Should Have Let Me Die

As I rocketed into the air with a cheering Kalita, I started to focus some heat in front of us. I concentrated and got it into a triangular shape and breathed out. Now the fucking bug and bird push was there until I didn't want to be.

"Alright, Ready? I think we might go pretty fast, but the wind won't be bad. My heat shield will make the bugs and birds fuck off or die, so, road?"

"How do you just hold it there without trying?"

"Hmmm? Good question, but it's not like it isn't hard to set up, but the magic is overly convenient. Not only that, I have a fun thing I wanna share with you when we get to where we are going, ok?"

"Mmhm! Follow the road!"

I smiled and kissed her, thinking about it only nine days ago when we had met in the forest. Hard to believe that all of this has happened in only nine days, maybe ten since every six days was an extra twenty-four hours. I started to pour the heat on and cut through the sky; we could barely feel the wind, and it was relatively calm with my heat shield up, protecting us.

We flew high over the village we had saved, and then we flew around the mountain, passing by the now-abandoned Bearfolk village. It wasn't long until we came up to the forest, so I slowed down and lowered us to ten feet above the ground and followed the road we had made back to the old village and then kept going.

We were travelling a lot slower now, more of a glide as we watch the trees go by, remembering the walk we had before leaving. I found the spot with Kalita's directions and dropped down, letting her out of my arms. It was a bit surreal to see this place again; there was still a stain from the exploded bug on the trees.

"This moment feels so long ago. Do you remember it, Hyde?"

"Oh... I do remember, I was a jerk, and I'm still not a good person. I can't imagine how my life would be now if I did turn away. No, it's not that I can't, but it's that I don't want to imagine a world where I don't know you. Each one of you has a place with me at my side and in here."

I pointed to my chest and smiled; Kalita smiled at me.

"I don't blame you for how you reacted, I didn't understand at the time, but I get it now. You had just come from another world and a stranger to our dangers and problems. Still, you have already saved us and so many others. I wanted to bring you here today so we could talk."

"To talk? About what? Sorry, I don't mean to sound dense, but I..."

"Why are you really doing this, Hyde? You didn't seem like the type to want something like this when I first met you. What was your life back in your world?"

Doing this? Gripton was partially to blame, but there was the fact that this place was super messed up. Kalita was right though, I didn't want this when I came in, but I had also been ready just to die rather than have a second chance with magic. I was no weeb, but half-billion other guys would give their left hand to have this chance.

"This place is fucked up, and I didn't see it at first. My dad died a year ago, life went downhill from there, and I started hanging out with the wrong people if you know what I mean."

We found a place to sit down, and Kalita nodded to me, so I continued.

"I was just a thug hired for money, paid to protect bad people, but they were just small-time crooks so, nothing like the bad guys of this world. I just didn't see the point of it all, I was going nowhere, but it wasn't like I want to kill myself; things weren't that bad; I was just frustrated, I guess. Then I went and got stabbed and died, coming to this world against my will. And then meeting you and everyone else, giving everyone magic. Then you got hurt, and the kid was washed away with the thought this wasn't my problem."

I stopped there; my chest felt heavy as I took a deep breath.

"That moment changed how I saw this world. The old part of me that had lost its edge sharpened and made me want to cut into the wrong and carve out the evil rooted. I want to protect all of you, and I will come hell or high water, I will get strong enough to change this world. My world was boring, and I couldn't change anything, but in this world, I will have a different story."

I turned to look at Kalita, and she had glassy eyes, but she stood up and gave me her hand to help me up. I took it and stood, straightening my coat, looking into her smiling face. It was nice that she just let me talk and didn't ask me a bunch of questions.

"Did you come from over there, in the rolling grassy plains?"

"Uh, yeah, there was a statue I woke up in front of; why?"

"That's why I wanted to come to get more help!"

'Oh, we are going to get him now?' -Gripton

'Oh, fuck, not that guy!'

'Well, he is a hero from four-hundred and fifty years ago. It kind of makes sense that she would want you to try and revive him.' -Gripton

"Yeah, we can go check him out, but I have a confession first."

"Oh?"

"I already revived him once."

"What do you mean you revived him? Why is he still there?"

"Well, you see, he is annoying."

"..."

"Fine, we're going, but I warned you!"

I shook my finger mockingly, and Kalita stuck her tongue out at me. She came over and took my arm, and we started to walk back to the place where it all started. Hopefully, the so-called hero wasn't too upset with me.