The stained glass windows reverberated in between black stone walls eventually shattering with the impressive force of the Hero's continuous swings. As impressive as they were, they were being being pushed back by the Demon king.
Most of the Hero's party had fallen either to the waves of demons and the king's general throughout the battle. The final battle had been happening for a while, the Demon King gave his remarks before unleashing a surpise attack fataly wounding two of the Hero's party. It nearly struck a third, the Holy Priestess Istaye if it hadn't been blocked by her guard.
"Damn"
The Hero spat a curse at the Demon King, charging him with the remaining members of his party. The Priestess scrambled from behind her guard and tried to tend to the wounded.
"Forget them! Cast divine strike and open us a window for an attack!" The Hero barked an order at her. "They knew what they were getting into!"
Shuddering the Priestess followed her order and knelt to pray.
"Heavenly Goddess, now more than ever your deciple needs you! The fate of all races will be decided in this battle, give us your holy light to banish the darkness!"
The Priestess continued her prayer, her personal guard maintained a defensive posture between her and the battle blade ready. He watched as another strike from the Demon King claimed another of the Hero's party, this only emboldened the rest to fight harder. His blue-green eyes scanning the fight from his helmets visor, watching the miserable outcome knowing that any minute would determine wether he needed to grab the priestess and run or stay behind to support her escape.
Another, cut and twisted in half. Another blasted into a crumbling wall, the cold realization crept up his spine. He was toying with them...
The ceiling of the throne room shone in a brilliant golden light, the preistess looked up through cascading tears.
"My Goddess give us the strength to turn the battle!"
A beam of havenly light tore through the stone ceiling and ripped into the Demon Kings chest. His smug grin fell away into a howl of excruciating pain. The Demon King let out a fierce roar, this power unleashed sending shockwaves around him. Those closest were flung away at monsterous speeds, the Hero was thrown back losing his grip on the holy sword as it flew behind him. Spiralling in the air the holy sword flew straight for the priestess but was swiftly blocked by her guard. He swung his own shield and with the force of his body it ricochet cutting deep into the stone floor.
The priestess watched with a gasp.
"T-thank you T-Te" She started but was cut off.
"Keep focused! We can turn this around!" The guard called out.
The Demon King's eyes fell apon the priestess, with a quick dash he stood above them both.
"I tire of the Goddess and her little toys, you filthy little!" The Demon king growled swinging a calculated strike at the priestess.
What the Demon King haddn't expected was the guards swift movement blocking the strike and even pusing him back with the force. The Demon king eyed the guard, with contempt.
"Ive slaughtered millions of your race, filthy little dogs of humankind. I have to hand it to them though, creating a whole race just to live as cannon fodder to my demon army is its own delicious evil."
The Demon King swung again and was pushed back, this time surprise turned to intrigue. Instead of a strike the Demon King Tackled the guard thowing him into the stone wall.
"The little tin man has a bravado, and..." The demon kings eyes fell apon the armored guards body, his magical eyes scanning him. "Oh how sweet, you even have a heart! Whos mistake was that?"
The Demon King whipped around eyeing the Priestess Istaye hungrily. Standing by her side was the hero retrieving the holy sword from the ground and leveling it at him.
"Dont you have enough toys Priestess?Getting tired of the Hero?" He mused dashing torwards them plundging a fist in the Hero's side sending him rolling away.
The Hero's holy sword clattered to the ground between The Demon king and the Priestess Istaye. With a single strike he pierced a hole in her belly, blood trickled down the demon kings sharp fingernails. Pulling them out of her stomach the Demon King cackled loudly licking her blood off of his nails.
"Istaye!!"
From behind the Demon King errupted a heavy force. The guard rushed forward and plundged his shield into the back of the Demon King with unatural speed and strength sending the giant form tumblling forward. Recovering the guard held the the priestess in his arms. Bright golden light shunes under his armor as he poured all of his healing magic into her.
"We need to leave now! If we can make it back we can get some help! You can make it!" The guard cried, preparing to carry her home out of the demon country.
The Priestess weakly layed a hand on his face, she struggled a smile.
"You need to help the Hero, its our only chance now." She coughed blood trying her best to keep her voice calm. "You can do it."
The priestess Istaye's hands fall down reaching weakly out to the holy sword. She eyed the sword.
"Please, protect him.." She cried, now the pain being too much to hold down.
The guard felt her fall unconcious due to the pain, looking at the sword and then the Demon King begining to get up for another attack. The hero on the distance was stumbling to his feet. Laying the priestess down the guard grabbed the sword by the blade. He knew there was a spirit dwelling within the blade, it was likely it would reject him. Only the human Hero was to wield the holy sword, and he wasnt even human. The moment his hand touched the blade he heard a voice in his head. A womans voice.
"Do it! Stop him now!!"
The guard felt a surge of power, his body acting like a coduit for the energy held in the holy sword. Holding the sword by the blade end with his left hand and sending out his right arm it seperated from the palm and opening where blinding golden holy light shone. With a powerfull yell the guard unleased a holy beam from his hand and peirced the Demon Kings heart leaving nothing but an empty hole.
Stunned the Demon King only could watch as the guard raced forward with a faster speed that he could barely follow pierced his second heart on the otherside of his ribcage with the holy sword. With widening surprise in his eyes he coughed blood.
"How? D-did you know?" The Demon King whines feeling his life energy dwindleing.
The guard didnt answer his question. He responded in a low hushed tone.
"Just die... Please." Tears streaming from his helmet.
The Demon King sighed with one last smug grin. "They are going to kill all of you once i'm gone, two races going extinct." The Demon King chuckles blood dripping from his lips. "Its ironic isnt it." Were his words before he fell backwards limply.
Leaving the holy sword plundged into the Demon king the guard ran back to the priestess. He felt her shallow breaths, her heartbeat begining to fade. The guard poured more of his healing magic into her, preparing her for the long trip back to the capital or the closest divine healer.
The Hero walked shakily and reclaimed the holy sword sword from the Demon Kings chest, it felt heavy in his hands. The Demon King eyes the Hero with a weak chuckle.
"Shameful to have been outplayed by one of you dogs Hero, noones going to sing your songs if they find out..."
The Hero swung the holy sword and cut off the Demon Kings head, the Demon Kings cackling echoing long after he stopped talking. Looking around he saw all of his party had fallen, all except two. Walking up to them still holding the holy sword and the Demon Kings head he stopped just before them.
"Kill yourself, thats an order." The Hero barked, the words hung loudly in the silence of the throne room.
The Hero watched as the guard stood holding the priestess and began to walk away. His posture stiffened.
"Aegis, You have been ordered to kill yourself." The Hero repeated coldy.
The Guard continued to walk making no move to follow.
"My Lord, the priestess is in critical condition. My duty is to her and then after she is safe I will follow your order." The guard responded.
"You have recieved an order from your highest commander, this trumps all your previous orders. You will kill yourself."The Hero explained coldly, re-ordering him now with suspicion.
The guard just kept walking, without a word focusing on pouring his healing magic to stabilize the Priestess Istaye.
From behind the Hero raised the holy sword to slash at the guards back, the sword immediately fell out of his hand the sword now felt like it weighed like an anvil.
"The hell?" The Hero cursed.
Leaving the sword behind the Hero rushed at the them plundging his fist heavily, peircing the guard's back armor and skin.The guard gaged and wheezed as the Hero's fingers gripped his heart. Instead of ripping out a beating human heat the hero ripped out what looked to be an orb connected to wires, magic pulsing from it like a heart beat.
The guard fell to his knees, still holding his priestess dearly in his arms the golden glow of his healing magic evaporated and the priestes coughed blood once more. Stepping around to face the them the Hero pulled the guards helmet off. He stared face to face with a human face, skin now paling a look of unspoken hatred in his blue-green eyes under a tangle of dark brown hair.
The hero knelt down holding the guards core in his hand.
"You see this? You think this makes you human? No, you like your entire race. We made you just to be tools." The Hero stood up and pocketed the guards beating core and walked away from them. "There just isnt a place for you, in my world."
Watching the Hero leave the guard struggled to get on his feet, he couldn't. He looked down at the priestess who had been looking at him. Wordlessly he mouthed.
"Im so sorry..."
Her hand reached up to his face stroking it lovingly, with a shakey voice she spoke.
"Its not your fault, you did your best." She coughed more blood.
"Looks like I couldn't keep my promise... Maybe in the next life, we can be together..."
Her words were slowing down with her heartbeat.
"I'll... always... love you..." She said, before her hand fell from his face.
His hoarse throat gasping, his lungs were to weak to scream. All he could do is hold her until he himself faded away...
1000 Years after the end of the Demon War.
A lively castle town erupted in shouts of gleeful screams of all races. The city center filled with fireworks and cheering. The one thousand year anniversary of the end of the Demon War. Every year the castle nobility held a celebration to thier ancestor the first Hero who struck down the Demon King and united all of the races under one cause. In the city center a young girl eagerly awaits the big unveiling of the new statue of the Hero.
He bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair sparkled in the daylight, she wanted to see the statue so badly she was tugging on her fathers hand.
"Emily, calm down I know your excited but its not gonna change when it gets unveiled." Her father chuckled.
The little girls eyes met with her father's a huge smile on her lips.
"Do you think he's going to have it, just like in the stories?" She asked, while fidgeting excitedly.
"Oh the holy sword? Oh i'm quite sure they are will, its a big part of the legend."
Her father gave her a playful smile.
"No, no! Not the sword!" She giggled. "The Hero's Shield! The big magical shield that keeps him an his friends safe!! Like in the stories!!" She informed him while jumping up and down.
Her father could only laugh loudly, Emily had been obsessed with the shield of the Hero since she first heard about the story of the Hero and the Demon War from him. The magic shield wielded by the Hero that defended him through the waves of horrible monsters to the castle of Demon King.
"Well I..." Her father began to reply but was cut off by the sound of fanfare.
"Dad! Its happening!!" Emily screamed with joy as the organizers of the unveiling of the statue pulled aside the curtain covering the new statue.
The newest statue commemorating the one thousand year anniversary of the end of the demon war was a golden statue of a man with handsome features wearing a gallant suit of armor. In his right hand he held a longsword with an eligant handguard and brightly shining jewels. In the statues left hand was an ornate golden shield decorated with a beautful hand carving of an eagle, the Hero's symbol.
Emily's eyes widened, her focus on the beautiful shield. "The Aegis" She pulled hard on her fathers hand.
"Dad! Im gonna be the one to find it!! They said it was lost in the war! But i'll find it!" She told him with a confident smile.
Her father smiled patting his daugters head.
"Im sure you will."
Somewhere far away... In the middle of the old demon country...
A large ancient structure stood, the sands of time slowly erroding it away brick by brick. Through the crumbling stone gates and a dilapidated hallway was the remnants of a grand throne room. Its once decadent walls nothing more than a shadow of its former self. The stones of what once was the roof piled on the floor lay still until a slight rumbling.
Loose stones fall to the sides of the pile as a figure claws thier way out the rubble. A rusted armored hand reaches out feeling the warmth of the sun. Pulling himself free the figure yells but nothing comes out, his lungs and throat ancient with unuse. All he could do was mumble a whisper.
"Istaye....Priestess...."
Shifting around the rocks fervently he kneels at a unmistakable sight. The tattered dress of his Priestess, her body had long since dissapeared to dust. All that was left, was barely more than a swath of her dress and her crest. In the bundle of cloth lay a golden amulet with the Goddess's symbol on it. He clutched it tightly to his chest. Unable to cry tears so he just knelt there sniffling silently.
Once he finished, he stood reverently and turned to leave. His eye caught something among the nearby rubble, throwing the stones to the side he found an elegant silver blade. Picking it up it seemed like it didn't suffer any of the oxidation that his armor did, it shined perfectly in the light. His body stiffened, he nearly dropped the blade as in his head he heard a voice. A womans voice.
"Its about time... I thought you were dead."
The figure left the ancient structure holding a blade in one hand and a gold amulet in the other. His blue-green eyes burning for answers...