They faced one another, the fractures of the battlefield hissing all round like vicious vipers. Skyscrapers, ruined, reduced to endless piles of burnt rubble. Smoke, swirling into the air, soaking into the bodies more still than a placid lake.
Man, woman, and child.
Mortal and demonic.
All kinds of life scattered themselves throughout, reminding the remaining players just how gruesome reality could be.
"This is it, MC," Agatha said, flaunting her person atop a mound of bricks. "The end is now."
The mortal grimaced, their face shielded by the helmet of their Praetor Suit.
"It didn't have to be this way," they said. "We could've worked together."
The little demon girl snickered.
"Don't be stupid. You're a mortal, and I'm a monster. No matter how you slice it, we could never live together. You humans were meant to be our food. Nothing more."
"So, all those laughs, all those tears, were they just fake?"
"No." The girl's expression simmered with sincerity. "It was all real. I do love you, MC. I do care about you a lot. You're the only mortal I could really connect with. That's why you need to come to my side. I'll give you a pass. You could be my pet; then, we could be together forever!"
"I'm sorry, Agatha, but that kind of life just isn't worth living. I care about you too. But that feeling is only temporary. My humanity, however"—the final human loaded their Super Shotgun—"is eternal."
The demon grinned.
"Fine," she said. "Have it your way."
Her claws glistened beneath the dying sun, the same luster as the mortal's intricate armor.
"I'll send you to the grave just like I did with the rest of you dogs!"
Their hesitation zero, the two forces rushed forward, both ready to sever the red string of fate that bound them.
The monster girl lifted her finger.
"That's the kind of dream I had last night," she said. "Weird, right?"
I had no words, my jaw hung as I tried to figure out just what kind of drugs she was sneaking into her room.
First of all, I think you're making me look cooler than I actually am. Like, a lot cooler.
Second of all, are you okay? Like, actually okay?
"Agatha," I said, "let's stop with the midnight snacks, okay?"
She looked at me like I was a weirdo, whereas I looked at her like she was the next American Psycho.