It was a story of a lone knight of [___] village. Coming from a far away land, the knight sought refuge due to his old age - he couldn't afford the lifestyle of the vagabond due to tides of time.

He found this village on a lone, rainy evening. It was a rather remote village, located deep within the woods, away from the outside world. He entered the inn and the owner was concerned about the knight. He was soaked to the skin. It seems the knight wandered in the rain for quite a while.

"Let's sit you down by the fireplace, compadre."

Taking off the armor, the knight revealed himself to be a strong, yet rather old man - eyes lacking the shine they used to have. The innkeeper got even more concerned and started giving the knight the amenities. A towel, a blanket and a cup of warm tea.

The knight was rather surprised by the hospitality of the innkeeper. For as long as he lived, wandered the earth, he didn't see kindness. What he usually saw was apathy, either due to fear of lending someone a helping hand, genuine one, or a malicious one. Everyone was busy with their own life, so why should they bother helping someone else, especially a stranger?

Not that he needed their help of course.

But it was a welcome surprise nonetheless. He accepted the amenities gratefully and asked why the innkeeper was so concerned.

"Excuse me?! You were soaking wet! I'm sorry, but at your age, shouldn't you have retired already?!"

"Hmm... Indeed, the flow of time spares no one... In fact, that's what I was seeking right now. A place where I can settle down, for I have walked the earth endlessly. Say, would this village accept a lone vagabond such as myself? I wouldn't say I have enough money to buy a settlement, but..."

"Of course! Of course we would accept you! We'll just talk with the chieftain and he will decide what to do with you."

And so, the knight settled in the village. While he couldn't call this place home, it would be naive to say so - the village's people treated him as one of their own. He was their valiant protector against monsters that lurked in the dark.

Children especially loved him, as it was their first time seeing a knight and they were looking up to him, saying they too, want to become knights wandering the earth.

One day, a woman approached him while he was sitting by the lake.

"Hello, mister. What are you doing here out there by the lake?"

"... Just stargazing. The reflections on the water allow me to see the stars without looking up. It has been quite an issue for me."

"Hm, I see. My son too loves stargazing. I would always make sure he was sleeping for good, because if he isn't, he would just stare at the window, onlooking the stars and fall asleep on the spot, away from his bed. It isn't healthy for him."

"... Was his name [___]?"

"Yes, indeed! I'm surprised you know this, mister. You seem to love children just as much as they do."

"..."

"Please don't deny your own feelings. You have been in this village for over a year now. To us, you're a part of our own little family. Why must you shield your feelings so vehemently?"

"... Perhaps it's due to me being hurt a lot in the past. Again, I was wandering around Greenwicke for a good while. I have seen both the best and the worst of humanity. And I want to take it all back."

"?"

"The reason I even went on this journey was because I wanted to see the world outside of my village where I was born from. I wanted to see the stars. Yet what I got were merely just lamplights marred with dust and grime. I feel like I know... Way too much now. And now I just want to fall asleep, to lethe and see nothing but stars."

"..."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

She sat near the knight and looked up to the sky.

"While you may feel like you know too much, in reality you don't know anything. From your tales, you never once felt the warmth of companionship. You never felt the kindling of kindness inside your heart. You should open up to people more, and only then you will feel the fire reignited inside of you. That's what's important."

She closes her eyes

"Everyone is looking up to you precisely because you've been through a lot. Most of us didn't even see life outside of the village. While you... You have seen a lot of things.

... To tell you the truth, I too, could've seen the world outside of this village, even farther than you have... But I lacked mental fortitude to keep going. I returned back home feeling disappointed that I didn't get to experience the world... But that's where I found the love of my life and gave birth to my beloved son. While he can be quite a handful, I wouldn't trade for anything, even for a knowledge of the whole world.

Perhaps this is another reason why people look up to you - you're strong. You're way stronger than what you believe. Despite everything, you kept going. So don't stop here. Open up. And a whole new world will be open before your eyes."

The woman picks up her bucket and draws water from the lake. It looked like she not only scooped up the water, but the stars as well.

"I bid you good night, mister."

And so she left.

The knight left stunned by the woman's speech. Perhaps she is right. Even if he cut out one small part into why he was hesitant to form connections.

Because the true reason why he left the village is due to his wife dying in a plague. And he had to leave the village with a broken heart.

And during his adventures, he claimed he saw his wife appear as a grotesque monster, unable to recognise her beloved.

After that conversation, indeed, the knight became more open to the people around him. The friendship he held with the villagers grew even stronger as a result. He became more warmer to the children, teaching them arts that he himself was taught over the years. He could finally call this village home.

But one day, when he was away to pick berries for the village as a way to thank them for accepting him - it was attacked by a frumious monster. The beast tore apart the defenceless villagers and burned the residences. The knight, suspecting something was wrong, hastily returned to the village, but it was already too late. Before him, corpses of what used to be his compatriots strewn around the grounds of the destroyed village. The children are mangled and had a horrifying expression etched onto their faces. He couldn't protect them. It was useless to search for any survivors, the massacre was massive.

He dropped to his knees and started crying, mourning the loss of his family. And just as he was about to stand up, something hot and sharp went through his neck.

---

Knight found himself in an endless void of trickling water. Before him stood an imposing pale figure.

"Welcome to the backstage.

I go by many names, one of which is Lor.

I'm the DAEMON of CURTAINS.

You have met a terrible fate. One tinted by despair.

So I'm here to offer you a second chance at life, to play out your own role once more."

"... Are you the source of all evil in the world?" Asked the knight

"My, what a big accusation.

But yes.

The evil you speak of is of my own doing.

Why do you ask?"

"That means you're going to convert me into one of them, for you are the Daemon that appears after death. Those stories of the loved ones turning into horrible abominations were true after all."

The Daemon was clearly annoyed by the knight's attitude towards his reaper. Indeed, he was an old person, and in a world where people tend to die young, it's the old that you should fear the most - for they have the most experience.

"So you have noticed...

Of course, if you don't want to become the monsters you so despise,

You could just refuse my offer.

After all, you did express the desire to fall into lethe. To see the stars above."

"Your evil is what plaguing the world, grim reaper. So I will take your second chance - but only to prevent you from spawning any more of those evils. I have nothing to lose. No one will recognise me and feel the pain I felt when my beloved was twisted beyond recognition. So I shall raise an army against you, and prepare them for the battle against such evils, so they would not perish like my new family did. I will become evil so that they could take on another evils!"

"Your hope... Disgusts me.

Fine, I will grant your wish.

But you will anguish in despair, knowing your efforts will be in naught."

And so the DAEMON of CURTAINS started ripping the knight apart, making him unrecognisable even to himself. They intend on making the knight so pathetically weak he would fail at the resolution he built for himself.

Yet despite the agonising pain, knight til the very end kept staring at the grim reaper dead in the eye, now that he knows the truth behind the evils he saw on his journey, and the one responsible for destroying everything be loved

But unfortunately for him, he will soon forget that truth. He will forget who he was once. What he will only remember is being a knight. He will forget everything that happened to him. He will fall into the state of lethe, yet not see the stars he desperately wanted to see.

And he will become

DAEMON of BEGINNING - Inizio