While I'm still working on the storyline itself, I'm going to drop some foundation of this story, so you don't have to bother going through a long-ass threat. If you want more information, just ask. A man had been travelling with his company on a mystical quest for elemental powers, including his love. During the quest, the villain abducted him and took him to a weapon spaceship while leaving all of his friends down on the earth. After a short conflict, the villain triggers the weaponship's ultimate weapon--which can be stopped by killing the villain. However, the so-called hero couldn't bear to kill the villain, even on the brink of the destruction of earth, and watches his entire world shattered literally. He finally kills the villain, and uses the dimensional technology to travel to other parallel universes in search for a place to settle down, but none has satisfied him, and he had even ran into conflict with himself on more than one occasion. I know it's pretty rough, but that's the best I could think of for the character. Think of it as a quest suddenly and untimely cut short for the main character into an endless search.

This sounds interesting, but you really should tell everyone why he doesn't kill the villain... if you don't, it looks like just a ploy to be new and creative.

The problem is who is going to respect this guy who wouldn't save an entire world by killing one guy he knows to be a villainous nutcase? Perhaps if you made a slight change so that the guy didn't really know at the time what his mercy would mean?

Trigun (an anime) actually has characters like that. A character named Legato (bad guy) can control people to do what he wants through telepathic powers and has 10 people threaten to kill Vash the Stampedes friends (the protagonist). Vash doesn't want to kill anyone because he made a promise to a woman he loved that he would never kill. The only way Vash can save his friends is if he kills Legato. Legato knows that Vash will be put into a huge conflict and does it to torture Vash since he wants Vash to kill him with his own will. If he can force Vash to kill someone with his own will it haunt Vash forever. He forces Vash to kill him and makes Vash go into a depression and at the end of the series he forgives himself.

There as to be a reason for the hero not to kill the villian. Some kind of reason for the mercy.

An idea only, might be the villian is actually him but from a parallel universe, or even his love from a parallel universe, The hero is confused and shows mercy as to him its still his love.

Quote: Original post by MauserT
There as to be a reason for the hero not to kill the villian. Some kind of reason for the mercy.

Absolutely. I think the player would have a hard time identifying with the character in the original description.

Wow, thanks for all your feedbacks. Let me try to clarify a few things.

First of all, the villain is the hero's long-lost twin brother, who had been raised as a genetically engineered killer. The twin brother is also the leader of a massive, technological mafia and he is after what the hero was originally searching for. However, that is not the reason why the hero was being merciful. The reason was that, the hero has a case of multiple personality disorder, with his other personality very dormant, but very aggressive and had killed many, usually leaving the hero emotionally tore and he vows to not kill for himself. He also is very self-doubtful as opposed to the villain's fearlessness, thus he hesitates long enough for the star destroying weapon to fire. Afterward, the said hero finally kills the villains.

The dimensional technology, yeah, it's kinda like the one in 'The One', however, the hero picks up a portable version, and he travels throughout many different universes for a suitable universe. He is very aware of the possibilities shall he disrupt another universe's balance, as the technology and related magic is very strictly forbidden everywhere. He is seeking for the 'perfect' world where corrupt don't roam around, where he doesn't exist, where nobody he can recognize exists. Of course, that proves to be a tremendous challenge.