It all started in Herowin, the town of hero. It was a town full of dreams, hopes, and heroes (well, duh…). The street was bustling with all sorts of activities.
Traders were happily swindling heroes. Heroes were happily being swindled by traders. The townspeople were nice, always greeting heroes with their torches and pitchforks. Everything was perfect… except for one thing…
In a small alley, hidden from the view, lived a young boy. His clothes were so torn, dirty, and ragged, from being worn for so long. His eyes were lifeless, gazing into nothingness. Like a dead fish waiting to be eaten. His body was thin, proof of eternal famish. He didn’t have home to call his own. He lived off the street, doing anything he can to survive. He stole, he killed, he robbed people of their happiness. He had no one to rely upon. He was all alone, in a world of “dog eats dog”.
He never chose to live like that. He never chose to steal. He never chose to kill. He never chose to do bad things. He simply can’t choose…
No one knew his name. No one knew where he came from. No one knew his parents, or his relatives. Before they realized, he was already there, in the small alley. Lived like a beast in the body of a human. He never spoke, never talked. The only voice that can be heard were the growling, the howling, breaking the silent night. Nobody liked him. Nobody cared for him. Nobody tried to understand him. In the eyes of the townspeople, he was just a “pest”, “thrash”, “garbage”, “disposable”, “not needed”. He was just a dirty stain in the glory of Herowin. They thought that life would be better if he never existed.
THE GOD HATER
In Herowin, every single child is special. Every single child is destined to be heroes. Every single child will be picked by their own personal god to do all sort of heroic deeds. Every single child… except for him. No one knew that deep within his heart, he longed to be hero. He longed to be picked by god. He longed to do heroic deeds. Every time he saw heroes walked by the small alley, he stared at them. He stared at them with his lifeless eyes. He envied them for being the chosen one. The heroes, on the other hand, looked at him with disgust. They never considered themselves as an equal to him.
Days passed, Years changed, but his life was still the same. He was still there, in the small alley. He was still himself, the thrash of society. He was still scorned by the townspeople. He was still ignored by the gods. He can’t take it anymore. He took his first step outside of the small alley. The townspeople were surprised to see him in the main street, but he didn’t care. He looked at the sky. He took a deep breath. Finally, he spoke his very first word, his very first sentence in his whole life.
“GODS!!! DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH!!! DO YOU THINK IT’S FUN TO SEE ME SUFFERRING IN THIS WORLD!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! YOU’RE NOT GODS!!! YOU’RE ALL DEMONS!!! CURSE YOU ALL FOR ABANDONING ME!!!
The townspeople were really, really, shocked at that exact moment. They were shocked by the very first thing he said in his life. He cursed gods, the ultimate being, the divine incarnation, the almighty one, the essence of perfection. Suddenly, the sky turned red. Thunder clouds formed on top of Herowin. The whole town started to panic. Without wasting any second, they ran. They ran away as fast as possible. They went into the hole, town’s underground shelters, cowering in fear.
THE FIRST MEETING
The townspeople peeked from inside the hole. They still saw him there. Standing, looking at the sky. He was ready to receive punishment. He was ready to get hurt. He was ready to suffer. He got nothing to lose. He got no one to mourn for him. He was ready for his final moment.
The barrage of lightning was unleashed from the red sky. It struck him, created a huge explosion. The townspeople thought that it was over for him, but they were wrong. Amid the smoke and crater from the explosion, they saw his shadow. Still standing, still looking at the sky. But there was another shadow behind him. Not the sahadow of a human being. Not the shadow of animals or plants they knew.
The smoke vanished, leaving both figure in the middle of the crater. He turned around. He saw that “thing”. It looked like a cocoon. Fliying, floating around with sparkly black eyes. To his surprise, that “thing” spoke.
“Hi. Sorry for being so late…” it said.
“A-are you god?!” he replied awkwardly.
“Yes, can’t you tell? Anyway, how are you? hmm… not too good I guess… look at your body. It’s so dirty. You need to clean up more often. And you’re too thin. Don’t do strict diet, they’re not healthy.”
“U-um, god?”
“And you need proper clothes. I can’t expect you to journey with that dirty rag, can I? Ahh… youth these days, they have strange taste in fashion. In my prime time, we knew how to dress properly. We ate well and journeyed with style. I can’t believe the world has changed so much since the last time I was here. Even the town is different. It’s too quiet here. Where is the townspeople? Ah, there they are. Wait, why are they inside a hole? Is it their house? So people nowadays lived in a hole? What a weird idea. Don’t they know that it’s not good to live underground? it lacked air, food, water, space, and you can get crushed if there is an earthqua~”
“God!!!” he yelled at god.
“Oh, sorry. It’s been a long time since I talked to someone. Let me Introduce myself. My name is Times, one of the oldest god. I govern over the flow of time, keeping it safe and sound. I’m here to pick you as a hero.”
“You mean… I’m destined to be a hero?” he asked with doubtful face.
“Yes of course. Here, let me patch things up a bit.”
THE TRUE HERO
Times used miracle to change his clothes. His dirty, ragged clothes were turned into heroic clothes. He looked at his new look. Before he realized, tears came down on his cheek. It was flowing, unstoppable, full of feelings. Not sadness, but joy, happiness. Then doubt came upon him. He remebered all the bad things in his life. He remembered all the happiness he took from other people. Suddenly, he felt unworthy of being a hero. The next thing he did, he refused god.
“I’m sorry, o mighty one… I don’t think I’m good enough to receive your grace…”
Times laughed, “Hahahahahahahahaha, oh I’m sorry. It was the first time that I was rejected, I find it amusing. I like you more and more. I want you to be my hero, no matter what.”
“B-but, my past…”
“The fact that you feel bad about it means that you’re a true hero. Don’t dwell on the past, go forward, look into the future. Do your heroic deeds, help people, repent for your sin. This is my words to you.”
He was silent for a moment, then he smiled. His smile was as innocent as a baby. His first smile to his god. His first smile to the world. His first smile in his entire life. He wiped his tears. He knelt down. He looked at his god in the eye.
“Thank you for your kindness. I will never foget those words. I accept your grace, and I will do my best at your side. As a hero you can count on.”
Times slowly disapeared. Fading, leaving the realm of mortal. Smiling at him, wishing for his happiness. The sound of bell was ringing around Herowin. Celebrating his new destiny as hero. He can still hear his god’s voice carried by the wind.
“From now on, your name is Cocoon. You are the embodiment of evolution. You are the seed of change. Now go, and change the world as a true hero.”