-Tap, tap
Familiar footsteps echoed through the hallway. How long had I been waiting for them? My feelings were mixed.
But I knew what I should say.
She stopped right in front of my cell, looking at me. She was just as I remembered her. Golden hair cascading down her white robe, bright blue eyes piercing through me. Her gaze at me was quite sharp, so I should speak up now.
"Oh, hello there, mind helping me out? I'm in quite a tough spot, you see."
"...You sure sound carefree considering your situation. I will get you out there, but you need to answer my questions."
"Certainly. By the way, my name is Cain. And yours?"
"My name is Angela."
...Angela seemed to be more wary of me than I thought. Oh well, whatever, we would get to know each other soon, so no need to be hasty.
***
"Angela, what exactly are hollows? Do they just rise from the ground? Or are they corpses of the deceased?"
"Yes, hollows are corpses, specifically from humans, reanimated from the abundance of demonic energy. That's why you need to purify the corpses or burn them to prevent them from turning into hollow. Still, places with an abundance of demonic energy are to be avoided, as you cannot know what bizarre phenomena will happen."
After answering her questions with honesty and verifying my identity, I asked Angela some of my long-standing questions to determine my next course of action. I needed to know more about that undead monster.
"So, huh, how do I put this? What if a hollow is abnormally strong, like it can wield a sword and fight as if it were alive? If they exist, how do we deal with monsters like that?"
"They are called undead. Sometimes, instead of hollows, reanimated corpses will become undead. They will retain a fragment of their former skills and are highly dangerous. Through, I have personally never seen one, so I cannot comment on how to deal with them."
...I guess that made sense considering what would happen.
"Angela, do you think you can beat an undead?"
"It depends, but I'd say no. I'm not very confident in my skills."
That question was really useless, wasn't it?
Silence engulfed us. Our footsteps echoed throughout the dark hallways. There were some slain hollows here and there. Angela did it, obviously.
"...Angela, let's just say, what if you got reanimated as a headless hollow? Would you be disgusted?"
Seemingly running out of questions, I just asked whatever crossed my mind. Angela stared back at me.
"...I don't get where you get your weird obsession with hollows from. Did those hollows from before scare you that much-"
"Ah! It's not like that..."
Those hollows did give me the chills, but it was certainly not the reason I was being like this.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way we could beat it like this.
'...Should I run away alone as Angela said?'
That was the best solution. I could not think of a better way.
"Hey Angela."
"What is it?"
"What would you do when, let's say, your mentor, who is much stronger than you, tells you to run away while they fend off an unbeatable monster themself? I know this is kinda out of the blue, but I really need to know your answer."
"I see. In such a situation, I'd run away without hesitation."
"...Huh?"
"Knowing your limits and acting upon them is only the rational thing to do. I believe sacrificing your life to protect someone is noble, but that's exactly why their resolve deserves to be acknowledged and heard—especially when you don't have a better choice yourself."
Thinking back about it, it made sense. She never expected me to help her in the first place. Maybe all of this is just me being delusional, thinking I was in a place to save her. In my last life, I couldn't even run away properly, wasting Angela's life. The best I could do now is to fix that mistake, taking that one chance Angela had given me.
I must leave Angela behind.
But would Angela be the only thing I'd be leaving behind?
***
I knew what a hero looked like. What a hero would do.
But I had never seen one. Until I met Angela, she was exactly what I thought a hero would be like.
Maybe Angela was not everyone's hero, but to me, she was.
Deep down, I did not want Angela to die for someone like me. I wanted her to live.
Could I really be like Angela? Bravely laying down my life for my own beliefs.
Would staying back with Angela change anything? Or should I faithfully follow her words?
Excuses cremented my lashlines. I could not see the way forward. My future became hazy.
Before I knew it, Angela had led me to the staircase. The staircase that we would fight that undead monster.
-Stomp
Despite running through this ruin as fast as possible, it still stood in our way. Maybe it had been waiting for us all along.
Angela did not question me about how I knew all of this. She merely drew her sword. It felt as if the conclusion had already been decided, regardless of what she would do.
"Run."
With a simple word like that, Angela rushed into the fight. I looked at her incredulously. The fight started clearly before my eyes.
Yet I could not see anything beyond it. Was I supposed to run into there blindly?
One step, two steps. I started walking in the unknown absent-mindedly. The only real things that appeared in my vision were undead, blades and Angela.
-KLANG!
The sound of a deflected blade acted as a cue for me. I ran past them. As I did, I met Angela's eyes.
'Go.'
No word was spoken. But it was clear what had been said.
My pace fastened. My thoughts slowed. I made my first step on the staircase, on my way to freedom.
Then I stopped. Thinking or running, all of that bothersome stuff. With my unclouded eyes, I looked back and saw only one truth.
There was no escape in reality. Whether I escape or not, I would die either way.
The other person I'd be leaving behind here with Angela would be "me".
Then what should I do? The answer was obvious.
-KLANG!
The sound of blades clashing woke me up. Angela made a bold dive in, disregarding the blow to her side.
-KLANG!
Her sword was deflected away. Her sword was lost as easily as that.
The undead edged closer, its presence eerily deathlike.
-Whish!
A clean cut.
But it missed.
The undead lost its balance mid-swing and missed it.
I kicked it down to save Angela.
Angela widened her eyes, disbelief visible on her face.
...
Oh well, whatever. I had died once already. Wouldn't mind dying again.
Let's beat this undead up.