＊⠀ 、 ㅤ𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝑭𝑰𝑹𝑺𝑻.

i demanded an offering of flesh! carved by his own hand, from his own hide! 

i alone the voice of justice - and any who oppose me villains to be punished!

how wonderful to meet you in the flesh after hearing all those stories! 

i knew you’d turn up sooner or later, but i had been hoping for sooner. 

as much as i might want to go home, i don’t want to go home to that.

in my time here, i’ve borne witness to a lot of last meals. 

no matter how hard i fight, it’s never enough. 

that’s what keeps me moving forward… even when things seem hopeless. 

in a place like this, you learn to take what moments of happiness you can get. 

it’s never easy, ending a life you’ve cared for. 

we all deserve happiness… wherever we can find it… 

the time left to you… is precious… no one should die… in pain… 

how many years have i waited for this moment… 

there are… things which we can ill afford to lose. 

the lost comrades, the broken promises, the abandoned principles - just more nagging burdens to ignore.

the world is dead, and writhe as we might, like maggots in its rotting corpse, it will not be reborn. 

so long as hope burns in our hearts, we will fight on regardless. 

my mind, meanwhile, reminds me that to follow my heart would be to risk everything we have accomplished thus far. 

we shall fight on, that our children and our children’s children might know a better tomorrow.

just have care you don’t lose any limbs out there, all right? they don’t tend to grow back. 

let’s cut a path through this rabble and keep moving!

all this trouble because of me… i’m so sorry…

you are made of sterner stuff than the rest. but will it be enough…? 

mayhap there is another way. one which does not require bloodshed…

i’m trying my best to remember… but it feels like peering through fog.

there’s not a soul in sight, yet i feel eyes all over us…

oh - if a voice calls to you, under no circumstances should you respond.

...if ghosts are merely souls without bodies, what does that make us?

no matter what you do, he will never be yours. never, never, ever!

from fighters upon the front lines to babes in their beds, none were spared. 

no matter the cost, we must forestall this tragedy. 

though the night be lost, behind the shroud of blinding light, doubt not but that the stars shine still. 

tell me, tell me! what must i do to bring you back!?

but what of your suffering? your sacrifice!? this isn’t fair! 

what of all the people who love and care for you and want nothing more than to see you again!?

everything we did… everything we gave... what was it for? 

i would learn from you… and help in what little way i can.

when he found me, i knew nothing of the world. 

i can feel the answer at the edge of my mind, just out of reach -

such boredom… such tedium have we suffered.

anyone who so much as thinks about trying to seduce him will wish they hadn’t!

forget this folly. return whence you came.

i simply cannot bear to see men fight and die. not anymore. 

i had not the words to tell him then, but it filled my heart with pride.

the world needed heroes - it needed him. 

he was a good man. he deserved to be happy. i wish i could have told him that, at least…

in all things, balance must be preserved… and the same will be asked of you. 

should you ascend the throne, you will become one of us, never again to live as men do.

to strive for a dream you will never see - to sow seeds that others might one day taste the fruits of your garden - that is the beauty of your kind. 

know your shame, girl! you are powerless! 

if she was powerless, it’s because of you, you sanctimonious swine!

it is time we were going - together, needless to say. 

you came all this way just to introduce yourself to us?

a war waged without knowledge of the enemy is no war - it is mere bloodletting.

i have no intention of meddling with your mission.

even if there were there a sliver of truth in your words, i would never accept your help. 

whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s worth watching, would you.

the people were lost, seemingly forsaken by their god. 

if you’ve brought your ivory standard, i’ll be happy to tell you where to stick it.

i will suffer your company if i must, but not your commentary.

you've committed the cardinal sin of boring me. 

‘tis you and you alone who bears ultimate responsibility for your life. 

silent and serene as the sunless sea.

the people were without answers, without hope, their gods having drowned along with everything else.

may her soul find peace in the sunless sea of heaven, and in the love we bear for her in our hearts.

i would rather not sully my hands defending myself against such madmen.

what a mischievous plan. i like it.

if the fates are kind, the way will be clear.

there is nothing to gain from staring at my backside.

you cannot be blind to the nascent corruption! 

by the time you deign to enlighten us, it may be too late - if it is not already. 

that does not make it any easier to put my faith in a man so infatuated with secrecy.

this “hope” you cling to is nothing more than a fever dream.

they require a firm hand to shepherd them from the edge.

those who defy you must submit or die.

what sits before me is the inevitable result of bloated privilege and unchecked power. 

what good is a paradise to them if it is a thousand years in the making? 

a foul, unholy corruption that must be cleansed. 

we will guide you along the righteous path.

we will not - cannot - abandon our faith. 

“follow the flowers…” would it kill them to escort us?

[ name ]? …and this is a common name nowadays? how times change.  

we have come too far to turn back now.

another door. wonderful… i can but imagine what awaits us inside.

she is alive. she is alive, damn you!

i did something exceedingly reckless. for which you will just have to forgive me.

dry your tears. what would the others think if they saw you like this? 

did you really think i would go gently into that dark night with so much left undone? 

i know i cannot dissuade you from going, so please - promise me you will return safely. 

i shall return, and bring with me a long-awaited gift.

..would you describe it to me, [ name ]? paint for me a picture with your words.

they are gods after a fashion, yes, but no different from the kind with which you are so intimately acquainted.

try as they might, they could not deny the truth of their own eyes… 

i ask only that you hold us in your hearts, as we will hold you in ours, now and ever after.

ah, i suspected that you might be awake. 

we fight for those who cannot!

while there’s breath in my lungs, i shall see my duties done.

I… am fine… completely… and utterly…fine! better than fine! hale and hearty and still alive to mourn those who are not. who i failed to protect when they needed me most. 

the tragedy that has befallen you is of your own making. 

let this be a lesson to all those who would walk the path of sin - the wicked shall not inherit this world!

all i do is make mistakes, put others in danger…

don’t give up. don’t give in. please.

i believe you have enough burdens without my adding to them.

you thought you could keep me safe by keeping me in the dark. 

no matter what happens to me, i’m sure that i don’t want to go back to being who i was. 

i want to be stronger - strong enough to face my destiny.

do we honestly look like we’d need to steal - what, some rusted bits of iron?

you don't look normal, that’s for certain.

so you have your heart set on it - the world doesn’t care. 

i’ve had years to decide where i stand. 

home stopped being home when i lost them. 

i thought to try and drown my sorrows… but somehow… the bottle’s never deep enough.

i’d say we’re long overdue for a good turn. i can only hope the gods feel the same way. 

here and now i have another chance to do things right, and i will not squander it again.

if tomorrow came and i was gone, it would be better for everyone! 

i will not see their hopes and dreams squandered.

you’re a stubborn old swine, aren’t you…

i don’t know about the world… but i never asked to be saved. 

however much it hurts, and however hard it gets, it’s my life, and i want to live it on my own terms! 

no matter what you say, i refuse to believe it’s all for nothing!

they’re everything to me. all i have and all i need. and i would gladly do anything for them. 

if you would cast your lot with villains, then you shall share their fate!

hah, so you really are a monster.

i’m so proud to have been a part of your life… 

your time has not yet come. 

when all hangs in the balance, you must give them hope.

yours is a burden none should ever be forced to bear. 

such pain and suffering you have endured, yet still you came.

now… tell me your heart’s desire.

since all of our heroes are gone, we’ll just have to make heroes of ourselves.

‘tis a beautiful, wonderful dream. one we share. 

no one, however powerful, is immune to the whisperings of doubt and despair. 

look instead to the light within, that you may continue to serve as a beacon to others.

not even the most valiant heroes can stand alone. 

oh, i can’t wait for this to be over, so we can all go home.

they thought the world beyond changing, but today i think we proved them wrong. 

there’s only one hero in this room, and it is not me.

case in point - i do not consider you to be truly alive. ergo, i will not be guilty of murder if i kill you. 

let us put an end to it. to this “paradise” built upon the bones of the poor. 

right, my turn to make a heroic stand! 

enough talk. i am a soldier, and you are my enemy. 

ever since i submitted to my master’s authority, i have been naught but a weapon. 

there is no justice but mine. no future but mine. no will but mine. 

it is not for me to judge you, but for your victims.

you have dreamed a twisted dream, but now you are awake. 

it’s a compliment. take it. 

well, rest assured that if your heart can be broken, then so can mine! 

‘tis a strange tale, but i have no reason to doubt your words. 

a bit of advice i learned from his mother: he responds poorly to obvious praise.

how can you remain so...so optimistic throughout all this? it’s downright tiring… 

forgive me, i was… lost in a dream. 

tell me, when all of this is over, what will you do?

you have the strength to forge your own path. 

you will leave countless lives better than you found them, and the souls you touch will never forget your kindness. 

together, we would travel the lands and cross the seas and take to the skies upon the eternal wind… my heart swells simply to imagine it. 

it ends here. and it ends now.

had you only entrusted your fate to me, there would have been peace for all. 

my very existence is virtuous! i am perfect! immaculate!

why am i cast down… when it is you who are the villains? 

you will not defile my new paradise!

who would choose to remain here, in this dying realm, when they might go elsewhere and begin anew?

a paltry way to end a chapter, i concede. 

yet your tale will continue, and my role in it will scarcely be remembered. 

what a disappointment you turned out to be.

i shall look forward to seeing you bring the world to its knees, hero.

well, well, look who’s back from the dead! that’s what heroes do, isn’t it?

if you need a push, i’ll be right there behind you.

don't give me that look! of course i knew before i asked that you'd never ever heed such a wicked suggestion! 

i need to know what he feared - what battle you and your companions are truly fighting! 

there is no hope. we are finished. mankind is finished.

should said catastrophe be averted, the very skein of thine existence will unravel. 

it was a breath of inspiration in an age of suffocating shadow. 

i will see this tale to a happy end, my friend. there has been enough tragedy.

we will find a way to cure this, i promise you!

making promises you have no way of keeping is not a kindness - it’s a lie, plain and simple!

this world is in twilight. i wait for the sun to set. i wish only to sleep.

go on, foul shade, feast yerself on me rotten soul… 

it’s a hollow dream, when you think about it.

it seems far darker down here, but i’ll not start at a few shadows. 

you’d think all those tall, dark buildings would be frightening, but for some reason they just make me feel sad…

‘tis said it starts suddenly, a cacophonous keening from beneath the earth.

i am simply a shade. here and not here.

i play the same role as all the rest - a bit part, meant to bring color and noise to this well-crafted stage. 

too much scrutiny, and we shall burst like the fragile bubbles we are. 

know you, then, how this conflict ended? 

..’tis truly a terrible weight he has chosen to carry.

you were gone so long, i was on the verge of mounting a rescue party.

there’s always hope if we look for it.

no matter how long it takes or how much it hurts, you can count on me to keep on walking.

drag me though wonder and danger, as you are wont to do, and i shall endeavor not to slow you down.

do as your heart decrees, without hesitation or regret.

well, this has put everyone in a solemn mood, hasn’t it?

no matter where you decide to go, i will be there, guarding your back.

even now, after everything, you refuse to see reason. 

how much more must i endure your bumbling interference? 

you cannot be entrusted with our legacy. 

one day, we too will be ashes and dust, but not today. our time is not yet finished. 

a fitting backdrop… for your final judgment. 

they are our worlds! our homes! full of life and love and hope! 

we define our worth, not the circumstances of our creation!

who are you? no one. nothing. 

it is true that all we hold dear is fated to fade away, but that is no reason for us to forsake it!

weary wanderer - you’ve no fight left to fight! no life left to live! 

if you had the strength to take another step, could you do it? 

this world is not yours to end. 

this is our future. our story.

how can you hope to stand against me alone?

i could not well leave matters half-finished. 

let us cast aside titles and pretense, and reveal our true faces to one another! 

Remember… that we once lived…

they are coming back, aren’t they? i couldn’t bear the thought of… of…

this tale, too, will fade with time, passing into legend as the world heals and moves on.

such is the hero’s lot - to touch the lives of countless others…

i had thought to push on till dawn, but my body had other plans… 

ah, ’twas a rare, tranquil morning, made unforgettable by the sight of those clear blue skies.

i thought to indulge in a little revelry myself last night…

i would have been terribly lonely if everyone had suddenly disappeared… 

if i’ve gained anything from all of this, it is the courage to stretch out my hand. 

well, of course i’m going with you-that’s what family is for, isn’t it? 

you were an inspiration to me then. 

[ name ] always was a reckless young fool… ready to die for the first righteous cause that came along. 

well, it would be nice if things were that simple for a change. 

if he suggests dying one more time, i swear i’m going to grant him his wish.

the soul is not a candle to be snuffed out and relit on a whim.

i’d rather get on with doing whatever it is that needs to be done, if it’s all the same to you. 

i never thought you would be the one to suggest going back there.

well… it is certainly creative. there’s no denying that.

i would jump for joy if i weren’t so exhausted. 

oh, this is all too much for my poor heart to bear alone.

it should go without saying that i have no intention of dying for this.

if i have learned anything from all of this, it is that change begins with the individual. 

as ever, the way forward is paved with difficult decisions. 

whatever it takes, i will see you safely home.

don’t give up. don’t give in. i keep those words close to my heart.

they gave their lives for the promise of a future they’ll never know.

i know not why i, and i alone, have been gifted this chance. 

none of us were born heroes, my friend.

you should not be so eager to run headlong into danger!

their hearts now burn with a curiosity that is not easily satiated.

i wouldn’t be here were it not for you, and i have yet to say a word of thanks!

it was never you that i needed to deceive.

how very unlike you, to err so gravely. 

you fail and you fail and you learn nothing - allow that which is most important to slip through your fumbling fingers like so many grains of sand.

there is no common ground to be found between you and i.

i’m afraid that the dead do not speak quite so clearly.

it’s a minor miracle that we accomplish anything at all, wouldn’t you say?

when she realizes she’s struck a nerve, she remembers. by the gods, she remembers… 

to hear her speak you’d think i’m on my deathbed. 

it feels like we could be doing more - like we should be doing more.

you are our leader. none can take your place.

would someone explain to me how we’re meant to kill a being who doesn’t technically exist?

you will do as you’re told, and get some rest.

remember: if you ever need me, just say the word. i’ll be there.

step one: make a fist. step two: extend your arm, like so. step three: beat ’em senseless.

i’m stupid, but i’m not naive. 

it may not be my place, but allow me to offer you a few words of advice.

if you are interested, i will gladly tell you the tale… the tale of the world’s end.

if there is anything i can do to help - anything at all - you need only say the word.

i think a name can mean a lot, and i imagine it would be terrible to have people call you something which didn’t feel right.

i felt as though… there was something i’d lost, and that i had to go out there and find it.

it felt as though long-forgotten memories were dancing at the edges of my mind.

you are death, and only in death shall you serve any purpose. 

strange as it may sound, i consider it something of a badge of honor. 

such faith, such courage in the face of unrelenting despair.

to believe - to choose to believe is to take the first step towards a brighter future. 

that which i seek to do, i do of my own volition, and with all my heart. 

i’m sorry, i know it was childish to storm off like that. 

[ name ], you really are an unbearable snob sometimes, do you know that?

the rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day.

does the world no longer have need of me?

onward, then, over the bloodied bodies of the fallen. 

i have dealt with countless heroes, and always it ends the same way. 

every end marks a new beginning.

for heroes such as you, there is only ever conflict.

you did not hesitate… or perhaps could not?

we change. we forget. and what little we do remember becomes twisted and fragmented over time.

no matter how much i should change, no matter how much i should forget, i shall ever remember my duty. 

come what may, we must not surrender to despair.

all that remains is to pray… to pray that we will one day meet again, beneath a blue sky.

if i may give voice to a personal desire… i would rather you lived. 

it must weigh heavy, the burden of all those memories. 

i don't know what this sky portends, but i do know it can’t be good. 

did you see it too? it was so beautiful! so heartbreakingly beautiful…

i think they were after us. us specifically, i mean.

[ name ]! i’m about to do a great many stupid and reckless things. watch my back, would you?

the graver the matter, the less inclined you are to speak of it.

nothing will ever change that - will ever change what we mean to one another. 

i count myself blessed to have had you in my life, and i want you to know that.

why you? why not you? 

what i wouldn’t give to return to those halcyon days… 

rest assured you haven’t seen the last of me. 

if you would usher in the end, then with my all shall i oppose you… 

even should it cost me everything, i will not forsake my duty!

and so it ends. in unceremonious silence.

i shall have it, your soul and all!

stay strong. keep the faith. at duty’s end, we will meet again. 

promise me you’ll take me on your next adventure. a journey. together. that’s all i ask.

if i were to tell you that this isn’t the end  that we will meet again - would you believe me? 

we struggle because we have hope.

the thought of never seeing you again… it’s more than my poor heart can bear!

you have our love, now and always.

i could not bear it if you were to leave. please stay! i beg of you!

honestly, he’s a boy in the body of a man…

it’s just… i always knew that everyone would leave one day.

now that the time has come, i just feel… lost. lost and lonely. 

you made me who i am.

gods know, i’m proud of you. i always will be.

we, my dear, are in unknown territory. 

yet miracles do happen.

i won’t stop praying until i know they’re safe.

you stand where you stand by virture of the road you walked to get there.

being free to live as one pleases is not without its challenges…

i shall carry them close to my heart always, unto the end of my days.

i did glance at the report…but i’d be lying if i said i understood half of it. 

had i half her stubbornness  nay, her unwillingness to accept the status quo, i would be a far better person.

did no one teach you any manners, girl?

i was still a child when last i came here, but now i am rather more capable.

the tides will turn, as is their wont, and the wise man sails with them towards the shores of new opportunity.

i thought myself the hunter, but it turns out i was the prey… 

bloodshed followed. then bloodshed to answer the bloodshed. and on and on it went.

what we have sown in blood, we have reaped in suffering, and it cannot go on. 

so don’t bother trying to reason with me. you will find i have no reason.

no sooner do we overcome one problem than another appears.

i for one do not intend to allow a nihilistic madman to take us all to the grave with him. 

there is nothing in this world i would rather do than write a new future with you. 

oh, i couldn’t lose him if i tried. and i did try. repeatedly.

with this power of mine, i can make a difference.

it means a lot, you know - you coming with me.

the way [ name ] goes on about him, i’m fairly sure i could pick him out in a crowd.

well i for one will not be making that mistake again. 

one can’t remain a spoiled little lordling forever, you know.

you know, when we were growing up, [ name ] would never befriend other boys because he couldn’t stand the thought of not being in charge.

he still loves nothing better than the sound of his own voice.

are there no depths to which you will not stoop!?

So… save your mercy for those who deserve it. 

better to die than live as a tool of evil.

we came together, and we’re leaving together!

if you have need of my strength, it’s yours.

don’t tell me - you couldn’t read my handwriting.

if you wish to walk the path of ruin, i will not stand in your way.

it was only a matter of time before that grinning maniac showed himself again.

be the hero i can’t.

no one ever calls themselves a hero. 

the one who awaits at the heart of the chaos will come for us. for you. 

the stars shall bear witness to our final contest.