The Forgotten Hero’s Table
Videl followed the fourth hero inside the room. When she entered the room she was in awe of what she saw inside.
The chamber hidden behind the ancient stone walls was far larger than she expected. The mont she crossed the threshold, the cold air of the cavern shifted into sothing strangely warm. Faint golden lights glowed from crystal lamps embedded across the walls, casting soft reflections over mountains of treasure scattered carelessly across the room.
Gold coins overflowing from cracked chests.
Ancient weapons layered against one another like discarded mories of forgotten wars.
Crimson gemstones the size of fists shimred beneath the light while strange artifacts pulsed with mana so dense that even the air around them trembled faintly. So of the relics hanging on the walls radiated enough pressure to make ordinary knights collapse just by standing near them.
Yet despite all that wealth and power, the room itself felt lonely.
Like a tomb where history had chosen to sleep.
In the middle of the chamber stood a long stone table with only three chairs surrounding it, making up the only furniture in the room.
Also on that table was a full course al.
Freshly cooked at.
Warm bread.
Steaming soup.
Even fruits that should not have existed inside an underground fortress rested neatly on silver plates.
It was almost as if the fourth hero had known Videl would arrive today and prepared everything in advance.
That thought made a chill run down her spine.
Videl stood frozen near the entrance, her sapphire eyes scanning the room carefully while countless thoughts crossed her mind. Amura and Rika remained silent beside her in spirit form, equally stunned by the strange atmosphere surrounding the place.
The fourth hero had already seated himself calmly at the table. His long black hair flowed behind him like dark silk while his crimson-golden eyes reflected the flickering crystal lights around the chamber. The dragon-like wings folded behind his back gave him an overwhelming presence that made the entire room feel smaller.
Yet despite his monstrous aura, there was exhaustion hidden beneath his eyes.
The kind of exhaustion only carried by soone who had lived far too long.
The fourth hero who was already seated called out to Videl.
"Little hero co in and take a seat. I want to hear so stories of your adventures."
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
Videl blinked in surprise before finally snapping out of her daze. She quickly walked toward the table, though her movents still carried caution. Even now she could not fully lower her guard around soone this terrifying.
Still... this man had saved her.
At least for now, she had no reason to fear him.
"Sorry, and thank you esteed one. I am sorry to ask this so late, but how may I address you?" Videl said this as respectfully as she could.
The fourth hero leaned back slightly.
"My na... It’s been so long since anyone called by my true na, that even I have forgotten it already."
For a brief mont, silence filled the chamber.
Even the flickering lights seed quieter.
The fourth hero lowered his gaze slightly as though searching through countless ancient mories buried beneath ti itself.
"Still there was the nickna that guy gave , but that really wasn’t such a good nickna. Also seeing as I’m no longer a hero that nickna would be inappropriate. Let’s see a na..."
Videl quietly sat down across from him while watching him mumble to himself.
She could not fully understand everything he said, but one thing beca clear.
This man truly had once been a hero.
Not a legend.
Not a myth.
A real hero from an age long forgotten.
For so reason, that realization made her chest tighten slightly.
Heroes...
Victor once spoke about heroes too.
About how the world loved them only when they were useful.
About how justice without power was nothing more than fragile idealism.
Back then she hated hearing those words.
Now...
After being hunted down by people in power despite trying to do the right thing, she could finally understand a little of what Victor ant.
"It seems that I don’t have a na to give you, but you can just call Niklaus."
"I see... Then, Sir Niklaus, I’m Videl, and these two are the spirits of my weapons."
Amura and Rika imdiately took their human forms beside Videl.
Amura appeared first.
Her long steel-colored hair flowed behind her elegant figure while the silver robe hugging her athletic body shimred softly beneath the crystal lights. Her steel-colored eyes carefully observed the fourth hero while hidden tension lingered within them.
Rika appeared next.
Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders while the slit in her silver-white robe revealed her toned legs. Unlike Amura who remained cautious, Rika openly stared at the fourth hero with curiosity.
The two weapon spirits bowed respectfully.
Seeing the bowing spirits, Niklaus simply nodded in response to the bowing Amura.
But when he saw Rika...
His expression suddenly changed.
Surprise flickered across his eyes.
A rare emotion.
"I see, so you survived the passage of ti as well."
Rika tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? Survived?"
She looked genuinely lost.
Seeing her reaction made Niklaus pause for a mont before a faint smile appeared on his face.
A sad smile.
"So you don’t have your complete form and your mory of the past no longer exist."
His voice beca quieter.
Almost distant again.
"I guess this is better than rembering that horrible past."
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.
Rika unconsciously frowned despite not understanding why her chest suddenly felt uncomfortable hearing those words.
Amura narrowed her eyes slightly.
Even Videl could sense it now.
This room...
This man...
Everything here carried mories soaked in tragedy.
Wanting to shift the atmosphere, Videl carefully initiated the conversation again.
"Sir Niklaus, I couldn’t help but notice that you kept on saying that you were a hero in the past. I’ve heard of countless heroes but I don’t seem to recall a hero with dragon wings."
Niklaus smiled a tired smile when he heard what Videl had to say.
"Little hero, I didn’t look like this in that past."
His fingers lightly tapped against the table.
"Back when I was a hero, I was human in both form and spirit."
For a mont his crimson-golden eyes beca unfocused.
As though he was staring beyond the walls.
Beyond ti itself.
"At that ti heroes ca and go by the hundreds. There were many kinds of heroes back in my ti. Chosen heroes, Summoned heroes, Prophesied heroes, and many more."
His tone remained calm, but hidden bitterness slowly seeped into his words.
"Well at that ti, the human race with its usual greed and biases made the pure hearted heroes into beings that beca..."
He stopped speaking.
The room fell silent again.
Videl noticed it imdiately.
The slight tightening of his jaw.
The faint darkness within his eyes.
Whatever happened back then...
It had broken him.
Completely.
Niklaus slowly exhaled before shaking his head faintly.
"It doesn’t matter anymore those are days long gone."
Then his gaze returned toward Videl.
"Little hero how about telling your story instead."
Videl blinked in surprise.
She had already prepared herself to hear ancient tales about legendary wars and forgotten heroes.
Instead...
This terrifying ancient being wanted to hear her story.
"I don’t have much of a story to tell."
Videl looked genuinely embarrassed.
Compared to soone who survived countless eras, her journey felt insignificant.
She was just a girl trying her best to protect people.
A foolish girl chasing an impossible dream.
Niklaus chuckled softly.
"Little hero, the re fact that you’re being chased around by knights is already an interesting story."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"So don’t be embarrassed little hero, just tell your story, and start at the very beginning."
His eyes quietly observed her.
"Start on the day you left your ho to start your very own adventure."
Videl fell silent.
The crystal lights flickered gently across the room while the warm scent of food drifted through the air.
For so reason...
Sitting across from this ancient hero felt strangely peaceful.
Dangerous.
But peaceful.
Her thoughts unconsciously drifted toward Victor.
Toward his golden eyes.
Toward the countless argunts they had about justice, heroes, and reality.
Back then she stubbornly refused to accept his cynical views.
Now life itself seed determined to prove him right again and again.
Still...
Even now...
She did not want to abandon her ideals.
Because if she did...
Then what would remain of the person she wanted to beco?
Videl slowly released a long breath.
Seeing that Niklaus was being insistent, Videl could only sigh as she started to tell her tale.
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