The Untrusting Hero From Another World

Eight Months Since Summoning Day, Riley, Age 15

"You what?! No, no, no, you can not be serious!" Jarred exclaims, panic overtaking his body. We all look to Ritto dumbfounded. He asked us to speak in one of his many hidden rooms, away from Zeddral's prying eyes. We figured it was about this, but we didn't think it would go that far.

"I am indeed serious. I'm sure you've noticed that our King hasn't exactly been interested in this war. Now that his brat is back, we've barely seen him."

"Yeah, so what? Let the guy have fun with his kid," I spoke up, clearly not seeing the big deal. Ritto snatched his head to me, almost completely breaking his own neck just to tell me off.

"So what?! So what that means is that he's going to be less focused on the war that I want to keep going! Use your head for once!"

"Hey, says the guy who's just been barking orders this whole time!" I bit back, my Draconic Presence weighing on him as I approached. To think this pathetic excuse for a living being had the nerve to tell me what to do. He was quivering as the ground beneath him started to crack. While he sunk into the stone, he slowly strained his neck to look up at me, "Don't forget, you need us. That big brain of yours can make some crazy things, but you're too scared to go out and use them yourself. You need us." Still, I release him and back up, "But fine. What's the plan?" I asked, growing impatient. As annoying as he was, he was right. If he wants to keep this war going, the war that keeps us here and keeps us as Heroes, Zeddral needs to either get back in the game or let us take over.

"Simple. In a month, you'll kill him. In the meantime, you are to power up those Soul Stone fragments I gave you."

"Power up? But they're busted. How are we supposed to do that?" Cass reminded, holding up the piece of her rock

"Whoever said that?" Ritto asked, a small bit of snark returning to his voice, "It may be split into three, making it less powerful, but the soul-absorbing capabilities still remain. Sadly, without Hero White's staff, we can't do it in mass. You'll need to do it one by one."

"Hold on. You don't mean...?" Jarred began to ask, but the look in this demented little man's eyes made it clear. I could tell he wanted to run, and I don't blame him. We didn't agree to this. But if it means we can finally get the good life we deserve, we'll do it.

Two Weeks Later, Riley, Age 15

Looking around the burning town, I couldn't help but feel disgusted. Ritto had given us plenty of small villages out of the way. According to him, that means nobody will know. You can't be everyone's hero, but if the majority think you are, who cares what the rest thinks, right? So why am I so mad? As I think about it, I feel a weak hand gripping my leg, "Help... please..." the old man weakly begged, his red skin going paler and paler. I kneel down, inspecting his wounds.

"I'm sorry, I can't." I grit my teeth as I say that. Even after destroying his village, this man still asked for my help? I don't know if it's because he's desperate or if he still sees me as a hero. Maybe I just want to still be seen that way. Still, I sat under a single tree, somehow unburned, and propped the old man beside me, "You know I did this right?"

"If it's for the good... of our kind..." he coughed as the smoke filled his lungs. I could slowly see the light leave his eyes before saying his final words, "So... be it..." But it's not for the good of his kind. It's so that I can get the life that I was robbed of, a life where I'm happy and loved for my efforts. Yet, I have to do this to get it?

"Ritto... You really didn't need to give me more reason to kill you. But thanks for giving it..."

Meanwhile, Ryan, Age 15

I groaned as we got on board the Royal Cloud Cutter one more time. I really didn't feel like doing this. I was exhausted from last night. Thinking about that night with Makoto kept me up. It was such a great night that I can't seem to get my head back in the game. Looking at Jaune and Eliza, I could tell they were much the same, both incredibly flustered and barely able to look at us, "Wow, who knew relationships could be such a distraction?" Xandric asked, lightly mocking us both. What seemed like harmless teasing quickly had us turning to him with fire in our eyes, "What? I just find it amusing! You all are usually so prepared. Now we're nearing the end, and you're all acting like children."

"What about you? Are you not concerned about your father?" Eliza asked, masterfully dodging his teasing and deflecting with a question of her own. Xandric only hummed in response, stroking his chin as he thought.

"Not really. I trust Leon to find the truth. That should be all Father needs to come back to his senses." If only it would be that easy. But I'm not going to crush his dreams of that. I wouldn't want to fight my dad, either. He then got up, stretching before walking around a bit, "How much longer until we reach Broodwing City?"

Makoto looked out the window as the blue skies turned an eerie purple. Sunlight has long since abandoned this part of the island, leaving it a desolate wasteland. Just looking down, you could see nothing but dead plants and maybe a handful of burrowers or small predators. I could see some with my enhancement magic, but there wasn't much to see. Everything is just...dead, "I'm assuming we're just now passing over the border. So give us a few more minutes," she answered, and true enough, after passing over several villages that were more lively than the wastes themselves, we made it to a massive city on the edge of the island, a bastion of technology mixed with the gothic architecture I had expected when I heard the word 'Vampire.' Upon landing, we're not met by a single person but instead by a group of machines.

"Hello and welcome to Broodwing City. Would you like to donate blood? A few pints can feed a family," it asked. It was a surprisingly friendly-looking being, essentially a trash can on wheels with a long neck and a screen showing a surprisingly emotive face.

"I doubt you want demon blood," Xandric answered, sounding a bit discouraged.

"Don't worry! Vampire biology makes them compatible with blood of all types and races. Demon blood will have no differing effects compared to mere human or elf blood," it assured, the pixelated face smiling with two fangs out. They could make these things look more human but instead chose to make them look cute so people would want to do what it says. How surprisingly manipulative. Still, now unburdened by that fear of his tainted blood, Xandric approached. An army containing a cylinder of syringes comes out of the side before jamming one into his harm and filling it with black blood, "Thank you. Now, you all must be the heroes Lord Necroli is expecting."

"I'd assume so? Who's Necroli again?" I ask, scratching my head. It feels vaguely familiar but sorta like when a character appears for one arc in an anime and then vanishes for a long time.

"Ryan!" Makoto scolds, glaring at me

"What?! It's been a while!"

"It's quite alright. Follow me," the machine insisted before rolling away. Without many other options, we follow him. He seemed to take us along the more scenic route. As we did so, we got a good view of daily life. People of all races enjoyed food, games, and other luxuries. All the while, they're aided by robotic assistants similar to the one leading us now, "The Vypari Wastes aren't exactly the most plentiful in terms of resources. Most of our wealth comes from tourism. As such, you will find no shortage of fun actives... um, if you survive."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Excuse me?" Jaune asked

"Oh, nothing!" the robot exclaimed, a little bead of sweat appearing on his screen. As we walked through the laughing crowds, there was still an air of unease. I had been feeling it since we left Dai Shi, and while it's not so bad here, I still feel the hairs on the back of my neck tingling, as if sensing everyone's ready for chaos to break at any moment. We walk up the ramp to the inside of the massive Gothic castle before us. While there were no guards in sight, I could tell they were there, crawling along the walls, using invisibility, and just generally waiting for one of us to screw up.

"Am I the only one unnerved?" Jaune asked, slinking behind Eliza, who seemed almost entertained by his fear

"What's wrong? Afraid of the dark?" She teased

"The dark? No. What's in it? Most certainly!" He admitted, shamelessly quaking behind her. But Makoto didn't share our unease. If anything, she looked angry. Overhead, we heard the flapping of leather wings as vampires freely roamed the skies, even racing up toward the central tower. She would glare in the direction of the flapping as even from inside, we could hear it.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned as I took her hand in mine. She let out a deep sigh, her shoulders dropping as she relaxed.

"I'm fine..."

"Yeah, you sound-"

"Can you go five seconds without being a smartass?" She snapped, making me jump back. She then shook her head, realizing what she had said, "I'm sorry. I'll tell you later." I'm not sure I want to know if it made her so mad. Still, we continued along our way, down many halls and up multiple stairs into what almost looked like a lab. Vials of substances I had never seen before lined the shelves, along with books on every subject as well as tools for astrology and medicine, making

"Lord Necroli! Your guests have arrived!" The machine called out, and before I could even process it, a black blur had tossed Eliza aside before vanishing once again. Next was Jaune, who was slammed into the ground. Before it could get me, I used Draconic Presence to briefly freeze the figure and dodge out of the way.

"Worlds Combine..."

"Souls Combine..."

"Heroes Unite!"

"rewoP oreH layoR!"

We all immediately transformed to take on the towering pale man in common clothes. We didn't know why Necroli was attacking us, but our survival came first. Jaune dashed around, even blasting him out the window with a scream before he flew back in, impaling him through the shoulder with a spear composed of hardened blood. After that, he targeted Makoto, realizing the danger of her Suijin Dome, and slammed her into the ground. I quickly reached for my damaged Boost Medal, but Makoto knocked it out of my hand with her whip, "Don't use it!"

I grit my teeth and reluctantly agree. But that leaves me limited. I can't use my magic without burning my team, and Draconic Presence only slows him down. Heroic Spirit might work, but- wait, why am I halfway across the room? Before I could react, I was slammed into a column spine first. I groan and struggle to stand while the Vampire King stands in the middle.

"If this is the best you can muster, advocating for you was a mistake..." He snarled, turning to me

"Oh, I'll show you a mistake! Team, to me!" I ordered, and they hurried over in confusion. I knew just the weapon for this! A sure hit that would kill most monsters, "Combine your weapons with mine!"

"We can do that?!" They all exclaimed, looking at me in unison. First, my Baphomet Set, simply acting to protect my hands from the power, followed by Eliza's staff, condensed into a proper hilt, Jaune's Taranis Claw split to form the guard, and lastly, Xandric's spear acting as a base for Makoto's Styx whips to form a blade. With the weapon ready, we pour all our excess mana intake into it, powering it up. The ground beneath us cracks as we go for a mighty swing, "Almighty Weapon of Heroes: Caliburn!" When the dust cleared, the room was in shambles, and the king was nowhere to be seen

"Impressive, but lacking. You clearly needed more time to form something that matched the ambition of your creation," a raspy voice said above us as the room simply began to fix itself, "Still, that Crimson Mind, as I believe you called it, is quite formidable."

"Yeah, he just pulls things out of nowhere with a thought sometimes," Eliza admitted with a nervous expression, "If I may ask, King Necroli, why did you attack us?"

"Simply put, I wished to test your progress. The rather tight venue didn't make magic ideal, but still, you found a way, even if it was haphazardly thrown together," He answered, gracefully landing beside my Boost Medal, "I will be confiscating these, however. Judging by Blue's reaction, I'm assuming this is the thing that drove you mad in Dai Shi?"

"You know about that?"

"Doesn't take a genius to know that a hero in red went up there, then one covered in red and black came down."

"Then you know what that thing did for me. Give it back," I insisted, trying to snatch the Boost Medal from him multiple times. However, he would dodge my hand with ease as if dealing with a child.

"I do, but do you? The darkness infected your brain via the link in your helmet. Any longer, who knows what would have happened?" I growled at his words, clearly angered. With a heavy sigh, he turned the hour hand on a clock at the back of the room twice clockwise and once counterclockwise. With that, it flung open, revealing a staircase. Necroli motioned us to follow, and seeing no other options, we chose to follow. Underneath was a lab even larger than the one we first saw and with more advanced computers and devices to boot. Still, it was devoid of staff, "In my spare time, I research Darkness. Safe to say, I have come to quite a few conclusions."

"Yeah? And if you're so confident about them, why haven't you told anyone? Because from what I've heard, nobody knows jack about it."

"You may not be fully aware, but Vampires have only recently become widely accepted. Before the Demons attacked, we were the monster the world united against. It's damn near non-existent now, but do you really expect me to give the small handful of malcontents this information without producing positive results?" His explanation made us all go silent, especially eliciting a response from Eliza, who could barely look at him. When we reached the floor of the lab, we could see a variety of tests, showing vastly different results, "Initially, we called it 'Darkness' because we simply didn't know what it was. But as I've looked into it, that name becomes more and more accurate. Tell me, have any of you ever seen an angry spirit?" he asked and we all looked at each other, our minds each drawing a blank.

"My mother scolded Leon, but I wouldn't exactly call it anger, more like simulating it. There wasn't the intensity to it," Xandric spoke up, "What does that have to do with this, though?

"Everything. I believe spirits go through a sort of purification process, entering the Space Between Worlds and its many realms and being cleansed of all negativity. Essentially, Darkness is what leaves us when we die." It sounded ridiculous at first, but it made some sense. When the Boost Medal ran out of time, I heard a voice that sounded like my own. It insisted that this time, we wouldn't be helpless. Necroli turned to me, seeing my contemplative expression, "I suppose you already figured it out, didn't you? Darkness has some small amount of sentience, at least enough to have a goal. It wants to return to its home, the spirit. As such, it will manipulate thoughts and insecurities, corrupting the mind and body. Knowing this, do you still intend to use this thing?" He holds out the boost medal, and I look to my team, all seeming uncertain. Just before I take it, I scoff and snatch my hand away, to which he smiles, "Good. Don't worry. Those Mythic Forms of yours will be your base by the time we're done."

"Pardon?" Jaune asked, seeming confused

"The Vypari Wastes are the closest one can get to the Dark Island without actually visiting. If the rough conditions don't force your suits to evolve, nothing will," he answered with confidence. That's right, our suits start off this way but evolve over time. I practically slap myself for forgetting that, "Enjoy your night in Broodwing City because starting tomorrow, you will need to survive the Wastes. Dismissed"

"Wait," Makoto finally spoke up, stepping forward. Necroli looked at her, his brow raised in clear confusion, "Before I go, I have a question for you. Have Vampires ever been to our world?" We all looked confused, but we couldn't rule it out entirely. Instead of laughing it off

"No, to my knowledge, it has never happened. Why do you ask."

"The day I was summoned, men in masks came into my house. They didn't want money. Instead, they wanted a picture he was going to take to the news of a man on leather bat wings. Sound familiar?" She asked with clear suspicion in her tone. So that's why she got so angry?

"I see. Unfortunately, we have found no such way to travel between worlds. However, is it so unlikely that Vampires also exist in your world and just stay hidden?" He asked before dismissing us once again. The machine from before led us to our room for our final good night's rest until this training was done.