Prologue
Legends come and go, they happen and then they are forgotten, but if there is one kind of legend that always seem to pass the test of time, and that would be the legend of heroes, people of different civilizations always enjoyed telling them.
In front of the camp fires and in their homes, passing it from father to son, grandfather to grandson, it is entirely up to them if they want to believe if all of it was real or not.
And of all the ballads and epics out there, there is one that specifically stands out.
One that has had people debated if it was actually true, or just the over-glorification of one very admired person.
A tale many have said to be just 'too ridiculous to be true'.
The story of an average young boy, he wasn't the offspring of some god, nor given blessings by any goddess.
He helped and saved people not because he was made to, or forced into doing so, he wasn't even obliged to do so.
It was all just simple coincidences, he was at the right place at the right time, or coming from others, at the wrong place at the wrong time.
For him, you don't need a reason to help someone; you only need a strong resolve.
He wasn't good with any weapons, shield or sword.
He wore no armor.
He held no enchantments.
Know no arts.
But how did he defeat the enemies? Many have asked.
Magic? He wasn't well versed in it.
Diplomacy? Far from it, there was one account made by a known individual of the boy being way too talkative when it comes to someone with a different ideal than him, though it always ends with less than peaceful results.
He was just a normal person, with a very particular set of skills, and a very colorful set of companions.
And a cheat ability that made him known throughout history.
A power that can defeat anything.
A power than can kill gods.
A power many has said to be just made up.
Understandable, a power that can easily kill dragons and demons was already stretching it, and beating a god was just too much to be believed by anyone.
A summoned hero.
The shield hero without a shield.
One of the many names that he was called as, a name that pretty much suits him.
He protected people without expecting anything in return, and most of all, without anything to protect himself against it. Just himself and his own strength.
But if there is one thing that everyone agrees on about the certain hero, scholars and plebes alike. And that would be the name he was most known as, a name that fits him even more than 'the shield hero without a shield' epithet.
The misfortunate hero.
And every story has a beginning. No matter how unbelievable it sounds.
"Heroes aren't born, nor made. They are realized."
-Mark Twain