“And the days go by~”

“Always asking why~”

“Seeking answers we need~”

“Left only with memories to keep”

“Never knowing what we reap~”

“Hmm, not bad! If I say so myself, right guys?”

Rene asked of his four companions.

Sometimes, when she spaced out, the lyrics would come to her mind without her even trying. This time, the song came out extra special.

None of them responded.

“Tough crowd” Rene chuckled.

Days would go by, but not one of the four would respond to any of Rene’s words. They would simply walk without any hint of emotion or life within their steps.

Their eyes were perpetually closed.

Since Rene already got used to this, she didn’t even pay it any heed.

They never slept or ate.

They simply kept walking, step by step, controlled by Rene’s magic.

Not receiving any answers to her words was not unusual, since her companions were already dead.

Indeed, the ones accompanying her now were nothing more than moving bodies.

It was exactly as it looked, a young girl accompanied by animated corpses.

Too dear to abandon, she resolved at the very least to bring the corpses back to the village they were from.

Since her companions met her along their journey, Rene had never visited that village. So, for her, it was quite a journey.

Bringing their loved ones like this, it is not going to be a pleasant surprise.

Worse yet, they had failed in their mission to put an end to a great evil and have paid a heavy price with their lives.

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Now the only things left for Rene were the distant memories of her former companions.

As they were on their way, Rene’s nose caught a scent of something strange.

Rene: “It smells like burned wood….”

Guided by her smell, she kept walking further and further.

The corpses following her were not too far behind.

Then, she saw it.

A form of a human being, lying on his back, so horribly burned that he looked like a humanoid mass of scar tissue.

Rene: “Poor thing. It must have been a very painful death”

Strangely, she saw the chest expand and contract weakly as the burn victim struggled to stay alive.

Rene: “Don’t tell me, he still alive? With those kinds of wounds?”

He was unconscious, but his body somehow refused to die.

Rene: “He needs to be treated immediately. Guys, bring me the ointment, bandages, herbs, and potions! Now!”

She knew that the corpses would have obeyed her even without a verbal command, but she still called out to them out of habit.

This man was not going to die, not like this; not if Rene can help it.

* * *

‘Keep going’

‘I must fight it’

‘I must overcome’

‘If I don’t, it will be the end’

This voice was different from his, it belonged to a woman.

He could not see her face clearly, it was obstructed by a veil-like shadow, but he could tell that she was smiling.

She was wearing a white dress, complimented well by her golden hair.

Arma: “I need to stand up and fight! I must…I will destroy all dragons!”

Then, something manifested before him.

It was the form of the Black Dragon Lord.

Arma: “You!”

Brandishing his sword, Arma tried to behead him in one swing, only to be easily bested.

Not stopping there, Black Dragon Lord mercilessly beat him to a pulp.

After each blow, Arma’s inner world felt like it was about to crumble down into nothing.

Yet, each time Black Dragon Lord put him down, Arma kept standing up.

Arma: “To avenge them….I must defeat all dragons…”

Arma: “Surviving without winning is meaningless! I would much rather die than stop! And even if I die, I will come back as a ghost and finish what I have started!”

The mysterious woman came close to Arma; he felt her gentle hand touch his cheek.

Now, he could finally see her face.

Both of her eyes were red and slitted like that of a lizard.

Arma: “I shall not stop. I will keep going till my bones turn to dust and if need be, even after that”

Arma: “Good. I have nowhere to go back. There is nothing left. Everything I ever could have loved and cherished is gone. If I am denied my chance at vengeance, then I might as well plunge my dagger into my heart”

Arma: “Aid me? Who are you?”