Catalyst

"So when are you leaving?" Helene, asked Pride while sitting on the hill and watching him train. She has grown into a young woman in the past eight years.

"Leaving? What do you mean?" Pride responded.

"Aren't you going to join the Aerch Militia? It's about time you left for Atestari city to register don't you think?" the girl said.

"I don't think I ever said I was joining the Militia did I? Actually can you shut your mouth? I told you not to interrupt when I am training didn't I? How many times do I have tell you something before you do it?" Pride seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason.

He was holding the short sword he was given by the village's blacksmith as a present. A faint white light enveloped the blade.

'Heaven's Path: Shroud'

It was a Skill that enhanced the weapons sharpness and durability by covering it in a veil of Magic Power. It cut through solid steel with enough strength and wouldn't break. It was a Skill to pierce through armor and shield.

Over the years Pride had worked hard to polish and implement his Skills into his fighting style. While some of the Skills like Haste and Shroud were easy to understand and use, there were others that he had no idea what was the best way to use them in battle.

For now he trained Haste which greatly increased his speed so he can use it freely and Shroud in order to raise the time limit before the Skill ended.

'These two are reliable and simple Skills. Their simplicity is their strength. If I can refine these two Skills even more I will...'

"Bwa!" Pride let out an embarrassing cry.

His was kicked in the back and fell on his face. For a moment the strength of the kick made him remember when Wrath would slap his back instead of a normal greeting but that thought instantly disappeared and was replaced with anger.

"What the hell are you doing you damn woman?" he shouted at Helene who had her arms crossed to her chest and a smug smile.

"I told you not to disrupt me when I am training my Skills! Who the hell uses a dropkick at this timing?" he sounded angry, but he also knew the reason why this was happening.

It was nothing unusual. Pride had become a teenager. Even though he matured, he was vulgar, disrespectful to his elders and arrogant. He was in his rebellious stage.

Pride himself was ignorant to these changes but from the outside it seemed like he was more mature when he was a child.

Helene would throw these insults right back to his face or sometimes just hit him. While he was a Demon, even when he insulted the other Seven Generals they would mostly just laugh it off but she was different. The fact that she responded it to his insults and strike back at him, was something he found very attractive.

"It's your fault for lying about the Militia and telling me to shut up. I told you, if you talk to me like that I would hit you didn't I?" Helene said and seemed to convince Pride that he was in the wrong.

'No, I need to say something or I will be led by the nose for the rest of my life by this woman' Pride decided to take a stand. Before he could think what to say though...

"Besides..." he heard Helene's voice "I am just helping with your training. See? Your Skill remained activated even though you took a hit." she said pointing at his sword.

"Ah... you are right." he didn't notice but using Shroud has become a second nature to him.

"Anyway, take a break and let's eat, Keita." Helene extended her hand to help him get up.

'I lost again...' Pride thought as he took her hand.

The two had become very close these past years. Pride had accepted the girls feeling and they spend most of their time together. When they walked side by side in the village, the villagers would cheer rude remarks such as "When are you getting married?" and "If you don't hurry up and do your thing Helene is going to leave you!" and such.

'As expected of a small village. Our relationship seems to be the only interesting thing going on around here' Pride would think every time he heard them barking.

"So when are you leaving?" Helene's question brought him back to reality. Her words made him feel uncomfortable.

He did not have an answer.

It was true that if he wanted to join the Militia, now that he was seventeen was the right time to do so. No matter how long he trained his Skills, if he couldn't use them in actual battle they were meaningless.

"Don't know..." Pride said and took a bite of bread.

"Do you want..." he started to say but didn't finish. He knew he shouldn't ask her to come with him but he still wanted to.

After a long pause, the one who opened her mouth first was Helene.

"I am not coming with you." she said with a smile.

The Aerch Militia was an organization of commoners who fought to protect all of humanity from external threats. The Militia had roots in every human kingdom and it's members were permitted to travel between countries without any difficulties. They fought whenever they wanted and received payment from the government through quests. They usually acted as reinforcements in Orc raids and fought individually or in small parties. They also investigated suspicious places to make sure no Goblins or other creatures made their nests and if they found something it was their job to exterminate it.

Saving princesses, helping the King and country was a thing of the past, when there where only two human countries. Now the Aerch Militia had a rule to not accept requests other than fighting invading enemies.

It was not a place for a girl who couldn't fight. Helene seemed to understand that better than Pride.

"Anyway, Keita." she changed the subject after seeing his dejected face. "Where did you learn these Skills? You haven't gone to any guilds, so how?" she asked.

"..." Pride thought for a bit.

"It's a secret."

"You always say that. It's fine isn't it? You are going to leave soon right? Tell me!" she complained in a childish voice. Even though she asked many times she always received the same answer.

"I..." Pride started to make another excuse but then a bell ringing interrupted him.

"What is going on? A fire?" it was the first time he heard the bell.

"Helene, let's return to the village. There might be something going on." he said in a slightly panicked voice but received no answer.

The girl grabbed Pride's hand. She was shaking and her eyes where moist.

"It's not a fire" Helene said in a shaking voice, clearly showing her fear.

"Grandpa told me... If I hear the bell I should find him as fast as I can..."

"Because it means we are under attack..."

Pride swallowed his saliva.

'Under attack... Is it Orcs? Or have the Demons finally made their move...' he thought but then realized something.

"Atestari is between us and our enemies. It's fine. I am sure if we were under attack someone would have come from there and warn us a day before anything comes close to the village. It must be something else" he tried to sound confident.

"Y-Yeah, you are right. If it is an invasion, I am sure someone would have warned us before hand... I must be mistaken." she still seemed worried but at least she found he courage Pride thought after hearing her voice.

"Let's hurry, the village is still far from here" he felt uneasy. As if something heavy was placed at the pit of his stomach. What he said was true but he decided to hide a few things. Such as that the village was too small so the riders warning the surrounding settlements didn't bother. Or even worse, that the attack came from the North , where there was no big cities to send riders all the way to this tiny village that might not even show in some maps. In other words, if Shierna was being invaded by other Humans rather than Orcs or Demons, the situation could be worse than he could possible imagine.

'Is there a King stupid enough to intentionally expand his borders towards the Orcs while being neighbors to the Demons though?' Pride couldn't think of a reason why a Human kingdom would want to invade Shierna which acted as a shield against the Orcs. It would be more logical to expand towards the inner territories and make a strong foundation. Attacking Shierna was a stupid move for any Human kingdom.

'But I can't disregard the possibility. They are all idiots after all. They haven't even noticed that humanity right now has one foot in the grave. They are all just a step away from extinction.'

The two youths started running towards the village when the bell's suddenly stopped ringing.