A Hero's Tale

Chapter One: Disappointment

"Did you guys hear what happened? Valiant finally found and captured Malice! That means that the Covenant have all been imprisoned! The heroes have won!" Shane said excitedly as he sat down at the group's lunch table. Blake snorted.

"There isn't a person alive who hasn't heard, Shane. It's been the only thing every news channel across the globe has been talking about since the news broke," he stated.

"Yeah, and it was even broadcast on non-news channels. Hero's Union finally defeats The Covenant, over and over and over on repeat," Kevin added.

"Come on, guys, you have to be excited about this! The Covenant was the strongest collection of villains since the coming of Malus. They've been terrorizing the world for years, but now they're finished! Why are you all acting so bored with this?" Shane questioned. Blake shrugged.

"The Covenant might have been the strongest group of bad guys when they started, but they all got their butts handed to them by The Union.Sure, things looked bad from time to time, but this is essentially just tying up loose ends. Besides, it's not like all villains are gone for good. New ones show up all the time, you know that," he explained. Shane's head fell into his hands as he sighed exasperatedly.

"You guys really know how to be buzzkills, you know that?" Sarah patted Shane on the back.

"It's alright, Shane. We know how much you idolize the Hero's Union,especially Valiant. Speaking of which, is anyone else going to watch the try-outs for this years spots in the University of Heroes?" she asked. Shane immediately perked up as he nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Of course I am. It's always amazing to watch what people can do with their Traits, especially when they're super strong, like Valiant's or Snowe's," he said. Again, Blake snorted.

"I'll pass. All it does is remind me of my own stupid Trait. Why did I have to be born with a Trait that amounts to basically static cling?" Blake said in a huff of frustration. Shane glared at Blake.

"At least you manifested a Trait," he said, anger entering his voice.Blake shrugged.

"I keep telling you, man, you fret too much over how you don't have a trait. Sure, it's rare for a person not to get one, but that's not so different from those that get practically useless Traits. Like being able to produce a miniature flame, for instance. Sure, that's useful if you need to light a candle or something, but will that make you the next big hero? No, not at all. Trust me, Shane, not having a Trait isn't that bad," Blake finished. Shane abruptly stood up, his head hung forward and his fists clenched. Immediately Sarah tried to prevent whatever fight was brewing.

"Shane, he-" Shane grabbed his tray of food and quickly turned and walked away from the table. He could hear his friends arguing, but he didn't care. He threw out whatever was left on his tray and hastily exited the cafeteria. At a brisk pace, Shane continued walking until he made it to the bathroom, which he quickly entered. After seeing that the place was empty, he claimed a stall and locked himself in. Once he sat down, he ran a hand over his face as he felt tears of both anger and sadness well up in his eyes.

Yeah, it's easy for him to say not having a Trait is normal. He's not the one that has to feel like an outcast because of something out of his control. Shane stifled an angry sob as he wiped the tears from his eyes. It's not like I haven't noticed how other people treat me differently, how they treat me like a fragile vase that can break at any moment. Sure, having a smaller Trait might not be at all useful, but at least I would feel like I belong in this world. Shane sat in the quiet for a few more minutes before he finally sighed and stood up. He exited the stall and walked over to the sinks, where he splashed some water on his face before staring up at his reflection.