Ralph gasps in pain as another one of his fingers is cut off and another one of his cheek bleeds. He only holds on to the leader of whom he swore loyalty to, Lacquer Tidelode. Ralph first met Lacquer when they were both only children and that fateful day was one he would never forget. Many pride themselves in protecting the weak but no one truly knows who is weak and who is strong, Ralph happens to be a meek giant but people only chose to see the giant, beyond his tough exterior he was just a child, but his peers couldn't see that and chose to destroy what they couldn't understand, they chose to beat the lonely child because he was large, the same way that man would kill unwitting predators, they were killed not because they did something bad but only because they were capable of it.
Lacquer however stood up for him as he saw the pain and weakness in Ralph, he saw himself whom everyone treated differently because he was capable of being different and Lacquer gave Ralph hope. "They aren't what we think we are, but you know what's so wrong with being strong even when you're weak". Ralph couldn't understand, becoming strong despite being weak? It was both paradoxical and illogical but for some reason it made sense. He only ever truly understood this at the first revolution, naturally because of his large build everyone expected him to enlist which he did despite being scared to his knees. The only good thing was he was able to see Lacquer once more and he had grown bitter and cold completely different to how he was as a child but his kindness still showed despite it.
Lacquer was still Lacquer despite how much he has changed, like a true leader he put his followers first and when people would see the leaders hanging back, Lacquer would be the first in line when the battlefield came and Ralph tried his hardest to be strong like him but in the middle of the war an enemy charges straight at him, it was both a brave and stupid move because of the physical difference the enemy was easily overpowered and as Ralph dropped his axe the enemy threw a helmet and punched him, he was shocked to see that the enemy was a woman, the Heidcheyser army was as tyrannical as they were rumored to be putting such a measly woman in the battlefield and Ralph finally understood what Lacquer meant, here was a weakling who was much stronger than him when it came to everything other than physical strength and Ralph despite knowing it was going to get him killed chose to spare the woman, in his own way this is the strongest he could ever be and as the woman pointed her sword as Ralph looked straight into her eyes and the woman's resolve also wavered, not long after that she laid down her weapons as well and in the middle of the battlefield there they stood, unmoving and silent.
By then the resolve of both allies and enemies grew weak, is what their fighting for worth dying for? More importantly is it worth killing another human being for? Those who felt weak suddenly became the bravest they ever were and the whole battlefield for a second wasn't filled with blood, when one looked deep enough it looked like it was filled with roses, who were filled with thorns yet didn't choose to harm anyone with it. However there were those with absolute resolve, and Ralph was stabbed by one of his own. When he awoke he was under enemy territory, in their infirmary and there he saw the woman who saved him, along with that both allies and enemies gathered. Ralph saw for the first time not the fight of light and darkness but like a shadow in a candle, despite the light and dark never being able to mix they could still coexist, like one's shadow always being in one's side.
Ralph was labelled as a traitor and a coward but Lacquer still forgave him and praised his kindness, he owed Lacquer a large favor allowing him to live a normal life with his wife their enemy but now Lacquer came to take that favor, he said that the king has become unfit and that he needed help to defeat him and Ralph could not refuse. He knew that the battlefield would come to take what it has spared and Ralph accepted that, he hugged his two kids tight and kissed his wife goodbye knowing that it would probably his last farewell.
Now he is beaten in order to have him betray Lacquer but he has changed, he may have been a traitor but he is still loyal, he may be a weak coward but he is still capable of being the strongest he had ever been, his only request is in his next life he get to finish his life with his beloved wife, see his children grow up to be respectable adults and to meet Lacquer again and tell him. "I'm strong like you thought I'd be"
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As much as I'd like to see Crystal's process I heard a knock from outside the shed, which no one other than Shadow and Blade knows of so I quickly go there, I can't have distractions in such an important time, as I open it was a man of whom I didn't know.
"Lord Spade?"
"Who's asking?"
"I'm one of your followers, Blade told me you'd be here"
"What do you need then?"
"I rushed here to tell you that there is a slight delay in the arrival of your army and the enemy forces might have an escape route"
"How long?"
"A quarter of an hour"
Damn I have to act on this then.
"Come with me"
The boy slightly older than Crystal but can't be older than me followed.
"What's your name?"
"Jacob sir"
"Do you have magic Jacob?"
"Only creating mist"
"That's perfect follow my lead and I want you to fill the southern area of the grooves with mist"
Jacob said as I told and went straight below, while I started making a spell of my own. The way Mirror World works is that it makes my memories visible to anyone I cast it to but I have never tried casting it to a crowd and not my memories from my past life. This is the perfect way to know. I hide from afar and see that the battle is brewing as Sabre did bring his men.
The cave which was reported by Wyatt is large but not enough to shelter 300 people and so camps were created nearby and I could see some men cooking and some sharpening their knives, back in the deeper parts magic can be seen, all sorts from fire to glowing yellow crap, I have no idea how diverse magic can be to be honest.
If I were to direct an attack I'd probably wait for sunset with the low visibility but I did warn Sabre that he was under time pressure because there's no telling what Wyatt will do so I really can't stall any further and as I estimate it won't be for another 10 minutes until the arrival of backup but I assume that Sabre's men won't lose.
I simply investigate for now and hope that Jacob is doing as he is told, he will need to keep it much longer. I finally see Wyatt and he is being berated by his superior so they probably took the lie, poor guy isn't having the best of day, well if you want to talk about bad days then the big man I tortured would probably the one who has it, they did nothing wrong too. It takes a bit of indifference to do what I do and I know that these people also have families and children like I was who are about to lose their parent and I would have to live with that forever. There comes a point where a soldier chooses between growing bitter from guilt or blind devotion, the sort that you would see in loyal Japanese soldiers who would kill themselves if ever they're defeated, the sort of blind devotion that makes one believe that there are bad people in this world when the truth is there is none, there are only people, people who like us are trying to live with their values and trying the best they can to be "good'".
It seems the attack has begun and in fictions it seems to go on forever and for those fighting it really does but when you come to observe it, it's practically a minute, but in just a minute everything can change. I observe as the unwitting Bronsleyt soldiers are attacked by Sabre's men lead by Sabre himself and I never really saw him in battle but his name is well suited for him, he seemed as if he was one with his blade as he chopped off the heads of even the magic users all without the support of any visible magic.
The reactions of the soldiers can be divided into two, those who counter-attacked and those who fled, luckily most chose to attack but as for those who fled I started to make the move of my own. I first casted those who were the fastest and I made them see that time I was surrounded by the mafia, yeah before I died and they were petrified as even how I felt at the time can be remembered, next I tried casting to a crowd and I made them see "Scarecrow" the villain in the comix who is most iconic for his mists that cause fear and creepy look and I just made them see a glimpse of it and then slightly delayed but barely about time the mists from Jacob's magic showed and it scared the crap of a lot of the soldiers as they fled west. What's in the west you ask? Just Vengeance soldiers, Shadow told me earlier that he was lucky to have caught the second in command and his assistant talking to a Bronsleyt scout and he just took them both by surprise using his creepy shadow hole, by the way "Shadow Hole" is what he called it.
Those who realized fled east but some unluckily went staright to their camp and were killed by the rebels not wanting anyone to know their location, now all that was left was those who ran east, and with luck they would be intercepted and killed by Blade's men. Their yellow and green garnments make them easily detectable, they should have just worn proper white garments, oh wait crowds coming out of the forest in unison is suspicious you say? Yeah hahaha they're fucked.
My job was done so I went back to their camp to talk to Sabre but I happened to bump into Wyatt and at first he was terrified but he recognized my voice.
"I want you to bring this letter to my family and give them this black necklace, you owe me!"
"Wyatt, if you run in any direction they will kill you in brutal ways. If you should let me, I will give you a quick and painless death"
Wyatt looked at me with despair in his crying eyes and he nodded and bowed. With one swift pull from his neck I killed him, this is the first that this body has ever killed, well that's not true, I'm responsible for the death of 300 men today. I bet I won't be sleeping again tonight heh, guess having a conscience have a downside to it too.
"This letter and necklace, they'll reach your family I promise, I'm sorry it had to be this way Wyatt"
I close the man's eye and I leave his dead corpse be.
I get back to the shed and Alfron and Zyderine looked at me with regret.
"What happened?"
"We went too far"
"Is he dead?"
"Still breathing but, incapable of talking"
I enter the room and it was far worse than I had imagined, amputated arm, face covered in stone shards and blood everywhere, I had no idea these two were capable of such brutalities. I look at the man and he looks back at me, his eyes bloody and as if he was crying tears. They did all of this to him and yet he still didn't talk.
"What's your name"
"R....al...ph"
"Ralph, I'm sorry you had to go through all this. The only thing I can grant you now is a swift death to free you from the pain but before I do, I want you to know that you are the strongest man I have ever met, and Lacquer would be proud to call you his comrade"
I then take a knife and strike his heart, but I missed and instead hit his lung, he screamed for one last time and spoke.
"My love"
As far as last words come it's not the best but this man, I feel pity for him. Carrying the burden of the murder of 302 men I quietly weep for them for I know how it feels to have died having no one to do so for you but to the men I have killed today, I will forever remember them and carry the burden of having been the one to take their lives, of being the selfish man who put his own life above another's.
I cry in silence with bloodied hands and for the second time I felt what it feels to kill a man for the first time.