Lyon POV:

Keo ‘The Superman’ Yeboah.

Once the villagers heard that he had personally come to their aid, they fell to the ground shouting out his name. They smiled through the stream of tears as they held one another; they were truly safe now.

The villagers and soldiers conversed—sharing the many stories they had heard about ‘The Superman,’ and his feats that went beyond the continent of Idora. Everyone respected him, many looked up to him and some wanted to be him.

That same living legend was, once again, standing right in front of me. I should have been ecstatic, but the moment he returned alone—my heart dropped. It sank to the bottom of my stomach while my eyebrows curved inwards.

I bit my trembling lip as he turned to the villagers. They looked at him with expectant eyes, but I already knew. I already knew that it was too late.

“I’m sorry. There were no survivors.”

His firm voice remained unshakeable as he delivered the devastating news. Some of the villagers sobbed loudly, huddling together and offering shoulders of support.

My knees gave way, sending me to the ground with a loud thud as I stared at him in disbelief. I shook uncontrollably; my tears spilling over and wetting my cheeks as its descent continued.

‘It... can’t be... It can’t be!’

I denied it.

I denied the reality in front of me. My head throbbed while something inside fragmented; opening up a path that sent ripples of pain across my body as I recalled my parents. Blood gushed out of my nose, forcing me to grip my head while I screamed.

It was all my fault.

I blamed myself for leaving.

I blamed myself for running too slow.

I blamed myself for everything.

‘Dad... Mum...’

My fists struck the dry ground as I roared. They were all I had, and now they had been taken away from me against my will.

“It’s not fair!!”

My bloodshot eyes fell upon the villagers. More and more of them began to look my way as my outburst continued. They looked at me with soft eyes, wanting to comfort me, but I simply glared at them instead, forcing them away in the process.

I got to my feet as my boiling rage continued to grow. I needed to release it somehow. I blamed myself, but was it really my fault?

My gaze shifted to the soldiers.

‘These useless trash! Look how far I had to run just to meet up with them! They never would have made it in time!!’

I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood while Captain Gain met my fierce gaze head on. He narrowed his eyes and was about to take a step forward when Keo Yeboah moved first.

‘Ah..., yes... Yes, that’s right. He reached the village in seconds...’

I cocked my head to the side as I raised my trembling finger towards him. He could have done something sooner. He could have saved my parents. I convinced myself that this was the case and lashed out.

“IT’S YOUR FAULT! They say you’re a legend! They call you, ‘The Superman,’ yet you couldn’t even save my parents?!!”

I quickly felt breathless as I panted heavily. I could see the sadness in his eyes, and instantly regretted it. I felt horrible and guilty.

“S-sorry... I’m sorry...”

My hand fell back down to my side while I struggled to hold back the tears. I didn’t mean to... take it out on our saviour.

I watched his lips curve into a soft smile as he crouched down. He placed his large hand on my head while his golden brown eyes glowed faintly.

“No matter how powerful a person is, they can’t be everywhere at the same time.”

His voice drifted across the plains like a gentle breeze—comforting those in the area including myself.

“Those who stayed behind sacrificed themselves, not only because it was their duty, but because they believed in you—all of you.”

Keo Yeboah’s gaze lingered on me for awhile before his attention turned to the rest of the villagers huddled to the right.

“Because you are their hope. As long as one of you lives on, you can carry on their lives in your own way—you can remember who they were and what they did. You are and always will be connected.”

My eyes widened while an endless stream of tears flowed down my cheeks. I felt my mind stabilize as I committed his words to heart. At the time, I didn’t completely understand it, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.

He turned his head back to me and ruffled my hair.

“There is nothing wrong with wanting strength, but what about those you want to protect? Become strong, Lyon Asphalios, and strengthen those around you. Only then will you grasp it.”

The voice of a living legend echoed deeply within me. He grinned and ruffled my hair again before getting back to his feet.

I stared at the cheering villages in a daze. Their expressions of sadness had mostly vanished, replaced with strength and conviction as they looked ahead with hope.

My gaze shifted towards Keo Yeboah’s wide back while he spoke with Captain Gain. It reminded me of my father’s back, and how wide it looked having to carry the weight of keeping the village safe.

But what about ‘The Superman’? What weight was he carrying? The Empire? I couldn’t tell, but all I knew was that it was unimaginable.

And in that moment, I only had one thought: I want to be like him.

The corners of my lips rose slightly while I looked up at the blue sky. I didn’t bother to wipe the tears away, instead choosing to let them flow.

‘Dad... Mum... I love you.’

***

6 years later.

The tavern was noisier than usual. Glasses clashed together followed by loud belches mixed within drunken laughter. The customers immersed themselves in deep conversations, occasionally stopping to try and flirt with the waitresses.

The corners of my mouth rose as I rested my back against the wall with closed eyes. The waitresses had kindly let me stretch out my legs on some spare chairs, taking extra care to make sure that I was comfortable. I made sure to give them my thanks while I listened in on the talks around me.

“Kuha! That hits the spot! I swear, I’ll never get tired of drinking~”

“Keep going like that and you’ll die early, Maro.”

“You’re no fun, Ferni.”

The two men conversing were regulars here. Whether it was early in the morning, or late at night, you were bound to find Maro drinking here without a care in the world.

‘Hmm.’

There was a time when I wondered how he could live like that, but that was before I knew better.

An escape can be anything.

Fortunately, he met Ferni, and they quickly became best friends. That hope that he thought had vanished, made itself known again; he began to walk forward.

Before he knew it, he had found himself a lovely wife. Even Ferni was engaged the last time I worked here all those years ago.

“Listen here, Ferni. I hear there’s going to be an important announcement tomorrow.”

Maro lowered his voice to a whisper while I recalled seeing several technicians running around, making sure the broadcast artifacts were working correctly.

‘It’s related after all.’

“Oh, really?”

“Mmm, they say the Emperor visited the King of Efros, but before he could even finish explaining the contents of the announcement—the King had already agreed.”

Maro slammed the large jug down on the table as he boasted about his incredible information-gathering skills.

“Ho? You better double-check your sources, Maro. That information... is wrong.”

My eyebrows dropped down slightly. A third party had entered the conversation; his presence dampening the lively atmosphere instantly.

“Tch. Since you’re so confident, let’s hear what you know, Carl.”

I sighed inwardly, hoping that the two of them wouldn’t cause a commotion. I could already feel the boss’s gaze resting on me once Carl made himself known.

“Ha, then allow me to first correct a few things. Firstly, it was the Council Leader who visited the King, not the Emperor.

Secondly, once the King heard that the Emperor agreed with the Council Leader’s plan, he agreed before hearing the complete explanation.”

Though I had only ever focused on doing my job when I worked here, there were odd occasions when the only customers in the tavern were those three men. In those instances, I had no choice but to listen to their discussions or arguments.

So, perhaps the brimming confidence in Carl’s voice would be better described as arrogance.

“Well, you’re not me, so don’t worry about it too much.”

The fact that they were so brazenly revealing this information, along with my earlier observations, most likely meant it wasn’t as valuable as they made it out to be.

“Seriously? The main point is still the same anyway.”

“Not really. The Council Leader will be the one to make the announcement.”

“...That could be problematic.”

I agreed with Ferni’s sentiment. If the Council Leader was involved, then this was no longer a simple announcement.

“There’s been a lot of construction work happening all over Efros. Whatever it is, it seems like it’s a big deal.”

“Hmph. You’re still a wet wipe for always pointing out the finer details.”

“Ha, That’s always been your problem—the details matter, Maro. Oh well, I didn’t expect much from you in the first place.”

The chatter from the rest of the customers instantly died. It was replaced by a taut tension that pressed down on the tavern.

“Carl, it sounds like you forgot the beating I gave you last time.”

“Ho? That’s not how I remembered that fight going.”

The screeching sound of wooden chairs being dragged away from the table was nostalgic. Customers grumbled to themselves quietly as they moved away from their seats, not wanting to get caught up in whatever was about to happen.

“What do you think, Oddjob?”

My eyes flashed open as Carl and Maro awkwardly shook hands while pretending to whistle. Maro’s wife would be furious if she found out he was disturbing the peace, and Carl’s girlfriend would give him a beating for aggravating others.

Naturally, the only option left was to compromise, since I knew them both personally. My lips curved into a short smile before parting to answer Ferni’s question.

“Let’s wait and see.”

Ferni let out a sigh before grinning while Maro laughed heartily. Carl sat back down slightly annoyed as he took a sip out of the large jug.

“Ha, I don’t know why I expected him to say something different. I swear he came back wiser, or is it just me?”

“Looks like we agree on something, Carl. Now, let’s have a proper drink!”

I closed my eyes again as the lively atmosphere abruptly returned. I could feel that something huge was on its way.

‘Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll shake not just Efros, but the whole Empire.’