Chapter 643: Chapter 643 - A Grief Too Heavy to Bear
Chapter 643: Chapter 643 - A Grief Too Heavy to Bear
Leon walked down the hospital corridor, and there he was the man they had been meaning to meet that night. He sat on a long bench, his head bowed, his right hand covering his face as if trying to hold himself together.
It was Maylon-the one behind the player Maylock.
Leon, Ronald, Freya, Laura, and Lily had arrived just as the devastating news had reached them.
Leon stepped closer to the man, whose profound, overwhelming grief seemed to seep into the very air around him.
It was etched into every line of his face, every slump of his posture.
Someone like Maylon, known for his sharp mind and unshakable composure, almost never showed his emotions. But not tonight.
Not this time.
He wept openly, his body shaking with every ragged breath. The raw, unrestrained sound of sorrow cut through the silence.
His anguish was so clear, it spoke louder than any words ever could.
Leon eased himself onto the seat beside him, offering quiet support. The others lingered just
a few steps away-close enough to show their presence, yet far enough to respect the
moment and give him the space he needed.
Just minutes before they had arrived, the devastating news had been delivered.
Maylon's wife... his partner, his everything... had not survived her illness.
She was gone. She had left him behind.
"Daddy..." A little girl came running from the distance with her babysitter close behind, and she threw herself into Maylon's arms.
"Why are you crying, Daddy? Tell me... is Mom okay?" she asked.
Maylon lifted his five-year-old daughter into his arms, holding her close.
"Mom... is..." Maylon began, his voice faltering. Yet the words wouldn't come. It was as though they were caught in a tangle of grief, too heavy to release.
For perhaps the first time in his life, this man-always so strong, so composed-found himself unable to answer a question put to him.
The moment lingered, heavy with silence and heartbreak, until Lily stepped forward and gently led the little girl away.
Everyone there knew—the person hurting the most tonight was the man sitting beside Leon.
Not long after, others arrived. Leon looked up and saw familiar faces-Euna, Booyoung, and even London had come.
The older man approached quietly and took a seat to Maylon's left. London placed a firm hand on Maylon's shoulder.
"I can feel your pain," London said.
Those words broke something in Maylon. The sobs he had been trying so desperately to suppress finally escaped, raw and unrestrained.
This man, who always stood tall and unshakable in front of others, was utterly shattered tonight.
The sound of the man's sobs echoed through the hospital corridor.
It was the cry of someone consumed by pain and loss-a grief so deep it seemed to reach into
the soul. This was the cry of a man who had truly lost someone irreplaceable.
Yes, in many ways, he had lost his very life that night. These were undoubtedly his darkest moments, the lowest point he had ever reached.
London pulled Maylon into a firm embrace, his hand gently patting the man's back. In this moment, London was perhaps the only person who could offer Maylon any measure of solace.
London understood the weight of loss better than most.
Years ago, he had suffered the devastating loss of his son. Not long after, his wife, overwhelmed by the grief, had made the heartbreaking decision to leave him.
This pain drove London to isolate himself in a remote place-a place that, cruelly, was also where his child's life had been taken.
But speaking of loss, wasn't Leon, and his sister, Lily-also no strangers to it?
They had lost their parents too, though in their case, it was even more haunting. They didn't know if their parents were missing, dead, or something else entirely.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Loss comes for everyone, in one form or another. It's a universal thread that binds so many lives. Moments like these-moments of goodbye, of uncertainty-are among the heaviest burdens anyone will ever face.
The next day...
It was a somber, weighty day. The funeral for Maylon's wife proceeded quietly, without pomp or ceremony-only the raw, unshakable presence of loss lingering in the air.
Even after everyone else had left, Maylon remained. He stood motionless before his wife's freshly covered grave, his figure rigid against the stillness of the cemetery.
Not far away, Leon sat with the others, keeping a silent watch. London was there too. Lily, Laura, and Freya stayed close to Maylon's little girl, trying to offer her some comfort. "Mom will never come back... Mom will never be here with me again," the girl sobbed, her voice breaking as she clung to Lily.
"Listen... May," Lily said softly. "Your mom is at peace now. She doesn't feel any pain anymore, okay? But you can trust that she's still watching over you. She'll always be so proud of you as you grow. Do you believe me?"
"I miss her... I miss my mommy so much... I don't want her to be gone."
Lily pulled the little girl closer, wrapping her arms tightly around her, offering the only solace she could.
After the funeral, Leon and the others stayed near Maylon's resident for a while, keeping him company when they could. They spent quiet moments with him, engaging in soft conversations. But it was obvious to everyone-what Maylon truly needed was time. Time and solitude to come to terms with his loss.
Eventually, they decided it was time to leave.
Leon and the group boarded Ronald's private jet for the journey back.
"That's such a huge loss," Ronald began, cracking open a can of soda and taking a sip. "I don't think that guy's ever coming back to the game. He's probably done for good."
Lily chimed in. "Maybe, but Immortal Legacy is his second world. It's where all his friends
are. Don't you think there's a chance he might return?"
Laura said, adding, "Especially since he can log in even while staying asleep..."
"No," Freya interjected. "If we really know Maylon, he's the kind of person who would completely shut himself off from the world when things aren't right. He could disappear entirely for who knows how long."
Ronald sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I guess you're right. This is a heavy blow for anyone, and now his daughter's going to need him more than ever. He'll have to step up, no matter
what."
The Ass Guild would have been a completely different guild without Maylock. Even now, after merging with the Vensalor Guild, his presence was deeply missed.
Laura spoke up, breaking the quiet. "I wonder if there's more we can do for him. But I think Freya's right, that Maylon probably just needs more time to come to terms with everything."
Leon nodded in agreement at her words.
Storms would eventually pass, and Leon could only hope that Maylon would find the strength to weather this one and return to living his life.
There would come a time when they would play together again. If not in Immortal Legacy, then somewhere else.
Maylon was one of the few people Leon truly trusted, even though they had only met in
person once before.
***
(Author's note:)
Even I, the author, was crying so hard while writing this chapter. This wasn't an easy one to put together. Writing it felt heavy, and I can't lie... I had to take a few breaks to wipe my tears. But I hope you're still enjoying the story. Loss is never easy, but it's part of what makes us
human, right?
I'm rooting for Maylon to find his strength again, just like Leon and the others are.
And as always, don't forget to toss all of your Golden Ticket (I'm being greedy) if the story's touched you (or made you cry a little, too).