My name is Anesidora, Dora for short. I'm a young emissary of the Avatar branch and a former member of the Shining Sword party, but today I'm more than anything...
"Free!!! We are finally free!!!"
Spinning around in the field, he had a dozen pieces of bread swirling around him that he had just purchased. With a snap of his fingers, three slices of bread took flight and landed in the hands of a peasant, a child, an animal, or possibly even a plant in the village.
"Enjoy, the king invites you to the feast! To the glory of freedom!"
Another hand gesture, his right arm raised with a thumbs up. A whirlwind emerged, swirling the flowers around him and shaping them into intricate flower crowns.
"Today is a day of celebration, you are all invited to the fool's farewell ceremony!"
With a snap of his fingers, all the crowns flew off, except for one larger crown that bore a resemblance to a funeral wreath.
"Let me save this one, for Dora's funeral from Shining Sword.
"He tumbled onto his back, bursting into laughter, wondering if he had ever experienced such pure happiness. Could this be the reason why individuals turn to crime? Simply to chase that feeling of liberation? These reflections raced through his head."No more missions, no more meetings, no more girlfriend, and no more morals."
From his pocket, he withdrew a solitary coin, the final testament to his generosity.
"And no more economic problem."
He flipped the coin into the air, and as it descended, a cascade of gold coins rained down upon him. This bizarre spectacle would captivate anyone, yet the explanation was quite straightforward.This Dora was an enthusiast of magic tricks, possessing an array of extraordinary abilities.
He could transform a single gold coin into a multitude, change water into wine, teleport through mirrors, or even make objects vanish.While some of his former companions disapproved of his fascination with such skills, he found joy in collecting and experimenting with these powers.
Despite the fact that performing magic tricks wouldn't slay a beast, that was beside the point. It was his pastime, his fervor, and he pursued it simply because he enjoyed it, undeterred by anyone else.
"Should we sleep here tonight? It's comfy… Huh?"
In an instant, an intense speck in the distance swooped down towards him with unimaginable speed and crashed into the ground, causing a horrifying explosion. A dense cloud of smoke enveloped the area where the object had just landed, but as it gradually dissipated, it revealed a human-like figure: short black hair, blue eyes, and a fist firmly planted in the crater it had created. It was Hope, another Hero.
His expression was filled with anger, yet his eyes widened upon discovering a golden coin in place of Dora.
"Hopy, what a surprise."He looked up and saw Dora lying on a bed of flowers several feet above him.
"You... Get down here!"
"Hmm... Don't feel like it."
A vein appeared on his forehead.
"Get your ass back here, you coward! How could you run away like that? Come here!"
"But the air is cooler here, you should come here instead, you look like you need some meditation."
Dora snapped his fingers, causing flower petals to swirl around Hope, but the boy drew a wooden sword and spun around, scattering the petals.
"I'm not here to play! I considered you my rival, I admired you, and you promised that one day we would become the best rivals in the world... But I heard that you left your party to stay in the village."
Hope, a young emissary from the Hero branch, was both a friend and a rival to Dora, as per Hope's own definition. They would often spar together, honing their skills. Despite Dora's efforts to recruit him to replace him in his team, Hope always declined, insisting that rivals should not be on the same team.
"If you give up on your dream of being the best fighter in the world, then I don't want to sit on a losing streak against you! I'm going to defeat you and end this stupid rivalry!"He pointed his weapon at Dora. Suddenly, my eyes sparkled.
"Oh? You? Defeat me? How would you do something you could never have done before? Just thanks to your determination?"
"Shut up! My determination is bigger than your dreams! I will knock you down!"
"Then go ahead." He clenched his jaw and a subtle glow enveloped him before he slashed his sword towards Dora. The strike created a luminous blade that swiftly headed towards him, but ended up obliterating only the flowerbed, sending petals flying everywhere.
"You won't run away this time, show yourself!"
The petals scattered all around, yet Dora was nowhere to be found. Hope's anger intensified as he concentrated his energy.
(Focus your energy and feel the universe... Yes like that... I can see... I can... What?!)
His heart skipped a beat as he suddenly comprehended that the petals were not falling but rather floating in the air, morphing into balls of flowers.
"Damn it! Acceleration," he shouted.
Swiftly, he propelled himself into a minuscule space, maneuvering skillfully to avoid the encircling floral orbs. Yet, to his dismay, a ball materialized right before his face and exploded upon his touch, triggering the explosion of the other flower balls behind him. Dora reappeared several meters away.
"Well, since you dodged the first one, I was going to say you got better, but... You still ended up getting one shot by a single bomb so..."
Abruptly, a glimmering blade of light gently brushed against his face, leaving him astounded. Emerging from the dissipating smoke, Hope appeared before him, his clothing bearing the marks of a minor burn.
"Aah... So? Aaah... Have I improved enough?"
Dora put a hand on his cheek and pulled it back noting the red dye it had just taken, Hope was smiling.
"I love that new expression on your face, now if you'll excuse me, it's my turn."
"... No, now it's personal, let me correct this kid."
The clash between Hope and Dora intensified as they relentlessly exchanged blows. Hope's wooden sword clashed forcefully against Dora's freshly conjured flower sword, creating a spectacle of explosive power.
With his unparalleled boost ability and his sword infused with his own formidable powers, Hope dominated the hand-to-hand combat. However, his opponent possessed a unique connection with the environment, making them a formidable adversary.
Swiftly evading a barrage of radiant blades with a graceful leap backward, the opponent showcased their mastery. Unyielding, Hope pursued, his sword aimed directly at his foe, its tip shimmering with unwavering resolve.
"Thunder Sp... Shit!!!"He narrowly avoided a flowery javelin aimed at him from the back, but Dora intercepted it and transformed it into a halberd. He swiftly spun it around and delivered a strong strike towards Hope, who barely dodged it. The acceleration technique was starting to irritate Dora.
Hope took a few steps back, assuming a defensive stance, as flowers around them grew rapidly and shaped into different weapons like spears, swords, and axes. The field of flowers had become a deadly arsenal, with Dora holding the power to unleash it while Hope was visibly exhausted.
"Aaah... It's not... So easy... Aah... Is it?"
"It's not easy, but we know how it will end, I will laugh, and you will crawl like a worm."
Dora extended his hand towards his opponent, commanding all weapons to charge at him. Hope lowered his sword, ready to accept his fate. Could this be the end? Despite his relentless efforts, he seemed to be slipping away.
The relentless use of his powers was draining Dora's energy, leaving him exhausted. As an avatar, he suffered from the excessive consumption of energy, but Dora was a master in concealing his fatigue.
Time seemed to slow down as the weapons closed in on Hope, and his ability to Accelerate seemed to have vanished. However, a sense of unease washed over Dora. Suddenly, a blinding explosion of light erupted.
"W... What?"
Before his eyes, covered in an aura so bright it was hard to watch, Hope raised his sword.
"Are you done attacking now? That means it's my turn."
"Stop saying that bullshit... What the hell is that?"
"The ultimate Hero Class Skill: Hero Time."
The aura covering him shone brighter, for the very first time since Dora knew him, Hope made him doubt victory.
"Hero Time is a technique that boosts the user's abilities tenfold for a few minutes, so at that moment, I'm the most powerful in the whole village!"
"But... It doesn't make sense, Hero time is a technique accessible only to the advanced Hero class, you shouldn't be able to use it, it's impossible, you're impossible!"He smiled, delighted with his astonishment.
"It's true, a normal Hero wouldn't make it, but what about a transcendental Hero?"
Dora remained silent in the face of this statement, understanding the true meaning.
"Are you... An Avatar too?"
Hope shone brightly like a star through his Hero Time ability. Hero Time was a technique known to provide a significant boost to individuals of the Hero class. It was rumored that if the strongest Hero utilized this technique, they would surpass all others in the world, across all categories.
However, the hero standing before Dora was not just any ordinary hero, but an Avatar. Avatars amplified the power of their actions at the cost of draining more energy. In essence, it was like adding cheats to a cheater.
"Since when?! Since when are you an Avatar???"
"Listen... I'll tell you everything... Once I'll beat you."
"Forget it, how did you get a skill of a higher class, in this village?! There are barely any E-rank monsters, where did you find it???"
"Oh... You're right to fear me... That power is too much for an E-rank emissary, isn't it?... It's... Wait, stop distracting me!"
"Huh?... I'm not even trying..."
"Hero time can make me the strongest, but the downside is huge... I have to defeat you now."
Dora's ears trembled.
"What kind of downside? With this power you will crush me, I have no way out, aren't you being a little too careful?"
"No, right now I can only use it for a maximum of 5 minutes, and after that I... Well, whatever! Are you done talking?"
"…Yes, my apologies and… Thank you."
Hope swiftly grasped his sword and lunged towards Dora, soaring through the air like a bullet in motion. The amplified prowess of Hero Time had transformed his techniques into a formidable force, particularly his Acceleration ability.
As Dora approached the range of his sword, he swiftly swung it, oblivious to the malevolent grin of his opponent until the final moment. The impact was cataclysmic, causing the ground to erupt and a cloud of smoke filled with debris to rise into the air.
"You won't get me with this anymore!
"Hope spun around, swinging his sword into space, the cloud of smoke dissipating.
(Concentration... Feel the universe...)
He closed his eyes and his aura took on a less agitated form, becoming more and more like a bubble.
"With this, you can't hide anymore, I can sense you anywhere! I can... Huh?!"
He stopped abruptly, and as the cloud lifted, his eyes widened.
"Where? Where?! Where the hell are you?!"
Meanwhile, in a sumptuous bedroom, Dora placed his torn clothes in a basket and strolled into the bathroom, a drink in hand.
"Ouch-ouch-ouch... My fingers are numb, I shouldn't have gone to melee."
He took a quick bath and sat on a couch, pouring himself a cup of coffee, and then staring at a clock on the ceiling.
"So... 1 minute equals 5 here, so 5 equals... 25? Let's go to 30 just to be sure."
As he savored his coffee, he indulged in one of his beloved cartoons on TV. And as the minutes ticked by, he found himself drifting off to sleep. Suddenly, an alarm jolted him awake. Swiftly, he switched into more relaxed attire and made his way towards a door.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared, taking in his surroundings with a keen eye. Not far off, Hope sat with his wooden sword planted firmly in the ground, lost in thought. Dora approached him.
"Are you crawling yet?"
"... Bastard."
"Hey, come on, don't look at me like that, it's going to hurt me, haha... So? Ready for round 2?"
"Never talk to me again! You're not my friend anymore!"
"What? I'm only cheering you up, your determination is bigger than my dreams, you can do it... Oh? My bad, you used Hero Time, you're helpless now... Are you crying, bro?"
As Hope's eyes filled with tears, Dora couldn't help but appreciate the magnificence of the world.
"Now that looks like bullying."
"Am not! Leave me alone!"
"There, there, I can't leave you here alone, your mother would kill me."
"... I'll tell Mr. Albert that you keep calling him my mother."
"Why is he wearing lipstick then?"
Sharing a moment of laughter, Dora employed a small healing skill to help him.
"So what happened to you? It's not like you to pick a fight like this... I mean, for Shining Sword."
"Say, why did you leave your team?"
Dora's eyebrows furrowed, and Hope persisted with his explanation.
"Everyone in the village is making fun of you, Erick was saying everywhere that you were weak and that you were cheating on Sana... It's unbearable. They say you're weak... But we both know that's wrong. I'm almost stronger than Leon, but I've never beaten you, you know how I feel? I'm not a liar so I won't say that I beat you if I didn't. So people laugh at me too."
"You're much stronger than me, and with Hero Time, even Leon couldn't hold a candle to you. I only beat you because I'm smarter."
"Really? Like when you kept spamming magic attacks from a flying deckchair until I passed out?"
"You had no way to counter that, it was too tempting... but if it can comfort you, it wasn't..."
"And when you used copies of yourself to attack me in multiple places at once while the original ate eggs on a nearby farm?"
Dora laughed loudly, no longer able to maintain his healing.
"W... Wait, stop! You're killing me!"
"You see? You are much stronger than us. Why do you let them insult you?"
Dora stopped his healing when Hope was able to stand. They watched the sunset in the distance.
"Tell me, what do you want most in your life?"
Hope looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.
"What I want is... To be the strongest man in the world, I want to become the one who will be talked about in legends, to save the world from the most powerful monsters. I want to be called upon every time an S-rank rift appears... To be the strongest, and I want to gain recognition from you and my sister."
He started blushing in embarrassment, Dora smiled back.
"I see, it's a good dream, one that will keep you active for years, not really my thing but I respect it."
"... So... What's yours? What's your dream?"
He looked at him with interest, waiting impatiently for his answer.
"My dream is... I don't know."
"Hey, that's cheating, I told you my..."
He stopped when he saw the look on Dora's face.
"Do you know that the people I live with are my adoptive family?"
"You... You mean Mrs. Malia and Wendy?"
"Yes, it was my adoptive father, Mr. Rudy, who took me in when I was 6 years old, and since then we've all been living together. I don't know where I come from or who I am, the only thing I remember, it's the name Anesidora."
"Well... It's... Deep?"
"You want to ask me why I'm suddenly talking about all this but you hesitate because I mentioned my father, right?"
"Ah! No! I... Huh..."
"Haha, don't sweat it, I'm not a child, I won't cry over it. I was too young to understand when he died, but thinking about it, I'm glad I didn't. Right now, I'm not interested in fighting for the world or for fame, I just want to live happily with my mom and my sister, nothing else."
"... Is that why you don't want to become an emissary?"
Dora smiled and started walking.
"I'm already an emissary, but I won't try to be the strongest, I just want to see my family happy. So a small village with monsters at maximum E-Rank is enough for me. If I go further, I would have to leave them."
Hope accompanied him as they began their journey towards the village, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. Out of nowhere, the sound of applause caught them off guard.
"Magnificent! It was simply magnificent!"
As they looked back, they spotted a lovely young lady perched on a rock. She was slightly taller than them, with flowing black hair and striking sapphire blue eyes. A figure that seemed both eerie and familiar, unmistakable in this place. Standing before them was none other than the most influential emissary of the entire Kingdom: the advanced class emissary of the hero, the Legend Elizabeth.
"S...Sis?" Hope murmured.