Writing Project (Which comes from a phenomenon I know as "Math Class Boredom")

[Conure1243 He/Him]

I don't know how to really introduce this story.

IDK, It's really weird compared to the other ones I'm writing.

This is the Nameless Hero! It's a short story that I literally came up with at 3:00 a.m. (It should be noted that though I called it Math class Boredom, it was only the same type of boredom. Not actually caused by math class, unfortunately...) This is only part (Chapter) 1.

Spoiler

Part 1

If there was one thing Elena knew best, it was people. As the sun began to lower, more and more people began flocking to the Inn, some to enjoy themselves, others to find shelter and escape the rain. One person entered the building. Elena recognized this one. Ryllin was a frequent visitor, coming in for food, often taking large helpings of seared meat, nearly every night.
Another visitor entered the tavern, this one was in a crisp tunic, and neat cloak, kept free of dirt and mud. His eyes immediately darted toward the fire. Elena guessed that he was simply there to find shelter from the raging storm. Her guess was proven correct as he walked toward the blazing hearth.
Elena drummed her fingers on the table. Not much work right now, the only thing to do was read the faces of the customers, keeping hidden and silent as she did so.
A shadow in the windows suggested that another person was approaching the building. The door swung open loudly, causing Elena to flinch.
Lightning flashed as the man entered the building. His stride was slow. Heavy. His gaze was sharp and calculating, and one hand rested on a sword at his side. Elena immediately understood two things about this man. One, he was not an ordinary customer.
Two, it seemed far too easy to end up on the wrong side of his blade. 
He approached the counter quickly. Everything about his appearance said that he was up to something, it wasn’t kind to ask, however.
“Can I help you?” Elena asked, hiding all traces of uncertainty from her voice. Best to treat all visitors the same.
The man spoke quietly, voice hoarse. “A room. One night.” He dropped a silver coin onto the table.
Elena nodded, gently sliding the coin into her hand. “Right this way.” She grabbed a key and started toward the stairs. The man followed close behind her wordlessly. Elena didn’t bother to try and start a conversation. People like him didn’t talk.
That guess was proven wrong as Elena showed the man to his room, however. His voice seemed clearer as he spoke this time. More confident.
“May you have the wind's favor.” He said, bowing slightly as he thanked her. “Do you know where I can find a person by the name of Elrisk Swiftthorne?”
Elena nodded. “Elrisk? He lives on the edge of the forest. He’s a woodsman. Says he’s seen things, a creature. Some people think he’s crazy. Some believe him.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And you?”
“I think there is something out there, only the Winds know what it actually is.”
The man smiled. “Altirin bless you. Truly.” He bowed again respectfully.
Who was this man? He seemed nothing like the person she saw downstairs. Elena nearly asked, but held back. It wasn’t her place to pry.
“Why do you ask?” She said instead. Nothing wrong with knowing where a person was going, if they were fine with saying it.
“You will know soon.” The man said, speaking with a slight smile. “Hurry along now, you must be busy.” He hurried her out of the room.
“Wind’s favor you.” He said with a reassuring nod, before closing the door behind Elena.
Elena stood for a few moments. What had just happened? That man was strange, to say the least.
Starting down the stairs, Elena found herself lost in thought. She’d almost forgotten that she was supposed to be watching the crowds.
She couldn’t help but think about that person. He was somebody Elena couldn’t read. Nothing about him was truly what it seemed. That was something Elena hadn’t seen in a very long time.
Altirin help that one.
* * *
    The golden leaves of the early autumn blew in the wind across the large courtyard of the mage’s tower. The tower’s spires of golden radiance hung above the trees visible from every nearby horizon. The crowd had already begun to gather around the outer wall.
    Today that hero earned his blessing. Even the thought made Alkir frown. His mother had always told him that the town of Ralkos was strong as it was. That statement was proven correct when it became important enough that a mage had come to bless the place with their presence.
And now they hired help? That “hero” was nothing more than a greedy mercenary fighting for gold.
Their trust was better placed in any other type of person, but still crowds gathered as Alkir watched from the distant window.
Alkir immediately fought the thought away. Velia warned him that such assumptions could be dangerous. For him, being the mage’s apprentice, such emotions could be fatal if not kept under control.
His thought was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. They were soft, almost impossible to hear without the Magics that enhanced his senses.
It was strange how those magics worked. Alkir’s senses were better, but he also understood what it sounded like without them.
“The town of Ralkos is nearly saved.” Velia said with a relieved tone. Alkir turned to see her approaching slowly, brown hair pulled into a long braid, reflecting golden light as it came into the sun, eyes shifting as if a literal fire burned behind them. The mage wore a ceremonial dress today, with thin strips of light fabric that shifted even without the winds.
“The town of Ralkos should be able to save itself.” Alkir muttered bitterly.
“Caution, apprentice.” Velia said with a glare. “The magic will destroy you if you hold on to such emotions. It is not wrong to require help, nor is it wrong to do something alone. I will see that Ralkos is helped, one way or another.”
“I apologize, Velia.” Alkir said, lowering his head in shame. “I have not yet mastered my own emotions.”
She looked forward, out toward the rising sun and the small village. “The key is not to avoid them, it’s to learn to know what is truly important. The rest will fix itself for you.”
“And how do I do that?”
“I can’t say.” Velia admitted. “There isn’t a set path for each person of Altirin. Otherwise there would be no rich, nor poor.”
“I understand.” Alkir said.
Velia let out a long breath, before standing straighter and clasping her hands in front of her. “Ready yourself, apprentice. The winds are blowing. He comes in only moments.”
She turned quickly and began walking away.
Alkir grunted in defeat, and followed her to the main gates.
Guards stood at the glittering doors, pushing them open as they approached. The Sacred Fountain came into view as the gateway opened, its bright waters flowing into a large stone basin dug into the ground.
Behind the fountain stood him, wrapped in a dark cloak, with a sword at his waist, and dark, rugged hair. His gaze did not shift as they approached.
As they came to a standstill, crowds of people began gathering in a wide circle around the mage, her apprentice, and the hero.
After a short beat of silence, Velia stepped forward, as if on a staircase. She stepped through the air until she came to a hover above the top of the fountain. She raised both arms, the thin tassels on her wrists shifting with the wind as she did so.
“Today, Altirin has brought us a hero.” She began. “Today is the start of a new light upon the town of Ralkos!”
She looked down. “Hero, step forth.”
The man stepped to the edge of the fountain. Alkir considered drowning him in its waters. The magic shifted within him.
Velia produced a silvery bag of coins. “As a symbol of our gratitude, we give you these 50 gold pieces.”
The man accepted the coins. Alkir gritted his teeth. The man truly was consumed by greed.
“Now, I give you the blessing of Ralkos. We as a town will support you in your mission. We are honored to have you here. I give you the blessing of the Magics, I will accompany you if you require, my magic serves you. Lastly, I grant you the blessing of Altirin. May you best whatever dangers await you in the coming days, whether it be man, beast, or a creature of the ancient shadows.”
She raised her hands in front of her. Alkir grabbed his canteen and raised it to his lips. The next part was no longer important after the days of Shadow.
“Do you curse the name of Mordelin, the master of the shadows?”
“Yes.” The man answered quietly.
“Do you swear your assistance in the elimination of the Ancient Darkness and each fragment of its power that would pose harm to humankind?”
“I have taken the oaths of a Darkhunter, your Grace. I devote my life to this task.”
And to the gold you earn doing it. Alkir thought bitterly. The magic stirred again, and for a moment he forgot that the mage had continued speaking.
“The Lightstones appear only to those worthy of their glow, as a symbol of the blessings that I now give to you. They are a symbol of the oaths you take to help us, Hero.
“The Lightstones only appear to those who have seen the darkness itself, and defied it, those who not only receive, but freely give the favor of the Winds to others.”
The winds picked up. A faint shimmer appeared in Velia’s hands, slowly solidifying into a pure white crystal, translucent like a shard of glass, glowing brightly like the sun.
Alkir nearly choked. The crowd gasped, and Velia herself seemed surprised that the lightstone had actually appeared. No person had seen one for 50 years.
The Hero accepted the stone with reverence.
“We once again thank you for your service to our village, Hero. As is traditional, you may now tell us your name.” Velia said. A shadow appeared in the distance, flying closer and closer. If it weren’t for his improved sight, he wouldn’t have been able to tell what it was.
Alkir gasped, then heaved himself onto the fountain pedestal, and shoving Velia away. A sturdy arrow struck him in the side with incredible force.
He gasped for breath at the pain, and crashed into the water below. His vision swam, but he caught a glimpse of Velia, her face paled as she looked down at him. A man came to his side. Alkir couldn’t tell who.
Blackness began to swallow his vision. He let it take him as he was lifted from the fountain.
The world went quiet.
* * *
Elrisk returned home with a man Ira didn’t recognize. Ira had first seen them in the distance, while harvesting berries from the nearby bushes they kept close to the cabin.  They were difficult to see through the thick trees of the Ralok forests.
Ira’s father was a woodsman. She had not thought he would be interested in seeing the hero’s blessing, even being the one to report the sightings of the beast. Father usually took little interest in such things recently.
She could barely hear their voices as they approached. Ira found herself listening as she worked. The stranger was speaking. “I’m concerned, old friend, you say you’ve seen a fragment of the shadow. Such is enough to worry me.”
“With good reason, friend.” Father’s voice. They were getting close.
“Yes, yes. However, I am especially concerned about that arrow. I have never seen a Primal Shadow intelligent enough to draw a bow, much less aim from such a distance.”
“You know it’s possible.”
That was answered with an annoyed grunt. “Don’t remind me, old friend. I am free of those days.”
“Then what do you suspect?”
The two came into full view, walking slowly toward the house. Ira immediately recognized her father, a strong man with a prominent scar along his right arm, short brown hair and dark blue eyes.
The other man was clad in a deep navy cloak, and brown tunic. He had an unkempt beard and dark hair streaked with silver. His eyes were a dull crimson, hardly noticeable even in the bright light.
“I suspect members of the Dark Guild.” Ira didn’t recognize the group, but the stranger spat the words as if it was something better left forgotten. She grabbed another berry, trying to pay attention to the harvest instead of the conversation. She found herself continuing to listen anyway.
“Didn’t they fall?” Elrisk spoke with a hushed tone. Ira was surprised that her Father seemed to also want to forget the group. Wasn’t he always so confident that the past should be remembered?
“I thought so,” The stranger continued, “but it is possible that they shattered. Split apart alongside the very shadows they followed so long ago.”
“This is dire news, friend.” Elrisk spoke darkly. Ira wasn’t sure if she had ever heard him speak in such a way. He was normally so bright, so hopeful.
But this “Arrow” they talked about? It had been years since anybody in Ralkos drew a weapon. If somebody got hurt, then that would be more than enough reason to be worried.
Worse, it didn’t seem like anybody in Ralkos was to blame. And somehow, somehow, it all connected to the beast Father saw deep in the Ralok.
Focus. She told herself. Just focus on what you’re doing. Ignore them. She plucked a handful of berries from the bush, then shifted to the next of the small shrubs.
“And what about those oaths you took at the Blessing Ceremony, friend?”
“They were very true, Elrisk. I understand that you are enjoying our reunion, but there are deep dangers at work, friend. I will destroy all shadows with dark intent, just as I swore to do.”
Elrisk chuckled at that. “Blunt as always, friend. You’ve changed little.”
They came to the doorstep of the house, Ira heard the footsteps pause.
“Ira!” It was Father’s voice. She winced at the call. “I’m sure you’ve heard us now. Come! I suppose this concerns you as much as it does us now.”
Ira rose, eager for some explanation. “Yes, father.” She followed them quickly inside the cabin.
“This is my youngest daughter, Ira.” Elrisk said. “Ira, this is my old friend--”
“Who would rather be focused on more important matters.” The hero cut in.
“You’ve changed very little.” Elrisk muttered.
They quickly explained what had happened, from the moment Elrisk requested that the hero come to help, until the attack at the Blessing. Ira felt herself begin to tremble.
“So what do we do?” She asked.
Elrisk grunted softly. “I know my friend well enough to know that his plan is to fight the thing.”
Ira started, but the hero held up a hand, her mouth hung open, ready to protest.
The hero looked at her, then to Father. “My blade is not powerful enough to slay a shadow on its own. I believe you understand where I’m going with this, friend?”
Father grinned. “We’ll need to stop at the blacksmith, I don’t have my weapon anymore.” Ira had no memory of her father wielding a weapon, maybe except for the old axe he used to chop trees.
“How long will that take?”
“Knowing Arryk?” Elrisk began, “Not too long.”
“Good.” The hero nodded. “Winds favor us.” Ira didn’t often hear that phrase.
Father made no comment on the Hero’s words, but instead grinned again. “Just like old times!”
That earned a smile from the hero. “Just like old times.”
 

 

Edited November 10, 2025 by Conure1243