《Betrayed Hero》 Prologue A thousand stars in the sky and yet the only thing that shone tonight was fire. ¡°Burn him out!¡± A hundred voices called out in blind fervor, ¡°Burn the traitor hero so another generation can be born!¡± The flames continued to burn, fueled by magic and dry timber. An entire forest turned to ash to kill one man. And yet unbeknownst to the mob their quarry merely waited, back pressed against a dying tree with just enough strength to curse his misfortune. He was tired. Tired of running and hiding.Tired of every person he passed glaring at him with disdain. Tired of not being able to sleep for days. He chuckled to himself, which would kill him first? The fire or the poison trickling through his veins.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. All this because of one person, her majesty of the solar empire, Queen Solaris the first. The hero killer. Though he was the only one who called her that. The poisoning wasn¡¯t done through food or wine, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything that passed through another person¡¯s hands. No, she had done it by poisoning the air, the air of an entire town. It wasn¡¯t until people started dropping dead that he realized something was wrong. And when he fled town she was just waiting for him. Idly sitting on the side of the road, sipping tea. Waving to him as he scurried away, the poison slowly eating away at him. He would¡¯ve tried to kill her then and there if he had any chance of succeeding, but she had brought friends. One of the greatest swordsmen in the entire kingdom, who now sat across from him, watching him die. There was no hope of escaping or surviving, and frankly, he didn¡¯t want to. At some point, he had given up trying to win. All he could do now was curse her majesty¡¯s name, and hope that The Goddess that brought him here was still listening. Chapter 1 ¡°I¡¯m alive?¡± Damien murmured to himself in surprise, he looked around seeing only a white void, ¡°Or is this the afterlife and I did die?¡± ¡°You never died,¡± A woman replied, ¡°to be more accurate, you never lived.¡± Damien spun around to try and see who had responded. Yet no matter which way he turned all he could see was white nothingness. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be.¡± He thought to himself as he slowly looked up, seeing a towering figure of a woman looking back at him, ¡°You¡¯re The Goddess. I haven¡¯t seen you in twenty years.¡± The Goddess, ruler, and deity of the land of Valeria. She had brought him and his class of twenty to this world to fight demons. But the conversation was decades old and he remembered very little of it, but it was pretty hard to forget a deity who looked large enough to crush a moon between her fingertips. ¡°And yet you never left my sight.¡± she replied amusedly, ¡°How was it? Living through twenty years in the blink of an eye?¡± He looked down at himself, it was true. He felt younger, with no facial hair or scars. Even his clothes had changed back to his old school uniform, including the emblem sewn onto both the shirt and coat, an emblem that he had long since forgotten. ¡°How is something like that even possible?¡± ¡°That was your chosen blessing, ¡®a glimpse into the future¡¯. Just in most cases,it doesn¡¯t last twenty full years.¡± ¡°No, that can¡¯t be. I remember everything so clearly, I know what my blessing was, it was¡­¡± He paused, there was no way he could forget something like this. The Goddess¡¯s blessing was a cheat-level skill that they had been allowed to choose to start their journey with. Yet no matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing came to mind. ¡°It¡¯s not that you forgot about it, just you¡¯ve never given it any thought. It wouldn¡¯t be a realistic prediction of the future if you knew it wasn¡¯t real.¡± ¡°Then that is our future? The twenty years I lived?¡± Damien¡¯s heart froze, tears slowly welling up in his eyes, ¡°We failed? We all die? That¡¯s our future?¡± ¡°Was, could have been. And yet no longer is. The blessing was a look into a potential future, a path that I assume you do not wish to take.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Damien smiled, ¡°Though I¡¯m afraid The Demon Lord will have to wait, I have some demons of my own I need to get rid of.¡± Solaris, I¡¯m going to kill you. I¡¯m going to do more than kill you, I¡¯m going to take every little thing you¡¯ve ever cared about, and then I¡¯ll kill you. ¡°Fine by me.¡± The Goddess waved her hand causing a small shining portal to materialize in front of Damien, ¡°The others have already left, but as one last gift I¡¯ll let you pick precisely where I send you.¡± Damien took a moment to consider, then another, and finally he spoke. ¡°The Solar Empire. Half a mile south of Fallbrook Manor.¡± - ¡°Lord Fallbrook.¡± A young maid with chestnut-colored eyes and matching hair called out from across the study, ¡°There¡¯s a child at the door claiming he can cure your daughter¡¯s curse.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lord Fallbrook responded, his pen rolling out of his loosened grip. Even as it continued to roll itself off the table and clattered against the wooden floorboards, neither master nor maid paid it any mind. ¡°A child who claims he can¡­ How does he even know about her curse?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t think to ask.¡± She pointed at the window behind him, ¡°He¡¯s probably still waiting outside, should I let him in?¡± Fallbrook cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. ¡°Of course, please show him to the drawing-room for now. I¡¯ll come after I¡¯ve taken a moment to compose myself.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± She bowed, closing the door behind her as she left. Lord Fallbrook slowly stood up in his chair, his mind racing.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His first thought was that it had to be some kind of con. When the curse first started to surface he had an old friend, a royal court mage to come and check on her. And he had simply said nothing could be done, that her curse was not something that could simply be removed. That was two years ago, her condition had slowly been getting worse. Neither medicine nor healing magic seemed to be helping anymore. And at this critical moment when it seemed like she was simply going to die, a child shows up and says he can cure her. Peering out the window he could see this child waiting outside, dressed smartly in a style of clothing he had never seen before. Aside from the stray twig he was picking out from his hair, he wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place among other nobles at the royal capital, so what was he doing all the way out here? The child stopped his errant waiting and turned to face something, smiling politely as he was led inside the manor. Lord Fallbrook watched as he slowly stepped out of view of his window. ¡°Any decisions I make can wait until after I¡¯ve met him.¡± Lord Fallbrook started to leave, stopping only to look at his old sword ornamentally hung on the wall as a reminder of the old days. Gently he lifted it off its hooks and strapped it to his waist, just in case this meeting didn¡¯t go well. Mind still racing Lord Fallbrook made his way downstairs to the drawing-room, casually sidestepping the wooden pails left around to catch the leaking water from yesterday¡¯s downpour. The maid was waiting outside the drawing-room, turning to acknowledge with a bow as he approached. ¡°He¡¯s waiting inside Lord Fallbrook.¡± ¡°Thank you Anna. Please have a guest room prepared for him.¡± She bowed once more and turned to leave. ¡°...¡± These doors were to a room in his own house, so why did they feel so daunting? What was there to be afraid of? The child was here to help cure your daughter, so why do I feel so afraid of him? ¡°No, not afraid of him.¡± Afraid of this not being true, afraid that with one good look at him he would be able to tell the child was lying. Afraid that the only hopeful moment in the past two years will disappear in an instant. Before he had recollected his thoughts he had stepped inside, automatically seating himself across from his guest. For a while they merely looked at each other, sizing each other up. But finally, the child spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have many questions, feel free to begin asking. I promise not to lie.¡± ¡°Can you really cure my daughter?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t for certain say I can cure your daughter before I leave.¡± He spoke, choosing each word carefully, ¡°But I can promise that Ms. Fallbrook will outlive her curse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a strange way to address someone the same age as yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s another Ms. Fallbrook to get confused with. Is there?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± His tone had turned hostile, bringing up someone¡¯s dead wife would do that to them, ¡°First my daughter¡¯s curse, and now this? What is it that you want?¡± ¡°I know many things that I will not tell you the reasons for. As for what I want,¡± He began counting off each item on his fingers, ¡°Two sets of traveling clothes, a steel sword, a flute¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Lord Fallbrook was starting to lose his temper. ¡°To think you¡¯d come here simply to mock me¡­¡± ¡°When Ms. Fallbrook was cursed, did you find it strange no demands were left? Usually, when someone spends the time creating and casting a curse from scratch, they are doing it for a reason.¡± ¡°There are many cases like this when people are suddenly found with mysterious curses. Deadly, debilitating ones that make no sense being used on people with little value.¡± ¡°Sometimes people are cursed not because of who they are, but simply because the curse maker needed humans to practice on.¡± ¡°A curse like that, a practice curse, is never designed to be removed, but it is also not designed to kill its victim. Which is why I cannot promise that I can cure her, but I can promise she will outlive it.¡± ¡°A practice curse? I¡¯ve never heard of something like that.¡± His hand slowly lowered to his blade as a thought crossed his mind, ¡°Were you the one who cursed her?¡± ¡°And if I was, wouldn¡¯t I be the best person to remedy it?¡± He replied with a calm smile. ¡°Either way I never expected you to trust a word I say without a little demonstration.¡± With that, he began emptying his pockets onto the table. A strange assortment of mushrooms, leaves, and herbs stuck with bits of dirt and lint. After he was done with the pockets in his jacket he started on the pockets in his pants. While he was doing this Anna the maid had returned, unsure if she should speak up at the scene unfolding in front of her. ¡°Ah, the maid. Perfect timing. Please take all of these and boil them in half a pot full of water for about six hundred and thirty-three seconds, then bring a bowl or cup of it back here.¡± She stared puzzlingly at the assortment of random plants, then towards Lord Fallbrook. ¡°Do as he says.¡± She nodded and began to pick up a couple of items, before realizing she probably couldn¡¯t carry it all in her bare hands. Without even pausing to ask she grabbed the four corners of the table cloth, taking all the ingredients in a makeshift sack. After she left the room returned to silence, though a very different kind of silence compared to when they first met. The child leaned back into his seat and casually propped his feet up on the table. Quietly humming to himself as Lord Fallbrook glared at him the entire time, hand gently resting on his blade. Chapter 2 A little over ten minutes later Anna returned with the entire pot, waddling as she slowly edged her way next to the table. ¡°I thought I asked you to bring a single bowl.¡± The child pondered with some amusement. ¡°I know, but I wasn¡¯t sure what to do with the rest of it.¡± She placed a bowl down on the table and using a ladle transferred a bit of the mixture into it. ¡°Should I bring this up to the lady¡¯s room?¡± ¡°No, no, that¡¯s for me.¡± He responded, wolfing down the entire portion without hesitation. Licking his lips he placed the bowl back down on the table. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought that was meant to help break the curse.¡± ¡°Of course not, I was hungry. If your daughter could be cured by an assortment of random plants, you wouldn¡¯t need someone like me to¡­¡± ¡°Enough jokes!¡± Lord Fallbrook lunged across the table and interrupted him by grabbing his neck, effortlessly lifting him off the ground. ¡°I have not joked a single time our entire conversation.¡± The child eked out as Lord Fallbrook squeezed. ¡°You will go upstairs and cure her now, or I will break both your legs.¡± ¡°Ms. Fallbrook¡¯s life is on the line and you think threatening me is the best way to get my cooperation?¡± Lord Fallbrook tightened his grip, ¡°You would be correct, please lead the way.¡± Lord Fallbrook let go, letting the child fall roughly to the ground. ¡°Anna lead the way.¡± She nodded.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Quietly the three of them made their way upstairs. Her room was the door closest to the top of the stairs, the only room in the manor without rust on the handle, or scratches on the door. They stepped inside, in the center of the room was a single spacious double bed. Lord Fallbrook¡¯s daughter laid in it, squirming under the sheets, her face stricken with pain. The child merely watched for a while, walking around the bed with his hand on his chin in contemplation. ¡°This looks a little more serious than I thought.¡± And with that, he began, closing his eyes and muttering an incantation under his breath. A single-arm outstretched to aim, but otherwise unmoving since he began. Then, snap. He cast. A spell far more complex than anything Lord Fallbrook had ever seen. The entire room seemed to glow with runic circles as the very air around them filled with mana. Yet as soon as it appeared it vanished. The spell vanished within a blink of an eye. Beads of sweat trailed down the child¡¯s face as his legs shook out of control. ¡°That,¡± He forced out through panting breaths, ¡°was more tiring than I expected.¡± And with that, he collapsed onto the ground, seemingly out cold. Lord Fallbrook sighed, ¡°To have run out of mana this quickly, I guess he was a con-man after all.¡± ¡°Anna, take our guest to a bed to rest. Then when he wakes up please escort him o¡­¡± He stopped, his heart dropping. Seeing his daughter¡¯s eyes looking right at him. ¡°Dad?¡± He stumbled forward at a loss for words, carefully holding one of her hands in his own. Never once broke eye contact even as tears slowly blocked out his vision. ¡°I¡¯m here darling.¡± Her hands still felt unnaturally cold, but for once her fingers were gripping his hand back, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± She smiled, her eyes closing once more, but for once in peaceful slumber instead of wincing pain. Anna held her hands over her mouth, feeling almost as overjoyed as Lord Fallbrook was. And for a while, they remained there, Lord Fallbrook and Anna crying tears of joy. His daughter sleeping peacefully. And the child sprawled awkwardly on the cold floor. Chapter 3 The child awoke a couple of hours later in a bed, groggily he slowly sat up on the bed. Lord Fallbrook was seated in a chair directly to his right, the thought that he had probably been watching him sleep sent shivers down his spine. ¡°I¡¯m going to hazard a guess that the fact I¡¯m not dead means Ms. Fallbrook is doing better.¡± ¡°She is. The curse isn¡¯t gone but she¡¯s doing better.¡± He stood up as he spoke. ¡°Good to hear.¡± He replied cautiously, unsure why Lord Fallbrook had decided to stand. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the chance to say this on account of you fainting,¡± He proceeded to give a deep bow, ¡°Thank you for saving my daughter.¡± ¡°...¡± The child stayed silent for a short while, unsure of how to respond. He had expected questions, accusations. Something along the lines of ¡®why is the curse not gone yet?¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re welcome?¡± With that Lord Fallbrook stood back up straight, gave a brief nod, and proceeded to leave the room. ¡°Wait.¡± Lord Fallbrook stopped, turning back to face him. ¡°Was that it? You waited at my bedside just to say thanks?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you have questions about me, for all you know I am the one who cursed your daughter.¡± Lord Fallbrook took his time to respond. ¡°This was the first time in two years that I heard my daughter¡¯s voice, and I have you to thank for that. You could leave right now without even telling me your name, and I would still be nothing but grateful.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°The only thing you should worry about right now is getting enough rest. If you want to talk after that, you can come find me then.¡± ¡°Damien.¡± The child muttered before he could leave, ¡°My name is Damien.¡± ¡°Well, Damien. I¡¯m Francis Fallbrook, a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± - About half a month had passed since Damien had arrived at Fallbrook manor. It had been relatively uneventful since the first day. After he and Lord Fallbrook had come to an agreement about the coming arrangement, things had become almost routine. Once a day Damien would work on his daughter¡¯s condition, in exchange he was allowed to stay at the manor and spend the rest of the day however he wanted. On top of that his payment would be as follows: two sets of traveling clothes, a steel sword, and a flute. The clothes were mostly hand-me-downs from Lord Fallbrook¡¯s old days in the knighthood, which meant the shirts had to be cut to size, and every piece felt a little baggy. The sword was also from his old days in the knighthood, not his actual blade but a spare that every good knight made sure to carry around. But the spare blade of a knight was still the blade of a knight. And for a blade that had not been used for quite some time, it had been dutifully maintained, retaining an edge just as sharp as the day it was forged. The flute was an issue, an issue he was trying to solve. ¡°Fwoot.¡± ¡°The sound is a little off.¡± He tossed it aside with the growing carpet of faulty, wooden flutes. Carving the wood was not an issue, the manor had a decent carving knife that was used to repair and replace the wooden structure. And there were plenty of trees in the nearby forest, all he needed to start was a branch with a long enough section of straight wood. No, the issue was the sound. He knew how to make a wooden tube that made noises, but it looked like he¡¯d need an actual craftsman to make it. That is when a noise came at him through the trees. The sound of a flute, a proper one. ¡°I heard you were looking for a flute, and I just so happen to have one.¡± A strange, hooded man in the forest bearing gifts. He brandished his knife as the man continued to step closer, preparing for a fight.