People hated Mondays, it is a common norm that is almost as fundamental as a scientific fact.
But even so, everyone will still get up and leave behind the comfiness of their bed in favour of putting themselves through a repetitively hellish and seemingly endless activity that is 'work'. Whether it is out of necessity for their livelihood, or simply just to give their lives a purpose in order to fill the void.
I myself is an individual who does this for both.
Masaru Akaba, the name given by the two parents who lovingly raised me.
It's been a while since I last saw and heard for them. My family lives in the countryside but I decided to move to the big city to attend college and somehow managed to land myself a job in a company that could be considered as prestigious.
They were more than happy to let me go, especially after learning of where was I supposed to work.
Of course, I never forgot my roots and remained in contact with them even today. Distance isn't much of an obstacle thanks to modern technology, and I would have a video conference with them every once in a month or two (no it's not weird for a grown man to have a chat with his parent every now and then).
But of course, I'm not working to make them proud. To lower their burden and at the same time gain my own independence and source of income, this is the only course of action that allows me to do all three at once.
That's why I work, and by reminding myself of these things I couldn't help but feel a bit prideful for managing to do so. That's right I'm a single 26-year-old man with a stable job, a hearty income, and a comfortable roof over my own two head. I'm a man who is living the dream.
I already knew all that and now I wonder why did I suddenly thought of those things, one of the mysteries of the human mind I suppose. Out of nowhere the intercom suddenly blared, declaring that the train I'm riding would make a brief stop at my destination.
I promptly stood up from my seat, seconds later the train comes to a complete stop.
The seat I once occupied was taken by another in the blink of an eye, and as the door opened I let myself get dragged by the flow of humans who exited the train. Fortunately, it was still morning so while it was jam-packed it was a lot less sweaty and smelly compared to the afternoon train I'd be forced to take at the end of today (obviously no world is perfect).
Just like every other monday, everybody is either mumbling about how boring it is and how tired they are of the same old same old. And like always you could easily tell what is in their mind and what kind of people they are by how they carried themselves.
Those who are well off yet still desire for more, peering into the far-far branches of possibilities and ignoring everything around them.
Those who are sick and tired of it all but already conceded to the circle they willingly entrapped themselves into.
Or those who simply want to be anywhere but here, desperately wanting yet at the same time dreaded the change they themselves sought after.
In the world of working adults, these are the three archetype that most workers are divided into. As morbid and dark it sounds no one could enter that world without having their view and outlook on life changed. The working environment was never kind enough to allow excessive individuality unless it brought them benefits.
I myself was no exception and received this kind of treatment along with everyone else. To be frank, I consider myself as someone within the second category, but as I myself have insisted I'm already satisfied with my current condition and position.
I love my job, I love my life, I'm just generally happy to be alive.
But many would claim that I'm not living.
As I exit the train station the blistering sunlight assaulted my vision. I instinctively brought my arm up to shield myself and a few seconds later a familiar scenery greeted me as my eyes finally adjusted.
The concrete jungle that gives rise and crushes dreams indefinitely.
The city I had been living in for six years.
The same route I have been taking for the past two years.
The same ocean of human of which only a few within I actually recognizes.
Repetitive, blank, grey, those words perfectly reflects my daily do and does.
But for me...
"This is enough..."
Society portrays people who work inside cubicles and confined within offices as mindless workers, those who ignored the call of the wild and chooses to abandon excitement in favour of safety and comfort.
My problem is that this mindset of preservation viewed as something bad.
Many claimed that with the advancement of technology we began to lose our true selves and taken lives for granted, losing our roots as many would have it. But the same thing that dulled our sense is the exact same things that lengthen all of our lives by a large margin.
Accumulation of both knowledge and history that our ancestor worked so hard to gain for the future generation. So what is wrong in using what is meant to be used?
Still, I couldn't blame society for this mindset of 'something is out there', it's human nature to seek something different from the status quo.
For example, in a war-torn country, one would give anything just to have a day of ensured safety. While an inhabitant of a peaceful country couldn't help but be bored with their everyday lives.
That's just how human are.
So what about me? Why am I so content with my boring routine unlike everyone else?
The answer is simple really, I've already gone through my fair share of adventure.
Of facing untamed danger.
Of exploring the unknown.
Of not knowing what tomorrow will bring.
Of almost losing my life every single day.
Life is an adventure as many put it, but what they are not aware of is how dangerous adventures are.
Make one mistake and you're dead. Even if you have both talent and luck those two things could only take you so far until either one runs out. And after that who knows what'll happen to you...
Yes, I have gone through all of that and then some more.
Although it was from another lifetime...
XxX
"!#$#@#$!#@$%$@!!@@"
None of us could make sense out of the incoherent noise spat out from his mouth, or at least none of us bothered to actually listen to it.
It was one of those moments where a person of power said something unbefitting of his status, a set of words so compromising he or she might as well step down from whatever position that person happens to occupy.
The [Cruel One]. A being whose very existence creates suffering of unimaginable scale to humans and demons alike, slaughtering the former and enslaving the latter.
Each action he performed is done to elicit conflict.
Each decision he made are based on the highest number of casualties.
Every goal he sets his sight on revolves around bloodshed, death, and destruction.
The only thing that came close to his vileness is his power, and since his cruelty knows no bound his power was something beyond human understanding.
None of that matter anymore though because he's is dying.
I watched with my own two eyes as the seemingly invincible evil incarnate shrinks, thrashing around with the last of his power like a wild beast whose throat had been cut.
'This was it' I told myself. Finally, all of our efforts and sacrifices are being repaid in full.
Countless hours of training, untold days or running, years and years of planning cultivating to this moment of triumph.
We did it. We actually pulled it off. We killed him.
A party of six who consisting of demon and humans alike, unified under the dream of taking that person down.
A monk whose fist can shatter boulders and crush steel.
A lizardman whose capability rivals a dragon.
A spellcaster who mastered every branch of the mystic art.
An Oni swordsman who dedicated his life for the blade.
A real princess who brought them all together.
And to square up the number I myself.
I won't get all dramatic on how we met and what we have gone through, those guys are the closest thing a sorry excuse for space like me can call a family and that's that.
I watched as all of them celebrated his soon to be final moments.
The monk rested his forehead against the floor, grateful that all of us managed to retain our lives.
The lizardman cackled loudly, having played a vital role in the downfall of evil itself.
The spellcaster cried loudly, finding the people who truly accepted him and helped them in return.
The princess and the oni brought their foreheads together, clearly valuing each other as more than friends.
I myself couldn't help but grin like an idiot.
Was it because I finally did something meaningful with my life?
Was it because I helped the people I treasured the most?
Or is it simply because of the satisfaction for finishing yet another task?
Whatever it was it felt good, and I didn't bother too much thought into it.
And then I felt it..... no we all did.
We weren't so carefree to let our guard down simply because he was at his deathbed, in fact, our senses hadn't been this sensitive in a long time.
That's how we figured out that this wasn't an attack. Like a bolt of lightning that struck without warning or an earthquake that came out of the blue this was an act of nature.
Mana, the thing in the air that allows people to perform magic. I'm not really well versed in the field beside using physical enchantment magic and all sorts of defence increasing buff, but from my limited understanding without propper control, mana is as harmless as normal air.
We easily deduced that the [Cruel One] has failed to cast his spell due to the lack of mana control, but the sheer energy he gathered was too large.
It was then that we realized it too late.
He had failed to cast his magic.
On an extremely rare and almost impossible case it is possible to attack with mana alone, but to do so would be the same as trying to hurt someone by blowing air with their own lungs.
It should've been harmless, of course, that's not the case when 'he' is involved.
We hoped that the attack would miss, that he'd fail to aim properly and that his final blow will only hit thin air.
Whether it is out of bad luck or coincidence it didn't matter.
Oni and the princess are our main attacker, so during the course of this battle, they received the most physical stress.
All four of us knew this because they didn't move, they couldn't move.
To them, the beam should've seemed slow, and it only adds to our horror that we have seen them dodged countless assault double in both speed and number.
They couldn't move.
But I can and I somehow made it.
I grabbed my shield and ran, managing to get myself between them and the beam. The mass of energy hit what remained of my arms of choice and was deflected like a light on a mirror.
I was physically unharmed, then I fall back first to the ground.
It was the worst-case scenario, that the [Cruel One] managed to embed his passive curse into that last attack. A curse that damages the soul and will kill the person should he lack the required resistance.
I had the so-called defence against the curse, but during the course of this battle, it was besieged by a barrage of countless passive attack. I heard that curse only grow stronger with the user's hatred and passing, perhaps that was why I couldn't get up like I always did.
I died.
As my consciousness began to slip my comrades surrounded me. The princess even rested my head on her lap and for once oni didn't even bother threatening to kill me.
"....Did....my.....job....."
Those were my last words.
Just like it was my duty to receive the opening strike it was also my duty to cover our backs during escape or shield the party from all sorts of unwanted detonation. If I told them that I did what I usually do it will make it as if I received an intentional attack pinning the blame on him.
Because if it turned out that I was killed by a sheer coincidence those two practically married idiots would feel guilty, this way their guilt would be somewhat lessened.
The other three quickly flocked around me, all having tears filling their eyes casting healing spells or just plain telling me not to die.
I don't want to tell them but to me, this was the perfect ending.
I don't have a loved one like the princess and oni have each other.
I don't have a family like a lizardman waiting for my return.
I do not desire to see the world and go all over as the monk or spellcaster did.
I was scared that I would be left alone once we were finished, and now my wish is fulfilled.
I regret nothing, and I wanted nothing more.
....
But if it's possible.... if and only if it's possible..... there is only one thing that I ever wanted.
I want to die from old age.
I didn't regret throwing my own life away from my friends, but that doesn't mean that I want to die either. In this world dying of old age was the rarest of all deaths, even nobles whose lives are privileged are obliged to risk their lives for one's honour.
So I want to grow old and be considered normal.
I want to go to a place where the food is abundant, where one's safety was assured by society the moment a baby left the womb, a world where risking one's life is nothing more than an act profound idiocy.
Yes, I wanted to be reincarnated to a world like that.
But it's impossible after all...
Isn't it?