- A Bad End -

“Taro!” the angel yells.

He was ripped into consciousness and stood in the white room once again. This time, however, the seat was empty. The angel was shaking the boy.

“Ah! I get it! I get it!” he bats her hands away,

Just then all of his memories flood back into his mind.

“Oh god what happened?!” Taro asks frantically, “What happened to Shion, Akari, the dungeon?”

The angel slaps the boy across the face. Taro became dumbstruck.

“Listen up. We don't have much time so we need to make this quick.” she says sternly, "Interrupt or distract me… So help me god I will kill you myself.”

Taro silently nods in agreement.

“Hooh… okay,” the angel recomposes herself, “The serpent that was resurrected during the scuffle with the four horned demon was no normal fallen angel. Her first name was Lucifer, the original Demon Lord.”

“?!”

“Despite all these centuries she despises the divine realm above all else and seeks to reach the heavens,” she continues, “As we speak, she builds her tower of Babel and if she does her hatred will set everything alight to burn. Everything.”

“W-What do you want me to do?!” Taro shouts, “I can’t do anything! I’m just a kid! Tower of Babel? Centuries old hatred?! I just wanted to go on adventures with my friends! I can’t do anything about a demon lord!”

“You must.” she demands,

“How?!” Taro protest,

“Despite it all, Shion is Orochi’s pride and joy. Her heart. She is the key to all of this.”

“You want me to use Shion against her mother?... Is that why I am here?” he asks,

“Yes.” the angel speaks plainly.

“You angels can be quite cruel.” he says disappointed and falls to his knees,

“It is the way of the world.” she says apathetically, “But…”

She took her tiny hands and held taro’s face to meet hers.

“Only you can reach her. Find Shion.”

“What makes you so sure I’ll do it?”

“You will… because you love her.”

The room flashes white.

—------------------------------------

Taro awakens atop a hill, he sees the blood red sky churns ominously. He gets up to see a burning field before him. Emancipated trees dot the landscape, as well as the twisted monolith the pierces the sky. He hears murmurs besides him. Someone is praying to a small shrine by a tree next to him.

“?! I-It’s you?!...” Taro says shocked,

It was the Justiciar knight Elaine. Her expression was unreadable, her hair remained untied, messily worn down and ragged. Her armor beat up and torn in many places. And most pertinently; a red bandaged stump was where her right arm once was.

“Y-You’re here!” she stammers, “Saint Justina answered my prayers!”

“Huh, I don’t know if that was her, but someone definitely did…” Taro answers, “What’s the situation? Where’s Akari?”

“W-Wait… You don’t know, do you?” Elaine asks fearfully,

“Know what?...” Taro cautiously asks with all color drained from his face.

“It’s been five years since you’ve disappeared.”

…

With the back of her sword, Elaine pries the cellar door open. The house itself was nowhere to be found, save for some leftover columns. The duo make their way down into it, sparse furniture litter the small space and a few lanterns illuminate the dark basement. They sit at a table to discuss what Taro had missed.

“Many kingdoms fell soon after the monolith was erected.” she explains, “Most of the people caught up in the oni defense force scattered after the event as well. The oni army itself pledged allegiance to Orochi after seeing their boss swallowed.”

“And Akari?…”

“I couldn’t find her after you disappeared. I came back to the place where we left her… I searched as long as I could but…”

“Damnit… ” Taro clenches his fists.” I have to find her…”

“Right now, it’s difficult to travel on the surface. Orochi uses her army to drag people into the tower.” Elaine shakes.”I… I don’t know for what purpose, though.”

It only dawned on Taro that now Elaine’s personality was a far cry from the one he first met in the dungeon. She appeared completely broken. He felt sorry for her.

“H-Hey it’s alright…” Taro reassures her, “You did good. You’ve been holding out on your own all this time.”

She shakes her head. “No… I…”

Suddenly she turns off the lantern and grabs Taro. She carries him to a dark corner of the room.

The cellar doors burst open. Taro was about to gasp but she covers his mouth. Heavy wet footsteps climb down the stairs. It sounded like there were at least three intruders. He holds his breath. In the dark he could see a figure move to the table they were just sitting at.

“Turn on that light!” a coarse disembodied voice barks.

“Ack! Yes!...” the one at the table responds, he quickly sets the lantern alight.

Illuminated, the figure was revealed to be an oni soldier.

“Ahh…” another oni lumbers over into sight and kicks his feet up on the table.

Finally a large orc pulls up a chair and sits in it.

“Damn it’s cold out there.” He complains, “Does this place have any ale?”

“Psh I doubt it,” the oni with his feet up says,

“Rookie! Go find a bottle!” the orc orders the first oni.

“What?! This place is ancient! There’s no chance there’d be one!” he protests,

“Don’t come back til you find one! Ya grub!” the other oni roars,

The oni grumbles but does as he’s told. He pokes through debris in another corner of the room.

“So… How’re we doing on the siege of Aurelion?” the sitting oni asks

Taro could feel Elaine tense up.

“Not good, we’re losing alot of men.” coughs the orc,

Eventually he gets close to the hiding Taro and Elaine. He gets closer and closer as time goes by . Thinking fast, Elaine kicks a bottle so it rolls towards the oni before he gets too close.

“Ah!” he exclaims, “I found one!”

The oni quickly rushes back to his group.

“Gehehe! Bring it here!” the orc belly laughs,

The orc swipes it from his hands and takes a swig. Then promptly throws it onto the ground.

“Oi! I wanted some of that!” the sitting oni protests,

“Heh,” He laughs and wipes his chin, “Come, we’ve dawdled long enough grub! We move!”

The three then get up to leave.

After some time Taro and Elaine breathes a sign of relief. They get out from the corner.

“Aurelion?” he asks,”There are still settlements around, then?”

“It is the capital of the Justiciar order, a large city in fact. It appears they’re still holding on.” Elaine replies morosely,

“You don’t keep up with them?” Taro asks innocently,

“Not since they exiled me.” she bites her lip.

“Hmm… We don’t have much of a chance to infiltrate a city under siege, at least as we are now.” Taro plans,

“Wha- How can you be planning?! ” Elaine cries, “We have nothing! No one! Shion is lost! Akari is gone! With no assets we don’t have a chance! What could you possibly be hoping for?”

Taro weakly smiles

“We can’t give up. This is not the ending we strove for. I believe our friends are still alive. We’ll rewrite this rotten ending.”

“How… How can you not accept this reality…?” Elaine looks listlessly at the floor,

“Because we mustn't.”