A Hero is Gone...

The walls of the cabin made my body squeeze in delight as I braced the blanket with me. Thousands of birds chirped a lovely song outside the window and sang me a lullaby to sleep. It was Aferous who gave me this room to sleep in for the time being. That man wanted to thank me for my presence to defend this village when the time comes. I told him I was unsure of that decision yet, but the man paid for my anxiousness with no concern.

I could still remember that grim scene of Aferous talking to me, even inside my sleep.

"You're an adventurer! Of course, you'll be there to protect us!" With those words fleeing from his mouth, I couldn't say no.

But for now, we had a week to prepare ourselves for the disaster heading our way. The villagers did not know the quantity of the demon. All the information we had was that the demon tribe was going to assault this village.

And it was up to me to defend it with my life...

Three knocks on my door jolted my body awake. However, I couldn't retort to the individual behind the gate, since I was just renting a room paying nothing but my presence.

With the remaining strength in my legs, I stood up and reached for the door. Upon sliding the knob open, Aferous face greeted me with a sharp look. Aferous had his mouth curved downward, almost kissing the floor.

I tilted my head and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Without uttering a word, Aferous gestured me outside and told me to wear his clothes. A pair of jet-black, long-sleeved clothing and pants nestled on the table, waiting for my stretching hands. As I changed my outfit, Rain and Afenos came to greet me.

But the two did not have any energy on their faces. It was as if they lost a bet of their lifetime.

"Can anyone tell me what's happening?" I demanded, hoping that someone would respond.

Aferous shook his head and explained, "Uncle Roger's dead. The adventurer who defended this town died this morning. We are going to bury him right now. That was his last wish."

My eyes refused to blink after hearing such sentences coming from Aferous' mouth. The man whom I met yesterday died saying nothing. It almost felt that his legacy remained inside my chest.

"Roger left a will, and he wants you to open that chest."

"A chest?" I asked. "What kind of chest? Is it like a briefcase?"

"Yes, and no, lad. A brown and sizable chest, like the ones you could find in a dungeon. That kind of chest is what I am talking about. I don't know why, but I think you're the only one who can open them," Aferous replied, and nudged the door open.

The two of us walked outside the house and headed towards the burial. Rain and Afenos tagged behind us, but they did not have any energy to make the atmosphere lively. Even the notorious Afenos, who never ceased to insult my face, said nothing about my looks. I almost felt that I had a handsome face for a day.

How could they, if they knew that the adventurer who defended this town left them?

Our trek became silent. None of us wanted to shatter the tranquil atmosphere standing between us. We yearned to rest our minds, knowing that the worse had come by in our hands. And as soon as we arrived at the site, Aferous was the first to cascade a stream of tears.

"Here we are…" He said, and faced the coffin of Roger. "Thank you for defending this place. If it weren't for you, this place could have turned into ashes. Thank you, old friend… We wish for your peace in another world."

Aferous' children latched their hands onto the end of his clothes as they too wept for the adventurer. Hundreds of villagers gathered around the burial site, as they also cried for losing their hero.

I, who knew little about the man, could only lower my head, paying respect to the tales I heard from everyone. Even if Roger's braveness did not affect me, I knew his righteousness gave these people a second chance.

Roger gave me a piece of advice before meeting his end. He told me everything that a hero needs to do. But I did not get the idea at all, no matter how hard I pounded it inside my head. All I could think about was his dull words that pierced my brain.

"Even if you can't, try. Your body might feel afraid, so do it scared." I murmured, while watching the coffin descend to the ground.

Dozens of men picked up their shovels and buried the case with dirt. After ten long and painful minutes, the event had finally ended. The priest called by the church, concluded the brief mass and told everyone that the occurrence had ended. People needed him here, since this world had ghastly spirits that they needed to prevent.

And they did not want Roger's corpse turning back at us. It was just painful for them to watch him die again.

I clenched my fist as the words that the adventurer told me sunk inside my head. It was as if haunting me with every step I made. Roger was the hero of this village. And now that the demons were heading towards our way, it all depended on me. These people had nothing left to believe but in my presence to fend off these demons. But I had a demon inside of me that lingered around my thoughts.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright?" Aferous called out for me, but I did not listen. His words flew through my eardrums like the chilling air surrounding me.

My body quivered in pain despite not having any injuries on my skin. All my appendages refused to move, even if I tried. Icy sweat dripped from every cell in my body, screaming in the imaginative pain produced by my mind.

"Hey, Arthur! Arthur, are you with us?!"

Aferous words finally reached me. But my mind and eyes still left my conscience off my body. A sudden jerk of my hands woke me from my nightmare, but that terrible vision remained inside my head.

"What's wrong?" Aferous asked, with a worried expression painted on his face.

"Nothing… I… I need to train," I said, and went off ahead of the family. My head continuously shook throughout my journey.

I did not dare to look back from where I left, considering the pain stuck inside my heart. Every time I took a turn towards the road, my neck winced in agony. But I never turned my back and continued running away.

'These people need me. They need a hero,' I whispered, and clicked my tongue.

The thought came to me like an eagle hovering in the skies. But it turned out I was but a mere mouse, running away from an owl.

The responsibility slammed against my back. I tried pushing it upward but failed. The idea of failing and not becoming the hero I wanted to become became a weakness rather than my strength.

I raced outside the shacks without looking in front of me. The fence that kept the villagers at bay crashed against my body. My legs tumbled to the soil and hit the close by bark. With a blaring thud, I rolled my way towards the woodland.

"Ouch!"

I grimaced in pain while caressing the back of my shoulder blade. My hands reached out for my spine, inspecting if I had any bruises that needed medical attention. As luck would have it, my body did not have any wounds or whatnot formed on my skin. It could have been worse, but here I was, alive in the middle of nowhere.

"Why did you run away! There was no point in doing such a thing!" I screamed, but those words came barking at me.

I knew the reason for sprinting away from Aferous and the townspeople. My mind couldn't bear the weight of all the tasks placed upon me. All of them had their eyes glued to my figure, hoping that I would pave the light that Roger left me.

If I want to become a hero, I must protect this village. But something troubled my heart, and I did not know why. I did not know the answer to my goal despite them being in front of me. There was an invisible wall that hindered me from looking beyond. My mind kept glaring at the straight line, and it did not bother looking at the sides.

"If I'm going to become the hero of this town, all I need to do is to train!" I shouted.

My heart raced a thousand beats per minute. I needed to level up as fast as possible and improve my fighting abilities. Now that I had a short goal to attain, I needed to achieve that soon.