CHAPTER 1 – TIME BEFORE DEATH (Patreon)

“Don’t die!”

A wailing call echoed through the room, emanating from an elven child. The girl kneeled beside the chest of a fallen man, her small maple-like hands pressed against a massive cut where blood endlessly gushed forth ‘twixt1 stomach and chest, entrails exposed. Her little hands struggling to close the wound as her eyes teared, nose ran, and mouth drooled. “P-please don’t die… Reid-sama!”

The young man fruitlessly attempted to wipe away her tears with his left hand, but quickly forsook that – incapable of even the smallest action with his left arm, he was forced to use the other to wipe the tears from her cheeks, leaving smears of blood upon them: from both his enemy and himself. In a corner of his vision, the corpse of his enemy laid- a Demon. Juxtaposed2 with this was a group of children meant to be sacrificed in the other edge of his vision, paralyzed by fear. They were initially part of a much larger group but had been split by the demon and a priest. They were the only survivors of the ceremony that night. The girl was originally among them, but she had run to the man to help him.

“Doh… Don’t cry… it’s… alright…”

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The man said, knowing full well that was a lie. It didn’t matter to him though, he was prepared for death. The reason for his lie was his companion — a girl who always followed the right path, often called a sage. She was able to run away, but not selfishly — he had ordered her to go get help.

She wasn’t very talented in magic, unless in comparison to the average magician who she trounced in skill. Even so, she lacks the ability to save his life with the reaper standing at his heels. That’s why she left – to call for help, tasked to escape.

“That’s why… it’ll be okay… right?”

He struggles to say, spitting out blood as his lungs were filled with blood. Despite the fact that his five senses were already cut, he endeavored to comfort the elven girl.

‘I’ll probably die. All I can do is comfort this girl, even if my friend did her best to get help, it’ll probably be too late.’

“I… won’t… die…”

The young man – a hero, in fact, known as Shadow Blade Reid, promised.

⁂

It was a promise I couldn’t keep, as shortly afterwards I left the girl behind, passing away.