"Al, get that order to table 3!" Mick called from the cooking window behind the bar.

Al, the young looking man running around the bustling tavern, smirked and hopped over to the counter, pulling the large dish of food into his grip. "On it, boss!" He all but danced to the table, giving the platter a spin before setting it down in the middle of the young ladies sitting there. "One house special, ladies. Let me know if there's anything else I can get ya!" His thick country accent rang out over the noise of the tavern, making the girls blush and giggle.

Al hopped back over to the bar, serving out a few steins of Vanya Ale to the men sitting at the bar. He heard Mick laugh behind him. "You're having almost too much fun over there, kid. How can you enjoy this so much?"

"Hey, if yer not having fun with what yer doin', ya shouldn't be doin' it." Al said with a goofy smile that made the girls giggle again. As he said this, a flustered looking Kobold came running by. "Bout time, Zuri. What, did ya get stickers in yer fur again?"

"Fuck you, Al!" She said, making everyone laugh as she ran by again, looking for her apron.

"A generous offer, but I'm taken, love." The girls audibly groaned at this bit of info. "Sorry ladies!" Al said as he walked by them, Zuri running back in and getting behind the bar.

Most of the people in the tavern were laughing and having a good time, minus one man sitting off to the side. He noticed something that most others hadn't. That man, Al, was wearing a sword. Why would a waiter in a tavern in the middle of nowhere carry a sword on his back? Why was no one else saying anything about it? He looked to about his age, maybe early twenties at the most, so why carry a weapon like that with you in a tavern?

Al got over to his table, smiling brightly at him. "There ya go, sir! One cold Vanya Ale and the breakfast platter!"

The man was a bit taken aback by the males obvious happiness, but he returned the smile with a nod. As Al turned to leave, the man called him back. "Hey." The young man turned back around with a smile. "I have a question."

"Is it about the sword?" The man was pretty shocked about that, but Al laughed it off. "Hey, don't worry about it. A lot of people have asked." He put his hand on the hilt, making the man jump and reach for his own, but he stopped when he saw that Al was still smiling. "I never leave home without it. My wife doesn't like me to not have it on me in case something happens."

"A bit young to be married, don't you think?"

Al just shrugged. "I'm older than I look." With that he walked back to the bar, but a gust of wind blew through some of the open windows, lifting the back of his shirt to show a multitude of scars and something else that made the man freeze in place. It can't be!

Al got back up to the bar, smiling at Zuri, who simply blushed and looked elsewhere, focusing on cleaning the stein in her hand. Al didn't think anything of it, so he looked to his employer next. "Hey, Mick." The older man looked up at his waiter. "Who's that guy in the corner?"

Mick looked over at the man now eating his food in silence, glaring at Al's back. "Oh, him? He's a new hero for the Church. They sent him here to defend this area. Kinda pointless. We don't really need the Churchies sticking their noses into our business. We allow Mamono that are safe for people here and the Church apparently doesn't like that. I don't see the harm in trying to foster peace instead killing them all off."

"Yeah, but yer a bit biased."

"And you're not?" Mick asked with a smile.

Al thought for a moment. "Touché."

Zuri walked back to the, kitchen, kissing the cooks cheek. "Thank you for all the hard work, Daddy." She said before grabbing the platter he'd just finished and walking out to everyone. Both men noticed she avoiding the area the 'hero' sat in, though they couldn't blame her. The Church wasn't very well liked around this area considering this was a Mamono friendly village.

After that, the night went about as normal as one would expect, though it seemed the male patrons were hornier than usual as several made passes at Zuri, even pinching her ass when she wasn't paying attention. This got many of the men literally thrown out by her inhumanly strong father. But, the Kobolds father was far from what the hero was most focused on.

Al yawned as he started his way home. He lived out on the outskirts of the little village with his bride, mostly so that they didn't bother anyone with their nighttime escapades. Even to the Mamono in the town, the two of them were fairly distracting once they started going at it.

He stopped at the peak of the small hill outside of village that marked the halfway point to his home. "Beautiful night, ain't it?" he asked, the hero from the tavern looking up after a moment to observe it himself.

"That it is. Normally in places like this where Mamono mana is strong, the moon's color is distorted, but here it's natural shine is as clear as ever."

"Even under Mamono energy, the light of the moon is beautiful, you just have to be open enough to see that beauty."

The hero had had enough. "I thought you'd be older. But, I think I understand what's going on here." Al turned and smiled softly at the frowning young man. "You've been drinking Mermaid's blood. It slows the aging process nearly to a halt and extends your life. Am I right?"

The waiter just gave a good hearted laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "Ya got me. My wife doesn't like the idea of me dying before her, so she found a way to get ahold of some Mermaid's blood for cheap from the source. I've got a lot of underwater friends, ya know!"

The hero narrowed his eyes as he glared at the obviously older man. "I thought it might be you, but I didn't think you'd be so outright about it. The Church's greatest Hero turned traitor. The Human Seraph of Lescatie. Alik Malkova. You survived Druella's attack on Lescatie without being corrupted, even lead the failed attempt to retake it, only to turn traitor and leave the Church behind. Oddly enough, the Valkyrie that had been training you disappeared as well. Care to explain?"

They were both silent for a moment before Alik smiled again and looked back up at the sky. "That's a name I haven't heard in some time. It's not often people figure out who I am, and even less often do they come right out about it." He looked back at the hero, noticing his hand resting on his sword. "Well, I'm guessing this won't end peacefully."

"It never does when someone who's been running as long you have is finally cornered."

Alik laughed again, but it wasn't angry, derisive or malicious. It was almost playful. "See, that's where yer wrong, my friend. I'm not running from anyone."

The young hero drew his sword, an oddly shaped short sword that glowed from a circular piece in the pommel. "I am Milo Zeldrin, a hero of the Church of the Chief God and in her name, I will right the wrongs you have committed, traitor." He took his stance, his sword level with his own head and one hand lower down. A stance Alik knew all too well.

Alik donned a battle hungry expression, complete with a lopsided smirk. "Yer welcome to try."

Milo growled before he flashed from view. To any bystanders watching the fight, they'd think he'd vanished, but to Alik, he was barely even jogging. He pulled his own sword, a split blade long sword, from it's scabbard, jamming it into the ground before popping his knuckles and neck. "Welp, this'll be fun!"

Milo closed the distance and started lashing out with quick vertical slices that Alik simply dodged. The younger hero started kicking in between his sword combos, kicks that were easily blocked and deflected. One heavy over hand swing caused the blade of Milo's weapon to become stuck there. Instead of wasting the time to pull it free, the young warrior began to throw hands with Alik. They were both doing well, though none Milo's hits connected, neither did Alik's.

They started picking up the speed and power, the air literally shaking around them as they brutally attacked each other. Alik went down for a low sweeping kick, to which Milo jumped over. The moment he touched back down, the elder hero felt a shift in the air. 'Reinforcement Magic. That's not easy to learn. Not bad.'

As he thought, Milo activated a low tier reinforcement spell that increased his strength and speed. With his new strength, he went on the offensive, brutally attacking the elder man, though non of his connected. After defending for a bit, Alik sidestepped a hit and grabbed Milo's wrist tight. He yanked him off balance before striking the boy with a viscous backhand fist which lead into a kick to the thigh, a punch to the chest, another kick to the gut, then using that kick to pivot, a powerful jumping kick that sent Milo skidding back.

The hero stopped himself and looked up to see Alik still standing there, smiling. He growled again and jumped into the air. Alik originally he was going for a plunging kick, but no. Milo landed several feet behind him, grabbing his sword and pointing at his adversary before firing a green glob from it that Alik dodged. It struck one of the few trees on the hill and the tree started melting.

The former hero looked impressed as he turned back to Milo. "Fancy sword ya got there, Milo. Variable Model, right?" He said nothing, just glaring at Alik before running forward.

He began slashing at the elder fighter again with the same results as last time, except now acid was firing out of the sword with each swing. Milo backed off after a moment, stabbing his sword into the ground. Alik wondered why for a moment, but then he smelled burning grass and dirt. He looked down to see he was encircled by acid. "Let's see you dodge this." Milo gave his weapon a twist, and the corrosive liquid exploded.

All was silent for a moment. "I know you're not dead, old man." As if to answer him, a white ball of energy flew from the dust cloud at Milo, exploding on impact. Luckily, the young man saw this coming and activated his swords shield mode, a large red shield covering him.

What he wasn't expecting was Alik to rush out of the cloud at such high speed and shatter his barrier with his fist. He'd also somehow recovered his weapon in this moment of high speed movement, running the sword through the males gut. Milo vomited up a mouthful of blood as Alik held the sword in place. "Yer not dead either, boy."

Milo flashed blue, almost blinding Alik for a moment. 'Hm. Teleportation, Barrier Magic, Reinforcement Magic. A pretty deadly combo. Seems the Church hasn't gotten soft at least. Wonder which Valkyrie he got saddled with.' Alik thought before finding the boy again, clutching his sword as his blood fell onto the grass.

Milo coughed again, blood flying from his mouth. 'Shit! The stories don't do him justice. He's a monster! I don't even think he's taking this seriously yet. I was hoping this wouldn't happen, but looks like I gotta field test it now. This is really gonna hurt.' He pulled two vials from his bag, smashing one on his weapon and another on his chest. The area was bathed in light for a moment.

Once it faded, Alik took his stance as the now transformed Milo stood before him. His appearance wasn't too different except the odd lines that ran over his his face and now exposed chest. His sword had changed form into a large black scythe. He launched into the air and plunged down at Alik, the blade of their weapons colliding at incredible speeds. So fast in fact, the sparks seemed to be sitting in place as they warred on until Milo broke off again. Once they both stopped, time resumed for them, the sparks falling around like a round of fireworks.

Milo knelt down and put his hand on the earth beneath him, many glowing chains erupting around Alik and wrapping tight around his body, holding him in place. The young hero gave a mighty shout as several phantoms of his original form appeared, running at Alik.

Alik sighed. "It's getting late. Sig's gonna be mad at me if I don't get home soon." As he said this, the real Milo flashed behind him, lashing out at his opponents neck.

"Forgive me." A second flash of light blanketed the area as Alik broke free of his bindings, slashing through the many phantoms of his opponent. He had gone through a change of his own. His hair was much longer and now snow white. His sword hadn't really changed except now the split down the blade was larger.

Alik lashed out with a quick flurry of slashes before finishing with a massive overhead strike, carving a small trench in the ground behind the boy. His new form faded as quickly as it had appeared, the elder warrior slipping his sword back into it's sheathe. He looked back at the now normal Milo. His wounds had been healed by his odd power, so he wasn't in life threatening danger.

Alik smiled at him. "Not bad, Milo! Train for a few more years and you'll be something spectacular."

The old hero started to walk away. "I looked up to you." He stopped cold. "I looked up to you for so many years. I tried so hard to be like you. Kara saw that and took me on as her student, but then you betrayed the Church. You ran away. Why?!" He looked up at his hero, the man he'd modeled himself after.

Alik simply stared emotionless at him. "Haven't ya ever heard the saying, 'don't meet yer heroes'?"

"That doesn't answer my question!"

Again, they were silent for a moment. Alik sighed. "Sigrun, the Valkyrie that raised me, was exposed to large amounts of Mamono mana trying to save me from Druella. I got into the palace of Lescatie, I defeated their best warriors and I challenged Druella. I was holding my own for a bit, but I hadn't accounted for the half-blood elf girl Primera to have been changed too. I was shot in the back with an arrow and my arms went dead. Sig flew in and pushed them all back, grabbed me and flew off. After that, we took refuge in a cave in the woods where she started nursing me back to health. After a few weeks of stewing in Mamono mana, I knew what was happening to Sig, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want her to turn into a Dark Valkyrie. I wanted her to stay the woman I loved.

The night we readied to return to the Church, something pulled her back. She convinced me to stay for a bit longer. That night, we made love. I had fallen in love with her years before, but I never thought it would amount to anything. So, you asked why I left the Church? Simple. I left it for the one I love. Isn't there someone you would do anything for, betray anyone for, Milo Zeldrin of Zigra?"

Alik no longer spoke with the thick country twang he had most of the night, but what scared Milo was that he knew where he was from. "You-"

"I saved your village from a goblin attack almost 20 years ago. I remembered the moment you told me your name." Alik knelt before the crying hero, smiling softly, like a brother to his kin. "There's nothing wrong with the path you have chosen. You are not wrong for wanting to fight for the Church. It's been there for you your whole life. But remember that there will never be true evil in the world. It's all a gray area. Instead of fighting for 'the good of mankind', fight for 'the one that means the most'. That is where true power lies."

Alik turned back around to leave, walking down the path as Milo watched on. He got to his door, looked back to see the boy had left, but a staff was jammed into the hilltop with a Church banner tied to it. A symbol to represent a fallen hero who's body couldn't be recovered. Fitting.

With that, Alik opened the door to his home, unsurprised to see a rather miffed Valkyrie standing just behind it in her nightie. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, ALIK!? I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK, YOU IDIOT!"

"Good to see you too, my loves." He said walking in and pecking his wife on cheek then her distended belly. "You shouldn't worry so much, Sig. It's not good for the baby." He yelped as he was yanked back to his feet by his ear.

"You know what else isn't good for the baby? Making her mother worry for an extra three hours!" She then noticed Alik's bloody knuckles and even more, the smell of fresh blood on him, letting him go immediately and cupping his cheeks in her hands. "Baby, what happened?" She asked.

The warrior put his hands over hers. "Nothing big. Just a late night at the tavern and a little visit from the past. Come on. Let's eat dinner. I know you haven't eaten yet."

Sigrun didn't ask anymore than that, simply kissing her husband before they walked to their little table in their little cottage. Alik began to wonder in the back of his mind if he made the right choice, then he looked at his wife's smiling face and knew what the answer was. He hugged her from behind as she got up to gather the dishes after dinner, making her jump as he started kissing her neck and shoulder. "If you'd rather, we can leave those for the night and hop in bed." He gave her neck a nibble, nearly making her legs buckle.

She turned in his arms, smiling. "You tease." She kissed him deeply, laughing with him as they fell onto their bed.

How could he even think if he made the right choice? His life was perfect as it was.