“...Souls...I need more…souls…”
        “A shadow stood on a pile of corpses holding two skulls, panting while murmuring the same line repeatedly. Followed by a Combatant, Nightfall Savant clapped as he walked towards Todd. He exclaimed joyously, ‘Bravo! You're the best killing machine!’ ‘Souls…’ Todd looked at Nightfall Savant and threw away the skulls. He sprinted towards Nightfall Savant at the speed of light. When Todd was about to reach Nightfall Savant, he was clutched by a giant palm so tight he could not move an inch.
        At that moment, Nightfall Savant stepped up to Todd, who was shrouded in purple mist and then lost his consciousness. He felt his broken heart healing. ‘Rest well...You’re going to fight for us tomorrow…’ Nightfall Savant’s voice faded away. Suddenly, Todd had a vision revealed by elemental power…
        Todd sat at his desk, preparing documents for the consultations tomorrow. The pile of reports on his desk towered towards the ceiling. His hands scribbled continuously. Suddenly, someone was knocking. As Todd opened the door, a girl hugged him before he could react. Lucy’s smell, Lucy’s voice, Lucy’s body...Todd’s lover had finally returned to him.
        ‘Sorry...I...I…’ Lucy sobbed, unable to speak.
        After Lucy’s departure, Todd dreamed about her coming back countless times. He tried not to count the days since Lucy had left. Days without her were intolerable—eventually his long wait was rewarded, but he was at a loss what to do. Finally, he hugged her and said, ‘I love you.’ The words soothed the grief and sorrow that had been clouding his life for a long time.
        Todd and Lucy never spoke about what had happened during their separation. Lucy’s belly grew larger as the days went by. Todd could not wait to meet their tiny baby. He thought that this was the kind life he had dreamed of, but these happy days only lasted until his daughter arrived…
        Todd and Lucy were excited about The birth of their daughter, who had already prepared a room and all types of clothing for her. However, Todd felt something was off whenever he looked at his daughter’s radiant smile — she did not resemble Lucy nor himself. Rather, she had the eyes of the man who had abandoned Lucy. To wash away these terrible thoughts, he immersed himself in work to anesthetize his aching heart. Lucy had no choice but to take care of the housework and their daughter.
        One day, Todd had more patients than usual. He had to work overtime until midnight. He walked through the corridor and found Lucy sitting in the living room.
        ‘You’ve been coming home late almost every night,’ said Lucy emotionlessly.
        ‘Like I said, work has been overwhelming lately. I hate coming back late as much as you do,’ replied Todd coldly.
        ‘Like hell you do...The truth is you’ve grown tired of me.’ Lucy responded in anger.
        ‘I never said that.’ Weariness got the better of Todd. He turned around only to be seized by Lucy. ‘But you sure thought of it! You’re not so different from the other men after all...Love is just a game to you!’ ‘I’m the one who got betrayed! That girl doesn’t look like me at all!’ Todd’s suppressed emotions exploded. He could not help roaring at Lucy. Lucy was stunned, with a painful look in her eyes. Todd realized he had said something he shouldn’t have. He wanted to apologize, but Lucy didn’t want to listen. She ran into another room and slammed the door.
        Since that day, things had changed between Todd and Lucy. Without laughter, the house was shrouded in silence. Not a word was spoken during dinner. Their eyes never met. Having dinner together became merely a habit. At that moment, Todd still believed time would heal their relationship. One day, Todd came home and found a bulky luggage lying in the doorway. Lucy was packing up her belongings, preparing to move out with their daughter.
        ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ asked Todd in a quivering voice.
        ‘’I’m moving out with my daughter.’ Lucy did not make any eye contact with Todd. She held her daughter in one arm and lifted the luggage with the other, ready to step out of the door but was seized by Todd. ‘Wait! Let's at least try to talk this out?’ ‘I understand what you think about me and my daughter. We’ve got nothing left to talk about.’ ‘I was just being sentimental!’ ‘Whatever. We’re done. Just let us go, okay? Do what’s best for both you and me.’ Lucy struggled to free herself from Todd’s clutch, but Todd seized her tighter, using every ounce of his strength. He knew if he let go, he would lose Lucy and his daughter forever and their blissful days would never return.
        Trying to pull away, Lucy accidentally lost her grip, dropping her daughter to the ground. Bang! The baby girl stopped crying and became completely silent. Lucy was in consternation. ‘O-oh, god…’ She swiftly picked up her daughter; the baby girl was not breathing. Blood flowed out of her ears, eyes, and tiny mouth. Death had descended without warning. Lucy began wailing as she pointed her finger at Todd and screamed, ‘You killed her! You murderer!’
        The bereaved Lucy hobbled to the kitchen. She grabbed a knife and limped towards Todd. ‘I won’t let you kill me! I won’t die like this!’ Then she thrust the knife towards Todd viciously! Todd clutched her wrist promptly. At that moment, Lucy frowned painfully. He loosened his hold and stepped back. The next thing he knew, the knife was dee[ in Lucy’s chest...
        Todd hugged Lucy as she slumped down, and her body turned cold. The series of unfortunate events pushed Todd into madness. He pulled the knife from Lucy’s chest and beheaded his wife and daughter. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll protect both of you...We’ll never be separated from each other again…’
        “The three of us will stick together forever...I couldn’t live in a world without Lucy and my daughter….Happiness exists only if we stay together…”
