I can hear explosions, screams and the faint smell of something burning reaches my nose. I try to open my eyes as I clumsily bring myself up to no avail. It’s no good, I feel as though my insides were ripped to shreds as I experience nausea and exhaustion. I will myself to stand up and I force my eyes to open but what I saw can only be considered as chaos. I see people with mangled bodies while some are slowly roasted alive by the very magic that they thought would protect them. I recall that I had some companions with me and as that thought was finally processed by my sluggish mind, I realize that ‘she’ was nowhere to be found.

“Artemis…? Where are you…?”

I call out her name as I walk around the burning village square. I see people running scared, clutching their children close to them as though the very notion of letting them go would kill them. I can’t blame them, I’m no good as an adventurer myself since I can’t even protect the people who entrusted their lives to me. I can feel panic building up inside my chest as I start to think that the worst happened to my companions. I can’t think that way. I reprimand myself. I guess I have to do whatever I can to keep myself awake. The smoke doesn’t bother me, it must be because of my training and my experiences in the field but what bothers me is the smell; the smell of a thousand burning corpses filled my head with images of dread and pain. It’s not helping, really.

“Al – *coughs* Alphonse!”

A familiar voice. I realize that the voice was calling for me so I prepared myself and ran towards the source. As I try to go around the burning corpses while avoiding the everfire from the Nuclear Fission arte that started this whole mess, I finally find the person who called my name.

“It’s…you…you’re okay...?”

I find Lin clutching someone familiar, someone dear to me. I can feel the exhaustion, panic and fear taking over me and I snap. I break apart only to be stopped by ‘her’ voice. I look behind me and I am reminded of the horrors of this ‘world’ and why I must be strong.

‘How many cycles has this been?’ A voice asks me. ‘How many times have you failed, Hero Ryner?’

“Ry..ner..?”

‘Don’t tell me you have forgotten your true inner self, Hero?’

Panicking, I stand and search for the source of the voice. Lin looked troubled while Artemis looked weak but fine nonetheless.

“Show yourself, demon!”

Chuckling, the voice continued taunting me. ‘You dare call yourself a demon? What a fool. Then let me give you a choice. Give up your life, Alphonse, and I will resurrect everyone here and make it as though nothing ever happened. You could also choose to simply run away like the coward that you truly are.’

“No magic can bring the dead back to life, demon. You cannot fool me.”

‘Then shall I kill you for having scratched my Rafflesia?’ The shadow’s voice suddenly directed itself towards Artemis ‘What is your decision, Warlock?’

“Keep me out of this, Ryner.” Trying to show a defiant face, Artemis tried to sit up but her body was too weak to support her slim frame. “You go too far with your pranks.”

‘This is no time for jokes, Warlock. It seems as though that Valefor has found himself a troublesome ally. I am merely giving my immensely dense human avatar a choice. Die, and save lives or run away and save his. It’s a simple choice, really. One he has failed to make countless times. This is the 600th cycle. Will Alphonse prevail where his other self, Keith, has not? We shall see.”

At this, Lin started to speak.

She weakly looks at me, “What do you mean his other self?”

‘You still haven’t realized it yet, Lin? Alphonse is an amnesiac Keith. How can you not realize this?’

Awestruck, Lin started crying. “Hey, Belle,’ she says as she looks at Artemis. “I finally found him. He’s finally…back to…us.” Barely finishing her sentence, Lin passes out as she holds Artemis in her arms.

“Ryner! You cannot interfere! You know the rules!”

‘Warlock, have you gone softer for your student? We have lost the privilege of kindness and while we are following the rules, the other side is not. The boy has to die.’

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

At a loss for words, the woman Lin referred to as Belle simply studied us. Thinking back upon the days that had passed, I guess I am fortunate to have spent them with Yuriko, Chi and the others and meeting people from my past in this wide and vast world should make me a happy man. I guess I will die without having recovered my memories but that too is fine.

I wonder why my other-self failed to stop this from happening 599 times. There has to be something different. Something must have changed but I can’t recall what it is.

Wait. That’s it. In this cycle, I lost my memories and I was separated from my friends. But I’m with them now. So what changed? Finally finding the resolve in my heart to finally do what is right, I stand and face the shadow’s general direction.

“Hero. I…I have decided to die so that others may live.”

‘I knew you would choose correctly. Is that all?’

“Hero, what changed? I thought that it was because of my memory loss but it doesn’t make sense. I am reunited with my friends and yet, apparently, something is still different. What is it?”

Stepping out of the shadows, the man finally reveals himself. He….he’s really me. He’s a slightly older me! He looks cooler though. That's not fair. As I was thinking that I was about to die while I see a more handsome version of myself, my fears were making themselves reality. I may not be attractive at all! I mean look at Artemis, she's practically drooling at the sight of his slightly disheveled hair. Wait, why the fuck am I thinking how I'm so not cool right now. That really makes me uncool!

Waking me up from my delusional stupidity is Ryner. He brings me back to the pressing matters at hand.

“Alphonse, what’s changed is actually the most vital piece of this puzzle. Had you not lost your memories, you would have simply travelled the world with Alicia and had you travelled here with her, she would have died and you would have chased after Valefor without ever looking back to save the lives that were lost here. One of those lives that needs saving is the Mayor of this town and having saved those lives would have enabled us to eventually win this never ending war. The creature with Valefor does not know that Raflesia and I could relive cycles and this is our only chance at victory. We have already lost 599 times, after all.”

So I’m just a pawn in this divine comedy? Well, that’s not too bad. Hearing the name ‘Alicia’ brought a soft pain to my heart. Just who is she? She must have been important to you, eh, Keith?

“Well, I guess I will never truly find out, eh, Ryner?”

“Heh. I guess so. You’re doing the right thing, Alphonse. You did well.”

Before even having the chance to blink, the entire world stopped for me. I can see Ryner slightly tensed for combat as he prepares to draw his sword, presumably to end me. I see the faces of the people I have met and I find myself wryly smiling at the things we have been through. As Ryner’s blade draws closer, finally, a blonde haired beauty with the prettiest golden eyes that I have ever seen. I have never met her but her name escapes my lips.

“Ali….”

Time resumes and I find Ryner behind me, sheathing his sword. Before I can even realize what had happened, I fall to my knees with the darkness surrounding and swallowing me. Artemis looks at me with a solemn look in her face and Ryner is honoring my final moments by watching me until the end.

This is it, huh? The end of my life of…Trouble.

Author's notes

Volume one is finally ending! This extended prologue is going to be ended with an epilogue. Heh that's pretty clever. Anyway there's a reason for everything being so fast paced but it's going to be answered with volume 2 but I do welcome assumptions! Also, comments and suggestions are welcome too. Thanks for reading thus far. I hope you stick with me as we start volume 2. Thanks!

Alizoned.