They will be your doom. Your hubris, your folly.
And you will think them worth it.
-excerpt from Iadaelus’ Journals.
No monsters were up this high. Enix had been sure that anything that needed to breathe would die out an hour back down.
>&@#$%< himself had been abandoned. He had fainted from the lack of air and woke up further below than he remembered he had been. Enix had left behind the broken spear to him. >&@#$%< could only whisper a curse as he tried to breathe.
”I’m back.” Came the boy's voice. >&@#$%< forced himself up, looking at the bright sky as Enix blotted out the sun.
”Did you… find it?” Something clanged at his feet. He looked down to see a gleaming sword made of a strange material. Like iron, but gleaming closer to white. It was a smaller and thinner blade than he had seen, yet it looked much deadlier than anything Goldry could have made. Yet >&@#$%< looked around, expecting something more.
”That’s…. it?” That’s all?”
”It’s enough.” Enix kneeled, and the sword rose as if pulled by an invisible string to meet his hand. He didn’t grab it yet, but it began to spin on its own. “With this, I can close the rift. Eventually, those creatures will starve out. We can hunt down the rest that manages to survive.”
”It’s a sword.” >&@#$%< coughed, something caught in his throat.
”It’s a solution, >&@#$%<.”
”It’s a glorified knife… against an assortment of monsters from a rift in the sky.” >&@#$%< retched. “How‘ll you even reach that rift?”
Enix didn’t know the answer
”&#+$… died… for this?”
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“She died to give us a chance at survival!”
”She died because you were too callous with our lives!” Spots swam in his vision. “She died because you were angry that your little pet got crushed.”
”Watch your mouth.” Enix’s tone was cold and dangerous. “I tried to keep you away. You wouldn’t listen. If you had, neither of you would be here.”
”And if you had bothered, maybe they would still be alive!”
Enix froze.
”What?”
”Admit it, killer.”
”No.”
”Admit that you let them die!”
”I won’t.”
They stared at each other, >&@#$%< breathing hard. Enix knew from his posture he was ready to attack him.
“Then die alongside them.”
>&@#$%< jabbed at Enix with the broken spear, and Enix dodged reflexively. >&@#$%< approached him aggressively and quickly before he tired from lack of air. Enix himself was off balance, his newfound weapon heavier than anticipated. The weight only grew when he thought of what he would have to do to his friend to stop him.
>&@#$%< pushed Enix back and back, Enix refusing to do anything but defend. His skin turned to stone; he decided to wait out >&@#$%<’s rage. Yet Enix saw that despite the journey, despite his exhaustion, and despite his breath failing him, >&@#$%< was lasting far longer than Enix had anticipated. Before he knew it, he felt the last of his energy begin to fade. Just as his skin began to return to its normal hue, he saw >&@#$%< rear back to stab at him.
>&@#$%< hadn’t noticed this. He had given in to his anger, his frustration. He saw that Enix easily withstood every blow he didn’t block and attacked madly.
Enix moved on reflex, his exhaustion from the journey getting to him. He moved to attack as well to push him off. His weapon was angled at just the right moment, and as >&@#$%<’s broken spear stabbed through Enix’s inhuman body, Enix’s newfound weapon stabbed through >&@#$%<.
“No…”
>&@#$%< let out a choked gasp. His hand let go of his weapon and grabbed the blade that had impaled him through the chest. Enix saw the fear in his eyes. The fear of death he had seen in countless animals’ eyes before. Those same eyes met his.
“See?” P̵̬̯͍̳̲̑̈͒̽̇̏͛̅̄̂̎̌̋̿̚ͅř̴̢̰̩͕̪̪͆̄͒͒ő̸̩͙̖̱̪̩̞̻͔̣͚̖̔̈́̉̍̿̐̈͘̕̚͜͝c̵̳̯̲̄͆̆̂̏͛̌̓̔͛͠l̵̨̢͈̗̺̼̥͙̺͉̘͙̎͌͛͘͜͝ų̵̥̪̘̦̝͈̠̼̪̤͂͋̈́͐̓͌͜ŝ̷̛̭̫̪̰͚̣͔̖̯̃͋͆͆͗̒͘̚ͅ coughed, a cruel smile painting his face.
“You really are a killer.”
[simulation t̵̢̢̲͙̦̬̺̣̙̆͆̊̌͂̈̂̓̈́́͛̐͜͝͝e̶̢̗͕̮̫̮͔͚̙͍̞̬̾͐̄̏̏͌̂ṟ̶̢͇̳̥͕̻͙̼̓͋͆̓̿̍̆́̀͌͆̉̓͝ͅm̷̨̞͔͉̟͔͔͔̗͕͈̰̓̂͒̈͐̒̓̍̔͋͊͐̔͂͘ͅͅi̷̢̧͍̟̯̒͂̆̀̒̍́̕͘͘͝ņ̷͈͍̥͔̬̱̯̮͉̰̑̐̀̀̃̕͜a̴̢̤̝̘̗̩̱̼̗̮̳̾͗̍̈́̓̍̃̌̃͒̕t̵͙̠̩͂̈̒̽̇ē̶͉̪̯̏̿͌͑̓̌͂͆̀͠d̸̛͖̥̦̝͇͆.]