Stella's point of view
"Right, so what I want you guys to help me out with is up ahead."
Lynix and I followed behind the armored girl. Her armor clanked together as she walked. Her sword on her hip clanked. A long red cape sprawled down her shoulders. The cape tucked neatly under her silver armor.
"Crazy, we haven't all been together for a few weeks. I thought we'd all be closer."
"Yeah, I know. Heo definitely misses you."
"You think?"
"Mhh hm."
"Well, that's nice."
Baydí led us across the city safely. She had seen us at the competition and since we weren't competing she asked us to help. We would have said no, but we recognized the horns through her helmet and knew it was Baydí.
The entire way there was still. Empty streets, lights from buildings hidden under curtains. The wind howls down the streets freely as if finally able to stretch its wings. A rain drop fell onto me, I shrieked realizing it was magical, but when I looked up there was nothing but the clear empty sky. The sun was covered by clouds.
I'm just losing it because of the disappearances, There's no rain or bubbles. I sure do wish Heo was with me though. I felt a vibration in my pocket from her. She thought she could just leave her partner. Hmpf. I silenced my phone.
We arrived at a little shack on the beach. There was no floating water the entire way. Maybe because of how strong she is, they fear her. She's like a-
"Well, that's enough."
Baydí reached up and took her helmet off. Dark blue hair spiraled out from beneath the helmet. Where two flowing streams of water came from her head seemed off from before. Some of her hair mixed with it, along with goat eyes.
"Wait-"
A sword flashed from Baydí's hip and plunged its way into my chest. Blood vomited from my mouth onto her face. The face was wrinkled beyond recognition, eyes crawling out from the wrinkles. The right side of her face was dark blue. Her horns were sharper. All the clear signs of hero syndrome now engraved into my head.
"H-heo."
"Don't worry. Hahaha… I'm not nearly done."
…
Heo's point of view
"I know I was late but damn! Where the fuck is this guy I've been standing here for ten minutes."
I walked out of the arena and back up to the stands.
"Genuienly where is that dude?"
"He just disappeared."
"What…"
In the middle of the competition, inside!? Stella and Lynix!
"They're pushing my fight back now that someone disappeared. We should help look."
"And stick together."
I walked away. Herika and Ezree jumped in front of me.
"Where are you going? What part of sticking together did you not under- stand?"
"Heo, come on, we got to stay safe."
"FUCK OUT OF MY WAY! WHERE THE HELL IS MY COUSIN!?"
I pushed them away and headed past them. I pulled my phone out. We still have another couple of hours. Why! Why couldn't she stay safe! I didn't even see the hero here.
Herika grabbed my arm and so did Angel. I pushed them both back with gravity manipulation, forcing them to the ground.
"Heo! Idiot, let us help you look."
I turned around, my eyes breaking tunnel vision.
"Don't follow me. You'll just die!"
The crowd of people behind me all shrieked. Some fell on the ground, joining Angel and Herika. They sweated and hyperventilated. I turned around and ran, leaving them on the ground fearful for no reason.
…
I fell out of the competition arena. Passersby hiding from the water looked at me with scared glances. The world was falling on top of me. I ran straight out to the sea. How? How could someone so nice willingly become a hero? Baydí has to know that us dragons can't right? It kills us, It deforms us. It doesn't just deform how we look but our minds too. The completely opposite of what you are.
"Heo, the Hero of the Sea and Horror is Baydí. You know the more good they put out can instantly ruin them if they are seen as a hero. In fact she thought she'd beat it, but it's not as simple as pushing through it."
"You can't beat it once you get it because all that positive karma fights the innate negative in a dragon, and the natural part of you will lose to magic."
"Even full dragons aren't immune. Since you are a dragon, you must never be a hero. That's why right now, with you, is perfect. You'll kill her before she drowns the city. Before she has any recognition and you'll hide yourself so no one can find out you killed her."
"But Rex, I don't have a hero presence, nor am I a hero on strength, I can't really kill her."
"You need to. You can. If it comes down to it, say I killed her."
My fists balled even tighter. Blood leaked from my fist. Not just that, Rex said that two lords of horror will be born today, so Baydí must be killed. I thought of the possible outcomes of her dying and a new lord of horror birth. No. Right now I have to save Stella. I killed Delusion, what's another person? No one comes back from hero syndrome.
The shore was in sight, but it'd still take me ten minutes to reach there. Fuck!
…
Stella's point of view
I woke up in a dark room. I tried to move but my chest hurt so badly I couldn't. I screamed, feeling the blade still stuck within my chest but stabilized.
"Shhh." A small voice whispered beside me. "She's waiting for you."
"Whats happening?"
"Everyone who disappeared came here. Some of their free will."
"Why?"
"It's Baydí, we thought we could trust her."
"What's she even thinking? Or is she too far gone in hero syndrome?"
"I don't know, but she takes us out every hour and makes us create big pools of magic before sending us in here till we are able to go back out."
"Could be worse, you don't have a sword sticking through your chest."
"How are you even alive?"
"I don't know-"
The door swung open, shooting light into the room. The girl talking to me was way shorter than me, brown hair with high cut bangs, light yellow eyes, and was incredibly skinny. I also saw Lynix pass out close to me. The door revealed Baydí's grotesque body. Wrinkles and eyes all over her. She smiled, showing devilish teeth.
"Hah, finally awake."
She was in front of me instantly, ripping the sword from my chest. I felt the pain that was numbed all at once. My guts spilled onto the floor around me. The small girl next to me shrieked.
"W-why?"
"Poor child. Let me help you."
She grabbed my horn, dragging me across the floor. I felt my consciousness slipping yet I fought and shook. I kicked over furniture and knocked my foot into the door. She brought me into the other room where she pushed out all the young adventurers and yanked my horn under a bubble of magic. She didn't let go though, a loud snap flooded the room.
I felt something, a part of my own self, being lost. Baydí held a haft of my horn. She looked at it and threw it into the bubble before she landed on me and tore the rest of it off.
I howled in pain, blood pooling under me where the hole in my chest was. Once she was done I nearly passed out till…
"I wanted to test something."