"This is your end!"
Before the Demon Lord could escape, Cardin's sword had already pierced deep into the his chest.
For a moment, the battlefield became silent. The monster's massive body froze and its fiery red eyes stared at him in disbelief. And with a heavy thud, it collapsed. Soon, dark smoke started to pour our of its body before it returned to its humanize form.
"N-No... T-This not yet t-the end y-yet..." the Demon Lord said while gasping for air.
The Demon Lord attempted to move but Cardin pressed his sword against its chest. During his final moments, the Demon Lord looked at the man who defeated him. But instead of cursing him, he gave him a creepy smile.
"I-I shall return... W-When that time c-comes... I-I will kill—"
The Demon Lord couldn't continue his words because Cardin had already twisted the blade of his sword into his heart. At that moment, the Demon Lord had taken his last breath before his body turned to ashes and was swept by the wind.
He won.
Cardin tried to smile in victory. He tried to raise his sword. He tried to say something heroic and remarkable.
But he couldn't do it anymore.
His legs were starting to lose its balance. His arms felt like a pair of stones now. His chest felt like burning. And the world was blurring.
Soon, Cardin couldn't feel his legs and arms anymore. Even the air pressing against his face seemed heavy and dull.
'So this is it...' he thought. 'I really used everything I have.'
While the darkness was starting to crept in, the past memories slowly drifted into his mind.
He used to be a simple and clumsy knight. He was always tripping over his own feet and dropping his sword. He remembered being scolded, laughed at, and underestimated by his colleague at every turn.
But he trained. And trained. And trained some more.
Until one day, people stopped laughing at him. They started to call him 'the strongest' after he defeated a huge orc that attacked their city. Soon, everyone started calling him their 'hero'.
Then slowly, the world began to rely on him.
Cardin also remembered the cheering crowds whenever he defeated a monster. There were also knights who admired him. The children in the streets were sometimes pretending to fight like him.
He also remembered his family.
Fiona, his wife, had died a long time ago and left a hole in his heart no victory could fill. He also have a child who was working far away as an informant. Cardin already lost any communication with that child but he heard they were now living a good life.
With a sigh, Cardin carefully laid his body on the ground and looked at the sky. Right now, he did not feel any regrets.
He had saved the world. He had saved the kingdom. He had saved a lot of people.
And that was enough.
'Finally... I can rest in peace.'
Cardin closed his eyes.
He waited for soft clouds, gentle light and maybe a reunion with his wife.
But instead...
Thud.
Cardin groaned when he landed on solid ground.
"This... This is not how peaceful rest works."
Cardin opened his eyes and looked around. The battlefield was gone. Instead, he was in a glittering forest as if someone had dumped tons of fairy dust everywhere.
The grass shimmered, the trees sparkled and even the air smelled like sweet candy.
"O...kay? Maybe this is heaven?" Cardin wondered. "But this is not the heaven I was expecting, though?"
Before Cardin could explore more, he noticed a small light flying toward him.
"Oh, great..." he muttered. "I'm going to die for the second time from magical glitter now."
At first, Cardin thought it was an insect. A very bright and glowing insect. But as it came closer, he realized it was an old man.
A tiny old man with rainbow-colored butterfly wings and shimmering like sunlight. He was wearing a glowing robes and his small body was practically radiating light.
Cardin blinked his eyes twice when the old fairy paused in front of his face.
"Uhmm... Hi?"
"Human hero!" the old man cheered. "You did it! You saved the human world! And because of that, you also saved the fairy world too!"
Cardin tilted his head.
"Wait... Are you a firefly or something like that?"
"What firefly? I am the Fairy King!" the old man proudly said. "And I am here to reward you!"
Cardin scratched the back of his head.
"Reward me? But I'm kind of dead now. And I was just hoping for quiet and peaceful rest. Maybe to live eternity with my wife—"
But the Fairy King waved his glowing arms.
"What nonsense! Your reward is greater than that! I can give you a second life!"
Cardin froze.
"Second life?"
"Yes!" the Fairy King excitedly said.
Then he spun in the air making the sparkles in his wings to fly everywhere.
"I can give you whole new life! You will get another chance to live!"
"...Yeah, no."
Cardin was already tired. Can he just take a long break now that he defeated the biggest threat in their world? Even if he was a hero, he also need a vacation. And a long one at that.
"But I can give you a second life different from your previous life!"
That made Cardin's attention to snap at him.
"Wait, what? A different life?"
"Yes! Isn't it wonderful?"
Cardin rubbed his chin.
"You're glowing a little too much while saying that. Should I be worried?"
Cardin already met a lot of creatures in his life. Some of them are reliable while the others were either mischievous or simply bored.
He looked at the Fairy King once again. This tiny old man with butterfly wings was smiling so much that his cheeks hurt for him.
"Worried? Nonsense! It's an exciting offer!"
Cardin crossed his arms. Or atleast he tried to.
"Alright. I'm listening now. But if this is some trick, I swear—"
The Fairy King clapped his tiny hands to interrupt him.
"There's no tricks here, Hero! Only rewards!"
Cardin hesitated. He was already exhausted from fighting his whole life. After he finally killed the Demon Lord, Cardin was ready to rest forever.
But... Maybe the idea of a second chance sparked something in him.
'Maybe I could see my child again? Maybe I could fix my mistakes? Maybe I could meet my old party again?'
Without knowing it, Cardin had a small smile on his lips.
"A second life, huh? Alright. Tell me more about it."
The Fairy King grinned so wide it almost looked scary.
"Oh! You will love it! It's a unique and special reward! And I promise you've never had anything like this before!"
Cardin squinted his eyes at the Fairy King.
"Unique? Hah? Why does it sounds suspicious to me?"
"Oh, you. That's nonsense!" the Fairy King said while laughing. "Just close your eyes and enjoy your new adventure!"
Cardin raised his hand to complain.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on! Stop giving me vague ideas and give me a real answer!"
But before he could finish talking, a bright light suddenly burst from the Fairy King. That light wrapped around Cardin like a glowing blanket.
"Enjoy your new life, Hero Cardin!" the Fairy King called.
Cardin screamed.
And then...
Crack!
When Cardin opened his eyes, he was not lying down anymore He was not standing either. He was... stiff. Cold. Hard.
And for some reason... he felt sharp. And rusty.