This special is not relevant to the story.

«K-Yami»

How long has it been since I got here? I couldn’t remember. One year, two years? Sinking deeply into the bed I furrowed my brows. A world of dreams, where I could have any type of metal, where one could practically be god, or in my case. God of metal?

I had to admit, it sounded nice. No⁠— it sounded amazing. A blissful title.

But at the same time, that was all. A literal sandbox of sorts. Nothing to really do or look forward to, or rather simply put. There was no real reason to it. Smithing was fun. But being chased for being good at smithing. Not so much. Enchanting most of the time was done in automatic, and it hadn’t changed from the game.

Select an effect and enchant it at a cost. It was simple. I hadn’t tried alchemy just yet. But I wasn’t looking forward to it that much. It just wasn’t the same as weapon manufacturing. Yes I was lazy after coming here, it just felt too real.

Too many things to look at, too many things to think about. Chainmail armor for Aizen. That was of course too much work, sure I had said yes. But having to make each scale individually? Those types of armors historically took weeks if not months to manufacture.

Though I am unsure of how closely ‘everything’ resembled real world physics.

I felt lethargic laying on my bed. Everything felt pointless, church worries? Realistically speaking Aizen could probably blow it up without too much trouble, at least if given enough equipment anyway. Even if there was someone clad in relic gear at max level. It wouldn’t matter.

There was no real threat to my life. Or to anyone’s. Ari’s perhaps? But, we could protect her. We were protecting her at this very moment, even though I had saved her on a whim, I appreciated her.

We were all family, and that’s all that mattered. Realistically speaking I shouldn’t have felt depressed or even sad about it. But everything felt so, purposeless. Why go explore if there was nothing to gain? I was quite rich from what I understood. I could be a shut-in at an inn for a long time.

Fifi had grown into a much more fearsome dragon due to my contract, and Jer was relatively strong too. So it’s not like I could be threatened by most people into submission. Disguising who I am? It wasn’t too comfortable. Though, I thought I had gotten over it.

She was gone. I looked at my hand, the light from the closed curtains barely reflecting upon a silvery ring that was shaped after a tree-branch, it had a green gem atop of it. Eli. I should’ve been over it a long time ago, but I wanted her to see me. I wanted her to see what I had become.

Not me, but the things I had accomplished. I felt abandoned…

I wasn’t strong, I was a weak person, I just wanted to. See her. I just wanted to see her again, it was a small hope that I kept close to my heart. But after-years of adventuring? Surely not. Not a trace, not even a signal. I held hope, surely. Aizen had talked about someone called Amatsukami, so I wasn’t the only one. Aizen might’ve been the only one⁠— No, perhaps not either.

Though she didn’t miss anyone from the old world. I certainly would regret seeing her cry again, I didn’t want her to be alone again. Even though really… I did feel alone.

The warmth from the interactions with Aizen and Ari was beginning to fade. I was truly unique, no one to understand me. Even if there was another player out there, would they understand? Well maybe?

No, it wasn’t about some other player. It wasn’t about that at all, not about understanding or my relation to the game, it was different⁠—

It was… It was about… I…

I closed my eyes shut, and my lips trembled for a second.

It was about Eli… it was about her. My diseased companion...

I missed her. I missed being able to talk without worry... No that wasn’t it. I⁠—

Being understood? No.

The game? Also no.

And then it clicked.

I simply wasn’t me. I was Kuro, but not me. Me, name really wasn’t relevant. But did Aizen or Ari know I was basically permanently hospitalized? Of course not! How could they? It was completely different. That was it, the source of my sadness.

Eli is the only one that truly knows. And that… I quivered. That⁠—

Why? Why wasn’t she here⁠— it was unfair.

Unfair for her…

Unfair for… me…

I-I didn’t want to be alone.

A life without seeing her again.

It was a painful life.

I wanted to see her, I wanted to smile at her, hug her, tell her how much I missed her. I… Why was it so unfair? I had died and I was given a second chance. Why wasn’t she given the same thing? Why didn’t she get a second chance? It was… unfair… Why did things need to be this way.

Fate? Was it fate? The cause of everything? Why, why me? Why did she not get the same opportunity?! It didn’t make sense. I was alone in this big wide world. It simply⁠— it made me mad, angry, upset, every emotion I could experience.

It was all there. My eyes began itching as I tried to stop my tears from coming, but they just wouldn’t stop. What did I do to deserve this⁠— NO what did she do to deserve this?! To deserve such a rotten fate?!

Eli, why couldn’t I see you again… Why did you die… It was my fault wasn’t it?

Playing with me so much, accompanying me for so long.

Surely that had an effect on your health.

Surely that had affected you.

And now, there were consequences. The consequences of my actions and nagging. No, she was the one nagging. Why did I have to catch her attention? I didn’t know, I didn’t want to know. Perhaps she would’ve been okay if she hadn’t met me. Perhaps she’d be smiling for others ⁠— sharing her joy, her happiness and her very passion for adventuring. Instead? She put so much effort in me. So much effort spent. Just for me…

It was all for me.

And in the end, I couldn’t even say a final goodbye. In the end, I just had to swallow it. In the end, I couldn’t make her happy or at the very least, make her smile in her final moments…

It was all fate.

In the end…

I should’ve been the one to⁠—

The door clicked open.

“Hey, K-Yami! Let’s go see the festival tonight!” A bubbly voice entered my ears. “It’s going to be fun, I promise.” It was Aizen.

I briefly froze before hastily wiping my eyes. She couldn’t see me like this. However, Aizen didn’t continue talking. Had she even entered the room? I hurriedly finished removing the tears from my face as I looked up.

Aizen was standing there, in front of me. Her Amber eyes slightly glowing from the curtain light, she was dressed in the same outfit I had given her, a coat and some tightly fitting pants. Her silvery hair glowed from the light of the open entrance. But her expression? I could briefly see it, but she looked. Angry?

“Kuro.” Her tone was grave. “Who did this to you?” Her voice carried anger that I hadn’t heard in a long time.

She approached me, her steps slightly rushed as she placed her hand on my cheek slowly caressing it before finally her thumb wiped the tears of my eye. Her hand was soft and warm, but her face was anything but warm.

“Who did it?!” She hissed.

I sighed seeing Aizen’s reaction. She truly was… too good for me. After a brief eye-contact I opened my mouth.

“No one did… Oh, I guess I did?” My voice came out apathetic at best, and dead inside at worst.

Aizen’s frown grew. “Did you really?”

I nodded somewhat slowly, the last thing I wanted was the lovely city of smithing blowing up to smithereens.

Aizen said nothing as she removed her hand, her face no longer carried anger but she looked a bit more pensive, yet her frown remained, until finally, it all faded with a sigh. She sat at the edge of the bed and looked at the ceiling, her hands fidgeted with the bed-sheets briefly before letting go.

“Kuro, what’s… with you?”

I sighed. What was with me? I was tired. I was… I… I looked at Aizen, she was awaiting my response though she didn’t look at me. She was prepared for anything, at least I could tell that much.

Aizen was… the closest thing I had to Eli in this world… After a brief pause I spoke.

“I am tired of this…” I made a weak gesture with my hands trying to encompass the room. Or rather everything.

“You mean… adventuring? Smithing?” I shook my head. Aizen’s brow furrowed more. “Then, what could possibly make you tired?” There was a brief pause. “Is it me?” Her voice came out soft like a whisper.

“No, it isn’t…” I said with defeat. I knew how… Aizen was regarding… relationships…

“It’s different, Aizen, it’s…” I felt the words catch in my throat. “It’s about Eli.”

“Your… old companion… huh…” Aizen said with closed eyes, though her expression didn’t change much. Why? I clenched my fists involuntarily seeing her reaction.

“I miss her…” I looked down at my fists and clenched harder. “She is the only one that understood me, she is the only one that⁠—” my throat closed and tears resurfaced.

Just why… Why did it have to go that way… So⁠—

A hand on my cheek interrupted my thoughts, it was Aizen’s. Her hand was trembling slightly as she looked at me with a weak smile, though her eyes were a bit dim.

“Don’t say⁠— No… You’ve been lonely, right?” She said as she closed her eyes. “I am sure you miss your fellow players as a whole. It just makes sense…”

She sounded… defeated. But, it wasn’t about players or anything of the sort. I grabbed Aizen’s hand, stopping her from removing it. Her eyes opened with confusion, but I looked at her.

“Aizen, it isn’t about you being data, everything here is real. You’re real and so am I… That’s in the past…” I sighed. “It’s not about players either. It truly is about Eli, perhaps you only saw glimpses of it. But…”

Tears slowly trickled down my face as I pondered my words.

“She was my everything back then. And I’ve felt lonely since then. I still do…”

I turned away from her. I was afraid of seeing her expression, or simply… Looking at her.

“But… Ari is here, I am here…” Aizen whispered, her voice uneven.

“You both are here… for me. But she isn’t…” I looked at the ceiling with a difficult expression.

Was this feeling ever going to go away? An empty void in my heart… I grabbed onto the bed sheets.

“Aizen, it’s different…” I looked down at my body, my expression becoming difficult. “It’s not about you being present, or Ari being present. It’s about me…” My voice grew faint. “Aizen, did you know? I died before coming here? Before meeting you?

There was a brief silence. “But what could possibly kill you just like that…”

“That’s the thing…” How do I tell her? “Eli knew I was going to die… Yet here we are… In a new world, I died, and she died. Yet she isn’t here…”

“Kuro I am not… following…”

“Aizen.” I looked at her with a wry smile. To my surprise she was quietly weeping. “Did you know… I am not as grand as I appear, or appeared even.” I should’ve stopped right there, but I didn’t.

“Kuro, I⁠—

“Aizen, it’s not… I was a nobody, I was born unable to move certain parts of my body. I was born with some incurable disease. In the end, I was fated to die the day I was born. My parents did not love me even though they never put me down like an animal either… All I had was the world of Zeileheim and Eli.”

I was looking into space as I recalled.

“I was with her for years. We both complained to each other, talked, and reassured each other. Yet one day I simply stopped seeing her. Perhaps she died, but I have truly missed her since then. Now you know…” I sighed. “How pathetic I am…”

There was some silence. I found it a bit funny, but liberating. I had finally said it, at last… Even though there was silence, and it was unexpected. I was finally free…

“I know, truly disappoint⁠—

“If it bothered you so much, why did you never tell me?” Aizen’s voice sounded chilly. I turned to look at her with surprise, she met my gaze with anger and tears, though not directed at me. “Do you not get it?”

“Get what? Is it you who doesn’t get it?” I frowned, it was disappointing, what else was there?!

“No⁠— you’re the one who doesn’t get it.” Her tone remained accusatory. “Do you not understand who I am?”

Huh? “Aizen The Legendary Dragon? ⁠— Slap!

"No you fucking idiot.” My cheek burned as I looked at her in shock. “I am your family now… Or…” her shoulders slumped. “Perhaps… it’s not the same for you. But for me, you’re my everything! You’re all I have!” She sniffled. “You're the only person in this accursed world that saw how I was before!”

“I⁠—

“It is you who doesn’t get it, Kuro. How do you think I feel watching my only family cry… Moreover, knowing you hid it from me simply because you thought I would judge you? It hurts…” Her voice came out shrill.

"It hurts more than you can ever imagine…" she muttered.

My heartbeat increased, Aizen looked destroyed, ruined, just like back then. My chest tightened.

“Forget it…” She shook her head. “Knowing how stupid you’re you probably didn’t even intend to make me feel bad. I can see the regret in your face already.” She removed the tears with her sleeve as she forced a smile.

“B-But.” I stuttered. “But I⁠—

Aizen grabbed my hand and janked it. “Shut up, K-Yami, I’ll make sure you understand that you can trust me with anything once in for all.” She made me get out of bed as she tugged me towards the door.

“Aizen⁠ I get it—

“No you don’t, and you’re still sad aren’t you?” She looked at me from the corner of her eye, and then, she smirked, though I could feel a hint of sadness. “I am your sister after-all, it is my job to cheer you up~ Just you, and me. Can't have you say all those horrid things to Ari.”

I paused. “I would never say that to Ari!”

“Hmm?” She turned to look at me. “It hardly matters. You’re coming with me. I understand that you miss Eli.” She approached me and leaned into my ear. “I missed you for the longest times too, so I understand. Come with me and let us have fun, okay?”

Her soft voice made my heart calm, and I found myself slightly smiling. As she began to pull me again.

“I am sorry for everything Aizen… It is unbecoming of an older sister.”

I managed to see her smile from the side, I found myself smiling without realizing it. I looked forward to whatever Aizen⁠— No, my little sister had prepared for me. It was going to be undoubtedly fun.

◇ ◇ ◇

At first I was uncertain about the whole thing, even though I felt much more relaxed. I still felt uneasy, but Aizen dragged me through the rock filled streets as if nothing had ever happened an hour prior. It made me feel a bit better.

Calling her my little sister in spite of her being much older than me is… weird to say the least. It will take some, getting used to.

“K-Yami?” Aizen stuttered my name looking at me. Ah, I did stop walking briefly, right?

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just…” I paused, it wasn't the time to bring up things from before... “Aren’t you much older than me?”

Hearing my concerns, Aizen widely smiled.

“Hmm, I do not know what I am talking about. I am just a little girl!” She said in a dumb voice. “Well, no matter, isn't all of this great? Practically your dream!”

Aizen gestured around, we were standing now in the plaza of the city. People walked about and some talked between each other, though most of the people were dwarves. I didn’t really even get too many glances at my tail or ears. It was mostly church indoctrination anyway.

The sunrays penetrated every crevice of the town, in the middle of the plaza stood a towering figure made out of the most dazzling metals available in this world. His figure towering over anything and everyone, in a valiant pose, clad in a cape and a nondescript face, the only identification was the hammer he carried on his hand.

Looking up, I could see the dome-like structure that surrounded the city, as well as smoke constantly rising from different districts around, I could hear steam, the compression and decompression of valves as well as distant hammering sounds from squares away.

At the edges of the city were walls of red rock; the entire place was seemingly encroached by it actually. The color of the rock, similar to the one found in canyons.

The Underground City of Palas ⁠— The Capital of Metallurgy.

“Like a dream…” I sighed. I suppose it isn't the time to be worrying about my morning drama.

“Kuro you have to admit, even though we’ve been here for some time, it never stops being impressive.” Aizen completely forgot to change my name, but she was right.

Even though it made me slightly uncomfortable to see a statue of my old self, or as close as they could get. It was surprising that there would be such a grand statue of me. I never really considered myself important after all. So such a sight was. Breathtaking.

Though… A bit cringe. Nono⁠— Very cringe. I scrunched my face just thinking about it.

Aizen looked pensive as she looked at me.

“Well, I suppose it’s very uncomfortable for you. I mean, imagine if their renowned god was now some smith called Dark shadow.” Ugh.

“And whose fault is that?” Aizen pondered for a second.

“Yours? Not my name.” She grinned. Weren't you crying an hour ago?! Have some reserve!

Though she was right on the name part. What did I do to deserve this!? It was just supposed to sound cool!

Dark shadow… Not to be translated… Ahahaha! Though… Kuro, Black. Yep! It’s already bad enough!

“I thought we were going to have fun, not… tease me about it…”

“Well, it’s some type of fun~” Aizen smiled at me.

Well she was certainly right on that at least. Though, not like I agreed to her methods. Seeing Aizen have fun herself was nice after all, and it also made me happy as well. It was nice to forget things. I suppose I needed a change of pace.

“Hmm, though I suppose one-sided fun isn’t your thing…” Aizen muttered.

“It isn’t, but spending time with you can be my thing.” I tried teasing Aizen about it, but she just flushed instead. Strange dragon.

“Y-Yeah!” She stuttered. “T-Then, want to watch me bully some dwarves. Heard they are hoarding some eternal mithril on the council!” Eternal mithril?!

I paused. I hadn’t seen that metal since coming here.

“To the council!” I pointed in a random direction.

“Ah! That’s not the direction, but I am sure it hardly matters. Can you smell it? The metal?” Aizen asked with a weird tone, though she was mostly just teasing me.

“Hmph! I am not a dog, and I am not Fenri either. Can’t you smell it, oh-mighty-supreme-being?” Aizen’s face contorted as I said that. “How did it go? Bow before me and I’ll spare you!”

“Ahaaa, stop! I’ll stop teasing!” Aizen hurriedly waved her hands in front of me. “That past is long gone! Now I am just your little sister!”

I nodded at her, my lips curling up. She sure is a handful. Though, a good type of handful. Aizen pulled me by my hand after making a cute snort. Ah, adorable.

◇ ◇ ◇

We stood in front of the arguably most decorated building in the city, it was in the widest street that led to the Kuro Statue, my statue.

The building itself was full of columns for structural support, inside and outside, chiseled with different patterns that were cryptic, though they were like hieroglyphics. It had no glass windows, just openings for light to come in, its structure was made of reddish stone the same as the ground, and the same as the distant walls.

Though, the fact that it was three-stories tall was impressive. To me at least. From what I could tell it was closer to a building that was chiseled out of a single stone rather than something built.

There were guards standing in front of the building’s gate, two dwarves clad in black armor, only a cross-like opening to be seen in their helmets, their long ruffled bears flowed down to their chest.

Now thinking about it. I took a quick glance around at the buildings. Almost every building is made out of some type of rock, and the oldest ones share the same rock as the ground itself.

Aizen looked at the place with a bit of doubt as we stood somewhat far away from the gate.

“I don’t know, I expected something more grand.”

“Grand? It is grand kiddo.” One of the dwarves scoffed in a powerful voice. “It’s as old as Palas’ history. Though not like a kid would understand,” he sighed.

I am surprised he could even hear from so far away. Aizen simply frowned before turning to look at me.

“Alright, let me borrow your Dark Shadow identity tag. You only have it because of me anyway.”

“Eh?” I looked at her puzzled, but she just gestured with her hand. After a short deliberation I handed it to her, I wasn’t particularly fond of it even though it was somewhat convenient.

Aizen took the tag with a smile and went to the same guard that spoke as she stood in front of him, albeit she was now smiling.

“Hello, Grand Guard of The Council, my partner ⁠— Dark Shadow, requests a meeting. She is one of the most outstanding smiths in the continent.” She said as she handed him the tag.

The guard took it and after a brief inspection he went stiff. “I-I am sorry for offending you Miss, I did not know you were partners with someone so grand! I will get it sorted straight away!” He hurriedly left his post. “A descendant of our god himself?!” He muttered to himself as he went inside the building.

Sometimes… I wish I didn’t have enhanced hearing… I sighed. I didn’t choose to be god. Or be called one rather… I turned to look at Aizen with a slight frown as she walked back to me.

“What’s with that look, how are you going to see the eternal mithril? Thankfully your renown as a blacksmith is high enough due to your stupidity or we would be struggling to get a meeting."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Aizen said with a righteous tone, though it bothered me, she was mostly right.

“Right… I might’ve gone overboard a few times.”

This time, Aizen frowned. “A few times? Let me remind you, when we first got here, the first thing you did was show your level at the Adventurer’s guild then go straight to the Craftsmen guild. Made an iron dagger that left the dwarven Guildmaster flabbergasted. But, you… you didn’t stop there.”

She pointed her finger at me. “Then we went to the capital and made yet another dagger for the Guildmaster there, even though I got you a token for the smithy you just went ahead and did that. And then— actually, I'll stop there,” she scoffed.

I waved my hand dismissively. “Alright, alright I get it. I wasn’t planning on using the mithril anyway, kind of tired of this whole ordeal anyway.”

Aizen paused as her finger dropped, until she finally sighed. “Kuro, I understand that this life is perhaps something that you didn’t want or rather, something that probably neither of us wanted at the time.” Eh? “But, seeing you not be as enthusiastic about smithing anymore is a bit… sad.”

I paused. It was like that, wasn’t it? When did it happen? I had no answer.

I sighed. “Perhaps you’re right, but you could say I am retired anyway. It’s like you, you went and razed towns and once you reached the peak you mellowed out, no? Well sort of…”

“Right… Sort of… I guess it’s the same for you…”

I slowly nodded with slight defeat. I did enjoy it as a recreational activity, but it was no longer my drive, or anything to live for. Yes I did like it, in fact I loved it. But, it was just that, it wasn’t my reason for living, it wasn’t my everything, it wasn’t my world. At least not anymore. And in fact, it was never something like that.

Even at the beginning, I did not rush with all my strength to get anything done like a wild animal, that wasn’t me anymore. I was now Yami, not Kuro the player. Though, Aizen calling me Kuro? That was different.

As I pondered the dwarven guard came out of the building and briskly made his way towards us.

“Palas’ Council of Metallurgy has agreed to a meeting.”

I was confused hearing his extremely respectful tone. Just like that? Shouldn’t they have asked about why we wanted a meeting or something. The dwarf walked up to me, his face at the same height as mine.

“Please.” He bowed and presented the tag like a business card.

“T-Thanks.” I quickly took my tag back. What etiquette was necessary for this? I simply did a stoic nod at him when he raised his head, for some reason this made him smile slightly.

“Please do follow me, both of you.” He gave a nod of acknowledgement to me and one to Aizen.

Aizen simply smiled, but I was still confused. It’s just way too straight-forward, no? In the end, I couldn’t even say much as he guided us into the building. Though, judging by the excited expression on the Guard’s face I had a bad feeling.

“You left Ari with Fenri, right?” I asked Aizen in a whisper.

“Yeah, moreover Dan actually had to come to the city. Since he owes me so many times for saving his life, it wasn’t an issue to convince him to accompany Ari.”

“Ah.” Realization struck hearing Dan and the many lives he owes. I am sorry Dan, I’ll make sure to apologize for my little sister’s abuse when I have the chance. I made a silent prayer to Dan and the atrocities he had to suffer from.

A young maiden such as him shouldn’t be abused by a tyrannical dragon after all. Especially if said dragon was supposed to be my little sister. I sighed.

As we passed by the entrance, I noticed it was a reception. There were benches made out of quartz to the sides, the marbled floor sparkled in a myriad of colors from the light stones in the ceiling, and behind the marble desk stood a… an elven receptionist.

My face turned to one of displeasure simply looking at such a foul creature. Some may call it racism, and it was correct. But it was from experience. Aizen’s face didn’t change too much but I could tell she wasn’t exactly happy.

I mean, how could we even be happy? Every single elf we had met was an extremist in some way. First was the elf that tried to see our statuses by acting on his own. Thankfully Aizen erased his memories. Then there was the elf teacher that took pleasure in torturing kids, that Aizen still regrets not killing and then…

My face became ugly. My experiences with elves were... very unpleasant thus far. Though elves were rare, our encounters with them were anything but pleasant. Being prejudiced was… to be expected. At least to some extent.

Though, the receptionist hadn’t done anything to us, yet…

“Is something wrong?”

The elf turned to look at us in confusion, her attire was similar to a tuxedo but with a vest, her long green hair flowed behind her tied in a ponytail, and her squared glasses fit her perfectly. Her ears were twitching a bit.

“N-nothing.” I stuttered, unable to accuse her of anything just yet.

The guard gave us a weird look but continued escorting us further into the building. Surprisingly aside from a few dwarven guards the place was relatively deserted. We saw a few other workers, but that was about it.

In the end, it was eventful, though the insides of the building were rather nice, full of precious metals such as gold or mithril, and there was even some type of abstract sculpture that had a piece of eternal mithril in the middle. Untreated of course.

In the end, we stood at the stairs of the third floor, where a pair of doors that towered over everyone was placed. It was made of black metal with patterns just like the ones in the columns.

“I may not accompany the both of you further than this.” The guard nodded at us and left.

Aizen and I said nothing as he made his way down the stairs, and then we looked at each other.

“Now what?” I asked. Aizen simply smiled.

“Well just watch, ah, don’t worry. I won’t let them hound you about your identity.” She dismissed in a carefree tone, though her smile seemed to grow by the second.

Just what could she be thinking? I had a bad feeling about this. That smile. Oh no. It’s that smile…

Before I could say anything to stop her, she went to the doors and pushed them open with strength unbefitting of the little girl she claimed to be. Past the doors was a half-circle table that covered most of the room.

There were seats arranged in a half moon to look at the entrance, even though a lot of the spots were empty I still paused. Out of the twenty chairs, half were taken. Some of the seated were burly humans with massive beards, others were dwarves with massive beards, some beastkin with massive beards, and an elf with a massive ashen beard, seated at the center..

I gulped as all of their eyes unanimously landed on me.

“Eh, there aren't as many dwarves as I expected…” Aizen said wide-eyed.

Her voice clearly reached every single person in the room, for all the attention instantly gathered on her. Though, knowing her it didn’t bother her in the slightest. Haha, if only I could be that confident.

“Well, that’s boring. Let us go K-Yami.” Aizen said as she grabbed my hand and turned around.

“Eh?” That was all?! Aaa?! I shivered a bit feeling all the gazes turn cold on me.

“Wait a second!” The elf said, his voice filling the entire room in an instant. “To what do we owe this offense?” He was frowning. The bearded elf was frowning! Nonono, not an elf!

I felt a headache starting as Aizen turned to look at the elf, he was still slightly frowning, his wrinkled face slightly scrunching.

“Hmm? It’s not an offense, I was just planning on challenging everyone to a game of wits. Dwarves are fond of such things, but humans and… elves, not so much.” Aizen dismissed as she continued towards the door.

The elderly elf pondered for a second, his face easing a bit as he opened his mouth.

“A game of wits, sounds interesting.” The elf said as he ruffled his beard, no hostility in his tone. “Though, I do think not having stakes is very boring, don’t you think so?” He smirked. I paused looking at his smirk, it reminds me of…

Aizen stopped walking and a smile bloomed on her face. I don't like this...

“Ooh! Interesting! How about this, I decide the game and you decide the stakes, old man.” Aizen said, her eyes narrowing.

“Hm? Sounds good, though…” He paused, combing his beard with his fingers. “What is it that you wish to obtain out of this? We do want to have an interview with Miss Dark Shadow, so that will be our wager.”

“But Palk⁠—

“Sounds great!” One of the dwarves seated agreed, Soon, everyone but two people agreed, alas, they couldn’t really say no now. I couldn't say no either...

Aizen smiled. “Very well, though I do only want to play one person now. Hmm, the game will be chess, ever heard of it?” Chess, how does a dragon know chess?! Aizen turned to look at me with a mischievous smile, and she seemed pleased seeing my surprised face. Though I was panicking.

It all sounded like a recipe for disaster.

“Ah, as a reward I want a bit of eternal mithril if possible.” Aizen added a bit nonchalantly. The elf listened for a second and pondered before nodding. He was surprisingly calm with the entire ordeal.

“Very well, I shall play Chess with you⁠— Pardon, but what is your name miss?” He asked my dragon companion, his voice was very polite ⁠— too polite for an elf.

“Aizen, K-Yami’s sister of course.” She nodded with pride, eliciting a nod of acknowledgement from the room.

“Very well, Aizen. I, Palka shall play you in a game of chess, a game with thousands of years of history that first surfaced from a powerful hero. Though, I must admit, I didn’t expect a young girl such as yourself to know about chess.” Aah, otherworlders… of course chess would be a thing. It still didn’t explain how Aizen knew chess, but…

No point in asking.

Aizen nodded, and turned to look at me. She smiled innocently and pinched my cheek, I squirmed slightly. What is her problem?!

“Don’t worry Yami, I am a total pro at chess. For I have this.” She pulled out a book from the void.

«A practical guide to Chess & the effects of Chess 2 on the brain; Anarchy Variant.» A-Anarchy Chess?! «Written by Garry Chess Kaspy» Nono⁠— nonono. I had heard of it before. It was something written by a player… Nooooo! How did she even get her hands on it? Ah, I had failed as a sister. Unable to keep something so demonic from her claws…

I looked at Aizen, her bright smile blinded me for a second, but at that moment. A bit of my sense of self died inside. How could I fail her so badly?

◇ ◇ ◇

I scrunched my brows reading the Chess manual, it was simply a cursed object. Not literally but it was damn close. What kind of shit is this?! I felt compelled to throw it in the ground based on the amount of nonsense written on it.

And Aizen looked so proud to have me read it. I sighed. En-passant is always forced. Since when?! Actually can you even decline it?! Moreover… Brick… pipi… Brick on pipi if declined? What kind of bullshit is this?! What kind of mentally challenged person wrote this?

The entire manual was filled with en-passant things, some things that read like copy-pasta and a lot of. ‘Google en-passant’. Worth mentioning that in fact⁠— there was no such thing as Google here.

The parts mentioning Chess 2 weren’t any better… Though… There was a conversation written between the author and a supposed king. And I would’ve been lying if it didn’t make me chuckle a bit.

I stood in front of him, gazing at him deeply, the king in his reverie was unable to wake from his stupor. I understood at that moment, the concept was too dazzling for his insignificant brain to comprehend.

“En-passant is forced,” I repeated myself.

“W-What does that have to do with anything?!” He stuttered in surprise. “You literally stole half of our country’s wealth! And you’re getting arrested!” I smirked, knowing how mindblowing en-passant was to such a simple-minded man.

Surely he wouldn’t see the brick coming next. And then The London, and finally The Bong Cloud. It was simply put: Infallible!

I had no clue what ‘The London’ or ‘The Bong Cloud’ was, but I could feel the insurmountable intellect from the author. It truly was a masterpiece. A comedic masterpiece that is. Even though I appreciated the penmanship and art that was the literature in the book. I couldn’t help but worry.

The entire thing was a guide to being ridiculous and obnoxious for lack of a better word. Though it fits Aizen… I closed my eyes remembering her grin. In spite of everything though, I still felt worried. It was simply put ⁠— a recipe for trouble. Though not like trouble was uncommon.

I chuckled nervously to myself as I saw the table being set up. Everyone had a seat to the side, and it was a stand-off between the elf and Aizen. The elf had said his name, but I had forgotten it. The chess set looked hand made, some of the pieces were uneven but they reflected the light in such a particular manner. Hmhm, made out of metal, wow.

The set was mostly made out of mithril, and dyed mithril. The set itself was very expensive. I mean I certainly wouldn’t have wasted so much mithril in a chess set. Well maybe… It did look nice. A bit too nice. Even though it was obviously old simply from the scratches and ‘weathering’ on the metal, it was still dazzling.

The elf looked at me. “It seems you hold an interest in my chess set, I thought you were simply a smith Dark Shadow.”

I spared a glance at him before nodding. “Using mithril in daily life items is something new to me.” I mean, all I’ve done since I can remember is weaponry, and armors, oh and accessories sometimes…

I did a second nod remembering my exploits, from daggers, to daggers, to… Huh…

Before I could continue my conversation with the elf there was a table set in the spare space of the room as well as chairs. Everyone gathered in a circle as I stood behind Aizen. It was just chess… Everyone’s eyes were paying attention to Aizen like predators. Sigh.

As the pieces were set and Aizen adjusted herself, the elf caressed his beard one final time, before his eyes turned serious. He started to emit a passive aura of dominance and tyranny! Or well, I just thought so anyway. Aizen also turned serious, and soon the game started.

The elf thought it was a good idea to give Aizen the first move, for she was playing the white pieces. I did remember white having a slight advantage, though… Not like it matters, considering the book she used to learn… I sighed, looking at my dumb sister with a difficult face. Does she seriously think that that guide will help her?

Aizen grabbed the pawn in front of the king and moved it two squares forward. White pawn to e4… Oh. It’s a completely normal opening move. Perhaps, the guide wasn’t just useless jokes? Then the elf made his move. Black pawn to e5. Again, I thought it was normal. Though, I would’ve been lying if I knew anything about chess.

Then she moved forward the knight, or horsey. So did the elf. The moves continued almost mirroring themselves for a bit, until it was akin to a deadly trap. A single move would enact an endless trade of pawns, bishops, knights and even queens! Maybe she knows how to play chess? I looked at Aizen somewhat dubiously.

None of the questionable strategies in the book had been used yet. I mean. The Bong Cloud literally involved lighting up weed on fire into the face of the opponent… I didn’t realize it at first, but the book was dead serious, or as serious as it could be. It read more like a religion than an actual manual being honest.

Was there even weed in this world? I mean, I was sure there were replacements. But like, the book literally lists weed as well as its possible other names. No alternatives listed.

The game continued as the tension raised. Some pawns remained unmoved, a flurry of trading pieces and cheeky forks happened every so often. As the board emptied, the elf moved one of his pawns. Black pawn to g5 ending up next to a pawn in the ‘h’ file. Aizen smirked, her eyes shined in a dangerous light and⁠—

The white pawn on h5, crossed the black pawn on g5 landing right behind him. As if a puppet that had its strings cut, it died. And then, there was silence. For the first time since the game started, they stopped moving pieces.

“En-passant.” Aizen said in a resolute voice. Oh no. I paused seeing Aizen’s hidden hand enter her secondary dimension. Sheltered underneath the shadow of the desk almost no one noticed her scheme.

The elf thought for a second. “En-passant? That’s ridiculous, pawns can only take in diagonals, just like bishops!” He said righteously.

Aizen furrowed her brows. “So you’re declining en-passant? Google en-passant…”

“Holy hell…” I muttered under my breath. The elf paused, unaware of my unintended mutter. He looked at Aizen with confusion for a second before finally scoffing.

“Google? What’s that?! Never heard of a ‘google’ in my life!” he snorted. “I decline of course!” He slammed the table.

As if the slam was an alarm, Aizen used her left hand to swat the table away, the metal pieces flew like cheap plastic, the table bending under her strength. Her other arm was raised up high, casting a shadow over the elf’s face, a red brick loomed over him like a deadly weight. In an instant, it was slammed down on his crotch.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA⁠—” An ear piercing scream filled the room.

The brick shattered in a cloud of red dust along with the man’s pipi. Needless to say, I was fucking horrified.

“I-I thought, it was just like a light tap, not⁠— not extinguish his bloodline!” I stuttered at Aizen.

“Hmm? It’s totally normal, actually we have an unfair advantage. We can decline en-passant without worrying about the brick.” Aizen nodded to herself, before looking at the crying elf. “It’s his fault for having a genetically predisposed weakness.” Aaaa… What the fuck?!

Everyone was too horrified to say anything. Soon, receptionists came in a hurry with potions in hand, forcefully feeding them to the elf. Before anyone could say or do anything at us, Aizen walked up to the elf, looking down at his pathetic self collapsed on the ground.

“Should’ve read the rules.” She tossed the book. «A practical guide to Chess & the effects of Chess 2 on the brain; Anarchy Variant.» It landed dully on the ground. The elf was surprised but slowly managed to pick it up without saying anything.

To be honest, I couldn’t tell if he was in too much shock, too scared, or both. Since he said nothing and began reading the book. To my surprise, he seemed to read faster and faster till he stopped.

“It seems… I was ignorant…” He muttered in a weak voice. “A book by the founder of chess… I understand now…” He nodded slowly through the pain. “While I still don’t understand what a ‘google’ is, it does appear to be forced…”

Eh?! Should he just accept having his crotch murdered just like that?! I paused in horror as he made eye contact with Aizen.

“It is my loss.” He nodded at her.

Aizen smirked and simply nodded in acknowledgement. “I hope you people can learn the true version of chess from now on.” True version…

The elf suddenly turned stern, or as much as he could in his pain. “I will make sure we… carry his legacy… ugh…” He groaned as he held his crotch in pain.

I was hopeful that potions could fix it. I honestly felt slightly bad. I mean, he was the only elf that did not seem to go overboard with us. I sighed in defeat.

“Well, let us go, Kuro.” Aizen said as she grabbed my hand. No one really paid attention to us as we quietly left, though I was… relatively disappointed in the atrocity that Aizen had committed.

I guess I had to teach her what was right or wrong as well…

◇ ◇ ◇

As we exited the building I noticed the city was bustling with activity. While it wasn’t quite saturated yet, there were carts with different minerals moving on and about. Some people wore much more ornamented clothes and others were with their families. It was a mix of races from humans, to beastkin as well as dwarves. Though humans were the most uncommon, dwarves simply dominated everywhere.

Though there was no such thing as discrimation, it was slightly refreshing. It would’ve been refreshing had Aizen not played chess.

“You didn’t need to destroy his thing like that you-know?” I told Aizen in a weird tone.

“Why do you keep mentioning it?!” Aizen said, slightly exasperated.

“Because, I was a man once upon a time you know!” I raised my voice a bit before pausing. Some people looked at me weird. Ugh! What’s with those looks of disgust?!

“Either way, it’s just the rules by the inventor of chess!”

“That’s not how it works! First of all, chess wasn’t invented by that guy, and second! You probably didn’t need to try to kill him from pure shock and pain!” I grumbled, feeling highly displeased in how the dragon sister of mine treated people.

Aizen sighed. “Look, that guide was honestly pure gibberish, but it’s too funny to not use.” It was funny till, she fucking bricked the elf!

“But… Sigh forget it. Though that was the first elf that wasn’t too bad.” I said with a hint of sadness.

“That is true… perhaps I shouldn’t have been so vicious with the brick.” Aizen sighed as well. “I mean, I didn’t need to brainwash this elf like the first one we encountered. At the same time, this one didn’t try to kill me, and neither did he try to sabotage you by taking away your belongings…”

I nodded.

“Well, small matter… Perhaps I am just not meant to be a professional chess player. If those are a thing. My skill with the brick is just too terrifying...” She muttered with uncertainty. Ahaha… the guide had given her false ideologies!

I felt my head throb. Why must I deal with this? Before I could say any more, Aizen tapped my back.

“Well, shall we check out the festival?” I was met with a smile and somewhat excited eyes.

“Festival?” She did mention a festival at the start of the day, but what type?

“Ah, I forgot. It’s your festival Kuro!” My festival? “Today is the day they celebrate The Master Craftsman, like a holiday. Though I think it's the coming of The Master Craftsman?” She tilted her head in doubt.

The coming? Like… Jesus or something? I couldn’t ask more as Aizen led me to the plaza with the statue. Though, the growing tides of people made it somewhat hard to see what was happening.

The usual food stalls were flourishing along the edges of the plaza as well as other small businesses. From people selling yarn, to other types of handicrafts such as small blacksmithing hammers, or anvils. There were other much more normal toys such as little carts.

Aizen led me to stop in front of a stall that sold meat skewers, its aroma instantly catching my attention, it was almost sweet and full of flavor, a whiff of its scent had made my mouth water. We stood in front of the stall, a friendly man in his twenties manning it. From cooking, to cutting to skewing.

He was rather unremarkable with black hair and eyes. Though it was very cool. His only distinguishing feature was the fact that he was wearing some sort of hair net to pull his hair back. Though it was more like a cover.

“Oh, if it isn’t one of my regulars. Let’s see, two skewers for you and your… older sister?” The man guessed my identity somewhat cheerfully. Aizen nodded with a smile, pleased at the man’s inquiry. She put her hand inside her pocket but the man raised his arm to stop her.

“Today is a special day, free of charge for you.” He winked with a smile, and gave Aizen the two skewers.

Aizen nodded in gratitude before we started walking away.

I hurriedly received one skewer from her and I got a taste of it. It had onion as well as other vegetables that I didn’t distinguish, but the flavor was a mix of sweetness and saltiness, its juice seeping into my mouth full of distinct tastes. It was simply, amazingly good.

“Glad you like it.” The man commented from a distance, making me pause a bit. I was totally devouring the thing!

Aizen smiled at me somewhat mischievously as she began eating too. Though she tried not to show it, I could see the delight on her face as she slowly munched on it. We cheerfully scoured the area but quickly realized there was no real quiet place. I mean, who would want to stand amongst the crowd? Aizen was frowning, seemingly thinking the same thing.

“Hmm, now that I think about it. I heard this festival will have some things called ‘fireworks’ and they will be doing other interesting things too.” Aizen offhandedly mentioned. “So, we should go to a better place to watch from. High up in the sky.” In the sky? I looked up at the gaping hole of the city, the sky was a deep orange, the day was about to end.

“If you say so…” I muttered with slight insecurity. Aizen nodded and ripped all of the meat from the wooden stick before burning it down on her hand.

I finished the stick, but didn’t know what to do with it.

“Ah you’re as silly as always…” she muttered in a somewhat happy tone as she took it from me and also burnt it to cinders. “Well, let us go.” She took my hand, leading me outside the town.

◇ ◇ ◇

She held me by the hand as we left the town, the outside of the crevice completely desolate of greenery, just an endless expanse of desert and red rocks, I could see the sun settling beyond the horizon line as it distorted with slight heat.

Aizen ignored it as we continued walking and talked about things. The road we followed slowly tilted in an upwards slope.

We talked about how I killed a bunch of bandits and then summoned her, only for her to cry and then get all in high spirits. How she liked to wrestle with Fenri, or how the visit to the town of Mirl went. Where everything got out of hand due to my level and classes.

“Hmm, though to be honest I didn’t know about it either even though I had been in this world for thirty years.”

“Right.” I nodded to Aizen. “But you were mostly doing your own thing, though, right now. You’re with me.” I smiled.

She turned to look at me and smiled back, her pearly white teeth reflecting the settling sun.

* * *

The conversation between us continued, talking about how I took smithing too seriously, how it caused some troubles and how we met Dan…

“Though, I never expected Dan to be a guy.” Aizen offhandedly mentioned.

I paused slightly. “Ah, but you know. He’s always struggled with that, I think anyway.” My companion nodded without thinking too much about it.

“Well, though, he is very dependable, even if he lacks manliness.” Aizen nodded to her own comment. Though it was raw, Dan was certainly dependable. Even though we initially met him as a scout for the guild during a subjugation mission.

“He is with Ari and Fenri right?”

“Yep, they went to the capital to fix some things. Though I kinda forced Ari to go, since you know I wanted some… Alone time… with you…” Her voice grew soft towards the end, as I saw her cheeks slightly flush.

* * *

And finally we talked about ourselves.

“I would’ve never imagined I’d end up considering you my closest kin. Though, it applies to Ari as well…” Aizen said, her tone coming slightly weird. “Ah! It’s not like I mind it though!”

I chuckled. “Right, I don’t mind it either. I wouldn’t trade the both of you for all the minerals in the world, ah, Fenri included.” I nodded to myself.

“Ah, you and your weird rock obsession.” She shook her head. “At least you haven’t tried to behead me with a rock any more. It hurt pretty bad when you did it last time you know?”

“Sorry…” I awkwardly scratched my head. “To be fair, you shouldn’t have kept talking to that dwarf, you got carried away.”

“Hmph!” Aizen snorted. “I was only teaching him a lesson. Besides, it all worked well in the end. Talking about dwarves, didn’t you snap at one of them for telling you to not plagiarize your own symbol? That was certainly a spectacle.”

I paused. Why did she remind me?

“Though, I still feel bad for misleading Ari.” Aizen pondered my words for a second as we walked before nodding.

“She was too curious for her own good anyway, she had a lot of stuff going on and yet she insisted on trying to test us, though it was amusing.” Aizen smirked, recalling.

Right, she did do a few things that were somewhat over the line.

“It was also fun to have her come along. I certainly would’ve found it annoying to deal with the noble girl we rescued.” Ah, the one whose butler had the guards point at us.

It was certainly an amusing thing looking back.

“You could say it was truly dangerous back then.” Aizen paused at my words and looked at me with doubt.

“Kuro, you know. Sometimes I look back at that night, the one with the assassin, the one with the big beard... And my heart grows nervous.” She spoke softly. “Sometimes it’s recalling the torture I did, but other times it’s the what if scenario⁠—

I sensing where her sentence was going, I approached Aizen from behind and gave her a hug.

“Then let us not think about the what ifs, we are here together, no?” I whispered with a soft smile. Aizen returned the smile with a nod before looking ahead of our path.

We had been walking up-hill for quite some time now, I had lost track of time talking to her for so long. While my legs wouldn’t grow tired, it was certainly a lot of travel distance. The sun had long settled, and the night smiled upon us showering us with its myriad of stars in its stead.

“Oh, we are here.” Aizen said, bringing me back from my thoughts.

We stood in front of some poorly carved stairs, as they seemed to lead to the top of the hill we had been walking through, though it might as well be a mountain. The sun had set when we left, yet it was almost midnight after everything was said and done…

◇ ◇ ◇

As we climbed the slope, Aizen seemed to pause for a second.

“Ah, just in time!” She pulled my hand hurriedly as we walked atop the rocky hill, I could see light in the distance. My mind tried to make sense of it, and in the end my eyes went wide. Is that the…

And we made it to the edge. Looking down, I could see a statue of myself, almost reaching as high as the place we stood. The different lights of the city flickered every now and then, smoke constantly rose from the different vendor stalls, and people clamored around the central plaza, though it was as if I was listening to simply muffled sounds.

The chilly wind blew through my hair, and the earthy smell reached my ears. It was so quiet…

“Ah, look!” Aizen pointed at a corner of the plaza, there were some carts. Before I could say or ask anything, a rope was lit. “The fireworks will commence shortly!”

Before I realized it, Aizen had tackled me to the ground in a gentle manner and sat next to me. Just as she finished settling herself next to me, I heard a chime go off in the distant background.

Streaks of smoke flew past our vision into the sky, and then a bit more before exploding in a booming sound. Nebulas of cosmic colors went off in my vision in a glistening fashion, their vibrant cold colors captivated me; the navy blue, the purples and the pinks. All just as dazzling.

“Oh wow, that’s a lot better than I imagined.” Aizen muttered in surprise. Her eyes sparkled in interest.

“They are nice.” I muttered, adding to her thoughts.

“Indeed. And that’s not all…” That’s not all? As I was about to ask Aizen about what she meant, objects filled my vision, coming from the underground town. Floating lamps in various shapes and sizes filled the night-sky.

Each of different qualities and colors though they seemed to follow and overall theme of smithing in some way, some represented minerals, others had smithing tools drawn to it.

Though Aizen’s attention was somewhere else, following her vision I saw a much bigger lamp rise slowly through the skyline. It was much bigger than Aizen and I combined. It was giant and imposing in a silver color.

It had a metallic shine on some parts of it, the amount of metal it carried by all means impossible without magic. And it was in the form of a… dragon? Well it wasn’t flawless, but Aizen looked at it with nothing but joy.

“Look, Kuro, that’s me! And you!” She pointed towards the head of the dragon, a small little stick figure sat atop of it.

I couldn’t help but be surprised. “The scale is slightly wrong.”

“Pfff, scale! Look at how mighty I look in the sky!” The dragon lamp, or rather the Aizen lamp kept rising up high accompanying its kin on their journey towards the sky.

It rose slowly as we watched, the wind blowing and the distant sounds of the festival in the background.

As it drifted, we grew quiet. Aizen placed her hand atop of mine, it was soft and tender, it's warmness filling my hand.

“Hey Kuro… Do you still miss Eli?” She asked, almost in a whisper. My hand tensed for a second before it relaxed.

Miss her? I missed her… all of the time. I had already told Aizen everything she needed to know, I told her… the things that mattered to me… Eli… I still missed her even if time passed.

“I do, but…” I looked at the sky, following the various lamps. “I shouldn't cry about it anymore… I don’t really have regrets about it now.” I truthfully answered.

Aizen took a few seconds to think before opening her mouth.

“That’s good. That makes me happy. I was still worried…” Aizen’s voice continued to be soft. I looked at her and she was fidgeting and drawing circles on the ground, not really looking at me.

“Hey Kuro…”

“... Yeah?”

Aizen raised her head and looked at the lamps in the sky. She paused thinking about something, and then she innocently smiled at me. A pure smile.

“What do you think of riding me one day?”

“Eh?! What?!” I panicked. What happened to her?! She was all cute a second ago!

“Pfff! Hahaha~” Aizen began to uncontrollably laugh as she rolled on the ground. “Look at your face!”

“T-That’s not fair!” I stuttered as I felt my body grow heated.

A few seconds passed as I tried to calm my beating heart and Aizen attempted to stop laughing. Until finally, she put her head on my shoulder.

“Though, I am glad you can finally trust me… Truly…" I froze as she muttered. "No idea what I would've done if things didn't go well…"

A white trail of smoke flew through the gap in front of us. Going much faster than anything before, it reached the lamps in no time before it exploded in spectacular fashion, setting a chain of sparkling reactions in its chemicals. It continued exploding in a myriad of thundering sounds, each bringing a set of orange sparks that illuminated the night.

My eyes looked at the final firework as the lamps burned, all there was left was silence. The stars sparkled as if nothing ever happened. No fireworks, no lamps, no anything. But my mind was somewhere else.

I looked at my hand, my eyes landing on the silver ring shaped after a coiled branch, a green gem stood intertwined between its pathing, yet it didn’t sparkle or fluctuate.

In the end. It’s like this… I heavily sighed as I removed the ring and placed it in front of me, facing the city. Perhaps, the old me should accompany the old you…

My eyes started to tear up. I will forever miss you. Eli… But… I looked at Aizen, my gaze softening. I think I might’ve found a new true companion… Her eyes were closed, and her hair was somewhat disheveled, she must’ve been tired…

I didn't intend to stress her out, or worry her for that matter...

“Kuro,” she muttered.

“Hm?” Is she talking while sleeping?

“I love you, I missed you a lot… don’t leave me… I will always be here." All of her words came with different emotions, each slurred in between. But...

As if something broke inside of me, I simply… began crying. Tears uncontrollably flowed down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop it. I had been selfish and never thought about how Aizen felt… Yet she always tried so hard for me...

I was no longer alone, or rather...

I was never alone to begin with… From the start I wasn't alone…

I was too blind to realize it until now.

“I love you too Aizen… I won't ever leave...” I whispered in-between my tears.

I looked at the stars with my blurred vision as I felt my mind slowly being overtaken by the need to sleep.

The future is bright. I smiled.