Chapter 34: A Drop of Water in the Desert

As the Hero of the Lost Lands, I should hold the hope of everyone on my shoulders.Never wavering, never faltering, always steadfast in my resolve, I must charge forward, strung along like a puppet and save the world in a neverending loop. It feels wrong for a Hero to say this, but the hope I held so dearly had faded many cycles ago.

But the Frying Festival was different this time. There was something that changed. Even when Serabelle tried to get my attention, even when Garst Gerhard joked around with me, and even when Maya sparred with me, all I could think about was that girl.

Her long black hair and resolute green eyes. Her freckled face and the scar that decorated her cheek. She was a new face. A new story. A drop of water in a desert of eternal time. Like a nomad lost within the sandstorm, I desperately held that single drop within my hands and prayed it would quench my thirst.

Like a ship following a siren, I wanted to trace the girl’s steps and see if she could be my chance at salvation.

But I was locked in place by my own body. Would it listen to me, even if I prayed to Nephelai over and over? I had my doubts. When I realized I was traveling to Fort Forth after the Frying Festival, I had momentarily resigned myself to never chase that lead. The girl was in Dadirdtoun, and with my body following the same schedule every cycle, there was no way we would remain in the same place.

After days of traveling, Fort Forth came into view. I was prepared to deal with it as always. Every time, there was a rotten stench of death flowing from the place. From my understanding, a wicked General had betrayed humankind, and had turned to necromancy to fulfill his desires. The Holy Sword of Happiyendeng is especially powerful in times like these. Every cycle, this fort falls by my sword, and the necrotic energy is purified once the undead General is slain.

“Hey, hey! There’s a weird energy coming from this place!”

The same dialogue from Serabelle as always. It seems the Frying Festival was just a momentary distraction.

“A weird energy?”

Garst Gerhard answered with the same words.

“Yeah! It feels all slimy! Like there’s slugs crawling all over my skin! Hey, Nephelai, could you get rid of this stuff?”

Wait a minute. That’s new. That’s a little bit different. Serabelle still prays in her oddly casual way to Nephelai, even now, but the energy isn’t supposed to be slimy. It has always been suffocating. Now that I’m paying more attention, I’m not picking up on the stench of death. In fact, the Holy Sword of Happiyendeng is barely showing a reaction to the fort.

Has the spell now activated for the General yet? Did the timeline change?

My body was already moving before I realized it. This is twice now that my body has moved at the occurrence of something new. Both the mind that I’m trapped in and the body that I can’t control are desperate for a chance of hope. For just another drop in the desert.

“Hey, they’re here! Get them! Hold them off for as long as possible!”

…They knew we were coming? How? My body swings its sword in a familiar rhythm while my mind races towards a conclusion. These knights look like apprentices, and I sense no undead entities around us. I feel a little bit of the slimy energy that Serabelle was complaining about, but it’s not to a level where it would affect my skills in battle.

Battling with the Holy Sword of Happiyendeng has always filled me with a sense of unease. As if I’m a wooden doll, my joints perfectly position themselves in a way where I always maintain the same stances. I never mix up the way I hold my sword, I’ve never switched weapons, and I never take a breather until the battle is finished. It’s a puppet show with real creatures, and the sword I hold is the showmaker.

The battles I engage in always fall into the same dull rhythm. I swing my sword and hit the enemy. The enemy retaliates. I swing my sword again. The enemy retaliates again. It’s a passing of turns between myself and the monsters I face, never allowing for true tension or thrill.

Seeing some of these monsters, I actually appreciate this aspect of the Holy Sword’s power. I fear what fighting powerful opponents looks like in unaltered combat. The adventurers of the world do everything without a second chance, and for that I give them my prayers. May Nephelai protect you, even if she has abandoned me.

“Hey!! What are you doing just charging in here! Idiot! Moron! Sloppy! With a slimy place like this, you’ve gotta be careful if you don’t want to end up like an ant getting squished! Be grateful I’m here to protect your stupid self!”

Our bratty Saintess Serabelle makes her entrance with her usual foul mouth.

“Hahaha! She really chewed you out, eh buddy? Forget her whining, let’s crush these guys and find out what’s going on here!”

Garst Gerhard always lightens the mood with his light commentary and crooked smile.

“New enemies! I’m ready! Who do I have to fight?”

And Maya is steadfast and energetic, always willing to assist without any hesitation.

This is the party I’ve seen a thousand times and more. But this interaction is fresh. It revitalizes me. I cannot voice my own thoughts, but this conversation is valued. It leads me to more water in the desert. I gladly accept it.

Our party easily clears out Fort Forth without any trouble. Recognizing that these are human soldiers, we do our best to lightly knock them out. We had to hold back Serabelle from throwing out dangerous spells, but in a way, that was to be expected.

Finally, we reach the edge of the fort. This is where the undead General faced us in the past loops. Sure enough, he was there, once again.

“So. You’re the Hero Party I’ve heard about. Envoys from the Everflower Kingdom, slayer of monsters, and protectors of the people. I’ve heard from her that there’s more to you all than just that.”

…Her? There’s an astronomically low chance that we are thinking of the same person, but do I dare to hope?

“Tell me, Hero Party. Do you know what it feels like to be blind?”

“Blind? Are you going crazy, you old man? Of course we can see!”

Serabelle, I don’t think that’s what he meant.

“Hm. I shall tell you what it means to be blind. To be blind is to allow yourself to fall into a mindset where you cannot change. To be blind is to live the same days over and over without ever trying to change! You are all young, and you all have righteous hearts, but I fear you may be misguided.”

“Stop speaking in riddles old man! If you don’t wanna be labeled an idiot, then spit out what you want already!”

“This old man has gained back his sight. Thanks to her, I have learned that even in the darkest places, even when I’m blind in a world where no light can reach, there are ways out. There are people who will extend their hands and help others without hesitation. There are those who need that hand but never have the chance to grab it.”

“...What?”

“Well, even if I’m not the one who teaches you this lesson, I can at least fight on behalf of her and the ones that I’ve lost, in the hopes that you can emerge as brighter people.”

“This guy’s totally gone wacko! That slimy feeling just went out of control! Hey, hey Hero! Let’s fry this guy!”

“As the General of Fort Forth, and the follower of her, I shall strike you down with all of my might!”

Serabelle provided her own commentary on the situation, and I saw everyone getting ready to fight, but my body hesitated a little longer than usual.

I know this feeling. It’s the same feeling I felt in Dadirdtoun. My body is telling me. My mind is telling me. The girl with the black hair did this. She somehow saved the General before he fell to darkness, and has now recruited him to help her cause. Is this “slimy energy”, as Serabelle so aptly puts it, part of her abilities? What is her end goal? Right now, it doesn’t matter. All I need to focus on is that she was the cause of this new experience.

The girl who vanished into the alley that night… She knew I would be coming here after Dadirdtoun, and then prepared this for me and my party. That’s what I think. That’s what I want to believe. Slowly but surely, she’s leaving drops in the desert for me. She’s leading me down a stream to the oasis of salvation. The General’s words ring in my head.

“Thanks to her, I have learned that even in the darkest places, even when I’m blind in a world where no light can reach, there are ways out.”

I draw my sword.

That girl is reaching out her hand to me. She’s leaving bread crumbs for me to follow. She wants to lead me out of the cave and into the light. I’ll fight this General. This true General, and I’ll follow the river to her. Even if I need to delve deeper into this eternal existence to become free, I’ll do it. Even if I’m completely misinterpreting the situation, I’ll still do it. I’ve been trapped too long to think of doing anything else.

As the General approaches us with a refined dual-sword style, my body channels the power of the Holy Sword of Happiyendeng.

With a lightly blooming hope in my heart, I swing my sword.