Death.

The Child understood she was not awake, but she didn't want to be. She was relaxed and relieved. Darkness consumed her consciousness.

"....ena---!" A distant voice attempts to shake her faded person.

The child didn't wish to stand or leave her current state. She felt at peace as if this was how her life should be and should've been. She wondered how she could have lived in a different state.

".... Oh--od! Oc--n! He--! H-----er!" The voice continued.

The child didn't want it; rather, the child wanted it to disappear, to go away. The child wished that someone would crush the voice and take it away. The child didn't want to wake.

The child was never one to call for rest, but this time, it seemed like her body, her mind, her arms, her legs, even the tips of her fingers, had decided for her.

"Pl--se! ...Please...! ...L---...!" The child could feel the voice, its owner moving the child's body—a sense of warmth, one of shared kinship.

The child attempted to click her tongue, finding that even that had given up on her, instead opting to rest—a feeling she shared mutually.

Yet, a sense had fought her will. Fighting her return to rest. The thick smell of smoke, one that reeked of fire. Her nostrils twitched, the dense smoke forcing her mind awake.

"Please, wake up... Please..." The voice was no longer muffled; it flowed into the child's ears alongside the sounds of burning.

The child had started grasping her situation, her mind awake, her body still numb.

Sounds. The sounds of fires—flames, crackling ones. It was loud and surrounding. Her mind had no longer asked for rest; it begged for awareness.

"Please, Lena..." The voice held her close. She could feel fabric caressing her skin, and arms clutching at her. One was at her waist, the other desperately caressing her hair. "Please... Don't leave me..."

The child found her body to be in an awkward position, it had made her struggle to wake up harder.

The voice's pleas continued, calling out to her.

The child returned its control, its body answering her calls. She could move her fingers, clench her hands, and finally open her eyelids.

"Please... Marina, Please..." The voice, a sorrowful gasp, pleads.

"Marina...?" The child asked.

"!" The voice goes silent, moving the child's head in a sudden fit so that it could face it.

Kouko's tearful eyes faced Lena.

"You're awake," Kouko said, bringing Lena in tighter than before. "Oh... You... You're awake. You're actually... Awake... Oh, thank you... Thank you, Lena..."

Lena accepted the woman's embrace, still focusing on retaining the rest of her body. She could now move and clench her feet.

"Octan, Lena's awake!" Kouko called out to a distant person.

Lena, having now retained control over her neck, turned to see where she was facing.

Octan stood in silence, watching over what used to be the camp.  His back the usual white coat, he stood hands deep into his pockets. He simply watched as the camp burned. Lena knew the capabilities of the man, yet, she did not question his refrain.

"Lena...?" Kouko, eyes bloodshot, kept to the ground, seemingly still in shock, as Lena pushed herself up.

Lena pushed her limp arms on the ground, forcing herself to her feet. She raised her head, wanting to view the distance. The sight of a once hold, now wrecked by monstrous savagery. It wasn't foreign.

Lena gazed at what used to be the camp. Even with the distance, she could still hear the cries and roars of the distant army. They had been running amok, taking pleasure in their simple triumph.

Octan glanced at Lena, watching as she stumbled over to his side, her arms still limp.

Lena's eyes lingered, the distant camp now a display of tragedy; she could hear the sound of burning wood, surrounding even them, who were distant from the camp. The sound of the monsters' growls, an ambiance of the adventurers' torment.

"Why didn't you speak up, kid?" Octan said. "Why didn't you tell me about the discrepancy? In fact, I would like to know how you even remembered such a detail. The letter was to me, other than for the day of its arrival, you had never held it."

Lena glanced at Octan, then returned to watching over the distant camp. 

"Silent, I see..." Octan watched alongside her. "Yeah, I assume it is meaningless now." Octan watched, was he to intervene? was he to act? No, no he shouldn't. It terrified him, the mere thought of consideration he had placed, it had terrified him. Cracks were slipping, he was failing, and the hypocrisy within him was winning.

Lena watched the camp, which resembled a fireplace, gradually burning out its maker; it continued to crackle as tongues of flames danced in a fiery orange. Though that wasn't her first thought. It had reminded her... Of the village. The one she had stepped away from, the one that she had spent her childhood in, what she would've called a childhood at least.

She watched it, once a joyful--perhaps hopeful to some--showcase of the will of adventurers. Now, it was a tragedy.

The Demon Lord's army ran rampant, painting the grounds red.

Lena gave the camp another thought. No, she denied it; it didn't resemble the village.

This was, in a way, much more peaceful. There were no screams of agony, there was no begging for mercy, there were no desperate struggles. There were only monsters slaughtering adventurers in an eternal slumber.

"What are you doing...?" Kouko asked, watching Octan in fear.

"Why are you... standing there?" She asked. "Aren't you a Ranked? Aren't you supposed to be great?!"

Octan eyed the woman, hands deep into his white coat's pockets.

"What happened to your performance?! To your showcase of superiority?! What are you doing here?! Why are you standing here?! Go! Go help them!" Kouko shouted.

Octan continued to eye Kouko.

"You! You told them to trust you! You said that you would stop the sage! That you would not allow his way!" Kouko continued, glaring at the man. "So, what is this?!"

"Kouko," Octan spoke, his words calm. "Have you heard of the saying, 'Do not let a great mage smell you, as they could taste your fear'?"

"...What?" Kouko took a step back, her anger turned away, replaced with... horror, it seemed to Lena.

"Some hear it, laugh, and move on. Understandably, that is, but there is meaning behind it." Octan said, his eyes unfocused, his expression the same as ever. As if amusing one's self with the sight of a struggling ant. "They could sense it, the fear within you, the distrust, the bloodlust, the relief, and whatever else a human could portray."

"What... What are you trying to say?" Kouko glanced at Lena, searching for solace within the child, yet the child seemed nothing more than a mirror of the man.

"From the very start," Octan said. "From back when you had followed me outside the guild. You eyed me with malice."

Kouko's desperation grew silent. Her head began shaking--attempting to deny his words--pacing back and forth, each maneuver growing a larger arc.

"Not only that," Octan said. "But when you had found out about my standing, my 'ranking,' you had felt fear. When you attended the grouping, you felt powerless. Not for a moment did you showcase something other than hostility, not physically, of course, as not a moment was found where your intentions weren't hidden behind the facade of laughter."

Lena watched Kouko. The woman was a mess. A moment ago, she was hopeful as the child woke, then she had been enraged by the indifference of the 'ranked' adventurer, and finally, now, she was left in silence. Fear. No, terror. She didn't care for the army massacring the adventurers, nor the fires turning the land to ash. At this moment, she feared the man whom she dined with the night before.

"W-What..." Kouko took a step back, head and neck continuing to turn, "What are you insinuating...?" Her legs trembled, arms crossed over her face, eyes darting around, looking for an escape.

Octan frowned.

He brought his hand out of his jacket pocket. 

"No! No!" Kouko screeched, "I-, I-I, There's... You, you must tell, no?! I-I couldn't have done that?! Someone as weak and lowly as me!" Kouko fell to the ground, her arms crossed, hiding her face."

"Relax," Octan said, raising his hand to ruffle his hair. "You are not the sage. As I just said, blah blah mage, blah blah taste fear, or whatever. There is no doubt that whatever had led to this was none of your work; otherwise, the pure terror you felt before the scenery wouldn't have been so obvious. You found no joy or excitement, nor had you shown any signs of looking forward before this moment. You're not the sage, I'm sure of that." Octan turned back, facing the distant camp.

Kouko kept to the ground. She eyed the girl, one who watched her back, yet it seemed as if she was eyeing the same mask atop the man's face.

Lena watched the woman shake, finding peace in her innocence.

"Are you okay?" A voice sounded, a sudden intruder. Someone crouched down to Kouko's side, seemingly comforting her.

Kouko's head spun around at a speed she was sure to tear off. Rather, she found a person. Taken aback by his abrupt appearance, she shouted.

Lena found herself in shock, as the intruder had seemed to... appear, out of nowhere. Despite having looked in his supposed direction the whole time, she couldn't feel, see, or hear anything until the man spoke out.

"AH!" Kouko faced the man over her shoulder, failing to process his entrance.

"Who?!" Octan turned, sword pointed forward. Lena couldn't even see the man unsheathe his blade. He took a stance, seemingly too taken off guard.

"Ah, sorry," The man stepped back, raising both hands. "I didn't mean to surprise you, I was just making sure I wouldn't get targeted by the Demon Lord's army, that's all!" The man pulled down his hood.

"How..." Octan frowned. "How did you get here... How are you here... I made sure..."

"Ah, it's this," the man said, pointing a hand at his cloak. "It completely negates the wearer's presence. As I said, I didn't mean to surprise you, genuinely!" The man put down the stick behind him, which was covered in the same brown cloth as him.

"And," Octan said, eyeing the stick. "What brings you here? A death wish, perhaps?"

"No..." The shriveled man said. "I just... Curiosity got the best of me, in a way. I understood the fires must've meant the adventurers' loss, yet I still wished to see it myself. Though now... It might come out as confusing, but the woman's words some ago, she called you a ranker?"

Octan frowned at the man, lowering his weapon, then slightly nodding.

"T-Then, please, would you... Hold this weapon?" The man said, lowering his eyes at the stick. The one Octan had not let out of his vision since its showcase.

"What do I gain from doing so?"

"If... And, I mean... If you can wield it, you can instantly save what adventurers are left. I'm sure as a ranked adventurer, you would wish for nothing more." The man said, eyeing Octan intently.

"Yes!" Kouko cried. "Yes, you-you should! You can wield it, can't you?! A-A Ranked, surely you could!" Kouko had begged. She seemed a mess, a moment worrying about herself, a moment about the mysterious interloper, a moment about the army beyond, a moment about the victims of said army, and a moment about the unreadable man before her.

Yet, even in her mess of a profile, Lena found her to be human. As, among the 4 supposedly gathered humans, while two faced each other in a trade of interests, only she was the one to showcase care for her kin. 

To her, Lena, the happenings were complicated. The sudden intruder, the fear within Kouko, the emotion within Octan. There was too much for her to process and understand, such she didn't, as she did when pondering a thought, she took it in without much consideration. Lena simply observed.

Octan strolled over to the stick, his sight fixated on the item.

"I wouldn't bet on it," The aged, shriveled man spoke, shrugging at Kouko. "Even the One Sword's wielder, Everette, failed. I'm merely grasping at straws here."

"The sword freak failed, you say?" Octan squatted down, pinching the cloth, gradually revealing the item within. "I wonder how you even got it on his hand."

The four watched, one in a pre-state of horror, one of desperate hope, and two of indifference, as the cloth unfolded around the seeming stick figure.

"What is that?" Kouko asked.

"That is... A weapon... I think...," The man said, his words hesitant.

Octan stretched a hand towards the item.

Lena gazed at the weapon intently. She understood nothing of it, not its design, nor how it would be used as a weapon. Rather, it wasn't that she couldn't see it as a weapon, but that the item was not.

"That's..." Kouko found the item baffling. "That is just... An oversized handle?"

There was no blade, no whip, no edge, no tip, no nothing. It was simply a large, lengthy handle. Obtuse even, Lena wondered how it would ever be put to use.

Yet, when she glanced at Octan.

"..." Octan gazed at the handle. Entranced. "This... How utterly selfish..." He hovered his hands over the handle.

"You... Do you see something?" The man asked Octan. "It can't be, you understand the weapon? What Rank are you? How long have you been within the guild?! I have searched, and scoured, yet, no... What are you?"

Octan clutched at the handle with his arm and stood.

"This is no weapon," Octan said. "This is a tool."

The oversized handle changed, its lengthy and basic structure folding onto itself.

"This was not meant to be handled." 

The item changed, continuously folding onto itself, supposedly creating its parts out of mana, had it been using Octan's?

"This was not meant to cut down, nor smash."

The tool changed, continuously folding onto itself, accepting what was told of it, what the person supplying it saw within it, and fitting itself into their perception.

"This was not meant to empower oneself, nor to overwhelm adversities."

The tool changed, continuously folding onto itself, finally accepting the image of its wielder: a bland, regular sword.

"It was meant to rule. To be an authority over all."

The tool changed, no longer folding onto itself. Dust, ash, and all irregularities atop Octan's white coat gradually cleared, as if burning off, then its colors changed. The tool changed, a bright light escaped it, iridescent shades displayed atop it, and soon flowing up to Octan's shoulder. Then, waves, as if watching the top of a fireplace, the air around Octan's arm was shaky. The iridescent shades turned fluorescent as if reaching the top of its change, and...  Finally, it erupted. An airburst blasted out, running through the bystanders--shaking them on their feet--and beyond them, perhaps even going further than the camp, carrying with it an ear-splitting shockwave. Flames engulfed the arm holding the tool, yet it seemed to simply hover over it, as his sleeves had only flickered within the Radiant flames and did not burn away.

Lena glanced at the distant camp, it had gone silent. Had it been that they were late? Had Octan spent too long embracing the tool? Or was it that the army was distracted?

"It was meant to direct, to ordain, and to command. To allow its wielder, its supplier, the power, the sovereignty, to order all that be within their presence."

Octan glanced down at the weapon, then raised his gaze to a lone tree in the distance. He gazed at the tree's shade. Acknowledging it, he nodded.

"This was his greatest failure," Octan said, addressing the disheveled man. Octan's arm—shoulder to sword—embued in iridescent flames. 

Octan turned once more, body engulfed in flames, and faced the distant camp. He raised his arm, now a colorful display of flames, and stretched it forward, the tip of his enflamed weapon pointing at the camp. He maneuvered his arm to the side, sword stretched out. His arm, now completely laid out, had beautifully showcased the iridescent flames. Then, with a swift movement of the arm, as flames traced his path, he swept the tool before him in the general direction of the camp. Cutting a perfect arc into the air before him, the flames burn stronger, as if enraged.

A shockwave blasted forward, ripping through the air with a second ear-ripping burst of sound.

The 3 spectators cringe as they cover their ears, only Lena focusing enough to watch the momentary happening in the distance.

An arc of iridescent flames charged through, expanding as it made the distance to the camp. Lena could see the distant army's monsters, all still, watching as the arc expanded before and beyond them, its width going far further than the camp. 

The arc dashed forward, passing through all that sat in its path, whether it be a tree or a man-made structure, the arc seemed to simply phase through, destroying nothing it wasn't meant to. Then, as its edges seemed to extend further than the eye could see, it loomed over the camp.

The arc rushed through the camp in an instant, incinerating all that stood in its way in what seemed to be less than a moment. It had slipped through structures and passed through objects, not damaging a thing along its path, except for the enchanted army. As it passed through the camp, it carried with it the fires, merging it with itself as it continued to build up momentum forward, incinerating the army in its path.

Monsters as far as the eye could see, now nothing more than ash, just as the destruction they had done. Though the arc was not a force of destruction, but rather one of doom.

As it passed the end of the camp, having collected all the spread-out flames into a single overwhelming amalgamation of fire, it continued its build-up, surging forward with a blistering acceleration. Soon, reaching the distant forest. It crashed into the woods, instantly dissipating. The energy left by the arc burst further into the forest, rustling the distant leaves.

The bunch stood, taking in the momentary happenings.

Octan sighed, then brought his inflamed arm before him, taking a careful look at it.

The tool's owner watched the distance, eyeing the now tranquil ruins of the once camp. He was content. This moment, which couldn't have been more than half a minute, was enough. It proved that his time, that the life that was within the weapon, that nothing was for waste, the weapon was what it was meant to be. The Greatest.

On the other hand, the human woman shook in fear. Her understanding of the world and her beliefs in capabilities and limits it was all destroyed right before her. She had barely managed to push the boundary trick a couple of days ago to the back of her head, but this... It was just... too much for her. Yet, what terrified her was how isolated she was. How stoically the "people" around her accepted the scene. He had not just slaughtered an army with a single whip but erased all his comrades, and not a hint of hesitation to have been seen in his actions. Even now, as she looked at him. He simply pondered his enflamed arm. Not a hint of regret or remorse.

"W-what was that..." Kouko said, gasping for air. "You killed them... All of them, the adventurers too..." The world had turned upside down before her. The last couple of days, the time she spent with this 'party,' had changed her view of the world, of her own life. She had made a discovery; she was nothing. What she wanted, what she did, what she could do, it was nothing. She was powerless and still is. The person before her, the flame-engulfed arm of his, the... The tool he wielded was a showcase of her ignorance, her lack of understanding of the world she existed in. Yet, her eyes grew fierce.

Her purpose grew. As she understood the man more, her purpose grew. She understood that this showcase was a confirmation. A confirmation that she was right.

"No," Octan said, eyeing the woman over his flamed shoulder, eyes flickering before the tongue of flames. "That sweep, it was an order; 'Eradicate all the monsters and the sage's people.' Such a precise order, yet it made it happen." Octan raised the now sword before him, arm in flames. "It had made use of my information, my own will, and brought it to life. What an item."

Octan relaxed his grip on the tool, which replied with a dwindling fire. The flames wanned, exposing the clean white sleeve of his coat.

"You used it," The cloaked man said. "You were truthfully able to... Use it... Ha... Hah..." The man cackled to himself, eyeing the iridescent flames.

"Of course," Octan said, strolling over the laid-out cloth on the ground. He tossed the tool on it. The fabric folded around the weapon as it crashed. "Neat." Octan chuckled. 

"You..." The man said, his teary eyes gazing at the cloth. "Will you not take it? Outside your hands, it has no meaning."

"No," Octan said. He turned to watch Lena for a moment, then faced the man again. "This was simply to fulfill my word, that is all." 

"Please... Give it the purpose it deserves..." The man begged.

Octan simply shook his head and turned away, strolling towards the distant ashen camp.

Lena watched as Octan walked away.

"You," The man called Lena. "Would you take it?" He asked the indifferent kid.

Lena cocked her head at the man.

"The weapon. Would you take it? Perhaps if a party member of his carries it... It will come into his hands eventually." The man said.

Lena eyed Kouko, who sat shivering, then raised her eyes back to the man. She shook her head.

"Emhm...." The man lowered his sight, bending to take hold of the weapon. "Then that is all for me."

He raised the hood over his head and spun around, facing away from the camp.

"I wish you safe adventuring moving forward." The man said, weapon strapped to his back, as he strolled into the plains. "Perhaps we may cross paths again."

Lena watched the man, attempting to catch the moment he escapes her senses. The man strolled away, his back escaping further and further. Lena turned her eyes for a moment, taking a second to glance at the woman shivering on the ground, and then, when brought back, she could see him no longer.

"..."

Lena moved towards Kouko. As she did, she wondered, was it really her own will to glance away?

"He killed them, Lena," Kouko said, her voice weak. "He killed them all... Our people, our friends, your friends..."

Lena had placed Kouko's arm over her shoulder, supporting her as she came to a standing.

"He didn't. He said so." Lena said matter-of-factly. "What he killed were the monsters, and those of the sage."

"No, Lena... You just can't do that, you can't just pick and choose..." Kouko sounded in denial. "You can't, Lena... That's not how it works, that is never how it works, that isn't how it should work..."

Lena gazed at the woman, her eyes filled with anger, hatred, yet still teared for the dead. Lena studied the destroyed camp, a place she imagine should've been called home for the last couple of weeks, she held nothing for it, her eyes lingered at no particular spot, except...

Her eyes darted, and she found them stuck for a moment at a certain flame, one that cackled all too familiarly. Its source was none other than the bag she had been carrying up to the camp. Lena watched it for a moment, then faced forward, following Octan.

Lena continued moving forward, slouched down quite the distance, her back arched in an uncomfortable posture; the height difference between her and the woman was painful.

Lena could see Octan in the distance, still moving towards the camp. His pace much slower than themselves, they were gradually catching up.

"Why, Lena?" Kouko asked. "Why follow him? Why move behind him? A man who will bring you nothing but tragedy."

Lena moved, her eyes still on the man's back. She didn't answer Kouko, as she had no answer to tell.

"How pitiful you are..." Kouko said, patting Lena's arm, then standing up for herself. "I wonder what is there even left to see..."

"There is something," Lena said. "Look." Lena pointed forward at Octan.

As Kouko followed her index, she cursed the Octan she saw.

"What about him?"

"He isn't on the path anymore," Lena said. "He is moving towards a certain point."

As Lena and Kouko entered the ruined camp, they noticed their footing changed. The ground was now filled with the debris and rubble of the camp's remains. Kouko had not left the tent much, but she still found it hard, walking so normally... Passing through as if it were the remains of a dungeon.

Lena had no connection to the previous camp, she had been here and there, having visited daily to bring back the food to the tent, and other times when heading out with Octan. But she held no connection to it. She had always seen it as something that would pass, like the null zone's village, and like the room during the manor stay. Lena moved with studied steps, Kouko following her path.

The smell of burnt wood had no longer lingered, but rather took over the air, as Lena and Kouko stepped into the rubble that once made up the camp. Lena darted her eyes around, looking for anything of interest. All she was able to find were darkened, burnt clothes that made up tents. Ashen wood logs that made up the stands. Ruined fruits and vegetables that feed the adventurers. And bones, bones that made up the once-adventurers. The camp was coated in a color that painted the scenery. A deep, scarlet red. The dismembered remains of the adventurers protruded through the rubble, a reminder of what had happened just moments ago.

The stench of blood, rusted iron, and smoke, burnt wood. Every other step, Lena would find herself kicking a pile of ash, the remains of the once Demon Lord's army. She thought perhaps she should have stepped harder, perhaps slammed down on them, just as the woman next to her had been doing, but... She found no reason to.

The scenery, the protruded limbs, the eerie remains, the destroyed hopes and dreams. To her... It wasn't the first she had seen, and she was certain it won't be the last. Bloodshed has long followed Octan's travels, and so has the unusual and the mythical. So, it was just that, scenery. She wondered what her answer would be to the traveler?

Lena turned over to Kouko. The woman continued to walk with her, but her face was different. It wasn't terrified or weak. It was furious. Enraged. Her brows were deep into a frown, her teeth clenched. Her eyes pierced through each limb she saw. She faced the distant man with great contempt. 

"I told you, Lena," Kouko barked. "He killed th--"

"Eleina!" A scream roared through, "Jackel! Please, someone answer me, please!"

"It can't be..." Kouko watched the desperate adventure. "Survivors...?"

"Eleina! D-Damn it..." The adventurer cried, his left arm over his right shoulder. It seemed to be limp. "Freya, anyone!" The adventurer had fallen to the rubble, desperately clawing at the debris that lay before him, searching it for any of his party members.

Lena had recognized him. It was the magician that the traveler had been eyeing in the tavern.

Despite the distance, Lena could hear the desperate grunts and gasps, working his single functioning arm to claw and dig through the rubble.

"L-Lena... Should we..?" Kouko said, asking Lena. She was scared, her eyes were shaking.

Lena faced forward, finding that Octan hadn't paid the adventurer any attention, having stopped at a distance. He was watching something.

She watched the adventurer. With each claw, he grew weaker, his breath grew shorter, his strength feigned. His desperation would only take him so far. She wondered what it was that the traveler had seen. Perhaps this is something that allows him to grow, perhaps a stepping stone to his future endeavors. Perhaps she might see him some other time if she finds the traveler again somewhere far.

Wait, Lena thought, where is the traveler?

Though, she quickly dismissed the thought, he would appear eventually, she believed. She didn't take him for one to die under such a scenary.

Lena shook her head at Kouko, "Let him be, his struggle will only last so long." Lena said and moved forward towards Octan's back.

"How cruel..." Kouko followed, finding that she herself would be of no assistance to the adventurer.

Agonized cries filled the silence as the few surviving adventurers awoke. Lena could see that there were other survivors among the rubble, most not as lucky as the kid, perhaps moments away from bleeding out to death. Some lay with intestines ripped out, their breath heavy; others clutched at gaping wounds, and others limped while missing a leg. 

The monsters had taken the slumbering adventurers for toys.

"Help, please..." A weak adventurer pleaded, an eye socket bleeding out, the other gradually fading out as he lay begging Lena.

Lena moved forward without paying the adventurer any attention. Kouko followed, lowering her head away as she chanted her apologies in whispers.

Lena had been taught by Octan the bare minimum, and then some, of medical procedures, but those were not enough to save anyone, nor did she have the equipment for such. So she found that intervening would only prolong the adventurers' suffering.

Kouko was simply useless. She apologized to clear her sanity, but the trauma she had suffered, as her memories flooded in, had only exponentially raised her guilt. In her guilt. As she passed the pleading adventurers, she questioned how much better she was than Octan.

As Lena closed the distance to Octan, she could begin to see what Octan was looking at. Then her heart sank. She immediately averted her eyes, the mere acting of looking towards that direction had hurt her heart. 

"W-what!" Lena could hear Kouko call it out, her experience must've been mutual.

Soon, the air as well, hurt. Her body hurt, even when lowering her gaze. There was a certain force acting upon her, crushing, yet erupting her. And it hadn't stopped at just physical pain, as she could feel her heart hurt. Not due to pain, or pressure, but due to emotion. An exaggerated sense of emptiness, of meaninglessness. A thought had crossed Lena's mind, as she stared at Octan's back.

Stab my eyes, she thought as she gazed at Octan's sword. I need to stab my eyes, she thought. Cut my throat. Bleed out. Die.

 In the further distance, much further than them, there was a gathering. Gathered among the ruined grounds of the Camp, four people surrounded a fifth at their center, weapons pointed at the man.

It was the center person, she thought. Whenever her eyes lay for a second on him, it pained. Inexpressible pain. One that completely overwhelmed her in all ways. That man, no. She knew, she could tell, if her travels with Octan had taught her one thing, it was differentiating between what was and what is. And that, that was no man. That was not human.

The scene was too distant; beyond fleeting glances, she could discern little. As she came to a stop next to Octan, she looked to her shoulder, watching for his expression.

His eyes were wide, lips parted—stunned. It was an expression Lena had never seen on Octan, a display she had never imagined on his person.

 Kouko stood next to Lena, her eyes forcefully shut, as she placed both hands over he eyes.

"What is that?!" She questioned, her breath heavy.

"That is the sage's goal. That is the reason behind the slaughtering of thousands. That..." Octan said, his voice carrying his disbelief through it. "That is, death. And those surrounding it... Those gold-patterned capes, the royal guard? It can't be..."

"Death? Royal guard?" Kouko whispered to Lena. 

The word had triggered a memory for Lena, a buried memory, and now made a connection.

The Wandering Death... Yaqob?

Lena's eyes frowned, displaying her look of understanding, yet she found Octan shaking his head at her.

"No, kid," Octan said. "What I'm calling it is no title. That is death."

A man coated by his cloak stood, his face completely hidden under the dark shade of his hood. The man stood on layers of rubble, yet he found no problem with balancing himself. His silhouette hidden beneath the cloak, his captors had no image of his profile. As far as they could tell, it could have been nothing more than boots and a stick supporting a cloak.

The cloak turned its head, its face still shaded by the hood, looking around the destroyed camp, paying the aimed weapons no mind.

"Curious, how tragic of a scene..." The cloaked person spoke. "So much death, so much lost... And for what? A moment's gaze."

The person faced one of the weapons, the hidden gaze seemingly entertaining the weapon's owner. The captors wore dark bands over their eyes, protecting themselves from the hooded figure, presence in what ways they could.

"You have gained it--my attention." The person inside spoke. "So tell, what is it that caused the loss of so many dreamers?"

There were 4 that surrounded the person. All were well-dressed in black clothes, matching the eyebands, and a black gold-patterned cape. Their swords were nothing to scoff at; under sunlight, they might’ve gleamed, but even within the confines of the gray ashen sky, they made sure to make their presence clear, as the slightest movement would cause the air to audibly space. A sharpness that threatened beasts' instincts.

"By decree of his majesty, you are to be escorted," The entertained man spoke out, his breath staggered, yet a great control had allowed the man to speak out his words. "Any sudden movements, and you will not find hesitation."

The hooded man surveyed the display of hostility.

"Curious," The man said. "Do you threaten a fish with water?" The hooded figure asked. "Do you threaten a tree with light? Do you threaten a human with food?"

The men didn't reply.

"So, why is it that you threaten me with death?"

"It is but a request. The person who had called for your attention awaits you not much further." The black-dressed man said, his sword yet aimed at the hooded one. His control persists, weapon not faltering even that close to death.

"Curious," The hooded man said. "But, I'm not meant to be in contact with people for long. None of us is."

"What we wish is simple: a short conversation. That is... all... The sage believed that even you would find the happenings of tonight to be of waste if not for a moment's converse."  The man's humanity got the better of him for a second, but he quickly reclaimed himself.

The hooded man watched the carnage once more. So many deaths, so many lost, so many no more. All for a single man's hypothesis. He could see some adventurers here and there still standing, some agonizing in pain, some clawing at the rubble, and even a small party in the distance watching. Yet, he could tell, those leaving this camp will be very, very few.

"Curious, if that is so, then perhaps." The hooded person lowered his gaze. "Take me to the sa--"

The sword before him went flying, not at him, but rather to the side, as did the body of the black clothed man.

"Hmmm, were you perhaps aiming at a prolonged contact?" A sudden intruder spoke out, taking the previous guard's place.

The other guards immediately made for the sudden intruder, and the hooded man found that there was indeed no hesitation.

Their weapons moved to kill, slashes and swipes aimed at the intruder's neck and vitals. Yet, the intruder found no issue in swiftly maneuvering through the flurry of attacks. Their being weakened by death's presence had brought appreciated help. Despite being outnumbered 3-to-1, the hooded man had thought that his captors were the ones disadvantaged, having lost a comrade from a sudden attack.

The intruder disabled the first, making sure not to kill. Then, unsheathing his weapon, he holds it from the tip, using the handle as his main force of attack. He clashed with the two remaining guards, swaying as he blocked with his gauntlet and sword hilt. Then, as a moment showcases itself to the intruder, with a swift swipe, he sends his handle rushing towards one of the guards' foreheads, his gauntleted hand taking hold of the other's weapon.

The other immediately let go, raising his foot in a kick, but found no recipient, as the intruder had already moved to his side.

"Hmmm, this was quite the hassle. The royal guards are no joke. Perhaps in a more prepared fight, I could have faltered." The intruder spoke out, sending the last one unconscious as well.

"Curious, does this not count as contact?" The hooded man said.

"Hmmm, they contacted me first, if you ask me. Plus, it is to make sure we don't prolong the contact, so it works out, no?" The intruder said.

"Mayhaps."

The intruder turned around, facing the rest of the camp. There were only a few to see what had happened, a party of three, to be exact. Among them was one he had come to be acquainted with.

The traveler raised his arm, waving at the distant party, waving at Lena, and smiling.

"Curious, is that not contact?" The hooded man asked.

"Hmmm, perhaps." The traveler said, sheathing his weapon.

"You do understand," The hooded man said. "Out of all of us, you particularly are the one supposed to abide by that rule."

"Hmmm," The traveler hummed. "Yes, I understand my standing, I wouldn't be here if I had not. But, I ask you, isn't she here as well?"

"And so is the man next to here," Death said.

"Hmmm... Yes, but," The traveler said. "You do understand the difference, right?"

Death went silent, perhaps he had frowned from within his hood, or expressed some other emotion, the traveler could not figure it out.

The traveler faced a different side of the camp. Then watched the ruined surroundings for a final second. There, he could see, in the distance, lying on the ground, huffing the last of his breath, the magician had lost consciousness, lying next to one of his party members, the tank Elaine, he recalled. The magician, he knew to be called Tatol, lay unconscious, while the woman, Elaine, caressed his forehead. She was in no shape to be showing compassion, yet she did.

"Hmmm, quite an eventful little camp, don't you say?" The traveler said.

"I was just told it was the workings of a Sage, a specialty of yours, I believe. Such a scene must not be so uncommon." The hooded man said.

"Speciality? I have none, it's all equal to me, as it should be to you. That is why we keep contact to a minimum, is it not?" The traveler asked.

"Curious, but perhaps." The man said.

"No, kid," Octan said. "What I'm calling it is no title. That is death."

"Death?" Kouko questioned Octan with scorn. "Isn't death just, well, death? What are you saying?"

"It's why he chose this, the Sage. Why he chose this event, and why on such a grand scale. I was mistaken, wholeheartedly mistaken..." Octan said. "The Sage, he had orchestrated this. The death of so many humans and monsters, all within the confines of the camp. It was to bring forth death."

"Wh--... How, death... how?!" Kouko questioned, hands covering her face. Her breath was heavy, her chest expanding and contracting at a more than visual pace. She stepped away from Lena, towards Octan. "What is this? What is happening here?! Who are these people!? Who are you?! Are you even ranked?! Is this even real?! Are all these people really dead?! And over what, that?!" Kouko pointed at the distant gathering.

"And what is that, death?! What do you even mean by that, death! None of what you are saying is making sense." Kouko said, her eyes fiercely glaring at Octan. "None of this makes sense. All of it... From the start... I'm trying, I really am... But... What is happening?" Kouko turned to Lena and scoffed.

"Of course... I'm the only one here crying, the only one confused, the only one normal... Rather, I am the abnormal one."

Lena gazed at Kouko, She wondered if she perhaps had the answer to the traveler's question.

"That is death," Octan said. "A manifestation of it. By having so many die within such a small time frame and space. The Sage has deliberately called for it. Why? I wouldn't know. The goals and ends of the Sages are much beyond us. But what truly bothers me is its captors, the Royal Guards. A special force that is trained to only serve under their ruler, they do not accept a command from any else, no matter the situation. So, why here..."

Kouko cackled to herself, the situation never stopping to overwhelm her.

Octan glanced at her, then back at the gathering.

Lena watched alongside as the 4 royal guards surrounded "death." Her eyes were growing used to the pain, but she still consciously worked at fighting against the urge to claw at her own neck.

Then, out of nowhere, the guard whose blade faced death was replaced by... The Traveler?

"What are you doing there?" Lena mumbled under her breath.

Octan seemed to be completely taken by the distant happenings, watching intently as the sudden intruder made light work of the Royal Guard.

One of the royal guards whom the traveler had defeated had been sent flying close towards the party, slamming into a dented wall next to Octan. Looking over their shoulders, they could see that the man was left unconscious but not dead.

Octan went back to watching Death and the Intruder. They seemed to exchange a few words, then the intruder turned and waved at the party.

Octan was left baffled, while the kid, Lena, waved back. Octan eyed her, taken aback by the kid's nonchalance, but she didn't entertain his confusion much. Does the kid just wave to anyone who waves at her? He questioned.

The traveler then picked up death, throwing him over his shoulder, waving back at Lena one final time, then disappearing. Perhaps he had jumped, or ran, Lena couldn't make out how exactly, but it was something superhuman.

"I won't even ask..." Kouko sounded defeated in her voice.

The eerie atmosphere gradually dispersed, and the thoughts no longer crawled in Lena's skull; she could completely open her eyes and study the field that death had stood in just moments ago.

"And that just rendered the Sage's work useless. A thousand dead, for nothing." Octan said, looking over to the lying royal guard, he seemed to be waking up. "The first of the bunch I see. Death has left. What will you do now? I doubt the sage, or the king--I believe you care for more--would accept such an outcome."

"Survivors," The royal guard sounded, a hand over his right eye as he pushed himself up. "There were supposed to be none." He takes hold of his weapon, forcing himself into a stance.

Octan sighs, entering one himself.

"D-don't!" Kouko called. "There has been enough death, don't kill him!" Kouko shouted at Octan. "We can talk, right? Humans, we can talk, can't... we..?" Kouko's voice dwindled as the man she had been protecting vanished, and a glaring tip met her hair-strands away from her eye.

"Ah!" She cried, jumping back, crawling towards Lena's feet.

Lena bent her neck straight down to see Kouko, then back at where she stood.

The royal guard had retreated, studying Octan with his fierce eyes. Octan stood, gazing at his now bleeding palm, which he had caught the blade with.

"These are not human, Kouko," Octan said, gazing at his bleeding palm. "They are people, flesh and blood, unlike Death, but they are not human. Trained from childhood to obey naught but orders, these 'humans' would kill a child if they deemed it a threat. And, you see, the mere act of knowing their existence is a threat. That means all three living humans here are nothing short of collateral to this man."

Octan faced the royal guard, and the royal guard frowned. Then, with a sudden movement that Lena couldn't follow, their confrontation ended. Octan had held the guard by his skull with his bleeding hand, said blood running down the guard's face.

The guard attempted to use magic, but Octan would quickly disorient his mind with a water jet bullet from his free hand. The guard’s leg grew riddled with wounds, blood seeping through.

"Even now, as he faces death," Octan said. "He has nothing but his mission in mind. And he will not stop. I could knock him unconscious, but trust me, the faces of those here are engraved into his skull, and he will not stop at anything to hunt them down afterwards, whether it be him or his comrades. So I ask you, Kouko, do you wish to spare him?"

"I-... You..." Kouko held Lena's leg. "So cruel... Why are you so cruel... Why is this world so cruel..."

Lena watched. She had no input, her existence was almost ignored if not for Kouko sticking so close. It wasn't that she had wished for a bigger role; rather, she liked it much more as a simple spectator. So she continued to watch in silence, allowing Octan and Kouko to work out their differences by themselves.

Kouko cursed Octan. Why did he force his view on her? Why force her into such a dilemma? Kouko didn't want to kill anyone, but neither did she wish to get killed herself. She still had plans, goals. This couldn't be where she dies, this couldn't be where she is turned into a fugitive, hunted down by the royal guard for the rest of her life. 

So, she turned her face away.

"I will take that as a no," Octan said, crushing the man's skull in his palm.