1 Exiled: The Turned 'Hero', a Short Story by Jareth Clayton

Once a honored and worshipped Hero, the man known only as the Unnamed Hero had a history of glory. He had saved countless kingdoms from evil, his name whispered all across the lands. The people worshipped him, believing him to be the savior they had long awaited.

But there was one enemy that even the Unnamed Hero hesitated to face. The monster god, a fearsome creature that controlled a vast army of merciless, hell-sent creatures, of which had forever been spreading chaos and destruction wherever it went. The desperate cries for help of the people reached the hero, voices whispering to him to confront the evil deity and bring an end to the suffering.

Driven by their cries for help, the Unnamed Hero embarked on a quest to defeat the monster god. Armed with his sword and unending determination for victory, he fought tirelessly, facing wave after wave of monsters. The battle was long and fierce, but in the end, the hero emerged as the victorious side. With a final strike, the monster god was defeated, and peace was restored.

However, his victory didn't last long in his heart. Despite his heroic deed, the Unnamed Hero found himself cast aside by those he had once loved and protected. The king, queen, prince, and princess, whom he had sworn to serve, no longer saw any use for him. They accused him of attempting to murder them all, an act he had never even thought of. Betrayed and heartbroken, he was falsely exiled, banished from the kingdom he had saved.

Alone and abandoned, the Unnamed Hero roamed the world, seeking refuge in vain. Each town and kingdom he approached denied him shelter, their being suspicious by the false accusations that had cleared his name — of good. Refusing to give in to despair, he used his skills he had learned along the way of his journey to build a modest house in the forest, where nobody could be able to find him.

In his solitude, the Unnamed Hero discovered an unfortunate consequence of his victory. The monster god's curse kept within him, its remnants slowly creeping into the depths of his soul. No matter how hard he tried, he could not escape the maliciousness that laid within him, waiting for its moment to take over him.

Desperate to hide this dark secret from everyone, the hero acted as normal as possible whenever he encountered passerby. But one had other plans, and one curious traveler tricked him into telling the truth. Word spread like wildfire, and an expedition of warriors and mages was quickly assembled to destroy the supposed threat.

Insanity ignited within the Unnamed Hero, an inferno that burned away his constant grip on secrecy. Embracing his curse, he let the remnants of the monster god consume him, regaining control to the entity that had plagued his every step. The hero became the next monster god, his eyes full of vengeful determination.

Unlike the previous, however, the Unnamed Hero mastered the curse, bending its power to his will. Now, a vessel for the monster god's soul, he swore his revenge upon the kingdoms that had done wrong against him. He brought destruction and death wherever he went, obliterating towns and castles, leaving no stone unturned.

The former hero, now known as the monster god, roamed the land he once swore to protect, his rage fueling his every move. Kingdom after kingdom fell as he walked, as innocent lives died as part of his vengeance. Finally, only the memory of his previous love, the princess who had betrayed him, fueled his destruction and never-ending wrath.

But deep within the very fabric of his being, a small part of the Unnamed Hero remained. As he destroyed the kingdoms, he managed to spare those who had been wronged and oppressed, protecting the weak and defenseless from his own fury. In the rare moments where he was himself, the Unnamed Hero vowed redemption, vowing to reclaim his true self.

The tale of the Unnamed Hero and the monster god spread throughout the lands, a tale told the consequences of power and betrayal. Legends told of a tragic entity, once worshipped as a hero, now cursed to bring destruction. Those who he spared spread the knowledge that redemption was still possible, that the Unnamed Hero's true heroic spirit stayed inside himself, waiting for the right moment to awaken it once more.

And so, as the Unnamed Hero continued, leaving only ashes and despair in his wake, the possibility of redemption continued to be spread, a glimmer of hope throughout the land.