When the Final Seal Breaks

7th Entry

Earlier today, we sent a letter back to central, or rather Navar, to ask what the next step should be. Though it's impossible to prove a negative, we have at least managed to prove that there's not enough accessible rubies left in this world to handle resealing the Demon Lord and protecting the cities. I was hoping to try just re-sealing him into a new stone before he even re-awoke, but clearly that won't be possible. We're going to have to meet him in a fight again this time. So, we need a new plan.

I wish I could practice combat magic a bit. I wouldn't say I've forgotten, but I'm rusty.

And... well... this is hard to write about. I just don't know if I have what it takes to kill someone anymore. Back then I didn't even have enough grasp on reality to think about what I was doing. I played games, when there were enemies, you just kill them. But the people whose lives I took... there may have been a way to save them from the miasma. And I just killed them.

See this is what I mean by feeling sick. How am I supposed to act?

I'm sorry. I can't write anymore about the past today. We have to focus on now.

Navar sent back a reply pretty quickly asking us to return to Central. They will need to hold a council meeting to discuss. He said he's got them believing that I'm here in good faith. Sometimes I don't feel like I am.

Orleris is looking at me funny. He just asked if I'm OK. I'm not sure if I am. I wonder what you'll think of me if you're the one reading this?

This world needs a proper hero, and I think all its getting is me.

***

The journey to town of the craftspeople had taken two days. They stopped at the outpost halfway, for the night, so he had read an entry before sleeping. It was a tough one to get through.

He tried to recall what she had looked at around that time. He remembered writing out the letter to Navar and teleporting it over. While they waited for the reply in Navar's family library, Lil had been quiet, but she always was.

When the reply came, he read it out for her, and let her know they would be able to leave in the morning if he arranged for a carriage right away. But he also remembered asking if she was ok. Something about her expression was more tense than normal, as if she hadn't even heard what he was saying. She had brushed it off, barely a word in reply.

Heros were people too. He couldn't get that thought out of his mind. Lil had literally saved their world. It wasn't as if there was no way they could have saved their own world eventually, but she had been the one that did it. It didn't take someone special, it just took someone willing to walk the path.

Her self esteem was all over the place. She was powerful, cool, confident, and independent to outsiders. Yet, the person he was reading about in the diary was so wracked with anxiety about her place and abilities. She couldn't even bring herself to write about everything she had done in the past out of shame. And those same things were legends in his world.

On the second day of the journey to Craftstown, he couldn't even bring himself to read the next entry. He stared blankly and waited for time to pass.

They arrived in the evening, and as expected of Navar, he had already sorted out a place to stay, even in a town that didn't really welcome visitors. A bookbinder welcomed them into her workshop and offered them some spare rooms for apprentices that were empty.

In that little room – and it was small, just large enough for a single bed and a tiny desk – Orleris had closed his eyes intending to sleep right away but found the vision of the being calling him more vibrant than ever before. He knew that being was in the forest due north of them, maybe an hour's walk.

In search of a change of pace he left his room late in the evening, and found the bookbinder settled down in a chair inspecting the spine on a book closely.

When she saw him, she offered him a seat and asked what was wrong.

He asked if she knew the reason for the trip she and shook her head.

"Have you ever been into the forest north of here?"

She set down the book before replying, "no, no one goes in there. Its easy to get lost and..." she trailed off before steeling her resolve. "It's said that there's a divine being resting there. That's the local legend."

It was a hopeful turn, but, "do you believe it?"

"I don't think so. There's only one divine being in our world, and that's the Goddess. Even if it is the Goddess in there, she must be sleeping, and protecting her rest by leading everyone who enters the forest astray."

"So, if we try to enter the forest, will anyone here stop us?"

"No need to. If you came to find the truth of the rumor, feel free to let us know. I think everyone wants to know what's going on in there, deep down. And I think we all knew that's what you were coming for, 'King' Orleris."

He didn't think he would have enough of a face to be recognized like that, but neither had he ever hid his purple eyes. A little put out, he asked, "how did you know that's who I am?"

She laughed at him. "Oh, don't discount yourself so much! The word of the Lady of Legend Lil returning to our world in our time of need has long since spread around the world, and the fact that you have left the sealed forest is well known. I'm surprised she's not with you, I would have loved to meet her, but I guess she has to remain on the front with the miasma?"

Word of Lil's disappearance would reach them eventually, and he didn't have the heart to break it to the bookbinder right then.

"I heard she's using a diary that my teacher had made. She would have been so proud to know her work is in the hands of our hero."

Before it got any more awkward, Orleris bid her a good night and went back to sleep.