For a couple of seconds, a sense of elation washed over Alexander. His desperate, last-ditch effort had paid off. The creature composed of shadows hellbent on killing him had been felled.
Sadly, reality came crashing down on him hard. Any positive feelings he was experiencing were soon drowned out by the sharp pain coming from his left leg.
During the battle, he had lost the lower part of one of his limbs, and blood was still flowing out of it at an alarming rate. If he did nothing soon, he would bleed to death.
'I've got to staunch it somehow.' Alexander thought, pushing all of his other worries into the back of his mind. He would focus on surviving for now and deal with whatever came next later.
Thankfully, he had been taught some basic fist aid from his uncle, who was also his sword instructor.
He hurriedly tore his shirt off and wrapped it around his leg as tightly as he could. Once the first knot was secure, he took a sheathed knife and tied it up with another knot. From there he began turning the knife to tighten the makeshift bandage.
During the process, the pain was beyond anything he had felt before. At several points, he could not help screaming out in agony. Still, he never stopped until he was certain that his blood was no longer flowing out of him.
After Alexander had finished preventing any more blood loss, he slumped back against a nearby piece of rubble.
His breathing was labored, and his body was covered in sweat. The pain had been a heavy burden on him, and it was lucky that he had not passed out or simply given up because of the agony.
"Damn, it hurts! Nobody tells you how horrible this is!" Alexander whined. In many ways, the forceful method he used to stop the blood flow was more excruciating than the initial injury.
This was his only real option to prevent himself from dying, however. He did not have any miraculous healings items on him, and other half measures that would not be quite as painful would have been ineffective.
Of course, even with what he had done, there was no telling how long he had left. A great deal of his blood was already lost, and without proper treatment, he was bound to die anyway.
'Just concentrate on what to do next. Don't give up hope until the end.'
Alexander attempted to search through his memories for anything that might help him, but ultimately came up with nothing.
If he was on a battlefield, the proper procedure would be to wait for help from his allies. However, high up in the mountains, inside a forgotten castle, there was no chance of someone coming along to rescue him.
The only things he had encountered in this place were creatures that wanted to kill and eat him. And not necessarily in that order. If a ghast got a hold of him, it was very likely that the undead monster would devour him alive in a manner far worse than he could even imagine.
'I don't won't to experience pain worse than what I am already going through.' Alexander thought, his expression warping into terror.
He had heard horror stories of people begging for death as a monster or beast sunk their teeth into them. If he was going to die anyway, that was not an outcome he would prefer.
Eventually, his eyes wandered to his sword that lay on the ground a couple dozen meters away. A slit throat would be far quicker than the horror scenarios he had been imagining.
'Is this really the end?'
Tears began to well up in Alexander's eyes now that his looming fate seemed unavoidable.
Prominent memories and feelings, both good and bad flooded his mind unabated.
First was how his father had demeaned him for the last two years, culminating in his hate for the man growing every day.
The scene of being told that he would essentially be sold off played through his mind next, and a dark sense of loathing filled Alexander.
"At least my death here will back him into a corner. I just wish I could see his face when the people he owes come to collect."
Alexander chuckled at his father's future misfortune, but any joy he derived from thinking about the man's downfall was short-lived
As much as he held disdain for his father, he very much loved his mother. She had always been kind and supportive, even when his lack of magical ability was discovered when he turned fourteen.
Before he had left on this foolish journey, she had caught him attempting to sneak out. Except, instead of stopping him, she had supported him. Even giving him the enchanted pendant she used when she was still a knight of the kingdom.
"I promised I would bring it back to her." Alexander muttered, looking forlornly at the caved in floor where the pendant had exploded. The last promise he made to his mother would be one he could not keep.
Images of his younger brother came into his mind after his mother.
Despite being disinherited, and the heirship that should have been his being given to his brother, Alexander could not come to hate his younger sibling.
Nickolai had always followed him around since they were young, and the two were quite close.
Even after his lack of aptitude for magic was discovered, Nicolai never once disparaged Alexander, and on several occasions attempted to encourage him.
Realizing he would never see his mother or brother again, weighed heavily on his heart. Among all of his family members, he was the closest with the two of them.
"I'll even miss my cold sister."
Alexander's older sister had always kept a fair distance from him. She was not outright hostile, but there was no doubt she disliked him.
It was all because he was the one supposed to receive their father's title, while she never had a chance. Of course, that was no longer completely the case. Now he was considered far lower in the family hierarchy than she was. At least according to their father.
More faces flashed through his mind as Alexander felt his consciousness slipping. Some were positive, while others were negative. All those that had made an impression on him were coming back to him as his life slowly crept towards its end.
Finally, the flash of a beautiful smile, and long, light blue hair reminiscent of the vast sky rose up from the depths of his memories.
"I thought I told myself to forget about her." Alexander said, a conflicting warm joy and cold pain in his chest.
He could vividly remember their first meeting, and their final parting.
Now that he was on the verge of death, everything he had been holding back seemed so meaningless now.
Alexander wanted to tell off his father, embrace his mother, support his brother, reconcile with his sister, and reconnect with the girl that had captivated him when he first laid eyes on her.
Regrettably, he would be unable to achieve any of these desires. It would not be long before he became another corpse wasting away in a long-forgotten castle.
'No! I have to at least try.'
Despite how futile it seemed, Alexander was not going to simply lie down and die. So long as there was any strength left in him, he would continue to struggle.
He forced his drooping eyes open and dragged his damaged and exhausted body over to his sword.
Using the weapon as a crutch, he unsteadily pulled himself up.
"It'll be slow, but I can hobble out of here. Getting down the mountain may be difficult, but I'll figure something out once I get there."
Alexander slowly began to move towards the large exit with precarious balance. He was using his sword to help keep himself up, but it certainly was not the best tool for this job.
Yet, as he wobbled along, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
An inky mass was forming out of the ground in one corner of the room.
Immediately, Alexander realized what it was, but before he could get away, another shadowy dragon had been fully formed.