Chapter 26: The Village Hero Returns

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Village Hero Returns

The village was oddly festive.

People bustled around the village carrying boxes of various goods, baskets full of food, decorations, and more. Banners of bright colors decorated the space between buildings, and children dashed up and down the street, yelling and having fun. Arin stopped. "That is odd." Ayan stood next to him. "It appears that there is some kind of celebration." "You’re not wrong." Arin crossed his arms.

There was a large amount of people. Saira stood next to him looking around. "There seems to be quite the turnout." "There certainly is." Arin agreed. "Why is that?" He asked. Mira appeared around the corner. "Have you not heard yet?" "Heard what?" Arin turned to look at her. "The Hero is returning." "

Adnan Chowdhury was one of the famed adventurers of the village, an elite Hero. But he was also one of the more mysterious ones, rarely seen and even more rarely heard. He had been away from the village for some time. Arin stared at the decorations. "So, all of this is for him?" "Of course!" Mira beamed. "He hasn’t been home for a while."

"I see." He turned to gaze at the decorations again. "So, what is a Hero exactly?" Mira gave him an odd look. "What?" "You don’t know?" "No, I mean, I know what they are. I just don’t know much about them."

Adnan, like most other Heroes, specialized in dueling. Heroes fought against the monsters and demons that plagued the land, protecting the world from them. Everyone knew that they were rare, but there was little else known about them.

"There isn’t too much more to them really." Mira sighed. "Adnan is one of the best Heroes in the area, and he fought demons. Demons, humans, and other races have been at war for centuries." Mira said.

"Oh." Arin glanced at Saira, who said nothing. "Are there ranks for Heroes?" He asked. "Yes, Heroes are born all over the world." Mira explained. "They possess unique skills and are able to understand their Hero class from birth." "So, they can’t change?" Arin asked confused. "Nope." Mira shook her head. "There are many different ranks."

"Like what?" He asked. "Common Hero. Knight Hero. Greater Hero. Elite Hero." She counted them off. "And above them all," She paused, then smiled. "is the True Hero." "Ah, yes. The True Hero." Ayan murmured. Mira turned to him. "You know about them?" Saira asked. "I know their title." He corrected. "They are special in a way." Mira admitted. "How so?" Arin asked. "It is said that the True Hero is the only one capable of slaying the Demon King."

"The what now?" Arin blinked.

"The Demon King." Mira repeated. She looked around before adding, "The war between demons, humans, and other races has raged on for centuries. It has been said that with every fallen Demon King, another will rise to take his place." "Is that always the case?" Arin asked. "As far as we know." Mira replied. "Then, what is the story behind the current one?" Arin questioned. "Nobody really knows much about him." Mira shrugged. "Is that so?" Arin frowned. "Isn’t there at least some information?"

"There are rumors, sure. But most of them contradict each other." He nodded. That was expected. The Demon King was a figure of mystery, a ghost of a concept. Something few knew about, few had seen, and even fewer had fought.

"If you don’t mind me asking, do you know much about the Demon King?" Arin asked Ayan. "A little." Ayan admitted. "So do I." Saira said with a smile. "You two know more than you are letting on." Arin accused. "Perhaps." Saira’s grin widened. "Of course." Arin sighed. The two of them seemed to know more than what they were letting on. Before he could question them, cheers erupted from the village. Everyone turned to see who had entered the village. A group of travelers stood at the entrance, and the first one to step forward was a young man.

He had dark hair and dark eyes, and he wore light armor beneath a traveler’s coat. A sword hung from his belt, and the villagers immediately flocked to him upon his arrival.

"Adnan!" One of them cried. "Welcome back!"

"Hero Adnan!" Another called. "It is an honor!"

The young man gave a grin and waved. "It’s good to be back!"

They cheered loudly. Arin watched the proceedings with amusement. This was Adnan Chowdhury, the great Hero and the local celebrity. He was respected by virtually all who knew of him, and now everyone in the village knew of him. He walked through the town square, greeting people and taking food from those who offered. He even knelt to talk to some children before rising again. He didn’t act like he thought himself better than anyone else. It was oddly refreshing.

Eventually, he stopped. His gaze swept over the crowd before landing on something else. Someone else, rather. A boy standing next to a dragon-like man and a strange young woman with strange energy. Adnan narrowed his eyes.

"Who is that?" He asked the villager next to him. "Arin." The man replied. "Arin?" Adnan echoed. "The boy you said disappeared in the dungeon?" "The one and only." The villager replied. Adnan turned to look at the boy again. "And who are these people with him?" The villager shrugged. "Nobody knows much about them yet. It appears that they traveled with him." Adnan gave a thoughtful nod.

His gaze flicked to the strange young woman again. Something shifted in his thoughts, and his ’Hero’s Insight’ flared to life. A wave of emotions passed through him, and he narrowed his eyes. Demon. Adnan’s hand went to his sword moving towards them. Saira glared at him. Arin watched both of them carefully. "Wait." He said suddenly. Adnan turned to look at him. "What?" Arin stepped forward. "She’s with me." His hand did not leave his hilt immediately. He watched Saira. "You know what she is." "I do."

Arin replied. "She’s a demon." "I know." The villagers nearby began whispering as well. "She hasn’t harmed anyone here." Arin continued. Adnan studied him carefully.

Then he studied Saira. Slowly, his hand left his sword. "I’ll take your word for it." Saira gave a small smile. "How noble of you." "Don’t mistake caution for trust." Adnan muttered. "Never." Her grin widened. Arin let out a sigh. "Can the two of you stop with the posturing for a moment?" Adnan chuckled. "You must be Arin then." He said. "I’m Adnan Chowdhury." Arin shook the offered hand. "I’m Arin Rahman." Adnan smiled. "It’s a pleasure to meet you." "You too." Arin replied. Later that afternoon, Adnan sat next to Arin on the edge of the village. The celebrations raged on behind them. "So," Adnan began, "what is it that you intend to do now?"

Arin gazed into the distance at the mountains. "Get stronger." Adnan nodded approvingly. "That’s a good answer." Arin glanced at the man. "And what about you?"

"I’m going to stay here for a while." Adnan replied. "I don’t intend to go anywhere right away." Arin blinked. "Not even to continue your adventures?" "Not right away. I have been adventuring for quite some time now, after all. Fleeing from one demon and slaying another." Arin regarded him carefully. "How strong are you?" "Direct question." Adnan chuckled. "I suppose it is only fair. I am a High Knight Hero." "High Knight?" Arin’s brow rose. "Yes, and there are stronger ranks than that." Adnan grinned. "There are Greater Heroes, Elite Heroes, and more." Arin hesitated. "And the True Hero?" Adnan’s expression changed. "That’s a different matter entirely." Arin frowned. "How so?"

He asked. "I’m not sure."

"You’re not sure?" Arin blinked. "Surely there is something that you know about them?" "No one is completely sure about the True Hero." Adnan admitted. He gazed off into the mountains. "True Heroes are few and far between. It is difficult to say just how strong they are." "And they are said to be the ones who fight Demon Kings?" Adnan nodded. "They fight them and slay them, I guess?" Adnan sighed before continuing. "According to the legends, yes. But according to more recent findings, it would seem that the current one may be even stronger than the ones who came before him."

"Stronger?" Arin frowned. "Are you certain about this?" "I’m as certain as you are about what you said to me today." Adnan shrugged. "Stories about the Demon King tend to be fragmented. Most of the things we know are just rumors or reports from other areas. Most of them are said by other Heroes, as well." "People don’t know much about the Demon King at all?" "Not much at all." Adnan looked at Arin. "And that’s probably for the best." Arin nodded. He understood that. The Demon King is a being of distant legend, far away from most people’s lives. The True Hero is the same way. They were figures of the past, the present, and even the future, as far as everyone knew. Normal people had never fought the Demon King, and most likely never would. What about you? Arin. "You’re an adventurer, correct?

"Yes, I am, a dungeon hunter." Arin replied. "Do you want to become a Hero?"

Adnan asked. "No." Arin said. "I just want to get stronger." "Fair enough." Adnan smiled. By the night, the celebrations had gotten rowdier still. There was music and dancing and feasting and drinking. People danced and laughed and ate and played games. Children dashing around shrieking, and adults chatting together and telling stories. Arin stood back and watched the man who had just returned from his long journey, an Hero and a figure of much respect.

There were Heroes in the world.

Demons.

A Demon King.

Dungeons.

And a True Hero.

Arin gazed out toward the distant mountains and knew that he wanted to be stronger.

"Aye, master." Ayan said. "Do you not want some food?"

"Of course." Arin smiled. "I’m starving." Saira came over as well. "I’ll join." Arin laughed. "Of course you will."