You're My Hero

Footsteps of two ladies were singing through the long hallways of the dark dungeon. Karina and Alice were the two who soon reached poor Ruby who has been knocked out by blood loss.

Karina immediately ducked on her knees and pulled the small blonde out of pool of her own blood. “Ruby!” She yelped. “No! What in the world has happened to you?!” She yelled, gently shaking her, trying to wake her up. “Please, say something!!”

Alice put a hand on her shoulder. “There is no use… I don’t see how she’d survive this much of blood leakage.” She said sadly.

“N-no!” The blue haired girl said, checking her friend’s pulse. “It can’t be…” She mumbled, looking for anything, any sign of life. When she felt the slow beating, she sighed in relief. “I-I can feel her pulse.” She said with a smile.

“Then we should hurry up! She might be alive now but not for a long time if the bleeding doesn’t stop. Seriously, what has happened to her…?” The demoness said, picking Ruby up from Karina’s arms. “Find somebody who can heal.” She said before walking into the nearby room, trying to at least help her not to die until they found somebody who could actually save the little girl in red hood.

***

The centaur in golden armour stood on one side of the room while on other side stood a once glorious knight, without any of his fancy armours, equipped only with his rapier and newly received magic.

They were both staring at each other like a pray, with bloodlust in their eyes. They both knew blood will be spilled during that night but they also both thought that blood won’t be theirs.

All of it was for her, the girl both of the men wanted by their sides. Odette was simply watching, fear in her eyes. Her white sleeping dress was still perfectly beautiful on her just like it was when Lancelot took her with him. She didn’t want a fight but it was the only way she could be saved.

“Lancelot, this fight doesn’t have to unravel. Just step away from the princess and drop your weapon and you don’t have to get hurt.” Hylos said, his staff glowing in blue light. He was ready to do whatever it takes to take the princess back to a place where she’d be safe.

“Do you really think I’d hand her over to you that easily?!” The blonde man with long hair asked, angrily. “Never! She is mine, you hear me? MINE!” He yelled. “And nobody, I repeat, NOBODY will stand in my way, especially not you.”

The much taller man sighed, rising his spear. “Then, I’m sorry for what will follow.” He said before charging in, followed with a gust of wind that’s strength kept increasing as it continued blowing.

Lancelot now enchanted his sword with power of arcane and disappeared into the air, slashing three times at Hylos in lightning speed but unfortunately, he couldn’t pierce through Hylos’ armour.

Once he came back into the form of flesh and blood, he couldn’t dodge receiving heavy blow with the staff which Hylos temporarily used as a spear. It left him stunned for a moment and before he could realise what’s going on, he was being pushed away from Hylos by the wind which started blowing in a circle around him.

Lancelot was immediately met with a feeling of weakness as he couldn’t move normally, his motions and moves slowing down more and more with each time the wind pushes him away.

Despite Hylos having no sharp weapons or blades, he was a very experienced fighter wielding his magic much better against a less skilled opponent with much stronger powers.

The knight raged and quit trying to fight back the wind but instead focused all his power in the blade before launching a strong blast of power which also launched him forwards, straight into the centaur.

Despite his physical endurance, he couldn’t resist such a powerful blow. He fell to the ground, wind stopping and his weapon lying on the ground. It was dropped by the power of impact.

Odette didn’t want to see Hylos falling but the pain grew worse only when acknowledged the fact she could do nothing without her staff and sword… only if she could get something in exchange. Any sword would be good, she just had to find one.

Lancelot was, luckily, too busy slashing at Hylos whose armour was slowly getting broken. It’s interesting how a will of a man could outpower even a giant steel plate. The centaur groaned trying to fight back but every time he’s try to stand up, he would just get pushed back.

Odette used the time the best she could, she needed to be fast and silent once she located a sword. She was lucky to have one hanging on the wall. Beside it, there was a small picture pinned to the wall showing two small children with very light hair. The boy was a bit smaller and has beautiful baby blue eyes while the girl was looking away from camera playing with a sword.

It wasn’t hard to recognise a picture from Lancelot’s childhood, a picture with his sister who was at such a young age already interested in weapons. The sword on the wall appeared to be the same one on the picture.

There is one more thing sticking in Odette’s eyes while she’s watching the picture. There is a small heart written underneath it with a red paint and small letters saying: “I miss you.”

She didn’t know is it just that somebody left him a note or does he just miss his family that much. If it’s about him, no wonders he would kill for her. He does seem rather lonely, nobody to talk to here. Loneliness drives people crazy… That’s if her guesses were right.

No use of trying to clear his name now, she had a certain centaur to save. She grabbed the sword that was hanging on the wall and used it to summon a swan to hit Lancelot and possibly get him away from Hylos, if nothing, to give him some time to get on his legs again.

At that point, the knight’s attention shifted to Odette after dodging her swan attack. “Don’t get into this, woman, don’t make me hurt you too!” He threatened.

It gave Hylos just enough time to get up and summon grand healing wind that healed the cuts Lancelot did and push him back. “You’re going to do nothing to her, you dirty traitor! She deserves better than you!!” He exclaimed.

The blonde was pushed towards the wall but he dodged Hylos just in time by using a bit of magic to blink away from his wind. He hissed preparing to strike but just before he could execute it properly, Odette canceled his plans once again.

She grabbed Hylos’ staff. Although it was a bit heavier than she is used to, she managed to pick it up and cast one of the most powerful skills she could use. She summoned loud swan song around Lancelot that forced him to close his ears instantly and drop his sword to free hands needed to close his ears.

“Argh!!” He yelped, the song piercing his ears while Hylos could heal up. Once the song ended, Lancelot was feeling weak, everything ringing like church bells and the centaur was standing behind him, ready to do the finishing blow but Odette just shook her head.

She swung the sword one final time and a note formed in front of her before she threw it on the knight. It was enough to knock him out. He was literally knocked down by music.

In the end, two hoofs stepped over his moveless body. “I’m absolutely stunned by your performance, my lady.” Said the white haired man, clearly hurt in the fight and  having broken armour on him.

“Please spare me…” She spoke before embracing him tightly. “If you hadn’t come, I could do nothing. I can’t believe you actually came here and found me… I thought-- I thought you’d just leave without me.” Her face was buried into his chest, her being fairly shorter but it wasn’t to expect a girl to be as tall as a male centaur.

“I would never be able to forgive myself if you suffered here and I wouldn’t do anything about it.”  He said, grabbing her hand gently. “But without your help, I’d probably be dead by now.”

“Shush~ You’re my hero.” She said, rising on tips of her toes and pulling the man closer, struggling to plant a kiss on his lips. After a moment of shock, she could feel two strong and muscular arms picking her up and deepening the kiss by tilting his head gently. He has been living for that moment.

***

Clock was ticking… Moon was slowly coming out.

Alice is speaking to Argus who was just about to perform the ritual that would bring him back his angelic wings, when his lover asked for one more thing before he does it and kills their last remaining  prisoner. Somebody needed to heal up Ruby and the only healer there was none other than the moon priest they imprisoned.

What’s weird is that Estes just calmly obeyed. “Please show me where the girl that needs my assistance is.” He said, his hands tied up behind his back. If he is already going to die, he might as well die knowing he helped one more person. Not as if he had a choice anyway.

While he was healing the last person in his life, he was clearing his mind and preparing for peace of death. There was no sense of worrying now, he already accepted his destiny and the fact there was nothing else he could do to survive.

As soon as he finished, Argus put him back on his place and started. He was already late so he had to hurry up while the three girls were just watching in awe while everything was unrevealing in front of their own eyes.

The book started glowing while the fallen angel was reading a part of the text from the Codex of Apocalypse. After years looking for it, it was finally in his hands. He could feel the power of the book itself, just imagining how powerful he’d become when he uses it in his favour.

“And by the words from book, you, almighty moon, set free the powers of your first man od trust and unseal what has been taken away from the fallen angel, through the soul and body of your priest.” He said before a loud strike was heard.

With the power of lightning, a ray of pure light shot down towards Estes, the poor man screaming in pain, his body unable to take this much power. He was used just as a media that would absorb the enormous power received and send it out again, slowly for Argus to take.

The process was painful but after only few minutes it was over. The moon priest fell to the ground, his body giving up on him, lying dead cold in front of the creature that has already threatened once to destroy the world and is on the edge of doing so once again.

The fallen angel, in his true form was now standing in front of the corpse, four great green and black wings sticking out from his back. With all the might one can achieve throughout their life, this black armoured monstrous looking angel was glowing with green light, rising into the absolute darkness of the night.

***

"When the cries of battle turn into graves,
The Fallen angel his wings retains
In the darknes reborn he will stand
Worthy foe, not a single woman or man."