Every individual in the academy widened their eyes at the sight of Ruun, and murmurs started to spread.
"What's the Ruler of Mortals doing here?"
"Oh my stars, he's as good-looking as always."
"He looks different."
"The pressure... It's suffocating..."
Ruun walked towards the end of the hall, under countless glances, until he could find the room he was looking for.
"Damn room, why does it keep changing locations every time?"
He didn't knock, just opened the door without any announcement, and when he got into the room, there was a person with their back turned to him.
The man wore an elegant black and red uniform of the professors' staff.
"You seem to be enjoying your stay, Alistair." Ruun smiled.
"And your reputation precedes you, as always," the man, Alistair, answered, turning to face Ruun.
Alistair was a middle-aged man, with streaks of white in his red hair, glasses, white skin, and the complexion of a thief.
He looked at Ruun, and finished his sentence.
"I heard people talking about your arrival in the academy, even though you didn't even get here yet."
"Elves sure know how to spread news." Ruun smiled again. "It's good to see you in good shape, friend."
"Same goes to you. But to what do I owe the honor of having you here today? You look a bit different, did something happen?"
"It's complicated." Ruun retorted. "It involves me spending a thousand years in the Abyss, coming back, and traveling through time to nowadays."
Alistair's brow twitched as he unconsciously dropped his all-purpose tool to the floor.
"You... The Abyss... Through time... Now what?"
"Told you it was complicated, but that's not what I'm here with you for. Not quite, at least. I need you to get the Crimson Hands ready."
Alistair stared at Ruun, with confusion in his eyes.
"Did I hear it right? You need me to..."
"Yes, Alistair. Let's not dwindle in unnecessary babble. There's something going on in Aluria, and if what I felt is correct, it will probably affect Osysa and the other continents, too."
"The whole world? Why?" Alistair's eyes twitched.
"That's what I'm here for, actually, my friend." Ruun gave it a brief pause, and looked straight at Alistair's eyes, deadly serious. "I need you to find out who's the deity behind what I'm about to tell you..."
***
The cloaked man flew around, admiring the chaos he had summoned over Aluria, chanting in the glory of his god as the countless indescribable monsters massacred everyone and everything around.
Even the heroes didn't seem to be capable of stopping the catastrophe.
But as he looked closer, sharpening his vision to better watch a certain point of the conflict, he saw a particular hero.
And he seemed to actually be holding his own against the man's summonings.
He took a closer look, and no.
The hero was actually pressing his god's children.
He was 'slaughtering' them and saving the town's people!
"Oh, no. You won't!" The cloaked man shrieked in the sky.
He whistled, chanting more of those unrecognizable words, and the giant things moved towards Gorkas.
***
Gorkas didn't know where his fellow heroes were.
He didn't even know if he would be capable of saving more people than he already did.
All the hero could do was just keep pressing forward, slaying as many of those things as possible.
And trust that Ruun would come to save them.
'No! I can't hope that he appears out of nowhere and save us all.' Gorkas thought, as he kept swinging his hammer towards the creatures.
But suddenly, he heard a whistle that seemed to come out of nowhere.
And as soon as the whistle blew, the creatures stopped attacking him.
But after the silence, came the tremors.
And Gorkas understood what was happening.
Someone had summoned those creatures and was controlling them!
And the one who did it, had just ordered the small fish to give way to the greater predator.
"You got to be shitting me..."
Gorkas was tired, but even tired, his swings didn't lose its strength, and Gorkas found it strange.
His legs wanted to give up.
His whole body wanted simply to go to sleep.
If he could just close his eyes, he would be less tired.
He could finally...
"GET OUT OF MY DAUGHTER YOU GIANT PIECE OF SQUID!" Gorkas heard a man shouting towards the giant creature that was coming towards him.
"No..." Gorkas noticed that there was a girl crying, trapped under some rubble.
He had to do something.
The monster wasn't even part of his priorities.
He had to save the girl and his father, or else...
"what kind of FUCKING HERO AM I?" And Gorkas sprinted towards the pile of rubble.
Even though his legs wanted to give up, and all he wanted was to sleep.
But all of a sudden, he felt a surge of energy in his body, as if he had just woken up from the most relaxing nap he could ever take.
His arms were stronger than ever, his legs were faster than anything.
And his hammer...
He swung it towards the ground, and not only countless fissures opened from where the hammer hit, but all the rubble flew away with the impact, freeing the little girl from the embrace of death.
The man looked at Gorkas, completely in awe, taking his daughter from where, just a second ago, there was nothing but rubble and cries.
Gorkas nodded to the man, and he began to run away from the giant monster.
"Yes... Now it's just the two of us, you ugly piece of shit..."
And he charged towards the monster, readying his hammer for a single, mortal blow.
***
Revan opened his eyes, and saw the creature in front of him.
Its maw was wide open, and its tongue stretched towards him.
The hero had already accepted his fate, but when he finally came back to his senses, he saw that the monster was frozen.
Slowly crumbling down in a million pieces.
"Wh-what?" Revan staggered back up, stuttering and shaking like crazy.
Only one person in the whole Aluria could be able to perform such a feat.
But Revan looked around, and Ruun was nowhere to be seen.
"Wh-who...?"
"Look up, you moron..." A female voice echoed from the skies.
Revan looked up, and saw the most beautiful vision his eyes could ever meet.
She was one of the Fjäri, the fairy people.
Black skin, a bluish, almost green gleam in her eyes, a curly black mane enframing her head.
"Seriously, everything goes to shit when Ruun is out... I'll definitely make sure he knows that he owes me one, after that..."
Revan could only stutter unintelligible blabbering, as he looked at Faerah, the Fjäri queen.
And with the most beautiful evil grin that Revan had ever seen in his life, she began laying waste to the creatures.