Elias, the Ranger

At the departure.

"I'm not here to save the world." 

Those words heralded the beginning of our journey.

They belonged to Zephyrus Meyer, the newest member of our party.

"I don't care about hero candidates, the duty of the hero or whatever else. And I'm definitely not planning to risk my life to save others. I've had enough of that so don't expect any of that from me."

His statement was met with mixed reactions. I was stuck between being confused and exasperated and wanting to retort, meanwhile our priestess, Luciella, seemed extremely ticked off even if didn't show on her face.

As for our leader, Alan Welker, he merely smiled, not showing the slightest hint of surprise.

"Of course. You should do what you think is right. Just make sure you watch me."

He said that and set out forward, not even stopping to look back. He knew that we would follow him. He was right. Without a single word, everyone ventured forth.

And that was the start of our journey.

***

Let me tell you a little bit about our party.

Let's start with the problem child—Zephyrus. He was a magical knight who had failed to become a Hero before even leaving the academy. A former hero candidate that was branded a failure for losing his blessing. I had my own thoughts about that, but the rumors swirling around him were... well, unpleasant to say the least.

He was brash, short to the point, and cynical. He had a rebellious look in his eyes, and it seemed like he wasn't exactly planning on getting along with us. Every time we asked something of him, he would do it very unwillingly all the while complaining about it. Surprisingly, despite his unwillingness, he never once said no.

Then, we had our priestess—Luciella. 

She was known as the Saintess of the Prophecies. From an early age, she possessed an ability to see the future in her dreams. Or something along the lines. I'm not really sure on the specifics. But due to various circumstances... let's say she didn't exactly like using her ability very much. She rarely shared what exactly her prophecies entailed. But in the rare exceptions to that rule, we abided by her judgement.

She seemed to hate Zephyrus's guts. A natural reaction, considering she's a priestess and he's someone who had committed a grave sin. Not like there was an official punishment for it. But I had a feeling her behavior had nothing to do with religious matters. Frankly—and don't tell that to anyone—I was doubtful she even liked the Goddess all that much. Although, that's just a guess on my part.

And finally, there was our leader—Alan Welker.

He was a normal eighteen year old boy. At least as normal as you can be in his circumstances and with his kind of past. He was a responsible kid who had the determination to carry out his mission. In that sense, there was no one who was fit to be a Hero more than him.

He had worked hard to match other hero candidates, and I was confident that he was one of the strongest humans without the powers of a Goddess's Blessing. He also had a good head on his shoulders. He wasn't overly naive or trusting, and yet he still had a compassionate heart. If not for the lack of special powers, he would have been the ideal hero candidate.

All of them were perfectly capable of saving the world. And yet, I couldn't help but feel worried for them. 

And that's what our party was like.

Oh, I guess there was another member of the party. I totally forgot about that. Here, let me tell you a bit about myself...

***

I was raised by the people of Jerriah. Or at least that's what the denizens of western nations generally called them.

Jerriah were generally nomadic and lived in the east—in the expanses of Sakh'Aki. They never stayed in one place and always traveled. They sought knowledge wherever they went and spread it to others. Sometimes through maps and news, and other times through rare technology and wisdom of different nations populating the east.

I was only fifteen when the demons invaded.

Jerriah were one of the first nations to be eradicated. They had no walls to protect them and no leaders to gather around. Jerriah's freedom became their downfall, and their famed knowledge was helpless in the face of sheer violence and numbers.

I ran west. Just barely I came out with my life intact. I was lucky to be picked up by an elven tribe in the Great Forest. Normally, they would never welcome a human in their midst. But Jerriah's wisdom came in handy, and they were just curious enough to shelter me.

From them, I learned the ways of the forest and archery. I learned how to hunt, how to read trails, how to survive in the wilderness. If not for that, I would have never made it this far. But the peaceful days didn't last for long.

The Great Forest was the next one to fall.

Once its verdant greenery covered the entire stretch between Sakh'Aki and the Western Nations. But in only six years, it was razed to the ground.

Some of the elves said I was cursed. They claimed they were facing the Wrath of the Spirit King—all because they took in a human like me. 

Of course, that couldn't be further from the truth. It didn't take a genius to know that. I mean, what Spirit King would ever want the Great Forest to be burnt down to cinders? 

That's what I thought. And that's what I wanted to believe. And yet, no matter how hard I tried, the image of the burning forest never left my mind.

Eventually, I ended up in Rauford Kingdom. And there, at the Royal Academy, I met Alan for the first time. Since then, I had stuck with him through thick and thin.

***

Three months after departure

*Scritch* *Scritch* *Scritch*

The repeating scratching sounds resounded in the forest. Methodically, I guided the sandpaper along the blade's edge. Slowly, I could feel the dagger in my hand regain its smoothness and sharpness. Its metallic surface reflected the faint orange glow of the campfire—the only source of light in the pitch black night.

Or it should have been the only source of light, but when I lifted my head, I saw two dots, glowing in the darkness. Those two dots were eyes and they belonged to the man sitting across from me. The determination in his gaze was so prominent, it almost felt like his eyes were glowing.

He was a hero candidate and the leader of my party, Alan Welker.

That night, it was my turn to stand watch but he stayed with me deep into the night. Maybe he just couldn't sleep well. His gaze never left the blade in my hands, but I felt that his real focus was on something else. Something far, far away. 

At times like these, I wondered what was reflected in the faint orange glow he saw. The Demon Lord's castle? A peaceful world? The people he wanted to protect? The future? Or maybe the past? Although, I had a feeling that what he saw wasn't much different from me. That thought made me a bit depressed.

In an attempt to dispel my own gloominess, I spoke up, still sharpening the dagger.

"What's wrong? Can't sleep today?"

He jumped up slightly, as if my words broke him out of his trance. Then, a few beats later, he replied.

"Yeah. It happens sometimes. I have those dreams..."

"About the past?" I prodded as I glanced at his face.

"...Maybe," his words were vague. Maybe he didn't want to share the details. Or perhaps, he wasn't sure of the answer himself.

I didn't want to press him about his past so I decided to switch onto a different topic.

"...Does it have anything to do with that brat Zephyrus?" I asked as my mind wandered to the problem child.

"Zephyrus?" Alan seemed slightly surprised to hear him brought up. "No, I'm not concerned about him. You just need to give him some time."

His confidence was contagious, and I almost found myself nodding along. Sadly, I couldn't do that. Alan wasn't exactly naive, but he was still somewhat green and by nature prone to believing in people, especially his teammates. Additionally, Lucy usually left the decision-making to Alan and kept quiet with few exceptions. That's why it usually was my job to confront his decisions, if only to make sure he understood the consequences.

I continued working away at the weapon in my hand as I thought about Zephyrus.

"...You might not be concerned, but I am. Sure, his attitude doesn't exactly seem like a good fit for saving the world. And yeah, he's not too intent on getting along with us either. But more than anything—"

As I spoke my hand swiped, dragging the sandpaper against the dagger. After working away at the unevenness, the blade regained its sharp edge and glitter. On the surface, it looked like a fine blade. But to me, the metal seemed all too thin and fragile.

"—not every failure can be turned into strength, you know. Sometimes, the power built up on setbacks is all too vulnerable. Shave away all the gunk from the blade, and there might not be enough material to work with. After all, there's nothing more dangerous than a weapon that snaps during combat. You catch my drift?"

Alan's gaze travelled to the dagger. He paused for a breath, thinking of a response. Then, he smiled thinly.

"...Got it. You're due for a replacement knife, aren't you?" he replied jokingly.

I smiled in response, if only just to go along with him.

"How rude. This is a dagger, not a knife, alright? Just keep it in mind, okay?"

"Sure. I'll think about it..."

Despite his joking attitude, Alan's expression was somewhat cloudy.

I was sure he was just as concerned as I was somewhere deep inside. Not only was Zephyrus's motivation (or potential lack of it) an unknown factor that could backfire in a critical situation, his strength also left a lot to be desired. 

Back when he was the hero candidate, Zephyrus's blessing was not only powerful but also versatile. And he had lost that blessing less than a year ago. His swordsmanship was still good, and he could cast some magic, but without his trump card, his entire combat style was impossible to replicate. He was practically relearning combat from scratch.

And those kind of concerns were clearly reflected on Alan's face. It almost made me feel a bit guilty.

Look at him. A kid. Barely eighteen years old. In a lot of places the age of majority was considered sixteen, but if you ask me, a sixteen-year-old was still very much a kid—an adult in name only. Well, I was technically twenty-four myself, only six years older. And even that, in my book, was just barely enough to be considered an adult. Although, I knew that nobody from here would ever agree with me on that.

I could somewhat understand Alan. What he saw in Zephyrus. Why he wanted that brat to take part in saving the world. He wanted to help him in some ways and put his hope into Zephyrus. But Alan also felt guilty. He thought it was selfish to involve Zephyrus into this impossible journey where we were likely to die.

And that guilt was completely misplaced.

It was childish and stupid, really. No matter what happened before, Zephyrus accepted the invitation. Alan bore no responsibility for it. But saying that would not help him in the slightest. After all, our leader was the type of person to accept this suicide mission as if it was a given.

Being remined of this unreasonable situation made me annoyed again. I was sure that people saw nothing wrong with this. This party consisted of four adults—and three blessing bearers to boot—skilled in sword and magic. Just the right party to take on the Demon Lord.

But if you asked me, that was complete bullshit. I've watched over them for a long time so I knew. They were only kids. Sure, they were legally adults. Sure, they were more powerful than most knights and warriors out there. But how twisted is this world to send a bunch of teenagers on a suicide mission that had, at best, about five percent chance of success?

And maybe that's why I couldn't leave them be. Ever since I met Alan I just keep being reminded of this. If none of those shitty adults would ever take responsibility for their own world, then I will.

And so, I said the same thing as I always did. 

"Well, don't worry too much. In case something happens I will look after him. I'm used to looking after brittle blades, you know?"

Alan gave me a somewhat exasperated but warm smile in response.

"Thank you. As always."

"But of course. That's what I'm here for."

I was the rational brain and the doubt of the party. But more than anything—I was here to be the kids' pillar of support. They'll save the world, and I'll support them. And together, we'll make sure that no one will have to go through what Alan and I went through.

I swore as my eyes reflected the fire's orange glow.

***

Five months after the departure

It was burning.

The flames were consuming everything, leaving nothing behind. Desperate screams and beastly cries filled my ears. The stench of burning wood mixed with blood hung in the air.

As I watched the scenery in front of me, my senses became jumbled. The phantoms of the past flashed in my vision, swapping places with the present.

In the five months of our journey we had faced more and more demons as we approached the frontlines. Our fights so far had been both easy and smooth, and I thought I was ready to face the past. But apparently, that wasn't the case at all.

I was overwhelmed. Desperately, I tried to calm myself down. With every second I wasted, more lives would be lost. The vivid memories of the burning forest and my massacred tribe dominated my mind.

As I internally screamed at myself to get moving, there was one person who sprang into motion faster than anyone else.

A young boy, barely eighteen years of age. Youthful, almost childish. And yet the resolve he bore wouldn't shake in the face of tragedy. Alan Welker. The Powerless as they called him.

He showed no hesitation as he rushed to the closest demon and mercilessly cut it down. As he did, he barked out orders.

"Luciella! Follow me and focus on treating the wounded. Zephyrus and Elias, head to the southern  side! Prioritize letting the citizens escape—focus on buying time! I will join you later!

His sharp voice cut through the battlefield and my body unfroze. Immediately, our party set in motion.

***

Zephyrus and I split away from Alan and headed to the other side of the village. 

The village was a decently big settlement where two major roads met. Its western side had two entrances, one for each road, on the northern and southern side respectively. Zephyrus and I were heading to the southern entrance.

As a magic knight, Zephyrus led the way. Very quickly, we stumbled upon our first enemy—a blue horned demon.

Demons varied significantly in race and appearance. Some were blue, others were red, black, yellow, or even pale white. Some were big and had horns, multiple mouths, many eyes—others had an appearance eerily similar to human. Some were massive creatures that towered over any human—others were small imps, similar in size to human children.

This one wasn't too big. About the size of an average human male. It had blue skin, and its head was adorned with a pair of horns that were reminiscent of a goat's. It was almost fully naked except for its legs that were covered in black fur and rags that covered its upper body.

It was in the middle of attacking two villagers—a man and a little girl. Presumably, father and daughter. The father was hugging the girl, shielding her with his body. The demon was about to attack them but then it saw us. It quickly turned our way and prepared for the fight. It seemed that dealing with us was higher on his priority list for now. Good to know.

Zephyrus quickly dashed in and slashed at the blue demon. It was a clean slash, quick but not lacking in strength. You could tell he had practiced it many times before he got to this level.

Despite that, the demon just barely blocked the blow. That seemed to be against Zephyrus's expectations as his expression showed a slight hint of surprise, but he didn't hesitate. He continued his relentless assault, not giving the demon a single chance to counterattack.

The knight struck repeatedly at his enemy. With every swing, the demon's stance continued falling apart. Panic colored its blue features. Driven into a corner, it attempted to counterattack before its defenses crumbled.

But before the demon could even wind up its attack, a swift strike slashed through its flesh. The creature collapsed as blood leaked from its throat.

"Adghea..." The demon let out a last mutter before its death.

Zephyrus's swordsmanship was pretty good, and yet it was also somewhat lacking. As always, it seemed like he was behind his own expectations.

While he dealt with the demon, I spoke to the villager that was almost assaulted.

"Quick. Run to the northern entrance. You should be safe there," I said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

"MAkhea!"

But then a loud cry pierced the battlefield and interrupted me.

It came from ahead of us. A group of seven demons were rapidly approaching. The source of the cry was a large demon. It seemed to be the leader of the group. It was covered in fur from head to toe and its head bore reminiscence to the head of a bull. The rest of the demons were to the first one and had horns, but their skin color varied. Two of them were red and purple respectively, while others' skin bore various shades of blue.

"Ragh!"

Another cry resounded from behind us. When I looked back I saw multiple demons there as well. It seemed we were surrounded.

Damn it! Those demons have enough intelligence to circle behind us?

Quite frankly, I expected them to run at us thoughtlessly as they had so far. But that wasn't the case. It was possible that different demons possessed different levels of intelligence, but now wasn't the time to ponder about that.

The bull-headed demon barked out its order as it pointed its massive axe in our direction. The other five demons followed its lead and rushed headfirst in our direction. The leader stayed behind as if wanting to observe our strength before moving in himself.

Zephyrus met them head-on.

The demon in front swung its weapon at the knight. This time instead of starting on the offensive, Zephyrus dodged the blow and then slashed at the demon who was wide open, killing him in a single strike.

Then, he continued to keep his distance from the demons, fending off their attacks whenever they came at him and searching for his opportunity. He never stayed in place, continuing to maneuver around, trying his best not to get surrounded.

Finally, an opportunity opened up for him and he cut down another enemy after deflecting its blow. He then kicked its corpse towards two demons who were rushing at him. Surprised they collided with the body and fell over. 

Meanwhile, Zephyrus chanted.

"The Wind Slasher!"

A sharp voice and a blade of wind released from Zephyrus's hand, cutting into the purple demon to his left. It was wind magic, a sort of Zephyrus's trump card. It damaged the demon and it stopped in its tracks.

Finally, while his every other enemy was stunned, Zephyrus jumped at the last demon, hoping to bring it down with a powerful overhead strike. His blade reached its target, digging into the demon's red skin, but contrary to the knight's expectations the demon didn't fall over.

"Rargh!"

Instead it roared as it swung its jagged sword at Zephyrus, the blade still stuck in its shoulder. 

"What?!"

Just barely, Zephyrus ducked under the blow and kicked the demon away, pulling his sword back. The wound was fatal and the kicked demon collapsed in a pool of its blood. But this bought just enough time for the rest of the demons to collect themselves and they sprang at the knight from all sides.

The purple demon reached him first, swinging its blade at Zephyrus. He blocked it, but his sword was locked up in a struggle. In the meantime, the remaining two demons rapidly closed the distance with him. Right before their blades reached him, Zephyrus managed to kick the purple demon away.

He attempted to raise his blade to block the upcoming blows, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time.

"Wi—"

He desperately shouted out the spell, but the demons were much faster.

*Squelch*

The sound of pierced flesh filled the air. A knife stabbed into one of the demons from the side, pushing it into the other demon and interrupting its attack.

Zephyrus's eyes opened wide in shock, but he didn't let himself be shaken for long as he swung his blade and finished off the last demon.

Zephyrus, finally with some room to breathe, looked to the side.

"...Thanks... I guess."

His gratitude (unwilling) was of course addressed to me who had saved him in the pinch. I just about dealt with the three demons in the back so I made it in time.

"Instead of thanking me, you should reflect on your fighting style. You take too many risks for what you are able to do right now. Remember, you no longer have your blessing. Our priority was meant to be buying time, not finish everyone off before Alan gets here," I replied, thinking back on his actions.

He was much too reckless and much too slow. Whatever his style was in the past he could no longer replicate it as he was now.

"Help!"

My thoughts were interrupted by a scream. A human scream at that.

I turned around and saw the man from before, his back on the ground. Behind him, was his daughter, and in front of him, the bull-headed demon stood.

"Shit!"I cursed and rushed at the Bull Demon while pulling out my throwing knives.

I tossed two knives in rapid succession, but the demon quickly turned toward me and deflected them both with surprising agility. A clang resounded as metal clashed against metal.

I continued running, holding my dagger in a reverse grip. In return, the Bull Demon swung its axe, preparing to tear through my body.

Barely, I ducked bellow the axe. While I dashed past the demon, I slashed at its leg and red blood spluttered. But the Bull Demon ignored it and turned around, bringing its axe downwards.

Once again, I dodged the blow, but it was so powerful that a cloud of dust rose, covering my sight.  And then, something appeared from behind the cloud, rushing at me at full speed. The demon's mighty arm collided with my chest, sending me flying.

"Gah!"

I landed on my back. On the moment of impact, all air left my chest and I coughed in pain. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and every breath hurt like hell. Struggling, I tried to stand up. My eyes went back to the Bull Demon, but it wasn't looking in my direction. Instead, it directed its gaze to where the man from before was.

Evidently, it didn't see me as a threat.

I grasped at my belt, searching for throwing knives, but it was empty. Those two from before were my last.

"NO!!" I screamed, pushing myself to bring my body into motion.

Still, it didn't care for me and approached the man and the little girl who were covering in fear. Only a dozen meters separated them.

But a single knight appeared in its path. Zephyrus Meyer stood before the Bull Demon.

For the first time in this fight, the Bull Demon stopped. It was just a second, but it hesitated.

I was shocked myself. Not at the demon's hesitations but at Zephyrus's actions. He was not resolved to save the world. He only wanted to observe us. Recklessly risking his life should have been the last thing on his mind. 

It was one thing to face off against relatively weak demons, but this was another case altogether. I knew as a matter of fact—this fight wouldn't last long. The Bull Demon was much too powerful and Zephyrus was too slow to dodge even a single blow from it. He could barely even buy time. A single strike would decide this fight.

And yet, the boy stood there, unmoving. Almost as if it came naturally to him.

As I screamed at my body to move, I finally got up and accelerated into a run. But I knew I wouldn't make it in time.

In front of my eyes, the Bull Demon mercilessly prepared its axe. And Zephyrus, in return, took a stance with his sword.

And then for a second the world went silent.

The Bull Demon made the first move. It jumped forward quickly closing in on Zephyrus. It swung its weapon diagonally in a mighty overhead swing. Zephyrus tilted his blade, preparing to deflect the blow away.

I closed my eyes in fear, too terrified to see another child get brutally murdered in front of my eyes. But in that moment, the tides of battle had shifted.

"Arcane Lance."

A voice resounded on the battlefield. The voice was quiet yet still unbelievably clear. The moment I heard the spell, I reopened my eyes.

A massive magical projectile viciously stabbed into the Bull Demon's shoulder. It was two meters long and much bigger than a normal lance would be. Its impact was so powerful it sent the demon flying.

"Alan!" I shouted with relief as my gaze traveled to the caster.

Alan Welker stood there. His left hand was pointing in the Bull Demon's direction, and his right hand held his trusty sword.

Meanwhile, the demon flew a dozen meters parallel to the ground. Eventually it landed, creating a massive cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, the silhouette of the Bull Demon appeared. Despite the terrifying power of the lance, the demon was still standing. It was wounded, but the aggressive glimmer in its eyes was still going strong.

But Alan was unbothered by it. He calmly walked towards the Bull Demon.

That was the hero candidate who was called Powerless. The boy who had a Blessing but no special powers. The boy who was least fit to be a hero candidate. Or at least, Powerless was the name that had stuck with him since the first year of the academy. But around a year and a half ago, tides had begun shifting. Once people realized that he was no weakling and could compete with other hero candidates, another moniker started spreading.

The Prism. 

That's what most of the students started calling him. The reason for it was simple: he had mastered multiple paths on his way to becoming a hero candidate. He could handle various weapons, had powerful arcane spells at his disposal and even utilized holy arts that were almost exclusively used by the priests.

 He was like a prism that channeled a beautiful myriad of colors from a single source of light.

And so the Prism spoke.

"Come, Demon. From now on I will be your opponent."

***

The fight lasted for some time, but Alan had dominated the entire time and didn't let himself get wounded even once. Of course, as the hero candidate, Alan was by far the strongest member of our party; Lucy was a priestess, I wasn't specialized in direct fights, and Zephyrus... well, he was still relearning combat from scratch. Still, the Bull Demon was powerful enough that some of the hero candidates at the academy would struggle against it. I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride, seeing how far that boy had come.

While my wounds were being treated by Lucy, my mind was still on the fight from before. When Zephyrus stood against the Bull Demon... Just what the hell was he planning on accomplishing there? He could have easily died if Alan was just a second too late. Zephyrus should have known that as well. So what compelled him to do so? And so after I was treated, I decided to ask him directly.

I approached the problem child of our party who stood exactly where the battle happened just a few minutes prior.

"Hey, good job out there," I said as I put my hand on his shoulder.

"...You too... I guess." At first Zephyrus seemed unsure if he wanted to answer, but he eventually relented.

"What? Is that 'I guess' some sort of gimmick from you or something? Don't you have anything else to say?" I asked, laughing heartily.

"...Not really," he replied back in his typical manner and went silent again.

I didn't really expect anything else from him so I didn't really mind. Still, it was about time I asked him about what happened.

"Hey...," I started somewhat hesitantly, "back then... Why did you risk your life for the villagers?"

He seemed slightly surprised. At first, the surprise was directed at my question, but halfway through his face shifted in disbelief. Almost as if he just realized what he had done. He furrowed his brows in thought but eventually replied.

"...Well, I'm not some kind of demon to leave a child to its death, you know?" he said and began walking away as if saying this conversation is finished.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I wanted to prod him further. Just when I was about to speak up Zephyrus stopped. Then, without even turning around, he added one final thing.

"It's just that... I don't want to______________ anymore"

Ah, I see. So this is your answer?

He was a man who had lost what once made him strong. And yet, he was still very much himself.

I was wrong to call him a brittle blade... I guess... Oh, great now his speech patterns are rubbing off on me as well.

As that inconsequential thought flashed through my head, I found my gaze travelling to the orange-lit skies.