Return

Hand-in-hand, they strolled toward the shimmering portal. Just before stepping through, Seraphina cast a final wave to Mercanis, who met her with a red-eyed gaze. Yet, an awkward expression surfaced on her face.

"Erm... Hero, any thoughts on how we explain our sudden vanishing act?"

"Oh, that's all sorted out; no need to worry"

Once again, Seraphina found herself stunned. When was the last time someone told her not to worry? She'd spent most of her life bearing the burdens of her race.

Mercanis bowed in cooperation, showcasing unwavering loyalty. "Our Queen fought The Hero valiantly, and with burning determination to protect the Demonkin, sacrificed her life to bring him down."

She pouted, "Are you that eager to see me go? Do you really think they'll buy that?"

Her Aide smiled helplessly, "I'll miss you too, my liege."

A subtle red tinted her face as she flinched and turned to the portal. "H-hmph! Who asked you that? Just make sure to take care of yourself, old geezer."

"Yes, my liege."

Amusement flickered in the Hero's eyes as she tugged on his arm, and together, they entered the portal. Quite the contrast from the terrifying Demon Queen.

In the Goddess's divine realm, they materialized on a stone platform adorned with intricate sigils. Levitating above them, the Goddess radiated otherworldly presence, her gaze less than thrilled toward the Demon Queen.

"Hero... It's not too late to change your mind."

While Seraphina met the Goddess's gaze with defiance burning in her intense green eyes, the Hero stepped forward, his tone unwavering. "Goddess, I've made a Soul Pact already."

"I still think it's not worth it..."

Seraphina's lips curled slyly as she patronized Aria, "Centuries have passed, and you haven't changed, dear Goddess. Face it; it wasn't my choice to be here."

Aria fired back, "Believe me when I say I'd disagree with the Hero if I had a choice. Your presence taints this realm."

A certain tension hung in the air until the Hero frowned and stepped forward, "Goddess..."

"Fine, fine..." Aria was just being petty now. With a flick, a large scroll appeared before Seraphina—a Soul Pact. It shone with holy radiance, words in captivating golden glitter, and a drop of shining blood. Right below the words was unmistakably the Hero's.

Seraphina read through the Soul Pact, her eyes widening in surprise. The blood drop, recognizable from countless battles, was the Hero's. He had initiated the Soul Pact.

She turned to the Hero with a complicated look, wondering if he was trying every means possible to make her feel indebted to him.

Of course she knew it was highly unlikely with the hero's simple personality, but he had done too much already, first he wasted a wish on her, and then initiated a Soul Pact, inevitably paying a steep price.

Hero... What are your true intentions?

She brought her thumb to her razor-sharp teeth and bit into it, drawing blood, and then proceeding to smear it on the scroll.

She decided not to think too hard anymore, whatever his motives were, she would know with time.

The two blood drops drew closer, attracted by the bond of mutual agreement, and merged, glowing an intense red, signifying the establishment of the Pact, with the Goddess as a witness.

Seraphina looked down and was surprised to see her wound was healing, whatever force that had been hindering her regenerative capabilities had long vanished along with the Hero's hostility.

The Goddess closed her eyes, with both arms lifted upwards, and suddenly the sky shone intensely, as the atmosphere was filled with an overwhelming presence, her robes billowed with force as Mana gathered into her arms rapidly, causing her entire body big to glow with an ethereal light.

With a swish, she drew an arc in the air, splitting the space itself, revealing within a sea of stars and constellations.

She sighed, lowering her head,"Hero, on behalf of the whole of Elysia, I give the utmost and sincere gratitude."

Briefly nodding, the Hero walked to the fluctuating portal, and stepped in pulling Seraphina along with him.

***

Back in Arcana, specifically in the outskirts of the Demon Capital, the Hero's party gathered within a vast forest. Shadows danced around their faces, and a heavy silence thick enough to be cut by a knife hung in the air.

Amidst the decaying logs and crackling fireplace, the Archmage, Lory, sat with a wrinkled brow and a crooked hat, nervously biting her fingernails. She broke the silence, frustration evident in her voice.

"I said it, but no one listened. We should have all gone together."

The one who responded was a hulking figure, his armor covering every inch except his face.

"It was a set duel, Lory. Accompanying the Hero would be dishonoring the terms of the agreement."

Lory abruptly stood up, retorting in an outburst, "Just face it! You're being a coward! There is no honor when it comes to demons!"

"Calm down, Lo—"

"Don't tell me to calm down! We might as well go back and announce the Hero dead!"

"Lory, you went too far," said the third figure, an elf named Nertha, the party's Archer, who exuded an indifferent aura.

The Archmage sighed and settled back down, removing her hat and ruffling her hair. "I-I know! I'm just really stressed out. Sorry, Fels."

His gaze never left the helmet he was polishing. "No problem. You're not the only one who can't wait to go back."

The silence resumed for a moment until the fourth and last member of the Hero's party emerged from one of the surrounding tents, expressing a mix of confusion and helplessness.

It was the Saintess, the Apostle of the Goddess.

"Alright, guys, I just received a revelation from the Goddess."

Lory jumped again, "You did?! What are you waiting for? Spill it!"

The elf frowned again, "Lory..."

"Alright, alright, stop acting like you're not curious about the results of the deathmatch duel."

The Saintess inched closer to the fireplace, revealing a face of ethereal beauty, strikingly identical to the Goddess.

"As Lory said, we might eventually have to announce the Hero dead, of course alongside the Demon Queen."

"What?"

She opted to sit beside the Paladin who was immersed in his cleaning, rather than an agitated Lory. She already had a migraine comprehending the intricacies of the revelation.

With a sigh, she began to bring them up to date on how everything turned out. Everyone was left in a stunned silence, even the regularly absentminded Paladin Fels left his cleaning to gawk at the Saintess along with the Archmage and the archer.

It was Nertha, the elf, who broke the silence.

"So you're saying, the Hero won, and instead of killing the Demon Queen, he used his wish to spare her and take her along with him to his world?"

The Saintess replied, "In summary, yeah."

Fels had a hurt look in his eyes, "He couldn't even come back to say goodbye?"

Lory harrumphed, "That's not the point. Why in the world will he waste a wish from the Goddess on a vile Demon?"

"How will I know?" The Saintess shrugged, "He was never someone to reveal his thoughts."

While Nertha's eyes widened in realization, turning to Fels, "He did say goodbye, in his own way."

Fels was about to argue when he too remembered what happened the night before. The Hero was someone who had been known to never indulge since they had formed their party, and yet, the night before, he shared drinks along with everyone, to the extent of intoxication.

Inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, the Saintess finally felt it was time to drop the biggest piece of news.

Clasping her hands together, she started chanting, the words emerging from her lips obscure and enigmatic.

Immediately, a parchment materialized in the air, bathing them in a holy radiance, as if the Goddess herself had descended.

It was the Soul pact the Hero initiated.

And by the time they read through it, another stunned silence ensued.

"A-a Peace treaty?"

"With the Goddess herself as a witness?"

Lory shook her head in denial, "No, it can't be possible, after all the atrocities they committed! The Hero expects us to make peace with them?! How did the Goddess even agree to this?!"

Nertha frowned in disagreement, "The Demons are not the only ones who committed atrocities, Lory. Lives were lost on both sides."

"But still! Do you think everyone will agree to it?!"

"It has the blood mark of both the Hero and the Demon Queen on it, what more credibility does it need?"

Meanwhile, the Saintess kept rubbing her forehead, clearly imagining all the mess she had to clean up, and the stress to come in the process of pacifying both sides of the war.

And Fels? He was in a daze, muttering, "Hero this, Hero that. He never even told us his name..."

***

They found themselves hurtling through a surreal cosmic tapestry, surrounded by vibrant hues and ethereal shapes that defied the laws of reality. Stars whizzed by in a kaleidoscopic dance, leaving trails of luminescent streaks. The colors, a symphony of celestial tones, painted the fabric of space itself.

Despite the dizzying journey, a protective cocoon of the Goddess's energy shielded them from the cosmic chaos. The barrier held an iridescent glow, encapsulating them in a serene pocket within the maelstrom of cosmic wonder.

Seraphina, her eyes wide with awe, gazed into the mesmerizing swirls of light. It was as if they were floating in an otherworldly dreamscape, where the very essence of the cosmos danced around them. Her lips curved into a smile as she marveled at the celestial ballet.

In the midst of this astral odyssey, she turned to the Hero, her eyes still captivated by the cosmic display. "By the way, Hero, you never told me your name?"

He appeared visibly stunned by her question, a moment of realization seemed to wash over him.

"Oh..."

Six years of existence in a different realm, and he had nearly forgotten who he was.

"So? Tell me, I can't be calling you Hero when we arrive in your world."

He met her gaze,and a beat passed in silence before he opened his mouth to reveal the enigmatic name, "Sopatra. My name is Sopatra."

The vibrancy of the cosmic hues mirrored the uniqueness of the name he shared.

"That's... That's a unique name, what does it mean in your language?"

He maintained a quiet demeanor, his eyes reflecting the ever-shifting colors around them, before finally answering, "Redemption."

"R-redemption?" She asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Yes. Is anything wrong with it?"

In her flustered response, Seraphina spoke rapidly, "N-no, I was just... you know, s-surprised, that's all. My name's Seraphina, it means 'Happiness' in the Common Tongue. Of course I wasn't implying—"

"I know," he interrupted, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Nice to meet you too, Seraphina."

As the banter unfolded, an intense, golden light bathed them, and in a flash, they vanished from the celestial dreamscape, returning to Earth. The colors of the cosmos faded, leaving behind the familiarity of Seraphina's home planet.