The Hero's Journey...!! (FLASHBACK SOLO)

Shadic's father grabbed a steak knife from Seppu's drawer, "Shadic, stay here with Mr. Seppu. I'm going to check it out," The boy tried to run out the door with his dad, but the man turned around and grabbed his son by the shoulders. He crouched down so they were eye level with each other, and the hybrid saw tears welling up in his father's eyes, "Please Shadic, stay here. I don't know what this is, but it could be dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt. I'll be right back, okay? I promise,"

The boy was not sure what was going on but he said, "No dad, let me go, too! I'm bigger than last time!" The boy was referring to the last incident that had happened about a year earlier, when a large jaguar invaded the village. One of the other elders was mauled by the big cat, but he also managed to poison it in the process.

"I-I can't let you. You're going to do big things, remember?" He pulled in son into a hug, which the boy reciprocated, "I love you Shadic,"

"I love you, too, Dad," The man pulled away when Seppu grabbed a hold on Shadic's wrist, keeping the boy from following. Instead, the boy ran over to the window to watch his dad, his hero, go to investigate whatever the noise was.

Seppu's home was close enough to the point of impact so Shadic could still see his dad the whole time. The man crept towards the dust cloud cautiously, knife at the ready. He seemed to be calling out into the dust, asking if anybody was there. Suddenly, from the brown cloud, appeared a green man with pointy ears and antennae. He grabbed a hold of the man by the throat and asked him something. The man tried to stab into the Namekian's arm, but the knife broke when it made contact with the green skin. The other hand of the green man started glowing, and before Shadic could even blink, he rammed the hand through the human's chest. Time seemed to slow down as Shadic witnessed his dad get fatally wounded. Why would that green alien man do that?

"No!" Shadic called out. The green man rummaged through the human's pockets, stomping his foot when he came up empty. Then the Namekian flew off, leaving the dying man on the beach. Shadic ran out to his dad, much to the dismay of Seppu. The other villagers gathered around the boy and his father, all with grim looks on their faces. With the sunset behind him, Shadic knelt down in the sand next to his dying father, "Dad, no!"

The man coughed up some blood, groaning as he did so, "Shadic, everything is going to be okay,"

The boy shook his heads, tears flying off his face, "No dad, you're hurt bad!"

"Be strong, Shadic. I need you to be strong for me," The man's voice was frail, but still as welcoming as ever. Tears were rolling down his face, too, but he kept his composure through it all, "You're going to make things right in this world, Shadic,"

Shadic was confused, "How, dad? What do you mean?"

He coughed again, "Do you remember those stories I told you about? The ones with the space warriors and the heroes?"

"Yes," Shadic sniffled, "I remember all of them,"

"Follow in their footsteps," The man gasped, "Don't let what happened to me happen to anybody else," There was so much going on that Shadic's head was spinning. No boy his age should ever have to go through something this traumatic, yet here he was, "And Shadic," The man whispered, his injuries finally starting to get the best of him.

The boy inched closer, so he could better hear his dad over the crashing waves against the beach, "What?"

"We still have to play that last game of tag. It just," He coughed, "It just won't be tomorrow, okay buddy?"

Shadic sniffled again, "I love you dad,"

The man smiled, "I love you, too, Shadic. Make me proud," With that, his eyes fluttered shut and Shadic's father fell into eternal sleep.