The explosions of scattering light dispersed and faded, creating a silent want for more. It left an audience in awe, and the expectation was immense. There was a resounding clapping in the air and the cheer of amusement celebrating the very culmination of the event at its peak.

As for me, my heart was beating loudly. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was scared at first, thinking it to be something bad coming, but apparently it was the final event of the evening.

"Johann, that was amazing! What was that called?" asked Tricia, flailing her legs on my shoulders, her heels pounding on them like a drum.

"Hey, calm down up there! I don't know what it's called. I'm as surprised as you are. Do you have any idea, Julia? You've been to the towns, right?" I glanced to my side, seeing Julia with a smile that said she knew exactly what it was.

"They're called fireworks. A travelling merchant from another country came by the town and sold a large quantity of supplies to Laram, the town where I was working. I heard that the merchant had been to some other towns beforehand, selling the same products. Lady Cantelle was the one who explained the entire thing to me."

"Lady Cantelle?" I asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Oh, I've never told you about her. She's one of the head maesters at the capital. She comes by once in a while to check on her apprentices, counting me. She's an amazing person who taught me all the things I had to know about being a herbalist. I'll introduce you sometime."

Soon, the lights started coming back. It started from the very end of the eastern entrance from where I was standing. It was odd since it was taking time to reach the entire festival, but we didn't think too much of it. We simply waited and talked amongst ourselves about what we liked about the festival. The excitement was starting to die down since the fireworks officially marked the end of it.

"When we get back, you're going straight to bed, alright? You're way past your bedtime, Tricia."

"Aw, don't be such a worrywart, Johann. I'll be fine. I'm not tired yet at all, see?" She showed her lack of fatigue by jumping off my shoulders and onto the ground with pose of open arms saying Ta-da! I wasn't convinced after all. I would know, since I'm her brother, that she's forcing it at this point. Though I've said that she should be acting more mature, she's still childish, wanting to stay up late until she collapses on her bed after exhausting herself. Typical. It's not the first time she's done it, after all.

"Not convinced, huh?" she asked.

"Not at all. Don't worry, you'll have a lot more stuff to do tomorrow if you rest up early."

"Got it, got it. In exchange! I want you to make that meat on a skewer meal! You come eat with us, too, Julia!" she urged, coming up to her and burying her face on Julia's dress.

She laughed and embraced her back tightly. "Why not. If Johann will allow me to barge in, of course." She sneaked a glance at me, asking permission.

"C'mon, Johann! You'd be the devil incarnate if you'd turn her down now. Don't crush your chances even further, please!"

"W-what the heck are you blabbering on about again?" I said, flustered at what Tricia was trying to hitn Julia towards. "O-of course you can come eat with us. You're welcome in our home any time, Julia. You don't need to ask."

"Well then, I guess I'll hold you to that promise, Johann."

Just as things started to settle down, a commotion started happening as the attentions of the people faced to their right. The ground seemed to tremble slightly due to something. I swore I knew what it was, but I just couldn't remember what it felt like. I started feeling a bad omen from my gut. It told me that I had to run, but I ignored it, thinking that it was nothing again. I had let down my guard carelessly. But, if I had done something, would it have made things different?

However, I didn't fully let down my guard.

The people started talking amongst themselves as there was an apparent confusion in the air. No one knew what was happening, and no one knew what was there to look out for since the lights were still off, except for the one at the eastern entrance. Soon enough, anxiety started filling everyone's minds, and it was about to take a turn for the worse. The strange trembling was getting stronger, and the pit of my gut yelled at me to do something.

"Julia, will you do me a favor and keep Tricia close by?"

"Sure, but why? Is there something wrong?" she asked, a worried expression painted on her face.

"I don't know myself, but I'll figure it out. Just stay together, alright? I'll be quick."

Just as I was about to walk off somewhere, Tricia called out to me. "Wait, where are you going, Johann?"

"Just checking up on something. Stay there and relax. I'm sure it's nothing. Don't worry, I'll cook you that meal tomorrow, I promise."

Little did I know that it was one of the last promises I'll ever make with her...

I asked around, going from one person to the next, getting closer and closer to the eastern entrance. The adults and organizers of the festival were as confused about what was going on as well and started heading to the eastern gates like the others, encouraging the some of the capable looking men to come along just in case. I was urged to come too, though that was my intention in the first place. If something was going to happen, then I was going to have to do something so that Tricia and Julia don't get pulled into something dangerous.

The stalls were all closing down, the owners packing up and organizing their belongings. The excitement and feeling of wonder surrounding the festival was gone, snuffed in an instant by something unknown.

I predicted it to be some band of rugged bandits just trying to cause some trouble, and if that were to be the case, I was prepared to take some of them on, considering that bandits weren't the best in terms of fighting. I had some experience from training, so I was confident I'd be able to take care of a few of them. But why did the uncertainty not disappear even after that thought of reassurance?

"Hey sorry, but I had to ask. Do you have any idea what's going on here?" someone asked me, tapping me on the shoulder. It was a young man that seemed to be around my age. He had a normal look about him, short dark hair, wearing the usual clothing of a white shirt with brown pants and vest. He was tall and lean, oddly just like I was. But the only difference was that he looked timid, lacking in confidence just like I was back then. His voice wasn't that loud, so I barely heard it. He followed along as I slowed down and started walking alongside him.

"No, I don't know. But I think we're about to find out."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself. My name is Leonardo Talst. You can call me Leo. What's yours?"

"Johannes Isles. You can call me Johann. Are you from around the villages? I'm from Asielle."

"Asielle, is it? I come from Yulm. It's just north from your village. I heard that it was a quite nice place," he smiled faintly.

Looking at him clearly, he didn't look like the type to do something out of his own will. I was curious, but didn't want to ask right away just after we've met. We simply walked in silence, following the rest as we got further towards where we needed to be.

"You must think that it's strange for me to be here, don't you?" he said from out of the blue. I was surprised. I wasn't sure if he read my mind, or if my thoughts somehow escaped my mouth.

"No, I didn't say anything like that."

He shook his head with a slight chuckle. "No, it's fine. I'm quite used to it, but I never bothered to explain since they'd usually go away before I got the chance. You see, I'm trying to change myself from being timid and introverted, as I was told to be. Rather than trying to be hurt by what others say, I'll simply improve myself. I know we just met, but I'd rather you not be shy around me. You look like a good person to get to know. I don't have a lot of friends, but you're easy to get along with."

"Thanks. Never got that from anyone, so yours is a first. But I was curious. Your personality doesn't match up at all. You're not as timid as you think you are," I said.

"I've been told that as well! That just goes to show that I am changing, somewhat."

Leo was someone who I seemed to get along with quite well, despite the odd meeting we had. He was timid, as he said, but to an extent. I'd say there's a fine line between being timid and not, so I'd say he's barely crossing the boundary. It didn't feel odd at all to get to know him, and in that time, we became well acquainted.

He had come here to enjoy the festival with his ailing mother and had taken over all of her responsibilities in their day to day life. It was an example of my relationship with Tricia, but he had the determination to change himself while I was satisfied with who I was currently. He was also the same age as me, but was more learned than I was. He told me of some books that interested him and suggested some of them to me. Honestly, I should have found it odd that it was that easy to get to know someone on a first meeting. But I didn't take notice at all.

Finally, we had come to the entrance. There was a large group of people with confused looks. Some talked eerily with whispers while some ran back in a hurry.

In the distance was what seemed to be someone holding up a torch. Above him was a starry night sky whose tranquility betrayed all aspects of his reasons for being there. Beyond him is a vast plain of grassland where a mountain stood in the distance. The man wore armor for a soldier and didn't budge from his position. I heard the people around me talking about why he was there, but no one knew the answer.

I walked up to one of the adults and asked. I lucked out, realizing that the old man sporting a long beard was one of the organizers of the festival, an elder of the villages that came together for this gathering.

"I don't know, boy. The elders along with some of the adults are coming up there to ask what the man's doing there. Honestly, I have a bad feeling about this."

Just as the man stopped to speak, there was a scream up towards where the man with the torch was. There were three others there, presumably the elders and his companions. This time, the man had moved, a sword in hand, drawn from its sheath. The torch was left to fall on the ground as it revealed the head of someone falling to the ground along with it. A body fell, and then a scream came from them.

The two people remaining started running back frantically, horror apparent on their voices. "I-It's an army, everyone run! Send help!" they yelled. I couldn't believe it myself as I froze up, wracking my head with what to do. Adrenaline started to fill every bit of my body as my mind warned me to move. Lights began to appear from behind the lone soldier, revealing a large formation of people holding bows coated with fire.

The man with the sword picked up the torch and raised it up, causing all of us to look up. There, a strange collection of red shooting stars appeared, moving quickly from over the man with the torch. Only then did it register that it wasn't a volley of shooting stars, but a volley of arrows, dozens of them. And some were aimed at me.

"Everyone, run!" that was all that could pierce my ears even when the screaming of people overflowed all around us.

"Johann!" yelled Leo from my side, waking me from my trance. My body moved by itself, dragging Leo by his arm towards the entrance arch, which was wide enough to cover the both of us. It was the only thing I saw fit to shield us from the impending volley.

I pinned my back onto the wooden structure as to not let it fall over. Anxiety harassed me as I felt the arrows beating on the other side, one after the other. I closed my eyes and prayed that it wouldn't pierce through. I couldn't worry about anyone else. No matter how loud the screams were, I ignored them and was cradling my legs due to the fear of being hit.

As soon as the sound of arrows hitting the wall protecting me stopped, I looked around and found myself surrounded by people riddled by arrows on their backs, some on their heads, while some square on their eyes. It was a horrid sight as the fire coating the arrows burned through their flesh. What was more agonizing was the fact that some of them survived and was suffering from the immense pain brought by the barrage. The old man that I was talking to a while ago was also among the casualties. But he was hit on the front. He didn't even have time to realize what was coming towards him.

I couldn't do anything for them. I was frozen in place, failing to see what I could have possibly done to save them at that point. I was terrified to move from my spot and suddenly get hit. I was scared to die. My hands shivered, my legs trembled, and my mind was unstable. I glanced to my side to see Leo panicking, looking at his quivering hands and lips. Tears welled in his eyes, and I was sure that he was about to break down.

"A-all those people, dead! No, it can't be!" he muttered repeatedly. "Johann, what do we do?!" he asked, putting his trembling hands on my shoulders. The fear was apparent in his face, and I couldn't blame him. I was only fortunate to realize that snapping back at him due to my own fears would only make things worse. I remembered the most important things to me, the ones I have to take care of.

"You need to get your mother, and I need to get my sister and friend. We're going to leave this place, you hear me? We're going to get out of here with them," I said, trying to control Leo, who looked unstable to do anything at all. Through it, he nodded his head and buried his face in his hands, calming himself down. It seemed that to the both of us, the ones we cared for brought us back to reality. It was a sort of miracle.

Again, the ground started to tremble. It was strong enough for me to feel what it was since the source passed us by. It was horsemen, an entire band of them. They wore armor fit for a knight along with torches and swords, setting the festival grounds ablaze. It immediately lit up the dark grounds.

I instinctively grabbed Leo by his neck and forced him to the ground. I hid us from them, hoping that they take us for deadmen. It was only for a moment, but I caught a full glimpse of them. Their horses were like fierce beasts whose hooves would crush anything underneath it. The knights themselves, as impressive as they were admirable, were now too terrifying to admire.

"Why are they attacking us and killing innocent people?!" Leo asked, looking at what was happening around us. "This is awful! Someone has to help them, Johann!"

"We can't do anything for them!" I lowered my voice so that we didn't get caught and resumed. "I don't know why they're doing this, but worry about that later. Go find your mother. I'll go find the ones I came with. Go through the western gate and try to get to Palam woods. I'll meet you there. We'll figure out where to go after that, got it?"

"A-are you sure, Johann? Are we really going to get out of here? I don't want to die," he said desperately.

"Trust yourself, Leo," I said, firmly placing a hand on his shoulder. I felt his entire body shivering, but not as much. "You said you were going to change yourself, right? Then this isn't different from any other test. You'll make it through, I know it."

"You're really brave, aren't you? But, you're not scared, Johann? I don't know how you can say stuff like that in this situation?"

"I'm just as terrified as you are, but I'm not letting it take over me. The moment you do, you'll freeze up and stop moving. I won't let that happen, because I have people waiting for me to save them. Tricia must be crying as if there's no tomorrow," I chuckled, trying to ease my own anxiety however much as I can. Truth be told, I might have been more terrified than Leo at the time, but it just didn't seem to matter since we were all in the same boat.

"Alright, I can do it," he nodded nervously, still trying to come to terms with the situation. I was as well, just barely, however.

"Leo, don't worry. Everything will be fine. Just focus on trying to get your mother out of here. Just be careful and hide if you see anyone."

"I know. I'll do anything to protect her. Alright, good luck, Johann. Let's see each other later."

With that, Leo snuck through the various stalls right in front of us and disappeared from my sight. I looked around and found some ways to navigate around so I don't get detected by any of them. The horsemen were rather easy to get past because of the noise their horses made. I was lucky that they didn't get off and started searching by foot for any survivors. But another obstacle was the fact that they were massacring people who were running away, not fighting back. I had the chance to save some on the way, but there was also a large chance that it would've cost me my life.

Along the way to the denser areas of the festival, an even larger mass of people were getting hacked to death, an act I had never before seen and would have never liked to have seen, regardless if they were men or women, they met their end by a cruel blade. It could have been avoidable if I had done something, but I couldn't do anything to help them out anyway. I was powerless as it is, and so I had no other choice but to steeled my selfish mindset and keep going, desperate to find Tricia and Julia who, I prayed to the gods to be safe.

The decorations that hung about from one pole to another burned., scattering itself like a wildfire in a forest The entire place was bound to collapse into ashes, so it served as a timer. I recognized the place in front of me. The plaza, the place where I left Tricia and Julia. But the only thing was that, I couldn't see them anywhere. All I saw were bodies of men, women, and children strewn across the ground. It was Disgusting. Even children?

I felt the need to vomit but restrained myself from losing my composure.

But, immediately my mind started to go into panic. I thought of the chance that Julia and Tricia was in that pile and couldn't control myself.

I made for the pile of bodies and began overturning them, hoping that I wouldn't find their faces anywhere there. But to my relief, they weren't. I knew that I shouldn't be relieved since in their place, someone else died. But was it really wrong for me to hope that it wasn't them and hope that it was someone else instead? Is that really a selfish thought?

I heard the sound of metal footsteps closing in on me. I immediately went back to the spot I came from and started thinking of where to search for them. I was about to keep moving until they stopped to talk.

"Hey, have any idea what the Kaiser has planned for the survivors?"

"Probably as slaves. I can see no other use for them. It's either you're with us, or against us. This place is full of workers, so might as well take advantage of that."

"Well, you have a point. So, where do we get us some women? I don't see any good looking broads anywhere cause they're dead."

"I think I remember seeing one good looking lass over by the west gate. I didn't want to step out of line because the Kaiser was making his rounds, but damn did she look good. I'd wager that a couple others would want her for themselves."

"Hah, remind me to take a look later, alright?"

They left, an ounce of irritation and anger building up in me. I had the urge to come out and attack them, but with what? They had swords and I had my fists. It wasn't hard to tell who would win that battle.

"Get a hold of yourself, Johann. They come first," I said to myself in self control. I then made my way towards the western entrance where they were keeping the rest of the survivors. But the problem that was ringing in my head was that of Leo. I had told him to go there with his mother. "I have to hurry," I said to myself, increasing my pace as I hid from the shadows, avoiding the eyes of the patrolling soldiers with fresh blood-stains on their blades.

I finally made my way to the western entrance, and as I had thought, it was tightly guarded. It seemed that most of the horsemen that rampaged through the eastern gates had made it here and were now waiting for something.

People were grouped up, soldiers looking over them. They were seated on the ground and tied up with their hands behind their backs. Among them were Julia and Tricia, whom I recognized right away. Tricia looked like she was trying to be brave, hiding her fear and tears while Julia was shielding her from those close by.

"Damn, there's a lot more than I expected. I'm not leaving without them, but how do I handle this? Do I try and see if what I've been taught pays off, or do I do something even more drastic?"

This is impossible. There's no way for me to go about this without being discovered. It's one against all of them, and clearly I don't have a chance. They have horses and archers lined up... There has to be a way, there just has to be. I can't let things go like this. I have to protect Julia and Tricia, even if it costs me my life. If I don't do anything, they'll lose theirs.

With the clock winding down, I was faced with a decision that'll alter everything in my course. But, the decision had already been made. All that was needed was the motivation to act. For me, as reckless as it was, there was never really any other choice to begin with. What kind of brother am I if I can't protect my sister?

I laughed to myself. Maybe I was going mad because of how terrifying the situation was. I couldn't go back, that's just not me. It's either here, or the afterlife.

"Don't hurt her! Or else!" a voice yelled out, breaking me from my line of thought.

"Or else what, kid? You goin' to cry me a river?" said one of the soldiers.

"Or else Johann will beat you up!"

"Johann? Who the hell is that chump? I'll give 'em a piece or two if he ever comes by, kid. I'll be sure of that. But, he's probably dead anyway, so don't get your hopes up, ahaha!"

"Hush, Tricia. Just wait for your brother, he'll be back soon enough. He's alive, I know it. He'll figure out a way to get us through this," said Julia as she resigned herself to her fate. Tricia nodded in agreement and became silent, begrudgingly.

Soldiers took Julia by the wrist and forcibly drew her to her feet. Dragging her away, she was brought out alone, in front of a man mounted on a armor-plated horse. The person wore a dark, imposing armor dressed with a red cape. I got the feeling that this person was different from the rest not just because of how the person looked like, but I just because of a gut feeling.

The man dismounted from his horse and removed his helmet, displaying a man with white, long hair and red eyes. His pale skin made him look enigmatic along with the expressionless face of his.

He walked up to Julia and held her chin up. At that point, I was ready to jump in and do something, but I froze. I felt scared of dying that I couldn't do anything.

I'm a coward, plain and simple. There was no going around it. That was what I was. But, that was until Tricia got up and ran towards the dark armored man, tackling him with everything she had. The man didn't budge but looked down on her.

He tightly gripped her hair and brought her up. She screamed in pain, forcing Julia to plead and grasp the dark armored man's arm, asking him to let go. But the only thing that she received was a backhand that sent her to the ground.

"Let her go!" I yelled. I got up and ran, abandoning everything about fear. With how I lived and chose to live, this was the only possible outcome for me. I didn't know how fast I was going. Every ounce of my energy had been devoted to the last seconds of my life. All I felt was my hand hitting him square on his left cheek. But, his feet didn't move from its original position. His face had been made to turn right due to my punch, but aside from that, he didn't seem fazed at all.

It made him let go of Tricia's hair, giving me the chance to pull her away. I brought her towards Julia, who just got back up, and wrapped my arms around them, knowing that we were the center of attention now.

I was surprised, to be honest. I thought that an arrow would have shot me down by now, but it seemed that silence was a much more deadly opposition.

"Johann! I knew you'd come for us. I knew you were still alive! I was so scared," said Tricia, grabbing me by the waist with her shivering arms.

"Don't worry, I'm here now. Everything will be alright, I promise. Just stay close and leave everything to me, alright?" I said, shooting her my best reassuring smile. I ran my fingers through her hair and ruffled it, calming her down. I couldn't move from my position because I know that we'll be relentlessly shot at from everywhere. There's still a small chance to get the both of them out of here, only if I play my cards right.

The soldiers surrounded me with their swords, and the archers with their bows. The man that I had punched was being supported by the ones around him as if they were servants. It somewhat solidified the idea that he was someone important, but after seeing the face, nothing rang a bell.

"Bring that young man to me," said the man wearing the armor. He had recovered from the blow and was now staring at me. This time, his expressionless face was replaced with one having a slight grin, as if anticipating something. He crossed his arms and waited.

A tall, bulky man came up from the ones assisting the dark armored man and walked towards me, grabbing me by the neck with a speed that I wasn't able to avoid or fight back against. It was clear that the bulky man had something against me since his grip was enough to break my neck, but he only did it barely, enough for me to suffer the pain of it.

I heard Tricia and Julia's cries as I was pried away from them. I could speak or yell out to ask them not to hurt the two of them, but I was too busy trying to ease the grip of the man who dragged me in front of the dark armored man, pinning me down.

"Courage. It is the defining feature of a warrior and a man. It is an impeccable, innate desire to either protect, or safeguard someone. It is impressive, but at the same time idiotic. I felt the blow I received from you. It carried quite the message, in fact. It also taught me something very interesting without having the need for words. Who are you, young man?"

I kept my silence and avoided his eyes, looking somewhere else.

"When you're spoken to, you face the person!" roared the bulky man pinning me down violently. He placed his hand over my head and bashed it on the ground. I started bleeding from my nose, dirt painting my face. He took me by the chin and forced me to look up. I felt my neck stretching to its limits. A bit more and it would have torn away from the rest of my body.

"Don't hurt him, please! Johann!" cried out Julia. She was making sure that Tricia didn't get to see any of it as she forcibly buried Tricia's face on her dress.

"It'll be alright, Julia! Don't worry about me!" I yelled out with the last of my strength.

"Ah, the unity between two people. That too tugs at one's heart. More so when a tragedy befalls them. Let me ask you, young man. I won't bother you with names since you don't seem up for it, so instead I will introduce myself. You may call me Kaiser, the one who will reign upon you all. That is all you need to know. Now, the question. How precious are these two to you? Would you do anything to protect them?"

"I'd punch you again if it meant saving them. This time I'll make sure that you're knocked out."

"Still got something to say, kid?!" asked the man pinning me down. He again did the same thing and slammed my face on the ground repeatedly until he was satisfied.

"Forgive them, they're quite brash. But I admire how they're thorough with what they do. But this is a surprise. You spoke, and still have a bit of fighting strength in you. Well then, let's make things a bit more amusing. If given the chance to save one, who will it be. You seem to care for the both of them, but a man cannot chase two hares for he will get none. So I will save you from that choice. Choose the one that will live. I shall spare that person."

"Who the hell do you think you are to give me those choices?!"

"I'm the one who holds your lives captive with words. With a single command, I can have you all executed. But that would ruin everything. So now, will you choose who lives? I will give you five seconds to choose, otherwise I will have them both killed. I will even give you a chance." With a gesture, the man pinning me down removed his weight, but instead, I was restrained standing up, made to face Julia and Tricia, who were now being forced to face me.

Tricia's eyes were still welling with tears, and it was obvious that the grip she was under hurt. As much as I struggled, I couldn't get free from the man's grasp. Julia, on the other hand, was on the border of composed and worried. She looked at me with eyes saying Be strong. But it was more than I could take at this point. I was more angry at the fact that someone was hanging the lives of the two people I treasure the most in front of me.

What kind of sickening hell is this?

He walked in front of me and smiled slightly. "Whose life is more worth saving?" he whispered.

I thought of spitting on his face, or somehow trying to get free and taking him hostage since he seems to be the leader here. But anything I do will only put Julia and Tricia to harm, so it wasn't worth doing anything.

"I like that look in your eyes," he spoke, noticing the clear glare of murder I pointed at him. "It made me shiver. it has a tinge of untapped ferocity and viciousness that I long for. Interesting. A good story cannot be made without the protagonist of course. I took the liberty of taking the antagonist's role and have been searching for the one who will oppose me. I know many will in the future, but they will mean nothing. I want the one who will give me the thrill of my life, and if possible, the grueling death of which I am deserving of."

"I'm not going to play your game. You're sick, toying with us as if we're insignificant. I don't want to be a part of this fantasy you're dreaming of, but I really hope that someone gives you the grueling death you deserve."

He stared at me for a while and started to laugh in amusement.

"That's the spirit! I'm starting to grow fond of you more and more. You're making me want you even further! But it's quite saddening that you don't want to participate... Hmm, I know. There is one way."

He turned and drew his sword, walking towards Tricia and Julia. I was starting to panic again and began flailing, trying to get free of the man.

"Hey! Get back here, I'm not done talking! Don't you dare put your hands on them! I'll kill you if you harm even a single hair on them! I swear!" I yelled out in desperation, hoping that he'd turn his attention back at me. But he ignored me and continued until he stood face to face with Julia. Second by second my worst fears were beginning to be realized.

"I want to thank you, both you and the young one. You both will serve as perfect sacrifices to see through my dream. With your deaths, the perfect protagonist of my story will come into fruition. I can hardly keep myself waiting in anticipation. You both will be remembered as saints for being the catalyst of the heroes' coming, and forever you will be celebrated. Now, rejoice, beloved, for you will be the first."

He held Julia's chin once more and forcibly took her lips, then in one motion, stabbed her through her gut with his sword. Julia's simple, but elegant dress was now stained with her own blood. Tricia let out a screech of agony as she was forced to see how Julia had died. As the sword had been struck into her, her mouth moved, saying my name before she smiled and closed her eyes, forever.

Julia fell to the ground with a thud, the Kaiser's sharp blade pulled from her gut easily. The Kaiser glanced back and me and smiled, tracing his lip with his finger. "How sad that a diamond so precious as that must be used to fuel my dreams. A shame it truly is, I'll admit."

I was speechless. I didn't want to believe what I was seeing, and no matter how many times I blinked, the same image came into view, etching itself on my mind with each waking moment. I kept repeating to myself No, no, this can't be real! Any of this can't be real! Everything was fine a moment ago, so why did this have to happen to me, to us?! Why did I have to deserve this?!

"Let him go. He is now half broken. He poses no threat to any of us."

I felt the grip on my hands weaken, and I immediately ran for Julia's body when the chance presented itself.

I gently held her head in my hand and raised her up. She wasn't breathing or speaking. It was the end of the road for her. But even after that, there was still a smile that remained on her face, one that was immortalized in my mind.

I removed her hair that covered her face and wept for her, tightly embracing her with my wavering arms. It was the first time in a long while that I had cried, and it felt... painful, even more than taking a wound from a sword.

And immediately I regretted those words. Before I knew it, the Kaiser had slashed me across my back without me noticing. I felt the arms I used to hold Julia weaken due to the loss of blood. That, and the deep wound I got from him.

I fell on Julia, unable to move away from her.

"Don't be too sentimental. You're not going to be spending an eternity with her, not yet. You still have a purpose." The Kaiser spoke from behind me. I knew that he was looking down on me, and it made it all the more painful.

"Gentlemen, if you will. Please dispose of the adults and take the children. Burn, kill, or take them as you wish, I simply want them disposed of."

On that queue, I laid my eyes upon the sight of a massacre of helpless people. The children were dragged from their parents, then the remaining, burned, taken, or killed as requested. There was no hint of regret in their eyes, for if they did, they would have not done it at all.

"Johann! Johann, help! Help me, please!!!" I heard Tricia's cries from afar. I struggled to face forward, where I could hear the voices from, pushing through the pain. There I saw Tricia being taken away, carried on a stranger's shoulders. They were carted away on the backs of carriages, chained and bound as to not escape their fates.

I mustered every ounce of remaining energy I had and used my hands to crawl towards them, my fingers bleeding on the soil and ground, digging through my nails as I dragged myself.

They became farther and farther away despite my best efforts to catch up, and at that point, all that I could do was reach out to Tricia in the air and cry out her name as she was being taken away, disappearing.

"Tricia, don't take her away, please, I'm begging you.... Tricia, don't leave me, wait... Tricia!!!"

"Ah, the sound of agony and pain. It's just intoxicating. Not the most elegant thing in the world, but it does add a bit of spice to the mix, I'll admit. Now, search me out, take your vengeance out on me. I will be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes. Don't disappoint the people now. I can't wait to see how you change everyone's fate around you."

I screamed loudly, losing myself to the madness that was slowly consuming me. My eyes abruptly opened, the sight of an open window and a bright glare of light came into view.