A Collection of Fantasy and Science Fiction Short Stories - Special ...

The silence was long and heavy as Helisho remained quiet and let Azro gain
control of his emotions.
Helisho slowly smiled. “That’s a very good reason to become a hero. How many
people have you tried to save since then?”
“Uh, none,” he rubbed at the back of his head and avoided Helisho’s silver gaze.
“There are no beasts to fight in the village.”
“Fighting is not the only way to help people, Azro.”
The human smiled slightly. “My father said something like that before I left. He’s
a blacksmith, so he thinks making swords helps people more than trying to become a
hero.” Azro shook his head and idly broke a stick into small pieces as he spoke.
“Well, there is some truth in what he says,” Helisho pointed out after a pause. “If
you know how to use a sword, you are able to protect yourself and the people that you
love… But your beliefs are correct as well. Sometimes people aren’t strong enough to
protect themselves and need a hero to do what they can’t.”
The young man sighed and tossed his wood pieces into the fire and watched the
colorful display for reds and oranges within the silver flames. It had an interesting effect,
like looking at the surface of a clear lake and watching the fall leaves floating along top.
“So, what about you. Why are you here?”
Helisho grinned and leaned close, his voice low when he spoke. “To see the
human world. It’s so interesting to be here now that so much has changed. I was here
three centuries ago, but we had to leave early because of the spell that was going to be
cast on the forest.”
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