Epilogue

The last of the leaves had fallen from the trees by the time we returned to the Holy Mountain. The victory had been total, with the entirety of the demon forces slaughtered in the city of Lokanos. The losses had been great, however. Some might argue too great.

I rubbed the wounds in my chest and sighed as I felt the residual sting of those wounds. Skythrasher had done a number on me when he attacked, and some nights I would wake from my sleep drenched in sweat, with memories of that horrible creature as he ripped apart my flesh.

The worst part of that day, though, was the realization that we had lost the Legendary Hero. When Gwendolyn and the remainder of our allied forces had pushed open the doors to Castle Resolve, they found only a smoking crater where Dale, Atlas, and the Demonlord Spineripper had been. They had vanished without a trace, alongside any sign of his mystical weapon. They had found Lynessa, what remained of her that was, and that had not bode well for the survival of the others.

My heart sank when I received the news, and Imalor had ranted and raved from atop his stretcher. I know that not a day goes by where we both regret that we did not fight that final battle for the fate of the world. So often, I wish that I had died alongside the other heroes, though I know it is my duty to rebuild these ruined kingdoms. It was the dying dream of the Demonslayer to see this world reborn, and so I must strive to do so to honor his memory.

Life has been peaceful since the Demonslayer vanished. The Church of the Great Father and the Order of the Golden Sun have lost too many of their people to continue fighting a pointless war. Lokanos, Gemmen, and so many other cities need to be restored, and the efforts of our religious organizations have not gone to waste in helping that process.

A new Divine Speaker reigns in the Holy Mountain. They wanted it to be me, but I’m far too casual a practitioner and I insisted someone else take the role. Now, I spend most of my time organizing efforts to provide relief for the people of the Spirit Kingdom, so many of whom were displaced in the final days of the Demon War. So many faces look at me gratefully, though I find I cannot stand to look them in the eyes. How many of their families and friends had to die because of the failure of the Honoured Heroes? I try not to think about it.

Imalor is well, at least from what I’ve seen. He’s had his eyes on Gwendolyn for a while now, and she’s not unreceptive to his advances. I think they’ll be happy together someday. The dwarves as a whole seem to have emerged from the conflict with bright faces and an even brighter outlook. They praise the delvers who collapsed the northeast tower, and sing songs of their native hero, placing him only second to the Demonslayer himself. The elves are hopeful as well and men… well, men will continue to endure just as we always have, ever vigilant against the dark clouds that lurk just on the horizon.

Time will pass. Kingdoms will rise to new heights of glory, and our world will always remember the Legendary Hero. Let all who come after know the story of Demonslayer Dale.