Chapter 7

There are 13 kingdoms and that includes the Falsworth Kingdom, the Ballbout Kingdom, and the Ovarian Kingdom. The Fortmort Kingdom is the largest out of the 13 kingdoms it's known for its large number of gem mines. The Fortmort Kingdom is north of the Ballbout Kingdom and a small Kingdom called the Pensail kingdom is between Ballbout and the Ovarian kingdom. The Pensail kingdom is a small fishing country full of rivers, lakes and is next to the ocean. On another continent lies four other kingdoms. At the bottom lies the Galeburst kingdom, which is fairly large. To the left is the Allwoodbin kingdom known for their incredible strength and military mobility. In the center is the Huntsmen kingdom they have incredibly thick forests so they have nothing but skilled trackers and hunters. To the right is the Bellsmith kingdom. Their outer country is mostly desert plains and vast gullies but the kingdom's military is very well balanced. The Bellsmith kingdom is mainly known for having a well-balanced army and fast strategic ideas; there is nothing that the Bellsmith kingdom can't overcome. On the next continent there's the Aquaporium kingdom which is near the very bottom of the continent and the only land goes around the largest body of water that's on land. Decades ago the Aquaporium kingdom's landmass shifted, making it an open style country. The large body of water is just ocean and is connected directly to the ocean. Because of this the Aquaporium kingdom designed floating cities and houses to float on top of the water since most of their country is water. Needless to say traveling by horse and carriage gets tricky as well as pricey in some countries. That's why Leon wants to go to the Ovarian kingdom first so we can obtain riding beasts. I once heard that Leon and his party once went to the Ovarian kingdom to obtain riding beasts once before but were turned away because of problems with spies and assassination on the king so the kingdom was put on lockdown. After having a pleasant breakfast we all decided to head out on foot to the Ovarian Kingdom. Leon kept fussing over the fact that we had to walk because the party's funds won't allow another rental of horse and carriage and everyone refused to take money from me to pay for the rental. We spent 4 days walking to the Ovarian Kingdom on foot, fending off all sorts of monsters. Lizardmen, a huge boar, giant bats and other ferocious creatures but nothing too serious as a demonized monster like four. As we get closer to the Ovarian Kingdom we have to pass by several Giant lakes which isn't normally a problem except between the Ballbout Kingdom and the Ovarian Kingdom lies two monsters within these lakes a giant venomous serpent and a slime. The serpent is one thing, it's definitely dangerous but you don't think slime can be dangerous either. The slime here is not only bigger than a castle but it also secretes acid which can dissolve almost anything. These two monster races have been camping out in these lakes for years and are excellent at ambushing other adventures because this route is the only route between the two kingdoms and they know it. But Leon's party is more advanced and adventuring dangerous areas than any other adventuring party and I was trained by a formal top adventure too. So handling these monsters is easy even if they attack us at the same time. After spending an hour and a half walking away from these two fierce monsters we take a break. An important tip when adventuring in dangerous areas like this after fighting any monster it's important to put a good amount of distance between you and the creature for another creature and they want to take advantage of its Fallen comrade. Our world scientists have discovered and come to a conclusion that in some very dangerous areas the monsters can be carnivorous even to their own kind which can result in unexpected consequences so adventers these days know to put a good amount of distance between you and the fight after it is over. As we all sit on the ground and catch our breath I glance over at June and Caleb. June is a healer obviously but her appearance tells me that she was trained by the church society judging from her holy maiden outfit. The church society was created decades ago after cosmic energy collided with our world amongst the chaos. Several cultures decided to combine their beliefs under one society, the church society. With this they can worship their own individual gods but also another culture's God at the same time for they believed that one God alone could not have been responsible enough for the survival of so many people. When the cosmic energy collided with our world it created many natural disasters earthquakes, volcanoes and so on and yet despite of that going on all over the world a large number of people survived and with no special powers to have appeared so soon after the collision the people only assumed it was a God's work at hand many gods work at hand. So they formed the church society to pray for their continued safety from all of the gods, not just anyone in particular. Over the decades the church society has trained many healers but the church society only had one rule that after their healers have left their side they were to show their purity in one form or another. June apparently shows her purity with a special hat in Shaw that covers most of her face and all of her hair because I have never once seen or taken it off even when we were out shopping. I just never thought about it until now. I can only see her flawless skin and her amber colored eyes then I noticed Caleb. His physical appearance reminds me of a Golem, big , strong and sturdy. He has a small patch of brown hair on top of his head and black eyes. His appearance doesn't stand out to me so much as his physical build does. I gaze over to Zeke, who is to my left, he also is wearing a hood of some kind and a mask covering most of his face except his eyes and I've never once seen him take it off. He must have his reasons but one can't help but be curious. I understand why June has her face hitting but I can't help but wonder what Zeke's reason is. I can't help but feel subconscious of his sharp green eyes at all times but it's nice to know he's watching my back. We keep walking for several more hours until we see the sun start setting in the distance. After a marvelous meal whipped up by Zeke we are all huddled around the fire, our mine still racing and conscious of the monsters around in the distance.

"Anyone want to hear about one of the stories of the previous heroes," Leon said.

"What their stories I thought I was just straightforward you know heroes fight the demon Lord then they steal him away" June said.

"Yeah there's a story. It comes from an old man who heard about this from apparently a seventh hero. Everyone thought he was crazy so no one believed it" Leon said. Leon proceeds to tell us the story.

Long ago before the demon King had appeared and heroes were revealed six heroes were once Great and mighty Warriors and outstanding people in their own village scattered across the world. One wielded a mighty sword and could not be beaten by anyone he crossed swords with. A second was an excellent Archer could shoot an ant from miles away. A third was the most skilled of healers and could practically bring a person back from the brink of death if not minutes after they had died. The fourth was a giant of a man who gave Giants a run for their money when it came to strength. A fifth was almost excellent Hunter could tract just about anything in the world and knew how to defeat anything including a demon. And six was talented in magic and hand to hand combat there was nothing that could best the six's ability to master anything. The six hero was also one of the most beautiful women that anyone had ever laid eyes on and it caught the eye of the most interesting person. This person or rumored seventh hero was the demon and human hybrid. He was not talented in many different things but cannot be bested when it came to Magic. His ability for Magic was even stronger than the sixth hero. One day lady 6th came across the 7th hero fighting against a most fearsome monster all by himself. There are many other Warriors watching the seventh hero fighting against this most fierce monster yet not one of them stepped in for he was a hybrid they could not trust him. Lady six stepped in without a second thought and saved the young man's life and slayed the monster. The young man was very grateful that she had killed the monster who had killed the man's whole family and village; he then swore his undying loyalty to the woman. The Warriors watching this were outraged by his words saying that he was a liar and that he was the one who had killed his family and village. The lady then became furious at the Warriors for jumping to conclusions like this and said "this man is a hybrid if a demon can love a human then this hybrid can love as much as his demon parent can. He put his life on the line to defeat this monster that shows that he loved his family and would do anything to prevent another tragedy like this from happening again so how dare you say such harsh will things" . The Warriors walked away stunned and unable to think of anything to say. The young man once again thanked the lady for coming to his aid and quickly broke down in tears for no one has ever defended him like this before. They spent their days together talking and getting to know one another, not to mention the young man wanted to perfect his combat skills for they were severely lacking. The young man had asked the woman to teach him and they'd quickly grown to love each other. They went on many adventures slaying many monsters who threatened hundreds of lives and they quickly became the envy of a very evil God. This evil God had watched the young woman and fell in love with her beauty and multiple talents so when the young man started courting the young woman the evil God became outraged and wanted nothing more than to tear the two apart. The evil God sent down his most strongest and vicious monster to kill the young man while he used his charm and wit to distract the young woman. The young woman was not fooled and came to the aid of the young man. Together they had slain those fierce's monster that ever came across and the evil God became even more outraged for the young woman that had chosen the young man. After the battle the evil God appeared before the couple and demanded an explanation as to why the woman chose the hybrid over a god. The woman stated that she chose the hybrid because he saw an innocent woman who he wanted to protect. A young hybrid who was not skilled in combat and was only learning how to handle himself and fight against the monster. He saw an innocent young woman who had to be protected even if it meant his life. Well the God only saw her many qualities that made her so great the God never saw that fighting against the monster was terrifying and wanted someone to protect her. The hybrid and some more than the god did that's why she chose him instead of the god. The god stormed off buying vengeance against both of them. After the fight both the young woman and the hybrid young man were worried that the evil God could easily come between them again so they came up with a way to always be together. They came up with contract Magic. This special magic would tie them together in a bond that could never be broken by anyone or anything so long as magic existed. A magic so strong that is only seen once and has never been seen ever again. Thanks to this contract Magic they knew if the other was in danger they knew what the other one was thinking and they were also capable of communicating by thought over a vast distance. To love birds we came closer to each other than they've ever been before. It was only months later when the evil God was consumed by his own hatred and vile thoughts that he turned into a demon king who only wanted nothing more than to have everyone and everything under his rule and humans killed. The other gods saw this and tried to intervene but their magic alone wasn't enough they needed more so all but one sacrificed themselves so that one lonely God could escape with as much Magic and knowledge as they possibly could so that their precious world and the lives that they have created could survive. This one God went around and chose the six strongest people in different villages who were skilled in different things and had pure hearts. But when this God I came across the soon to be six hero and the hybrid who she was contracted with he was stunned. He was stunned that a hybrid of a demon and human could have such a pure heart despite how much hardship he has been through. When the god asked how the hybrid has such a pure heart he responded saying that he's only as good as his other half is. His other half, the young woman he's contracted to, had shown him kindness and compassion or others had only despised him because of what he is. And that as long as she's around they will always be one and that he will always remember his human heart because of her. The God was moved by his words and their love for each other that together he made both of them the six hero and brought all of them together so that they could face The Demon King. Together the seven of them, the six heroes, faced many demons and demon generals all in order to become stronger together. Many people questioned why they were six heroes when seven of them were chosen to defeat the demon king. Moreover, a hybrid was chosen for such an important task they feared that the hybrid would choose the demon King side and demanded that the God choose another hero. Everyone said that there was something wrong with her because she was contracted to a hybrid and was deeply in love with him. They said that all of their judgment had to be clouded because not one of the other heroes were against the hybrid being on their team. The young woman spoke up against everyone else.

"None of you get it. We were all chosen because we had something more powerful than what any God or a demon king has: love and compassion. We were chosen because we thought about others instead of ourselves. The most powerful healer put herself through hell so that no one had suffered through pain or sickness; she even worked hard enough to bring someone back from the dead so long as it only just happened. This giant of a man worked diligently day and night with almost no rest so that no monster could beat him in a contest of strength so he could protect his younger siblings and sick and wounded parents. We all have given something of ourselves up in order to be strong enough to protect another. This young hero that you call a hybrid has put up with a lot of criticism, doubt and even hate because his parents were killed only because they loved each other and he was born because of it. He has every right to hate all of you and yet he doesn't regardless of me he has never once hurt a human even before he met me and yet you still doubt him. The only thing that you people see is a monster. The only thing I see is a kind soul who was being tainted by so much hate that he could have very well been The Demon King instead of an evil God. This is why we were chosen to be the heroes instead of any of you. This demon king was born out of hatred, evil and jealousy adding more of this would have only made him stronger. Instead the God's in their infinite wisdom decided that love and the strongest magic that a God can give would be enough to defeat the demon king as well as determination to protect. We have all defined the odds regardless of what odds they may be. We choose to be more than what has created a great evil and if you can't do the same, I ask that you leave us alone and mind your own business or we have defeated a demon general, what have any of you ever accomplished with these negative thoughts". Everyone was stunned and was left speechless at the young woman's words. These Brave heroes then went to face the demon King. The battle with the demon King raged on for days. The heroes decided to seal away the demon King for they could not kill him. Many healers rushed to the heroes side, many of them were suffering from great wounds. But what hurt everyone most of all was the fact that the young woman laid dead in the hybrid's arms as he cried at the loss of his love. The young woman that protected the hybrid from a serious attack from The demon King as he was being sealed away but this attack had taken her life. Everyone had asked the hero healer why she couldn't revive her fallen comrade she responded saying that the demon King had inflicted a curse upon her taking her soul with him to the afterlife. Everyone grieved at the loss of the Brave and caring young woman and all those who had hated and judged the hybrid now care the most for him for he had lost everything. His fellow heroes tried to comfort him but to no avail he wandered the world aimlessly not knowing what to do. The lonely God after seeing all this appeared before the hybrid with tears in his eyes and his godly cold heart breaking it at such a sorrowful sight. The lonely God made a deal with the hybrid. That God would preach the underworld and give his life and the last bit of his strength and power to revive the soul of his lost love but the lonely God's power alone would not be enough. The hybrid said that he would do anything to be with his love again. Lonely God has said that he would need the hybrid's power and soul to break the curse on his love and that after she was free he would bind their souls together so that one day far into the future their souls will once again walk the earth to defeat the demon king once more and this time have a happily ever after. The hybrid agreed and gave everything he had his power and his soul for a chance to be with the love of his life once more.

"They say that the lonely God had also chosen more heroes for when the demon king would reawaken so that there was a better chance of the two lost loves to be together this time" Leon said finishing the story.

"Oh that's such a lovely story I wonder if any of it is true" June said as I could practically see hearts dancing in her head.

"No one knows over the generations many have said that the old man was crazed after an awful pandemic wiped out his whole village, his wife and all of his kids and siblings. The old man had also claimed more than once of seeing strange and unusual monsters around the forbidden Forest where the battle of the demon King took place but no Monsters of the likes have ever been seen so everyone believes that the old man is just telling stories" Leon said.

"Of course the old man is just making it up, the awful virus that went through his whole village made people delirious and had lingering effects of this deliriousness," Zeke said "and besides no one has ever mentioned a seventh member of the heroes party so he's obviously making it up."

"You don't know if he's making it up, this all took place generations ago, fact becomes distorted which becomes stories we have no way of knowing if it's true or not" Abigail jumped in.

"And besides the demon king is a reawakening so there must be some kind of Truth to the story" Abigail said.

"Oh please don't be so naive, the story is just probably made up from some showboat who wanted to make some extra dough on the side," Zeke said.

"Amethyst, what do you think?" Abigail said looking at.

"I think…. it's a nice story" I said trying to dodge the issue. Zeke and Abigail continue to pick her on for quite some time. The rest of us get ready for bed as we leave Zeke and Abigail on the night watch first since they're still in a heated discussion to notice us. I look over at Leon June and Caleb for my sleeping bag as they watch on as their comrades bicker with each other. I quickly fall asleep to the sounds of the two of them arguing and the nightlife chirping away.