Blood was everywhere.
We were losing, the same team which had the potential to defeat the Demon King.
It was not like we were weak but the number of demons kept increasing.
Thousands if not more, were already killed by us, but it was all according to their plan and playing in their palms.
Almost everyone was dead, their body parts were lying on the battlefield. Except 3 of us,
I, an S-rank Mage, had lost an arm which meant I could not cast multiple spells at once. Ever. That combined with the bloodloss and exhaustion, meant that I would've perished too.
The Healer of our Party, Alexis, was also taking her last breaths while lying on the ground a little farther away from me, her whole body covered with blood. She was the one who could attach your hand back together even if it was split into 32 parts - I had seen it happen with my own eyes – But now, even her miracles could not do anything.
The only one who still gave us, atleast me, hope was Edward, the fallen Prince. He was fighting non-stop since the start and didn't even take a moment to catch a breath. He even intervened many times to save many of us but he could not save all. His Swordsman Skills were almost out of this world. Still, even he was getting tired.
That was when he entered - The Demon King. The moment he stepped foot, Edward's sword was inches away from his head but, it was stopped.
Edward didn't stop there and kept attacking. To me, just an bystander who was several meters away, the only thing I could see were shadows. I couldn't even keep track of their movement, forget the idea of helping Edward.
However, it seemed like even if we could not win, we would atleast end in a draw. So, I pointed my left hand towards them and casted a buff spell on Edward. With my pathetic state right now and only one hand, it probably was nothing to Edward but at that time, even 0.01% more strength mattered.
Everything was going that way until suddenly, the Demon King's Hand started shining purple and he caught Edward's blade snatched it from him. In his other hand, he was holding a stone.
That Cursed Stone, which started it all.
Edward was beyond exhausted now and it seemed like everything went as the Demon King planned it to Go. He was smiling.
In just a second, the same blade that Edward was holding, was now through his chest.
The Demon King started laughing. And he didn't even bother killing Edward and Me, he knew we would not survive here. So, he just turned away after saying "Farewell" to Edward and started going back. He was probably planning to soon send his soldiers to collect what remained of us.
It seemed to me that was it but maybe Edward thought of something in his mind. With probably all of the strength he had left, he started running towards me and Alexis.
Was he planning to regroup and think of a strategy? Maybe. What was that I could even do now? Perhaps, it would've been better if Charlotte was alive instead of me. With her magic she could've helped Edward more than I did.
Although Edward was running very fast towards me, it seemed to me like he was slow. For a moment, he looked towards Alexis as if he was saying something to her with his eyes. Which, unbeknownst to me, Alexis responded to with her own eyes.
Maybe it would've been better if I was there in place of Alexis? That was what I was thinking when I realized Edward was close to me and he started speaking.
"Andrew! Can you hear me?" He looked at me to check how I was. I was holding my own right shoulder with my left hand to stop the blood as much blood I could.
"Y-Yes!" I responded as fast as I could.
"How much mana do you have left?" His voice was desperate.
"Only a little!"
"Can you teleport us both out of here!?"
What? Both? Why not Alexis.
"Yes I can but why not Alexis and you!? I can caste teleport on you both!"
"There is no point in that! She's already dying and she can't survive!"
Why? Why was he saying that!?
"B-But!"
"Look Andrew!, there is no point in trying to save her now, she is dead. We need to get out of here right now! Even you know that I am the one who can defeat The Demon King! I need to stay alive!"
He was right. But Why? Edward wasn't like this. Did he really just wanted to live that badly or was he planning something else? I was no healer but it didn't seem to me like that he would survive with the injuries he had.
"No But-"
"There is no time! His forces will soon arrive and we wouldn't be able to do anything, so please listen to me!"
He was correct so I gave in. He was not the one that would just abandon his friend so he probably had something else planned.
I used all of the mana I had left and caste the most powerful Teleportation spell I could and it appeared below us. As soon as I activated it, we found ourselves in a forest path which was near a small village. We had teleported as far as I could manage to with all of my mana. I was about to faint but I knew Edward would not be able to stand up now, so I started standing up and going to get a healer for him. Just then I heard Edward's voice
"No don't."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't go anywhere, wrap your shoulder with a cloth and don't move so that you don't lose any more blood. The guards will find us soon on their routine check."
"Wha- Why? I need to go find a healer for you before anything bad happens."
"There is no need. I won't survive any long."
Hearing that, the whole world around me started spinning.
"What do you mean! You said you would survive!" I screamed with tears forming in my eyes.
"...It was a lie." Quietly responded Edward.
Lie.
"No... It makes no sense... Why would you lie!" I didn't know what I was doing, the emotions were flooding in.
"What would you be doing right now if I didn't?"
"I would've been fighting of course!" I responded quickly. It was true. Even if Edward and Alexis died, I was planning to fight till I die as well. Then it started to make sense. "Wait... You mean you lied to me to save me!! Why!? I never said I wanted to be saved!"
I was a mess. Now that I think about it, Edward probably asked Alexis if she agreed with his plan to save me with his eyes, and it seems she did.
"No... No... Please no... It's a lie... I never wanted any of this..." I was crying as hard as I could. And I continued for a while until Edward spoke.
"Andrew, I know it is very selfish of me but can you please honor my last wishes." He looked into my face.
"No... It's not selfish at all... Say anything you want!" I replied with tears flowing out of my eyes.
Then, Edward smiled and said his final words. "Please never blame yourself."
Just as he said that, I felt his presence fade away.
Edward died.
I screamed in pain and sadness, then cried for the ones that passed away. That was all I could do now.
Soon, I fell unconscious after which the guards arrived and picked us up.
I was unconscious for around 8 days. The day I woke up, I was hoping it was all a dream but it wasn't.
The death of Hero's party had reached to the whole country and I funeral was also held when I was unconscious. Turns out that demons did comeback to the battlefield after the Demon King left but they only picked up important things and didn't even bother picking up their own dead soldiers. So, after it laid there for a while, everyone's body was picked up and given a proper funeral.
It would've never been like that if only that Stone didn't exist.
The stone that gave the Demon King this much power and influence, it was said to have been made by gods and It was hidden on an island that no one could ever return from alive. I was in the last year of my academy when the demons obtained it and grew stronger than before. From what it was said, that stone could grant any one wish to the one who the stone deemed worthy.
It seemed like the Demon King was just able to use it's raw powers because the stone didn't deem him worthy enough. And now that within 7-8 days we weren't attacked, maybe the stone takes time to recharge.
Even so, the stone needed to be destroyed before anything could happen. After all, I had witnessed it power myself.
And maybe, it could even help me?
I didn't know. Lying on my bed I could not even move. My Dominant hand was no longer with me and I had no idea to what to do. All that I could think of was my former teammates.
After thinking a lot for who knows how much time, I realised pushed all my thoughts aside and finally made up my mind.
I needed to destroy it.
The Cursed Ruby of Heaven.