"You guys…"
Adonis' eyes grew moist as he watched all the smiling faces of his comrades. Beneath their acts of bravado, he knew they were scared.
He was too.
'We're all exhausted, and the Mana in our Enchanted Items are depleted. We also don't know who the enemy is…'
In all honesty, Adonis wasn't assured of his survival if he went alone. Most likely, he was going to die.
But… with his comrades backing him up, he felt like he had a chance.
"… Thank you!"
***********
"Won't you go with them…?"
Eric slightly glanced at Justin, who sat beside him on the dirty ground of the woods. He was the only one who stayed behind, while the others had long departed.
"Nah! I won't leave you by yourself." Justin responded with a slight smile.
"W-what? Why?!"
"Because then you'll be forced to come with us. That's the kind of scaredy-cat you are." Justin winked as he gave another brilliant smile.
Eric's face fell as he stared at the ground in both shame and melancholy.
"I… I don't understand them." He whispered. "Aren't they scared that they'll die? If it's a Dragon and it wipes them all out, it's over!"
Justin nodded at all of Eric's words, most of smile already gone.
"I just… I don't want to lose all these precious memories. I want to make more of them. I know this world isn't all fun and games. I know danger awaits at so many corners, but I also know that there are dangers we can choose to avoid."
He buried his face under his arced his forehead resting on his two hands.
"Does that make me selfish? Am I a bad person for just choosing to live?"
Eric knew that there was a chance that the enemy wasn't a Dragon. It could be some natural disaster, or powerful Monster. The Capital may not even be in any danger at all.
There were several things that could be true. But—
"We have all been weakened considerably. We lack no means to escape once we face the enemy. Out Items have mostly run out of power."
All in all, they were in their most vulnerable state.
"If we were to encounter a powerful opponent now, it will be the end. And I can't help but think that there is a powerful enemy waiting for us over there."
Once Eric was done speaking, he let out a deep sigh, waited a few seconds, and then slowly glanced at Justin.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Justin shrugged, blankly staring at Eric as he parted his lips. "What else is there to say? You've pretty much said it all."
Eric set his distracted gaze forward and set it on a distant tree.
"You already know I have a girl back home. I have my family and friends too. I don't want to die knowing I didn't at least tell them all the wacky shit I've been through in this world."
Eric let out a small laugh, causing Justin to smile a bit more.
"I don't think any of them want to die. They just… don't want those who are currently in the Capital to die."
All of what Justin and Eric felt—their strong will to live—was also imprinted into the hearts of every single human being.
The denizens of the Capital were no different.
"Fathers. Mothers. Children… Lovers. Siblings. Friends…" Justin stared into the distance, watching as the thick pillars of smoke kept rising.
"The Capital has all of those kinds of people. Several, just like me, have stories to tell their families. Some probably want to go on crazy adventures and explore the world, just like you."
In the end, they also had dreams and goals.
"I think Adonis and everyone else simply didn't want them their dreams to die."
Eric slowly turned from the tree and cast his gaze on Justin.
"That's pretty dumb…"
"Yeah… I know." Justin smiled, closing his eyes as he crossed his legs. "But I guess that's what makes us human."
Eric bit his lip as he heard those words, closing his eyes as well. He felt the soft breeze on his face, and the sweet herbal smell of the forest.
Staying here, watching from the distance, it was a lot better than racing to fight a battle that he wasn't sure he could win.
That was practically suicide, and he refused to partake in it.
"I suppose that makes me inhuman." Eric mumbled, relaxing his body so he could recover his strength even more.
This was curtly interrupted with a deep voice.
"No."
It sounded like Justin, but the aura of seriousness around it made Eric nearly think it belonged to someone else.
"You're definitely human." Justin stated said as Eric turned to look at him.
"…"
For a moment, they both stared at each other and a fleeting sense of tension danced in the air. However, Eric quickly rested once again and closed his eyes.
"Of course, I know that. It was just a witty comment."
"…."
"Why so serious…?"
Eric's voice trailed in the peaceful world that surrounded them. But that peace only lasted for a few fleeting moments.
Then came destruction.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
***********
As the city burned in flames, five figures floated in the sky and watched the entire scenery from their high estate.
They had wings behind them, but they had humanoid appearance—well, almost human.
Horns protruded out of their heads, most of them possessing three of them. They were also dressed in black robes; almost like uniforms.
A golden badge decorated the right portion of their chests, and the image imprinted on it was that of a rising dragon.
Four males, and one female; the latter being at the center and slightly ahead of the rest.
This wasn't the only difference she had with the rest, however.
"Well, what do you think, Lady Kar'en? Does it suit your tastes?" As one of the voices behind her asked this question, the echoes and throes of the perishing humans reached the ears of the Dragons.
The one they called Lady Kar'en turned to look at one of her subordinates, a broad smile on her beautiful face.
Her four horns gleamed brightly underneath the setting sun.
"I think it's a little lacking."
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Thanks for reading!
