Home At Last

“Die! Heroes of Mundi!”

Demon king Asphoros’s final yell is accompanied by a large sphere of magic capable of destroying his entire kingdom, and the continent it rests on. Defeat imminent, his final attack will be one that scars the world.

“Cato!” Tenki, the summoned hero of Mundi, leads the final charge with his most trusted partners at his side.

Cato, forsaken heir to his tribe, jumps for the orb itself as the others rush for the demon king. An attack of that nature is just the kind of challenge he enjoys most; as his hands burn from the touch of the orb’s magic, he can only feel glee as he keeps it from connecting with the ground.

“Damn you!”

Tenki attacks first, his blade of light, gifted to him by the princess of Mundi, is one of few blades that can cut the skin of Asphoros. The two exchange strikes, his hands trembling from the impact of each clash. Unwilling to give an inch, Tenki bears the pain and pushes his opponent back.

“Jade beam!” Alba, demon princess, circles around the fighting swordsman to fire her attack.

A barrier blocks the beams, the castle shaking from the strike of the unrelenting beam. Alba coughs blood, pushing her magic past its limit to empower her attack as Tenki continues his onslaught. The barrier cracks, forcing Asphoros to retreat after kicking Tenki away.

Hoping to regroup, Asphoros jumps away from Alba and Tenki but finds himself within reach of the last of the heroes group.

Stella, child of the heavens, spreads her angel wings to gather magic. Much of her armor is torn apart, her lower left wing cut in two, she fights only by instinct and with only one arm functional. Momentum carries her opponent closer, their exchange the deciding factor of the battle.

Before Asphoros’s can attack, a single spear strikes through his heart. Stella’s summoned spear slams Asphoros to the ground where more spears appear from the sky and rain on his body. Each pulls an excruciating scream from the demon king who struggles to free himself.

“Now!”

At Tenki’s word, Alba and Stella appear above Asphoros to cast a unified spell. The final strike needed to kill the demon king.

“Fools. Crufatum.”

Alba and Stella fall to the ground, their energy stolen as Asphoros rips the spears away from his body. They attempt to help one another up, but their bodies give to exhaustion, forcing them to kneel.

“You hesitated, my beloved daughter. Worry not, I am more than willing to forgive you after I have killed those who have deceived you. I will begin with him.”

“No!”

Cato is driven further into the ground, the orb of magic he holds empowered by Asphoros as it begins to rip away his clothing and skin. Cato screams as he is now in a losing battle against the orb. Bones break, his skin is burns, but he refuses to waver.

“The world can be rebuilt, but you all must be eliminated.”

“Wait! Please father! Spare his life in exchange for mine.”

“You are my daughter, he a fool unwilling to accept fate.”

“Fate?” Cato laughs.

“Have pain and fear driven you hysterical?”

“No.” Cato takes a step out of the hole, the orb of magic now losing the exchange of strength, “I’m only amused by your foolish idea of fate. Fate is decided by the people. We will be the ones to show them all this reality, and I’m more than honored to be the one to show it to you. Ready?! Hero Tenki!”

“Sorry for the delay. I’m ready, Cato!”

Cato digs his claws into the orb of magic, causing a wall smashing blast as he forces the magic to condense by sheer will. Overpowering the magic of a man regarded a god, Cato smiles as he holds an orb of magic no bigger than his palm.

“Here you go!”

Cato launches the condensed orb at Tenki’s blade. The blade glows purple as it absorbs the magic, soon transferring much of it to Tenki who coughs blood because of the sudden boost. His vision blurs, exhilaration causing his body to feel light yet powerful, but his new power is difficult to control.

“Impossible. A mere human controlling the magic of a god. Very well, see if you are worthy of striking with it.”

Before Asphoros can summon his blade, his back is pierced by two spears. They stop his movements, both enchanted by the only magic able to poison him.

“Alba.” Asphoros turns to find Alba and Stella holding the spears, “Is this your decision.”

“Our world must be shared.”

“I wished to protect from the harm that could come from such a choice. So be it, fate has been decided.”

With a smile, Asphoros accepts his defeat to Tenki’s empowered strike.

Tenki falls to his knees, using his sword to keep him from collapsing.

“We did it.” Tenki said.

The demon kingdom destroyed, his partners near death, they’ve defied the odds again and claimed victory.

“I’ll heal your wounds.” Stella said as she and Alba help each other to where their partners rest, “Well done everyone, your bravery in the face of death is commendable.”

“We’ll have to celebrate this victory.” Cato said.

“Not before you get rest.” Alba said as she placed Cato’s head on her legs, “You pushed yourself too far.”

“We all did. But we did it, nothing will tear us apart now. Right Tenki, what should we do now?”

“Now? I’d like to go home. Yea, I think it’s time.”

“You idiot! I told you not to drink so much! You’re still healing and you’ll be leaving with Tenki soon! What if something happens because you haven’t healed properly!”

Alba shakes Cato as he attempts to recover from his worst hangover yet. Stella and Tenki can only watch and laugh from the other end of the living room.

After their victory, the hero group spent an entire week celebrating with the rest of the Mundi kingdom. The heroes group solidified their status as legends, and Tenki as the hero from another world.

Because of her efforts, Alba has been recognized as the next ruler of the demon kingdom and ally of the neighboring kingdoms as she hopes to establish a relationship between demon and the rest of the world.

Stella plans to return to heaven, though she has one final mission before doing so.

“This world will miss you, hero Tenki. Would you ever return? Your family would be more than welcome here.” Stella said.

“It’s been six years; I’ve grown to like it here. Perhaps, if they would like to give it a chance, then I would return. But leaving home can be difficult, I was very homesick at first. It was thanks to the friends I made here, those like Cato, that I was able to survive.”

“Your courage and grit were the keys to your success my friend. Although, you are missing out the real wonders of the world. Strong and loyal, I admire you.” Cato said.

“Hmmm? Does that mean you plan to lavish in another world?” Alba said.

Cato’s grabs Alba hand, “No other woman could make my heart race.”

“Good. For if they do then the curse I have placed on you will cause it to explode.”

“Hahaha, always the jokester. You are joking, right?”

“Anyway! I would have loved to prepare more, but I’m sure Tenki is anxious to go.”

“You are right. Are you ready, Tenki?”

“I am. Let’s go.”

With the moon as their only witness, the heroes group gathers at a hill where Stella prays to the stars.

Tenki gazes to the world before him. Unlike anything from his home world, the skies are filled with large, colorful creatures, the smell of the trees calming, and the lights of the kingdom in the distance one of his favorites.

“I’m going to miss this world.” Tenki said.

“You are welcome back whenever you like. Of course, it will be up to you to find a way back. I’m not sure how magic will work in your world, or if it will at all.” Stella said.

“How was I summoned?”

“That remains a mystery. There have been other disappearances as well, we believe portals have been opening on their own, but we have no idea as to why. I can force one to open, but I cannot create one for you to return.”

“I see. Cato, are you sure about this?”

“I must make sure my dear friend arrives safely. Alba, there’s no need to wait for me.” Cato said.

“I would wait a thousand years for you.”

“And if I fail to return then?”

“Then I will hunt you down. But you must return, my heart will yearn for you.”

“And mine for you. Worry not, even worlds are not enough to keep us apart.”

“Alright love birds, I’m opening the portal now.”

Stella slashes with her wand, cutting space itself and creating a portal. It opens, the sounds in the distance still familiar to Tenki.

“Well?” Cato said.

“Yes, it sounds like home. Alba, Tenki, Stella, thank you for all you have done for me here.”

“Thank you, hero Tenki.” Stella said.

“Take care of yourself, and make sure Cato doesn’t drink too much!”

“I will. Now then.”

Tenki takes one last look at the world behind him. Taking it all in, he steps forward into the portal alongside Cato.

With a single step, Tenki and Cato stand on top of a tall building in Shibuya, Tokyo.

“What kind of magic is this?” Cato said, the buildings with blinding lights and moving pictures boggling his mind.

“Hahaha, that’s no magic. I’ll tell you all about it soon. But first, I wonder if we can still use magic.”

“You’re right… who’s that?”

Tenki turns around, a group clad in black armor rushes them with guns pointed their way. They’re fast, much faster than Tenki had ever witnessed a human of this world move before.

Before he can speak, Tenki is shot by a stunning bullet. Cato reaches for his short blade, swinging his jug of alcohol around in hopes to unbalance his attacker but is shot with a stunning bullet from a sniper.

“We’ve collected the crossers. Returning with them now.”

Tenki and Cato are collected by the team, their unconscious bodies tossed into a truck before disappearing into the night.