Fulfill the Prophecies

What Did You Expect?

1/16/23

________________________________________________________

He would be lying completely still if not for the quivering of his arms trying to push himself forwards. A poor attempt at crawling. Even from afar the labored breaths of our bleeding hero can be heard quite clearly. The quiet falls of footsteps tapping in approach on the concrete are lost to the sounds of the city. The villain has come to observe the sight.

Flickering street lights, a rainy drizzle, and biting breeze. A dreary atmosphere by all accounts, all intensely juxtaposed to a wide smile. Beaten, bruised, and smiling.

The villain blends down to inspect the fallen hero. His face is covered and his loose black clothes give nothing away, yet an air of curiosity can be found mixing with his eerie stillness. He says nothing, only staring at the sight before him.

Finally the moment is broken with an equally broken laugh tumbling from the hero's smiling lips. A laugh that swiftly turns into a heavy cough. Groaning the hero musters the strength to roll himself over onto his back, pushing himself up just enough to rest on his elbows. Flicking his head back and gazing at the sky his chest begins to rise and fall a little more steadily.

At last the villain's presence is acknowledged when he feels the hero's gaze train on him rather than at the stars.

"Hey there." It comes out as quiet but chipper, despite all odds. "I suppose you have come here to finish me off?"

Silence.

"Ah, I see. You already figured it out then."

The hero sighs, letting his eyes glide upwards again. Closing his eyes he collapses completely to the ground in a clumsy mess.

"Ow."

"You are going to die." The villain finally speaks. No emotion safe a tint of questioning wonder.

"Yeah."

"You could save yourself."

"Yes."

They both stay there, lying and standing, neither making a move.

"Why?" The villain's head tilts slightly, his blank mask showing nothing, still, his surprise is evident.

"Why? Because I will finally accomplish my goal."

"Your goal?"

"I became a hero for selfish reasons. I never wanted to live. I figured the least I could do with this worthless life was live for others. Now I can finally rest."

"You-"

"Became a hero to die. Yes."

Peering closer the villain no longer sees the shining white knight that he battled everyday, instead he has been replaced by a man who had held his sorrows too close, for too long.

Suddenly the hero gasps in pain. Smile turning into a grimace as he clutches his side. The villain looks down to see the street beneath his feet to see dark scarlett blood mixing with oily rain water. He moves to help when he meets the hero's eyes through the mask. They held tears, not those of sadness as you would expect from a man that is dying, rather happy. Tears of someone whose worries and troubles would all soon be washed away. IT only lasted a second before the hero's eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Where the world spun on, for our villain it stilled. Unmoving the villain stands over the hero. To anyone looking in they would see their beloved hero defeated by the twisted villain. No one would know who had truly defeated him. They would not see the villain kneel down and softly pick him up in his arms. They would not see the way the villain carefully wrapped him in his great black cloak. And they would not hear him as he whispered to the hero only words for him to hear.

"I was never the enemy you were fighting. It was always you. Now just as you have been selfish, I will be too. Forgive me for this one despicable act, however I am afraid I will have to steal your victory from you. You are not dead yet, and so I will save you."

Perhaps even evil can be moved to be good, or perhaps even evil can look at good and see themselves reflected back where they would least expect to see it.

________________________________________________________

Did this challenge with a friend, no editing.