A boy was weeping on his knees at the sight of the carnage. He had came back after spending the night in a cave, a small act of anger to spite his father who scolded him for speaking with outsiders.
He heard the whispers in the air speak to him, he learnt the identity of the people responsible for the devastation and that there were other unknown presences heading towards him as he despaired.
“Boy, why are you crying?” a sweet voice sounded out. When Bael heard the question, he felt an unbridled rage fill him and screamed.
The ground shook and the air around him turned purple. He could hear the whispers tell him to stop, to run. Bael only disobeyed the voices once, and in the end his village was destroyed, but this time he did not know how to stop, until he was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head.
“He’s the new carrier then?” A short cloaked mage asked.
The woman who knocked the boy out pulled the dark elf’s sleeves up and found a glowing symbol on his shoulder. She nodded her head and carried the boy to her companion.
The mage unfurled the scroll in his hand and spoke the incantations, a blue circle inscribed with symbols appeared beneath them. After three seconds passed, the only thing left in the area were the remains of a ruined village.
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“He’s awake, Orik.”
Bael awoke to the whispers ordering him to keep his eyes closed, but gave up after he was exposed. When he looked around, he saw he was sitting at a long table, with a group of people seated opposite him.
“Before you say anything, let me explain the situation. Seated here are Aelith, Shorix, Elc, Mithreal and I, Orik. We, are the representatives of the most populated races in all of Sulrift.” An orc pointed respectively towards the high elf, human, goblin and dwarf.
“You, are the prophesied Hero, blessed with divine powers by his Holiness and sent to defeat the Demon King. The mark on your shoulder is proof of this, as all previous Heroes taught before, bore.”
Bael felt even more confused than when he woke up. He tried asking the whispers in his head, but they did not reply.
“Wait, how come you can speak Umbrash? What are you all, and what are you talking about?” The orc looked helplessly at the others.
“I’ve known dark elves were a reclusive species, but you’re the first Hero we’ve recruited from a village that doesn’t even know basic knowledge.” Shorix remarked.
“This is going to be a long day.”
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Bael spit at his opponent’s face and slashed up with his sword at the blindspot created when Shorix shifted his head. Shorix brought up his blade to parry, then used the momentum to back off.
Bael stepped in between Shorix’s legs to trip him but was slammed with a crossguard to the chest in turn. He shrugged it off and headbutted the swordsman, took a few steps back while swinging his sword towards the man’s neck. The blunt edge landed on a raised arm, before the colour of the sword turned bright orange.
“Congratulations, the student has now defeated the master. I’m proud of you for creating your own style, a mix of Elc tricks, and my swordplay. A while ago, you were still just a bumbling twelve-year-old.” The man in his late twenties praised.
“Old man, that was seven years ago. If I was allowed to use my magic you wouldn’t even last ten seconds. Now that I’ve beaten you, I should be allowed to take the Trial of Will right?”
“Ah yes, the Trial of Will, something that will test your mental fortitude against illusions and words of deceit, defeat your inner doubt and you would have passed the test. Aelith told me that if you fail the test, she will never let you attempt it again, so you better be more respectful to me boy, I can help you out next time.”
“That witch was the one who knocked me out, yet she’s being so stingy whenever I could get hurt. Besides, I won’t need your help, I’ll finish it in one shot like all the previous Heroes.” Bael placed both their training swords down and took off his shirt. He touched the symbol on his arm, then clenched his fists as he remembered his quest for revenge.
Bael learnt through seven years of teaching, not only how to fight as well as war strategy, but the current state of the world and its history. His village had been caught in the crossfire when a skirmish occurred between scouts of the new Demon King’s army and the nearby patrol from the city.
A Demon King was essentially a being containing immense mana rivalled only by the Hero. Magic was mana being transform into whatever you willed it, utilised through incantations or inscribed on to objects via runes. The only limit you can have pertaining the use of magic, was how much mana your body could hold without exploding. Mages use a conduit to stabilise the mana and increase the success of the spell, some using wands or staffs, others through instruments of music.
The most important difference between the Demon King and the Hero from the rest of the world was that they both have a mark on their shoulder, and the magic they cast are stabilised by the symbol, thus causing it to glow. This means they could cast spells using their bodies, but their spells will never fail and would be ten times as strong compared to other casters.
Bael arrived at the entrance of a cave, a metal door blocking his way with hundreds of sealing runes carved in it. An orc and a dwarf were waiting for him, the former carried a beautiful and sharp orichalcum rune sword. The latter was currently chanting and held a glowing Palewood staff.
“Bael, Mithreal is ready to unleash the seals and teleport you inside. I want you to mentally prepare yourself for the horrors you will face in there. There will be a beautiful woman inside tempting you, trying to get you to give up killing the Demon King, worse still to betray us, so she can regain freedom. Do not be fooled, she is extremely dangerous and every single Hero who has gone through the trials have had to go through her, though her appearance differ each time.” Orik handed the sword to Bael, then shouted at Mithreal to begin, once Bael stood within casting range. Bael glowed for three seconds before disappearing.
The dwarf maintained the unsealing spell so Bael could leave after going through the trial. A goblin appeared at the side of Orik, twirling his dagger.
“Shorix’s attached to the boy, so he won’t accept the aftermath of when the Hero kills the Demon King. Shame, Shorix’s the least prejudiced human we’ve met yet.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Of course he won’t, it’s really annoying trying to find a new human mentor to replace the old one, after they get themselves killed trying to stop the Hero’s fate and they’ve always failed too.” The orc mused.
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“They're using you! Don’t you know, every time the Hero slayed the Demon King, they’d die as well!” The curvaceous woman shouted before the barrier protecting her shattered.
“I know now, but I don’t care whether they use me or whether I die, my own personal goal is to end those monsters responsible for the destruction of my home.” Bael grabbed the woman’s shoulder and thrusted his sword through her heart.
The woman started weeping as she was dying. ‘I just wanted to help, why do I suffer this lonely imprisonment only to be murdered by the very person I want to save.’
“I don’t know how I’ll die, be it from a curse or whatnot, as long as I’ve killed the Demon King, I’ve already won the world's trust.” The woman's eyes widened when she heard him.
“Hahaha! You don’t know how you’ll die! You fool, I’ll relish the expression you have, when you find truth in death. Ahaha…” The woman’s laughter trailed off into silence.
When Bael was teleported back out, he saw all five of his mentors waiting for him. He lifted his sword at them and asked.
“Why did the other Heroes die whenever they slayed the Demon King?”
The only one to react to his words was Shorix whose face twisted in shock, then demanding an answer as well for the question raised.
“We don’t know how it happens, we just know it will. Not a single Hero has survived the battle, which is why this place was created. To remember the Heroes the world forgot, to train the next generation to save the world again, to protect it from itself, this is why we’re called The Worldguard.”
Bael only nodded, but Shorix blew up. “I will not allow him to die! Don’t tell me you haven’t figured out a way to save them after countless have died. Every race at this ground, excluding mine, is long-lived. I know you four have trained at least the previous two generations, don't you care about any of them.”
The goblin chuckled and gave off a ‘I-told-you-so’ aura. Mithreal and Aelith tried placating him while Orik only gave the same answer.
Bael had returned to his room and looked at the face in the mirror. A handsome, grey-skinned young man with ears that ended in a sharp point and short black hair, stared back. He sighed, laid on his bed and fell asleep after he fantasized of the ways he would get his revenge on the people whom destroyed his village.
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“Hero Bael has started the siege against the Demon King, so he should be able to kill him after we have disclosed information of the Demon King’s weakness in close combat.” Aelith put down the mirror she was using to scry.
“How has the training for the next set of companions been going, for the new future Hero? It’s a shame we didn’t get to use Cadwern for Bael’s party, since he brought along his mentor as his second-in-command. Have him killed since he is of no use to us anymore.” An orc crossed out a name on a piece of paper with an inked quill.
"The training has gone smoothly except for the new magic swordmistress. She has been questioning our methods of defeating the Demon King and use of the Hero. Instead of killing Cadwern, why not use him for the next party.”
Orik sighed, then grabbed his warhammer. “Then, Cadwern will be used as the next Hero’s magic swordmaster, and we have our new volunteer for the role of the woman in the Trial of Will. I’ll bring her down myself, get Elc to break her and tell him no physical torture like last time, or the next one sitting on that chair will be him. We’re not complete monsters.”
Aelith brows furrowed as she watched Orik walk out the room. She threw the mirror at the wall, and though it remained in one piece, it only infuriated Aelith. The ruthless woman carried a silent vow with her. ‘I’ll avenge your death little brother, you just need to wait a while longer. After the next generation of Hero has been killed, my plan to bring down this horrid place will come into fruition and I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way.’
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Daedrian watched his war advisor get cut down in front of him. He took a good look again at the people who brought down his empire and dream for world unity in only five years. The dark elven Hero, the troll Archpriest, the human swordsman and the arachnid huntress.
“Demon King, I’ve come to end your oppression and tyranny against the people of Sulrift! Your castle has been surroun-”
“Surrounded, today is the day you breathe your last. Hero Bael, when you went through the Trial of Will, did you meet a woman? She’d tell you to work with me, that the people who raised you would betray you. Familiar enough, right? I’ve realised what she meant when I would die. I thought I outsmarted The Worldguard, but jokes on me, of all the things, I didn’t expect the person who would bring me down was, surprisingly, a Hero.” Daedrian finished off Bael’s sentence. He had a look of resignation on his face, and lazily drew his sword. “Well, it takes two to dance, so the rest will have to go.”
The troll chanted a divine prayer, causing the party to glow golden. He had his head lopped off and burst into flames immediately after he finished. “Trolls, when I first started my adventure, they were the hardest creatures to kill, they’d keep regenerating almost instantly, until I found out if you destroyed their head using Ebonfire they wouldn’t get back up.”
The arachnid huntress shrieked in fear, but quickly shot off an Arrow of Annihilation towards Daedrian. He used his finger to control the arrow and sent it flying back. She didn’t even get the chance to blink before she disappeared permanently.
When Daedrian tossed a glance at Shorix, a complicated look flashed through his face. “Shorix, I remember you. Your mother was the previous Hero’s mentor regarding swordsmanship, wasn’t she? You were just a baby when I last saw you. I’ll spare you for your late mother’s sake.” Daedrian waved his hand and Shorix fell unconscious.
“I’m surprised you would just watch me slaughter your companions. You’re not a nice Hero, are you. Did you know that, when two marked ones duel, they would be unable to use magic. It’s like the mark doesn’t want us to kill each other. Though, your mark seems to be a bit different than the previous Heroes.”
Bael closed the distance between them and started off by throwing a dagger at Daedrian, then thrusting out his longsword. Daedrian pivoted and slashed at Bael’s thigh, only to feel his blade hit air as Bael stepped back and swung his sword down in a heavy overhead blow. Daedrian barely parried the strike, and quickly stepped aside as his parry collapsed under the weight.
Bael carried his swing towards Daedrian but quickly dropped his longsword to catch the pommel of the sword heading towards his helmet. Daedrian released his grip on the sword and wrenched off Bael’s helmet, proceeding to punch him once then shoving him backwards. Bael recovered his footing, only to evade a thrust from a dagger. Bael’s right hand grabbed Daedrian’s wrist and forced the weapon off his hand, when his left hand stabbed his throat.
Daedrian coughed and backed away, but still took an elbow to the face. He twisted his lower body to evade the knee to the groin, but Bael managed to hit his hips in turn, causing Daedrian to lose his center. Then, his feet left the ground as he was flipped by a throw. Bael took the dropped dagger and pressed it against Daedrian’s throat.
“Why don’t you kill me?” Daedrian opened up his eyes after realising he was still breathing.
“I’ve heard the whispers my whole life, but the only time they’ve stopped was when I was with The Worldguard, excluding Shorix. And right now, the whispers are screaming at me to let you live. I’ve always wondered, tell me, what kills the Hero when he slays the Demon King.”
Daedrian grinned then said, ”You’re looking at the former Hero himself, kiddo. Isn’t that ironic, the Hero gets killed by the Hero. The Demon King business is a really beautiful misconception concocted and spread by The Worldguard. Tell me, after you realise you hadn’t died after slaying the Demon King, the first thing you’d want to do is bring peace to the world, so no Demon King can ever rise up again, right.” Then he chuckled, ”The thing is, that’s exactly what the previous Demon King was trying to do.”
“Then tell me the reason why they would even bother doing this much, that it isn’t something you made on the spot to save your skin.”
“What do you think would happen if the two most powerful beings in the world that came from the same unknown source teamed up together! They’d be unstoppable! And The Worldguard can’t have uncontrolled elements in their view, so they train the next generation of Hero’s to kill the old one, over and over again. In fact, every single Hero was rescued from tragedy, isn’t that just a bit too coincidental.”
Bael stood up and threw the dagger away. Then, for the first time in twelve years, Bael smiled.
“What do you say to teaming up?”
Daedrian took the outstretched hand and pulled himself up.
“The name’s Daedrian.”