Before you listen to my story, I want to ask you something.
How much do you love your friends? Your lover?
How many friends do you have?
How long have you known them?
Do you trust them?
Forgive me for asking such a tricky question, but if needs be and they were in trouble, how far would you go to protect them?
If a gun were pointed to their head, would you push them away and take the shot yourself?
Once again, I'm terribly sorry for asking this of you.
My name is Aria. I don't want to go in detail about what happened to me, but I wish you, in whatever it is you're doing, the best. Be it attending the high school I've only ever dreamed of, hanging out with friends and family, or just casually searching for a good book to read like this one, always strive to enjoy your moments to the fullest. And please, take my advice. If you ever see a magic circle appear beneath your feet, run. Run as far as you can. Don't make the same mistake my friends and I did.
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy listening to what I have to tell you.
***
Six years had past since that day. The magic circle which transported me and my friends to this hellish world. When you hear the word 'fantasy,' what do you think? You think about faeries, talking animals, sunshines and rainbows, do you not? Or if you're an anime fan like the vice student council president was, you'd be thinking 'harem,' 'isekai,' 'overpowered,' or stuff like 'adventuring,' and 'life of your dreams'?
That was what I thought too. So on the first day of my so-called 'reincarnation,' I was thinking I'd get to live freely, the life of my dreams, get to experience the things I've only ever dreamed of back on Earth. But it was all a lie.
The world of Ixtal, a place where the Gods are constantly at odds and the Holy Church/Church of Amaterasu hold the most influence. I believe I don't have to say much more about it.
Six years had gone by. Edith, who was my comrade, teamed up with the last surviving member of the Vampire race and a Half-Elf to destroy the God Amaterasu. I joined him on this journey, as it was our only option if we all wished to see our homes again.
Even though I knew things would turn out this way, I still marched head first into crimson battle field. I was no longer the dainty little 14 year old girl I was before. I knew how to fight, defend myself, and use the power of the Heavenly Faction, an ally of the Death Faction, to the fullest.
However, it was our arrogance and overconfidence which brought about our downfall.
One by one, our allies perished before our eyes. Rivers of blood turned the volcanic, rocky ground beneath our feet red. The frantic, bloodcurdling screeches of our allies were all which filled my eardrums. It was too late to turn back. Amaterasu had already descended upon the world. The creator of the universe and all its inhabitants' ethereal pure white featureless body 'looked' down upon us as if we were nothing but mere cockroaches to squish beneath his feet. Just the sight of him sent an overwhelming sense of fear throughout my body and automatically compelled me to my knees. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. None of us could.
"A-ARIAAAAAAAAA!"
"A-AAAH!" Just before a Heavenly beam of fire decimated me, Edith Myars, my closest ally, sprinted in front of me in desperation and deployed his unbreakable shield-the shield of Creation, crafted by the Ring of Creation situated on his index finger. His face was bloodied and cut open. One of his eyes were missing and his left arm flopped around unnaturally as he moved. His body was cut up and bloodied with a gaping red hole stabbed through his chest. The colour red gushed out of Edith's body like a waterfall.
The intensity of the beam forced me to look back-but not even that worked. The sheer intensity made my eyelids feel like they were melting-and my cornea likely suffered permanent, irreparable damage. All I saw was white-and all I heard was the sound of a lazer beam just inches from my face. A splitting headache shot through my head-and aching pains erupted in my stomach area, then my heart palpitated violently against my chest, ready to burst through at any moment.
"AAA-URRGHH…" Even though I wasn't the one shielding us, the toll on my body was more than I'd ever sustained. But Edith had it way worse.
The sweat mixed with blood on his face dripped to the floor continuously. His body was being pushed back, but regardless of the agony and suffering he embodied, he stood his ground and prevailed. Though temperatures treacherous enough to meld the flesh off my bones, I stared blankly at him.
"Nnnnn...Amaterasu…..No….I won't….let you lay a damn finger on Aria! MMMRRAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"E-Edith!" Edith struggled-the shield he released became smaller and smaller so that it was easily movable. Then he, despite his arm turning black from the flames leaking through, forced the beam sideways-and it shot off into the distance, destroying a mountain at the far north. His breath was haggard, but the God didn't relent.
"Damn you…" He cursed under his breath while staring upward.
"Nn…"
Just by looking directly at the body of God, you wouldn't be capable of moving a muscle. Edith, Airi and Aster were the only ones capable of going forward. No one else, including myself, wanted to or even had the courage to.
Why couldn't I do anything?
Edith was in front of me, doing all he could to ensure my life isn't unjustly forfeited while I just sat here, scared out of my mind, doing nothing but be a burden for my friends.
'Edith…'
"Nnn...Aria…" He staggered and collapsed to his knees. I jumped up to him and cast a healing spell upon his tired, beaten up frame.
"Don't give up. We can still win this." As a magic circle the form of a pentagram formed and a healing green aura emitted from my palms, Edith's vitality slowly regained. The blackness dissipated within seconds and his injuries started closing. I grimly smiled his way.
"I...I wouldn't say that…"
"E-Edith! Please, don't say that to me! Look how far we've come! W-we may be losing b-but-"
"Airi and Aster are dead."
"W-what?"
I froze. The temperatures began rising as the ground suddenly began to shake. I fell forward onto his back-but maintained the healing.
"Airi and Aster…" Edith ground his teeth and bit his lip so hard blood trickled down his mouth, "...I couldn't save them."
"N-No…"
'Airi...Aster…' Airi was Edith's lover. Aster, his strongest familiar.
'No...w-what'll we do now…? Those two were our strongest fighters...with them gone…'
"Nnn...it pains me to say this, but…"
His intense, dejected, somber eye locked with mine.
"...We failed."
"Fa..iled…?" The word 'failed' echoed in my mind. Over and over again, it replayed. But not even once did it register.
"B-but we c-can still w-win this, c-can't we? Edith? We've survived much worse than this, right? Th-there's no way-"
"Aria."
"Y-Yes?" His calling of my name snapped me back to reality.
"Listen to me. We failed. We're the only ones left of the rebellion. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if we were the only mortals in the world right now." He curtly snickered, "Amaterasu has killed every single one of the rebel Gods. Lumine, Atlas, Osiris, even Lord Alastor, the leader, is dead. All the allies who supported us throughout our journey are no more. We failed, and that's that."
"…"
'And that's that.' He says. But I refused to believe him!
"B-but we've come this far...how can you just say 'we failed' and that's that?! Have you lost your mind?! Did Amaterasu cast a spell on you to make you say such awful things?! Edith, how could you!?"
"Nnn…" All he did was smile sadly at my devastated face. I must've looked quite pathetic at this point. We both did.
In the background, Amaterasu knew exactly what we were feeling. He didn't move an inch. All he did was stare at us with those inexpressive mocking pure white eyes. The black clouds in the sky appeared to begin moving. Winds picked up and flayed about my long blonde hair. Tears welled in my eyes and slithered down my delicate white cheeks.
"No...you...you can't be saying this right now!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Edith seemed to understand. The look of acceptance in his only remaining ocean blue eye…
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Aria." He approached, and placed a soft hand on my cheek. The action only made me cry even harder, "I'm so, so sorry...I...Nnrng…" A single tear drop trekked down his face then onto my lap.
"Edith…"
Our eyes met. And silence was all that followed.
The sound of molten rock rising up from within the ground. The thunderous roars of the dark clouds hovering above us. The feeling of hopelessness forged by the God of Creation's power. Everything hit me at once. It was then, I truly understood what Edith meant.
Compared to the absolute authority of God, I was nothing.
I looked around. The location was the Demonic Territory, directly in the middle of the veil between Heaven and Hell. If one were to listen closely, they would hear the screams of the tormented sinful souls doomed to eternal hellfire. And just past that, the sound of singing and rejoicing on the other side.
But at this moment, all which filled my ear drums were sounds of sorrow.
As the God of the Afterlife, Osiris, was dead, the veil separating the three dimensions shattered, and a cataclysmic mixture of pleasure and everlasting death reigned supreme. Now the Angels, Demons, and kindred spirits furiously mixed together with one side trying to dominate the other.
This was only natural. If one person is experiencing eternal bliss while the other was suffering the worst of punishments, why wouldn't the worse-off try to overtake the better?
"...What should we do now? Just accept our fates and let Amaterasu kill us both?" Panicked for my life, my voice cracked as I spoke.
"No." He said, "Aria. Listen to me."
"Y-Yes Edith?"
He motioned to his right hand, which held two out of seven rings we previously collected. The Ring of Creation, a tool which held even a miniscule amount of the Lord's power, and the Ring of Time, which allowed a single entity to manipulate the very fabric of space and time.
He removed the Ring of Creation, held my left, and placed it on my marriage finger. Before I knew what was happening, it autonomously locked itself in place-sending an acute pain like a needle piercing throughout my arm.
"Ow…"
"Aria. I'm going to use Rewind to send you back to where it all began."
"Eh?"
"When you get there, please, right all the mistakes you and I committed. Join forces with as many of the factions, witch cults, I don't care, and take down Amaterasu so we can finally have a happy ending."
"W-what are you saying?! I-I'm not going to leave you!"
"You must." The resolve in his masculine voice rendered me speechless. He was serious. He really was going to force me to leave his side-the side I've leaned on since we were children.
"I'm sorry we were unable to go home together. I truly am. Which is why I'm not going to let you die here."
"E-Edith, slow down! You're not making any sense!"
"Be quiet and listen then!" He blurted out. My tear-stained face shook aggressively as I adamantly denied whatever it is he was doing.
"No! I'd rather die with you then! If I'm going to be forced to leave the side of the most precious person in the world to me, I'd rather the whole world would end! I will never leave you! No! Absolutely not! NEVER!"
"Aria!" Edith yelled at me-I continued resisting!
"NO!" Then just as I always did, I clung to him. Wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my weeping, pathetic little face into him and sobbing violently...just like I always did. The weak, powerless little girl in me never really left.
"Aria…" He tenderly hugged me with whatever strength he had remaining, "…You're such a child…"
I said nothing.
"...I love you."
"…"
"Please, forgive me for this. But I see that we have no more time."
"No...please...I don't wanna go...I don't want to leave you...I love you too, please don't send me away. If you're going to die, I want to die with you...Edith...I love you too…"
"I'm sorry. But as your childhood friend, I refuse!"
"Y-Yaaaaah!"
Just like that-he threw me away onto the red hot volcanic ground and threw his Ring of Time in my direction. It immediately lit up a brilliant blue-and Edith cast a shield around us both. Without my knowing, Amaterasu had sent another Heavenly beam our way-and Edith had barely been able to hold it back. His legs trembled, his only remaining arm even more quickly sustained irreparable burn marks, and his skin was being torn off from his bones as I watched and did nothing.
"EDITH!"
"GO!" He didn't turn back. He stood his ground. He refused to ever let me perish...even though that was all I wished.
"NO!"
"Don't let the same fate befall us again! You can save everyone! You know our future! Be the saviour that our past selves so desperately need in this hellish good-for-nothing fantasy world!"
"EEEDDDIIITTTHHHHHHHHHHH!"
And just like that...everything was gone.