Where It All Ends

Time has slowed in my eyes. A brief snapshot of this world gives me a moment to take it all in.

That crazed face of the monster is locked in place. A massive body bears the head of what might be a bull, muscular arms holding a terrible axe. Its large weapon is slowly but surely descending. I can't get out of the way before it hits me.

Bernard is running towards me as fast as his armoured legs can carry him. I can almost make out the word 'run' coming from his desperate lips. He is a knight who will one day save so many people, so many lives. But this life is one that he cannot save.

Katherine is chanting something, some completely unintelligible language that occasionally ends with a word normal people can understand. I'm not sure which one she chose. It's hard to tell based on how the magic collects in this almost colourless space I've found myself in. Whatever flashy spell she has planned, it won't reach in time.

Off in the distance is Leon. He never seems to show any emotion unless demons are involved. I should be honoured in the horror he is willing to show for an old man like me. Unlike the others, he knows that it's over. He is a powerful warrior. That much can be determined with all of the wounded demons he left behind. The boy just needs to straighten out his attitude and he'll be all set.

"I guess that's it for me…"

I told myself that I would fight to the death, and accept the fate prepared for me in the end. While I nearly forsake everything, I want to believe that I have been redeemed by this sacrifice. If it were a choice between these budding heroes and this rotting weed, I would have probably made the same decision if it happened a hundred times. That's what it means to give everything for the future.

"Finally…"

This situation is out of my control. I did anything and everything that I could, and I effectively succeeded in my mission. I bought an opportunity for their lives to continue. That means I can finally rest with peace of mind.

"It was quite the ride, that's for sure…"

I stepped out of my village for the first time, albeit involuntarily. The big city was definitely interesting. That is, if you ignore all of the glaring issues of keeping so many people packed in such a small space. If the alcohol and food wasn't so good, I would never want to step inside those walls ever again.

There was something I found there, though. I'm seeing all three of their faces right now.

"Best of luck kids…"

For the first time, I've seen what it's like to dream big. These kids were brought up in an environment where just about anything is possible. Were I their age in the city, I just might have done something different with my life. It probably wouldn't be something as interesting as becoming a hero, but it wouldn't have been as boring as tilling soil. Maybe I could be an artisan of some kind. A merchant or baker might have been nice as well. Perhaps I would have even been able to learn how to read and write. Of course, all of these exciting prospects only arrive when I'm to die.

"Hah…"

I can't say that I'm leaving with no regrets. While I don't have the power to change anything, they still bother a small part of my heart.

"Sorry, Sunflower…"

I wish that I could have raised my daughter in that kind of place. She could get a good education and meet some faces other than the ones two doors down. In those walls, she could be safe to discover a world much larger than the one she came from. Just maybe, her little dream may have come true.

"I'll be home shortly, my little Sunflower…"

We can meet again while I still remember her doughy face and wonderful smile. Even now, I can hear that cheerful voice calling to me from the other side. I close my eyes and allow that pleasant sound to carry me across.

"I would be a songstress!"

My eyes fly open. Those weren't the words I was expecting. For some reason, my heart begins beating rapidly while the light from above seems to taunt me.

"I will travel to every town and sing! I want all of them to know my name and my song! Then…"

I was expecting a welcoming embrace from beyond, not a memory flowing out from within me. Her voice seems to ring out from within my very soul. It begins to fill every corner of my body and mind. That feeling reaches out and holds back the rays of the afterlife.

"Then I can tell everybody all about you and everybody else here!"

This was her dream.

It wasn't about fame or fortune. She didn't want to go out just to be away from the dinky farming town in the middle of nowhere. She wanted to bring the world to us. My little girl wanted the world to know that we existed.

"Such an ambitious girl…"

Tears begin pouring out from my eyes. It was obviously an impossible task for the daughter of a lowly farmer, but it still gave me hope. If by some chance she found a way out of our little village, anything could have happened. Perhaps she could have told everybody about our middle of nowhere.

"If you're going to run off and be famous—"

This time it's my voice, my own words coming back to bite me. I know what comes next, so I'll say it myself. While looking at these white wrappings around my hands, I say the words beneath my breath.

"Then I'd better get myself looking the part…"

I was going to support her dream until the very end. Even if she gave up on it, a part of me would have probably kept the prospect alive. She's no longer here, but my heart doesn't believe that it's truly over. Here at the end of the rope, I'm seeing hope.

"But…"

I was prepared to make excuses. There are plenty of reasons why this very idea is impossible. All it would take would be to accept one of those reasons and allow myself to fade away.

"No."

However, I can't lie to myself, not here. If Sunflower were still alive, she would have done everything in her power to realise her dream. Life decided that she would not be allowed. All that leaves is me, grasping at life like a child being dragged by a flood. It's dire, but my heart is still beating. I still have the chance to struggle for longer.

"I…"

Perhaps this is my punishment for trying to run away. Just when I was given the chance to rest, my heart decided to refuse.

Nobody but me is left to grant my little girl her one wish. I'm the only one who can tell the tale of our middle of nowhere, the day to day, the people there, the ways we found life worth living. If I'm gone, it really will all disappear.

"…I can't die here…"

The light beaconing me from above fades away and time returns to normal. That warm feeling and that pleasant voice are gone, but the passion within my chest is all the more powerful. My decision has been made, and there really is no going back now.

Of course, colour returning to the world means that my life is in great peril.

"N-NOOO!"

SCREEECH

My body moved on its own. I didn't have much to work with, but my long moment within prepared me to struggle against death itself. After a rough hammering against my head, I open my eyes. There is neither a black darkness nor golden light. I'm alive.

I'm crouched onto the ground with my hands above my head. Where an axe should have removed it entirely, a scraped metal pot rests over my head. My vision is blurry and I fall to the ground, but my heart still beats.

""RADO!""

The heroes are now upon me. A blue flash crashes into the massive demon, sending him staggering into the axe of a shining knight. It isn't enough to slay the beast.

"Get up!"

I feel myself being dragged to my feet. We're on the move as I struggle to put one foot in front of the other. If it weren't for the person guiding me, I would have slammed into any one of the many trees. When the world slows its revolutions, I see the young hero pulling me forward with his entire might.

"Katherine!"

"Got it!"

There are a great many sounds around me. I allow them all to disappear into the background with my eyes closed, hoping to keep myself conscious for at least another moment. Like that, we make our daring escape through the woods.