In the darkness of his cave, deep under the mountain where the shadows seemed to consume everything, Darkstalker was losing himself. His talons scraped across the cold stone, his claws leaving deep marks on the surface as he paced in a maddened frenzy. The cave, once a place of power, now felt like a prison. His mind spiraled out of control, twisted with sorrow and rage. He couldn't shake the image of Rebron—his one true love—lying still, the light fading from her eyes.

Tears streamed down his face, falling in silence, as he sank to the ground. The weight of his failure crushed him from the inside out. He had failed her. He had failed to protect her when she needed him most, and now she was gone—dead.

You couldn't do anything to stop it, asshole, a voice whispered, cold and cruel, in the recesses of his mind. It was his own voice, twisted by guilt and self-loathing, a reminder that he had never been good enough to save her. She was above, soaring free while you were here, trapped, stuck in this pit of your own making.

Darkstalker squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the voice, but it wouldn't leave. The words echoed in his head like a broken record, digging deeper into the wound that was already festering in his heart. How could I have let this happen? he thought. I should have been there. I should have stopped her from being hurt, from being destroyed by them... by me.

The image of Rebron's lifeless form haunted him, her body so still, and yet it felt like it was his fault. If only he had been there, had used his powers to intervene. If only he had been strong enough to change things. But I wasn't. I'm not.

He slapped his claws against the cold stone, a growl of frustration escaping his throat. His heart pounded in his chest as the reality of her death hit him once more. The grief was a suffocating weight, pressing down on him, but the worst part was that he couldn't even move. His wings felt like they were bound to the ground, his power trapped by the very mountain that had once been his fortress. He could hear the voices in his mind, each one accusing him of being too weak, of failing when it mattered most.

You're stuck in this place, the voice continued, while she's gone. And you did nothing.

His breath grew shallow as the weight of his own inadequacies sank in. How could I have failed her? How could I have let this happen?

The thought of being stuck here forever, of being trapped by his own mistakes, made him tremble. His claws scraped against the stone again, his rage building inside him, but it was futile. There was no one to fight here, no way to change what had happened. His mind was his only enemy, and there was no escaping it.

Darkstalker let out a low, bitter laugh through gritted teeth. I am trapped, he realized with bitter clarity. And I will be forever.

In that moment, a piece of his soul shattered, and the cave seemed to grow even darker.