Himmel/Synopsis

## Synopsis

### History

At some point when he was a child, Himmel was lost alone in a forest somewhere. He states that this was the first time he had experienced solitude in his life. It was at this point that he was found by Frieren, who told him the directions to a nearby human settlement without a word of encouragement. Himmel found this to be cold, but after seeing Frieren produce a field of flowers with a magic spell thought for the first time that magic was beautiful. It is implied that this incident is what caused Himmel to seek out Frieren as the mage for the Hero Party.

At some point around when he was 16, Himmel decided to officially set out on a journey to defeat the Demon King. He presumably asked Heiter to join him first, and the two would go on to meet and convince Eisen to join the party.

Before setting out officially on their journey, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen are shown to be seeking out a mage. Upon finding Frieren living alone in the forest, Himmel asks Heiter for an assessment of Frieren's mana. Though Heiter called her an average mage, Himmel was able to intuit that she was the strongest mage he had ever met.

Though Frieren initially did not want to travel, stating that she had not fought a demon for five hundred years and that her chance to journey had passed, as it was too late now. However, Himmel declared that what she had done in the past was unimportant, as he was talking instead about the story that she would have now. He stuck out his hand and told her to accept it, as he was her chance at traveling, and this what would ultimately give Frieren the courage to set out on their journey.

### Goddess's Monument Arc

After saying the word written on the Goddess's Monument and touching it, Frieren is sent back to the past at the very same time the Hero Party arrived to the Goddess's Monument. Frieren touches Himmel's face to check that what she is seeing is real. She then asks Himmel's age, to which he replies 23. It is fifty-three years before the Hero Himmel's passing and seven years after the Hero Party started their adventure.

As they leave and resume their journey Himmel and the others quickly notice that something is unusual about Frieren. After finding their way back, they encounter Zart, a servant of the Miraculous Grausam, who senses that the source of the space-time interference was Frieren. Himmel engages him in battle but he teleports behind Frieren and sends her very high into the sky with his Spatial Transference magic. Zart tries to make Himmel and the others surrender by using the falling Frieren as his hostage. Himmel initially is ready to comply, but Frieren then shoots a spell at Zart, and Himmel takes this as Frieren's message to refuse. Frieren manages to land safely and counterattacks, and Himmel and Eisen wound Zart as they corner him against a cliff. Himmel notes that Frieren is strangely easy to fight with, as she has adopted a supportive fighting style.

However, just as the party thought they had Zart, he uses his magic and touches the cliff itself, teleporting it above them. With evasion seemingly futile, Himmel turns to Frieren and tells her that its fine for her to go all out, as they have already seen through her unusual behavior since earlier, and assumes that she may have a magic that can save them. He assures her that she can trust them. At her request, they swear to keep everything that happened a secret all the way to their graves, though Eisen finds this an exaggeration. Frieren proceeds to destroy the cliff and makes sure that Zart does not live to tell anyone of his realization that Frieren came from the future.

Afterwards, Frieren explains that she came from a future no less than eighty years from now. As expected, curiosity arises and Heiter asks if they were able to take down the Demon King successfully. Himmel tries to direct the conversation away from this, but Heiter insists on asking since the Demon King has reigned for so long despite being challenged by legendary heroes. Eisen adds that it is something that even the Hero of the South failed to accomplish. Heiter assumes that the battle against the Demon King is still ongoing in the future but he just wanted to know if they somehow did some damage at least. This causes Himmel to ask Heiter what he hopes to achieve by asking and if he intends to give up knowing that they cannot beat the Demon King. He remains positive and reminds them that they are the Hero Party and they will fight despite an uncertain future that awaits them. This finally stops Heiter from asking further and he thanks Himmel for the reminder. Himmel turns to Frieren and asks her if she knows how to return to the future, which she replies that she does not know how. Heiter notes that they're dealing with the Goddess's magic, which makes it harder due to the fact countless mysteries about the Goddess's magic remain unsolved. The group decide to help Frieren return to the future by any means necessary.

As expected, they find it hard to gather information about the Goddess's Monument. Himmel takes an escort request along the way and they successfully deal with an ambush attempt by a group of monsters. They continue their informational seeking quest by asking around in nearby towns but to no avail. Frieren apologizes for the hassle but Himmel smiles and says it is fine and it's also fun. Assuming that some literature about the Goddess's Monument remains, Heiter brings up that monasteries may possess some information. Heiter notes that making copies of books are among a Monk's practices, with the purpose of preserving them for future generations. After asking directions from the church of a nearby village, they head to a monastery on the top of a cliff, which will require them to climb to get to. Himmel and Eisen in particular are excited about this prospect. However, all of their efforts to reach it are in vain as they didn't find anything at all. They continued asking in villages until they got a lead from the barkeeper of a tavern Heiter is drinking at. According to what he heard from some adventurers, they were talking about city ruins just to the south. It is said to be a city from the age of the Unified Empire. At the center of it lies a cathedral. However, an Abyssal Dragon took the whole town as its territory. Frieren's Party then take down the Abyssal Dragon, but are unable to find anything useful inside the cathedral.

They continue searching for information in different villages until they are pointed to a dwarven blacksmith named Kiesel. When they arrive to his place, Kiesel already recognizes Himmel due to tales of his acts of heroism that easily spread, such as repelling the forces of Aura the Guillotine and defeating the Immortal Böse. Frieren then asks about his knowledge of the Goddess's Monument, which he replies he does not have any. However, he recalls that he noticed several books in the chief's home of the village he used to live long ago. He offers to tell the location in exchange for Himmel letting him see his Hero's sword. Himmel acquiesces, and admits to Kiesel that it is merely a replica. However, Kiesel already knows this, and he reveals that he forged the blade himself long ago as a collector's piece. He offers to take the blade in exchange for something more suitable for Himmel's caliber. However, Himmel refuses, as he swore that he will wield the sword until he defeats the Demon King and peace is restored in the world. Kiesel then offers to sharpen it instead. He then points the direction of the village and warns them that it has become a den of monsters. Himmel replies he couldn't ask for more.

The swarm of monsters proves to be too much for the Hero Party and they are forced to run. Eisen is flung away by a dragon but survives the fall unscathed, leaving a deep crater in the ground. The group decides to go through the back of the village. They manage to evade the monsters by hiding and through Heiter's spell to avoid mana detection and arrive to the chief's residence. However, the dragon from earlier suddenly appears and attacks them, forcing them to hide indoors. Himmel and Heiter were separated from Frieren and Eisen. While hiding, they reminisce on their childhood memories and Heiter apologizes for calling Himmel an imposter who will never become a true hero back then. Himmel thanks him for that, as he used that as his motivation and they never would have gotten that far if not for it. He then confirms with Heiter that Heiter believes in him now. As they expected of Frieren and Eisen, the two engage the dragon in a fight, and Himmel and Heiter hurry to support them. After eventually taking it down, they search the chief's residence, and Frieren finds a record that involves the Goddess's Monument.

The book that they read speaks of the "Time-Travelling Bird." As they analyze the scriptures, they are unable to decipher them, as they are too complex even for Heiter the priest himself. He explains that the scriptures do not have the actual spells of the Goddess recorded, but are instead a compilation of tales from the Mythical Era. He adds that the tales from Mythical Era written in scriptures actually form an extensive cryptogram that conceals the means to cast various spells from the Goddess. According to him, there are far more undiscovered spells than those discovered, and the spells that have been deciphered are chronicled within the Holy City's records. Himmel concludes that the name for the spell to return Frieren to her time has been concealed within the "Time-Travelling Bird" chapter, and Eisen asks Heiter the estimated time for it to be deciphered, which Heiter cannot determine for it depends on the spell involved. It may take decades or even centuries. He adds that the "Time-Travelling Bird" chapter is also referred to as "Empty Void Chapter," which means that no one has been able to uncover any spells from said chapter ever since the scriptures were brought to this world by the Goddess. Seeing Frieren's desire to return to the future, Himmel decides that they will take action from then on. Then, he asked Frieren if she noticed some carvings on the Goddess's Monument. At that moment, she remembers "Vialathor," which Fern had mentioned was from the chapter about the time travelling bird. As she recalls, Himmel tells her not to tell them what it is. He tells her that word is the name of the spell that will return her to the future, and also the word the Hero Party will spend decades deciphering and carve on the monument after they defeat the Demon King. Since returning will require her to touch the monument while reciting the spell, the group heads back to the monument's location.

Just as they are making their way back, they are suddenly attacked by the Great Demon Rivale who is aided by Solitär from the shadows. Eisen tells them to get to the monument and stays behind to hold back Rivale. While sprinting their way towards the monument, the Miraculous Grausam, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, appears before them and casts his spell to guide to paradise: Ansehelschella, trapping Frieren and Himmel into an illusion where they are getting married. As a priest with the Goddess's blessing, Heiter is unaffected by the spell. He tries to wake Himmel up but to no avail. Believing that Himmel will overcome the illusion, Heiter buys some time and fights Grausam. Within the illusion, Himmel stops Frieren from kissing him and tells her that there maybe a way out of the illusion. With an illusion that seemed so real, Frieren deduced that their enemy is none other than the Miraculous Grausam. She admits that she may not be able to do anything, but she's certain that Himmel can do something, as the Hero Himmel that she knew never fell for such an illusion. With her guidance, Himmel moves his body despite still being trapped in the illusion. He attacks Grausam who was about to finish off Heiter. He focused on his five senses in the battle in order to fight Grausam, and manages to cut off Grausam's right arm, which finally frees them from the illusion. At the same time, he already figured out Solitär's location based on her blades. Himmel then tells Frieren to get back to the monument. Frieren thanks Himmel, who tells her not to worry about it because he was able to witness a great dream, before she runs to the monument. Himmel then attempts to stop the Demons from retreating but after Solitär's threat makes him cautious allows the demons to retreat. They pick up the unconscious Frieren at the monument and tell Eisen that they are retreating. Eisen's battle with Rivale ends in a stalemate. Sometime after, Frieren finally wakes up and is back to her current self. Himmel tells her that it seems she has safely returned. Frieren wonders what he is talking about, which he replies, "a story far into the future."

Afterwards, the Hero Party continued on their journey and would face Grausam once more at some point. They succeeded in killing him this time. Three years later, they successfully defeated the Demon King. Himmel was 26 years old.

### Beyond Journey's End

After defeating the Demon King, the Hero Party is greeted with a grand celebration upon their return to the Royal Capital. After the celebration, they reminisce about their time together and watch the Era Meteors together. As Frieren suggests, they promised to meet again in fifty years to watch the Era Meteors in a place with a better view. Some time much later, Himmel, now an old man, returns to the location of the Goddess's Monument with the purpose of fulfilling his promise to Frieren to carve the spell to return on the monument. While traveling within the area, he meets a young soldier who offers to escort him in the forest. He tells the young soldier the stories of his adventure with the Hero Party but refused to share his business with the Goddess's Monument. While lamenting on the fact that Frieren may have already forgotten him, he remains hopeful that she will come see him in the end. After carving the words to return on the monument, he then returns to the Royal Capital.

Fifty years after the end of their adventure, Frieren keeps her promise and returns to the Royal Capital to watch the Era Meteors together with the rest of the party. She also takes the Shadow Dragon's horn that she entrusted Himmel to store for her. Himmel reunites with his party for one last adventure and thanks Frieren for the opportunity. He passes away shortly afterwards at the age of seventy-six. His death becomes the catalyst for Frieren's journey to better understand humans.

## References

1. ↑ *Frieren: Beyond Journey's End* Manga:
 Chapter 57 (pp. 15-16).
2. ↑ *Frieren: Beyond Journey's End* Manga:
 Chapter 22 (pp. 21-22).
3. ↑ *Frieren: Beyond Journey's End* Manga:
 Chapter 27 (p. 18).
4. ↑ *Frieren: Beyond Journey's End* Manga:
 Chapter 35 (p. 15).