"Lord Velago!"
Blood spilled onto the floor as the blade sliced through the demon king's chest.
Amidst the innumerable corpses scattered across the battlefield, a woman with big, dark horns on her head dashed in the direction of the king's position. This was a conflict: the great conflict between humans and demons, and the demon lord, who had turned both into adversaries.
Tripping multiple times, she scrambled to reach the broken castle, a deep certainty in her heart that she would not make it.
Inside that very castle, the one who had delivered the final blow, the hero Forlase, wore a grim expression. From the distance, she could hear the chants of the human army. "The demon king has been slain! The hero has won!"
Many of the demons who had joined forces with them collapsed to the ground, crying.
The hero, seemingly upset, spoke. "Making an enemy of your own people. How heroic of you, dear friend."
As life slipped from his form, the demon lord replied, "Don't tell me you're getting emotional. That won't be a grand look for the hero, will it?"
He spat out blood, dark threads clinging to his face. Every second he spent breathing was as though countless needles were stabbing his heart. Still, he wore a calm smile on his face, one filled with relief and a hint of sadness.
Not the kind of expression you would see on a man nearing his death.
Looking into the distance, he saw the red moon illuminating the countless dead bodies on the ground. And right there was his loyal companion, sprinting toward him with tears dripping from her eyes. Though he could not hear her voice, he knew she was calling out his name, sobbing.
The man whom she had always looked up to was about to meet his end, and there was nothing she could do. Too far to touch, and yet, close enough to see the life fleeting from his exhausted face.
"Use it, hero, and kill me," said the demon king, his voice barely audible.
The hero closed her eyes, as if to hide the pain on her features. No, it was quite evident; anyone could tell that just from looking at her.
Her brows were frowned as she bit her lower lip, eyes bubbling so much a single blink would be all she needed for a single tear to drop to the ground.
Even then, she managed to let out a silent voice.
"I'm sorry."
A typical thing for her to say, Velago knew that all too well.
So, he smiled as he gave his response, blood trickling down the side of his lips.
"Worry not. With my death, the war between humans and demons will come to an end. No one else will die, nor will there be suffering from deep-rooted racism. My life will ensure it."
The hero gritted her teeth.
"Goodbye, demon lord of Eternity, Velago Pailoms."
Just like that, she activated her ability; a holy light enveloped Velago from the inside out, turning his body into a skeleton with very little skin left. Then, she pulled her blade out, pushing him to the ground.
As he fell, he caught a glimpse of her, tears trailing down her cheeks, her expression so soft it was hard to tell if she was truly the one who killed him.
'Oh, you stubborn woman. I just told you not to cry. So... unladylike.'
Thud!
His body collapsed to the ground.
Then came the announcement.
"THE DEMON LORD OF ETERNITY IS DEAD!"
'Yes, I am dead.'
(100 years later, in the city of Neo-Arcadia, Verdant Kingdom.)
For years the world continued to evolve since the war between the demons and humans ended. The hero's name, Forlase, was known through the entire world as the savior of the world, bringing the two factions together as one.
Although, not long after the war, an incident occurred, conjuring a new source of evil for the world to deal with, and with that, the hero herself disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.
…
"Arrgh!"
The warrior launched himself forward, striking down a goblin with his sword. In a single blow, he severed its head, the blood spreading across the ground. When he finished, the warrior flicked his sword to the side, slinging the remaining blood onto the grass.
"Good, that was the last one. Babe, are you alright over there?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.
The sun was beaming down on him, and despite being in a forest where the trees practically stretched to the sky, their branches could not protect those who chose to walk through their mist. Dry leaves scattered on the ground, and broken wood and branches could be seen scattered everywhere.
Soon after, a woman's voice echoed.
"Yes, I'm doing fine," the beautiful woman sighed, making her way toward the man. "To think we would have to fight monsters again, even though we already retired from the royal army."
She was dressed in a white gown decorated with a golden rose. In her hands was a long yellow staff, once a magic wand for mages.
She and her husband were heading toward a nearby village when they suddenly heard a loud crash coming from the forest. Curious, they went to check it out and were surprised to find a broken carriage surrounded by monsters.
This was right after they had found a trail of dead bodies, all dressed in the outfits of a known cult hunted by the kingdom for their evil deeds.
After clearing the monsters, the man moved toward the broken carriage to see what might have attracted them. Upon reaching it, he was shocked by what he found.
There, in the middle of the rubble, a small baby with black hair and black eyes sat staring directly at him.
Even though not long ago the baby had been surrounded by monsters, it didn't look the least bit frightened. In fact, it looked as though it was unimpressed just looking at the man.
"What the… A baby?" the man blurted out, clearly shocked.
"Are you alright? Did you find something?" the woman asked, moving closer. When she got there, she was also dumbfounded by the sight but acted quickly. "A baby? Who would abandon a child in the middle of a forest?"
Sympathy compelled her to take the baby into her arms. "Look at how cute he is."
"Oi! Careful, Alice, we don't know where this baby came from. That might be a monster in disguise for all we know."
"Monster?" Alice moved the baby closer for him to see. "Are you sure this cute face looks anything like a monster? He is probably scared; why would monsters attack this poor thing? i wonder where his parents are. Here, see, he looks cute, doesn't he?"
As he took a closer look, the man's face turned red as the baby puffed his cheeks in a comedic fashion. This not only made the man's heart flutter but also dispelled every suspicion he'd had.
"Okay, fine, but still, don't you think it's weird? The dead cultists, they are from the order... that has to mean something, right?"
His companion paid him no mind, already cooing at the child while making funny faces.
A brilliant smile spread across Alice's face, and she clutched the baby to her chest as if he were the most precious treasure in the world. "John," she breathed, her voice trembling with a joy he had not heard in years, "let's keep him."
"What? We can't just adopt a child; we don't know who he is."
"Aww, you hear that, Lloyd? John says we can keep you." A wide smile formed on Alice's face.
"What? I said no such thing!" yelled John, his face red with frustration. "And why are you suddenly giving him a name?!"
"Kekeke~"
"Don't 'kekeke' me! Are you even listening?! Alice!"