The weight of a mask

“Alright kids, it’s time for supper!”

All 4 of the younger members of the crew stopped what they were doing and turned to see Natalia and Vasilis waiting outside the main hall, with Vasilis holding a bunch of towels.

“Come on and dry off all that rain so we can start eating!” Natalia continued.

“Coming mom!” Nik called out, grabbing Iro’s hand and pulling her towards Natalia and Vasilis. Iro just rolled her eyes and let him, and Mina and Panos followed behind them.

“So you managed to figure out how to make rain huh Mina? Impressive, you’re learning pretty quickly.” Vasilis remarked as he handed out the towels.

“Yeah. Panos gave me the idea, and I was able to figure it out from there.” Mina explained.

“I helped her do something the adults couldn’t.” Panos said proudly.

“That you did squirt.” Vasilis said with a chuckle. “Now hurry up and dry off, everyone else is waiting.

“Alright.”

Everyone then proceeded to dry off, with Nik getting annoyed with his mother fussing over him extra, and once they were all dry they made their way in. Unbeknownst to Mina, Natalia and Vasilis held the other 3 back so she could go inside first. And then, Mina opened the door and stepped inside.

“Welcome Mina.”

Mina was caught by surprise as the inside of the hall was dark save for a handful of candles drawing a path to the center.

“Welcome, to your initiation.”

The door then slammed closed behind her, making her jump and spin around to see Dory and Foteini standing there as if they were guarding the door.

“Step forwards Mina.”

Mina spun back around to see Elias standing in front of her suddenly.

“W-what is this?” Mina asked, quickly growing nervous.

“As I said, this is your initiation.” Elias answered. “Now come, let us begin.”

“I’m… I’m not going have to cut myself or drink blood or something, am I?” she asked.

“NO! absolutely not!” Athan exclaimed from off to the side. “We are followers of Uraina, not those barbaric followers of Teravox!”

“SHHHH!” Elias shushed him, and turned to Mina. “This won’t be anything so dramatic. We simply need you to understand the weight of destiny that our group holds. Now, come, follow me.”

Elias then began slowly walking down the lane of candles, and Mina hesitantly followed behind him.

“For many years, or country was lead by a great, wise king. He was a deeply religious man, following Uraina’s guide perfectly, and brought this kingdom to a new era.” Elias began. “However, unbeknownst to him, there was a dark evil growing within the kingdom underneath his nose. For all that he was a wise man, his focus on bettering the kingdom for it’s people came with an unfortunate consequence. His focus on the world outside the palace allowed corruption to grow within it, without his notice.”

They walked by Athan, who had a look of visible anger on his face.

“This corruption grew and grew for years, preventing strong and loyal men like Athan from joining the royal army, instead filling it with the weak and corrupt, those who were easily manipulated. They hid their presence well, even those who were highly observant did not notice their presence, all the way up until they made their biggest move. Killing the king. 2 years ago, our wise and great king died.”

They walked by Old Lady Sofos, who’s face was filled with mourning.

“The officials claimed it was of simple illness, something that could not have been foreseen or prevented, and for a while it seemed as though that might be a possibility. However, within a month it was clear that this was nothing more than a cover up. The king’s successor, someone who claims to be his son, took up his mantle and began taking advantage of his power. He eliminated countless men who were loyal to the old king, punished countless people for nothing more than his own entertainment, and led our economy into a sharp decline.”

They passed by Lefteris, who looked defeated and exhausted.

“While this force of corruption still did not have a name, still did not have a clear goal, what it did have was a face. And with a face, it became clear that this corruption was indeed a powerful group who was able to fool the majority of the kingdom, but not everyone.”

They walked by Agapi, who had an intentionally blank look on her face, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“This is where we come in, a group of individuals who’d been targeted by this corruptive force, who had been so blatantly taken off the board or prevented from coming onto the board in the first place. This force labelled us as their enemy, but they did not get rid of us effectively enough, and thus we were able to come together to fight against them. And yet, we still fight for the sake of our country, even if our actions may be seen as otherwise.”

At this point, Elias and Mina had finally reached the center table, and in the center of this table was a mask. It was woven with gold threads and had 4 red wings protruding from the back. On the front the only openings were two holes for the eyes to be seen, and around one eye was a sun symbol while around the other there was a moon symbol.

“As such, we have had to separate ourselves into two different people. Our normal selves, people which are part of this kingdom and will fight for it for better or worse. Then, our identity as agents of Anaktités. When you place this mask on, while you are wearing this mask, you act only for the sake of Anaktités, one who cuts out the rot of this kingdom in order to save it. then, once you’re done with your work, you remove the mask till you need it once more, till you are called to bring truth and justice to this kingdom. Do you understand the weight of this Mina?”

Mina had a million thoughts running through her head. Already she was getting the backstory of why this group existed, already she was allowed to know that this group meant to the kingdom. But, the thing that was on the forefront of her mind, much to her own embarrassment, was what the mask meant to HER specifically.

‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to be a superhero!’ She thought excitedly. ‘I’m going to have a secret identity and everything! I wonder if they’ll let me decide on my own name? Wait, focus Mina, this is important.’

“Yes, I understand. I swear that I will wear this mask with the respect it deserves.” She said with a nod.

“Very well, then take your mask and wear it.” Elias told her.

Mina then did so, reaching out and slipping on the surprisingly comfy mask.

“Good. Welcome to Anaktités, Diadochos.” Elias declared. Around her, everyone cheered, and the doors to the building opened up to allow the others to come in, and Iro and Panos promptly came up to her and compliment her on her cool mask. Though, through all this, there was one thing on Mina’s mind.

‘I didn’t get to choose my name.’