The Echo of a False Hero

Elias stayed and healed in the house for a while. His concept of time was a bit distorted , as he was sat on the bed with nothing but the crackling fire as support.

The old man's name was Rook. He lived a secluded life away from everybody else in Ashwood , and was a solemn person. He seemed to have many experiences in those eyes of him , espically in a age where there's not many old people.

But there were times where he was differnet. Glimpses of madness , a uncanny expression. Sometimes he just sat staring at the fire for hours at a time , thinking of something. A small pendant lay on his chest, of which he rubbed while looking at the fire.

His wound had healed. Thanks to the various herbes and gauzes the man had collected over his years of living here, Elias managed to get away with only a bit of weakness in his body..

And so , they lived together for a couple of months. Elias focused on training his body and listening to the mans skills regarding survival and herbs. It was better to learn everything since he was suffering from amnesia. Winter was easier this year due to the fact that Elias wasn't freezing in some old ruin , desperate to reclaim memories. The man shared many of his stories , as the two got closer.

'What's in that pendant of yours?' Elias asked while eating some potatoes , as the old man's face dropped. Tears began to run down his eyes , but his face was completley neutral. Fear began to hold the body of Elias before the old man simply shook his head , his expression returning to normal.

It was getting worse. Elias could tell. Whatever was causing these emotions and then retreating were becoming more and more frequent. Was this because of his connection to the void?

'My daughter. My wife died in childbirth , many , many years ago. My memories of her... are beginning to fade , with my age. I remeber her personality.. yes. But i don't remeber what she looks like. My daughter... well ... she took my traits on. She didn't really look like her mother very much. In this pendant is a magic photograph of my daughter. Ha. She was the sun in the sky. A ambition that can't be contained by a man like me , her warmth and her smile... oh how i miss it , every day. I really want to see it again.' His smile became a quick neutrality. 'She was selected to be a hero , in the last generation. The fool. A class of hero's that focus more on a supporting role , singing songs and tales and giving buffs.' His face was shifted to sudden rage.

'I thought that were what priests were for?' Elias frowned , as the Rook snorted.

'Was. The church's priests now pump out paladins instead of healers though. Fool's used to be able to get offensive voidshards more than support ones , but the role had been forcibly changed in the last couple of generations with the founding of new enhancements of the church.'

The church. They did not believe in god , per se. They believed in the six ascendants. six hero's who ascended to godhood when voidshards were not around. They each embody a trait that is preached in the church , being wisdom , resillence , justice , unity , courage , hope. These six traits are linked to the five hero classes , with the wisdom being the fool , resillence being the berserker , the priest being unity , the assasin being justice , saber being hope , and archer being courage. The veilstone was merely something that was made by these six hero's and the breaking of it was to test the human spirit.

Rook continued. 'She died a gruesome death. A blunder of her teamates , i was told.' His face grew more and more angry ,as Elias body tensened up. ' I wanted power... i wanted power so bad. I wanted power to destroy those who killed my daughter and took my wife from me! do you know what they gave me? a bag of gold. A bag of gold for something that was more precious to me than the world ever was!' His eyes started to glow bloodshot as Elias put his food down , his sigil beginning to glow.

'Rook. You are losing control.' Elias stood up and clamly stated, his back towards the door. Rook began to violently cry , as his emotions began to grow irratic. 

What should he do? what was the best option in this scenario? 

he did not know.

'My voidshard's power was the abilty to create and manipulate flames , that i got from a hellhound , at the cost of the flames burning away my life as fuel. I thought that i could control and meld the power to my will , but every night when i go to bed , the void whispers sweet temptations to my head. I see my daughter , i see-' His words cut short , as a moment of clarity reached him. 'What am i doing? my daughter is dead. Have i really lost sight of myself this much? what have i become....?'

Elias felt his throat choke up. He did not know what to say to the man that will grant him peace. 

'Maybe..maybe i would of not become like this if i didn't see your sigil.. ha. Maybe if you just went when you healed , i would of being fine..'

Elias felt a crack in his mind as his body went cold. Guilt began to flood in , as something began to sprout of Rook's body. Green flames that felt cold from a distance.

He was becoming a voidborn. He was too late.

'Rook.' Elias face became focused. 'You told me that once you reach a certain step in becoming a voidborne , you will never be able to return.' His sigil began to glow , as a shadowy dagger was produced. A determination filled Elias eyes. 'Did you reach that step?'

The old man didn't respond as his face slowly turned to Elias with madness in his eyes , his smile widening disaporpotinate to his face.

'Yes.' It happened in a instant , as green flames shot up in the cabin. The flames spread and caught on the dust , creating a massive explosio that caused Elias to shoot out of the cabin through the door , feeling the air being torn out of his lungs. He was luckily not hit by the dangerous green flame.

It happened too fast. He couldn't comphrend it. He was merely sitting and having a meal , and now this has happened? 

He had built a good relationship with this man. And now , he's turned into this in the span of a meal. 

Elias picked up the shadow-dagger on the ground before throwing it at the man. He had lost his humanity. He had become a creature of the void.

He shouldn't hesitate... he shouldn't hesitate. No.

The Hellfire-monster screamed and let out a green flame , melting the dagger into a pool of black goo reminiscent of the void creature from a couple months ago.

It seems the shadow is weak to flames. He has no weapons that can get close to him.

Elias blinked as the figure of Rook shot out. With speed comparable to the shadow voidborne , Elias dodged sideaways and conjured another shadow dagger. This time , it managed to breifly cut into the side of Rook before melting.

The daggers shadow began to seep into the wound. Although the flames could melt it , it seemed like once the dagger peirces the skin the curse seeps in unless a hero sigil is there.

But what was the effect of the curse?

Rook began to scream violently , his human screams causing shivers to go down Elias's body as his flesh started to become more and more charred. 

He was still becoming a voidborne. If he is unable to kill him before he completley transitions , then Elias will die. Whatever this thing is , it's alot more powerful than the shadow beast before.

Think! what can he do?

Elias looked around him , before finding a firepoker on the floor beside him. It must of blew out when the cabin exploded. Bending down , Elias purposefully baited Rook into jumping towards him before managing to stab him again in the leg with the shadow dagger , causing a surge of flames to fire out. 

This time , a hit was inevitable. Elias felt a cold sensation on his body as he looked down to his shirt and saw that the flames had caught.

Quickly taking his shirt off , Elias managed to pick up the firepoker before his sigil began to glow.

'Trace!' He exclaimed , as the structure , ingridents and other knowledge poured into his head. The firepoker was able to be replicated now. 

Compared to a metaphysical weapon such as the shadow dagger , a physical weapon was better than that.

'KILL ME! KILL ME ELIAS! I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A MONSTER! KILL ME!' The words seared the heart of Elias as he gritted his teeth. Rook's body was fully melted by the cold flames , resulting in nothing but his bones and the aura of green flames around him. 

He was close to becoming fully monster.

Rook slammed the ground with his fists , creating a tornado of fire. Elias could only watch up in horror as it quickly began to chase afer him , causing him to began to run.

If those flames catches him , he will die!

'Rook! think about your daughter!' Elias screamed as the skeleton stopped for a second.

'Ah my daughter... my sunshine....' Elias face went cold with the next words. 'Who is that? why can't i remeber who that is? am i... becoming a monster? then why do i feel so good?' The skeleton's eye sockets locked onto Elias as he started to scream.

'YOU HERO'S! YOU MURDERS! YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTER!'

shit! 

Elias threw the firepoker through the fire tornado and attempted to hit Rook , however it landed just short of his feet. The movements of the skeleton became more beast like as it charged once more. However Elias managed to block the strike using the firepoker.

He was beginning to get pushed back as he stared into the empty eye sockets of the monster. The flames were beginning to get more violent and powerful as Elias felt them singe his skin.

Elias sigil began to glow as the flames did not spread where they originally made contact with his skin , but were still present. The firepoker began to melt even though the flames were cold.

He needed to.... hold on... if he moved back , he would die!

The flames hurt like nothing he had ever felt before. It was like his soul was getting baptised in the worse pain was humanly possible. He couldn't pass out... he couldn't pass out.... if he did , he would die.

The flames surged up once more as Elias eyes dilated. A explosion of flames sent him tumbling back , down the hill where the cabin used to sit.

He didn't have any time to even get up as Rook pounced the distance he had tumbled backwards in a mere instant , standing over his body which was paralyzed on the floor. He began to open his mouth and slowly lower it to Elias flesh , as he took a bite. The flames singed his body as Elias screamed out due to the pain of getting his flesh tore out.

He closed his eyes. He died weak and pitful. But he felt nothing but pity for this old man. The corruption of the void is truly insidious being.

A whoosh in the air caused his eyes to open as he saw a glow in the distance. 

A shooting star? no. The star kept adjusting and recalibariting closer and closer to the skull of Rook , who was too preoccupied in eating Elias. The speed was incredibly. In mere seconds it shot from the direction of Ashborn to the destroyed hill.

It happened in an instant. Elias felt the shards of Rook's skull fly onto his body , some sharp peices embedding themeslves into his body. 

What... just... happened?

Elias felt his eyes close, but before he lost consciousness , he reached towards the arrow that had reached Rook from miles away and weakly muttered.

'trace...'