The break of dawn found five people standing in a circle. All around them, corpses were being moved into piles and incinerated out of existence. The fortress below them was systematically taken apart by the teams of undead brought in by Nijaz.

The Nightwalker and his other commanders had long since left the scene. One look from the hero made Beelzebub pee his pants and flee as well.

As for the people in the circle, well, one of them was a squirrel, another was a pixie, a third was a rock monster, and the fourth was technically the Lich King. Only Alastar was properly human, though some would doubt even that.

“Are you ready to talk?” David finally asked. It had been hours since the pixie turned quiet. “We know what you’re feeling.”

“Really?” Seth scoffed.

“Yes, we do,” answered the rock monster. “You’re not the only Earthling on this planet. Me and David have reincarnated as well.”

“We know what it’s like to live two lives, to feel like you don’t belong, like you’re inside some moronic video game.”

“Really? Two lives?”

“Yes,” David continued. “But, this perpetual existence doesn’t have to be pointless or meaningless. You can still find enjoyment in it.”

“For now,” Seth answered.

“Huh?”

“You find enjoyment in it for now. Wait another few thousand years, and you might just get bored enough to kill yourself.

But, what if afterwards you get reincarnated again? And, after a long, long life of going through the motions, you die and get reincarnated again, and again, and again?” The pixie’s eyes took on the hollow look of his human form.

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“What if this is just your second reincarnation, but there will one day be 1000? You’ll experience endless puberties, endless loss of bowl functions. If you reincarnate as an adult, you’ll get bombarded with the memories of strangers, countless lifetimes of strangers' memories.

And by the way, being reborn as a f**king unbeatable, all-powerful hero is not exactly the norm. Just look at this guy,” he pointed towards Joe. “I assure you, you’ll be an alcoholic and/or drug addicted monster through more lifetimes than not.”

“That’s…”

‘Hurtul,” Joe wanted to add. But, it wouldn’t have helped the current situation much. “Is there anything we can do for you?” he said instead. Deep down, he felt that helping this pixie might one day help himself.

Seth lowered his head seeming to have fallen in thought. His head shook several times, and his eyes had yet to dry. However,…

“There is,” he said some time later. “The black dragon, Bratley. Bring him here.”

Joe and David shared a curious look while Alastar and Momo’s eyes went wide.

“Is he the one I’ve punched across the continent or the one I’ve sealed inside a horse?”

“The one you put on gardening duty,” the rock monster said.

“Oh. Is he your friend, Seth? I went easy on him since he begged like a p**sy.”

Seeing Seth's grim expression, David cut his recollection short and summoned a human sized portal towards Blueberry Grove. With one hand, he grabbed the dragon by his tail and pulled him through the tiny hole.

Bratley’s bones started cracking. The seal placed upon him tugged at his flesh. However, neither magic nor logic could oppose the hero. With sheer brutish strength, he pulled the dragon through. If not for the portal cracking under the pressure and eventually expanding, the great black dragon would’ve come out as a salami.

“What is the meaning of this?” bellowed Bratley looking more afraid than actually shocked.

“He knows you’ve been spying,” Joe cut him short. Immediately, the dragon changed his tune and started apologizing.

“Shut it,” ordered David. “Seth, what do you want from him?”

Knowing what might follow, Joe looked on with interest. Bratley, on the other hand, was both hopeful and scared all at the same time.

“I… want you to free him from his shackles,” said Seth with the sad eyes and smile of a saint. Immediately, the dragon’s hopeful side rose to the top.

“And I… want you to beat him within an inch of his life,” Seth continued with the same saintly expression.

‘I knew it,’ Alastar nodded to himself. The dragon turned pale while the hero gave him a questioning look.

“Did he wrong you that badly?” asked David.

Seth’s face dropped back towards the ground. His lips shook while tears started forming within his eyes.

“Yes,” he barely managed to whisper. “Yes, he has.”