Where was I?

What was I doing?

Where was everyone else?

I couldn’t see anything.

My arms were heavy.

Legs… I couldn’t feel my legs either.

The last thing I remembered was… getting killed by the Griffin.

So was I in the afterlife?

That would be nice.

I felt my eyes open. For a moment, I thought I saw the world completely shrouded in a black mist. Everything cleared in just a moment, and I was met with the starry blue sky once again. I rolled my head over. Rachel was still fighting. Her dagger was up, and she was alternating with her bow, using everything she could to keep the brown griffin under check, but I could see that she was tiring. She had wounds on her legs, and she was bleeding. Badly.

Was I incapable of doing anything?

Had I allowed myself to become so soft that I would lie around.

While I allowed my friends to fight for me?

No.

A cold raspy voice. A voice I would never forget, for we were one and the same. It was hollow and husky, like a sore throat. A voice ever so familiar.

Your heart still beats, your head is still on your shoulders… you can keep fighting.

That’s right. As long as I was alive, I could fight.

So why are you afraid?

I’m not afraid. I’m not.

Then why do you hesitate?

My vision began to blur. Images and colors flashed before my eyes.

No.

The edges of my field of vision stopped blurring. I felt it, the same thing I felt many years ago. An evil, vile strength that seemed to surge out of nowhere.

I looked around, my arms were heavy. The injury I got from the arrow back in town was still there. I had just been ignoring the pain. I felt like my chest had been torn apart.

I felt it. Like the waking of beast from its slumber. It felt like insects were crawling all over my skin, walking over every inch. I felt my wounds begin to close, as if being healed. Rapidly, all the injuries that I had earned over the past week slowly but surely disappeared. The pain faded like a bad memory, and I gasped for air. I ignored everything else, focusing only on my surroundings. I stood up, looking for Rachel.

She laid there on the floor, seemingly unconscious. There was blood on her knees, but the griffin was right above her ready to feast. It raised its head up and slammed its head down, but instead of biting into flesh it slammed right into my arms as I dashed over, stepping fast and heavily. I gripped the upper part of its beak with my left arm and the lower part of its beak with my right. It panicked and tried to step back, but I held on tight.

I began pulling as wide as I could, stretching its beak apart. It screeched and tried to shake me off but I heard the sound of flesh tearing apart as tore its mouth even wider. It snapped with a surge of strength, making me let go as it screeched even louder. Its beak hung open like it was loose. It lunged back, rolling on the ground.

I grabbed Rachel as fast as I could, checking whether she was fine or not.

“Rachel.” I whispered. “Are you okay?”

She turned her head and opened her eyes.

“You’re late.” she was badly bruised. There was blood from scratches and various other small injuries, but it didn’t seem like she had any lethal injuries. “What happened to you?”

“I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t be. You were dead… and what’s with all of these black markings on you?”

“My body’s reacting to the damage… I’m not sure how long I have.”

“Then what’re we doing here chattering?” she attempted to get up on her own, but I pushed her back down.

“Just rest.” I put her head down, grabbing her bag. I scavaged through it, looking for potions. I grabbed a red one, hoping I had grabbed the right one and poured it into her mouth. Her face relaxed and the pain seemed to have faded just a bit. I heard loud stomping behind me.

I slammed my hand into the ground as I turned around, black tendrils broke out of the ground and erected a wall in front of me. The griffin slammed into the wall with a thud. As the walls went down, I saw that it flinched in surprise as it face collided with the black wall. It winced in pain, stepping back again.

Dammit. I felt sick, like I wanted to puke. My body wasn’t responding well to my sudden use of magic. I looked at the griffin again, collecting my thoughts.

Black tendrils danced across my arms, gathering like a school of fish. Entwining and coiling together like a helix, it forged a sword of pure black matter at the palm of both my hands.

I lunged at the beast, the ground beneath me shattering as I took heavy steps. I was fast, much faster than it had expected. It tried to cover my assault with its wings but I stepped to the side, aiming for its blind spot. It's only working eye was unfortunate enough spot me as I thrusted my swords into its sides, right beneath where the wings connected to the flesh. It instinctively tried to get up into the air, but its wings were damaged, causing it to toppel sideways. I landed on top of it, losing my balance and nearly falling down below it. I grabbed the hilt of my black sword, using it to swing back towards its tail. I used my legs and began pulling the sword as hard as I could. The griffin screamed as I tore the flesh between its wings and its body, yet it was unable to do anything to shake me off. I crawled back up, going to the other side and did the same thing. It screeched even louder, its cry echoing across the entire forest as I tore its wing apart, the feathery limb falling down to the ground. Its arm slammed me off as I lost my grip on the sword. Blood was splattered everywhere, staining the trees and the ground red.

I turned around, it wouldn’t be flying. I dragged myself to Rachel, throwing her arm over my shoulder so that I could get her to a safer spot. She coughed as I helped her up.

“What happened?” she mumbled.

“We need to get you somewhere safe.”

“Where’s… Leon… and Celeste?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think I can walk.”

“You sure?”

“I said I think.”

I let her go softly, making sure that she wouldn’t fall before I let go.

She looked behind me.

“Wait,” she pointed. “Finish it off.”

I looked over my shoulder, the griffin had begun to try to slowly crawl away, its wounds were so severe that it had become unable to move and had been forced to resort to crawling like a bug.

“Leave it. It’ll die soon.” I looked away.

“It’s in pain.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Please, Magnus.”

Even for the enemy, she cared.

“Fine.”

I walked over. As I stood over the griffin, its remaining eye opened, glaring back at me. The swords were still stuck in it. I raised my hand, forcefully causing the coiled swords to dissolve into the air like black dust. Blood gushed out of its wounds, flooding the ground even more. I raised my arms like I was holding a bow. Black flame-like material gushed out of my skin, taking the shape of a bow. A singular tendril formed in the middle, taking the role of an arrow. I notched and drew the bow, aiming it right for the head.

The ground broke as the arrow pierced its skull, and it was finally put to rest.

I heard a loud howl coming from a certain direction, I turned towards it. I raised an arm and created a crow. It went flying into the air as I regrouped with Rachel, trying to get our bearings.

“This magic…” she was sitting down underneath the shade.

“Yea?”

“It’s all too familiar.”

“I see.”

“But there’s something more, isn’t it.”

“What do you mean?”

“If this were just it, you wouldn’t be afraid of using it. This isn’t all there is to it, is it, Magnus?”

Her using my name put more weight on the sentence. It felt like she was trying to address me, but more forcefully.

“I suppose that’s one way to put it.”

“Is it safe?”

“I don’t know the answer to that.”

“I’m asking because can see it in you.”

“What is it?.”

“Everything that’s flowing inside of you right now. All that black mana, eating away at you.”

“I see.”

“Will you die?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?!.”

She seemed worried.

“Can you do me a favor?” she asked.

“What is it?”

“Please, help Leon and Celeste.”

She held my hand. It was strangely warm, soothing and comforting amidst all this fighting.

“That’s the plan.”

I slid my arms under her legs and her back, lifting her up.

“You can just leave me here.” she groaned.

“What I’m going to do now will be more dangerous than before.”

“So?”

“I can’t have you getting in the way.”

Black lines began to ripple through my skin like ink in clear water. It cut through my body, masking it in a sadistic dark hue, and I felt pain. So much that I thought I’d want to die. I began walking, using every ounce of willpower not to scream or cry for help. Behind me, I sensed the body of the dead griffin as black markings wrapped around it, slowly but surely consuming it.

* * *

Leon held up his shield, blocking the attacks of the griffin. He had been able to keep the monster’s attention for the most part, but it was far too swift. This wasn’t a normal griffin. This was one that had been fed and infused with so much mana it was nearly a different creature.

They had been unable to find a chance to counterattack. They didn’t have the numbers in order to take it down.

All the griffin was doing was biding its time so that Leon and Celeste would tire out.

Celeste was already sweating and losing too much stamina.

All seemed to be set in stone.

Leon and Celeste turned around, they felt something approaching. A familiar energy, something vile and evil. But it was familiar and that was all that mattered. A mixture of anger and hatred rose as the presence got closer.

Out of the shadows of the forest came walking Magnus, carrying Rachel within his arms.

However what had forced even nature to wake up was not Magnus himself, but the amount of mana that materialized next to him. It was black, like a solid shade of coal. It was so dense that it practically took a physical form, like a soft black flame. One side of his body was covered by this flame while the other half was uncovered. Mana was an everflowing resource that flowed in the air. It was abundant, but thinly spread out across the air. Having such a dense amount of mana gather disrupted the course of nature and warped the very environment around it.

The entire forest could sense it - the coming calamity.

* * *

I placed Rachel down, gazing in Celeste and Leon’s direction. I couldn’t tell exactly what they were thinking, but if there was one thing I sensed from them it was fear. They reeked of it, like a terrible stench in the air. I heard something being spoken, but I couldn’t understand it. My ears were ringing. I couldn’t feel the right side of my body. It was like walking while dragging around a heavy log. I turned towards the golden griffin. The rusty smell of blood filled up my nose. Pain. I felt so much of it that my body was numb. It had been so long since I was in so much agony, it was like my body was ripping itself apart from the inside.

I spotted my weapons next to my bag. I must have dropped it before I got knocked away. I reached my right hand out, black tendrils reaching out of my palm and dragging it back. I walked over and picked up the blade my left hand, holding the dagger in my other hand.

I began walking, slowly at first. The soft wind blew past as an uncomfortable silence had taken over the battlefield. Then I started taking heavier steps. Then I began sprinting, my steps pounding on the ground as I ran straight towards the griffin. The ground beneath me began to crack as I ran faster, black tendrils broke out of the ground. I threw my hand forward, the tendrils followed and turned into spears in an attempt to pierce its wings. It dodged, stepping lightly to the side. It lunged forward with both of its claws. I raised my arms, black matter seeping forward and creating a shield in front of me. Its claws ripped into my newly formed shield as I held it steadfast, making sure it could not let go. Black markings travelled from my arm onto its body like a miasma. It wasn’t sure what effect it had on it, but attempted to shake it off. It began to eat away at its skin and feathers, causing it to shake even harder and finally managed to drag its claws out. It immediately jumped back, leaping into the air and taking flight. It screeched, swiftly gliding around and moving quickly above the trees.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I turned around, looking at Celeste and Leon who were still confused as to what was happening.

“Start channeling!” I shouted.

Celeste held her staff tighter, getting a grip on the situation.

“What spell?” she shouted back.

“Your most powerful one, as large as you can possibly make it. Leon!” I called out to him.

“What about me?” he dragged himself up, hauling his kite shield up.

“Protect her, don’t let her get interrupted.” I was already out of breath. My lungs felt like they were on fire.

A black pillar burst from my feet, lifting me up into the air a considerable height. I could see the griffin from here, it was swirling about, trying to target Celeste. It swooped down, but I created a black net to materialize before it could get close. It hovered above the air, turning its attention back to me. It realized that it wasn’t going to get anywhere close while I was still standing. It lunged towards me. I jumped in an attempt to dodge, I went flying downwards, unable to find a way to soften the impact. I was in complete freefall, almost going into a panic.

What good are wings without the courage to fly?

The cold raspy voice echoed in my head once more. I felt like my spine was being ripped out of my body. I screamed as the flesh on my back tore apart and I felt something other than blood gush out of my wound. I turned to my sides, only for me to realize that I had sprouted black wings. They were shaped just like the griffins’. Heavy and firm, but flexible. The wings seemed to have a mind of their own. They flapped, instantly taking me out of freefall. It continued to stay in motion. I looked around for the griffin, finding it on the ground where Leon was standing between it and Celeste. Leon roared, bashing the griffin in the face with his shield and blocking at the same time. After receiving several blows, the griffin flew swiftly into the air, going just above me. It stared down at me in a condescending manner. My wings sent me right into the griffin with an unexpected burst of speed. I held my sword in front of me, reinforcing it with black magic as I crashed right into the underbelly, cutting straight into its stomach. Blood spilt all over me as it gushed out of its gaping wound. It screeched, loud enough for birds in the far distance to run away. I quickly grabbed its wings, climbing on its back and hung onto its mane. It attempted to shake me off, but I could feel it losing strength. I grabbed its neck, using all the strength I could muster in order to incapacitate it. It spat out saliva, dripping down from its mouth. It went down lower towards the ground, probably because it was losing stamina. However much strength I had left, it was working.

But I knew that time was running out. I still had my dagger. I pulled it out, stabbing it behind the neck. It started falling straight down, I nearly lost my grip but I managed to grab it by the mane before I almost fell off. Before it crashed into the ground, it stopped itself and hovered just slightly above. It was panting, as if worn out and exhausted from our time in the air. Yet it would not give me an opening. It tried to knock me off with a swipe, but only managed to slightly graze me. My black wings dissipated, leaving behind a small cloud of black dust that spread out across the air. A small amount of blood dripped out from scratch, but it didn’t bother me. I sensed an opportunity.

I jumped off the griffin, slamming my hands into the ground right below. A forest of black shot out of the ground, grasping the griffin by the legs and forearms. It showed signs of restraint, but had no actual strength to shake it off. I had finally managed to imprison it.

I turned towards Celeste, who was still channeling. The aura around her indicated that she was ready.

“Do it!” I shouted.

“You’re too close!” she shouted back, still holding the spell.

“Just do it, trust me!”

She had a look of uncertainty on her face, but unwillingly she released she spell. Her eyes turned a dead red and her staff glowed in a crimson hue. A massive red circle appeared above me and the griffin. A giant molten ball slowly but surely exited the circle, creeping towards us. I could feel the scorching heat as it drew closer.

A massive molten ball grew out of the tip of her staff. Leon dove downwards, trying not to get burnt as the spell got larger and larger.

Perfect.

I jumped back several paces, taking up a good position. I channeled, focusing every bit of strength and mana that I had remaining. Black pillars erected out of the ground next to the griffin, like a small cage. It condensed and stretched, weaving over the surrounding area until it was large enough to hold the griffin and the molten sun. It shaped into an open casket.

I didn’t have enough strength to finish the spell. I had to settle for what I have.

The casket was complete, the doors slowly closed as the sun set into the doors. The black coffin gleaming and slithered with a life of its own.

The casket shaked.

Then silence. We heard nothing, it was as if the entire world had shut down. No birds chirped in the sky, no insects crawled along the ground. The entire forest had entered a temporary slumber.

The casket dissolved into the air, the burnt corpse of the griffin collapsing from the air. The ever so familiar smell of burnt flesh originated from it.

I fell to my knees. My black coat vanished, fading into the air like withering ash. My entire body was in pain.

I tried to reach out, but everything faded once again, and for the second time that day, I stared into the abyss.

* * *

I was laying down. As I opened my eyes, I almost wished I never did. A singular face stared back. She had a small figure, with long hair and freckles. She was smiling. It was hauntingly beautiful. I wished I could reach out to her. But I knew that this was just a dream. A figment of a story that I couldn’t bring myself to abandon.

A reminder of how much I hated the world.

* * *

I gasped, sitting up straight and trying to inhale as much air as I could. I was covered in bandages. My arms, legs and parts of my upper body felt like they were wrapped tightly. It felt somewhat suffocating.

More importantly, where was I?

I looked around, The room was wood. Wait no, the room was a tree. Wait, what.

I shook my head, I thought I was hallucinating. No, I was seeing it right. I was actually in a tree right now.

I looked at where I laid, it was a wooden bed. Not the type that had been crafted by human hands, it was one where it looked like it had been grown by nature itself.

It took me a moment to realize that someone was by my side. It was Rachel. Her silky yellow hair sprawled all over the sheets I laid under. She looked like a mess.

I heard the sound of a door opening, I turned my head towards the direction of the sound. There had been a door to the room all along, but somehow I had managed to miss it.

Celeste and Eve walked in. New questions popped up in my head.

What were they doing here together?

“You’re awake.” Eve started.

“What gave you that idea?” I replied sarcastically.

“Just sit down before you actually die from internal bleeding.”

I raised my blanket, making sure that I didn’t bother Rachel. I moved my legs and placed them on the floor.

“You should be dead.” Celeste cut in.

“Strange how I’m still alive then.” I groaned as I felt my stitches open.

The two of them rushed over, but I raised my hand and signaled them to stay.

“I’m fine. Just give me a moment.” I unwrapped the bandages that were around my upper body. They were wet with blood, as I unwrapped them I saw that a variety of treatment had been applied to me as I detected the scent of herbs from the wounds.

I dropped the bandages onto the floor and placed my hands on the edge of the bed, holding on. I felt my body get hotter. The runes on my body glowed, burning onto my skin once again. I clenched my teeth as the stitches were forcefully removed from my body. Blood from the bandages began to crawl up from the bandages like centipedes. It sunk back into my wounds, like time was being unwound. All of the wounds on my body began to close up, including the giant cut in my chest and the hole in my shoulder. I panted, the entire process was painful. For some reason, the process of healing itself was a painful one.

Nothing remained of the major wounds but an assortment of wide scars.

The look of awe spread across Celeste and Eve’s face as this happened.

“Is that another one of your abilities?” Eve asked, getting closer to take a look.

“I suppose so.”

“I think you owe me an explanation.” Celeste kept her distance. After what she had seen, I didn’t blame her.

“Ask away.” I stretched my arms out, checking for any more injuries.

“You’re not just a mercenary, are you?”

“I am now.”

“What were you before?”

“I’m afraid I can’t divulge that information.”

She seemed uncomfortable with that answer.

“During that fight… what was that magic you were using?”

“What did it look like to you?”

“I’ve seen it once before. It was forbidden magic, one that used the lives of others in order to fuel itself.”

“So it seems.” I raised an arm onto my shoulder, checking for the hole that was there before.

“What does it do?”

I thought for a second, trying to think of a simple way to put it into words.

“The power of creation.” A soft gentle voice echoed across the tree. I was surprised as the floor began to twist and twirl, Green slowly emerging from within. “What do you know about the demons, child?”

“The ancient demons? I know that they were supposedly the most powerful among all the races.” Celeste answered.

“Do you know why?” Green continued on.

Celeste shook her head.

The door to the room opened as Leon and Eve entered the room. Nearly everyone that I was familiar with was here. It felt suffocating having so many people inside just one room.

“The demons were granted magic that reigned supreme over all others. In layman terms, it was the power of creation. I think Magnus can explain better.” she directed her hands towards me as everyone turned their heads towards me.

I sighed,if she was gonna interrupt at least finish the conversation.

“Among every type of magic in Elysium, there is one central idea or rule that persists across them all. It is that no matter what, no matter is lost or gained during a cast. Mana is an agent that acts as a catalyst for the transformation of energy. Water magic uses small water vapor in the air to create torrents. Fire is a result of the separation of mana to create heat. Transmutation is the exchange of materials that follows a very specific set of rules - specifically that of equivalent exchange. Demon magic is unique in the fact that it ignores the central rule of magic. It’s the magic of creation and destruction, that was believed to be impossible.”

“That shouldn’t be possible.” Eve cut in. She looked at me doubtfully.

“How would that even work?” Celeste asked at the same time.

I raised my hand. Black dust began to spiral atop my palm and began to weave into a sword. The process was swift, but the runes on my body flared up and I winced in pain. I dropped the sword, it was soundless as it landed on the floor.

“That’s… a sword. A physical sword.” Eve leaned down to observe the sword I had just created.

“Demon magic enables you to do two things.” I continued on. “To consume and to create. The power of destruction and creation. That is what made the demon race the strongest among all the races, placing them just a step below godhood. The very beings that mankind managed to overthrow from their thrones.”

“What can you make?” Celeste asked.

“Anything, as long as I have an idea of what it’s like.”

“Why don’t you use this power?” she continued on.

“Ruptured organs, broken bones, ripped tendons and internal bleeding.” Green cut in, crossing her arms together.

“What?” Celeste seemed lost.

“The human body is not able to use demon magic without consequences. Magnus only survived because he inherited another ability, but excessive use of this ability literally destroys the body inside out.”

“I see…” Celeste looked suspicious and curious at the same time.

“That said…” Eve looked up. She had a serious look on her face as she turned to me. “Your runes are killing you.”

“What?” I groaned.

“The runes on your body.” she stood up, holding up the sword and handing it back to me. “They’re slowing down the circulation of mana through your body. It’s helping you protect yourself from the magic you are using, but at the same time it’s like a water dam. Simple physics, you put up a dam and a raging flood starts to build up. Eventually it starts to fracture and leak, but eventually it’ll blow. From the look of it, it’s past the leaking stage.”

“So what do I do with them?” I stared up, uncertain as to exactly what they were proposing.

“We’ll have to remove them.” Green cut in, moving next to Eve.

“Wait, what are the two of you even doing together?” I suddenly realized that this was probably within the forest, and that it was strange that Eve was here.

“We had to call in someone more familiar with work like this.” Celeste added from the back.

“Anyways, I think I have a way to remove them forcibly.” Green continued on. “It’ll take some time, but it’s probably safe.”

“Why didn’t you mention this last time?” I growled, growing suspicious.

“This isn’t something we can just try, this is dangerous magic. I’m only telling you now because it’s taking a heavy toll on your body.”

“But there’s a way?”

She had an uncomfortable look in her eyes, as if she was uncertain.

“You’re the first I’ll have to try it with.” was the answer she came up with.

“That’s reassuring.”

“The other option is for you to die. Painfully.”

I thought for a moment, if this was it then this would be the end of my journey. I would no longer need to stop looking for a solution. The thought of that was great was at the same time terrifying - what comes after?

“I’ll think about it.” I answered.

“Alright then…” Green seemed somewhat satisfied with my response. “You’ll be staying here for a while. It’s too dangerous to let you out right now.” She turned around, stepping out of the room. It seemed like she didn’t want to answer any more questions.

Celeste and Eve remained, still observing me.

“You’re really lucky.” Eve put her arms to her hips, standing up straight as she looked down at me. “For you to be associated with a dryad, it must take a lot of luck for you to meet one.”

“I’m not as interested in them as you are.” Not that they weren’t interesting.

“I’m going to go talk to her, see what I can learn from her.” she seemed excited, as if finding a chest full of gold. She left the room, seemingly chasing after Green. I sighed, I woke up just a while ago and already was feeling pestered.

“Magnus…” Celeste spoke in a soft tone, as if she was shaky.

“Yea?” I looked back at the bed, Rachel still peacefully sleeping. Thankfully our conversation hadn’t woken her up.

“Who are you, truly?.”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Do you even trust us, just one bit?”

“Who knows.”

“How could you say that?”

I lowered my head, my fingers glided across the sheets to play with Rachel’s hair. It was soft, much softer than I had imagined.

“It’s time for me to go”

“Why?”

“I’m a danger to everyone and everything around me. Don’t worry, I won’t be causing any more problems. Things will return to the way it was before I came. Nothing will have changed.”

“It’s not us I’m worried about, Magnus. It’s you.”

My eyes met hers. Why did she care? I was just a ghost passing through. Yet I could feel it. Similarly like the way Rachel treated me, I could see that she cared, even if I couldn’t see the reason behind it.

“Thank you.” I smiled. It was rare. “But it’ll be better for everyone that way.”

The door opened again, and this time in came Leon. He had bandages around his arms, but no blood. Probably broke some bones, but otherwise he looked fine from the exterior. He still carried that unwavering presence with his tall figure.

“Hi there.” I greeted him.

“Magnus…” he looked at my body. He must have noticed that all my wounds had disappeared. “What are you?”

I smiled, unable to answer his question. I myself did not know what I was anymore, and that lack of knowledge scared myself more than anything.

“Magnus. Look at me.” I met him in his eyes. His were strong and study, and I could feel them gazing towards me.

“What were you doing in the South before you came here?”

“I can’t answer that question.”

“What can you actually tell us about yourself that isn’t a lie?”

“Not much.”

He stopped asking questions, but I knew that his eyes still hadn’t left me alone.

“Leon, Magnus just woke up. What’s all this about?” Celeste nervously asked.

“You saw that magic. That magic he has, it’s the same as the one that he had.” There was a lot of emphasis on the he, as if everyone else but I knew who it was.

A look of nervousness spread over Celeste’s face, even more so than before.

“Whoever it is, I have nothing to do with him.” I sounded defensive.

Leon turned towards me, but I could see from his posture that was cautious and had his guard up.

“Keep your hands to yourself.” he growled, leaving the room.

Celeste remained, awkwardly standing around.

“I’m fine, you can leave now.” I waved at Celeste so that she no longer had to deal with this strange and tense moment.

She immediately scurried away, leaving me unsure of where everything had gone wrong.

“Stop pretending to be asleep.” I grumbled, poking Rachel on the shoulder.

She raised her head, her glossy hair gathered in a messy bundle.

“How did you know?” she yawned.

“Your breathing pattern changed when you woke up.”

“And when exactly did I wake up?”

“When Leon entered the room.”

“Wow.”

“Was I right?”

“You were pretty close.”

She stood up, stretching her hands and legs. I put my leg up on the bed, gazing out of the window.

“Tell Leon I’m sorry.” I coughed.

“For what?”

“Whatever it is that grieves him.”

“Even if it isn’t your fault?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not like you.”

“He was a good friend, at least while we were friends.”

“Are you going to give up on that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’ll be easier for me to leave.”

“How cold.”

I turned to face her. She looked unfazed, but the look on her face was cold, as if uncaring.

“Thank you.” I said out loud, louder than I had intended to say it.

“For what?”

“Everything.”

And for what I thought would be the last time, I smiled. A normal, human smile. For it was in that moment, for once in many years that I appreciated someone else’s presence in my life.

All the paths in life that I walked, all the choices that I had made previously all led me to here. To this singular moment, with these few people gathered in a single string of events. Infinite possibilities within a finite lifeform, yet the fates decreed that mine crossed paths with them. Be it fate or luck, I could vigilantly say that I was grateful that I had met them.

Thank you… Rachel. Leon. Celeste. Isabella. Clara. Green. Eve. And of course, Alice.

But the fool’s journey continues.