It was a rainy day.

But there was no thunder or lightning.

Just rain that kept pouring onto the flooded earth.

In the far countryside, there was a small and warm church. Left outside of this church was a basket with a baby crying inside. This baby was wrapped in a blanket sewn with the name Rey Atland.

This was where the story of The Fallen Hero's Rise started.

Rey grew up with six other orphans, him being the youngest of them all. Other than his name, he had nothing to call his own, but that didn't stop him from having a happy childhood.

Though their living situation was hard, the older orphans and the Sisters took care of Rey well. They always made sure he had food to eat and clothes to wear. They taught him how to read and write. Taught him what was good and what was bad. They even taught him the little magic they knew. Thus, Rey grew up with a happy smile on his face. However, this also made him quite a troublemaker.

If someone offended him or his family, he would strike a blow. If he happened to lose, he would find that person and fight again. If he couldn't win, he would go out of his way to make his enemies' lives hard. He would do petty things, from leaving dog poo at their doorstep to inciting drama among their friends and family.

The poor village never had a day of rest, and there was no one who could stop him.

Other than that, Rey was fascinated with magic. He would run off into the woods to practice anything he could come up with. Then he would come home filled with injuries. One could say that he was entirely self-taught.

He lived happily and peacefully like this until he hit fifteen. It was then that he heard rumors of the academy accepting students from anywhere in Aruvar. He didn't plan to go, though, as he wanted to stay with the orphanage and help around, but his family convinced him otherwise.

"You can learn magic there," the oldest bribed.

"You only cause trouble when you're here, go away," the second barked.

"We're not telling you to go away forever; we just want you to make money for us," the third schemed.

"Bring me some souvenirs!" the fourth gleamed.

"If you fail, I guess you weren't as strong as you thought you were," the fifth mocked.

"No one needs you here!" the sixth cried.

They all knew that Rey was extremely smart and witty and had an aptitude for magic. He wasn't someone meant to stay in some little country side. They wanted to see him grow, see him do things that they couldn't do. See him achieve in life. So, while it was hard to see him go, they knew he needed to leave.

And he left.

He met Evelyn. She was the most beautiful and kindest person he'd ever met. He never thought he would one day fall in love with her.

He met Leon. He was the most annoying yet happiest person he'd ever seen. He didn't think he would become his most loyal best friend.

He met many more and made as many friends as he did enemies.

He built his knowledge.

He grew stronger.

He was happy.

He had everything in life.

There was nothing that could go wrong.

Then he learned about his origins.

"He has demon blood in him!" Evelyn's fiancé had yowled, "He's the same as all those wretched vermin!"

And he was kicked out of the Ice Forest only to be hated and feared by everyone he came across.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Val Valtine suddenly appeared and killed Evelyn.

Rey was then chased all across Aruvar.

He was betrayed, multiple times.

He was captured and turned into a slave.

He was tortured and abused.

He lost his family and his home, to Val Valtine.

He lost many allies to Val Valtine.

He lost so many things to Val Valtine.

And so Rey went on a hunt for revenge. Not only to kill Val Valtine but also to kill all those who hurt him.

He fought and killed.

And killed.

And killed.

And killed.

Over and over again.

Whether it was to survive or to get his revenge, all he remembered was blood. A bright red that splattered aimlessly like paint that ruined a beautiful canvas. The red stained every part of his body, not leaving a single space undisturbed. No matter how much he washes himself clean or how long he stares at himself in a mirror, the blood is always there.

Unerasable.

Even as Leon stood by his side and smiled without a care in the world, there was nothing that could stop this darkness growing in his chest. This darkness that continuously spread for every failure he made. For every death he failed to save. For every thing that he lost. It seemed as if it was limitless.

Then, all of a sudden, he became a hero.

His quest for revenge was somehow recognized as heroic.

Sure, he did manage to save many people along the way (none of whom he was close with), make a few new allies (too afraid to call them friends), and allow himself to be comforted by someone else's love (to try and fill the hole in his chest), but is that really kind? Does all the selfish deaths he caused not hold any meaning in the title of hero? Were all his sins looked over as if they never existed? Does the end really justify the means?

He doesn't understand.

But he does know that his life would no longer be in danger.

He won't constantly be on the run.

He could leave everything behind and start anew.

So after all the celebration and the parties, he visited Evelyn's grave one last time, bidding goodbye. He doesn't think he could ever love anyone as much as he loved her. He doubts he can even find love again. It has already been years, and he still hasn't fallen in love yet. But even if he can't find love, he will continue to live. Live for those who lost their lives for him and for those who died because of him. He will journey across the world. Maybe he'll save others. Maybe he'll kill some. It will depend on how he's feeling. On what the circumstances are.

He spent a few months reminiscing about Aruvar. Even though he suffered a lot on this continent, he still grew up there. It was still somewhat his home, even if his family no longer existed. He still had a few allies to visit. A few sights to see and many graves to bid goodbye to.

Along the way, he managed to find a few transportation devices, they were incredibly expensive and hard to find but he was lucky to get some. Then just as he was figuring out where his first destination was, he heard rumors.

"Some crazy guy is causing mayhem at the cliff of The Lost,"

"They don't call it The Lost for no reason,"

"It's been going on for months now, when's it going to stop?!"

It piqued his interest.

For the past few months, he hasn't heard anything dangerous or disturbing. Everything has been peaceful all across Aruvar. Even the small disturbances were being handled rightfully. But just in case, Rey didn't want to leave if it turned out to be something big. He still had a couple people he cared about here. So he went to check it out, planning to stop whatever that was going on there.

He never thought he would find Leon.

The happy, jolly Leon who never stopped smiling

Present:

As Rey sat on his throne of shadows, his mind was deep in thought. Not even the cold, whirling blizzard or the tortuous screams of the Sapphirous king could snap him out of it.

He was wallowing in his own sorrow and despair, remembering all the terrible things that had happened in his life. He knew that none of it was his fault. That he wouldn't have been able to change anything. He did what he had to do to survive and get his revenge. To those who betrayed him, tortured him, and even dared to look at him wrongly, he killed mercilessly. Yet somehow, he became a hero by the end of it all. He was even considered kind.

Sure, he saved many people, made a few allies, and even exposed the corrupt. But he also led many people to their deaths, forced contracts with his allies, and murdered all those who were corrupted.

Rey wasn't looking to be a hero. He just wanted to avenge himself and Evelyn. He just wanted to do what was right.

Val Valtine just happens to be a bigger villain than he was.

And apparently, the ends do justify the means. All the deaths he caused were nothing more than dust left for no one to remember. Not even Val Valtine was left in anyone's memory. All there was was the heroic Rey, who saved an entire continent from an evil villain.

That's all.

But now here he was, destroying an entire kingdom in a single day, all for his own selfish feelings. He didn't even know he was this strong already. Was there anyone who could even stop him?

Rey glanced at his bloody hand.

'Leon,'

A familiar dark feeling swirled within him, steadily growing once more.

He fisted his hand, causing the blood to gush out more. It was painful. Or at least, it should have been. Rey couldn't feel the pain.

If only Leon was here. If he was here, Rey felt like he could stop. Felt like he could become human again. But this single day, these couple hours, it felt like hell. His world, his sanity, was falling apart. It was like Evelyn all over again, but this time, it felt worse. After all, even though Rey met Evelyn first, it was Leon who stood by his side for all those years.

He doesn't remember how he lived those months without Leon or why he planned to travel without him. How did he do it again?

Why did he want that in the first place?

Just like Evelyn, Leon was irreplaceable. He was his best friend. They walked through hell and back together. Even if the Leon now said that he hated it all the entire time, he still did it. He still went through it with him. So why did he have to part ways with Leon in the first place? Why didn't he just bring Leon with him to begin with?

Maybe Leon was right.

Maybe this is all just a book.

Just a made-up world with made-up people and made-up feelings.

That his life is just being written by some author who enjoys his pain.

That everything happened not by coincidence but because the author made it so.

Was he supposed to never see Leon again? Is that why he was planning to travel without him? Is that why Leon was at The Lost? Why was Leon leaving? Trying to go home?

Leon must know the answers, right?

He said he was a reader, so he must know.

Rey looked up. The blizzard was so strong that not even the sky was visible.

But Leon is still here.

Leon is still in this world.

He failed to go home.

So maybe, maybe this was a gift for all that Rey suffered.

Mercy for not taking another person he held dear.

Leon was sent here for him.

And he failed to go home because of him.

With that in mind, Rey's heart suddenly felt a calm.

'Leon exists in this world because of me,'