What Is Legacy?

Entry 73:

General POV (Third Person):

The world stood at a standstill as if all the light was focusing on a single person, an undeniable light.

Then the being spoke with his voice reverberating through their souls: "I see now the reason, the true reason for all of this.''

As the being took a step forward, light and dark warped as he moved forward. "Each of you is broken. Allow me to show you where you all went wrong."

In the next moment, the Kyoto landscape is replaced by a burning village that Cao Cao recognizes as it was his home.

All around them were the scars of battle in its worst state, pillage and loss.

Then, the view shifts to a boy on the ground, bleeding to death, before a bright light shines and his wounds are healed. At that moment, a spear forms as the boy takes it and screams not of righteous vigor but despair and vengeance.

He cut a swath through the devils and other beings present as he fought through the night, and when day broke, all that was left was ashes with that same boy standing there covered in blood and ash with a look of emptiness on his face.

Cao Cao stares at the boy with an unreadable expression as Linus places a hand on the fallen hero.

"You left, and you lost everything after was but vengeance and anger, but I know what happens if you go down that path. While you may achieve satisfaction, it will not bring them back."

Cao Cao considers these words as he fully understands that what he has done is unforgivable. 

He is no hero.

Not anymore.

The sitting around them shifts again as they are now in a church with a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes praying at the altar.

"Faith can be our greatest motivator but also our greatest weakness as if we place our faith into one being and find them wanting, what is our purpose then?" Linus said as the new setting registered to the audience.

Jeanne realizes where this is and looks almost angry and tries to attack the angel, but he just looks at her and stops her attack with his stare.

"This was your past, wasn't it? A life full of unreachable expectation and a broken faith left you empty, alone, and purposeless, did it not?" Linus says as he watches the young girl cry over the broken altar.

Jeanne just shouts in frustration, "What do you know of our past or the present? All we have is each other. That's all we've ever had in this world, for there is no God, there is no one watching over us anymore!"

As she says this, the sword falls from her hands, and she begins to cry at the unfairness of it all.

She was always taught to find her strength in God so that she may grant the power to others, but once Jeanne had learned of his fate, that faith was broken, and she was lost, and with mounting expectations due to her being the inheritor of Joan of Arc'sArc's spirit she cracked and ran.

The girl continues to cry as the new God just hugs her, and she cries into this being's chest.

The world around them is silent, as if they do not want to interrupt this moment.

The setting then shifts again, and we see a large child for his age, but all around him, all he can hear are derisive comments.

"He is the descendant of Heracles. What a joke!"

"He has no strength, no power. How is he a descendant of Heracles?"

"He is worthless and weak. Let him starve."

"Demigods are beings of strength. Even the descendants of ones should hold some flicker of divinity, yet he holds a none."

As the slander continues, the rather malnourished boy curls up in an alley with an empty look in his eye.

The boy then shouts out to the heavens, "I will prove you all wrong! I am the descendant of Heracles. No, I shall be greater than him!"

Linus just speaks to the tall man, who looks on with a rather forlorn expression on his face.

"Some seek the glory, others redemption, but some simply want to live up to legacy. What most people forget about legacy is that it is not what defines us but our choices. We could be the greatest of heroes or the lowest of villains or something in between it all comes down to one choice."

Heracles then looks to the God, seeming lost as his whole life he has been trying to reach a standard that seemed impossible, and he joined up with the hero faction in the hope that he could make a mark on the world that he could lead to great change just like his ancestor had.

Linus then places a hand on the man's shoulder. ""We are not defined by legacy but by choice, as I am now offering all of you a choice. This world is broken, and so many are lost every day, but we have the power and the knowledge to change things.""

The surroundings then shift once more as we see a lone magician in a lab practicing what seems like calculations relating to space as he mutters to himself.

"I will show them. I will show them all the name of Faust will not be forgotten. I'll make sure of it."

As he continues to experiment and commits to failure after failure, he seems like he's going to give up, but then he discovers his sacred gear, Dimension Lost, and he believes himself invincible.

Georg Faust is many things: a Magician, a prodigy of magic, and a master in space Space Magic, but the one thing he was never known for was his innate empathy.

Under all of the ego, the dogma, and the need to fulfill a legacy, there were moments of genuine kindness as he helped fellow magicians he met on his path before he joined the hero faction.

"All of you have the potential to be great, but you are all going about it the wrong way. There are so many different ways to become a hero because who seeks to become a hero on a pile of ashes?" Linus states as the setting returns to Kyoto.

As the hero faction regains their bearings, some look lost while the remaining magicians associated with the Khaos Brigade look on in fear and anger.

Cao Cao is distraught, Jeanne is broken, Heracles is feeling inferior, Georg is attempting to come to terms with the meaning of failure, while the others, like Siegfried and Leonardo, look on with pity as they both have also suffered.

Siegfried was a Sigurd clone, and it was an excruciating process as his training was forced from night to day and day to night while Leonardo had been alone since day one, an orphan lost in a world of mythological beings.

All of the hero faction then looks to the large imposing figure in front of them as Jeanne asks the question everyone is wondering.

"What happens next? All  of our crimes are unforgivable, and we have no other means of moving forward?"

Linus just smiles and looks to Yasaka, who has been observing the events that have transpired, as Linus asks, "Well, Lady Yasaka, the choice is yours."

The nine tails look to each of the wayward humans and state, "Each and every one of you has committed a crime against the supernatural, and to most, they would not even blink before eliminating all of you, but I know of a fitting punishment."

As she states, this punishment collars form each of them created by Linus that negate their powers temporarily "Every single one of you will serve a year for every life you've taken as well as an additional decade for the crime of kidnapping an innocent child my daughter."

Yasaka then looks to Linus as she says, "The person you will serve is Lord Anakim, and you will serve him loyally until your punishment is done. I hope you all find a new purpose and that you never enter Kyoto again."

The heroes look genuinely surprised as their heads remain facing downward as they are then teleported for further questioning.

Linus Ozais POV:

Today has been a whirlwind of emotion as after the events that have transpired, we return to the shrine as I healed the little fox, personally waking up with a fright that she then immediately climbs me and proceeds to hug me.

In addition to the fact that my transition towards a greater power level had a side effect that I find quite negative.

I grew another foot. I am now nearing ten feet tall, and I can almost hear the imprint of the emperor of mankind laughing at me.

I could barely fit through any doors before, and now it's even worse as I physically have to bend down to go through most door frames. But complaints about my new stature come later.

All I can do now is hug the little fox along with her mother, and while I wish I could enjoy the sensation, now is not the time.

For now, it is time for rest and reflection as the older Nine Tails gave me that look that states we will speak of this later.

I simply nod my head as I attempt to calm the little fox that she shakes in fear and relief.

The remaining magicians were captured and their magic sealed, and they shall remain as prisoners of the Yokai for as long as they live and shall be sources of information for the future.

And then I hit the little fox ask me a question, "Anakim, can you tell me a story?"

I  then smile as I stroke her head lightly. "Of course, my little fox, let me tell you of the young boy who wished to become the king of the pirates."

Yasaka  then states, "Why do I feel like this story will be a long one."

As I begin to chuckle, all of us begin to laugh, relieved that these events are over for now.

There is a storm approaching.

But for now, let us enjoy the calm.

(I hope you all enjoy this chapter as I tried to give some characterization to the hero faction as Cao Cao lost his family and home to the supernatural, Jeanne lost her purpose upon learning of God's death, and because of the mounting expectations as the spirit inheritor of a saint, Heracles was simply trying to live up to an overshadowing legacy, Georg was merely trying to remain relevant in a world of Gods and Monsters with Leonardo and Siegfried being alone and seeking companionship.)