Sancio ran.

The church's doors were open as he ran.

He ignored the nuns who were shouting at him as he ran.

He ran, he ran, and he ran.

He didn't feel it yet, but the world around him was shattering.

Others tried to greet him, but he was too trapped in his thoughts.

"Sancio! over here!" kindly old man called out to Sancio.

He owns a well-known bakery at the edge of the town's square where it gets a lot of traffic in the evenings.

"Sancio! you damn bastard look what you've done!" Sancio's eyes widened.

The same kindly old man that beat him when he was a child.

He had a flashback of those days, although he didn't know why.

Sancio knew the old man was not like that anymore, not since he was twelve years of age.

He kept running.

"Hm? I wonder what has gotten him in a hurry?" The kindly old man, named Rolf, contemplated.

"I even had a gift ready for him. oh well." He is going to give it to Sancio at the party.

----------------------------------------

Huff huff

Sancio stopped in an alley leaning against a rocky wall.

'What am I doing?'

Sancio didn't know what was coming to him. it is not easy to find out your life was being completely overhauled.

He wanted to deny it. but Cedric, the man he considered his father, had never lied to him. He is a man of integrity.

His second instinct was to flail and scream with everything he could. But he learned very early in life that this behavior only makes the problem worse.

And so he settled with running away...

""Sancio Happy birthday!"" Two brown haired Twins saw Sancio slumped down in the alley and immediately went to greet him.

Sancio looked at the two boys, both fourteen years old and Sancio's old playmates.

Same brown baggy clothes. Brown eyes, same posture.

"This is what you get, piss head."

"Yeah, get lost!"

Sancio decided to close his eyes again, stepping back.

His negative state of mind brought back memories he would have rather kept buried deep in his subconscious.

"Sancio?" one of the boys couldn't handle the silence and approached.

'I think this one is Theodore?' Sancio snapped out of it.

"Sorry, just." Sancio thought of what to say. "Suffering through some problems right now."

"You have problems though you always lived life to your fullest? didn't know you were bogged down by problems?"

Sancio's eyebrow twitched, This is definitely Theo alright...

"I had no Idea about that as well, you always seemed the one with the solution." The other more mature twin stepped in. “It is not for nothing you were called Mr. Solution.”

His name is Richard, the younger twin of the two.

Certified menaces. They loved running around causing mischief when they were younger as they were orphans, just like Sancio. So they quickly became friends.

But later they were adopted and Sancio stopped hanging out with them.

Then they turned on him. They became just like the rest of them at the time.

This betrayal left a deep scar in his heart.

Sancio chuckled, hiding his resentment. After all, they apologized 3 years ago.

“People do call me that…” Sancio pondered. ‘Solutions, solutions. Maybe he can help me.’

Theodore couldn’t withstand the awful silence just when he was about to open his mouth.

Suddenly a grin came to Sancio’s face “you guys gave me a good idea, we'll talk later i have to go now.”

“But-” Richard stopped Theodore from speaking. “Okay take care i hope you solve whatever is getting to you.”

Sancio nodded before running once again, but this time he had purpose as he sprinted to the place the answers might lie.

“Um, He dropped something.” Theo picked up a bag, it seemed to be full of coins.

Theo’s eyes immediately started shining.

“Wait, we can’t spend others' money, it is impolite.” Richard tried to stop theo but he already knew it was a lost cause.

----------------------------------------

Sancio finally stopped. Catching his breath.

He is now in front of a door to a Shabby house, no better than his own.

He knocked.

No answer.

But Sancio knew it was only a matter of time until-

"The heck, who's calling me at such an early- oh. it's you."

The door opened to introduce a shabby old man scratching his head using his large arms that seem to be able to carry anything.

His big gray beard slid down to his chest. a beer belly not matching with his lean upper frame.

This is the blacksmith of the village and former adventurer.

He is Halvard. Halvard the protector.

or at least that's what he heard when talking to other villagers.

Harvard didn't like talking about his past.

He doesn't like a lot of things. But Sancio likes to stick around him because...

He is the only one who treats Sancio the same from the very first day they met.

He stills remembers the first day Sancio met him.

----------------------------------------

Teach me how to make things!

no.

Please teach me!

Absolutely not.

Pretty please?

No, and if you keep insisting, I'll kick you out.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

If you don't teach me, I'll tell Maylene that you like her.

Now listen here you little sh-

----------------------------------------

Truly a good man.

He even blushed back then.

"What do you want, brat? can't even get my beauty sleep in here."

Clearing his eyes using thumb and index finger, he made his annoyance known.

"Just a little visit. nothing serious."

Sancio, putting both hands behind his head, walked inside the cottage as if it were his own.

With a sigh. the old man seemed to have woken up somewhat.

He glares at Sancio.

His auburn eyes stared at Sancio menacingly. before turning into one of astonishment at Sancio's sweat and shortness of breath.

He could only conclude that Sancio was running from something.

"What were you running from? there better be no giant spider destroying my cottage again!"

His panic was evident as he tried and failed to put on nearby armor because of his beer belly.

"Nothing like that is coming I swear! I would never do something like that. again."

Sancio's laughing denial made Halvard stop and stare at Sancio with annoyance as Sancio took a chair and sat down.

"I already said I'm sorry for that. Also, where else was I supposed to go? You are the strongest person I know!"

Sancio sang his praises, but Halvard still didn't seem amused. Silence took over the cottage room.

With a huff Halvard picked up another chair.

"I won't ask again, kid. Who were you running from? Didn’t you say yourself, "If you have a problem, you need to face it head on."”

Halvard isn't the type of man to engage in small talk, he saw Sancio was bothered by something by his unusual silence.

So, he went straight to the meat of the matter.

And

"I am destined to be the hero."

Sancio responded in kind.

However,

Those were not words Halvard ever expected to hear.

He looked into Sancio's eyes to see if there were any traces of deceit.

"What do you mean by 'destined to be a hero' you probably had a weird dream."

Halvard immediately denied that possibility.

"It's true, I was just in the church; The Pope told me that the prophecy says I'm the hero."

By that point, both men- no, both boy and man were sitting on chairs facing each other.

“And I don't know what to do.” Sancio broke their eye contact, looking at the floor instead.

Halvard was in a thinking position.

"That beard really doesn't suit you." was what Halvard settled on.

"Teacher! This is serious! I don't want to be a hero! And you should know best why!"

Sancio wasn't just referring to Halvard's past as an adventurer.

But also, the man who told him that being a hero is not what Sancio wants.

Heck. Halvard made great efforts to make Sancio give up on his dream when he was twelve.

truly, that was the most eventful year of his life.

But that is not the point, Halvard succeeded greatly in injecting Sancio with the reality of being a hero.

"-So, you are saying that the bastard knew all along and he never told me? never told you?"

Sancio told him most of what happened. Halvard looked absolutely livid.

Sancio has never seen the old man so mad before.

even with his many mischiefs against the old man he had never driven him to look like that.

but he calmed himself.

"Today is a special day. Let's not forget. it is your coming of age."

Halvard stood up with a serene look on his face.

"So, you remembered." Sancio had a happy smile on his face.

Halvard picked up a small box in the drawer next to his bed.

"'Course I did brat." he presented the box to Sancio "For you."

Sancio frowned at the gift, not because he didn't enjoy gifts, but because of the type of content that was in such a small box.

Halvard seemed to read Sancio's mind.

"Not grandiose enough for your coming of age?" Halvard smirked. "I thought the same thing when I received it as well."

"When did you receive it?" Sancio now started to become curious.

"It is an object passed down by generations in my family, also received in my coming of age, open up now." Halvard sat back down after giving a short explanation and urged Sancio to open it.

Sancio hesitated, not knowing what to expect.

Halvard had always been 'predictable' to Sancio for a lack of a better word.

Sancio knows this man better than most people.

He expected to get maybe a tool or a customer to prove his blacksmith skills.

When Sancio opened the box.

"A ring?" Halvard is not the kind of man to give such girly things. Especially to another man.

It seemed to be an ordinary gold ring.

"Are you perhaps proposing to m-"

"Say one more world and I'll smash you out the wall."

Halvard had his fist up showing that he would choose violence if it came to that.

"Ok but what exactly is this?"

"It's an artifact. My lineage used to give this to the strongest people in the family, I especially used it a lot during my adventuring days."

Halvard had a look full of melancholy reminiscing about his past.

"It helps you retain calm in the face of danger. it is very useful for new adventurers."

Sancio believed every word Halvard said without doubt. That is just how much he trusted the man.

"Why are you giving me this?"

Sancio felt this was a bit convenient. could have lied about the whole hero, he knew he lied a lot in the past.

How did Halvard believe in him so quickly?

Halvard huffed. "Because I was going to give and tell you everything about that ring anyway. Now move along, I don't have all day to entertain you."

Sancio frowned. "But still, what should I do about the hero thing?" Sancio felt relieved after telling Halvard everything. and the ring seemed to work out its effect as well.

"I'll go talk to Cedric. todays' birthday boy shouldn't worry about such things anymore." Halvard made a gesture to signal Sancio to get out. "Leave."

"Thanks for the gift teacher, I'll be on my way." It is one of Cedric's conditions of when he decided to teach Sancio.

The rule is 'if you are dismissed, you are dismissed. period.'

So Sancio, who has regained some stability back in the world, set off with spirits high.

Halvard shook his head.

"Come out Xavier, I know you are there.”

It almost seemed as if he materialized himself. The same scary old man, the people call The Pope, made an appearance. His regular church atire was no longer on him. The casual T-shirt and pants he wore, However did not cut his menacing yet magestic visage.

"Don't be like that Halvard, it seemed like you were meeting your archnemesis." Xavier gave a bitter laugh. "so how did the boy take it?"

"it wasn't very kind of you to spy in our conversation like that."

"Know my personality very well Halvard, I am NOT a slave to the Church."

"I'm not convinced"

The banter continued. One could see they were good friends once upon a time.

"He didn't take it well." Halvard started. "I've never seen Sancio so lost before."

Xavier nodded, "it is better like that, He will be finally able to get out of this stagnant state."

'He hasn't grown up a lot in the last three years' Xavier thought in disadisfaction.

Sancio’s growth in the early years of his life was monumentous. For a few years Xavier thought Sancio was the hero with no doubt whatsoever. Sancio had truly impressed him.

Yet, that little gift he had given Sancio, the one in his twelfth birthday, took away all his incentive to get stronger. It’s a Bloody Shame.

“He doesn’t want it.” Harvard finally said what he thought. “This hero business is not for him. It is not what he wants.”

‘Huh?’ The pope was startled but then he chuckled.

“Really? Is that you speaking or is that the boy saying that?”

Halvard chose to remain silent.

“I am not stupid, I know what you taught him and yet he still has an unmatched heroic spirit.” Xavier shook his head “you don’t have as much influence as you might think, Halvard”

Halvard clenched his fist. He knew it was futile.

Throughout the history of this continent the prophesied Heroes must leave their life of comfort to save the continent.

And if they don’t? Another will not take their place. Halvand now knows for sure Sancio had been gromed to be a hero since his birth.

Heroes are those with special characteristics. Some say they are blessed by God, others say they are simply superior to the normal folk.

There have been cases throughout history where heroes ran away from their responsibilities resulting in the worst tragedy in all of The Misteal Continent’.

“What are the chances that he is the one? And what guarantee do you hold that he will be able to do the job?” A hero not wanting to meet his duties holds itself a huge stigma.

But Halvard held hope.

“You have grown attached to him haven't you?” Xavier’s look became stern. “I still remember when you tried to kill-”

“Don’t bring that up Xavier, why can you be so childish?” Halvard grumbled, stopping Xavier.

“To answer your previous question, the chances of Sancio being a hero is still high, even if he did stagnate in these last few years. He must still go to the trials no matter what. No matter if he can do them or not.”

Xavier looked at his old friend in the eye, who was looking at him with a little bit of resentment.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Xavier sighed.

“You were never good at hiding secrets, even if you were more on the quiet side. Your body language gave you away completely.” Xavier then put a thought full expression, “but then again you were able to hide that matter from him.”

Halvard grumbled again. He doesn't like his weakenesses spoken of.

“Anyways, for the next three days don’t put any useless knowledge inside his mind. Instead let him spend his time with his friends and loved ones. You know the procedure, I need to continue with the preparations. Goodbye my friend.”

Xavier felt satisfied after saying that, saying his goodbyes and leaving.

Halvard was left there to think about what he should do next.

However, in the end, he decided he couldn’t do anything.

Someone like him doesn’t deserve to be in Sancio’s life directly.

So he will support Sancio in whichever way he can, in the shadows.