Hero

His body shoots up as the feeling of falling overwhelms his body.

“Hah, Hah!”

His eyes start to slowly adjust to the darkness. Above him, a faint speck of light shines down, giving no respite against the darkness.

“Hah… A-?” Dream? I was back home… Mom…

His eyes drifted through his surroundings, complete darkness expanding endlessly in every direction.

“Hm?” Hiiro placed his hand beneath him, feeling a familiar texture.

Lifting his hand up while grabbing the substance, Hiiro brings it closer to his face.

“Gold?” In the faint light from above, his eyes see the reflective surface of gold. “Why…” How did I survive the fall?

Hiiro remembered being kicked and then questioned by Absalon. After that, his memories only contained the feeling of falling. And now I'm wet… What happened.

His clothes stick to his body uncomfortably as he steps to his feet. After a fight to gain a proper footing, Hiiro begins to focus on his options.

“I’m in complete darkness… I don’t know where I am…” It’s probably at the bottom of that big hole…

Hiiro’s eyes caught sight of a black figure, just on the horizon of the faint light. A familiar yet grotesque figure lay crumpled on the large pile of gold beneath them. Their six legs and large abdomen folded in on themself.

“An Ant? I heard once that ants don’t take fall damage… Guess you lose that when you grow too big.” Stepping aside the large insect, Hiiro continued to the edge of light.

“H-”

“Hm?” Thinking he heard a voice, Hiiro looks deeper into the darkness. “Is someone there?!”

“He-!”

“Huh?!” Staring into the abyss, Hiiro felt a deep fear seep into his body. Unknown dominated the space beyond the fragile light. The moment he set foot into that darkness, his existence, his life, became unknown as well.

If someone's in danger, I need to help!

“Hey, I'm coming! Keep calling out to me!” Hiiro calls out as he carefully places his feet into the loose pile of dirt.

“He- Br-”

“Just wait!” Hiiro’s foot crosses the barrier, stepping into the world of terror.

“I- Bra- Q- T-”

“What!” The voice called out to him; however, Hiiro quickly realizes that the voice doesn’t come from any direction. It’s like it's coming from headphones…

Hiiro continues forward hurriedly, attempting to find the disembodied voice in the dark.

“Idio- Be qu-et-!”

“What?! I can’t quite hear you!” Hiiro’s foot touched a stable flooring of gold. Shifting his foot, Hiiro discovers a dirt floor. Hiiro continues forward a ways, until-

“IDIOT, YA DUMB BRAT, BE QUIET!”

Rooooar!=

Everything shakes as the voice and the roar coalesce, assaulting Hiiro’s head.

“Gah!” Hiiro falls to his knees, holding his head. Both pain and fear invade his mind; the tremors cause gold to slide down the piles around him.

Quickly, the faint sound of dragging and metal hitting metal fills his ears.

“Dra-” gon?

“Quick, run!”

Hiiro breaks for it, hearing the sound of encroaching death behind him. Hiiro runs randomly in every direction, avoiding climbing the piles.

“Brat! Run straight, but when I tell ya, dive!”

“Wha?!”
“Just do it! If you want to live!”

“Crap!” His steps ring loudly through the void as he runs, his fear and anxiety obvious through the melody.

“3. 2. 1… NOW!”

“Hyah!” Hiiro throws his body forward, diving into the unknown. His clothes and body are scraped by gold as he flies into a small hole.

Tsssssss.

The sound of slithering moves past, eventually fading into obscurity.

“Haah, haah!”

“Well, great job, ya brat!”

“Wha..?”

“You managed to escape certain death… Incredible, haven’t seen that in 1000 years!”

“Uh… Where am I? Where are you?”
“Huh? You're in that dragon's nest, it’s stash if ya will… As for me, I’m right in front of ya!”

“Eh?” Hiiro looked in front of him, though he saw nothing but darkness. The fear of an unknown someone being in front of him, but being unable to see them, makes Hiiro freeze up. “Huh?”

“Hm? Can’t ya see- Oh, sorry, forgot bout you humans and darkness.” The voice spoke before Hiiro began to see a light emanating in front of him.

Slowly, the light grows in brightness. Eventually, the figure in front of him is revealed.

“EH!?!”

“What’re ya freaking out about? Keep it down!”

In front of Hiiro was not a person, but a sword. In an alcove of gold, an ornamental sword was stabbed into the earth. The light emanates from its blade, reflecting off the gold that surrounds it. It's an ornamental, European-style blade. Its handle is magnificent, as if an angel had carved it in the light of the setting sun; its splendor exceeded anything Hiiro had seen.

“A Clewe..?”

“Clewe… Ah, there was a brat that called us that.” The sword, which didn’t have a face, shook slightly. “I swear, some dumbass gets lost in a labyrinth and escapes, and then he can just go around calling us whatever he wants. Well, I ain't gonna be named after no string!” The sword lampoons, the voice speaking directly in Hiiro’s head.

“Um…”

“What? You just gonna sit there?”

“N-no…” Hiiro crawls into the cave, sitting a little way from the blade.

“W-why is there so much gold?”

“Hrmph! Dragons infected by ‘Him’ love the stuff!”
“‘Him’?”

“Ya don’t know about… No, that's for the best…”

“Hm? Um…”

The sword seems to think for a moment before continuing.

“So ya brat, let's set aside the pleasantries and get down to business!”

“W-what business?”

The sword makes no sound or movement, yet Hiiro can’t help but think it is clearing its throat.

“What world do you want?”

“H-huh?” Doe-does it know?!

“Well? What do you want? Do you want to live comfortably? To live vicariously? Do you want a kind world, with everyone contributing equally? A world of true freedom, where all are divided based on their innate talents? What world do you wish to see?”

The sword's words rush into his head like a hurricane.

“I’ll tell ya what I want! I want to cut! To slice and chop! People, things! Anything! I want to chop! It’s been hundreds of years! The most I’ve gotten was a scratch on a piece of this here gold! I need to cut, to dice! So listen, kid, what world do you wish for? What do you want? Women, Money, power!? If you let me cut, il help you with it all!” The sword continued.

“I…”

“Ya what?”

“I… Don’t…” Hiiro looked to the ground, his eyes falling on the gold. “Belong here, I don't get to decide what this world is like…”

“...Ah, so that's what you are… You're like him… YA, BRAT!” The sword suddenly raises its volume. “It may not be your place, but it’s your life! It’s great if you think about those around you, but to ignore your own wants isn’t selflessness, but selfishness! It doesn't make ya a good person! You're just placing your own responsibility for your life in the hands of others, always having an excuse for why you can’t do it, ya brat! If you want something, you need to take it!

“SO WHAT DO YOU WANT!”

Hiiro sat speechless, the words repeating in his head, over and over.

“I…” Hiiro’s mind replayed the faces of his friends, who had given him respite. His sisters worried look stares at him from behind the veil of memories. The image of his mother, his frail arms and legs, helpless, standing from her bed.

“I want…” The face of his father, whom he had to say goodbye to 2 years ago, looks at him, from beyond that veil, the words he had once said echo in his mind.

“It’s okay for you to be selfish sometimes.”

“I want to go home!” Hiiro yells, “I need to see Katsumi, Koda, Rika, and Suda. I need to help Mizuki make up with Katsumi… I…

“I need to take care of Kiyoko, there's no one else! I need to take care of mom! Yes, Mom! If I don’t, then Kiyoko… I need to be a good brother, a good son, or…”

“...”

Hiiro’s eyes filled with tears, but he continued.

“I’m your hero?! I’m sorry, but I'm not! I'm theirs! Yes, I’m my mom's hero! I need to be good or… or…”

Hiiro’s wails echoed through the cave of splendor.

“Brat… That ain’t…” The sword’s feelings unknown, it watched the kid sitting in front of it. “ Kid, what if you can’t go home?”

“If I can’t…” Hiiro’s eyes freeze at the question. “Then… Then I’ll make a place where demons can live in this world, without hurting anyone else.

“I'll become the hero they're asking me to be, and I’ll forge a home here. I need to help people…” I need to, or else mom won’t get better…

“... To each their own…”

“Huh?”

“Alright, ya brat! Pick me up! Whether it's your enemies or the world itself, il cut right through it! If you want to be a hero, then there ain’t no better sword!”

“...” Hiiro takes a step toward the blade. “You’ll help me be a Hero?”

“Whether it's back on your world, or here, if you want to be their Hero, then I will! As long a ya let me cut things.”

“...Okay!” Hiiro reaches his hand out and grips the handle. A strange feeling of connectedness spreads through his body.

“What’s your name, brat?”

“Hiiro, Hajime Hiiro.”

“...” The sword did not move, but a faint chuckling could be heard.

“M-my mom's a bit eccentric.”

“...I can see that…” The blade seemed to gain access to Hiiro’s memories; his held felt like someone had opened it like a book, and had started flipping through pages. “Are ya sure you want to be her Hiiro?”

“Huh-?”

Rooooooar!
The cave shook, causing gold to rain from the ceiling.

“Shit, it’s back! Your damn screaming!”

“I-I didn’t-!”
“There ain’t no time to argue, swing me forward!”

The sound of metal sliding on metal rushed forward, shooting towards the two. A second later, the jaws of an azure dragon appears in Hiiro’s vision, carving through the golden walls.

“Hyaaah!” Hiiro swings his brand new sword forward, stabbing the dragon in the nose.

…

For a moment, silence rules.

“Why didn’t you use Kiru?”

“I… Thought you would kill it on your own.”

“Grrrr!” The dragon, with the sword still implanted in its nose, begins to thrash around.

“Wawawawawawawa!” Hiiro is flung around, but continues to grip the sword.

“Brat, pull me out!”

“I ca-ca-ca-n-n-n’t!”

The dragon continues to thrash, but with its attempts being in vain, it begins to move forward, into a suspiciously round passageway.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!” Hiiro screams as he’s brought along for the ride.

Jeez, this brat… He’s just as fucked up as ya were, Nia…