Ordinary

Dream 0: Zero

"Surely you have wondered what it's like? To die?" The Knight of Echoes inquired boldly. "To stare death in the face, uncertain of what comes next?"

The self-proclaimed exalted man in head-to-toe dark red armor stood tall, certainly taller than the kneeling, reeling, and bleeding Zero. Zero looked at the colorless flat ground of darkness – his infinite battlefield against the adversary he'd never bested – and saw nothing but the arm that lay at his enemy's feet. His own right arm, with a featureless broken sword beside it.

"You," the injured rebel spoke, failing to stumble back onto his feet, "You can't do this. I won't let you. This is my world. You won't defeat me here this time."

"Your world?" The vermilion knight's looking glass tower shield, despite being but a meter away from the opponent, reflected nothing. His tone was steadfast, and his words – firm. "This world belongs to no one. It is where dreams and desires go to die. You have wrongfully borrowed it in an attempt to meet your selfish wants. Well? Are you satisfied?"

Zero panted. Even here, he felt the burn, the pulse of pain in his shoulder: ceaseless, throbbing. Through a grunt, he finally shoved himself onto his feet. With one remaining hand and whatever strength he had left, he latched onto the nearest blade, defiantly preparing for a final stand. "I... will not... lose... to you."

No expression could be seen through the helm of the Knight of Echoes, but the stern voice softened. "We have fought so many times, I've lost count. The outcome is always the same. Why do you persist? What will it amount to if you defeat me here, anyway? What could you hope to gain...?"

"Y-you..." Unaware of his own attire, Zero took a step forward, his voice quivering with each moving muscle. "You killed her! You killed her!"

The solemn knight did not budge. Somewhere under that helm there was a face. A face with its own story, its own beliefs and problems. But the miserable boy before him did not see it, nor did he care. None of that mattered to Zero. What he saw was a monster. A monster in red, with white lines caressing the curves of its armor. Something that saw itself as righteous, but was nothing more than an outlet for his unadulterated anger.

"Here's a better question," – the knight slowly exhaled – "have you ever thought what it's like to live?"

The one-armed boy still struggled to ground himself in a fighting stance, with no intention of providing an answer.

"I see now the flaw of my contemplation," the man behind the reflective shield continued. "It's not that you haven't thought of an honest death. You haven't considered the option of living. To dance to the colors of sound and light with cherished people beside you. To forgive and be forgiven, to move on–"

"No." the boy shut him up with a whisper.

Silence passed. Time flew. For a while it seemed as if nothing could move.

Eventually, the boy was ready. The deafening void was shattered.

"I'll leave you with that thought." The knight telegraphed the intent to thrust his blade. "You have improved significantly since our first battle. I suspect we will see each other again soon."

The straight sword lunged forward. Despite the obvious attack, its speed was unparalleled. Zero, however, was ready. Though he had deflected the thrust off to the side with his left sword, the strength of the blow was far too great for the weakened, agonized boy. The one block knocked Zero back down on the floor, on his stomach and arm. A piece of the sword he had just used skid across into the darkness before his eyes.

He squirmed, unable to get back on his feet. His body did not listen, but it did scream. Zero grunted, trying to let out a shout, to show a sign of resistance. He only barely managed to turn around to face his adversary.

The Knight raised his sword once more, going to land the final strike on his defenseless opponent. It whooshed through the air, rending as it fell. It was but a moment away from connecting.

And with a faded final breath Zero grit his teeth, "I refuse."

The strike never landed. Nothing.