The Gifts of Imagination
Excitement overtook him, and ever grateful for his eclectic imagination, he exploded with sheer white energy that wrapped around him in a shiny set of marble looking armor almost identical to Hera’s, only etched with silver and gold. He shot forward, swinging his own sword, sending a wave of mental energy that she literally slashed through with a downward strike.
Beaming, he pushed forward with his shield, a concussive blast that sent Hera flying back. She flipped onto her feet, just in time for him to headbutt her hard, through the ground of her temple, revealing it was floating in an empty space. He followed after her, floating down with precision he was unsure how he gained.
“GOOD!” She cheered, her eyes wild with passion. “Hit hard, and show no mercy, but brute force can only take you so far.” Taking in a deep breath, she blew out, shards of what looked like ice flew at him a sharp wave. He shot up, flying to the left as she chased him with those seemingly endless shards.
‘I cannot always evade her… hmm… heat seems boring to me, something creative…’ Eyes lighting up, a smirk crossed his face. Holding out his hand, he squeezed, making Hera squeak in agony as he crushed her ribcage and armor with his thoughts… only, that lasted for about five seconds before her own soft pink energy exploded from within her, healing her form and solidifying into a skintight set of diamond armor.
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“You play dirty, and you are exploring your skills… I love that, but I think you need to see what real skill can do.” Pink diamonds forming around her fingertips, she flicked them at him with such speed that the potent barrier he formed to protect himself was easily pierced, her diamonds entering his skin…
Only, the moment they entered, he realized they had not been diamonds, but seeds, seeds that took root in his very soul, wrapping around him and infecting him with agony not his own. Memories distorted by distance and time. Mother’s giving birth, tearing from the strain. Wives beaten by cold husbands and fathers. Daughters sold like cattle to crusty old men, their hope fading away into obscurity.
Paralyzed in agony that was carried by the very source of Hera’s power, Troy could only endure it…
And yet he saw a path out, something simple but oh so impossible.
“I am sorry,... and I stand for you.” Those words, so simple, the promise of acceptance and duty for those victims of male evils, that act of raw empathy… it rippled outward in a pulse of white light that shifted the agony. Those memories faded with a sigh of hope, the vines fading away, the energy empowering him enough to look up at a stunned Hera. “That sucked.”
She nodded, her eyes wide. “How?”
“I didn’t fight, I accepted the suffering, I gave empathy and they accepted my oath.”
She floated toward him, pulling him into her tanned arms, her pink armor fading away. “That alone is your power, empathy, never forget that. It empowered you to Nexus status, and it will be what saves us all…” She kissed his forehead. “I love you, my sweet.”
And with that he faded away, back into darkness as the strain of his powers were too much to maintain.