(Note: Default cover for the time being. Much work. Very lazy. I should hire a cover creator. My sense for color is really off.)
Darkness engulfed the body of a single boy as if the darkness wished to consume everything he had to offer: the flesh, the bone, the spirit, the soul . . . Light was merely a long lost delusion in the name of hope. The person sat on the cold, stone floor which was his only form of evidence that he was not burning in the pits of damnation.

It was natural to fear what could not be seen. However, after his countless experiences, he decided that panicking would be meaningless. He chose to wait in the darkness until some form of light shown upon him. The sound of small bits of metal clanking along bounced from the outside world beyond the darkness. Footsteps echoed. He assumed from the echoes that he was being held in chamber of some sort. He considered fighting his way out, but he swiftly concluded that it would ultimately be a fruitless struggle. He had no intention of losing his life without proper reason.

Soon, a crack of light pierced the darkness and blinded him from seeing what the future had laid before his path. While he was distracted, two figures swiftly pinned his shoulders to the ground. One held down his head mercilessly while the other placed a wooden cuff to bind both of his arms behind his back. With no intention of showing humane kindness from the two unknown figures, he could only assume that he was the prisoner of some odd species of subhuman monsters. One of the two dark humanoid shapes yanked a chain connected to the cuffs. Without much resistance, he complied, and he allowed himself to be led away by the two anonymous things.

He escaped the darkness only to find himself in another dimension of suffering. The two monsters that took him outside of the dark were certainly humans. They were two middle-aged men dressed in an old fashioned tunic. Now, panic began to creep up upon him as his movements slowed, for humanity was a much more fearsome entity than any other being. 

One of the men yanked the chain forcefully. He could only comply to the wordless demand. The other person followed from behind and said something that he couldn't understand. The man in front laughed out loud while turning back to sneer at him. Did they see him as a foolish dog that would roll over for anyone without question?

Eventually, after escalating a series of staircases, the two men led the boy through a rustic, iron door separating the insides of the chamber from the outside realm. Hope sparked within him, but he mentally braced himself and expected the least. Beyond the door was a well decorated room that was fitting of nobility. The boy concluded that escape was certainly an unlikely option. His escorts continued to move him along through the grandiose corridors that seemed to ooze holiness and greatness. They arrived at their destination- the throne room.

"$&€£¥ €•#%^ %#¥!"

The boy spotted a huge man wearing a tight red and purple attire that accentuated the disgustingly distinct curve of a "healthy consumer". Adding the white, spotted cape and a fanciful crown on a pedestal to the equation clearly made the boy realize that he was under jurisdiction of a king. A person who seemed to be a priest of nobility fastened a necklace around the boy's neck.

"Arte thy capable of understanding mine own words?" the king asked in a language that the boy was suddenly able to understand.

"Yeah," replied the boy.

"The Holy Church hast did summon thy from another world to cleanse the evil of the landeth. Thou arte this Kingdom's Hero!"

Affirmative shouts of enthusiasm came from the guards of the room. The boy was slightly taken aback by the amount of force coming from the surrounding people.

"Anon then, putteth on this collar of the Almighty One from the Holy Pope and serve the people," the king commanded.

While the pope slowly carried over an ominous, black collar, the boy looked at his surroundings. There was a completely open door, but there were a dozen guards to prevent both exit and entrance. It was also likely that he was being contained in the castle. No signs of weakness showed for the boy to exploit. However, a flash of white was caught in  the corner of his eyes as he spotted a curious female onlooker in a pure, snow-like dress. She was concealing herself behind a nearby pillar.

The pope finally reached the boy and began to reach out to his neck with the black collar. He knocked the collar away.

"Hwat be the meaning of this?!" the king said in an outrage.

"First off. I never said that I would become a Hero for free. Second. That collar is highly suspicious. Just looking at it made me sick," the boy said.

"None sense! Guards! Put the [Collar of Subordination] on the Hero at all costs! Do not let him use any devastating abilities!"

All of the guards began to surround the boy. He laughed while quivering in fear. What could a normal person do against twenty armed men? For someone like himself, repelling the matured bodies was next to impossible. Instead, he dashed towards the damsel he spotted earlier and grabbed her by the wrist.

"One wrong move and the girl gets it." The boy's voice had enough conviction behind it to send the message across, but his hands were not telling the same story.

The guards stop moving and draw their weapons in hostility. The boy slowly backed away towards the exit with the girl as his bargaining chip.

"The Second Princess is in danger!" shouted one of the knights.

The "Hero" came to a realization and decided to make the most of his situation by bolting out the building with the Princess in his custody. The sentries began to run after him as well. The boy found himself running blindly in all sorts of directions. After an endless number of twists and turns, the boy began to tire. The loud marching of the guards' boots was not far behind. Suddenly, the Princess pulled the boy into a room.

"You should rest a little," she said.

"...Why are you helping me? I would kill you. I'm the Hero after all," the boy inquired.

"Listen to yourself. Would a Hero be willing to kill a Princess? Besides, I don't truly agree with Father's ways."

"Oh..."

"So how will you escape? I don't mind if you use me."

"Unfortunately... that's the only thing I can think of. May I request something?"

"What is it?"

"Before the break of dawn of the next day, if I were to die, send my dead body off on a small boat with a bit of food and money down a river."

"Is that part of your culture from another world?"

"Not exactly. But can you do it?"

"Well, I-"

Loud foot steps interrupted what the girl was about to say. The sound of doors being forcefully opened resounded over and over again. Without thinking much, the Hero took the Princess into his arms and jumped out the window. It was unfortunate that he fell past four windows before hitting the ground.

It didn't take long for the boy to be surrounded. It was seen that the Princess spat into the boy's ear according to some accounts, but others claimed that she was whispering something rather kind to him. It was not known, nor was it questioned.

The next day, the boy was executed by guillotine.

An odd boat was seen floating down the river that night.