The Untrusting Hero From Another World

One Thousand Years Before Summoning Day, Leon, Age 11

The crackling of flames surrounded me, my house barely being held up by the debris as the rage of battle died down. Why did this happen? We didn't know there were any rebels here, so why were we punished? Once the sounds of combat died down, all I could do was await the flaming wreckage of my home to fully collapse on top of me. But it never came; Quite the opposite. Instead, my home was rebuilt, the flames snuffed out, and in a flash, it was like nothing had happened. The only reminder of its previous state was my parents' charred bodies. Hesitantly, I reached for Father's sword and slowly inched out the door. Looking around, I saw men in golden armor and a woman with long scarlet hair, "I specifically said to be silent. Nobody needed to die." Her voice was stern, scolding her commander

"The King's Law is absolute. He directly commanded that all who harbor Rebels is to be executed."

"The King is not here. I am, and my orders come first!"

"Putting yourself above the King, General Banshee? That's treason of-!" He tried to argue, but I didn't listen. Everything went black. When I could see again, My father's blade was covered in blood. It broke through the armor, piercing this thoughtless creature's heart. The other soldiers frantically drew their swords, but the raising of the woman's hand gave them pause.

"Stand down. He's but a child," she insisted. As an assurance, she put up a wall of earth between them and me, saying, "I'm sorry about them. They don't think as they should. The King gives an order; they obey."

"And what makes you any different?" I asked with rage in my eyes. Tears stream down my face. Instead of getting defensive, she kneeled down, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I want to end this war. As do the Rebels but you've seen the consequences of their path. I want to end it from within." Her words sent a shock through me. I had never thought anyone could do that. Changing a system from within sound so foolish. But if this slaughter was the alternative, I only had one question.

"Where do I sign up"

Six Months Since Summoning Day, Leon Age 1125

Those were such simpler times, back when I still had a body and enemies, and friends could unite over time. Now, those bonds have been broken over a dying wish, "General? Are you okay?" I was snapped out of my daydreaming by a voice. I had allowed Lady Sonya to come with me. According to her, Ritto was making her quite uncomfortable, and she missed the Island of Light. Besides her usual black shirt and pants with a long purple cloak to hide her vulnerable skin

"I am alright. Just reminiscing"

"It's about the queen, right?" She asked, seeming concerned, "Xandric said you two were close before he left." I didn't respond and simply put out the fire before we continued onwards out of the desolate Vypari Wastes towards Dai Shi

Meanwhile, Hailey, Age 18

I yawn as I walk along the roads. Going over this mountain was a massive mistake, but according to the map, this was the quickest way out of Dai Shi and into what's known as the Vypari Wastes. The first few days were painful. I was athletic, sure, but I've never had to walk for days. Luckily, small villages and farms littered the land, allowing me free access to food. Seriously, these people are too nice! Eventually, I wandered into the next village, though this one was so different. The huts were up in the trees, and they used a series of magic elevators to get around. It was so...simple. Who are these people? "Halt! Identify yourself!" Looking up, I saw basic firearms and bows all aimed at me. Bandits? Don't be ridiculous! This isn't a game. Bandits with such an over-the-top hideout wouldn't go unnoticed! Calming myself, I take a deep breath and pull out my gun. What did they call it? A Shifter?

"My name is Hailey Howell! I am the Elven Hero Green! All I ask is to stop to trade and rest. Then I'll be on my way!" People love heroes in this world, right? I mean, they even had toys of them back in Mao Zhua. So why do they look so skeptical? They whispered amongst themselves until someone stepped forward, a young man in a bronze jacket. He appeared to be my age, freckles spotting his face with spikey black hair.

"Heroes aren't usually welcome in these parts. But you don't seem to have a giant robot, so I'll give you a pass. You're clearly new. Let her up!"

"But Master-!"

"I told you not to call me that. Now do as I say," he demanded, and before I knew it, I was floating up towards them. He stood there with his hands in his pocket while I was shocked to see a total stranger who could fit in my world, "Come to my hut at the very top. We can negotiate." I nod and follow him up the elevators. The whole time, I felt dirty looks from all angles, as if they were ready to put me down the moment I slipped up. When we were finally over the trees, there was one decently sized house, not too different from something you'd see back home. We walked inside, and even the living room looked just like my own. "Not every day do you see a hero out in the wild. Where are you heading?"

"The Dark Island," I answered, and as I tried to seem remotely serious, he burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face.

"You're kidding, right?! The Dark Island is a damn suicide mission! Unless you're ready to never take that helmet off, you'll choke on the air there!"

"Oh yeah? And how would you know?!" I asked until I saw something, a bracelet similar to Ryan's on his wrist, "You're..."

"Yeah! I went there..." He said, wiping his tears and silencing his laughter, "Four of us went. Only I came back. Dante Romano, Wild Hero Gold"

"Hailey Howell, Hero Green"

"I know. You said that," he reminded and I just chuckled nervously in response, "So what's a pretty girl like you going to such a dangerous place for?"

"Killing this Demon King guy will end all this, right?" I asked, fiddling with the strand of dyed red hair. I had dyed it in memory of Ryan. Even now, that memory kept me going, "My brother's been fighting for six straight months. It's my turn." I laid my heart bare to him, this total stranger who I had just met, and...

"Hahahaha!!"

"H-Hey! Can you not laugh? You asked!"

"Yeah, but I didn't think it would be something so stupid!" He exclaimed, wiping his tears before turning on the TV. Immediately, he changed it to a news broadcast that showed the four heroes after a battle. Apparently, someone made a big version of those exploding shadow monsters and was gonna drop it, "Do you know why those three were chosen? It was because they died, saving the life of another. Those sorts of people aren't just going to hang back if they're real heroes?"

"What about the other ones? That red one who attacked before I left?"

"I said real heroes," he corrected, disdain filling his voice, "My team worked with them. They had it rough, but that's no excuse to do what they're doing. Anyway, you can stay here for a bit, but I'm gonna need your help with some things."

"Help? Like what?"

I would grow to regret that question as, after a solid night of rest, Hell began. I groaned as I had to help tend to the farms. I don't know a thing about growing crops, so why did he think I'd be any good? I received a soft bonk on the head, "Get to work," a woman scolded, wearing really nice, finely sewn clothes with patches of fur to keep warm.

"Right... Sorry, Chinua. But why don't you guys just magic up some food instead of manual labor?" I asked but got no response. She was wholly dedicated to her work. Come to think of it, every Elf here seemed to give it their all when doing anything involving nature. Whether it was farming, hunting, or even just expanding, they devoted all their focus to it. Still, the idea that Chinua might outdo me got me fired up. In no time flat, I had planted just as many and picked just as fast, "Careful! Go to slow, and I'll win!"

"It's not a competition. Just do your job."

"Sounds to me like you just know you'll lose," I taunt, and it's clearly working as she freezes for a moment before looking at me red in the face

"Fine. You're on." And with that, the race began to finish our respective half of the garden before the other. There wasn't a prize or anything. It was purely for bragging rights, and that was good enough for me. I wasn't entirely used to this since Dante had just taught me how this morning but I still went pretty fast, picking the carrots and potatoes at what felt like lightning fast speeds. Sadly, though, I barely fall short of her. Chinua began to dance with joy before freezing as she felt scornful glares, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so disrespectful."

"Disrespectful? But you won? There's nothing wrong with being happy about that," I say softly, trying to encourage her. She sighed, her face turning stone cold once again.

"Right, nobody's explained it to you. We do our best to respect the land we work on. Dancing in such a manner after ripping it apart could be seen as rude by the others," she answered before walking away. Wow, way to ruin the fun. Still, with my job done, I would continue to help the villagers. Their glares never went away, but who cares? It just felt good to help folks, I guess

"Thank you so much, young lady. You're not too bad for a hero," an old lady said after I helped carry her goods into her shop. Well, more like a barter station. They didn't take any sort of money. When I turned around, I immediately bumped into a familiar obnoxious gold jacket.

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"I see things are going well."

"Well, I promised to help you out in exchange for rest and resupply. I always make sure to give everything I do one hundred percent!"

"A hundred and twenty if it's competitive, apparently."

"You heard about that?"

He then cleared his throat and said in a mocking tone, "That girl has no respect for nature! She shouldn't disrespect the land so casually!"

"Sheesh, they really don't let up," I noted with a nervous chuckle. Still, he smiled and patted my head like a little kid, but before I could bite him for it, he passed me a bow and arrow, "What's this for?"

"Hunting. Your Drago Blaster would scare the beasts."

"What are we hunting for?"

"Because I said so. Now let's go." God, could he get any more annoying? When I'm done with this Demon King, he's next on my list. We left the village via the trees, climbing around to avoid the more dangerous creatures on the ground. He moved at a surprising speed as if he had been doing this all his life. A good ways south from where we started, he paused, holding out his hand to stop me. I froze in place as he quietly signaled to me what I could only describe as a pack of dinosaurs with all the advantages evolution gave a bird, "Qraptor..." he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Is that good?"

"They're tough to catch, but if you can, it's worth it." With that, I drew the bow he gave me. He slowly helped me into the optimal position, pushing me into the right stance, "Alright. Slow your breathing, aim..." he instructed, moving my body in a way to which I was aiming dead at the heart, "Fire." On command, I released. The other Dinos rushed off while the target lay dead. Excitedly, I rushed down to inspect it.

"I did it! Thanks. I've never used a bow before!"

"I can tell. If not for my handholding, you would've shot its foot at best." I pout, lightly punching his arm. It must have still hurt, though, because he was wheezing for a good minute before kneeling down, "Alright. Watch closely. You need to skin it. You can trade the scales back in town, but I'd recommend you keep the food for yourself."

"Why are you teaching me this exactly?" I asked simply. I had pieced it together a while ago but didn't want to disrupt the hunt and make him mad.

"To help you."

"If you wanted to help, you could just come with me."

"That'll help for a while. But what would you do when I'm not around?" He asked, making me go quiet. He had a good point, but still, I could use the extra manpower if this Demon King was as bad as everyone was hyping him up to be, "The Dark Island is harsh. The Vypari Wastes only barely compare. So I'm going to teach you how to survive before you go on your way. Then, I'll go back to living my peaceful, normal life." Something about his voice felt off. It sounded so dejected. Regardless, I watched as he skinned the Qraptor. We would hunt for a while longer, taking on beasts that were just myths in my world and some I had never seen before, such as a massive serpent that Dante called a Jubboko Snake who pressed itself against trees to blend in with the wood. If not for Dante, I would've run my hands through its massive scales and probably died from the poison. However, there was one adorable monster I came across that I couldn't kill. It was just a tiny wolf butt from its mouth; it released a mist, making it appear the size of a house. Once I saw through the trick, I couldn't help but take it with me, much to Dante's annoyance, "Did you need to bring him inside? What if he needs to use the bathroom?"

"Simple. Misty, go outside!" I commanded, and without a second thought, the pup hurried out, even turning into a mist to get under the door, "He'll be back in a bit. Anyway, thanks for the lessons."

"No problem. I can't just let you go in unprepared."

"Yeah, I guess, but why? I'm just a stranger to you."

"So what?" He asked, not even looking at me as he went to the kitchen to make a meal, "You needed help, just like everyone in this village. I'm not much of a hero anymore, but I can do that much."

Meanwhile, Leon, Age 1125

Blood, but no body. Someone must have hunted here, and no footprints would imply they went by trees. There must be a Wood Elf village nearby. I carefully inspect the hunting ground, trying to figure out the direction, "Mr. Leon! Up here!" Lady Sonya called out to me. Looking up, she was in the tree, "This limb is fragile, almost like it was holding up a heavy weight. A person, maybe?" she suggested. She had been going along the trees to act as a scout and 'be useful to me' as she put it, so I'm sure she would know the difference.

"Then that's the way we go. I'll call in a battalion as soon as we find her."

The Next Day, Hailey, Age 18

I groan and stumble my way downstairs. The TV was on, but Dante was nowhere to be seen, and the door was wide open. I rushed outside and saw Dante standing outside, looking down at the village. I let out a sigh of relief, "Don't scare me like that. I thought there was a break...in.." My relief quickly faded as I saw what was going on. Those same monsters from before were attacking the village. The trees were lit ablaze if not toppled by the explosion. "What are they doing here?!"

"I don't know, but you need to take the villagers and run. I'll handle it."

"There's no way I'm leaving you alone!"

"I said I can handle it!" he shouted, giving me a light shove, "Now go!" He clearly wasn't backing down on this. Would the people even listen to me, though? While not openly hostile, most of them clearly didn't like nor trust me. Still, I hurried down the elevators. Luckily, I didn't see any of the explodey ones. These ones seem to crumble after a few hits. It wasn't permanent, but it would keep them out for a while. I took one out and then turned to two of the villagers.

"Okay, it's safe. Come wi-" Before I could finish, they were already running off, practically ignoring me. Just what I expected. I would try this again multiple times with the same result. Fine, if they won't listen, I'll make them listen. I spin the barrel on my Drago Blaster and fire "Worlds Combine, Heroes Unite!" I change on the spot, striking a pose as green smoke explodes behind me, "With Elven Swiftness: Elven Hero Green!" That seemed to get their attention, but not how I wanted. They immediately began hurling sticks and stones at me. Real grateful, huh?

"Begone abomination of Mao Zhua!"

"We don't need your 'help'!"

They would shout, now unified against me, instead of the actual monsters attacking. To my shock, though, a familiar figure got in the way. Chinua stood between me and the horde, "Is that how you treat someone who's trying to help you? Nobody is asking you to forgive the people of Mao Zhua! Just listen so we can preserve our home!" Slowly but surely, more came to my side. Thanks, Chinua. She then turned to me with a smile, "What are your orders, Hero?"

"Your people don't trust me. But they listen to you. Get them out of here. I'll put out the fires and help Dante. First one to get the job done wins?"

"You're on. Now get to it."

Meanwhile, Dante, Age 20

With Hailey working on evacuation, I hurried to the head of the snake. Just as I thought, Leon marched through the chaos without a care in the world, "Long time no see, Kitty Cat."

"Ah, Dante. I did not expect to find you here. Just let us have Green, and I'll forgive the use of that horrid nickname," Leon offered, spite lacing every word. he would draw his sword, likely already knowing my answer.

"You know I can't do that," I reminded as my bracelet turned into a paw-like glove. "Wild Ranger Roar!" I called out, raising the glove to the sky. The world around me changed to a massive savannah, lions running alongside me before I burst through one, creating a gold cloth suit with a black spotted pattern, complete with a helmet whose visor was accented with teeth and large cat ears, "Shining Panther; Wild Ranger Gold!" I called out, slamming my now-clawed hands on the ground before striking a pose, "Last chance; Leave. Now." Leon growled and charged at me, swinging his sword. I dodged left and right before catching it between my palms before headbutting him hard enough to send him back. While stunned, I jumped forward, slashing at him with my claws. Sadly, he avoided it, but he failed to dodge my staff to his skull, which knocked him down before collapsing it into a whip that I wrapped around my waist like a tail.

"You haven't lost your touch, Dante."

"Can't say the same for you. Or has all the mana finally left that hollow armor you call a body"

"Far from it," he answered with a tinge of excitement in his otherwise stoic voice as he raised his sword into the air before bringing it down in a massive slash. I just barely move to the side before being forced to flip over a horizontal slash. Before I could even register, though, he was in front of me, slamming his fist into me and launching me back, "Quite the opposite, actually. I have been storing it. King Zeddral had a channeler put in me. But it takes time to build up without a body to course through. So I need to make it count." As he monologued, he slowly approached, grabbing me by my suit, "Please, old friend. Just tell me where Green is. You are not my mission. You need not die."

"You see... maybe I would've agreed. But then you messed up my home..." I replied, grinning under my mask. If it was finally time for me to join my team, so be it. But I will not forsake someone who could be a better hero than a coward like me. Sadly, I couldn't see his expression due to the armor, but I could feel a somber aura as he raised his sword. Then suddenly, a bullet goes in one side of his helmet and out the other. Oh no. God, please, no. He slowly turned over, looking at Hailey, already transformed.

"Looks like I don't need to kill you. You should thank her."

"You idiot! I said help with evacuation!"

"Chinua's got it, and I cleared out all the Shadows that could get them on my way! There's only one person left to save," she argued and opened fire on Leon. Come to think of it... that's all she's talked about. Saving her brother, saving me. Sounds really familiar. For a second, my blurred vision even saw the spitting image of a woman in red with a toothed helmet decorated with a Lion's mane. Right, that's it. Guess I can't let another one go. While Leon deflected her blasts, I ensnared his sword arm with my whip, tugging it back hard. However, he just pulled right back, launching me at Hailey, who caught me and threw me right back. He blocked me with his shield, prompting me to bounce over him as he rushed Hailey. Crap, she's been a ranged fighter this whole time! If he gets in close, it's...

BOOM!!

... over? That's what I thought before suddenly, Leon was launched back. The fires around got put out by the sudden gusts of wind. Hailey stepped forward, and I could practically feel the grin beneath her helmet, "Did you honestly think that'd work? Even before I got this power, I could launch punks like you." I highly doubt that, but I couldn't help but chuckle. Leon stood up, ready to fight, when suddenly, he was dragged into his own Shadow. Hailey watched, panting heavily before falling to her knees. I guess she was more exhausted than she seemed. But still, thank you, Hero Green.

Meanwhile, Leon, Age 1125

"What..? Where am I?" I asked aloud, looking around until I found Lady Sonya. She looked down from above, shaking, "What are you doing?! I had them!"

"Clearly, you didn't," She said, jumping down on shaky legs. She looked pale, paler than normal. She was about to collapse, but I rushed to catch her, "That hit... it cracked your armor. If the seal broke, you'd die..." Come to think of it, I thought I heard something when her fist made contact. This girl saved my life.

"Why do you care? I'm a demon, the lowest of the low. I have accepted that..."

"Says who...?" She weakly asked, "Funny... Before Demons, we Vampires were the lowest... Now it's you..? Don't take... our job..." she joked before falling unconscious. I had never expected someone who dressed so dark to be so cheery. I could go back to them, but I won't waste her effort. I'll retreat for now.

The Next Morning, Hailey, Age 18

Standing outside the exit to the village, I was greeted by the entire village. Repairs were slow, but thankfully, I managed to minimize the damage on the way to the fight. Still, I doubt that's enough, "What's up? Gonna shout at me some more?" I asked, and to my surprise, they all bowed

"Thank you for your help!"

"Uh... What? You do realize you're thanking a hero, right?"

"They're not thanking a hero. They're thanking you," Dante corrected, standing beside me, "You ready to go?"

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Chinua asked, looking concerned as she approached us. Dante simply sighed

"A friend told me something one time. Buy a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you'll feed him for a lifetime. I've taught you all to fish. Now use it," He answered, smiling as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "You guys make your own heroes. I'll be helping the one that already exists." I couldn't help but smile as I saw the inspiration strike Chinua. She wasted no time ordering the Wood Elves on what to do as we left, one step closer to the Dark Island.

"Thanks for coming with me. I appreciate the help."

"Well, I've still got a lot to teach you if you're gonna beat the Demon King. So let's get to work."