Hermfry’s Resolve

A peaceful town, full of youth and vigor, rich with resources and nourishment; concepts that have long been forgotten ever since the Great War of the Seven Realms.

But, despite that, peace is only temporary. Youth is nonpermanent, and resources fade away, eventually.

In this town, things only lasted for a century, until it all came crumbling apart by the hands of a child.

He stood in the middle of the town, speaking to a cloaked figure before nightfall arrived. This cloaked man carried a powerful staff, with multiple talismans hanging from the head. Speaking to the young boy, he granted him a dagger.

But not for protection...

"When nightfall arrives, carve this into the anti-fiend barrier. If you do what I ask, your father will return to you."

"M-My father will come back? Do you mean that?"

A sinister smile crept across the cloaked man's face.

"Yes... I am a man of my word, after all."

"T-Then I just have to stick this through the barrier that comes up every night, and everything will be okay? Daddy will come back."

"Indeed. I'll make sure you'll get to see your father again."

"Okay, I'll do it! And when I do, mommy will thank me and give me hundreds of kisses on the cheek! I'll get to see her happy again!"

"Hahaha, I'm glad to hear that, little Hermfry."

The mysterious man turned away from the child, glancing towards the exit.

"Are you leaving, mister?"

"Of course. You came searching for a mage that could revive the dead, but sadly I don't live in this town, I was only stopping by to pick up a few things."

"O-Oh, I see! How far do you live, mister? It's gonna be dark soon and I don't want you getting eaten up by those big monsters."

The man laughed, saying, "Oh trust me, those monsters are no threat to me. In fact, I would call them my pets."

The child tilted his head to the side, confused.

"Huh? Your pets? Since when were night monsters friendly to humans?"

The cloaked individual chuckled, placing his hand against little Hermfry's head, rustling it a bit.

"Don't worry too much about it. Just remember what to do. Once it's done, I'll return back to you and fulfill my promise."

Hermfry leaped towards the man, hugging him around the waist.

"Thank you so much!!"

"Hahaha! Of course."

***

{PRESENT DAY}

"...There was no choice for me at the time! I wanted to see Father... and I unknowingly betrayed you, Mother!!" Hermfry was on his hands and knees, slamming his fist into the ground. "I betrayed you and the townspeople! I betrayed your trust!"

Fiends finally entered the town after small holes in the Holy Barrier opened up from the potent miasma surrounding it. Citizens screamed in terror, running for their lives.

"...And once they found out that I was the one that did it... once they found out about the dagger that the mage gave me... I was hunted! I ran far away from the village, as they tried to kill me. They sent mercenaries... familiars, and even assassins after me! But I survived in the open, by myself... to live!! Just so I can find that bastard who betrayed me!!!" Hermfry was furious, balling his hands into a fist, and gritting his teeth until one of them chipped.

Mothers yelled for help, children cried in terror, and fathers tried their hardest to fend off against the monsters.

"That man... that man!! He's the one who put me through this... he's the one who made me into a wanted criminal! I mustn't die... I mustn't die! I mustn't die!!"

Hermfry slammed his forehead into the pavement below, cracking his skull whilst hearing the townspeople run past him.

"Even if I'm scared... even if all hope is lost, I must continue to fight!"

Hermfry gave himself a pep talk. One that refueled his courage. One that lit a candle in a void. One that refueled the dying flames in his weary heart.

He slowly stood up from the ground, rising to his feet. Blood leaked from his forehead, but he ignored the pain.

"I will wipe you fiends off the face of the earth!!"

Hermfry extended his hand, weaving a magic circle.

He began to chant...

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, all living things return to where they came. An eternal recurrence, that denies finitism. While my hands shake in the midst of battle, my legs remain firm, for I stand my ground, even if fear consumes me, knowing that I will one day resurrect to fulfill my purpose in the next life, to serve and protect my Lord."

The magic circle weaved with many runes, forming a complex magical formula. By inserting one's mind, body, and soul into their mana, that mana will turn into a blank canvas that is known as magic. With the canvas formed into existence, the mage can paint magical runes over the canvas through the incantation ritual, weaving a spell from one of the six wheels of magic.

The ability to tap into magic was the ability to tap into the fundamental laws of existence.

All mages had the power to change the world.

And as such, Hermfry performed the most complex spell of all.

One that relied on faith alone.

Brunhilda looked from above, widening her eyes.

"Hermfry... that spell..."

She knew what it was, and so did the other dark angels that gasped at his chanting words.

"W-We must stop him!" Shouted Uriel.

"No, that's too dangerous. Stopping someone during an incantation ritual can cause the spell to misfire, or go off while it's uncompleted, catching us in its radius." Said Michael.

"Thus, I call unto thee! Envelop me with your power, and grant me the ultimate spell as the servant in your name!"

"...This spell relies on faith. If the caster doesn't have enough faith in their God while performing this incantation ritual, they will surely die." Brunhilda muttered to herself.

"Eldme Dona Greta!!"

The incantation ritual was complete.

Hermfry finished painting his canvas, and now the spell manifested into existence... but not from one of the six wheels of magic, but rather Gaia herself.

This was a spell that only the most loyal, and most faithful followers used.

It was so rare that not even the high priests who worshiped their God's use.

A divine arrow protruded from the magic circle, glowing with immense mana.

The dark angels, the Black Goats, and even the civilians, and Brunhilda, watched with wide eyes, shocked at the events unfolding.

"Gyaaaaaaahhhh!"

Hermfry released a war cry as the divine arrow was launched from his magical formula.

It shot forth, annihilating the fiends from its mere presence.

The Divine Arrow, Eldme Dona Greta, would reduce souls to nothingness, destroy the minds of all who looked at it, and erase the essence of all living things, preventing their possible resurrection, and conceptually eliminating them from the world.

Such was the power of faith.

Such was the power of Hermfry...

"Shit!!" Gabriel screamed in terror.

The Divine arrow broke through the holy barrier, changing trajectory.

Hermfry appeared to be controlling it.

"Perish!!!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs, skewering the Black Goats of Shub-Niggurath.

Each Goat fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

The divine arrow pierced their bodies in a brutal fashion, circling around the entire town, and eliminating the chaotic creatures one by one.

"...The Black Goats, they're all dying..." Muttered Uriel.

"It looks like you three ran out of luck."

Brunhilda smirked, glancing at the three dark angels.

"Not yet!" Said Michael with a nervous voice. "Let us activate Vinshumada!"

Vinshumada, a spell that came from the wheel of chaos itself.

Throughout the seven realms, chaos magic was forbidden due to its origins of disorder.

Users of chaos magic have died from having their minds spiral into madness by using this magic. Others had their mana corrupted by the essence of chaos itself which turned them into chaotic beings that derived from the wheel of chaos.

And yet, they continued to use it freely, knowing the risks.

"Continuing to use chaos magic despite knowing the consequences. You aren't Fiends that came here to kill."

The three dark angels went quiet.

"You've come here to complete a mission, haven't you?"

"Even if that was the case, it won't change a thing." Said Uriel.

"Oh? Do you think so?" Brunhilda smirked confidently, lifting her hand into the sky. "I was aiming to kill you three, but now that I know the truth, I suppose I'll take you under my disposal."

"You're merely assuming things!" Shouted Gabriel.

"Vemrudatana!"

A magic circle appeared as hundreds of jet-black arms stretched from its interior. They all launched into the sky, made out of pure chaotic mana.

"Impossible! He didn't tell us that she could use Chaos Magic!" Shouted Uriel.

"…Shit, he didn't give us any backup plans for this!" Said Michael, gritting his teeth.

The jet-black arms wrapped around the massive ball of flesh in the sky, known as Vinshumada, beginning to tear it apart, piece by piece.

"…Damnit!!!" Gabriel shouted in frustration, charging towards Brunhilda.

All of their plans were eradicated.

"I'll kill you, Witch of Mutiny!!!"