“Come one, come all! We of Xadria bring to you, our lovely audience, a tournament of the ages! In honor of the Fallen Hero, a young man of unique skill for a newcomer, who gave his life to protect the lives of countless citizens of Veritas.” A man wearing elaborate clothing stood in the middle of a wide-open field, at the base of an open-roofed colosseum, surrounded by packed seats filled with a joyously clapping audience.

Kacee and I stood at the top of the stands, watching the announcer excitedly introduce the various combatants. “Not going to participate?” Kacee asked me, her voice barely above a whisper, lips curled into a faint smile.

“No.” I shook my head as my hands slid into the pockets of my jacket. I watched the announcer explain how the brackets would break apart. A smile played at my lips as I watched kids as young as fourteen guided into groups. “I’ve got too much on my plate to join something like this.”

My old friend hummed as she leaned against the railing, hair falling down her left side. We stood in silence, watching as the participants cleared the field for the first fight. “Where’s your…” She paused, mouth curling downwards as distaste crossed her features. “Is Soralynn near?”

I couldn’t fight the amused smirk that appeared on my face. “She and Arce are gathering supplies for a scouting mission to the south. Sora knows of our destination, but she doesn’t know how much of the path has stayed as she remembered it.”

Kacee hummed, crossing her ankles as she rested a hand on her cheek. “I spoke with them. My company.”

“Oh?”

She nodded, gaze focusing on the people in the arena. “Some didn’t believe me; while others wanted to turn you in.” Kacee snorted as she waved her hand to the side. “Thankfully, calmer heads kept things in control.” She then rolled her regard over to me, expression becoming stoic. “You should meet them. Clear the air. I think…” Kacee paused, frowning ever so lightly. “I think they’ll like you, especially considering your work ethic and combat skills.”

“Aside from the fact of my role, maybe,” I said, my lips curling into a wry smile. Kacee rolled her eyes in response to my statement but waited for my reply. I considered it for a few seconds, studying my friend intently. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the thought; nervousness tickled the back of my throat as I gulped silently. “Okay. I’ll have Arce come with me and give Sora some time off.” I allowed a wry grin to come forward, fighting the wave of nausea with sarcastic amusement. “I’d rather her not start another fight.”

Kacee snorted, laughter escaping her as she stood. She crossed her arms and shook her head. “Yes, please do that. There are far too many hotheaded people in my company. Even as terrifying as Soralynn can be, I don’t think any of my people will back down.” She stepped away from the railing and began to walk towards the exit. “Come on, let’s go to one of the food stalls. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” We strode through the crowd of spectators, hearing the sounds of the audience roaring in exuberance as the sound of conflict reined in the stadium.

We left the colosseum and into the packed streets, wandering through the thick crowds of civilians and adventurers. Stalls filled with games and an assortment of foodstuffs greeted Kacee and me as we walked alongside one another. Her searching gaze wandered over the variety of goods. I realized something caught her eye as she took a sharp turn and politely hurried to one of the stalls. The customers before her stiffened as she approached, eyes widening as if seeing a celebrity in person, but she paid them no mind. Kacee reached the stall owner and spoke with them, her expression lightening as they traded words before she handed over a few copper coins and received a pair of foodstuffs in something that resembled hotdog wrappings. With one last faint smile, she nodded towards the owner before turning to walk back over to me.

“Here. I think you’ll like it. Not too sweet and a little tangy.” I held the folded wrapper in a single hand while staring down at what looked like a set of glazed sausages wrapped in a reddish-orange sauce. It had a sweet, tickling scent that reminded me of strawberries. A toothpick sat on the side, sticking out from one of the snacks. “Stop staring at it and eat one.” Kacee rolled her eyes at me as she picked one up and bit it off of the toothpick.

I hummed as I picked up the toothpick and speared a sausage. Lifting it, I popped it into my mouth and chewed. I blinked as a subtle warmth spread the bite to my jaws. Not overwhelming or biting, but a pleasant tingle that raced along the inside of my mouth. The sweet, tangy tingle brought a smile to my face as I took another bite.

Kacee hummed as she nodded. “Good. One of the first treats I had after coming to Xadria.” She then resumed her walk down the busy road. “Let’s keep going. We’re meeting Yvette at the Tailor’s Emporium. There are a few errands she and I have; you can accompany us.”

“Mind if we stop by the blacksmiths? I need to check on my commission.” Kacee waved a hand as she took another bite and I stayed at her side walking down the road.

“Might as well. I need to check on a last-minute order.” She said around a bite of her snack. We took a leisurely route down the well-traveled paths, moving through the crowds as they went from attraction to attraction. Side by side, we walked in companionable silence, taking in the sight of children playing games in the streets; people enjoying themselves at stalls; merchants peddling their wares.

It felt odd, experiencing a festival meant to celebrate a sacrifice I made. Still, the celebrations aren't for the dead, but the living. If they needed this to move on, then who was I to try and stop them.

It didn’t take long until I caught sight of the smokestacks ascending into the open air. The blacksmith worked from a large, single-story building forged from stone and marble, with several open vents near the ceiling, from where smoke continually rose. The building had a straightforward appearance, meant for function over beauty; it’s only decoration was a swinging sign next to the entrance, depicting a hammer and anvil with a stylized gem resting on the bottom left corner.

I took the lead and approached the stone and wooden door, the only place where there was wood, and knocked loud enough to be heard, before pushing it open and walking inside. “Hey, Boss! How goes it!?” I called out over the clanging echo of a hammer hitting an anvil. I couldn’t help the grin that appeared on my face as I walked into the sweltering heat of the forge.

“Yah damn Brat! I ain’t yer ‘Boss’!” Hilariously enough, the proprietor spoke with what resembled a Scottish accent. Sora had introduced ‘Boss’ to me during my week interim when we visited to commission some better equipment for my use. She had seemingly met him a few times before and acted far differently than I remember her doing with me. Funnily enough, she had influenced me to do the same. “I ain’t finished yet, but hurry in here!” He called out over his hammering.

The entrance of this blacksmith reminded me of the once I visited in Del, but with a lower hanging ceiling and far more basic weaponry and armor to act as general wares. Swords of all types rested along the right side of the entrance; while polearms stayed on the left and armor wore by wooden mannequins stood along the counter before the door. I let out a laugh at his response and walked through the entryway, unable to hide my childish amusement at both the situation and Kacee’s resigned acceptance. I walked past the marble counter and lifted it at the hinge, heading to the back room. Kacee followed me with a bemused expression.

Upon entering the back room, it felt like a wave of heat and humidity smacked me in the face. Sweat already peppered my forehead when I caught sight of the shirtless, stout Santa-look-alike hammering away at an anvil. As I waited for him to acknowledge, I took in his currently active workshop; A cleared floor space with a raised platform for armor-modeling a rack next to it next to a frame with hanging tools. Dimmed lights illuminated the smithing room, the occasional spark from the impact of his hammer on the anvil brightening the atmosphere.

The stout man stopped hammering away, lifting a cloth from a pocket in his pants to wipe sweat from his brow. He turned to face me with an ornery glare, looking around me with suspicion. “Where’s your shadow, kid?”

“Sora has errands to run today.” I waved a hand to the side. “I’m checking out the festival with an old friend.” I ignored his disbelieving stare as I looked around the shop. “Speaking of, Sora mentioned you’d have a part of my armor done?”

He grunted and pointed towards the platform. “Strip from the torso up. The armor is skin-tight, boy.”

I snorted and did as he asked and stepped upon the dais. Removing the jacket, I draped it over the mannequin and pulled off my tunic. The sweltering heat already caused me to sweat. I twisted from side to side, stretching my torso. As I felt the heat wash over me, I placed my hands on my hips and waited for the blacksmith return with the fragment of my armor. I glanced down and blinked in surprise at the tight corded muscle that made up my torso. Even my arms were a shock, comprised of hard tissue forged for action and combat, not for show. From my perspective, it was only three months ago that I had the body of asthmatic lay about that enjoyed his time playing video games and reading. Now? I resembled one of those old action movie stars from before the Emergence.

“Joey? What’s wrong?” Kacee pulled my attention to her, standing at the side with no visible indication of the heat bothering her.

“It’s been over a year for you, but less than half that for me.” I murmured, slowly turning my attention to her. “Is it possible to have changed this much?” I motioned to my body.

Kacee paused, pursing her lips as she closed her eyes with a look of old regret. Like an immeasurable weight that settled on her shoulder, she practically folded in on herself. Despite that, she maintained a reluctant pride in her stance. “You have no idea, Joseph. No idea.” She opened her eyes, and my heart clenched tight in my chest. The pain in her gaze, the distraught smile that spread on her face, caused my breath to catch and muscles to tense. “After what happened to you, even more than the merchant district, we finally understood.” Kacee turned to the side, forcing her expression towards stoicism. “It would’ve happened eventually, but Nyrill…” She shook her head. “Emelina could never have given us what we needed. What we wanted.”

“Freedom.”

She didn’t disagree with me. “Everyone went their separate, though some stayed behind, for various reasons.” My friend grimaced. “There were violent disagreements for some, over what to do next. A few of us stole away into the night, never to be heard from again. Some became famous in distance villages and towns.” Kacee glowered towards me, her eyes swimming with emotion. “Deandria fights for sport, for money, and supports contests between slaves. Have you heard that?”

“What?” I feared that my asthma had returned when my breath froze in my chest, but the shock had stunned. “I’m so- What?” I couldn’t hold back the outrage the bled into my disbelief.

Kacee grimaced, whether at my expression or what she spoke of, but I could see that neither were right. “Yes. She came to her conclusion during Nyrill, something about freedom only for the strong.” She sighed and shook her head. “Luke spoke with her last, both during that night and before she left. They argued, and a fight broke out.” Reluctant amusement danced in her eyes, her lips curling into something ugly. “She broke both his legs, but he managed to take her hand. Blood painted everywhere, and the look of fury on his face only made it all the more poetic.”

“Poetic?” Bile tickled the back of my throat at the thought of my classmates hurting one another like that. We had our disagreements or arguments, but nothing to that extent. Had my absence…? Did I…? Just what was I to my class for it to fall apart that much? It felt unbelievable and unreal, like someone staged it all, setting us up like pieces on a board.

“Luke tried to take over as ‘leader.’” She spat out the word, her expression twisting, and her eyes alighting with an old fury. “Saying something like we needed a ‘stabilizing influence.’” Her lips curled, making think she’d spit out something nasty. “He never fucking realized that he cau-” Kacee clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as she lowered her head.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I stepped off the podium and walked over to my friend. I pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her head against my shoulder. “Stop. Don’t say anymore. I’ll figure it out on my own.” She stiffened at the contact, and I worried that she’d pull away and shut down, but when she relaxed, I tightened the embrace. I held it for a few more seconds, then broke away before it got weird.

As I took a few steps back, Kacee sucked in a breath and blinked away tears that I refused to see. She nodded when I said nothing about it, then crossed her arms. “I’m sure you’ve spoken with Soralynn about us, and I don’t want to know what she’s told you. However, there is one thing you need to know.” Kacee met my gaze intently and I couldn’t, wouldn’t look away. “The Royal Family silenced the events surrounding your death at Emelina's order, and your actions have exalted you among the common folk.” Something about my expression caused her expression to crack, her lips parting and rising into the shadow of a smile. “You, as the Fallen Hero, are known to be the Favored Hero amongst all of us. Some of us honestly don’t care, myself first amongst them.”

I snorted at her wry smile, relief filling me at her response. But, a burning question filled me at her words. “How? I didn’t do anything to earn those accolades?”

“How else? Stories embellished character traits and actions.” Kacee waved a hand to the side. “Unparalleled skill with a sword cause those starting on their journeys to beg blacksmiths to forge a sword like the one you were rumored to wield.” The caused me to remember the blacksmith from Del and his reaction to my request. “Your grief at the death of the girl turned you into the universal Hero to all children.” She offered me a kind smile even as she noticed the flinch I gave at that reminder. “You’ve become the one that children think of when they’re frightened of the boogeyman.”

Before I could interrupt, Kacee offered me a grin, though her eyes twinkled with schadenfreude. “The one I’m most fond of, though, is this one in particular: that one instant of you defending the Beastkin boy from his guardian. Though Vincent tried to keep that hidden, out of spite no doubt, rumors flowed freely.” Her lips parted into a grin more, bared her teeth than smiled. “You’ve become a Hero to them; a defender of the powerless and downtrodden Beastkin, with no care or mind of what their ancestors did in accepting a bargain with the Demon Lord.”

As she spoke, my heart both clenched and pounded in uncontrollable intervals. My breaths, both rapid and erratic, were inaudible. Kacee’s word played utter hell on my thoughts, sending them spiraling out of control. This is… it can’t be real. I hadn’t seen or experienced any of this. I’m not a Hero. I don’t want to be a Hero. There’s only one thing I want, and heroism would play merry hell on my attempts to achieve it. “What?” My voice came out a breathy wheeze, reminding me of my old asthma.

Kacee must’ve noticed my distress because she grimaced. Before she could reply, though, I continued, “You have to be joking. Are you playing with me? You have to be because I haven’t seen, or heard, of anything resembling that. So tell me, you’re pulling my leg. Making up for lost time and ribbing me. Please.”

“I’m sorry.” I clenched my teeth at her response, turning away and pacing back towards the pedestal. Pedestal. How fitting. “You probably haven’t experienced that because you’ve been lying low. Soralynn has no doubt been shielding you from that; likely until you were ready.”

“When would I have been ready, Kacee?” I said, not facing her as I stepped onto the pedestal. “Would any of us be ready for something like this? We lived in an entirely different world, both literal and figurative, for our entire lives.” I turned and glared towards her, too tired to put in the effort, lowered shoulders and slouched forward ever so lightly. “Our world was both frighteningly small and unimaginably large. We knew everything and nothing about what was happening around us. The island? A controlled environment not unlike a prison.” I lifted my arms and threw my hands outwards. “Here? We can go anywhere, do anything. Be anyone. You know how overwhelming that feels; how it still feels.” I shook my head, heart pounding as an old fury bubbled from deep within my chest. “We went from prisoners to Heroes. Neither of which have happy endings.”

“I know,” Kacee whispered, unable to meet my gaze.

“Do you?” I asked her, furious disbelief filling me as I couldn’t stop the glare from surfacing. “Do you?” I growled, a rumbling deep in my chest, as I tore my gaze from her. Anger filled me, both at her, myself, and this whole situation. “Maybe you have more experience than I do, but living it this past year, but I’ve seen how it ends. I’ve read it. I’ve watched it. I’ve played it.”

I exhaled through my nose, trying to deal with the growing fury that bubble in my chest. “There’s a happy ending, alright. But the reality is stranger than fiction; far stranger if the life we’re stuck in is any indication. The journey is full of sacrifice, struggle, and enough pain to destroy a lesser person.” I shook my head, clenching my fist tight enough for the knuckles to crack. “Can you honestly say that all of us have the fortitude, the will, to push through such conflict without it breaking us?” I included myself because I don’t know how much my journey will change me. How different will I be when I look back after fulfilling my goal?

Will I end up as the Demon Lord that people fear, all in the process of cementing my freedom?

“Haven’t we already?” Kacee said, quietly but with no less steel than the stare she gave me.

“Did you have a Demon Lord standing before you, then?” I refuted her with a reluctant smile.

Kacee grimaced, clearly wanting to retort, but unable to find the words. She huffed through her nose, not looking away from me. “You’re still you.”

“Who says I’ll still be me when I finish this journey?” I’ll walk this path to the end, no matter the consequence. Of that, I had no doubts. I owed it to my family, whom I’ll never see again.

She didn’t reply but never looked away. “Me.” Defiance defined her perfectly at that moment. Defiance that I couldn’t help but admire; I couldn’t help but smile at it. “Your eyes may change, but you won’t. I won’t let you.” Kacee stared at me with a frantic determination, her jaw setting, and expression hardening. “We came here, together, as a class. We’ll leave here, together, as a class, once again.”

Her silent promise and statement caused me to close my eyes, the corners of them stinging. “What happened to you?” My voice cracked as I spoke, rolling my shoulders to loosen the tension that had settled.

“Death changes people. You, of all people, should know that.”

A snort escaped me at her words. “Yeah. I guess I would. Sitting on both ends of that opens your eyes, I suppose.” I mused.

A clanging sound and a door slamming open pulled our attention towards the dwarf walking back into his forge. Over his shoulder, he held a lacquered wooden case longer than he was tall. “While you two had a lover’s spat, I found this.” He effortlessly hefted it over his head and held it out to me. “Put it on and show some thanks.” His gruff demands amused me, slowly pushing away the fear of the future.

A laugh escaped me as I took the base by the handle. “You sound confident.”

“I don’t lie, boy.” He grunted as I fully grasped the weight of the case.

I hummed as I hefted the case. “Lighter than I imagined…” The dwarf didn’t reply, just grinning beneath that thick, messy beard of his. I gently put the case at my feet and slid my hands along the length of the case, finding the two latches on either end and flipped them open. I lifted the lid and smiled as I looked upon the silver armor — countless, layered scales overlapped the interlocking chain links and slim black leather. I slid my hand along the smooth, chilled steel, a tingling sensation racing up my arm upon contact. My vision shifted as I studied it, revealing a dim pulsating light. “Enchanted too.”

“Hoh.” He dragged out the words, his tone betraying how impressed he seemed. “Not bad for a Brat like you to tell that. Can yah tell what they are?”

“No,” I answered softly as I lifted it out of the case. Grabbing by both of the arms, I held them out and saw they appeared interconnected, the leather hanging loosely and the chain jingling. “Looks a bit snug.”

“Try it on and stop complainin’.” He grunted. “Girlie, help him out.”

Amused by his order, Kacee complied. It took a bit a struggle, maneuvering the leather over my head and entirely onto my body. I pushed my arms into the armor and adjusted it until it managed to fit snugly. When Kacee stepped back, I rolled my shoulders to settle it onto them fully. The leather hugged my torso like a second skin with an almost negligible weight resting on my arms. Speaking of my arms, I noticed that they seemed far too sinuous to be anything resembling steel. From shoulder to wrist on both arms, scaled steel covered me, and fingerless gloved engulfed my hands.

It didn’t feel like armor, but I knew deep in my gut they would hold beneath all but the worst of blows. Not that I’d let it happen, though. My torso bore pure, breathable, leather that moved and flowed with my every movement. It didn’t feel as protective as my arms, but that’s a no brainer.

“Well?”

“I can’t wait till you finish. This feels incredible.” I moved my arms and clenched my hands, reveling in the shocking lack of resistance.

The dwarf barked out a laugh. “Your shadow paid good money and supplied some of the best material.” He bared his yellowed teeth in a confident grin. “Give me another week, and I’ll have the whole set.” Then his smile fell, “I still don’t know why yeh won’t let me forge yer sword.”

“There’s only one blacksmith I want to forge my sword. She promised and will deliver. Until then, I’ll only use ready-made weapons.”