It was just 4 years. 48 months, 208 weeks, 1460 soothing relaxing days. Aselia reverted to its peaceful state with humanity left in peace. The various countries achieved harmony with trade unencumbered, exploration approved, and families to grow. With the Demon King Dhaos vanquished once and for all and the presence of monsters dwindling it was as if a fairytale had come into fruition.
Yes a golden age spread across Aselia; why would anyone want this to end?
"Alright that's enough for today!" An authoritative voice rang out; the 4 equal ranks of students froze and in nigh perfect synchronicity moved to attention. The instructor positioned at the center of the formation utilizing his peripherals to study the strapping young lads. Nothing but pride was to be held for them.
Instructor glazed his sights over each student as he began to speak, "Take these lessons with you as you leave here today." His voice carried authority and never wavered. "Never lose sight of what you do, always be a student of your trade." The students straightened out, his words snapping them in line, perhaps they will stick. "Dismissed!" The ranks collapsed and each of them filed out of the dojo and into the sunset streets of Toltus.
The Instructor loosened his uniform and grasped a nearby chair. A master Swordsman? Perhaps, but teaching wore him down more than training ever could have hoped to. Everything we built rests on our ability to defend ourselves. Would it be enough should another foe like Dhaos strolled along? After all the only reason why Dhaos was cut down by a mortals blade was because the blade itself was imbued with magic forged from magic.
"You are one distracted man Mr. Cless Alvein." Those words dripped like honey cutting him from his train of thought. "Always so deep in thought, never once taking a step back to enjoy the quiet." Was he being mocked? No, a showing of concern that could be mistaken as such. He turns his gaze to a feminine figure descending the staircase. Blonde hair dangled carelessly by the waist side and draped graciously over her shoulders. She wore a medieval gown that fluttered and conformed to her every movement as if she walked out of a painting. Was there nothing she couldn't adorn?
Mint Adenade; the mother hen cleric whom Cless rescued, those years ago, after being betrayed by his only living relative. Together they, along with three great friends, Chester Burklight, Arche Klein, and Klarth Lester put an end to the bloody Valhalla War, defeated the Demon King Dhaos, and saved the World Tree Yggdrasil. They could have been famous, and were for a while, have been given riches beyond what any king could comprehend and the world would have carved them statues and figures into mountains but they declined instead returning to their humble lives. One thing they couldn't escape was history recording their trials.
"Mint," Cless muttered sheepishly. Yes he was a scatterbrain outside of training, hardly focusing on anything including small hobbies like hunting. The 17 year old boy who set out to avenge his home had become an adult man of 21 years, mastering and exceeding the swordsmanship of his father and reopened the Alvein Dojo to continue his father's work. With the settling peace that followed their conflict, came the darkness. His brows furrowed and his neck slung. 4 years, 4 years and while peace may have come to Aselia it was virtually nonexistent in him; the trials he and his friends faced forever burned in their minds but he showed the least resiliency despite being the former leader of their team.
"Cless you have to take in what is going on now. Look at what you-we have built!" She kept her blue eyes concentrated on the swordsman before her. Since their ordeal Cless had been distant, favoring work and training to keep himself distracted. Those were the only moments she would ever see a smile cross his face. Chester had all but abandoned him, spending his time with Arche whom Lord knows whether or not their relationship is working out. Who could blame them? 100 years is a long time for someone you care about. But Cless? Cless is here, not an elf but a mortal just like she and so the feelings they share are still fresh.
"This constant brooding, I've asked you countless times to at least talk with someone and the Reverand-"
"No!" Cless shot up, his eyes filled with anger. Mint stepped back, taking a defensive pose. Never had he raised his voice like that, never to her.
His chest heaved and his breath was heavy, his nostrils flared and his vision zeroed in on Mint. "What I need is to be allowed some peace!" He calmed down some as he continued, "And I am certainly not speaking to some quack who only cares about filling his coffers to grace his house with jewels!"
Tears welled up in the Cleric's eyes, her shoulders sank and she turned away from him. "He may be a 'quack' to you but because of him I've found a way that I can keep helping people. To help me deal with everything that happened." Her quivering tone shattered and she sobbed. "Don't you dare belittle him! You're not the only one who's suffering!" In that instant everything that had been bottled up in the years that followed the final battle with Dhaos flowed out. Shame overtook Cless and he stepped out of the dojo.
What happened to us? Cless's fragmented mind regained some composure in an attempt to sort out his current situation. We were all so happy together, Mint, Chester, Arche, Klarth. Now? Now we can barely stand each other. The new Founder of Toltus who braved a brutal world war and conquered a genocidal incarnation of The Devil was now faced with a new war and he wasn't sure if this was one he could win.
Cless rounded a corner and shifted his sights from left to right. From his position he could witness into the homes of the locals. The laughing, togetherness, family; all of it a testimony to what the human spirit can accomplish. Hard to believe that just four years ago Toltus was a smoldering heap; now it was a bolstering community of three hundred and growing. Perhaps Mint was right, he did need to take in the small things.
A soft breeze carried the night, whistling through the trees and cooled the skin after an arduous day of training. One of the two moons shined over as if like a giant spotlight was exposing only him as if to say "here is the world's biggest victim. Woe be unto him for woe is him!"
Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. Cless continued walking until he too was sobbing. He collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Suddenly, he wasn't the man he thought he was, his demeanor deteriorated, his emotions laid out on the pavement for the world to see. How he wished for his mother's tender touch, soothing his anguish, or his father's stinging yet inspiring words of wisdom. But they were gone, they were gone and they were not coming back. "I'm so sorry!" He cried out between his choking sobs. How was he worthy of peace? Of love? Of a home? How could this overgrown child possibly be deserving of such happiness with the way he is carrying himself now? "I'm sorry for everything." He sobbed again.
"That's okay." A gentle rugged voice said. Cless collected what little of himself he could and looked up with embarrassment that someone bore witness to his sorry display. A thick silhouette shadowed over whom Cless could barely see through his misty brown eyes. "A man who has been through many trials cannot hope bare that burden himself." He made out what could only be identified as a hand, he hesitated momentarily before reaching out.
"Come child and tell me your woes." Cless's vision cleared up and he saw a heavy wool robe dyed in blue move away. "I better be getting home." He responded somberly. "Mr. Alvein." The man in the blue robe stopped. "I know you are in deep pain. Now-"
"You don't know anything." Cless snapped, a stern expression only buffered the tone.
"I don't believe Mint is prone to lying Mr Alvein." The swordsman's eyes widened and his fists tightened. "You're the Reverend!" The Reverend motioned him to follow.
Mint stared out the window into the darkness of town, her face half buried in an arm with the other draped at her side. Her hair had become a matted mess in the minutes that followed Cless's departure from the dojo, her face puffy, and her blue eyes reddened. She stared as if a trance, her fingers gently tapping and sliding along the surface of the dining table. Mint and Cless weren't involved romantically, she hoped once things had settled down perhaps they would expand on their relationship the inner demons she and everyone else faced along with the distance Cless put emotionally and mentally between them made that road so hazardous that those feelings eventually fizzled away. This wasn't about romance though, this was about her best friend not opening up to her and instead of talking had a dangerous explosion of emotion. The pressure had always been there she guessed, she just wasn't sure how to take the lid off. Besides, she was never sure if Cless's good nature toward her was just a sign of his modesty or any an extremely vague hint of trying to be romantic.
"I just want him to talk about it. I want my friends back." She began to tear up but she fought them. Mint had always been the tender one in the group, the one making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to do. She was the "mother hen" in the group and Cless was the leader, the one who had final say on any strategy or decision after a team discussion. She cooked the meals, healed her comrades, and scolded them when they did inane things like when Arche tried to peak at the boys in the hot tub. She really let the mage have it later night. She even gave Chester an earful after his attempt prior, after she healed his bruises of course.
After their journey and after finding help to rebuild and resettle Toltus Mint enlisted the help of a wandering preacher and in turn was enlisted into his newly established church to help those less fortunate. She believed in her work for it not only kept her busy and allowed her to cope with everything, but afforded her the opportunity to prevent bloodshed. When Cless called him a "quack" it wasn't just an insult to her faith, but an insult to her work, to what she fought for and is fighting for.
Mint wiped her eyes and went upstairs to fix her hair. After that task had been completed her mind went back to Cless and the fact that he still hadn't come home. I'll go find him. She calmed down much since their spat yet her expression still carried hurt. Taking a lantern she set out in the village to bring her friend home.
"So that's the whole story Reverend." Cless finally spilled out his life story after the point of his parents being killed and home torn asunder. During the interesting and not so interesting parts the blue robed man of God sat intently and held on to every word, every detail and acknowledged everything. The two of them set in front of the alter of the church hall, a fireplace was adjacent to the Reverend's rear left and the fire roared providing ample warmth and a soothing atmosphere. "Please call me Reverand Cain." He responded warmly with a smile that made even Cless smirk.
"Reverend Cain. I have a question." The elder man raised his brows and leaned back ready to accept. "During one of my battles, the Demon King once stated 'if there is evil in this world. It lurks in the hearts of Man.''" Cain nodded. "Do you believe that? I don't." The Reverend signed heavily before leaning in. "Man is terribly flawed. Terribly flawed. With that flaw mankind commits unspeakable acts. So yes I do believe evil exists in the hearts of men."
Cless was astonished yet somewhat offended. He always held the idea that people were generally good and would always do the right thing if given the opportunity, before he could respond Cain continued, "There are people who think that if you just 'do good' then you're a good person. However without a strong morally rooted foundation, you cannot accurately decide whether or not the acts were truly good. Many men throughout history have done horrible things because they perceived their goals to be noble, much like this Demon King Dhaos." "But Dhaos was trying to save his planet!" Cless quipped back, thinking he trapped the Reverend. "On the contrary my boy, nothing justifies Genocide. His end goal may have been noble, but the means he exercised to achieve were pure evil."
Cless sank in his chair over what Cain just said, disbelief and realization hitting him at once. "The ends do not justify the means. We always want to see the good in people and because of that we as humans end up rationalizing our actions or the actions of others because they could very well be someone we know or love. Tyranny, poverty, and war are the natural state of man with war being the only truly neutral one of the three. If people are safe and secure in exchange of not being able to say, open up this church or allow free protest because it might upset someone, do those sound like things a moral person would do?" Cless sat up straight again when the Reverend finished the question. It made sense he thought, knowing that just because someone may have good intentions does not mean they are a good person. Cless felt his internal stress, his internal anguish begin to dwindle and he felt more relaxed.
Mint stood outside the church, the acoustics of the large hall allowed her to easily eavesdrop undetected and she listened in agreement. There weren't many places to wander to in Toltus as pub and stores were closed. The only place that ran day and night was the church so naturally she decided Cless had gone there and sure enough she was right.
"Now my boy; There is something I want to discuss with you since we are on the subject of evil." Reverend Cain stood up and just as he did, Mint entered. "Mint!" Cless stood up, his eyes carried not sadness but regret for having snapped at her just an hour or so ago. "I-I'm sorry." He looked down at the velvet carpet that trailed to the double wooden doors of the church. "I heard most of everything. I guess I am sorry too. Life hasn't been easy even if it has been peaceful these past four years. I guess it was just wishful thinking to believe we would all come out normal." She turned to the Reverend who still was facing the fireplace. "What is it that you wanted to discuss?"
The Reverend smiled inwardly and began to speak, his back still facing them. "I am an old man. A very old man. Older than either of you."
"So you're an elf?" Cless asked.
"No I'm not an elf." His tone changed, the seriousness of his voice drained the warmth from the room, Mint shivered. "There is an ancient evil that was thought to have been extinguished long ago, yet its essence still lingers and it is trying to resurrect." He turns around to both Cless and Mint, his face expressionless yet stern. "Though I fear it already has."
Mint stepped forward. "What do you mean?" She asked, keeping her sights focused on the man she had come to admire. He'd been in Toltus for the better part of 2 and a-half years and in that period of time she never knew such a side of him. "Are you familiar with the Sin Wars?" Mint gasped and almost fell to her feet; her eyes wide with horror when his words spilled out that name.
"Mint? Wait what's going on?" Cless asked shocked, the air grew colder and as he grasped Mints arm she was frozen to the touch and her face was void of all color. "Reverend Cain." Cless said as he stood up. "Just who are you exactly?"
The blue robed Reverend stood straight, a small yet warm smile placed on his lips. Suddenly he wasn't the man Mint introduced herself too. "I am Cain. Deckard Cain."