In a dimly lit room a figure woke with a start. Gripping his chest he heaved to fill his lungs with air. Falling off a bed they rolled and stood up alert. Where was this place? Upon asking just this one question their mind stung with memories. Two starkly different individuals' memories fought and tumbled. The pain caused a migraine severe enough to drop the person to their knees.
The sudden jolt from hitting the floor caused one memory to stand out. An identity.
'I. . . am Akiol.'
After coming to this realization the memories stopped fighting. Akiol soon began to understand more of himself, and his situation. He is the Hero, the prophesized one to battle against the Demon Lord. A cliche story line. . .
'Cliche?'
Why did he think of it as Cliche? That was his purpose from birth! This story was told several times before, by why did he know that?
Then a second realization hit him, 'I am James.'
This was reincarnation! Now the two memories began to line up. Desperate to find what had happened he began to sort the surge of memories to the latest thing he remembered while being Akiol. Adjusting himself to sit properly he began to recall:
A rumble of metal clanking made for the majority of the sound of the memory. Thousands of soldiers stood at the ready, weapons drawn. Across the battlefield an army of demons, unholy looking creatures paced about. The feeling of unrest began to spread across the two armies.
A silver haired individual stood at the front of the army, behind him five others. His gaze pierced through any he looked at. His eyes held the exact shade of silver as his hair did, a silver so pale it was almost white. Placing a palm onto his blade that rested at his hip he turned to face his companions.
"This is the very moment our journey has been preparing us for. Today we fight against the Demon Lord!"
His gaze steadily examined each of his companions. Faithful and talented, every one of them. There lingered a bit of joy within his stoic expression as he spoke to each of them individually.
"Kan'na.", his gaze locked onto a purple haired girl.
Kan'na, the mage of the group. In this world where chants were used to summon spells, Kan'na devoted herself to the study of magic circles. Creating an entire language of runes to form these circles and entering a league of magic entirely on her own. Her lightning quick spells have proven invaluable to the battlefield, and she saved the Party more than once from trouble. Donned in a magical robe that matched the colors of her eyes and hair. With pale but battle-worn skin she once could've been called an untouched beauty. Yet the throes of war made her less inclined to keep up appearances.
"I'm counting on your magic once again.", Akiol kept his words short.
This could very well be their last time speaking to each other like this. The entire Party knew deep in their hearts. There was simply too much to say, so Akiol chose to not say it at all. To this Kan'na shook her head with slight amazement, "As always."
Nodding he moved to the next person: Wrock. His ebony skin stood out in the crowd. In a braid and tied to his hair was an Azure feather. His muscular body boasted the greatest strength of the entire Party. Originating from a foreign clan of great warriors, he had joined the party to broaden his horizons and sharpen his skill. With his arms crossed he didn't allow Akiol to speak any words and simply stated, "This will be my greatest fight!"
Nodding Akiol went to the next person, "Yielya."
A tanned tomboy of a character, often those who meet her were unsure what gender she was. Through her brown eyes held a determination that never fell short. She was their Priest, their healer. Keeping the party alive was her duty alone, and was the only thing she took seriously. Akiol's voice turned a bit mellow when addressing her, "I'm sorry. We need you again."
"Of course you do, who else will keep you all on your feet?", Yielya pushed aside his concerns.
Steeling himself he moved to the next, "Jarvis, are you positive?"
A ghostly pale boy who looked quite meek nodded in response. Despite his unassuming appearance he was a key asset to the team. With a natural affinity with nature's beasts, he tamed several creatures including ones of legend. While he personally was never a fighter he never left the side of his tames. In the face of such a threatening force he stepped up to the front lines. It was this determination that Akiol questioned simply out of respect of his personal lack of strength. Upon seeing Jarvis fail to waver he felt relieved, "I'm counting on you. . . all of you."
"And I will continue being your shield.", spoke up the final member of the party Tilia.
A muscular elf, an incredibly rare sight among the elves. Born with a unique bloodline her body was tougher than most metals but in turn suppressed her elven affinity with magical elements. For this she was shunned from the elven community until saved by the party. Thus she devoted herself to become their shield, to protect them from harm like how they protected her. Covering her lustrous golden hair and emerald eyes with a heavy helmet she now was geared. Placing her tower shield in front of her she spoke her determination, "Today will be the end of this conflict!"
This was his party. . . the Hero's party! His talented members and dear comrades. This moment of the memory was right before the fated battle, the fight to the death against the demon lord. Had that fight gone wrong? Despite his worries something in his heart told him otherwise, so he continued searching through the memories.
"It will be.", Akiol answered and moved aside.
Looking upon the many soldiers he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Soldiers!! Today we fight to free ourselves from this danger! For too long we've shrunk in fear for this very day! No longer!"
A stomping arose from the soldiers, morale began to steadily rise. Akiol unsheathed his blade and rose it to the sky, "I am the Hero! Follow my charge! Put your trust into me! Today is the day the Demon Lord falls!!"
Pointing the wondrous blade towards the enemy army he shouted, "Charge!"
Thus began the prophesized battle. Hero vs Demon Lord, a tale told several times before.