The Death of A Hero
Cloud of dust was
sent to air as the group of four person walked in the interiors of Salva Cave. An
aristocratic looking woman held in her hands a ball of fire, which gave a small
light and reflected tall, fearsome shadows to the walls. Behind her, a young
bluehaired girl walked next to blonde boy, holding his hand. At the rear of
their group was probadly the most eye-cathing person in their group.
He was a young man,
wearing midnight-blue robe and a black cloak. If the black headband hadn't were
there where it was, an interesting small tattoo could have be seen in his
forehead. The pair of short swords hung on his side, but they were sheated as
no monsters were in the sight. But the most noticeable thing were the two
dragons on his back: another crystal blue, another bright red. They looked
around as the man walked forward.
Soon, the group
reached a dead-end. Althought it had been some time, marks of battle could
still be seen here. The two dragons started to move nervously in the young
man's back.
Then, the blonde
boy talked to the young man:
- All right,
Ashton, he said, - now we are here.
- Yes, Ashton
responded nervously. They were now here, at the place of battle, and the moment
would begin. The moment he waited. The moment he had wished.
The moment he had
dreaded.
Ashton took few
steps forward and took a beautiful silver goblet from his backpack. The
sapphires mounted on it mirrored his reflection, and the clear liquid inside it
felt pure and sacred. The legendary Silver Goblet, and the Tears of the King.
- Ashton, the young
bluehaired girl said, somehow sounding hopeful, - you can still turn back. You
don't have to go through this.
But Ashton
shuddered his head.
- No, Rena, he
said. - I'll continue.
Then he took a good
grip from the goblet and readied himself. Then he began chanting the words he
had carefully memorized.
- We shall now
perform the ceremony of purification with my accursed body in front...
- AWROO! the red
dragon shouted. Ashton startled and nearly dropped the goblet.
What am I doing? he thought.
- Gyoro! The
aristocratic woman shouted. She sounded strict, but more than that, she sounded
like afraid. The young boy put his hand on the woman's shoulder.
- Celine... he
said. - Let it be.
- But Claude...
woman resisted.
- Ashton can do
what he wants. Now, let's let him to continue.
Unfortunately,
Claude didn't sound too sure of his word. That made Ashton feel even more
uncomfortable.
But I must
continue... Or else I will be doomed for the rest of my life!
Then he continued.
- Let my body receive
the light of purity to drive the evil curse away...
- WARK! the blue
dragon, Ururun, screeched and jerked so hardly that Ashton nearly fell.
- Ururun! Claude
shouted, and the dragon stopped.
Ashton breathed
heavily.
They must be
screaming in pain... Oh my god, what am I going to do? I'll have stop this! Gyoro
and Ururun are suffering!
Still, he
continued. But now, his voice began to shake. He poured the
- Oh god of
purification, I pledge to thee and ask you to purify my accursed body with pure
holy water...
This time both of
the dragons screamed.
- AWROOO!
- WARK!
- Gyoro! Claude
shouted, sounding desperate.
- Ururun! Celine
shouted, sounding scared.
- Gyoro! Ururun!
Rena shouted and tried to run and stop Ashton but Claude and Celine held her
back. Rena's eyes were full of tears.
- Please, Ashton,
she whispered, - please stop. Please.
Ashton was going
inside himself a horrible struggle.
Rena! I can't do this!
Not to my friends... and not to Gyoro and Ururun! They are going to die! I must
stop!
Ashton's eyes were
burning. He closed them, but they were still burning.
- Free me from the
curse, this horrible beast, Ashton said, - and...
I must stop... My
heart is burning... I...must...stop... I can't let them die... No... I.... must
stop...
- send it to the
nothingness, he said weakly.
The dragons
screamed their last howl and then disappeared with a flash of light.
- Gyoro and
Ururuun! Rena shouted. Then she began to cry. Claude put his hand on her
shoulder, but Ashton saw how Claude
secretly cried too. His eyes were full of tears.
Ashton fell on his
knees.
- Oh my God... he
said. He looked to the ground, fearing to look to his friends' faces. He was
ashamed of himself, and he felt how Celine, althought she had bent her face
down and few tears run on her cheeks, looked at Ashton, full of hatred,
disbelief and frowning. Ashton just looked to the ground, scrathed the ground
and felt how his eyes were burning.
- Let's go...
everyone... Claude said suddenly, but there was no emotion in his voice. Rena
and Celine followed him, without looking to Ashton. Rena still wept silently. Soon,
Ashton slowly rose and followed them to their lair, all the way looking down.
Their lair was in
the middle of the woods near Salva. There was a small meadow there, and a small
stream ran next to it. The place would have been very beautiful, but now Ashton
was full of sadness and hatred to himself. He cared next to nothing if woods
had burned down.
The others were
already there at the time Ashton arrived. Claude, Rena and Celine talked to
each other as usual, but Ashton sensed something was wrong. They talked
silently, and the lair were almost packed. Ashton sat down, and they
immediately quit talking.
For a while, they
were all silent. Everybody looked to the ground. Then Ashton asked quietly:
- When are we going
to leave?
Again, a moment of
silence.
- We are leaving
soon, Claude said, without any emotion in his voice. - We will go to Cross this
night, all three.
All three?
Suddenly Ashton
realized what Claude meant.
- W-What? he
replied. - What do you mean?
Claude took his
backpack, turned to him and said:
- You know very
clearly what I mean.
Then he walked
away.
- Come, Rena and
Celine, he said.
Ashton rose up.
- You can't do
this, he said his voice shaking. - You can't.
- We helped you to
finish your exorcise quest, Celine said. - We have no need to travel with you
any more.
Then she heaved a
sigh.
- Ashton, all the
time we thought that you would realize at the end what you were doing and stop
it at the end. But you didn't do that. It seems that I have been wrong with you
all the time.
Then she walked
away and Rena rose up.
- Rena, Ashton said
and walked towards her but she raise her hand refusing.
- No, Ashton.
- Rena, Ashton
said, - I know what I have done. I... don't know why I did it. I tried to stop
myself but I couldn't. But give another chance, let me travel with you...
Then Ashton sunk on
his knees.
- Please... he
almost whispered.
There was a moment
of silence, as Rena looked begging Ashton. Then she said:
- Ashton... I
always thought that you were a kind guy, who wouldn't hurt without reason. You
were like a hero to me.
Rena walked few
steps away.
- But now... you
have killed Gyoro and Ururun, and not only them. You have killed my believe in
you, as Claude's and Celine's too. You are no more a hero to me.
Then she turned
again to Ashton, eyes full of tears.
- Go away,
murderer, she said.
Then she ran away.
- Rena! Ashton
shouted and reached his hand, but for vain.
- Renaaa!
He was alone.
For a long time,
Ashton just was there, on his knees, looking to the ground. He couldn't believe
what has happened. He was alone. Abandoned by his best friends.
- What have I done?
he said. - I thought that my life would be much easier without the dragons. But
now, his voice broke, - my friends left me here, all alone.
His eyes felt like
they were burning. He took the Silver Goblet. Its beautiful sapphires mirrored
his reflection. Ashton closed his eyes. He didn't want to see himself. Then he
hit the goblet to the ground, trying to destroy it. But it didn't work. No such
relics could be destroyed. He put it back to his backpack.
Ashton felt bad. Even
worse than bad. He felt like the whole world had turned its back to him. He
hated Xine, the giant bird who had given the Tears of the King. He hated Salva
because it were the place where all had happened. He hated everything, but the most
he hated himself.
Suddenly, he felt
something. It was his pendant. He looked at it. It was his only memento of his
parents. He remembered the day he had got it. It had been his tenth birthday,
and his father had gave it to him.
- This is a lucky
pendant. It will bring you fortune, he had said.
His mother had
hugged him and said:
- This is a hero's
pendant. We are sure that you will became a great hero.
Ashton looked at
the pendant a while.
- A hero's
pendant...
Then he let it go.
- But I'm no hero. I
killed my own friends, Gyoro and Ururun. I was abandoned by my friends. I am
nothing.
He went down and
tried to sleep.
Suddenly, he saw
Gyoro and Ururun in front of him. He tried to talk, but he couldn't say
anything. Then, the dragons howled and started to fade. He reached for them,
but they were gone.
Ashton woke up and
shuddered the dream away. Then, he heard something. He looked around. He saw
illusions of Rena, Claude and Celine.
- Murderer,
murderer, they whispered.
Ashton rose up.
- No, I-I didn't mean
it.. he said.
Then he heard in
his mind how Gyoro and Ururun screamed last time. He heard voices calling him
murderer. And last of all, he heard Rena saying:
- Go away,
murderer. You are no hero.
Ashton ran. His
vison was blurry, his lungs had reached their limit and his feet hurt, but he
didn't stop. He heard how Gyoro and Ururun screamed their death scream. He
heard how woods, animals and people called him murderer. He heard how Rena
said:
- Go away,
murderer. You are no hero. Go away...
Ashton ran. He ran
many miles without any idea where he was. At last, near the Mountain Palace, he
tripped and fell to the ground.
- I.. can't escape
anymore...
Suddenly he yerked
the pendant off his neck.
- A hero's
pendant... But I am no hero. I am nothing. I... am.... nothing...
He felt how tears
run on his cheeks.
Ashton cried. He
cried and cried, even more than then when his parents had died. The crimson
horizon turned black and the night came, but still he cried. The ground under
him became wet of his tears, moon went up and the wind blew, sounding blue. Ashton
didn't care if anyone saw that he cried.
Why would it
matter? My honor is forever gone anyway. But how could I do this? I am a
murderer, as Rena had said...
Then Ashton
remembered Rena. Her beautiful smile, the forever happy look in her eyes. They
were now gone. In her mind, Ashton saw Rena, eyes watering and full of hatred
and sadness.
- I am a
murderer... he sobbed. - I even destroyed Rena's, my love's, feelings towards
me.. She is with Claude. And I am alone...
Ashton cried until
he could cry no more. Then, suddenly, he saw a shooting star.
- Shooting star...
he said. - It should bring fortune. But what does it do to me? I don't have any
fortune. I never had.
Then, he suddenly
stood up. He ahd got an idea. He went to the entrance of the Mountain Palace. From
there, he walked a bit far away. He looked to the horizon. He could escape to
the continent of El or the continent of Lacour, but the voices in his head wouldn't
probadly stop by that. And there was a chance that he could ran into Claude,
Rena and Celine - a chance he didn't want to take.
Ashton stepped
closer to the edge and looked down. He only saw darkness down there. If he
would drop down there, there wouldn't be a chance that he would survive.
That could be
perfect.
Ashton put his feet
on the nothingness, but quickly pulled it back. He was frightened.
What was I going to
do? Kill myself? That wouldn't probadly help, and even if it could help, I
couldn't do it. I just can't drop down. I don't have guts for that.
He heaved a sigh
and turned. Then, he walked away, but looked back. Suddenly he remembered his
friends and his family again.
- Mom... Dad...
Claude... Rena...and Celine... and Gyoro and Ururun too... I'm sorry, he said.
- I wish I had done it other way. But what has been started, must be ended.
Then, Ashton run. His
eyes were full of tears, but still he went straight. Straight to his destiny...
And he jumped.
Ashton felt how he
fell down. He closed his eyes, and some tears rolled down. All the time, he
thought of his family, his friends and Gyoro and Ururun...
It has ended. My
destiny as a hero and a murderer has ended.
