Chapter 25: Chapter Eighteen—Feeble Truth: Part I

Edwin and I walked into the Magister’s room, making our way down the blue rug. The Magister stood at this stained glass window, staring up at it. I had never really noticed the design, but it resembled a pentagram outlining the elements with splashes of corresponding colour all around.

“This window needs to be redone,” the Magister said, turning around in a suit with golden, sequin tree branches embroidered on its surface. The attire was undoubtedly fashionable, which piqued my curiosity about where he was before this. It was what you wore when going to something meaningful.

“I don’t think the artist thought another element would be discovered,” Edwin said, glancing up at the glass, “but yet here we are.”

The Magister turned to me. “And that brings us to why you are here.”

I glanced over at Edwin as he and the Magister both stared at me. “Why am I here?” I humoured, as the awkwardness was a bit much for me. This little pausing thing bothered me, especially when it’s about something important; unnecessary theatrics.

The Magister let a sigh out with a grin, which confused me. “Edwin and I have agreed to you joining the top rank Heroes,” he said, putting his hands behind him. “We will keep the fact that you are The Darkness in this room for now, and make the announcement after you join the ranks.”

My hand shot up into the air like a schoolchild. “Edwin has a big mouth. He actively talks about it in the open. So I don’t think it’s a secret.”

Edwin frowned. “I erase people’s memory of it when I leave—why would you say that…” he finished, glancing over at the Magister.

“Never mind,” I said, nodding at him like a proud parent, which he found offensive.

The Magister put his hands on his hips with a grin. “You two are entertaining.”

“Magister, I cannot see how keeping it a secret benefits anything,” I said. The Magister put his hand out towards the chairs in front of his desk and we all took a seat.

“Call me, Elijah. We will work close to each other for years to come, and a partnership like that requires friendliness,” the Magister requested as he folded his hands and leaned back in the chair. “We do not want the Empire to know we’re to capture the Demon Lord, yet. But, of course, this means you will need to win in the upcoming tournament.”

Something was going on here, and I wasn’t sure what. There was talk of capturing the Demon Lord, but what of the aftermath? If I were to absorb the Demon Lord Elements, essentially becoming them, what was to happen to me after? Killing me would most likely restart the cycle, and the thought of being imprisoned was not a comforting idea. I didn’t think Edwin would do that to me, but honestly, I wasn’t sure what he would do to make the world safe.

“You want me to join the Heroes, but under a technicality,” I responded, resting my chin on my fist. “What benefit does this bring to the Archon Domain?”

Elijah smiled. “For one, we will stop the Prince from winning. This tournament was in motion before your arrival, and now we can make sure he doesn’t win. Having royalty as our Heroes would deteriorate the meaning behind them. They are all ordinary people. Every Hero active right now earned that right. Privilege has no place in what makes the pillars of society.”

“The sentiment is nice, but it’s hypocritical considering I haven’t proven myself.”

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Elijah leaned forward. “You will prove yourself by winning and defeating the Demon Lord.”

“Win,” Edwin said, glancing over at me thoughtfully, “failure is not an option here.”

“You two seem concerned.”

Edwin and Elijah looked at each other. “Your victory will not be easy. The Prince is probably the strongest magica user at the Academy in decades. He might even be on par with the Archmages,” Elijah said as his gaze sat on me with such pressure. 

I felt like my arms were bricks. The better I got at my anima control, the more I could tell Elijah was unbelievably strong. It was like his body couldn’t contain his anima leaking out around him. I could sense him from across the building at times.

“You’re certain that he’ll make it to the end?”

“No one but you will beat him,” Edwin interjected, moving his glasses up his nose and looking towards the glass window.

“But there’ve always only been five Heroes.”

Elijah smiled. “And you will be the sixth.”

I looked back and forth between Edwin and Elijah. “That’s breaking a tradition set in stone for millennia.”

“A tradition that made little sense,” Elijah sighed, folding his legs. “I’ve recently changed the name from champions to Heroes to signify evolution. Growth, one might say. They are no longer the Archon Domain’s champions but the world’s Heroes. Putting a limit on a rank encompassing the strongest of humanity is nonsense. I welcome even more to rise to the top of the world’s most powerful military for the title. We are strong because of our unity, not individuality.”

“I can see a larger chain of command being beneficial.”

“It also takes the load off of our Archmages. We prefer them to lead our armies, not fight on the front lines. Heroes are the most drastic or extreme response possible to a particular situation. They’re our weapons of destruction.”

“Or stand-in generals.”

Elijah nodded. “correct.” 

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