Chapter 21: The Star’s Deceit

A beautiful galaxy flows from Hera, coalescing into a small, shining star.

“Give me your power… now!”

“…Yes, Hero.”

Van Zikmund, his face contorted with greed, commands Hera like a man dying of thirst. Hera, her expression unreadable, presents him with the small star.

Rumble… rumble…

The heavens shift, the constellations align. Every star in the universe shines brightly, watching as Zikmund prepares to inherit their immense power.

“Yes, this is it! This is what I wanted!”

“…”

“Hahaha! Finally! Finally, I, Zikmund, will be happy!”

“…”

“You who have defied me… this is the end! Once I have this power, I’ll…”

Zikmund rants, his laughter manic, threatening us. But Hera remains impassive. She gently places the star on his forehead.

Touch.

Rumble… ROAR!!!

“Gah?!”

A surge of magic flows from Hera into Zikmund. He cries out in pain, but it’s fleeting. He is the Hero, a survivor of countless battles; this is nothing.

“Ha… hahaha! Yes! This is it!”

The transfer complete, he revels in the power coursing through him. He’s no longer bound by Hera’s words. He is the happiest, the most righteous, and no one can stop him.

“…Now, it’s time to deal with you fools.”

He looks up, ready to eradicate those who defied him. But all he sees is…

“…What?”

“…”

…Hera Nemesis, staring at him silently. Where are the others? The Saint, the Healer… and the woman with black wings and the insignificant man?

“Where are the other villains?”

“…”

Hera doesn’t answer. Zikmund scoffs.

“I can find them myself. But I’ll give you a chance. A chance to redeem yourself.”

“…”

“Tell me, Hera Nemesis, great witch of the Hero’s party. Where did they go?”

“…”

She remains silent. Zikmund sighs and raises his sword.

“I was going to spare you, since you gave me your power, but I can’t let this go unanswered.”

“…”

“I’ll make it quick…”

“No one disappeared.”

Crackle… sizzle… SNAP!

“Gah?!”

Zikmund clutches his head, collapsing to his knees.

“My head! My head!”

“…”

Hera watches him with pity.

“Aaaaagh!”

The Hero, the survivor of countless battles, writhes on the ground like a child.

“What… did you do…?”

“…”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”

He believes Hera tricked him, that she cursed him while transferring her power. He fights through the pain, standing up. This is nothing compared to what he’s endured. He can overcome this with his will.

“Raaaagh!”

He screams, breaking free from the unknown spell. The pain remains, but it’s bearable.

“I don’t know what you did, but once I break your neck, this curse will be lifted!”

“…Hero.”

Hera speaks, her eyes filled with sorrow.

“If you apologize now, if you beg for Vega, Epione, and Jaehan’s forgiveness, everything will be alright.”

“…What?”

“I still pity you. Please, make the right choice.”

“Pity me?”

His face twists into a grotesque sneer. He can’t accept this. This… villain, pitying him, the Hero?

“I’m the one who bestows forgiveness! How dare you pity me?! You
ing villain?!”

“…”

“I’ll kill you all! I’ll display your mangled corpses throughout Horizon as a warning!”

“I see.”

The last flicker of hope dies in Hera’s eyes.

“…”

She waves her hand, and a magic circle appears above Zikmund’s head. He thinks, once this is gone, I’ll kill them all.

Crack… shatter!

The circle cracks and shatters like glass. Everything returns to normal. He sees his enemies, he feels the immense power flowing through him. But something’s wrong.

‘…What?’

An unsettling silence.

‘Why is it so quiet?’

He can’t hear anything.

‘I can’t move.’

He sees his enemies, but he can’t move.

Crackle…

‘…It hurts.’

Crackle…

‘…It hurts so much.’

Crackle…!

“Aaaaaaaaagh!”

Excruciating pain floods his mind. He can’t breathe, he can’t see, every sound is agony, the wind feels like ice.

Hera watches him, her eyes cold.

“How do you feel now, Hero? Are you happy?”

“It hurts! It hurts! Please, help me! I didn’t want this!”

Zikmund grabs Hera’s robe, begging for mercy. But she’s unmoved.

“It’s too late.”

She pushes him away. The pain intensifies.

“Please! I don’t want this! This isn’t happiness! Please! No!”

This can’t be happiness. The man promised him happiness. He begs again.

“Hera, please make it stop! I was being controlled! I would never hurt you! It was that man! He made me do it!”

“…Lies.”

“L-lies? What are you talking about?”

He pulls out the purple crystal, proof of his manipulation. Hera looks at him with pity, then reveals the truth.

“That crystal… it doesn’t control you.”

“W-what…?”

“It reveals… your true feelings.”

“…”

“Your true desires.”

Hera knew all along. He wasn’t brainwashed. His betrayal of Epione, his greed for her power, his desire to kill her… it was all him.

“…I thought… if you still cared about us, even a little, you would stop. But I was wrong.”

“No… that can’t be…”

‘What went wrong? Where did I make a mistake? I just wanted to be happy. What did I do wrong?’

The pain is unbearable. He grabs his sword.

Stab.

Slash.

He cuts his fingers, stabs his stomach, but the pain doesn’t stop. His intestines spill out, but that pain is nothing compared to the agony in his mind. He has to remove it.

“Aaargh!”

Driven mad by the pain, he raises his sword to his throat.

‘I don’t want to die.’

Slide.

‘I don’t want to die. ‘

Slice. Thud.

The Hero’s screams stop.

Spurt. Gush…

Van Zikmund’s head rolls on the ground. His headless body collapses. Blood gushes from his neck.

“…”

No one can bear to look, but no one pities him. He chose his happiness over others.

“…Goodbye, Hero.”

As the Hero’s head falls…

Shatter!

A purple crystal orb explodes in front of a cloaked figure.

“…He’s dead. Van Zikmund.”

The figure seems mildly surprised, but there’s no regret in their voice. They remove their cloak, revealing an ordinary-looking man.

“I’m tired of this form. Time to go back.”

He transforms.

Crack… pop…

Bones shatter, skin rearranges. A young girl with purple hair emerges.

“…Now, on to the next phase.”

A faint smile appears on her face as she thinks of someone she’s about to meet again.