As the world came back into focus, the first thing Ahmed noticed was the overwhelming sense of power flowing through him. Even as his other senses came back into focus, he could feel energy that he could only barely understand flowing through every inch of his body. This must be what high abilities feel like. He thought. He could hardly wait to find out what his newly enhanced rank was. He had known that gaining a Calling would raise his primary abilities, it was the reason that his family never invested any money into elixirs or pills that could raise those abilities until their children had undergone their Calling. But he had never expected it to feel like this. He felt dozens, no, hundreds of times more powerful than before. His hearing returning back to him, kicked Ahmed out of his wonder.

“...But still, I fear for his martial ability.” Mahun said, his tone laced with more worry than Ahmed had ever heard.

“Your fear is not unreasonable in that regard. However, I am aware of the reason for that failing, and I have reason to believe that he should be able to overcome that limitation with the Hero Calling. It’s very nature is to overcome limitations.” The response from Balthazar was calm and reassuring, if a touch exasperated. “Besides, I have no plan to make it known that a Hero has been Called. If he cannot overcome this trial, then he can alway be a Priest. This is something of an experiment. He truly has potential, but I cannot foresee what the future holds. Hemel handed that away to that mistake seven years ago. Now Gun takes actions that jeopardize everything. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“I fear he will not withstand the pressure. If he must hold the weight of our hopes…” Mahun’s voice was heavy.

“Hold fast. He is not the only hope for our world. There are others. In fact, I think it best he be trained in secret. Let none know his true Calling. That way, if he fails, it will mean nothing to anyone but us. Now hush, he will return to his senses soon, and he must believe that this is his only path for him to truly excel.” Then he laughed lightly. “Although, for him to be a Hero in truth… He very well could save the entire universe. ‘Iwant to help people’ indeed. There is no one better to help than a Hero. He best be grateful. He will never get a better chance to help than this.”

It was another moment or two before Ahmed felt the rest of his body begin to return to him. His mind was once more in turmoil. What was this? It sounded like he was to be a Hero in name only. He wasn’t even sure how to feel about that. It sounded like Balthazar truly believed he had the potential to fulfil that role, but wasn’t exactly betting on him. That was...nice, in a way. Ahmed wasn’t sure he could deal with being the only hope of the entire world. That was a heavy thing. He could barely even begin to imagine the weight of it. And, it was an unbelievably nice feeling that his god believed he had even the slightest chance of living up to the Calling that was revered above all others.

On the other hand, he felt like he was being used as a backup for more viable plans. He just wanted to do the best he could, to help the most he could. To be told that the best he could do was be a remote second or even third option was a bit disappointing. Maybe being just a Priest was better than aspiring to be a Hero and failing. He wasn’t sure, and he doubted he would come to an answer to such a complicated question anytime soon.

Once again his thoughts were cut short by the sudden return of his senses. This time though, all his other senses returned in one rush. Gasping deeply, Ahmed nearly fell over. He could actually feel more than before. Quickly looking around, he realized that not much time had passed, and he had not moved an inch during that time. He was still standing in front of Balthazar in that circle of physical magic that pinned him in place. The only real difference was that both the overwhelming waves of magic, and his god's divine presence had dropped off immensely. He almost felt comfortable.

That and a golden light at the corner of his vision that never changed, no matter where he looked.

“How do you feel, my child?” Balthazar prompted, after Ahmed spent a moment fruitlessly trying to isolate where the light was coming from.

“Ah, Amazing, my god.” He said, falling to one knee, a hand on his chest. Ahmed barely managed to remember that protocol for supplication was different for a Called. Else he would have returned to his previous position, head to the floor. “I thank you from the depth of my soul for this gift. I shall not fail your expectations.”

With those words, Ahmed pushed aside all his various concerns as his thoughts crystallized on one thing. He would not fail. Maybe even his own god did not have faith in him, but he would not fail. He would be a Hero in truth, not just name. He had a path forward, and he would walk it.

“Of course, my child, I have absolute confidence in you. In fact,” Balthazar said, ‘I shall gift you one more thing. A token of my faith in you.”

“I shall receive it gladly, my god.’ Ahmed said, when he realized Balthazar was expecting some kind of response.

“In these coming days, I decree that your Calling shall be kept secret. This shall give you then time you need to grow into your Calling before the full weight of its responsibilities are thrust upon you. However, if you should ever come to doubt my faith in you, Know this. I name you Gabriel Godson, first Hero of your name. You shall bear this as a true sign of my faith in you.”

Gabriel felt a bit of his faith in his god die. It seems that Balthazar was unaware of the extent of the records that Light’s Aegis kept. That, or he had assumed a child would never read into the ancient history of his own family. In either case he was wrong. In his attempts to understand why he had not displayed a Beast bloodline, Gabriel had spent long, long hours digging far back. So he knew his god’s words to be a lie. The first of Light’s Aegis, the ancient, long forgotten progenitor of the organization, before it was even a family, had also been Gabriel. The last Hero of the War of Loss.

Gabriel was not the first Hero of his name.

He was second.

Perhaps Balthazar had meant it as a point that Gabriel could pride himself on later on. A carrying on of his family's legacy. And under different circumstances, maybe Gabriel would have felt that way. It was undoubtedly an honor by any metric. Unfortunately, right now all Gabriel could see was just another way of saying he was the backup. And with it, he felt his newfound resolve rise another notch. He could be more. He would be more. Not a backup, or an offhand experiment. He was a Hero now. He could help. Really help, in a way that mattered. He would show Balthazar that making him a Hero had not been some convenient safeguard, but the best decision he had ever made.

“I will be the best.” He thought, carving those words into his heart. “I will be the greatest Hero to ever live.”

{}

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Balthazar watched on as his most recent Called left the Golden Repose. With a thought, Cloud Gold rose from the floor, forming a resplendent throne and replacing the uncomfortable edifice that had previously held its place. Both majestic and comfortable, he settled into the seat. The other throne was effective for new Called. It gave the proper sense of awe. But it was extremely uncomfortable. Since Balthazar was forced to incarnate in an Avatar, he was subject to the same discomforts as mortals, blunted only partially by his divine nature. He longed for the day he could be rid of that irksome interloper, and reclaim his divine Heaven, along with his previous holdings across the stars. He could only vaguely remember them. The War of Loss had taken its toll, even on his own divine essence.

Thinking of the old days led his thoughts right back to the boy who had just left. A truly interesting case, he mused. To have manifested such a uniquely powerful, but limiting Beast bloodline. Even Balthazar could not see through to its origin. Which meant it came from at least an eighth tier beast, but he suspected its origin to be much grander than that. No, Balthazar was quite sure he knew its origin. If he was right, that boy could succeed where the experiment he and his brethren attempted had failed. A weapon beyond compare, exceeding even the boy's new namesake. It would be glorious. And as an added benefit, he would not have to share any of the glory with his detestable brother.

Balthazar’sa fist clenched. Just thinking of Gun nearly caused him to lose control of his divine aura. To send a sixth tier beast after that, that failure. What was he thinking? Despite any personal feelings Balthazar held about the actual viability of that abomination, it was still their best chance at regaining some of their former territory. If it died, they would be wasting hundreds of years of effort. Not to mention an exceedingly rare latently heroic soul.

Still he mused, relaxing slightly. He had found something equally prized.

“A Celestial soul, huh.” He said to himself. “Let me see what you can become, my little Hero.” And he laughed.

“Heros do their best work under pressure right? Let us see just how much you can take.”

{}

“Son.” Mahun repeated.

“W-What? Sorry Father. I… I am overwhelmed.” Gabriel jumped slightly. Looking around him, he realized they had made it all the way back to the car, and were on their way home.

Mahun nodded sympathetically. “It is a heavy weight you now bear, my son. I am very proud of you. We will teach you all that we can, so you are ready for the trials ahead.”

“Thank you, Father. But how will we hide it? And what do I need to learn in the first place? What do you need to learn to be a Hero?” Gabriel felt torn between joy and fear. He finally had a direction and purpose, yet he still had no idea what to do. It felt like his entire life had changed, but looking at the details, not much had changed. He still didn’t really know what to do. And if anything, the immense pressure to succeed only increased now that he was a Hero.

“Relax, breathe son. For the time being, we can simply treat you as Balthazar stated. To everyone else, you are a Priest, and we will train you as such. This will mean that your martial training will lag behind, but that can be corrected later. As it is, we still need to look at your Portfolio and assess what benefits you have gained from your Calling. Your Called powers may actually allow us some insight into what direction your training should go.”

Right. Gabriel had completely forgotten in the rush of everything else. He felt more powerful. To such a degree it was staggering to think about. Excitement started to swell in him. He had strength, real strength now. He could train with his mother without having her worry about breaking his bones with a half hearted nudge. And Skills! A Calling came with skills and abilities both. He was incredibly curious to know what came with being a Hero. There had been only a handful throughout known history, so the documentation was scarce. He doubted there were any guides, like many had for more common Callings. There would probably be a lot of guesswork on what he could gain going forward.

Gabreil’s musings continued until his father shook his shoulder gently. They were home. “Go and rest. Tomorrow we will announce your calling and begin to look into what you have gained. Good night, Gabriel.”

It was only now that Gabriel noticed how late it was. How was that possible? They had left around mid morning. He had been in the Golden Repose for nearly an entire day! “Yes Father. See you tomorrow.” With that, Mahun headed inside, leaving his son to his thoughts.

“Gabriel huh.” Gabriel said. “I guess I’ll just have to be so great that no one even remembers there was another.” He said quietly to himself, staring at the fading light of the evening. He clenched a fist, feeling new power flow through his whole body. “I will be a Hero. The best. I swear it.”

{}

Not far off, a pile of rags lying under a bush shifted. From within the mass appeared a face. Covered in hair, old food, and other filth, this man was completely at odds with the opulent estate he was sleeping in. Still, the eyes in that old, wrinkled face held as much steel in their cold, black depths as the avatar of Balthazar had on his golden throne. “A Hero eh? Well that might be worth a look. Grim only knows the rest of the little shits around here aren't worth my time. If this one is as worthless as the rest, Jacob is going to owe me some more booze.”

From within the mass of rags surrounding the dirt caked man came an equally dirt caked jar. He tilted the jar over his head, mouth open, only to have a single drop of liquid roll out. He paused, shook the jar slightly, then peered up into it, as if expecting to see the rest of the liquor hiding inside. Then he sighed, and shrugged.

“Maybe I should get that booze now. We’ll call it… a down payment! Yeah, a down payment.” Then he vanished, rags and all.

{}

Gabriel sat down with a heavy sigh. The worship robes were relatively comfortable, but they were still pretty restricting, and it caused weird muscle cramps after a while. Although, thinking about it, Gabriel realized that he actually still felt fine. The sigh after taking off his robes and getting into his sleepwear was more an ingrained habit than a real response to discomfort. He marvelled at how much of a difference having higher primary abilities made. It was already past the time he would normally be asleep, but he didn’t feel physically tired at all. But he still felt tired, mentally. Today had been a lot, to say the least. Gabriel felt all his thoughts caught up in a mess, slowly churning away in the back of his head. Joy and confusion and impatience and, surprisingly enough, disappointment. Being a Hero was the highest calling that Balthazar had ever bestowed, throughout all history. Still, Gaberiel had never wanted anything more than to be a Paladin. Heroes didn’t defend their homes and god from foreign powers. They had to save planets. Gabriel wasn’t sure what to do with all his built up expectations. Sure, he had gone into the Golden Repose expecting to be laughed out, but now that he had actually been called… It just felt underwhelming. Especially considering what he had overheard.

Still, he was committed. If this was what he was going to get, he would own it. No point in regretting things he couldn’t change. He would be the Hero. Not a Hero, the Hero. The paragon of heroics, in a way that his long-distant ancestor never had. No one remembered Gabriel Lightborn, first of his name. He was lost to history. But they would remember him. Even more than that, he thought, some of his lost joy returning, he now had a real way to do positive things in this world. He could really help instead of being a burden. He lay back on his bed pulling the sheets up and settling back, closing his eyes, a smile on his face. Tomorrow was a new day. Where the last few years had been neverending frustration at his inability to grow, he now had a way forward.

Then he frowned. The golden light he had first noticed immediately after his benediction had never gone away. He hadn’t paid it any attention, considering the much, much more important things going on, but now it was actually making it hard to sleep. It was a single point of golden light, just at the far left of his vision. It had not changed in any way this whole time, not that he could notice anyway. With a huff, he tried to focus on it.

Only for it to expand, grow to fill his vision in blinding golden light.