As he walks down the street of the old city, Varsas Gungnir contemplates the next step in his life. Here he is, the greatest hero this world has ever known, alone and bleeding out like a homeless person on this joyous day of celebration, the festival of War End.
Once upon a time he was known as the hero who ended the eternal war that has lasted for over 1000 years, accompanying him was comrades from all walk of life, of various clan who has a singular goal of ending the war.
Everyone went home after the war, Varsas too, and when he did, everyone was dead. His family his home...
One of the 13 families, the council that was established as the new ruling power after the war, took advantage of the chaos of war end to pull a genocide on one of their rival family. They just didn't realize it was the family of the hero who ended the war.
When he was 17, he abandoned his home to seek fame and glory, no one know his last name, he did not want to shame his family as he fought in the war as a soldier, but when he was famous, it was time to finally come home and bring glory to the whole family. Except he comes back to saw his whole family slaughtered, down to the last man, his father hung on the gate of the estate as a warning, his ancestral home in flame.
His family was old power. They have declined in recent years. While other families took part in the war, his father told him that the Gungnir household would never took part in the violence, it was that "weak-willed", pacifistic nature that causes Varsas to strike out on his own and enlisted as a no name soldier.The territory was the perfect "soft" target with lots of wealth and not a lot of military power. At the end of the war, all sort of chaotic situation occur, who know if a family may vanish overnight or not, it was going to be the perfect crime.
...If it was not for that household being the family of the hero who ended the war, and the hero returning just as the perpetrator was finishing up their deeds.
He has two choices in the matter, to call vengeance and massacre their whole clan, turning against one of his former comrade and extract justice for his clan, or, to accept their penance after the whole matter is over.
It is the clan of one of his former comrade. Margaret Venir has been trained her whole life in the ninjutsu art and was especially useful when the party needed info. She always acted mysterious as if she knew everything, though Varsas personally knows that she was just being silly about the whole thing.
Margaret Venir cut her head off as penance for her family crime against him. For the duration of the war she has always been with him fighting in the frontline, she did not even have time to go home, for all intent and purpose she was innocent, but it is her family, may the sins of the father be absolved by the death of the daughter.
"...Please, forgive them."
That was her final words.
He did not forgive them. He couldn't forgive them for killing his family, he couldn't forgive them for causing his friend to die a senseless death.
But he couldn't go through with it. The resulting instability from destroying a family who is supposed to be on the council as a ruling party will inevitably lead to another war, destroying the peace that he and his comrade fought so hard for. Combine that with Margaret last word, he restraint himself.
One time, this one time he said. He will not act upon the action of this one time, but just this time. If the Venir ever acted upon him and his closest ever again, if he chanced upon them doing injustice ever again, there will not be a next time for the clan.
Varsas will kill them all before that happen.
There was another thing that was on his mind at this moment.
'I will never give up on her.'
Varsas had a girl he cherished once upon a time. Had.
She is a healer, a magic user, a swordsman on par with the best of the best. He met her when he was starting out along with her then admirer, the prince of Mahaima, Vaine Mahaima, now the king to be of Mahaima. Vaine was also a close comrade, though they both fell in love with Viola and fought for her heart earnestly.
He and Vaine later ended up as friend and Viola his lover.
She has said that she loves him so but Vaine has also declared
I will never give up on her. If you were to be a bad husband to her, I would be there to fight for her honor. If you were to fail, I will be the one who attain her heart in the end.
Vaine and Viola was the final comrade he has at the end.
Varsas guessed he has failed along the way. After the war, he excitedly rushed home alone, one, to bring glory to the household, two, to ask his parent the permission to marry his love.
Going home did not end so well. Two long month of dealing with his personal issues and Margaret's death, barely keeping contact with his love, he set out to meet them again, his two comrades in the city of Mahaima. Viola was staying there as her family was there.
She was smiling at him when he returned, celebrating his return in fact with the whole city. He started there in Mahaima before bring peace to the world, Mahaima was remembered as the start of his whole journey and legend.
Viola did not know it, but he realized the strangeness in her smile, as he noticed the change in emotions of Vaine.
He pretended to set out back to his home again, only to confirm his suspicion. At night, in the castle ground, even as Vaine advanced relentlessly with his passion, Viola had falter and said something. He did not hear what she said but that night he left Mahaima, never to return again.
He has indeed failed as a man.
...Yet indeed he did not regret loving Viola. If Vaine is the one who has grasped her heart and provide her happiness and let it be. As the king of Mahaima surely Vaine can provide her with everything, he can protect her no matter what happened. As long as they are happy, he is content to never meet them again and be an obstacle to their love.
He simply left them.
Before he set out on the next step of his journey, Varsas Gungnir had one last thing to do.
He had realized it a long time ago, there is something evil sleeping underneath the city of Mahaima, that was why he set out to meet his two comrades there so urgently.
That was before he chanced upon their affair. After that he didn't want to make it any more awkward by making all three of them fighting together, instead after the night he left them, he went out alone to the temple where the old God slept and fought it alone.
He won the battle but this horrible injury is the result.
"Do you not feel regret? Do you not feel hatred of your fate? Don't you feel that you are just an instrument of the world to create the current world situation."
"O puppet of Fate, you are strong. Perhaps even stronger than me. But you will still be lacking what I have. That is freedom."
"...I saw the unfaithfulness of your lover. I also saw how much your friend's friendship is worth. I saw everything in the city of Mahaima as its god and original king."
"...How can a man live without any darkness. You. You have suppressed your with that terrible power. Mark my word, you can't live life like that. There will be a day when you will regret the decision to seal your heart."
"I am the destroyer of world. The god of old. To be trapped in a mortal plane in this wretched body and killed by a mortal... I- I am not content!"
It was a great battle, but the God talked too much.
After this Varsas knows exactly what he is going to do. He is going to visit the various charity organizations he set up, making sure that thing is going to run smoothly after he is gone. Then he is going to embrace the Gungnir's pacifistic motto, retreating to the wood and be a hermit while researching the old empire's technology and committing crime against God and nature by trying to resurrect his family.
It will be a long time for a true resurrection to succeed by his estimation.
And so the hero who ended the eternal war wonders on the street of the old city, ignoring his wounds while thinking about the future.
From this day on forth, Varsas Gungnir shall never partake in a war ever again. The one who was known as the war god has laid down his arms and embrace pacifism.
The hero suddenly falters and falls, face first, his strength left him.
"Varsas? Varsas!"
A familiar voice calls out to him, reminding him of his childhood. The voice of his mother calls out to him in distress.
"Am I dead?" And that is the last thing in his mind as Varsas fainted from the wounds.