Long, long ago, there was a boy named Arus. He was born with a strong will, and he possessed great physical strength as well. By the time he was old enough to understand his surroundings, his parents had long since departed from the world.
The village Arus lived in was far from town, and his family in particular was quite destitute compared to others, but he was happy. Arus had a wise, dependable older brother, and the rest of the villagers treated them well. Arus was genuinely grateful for all of this and worked his hardest. Fortunately, Arus was a strapping boy, so there was plenty of work he could do.
On top of that, there was a girl he loved. She was sickly and always bedridden, and those in the village said she wasn’t long for this world. Every day, when Arus finished work, he’d go to the window of her room and chat with her a little before heading home. That small amount of time was precious and irreplaceable to Arus.
The girl wouldn’t be alive for long, and there was nothing Arus could do to help her. Perhaps she understood she didn’t have much time left. She never asked for much and seemed to look forward to the time they spent chatting together. Arus thought that he’d spend every day like this until the day the girl was no longer there.
But then, one day the girl looked up at the sky—the purple, eerie sky—and said something:
“Hey, Arus… Did you know that before the demon king appeared, the sky was a beautiful blue color?”
Arus knew this. The demon king had been alive long before Arus was born. One day, the demon king built an army and attacked humanity in order to take their world. Once she managed to conquer half of the world, she changed the color of the sky just for fun.
“I wanted to see the beautiful blue sky just once before I died,” she said.
That was the first act of selfishness the girl had voiced since the pair had met.
Perhaps describing it as “selfishness” was too strong. She might have simply said the words, knowing all too well that her dream would never become reality.
Arus knew this too. They were just chatting like they always did. She wasn’t asking Arus for anything. But the look on her face as she spoke was so vulnerable and fragile, like she’d long ago given up on her dream ever coming true.
That was why Arus made a decision: He would show her the blue sky.
However, while Arus possessed strength, he was still just an ordinary villager. He lacked both knowledge and wisdom, and he knew not how to return the sky’s blue.
He would ask his older brother for advice. When his parents were still alive, they’d sent his much older brother to a small but proper school. Whenever Arus needed help, he knew to go to him.
“Brother, I want to make the sky blue again. What should I do?”
“Hmm…” Arus’s older brother went silent in thought. This was a difficult question even for him. After contemplating for a bit, he continued. “Since the demon king turned the sky purple, I bet defeating her would make it go back to normal.”
When Arus heard this, he decided to head to the demon king’s castle and quickly began to prepare for his journey. His older brother saw what Arus was planning and panicked.
“Little Brother, the demon king is a terrifying being! You’ll be torn to shreds just for getting close.”
“I’m still going.”
His brother backed down when faced with his little brother’s lack of hesitation. He knew that once Arus got like this, he wouldn’t listen.
“You’re not going to reach the demon king by just wandering around. First, you should go to the largest city in the country. I’ll draw you up a map. Take some food and bring along a new pair of shoes for your journey.”
The older brother did everything in his power to help Arus prepare for his trip. He knew how devoted and determined his little brother could be; he would never give up. Nevertheless, the demon king was overwhelmingly powerful. This was a journey from which Arus wouldn’t return alive. Nonetheless, the older brother wanted to do everything he could to keep Arus alive even a second longer.
Arus departed on his quest. With a map in hand, a new pair of shoes on his feet, and the short sword he’d inherited from his father at his hip, he left behind the girl he loved in the village.
After some time, Arus passed through fields and over mountains to arrive at the largest city in the country. It was his first time seeing a huge castle, as well as his first time seeing so many people in one place.
With this many people, someone will surely know where to find the demon king, he thought upon observing all of this.
“You want to defeat the demon king? In that case, go to the castle. At this point, they need all the help they can get,” one person told him.
Arus followed their instructions and made his way toward the castle. It was a giant building, the likes of which he’d never seen before.
“I want to defeat the demon king,” he said at the entrance.
He was given an audience with the king. The king was seated in a throne with a subdued color. He greeted each person who came to him, but when it came time for Arus’s turn, he was very surprised.
“You are but a child.”
“Yes, but I wish to defeat the demon king. Please tell me where to find her.”
“What could a child like you possibly hope to accomplish? Return to your home,” said one of the knights off to the side.
“It’s an adult’s job to fight. We’re here to protect children like you.”
The other adults in the audience hall all said similar things.
“You are a child. You shouldn’t be fighting. Go home.”