Aris entered the throne room with his fellow Cardinal Heroes as the castle guards ushered them toward King Aultcray. In front of the king stood a large group of people dressed for action. Some carried swords, some carried other weapons, and a few looked like wizards or mages.

"Brave Heroes," said the king. "We have gathered here the greatest warriors in Melromarc. These brave individuals will fight alongside you in your quest to repel the Waves."

Aris was a bit excited to choose who would join him on his journey, so his extreme bewilderment came as no surprise when the adventurers stepped forward instead and began to group up with a Cardinal Hero of their choice.

The bewilderment all but grew when Aris noticed no one had joined him.

The king remained calm. "Sir Aris, I am loath to admit it, but even I did not expect this."

A servant of the king appeared and seemed to whisper something into the monarch's ear. King Aultcray sighed. "I've been made aware of a very disturbing rumor."

"Did something happen, sir?" asked Motoyasu.

"Not quite," replied the king. "The rumor is that the so-called Shield Hero - Aris - is 'ignorant' of this world. Legend says that the Cardinal Heroes have a well-rounded understanding of this land from the moment they arrive, and people seem to think that Aris does not fit this criterium."

"With all due respect, your majesty," Aris interjected, "I'm...not entirely sure what you were expecting. If those legends are as ancient as people say, perhaps some aspects of it were lost in translation."

"That is a possibility," agreed the king.

"You know what, I'm a loner, I don't exactly need all five of the people behind me right now," Ren deadpanned. He eyed his party members. "Whoever can't cut it can go with Aris or get left in the dust."

"Thank you, but that's really no way to treat people," Aris muttered.

"I would suggest splitting everyone up so that each of us has three people," said Itsuki, "but I don't want to destroy everyone's morale by forcing it."

Aris sighed. "I suppose I can travel alone. I'm no stranger to it."

Suddenly, a hand raised from Motoyasu's party, and a gorgeous woman with a scarlet ponytail stepped towards Aris. "Sir Hero, I will join you. If...you'll have me."

Aris nodded.

Motoyasu looked at the redhead. "You sure about this?"

"I'll be fine," the redhead laughed. "Don't worry about me."

"Very well," said King Aultcray. "Are there any others who are willing to join Aris's party?"

The inquiry fell on deaf ears.

King Aultcray sighed. "Unfortunate. In that case, Aris, you will need to recruit members of your party yourself."

"Yes, sir."

"Good." The king addressed all four Heroes. "We shall provide each of you with a sizable monthly sum of money to aid you on your travels. Use it how you see fit. This one time, however, Aris's payment will be higher than the other three Heroes as compensation for his troubles with finding a party. Aris will receive eight hundred silvers while Sirs Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki will receive six hundred silvers." A few nobles approached the Heroes to hand them a bag chock-full of coins. "Here is your money. Please accept these coins along with our eternal gratitude."

Once the Heroes had acquired their funds, the king raised his voice to deliver a final order. "Set off after procuring all necessary equipment."

The four spoke in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The gates to the castle walls opened for the Heroes as they set forth. Aris and his redheaded companion lagged behind a little as the latter introduced herself.

"Pardon me, sir, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Myne Suphia, and it's an honor to work with you."

"Aris Atreides," replied the Hylian, "and your feelings are returned."

"Please, the honor is all mine." Myne held out her hand, which Aris firmly shook. Myne's grip lingered for a moment before Aris pulled back his arm.

"We should be setting off, yes?"

"Yes, we should." Myne grabbed Aris's hand again. "Come on! I'll show you around the city!"

Myne ran through the streets of Melromarc's capital city with Aris in tow, pointing out places of interest and significant landmarks. "I just realized, we should probably sightsee later and prepare for action now," she said after a while. "Luckily, I know a very trustworthy shop near here that sells weapons and armor. I'll take you there."

Aris followed Myne into a small-looking blacksmith shop managed by a burly man with a bald head and a small black beard.

"Hi, there!" the man said jovially. "Welcome to Heatwaker Armory. The name's Erhard. I run the place." Erhard took a closer look at Aris. "Say, I don't think I've seen you around before. You new in town?"

"Yes," replied Aris. "My companion here recommended your shop, so we decided to stop by."

Erhard raised a confused eyebrow at Myne. "Miss, you do look familiar. Have we met?"

"I'm sure we have at some point," said Myne, clinging to Aris's left arm (much to the Hylian's surprise). "I've been here before, after all. Besides, Heatwaker Armory is quite possibly the best equipment shop in Melromarc for anyone looking for quality gear with a low budget."

"Aw, sweet o' ya to say so." Erhard smiled fondly. Suddenly, he eyed Aris - specifically Aris's right arm. "Wait a minute...you're the strange fourth Cardinal Hero, right!? The one who's supposed to be the Shield Hero but has a sword instead?"

"Y-Yes, that is me," said Aris. "I can summon a shield," he demonstrated by channeling green energy through his prosthesis to conjure one, "but I'm still able to use my sword."

"Well, if you're a regular 'round here, I don't give two flying pigs what you wield, kid," Erhard chuckled. "A Hero's a Hero, no matter the weapon."

"Or lack of one, in some cases."

"True that," said Erhard. "Now, with that outta the way, what can I do ya for?"

"Some equipment, if you've got stuff," Aris answered.

"Wouldn't be open if I didn't." Erhard went into a back room in his shop and returned with an armful of swords, laying them out on the counter in front of Aris. "From left to right, I've got iron, magic iron, magic steel, and silver iron all in ascending order of price. All top-notch swords, guaranteed."

Aris reached for the magic steel sword. Just before he could lift the blade, forking arcs of blue lightning erupted from the hilt, shocking him and knocking him back. "Gah! What in the name of-"

His prosthesis flashed green. Aris channeled his energy into it to open his status screen. "What in the name of Farore...?"

WARNING: YOU CAN NOT EQUIP THIS WEAPON

It appeared that Aris could not use any weapon save his shield. Dreading the potential outcome, he attempted to draw Master Sword. His hand gripped the hilt.

Nothing happened. He pulled it halfway out of its scabbard.

Still, nothing.

Finally, he unsheathed it entirely.

The Blade of Evil's Bane remained in his grasp, unhindered by the constraints of the Shield.

"Strange..." Erhard murmured. "All the swords I've got seem to reject ya, but yours doesn't. Mind if I have a look at it?"

Aris held the Master Sword towards Erhard, taking care to not point the blade at him. Erhard procured a small lens from his pocket and looked at the sacred sword through it, like a detective analyzing a crime scene with a magnifying glass. Meanwhile, Aris selected it on his "equipment" display and checked it out.

Equipped Weapon: Master Sword

Weapon Type: Longsword

Acquisition: Discovered in unknown location

ATK: 30+

Equip Bonuses: Sword Beam (fire projectiles when at max HP), Skyward Strike (channel sacred energy for a stronger Sword Beam), Evil's Bane ( 2 ATK in certain situations)

DESC: "Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, this sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of its chosen Hero."

"Hmm...at a glance, it's like any other sword, just really ornate," said Erhard. "Normally my appraisal magic would be able to tell me all about a particular weapon, but it didn't tell me squat about your sword. All I could detect was an extreme amount of power...one I've never seen before." He got off the ground and the smile returned to his face. "Well, thanks for piquing my interest! Wanna buy some armor? Yours looks kinda worn."

"I think I'll keep mine for now," said Aris. "If it gets badly damaged, I'll buy new armor. It may just be a hide chest plate, but it's comfortable and it's gotten me out of some hairy situations."

"Fair enough. I'll be waiting for you if and when you come back."

"Understood." Aris turned to Myne. "Where to next?"

"Off to do battle, of course," replied Myne. "We need to level up a bunch, and I wanna see just what the swordsman Shield Hero is capable of!"

Monsters rustled through the grass. Aris's status display indicated them as Orange Balloons.

NEW CREATURE DISCOVERED (HOSTILE)

Orange Balloon

Species: Balloon

Habitat: Grassland Meadows, Forests

DESC: "Regarded as one of, if not the, weakest monsters ever discovered, Orange Balloons are common vermin in pretty much every part of the world. Defeating them is as simple as popping them like a bubble."

The small round beasts leaped from the grass and flayed their jaws at Aris as they pounced.

He drew the Master Sword. The sacred blade ripped through the Orange Balloons, popping them like exactly what their name suggested they were. Myne drew a sword of her own and aided him. Aris saw an indicator in his status screen showing that whenever he killed a monster, he gained "EXP" as a reward. He surmised that "EXP" was short for "experience".

"I see no challenge here," he mused as he popped another Balloon.

"Well, look who's confident!" Myne laughed. "I like it!"

A sizable swarm of Balloons sprang from the grass. Aris lowered the Master Sword and lifted his prosthesis. The mechanical parts shifted to form what looked like a large cylinder in place of his forearm. From the front of the cylinder shot a bolt of green energy, which ricocheted from one Orange Balloon to another again and again until all of them were gone. The bolt returned to Aris's prosthesis.

Myne was in awe. "So cool...! How do you do that? Just what is that green energy?"

"It's my soul," replied Aris. "Or rather, an extension of it. It takes the form of what I call Soul Energy, which I can use for various purposes. Such as powering my prosthetic right arm."

Once all the Balloons had been taken care of, Aris got to work helping Myne collect the materials the monsters had left behind. He discovered that his Soul Energy could absorb them into his right arm to help his Shield capabilities evolve.

"Is there a limit to how much you can feed it?" asked Myne.

"There doesn't seem to be one," said Aris. "Which would certainly be convenient. On the other hand, though, we might be able to sell some of these for extra money."

"They wouldn't sell for much," Myne pointed out. "Likely only one copper coin each."

"It's better than nothing."

After buying some armor for Myne at Erhard's shop (where some intense haggling had transpired between the bargain blacksmith and the Hylian Hero), Aris and Myne had gone to a local tavern for dinner and shelter.

"Mm!" Aris had a satisfied grin on his face as he ate his meal. "And I thought I was a good cook."

Myne laughed, endeared by Aris's enthusiasm. "I'm so glad you're having a good meal, sir."

"Please, just 'Aris' is fine."

"Very well, Aris. Anyway..." Myne took out a map, "do you mind helping me find some places for us to visit tomorrow?"

"Sure," replied Aris. He examined the map for a moment before pointing to a particular spot. "This is that meadow where we leveled up this afternoon, right?"

"Yes, it is," affirmed Myne. "Tomorrow, I was thinking we could go to a certain village that lies beyond this map. And past the village, there's a dungeon perfect for rookie adventurers. Though, I doubt you're much of a rookie yourself." Myne chuckled.

"I suppose I'm not," said Aris, "but reviewing fundamentals couldn't hurt. And it sounds like a perfect place to level up."

"My thoughts exactly," agreed Myne. "And between my new armor and you to protect me, it'll be a walk in the park!"

"Thank you," said Aris. "You're a treasure trove of information."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Myne assured him. "Oh, but, by the way, Aris..."

Myne picked up her wine glass. "You haven't touched your wine. Aren't you going to drink some?"

"I've never liked alcohol very much," replied Aris. "It impairs my abilities and judgement, after all. I prefer to stay as sharp as possible as much as possible."

"Really? Well, that's quite a shame. But I can absolutely respect your reason for abstaining." She sighed. "Still, though, it is quite a shame. This vintage is simply immaculate." She downed her entire glass in what looked like a single gulp, appearing a little tipsy after setting it down. "I'd love to share it with you."

Myne slid her empty glass across the table, softly clinking it against Aris's full glass.

Aris's cheeks flushed. "A-Apologies, but I really just don't care for it."

"Ah, well, that's a Hero for you, I suppose," said Myne.

"What do you mean?"

"Melromarc is a matriarchy, so women tend to be very well-respected," said Myne. "They always enjoy equality with men, and in some minor aspects of life, there are some advantages of being a woman. In a tavern, for example, it's considered very uncouth for a male patron who intends to drink to turn down an offer for a drink from a woman."

"Is that so?" Aris laughed bashfully. "I guess I'm not very skilled at observing such things."

"Oh, there's no shame in it," Myne assured him. "You're a Hero, so most ladies will let it slide no matter how long you've been here."

Aris yawned. "I think I might turn in early tonight."

"Go right ahead," said Myne. "If you don't mind me finishing your wine, that is. Though, drinking alone can get terribly lonely."

"Have at it. Oh, but...before I leave, Myne?"

Myne lifted her head to look at Aris.

"Thank you for choosing to join me." Aris had a face of complete, genuine gratitude. "You're probably one of the nicest ladies I've ever met. I may have declined a drink with you tonight, but in the future, we'll share the nicest wine we can afford."

"That sounds positively wonderful, Aris," said Myne. "Now, off to bed if you're going to turn in early. Pleasant dreams!"

Aris retreated to the quarters he had purchased for himself that night (he and Myne had agreed on sleeping in separate rooms). "We have two hundred silver coins left after buying Myne's armor," he said, counting his money. "Two rooms priced at thirty copper coins each per night, and meals for two at five copper each...leaves us with just under two hundred silver. It's still plenty of money, but I'll need to secure it."

After finding a safe and concealed place in the room to stash his cash, Aris removed the Master Sword from his back and set it under his bed. Normally, this would be a ridiculously stupid place to hide something so valuable, but Aris knew only he could grasp the Master Sword's hilt, so no one would be able to steal it regardless. Tired from a long day of fighting to level up and haggling with a stubborn smithy, the Hylian Hero was soon out like a dead light bulb.

BGM: Villains of a Sort - Kingdom Hearts 1.5 ReMix

Aris woke with a start. He'd had a nightmare, and a terrible one to boot. He couldn't quite describe it, but it felt oddly familiar to him.

It was then that he heard a familiar voice: Myne's. She was talking about him, and it didn't seem like she had anything good to say.

"What...?" he said.

The voices were coming from somewhere outside of the tavern, not far from his room. Aris opened the window and sneaked onto the roof with a bit of climbing. Remaining crouched, he shimmied to the edge of the roof and looked down.

In the alleyway behind the inn, there stood Myne, speaking to someone Aris could only describe as pure, unadulterated evil.

The witch-like woman to whom Myne spoke had sickeningly pale skin and very over-the-top makeup, especially in the form of her eyeshadow. A strange skintight hood covered her head, showing a pair of demonic horns. Her long black coat whipped slightly in the breeze, and a staff with a green spherical crystal on one end was clutched in her hand.

"Does he suspect anything?" the witch crooned at Myne demandingly.

Myne bowed her head. "No, mistress Maleficent. He has no idea who he is up against."

"Good, very good, child," said the witch - apparently named Maleficent. "You are shaping up to be quite the apprentice so far. With any luck, you'll far surpass Pete. Though...I suppose that isn't really a high bar to set."

"Thank you, mistress."

"What have you obtained from him?" asked Maleficent.

"Lots of money, his hide chest plate, and a few other bits and bobs," replied Myne.

"You did not find his sword? That accursed blade of ancient legend in that forsaken ruin?"

Myne shook her head from side to side. "I did not, mistress. B-But...well, I did find it, but I could not take it."

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "And why not?"

"Because when I tried to grab the hilt, it...it burned my hand." Myne showed her bandaged right palm to Maleficent. "And I couldn't lift it by the scabbard, either."

"Hmph. A setback...though only a minor one that was out of your control. I will overlook it."

"Thank you, mistress."

Aris closed his eyes as he lifted his left hand towards Myne and Maleficent. Though the conspiring women could not see this, their bodies became outlined in green Soul Energy as Aris recorded the events of their conversation.

End BGM

Aris leaped from rooftop to rooftop as he followed Myne to the castle. She was feigning tears and terror as though she had just seen her entire family ripped to pieces. Aris knew this was all a facade, but Myne's motive was beyond him.

Myne entered the castle and began crying to the king and the other three Cardinal Heroes (who were also present there for some reason) that Aris had done horrible things to her.

"She's saying I...assaulted her?" Aris was bewildered. "And in...that sort of way? And then I tried to murder her!?"

Motoyasu, Ren, Itsuki, and the king seemed to buy Myne's testimony.

"That elf-eared bastard!" Motoyasu slammed the butt of his spear into the ground. "I knew something was off about him!"

Myne threw her arms around Motoyasu, crying fake tears into his chest. "I-I-I still can't believe that...that he would d-do such a thing!"

"Did he really do it?" Aris heard Itsuki say to Ren.

"No innocent man would run from the authorities," Ren pointed out. "If he's innocent, my guess is that he'll come blasting through that door any moment and have a way to prove it. Or at least be very adamant about his innocence."

"Not quite!" Aris bellowed from his perch. "I'm storming in through the window, actually!"

Aris leaped from his position and came down with a superhero landing, wincing at the pain in his knees.

"Aris!?" Motoyasu was furious. He ushered Myne behind him. "You utter scumbag! What the hell do you have to say for yourself!?"

"That I'm innocent, obviously!"

"Bull!" Motoyasu exclaimed.

"Indeed!" King Aultcray boomed. "No Hero would ever commit such atrocious deeds against an innocent lady! Yet here you stand after attempting to take her life in favor of your twisted desires! You shall be executed posthaste!"

"No, not yet!" Itsuki exclaimed. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions until we have evidence from both sides."

"Screw that!" Motoyasu roared. "He's guilty! He ran from the authorities, didn't he? He wouldn't have done that if he was innocent!"

"Think for a second!" Itsuki chided. "Ren, you said if he was innocent, he'd come blasting through the door to tell us that. And while he came in through the window instead of the door, he's doing pretty much everything else you said he'd do."

Were he attracted to men from a romantic standpoint, Aris would have run up to Itsuki and kissed him on the mouth. But Aris wasn't attracted to the same gender, so he didn't.

"We already have enough evidence to incriminate Aris," King Aultcray announced. A nearby soldier presented what looked like a bloodied bra. Even from his distance, Aris could tell that not only was the blood fake, but the patterns were also nowhere near consistent with the blood spatter of a stab wound.

"I see your evidence," said Aris, "and I raise you mine."

The king scoffed. "Surely the evidence of a criminal is nothing but lies."

"Oh, you'd be wrong. But first...a bit of context." Aris held up his prosthesis, pointing to the wisps of green energy within. "I'm sure my fellow Cardinal Heroes have all been curious as to what this is. Myne already knows. This is what I call Soul Energy. It is an extension of my very soul - my spirit if you will. I can utilize it for numerous things, and one of them is...this."

Aris reached into the depths of his soul as he straightened his right arm forward. Wisps of Soul Energy spiraled from his arm and coalesced in front of him to form two figures: Myne and the witch called Maleficent. Their entire conversation played out in real time as though it was occurring then and there.

Once the conversation ended, the apparitions disappeared back into Aris.

"That could obviously be faked!" Motoyasu yelled. "You probably just manipulated it to look like you recorded a conversation between Myne and...whoever that other person was."

"I don't think I believe that," Itsuki whispered to Ren. The Sword Hero slightly agreed, but only slightly.

"Good, Itsuki," said Aris, having heard the Bow Hero's whisper. "You acknowledge the truth. And so will everyone here. See, what I just performed to show you the exchange between Myne and that woman was something I refer to as Memanima Projection. I can watch things unfold and record them with Soul Energy to view whenever I want. Of course, I only use this when I have to. And I feel that the exchange between Myne and her 'mistress' warranted the use of Memanima Projection. Another time I used it was...well, the entire time I've been in this room, actually."

"What!?" the king bellowed.

"I don't blame you for being surprised." Aris played a brief segment of the exchange that had just transpired for everyone to see. "Memanima Projection is something I rarely use, but it always comes in handy when I need it."

"There's no way he could've faked it," Itsuki whispered to Ren. "I mean, this is his soul we're talking about here."

"Aris..." Ren murmured. "Just who are you...? What things have you seen...?"

"You are still not excused of your verdict, Aris," the king declared. "It would behoove you to comply with our demands for the remainder of your time here, lest we have you beheaded here and now."

"Name your price, your majesty."

"Your life will be spared in exchange for your magic - this 'Soul Energy'."

"You know I cannot give that to you," Aris chided. "That would be relinquishing my very being, and...well, I don't exactly fancy doing a thing like that. It's arguably worse than being beheaded."

"Which means both punishments - execution by beheading and Aris somehow giving up his soul - are way too severe for an accusation that's more than likely false," Itsuki added.

For a split second, Aris almost questioned his lack of romantic attraction to men solely because of Itsuki. But only for a split second.

The king completely ignored the Bow Hero. "If you do not wish to relinquish your powers, perhaps you will accept a trip to the guillotine, then."

"Oh, but death is instant release," Motoyasu pointed out. "I say we let him live, but take away that fancy arm of his. That way he'll only be stuck with his left arm. He might be the 'Shield' Hero, but he can still fight with his fancy little sword for all I care." He eyed Aris with a suave smirk. "It's the best deal I've got, so you might wanna take it. Otherwise...well, y'know."

"He'll be mostly even with us at that point," Ren agreed. "If he really is a criminal, then I have a feeling we wouldn't be able to stop him, between his Soul Energy powers and apparent experience with adventures like the one we're set to go on. Aris, I suggest you stand down." The Sword Hero met Aris's gaze with cold eyes.

Aris scanned the room. Ren and Motoyasu both glared at him. The king seemed to be deep in thought. Itsuki had an apologetic look on his face. The nobles present were demanding that Aris be punished swiftly and severely.

"Alright, I'll take your deal, Motoyasu," said Aris. "With one caveat."

"Which is?"

Aris raised his prosthesis toward the window from which he'd entered the room. "You have to catch me!"

The mechanical bits of his arm separated from each other as Aris's palm shot forth like a grappling hook toward the sill of the open window. With the small Soul Energy spiral serving as a rope, Aris practically flew at the window with his arm coming back together to pull him in that direction. He leaped through the window and out into the city, where he jumped from rooftop to rooftop and eventually over the city wall, where he ran into the wilderness.