"Ah, you catch on quickly," I remarked, my voice dripping with perverse satisfaction. "You see, Xander, demons have a keen eye for potential, and they derive pleasure from manipulating and breaking those who show promise. Your anguish, your pursuit of vengeance—those emotions are like sweet nectar to them."
"SHUT UP!"
CLANK
His response was immediate, his attacks resuming with even more intensity. His claws sliced through the air with deadly precision, his blood magic and poison weaving a deadly dance around him.
SWOOSH
I evaded his strikes with agile movements, my aura fortifying my defenses. But this dance of violence wasn't just about the physical clash; it was about dismantling his conviction, one piece at a time.
CLANK
I continued to weave my tale, my words designed to plant the seeds of doubt and despair. "Think back, Xander. Remember the circumstances leading up to that fateful day. Wasn't it just a bit too convenient that the bandits chose your family out of all the families in the realm? And their savagery—it was almost as if they wanted to awaken the darkness within you."
He hesitated for a moment, his movements faltering as his eyes widened with realization. The puzzle pieces were slowly falling into place, and he was beginning to see the larger design that had been orchestrated for his suffering.
CLANK
But even in his growing comprehension, Xander's rage remained a driving force. He lunged at me with a ferocity born of anguish, his claws seeking my flesh with deadly intent.
SWOOSH
I deflected his attacks, my movements fluid and calculated. "Tell me, Xander, have you ever questioned why you were chosen? Why was your family chosen? Could it be that there was something within you—something they recognized and sought to exploit?"
His voice was strained, a mixture of anguish and anger. "Enough! I won't let you play mind games with me!"
As he launched himself at me once again, his attacks more desperate than before, I knew I was close to breaking him. The web of truth I had woven around him was unraveling his sanity, and soon, he would be consumed by the despair that awaited him.
"Ah, but Xander, you're not seeing the full picture yet," I taunted, my words calculated to draw him deeper into the abyss. "The day of your family's slaughter—it wasn't just any day. It was a day when the fabric between realms was thin, a day when demons could easily slip through and orchestrate their macabre symphony."
SWOOSH
His attacks grew even more frenzied, his movements wild and unpredictable. He was teetering on the edge, the precipice of his own undoing.
CLANK
"You made a pact with a demon, didn't you, Xander?" I pressed, my voice a mocking whisper. "You sought power, vengeance, and they offered it to you in exchange for your servitude. But little did you know, they were the puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the scenes."
His breath was ragged, his expression a mixture of horror and defiance. "You're lying!"
I dodged his attacks with ease, my aura pulsating with power. "Oh, but I have a name for you, Xander. A name that should strike fear into your heart—the demon you contracted with is known as Marithar, the Manipulator. Quite fitting, isn't it?"
His steps faltered, his eyes wide with disbelief. The truth was undeniable, a revelation that shattered the last remnants of his sanity. A little dark magic that removed his detailed memory of that time was being removed.
CLANK
I continued, my words dripping with cruel satisfaction. "Marithar saw your potential, your darkness, and he seized upon it. He whispered promises of power, of revenge, and you, eager for any semblance of control, fell into his trap."
SWOOSH
His attacks wavered, his claws trembling with the weight of his realization. "No... it can't be..."
But I pressed on, pushing him further into the abyss. "And on that fateful day, when the stars aligned, Marithar orchestrated the massacre of your family. He reveled in your pain, your suffering, feeding off the torment you experienced."
"No….No…."
I could see him shaking hysterically; he was shaking like a madman. The memories of time have returned; he clearly remembered those details.
Xander was not a stupid man; no, he was smart. It took him a second to put all the pieces together and realize.
"Your whole life, Xander," I sneered my voice a venomous whisper that seeped into the cracks of his fractured mind. "It was all a lie. You believed you were seeking vengeance against humanity, that you were punishing the wicked for their sins. But all along, you were nothing more than a pawn, a tool used by the very demons who orchestrated your family's demise."
He staggered back, his breath ragged, his once-crazed eyes now hollow and empty. His world was crumbling, his beliefs shattered, and he was left to confront the bitter truth he had tried so desperately to avoid.
"You thought you were serving justice of your own, that your actions were justified. But in reality, you were merely perpetuating the cycle of darkness that these demons thrive upon," I continued, my words slicing through the last threads of his sanity. "You were their puppet, their plaything, a means to an end."
His fists clenched, his body shaking with the weight of his shattered reality. "No... I won't... believe it..."
I stepped forward, my aura pulsating with dominance. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man, Xander. A puppet who willingly danced to the tune of his own tormentors. Your anger, your pain—none of it mattered. It was all part of their sick game."
He looked up at me, his gaze a mixture of hatred and desperation. "Shut up... just shut up!"
"But isn't it fascinating?" I taunted my voice, a cruel melody that echoed in the recesses of his mind. "You spent your life consumed by a lie, fueled by a blind rage that only served to tighten the chains around you. And now, in the face of the truth, what do you have left?"
SWOOSH
His attacks grew weaker, his movements sluggish as he struggled to comprehend the magnitude of his deception. "I'll kill you... I'll still kill that demon..."
"Will you, now?" I mused, my tone dripping with mockery. "Or will you continue to play the role they've assigned to you? A pawn that can be discarded at their whim."
He stumbled back, his hands trembling, his once-ferocious spirit now broken beyond repair. "I... I..."
As he faltered, his body trembling on the edge of collapse, I knew I had achieved my goal. Xander's mind was a shattered mess, his identity and purpose irrevocably destroyed. He was no longer a threat, no longer a force to be reckoned with. He was nothing more than a broken puppet, a pawn that had outlived its usefulness.
"You are pathetic and ugly, Xander," I spoke with a cold tone.
'This is the fate you self-justified villains deserve.'
"End your own life. End it on your own, just like you did with others. You don't deserve to be killed by hands; you are lowly."
He seemed to teeter on the edge of something, his mind grappling with the darkness that had consumed his life. His lips quivered as he muttered to himself, the words barely audible. "End it... end it..."
And then, as if guided by an invisible force, he moved. His trembling hand reached for the hilt of one of his claws, the same claws that had brought death and suffering to countless others. With a shuddering breath, he lifted the claw to his neck, his eyes devoid of emotion, his face a mask of resignation.
I watched with detached fascination as he pressed the claw against his own skin, the metal puncturing flesh. Blood flowed freely, staining his hand and dripping onto the ground. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if he was accepting his fate with a twisted sense of relief.
In that moment, I felt no sympathy, no remorse for the man before me. He had chosen this path, had embraced the darkness that had ultimately consumed him. His life had been defined by violence, by cruelty, and now, it was ending in the same manner.
As the seconds ticked by, his body grew weaker, his movements faltering as life ebbed away. And then, with a final shudder, he collapsed to the ground, the light in his eyes extinguished forever.
THUD
And with the voice of falling to the ground, Xander left this world.
"Good luck in the hell…."
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