The Fallen

Can you die twice? Is that even possible? I mean, it's not like it was totally out of the question. I could just get transported to another place similar to this one. Whatever the answer was, I would about to find out.

When the monster swung its sword down on me, I lifted my right arm up to block the blade. It wasn't the brightest idea in the world, but it was all I could think of at the moment. With that said, I don't think the pain was worth it.

The sword had pierced the thin region of my skin, and I could feel it slowly meeting the bone inside my arm. It was a sensation unlike any other. Immense pain tore at my body and I had no choice but to jump to the side in order to get away from the sword. I turned my arm and looked at where the sword had hit me. It was a horrifying sight, blood staining the torn parts of my flesh. There was no way this wasn't real life. If this were a dream or simulation of some sort, the pain would've been tolerant, probably even non-existent. I held my injured arm with my other hand and felt my breaths become heavier under the dark atmosphere. I watched the monster slowly turn and walk towards me yet again, that same grim tension residing within its aura.

I grunted as I tried to move my injured arm. This was a serious injury, and I didn't know how long it would take to fully heal. I gritted my teeth in agony and planted my feet in the ground. If this was how I was going to die, I wasn't about to go down without a fight. The monster prepared itself for its sprint yet again, and when it charged me head-on I retaliated with a counter-attack. As the being lunged towards me I quickly sidestepped to the right, moving out of the direct line of contact with the sword. The monster wasn't expecting my sudden movement, and as it tried to recover from its previous attack, I ran behind it and kicked its back, pushing the monster down.

My breathing was even heavier now, and I could taste blood in my mouth. This world was full of fascinating dangers, and I had just experienced it first hand. I stared at the monster who laid on the ground head first. I watched it carefully for any signs of movement, and sure enough, it began moving again in order to stabilize itself.

This was where my thought out plan ended. I looked around, desperate to find my next action until my eyes laid upon the sword the monster had dropped. The monster raised its arms in hopes of retrieving the weapon, but I had moved faster. I swiftly picked up the sword and felt its firm, cool hilt composed of a dark metal material. I've never really held a weapon before, but this feeling was unlike any other. If anything, it actually felt pretty natural. As I strengthened my grip on the blade I moved towards the monster who had now gotten on its knees. I've never used a sword before, but how hard was it to swing a sword? Answer: Not very hard when your opponent is disadvantaged.

My arm released from its spot on my injury and I let out a sharp cry of pain, only this time it was fueled by my desire to survive. Before the monster could turn around to face me I raised my sword up and violently struck it down, pain striking every nerve of my right arm. When my blade met the resistance of the monster's helmet, I refused to let it go and exerted even more force down upon it. My arm pleaded for rest, but my mind was clouded by thoughts of desire and extreme will power.

I couldn't die here. Not after I was given a second chance of life. I had to do it for my own sake. For her own sake. Sam. Such a beautiful name but now, it was tainted with thoughts of heartbreak and sorrow. But I still had a chance. I couldn't let this be the final act. I would create new memories with her, be alongside her not as her partner, but as a fiancé. Maybe even as her husband later. As much as I loved to fantasize about our future, none of it mattered at this moment. All that mattered was winning this small battle.

When my mind shifted back to reality I once again felt the pain in my arm. It was an excruciating sensation that only intensified as I put more force into my blade, but I just didn't stop. I had to win. I had to kill this thing. And once I put my mind on something, I don't intend on giving up on it.

The extra added force I put into my sword allowed small cracks to appear on the helmet which slowly turned into larger cracks, crevices, and eventually into distinct pieces. The sudden destruction of the helmet caught me off guard, and before I could hold back on my strength, my sword continued along its path until it struck the monster directly in its skull. As soon as I pierced the deep portions of the skull, I saw the monster's eyes lose their cyan color, and I could feel the soul of the monster leaving its body. I pulled my sword out of the monster's head and watched the body fall on its side. I examined the blade of the sword to see any signs of blood but all I saw was my clear reflection. The light of the moon bounced off the blade and into my eyesight, and my appearance looked the same as it had when I was living. That was a relief. Sam could recognize me.

The feeling of triumph after killing the monster quickly washed away as I experienced pain yet again, this time causing me to fall on one knee. I dropped the sword in the right hand and applied pressure to the wound with my other arm. I couldn't tell how much blood I was losing, but the crimson red stains on the bleak gray grass definitely wasn't a good sign. As my breaths began getting heavier and my consciousness slowly faded away, I could hear footsteps behind me approaching.

I quickly got back on my feet and turned towards the sound, hoping with every inch of my body that another monster wasn't coming. Fortunately for me, the footsteps didn't belong to another monster at all. In fact, it belonged to a woman. A regular, normal human.

She appeared to be an older woman in her 50's dressed in a large coat that covered the majority of her body. Long brown hair covered the sides of her face alongside an eyepatch which covered one of her eyes. While she wasn't dressed in the most normal fashion, if I had ever seen her on Earth, I probably wouldn't have thought much about it. But the most notable component to her outfit was her combat gear. A sleek, slender sword was attached at her hip, and she bore small parts of armor that covered her shoulders, legs, and forearms. She looked like she was used to the hardships of this world. She looked like a true warrior.

"Young man, you good over there?" She asked, putting one hand on her hip and waiting for an answer. Her voice was calm and collected, a voice I would attribute to a maternal figure, maybe even a grandmother. Although I felt comfort from her presence, the aura she exuded was one of fearlessness and strength, something I did not expect from her at all. As I continued analyzing her voice and appearance, she frowned at me in annoyance. "You know, I don't have all day. And it looks to me that you're not completely fine either." She pointed to my bloody arm and looked at me straight in the eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. It's been a weird couple of minutes." I loosened my stature and fell back slightly, revealing my inner discomfort and pain in the process. Instead of rushing over to give me help, she merely continued to stare at me, watching my every action.

"Do you know where you are? What you fought back there?" I glanced up in curiosity and inadvertently applied more pressure to my wound.

"All I know was that I died. Back on Earth, I mean." I grimaced as a new surge of pain was released in my arm. "I don't know what this place is. All I know is that it's definitely not safe." She chuckled at my remark and smiled at me with comfort.

"Well, you got that right. This isn't a paradise of any kind." Her gaze shifted over to the vast plains I had admired early. "It's a hellscape." Questions flooded my mind while I continued holding my arm. She seemed like she knew this place well, and the knowledge she contained was valuable to my mission of returning to Sam.

"What was that thing? The monster that I fought, why is that thing here?" She returned her glance on me, her smile transforming into a more grim expression.

"Those things are called the Fallen. They're monsters that roam these lands with no intent other than killing those who reside in it. That includes you and me." She nodded her head towards the spot where I had killed the Fallen. "And that's what happens when you die. Once you die on Earth, you come here. Once you die here, you turn into a Fallen. It's not the greatest of circumstances, but it's all we got.

Welcome to the Subworld."