Chapter 11: The World After the Eclipse

The sun rose slowly over the half-destroyed land of Seorigol.

The long and endless night brought by the eclipse was finally over. The thick darkness slipped away into corners and cracks, chased by the soft light from the eastern sky.

Blood was everywhere. So were bodies. And broken debris. The final chapter of the prologue, the eclipse, was thus drawing to a close, asserting what the dark fantasy genre was all about.

“Are you okay?”

In front of me, Grandma Ellara lay still. Her body was growing cold. The final shockwave from the Whispering Horror had been too much for her old body to handle.

“How could I be okay?” she replied, her voice colder than her skin. That tone of hers—I had grown used to it. But oddly, there was a small smile on her face. She didn’t look like she was in pain. She looked… satisfied. Seeing that, I tried to speak to her the same way she always spoke to me.

“What are you smiling about?”
“Heh heh. Is that something you say to a dying old woman?”
“Well, since your life is flashing before your eyes anyway, why not tell me about it?”
She looked at me like I was crazy—then laughed, even through the blood on her lips.
“You really have changed.”

And then, for the first time, Ellara told me everything. She told me about being an assassin for the Blackwood Guild. About the secret missions only they would know. About the one mission that went horribly wrong, where she broke a seal and caused the deaths of many.

“…I’ve spent my whole life just running away,” she said.

She had always run from her past. She thought she could find peace in a quiet village like Seorigol. But even here, she never truly felt safe. She had only planned to live in silence… and die the same way. That’s what she had thought.

“You changed,” she said, looking into my eyes. “Ian Darkest. You and I are opposites.”

“Well, there’s the age gap, for one.”

She laughed again, though blood still spilled from her mouth. I moved to help her, but she shook her head slowly. It was clear: she just wanted me to listen.

“I caused a disaster… and ran. I even took in a young girl, Anya, to feel better about myself. But you? You did nothing wrong, and still, you chose to stay and fight. You didn’t even try to run.”

She gave a faint smile.

“So… I thought I’d fight too. And dying like this… feels better than running.”
Her voice was getting quieter.
“Anya… please take care of her…”
Her final wish. I nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll keep my promise.”

Thud.

Her head tilted gently to the side. Her breath stopped. The woman who had lived her life in shadows had fought to protect someone. And for the first time, she died with dignity.

I closed her eyes.

I didn’t cry.

I didn’t feel sad in the way I expected.

I felt… numb. Her death felt important. But it also reminded me how cruel this world was. Here, death could happen anytime. And when it does, it doesn’t wait or ask questions. In this world… every ending begins with someone dying.

We made small graves on one side of Seorigol.

One for Grandma Ellara. Others for the soldiers of the Darkest family who died protecting the fief during the eclipse. The funeral was simple. But the people mourned with full hearts.

Especially Anya, who stayed by Ellara’s grave for three days without leaving, crying quietly the whole time. I stayed back and watched it all. Her death was sad. The soldiers’ deaths were painful too. But strangely, a part of me was calm.

Because this is Tales of Legend.

Whether I came here from another life, or whether I’m using memories from some game system—it doesn’t matter. That won’t change the truth of this world.

It’s a dark fantasy. People die all the time.

Bad things happen all the time. And there’s no promise of a happy ending. Even I could end up buried in one of these graves.

Weakness is a sin. Being too relaxed means you’ll die.
I stood in front of Ellara’s grave and made a promise to myself.
I will survive.
I will protect the people I care about.
To do that, I have to grow stronger.
And I will make Seorigol stronger too.

“…My lord.”
Kaelen walked up beside me. His arm was bandaged, and his face looked healthier. The strange madness from before must have disappeared with the death of the Whispering Horror.

“We need to return to the main house.”
“You’re calling me ‘my lord’ now?”

He flinched. “Keuk—” He coughed and quickly changed the subject.
“The soldiers… most of them didn’t make it. I survived. But I had to bury more than half of them.”
His voice was heavy.
“I’ll have to report all of this to the family head.”

I looked at him carefully. Depending on what he told them, my relationship with the Darkest family could fall apart—or take a strange new turn. If they blamed me for the losses…

“To be honest, I hated you,” Kaelen said. “You were always sulking. Weak. Full of self-pity. I couldn’t stand it.” He paused.
“But after this… I see you differently. You’re not the weak illegitimate son I thought you were.”
“Thanks for the kind words.”
“I’m not praising you,” he said. “Just being honest.”
He looked at me with something new in his eyes. Maybe respect. “But listen carefully. The person I serve… is still Sir Lionel Darkest.” And with that, he walked away.
“Take care of yourself.”

The rest of the soldiers followed behind him. As I watched them go, I thought about Kaelen’s last words. He acknowledged me… but he was still loyal to someone else. I had no idea how he would explain things to the family.

I’ll worry about that later.

Right now, there were more important things.

One of them: the strange memories that came back during the battle. When time stopped… I had expected to see Rinea Yudit. She’s a powerful 5-star hero with control over time. But instead, it was Grandma Ellara who appeared. After that, I saw no sign of Rinea.

Did she stop time across the whole western region with a giant spell?

Only an anomaly should be able to do that. But it was still more believable than thinking Rinea remembered me. In this world, when time resets, everyone forgets. I couldn’t sit around hoping she’d come. There was another big question on my mind:

Why did the Whispering Horror appear here?

My head was clearer now. The memories were coming back.
Whispering Horror.
Anomaly, Danger Level B.
Usually only shows up during the eclipse in 5-star or higher fiefs—like cities. But Seorigol wasn’t even close to that level. Why had such a monster appeared here? I didn’t know. But I would find out—eventually. In the meantime, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cold, hard object.

The Eye of Nightmare.

A rare item. In the game, the drop rate was terrible. I was lucky to get it. Along with it, there were many Chaos Crystals left by monsters during the eclipse. Most were low-grade, but I had a lot of them. If I used or sold them well, they could help rebuild the fief.

A good starting fund for my investment plans, I thought.

I looked out over the land. Seorigol was damaged—but something had changed. I had survived. And I had a chance to become strong. The eclipse was only the prologue. But maybe I’d already overcome the hardest part.

Accepting that this world is dark—and living with that truth. So many players in the game had died because they failed to accept that. I looked up at the clear, peaceful sky. It looked like nothing had ever happened.

That night, I quietly left the citadel and walked toward the graves under the moonlight. The dirt was still fresh, shining faintly.

Near Ellara’s grave, I saw a small shape. Anya.

She was curled up in a shallow hole, hugging her knees and crying softly. Just like she had the past few days. I sat down beside her, saying nothing. Normally, she would’ve noticed me right away—tail raised, alert. But not now. She was too lost in grief.

Time passed.

I pulled out a piece of hard bread and a small bottle of water, placing them gently in front of her.

“…Eat.”

She didn’t move.

“Grandma Ellara… wouldn’t want you to starve.”

Her shoulders shook. She raised her head slowly. Her eyes were red and swollen. She looked at me, then at the bread. Carefully, with one hand, she picked it up and took a bite.

We sat there in silence. She ate slowly, stopping now and then to cry. And I stayed with her. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t try to comfort her. I was just there—someone who shared her grief.

As the eastern sky began to brighten, Anya finished the last bite. She had stopped crying. Her eyes were still sad—but something else was there too.
I stood up and offered my hand.
She paused.
Then, slowly, reached out and took it.
I helped her to her feet.

──────────
▶ A new bond has been formed: Anya
— Potential: ★★★★★+
— Current State: Unstable (Loss of guardian)
──────────

The next morning, just as we crossed the gate of the fief, someone came riding up fast on horseback.

“Hah… hah… Hey!”

The man was panting heavily, cloak flying behind him. His uniform had the seal of the Empire Imperial Academy.

“Are you Sir Ian Darkest?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
He pulled a scroll from his pouch and handed it to me.
“This is an urgent message from the Academy!
All students are ordered to return immediately!”
I opened the scroll.
The message was short and serious.
An emergency summons.
The reason wasn’t written—but I could guess.
The eclipse.

It hadn’t just happened in Seorigol. The whole continent must’ve been affected. I took a deep breath, still holding the letter. Beside me, Anya tugged at my clothes, looking nervous.

The story after the eclipse…
The real dark fantasy…
It was just beginning.