Chapter 89: The True Hero 1

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: The True Hero 1

Throughout history, a myriad individuals had been dubbed Heroes.

Warriors who stood and defended their kingdoms. Mages who wielded enough power to level a city, and slayers who hunted the beasts that sought to overrun civilizations. All were remembered in stone and script, immortalised by the very feats that had earned them theirs.

But among these countless warriors and slayers, and mages that had shaped the world in their image, stood one singular Hero that towered above the rest.

The True Hero.

While others had achieved legendary status through actions that would live throughout history, the True Hero was a concept in and of itself, a name and a face that many had only ever known from stories. Said to be the force necessary for vanquishing the Demon King, for ending the age long nightmare of the Demon King.

For thousands of years, since before the annals of chronicle had been penned, the existence of the True Hero had been a question.

Whether they had existed prior to the inevitable arrival of the Demon King, or if the very force that would slay him had been born of the conflict himself. There were no answers, save that neither the elves, nor the humans, nor the demons, nor any of the countless other races that populated the world, had ever seen a True Hero.

It was the belief of many that when the time came for the Demon King to be cast down, his killer would be born either when mankind, or elvenkind, or one of the other nations had no hope left to stand against him. That they would be forged when the wars that had lasted longer than any before them had finally exhausted the world. But, just as many believed the opposite.

That the True Hero had existed long before any of that was to happen, and that the weight of their duty alone had been the reason why they still lived, despite fate and misfortune.

No one had enough proof to put an end to the debate.

As with the existence of the True Hero, the Authorities of Heroes were widely varied.

While most were well known, there were those who possessed an Authority, a magical force that was unique to them. Similar in nature to some of the Authorities wielded by Dungeon Masters, though the mechanics, the origins, and the nature of these powers had been long since lost to time. The Authorities of every Hero ranged from simple enchantments, to power granting techniques, to abilities so overwhelming they had defied the natural limitations of magic. The few surviving writings that spoke of Heroes and their power spoke of it having grown alongside it’s wielder over time, becoming stronger as their mastery increased. Just like anything else.

And yet, even the Hero with the strongest power was not what the world had been searching for.

The True Hero was something different.

A legendary concept as old as the battle itself. A designation given when the time inevitably came for the Demon King to be slain. No Hero, not even one armed with overwhelming might, had ever taken that mantle.

Not since it had last been bestowed upon an unknown warrior long ago, who, if the legend was to be believed, had vanquished the ancient evil and rid the world of his tyranny. The Hero that had been recorded in history as having brought about the end times and dooming the land to centuries of strife and suffering.

But the world had a problem.

Despite countless searches through the annals of ancient history and mythology, no proof had been found as to the True Hero’s current status. Neither of his death nor if he had any successors whatsoever, save for those mentioned in widely widely varied stories and tales told through the generations.

For many, it was simply a relic of the past, a bygone legend. The Demon King, that had plagued the world since civilization had risen, was an existential threat that could not be ignored. The True Hero on the other hand was a mystery that had persisted for far longer, and one that no one could be absolutely certain of.

Until recently.

Proof had been found. Clues that suggested that people connected to the True Hero from the old world had been present in the time of the last known sightings of the Demon King himself. One of which had waited patiently for nearly several millennia, in order to fulfill the task that was once given to them. And another that had been walking among common folk, ever since Caelan had first walked the same roads some three millenia earlier.

How could things connected to the True Hero still exist in the world?

Had they simply been forgotten in ancient times? Were they protected and preserved from potential enemies, and if so by what or whom? No one knew of.

The question lingering in the minds of the few who had encountered the remnants of that which had once been sought after.

If the creations of the True Hero still endured, did that not mean that he himself still lived?

Perhaps in the aftermath of the final battle, in which slaying the Demon King would have been inevitable?

Was another True Hero already born, or was Arin himself about to fulfill a destiny that spanned the ages?

The proof had yet to be found, but the mere consideration of such possibilities was enough to give pause to those who knew of what the True Hero’s presence in the world would mean.

That the end times prophecy still had yet to see it’s fulfillment.

The Demon King was coming, and once again the world would have to come together in order to stand against the darkness. If he still walked the realms beyond common sight, then he would have to be found before he could act. If he had already passed away, then perhaps his legacy and teachings could still be rediscovered in time. And if either of these things were true, then the world may once again have to look upon the True Hero in order to survive. No matter the cost.

"Quest Accepted."

[Monster Threat]

[Objective: Eliminate the monster inflicting attacks upon the western forest.]

[Reward: Monster Creation and Control]

Arin dismissed the System interface and turned to the various items attached to his belt, where he had stowed them after accepting the quest the morning after breakfast. Ayan stood beside the entrance in his butler’s uniform, while Saira secured her weaponry and inspected the laces on her boots. Adnan had a small pouch slung from his shoulder with a few provisions in it.

"You look like you’re preparing for a funeral," Saira commented as she approached from behind him. "You really ought to consider taking the quest seriously."

"It wasn’t the quest that you were asking about, now was it?" Arin’s gaze flicked towards his companion momentarily. "One would assume so, considering you’ve been staring at that same window for the past five minutes."

"I was reading the objectives."

"You’ve read it twelve times."

Arin shot her a look. "Will you help me with this quest or not?"