Beads of sweat trickled uncontrollably from Arthur's forehead. What was usually a silent space was now the only sound in the room, punctuated only by the occasional scattering of debris from the destroyed wall.
Flora had been on that wall. Only she knew why. To everyone else, it was just an instant, from the moment she channeled her energy toward Arthur until her body was flung into the air and crashed against the wall.
This bothered her. Since becoming a hero, she had never been hurt this badly in such a short time. She was beginning to realize that Arthur was an anomaly in every sense of the word.
--By order of the Heroes Association, when you recover I will come to train you-- he said heavily, something that dismayed everyone because at this point Flora seemed more injured than Arthur was.
"I can use my energy again, it's my fault she got hurt like that, maybe I misjudged her," Arthur thought quickly as he saw his energy restored.
/Hey, she tried to kill you and… I see you fell in love. I didn't know you had those tastes, Arthur. You like her, you like her/
"Flora is a hero in every sense of the word," Arthur continued thinking, ignoring the shouts in his head.
/No, seriously, I think Arthur likes being dominated, being subdued, being treated like a discarded rag, being used like stockings and then thrown away without a second thought, and then saying in his best voice, please submit me, I'm yours/ waving his nonexistent hands, his voice
*The next morning*
/Don't ignore me, you bastard/
*The next morning I said*
The sun's rays filtered softly and gently into the sparring room, where Flora stared intently at Arthur as if waiting for him to make a mistake.
--Alright, let's begin. What do you know about energy in the world? -- Flora asked, a hint of doubt in her voice, anticipating a biased answer tainted by misinformation.
--The usual thing happened. Forty years ago, energy appeared in the world, killing humans and animals alike. Then heroes emerged with the power to control energy, and the Tower of Heroes was formed -- Arthur said, hoping his answer was correct.
With an annoyed look, Flora forced herself to speak as she stared at a nearby window, where she could see the sky slowly and calmly moving across it.
--If you're right, the energy appeared 40 years ago, but it didn't just kill humans and animals, it mutated them into something better -- Flora said, thinking about the monsters outside the cities.
--You know, the Hero Association was formed 30 years ago, almost the same age as you are, but before that there was a world where humans dominated the planet. No animal could stand in humanity's way, and that's why we believe that energy is a divine punishment -- Flora's voice remained emotionless as she continued the story.
Creating a small city in her hands, Flora focused her gaze on Arthur.
--When the monsters appeared, humanity used its greatest weapon to destroy them, dropping dozens of nuclear bombs on cities they considered lost—while the city in Flora's hands exploded
--Empty cities? -- Arthur asked curiously.
--No, cities considered lost for extraction. In the past, humanity numbered around 8 billion; currently, the figure is down to 2 billion. You could say that's enough to sustain us, and the task of heroes is to protect the survival of our species. Even if this entails sacrifices -- Flora concluded her short story.
--But isn't being a hero about saving everyone? – Arthur asked Flora
--No, being a hero means being willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, besides, the life of a Sunqu Magic user is worth much more than that of an ordinary human -- Flora replied.
Looking at Flora, who showed no remorse or doubt in her words, Arthur hesitated. He wasn't sure he could measure a life; after all, life is something that should be invaluable. But for humanity today, where they had already lost so much, this was an undeniable truth.
--Sunqu magic is just another organ in humans, allowing us to breathe in this world, where every part is contaminated by the miasma, we call energy -- Flora continued.
--In that sense, everyone has Sunqu magic, but only a few can control it and use it at will. So what would you call those few in the world who can control it at will? —Flora asked Arthur
--They would be prodigies, if only a few could understand the use of something that others couldn't, then they would be prodigies in every sense of the word, or even be called gods—Arthur thought the latter as a whisper, only to have it quickly dismissed.
--Gods, well, that would make sense if it weren't for the fact that among prodigies there are geniuses, an example being the top 2 hero Sinchi, or the top 3"—he glared at the ceiling, remembering his fellow heroes.
--I also heard that they are powerful, but how strong are they? — Arthur questioned Flora, his voice filled with doubt.
--Most heroes absorb energy with their Sunqu Magic and purify it to use their powers, but Sinchi doesn't absorb, he generates. If you, Arthur, were an energy generator, you could only power a building, but Sinchi would be the sun. He truly is the real prodigy of this era—Flora concluded firmly, recalling the last time she saw Sinchi.
--Sun, like a sun, isn't that bad? I know I'm not strong compared to other heroes, but to be considered weak to this extent— Arthur said, annoyed.
--Not just you, all the heroes know it. If Sinchi decided to exterminate humanity... Honestly, we could only prolong the fight before losing -- Flora stated resignedly.