Demise of the hero.
I moved quickly to avoid being cleaved in half by the giant blade, grateful for my enhanced reflexes and the magical power Haste. Before me stood Madoras, the revived Emperor of Yshrenia, who had been resurrected by the high priest Ladom, a traitorous fanatic from the Dogma Age. Leonard, our leader and friend, had became a living sacrifice at the hands of Ledom's schemes, engulfing him in a sphere of pulsing black energy, of which Shapur, an assassin and the pact maker of the black knight, had tried to penetrate. His body had been absorbed into the sphere, stripped apart in the process, a macabre sight indeed. Both yulie and Caeser had lost their knights (also know as Incorruptus), along with Grazel and Shapur, to complete the sacrifice. I had managed to mortally wound the high priest in battle, in an attempt to reverse the process and prevent the return of the Emperor, as well as save Leonard. However the battle had strecthed on for too long, bringing about the unchallanged birth of Madoras. After a short war of words between Princess Cisna and the newly born Emperor, as well as the amusing execution of Grazel, he had summoned his knight, a corruption of everything that Leonard's knight had been, and begun his attack. I had been prohibited by Cisna from using my knight, Tragedy, to combat the now empowered maniac, most likely in the hope that we can some how over power him and thus save Leonard that way. So I had to resort to my bow and arrows, which was about as effective as throwing dust at him, they simply bounced off him with a dull thwang. A mocking laugh boomed around the room, it's origin being the damned night before me.
"Pathetic mortals!" It boomed, taking a lunging stab at the old man, Eldore. Thankfully the Haste spell he had was still in effect for him, meaaning he could easily dodge the incoming menace. However, we were in a serious predicament, we were fighting a foe who seemed able to shrug off any attack we threw at it, swords, arrows. Hell, even elemental spells seemed to do little more than irritate him. I was the only one with a knight , seeing as mine was manufactured through clever sciences by the hand of a young Ward called Framboise, and so it was not tied in to this prophecy. However I was restricted from using it, so we were pretty much screwed. I turned in time to see Cesaer being flung towards me, propelled by a mighty back hand from the Emperor, and dived out of the way whilst casting a wind spell. Thankfully it caught him just before he slammed into the chamber's wall, stopping him inches away before dropping him on the floor, winded.
"We are'nt going to win this without help!" I cried out to the remaining members of the group, diving again to the side as Madoras aimed another slash towards me, this one barely missing my arm. This was getting too dangerous now, I'd rather be facing a hoard of dragons that be here ducking and diving around, praying in the back of my mind that there was a way to kill him. Yulie fired a magic inbued arrow at his face, hoping to get it between the helm and hopefully cause it some harm. However, Madoras blocked the arrow with his shield and aimed a powerful backhand strike towards us. I was able to leap back in time, the tips of his gloves narrowly missing me again thanks to Haste. Yulie, however, was not so lucky, his hand had connected with her, flinging her at the wall. Hearing her scream of pain sent ice into my heart and, as I watched her slide down the wall, slumping onto her side unmoving when she reached the floor, my mind came to a complete stand still. Not Yulie, my mind pleaded desperately, we've already lost Leonard, I can't lose Yulie. I won't lose Yulie. Rage was filling up within my chest and, subconciously, I felt my hand dive into my pocket for the Knight's Ark.
"You bastard!" I roared, throwing the Ark in a arc around me and crossing my arms. In the distance I could hear Princess Cisna screaming for me to stop, however her words fell on deaf ears. "Verto!" I felt white light engulf me as a rush of power coursed through my body, I closed my eyes tight and felt that the bow I held in my hand was no longer there, replaced instead with a war hammer. I opened my eyes again to see I was nearly as tall as Madoras' knight now. I was Tragedy. And I was going to destroy Madoras, no matter what the cost to myself. He charged wildly at the new threat, me, and tried to bring the blade of his sword crashing down onto my head, only for me to deflect it to the side with the grip of my hammer and ram my deep grey helm into his own. He staggered back a bit and I took my chance, swinging for his head. However he dodged underneath and knocked me back with his shield.
"Impressive!" the twisted Incorruptus cried, charging me again. "However this ends now!" He swung again for my head, this time I lunged back, his blade narrowly skimming my throat. Before I had the chance to recover, he launched another vicious attack, this time slashing at my torso. I dodged again, feeling the tip of his blade scratching my armour, before lunging forward and swinging my hammer. This time I connected with the under side of his shield, throwing his arm back and leaving him open for Eldore to cast a spell. The old man focused all his energy and let loose with a massive wave of fire, directed towards the knight's head. The emperor was unable to dodge this time and let out a pained scream as the spell collided, staggering him. Seeing this as the best chance we have, I rushed forward and drove the spike that rested on the top of my hammer into the emperor's chest, hearing a sickening scrape as the giant spike tore through the chestpiece of the knight. The Emperor roared in pain and squirmed violently, as I pushed the hammer against him harder, the spike digging further in. He threw his arms back and emitted a burst of magic, throwing me back and disabling my Incorruptus. As I reverted to human form, feeling drained and exhausted, the Emperor let out another pained roar. I looked up and saw, to my shock, he too was reverting back to his human self, before collapsing to his hands and knees, weezing heavily. Princess Cisna stepped besides me, staring down at Madoras with a mixture of hatred and anger. Behind me, I could hear Yulie groan in pain. Thank god she was okay. I turned to see Eldor healing her, she was in safe hands.
"Why must you always stand in my way, Muereas!" the Emperor roared, looking up at Cisna. She simpy rose her hands and whispered an inchantation. A violent wave of blue energy raged from her hands, directed at Madoras, engulfing him. I watched as he tried to fight against it, his arms thrown up infront of his face, as if trying to shield himself. "Muereas, you she-devil!" He suddenly threw his arms back and, with a pained scream, fell back, a black substance slowly freezing itself from his body. Eventually, all that remained was Leonard, who lay in the spot Emperor Madoras had been in seconds ago. Yet something was wrong, I could see it from where I stood. Leonard wasn't breathing. I rushed forward, throwing my bow aside, and knelt next to him. There was no wound to his chest and no other sign of injury, and yet something was seriously wrong.
"Eldore!" I shouted, as Cisna dropped to her knees by my side, horrofied. "Get over here quickly! He's not breathing!" Eldore's head shot around.
"What!" he cried gruffly, rushing over to us. I moved away so he could get to Leonard and saw Yulie struggling to stand, her leg was obviously broken from the impact against the wall. Caeser was lying on his back, still winded but definitely alive. I rushed over to Yulie and sat her back down.
"Let go of me!" she growled violently, struggling slightly. "I got to see Leonard! He can't be...!" She kept struggling against me as Eldore worked his magic franticly, even as the building around us began to shake.
"We need to go, now!" I shouted, as Kara ran over to me and Yulie. She gently lifted her up onto her good leg whilst I rushed over to Cesaer and, with a lot of effort, threw the guy over my shoulders, groaning slightly. I looked around to see Eldore running full pelt towards the exit, Leonard lying lifeless in his arms whilst Kara and Princess Cisna aided Yulie. Letting out another grunt, I braced myself before running as fast as I could towards the teleporter whilst bits of debris fell everywhere. Twice we were almost crushed, saved both times only by my senses. Once in the teleporter, I found myself at the enterance of the fortress, where our ride was waiting. Once onboard the ship and we had set off, I watched as the floating fortress crashed into the sea from the deck outside, leaving the group to their devices. There was muttering amongst soldiers as they walked behind me, and eventually I heard the one thing I dreaded. Leonard was gone, torn away. We had won ... but it had been another empty victory.
A week later.
I stared into the bottom of my empty beer mug for a minute before sighing. I haven't drunk alcohol since I was seventeen, almost four years ago. And yet, here I was, in a packed tavern in Balandor, where I've been sat drinking for most of the week. It was Leonard's funeral tomorrow and we're were all feeling the pain. Yulie had locked herself away in her room, refusing to come out. Cesaer and Kara were quiet, often only talking to each other or wandering the castle alone. Eldore was hiding his pain well, but I had caught the old man weeping not long after we had returned, I guess Leonard was like a son to him. Princess Cisna had returned to her silent ways, like she had been before her ball. As for me, I was drowning my sorrows in this tavern. What a way for a hero to celebrate winning against the Magi, eh? Well truth is I'm no hero, never aimed to be, never want to be. I heard the tavern door open behind me but ignored it. I just dismissed it as another patron.
"Hey, buddy." I heard Cesaer's voice from behind and turned. There he stood, half a smile on his face. He wore his usually jacket and trousers, nothing new there. "Mind if I join you?" I nodded and turned around.
"Another empty glass, barkeep!" I shouted down to the old man. He looked up, saw Cesaer, and nodded. I turned to Cesaer as he sat beside me. "How you feeling?" Cesaer shrugged.
"I'll survive, ya' know." he replied after thanking the barkeep for the glass. I filled his glass up with beer and nodded. "It's you and Yulie that me and Kara are worried about, Chaos." I shrugged.
"I'll be fine." I grunted, taking a big gulp of my beer. I really don't want to discuss anything yo do with me. "How's Yulie holding up?" Cesaer sighed.
"She's still locked in her room." he muttered, taking a sip of his beer. "She won't answer when we try and talk to her and hasn't eaten in days. Chaos, we need you to go and get her to come out." I sighed.
"She won't listen to me, Cesaer." I whispered, frowning deeply. "Yulie's suffering worse than any of our little band, only Cisna is grieving more. The last thing she needs is some emotionally dead thief trying to cheer her up" I felt him put his hand on my shoulder.
"Come on Chaos, I know you have feelings for her." He whispered slyly, giving my shoulder a slight squeeze. "She might have been to blinded by her feelings for Leonard to realize it but we all noticed it with ease. Hell, even Leonard reconized your feelings for her. And after that little stunt against Madoras, I think she'll have questions for you." I sighed and nodded.
"Fine, I'll go and speak to her." I muttered. He smiled softly, drained his mug and left. I sat staring at my mug for what seemed like an eternity before I drained what was left in it, left a bag of gold for the barkeep, got up and left. Slowly, and surprisingly steadily, I made my way to the castle, noting how some residents were celebrating the end of the war, giving discounts on equipment and goods. This was a fragile peace, we had defeated one foe but their was bound to be more. I reached the castle by passing through the noble district and after a nod to the guards at the entrance, who saluted back, I made my way into the main lobby. Inside, people were rushing around, setting out flowers for Leonard's funeral or just going about their general daily business. I made my way through the main lobby and up towards the throne, noticing the princess was once again absent from her throne. I guess she couldn't stand to watch the proceddings at the moment. Taking a right at the throne, I began my climb to the top of the castle, which was a marathon of staircase after staircase, before reaching Yulie's bedroom. Closing my eyes and bracing myself, I knocked three times.
"Yulie, it's Chaos." I called through the door. After a minutes silence, I tried again. "I just want to talk." I half expected no reply, so I began to turn away when I heard the door creak open behind me.
"Come in then ..." A quiet voice muttered behind me. I turned to see Yulie was standing in the doorway, dressed in nothing more then her night gown, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. She stepped back and I walked in, looking around. Her room was a lot larger than mine, though in all fairness I did ask for the smallest room they had. The curtains were still drawn, darkening what must have been normally a very bright and pleasent room. I turned around to face her, meaning to say something, but she beat me to it.
"You been hiding in a brewry?" she asked dryly, frowning. I raised my eyebrow in question. "I can smell it on you, Cervus."
"Kind of ..." I replied, looking away. "How are you feeling?" I couldn't think of anything better to say.
"I don't know ..." her voice was shaking a bit. "It's just hard ..." I nodded, looking around. "From the smell of it, you're not taking it any better." I simply shrugged, unsure what to say. "Why did you do it?"
"Do what?" I asked, I knew what she ment but if I could avoid this question for the moment, I would.
"You know what." she replied, putting her hand on my shoulder. "Eldore told me about what happened during the fight after Madoras took me down. What I want to know is why you transformed, in complete disregard of Cisna's orders, when I was taken out but not for when Cesaer was." I closed my eyes again. "Cervus?"
"I did it cause I can't bare to see you being hurt ..." I muttered, cursing myself in my mind. I guessed there was no point hiding it now. "When I saw you flying across the chamber and hitting the wall I ..." I didn't know if I could bring myself to say it. I clenched my fist and willed myself to speak. "I lost control, I felt like my heart had actually stopped." There was silence for a moment before I spoke again. "I thought you were dead ..." I focused my mind now, my breathing slowing down. "I thought I had lost you." I didn't look back at Yulie, something in me just couldn't bare to look. Eventually she spoke.
"So Eldore was right..." she whispered, tightening her grip on my shoulder. "Thank you, Cervus but I need to ask you something. Can you meet me in Parma tonight after midnight?" I nodded softly, still not looking. "Thank you... I'm sorry but I need time to think." She took her hand off my shoulder and walked past me, heading towards the bed. I took that as a sign for me to leave. I turned and left, heading towards the staircase. I had to find Eldore and speak to him, my mind was torn. I decended the stairs and made my way into the Royal Gardens, where I found him stood guard next to Princess Cisna, who was sat on the fountain, her long blonde hair hiding her young face as she stared at her lap, apparently lost in thought. She looked up when she heard me approach.
"I apologise, Princess." I exclaimed emotionlessly, kneeling down. "But I must speak with Eldore in private." Eldore looked at me, both confused and interested. Princess Cisna examined me for a moment beforing nodding at me and then at Eldore, who nodded in response. I stood back up and followed him to a small deserted patch not far from the fountain.
"What is the problem, lad?" the old traveller asked, leaning against a tall Oak tree. I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"It's to do with Yulie, Eldore." I said, a little unsure why I was even having this conversation with him. To my surprise, he smiled, which was a rare occurance for the old man.
"So you have finally spoken to her?" he enquired, almost cheerily. I nodded, confused. "And did you explain truthfully why you disobeyed princess Cisna?" I nodded again. "Well, it seem's Cesaer's plan has worked then, and now you are unsure of your next move?" I nodded once more, a strong feeling of annoyance starting to take over. "Well you see lad, we've been worried about you two since we got back. You were shutting yourself away in the tavern, trying to drown your sorrows before staggering back here to pass out, whilst Yulie was trying to hide from the world so she wouldn't have to face the reality of what has happened... and her conflicting feelings." I tilted my head a little. The old man was right, even if I hated to admit it. "Do you know what you're next step is?"
"To meet Yulie in Parma ... tonight." I replied, watching the old man suspicously. Was this another part of their plan?
"Well then I suggest you bathe first." He mocked, his smile growing. "You stink like you've slept in a brewery." I couldn't help but smile a little.
"Yeah I think I will." I agreed, nodding softly. "Thank you Eldore." He waved his hand dismissively and I turned to leave, tonight on my mind.
"Oh, before you go, I believe Princess Cisna wants to speak to you." He added. I nodded and made my way towards the princess, kneeling again before her.
"You wished to see me, Princess Cisna?" I asked, half knowing what she wanted. She looked at me and nodded.
"Eldore has explained to me the reason why you ignored me before, Chaos." she began, standing. "At first, I was confused and at a loss as to why you would disobey me, but I was filled with grief and anger, anger directed at the wrong man." I looked at her, confused. "I understand why you did what you did, it doesn't make it easier to bear but it has cleared my mind. When you and Yulie have time, I wish to see you both" I nodded.
"Of course, Princess Cisna." I replied.
When I reached Parma that later that night, the moon was casting it's pale light across the small village. I smiled softly, it gave the already tranquil village some added beauty. I had bathed thoroughly and was now wearing a red dragon robe outfit, with a dagger tucked into my belt. I wore a black cloak with the hood up, more out of habit seeing as there was only a light breeze out tonight. I decide to take a slow walk through the village, my footsteps echoing softly within the silence. As I came up to the bridge that crossed the small river that split the village, I saw a solitary figure sat against the fence outside the tavern. It weren't difficult to identify them, the pale lavender hair gave it away. Yulie was looking up at the sky, dressed in the same clothes she was wearing when I first met her here, over a year ago, a bright yellow dress, hot pants and dark brown high boots. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of turned her head back towards the village entrance and waved at me. I waved back and crossed the bridge, my heart beat speeding up with each step.
"You look very sinister, dressed like that." she said when I finally reached her, smiling. "I'm surprised the Balandor guard let you out the gates." I smiled softly back.
"I told them I was going to torture Kibbles." I replied playfully, resting against the fence next to her. She giggled a little.
"Thank you for coming." she said softly, looking at me. "It's nice to be back home, you know?" I nodded, not because I agreed with her, but because it was polite. "I missed being here, enjoying life like I used to." She looked back up at the sky. "I miss him too, Cervus. I miss Leonard." I frowned and nodded again.
"So do I, Yulie." I whispered, looking up at the moon. "Honestly Yulie, he was like a little brother to me. Well he acted as annoying as one anyway." She smiled saddly.
"Yeah..." she whispered, sighing. "He had a tendancy of doing that." She looked back at me. "Do you remember that night I followed him to that pond?" I nodded. "Well you told me when I came back, hurt and upset, to look for someone whose heart was ment for me and me alone." I nodded again, wondering where this was going. "Well, when Eldore told me about what happened in Madoras' fortress, I realized something ... that someone whose heart was ment to be mine ... he showed himself when he rose to fight the Emperor." She looked at me. "It was you, all along it was you. When ever I was in danger, it was you who always kept me safe, going to the point where you suffered almost mortal wounds to protect me." I knew what she was on about. While we were passing through the Flanders mountains, we were set upon by an ice giant and some vespids. The giant had made a swing for her with his club and I had threw her out of the way. However, by doing so I had no chance of dodging the blow and was sent head first into a wall, almost killing me. If it weren't for Eldore's healing magic, I'd have died on the mountain. "You always cheeried me up and gave me hope, telling me all those stories of your adventures before you joined Rappachies. I realize now why, when ever I was upset, you were always in a foul mood. I was just too obsessed in hoping that Leonard would like me the way he loved Cisna to see it." She placed her hand on mine.
"It's okay." I whispered, holding her hand. "I would have waited as long as needed, as long as you were happy." She smiles softly and gripped my hand before looking back up at the sky.
"Promise me you'll always be here for me, Cervus." she whispered softly. I smiled softly.
"I promise you, Yulie, I'm not going anywhere without you." I whispered, looking up at the night sky whilst pulling my hood down with my free hand. She looked at me and smiled happily, the first proper happy smile I had seen in months. After spending a another hour talking, we decided that it would be nice to walk the plains.
"It's a really beautiful night out tonight." Yulie whispered as we sat, watching some Kibbles dance about in the moon light. I nodded, I preferred the night time to the day. Yulie smiled at me. "Hey, can you tell me about one of your adventures?" I looked at her and thought back.
"Hmmmmm... okay." I replied, stretching slightly. "Me and the group had taken a commission job to retrieve a rare Longsword called the Etheral Blade from a dealer in Albana ..." My story lasted for a few hours and we set off back to Balandor as the sun began to rise. I escorted her back through town, up to the castle, where Cyrus stood waiting, his arms folded.
"Out for a late night walk, are we?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"Yeah, bit of fresh air and stuff, you know." I replied,shrugging casually. "You're up late."
"My watch tonight." He explained, unfolding his arms. "I refuse to just sit around and let my men do all the work. I am a guardsman too and will fulfill my duty." Yulie nodded, impressed by his attitude. I was too, in all honesty. "Now I take it you two will be quiet, seeing as others are asleep." I nodded, loosely sensing what the captain of the guard was hinting at. We wished him a good night and procceded back up to Yulie's room where I was dropping her off.
"Well Yulie, I enjoyed tonight." I said when we eventually got to her room, ten minutes later. She smiled softly and pulled me down by my collar to her height.
"I loved it." she whispered, kissing me. Next thing I knew, she was pulling me into her room, her lips locked onto mine.
Four hours later.
"I see you two had fun last night." came Kara's smug voice. I felt Yulie bolt up, covering her exposed breasts with her arm. I was too sore to move, it had been our first time last night and, whilst it was very enjoyable, it hurt like hell.
"Kara!" Yulie barked, blushing. "You could of at least knocked instead of barging in!" I heard Kara chuckle softly.
"What, and miss the chance to see the little love birds together?" she asked, teasingly. "Cyrus told Eldore that he had spoken to you two early this morning outside the castle. I hope you two had a good night." She giggled and left, closing the door gently behind her. I opened my eyes.
"We aren't going to hear the end of this, you know that Yulie?" I muttered, fliching slightly as I tried to move.
"Regretting it already, are we?" she asked, giggling slightly. I smiled softly.
"What, being with you?" I questioned, looking at her. "Or the sex?" She giggled more.
"Being with me, stupid." She replied, lying back down and cuddling up to me.
"Never." I whispered, kissing her head. She smiled and sighed.
"Today's going to be difficult, Cervus." She whispered, closing her eyes. I nodded and sighed.