"Oh, there's nothing. Maybe I'm just hallucinating. Let's go back then!" Rex said to himself, shaking off his unease. With a powerful thrust, he soared into the air, heading toward Hollowvale. In the blink of an eye, he was hovering over the crumbling streets of the desolate and ruined dystopia.
Looking up, not even the tiniest sliver of the moon was visible to Rex, despite his great height.
"Wait a minute, am I flying?" he suddenly realized, letting out a scream of surprise.
Rex always seems to have a delayed reaction to these types of situations.
"I think... some of the things I dreamt about might actually be real."
(Moments of silence….)
"Hell yeah! Now that's what I call being a superhero!" Rex shouted with joy.
(Forgetting about everything else for a brief timespan)
Out of curiosity, he turned and spotted a ring-like object, golden in color with sharp spikes, hovering just inches from his back. The ring emitted a soft, ethereal glow, pulsating gently as if it were alive. The spikes, although menacing, seemed to channel energy that Rex could feel coursing through his entire body. He noticed faint inscriptions prescribed along the ring's surface, ancient runes that shimmered and shifted as if whispering secrets.
The ring almost covered the entirety of his back, perfectly aligned with his movements. It hovered effortlessly, gyrating slowly without adding any noticeable influence over him. Rex could feel its energy harmonizing with his own, guiding his flight. Mesmerized by its intricate design and the palpable energy radiating from it, he deduced it was the source of his newfound power. With no other explanation or object to account for his ability to fly, Rex was convinced that this mysterious ring was somehow related and responsible for this extraordinary feat, though its true purpose remained unknown to him.
From his vantage point in the sky, Rex decides to use his divine vision to survey the settlement and its surrounding areas below. He observed the frantic activity of the inhabitants of Hollowvale, ensuring everyone was safe and searching for any signs that matched his previous dream. Most of the people below seemed too busy with their labor to notice the arrival of the divine general, even though he glowed as brightly as the sun in that region of darkness. Heavy debris was being carried on wooden yokes resting over their shoulders, and they were hauling it great distances for disposal. The principle of "no pain, no gain" was in full effect. Without hesitation, knowing he couldn't reverse the damage entirely, Rex descended to help. He began carrying loads alongside the common folk, following their procedures to aid them as much as possible.
As Rex toiled, he watched the townsfolk rebuild their houses step by step. They meticulously assembled the heavy bricks, constructing walls that were even stronger and more resilient than before. Each brick was laid with care, ensuring that their homes would stand firm against future threats.
Meanwhile, the paladins were resting inside their shattered churches, appearing almost foolish in their idleness even after performing the worst and doing the least in their battle against the Archdemon. They had carelessly assembled makeshift hammocks just to rest their idle and lazy bodies, and it seemed as though they might trip if the holdings fell apart.
In stark contrast, the ethereal knights, wardens, and champions were gathered within the town hall, located at the center of the settlement. The town hall had two floors: the basement, the ground floor, and the first floor. It was made of strong materials, a blend of wood and metals like steel and titanium for the roofs, walls, and frames to support the concrete. Echoes of yesterday's infernal siege lingered in every scar upon the beleaguered building. The once-pristine walls of the ground floor now stood as a canvas of chaos, while above, the second story bore the full brunt of the demonic fury. From its battered roof to its ravaged walls, a tapestry of violent indentations told the tale of a structure pushed to its very limits. Each dent and crater whispered of otherworldly strength unleashed, a testament to the resilience that had weathered the storm of malevolent forces. Therefore, the basement, which was almost intact, became the meeting place for the time being. The wardens with their polished wits swiftly sketched out the layout of the settlement, planning to deploy troops according to their abilities for the next life-threatening condition, while the knights refined its accuracy and the champions expressed their satisfaction over them. Their focused expressions and intense deliberations underscored the gravity of their task.
The sentinels and vanguards tirelessly helped the townsfolk, using their enhanced strength to repair the settlement. The guardians, with their piercing eyes, scanned the dark outside the safe zone for threats, their faces set in intense focus. The crusaders marched around the settlement grounds at regular intervals, supervising the repairs and maintaining order. The bastions stood near the broken walls, their magi-shields glowing faintly, ensuring the invincibility of their shelter. Beside them, the defenders stood clad in heavy metal armor, ready to protect them at all costs, their faces canopied by dust and iron-gloved hands ready to crush their enemies to pulp.
As Rex tirelessly worked, he almost forgot who he was and that he had superhuman strength. He blended in with the commons, following their paths through the dust and carrying the debris on his head in a similar wooden yoke. For brief moments, he experienced a normal and ordinary life like the others, something he had always imagined since the time he was receiving ignorance from everywhere. After dumping debris for the twentieth time, he noticed how the people looked at him with astonishment. On his return to the workplace, he spotted a female ethereal knight walking towards him after making her way out of the townhall.
"Perhaps their meeting has concluded, and now it's their turn to scout and ensure the safety of their civilians."
As the knight passed by and noticed the divine general's heavy and intimidating aura in the atmosphere around her, she quickly recognized their guardian.
"What are you doing? There's no need to waste your time on such useless tasks. These filthy people are here for that. You should rather work with us for the betterment of this society."
After this, she reached out to touch his cheek, her malicious intentions veiled behind a facade of warmth and reassurance. Rex, sensing something amiss, subtly distanced himself from her touch, feeling a lingering unease that betrayed her true intentions.
Despite knowing that he was a far more powerful being and had saved their entire town from imminent and unimaginable destruction, she still chose to manipulate and seduce him for her own selfish desires as soon as she realized his power.
"I have no issue with it because I love working for the welfare of others. After all, this is my hometown," Rex replied confidently.
(In his mind)
"Oh snap, what the hell did I just say? Hell no, now these people will know my whereabouts. Oh no, no, what did I just do?"
The ethereal knight, unable to hear his last few words of significance due to the loud noises from nearby drunkards, continued his questions to Rex regarding his identity, to which Rex felt relieved and replied, "I am just being a helper and no big deal." As the townsfolk saw them chatting, they wondered what type of "glowing creature" figure was and why a high-ranking individual of the village was speaking to him in such a soft way. Some people nearby listened to their conversation with sneaky ears and shouted, "This is the person who saved us! Remember the sheering heavenly light we saw in the sky the previous day? It was him, the god who saved us and defeated the Archdemon. Our savior is here!"
Hearing these words, the rest of the crowd with a loud cheer of appreciation rallied towards them. Rex, uncomfortable with the attention and aware that the townsfolk needed to maintain their pace in the repairs, glanced quickly at the ethereal knight's armored face.
"Let's discuss this next time we meet again."
Before the knight could express his motives further and introduce himself, Rex took his stance, crouching slightly before placing his right hand on the ground. The elegant golden ring-like structure formed itself once again on his back. With an astounding force of shockwave followed by a burst of light on the ground, he left the soil and entered the sky. Before leaving, he looked at the settlement and bid goodbye to its people. The knight's eyes burned with jealousy and greed as he watched the Divine general depart with a radiant glow, making a magnificent and glorious exit.
(In the outskirts of Arcadia, a few miles away from Hollowvale settlement)
Rex rested himself in peace on a wretched bed in his small and frail sanctuary, where he had been finding his solace since his expulsion from the settlement. "Aah huuh, not again. I even forgot to bid a proper goodbye to the girl who saved me from falling into those fissures in the ground when I passed out after defeating that Archdemon." With a sudden jerk to his body, he woke up and exclaimed with concern. Rex sat on the edge of his makeshift bed, a strange feeling of uncertainty gnawing at him for leaving Hollowvale so abruptly. The bond he had unexpectedly formed with its people during the course of time left him with a lingering sense of belonging he hadn't experienced ever before.