After arriving at the nearest village to the magical forest, Damian purchased many things along the way, gifted gold coins to people who seemed to be struggling due to the war, and then walked towards the tavern. This place looked very similar to many years ago.
As he walked through the streets of this village, Damian wore a hood, no longer giving others the chance to see his face to prevent rumors of a mage who had gained immortality from spreading, a tale from an old book. But now that he wasn't someone who could live for many years, the opportunity for immortality was gone, yet he had grown accustomed to wearing the hood.
Thinking about all the comments people made when they saw him, Damian felt a bit embarrassed hearing them call him the old thunder mage who never married. Now that such criticisms had become uncommon for Damian, he simply quickened his pace, wanting to leave this place as soon as possible.
"Hey friend, do you have any of those cherry beers?" Damian asked a man outside the tavern directly.
"I think the one who made it has passed away, but you can go in and ask."
"Died?" Damian was surprised, remembering that the man who had the recipe for cherry beer was very young, and the machine that made them seemed to be operated by several people.
But once again, one cannot change things in the future; even younger people can die from anything.
When Damian asked about this beer, they didn't have it, but there were some similar ones that he decided to buy, along with many wines of different qualities. He even bought wines from many years ago without any problem, storing everything in his shadow.
"The required magic is increasing..." Damian looked at the shadow beneath his feet, and after buying all the wine, he went to a bakery.
All the money he had obtained was stolen; all the demons he had killed collected it, and many of the dragons he had hunted down had immense wealth. That's why Damian didn't have to worry about his purchases; at least they would serve to boost the economy of this village.
"You're the protector of the town, right?"
As Damian was about to leave the dried meat store, he heard an aged voice to his left and curiously looked down, only to meet a middle-aged woman.
"Are you?"
"I'm not a protector; I'm just doing some things around this town, so you can always count on my help. You're very lucky that demons aren't focused on this place, but you know that without a magical shield around the town to protect you, you'll always be vulnerable to attacks." Damian didn't know why he said all this.
"Have you ever thought about the meaning of everything happening around you?"
"I'm in a hurry; I don't have time to meet any of your nieces." Damian didn't want to continue this conversation, but for some reason, he felt a great threat from this old woman.
Unconsciously, Damian released a large part of his magical power, causing the business he was in to crack. "Tell me, who sent you?"
"I can see some things of the future, and I've come only to warn you. You've done what you wanted; you're young and strong enough to defeat the Demon King. The path you've created is illuminated; I hope your efforts are worth it." The old woman said this as she walked away.
"Tell me who you are!" The crystals of the houses shattered, and Damian was ready to attack this old woman, who seemed to be able to see the future.
The old woman turned around and said, "Your time is running out, thunder mage. Will you wake up or remain asleep forever? Those dormant demons were awakened by you when you used magic in the magical forest, and they are on their way to eliminate the last ancient fairy."
Damian wasn't one for words; he was about to attack this old woman when suddenly he realized that many people around him had fainted.
"What happened..."
"Dark Mage's Diary, Awakening of Lost Memories of the Dark Mage... You have been touched by a herald of antiquity; now you can read a bit about the life the dark mage used to have before dying and inherit it by mere coincidences of fate. "
Damian was petrified; he looked at the illustrations in the book, reached in, and extended his hand to touch each of those words written below. "I can't believe it..."
Boom!
At some point, hours had passed without Damian realizing it. When he returned to reality, it was nighttime, and in the distance, there were dense waves of demonic energy.
"Everyone, go to the shelter and don't come out until the day after tomorrow." Damian rose into the sky and, waving his hand, a dense barrier of electric lightning surrounded the city where he was, and without saying anything more, he disappeared.
That book that had accompanied him was actually a diary, and by the words of that Herald of Antiquity, he had received that inheritance. How and why did he receive that inheritance? The Dark Mage's diary"
Roar!
Damian looked deep into the forest and saw an immense demon, as big as a hill, and his heart clenched with worry, knowing that Elaine was in that direction.
"The demons are coming for the fountain."
...
Elaine held the Fountain of Youth in her left hand while creating an illusory barrier with her right hand to protect herself. The guardians Damian had created were destroyed, and the small fairies were around Elaine, protecting her.
"If I stay here, it's impossible for them to discover me." Elaine thought as she saw that demon with very large horns observing everything from the air.
She saw a demon in particular, and she recognized him because he was described in the diaries of her ancestors.
"Demon Calmadios..."
Calmadios had six arms and was approximately the same size as a giant. In his upper arms, correctly positioned, he wore a bracelet on each. He wore a mask with horns over his face and a dark loincloth held by a metal buckle.
"Kill them all!" Calmadios shouted aggressively.
Elaine, who was observing him, made eye contact with him for a moment, and this was enough to be noticed by that demon.
"I thought the fairies had been killed twenty thousand years ago." Calmadios smiled and, without hesitation, attacked Elaine with all his might.
As if the world felt a powerful ancient magic blossoming in this part of the world, the clouds turned red, and a fierce body blew from the highest levels of the world.
Elaine wasn't a fighter; at most, she could defend herself from this attack but wouldn't last long. "What a pity; I wanted to try that beer."
Boom!
A powerful shield of roses formed around Elaine; she was sure to stop that first attack, but somehow, her defensive magic had been easily destroyed.
"How is this possible?"
"Hahaha, cursed fairy, we have destroyed most of this magical forest, so your power is obviously weaker."
But at that moment, a few seconds before Elaine was hit by that black ray of light, a lightning bolt descended from the sky, spreading darkness throughout this part of the forest, accompanied by a roar in its descent.
Boom!!!
A third of the forest disappeared when those two powers collided, a gigantic magic dark as chaos clashed with one that seemed to have control over the same destruction.
"Who dares?" Calmadios looked at a figure surrounded by reflections holding a sword, while several different weapons surrounded him.
Damian, who had received the brunt of the impact, stood upright on the ground, looking at the gigantic demon. "I should have known; my mana brought this demon here."
"Damian..." Elaine looked at Damian's left arm, which had disappeared, leaving a more than severe wound on his body. She immediately used the best healing magic she could unleash at the moment.
But Damian didn't pay attention to this; he looked at Elaine and said, "Escape from this place with that cup; fly without looking back. I'll deal with the demon and find you."
At that moment, three huge figures emerged from a dark spot on his back and all moved towards Elaine with the intention of keeping her safe.