The Hero's Fall
The screen lights up brightly. There, I can see him again, Marco, shaving his beard. I don't know how much time has passed, but his eyes...
The reflection in the mirror shows Marco, but not the Marco I knew. His gestures are carefully rehearsed, his smile forced. But the most striking thing is his eyes, empty, lifeless, as if the spark they used to have had extinguished forever.
"It's fine like this," he murmurs, though I know it isn't. Marco tidies himself up, puts on cologne, but his neat appearance can't hide the abyss inside him. A mask of friendliness covers his face, concealing the deep darkness consuming him within.
When he leaves the bathroom, the surroundings have changed, now luxurious and opulent. Marco seems oblivious to everything, lost in his own thoughts. A slight scent of blood follows him, a constant reminder of his dark past.
'Well, let's see who we'll interview today.' Marco looks at his necklace, making my eyes widen.
The necklace he's wearing sends a chill down my spine because I recognize the purple crystal adorning his neck. That crystal that looks like a drop, that crystal Roswaal gave him on his birthday.
That crystal where Betty is.
'How did it get there?'
Marco moves forward with a feigned cheerfulness, as if trying to convince himself that everything is fine. But I know it isn't. His words, his actions, everything screams desperation.
'I can't wait to see the news about the little hit we pulled. It was all for love, for the love of the people I can no longer see.'
"Good morning," he greets with a smile, but his eyes reflect no genuine emotion. They are just shadows of what they used to be, an echo of a past that no longer exists.
My heart wrenches at the image of Marco, trapped in a world of illusions and lies. I wish I could save him, pull him out of the abyss he's in, but I know I can't do it alone. Marco must find the light by himself, and I'll be here, waiting in the shadows, ready to support him on his path to redemption.
Then he moves on, entering a room where I see two people.
"Looks like the main course is here," he announces as I hear an unfamiliar voice. As I observe closely, a feeling of confusion grips me, as if something is out of place in my perception.
"Why can't I see his face?" I ask, directing my gaze to Echidna, who, with wide eyes, leans in surprised.
"This is..." Echidna pauses briefly, lost in thought, before continuing with a smile, "Interesting."
The face of that person is veiled by a purple haze. I can't distinguish his features, and the curious thing is that Marco should be experiencing the same thing.
"It looks like a spell designed to conceal his identity," Echidna states with deep interest. Oscar, the leader of that sinister group, keeps a smile while serving alcoholic drinks. Unlike what Marco used to drink in the army, this looks incredibly luxurious, even surpassing the bottles Roswaal has in the mansion.
"We should celebrate, after all, that hit surely shook the government HAHAHA." Oscar hands out the drinks, his laughter being the only sound in the room.
"According to the news, the building was completely destroyed, collapsing almost instantly." Marco checks his phone, where the news is clearly displayed. Although I don't understand their language, I can grasp what Marco is reading in his mind.
'Over a hundred people killed in a terrorist attack, an explosion in the national army's intelligence building. It's estimated that the deaths exceed a hundred people, the injured are being taken to emergency.'
'The United States government calls for immediate intervention due to the possible threat.'
'It is believed to be associated with the terrorist and drug trafficker Marco Luz, along with the ringleader Oscar Núñez.'
"A hundred people..." I look directly at Marco, with wide eyes. His empty eyes only watch the screen. Marco grips his phone tightly, the crystal on his chest glowing faintly.
The miasma is consuming Marco.
'What those bastards deserve.'
His thoughts threaten to disturb my heart, but I won't let that happen. The Marco I have before me is not the same Marco I know.
The real Marco would never end the lives of innocent people like that.
Despite... during the war.
"Yeah, it was a masterstroke." Marco smiles, triggering Oscar's laughter. "They thought we left that machine during our escape. The amount of lamicta we stored was ready for ignition."
'It wasn't much lamicta, just boosted with pyroxene crystals.'
Apparently, Marco now has greater control over using lamicta, maybe due to the miasma or some other reason.
"It's unfortunate we lost the old crystal vein." The person with the covered face checks their phone.
"With you here, we'll surely find better deposits. No doubt the government now knows we still have lamicta." Oscar takes a big swig. "Phew! Those people's lives will be a lesson for anyone who tries to oppose us."
'I must keep killing, in their honor, for what was taken from me.'
The place resembles a monarch's home; I had never seen so many luxurious items. The giant TV, the aquariums, the exquisite decorations, the monumental paintings, the walls covered in gold, and other unfamiliar objects.
"With the inclusion of lamicta, we've also improved nitrate gunpowder. None of our weapons can be compared to those the government uses." Marco looks out the window, where a vast garden full of flowers and statues opens up. "The government will have no choice but to yield to our demands."
Marco raises his eyes to the sky, darkened by leaden clouds. The sky mirrors his mood right now. He has chosen to embrace his monstrous side, giving up on fighting his negative emotions. The miasma has only worsened his condition. Yet, an unexpected thought invades my mind.
'I must visit my father.'
I cover my mouth with my hands, a lump forming in my throat. I try to keep my composure, but tears start to blur my vision.
'This nightmare will end soon.'
"Are you sure they have him in the United States?" Marco turns to face the person with the covered face.
They nod, then shrug.
"Yes, but there's no way you can get into that place. According to my informant, they have him detained in the Pentagon." They shrug again. "It's impossible for you to see him again."
A fire starts to burn in my stomach, Marco's rage fills the air. Everyone watches him, but Marco keeps showing that unwavering smile.
'Monsters feel nothing, monsters feel nothing.'
"You told me there was a way to get in, right?" Marco points at the man with the covered face, and he shrugs.
"There is, but I can't guarantee you'll come out alive." The man points at Marco and slides his finger across his throat. "You'll die, without a doubt."
Marco nods, his eyes already devoid of any hope for life.
"I don't plan on living any longer, so it's not a problem." His response is clear, but my trembling hand comforts me. There is still something in him, something deep inside the current monster.
'I'll just finish all my responsibilities in this world. It's the last show of love.'
"I want to go, but first I have to kill him." Marco looks at a photo with hatred on his phone.
'The scientist Luis Ramirez, a member of the army, plans to sit down with the president of the republic in a week. The transition to a new type of energy is being pursued.'
"I've been waiting for this for over a year." Marco presses the power button, turning off his phone. "We're ready, right?"
Oscar nods, his arrogant gaze indicating the presence of a macabre plan. A true monster, someone who feels no responsibility or empathy. Marco already thinks he's a monster, so there's no way he'll get out of this.
"Yes, all the governments are distracted by the existence of the material. There are signs of a cold war over the technological dominance of the crystals, but this strike will be taken more seriously."
'Half a kilo boosted with pyroxenes caused such destruction, what would happen if we used a ton?' Marco's mind seems ecstatic just knowing what he has at his disposal. Apparently, they've started appearing in other parts of his world, meaning Echidna's theory is correct.
"It's possible that mana expands at great speeds, maybe it's always been there." Echidna looks with a curious smile. "Your world is immensely larger than ours, so mana must be quite dense; in fact, such generation in just a year proves it."
"Who did that?" The only thing that comes to my mind is that man, that man whose face I can't see. Marco smiles again, his eyes fixed on the window, as if enjoying all the chaos happening.
I'm not clear about many things, but one thing I do know is that a war in his world won't just bring a few deaths. It would be millions, as Marco has told me. In the end, they managed to acquire so much power among the great powers that they could forge peace.
However, the dilemma persists: 'They always intended to disrupt that harmony, and now that possibility is real.' This is what Marco has always conveyed to me; however, I honestly don't fully understand why so many lives must be taken.
After all, both you and others will suffer; a war will only bring death, as happened with Irlam and Costuul.
Oscar nods, his bright but malicious smile.
"When I become president, or better yet, a dictator." Oscar shrugs arrogantly, "I'll have to settle many favors, but in the end, it's all about power."
He stands up, extends his arm to the sky, as if toasting with an invisible entity.
"We plan to carry out a coup, and who knows," Oscar takes another sip of his drink, "maybe in several years, a third world war will start. That's why we'll ally with neighboring governments; I've already been making contacts through the opposition, and we'll form an alliance to prevent the powers from taking action against us."
It's a plan that doesn't consider all the lives that will be wiped out, a plan that only seeks power.
"Maybe we'll trigger a third world war! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Oscar drops his glass, not caring about anything. "I'll establish my own country and then conquer the world."
He quickly turns, pointing at Marco.
"Everything will be thanks to you, thanks to the weapons you've created," Oscar said as he approached Marco, hugging him with one arm. "Who would have imagined that magic existed, the prodigy of magic, Marco Luz. Or should I call you... magical engineer?"
Marco simply looked at Oscar without changing his expression. "I'm just a man seeking to give back the love the world has given me; that's my only purpose." Marco smiled. "I know you'll cause chaos like no one else, just as I know you also repay your favors."
I put my hand on my chest, feeling confused. I want to hate him, I want to hate the Marco I'm seeing, but I'm not sure if I can. I know he's been responsible for many deaths, but...
'Is it because they aren't from my world?'
It's like it's just a fantasy; I want to hate him, but I don't feel the same hatred I feel for the deaths in the battle against Costuul.
Oscar slapped Marco's back hard.
"Of course! You'll get what you want; we'll eliminate that professor, and then you can go sacrifice yourself at the Pentagon." Oscar let go of Marco and then went to a golden box. When he opened it, its shape reminded me of something.
Oscar took out a lighter and lit it, and at that moment, I remembered what Marco had invented.
A cigarette. The smoke spread through the room, and the only person who had remained silent was the one whose face I couldn't see.
"It's unfortunate to lose a friend like this, but I'll make sure to erect a statue in your honor," Oscar continued laughing, seemingly indifferent. "What you've achieved far surpasses any conventional weapon; I can't wait to see the looks of surprise."
'I suppose he means the weapons with lamicta,' I thought as Marco shrugged and sighed as if he were fatigued.
There are things I still don't understand, words that escape my comprehension. It seems Marco has been working on some kind of weapon.
Marco's world seems to be in the calm before the storm. Any move could trigger a major conflict. I don't understand it, I can't understand war. I don't get why kill when there are other ways to solve things, I don't understand why everyone has to be in conflict.
No... maybe I just don't accept it.
After all, I'm of the same kind as those who choose to send people to die. I've sent many young people, adults, people with their families who were just trying to get by. They all died to protect Irlam, yes, but it wasn't necessary in that way. I know there was another option. Maybe I just didn't think about it enough.
Marco didn't say anything, simply leaving the room. Seeing everyone working, he changed his course and observed the entire place, feeling satisfaction at seeing all the luxuries.
'Monsters like me should enjoy their luxuries, after all, they are stained with blood.'
Marco hummed for a while as he walked through the immense mansion. I had never considered it as much as now, but people who do evil live this kind of life, people who have killed and caused much harm. The world does nothing, simply for having power.
How unfair the world is.
Marco told me that this kind of life only leads to a premature death, that there's nothing good in it. Yet, the person could enjoy their riches. Someone who dies of hunger, someone who dies from a disease.
A large metal door stood before us, seeming to hide something of immense value behind its seal. Marco adjusted a gas mask with skill, entering a password that opened the door with a hiss. A burst of gas escaped as the door opened, enveloping us in an unsettling mist that penetrated to the core of my being.
'It's like being both enraged and excited,' I reflected, before directing my gaze toward Echidna.
Inside, a giant crystal, almost twice the size of Marco, dominated the space. Its imposing thickness was connected to several metal plates, with cables snaking to a sequence of fire lamps that flickered regularly.
Occasionally, a stream of water poured over the crystals, causing small fractures that produced a dull sound and a fascinating visual burst. The resulting debris fell onto a moving platform, where they were transported by a conveyor belt to an unknown destination.
"My beautiful factory, a machine to create a new powder," Marco declared with a smile, watching the workers inspect the machinery. "Good morning, gentlemen."
The workers stopped and greeted Marco with respect before resuming their tasks. Marco moved forward with a confident step, passing through another door.
On the other side, he removed the mask and was greeted by a woman.
"Mr. Marco, it's a pleasure," she said, handing him some gloves that he put on without hesitation.
Marco returned her smile, though his eyes reflected no emotion.
"The pleasure is mine," he replied, adjusting the gloves. At first glance, they seemed like ordinary leather gloves, but they emitted a unique shine.
Echidna stood up from her seat, now visibly surprised. "Creating piroxene crystal powder in just a year?" she asked, bringing a hand to her head. "Your world seems to have concepts that adapt to ours, interesting, really..."
Echidna smiled unpleasantly, looking at the screen with a passion that made me tremble inside. Meanwhile, I stood agape at her sudden change in attitude. Noticing my reaction, she sighed.
"It's clear that someone as incompetent as you won't be able to appreciate it," she commented sarcastically. "Seriously, what does he see in someone like you?"
Echidna shrugged before continuing in a mocking tone: "While it's possible to manage lamicta crystals with tools without mana, a pyroxene crystal is a source of mana itself. You can break them, but doing so reduces their efficiency; crystal powder wouldn't serve as a magical tool."
"And what about magical swords and weapons?" my voice resounded in a way that seemed to delight her, though her smile quickly faded, perhaps upon noticing my presence. I don't understand why Echidna hates me so intensely.
"Yes, but none of those weapons use pyroxene crystal powder. Normally, a catalyst is inserted into the hilt along with a crystal of a certain size to transmit energy to the spell," Echidna diverted her attention back to the screen. "If you could make the powder have that effect, you could create a weapon of notable power."
"How could Marco come up with that? He's not even from this world; it seems like he already knew everything about magic, as if he instinctively knew how to do it."
Echidna sat down and smiled, looking at the screen with delight. "His soul is special, that's all," Echidna replied, leaving me with more questions than answers.
Marco bursts into another room, where two men look at him with expressions of terror. It's an entirely white room; the chairs, the table, everything is white. The only things there are two men, standing, pressed against the other side of the room. They stare at Marco in fear, trembling and glancing at each other.
Marco keeps smiling as if nothing's wrong, adjusting the sleeves of his black suit with disdain, preparing to act. He touches his hands lightly before locking eyes with both of them.
"It took me a little over a year, but I finally found you," Marco says, pointing at one of them, who bursts into tears. "You were the son of a bitch who sold the escape route." From his pocket, he pulls out a bag containing a bit of white powder.
I recognize it without a doubt; after all, Marco produces it on a large scale.
"No, it wasn't me! I swear, it wasn't me!" the poor man pleads, trying to get closer to Marco, who kicks him, making him stagger. Marco quickly inhales some of that powder, and his body starts to tingle.
He begins to tremble, making grimaces with his face.
'He must die, he must die,' a chaotic whirlwind of emotions sweeps through me, with clarity and darkness fighting in my mind in a way I find incomprehensible. Marco grabs the man and hits him with brutal violence.
From his pocket, he pulls out a fire lamicta and stabs the man in the stomach. The man reflexively tries to hit him, but Marco leaps aside, maintaining his smile.
"AHHHH!" the man screams as Marco points to the glass from a distance, his gloves start to glow, and the fire lamicta makes the man's skin begin to burn. The man's screams echo in my ears like the wail of a soul condemned to hell.
"HELP ME! NO MORE!" the man begs as the crimson steam and his flesh begin to make grotesque sounds. His shirt starts to burn, the white turning to black, and blood gushes in response. I don't want to see, I don't want to see, but I can't look away.
Everything Marco did, everything he feels is his fault. He doesn't know it was because of the miasma; he's unaware he's being manipulated and dragged into addictions. Maybe he suffered, but the Marco I know wouldn't kill innocent people for it. He wouldn't commit terrorist acts knowing innocents would die.
With a brutal kick, Marco shatters the glass, making the man emit a gut-wrenching howl before falling unconscious. The other man, dazed and trembling, can only watch, tears streaming down his face as he backs into the wall.
Meeting Marco's gaze, the man manages a nervous smile, trying to appease the predator in front of him.
"This is because of what happened to your family, right?" The man's complicit smile seems desperate to say anything to save his life. Marco stops smiling, clenching his fists in fury. 'Monsters don't show emotions, this doesn't hurt me, it doesn't hurt me.'
"Interesting." Marco smiles sinisterly again, approaching the man with slow, calculated steps. When they are face to face, he asks, "Tell me more?" The man, panicked, begins to speak quickly, and it seems unlikely he is lying.
My tears don't stop falling, and all I can do is keep watching. Now I know, it wasn't just his parents; Marco lost absolutely everything. His relatives disappeared one by one in his futile attempts to protect them. No one knows what happened to them or where they are. Some were found dead, others simply vanished.
Apparently, they suspected they had information about the machine and tried to use them to convince Marco to hand over the plans. Marco thought someone was informing when he was going to conduct a rescue operation, so he began to suspect.
In the end, it seems he discovered the informant.
"Haha..." Marco puts his hand on his face. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."
'There's nothing better for a monster than his curse, and there's no better curse than existence.'
Marco continues laughing maniacally, his laughter only terrifying the man in front of him more. Rage, sadness, all kinds of emotions try to invade me. And, although I shouldn't, I can only feel pity seeing Marco in that situation.
Are his actions justifiable?
They are not. Marco has taken the lives of innocent and guilty people alike; he seems determined to exterminate everyone related to the project, maybe as a form of redemption. He seems to have lost his sanity a long time ago.
For he has nothing left. His eyes gleam with a dark purple, similar to the glow I saw when he fought that knight in the forest, the one who was a victim of others' malice. I don't know what to feel, I don't know what to say.
'Is it morally right to kill the wicked? Should we help those who show remorse for their actions, even if they are horrendous?'
I don't know. I feel that all lives matter, that everyone deserves forgiveness. But then I remember Pandora, I remember those cultists. I see myself as a hypocrite, but I guess that makes me more "human," as Marco would say.
"There's someone, there's someone in your family who's still alive, your cousin..." the man tries to say, his body trembling and his eyes darting side to side. The way his hands start to position, pleading for his life.
Marco stops laughing, his expression turning into a look of hatred toward the man.
"Is there someone still alive?"