Chapter 13

Time passed, allowing the magic of the demonic castle to take effect, thus completing the reconstruction of the area and the training dummies destroyed by Aiden.

The blue moon slowly moved across the sky and hid behind the demonic castle. Its glow, reflecting on the waters of the strange sea behind the castle, created a sight as unique as the blend of colors that occurs at dusk when its light mingles with the light of the red moon.

Acting as a strange red sun, the red moon remained stationary over the Demon Kingdom. Its solitary glow, which would normally signify the arrival of a new day for everyone, had carried with it a morbid air for some time now, illuminating the sad arrival of rows of bodies through the kingdom's grand gate.

No matter how many times it happened, the guards couldn't get used to that sight. Some vomited as the blue moon descended and the first row appeared in the distance, in the black forest. Others averted their eyes as far as possible from that desolate image, keeping their eyes closed as their bodies trembled, or simply looking at the farthest possible location, such as the trees of the Great Forest that reached into the skies.

That sad situation strangely had already become a routine; when a new day arrives, the people gather, starting on both sides of the main road of the Kingdom and extending all the way to the castle, keeping the central bridge and the street centers clear. Everyone waits, anxious and melancholic, for the possible arrival of even more bodies.

When they don't come, a small spark of happiness lingers over the Kingdom until the next day, but that is not the case today.

The bodies passed before their eyes, causing each one unimaginable pain for not knowing if any of those bodies belonged to someone in their family. Whether parents, mothers, sisters, or brothers, with each body and each day, the pain of those left behind grew exponentially as the bodies moved from the battlefield toward the kingdom.

On the rooftops of the demonic castle, once again, Ethan watched the same scene in silence. The sobs easily reached him, and he could even see the tears from up there. It wasn't the first or even the second time that it repeated.

He had been in that place for over three months, yet a question kept arising in his mind every time a new morning began: Why am I here?

The title of hero was bestowed upon him. A title that granted him great authority and power, but also enormous responsibility. However, amidst his comings and goings from the Great Forest, he never truly participated in the war unfolding between the kingdoms.

Heroes were killed by his hands, resulting in a significant decrease in the opponent's total power. But was that really his only role? Waiting for the order to kill a single person, whenever and wherever the Demon King wished, was that what he should be doing?

The demons didn't question or even demand anything from him. Nearly every morning, covered in long white cloths, the bodies of those people emerged amidst the black trees and were carried to the castle. Was watching this every time without saying a word truly what Ethan should be doing? Did his role as a hero boil down solely to this?

He still remembered the looks filled with admiration and the tears of joy that appeared when his summoning occurred.

There was no light in any realm that day. Darkness engulfed everything, filling every small space, even those extremely hidden for long hours.

For Ethan, darkness meant freedom after death. No matter the reason. When his eyes closed and upon opening all he saw was darkness, he had finally been freed from that miserable life to which he was confined.

The cold of the night no longer afflicted him. Now, a strange warmth filled his body; that was the awakening of his mana. Under his hands, the cold touch upon the smooth texture of the cardboard where he slept no longer existed. Through his fingers, the sensation of something hard, sometimes gritty, and with some small bumps could be felt.

However, amidst the darkness, as his body adapted to the surroundings, distant cries were heard constantly without pause. Was that his torment? Had he gone to hell after finally being liberated?

Is it a sin to die for lack of food?

The darkness dissipated, making way for the twin moons in the sky to illuminate everything below them. Amidst a stone room, unknown people and a man with white hair surrounded him.

Where is this place? Who are these people dressed in such strange clothes?

At that time, no matter how strange they were, complaining about others' clothes was not something he was in a position to do.

A shirt with several holes and a color that couldn't even be compared to its original. Pants with tears in various places and a "shoe" that didn't even protect his toes. That's all he was wearing when he was summoned.

He stood on an apparent magic circle made of strange runes that had been drawn on the floor made of gray stone blocks. The area around him was large, a room that seemed more like a medieval dungeon, illuminated by eight torches, four in each corner of the room and four divided among the walls.

The explanation of what was happening came not long after his eyes were opened and light was allowed to shine again, through the man with white hair before him.

Camelot? The Demon Kingdom? Is a war happening, and am I a hero?

To his eyes, that didn't matter. Helping someone is only possible once you're able to help yourself. However, he didn't possess such capability, and his life hadn't been easy enough for him to spare a thought for others' suffering.

A nameless person, a nobody. Without money, home, friends, or family. Just disposable and worthless amidst humans. That's what he was. But... this wasn't his world, and those beings weren't human. Would it be right to condemn them for how he had lived until then?

The castle was gigantic even by today's standards with Ethan already accustomed, but before, it seemed immensely larger. Its corridors seemed endless, and the doors with strange, not ugly, but rather interesting adornments seemed like entrances to new worlds.

The beings in the castle looked at them with strange expressions and tears in their eyes. Was it because he was the hero? Did that hold so much significance?

The guards and knights knelt the moment they saw him. How was it possible? Those were powerful beings who, unlike Ethan, were someone. They had names, friends, and families. Their swords alone were worth immensely more than everything that poor young man possessed.

The surprises didn't stop. The castle's magic was phenomenal, and it's still incredible to this day. But before, being the first time, walking on the moving stairs made Ethan want to repeat the process multiple times, and so he did.

The living statues didn't seem real even after being seen, and Ethan had walked on one of them.

And the being said to have been born after his arrival, nearly four meters tall, the creature that from that moment on would be an "extension of himself," was so beautiful and imposing that it seemed out of place where it stood. The garden of the demonic castle never seemed so simple and mediocre.

Its hooves gleamed, emitting a glow so intense that they seemed to attract light around them. This radiance extended throughout the majestic creature's body, highlighting its resplendent blue fur, which contrasted with its mane of deep dark blue. The horn rising from its forehead radiated a dazzling luminosity, and the sight of a compact rainbow adorning its brow only enhanced the sense of splendor and enchantment emanating from it.

"This was born with my arrival? ...Is this animal... 'part of me'?"

With extreme determination, the creature didn't let Ethan pass until he climbed onto its back. The being was beautiful, indeed, but was it safe? Trustworthy?

Hesitation lingered for some time, but something strange seemed to be happening. Ethan's mind seemed to calm as the creature approached.

"I understand..., so this was the meaning of an 'extension of oneself'? Are we interconnected?"

The being bowed before Ethan so he could climb onto its back. The ground never seemed so distant.

Its steps were swift, and the wind resistance was so strong that it almost knocked Ethan off the creature. Clinging to its long mane, the young man managed to hold on, but... why was the creature running toward a wall?

Amidst the confusion and fear, repeated attempts to make the creature change its course or stop were made. None worked.

The collision was imminent, and the approach extremely fast. Jumping wasn't an option. At that speed, if Ethan had only half of his bones broken, it could already be considered a great fortune.

With the creature's refusal to stop and the collision approaching, instinctively, his eyes closed.

"Going to another world just to die in such a stupid way, riding a strange creature... Whoever is behind this... know that you're a huge son of a bitch!"

The collision didn't happen.

Thanks to a strange and gentle breeze, his long black hair continued to be constantly thrown back. Ethan opened his eyes, revealing the sky and the red moon above his head.

"I'm... flying?!"

Looking ahead, towering trees could be seen defying the skies and piercing the clouds. Just like the magnificent snow-covered mountains that seemed to stretch for kilometers. And, a little closer, surrounding the large walls of the Demon Kingdom, an extensive and eerie black forest emerged.

The creature circled back, heading toward the castle and revealing the beautiful blue moon whose glow reflected intensely on the sea hidden beyond the limits of the demonic castle.

The Demon Kingdom was fantastic in itself. Almost completely invisible bridges in arch shapes connect the entire Kingdom, which resembles a junction of large islands, with the demonic castle in the center and being the largest among them.

The central bridge, connecting the demonic castle not only with the central city that has a road leading directly to the gates but also with the rest of the Kingdom, has a total of eight branches that connect to the other islands.

There are also smaller bridges. Bridges that exclusively serve to connect the islands to each other, forming basically a circle over the waters.

Under the bridges, carrying a strange, whitish and also bluish color, there is a lake with a strange liquid that separates all the islands and runs through many parts of the Kingdom.

Its shining hooves pushed the air, and the creature descended in a circle toward the ground. After landing, Ethan opened his eyes and looked ahead, this being the moment when, for the first time, he saw the real weight and meaning of the title bestowed upon him.

The hero. Not just a symbol of strength, but also one who brings hope to those who no longer see any light.

It wasn't one or two people. An entire Kingdom was bowing before his eyes. Before a person who didn't even possess proper clothes to wear.

They were the ones who cried incessantly throughout the time the darkness persisted. They were the ones who called for his coming. For the coming of a small glimmer of hope.

They were the ones who made him become someone. Who gave him a name.