Never Heroes: Act I

Chapter 15

Never Heroes

Act I

XV: Memories

Tahere brought them back fifteen years. Not only did they see what was happening, but they felt it, too. Trapped inside their bodies from a different time, they watched in awe as they relived memories buried so deep all had forgotten. They had no control over themselves, as they had already lived through this moment. Every time their bodies moved they felt the impact of their feet hitting the earth; each beat of their heart was felt; from blinking to breathing, they truly were reliving it all.

Heavy clouds covered the sky over that familiar park. The gazebo was a freshly painted brown, unlike the faded and peeling paint that covered it now. Soft, green grass was just below their feet. It only took one look to know that they were thirteen. Walter had yet to hit that weird growth spurt that sent him towering over the others. Doug was with them; his family situation made him an outcast the next school year.

"Holy s**t, this is weird," Doug said, his voice echoing in the minds of all the others.

"Why the hell is that asshole inside my head?" Emily asked.

"You are merely observing. You are free to communicate," Tahere explained.

No one wanted to. They were too enthralled by reliving their childhood quite literally. Armed with sticks as swords and garbage can lids as shields, there was a massive duel going on. Mingling amid the four were friends of the past, each so young almost no one could recognize them.

Chip felt his stick made solid contact on another kid's leg. Despite moving away with a hop, the kid refused to fall. He heard his young voice shout, "I hit you, Kyle!"

"Didn't!" Kyle claimed.

"Then why is there blood on my stick?" he asked. Sure enough, there was a very small amount of fresh blood on the makeshift weapon, corresponding to the chunk of skin missing from Kyle's calf. Annoyed, Chip thought to charge after him but decided it wasn't worth it. Even as a child, he didn't care for confrontation.

Tahere's voice invaded their thoughts. "The barrier between Kingdoms had been weakened. Saeed's father, King Parviz, was already at war with another Kingdom when contact was made."

There was a sudden sense of anticipation that built inside all of their guts. As their faux war continued amid themselves, only Sarah noticed the newcomer makes its arrival. Situated farthest back, having grown out of such kiddish games, Sarah watched the fights with little interest. Yet an abrupt burst of air forced her to turn around.

She never saw where the newcomer came from. All she saw was a grown man stumble to the ground, dark skinned with slight stubble covering his face, his body clad in red and gold armor. Motionless, he laid waiting for death to arrive. While most people would have been mildly terrified over this, Sarah was curious and concerned. Her eyes left the stick fights and she focused her entire being solely on the man that had just appeared.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Chip, upon hearing Sarah's voice, felt his heart stop. This was the closest he would ever get to being near her again. Somber thoughts invaded his head, and the others felt them clearly. Although it wasn't pleasant, no one wanted to say a word to Chip about it. Instead, they just let him continue to let his mind wander, hoping nostalgia and happiness would soon take depression's place.

The man heard Sarah's voice and looked up at her. She knelt near him, unfazed by the blood that seeped through the cracks in his armor and stained the grass. Her hands went to apply first aid but the man stopped her. Gasping for air, he said, "You... come to my aid?"

"I would if you'd let me," she shot back.

"Damn, she was a firey b***h. I'd forgot," Emily noted.

"No... King Parviz requires aid," he said.

Before she could say a word, Chip noticed the exchanged and called out to her, "Hey, Sarah! What's up?"

Left open as he addressed Sarah, he was struck in the back of the head by Kyle hard enough that he felt the world go black for a brief second. Unable to respond to the hit, he felt Kyle's taunting laughter expound the ache in his head.

"Why is there blood on my stick?" Kyle mocked. He got about one more good chuckle in before Walter's fist smashed into his face, effectively shutting him up. Now with a split lip, Kyle couldn't even smile. "What the heck, Walt?"

Walter said nothing. He shook his sore fist as he turned away. Chip was helped to his feet by Walter and the two of them approached. By this point, Emily had already knelt with Sarah next to the stranger, somehow strangely fascinated by the sight of a grown man about to take in his last breath of air. Upon seeing the blood, Walter took the reasonable approach and said, "We need to call for help."

"I must get back to - "

The man was interrupted when a hand shot through an invisible wall, seemingly appearing out of thin air. Hesitantly the hand moved around, as though feeling for something dangerous. Then, that hand was joined by the rest of the body. Before them stood another man, towering over their tiny bodies, his face concealed by a metal mask and his armor dinged and dirtied.

There were no words exchanged. This stranger produced a sword which was rammed in a flash through the body of the man on the ground. All of the kids jumped back, terrified by the sight. Just to ensure the man was dead, this newcomer removed the sword and stabbed the body one more time.

Silence invaded the area. The cheerful chirps of birds and the rustling of the trees were the only sounds heard. Each child held their breath as they felt the eyes of the murderer on them. Each waited to see what the next move was, who was next to die. Being frightened into stillness was a sensation that hit each to their core and no one could shake the feeling.

Suddenly, the murderer collapsed. Revealed to be behind him was a man in a priest's robe, his hand outstretched as he effectively ended a life. Now with two dead before them, the children felt their hearts race as fight-or-flight mode kicked into gear. Apparently, for each one of them, it was fight.

Chip was the first to react, as he snatched up one of the swords and pointed it toward this priest. Unperturbed by a child with a weapon he could barely hold, the priest ignored the wordless threat. The priest's eyes were focused solely on the man in red and gold armor. Terror was painted on the expression of the priest as he beheld the body.

"We have failed... I have failed..." the priest mumbled. Lightly, he placed two fingers upon his own forehead and closed his eyes. This lasted but a few seconds before they reopened. He turned to Sarah and said, "The last to offer him hope. Thus, the one to inherit my failures."

As he shifted to approach her, Chip planted himself firmly between the two. "Don't get near her!"

"The one to inherit his sword? It must be fate that we ended up in a new Kingdom," the priest said. A long, tense moment passed as the priest did nothing but watch each slight twitch Chip made as he assessed him. Finally he said, "You are just a child, though. No matter. It must be the will of God. I grant you the powers of eternal light and the sacred duty of my life."

There was no light show or sounds. The priest raised his hand up and appeared to pray for a quick five seconds before he slumped over. Sarah, overcome with a wave of energy, also crumpled. Chip dropped the sword and caught her before her head could smash into the unforgiving earth.

"So, it was pure coincidence then, that this entire thing happened. We weren't chosen or destined to be heroes," Walter observed.

"Perhaps, Grand Master. Yet if Chip had not successfully picked up General Hasih's sword, then Brother Darius never would have given his life to Sarah. Above all, serving our King and our Church are the greatest duties we have. Brother Darius knew that, having failed to protect whom he was sent to, he had to give his life and duty to another person, but only if that person had someone that they, too, should protect," Tahere explained.

"What if the King and the Church are at odds with each other?" Walter asked.

"... for me, that does not matter, Grand Master. I exist to serve you. King and Church are irrelevant."

"Can you both be quiet? I'm trying to focus on what's happening," Emily complained.

Tahere and Walter both heeded her request. It was just in time. A dozen soldiers barreled through the invisible barrier, and each kid had to scramble to get out of the way. Most of the soldiers were injured and they were followed by enemies that chased after them. A fierce battle erupted and each man focused solely on killing the one before them. None were taken aback about arriving in a strange new world.

Sometime during this scuffle, the cops were called. Perhaps they were alerted the first time one appeared. Either way, about half a dozen police officers dashed across the open green way of the park, their hands at their guns just in case. Shouting at the "LARPers" to put down the weapons and break it up, the cops clearly had no idea what they were walking into.

Of course, none of the soldiers listened. When one swung their weapon at an approaching officer, a half a dozen guns were firing relentlessly at the group. None of the bullets hit a single target. All of the lead projectiles were dropped inches before striking a person. Panic hit everyone after that, no one sure what exactly had just happened.

There, in the middle of it all, stood Sarah, her hands outstretched between the two groups. Through her new found powers, she stopped the entire battle with a simple gesture. Guns and swords both fell to the ground just as she wished. All of the soldiers in red and gold did not hesitate to drop to a knee, as though bowing to a god.

"Did she become a super human or something?" Doug asked.

"The powers of the Church are eternal," Tahere said.

"What the f**k does that mean?" Emily asked.

"Whatever she wishes to have happen, may happen, so long as she is pure and just. Unless she gives her powers to another as Brother Darius had, she cannot be defeated in any battle," Tahere said.

"Jesus. Talk about OP," Doug mumbled.

"Then... how did she die? Who did she give her powers to? I don't understand," Chip questioned. The tone of his voice caused everyone to feel their throats dry. It was strange to have such a sensation when essentially without a body.

Tahere hesitated to respond. The invading silence was irritating for all four. Sensing the uneasy atmosphere, Tahere pulled them from their memories.

Shocked back to the present and into their adult bodies, they were not happy to find themselves no longer in their own world. In a darkened room with a single table in the center, they could make out only one face.

Greeting them with a smile, Saeed said, "Welcome back to my Kingdom. I hope Tahere had enough time to remind you of your past."

"Barely," Walter said. Saeed could feel the bark Walter tried to hide and made it known when his face twisted. Walter saw this and tried to bring peace when he said, "But I think we're starting to remember."

"Good," Saeed said as his smile returned. He sent a nod to Tahere; with a wave of her hand, the table presented to them a view of their battles that they had when they were children. Each viewed the screen with interest, surprised to find themselves waging bloody war against an enemy that they could barely remember. It was odd to see kids mixed in duels with full-fledged adults. It didn't make any sense to any of them.

"We survived all this?" Chip asked.

"Of course," Saeed said. "It was the will of God that you were brought into that war. Why else would such a thing happen? You all proved your worth in each fight. Even the Minstrel, undrafted by our Church or my father, and yet still he fought valiantly until the end. Only you and your allies could have fought off the Interfector when our forces were so low. Brother Darius made a praiseworthy decision. Two different wars, two different years in your Kingdom, and even when your allies left, you four and Sister Sarah continued to battle. Monuments exist in my kingdom in your honor. Holidays exist because of the battles you won."

"So why the f**k exactly are we here now?" Emily asked.

"I sent my best soldiers to your aide. From this room, I have the power to view any moment as it happens, or any moment as it has had happened. After my father was overthrown I consulted the Church and they sent me here to reconnect with you. I discovered that you were being betrayed by your Kingdom, and I wish to help," he said.

"Then... is that why we don't have our memories? We were betrayed? Lied to?" Walter asked, still not completely convinced.

"No. Your memories were kept from you per orders of those in charge. A pact. Between your Kingdom and our Church. When my father went against the Church, the High Orders lifted their work on your memories. Sister Sarah being one of them," he said.

"What happened?" Chip demanded. The firmness of his question was bit unsettling. It was becoming clear to them all that too many details were being left out. Saeed said nothing. Instead, he looked to Tahere, hoping she could do something. Chip caught the eye shift and focused on her when he said, "Can you show me what happened? I mean, if you can take me to my past, you can take me to her, right?"

"I can take you to any moment that has ever existed, any moment that could have ever been," she said calmly.

"Then take me to her!" Chip ordered. Childish Chip was showing himself as he allowed tears to stain the corner of his eyes, his fists balled up as though he was prepared to fight, and his cheeks flushed red with anger.

Tahere couldn't without Walter's permission. When she looked to him, he realized this and decided he didn't want to make Chip watch Sarah die. He tried to reason with him, "Chip, listen. That's the past now. You can't change it. We have to focus on moving forward. We've confirmed that you were right about Interfector, isn't that enough for now?"

"No! Take me to her now!" he screamed.

Walter sighed. Chip's maturity when it came to Sarah was still at about the seventh grade. Then, he turned to Tahere and nodded. "Let him see. But only him."

"What?! Why?" Doug cried.

"Because... it's not our business."

"What the hell, man?! Just because you weren't friends with them for like the last eight years doesn't mean the rest of us stopped caring!" Doug argued. He wasn't even sure what caused him to be so adamant about. Perhaps it was just due to the guilt he felt of having failed to see the signs. All of them were responsible in his eyes, so maybe seeing the act happen he could start to heal. He needed to see her commit the act herself, that was all.

Patience gone, Walter was ready to snap. There was no desire in him to see her die. It was bad enough having to read her note and then seeing her body in the casket. To watch the last breath of life leave her body was not something he had planned on. The thought alone was making him sick in a way he had never felt before. Finally, Walter shouted, "Fine! Tahere, show us all! Show us what happened to Sarah!"