You Either Die a Hero or...

There stood two on a stage of fools: one who had acted without a brain and the other who had no brain. Two blue flames reflected in Maximus' golden eyes. After so many restless nights, he could barely tell that a Lich stood in front of him. No matter how strong Maximus had become, even he was not invincible.

The ground quaked, and dust fell from the ceiling. Maximus recalled the goddess speaking of the sudden war on his doorstep, and cursed under his breath. It was faint, but he was sure he heard another voice from behind the seats.

"Have you finally hit your breaking point, hero?" called the same, sourceless voice that had granted his desperate wish.

"I can't tell if you're just another hallucination," Maximus snarled as he readied his blade. The blood of the goddess dripped off of it. "I didn't mean for any of this."