TRAPPED IN GREAT HERO ONLINE

CHAPTER 10

The elf girl near them began to move her fingers. Her eyes slowly started to open. She saw the two people in front of her talking to each other. Her thoughts were a bit disordered as she tried to move her mouth.

“Where... is this?” The first words from the girl after opening her eyes.

“Eldric, she’s starting to wake up!” Rylan said while glancing at the girl.

“Right! Are you okay?” Eldric quickly approached the girl.

“That’s right... I was being chased by... Plantazel...” The girl said, still trying to clear her thoughts and words.

“It’s okay. The Plantazel is gone. You’re safe now, Firtania. Can you stand?” Eldric said, extending his hand to the girl named Firtania.

“Who are you? How do you know my name?” Firtania was still confused. However, she didn’t hesitate to grab Eldric’s hand and stand up on her own. Her body seemed fine now.

“My name is Eldric. This is my friend Rylan. We happened to find you when you were badly hurt. At that time, a Plantazel named Evil Gamma tried to kill you. At least, we managed to survive and heal your wounds,” Eldric explained the situation.

“Hey, Eldric! Why did you tell them our real names?!” Rylan whispered to Eldric.

“What else can we do! If Evil Gamma knows our real names, we can't hide them forever. Let everyone know our real names so the burden we carry is a little lighter!” Eldric replied to Rylan.

“Whatever. And also, Evil Gamma told me your names and targeted your lives. I also want to return this dagger to you. Sorry for borrowing it without permission, but I needed it because we were cornered by Evil Gamma. Here’s your dagger!” Rylan said while handing the dagger back to Firtania.

“Thank you for protecting me. But, I never knew about Evil Gamma that you mentioned,” Firtania said as she accepted the dagger from Rylan.

“Huh? What did you say, Firtania?” Eldric asked in confusion.

“It’s true that I was being chased by a Plantazel. But the Plantazel that chased me was as large as the tree behind me. The Plantazel didn’t have the ability to remember or speak like you said,” Firtania said, trying to recall the event that had just happened to her.

“We just fought Evil Gamma, Firtania! We can’t be wrong. That Plantazel had a complete body with a pair of hands and legs.”

“I’m not lying. At that time, I was on my way home to [Kingdom of Finias]. Suddenly, a Plantazel appeared and attacked me, cornering me around here. Besides that, I didn’t see any other Plantazel that you’re talking about. Honestly, I’m still scared remembering what happened to me,” Firtania said, trembling.

“Alright. Let’s stop talking about this, Rylan. We’re heading to [Finias]. Can we go there together? If we go to [Finias] together, then you won’t have to fear anymore,” Eldric suggested to Rylan and Firtania.

“You’re right, Eldric. We also can’t stay here for too long. There might be other dangers that could come our way. So, I agree with Eldric. What do you think, Firtania?”

“O-Okay. I’ll accept your offer. I ask for your cooperation, Rylan, Eldric,” Firtania said, bowing her head.

“No need to be formal, Firtania. Just relax with us. We feel helped now that someone can show us the way to [Finias],” Rylan said to Firtania.

“O-Okay, I understand. Then, I will show you the way to [Kingdom of Finias],” Firtania replied as she raised her head and smiled at them both.

The three of them agreed to go together to [Kingdom of Finias], a place that would be Eldric and Rylan's first destination. At that moment, Firtania re-sheathed her dagger and began leading them toward [Kingdom of Finias]. The mystery they sought might be found there.

An awkward feeling filled the air as they walked toward [Kingdom of Finias]. Eldric and Rylan hadn’t spoken since the incident. The existence of Evil Gamma, unknown to Firtania, and the mysterious organization called Lucifer. Honestly, these things were bothering both of their minds. The first step was taken by...

“S-Sorry, Firtania. I want to ask you a few things. Would you mind?” Eldric started to speak to Firtania.

“Hm? It’s fine, Eldric. What do you want to ask?” Firtania replied while glancing at Eldric.

“Do you know about the clock in the sky?” Eldric asked, pointing to the clock in the sky.

“Oh, you mean [Sky Clock]? Don’t you know about it?” Firtania glanced at both of them.

“[Sky Clock]?”

“Right. After [Fillia War] ended, the magical power in this world became unstable. Since the extinction of the Demon Race, power struggles occurred between the races in the world. As you can see, the [World Clock] in the sky has strong magical power to seal the unstable magical power after the war,” Firtania explained to Rylan and Eldric.

“The other races fought against the Demon Race, right? Why did they destroy the Demon Race?” Eldric asked Firtania.

“Didn’t you both know about this as well?”

“N-No! We didn’t study general knowledge or the history of this world before we left our old land! So, we don’t know anything about the outside world,” Rylan said, trying to lie so that Firtania would believe him.

“Is that so? It’s really a shame that your knowledge could’ve been honed better. But, well. The reason the Demon Race was destroyed during [Fillia War] is not widely known. Some sources say that the world had to rid itself of the most dangerous race, the Demon Race. However, some versions say that the Demon Race wanted to build a much larger nation, threatening the territories of other races. The truth has not been passed down by the ancestors since the war ended,” Firtania clarified.

“You said [Sky Clock] holds very strong magical power, right? How can it seal that much magical power into the sky and form a clock?” Eldric asked again.

“The [Great Heroes] of the past used their bodies and sacred weapons to seal the unstable magical power from each race. However, the immense power caused the [Great Heroes] to be unable to maintain the form of the seal, so they sealed the dangerous power into 12 magical orbs and the [Sky Clock]. They called them [Magic Stones] that were divided into 12 magical powers corresponding to the numbers on the [Sky Clock]. The twelve [Magic Stones] were spread across several kingdoms, one of them being in [Kingdom of Finias],” Firtania explained to both of them.

“[Magic Stones]? Does the power of [Magic Stones] represent a division of the unstable magical power?” Rylan asked, still curious.

“I don’t know. Many have tried the power of [Magic Stones], but the results were zero. No power was visible. Some concluded that the power of [Magic Stones] can only react to [Sacred Weapons], but that’s just a hypothesis,” Firtania said.

“I’m starting to understand the history of this world. So, what happened to the [Great Heroes] who sealed the unstable magical power?” Rylan asked.

“No one knows about the [Great Heroes], Rylan. It’s been 5000 years since the [Fillia War] ended, but the [Great Heroes] have never been detected again. The most likely scenario is that they perished during the sealing of that unstable magic. However, the biggest problem is the appearance of Plantazel, which is beginning to threaten other races. They appeared 2500 years ago. Since the Demon Race was wiped out, Plantazel has risen as a monster that can’t be easily defeated on the battlefield. Many races have lost their members. The population of races has decreased due to the brutal attacks of Plantazel. No one knows the origin of Plantazel in this world. But, some believe it’s because of the extinction of one of the races and the diminishing magical power covering all races.”

“Where did Plantazel come from, Firtania?”

“[Kingdom of Finias] is trying to investigate this, Eldric. I don’t know the exact origin of Plantazel either.”

Eldric and Rylan compared the information Firtania provided with the [Ligrd Monument] in Aldora City. A lot of new information matched without veering too far off. This proved that the information given by Voth was not false. The guidance from the [Ligrd Monument] in Aldora City had helped Eldric and Rylan a little.

After walking for a while, Firtania stopped. Eldric and Rylan also stopped and looked ahead. They saw a large wall surrounding a magnificent kingdom. The beautiful weather added to the kingdom’s charm, which they gazed at with admiration.

“That’s it. [Kingdom of Finias]. A kingdom inhabited by the Wolf Race and the Elf Race like me,” Firtania said, pointing at the kingdom ahead of them.

“Is it okay? We’re not from [Finias]. We’re afraid we won’t be accepted there. Also, we—”

“I know. You’re from the Human Race. But don’t worry. You’re with me. So, they will listen to me,” Firtania assured them.

After crossing the [Finias] gate, Eldric and Rylan couldn’t help but look around. The beautiful and peaceful surroundings amazed them. Now, the story they were about to uncover was much clearer than before.