As I stood over the charred remains of the large teigu that once towered over the Empire, I could hear the cries of joy and victory among the remaining populace, rejoicing over the end of the tyrannical rule of the Empire. With both the Prime Minister and his son gone, the Empire has been cleaned of the malice and corruption that plagued in for too long.

But is this the ending that I wanted? We're the lives of everyone that I truly cared for...and the ones I started to care for...the price that I had to pay to see this victory?

"No...I can't accept this. There's no way...that I'll accept this!" I screamed from the top of my lungs. The crowd's joy completely drowned out my voice as I cried out in pain.

"S-sir, is there something the matter!?" answered one of my companions during the battle. He had a tall figure, with a huge body to match, but has a soft heart, especially around younger people.

I didn't respond...or rather, I couldn't hear his question from my grief plus the people's noise. "H-hey, can you hear me!?" he asked worriedly while grabbing me on my shoulders.

"Why them!? I should have been the one who had to die for this!" I cried with tears dampening my shirt. "They had families, friends, something worth protecting and fighting for! Why, fate, had you decided to take them away!? Why not me!?"

"Hiro, there you are." said Oboro, my other "remaining" companion on my journey. He had a very serious face when fighting, but is very calm and sociable when in "normal mode", although, with him looking like some kind of bookworm, you couldn't really tell he was a skilled swordsman.

"Boro, something's wrong with the Boss." Hiro said as he turned to face Oboro with me in his arms. "He started to act like this after we defeated the Emperor." Oboro quickly rushed to Hiro's side to examine me. I couldn't care less about what happened next. I only wanted to see my friends again. Everyone who helped me in taking down the corrupt Empire. I didn't want it to turn out like this. I had planned everything so that no one would die, and yet...fate had other plans for me.

One by one, everyone had fallen before me, whether in battle or through some devious trick. Everyone that I held so close...everyone that I wanted to live a happier life...all gone in a blink of an eye. What made it worse...is that I was...the one who led them to their deaths. That is what is on my mind right now. Now that I achieved the path I wanted, no one was there with me. Even if it was for them, they're no longer here to enjoy this. In that extent, I also could not enjoy it. I wanted a new era where there is peace, with everyone living happily, but now, that is nothing more that a pipe dream.

"I don't want this peace!" I screamed at the sky, as if I was yelling to the gods themselves. "This means nothing without them here! They were the reason I started this, and now you take them from me when I had it!? What more do you want from me!?" I screamed as I slam my fist to the ground. My hand started to bleed from the force, but I couldn't feel the pain. The only pain I felt...was of guilt and despair. All along, I knew that whether directly or indirectly, I was the one who led them to their deaths. I just didn't want to admit it. It made my victory into total defeat, at least for me. I know that I had saved countless people from death, despair and poverty, but it just feels empty inside without them with me. I knew as well that both Hiro and Oboro were still here with me, but my senses were numb...and I was to fixated on what I lost.

In that moment, I felt a hug coming from Oboro. "Calm down. Just let it all out." I wanted get away from him. I wasn't through being angry with the world yet, but the more that I struggled to get out, the more that he hugged me closer. And then at that moment, a small girl came to us. She was no more than 5-6 years old, but she had a worn-down figure to her. Probably one of the poor residents of the Empire. "Are you the people who took down the bad Emperor?" she asked us. "Actually, he is" Hiro answered while pointing to me. Even in my state, I could still see the girl as she went close to me. "Thank you, mister" she had said to me "You saved us."

That was the breaking point. I stopped struggling and just started to cry. "I'm not really a hero" I cried. But the girl answered back "But you saved everyone, even my parents. You ARE a hero.". "But I...didn't save...everyone" I answered weakly. Then I felt something soft wrapped around me, something warm. "But still, you saved everyone else, and that's enough." the girl said while hugging me. I just broke down after that. I cried like a fountain, while repeating the words "I'm sorry" over and over again. I had realized then and there that they willingly risked their lives to make this dream a reality, not only for them, but for everyone else as well. I was stupid to only think about my personal wants for them that I didn't see what they truly wanted for the world. I realized too late, and for that, I lost everyone because of my own incompetence. I just accepted her hug and let loose my emotions.

Author's Notes: Hey, it's the author here.

Now I know that this may seem like the ending of a story, and it is in a way. But this is only the set up for the story.

I have some OCs and I might tweak some of the lore in the actual story, but not that much.

I only did the Prologue for now since I really need some shut-eye, but I'll put up the 1st chapter in a short time after.

Anyway, leave a review and let me know if there's anything wrong with my writing.