Pain of the unknown

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly feel bad for the twerp, she had a whole life ahead of her only to find out her life’s irrelevant! Oh well, not my problem! I wonder who I should show this to next.”

…You want to show someone else the truth? You want to ruin someone else's life? You’re a real bastard, you know that right? What’s even the point of this? As I thought that, the wall caved in and an opening to the outside was opened. Standing there with his arms folded, and an angry look on his face was my hero. About time you showed up, not that it matters anymore.

“Heckler! You, I swear I’ll pulverize you into dust!”

“My my, I didn’t expect you to bypass my tower by climbing the outside wall. Smart man! Although, your band looks a few members short.”

“Because of you-You! You’re dead!”

Zeke charged in gauntlets raised, Heckler conjured a giant sawblade in response. Zeke wasted no effort, he moved with such speed the pressure broke the sawblade with ease. Despite the upset, Heckler still acted like he was on cloud nine.

“Well Blimey! That was one of my favorite tricks too!”

“Shut up!”

Zeke pounced on top of Heckler and began to strangle him, Heckler fought hard to remove his hands.

“Wow now, you’re a hero not a killer! Just look at those eyes too! My little boy has grown up!”

Heckler pulled out a smoke bomb and tossed it into Zeke’s face, Zeke hopped off of him due to the recoil but quickly regained composure. Before Zeke could recompose himself, Heckler activated his trap magic once again. Zeke soon found a giant bear trap aiming for his neck, he responded before the blades could decapitate him. Heckler still had plans for Zeke, knowing that Zeke would survive his bear trap, he set up a trap array.

“Behold my personal favorite, Heckler surprise!”

“Wha-!”

Before Zeke could finish, he found himself caught in a box trap set by Heckler. Heckler then sent several swords flying into holes placed throughout the box. In the end, the box looked like a pin cushion. Could Zeke have survived that?

“Hehe, sorry Zeke! I guess I’m a little stronger than I thought!”

“...You call this strength?”

“Huh!?!”

The answer is yes, Zeke could survive. It’s all thanks to one of his abilities. Zeke began throwing punches in every direction, leading to every sword and the box itself being turned to smithereens. Heckler looked stunned, as Zeke emerged from the box unharmed and surrounded in a strange aura.

“This is my Brash Defender, it allows me to survive an attack that would’ve killed me. It also increases my power for a limited time, meaning…”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning these next punches are gonna hurt.”

Heckler tried looking for an escape, but it was too late. Zeke made it to him in an instant, his eyes reflecting the finality of a grim reaper’s.

“This is for Ars, he had a kid on the way!”

Zeke delivered a hard punch to Heckler's stomach, he looked like he wanted to retch on that very spot.

“This is for Old Man! He was gonna get his name changed!”

The gut punch was followed by a roundhouse kick.

“This is for Schwartz! Who revealed that he was actually my long lost brother!”

He grabbed Heckler by his face and rushed into the wall.

“This is for Zen, my childhood friend who was actually a girl! Zena, this is for you!”

Zeke dragged Heckler’s face along the wall, the damage to Heckler's face was extensive.

“This is for Ager, he wanted to learn how to read!”

Zeke grabbed Heckler’s head and headbutt him, I could hear his skull crack from where I was standing.

“And finally, this last one is for me! On my name, Zeke Alvis Bronzong, I Shall Destroy You!”

“W-Wait! I’m sorry, okay, please Zeke! My face is falling apart, and my ribs are broken! Any more would kill me!”

“I missed the part where that’s my problem.”

Zeke pulled his arm back, Heckler began pleading for his life, and I just wanted to go home…Can I even call that place home anymore?

“Bronzong Kong!”

“Gu-Foo!!!!!!!!”

Zeke punched Heckler so hard his snot came pouring out his nose, after making sure he was unconscious, Zeke started moving towards me.

“Princess, are you alright!?!”

“*Sigh* I’m fine, just take me home already.”

“Alright, I-I’ll…get…”

Before he could finish Zeke passed out, judging by the blood stained in his clothes, his injuries must be pretty serious. Then again he’ll probably heal with no repercussions, like one of those shonen heroes.

…What’s happened to me?

****

Eventually soldiers raided the tower and finally got me and Zeke out of there. They also grabbed Heckler’s unconscious body, this will be good for learning enemy intel. As we made it outside, my father leapt off his stead and wrapped me in a big hug. Perhaps because of the weight of everything I learned, I collapsed sending everyone into a state of panic. I woke up days later in my bed surrounded by my parents and the royal castle’s inhabitants. Zeke was in a better mood, he even left me some of the fruit baskets his fans left for him. Bertha left a pot of my favorite tea, and the ginger cookies I love. I felt thirsty and took a sip of the tea.

“!!!!”

It had no taste. I tried a cookie, but it had no taste. I began ramming fruit in my mouth, only to end up running to my wastebasket and vomiting the contents of what I tried to eat. Even the fruit had no taste, what’s going on? Is it because I know I’m not real? Since I’m not real the food isn’t real either? What kind of hell is this? That when something terrified me, I bit my lip as hard as I could. After that, I touched it, I was shocked to see the amount of blood on my finger. I didn’t bite that hard, did I?

“My sense of taste and feeling is distorted, I can’t even taste blood!”

I began screaming and thrashing around my room, by the time the doctors returned I was on the floor losing consciousness because I ran into a stand and a vase landed on my head. Blood trickled down my head, but I felt no pain. What kind of hell is this? Someone please, someone help me…