Seven rambles.

He talks, yells, and cries all at the same time.

Maybe it's because he's frustrated with Leon.

Or maybe it's because he doesn't have much time left to live.

Either way, he's not feeling the best.

"And then-And then," Seven says as he sniffles through snot and tears, "he wonders why people are after him, like it wasn't his fault that he blew up their base!"

Seven wipes his eyes even though his tears don't bother stopping, "And Valora seems to think that that is okay. That being righteous is good no matter the circumstances, even if it means putting their, MY LIFE, on the line!"

Seven wipes his overflowing snot with his sleeve, "And then Penny just follows along with whatever they want! If Rey hits me once, Penny will hit me twice! If Valora yells at me, Penny will berate me!"

"I'm getting bullied everyday!" Seven looks above his head and eyes the death clock, "And now I'm going to die! I knew this was going to happen! I knew I shouldn't have helped Rey that day! I should've just minded my own business!"

Seven then slams his head onto the table and continues to cry at his misfortune.

Snot and sniffles fill the air.

His death timer only adding to the flame.

He sits quietly for a couple seconds, taking a rest from all his complaints.

He feels absolutely miserable. He's watching his life end right before his eyes, and rather than doing something he enjoys, he's instead stuck here with another dead body.

Why did he help Rey that day?

Why didn't he just run away?

Why did he decide to stay?

As he spirals through despair, he suddenly realizes something.

"Now that I think about it," Seven mumbles as he slowly raises his head to look at Leon, "This is all your fault!"

He tries to stand up, but he only stumbles and falls to the ground. And by that time, he doesn't even have the energy to pick himself up, but that doesn't stop him from yelling.

"It was never Rey!" Seven yells from the floor, "At that time, that day we met, it wasn't Rey that caught my attention. It wasn't Rey that I was trying to help, it was you!"

He starts crying again, "I'm so stupid! Following Rey around and trying to get you to come back to life when I already know that's never going to happen! What was I thinking?! Wasted all my time!"

Seven tries sitting up, but finds no strength in doing so.

"In these 41 hours I have left," Seven huffs, "I will hit you. Somehow. Whenever I get up. Rey's not going to be here to stop me either. And this time, it's not gonna be a poke! I'll beat up so hard that we'll end up in the afterlife together-"

"-You're so annoying,"

"Ah? . . ."

"You talk so much,"

". . ."

"I thought your life was supposed to flash before your eyes, not talk about your entire life for seven hours straight,"

". . ."

"What, no more words?"

". . . Leon?"

"Who else?"

"You're awake?"

Leon did wake up, seven hours ago, right after Seven had given up on him.

He did try to go back into his delusions. But who would've thought that Seven's nonstop ramble would cause Leon to fail so many times that he eventually just stopped trying.

Leon ended up just sitting there nonchalantly, not bothering to do or say anything.

He was clearly still set on dying.

He thought that Seven would eventually get tired and stop talking. Then maybe he could finally get his long-awaited peace.

But Seven just kept going and going.

And at first, Leon didn't care. He's a very patient person, after all. But how can a person complain nonstop for hours on end?! Not even the character 'Leon' did that!

Leon stood up.

He wobbled for just a second before standing firm.

It's been a while since he used his legs, or at least, consciously using his legs.

He walked over to Seven, who was lying on the ground in an awkward and uncomfortable way. Then he picked Seven up like he was made out of feathers and dropped him on the bed. Seven was so dumbstruck that he just went along with it. He couldn't even stop staring at Leon. His eyes were wide and unblinking, as if he were struggling to take in the information about what was happening. It felt so unreal to him.

"A cannon fodder who noticed me, huh?" Leon mumbled.

Seven gasped, finally shocked out of his daze, "Cannon fodder?!"

Leon ignored him and instead glanced at his sketchbook, sitting back at the table.

A pencil smear and a blood drop ruin his drawing.

'I will miss you,' the last words of the protagonist suddenly rang through his mind.

"Annoying," Leon mutters.

Leon walks towards the window and sets his hand on the ledge.

'It's real,' he tsks.

In the end, delusions are just delusions.

Seven continues to stare at Leon, like it's his first time meeting him. Leon's eyes are still a little dull, but seeing him fully conscious, moving, and talking was like a dream come true. Seven felt like he could die happily now. Like he had fulfilled his lifelong duty.

'I wish Rey was here to see this,' Seven smiles with glitter in his eyes.

SWOOSH!

And Leon was gone.

Out the window and out of sight.

'. . . Shit,' Seven curses.

When Leon was a ways from the inn, he was greeted by a small village. A small village with no humans in sight. There were dryads, elves, dwarves, and even demons just walking around. But they all paid no attention to him. Their attention lied elsewhere, like the death clock above their heads. They cried and worried, all hoping that the protagonist would win and save their lives.

Leon strolled casually down the road, not caring for a single soul. He walked towards a small hill and climbed the steps that led him to an opening. And there, he was met with a great, vast land of mountains and lakes.

'Hideous,'

Leon wanted to barf.

This world.

It's still as ugly as ever.

Nothing that reminds him of home.

Rumble

There was a sign of battle. And it wasn't really hard to tell where, seeing how there was a big, dark cloud roaming above one area. It looked pretty far, though. It must be a really big battle to be able to shake the earth from there.

But that was normal.

Battles with the protagonist are always like this.

Earthshattering.

Earthshaking.

Earthchanging.

Whichever one of those it was.

Leon stared emotionlessly at the dark clouds in the distance.

Then he turned around, walking in the opposite direction.

Alas.

He was free.

There would no longer be a protagonist to stop him.

There would no longer be a protagonist at all.

Leon could finally rest in peace.

Leave this world behind and everything in it.

He broke off a branch from a nearby tree.

Pointed one end to his throat.

And stabbed.

---Many hours later with Rey---

BLAST!

A roaring flame of black fire smoldered the battlefield.

Rey had just barely cast a shield to save himself.

He gasped for air, tired and exhausted, his body begging for rest.

Another breath of black fire attacked.

This time, he dodged to the side, the fire just grazing the edge of his shirt.

And right away, another attack.

He raised his arms, and his shadows created a wall to protect himself.

When it was over, he stumbled for just a second, almost falling to one knee.

"How disappointing," the low, echoey voice of the dragon condescended, "I thought this fight would be more interesting,"

The Monarch of Death, a black dragon that has roamed the lands for centuries.

For those who trespass into his lands, he adds to his undead army. For those who seek his power, he kills mercilessly. And for those who aim to kill him, he welcomes them with joy.

He never leaves his lair, nor does he intentionally cause harm.

However, in Rey's case, he had purposely attacked him.

Attacked him to fulfill his selfish desire for a good fight.

Rey ignored his taunts; instead, his eyes caught two figures in the far distance, amidst the army of the undead. They, too, were barely hanging on.

For the most part, Valora and Penny were able to keep the army at bay while killing them in bunches from a distance. But from time to time, that distance would cut close. And whenever Rey saw that, he would step in to help. Though his shadows cause no permanent damage to the undead, they do push them away and stall time.

Like, right now.

His shadows create a ring that surrounds Valora and Penny before pushing the undead backwards with a storm.

BLAST!

And the Monarch of Death attacks him as well. Rey dodges and hides behind a broken pillar, trying to catch his breath.

"Leaving them be would be wise," the dragon suggests, "Or it'll be you who end up dead."

Rey already knew this was going to be a losing battle. He could feel it in his bones. There was no way he could protect them while fighting the dragon at the same time.

But he still had to try.

He raised his arm and cast a spell.

'Gravity Befall,'

The earth around the dragon began to crack, gravity weighing down on it.

Rey casts the spell again.

'Gravity Befall,'

And again.

'Gravity Befall,'

Just as the dragon opened its mouth to shoot another blast of fire, Rey waved his arms. His shadows were grabbing and tying the dragon down. And immediately, Rey cast another spell.

'Trapped in a Well,'

An invisible space was created around the dragon, locking it in place.

'Light of the Millions,'

Light beams shot forward.

'Lightning, Rain Down,'

Lightning struck the earth.

'Blessed Fire, The Holy Flame,'

A blazing red fire was released from his hands.

Rey cast spell after spell, attacking the dragon in every way he could.

How long has it been since they've begun fighting?

Rey doesn't know.

But as long as the sun hasn't risen yet, Seven still has time.

He could still save Seven.

And maybe . . .

Just maybe, he could even see Leon again.

However, even after his bombardment of spells, the dragon still came out unscathed. It flew through the air, wings open wide and untouched.

"Disappointing," the dragon said once more, "Utterly disappointing,"

BLAST!

Rey could barely dodge the attack. His entire left side, from his shoulder to his waist, was burned. And this time, he fell to one knee.

"Rey!"

He could hear Valora's and Penny's yells echo through the battlefield.

His eyes glanced at where they were. Their eyes were filled with fear and tears. The undead army creeping closer to them by the second.

With one deep breath, Rey stood back up on both legs.

The dragon shot another fire attack at him, only to be met with an illusion instead.

'Light of the Millions,'

Flashes of light beams pierced through the undead bodies, disintegrating them into nothingness. Then a ring of shadows surrounded Valora and Penny to push the undead back and create a large open space. There, Rey landed with a shaky step. Valora immediately went to heal his burns.

"Leave," Rey demanded, "I need you guys to leave,"

"We're not leaving!" Valora yelled, "We can do this-"

"-No, you can't. You're in my way,"

"I'm not leaving! Seven only has a couple more hours left. I'd rather die fighting than run away now!"

Rey sighed with frustration, "Penny, take Valora and fly out of here,"

Penny stood up straight with a flinch, looking back and forth between Rey and Valora with panicked eyes.

"Penny," Rey scolded, "I'm not asking,"

"But . . . then you-" Penny stuttered, "How about you . . . ?"

"Leave, now,"

Penny nodded with hesitance. Then she grabbed a struggling Valora, flapped open her wings, and flew. Valora screamed and yelled, trying to get out of Penny's grasp, but it was of no use. Penny was, after all, stronger than her. She could only watch as Rey was left behind.

The Monarch of Death seemed to realize what was happening and immediately flew after the two. His jaws opened wide and was about to shoot a blazing black fire. However, a glowing sword of light plunged itself through his side.

"Get back here," Rey uttered in a low voice, "We're not done,"