Night Thirty Five...
Age ???
"You have to try harder!" Mr. Hyde yelled at the small five year old Hero. "You have to use that power! You have to mean it!" He screamed out.
"I... I'm trying..." Hero said quietly the green scar over his heart glowing. "But... But it hurts when I use it."
"Then fight through the pain! You need to harness that power." Piero said over in the corner where he rested. "I had to kill my own brother to give you that Crest... Use it."
Mr. Hyde let out a sigh pushing up his glasses. "I guess you're going to need some help Row..." He said clicking open a briefcase. "You have the DNA of several people relating to the Dragon Clan... So I assume it's only fair that I give you a Dragon like motivation..." He pulled out a small tube of glass where a small white like creature could be seen moving around... "This is a piece of the Prince... The strongest Bestia Macht that was sealed away by Master Storm... It's only a small piece..." He said slowly moving towards the young boy. "Still though... I'm betting if this thing is inside of you it'd kick start that Crest. After all you'd need to get it out before it devours your organs. Or maybe... You'll use that Crest to recreate those Organs?"
Hero tried to back up but the mans hand came out as he gripped Row's arm. "W... Wait-"
"Either way." He clicked a button on the glass box as it began to open and the bug slithered out stabbing into Hero's arm and slowly sinking into his flesh. "I'm sure you won't die from it. If it does we can always fall back on that brother of yours. Vil. So don't go screwing up. Other wise we'll have to put him through this as well. If you really want to be a good brother than bare that pain so he doesn't have to..."
The labs filled with the screams of Hero as the long worm like Bestia Macht bore its way into his flesh...
***
Age 1991
Hero walked up as he placed his hand on the creature. "So what happens now-" Hero froze as his eyes grew wide and he began to flash through several memories.
He saw himself as a baby being held by some weird woman who he thought was maybe his mom?
Next, he was slightly older being held by his father. Not Piero but his real father. The memory was covered in fog so it was hard to make out but he saw messy white hair and red eyes as bright as his.
Then he saw the lab...
He saw Mr. Hyde experimenting on him...
He saw the girl with silver hair smiling at him. For a second he could hear her saying his name.
Than he saw him... Vil... His young brother... And he saw the flames that covered the lab. He saw himself holding onto Piero's hands as they stared at the burning wreckage were he grew up at. He saw it all be burned down.
Next, he was even older... They just get coming. Then... Right when he reached eight years old something changed. A loud roar seemed to echo out and Hero hissed in pain as his head felt as if it would explode.
He saw it to...
The Threat Level Duke Bestia Macht known as the Beast of Hunger... A raging monster that wants to devour all things... The Bestia Macht he swore he would kill.
Then...
Then he saw 'him' that man... The shadow man...
His Uncle.
"Strange..." A voice muttered out as everything went black.
Then. In a flash, Hero wasn't in the recruitment hall any more.
"What the?" The teen muttered out as he looked around. His eyes widened when he saw where he was. Hero stepped back nearly falling to his knees as his eyes darted around the room. The room was like a massive hospital room with surgery beds lines up on the wall. In the bed, he saw his own body laid down as white liquid seemed to coat it. The liquid seeped out falling everywhere.
A low rumbled seemed to echo out as Hero realized he wasn't alone, and whatever was in here wasn't happy to see him. The liquid seemed to bubble out as it began to take shape.
Hero felt his heart begin to beat, faster and faster. The white liquid began to make a clanging noise as the hospital walls seemed to grow out getting wider and wider. The shape began to reform becoming the rough outline of a person as it began to hiss out.
Then in a flash of light, he was gone. In front of him, the Bestia Macht stood once more. They still weren't back at the recruitment hall though. No. Instead, now they stood in an empty black void.
"What the hell was that room? What was that white thing? Why was there a second me?" Hero asked as he stared at the monster? He let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I excepted you to actually talk... I mean you're a monster after-"
'I know not the answer...'
Hero's eyes widened as he jumped back staring at the beast. "What the hell! You can talk?"
'No. I can think.'
"Oh..." Hero said confused by that answer. "Okay... Sure... Why not? Where are we?"
'In my mind.'
"What? Why? I thought you were going through my head? Why are we in yours now?"
'Your mind was dangerous. A moment longer and 'it' would have swallowed both of us up...'
"What would have?"
'I do not know.'
"Why is everyone but me useless..."
'I do not know-'
"Stop talking!" Hero shouted. He took a deep breath as he looked around. "So what now? What squad do I go to? If any at all?"
'I am still deciding.'
"On which squad I should go to?"
'On rather I should kill you.'
"Whoa!" Hero said stepping back. "Kill me! For what! Besides Jackson seemed to like me. He would have claimed me right?"
'You have indeed been claimed by all twelve squads so far but, you are dangerous. Like the last three, I have sorted... Your mind is not normal. Your soul is not normal. Your Life's Equation has been altered. Should you be left to grow you could gain power. Should you be left to determine your desires you could go bad. Should you go bad you could cause harm... You are in a cycle. A cursed cycle that if left unchecked will do grave harm to yourself and others. As long as you wear that mask you will never be happy... You have no desire of you own, simply carrying out the will Piero left you. A dream that is not yours.'
In the real world, the body of Hero stood perfectly still. His hand was still on the monsters hide while the monster's eyes were now golden. The monster's tail was placed up against Hero's throat as the two stayed perfectly still.
"You can't just kill me!" Hero said startled as he stared at the monster in the black void.
'Of course, I can. My tail is at your throat now. I simply need to push down.'
"Please don't!"
'I am thinking...'
"But I'm not. Didn't you look through my memories." Hero stated. "I don't even know what this equation thingy is but if you were in my head you saw my life right?"
'No. The thing stopped me... I only saw a few years...'
"Well, that's not fair!" Hero said sighing slightly. "I'm not evil. I'm a hero of justice! A superhero!"
'Why did you join the Enforcers.'
Hero was silent for a moment. He stared ahead as the black void began to change and he saw something. An old memory. "I had a dream..."
The memory began to form showing Piero, and a younger Hero sitting on the edge of an old wooden shack.
"D... Dad..." The young Hero asked. Piero simply let out a groan showing he was listening. His face was still covered by a white glass mask. "Why do the Bestia Macht harm people?" Hero asked innocently.
Piero was silent for a moment as he scratched his beard. "Because their is evil in this world."
"What?"
"The Bestia Macht... They themselves are not evil. Rather they fill a goal on the opposite side that is Justice. From their point of view we slaughter millions of them and take over their lands. Should a beast seeking revenge for the death of a loved one be called evil? And what of us? Can humans truly be called good just because they fight the Bestia Macht. Can they be called good because they help someone out an don't expect a reward." Piero slowly raised both his hands out holding them to the boy. "In the left hand you could save one person you love. In the right hand you could save a thousand strangers. Does saving the person you love make you evil? And does allowing that person to die and save a thousand strangers make you evil. What would you chose."
The young Hero stared at both hands before he grabbed both. "I'd save one thousand and one people."
"I had a dream once..." Piero laughed. "I wanted to save everyone in this world. To vanquish despair itself and leave only Justice. I wished to one day destroy the concept of evil itself leaving only the good behind. A dream like that... It was impossible though... So I settled... I settled for just saving every person I saw that was in front of me. Every person who suffered from despair... I would reach out and pull them from the abyss... And in the end I failed that to. At the end of my path I managed to only save a single child at the cost of my brother, my love, and my own sanity. And yet..." He reached out placing his hand on Hero's head patting it as he gave a small smile filled with so much pain staring down at the little boy. "I'm not sad I saved you... Row. This just means I'll have to give my dreams to you."
The memory slowly faded leaving Hero and the Bestia Macht back in the void.
'I see...' The Bestia Macht said slowly. 'So you inherited your fathers foolish dreams of saving every single person in this world, and vanquishing Despair itself. A noble dream, and yet foolish. You know you will never reach that goal. You'll fail and give into despair much like that man... And when you do who knows what you'll become. A dream that foolish will leave no Hope to be found-'
"You're wrong." Hero said. "I inherited that dream. For years I've used my own spirit to kindle it bringing forth as much Hope as I could and destroying Despair where I found it. I don't care if everyone calls my dream foolish and puts it down into the realm of impossibility. I'll never stop chasing it. And... Until the mean time I save everyone in front of me that is in trouble, or filled with Despair, even if it kills me."
'Do you really believe you could one day create a world like that?'
"Does it matter if I believe it or not?" Hero asked cocking his head to the side and giving a smile that was the opposite of his fathers. There was no pain behind it only joy and hope. "A dream that beautiful? Does it matter if it'll never come true? Isn't it just worth it for the thought of a world filled with peace? It might seem childish... But if I saw someone in front of who was in danger I would stop at nothing to save them... My name is 'Hero' for a reason... I'll earn my right to go by that name!"
'In your dreams there is a girl with silver hair... Do you wish to save her?'
"I do."
'Well then. On your left you could save her. On your right you could save a thousand people. Which do you chose?'
"Why are you making me play this game?"
'To show you how naive a foolish dream like that is.'
"I would save both."
'You can't-'
"I would."
'The person only allows you to save one-'
"I would convince the person to stop being evil and save everyone."
'You can't convince him-'
"Then I'd beat up the person and save both."
'The person is stronger than you so you-'
"Than I would become stronger than I am so I can beat him up and save both."
'The person is to strong for you to ever reach his level you could never-'
"Than I'd ask for help from my friends until we had enough power to beat him and save both."
'Your friends aren't present in the situation-'
"Than I would borrow power from the people that need to be saved and use that to win."
'You're hopeless. I never know why I am so interested in you humans... You believe that just because you set your mind on something you'll win... The fact is there are those out there younger than you, and stronger than me. There are people our age who rival the power of the Master, and people from other Nations who are even stronger. You will never become magically strong enough to fight them all.'
"In that case I'll work my butt off and find a way!"
'You're starting to remind me of 'that' man...'
"Who?"
'My previous Master Orion... He was a fool like you who thought he could save everyone in this world. You're the spiting image of him, stupidity, and looks alike...'
"Well then. That just means this Orion guy must have been a great fellow!"
The Bestia Macht was silent for a moment as its head almost seemed to drop. 'Yes... He was the best, and greatest man I know... He truly was a hero, unlike you...'
Hero went silent for a moment. "He must have meant a lot to you huh... I had someone I looked up to... She was always cool and strong. Masayoshi was her name, but I called her Yoshi. She was cool."
'He did. He was my first real friend... I'm grateful Master Storm has taking me in but there isn't a second I don't think about my old Master.'
"I see. Than I decided."
'What?' The Bestia Macht looked up seeing the determined look on Hero's face as he punched his open palm.
"Now more than ever. I'm to chase my dream. I will save everyone I see, and I'll find a way to save them all. Even if the opponent doesn't listen to reasoning, even if their stronger than me, even if I can't borrow power, and even if I have no friends their. I'll imbody the will of the man you call Orion and sue that to win. That's a promise. I'll show I can reach my dream. I'm going to save this world. I'm going to take it all in... My friends dreams and pain. I'll crawl forward like that worm that was injected into me so long ago. I'll crawl, and crawl, and crawl, until I become a Dragon. And I'll slay the Beast of Hunger."
'The Beast of Hunger... That's a high class Bestia Macht... One that is considered to be the second strongest one just under the Prince... Why do you want to kill it.'
"Because... I promised Yoshi I would."
'Yoshi... It seems there is much I don't know about you Mr. Law...' The Beast seemed to let out the smallest hint of a laugh for a moment. 'Very well than foolish Clone. I have one last question.'
"What's that?"
'In the memory with your father why did he call you Row?'
"Huh? He called me Row?" Hero asked scratching at his chin as he let out a hum. "I guess he did huh? I don't know why he did that." Hero laughed throwing his arms behind his head in a sheepish manner.
'I see. That confirms it then. Alright I've decided on which Squad you'll be placed on. Someone as foolish as you with dreams like that. There's only one place you belong!'
The darkness began to slowly pull away as light shined back through.
Hero stepped back now in the real world once again as the tail pulled back from his neck. He shook his head slightly as the world spun around him.
"Squad... Squad Six?" Hero stated shaking his head.
"Ha!" Jackson announced pointing at the other eleven squads. "Suck it we got him ya jackasses!"
"Yes!" Ken announced grabbing onto the boy's arm. "We're on the same Squad!"
"Ken? You're still here? But you already went? And why do you care so much we're on the same Squad? I though you didn't like me?"
"I stopped when I saw that creature point its tail at you. You two were frozen for so long the Captains were beginning to get worried... And... And I don't like you but over Light, and Kitsune, I'd take you any day..."
"Fair enough..." Hero let out a laugh but quickly screamed out in pain when Ken smacked him up side the head. "Oww..." He whined slightly. His looked up as his eyes met the eyes of Bestia Macht. Hero smiled slightly as he was about to say something only for Ken to wrap her arm around his.
"Come on..." Ken sighed out as she reached out grabbing the boy by the arm. She quickly dragged him to the door as the two of them got ready to leave.
Where they would end up they didn't know. What would their future hold? They also didn't know.
The only thing they knew for sure?
This was the start of a new story.