Chapter Text
The only thing you could hear in Evourai’s dingy apartment was the sound of the tapping of his pen and the shuffling of his leg moving up and down.
Ever since he graduated from Strength Middle School, he had been non-stop studying textbook over textbook, answering quiz after quiz, questioning the questions for being too ‘repetitive and easy’.
Almost everyday of his life was being poured into studying so hard his head might crack in two.
But the bigger elephant to address was,
Why is he studying so hard?
He wasnt studying just for the fun of it. He was studying to get into one of the prestigious schools in Heartless Horizon. Almost everyone and their grandpa wanted to get in, literally.
If you got in, you could do absolutely anything and every job you could ever want. Whether it be a medical career to a professional astronaut. Just having your name beside the school would immediately guarantee you the job on the spot.
But this school can't just provide you with every job. It can provide you with a very special course that Evo’s been keeping his eye on. The very infamous Hero course. Almost every kid, and maybe an adult’s, life-long dream.
The course that gives you the granted ability to become a Hero alongside every other famous heroes like The Iron Hammer, Sunflower, Warden and even Hydro.
And especially their principal, Owner.
He was the number one hero on every list and ranked leaderboard you know!
He heard that they could generate any command they want with the snap of their fingers, and still have all of their hearts.
And this school was no other than Hero Horizon Academy.
Which is why Evo needed to get in. Hence the cramming, lack of sleep, and studying till his coffee mug has bite marks on the rims.
It may sound a bit crazy. Risking all of your lives to save people you dont know for the sake of it. But that's what heros do! The entire reason Evourai didnt join his parents in heaven.
But why live’s?
You see, in Heartless Horizon, the city of Hearts. You are born with crystal hearts embedded to your forearm, always starting with 10 red glowing ones. When you die, you lose 2. Lose them all? And it's over.
And currently for our good pal Evourai, he was at all 10 lives, but he couldnt just blurt that out to anyone, oh no no. People in Heartless Horizon are always out for people with all their lives.
But thankfully, HHA, Hero Horizon Academy for short, has made a decision to separate people in sections based on how many hearts they have. But not all good solutions end some problems.
Which is why Evourai supposedly has six hearts. A needed necessity for survival here.
Even if you were separated from other lives, there was still a risk of others killing you just so you get put into different blocks.
Especially 10 livers. They would kill alot of people just to maintain their status, most of them being villains.
Even if he may not be the most…fortunate with his situation. But he is determined to at least make an impact with his caffeine filled life.
He closed the textbooks with practiced efficiency, packing the brick-like books into his bag, running through the dingy ‘house’ he lived in, covering the red birthmark on his face with his hair before running out the door.
If he wanted to even be able to grasp a Hero life, he needed to get the funds to do so. And being an orphan and broke. Wasnt exactly ideal for getting into HHA.
Which is why he finally got a job at a dingy coffee shop in the middle of 6 Life sector. The six live sector was dull, nothing special and yet nothing horrifyingly suffering with the constant fear of killing.
Hence the perfect spot for Evourai to work in.
The black haired man stood in front of Black Dahlia's Cafe. Grabbing the metal handle of the front entrance and walking in.
The place itself was neat, tidy and normal. At least for Evourais standards. The chairs and tables looked old and the storage room peeking from the slightly opened door didn't do it any justice. The best thing in the shop was a sad plant near a window.
Evourai’s eyes darted to the man behind the counter, he had brown hair, a red sweater before his black apron and a nametag reading Lezy - Barista.
“Are you, Evourai?”
“Yeah, I'm here for the job opening.”
Evourai walked closer to the counter, now being face to face with Lezy.
“You look quite young to be working, need fast cash?”
“No, no. I'm living alone, I need the cash for the entrance fee.”
“Let me guess, HHA?”
Evourai smiled sheepishly.
“Is it that easy?”
“Everyone and their moms dream, you cant really be discreet with it.”
“Yeah.”
Lezy grabbed a black apron from the storage under the counter, putting it in Evourais hands. Then grabbing a nametag from his pocket and pinning it on the apron,
“So I'm hoping you can make coffee atleast decently well. You’ll be doing the night shift, its mainly just restocking and cleaning up for the morning shift.”
Evourai put on the apron with the already pinned nametag and nodded.
“Youre shift ends at 7 am and you start in about an hour from now, so like 11 PM you start, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Actually, since you're a bit early for your shift. Wanna talk?”
Evourai walked behind the counter and hung his bag on the hooks nearby for stuff. Going back to Lezy and leaning on the counter.
“Yeah sure, why not.”
“Why do you wanna be a hero?”
“Heroes are recognized as models for other people, maybe even a reason for why people keep going. That's why.”
“Inspiring.”
“Maybe, but in a way, HHA could also be my ticket to have a better future aswell.”
“Yeah, any job would accept you.”
“Do you have a gift?”
One more thing Evourai forgot to mention. The heart system isnt the only thing that makes Heartless Horizon so special. There's a chance you get a gift. A special power tied to who you are as a person or what your soul looks like. Many of the ones who have a gift choose to use it for bad, which is why the ones who use it for good have to stop them.
You usually get your gift at the age 10, usually when you do something with strong emotions or through a test run by examiners to determine your gift.
“Nah.”
“Its gonna be tough without one during the test, you know.”
“Yeah,”
He looked down,
“I know.”
Evourai turned his head to face Lezy,
“You don't seem so interested in heroes, why?”
“Not every hero’s as good as everyone makes it to be, I just think about the coin on both sides.”
“Wow, someone's poetic.”
Lezy elbowed Evourai as they both giggled softly,
“Shut up, I'm aura farming. There's a difference.”
“Sure, bro.”
Lezy glanced at his phone, the glow illuminating his face.
“Well, time's up. Your shift starts now and I'll be here for the morning shift at 7 AM.”
Lezy pushed off the counter and began to gather his things, putting away the apron and sliding his bag on his shoulders,
“Have a good night.”
Evourai said, waving goodbye.
“You too!”
The door closed with a thud,
And Evourai was alone. It wasnt something Evourai was not used to, but talking with Lezy made him realize how quiet his life’s been without someone to be around.
Evourai walked into the storage room and glanced at the paper stuck to the wall, reading a catalog of all the items in the room.
As he shifted his attention to the actual storage area of the room. He noticed almost everything out of stock, the man's eye twitching in annoyance. You know, for a quiet coffee shop, they sure use alot of supplies.
“Youve got to be kidding me. Mojang hates me.”
Evourai mumbled before starting on the first row. Methodically organizing the items with practiced efficiency, humming a tune unconsciously as he went to row after row after row.
The black haired man carried the last box into the final aisle, crouching as he pushed it into the shelf. Standing up and sighing with relief, wiping off dramatic sweat off him.
“Finally done, now I just need to—“
THUD.
Evourai’s body locked up, his hands fisting up into tight balls. Staring at the slightly creaked open storage door, it came from outside.
Was it a villain?
Should he call the police?
Should he call Lezy?
Evourai had not one clue what to do, frantically looking around the storage room before settling on a dusty metal pipe in the corner, gripping it like a weapon as he walked out cautiously.
Red was pooling all over the floor.
The man's eyes widened, running up to see who was bleeding out in the shop. And saw what he was not expecting. One of the best swordsmen in all of Heartless Horizon, Conexion, lying face first on his floor with multiple injuries and slashes.
Did he mention that he was also top 5 in the villain leaderboard?
Almost every instinct in his body was practically screaming to get away and call the Hero Hotline. Keyword almost and a barely audible curse would be heard from Evourai as he dragged the half dead man into the storage room, blood smearing all over his hands and apron.
Evourai would say that he was decently strong, he could pick up people and maybe even half a car if he had any more ego.
But carrying Concexion to a place 20 feet away felt like dragging a square boulder up a hill. The netherite armour not making it any easier for him.
When he finally got him in, he dropped the man near the wall and gasped for air, his limbs already gone from carrying the guy.
Finally, he caught his breath, he then looked around for the medkit, any medical equipment at all and yanked an old and dusty medkit that definitely wasn't approved at all.
He laid Conexion down and immediately started to tend to his wounds, his hands shaking as he removed the armour and stopped the bleeding. Having mini heart attacks whenever the man half dead as much as groaned when he stitched the slashes and cleaned the gashes with alcohol.
When Evourai finished, he accepted the fact he was going to regret disregarding the idea of calling anyone to arrest Conexion. Glancing at the patched wounds and eyeing the hilt.
With the precision of a surgeon, he grabbed the netherite sword from Conexions hilt and leaving the storage room immediately, closing the door with a soft click as he laid the sword on the counter and putting his hands in his head.
“What the fuck did I just do.”
Evourai said, his head already calculating how many seconds he has left to live when he wakes up.
He just saved and bandaged a villain. Without hesitating or calling anyone.
Safe to say he was cooked.
And while Evourai paced in the front of the shop, thinking of all the ways Conexion could kill and dice him. He didnt realize the door was opening before it was too late.
Evourai was biting the skin of thumb murmuring when he heard the voice that made his blood turn ice cold,
“Who are you.”
Evourai faced the man and immediately regretted not calling the authorities.
“I—“
“Whyd you save me.”
“Y-you were a dying man! What was I supposed to do?”
Evourai said frantically, sweat beading on his forehead as he said the first thing that came to mind before even thinking.
Conexion eyes narrowed before they settled on the netherite sword on the counter. Evourai immediately noticed and grabbed it and held it tight.
“You think you can win a fight against me?”
“I—“
Before Evourai could stutter the words out, Conexion pulled out a spare diamond sword, pointing it at him. Evourai’s heart dropping to the floor.
Evourai may be good at using the sword, but he could never compete against Conexion, not in a million years. So when the blonde landed hit after hit, Evourai was already accepting defeat.
Cuts and slashes bloomed all over Evourai's clothes and skin, red blood seeping out and dripping onto his clothes, the sword falling down after a nasty hit to the side. He dropped to the floor, hand gripping his waist.
Conexion let out a breathless laugh,
“You can use a sword, but you're pretty bad at it, kid.
He walked closer to Evourai, crouching down near him and yanking his free arm, pulling up the sleeve and going silent, seeing all 10 crystal hearts. Evourai’s eyes widened in fear.
“You have all your lives? What a shame I have to bring it down to 8.”
Conexion said sarcastically as he pointed a sword at his neck, intending to land a final blow, raising his sword before saying, his eyes softening just by a fraction,
“Just know, I thank you for saving my life.”
The sword accelerated in speed towards Evourai’s neck as he closed his eyes, accepting the fact his ignorance led to his impending death. Yet, it never came. The sword never made contact to his neck, the blood never spilled and Evourai’s acceptance turned into confusion as he opened his eyes.
Conexion’s sword was centimeters from his neck, the sword almost cutting skin. Evourai looked up, seeing the man touching a purple gem engraved in his red trimmed armour, seemingly arguing with someone before sighing and sheathing the sword into his hilt.
“Tch, for some reason, he wants a little kid like you alive. Be thankful.”
The blonde’s eyes then narrowed, his grip tightening on his swords’ hilt,
“You speak of this to no one. If you do, the council will come for you and deal with you ourselves.”
And with that, the man turned on his heel and walked out before disappearing into the night. Evourai, still shaken by the whole thing, slowly brought his hand up to his neck and felt the slight cut on his skin. He stood up slowly and looked around the place. Blood and marks were everywhere and the clock read 4:58 AM.
He just got himself into a whole lot of shit.