The man who did not have a name stood, alone in a destroyed world.

   Everything had been stripped from him. Most of his memory, his emotion, his name, and even his life, in the end.

   He was not truly alive anymore, simply a living husk held together by his own willpower. He would pass soon, as the others had, but there was still some work to do.

  This land was no longer controlled by benevolent rulers, but simply lords set to rule by the Monsters as Gods. The man felt Death come for him, ready to suck him into its depths. He refused, solidifying his form for one last second. With the final smidges of his power, the man designated a human to be the one to pick up the mantle of Good. Now that the heroes were gone, the rest of the mortals had to step it up.

   With a final laugh, the Last Hero declared the continuation of Good to the world, letting the Monsters as Men know that Evil would not win forever. Then he stopped, standing still for a brief moment, just before he stepped into Death's embrace. Precautions were always necessary. There was someone he could use if the Mantle holder failed.

  People ran in terror from the one who was supposed to be their hero. The Last Hero had chosen wrong. The only force of good had been corrupted by thoughts of power, even the Mantle of Good not enough to keep them sane. The running people desperately thought of anything they could do, but there was nothing. Their status sheets were empty of skills strong enough to stand against this monster. Another pawn was added to the board of the Monsters wearing the skin of Men.

  The man without a name walked around on the planet without a name, in the galaxy without a name. Nothing here was named, for there was only one person here, and he had not bothered to do so. Here, it was only him and the planet. The man easily completed his daily tasks, killing a few rabbits to eat as usual, the planet beneath him giving the man directions to the bunnies for ease of access.

  The man, after catching the bunnies, roasted them over a fire made using the fallen branches from the trees around him. Just before he ate, the man sat back and let the planet climb into his mind before taking a bite. The planet relished the taste, being able to feel, at least for a brief moment, alongside him.

   Soon, the meal was over, and it left once more, to take care of the world he lived on. The man sat, looking at the lone star, not needing any entertainment for he didn't feel bored. He also helped the planet with its tasks, keeping itself running. He helped cause rains and make sure healthy numbers of animals were populating the planet, though it never let him near any of the natural disaster controls.

  The man let it continue after he completed his portion of work, watching it finish up for the day before he started to train. After he was done, the planet wiped his mind once again, removing the memories he asked it to.

   He soon fell asleep, ending his day to start a new one. Once again waking up, the man prepared to start his routine once more, before he received a surprise message from the planet. Something is destroying this galaxy.

  The man quickly stood. This wasn't much of a hazard; they could leave, after all. The planet could take control of another shattered core and they could rebuild once more. However, it was not to be. The thing is destroying everything within my range. The man thought. They could not escape to another planet and start a life alone again. There would have to be something else they would do.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  The man sent a reply to the planet. What if we wait until they start breaking this planet, then you use the residual power of the death of everything to teleport me-and you, in my head-out to another planet?

  The only places that I could teleport us to, even like that, would be populated.

  Noted. I'll be prepared The human replied, as he knew this was not an argument against his words, but a simple warning.

  The planet sent most of its consciousness into the human's head, leaving just enough behind to trigger the teleport. An uncaring power suddenly rushed through the planet, killing everything except him and the consciousness in his head, who were teleported away just in time. At this moment, both the planet and the human realized who the attacker was. The Monsters as Men. They had destroyed the planet simply because there were not enough sapient beings on the planet to exploit and not enough resources to gain from it. So, instead of mining the planet's tiny deposits of ore, they destroyed it, gaining power from the simple act of destruction.

  The human and the consciousness in his head reappeared in an area with twisted metal towers spiking out of the ground everywhere. None of the many people around seemed to notice his appearance, but they noticed he was there, seeming to think he walked to this location from somewhere. Somehow, he understood them. "Why is there a kid here?," Asked a desolate man wearing a set of ragged clothes. Bones showed beneath his skin.

  A quickly walking woman who looked almost the same spoke to reply. "People of all ages can be condemned by the Monsters. Don't underestimate anyone who shows up to be a Rebel." She wore better clothes, seeming to take care of them better.

  Someone who was attempting to sneak up behind the man got closer, and was abruptly shouted away by the woman. "What are you attempting to do to that child?"

  The man behind him stuttered before he spoke. "S-sorry ma'am. This kid-this kid just seems to have some meat on his bones, ma'am. I was j-just wondering how he got the food."

  The woman drilled her gaze into the man's head. "Of course you were. Child, come with me."

  Obediently, the man-who now knew he wasn't a man, but a child-followed the woman, stepping closely behind her. Soon, they got to a building with large metal tubes poking out and a large amount of sound coming from inside. The woman walked in, so the child did as well. The planet in his mind spoke. I sense a small amount of magic in this land. Nodding, the child continued, walking after the woman into a large room within. Rows of men and women alike froze, turning to aim their metal tubes at the child, who didn't know what they were trying to do.

  The woman waved her hand, and they turned back to what the child assumed were targets, stabbing at them with knives on the fronts of the tubes, which were apparently weapons. He followed the woman further until she walked into a room with two beds in it. "Stay here for a moment," She said, walking out the door as he sat on the bed.

   When she came back in, it was with a knife. "I'm not giving you a gun. That would be a bad idea. So, instead, I'm giving you a small stabber, because you need something to defend yourself with in this area. If you ever need anything, ask for Michelle and they'll direct you to me.

   The child nodded, understanding everything, as he grabbed the knife and inspected it before putting it in its sheath and strapping it on, somehow knowing exactly how to do so. Smiling, the woman chalked it up to luck and walked out the door. She called out to a soldier, who instantly snapped to attention. "Give the child the Breaker as a roomate."

  The soldier managed to squeak out a few words. "But... Captain... the Breaker... well... he's not called the Breaker for nothing. What'll happen to the child if we put him in there?"

  "Nothing," the Captain barked back. "Who knows the Breaker better? Me, or you? He only breaks insolent soldiers who don't listen."

  The soldier squeaked once again, running off to presumably find the Breaker. She turned to the other soldier, who similarly squeaked. "Assign the child to train the Nightingale."

  The soldier squeaked again, ready to assault her decision. She glared at him and the squeak was cut short. He ran off to find the Nightingale. The Captain sighed. If either the Breaker or the Nightingale weren't in their positions tomorrow, she would have a word with those soldiers. Fear wasn't a reason to shirk their duties.