ASV Chapter 97 (Patreon)

Naturally, Hero’s decision shocks everybody in attendance.

“You – you’re… what?” Val asks, easily being the most shocked of them all. She was the one most interested in using Hero’s powers to assist her cause, and now he’s telling her that he’s going to reject all of it.

“But… Hero, if you do that, doesn’t that mean you might – what will happen to you?” Fara asks.

“I don’t know what will happen to me, but I do know that it is the only way to break the cycle. I don’t think I’m the first one to be given this choice. I think it has happened many times before. It was only in my sleep, but I’ve seen visions of places and people from before my ancestors. If I accept it, Tarthans will end up ruling again, there will be another rebellion, and then somebody else will be given the choice,” Hero tries explaining.

“You can’t be sure of that, Hero. Besides, we can just do things differently! We won’t do what your ancestors did. You can see everything they’ve done, so as long as we only do what worked and avoid what didn’t, there won’t be a problem,” Val says. Everybody seems to agree with her.

“It would be different, for a time, but whether it is with us or our grandchildren, history will repeat. If you want to really do things differently, I have to reject her. It is the only way to make sure nothing ever repeats again.”

“Alright, say ya do reject it,” Wohran says, “what then? You would all aether would be gone. That means no magic, and no magic means no healing. Neither you nor any of us other healers are gonna be able to heal anybody anymore. You know how many people would die because of that?”

Hero nods at the dwarf. “But, there is hope. Fara was taught how to heal people. Heln… I don’t think he was bad. He was afraid and doing what he believed was right. I don’t think he knew about the choice, and he didn’t know about the good of what was before, but he knew history would repeat. He wanted to kill me to try and break the cycle. He also never used healing magic. He only used natural items to help people. Fara knows how to do that now.”

“Sure, but alchemy ain’t really anything to write home about compared to healing magic. It can’t fix broken bones, it won’t purge illness – none of that. Only healing magic can.”

“For now.”

“You want me to believe that we’re going to figure out a way to heal as effectively as magic without any aether? With only the materials we’ve got? A plant isn’t ever going to cure a disease. What about what happened to Val? Nothin’ short of magic would have saved her. Anybody who gets hurt like that after you reject this is going to die. Do you want that blood on you, Hero?”

“I have hope. I’m sorry, I know it is scary, but I am not going to accept it no matter what anybody says. It isn’t the right thing to do. I just… know.”

Val speaks up again. “I’m sorry, Hero. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but up until half a year ago, you were still Alpha and Albert’s puppet. I do not believe that you can be trusted to make a decision as important as this on your own. You know very little of the world, so you do not understand just how grave the consequences of this would be.”

“You don’t know how good it would be,” Hero replies.

“And neither do you. You cannot see into the future, can you? How could you even begin guessing how things are going to turn out?”

Hero isn’t using his third eye to feel Val’s emotions, but everybody in the room can still feel them. Her dedication to her cause is pouring out through her voice.

Not a single person in this room can doubt Val’s ferocious dedication. She believes with every last ounce of her being that Hero is doing the wrong thing, and everybody is taking her side.

Despite Hero knowing that she is wrong and believing in himself, it is still lonely to be the only one feeling how he does.

But of course, that is foolish.

He is never alone, and he knows that deep down within his heart.

Fara and Sloo are right here with him, and Fara is the first one to speak up in defense of him.

“If… Hero believes this is the right thing to do, we need to trust him. He understands his power and all that other stuff more than we do, you know? He basically has all of history in his head, the power to do whatever he wants… and he still believes that rejecting her is the right thing to do. Even if,” Fara begins choking up, “even if – if something bad happens to him as a result, it’s his choice. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him, but I’m not going to stop him from doing what he believes is the right thing for us all.”

Hero holds her close, kissing the top of her head.

She buries her face against him and cries.

“We don’t even know if we’re going to be ourselves after this. If all of our aether is taken away, who’s to say that we’re not going to turn into mindless things just walking around trying to survive? What about the afterlife? Our lives are goin’ to be pointless,” Wohran says. “What’s the point then? Who’s going to care about anything?”

“We will,” Hero says.

“You always have been stubborn, you damn redhead.”

“Sir,” Rat talks now, “I… ain’t really good with this sort of stuff, but I know you’re the kind of man who wouldn’t lie to us or try to hurt us. If you want to do this, it means you think it’s the best thing you could do for your girls there, so I trust you. You wouldn’t do anything to hurt them.”

“Thank you,” Hero says.

The only one not even slightly convinced by any of this is Val.

“Say whatever you want, Hero, but I… am being horrible, aren’t I?” Val asks. She may not be convinced, but she doesn’t lack so much self-awareness that she doesn’t realize what she’s doing. “I’m sorry. I’m just… wanting to use your power for our own sake. I made a mistake before by not staying true to myself, and now I am doing it again. I – I cannot be present for this. I am too emotional and unable to change my thoughts, so please excuse me.” She gets up and leaves before anybody can stop her. Sunfur chases after her.

“I don’t suppose we can use your magic there to help take the city first, can we, sir?” Rat asks.

Hero shakes his head. “I don’t think I’ll be allowed to get any closer before making a choice.”

“Then it seems to me like you’ve got to go tell whatever she is the news.”

“I’m going to tell Her now.”

“Good luck, you damn stubborn redhead,” Wohran says.

“Make sure it’s the right thing to do,” Alden says.

“We’ll be waitin’ here for you to come back, sir,” Rat adds on.

Hero nods at them and gets up.

Fara and Sloo follow him outside of the tent.

The first thing he does before talking to Fara is tear off a chunk of skin from his hand to hold it out to Sloo.

He doesn’t know what’s going to happen to him after this, so he wants to make sure Sloo is fed.

Sloo doesn’t need to eat right now, but she understands the situation and begins drinking his blood.

“Hero,” Fara says. “I love you, you know?”

“I love you too,” Hero replies without hesitation.

He still isn’t entirely sure that he understands what love is, but he does know that it is something that one feels toward those most important in their lives. Fara is the most important person in his life, therefore, he believes that he loves her.

No, it isn’t fair to say he only believes that he loves her.

He does love her.

With all of his heart, he loves her more than anything and anybody in this world. Everything he does is, and always will be, for her sake.

“I’m going to be back,” he says.

“I know you will be. You wouldn’t leave me, isn’t that right?” Fara teases, holding his free hand.

“When I come back… I don’t know what will happen, but it will be okay. I know it will be.”

“I trust you, Hero. I always have and always will, you know?”

Hero leans down, wrapping his free hand around her waist to pull her closer so that he may press his lips to hers.

They hold each other and kiss for several minutes – until Sloo is unable to take any more blood from him.

“Sloo,” he says, looking down at her. “I’ll be back to feed you later. Listen to Fara,” he says, sounding like a father.

Sloo nods her slimy head and gives him her usual thumbs-up.

Hero turns to face the towers.

All he can do now is walk forward and give Her his decision.