Chapter 18: The Curse of the Mystic Forest (3)

"The Altar of the gods is not to be corrupted by the filthy hands of you humans." The old Orc's voice spread out in the broken husk of the hut that remained. The Orcs all around stayed in position, surrounding Claude from all directions.

"Thousands of years ago, the world faced the wrath of the being that suppressed all. None could stand against his power, none could stand against his might! It was then, that the one chosen by the gods surfaced."

The old Orc took a step forward.

"Their battle lasted for seven days and eight nights. The shape of the continent was changed by their abilities! At last, the evil was defeated and sealed here. In this forest that touches the tips of three lands…"

Another step.

"Sealed into the very armor he wore."

Another.

"His own ability his curse, his own mist the thing that keeps him from revival!"

Step.

"Was the Lord of the Shadows!!"

"Take a step back goddamnit!" Claude winced and stomped his feet on the ground. "There really was a fucking Lord of Shadows?! Elric, are you listening to this crap?"

The old Orc stood in confusion at the child's over-the-top reaction. The confusion was replaced by anger in a moment and the Orc narrowed its eyes. It got even closer to Claude standing against the altar.

"That gauntlet you dared touch! The Lord of the Shadows' gauntlet! It can't be picked up by unworthy scum like you!" The old Orc growled and all the orcs surrounding them slammed their feet on the ground. "That gauntlet can only be touched by the Hero of Light! You will be sacrifi—"

"But like—Aaahm" Elric's voice suddenly cut into the Orc's words. He yawned and covered his mouth, completely forgetting the reason he hid in the first place was his fear of being crushed. "Why are you rambling on like this? Who cares? It's making me sleepy as hell…"

"…"

"…"

"KILL THEM!!"

The Orcs dived inside the house. They raised their hands and ran toward the center. The old Orc at the forefront pulled its stick to the side and swung it toward Claude.

A rattle rang out as Elric jumped out from under the table. The roof had stopped falling, he had no reason to stay hidden anymore. At once, he grabbed a pitcher of water from the top of the table and splashed the water ahead. Before it could hit the ground, the water coalesced in midair and formed a sharp spearhead of water.

"Die human!"

The Orc screamed.

"Revenge for the lake!!"

Elric screamed louder. The spearhead zapped through the air and toward the Orc at an insane speed. Before the monster could even notice it, the weapon held by magic had already crept up to its back. The Orc tried to swing its stick further, but it was too late.

The spearhead had torn through the Orc's skin and had pierced into its groin.

"Aaah…kh…"

The Orc hunched over in pain. The others surrounding the place froze for a second before growling in anger. They pounced toward the red-haired boy standing next to the altar—

—A flash of great light spread out through the air.

As if the god of the sun had descended to the ground, the great white light swallowed everything.

White.

Everything had turned white.

Their eyes burned, threatening to fall off. A sense of fear climbed up their skins.

And then it went back to normal.

As if the void of white were an illusion, the green vines circling the altar, the grey stones, and the mint green moss returned to their original color as a merciful darkness reemerged.

"It's gone…"

The old Orc, wincing in pain, couldn't stop its mouth from muttering the words out loud.

In front of it, the red-haired boy… and the two gauntlets that sealed the Lord of the Shadows… were gone.

"Good work, Elric. Quick thinking." A soft voice spread from the back of the Orc.

"You could do that light thing all along? Impressive."

The Orcs turned around with stiff moments.

"It's the only thing I managed to learn."

Claude and Elric stood side by side behind the Orc as they chatted away. Grasped tight in the hands of the red-haired boy were the gauntlets of the Lord of the Shadows.

"How…" the Orc's jaw dropped. "How can you touch that…"

Then, as if unable to believe its eyes, the Orc shook its head from side to side.

"There's only one possibility. Only one being can touch the Lord of the Shadows' seal… You must be… the Light Hero!?"

"Hmph," Claude scoffed and took a step back. His eyes darted around the place in search of any gaps in their formations. They had taken hold of the 'blessing' but that alone wasn't enough. Though they had achieved their goal, he was hesitant to leave alone the gold mine of information that the old Orc was.

"Why… if you are the Light Hero, then why do you take the seal!? Leave the sealed parts alone! If you gather the entire armor of the Lord of Shadows."

'Yup, this is exactly why I don't want to go.'

"The mist will end! The Lord of Shadows will be resurrected! Is this the will of the gods?"

Claude smirked and turned his gaze to the gauntlets. The way out… was by gathering all the parts of the armor. The mist would end, and he would finally be out of this place.

And he could only imagine it.

The work of an ancient hero of the gods being undone.

"… It would piss off the wretched gods."

"What…" the Orc's eyes widened. "Blasphemy…"