I obviously don't own Fable. -_-'

The multi-cultural crowd went wild as their country's leaders shook my hand and gave me the top honor medals of their people. While looking out into the crowd I took a sharp intake of breath as pain invaded my body once again. The voices had returned, clawing at the back of my mind, telling me that I had failed them, all of them.

The darkness isn't gone, it whispers, you only pushed back the inevitable. I knew that I wasn't able to kill the ringleader of darkness, The Shadow. He was swift in battle and I hardly got to get in any hits, even with my vast arsenal of weapons. I sustained several blows though; including a particularly brutal one, which left me forever tainted. I can feel it, the swirling darkness that drips and pools within my hero stature.

Whatta hero, I can't even protect this world. It's too big for only one of me.

That was true too, the planet I was born onto, called Earth, was vast and full, almost over populated. Getting everybody to believe me, that something out there was coming to slaughter us all was one of the hardest things to do. A few hundred-thousand casualties were to be expected by the time the darkness finished its onslaught.

The people in my world have always had a difficult time getting along, but countries that wouldn't join the battle perished under the attack.

That's ancient history…no use thinking about it now, I attempt to reassure myself. All I can do is wait and rest for the next wave.

"Thank you" I said with a slight bow. "But I have to go,"

This isn't over yet, it's still out there, and I can feel it…

I looked out at all the shining, hopeful faces, whose lives all rested in my hands. I bowed again to hide the look of anxious despair which has almost certainly crossed my face. Here, I grimaced again as the pain and the voices came back. Breathing deeply and standing erect, I rubbed an aching temple and went to the Sanctuary, the only place that I could truly call my home.

I stayed in the main room, headed over to the giant map in the middle, and leaned on the edge of the round table, looking over it to find any source of darkness. My tired eyes glimpse nothing unusual at first, but just as I start to turn away, out of the corner of my eye, I see something moving, almost serpent-like, along my kingdom and homeland. I quickly turned back to find that a dark mass was quickly covering the map. As it covered more and more of it, the Sanctuary walls began to ooze cold ebony darkness. Cracks began to erupt through the walls, books fell from shelves, pictures and promises became inky black as the walls were enveloped in darkness.

I have to get out of here, and fast.

I ran to the armory and grabbed the two weapons left by the last hero; a sword and a rifle. I ran back to the middle room to pick my destination, hoping to help the people there as much as I could. Right before I left, the Sanctuary shook violently, making me squat low to the ground to steady myself. The darkness that began overfilling the map grew upwards in a big, Indescribable blob. Before my panicked eyes, the dark mass began to shape itself into the hooded man that I dreaded, The Shadow. He looked at me with his crimson eyes and pointed at me with his bone finger.

"It's your fault these people had to fall like this. You are the one to blame, and because of that you will never escape. You will fall with your people." The sound emanating from his black form emanated as the same voice that too often swirls in my mind.

I grabbed my rifle and aimed.

"Shut up and let's get this thing over with." He didn't move, instead another blob came up and began showing the people, my people, trying to fight this battle outside the Sanctuary.

"You can hear their screams can't you? Why don't you protect them? It is your destiny isn't it? You know secretly you want to be free of your destiny. You don't want to live in the servitude the people for the rest of your life. Let them die, all of them fight with me and you will be set fr-." I shot the blob of darkness he had been using as a make shift screen.

"You may have gotten the part right about me wanting to be free, but I am not like you. I will not let you kill all those people, and I will fight till my death to protect them." Not being able to see the map I thought of the last place I've been to and chose it as my destination.

When I appeared in the outside world everything was covered in the black sludge, and corpses were scattered everywhere. Most of them still had the looks of terror on their faces. Despite all the death around me my hopes where still up. If there is at least one person still alive then-. My thoughts where cut short as the children of darkness came out to play. I grabbed my sword and began to try and reduce their numbers, but based off the carnage, their strength had been multiplied. They finally got the meal they had been craving for.

My breaths where quickly becoming short pants as the darkness kept coming at me. All I could see around me is a sea of darkness and red eyes. Panic rushed through my body as I start to come to the terms of my situation. At least the shadow couldn't say I didn't go without a fight.

With sweat rolling down my now dirt and blood-caked face, I faltered in one of the swings of my sword and the children saw it as an opening. They attacked me all at once, and even though I tried pushing them all off me there were just too many. The children were no longer single entities, but an ocean of darkness. And I'll tell you what, drowning in darkness is different than drowning in water. The burning agony of your whole body as darkness fills your lungs can make even the toughest man scream pathetically for the healing hands of his mother. Through my struggle I was able to get one hand free but with nothing to grab onto it was useless. Just then I began to give up and let my body relax in the caresses of death.

Its over…

I was almost too far gone before I felt the gentle tug on my freed hand.

My friend drew my OC for me. I'll have the link on my profile for you to see it.