The Greatest Threat To Life
I'm being carried.
Can barely see. Can barely hear. Can't feel my body. Can't move.
"----happened, Vol?! How------get--healers now!"
A male voice, angry and authoritative. My uncle.
Everything hurts. What happened? Where's the...
Right.
The Demon Lord.
---
It's the night before the planned attack. The fleet has laid anchor close to the last known location of the Demon Lord.
I lead Vol and Elizabeth off the ship under the cover of night.
We travel through the desolate landscape and ashen villages. We pass metallic spikes stretching so far into the air that we cannot see their tips. Bloody remains cover the earth as we close in on the greatest of monsters.
Passing through a mountain valley, we finally lay eyes upon it.
The Demon Lord of this world has taken the shape of a woman. No hair covers its naked frame. While its body appears to be that of a young woman, its skin is cracked and wretched. A long fissure spreads vertically across the center, threatening to part the creature in two.
---
"No----mana burns------can't--healing magic----"
Another male voice. Calm, but concerned. Vol.
...scared?
Blobs of color surround me, lifting me onto something soft.
I try to move, but it's impossible. I try to talk, but the most I can manage is a strained groan.
The twisted shape of Vol's face enters my view.
"Don't--okay----I promise."
I know.
You'll keep me safe.
---
"Vol, keep it distracted! Elizabeth, off to the left with me."
Even with several days of planning, we failed to consider a particularly critical scenario. The Demon Lord can fly. Despite its apparent lack of wings, the creature hovers in the air, far above us.
Suddenly, erupting from one of the mountains behind us, a long metal spike shoots through the air like a bullet.
"Ailomolliex."
With a burst of speed, I drag Elizabeth to the side. The spike barely missing us by a hair.
I see a bright burst of flame as Vol casts a fireball, hurling it at the floating beast. Its wide-open eyes glance over at the light. A series of shapes appears in the air before and the fireballs collapses against an invisible barrier.
"Solaeyvun," I hear Elizabeth speak from beside me, reaching up her newly assembled manacaster toward the Demon Lord.
With a sudden flash, lighting crashes down upon the floating figure. The light soon dissipates, revealing scorched and cracked rocks beneath our feet. But there is little change in the monster above us.
It raises its hand, forming another symbol behind its body, in the direction of Vol.
Spotting it, Vol raises his arms to the air.
"Equeralyvun!!"
Another bright flash is followed by an even louder crash as lightning barrels down on Vol.
He disappears from my vision. For a few seconds, I think he might be dead, but as the lightning disappears, a harsh hiss reveals a ragged, sweating - yet ultimately safe - Vol.
All around him, black burns clearly mark the edges of Vol's most powerful barrier spell.
---
Much of the battle played out like that. Near misses for us, but not a scratch on the Demon Lord.
Eventually, I come up with an idea. It had a habit of retaliating with the same form of attack one used against it. This left it with one weakness in mind for me. To bait an attack.
---
I wipe off the sweat glistening on my forehead, breathing heavily.
Holding the monster's attention, I run underneath it, positioning myself carefully.
"Suleiynert."
I form a spike out of the ground, shooting it up at it. With a small movement of its upper body, the creature dodged it easily.
Then, as expected, it raised its hand and formed a spell.
*Shlick*
A large metal spike flies out of the ground, just out of my vision, as it had before. I duck to the side and it continues onwards with tremendous speed.
*Crrrcck*
The Demon Lord's aim is impressively accurate, as I had hoped.
The spike lodges itself in the middle of the monster's chest, catching it by surprise.
Its head spins around, its mouth forming a silent scream.
"Rogsfulyvun!"
Vol's blast of fire hits the Demon Lord directly this time and it combusts into sputters of flame. I see the Demon Lord flail within the fire.
"Suleiynert," I hear from beside me.
Elizabeth has clearly spotted it moving, too. A spike forms from the ground and penetrates the Demon Lord's head.
I breathe out as the flailing stops, ash beginning to fall from the giant mass of roaring fire.
Then, a small twitch from within catches my eye. The monster's hand moves, just slightly, and a symbol appears in front of it.
*SCHLICK*
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the glint of a giant metal spike.
"Elizabeth!"
*CRRRCCK*
---
A long-forgotten memory reveals itself to me, splintered by shards of pain.
Sofia smiles broadly at me, the cuteness her rosy cheeks making me blush in turn. Her usual royal robes have been replaced by an equally beautiful dress of pure white. It's the sort that would usually have a veil, though I had asked her not to wear one.
Still, I'm glad that I did. Looking at her bright eyes and her sweet smile, I know that it was the right choice.
I search for more memories, but there are none. This is the last one I have. The last that Number 12 transferred. Possibly the last that I remembered when I was him.
If I can truly never remember anything else of her, this, at least, will do.
---
Opening my eyes, I find that the world is less blurry. My head is less foggy, too, but my body still aches.
I can't feel my left arm.
As the room clears up, I see a golden figure with blonde hair coming toward me. I manage to focus on Elizabeth as she stands by my bedside. She looks to be intact.
"Ehl---bet-" I groan.
I guess I'm still far from back in working order. Strange.
"It's----dead?" I manage to ask.
She nods, silently.
Good. I thought as much, considering the last thing I remember from the fight. Its last-ditch attack must have failed, then.
However...
"...I didn't see it cast the spell."
I glance back up at her. The Demon Lord's metal spikes looked like they could mutilate our bodies completely. Looking at Elizabeth, though, she seems fine.
"I'm sorry," she says, looking down upon my bed.
Seeing her face, I realize what happened - why I must be lying in this bed.
I pushed her out of the way, so the spike hit me instead. That explains why she seems so down, despite our victory.
"I'm... okay," I tell her, trying to assuage her concern.
Her gaze doesn't change, though.
Carefully, as though trying not to hurt me, Elizabeth reaches over and moves my blanket down, just a bit. I turn my head, somewhat painfully, to look down at my blood-covered torso.
In that moment, I realize exactly why I can't feel my left arm.
After all, you can't feel what isn't there.