I laid my eyes in the darkness of the night sky, a soothing view for my head reign by doubt. The stars that are shimmering from the east to the west of the sky gave an entertainment for my life fueled by the vague will. The cold wind that passes by drops a nonexistent cloak on my shoulder that brought comfort to my existence that faces a calamity, or maybe facing the uncertain.
The fatigue in my body is heavier than the weight of those numerous chains that each prisoner has on their body. I closed my eyes and I can see the darkness of the action I took, an action that defies my role to be righteous. I am a Heroine, yet I felt like I am the True Villain in a facade masked by the "Will of Good", and I cannot turn back time or bring the death of those I killed and punished in order to be the hero that the people want.
Every time I laid my back down to my bed there were hands pulling me down to the abyss of guilt, familiar hands from the dead, people that died because I killed them for the sake of good or my duty. The mirror that I adorned in my house and always wanted to see became the reflection of my nightmares, numerous faces of those who beg for me to be spared but died in the end, the whispers or their prayers for salvation always came to my ears and stuck to my mind forever. Even the food that I intake reminds me of all of my regrets, my thirst for hope cannot be replenished by the drinks I enjoyed before and by many. Am I a hero? or Am I a villain?
Maybe he is right, the remaining villain I need to defeat and punish with death. He is a villain, but I can feel the "Will of Good" inside of him not in the same manner as how the heroes of this Empire do. He delivers the will to do good by using unorthodox tactics like being a villain and enemy of the empire, he is also someone I have been fighting and trying to be punished by death or kill for a decade already yet I developed a bond with him. A bond that I hate but I like at the same time, I cannot count how many cuts I received from him, wounds and scars from his blade and magic, well at least I am not the only one who bears the same suffering I have in my body, he is also my companion from this endless conflict and regret of our actions. Sadly, he will die tonight, I already prepared and put poison in his drink the assassin I hired came back already a couple of minutes ago so, my last enemy and my companion from this conflict for a decade already will finally say goodbye and be in peace.
I should leave this fortress tomorrow there is no need for me here anymore, but I should at least enjoy my remaining time here on the balcony or brattice while gazing at the night sky and when I looked down, I can see the waves of the sea on a rampage towards the foot of this fortress together with those rock formation pointing upward like blades that can stab through my body. The cold wind passes by again, but this time there was no comfort but guilt and tears streaming down from my eyelids. I killed the person that may change this empire and expose those who bear the "Will of Good", I am sorry but I need to do it. I need to drink something to replenish this guilt and sadness I have right now, a mazer filled with wine would be enough right?
I chugged the wine down to my throat without hesitation and throws the mazer to the sea, and I wiped my tears with the handkerchief I have in my pocket and I felt something burning. POISON! I can feel something burning inside of me from my stomach going up to my head, I am also losing the feeling of my legs, my hands trembling like there is an enemy in front of me. I can smell something too familiar to me, blood, coming down from my eyes and ears. I need air! I am unable to breathe for five minutes already, wait, the symptoms of the poison I accidentally drank have the same symptoms of the poison I brought for him. "Venenum meum" is the poison I bought and maybe the same poison that delivers my death.
I lean my back on the top rail of the balustrade, struggling to balance my body from falling down and meeting a terrible end at the sea, yet the burning sensation inside of me continues to engulf and rage from my stomach up to my head. My ability to speak and breathe had gone missing, and my lips had begun the process of becoming discolored. While my legs totally lose the use to stand and my trembling hands cannot stop me from falling.
At my death door, only the violent waves of the sea and the sharp edges of those huge and tall rocks will welcome me and pass through my body. While I was falling, I felt anger and agony, and even until now guilt never leaves my side. Did someone betray me? Is it the Emperor? the Pope? or the Heroic General? I don't know who might betray me. Maybe he also prepare and ordered someone to assassinate me with the same poison I have for him? Is this instant karma? being killed by the person I just killed on the same night I die? Am I dying right now? or I am just dreaming and seeking an escape from this conflict? Did I fulfill my duty as a hero? or did I fail to do my role as the hero of the people? Will these regrets finally leave me? or stay with me until my next life? But, at least I can finally be in peace and away from this decade of chaos and rest happily with my dead companions.
I am...
"VILLA!" I heard a raucous shout of my name, coming from someone I had known for years or decades, and a face that I last saw 3 years ago before turning into ashes, "What are you doing! We are UNDER ATTACK!" a hand quickly slapped me at the back and rather than pain I felt comfort.
A hall? I can hear hundreds of swords clashing and being dropped to the ground with the stain of blood on the blade, fire running like a wild beast from one corner to another, an explosion from the ceiling together with heavy and big debris falling down and crushing those warriors fighting without end. I know this place, I have been here before many times and, I thought I was falling earlier and died. But why? Or what happened?
A man descended from the ceiling and crush someone's skull to the ground with just his foot, a tall man with a fit physique that can crush anyone and rip their limbs apart without mercy, his long hair can tell you how long his patience can be before he grabs you at the neck and chokes you until death, his hair reflects the darkness or the filthy acts he committed to mankind, a man that I know well for a decade. The same man that I suspect of poisoning me, the man that I tried to punish with death multiple times while maintaining my morals and doing my duty as a hero, yet he is the same man I assassinated with poison. He is known as the Fortress of Evil, one of the 8 Nefarious of the Empire.
"Almazan." I can feel my blood boiling through my veins, my hand seeks the hilt of my sword, and with an extremely firm hold, I let the power of my light bless my sword with strength and power to bring the darkness I am about to face to answer his crimes and bring justice to the people.
Without anyone stopping and being a burden to me, in a quick response faster than the wind, I ran and swung my sword before the darkness looked straight into my eyes, "You are faster than the wind, but a disappointment to your magic. Such a shame, you are not faster than light." He uttered with a malicious smirk on his lips, a deep and deceiving tone of his voice, and the shadow of darkness behind him taking the role of his guardian without any second being waste, the swing of my sword was grabbed by the darkness, and thrown away just like a pebble at the river.
"You are Villa? right," he asked after throwing me away a meter from him and stopping someone's sword with just his hand before it reach his head, he shattered the blade with pure strength and with a swift punch to the knight's chest plate drilled a hole through his body and died with no heart and lungs left, "Nice to meet you and, please let me kill you with ease." He finally grabbed the hilt of his blade and while pulling it out from the sheath the limbs of darkness can be seen from the hilt until the tip of the blade, he raised it pointing at the broken ceiling, and lunch massive attack-like arrows or a gigantic wolf of the abyss chasing and ready to devour me.
Rather than avoiding his attack, I ran quickly in the same direction as the gigantic wolf of the abyss and grabbed the hilt of my sword with both of my hands, immediately jumped high, and with the bursting embers of light conquering the blade of my sword, I slice the wolf and lunch an attack in a shape of a falcon made with dozens of shards of light going straight to the foe who summoned the wolf to chase me.
"Nice to meet you as well, Almazan, I am Villa the Valkyrie of the People, and I am here to punish you with death in order to bring justice and peace," I stated firmly and confidently while he ripped my attack with his hand together with a sudden burst of laughter, he still has that vicious laugh I want to erase from my memories, "Light and Darkness, Hero and Villain, and a Woman against a Man. Such, a typical fate is this."
I've returned to the same hall, same time, and the same situation when we first met and fought. Almazan, I will kill you this time without the use of poison, but with the sword forged by my morals.