Chapter 31: Forgive me

###Chapter 31: Forgive me

"You say you got stabbed?" Icelyn's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and suspicion. She raised her sword at Eldren, her eyes scanning his face for any sign of deception. "Then how are you still standing? Are you... A spy?"

Arie, standing nearby, crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on Eldren. "Yeah, explain yourself. What's going on here?"

Eldren took a long, weary sigh, his shoulders slumping as he began to speak.

"When I was dying..." he hesitated, his voice faltering slightly, as if the memories were painful.

"I had a dream. And in that dream, I met a goddess—my goddess, to be specific. She told me that since she saved me from death, I would have to complete a mission."

"A mission?" Arie repeated, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Yeah," Eldren continued, "and that mission turned out to be stopping Mondryn—the evil bastard who killed all the previous heroes."

Arie's eyes widened.

"Wait, you know about Mondryn too?" His voice rose, surprise evident in every syllable.

Eldren blinked, clearly taken aback by Arie's knowledge.

"Huh?" He shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"My goddess told me about Mondryn," Arie explained, his expression serious.

"I... I thought I was the only one who knew."

Eldren's eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Wait, you're a hero too?" he asked, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief.

Arie hesitated, his gaze shifting between the others before he answered.

"Not sure. I have her blessing, but I'm not her vessel anymore." His words were soft, tinged with a sense of loss.

Eldren's gaze softened with understanding, but then confusion crept back into his features.

"Are you saying she... left you?"

"Yeah," Arie replied with a heavy heart. "For a big reason."

The air between them hung heavy with the unspoken question: why? But before Eldren could ask more, the quiet murmur of someone stirring broke their conversation.

Princess Lea blinked her eyes open, squinting in the dim light. She rubbed them sleepily and then froze, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze upon her. Slowly, she sat up, her mind still foggy from sleep. "Huh? Why is everyone looking at me? Do I have something on my face?"

"It wasn't a dream..." Arie murmured, his voice tinged with realization.

"Yeah," Icelyn added softly, her face serious. "It wasn't a dream."

Eldren, noticing that her eyes were not golden before, and finally realizing that she, was the new hero.

"Wait, you're the new hero?" Eldren asked, his voice rising with disbelief.

"New hero?" Lea repeated, frowning as she tried to recall her hazy memories. Then, as realization dawned on her, she mumbled, "Oh... that dream about a goddess..."

For a moment, the group fell into silence, each person lost in their own thoughts. The reality of the events that had unfolded was settling in, but the path ahead remained uncertain. Eldren, still recovering from his near-death experience, Arie, whose memory is a bit fuzzy, and Icelyn still thinking about the transformation Arie toom earlier.

Icelyn broke the silence, her voice firm.

"We need to press on. We won't get anywhere standing here." She turned toward the exit of the small room, gesturing for the others to follow.

And so, they moved forward, discussing the near death events that had unfolded that day—the revelations, the dreams, the blessings of the goddess, and the weight of their newfound roles. The air was thick with a sense of urgency, and each step felt heavier as they neared the entrance of the dungeon. After what felt like hours, a faint light appeared in the distance. It was the exit. Relief flooded through them, and their pace quickened as they made their way toward freedom.

But as they stepped out of the dungeon and into the open air, their relief was replaced with horror.

The world above was in chaos. Fires raged unchecked, casting an eerie red glow across the sky. The thick, acrid smell of smoke filled their lungs, and the distant sounds of clashing weapons and anguished screams reached their ears. The sky was filled with a thick, black smoke, and the once vibrant land was now consumed by flames. The sounds of battle rang out in the distance—the clash of metal, the cries of warriors, and the mournful wails of the fallen.

Their eyes widened in horror as they took in the sight of the war-torn landscape. The world they had once known was no more. Everything was on fire, and chaos ruled the land. The very earth beneath their feet seemed to tremble as the echoes of war reached their ears. It was a nightmare come to life.

Here's an expanded and revised version of this scene, bringing out more emotion and adding some additional context:

"Wh-what the—what's going on...?" Agin stuttered, his voice trembling as the chaos around them unfolded. His hands gripped the hilt of his spear, but his stance was shaky, clearly overwhelmed by the scene before him.

Just then, the distant sound of footsteps grew louder, a group of figures approaching from the smoke-filled horizon. Icelyn, still in shock from the devastation, instinctively reached for her sword, her body tense, ready for any threat. But as the figures slowly became clearer, her expression shifted—recognition replaced her anxiety.

"It's the King...!" Icelyn muttered under her breath, her eyes widening in disbelief.

The group before them was none other than King Alaric, accompanied by his knights, making their way toward the survivors. The royal presence had a certain gravitas, even in these dire circumstances, and for a moment, it almost felt as if a glimmer of hope had arrived with them.

"Father!!" Princess Lea cried out, her voice breaking with concern as she ran toward the King. Her face was a mixture of relief and worry, her steps quickening as she drew closer to him.

"Father, you're alive!"

"Lea!!" The King's voice boomed across the field, a note of relief in his tone.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I—"

Before he could finish, a sharp, whistling sound cut through the air, followed by the sickening thud of something piercing flesh. In an instant, the King staggered back, a spear having driven through his chest with terrifying precision.

The group froze in horror. Lea's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched her father crumple to the ground, blood pouring from the fatal wound. Time seemed to stretch as the King's knights scrambled to reach him, but it was clear the attack had been swift and fatal.

Lea's scream shattered the silence, raw and filled with disbelief. She rushed to her father's side, her heart hammering in her chest. Blood spilled from the fatal wound, pooling beneath him. Her hands shook violently as she touched him, unable to stop the flow of life slipping away from him.

"Father... stay with me," she whispered, her voice breaking, her eyes wide with shock. She shook him, but he didn't respond. Her hands, covered in his blood, pressed against his chest in vain, as the reality set in—he was slipping away.

With the last remnants of his strength, King Alaric lifted his gaze to meet his daughter's, his voice barely audible. "Lea... f-forgive m-me..."

Her tears came suddenly—silent at first, then pouring down her face like an unstoppable river. "Father..." she sobbed, her chest heaving with the intensity of her grief. Her arms tightened around him, but it was too late. He was gone.

The world around them seemed to fall away as Lea's cries echoed in the empty space. She held her father's lifeless body, not wanting to believe the truth, her body wracked with sorrow. The silence that followed felt like an eternity, broken only by her heartbroken sobs