Blue flames occupied the majority of the city, devouring all things that moved in its conquest. Bodies of fallen warriors were strewn about in various manners, some decapitated, some disfigured and others completely ripped apart and eaten by the incessant slaughter of the satanic beasts that roam the streets of this once famed city.

For once the races were united, in our mutual destruction. Dwarves and the Subterranean quickly perished under the harsh attacks from the Demons. Elves, the proudest and most powerful of all the races, could only despair as they were butchered by the horned beings who thrived in pleasure from our sufferings. Humanity was simply fodder of the rampant beasts that ran loose among the civilians.

The screams weren't limited to this once glorious city of Alder, The entire world was engulfed in flames.

As I stood there, motionless and helpless to all the suffering that surrounded me, I could only despair.

Humanity had lost.

This world had lost.

I stood there, not bearing to move a single inch from their dead bodies. The lifeless faces of those i held dearest to me was all I could focus on. The bloodied corpse of Felicia, who had been impaled by a spike made from darkness. Her hazelnut hair, now bathed in the stickiness of dried blood. Chase, his face almost unrecognisable due to the flames that had consumed him, burning his unruly hair and slightly pointed ears due to his Elvin origins to a crisp.

And there he was, the one who was supposed to save the world, but failed. Reinhardt. His kneeling body skewered and pierced by a multitude of swords and spears. His blond hair, now bathed black from the blood of the demons he killed along the way. His once azure eyes now lost of any colour or sign of life. He who had harboured so much affection towards me but affection I could not return.

I stayed motionless in front of their decaying corpses, unable to handle the emotions that attempt to consume me. Despite the appearance of the demonic beast, the size of a city bus, behind me, I refused to move.

What was the point?

We, the collection of the worlds strongest had failed to kill the Demonic God.

We had failed.

I had long been prepared for death in my life, after all that I had felt and experienced. Perhaps thats why a part of me couldn't bear to accept a persons affection towards me.

As the horned beast, its appearance similar to the mythical beast known as a Minotaur rushed at me, I remained still. A pair of red eyes seemed to invade my vision for a moment. In an instant the mighty head of the horned beast was decapitated, spraying pure black fluid across my face.

I stared at the cold gaze of the person who stood over the beast's decapitated body. His burning crimson gaze seemed to glow amidst the blood red sky and the black blood that he was covered in.

"Don't just stand there!", Raymond yelled, his anger clearly visible in his tone.

I stayed quiet for a moment, perplexed as to why he was angry in the first place.

"Why do you care? whether I die or live is my own business", I replied with clear indifference.

For a moment, I thought that an expression of pain could be visible before it vanished in his cold features. Even covered in the blood of the corrupted mana beasts and demons, His good looks were easily perceived.

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"So you have given up?", He asked, his frustration and anger expressed in his voice.

"Yeah, what's the point? This world is lost, The Demons have won." I said, in growing confusion as to why a man who has shown clear indifference to me before, now seems to be so emotional when speaking to me, "God has forsaken us."

He paused, in a moment of contemplation as his usually cold expression passed through a variety of emotions that briefly surprised me, before saying.

"No, God has not forsaken you", He said, as he jumped down from the towering corpse of the demonic mana beasts, striding in long steps towards me, his eyes approaching just an inch from my own.

Surprised by his actions, I gripped the hilt of my bone-white rapier. Despite, that he did not cease is actions and said

"You won't understand what I'm saying right now, but you will.", Causing more confusion in me to what exactly is his intentions. "Everything that happened here, to this world, to you , to everyone , is all because of me. But I didn't mean to, I didn't know that what I had written would cause so much pain."

"Raymond, wh,what do you me-", I was asking before he cut me off,

"Don't talk, just trust me and what I'm saying." He said, making me more confused but I kept my mouth shut as he continued, "When I came in to this world in the body of the one of the main antagonist, I knew I had to ensure that the protagonist, Reinhardt would save the world and I could make him strong enough without him having to kill me in a fight but I was mistaken, I made too many mistakes and because of that he couldn't save the world."

" I still have some power left to use the book and change the narrative, but after I do that the book will cease to exist and the ending that is found in this new story will be the only one.", He kept on speaking, his tone grave and serious, but I failed to understand what he was talking about.

"I could send myself back but I can't trust that I won't make the same mistakes, but I know you won't make the mistakes I made.", He said, his normal indifferent gaze now softening as he spoke.

He slowly materialized this ancient looking book, as though it has existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I tried to make out the title but it seemed incredibly blurred causing an intense pain in my head as I attempted to read it.

"I always wanted to help you, whenever you were in pain, I wanted to shield you from it but if I did that the plot would be changed.",

He spoke with so much emotion that I couldn't help but realize his love for me, but why?

"So, I held myself back, became cold and harsh to you especially,", As he spoke, he opened the book which let out a blinding light, as it flipped through the pages from the very last page towards the beginning. I could only make out a few words that were being written at the very end of the book

It stated "As Elizabeth stood there, motionless and helpless to all the suffering that surrounded her, she could only despair.

Humanity had lost.

This world had lost. "

The pages began to rapidly flip towards the beginning, the words that were there being unwritten, I could see various names, names that were familiar to me and names that I wanted to forget.

Raymond wrapped his arms around me and pulled me so close our noses were touching. For some reason I felt comfortable and safe in his warm embrace, more so than I had ever been when I was near Reinhardt

"When you go back, You will have some of my memories but they will be fragmented because the book doesn't have enough power to ensure the safety of those memories as you are sent back.", He spoke with so much care and affection, I couldn't help but feel even more drawn toward him," But even with that, I know you can correct the mistakes I made, because you are better than me, You are the one I loved the most whether you were a character in my book or a person."

"No matter what challenges you face now and pain you will have to endure, I know You will bring this story to a good ending, an ending even I couldn't bring it to, And remember no matter what, I have and will always love you, whether it's now or any other time."

He pulled me in close and touched his lips against mine, but for some reason I didn't resist, as though it was an almost familiar sensation for me. I unconsciously began to kiss him back, forgetting about all the pain I felt, forgetting the suffering that was ongoing everywhere around them

For a moment, it seemed like nothing else mattered other than the two of them, even the end of the world seemed to lose its significance.

As he pulled away from my lips, bit by bit, my consciousness seemed to be pulled away, slowly losing the feeling of my body as though I was drowning and my vision slowly getting farther and father till all I could see was his glowing crimson eyes, but unlike before, his gaze was filled with so much care and love for me

"Remember, I always love you"