Ballo: "Now, close your eyes... and focus."

  Virno: "Focus?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Release me, old man! You tricked me into this!"

  Virno struggled furiously against the magical shackles binding him, but the more he resisted, the tighter the restraints became. His muscles locked into place, and his body stiffened like a statue. Before long, even the smallest motion became impossible. Only his eyes darted wildly, searching for some means of escape.

  Ballo: "Silence, Virno... The more you fight, the worse it gets."

  Virno opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out. His jaw refused to move, his lips frozen shut. A creeping heaviness descended upon him, and even his eyelids drooped against his will. His skin prickled, becoming hyper-sensitive to every shift in the air around him.

  Ballo: "You will not see, you will not hear, and you will not move... But you will *feel*."

  From the glowing sigil hovering above his forehead, a single droplet of water formed and fell squarely onto Virno's head. It was as cold as ice, sharper than steel, and the impact sent a shockwave of searing pain through his entire body. It coursed from his skull to his toes, each nerve alive with excruciating clarity.

  Ballo: "Almost all of your senses have been shut off now. Only touch remains, and it has been heightened to an unbearable degree. The slightest contact feels like a dagger piercing your skin. Each breath, a fresh agony. Though your body is safe, your mind..."

  He paused ominously.

  Ballo: "... It is not."

  Virno's ears rang as his hearing began to fade, Ballo's voice growing muffled before finally disappearing altogether. His world collapsed into silence. Alone in the suffocating blackness of his own mind, Virno's heightened sensitivity magnified the irregular splashes of gelid droplets that fell onto his forehead. Each one was a hammer blow of agony, shattering any fleeting hope for peace.

  Ballo: "Focus, Virno. Focus, or your mind will break!"

  The words echoed faintly in Virno's memory, but he was no longer sure if they were real. The pain warped time, stretching moments into eternities. Desperation replaced anger, and soon even coherent thought was consumed by the rhythm of pain and silence.

  Then, came the voice.

  Greed: "Snap out of it. You're pathetic...!"

  The sudden intrusion jarred Virno. Though he recognized the voice, it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. His panicked gaze flicked downward. The ground beneath him was transparent, like glass, and through it, he saw a figure staring back.

  It resembled himself.

  Greed: "I thought you were better than this."

  The other Virno crouched, his hand reaching up through the glass as it bends and twists allowing for his arm to pass through. His fingers curled tightly around Virno's ankle, and with a violent yank, he pulls Virno through the transparent floor and into his domain.

  As he makes it to the other side, Virno sees what he couldn't from behind the transparent yet elusive glass: the Cradle of the World. The buoyant water, the dark skyscrapers... He was back. But, he was still not himself... Not fully. He struggled to move, his limbs trembling with a terror that he couldn't explain.

  Greed: "Back here already, huh...? Were you so desperate to return?"

  Greed stood before him, the dark water lapping at his feet as though repelled by his presence. Virno opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He clutched at his throat, but there was no obstruction.

  Greed: "Last time I pulled that kind of trick on you, you sliced your own head off. Why are you quaking in your boots this time?"

  Virno's heart raced. This time, there was no clear enemy, no physical threat to face. The fear gnawed at him, nameless and intangible.

  Greed: "... Hmph. Who did this to you?"

  Greed's glowing green eyes bored into him, sharp and unrelenting. He knew -- somehow, he already knew Virno had been subjected to someone else's will.

  Greed: "You're afraid, and you have no idea what to make of that. Haven't you been through enough to know better...?"

  In one swift motion, Greed grabbed Virno by the collar, yanking him close until their faces were mere inches apart.

  Greed: "He who lets fear steer the ship..."

  His eyes flared brighter, their green blinding light piercing Virno's own gaze.

  Greed: "...Ensures he crashes on the shores of his nightmares."

  As Greed utters these words, he holds Virno using his outstretched arm. From the water beneath his feet, a large building surfaces, erupting from the depths of the black river. Standing at its corner, Greed held Virno by the scruff of his collar, dangling him over the abyss.

  Greed: "Look down, would you?"

  Virno's stomach lurched as he tilted his head downward. The height was dizzying, the dark river below so far away it looked like a thin black ribbon. Panic overtook him, and he lashed out, grabbing Greed by the throat.

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  Greed: "... There it is."

  Greed's smile widened.

  Greed: "Those are the eyes I expected to see."

  Fright turned to wrath, as Virno's fear for his own life was replaced by the unstoppable urge to put an end to the threat before him. Greed, however, remained calm. He pulled Virno back onto the building's rooftop, effortlessly driving his fist into Virno's stomach with such force that it causes him to flinch, releasing his neck. Greed then hurls him towards the center of the roof, as he slowly walks in his direction.

  Greed: "You're no hero, Virno. You're not brave, and you're not courageous. Deep down, at your core, you're a coward. Have you already realized this about yourself...?"

  Virno pushed himself to his feet, his fists clenched in defiance.

  Greed: "Come on, then. Fight me. Kill me, if that's what you want!"

  Virno charged forward, his rage boiling over. Greed stood still, arms spread wide, inviting the attack.

  Greed: "You mask your fears with violence, Virno..."

  Virno stops. His burning gaze locks onto Greed's.

  Greed: "That is what makes you a coward. You can't stand to look terror in the eyes."

  Greed's expression shifted, his mocking grin replaced by something colder.

  Greed: "What happens when you can't fight what scares you? When you can't kill it or make it stop? What do you do then...?"

  The words struck a chord, and Virno's gaze dropped to the rooftop beneath his feet.

  Greed: "You shrink. Shrivel. Dwindle... You become the very weaknesses you try to conceal, when you take up arms in retaliation. You let fear consume you, as you did just now."

  Greed turned, walking toward the edge of the rooftop. A deafening roar echoed from above, shaking the skyscraper.

  Greed: "Do you remember what I told you? About letting go of the ones you love?"

  Greed's voice carried a strange mix of pity and command, resonating deeply in the dark expanse of the cradle. His glowing green eyes darted around the dim, skyscraper-laden horizon, searching.

  Greed: "The fear of losing those we love is one of the most overwhelming forces in the human heart... And it can grow unbearable when you take it upon yourself to be the sole responsible for their survival."

  Finally, his gaze fixed on a distant building, its windows glowing softly except for one, shrouded in darkness.

  Greed: "When I told you to let go, I didn't mean to stop protecting them. I meant you must accept that their fate lies beyond your control. No matter how much you want to, you can't save everyone, Virno. Not every death can be avoided. If you haven't come to terms with that yet... You should."

  He gestured for Virno to approach him, standing near the edge of the rooftop.

  Greed: "Look over there. Do you see it? That building -- every window lit, save for one. Inside that darkened room, there is someone you should see. Prepare yourself; our time here is running short."

  Before Virno could process what he meant, Greed grabbed him by the neck, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

  Greed: "... I apologize for this."

  With a mighty throw, Greed hurled Virno through the air. Skyscrapers blurred past him as he hurtled across the cradle's shadowy expanse. His body felt weightless, though the sheer speed left his stomach in knots.

  As Virno looked up, he froze. A massive flying creature loomed high above the cradle's skyline, its vast silhouette cutting through the pitch-black abyss. For a fleeting moment, its golden eyes -- radiant and round like twin moons -- locked onto his. Their warm light pierced the darkness, illuminating the river below.

  Then, Virno crashed into the side of a building. The impact shattered the wall, sending chunks of stone and debris scattering into the room beyond. Even though he expected to feel pain, whatever he sensed at the point of impact was nothing compared to the bone-chilling droplet-shaped spears that seemed to be impaling him not long ago. Curiously, ever since Greed and him spoke on that roof, their pangs seemed to have ceased...

  Greed: "Follow me."

  Virno flinched as Greed materialized in a swarm of emerald particles, his form reforming in the room beside him.

  The room was pristine, save for the hole Virno had just created. The furniture was masterfully crafted from fine materials, its elegance foreign to Virno's experiences. The stocked shelves of food hinted at a level of comfort alien to the slums he had left behind. Greed led him to a set of double doors, pushing them open to reveal a staircase that spiraled downward.

  At the bottom, Virno found a peculiar sight: a white cocoon of silk, surrounded by the softest blankets and pillows he had ever seen. Resting in its center was a sleeping figure, illuminated faintly by the soft white glow emanating from the cocoon.

  Greed: "She is the last one remaining here, and she doesn't have much time..."

  Virno's breath hitched as recognition struck. At last, he manages to utter but a single word.

  Virno: "Faya..."

  She looked serene, far too serene. If not for her chest slowly rising and falling in rhythmic slumber, Virno might have mistaken her for dead.

  Greed: "If she wakes up in the cradle, the light in her room will flicker on. When all the lights in a building are lit, it sinks to the bottom of the river. Once that happens, the souls inside can no longer return to their bodies. Do you understand, Virno?"

  Virno stared at Faya, his emotions swirling between sorrow and frustration.

  Greed: "This cradle is a passage -- a liminal space for souls caught between life and death. If she lives, her room will empty, and she will wake in her body. If she dies, she will awaken here, spending her last days in peace until her soul moves on."

  Virno's hands balled into fists, trembling.

  Virno: "So she's dying... They couldn't save her... I couldn't save her."

  Greed watched him intently.

  Greed: "And how does that make you feel...?"

  Virno: "... Like I've failed. Like there was more I could have done. Just like when my father died."

  Greed shook his head.

  Greed: "You're wrong, Virno. You went above and beyond, risking your own life to save her. But your mind plays tricks on you, convincing you that you could have done the impossible. You hold yourself to a standard of omniscience and omnipotence -- knowing and doing everything perfectly to protect the ones you love. But that standard is what cripples you. It blinds you to the fact that, despite however much strength you wield, you're still only human."

  Greed placed a hand on Virno's shoulder, his tone softening.

  Greed: "Fear is a natural response. It's a survival mechanism. But you have a choice in how you respond to it. If you let fear rule you -- fear of failure, fear of loss -- you'll falter every time. You'll keep launching yourself into reckless situations, all but ensuring your defeat... or worse. To protect those you love, you must first liberate yourself from fear's grasp. Only then can you wield true power..."

  His eyes glowed brighter, emerald light spilling into the room. Virno peers into them, as visions of several locations become etched in his mind.

  Greed: "... Only then, can you claim it. And make no mistake -- once you do, you will gain power -- power to protect, power to change the fate of those you care for. You will transcend the limits of your humanity, and be given a taste of what omnipotency truly means...!"

  Then, a deafening roar shook the building. A blinding golden light poured into the room, and both men turned to see the massive, golden eye from earlier staring through the hole in the wall. It immediately locked eyes with Virno.

  A searing headache erupted in his skull, as he felt the very air getting sucked out of his lungs. He was pulled away, the cradle's grasp loosening as reality came crashing back. The last thing he saw was Faya, bathed in light, as the golden eye narrowed its gaze upon him.

  Virno woke with a start, gasping for breath as his body jolted upright in the inn's dimly lit room. His heart thundered in his chest, the echoes of Greed's words lingering in his mind.