[ WP ] An adventurer reaches the end of an epic quest only to be presented with two options ; he may keep his life or learn the truth .

It was done. The beast, slain by the hero's hand, slumped to the ground with a loud crash. Fire burned around him, so bright he had to look away. He would have to wait for a path to open, so he could leave the circle of flames. 
 
 He knelt beside the monster and gazed into its lifeless eyes. He had heard stories of men feeling remorse for a kill. Not now. Not him. It was the cause of so much death. As the thought crossed his mind, he saw a figure appear in the fire. Tall, taller than a human could be. As it drew closer he could begin to make out a long, thin object in the creature's hand. It was twice as tall as its wielder, and at the top was a long, thin blade. 
 
 A scythe. 
 
 The tall, hooded creature did n't walk, rather it appeared to float just above the ground. It stopped on the other side of the beast and it seemed as if it were looking at the hero. The couple remained silent as the crackle of the fire around them seemed louder than before. Then, it spoke. Not in a horrible, raspy, harsh voice. It sounded like a man, but soft. The voice did n't seem to fit. 
 
 `` Adventurer... rise.'' He followed the instruction promptly. `` You have slain the terrible beast. A feat worthy of the highest praises. But with those praises comes a choice. I am going to offer you two roads, you may choose only one.'' The creature held up his left hand, a small blue flame rose just above his gloved palm. In it, the hero could see a faint image. `` This is your life when you return. Festivals will be held in your name. You will be wed to the princess, and one day you will be king. Everything you could ever imagine will be in you grasp.'' It paused. *What could the other option possibly be? * the hero thought, *Why would I ever choose another path? * The creature seemed to sense that he was done pondering, and held up his right hand. This time, an orange flame rose. `` Or, you can come with me to the afterlife. Where you will experience a similar fate, only you will be free of any ailment. Disease, pain, and death.'' The word seemed to ring in the warrior's ears. `` Your first act in the afterlife would involve the beast you see before you. You will speak to him and learn what he has to teach. He will tell you why he destroyed and killed so many. You will understand his pain, as a murderer truly should.'' *Murderer? * he thought, *I'm no murderer. I vanquished a foul, destructive monster. Or maybe... * He stared again into the beast's dead eye. Then he felt it. He felt the remorse. This thing, this terrible thing was alive once. Its heart beat like his own. Suddenly he could n't stand the thought of returning to his kingdom. For what they saw as an act of courage and heroism; he saw as a vicious act of malice and cruelty. Never before had he experienced this feeling. This feeling of regret. He could have reasoned with the beast. Spoken to it, asked why it killed and why it destroyed, but he did n't. And now there is n't time to ask those questions. How many men had the hero himself killed? Hundreds? Thousands? He burned villages to the ground in the name of his king. What did this monster... no... this creature, with a beating heart and a conscious mind, kill for? Family? Protection? Perhaps his own king? Or, perhaps he was just a mindless killer. Crushing children and tearing apart their mothers. None of that mattered now, because the damage has been done. And he was still no closer to making his decision. The creature stood patiently. *If I stay, I will never know if I am the murderer. But I will still be alive and establish an earthly reign, * he thought, *But if I go with this thing, I wo n't ever have to die. I wo n't have to be in any more pain. And I can be at peace, knowing what really happened here today. * The man snapped out of his daze and looked at the entity before him. `` If I stay, when I do die my earthly death, will I be able to speak to the beast in the afterlife?'' `` By then, the beast's soul will have forgotten of its time being mortal. He wo n't remember what he did, he wo n't remember you or what you did to him. He wo n't remember anything but waking up in the afterlife.'' The champion looked one last time at the eye of the beast. A tear ran down his cheek. Too many emotions at once, but through them, he had made up his mind. `` You came to me and gave me two options. We both know that weighing them is useless, they both merit the same value. But as I stare at this beast that I have cut down, I realize what I must do. I will continue to breathe, sir. For another two possibilities stem from this decision. If I live, I must live either knowing that the creature I killed was a true murderer and he deserved to die, or that he was a soldier, like me, just carrying out his orders. And I will live with the burden of both those possibilities. For I learned something from this beast. I learned that those men that my blade has pierced and killed had wives. And children. They were n't savages, not all of them. They were me. So I will rule the kingdom. And I will rule with an iron fist. But I know now what it means to be human, and in turn, I learned what you must be to be a king.'' 
 
 The creature said nothing more. In an instant, he was gone. Then the flames around the knight died. The sun shone down on a beautiful summer day. He picked up his helm, turned around, mounted his horse, and rode back to his kingdom.
