I had a dream, a vision of a world bathed in peace and sincerity, where the shadows of death held no dominion and pain found no foothold.
In that world, love blossomed without end, an eternal spring flourishing endlessly, as I walked forever by her side.
This dream was more than a fleeting hope; it became the core of my existence, held close and cherished as if it were the very beat of my heart.
But such a dream demands a price, a burden unlike any other.
Upon my flesh was etched a mark, a symbol heavy with meaning: a goat, painted in an unyielding shade of blue.
This mark is both a reminder and a covenant. It binds me to that dream, to a devotion so absolute it shapes the very fabric of my soul.
It speaks of sacrifice and a path divergent from ordinary life, a path where desire, hope, and resolve entwine, even amid chaos.
For in seeking a world free of suffering.
I have embraced the complexity of existence, the interplay of light and darkness, hope forever shadowed by despair.
I carry this dream within me, endlessly and beyond.
Deep inside, as I faded from this world, I caught hold of something, something beyond myself, beyond life and death, an anchor transcending eternity.
It was love, or as the world seems to call it, lust.
My eyes opened; I drifted along the Astral Sea, conceptually lost, erased, torn apart.
But instead of endlessly drifting, I shot toward the surface.
Instantly, I saw him, Madikai, looking down at my body, almost disappointed.
I see it now. So I had died...
It was funny, really. The only thing he failed to burn away was my endless admiration for her.
That was his fatal mistake.
I gripped my sword and swung, a splitting slash across his face, nearly cutting out his eye.
He stumbled back, both confused and amused. "Impossible? You've returned from the dead?"
As my wounds began to close and my body rejuvenated, I smiled. "It was all thanks to my love."
His eyes locked onto mine, filled not with disbelief but a sharp, keen excitement. "Love? No, it makes sense. It makes perfect sense."
I tilted my head, skeptical. "Does it?"
He nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth curling into a knowing smile.
"Before, I thought you timid, careful, hesitant. Now I see. It's not fear or weakness. It's devotion. Pure, unyielding devotion."
The world shifted around us, the ground beneath cracking into blackened rock.
Jagged pillars of flame rising like twisted spires, and a sun bleeding red above us, casting an eerie, burning glow.
He lowered his stance, bending his knees with a warrior's grace. "Go on, then. Show me how deep your love really goes."
I mirrored his posture, steady and sure, a smile playing on my lips. "I'll warn you now, my love... it's boundless."
Our blades moved in a relentless dance, swinging back and forth, tearing through his inner world just as he ripped through mine.
Only he seemed to savor the torment, reveling as his body was shredded from within.
Again and again, our swords met, and again and again, he was overpowered.
As I swung to strike his neck, he tried to wield his Regalia, an attempt to reflect my attack.
But fueled by my love, my blade pressed on, cutting through his defense with unyielding force.
It was my power of love resisting his Regalia's reflection; it was a battle of swords and magic, one I'm sure I can win.
It sliced through his neck, halting only when he grabbed the blade and flung me across the ground.
Holding his hand to the split wound, he smiled with disbelief. "Damn... It's insane. How could you be this much stronger?"
Slowly, I rose, then sighed. "Madikai, it's because you lack a reason to keep fighting. You lack love."
I raised my blade. "That is why I am stronger."
Before I could lower it, a ball of flames surged toward me. Instantly, a wall of darkness erupted, blocking the attack.
I caught sight of his blade arcing from my right and spun, swinging down.
My blade sliced across his back, forcing him to stumble forward.
I reached out, binding him in chains of darkness, and hurled him into the air. Then I sent a sphere of shadow crashing toward him.
As it struck his chest, three beams of piercing blood shot out. I barely evaded each one, cursing as his blade came arcing down.
I weaved left, kicked him back, and leapt into the sky just as a wave of fire exploded from his palm.
I knew I healed quickly, but his regeneration was absurd, how deep was his well of mana?
My attacks, amplified by the power of my love, should have demanded even more from his healing. Yet he endured.
All this while maintaining consciousness under the weight of my dream-inducing aura.
Dropping to the ground, I sighed. "Are you even close to running out?" I asked, curiosity threading my voice.
He rose slowly, laughter spilling from him. "Getting tired? I thought your love was boundless."
His smirk deepened as he wrapped his blade in blood and flames. "Don't tell me... are you feeling sick?"
My vision blurred. I coughed up blood, teeth gritted as I took a step, only to be met by a blade hurtling toward my face.
I ducked back, shrouded myself in darkness, and blasted into him.
He flew backward, and I shed the shadows, shaping the remnants of my spell into spikes that plunged into his body.
Spinning, I summoned a ring of darkness around me and pushed it outward.
It pierced through space, slicing him clean in two.
Before I could savor my supposed victory, his sword tore down into my shoulder.
I dropped to my knees as a spear of blood erupted from my chest, and he kicked me back.
I crashed against the jagged black rock, pain exploding through my body like lightning.
This was a battle of mana, and while I once believed I could overcome him without his full strength, now it was clear he was overpowering even my most potent spells.
With complete mastery over my unique ability, I might stand a chance against his power.
But that would require my mana to surpass not only his own energy, but also his infons and spiritrons, layers of essence that composed his very being.
Even then, I could probably only manage one attack of that magnitude before my mana would need time to recover.
Using spiritrons or infons directly? That was beyond me for now, impossible.
I sighed, steadying myself against the rock, eyes locked on him as his blade thrust toward me.
I rolled left, swinging low at his feet. He stumbled back, spun around, and I followed up, knocking him to the ground.
Without hesitation, I leapt up and stomped hard on his chest.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself a breath, then flames erupted from his mouth.
"Dragon's Roar!" he screamed.
I cursed, trying to evade, but the inferno engulfed us both, consuming the world in a blistering blaze.
The fire burned away the very foundation of his inner world, blood scattering from his lips as he lowered his arms.
My armor was charred to ash, my arms scorched raw, but he was worse off.
That was the curse of fighting in an inner world: spells and healing demanded far less mana, but if the world itself was damaged, the pain was shared.
Fortunately, I hadn't enveloped us in my entire inner world, otherwise, I would have fallen long ago.
Yet I couldn't sense any end to this place, this was the totality of his power, a world without limits.
In short, he was destroying himself trying to kill me.
I fell to the ground, gasping, as Madikai slowly rose.
"Shit... maybe I should have contained that more," he muttered.
I chuckled, the thoughts of victory marking my lips. "It's your own fault, really."
His sword reignited, burning with blood and fire. "Then it's time. I've dragged this out far too long."
"Sanguine Pyre," he whispered.
I flinched as the world collapsed around us, along with it, an attack so devastating it threatened to rewrite reality itself.
The very fabric of space and time burned away beneath a colossal wave of flame and blood crashing down on me.