“Six years ago, I was summoned to this world by the High Father of the Church of Verus and the Saints under him.” In front of a campfire, left only with smoldering embers, a man began to speak. “I wasn’t the religious sort, and yet I was forced into serving a religious order. To this day, I don’t particularly understand why.”
Sitting around the campfire were four individuals, all hidden under a cloak. The gazes of the man’s fellows were locked on him, focused on his words.
“I remember how bright it was as light flashed in my eyes. I was relaxing in bed, not thinking much about anything. Maybe I was considering what I wanted to read for the rest of the day. Not sure, and I guess it doesn’t really matter for my story. I can remember the fear that crept into my heart as that light persisted for several minutes. I couldn’t tell if something had happened to my sight or if I had passed out. I couldn’t move at all, so I just hoped deep down that nothing was wrong with me.”
“Ah, wait. It only took minutes?” A young voice spoke up. It was the person sitting directly across from the man. They had a small frame, though any other identifying features had been hidden well by their oversized cloak. “You know, for me, it was sooo much longer. You’re pretty lucky I think!”
“Hah. Yeah, if it took any longer I probably would’ve wanted to scream. Guess I’m glad it didn’t, then. I wouldn’t be able to live with the shame if those kids saw me crying when I appeared in front of them. Anyways—”
“It’d be a much better story, I think! The Great Paladin who got his start by pissing himself after being summoned from another world!” The young voice spoke up again. The man seated across from them remained silent after their words. “Uhh, sorry, too far? I mean, I really just thought it was funny… Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just imagining it, I guess. I agree, it would’ve been hilarious. I should’ve fabricated the story a bit. Anyways, stop interrupting and just listen, okay?” The small-framed person across from him nodded. The man couldn’t help but appreciate the other two remaining quiet through their slight distraction as he continued.
“I’m not religious, even to this day. Yet they’ve trusted me with so much, whether it be the defense of the church building itself, or protection for their highest members. While I’ve never gone so far as to openly blaspheme, I’ve said on numerous occasions that I hold no god in my heart or mind. The trust they hold in me… It always felt a bit unnatural. Maybe it’s because they sincerely believe Verus brought me to them in their time of need, but no matter how I or others who weren’t there that day protested against my status in the Church, they always trusted me. The pedestal they placed me on…” The man trailed off for a moment, staring blankly into the ashes of the now extinguished campfire, the only illumination left being from the moonlight seeping through the trees above.
“It’s exhausting. Was, exhausting? I’m not sure anymore. I don’t know what to think at this point. Is everything really ending so simply?”
Silence. Not a sound came from a member of the campsite in reply. Their gazes pointed down, whether focused on their feet or the extinguished fire.
“My understanding is that we are the only four left.” At the man’s words, a nervous, choked cough resounded from the campsite.
“So? What should we do?”
“Um…” From the man’s right, a new voice spoke up. Quiet. The woman’s voice was barely louder than a whisper, yet everyone could hear her clearly. “Is it… okay for us to just die?” Despite her clear voice, her words were only grim. “I don’t… see a reason to live anymore. We worked tirelessly to preserve the order of the continent, and yet in the end… there’s nothing left now…” Her voice trailed off at the end, ending in slight mumbles that only she knew the meaning of. “I think it’d be fine, right…?”
“I’d say it’s fine. How would you like to die?”
“Umm, quickly? Obviously I don’t want it to hurt… you know…”
“Sure. I’ll make it quick then.” The man resolved the situation quickly. Lying behind him on the grass was a small dagger, simple, with no decoration or identifying features whatsoever. He pulled the dagger out from its leather sheath as he lifted it off the ground, pointing it at her. “Any last words? Or maybe you’d like to give them to your family and friends in the afterlife, assuming there really is one?”
“Eeek! Idiot, that’s obviously going to hurt! Have you lost your mind?! You’ve definitely lost it! No I mean, you always…” Again, her voice turned to incoherent mumbles. The man shrugged and sat the dagger back on the grass. His listless movements seemed eerie to the others. The person across from him shivered from the sight.
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“Hahah, damn… You’ll really kill us just like that? Kind of heartless dude. Think of how long we’ve known each other!”
“One year, three months, and sixteen days. It’s not long enough for me to care that much.”
“Do they train you to be stoic and uncaring when you become a paladin? Man, it’s really hard to accept how little you actually care about us. Don’t you think we should be more friendly by now? That isn’t exactly a short amount of time, y’know!”
“I couldn’t care less at this point. Should I pretend that us being more friendly will turn this situation around?” His pointed words sent the campsite into a deafening silence.
The world around them was coming to an end. In a far-off location, on the other edge of the continent, monsters had begun to endlessly pour out from a chasm that formed in the nation of R’am almost two years ago. Their initial reaction was to create a perimeter around the chasm, stationing soldiers and mercenaries to kill the creatures that appeared while keeping it a secret from the other nations until they felt they had it under control, at least to the point it wouldn’t become an exploitable weakness. And for a time, it worked.
It worked until a new, yet-unseen anomaly crawled out a year after the chasm first appeared. A strange, spindly thing, it looked like someone had twisted black hairs into a headless human-shaped doll. Its human-esque shape sent chills down the spine of those stationed around the chasm, but no one panicked. The first time, one appeared. A mercenary walked up to it and kicked it back into the chasm. The second time, three appeared. A flame magician used a simple Ignition spell to light them on fire, burning them to ash. The third time, ten. The fourth, fifty.
The fifth time. A shadow crept out from the chasm. From the shadow, one more of those strange creatures showed up, larger than the others. It wasn’t a big deal, some thought. A mass of darkness, and a strand of slightly longer hair than before. That was what the magicians thought. They cast a simple light magic, ‘Blind’, and flame magic, ‘Fireball’.
That was where the story ended. From the nearby villagers that lived close enough to the perimeter to see what happened, as soon as the effects of the spells ended, all that remained were the shadow and its spindly companion. According to the eyewitness, the confusion of the situation lasted for a minute before the villagers began to run away, afraid of what might happen next.
He was the only one to make it out. Safe, but permanently scarred.
The four of us were all that remained of the world at this point. Based on our countless encounters with them, the creatures from the chasm couldn’t do anything to us, and we couldn’t do anything to them. Its attacks were ineffective against those from other worlds. The four of us had banded together to try and find a way after the downfall of our respective countries, yet in the end we were left with nothing. All that remained inside was bitter frustration at how useless we were, and the solitude of the new world.
“There’s nothing left for us to do. We can all die in peace if we want.” The last member of the group finally spoke. His tall and stocky figure was imposing when compared to the rest of them, yet his voice was deep and quiet. Contemplative.
“Yeah, I guess so, huh? But it’d be fun to at least tell a few more stories before we go out, right? I’d like to remember you guys better in the afterlife!”
“U-umm… I don’t mind… as long as I don’t get another knife pointed at my throat…”
“Don’t ask to die and you won’t. But when you’re ready to go, just let me know. I’m probably best suited for the task, in my opinion.”
Chatter filled the campsite as they began to tell menial stories, whether they be from their original world or from this one. While tensions were high, each endeavored to let their guards down for a while, in the hopes of finally having their endless burden released at the end.
Before he noticed, the sun was high in the sky. It attempted to assert dominance over the world below, trying to cast out the darkness of the night to replace it with its warmth.
All that remained was silence. He looked to his three companions. Their bodies were stained with a dark red.
Inhale. Exhale.
He looked up.
The sun was there, continuously trying to make its presence known. Its light almost looked as if it could reach him, as if it could embrace the corpses of the people he had been traveling with..
Yet all that remained around him was darkness. A shadow that encompassed the area he remained alone in.
From above, they watched with unblinking eyes. The strands of jet-black strands had parted to reveal white lights, pointed directly at the man and his dead friends. And he watched back, curiously observing the creatures as they looked at him.
“I can’t help but wonder what your thoughts are on all of this. If you’ve got eyes, maybe you’ve got mouths, yeah?” He let out a chuckle and shook his head. He couldn’t help but find himself amusing. “Making jokes at the end.” He exhaled slowly. “I really wasn’t cut out to be a paladin, you know. Let’s hope the next life is a little more forgiving to me, at least.”
He built a small pyre of logs and laid his companions on top before setting it aflame. Hands together, he recited a small prayer in his heart. While he had never believed in the god of the religion he served, he felt it better to do so, if only for the slight hope that He would take heed and bless them in the afterlife.
The shadow below wriggled back and forth. The creatures above silently watched.
The man brought the dagger to his throat and swiped. He blocked out the pain and sat down, the only sounds emerging from him being the wet blood escaping his throat.
Minutes later, he died.
Minutes later, a bright light shone in his eyes.
Minutes later, he was back in the Church of Prayer and Hope. The place where his new life originally began. Fallen on his rear, in the chapel where he was first summoned six years ago.