The "hero" of humanity

It hurts… It hurts so much.

Is this how it ends?

Slain by one of these… creatures?*

I barely hold onto consciousness as I stare at the figure before me—the so-called ruler of demons, CraveU user.

A shaky breath escapes my lips, my fingers trembling as they tighten around the hilt of my sword. My body screams in agony, every muscle torn, every wound burning, but still—I stand. One last time.

I force myself to look at them.

Horns. Tail. Fangs. That unnatural, cursed skin.

But… there are no flames. No sickening stench of rot that demons are supposed to carry. No twisted laughter, no cruel delight in my suffering.

Just them. Watching me.

My life flashes before my eyes.

Since childhood, I was forged into a weapon, trained to cut down demons before I even understood what they were. Before I could speak, I learned to run. Before I could read, I was forced to wield magic—the magic of the royal family, though I was never truly one of them. Just a bastard. A tool.

And yet, I smile. A bitter, broken smile.

Because for all the years of suffering, I remember one moment of warmth. The only moment.

That day, my father called me a ‘good girl.’ He gave me a cookie after I survived the hounds.

A reward for enduring agony.

Why… am I even doing this?*

For a family that sees me as nothing but a blade? For a kingdom that worships me as a hero but never once saw me as a person? For a race that preaches righteousness, yet lacks the compassion I’ve seen from the very demons I was taught to slaughter?

"I… I am so tired..."

My voice is barely a whisper as I stare at CraveU user, my enemy—no, my conqueror.

The sword slips from my grasp. The sound of metal against stone echoes in the ruined battlefield. My legs give out, and I collapse, knees hitting the bloodstained ground.

Tears spill down my cheeks, unrestrained, raw.

"I surrender..." My breath shudders as I meet their eyes, pleading—not for my life, but for something far greater. "Kill me if you want… but please, do what I never had the strength to do."

"Spare the innocent."

My hand closes around my fallen sword. My final resolve.

If CraveU user refuses, if they show me the same cruelty my people have inflicted upon theirs—then I will make one last effort.

Because if mercy cannot end this war, then I will die fighting to make sure it ends another way.