The Infinite Night

Tassa sat on a large boulder near the edge of a cliff, looking out at the vast and intimidating waves crashing below. Thick clouds covered the sky, hiding any trace of sunlight or warmth. As she stared into the distance, she listened to the loud splashes of the waves echoing in her ears. Slowly, Tassa stood up and placed a hand on her chest, feeling the weight of her emotions. The strong wind blew her hair across her face, but she paid no attention to it. With a somber expression, she stared straight ahead and swallowed hard. “Someone once told me that the reason seawater is salty is because it is made from the tears of people who endlessly cry, grieve, and suffer,” Tassa murmured. A tear slipped from her eye and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away and gave a bitter smile. “And now, I have become one of them,” she added sadly. It had been two years since it all began two years since the events that had brought her to this lonely cliff. CHAPTER 1: THE HOSTAGE AND THE FUGITIVE Tassa was an eighteen-year-old blind woman who was trying to escape from the hospital. She wore a nurse's uniform as a disguise, and her hair was neatly tied in a bun, making her look like a real nurse. Carefully, she made her way through the crowd. People were running toward the hospital while others whispered about something she couldn't understand. Even though she didn't know what was happening, she clenched her fists and continued walking. She didn't want to go back inside. Suddenly, a criminal spotted her. He noticed her nurse uniform and immediately thought she could be useful. Pointing a gun at the crowd, he forced everyone to move aside before grabbing Tassa and using her as a hostage. Tassa remained calm. "Don't do it," she said quietly. "Not in front of everyone." The criminal frowned. "Who are you talking to?" A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Can't tell you. My mother taught me not to talk to strangers." The man laughed. "Can you talk to my gun?" Tassa tilted her head. "No. Can you?" Before he could answer, police officers arrived and surrounded them. "Put the gun down and surrender!" one officer shouted. The criminal smirked and pressed the gun closer to Tassa. "If any of you come closer, I'll kill this nurse." At that moment, a Grim Reaper named Ayamani appeared nearby. "I'll handle him," Ayamani said. "And I'll protect her." Standing among the officers was a man named Xart. Tassa immediately recognized him. "Xart!" she called. The officer froze but didn't turn around. "Look at me!" she pleaded. Ayamani sighed. "That's not him." But Tassa shook her head. "It is him. I know his posture, his scent, his voice. I know everything about him." Even Ayamani couldn't deny it. The officer was indeed Xart. Yet Xart refused to acknowledge her. The criminal grew irritated. "Shut up!" Tassa glared at him. "You shut up." Meanwhile, Xart lowered his cap and quietly ordered the officers to let the criminal escape with Tassa. When one officer objected, Xart used hypnosis on him. "She's a civilian," Xart said coldly. "I won't let anyone harm her." The hypnotized officer collapsed unconscious. Without another glance at Tassa, Xart turned away. "Wait for me, Quart," he whispered. "I'll save you. I promise." The criminal dragged Tassa into the forest behind the hospital. Unknown to him, Xart had already ordered Ayamani to follow them, kill the criminal if necessary, and bring Tassa back safely. **In the woods** Nia'le dragged Tassa through the forest while clutching the wound on his shoulder. His grip on her wrist was firm as he pulled her along. Every now and then, he glanced behind them to check if the police were still chasing them. "They're probably gone by now," he muttered. Tassa rolled her eyes. "No, they're not." Nia'le frowned. "And how would you know?" "We're still close to the hospital. If Xart wanted to catch us, he could have done it already." The mention of Xart annoyed him. "Not this Xart nonsense again." "It's not nonsense." "Wizard nonsense, then." "He is a wizard." "There's no such thing as wizards. Demons, maybe. But not wizards." Tassa sighed. "Believe whatever you want." A moment later, she stumbled over a large tree root. Before she could fall, Nia'le caught her by the arms. For a second, he froze. She was beautiful. The realization caught him off guard. Tassa tilted her head. "You can let go now." Nia'le immediately released her and looked away. "Seriously? At a time like this, couldn't you see the huge root on the ground?" Nia'le asked. He looked back at her and noticed she was staring in the wrong direction. Thinking she was ignoring him, he frowned. "I'm talking to you." Tassa looked to her left. Nia'le became irritated. "I'm on your right." Tassa folded her arms and snorted. "How despicable. Of course I can't see you. I'm blind, haven't you noticed?" "Can't tell by looking," Nia'le replied. "Are you deaf? I already told you I can't see." Nia'le glared at her. He was already starting to hate her attitude. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her along. "Hey! Be gentle!" Tassa complained. But Nia'le ignored her and continued leading her away. --- Without realizing it, they had traveled almost 500 kilometers away from the hospital. A powerful magic covered the area. The moment they stepped into it, they were instantly teleported to another location. Tassa felt the magic brushing against her skin. "Did you feel that?" she asked. "Feel what?" Nia'le replied. "The magic." Nia'le rolled his eyes. "I don't know anything about your obsession with magic and wizards." Then he hurriedly dragged her toward a large abandoned mansion. As soon as they entered, Nia'le headed straight for a cabinet. "I haven't been here for almost a year," he said. "But I think the medicine should still be fine." He checked the labels and expiration dates before gathering everything he needed. Then he placed the supplies on the center table in the living room. Finally, he sat on an old couch and looked at Tassa. "Alright. Heal me." Tassa let out a sarcastic laugh. "Heh." She raised a hand near her mouth and smiled mockingly. "What makes you think I can help you?" she asked. Nia'le frowned. "You're a nurse. Of course you can help me. That's the whole reason I took you hostage in the first pla—" Suddenly, he froze. "Don't tell me..." "I'm not a nurse," Tassa interrupted. She stood up straight and pointed in the wrong direction. "I only wore this uniform because I wanted to escape that horrible hospital." "I'm on your right, b***h!" Nia'le snapped. Tassa turned toward the right but still missed where he was standing. Nia'le simply rolled his eyes. "Well," Tassa continued, "I was about to escape successfully until you showed up and made me your hostage." "Yeah," Nia'le groaned. "One of the biggest mistakes of my life, believe me." Tassa took a deep breath and slowly walked toward him. Nia'le watched her suspiciously. "What are you doing?" Tassa didn't answer. She sat on the floor in front of him and reached for his arm. Nia'le quickly pulled it away. "What are you doing?" he asked again. "I'm doing exactly what you wanted me to do," she replied. "Helping you." Nia'le looked doubtful. "You're blind. How are you supposed to find my wounds?" Tassa smiled. Without warning, she pressed one of the wounds on his arm. "AAH!" Nia'le nearly jumped from the couch. Tassa smiled sweetly. "Like that. Now I know where one of your wounds is." Nia'le grabbed his arm and glared at her. "No s**t, Sherlock! I have seven wounds. Don't tell me you're planning to press all of them just to find where they are." Tassa sighed. "I may be blind, but at least I'm not as stupid as you." She crossed her arms. "Just tell me where your wounds are, and I'll heal them for you, you dumbhead."