In a burning field at the base of a large, looming mountainside, a battle of survival was being fought. Well, rather than happening, it was more apt to say that it had happened already. The main fight had long passed, now devolving to a few stragglers left behind fighting to the bitter end.

When pushed to the last breath, any man whether brave or cowardly would fight tooth and nail to hold on to the last sliver of their life before it slipped out from their clenched hands. One of the survivors of the battle, an infantry spearman contracted under the crown’s forces staggered forwards with some of his last strength. His leg had been heavily injured by one of the foul beasts earlier, leaving him somewhat immobilized. He moved, not to crawl away from the ruins of the battlefield, but rather to get a better view of the last fight he could see in his immediate vicinity.

The battle was destined to fail from the beginning. No man of mortal flesh could fight those beasts. He was just a mortal man, yet he was requested to fight the impossible. The ridiculousness of the situation must’ve been lost on the higher-ups when they ordered his force to march against these monsters.

The reason why he so desperately wanted to finish watching this last brawl was simple. The man before him was no mortal man. The otherworlders were known for their tendency to leave once they were able to, not coming back, but this man had stayed. Even until the bitter end, he fought on. Fighting the impossible with nothing but his body and mind. At least that’s how it looked to him.

The man was clashing with one of the stronger types, a looming bastard made for killing. As if it had been sculpted by someone with the sole intention of death and terror in mind. The soldier watched in awe as the man deflected the strike from the beast and released a flurry of jabs at the beasts’ neck and head. The soldier felt hope, maybe this man could kill the beast.

As if waiting for this opportunity, the beast dropped low and lunged, slashing the man with blinding speed. The man’s bloodshot eyes opened widely as his mind caught up with reality. He was already severely wounded from continuous fighting with no support. The shock from the blow slammed the man to the ground in a ruined state, but even so, a wet cough exited his mouth as he tried to chuckle with a pained grin. His last-ditch attack had been successful.

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The massive beast was preparing to roar out in victory, but as it breathed in to roar, it started choking. Its windpipe had been sliced open along with many blood vessels in its neck. Blood poured out of the wounds and down its own trachea. Slowly, its’ gagging died down and the life melted from its’ eyes, leaving behind cold lifeless eyes full of confusion and terror as it had choked to death on its own blood.

The soldier was just as shocked watching as the beast had been as it died. Nonetheless, he was elated. Mans’ triumph was his triumph. The soldier was about to make his way over to the collapsed man when he heard broken husky speech coming from the man.

“Overgod. I’ve long felt your gaze, I wish to for you to humour my foolish last wish.”

No reply came, but the soldier watched on anyways. He felt unable to intervene or question the man, a subtle pressure keeping him in place, watching the man slowly die out on the ground. At the same time, he was compelled to also not leave, intrigued by the last words of the dying man.

“I don’t have delusions of fixing all my past errors, nor do I wish for my own revival.”

The man paused, staring up at the descending sun on the horizon. Before he could continue, he coughed out blood and recoiled in pain.

“Yes, I understand the price. My lacking achievements will be supplemented by my fate and soul.”

After a short pause, the man shuddered on the ground and chuckled for a few moments.

“If there was one thing I had to pick?”

Another short pause, his face caked in dirt and gore contorted to a pondering look.

“I would pick my emotions and regrets over all else.”

This time it was followed by a look of resignation. He took one rough, deep breath and then tried to sit up. Instead, even the small inclination caused him to topple back down and cough out another mouth of blood. The man closed his eyelids and once again faced the sky.

“In that case, I ask for you to do what is possible with my payment and I leave the rest to fate.”

The man suddenly had a blank look before trying to laugh and instead dry heaving and moaning weakly in pain.

“It seems that this is the where I meet my end, old friend. I fear I will never meet you as I am now, for that I apologize. Hopefully next time we will meet on bet—”

As the man was finishing his last words, he finally succumbed to his mortal wounds and the last remaining life in his eyes faded away. The soldier cautiously approached after he’d figured out that the man had finally passed. He didn’t really get to whom or of what the man had been talking about, but there was one thing he had understood. That moment had not been one for him to interfere in. Even so, he limped to the deceased corpse of the fallen man and crouched down to him on his good knee. As a last show of respect, he closed the man’s eyelids and put his sprawled-out arms crossed on his chest before getting up and limping to safety in silence.

Silence reigned on the lifeless battlefield.