The fall of the Halberd Hero

I still look back fondly on my humble beginnings in this world, when I get reminded that these 'humble beginnings' are much closer than I thought them to be.

Back then, when I picked up that flyer, I would have never imagined a moment like this,

Because now, sweaty handed, I am about to face a catastrophe.

Within the blink of an eye, I was back on land, when I was in a ship moments later.

And next to me, an extensive group of people, of which only two knew how to fight.

And as I observed my surroundings, I almost threw up out of worry: We were somewhere entirely unknown to me, on a random hill, neighbouring a small village, rather than in Langeston, where we had expected the waves to arrive.

Now, all alone, we lacked the protection of the city guard.

There was no way I could protect all of my companions, let alone save the people in that village.

And while they were bunching together, discussing what to do, my mind wandered to dark places.

"Reg'! Where are we?"

"Meredith! Yeh fuckin' idiot, do yeh know how worried Ah was?"

.

.

.

'How long will it take until one of them dies because of me again?'

.

"Yukiko? Are you okay Yu?"

"Old man, do yeh know where we are?"

.

.

'Are monsters gonna show up? I'm so scared.'

'I'm no hero. And… And yet I dare to go around holding this title, that I don't deserve.'

.

'It should have been me who died that night. Maybe then, The old man could have regained his smile.'

'I should have never let Elisa join my party, maybe then she would still playfully spend time with her mother, rather than wasting her life with my rotten self.'

Unconsciously, I take a step back, causing the groups attention to fall on my unstable body, struggling to take a single step without breaking down.

And seeing me in this state, Meredith lost the color in her face.

"T-This shithead… She's completely out of it! W-What are we gonna do now?!", she says, catching a glimpse of a monster emerging from the forest nearby.

In fear, she points at the horrid creature, that appeared to be a giant rat with disproportionally long legs and a jarringly wide mouth, that could fit an entire arm in it.

And in panic, she started running towards the village, her crew companions soon following suit.

Meanwhile, Elisa was trying her best, grabbing me by my shoulders and shaking me back and forth, screaming an almost inaudible cry,

"Wake up, stupid!"

Unsure what to do, Bran stands by the sidelines, until Reginald comes up to him and hands him something,

"I'm sorry for this. Ah'll follow my sister, so try t' stay safe. As soon as yeh're done 'ere, please come t' t' village, since we'll need yer help.", he said hastily before running after his sister.

Bran, looking down on his palm, saw a single key, with a name engraved on its head, lying in its grip.

But now was not the time for this. Looking up with determination, he screamed out,

"Elisa! I'll distract the monsters for now, so go and see to it, that Yukiko wakes up!"

"But-"

Elisa wanted to deny this outlandish idea, but stopped when she saw the old man pull out a small hammer. There was a determination is his movements that made her understand not to interject.

A large crowd of monsters already surrounded them, possibly lured here by the commotion that ensued after being teleported. And without Yukiko, they wouldn't be able to beat them.

So, out of any other options, Elisa decided to resort to the last means she could think of.

Her warm fingers move crankily towards Yukiko's face, finally grabbing it by the cheeks.

*gulp*

Slowly, Elisa's hands slide along Yukiko's face, finally meeting at the back of her head and pulling her forward.

One last time, Elisa takes a look at Yukiko's face, that was still drained of its color and her brows sweating, until her gaze got stuck on her lips.

She couldn't turn back anymore, so she pulled her in for a kiss, pressing her hot and soft lips against Yukiko's harshness.

.

This tingling sensation, that filled me with so much warmth, ended up pulling me back into reality.

.

.

I couldn't forget my mistakes and perhaps I myself am a failure, yet there are still those that I need to protect.

And… there are still those that love me, despite all of my faults.

So, grabbing Elisa's shoulders, that perked up immediately, as if shocked by the sudden touch, I push her away.

Splitting our lips, I could see an expression that was unlike any others, plastered on Elisa's flushed face.

I tried to savour the moment, before Elisa pushed me to the side, shouting out to Bran,

"She's back! Try to hold on a little longer!"

Right, now was not the time for this. Now, that there was a certainly much smaller group of people to protect, I could feel my confidence grow back.

Maybe if it's with Elisa by my side, I can beat them.

In the end, as long as it's her that survives, it would be enough for me.