He had set the peaceful village of Novillios on fire and turned it into a place of murders, massacres and rapes of all kinds. This servant of the Evil One could not be human, in spite of his beautiful face of angel which masked the blackness of his soul - if he had one.
The former heroine, Elena, prayed in one of the church pews for her son's recovery to the point of tears. Having returned empty-handed from her trip to the Fairy Forest kingdom, she was left with nothing but prayer for her greatest wish. She was angry that her best friend didn't deign to listen to her, or understand her... However, she had to understand her. From now on, Elena supposed that they reached the forties, but one of the two seemed to have always twenty while the other one had already started the half of the life expectancy of an old human. For Audiselia, her murder attempt had taken place only a few months ago, or even a few days depending on the age conversion. She had still nearly killed them, the crystal-haired princess and the son of Sylvania's hero Torn. Even if she wasn't totally at fault... it was her arms that did it, and no one else's.
Suddenly, she felt an evil wind coming from the entrance of the church, the lights of the candles flickered, a strange chill ran down her spine and an uneasiness filled her with disgust. She had just had a familiar feeling, a very familiar bad feeling that she had not felt in so long. She would never have thought that she could find herself once again in the presence of such an evil aura.
It's me, Elena!" whispered a voice in her thoughts.
She gasped with fear as she heard his voice, the voice of the Nemesis.
It was him!
Although he wasn't there, she could feel his frightening gaze staring back at her.
She turned around and saw two menacing shadows in front of the church doors. She wiped her eyes and saw two large goblins covered in the essence of Evil, the blackish, reddish slime that corrupts everything.
They were irretrievable...
She was going to have to kill them, but of course, outside the house of God.
The two corrupted monsters ran towards her, Elena pushed them back with a simple kick ejecting them out of the church's enclosure, she ran outside and jumped over the two corrupted goblins finding herself with her back to them. As soon as they were turned around, she conjured up her fetish scythe and sliced them into a thousand pieces with air blades, turning them into slices.
Although her weapon was powerful, it was not enough to defeat the Nemesis without running the scenario, she could only defeat him with the help of the fairy, however, she had not yet found her. Yet she had felt its presence in the Sylvania Fairy Forest during her last visit, it seemed to her to be too great a coincidence that twice her (or his) companion was there. But the problem was that she was not the only one who could emit the same energy as the fairy of the legend, there was also the Feline. The only explanation for the fact that she never had her fairy as a companion and that she was not a "chosen one", although she had obtained the Heroic Will, her existence was then reduced to being a vessel for the next hero of the legend who would have his or her companion of legend.
To be fooled by the destiny was not a first for Elena, even before she became a hero, on the continent of Eden... But for the moment, her only real concern was the two children.
Screams brought her out of her thoughts, she noticed that the clouds of darkness in the sky reflected a crimson color, she heard the crackling of flames and the howls of despair that composed a horrific symphony. She turned toward the sounds and lights, and was shocked to discover the horror that was unfolding in Novillios as she prayed: the village was on fire, under siege by the army of corrupted Nemesis monsters that came in all sizes and races. They were ravaging it from side to side without scruples, possessed by the miasma of the Evil One.
Perhaps he was even accompanied by his "generals".
This time Elena suspected that he was not going to let her escape. There would be no way out for her to survive, either she would kill him or she would die, or worse, she would become one of the causes of the destruction of Fayiera Terra...
She couldn't bring herself to his three paths that were meant for her! If she found the fairy, he could seal it again... She could not die when her child was so young...
That's right, the kid!
She went back inside the church, stepping over the corpses of the freshly killed goblins, and climbed the stairs in search of her son.
Did you like my little welcoming committee?" asked the Nemesis.
- Generally, it is up to the residents to organize a welcoming committee for the guests as far as I know.
I liked Lesiana Santario, the commissioner of Los Chicanas, better than Mexicario, I had completely succeeded in upsetting her!
Not to be confused with Mexico, New Mexico, New Mexico and All-New Mexico. Mexicario was not really what one could call a country, or even a city, so anarchic was the organization of this place.
- I "remember": five children, three cousins, three nephews, six nieces, a husband and two brothers that you zombified, forcing her to kill them because she couldn't bear to see them become half dead monsters. She was in so much pain that all she wanted to do was to give up the role of hero, even if it cost her her life. Unfortunately for you, you didn't succeed in getting what you wanted by giving her a taste of despair: the corruption of the hero. And out of spite, you put him out of his misery. What a proof of humanity..., she concludes with irony.
Elena took the opportunity to wake up her sisters from the convent, they asked her what was happening with their eyes still closed and yawning - the poor people had just fallen asleep. The only answer they got was that Elena didn't have time to explain it to them, so if they wanted some kind of answer, they had to watch Novillios through their windows. In any case, they had to take the bus from the church and run away from the village as far as possible. The southern exit of Novillios being totally opposite the place of the attack of the Nemesis troops, they had to take this direction to flee.
She arrived at the room of the Mother Superior, more commonly known as Matriarch Theresa or Sister Theresa.
- Mother Superior! Wake up...
The Matriarch was not in her room. She hurried back down the hallway in search of her but did not see her anywhere.
She felt the Nemesis coming closer, she really didn't have time to go all around the place looking for that old shrew. She went to her room and, strangely, found it ajar. She generated her scythe and carefully approached the entrance, fearing the worst. Entering the room, she was about to slice in half the intruder who had dared to sneak into her room, but changed her mind when she saw that it was the Mother Superior standing over the boy's body. Sister Elena was about to lunge at Mother Teresa, but realized that she was praying, and felt that her son was still alive.
- After all this time, you still distrust me," said Mother Superior.
- Given the love you have for the boy to the point that I was not allowed to give him a name, let me express my doubts.
She quickly made her scythe disappear.
- I can grant you that, but who do you think took care of that child? Sister Magah?
- You should stop judging others on their past as soon as they enter the orders...
- She is oblivious. Especially when she lets children play on the convent roof.
- Oh my...
She refrained from calling her sister names in Christ, but the Mother Superior was right. Magah was incapable of any adult spirit.
Elena approached her son's bed and saw that he was sleeping beside Zelda.
- You let them sleep in the same bed? whispered Elena annoyed.
- Why not? They are children. Their minds are not yet perverted by sin. You are even stricter than I am.
Elena took her son's shoulder and shook him.
- Wake up! We have to go!
The boy gradually opened his eyes, getting used to the light in the room.
- What is it?" asked the boy.
- We need to get out of here.
- Are we fired?" the young man worried as he looked at the Mother Superior, "but we didn't do anything.
- It has nothing to do with that! Elena reframed him, the Nemesis is there. We must flee.
The most surprising thing about this situation was that Elena was more worried about her son sleeping with a girl about his age than about the Nemesis she was talking about in such a monotone voice.
- Again? But why? You can't beat him like in the legend so we can live in peace! I'm tired of running around the world for nothing! I've just made friends that I want to keep...
- Stop acting like a child with your whims, Elena reprimanded him, it's not the first time it happens to us. We must continue to advance whatever it costs us...
Was it too hard for a child to endure these words? Surely, there was too much to tell him.
Zelda woke up slowly, she had heard bits of the conversation and was all confused, she did not understand what was happening.
- "Just come"? It's been...
The Matriarch grabbed the Sister's shoulder and told her that she needed to be much more compassionate with her child. The Sister sighed and knelt down in front of her son.
- I'm sorry to do this to you kids, but I have no choice... Afterwards, if you feel happy here, I don't want to force you to go through yet another separation and a perilous journey to nowhere, so maybe... our paths should part here? If this is your choice, know that I have been very happy to be your m...
The young boy threw himself on his mother and hugged her.
- No! I don't want you to leave me!
Elena was surprised by her son's reaction, even though they had lived together for a long time, she did not expect such a reaction from him. Did he really love her? Did he really consider her as his mother?
- If you're leaving, I can come with you," Zelda asked. "I don't have any family and I don't really want to go back to the orphanage. Following the heroine would be my greatest dream.
- You know that life with me is more difficult than supporting me in the orphanage, says Elena the heroine.
- It doesn't matter, I'm a man!" exclaimed the little girl.
Elena shook her head, bewildered by this argument so... developed.
- As you wish, but afterwards you should not complain.
She lifted up the wrapped child and told everyone to go to the bus. The children went faster than the adults. Mother Theresa held Elena and took her to her room.
- What are you doing?
The Mother Superior lit three candles above her desk and a magic circle appeared above it, a purple energy enveloped the desk before disappearing. Mother Theresa rummaged through her drawers and pulled out a parchment with inscriptions that were illegible even to the heroine.
- Hypocritical a bit to use magic when...
- Shut up, will you. Here you go.
- What is it?
- What you asked me after you came back from your little getaway.
- But you said that...
- Forget it. I watched as this boy struggled like a devil in the font just to get around, to eat, to smile, to not be ashamed of himself looking at me... This is too hard an ordeal for a ten year old, he doesn't deserve this kind of life, even in a world as vile as ours.
Tears streamed down the Matriarch's face.
- But I have no idea where this witch is.
- La Montagne Décharnée.
The heroine gasped.
- But it's crazy to go there!
- Not if you have that paper. And you were elected by God to be the protector of this world then it is not a vulgar mountain filled with skeletons which is going to make you anything, she retorted to him by striking the shoulder.
Always hard this old lady bedridden.
To think that just a few minutes ago, Elena was cursing her entire offspring - well, she did for several years.
They heard the sound of the horn, Elena carried Mother Teresa on one arm and ran to a window overlooking the parking lot where the bus was parked, she jumped through and landed on the roof of the church bus, then got off and put Mother Superior down.
- I could have had a heart attack!
- We never talk about what could have happened, Elena tells him.
A rather thin Sister named Valzen with blackened eye contours approached the heroine.
- You called us to take the bus, but why?
- Because of an evil danger that is getting dangerously close, Sister Elena explained to him, you will have to flee from it by taking the southern exit of the village.
- The only way to reach another city as quickly as possible without getting lost in the darkness is to go to the East exit.
- But the danger is in the East!
- Calm down!" interrupted Sister Deliane.
She was an imposing woman with a square face who, despite her boxer's build, was rather feminine. She crouched down between the sisters and made a map of the city appear on the ground, traced in the earth.
- I know Mother Superior that I shouldn't use magic but this is really important.
One could see the position of the Nemesis and his troops, the inhabitants who were fleeing and the Sisters who were at the other end of the city, all formed by small dots of various colors. The different exits were indicated, and it could be seen that the eastern exit had not yet been reached by the Herald of the Evil One, it was further to the northeast. Sister Lilette calculated how far they could go to reach the eastern exit without being attacked by the monsters.
- Well, it might be a close call considering the advance of the demonic creatures, but I think we could narrowly escape them if we leave now.
- However, we are not going to leave now," said the abbess.
- The Sisters were astonished.
- We are from the congregation of the Children of the Holy Salvation," Mother Theresa reminded us, "we cannot run away like cowards, otherwise it would be like saying that all our sermons were nothing but window dressing and hypocrisy.
- But Mother Superior, if these are the monsters that are described in the legend of the hero, we cannot fight them, says Sister Parola.
The other Sisters nodded their heads. They were all really scared.
- I know that many of you fear the danger that is coming, that you have escaped wars, massacres, lives that no being in this world deserves to have... But we must go beyond our apprehensions and help others because it is our duty to help others. "Do what you would like to be done to you!". So remember the misfortunes you have experienced and remember when you wanted someone to reach out to you.
Remembering their tumultuous pasts, they bowed their heads in shame for abandoning so many innocent people when their bus had enough room to rescue a minimum number of people.
- Now you have gained the strength to help others so be that hand you wish you had been dealt. And you, Elena, if you are who you say you are, you know what choice to make.
- Mother Superior, the hero is charged with saving the world from the Evil One, not saving people.
- You know it doesn't make sense, not only for your role but also for your faith.
Elena bit her tongue, she already knew that, but she could not risk endangering those under her care for strangers who denigrated her.
- So be it! she capitulated, in spite of everything, we are much too numerous, there will never be enough place to allow us to go to help the Novilliorois.
- Sister Deliane, take Mary and Joseph out," ordered the Matriarch.
- Ah but yes! exclaimed the bodybuilder Sister, it is true that they arrived.
She went to the garage with Sister Noami and both of them took out two huge buses, if the first one could accommodate seventy-six people, those were able to accommodate two hundred and fifty-six people.
- Did you really buy them?" asked Sister Elena.
- I thought that doing activities beyond our daily religious life for the good of the community was finally a good idea, both for the villagers and for the children.
- Too bad they are now used as a Noah's Ark.
- Maybe that's why the Lord made me take them.
The deans of the church put the other Sisters and the two children in the smallest bus, driven by Sister Franzesca, the other two were driven by Sister Deliane and Sister Noami. Elena climbed onto the roof of the bus containing the entire regular community.
The Sisters started the buses and all went to a different corner of the city, the drivers all had a map so they could find their way around the village and dodge the corrupt army. Given the makeup of the village and all the holocars trying to escape along the same route, it was easier to go around the main road to the eastern exit, so Elena would have plenty of time to catch up to the bus containing her son and Zelda.
She jumped on Deliane's bus that was going to the center of the village, Noami would go in the direction of the psychiatric hospital to get the people from the asylum.
Standing upright on top of the vehicle, Elena thought.
She had never felt like a heroine. Even if she had managed to outlast most of her predecessors, she knew that it was due to luck, or rather to God or to this damn Fate...
Maybe today would be her end, maybe she was heading to her death without knowing it, but there was no way out. If the Nemesis had only sent two ridiculous henchmen to confront her when he could have come on his own, it meant that he too knew that Elena's time was running out, and that in any case, this was where her final battle would take place.
The hero's energy was probably leaving her without her realizing it, revealing more and more of her position to Nemesis. This would mean that the future hero was soon to be selected and that he was in this place, no sooner would he have the Hero's Will than he would have to confront the enemy of humanity?
The Fate of the Hero didn't give a damn about these poor souls who were more like martyrs than heroes.
Perhaps it was time to assume her future swan song, to stop using her scythe from yet another futile war and to carry the true weapon of the hero of legend, the one that had been forged especially for her. The time had come.
The nun brought up her scythe and broke it, a chain materialized between the two ends of the handle of the broken scythe and a blade appeared on the second end of the scythe, she hung the weapon on her hips and held her hands out in front of her:
- Chosen to save the world from the Demon, chosen to save Men and Fairy folk, I, the heroine of this new and broken humanity, call you, the weapon able to slay the darkness: Sword of the Eternal.
In his hands appeared a shining, sparkling sword, it was a beauty, the aura that surrounded it was like the fire embracing the burning bush of the land of Midian, its handle engraved orange and its blade sharper than the air ... It could only be the weapon of the heroine Elena, the one whose faith was immutable.
Arriving towards the main square, the Sisters Deliane and Elena met a huge grey monster, purulent with pustules, it had a mouth on its belly and three toothless mouths as eyes. It looked as stupid as its feet, it ransacked everything in its path and devoured everything. The poor villagers who had the misfortune to be on his way. Elena jumped out of the bus and stood on the road with her hand as it was about to grab a whole family, she stuck her hand in its paw as if it was butter and sliced it in a rotation on itself. The beast howled in pain, but the nun showed no form of compensation towards it, it was only a living dead creature resulting from an agglutination of bodies that had been devoured by this thing: the jewel of the Nemesis that she was going to hasten to kill once and for all, she was tired of seeing this thing get in her way.
The beast got up and tried to crush the heroine but she jumped on her hand and ran along its fat arm filled with the faces of its victims screaming for death, she planted her sword in their faces, sliding it to the head of the monster to grant them eternal rest as she continued her climb. When she reached the top, she stood in front of the creature's head, she saw its core inside the main mouth, the creature tried to grab it but Elena jumped backwards in a somersault and in the air, she pointed her sword towards the core and extended the blade of her weapon, slashing that ball of blood. The core shattered and burst, the creature disintegrated into a pile of rotting flesh.
The nun landed right behind the little family and told them to get on the bus. She asked them if there were others who needed her help, she was told that many families had locked themselves in their homes hoping that the monsters would ignore them and there were others who were stuck in the rubble or unable to move.
She set off in the direction the family had indicated, accompanied by the father, who did not want to look like a coward by letting a Sister save them without doing anything. The two of them visited every house they could find, knocking on every door to warn their occupants that a bus was waiting to escort them out of this hellhole.
Elena was lifting beams, destroying rocks that had been thrown at the residences of the villagers to save what there was to save: men, women, children, old people, pets, beasts of burden... If she was going to save the world, then she was going to save the world, she was not going to let herself be cowardly anymore! These people were waiting for a savior in their distress and she was no longer going to stand idly by in the face of danger, no matter how much she resented them for mistreating her son, she was going to rescue them at any cost. And these people saw her determination in front of the back and forth transporting the helpless, the handicapped and the children with the only strength of her arms, all those who had insulted the young boy, all those who had mistreated him, wounded him... were ashamed in front of this woman who was struggling with all her being to help them.
With the bus, they went around the surroundings to see if there were still people to rescue, but they did not approach the Nemesis' army and did not cross paths with one of his generals. The Nemesis could feel it getting closer, but he did nothing, he probably had to wait for it so that he could put an end to this chase that had lasted for far too long.
If only Audiselia had been the fairy of the legend..., she regretted, maybe we would have defeated him long enough for me to live in peace with the kid? No! I can't despair now, or I'll lose all my willpower once I face him! I have to continue the com...
Elena started coughing up blood, she collapsed on the floor holding her throat, her end was coming sooner than expected. Sister Deliane asked her if she was okay, but Elena could not breathe, if her asthma returned now, there would be no point in fighting. One of the passengers on the bus cast a healing spell to calm her down, she turned around and saw that it was the wife of the man who had helped her.
- I think I recognize you... Are you the new elementary school nurse?
- Yes, I did, and I wanted to tell you that I am very sorry for not wanting to take care of your son when his wounds opened up in class...
- It doesn't matter," Elena whispered.
- For me it is. For all of us. You are still the director of the orphanage and you cared for each of us even though you don't owe us anything.
The nun looked up and saw that everyone was watching her from both floors of the bus, she scratched her head before slumping into her seat and shaking her hand over it.
- You don't have to apologize or thank me, it is my duty as a nun, a Christian and a heroine to save you. As they say in Islam, I believe, "He who saves a man, saves mankind," and my son would ask me if I should accept your apology because I had to save you to make you realize the harm you have done, and I am far too lazy to think about that kind of crap... The most important thing is that you escape, so go sit down.
The school nurse nodded sadly and returned to her seat.
- It doesn't matter if it's hypocritical from your point of view or not, Sister Deliane whispered to Elena, the most important thing is that they have understood their mistakes.
- I don't know, I don't care you know.
The same thing happened in the different parts of the village, facing monsters and other bugs of all kinds, rescuing all the villagers they found on their way and they managed to recover the maximum of people they could and arrived at the meeting place. Elena got off the bus and went to meet the Matriarch.
- We were able to pick up as many people as we could find, there are even some in the holds so Sister Deliane will have to be careful while driving.
- How are you doing?" asked the Mother Superior, "You don't look very well...
- It's nothing. Just that my end is near, so I have to ask you something.
- What?" worried the Mother Superior, "don't tell me that...
- Yes, you can. Keep the boy with you, you must. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but if I follow you, he'll follow us and decimate you, so I'd better do everything I can to hold him back long enough for you to get away safely.
- But you...
- Yes I sinned by lying to him, but Mother Theresa, this kid doesn't need to see me die, I'd rather he feel abandoned again than see me butchered by this demon.
- I wasn't going to talk to you about this, but about the fact that you had to go to the Gap Mountain.
- You will be able to lead it yourself, she answered him by holding out to him the parchment which she had given him earlier.
Mother Theresa did not want to let one of her daughters go to her death, but if it was the only way to ensure the survival of the group... She could see in Elena's eyes her determination to fight, despite the pallor of her face, against this evil being.
She had to respect his last wishes.
- I promise you that.
- Thank you.
The Mother Superior got back on the bus and returned to her seat next to the young child, she woke him up. The boy struggled to sit up, he too was in a bad state, his wounds were oozing blood and stink, the bandages were itching, but he was holding back to appear as normal as possible, so that no one would judge him. This distress saddened the Mother Superior, and she clenched her teeth with rage. Maybe she was too old, but she would go with him and ask Sister Franzesca to take them to the top of the mountain to see this witch, no matter what the consequences.
- Wake up... You have to say goodbye to your mother.
- The child gasped.
He turned his head to the window and saw his mother waving at him.
- Mom is coming up!
- I can't do it. I wish we could have gone on until I could have sent you to college or just given you a bright future, but God's time is not ours... The Sisters and the Mother Superior are going to take care of you , from now on. I was more than happy to be your mother, I know that our beginnings together were rather mixed, even tumultuous... Between what I considered to be my whims and my hardness... But when we got here, I was really happy that you opened up more to others, that you started to talk, that you made your first friends... It was extraordinary! And for nothing in the world, I would not want to relive those moments, I will keep them and cherish them until the end of my life and beyond. Anyway, I am sure you will become a person capable of being admired and admired by all, so remember to be that good person and trust your friends because life is way too short to be lived alone...
Elena stopped dead in her tracks and spat blood against the wall of the bus.
His time was getting shorter.
- Mama!" cried the young child, crying.
- Don't worry. It's nothing. Just a simple wound like you're used to seeing. I'm sorry I wasn't better than my predecessors with you, better than your own mother, but you were a light in the darkness of my life, and to say that your presence was a great help to me when everything... was going wrong... would be an understatement...
Elena also began to cry, she wiped her blood and tears with the sleeves of her dress.
- We are... men, we... we don't cry... do you understand?
- Mom...
- Is that understood? she repeated.
- Yes...
- Come on, it's time I offered you the opportunity to survive. I wish you a good life, kid. I'll see you around.
The nun ran off in the direction of Novillios, the Mother Superior told the driver to start the car, the child was shouting his mother's name, the Matriarch was trying to take him off the window, but he was struggling with all his strength to be able to see her again.
At least, just his shadow.
He didn't want to leave her, she was the only person who mattered to him, he didn't want to lose the last person who had taken him in and made him see the light in this world blackened by the Evil. Like all sulky children who start doing childish and useless actions, he started to do a childish and useless action: he started to push the window of the bus where his seat was, the Matriarch looked at him, dumbfounded, seeing him pushing against a window that no human child was able to break with his hands, Mother Theresa sat down.
If it kept her busy, she didn't have to worry about it.
But seeing him struggle so much for this woman gave her confirmation that she had been wrong to treat him so inhumanely. This boy who had appeared so strange to her, so frightening... had shown him throughout his life in church that he was the sweetest kid ever. Maybe she would give him a name like his mother had wanted... No, it was up to her, she had no right to his person...
Suddenly, she heard the glass chipping, the first person to react was Zelda, she knew her friend, she thought he was going to give up because of the pain of his wounds, but she had forgotten that he was a madman, he was not going to let his mother go like that.
Mother Theresa was amazed at the strength of the injured boy, he was mutilated all over, wrapped like wrapping paper in bandages and still managed to chip the window of a bus.
Despite seeing his humanity, this boy remained a stranger in his own right. She watched his muscles swell, his gums bleed and his teeth turn red, and he finally broke the glass on his side and fell on the other side. The Matriarch was so fascinated by this force, that she forgot to catch him. The boy found himself on the ground, out of the bus, his body nailed to the ground and stuck with bits of glass, he knew his mother hated him using his strength but he wasn't going to abandon her... he couldn't abandon her.
Zelda shouted his name through the broken window but the boy didn't listen to her, he was heading towards his village which was on fire and filled with monsters just as awful as he was.
Walking towards the city, Elena heard small cries behind her, she felt no magic in that direction. It could only be a person. She didn't know if she should slap him or hug him.
His last act towards this boy was not going to put a right in his cheek all the same.
The boy ran to his mother crying and shouting "mommy", she turned around, grabbed him by the cheeks with one hand and lifted him off the ground.
- You just couldn't help yourself, could you?
Then stuck it against her. The boy returned her embrace, then she put him back on the ground and caressed his head.
- You are really a cheeky boy..., she breathed.
- I don't want to live without you, you will always be my mother! I want us to go away together!
To say that this boy was not full of love was the biggest lie she had ever heard. He was much more human than any other man or woman she had ever met in her life.
No matter what the Fate of the hero of the legend would dictate to her future actions, she would do everything to come back alive from her confrontation with the Nemesis, they would both live in this new place where the Sisters decided to go.
- Don't worry, little man! I'm going to take care of that rascal and we'll go eat ice cream in Bisonti with the other Sisters.
- We'll eat chocoricots?
- You'll eat your damn beans by yourself," Elena laughed.
Yes. She will live...