"Be not afraid, Ashbel Hagen."
That voice - or more accurately, those voices. Many different pitches, but all spoken in one tone - a comforting, sincere one. Anywhere else, and it would've been intimidating, frightening. But this...something about this gave him solace. The warm and fuzzy feeling inside him immediately tipped him off, so as he sat up, he let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
"Hey, Torch." he said, offering a brief wave as if he were talking to a friend. "You, uh, think you might have the wrong guy?"
"If it is Ashbel Hagen who stands before us, then we have not erred."
"Well, technically, I'm sitting, so..." Ashbel quipped, realising that he felt rejuvenated all of a sudden, and slowly rising to his feet as he looked up at the blazing artefact. Once he gazed into the black flames, his expression grew a little more serious. "I don't get it."
"Then feel free to ask. But the flames of war rage around us as we speak."
Right...Sly was still there, fighting, wasn't he? Ashbel had made sure of it personally, that he had been the first defeated. Hopefully, Sly's stealth shenanigans could keep him busy for longer. He took a deep breath, scratching his neck and staring at the Torch closely. "Why are we here? Why am I talking to you? Is this some kind of dying hallucination?"
"This is all very real. We have brought you here because we see your potential."
"Uh, what? You're kidding." Ashbel deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "'Potential'? Me?"
"Indeed. You are not the best choice, nor are you the worst. But you are a choice nonetheless. We have opted to give you a chance to get out of your current predicament."
"Yeah, me being a choice is kinda where you've lost me." Ashbel narrowed his eyes, looking around at the dark, featureless surroundings before watching the Torch's flame flicker. "I'm just a sellsword. I don't work for free, I'm not all gallant and selfless, and I'm pretty sure if you offered me enough money, I'd have to really think about it before deciding whether or not to kill a child. And you think someone like me can save your world?"
"And yet, you came here on your own to prevent our power from falling into the wrong hands - to protect your fellow demons, and to honour your client's wishes. You may be more selfless than you realise."
Ashbel remained silent, unsure what to make of these words, and allowed the Torch to continue speaking. He frowned slightly, though he allowed his stance to become less tense.
"Ashbel...we believe you can be much better than you believe yourself to be. And all that we ask of you is to take this responsibility into your own hands."
"I-I can't. I came here for Vi." Ashbel shook his head.
"Viera Abner...your client. Your covetous client who is not here, who slumbers restlessly in the inn you left her in."
Ashbel closed his eyes, taking another deep breath as he tried to think of what to say to that, but the telepathic voices of the Torch beat him to that.
"But the Rook is here. And if you wait too long, he shall most certainly slay Sylvester, and the Torch will fall into the hands of your enemies. We assure you, there is a way to prevent that from happening. Would you like to guess what it is?"
"I think I've got a pretty good idea." Ashbel sighed. "I'd offer Viera a refund, but she didn't actually pay anything, so..."
He chuckled at that, looking at the Torch - naturally, since there was nothing else here to look at. It was curious to look at, too, so it did a good enough job snatching his attention on its own. "Tell me, Torch, if I accept your offer, what exactly do I have to do?"
"You must slay the Beginning...as we once did. And from then on, protect the world."
"Literally putting the weight of the world on my shoulders, eh?" he remarked. "That's a pretty hefty burden."
"And yet, in coming here, you acted under the belief that you bore the weight of all demonkind."
"I never said it was a bad thing." Ashbel smiled, stepping closer to the flaming torch. "Besides, in the end...I guess I just love this world a bit too much. If I'm the one it needs...then I'll be there."
"Then you accept?"
"...sorry, Vi. But I do." Ashbel nodded, looking up at the Torch and seeing its fires beginning to flare wildly, like a tree with leaves made of black embers. But its heat did not threaten Ashbel, even as it drew nearer. It only drew him in, like a moth to a flame.
"Then speak the words in your heart...and you shall become one of us."
Ashbel pressed a hand to his heart, looking up at the Torch as he felt words entering his mind - words that he'd never spoken, but he somehow felt he just knew. They felt natural to him - as though they'd been burnt into his soul.
"I am the sword that shines, and the shield that obscures." he said quietly, holding his hand up to the air, towards the white firebrand in the air.
"My heart is an inferno - a phoenix that rises again and again."
As he spoke, the flames slowly rose off the Torch and gathered into his palm. Once again, they felt warm to the touch, but did not burn him. He was ready to accept them, after all, as a part of him.
"With the world as my witness, here and now I pledge;"
The Torch's dark flames finished entering his palm, and he grasped them tightly, clenching his fist as he felt them entering his body, filling him with its power and magic. He felt like an inferno raged within him, ready to be unleashed to destroy the evil that stood against him.
"With this burning in my heart, I will baptise this world in flame. The hero will rise, and he shall incinerate the lingering evils of this world."
At once, he saw the dark void that surrounded him burning into nonexistence, and, knowing that he was about to return to consciousness, he smiled, once again placing his hand on his heart.
"For that is my duty. That is my torch to bear."
The Torch was the last thing that he saw, and before awakening, it was the last thing he heard, too. He watched it fade away, hearing the last words it spoke to him echoing in his mind:
"Now go and end this tale, Torchbearer of Resolve."
.........
A pulse of magic swept through the cave, and everyone in it stopped what they were doing in an instant. The Rook had his blade raised to attack, and an exhausted Sly was poised to attempt to dodge. The White Tigers in the back were watching in excitement. But the moment they felt a pulse of magic sweep through, as though the world's heart was beating, they simply couldn't help but stop, wondering what was going on.
.........
Back in the Feather Towers, a restless Viera slept in a white room with orange curtains. She couldn't help feeling excited for tomorrow, and this carried over to her sleep. But as the heartbeat of the world spread over to her location, she opened her eyes, evidently having slept very lightly, and remembered her meticulous studies. Immediately, she worked out what this meant, and sat up in fear and a cold sweat.
"Oh no...am I too late?"
She got up out of bed and quickly put her robes and shoes on, preparing to head over to the shrine herself to make sure she hadn't put it off too late. This was an emergency, after all!
.........
All within the cave saw the flames of the Torch rise up, and they couldn't help but watch in awe as it formed the body of a black phoenix and rose off completely. It flapped its wings, looking over the battlefield, and the Rook made a satisfied-sounding hum as he watched it.
"It is time for destiny to run its course." he mused. "May the hero rise up, and the world be saved."
But then, it flew right past him, and he simply watched as it hovered over Ashbel's body, alighting quickly and plummeting into him, causing embers to slowly rise off his body while he opened his eyes, his wounds having healed completely like a true phoenix rising from the ashes. He stood up, his body surrounded in a faint orange glow, and as he held his hand in front of him, his sword appeared in it, having warped from its original position. The White Tigers looked shocked, many of them gasping audibly, and all Ashbel could do was point his blade at them, smirking proudly.
"Sorry, Tigers. Looks like the world wins today."
The Rook didn't seem to have much of a response, simply observing the event as he stood between Sly and the new Torchbearer. Sly, having a clear view of Ashbel from here, stared in shock and awe, before letting out a triumphant laugh. They'd come here to foil the Tigers, and from his point of view, Ashbel failed his task so successfully that the rogue couldn't help but be amused. "And you said you weren't a hero!"
"You think you're surprised? Try being me!" Ashbel smiled, looking back at him cheerfully. "But hey, I've been tasked with smiting evil..." he said, looking back at the Tiger pawns before him and preparing to brandish his blade. "...and I would've done that anyway! So why the hell not?"
The pawns exchanged a few frightened looks, doubt beginning to cloud their eyes, but the Rook got their attention with a heavy stomp on the ground. "Do not allow this demon's tricks to demoralise you!" he exclaimed, a fire in his voice that rejuvenated the Tigers almost instantly. "He has stolen the sacred flame! As the righteous hands of Byakko, it is with our blades, our wills and our lives that we shall reclaim it!"
"Yes, Rook!"
"In the name of the King!"
"Fall, demon!"
"Well, that got some fire in their bellies." Sly sighed, watching as each of the Tigers unsheathed their swords, letting out rallying cries like soldiers in a war. Ashbel felt his own fire flaring up inside him, and as he saw the enemies drawing nearer, he looked back at Sly, entering a sprinter's stance with blade in hand.
"Sly, cover me!"
"On it!"
At once, Ashbel rushed into the enemy army, parrying each blade that came his way and leaving his adversaries open to Sly's hail of blades. Many knives and ninja stars bounced harmlessly off their armour, but many of them found their way through the rings and pierced their skin, weakening them enough for Ashbel to do his thing. As he progressed through the army, he made sure to neutralise their threat, disarming them as their swords clattered on the stone floor. Eventually, he made it to the other end and turned around, holding his blade in an ochs stance as black flames started circling his feet.
Sly, having an idea of what he was about to do, took out two handfuls of smoke bombs and tossed them widely into the army of tigers, causing a billowing cloud of tar-black smoke to obscure their vision. He smirked, calling out to Ashbel as loudly as he could; "Give 'em hell, honey!"
"I'll do you one better!" he declared, using his usual signature move of cloaking his sword in flames - only this time, the fires were black instead of their usual crimson. "I'll send them there myself!"
With a triumphant smile, he charged forth into the smoke cloud, his onslaught met with much less resistance as he cut through each and every foe his blade could reach with a godlike speed that surprised even him. Eventually, he emerged at the other end, next to Sly, who looked on in awe of his newfound swiftness. Ashbel swished the blood off his blade and sheathed it, and at once the cloud of smoke was replaced with a blazing black fireball, sending the few stragglers to burn in the fires of purgatory as they screamed for a mercy that was never truly an option.
The Rook stared at the two of them, slowly sheathing his sword. He hummed a little, unsure what to make of things. Ashbel and Sly exchanged a smile before looking at the masked knight before them, whose own thoughts on the matter were uncertain. "It looks like my work here is done."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sly questioned, narrowing his eyes in confusion.
"I have no further purpose here. The sacred flame is in your hands...for now." the Rook explained calmly, and Ashbel felt a fierce gaze directly on him. "But I will be back to reclaim what is rightfully ours, 'Torchbearer'. The White Tigers - no, I will never stop pursuing you as long as you bear that fire stolen from the gods."
"Let them come, then." Ashbel said simply. "I'll put them down for you nice and quick."
"It will not just be me." the Rook warned. "I believe you and the Knight have unfinished business. I look forward to seeing how things play out between the two of you."
Ashbel sighed audibly at that, clasping his hilt, and the Rook observed him. "Knowing the life that awaits you now, Ashbel Hagen, I ask you: do you still wish to bear the Torch?"
"I don't let down my clients." Ashbel glared at him. "And this is no exception. If I'm chosen, I've got to do my duty - no matter what people like you say."
"You may make an admirable Torchbearer." the Rook said, watching Ashbel draw his blade, black flames slowly creeping across its length. "But do not grow overconfident. There are foes even you cannot vanquish."
"Like you?"
As Ashbel said that, he swung his sword, and the Rook quickly unsheathed his own, parrying the blow. Black flames surrounded Ashbel's body, and a bright light shone from the Rook's armour while Ashbel continued attacking. He unleashed a blinding flurry of black-flame slashes, much faster than before, but much to an observant Sly's surprise, the Rook was faster still, parrying each and every blow without the slightest error, showing no signs of weakness even as Ashbel slowly began to wear down. Then, with a rapid stroke, he struck Ashbel's blade, disarming him once again like he had previously.
Ashbel, though shocked, didn't let up on the attack as he formed another sword out of rock, with lava-like veins rushing through it. He swung again, but in an instant the Rook broke off the blade in a single swing. He then sheathed his sword, slowly stepping past Ashbel, who didn't stop him, still taken aback by his sheer skill.
"Like me, indeed." he said, looking back towards him as he walked away, watching the embers stop rising off him, seemingly returning to his normal state. "I will be back, Torchbearer Ashbel. For you."
Once he said that, he seemingly teleported away, dashing off in a blink of light. Ashbel and Sly were alone, with bodies scattered before them. Ashbel was left staring in silence, stunned at what had happened. Sly, meanwhile, couldn't help but begin clapping loudly.
"Woo! What a show!" he exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. "Shame about that Rook guy, though. Better luck next time!"
"Yeah..." Ashbel mumbled quietly, taking a deep breath. He tried to move, but the moment he did, he felt a wave of lethargy sweep over him. He tried to take a step forward, but his body felt far too heavy for that. No matter how much he willed it so, he wouldn't move forward - only down, to his knees, and then on his side. He hit the stone floor as he closed his eyes, his vision going dark, though the flames within him staved off the cold.
Once he saw him fall, Sly rushed to his side, kneeling down next to him to check for a pulse. Once he confirmed that the swordsman was, in fact, alive, he smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. He looked around, surveying the surroundings, and decided to stay where he was for the time being. He figured Ashbel was worth at least that much. If any animals or robbers decided to come and visit, he was sure he could fight them off. It wouldn't be a pleasant job, but hopefully Ashbel would wake up before he fell asleep. He sighed, knowing and accepting what he was getting himself into.
.........
The warm, homely feeling that once emanated through the cave was no longer present, it seemed. Witnessing this only deepened the fissure of panic in Viera's heart. She had been beaten after all, hadn't she? Not wanting to accept this, she pressed forth, having traversed the forest on her own and now sprinting through the length of the cave to see for herself.
As she ran through, she observed that many of the torches hung up at the sides were burning black, rather than their usual orange colour. Another bad sign. The further she got, the more she smelt the sinister scent of blood wafting through the air. Certainly, there had been some kind of battle - a big one, considering how thick the scent grew.
She wondered what had broken out here, only to find her answer when she saw the litter of White Tiger bodies on the ground. Their blood painted the stones red, and their swords scattered everywhere made it clear that they had gone down fighting. Viera took a deep breath, frowning slightly in distaste. "That's...a lot of bodies." she murmured.
"Tell me about it."
Hearing that smooth-sounding voice, she looked up slightly, seeing Sly sitting a few metres behind the field of bodies. Next to him was an unconscious Ashbel with his sword laid out in front of him, the sight of which alarmed Viera and caused her to reach for her staff. Sly, unfazed, continued talking.
"I mean, I should know, I helped kill them myself. It should go without saying for me," he said casually. "But wow, that's a lot of bodies, am I right?"
The priestess eyed him cautiously, unsure what to make of this unfamiliar man. Ashbel didn't seem physically injured, but that didn't mean the stranger was in the clear. "Who are you? Where's the Torch?" she asked quickly. "And what did you do to him?"
"Alright, let me see if I can answer those nicely, since you seem to be rather angry." Sly said, slowly standing up and raising his arms defensively. "My name is Sly. Nice to meet you."
"And the other two questions? What happened here, anyway?"
"Getting straight to the point, I see." Sly sighed, crossing his arms. "Good thing those two questions can be answered together!"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Viera narrowed her eyes, stepping towards him as he cleared his throat, preparing to tell a story.
"Well, we were looking at the Torch, the White Tigers came - there was this big guy named Rook, and he was really strong. He beat us both, you know. Ashbel provoked him and got killed-"
"He got killed?"
"Hey, let me finish! As I was saying, he suffered a mortal blow, but then while I was trying not to get skewered by the Rook, the Torch came to life and gave him its power. He was healed, and then we killed these guys together, but then Rook defeated him again, said some cryptic shit and escaped. He fell unconscious, and now we're here."
Viera's eyebrow twitched at that, having listened attentively to the whole thing. "Can...can we go back to the part where the Torch gave him its power?"
"Oh, yeah, he's the Torchbearer." Sly said calmly, pointing down at him. "Why, did you come to pay your respects? Lick his shoes?"
"How did he get chosen?" she blurted out, her voice echoing across the whole cave as she balled her fists, looking down to the ground. "He was supposed to help me! It wasn't meant to go like this!"
"Wait...holy fuck, you're Vi!"
"Ugh, why would he sneak out like this? Was he planning this all along? Why would the Torch pick someone like him?" Viera ranted, ignoring Sly, who seemed mildly entertained at the outburst. "I've been studying the Torch for years! I've followed its teachings, memorised all its tenets, and he's...he's just some mercenary! All he cares about is money, and...and...is he even religious?"
As Sly listened to her jealous diatribe, all he could think was that though it was funny at first, listening to someone go on and on about how they were better than someone he personally liked quickly lost its appeal. She panted angrily as she ran out of words, and Sly crossed his arms, shaking his head slowly. "You done?"
Viera looked up at Sly, who was taller than her and even Ashbel, and glared at him coldly. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to wait for you to finish so that you'd listen to what I'd say next." Sly said, giving her a chuckle. "And then, I wanted to inform you that Ashbel came here in the first place to keep the Torch safe for you, Vi, since he learned that those guys over there," he added, gesturing towards the corpses, which she turned her gaze to, her anger slowly fading. "Wanted to take its power and kill all his people, the demons, so if it ended up choosing him, it's probably because he was the right guy in the wrong place."
He sighed, tapping his foot on the ground as he gave Viera a raised eyebrow and a slight frown, as she seemed to be in deep contemplation about his words. "After that, I was thinking of telling you that maybe you ought to show a little more respect. Like it or not, he is the Torchbearer now, and he's off to a pretty good start, says I."
"...you're probably right. But I don't understand." Viera conceded, tiptoeing closer to Sly and averting eye contact. "I've been with him for, what, a couple days now? But he didn't seem like the hero type at all..."
"A couple days is never long enough to get to know someone." Sly wagged his finger, shaking his head. "In those days, you saw the greedy mercenary, but just now, when the chips were down? I saw a hero."
Viera looked down at Ashbel, feeling a little bad for him right now, and took a deep breath. "...and you think those two sides to him, radically different as they are, are the same guy?" she asked. "What if he's faking one of them?"
"Well, maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Maybe he's faking both of them - though if he could fool the Torch itself, he'd have to be quite a magnificent bastard." Sly pointed out. "I guess, when you really get to know and trust someone...you just know these things."
"Tch." Viera crossed her arms at his words, looking equal parts sceptical and thoughtful. "We should probably bring him back to rest. He has a room at the Feather Towers."
"Sounds like a plan." Sly nodded, kneeling down to try and pick Ashbel up. "C'mon, Vi."
"For the record, my name is Viera." she rolled her eyes, helping him lift Ashbel's body, which was somewhat heavy, but not overly so, being as muscled as he was. Not that she was in the mood to focus on that. "Now, let's go. I want to have a word with him when he wakes up."
"Until then, I'll stick around." Sly shrugged. "Got nothing better to do, after all."
The two of them picked up the swordsman, with Sly carefully sheathing his blade for him, and together, they walked out, guiding him back to the Towers so he could rest peacefully.