Exit the forest.

Hideo is inside of an infernal nightmare. a retelling of the final battle. people begging to be saved as they lose their lives. his friends one by one losing faith. his friends getting their bodies broken as they suffer humiliating deaths. all the hope, all their faith, absolutely all getting taken away from him in the question of minutes.

Hideo wakes up sweating. his eyes wide open. his right hand holding the Katana aiming directly at Gallan's throat. Gallan takes two steps back. Hideo is surprised as he drops the katana. he tries to stand up slowly. he is feeling nervous. he is trying to forget the dream. a dream he had forgotten for the past few years. a reminder of his defeat.

Hideo tries to act compose. he tries to demonstrate that everything is alright. and even so, is so hard to pretend that nothing is wrong. when everything is wrong with him. he feels so much rage and frustration directed towards himself. he feels like he is getting distracted. he needs to forget everything related to his pain. he needs to focus on the mission.

Horn approaches with a mug of coffee. she offers him coffee. Hideo takes it with a fake smile as he tries to push his emotions to the depth of his soul. there is no need of emotions when the battles are fought with iron and blood. Hideo tells everyone to get ready. 

once the time feels right, all four of them start to advance.

the town feels like a ghost town. it is mostly empty. there are shadows from afar observing them as they take every small step. every sound creates dreadful echo.

at the distance is an empty boat. all four of them keep walking slowly and nervously. they pay attention to every movement they take. every action feels suspicious. this could be a trap set by dangerous people.

out of convenience the continent that is also known as the 'Forest' or 'The Wild Lands,' has become the home to pirates, mercenaries, and all kinds of wanted criminals.

as they move desperately. an arrow land directly at the maid's left leg. Gallan helps the maid to walk as they look around of them trying to find the enemy. in question of seconds, they get surrounded by pirates. 

"Give up boys, respect your lives, and we will take care of those girls for you." mentions one of the pirates with a disgusting facial expression.

Hideo feels exhausted, irritated, and furious. he concentrates part of his power in his fingertips and hits the floor with so much strength it causes the land to shake violently.

Gallan and Horn help the noble girl escape towards the boat. Hideo follows behind them. he looks at his bloody fist. his fingers are a mess. some of the pirates follow after them. then Hideo screams loudly asking for his team to stop. he orders them to not move. 

Gallan follows instructions and stops moving. he asks Horn to trust in Hideo's words. all three of them stop moving. then they are surprised by a horrifying sound.

out of nowhere some winged creatures appear. the creatures in question look like big fat pigs with long pink rubbery necks. it has horns around the face. the tail is like a scorpion. two frontal and four lateral legs. the pigs are mostly blind with great sense of smell. they can detect things by sound or smell.

the pigs start attacking the pirates. Hideo whispering tells Gallan to get on the ground. Hideo starts to roll around the dirt. the other three right away copy his actions. the four of them are dragging themselves slowly towards the boat.

it doesn't take long for the flying pigs to be done with the pirates. the pigs return to a cave at the most remote area of the forest. an area where the Winged Pig is the primordial predator. 

Hideo and his team find themselves inside the boat. there is an old man wearing a neon yellow suit sleeping inside the boat. the old man wakes up. he asks if they need to go somewhere around the continent or maybe, somewhere far away.

"Old David, take me home." whispers Hideo in a serene tone of voice.

the old man nods. soon enough the small boat leaves. it moves towards their next destination in an area populated by more humans. an area full of wonder and danger. a continent Hideo assumed he would never see again. there where he left behind a distant lover, a woman he expected to never see again.

The sea surrounding the Wild Lands is infested by all kinds of marine creatures. Things that would sink boats. Creatures that would tear apart any man in seconds. Monsters that devour men. Is a sea of wonder and horror. 

“Did you know the Wild Lands, used to be a prison a long time ago.” Comments the old man as he moves slowly.

There is a giant kraken like creature passing below the small boat. The creature observes them. It makes eye contact with the old man and keeps moving.

Hideo keeps thinking about his past lover. The days of ignorance that guided him to the present day. The arrogance that blinded him when he needed to see the most. So much regret he can’t contain inside of an insignificant body.

there are some remote emotions resurging to create more chaos within the ego. there are so many conflicting feelings taken over his weak body. wicked is to assume that love will be eternal and overcome all obstacles, when love itself is a demanding evil.

The person he once loved was perfect under his eyes. She did nothing wrong. He is the one who fail to protect others. He is the one who walked away once everything was done and said. He is the coward who preferred to hide in the middle of nowhere over confronting the consequences. 

He always knew that she was too good for him. He always knew that she was willing to stay at his side. He knew that she could forgive his cowardice. But he never had the heart to confront the reality. After all is said and done, he is a coward. Probably that was always the limit of his love.

Hideo feels nauseous. he feels so wrong. he turns around to meet the eyes of the others. soon enough it would be just him by himself once more. he doubts that any of them will have the courage to stay by his side. he feels wronged. he feels conflicted. he feels dread to think that once more he is in a journey to save the world.

No one ordered him to be here. His only surviving friend asked him to stay behind. He is here because he wants to be here. He is taking the e journey because that is his destiny as a hero. He will die or live as hero, at least this time. He doesn’t want to be a failure ever again.

No one inside that boat will ever understand the kind of guilt that he holds between his arms. The struggle keeping him trapped in the past that refuses to be kind to him. Hideo cries in silence because, it is more comforting to listen to the echo of his own pain than to listen to the simple words of another human.

will he save the world? will he fail? is he going to be judged no matter the outcome? all those are valid questions that invade his mind. fear is a disgraceful mistress that refuses to leave and decides to stay in order to deny your freedom.

A failure is not a one time mistake. A failure is a brand in your heart that you have to carry everywhere. A stain in your life stopping you from living in freedom. A failure is the life after falling deep inside the abyss of regret.

Hideo feels nauseous. It isn’t the sea. It is his own mind and machinations stopping him from believing that he will ever be welcomed anywhere. The world is unkind to the cowards. Especially a coward hero who preferred to save his own life over saving the world. 

Hideo seems to be just fine at the eyes of others. When in reality he is breaking apart. No one will ever understand him. They won’t be able to see his point of view. He will be forever known as the failed hero. And nothing else.

repulsive is to think that someone with so much doubt. a man who feels so weak and incompetent in the face of true danger could ever take the mantle of a hero. he didn't save a single soul on his time as a hero on the first round, and now. it may be a second round of the same.

Hideo feels so disgusted with himself. He feels so unworthy. He feels inferior to the rest of the world. Anyone else would had chosen to die over letting their world be destroyed by evil. He failed them.

Hideo is sweating. He feels uncomfortable. Hideo tries to close his eyes to calm himself. He tries to tell himself that everything is going to be alright. There is nothing worse to happen. The past is done. The present is happening. And the future stands uncertain as the world keeps advancing with all kinds of promising outcomes in the path.

“Are you okay?” Asks the old man feeling genuine concern for the hero. It seems as if the old man had been through something similar in his life.

Rage, regret, guilt, sorrow, melancholy, resentment, and self-loathing.

all that and more are examples of the things consuming Hideo's mind. a man with so much self-loathing and not enough love to himself.

Hideo forces a smile. He tells himself to act normal in front of the others. He tries to calm down. He may not be able to face his past lover. There is no need to go through all those kinds of emotions. 

“Yes. I am fine.” Replies Hideo pretending like always to be fine when in reality he is breaking apart.