Chapter 21: The ruined Hero (4)

Location: Somewhere in the Blighted Woods

“The tree…it is dying.”

A pale white figure stood in front of a great ash tree surrounded by a field of flourishing flowers. How strange it was to find life still persevering in this land of death. The colorful lonely field was like a beacon surrounded by the dark mist, a place of salvation for the lost souls who abandoned their lives in this place. The frail build along with the lines of cloth suggested femininity. But what on earth was a woman doing in such a place? Why, because she was the caretaker of this place of course. She came here every day to ease her mind and soul of the burdens she bore. But she was not alone. Lurking in the shadows, pairs of red eyes could be seen stalking the woman. Yet, they meant her no harm. On the contrary, they were here to protect her from the threat of the wildness of this land.

All of the sudden, an intense light escaped from the light and rose to the sky before converging towards another location. With the light gone, the tree lost its holy aura and began to wither at incredible rate. The field of flowers too, as if their life forces were maintained by the great tree, started to rot. Within second, the once colorful field lost its glamor and was taken by the darkness of the land.

“What is happening?” an inhuman voice spoke from the shadows.

“Yggdrasil has lost its light. How?” another participated in. This one too possessed an odd voice, as if its voice was created by overlapping the voices of many people mingled together.

“Bring the lady back to the castle! Inform the lord immediately!”

“Assemble the Reapers! We will pursue that light.”

* * *

“What?” Astora opened her eyes abruptly. Her head was still slightly shaken by the light. “What happened?”

Standing in the middle of rubbes, Astora was dazed by the change of landscape. The entire cave seemed to have collapsed due to the shockwave, even pushing the soil back in a circular form around her. Realizing the situation around her, Astora rushed to find the others. She didn’t remember what exactly happened. The last thing she remembered was touching the glowing stick and then it all became so blurry. But she did remember hearing a voice calling out to her, something about the Chosen One. Could it be related to the Champion or Usurper thing? How come this girl gained to many titles all of the sudden? In addition, she had no idea what to expect from them, adding further mysteries to the already piles of enigmas. Nevertheless, she must focus now on finding the others first. Thankfully, she didn’t have to go far. The shockwave was not as strong as she expected and the others were merely pushed outside the cave. From the looks of it, none of them were hurt, which was a blessing. Even Ruk, who was unconscious at the time, safely made it. His body was a bit further but Pete and Wedge have found him and brought him back. Upon seeing the girl coming out of the rubbles, Valanor smiled in relief. But what interested Astora even more was Karuma. He seemed to be the first who woke up but he never chose to flee. Have he done it so, Astora would have a hard time finding him again. Sitting crossed legs on the ground, Karuma seemed defeated. And he was, literally.

“This one concedes. As promised, this one will do help you learn martial arts. Although, this one cannot understand why you would even need to learn it considering how powerful you are.” Karuma spoke. In the end, he seemed to be a man of honor. For such a person, how did he end up be the perpetrator behind the incident at Holbeck? Furthermore, much details were left unexplained with some so obvious that seemed almost intentionally covered up. Yet, if Karuma was falsely charged, why did he not object to the ruling but instead accepted it as it was. “But it won’t be this one who will do the teaching. That person is elsewhere.”

“Where?” asked Astora.

“There is a mountain in the north-western side of the High Walls. A temple lies on top of that mountain. That will be our destination.” Karuma explained.

Coming closer to Astora, Valanor whispered in her ears. “Can we trust him? Could this be a plan to distract us?”

“I don’t think so. He seems sincere. And if he wanted, he could have escaped long before I found you all. I say we follow him and see for ourselves.” Astora said.

“If you say so. By the way, what kind of magic did you do?” Asked the painter.

“I don’t know...I just touched that glowing stick and it reacted to me.”

“Hum….” the fox scratched his head. “Do you think it is linked to your lineage?”

“I wish I can answer you but...I don’t know.” Astora said. She herself was the person who wanted answers the most in this situation. Yet, there was none for her. So many unexplained things have happened without reason and it frustrated her greatly to be in the unknown constantly.

Suddenly, Karuma stood up, his ears tingling. Because he was blind, his other senses have sharpened greatly compared to a normal person. The young man could hear the rustling sounds of broken branches, the wind blowing rapidly somewhere beyond the dense vegetation ahead. Something was approaching the group and it was fast. The atmosphere changed abruptly and became heavier. Temperature dropped rapidly. The air was denser and tension rose quickly. For Karuma who has spent the last decade of his life living in this dead forest, these signs could only mean one thing.

“We have company!!!” Karuma shouted at the group.

“Pete and Wedge, stay behind and support us!” Valanor commanded. He turned to the former Hero, who seemed to know something. “What is going on?”

“The Reapers...they are coming. The light from earlier must have attracted them.” Karuma said.

“WHAT??? Reapers??? Oh shit we are going to die.” Pete and Wedge cried out in despair, as if their fates have already been decided.

“Reapers?” Valanor uttered in shock. “This is bad. We can’t fight them head-on like this. Even if we can, we must not.”

“...” Karuma clenched his teeth.

“Wait, what is going on? What is a Reaper?” Astora, who was unaware of the severity of the situation, asked in confusion.

Then, they appeared. A dark fog began to rise out of nowhere, encircling the group and preventing them of all escape routes. Like rats trapped in a cage, they were ensnared within this small space. From the fog, pairs of glowing red eyes were stalking around, watching their targets. Dark shadows seemingly made in smoke lurked the surroundings. Whispers of inhuman tone echoed across the darkness, murmuring about these unwelcomed guests of their lands. The Reapers have come.

“Some call them Reapers. Others call them Phantoms. Beings of darkness who are the judge of the after-life and tasked to bring the souls of the dead onto the next world. Undying. Timeless. They are imperceptible to all types of attacks, making them virtually invincible. That is what a Reaper is.” Valanor uttered nervously. “Even if we can somehow damage them, we must not.”

“Why?” Astora asked.

Karuma was the one who brought the answer. “The Reapers belong to the Pillar of Oblivion. Attacking a Reaper means defying one of the six Pillars of Valhalla and by extension, challenge the world’s order. No reasonable man would do such a thing.” The former Hero turned to Astora. “No matter how powerful you are, there is no way you can take on the Pillars. We must flee.”

“How do you intend on doing that?” Valanor sweated profusely.

“…This one wishes he would know.” Karuma spoke.

A dark silhouette emerged from the mist. Red glowing eyes with ghastly cloth and no apparent legs, the thing seemed to be floating, gliding on air like a ghost. Its icy breath froze even the air in front of it, turning it into shiny sparkles of snowflakes. With its black skeleton hand pointing forward, the creature spoke in a monstrous tone.

“Who dares to bring the light into our land?” the Reaper addressed the group. But all of the team were too frightened to answer. Then the shadow turned its head toward the man in black, the only one who has not coped into despair just yet. “Karuma, was it you? We were kind enough to let a lost soul such as yours live here. Yet, is this how you repay us?”

“This one dares not to antagonize the Pillar of Oblivion. These travelers are lost and only wish to return to the High Walls. This one asks that you let us go.” Karuma bowed his head.

“Ask? What right do you have to ask of anything from us?” the Reaper rose his tone. The thing then glanced at the people behind Karuma. Two weak looking humans, a brawny but unconscious one, a fox beastman in weird attire and a young human girl who caught its attention. Adventurers going into the forbidden land were a common sight but a frail looking girl as young as this one? That was quite strange indeed. However, it was her appearance that stood the most. Ashen hair with two eyes of different color, one red and one blue. It seemed almost as if she was the splitting image of a certain individual of the past, someone who once made the world tremble before their power. “Who are you?” The Reaper approached the girl.

“Me? Why are you asking me?” the girl said.

Despite the eerie resemblance, the girl did not possess the same terrifying aura of that person. In fact, she seemed far too normal considering the power level the Reaper could sense from her. “Yes you. What is your name?”

“Stop! She had nothing to do with this.” Valanor stepped up in front of Astora.

When it was thought that the situation could not be any worse, it took yet another turn. The guardians of the Blighted Woods have shown themselves, wielding scythes menacingly as they enclosed in to the unwelcomed guests.

“You will come with us!” the Reapers threatened. “if you do, I will let the others go.”

“….” Astora looked distressed by the proposal. She knew nothing about these Reapers but they sure didn’t feel friendly at all. So, this was why that white knight warned her about going to the Blighted Woods. If only she has listened to his advice. Have it not been because of her, no one would be implicated in this affair. She must take responsibility for this, she told herself.

“Alright….I will…” Before the girl could resign her fate, something unexpectedly happened.

Above in the sky, a magical circle appeared, illuminating upon the ground below. As if pushed back by the light, the dark mist began to disperse, disclosing the horde of Reapers lurking from the shadows. Then, from the magic circle fell a rain of shining weapons of all kinds: swords, spears, halberds, repulsing the Reapers from approaching the girl. Next, a large figure emerged from behind Astora. Wearing majestic armor with a hood but with darkness covering its face, the figure displayed two large wings that instantly shrouded the entire group. With its great sword, the winged creature thrusted its weapon into the ground, emitting a blinding light. When the light faded and the magic has stopped, nothing remained in its place. Astora and the others were gone, leaving only the dark entities of the Blighted Woods behind in awe after what just transpired.

* * *

“It is unlike you…to do so much for someone you barely know.”

“…..”

“I am not judging. On the contrary, I am delighted to see you like this. So this is the girl you told me about? Quite a brazen little girl! I was skeptical when you told me about her. But looking at her now, breaking the peace where she goes…not exactly the quiet life you intend for her, right brother?”

“It appears so. Though, this is to be expected. After all, she is a daughter of Alastor. The blood that flows through her veins will bring chaos to the world, whether she wishes for it or not. Such is the curse of those who bear his bane.”

“….Have you ever regretted any of the things we did?”

“I don’t have that right. I have committed sins no one could forgive. I have wronged all those close to me. My parents, my mentor….even you. All for the sake of my ideal.”

“WE have done that, together. And we will continue to do so until the end of our life.”

“Yes…we will.”

“What about the girl?”

“The kin of Alastor are doomed to drown in the sea of darkness. Either she takes in that darkness to survive…or perish in its depths.”

“….Just like the Mad King himself.”

* * *

After another blinding light and taken in by giant feathered wings, Astora found herself in front of a towering wall extending all the way from left to right without an end in sight. Within moments, she recognized the place immediately. This was the High Walls and just on the other side of that gate was the town of Nadir. It appeared that the whole group has been teleported all the way from the depths of the Blighted Woods to the gate of the High Walls by that winged figure.

“What just happened? How did we end up here?” Pete and Wedge, each shouldering Ruk’s arms, could not believe in their eyes.

“I don’t see any Reaper around.” Valanor checked his surroundings. “Though, it is better if we avoid entering the woods any time soon.”

“Agreed!” Both Pete and Wedge declared in synch.

Although it has been quite an adventure and despite having found no treasure, everyone was happy to have their lives still intact. The night has come and a rest was in demand. To avoid another potential outbreak, Pete and Wedge decided to part away from the group, taking Ruk with them and hopefully, he would not be as mad as he was when he woke up. After saying goodbye to the trio, Astora went back outside to join a lonely figure in black hiding in the corner of the alley. Because of his infamous reputation, it would not be a good idea for him to show his face in broad day light. Who knew what kind of disaster it would attract again? Once retreating back to Valanor’s room, the three sat down, all tired from the trip. What a day!

“ *sigh* I certainly did not expect us to encounter Reapers during our expedition.” Valanor sighed.

“Why? Are they that rare? I thought you said they lived in that forest.” Said Astora, lying on bed with all her limbs numbed.

“It’s not that they are rare but more like because except for very few occasions, they usually avoid interacting with the living, not to mention directly threatening us like what happened.” Valanor explained. “Though, they do seem to know our friend here.” The painter looked at Karuma who has taken a seat on the floor on the corner of the room.

“The Reapers are attracted to strong individuals. Since this one was a hero, they wished to acquire this one’ soul. However, even then, they never went beyond throwing a few threatening words. Today was a very exceptional case. This one believes it is because of you.” Karuma turned to the attention to Astora. “Your fighting style is that of an amateur. Yet, it brims with power. Just who are you?”

“I don’t believe asking question is part of the deal.” Valanor intervened. “You will guide us to where your master is. After that, we will go our separate way.” The fox, although not showing it, was being quite aggressive toward the former Hero.

“Of course. Your story does not matter to this one. A promise is a promise.” Karuma spoke and retreated back to his corner.

“Valanor, can I speak with you for a moment?” Astora approached the fox. Outside the room, the girl asked. “Why are you being like this? There is no need to be so rude to him. He is the one helping us.”

“Miss Astora, you are the daughter of the Dark Lord. You have to be careful of what you said around people. This man may no longer be a Hero of the Angelic Faith, but he was one. Who knows what could happen if he learns of this fact?”

“Still.” Astora said. “He could be a potential ally. I mean, he is quite strong.”

“I admit that he is strong. But you have to remember that not everyone is willing to be your friend. Even if you have good intentions, many will try to wrong you, or even worse. Besides, I strongly advise against having a murderer in our team.” Valanor spoke in loud voice. When realizing he was practically shouting, the fox regained his calmness. “My apologies, I was over the lines.”

“A murderer? What do you mean?” Astora asked, confused by what the painter just said.

“…No, I retract what I have said. As someone from another world, you have something us of this world don’t: objectivity. You should find out yourself whether this person is worthy of your trust and not being clouded by anyone’s prejudice. I believe that is the best option for you to see the world with your own eyes.” Valanor said.

“I will.” Astora nodded. She understood Valanor’s warning. At the same time, she was also happy. The painter clearly looked out for her and even so he had his own belief, he never tried to influence or impose his will on her. It made Astora feel warm inside her chest, as if she has gained some sort of big brother. But of course, the girl must not delude herself. It has only been a few days since the two met. Any kind of relationship at this point would be very naïve on her part. Furthermore, she was no longer the girl back in her world. She must grow her own wings and not depend on someone to do her job for her.

“Then I shall retreat back to my room. Good night, miss Astora!” the painter tilted his head at Astora and went back into his room.

“Ok. Good night!”

Now all alone, lying on her bed, Astora recalled the events that transpired today. The thing between Ruk and Karuma, the glowing tree branch, those creepy Reapers and finally that winged creature that helped her out…so many things happened. What did that voice mean when they said she was the Chosen One? Why did the Reapers react so strangely upon seeing her? And who was that winged figure? Why did they help her? So many mysteries.

“Hey mistress, you have some time to spare?” Grimora suddenly popped up. Astora almost forgot about him. He was so quiet the whole day.

“Why are you asking? I want to sleep….”

“So you have some time. Coming up!”

“Wait what?”

A vortex suddenly appeared out of thin air and sucked the girl into it. Once again, the Nether Realm called out to its Champion.

Meanwhile, Karuma with his extreme cautious instinct has sensed the girl’s disappearance in the next room. Normally, if she was there, there would be a void in space of mana. At least, that was how he saw her with his blind eyes. However, the void was now gone. Instead, the room resumed its tiny flow of mana coming from nature. He was curious of how she disappeared so quickly or why she went out this late. But unfortunately, Karuma was under the watchful eyes of Valanor. What if the painter knew about her being gone and that was why he decided to stay behind to prevent Karuma from doing so? The former Hero could forcefully make his way out but that was not what he wanted. Unable to make a choice, he calmed down and leaned his back against the corner of the room. In his mind, Karuma wondered who the girl was. From first glance, she was just like any normal girl. But her appearance, the unbelievable things that have happened this day….it was almost just as though they were drawn to her. Karuma could not find the words to express what he meant. Like an irresistible suction, he too began to feel attracted to that zero she possessed. Why else would he propose that deal in the first place? If he didn’t want to deal with these people, he could have simply escaped easily. But he didn’t. The man questioned himself of the decision he made. It was like an invisible force was pushing him toward her. Perhaps, it was destiny. Perhaps, a failure such as him could get his chance at redemption.

‘No, that is not possible. I cannot leave this place. I made a vow….But..if I leave her, maybe….’ Karuma tormented himself in his thoughts. His resolution began to waver. The memories of ten years ago, the scenes at his trial resurfaced.

“….I…didn’t do it….”

* * *

“Oh hi! Fancy seeing you here!” Astora, lying on the floor, was greeted by a familiar female looking android.

“How?” the girl asked furiously.

“Well, I found some interesting things inside the repository so I thought maybe you will be interested. You should have received this long ago but …well there are some complications here and there so don’t mind the details. What matters is that I give these to you. But since I am stuck here, I sent a text to this little guy in order to get you to my shop.” Sona caressed a very obedient Grimora who was giggling happily.

“The hell? Since when can you guys text each other? With what?”

“For me, it is like sending a text from a cell phone. Except the phone is inside my head.” Sona tapped lightly on her shiny metallic head. “As for him, well, it is some sort of an ancient method of communication.”

“Right here!” Grimora opened himself to the first few pages which were full of letters. From a glance, they were words exchanged between the two. Every time Sona sent a text, what she wrote would be appear on a page. In return, anything written inside the page either by Astora or even Grimora himself would be received as a text message for Sona. This was how the shop keeper kept herself informed of Astora’s progress in the outside world. Any new entry would be sent directly back to her. In short, it was a rather convenient but not that useful way of communication for the Champion.

“So you two have been talking a lot behind my back.” Astora said as she read through the lines. What pissed her off was not the fact that they secretly talked to each other but more about what they talked about. More than often, Grimora mentioned a certain ‘flatness’ and inquired Sona about how to help his mistress to get more ‘hills’ for her chest. The more she read, the more her clutch on the book increased in strength. At this point, she was practically cramping the whole book.

“Ouch ouch, please forgive me, mistress….AHHH!” the book agitated nervously.

“I wonder if you would make a fine material for my next transposition, you pervert book!”

“Please, mercy mistress! I apologize for my misdeed.”

“As for you, what do you have to say about yourself?” the scary glare turned to the android who was trying to look away, as if none of this concerned her.

“Well…” Sona hesitated “Being flat is also increasing in demand these days. You won’t have a problem finding a mate.”

“AARRRGGGGG!”

……

“So, what did you find?” Astora asked.

“Ah yes, come closer!” Sona waved, asking the girl to come to the counter.

“What are you planning?” Astora walked and stopped right on the other side of the counter.

Without warning, Sona moved her fingers and aimed at Astora’s eyes. Following what her instinct told her, Astora closed her eyes as a defensive mechanism of the body. With her fingers, Sona touched the girl’s eyelids softly. “This. ”. A new sensation overcame Astora’s body. Her eyes felt hot for a moment. Within that short period, she saw herself floating among the infinite darkness. Then, a light came and brought the universe into creations. The stars, the planets, life were born. The first tiny being in the form of bacteria evolved in fast-forward fashion into other lifeforms. The humans came in existence. They met other beings like elves and dwarves. Then came peace and later, war. Destruction came from a rain of fire from the sky, ending the many worlds at the same time. Next, when all were destroyed, the cycle began anew. All these happened in front of Astora so quickly she could barely keep up. But when she decided to turn her back toward the scenery, someone was watching her. She could see a presence sitting on an iron throne watching over the world, disappointed by its result and decided to reset everything. Over and over again. Who was that? As she extended her hand toward the figure, Astora was dragged back to her reality. She was in the shop again, sweating profusely.

“What was that?” Astora asked. But before she could get her answer from Sona, a block of messages appeared in front of her, along with some cheerful computerized voice like that of a child.

“Welcome, Champion Astora! You have received quite a few notifications. Please check all of them!

---

Congratulations! You have been selected as the Champion of Nil. As a reward, from now on, you will gain access to the Champion’s archives via the compendium.

---

Congratulations on unlocking the Gate of Nil! You can now access your private hub for stocking up those wonderful supplies and weapons. Please seek admin Sona and Durin for further information!

---

Congratulations on unlocking the art of Transposition! You can now create items from the hub. Please seek the Red Hag for further information!

---

Congratulations on possessing the eyes of Nil!

is now available. Reveal details of quests and individual parameters.

is now available. Perform a guess on the outcome of a transposition. (50% accuracy at current level).

---

You have gained two additional skills: and .

is now available. Customize the spells you acquire to your taste.

---

BRAVO! As a reward for making this far, you have been granted access up to level 2 of Nil’s private server. Lost Record Number I can be now be viewed via the eyes of Nil.

Would you like to play it?

YES NO”

Shocked at the message that appeared on air in her eyes, Astora pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming. Then she tried to look away but the message was stuck in her sight. Unable to make it disappear, the girl waved her hand around, trying to brush it away. Her hand accidently touched the ‘Yes’ word displayed. All of the sudden, Astora could no longer see in anything anymore, not even a spark of light. Her body shivered violently as though a storm was passing. Some sort of vortex was sucking her into a dark tunnel where she moved at light speed ahead. After a long and enduring trip, a light emerged at the end of that tunnel, a light so glaring it hurt.

“Enjoy the show!”