Φ It hurts. It hurts so bad. The explosion made by Tana made every part of my body feel like it was dying. I thought I would die quickly from the explosion and the fall, but I didn’t. I survived. Tana’s body was blown away. All that remains are the pieces of his body that burst onto me.

  When Tana exploded, he did so close to the seventh-floor barricade. So, I fell to the st floor. The toxins created by the crystals here burn even my skin and make the air hot like a raging inferno as I y there, uo move my body while in excruciating pain.

  I picked what I wao do, yet I still failed. Until my body dies, I will be tortured slowly by the toxins. I guess this is what I deserve.

  But at least Willow and all the prisoners made it out, so my life wasn’t a waste after all, and now I get to die seeing somethiiful. At the very least, I say that is my achievement. I die at peace.

  “ you really”

  “Who said that,” I say weakly. I start to cough intensely after speaking.

  “Don’t bother taking. You will only speed up your demise.”

  No one is here. Where is this voiing from? I must be undergoing some halluation.

  “I am no halluation.”

  Whatever this voice is, it is reading my thoughts. Where are you?

  “What a rude question to ask me. Who has always been with you.”

  After I blink, I open my eyes to see a three-headed dragon surrounded by darkness. What are you?

  “That is a simple question. I am the sed soul in your body, the part of you that has always been here, the part of you that you have always rejected.”

  Rejected, I never even knew you existed.

  “Your pathetise of self and your ck of will was all the reje I needed, but after sacrifig yourself, you said to wao live at the very end. You finally showed me some will, so I ask you, as the legacy, you have always hidden inside, do you want to live?”

  In respoo his question, an image pops into my head.

  “That’s all I needed for firmation, so now, if you maintain your sense of self uhis power, you will have a ce to live your life the way you want, but if you don’t, then you will only fall further into the abyss of your weakness.”

  -Break-

  Φ After letting out a scream of victory, I hear an explosion. That must have been Willow blowing up the ballroom. He must almost be done; I should head over, but first, there are some things I o do.

  I look over at the giant man with green and red eyes and white and purple hair; then I freeze the open wound on his arm. He won’t die of blood loss this way.

  I then move through all the buildings until I reach Maple at the rooftop. When I see her, she is lying on the floor. I ruo her. Her right eye is glowing and has a strange mark u also, the yellow in her hair is shining, but most wly her nose is bleeding a lot. “Maple, wake up.”

  Headbutting me, she says, “I was just trying to get some sleep.”

  “You don’t just pass out with your nose looking like that. I thought the worst had happened, you idiot.”

  Headbutting me again, she says, “I worked hard to help you, and this is how you repay me.” Tears start to form in her eyes.

  “Sorry, Maple, you did an excellent job.”

  Proudly she says, “Orb, look at this; I finally used my legacy,” she shows me her bow, which has pletely ged shape and looks biomeical, just like my arm in lega. “Amazing, isn’t it.”

  Hugging her, I say, “You’re amazing, awesome, wonderful, marvellous, the best in the world.”

  After plimenting her profusely, she turns bashful and headbutts me again, saying, “Too much Orb.”

  “Well, now let’s meet up with everyone else.”

  Φ “Another one down,” I say as I knock out anuard. Ever since I set off an explosiohe ballroom, the highest priority of the guards should have been to protect them, but because they knew my pn in advahey have all decided to guard the hostages, so we are fighting our way through a swarm of them. The more I fight, the better the spirit energy seems to flow. I feel incredible like I could fight a hundred men.

  As we reach the hallway right in front of the rooms with hostages, I see a rather annoying person. It is Sora with a bunch of guards, but more wly, he is holding some of the kids from our vilge. Shit, we could have avoided this happening if we got here fast enough.

  Mia then says, “Willow, why are you doing this? Didn’t you love mother like the rest of us?”

  “I didn’t. All she did was brainwash me like the rest of you. Look at her happily gallivanting about while threatening all the prisoners with hostages.”

  “She only does that because she must, but no hostage has ever been killed or wounded. Instead, the most she ever does is a few fingers off to the prisoner but theaches them ter.”

  “She stantly threatens to kill the hostages if people stop w.”

  “That is just ay threat, after the hostage associated with the prisoner dies, they are all educated till they are fifteen years old. They are then giveion to leave or work here. That is how I was brought here. Mother isn’t a bad person.”

  “Mia, don’t waste your breath that ma pn to ge his pns at all look in his eyes. So, Willow, it looks like you guys were too slow, but I guess this happens when a child like you tries to go against adults like me.”

  “You’re only five years older than me. Get off of yh horse.”

  “I am not talking about age; I am talking about the experience. But I don’t argue with children, so Willow, slit your throat and disperse before I lose all this kindness and start chopping off limbs. I swear, how did Ta you guys get past him.”

  As I put my sword to my throat, I say, “Simple; we killed him”

  “You guys did what to Tana. BASTARDS, I WILL KILL YOU,” he says as he charges forward.

  I prepared to move forward a cut him down, but Sora stopped and said, “Is that what you expected me to do.” After saying this stabs one of the kids in the foot. “Tana specifically told me to think before I act, so now that he is gone, I o put that into a. Let me make this simple, Willow slit your throat, and the rest of you disperse before I kill the kids.”

  Helpless, I put my sword to my throat, but I say, “Kids duck”. At that moment, Orb es through and knocks all the guards holding the kids out. Except for Sora, who grabs a kid with his swainst its throat.”

  Φ What the hell? Tana is dead. The kid who was fighting Porto is here, and I am surrounded, but as long as I have this kid, I am safe. “EVERYONE BACK THE FUCK OFF, IF YOU WANT THIS BRAT TO STAY ALIVE!”

  The boy who arrives says, “I know you. You’re the idiot whom Atanta robbed.”

  “She robbed me?”

  “She told me she knocked a person with a stupid look unscious, stole his map, the her panties on him.”

  I came to a sudden realisation that we didn’t sleep together. At the same time, I was shocked by this revetion, the boy who just came dashes towards me and punches me in the faog me out.

  Φ Thank God I heard Orbs scream earlier. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have known he was ing. Walking Up to Orb, I see someo off his back. It was Maple. Upon seeing me, she runs directly at me and hugs me, saying, “I missed you,” with tears in her eyes.

  With tears in my eyes, I say, “I missed you so much”. Pulling her back, I look at her face, and lots of blood is running down her nose. “What happeo you?”

  “That is just the scars from all her hard work,” Orb says. “But we discuss all that ter. We have things to do.”

  “Yht.” Turning around, I say, “Everyos your asses moving,” so following my instrus, we all head into the area with all the hostages and, one by one, get them all out of here. I decided to take them all because, just like Tana told me, I have endangered Basileia’s future with all my as, so it is best if they are all taken out now.

  “Do we have everyone,” Orb says.

  “Yes, that was the st of the rooms, so let’s ght now,” and with that, we all ran as fast as we could to the wall. Please, God, let nothing else happen to us.

  But as if God was messing with me, Orb says, “I hear something big ing.” And moments after that, a giant clump of darkness broke through the ground with an ear-splitting scream.

  It is bigger than almost all the buildings in Basileia. It starts to break and crush all the things around it. Seeing this, Orb tells us, “Everyohat thing seems to be moving in another dire, so don’t be afraid and run.”

  As we start to run, I take a sed to look at it, and I realise this clump of darkness is in the shape of a dragon. Seeing this, I stop in my tracks.

  “Willow, what are you doing>”

  “Orb, that’s Cyrus. It has to be.”

  “He took all those explosiht in his face. He couldn’t have survived.”

  “No, Orb, I am assured it is Cyrus. I feel it in my soul. I am sorry, but I ’t leave him like this. He risked his life to save ours, so I will get him if he is alive and within reach.”

  “Well, I uand you want to protect your friend Willow.”

  Turning around, I say, “Thank yo-” but as I do, I feel an impa the bay head.

  Φ I say to Buloke, “Take both Willow and Maple back to the wall. I will be over in no time, but if you feel pressed, take off without me. Maple knows the way back.”

  “Orb, leave him and e with us as well. We’re so close to esg.”

  “I know that, but if that happens to be Cyrus, just like Willow says, we ’t leave him.”

  “But you look exhausted and don’t even know him, so don’t put your life on the line.”

  “Back when I saved your life, the same things could be said. I don’t think a person who would end his own life to save his friends should die in a pce like this so that I will help him,” I say as I jump off.

  I move from building to building, trying to get close to him, but he stantly crushes most of my footing. I try to freeze him when I get close to him, but the ice gets absorbed. Seeing this, I move back.

  The darkness around him was so dehat it sucked my ito him. Looking around him, I also see this phenomenon happening to objects around Basileia.

  This gives me the idea that if I make him absorb enough mass, he shouldn’t be able to absorb my iymore. So, I move in front of his fad get his attention, then I lead him around Basileia, abs as many objects as possible he even absorbs the giant crystal pilrs, and after a while, I see his movement speed slow. I head in and try to get close, but when I do, he starts to eject the things he absorbs at high speeds towards me, including the crystals that explode on impact.

  Φ As I look up at the monster entirely posed of darkness, I think this must be my reing.

  “Mother, what should we do? That monster is rampaging everywhere, and it seems the prisoners are about to escape with the hostages.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Basileia is finished. So pay it no heed. Instead, gather up all the guards and use one of the three emergency escape routes.”

  “The us evacuate you first.”

  “Don’t worry about me; I will buy you some time. If Basileia is going down, I might as well go down. All of you escape, after what happened here today all my rivals and the people who see me as an eyesore will bare their fangs, and without the prote of the holy nation, were done.”

  “But mother, we always try again please don’t go.”

  “You guys know where the treasury is. Take as much as you need and go. With the skills all of you have any workforce would be delighted to have you”. Hugging them, I say, “I love all of you guys, and I need you to pass on that message to everyone, so please go do that.”

  With tears in their eyes, they tell me, “Yes, mother.” And go.

  Now with all the strength in my old legs, I run to where that monster see me. While running, I think back to the st time I ran when I was younger. I used to race my younger siblings all the time. My brother was always faster than me, but my little sister was slower. Well, since she was four, she couldn’t help it.

  Though they stopped askio py with them since my legs always hurt from w all day, they were the best. They always told me they would work hard to get jobs and care for me, so I should focus oing married. My siblings never had any education, but they still dreamed so big. Ba those days, their smile was my guiding light.

  So, when they got sick, I gave up everything about myself to whoever would accept so that I could afford to get some crystals for their medie, but fate didn’t want them to live.

  As I face to face with the mohat looks ed by sadness, I e to a realisation and say, “CYRUS, E A ME. I AM OVER HERE,” it looked like that boy was looking for an opening. This should be one.

  Looking at this monster, I think to myself, if god judges you on hoeople you have saved, I am going to heaven. If he feels you of lives taken, I am going to hell; if it doesn’t eve, I disappear. I don’t regret a siion I took, but I dret I had to take them. And in mere moments, Cyrus’ hand es down and crushes me.

  Φ That woman was smiling at me right before she said that, it must have been a signal. Fuck, I didn’t want anyone else to die, but I ’t waste this. Using the opportunity she created, I moved for Cyrus, not notig me until I was close enough that the objects he sent towards me didn’t hit me and only served as footing for my approach.

  I eventually nd on the back of Cyrus. When I do, I stick my hand into his bad grab whatever I . Earlier, Porto and Maple used their legacies on objects, so I should be able to use them on all the things you absorb. So, taking a deep breath, I use my lega all the objects in Cyrus and cause them to create ice freezing his body and shattering it.

  -Break-

  Φ Everything I do, I fail without question it is as if my life is nothing but the accumution of failures. I passed out a bit earlier, but I remember all the tless screams and a corpse that looked awfully like Man. What have I dohis dark co I am in is the best pce I could ever be.

  “Cyrus, tell me what do you desire.”

  I hear a voice talking to me from outside my darkness “Leave me al-o-o-one”, I say.

  “Sorry, your friend wants to see you, but before that I o help you so tell me Cyrus what do you want so bad that all this darkness leaked from you.”

  “Everyone is always askihe same question. I know what I want. I want to Di-e-e-e, so leave me al-o-o-one.”

  “BULLSHIT. Dying is the easiest thing to do in the world. Even if you are alive for a sed, you have a reason. So, tell me, Cyrus, FROM THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SOUL, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT.”

  I don’t know if it was his strong voice or the fort of the darkness I was in, but I let what I should never say slip, “I want to see my sister.”

  My co suddenly freezes and shatters, and when I look out, I see a white-haired boy with and star in his right eye. “That’s a wonderful desire, so I promise I will take you around this whole damn world till we find her.”

  The boy then says, “Yht eye is not only shining. It has a star in it.”

  “So is yours,” I say in response.

  “Huh, really, I knew my right eye shined when I was using my legacy, but now there is a star there.” The boy falls to the ground after saying this.

  “Are yo-u-u-u ok?”

  “Oh, it seems I like super overexerted myself today, so I need you to carry me to the wall.”

  So, I pick him up, and we head off to the wall at full speed. While I run, the boy says, “Willow said you have pitch-bck hair, but he never mentioned you have Violet hair as well.”

  “Wha-t-t do you mean my hai-r-r-r is bck”, but I see that it has ged colours.

  “Your eye also has two colours, one grey and one crimson.”

  “Real-l-ly. It wasn’t like that-t-t before.”

  “Couldn’t tell you why.”

  Eventually, I reach the outside of the wall, where I see a bunch of people riding on a small beast. As they see us, they start to smile and wave. Orb says, “From now on, all those people will be with you.”

  As I see all this, I turn around to Basileia and bow down. Then I run forward with Orb to everyone else.