█he sky was red.

  The moon split into two colours.

  Exhaled breath firmly asserted it’s presence before dissipating.

  The sky was that darkened blackened blue.

  Getting up, the fallout of that attack was everywhere. Buildings destroyed with red ice. Some cleaved like the sky. The ground was the same.

  Near the corpse of Gray was shredded fingers blown to bits from red ice.

  In the red sky, red snow fell.

  Leading the vanguard was that sword made of the same red ice.

  Red red red.

  Those far away stood a better chance.

  “...Damn bastard.”

  Getting up I looked down at myself.

  Ice in my abdomen. Lodged and can’t touch it. It grows even with minor movement.

  Sticky blood flowed from my right arm when shattered debris from the ground nicked and struck it.

  “Tch.”

  The fingers left were dazed or mostly consumed by that ice.

  Even that immortal bastard was out of commission.

  Taking this as a cue, I trudged along the cracked path to finally get out of this place.

  Suddenly I felt all my hair go up.

  Jumping back, the spot I was in before was enveloped in black flames.

  My body tingled with alarms blaring. I threw my body to the right.

  That area was subjected to those black flames crushing the ground and sending debris from the destroyed symmetrical bricks everywhere.

  I covered my face as it hit me.

  The sound of boots crunching in the forming layer of snow came closer.

  “Fuck fuck fuck.”

  The small ice in my abdomen was growing.

  I need to get rid of it.

  Getting up again, I faced the one who used magic.

  Akelia’s head.

  Dammit dammit dammit!

  I grit my teeth as signals sprout in my head.

  They’re no better than I am because of that bastard.

  Red ice seeping into the right shoulder.

  They quietly started chanting again.

  “Eriflleh, enalp sith no etingi…”

  Where they pointed, black flames shot out to devour as soon as the spell was done.

  “Kuh–!”

  I leaped and nearly fell but regained my footing and ran. Cold air enters my lungs.

  Even the heat from the flames couldn’t be felt from the newly formed weather.

  The strength in my legs strained as I dashed towards Gray’s body.

  Akelia’s head followed with a passive face.

  Stopping near the severed arm, I turned my head while heaving for breath. The head went at a leisure pace not fast enough to break into a run.

  I looked back at the arm.

  The lower arm had a loose grip on the red sword.

  Putting my hand around the arm to grasp the sword firmly, and readjusting the severed arms grip on it.

  The hand contrasted with a dimming heat compared to the freezing cold from the sword.

  It didn’t affect the severed arm but it did for my hand. Small ice crystals started forming on the skin.

  The head slowed and warily stared at me.

  At ready for anything I do.

  We locked eyes.

  I charged forth.

  They started chanting.

  Right before entering close range, I threw the arm holding the red sword.

  “...en gni– Reirrab, noitcetorp su tnarg.”

  A yellow spherical wall formed.

  The arm was blocked by it. However the red sword phased through it as if it wasn’t even there.

  Due to the angle of the arm it spun out of the hand. The target still in the trajectory.

  With belated surprise, the head narrowly avoided being struck by the sword. Their dark blue clothing ripped as it passed them. The red sword lightly dug into the ground easily where it stayed.

  I aimed the knife at their neck while they were distracted by it.

  The head leaned backwards as if they knew.

  The knife never ruptured their throat. My hand holding it only grazed it as their eyes looked down at me.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Kahk–!”

  Their elbow dug into my back.

  Making me plummet to the ground.

  Their leg kicked me in the chest. Sending me slamming into a wall. I could barely breathe.

  In my dazed vision I saw them coming.

  Not yet.

  Not yet.

  They chanted again.

  I know what it will be.

  I must.

  I must.

  I-I must.

  This can’t be for nothing.

  So pointlessly.

  Stupidly.

  I pulled myself out. My body creaked and my legs had no strengt█.

  “Ha…ha…ha…”

  I can’t breathe.

  Survive.

  I must.

  I threw the satchel far away to draw the head’s eyes.

  Exactly as they wanted they went to pick it up. Leisurely.

  My body trembled as I crawled away.

  I got this far, what's one more.

  It was wet beneath me.

  Cold red snow piling around me.

  Turning into liquid from expelled heat.

  The sound of snow behind me crunched.

  More and more.

  Fuck.

  These shitty–!

  I kept pulling myself faster.

  The quiet murmuring from the head was getting clearer.

  Gritting my teeth, I reached out farther and farther. It wasn’t enough.

  Vibration’s behind me were now next to me.

  The boot of the head blocked my path.

  Satchel in hand and that passive face.

  “....eth trap.”

  Ah.

  Their hand arced to create the spell.

  At that moment my death was predetermined.

  My balled hands loosened.

  The sound of thunder echoed.

  And–

  And?

  The head staggered and fell.

  The satchel now out of their hand.

  “O guide.”

  In the right hand, something of gold and black spun while they raised their arm.

  “Your answer?” They smiled insanely.

  ****

  “Howdy Adrian!”

  The man addressed as Adrian looked at everything and back at Gray.

  “What… is all this?”

  “Dunno. Something strange happened here…” he brazenly lied.

  Someone alerted the guards after hearing all the noise.

  But the weapons they hold are strange.

  Like thick spears. But the metal tip was thin and long. Sleek and refined too.

  The sky was the same as yesterday.

  The sun rose while pushing away the darkened blue with radiance.

  An answer….

  “Dare I say a convoluted relation to the wonderful neighbor next door?”

  The head of Adrian tilted with confusion on his face.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out with these guys.”

  He pointed at Akelia’s head. Who was ironically missing their own head.

  “...Right.”

  Akelia's head.

  Missing their own head with the upper body having the arms connected barely by an extremely thin flesh thread.

  I couldn’t see after falling unconscious.

  Gray turned around awkwardly and walked in front of me, then squatted.

  “██████.”

  “How do you know my name…”

  “I know everything and know nothing.”

  What kind of–….

  “Your answer?”

  “I live for myself.” I said flatly.

  He snorted with a gleeful sneer.

  “Happy?”

  “Verily.”

  …Why ask me stupid ass questions in the first place. I wonder. Not really.

  “In fact I find it the stuff humanity is as a whole.”

  What.

  He stood up.

  “Great in the sense of progress in humanity's existence. Great in empathy.”

  “What are you–”

  “But why do we have two sides then? Awful in the rights of others and… treatment of others. Awful in apathy.”

  ….

  “It’s duality. I hate it. I love it. I love hating it. I hate loving it. Likeable is likeable. Unlikeable is unlikeable.”

  I could feel a frown furrowing.

  “Likeable is unlikeable. Unlikeable is likeable.”

  So what.

  What does that have to do with my answer?

  “Of course I’m no different. I am ‘flawed’ after all. ‘Perfectly’ so.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Just saying it’s fine.”

  I blinked.

  His hollow eyes gleamed with something indescribable. Yet they just look like dark brown eyes.

  “I’ll just laugh at all your mistakes.”

  Never mind.

  A bastard is a bastard through and through.

  “Then!” he clapped his hands. “What’re you gonna do?”

  “Does this look like I can do anything?”

  “Haha No.”

  At best a few days. Worst, some weeks.

  But I can move after a bit of time.

  My chest aches as if protesting.

  “Would you like me to help or will ya dip first?” he rubbed his chin.

  “I’m leaving.”

  “Sad, sad.”

  You're not sad at all.

  The smile as he shook his head never left.

  “You got what you wanted.”

  I did.

  “When one ends, another opens. Until the very last page.”

  A cleansing from this part of my life.

  They might still come after me though.

  But a head died. So internal problems are likely.

  “Eh but probably get a place and leave tomorrow to be honest.”

  …Can’t refute that.

  “Yo Adrian lemme abuse my position! Wait what is my position… uh, Adrian do you know what my position is?”

  “Wasn’t it general?”

  “FUAAAAAAAAA–” he dropped to his knees.

  “Who are you to have that?”

  He looked at me.

  “Mm.” he thought. “Not sure.”

  “Then who are you?”

  “Me?”

  He grinne█.

  +#I%am^███=$

  “That’s your name?”

  “Yeah.”

  I sighed softly.

  Not dead yet.

  “...Thanks.”

  “Do kindly think of me as magnanimous.”

  Sure.

  The day dawned anew once again.