Hero

Sacrifice

After the encounter with the Nox, Cain suggested we head back to the main office so he could file a report of the case. It was a while of a walk yet. I found a coin in my jacket pocket and danced it between my fingers, lastly flipping it up and snatching it. A little coin trick I had been practicing for months now.
"Can I ask you something, old man?" Cain was silent, all but the slight tapping of his cane hitting the street to be heard.
"What was up with that arm of yours? It was badass the way it took that whole Nox thing apart. Do all Lumos-types have it?" Cain stopped walking, pausing to look at me with this unhinged anger in his eyes.
"No, others don't have this shit to deal with," he spat. His arm that had been in the sling before was lifeless at his side now. I thought over my words before speaking again.
"Is that arm only useful now in that other form?"
Bad choice of words. He gripped my shirt collar tightly, his cane hitting the ground soundly. The coin slipped from my hand and fell with it.
"Don't ask me about it again." He whipped his hand away and limped on ahead of me. I could tell he'd meant to say something very different but bit his tongue instead. I picked up his cane and my coin and caught up to him.
"Can I ask how your arm got injured in the first place then?" I held out his cane for him and he took it slowly. His expression had softened a bit and he sighed, keeping his eyes to the sky.
"I was out on a case. This, Villain had killed a few heroes and was attacking civilians." Cain slipped out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and a lighter. After a moment he inhaled a bit and sighed again. He looked at me, a flicker of white in his eyes.
"It wasn't a Villain we'd encountered before. A new species undetermined by the council. I wasn't prepared enough to fight it." He returned his attention to the skies briefly before continuing. "It tore my arm clean off." He brought the cigarette to his mouth again, another pause following. I glanced down at it, realizing now that his arm was not actually his own.
Cain noticed my staring and smirked.
"Mechanical prosthetics is what we get, but I don't like using it. I'd rather have my own useless arm than this heavy piece of scrap metal."
I was still wrapping my head around the chaos of being this 'hero' person, and this was just insane to hear. Like a terrible horror story you heard at summer camp or something. I struggled to find the words, something that wouldn't sound absolutely offensive.
"Does the prosthetic change the form of your arm when you're fighting a Villain?" There was a noticeable stillness from Cain then.
"Pan," he began, pressing out the end of his cigarette on the ground with his cane, "I know you have a lot of questions for me. I'm not good with words. All I know how to do is fight. That's all I've ever known, and unfortunately it's what you gotta learn too. So let's keep this as professional as we can alright? That way no one gets hurt." He wouldn't let me ask anything else after that, and the walk back felt excruciatingly lengthy. All I could think about was that Nox thing being devoured by Cain's arm. It didn't seem like it was a part of him at all, not that I had much knowledge on 'type forms' or anything. My stomach growling finally shunted me back into awareness.
"Heroes gotta eat still I guess," I joked. We'd just walked up to the familiar deserted office space.
"There's a kitchen space inside, I'll ask Sariel to show you. I need to report the Nox case and rest." Cain walked back upstairs with me, his pace a lot slower than it was when we first headed out. Sariel met us at the top and waved off Cain as he headed to his office. Sariel looked at me with a cheeky grin.
"Ya hungry? I make a mean sandwich." I nodded with a smirk and followed her to a nearby lunch room. I sat in the first chair I saw, resting my head in my palms.
"Rough first day I assume," Sariel noted. I picked up my head to stare blankly at the table before me.
"What's up with Cain?" Sariel dropped her knife clumsily, picking it up immediately and taking it over to the nearby sink before grabbing another.
"I'm not here to judge anyone. Heck I'm pretty sure I'm entirely insane regardless. I just want to know how he got that arm." Before I'd noticed, Sariel had slipped a plated sandwich in front of me and sat herself down on the other side of the table.
"Cain's ill," she began, "it's only going to get worse for him unfortunately." She adjusted a twig that was sprouting from the crown of her head. "Cain won't want to discuss it further I'm certain. I can't really speak on it if he won't, cause that's a bit rude you know?" She gave me a soft grin.
"Well I wasn't trying to pry or anything. I was just wondering if it was something that'll happen to me in time too." I watched her face carefully as I picked up the sandwich. She'd flinched slightly before resuming her calm demeanor.
"If you are fortunate and diligent, it won't be the same for you." Her pitch had deepened ever so slightly. I took a hearty bite of the sandwich before speaking again.
"Did Cain really mess up with the unidentified Villain case? He'd said he lost his arm." I watched her eyes widen, uncertainty painted across her face. I would use it as much to my advantage as possible.
"That thing was ungodly," she'd stated finally, spreading her hands flat on the table's surface before curling her fingers in, "Cain saved my life by sacrificing himself to it." Her eyes glistened with emotion. "If I'd not been there, trapped in that thing's grasp, he wouldn't be burdened like this." She placed a hand to her face, trying her damnedest to hide her watery eyes. I finished up my last bite and exhaled through my nostrils.
"I'm sure Cain did what he felt was the best option, so there's no need to worry about it so much." I'd pressed her a bit too far. Whatever happened that day was something I'd have to unravel later on under better circumstances. I looked up to meet Sariel's gaze. "I'm really sorry I brought this back up for you."
She wiped her eyes, shaking her head slightly.
"I am glad we have new company such as you, Pan. You are caring and I think you will make a fine Hero. I hope Daske agrees." I paused.
"Who is Daske?"
"He's another top ranking hero who feels he is better than us," Sariel smirked. "Don't take what he says to heart and you will be alright. He doesn't visit us often since he's taken up residence in some fancy condominium," Sariel broke off to roll her eyes, "but this is our place of business so he will be here sometime tomorrow to look into reports."
Just how many heroes were there? Could any of them know something about getting out of the contract?
"There's an office next door to this room where you can sleep. I left a cot in there for you," Sariel grinned. "Make yourself at home."
I nodded and gave thanks for the food before stepping out in search of the other room.
It was a bit larger than the other office with the missing window. In fact, this one had three untouched windows. Twin wooden desks faced each other, and off to the side was a cot that looked a little too small for comfort. I ruffled my hand through my red hair and headed for the floor space near the windows. I wasn't sure sleep was going to happen for me. I stared out into the darkness outside and thought back to the first time I'd met Winrey. I was fifteen, and she was the 'girl next door' back then. She was wearing a sundress—or, was it a coat? It was definitely summer though, so it had to be the dress. And her hair back then was shorter and curled—no wait, she'd always had it pinned up. I rubbed my face into my palms, exhaustion taking over. I'm sure I'd remember again after some sleep.