My heart was once golden, unaffected by their words. As time passed, it became infected with their hatred, with their greed and selfishness. And then, one day, today, it has become so blackened that even the most powerful being cannot reverse it. I am a monster and I accept that. I will not live on in my friends' minds as a hero, as someone who loved them, I will be remembered as the demon I was meant to be.

Pain does not go away. It remains; it festers into an infection, a virus, that takes hold of you and makes you forget everyone and everything you have ever loved. I was once told, by someone whose face is long forgotten, blurred with time and regret, that monsters will never change, that they will remain the same until the end of eternity. I might change, but will their stares change? Will their words change? Will those fearful eyes change? No. I will always be looked at like a monster and that will never go away. Those looks, those eyes, those stares, will haunt me until the day I die. And that is why I am ending it now.

I refuse to drag this out any longer, wrecking people's lives, destroying every last ounce of innocence they have left. I draw my sword, meant to kill demons. And as a demon, once this touches my fiery skin, I will die too. I will suffer the same fate as every other demon that has fallen to my blade. In the end, I'm just like them. In the end, I am one of them; I am a monster.

"I am ready." I say, awaiting death.

The world around me is black, and I know my time has come. I can see the faintest grin in the distance. I close my eyes, and let myself fall into the abyss, not holding onto anything.

"I am a monster and all monsters deserve to die." I speak as I fall, waiting for the dreadful impact of death. I know that when it comes, I won't come back.