Standing up on the tall golden hued mountain, stood Mary. Staring down the last of the light beasts that had caused the world to overflow with blinding light. As Mary stood there, cuts and bruises up and down her slightly muscular build, she had simply one thing on her mind. It was a bright, vivid scene, brighter than any of the suffocating radiance around her. Two people sitting underneath the night sky, the stars and moon being the only light shining through. Mary was much smaller back then, and her black hair much longer as well. She had not known suffering at the time, and why would she? She had George by her side, who was seemingly even smaller than her, and quite frail and weak, but always standing tall and confident. If you saw a head full of black hair, you could have guaranteed there was a redhead right beside her.  That was all before the catastrophe of mysterious monsters that surrounded the world with deafening light, and now things were different.  On that fateful day, Mary had sworn to defeat and banish away all the light beasts, as everyone had begun to call the wretched creatures, radiant devils.

Now, she stood here, looking down the last of the radiant devils, finally completing her goal, and she dropped to her knees, exhausted. The blinding luminescence of light parting away, and being replaced with a starry night sky. The same sky Mary had seen with George those many years ago. Before Mary could breathe out a sigh of relief, a loud crack rang through her ears. Piercing, and all consuming around her, she could hardly see;  it was as if the light was all around her. Taking some strength, she tried to look up to the night sky, but realized it had turned back. She dropped to her knees, withering in pain, her cracking hands, clawing at her face and covering her ears. She reached her left hand out, trying to grab for something, anything.

It was too much light for her to handle, and between all the fuzziness in her brain and the pain her body was feeling, Mary realized what was happening to her. The light was consuming her, all around her, warm and blinding, and it felt like she was unwillingly drifting off to sleep. It was too much, all of it was too much, she could barely think, or keep her eyes open. She had to though. Mary knew she had to save everyone like she originally planned to.

With all the strength she could muster up, she opened her eyes, and she placed her hands on her knees for support, but she had seen something she didn't think she would ever see. Something that did not need to be seen like this. Looking through her black, slowly turning white hair, she had heard all too familiar feet walking up the stairs on the once grassy and healthy mountain.  It was George; she could immediately tell from his slightly short build and the way he walked with confidence. 

“This light is something far too much for one person to take hold of.” 

Mary could hear George distortedly say. She couldn't think, or barely at least, but she used all her strength to hear what he was saying. She had to stay on for a little longer, she needed to save herself from everyone. For what she was reaching out for, she finally grasped onto something, on to him. In an instant, his hand had met hers, which was tightly gripping onto his shirt.

In contact, he had begun absorbing the light from Mary, trying to lessen the pain for her, anything to save her. 

“He has a plan, he always has a plan.” 

The sentence was being said over and over again in Mary’s mind. Maybe it was her comforting herself, or she simply didn't have enough brain power to think of anything else. George did indeed seem to have a plan though, and using the utmost strength he could, he had managed to get the last of the light he could. 

“Farewell, my friend,” George said, standing tall and confident as ever, shining a warm and compassionate smile to Mary. 

He had shot himself before he could turn into an all surrounding light creature. Mary called out his name, or at least attempted to, but it came out weak, and scraggly. The night sky came back, and you could hear the joys and laughter of all towns nearby. For they had not seen the night in so long.  For them, it had always been constant light around them, not even being able to tell where the land started and ended. Mary had gained her strength back. The light, far gone away from her, as was George. Even though her body was physically stronger now, she felt weak in the knees and struggled to stand up even more than before. In such a happy time, all she could feel was dread, wanting to scream and cry over the choruses of singing and laughter and happiness. She should be singing their song of happiness as well, with George, looking up at the starry night sky just like they had so many years ago. 

Mary was no hero, she was never a hero, she fought for George. She walked this long road of despair for him, all of it for him. George was the true hero in the end though, always standing tall and confident. In honor of his sacrifice, Mary decided she would continue on for him, look up at the night sky for him and feel joy. Above the families, lovers, and friends, stood a lone girl on top of the once golden hued mountain. Standing tall, but if you look close enough, her shoulders are ever shaking slightly.