16 Chapter 15 - Dream

It was a dark rainy night. Thunderclouds covered the sky. The gale was strong. Occasionally, lightning fell on the ground.

Inside the white marble mansion, a woman sat on an armchair next to the fireplace. The fire crackled in the hearth as it lit the dark room with a fiery light. She had blonde hair and wore a blue nightgown which matched with her ocean blue eyes. In her lap lay a boy of eight. Other than the brown hair, his complete torso resembled that of the girl, thin and frail, and eerily so. However, his face was pale. In his white nightdress, he looked much like an angel drowned in fatigue. His arms enveloped a book.

"Mother, will you tell me that story again?" Damien asked with a glint in his voice.

"Which one my son?"

"The one about the first human hero"

"Well isn't that your favourite," Katherine laughed.

"Please Mother," Damien looked at her with a plea in his big round eyes.

"Fine."

"Yay!" Damien clapped his hands; his face filled with glee.

Katherine turned the pages of the book in her son's hand and stopped on the page. An illustration of a man in a thick metallic armour which covered his entire being. Electric sparks decorated his armour. He had a great sword in his only arm. A red cape fluttered behind him. He was standing on a cliff amidst a storm. Above this illustration was written - The Great Hero Daniel.

"Okay, here it is," said Katherine as she began reading the text on the following page, "Once upon a time the earth we know today was ravaged by chaos and destruction. Beings called "demons" tread the surface of Altair. They rode in packs and plundered everything in their path - cities, villages, old, young; nobody was spared.

In order to remove all fear and regain their freedom, a small group of brave men and women initiated a revolution, the fire of which soon spread all over. Angels, Dragons, Elves, Dwarves, Transcendents, Elementals, Vampires - all species of beast and human waged war against these demons. But the demons were strong and clever; they knew of the friction between these races. They conspired with the greedy and the corrupt and caused a massive battle among the races. Mountains were burnt down to ashes; forests turned to barren lands; the sky rained with the blood of the innocent. In the midst of all this, the human race was reduced to a mere one thousand. Humanity's survival was endangered."

"But, little did anyone know that a human boy would change this world. He was a plain, simple boy with a mediocre magic talent. However, he had a power that no one else could hold so marvellously as he did. He had the power of goodness. Just plain simple goodness. A virtue extremely rare and unheard-of due to the decades of war."

"One day, he was out in the woods to collect some firewood which would keep his family warm. Wandering from one place to the next in search of dry wood, for it had rained the night before, he thought of the homes and forests the war would have destroyed; he felt sadness gripping him tighter every moment. While he was lost in the labyrinth of despair, out of nowhere, he heard a cry. It was a cry for help. He was scared, but he did not run away. He, instead, rushed into the woods towards the source of the sound."

"When he reached, he was taken aback by the sight before him - an angel lay on the ground, injured. One of her two white wings had been cut and looked broken. Injuries were visible all over her body. She was writhing in pain, sobbing, and letting out cries, hoping that her kin would find her."

"The boy walked towards the angel with soundless footsteps. She noticed him. Presently, her sobbing ceased. Everyone knew how weak humans were. It would be a disgrace for her to be rescued by someone of the powerless, menial race. So, in spite of her pain, she asked him to go away."

"The boy did not leave. He wanted to, yes, but he knew that if he left her alone, she would die, for after nightfall it was usual for vicious beasts to come in this forest to hunt. Thus, he refused. The angel was angry and hit him with magic. The boy cried out in pain. His arm had been severed. He had enough magic within him to heal his wound, but he endured for he wanted to help the angel that hurt him. The angel was surprised. For her, this was an example of the dumbness of humans. The boy dragged himself near the angel. She wanted to shoot him again, but her mana was exhausted."

"The boy realized that there wasn't power in him to cure her injury. She asked him his reason for choosing to help her even after what she did. The boy smiled, the pain he was going through evident in his eyes, and said, 'I might be weak...and useless... but... someday I will change this world and become a hero... and no hero... abandons another person...' The angel was speechless. She had thought that such individuals had long been killed by the war."

"The boy cast a healing spell, which failed. He tried again, and again, and again, and failed each time. He was exhausted, and the blood loss was pushing him towards his death with every passing moment. Seeing his persistence, the stone in the angel's heart melted. She knew he was amazingly stupid, but there was something about that stupidity which gave him a special charm."

"The boy fell down due to the fatigue. He was about to die, but then the angel did something which changed the course of history. She used her life force and healed the boy. The boy asked her why she had helped him. The angel smiled, and, as she dissipated in particles of light, said, "I was just helping the hero who will save this world!"

"That boy cried and cried. He had failed to save the angel. He cursed himself for being weak. But then he remembered the angel's dying words, and then he swore... he swore to the world that he will end the war."

"The world filled with chaos while he hoped to carry out his dream and fulfil the angel's dying wish. Time made him strong, he fought a lot. But in his mind, he knew that it wasn't enough. As long as the leaders were not smacked sense into, his efforts were in vain. Thus, he decided on an alternate path."

"The boy began his quest for strength that surpassed average imagination. He started to enter near-death situations where his will was tempered, and he grew exponentially to the point of becoming one of the elites. Despite all this, he was much weaker than the leaders."

"A few years passed by. Due to his virtues, he made lots of friends. One day, when he was adventuring, he found a map. It was a map that led to an ancient relic. He thought that this was his chance. With the power of an ancient relic, he could save the world. So he gathered up all his comrades and led a party to where the relic was hidden. The king of demons got the wind of this as did all the leaders of all the races.

It was a long hard battle. Through struggle and sacrifice, the boy reached the relic. By now all his friends were dead, they had given up their lives to protect the boy.

However, the demon king slipped past and reached where the boy was! Facing overwhelming power the boy managed to stay alive. The demon king asked that why does he keep going? What has he left to protect?

The boy smiled and said, "It is because I carry the wishes and feelings of those who have passed, it is their sacrifice that has pushed me all this way. I wish to protect this world so that one day we meet again, I can smile and say to them that I fulfilled my promise- I became the hero that saved the world!"

With that, he grabbed the relic and gained unimaginable power. He had boundless strength flowing through him. With one word, that he uttered, the entire universe fell silent.

He realized that those with power will not be able to understand the weak ones. He wished for peace thus, he sent the leaders to another world where their powers won't work, somewhere they could learn to be humble. With a wave of his hand, he sealed away the chaotic demon king so that he may repent and realize his mistake. He knew that due to their sins the demon race would not be accepted by this world thus, he sent them to another one where they may live in peace.

The war ended and peace was restored in this world. Happiness and serenity revitalized the arid world. Thus, the world was saved by the hero- Daniel."

"When I grow up I will be a hero too!" Damien smiled.

"Yes Damien, no matter what you become, I will always love you," Katherine kissed Damien on his forehead. Damien smiled brightly. The sweet innocence of his eyes only made this cosy room even more comfortable.

"Mother I promise you when I will become a hero I will build you a castle! And that castle will have lots of sweets but," Damien frowned.

"But what Damien?"

"I am afraid that all those sweets will be tasteless in front of Mother," Damien quickly buried his head in Katherine's bosom. Katherine was slightly surprised by his words, but she smiled and hugged him even tighter. A wave of motherly love spread through her heart.

Indifferent to this scene, at the doorway, stood a boy. He was slightly taller than Damien. He had the same brown hair but, his complexion was warmer and his eyes were sky blue. That boy said in his heart, 'No matter what you become, eh?'

Robert woke up in his tent.

'Ah! That memory, it still troubles me' Robert shook his head.

"What's the matter boy?" asked Oliver as he appeared in front of Robert.

"Why do you have to appear out of nowhere?"

"So no one can find me, I am an Assassin," He shrugged his shoulders.

Robert could only sigh at this.

"You know my Mother, right?"

"Katherine? Yes, I know her."

"Do you think she loves me more or Damien?"

"It is you of course, however," Oliver paused and looked him in the eye, "She is more afraid to lose Damien."

"And why is that?"

"There are things that you should not pry into for you will only find pain and suffering in them. As such, it will only serve to distract you from your objective. Remember Robert, you will experience tragedies but that does not mean you should call them upon yourself. Hence, as I have told you before be Stoic and if possible completely emotionless."

"Emotionless? Sounds difficult, but I think I will be able to do it."

"Hahaha," Oliver started laughing, "Good luck then."

With that, he disappeared. Robert was left alone in the silence wondering, 'The only thing about your objective. To not waver. To be content with self and this world. To have no regrets and be prepared to be hurt. Is this the path I chose? Will I be able to temper my heart?'

While Robert was reflecting, Oliver was laughing to himself, "Very soon, very soon you will realize that there is no way to make your heart invulnerable. It will have to bear the wounds and continue to beat. That's why I had asked you why you want to be an Assassin. So when you lose your sight you can always think back and hear those words. And they will never let you falter."