Quietly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled himself to fight for his life. The demon had him cornered, and the thing that was once his friend, Quiggly began to fear, did not deserve to take his life. The demon raised his sword high over Quiggly, prepared to end his life. But there was a sound that made Quiggly freeze in his tracks. Quiggly raised his blade in defense, knowing it could not stop the oncoming attack. But it was enough to make the demon take his eyes off of him. Before the demon could react, Quiggly delivered a mighty swipe of his sword that sent his attacker plummeting into the pit below. And with his foe gone, Quiggly let out a sigh of relief and a giddy laugh. Quiggly looked down at his sword and smiled. The thing was his one weapon against whatever dark force had entered into his realm and the one person who had brought him to this point in time. With that, Quiggly turned his eyes to his brother, whom he had long forgotten. Quiggly lifted his blade high over his head and yelled in the echo chamber of the cave. "I am Quiggly of the Shrew Brigade! You may come and take my head, for I shall not die till every last one of you is dead." He walked into the center of the cave, feeling the energy around him rise, but this time, it felt different than it did before. Quiggly looked around at his surroundings, knowing he was not in his world. His life would not be so easy if he was in the Human World. Suddenly, he heard the click of a gun. He looked up, and on the far wall, he saw a shadowy figure. He knew that this time, he would not be running from his attacker. The figure approached him and whispered a name. "Quiggly of the Shrew Brigade, you have brought judgment upon your own kind." "I have returned, because you have returned for me, my dark friend." Quiggly answered. "What does that mean?" He asked in confusion. The figure laughed. "That means you will never find any trace of me in this place again. I am taking my life back, and you are taking yours too." "Tis a little early for this," Quiggly said. "The one who has come for you has brought this upon you," the figure stated, and reached out to Quiggly to shake his hand. As the figure's hand reached out to him, Quiggly felt a jolt of pain in his mind. A moment later, he felt a powerful blow. He felt his feet leave the ground. He thought that he was falling, but he never hit the ground. He saw the outline of an angel with a sword, but he couldn't see its face. "Now that you know the power and strength you have within you, it is time for you to put it into action." With that, the sword in Quiggly's mind plunged into his body. The force pushed his body forward, as the sword pierced all the way through his body, pulling his arms out of their sockets. He felt his body hit the ground and saw the figure above him with arms outstretched. "You are one of the greatest warriors I have ever met. In time, you will come to accept it." The figure stood over him. His arm extended, and the figure swung a massive blade. Quiggly heard the whoosh of the sword as it sliced through his body and then was stopped by a figure to the right of him. Quiggly felt pain and more fear as his attacker stood over him. "It is time for you to learn." The figure said to Quiggly and stood over him once more. "The great warrior must be killed by the great warrior," Quiggly said. "Well, that's not what the scroll says," the figure stated, and looked down at him with a smile. "You must take the knowledge and the wisdom of the one who destroyed your tribe, and turn it against your friends." "I will not fight my friends." "If you don't, your destiny will be written." The figure said. Quiggly reached his hand out and grabbed the figure's sword, pulling him down onto him. In that instant, the figure disappeared, and Quiggly found himself suspended in the air above the dark pit below. "I have finally found you," the figure stated as he floated down next to him. "Who are you?" Quiggly asked. "I am your enemy." "You are no enemy of mine." Quiggly said as he pulled the figure down with him. "I am your enemy, because I am your greatest friend." Quiggly lifted his sword above his head and brought it down upon his right hand, slashing it from wrist to elbow. The blade severed the tip of Quiggly's thumb. "I am the one who has come for you." The figure said. "My name is Mithras, and I am your savior." Quiggly turned to the figure and looked him straight in the eye. "You lie." "You say that because you do not understand the plan. You are one of my warriors, but your heart has grown weak. You need to learn to kill for my sake." "What if I do not wish to?" Quiggly asked. "You will kill for me." The figure stated. "I am the one who must save you." Quiggly was about to deny it, when he suddenly heard the sound of Quiggly's name being called out over and over again. He looked up to see, but there was nothing. "Quiggly, give us your name, before it is too late." Quiggly looked down at his sword, in his mind, and at the figure standing in front of him. He stared down at the blood-soaked blade, as it covered him in red. Then his eyes fell on the body of his friend, lying upon the ground, lifeless. As he looked upon the body, he heard a voice. "You must tell him now, Quiggly of the Shrew Brigade. For only you know your destiny." "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." "No!" Quiggly screamed. "The blood of the innocent cannot be so easily spared. Tell me how to stop him from killing more." Quiggly looked around at the world, and he saw nothing but hatred, deceit, and darkness. But for some reason, the darkness was different, unlike anything he had ever felt before. "You must believe me," The figure said. "He has defeated you with a simple lie." Quiggly sighed. He believed there was no escape from this dark place. He knew that nothing he did mattered. He saw nothing but hopelessness and despair, and he knew his fate was sealed. As Quiggly felt himself falling into the pit, he screamed. "Nooooooooo!" Quiggly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the figure in front of him. "Do you love him?" The figure asked. "I don't know," Quiggly responded. "But I will not let you win, nor will I allow you to take anyone else." "But you can't, can you?" The figure said and smiled at him. "I must tell you, the heart knows when it has been tainted." Quiggly moved his blade around the figure and saw a strange sensation in his hand. It was not the sword of a warrior, but he could tell it had some magic to it. As he moved his hand, a bright light shone, and a bright golden flame emerged from it. It was bright enough for Quiggly to see, but there was a barrier blocking his view. "This is my final lesson," The figure said as he took his hand and lowered it, putting the fire out. "The sword will remind you that you are a warrior, but not all warriors need to carry a blade. And to defeat the enemy of your enemy, all you have to do is kill yourself. Once you truly believe that you can win, nothing will stand in your way." "I am not going to die!" Quiggly yelled. "Then why not simply give me your sword?" The figure asked. "To make a real warrior, the heart must be willing to lose the battle, but have faith in victory." "And what good would that do, I ask you?" Quiggly asked. "Without death, you will always have doubts," The figure stated. "Without fear, you will always fear." "I have done my share of fighting," Quiggly stated. "I have sacrificed my life for peace, and if you are not careful, you will be one of them." "I have known many warriors in my time," The figure said. "I have known my share of warriors. You have shown yourself to be a true warrior." Quiggly raised his sword, and he was standing in front of a giant