Season 1

000

A wrecked battleground is before your eyes.

Surrounded by countless amounts of bodies and weapons.

On the icy and cold tundra, the sharp freezing wind blows loudly.

In the climactic throes of battle, the slowly dwindling few dozen survivors stood divided on two sides.

The side of our enemy stood only one person. The helmetless warrior draped in formidable armor and a billowing black fur cape, defying the howling winds of destiny.

This veteran of war bore insignia of countless seasoned battles, his physique and posture were a testament to unparalleled strength. 

Despite the passage of years, his visage remained untouched by time, preserved by extraordinary genetics and a mastery of martial prowess that belied his age. His silver hair cascaded to his shoulders, adorned with crimson streaks at the tips. 

He gripped his sword and pointed it towards his enemies, everyone else alive on the battlefield was his enemy. 

With a fierce grip on his blade, he raised it defiantly, every living soul on that battlefield was his adversary.

In his eyes, all of us were obstacles and an enemy to be eliminated.

"Why does no one move? Are you scared now? After coming this far?!"

The others struggled to move and inched around in their spot.

Not a single person dared to move. No one flinched; the stakes were fatal, and a single misstep would mean your ticket to the abyss. This is not a joke. 

One minor error could mean your demise.

Standing alone was the Emperor of the Northern Empire.

All individuals on our side, in one way or another, were interconnected with the United Allied Nations in various ways. The strife between the UAN and the Northern Empire had endured for an extensive duration, draining the determination of both factions. 

The Northern Empire had borne significant casualties and the Alliance hadn't escaped unscathed either.

Nearly every enlisted soldier, daring adventurer, or greedy mercenary who had enlisted for this conflict had met a tragic end.

Now, at this very juncture, fate teetered on the edge, the conclusive phase of this grand battle on the verge of commencement.

Composed of only the most elite of the elite.

The strongest and most resilient people that the world had to offer...

And yet, all would not dare act rashly in front of the Northern Emperor.

One of our allies spoke.

"Emperor Bloodwinter, you are outnumbered. Just surrender and-"

Outnumbered?? What an idiot.

With a quick diagonal slash from his sword, Emperor Bloodwinter sent out a powerful silver blade of magic cutting across the ground at tremendous speeds.

Normal people wouldn't even be able to witness it and die without even knowing what hit them.

Stronger martial artists or magicians couldn't dare to even dream of blocking it.

Before the blade of magic made contact, several magicians of the highest class procured spells to erupt barriers on top of barriers to stop the attack.

One of the magicians in green robes shouted out to the Ruler of the North.

"Emperor Bloodwinter, this is your last chance! Stop this nonsensical fighting and-"

And before the magician could finish his sentence, he was already seeing the world from a different place. That is, I mean upside down, of course. Since he's dead.

-Oh, there goes his head. 

The magician's body dropped to the ground. His head flung several meters away and rolled next to the ground near my feet. 

You can still see his face in shock. Not even realizing he has died.

The death of the green-robed magician was what ignited the fight. No one was up for a conversation. It's too late. 

Everyone, with synchronized determination to end the war, got ready and braced themselves. 

Our forces launched an assault on the Northern Emperor.

Following their lead, I did as well.

At first, it was feeling rather optimistic. Emperor Bloodwinter's attacks were brutal but the vanguard was composed of the strongest individuals from all over the world and they withstood the Emperor's relentless spells and sword techniques. Hope flickered brightly.

Incredible teamwork and synergy between different powers stood strong against the Emperor's unyielding barrage of magic and swordsmanship. Further back, a mix of spellcasters and ranged fighters held their ground.

No one had died.

Oh, shit. I spoke too soon. I just saw a fellow adventurer of mine collapse on his knees and fall face-first into the ground. He suffered from a fatal wound to his chest. 

As the battle reached its midpoint, our forces were dwindling. Our ranks thinned to roughly 80% of our initial strength. Yet, the Northern Emperor remained an unyielding force. Standing as strong as he started.

To be honest, we were all just busy buying time for our healers to restore our main character of this war to life. We were all engaged in a desperate race against time, providing a shield the healers needed. The main protagonist.

Previously, our hero had borne the brunt of the confrontation, fighting not only with Emperor Bloodwinter but also with his formidable royal guards. Standing alone against them, our hero suffered severe wounds, teetering on the edge of death.

But I prevented his death by my intervention. He would have totally bled out if it wasn't for me.

He had deep wounds all over his body, his right leg was chopped off from the knee down, and he lost his entire left arm.

On a more positive note, it's a great thing he's right-handed.

I luckily had an elixir on me, one of the highest quality ones.

(To be honest...I stole it from the hero a while back so I guess it's my fault we are in this position.)

Upon force-feeding the elixir contents to the hero, that motherfucker still didn't wake up.

Fortunately, his limbs recovered so there was no need for concern that he would die. Since I shoved the elixir contents down his throat, that would've alleviated the immediate threat of mortality.

...But his wounds seemed to have affected him greatly as it wasn't just physical wounds he endured during his fight. His battle scars ran deeper than the physical realm.

I'm not a doctor but it's a good thing we have one on our side.

He said something like, "He has sustained heavy magic and physical damage beyond the realm of a superhuman thus his soul is shattering. Even if his body is fully functional, without his soul intact, we are left with a spiritless body half-dead and half-alive."

Surviving each day as an adventurer was an immense struggle. Even as the days passed and I slowly got accustomed to the challenges, it evolved into something meaningful. It's not such a bad life. I made a lot of friends and I wanted to go see the world. It transformed into a journey of camaraderie and connections.

The world beckoned, and I yearned to embrace it. Humans can only live for so long, even with magic. Knowing the fleeting nature of a human's life, I wanted to make the best of my time and see everything there was to see.

It was fueling a tender urgency to make the most of our ephemeral time. I wanted to savor every moment and explore the world's wonders with a compassionate heart.

But SOME assholes just HAD to be at war with each other. Don't get me wrong just because I am fighting on the side of the Alliance right now, doesn't mean I am in full support of them. The same goes for the Empire. I don't hate the United Allied Nations or the Northern Emperor. But that doesn't mean I like either of them.

Objectively, I understand both sides reasons. I just wish that they choose a better time to wreak havoc across the world.

Since the start of this prolonged and seemingly futile war, innumerable innocent lives have been lost and sacrificed in the crucible of conflict. The adventurer and green-robed magician who had already passed were dear comrades to me. 

The relentless toll of this battle left me wiggling my toes and always asking myself a question: what had all this sacrifice amounted to? So many lives were effortlessly extinguished. All for the sake of killing this one dude?

No offense to the Emperor but this just seems like a cycle of tragedy.

People have died just for the ending to be more killing?

How cruel and unforgiving this world is.

As the climactic battle drew near its peak, the end was close. Our forces were reduced to a mere 60% of our initial manpower. The hero has woken up from his ordeal but is in no state to join the fight. His condition left him incapacitated.

He can see and communicate fine but his body is shaking. Trembling with the mere aftermath of the wounds incurred from his recent encounter.

The doctor said something like, "Your shattered soul was just repaired and the connection between body and soul needs to stabilize!"

"I need to fight!", the hero argued, "so many have died just to buy me time! I cannot let THIS go on any longer!"

With some resistance, the healers and the doctor pushed the hero back onto the ground. Some priests held the hero down so the others could continue healing the hero.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Bloodwinter jumped into the air, the forefront that was engaged in battle spread out in different directions to avoid getting caught in the sudden attack that the Emperor would unleash.

Everyone expected an attack to cover an extensive area.

However, that was just a ruse.

With a swift and calculated motion, the Northern Emperor pulled back his arm and hurled his sword. His weapon was infused and enveloped in a searing, wild, and colorless flame. That was an unmistakable mark of a martial artist's Aura, ablaze with a fierce intensity.

The sword was aimed directly at the hero. The healers and other people who were close to him had no such skill to block an attack from the Northern Emperor. Especially if it's infused with the Aura of one of the strongest people in the world.

All the other fighters are too far and the ones who fight at a distance are useless against the speed of that sword.

Sigh.

The hero had a funny expression. It was the first time I ever saw him so shocked.

"Y-you!", the hero stutters, "Why!? What of our promise to see the wonders of the world after!"

Tears started to sprout from his eyes. Wow, that makes me emotional. That wasn't sarcasm either. I genuinely started to cry as well.

The hero held me in his arms as I had a sword stuck through my chest. The healers tried to heal me...but you can't repair something of this level in time. Not without an elixir.

Is this karma?

I tell the hero my dramatic last words, "You're the best and last hope for us. Win for me."

The hero ushered me not to talk, "Stop it! You will live! Focus on breathing! Focus! Channel your Aura all over your body to close your wounds and then use your magic to apply self-healing spells, we can-"

I slapped the hero in the face.

"Hero, stop it. How can I breathe without my entire upper half anymore?"

I tried to smile but it just made me cough up blood.

It's disgusting how my tears and snot mix in with the blood.

In a few moments, I will die. The only thing keeping me alive this long is my remaining aura and mana. Though, it was draining rapidly. 

"Do your best, hero."

I felt his hands getting colder as he trembled and held onto me tightly.

Wait, that's just me who's getting cold.

My eyelids feel heavy and I can't stop them from dropping. It appears this is where I die.

If only I could witness the end of that fight. I'm sure we could've tired the Emperor out and then thrown the hero in to finish the job. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my last breath.

My eyes closed and I could no longer hear the sounds of the battle. All five of my senses seemed so numbed to the point where it felt like I was dead. I mean, I guess that's the point, right?

My consciousness drifted away and it felt as if my soul forcefully disconnected from my dying body.

Drifting around in a seemingly endless space. Devoid of all of my senses and unable to perceive or to even think.

Hold on I feel something...

SHIT, THAT'S COLD.

I sprung up from a cold metal bed.

"Where the hell am I."