Zephyrus, the Magic Knight

In that moment, memories flashed through my head. Memories of my childhood. Memories of my last days at the academy after I lost my Blessing. And finally, memories of the past that should have never existed.

Unlike the previous times, there was no headache, no denial, and no dissonance. Even though more information flashed through my brain than ever before, my head felt strangely light. Instead of feelin overwhelmed and crushed by the weight of my memories, I felt invigorated.

Finally, I felt like could accept my past.

And with my mind clearer than ever, I spoke

"Reyes. I can never agree with your dream."

Reyes stared at me, confused and silent, almost as if it took him some time to process my words. Finally, he responded.

"...Why...? Is it... is it wrong of me to want to save everyone?"

His voice was faint, but there was a certain sulkiness to it. I always forgot about it, but just like many other candidates, he was only a teenager who had his childhood stolen from him.

"...From the moment I got my Blessing..." he continued, "I trained hard everyday so I could catch up to you... so I could protect everyone like you used to... Is it wrong...? Is it wrong of me to want to take on everyone's burden.?

In a way, he almost seemed like a petulant child. Unknowingly, I found myself wanting to agree with his naive but beautiful dream.

But I suppressed that desire and stood my ground.

"Your resolve is beautiful, and your dream deserves respect. But the future you're fighting for will not bring salvation to people."

I looked him in the eyes and spoke. Those words were meant as much for him as they were for me.

"Right before I lost my Blessing, I was broken. I couldn't accept the weight of the burden I had to carry and didn't want to pay the price that it demanded. To this day, I don't think I can bear that weight. But..."

I clenched my fists tightly.

"...that doesn't mean I will be happy sitting on the sidelines. You were right back then, I can't pretend that nothing is wrong when there are people out there, risking their lives trying to save the world. Listen, at the time, all I felt was emptiness; an inescapable sense of helplessness dominated my life. I turned my eyes away and pretended to forget about everything. Pretended that this collapsing world is none of my business. But I was just lying to myself. That empty husk wasn't me."

Trapped in a web of excuses and self-satifying lies, I carried on with the bleak and futile life. But the truth was, I wasn't living—I was merely existing.

"This isn't right, Reyes. This world where salvation can be achieved only through sacrifice is not right. It's not just. You wanted to do be a Hero of your own free will? So be it. But then why do you have to suffer so much? Why do you have to cry? Why do you have to pay such price for everyone else's sakes?"

I could not accept this system. A world that punished goodness with pain and suffering was twisted. I could not accept a dream like that.

"Is it because 'weak' need your protection? In the first place, splitting people into 'weak' and 'strong' is wrong. I might not have the same resolve as you, but I am not powerless. If you don't let people confront their self-imposed weaknesses, they will never grow. To me, a life like that is a life without purpose."

Only now did I understand. The moment I accepted my past, I could move forward. I could finally stop clinging to my Blessing.

"Reyes, I don't think I have the resolve to be a hero candidate But that doesn't mean I will run away. I will help Alan, and together, we will defeat the Demon Lord.."

I could not save the world, but now, I had just enough resolve to help someone else save it. That was the new purpose I found. That was my answer.

Over the past year, I had seen the world. Seen its worst and seen its best. Death, suffering, and contradictions were everywhere around us. But at the same time, no matter where I went I also found hope. Alan's determination. Elias's care and responsibility he felt. Luciella's silent devotion. And lastly, Reyes's naive but beautiful dream.

I was ready. I was ready to believe in Alan's future. And as I did, I was finally able to accept my past.

For a while, Reyes remained silent. It seemed like he was stunned by my words. But eventually, he nodded.

"...I see... It seems I didn't understand you at all... But... I'm happy... I'm happy that you found your purpose... Ever since... you lost your resolve... looking at you has been painful... haha."

He was struggling to get his words out, but a slight smile appeared on his face.

"You know..." Reyes continued. "It's... it's so weird... There... There could be nothing more devastating... than dying without fulfilling my dream... but mysteriously... I feel satisfied..."

Struggling against immense pain, Reyes lifted his body up. He was twitching in pain, but he still smiled brightly at me.

"I... I want to believe in the future you believe in... Can I... Can I entrust everything to you...?"

I nodded.

"Yes. I promise you—someday, being a Hero will no longer come with a price."

With how I was now, I could finally find it in myself to believe. Believe that as long as the world existed, hope was still alive.

"I'm sorry, Reyes, but I have to go now. I will get revenge for you and your friends," I promised him as I stood up. I was determined to see that promise through to the end.

"Yeah..." Reyes nodded. "Don't worry about leaving me here... I want... I want to spend those last moments alone anyway..."

He said that, but he looked somewhat lonely. I knew that he was lying. But to mention that would be the same as tarnishing his resolve. Until the very end, I wanted to respect his pride as a hero candidate.

And so, I prepared to leave. But when I stood up, a sudden voice interrupted us.

"Do not worry about him, I will watch over him."

When I turned around, I saw one a section of the walls rotate, revealing a hidden room beyond it. And from that room, a certain familiar person walked out.

"...Lord Oliver? And that is a secret chamber?"

It was Radiant Cardinal Oliver. He replied to my question with a nod.

"Yes, Sacred Lair is one of the most well-protected parts of the Palace, which is why it also doubles as a hideout in emergency situations and has secret sections and entrances all around it."

"...I see that makes sense," I said and pointed my sword in front of me. I stopped the tip of the blade just before it reached Oliver.

Oliver took a glance at the blade that was mere inches away from his face and then returned his gaze to me. He wasn't confused or panicked, as if he understood exactly what I was thinking about.

"...You cannot trust me not to be a cultist, huh? Was one of the cardinals a traitor? Or perhaps, one of them was threatened into cooperation? I would wager on Edward... That man... that man is rather fretful for his life."

His words did nothing to relieve my suspicions. In fact, his calmness made me even more wary.

"If you understand that much, then you should know I can't leave you alone with Reyes."

Oliver remained quiet for some time. Then, he sighed.

"I understand your concerns, but please, let me do this. I'm a cardinal, but I'm also a priest of Goddess's Faith. We might belong to different denominations, but I can still carry out his Last Rites. I have to do it—it is my duty as a priest. That's the least I can do for a young hero candidate like him."

My hand trembled for a second, but my sword remained where it was. Seeing that, Oliver continued.

"Think about it. Reyes's wound is fatal. If I was a traitor, there would be no point in blowing my cover to try to kill him. And if I wanted to do something suspicious in the Sacred Lair, I would have done it long before you reached here."

His words made sense, but I still hesitated. That was when Reyes interfered.

"...It's fine... Zephyrus... please, let him... I want to receive my Last Rites..."

I was sure he partly said that so I would go and help Alan as soon as I could. But a part of me felt that there was some sincerity in his words as well. Despite once bearing Goddess's Blessing, I wasn't deeply religious, but I understood just how important it was for someone like him. Truthfully, I was thankful that Reyes wouldn't have to be all alone at the end. Even more so, if he found some solace in his last moments.

I lowered my sword and allowed Oliver to walk to Reyes. Then, I headed outside of the Sacred Lair.

"Oh, that's right," I said right at the exit without turning around. "You should probably hide in the secret chamber. There's still a chance that the demons will attack the Sacred Lair."

Oliver nodded and lifted Reyes's body with two hands. As he did, Reyes spoke.

"Zephyrus... I need to tell you... one final thing..."

I turned around and saw a smile. A boyish smile that was probably unbefitting for a hero candidate.

"...For me, you were always my Hero."

I didn't reply. It felt like it would be wrong to say anything at this point. I only nodded slightly.

Reyes entrusted me with the future. And from now on, I wanted my actions to speak louder than words.

Determined, I left the Sacred Lair.

***

Once I was outside, multiple demons lay in wait and attacked me, but I easily cut them down. After that, I followed the sounds of combat.

My body moved more efficiently than before. I was faster and stronger. My slashes were much more polished, and my spells were swift. An entire lifetime of combat experience flooded my brain. I still couldn't use my Blessing, but it was a world of difference from before.

Very quickly, I reached the source of the noise. It was a place in the hallway that bordered a large hall. Or I should say, used to border a large hall. Now, most of the walls that separated the two were broken, and the hall became difficult to tell where hallway ended and the hall began.

The first thing I saw was Elias and Luciella. They were both wounded, but Elias's looked especially bad; his left arm was twisted in the wrong direction, his body was covered in countless bruises and cuts, and he was covered in blood from head to toe.

Then, I saw Alan and Ice Revenant. They were clashing with each other, sometimes exchanging ranged attacks and other times fighting up close. Alan was obviously getting pushed back. His attacks seemed more focused on buying time and extending the fight than actually trying to defeat Ice Revenant.

Finally, a gruesome sight entered my vision. It was a corpse. It was located by the wall of the hall. A large stake started from the ground and ran through the corpse. The state of the body was horrible, but I still recognized who it belonged to. It was none other than Cardinal Edward. In order to survive, he dealt a mortal wound to a hero candidate. But the only thing waiting for him at the end was a horrible death.

I shook my head, trying to get the gruesome image out of my head. There were more important things I had to focus on.

I first ran up to Elias and Luciella since they were closer to me.

"Luciella! Is he... is he okay?!" I shouted as I examined Elias's wounds from up close.

"You're late, fool," she replied. Her tone was still even as usual, but I could hear her exhaustion seep through. "Don't worry about Elias. His wounds look horrible, but I will make sure he survives this. Although, fighting today would probably be impossible for him."

She then cast another prayer, and some of Elias's wounds closed. Luciella then shot me another glance and asked.

"...What about, Reyes...? Is he...?"

My expression twisted in pain, but I replied quickly.

"His wound... it was the Curse of Mortality... He doesn't have much longer left... He's receiving his Last Rites now..."

"...I see..."

Her reply was short, but there was unmistakable sorrow in her voice. That, and some other emotion I couldn't decipher.

Then, I took a deep breath, collecting my resolve, and spoke up.

"You should run away from here. The Sacred Lair is closed and its barrier is not penetrated. There's a secret chamber there, and Lord Oliver should let you in. Hide in there until the fight is over."

She narrowed her eyes.

"And you two will be fine without me?" Luciella asked in a doubtful manner.

"Yes," I replied confidently. "Your life force is probably depleted by this point, right? Frankly, if we have to protect you and Elias, the fight will only become more difficult. Honestly, I'm more concerned whether you can make it to the Sacred Lair with unconscious Elias in your hands."

As usual, Luciella's face barely shifted, but I could feel a hint of offense in her voice as she replied.

"Of course I can. Who do you think you're talking to? Quite frankly, your judgement about my life force is terribly wrong; I can still keep going for a while longer. But I will trust you and leave this to you. Don't you dare let Alan die."

"I won't. I promise you."

She nodded and ran in the direction of the Sacred Lair with Elias on her shoulder. She was surprisingly strong for a priestess... On her way out, she offered two final prayers.

"_______! Healing." 

"_____! Holy Charm!"

I felt a soothing light surround me, and the wounds I got from before closed up like they never existed. Then, I felt a surge of energy reverberate through my body.

Meanwhile, the fight between Ice Revenant and Alan reached a stopping point. Alan, unable to dodge one of the demon's attacks, flew in the air and crashed into a wall. Then, the demon finally noticed me and Luciella and Elias's escape. It dashed towards us, preparing to crush me in a single blow.

"You humans... Do you think I will let those two dangerous ones go?"

"No," I replied. "But I won't let you get to them."

As I dodged Revenant's attack, my blade collided with the the demon's hard shell.

No matter how skillful I was with a sword and no matter how much stronger I was with Holy Charm, it was still nothing compared to the power of a Blessing. I could not match Reyes's slashes and break through the armor.

Ignoring my slash, Ice Revenant continued its assault. As always it was quick. After all, it could match Reyes's speed when he was using Lionheart. But every single strike, every single blow, I survived just barely. Some of them I dodged, and others I deflected with my blade, trying to not take them head on and redirect as much of the force as I could.

At first, the demon thought it was a fluke. But as I continued surviving every attack, it acknowledged my strength.

"Hmm... You are strong, human. I know that the one I just fought was the last hero candidate here so you are not one of them. And yet, you pose almost as much of a challenge. But it is futile. No matter how skillful you are, you cannot damage me. Why do you struggle? You know, if you join the ones you call cultists, you could still live to see another day. We could always use powerful allies at our si—"

"—Shut up," I interrupted its spiel. "It doesn't matter if I can't beat you. Do you think I would ever join your side after what happened to Edward? He was a traitor and a horrible scumbag, but he was still meant to be your ally... And what you did to Akechi was completely unforgivable, you damned demon. For his, Reyes's, Rezul's, Murdock's, Daniel's, and Liam's sakes, I will slay you."

In response to my words, the demon's expression tensed as if it was remembering something unpleasant.

"Ah, yes, Edward... I could not bear to look at a pathetic human like him. Do you know he offered to turn traitor before we even started interrogating him? Unlike you, that man had no spine and no principles. You, on the other hand, will be gladly welcomed in our midst.  As for the other guy... Akechi, you called him? "

Ice Revenant tilted its head in thought.

"...I assume that was the name of the black-haired mage from before. Excuse my ignorance, I understand how the other candidates' assassination could be considered cowardly, but I fought that one fair and square. What was so unforgivable about my actions?"

Revenant tilted its head stiffly, once again imitating a human gesture despite not being human. I was fuming.

"...What was so unforgivable? You mutilate his corpse, behead him and then toss it like garbage and then dare ask that?!"

In contrast to my rage, Ice Revenant remained cool and collected. It nodded somewhat thoughtfully as if noting something important to remember.

"I see. So that is considered disrespectful among humans. For us, demons, it's a rare privilege on the battlefield to be able to take anything back from the corpse—let alone a head. I thought giving him back was only respectful, but that doesn't seem to be the case... I will remember that. Thank you for teaching me, human."

I ignored his words and continued to attack. But just when my blade almost reached the Revenant, it spoke once again.

"But you know, oh honorable warrior? Our kin cannot afford itself such things as honor."

The battlefield trembled. The temperature was rapidly dropping. 

"When I fought previously, I held back my powers since I knew the young hero candidate was going to die regardless. But there is no longer need to hold back, and you two are the last obstacles in my way."

Instantly, the entire floor froze. Just barely I jumped up, avoiding my legs from being covered in ice. But when I landed, a storm of icicles surrounded me on all sides. Dozens of projectiles launched towards me simultaneously. Seeing that, I chanted.

"Fire Blast!"

A burst of flames in form of a fan released from my left hand, destroying the icicles on one side before they could reach me. The rest of the projectiles I either dodged or deflected away with my sword. But I couldn't perfectly evade all of them in time, and multiple icicles cut through my skin.

By the time I had leeway to look around, the demon was no longer near me.

"It's impressive that you survived that without serious injuries, human. I might have underestimated you. But I will deal with you later."

By the time I noticed it, Ice Revenant stood outside of the hall, beyond where the wall that separated the room from hallway once was. The demon then conjured its powers, and a massive wall of ice manifested, completely cutting away the hall from the hallway.

"Damn it!" I cursed. 

I allowed him to escape. I had no doubts that his destination was the Sacred Lair. There weren't many places where people could hide, and since the demon had cooperators among the cultists, there was no way he didn't know about it. Reyes and the others were likely in the hidden chamber, but there was no guarantee that Ice Revenant wouldn't find them.

"Zephyrus!"

Alan, who just recovered from the demon's previous blow came up to me. Probably because he was able to use holy arts to heal himself, he had no visible injuries despite his clothes and armor being torn in multiple places.

"We can break through this if we combine our efforts," Alan said as he stared at the wall of ice.

I nodded and we began chanting simultaneously.

"Astral Burst!"

"Flame Lance!"

***

It took us several minutes to break through the wall.

By the time we reached the Sacred Lair, it transformed to the point of disbelief. Its barrier was broken, which was within my expectations, but everything that lay beyond that was completely destroyed. Dozens of demons filled both outside and the inside of the Lair. And in the middle of them all, stood Ice Revenant.

Immediately, Alan and I rushed forward, slashing away at the demons in front of us. As we combated our way through the layers of enemies, Revenant spoke with a bit of surprise.

"Hmm? You made it here much faster than I expected. I think there's a secret room somewhere here, but mysteriously, I can't quite find it. Originally, I wanted to deal with all the other potential obstacles before taking you on, but a change of plans is in order. I can take the information about the hidden room from you anyway."

The demons around us stepped aside as if not wanting to interfere in the fight. Although, it was probably more accurate to say that Ice Revenant didn't want to waste its precious work force for nothing.

Alan and I rushed towards the demon simultaneously. Its ice powers were even more dangerous than its close combat capabilities. If we had a chance at defeating it, it would be by not allowing it to keep its distance.

The demon responded by sending a storm of icicles at us. We dodged and deflected them as we closed in the distance. The demon was faster or more powerful than any of us on our own, but its technique was poor, and together, we were able to chain our attacks and not give it any breathing room.

Each successful attack pushed the demon back and slowed its motions. Our blades couldn't make it through Ice Revenant's armor, but occasionally, our slashes reached parts of its body that weren't protected by its shell. Slowly but surely, more and more of the demon's blood spilled.

We can do this!

Even without the power of the Blessing, we could oppose the strongest demons. With each passing second, that belief became conviction.

Then, the battle reached its turning point. I saw an opening. After countless sword strikes, a single chunk of Ice Revenant's hardy armor crumbled. It was around its neck—a crucial weak point. Aiming at the demon's newest weakness, I thrust my blade forward.

Just barely, Ice Revenant reacted in time. It blocked my attack with its armored arms, choosing to ignore Alan's slashes. Because of that, Alan's sword pierced the demon's leg, landing in the gap between its armor.

Panicking, Ice Revenant cast a shield of ice and attempted to jump backwards to increase the distance between us. Alan and I rushed forward, chasing after the demon. I was confident we could finish it off.

But a single spell resounded.

"Black Sphere."

It was a spell I already saw prior. A simple offensive darkness magic that I would normally deflect with ease. But in that moment, I was still stuck in the dashing motion. When I looked at where the spell came from, I saw a single human, just barely peeking behind the masses of demons.

There was a mage hidden in the crowd?! 

As I saw the sphere approach me, I casted my own incantation in order to cancel out the spell.

"Flame Blast"

I finished the incantation in time, and a stream of flames clashed with the black sphere. The flames were so powerful they pierced through the spell and reached the dark caster on the other side. And in that moment, a powerful blow reached me, and my world began spinning.

"Agh!"

I flew dozens of meters and crashed into a wall, creating a cloud of dust on impact.

My entire body was screaming in pain. I was confident that many of my bones were broken. I bled all over the place, and my right hand was twisted in the wrong direction. I immediately realized what happened. I was hit with the ice shield that the demon had created before. It was durable and massive so with Revenant's strength it doubled as a powerful club.

Meanwhile, all of the demons that previously lay in wait rushed at Alan. He quickly responded with a spell.

"Astral Burst!"

A massive explosion of energy occurred with him at the center. The spell reached most of the demons, sending them flying and eliminating most of them. As a result, the Sacred Lair was trashed even further.

The few demons that survived began running away in panic. Ice Revenant didn't seem to care as it made no attempt to stop them.

But after all of that destruction, the walls of the Sacred Lair also sustained serious damage. A small part of the wall was destroyed, and beyond that destroyed section, a single passage came into view.

"Perfect," the demon spoke, "I'm not very good at this type of destruction so I'm grateful for your help. You see, freezing everything isn't good for revealing secret entrances like that. Now, it's time to kill the problematic ones before they can recover."

"I won't let you!" Alan shouted and rushed at the demon, trying to stop it from reaching the secret chamber.

"Kgh"

I attempted to stand up as well, but my entire body cried in pain.

"Astral Claw!"

Alan chanted as he approached the demon, and a massive claw of magical energy appeared. It grabbed onto the shield of ice, prying it away from the Revenant.

"Oh? Very well, human. If you want it so badly then take it."

The demon released the shield and stretched its hand forward, launching a storm of icicles at Alan.

"_____! Swiftness!"

In response, Alan mouthed a prayer. His body immediately accelerated and he entered the barrage of projectiles directly. As he dodged dozens of icicles with the tiniest of motions, he swung his left hand, and the magical claw descended on the demon from above. 

Demon showed a slight hint of surprise. It crossed its hands above its head, attempting to block the spell. The magical claw clashed into him with such force that the floor cracked, and its body contorted under the pressure.

"Hngh. You can call to your Lord and maintain the spell simultaneously? And you kept this trick until the very end? Color me impressed, human!"

"_______! Strength!"

Meanwhile, Alan made it through the ice storm and changed his holy art to the one that empowered him. He couldn't maintain two holy arts at the same time, but he was willing to trade speed for strength in that one moment. His blade approached Ice Revenant's head with a terrifying force.

"But, human, you are not the only one who can keep tricks up his sleeve!"

The next second, the surroundings froze. A deeper freeze than anything that came prior.

A thick layer of ice covered everything in sight. The floor, the walls, the furniture around us were all encased in a thick layer of ice. Even the magical claw was no exception.

"—! I lost control of it?!" Alan exclaimed in shock.

The Ice Revenant smiled as the pressure that weighted on him from above disappeared. Then, it swung the frozen claw downwards, trying to crush its enemy. In shock, Alan stared at the approaching mass of ice. He started moving, but the demon's attack was faster than ever before, and Alan no longer had acceleration from his holy art.

I watched the ice boulder approach Alan as if in slow motion. I urged my broken body to move and chanted, squeezing my drained mana reserves to their limits. But I knew I would never make it in time.

But the next second, a ringing noise resounded, and the frozen mass shattered into pieces.

"What?!"

""—!""

All of us, even the demon, gasped in shock. 

Besides Alan, stood Reyes with a sword in his hand. His weapon was pointed exactly where the frozen mass was mere moments ago.

""Reyes?!"" Alan and I exclaimed in surprise.

"Re-Reyes!" I continued in shock. "W-what about your Last Rites?!"

Reyes smiled as if he was pleased by our reactions.

"You have perfect timing... I just about finished them," Reyes replied. "You know, as I said my goodbyes... I realized there were two important things I still had to do."

Reyes's smile turned into a wide smirk.

"First, I didn't avenge my friends. And the second—I worked so hard to catch up to you, but I never showed you the results of my training. And so, I decided I should do both while I still can... I decided to go out like a true hero candidate."

He was barely standing straight. His body was swinging back and forth, and his legs were trembling. There was no doubt that he was on the verge of death. And yet, his voice had an incredible power and clarity to it. A vitality that overshadowed everyone present.

Almost as if he was a dying star, preparing for its final spark.

"Prepare yourself, fiend! I, Reyes Augustin, the wielder of Goddess's Blessing, Lionheart, will vanquish you!"

Ice Revenant jumped away, trying to increase the distance between them as much as possible. Simultaneously, it used its powers. A massive storm of ice appeared that overshadowed its all previous attacks.

"KAHASHA!"

For the first time, it shouted using a language that was not human. It served as a sign of some kind. Unexpectedly, multiple cultists and demons jumped out and began casting spells and using their powers.

He still had more tricks?! A concealment spell?!

The intruders came seemingly out of nowhere as if they manifested from thin air. But I realized, that powerful magic was involved. Immediately, I knew that one of the cultists who appeared was a dark mage much more powerful than everyone from before. Ice Revenant kept his most powerful subordinate hidden until the very end.

Spheres of darkness, cursed spears, flames, ice, poison, smoke—everything was launched at Reyes simultaneously.

Meanwhile, the hero candidate just stood still. His eyes were glowing with the power of his Blessing—Lionheart. It was a simple Blessing that strengthened its wielder in every way possible. Strength, agility, magical force, stamina, vigor. And the more the wielder accumulated wounds and damage and the more he utilized his Blessing, the more powerful Lionheart became.

As barrage of spells approached him from all sides. An uncountable number of different projectiles, spells, and attacks. An insurmountable mass that would have overwhelmed anybody in his place.

But Reyes didn't budge. He had a final trick up his sleeve. A signature technique of his.

As Lionheart grew more powerful, there was one attack that increased in strength exponentially. It was a simple strike meant to overcome any odds.

"Lionheart. Victorious Strike!"

Reyes swung his blade horizontally.

Light spread from his blade, piercing everything in its path. The light reached the mass of darkness and the storm of ice and cut them in half. It continued onwards, overwhelming spells, powers, and weapons alike. And then, the reached the demons, the cultists, and even Alan and I.

The light went through the two of us completely harmlessly. Then, it pierced the cultists' spirits, making them faint. Finally, it reached the demons, cutting them all in half. 

Finally, it reached Ice Revenant. The demon's face contorted in shock as the light split its body in half.

Everyone collapsed. Even Alan and I fell on our backs, overwhelmed by the power of the Blessing.

Only Reyes remained standing. He put his sword in front of him and froze, as if he was stuck in that pose.

"...Reyes?" I asked hesitantly as I approached him.

But once I was within a hand's reach of him, I realized. 

He had already breathed his last.

At the end, Reyes stood straight even after his death. As if he didn't want to give in even after the end. Perhaps, that's what it meant for him to be a Hero.

As I stared at him, frozen still like a statue, a myriad of emotions exploded in my chest.

Sadness, sorrow, respect, inspiration, awe, and shock... But amidst that storm, a single silly thought ran through my mind.

A Hero was someone who slayed a Calamity. Ice Revenant wasn't well known enough to deserve that title. But that was only a flawed human classification. Judging by his strength and viciousness, he could very well be considered a Calamity. Or so I wanted to believe.

And if that was the case... Then, perhaps at the end of his life this childish underclassman of mine... 

Perhaps, he had fulfilled his dream.