I used to dream of becoming a Hero.
In the age of Superheroes and Living Saints. That dream was hardly a rarity. It would be easier to find a child who didn't dream of waking up one day with extraordinary powers. To be taken in by the Church who ruled the continent and be raised as one of the champions of humanity.
In the age of Superheroes and Holy Men. Every kid dreamed of joining their ranks. Of ascending past the common man and being elevated from sheep to shepherd.
For a citizen of the Theocracy, there was no greater Destiny than that of a Superhero. There was no greater honor.
I did not want to become that kind of Hero.
Contrary to everything I had been raised to believe, I held neither the Church nor its Superheroes in particularly high regard. It was only logical that I similarly had no interest in joining their ranks. At least I did not anymore.
In my eyes, the Superheroes of the Church were not worthy of the title. They functioned as little more than a private army for their revered superiors and as idolized celebrities for the witless masses.
The kind of Hero I wanted to become was the old school definition of the word. The classical kind. A Hero who actually puts their life on the line to fight for a cause they believed in.
I wanted to be challenged and overcome insurmountable odds like Heracles. I wanted to overcome any obstacles and stand victorious like Odysseus. But most of all, I wanted to have my name engraved in the annals of history. To have it spoken of in awe for millennia to come. Like Achilles.
I knew such aspirations were childish. Not because that dream was inherently impossible. No, far from it. If the Church was to be believed, as long as you lived a life in obedience to the Church and paid respect to the Superheroes, everything was possible in this world.
In a way, they were even right. Of course their teachings were pure bullock. However, it was indeed true that everything was possible in this world.
With the right Blessing, a person could fly to the moon and back in under an hour. The very depths of the ocean had been explored decades ago and the stars were in our grasp, should we desire them. Nothing was impossible in this world.
This did not mean that everything was allowed.
I was sure that if I ever even whispered my dream of becoming a real Hero aloud, I would have been shunned for it. Maybe even arrested depending on how much of a nuisance I made out of myself.
Once a citizen has aged past the age of ten, they must abandon all dreams of becoming Superheroes themselves. They shall never look for personal glory. They shall never engage in violence and they shall never ever even think of leaving their marks on history. That was the social contract one entered as a citizen of the Solstaris Theocracy.
Total obedience in return for safety under the aegis of Superheroes and economic stability ensured by the Holy Men of the Church and their Mind Blessings.
To be a citizen in such a society was to live a life lived in total submission.
In the age of Superheroes, there were no Heroes left.
Feeling vaguely ill and much older than I really was. I stood up from the metal bed I had been sitting on motionlessly for the past couple hours. I did it to preserve whatever energy I had left, but I knew I needed to change my approach. My mind was practically screaming at me to give it at least some kind of physical stimulation.
I had been taken from my home in the dead of night by a squad of Blessed I did not recognize. They swiftly knocked me unconscious before I even had the chance to try and identify them or fight back.
Next thing I knew I woke up in this cell. In the week since, not a single person had come to ask anything of me, nor explain why they had abducted me. However, that was fine. I already knew why they had come for me.
They found out about my Blessing, and what I had done with it. It looked like I did not cover my tracks well enough.
I first realized that I had a Blessing when I was just six years old, two years later than most Blessed children showed signs of their Gift. It happened while I was playing with a stray dog near my foster parent's apartment complex. Following a sudden urge, I placed my hand on the dog's back.
Something had changed and I knew without a shadow of doubt that if I pulled the lever I felt in my core, something would happen. I did not know what exactly, but I knew that it would be extraordinary.
Like any young boy. The excitement at the prospect of superpowers went to my head and thought was immediately followed by action.
What happened next I do not remember.
One second I was sitting there with the dog's head on my lap and my left hand on his back, the next I was standing a few meters to the side with a huge smile on my face. The dog that had been my friend for years, dead.
I did not feel sad, quite the opposite. I had never felt happier in my life. The sheer pleasure cursing through me was out of this world.
It was almost too much for my childish mind to process.
I felt strong and awake and my mind was clear. I stood there in that empty parking lot as content as I had ever been. That high lasted for what felt like hours before it came down and I crashed, hard. The horror set in and I ran home like I was being chased by an enraged Fire Blessed.
Once home, I sat on my bed and started hyperventilating. One of the tenets of the Church was that death was sacred. Anyone who killed another human being would be persecuted.
Only trained Superheroes who had completed their years of service for the Church were permitted to kill.
For me to have a Blessing that brought death with a touch…I could never tell anyone.
I would never use this cursed power again, or so I promised myself back then.
Hearing footsteps descending the stairs leading towards my cell, I was torn out of my thoughts and the physical manifestation of the consequences of my broken oath drew closer.
A week ago, for the first time in over a decade, I used my Blessing again. I used my Blessing to kill again. A human this time.
And I was caught.
The figure unlocked the door and opened the cell that had been my home for the past week. Walking outside out of my own volition, I was faced with a tall man in a bright blue hero costume
Trying to hide my real feelings and project an image of dignity and stoicism, I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin.
Judging by the dry chuckle that escaped his lips, I must have failed spectacularly.
„You don't need to pretend with me kid. I doubt I would be any less shaken up were I in your position. I know the situation is fucked up. No need to act otherwise".
I observed him silently. Doing my best to decipher the sincerity of his words. I recognized this man. I doubt there was a single citizen living in the Theocracy that did not.
This man was a Superhero, perhaps even the Superhero.
The Shield of the Flock and Unstoppable Sword wielded against the enemies of the Church.
The invincible Indomitable.
I used to admire him when I was young, before I really understood what it meant to live in a society where gods walked amongst mortals. Mortals who had been raised to never fight back.
After all, Fighting was the prerogative of the Superheroes, not the Flock. To resist that idea was to spit upon the teachings of the Church and be branded a heretic.
I have no doubt a heretic is exactly what the church has declared me by now.
Seeing that there would be no answer from me. Indomitable sighed and began to speak up again. „Have it your way then. Let's get on with it." He reached into the bag he had been holding by his side and pulled put a set of chains.
„Show me your hands and put your feet together. The Bishop wants you bound and secured when presented to the masses for your trial. Do not resist. This is already ugly business, no need to make it worse"
Like he demanded, I did not resist as he put me in chains. Truthfully, just standing up and moving around was taking all of my strength. I suspected that this exact scenario was the reason why they had starved me for the last week.
An overreaction, I felt. Even at the peak of my power, I would not have been able to win against Indomitable. The man who wielded the Blessing of Strength. Not while he was wearing a suit that covered the majority of his body and my hands were tightly bound.
The intense feeling of hunger that had plagued me the first few days had long faded and all it left in its wake was a feeling of ever present weakness and light headedness. Standing up under my own power in defiance was already taking all of my remaining strength.
After the Superhero finished putting me in bondage, I forced out a question through my dry throat. It was the first time I had spoken since I woke up in this cell.
I almost started coughing.
„Why are you doing this to me? I was attacked. If I did not kill that man I would have died. What was I supposed to do?"
Indomitable simply looked at me with a blank expression. There was a kennel of pity hidden in the back of his eyes. I did not have the energy to feel offended by his pity as I usually would have been.
His pity was a useless thing after all. Worth less than the dirt beneath my feet. No, him being here could only mean one thing.
He was complicit in my suffering.
I looked at the evil man who used to be my childhood hero. I hated how clean he looked. He was the very image of a Superhero. Like he was ripped straight from the cover of a comic book. Shining blond hair framing a lean handsome face and bringing attention to his piercing blue eyes.
It was a stark contrast to my own miserable state.
Just like how they did not bother to feed me properly. They must have deemed showers an unnecessary luxury as well.
I was filthy and I undoubtedly smelled even worse.
„What is about to happen to you has nothing to do with what you did son. This is about what you will do in the future. That is, what you would have done in the future had we not found and stopped you in time"
I looked at the World's Greatest Superhero in confusion.
„What are you talking about? What future?"
He stayed quiet for a moment and seemed to fight some internal battle. Suddenly, he turned away from me and gave the chain he was gripping in his hands a slight tug. They were connected to the ones attached to my limbs, so I was involuntarily dragged a couple steps forward.
„Come. I will explain as best as I can while we walk upstairs. The Bishop will undoubtedly be angry at me for indulging you like this, but it's not like you knowing why this is happening will change the outcome. You will be dead by the end of the day. That truth will not change"
I knew the fate that awaited me from the moment I was beaten unconscious and woke up in this cell. There was only ever one fate awaiting those who had attracted the enmity of the Church that ruled the continent.
The casual way he said it somehow still managed to surprise me.
This was the man I once perceived as the epitome of Heroism. The invincible protector of the weak and champion of the people. I would have given anything to meet him in person.
Now I wished for nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible. I briefly thought about fleeing. About attacking the Superhero from behind and throwing my cuffed hands over his head and around his neck. I would then choke him out and flee from this wicked place. I would find a place to hide and plot my revenge on everyone responsible for putting me into this hellish situation.
The rage left me as fast as it came. I was too exhausted for such plans.
„The original plan was to recruit you, you know? There is no doubt that Blessing you have awoken is the height of blasphemy, but it is just as useful. Powerful. If they had a say in it, the Church would have never chosen to waste a potential asset like you. A man who can kill with a single touch, leaving behind neither trace nor evidence. Imagine it! You could have served the greatest good of all as the Church's hidden blade wielded against the enemies of our society"
We reached the end of the flight of stairs we had been ascending and Indomitable opened yet another closed door. Leading to a second floor filled with empty cells. We crossed the hallway and started climbing the next flight of stairs.
„That plan had to be discarded a mere day after we became aware of you. An hour later forces were dispatched to apprehend you. The Time Blessed Oracle Siphida had spoken a prophecy for the first time in decades. She foretold the tale of a man with a Blessing so powerful, he would single handedly usher in a new Age of Chaos and change the definition of the word Hero forever. He would cause civil unrest not seen since before the Unification of the continent two hundred years ago."
He turned around and looked down at me from his elevated position ahead of me. „The High Cardinals are convinced that the man the Oracle spoke of is you".
His intense stare turned hard.
„I believe them. Holy men like them have no need for lies. We cannot allow such a future to come to pass. Although I regret what is about to happen to you, you are simply too dangerous to be left alive. You have already broken one of our laws, which is that a citizen must never use violence. Where everyone else would not even have thought of fighting back, you barely hesitated. Our Time Blessed investigators revealed to us what happened that day. It is clear to me that you are a danger to our society" His blue eyes turned icy, „and I will not allow for such a dark future to come to pass"
I did not have the energy left to feel shocked at the sudden storm of information he just unleashed on me. I thought I was about to be executed for killing a man in self defense. The truth was a little more complicated than that, but the outcome remained the same. Silence stretched between us as we finally reached the end of our path.
I had been locked in alone three floors below ground. A bit overly cautious if you asked me, but so was killing a man for the distant possibility that he might become a threat in the future.
„We have arrived. Prepare yourself"
Indomitable opened the final door and led me into an unassuming small room. It looked like the entrance to the prison dungeon had been hidden away in here. We crossed the room quickly and walked through the hallways of what must be one of the Church's most expensive facilities.
Everything was gilded and portraits of every notable hero that had served the Theocracy in the past two centuries looked down at me in what I felt was clear mockery.
The various low ranking holy men and women of the church stared at us with interest as we passed by.
They parted before Indomitable like a school of fish before a shark.
I suspected that that single interaction had just shown me more about the dynamics between the Superheroes and the Church than a lifetime of propaganda ever did. No matter how short that live ended up being. I did not even make it past two decades.
We soon reached the end of the hallway and I prepared myself for what was undoubtedly about to greet me behind these doors.
———————-
Sunlight graced my face for the first time in what felt like ages.
The next thing I heard was the muttering of a crowd and the rapid flashes of cameras. In front of me was a courtyard big enough to encompass every foster home I had ever lived in during my youth combined.
At the head of the crowd stood the Bishop. It took me a moment to recognize him, as I had only ever seen his face on the Net before. He was a middle aged man who looked like he had never felt more pleased to be anywhere other than here, right now, standing in front of this crowd addressing the citizens of the Theocracy.
A good distance away on his right side stood a stake embedded into a wooden pyre.
I went cold inside as the way in which I would die was revealed to me.
Indomitable was unfazed by the scene in front of us and dragged me through the valley that naturally formed once the people scrambled over themselves to get out of his way.
They looked at him as if he were an angel that had descended from the heavens.
Indomitable pulled my chains and made me keep walking until we reached the podium the Bishop had obviously prepared for me to stand trial. The Superhero led me towards it and I decided to walk the last couple steps by my own free will.
The blue clad hero let go of my chains and stood behind the bishop like a loyal bodyguard in what was a clear indicator of allegiance. The look on his face was full of conviction and determination.
I tore my eyes from the sickening sight and observed the crowd in front of me. As I stared at my fellow countrymen sprawled before me, I heard the bishop begin to speak.
„Loyal people of Solstaris. We have gathered here under the light of our Lord to correct a grave sin. The blessed church and its Superheroes has been made aware of a threat lurking amongst the loyal and faithful people of the Theocracy. It gladdens me to inform you all that last week, in a show of peerless valor, a new team of freshly graduated Superheroes has apprehended that fiend. Let me show you the demon that has been walking amongst you!"
He pivoted towards me and jabbed a single damning finger in my direction. „This is the wolf that has been hiding in sheep's clothing. But worry not my people, for we have already uncovered his deception." He clasped his hands in front of his torso as if in prayer and looked up at the sky with a fervent expression.
„Just as how our Superheroes were blessed by the Lord. So can the Devil choose a champion to corrupt our beautiful society. This man you see before you…is one such champion. He revealed his true nature when he not only broke the covenant between us, the one that keeps our continent thriving by committing the Sin of Violence and Murder. No, that was not enough for this Devil. He killed his fellow citizens in the most perverse of ways. He used his devil given Curse to kill a whole group of innocent people like you. He did so in the dead of night. He killed them with a mere touch of his hand. And this is when even I struggle to comprehend the depths of depravity demons like him will fall to. After committing murder, he started laughing. Laughing! That was how our heroes had found him. Laughing amongst a pile of corpses of his own creation."
Horrified gasps echoed around the crowd. The already condemning and judging looks turned enraged. Filled with righteous rage. They fully believed the truth mixed with lies the Bishop fed them.
I only killed one man, not multiple, and he certainly was not innocent. It was true that I was laughed after, but the heroes did not find me in that state. They abducted me from my bed a full day later.
„Do you have anything to say for yourself, Devil? This is your last chance to speak up. I suggest you use this grace we have given you wisely. Confess your sins. With luck the Lord will have mercy upon your wretched soul once you arrive at the Crossroad to be judged"
I did not dignify his performative questioning with an answer. I already knew there was no saving me.
I was going to die in this place.
It had been two hundred years since the Theocracy conquered and unified the Continent with the First Generation of Superheroes as their swords. According to the books, they did so in service of their elusive Lord who nobody had ever seen, heard nor seen any evidence of existing neither before nor since.
Every other religion was crushed and declared illegal to practice. All mythology other than that of the Church, its Superheroes and their Lord was destroyed and could only be found in the darkest corners of the Net.
In that time, no enemy of the Church, once identified, had ever escaped death.
„Very well then. A heretic to the last it would seem. Indomitable. Chain him to the stake".
Although my heart had grown cold and my blood turned to ice in my veins. I remained silent as the Worlds Greatest Hero did as he was told with neither question nor hesitation.
Indomitable looked me in the eyes one last time after he set fire to the kindling under my feet. He did not say a word, and neither did I. He averted his eyes first and I heard the Bishop start preaching again over the sound of the wooden pyre catching fire.
I ignored the sound of human speech as the fire began spreading in earnest. The pain started slowly. Going from barely noticeable to uncomfortable to unbearable. I tried my best to remain silent and preserve whatever dignity I had left, but after a certain point, it was impossible.
The thick smoke invaded my airways and I began to cough. I heard the crowd clapping and hollering and I was sure the Bishop was having the time of his life soaking in the adulation of the crowd.
Soon after, the sound began to fade and I heard nothing anymore besides the burning of wood and my own cough as my vision started fading to black.
——————-
I jerked awake with a violent gasp tearing its way out of my throat. Looking around wildly, I was confronted with a scene straight out of fantasy.
Buildings made out of stone and wood surrounded me. I was standing on a busy sidewalk with people streaming past in both directions in a constant flow of motion. I barely paid the life around me any mind, for a single vast construct had captured the majority of my attention.
It was a monstrous tower unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was familiar with skyscrapers and mega buildings dominating the skyline, but nothing like this. It looked more like a bridge connecting heaven and earth than a proper building.
With a bewildered frown, I tore my eyes away and focused on the bustling street around me. The full sight of it took my breath away once again.
I have never seen anything like it.
There were people of all colors and shapes filling the city. Women with cat ears, men barely half my height but twice my size and more. Most of them were dressed in simple clothing, but some of them wore armor. The majority of which did not seem of particularly high quality, but still. The sight of so many armed people in one place was not something I was used to.
Only Superheroes were allowed to wield weapons in the Theocracy.
The armored figures moved through the crowd of civilians with confidence and did not look surprised that nobody paid them any special attention.
I was shocked beyond words. I blinked one, twice and then shook my head. Seeing that the view had not changed, I pinched my arm to test if I was dreaming. I was not.
I looked up into the sky and exhaled in disbelief.
„What the hell just happened"