Chapter 2 - The Death of the Hero.

"Your... heart?" the boy said, completely bewildered.

The confusion those words caused him was justifiable, as he had just heard that he would give him his heart. He managed to avoid saying the first thing that came to his mind, thinking it would only be a misunderstanding if he mentioned it.

Smoking his pipe, that old demon exhaled the smoke upwards and began to manipulate it with his magical power.

"This is not only considered a taboo among the existing demon races, but it is also something that has never been done with a human, and more specifically, with a hero," he commented, while manipulating the smoke until it took shape.

The boy recognized that it resembled the human heart he had always known.

He noticed that the old man manipulated another part of the smoke, also giving it the shape of a heart. He quickly deduced that this was the characteristic shape of a demon's heart due to the details that differentiated it.

"What I will do is unite my heart with yours. This will allow you to live by harnessing my power."

That old man joined the two hearts together, showing him a representation of how they would look connected. The boy still hadn't processed what he was hearing, although something else worried him.

"But, if you give me your heart... won't you die?" he asked, with concern.

The fact that he would give his life to save him, so that this wannabe hero could see the light of day... No, that was something he couldn't accept.

The old demon managed to understand the sea of unease that was brewing within him.

"If you think I'm going to die, let me tell you that you're wrong. Something that most other races don't know is that we demons possess four hearts," he mentioned, nonchalantly.

The old man's face remained serene, while the boy's reflected shock. There was silence; the only sound was that of the old man smoking his pipe.

"So, do you want to live?" he asked, as he finally put the pipe aside.

The boy didn't answer immediately. The reason? He didn't think he deserved to continue living. He was nobody. A Hero? That was nothing more than a title given to him for being summoned to this world.

He continued to sink into depression, the more he thought he wasn't worthy of another chance.

"I know that face. It's the face of someone who has already given up..." said the old man, with a compassionate look.

He looked into his eyes; it was as if they told him everything that was going through the boy's mind. He managed to understand his despair.

"Why...?" he asked, his gaze fixed on the ceiling of the room. "Why go to such lengths to save me?"

That old demon understood that the answer he gave would define the decision the boy would make. He simply smiled and said something the boy didn't expect to hear.

"Because you are a Hero..."

A glimmer appeared in his eyes as he said it. He had spoken those words with complete sincerity. The boy clutched the bedsheets and spoke between sobs:

"A... hero? I'm not that... I'm just an idiot who was summoned to this world," he said, his voice breaking. "An idiot who thought that, just by being named one, he would be strong... An idiot who was deceived and despised by almost everyone he trusted..."

The boy continued to despise himself, until the old man stopped him.

"You can let this opportunity pass... Die, leave this world..." he mentioned, looking at him. "I just want to tell you something, boy: a Hero is not only someone strong who can overcome any obstacle, but also someone who cares for and protects others. And those who are called that, who put you in your current state, rest assured that they are not."

Those words caught his attention; even so, he clung to the idea that he didn't deserve to continue living.

The old demon sighed upon seeing how stubborn he was.

"I have a dream, boy. And I know you can achieve it."

He decided to tell him the truth, the reason why he wanted to save him; he thought that if he was sincere, it would make him change his mind.

Approaching a bookshelf in the room, he took one of the many books. The cover was old, which suggested it was quite old, and he opened it to a specific page.

On those pages was the illustration of five figures, along with various texts.

Although they came from another world, for some reason the language here was already in their minds. This meant that, despite the language and writing being different, they could speak and write it. It was as if they had been raised their entire lives in this world.

The boy read the texts; they were the descriptions of the Heroes. He quickly noticed something strange.

"There are only five heroes here," he said, while looking at the old man.

"Each hero possesses a specific weapon. You don't have one, do you?"

His eyes widened in surprise. After thinking for a while, a small laugh escaped him.

He looked at the old man; he had remembered something upon seeing the illustration of the heroes.

"Now that I think about it, I remembered something. The day we were summoned, in our world I wasn't exactly chosen. That day, a magic circle appeared above one of the Heroines in a shopping mall, and I wanted to save her. When I tried to pull her away, we were brought here," he said, showing a strange expression.

Apparently, several feelings washed over him at the same time, causing him to make that face.

The old demon sighed upon seeing the boy's state, who was slowly breaking down in front of him, and spoke again to reassure him.

"If you think you are here by mistake, I am going to contradict you. Believe it or not, you were also selected."

The boy brought his bandaged hands closer to his face to observe them, and then he remembered the journey that had brought him here.

He remembered his arrival with the others, the initial confusion of there being six of them in the summoning, the King's kind welcome, the selection process where no legendary weapon chose him, the effort of training just to be accepted, his infatuation with one of the summoned girls, and finally, the betrayal of the one he believed to be a great friend.

He was about to succumb, but something in his gaze changed, as did the aura around him. His eyes were no longer lifeless, but they didn't show hatred either.

"I want power," he said, as he got out of bed.

The old man felt his power increase noticeably, and his reaction was a big smile.

"What do you want it for? Do you want to take revenge for what they did to you?" he asked.

The answer he gave would define everything. The boy looked at him, and tears could be seen falling down his cheeks.

"No... I just want to show them that I can be strong too."

Upon finishing saying that, the immense energy that enveloped him disappeared. He fell unconscious.

Before he hit the ground, the old demon caught him.

"As I suspected when I saw you: the hidden power within you far surpasses that of any Demon King or Hero"—in his mind he recalled a past event—"Just as she said," he thought. "That's why I decided to give you the best I can offer and not let you die," he said, while resting his hand on his chest. "Without a doubt, you are the one they are looking for."

After laying him back down on the bed once more, he observed the boy for a few seconds and decided to leave the room.

***

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Deima, south of the human nation, four young people observed a statue in front of the castle.

The statue was erected in memory of the one who sacrificed himself so that the others could escape, or at least that's what the inhabitants were told.

"Why are they making a statue of that useless guy? I'm the one who should have one," said one of those present, showing his anger at seeing the statue.

His blond hair was somewhat long, with bangs that covered half of his face. His green eyes showed rage. He wore light armor and carried a large sword sheathed at his waist. He was known as the leader of the heroes, and his name was Held, the wielder of the Diogla sword, one of the five sacred weapons.

"Calm down, honey. I understand your annoyance; I'm annoyed too. It was our idea, and they didn't give us the recognition we deserve," said a girl who approached to hug him from behind.

Her young and beautiful appearance easily attracted most people. She left her spear stuck in the ground to hug Held and calm him down. The spear had beautiful details that distinguished it from a common one.

She also wore light armor. Her long hair was dark brown, and her blue eyes sought Held's to calm him down. She was Gessiga, the wielder of the Mizrak spear.

They had been primarily responsible for what happened to Hiro, but, to avoid looking bad in front of the people, they invented the story of how he decided to sacrifice himself so that they could escape.

And the fact is that Hiro, despite not being a legitimate Hero, with perseverance managed little by little to win over the people. The entire humble sector of the capital mourned his death; it had been a hard blow for them. He who always looked out for them, according to the respected heroes' version, died doing what always characterized him: helping others.

Another of the boys present hadn't said anything since they met; he just stared at the statue with an empty gaze. His blue hair was as long as Gessiga's, and he wore it tied up. His clothing was similar to that of a nobleman, very different from that of his companions. His name was Heros, who wielded the legendary Mucra bow.

"Using someone's life for your own benefit? I feel corrupted," he said, while walking away without even saying goodbye.

"That idiot," said Held, watching Heros leave.

It seemed like he was going to start a conflict. However, the head of a large hammer intervened, blocking his path.

"Calm down, Held," he spoke calmly. "He didn't agree with this from the beginning; even so, he didn't do anything to stop us. He just feels guilty."

He seemed to be the oldest of them all. His hair was a similar shade to Held's, and his blue eyes complemented an admirable physique and great stature. Added to his silver-toned armor, it made him look imposing. He was Dike, the wielder of the Donyun hammer.

"Either way, that boy lost in this game called life," he mentioned, while taking out a coin.

He tossed it into the air, saying heads. When he caught it and saw the result, a confident look appeared on his face.

"As always, I won again."

Heros continued on his way, ignoring his companions, until one of the castle towers appeared in his sight.

"Of all of us, you are the one who suffers the most, right?..."

He observed it for a few moments before continuing on his way without saying anything else.

***

"Miss, please, you have to eat something. You haven't had any food in these three days."

Inside that tower, a maid was knocking on the door of one of the castle rooms.

"Go away!" someone shouted from inside the room.

That was the room of the one considered the strongest of the heroes.

The maid tried to open the door with the master key she had, but upon trying, an immense current of energy sent her flying, making her fall down the stairs.

She could have died from such a fall, although she only ended up stained with food, because before hitting the ground, a small shield of energy protected her.

The maid just looked, with a sad expression, at the door of that room.

"I didn't think that young man's death would affect Miss Akoni in this way," she said, while standing up and leaving.

Inside the room, lying on the bed, was Akoni, the so-called Sacred Heroine. She was a girl the same age as Hiro. She had short, jet-black hair and honey-colored eyes. She was looking at some hair ornaments and a letter that lay beside her on the bed.

Upon seeing them, she began to cry.

The letter was from Hiro, and the ornaments were a gift from him.

"Guess what, Akoni? They sent me on a mission with the others. I'm finally going to show how useful I can be. I was planning to tell you in person, as well as give you this gift, but they told me we had to leave immediately. So I promise you that when I return, we'll eat those pastries you like so much."

She was the only one of the heroes who didn't know what really happened. If she had known, she would have prevented it at all costs; she wouldn't have cared about facing the rest of the Heroes.

"And now... what am I going to do without you?" she said, in a melancholic tone.

Hiro pulled her out of the depression she felt upon arriving in this world, and little by little, romantic feelings had been born in her. These persisted, even when she learned that he was interested in Gessiga. The idea of ending her own life crossed her mind on several occasions, as imagining being without him was impossible for her. Hiro was the one who helped her get used to this world, always being there on her nostalgic days.

The only thing that kept her wanting to live was the hope that he might be alive, because, although they told her it was just her imagination, she could swear she felt his energy.

It would be a great relief for her to know that he was alive, but it was still too early for a reunion.

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