Humanity's Hero Of Despair

The world has shifted.

The war is finally over, the Eradicators vanished, and yet it feels like the weight of the world is just beginning to become heavier. The cheers from everybody outside the house echo in the distance, removed from the deaths witnessed here.

I ball my fists.

Ignis is gone. Justus is gone. And so many others, people I never even knew, lay scattered across the land like forgotten memories. They all fought for the survival of humanity, yet they get nothing in return. Those heroes won't be able to reap the rewards for being so selfless. The loss is beyond suffocating for me.

My hands tremble as I cradle Ignis's body for just a moment longer before gently lowering him to the ground. The warmth of his body is gone. His fire that protected me and so many others from death is extinguished, leaving behind an icy shell of a corpse. His death leaves a hole in my chest that no amount of victory can replace or erase. Same with Justus. His death doesn't even have any time to register with me properly.

My broken heart makes me seem blind as my vision continues to blur.

I stand up slowly, not wanting to move away from them.

My sister slowly walks over to me. Her expression is solemn. She places her hand on my shoulder. A warm touch. A reminder that we are alive.

"We will remember them. We will make sure everybody else does as well," she says to me confidently in a broken voice.

Leena and Matteo continue to kneel next to their brother, not wanting to move. They continue to cry and claw at the air. I can't blame them. They lost their big brother. The person who took care of them and so many others. The one who gave us hope for a better future.

After a few minutes, Leena helps Matteo stand up. They are ready to head outside.

Shouts of victory, followed by noises of confusion, still echo from outside. In the house, there is no celebration of victory. Just the quiet knowledge that our freedom required a sacrifice. The sacrifice scars all of us emotionally.

Zephyr helps me carry Ignis's body outside so nobody will forget about him. Leena supports Matteo as they walk outside of the house. Knights run up from all around us. Their expressions become as shocked as I am when they notice the limp body.

Voices shout out from all around Stonelight about the news of Ignis's death. I tell them about the death of Justus as well. The rest of my friends, Ivy, Neve, and Estes, come running toward us. As they notice the body, they all halt in their tracks.

Ivy's eyes widen, and she throws her hand up to her mouth. Neve shakes her head, frozen with fear. Estes produces a green flower from the ground using his Earth magic and places it onto Justus's body. Matteo is fuming with rage. His tears turn into steam as he blurts things out loud as Leena keeps supporting him to stay standing up.

"Without him, none of us would've made it this far. The HRC wouldn't exist, the secret training would never have happened, many things wouldn't have gone right without him. It is a tragedy we had to lose him. Why couldn't it have been someone else?!"

The scream cuts through the air. The words feel like a stab to the heart. As Matteo keeps sobbing, the world becomes silent.

The streets of Stonelight, once full of life and energy, are now littered with ruined homes and shattered lives. Many of the stone walls, houses, and buildings have crumbled because of the violence of the past few days. Smoke still curls in the sky from fires that have yet to be put out. The blood of fellow students who fought to protect the city stains the entire area.

As we make our way back to the Tarondar Palace, I can't help but notice the faces of those who have survived the war. They all have blank and numb stares. Their grief is so overwhelming they don't register our presence.

The people, mages, and knights left in the street make their way toward the Tarondar Palace. There is no more celebration or victory song needed. The royal guards lead us through the palace entrance and soon we were all gathered back in the throne room. King Grey is on his throne, with an expression so sad it would make any grown man or woman cry.

Leena and Matteo run up to their father, and the guards didn't stop them. Everybody knows what has occurred today.

Once everyone is gathered in the throne room, King Grey addresses the crowd.

"It is with heavy hearts we stand here today alive. The first Emperor of Light has fallen. The emperor's death caused all the Eradicators under his control, vanish. As if they were connected to him. I have sent out scouts all around Tarondar and other nations to search for any remaining Eradicators. If they find nothing, then we have truly defeated all the corrupt light mages. We do not know though if the second and third Emperors of Light are alive or not."

"If anything, Stonelight and Mistfall are free from Eradicators. The other two major cities have also reported zero sightings of Eradicators. We pray and hope that there are none of them left in the world. The hard work and sacrifice of many students, mages, and knights made it possible for us to live in this moment. We shall never forget them," King Grey says as he croaks on his words, trying to hold back crying.

The crowd nods, their heads hung low.

"We must not stay in despair. If we want their deaths not to be in vain, then we should remember them in our hearts. In the hearts of the living! We shall remember them through creating a paradise for humanity that they fought for. We will create monuments with every single person's name that died in this conflict. I would like to have Maura lead her knights to set up a perimeter around the city just in case there are any enemies left. Nico, since you are Baron of Mistfall, please manage the operations over there. Zephyr, please lead a squad around the area to find dead bodies and to put a name on them."

"Everybody else, please help with the reconstruction effort. This is only the beginning for humanity!" King Grey bellows with emotion. The crowd cheers with emotional battle cries.

The speech is over. The crowd gets to work. I can't help but look at the ruins of everything around me as I walk back to Mistfall. I hope Mistfall isn't as ruined as Stonelight.

"Hey Nico! Wait up for me," Ivy says to me as she runs to be next to me.

I am startled, but I manage to nod in acknowledgment. We look at one another and give a brief sad smile to each other.

Maybe things won't be so bad after all.