04-08-2020, 08:52 PM
“Silence can be deafening.”
We return to find our hero standing once again in a forested area, but this time in normal clothing. A hoodie much too large and sweatpants baggy as well. He has his hands in his pockets as he walks along a body of water.
“I’ve been away, but not for just any reason. Sometimes you must move where you are called. You have to follow the current as the river takes you to your next destination. You can try to fight the current at times, but eventually the water will overcome your strengths. Even one as strong as me. There’s only so much you can do to alter the very nature of things.”
Calvary watches as a twig catches itself upon a stone trying its best to not be swept away by the swift current.
“But hearing a thousand voices be deafened in a moment… that’s reason enough to capture anyone’s attention. Even from across the galaxy. I had been fighting the current pulling me home for months. I knew there was still aspects of my past that I needed to resolve, but I needed to reach out and make contact with Earth and its inhabitants.”
Our hero squats down and runs his fingers through the loose soil near the riverbank.
“I needed an escape from the currents and this planet was it.”
He smiles softly as he releases some soil to return to the ground.
“In ignoring my past, my home, I seemed to have lost it.”
Calvary sighs and slowly rises returning his hands to his pockets.
“I returned home and found only the pieces that remained as it had met its inevitable end. So many lives lost in a moment. So many voices quietened by the thick veil of death.”
He looks forward to see the stick finally moved from behind the stone and quickly carried down the river.
“It was while in orbit debating my next move that I began to hear that deafening sound once more. At a slower pace, but the unmistakable sound of panic was enough to snap me back to the reality of the situation. Many more were dying around the universe, but none moreso than on Earth.”
He turns away from the water and slowly walks away.
“Evil had manifested itself upon this world and it brought the foul stench of death to all corners. COVID-19 had began to seep into the crevices of the soil and spread its vines across the globe. I knew I had to come back.”
He stops as he comes to a large tree.
“But, in coming back, I learned just how useless I was to combat this kind of virus. Super strength is only as good as the weight it can lift. There was nothing my strength could do to lift the burden of this death from their shoulders.”
He punches the tree creating a small crack on the trunk seemingly not causing any further damage.
“It’s not often that I feel so unfit to wear this uniform, but after witnessing the wreckage of my home world and seeing the overarching spread of this plague…”
He sighs.
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to wear those colors again.”
Then he smiles.
“But it was seeing my name written across the line from a certain hero that returned me.”
Calvary removes the hoodie and begins undoing the pants when the camera pans away.
“Ruby… I’ll have you now that people like you are what fascinated me about this planet. For as many supernatural elements that you have lurking around the corners, there are just as many individuals like yourself. Fighting for what is right and true despite not having any abnormal gifts to aid in the endeavor. In fact, your human form is rather fragile, yet you continue to fight for what is right.”
The camera finds a small bird’s nest and focuses on it.
“It’s noble. It’s for this reason that I was enamored with the idea of stepping across the ring from such a dynamic personality. I knew I needed to see you pushed to the limits and see how you handle defeat when dealing with a friend rather than an adversary.”
A small bird is pushed out of the nest seemingly as this camera fixates on it. It flaps its wings but still manages to slam down into the soil. A hand reaches down and lifts it up. Calvary appears in full uniform with a smirk.
“But we were tasked to bring along a sidekick, and I seem to have found the perfect person. She even hails from this realm. In fact, she reminds me of you a little bit. She’s brave, noble, has a great heart…”
Calvary lifts off the ground and places the baby bird back in its nest.
“…a little naïve to how the world really is. You can come on out.”
A women steps out of the shadows of the treeline wearing an outfit similar but with slightly different coloring.
![[Image: tenor.gif?itemid=13355501]](https://media1.tenor.com/images/df50ee4390ed93c59fe79cd1c110f58e/tenor.gif?itemid=13355501)
“Allow me to introduce you to… Salvation.”
“Hey.”
Calvary looks at her as if expecting more. She shrugs and puts up her fists. He pinches the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head.
“She says hey.”
He straightens up and stares back into the eyes of the viewer with a piercing stare.
“Calvary is back, and it’s time that you learned the hard truth. You may be lacking powers, alien DNA, and my experience, but it’s tenacity that will win you this fight. Can you overcome the odds when they’re not inherently evil?”
Calvary begins slowly flying towards the camera.
“Can you stand up to those who mean you no ill will?”
Salvation walks beside him keeping pace.
“I welcome you to try, but I also advise you to be gracious in defeat.”
Cal smiles as he looks around himself.
“This is my new home, Ruby, and there’s no current pulling me anywhere but towards you.”
Time seems to halt as he seems frozen.
“May the best hero win.”