Chapter 2: The Hero

"There is a small town up ahead," Elizabeth von Kingsman perked up as she heard the driver's voice. Elizabeth had decided to go from the royal capital to Varden, the city of magic. Elizabeth wasn't an ordinary girl. She was the hero of light, the demon king's bane and hailed to be the strongest of the heroes and the leader of the party that had slain the demon king and brought peace to the land. Elizabeth had decided to take a trip to Varden to learn the ways of magic swordsmanship. Although she was extremely powerful, she couldn't deny that she was a product of the times. The gods have blessed her with extreme power, despite the fact that she never had to go through the immense training that a normal mage had to do. She decided that she needed to become stronger in case another threat arose.

"We'll break there," Elizabeth declared. "It wouldn't hurt to stop for a day or two before we continue on. Now that we are in a time of peace again, I might as well see how the common folk are doing."

"As you wish, my lady," the driver said.

"I wonder if I'll see Shade," Elizabeth said to herself. "It's been six whole months since that day."

-

"Congratulations," The king of the Mistral Kingdom, Lucas Warren stood from his throne, standing before roughly twenty people kneeling before him. The hero's party had immediately reported to the king after patching up from their fight with the demon king. "With your help, the demon king has been slain. Peace has been returned to the land."

"Your highness," Elizabeth looked up at the king. "What shall we do now?"

"I intend to have a ceremony where I give you all a badge of honor along with the rank of Viscount," Lucas replied.

"As enticing as that sounds, I'll pass," Elizabeth turned as Shade, the Masked Hero stood up. His face was completely covered by a white mask with no openings for his eyes of his mouth. A black hooded cloak was draped over his entire body and his legendary swords were both strapped at his hilt.

"I beg your pardon?" Lucas asked. He didn't seem mad, but he was confused.

"It would be better if the world thought I was dead," Shade said. "A valiant sacrifice so Elizabeth von Kingsman, the hero of light, could land the final blow."

"Shade," Elizabeth looked at the man, her eyes clouded with worry and concern. "I know your wounds were bad, but you're still here."

"Elizabeth," Shade turned to the hero, causing her to flinch. Shade would always call her Ellie unless he was being serious or was in combat. She never knew why he would stop calling her by her nickname but always had decided to let it go. "I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscious take this fame and these rewards. I simply wish to retire peacefully."

"I-if that's what you wish," Lucas said. "Shade, you are dismissed."

"It was a pleasure working and fighting alongside all of you," Shade turned around as he started to walk off, "but I hope I never see any of you again."

With a soft gust of wind, he was gone, leaving all the other heroes to winder what just happened.

-

Elizabeth heaved a sigh as she leaned back in her seat. "I wonder what was going on in your head, Shade."

-

Edhas walked down the path in the forest, carrying a couple daffodils, which signified respect in the language of flowers. He crossed the threshold, looking at the grave of Ryan Shade. He sat down, placing the flowers by his grave. He dusted off the masked and heaved a sigh.

"Morning Ryan," He said, cracking his neck. " Yesterday was pretty uneventful. I got some training in after I went into the town. Evan's still a dick as always. He still won't give me discounts. I checked that the wheat was ready today so I have to go back to the town. That's all for today, I guess. I'll see you tomorrow."

Edhas stood up and walked off. When he made it back to the shed, he grabbed a sickle and walked out, stopping before the field of wheat that he had spent the last few months cultivating. He took a step back, holding the sickle as if it were a katana, the blade facing outwards. He then swung the sickle. With a large gust of wind, the entire field of wheat was cut down. Edhas sighed, satisfied with the result and went back into the shed to grab some thin ropes to tie the wheat. He ended up with roughly twenty stacks of wheat. He then walked around behind the shed, grabbing a wheelbarrow. He wheeled it over to the stacks of wheat and started to put it on. As he put the final stack on the wheelbarrow, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, a satisfied expression on his face. "Well, let's take this to the town."

-

"It's the hero of light!" Elizabeth heard someone shout as she stepped out of her carriage. More and more faces turned towards her as she looked around.

'I should have expected this,' she thought to herself as a crowd of people started to rush her, bombarding her with questions and requests.

"Now, now, give the girl some space," everyone turned when they heard a gruff voice. Elizabeth turned to see an old, burly dwarf standing with his arms crossed, his sharp, brown eyes focusing on Elizabeth's sword. "Come with me, hero. Let me show you to my smithy."

Thankful that she was saved from the crowd, she tentatively followed the dwarf to a small shop. "Name's Evan. Evan Durven," the dwarf introduced himself.

"I'm Elizabeth von Kingsman," Elizabeth dipped her head in greeting. "Thank you for saving me from that crowd earlier."

"No problem, I guess," Evan turned to look into Elizabeth's eyes. She flinched as she met his gaze. It was as if he was peering into her very soul. "That sword of yours… you're not using it to its full potential."

"I'm not?" Elizabeth tilted her head. With her legendary sword of light, her magic was amplified tenfold. "How are you able to tell that with just a glance?"

"Girl, when you've been around for as long as I have, you tend to pick up on things," Evan shrugged. "From the way you're built, I can tell that you're only using the sword as a conduit for your magic and not as an actual weapon."

Elizabeth froze. She thought about her past endeavors. She would mostly only use her sword to cast spells, and while those spells were devastating in power, she never really did use the sword as it was intended. "I suggest you find yourself a mentor," Evan said, his expression darkening. "That sword is crying out for battle. It is starved of combat, still seeking a purpose. You must learn the ways of the sword before it denounces you as its owner."

"Where may I find a mentor?" Elizabeth asked. "Can you teach me?"

"I may be a blacksmith, but I am no swordsman," Evan said with a scoff. "Something tells me you will find one sooner than you anticipate."

"Thank you for your advice, sir," Elizabeth dipped her head.

"Now shoo," Evan waved his hand. "I'm expecting someone."

Eager to leave the condescending dwarf's shop, Elizabeth left the building.

-

"Did you hear?" Cain said to Edhas as soon as he walked up to the town gates. "The hero of light is stopping by for a couple days!"

'Just my luck,' Edhas thought to himself. "Really. That sounds nice."

"Maybe you should talk to her," Eric said. "She was really nice when she was talking to us… and she was really pretty as well."

"Get your head out of the gutter, Eric," Cain grumbled. "Like hell you have a chance. I bet she's going to go off and marry some prince or something."

"Can I pass?" Edhas asked impatiently, cutting into the guardsmen's argument. "I would like to get this wheat off of my hands."

"O-oh, sure, Edhas!" Cain said, stiffening. "Have a nice day!"

"Thank you, Cain," Edhas nodded as he walked through the gates.

-

Elizabeth huffed as she exited the tailor's shop. All of the people were very pleasant, with the exception of that Evan guy. Although he had some valid points, his attitude towards a stranger was far too rude. She never expected anyone to treat her better because she was a hero, but she felt like she at least deserved common courtesy. The crowding had since stopped as she spent more time in the town, which she was grateful for, but she had no idea where she was going.

As her eyes drifted through the crowd, her eyes met with a man carrying a wheelbarrow. He didn't seem special with his ruffled hair and brown eyes, but something seemed… off about the man. He seemed to flinch as he met her eyes, instantly looking away. Elizabeth reached out with her senses to see if he had any magical energy. The man emanated a small amount of magical energy, just a bit above the average human. There was a chance he was hiding his true power as to not attract attention. 'Maybe I'll follow this person,' Elizabeth said. She didn't want to bother him too much, but she was very curious as this man was the only person that had above average magic levels. Mages weren't a rare occurrence in this world, but they weren't exactly common either. She turned around and started to follow him.

-

'Is she really following me?' Edhas thought to himself as he made his way to the trader's guild. Before he could even open the door, Graham swung the doors open, a bright smile on his face as he faced Edhas.

"Ah, I thought I heard the sounds of your wheelbarrow!" Graham bellowed. "Come with me to the back! I already have your payment ready."

"You're really too excited," Edhas grumbled as he turned the corner behind Graham.

"What can I say? Your wheat is what makes this town run!" Graham exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "Makayla will be delighted that you have another harvest, and when Makayla's happy, I get rich."

"I guess that's to be expected," Edhas said as they made their way to the storehouse.

"By the way, one of my men said that they were attacked by thieves this morning," Graham said, the smile fading from his face. "You always seem to carry a sword around you. I don't know how well you fight, but do you think you can take care of them? I'll compensate you, of course."

Edhas looked at the falchion strapped to his side. He liked to have a different weapon on him each day so he can keep his skills sharp. He also didn't want the swords he forged to be forgotten. "Sure, why not? You need time to calculate the price, right?"

"That is true," Graham said. "They told me they were north-east from here."

"I'll take care of them," Edhas said. "You better not rip me off when I get back."

"Stay safe," Graham said as Edhas walked off, waving back at Graham as he left.

-

"Missy," Elizabeth flinched as she heard the man who she learned was Graham's voice. Edhas had left about a minute prior and Elizabeth was standing there, thinking on what she would do next. "You're supposed to be a hero, right?"

"Y-yes?" Elizabeth answered off guard.

"Can you do me a favor and watch over Edhas?" Graham rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly, I don't know how he is in a fight and he just went off to fight some bandits. I don't want to doubt his skills, but I don't want him to die either."

"Of course," Elizabeth smiled, answering without thinking. Edhas didn't seem like a bad person and Graham just seemed to be looking out for a friend, so naturally she would help out. "I will make sure he comes back alive."

"Thank you," Graham smiled as he bowed before Elizabeth.

"Please, you don't need to bow," Elizabeth said, obviously flustered. "I'm just doing my job."

"If you insist," Graham said, raising himself.

"I'll be off, then," Elizabeth said, walking off, her hand on the hilt of her falchion.

As she exited the town, she let her mind wander as she headed north-east. She thought about the man, Edhas. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on when or where she had met him. She was snapped out of her stupor when she stepped on something wet. She looked down to see that the grass was plastered with blood. She paled, looking up, expecting for Edhas to be splattered on the wall, but was thoroughly shocked by what she saw. Edhas was looking off into the distance, his back facing Elizabeth, five headless men on the ground, their heads not too far off. The thing that scared Elizabeth the most was that there wasn't a single drop of blood on the blade that Edhas held.

"Elizabeth von Kingsman," Elizabeth flinched when Edhas said her name. He turned around to face her, pointing his sword at her. "Show me what you're worth."

"I will not fight you if I do not need to," Elizabeth said, refusing to unsheathe her blade. "I was asked to protect you."

"Then I will come to you," Edhas said, dashing towards Elizabeth. The hero barely had the time to unsheathe her sword to block his attack.

"What are you doing?!" Elizabeth shouted, jumping back. She raised her sword. "Holy Javelin!"

Elizabeth made sure not to channel too much magic so the small bolts that appeared around her would only stun anything she hit. She pointed her sword at Edhas, beckoning the bolts of light to fly at her attacker.

"Weak," Edhas muttered as he swatted the spell aside with his blade before vanishing in a blazing speed, appearing behind Elizabeth.

'Wha-?' Edhas had his blade to her neck before Elizabeth could even react.

"You are not worthy of that blade," Edhas sneered, sheathing his blade. "The only reason I will not confiscate it here is out of respect for his wishes. I suggest you learn how to use it before you cross paths with someone less… forgiving."

At this point, Elizabeth snapped. She wasn't one to get angry, but that was the second person who insulted her prowess that day. "Alright, just who do you think you are to-,"

"Hikari," Edhas cut Elizabeth off, his eyes boring into hers. Elizabeth froze. While most people dubbed her sword the legendary holy sword of light, Hikari was the name Shade had given the blade when he gave it to her. Alongside with the party's magic swordsman, Shade was also their blacksmith, making weapons and armor for everyone when he could. Shade himself claimed that Hikari was his pride and joy, no one other than Elizabeth being deserving of such a blade. "Learn how to use her properly. She doesn't like being used the way she is right now."

Before Elizabeth could respond, Edhas turned around and scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked away.

-

Edhas immediately made his way to Ryan's grave after his encounter with the hero of light. "I guess I'm back here again," Edhas said as he sat down by the grave, giving the two swords a look before focusing his attention back on the grave. "I met that girl you like so much. I honestly don't know what you see in her. She treats Hikari as if she's a tool. She was made to be an extension of her. Honestly, I'm disappointed."

He stood up, turning around. He took a couple steps before stopping, turning his head to give Ryan's grave one last look. "Honestly, I don't think I'll ever know what went on through your head," he sighed as he continued to walk off. "I guess I'll never know now."