"But that doesn't mean I will hang the cape so soon," Richard said, drawing the attention of the audience still in a state of shock.
"As you all know, for several years, I dedicated myself, my body and soul in my career as an explorer. I faced all kinds of creatures, I saw things I will hardly forget, I met many interesting people and I also lost many people along the way "
"All this because of my burning desire for adventures. The same desire that made me become the explorer I am today and that prevented me from giving up in my darkest moments "
"But over the years..." Richard paused a little while looking at the floor thoughtfully.
Tommy couldn't quite understand what that meant, but it seemed that the man was thinking about something important. Tommy sometimes also looked in some random direction when he was thinking.
After a few brief moments looking at the floor, he finally looked back at the audience, still keeping his smile. But now it was different. It wasn't easy to explain but the expression seemed more... melancholic.
Maybe even sad.
"This desire simply died" That line, that simple line, was a shock to almost everyone who was there.
A man whose whole essence resided in his burning desire for adventure simply lost that desire. Really ironic.
"In a way, I always knew this would happen one day. I always knew that one day... I would have seen all this world have to offer, and that it would kill my incessant search for adventures "
"And when this finally happened, it was exactly as I expected it to be. The truth is that after everything I've lived, any and every adventure I have after, will no longer have the same appeal as before "
"That's why I'm retiring as an explorer. Because without my desire for adventure and adrenaline to guide me, I no longer have any reason to continue in this business " Richard said while cameras and more cameras continued to take pictures of him and broadcast everything live.
But he hadn't finished yet. And what he would say next would probably change the lives of many people.
"But that doesn't mean I'm permanently withdrawing from my duties as an ability user," Richard said, leaving the crowd confused.
Is the man retiring or not? Tommy asked inside his mind.
"Although I don't have the same desire for adventures as before and I'm retiring as an explorer, there was also something else that always encouraged me to continue in this field"
"My will to help people"
"I think this should be a secret, but we members of Grand families, from a very young age, are taught that our duty is to protect and serve humanity regardless of the situation. We are raised as soldiers with the mentality that our duty, our only utility, is to protect humanity in case another catastrophe happens "
"And this is somehow true. Our ancestors, even before they were able to understand everything their abilities could do, risked their lives to protect humanity and create the legacy that our families carry today. It's just normal to expect the younger ones to do the same "
The crowd kept listening to Richard's speech while the cameras continued to broadcast everything live.
Even Tommy found himself deeply involved by the man's words and curious to know what he would say next. And knowing that all the problems Tommy had to pay attention to things, that was really impressive.
"Even as an explorer, I've always had this mentality. I always felt that it was my duty to protect my companions, even when they were stronger than me. I always felt that it was my obligation to face the creatures that would appear in front of us, even when I wasn't sure if I was going to win or not. I always felt that it was my obligation to conquer those danger zones and get as many resources as possible, even if it meant losing my life in the process "
"This desire, this obligation to protect everyone around me, whether they were known or not, was one of the main motivators that allowed me to build the reputation I have today. But even now that I'm retiring, this desire to protect others refuses to leave "
"That's why... I made a decision"
For the first time since he started his speech, Richard truly looked at the surrounding crowd. And now everyone could see how his expression changed.
That melancholic expression from before had been replaced by something different. Something brighter, something more resolute.
Determination.
"I'm retiring as an explorer, but I, Richard Piers, will continue to serve and protect all of you..."
"As a hero"
Heroes.
How not to know heroes. Even Tommy knew something about them. They were very popular, to be honest.
Heroes were one of the GDF ability user classes. Ability users put in certain areas, usually cities, whose main function is to fight savege ability users.
A good part of the world's population is composed of skill users. According to the most recent studies, at least 42% of the world's population is composed only of ability users, and this number will continue to grow.
As expected, not all of them were so noble. Some decided to use their abilities for their own selfish desires and evil ambitions, using their abilities to cause trouble and hurt others.
That's where the heroes come from. Heroes were mostly ability users with combat-oriented skills whose main function was to bring down these evil ability users, popularly known as villains, and protect civilians from villains in case of confrontation.
They were very similar to the guardians in this sense, but that's where the differences ended. Guardians, for the most part, had abilities more focused on support and defense, because their main function was to protect civilians in case of attack or invasion of creatures and wait for adequate reinforcements.
In addition, most heroes had sponsors. Agencies that produced equipment for the heroes and made entire marketing campaigns aimed only at these heroes and their public, creating toys, branded products and even movies.
And even movies. Seriously, Tommy almost couldn't believe it.
It was no exaggeration to say that most of today's heroes were practically celebrities. And finding out that Richard Piers would become a hero...
Well, that was something.
"Well, today was an intense day, don't you think cousin? " Sophia said sitting next to Tommy.
It was already afternoon and they were still in the city center. Richard Piers had already left a long time ago, but they stayed there just to pass the time.
The others had also left a short time ago. They probably went back to their homes, or they probably went to see one of Richard Piers' many improvised merchandise stalls that appeared practically out of nowhere or maybe they are also in another corner of the city doing something.
Well, that wasn't Tommy's problem anymore.
"Yeah, it was fun" Tommy replied dryly.
"Your tone of voice says the opposite"
"I'm not good at showing emotions"
"My God, that was incredibly edgy and cringe," Sophia said, rolling her eyes.
"The fact that you say edgy and cringe in a non-ironic way also makes you edgy and cringe" Tommy replied also rolling his eyes.
Sophia just shrugged.
"But then, what did you think of today? Oveldon will have a new hero, and on top of that, he will be a famous and very strong explorer " Sophia said with stars in her eyes.
"As long as they don't make a movie about him..." Tommy muttered loud enough for Sophia to hear.
"I still don't understand what problem you have with hero movies..."
" Sophia, they made 6 movies about Supestar's life story, and he is barely 22 years old, all the movies are extremely horrible and almost everything they show in them are things that Supestar himself invented " Tommy replied with clear irritation in his voice.
Even his name was ridiculous. Supestar, what the hell did that mean? Did he decided to be the different one and remove the "r" from super?
Ridiculous.
"Well, I didn't like today," Sophia said letting out a sigh.
"Why? " Tommy was genuinely worried and curious now, after all Sophia was the one who organized all this activity today.
"Because I couldn't take good pictures" Sophia said with an expression of false sadness.
"..." Tommy just kept looking without knowing what to say.
"In addition, I also hoped you would interact more with others" Tommy was taken by surprise by this answer.
" ... Really? "
"Seriously" Sophia replied with a serious expression "You need to make more friends, cousin. Rosa told me that you have some friends at school, that's good, but you need more people around you "
"... " Tommy really didn't know what to answer.
So, he just got up and stretched his arms a little before turning to Sophia.
"Let's go home, it's already getting late"
"This conversation is not over yet" Even with this statement, Sophia also got up and began her way back with Tommy.
The way home was silent. Neither of them had anything to say, so there was that comfortable silence.
But Sophia's words kept echoing in Tommy's mind.
"Friends..." It was kind of strange to imagine someone like him having friends.
With a sigh, Tommy closed his eyes and once again...
He was back at that day.
His blood-stained clothes.
His house on fire.
Sophia's body in his arms.
The look of dread and fear in Tyler and Tina's eyes.
The expression of horror in Helena's eyes as Tommy strangled her.
And the charred bodies of his parents.
That day... although he didn't regret what he had, Tommy wasn't proud of that either.
That was an experience.
A test he would never repeat.
A save that he would never access again.
Some could even call it a sidequest.
In the blink of an eye, Tommy was back in the real world with Sophia still by his side.
"Sophia..." Tommy thought to himself "If you knew everything I've already done or didn't with my powers, would you still look at me the same way? "
The answer to this question was almost rhetorical.
"I don't think so"