The Lost Blazes of Fire

Prologue 2: The Story Behind the Defeat of the First King (Part 1)

Part I

I am Matilda Rhobium and I am proud that I am a knight in the Kingdom of Astra. It is an ally to the Kingdom of Ester within the Continent of Asteria. I am strong, and of course I am brave. I am a capable female knight that will undoubtedly bring peace to the tarnished Continent of Asteria!

I will surely return home and make sure that I will be alive after all of this is done and over. That is what I hope to do and accomplish which I will later learn that it was nothing but a fantasy for someone like me...

In our group's first skirmish, the fact finally sinks to me that what you learn in an institution is different from applying it. No matter how much you know and how great people may see you, what you do in a fight is a different matter. The difference of what is ideal and what is reality is just too vast.

A braided red haired knight like me who is known as a skilled swordwoman back in my hometown is nothing but a pest in the eyes of the evil before me. Monsters that a stare from them can imprint intense fear with their unfocused and red slitted eyes as well as large hands that can easily smash a person like a tomato being crushed. These huge mossy like beings are walking on the corpses of my comrades who had tried to protect me and said that I must live on as I am the only hope this world can have in their death throes.

I do not deserve those words. I cannot be a hope that they wanted to be. How can they expect a person trembling in fear to save other people when I cannot even defeat the monsters before me! That is nonsense! My skills as a warrior is useless if I am already scared and unable to move my freezing legs and feet.

As the monsters move closer on me, their piercing eyes stares down at me menacingly. The sounds of their footsteps are like the ticking sounds of my final moments in life. The countdown for my doom.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.. Stomp!

If I will die, then it will be better if it will be painless. It is what I hope so even if it is impossible. I close my eyes as I wait for my impending death. I am not ready to die yet but I have no choice. The tension of fear eating on me makes me so weak that the sword in my hands is getting heavier. Perhaps I should just throw it away. I can no longer fight then might as well take the load off me. I let it slip my hands as my body continues to tremble in fear.

Each step is the sound of death.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The beating of my heart goes faster and faster as death comes after me. In the end, I am unable to do anything. I am sorry!

This is the end of my life, isn't it?

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The line between the ideal and the reality is so wide that it will never match each other. Or so what I thought.

She did not thought that the sound of the bush behind her would be her salvation. She cannot remember what had happened back then but all she can hear is the sound of something being cleaved repeatedly. There are no other sounds present that it seems surreal to her. The useless her has done nothing as she stand there silently while waiting for her death.

The next thing that comes to her is the sound of a young man's voice.

"Thanks for the sword!", he says.

She opened her eyes, she can see the smile of a young lad before her. The first thing that comes into her mind is the image of a warm light. It felt so tender as if she is basking under the sun itself. He is the one who saved her. She have to show her gratitude to him yet the first thing that she told him is the first thing that comes to her mind. She realized how inappropriate it was after composing herself and regretting it later.

"Who are you?", she immediately covered her mouth with both of her hands. She stepped away in shame towards the person who saved her.

"Me?" The young man who seems to be sixteen in age still has jolly look on his face as he place both hands on his nape. The small animal, that seems similar to an otter but is not, bears the colors of red and white while sitting proudly on his shoulders. "My name is Alex." As his smile turns into a sneer, the tender warmth he brings brought hope to her heart. She do not know how he was able to bring those monsters down on his own but at that moment, she only knew of one thing.

As she stand in awe of this sight, she know that he is the hope that this world will need. If someone can be called a hero, it can only be someone like him.

A hero that can light up the darkness and bring the warmth of hope.

Part II

Within a span of seven months, Alex and his band of heroes did the impossible. For the past seventy years, no hero was able to enter the enemy territory, more specifically the Evil King's lair itself. The lifelong struggle of the people had not gone to waste as this day have come.

There are only five people within this room. It consists of a party of heroes who strive to be in his aid after a series of skirmish.

First is Matilda Rhobium, a red-haired and red-eyed knight known for being one of the most talented swordswoman in her country. She started out in combat as a coward but her continuous efforts to conquer her fear turns her to a brave woman who can easily weld her sword no matter how strong an enemy is. She is also a royal in the country she came from and her aid to identify the rulers in the Country of Ester became one of the keys that brought them here.

There is also the twin mages, named Erin and Tria, who were once hermits in the isolated tower that were able to overcome their fear of the outside world upon meeting him. The two of them can use their magic to create balls made from the four basic elements as well as concurrently use it according to their own will.

Next is a person capable of using magic that can create shields capable of blocking the enemy's attacks as well as creating areas where closing of wounds can be hastened. He is Fritz, a medication specialist that blames himself for the death of the people who were once under his care. He was taken in by the charisma and hope that the hero brings by simply existing and being there at the right moment and at the right time where he almost end his life.

And finally, our radiant hero named Alex who bears the banner of joy and hope on his back. He has hair resembling the color of the night, a hand full of bruises from training hard and a companion animal who is actually the last of its species that is able to posess the power of infinite fire. The only armor he is wearing is a chest plate and an arm brace over his unique trousers and pants that had seen ages but was extremely durable and still intact up to today. The animal accompanying him is nowhere to be find at this moment. It died from trying to save his human and gave him the orb of mana it created as it hopes to be with him till the end of this fight. Despite of all the struggles that he had face up until this day, he singlemindedly move forward to stop the evil trying to invade this world. He will keep moving forward with a straight mind so the efforts of everyone will not go to waste. He can only move his foot forward in hopes that he can stop what must be slain for the good.

They faced the Evil King Gareth before his throne. He is the strongest monster that they had ever face. He is so strong that just standing before him makes you feel so much intimidated that it can almost make you puke. He is a dark and huge armored giant that is towering at almost 40 meters tall. He has a long and wide beard that is so unkempt it covers his chest, neck and even the back of his ear. This facial hair has small round accessories in the form of skulls and bones of many people that was caught up in it. For a monster like him, it is already unknown how many people he had killed in a span of many many years. He has limbs that is neither long nor short for someone of his stature. A giant pack with armor but his movements suggests it does not hinder him at all. He has long spiky metal boots that creates a loud thunderous noise everytime he makes a step. It is so loud to the ears that it is comparable to the sound of a cat clawing a metal in a very eerie way. Sparks hover your way in each of his step and it can burn you easily if you are not careful. Most of all is the powerful miasma around him that covers his body. It is the source of the power he uses to create powerful magic that he can use against his foes. The heroes before him had once see him create a big ball of fire which had almost destroyed the Kingdom of Ester in the country that they live in. Many people had died just to stop it including a certain animal that is said to possess infinite fire who passed away from sacrificing itself.

No matter how you look at it. The chances of winning against this abominable enemy is so slim that standing before him can and only be called a miracle.

In the face of such an adversity, what do the radiant hero's face looks like?

Four of his companions surveyed his face. They wanted to see how will their light look like in a danger like this. As they hope that it will give them the answer on whether they should continue or not? This person who always go on his way with a smile on his face. How will he face an enemy like this?

The radiant hero corrected his posture. He breathe in a lot of fresh air, his stance lowered with his legs apart with each other. He has a sword ready on his front and he has a strained look on his face. After seeing the evil king for the first time, he did not show any emotion such as fear or anxiety. He cannot show such a look to an enemy like this. He can see through the nature of the Evil King. Even if his facial features are hidden well by the color of the darkness in its skin, he still can see it. The face of looking down on humans. The glare of someone who only wants them to suffer. The stance of someone who can only enjoy the puny attempts of humans before him. If this giant views them this way, then what kind of face should he present in his way?

He tenderly thought of the mana given to him by a cherished companion. A warm ball of light that had always been with him ever since he decided to go on this journey. He only thought of happiness, and of warmth. If his enemy wants to see them suffer then he can only be the opposite of what he expects. He smiled. Not because he is facing a strong enemy but because he is fighting in earnest that he wants to give him the most terrible nightmare of a human attempting to kill him to the end.

The radiant hero's companion saw this bold smile of his. The tension immediately left their bodies when they saw him smiling in the face of danger.

"Nothing can really get to him, huh?", says Erin who taps the ground with his staff. He is now preparing to conduct a magic to support everyone. His twin, Tria silently raises her staff as high as she can it seems comical. Her toes are upright and she would seem like reaching something so high. She is of the same height as Erin but she wanted to reach higher than him.

"Evil King Gareth is very, very big!", Tria commented. After reaching up, she finally ease up when she realized how big the enemy is. She did not even notice his twin saying something about the radiant hero's recklessness.

"Be rest assured. I will protect all of you with all that I've got!", says Fritz who is the only one covered in white cloak in the group. He has a book floating in his front while he observes the situation with caution. He only has the resolution to end all of this for all the people he had failed to save.

"There is no going back now. We must defeat him!", shouted Matilda who compared before is now braver than she had ever been. She learned many things with the radiant hero but more importantly, she was able to face the enemy straight now and that looking away can only be disrespectful.

Each and everyone of them is enthusiastic towards this battle. The first time that humans are able to challenge the evil kings for a span of 70 years. At last, their moment to bring a hope to the world is drawing near.