A Hero's Tale

Chapter Four: An Invitation

The first thing Shane heard as he woke up was the sound of people talking nearby. He slowly opened his eyes, and released a groan as a bright light from above blinded him.

"Oh, he's awake," he heard one of the voices say before he heard people move closer to him. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that the people in question were his mom, dad and a man in a doctor's coat.

"Uh, where am I?" Shane said. He tried to sit up, but winced in pain as he did so. His mom put her hand on his shoulder and looked at him with worry in her eyes.

"I'd take it easy, young man, your body has been through a great amount of stress," the doctor said. Shane nodded and relaxed his body, which felt immediate relief. "As to where you are, well, you're in the Healing Ward of the Hero's Union," the doctor said. Shane looked confused for a few moments before memories of what had happened before he fell unconscious came back to him.

"Was that... You mean I... What's going on?" Shane asked, unsure of which question to ask first. The doctor chuckled.

"You tell me. What do you last remember happening?" he asked.

"I was at a party, then I met Robyn, then some guy started wrecking things, and Robyn got hurt trying to stop him, then... I stopped him?" Shane asked as he looked at the doctor with confusion. The doctor nodded in agreement.

"That sounds like a good summary of events. It certainly coincides with the account of things Robyn gave to us," he said. Shane looked surprised at the mention of Robyn, then he sat up straight with a look of worry while he ignored the glancing pain.

"Is Robyn okay? Did anyone else get hurt? What about that man, did I actually manage to stop him? Wha-"Shane rattled off his questions in quick succession, and only stopped when he felt his mom grab his shoulder. He looked over to see her smiling, though the worry was still present in her eyes.

"Everything is alright now, dear. No one else was hurt besides you and Robyn. The man was taken into custody, and both you and Robyn were brought here to have your injuries treated," she explained. Shane slowly nodded.

"Yes, both of you are fine now. Robyn's injuries were a bit more worrisome, but she's been patched up and is just fine. Just like you," the doctor said. Shane looked back and forth between his parents and the doctor.

"That's good, I'm glad she's alright. But... How did I... How did I do any of what I did?" he asked. The doctor again chuckled.

"I can only think of one reason that you were able to do any of what you did, and that would be that you used your Trait," the doctor said. Shane looked at the man blankly.

"I did what now?" he said in a monotone voice. The doctor nodded.

"You displayed great speed and strength, something that's completely possible with the right Trait. In fact, look up there. Footage of your fight is on the news right now." The doctor pointed to the television up in the corner of the room. Shane looked up, and his eyes grew wide in shock. On the screen was what looked to be video taken on a phone of Robyn as she fought the man, followed by Shane coming in and beating him. What surprised Shane was what looked like waves of red aura that poured down his body.

Why didn't I notice that before? Shane asked himself. He shrugged it off to having being in the moment and paying attention to other things. He turned back to the doctor.

"But... that's not possible. I don't have a trait. I've never had one and never can. My doctor told me as much," Shane said. The doctor shook his head.

"Perhaps your Trait hadn't manifested properly yet. That can happen somewhat rarely, though really just as rare as not having a Trait at all. I think that video is pretty clear evidence, though. You definitely have a Trait. Although, I must say that we're not actually sure just what that Trait is," he said. Shane tilted his head in confusion.