Chapter 22
The 7 heroes
Silence overtook the room for a few seconds as Raj and IAM stood in what felt like a quiet standoff. Raj stared at IAM with a puzzled, slightly amused expression.
"You... really don't know?" he asked slowly.
IAM's eyes lit up with anticipation. Could this... could this be the clue? The turning point? Something that finally gives me direction...
"Seriously?" Raj continued. "Everyone knows this."
IAM blinked in confusion, caught off guard. "Uhh... I'm suffering from slight amnesia."
Raj's gray eyes made it clear he wasn't buying that excuse for a second, but he shrugged and replied, "Sure... Well, to explain this, we need to start from the beginning."
"The beginning... of what?" IAM asked, eyes narrowing with curiosity as he stepped closer to the counter.
Raj chuckled, then snapped his fingers. With a quiet metallic hiss, a stool rose from the floor beside IAM. He glanced at it, surprised by the seamless way Raj seemed to manipulate his surroundings—his path must be incredibly versatile.
IAM sat down, posture straightening like a student ready for a lesson, eyes fixed on Raj.
Grinning, Raj leaned on the counter and said, "The beginning... of the world as we know it, of course."
Now this—this had seriously piqued his interest. IAM leaned in a little closer, eager to soak in every word like a sponge in a storm.
"In the beginning," Raj began, his voice lowering just a little, the weight of his words pressing into the room, "before life existed, before even the faintest heartbeat echoed through time, there was nothing but a silent, barren rock."
Raj raised his hand slightly, as if painting the picture into the air.
"This world, the one we now walk on, was just a hollow sphere of dust and stone, endlessly circling a star that burned with unrelenting fury. For millions of years, it drifted through the abyss like a forgotten orphan. Its surface was cracked and dry, scorched by the unforgiving heat of its sun during the long, dayless stretches, and frozen solid under the shadow of its own silence."
IAM's eyes didn't blink. Raj's tone had changed—it wasn't just storytelling anymore. It was like he was reciting something sacred.
"Time moved forward, but nothing changed. No winds stirred. No rivers ran. The skies were a hazy void, clouded with ash and shadow. It spun endlessly, faithfully, like a servant chained to a master it could never understand. The stars above twinkled with brilliance, the galaxies moved in their celestial dances, but this world remained untouched. It was a dull stone in a sea of diamonds."
Raj paused for a beat, letting the silence sit.
"It was... stagnant. Lifeless. Cold, despite the fire it circled. Unbothered by the grand symphony around it. It was a ghost planet, waiting for a story. Waiting for meaning."
IAM swallowed without meaning to, his mind painting the image of a lonely world shrouded in cosmic stillness.
"And then," Raj continued, his tone lifting with reverence, "on a day that would never be forgotten—though it was never recorded—seven divine beings descended upon the rock. And with them... everything changed."
They were mysterious, ancient, and wise beyond comprehension.
When they arrived and saw the planet's desolate state, they breathed life into it with their cosmic power. From nothing, they brought forth land, grass, water—creation itself. The once-lifeless rock began to flourish.
Yet, something was still missing.
So they gave it inhabitants. Animals. And us.
The first humans opened their eyes and looked upon their creators—blessed by their presence."
Raj's voice deepened slightly, as if reciting a legend carved into the bones of the world:
"There was a man of steel, with a sword mighty and unyielding... THE KNIGHT.
There was a woman of immense beauty and grace, her pointed ears ever attentive to the sorrows of those beneath her... THE ELF.
There was a man cloaked in the fabric of space itself, face hidden, presence unknowable... THE SORCERER.
There was a man with beast-like eyes and seven tails sprouting from his back, his energy wild and deadly... THE BEASTMAN.
There was a woman with a glowing blue horn on her forehead—both elegant and powerful as it reached for the heavens... THE ONI.
There was a man, short in stature but with a hammer that could crack the skies... THE DWARF.
And finally... there was a man tall as the mountains, his body like stone, immovable and firm... THE GIANT."
IAM's eyes widened. "Woah, that's me... Am I a direct descendent of such a mythical being? Isn't that... insane?"
Raj gave him a flat look—and his next words crushed any hope IAM had begun to build.
"No. Actually, everyone is a descendent of the Seven Heroes."
"What... what does that mean?" IAM asked, voice trailing with disbelief.
"For example, I'm a descendant of the Sorcerer," Raj says casually.
IAM's face twists with confusion, and Raj lets out a chuckle before elaborating.
Once IAM's brain finishes buffering from the wave of disappointment, this is what he pieces together:
Every race on Holem descends from one of the Seven Heroes. The correlation was... a bit strange.
So, based on Raj's breakdown:
THE KNIGHT = Mexicans
THE ELF = Asians
THE SORCERER = Indians
THE BEASTMAN = Whites
THE GIANT = Blacks
THE ONI = Mixed? Lightskin maybe?
THE DWARF = ...Australians?
IAM wasn't too sure about that last one.
Raj kept referring to people by their "Hero lineage" instead of using terms like Asian or White. For example, he'd say someone was a "descendant of the Elf" instead of just saying Asian. Based on that logic—and the fact that dwarves were apparently known for weird metaphors and sayings—IAM guessed Australians matched best.
Through a few more rounds of back-and-forth, IAM learned that the Seven Heroes also gifted humanity with the knowledge of Paths. But—and this part was crucial—a person's path had nothing to do with their Hero lineage. You could be a descendant of the Beastman and be a Healer. Or a descendant of the Oni and not have a horn at all. In fact, the modern-day descendants didn't even look like their supposed ancestors. The "Australians," for example, weren't short.
So in the end... him being a descendant of The Giant?
Absolutely meant nothing.
"But wait," Raj said, tilting his head slightly with a smirk. "That's not where the story ends."
"There's more?" IAM blinked.