Ellie gripped the hilt of her sword, her eyes scanning the horizon with determination despite the fragile warmth of her smile. Beside her, Evan walked silently, his head lowered, words caught in his throat. For three years, they had journeyed through this crumbling world, driven by legends of the Soul Awakening Artifact, the only hope to reverse the apocalypse. Their path had been fraught with danger, yet neither spoke of the future that lay beyond the horizon.

"Old man, traveling with us is too dangerous. You should have stayed behind," Evan grumbled, concern lacing his voice. The old man chuckled softly, his eyes reflecting a depth of knowledge that belied his frail appearance. [@ch_4]Old Man[/@ch_4_d]"I still have unfinished business. I wish to see how this world ends... with my own eyes,"[/@ch_4_d] he replied, guiding them through perilous paths with unerring accuracy, never revealing the source of his knowledge.

Ellie's fingertips brushed the cold metal of the artifact, and the ground shuddered beneath them. Darkness erupted, and from it emerged the Devil, a grotesque figure with eyes burning like embers. "Sister... you're not running away this time," he taunted, his voice laced with malice. "What... did you call me?" Ellie's voice trembled as memories flickered within Evan's mind, fragmented and elusive.

"Rekas... so this is what you've become," he said, his voice filled with sorrow. "Father... I knew you'd try to stop me," the Devil sneered, revealing a twisted family bond. "Father?! What the hell is going on?!" Ellie exclaimed, her sword trembling in her hands. The old man spoke, his words a revelation of a world built on dreams and forgotten pain.

Evan's head throbbed as the truth clawed at his consciousness. The countless journeys, the endless deaths, the futility of trying to alter fate. "This is... my dream?" he whispered, the realization staggering. The old man nodded, burdened by the knowledge that this world was a construct of Evan's grief-stricken heart, a prison forged to escape a reality too harsh to bear.

The Devil lunged at Ellie, but the old man intervened, shielding her with his life. "No!" Ellie cried, reaching out in despair. But Evan held her back, his grip steady despite his trembling. "Don't move... please... This is my last journey with you," he said, eyes shimmering with a sorrow borne of countless lifetimes. "If this is just a dream... then I'll destroy it myself," he declared, light enveloping him as his form began to dissolve into memory. "No... you can't..." the old man gasped, but Evan smiled, a bittersweet release. "Thank you... for letting me dream," he whispered, as the world collapsed into oblivion. Ellie reached out, her voice lost in the wind. In those final moments, Evan's voice lingered in her ear— "If there's another dream... I hope you'll fall in love with me." Darkness consumed everything, marking the end of the cycle and the dream. And Evan... disappeared forever.