Chapter 10: The Hero Returns

I collapse at the doors of the palace. My knees shake weakly as I fall before the great doors, clutching the baby at my chest. Guards swarm around me like a flock of vultures.

"Cynthia- I need Cynthia.." I breathe, light fills my eyes as I feel myself tumble forward. Once again, I black out.

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"Is he up yet?" A muffled voice whispers.

"He's been gravely injured, let him rest." Another scolds as I peel my eyes open. My vision appears fuzzy around the edges and I can vaguely make out two figures sitting at my bedside.

"Where-" I force myself to blink a couple more times. The strong scent of herbs lingers in the room.

"Master Darwin!" Cynthia squeals, the other voice shushes her. As my vision slowly comes back to me I come face to face with Cynthia's bright smile. I shuffle around, now realizing I've been propped up on the bed in my room. A great ache of pain sears along my chest and arm. The other woman, an older lady with greying hair, pushes me back down gently.

"If you want to heal you're going to have to rest." She says sternly. I let out a huff and sink back into my pillow.

"Someone wants to see you mr hero." The nurse says "Why don't you go get them, Cynthia." she adds, hauling a few towels away. Cynthia nods and scuttles to the door, her golden hair flying behind her shoulders. I close my eyes in the silence, trying to process the events of the night prior. The strange humanoid void creature, Russ, the disease. Everything floods back to me slowly.

"Master Darwin-" Cynthia pokes her head back in the room and shuffles towards the bedside, she's carrying a bundle in her arms as another person follows in her shyly. "Master Darwin, this is Angela, the mother of the baby you saved." She says, motioning to the slender pale skinned woman with short brown hair.

"You have no idea how thankful I am. Your bravery and selflessness saved my daughter. I am forever grateful." Angela says as she falls to her knees and clenches her palms together against my bedside.

"Haha, no need for that miss- Please stand up." I chuckle, slightly embarrassed. "I'm just glad I found her unharmed." I say with a cough. "How is the baby?" I ask.

"She's so cute." Cynthia replies, gleaming down at the baby girl in her arms with a smile. Angela smiles along as she dusts off her skirt from being on the floor.

"Another thing- Mister hero if you don't mind..." Angela starts "When you're feeling better would you mind coming down to Aelia and blessing my baby at the chapel?"

I blink, somewhat taken aback by this request. "I'd be happy to." I grin "What is her name?" I ask.

"Violet." Angela beams, "Her father picked it out before he left. It means a lot to me."

I nod, watching Cynthia place baby Violet back into Angela's arms.

"The guards will escort you back to Aelia miss Angela, the hero will see you soon." The nurse says tenderly as she helps them both to the door.

"I'll be taking my leave now as well, you watch him for me Cynthia." The old woman chuckles and dismisses us with a wave, closing the door behind her.

"I was so terrified last night." Cynthia starts, wandering over to sit on the edge of the bed. "We really should have stayed in the castle."

"I wasn't attacked by regular void wanderers." I say breathily, leaning back into my pillow. "It was this tall creature in metal armor, used glowing weapons and even spoke. It acted as if it were out to kill me in particular."

Cynthia's thin brows drop on her face into a look of concern. "An assassin..." She mumbles, bringing her fingers to her lips in deep thought. "There are a lot of people out there who would want to hunt down a hero but you in particular haven't been in Intercaeleus long enough to be worth anything... No offense." She purses her lips. "Why would someone target the weakest hero?"

"I killed it so it won't be coming after me anymore." I sigh. "That sword I found in your basement sure is weird." I chuckle half heartedly.

"What in the world are you talking about?" She scrunches her nose.

"Take a look for yourself." I say, waving my bandaged hand at my pile of belongings. She hesitantly goes to scavenge through my things, pulling the sword into view.

"This thing is ridiculously heavy-" She grunts, clearly having difficulties to lift it with both hands to get it onto the bed. She places it down, exhausted. It bounces on the mattress.

"This is a very odd weapon." She mutters, tracing her fingers over the carvings and details on it's body. "It's pressure is incredible, it's most definitely an elite class weapon or even beyond that."

"Wait there's classes for weapons?" I ask, suddenly intrigued.

"Mhm, well these days it's not much of a thing ever since the king out ruled forging any weapon above normal class. You see, every individual has a different amount of control of energy pressures in this realm. The more pressure you can handle, the more powerful." She explains.

The king said it was unfair for people who couldn't wield the strongest weapons and just a danger to the general public." She snickers "More like he was just scared people with higher control of their energy pressures would threaten his position as king.

"But the people can't defend themselves properly like that." I contest. Cynthia shrugs, riding her fingertips along the blade.

"It's been this way for almost a hundred years, any weapons similar to yours would have been disposed of by now." She sighs, squinting closer at the engravings on the hilt. "No maker's stamp, how peculiar. I guess we can't go out and find the maker."

"How do you know so much about this?" I say, trying to wrap my old head around all these strange concepts.

"Before I was even chosen to be an attendant I worked with a blacksmith in his shop and market booth." She says, peering up at me momentarily. "He forged quite powerfully classed weapons but none quite so much like this one." She admits, shaking her head. "That was over two hundred years ago though, he's not around anymore..." She stares blankly at the wall.

"I'm sorry, Cynthia." I say gently. She nods slowly.

"I appreciate it but it's alright, I'm past that. You'll be around forever unlike him." Her sullen face perks up into a smile. She springs back into her typical self and hauls the sword back under my cloak.

"Just keep that sword close to you if you are going to keep it, alright?" She says. I nod quietly.

"I know in my world it's impolite but how old are you?" I ask.

"I don't know an exact number but It must be over a thousand by now." She mumbles. "It's so hard, my memories decay overtime. I remember my mother faintly, just static pictures in my mind. The village I was born was full of high elves." She fiddles with her dress.

"Aren't there many high elves still around?" I say, turning on my side to face her better.

"No..." She pauses, lost in thought. "Over the years our numbers dwindled. Something happened but I can't remember it's been so many years." She sighs in defeat. "My mother and father... I can't even remember where the village is."

"Well, why don't we find it?" I propose.

"You would really do that for me?" She says, hurt in her eyes.

"I almost died looking for a baby, I think looking for a village isn't close to being that ridiculous." I chuckle, Cynthia nods rapidly.

"I can't wait to show you around."