Hear the bad news coming

The evening is spent in your room at the inn, with Blythe pointing out places on the regional map and telling you what they’re known for. As night falls, the two of you sit together on the bed discussing what your plans will be for tomorrow.

“If it is your desire to go on an adventure,” says Blythe, “we should register at the Guild and become official adventurers.”

“I don’t want to do it that way,” you say. I can’t do it that way, you think. Eventually you’ll have to tell her the truth, but you haven’t been able to find the right moment yet. At least that’s what you tell yourself. In reality, there have been plenty of “right moments,” but you’re too scared to do it. You just can’t bring yourself to tie this innocent little exhibitionist elf to a Demon Lord.

“We will need to earn money in some way,” she says. “I think it would be a good fit for us.” You look her in the eyes and beg her in your thoughts to drop the idea of signing up with the Guild. Her eyes go wide for a moment, before she gently presses her forehead to yours. “You must have a reason. We will not go to the Guild, then.” You feel tension leave your body, and you stay with Blythe like that for several seconds before a commotion outside draws your attention. You get up and walk to the window to see what’s happening.

Running down the street outside ringing a bell is a town crier. The message he’s delivering makes the blood in your veins freeze: “Demon Lord! There is a new Demon Lord in the Empire! Watch for a man with brown hair and a lustful manner! Beware, there’s a new Demon Lord in the Empire!” He carries on down the street shouting the same things over and over again. You feel Blythe’s hand grab hold of yours.

“How frightening,” she says, pressing her body into your side. “Perhaps we should put our adventure on hold until the heroes deal with this new threat?”

You can’t think. You can’t speak. You can’t look at Blythe. You just don your armor and equipment and walk out the door. You walk down the stairs, and out of the inn. Words in a voice you vaguely recognize play at the edge of your hearing as you head north to the edge of town. There, past the last buildings, is an open field around the size of a football field, and beyond that lies a large forest. Presumably, this is where the lumberjacks you saw in the tavern the other night are collecting from, the forest with increased monster activity. Knowing that doesn’t stop you from crossing the field. You walk past the first line of trees before you feel someone grab you from behind. Thinking it might be someone out to kill you, you spin and raise your {if@ sword = true}sword{elseif mace = true}mace{elseif spear = true}spear{endif} to strike.

It’s Blythe.

It’s dark, but you can still see the tears running down her face. She’s talking, but you can barely hear her: you only just now realize that your ears have been ringing this entire time. You drop your weapon and fall to your knees, and Blythe comes to the ground with you. After a few minutes, you can hear her again.

“…eave me. Please, do not leave.” You look over, and she’s crying into her hands. Reaching up, you pull her hands away and hold them in her lap.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “I’ve been keeping something from you, Blythe. Something important. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid I would be putting you in danger if I did. But now I’ve hurt you because of that. I’m so sorry.” She continues to sob as you sit on the grass with her. You pull her into your arms, and she clings to you tightly.

“You are it, correct?” she says, her voice hoarse as she continues to cry. “You were so frightened when the man brought news of a Demon Lord. It is you, is it not?”

You bring a hand up to lightly pet the back of her head. “Yes,” you say. Her grip on you tightens further, so much that you find it difficult to breath.

“Are you going to destroy this world?” she asks.

“I don’t want to do anything like that,” you say. “If I do anything to this world it will be to make it so that people like you can be honest about who you are and what you want.”

“Then why did you run away?”

“I was afraid they would find —”

“Why did you run away from me?” She pulls back and looks you in the eyes. You can see her sadness, her frustration, and also her determination behind those green eyes. “I saw what you left in the tent of that homeless woman. I have also seen you speak with joy about your homeland. You took what I had always believed to be a problem, a malfunction, within myself and dared me to accept the happiness it makes me feel. A bad man does not do such things. I cannot possibly see you as an evil man, Evan, so please do not run from me to protect me. Such an act would surely destroy me.”

You look at her for a long time, her expression unwavering as she searches your soul for an answer. “You would be siding with a Demon Lord,” you say. “Are you prepared to take on that burden just to stay with me?”

That half-answer-half-question finally puts a stop to her tears. A small smile teases at the sides of her mouth as she lowers her head onto your chest. “You said ‘I believe that denying one’s own desires is the greatest sin of all.’ I want to believe that too. No matter what anyone else says, I will stay with you, Evan.”

You both stay like that for a long time, clinging to one another at the edge of the forest. Eventually, Blythe pulls away from you and lights a crystal for you both. You use it to push further into the forest and after about five minutes of walking come across a nice spot to pitch the tents you bought together. You help each other set up, and then crawl into your individual tents to sleep.