The Illusion of Hope

Mordred

If I was a lesser man, I would have killed myself. But I valued survival above all else. Suicide isn't particularly helpful to that end.

Don't get me wrong, between the lapses of rage and insanity and the urge for arson, suicide was growing more and more tempting by the day. I felt like a prisoner in my own body, watching the endless torture that were the atrocities he was committing.

Day after day, I would lose control for five, ten, fifteen minutes and he would never fail to do something. Whether it kill some random passing cultist, setting fire to a section of the mage guild or town, or other acts of violence. Even though I knew it wasn't my fault, the guilt was beginning to pile up on me.

But I persevered through it. If I died, what stopped them from using another poor soul? It was better me than anyone else. I had accepted the situation, I knew how to bear it. I was able to control it.

After that first day, I threw myself into the books. I was given almost unlimited access to the library of the cult, because those peons were too terrified to stop me, I figured out a way to strengthen my mind against Dracoth. A temporary fix at best, but it bought time. And time is what everyone needed.

I needed time to study and figure out a way to kill them. Persephone, Solskin, and Xavier needed time to prepare for the demons. The more time it took for me to become a full demon, the less time they have to make their plans come to pass.

Persevere. Just hang on. So I drew, countless images of the destruction, putting them onto paper to process it all. Quickly, the floor was covered in sketches, oil paintings, and colorings. Then they were on the walls. Dracoth kept feeding them, showing me death and annihilation.

Weeks passed, blood caked my fingers from how much I drew. It was ironic how insane it seemed, but it kept me stable. I held on, keeping Dracoth locked away in my mind. Everything was fine. I was fine. I. Was. Fine. I AM FINE.

Persephone

After seeing what Xavier really was, I was dreaming every single night. About Ophelia and the rest. There was one specific dream that kept coming up.

"Begone, you monster. I, Ophelia the brave, have come to slay you." She waved around a long stick at Crono.

Playing along, he made horns out of his fingers and began to charge Ophelia. Laughing, Ophelia swung the stick around as Crono threatened to eat her. I watched from the shadow of a nearby tree. The day scene would quickly change, going from day to night. Ophelia to Solskin, Crono to Xavier. The stick to a sword. The fingers to claws.

I standing up I rushed over, just to watch Xavier slash Solskin's throat. I cried out in angry, raising my staff. Then pain, as the tip of a black sword emerged from neck. Laughter rang out behind me. Xavier stared at me with yellow eyes, his skin black. A demon.

I realized it was over. Xavier had killed it. This little group that had so rapidly came together fell apart just as fast. There was no use in hiding it anymore, both of us knew this. Upon seeing each other, we gathered up our courage. Then, in perfect harmony, we stated, "Xavier is a demon."

"It was obvious after what happened in that meeting," I said, putting on a joking facade. This conversation will have serious repercussions.

Solskin nodded with a clearly fake smile. He knew the gravity of the situation. Staring into my eyes, I saw him searching for something in me. I made me shudder, that look felt too familiar. It was the same look Ophelia gave me that day with the dead bird.

"What do we do now?"

Solskin hesitated, the cogs in his mind grinding. But, at this moment, there was a light knock behind us.

Turning around, there sound Epoch, the ancient tome clutched in his hands. Quietly, he whispered, "You are wrong. Xavier's not a demon." Gesturing with a free hand for us to follow, he walked into my room.

After entering, he locked the door with a soft click and cleared his throat. "Let me tell you a story."

Ten Years Ago

Xavier

"Epoch, what do we do?" I shouted over the pitched battle. It was our final stand.

Panting, Epoch shouted back, "It is risky!"

"Do it!" I had every confidence in Epoch. He never has failed me.

Flipping open his tome, he began chanting. "Protect Epoch!" I barked out my last order. Drawing up into a circle with Epoch in the center, we slashed and hacked away, attacking everything in front of us.

Pointing at me and the demon, epoch began to float towards the sky. The air was electrified, crackling with mana and light. From a afar, a shrill scream pierced the air. It was the demon.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The attack intensified.

"HOLD ON!" I shouted. The survivors buckled under the pressure, falling one by one in an unbearable pace.

Suddenly, white.