CHAPTER TWO

Origin Story, Part 2

Now that he was here, Sam couldn’t help but reminisce on the last time he’d been in a situation like this.

It had been more than six months ago when he had been commissioned to serve as a healer for a hastily assembled team of heroes tasked with clearing an extermination zone that had popped up in lower Manhattan. During that incident, Sam had failed in his duty not because he wasn’t willing, but because things had gotten so chaotic. He’d used too much of his life force, healing wounds that were too big for his power alone to handle. It was a failure that not only put his own life at risk but caused the deaths of people who were under his care.

Sam had powers; he was gifted, what normal people called individuals who were blessed by the gods with extraordinary gifts, the kind mere mortals could only dream about. But even those with powers had a hierarchy, and in this day and age of constant calamities, everything was about power levels. Sam was a zeta, the lowest tier among the six known power levels. That meant his ability wasn’t particularly strong, despite how useful it might seem.

“I can do this,” he whispered. “I can do this.”

Sam placed his hands over the deep cut above Thunder’s bushy eyebrows. Then he called forth his life force, what little of it he could coax into his fingers, and activated his power.

“Healing Hand,” he commanded.

It never failed to give Sam goosebumps, seeing a nasty wound slowly stitch itself together as if by magic. To make what was once a deep cut into nothing more than pink scar tissue.

“I think I...I got it,” Sam wheezed. He leaned back as black spots appeared in his vision. The small amount of life force he’d given away to heal the cut was already threatening to make him lose consciousness.

Sam wondered just how much more of his life he’d need to give to heal the gaping hole in Thunder’s stomach. But he knew deep down that even if he gave her all of his life force, it wouldn’t be enough to heal an injury that was most likely fatal.

“Godsdammit,” he cursed.

A pale hand latched onto his forearm, forcing Sam’s gaze toward Thunder’s face. Her eyes were less glassy now, and despite the sounds of battle raging ahead of them, her gaze was focused only on Sam.

“You’re a healer…” she said in a voice that was stronger than before. “You’re a hero, too?”

Sam pulled her hand gently away from his arm so he could rip a piece of his shirt off. He was planning to use it as a temporary bandage over her stomach.

“Ex-hero,” Sam shrugged.

“Ex-hero?” The awe in Thunder’s face morphed into one of confusion. “But…no one quits. It’s why we call it the duty that—”

“Cannot be forsworn,” Sam finished for her. “I know, I know. I read all the pamphlets, too.”

He placed the makeshift bandage over the wound and pressed down on it to staunch her bleeding, even though he knew it wouldn’t help much.

“I wasn’t very good at it,” he admitted. “I was a terrible support hero.”

The bandage in his hands was quickly becoming soaked with her blood.

“But you’re here… now…saving me,” Thunder said in an almost challenging tone.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” Sam thought he could see her insides peeking out of the hole in her stomach. “I’m not powerful enough to heal this. I’m just a zeta…”

Sam heard the explosion before he felt the heat graze the skin of his face. Instead of running away—which was what his brain was screaming for him to do—he used his own body to cover Thunder’s wound from the shockwave that raced toward them. Seconds ticked by while the great gust of heated air passed over Sam’s back. But it went as quickly as it came.

“We’re okay,” Sam whispered to Thunder after the shockwave passed. “We’re okay…”

“Get off me,” she complained.

“S-sorry…” he said.

The sounds of something smashing against the asphalt to their immediate right forced Sam’s gaze to turn that way. He didn’t recognize the symbol on the chest armor of the hero who’d just landed beside him, but he felt sorry for the guy—he was missing his head.

“Oh, gods...” Sam couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bloody stump that was half of the man’s neck. “May Charon guide you swiftly to Elysium, brother.”

“Hey, healer, get a grip... Ugh...” Pain streaked across Thunder’s face. “Can you please...finish healing me...before you give in to panic?”

Thunder’s voice was very steady for someone who had a hole in her stomach, although Sam noticed her wince after every breath she took. It was her eyes that really got to him, though. They shone with such hopeful brilliance that he was suddenly scared of letting her down.

Yeah, that was the effect a top-class hero had on people—making them think they could go beyond their limits.

Sam placed his palms over her stomach. Then he urged all the life force he could muster into his hands. But even after making his fingers feel like they were burning from the inside, he still couldn’t close her wound.

“I-I’m sorry...” Sweat dripped down his face. He could feel a massive headache take hold of him. “I’m not powerful enough.”

The memory of his past failure flitted across the surface of his mind, making Sam regret his decision to play hero once again.

Then he felt a hard slap on his face, causing him to blink to alertness.

“Don’t say you’re sorry,” Thunder snapped.

“I—”

Thunder grabbed the back of his head and then pulled him down toward her. He didn’t understand why she’d done that, not until he felt the blast of cold air pass over him. A second or two later, and Sam looked up.

Not fifteen yards away from where they were lying on the street was a monster nearly a dozen feet tall. It was a grotesque thing with a tall, thin frame and four spindly limbs that ended in sharp-nailed hands and feet. It had a bald head with long, knife-like ears and a deathly pale face that sported three pairs of eyes, which were all staring in Sam’s direction.

“Holy Zeus,” Sam breathed.

“The lord of the skies can’t help you,” Thunder said. “Not when you’ve caught the attention of an alpha-level horror.”

Cold mist wafted out of the horror’s round mouth, which was filled to bursting with sharp needle-like teeth.

“That face...it’s a Terror,” Sam said, naming the specific type of horror in front of him. “But I didn’t know terrors could rise to alpha level?”

Even as he spoke, Sam could sense the powerful wave of energy coming off the terror. And at this distance, there was enough energy leaking out of it to make his body shudder.

“Of course, it’s possible… As long as the emotions that give birth to it are strong enough…any horror can reach alpha level,” Thunder explained.

Then Sam noticed something that made his throat go dry.

“No one’s fighting it,” he reported. “All the other heroes are down.”

This was a pity, as the terror looked like it was already greatly injured, its body covered in wounds from broken blades and arrows still embedded in its graying flesh. The left arm was missing its hand, too. Dark ichor poured from its stump.

Sam felt Thunder’s hand grasp tightly onto his arm.

“All except for…you,” she said.

“Me,” Sam repeated. Then he frowned. “Okay…we’re dead.”

The Terror was moving toward them with slow, unhurried steps that were accompanied by the freaky twitching motion of its arms and legs.

“Not necessarily,” Thunder replied.

Sam glanced down at her. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a… zeta level, yes?”

“Ye-yeah…”

“If you became stronger…right now…then you could heal me.”

Sam frowned. “Um, is the pain so bad it broke your brain?”

Power levels were set the moment one was blessed. There was no way to level up, not unless the gods themselves intervened.

“I’m as sane…as I can be, given…the circumstances.”

Thunder shoved Sam off her. Then, to Sam’s surprise, she pressed fingers to the air between them like she was tapping on an invisible screen.

“Activate…Argonaut,” Thunder commanded.

The ground beneath them rumbled, forcing Sam to face forward yet again.

“I-It’s coming,” he reported.

“Yes, yes, I know this wasn’t the plan... I still want to start the transfer,” Thunder said hurriedly.

“Wait...” Sam glanced back down at her. “Who are you talking to?”

Instead of responding to his question, Thunder opted to grab Sam’s left hand with her right hand. Their fingers intertwined.

“Tell me...your name,” she urged.

The intensity in her gaze caught him off-guard, causing him to blurt out his name. “Sam, Samuel Shepard.”

“Heed well...my words, Samuel Shepard,” she said between ragged breaths. “These words...that have been said...since the first...”

Sam’s eyes flitted back and forth between Thunder’s solemn expression and the horror that was close enough now to cause the surrounding air to drop in temperature.

“I don’t want to interrupt, but—”

Thunder tightened her grip on Sam’s hand. “In life, seek adventure...never tarry on the shore...and let it pass you by...”

Sam’s complaint was suddenly lost in his throat. Despite the horror looming ever closer, he found he couldn’t interrupt her.

“In battle, fight with honor...and be fearless in...the face of adversity.”

Sam could hear the Terror shuffling ever closer, and it was very hard not to turn his gaze toward it.

“In dreams, chase glory...for the gods hold...no love for the mundane,” Thunder went on. She took a breath as her pallor worsened.

“Are you—”

“In death, embrace your fate...” She dabbed the fingers of her other hand on the wound in her gut and then raised bloody fingers to within inches of Sam’s face. “For your sacrifice...shall save many.”

Sam would later claim that it was a knee-jerk reaction, locking eyes with her. Yes, top-class heroes had a strange effect on people.

As she pressed her fingers briefly to his lips, Sam tasted something metallic on his tongue—blood—her blood. Then Thunder pushed him away.

“From this day forward...your fate is intertwined...with those who came before you...” Thunder’s dazzling blue eyes fixed on Sam's. “Rise, a hero of the age... Rise, Argonaut, rise...”

A half-transparent blue notification window appeared between them.

Welcome, Samuel Shepard, the one-hundredth-and-eighth successor to the secret hero training program, the Argonaut Ability Advancement System…

Two smaller notifications appeared in front of this first one.

Shall we play a game? YES/NO