"DEMON!!!"
Godfrey screams in malevolent rage. With his body mostly healed and strengthened, he explodes forward and unleashes a devastating blow that the Demon mirrors.
Their fists meet and the ground shatters around them as their blows create a wave of pure force.
Godfrey is flung away as he proves to be the lesser in strength. He hurtles through the air uncontrollably and crashes through a convenience store.
He gathers himself and prepares to charge out but notices a few people hiding inside. His eyes widen as he dodges a punch and tackles the Demon that caught up to him. Godfrey leaps forward and out of the store as the demon breaks free from his grip. They both tumble forward and recover quickly.
Godfrey's acute senses register people all around the crater. Some are injured and some are simply frozen in fear. He clenches his fist in anger as he looks to a particular building. The earlier clash shattered the structure with 6 people in it. None of them survived.
He is brought out of his thoughts as the demon swipes at his throat. Godfrey chooses to dodge the demons attacks, but it's proving difficult due to its greater speed. The demon pierces forward and Godfrey parries the blow. The demon overextends and Godfrey capitalizes with a brutal kick to the side of its knee that collapses it inwards.
"RAAAAAAAGGHHH"
The demon screams in pain and Godfrey delivers a mighty uppercut that sends it flying. He looks to his hands and notes that his bones are broken, it's a losing fight. Godfrey looks around and sees the broken bodies of people he could not save. For the second time in this life, he feels helpless.
He realises that he is at a disadvantage on the ground. He flexes his legs and flies towards the demon's chest, slamming into it with his shoulder.
The blow sends the demon higher as Godfrey then tackles it once more and pushes his flight to its limits. As they ascend, the demon breaks free and pierces through his stomach.
"GAAAAHHHHH"
Godfrey screams but does not falter. He grabs the demon by the shoulders and slams his head into its teeth.
"RIIIIIAAAARRRR"
The demon reels back in pain and twists its claws deeper into Godfrey. The pain is white hot and Godfrey sees stars, however, he pulls the demon inwards such that its clawed arm pierces through.
"Grrrrrrr"
Godfrey clenches his teeth in agony and climbs even higher. They finally reach the clouds, and Godfrey gathers all the energy he has left in his body.
Lightning snaps across the sky as the clouds become pitch black. The demon struggles but Godfrey flexes all his muscles and keeps it in place. He smiles to himself and thoughts of his family and this life flashes through his mind.
'It was a good life. My only regret is that I wasn't strong enough. Mother, Father, your son will go first. Sylphaera, I join you at last in the afterlife.'
Massive lightning bolts smash into Godfrey and the demon. The force of it shaking the entire city. All the energy is condensed into Godfrey's body and he accumulates more than his body can handle.
The demon's flesh slowly incinerates and its struggle weakens. In one final burst of energy, however, it bites clean through Godfrey's arm.
Godfrey simply smiles as he reaches his limit and the world goes white.
A giant electrical explosion clears the night sky of clouds and shakes the earth with thunder.
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Godfrey's eyes snap open and his body protests, though not as much as he would've expected after the life ending attack.
He looks around and realises that he is in the forest near his parents mansion. He gazes upwards and notices a hole in the sky that is slowly mending.
'Was that...a dream?'
Godfrey's legs lose strength and he falls to a knee. His vision swirls as his body trembles. He thinks to himself of the implications.
'Am I afraid of Death? No, I have faced death before....I am relieved to have lived. Is sacrificing oneself not the noblest deed of a hero? Why do I feel this way? I must ask my parents.'
A bright flare shoots into the sky and Godfrey knows it is his mother and father that are looking for him.
Slowly, he makes his way to their location and gradually heals all the while. Eventually he is healed enough to walk instead of stagger.
A few minutes later he sees both his parents in the distance. Calanthe sees him first and propels herself towards him, Ambrose follows along.
"My baby!! What happened?? Why are you covered in burn marks?"
Calanthe hugs Godfrey tightly and pain pulses around his body.
"Oof I am alright mother. I wanted to try a new power gathering skill but was unable to manifest it."
Calanthe glares at him and reproaches.
"Why didn't you ask your father and I to help you? Why didn't you ask your personal doctor, your uncle desmond? You are not in this alone!!"
Godfrey lowers his head.
"Yes mother."
Ambrose, who was simply watching the interaction finally speaks up.
"As long as you're ok, my boy. However, I feel as if you have a heavy question to ask us?"
Godfrey looks up in surprise and sees that his mother also seems to know. Bewildered, he asks.
"How could you possibly know that? Do you both have an extrasensory ability directed towards emotional detection or telepathy???"
Ambrose and Calanthe share a look and laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA, NO MY BOY. We are simply your parents."
"Hahaha, no my child. We are your parents."
Godfrey gives them a weird look and they laugh it off. Ambrose offers to carry Godfrey on his back but Godfrey refuses. Calanthe promises to answer any questions Godfrey might have over dinner.
They take no more than 5 minutes to return to the mansion and Godfrey takes another bath. He finishes quickly and makes his way to the dinner table where his parents are waiting.
Ambrose initiates the conversation.
"What doubts plague your mind my boy."
Godfrey hesitantly looks to his parents and is almost too ashamed to ask but he does so.
"Is it not the noblest of deeds to sacrifice oneself for the greater good? What kind of hero does that make me if I am relieved that I do not have to make that choice."
Ambrose turns to Calanthe and nods, indicating that she should answer this. Calanthe turns to Godfrey and caresses his hair.
"You see heroes as invincible unyielding icons. The truth is, they're just doing their best. You know what that would make you, my dear?"
The boy shakes his head and waits for his mother to continue. She smiles as she kisses his forehead.
"That would make you a great hero Godfrey. Sacrificing yourself is not the end goal. Let us tell you the truth of how we feel as heroes. We are grateful that we do not have to make that big of a sacrifice. Don't get me wrong, we absolutely will if we have to. It's part of the job description after all."
She winks at Godfrey and he chuckles as his words are thrown at him.
"However, we are as human as the people we save. We have each other and you to care, love, and worry for. Heroes are not pawns to be thrown into a meat grinder, they have feelings and fears. The biggest inspiration, in my opinion, is saving the day as best as you can. To be the best hero you can be, so that others may know that you will be there for them. You do not have to be perfect Godfrey. You do not have to sacrifice yourself. Just do your best, so that you don't have to."
Godfrey ponders on her words and realises that his thinking was flawed from the start.
'It is human to be afraid. I classified the heroes as consumable goods. What is wrong with me? Am I that insensitive to the struggles of being a hero? I'm arrogant.'
Godfrey hangs his head in shame as he speaks to his parents.
"I am sorry. I have always put the other heroes below my eyes, and treated them like mechanical beings that should fulfill a task. I was conceited and blind. They are human... I am human. I realise now that I have so much more to improve upon."
Ambrose finally speaks as he pats Godfrey's shoulders.
"HAHAHA, it doesn't mean that what you said on national television was wrong my boy. Just try and remember that not all heroes can make the big sacrifice. And that's ok."
Godfrey nods to his parents and yawns.
"I have learned much. Thank you Mother, Father. I'll strive to be the best I can be while inspiring others to do the same."
Ambrose and Calanthe nod, proud that they could give this lesson early. Godfrey yawns once more and his body protests his waking state.
"May I retire for the night? My body has been pushed to the limit today."
Ambrose nods and gestures for Godfrey to head upstairs. When Godfrey is out of sight Ambrose turns to Calanthe and exclaims.
"That was an incredible speech. Did you rehearse?"
Calanthe laughs as she rests her head upon his shoulders and she jokingly replies.
"Yes. Just this morning actually."
Silence fills the dining room and Ambrose and Calanthe know what the other is thinking. Calanthe breaks the silence.
"He'll make that sacrifice..."
Ambrose clenches his fist.
"I know."
Calanthe's eyes tears up.
"I don't want him to."
Ambrose stifles a sob as he looks to his wife.
"Me neither, but you know what kind of child he is. It always seems like he's atoning for past sins. He treats this profession with the utmost seriousness while other children simply find it cool."
They hug each other tight and simply stay that way for a while.
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The next morning
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Godfrey awakens and prepares himself for school. A fire blazes in his eyes as his determination burns brighter than ever before.
'I must be stronger, so that my parents do not worry. To do that, I must train at every opportunity.'
"To the gravity chamber."
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END