They say he had no name... Only a sword of light and a destiny to defy the end of the world.

Atlantia, Year 2234.

Twelve hundred years after the Demon King’s fall.

Firelight flickered across the villagers’ faces as they gathered in the center of Eldhaven. Granny Liora sat on her wooden bench, hands curled around a steaming cup of tea, her gaze steady beneath the cool scent of pine and distant rain, a fitting backdrop for the tale she was about to tell.

“Come closer, children,” she began, her voice laced with the cadence of a practiced storyteller. “Tonight, I shall tell you a tale from long ago. A story of the Legendary Blonde Hero, of the one who stood against darkness when the world stood on the edge of ruin.”

The children leaned in, eyes wide with wonder, while the adults exchanged knowing looks. It was a tale they’d heard countless times, but something in the way Granny Liora told it made it feel new again, like it had just happened yesterday.

“They say he came from nowhere,” she continued. “A boy with hair as golden as the morning sun, and eyes that shimmered like distant stars. No one in Eldhaven knew where he came from, but they all agreed on one thing: he wasn’t an ordinary child.”

“One day, long before Eldhaven had known the storms of war, a group of woodcutters ventured into the forest at dawn. They followed the winding river through the trees until they reached a clearing bathed in pale morning light. And there, lying among the moss and wildflowers, they found him. A boy, no older than seventeen, with hair like spun gold and a face so serene it seemed he was lost in a dream.”

The fire crackled and popped, casting brief shadows across the walls of the clustered homes. Star, seated cross-legged at the front of the group, hung onto every word.

“They called him the Golden boy,” Liora went on, her voice softening. “He lived among us, helping in the fields and playing with the children. But there was always a sadness in his eyes, as if he carried a burden too heavy for one soul alone. The elders spoke of how he would stare at the sky for hours, as though waiting for something or someone.”

A young boy, unable to hold back his curiosity, spoke up. “What happened next, Granny?”

Granny Liora smiled and sipped her tea slowly. “Then the darkness came. Nibelung, the Demon King, rose from the Abyss and swept destruction across the land. Kingdoms fell, and no blade could pierce him. The people cried out for salvation—and it came, not from kings, nor soldiers, but from our very own village. The Golden Boy revealed himself, not as an ordinary youth, but as a warrior of unimaginable power. Villagers said his hair gleamed like sunlight even in the blackest night, and his sword shone with light from the heavens.”

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle like snow.

“In the Great War that followed, the Blonde Hero led the charge against Nibelung. They fought for seven days and seven nights—their battle shaking both sky and earth. It’s said the moon itself cracked beneath the weight of their clash. And when the Demon King was finally defeated, the hero vanished without a trace. Not even his name remained—lost to the winds of time.”

Star’s brow furrowed, her voice cutting through the quiet. “But Granny, do you really think he lived here? In Eldhaven?”

Liora’s gaze softened, drifting as if recalling something long buried. “Who can say for certain, my dear? Legends have a way of blending truth with fairy tale. But I’ll tell you this: there’s an old oak tree near the northern field, carved so faintly you’d miss it if you didn’t look closely.

“They say he sat beneath that tree, writing messages—for those he loved, or perhaps for himself. Who knows? Maybe he did live here. Maybe this land remembers the footsteps of the hero who saved us all.”

A shiver ran down Star’s spine—not from fear, but from awe. Her eyes drifted toward the meadow, her heart stirring with curiosity.

“And…” Liora concluded, her voice now tinged with mystery, “The Blonde Hero became a legend. His story passed from lips to lips, generation to generation. Perhaps, one day, he will return—when the world most needs him. Or perhaps his spirit still walks among us, unseen, watching over the land he once saved.”

“Now, off with you all. The night’s grown late, and you need your rest for the morning.”

As the villagers dispersed into the dark, Star remained by the fire, her thoughts spinning. Could the hero have really lived here? Was his story more than a myth? And as the embers dimmed, she silently vowed to seek the truth.

As she turned to leave, Liora’s voice called after her.

“Remember, Star. We are not only shaped by the past, but by what we choose to do in the present. The Blonde Hero may be gone, but their legacy lives on. In us. In our hearts. And in the choices we make.”

Star nodded slowly, the weight of those words settling deep within her. She would leave Eldhaven for Odinshold—but now she knew that her journey was more than a road to another village. It was a path into the ancient secrets of the world.