“Daddy!”

What was this?

“She really takes after you, dear.”

What was this that he was seeing right now?

“As long as I can come back and see the both of you, I’ll always be there.”

Wasn’t that his voice speaking?

As his foggy mind struggled to clear up, more jumbled thoughts came back to him.

No, they were not just any old thoughts, they were memories.

Memories of a time he had wanted to forget but could not. The ones that he knew he would take to his grave, no matter what.

And they were all swarming back into the front of his mind like flies, irritating pests that tormented him even now.

He had no choice but to relive those dreaded memories again.

That’s right.

It was a small town, and he was a hunter.

He did not have much, but what he did have was a small shop selling beast hides that he had personally skinned or obtained from others.

Hunting in the wasteland was dangerous work, and there were certain times when his chances of survival were bleak at best.

“Daddy’s home!”

The only thing that made sure he would come back was the people he loved.

His wife managed the house and took care of the chores. She was strict on everything and everyone, but he knew that meant she had an iron will that would never bend to anything.

His daughter was a curious child, clingy and stubborn. She would always want to tag along with him, no matter how dangerous the situation was, and every time she did, they would have to pull her back into the house and sternly lecture her. Of course, she would never listen, and would always do the same thing again.

“No fair, why does Daddy always get to do all the fun stuff?”

“When you’re older, you can do it too.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then, it’s a promise!”

“Yup!”

“…”

The funny thing about promises, however, was that they could be easily broken.

“What’s wrong… Daddy?”

Everyone said the same thing.

They all said it was incurable. That there was only a one in a million chance. That it would take a miracle to save her.

“Dear, we need to—”

“We are not going. It’s too risky. How do we know if we can even trust her!?”

“What do you want to do then?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

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One by one, they all left, seeking the promise of a utopia.

None of them ever returned.

Perhaps they had indeed found it and stayed, but he believed otherwise. He knew there was something wrong with that offer.

And so, he waited for that miracle.

He travelled further and farther in his hunts. He sought the knowledge of someone who might help them. He devoted his whole life into finding a glimmer of hope.

But when he came back…

“I’m sorry.”

… the hope was gone with a single note.

“Stop…”

He could hear the cry of a bird, the flapping of wings. He was unsure if they were part of his dreaded memories or the painful reality he did not want to come back to.

If it was real, perhaps it was a mockingbeast, drawn to his erratic breathing. It could be an easy way to go out, even if it was absolutely horrific to imagine.

… no.

This wasn’t right for him. He still had things he had to do. He could not simply go out like this.

I need to get up.

He was lying in the middle of the room that had contained the weapon he had unleashed into the world.

Judging the situation based on the sounds he could hear above him, it seemed like it was doing a great job in its first run already. That was good.

However, there was still one burning question.

How did I survive?

He was not unscathed, but other than a few cuts and a nasty bump on the head, he seemed to be fine.

As he sat up and looked around him, he could see rocks and rubble in all directions. They had all barely missed him by a mere few meters.

Almost like a miracle, huh?

He let out a dry snort at the sheer irony of the situation.

As he slowly stood up, feeling a little dizzy from the sudden vertigo and slight concussion, he could hear the bird’s cry again.

“Awkh!”

Perched on a high piece of stone and looking down at him was not a mockingbeast as he had thought, but a surprisingly normal bird with white feathers. It looked almost like a crow but for some reason, his brain did not seem to think of it as one.

As it opened its mouth, its call was unusually loud and even more unusually disturbing to hear. It almost sounded like a normal crow’s cry but even fiercer.

Fucking bird…

He picked up a small stone and threw it in its direction, causing it to promptly fly away with another grotesque noise, glaring at him the entire time.

Now, where was I?

As he celebrated his small victory, he heard another noise.

A soft voice, calling out to him.

This time, he had immediately recognized it, and he began searching for the source.

“General…”

As he pushed away a shattered shard of glass in his way, he spotted him.

“Azwar…”

His trusted soldier, his loyal follower, trapped under several tons of stone, unable to move, let alone get out.

“General… please…”

“…”

Despite everything he had done, he was not completely heartless. He still cared for the people who listened to him, the ones who believed in his motivation until their last breath. At least, that was what he believed in.

But even a caring man like him had his limitations.

“General?”

The two words echoed in his mind as he said them to him.

“I’m sorry.”

Picking up a nearby pistol that had landed near the trapped Fox, he checked the bullets inside and confirmed it was largely intact before cocking it.

“Gener—"

It was mercy. That was what he had told himself as he pulled the trigger and the pleading stopped.

Alright then.

Now that he had the means, he just had to keep moving to his goal and everything would work well for him.

The only way was up. He could not stop now.

When he finally emerged onto the surface of the city and laid his eyes upon the unfolding chaos, he could not help but pause and soak in the view of destruction.

Magnificent… truly magnificent… really magnificent…

He repeated the word again and again in his mind.

Even without confirming it, he had already known that some, if not most of his other followers were either already killed by the thing or fighting for their lives in engagement with it.

Idiots. All of them.

But the loss of his support did not matter at this point, because now, he had the greatest one he could ever hope to receive in his entire life.

“Ha…”

It was amazing.

“Ha, ha…”

It was glorious.

“Ha, ha, ha…”

It was everything he strove for ever since that day, revenge against the world that had so cruelly beat him down.

“HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!”

And he laughed.

He laughed at the extent of it all. He laughed at the pleasure it gave him. He laughed at the futility of the strugglers. He laughed just because he could.

It was filled with all the bottled-up anger and pain that he had been harboring in his mind for a long, long time. It was cruel and maniacal, without any hint of remorse or regret whatsoever.

“Ha ha… ha…”

But as he slowly calmed down, the doubts he had bubbled up to the surface.

That’s right, I almost forgot.

When he was inside the room after he came to, he had not seen the two most problematic individuals who should have been there as well.

It was entirely possible that they could have been crushed under the weight of the rubble, much like what his poor follower had to go through, but he knew better than to hope.

They’ll stop it if they’re still around. That’s what they will do.

The initial joy and mania had soon been replaced by more anger and fear that grew stronger and stronger as he continued to stew on that idea before he came to an easy decision.

I will stop them.

And just as he made that decision…

He could see a figure hurtling towards him at high speed. Even though it was blurry and unclear, he could determine who it was based on its size and shape.

… jackpot.

He checked his ammunition before cocking the pistol in his hand again.

It was time for a good fight to the death.