Ever since waking up in this world and awakening the system, the person Adria had spoken to the most, visited the most on the server, and relied on for the longest time was Forgelet.

He had spent enough time with her, whether chatting or sitting inside her workshop, to understand the kind of person she was.

Someone calm and composed. Someone who always had a plan.

She was a brilliant inventor, capable of predicting danger and preparing the perfect countermeasure before disaster could even arrive.

Until now, she had always been the confident figure who never showed even the slightest hint of nervousness, even when the world itself stood on the verge of collapse.

But the girl before him now carried no resemblance to that person anymore.

Her shoulders had fallen. Her eyes were red. Grief lingered across her expression, while helplessness clung to her entire demeanor.

She sat there silently, surrounded by something he was all too familiar with.

Hopelessness.

They were currently in the garden of his mansion.

The moment the system notified them that Forgelet was arriving, he, alongside Annabelle and Ariana, immediately came here where she could teleport safely without issue.

And ever since arriving, Forgelet hadn’t spoken a single word. She merely sat there quietly with her knees pulled close to her chest and her eyes lowered to the ground.

The three of them couldn’t bring themselves to speak either.

The last time Ariana had seen her, Forgelet had been like a bouncing ball of energy, always smiling whenever she spoke.

Annabelle remembered her the same way as well. A girl overflowing with endless energy and almost unnatural optimism woven into every word she said.

But now...

It was as if they were witnessing the other side of her. The side she had always hidden away and suppressed, only for it to finally surface now that everything had fallen apart.

Adrian finally moved closer to the giant dwarf.

He gently extended both hands and rested them over hers.

"Anything I say right now would only sound like shallow comfort, not something capable of truly healing you, Evilyn. Because when a crisis falls upon someone, only they can truly understand how painful it is and how difficult it becomes to crawl out of that darkness."

Taking a slow breath, he continued,

"However...there is one thing I genuinely feel right now. Relief. I am relieved that I didn’t lose my dear friend today, Evilyn."

Her body trembled faintly.

Moisture gathered in her eyes once more as her lips quivered.

"But...at what cost?" she whispered. "I lost everything...everyone I held dear."

The grief in her voice was far too deep for words alone to convey. What happened had utterly shattered her.

Adrian spoke calmly,

"I understand that you’ve lost your people, and I know you’re blaming yourself for it. But just for a moment...please think about them. Think about the people you lost today, their ambitions, their intentions...I want you to remember what they always wished for and what they expected from you."

Evilyn quietly pursed her lips.

Adrian continued,

"They trusted you, Evilyn. That’s why they stayed by your side until the very end. They protected you with their lives because they believed that if anyone could protect their families...their people...it would be you."

Then, in a softer voice, he added,

"They trusted you, Evilyn. So please...don’t lose hope here."

Evilyn remained silent, but her trembling shoulders already revealed the storm inside her.

She remembered the words she had heard when she announced the approaching danger.

Not a single person walked away, even after learning that Nytharos was targeting their workshop.

They all believed in her.

They believed she would find a solution somehow. That she would guide them through the disaster like she always had.

Those trusting eyes...

Even in death, Michael never doubted her.

She had been their hope.

The hope of that world.

But even after understanding her role...whenever she thought about everything she had lost...

"Hic...Adrian...I can’t stop crying...please help me..."

Adrian smiled faintly before his body slowly levitated upward.

Stopping before her, he wrapped his arms around her head in a gentle embrace.

"It’s okay to cry, Evilyn. It’s okay to let go," he whispered warmly.

And those words...

That warmth...

It became the final push that shattered the restraint she had desperately been holding onto.

Then they heard it.

Her wailing.

A raw, heartfelt cry that laid her soul bare. Tears overflowing with grief, memories, pain, and helplessness.

Annabelle and Ariana silently wept off to the side as well while listening to her cries.

Sometimes, even the warmest souls need the warmth of someone else to keep going.

Sometimes, the person carrying the answer to everyone’s problems also needs rest...comfort...someone to hold them together when they begin to break apart.

Loss was a part of life.

And tears helped carry its weight.

....

After crying for some time, Evilyn fell asleep while sitting in the garden.

Adrian created a barrier around her, and eased her body down so she could lay on the ground.

He took out several blankets and covers and draped it over her.

Sleeping there, she looked so innocent and relieved that Ariana and Annabelle stood there watching her.

Adrian then asked, "Dear, can you make something for her when she wakes up?"

Ariana instantly nodded, "Yes, sure. I will go bring some ingredients first."

Adrian smiled and said, "You won’t find anything at this hour. I have some meat in the store, so see if you can do anything with it."

It was quite late, past midnight so no shop would be offering anything.

Adrian took out the small ration he always carries.

Meat, grains, vegetables and some fruits.

Ariana said, "This is actually more than enough. I will make something."

She carried the stuff in her arms before moving inside.

Annabelle remained silently standing there, watching Evilyn.

Adrian approached her and hugged her shoulder.

Annabelle was broken out of her daze before she heard him asking, "Are you okay?"

Annabelle sighed and said, "...just when I think my hatred towards Nytharos is unjustified, he gives me another reason to persist with my opinion."

Adrian sighed, "Well, we know that there are fragments of that being who still hold that evil essence."

However, what exactly did Nytharos do to break Evilyn like this?