"What the—where are we? Who are you, really? Why did you take me here? What's going on?" Hangeng jumped up, brushing himself off. I rolled my eyes, looking around, myself. We were on that old battlefield where Zico died. Looked like the good guys had already cleared out. Well, that made sense. It wasn't like I was really expecting them to stay by the dead, stinking corpses on an old battlefield for long…but it would've been very convenient.

            "Uh…you can cut with the drama. I'll answer your questions. First of all…where are we? Not in Pennsylvania, that's for sure. Nope, we're in Celestia. The most gay of the twenty realms. Welcome. Make yourself at home…it'll be a long time before you'll get out. Now what was the other question? Oh yeah. Who am I? I'm Kim Heechul. The most amazing and y and intelligent guy you're ever gonna meet in your young life."

            "Well, that doesn't tell me anything at all. Like, what are you? How did you just take me to another world, just like that? Why did you choose me? Why couldn't it have been anybody else in my class? How do I get back?"

            "Whoa, whoa, whoa. This isn't some sort of interrogation, here. Let's all calm down, and I'll explain it all to you." I sighed. Why did all heroes have to be this way? Was it too much to ask to train a hero that didn't bombard me with questions? "So…first question. What am I? I'm a y beast. How did I take you to another world? Magic. Why did I choose you, because you're the kid the prophecies spoke of…the rest of the kids in your class weren't. And the last one? How do you get back? You don't. At least, not until you've saved this world. After that, maybe I'll think about taking you back. But first of all, you have a lot of hurdles to pass before you can do that. So, if I were you, I'd forget about this whole going home stuff?"

            "Uh…look, I don't really want this. I just….can't you choose someone else for this? I just want to go home, live my life. I'm not exactly world saving material, here…" The kid answered. "You know, I think you got the wrong guy. I'm Hankyung. I'm not anything special. Like, seriously. I'm not popular, I'm not strong, I hate public speaking, I've been bullied before. I spend my time reading and wasting time on the internet. I want to be an accounting major. Are you getting me, here? I'm not your guy. What you need is some sort of popular football player or something, not…me."

            "Sorry, but I absolutely have 100% certainty that you're my guy. So, get used to it. Besides, you don't need to be a hero in the start. Nobody is, really. That's why I'm here. To train you. So don't worry, you're in my hands." I gave him a comforting grin. "I'll take good care of you."

            "You act like you're not a sadistic psychopath with a superiority complex."

            "That's because I'm not!" I protested. "I'm just a normal guy. Well, not normal, per se. But I'm like a normal guy. Just better, faster, stronger, smarter, prettier…and without so weaknesses like normal guys have. But, anyways. I don't have a superiority complex, I'm not a psychopath, and I'm not sadistic."

            "If you think that, you're either fooling yourself, or you don't know what those words mean."

            "Of course I—"

            "Sadism: receiving pleasure or ual gratification in causing pain to others. Sound familiar?"

            "Uh, no. I've never enjoyed causing pain to others."

            "But someone's face as it twists in agony and humiliation...like seeing that?"

            "Yes! That's the funniest thing ever!"

            "And being the cause of panic, destruction, tears, unhappiness, torture…"

            "No, look, it's not something I like. It's just what you gotta do to get what you want."

            "You've seriously never punched someone in the face, and felt pleasure in doing it."

            "Of course I have! Every day! But that doesn't actually mean anything." I retorted. "Everyone feels that when they hurt someone they don't like."

            Hankyung just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you're hopeless." He thought about something for a while, and I assumed he was realizing that I was not everything he thought I was, instead, he changed the subject. "So, in literature, if someone says they won't be heroes, they have something awful happen to them. Fate intervenes. Like in Star wars, when his aunt and uncle are killed. Is that going to happen to me if I tell you to pick someone else?"

            "Don't worry. That's all just in books and stuff. Fate isn't going to intervene."

            "Thank goodness. In that case, I'm going to—"

            "I will."

            "I'm sorry?"

            "If you refuse, or quit at any time, I will seriously tear your arms off. I'm not even gonna hesitate. Just 'Hey, I wanna go home now' and then they're gone. After that, I'll let you go home."

            "Are you being serious?" I rolled my eyes. Do people say that if they don't mean it? "How do you say you're not sadistic?!"

            "I'm not! But I am bloodthirsty."

            "It's the same thing."

            "No, there's a key difference. Sadism is a mental problem that I don't have. Being bloodthirsty is a positive, fearsome quality that I have. Do you see the key difference, or will I have to show you, personally, the difference?"

            "Um…" he hesitated, and I realized I'd have to show him. This would probably get him to stop back talking, too, so…score. I quickly closed the distance between us, flashing a devilish grin at him, before kissing him. He pulled back, and I pounced on him, pinning him to the ground, straddling him. "This is sadism." I slowly opened up the buttons on his shirt, then slowly ran my finger along his skin sensually. He turned bright red, trying to fight back. I smirked, letting one of my claws touch his skin, watching as it punctured his skin lightly. A large drop of blood tickled from the small wound. I continued to trace slow circles in his skin, claw out. The bloody lines contrasted perfectly against his pale skin. I grinned, looking down at him. He'd stopped fighting, and was looking at me challengingly.

            I growled. No one looks at me challengingly. I took his head, pulling it up by the hair without ceremony. I smashed it roughly into the ground. "And that is being bloodthirsty. Got the difference? Lesson learned?" I looked down at him from my perch. He looked at me, face dazed. "Good. So don't talk back."

            Hankyung growled rebelliously, eyes returning to their original anger and challenge. I looked down at him, satisfied. It wasn't like he was actually going to be able to do anything. He was completely and utterly helple—My world turned upside down in an instant, and before I knew what was happening, I was looking up at Hankyung, whose face was mere inches from my own. His hands were on my shoulders, pinning me down…he was pinning me down! What?! I hadn't been pinned down since I was a little kid, and that was five thousand years ago! I snarled ferally, grabbing one of his arms and throwing him off of me. I scrambled to stand, looking at where he'd landed. He was at the base of a tree, clutching his arm, which was bleeding heavily.

            "First lesson: Never talk back to me. And your next lesson: Never, EVER, in your wildest dreams, THINK about doing that again. Kim Heechul doesn't get pinned. He never loses, and he certainly never lets some human child think he's boss. So, there. Lesson learned?"     

            Instead of being scared, beaten into submission, Hankyung seemed just the opposite. He grinned—grinned!—and nodded. "Got it. I think I learned quite a few things." He looked away, and I had the nagging sensation that whatever he'd learned was not the intended lesson.

            I narrowed my eyes. "Are you sure? What lesson did you learn?"

            "That I shouldn't oppose you and other stuff…but could you answer me one thing?"

            "Depends if I feel like it or not." I sniffed, still feeling upset about his insolence.

            "Why don't you do it?" Hankyung asked. "I mean, you have more experience with the whole hero thing, you're WAY stronger than I am…I mean, you just threw me like I was a toy doll or something! You know your way around here…why aren't you the hero? Why do you need me to do it?"

            "I would never be a hero. Look, kid, if I'm gonna be your teacher, there's one thing you gotta know about me. I don't have a conscience. None. I could kill people all day long, I totally would."

"So then, why aren't you the villain?"

"I'd love to really, but I've got limits. I'm only allowed to kill someone if I absolutely have to and there's no other way, I can't be a villain, etc. Stupid rules."

            "You have rules?"

            "Yeah. I can't be the hero, can't fight the big boss, can't kill unless I have to, can't kill the hero, can't fall in love, can't make you look like an idiot when you're in the middle of a fight with your enemy, can't force any get strong quick schemes, can't paint blood all over you, can't turn you into a monster, can't do freaking anything."

            "Why so many rules?"

            "Well, I started out with none, but my boss kept adding them as time went on."

            "Wait—you did all these things?"

            "I didn't fall in love. That one he just stole from a drama."

            "But you did the rest."

            "Yeah. Oh, but if you're acting like an idiot, I'll totally mock you in front of your enemies, rules or no rules."

            "Why did you paint someone with blood?"

            "Who knows? There were a couple times. One guy just didn't look scary enough, so I just scarified him.  Another time the hero's friends really bugged me, so I painted him with the blood of one of his buds and dunked him in glitter, then I tied him up by his feet and hung him in a very public place." I smiled as I saw Hangeng's face pale. "But then it turns out that sort of thing attracted blood flies, and by the time I went to take him down, he was already picked clean."

            "You're a monster." Ah. Finally. He was catching on.

            "Yes, I am. There we go, now you're getting it. But, anyways. That's enough about me. I'll explain to you about the terrain and all that first, if that's fine with you."

            "Uh, yeah. Of course it is. So…where are we, then?"

            "Celestia. It's basically one of the gayest realms in the universe. If you haven't noticed, this place is kind of too pretty. I mean, look. We're in the middle of some nowhere forest. But look. There are trees with gold-dusted leaves. Freaking gold dust. Are you even joking with me. Nobody needs that in their life. Period. But, anyways. As you can see," I gestured to the battlefield on our right. "It's got its horrific parts, too. Especially right now."

            "Who are these armies?" Hankyung asked. Finally, we were getting somewhere.

            "So, it's not like they're two armies from completely different countries. We've got the imperials…" I walked over to the battlefield, grabbing a corpse by the back of the neck and picking it up. It was a tall man, with golden hair matted down with blood. His soldier's uniform was red and white, full of golden studs and embellishments. "They're the bad guys, just so you know. Not that they're all bad people, no, so don't give me the whole psychological lecture. But they're on the bad side. The witch king's got them under his ugly little thumb. On the other side," I picked up Zico, showing him off. "We've got the good guys. If you notice, they don't have uniforms. That's because they don't have the money to waste. The Witch King's been doing some pretty crappy stuff recently. So, he owns Harmonia. Oh, just so you know, Harmonia is the country, here. There are two countries in this realm. Melodia and Harmonia. But Melodia doesn't matter to you, so don't worry about it. They've been enjoying peace for quite a while, now. Harmonia would be, too, if it wasn't for this tyrant."

            "So, wait. This witch king guy…he's in charge of Harmonia…which is half the world? But hasn't he tried to conquer Melodia yet?"

            "No, nobody wants to do that. Everyone knows Melodia is the stronger of the two countries, so no one wants to get into a war with them. Especially not when they're weakened by this Civil War. But, good question. Anyways, so the Witch King divided the country into a bunch of states, to make things easier for himself. So there are twelve states, each one with their own set labor and sacrifice."

            "Sacrifice?"

            "To show their loyalty to the king. It's twisted. You'll find out more, later. But, anyways, so he divided it into twelve, with the thirteenth being the imperial state…the one where the witch king lives. On top of that, any state that wants to come into contact with the other needs to go through the imperial state. So, basically, they can't communicate between them. So, with the entire population divided like that, it's a whole lot easier for the king to control. Not to mention, he's smart, so he spreads all these rivalries between the states, to ensure they'd never join up in rebellion.

            "So, as it is there are all these tiny rebellion groups happening across the kingdom, but not with any sort of efficiency, because they're tiny and separated. Worse, this hasn't been going on for a couple years, but the Witch King has gotten the whole county under his grip for three hundred years. And it'll be three hundred more, at this rate."

            "Wow. But, then…how are you gonna stop him, then?"

            "No. Wrong question, it's how are you going to stop him, because I'm not the hero. I'm just a mentor." I corrected. It would be good for him to get it into his skull quickly that I wasn't planning on being a huge help in this quest of his. Otherwise, he'd start getting dependent, which was the lamest quality ever in heroes. "but, I'll refer to the prophecies. They tell of one hero that isn't from any one of the kingdoms, which will unite them all. (hint: that's you.) He will find the thirteen dragon warriors, one from each state, and will unite them all against the Witch King, and lead Harmonia into an era of peace."

            "So, that means…"

            "Your job is simple. It's just to find one prophesied warrior from each of the thirteen states, then it's gonna be to unite them all (with their separate rebellion groups) against the Imperial state. Finally, it'll be your job to personally kill the Witch King, and then to rule the thirteen states in such a way that they have eternal peace."

            "That's…impossible! How am I going to do that? How am I going to be able to go to all thirteen kingdoms? Then, when I'm there, tell me how I'm going to find these guys. And then how I'm going to lead them. And then how I'm going to make them get along. Then how I'm going to find all the rebel groups from the thirteen kingdoms. And organize them into a single army. Then, how am I supposed to fight against the Witch King guy? And…kill him? I've never even hurt someone before! Then, how am I going to—"

            "Oh calm down. It's not nearly as hard as you think it is. Just take it in parts. And you act like I haven't done any sort of work until now. I have, in fact. So, don't worry, you're gonna be fine. You just have to listen to everything I say, and also not get yourself killed." I kicked Zico with my foot for emphasis. "This was the last hero, by the way. He didn't listen to me. Now look where he is."

            Hankyung looked wide eyed at Zico's motionless corpse.

            "Seriously?"

            "Yup, so if I were you, I'd listen to me." I answered, shrugging my shoulders. "But that's your choice. You can choose to go off on your own and die, or stay by me and actually have a chance of winning."

            Hankyung gulped, taking another long look at the corpse. I grinned. It looked like this one would be relatively easy to control. At least, that's what I thought, until he looked at me, eyes burning once again. I gulped. I did not like those eyes…they seemed to make me lose my confidence…which was a formidable task. Nothing ever made me lose my confidence.

            "What're you looking at?" I spat, blushing. "What, am I too gorgeous for you to take your eyes off of or something?"

            "Something like that." Hankyung cocked his head up and to the side, looking down at me. A cocky grin spread across his features, and he put his hands in his pockets, strutting up to me. He leaned down, until we were at eye level. I blushed bright red, shoulders tensing up instantly. What was he playing at? I opened my mouth to tell him off, and he put a finger to my lips. "Shh…you know, sometimes I think you put up this façade to cover up what you really are…an innocent little girl, that's just so…incredibly…lonely. But don't worry, little princess. I'm not gonna leave you. I'll stay right here by your side forever." The mockery in his eyes betrayed his words, and I growled low in my throat. This little punk! If he thought he could mess with a five thousand years old demon, he had another thing coming!

            I pulled back my fist, and punched him solidly in the jaw. He went directly to the ground, clutching his face in pain. I grinned, one hit K.O., I thought triumphantly. My triumphant feeling lasted about three seconds, which is when I realized Hankyung was laughing.

            "What?!" I demanded, all out angry, now.

            "Nothing…you're just really predictable, Heechul-ssi." Hankyung sat up, grinning at me with those infernal eyes of his. "But don't worry. I'll do the hero job. I mean, it's not like I have that much choice, anyways, do I? I'll be your hero, and I'll follow you'll advice, and I'll work and train hard until I'm strong enough to beat the Witch King. Just one thing…I'm not gonna be submissive to you. Not now, not ever. So, you'd better get used to it now. I'm not your little slave, and I'm definitely not your punching bag. So, you're going to have to respect me."

            "Or you'll do what?" I asked lightly. This kid was an idiot if he thought I was actually going along with these rules. The only person I'd ever respected was my mother. When I was a tiny kid. I didn't even treat my boss with respect, and he owned my eternal soul.

            "You'll see…" He answered, and I scoffed.

            "Nope. Just stop with the games, kid. I'm five thousand years old. I'm sure you'll find that it isn't so easy to mess with me as you think." I smirked, giving him the middle finger and walking away. I was going to make this retard learn who was boss.