whispered, his voice bearing a spectral quality, as if speaking was an unnatural act in the presence of such a judge.

The deity did not respond verbally; its massive eye continued to scrutinize him, a silent sentinel judging his every misdeed.

Indeed, he had faltered often. Gifted with myriad opportunities by the Aeons, he had squandered them all, ensnared by his own hubris.

"Indeed, Y/N. Your pride has blinded you. The illusion of godhood you cling to has not strengthened you; it has revealed your frailty. Do you believe their blessings have fortified you? No, you remain weak," HooH declared, its voice booming across the expanse, echoing against the fabric of his soul.

Y/N remained silent, absorbing the harsh truth of HooH's words. Yet, freed from the malevolent influence of IX, he felt the burgeoning of empathy and sympathy within his soul, emotional capacities that allowed him to view his situation more logically and hopefully.

"But I have grown strong; my powers have even challenged the Great Ones!" he protested, clinging to the evidence of his supposed strength.

However, an unexpected heaviness pressed down upon him, not with the brute force of physical weight but with a more profound, symbolic burden.