Some time passed in silence after Erin left, which I broke to ask about something that had been on my mind.
"How come you don't seem to be upset? If you'd known him for as long as you said, I'd expect you to be a little sad, but you seem to be over it already."
"I'm not happy about it, sure, but this is far from the first death in my life. These things happen, and if I have no involvement in their happening, I see no reason to be too upset about it. This was a long time coming, which could be said about everyone I realize, but it was clear he didn't have too long left the last time I saw him. Whether that would be a few months or a few years, I didn't know, but it was far from unexpected. When you watch someone's health fail, you start wishing their death comes sooner than later, for their sake. It isn't a pleasant experience."
"Is that why you were in a fringe city?"
"There was another matter I was supposed to deal with, but yes. When I was told to be there, I went to see him one more time, and even then, he wasn't what he was. It was good motivation. Erin only started to notice a while later, and I imagine it wasn't long after that he sent her to stay with me; with someone he knew would keep her safe until he passed."
"So why were you out there then? And why did you take Bear with you?"
"I'm supposed to keep the reason I was there a secret, but I'm sure you'll learn about it eventually, so don't worry. And I didn't take Bear with me, but as for why he was there, I'll have him explain that."
"They wanted me to inspect a section of the Veil near there."
"I know you like to keep your words brief but remember that he doesn't have any of the context you and I do."
Bear gave him a questioning look.
"Use your best judgement. I wont snitch on you if you say something you're not supposed to."
"Fine then. There was a weaker section of the Veil around there, and a few months before the wave, an anomalous ripple was detected. Due to its… sensitive location, and with Mr. Owl there, they decided I would be the best fit to investigate."
"It might also have something to do with the fact that you have better observational skills than all the other options, and you can also handle whatever may come crawling out of there, unlike most everyone else."
"They're all good at what they do, and they'd be sent with a protection detail."
"Why send ten men when you can send one who counts for one hundred?"
"You flatter me."
"Not as much as you think. But anyway, that's the gist of it, kid, excluding the parts they tell us we aren't supposed to tell people who shouldn't know, whatever that means."
By this point, I only understood about half of what they were talking about, and I felt like asking for clarification would only make me more confused. They also didn't seem too eager to explain more to me either. They responded to my silence in kind. It was a somber sort of silence. Even though I was unaffected by this loss, the affect of it on the two men before me was palpable. The unrelated, arguably meaningless, conversation was a good distraction, but in these moments of silence, the presence of that loss was a deafening roar. I could only imagine what it must be like for Erin, especially since she was, as far as I had heard, the only living proof of her father's existence; the last.
"Does Erin have any siblings?"
"No. She is his one and only."
"This may be a strange question, but what, if anything, does she have to live up to? What sort of legacy did he leave behind? Is she going to go through life always being known as his daughter?"
"People's thoughts can be very unpredictable, but I don't think she should have too much trouble being seen as herself. We are far removed from the time when our names were commonplace, far enough to where I imagine people may even question our reality, thinking us nothing but an old, forgotten story; legends who are just that and nothing more. The only people who would know of us well enough for it to potentially be a problem are old enough to know better; all half dozen of them, give or take."
"The way you speak of yourself makes me feel like I should know who you are."
"You do know who I am. I'm an old man with two bum legs, formerly just one, who has managed to stick his fingers into many different pies. I think you are really more interested in who I was."
"You know what I meant."
"Of course, but watching you get annoyed as I avoid your question is rather fun. If you want to know something, ask directly and specifically; don't skirt around the topic. You risk being misunderstood or outright lied to if someone wishes you harm and knows how to plead ignorance."
"Fine then. Who were you?"
"Do you trust me to give you an unbiased answer?"
"Yes."
"Then you have more trust in me than I do. Be more specific or go read a book. I'm sure I'm in at least one."
I thought for a second. His tone and phrasing implied I would only get to ask one question.
"What did you mean by 'the last of your generation'?"
His face, which had up until now had an amused smirk, turned somber.
"You're aware that our history is divided into generations, correct?"
I nodded.
"Those generations are largely defined by influential events and influential people. I say influential people, but for all intents and purposes, I mean what are now referred to as Heroes. The dawn of this world marked the beginning of the first generation. The people who stood at the top of the world before the Great War became the Heroes of the first generation, all two of them. The Heroes that arose in that war that marked the end of the first gen would later be known as the second-generation Heroes, although the Hero classification system wouldn't actually come until the third generation.
"The end of the second generation, in a very literal sense, was another war. The initiation of this war was the simultaneous disappearance of all the second-generation Heroes. This threw the world into chaos and sparked a fracture in the Church, which at the time was the sole governing body. That was the onset of another war, out of which would come the Church of the Serpent, the Cult of the Night, and the electoral people's government, as well as the third generation of Heroes, which is where I come in. I was one of the many people who rose to the challenge of fixing a world thrown out of balance, and I was one of the few who lived to talk about it. The end of that war and the formation and stabilization of the now three ruling parties would mark the end of the third generation and the beginning of the fourth.
"There were hundreds of people who gained significant strength and experience as a result of that war, and it was those people who became the first official Heroes, with the title being awarded posthumously to the people of the previous generations. From that point on, I watched as our presence in society gradually faded. Once we were living legends, paragons of strength everyone could look up, but we soon became history. After that, we became stories, and after that, we began to be forgotten. Throughout this, I watched as the people I fought with and against, the people who served as living ties to where I came from, slowly died off. When the first one went, it was a period of mourning for all of us; when the hundredth went, it was just unfortunate.
"And now, I'm the last of the generation. I stand as the oldest Hero who could drop dead at any moment. There are things I've experienced that now no one else has. We are on the cusp of my present life becoming purely history. When I die, so too does the third generation, just like the second before it."
His last sentence was tinged with melancholy. This was the only topic I knew of that would evoke that type of feeling in him.
"You don't like talking about yourself much, do you?"
"Hm? What? No, why?"
"I asked you to tell me about yourself, but you instead told me, in rough detail, your place in the world. The two things aren't the same."
"We're all cogs in a big machine. I had to tell you of the machine to show you what part I have in it."
"Sure, but, sticking with the metaphor, you told me what other cogs you interact with, but you didn't tell me how big your cog is or what it's made of, for instance. You could start by telling me what happened to your leg."
"I got jumped by two Anglers at once. Oh, you meant the other one. Old age, mostly. Tell you what, if you can get your hands on my personal file, I'll answer any questions you still have."
"You have a file? Where is it?"
"Of course I have one, and it's on the top floor of the central tower in a locked drawer in the Pope's office."
"I assume he doesn't take many visitors?"
"You think you could steal it? There's nothing that happens in this city he doesn't know about, let alone his personal office. You could try asking nicely and you might get it, though."
"Really?"
"Yeah, assuming you could get past the dozens of Clergy-folks and Heroes walking through the halls at any given moment, all of whom would throw you out instantly if they caught you on a floor you weren't supposed to be on."
"But I could get it if I asked nicely?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get an audience with the Pope? He cancels meetings all the time, is rarely seen in public, and even most Heroes can't even see him except for when he wishes it."
"Most?"
"I'm old enough to be an exception to most rules, and he has a number of projects where he effectively contracts people out, who can then see him whenever technically, although it's technically just status reports."
"He must have a lot of those projects going on if he's too busy to meet with people."
"Nope. He's just a lazy old man with no respect for other people's time!"
He raised his voice, loud enough to be heard clearly through the whole room. As he spoke, his eyes locked to something behind me. Right after he finished, the veil that enshrouded our table completely disappeared. Before I could turn around, someone had already walked up from behind me and was sitting down at the chair Erin had vacated.
"It's nice to see you too, Owl. In my defense though, you said 'the usual spot' as though it hasn't been over a century since we last met like this."
"A century my ass. It was fifteen years ago, when you told me in person to fuck off to the edge of the map and wait until something interesting happened."
The man that had arrived was bald, with no facial hair apart from his eyebrows which were white, the only thing implying age on his face. His eyes were black, though not an unsettling black like I had seen before, but rather a completely ordinary black, apart from the spark that seemed a little too real. The only other thing of note was the set of robes he had, which were a near-white silver, edged in black.
"Fifteen years can feel like a whole lifetime, let alone a century, and unfortunately is a whole lifetime for some."
"No, no no no. Don't you give me that compassionate shit, trying to make me feel bad for complaining. You either didn't care enough to remember the last time we talked or you forgot you wanted to meet when I returned. Either way, I have a right to be annoyed."
"Your complaints are heard and are valid. I will take them into consideration in the future, and I will do my best to incorporate your feedback into my future actions."
"Go fuck yourself."
"Don't forget whose name is on your checks."
"I'm pretty sure it's the treasurer."
"What? Since when?"
"Probably the last few centuries, but I know that centuries can feel like just a few short decades, so I don't blame you for not noticing."
They both had smirks on their faces, and I couldn't tell if it was moreso due to annoyance or humor.
"Sorry to butt in, but who is this? Who are you?"
"This, kid, is your new boss."
"Only if you choose to accept my offer, of course."
"That depends on what the offer is."
"I wish to offer you a position on a certain special team. This team is comprised of people with high potential for growth, and I believe that potential can be reached, if not exceeded, by having them work together."
"And you think I would be a good fit for that team?"
"I believe you've already been given an example of why you deserve a spot, but if you still have doubts, all you need to do is trust me, and all will be revealed with time."
"Trust? I've known you all of two minutes."
"You followed a man you'd known for a few days halfway across the world, away from everything you knew. All I'm doing is offering you a reason for doing that. I feel the choice should be much easier, but again, it is still your choice."
"I can't say you don't have point, but…. What are the other details?"
"Oh, the usual arrangements. You'll have a private room in the central tower, with free access to all the facilities, along with unlimited meal allowance at all restaurants in this and any other city. You'll also be given a full set of custom-made equipment, made with whatever specifications you desire. You may also be given direct council from a number of Heroes, depending on scheduling."
"In exchange for…?"
"As I said, you'll work for me or whoever I choose to supervise your team. You'll follow whatever instructions you're given to the best of your ability, most of which will be… I suppose I'll just say special assignments for now. You're free to do what you wish in the time between assignments."
"What kind of assignments?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you. It's not that I don't want to, believe me, however it's best that information is given solely on a need-to-know basis. Just know that they may be challenging, but you shouldn't be given anything you or your team cannot handle."
"I still just don't understand why you're offering this to me. It feels too good to not be a trick, and I'm sure there are countless other people more qualified than me."
"Maybe, although none have exactly what you do; none are in your specific circumstances either."
I looked at Owl, but he was just looking at me intently, with no discernable thoughts. I looked back at the man, who I still didn't even know the name of, but he still had the same placid smile and soft eyes he had had through his whole pitch. I didn't trust him or his job offer, but assuming he was telling the truth, I had no reason not to. I hoped Owl would've said something if the man was outright lying to me, but since he said nothing, I could only assume the man was telling the truth, at least for the most part. I could only speculate on what parts he was leaving out.
"Can I leave when I wish?"
At that question, a strange, knowing smile spread across his face.
"Once you accept, the thought of leaving will never cross your mind. You will see this through to the end."
I had nothing to say to that, mainly because I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Fine then."
"Glad to hear it. You'll start tomorrow. I'll have someone show you to your room tonight."
"Hold on a minute."
Both me and Owl spoke up at the same time. I motioned for him to speak first.
"It's not that I question your judgement, well I do question it but regardless, he's hardly ready to jump right into whatever you have planned. His physical skills are rough at best, and he knows next to nothing about, well, most things. You need to give him some time to train before you do anything else with him."
"Not exactly how I would've put it, but that's about what I was going to say."
"Fine. I'll postpone the first assignment one week. You have that week to use the library and training facilities to their fullest. That said, I expect you to hone your skills through real combat, rather than training in a room with someone with no intent to kill you."
"Still, this is-"
"You've already said yes. Any further considerations I allow you are already beyond what you agreed to and can be considered my generosity. Now, I need to go tell approximately two dozen people their plans for the next week have changed. It's been nice seeing you Owl, and I look forward to the next time we can meet. Young man, I will give you your name in due time. Good day to you both."
With that, he stood up and made for the exit. As he left the immediate vicinity of the table, the veil returned, making it seem as though he had simply disappeared."
I was greatly confused by the whole situation, while Owl was kneading his eyebrows in frustration.
"That guy's such an ass."
"Seems like it. What now?"
"He probably had someone waiting outside to come grab you as soon as you said yes, so just wait here for a bit."
"Who was he, by the way?"
"Oh, I forgot you've never met him. That's the guy running the Church at the moment; the person most people know as the Pope."
"…. He's what now?"