Chapter 1: The Meeting

*Tap! Tap!*

The sounds of a game controller button being smashed reverberate throughout the whole small room. The game that was being played is a hunting game that had been on trending lately.

"Ah Shit! This monster is way too hard! Oi! Oi! what the hell you doing?! You need to heal fool! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

The man smash his controller to the floor that was made out of tatami floor mat.

"This is why a game become famous is a mistake! There will always be guys that don't know how to play swarming around like idiots!"

Hah... whatever, I am being just too tense for just a game...

The man stand up from the floor and go the bathroom to wash his face. He looks at the mirror. What reflected there's a face of a young man around the age of early 20s looking like someone who's already lost in his life.

The unshaved beard, the eye bags that was caused by the lack of sleeps, the overgrown hair. Everything about his face, when anyone see it they will say 'ah this man is pitiful'. And that's what it's. The man standing in front of the mirror is the embodiment of 'pitiful' itself. It's hard to believe that this man was once, the one who was being held high by everyone around the world.

"You looks so disgusting as always aren't you?" , He said that to his own reflection on the mirror.

The man sit down back on the floor in front of his PC watching TV show of how the world has becomes better place ever since the demon lord had been defeated by the Hero party. There are electricity, the development of internet and the booming of entertainment. Life of human had becomes better something that people could not imagine before.

The Tv show goes on saying it's all thanks to the Hero Party sacrifice the world become what it's now. But.

"But when we are talking about the heroes don't he always appear on your mind first?"

"Who do you mean by he?"

"Hahaha You know who I meant but play dumb. It's 'He' you know? The Betrayer Hero."

The young man was taken aback when one of the host mention the betrayer hero.

"It's a surely hot topics these past years don't you think so? The betrayer hero who sacrifice the life of his comrade for his own safety? Everyone around the world knows it. The only survivor in the demon lord war. The great mage hero. But isn't so great anymore when you found only corpses around him after the defeat of demon lord."

"It's really a miracle how he can be the only survivor."

"No- There are no such thing as miracle. That was definitely something that was planned out. Maybe he did it out of spite for revenge? Since he's the youngest in the party there might be some bullying or teasing happens. But well, we won't get the answer from the person himself."

"Oh yeah, I heard he had been missing ever since the demon lord was defeated. His location right now still unknown. It's mysterious if he's even alive right now. Maybe he been hiding to hide the truth from us after all. The horrific truth that's.

The shows end with the hosts laughing at the topic.

The young man, the mage hero, Aslan eyes lost it lights. He's breathing but it doesn't feels like he's. Rather than breathing it feels like he's drowning. It's as if his whole body was weight down to the bottom of the sea.

He wants to forget. He wants to move on. But he never can. His sins keep pulling him down again and again. Like hell he can forget. This 5 years had been nothing but him living as nothing but a living corpse.

He holed up in his own house for 5 years. Keeping his distance away from everyone. Not wanting to meet anyone. Not wanting to looks at anyone face. He had been living in the isolation. But he still think, this is not enough. Not enough to pay back for his own sins.

Ah... life is nothing but a pain.

*ding dong*

He heard the house bell ringing. Someone's outside. It's okay. I'll just ignore it. It's gonna be a salesman anyway.

*ding dong*

it rang again. Just ignore it.

*ding dong*

Just go away already.

*ding dong*

I don't wanna meet anyone.

*ding dong*

EIHH!!

This guy sure is annoying. Keep pressing the bell when no one answers. When did salesman becomes this aggressive?! I will gives him some speech and complaints to the management!

Aslan opens the door aggressively. He shout with his eyes looking down at the floor.

"What do you want?!! I don't want to buy anything!! If this is your way of selling stuff then it won't be a wonder your company gonna be bankrupt!! If you ever disturb this house again I'll definitely sue you!!!"

He catch his short breath. It's rare for him to talk this much let alone shout to a stranger. Yet, the stranger still hasn't left yet.

"Why are you still here? Do you really want to be out of job that bad?!"

"Um..."

A girl...?

He heard a young girl voices. He was taken by a shock. Usually the salesman that comes to his house were only old man.

"When you are talking to someone, you need to looks at someone face you know, or your feelings won't reach them. Let it be even rage. So... why don't you try looking at me properly and try that again."

He's nervous and his heart beat fast. The one he shouted at reply him with voice that comes with a kind sound. Like the lullaby from the angel itself.

He slowly turn his face up, slowly looks at the girl face. His eyes that had lost its light start to glisten again. He had been captured by the beauty by the beauty of her.

The long silver hair. The pale skin. The perfect body style. And, the sparkling Sapphire blue eyes. To put in a simple word. Beautiful.

"You finally looks at me!", the girl smile.

"I am Ayla! I have come here travel from far just to meet you! I hopes we can get along, Master Mage Aslan!"

Aslan was met with a shock. He had lived in isolation for 5 years. No one tried to find him, nor did he tried to find anyone. Yet why... Why this girl stand in front of him?