《The 7th Hero》
Prologue - An end with a beginning.
Today was the day, we were gonna save the world, and my uncle from drowning in his own darkness. Everything was going according to plan, Micheal our warrior was keeping the demons distracted, while Selena, Helena and I, rain down the pain from afar with our magic and Helena''s arrows. Then there''s the other 3 Sinbad the assassin, Vauban the spell-sword, and Magnus the dwarven prince, they have infiltrated the enemy lines and are carving a way for us while the 4 of us work on thinning the numbers. When we finally got to the heart of the evil, the demon king Baalthor, my uncle, we were tired but still going strong. After 1 hour of fighting, everyone but me was on the ground in pain as Baalthor looms over us. It was time to get serious, suddenly I am clad in armor and claws grow from my hands, and my metal boots turn into clawed feet, and after a screeching metallic sound, my helmet splits open to form a mouth. I have gone into my demonic form. I rush at my uncle, magic a blazing and metal spikes rising everywhere, eventually i get to him and stab my hand through his heart. While the last bit of darkness clings to life he casts a spell on me, the forbidden spell, Void Banishment. He was gonna erase me from existence, but halfway through he died while muttering "Sage...I''m sorry..." And that was it. I was erased from existence, the spell wasn''t finished, but it was enough to work, later I would find out how much it worked.
Chapter 1 - Things happen
Nothing. That''s all there is, nothing. But me. Somehow, even though the spell worked, I''m still here. So while floating through the endless nothingness that is the void, I begin to recollect how everything had happened.
3 months ago, I woke up in a forest with no memory of who I am, or was. When I came to, there were 6 people standing around me. They would eventually become my friends and the same 6 who fought with me in the end. They helped me out, and let me follow them while I try to regain my memory, but I told them, "I don''t want to remember." They looked at me with worried and confused looks, and asked why? I had told them "Maybe me forgetting who I was, was meant to be, maybe it was an opportunity, a second chance at life." So that was that, we never bothered to figure out anything about me. But with no name, we came across a problem. What do they call me? They didn''t want to run around yelling "HEY YOU!" all the time. After I showed them my magic when we encountered some ogres, which surprised me to, Michael called me a super mage, which Helena then attributed to shortening it which led to sage. Then from that moment that was me. Sage. Although it was not my name, and I never considered it to be, it stuck as a placeholder.
Later after traveling around for about a month, Magnus who was a profound blacksmith, wondered about my left arm, wondering why I was always wearing a guantlet. After telling him it dosn''t feel like a guantlet, that it was just my hand. I thought it was normal, and for me it was. The guantlet on my left arm was in fact my left hand, and not a prosthetic either. There is blood and muscle and everything underneath it. The metal was my skin. So from there we all got curious why my hand was made of metal. We discovered why I was like that when we went through the Beast Kingdom. A beastman, my elder brother, recognized me and brought me to my father, complaining that I had some explaining to do. When we reached what turned out to be a castle, we met the Beast King, Illthais, my father. After I told him about my amnesia, and our curiosity about my arm, he explained. My arm signifies my inheriting of my father''s special abilitiy that allows him to summon a powerful suit of armor. He also explained that I am 1/4 Beastman, 1/4 Demon, and 1/2 Human, my father himself is half beast, half demon. I came from 3 sources of royalty, my father the beast king which made me a beastial prince, my mother was named Victoria, she was the eldest sister of Helena and was called the lost princess due to fact she disapeared one day out of nowhere. My grandmother is the Demon Baronness and mother of my father and my uncle the Demon King, her name was Mildred. This all explained my appearance and abilities. I looked human but with pointy, furred ears, sandy brown hair, I got fangs, and my beast arm which is also apart of my full demonic form, and I have 4 eye colors. I have green and yellow in my left eye, and purple and blue in my right, and they glow in the dark with almost demonic pupils. My demonic form looks just like a suit of armor, but with a mouth, and claws.
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As to my abilities, I am the only being on the planet who has the ability to learn ALL magic spells, regardless of race, gender, age, affinities or whatever. I have even created my own magic tree. Metal. I am the world''s first and so far, only Ferromancer. I am also one of the few mages that can cast magic without chant or aid.
After all that was just us travelling to go fight my uncle ending with his death and my nonexistence.
Away
Sorry I haven''t posted any new chapters lately, just trying to get this last few weeks of school gone.
In the mean time how about a drawing I made of Sage covered up.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Chapter 2 - Truth hurts
So, I felt kind of guilty, just leaving whoever has been reading this (Thanks a lot by the way, I appreciate it so much that someone likes this) and just dumping that picture on you guys, that I wanted to make this, when I had gotten some free time. This doesn''t mean I''m through just yet, I got 2 more days until schools out.
P.S. I''m considering releasing another book alongside this one. Not too many spoilers, but lets just say even robots should enjoy fantasy worlds for a time. Let me know if you like the sound of it and I''ll get started when I can and make chapter 3 while I''m at it.
So at some point in the nothingness that was never time. I remembered. I remembered everything. All the things I did until it lead up to that day in the forest. Turns out, I made quite a name for myself, not Sage, but my real name, Vincent Bailthis. I am a master at every known form of magic that has ever existed. Including the forbidden magics like the Void Series, which lead me to be stuck here in the first place. I remember fighting ice giants, having tea with the dragon king, creating the world''s major mode of transportation, the warp runes. Giant runes scattered all over the continent, a total of 12 runes at each major allied city that teleports from one to another. The 12th one though is an exception as it is hidden at my house in fact, which only I have access to. I also remember--
*tweet* *tweet*
Birds? In the Void? Couldn''t be. Wait, my eyes are closed. I see... blue. Not white, but blue, as in sky blue. My hands, I feel grass, and dirt, I smell pollen. This is amazing, that means it worked. Since I know Void magic, I figured I could try to create a counter-spell to Void Banishment to try and free myself, and it worked. By the blood, it worked. "IT WORKED!" My voice echoes through what I now see is a grove that I materialized in. Okay, now what. I''m most likely forgotten, so maybe this is like a 3rd chance at life. You know what they say, 3rd times the charm. This means I can redo everything, and create a new story for myself. Although I know my name, let''s continue using Sage. Sounds cooler.
First things first, I need to find a town to gain information, I don''t recognize where I am at. ... So after about 3 hours of walking East, I''m beginning to get hungry, and I finally see a town in the distance. When I reach the town, I notice it looks pretty established, I mean usually towns out in what looks like the middle of no where are sort of well.. hicks. Not these people, they look like they came from a city or something. I find what looks like an inn, and as I walk inside, I get these strange glares and glances. I ignore them as I walk up to the bar and begin to ask the lady behind the counter, whom looks as if she runs this place, where I am. When suddenly.
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"Well you''re different." (Inn Keeper)
"Huh?" (Me)
"Usually we get some stereotypical adventurers, historians, and the occasional tourists, but you look like you''re trying to be everything at once."
"What are you talking about?"
What''s wrong with my clothes?
"Well, you''re wearing a blue, mage''s shirt, a warrior''s cargoes, combat boots, a long white scarf that would suit a rogue, a finger-less glove, goggles, and a metal gauntlet. What exactly are you trying to be son?"
"Well first off, I am a mage of sorts, the scarf is a gift from my mother, my boots and pants are just random items that were comfortable, same goes for the glove, I rather like goggles, and the guantlet is my hand, and why am I explaining myself to a complete stranger?"
*shrugs* "Anyways, what can I get you for? Names Bertha."
"Well, Bertha, I''m looking for some information."
"What kind of information?" Bertha says as she gives me a guarded look.
"The location. Where am I exactly, what is this region called?"
"Well this is Abraxia Grove, just up the hill there is where the battle happened 400 years ago." She says as she gives me an "Are you stupid?" look.
"What battle?"
"The battle between the demon king and the 6 heroes, you idiot. What have you been living under a rock this whole time?
400 years?! Couldn''t be, could it? Time doesn''t work in the Void. Then I realize, that just because time doesn''t move in the Void, doesn''t mean it never moved outside it. 400 years. I''ve been gone for so long. Then... most of them, the others, they must be dead now...
Side project.
So I now have school done and over with now, and I have a LOT, of free time on my hands now. So you can expect some chapters coming out now, and to keep myself even more busy, and so I don''t get bored, I started a little side project. Titled, Seven, look at it if you want when or if it gets approved, and hope you guys like it as much as The 7th Hero.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Anyways, thanks for reading what few chapters I currently have for this, and you can expect Chapter 3 to be done and submitted possibly before the end of next week.
Chapter 3 - Unwanted
400 years, I have been gone for so long, and the fact that I have most likely been erased from existence means that all my stuff is gone too. Great.
.....
"Sir? You alright?" (Bertha)
After a few moments of silence, I manage to drag out a rather awkward reply.
"Mmmmmmmmmmm....... Gimme a minute."
She gives me an odd look as I lift up my head from my shock, and after my minute of pulling myself together, I say "Sorry about that, as I told you earlier, I am in fact a mage, but I have gone into hiding quite a while ago. I just decided to come back to civilization today. It''s quite a shock to hear that 400 years has passed by since then. Many things are not the same as they were."
Hearing this, some of the people in the inn start to glare at me, some with completely unwanted attention. I see the rogue types sizing me up for whatever treasures a 400 year old man might have. The historians give me the same look, but one of happiness. I must be like a walking history book to them, until they remember that I was in hiding for along time and turned away to sulk. Only a few remain happy to have heard me, I''m guessing, that even though I was in hiding for the past 400 years, that still means I''m at least 400 with plenty of stories to tell, and that''s exactly what they''re looking for.
Bertha however doesn''t look all too convinced. "400 years? Really? You expect me to buy that? You look like you''re still in your early twenties."
"I''m part demon. I won''t live as long as a full-fledged one, but I still get a lengthy life from it." I reply. "Demon?!" Bertha yells in shock and pulls a battleaxe from under the counter. Well that happened. All of the people in the inn stand up as they''re pulling out they''re weapons as well.
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"Listen! I''m not full demon, I''m not even half demon!" I try to salvage the situation as best as possible without making things worse. Bertha, who is still in shock, and eyes me for a moment and lowers her axe, I hear a couple of the armed people behind me do the same. "Only partialy? You''re not actually demon?" She calmly says. "No, no I am not." She puts her guard down slightly, and lays the axe on the counter, obviously still cautious. "Sorry, about that. My memory isn''t too kind of demons. Especially after one killed my husband." She sadly mutters. "I''m very sorry for your loss. I should probably go, before one of my friends here isn''t as level headed as you are." I tell her with a sad look on my face. "Aye, its may be for the best. She says. "Here, since you''ve been gone for so long, things are most likely different. So, a map. Also to tell you sorry." She says as she hands me the map. "Thank you."
"Stay safe traveller."
And with that I''m off to go do..... something. I honestly don''t know what to do now. I guess I should start a new, once again. Maybe make a better legend than the nameless mage, who never saved the world. Well, I guess, let''s go see the damage, maybe there''s a little bit of hope that something was left behind due to the spell being half finished. I pull open the map, and look at the nearby roads. The spot where my house was, was actually not too far from here. Well, I guess that''s a good a place as any to start.
Chapter 4 -Bandits & Old People
I remember this forest trail, to think it survived 400 years. I am currently in the Miralldi Forest, which is right next to where my house is.
"Aggh!"
Huh? What was that yell, I move closer to the origins of the scream when I begin to see what''s happening.
"Hand over everything you got old man! Or your grandson gets it."
Bandits. Why are there always bandits and old people in forests anyways? Is there some kind of rule that states all bandits have to operate in forests, and only mug geezers? Now that I think about it, technically, I''m the geezer here. Anyways, guess I should step in before something bad happens to those two.
"Hey! Let go of the boy now. I''m not gonna warn you twice." I shout at the one holding the kid. "Who in the hell, do you think you are moron? You think you can order me around? If you havn''t noticed, there are only 3 of you, and one is my hostage, and the others just old. Kill em!" Says another bandit, whom I assume is the ringleader of this little circus.
Alright, I''m done with these morons.
*Sssssssschk!*
The leader looks at me with a scared look, turns his head, and notices that his left arm is now gone, and where the arm was, is now a giant metal spike poking through the ground.
"Next one won''t just take the other arm. Hand me the boy, release this old man, and leave this forest at once!" I shout as a series of spikes explode from the ground. """AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH! DEMON! MONSTER! WE''RE GONNA DIE!""" The bandits shout as they run off into the woods. I dissipate the spikes back into the ground, and approach the two I had just saved.
"My thanks, young man. Assuming you are a travelling mage, what was that spell you just used, and how in the world did you cast it so effortlessly?" The old man asks inquisitively. "It''s a spell of my own, and I''m not too keen on teaching it to anyone just yet. Now, for my question, what is an arch-mage level, old wizard, and a little girl doing out in the middle of the woods, while faking feeble to bandits?" I ask back. "I am not a little girl!" The kid yells in a mix of anger and fluster. "Oho, so you can tell that much from just a glance? Who are you? As for what my companion and I are doing, we are returning to our home not too far from here." The old man tells me. "I see, I live nearby as well, or I used too, I''ve been away for a while. Don''t even know if my house is still standing. And to answer your question. My name is Vincent, but please, call me Sage. As for how I figure you both out in a mere moment, well. I can see your mana. As for that future question, I learned {Arcane Eyes} at the age of 9.
"Now if you''ll excuse me, I must be headed back to what might no longer be my house." I say as I begin to walk away from the dumbfounded old man. "WAIT! My name is Evergreen, and since you already know about my companion''s identity, her real name is Felicia, due to certain circumstances, she has been in hiding as my young ''male'' apprentice Edgar. Do you mind if we walked with you for the remainder of this small journey home?" Evergreen says. "Sure. It''s not like I''m stoppin you anyways." I reply back casually. "If you don''t mind me asking, how long have you been gone, for you to say your house may or may not be the any longer?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there."In 2 months I will technically be turning 424." I tell him.
"424?! By the gods, if you are as old as you claim to be, you must have witnessed the fight with the evil Bailthor. Tell me, what was it like?" Evergreen asks. "HE WAS NOT EVIL!" I shout at the top of my lungs at him. "I''m... sorry, its just that current time''s history seems to have gotten the whole battle wrong, but yes, I did witness the battle then. In fact, I was in it. Bailthor was... a victim in that battle, not the villain. He was possessed by an entity known as The Darkness, a formless, purely evil being, who feeds on all, and destroys everything in its path. Bailthor in reality, was kind, he had a daughter, a loving wife.... he was my uncle, and it was I who killed Bailthor that night due to his wish, not the other six." I sadly tell Evergreen the true events. He looks at me, in a mixture of shock, awe, confusion, doubt, and curiosity. "Why was this never mentioned in history then? I know this is the first time we''ve ever met, but after a couple years, I can easily differentiate between truth and fallacies. So, why was this never mentioned at all?" Evergreen asks, as he pleads for an answer. "Because, officially, it never happened, I never existed to begin with. I was erased due to void magic. Now please, no more questions." And so we continue walking in awkward silence, as Evergreen watches me with some new found respect, and Felicia, staring at me, wondering if I am actually some unknown, mysterious forgotten hero.
After an hour of walking, we finally exit the forest, and I see it. My house. It still stands, exactly as I left it, over 400 years ago. Thousands of protection spells, really do wonders, even if they make me seem, overly paranoid. We approach my house, and I tell me two companions, "Well, it seems my house has still been standing after so long. Even through something as powerful as void magic, which is interesting in itself. Well, being as I reached my home first, this is where we part ways." I wave them goodbye and enter my house. My house is built into a giant elder tree, not on it like a regular tree house. It is actually built into the tree, with the aid of magic, I warped the tree to grow into the shape of a house as it continues to grow. To the rest of the world, it looks like a giant manor is fused, halfway through a tree.
As I begin to walk around and put my stuff away, I hear, "Ahem! Pardon me, but it seems we have been taking residence in your home, while you were gone." I turn around to see Evergreen and Felicia standing behind me. Well, to be fair, if a house remains empty for 400 years, someone would probably decide to live in it. The real question is, how did they unlock the seal on the front door to get in, in the first place. Which now that I think about, I didn''t even notice it was missing due to my excitement.
Well damn.