An█ thus.

  Herald the great era.

  Pft.

  Like there ever was.

  “Guide what do you think of your other tourists?”

  “Dead.”

  They’re not deaaaad.

  …Maybe.

  I wouldn’t know I merely watched a show.

  “Then how great was their sleep?” I prodded the one at my feet with a ruler.

  “How long are you going to keep this up?”

  “Keep what?”

  “...”

  What do you want me to say? Oh yes, blood is red when exposed outside of the body. I never noticed. Ah that too, clothes do get ruffled or torn if handled roughly.

  Happy?

  I am.

  “Be joyful like me O guide.”

  I grabbed the rope and tugged it. For someone so impasse, you're not helping your case guide.

  But!

  That doesn’t really matter!

  It’s about me! Yes, me.

  Greatest human being alive.

  Is it mortal or human?

  I dunno it’s been a few years since I said edgy stuff.

  Either way, filler.

  Filler!

  My day must be MUNDANE forever!

  “You only live once. Get a bitta that YOLO eh? But it’s precisely that single life, with that single set of memories. This life or the next.”

  Filler is forever.

  You can’t stop me.

  “Then how are you choosing to live your life? Why are you choosing to live your life? What are you choosing to live your life for? When are you choosing to live your life? Where are you choosing to live your life?”

  She stayed silent.

  Silence is golden. An answer they say. Acceptance or denial implied. Fault or bystander if they respond aptly. Reactions vary.

  They always do.

  “That goes for you too Mr.”

  The melding shadows rippled out of the rising moonlight’s touch.

  Slowly loosening my grip, her feet touched the ground.

  The rope no longer held anyone.

  “So, I’d like to ask. Preferably with an answer. What is the path you will take?”

  For the record, mine was…

  Insanity.

  Sanity.

  SaNity.

  InSanity.

  SaNIty.

  InSanitY.

  InSAnItY.

  INSAnItY.

  SaNITy.

  SANITy.

  INSANItY.

  INSANITY.

  SANITY.

  INSANITY.

  SANITY.

  SANITY.

  INSANITY.

  SANITY SANITY SANITY SANITYSANITYSANITYSANITYSANITYSANITY INSANITY INSANITY INSANITYINSANITYINSANITYINSANITYINSANITY INSANITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  “Give an entertaining time for everyone once you finish answering.”

  …Nothing really special.

  ****

  Well well.

  I’m cooked.

  “Why is everyone so violent?” On a fine day like this, a small scoff came out of me.

  What do you think?

  Ducking, a blade whizzed past my head. Claiming a few hairs.

  “Alas. What do you think, O guide!”

  “You think this is the time!?” her face contorted as she scrambled to avoid everything thrown at her.

  “Verily!”

  “This insane…!”

  Ehhh didn’t quite catch that.

  Care to say again?

  “Now now, aren’t we civil adults? Free speech and all that. Let’s talk it out. Chat.”

  Well I wouldn’t. Our guide would talk.

  What do you take me for? Some extrovert?

  Plus I’m lazy.

  The silver clad fellow thrusted at my chest.

  Leaning to the left, the funny guy's face frowned as if it was the end all be all strike.

  You’d think clothing like this might be so easy to spot and thus hard to use without law enforcement breathing down your neck.

  And it’d be correct.

  But also.

  “Did you know I like to be ambidextrous?”

  Wrong.

  “Hard to say I am though.”

  The red sword ripped through his flesh. Surprise with pain emerging on the fellows face.

  Bribery, magic, disguise.

  Any form of trickery to deceive identity. Or at least contain who knows at a minimum.

  Money solves everything!

  “So refined. Unlike untrained me.”

  Reversing the grip, I brought it down on the arm swiftly and clipped it into two.

  Does that make sense?

  “Haha no.”

  “What are you saying you stupid bastard!!” the knives slit the throat of a distracted man.

  “My my guide. Would you like to do the art of speech?”

  “Shut the fuck up!!!”

  Hardly.

  The ice froze the head of the fellow trying to shank me. Sad sight really. Not even a noise.

  Oh well.

  Our guide found trouble in the sheer amounts targeting her.

  I’m no threat.

  After all, they only surrounded me.

  Silently raising swords.

  So cliché.

  I gave a smile to the woman with a stern face.

  “Since it’s only the beginning.”

  But at the same time.

  “It’s also the end.”

  Hmm what to do. Which one to say for coolness… which one for the moment?

  Ah, not enough time.

  They rushed in.

  Some went for stabbing others slashing digging into my flesh.

  They all looked at their weapon with confusion and me.

  “Ea..sy …eh?” a burning sensation of hot blood trickled up my throat.

  Lucky my heart didn’t get hit huh.

  “But… Tha– Puhk–!” hurts. So muuuch. “Start… End… ah– Urgh–” damn im drooling.

  Not cool.

  That stern woman still drove the blade deeper.

  “No… le…gend… be…cau…se End Of…A Legend–!”

  Means nothing left after.

  The red sword glowed. Raising it up high. It pulsed.

  Their faces became alert.

  “Get back! He’s gonna–”

  “Fi–rsst–! For..m…!”

  “M-My feet!”

  “Dammit dammit!”

  At the peak of all the chill it was done.

  The air condensed and covered around the sword.

  “What the hell are y–” O guide. Can’t you see?

  “Domain Shatter.”

  Red ice erupted everywhere.

  Anything standing, living or otherwise, quickly became ice in less than a second.

  Lucky you.

  That stern woman was on the ground. Red ice crawling from her legs in the zone.

  “W-Why won’t it stop!”

  Growing and growing.

  Alas what can you do?

  Eyes on me?

  Deary me! I’m quite self conscious of that. All presentations in my life had me giving one in a shaky voice most of the time.

  “Once… you…! Hahahaha…! Bite–! Kehk–!”

  I wiped the blood coming from my mouth.

  Can’t move too much or and these swords in me gonna be my grave. How depraved me.

  “C’mon! Sssho– ha–ha! ..how much it mea…n’s– t–ngh! ….ou..!”

  I pointed at the shadow with the sword.

  “End Of A… Rgh..! Lege–...nd!”

  “Stop him!”

  So happy guide.

  Aren’t I slowly dying while helping?

  “Sec–onnn-df…” struggling to speak due to blood again. My lungs can’t breaaathe. “Fu-orm…!”

  Braving the condensing cold, some sprinted as fast as they could. Eventually closing the distance.

  All weapons ready to sever my life. At different points.

  One blade aimed for my head.

  Blade this blade that.

  The sword entered my head and split it wide.

  “It’s done. It's done!”

  “Phew.”

  My body crumbled to the floor. Losing all control for everything.

  Now only the guide is left.

  Just in case they cut my arm holding the red sword.

  “Shit that’s cold!”

  “Don’t touch it.”

  “How the…”

  The guide struggled to find a route to flee.

  Guide O guide.

  What is your answer?

  What is your answer, one who sits as part of Akelia’s many heads?

  My consciousness holds not even two seconds before it fades.

  In death there are many forms.

  My lack of any use of anything is… could be frustrating.

  I’m not a fighter.

  Haha.

  Hahahahahaha.

  I’m dead.

  HahehehehahahahahahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHA–!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  “Dethroned Reign.”