Chapter
1 – Light’s Simplicity
Starting a hero association is slow
and tedious, but at the same time, I don’t mind that it is. My friend, Timeo
Severe, otherwise secretly known as the hero L’Obscurité, and I’ve been doing
what we can to hasten that process. All the paperwork has been submitted, and
the rest is being handled by our allies, who are familiar with the law and any
other necessary requirements for establishing our headquarters and employing
the individuals who’ve already submitted their applications to join our
association. Timeo and I have been trying to make sure our reputation is clean
and the public views us favorably. The more the public wants to see us in
action as an association, the more likely it is that the government will
approve our application in weeks rather than years.
Many people want to create hero
associations for the government funding, prestige, and powers, but I’ve been
told that, out of the number of applications submitted, eighty percent are
denied. There are many reasons for this, such as the number of already existing
hero associations being adequate to protect the country, the ideology and
beliefs that the association has, the notoriety of the founders and members, and
so on. Timeo and I do have our own following for different reasons. Timeo is
famous for making the crime-ridden city of Meridian a safe place to live, and
I’m famous for my general heroism, kindness, and doing what’s right, even if it
means breaking the law and bringing justice to people without proper due
process. I might be the reason why our application is taking so slow, but my
allies in the secret government agency, Seventy-Three, have already cleaned up
my reputation through the media and their allies, so that shouldn’t be much of
a problem.
Ugh. Thinking about the many
aspects of getting a hero association started and what could be holding it up
gets me sick. It’s why I leave it up to those who know how to deal with it. For
the past week, Timeo and I have been doing charity and community work in my
rural hometown of Poca Bellezza. He and his family have been staying at my
house with my wife, son, sister, and parents, who have also done their fair
share in helping us. I’ve also been trying to get Timeo to admit that my
favorite breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast with orange juice is the best
breakfast ever, but he disagrees.
He says, “Steak and eggs with
coffee is probably the best breakfast.”
“What? You don’t even sound sure
about that,” I say.
“You’re right. My favorite
breakfast is whatever my wife makes.”
“Now, that’s the right answer,”
Timeo’s wife, Darcy, says.
We all laugh together and make
small talk about breakfast and our tasks for today. After kissing our families
and saying goodbyes, Timeo and I head out to church for morning mass that I
help out at, since I’m a deacon. We then go to the center of Poca Bellezza,
where people buy and sell goods, do business, send their children to school,
and meet and hang out with friends and family. A banner in the center of the
marketplace reads “Home of the hero John Elio”, showing their love and how
proud they are of me. Timeo is dressed to impress as always in one of his
striking, expensive suits, while I’m dressed in my usual red deacon shirt with
a hood and gold cape attached to it, blue jeans, and brown boots. People have
said we look like complete opposites, Timeo with his dark black hair, dark
brown eyes, pale skin, and serious but gentle face, and me with blonde hair,
light blue eyes, light skin, and bright face, but we’re really just two sides
of the same coin, and today we show that.
With the local Knights council I’m
part of, members of my parish, and local law enforcement, we make meals and
prepare the town for an upcoming festival that celebrates its founding. Thanks
to my super strength and speed, along with the help of many others, including
fellow superhumans like me, we finish everything by five in the afternoon and
still have time for lunch. We all eat at a local restaurant where the meal is
provided free of charge because of our efforts organizing for the festival, but
Timeo and I leave a generous tip, enough to send someone to college for two
years. To end the day, just like every day, we take our family out for ice
cream and watch the stars. As always, it’s a wonderfully calming way to close
the day.
The day of the festival comes, and the
town gets packed with both locals and people who are from out of town, most of whom
are here to see Timeo and me. We have a table set up to accept applications to
work at our hero association, where people can fill out papers and digital
agreements to sign and complete. In addition to applications, we also receive requests
to collaborate with other associations, particularly those aligned with the
Church, as our association is closely tied to the Catholic faith. I see faces
from the people that I used to work with in Solis, and there are even people in
Poca Bellezza who want to work with me. Among the many people who approach us,
a certain group of superhumans pushes past everyone to get in front of the
line.
One of them asks, “The Dominion of
Mercy and Justice. So, that’s what you call you’re little group of extremists?”
“Excuse me? We’re a hero
association, and our goal is to help and protect people,” I say.
“But you’re allied with the
Catholic Church and trying to make others believe in the same things as you.”
“Your point?”
“There’s no difference between you
and the other religions, denominations, and other ideologies, who just want to
impose their beliefs onto others and change the country into what they want.”
“What are you doing here then?
Trying to stop us and make us change our ways? If you are, then aren’t you imposing
your beliefs on us?”
“Yeah, but-”
“What makes your beliefs so special
and free from criticism? What god do you represent, or do you get to decide
what’s right and wrong?”
“Listen, we-”
I hold up my hand and say, “I get
wanting to defend your beliefs against extremists, but upstaging others at
their own events isn’t the way to do it. Instead, it’s done through dialogue
and action, and since this is my home’s event, why don’t we treat you to some southern
hospitality while we talk?”
Completely stunned, the group of troublemakers
whispers to one another as the crowd around them waits in anticipation for
their answer. The pressure of the people around them and their kind push to accept
my offer gets them to accept it.
“Don’t think that your gifts will
change my mind,” one of the superhumans says.
“I don’t expect it to. Now, let’s
have some fun.”
I bring the group of superhumans to
different areas of the festival, leaving Timeo by himself to handle our table, which
he doesn’t mind too much, and trusts me to handle the troublemakers. They get a
taste of the best foods that Poca Bellezza has to offer, learns of our history
dating back to the founding of our country, the Columbian Union, and our many custom-made
clothes, gifts, and trinkets.
While we eat together, one of the superhumans
says, “Why do you have to tell people what’s right and wrong, and can’t just let
them live the way they want to?”
“What someone considers right isn’t
always right. For example, you think it’s wrong for me to evangelize through
helping people as a hero. Another example was when I was saving a suicidal girl
from a rooftop. She thought there was nothing good to live for and thought the
right idea was to kill herself. I had to convince her of God’s existence and
that He loves her so that she could go on living. Do you think I should’ve
stopped her?”
“…no…”
Next up, I show the natural beauty
of the land to the superhumans. Together, we have a little race that they seem
to enjoy as we compete against one another to see who can reach our destination
first.
As we take in the sights, another
superhuman asks me, “What makes you think your beliefs are right over other people’s?”
“Unlike other people, I believe the
truth that I know to be right and doesn’t fit what I feel comfortable with. The
truth is that most people accept beliefs that fit their idea of what it should
be rather than accept the truth as it is, even if they don’t find it convincing
or comfortable,” I say.
“There’s also the fact that you got
powers because of your God, or rather, an experiment that involved a theory
that involved His supposed existence and link to people getting powers. Is that
another reason why you believe the things you do?”
“Not really, no. We can go to the
adoration chapel I frequently visit if you want to meet Him yourself.”
The superhumans agree with me, and
we spend some silent time in adoration. After, we head back to the festival for
desserts, music, and dancing. There, I see my wife, Deborah, who is with my son
and has been wondering where I was.
“Are these the people Timeo said you
were with?” she asks.
“Yes. They’re friends of mine,” I
say.
“Friends?” one of them asks.
“The good Lord makes friends of his
enemies, so why shouldn’t I? Come on! Let’s dance with everyone else! They’re
playing one of my favorite songs.”
I grab the hands of my wife and the
superhumans I’m with and drag them into the dancing circle. To be honest, I don’t
dance very well, despite always wanting to. My friends and family always say
that I dance like a drunken idiot, who never drinks, but I don’t care if I get
laughed at or how bad I dance as long as everyone has a good time. By the end
of it, the superhumans I’ve been showing around town have permanent smiles on
their faces that don’t go away until I point them out.
“I was wrong to test you, John,”
one of them admits. “Your example of constantly putting yourself in danger,
your simple honesty, and helping people without care for who they are or their beliefs
was all I really needed to know that you’re actually a good guy. Forgive me for
being rude and stupid, and please, allow us to be allies.”
“I accept,” I say as I shake hands
with my new friends.
They leave to properly sign up as
my allies back at my table. A tap on my shoulder turns my attention to Timeo,
who is standing behind me and smiling.
“Good work,” he says.
“Ah, it was nothing,” I say.
“It was something. Converting a
critic into an ally is always a big win because they can convert others into thinking
like them. Your suggestion of participating in this festival has paid off for
us more than I expected in more ways than one. We’ve gotten a lot of allies and
new employees who want to work with us because of our charity.”
“Well, I admittedly didn’t expect
us to do that good. It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea I got in prayer, so
thank God for it, not me. Oh! They’re playing another one of my favorite songs!
Let’s dance, Timeo!”
I grab Timeo’s and Deborah’s hands
and go back into the party to dance with them, and celebrate this especially
blessed day. Seeing everyone happy and having fun is what I live to defend, and
my most valued treasure, a gift that I cannot thank God enough for.
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