Blessed Curse
Prologue
Pain shattered the aggressive calm of combat before the hero even registered what his opponent had done. His own sword had been pushed into his chest and it had been his own hand on the hilt, guided there by the Titan's hand. The hero knew what he had to do, but his movements were sluggish, his muscles seemed to have lost their not inconsiderable strength. He tugged at the sword, but he couldn't make it move.
The Titan paused for a moment and put his hand on the hero's head.
"You are a skilled warrior, a worthy finale to my daughter's rebelliousness."
The hero's eyes widened further than they had when his sword had entered his own flesh. He tried to open his mouth, to tell ask why his friend was being spoken of in the past tense, but he coughed instead and only blood came from his throat. He fell to his side still struggling with the blade in his chest. It was getting harder to see. If he didn't get it out soon…
Dimly he could tell the Titan had moved on towards his goal. the others might buy a little time but he needed to get back in the fight or else… or else… he couldn't remember. Something to do with stones… and a vision…
The hero suddenly felt an incredible amount of pain in his chest. But he couldn't say what had happened. It only lasted a moment anyway. There was something… just ahead… not light… but emitting light…
Suddenly the hero heard a voice he knew and dearly missed. An old friend, and almost more.
"It's my pleasure!"
The hero's eyes shot open, the wound in his chest closed and the scar already vanishing. A friend and fellow hero was on his knees looking just above him, at the fleeting image of the woman who had just saved him again, he was sure. The hero's sword was still in his hand, but free from his chest. His friend had saved him, but how he knew what to do the hero had no idea.
No time for any of that. The hero spun, his body's strength returned to him along with life, to face the Titan who presented so much danger. But he was too late. He watched as the Titan accomplished his goal with a simple snap of his gauntleted fingers. A tremendous wave of energy surged out, and vanished just as quickly. Just an instant, but the hero knew immediately he'd been effected. As the first flecks of his body started to disappear he searched desperately in his own mind for a potential way to undo the damage the Titan had wrought. Only one thing came to mind, and that was a long shot. If he miscalculated it could be disastrous, and he didn't have time to be careful.
Three recipients, recipients that met the criteria and would be alive to receive. Well, one was guaranteed, if he understood the Titan's madness correctly, one would go to her: the only other like him. The other two… he had to be sure… but the ones he had in mind were unique, nobody quite like them in the universe. Surely they'd be overlooked because of that? No time. He had to trust his instincts, they were usually on point anyway. His, everyone's, hope shattered into three pieces and went in search of their new bearers. He could only pray it would be reunited.
Amber. He hadn't expected death to be amber, but that was the only color in sight. No… this wasn't death, he'd been dead before, briefly.
All thoughts died and his life began to play in front of his eyes, endlessly looping and he never remembered the last play through. And so he waited, waiting without knowing he was waiting or what for.