T-the gods… the Septet that brought about suffering they… they had persecuted both of us.

Demons and humans. Both of us so…

“W-why…?“ I took a step back. Unable to accept the sight. I felt everything I had ever eaten in my life threatening to come out right at this moment.

“What do you mean why?“ Asked Schwann. “This kid was a good sacrifice, right? I honestly wanted to kill the entire restaurant yesterday, but that would have been a big ruckus. It was great that you knew he had no family.“

“No… I…” Words that used to flow smoothly till now stopped coming out. Thoughts themselves seemed to have hit the brakes. “Didn't your entire tribe suffer… so why, another person…”

“I killed my tribe?“ Schwann took a step forward. He grabbed the living flame and twirled it in his hands. “They were all fools. They weren't nearly enough to fill the living flame so I came here, this kid's brother was good fuel too. So were the people in the labyrinth.“

I took another step back.

“Schwann… what are you saying? Y-y you aren't a murderer. Aren't we both the same? T-the gods that have abandoned the world, aren't we both…”

“Murderer?“ Schwann's face twisted. He glared at me with a sharp gaze. “Why are you acting so high and mighty all of a sudden when you're a dark mage? Even demons don't defile the dead like you filthy dark mages.“

I held the counter with a hand. If I didn't, I would have fallen on the ground.

What was happening? I still couldn't understand.

I still couldn't comprehend this situation.

“Hurry up and turn him into a skeleton. You're good now, right? We should leave and find the last one somewhere else. We're both the same kind of people.“

The same kind of people.

The same kind of people.

The same kind of people.

I understood now. Even though my teeth clattered, I couldn't deny it.

It felt as if a tongue had licked my bones from the nape of my neck down to my pelvis.

I had saved a mass murderer. A psychopath.

Someone who caused the suffering.

My eyes twisted, and a heavy breath left me.

“You…” sensing something off, Schwann stepped back. “You were a hypocrite, huh? What did I expect from you humans? The moment I kill someone in front of you, you become like this. Is it because this child was powerless? Someone who suffered too much? Don't look at me like that, you bastard. Murder is murder whether you do it or I do!“

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Schwann firmly stepped ahead. He approached me and pushed me down. The demon quickly hopped over the counter and rushed out of the door.

I was stunned. Unable to move. The world was slowly moving away from under my feet.

The sky was going down and the ground was headed upward. Everything was wrong.

Wrong wrong wrong.

The people who the gods abandoned.

Weren't we supposed to be suffering?

“Ah…”

That… demon. Schwann. I helped him. He was here because of me.

“Ahhh…”

The blood of this child was on my hands.

“I have… to stop him…”

When the confusion dwindled. Rage filled my body, but that too deflated in moments.

I had had my head crushed many times. Over and over. No physical pain has managed to sway me.

But now, for the first time, it felt like my entire body was screaming for help. Every single cell was in pain.

And with this pain came a cold commandment straight into my head. A decision that wasn't even questioned.

Something that had to be done…

“I will end him.“

***

I ran out of the skewer shop under the night sky. The knights were few and far between, but not all gone.

There was only one place for us to go towards. The escape from the third canal. Even the young night had grown darker as I stealthily made my way through the city.

I knew Schwann would do the same. I simply had to be faster. Following the paths we had meticulously planned out together, it didn’t take me long to follow the third canal.

Near the city walls was a long alleyway that touched the city walls close to the canals. There weren’t any guards this far at the edge of the city.

That’s where I found him.

“Stop…” I muttered as I grabbed the bone ax from my bag. The hooded demon looked back and frowned.

“Acheron… let’s just go our separate ways.” Schwann looked at me, at my hands. “Have you ever stayed this long with an injury? You might be able to bear it, but your body won’t keep up.”

His words meant one thing.

He was planning to kill me if I stepped in his way.

But I couldn’t not. I simply couldn’t.

Six orbs of water formed behind my back, I stretched my hand outward as I poured mana into my legs.

Schwann sighed.

[Earth Magic: Binds of Nature (4th Circle)]

The binds stemmed out of the ground and charged at Schwann. At the same time, I kicked off the ground and approached him—

“[Fire Magic: Flame Veil (5th Circle)]”

My eyes widened. A white flash covered my sight, when I could see again, the ground was left charred. Dust remained in place of the binds and the water orbs had evaporated.

Schwann came right in front of me. While I swung the ax, he grabbed my collars and pushed me into a space between two buildings, right behind the alleyway that led out. I hit the walls before bouncing back.

I brought the ax down to his neck and swung the other hand toward his stomach, at his injury. The demon nimbly stepped back and kicked my hand away.

“Agh!”

Pain seared through my body as I hit the walls again. Without wasting a moment, Schwann grabbed my arm and smashed it against the wall, over and over. Even as I tried to push back, it wouldn’t move.

I swiftly hit his ear with my other arm, it made him step back.

“You rat!”

Even as I tried, the hand holding the ax wouldn’t move anymore. I dropped the ax and shoved Schwann into the other wall with my shoulder. My head pulled back and slammed into his nose.

My fault… All of this was my fault. All of it.

Before I hit him again, the demon lowered his head. His crimson horn stabbed through me, but I pushed in regardless.

“Crazy!” He had the upper hand. Even as I hit him once, he grabbed my hands and tightly gripped them. The muscles that always cooperated stopped after being hit so much, perhaps it was the healing potions that were causing this annoyance as well.

Schwann drove his knee between us and thrust me back. One last time, he charged ahead. He struck me into the wall, this time, with his head.

The crimson horn pierced through my skin and into my neck. My mouth gaped open as blood spurted out.

“Kahk… Ah…”

Schwann pulled his head away with heavy breaths. I left behind a trail of blood as my legs quaked and slid to the ground. A gaping hole was left in my neck as my eyes turned back.

“Broken bastard…” Schwann’s chest puffed up and down.

My vision blurred. The last thing I saw… was him running away.