Shame I released this before anybody put a theory in a review. Also, I'll thank people for favoriting at the ending note.

I waste a few precious moments on my knees, vomiting my guts out. Shit, my legs are covered in puke now. That's absolutely disgusting.

Without wasting another second, I shakily rise to my feet and ready my weaponry. I can't let myself break down like that again. I can't ever let that happen again.

I steel myself, and suddenly realize there's a spear poking its way through my chest. Wow, uh, that really hurts.

That hurts really fucking bad. That hurts so fucking much. I feel myself stumble forwards as the soldier who stabbed me kicks me in the back, and I fall on my knees, and then to the cold dirt. The wet-with-blood dirt. The muddied-by-blood dirt. Bloodied by my blood, now.

I can't think rationally through this pain...

Click!

Suddenly, I'm no longer in pain. Not only that, but I'm also positioned behind the man who just injured me. I recklessly slap a hand to my chest. Nothing- no pain, except for the slight jolt of hitting myself. I grin widely.

By now, the Daein man has already turned, a fearful determination stretched across his face.

The spearman looks me in the eyes, and he steels his gaze.

"Demon. I'll stab you. I'll impale you, and I'll stab you again. I'll stab you so many times that you'll just get tired of getting stabbed and just DIE!" he wildly roars, thrusting his spear with reckless abandon towards my chest.

I grimace. "Demon? The fuck are you trying to say here? I'm not special. I'm quite sure I'm just an average soldier." he doesn't respond as I deflect his spear with my shield and swing my blade towards his torso as quickly as I can manage.

I'm not a demon- that's ridiculous. I just have a weird ability, that's all. A bizarre ability.

While I'm half-trying to convince myself that no, I'm not a demon, this guy blocked my slash with his own shield and leaped back. That's fucking bullshit, man. He once again jabs his spear at me, but this time, I shove it to the side with my shield and have the sudden thought to slam my boot down on the shaft of the lance. I'm unsuccessful in breaking it, but I do hear a satisfying Crack! that tells me I've at least damaged it.

My opponent grimaces and hatefully glares at me. "I don't need a spear to kill you. I don't need anything to kill you. I'll just... I'll just!" he descend into maddened ramblings, likely brought on by the fact that he saw his friends get murdered in front of them and proceeding to be shut down for his revenge.

I force my feeling of guilt down after that thought- no time to be breaking down- and brandish my sword, ready to initiate a mercy kill.

I'm quite surprised to find his hands around my throat with crazed cries of "I'LL KILL YOU, DEMON! I WILL KILL YOU!"

For a moment, I let out a few sounds, before I attempt to use my ability.

Click!

I'm still being strangled by him. Shit. FUCK! SHIT!

I'm stuck panicking for a couple seconds. but then I remember that I'm holding a sword, and I gut him. Oh, that's revolting, his intestines are now spilling out over my lower body. He won't stop choking me.

He won't let go.

This guy's really lost it, huh?

So... this is how it ends. Some random, miscellaneous soldier lost it after I bested his friend and strangled me despite my efforts.

I mean, hey, I did pretty well, given that I was stuck in Kieran's platoon. You know, the one that got demolished by this very attack.

I sorta grin and stare into the crazed eyes of my to-be killer. "You got me," I manage out through his grip, "and you did a damn good job." Might as well try to fuck with his head while I'm dying.

The edges of my vision are getting darker darkdarkdaRKDARKDAR-

Suddenly, my vision is reddened. I reach up- unimpeded- and touch my face. Blood, and lots of it. I once again shove down my urge to barf all over the place. I clear my eyes of all the gore- yes, gore, there were a few chunks of something on my face- and I look around confusedly.

At my feet is my would-be killer; at least, I think he is, given that his head has been messily removed.

The corpse is positioned between myself and... Kieran- yeah, Kieran. I shakily grin at the redhead. "H-hey." I muster. I'm barely retaining control of my bowels at the moment, gimme a break.

"Have no fear, fellow Crimean! We guard her highness, so it is impossible that we could fail! Now, make haste! To victory!" Kieran shouts, raising his axe and pointing out to the enemy cavalry, who have just regrouped for a second charge. "Raise your shield, comrade! Brace yourself!"

"Ugh... shit. You got it, sir." I sigh, slowly raising my shield and gritting my teeth. My shield- it's made of metal, by the way- is dented from the last assault. I take a moment to study the battlefield.

I see flashes of Geoffrey and his horse practically dancing around, bodies dropping around him. I see Nephenee and Brom are teaming up against enemy soldiers to great effect, and there are also a couple scattered Crimeans still fighting.

On the other side, I can see that we're hopelessly outnumbered. At least twenty cavaliers are preparing to charge down what remains of the Fifth Platoon, and that's not to mention the maybe forty-odd other soldiers of varying classes also participating in the battle, being massacred by Geoffrey or not. Let's see... I'm paired with Kieran, Brom and Nephenee are together, and Geoffrey's got El- wait, where is Elincia?

I glance at Kieran and ask, "Where'd that royal lady go? She's not with the general." Act like you don't know anything, Conor.

Kieran scrunches his brow for a second before answering. "Ah, you mean her highness Princess Elincia! Geoffrey decided it would be best that she should go on ahead, as to prevent her from capture should we be defeated. Of course, there's no need to be demoralized- we will not lose, and shall catch up with her highness shortly." Kieran flashes me a confident grin that quickly fades into a determined look. "The enemy is charging. Prepare yourself!"

I once again steel myself against the coming impact. Maybe three of them are coming at me. The closest cavalier is 10 yards away... eight... five... two...

BANG!

I nearly stagger backward, but I hold my ground and barely raise my shield in time for the next hit.

CLANG!

This time, I do stumble back, and I leap to the side, closer to Kieran, to avoid the couched lance that was about to impale me. I fall to the ground, but I manage to get up before somebody makes sure I stay down.

Kieran is right next to me, panting. "Good work, my friend!" He grins. "We may yet defeat them! Come now, let us join up with our brothers and sister in arms!"

We cautiously make our way over to Nephenee, Brom, and one other miscellaneous Crimean who had the same idea as us. Not too soon after, Geoffrey and another soldier cut their way over to us.

This'll be our last stand, I suppose.

I suppose this could be where I die.

I suppose this could be where we all die.

I suppose this could be where this entire timeline gets fucked up, for some reason or another.

This one was written a lot more slowly than the last two chapters. Anyways...

Thank you to:

juanpablobro, for favoriting and following both this story and myself as an author.

Nalsala, for favoriting this story.

You guys are awesome, and probably don't realize how empowering the first few favorites of a story are. Truly, thank you.