Blood is seeping everywhere, it keeps pouring out of this wound. It won't stop. This crimson liquid is continuing to flow out of my body, and I can't stop it… Why can't I stop it? Why? The agony flows through my veins, I feel nothing but the never ending pain, I cannot help it… I scream silently, watching it spill around me, soaking the clothing I wear, the bedding, the ground. There was nothing more than I could do to save my life than to take shallow breaths and hope for a little more time in sparing the blood flow. I feel myself fade, I'm weaker and weaker by the moment, it is all I can do to hold on to my now pathetic existence. I cannot fight, I cannot move, all I can do at this point is die.

My blood shines gently in the darkness of night, as I hear outside the cries of the dying and dead. A whimper sometimes is close, I know its her, and I hate that she weeps. How I wish for the times of peace that was once present. Now that it is gone, I cannot help but… cry. Tears fall from my eyes, ones that have long ago broken through my almost carefree mask. No, sometimes it is not a mask, when I am happy… Its there. The smile I love to hold upon my lips, the one that comes when those I love are around, my family. Even if they treat me as their king, lord, and the like, I do love them dearly, and each loss is too painful.

I've lost too many. Illuser perished, it was Nadil's doing so long ago, and that ripped at me, my beloved Dragon dog. He was protecting my wife from further harm… And then I almost lost Ruwalk to the creature that took over Illuser's form, I could not kill him… I couldn't. I made him into Rath, with my blood, the shapeless demon became my heir. My flesh and blood… Yet, the other died, Snow Crewger, Ice Illuser, I had lost both of them to yokai. Yet, one of the hardest hits came, when I lost Rath for the first time, Nadil had invaded our beloved little Fire Knight and then removed his head in front of my eyes. I broke then, completely… Yet, two more losses came from that, Kai-Stern had touched the revival water, and that, which had turned Rath, caused him to start decaying. He gave himself up to bring Rath back to life… Back to life… Not before Nadil killed Alfeegi.

The White Dragon Officer had perished, I remember the news, Ruwalk had been with him in his final moments. My tears still stain my cheeks for their losses. Blue Dragon Officer Kai-Stern, White Dragon Officer Alfeegi, Snow Crewger, Ice Illuser. Four of my close family had perished…

Now the Dragon Knights are on a suicide mission to rescue Cesia, kill Nadil, and save the entire world from destruction. Not only is this an impossible thief, but two of them are… off. No, all three of them are insane! Rath is a homicidal suicidal maniac who wants to not only kill every demon, but himself. Thatz is a crazy treasure hunter who can eat anyone out of food, home, land, and life. Rune… Rune is our uptight 'always get everything done quickly and properly' stick up the bottom man. He's more strict than Alfeegi was! And that is an almost impossible feat.

Not only that, but Kitchel, the long-time rival of Thatz who is now hunting for the three treasures, has them, and is now in another demention is somewhere in that place and cannot be found. Unfortunately I cannot fathom anything worse—wait, I can.

They could all be dead at this very moment, hope is completely lost, and, well, Ruwalk can't cook. We're all waiting for our final moments, and mine will be first.

And as I lay here dying, all I can think about… is hope. All I am now able to do is hope for the future, and with that, I feel peace within my soul, just this little thought that in the end, out of the countless futures that hold horror and darkness, there is something to hope for.

Even in complete despair, this hope of mine, even when and if I pass, will remain… somewhere.

A glowing light.