So, it's getting more refined, now.

I think the lines between us are clearer than before—no, wait, that doesn't make any sense...

It's because you've started to remember everything. As we continue down your memory lane, the pieces of yourself that have been missing for so long will finally come back. I think that now, just now, we've reached the point where the records officially recognize "you" as separate from me.

And because of that, it's easier to distinguish us? 

Something like that.

...Okay then, I'm ready to continue.

So, where did we leave off?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

John: "I have to catch up to her...!"

I had last left Connie to fight a great Monster on her own. Though it would have been my first experience with a Monster, there was no doubt in my mind that such creatures held impossible power—if something as strong as that were to be left alone with someone, no matter their story, they would surely perish.

John: "That's why I can't lose this time!"

Although, it wasn't as if Connie was the only person to be concerned about. That little girl—the reason she had been left alone once more in the forest was because of one simple set of words that clung to my heart endlessly.

Girl: "...My brother..."

Someone she cared dearly for was trapped within the reaches of that Monster, awaiting the same rescue that had found her, but never him. Not only is Connie's life in danger—should she be left alone with that thing for far too long—but if the missing brother was also left to wander the forest in search of an escape, then there's a chance he might run into an entirely different enemy.

John: "So, I have to save them both!"

Rush, rush, rush, rush—as long as I moved my little legs as fast as they could go, I would be able to catch them before anything terrible happened. So long as I truly believed in that premise, it would be true. And, sure enough, as the thickness of the tree line grew thinner and thinner, the visage of a dying Monster and a slumping woman came into view.

Just in time...

But even that comfort could never be enough. The beast—as it stomped towards Connie's weakened body, which had long since given up on the prospect of survival—served to fuel a brewing rage within my soul. Even if I was just in time, Connie was still made to suffer alone with that Monster for such a long and arduous time, that it had corrupted her very will to survive, leaving her with teary-eyed smile on her face, accepting of the impending death.

To make up for all of that—to atone for the sin of letting her fight alone—I leapt up to the Monster's head as I dashed closer to it, raising a single fist to my new opponent.

And then, at the moment before impact, there was a glow.

Connie: "Wait, that's a—"

The hatred within my body flowed outward, through my arm, into my fist, and then exploding into a bright burst of purple light, letting out an explosion that encompassed a distance about half of what I ran to get back to Connie. The emotions which ran far too high to control, now quieted as the light dispersed from my right hand, pushing energy directly into the husk of the Monster.

For what seemed like too long, we had been blinded by nothing but purple light. There was no heat, nor destruction to the surroundings or ourselves—there was only the sensation of a force, and the speed of the wind as it was forcefully blown past us. As the light began to subside, the scene created by my hands alone was revealed to us.

John: "...Did I do this?"

Leading from where the Monster used to stand, a trail of uncovered dirt and ground pierced through the forest, leading into the growing darkness. It was as if something had been blown backwards at such a large speed, that it tore through the earth itself as it attempted to halt the assault of light. No trees had been damaged, nor people, nor anything more than the target, and what it took with it.

What kind of power...How could I be capable of such a thing, without being aware of it?

Connie: "John!"

Her gleeful expression and relieved voice cut through the thoughts that had been flooding my mind, and my focus was placed solely on the one I now called my friend. She made a very poor attempt at standing up, pushing against the weak bark of the tree she slumped into, and had to be helped up by my own hands. But that was okay. She was okay. It didn't matter if she had to lean on me for help.

Fortunately, this isn't that kind of story.

Connie: "I'm okay, thank you."

With just a little bit of help, Connie could balance herself and properly move around as if nothing had happened. The light in the forest had fully dissipated by now, revealing the end of the path at which the Monster had been blown through. Far off, but still in full view, the charcoal entity scratched and clawed its way out of the ground, revealing the aftermath of my attack. Pieces of its body, blown off, ripped apart, and torn in shallow marks that barely reached the meat of the beast. Its most notable injury was at the point of impact: its head. The entire left chunk of its scalp had been taken apart by the blast, leaving behind only a small piece of meat which was likely to be its brain. 

If that small weak point were to be attacked, then maybe—

Connie: "There's a kid, up in the trees."

Her quick adjustment to the continuing danger of the situation brought sense to my mind. It could be feasible to attack the Monster, but if we failed, then what would come next?

John: "He's the girl's brother. We need to bring him back to her, safely."

Connie: "I'm guessing she's been left in a straight line from here, where you came from?"

John: "It's all I could do at the moment. There aren't a lot of safe places here."

Connie: "That's okay. With a Monster like this one, it's likely to be the only thing around for a mile."

John: "So, what's the plan?"

Connie: "Realistically?"

The Monster's walk was slow, as it stumbled ever closer to its feast with an indomitable spirit. If it was left alone, it would surely find new prey, despite all of its injuries.

Connie: "We should take the kid and run to the nearest town. We have just enough time to get back to Jessie and set up a safety net for the town before the Monster arrives."

John: "Realistically? Okay, so what are we actually going to do?"

Connie: "We kill the thing here, right now. There's no chance for it to hurt anyone if we take care of it before it gets too far. But, first thing's first—"

Connie positioned herself below the boy who had been hanging on the thick branches of the canopy, holding her arms out to him. He was too high up to just jump up and grab, but at this distance, he could easily be caught.

Connie: "You can hop down now! We'll take you home!"

Boy: "—Hah—AHH!"

Without hesitation, the boy let go of the branch and fell into Connie's arms, safely reaching the ground. As he was let down, his eyes drifted over to the limping Monster, far away from him, but still approaching at an alarming rate. Connie quickly averted his gaze, putting a hand between him and the beast as she pointed him towards his sister.

Connie: "I don't want you to run alone just yet, but if it ever looks like we're about to lose, then I want you to do something for me."

Boy: "What?"

Connie: "Get back to your sister alive, and then find the family on the top of the mountain. They'll keep you safe."

The boy nodded an affirmation to the woman with a slightly worried gaze. No matter what happened, it was an undeniable truth that the young boy would make it safely to his sister. That was the promise which both of us, the heroes, had imparted to the victims. In our own ways, we sought to reconcile those promises, with or without our continuation in the story. 

For that much, we had agreed upon together, silently.

The boy scattered off then, hiding behind a nearby tree to safely watching the battle from; as I strode over to a black dagger implanted in the woods, all that was left was for Connie and I to take on the Monster. Though, as we looked on at its approaching visage, the true danger of the situation dawned on us. It wasn't as if we were ignorant to the Monster's posed danger, but for some reason, right now, we truly felt the fear we had been meant to feel all this time.

Attack after attack, this creature returned. No matter what was thrown at it, it stood up with minimal damage compared to the strength of the attack, and always stumbled over for more. It was missing an entire arm, multiple fingers, a massive chunk of its skull, and bore many gashes over its whole body. It was a Monster, in its truest form, showing nothing but unrelenting bloodlust and a hunger for human flesh.

John: "It's abhorrent..."

Connie: "It's absolutely nothing but the definition of a Monster!"

John: "So then, without a doubt, we promise to kill it?"

Connie: "Or die trying. Then again, we've got a home to get back to!"

John: "People to say 'I'm back' to!"

Connie: "Which leaves us with only one option..."

Both: "We'll obliterate the damn thing until it returns to the swamp it's been manifesting for months!"

Raising both of our blades in unison, a Declaration against the Definition had been founded. For as long as we should both breathe, we would make it our sole purpose to extinguish the breath of the Monster. And so, what wonderous tools would we have on hand, prepared to deal with this Monster?

Just a simple dagger and a rapier that's little more than a hilt...wait, did we set ourselves up for failure?!

Connie: "Calm yourself, kid."

John: "—Huh?"

Connie: "Up until now, we've fought with nothing more than the objective of fighting. But—look at it now."

Sure enough, as I had already noticed before, there was a clear weak point in the Monster's physique. Before, we launched aimless attacks, seeking only to buy time, or at least disarm its own attacks. What we had learned from that was minimal, but what we had gained—

Connie: "Skin that's too tough to cut through, lest it break the steel you slash it with...But that!"

A pulsating chunk of meat inside the Monster's dense skull had been poking out of the crater in its head ever since the explosion. That—that alone—would be our aim.

Connie: "It's the softest thing this Monster has ever shown to us!"

John: "Then we'll strike it down!"

A single weak point, while poking out of its head being the size of a baseball, was definitely not an easy target to hit. Especially considering that the Monster stood at a crisp seven feet tall, and its weak point would have been precisely at the top of such a height. Never mind being able to strike it, what about even getting close to the chance at taking the shot?

Connie: "We aren't working alone this time, so I'll have to rely on you...As much as I'll end up hating myself for it."

John: "Right. Then I'll rely on you too!"

Ah, your first real battle. What say we keep a score?

Huh? What for?

For the fun of it. Won't it be more rewarding, once we get to your final battle, to see how far you've come? How many times you've lost, and thereby, gained knowledge on the art of fighting?

...Alright, fine. Pull up a board or something.