Somewhere in Eastern Europe
A man stood in front of a wall of the decrepit orphanage, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans. His was a sculpted figure, the shape of his muscles clear past the fabric of his borrowed clothing. Yet that overwhelming strength, that presence he exerted, there was a gentleness in the way he acted. In his hands was a trowel that he casually topped with cement as he continued to place brick after brick to replace the old wall he had torn down with a new one.
As he continued to work he hardly acknowledged the footsteps of those that approached. Brick after brick he paved, until he was satisfied with his progress. It was only then that he turned around to acknowledge their presence.
"Did we hire you for something?" one of the men, dressed in casual business wear, asked.
"No." The builder and current caretaker of the children shook his head. "I am here of my own accord."
"A volunteer? Well, you should know that we plan to tear this orphanage down. Best you head off elsewhere." It was less a suggestion and more a threat it seemed. That became even more apparent as the men around him began to reveal the guns that they carried.
The man, the protector, turned back toward the building. "I would like you to answer a question," the man's voice came out more of a demand than as a request. "What will happen to the children?"
"Those pests will be put to work elsewhere."
"So you are the ones they talked about? The bad men who took away several of their friends already?"
The vermin shrugged. "They fetched a good price. The rest of the brats will finally be worth something. So what will you do then?" With a singer gesture of his hand the rest of the bugs began to grab their guns.
"My answer is simply this," the protector answered with finality. "You are my enemy"
A little girl with white hair tied into the bun exited the orphanage and walked around the corner to check and see what was taking her new friend so long. On the back of her hand were three pairs of red sigils that were visible for all to see.
"There you are Mr. Saber!" the girl said as she ran up to her friend and gave him a hug. Small as she was though, her arms were barely enough to wrap around his leg.
"Hello there Iva. Have the other children finished eating?"
Iva nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yep. It was really tasty!" She glanced toward the newly created crater in front of her head. "What happened?"
At this point she and all the other children there had gotten used to his feats of strength, especially when it didn't take him long to fix back all the damage he had done before either.
"There were a few insects that happened to infuriate me," the man replied truthfully. Just some gnats needing exterminating.
The girl pouted and slapped him on the leg. "You shouldn't be so angry all the time. It isn't nice to destroy things just because you're mad."
"I'm sorry," the man was quick to apologize as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I know my temper is an issue. I'll make sure to keep it in check in the future."
"Make sure that you do! Now c'mon!" The girl grabbed and began to drag him away by the hand. "It's Storytime!"
"Of course," the man smiled gently. "What story would you children like to hear?"
"The one with Jason and the Argu-… Arugu-… Arugula?"
The man chuckled. "Argonauts."
"Yes that one!"
"Well, it's an interesting story," Heracles began as he made his way toward where the children had already gathered. "That started with a hero meeting a man brimming with charisma."