Those Who Have Gone

"Which question would you like me to answer first? Number one, two, or three?" asked Z, giving me an annoyed look.

Oops, I guess I was a tad bit too excited. Mavislin giggled, and I turned to see a little Valkyrie stuffing her face with drumsticks. Z did not doubt one thing; this kid has a huge appetite for such a small body. I gently patted the young girl's head as she smiled.

"Uhm... You can start with number one first," I said, shyly chowing down on the last bit of rice.

"My gosh, I can compare your processing speed in your head to that pesky Time Mage. Anyways, that group of people didn't come all at once. They appeared in staggered timings. For the time I've been here, most of them have come and gone. So far, I haven't met one in years."

"Then you came along. However, you're special compared to the rest I've seen. Those people are all Mages, and they've been transported from their old worlds, which are other versions of Earth. But they didn't die and got reincarnated here. You are the first one to die and wake up in this place."

"What do you mean, come and gone? Are they still here, or have they all died?" I asked worriedly.

"You want the hard truth or the soft lie?"

"Hard truth, please. You'll find that I'm not one for beating around the bush."

"Well, they've died, all seven hundred and twelve of them. Some died in the war, some got killed, and some were taken by silly accidents like drowning or death by falling trees. There was never one that died of old age since all of them were Mages of some sort."

"I happened to be close to all of them. I remember one who went by CK, and he was a confusing fellow. That boy was great at commanding people and allocating tasks for others to do while seeing the potential in juniors. It was a pity that he died trying to protect the innocent."

"There are some ladies in that group as well. Eva was a middle-aged woman who had the Wind Element. In the end, Eva was killed by the person whom she fell in love with. The man went psychotic after finding out Eva had powers. He even killed their daughter in cold blood."

"I could go on and on with their stories, but the day isn't young anymore, and I've got to uphold my promise to you, Lady Elizabeth."

"You remember all their deaths and stories? And in great detail as well?" I asked, stammering at the last part.

"Yes, I remember all of them, their names, backgrounds, and deaths. I saw how they died, and I couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. The reason being that it wasn't my place to do so."

"Most of them were going insane because they couldn't handle the fact that they were in a new world. And after witnessing so many tragedies... I was beginning to think like them. Immortality isn't only about living forever. It's about seeing everyone else die."

"And once they knew to accept that fact, they headed straight into battle without the wish or hope to come back alive. No point; the people they loved are gone and can never be returned. So trying to live a normal life here is impossible as a Mage. For that time, at least."

"Now, after the Arks have been established for the past hundred years, you can see Mages happily walking around. Not all Domains, but it was better than hiding constantly. I wished that most of them continued to live on with me. But I can't hope for something that can never be reversed."

He kept count; this Galaxian Mage kept count of all those from other renditions of Earth and how they've died. I looked at him with horror and sadness. It must be so painful to remember such a tragic thing. If I were him, I would've killed myself a long time ago.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, gently comforting the Galaxian Mage. I was wondering how many nightmares the poor Mage had gone through before coming to the time he was at now.

"Had those people continued to be human in this world, they would have been happier and lived fuller lives. But because they were all human turned into Mages when they got here. So I am hoping that your mind can adapt to this place."

"You're the only saving grace I've seen that accepts her powers in an instant. You didn't freak out too much since you had a passion for dueling other people. And I appreciate the condolences, but I'm not the only one who has to bear the burden of remembering everyone's deaths."