Part 2 - Sonosis

Sivrit pondered why she agreed to follow Reginn this deep into the forest. Of course, she wanted to be diligent and follow through on her mission to monitor him, but her safety was in danger here. Her father warned her not to go too deep into the forest lest the monsters approach, but she prayed that the rumours of mountainwolves residing around the area were false. Since Reginn told her that this was just going to be a light hike, she left her weapon at her home as well, but she supposed that having Reginn around was already safe enough.

But then again, this situation was way too strange. Not only did Sivrit and Kallen become much closer than before, but now there was this unusual girl following them around. She had a menacing aura, though she dropped that look around Reginn. She decided that since she came here, she might as well go all out on her mission.

"It sure is hot out here"

"No it isn't" replied Kaizer

"..."

After the battle, Kaizer decided that it'd be best to maintain a friendly relationship with the other heroes. To be honest, there wasn't any real reason to fight them anyways, and this was a form of benevolence from her. It was super annoying how she became like a dog on a leash though. On the other hand, this Perfect Puppet body had many advantages such as granting her the ability to absorb mana from the environment and eliminating her need to eat, sleep or drink. She could also keep her greatsword inside the puppet itself, very convenient. The puppet body would also disappear when unpossessed and reappear at will.

She wondered if a human body could ever be better than a puppet body. While some could reach incredible heights, most were just weak and died easily. Perhaps the world would be a better place if everyone were puppets, though puppets with no strings. She came to like this body and hoped that she could cut her string in the future.

"Reginn, want to tell us where we're going?" asked Kallen

"...Alright," replied Reginn "but first, I need a contract that we will never say anything I will reveal to anyone else"

Reginn believed that this was the perfect spot to form this contract. This deep into the woods, only animals would be able to see or hear this event and the thick woods would hide the mana residuals.

"What contract?" Sivrit asked

"We'll form a demonic contract, one that cannot be broken. This information is very sensitive you see. Of course, feel free to leave now if you want"

Reginn knew that Sivrit could not decline this offer. He knew that Sivrit was 'monitoring' him and that the mission was very impossible for her. Since she already came this deep into the forest, she was most likely to just cave in. He did not particularly want this to happen, but he knew that it was important to get over this early.

"A demonic contract?!"

"Calm down. demonic, angelic, they're the two sides of a coin. So are you in?"

Sivrit thought for a second. She had never heard of a demonic contract before and it could be really dangerous. However, she trusted Reginn and he did not seem to have any ill intent. She also had to consider the fact that if she left now, she could miss some important information. Reginn seemed to disappear all the time these days and that could not go any longer. Sivrit was already in far too deep...

"Alright then, just promise me that nothing bad will happen"

"I can guarantee that" replied Reginn, "and you two are of course joining right?"

"Heh, do we even have a choice?" said Kallen

"I'll take that as a yes"

Without warning, a red glowing pattern appeared on the ground. The sky around them seemed to darken as well, with clouds looming above them, almost as if it was going to rain.

"I'm a generous man so I'll let you all add one condition to this contract; no limits"

"So can I wish to have complete control of this puppet body?"

"You got me; some limits, I am the one creating this contract after all. Well, my condition is that you won't be able to tell anything I say to someone that is not a hero"

A hero? Sivrit thought that was a bit specific. Why would they need to tell only the hero? Siege was never even around much anyways.

"Alright then," said Kallen "my condition is that we will never harm each other"

Hearing the condition made Kaizer sigh, while she knew she couldn't kill them, she still wanted to fight and prove that she was better. At least she could choose her condition now.

"My condition is that no one here is allowed to touch my greatsword"

"Alright, that's everyone except you Sivrit, what do you want?"

Sivrit was a bit nervous, she did not even know what she was getting into. Therefore, the safest option would be...

"My condition will be that you need to protect me when I'm in danger"

She knew that compared to Reginn and Kallen, perhaps even this new girl as well, she was the weakest out of them. She couldn't just face danger head-on like them and needed reassurance that she would get out of this around. While the mission was important, she was not going to risk her life for the council.

"Hmmm... Then, let the World contract be forged into existence!"

"Huh?! A World contract? I thought this was a demonic contract!" said Kallen

The red glow turned blue and the pattern evolved and expanded tenfold. Now it was almost covering half of the entire forest but was still concealed beneath the trees. The sky was no longer dark and the clouds revealed a raging sun.

"I changed my mind after hearing your conditions, an important contract like this should be carved into the world!"

Soon, the patterns on the ground began floating into the air, dissipating into mana. Within the centre of the circle emerged a piece of parchment with 4 conditions written into it as well as their names. Everything went back to normal as if nothing had happened, and Sivrit was left shaken by how quickly everything went through.

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"There is no going back now!" said Reginn with a wide smile on his face

"Wait, what is a world contract?" asked Sivrit

"It's like a demonic contract, except instead of demonic powers enforcing it, the World itself will. If you try to break the contract, your existence itself will be in danger"

"..."

Sivrit felt that perhaps she had made a grave mistake. Not only did she recklessly enter the forbidden forest, but she had also now made a serious contract. At least the conditions didn't seem too harsh...

"Well, let's get going then!"

"Wait, aren't you going to tell her now?" said Kallen

"...Alright"

Reginn stopped in his track and looked directly into Sivrit's eyes. She felt uneasy staring deep into the seeming abyss of his pupils which seemed to pulsate with malice. However, she did not truly feel fear, just that she was seeing something no mortal should witness. Sivrit knew that her response would be important.

"You don't have to believe us, but we're heroes of the past resurrected for an unknown reason," said Reginn with a serious expression on his face. "I think that this can't be any good; heroes only appear when there is a great danger to humanity, namely a new demon lord. If these many heroes have been resurrected, there must be an urgent matter. That's why we're going to Siege's hideout right now."

"...Huh? What?"

"It's alright if you don't understand everything at the moment, after all, seeing is believing. You'll realize when we get to our destination"

The day was already crazy enough with entering the forest, creating the "World contract" or whatever it was called and hearing Reginn claim that he was a hero of the past, but now they were going to the hero's house?! She thought that perhaps she was being pranked but Reginn did not seem to be the type to even understand what a prank was. Not to mention that everyone else was taking this seriously.

"Well since we're comrades, I should formally introduce you guys to Sivrit. This girl is Kaizer and she's a puppet"

"...Nice to meet you..."

"You probably know this already, but this is Kallen"

"Nice to meet you, hopefully, we can get along as comrades in the future"

"Ah! I think we're here already"

Exiting the thick bushes revealed a small field of flowers with a cozy log cabin at the centre. The sweet scent was calming and soft, contrasting the owner of the abode, who was standing outside the door, greeting them.

"Welcome heroes, it seems that today is my lucky day, being able to meet great figures like yourself-"

"Thanks, can we come in?" interrupted Reginn

"Ahh yes, of course, come right in"

"Th-thank you for letting us in" added Sivrit

The heroes made their way into the home. From the double-door entrance, they could truly see the scale of the house. It was two floors tall with a basement. At the center was a sunken living room, giving the house a luxurious atmosphere. However, it still carried a sense of humility and no expensive paintings or artifacts could be found, just a perfect dream-like home. They were not alone in this house, Sivrit spotted 3 other individuals sitting in the living room, discussing some important matters. Eventually, the large gentleman took notice and greeted the group.

"You must be the heroes we thought were coming here, please, take a seat"

The group sat down around a glass table. Taking a closer look, Sivrit realized that these three were probably companions of the hero as they all looked formidable themselves. There was the large gentleman with a shield laying next to his feet, a white-haired lady next to him with a regal aura and another girl with a staff that was probably double her height. This staff seemed to be made of a metallic material and it extended straight upwards before forming into a perfect sphere. The opposite end had a wide flat surface, most likely to balance the heavy staff. It almost looked like a mace but she guessed it was a staff since she looked like a mage.

"Could I ask who that young lady is? No offence, but she doesn't seem like a hero..."

"She's my apprentice. I trust her so you shouldn't worry about her"

This was the first time Siege, Orchestra, Poda and the mage hero had met Reginn, but they could tell instantly how powerful he was from his oppressive aura. He was trying to intimidate the group and was most likely one to enjoy fighting other strong individuals.

"Let's all introduce ourselves, my name is Siege, the 167th hero"

"I'm Blodelshein, but you can call me Blodel. Nice to meet you"

Blodelshein was a girl with a gloomy aura around her. She had dark violet hair which almost reached down to her knees and wore conservatively. Her pupils were grey, almost blending in with the white. Despite her mundane appearance, Kaizer realized she was probably the most dangerous one in this room other than Reginn. She gave off a similar vibe of a natural ruler, someone whose authority is palpable in the air. However, unlike Reginn's oppressive aura, she had the image of someone who can get a job done. It was a strangely comforting aura despite her visual gloominess.

Kallen in particular had a strange feeling that he may have known this girl from somewhere, perhaps from his past life...

"...Anyways, could you tell us which hero you are? Maybe we're close by in time"

"Well, I'm the 14th"

"14th...?"

Kallen was shocked by this sudden revelation. Her being the 14th meant that she had to deal with Kallen's sins as the 13th. Kallen never thought he would meet someone directly affected by his mistakes and was lost for words.

"It's okay," said Blodelshein, "it's all in the past now"

Kallen was surprised to hear this. He thought that he would finally be reprimanded for his actions but was instead forgiven.

"Come on, let's get on with it," said the recovered Reginn

The heroes went on with their introductions and it was finally Sivrit's turn.

"Uh, my name is Sivrit and uh, I guess I'm a comrade and a student? Nice to meet you..."

Sivrit clutched her knees and sat in an innocuous corner as she was a bit nervous in front of the heroes. This was different from just meeting your idols, she was meeting people from the past. This was a one-in-a-million, no, a one-in-a-trillion event, she was and probably will be the only person to be in such a situation. Sivrit thought that perhaps she should be more excited, but this was just too much for her. Noticing this, Reginn spoke up.

"Well, this is a historical moment, isn't it? Why don't we celebrate this with a battle?"

"A battle?" Orchestra asked, confused

"Since we're going to cooperate from now on, wouldn't it be important to see what each of us excels at?"

Sivrit knew that this was just an excuse to fight strong opponents. He loved battling and he fought vigorously when he did. Even during the match against Brun and Kallen he almost seemed drunk with the spirit of the fight and his whole aura changed, almost as if he was made for battle.

"I think that's a great idea, we can go to a nearby area where we can demonstrate our true strength. I believe that there is no better way to understand another than crossing blades" said Siege

"Alright then, Let's go!"

The heroes slowly left their seats and made their way outdoors. Sivrit noticed that Blodelshein covered her eyes with her hands before struggling to not bump into the glass table in front of her. While she did not understand what was wrong, she still decided to help.

"Here, let me help you"

Sivrit took Blodelshein's hands and led her safely to the door.

"Thank you, Sivrit"

"No problem," replied Sivrit, "but could I ask why you covered your eyes?"

"Oh, that... Well, I traded my vision for my talent but I can still see a bit if I cover my eyes"

"Huh... So what is your talent?"

"You'll see when we get there"

Blodelshein's cloak fluttered lightly with the wind as she followed the group. Sivrit was once again reminded that they were the heroes of the past. They had already started and finished their journey and this was their second chance at life. Heroes and sacrifice went hand in hand and it would be rude to make assumptions about their past life. Come to think of it, if they were from such a long time ago, everyone they knew was probably dead. Seeing the backs of these heroes, she felt a bit melancholic as they came back not as a reward for their heroism, but most likely due to their duty as humanity's protectors.

"Come quickly! You'll about to lose us!" shouted Reginn

Without knowing, the heroes had already made their way to the edge of the flower field surrounding the house. Sivrit swiftly jogged toward the heroes. As the heroes faced her, she could see that there was no regret or sadness in their eyes. Perhaps this resurrection truly was a blessing for these heroes. Their friends and family were dead, and they were given a second chance at a new life, and perhaps achieving new goals and experiencing new things. She knew that it was not her place to try and understand these heroes of the ages, but she couldn't help but smile at the thought that surely this was the start of a new era.