“I curse this world.”
What a bold statement that was... Tak thought to himself, reminiscing on the declaration of his youth as he advanced through the thick blizzard, his plated boots trudging through the snow.
From his short childhood in Belvitz, to his life in those humid meadows, to the extensive time as a guardsman in Ves, to now. He had witnessed a multitude of deaths- lost friends and family, and had fought in many battles. Of course, he didn’t win most of them- and he didn’t have anything to be proud for other than his ability to cheat death on multiple occasions- if he could count that as something to be proud of in the first place. It was.. pitiful, he thought. Time and time again, he asked himself one question- Why me? The man was a weakling- and always saw himself as one. A coward, a villain, a fool, but most of all- a complete and utter failure. Everything he has tried to do has always come back to haunt him- everything from his commitment to his family to his childhood dream. That dream of creating a kingdom that was separated from the world- it twisted him, let him become more selfish. One might say that Tak was once a nice fellow, but his desires and foolishness twisted and corrupted the man, and the distaste from others only worsened his mental state.
The man only had one regret, and that was his inability to let go of the past. Perhaps, he thought, if he had learned to let go a long time ago.. things wouldn’t have turned out this way. He would still be with his family, and his wife would not have made an attempt on his life. He wouldn’t still be a forgotten soldier, fighting a war that had already ended years ago. Why? Tak, the one who did not deserve it, was one of the last people remaining in his old unit. Not even his cousin, the former captain survived. He wanted to live, but not like this. This was not worth it, watching his friends and family fade before his own eyes. He wanted a way out- he needed a way out. He knew what he needed.
Tak stopped, realizing that him and his companion had reached their destination once he had snapped back to reality. His final resting place. A woman’s hand slid open the metal door, and Tak stared down into the darkness for a short and brief moment before slowly descending into the dark cavern lined with chilling stone walls. She would lead him into the darkest depths of the cave before gesturing in front of her. Tak glanced towards her for a short moment before nodding, circling around and standing in front of her. He slightly lifted his head, muttering something under his breath; ”I want to live.”
The old soldier thought that he should have at least leave this world peacefully, not by some blade of cold steel or with the taking of another’s life, as he had done so many times before. Tak turned to face the woman. “Thank you.” He spoke in a brief and grateful tone. The room began to grow extremely cold as crystals of ice and snow formed on the ground and surrounded Tak, the chilling frost glazing over his armor. He let out a shaky breath of cold air and shuddered a bit before the ice began to expand rapidly and grow multiple dense layers over Tak’s form, soon consuming his body entirely in ice over the course of just a few quick seconds. His head would still be exposed, crystals growing over his neck. ”Sleep well, Tak.” The woman quietly said. Tak closed his eyes as the ice grew around his head, his consciousness fading as fully encasing him in the cold structure. His final thoughts would be of his childhood- playing in the endless, green fields by himself. Alone. Like he always was. ”I plan to.”