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They say that the sword we live by, we die by. In the confines of black rock, suffocating for eternity but not being graced with the kiss of death, I contemplated that. As much as my mind could manage as it deteriorated.

​

Could another man take that from you? Wrestle the pommel of your existence from your hand, strip you of the cutting edge which you employed to carve out your will unto the world?

​

He lays with my wife now. In the eyes of my child, I have not been replaced. No. You cannot replace what never existed. I held his hand. A small, tender thing which collapsed into my gloved palm. I saw the wind playfully tug at the few wisp of hair which protruded from a newborn head. In the grey light of the dawn he saw me. Didn't comprehend me, but saw me.

​

That's all been erased, though. Covered like frost might blanket an unsuspecting valley as the cruel winds of winter pounce upon a warm and unexpected summer field, too content with it's own infantility to grasp that all things might change in time.

​

Of course, they don't know i'm free. The both of us. The oath stated that the minds of men may conquer that of a beast. Clearly they left out some tidbits. Yet, my mind is no longer my own. Not the mind of a man. Merely the shell that remains after the nut has been cracked. No mind - no prison. No beast.

​

The beast spoke to me in the flaming tongue before he scampered off into the darkness. Made threat and promise, curse and lament. Where he went I do not care. Some will suffer. Many will die. I want to let loose an acrid laugh at the thought which struck me as I watched the receding light of its ember torso - that they'll blame ME for this. Somehow.

​

That doesn't matter. So little does once amble your way to the peak of your soul and gaze out at the crashing sea of quandaries which encapsulate it. Watch the riptides of hate pull out what small flotsam of love and joy try to find purchase on the shore of the heart.

​

As I walked through the midnight sun, I tried to feel some of the hatred. Some of that anger, so hot that it might thaw my receding mind. I bite my tongue, willing blood to pool. When it comes though, it bears all the weight of a rain drop in a maelstrom. Tactile upon impact but meaningless on soaked ground.

​

When I find them, I shall grant two kindnesses and one justice. My wife and son need only be released from this miserable consciousness. Whether or not they realize it, their lives are already gone. Taken by the phantom hand of fate which was coerced and guided by the will of man. When they beg I hope that I will feel pity. Hope that the twangs of sorrow might play one last time from the worn and feeble strings in the harpsichord of my essence.

​

I know that when I condemn him to the living earth, though, that I will not feel. His squirming figure will do nothing for sightless eyes. For that should bear no weight on one scale or the next. It will not be an act of scorn. Nor will it be the petty revenge of the man who was once was. It will only be the act of balance, ensuring that all things which once were made out of order are returned in kind.

Nice contribution, if hard to follow and understand.

[removed]

[deleted]

I take a sip of my coffee, absorbing the deep aroma of the beverage and letting out an involuntary sigh. Decades, I scoff internally. Decades have passed as I swam in shadow. Time meant nothing to me, just endless darkness. I think, at least, last I remember was my best friend, the person I fought beside, was the best man at my wedding and the godfather to both my son and daughter. He stood there, his proclamation ringing in my ears, "this is the only way." as tears flowed freely from his eyes. The monster behind him, thrashing in its prison as it, too, sank into the stone. Then darkness.

I sip my coffee, its warmth banishing the last dregs of shade from my soul. An old man, hair grey as stone, face weathered and wrinkled from a long life of worry, joy, and endless other emotions. But those eyes, those damned hazel eyes betray the old mans identity. It's Ward, the man that became the father to my now grown children.

I drop the hood from my cloak and lock eyes with him. He gasps, "By the fates, it IS you." A hand covers his mouth, shock reverberating through his being. "You...you...you weren't supposed to wake for another five years...." his voice trails off before standing up and pacing madly. "No, no, no, it's too soon." His hands are holding the sides of his head. "Was I wrong? Were my calculations off? No...that couldn't have been it. Something else changed....we're not ready...we're not....."

I interrupt, "Ward....why?" my throat chokes with emotion, I'm having a hard time processing what the hell is going on. To me it was yesterday that I sank into shadow, he didn't have the grey hair he has now.

He stops his pacing and turns and stares at me, a horrified look mixed with pity etched across his wrinkled face. "Charles, I...." before I knew it he was on his knees grasping my hand and balling openly. ".....sorry. So sorry...I didn't...I thought I couldn't......but I had to...." he managed between sobs. If I was confused before, I don't know what I am now. Lost. Completely and utterly lost.

"Start...in the cave?" I struggle with speaking for some reason. Ward takes a deep breath and takes his seat across from me, pouring a cup of coffee for himself with unsteady hands. I give him all the time he needs, to get his thoughts in order. We finish the pot without another word, I get up and start boiling a fresh pot of water on the fire in the hearth.

"There's something coming. Something of immense power and evil." He says to my back. I don't move, "As strong as you were....it wasn't going to be enough by the time it arrived. Even after a lifetime of training, you wouldn't have been strong enough." I idly stoke the fire, waiting for him to continue.

"There...was a, a, a prophesy that came out of nowhere. Told us about the coming darkness, and how to prepare for it." I reached over and grabbed a fresh log and dropped it on the fire, sparks jumping to life all around me. I heard Ward hiccup in fear. "Th-th-thing is, Charles, we debated. The entire party, and some of the most knowledgeable people we met during our travels. And we all agreed.....that this was the only path."

I grunted, urging him to continue as I still hunched over the hearth, waiting for the water to boil. "I didn't want to, I didn't think I could go through with it, but the only other choice was to live long enough to see our world fall. I-I couldn't let that happen."

"I thought I was going to die. I swam in shadows, Ward. For eternity. This is the first time I have felt warmth in a lifetime." I extend my hands towards the hearth, truly enjoying the heat.

"I-I-I.....know." I could sense he hung his head, and he began weeping again. After a time he regained control of himself, "I came back to check on you every five years. To let you know that your wife and kids are fine. I didn't do anything untoward, I protected and supported them, you know? You'd be proud of how Valorie and William have grown into fine adults. You...you're a grandfather, you know?" Tears stung my eyes, relief flooding my being.

"But there's more, Ward."

"Aye....the monster we hunted down that day? It-it wasn't for the reasons you were told. We trapped it.." my patience ran out. "We hunted that beast down and trapped it in that circle so you could merge its power with mine. To turn me into THIS!" I stood to my now considerable height, throwing back my cloak to reveal the body of a beast, covered in fur darker than the night. Feet tipped with talons meant to shred victims into tatters. My arms, easily thrice the size they were as a humans, ending in paws with huge claws. A snout, a muzzle like a canine's thrust from my face, rows of razor sharp teeth hidden behind canine lips. My eyes were no longer human, allowing me to see fewer colors, but more details and better in lower light.

My Wen, the power that drives the magic in the world, is different. Tainted, but larger, deeper. I haven't tried to tap that well, yet, I've been afraid to.

Ward scrambled from his chair, falling over and backpedaling into the corner. "I'm sorry!" he yelled as I pulled my cloak around me once more and stalked out the door. "Betrayal like yours requires more than an apology. It requires blood, and I will drench these lands in it."

Realization dawned on Ward as Charles faded from view. They got the prophesy wrong, they created the evil that was coming, not preventing it. He wept in despair, realizing that the end of the world was happening because of him.

That was really good :) thank you for the read

I think he went insane, being a mere shell (just a mind, somehow free) after the friend stole his body. Or something of the like.

It was a pleasant afternoon in the capital city of Oriol. The weather was unusually cool for the month of July, offering a welcome respite from the summer heat; and though it had been raining in the morning, now it was bright and sunny, with not a cloud to be seen.

There were many people in the main square that afternoon – walking, talking, laughing. Many walked past the memorial in the middle of the square, but it was such a familiar sight for the capital dwellers that no one seemed to pay the monument any attention.

Except for one person, that is.

A young woman in an old-fashioned dress – the sort you would expect people three decades ago to wear – was standing in front of the memorial, staring at the statue on top of a giant rock. Her head was tilted to the side, and she seemed overall rather bemused by what she was seeing.

A man approached her, a bunch of bright pamphlets in hand.

“Good afternoon, young lady,” he began, his voice cheerful.

“It is,” she agreed, not taking her eyes off the monument.

The man blinked.

“Uh… this must be your first time in the capital, right?” he ventured a moment later.

“Not quite,” the young woman shook her head, “but I have not been there in a while. I certainly do not remember this…” she paused, as if looking for the right word, “curious thing standing here. I wonder what it is supposed to be.”

“Why, this is the Monument of Victory, of course!” the man exclaimed. “This is the Hero,” he pointed to the figure of a sword-wielding knight with his white cloak fluttering in the wind, “slaying the, uh, Monster.”

He didn’t point this time, but it was not necessary in the slightest – the grotesque, squirming serpentine figure, snarling its numerous teeth at the knight, could hardly be anything else.

“Oh, you still don’t speak the Monster’s name?” the young woman asked, making the man look away in embarrassment. “I do not blame you, though. It was a rather ugly name.”

“Quite,” the man agreed quickly, and then hastened to change the topic. “Oh! And those, of course, are the names of the fallen,” he indicated the row of names that covered the surface of the stone the statue was set on, “those brave men and women who fell so that the Monster could be slain.”

“Fell?” the young woman said, a hint of amusement in her tone. “I suppose this is an accurate description… though not in the way you likely meant.”

The man blinked again, not sure how to respond to that.

The woman, meanwhile, approached the monument. Standing on her tip toes, she traced the names with her index finger, stopping for a moment on each one. The man watched the scene, still unsure what to say.

Finally, her finger stopped on one name.

“A nice monument,” she said, “but a little bit… inaccurate, I’d say.”

“What do you mean?” the man with the pamphlets asked, confused.

Instead of answering, she swept her hand across the cold stone, as if wiping dust from it. Then she turned and walked away, not saying another word.

The man wanted to call after her, but then he noticed something strange.

In the row of names carved into the rock, there was a gap – and the man could have sworn it was not there a minute before. A gap in the exact same place the strange young woman touched.

The man turned in the direction she left, but the woman was nowhere to be seen.

Knight Commander Leblanc sighed, rubbing his eyes.

His office was bright and spacious, with large windows and expensive furniture. The walls were covered with decorations, honours he had earned over decades of service, and various memorabilia. In the center of the wall, a sword was hung, its hilt encrusted with gold and covered with precious gems.

Decades ago, he couldn’t even dream he would end up in a place like this. Not having to sleep on the cold ground, dine on scant rations, and march hour after hour to fight the Monster no man managed to slay.

But he has done it. He won. They all have – he made sure that not a name was forgotten.

Still… then and again, some strange sort of melancholy came over him, a longing for the times long gone. At times, he almost wished there was a new Monster for him to fight, his trusty sword in hand.

Foolishness, of course.

Sighing again, Leblanc reached for another stack of papers on his desk. Looking over the top one – some meaningless official form – he flipped it over, and then noticed that there was something inserted between the papers.

A playing card. A jack of hearts.

“Huh?”

‘Is this some kind of a joke?’ Leblanc thought. He reached for the card-

“Hello, my brave knight.”

- when the voice he least expected to hear said these words, and as Leblanc raised his head, he found himself face to face with her.

The young woman walked up to his desk, as Leblanc tensed. He wasn’t sure about his chances if he were to face her even in his prime, and that was some time ago. She, on the other hand…

“You haven’t changed a bit,” he said, watching the woman cautiously.

“Oh, I have,” she responded casually. “I was quite different yesterday… or however long ago it has been for you. Case in point…”

She covered the card on the Knight Commander’s desk with her hand.

“Your card is beaten, I’m afraid,” she said cheerfully.

It took too long for the meaning of her words to set in – because of shock, perhaps, or because of how terrifying it was.

“You’re… a Queen now,” he said at last. His eyes went to the sword on the wall – the only weapon he could use to harm a being like her. It was just a few feet away, but with the woman standing right in front of him, the sword might as well have been on another planet.

“The Queen,” she raised her finger in admonishment. “Using the correct article is important, I think.”

“You managed to kill both of them?” he couldn’t help asking. “In the name of- how?!”

“Oh, it was quite an adventure,” she remarked, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder. “I would love to talk about it over a cup of tea… if you weren’t the one responsible for it, I mean.”

Leblanc wondered if his hands were shaking. He didn’t dare look, though, and never took his eyes off the figure in front of him.

“Are you wondering if I’m mad, perchance?” she asked, taking the card from his desk and flipping it though her fingers. “Because, well, I am. It’s quite hard not to be, after being down there.”

“I did not have a choice,” he said, trying to keep his voice firm. “It was the only way to defeat him.”

“Oh, of course it was,” she waved him off. “And now we are naught but names under your feet, o Hero, while you stand tall over the city, basking in your glory… the glory you stole.”

The jack of hearts caught fire in the woman’s hand; in a moment, it was just a pile of ash.

“Believe me, I thought long and hard about it when I fell – and I was falling for quite a while, in fact. And was one more thing I realized that I don’t think you ever did.”

She smiled, as if amused by some private joke.

“The reason you had to betray me and push me down that hole. It’s quite simple, you see, if you think about it. You might believe the Monster was gone for good once you’ve slain him – but such a thing is impossible. There must always be a Monster.”

The woman’s smile changed, stretching impossibly wide. It was no longer a smile that belonged on a human face, and if there was a place someone could have seen such a smile, it would have to be the other figure on the Monument of Victory.

Leblanc jumped from his desk, backing up against the wall.

“I will grant you one thing, though,” the woman continued, as if nothing happened. “You did take care of Diana, like you promised. Therefore…”

She waved her hand in the direction of the nearest window, and it changed before the Knight Commander’s eyes. For a moment, he saw his own reflection – a deathly pale man in expensive clothes, a knight’s chain on his neck – and then he could see a road in it, a pathway among a sea of grass.

“Better waste no time,” the young woman cautioned. “To rephrase someone I knew once, sometimes it takes all the running you can do… just to stay in one piece.”

Without hesitation, Leblanc leapt through the former window. He landed on the other side and started running as soon as his feet hit the path, not looking back even once.

The woman waved her hand again, and the window was once again a mere window. She twirled on her toes, looking around the office, before walking to the wall and taking the Vorpal Sword from it.

After that, the woman disappeared from the room, as if she was never there.

Her smile followed a moment later.

My all time favorite line was from Ben 10. Met someone who was lost in time after an experiment. "At first I went mad of course, but after a few millennia I got bored with that, too, and went sane - very sane."

[removed]

He use many big words...I only understood anger

Ha!

Well said. :)

It was... well, she wasn't sure how it felt.

The events of the last few minutes passed through her mind. The grand battle, luring the beast into the circle... And the betrayal. The looks of sorrow on her comrade's face as they gave apologies and expected no forgiveness. The lighting fading from their eyes as she sunk into the abyss below.

Her thoughts where interrupted by a low growl shaking the infinite nothingness she floated within. Her eyes show open to find the beast where it hadn't been before. The great serpent, the Demon of the Wastes, the Godslayer. It went by many names, all of them striking fear into every being that walked upon god's green earth.

All of them- except for her.

She drew her sword and charged the beast without a second thought. Her leg finding footing that wasn't there. And the beast charged right back.

​

Their clash was brief, for all its strength, the beast was blinded with anger. And went to bite that which had imprisoned it in half, only for her to roll under its strike and stab it directly in the eye. A wound that should never have killed it; it hadn't earned its names to have a mortal weakness after all; and yet, the beast's roar faded into silence as its body crumbled back into the shadows if the abyss.

She caught her breath. But the peace wouldn't last. The beast soon returned angry as ever, and they clashed again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

No matter how many times they were struck down. They would always rise again.

Sometimes she won, piercing the beast's eyes, heart, lungs. what have it. While other times the beast would win. Stabbing her with its claws, bleeding her out or poisoning her. Sometimes swallowing her whole if it was particularly peeved. And yet, none if it ever went anywhere.

Though her body never scared, her blade never dulled, and her muscles never grew sore. Her spirit wavered none the less. And she knew the beast felt the same. The fire in its eyes having long sense faded into pale embers.

She lunged at the beast as she had countless times before. It made no attempt to move out of the way, knowing there was no point either way. And yet, no blade pierced it. Her sword rest beside its head, lodged within a wall that didn't exist. She sighed as the void released the grip on her blade as she turned away.

"Why do we fight? What had either of us done to deserve this?" She asked to no reply. "The lords and their wives always said that you could bring the world to ruin. And yet, they also said the heroes of the realm would be honored and revered. Not damned to the abyss with their greatest foe.

"Hero?" the beast snorted. "don't tell me your ego is as big as that forehead of yours".

"Oh can it" she said, before realization dawned on her.

Fantastic, either she had spent so long with the beast that she could understand it, or had gone crazy and was now projecting onto it. Frankly, she's not sure which was worse.

The beast floated over to her, not bothering to walk along the path that didn't exist, yet would always carry their feet regardless.

"I'm tired" she finally admitted. She leaned back and fell into the void, the absolute nothingness embracing her body "I miss my home. My room. My friends. I miss the great feasts whenever our barracks won a king's tournament. I miss surprising my wife and kids when a campaign ended sooner than planned and I could go home early. I miss my life."

The beast paused. For how long, neither of them could know. Not anymore.

"Me too" it admitted as its long body coiled around itself. "I miss sunbathing upon mountain peaks. I miss hunting creatures that could keep me fed for a month. I miss discovering new cavern paths leading to wonders untold. I miss finding a new hot spring in the cold winter months. I miss living."

She snorted. "Don't miss destroying villages then?"

The beast rolled its eyes. "Turn around for 5 minutes to find someone built a village on your favorite hunting grounds. Yet when you take your stolen land back, you're suddenly the bad guy.

"The village had been there for a decade"

"So what?"

She humphed. She knew she should be mad. Knew that she should retaliate for this transgression. And yet- The fire of hatred had long burned itself out. And now not even embers remained.

She closed her eyes, content to rest and clear her mind. Which she did, for a time. Before being awoken by the beast growling again.

"Now what?" She asked. Having to only open her eyes for an answer.

Far above them, a small mote of light shone. Had it only recently arrived? Or had it always been there; with neither of them noticing in their eternal conflict. Whichever it was, it was there. And they could see it.

​

"Do you think we could get up there?" she asked.

The beast didn't bother responding. It's long body uncoiling as its legs tensed. Before she could even react, the beast scooped her up in its antlers as it jumped from nothing to nothing as it ascended towards this new heaven. Higher and higher they went. The light getting closer and closer until-

"Hey is that thing getting-"

FWOOM!

A ray of light streaked barely past the two of them. The beast yelped in surprise as the light's heat singed its scales. Yet it gave no pause. It climbed even faster than before. The spite it once held against the warrior now directed towards whatever was keeping them here. It dodged nimbly past beams as the void made no attempt to stop them. Any beams it couldn't dodge, she was there to deflect and parry with her own shield.

The light soon grew massive as they approached. Almost within arm's reach now. They both let out a mighty roar as they flew towards the light. Whatever fate had for them now was definitively better than the oblivion below them.

She closed her eyes as the light became overwhelming, admittedly to little help. Yet before she could comprehend just what was happening, she felt herself in freefall. The cold ground knocking the wind out of her.

​

Wait...

Cold?

She opened her eyes in shock. Gone was the hollow nothingness of the abyss. She sat upon solid earth, the dense trees above her the pale gold of autumn.

"We're free?" She asked herself. "Holy fuck we're free!". She could only laugh as she threw herself into the piles of dead leaves. The chill crunch something she never thought she'd feel again.

"Can you believe it? that that actually worked?" She asked the beast.

The beast, however, paid her no head. the base of its tail curled around itself, and it seemed particularly focused on something, prompting her approach.

"Hey, what is... it..." She felt the coldness of her heart returning.

Standing before them stood a time-worn statue. It's face missing and a deep crack running through most of it. Yet despite all that, she'd still know that person anywhere. The same one that had damned both of them to that prison.

"Here lies the faceless hero" she read from the faded inscription at the bottom. "The night the beast was sealed, their light had faded with the moon."

They both stood unmoving.

So that was it then? Wasn't it? Their story ended, long ago, while she had been trapped. Gone was everything she had known. Any chance that she'd get answers. Any chance she could see her family again... All that remained was herself and whatever she could do with it.

She hadn't even realized that she was walking away until a large muzzled pushed against her back.

"You can leave now" she said. "Our story is over. There's nothing left for us."

The beast snorted as it scooped her up again. She struggled to maintain balance as it let out a gentle purr.

Well, she wasn't the only thing left she supposed. After all, the beast had technically been by her side this whole time.

"Fair enough" she chuckled. "C'mon then. Let's go see what's waiting for us."

Love the Alice in Wonderland references

Wow, this is interesting!

i really liked this one.

So the monster was the cheshire cat? Alice got pushed into Wonderland and managed to usurp the mad queen's throne?

My name is Esther, and this is the story of how I died.

When I was a young woman, I had a wanderlust that couldn't be slaked, and I was full of natural magic. I would travel town to town and use this gift to heal anyone who needed it, to take on bounties, to take on monsters. It was during this time that I met a man clad in heavy armor. A holy knight. Braedyn.

When we met, he had been trying to defend his town from a horde of monsters. And he was gravely injured for the effort. I healed him. I brought him back to life. And then I helped him reclaim the town. We bonded. We learned we were better together. He could protect me, and I could protect him. I'd made many bonds throughout my adventures, but this one felt special. He decided to travel with me.

During this time, I taught him how to cast magic. And he taught me how to wield a sword and shield. We both knew a little about each thing, but with each other's help, we grew fast. He could never heal like I could, but he took to learning offensive magic fast. His fighting style was aggressive, and mine was defensive. But that didn't mean I was a slouch in offense, or that he wouldn't occasionally defend.

We saved lives. It was how I met my wife. But at last, I'd had enough. I wanted to settle down. I told Braedyn and he told me how happy he was for me. . . . But I sensed some sort of bitterness there. I just brushed it off as jealousy. While I found what brought me peace and happiness, he was still searching for his own.

There were so many points at which I could have altered my fate, if I had but known what I do now. But I never would have chosen to let him die, despite everything. I still would have healed him. I still would have liberated his home.

And when he turned up on my doorstep, bleeding profusely, many years after I'd retired, I still would have healed him, just as I did then.

After Braedyn had rested and recovered his health, I asked him what happened. He told me it was a powerful monster, the likes of which he'd never seen. A gargantuan demon that radiated corrupt, dark energy. It had turned the forest into a barren wasteland. Its goal was to make the human realm just like the demon one. That's what he told me.

He then told me that he wasn't powerful enough to stop it on his own. That he needed my magic. He got down on his knee and begged me . . . begged me to help him. He said he knew a spell to banish him back to the demon realm, but he wasn't strong enough to cast it. If we both cast it together, it might be fine. I knew what spell he meant and frowned.

"You know not the forces with which you tamper," I said. "If I help you with that spell, both of us will die. And though it might seal the demon away, it is unclear how long it will last. It could be for nothing, especially if the demon is as powerful as you say. There are many other spells that -"

"No. No other spell will work. He's immune to anything short of it. Believe me. I tried."

"Well . . . ," I sighed deeply. "I'm not even sure I can help in the first place. I know the theory of the spell, but in practice, I have not cast anything in a long time. Magic is like a muscle. The longer you go without casting, the weaker you get. Surely, I am too weak."

"No. You are the best spell caster I've ever known! It's why I came to you, because I know you are, even at your worst, better than anyone else I could ever meet!"

I managed a smile.

"Going for flattery, huh?"

"It's not flattery if it's true."

"Okay. I'll tell my wife and children." And so, before we headed out, I said my goodbyes. My wife held me.

"I wish it didn't have to be you. But since it seems like it does, you can't half ass it. Go save the world, honey. I know you'll find your way back to us, whatever happens," she said. We have had many kisses over the years, but this one seemed so much more urgent. Our last one. It was the most passionate out of all of them.

And so, we set off to save the world.

"So, what have you been doing all these years?" I asked after we'd long set out on our journey.

"Fought, mostly. Saved villages and the like. I learned a great deal of things. You'd be amazed at what I can do now."

And he was right. I was certainly amazed.

We reached the demon's lair and prepared the magic circle. The idea was that it'd be lured into the circle, the spell would trap it, and then we can cast the banishment spell. Braedyn offered himself as bait, and so, he set out. The demon chased him as planned. It got trapped in our circle as planned. He was right. It was full of chaotic energy. More than any demon should have.

But I noticed something wasn't right. It was just an intuition, but . . . I decided to mind link with the demon. And that was when I learned . . . the truth.

"Braedyn, stop," I said. He had started chanting the banishment spell, but stopped when I said to. He looked at me quizzically.

"Why aren't you chanting? I thought we were doing this together."

"No, listen. This demon isn't what you think. She's pregnant."

"So?"

"So! She escaped the demon realm in the hopes of finding a better place for her unborn children. She has no desire to take over the world or start an apocalypse or anything like that! She just wants this place to be as close to her realm as possible so it will be safe for her children - this realm can be toxic to them if the environment isn't prepared properly. And she attacked you because you're a threat! Don't you see? We can find a way to get along! We don't have to do the spell."

He scoffed.

"Of course that's what she wants you to believe. That's how demons are."

"But it's not just what she wants me to think. I saw her memories. They weren't altered. I explained the difference to you before, between genuine and false memories. I think it's all true. So, we can't -"

Before I could finish, he pushed me into the magic circle and then sealed it back up, trapping me with the demon.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!"

"This is the only way," he said. "I'll take care of your wife and children." I banged against the invisible wall keeping us in place.

"Not if the spell kills you!"

"The spell won't kill me . . . if I sacrifice you," he said. And that's when I saw it. Something I'd never seen in him before. Evil. Absolute evil. Worse than any demon. And he started to chant. And I started to sink.

"What happened to you?" I asked. But he had already turned his back to me. My last words . . . and no one gave a damn. I grabbed the demon's claw, in an attempt to comfort her . . . and then I sank deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Tldr: you became a furry (very good story tho)

But my story doesn't end with my death. It is instead where my story truly begins.

Because of my heroic deeds in my life, one would think that I would go to the heavens. However, the spell he cast not only killed me, but it corrupted my soul. And when that happened, I was dragged to a place called Oblivion. This is the place where either you become a demon or your soul dissipates. This is worse than the nine hells. In the nine hells, there is order. There is hierarchy. There are ways to earn less suffering. In Oblivion, there is none of that. Everything is chaotic all the time, everything suffers greatly, and no matter what you do, you only go deeper into it until there's nothing left. But the worst thing of all is that, Oblivion has a way of wiping all memories.

I tried to escape without turning into a demon. I tried to find my pregnant demon and leave with her, but I couldn't find anything. I was brutally attacked . . . I fought. I fought and fought and fought, but . . . my soul was barely held together at all. And I had to make the choice. Do I allow myself to disappear? To have no chance of reincarnation? No chance of knowing love or joy again? Or do I turn into a demon? Preserve what little of me is left? Hope for a better life in the next cycle?

I decided to turn.

My form was truly monstrous. Fitting of one with such corruption. Long horns. Fangs. Deep purple skin. A hulking mass. Glowing, red eyes. I would never be the same again. Could never be the same. I had forgotten everything except that I knew I wanted out.

Thanks to turning, I did have time and strength. And eventually, I managed to break out of Oblivion and enter the Mortal Realm. I had come in just outside a village, and I blinked, trying to get my bearings. Where was I? Why did I want to come here again?

"Demon!" someone cried. The people armed themselves and attacked me, chasing me out of town. I ran. I ran only to run into more people and have to run again. Running, running, running . . . I finally found a dense forest where I could rest. As I settled down there, some of my chaotic energy warped one of the trees. And that's when a flash from my death came back to me. My first memory regained.

I didn't stay in one place too long. If I stayed, the environment would start to become corrupted in a way that wouldn't reverse with time. So I wandered. And as I did, my memories started to return. I realized the world I knew, it was . . . different. Demons wouldn't be automatically considered evil. People wouldn't automatically attack them. People wouldn't automatically try to kill them. We would only go after the ones that actually did evil things.

And then . . . I remembered my wife. My kids. I decided I would try to go back home. If I could just show my wife my memories, she'd help me. We could find a way to turn me back. That was what I thought I needed.

I took the long way home so I wouldn't be spotted on the roads. I thought the whole time about how joyous a reunion it would be. I knew I'd be attacked if I went in the village and anyone saw me, so I decided to sneak in at night. I managed to get home undetected . . . only to find an old, dilapidated building no one had lived in for many years. I managed to keep my tears in. But now I had no clue how to find my family. I decided to try a locator spell.

It led me to the cemetery, to her grave. She'd died of old age while I was away. I wept softly. And then, I saw it. A statue of Braedyn. And at the base was writing. Casualties of the War with the Demons. My name was the first listed. My blood boiled and I let out an enraged cry. We weren't at war with them when I was alive. That's what my death was all about. This is what he wanted. War with demons. And propping me up as a victim of them was how he got what he wanted.

And how I was run out of town again.

I had nowhere to go. So I wandered and wandered. I found myself in an enchanted forest. I could stay in it for a while without having to worry I would corrupt it. The magic within cancelled my own. So, I set up a home there.

And soon, I had adventurers finding their way through the forest, to me, trying to kill me. But it wasn't new and I would simply knock them out without hurting them too badly. Then I'd move their unconscious bodies to the edges of the forest where I could cast some magic. When they'd wake, they'd find a path. The path home. Courtesy of me.

But things change.

One day, as I was gardening, a young man drew his sword at me.

"Hear me, demon!" he declared. "I will strike you down! So when the last thing you see is the blinding light from my blade, you will know I have avenged my mother! This is for you, Mom. I love you." Tears streamed down his face. He trembled with righteous fury. And I knew who he was.

"Wait," I said. Too late. He attacked me. My own son attacked me. I let him. His form was terrible. I was obviously the first real demon he'd ever fought. Still, I let him practice before I finally got in close and mind linked with him, showing him my memories.

"Mom?" He dropped everything, fell to his knees, and wept. "I . . . I almost killed . . . my mom . . . ? But, no. This can't be. Uncle Braedyn said . . . but . . . you . . . how . . . ?"

"It's okay, Jasper. Take your time to process."

"No, it's not! It's not okay! I thought you were dead! We all thought you were dead! And now . . . now you're here . . . like this! My mom, the kindest person I ever knew, is a demon! That's sick!"

"I'm still her . . . you know. I'm right here."

"I'm gonna kill him!"

"No, you're not. What would it accomplish? The war with the demons is still on. If anything, that would make him a martyr and bolster the cause."

"Yeah, but it would make me feel better! And wouldn't you feel better, too, knowing the despicable person who betrayed you is dead?!"

"It wouldn't make you feel better," I said with a sympathetic smile. "Nor would it make me feel better. Because the path to healing doesn't start with murder. He may face the consequences of his actions, or he may not. Perhaps he already has. In any case, it is not on us to impose that. Regardless, I doubt he can ever find himself as happy as I do right now, in this moment! I love you, Jasper."

"I love you, too."

"Besides, he is a stronger fighter than both of us combined."

"I'll expose him, then!"

"Who would believe you? Or me? Besides family."

"So we do nothing?!"

"I never said that." I smiled again. "I think there is one course of action to take. We have to show people that demons aren't some evil monolith. That demons can be good, just as people can. And the only way we can do that is if we enter towns together and stand in solidarity." I then frowned. "But, that will come with its own share of problems. You will face much scrutiny. People might do horrible things to you. On second thought, I'd rather not -"

"That's my choice to make, Mom! And I will! I'll stand with you!"

". . . Okay. If that is what you want." I winked. "I suppose we'll start with our home town . . . later! After you tell me all about what I missed while I was gone! You've grown into an old man, I see!" I laughed.

You know, when people think "hell," "plain of oblivion,"Limbo," and all other ominous sounding punishments, they think endless pain and suffering, torment unending. But really it is soooooo boring.

I mean don't get me wrong, it hurts a lot. But after what seems like an eternity, it gets tedious. There is only so many times your body and soul can be rent and eaten and put back together before it just background noise.

There is so many other ways to punish someone, but endless suffering? So unimaginative. But a lonely apprentice shouldn't say such things. I mean normally. But after what seems like many years what else to think about.

Being apprentice to a mage, I guess I can think about the magic I was supposed to be learning. I mean repeated the principles thought to me by... my master... oh yeah... forgot about him. Like I said, many years it felt like...

Yes... I remember him. One of the faces before being sent here. That whole party we traveled with. Me being a lowly apprentice was treated as a mule sometimes. A camp attendant at others. I mean they weren't all assholes but they didn't see me as an equal. My master did see me a student teaching me...

But yes. Magic. Learned what was thought. Observed the spells. And when the pain became just like white noise, I went and thought it all through. All the principles that was taught. Make sense of them. And eventually practice it. I mean what else am I to do with all this time on my hands? Go mad? Already went there. Got better. Twice.

Of course as an apprentice, I watched the others in our group. Even sparred with them now and then, for all the bruises I earned it didn't do THAT much good. But like I said, what am I going to do with all this MaDdEnInG tImE on my hands? So I practiced on these creatures who were tormenting me. Got quite good too... where did these weapon come from again?

Oh right! The cursed fighters who would sell their souls to survive this battle or this war...Sheesh. So angsty. At least you chose to be here. Me? Not so much. I was sent down here. That damn master! Lend him power my ass. Now that I had so much time I can now decipher the Circle he used. Sacrifice. In order to banish that foul beast, they finally lured it into that trap we made. That circle was supposed to banish it. And well... it did. So I guessed no supposed about it. But they all knew it would mean a sacrifice.

hmmm. I guess that makes sense. Why they all treated me better that last leg of the journey. They found the Tome that had the circle. Master deciphered it. And they decided...

Whoops. Burned these things all around me. Got to control my temper. Magic is such a moody thing. So my Master would say... but that Circle... hmmm.

Can it work the otherway?

******

Ok that took a while. The math! And all while with this damn headache from all this pain and torment. Seriously. But I worked it out. Took some time. Did have to find enough demons and fould beast and some cursed fighters to power that thing. Almost went mad again trying to gather them all. Actually took less time. All those eons of practicing paid off.

Now. Lets see if I can banish myself back to my home.

This Circle brings back memories. What did happen to the beast that started this? *growls from inside head* Oh right... merged with me when banished and is now my constant companion and a reason I have more power and strenght. Yes, I know Fluffy. You are a fierce hunter. We will hunt on the outside.

So this Circle. Right. So figured out how not to sacrifice anything to return me. So hurray for advancement in the arcane. I should write a paper. But it does take a lot of power and these components I gathered from these foul beasts will help. No, they are not sacrificed! They return back after a time. Like me. They do look put upon now that I beat them a couple times.

Ok my dread companion beast Fluffy. Ready? Lets go back...

****

Ow. ow ow ow. That stung. Yes I know I said it doesn't affect me but that is the mind altering kind of pain. This is that lemon on a papercut kind of sting. Really now. But... I am back? Yes. that looks like the town we cornered that beast... sorry Fluffy... in...

I look like a vagabound. I mean I have rags on and look like hell... I mean there were some nice looking parts but never mind. I look like the poor in some of these towns always have. But... wasn't this town abandoned? Why it was chosen. The town center was the trap... Looks lively and well lived in...

The center of town... there was no fountain... Wait... there is a statue.

"Dedicated to the Victims of The Foul Demon Beast,"-*proud preening growls*-"Who was banished forever by Arcane Master Tobias, Sword Saint Elias, Saintess..."

What?

"...May the many names of the victims of this town live on in the rebuilt city..."

So many names... That one looks familiar... oh right... *mad giggle*... it was mine... No! Wait... no Mad giggles. We are sane again. They are mocking giggles...

So I am forever immortilized as victim. Not even an honored Apprentice? Just a name on the side of a fountain that people sit on? At least the water is clean enough. Wow is that my reflection? I didn't have these slit like eyes or hair that had white streaks. At least my youth is the same. I look... hmmm interesting. Can I change my eyes a bit? Oh... ok yeah some conentration. Normal eyes, beast like eyes. Yes.

Hmmm I better find out how much time has passed. What happened after. What happened to dear, old, Master. And see about revenge. Or forgiveness. Eh. I got time. I mean I guess I could give them the pain and torment they gave me... but like I said. So unimaginative. So boring. I bet I can come up with better. If they deserve it I mean.

Splintering needles and burning tearing, a blaze through my mind and body like an inferno through an unseen snow caked valley.

My eyes snapped open with the burn of my throat, wretching as the viscous bile ejected itself from my mouth. Before long it was naught but dry heaving, and i soon had the strength to get my feet beneath me.

A sudden light in my blackened memory erupted with a headache, and before long, i knew exactly what that rat bastard had done, Wilrune - for as nice as he was it seems scummy was on his to-be-list. Who the hell takes a dead mans wife!? Let alone the wife of a man you killed! Should be fine though, Ädria wouldnt do that. How long had it been? The sound of running water soon caught my ear followed by a fetid stench introducing itself to my nose.

With a scrunched face and pinched nose, i lifted myself from what i found to be rubble, from the roof, of a sewer. Through the shadowy maze of shit and the occasional corpse i waded, until eventually, finally, i found a grate opening out to an almost equally as foul river. However a problem presented itself, the metal bars made the hole to small to fit.

'Let's see... if, i remember...' i said to myself as the space between my fingers began to heat. It wasn't long before the bars were little more than shiny rocks, and i was clawing my way up the brick wall to the streets above.

I received more than a few disguted stares but i didnt have time to care. After wandering for a brief moment, the narrow street opened out to a massaive circle plaza, unfamiliar yet identifiably part of Bigophare. There in the centre, proudly stood a familar face, but golden. Wilrune, well a statue of him standing straight and tall, a fist high and clutching a blue flame.

The son of a bitch, thinks he's all high and mighty. I'll fucken show him. It felt good, the vortex around me pushing me more and more before i erupted in to a burst of flames. It felt great, my fist completed shattered the statue save the fist holding the flame. And before i knew it, i was surrounded in scorched rubble and screams.

I quickly got to my feet, looking around. There were corpses, some bleeding with large holes in various parts. Some even hard parts missing, others were cradling similar - less severe - wounds.

It wasn't long before i found myself lined up for execution in a cell. But it also wasn't long before an older yet familiar face presented itself.

Wilrune stepped in to the room i was chained in. 'You smell like shit, I thought you were de-'

'Shut the fuck up' i cut him off.

'You could have freed that monster, that statue held its soul.' He stated with almost repressed rage.

'I don't fucking care'

He grimaced 'you killed dozens of people, you turned that statue in to a fucking shrapnel bomb'

The guilt did strike me, but it was quickly overpowered by the hatred harboured for this dickhead before me.

'You will be executed tomorrow, though should have done it differently myself those thirty odd years ago' he continued dissapointedly.

The guilt grew heavy.

'What of Ädria?' I asked

'She is happy, and well. As is your son' he replied bluntly The revelation struck me like a ballista.

'Son?' I responded weakly.

'Yes... he has grown strong and well' '...right'

'Whats his name?'

'Myrigun'

The name brought a smile to my face

The next day came, it wasnt long before i was bound to a post in a colosseum, Wilrune with his sword. They spat some bullshit, said some stuff, i dont care... i just, want it to be over. And soon it was, my throat was pretty quick to dispense my blood. I fucked up i know...