The Last Hero

Chapter Twelve

Caden felt as if he was floating in an abundance of water without water actually being present. The world around him as dark as dark could be. There was no light. He could feel himself full of pain. It was still present within his body. He found that if he held still, the pain was bearable. So that is what he  did. He remained as still as he could.

Blinking his eyes, he wondered where he was. Wondered why he was in this situation. The thoughts of what he had just done to all those people flooded his consciousness. The death and bloodshed he was responsible made an imprint within his mind. Not for the same reason it would another. But for him, he was unknowingly accepted the acts he would go through to protect Ren and Katherine.

He still could not understand why he felt this way towards both of them, yet he knew he would protect them. Deluding himself into thinking that it would be only for that short moment before he could pass them off to the beast kingdom. He was undoubtedly mistaken at this point.

Suddenly two large red orbs appeared above him. Black swirling in large bright red. Caden stared up at the sight before him, unknowing what it could be. He focused his eyes upon the sudden change, making sure he didn't miss the slightest change that they could bring.

The swirling black suddenly merged together into two long black slits within the red orbs. Revealing what they were. They were eyes. Enormous eyes that belonged to something that Caden thought should have long since been defeated.

"I have had the taste of freedom, boy." A deep rough gravelly voice sounded out, sending shivers through Caden's body. It was a voice he recognised. It was a voice that belonged to being that he risked his live to seal. "It is only a matter of time before I am set free."

Caden was suddenly thrown backwards into his own consciousness. His eyes opening slightly as he felt the tension within his muscles. The pain was less, but still present.

He found himself in the same room he spent the night with Ren and Katherine. The room was dark, the candles already blown out. Only moonlight penetrated the window indicating the time of day to Caden. He tried to lift his right arm, but felt it being held down rather tightly.

He turned his head to find Ren holding onto his right arm as if he could disappear at a moments notice. Her eyes closed but swollen slightly. Her tear stained cheeks explaining her eyes to Caden. It would appear that she was quite saddened at the fact that Caden had passed out. Her forehead resting against his upper bicep.

Right behind Ren was Katherine, her eyes closed as well. It would seem that both had fallen asleep with some of their body touching Caden. While Ren held onto his arm, Kathrine as her right leg draped around his left. With her right arm resting on his chest. As if holding him in place as well as providing some form of protection for Ren.

As he moved his left hand to his forehead, he felt the hand on his chest almost push him down. Trying to make sure he wouldn't move. Unsure what to do, he looked towards Katherine, who had now lifted her head. Sleep evident within her eyes. She was tired but she wanted to know why Caden had moved.

When she realised that Caden was awake, she wanted to quickly move towards him and clasp him in a death like embrace. She wanted to hold him close to her to ensure he could never leave her again.

Her right hand moved from his chest to his left cheek as it caressed him softly. Tears fell from her eyes at the relief that he was alright. At this point, Caden realised that Katherine was not wearing her dress, but rather a long pure white long sleeve night gown. It wasn't of expensive material, but it still looked incredibly beautiful.

"You scared us." She said softly, not taking her eyes off Caden's. "Please don't do that again."

Caden only looked at her, almost in shock as he realise that she truly did care for him. It was not another trick. Not another lie that could potential harm his life even further. Still, coming to this realisation, he had no idea how to act. Any and all past experience he had escaped him at this moment.

"I'm sorry." Was all Caden could say as he failed to remove his gaze from hers. It was a moment that he was stuck in, yet it was neither good nor bad. All he knew was that he was captivated by her at this very moment.

"It's okay." She said with a soft smile, still not realising that her leg was basically entwined with his. "But can you tell me what happened? Brom sounded frightened as he explained it to me." She asked as a worried expression crossed her features. She rose her upper body until she was propped up on her left elbow. Her right hand never leaving Caden's cheek.

Caden stayed silent, not really wanting to tell her. It was a time when he was alone with Pathetrona trying to defeat him. It was a point in the fight that no one knew about. The moment that became the turning point in the fight to the death. He risked his life to survive in more ways that anyone could know.

Against his own thoughts, he began to explain what had happened all those years ago.

"It goes back to my fight with Pathetrona." He said and noticed that Katherine slightly flinched at the mention of that demon's name. "I was fighting him alone, due to the rest of my party leaving me behind under the pretence of fighting off the last of Pathetrona's army. I don't even know the truth anymore.

"Both myself and Pathetrona fought our hardest. Neither giving an inch. It got to the point that we had to do one more move in attempt to win. If it failed, it meant death. While I opted for my most powerful wind and lightning spell, he did something that I thought was impossible.

"He did something that made me realise the truth of this world. That the people and beast we think are demons, are not. They are merely another race on this earth. We coined them demons, and they took the name." Caden revealed astonishing Katherine. If what Caden said was true, then the human race was terribly wrong. It could mean death for them all. And not just them, but all other races.

"He summoned forth a true demon. A demon that spawned from the depths of hell itself. He summoned the demon to his castle, in hopes to defeat me and revive himself. However it did not go according to plan. Having my knowledge of my previous world, I knew that it was possible to bind or seal a demon to something or someplace. It was even possible to seal them into a human person.

"Although I have mediocre knowledge on how to do things like sealing and binding, I still thought of a method to accomplish what I wanted. There is a binding spell that can bind a weapon to ones body. And at the same time there is a sealing spell to seal another weapon into an object.

"So I used those two methods. Combining them on the spot. I used the every last ounce of my energy and power, and use the spell. The problem is that I risked my very life to do so. If the demon was strong enough, he could burn away the seal. Take over my body and completely eradicate my soul.

"The problem is that this was never attempted before. One mistake and I would die, but I needed to take that risk. I had to seal that demon away before it was set loose on this planet. Before the carnage it could unleash came to fruition."

Katherine only stared on in shock at the revelation of what Caden had to do. No one had told her anything about this part of the fight. No one even cared to ask how he defeated the king of demons. No one even bothered to ask him. Now they were in danger of the true demons. Demons that could possible hold more power than they could ever withstand. Her hand had already moved from his cheek to his chest once more halfway through his speech.

"I don't know how, but I succeeded. I managed to seal the demon within me, and at the same time binding it to my own life force. Meaning that if I died, so would he and vice versa. The problem is, he won't let me die."

Katherine began to think what he meant by that. How would he know that the demon would not let him die? Did he have multiple death experiences since that day? Or was it another meaning?

"What do you mean?" Katherine asked as her body stiffened, hoping that the answer that he would give her was something vastly different from her own thought line. "How did you find out?"

"I've tried." Caden said as he turned his head, not wanting to see the expression on her face.