[Arc 1]Epilogue: Mezerin

Mezerin's POV

PAK PAK PAK PAK PAK

I could hear the sounds of my footsteps radiate the surroundings as I walked through this cave.

My body was constantly limping due to the curse that was placed upon me. It's laughable, really.

At first, I was a slave. The slave traders had carved the enslavement magic deep into my body, after I was sold to them by the bandits which killed, raped and desecrated my family.

Later, I was bought by someone who owns some mines. For a slave, this was one of the most peaceful jobs, considering that many wealthy people buy slaves so they can sacrifice them to their deities and gods.

'Huh. I never liked or even believed in those shitty beings people call gods.', I thought while leaning over the cave walls to head deeper inside.

After a whole year of working, I suddenly manifested magic when no one was looking. I then began to secretly train my magic and uncover the truth of magic in secret.

During this time I learnt many things. An example of these many things, is that all magic users have an innate element they are all attached to. It doesn't stem from genes or blood, but it stems from their soul.

The reason why people are born with similar elemental affinities as their parent, is because their soul is naturally attracted towards certain elements. However, this doesn't mean that you will always have the same affinity as your parent. It simply means you have a higher chance of having the same element. This also explains why people have more than one innate elemental affinity.

"Koh, koh.", I coughed as blood trickled down my mouth.

Anyway, back to explaining my life story. After I became 7 years old I decided to break free from the enslavement magic and fled to another kingdom.

The kingdom I visited was very barren, and the need for earth elemental mages were high. As luck would have it, I have elemental affinity with all the elements except one. That element was the healing element.

Don't get me wrong, I can still heal people or myself using regeneration magic, but instant healing is impossible. Instant healing can be considered one of the most valuable categories of magic, since removal of curses and exorcism fall into this categories. Although, the exorcism can be replicated with using necromancy, however necromancy constantly sucks your life force away which is why it's better to just switch to a different magic.

Anyway, after being hired - although they didn't believe me at first - I gave life to the earth. It took a full year for me to restore the kingdom's earth back to normal, and the kingdom began to prosper. However, it didn't end there.

At first, I didn't know why people were still anxious until I was told. There is multiple hordes of monsters marching towards the kingdom. At this moment the memories from my childhood flew by as I remembered that monsters are spawned from the abyss.

After learning this, I casted a barrier magic which kept the kingdom safe for an entire year. However, during that year I wasn't sitting while twiddling my thumbs.

I taught them how to manipulate magic, I taught them swordsmanship. I even decided to create smithing techniques when I met a childhood friend of mine again.

Crozzo was always free spirited, it was lucky for him to leave the village earlier.

After I had fully prepared the kingdom for the oncoming slaughter, the kingdom was able to successfully repel the monsters.

After another year, things changed. People grew greedy, people became too needy, the nobles began trying to distuingish themselves from the common folk.

In the end, the kingdom self-destructed. All that hardwork I put in the kingdom had turned into ashes.

I remember it very clearly. That day a civil war happened and they neglected the invading monsters. Civilians lost their lives and the nobles continued their battle until no one remained.

It was Hell on earth, or rather, has this place been Hell the whole time?

After everything was done, I went to another suffering kingdom and the same thing happened. I kept roaming different kingdoms and before I knew it, I had turned into the public villain. I had turned into someone who brought despair. I had become the opposite of my intention.

Finally, when I turned 15 I had already destroyed tens of kingdoms and eventually I was cursed. This curse had the purpose of allowing me to live for a single month, while also inducing an astronomical amount of pain.

The worst part of the curse was that it prevented me from growing numb of the pain.

Now here we are, a full week has passed and I'm now limping through a cave. Every movement I make makes me feel like screaming in pain.

"Is someone there?", I heard someone mutter through the cave.

Thinking I had nothing to lose, I responded.

"Y-yes.", I said through grunts of pain.

"Arrive here quicker.", I heard the young voice mutter.

I did what the voice asked and headed towards the voice. When I finally arrived I saw a young boy, who seemed to be a year younger than me.

The boy was the royalty of a fallen kingdom, if I remember correctly.

"So, who are you?", the white haired boy asked.

I continued to limp until I sat near the boy. The boy was heavily injured, regeneration magic will definitely never be able to cover for this.

"I'm Mezerin."

There was a moment of silence.

"Huh, you don't act like the rumours.", the white haired boy stated.

"What rumours?", I asked.

"They call you the blue reaper. Apparently you bring death and destruction wherever you go.", the boy stated without hiding anything.

I flinched slightly when he stated this.

"But you seem like a nice person.", he said with a smile.

"I'm anything but a nice person, no matter how much I try I'll never be able to save anything with these hands.", I said while crunching my fists.

"So, what's your story?", the boy asked me.

I sighed and then told him a brief explanation.

"If you ask me, everything I did was meaningless. I made the best of swords, swords that could split mountains with a simple wave. I even taught magic and swordsmanship. The swordsmanship I took pride in, it was the only thing my parents gifted me.", I sighed once again.

"However, in the end they all died to their greed. I was fine with that. However, I wasn't fine with then also taking along the innocents and the unaffiliated. In the end they destroyed themselves. It's funny, I went from a normal boy to slave to kingdom instrument to public villain.", I lamented.

"In the end, I got a curse which limits my life to one month.", I added on.

"What's your story?", I asked the blind red eyed boy who was missing his legs.

"Hmm. For me I saved a kingdom and went blind.", he said in a slightly comedic voice.

'He resembles a clown like that', I thought to myself.

"That's it?", I asked.

"That's it.", he clarified, but then added:

"Well, I did get the princess of the kingdom to help me take it down though. I'm also pretty sure, I heard the gods themself laugh when I challenged them, during my cool awe-inspiring speech.", he added on.

"Those gods are probably sneering at us, right now.", I stated, to which he replied.

"Heh. You think so? I think they're laughing at our endeavour, and even telling us to continue.", he said with a smile.

Silence then enveloped the cave.

"Hey.", he called out.

"Yeah?", I urged him to talk.

"Do you have any plans?", he asked me.

"Sorry, I'm not into guys.", I spoke, trying to lift the mood.

"Oh, don't you worry! I'm 100% into women.", he laughed.

We looked at each other. Even though, the red eyed boy couldn't see, he knew where I was.

"Hehehe...", the red eyed boy started to laugh.

"Hahaha...", as did I.

"HEHEHEHAHAHA / HAHAHAHAHA", we both laughed maniacally, as if trying to wash away our fears.

After a while, the laughter died down and I asked him a question.

"But on a serious note, what did you want.", I inquired.

"I want you to announce my death with the remaining time you have.", he stated with a calm face.

"Why?", I questioned.

When I asked I could see a full blown smile on his face.

"You see, I started an era of heroes, I've become the dawn of heroes. It'd be pretty funny if I died straight after.", he said with a smile.

"Started? Not tried to?", I questioned, to which he smiled even brighter.

"Yep, I started it.", he stated.

"Too bad we won't live long enough to see it for ourselves.", I smiled slightly.

"That's right.", he added on.

Silence once again enveloped the cave.

"Hey.", I called out to him.

"What's up, my blue eyed pal I can't see.", he answered.

"Do you... Do you ever wish to go to a peaceful world?", I inquired.

After a while of silence he finally answered.

"..It would be a lie to say I didn't.", he stated.

"I see...", I said with a small smile.

"However, wouldn't it be more thrilling if we turned this world peaceful with our own two hands?", he smiled.

I replied with:

"I guess so. Then I guess... Then I guess my new dream is to go to a peaceful world, and then come back one day.", I stated.

"Heh. Then my dream is to one day come back and live with all my friends again.", he added.

Silence once again permeated the cave another time.

"I'll do it.", I stated.

"Do what?", he asked.

"I'll tell them of your death. I'll become the dusk to your story's dawn.", I clarified.

"Hehe. I see what you did there.", he chuckled slightly.

I pulled a goblet from my satchel, along with some wine. I then put my hands atop his eyes and activated a light magic spell which let him see again.

"Huh, what did you do?", he asked, to which I briefly replied.

"Magic."

"What are you doing?", he asked.

I turned towards him after I poured some of the wine into the cup.

"A toast?", I asked.

"There's only one cup.", he stated.

"It's simple, we wrap our arms around each other and drink from the same cup.", I clarified.

"Ugee~ I didn't know you swing that way.", I comedically mocked.

"I don't. It's just a custom I read somewhere which establishes brotherhood.", he calmly explained.

I casted reinvigoration magic on him, only to which he raised an eyebrow and responded with:

"Guess, I wouldn't mind."

After, we drank the cup together and we explained our lives to each other. Our lives have lots of similarities, but they are hugely different. He was weak and mocked by many, he still saved them. I was strong, and praised by many, I couldn't save them. It's funny, in the end we are going to die in the same place. Well, I don't really need to, but I've already decides that this'll be the place I die.

After tens of minutes he finally stated something;

"Looks like my times up.", he said while closing his eyes and smiling.

"Gotcha, I guess it's my time to become your dusk. See ya in the next life, brother.", I smiled.

"See ya.", he muttered as his body grew lifeless.

Now then, I grabbed his 'hero journal' and decided to embark on my last quest to find my brother's comrades.

Their names are... the Nomadic Bard Ryulu, the werewolf chief and Wolven Pride Yuri, the dwarf and Vigorous Hammerer Galmus, the assassin and Deathly Dance Elmina, the fortune teller and The End Orna, my childhood friend and the Acenstry Crozzo, the princess and The Final Reminiscence Ariadne and lastly my brother's sister - which also makes her my sister - the Half-Elf Mage Fina.

This is the epilogue to MY story.