The forest is unnervingly quiet, even your heavy steps – as well as your breathing – are muffled somehow. Upon reaching a point where the tracks are illuminated by  the few stars peeking through the dense canopy above, that same light reflects from something on the ground and into your eyes.

-        “… Before you may go, listen to these words carefully, Orion: No matter what adversary you may face, no matter what they may have taken from you, always fight with dignity. Know that though becoming a monster of your own making is indeed an option towards victory, it also is a sure path to tragedy”.

  An… Advice, runs through your mind as your gaze meets the dragon crest on the sword you just picked up. Hypnotised by it, your perception becomes almost oblivious to the threatening feeling your surroundings exude until a desperate voice shatters it all, echoing a foreign name and pulling you to a clearing:

-        Erwin!

  A battle maiden, standing at the other side of the treeless space, fires her rifle at a half human, half animal beast that literally just ripped a man in half. Your feet yearn to spring into action by the rest of your body hesitates, long enough to omit your presence from the beast as it charges at the maiden. However, another man – coming from nowhere – intercepts it halfway, lifting what seems to be a war-axe to strike a skilled slash but – unfortunately – the  beast proves itself to be quicker, dodging the otherwise deadly blow effortlessly and then proceeding to crush the man’s skull between its clawed hands mercilessly.

  His body falls limp to the ground whilst the beast – that now stands on its hind legs like a human – turns towards the maiden in a ferocious sprint, completely ignoring the new barrage of bullets that fly straight at it. As loud shots turn into hollow clicks, the battle maiden charges towards the beast in kind, bravely pointing her gun’s bayonet right towards the foul creature’s heart, yet, as soon as she enters its range the beast deflects the dangerous blade with one hand and slashes through the woman’s neck with the other in a gruesome spectacle: Blood particles fly high towards the stars as a quivering body falls to the ground, with hands trying to cover an irreparable wound.

  An animalistic hate that you did not know you had – for quite some time now – swells up your throat uncontrollably, pushing your whole body to finally move towards the beast, furiously shouting the maiden’s name whilst lifting the sword for a devastating attack:

-        DIANAAA!

  The beast tries to dodge just like it did from the axe earlier, but your blade is far nimbler and manages to open a shallow cut on its back, causing the foul creature’s claws to fly your way in response. You are quick to deflect it, making a perfect opening to strike its chest, a loud roar explodes from the beast’s mouth but as soon as you try to step away – having lost possession of your weapon – the beast rips the sword from its chest and savagely stakes it between your neck and right shoulder, with so much brutality that the edge of the blade pokes out from between your lower left ribs and pelvis.

  Blood gushes from your mouth in a violent wave of agony as your body falls back after the beast kicks you right in the chest – with enough force so that the, flat and sure, ground below is replaced by a steep hill –.

  Both branches as well as trunks strike your body from every possible angle as you fall ever accelerating, only to abruptly have it all stopped – including yourself – by some more flat and solid soil. Your sight blurs, your ears ring and – excluding your left arm – all of your limbs refuse to even tremble anymore as your lungs spasm uncontrollably along with the echoes of an exploding pain…

  Everything points to this being your end, yet, with the starred sky regaining definition before your eyes, and the loud sound of running water – somehow – finding its way into your head, your survival instincts scream louder than the pain, giving you just enough strength to look for the sword’s handle with your last functioning limb. Though a new problem quickly arises: Groping your wounded shoulder and right base of the neck, your fingers meet only hot blood and tattered cloth… No solid wood or cold steel as the handle of a sword should feel like. As if enough despair hasn’t arisen within your mind already, the ground shakes lightly, announcing the coming of a far greater problem.

 Leaves shuffle and give way at the opposite direction from you as, from the shadows bellow, the beast steps forward, allowing the beautiful starlight to reveal its horrendous presence: Half-burnt flesh is covered by only a few remaining tufts of fur as dark as a moonless night; Eyes of a yellow as rich and deep as amber dart a stare of boiling fury your way as a malicious and raw growl echo from between the blood stained teeth its foaming mouth.

  As quickly as a blink of an eye, fear turns into panic and that panic takes over you once the beast digs its claws into the ground and barks a ferocious roar, almost as if it sings “Victory!” already. Desperately looking for an escape route, you realise that the loud running water comes from turbulent rapids below the cliff you are on. The beast begins shuffling without taking even a step forward – much akin to how cats do when preparing to pounce –, you try but fail to get up so instead use your remaining arm to hoist your body towards the edge of the cliff; The beast growls louder and louder, the pain echoing thought your body increases with the same intensity as blood begins gushing from your sword wound, the pain reaches an unbearable level, the beast jumps!

-        AAAAAAAAAHHH!

 With all your remaining might, you hoist yourself off the cliff and into freefall. In but mere seconds, the ground behind and the air below are replaced by gelid water and vicious currents. Rocks try to block your path but the mangled mess that once was your body simply bounces from one to the other, dragged half-conscious by the currents until an abrupt and acute explosion of pain behind your head kicks you out of your nightmare.

 Continuing to drown in despair as if your lungs were still filled with water, you squirm and twitch seeking for air. It is only by running your hands behind your head and finding no wound that realisation dawns upon you and exhaustion takes over from the nightmarish panic. Yet, not long after your muscles have relaxed and your lungs stopped spasming, madness returns to your lips:

- Bru-Brutus… Di-Diana… E-Erwin… ?

-        The-They… They were my comrades? Weren’t they?

-        Ho-How?

  Images – or rather, memories – flash before your eyes: The four of you sat around a fire in a camp; Then, standing before tall gates; Diana and you walking around a field, having a rather pleasant talk – it would seem –; Then… Then…. You, in a bloodied village, with the woman from the other nightmare, running until- until….

-        NO!!!

-        NOOOOO!!!

-        NO! NO! NO! NOOOOO!!!!!!

  As if posed by the most tormenting of spectres, you jump of the bed desperately and begins hitting your head against the nearest wall again and again, screaming between tears:

-        I don-don’t know them! THEY AREN’T REAL!

-        NO! They aren’t, they aren’t, they aren’t… They aren’t DEAD!

-        I-I….

  For a moment, words escape your mouth until an even more dreadful feeling floods your heart:

-        Sh-She… N-No! She isn- She can’t be…

   As if that realisation fully opened the floodgates of the well of tears you have been hiding deep inside your chest, even more of them drip from your eyes whilst you roll side to side on the bedroom floor. Such commotion does not go unnoticed and soon a concerned voice echoes from the hallway, coming to the rescue:

-        Orion…? ORION?!

  The door then opens with Thaís jumping into the room, scanning the whole space with her eyes as if looking for any signs of an unexpected threat:

-        Orion?! What happened??? Are you hurt?!

  But you cannot answer. All that your tattered mind can even hope to do is continue rolling on the floor and crying your sorrows away. Such heart-aching scene prompts Thaís to call in urgency:

- Jorge socorro! Alguma coisa aconteceu com o Orion!

  You feel her warm hands wrap around your face and turn it towards hers as if she’s looking for the wound from which the blood is running; From the wooden floor under your body you also feel the hurried steps announcing Jorge’s arrival, yet… Even being able to map the whole scene around you without your sight – which is blurred by so many tears – you cannot sense your heart anymore… All that you feel upon turning towards what little consciousness you have left, is an endless “hollow” where your heart should have been.