Three years later we met another group of survivors. There were even four of them, but the only one worth talking about was the shieldmaiden. I would even dare say that the other three wouldn’t have survived till now if they hadn’t met her, and at a later time she even saved me.

We fell in love in this ruined world, fighting our way through hordes of monsters with the power of love. And steel. And magic. Mostly steel and magic, but one should at least be allowed to dream.

The days turned into weeks and into months as we walked our way through this forsaken world. She joined our quest to fight against the evils, but as the years passed it turned harder and harder. Finally the three she protected since the beginning couldn’t keep up anymore and left us, searching for a place in this rotten hell which didn’t crawled over with beasts. My brother left with them, promising to take care of them till they found a safe haven and to return afterwards.

I couldn’t resent them for it. I often dreamed about a time where I could live with her somewhere peaceful, our children playing in the grass, seeing them growing up and giving us grandchildren. I even told my brother how I would marry one of my boys to his girls. But I would never let him have a daughter of mine, they would be my princesses, no one would be worthy of them. Though these plans turned into dust when she heard about it lecturing me for hours about how they should be allowed to make their own decisions. Finally, after decades, I would die by her side, not because claws ripped me apart but of old age. And how I hoped that I would die before her because I didn’t know how I should live if she dies before me.

But unfortunately this wish was never granted to me, as she died in my arms, saving me one last time. I saw the claws that were destined to rip me apart pierce into her body, which she used to push me out of harm’s way. In a storm of rage, befitting the ninety-nine evils themselves, I pushed out all of my mana, annihilating everything around, leaving us two alone in her dying moments. Her last words embedded themselves into my mind, haunting me since then as they were so similar to my thoughts.

“My love, please, live on for my sake. I don’t want to you to die.”

I grasped her hand, holding it against my face. Tears started to fall although I long since believed that I’d never shed any again as they stopped after the first year in hell.

“Don’t cry dear, I want to see you smile one last time. Even if our dreams for the future shattered. Show me the smile of the strongest wizard alive.”

I tried my best to smile one last time, my face a terrible mess as the tears never seemed to stopped.

“You can do better.” She started to laugh, only for it to turn into a coughing, throwing up blood. I tried to crouch further down to help her but she stopped me with her hand. Finally she stopped, continuing her words.

“I guess I’ll settle for this.” She caressed my face. “Promise me, live on.” Her voice gave away.

“How can I live without you? You are everything in my life.”

Slowly, softly, she whispered to me. “Promise me. Don’t die because of me. Remember what you told me. That you would defeat these evils and make a future where we all could live. Create this world and every born child will be our legacy.”

She smiled and closed her eyes. I leaned forward, planting one last kiss on her lips.

“I love you.” Her breath faded, leaving me to hold her in the silence, crying alone.

As I sat there weeping I thought about the time we spent together. Too little time. Soon I stood up, as I had no time to rest and mourn. I cursed the world as I set her body aflame with what little mana I regenerated before her body turned into an undead, lighting her up in a white flame, meant to purify what was let of the soul.

And in the shimmering flames I let resentment take me over. Like the flames burning her body they also burnt all feelings left inside of me, fueled by rage. Then the fire in my soul started to spread, leaking outwards to consume anything that came into my way.

I lashed out against other survivor, even against my brother when I met him afterwards. I knew he hadn’t done anything wrong but I blamed him. For not being with us to save her. For fighting with me for all this time and letting me meet her, becoming her demise in the end. But even then he stood by my side. While others left he became the shield protecting me from the dangers. Like this we fought, conquering dungeon after dungeon, slaying evil after evil until even the world acknowledged my rage.

I laughed as fire took over my body, burning every trace of my human existence, and letting me look like the evils I fought against. Black flames started to lick at everything near me, setting everything ablaze. I didn’t even need to use spells anymore as the fire didn’t only followed my every will but also burned anything I neared.

The territory of the evils shrunk as their number dwindled, leaving nature to reclaim what was hers. Turned into a monster my only choice left was to go forward, fighting against the evils like I had done before. Else I would destroy whatever was left of this planet elsewhere. I left my brother, sending him to live with the humans, then turned to the last few dungeons.

He claimed that he would follow me, but I wouldn’t let that happen. Somewhere out there, there should be humans left, waiting for the light to rise again. There should even be a woman out there, that could fall in love with this robot-like human, granting him kids that he can tell stories about his brother – the god of fire.

Thus, I created a barrier of fire, encompassing all of the demonic territory, capable of incinerating everything that tries to pass it. So that he wouldn’t end like me, and that no demon and evil shall ever be able to touch him and his family.