It's been a long time since I've read it, so the details are a bit hazy. There might have even been an anime, but I honestly can't say. What I remember most is the beginning of it, because it stuck out so much. Anyway. It's a swords and sorcery type story. Medieval tech level. Set entirely in a fantasy world (meaning I don't recognize any sites or anything from our world in it).
It starts off having the heroes facing off against the big bad. I think he was a lich-type with heavy-looking armour. And the big bad essentially kills them all off one by one, making the whole story seem like a 'life flashing before your eyes' type retelling.
The next thing you know, the main protagonist is under a tree with his fairy buzzing about, not more than a chapter before he meets the second member of the party.
I don't remember too much, other than this, because the opening was so unique that it stuck with me through the years. But if I recall correctly, the main protag was a thief-like guy with either a dagger or a short-ish sword, and the girl was I think a mage-type or a healer (light armour if not full on cloth). I believe there were two others. The tank and the mage, but I honestly don't remember anything about them.
The fairy was a bit sarcastic, too. I remember loving that one so bad. I think female, but honestly I was more interested in the snarky banter.
I'm itching to go back and read it (or watch it if there really was a show).
Edit (addition for comments):
- No, it most definitely isn't Berserk. The main protag of this story was young-ish. Late teens maybe.
- Yes, it was drawn in a manga style, so it's possible it was originally Japanese. But I remember the story element better than the art style. I know it wasn't American, originally (hence why I said there might have been an anime, simply because of the way the faces were drawn), but I don't remember the artist (I usually don't).
- Art style wasn't anything out there, or all that unique for the time. The faces (as I said) were all typical for Japanese artists (though I've read western comics that mimicked this). It wasn't overly stylized, I think more of a 'realistic' approach.
- I can't remember too well how the characters looked. And honestly, I don't remember if it was in colour or black and white (as I said, it's the story that stood out most to me)
- I read most comics off a website in those days. So it was digital. Scanlation is possible, and was common for most comics/manga I read at the time.
- Other than the fairy, all party members seemed human (this IS fantasy, so I say that with hesitance). Is any had pointy ears, I don't remember.
But that's basically all I remember. Or at least remember well enough that I am confident enough to say so. I've seen a LOT of shows and read a LOT of comics/manga since then, and I don't want to make people think it can't be 'that show' because 'this detail doesn't match'.
