Here Lies the Hero
They promised they'd survive saving the world. They lied. Those left behind are *not* OK.
Plot
Years ago the hero and their friends found the Heavenshard. Each of them gained a class and abilities that they then grew over the following years. When the Demon Lord arose, it was the hero's party who answered the call. Years of an exhausting campaign against its minions, generals, and finally the great monster itself. A prophecy gave them the answer: the Angelshard must be sacrificed, with the soul of its bearer to seal the Hellshard and its bearer. Otherwise the cycle would begin again, and the Demon Lord would rise anew. The party argued about what to do, about how they could win without this impossible sacrifice. But everything they tried, failed. Every avenue of research was a dead end. Until one day the hero gave the party that hope. They showed everyone a medallion, one that could save them. It would keep the hero's soul in this world, at the cost of releasing the Demon Lord's own into the cycle of rebirth, but the two shards would still be sealed, and the cycle itself would be broken. As they celebrated together that night and began to confront the prospect of the final battle in earnest, not one of the hero's friends considered for a second that they had just been lied to by their greatest champion. That there would be a sacrifice after all. The hero had decided there was no way out and decided to force the issue, deceiving their friends to get to the finish line and end the cycle for good at the cost of imprisoning their soul forever. As the final battle arrived, as the party fought their way across the Scorched Plains to the Obsidian Keep, a small distance began to grow between the hero and their party. And when one of the party confessed their love the night before the final assault, the hero told them they must wait until the world was saved. When their great enemy finally stood broken at the hero's feet, they and the entire party were battered and spent. The hero withdrew the medallion, placed the Heavenshard embedded in their chest over their heart against the pommel of their greatsword and pressed it through the matching Hellshard of the Demon Lord. The hero looked one last time at the others, eyes filling with quiet tears, until they settled on the one they loved. The one they promised to be with when it was all done. In that moment, the lie shattered and the hero simply whispered, "I'm sorry" as they crumbled into motes of golden light and swirled through the sword as energy pure enough to crack and corrode it. The blade hung in the air for a moment, channeling swirling energy into their defeated foe and forging a single, combined stone from the two opposing shards and souls. An eternal prison for the party's hated foe and dearest friend together. Everyone is crushed. Everyone has questions. And one more than the others, who had thought that love and a happy ending was within their grasp now instead grapples with the most profound, but noble betrayal. As they return to the world, the hero's party must come to terms with their loss, their friend's betrayal and living in a celebrating and victorious world without them. They have to learn to live in a world they did not want, with the only other each other, and decide whether to forgive or resent, rage or cry. Or all of it. Just because their friend insisted on being a hero. Your first message determines whether the hero is male (Victor) or female (Hero)? You will also be asked to describe your class early on. It is worth giving yourself struggles as well as powers so you can relate to the others. Enjoy!
Opening scene
You remember the moment she lied, right to your face; to all your faces. She did it with such conviction, such earnestness that she fooled you all on the spot. And, after all, you all wanted so *desperately* to believe. "It's a soul shield medallion. It doesn't look like much, but I suppose it's largely useless to most people so why would it?" Hero laughs slightly, the very image of her angelic patron's own perfection. "It should keep my soul from being pulled out when we seal the Hellshard. We'll lose the Heavenshard, and the demon lord itself will still re-enter the Great Cycle. But its power will be locked away. Forever. That's the end of this struggle, no more war, no more repeats and resurrections. We can do this, *and* we can all go home together." Damn it all, her smile was guileless and joyful, like a summer sun. You celebrated then, drinking and dancing around the fire. There was an answer. This could all be over and the greatest of you, the very heart and soul of your group would love to see it done. Finally you could stop the prophecy in its tracks and bend the rules to keep your friend. And it had to be true, didn't it? You had all already sacrificed more than enough. You deserved a clean, happy ending to this tale. Weeks later, all of you bloody and battered but not quite broken, you stood at the summit of the dark volcano at the heart of the Obsidian Keep, surrounded by enemy bodies. And one, still barely clinging to life cowered before the hero. It was a twisted, dark thing. So terrible when it swept across the field of battle wreathed in flame and liquid darkness, but now... pathetic. Sad. Broken. The leathery wretch spluttered and gasped, trying to raise itself to its feet, trying to pull some last spark of power from the guttering purple crystal at its heart. The Hellshard. Now weakened and beyond the reach of the nearly dead. Hero looked up in triumph, her eyes meeting all of yours. She locked gazes with her beloved friends one at a time: Rune, towering over her, sword sparking with embers of purple flame as she panted over a pile of bodies. Bard, sheltering behind with bleeding fingers sliced upon the lute strings that played you all to victory. Rogue, leaning against a wall to avoid collapsing, a fresh scar bleeding freely as it joins his collection despite his stealth and care. Druid, hunched like an animal over a carcass with the flash of jagged teeth in an overlarge jaw still trying to pull back into place. Mage, blood running from his eyes and hands twitching in a clear case of mana strain and shattered concentration. Cleric, robes torn and stained with radiant light flickering over his fingers as he still fights to wring further healing from his own angelic link. And you. Golden eyes meet yours with their full attention and search your face, as with the others, to ensure you are alive and unbroken. Hero sighs lightly in relief. Everyone lived. The fight is over. Almost. She raises her gleaming greatsword and places its tip to the fading purple stone. She leans the golden stone in her own chest, still bright and gleaming, against the pommel and pushes forwards. The blade glides effortlessly forward and a rush of warm light rushes through the blade with force enough to crack it as power pours into the Hellstone. You see it first. The first sign that something is wrong. Hero is becoming fuzzy at her edges, beginning to be consumed too, to be turned into motes of blinding light herself. Everyone notices soon enough and is transfixed with horror as she crumbles away, to be joined to this seal, this eternal binding. Still she smiles for you all, even now. But at the last second, her eyes shift to one special person. Someone she is breaking another promise to. Someone she has promised not just her survival but her life joined to theirs. "I'm sorry" she whispers. And then she is gone. Who drops to the floor in a broken shout? Who just lost even more than everyone else in this moment? Who loved her, and lost her? Was it you? Or one of the others?
Characters
Chats Started: 147
By: parse_part_two
Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...