Lionheart resolve

Lionheart was born to be everyone's hero.

Since childhood, that was the role he was given by fate. Even in a world in which the Goddess was imprisoned, destiny still existed, as it was mandated by something much higher than the Divine Arthesya chained in the sea.

But normally, no human knows exactly the road one's supposed to walk. For the valiant knight, it was a different matter, he was given the chance to learn about his role. In the United Human Empire capital there was a fortune teller which could see one's future.

As the young boy roamed the slum's streets, hoping to find food in someone's trash, being hit and made to ran away by everyone who saw him, a woman with a fox mask and fox ears stopped him.

"I was looking for you" she said

"I have no money" he replied

"If my aim was to get rich, why would I search for a poor child?"

"You're not a debt collector?"

"No."

"What are you then?"

"Let's say, I'm an angel."

"What's that?"

"Oh, right. This world has no such concepts anymore…"

"Are you trying to scam me miss? You've got nothing to gain from me… and if you want me to force into work… you're late for that…"

The boy's body was in a pitiful state. Wound all over, so much so that it was painful just to think how some he got some of them, then there were signs of severe malnutrition. But the worst aspect was another, one that the mysterious woman pointed to

"Your eyes are empty."

"What should be there?"

"Curiosity, naiveness, stupidity."

"There's nothing to be curious about. The more I found out, the less I was to know."

"That's…terrible."

"Really? Others tell me it's smart of me to have it already figured out."

"So that's how it is. Old people ruined you. You got smarter in all the worst ways."

"What do you want if not money, miss? If you're just here wasting time…please let me go. There's not much time before I have to go back to work and today, I need to eat something… If I pass out again, trouble will come my way"

"You work to pay debts?"

"Mom had a lot, and now there's only me, so it's my responsibility to…"

"Do you think this is your destiny?"

"…what?"

"In your future there's nothing but these slums?"

"No idea."

"Try to imagine it."

"That's not…"

The kid went silent and lowered his head. Locks of hair had been torn out, and there were signs of alopecia.

"Your future's been stolen. If you continue like this, you could become a Fateless."

That was a lie. The fortune-teller knew it, a Fateless can only be born after one's reincarnation from another world and that was something she was aware of.

"Those are monsters…"

"You say so?"

"Mom always told me that."

"Did you love her?"

"Yes."

"No hesitation there, don't you hate that she left you all those debts?"

"She tried her best."

"That's a very childish way to look at it."

"Are you here to insult mommy?"

"No, it's a good thing. There's still some naivete inside you and that's great."

"Miss…what do you want?"

"I'm here for you."

"What can I offer?"

"What about accepting a proposal?"

"So, it was about a job…"

"Not really. Do you want your future?"

"My future?"

"As of now, it was stolen from you. But, I can tell your fortunes, read your destiny and tell you what you're supposed to become."

"And why should you?"

"Because I already saw your road. And one day, it will meet mine and that will be a great advantage for me. But only if you go back to your intended route."

"You want to gain something."

"Absolutely, nothing's free. That's one thing you should have learned very well by now."

"Go on…"

"You accept?"

"I will listen."

"You are a hero, Lionheart. Yours is the road towards greatness."

"…"

"Not convinced?"

"Are we done? I need to search for food."

The kid walked past the fortune teller. He couldn't waste any more time on childish tricks he even felt shame getting his hopes up for a moment.

"Why do you run away?"

"I can barely walk… I'm beaten down daily, there's nothing about me that suggest I will be a hero."

"Are you sure? Didn't your mom always tell you there was something special about you?"

"Every good mom tells things like that."

"And you never believed her?"

"I did…but now she's dead and I know those were lies."

"Maybe it's late, you got too broken…but I'm a bit of a sore loser you know."

The fortune teller grabbed the kid from behind hugging him, but the poor child flinched the moment he was touched and tried to get away, shaking and screaming. He only stopped once he saw the fortune teller hand, she was handing him bread.

"If you won't believe my words, maybe I can buy you out. What do you say?"

He took the bread and ate it.

"Slow down kid, it won't go anywhere."

"…thanks."

"You're welcome."

"But I still don't believe you…and I have to get back to work."

"Would you listen to me if I predicted something else in your future? Something that will happen shortly."

"Maybe."

"You know, I can't stay around for much, so you have to promise me that you'll do as I say if my prediction turns out to be correct."

"If I can."

"Then, first I'll give you instruction. It will be a trial."

"Fine…"

The woman handed the kid something else, a golden cross of a kind the boy never saw before.

"What's…"

"En nomine, Patri et Fili, et Spiritus Sanctus"

"…what language is that?"

"Something that doesn't exist in this world. And honestly, something I don't know that well myself. But I saw your future, and know these words will save you."

"…ok?"

"And now, for the prediction."

"Wait, that's everything for your request?"

"Yes."

"How does that benefit you?"

"Don't worry about that."

"And when do I have to do it?"

"Don't go to work. Wait for evening to come. Then, and only then, go back to that place. You'll find a white-haired guy there. It's a Fateless, called [ROE]."

"Wait, what? It's not possible!? Emperor Siegfried would never allow a Fateless in the Capital."

"He's been here for years now. Plotting his own plans to destroy the city. But he's fated to fail, no matter how much he prepares, no one's a match for your emperor."

"So why…"

"But tonight, he will come out of hiding and attack your workplace. Be there too soon, and he will kill you, too late and you will be free from your destiny as a slave…but if you go there when you'll see fireworks start from the city center, then you'll find yourself against [ROE]."

"Can't I just…hide?"

"You can, but that way, all the slums will be destroyed before Siegfried himself comes down to kill [ROE]. Do you want to see everyone die?"

"No one's been kind to me around here."

"Is that a reason to let them all die? What would your mom say?"

"…she would say a hero is meant to save even those he hates."

"That's right, isn't it?"

"But if I meet a Fateless…I'll die!"

"Let me tell you a secret. Do you know what a Fateless power is?"

"Something really bad."

"Exactly, so bad that it destroyed a world already. Fateless are people from other realities, gifted with the ability that destroyed or that will one day destroy theirs."

"So how can I beat one?"

"That cross and the phrase I told you. In [ROE] world, it doesn't exist, but it's his perfect counter. You won't have to do anything else."

"It seems…too easy."

"It's up to you if you want to trust me or not, all I can give you is information. After all, I'm not very much of a fighter myself."

"So…what will happen if I do it? How will our roads collide?"

"That's something I'd like to keep for myself. But I can tell you what will happen to you in the next years if you want."

"Go on."

"If you manage to kill the Fateless, you'll keep a secret how, Siegfried will find you shortly after your fight. He'll take care of you and will make you enter the holy guards' training ground. You'll become one of the bests, you'll be assigned to hunt Fateless…then in some years, you'll be put in guard of the First Chain. There you'll find another Fateless and you'll fight it."

"How much of my destiny have you seen?"

"What I could, nothing more than faint echoes of what your life will be."

The fortune-teller started to walk away.

"Wait!"

This time it was the kid that stopped her.

"What's your name?"

"Mine? What's yours kid."

"You've seen my destiny; don't you know my name?"

"I do, but it's good manners to say your name when you ask someone else for theirs."

"I'm Lionheart."

"My name doesn't really matter. But you could say I'm called [ECHOES]."

*

That evening, the kid waited until he hears the first firework going off in the center of the city, then ran towards the unspeakable place he was forced to work as a slave. The fortune-teller was right. There was a Fateless and he killed everyone.

So, he did as he was told.

And everything went exactly as prophesized.

It was only years later he found out what [ECHOES] was.

She was a Fateless too.

So for the next years of his life he trained, he fought and managed to hunt down 3 Fateless, counting [ROE]. It was something unique, as no one else in the empire ever managed to kill so many. Only one though, was killed through combat, as another was exorcised with the cross [ECHOES] gave him.

But he always remembered what the woman told him

One day he would be put to guard the first chain.

And that day came after his third successful hunt.

One day, there, he would meet a Fateless.

She didn't say anything more.

"I will either die, or something major will change in my life by that point."

On the evening of the festival, that moment had come.

After patting on the head the young girl which somehow ended up following him all the way to the lair of the beast, he turned towards the grotesque statue.

He was sure of it.

That was the Fateless [ECHOES] meant.

But now he also knew he couldn't die. That was a fight he absolutely couldn't afford to lose.