All concepts seemed to stand still in the Spiritual Domain, with only the galactic light ribbons drifting by. After all escape routes were cut off, a crazy thought suddenly occurred to Henry. This was the only way he could think of right now to keep Sophia safe, so she wouldn't live in anguish or have to travel alone to find him, and so he could have a temporary peace of mind.

"Sir Socrost," Henry's thought was hesitant, "I would like to see one last scenario, one last possibility."

He paused, taking a deep breath in the realm of consciousness to gather the courage to face his own cruelty. "A scenario where I don't die or disappear. Instead, I am left severely and incurably injured, unconscious, but still breathing. A body without a soul ".

A profound silence fell, different from before.

For the first time, Socrost's blue light seemed to stop fluctuating. His thought emerged, no longer with distant wisdom, but with consideration. "Henry, do you know what you're asking for? You want to witness a mental torture that will last for decades for both her and yourself. There is no death more agonizing than that".

Socrost's words hit exactly what Henry was thinking. He recognized the selfishness of his plan, a cruel deception for Sophia. But he had no other choice. His fear of losing Sophia and the danger she might face because of him was greater than his fear of loneliness or the torment of his conscience.

"I don't know," Henry replied honestly, his thought shattering into a million pieces. His thoughts fractured that left him breathless. He felt like he was about to go crazy, about to collapse.

"But that is probably the only way left, Sir Socrost," he said, his voice taking on a firmer tone in an effort to convince himself.

"The only way for Sophia not to wait endlessly, not to wander in search of me in a world full of dangers and deadly traps. The only way for her to be safe, even if she has to endure the pain of seeing me as a soulless man".

He paused, and the image of Sophia's gentle smile appeared in his mind, giving him the strength to speak the final words. "And perhaps, that is also the only way for me to truly leave, so I can face Beleth alone, without having to worry about her safety every single second".

Socrost did not say anything more.

Perhaps, deep down, he also accepted that this was the only path, no matter how painful, that this chosen one could take, so he could both protect the person he loved most and continue to shoulder his greater responsibilities.

The Fourth Hypothetical Dream: The Soulless Corpse

Henry saw himself, or rather, another version of himself, a faded shadow of the past, lying motionless on their familiar wooden bed. His face was still his, with the familiar features that had once made Sophia's heart flutter, but his eyes were closed, without a single spark of life, without any reaction to the world around him.

His chest only rose and fell with weak, regular breaths. He was barely alive, existing on the boundary between life and death. He was an empty shell, a body without a soul, an existence devoid of emotion or meaning.

That's when he saw her - Sophia, sitting motionless beside the bed, her thin, pale hands clutching the cold, still hand of "Henry".

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Her face was gaunt after long nights of staying awake and tears that never stopped flowing. Her amber eyes, which once shone with joy and love, were now sunken and dark, but they still held an endless love, an unshakable perseverance, an acceptance of this cruel fate. She didn't cry hysterically or collapse like in the previous scenarios. Instead, there was a painful, profound acceptance.

Day after day, week after week, then month after month, Henry stood there, helplessly watching Sophia devotedly care for his "soulless corpse" without a single complaint or reproach. She would gently wipe his body with warm towels soaked in her tears, carefully change his clean, fresh clothes, and meticulously spoon-feed him thin porridge and bitter medicine.

She talked to him every day, telling him about the Investigation Bureau, the changes in Aerion, and about how smart and adorable Luna, Jacobs' and Laura's child, was becoming. And also about their happy and sad memories, their unfinished dreams, their unfulfilled promises.

Her voice was still gentle and warm, still carrying an endless love, but it was always tinged with a sadness, a loneliness that could not be put into words, a weariness that would never end.

Some nights, when Aerion was fast asleep, and only the silver moonlight shone through the window, Sophia would sit by the bed, as she did every night, holding the cold, still hand of "Henry" and pressing it to her pale, gaunt cheek, her tears silently flowing down.

She remembered the short, happy days they had together, his warm smile, his resolute but loving eyes, his strong arms that had once protected and sheltered her through so many storms.

The pain of loss, of having to watch the person she loved most become a soulless man, tormented her every second, never fading. But she didn't allow herself to collapse, she didn't allow herself to give up hope.

She was still there, by his side, caring for him. It was an eternal promise, a steadfast love that transcended life, death, and the cruelest challenges of fate.

In this simulated dream, Sophia no longer had to frantically search for him in a large world full of dangers and deadly traps. She no longer had to live in endless waiting, in constant fear and insecurity.

She found comfort, a purpose in life, in being by "Henry's" side, in personally caring for the person she loved most, even if it was just a faded shadow of the past, a meaningless existence without a soul. And most importantly, in this tragic situation, she was safe and protected in their small, simple house, not having to face the dark conspiracies of the outside world.

She might have to endure extreme pain and loneliness, but at least she still had "him" by her side, even if it was just a body, an existence without emotions.

The Spiritual Domain became silent, with only the intense inner turmoil of a young soul remaining. Henry "looked" into the vast, empty space, and the image of Sophia tirelessly caring for a hollow shell that only had breath kept swirling in his mind, a pain that was worse than death.

Socrost's thought now carried a rare seriousness and a touch of sorrow, the former calm entirely gone. "Are you sure about this choice, Henry?"

The ancient mage's blue light fluctuated. Henry's thoughts fragmented, his consciousness lost in chaos. Every word from Socrost was a thousand freezing needles stabbing into his heart.

"I know... Sir Socrost," Henry's thought trembled. "This is a selfish deception, and I accept that every day, the burden of this guilt will eat away at my soul, making me unworthy of her love."

But he didn't give up on the false hope he had created for himself. "But I believe I will be able to return to her," he said, his voice more resolute. "This is just a temporary solution, a price to pay for me to have enough time to destroy Beleth. When it's all over, I will come back. I believe Sophia will understand."

Socrost said nothing. Perhaps, deep down, he also knew that this was the only way, no matter how painful, that this chosen one could take to both protect the person he loved most and continue to shoulder his greater responsibilities.

Henry took a deep breath, gathering his courage for his final request and preparing for the worst-case scenario.

"And if..." his thought became hesitant, "if I truly cannot return, if I fall on my journey..." He paused, the words catching in his throat. "...Then please, deliver the news of my real death to her." "Don't let her wait for a soulless shadow forever. Tell her I have died, so she can be truly free and start a new life."

Henry's final request, a silent sacrifice, a farewell already prepared, hung in the Spiritual Domain. It was the last and most painful testament to his love. Even when planning his own death, his first thought was how to free the woman he loved from the burden of his name.

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