End's beginning

The room was so void, yet it was also so suffocating.

Like a king, its silhouetted figure simply rested on its throne, its body still, and its glowing red pupils never leaving Sarah Foster. A flame of wariness was reinvigorated deep within Sarah Foster, and it was fueled by the terrifying aura that wrapped around that monster's body. In the dim light, Sarah Foster could make out only the long hair that fell past its broad shoulders.

The beast stood.

It was like a titan, and the more it rose upright, the bigger it seemed. When he finally stood, Sarah Foster was a tad bit surprised by his sheer size. At least thrice the size of a grown man, she estimated. This creature was a pure behemoth, a monster in all forms and definitions.

Its movements were slow and heavy, the monster began to move forward. Its every step shook the ground, and the sound of it would send terror through any man.

Step. Step. Step.

As it drew closer, its hidden figure emerged from the light. What Sarah saw was a giant man, with grey skin, and long brown hair. Upon its face, were countless gruesome scars, each one telling a story of their own. Similar scars lined its bare arms which were as thick as tree barks, with muscles that bulged like a ball that had been filled with air to its limit.

Soon, the monster stopped. It was still a distance back. Its cold and ruthless eyes did not leave Sarah Foster.

The monster spoke, but what escaped its tongue was something uninterpretable, something...strange. It was like an eerie poem being recited by some vengeful ghost, it was a language that did not even sound human. It simply sounded like coughs and hisses to Sarah Foster.

"What is he saying?" Sarah Foster narrowed her eyes, he seemed to be saying something.

Then, the monster pointed at Sarah Foster. Thereafter it let out a roar, one that shook the throne room. Sarah Foster realized what the monster was trying to say.

She would get crushed.

~~~

The silence was deafening.

It was like all had held their breath, and stopped their heartbeat just to witness this moment. The deciding moment. They all knew.

Even Alden.

"No..." The knight pulled the sword out from Alden's body, and Alden staggered backward. He felt himself fall backward and into the ground.

Alden tried to stand, but he could not feel his legs. His lungs felt like a thousand needles stabbed into them, violently. Every breath was torture, and every movement invited a new wave of pain all over his body.

"You consider yourself strong, but look at yourself kneeling here with no honor. If you cannot live with honor, then don't live at all. If your life has no meaning, then die a meaningless death!" The knight raised his sword, the tip of his blade pointing at Alden...maybe for the final time.

"I refuse."

"What?"

Alden raised his head until his eyes pierced right through the knight's armor. He spoke again, his voice calm and convinced.

"I refuse to die. I will not die weak. I refuse!"

The knight watched him with a cold curiosity.

"I admire your tenacity..." A cold glow manifested within the gap in his eyes. He finished, his voice as heavy as Mount Everest. "But I did not say you had a choice."

"I have a choice..." Alden forced himself to stand, ignoring all of the fierce pain all over his body. He had experienced worse. This was nothing. "I can sit here and let you kill me."

Alden began to stumble toward the knight.

"Or I can die trying to live."

Alden tried to activate self-healing, but he soon realized it was helpless. It could not help him. No, he had to try and survive until Sarah Foster killed the boss. Bizarro had said she was on her way.

Alden flew forward, weakly swinging his arm. The knight stepped back. He felt his arm punch through the air. He missed.

"I'm too slow...too weak..."

Alden tried to throw another punch, but he missed. He tried to kick at the Knight, but he missed. He tried to conjure flames, but he guessed his health was too low to use his ability. Alden tried to use gravity to hold the Knight in place, but the Knight easily broke through the ability.

"No...I can still fight...I can win!"

"You can't win."

The knight's voice of indifference brought Alden back to reality.

That's right, he had not been able to match the Knight's ability at full health, what about now when he was so severely wounded? He could do nothing. So would he just sit there, and let himself be killed?

No way.

There was a small chance of him succeeding, but a chance was a chance.

He would live.

"Let me end your purposeless suffering. For your determination, I can give you that much honor. I will not only let you die a warrior, but I will let you die at my hands."

The knight took slow, calm steps forward. He raised his sword in the air as he approached...and then he disappeared. When he reappeared he was right before Alden, and his sword was already swung, ready to kill him.

~~~

BOOM!

Sarah Foster used her hands to shield herself after the monster swung at her. She flew backward, her feet skidding on the ground.

"Ngh!" She let out a grunt as she stopped herself. Immediately, she held out her hands. A blue sphere began forming, its color bright and brilliant.

The sphere flew, on course for the monster. A vampire, the system had said he was. It was her first time up against one. It was a Vampire Boss too.

The energy ball hit its target, creating a large flash of energy. The monster took a step back, before letting out an angry roar. He began sprinting toward the Ranger.

"Not even a bruise?" Sarah Foster said with surprise, she immediately rose into the air. Avoiding a blow. The monster leaped after her. His giant arm swung toward Sarah, who leaned to the side, avoiding the blow.

She felt a cold breeze hit her side, as the fist passed. She couldn't help but be wowed by the monster's sheer strength.

But this was a chance.

Foster instilled the gravity energy into her hand, before hammering the monster's back. The creature flew downward like a comet.

CRASH!

A large crater formed in the ground where it landed. The monster immediately got up, quite angrily too, and leaped into the air after Sarah Foster.

It was fast. Too fast.

Before she could react, it had its arms around her, and she found herself being hurled through the air.

Sarah Foster managed to stop herself from catching into the wall, but she found that in the effort it took to stop, the monster had drawn close, its hand pulled back to punch.

BOOM!

A thunderous sound filled the room as his hand smashed into Sarah Foster. Sarah Foster held out her hands before her, defending herself.

The result of the attack, was Sarah Foster crashing into a wall. Cracks spread throughout the wall, and she collapsed on the floor. Her body was battered and bruised.

The group's only spark of hope was being extinguished.

~~~

Time disappeared. Seconds as he knew it was no more. The duration it took for the sword to reach him, seemed to violate every existing law of time.

It was all in a single second, but as the sword fell, he saw more than he should've seen in a split second.

The blade, he could see every inch of it. The untainted spots still held a bit of their pristine. The blood on it; his blood. He could see it. Most of all, death. Not only could he see it, but he could also hear it.

It was like a poem of death had been composed, its melody derived from the sharp whistle of the blade cleaving through the thick air.

Thoughts that were not built on words made themselves known, every one of them questioning the inevitable possibility of his death. The answer to those questions...

It lay in the blade before him.

The blade drew closer... And closer. It was all he could see until...

[CHEAT CODE ACTIVATED]

Until he saw that.

~~~

Time seemed to be a tool he could play with. That's what it felt like. That's why it was so easy, too easy when he stepped back and avoided the blade.

He could feel it surging inside of him, power. Alden had regained the love of his life, he had regained what he most desired. He had become.

He looked down at his torso and watched his wound easily disappear when he activated self-heal. His body was no longer weak and battered. He felt reinvigorated, and it was as if his power was infinite.

"What...how?" The knight was shocked by this last-minute comeback and it reflected in his voice. He also seemed frustrated.

"You think honor is with those who strive?" Alden suddenly felt arrogant, arrogant enough to lecture the knight. Maybe it was his pride, he couldn't allow the Knight to have lectured him when he was down without returning the favor. "What about those who strive to destroy? To corrupt? What about those, who strive to oppress?"

"All beings have their yardstick of measuring honor..." The knight retorted.

"Bullcrap." Alden straightforwardly replied. "There is no more than one truth. Honor has one definition, and all who wish to achieve honor should follow it."

"Oh?" The knight mocked. "Then enlighten me."

"It means to achieve strength, regardless of the impediments. That person is truly worthy of respect."

"Incorrect." The knight began marching toward him. "It means doing what you have to, regardless of what you have to do to achieve that."

With a flash, he appeared before Alden. He swung his sword at Alden. Alden saw the attack coming. He didn't care. Alden caught the sword and squeezed.

The metal crushed within his hand.

Alden threw a punch. His fist struck the knight's chest, sending him flying. Alden glitched, teleporting to where the Knight would land. He clasped his hands together and swung them downward. His blow sent the knight crashing into the ground.

"You think you have honor,as you are now?" Alden mocked. He pulled back his leg, and kicked the knight, sending him flying a dozen meters away. He walked toward him. "You think I had honor when I was being beaten like a child?" Alden picked him up, and threw him. The knight smashed into a cliff.

"Only the superior and the strong are respected. Power..." Alden held the knight's leg and lifted him into the air before slamming him into the ground. "Power is everything!"