I don't know how long it was. But in my walking around the wasteland, I saw some people walking towards the Fortress. They weren't monsters. I recognized them.

They were the same people I'd seen dragged off from the caves! The girl, the one the Lady Melodia had ordered locked up, was in the lead. Her face, like all the others, was set. I could see their determination, and their readiness to fight.

I didn't have that confidence. But I wanted it, badly. I wanted to stop being afraid. I wanted to do something. I didn't want to be a coward.

So I made up my mind and ran towards them.

"Hey, you!" My voice trembled only slightly… I hoped they didn't hear it. They were at the Fortress gates, but they turned to look at me. I ran up to the pretty girl in the lead. "Weren't you in the Lava Caves?"

She looked blank with surprise. "…Yes, who are you?"

I realized how lucky I'd been that they hadn't simply started attacking me. After all, the last time I'd seen them, I hadn't exactly been on their side. But I didn't care about sides anymore. I just wanted to end my terror.

I couldn't tell them my name. They couldn't know me. I had my helmet. "Only a soldier," I answered. "But… I was there too. I saw the Emperor change into that dreadful beast, then when Melodia and the General came out and did what they did…" My voice shook more noticeably now. Coward! Coward! They knew! "I was terrified… I ran for my life." My shame was out. But I saw no condemnation in her eyes. Instead, there was a gentleness to them, a depth in them that said she knew exactly how I felt. But she was braver than me. She was going into the Fortress. How could she do that? Where did her courage come from?

"What's happening to our world?" Now all my fears came tumbling out. "I feel you know something about all this craziness. Please… help us!" Yes. There was no other way. They had to do it. They had to know. "Melodia and General Fadroh are in the Fortress as we speak. Up to something horrible, no doubt. Please do something… I'm simply terrified!"

She smiled, and I had never seen anything so kind before. Even she had never smiled like that. "It's all right. We're here to help you."

"Yes," came another from behind her, and I saw one of the people who I thought looked most familiar standing there. He was dressed in a fancy Imperial uniform, so I guessed I must have seen him around the Fortress or the city before. But his hair…! And suddenly I realized who he was. He was her younger brother. He looked strong, standing there with these people, and I was sharply reminded of her.

"Please protect the people until then," he told me, red eyes intent. "They need your help, as a soldier."

That was it.

That was all I had to do. I couldn't end this craziness, storm the Fortress or stop the General and the Lady Melodia. But… I could protect the citizens. "Yes… yes… absolutely…"

I was a soldier.

"You're absolutely right." I felt myself straighten under the duty placed on me. I wouldn't run. Not this time.

"So, Melodia and the others are in the Fortress?" the kind girl asked.

"Yes." I shivered. "But it's crawling with monsters. So… please… please watch out." I didn't want anything to happen to them. Not these people. They didn't deserve it.

"Thank you. You be careful too." She smiled again.

I smiled too, for the first time in what seemed like years. But they couldn't see it.

"I'll go do what I can for those back in the city." That was it. I had to go. And so I turned, and ran… but towards the nightmare, not from it.

I entered Mintaka with my gun held high. I knew some part of me was trembling, because my vision shook just a little, but my aim was steady. There—straight in front of me. One of the demons. It had its sword raised, about to come down on a kid who was shrunken back against the wall, looking death in the face.

Not a kid!

"Hey!" I shouted, at the same time I fired. The shot struck the thing squarely in the shoulder, and it snarled, turning towards me.

"Run, kid! Get inside!" I yelled, shooting again. He wasn't stupid—he scrambled away as the monster lunged towards me. I didn't have time to fire another shot, because it was right on top of me.

I blocked desperately, ramming the butt of my gun at it. It didn't seem to have any effect, and I barely moved the beast. As it swung again, I threw my weapon at it and drew my sword from its Magnus, just in time to block the next blow. But it had two blades, extensions of its very arms. I had only one, and I had never mastered the parry moves the way my trainer wanted me too. He had finally given up on me.

I didn't want to give up now.

My blocks grew steadily weaker, and its eyes blazed. Suddenly, with a new burst of strength, it threw me off my feet. As I tumbled to the ground, it leaped on me and stabbed downward.

Pain as I had never known electrified my body. I would have screamed, but blood choked me. I could think of nothing else, could think of no duty, no courage, only blind terror of the darkness that was rising to cover my eyes. I didn't want to die, here, now! I was still a coward!

Then the blackness turned to light.

Vaguely I could see the thing's hand on my torso, and a light spreading out from there. I felt it seize my body, banish the pain, and turn everything white. Was this death?

No… it was worse…

No…!

Fear. Anger. Fire! Burn, everything, everything will burn. Destruction. I need it. Where is the fear? I can feel it. They can't hide. Hate. Hate them all. Die!

They made me this way. They locked me up. Die! I want death! Let them bleed! I bring death. They are weak. They are afraid. I make them this way. I kill them!

Hate is all. Pain is all. Anger is all. Let them taste it. Let them die!

Blood, red, fire… red! Blue! White! No. Only death. They die!

"This is gonna be tough."

Words? Sounds. They are weak. Death!

Pain! Blows. Blade cuts. Words burn. Bullets hurt. Kill!

Why? They still fight. Pain is more. Hate. Hate burns deep. They must die!

No. Where is fire? Where is strength? All is pain.

"Rest in peace."

What?

"Crescendo!"

Ahhhh… pain... but… pain is gone. Fire is gone.

Hate is gone.

Ah… her.

Thank you.

"Let's move on."