The hero had been living in the capital for years

soaking in the praise and admiration of his peers

the more that he was given though, the more he felt its weight

his appetite for noble quests was one he couldn’t sate

He settled for the conquest of his kingdom’s enemies

and built an empire of whatever nations he could seize

his family rejoiced when he had won his final war

but surely for the greatest hero, there was something more

Now, surrounded by the strongest monsters he could find

he finally found clarity of spirit and of mind

here he didn’t have to fear his sword was growing dull

the only sheath his sword should need is one more monster’s skull

And so he hunted monsters like he’d longed to do for years

and in his mind he heard the sound of all his comrades’ cheers

the sight of monster corpses piling up in reddened snow

filled him with a peace of mind he’d lost so long ago

He thought about his magical control of ice and fire

to manifest whatever thing a hero could desire

a flaming sword, an icy shield, or endless energy

the likes of which, he heard it said, came once a century

He’d used it to defend the weak and took what he was paid

and gained his fame by rushing to whomever called for aid

since he earned a knighthood though, no monsters had he fought

only armies full of men from lands his empire sought

Maybe there were battles that still kept him up at night

scenes of burning villages that curbed his appetite

but if his empire wasn’t perfect how could he be blamed

his only duty was to fight til victory was claimed

Either way he’d one day save the world and bring it peace

once he was the strongest in the world, all war would cease

so all that he should think about was bearing sword and shield

slaying every foe upon the sacred battlefield

He dove into the endless stream of monsters everywhere

and all alone he swung his magic sword without a care

a beastly army all united, fought him tooth and nail

but it was destined that the righteous hero should prevail

He didn’t mind that none of them put up much of a fight

but fighting monsters was enough to fill him with delight

the rumours had implied the northern mountains were his goal

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and he began to feel a presence there with his own soul

Sure enough the northern hills were full of evil things

goblins, orcs and giant bears that flew around on wings

but every beast that he encountered, filled him with resolve

with every foe he cut or burned he felt himself evolve

“This is how a hero fights, I’ll forge myself a name

this is where I’ll put all other heroes’ songs to shame”

he shouted at the evil creatures while he laughed and sang

overcoming every foe and every monster’s fang

One day after fighting for at least a week or two

he stood upon a hill and he beheld a wondrous view

a mountain tall enough that clouds obscured its distant peak

if ever he should find a dragon, that’s where he should seek

He came into a clearing as he climbed the icy hill

and noticed for a while that there was nothing there to kill

but in the distance he could hear a battle being fought

and something there was calling out to him, or so he thought

He stood atop a mountain ridge and what came into view

was the very last thing he thought he would run into

a hundred monsters, maybe more, all fighting in one place

gathered all around one hunter with a bloody face

The hero didn’t hesitate, he jumped into the fight

and soon the mountains were illuminated by his light

he burned through monsters on his way to save the injured man

but soon an unanticipated fight also began

Once again he’d almost run out of monsters to kill

but even after all the fighting his new friend was still

while the smoke was clearing and he started to relax

the wounded hunter suddenly lashed out with bold attacks

He thought the man might be confused or panicking at least

but now the man’s attacks resembled those of any beast

he laughed with such a voice that sounded broken and unclean

his face more like a corpse’s and his skin a dirty green

Still the monstrous man in human clothing laughed and smiled

attacked with his hands like claws, his movements rough and wild

after overcoming his surprise he realized

the man may be infected by a curse or hypnotized

He grabbed the man and held him by the arms against the ground

the man resisted til his arms broke with a gruesome sound

the hero tried to heal him but as he began the spell

the man cried out in pain and soon the hero felt unwell

He stopped the spell and backed away, unsure of what he felt

the arms the hero tried to heal instead began to melt

the corpse-like figure slowly rose and looked toward the sky

and when he did, the hero noticed something in its eye

A feeling he still knew despite his efforts to forget

a smiling shadow speaking softly, “no, it’s not time yet”

the skies began to darken, but no rain clouds were in sight

instead the air was filled with poison mists as dark as night

When the poison touched the monster corpses on the hill

they started to convulse as if consumed by something’s will

the hero stumbled backward fearful of the poison’s curse

and only thought to end the fight before it could get worse

Half in panic he let out a powerful attack

trying to burn everything until the ground was black

and though the monsters seemed to be much stronger than before

he simply burned the world around until they were no more

It took him everything he had before the monsters fell

the hero choked upon the burning monsters wretched smell

the human figure still before him had been turned to dust

but he felt somehow the battle’s end was hard to trust

He saw a fleeting shadow disappear over a hill

but disregarded it as something much too strange to kill

“probably some spirit or a soul that lost its way

thankfully I put a stop to its madness today”

Amidst the quiet chaos of the troubled mountainside

where any monster left alive could only run and hide

the hero’s heart was drawn toward the mountain’s highest peak

there he felt he’d find the greatest treasure he could seek

Not some fleeting spirit spreading chaos or despair

something far more powerful was waiting for him there

he felt its power resonate within his heart and soul

a power that he’d never read in any book or scroll

It almost made him tremble in excitement, not in fear

in the silence there was still a song that he could hear

future generations would remember how he fought

before him lay the ultimate achievement which he sought