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My name is Harry Magnus.

I'm currently bleeding from my arm, and i have a few broken bones in all parts of my body.

Today was supposed to be a normal day, like it has been for decades.

No war, no killing, no battles.

Just a peaceful day in this village.

But the goblins came.

Me and the guards of the village fought and tried to stop them from entering this place, We used everything we had and everything we have learnt.

...

However, as the weakest race, we couldn't stand even a chance against them.

We couldn't even take one with us.

We were rapidly outnumbered and defeated.

Even after all my preparations... We failed.

I was now laying in the floor, completely defeated and dying, my blood leaked out of my body constantly and my mind was clouded by the pain.

Shit...

Everyone in the village died, even the swordsmanship I trained my whole life couldn't protect even one of them.

I was useless.

"Huff... Huff... Huff"

I'm tired.

I give up.

That was when I heard an explosion on a nearby house.

*BOOOOOM!*

There's still someone fighting back...?

Who...?

The face of a certain kid appeared in my mind.

Right.

Aspen... he is still alive.

He couldn't die that easily.

Neither could I...

"Urgh..."

I managed to stand up despite my injuries and quickly ran towards the place.

Breathing was becoming harder with every step that I took, The feeling of my blood leaking from my mouth and my bones screaming from pain made my mind clouded.

But I couldn't surrender.

Not with him still fighting.

...

*Step*

*Step*

*Step*

When I arrived to that place I saw Aspen being crushed to death by a goblin.

His face was covered in blood, and some parts on his body were twisted in strange directions.

The feeling of anger and rage surged from within my heart and soon clouded the pain my body was feeling.

Even him...!

I couldn't stand still anymore, so I talked to him.

"Hey kid, you look awful right now"

He didn't answer me, however I knew he was still alive, The life deep inside his eyes told me so...

Looking at his pitiful appearance right now just ignited more my anger.

I remembered my past.

And my dream.

Since I was a child I always dreamt to make a difference. To save humanity from extinction, and to make this world a better place.

I wanted to be a Hero.

However, war soon showed me the reality.

I understood that we were weak. That no matter how hard we trained, how painful our training was, or how much we developed our abilities, we couldn't win.

My dream changed.

If i couldn't save humanity, i could save the people that was important to me.

However, I failed once again...

My family and every person I knew was killed.

I escaped. I ran as fast as I could without an exact direction. That was when i found this village.

A peaceful small village, protected by its enormous walls, a village in which it's inhabitants received me with their arms open.

I led a peaceful life here since then.

I got married.

My wife gave birth to my little daughter.

I trained the youngsters from this village, so that they could protect it when I was already gone.

And my life continued like that for years.

Until i met him.

Aspen.

A kid with from an ordinary background but with enormous talent for swordsmanship and archery, he managed to reach me in skill with the sword in just 4 years.

His body was not a joke either, even if I was already old I was still stronger than a normal person, still, his strength was still too much for a normal kid, he easily overpowered me using his super strength.

But neither of those characteristics were the one that impressed me the most.

It was his dream.

I saw my past self in him, the old me that wanted to protect everything he cared about and save humanity, his dreams were the same as mine.

But unlike me, he had the potential.

The potential to accomplish what I couldn't.

The dreams that i just abandoned, were still alive in him.

So I couldn't allow him to die.

Not before me.

Even at the cost of my life, I was going to make him survive.

"Kid... why are you surrendering? Do you really want to die?" I asked him while supressing the blood inside my mouth from going out.

*Twitch*

When i mentioned the possibility of dying, I saw the small flame of determination inside his eyes ignite again.

The determination that I didn't have any longer.

That's it kid.

His expression soon recovered and rage overtook his whole body, he lifted his arm and then stabbed furiously the goblin in his eye.

I don't know where did he take that knife from, but I didn't care anymore.

The goblin started screaming like maddly from pain, and threw Aspen to the ground.

I gave him a potion.

"H...How-?" he asked me.

"I got ones during the war, I saved a lot of them through the years for an important occasion. Now stop talking and drink."

*Gulp gulp*

After drinking it, his wounds finally healed.

His appearance returned to normal, though he was still covered in blood.

I said that i had a lot of them but...

I lied, this one I gave him was the only one I had.

I'm sorry Aspen.

"Kid i want you to listen to me, we don't have much time, the other goblins must have heard the scream of his companion, so you need to escape from here fast"

"B-but what about you, old man?"

"I will stay here, I still need to make him scream more, so that I draw all the attention towards me. That way you can escape without being noticed"

"But..." he started to hesitate.

The rage and the stress soon took over my emotions after seeing him wasting time.

I punched him, he looked at me surprised but soon recovered

I was not going to let him die.

I was not going to fail again, not this time.

"Get the hell out of here now!"

He started leaving, but gave me one last look.

"Don't worry kid i have lived already more than enough, I'm old and weak, however, you have a promising future ahead of you, your talent is something I have never seen before, it's something i can't allow to disappear today." I told him.

He then left.

"Don't disappoint me Aspen." I said to myself in a low voice.

...

I turned to look at the goblin that was still on the floor grabbing his bleeding eye.

Now...

"I must make you scream"

I grabbed my sword and stabbed him in the back.

However, it just left a small wound.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!" He screamed in agony, after being pierced by my sword. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU HUMANS, I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!!!"

He got up and tried to punch me

However, i dodged and then I cut off his ear.

He screamed in agony and tried to kick me.

His attacks were rapid, more than I could handle.

However, I still dodged and stabbed him with the sword. 

*Ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

Time seemed to be slowing down, I could feel my mind focusing every bit of its energy with only one purpose...

To kill him.

His screams of rage and agony just increased with every wound that I inflicted and every attack that I dodged.

However, everything has an ending.

In one of my swings he managed to dodge.

The grin in his face told me everything.

I was dead.

"DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

He threw a punch at me.

I tried to dodge desperately, however, it still hit me on the shoulder.

*BOOOOM!!!*

I crashed to the wall of the house after being sent flying while spinning on the air.

The bones on my arm pretty much separated from my shoulder, and probably turned to dust.

I tried to contain my scream, however I still leaked some sobs and small grunts.

*Huff puff...*

Breathing was hard because of the blood that leaked every time i opened my mouth. I couldn't move my arm, and i felt that it was being pierced by thousands of needles at the same time.

My consciousness wanted to leave my body every second I blinked.

However, I used all my willpower to keep myself awake.

I endured it.

"You really are gonna regret making me feel pain." The goblin said to me while smiling like a lunatic and showing me his sharp teeth.

He was approaching slowly, but every time he took a step I could feel his bloodlust intensified.

Hah...

Fuck...

So this is the end.

The story of Harry Magnus ends here.

...

Sigh...

I looked to my hands.

They looked old, the scars from the war were still there.

But for a moment I saw my past self

The hands of a warrior.

My dream...

I looked at my sword that laid beside me. 

If this story is coming to an ending

I might as well give it a good one.

Heh...

I wonder where did such confidence came from.

Probably Aspen.

I took my sword and launched my self towards him.

The pain I was feeling just moments ago, stopped.

So even if my bones were turning to dust right now, I just continued charging towards him.

Time seemed to have stopped.

I felt it, the way my sword should go.

The place I should attack.

The amount of force I should employ.

Everything...

I closed my eyes and soon everything became black.

My body reacted on its own and attacked.

The goblin that didn't expect me to move in my condition reacted too late.

I stabbed the wounded eye and penetrated deep into his skull.

Blood splashed everywhere in the room.

The goblin fell dead to the ground.

*Tuth*

"Heh..."

A human actually won against a goblin.

That's a wonderful ending.

I fell to the ground as well.

My lips curled up, while I saw all my blood leaking out of my body

I began to lose consciousness.

I could hear the voices of many goblins.

Probably they saw me kill their companion.

That's when I heard a certain scream in the distance.

Outside the walls...

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore... KILL HIM!!!"

Heh...

Seems like my student is creating quite the havoc outside.

Go for it Aspen.

Live.

...

It was then.

The last bit of life force my body had disappeared.

I felt my eyelids closing slowly.

And i fell to an eternal slumber.

 

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