Hero Dyes - Blue

Yohan: Once I arrived at the castle through magically warping, I instantly felt sick. Ellen warned me that my transportation magic and hers were different. For one, I can only travel short distances. Her portal magic can send someone across entire countries if she willed it hard enough. Of course the longer the travel the more at risk the person was she was sending. Either way, I saw the guard round the corner and quickly shrouded myself in cloaking magic. Bridget made up a cover story as she used her sexual charm to offset the guard. I took my chance and relocated myself closer to a window. I opened it and breathed in the air as I fought to quell this nauseous feeling. The breeze helped, but me throwing up my dinner helped even more.

“Ugh.” As I staggered away from the window I bumped into a guard. He frantically looked around as I was still cloaked.

“Who goes there!” He shouted as he trembled.

“The ghost of vomit and puke.” I muttered as I held onto him while splattering more of my dinner upon him. He shrieked in horror and began to gag as he ran in any direction. I laughed as I staggered some more until the wall caught me.

“Focus… Focus…” I told myself as I regained myself. Once my body was calm I breathed in and the sick feeling evaporated. Now I was ready to find my parents. However, I was limited on time.

“I need to hurry and find them, overwise Bridget won’t survive.” I reminded myself as I grabbed the dragon amulet within my shirt. I pulled it out and whispered a spell into it. Suddenly a trail of gold mist raced down the hallway and to the left.

“Hopefully I’m the only one that can see this, otherwise it will alert the guards to my presence.” With that said I took off and followed the stream of gold through the hallways and down several stairs. The guards couldn’t see my tracking spell as they would walk right through it like it wasn’t even there. Once I timed their routes I snuck by them and finally reached the dungeon. Not many prisoners were present as I hurried through the damp corridors. I stopped as the golden stream led me to a cell where two odd looking men were guarding it. My eyes lit up as I saw both my parents. My mother looked battered and bruised as she was chained up in an odd position. My fists tightened as I imagine it was for Outis’s pleasure she was chained up this way. My father was sitting on the floor, encased in a see-through barrier of some kind.

“Wait a minute…” I whispered to myself as I looked at the two strange fellows keeping watch.

“That is Thorin, the lightning sage. And next to him is Lucus, the forest sage. Why are they working for Outis? What kind of ransome does he have over their heads?”

“Help! Help! Prince Outis is in peril!! Thor, Loki! You need to help your prince!” A guard came running down the other hallway and slid to a halt.

“Loki? Thor? Has he belittled them to pet names for the sake of his own self proclaimed title? What an idiot.” I muttered to myself as the scene continued to unfold.

“What? What the hell are you talking about? Outis said-”

“Of course the prince gave direct orders! But if you don’t go help him you won’t have a prince anymore! The Dye Hero has arrived and is killing our Prince! Help him!” With that said the two sages, who were once dear friends of mine, hurried off to assist Prince Outis and his fight with Bridget.

“I’m assuming Bridget actually followed through this time and the poison is taking its course. Good, that means I have more time to-” Suddenly the guard shape shifted into another sage that brought fear and confusion to my heart.

“Ragna!!” I shouted, which dispelled my cloaking magic. The tall skinny man turned to me and smirked a devilish smirk.

“Finally, I found you, Yohan the Golden Sage.” He comments as he lowered himself into an awkward fighting stance. I shook my head in protest, as I didn’t want to fight my best friend.

“Ragna, what happened to you? After you made it to Damaris’s castle… After you destroyed her entire palace, you disappeared. We thought you died as all the tyrants came back.” My words seemed to confuse him as he raised an eyebrow yet remained in his fighting stance.

“What are you talking about? I know nothing of this.” He replied with anger filtering through. Before I could speak my mother called to him and started to speak.

“Ragna, my dear child.” He turned to her and dropped his guard, as if he had heard her say that line several times before.

“Why do I remember your voice?” He asked, to which we both drew closer to her. Her eyes started glowing the more he looked deep into them.

“You are the Void Sage that lost control of your powers. Much like my son did when the Fire Geminis blessed him, you too were given power beyond your control. However, it wasn’t from any of the Geminis. The god of the Quartal Kingdom blessed you with one of his four arms. He is known as the Void god. You wiped out the townspeople living in the third sector of Quartal. A black knight appeared and stopped you before you could cause any more damage.” She paused for a moment as she let this information take hold. I was just as baffled as Ragna was. The fact that I don’t remember this was concerning. A part of me thought she was lying. I noticed a slight shift in her sights as she stared at me for a moment. She was lying, which meant I needed to help the lie so her spell could work completely.

“You were taken to Damaris by the Black Knight. Whatever she has done to you has mixed up your memories, but also returned all the tyrants you help slay. Believe me when I say I was ready to kill you when you tried to stop us, thinking you were a fake or a puppet… But I didn’t. How could I? Even if you were one…” Her voice softened as tears began to form.

“Ragna, why do you hate me?” I asked, which snapped him out of the trance my mother put him in with her speech.

“You killed my brother because he took her wife as his Dye Hero.” My eyes began to water as my memory of that day came back to me. I covered my mouth as I shook my head no. My mother looked at me confused as I stroked my hair out of anxiety.

“Ragna, that was your uncle who took my wife. His name was Roshu. His brother was Ren. I remember because they were twins. Having said that, I did kill Roshu.” My mother gasped as she looked at me with horror. I lifted my hand up to signal that there was more to the story.

“Once Roshu returned without my wife, I felt the flames of the fire Geminis rising. I told him to leave but he wouldn’t. He said he had more to tell me but I refused to listen. He attacked me to keep me from running. He said he loved my wife, and she loved him in return. He wanted me to feel his passion for her, he wanted me to feel his loss but I refused. He snapped and wrestled me down until he performed a memory share spell. Apparently he shared too much as he witnessed Outis have his way with her before he killed her. He made him watch, like he made me match as he defiled my true love. That triggered the second rampage from the Gold Dragon of fire.” I wiped my tears away as I sniffed back the rest. I looked deep into Ragna’s eyes and smiled.

“Do you know how I found this out?” I asked him, to which his watery eyes blinked a few times as if he was waiting for me to tell him.

“You told me.” His eyes widened even more as he held his head in confusion.

“Impossible… This isn’t true, none of it is.”

“It is. Had I known you were alive, had I run into you before, I would have stopped at nothing to get you back-”

“Enough games!!” Ragna roared as he interrupted me. His body started to glow a dark purple color as his breathing quickened. He looked confused, overwhelmed, afraid, sad, angry, and many more conflicting feelings swirling about.

“I don’t care who I was, I just know who I am now. Because my hate is towards you, I’ll leave you to free your parents. Once we’re alone, Yohan… I’ll kill you.” With that said he exploded in a burst of black smoke. Once it cleared he was gone, which allowed me to quickly break into the cell and free my mother. Her plan worked. At least, enough to make him flee instead of overworking his brain into a coma.

“I wasn’t aware you could use your memory scatter spell just by looking at someone. Also, it was the Red Knight that stopped the real Void Sage, not a black one.” I told my mother, to which she smirked and raised an eyebrow towards me.

“Thanks for playing along. I can’t remember events from my past like I used to. Speaking of not knowing, you never told me you killed Ragna’s brother. What happened?” She suddenly got serious as I started removing her chains.

“It’s exactly how I described it. Roshu came back and tried to force me to feel his pain. My Golden Dragon form reacted poorly and killed him, along with many others. Ragna, who went by Ren back then, found out and vowed to get revenge. He caught up to me and we fought. I was the victor and erased that memory from him once he was defeated. After that, you took him in and gave him the name Ragna when his family abandoned him. I thought I eliminated those memories completely but apparently he regained most of it back before Damaris killed him. Which makes me question how he is still alive. As you said, perhaps he is a fake, hence why your memory scatter spell worked so easily.” Once the chains were off I turned to my father and stared with so many questions dancing around my mind about the barrier surrounding him.

“Not to worry, it is a self-inflicted barrier. A deep sleep spell if you will.” My mother explained.

“Why would he do such a thing to himself?” Before she could answer I quickly figured it out. I turned to her as she just dusted herself off as if nothing happened to her. She wanted to be strong for me as she raised her head high and sniffed back the tormenting tears of Outis’s actions.

“He didn’t want to witness the vile acts Outis would do to you.”

“No, my dear son. He didn’t want to turn into you and wipe out an entire kingdom. Do you think you’re the only one the fire Geminis hears?” She explained as she placed her hand on the barrier and whispered something. Within seconds it shattered as my father flopped onto his side.

“Come now, pick up your father. We must escape before-”

“Bridget!!” I shouted as I rushed out of the cell. I left my mother and father knowing they could handle themselves from here. At the moment, Bridget was in danger. I realized I didn’t know my way around the castle as I kept running.

“Locate Bridget!” I shouted at the amulet around my neck. A blue stream shot forth and left a trail for me to follow. I ignored any and all guards that were in my way. There weren’t many around, and the ones I ran into seemed to be fleeing from something. I could hear fighting close by. My eyes widened with fear as the trail suddenly disappeared. I knew which way it was leading so I forced my legs to move faster than before. As I rounded the corner and entered the dining room my heart sank. My widened eyes invited that sick feeling again as I watched Bridget’s body hit the floor. Her swords were lodged into her chest as blood began pouring out.

I scanned the rest of the room and saw my son standing next to Thorin and Lucas. They had masks on their faces and looked very lifeless. In front of Bridget was Outis, also bleeding out as his own sword penetrated his pelvis. Floating above both of them was the killer. My eyes narrowed with hate as I growled with frustration. I saw this coming. I knew the Count wasn’t truly dead and yet I didn’t say anything. I should have warned them. I should have told them the truth… Then again, isn’t this the outcome I was waiting for? Wasn’t this the plan?

[Flashback]

“I didn’t stutter, Golden Sage. Go save your parents from Prince Outis.” After Leon spoke those words I exited the throne room with an anxious heart. As I closed the doors I paused as a flash of light caught my attention. I peered into the room through the ajar door. Gilgamesh was floating in front of Leon as Tengu Ulrik turned to face him.

“Gilgamesh, you grace us with your presence. Is there a reason for this visit, little brother?” Leon asked. Gilgamesh just ignored him and turned to face Ulrik.

“Do you remember your oath, Ulrik?” I watched carefully as Ulrik slowly nodded his head yes.

“I am loyal to Lord Magnus. He is the Oni who freed me, then saved me from the Golden Sage.”

“The other oath, sir Ulrik.” Gilgamesh quickly spat out as he floated closer to the demon. Ulrik thought for a moment, then slowly nodded again.

“Outis must not lay a finger on her, or I’ll end your life, Count Masque.” I held in my gasp as my eyes widened with disbelief. My ears couldn’t believe the words spoken by Ulrik. The Count was still alive? What was worse, was that Gilgamesh told me this right from the start.

“You see, I’m Count Masque’s soul.”

“All I know is that I was separated from the Count in an attempt to replace me with something else.”

“I’m assuming I’m still a part of Count Masque in some way.”

“They tried everything to remove me from Masque, but nothing they did completely worked. I’m bound to him simply because of the curse that was placed upon him.”

“Sometimes I was by myself, sometimes I teamed up with Masque. It was like a game for us.”

“In fact, that was how we tricked some Dye Heroes. I would pretend to be Masque, so when they killed me, he would show up and slay them without warning.”

“In order to get rid of this curse Masque needs to die, not me.”

“Beware the gift giver, he is the mask of Masque.” I told myself, reciting what other sages have passed on throughout the years.

“He fooled me by telling me the truth.” I added as I narrowed my eyes with disappointment in my heart. I felt at this moment that the quest was already over. It was at this point that I knew we failed.

“Then it is settled. I will carry out your command, so long as you remember your part in this deal.”

“What deal, what game are you playing here?” Leon asked as the Count finished speaking. Gilgamesh turned to Leon and shook his head no, as if he wasn’t telling him anything.

“This doesn’t concern you, brother. Leave yourself out of it.” The Count warned as he stared into Leon’s eyes with a deep hate for him. It was odd to see such a display between siblings. Then again, from what has happened to both of them, were they even brothers anymore?

“Take your leave, little brother. I won’t interfere with your plans. Honestly I’m glad Lord Magnus will return soon. Just make sure you do it before the Golden Sage has a chance to save her. I’ve already distracted him with the news that his parents are being held captive. That should provide you with enough time to slay the hero.” Gilgamesh stared for a moment, then nodded his head with a smirk as if thanking him without verbally saying it.

“I had planned for a distraction of my own, but this will work on top of what is in play already. Be ready for Lord Magnus’s return.” With that said Gilgamesh quickly vanished in a ball of light which burst into dust. I slowly stepped away from the door and soon hurried back to my room. The entire time I couldn’t help but think about my parents, yet the thought of Bridget’s death continued to plague my mind. It was going to happen. No matter how much I told myself I had enough time to save her and rescue my parents, I knew it wasn’t true. Even if I stood by her side, the Count has a plan to distract me from aiding Bridget anyways. Either way I looked at it, we lost this battle. My only focus was freeing my parents, nothing more.

[Present time]

“Yohan! How could you-” My mother fell silent once she saw the scene before me. She pieced together what transpired in the dining room and placed her hand on my shoulder. I turned to her and noticed my father wasn’t around.

“I used a bit of portal magic to send him back to our ranch. Hopefully I did it correctly and he doesn’t end up in the barn. You know he is allergic to hay.” Her words brought me a bit of comfort. As my son banged on the barrier Gilgamesh placed around Bridget I couldn’t help but smile at my mother. She was beautiful as always, cheerful as I remember, and unphased by any crisis before her.

“Yohan! Is that, your son!” Yosin heard her voice and looked through the barrier to see us on the other side of the room. He squinted his eyes as my mother wasn’t someone he recognized. The barrier suddenly broke which caused Yosin to fall forward on top of Bridget. As that happened her body began to dissolve into purple and red mist. By now Gilgamesh accomplished his task and left with Thorin and Lucas, his new puppets. I’m sure they’ll be the ones we face next time we face him. The fact that tyrants can’t kill sages means that once we remove their mask they should return to normal. Unless they’ve figured out a way to bypass this with those masks the Count has been using. Either way, Bridget was gone while my son lay curled up on the floor sobbing as he held onto her swords tightly. My mother went over and comforted him, explaining to him who she was. His eyes lit up as he embraced her tightly. Meeting his grandmother for the first time seemed to erase the tragic thought of Bridget’s death for now. As I looked at the scene before me I noticed Outis was gone as well. A trail of blood could be seen leading out another door. I’m assuming he rushed off before I made quick work of him for what he was doing to my mother. Smart choice.

We soon left his estate and returned to Ulriks castle. The moment we arrived we were greeted with hostility. Lord Magnus had returned and ordered our arrest. However, it wasn’t to imprison us. It was to attend Bridget’s ceremony. Apparently Ulrik begged Lord Magnus to hold a ceremony for her. After all, she was a knight under his rule for such a long time. Ulrik convinced him that she deserved a ceremony honoring her knight hood under his reign. He agreed and extended the invitation to us. He also made it clear that once the ceremony was over, he’ll allow a period of peace to fall within his land. No sage is allowed to try and overthrow him within this time, and he’ll pull back his forces from hunting us or any other sages out there. I agreed, and with the help of my mother, we spread the word around. During this time I reflected on my mistakes, reunited with my father, shared stories with my son as he grew closer to my parents, and lived a happy and carefree life. It reminded me of my time with my wife and my son, living without the worry of failure. Striving to be better farmers. Of course, all good things do come to an end. The time of this grace period was ending. Before I began my next attempt at this cursed quest, I thought it would be proper to return Bridget’s swords back to the lady of the lake.

I walked down the path to the Howling Lakes and sat there for hours before she appeared. Her beauty was unparalleled. As she slowly walked out of the water I rose to my feet and bowed as a greeting. She nodded back as she scanned the forest for any danger. Once she believed it was safe she stopped in front of me and eyed the swords.

“Much like King Arthur, your hero is dead, is she not?” She asked, to which I simply nodded my head yes.

“Did you do all you could to prevent her death?” I blinked a few times as I wasn’t expecting to be questioned on my performance as a sage.

“I believe I did-”

“Then why is she dead?” She quickly replied. I was stunned. Her facial expression was hard to read. I couldn’t understand if she was upset or just curious.

“I was fooled by Count Gilgamesh, the tyrant of-”

“So your foolishness is what ended her life, yes?” Once again I was lost for words. I cleared my throat as I adjusted the swords in my hand.

“Perhaps if she had more confidence in herself instead of reaching for something she wished-”

“So it was her fault then, not yours.” I growled with annoyance as her contentious interruptions were irritating.

“Look, all I want to do is return these to you. Obviously she didn’t know how to use them, let alone want them-”

“False!” She nearly shouted as she took a step towards me.

“If only a mentor of hers taught the proper skills and magic to use such swords, cared enough to see past her flaws, and actually have faith in her. If only the sage that selected her actually believed in her and willed it in her to succeed, she’ll be alive and her swords would have slayed her foes properly.”

“So it’s my fault then! Huh! You expect me to be lectured by some fish lady because you didn’t give her what she asked for!!” I shouted as my rage was boiling over. This woman had the nerve to speak of the events that happened as if she was there!

“I have no scales to show therefore I am no fish! As for what she asked for, I gave it to her!”

“Then why didn’t you give her Excalibur!! That was all she wanted!” As I stared upon her face I started to feel something within me. Her expression changed as she tilted her head with an angered confusion. At this point, I realized there was something I was missing in all this.

“Truly, your hero was a fool then. If you believe her downfall was due to an obsession for a material item, then you are also a fool…” She started off as she huffed and crossed her arms.

“Her exact words to me, was to give her the tool she needed to vanquish the tyrants of this kingdom. Since Excalibur’s power wasn’t going to be strong enough for this quest, I took Excalibur and used it to forge her new swords. Reforging Excalibur gave the two swords new powers that she needed to unlock through training and mastering of her weapons. I didn’t expect her to unleash their full power overnight. I expected for someone to train and teach her to use them to their full potential, which would unlock her ability to overcome these tyrants and free the land once and for all.” I couldn’t help but feel the overwhelming sadness my son must have felt as he watched her die. My eyes instantly watered as I looked at the two swords. She was holding Excalibur the entire time. It wasn’t how she envisioned it, nor was it one single sword. It didn’t even carry the same name, yet the power of Excalibur was there. Our foolishness deprived her of the power the weapons had to offer.

“Keep the swords, they weren’t meant for her anyways.” My eyes narrowed as her words ate at my soul. My heart began to pound loudly in my chest as her eyes locked with mine.

“What do you mean they weren’t meant for her?” I asked. She paused for a moment as she closed her eyes. It was like she was trying to recall something she saw.

“Each time I forge a new weapon, I use the same sword that was brought back to me, or the same elements orchestrated differently. Gramr, Caliburn, Harpe, I’ve created many different weapons for gods, angels, and humans alike. Each time I forge a weapon a vision enters my mind on who the wielder is. If the weapon is passed down before it reaches me again I have multiple visions. Sometimes they are clear, other times they are not. When I forged Sol and Luni, I saw a woman with similar hair and similar physical features. When I saved Bridget from drowning I thought she was the one the swords belonged to. I, too, was mistaken. So keep them, for the hero that will unlock its power is still out there. We all learned a valuable lesson in this trial. Be vigilant, Golden Sage. ” With that said the Lady of the Lake took her leave. I was left dumbfounded, standing at the edge of the lake, clueless as to who this mysterious warrior might be.

I returned home and began preparing for our next attempt at this quest. My son joined me once more, ready to face this trial again. I recite the enchantment that would show us our next hero. For a moment, the amulet didn’t respond. But then, the yellow part of it started to glow, and allowed for both of us to see the trail that would lead us to our next champion. Thus ends the story of our Blue Dye Hero.

The End - Hero Dyes Blue

To Be Continued - Hero Dyes Yellow