How many years has it been since that day fell upon the world? She could no longer count, and neither could anyone else.
Amidst the misty path to the old town, light footsteps tore the silence. The slow and deliberate rhythm of sandals hitting the cobblestone road occupied the quiet emptiness in this land.
A lone figure, draped in a thick cloak, face covered with a hood, walked the foggy road. In her hands was a wooden staff — its red orb at the tip glowing eerily, contrasting the lifeless, fog filled air of the town.
Nevigne stopped before the gateway of this place which used to be a lively town. Now, however, only the stone arc of the gateway remained, with the gate itself missing. The walls that surrounded the town were still visible though in the form of crushed rubble.
Even in the dead of night, anyone could see clearly that this civilization had been decimated.
Just like every other civilization in this world, this one had been reduced to ashes.
The girl in the hood let out a sigh. She passed through the gateway and entered the forsaken town.
Not a single building was standing in this place, except for one.
The ominous inn with lights seeping through the windows was the only working building that remained in this town — or perhaps, in this entire world.
That is her destination. The place Nevigne had been trying to reach for five hundred years.
She walked towards the inn and casually pushed the doors open.
There was no music playing in this lone tavern. Though filled with customers, the place was obviously uncared for. Cobwebs filled the decaying wooden ceiling, the lamps were barely lit and all kinds of trash were scattered on the floor.
Nevigne's face remained hidden under the hood as she stepped inside, meeting the gaze of a few dozen creatures drinking at their dusty tables.
As expected, silence met her.
She continued to walk forward, towards the counter behind which the innkeeper was quietly wiping a wineglass. He had dark hair, a youthful, relaxed face and a lean figure. He was also the only one who looked human in this place.
After a moment, she reached the counter. She sat on one of the barstools and rested her arms on the counter's wooden surface. Her wooden staff leaned against the counter.
"What can I get you, miss?" the innkeeper asked.
She listened to the innkeeper's smooth voice without lifting her face.
Without thinking twice, she spoke. "Are you Fidelis, the fallen angel?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, the man paused from wiping the glass.
Before responding, he turned his back on her.
"That's right," he said while putting the glass back on its shelf and getting another one to wipe. "So what can I get you? We have goods from all around the galaxy."
She thought about it for a moment, and then replied.
"I'll have your bestseller."
She had been traveling for quite some time. Considering she was already at an inn, she might as well have something to drink.
Fidelis nodded and moved swiftly. In just a few moments, a glass of bloodred beverage was in front of the hooded figure.
She lifted the glass and drank the wine in one go. The taste wasn't the best, but it was a nice change. Going from hunting corrupted monsters to drinking wine was quite the upgrade.
"This is good," she remarked with faint enthusiasm.
Fidelis chuckled. "Glad you liked it. It's a bestseller for a reason."
Then without warning, the nonchalant innkeeper leaned into her face with a blank expression.
"And who are you, might I ask?"
Unfazed, the girl met his crimson eyes with the same lifelessness from her sky-blue ones.
She then uttered:
"I am Nevigne. One of the heroes who failed to save this world."
Fidelis lingered for a moment, as though scanning her eyes for any lies. And he saw nothing but the truth.
He gave her the benefit of the doubt. After all, there must be a reason how she knew the secret he had been keeping for a long, long time.
"I see," he mumbled, straightening his posture again. "Am I finally being put to use?"
After a moment of silence, Nevigne replied. "Yes, I'm afraid."
"Why several millennia later?" Fidelis asked.
And to that question, Nevigne hesitated to respond.
"Isn't it a tad bit too late? Everything is gone," added the fallen angel.
There was nothing she and the other heroes could have done to quell the wrath of a broken god. After being defeated in heaven several thousand years ago, Nevigne remained trapped in hell, watching the world she loved be reduced to the shadow of its former luster.
It wasn't until five hundred years ago after countless lives had been sacrificed, when Nevigne escaped and returned to this planet.
Whether due to her sheer incompetence or misfortune, it took Nevigne thousands of years to return. During that time countless abominations appeared and slaughtered innocent lives.
She took a deep breath. "I know. But—"
"You want to clean your slate?" he cut her off.
Once again, she fell silent, her gaze was glued to her fidgeting fingers.
He was absolutely right. She was only doing all of this to try and redeem her failure, even though in truth, no matter how hard she tried, those innocent lives lost would never come back. And this world would remain dead in the final memories of those who fought for it before.
There was no reviving it. Rebuilding a dead world was not bringing it back to life. And even that pointless task could never be achieved by someone like her without the help of an entity as powerful as Fidelis.
"I do," she answered weakly. "They are haunting me every day. My dreams keep taking me back to that war, where I tried harder, where I was stronger, where I won the war." She clenched her fists subconsciously. "Maybe if I restored this world the way it used to be, the nightmares would stop." She furtively glanced at him. "There's no place in hell for me anymore, Fidelis."
The man stared at her for a moment and then asked: "Do you hear how selfish you sound?"
She looked up into his eyes and said: "Don't you feel the same way?"
Fidelis paused, then, a smirk tugged at his lips.
Nevigne continued. "Especially when you are one of the reasons why this world's destiny has been changed. Otherwise, you would have left long ago. You want to suffer the bitter fate of this world which you yourself had brought upon it."
Dropping the cleaning cloth to the counter, Fidelis let out a laugh. Because she was right.
All eyes in the place were on them, listening in on their conversation. Both of them knew this fact, of course, and were prepared for the result.
One creature inside the inn, the largest and seemingly most powerful of the bunch, unsurprisingly went over to Nevigne. The enormous thing stood behind her, clad in dark, shell-like armor, over twelve feet tall. Two glowing green orbs could be seen behind the narrow visors of its single horned helmet. Large, veiny translucent wings were folded behind his back with razor-sharp hairs around the edges.
The bug knight spoke.
"You know we can hear you, right?" it asked with a deep, monstrous voice. "Is it true that you are the fallen angel?"
Fidelis didn't even acknowledge the massive creature. His eyes remained locked in Nevigne's.
Out of frustration, the creature suddenly grabbed Nevigne's hood and folded it open, revealing snow-white hair and long, pointed ears.
"A high elf?" it muttered.
Only then did Fidelis meet the creature's gaze.
Fidelis, the fallen angel of punishment, spoke. "I know you can hear us."
Nevigne picked up the staff that was leaning on the counter and, without even looking, aimed it at the armored creature's head. Before the creature could react, a condensed ball of fire had already obliterated its upper half, leaving a burning, gaping hole in the ceiling above.
Fidelis continued. "And none of you will make it out alive."