Fate/Heroes - Chapter 51

“…. Was it really necessary to pick the table in the center of the room Diana?”.

When the pair walked arm and arm into the restaurant, Diana instantly made a beeline towards the circular table in the center of the room. It was large enough for the pair to sit comfortably, but anything more than two would be cramped.

The daughter of Zeus smiled demurely at the Pseudo-Servant in front of her and shrugged her shoulders as the gaze of many men in the room were focused on her. Some recognized her without her disguise on, but none made any movements towards her, seeing her with an unfamiliar man.

Unlike the other members of the Justice League, she didn’t wear a disguise in her private life. Nor did she wear a mask on the battlefield. Bruce had his mask to protect his identity, while Clark had his glasses and passive persona.

Her work at the Gateway City Museum was protected as the curator was a personal friend of hers, but with how popular the female superhero was, it was impossible to not notice her while sitting in the center of the room.

Gray sighed lightly and sat down in the chair opposite Diana, not caring about the whispers he could pick up with his enhanced hearing.

“I’m surprised Gray, I didn’t think you cared about the opinions of the masses?”.

He shook his head in denial of her words.

“Rider doesn’t care, but I do. My ambitions as myself are much larger than anything I have as Rider”.

Diana considered the meaning behind his words and she nodded. Whispers of a young man trying to build a school for humans and aliens had begun to spread all around the upper classes of many cities. The possibility of it succeeding was tempting, but an even greater possibility of it failing was more than enough to turn some people off the idea.

That didn’t include members of the League however. Superman and the two Green Lantern’s, John Stewart and Hal Jordan were all for the idea. Batman and surprisingly Aquaman were a little reserved by the idea, not knowing what to think of this random young man trying to bridge the gap between humans and aliens.

Wonder Woman remained silent on the issue. She wanted to meet Gray once more before deciding what to think.

“And what does “Gray” think? What drives someone to bring humans and aliens together? For what reason do you want this school to succeed?”.

The sudden seriousness of the line of questioning caused Gray to stop looking at the menu the waiter had given him and looking straight up at Diana’s face. A few strands of her hair had gotten loose and fell on the left side of her face. It was accidental, yet with the expression on her face it looked anything but.

He closed the menu and let out a small exhale.

“I don’t exactly know why. I don’t remember much of myself before I arrived in Gotham a couple months ago, and when I woke up, I had memories that I “knew” didn’t belong to me. Feelings, knowledge, experience, emotions that I had never felt before…. They filled the gap so to speak on the memories I lost. And I found myself driven to become something more than I was. Something-“.

“Heroic”.

Diana finished Gray’s sentence with a small smile. The Pseudo-Servant nodded but continued.

“I had…. powers. I had the drive. I had the ability to do it. All I needed was a goal to help push me towards it. Much like Siddhartha Gautama, I wanted to become something more than just myself. The Justice League was one option, as was the League of Assassins but…. I didn’t want to rely on others. Trust isn’t an issue, it’s just…. I wanted to make my own legend. These memories all show me heroes who succeeded against impossible odds all on their own…. And I wanted to be just like them”.

Countless images of people Gray had never met ran through his mind.

A black giant several kilometers in size, an artificial sun as its heart…. The arrogant face of the Argo’s Captain as he lead a young purple haired girl to a sinister end…. The blood red eyes of the Hound of Chulainn….

A beautiful Amazon who was slayed by his spear…. The face of a beloved Emperor, who ordered his death…. Heads rising and falling as justice was carried out, no-one was an exception….. The crying face of a King he once called a friend, nothing in his treasury could save him from his fate….

Being ordered by the collective unconsciousness of mankind, saving humanity countless times before becoming a Heroic Spirit…. Attaining the impossible through letting go of all worldly connections, becoming something impossible in the process…. The First Emperor who dėsɨrėd immortality, he united a dynasty that would last for countless generations….

Becoming the complete opposite of a God, the path to the Bodhisattva blocked by the Sixth Heaven…. Killing countless men on the battlefield, his seven layered ox shield never breaking and never failing to block an arrow or spear…. The smile of a beautiful blonde haired girl, her wings like that of an angel as she mourned her friends death….

Gray’s smile was one that no twenty year old should ever have. It didn’t belong to someone with such a young face, yet in the eyes of Diana, it was like looking in a mirror.

“I understand what you mean. On Themiscyra my mother told my countless tales of Greek Heroes and their feats. I was drawn to their tales and wanted to become a warrior just like all my sisters. When my mother told me I wasn’t allowed to train, I was just pushed even more to become something more than I was. And that was over a hundred years ago now….”.

The pair cracked a smile and chuckled a little as Diana mentioned her age. It didn’t matter to Gray how old she was. Neither did it matter to her how young Gray was. A man with over thirteen lifetimes worth of memories and a woman who lived more lifetimes than any human could live normally.

It was fate for the two of them to meet.

“Sir, Ma’am, here is your entree”.

A familiar sounding voice entered the ears of the pair and Diana ignored the familiarity and just opted to stare at Gray as he did the same. The two just let their plates be placed in front of them and let go of each others hand and picked up their cutlery to start dining.

From a distance Gray and Diana looked more like two lovers than just two strangers getting to know each other. She told him of her adventures before she joined the Justice League and he told her stories of wars between Gods and Kings that predated even the age of antiquity which she was most familiar with.

Ruler and Berserker were more than willing to share with Gray their tales. The former was the First Emperor of China and the latter a creation of the Gods aimed at restricting those with Divinity. A perfect weapon in all accounts.

They laughed and sighed together as a group of teenagers watched on with awe and respect. The male half had nothing but admiration in their eyes as they saw the two ȧduŀts sitting with one hand over the other. The female half had mixed expressions in their eyes. Some of shock, surprise and others jealousy and envy.

Of who they were envious of, no-one knew.