Alma 126 The Torchbearer Who Shone Ligh

Old Man Hartford rubbed his chin in amusement and said, "I doubt it's as serious as you think it is, son, but I'm all ears, nevertheless. Lay it on me, youngster."

If only that was the truth, gramps. What I'd give for you to be right…

It was raining outside of the bakery.

Yet another April shower had come for Cem-Elle, drenching the little town and surrounding grasslands. The smell of wet earth outside the cafe was a welcomed thing by both Reed and Old Man Hartford. They were both of the same mind — the scent of life that a shower brought was a special event one should savor.

As of late, the weather had been sunny and clear. It was getting warmer with each passing day...

The consistent pitter-patter of the rain on the streets masked the sound of their voices. Every now and then, the sound of distant thunderclaps reached their ears. They understood what that thunder entailed for both of them.

A thunderstorm was brewing not too far out of the town and was heading for…

He started off slowly and carefully, explaining the gist of his dilemma. How he had, by means of some unknown circumstance, become privy to forbidden knowledge.

That he knew of a tragedy that had yet come — one that could still be prevented if he acted upon the knowledge he possessed.

"You are hesitating, then? Why?"

"W-What are you talking about? I'm… not hesitating. I just—"

"Then why is this knowledge causing you so much grief? You said it yourself, no? That this tragedy has not yet occurred. ...Yet you hesitate in a situation that should, under normal circumstances, not warrant a second thought," said Old Man Hartford.

"Saving a life is a commendable, selfless act of pure compassion. You are, by definition, putting a life not your own over yours in a bid to save them. Unfortunately, it is something that very few people are actually capable of doing..."

Reed sighed. He couldn't disagree with the old man and that was what troubled him the most.

I don't think I can be the… hero you'd like me to be, gramps. I can't...

I'm too weak. I'm just... a normal person.

"…But that doesn't mean that they, normal people, are hopeless. Son, there are no real heroes. We've created the word 'hero' to label people we think are special, but in truth, they're no different than us."

"…Look at this street, son. I see heroes everywhere. They're just sleeping, waiting until the right circumstances wake them up. Within each one of them exists an unrealized potential, something greater than even the likes of the almighty Chosen and their powers… the Spark of Heroism."

"You don't need to be extraordinary to be a hero, my son."

"You become extraordinary when you turn into somebody's hero."

Old Man Hartford's words struck Reed right where it hurt the most. He could almost hear the sound of his heart-shattering. It was too unbearable for him even look at his understanding, sympathetic expression. 

God-fucking-dammit..! H-He's not judging me even though I...! T-This is so...!

Never before had Reed felt so minuscule. In front of him was an old man well into his late seventies, half a foot into the grave, and yet…

Reed felt like he was in the presence of a titan of myth, someone who could probably carry the weight of the world on his shoulders shrug it off with a smile. This was a self-actualized man who reached the zenith of his potential and had become the ultimate version of himself.

He had tried his hardest, but he couldn't hold it in anymore.

The tears wouldn't stop coming out. The pain was greater than anything the stone could have ever inflicted on him. His sobbing, distraught expression was one of genuine regret and sorrow.

I-I killed this incredible person…! Because of me…! I-I… have no right…!

Old Man Hartford patted Reed's back and said, "…You can do it, too. I know you can, son."

H-Huh?

"You have the spark within you, as well… I can see it eagerly waiting in your chest. It'll surely turn into a flame bright enough to light the sky. 

Trust it. Let it cast away the darkness in your heart once and for all."

"…B-But I can't! I'd be a hypocrite! I-I only want to save… a few people and not…! It's not selflessness, it's selfishness! There are responsibilities that come with that! And if I can't keep my end of the bargain, then I'm unworthy of it!

I have to be all in or I'm not! Make good on my word! Otherwise, I'd be nothing more than an irresponsible coward wearing the mask of a hero…!"

Old Man Hartford shook his head and said, "You're wrong, son. We take up what we must not for the greater good, but for the ones we love. To protect them from what they cannot defend themselves from.

Those who dedicated themselves to the greater good and the world at large aren't heroes. They're saints — people who have sealed their love for the individual to dedicate themselves to everyone.

These people are the deep end of heroism and have, in order to commit themselves to their belief, cast off a piece of their humanity.

They have chosen to walk a path that leads out of the world, for the sake of the world. There is such a difference between momentary selflessness in the heat of the moment and perpetual self-sacrifice for an ideal.

…You can still be a hero and focus on those you love, son. You do the hard things for them and if everyone else benefits, well, that's a hidden blessing — not sought out for, but welcomed nonetheless."

Reed sloppily wiped his face and said, "…T-There's a difference? I thought all heroes are in service of the greater good."

He had never heard about this, much less considered such a thing was possible — that someone could focus on the individual and still be a hero.

Could it possible? Would the stone accept such a belief or reject it? It demanded much out of Reed, so he did not know if that would be enough for it…

"Of course there's a difference, you fool! I'd be worried sick if you actually picked up such a ridiculous idea and ran along with it! How about you take care of what's in front of you before you start running off with your wild fantasies!!"

The Old Man grabbed Reed's head and forcibly turned it toward the bakery. Lu'um and Missus Hartford smiled when they noticed them and waved for them to enter.

Ahh... I see. He's right. Focus on what's in front of you. How could I have been so blind?

Reed waved back and said, "…You're right, gramps. Sorry for making you worry and listen to my stupid problem."

"See, I told you. It's wasn't as serious of a problem as you thought. That was just your fear talking, blinding your vision," said Old Man Hartford, chuckling wryly.

"But still, I wouldn't have been able to figure it out without you, gramps…"

"All you needed was a little help, son. More than often, we lack the clarity to see through problems when we become afflicted with irrational emotions. Like fog, it obscures the truth in front of our eyes…"

Reed completely agreed. But now it was different. The fog had finally disappeared. His answer was right there, in front of him.

When his sunflower smiled at him, he felt as if an immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders. An unknown strength had begun to flow into his veins, empowering him with a renewed sense of determination.

"…I owe you, gramps. How 'bout I repay you with your favorite coffee and some fresh blueberry muffins?"

The old man shrugged his shoulders and said, "How about you let me see my grandchildren sometime this century, son? Do me that favor and we'll call it square."

Reed and Old Man Hartford laughed. They entered the bakery and left their old regrets outside for the storm to carry away someplace else…

Old Man Hartford had given him something genuinely magical that day. It was an invisible thing that could not be seen, heard, or felt. What they neither of them could have expected were the effects that it'd have on…

The stone.

Nearly all of the blood on the stone had disappeared for the briefest of moments before it returned to normal. The gestating power contained within it had almost prematurely burst. Not a single person had detected the abnormal surge be it Reed, Lu'um, the Hartfords'… or Him.

An unknown wave power had come out of the stone and passed through the bakery, out into the surrounding neighborhood for a couple of hundred meters…

…The next day, everyone on Reed and Lu'um's street woke up and found that their entire street had turned into a lush, overgrown forest filled with life...

Chapter end