When All Roads Lead to Hell

Franz takes a good glug of his booze, taking it from three quarters full to a slim line at the bottom. His eyes are reddened and sunken in, but there is a deep anger there that Arata fears. He puts his hands up as quick as he can as Franz approaches to stop him in place. “Stop!” He commands. “What is this going to achieve? Look, all we have to do is…”

“Don’t you dare tell me what I should do, you fucking traitor.”

Arata had never seen such anger — not in Franz. Another punch cracked his jaw, leaving his ears ringing.

“We’ve known each other since we could walk,” Franz spat, his voice breaking. “We did everything together. We were brothers. And you…” His breath hitched, tears spilling. “You knew how much she meant to me!”

He staggered a step closer, trembling. “I was there when you fought your first monster. When you thought you couldn’t go further, I was there to back you up. I’d never been so proud—so happy—when you were called hero.”

His hands balled into fists. “I’ve always been there for you. Always. And when I needed you the most…” his voice cracked again, softer this time, “you stabbed me in the back.”

Leona tried to pull him away, to give Arata the chance to stand back up at the least, but Franz wasn’t budging at all. She was pleading with him, and Arata, his mind revealed more of the story.

Franz had overheard the King’s words and he spent the hours on the cliff over the town in tears. He didn’t want to believe it, but his mind worked against him, showing him signs that he didn’t notice before. As night fell he travelled to the noise, to the lights. He wanted to be around his friends and he found them, Leona chugging mead in the corner with another girl under her arm laughing and cheering. Reinhardt was cheering at the booth beside them, lifting his flagon.

Leona was the first to notice him in the doorway and called him over and though they tried to celebrate with him, congratulating him on becoming a Hero… everything that had happened swarmed him, it was as if he was surrounded by hornets that stung him all over. The pain was too much to bear. His eyes met with Reinhardt’s and he just snapped.

The fight was a short one, Reinhardt left with a busted lip and a black eye, Franz was cut up and had sprained his wrist. After the short battle, he walked out, on his friends, his career, his town… and his love.

Those panels continued, even catching up to this very moment and beyond. “What is this?” Arata questioned, seeing more panels. “What are you showing me?”

——-

Reinhardt and Leona leave without reconciling with Franz. They take on Mühelos alone… and Leona dies. Täter is beaten by Reinhardt, and the Princess is saved. A while later, is Leona’s funeral.

Reinhardt took it badly, drinking himself to oblivion, and eventually, he loses all he can claim to be.

——-

The vision is a hell too cruel to even stomach, Arata tries to look away but he gets hit again by Franz. A light appears above him, but only Arata can see it. “Don’t avert your eyes.” it tells him.

——-

Plotgerät marries eventually, but she has no love. She loses her father, she loses her mother, and she is all alone.

——

“This story ends… with the death of the new Queen. The death of the story.” The voice announces.

It seemed as though everything had gone blank. His vision was pure white, and all sounds faded to static. “That’s it?” He asked. “This fails, and I watch them die?”

Leona was supposed to go on and meet her end many years after she retired, surrounded by her loved ones. Franz was supposed to marry the Princess, and Reinhardt would watch them rule the kingdom together… this was, just wrong…

Vision returned to him and all the fire in him smacked Franz upside the head, launching him into the bar. Stools flew everywhere and smashed to pieces. Franz looked taken aback but shrugged it off quickly and spat out the blood in his mouth before hitting Arata with one more powerful than the last. Each of them took a hit then fired one back, with Leona screaming for them to stop yet neither could hear her anymore.

The next punch was low, straight to the kidney, and Arata crumpled.

“So this is a fight?” The thought barely formed through the haze. His hands were screaming, knuckles raw and split, but the pain felt… far away.

His vision blurred, Franz just a shifting shape in the chaos. “Am I—” He swallowed, the copper taste of blood thick on his tongue. “Am I gonna pass out?”

Another punch. Another flash of white. His knees wobbled.

“Fuck… I hope not…”

Through panting his eyes reconnected with Franz’s bruised face. “Why don’t you get it? If you don’t come back… everyone is gonna die… Everyone is gone…”

Another hit smashed him in the head and a tooth slipped out, tapping across the wood floor. Franz was just a blur to him now, his attachment to reality was completely gone. Somehow, he managed to wipe the blood away and push through his pain… now he didn’t feel it anymore…

Another hit flew in, a kick to the arm, and still no pain. Leona hit him from behind and Franz spun around ready to hit back, instead pushing her back. She tripped, landing on the hard floor, and her head colliding with the wall behind her. She was dazed but still conscious, however blood spilled from her wound.

Franz paused for a moment “maybe the booze’s got to him?” Arata thought. He hadn’t moved since he retaliated against Leona, and she was just looking at the blood on her hand after she checked her wound.

For the first time, Franz had something other than the emptiness in his eyes. He looked in shock, but Arata couldn’t understand why. A few of the patrons ran over to help her, panicking with first aid kits from behind the bar and clumsily rummaging through for something to clean away the blood.

Franz was trapped by the sight of her hand covered in red, his eyes wide and his breath now loud and shaking. A blob of it fell from her hand, he watched it fall, but it was beaten by another drop, not red but clear. He looked up and felt his heart tighten.

“L… Leona, I…”

For all of this, she had been trying to stop them, the friend caught between enemies that just wanted them to stop fighting. Every second of it was another dagger to the chest, every punch felt more by her than them. She was overwhelmed, and eventually she cracked.

He wanted so badly to reach out and help her but something just stopped him, all he could muster was an outstretched hand. But she stood by herself and walked past him, not even caring enough anymore to even look his way. Instead she lifted Arata back to his feet and supported him.

“Leona…”

“Drop it, Franz.” She commanded. Facing away from him. “Stay here, we’ll go.” Arata was deadweight, only held up by her strength alone. “You okay?” She asked.

From losing Plotgerät to now seeing Leona leave, Franz’s rage bubbled over. He kicked the seat beside him. “Go then. Choose his side like always!”

“I’m not choosing sides, Franz.” She replied. “We came here to ask for your help, and whatever feelings there are between the Princess and Reinhardt, he came here to apologise. But just like last time, you snapped, and you caused the fight.”

Just as he felt the words he didn’t want to hear in his heart, she turned to face him for a moment and breathed life into them. “You’re a bad friend. This is your fault.”

Franz couldn’t say anything, and the two battered heroes limped to the door, walking out on their friendship with him. Everything, from their first meeting, to the laughs and the dreams they shared under the stars flashed in his head. He wanted so badly to reach out but, there was no way he could forgive anymore.

And as they hobbled away, Arata saw the panels again. This time showing them leave the bar as they were doing so now. But the next panel…

Franz doused himself in ale.

The horror shocked Arata back to life, and inside the bar, Franz was soaked… with a lighter in hand. The scene continued with Franz’s death, the loss to Täter… and the death of the kingdom.

He leapt from Leona’s arm, rushing back into the bar as the lighter sparked fire. It dropped from Franz’s hand, his eyes closed, his head high. And only one thing coursed through Arata’s mind.

“REACH!”