Begin? Begin what?
An empty void with some otherworldly being speaking to him? Right after he got crushed by that pillar. It was clear what this was. There was only one possible explanation for this, of course.
"I'm dead...." Kilian would fall to his knees, trying to come to terms with all of this. "I literally accomplished nothing in my life..."
Now, he assumed he was going to be judged in some form. Did he deserve heaven? It wasn't like he did anything evil. Sure, maybe he snatched some snacks from his grandfather's stash occasionally.
"Look, look, my grandfather never really eats all the snacks in the first place. He just buys them in bundles because he thinks he's getting a better deal."
"What?" The voice would respond, confused.
"What else? I mean, sure, I cheated on a few tests. But that was only in arithmetic, y'know? I'll never use that shit again in my life." Kilian kept going, panicked as he tried to defend what he thought was his sins.
"No, no...."
"And can you really call not washing your hands sometimes a sin-"
"SILENCE!" The being let out a deafening yell, Kilian getting the message. No way was he going to talk over what was some sort of God?
There was a pause for a few moments, as if this being had to collect themselves.
"You aren't dead, human. Only due to our interference." They would say, Kilian letting out a sigh.
Not dead? Alive, saved by a being that definitely wasn't human.
"You're putting the pieces together? Good."
Kilian would try to compose himself a bit, clearing his throat. "You're an entity."
There'd be a moment of silence.
"Correct."
An entity were the sponsors of Preservers, in a sense. They're the ones who gave them their powers. Some people would go as far as to call them gods, though others have conflicting views. The "debates" he'd read on the internet were enough to make him lose interest in the argument.
He'd clench his fingers slightly, having an idea of where this was going.
"Then...you've chosen me? You think I'm worthy?" It was hard question to ask, and he almost feared the answer that would come. In the back of his head, he still remembered it. The moment where his dreams were crushed, the years after spent being bitter in an attempt to deny those who saw nothing in him.
Those who left him behind...
There was another silence. He noticed this being was really slow at responding, for some reason.
"It's more that you're the only feasible candidate. The process was rushed due to the imminent danger you were in. The circumstance is unique, usually we're able to observe for a while."
So, it was just luck, really.
"If you couldn't observe, then how am I a candidate, exactly?" His neck was getting a bit stiff having to look up at this being. Instead, he hesitantly just laid down on the floor. It was comfortable enough, he supposed.
"There's many factors that go into the decision. Genetics, for one, is key. Simply put you're physically capable of handling our power in an efficient way in a shorter amount of time. Most would call such a thing talent."
Kilian could sort of follow along with the logic. He was always pretty athletic and had good stamina. It was rare that something he lifted or pushed was heavy enough he couldn't move, at least.
"When a being is given the power of an entity, there's certainly a physical change. Their physical condition and capacity for growth is increased depending on the level of the entity and the nature of their power. What's intriguing, though...is that you showed signs of this without any interference from us."
It wasn't like he had an answer for him, so Kilian just sort of shrugged in confusion. It wasn't like he had an answer to give. The situation was initially overwhelming, considering he just got crushed by a pillar.
The strange being above him was rather intimidating too. Pretending to be calm always seemed to calm himself down a bit faster, though. At the very least, they were up for discussion.
"Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury of judging your character due to how dire things were. Thus, we forced a temporary contract of sorts."
It wasn't like he could be anything but grateful, in that case.
"Then I guess you'll judge me now, then? And if I fail, off to the next person."
Silence, again. He had half a mind to repeat himself but held his tongue.
"No, judgement has already been past. Due to you being unconscious, we were able to observe your memories."
Kilian would sit up in a slight panic at that. So, the decision was already made? How could he not be worried, then? He thought at the very least he could prepare some sort of argument.
He would watch the scene change, the grey void turning into something else. It was...his old house? Everything was in greyscale, not a bit of color visible. Standing up, his eyes wandered as he remembered this place.
"Your parents, gone at 7." Startled, he stepped back away from the voice. Who stood in front of him was a woman, a tall one at that. She had to have had a good 5 inches on Kilian. Around 6'4. maybe? Her skin was grey, that long hair a deep black with a metallic sheen to it. Two small metal wings came from the side of her head, blocking him from seeing her eye color. The dress was simple enough, a pure white color with no real design to it.
She looked like ghost of sorts.
It seemed she understood the confusion. "We figured this form would be less unsettling. Now, let us provide reasoning for our choice." She was emotionless in her tone, but she was right. Talking to a pretty women beat a sky full of eyes. Giving an explanation did seem strangely considerate as well, though he didn't know if this was the norm.
Though, he was tense. Being in this place again, after everything that's happened. It really did look in his head. This could only go badly, he figured.
Stepping around the home, Kilian had no real option but to follow. It was like he remembered it, but even his was a bit fuzzy since it was years ago. Yet somehow it was all so detailed?
He would watch as a transparent copy of his younger self ran down the hall, holding a marker. Right behind him would be his mother, looking as pissed as ever.
His grandfather told him stories about how he'd get calls complaining about how rowdy he was.
"They died to a monster attack. What does this have to do with-" He was cut off by the sudden change in scenery, but the setting wasn't different. His house was in ruins, the sky visible as the roof caved in on itself.
"You feel it could have been prevented, yes?"
A trick question. If this thing went through his head already, it must have already known what he thought of the incident.
His teeth clenched slightly at the scene, glancing down to see the ghostly visage of his child self-pinned under the rubble. He was two for two, getting nearly crushed by debris.
Kilian shook his head at the sight. "I'm not conceited enough to think I'd never fall short or make mistakes. But I've seen it, Preservers who are nothing but idiots in stupid outfits that care more about having power than using it."
There was a silence again, the figure looking at the younger version of Kilian. They'd both watch as he sobbed, before starting to claw his hands forward in an attempt to crawl out of the bricks that kept him pinned.
"You just think you'd do better..."
Again, the area around Kilian would change. The rubble would fade away, something new taking its place.
Instead, he'd watch as multiple ghosts of himself would fly by, growing older with each version. They showed him doing pushups and pull ups til his arms gave out, running around til he hurled. Yet, as he got older, he wouldn't be doing it alone.
He'd start doing odd jobs, going around helping people with small menial tasks.
With him would be a girl a bit taller than him. She had short black hair and bright green eyes, always having bruises and scratches covering her.
The sight of her pissed Kilian off more than he figured it would.
"This is key, isn't it?" The entity would stand behind him, things changing again. A building, burning and collapsing. A monster would rampage down the street. Kilian could see it from there from its size alone, just as big as the buildings that dwarfed the 14-year-old.
It reminded him of before. The howls of an uncaring beast, the ground shaking beneath him. Screaming, running, the very roof over him starting the crumble. He had frozen.
Kilian would watch his younger self stand there, other civilians running in the opposite direction. Though, it wasn't completely fear that left him speechless, it was the red light that shined in front of him. Well, technically it shined in front of the girl. It was like a collection of red stars shined around her, a voice calling out. It offered her power, and she took it.
Power the both of them wanted. They promised they'd become Preservers together, even be on the same time.
She'd look back at him in that moment, the widest of grins on her face.
Her mouth moved, though her words were inaudible. Was it because it was just a memory? Did he even hear her in the first place? Needless to say, it was his breaking point. A passion he'd have since he was a child, something he genuinely worked toward, the reality that it was all pointless washed over him and left it hard to breath.
That was when he gave up.
"You got really bitter, over this. You blamed the world and just gave up living, right?"
The real Kilian would look on with a twisted expression. Of course, when he was younger, he blamed his friend. Though, looking back he realized how unfair that was of him. His own jealously was what led to them splitting apart.
It wasn't like he had anything he could say. This was going in a bad direction, but he could understand why to a degree.
Things would fade away again, leaving the two of them back in that grey void.
"And we don't have to show you what happened with the Preservers running away, surely that's still fresh in your mind."
They would step forward to get a bit closer to him.
"All you have going for you is your work ethic, really. You aren't necessarily selfless, and don't have a strong sense of empathy, either. In fact, I can see a lot of unrecognized rage in you." The woman would walk around as she spoke, Kilian gritting his teeth at her words. So, this was it? His own ambitions forever unrecognized.
"The world idolizes preservers. They're viewed heroes, people who put the lives of others over themselves for the sake of good. So... why in the world would we chose someone like you."
Was he supposed to tell her she was wrong? It was true. This thing saw who he really was, there wasn't any sweet talking that could get him out of this even if he tried.
He'd rack his brain, trying to think. Sweet talking might not be the answer, but there had to be one.
"They're viewed as heroes..." He muttered under his breath. Sure, the general consensus was that these people were the best of humanity, specifically chosen. Some people saw them as essentially saints.
"But...that isn't actually the truth, is it?"
He disregarded everything society says about them. Kilian would look at his own personal experiences instead. Sure, his parents were a casualty of a monster battle that went on for too long. But even after that, his grandfather was just given a check and that was that.
They had a whole ranking system, too.
Various instances of what he observed conflicted with how people idolized them. Why would this being who's certainly smarter than him express how great these people are yet show him his memories that directly contradict this.
Because that wasn't the case at all.
"It wasn't that solid of a deduction. In fact, it would have been better if you noticed this going throughout your life initially. It's understandable, their kind have done a thorough job of brainwashing yours."
She would sigh slightly, before raising a hand. A symbol would suddenly shine over the both of them, the shape being that of a scale of sorts.
"All entities have a title, yes? It's what's bestowed upon their preserver, and what defines their power." This being would start to levitate, the sky going back to being covered in eyes and wings.
A sudden wind out of nowhere would blow, rattling the chains above to make quite the ear-piercing sound.
"We are a collection of those who have been wronged. Lives taken, insignificant in the eyes of those who view themselves as higher than their fellow man." Her voice would grow to become the collection of other voices again, her own eyes glowing.
A marking would appear on the chest of Kilian, the same white scale as the one that shined above him.
"Those in power how distorted the meaning of us. Those who suffer in our absence require a champion. We are not in need of a hero. A hero is the servant of man. What you shall be, is a soldier! A sword, aimed at those who herald chaos!"
Chains would suddenly lower themselves from the sky, wrapping around every inch of Kilian. The eyes in the sky began to glow a blinding white as a power suddenly surged through his form. It felt like it was too much, that he was going to be torn apart.
His own eyes would suddenly glow, then with a pained scream a light would shine from his mouth.
The chains would start to pull him into the sky, Kilian's body seizing while bound.
"You're just as human as anybody else, and that shall be your strength in a world of those who see themselves as god. Rise, and dedicate yourself. Rise, Preserver of Justice!" He was pulled into the sky of eyes, his screams spreading throughout a void none will hear him in.
Pulled into the light, his mind was expanded. The pain, rage, and despair of those who had been wronged coursed throughout his being. Millions upon millions of people, it was as if their own will clawed at his own.
"Clear!"
A surge could be felt throughout his body, a pain in his chest throbbing. Gasping, Kilian would suddenly sit up.
"A-Ah!!!"
He was surrounded by medics in some sort of white room. A hospital?
He couldn't muster the energy to think about it, his eyes rolling back as his body went limp.