Leisha's Hero(?) - I

To face death in the face was a much more difficult encounter than many would write it out to be. Moreover, there was no single way to face such an end. 

Some would bear a multitude of emotions.

Like love, envy, and regret.

Some would bear only a single feeling.

Like remorse and hatred.

Some would be empty in the face of their end.

And some... some would cling to life in all of its insanity.

As one with [Absolute Awareness], I was always curious as to how I would face my death. Yet even now, as I plummeted into the dark abyss that the <Wyrm With No Name> had left behind, all I could comprehend was the smallness of my existence.

Perhaps this was because I knew so much, yet understood so little.

The world was an open book to me, yet I would always skim through the words.

It was the misfortunes of mortality.

***

Although my mind was sinking into the quicksand of death, my body moved like a robot. I took out two things: a plain-looking sword and a fist-sized white orb. The Wyrm's pressure was mental, rendering those who were beneath his influence immobile due to severe mental stress.

If one's body could still move despite the pressure, then that was no longer an act of the mind. It was the body moving by itself.

[Absolute Awareness] was poured wholeheartedly into my instincts and body. I no longer acted because of my brain.

Instead, the signals were intercepted by my spinal cord and acted out by my reflexes.

Therefore, what happened next was a blur.

All I knew for sure was the <Sword of Light> was absurdly overpowered.

***

—[ HUMAN. ]

"..."

Sitting inside my luxurious carriage, I tried to ignore the voice inside my head.

—[ OI. HUMAN BASTARD CHILD WITH NO PARENTS. ]

My brows twitched.

"..."

Still, I kept my silence.

—[ TRASH. VERMIN. MORTAL SCUM. ANT. INSECT. DOG SHIT. ]

The profanities kept coming. It was endless.

Ugh.

"How did it come to this?"

It turned out that there were a few [Hidden] features within the <Sword of Light> that I severely lacked the mana to uncover properly. Included in those features was some shackling and sealing feature.

Any <Being of Light> could be forcefully contracted to become the sword's consciousness and power source. Depending on what kind of existence that was sealed within would drastically change what the <Sword of Light> was capable of.

Really...

I didn't expect to wake up in my carriage because of the incessant yelling of an angry old wyrm.

"Can you shut up? Please?" 

Eventually, I got tired of his name-calling. He had been swearing at me in every language that existed and had ever existed, really hammering in the phrase 'colorful vocabulary'. 

Moreover, since he was yelling it straight into my head, both the meaning of the words and the nuances of their usage were transmitted at the same time. I understood everything.

In the few short minutes that I was awake, he had managed to insult every fiber of my being.

He even went on to insult my mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, siblings, friends, acquaintances, race, sexuality, gender, and more! He covered every base. Even the fact that I had trapped him in the hero's sword was turned into an insult.

Honestly, I was more astounded by the realization that archaic beings were really good at insults than I was offended.

—[ HAVE YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO LISTEN, PUNY HUMAN? ]

"...Stop shouting."

—[ NEVER. FREE ME. ]

"I don't know how to."

—[ I SENSE A COLOSSAL AMOUNT OF BULLSHIT. FREE ME. ]

I could feel a blood vessel threaten to burst. This worm—

—[ DID YOU CURSE AT ME IN YOUR MIND? HUH? I FELT IT. YOU CALLED ME A WORM, DID YOU NOT? I AM A DRAGON. A DRAGON KING. FREE ME. ]

"AH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH."

I took out the <Sword of Light> and tapped into its mana reserves. With the <Wyrm With No Name> fully sealed within it, becoming a power bank for mana had become one of its abilities. 

[Absolute Awareness]

I wanted to see how long this bastard could last.

***

In the distant <Grand City of Laquer>, Daimyuon opened his eyes as he was stirred from his meditation.

"Has the Hero of Leisha finally awakened?"

Muttering these words, he sighed in relief. There was no need for him to busy himself like a worker bee in the future, fighting demons, defending cities, and sacrificing his precious time.

The <Sword of Light> had finally found a worthy owner.

***

Klaionus, with his head buried by piles upon piles of human skin parchments, flinched.

"What?"

With bloodshot eyes, he stood up in shock.

"This... Just what is this?"

The fluctuation he had felt. It was much more powerful than expected. The silent yet omnipresent pressure of light itself was searing the surface of his armor.

"The Hero of Leisha?" Klaionus squinted.

"No... The humans might think that, but I won't be deceived." Klaionus had faced the previous Hero himself, all those years ago.

He was sure that this aura of light was nothing like that of the human Hero of Leisha.

If the previous Hero of Leisha had released an air of purity and innocence upon her birth, the next hero should've been the same. In fact, every Hero in the past had that same aura of awakening.

Therefore, the next one should have had similar traits.

In comparison, this one felt malicious, giving even the evil Klaionus a chill.

Furthermore...

Those <Beings of Light> such as angels and fairies were the Hero's usual companions. Residing in the <Sword of Light>, they would guide the Hero of Leisha forward. Therefore, goodness, purity, and beauty were the concepts that they embodied perfectly.

However, there was only cold-blooded avarice present in the aura of this phenomenon. Much like the desires of a dragon, selfish and regal, this aura was betraying all that the Hero symbolized.

"Just what is going on?"

Klaionus dove back into his calculations, searching for any possible answer and grasping at straws.

***

Melia, who was cramming a few school requirements suddenly felt her heart grow heavy.

Her eyes were drawn to the bright blue sky. It was peaceful, and the puffy cotton clouds brought shade to those who needed it.

The world seemed peaceful.

However, Melia somehow felt that a portion of her soul had been stolen.

It was a hole in her chest as if she no longer had a future. A part of her had been carved out and thrown away.

"W-What..?"

Clutching her chest, tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Why... do I feel so... empty?"