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The Herald aims their gun in the direction of a certain man. A son-of-a-bitch man, tricking both them and their beloved confidant, his former wife, into believing he fought for their cause. A man without any dedication or loyalty, who only thought for himself and what would benefit his own image. A traitor with a saviour complex, despite wishing all those he was formerly with to descend into Hell.
For this man, the Herald had done many things in the past. They had followed his plans to a T, they abided by his words, and they sacrificed many personal desires for his sake. The time had come for the Herald’s personal revenge against this no-good bastard, as they had trapped him in a path without escape. With hatred dripping from their voice, thick and dense, they spoke:
“Hello, ‘Origin’. I have given you two options,” His name was spat out as they cocked their very own revolver towards his head, closing the distance between the two. “I have surrounded your station with my chrome. You don’t have any means of escape. It’s up to you to decide if you will take the slow, painful death - or die by my very own hands. I don’t care which.”
There was a slight hesitation as they stared into Origin’s deep eyes, and remembered these were the eyes of someone very important to the Cube Queen. The Herald’s personal desire, that they had abandoned and instead left for him. Because they trusted him. She does not deserve him. A memory reveals itself in this brief moment of reflection on her beloved Queen.
The Cube Queen was upon one knee. Her cape draped over her beautifully, highlighting her gorgeous figure. The Herald felt starstruck, pure power emanating from her form yet still appearing so welcoming towards them. She was explaining something very interesting her kind could do, “you see, I believe everyone deserves a second chance,” she would smile to herself, extending a hand as a small cube came out of it, and grew in size tenfold before appearing on the ground. “With these, we can allow them. They can take the user and create them to join our troops if they’ve yet to - although it doesn’t work on former members.”
She would pause in thought, standing up straight and putting a hand to her chin. “You know, I believe the King would not be fond of this thought, but I have a proposition for you: even if someone cannot be reformed by my Cubes, I want you to attempt to recruit them back anyways.” She would hum. “It would be beneficial… Or at least offer a sort of peace treaty. That way, we can get in their good books if they choose. Perhaps, eventually, gain them back with mind games… But prioritize the Reality overall. If we cannot get the Realities, then there is no point.”
The Herald returned to the present, eyes squinting as the gun lowers ever-so-slightly. A chance for atonement for this traitor was not something they wanted to even think of, as they were of the firm belief that anyone who dares harm their Queen should be cut by the throat and thrown in the shark tank. However, they wanted to obey her wishes if they were going to take out someone she clearly cared for.
“Leave this Island, and allow The Last Reality to claim it.” They spoke, maintaining steady eye contact with Origin. He wore a strange expression on his face - it did not seem frightful or enraged as they had expected. No, instead, he had a furrowed brow, a squint, and pinched lips. His body was tensed up. It was almost as if this was one thing he never could have planned for. The Herald found this amusingly ironic. “Only then will I let you walk away from this alive - only then will we stop chasing you.”
His face contorted at this statement, showing signs of malice and a sickening smile spread across his face. He spat his out words towards the Herald, no longer attempting to keep a cool demeanour. “I will never hand my reality to the likes of you.” So, he was now officially deemed irredeemable. At least they could tell the Queen that they had tried. “Very well, then. Repent.”
He was practically unrecognizable to the Herald compared to their former memories of him. His time as a prisoner with the IO must have weakened him severely. He must have had a strong lack of will for that to get to him, the Herald thought. Perhaps it was a good riddance he declined their offer - maybe he was finally growing a damn spine. It was far too late for this, however. The man just made one bad decision after another, convincing himself he was always in the right. How pathetic. Another less welcome memory bared it’s fangs towards the Herald’s mind.
When they were first joining The Last Reality, the Herald was lost. Confused. They did not truly understand the capabilities of their Chrome. It was the Cube King who decided that they would be useful to the cause once he saw their desperate attempts at self-defense towards his menacing figure. “I’m not here to hurt you,” a smile would cross his face. At the thought he was feared, Herald presumed. “I was. Now, I’ve come to bring you to a greater cause.”
That was when the Herald left their home reality and joined something greater. The King took them under his wing, introducing them to his wife the Queen, and the Herald felt butterflies at the immense power she showed within a mere conversation. It was a muddled mix of anxiety, pressure, and adoration. The two would help them achieve everything they had dreamed of and more - alongside a true family.
Now, the King has clearly gone mad. He’s left all that behind, finding a new “family” - if you could even call it that. He’s clearly gone mad, thinking he could forge the kind of bonds with them he ever did with the Herald and their Queen. It was a madhouse, and none of them held the kind of power they had together. None of them could dream of holding onto the number of realities they did together, and none of them even wanted to.
He would never find a woman like the Queen again. His largest mistake in the Herald’s mind was ever tricking the Queen that he was suitable for her. The Queen never once looked at them with the same gaze that he received, and it’s all because of his web of lies. Now that he’s bared his fangs and shown his true colours, the Queen would finally get the life she deserved.
The Herald had such a positive life with him before. They no longer cared - although some of that love would remain in them forever, their hatred burned brighter. When this is all over, the sinful story of the Cube King would finally be put to an end. They would have brought down The Last Reality’s largest barrier. But that didn’t matter as much to them as getting their revenge.
“Goodbye, my disgrace of a king. I cared for you before,” their revolver pressed hard against the Origin’s temple and they watched as he realized he was finally going to die. All their pent-up rage over all the years was going to release onto the Origin at this very moment, and he was terrified and a twinkle of rage was found behind his eyes. Good. The Herald wants his last moments to be the most miserable he has ever felt. “Know my hatred extends far beyond that ever has.”
A gunshot rings out, ripping clear through the Origin’s brain. The body was not left to rot, however, as the Chrome surrounding the building would take it away. The chapter of his sinful life as the Last Reality’s most informed enemy had finally been closed, and the Herald had given their bitter goodbyes. Their only regret was that it was not crueller.