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Chapter 63
The Seven Heroes
Late that night, the royal palace felt like a giant sleeping under a blanket of stars. Most of the servants had gone to their soft beds long ago, leaving the palace wrapped in a peaceful silence that only ancient castles seemed to understand. The long hallways of smooth white marble lay quiet and empty, stretching far into the distance like frozen rivers of moonlight. Only soft golden lamps lit the way. These lamps held tiny magic flames that never went out, flickering gently like friendly fireflies dancing in the dark. Their warm glow painted the walls with dancing shadows that looked almost alive, as if old spirits of the palace were quietly watching over the night.
Outside the tall windows, the full moon hung high in the sky. Its silver light poured down like a gentle river of magic, washing the palace stones in calm, shining peace. A soft wind whispered through the trees in the garden below, rustling the leaves in gentle songs that only the night could hear. Somewhere far away, a night bird sang a lonely melody, and the distant hoot of an owl echoed softly across the sleeping city.
The whole capital city rested under that same silver glow, rooftops shining faintly like scattered mirrors beneath the moon. It felt as if the entire world had paused for a moment—taking a deep, quiet breath before the next great adventure began.
Inside his private study, Alex sat alone at his wide wooden desk. The room smelled of old paper, fresh ink, and a hint of sweet herbs burned earlier to keep away bad dreams and wandering spirits. Scrolls and maps covered the polished table like scattered pieces of a grand puzzle waiting to be solved. Some maps had glowing lines that moved slowly across their surface, like rivers of light revealing hidden roads through distant mountains and forgotten forests.
Thick books lay open too—books filled with ancient knowledge. Tales about long-lost kingdoms buried beneath sand, terrifying monster gates that could rip open the sky like wounds in the heavens, and forgotten legends of brave souls who once fought back the darkness with nothing but courage, friendship, and hope.
But Alex's eyes were not really on the pages.
He rested his chin on his hand, staring quietly into the warm glow of the lamp beside him. The tiny magical flame danced softly, reflecting in his thoughtful golden eyes.
His mind wandered far, far away.
Back through memories that did not belong to this world.
Let me try to remember… he whispered to the quiet room.
The words drifted through the silent study like a small secret shared only with the night.
He was thinking about the game he once knew so well.
Chronicles of the Ruined Empire.
A story filled with tragedy, heroism, betrayal, and impossible battles against fate itself.
In that story, there were seven special people the player had to find and bring together.
Seven extraordinary individuals scattered across the world like lost stars waiting to be reunited.
These seven heroes were the only way to defeat the monstrous gates that would appear later—massive cracks in reality itself that would open across the skies and spill endless armies of darkness into the world.
Without them…
The world would fall.
Kingdoms would crumble.
Cities would burn.
And the sun itself would seem to fade beneath endless night.
Alex spoke the words softly, almost like a storyteller remembering an old legend.
"There were seven main heroes."
"Seven brave ones who carried the whole world's fate on their shoulders."
He leaned back in his chair. The wood creaked softly, like an old companion listening patiently to his thoughts.
A small, warm smile touched his face.
"And the first one…"
"Leon."
In the game's old tale, Leon had been a boy burning with anger at the empire.
Greedy nobles had destroyed his family, leaving behind nothing but ashes, grief, and a heart filled with endless fury. The world had seemed cruel and unfair to him, and all he dreamed of was watching the empire burn like dry grass beneath a raging wildfire.
But things had changed.
Because of Alex.
"I already saved him," Alex said quietly, his voice carrying a gentle warmth.
Now Leon was no longer a lost child wandering through hatred and despair.
Instead, he trained every day beneath the watchful eyes of the Knight Commander.
The boy's sword flashed brightly in the sunlight of the training grounds, cutting through the air like silver lightning. His shield grew stronger with every passing day, his body tougher, his spirit brighter.
Leon laughed with the other young knights now.
The sound of that laughter was something Alex had never heard in the original story.
And it made all the difference.
His eyes shone with hope now, not shadows.
"That's one hero safe and growing every day."
Alex tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
The soft rhythm echoed quietly through the room, like raindrops falling gently onto leaves in a forest.
"The second one…"
He closed his eyes and allowed the memories of the game to flow back to him like a clear mountain stream.
"An assassin."
In the old story, this silent fighter moved like a ghost through the shadows.
No one knew his real name.
Only whispers followed him through dark alleys and moonlit rooftops.
He joined Leon later inside the bustling chaos of Labyrinth City—a place where adventurers, criminals, and dreamers all gathered beneath one sky.
The assassin had heard rumors of Leon's plan to bring justice to corrupt nobles.
Something about that quiet determination had stirred his interest.
So he chose to walk beside Leon.
Hidden blades in the dark.
Sharp eyes watching everything.
Together they moved like living shadows, striking only when the moment was right.
Alex frowned slightly, his brows drawing together in thought.
"I don't know exactly where he is right now."
"But…"
A small smile slowly returned to his lips.
"I have the system to guide me."
"I can find him soon enough."
"And maybe…"
"…I can offer him a better path."
A path without endless darkness.
Without loneliness.
Without the cold silence of killing for survival.
Alex opened his eyes again.
The magical lamp flickered gently beside him.
He continued, letting each memory shine in his mind like stars slowly appearing in the night sky.
"The third and fourth companions…"
"Were the Saintess and her brother."
One was a gentle girl blessed with holy light.
A true Saintess.
Her touch could heal wounds that even powerful magic could not mend. Her prayers could push back shadows that haunted entire villages. Wherever she walked, hope seemed to follow quietly behind her like warm sunlight after rain.
The other was her brother.
A powerful Paladin Tank.
Clad in shining armor blessed by the Holy Church itself.
He stood like a living wall between danger and the innocent—his shield unbreakable, his hammer carrying the strength of divine faith.
But in the original story…
Their fate had been tragic.
The greedy leaders of the Holy Church had feared the Saintess's honesty.
When she spoke out against their corruption, they locked both siblings away in secret prisons beneath sacred halls.
Only when Leon later stormed the Holy Church and destroyed the corrupt Archbishop were they finally freed.
Only then did they join the fight.
Alex let out a slow breath.
"That part of the story always felt so heavy and cold."
"But if I move early this time…"
His eyes slowly opened again, shining with determination.
"I can reach them before the pain even starts."
He leaned forward again, eyes bright with new hope. The lamp flames beside him flickered gently, their golden glow dancing across the polished desk as if the tiny magical fires themselves were excited by his thoughts. The warm light reflected in Alex's eyes, making them shine like quiet stars in the night.
"The fifth companion…"
"A mage."
The memory of her story surfaced slowly in his mind, like a forgotten page from an old legend.
She was a clever girl from the far Western Duchy. In the old story, her homeland had suffered terrible hunger. The once-fertile fields cracked under the harsh sun, rivers shrank into thin, tired streams, and cold winds swept across empty farms where crops once grew tall and proud.
Families went to bed with empty bellies.
Children cried in the night.
And all the while, in the shining cities of the empire's wealthy center, nobles held grand feasts under crystal chandeliers, laughing over tables filled with roasted meats, golden wine, and sweet desserts.
When she learned the truth, something inside her gentle heart broke.
Her magic—once calm and bright like a quiet spring breeze—twisted into something wild and furious. Storms of fire roared through the air, winds howled like angry spirits, and lightning cracked across the sky as she fought back against the unfair world.
Later she met Leon in Labyrinth City.
There, among the bustling streets and towering dungeon gates, she finally found someone who understood her pain.
She found a friend.
Alex shook his head gently, the soft movement sending a few loose strands of hair across his forehead. The thought of her lonely struggle pressed heavily against his chest.
"She was so alone and so hungry for justice."
"I won't let her walk that angry road again."
His voice carried quiet determination.
"I'll find a way to heal the western lands first—bring rain, bring food, bring hope—so her magic can grow kind and strong instead of burning with hurt."
The words felt like a promise spoken to the sleeping world outside his window.
He tapped the desk once more, steady and sure.
"The sixth one…"
"A cursed user."
The memory of that boy was darker.
Much darker.
This was a young boy the sinister group known as the Eclipse Covenant had created through forbidden magic and cruel experiments deep within hidden laboratories.
They filled his body with twisting curse power—ancient energy that clawed at the soul like living shadows. Their plan was simple and horrifying.
He would become a living key.
A sacrifice.
A vessel meant to open a gate for a forgotten ancient god sleeping beyond the world.
In the game's story, Leon eventually discovered their secret base and destroyed it in a blazing battle. Amid the collapsing ruins, he found the boy trembling in chains and pulled him free from the darkness.
After that, the boy used his cursed power to help Leon.
Not as a monster.
But as an ally.
A weapon against the same cruel world that had tried to use him.
Alex's eyes grew serious, and for a moment the shadows in the room seemed to shrink away from his gaze.
"That boy never asked for the curse inside him."
"I need to save him before the Covenant even tries."
His voice dropped slightly, carrying quiet steel beneath the calm tone.
"I'll break their chains early and show him that his power can be a light in the dark, not a chain that binds him."
The magical lamps flickered again as if acknowledging the weight of those words.
Then Alex lifted one last finger, his voice soft with wonder.
"And the seventh…"
"An elven archer."
A faint smile touched his lips.
She was a graceful elf with eyes like deep forest leaves after rain and hair that flowed like moonlight through silver branches. Her bow was carved from ancient tree-wood older than most kingdoms, and when she drew the string, it sang with the quiet magic of the forest itself.
In the old story, however, her fate had been cruel.
She was trapped deep underground inside the twisting dungeon beneath Labyrinth City.
Ancient traps.
Forgotten magic circles.
Sealed doors that had not opened for centuries.
Only when Leon finally reached the lowest levels of the labyrinth and shattered the ancient seals did she step into the sunlight again.
And when she did—
Her arrows flew like streaks of silver lightning, and her forest songs lifted the hearts of everyone fighting beside her.
Alex leaned back and stared up at the wooden ceiling beams of his study. Between the beams, faint glowing runes from ancient palace magic winked like tiny stars watching quietly from above.
Those seven heroes…
They had carried the fate of the whole world on their backs in the game.
Their courage.
Their pain.
Their friendships forged in the fire of war.
Every one of those things had mattered.
But the game had one rule.
One rule that had always felt far too small.
"You could only bring seven heroes along on the journey."
"No more, no less."
Alex's smile slowly widened, warm and filled with quiet confidence.
"But this is not a game anymore."
"This is real life, with real hearts and real choices."
He folded his hands together on the desk, feeling the smooth wood beneath his palms like a steady promise.
"I will gather as many heroes as I can."
"Even those who once walked dark paths…"
"If I reach them in time, I will turn their pain into strength and their anger into loyalty."
"No one has to stay alone or lost."
The more Alex thought about the old story, the more a strange uneasiness stirred deep in his chest.
That game world had always been unbearably tragic.
Cities crumbled into dust.
Millions of voices cried out in despair.
Heroes rose only after losing everything they loved.
And almost every one of them walked forward carrying the heavy weight of revenge.
Somehow, every path in that story seemed to lead toward ruin.
Like invisible fingers pushing the pieces of a giant chessboard toward the same dark ending.
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly.
The magical lamps flickered lower for a moment, their flames shrinking as if they too sensed the chill creeping into the room.
"I'm starting to feel something strange deep inside."
"It's as if someone—or something—is pulling strings from the shadows, making sure everyone ends up angry at the empire."
Yes.
Each hero had real reasons for their pain.
Real tragedies.
Real injustice.
But why did it all align so perfectly?
Why did every road bend toward destruction?
The thought sent a quiet shiver down his back.
"I need answers."
He leaned back again, letting the cool silver moonlight spill across his face like a calm blessing from the night sky.
"And the only one who might know the full truth…"
"…is the Goddess herself."
Talking with the Goddess was never easy.
Her voice only appeared in sacred places, wrapped in ancient prayers, divine rituals, and holy silence.
"To reach her…"
"I need to travel to the Holy City."
Fortunately, that destination matched his plans perfectly.
The Holy City was where the Saintess and her brother were still being secretly held by the corrupted leaders of the church.
"And if I want to crush the Eclipse Covenant completely—without losing a single good soul along the way—I will need the help of the Holy Paladins too."
"Their shining armor and unbreakable faith will stand like a wall against the darkness."
A small smile of quiet hope returned to Alex's face.
"And while I'm there…"
"I'll free the Saintess and her brother before any harm touches them."
"Their light will join us early—strong and unbroken."
He slowly rose from his chair and walked toward the tall window.
The cool glass felt smooth beneath his fingertips.
Outside, the moonlight stretched across the sleeping capital like a vast silver sea. Rooftops shimmered softly beneath the stars, and distant towers rose like silent guardians watching over the peaceful city.
The world looked calm.
Beautiful.
Safe.
But Alex knew the truth.
Far beyond the horizon, darkness was already gathering.
Monster gates would soon tear open the skies.
The Eclipse Covenant was moving in the shadows.
And greed still poisoned the hearts of powerful men.
"Hm…"
He took a slow, deep breath, drawing the cool night air into his lungs. It smelled faintly of pine trees and distant rain—fresh and full of promise.
"I'll start my journey tomorrow."
A new adventure waited beyond the palace gates.
Roads winding through whispering forests.
Rivers shining with hidden magic.
Cities where new allies might be waiting.
And at the end of the road—
The Holy City.
The Goddess.
And the first steps toward saving the world.
Alex turned back to the desk.
He carefully closed the heavy books and rolled the glowing maps with steady hands. Tomorrow he would travel light—his sword, his cloak, a few trusted companions, and the quiet strength he had gained since awakening in this strange new world.
He reached out and gently blew toward the nearest lamp.
The magical flame winked out with a soft golden spark, leaving only the silver moonlight to fill the room.
As he walked toward the door, one final thought warmed his heart like a rising sun.
This time, the story would be different.
This time, no one would have to carry their pain alone.
With every hero he saved, the light would grow stronger.
And maybe—just maybe—
The shadowy hand pulling the strings behind the world would finally be forced into the open.
Alex stepped into the hallway.
His footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor, steady and filled with purpose.
The seven heroes were only the beginning.