Whether through pain or despair, a true hero must overcome them to become stronger and stronger; hatred and resentment are only poison for his soul, courage and compassion are his noblest weapons.
This is how the old writing found on a stele in the middle of the desert tells the story. Finn the human stands before this piece of legend which explains to him, among other things, that this place hides within him a trial that he must pass.
You probably have questions about why our charming little hero ventures into a forgotten corner of Ooo? The answers to your questions lie in the past of the young human boy who finally met his father, the same father who didn't seem to regret for a single second abandoning him once again, tearing off his arm as he tried to hold him back.
Finn silently cursed under the scorching sun, after losing his arm. Jake tried to console him or distract him with games or dungeons, but nothing could extinguish the rage that consumed him against his own father. He wished to inflict as much pain as he had received, only to realize that staying home was driving him mad. Leaving a note for his canine brother to warn him that he was going on vacation for a few months, Finn then began walking west without ever looking back. Little by little, he encountered some warriors who told him that a spirit haunted this desert and that it challenged whoever ventured there to succeed in a trial worthy of a legendary hero. Always ready for this kind of thing, Finn immediately set out on the quest, certain that he would be the victor of the challenge.
Abandon your woven armor, abandon your metal weapons, the sun will be your only judge, the sand your only certainty, if you want to triumph then clench your fists and advance until you lose the pain.
Removing his t-shirt and shoes, then his backpack and his lucky hat was of course something Finn had to do to succeed in the test which clearly indicated to him that he would only have his fists at his disposal to defend himself, anyone would have called him a suicidal madman who followed the orders of a stone tablet but Finn knows that he needs this to stop thinking about what hurts him inside, whether it is his father's abandonment or his catastrophic love stories, Mertens no longer wanted to have a broken heart.
For five days now he has been walking through the sand, sometimes he has come across a cactus or a rock, other times he has walked on skeletons perfectly cleaned of their flesh, yet all Finn felt at this very moment was an irresistible urge to drink a large glass of ice-cold water with perhaps a slice of lemon.
Under the sun of Ooo, the golden-haired hero advanced, one step after another to support a body bent by fatigue and the stifling heat. Finn's long, labored breathing, along with the sound of his footsteps in the sand, were the only sounds he heard. His vision seemed to be limited to the blue of the sky and the gold of the sand. Sweat rolled down his tanned skin, his shoulders reddened, as was his face, reddened by the strong exposure to the sun. Yet nothing could deter Finn from his goal, which was to advance further and further. It didn't matter if he wanted to faint and pray to a deity to fall into a pool of cold water with all his friends; he wasn't there to complain.
"~Move forward...move forward...again...always;...move forward..."
The protector of the Candy Kingdom's thoughts were no longer for Bonnibel, Phoebe, Marceline, Jake, his father, Ooo.
No, today Finn walked through this desert with only one goal in mind, no extraneous thoughts would bother him, but as his resolve grew with his determination, Finn saw something that made him stop.
A third stone stele.
A few more steps and Finn the human fell to his knees, breathless and clutching the sand tightly as his stomach rumbled; not eating was of course torture, but the young hero had found nothing to feed on, forgetting his weakness by punching himself in the face. Finn looked at the letters engraved in the stone with eyes shining with determination to succeed in the next test.
Who dares to complain? Who dares to cry? Who dares to hesitate? If you come here you will have to bury the child, let the man grow up, then assume your role, your skin will become your armor, your arms and legs will become your weapons, but if you seek power you will have to offer your innocence, you will become strength personified, but you will never again feast on peace.
In front of his knees was a clay bowl inside which one could see a blackened liquid which did not shine despite the sunlight on the back of the young hero who slowly turned the phrase over and over in his head, then his eyes slowly slid down to the flower at the end of his shoulder, it was a bad joke, Mertens, no doubt about it, losing an arm is not funny and the worst thing is to have a flower of everything in its place.
Little by little Finn began to think that the things he had to give up were of course this carefree attitude, childhood and all these things to which he had become attached had to go, as he dipped the flower in the blackened liquid Finn had a fleeting thought of the first woman he had loved.
Bonnibel or Princess Bubble-Gum, he once saw her as an ideal, the perfect princess or even the perfect woman, but over time this image has gradually shattered, today he no longer sees her as a being who does nothing wrong, no he sees her as a woman who has given up her personal well-being to take care of her kingdom.
Even though her nerd side made her cute.
"Thank you...for putting up with me, princess..." he said through dry lips, his blue eyes calmly watching the liquid slide down the green stem until it reached his skin, which he felt cool at the mere touch of the black liquid...thank you for everything."
If asked if it hurt when the blackened mud seemed to stick to his skin, Finn would reply that it hurts in the same way as if a hard object hit his knee, closing his eyes and feeling his bones tremble. Finn lets himself be carried away by the pain, accepting that in the future he will suffer pain stronger than ever before, and it will be impossible to avoid feeling pain.
The pain you endure, the sorrow that overwhelms you, this feeling of being but an ant under the boot of a giant, all of this will disappear to make way for the strength that crushes hatred.
Opening his eyes was easy, but processing that a black arm now replaced the flower was an interesting emotional experience for the young hero who watched his limb fixed to his shoulder, testing his new arm by executing gestures ranging from punching to moving his fingers. Finn felt joy blossom, even though he recognized that he would miss the grass blade, if only for the practicality of always having a sword in the palm of his hand. Just the thought of it made his black arm move; in the hollow of his palm leaped a black mass which, once long enough, solidified into a flawless blade. Blinking twice, his eyes painfully sensitive after seeing only burning light these past few days, Finn now thought of a shield capable of stopping all dangers.
In a few seconds he found himself watching his hand grow larger and then become a round shield that would protect him and everyone behind him.
An arm that can change shape? That's something that will strengthen the arsenal of the young human who, once his tests were finished, resumed walking in the desert. The fatigue of the last few days had lessened a little, but nothing could calm the hunger and the feeling that someone was cooking something on his back.
Yet his wandering finally had meaning because the next stele that Finn read finally gave him a chance to progress through his trials.
You have come all this way, you have accepted power, your determination has been proven, yet you do not yet know the burden you have decided to bear, like a plague it will pursue you until your last breath, if you are worthy of the heroes of old, triumph will be your only goal.
The stele then began to crack, the pieces of black stone started to plant themselves in the ground like balls thrown at full speed, the opportunity to understand what was happening was brief because Finn felt a dull pain burst under his chin before flying away like a rag doll.
Ringing to the point of being absolutely certain he saw small stars blinking in front of him, Finn slowly got up, groaning that his head felt heavier. The human gradually regained his normal vision, then he saw with a low growl a pack of stone monsters surrounding him.
Their size was not a problem, barely bigger than a large wolf, but their small colossal bodies and powerful arms indicated to the young hero that these monsters were not going to be easy to face.
"..."
Finn felt all his sorrows flow away, his sadness and doubts gently left his mind, he didn't need them, unlike all the times when he thought of the people he loved to give himself strength, Finn now thought of something else to motivate himself, something that lately had been preventing him from sleeping, he thought of nothing else even though the simple fact of acknowledging it made him angry.
"More...more...louder..." he mutters, cracking the back of his neck and the knuckles of his left hand.
His weakness made him nauseous; he was not ashamed of being a weak human, he was ashamed of having remained like that for so long.
Smiling so broadly that he revealed a pair of teeth sharper than normal, the young human completely cleared his mind, never noticing how his new arm shone with a golden hue for a second.
"RAAAAHHHHHHHYY
His roar aimed at nothing other than unleashing his warlike rage; with a prodigious leap, he struck the first Golem with his right hand. The shockwave emitted by his blow created a gust of wind powerful enough to repel the monsters around him. As the stone in his hand shattered, Finn barely had time to savor his newfound strength before a knee to his stomach lifted him off the ground. His urge to vomit would have to wait, for a right punch to his cheek sent him flying back through the sand like a rocket crashing into the distance.
Spitting out the mouthful of sand he had accidentally swallowed, the human began to look at the Golems around him, at least twenty, maybe more. His train of thought stopped as a shadow loomed over his head, jumping back while performing a pirouette. Finn immediately gripped his arm to block the blow aimed at his head. Slipping on the sand, the human could only groan, then in a surge of rage he grabbed the monster's shoulder to throw it over his shoulder. Once the stone shattered, Finn wasted no time in launching another attack.
His body began to move before a simple thought could even command it; moreover, Finn began to lose track of the number of blows received or given. He thought the fight against the Golems would be brief, but after a while he didn't even notice the stone hands emerging from the sand, then pulling monsters all ready to give battle against the hero of Ooo, who was paying attention to nothing but the battle.
When the sun began to decline, Finn flew once more, striking a solitary rock with his whole body, which simply shattered. The human rolled like a cannonball into the sand before righting himself in the air and then planting his feet in the golden grains. His head tilted back, the hero of Ooo slipped two fingers between his teeth, bringing his head back to the right place with a sinister crack. Finn gently moved his shoulders while letting his arms hang in the void, his face devoid of any emotion. He watched the Golem troop run towards him.
"..."
If possible, his wild smile took even more space on his blue-marked face, turning around to violently bring his heel down on the knee of the first Golem, moving on to the second Finn, pushing off with his foot still on the ground to launch himself towards the head which he exploded by swinging his left fist, leaning on the carcass of the monster he has just beaten the human charges headfirst into the chest of the Golem which blocks his path, the force hidden behind the blow made the stone being take off which in passing crushes his brothers who did not have time to dodge.
Letting out a deep laugh, Finn immediately tilted his head to the side so as not to be blown away again by the monstrous force of his enemies who seemed to enjoy sending him flying through the air.
"Not twice!"
Growling more fiercely, Finn brought down his elbow while raising his knee to simply break the stone arm caught between the two monstrous forces of the human, yet this did not bother the Golem who raised his other arm with the idea that even if the human managed to avoid his blows he could not block them.
This idea, if it was one, shattered when Finn crossed his arms above his head. A shockwave shook the young hero, who once again felt his head ring like a bell, which probably caused him to miss the kick to his stomach, which fortunately was empty. Rolling backwards, Finn barely straightened up before his arms were held, and his neck was also caught in the rocky hands of the monsters around him, who began to hurl blows as fast as possible at the human, who could only absorb the raining blows.
One might think that Finn was moaning because of the pain caused by colossi hitting him without any ounce of pity, no, it was mostly that all the thoughts he thought he had put aside to concentrate on his fight quickly resurfaced.
Grief, anger, disappointment.
His feelings are the most horrible; he cannot forget them as he sees again the faces of the women he loved, who rejected him for reasons he gradually came to understand.
Immaturity, incompetence, untrustworthy.
He also relives the pain of being an orphan before becoming the son of Joshua and Margarette; knowing that his own father voluntarily abandoned him hurts so much that Finn thinks he absolutely does not want to meet his mother.
And then he reviews his many, too many mistakes against the people he hurt through his own stupidity; in a few seconds, the hatred Finn had for himself devoured him, reminding him that he is nothing but a small human.
Dying today would surely have made sense, beaten with blows capable of breaking rock, his heart gnawed by feelings he thought he had locked away in a chest that would keep him safe from sorrow, yet a spark of something shone in his soul, barely bigger than a candle, this fire symbolized all the will that Finn possessed, yet the more he let his sadness and pain grow like shadows threatening the meager flame, the more it began to shine a little brighter to send something to Finn.
Don't give up.
Finn's blue eyes widened.
In a single second, the human from Ooo found something he thought he had lost, a strength he thought he had forgotten to avoid pain, an old thought he kept buried inside because he could no longer face it for fear it would hurt him.
Hope.
These trials, this struggle, the fact that his soul screamed at him to raise his head in the face of all the pain he was enduring, all of this created something new for Finn.
The blows continued to rain down on his body, yet no pain was felt once the human allowed a completely new feeling to take root in his heart. You could call it pride, or even rage, but one thing is certain: it awakened a force that lies dormant within every man and woman of Earth. The small flame of his soul burned with such power that it began to destroy all the hero's negative emotions. Roaring once more, Finn raised his head to let his voice carry his war cry. His blue eyes began to gleam, his skin was covered in a golden sheen, enveloping him like a second skin. His hair sparkled. Growling as he bared his teeth, Finn contracted his muscles to push beyond his limits. Now, with his arms of flesh and bone clutching his, he unleashed another roar of rage before hurling them straight ahead. Crushing and destroying the still-standing Golems, they didn't have time to understand what was happening before Finn charged like a a comet.
Unknown and undoubtedly ignored by the world, Finn the human was writing a page of his own legend, a simple human boy fighting stone golems without ever stopping, but this was only the first trial to become a true Hero that future generations will see as the symbol of courage and hope for Ooo.
~O~
Calmed, perhaps even at peace for a long time, Finn just felt that feeling that you get once all the anger clinging to your heart has finally come out, leaving you just in a state of bliss.
It had been twenty minutes since he destroyed the last stone warrior with a well-placed punch to the chest. The fact that nothing was around him anymore made Finn feel like he hadn't done enough. Then, fighting on an empty stomach brought him back down to earth. He fell on his back without really understanding how he had managed the feat of fighting for five days without any breaks. His blue eyes rested on his black member. Questions crossed his mind until he mentally shrugged, telling himself that if this thing helped him stay upright despite everything he had just been through, then he didn't need to worry about it.
Stargazing was obviously a boring thing to do, but Finn remembers Bonnibel often talking to him about the constellations, telling him that with some stars it was possible to see incredible things. He tried to connect the points in the sky to make something beautiful, like the ancient humans had done.
Yet nothing came to mind except the sight of a sword; one must believe that his imagination is really not very good.
Then a fluffy tail hit his nostrils.
Confused or surprised, Finn didn't know this because a small white rabbit with blue eyes was running at full speed, leaving behind golden grains of light.
"What in the..." muttered our young hero, getting up at full speed and then starting to run after the white rodent that was scurrying across the sand.
If someone else had been present, they surely wouldn't have understood anything about the scene of a shirtless human running after a small rabbit.
Finn truly had no idea why he started chasing the cute animal, but since it made the sand sparkle, it wasn't impossible that it was a sign from those organizing the heroic trials—at least he hoped so. As he ran under the moonlight, Finn began to reconnect with the emotions that had been swept away during his fight. It was strange, but this moment wasn't unpleasant; it was as if he was acting before he thought, giving him no feelings of doubt to trouble his psyche. Of course, his brother and Princess Chew-gum would find his attitude too reckless, even dangerous for himself. Sincerely, he appreciated that people were so concerned about his well-being, but sometimes he felt they acted as if he wasn't strong or capable enough to manage on his own. Today, he had proven that he could succeed without them.
Okay, having Jake with him is of course the best thing in the world, after all going on an adventure alone is not as fun without his canine brother, however Finn realized that with the arrival of his children Jake could not always be there, he now has a family and especially his wife who is waiting for him at their home.
The same goes for Bonnibel; she has of course always helped the young hero in his quests or troubles, but in the end she remains a candy queen who is always looking for a way to ensure the future of her people. Finn regrets this, but she has never been a woman who can start a family with him or have a relationship that is unlikely to last long because of her lack of immortality.
The topic of living for centuries makes him think of Marceline, who, of course, has all the time in the world to...do what exactly? Thinking about it, Finn isn't really sure what the Vampire Queen wants. She isn't actively seeking power, if the experience with Hunson Abadeer was any indication. In fact, the only thing she desires is to spend time with her friends and the Ice King, or Simon, as she affectionately calls him, remembering the time when this man took care of her.
The young human's stride grew stronger as ideas began to flood his mind. Could it be that he had never once given a thought to what might make Marceline happy? That he had never sought a solution to the Ice King's problems instead of hitting him? Could he really be that much of an idiot?
The memory of a Flame Princess departing at sunset painfully returns to her mind.
"Of course I'm an idiot..." muttered the hero darkly as he leaped closer to the Rabbit.
The white-furred rodent wasted no time diving into the black stele; the letters engraved on the stone lit up before the eyes of the young human, who finished his short run panting, his hands on his knees, his blue eyes staring at the gold letters with a grave expression on his features.
You braved danger, even on the brink of defeat you rose a little stronger, your story has only just begun but you have already shown that you possess an unwavering will worthy of a true hero, that is why you have the right to take the final test at the first light of dawn, rest young hero, for tomorrow you will write a new legend.
Falling into the sand, which suddenly began to tremble, the stele seemed to have awakened something that Finn immediately distrusted. Then the sand in front of him suddenly imploded, creating a large cloud of dust that blinded him. Coughing or cursing every grain stuck in his mouth, Finn stopped when he saw what stood before him: a temple made entirely of white marble with columns surrounding it. Impressed by the architecture, the human from Ooo began to move forward as soon as the torches and braziers around him blazed, advancing slowly towards a staircase leading directly to the gates. Finn couldn't help but feel proud of himself for having come this far. Then something amazed him: a melody coming from a piano he couldn't see, musical notes carried on the evening breeze. He closed his eyes for a moment to appreciate this wonderful music.
When she stopped, our young hero slowly opened his eyes to look at a bonfire in the center of a huge room. On small tables, a feast was laid out that seemed to have come straight from the kitchen. Without asking any more questions, Finn threw himself on the food to devour everything.
~O~
Lying on the floor covered with a simple purple tablecloth, Finn had just finished his rather copious meal, judging by the perfectly cleaned plates standing around him.
"It has been a long time since I had a visitor worthy of my home," said a voice just behind the blond man.
Startled, his arm already poised to become a sharp blade, the hero turns to face a peculiar individual, quite tall, tanned skin clinging to his bones, long feet and arms, dressed in a simple white toga and worn sandals, an enormous tuft of black hair masking his face except for his eyes which shine the same color as a pair of topaz, a flattened nose from which smoke rises, swirling around his form as he sits on a small pillar which Finn swears he did not see during his feast.
"Hmm, a human," the tall man muttered, stroking the hairs of his beard with his long fingers. "I thought your race was extinct, but it would seem the Fates have once again decided otherwise."
Speechless, for a moment he thought he was meeting another human other than his moronic father, Finn straightened his posture a little more while keeping his arm ready in case the strange man tried something shady.
"Now that you have finished your meal, young hero, I would like to know your name," the tall man asked politely, blowing a cloud from his nose.
Slightly wary, the blond boy gently crossed his arms over his chest to hide his nervousness, yet the feeling of being faced with something dangerous wouldn't go away, and if there's one thing Finn respects, it's his instinct; in any case, he's going to stay on his guard.
"My name is Finn the human, and I am the hero of Ooo," the blond-haired young man simply announces.
"...is that true?"
The fires around them flickered, then Finn felt something that hit him like a cold shower, when yellow eyes plunged into his, something inside him seemed to open up, squeezing his arms around him to calm the shivers of fear that crawled on his skin like ants, Martin's son looked at the stranger with primal fear.
"Finn the Human, son of Martin Merten and Minerva Campbell, hero of the Candy Kingdom and all the Lands of Ooo," the great man's voice boomed like thunder. "I would like to say that it's astonishing to meet—"
"Comment ?!"
Disbelief, rage, fear.
"How do you know all that?! How can you know my mother's name?!"
In a few seconds this stranger had just said what Finn had always wanted to know, and it drove him crazy to hear his father's name.
"I know this because I am the sage descended from the stars, Oripon. I have watched your earth since its very beginning," he said, glancing up at the ceiling as if he could see the starry sky. "I have seen humans grow, I have seen them ravage this earth, I have witnessed the end of the old world, and one day I came here to find a place where mortals could come and ask me any questions they wished, provided they proved themselves worthy."
So Finn finds himself facing a cosmic entity? Meh, it's almost commonplace by now, but at the moment that wasn't what mattered to the human from Ooo who felt his blood pressure pulsing with the overwhelming excitement of finally getting answers to his questions.
"After seeing your life, young hero, I think you deserve to hear three absolute truths," said Oripon, crossing his long fingers under his chin. "No lies, ask me your questions and I will answer them right now."
Licking his dry lips, the sixteen-year-old tried to sort through his thoughts. Three straightforward, unambiguous questions? It was fantastic! How could he not be happy? But the fact remained that only three of his questions would find a clear answer. Leaving aside questions about the best meals in the universe or the most powerful swords, the young human decided that tonight he would shed light on the mysteries surrounding his life.
"I want to know everything about my mother"
The wise man of the stars looked at her before letting a huge cloud of white smoke flow between his nostrils, the cloudy matter gathered to form a circle inside which colors began to jump, they then came to life and gave birth to a film that spoke exclusively of Minerva Campbell, his mother.
Finn didn't know what to expect when he looked at the life of the woman who gave him life, but at the same time it didn't matter because for the first time in his life he finally felt like he understood who he was. After meeting his father, Finn had a deep-seated fear that his mother would be even worse than Martin, because after all, if his father didn't even remember why he abandoned him, why would Minerva be any better? Then the film began to focus on his parents' meeting.
Strangely, he was surprised to see the two of them liking each other in just one day; he had already heard about the fact that opposites are naturally attracted to each other because there is apparently a romantic curiosity on the subject, well then it was Jake who told him about it so the subject must be half true.
The film continued to show him their life together, how his mother became one of the most appreciated doctors on the island where the humans are, it was also unexpected to see his father become a simple hairdresser or to see him take care of him with love, then he saw why his life changed overnight.
People trapped by Martin who break into their home to settle their score, Finn was really shocked to see his father trying to do the right thing like trying to warn his mother about what was happening or saving him while the Protector was trying to kill them.
Then he looks at her, sitting in the sand, her eyes wet, her face afflicted by grief, he hears her murmur his name and that of his father, the young hero watches how his mother's life has continued, how she has tried to immerse herself in her work so as not to think about her pain, but he has also seen that she has lost hope for him.
So she abandoned her body, uploaded part of her personality into a computer to continue protecting humans.
"The stars have spoken," said Oripon suddenly, watching Finn cry silently while touching the portal which displayed an ideal image of the day he came into the world with his two parents sleeping peacefully, then the image vanished leaving Finn with his hand outstretched towards the thing he desired most in the world to fly away into the void.
"...so...is that it? ...my whole life boils down to just because..." despite the tears streaming down his chin, the young man seemed confused. "...all because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time?...it's...so unfair!..."
Living through all those adventures with Jake was incredibly cool, he agrees, but even so, who can swear they don't want to live a peaceful life with their parents? Especially when you're so close to that happiness, then everything falls apart and you become just a grain of sand swept away by the wind, left abandoned.
Angrily wiping away his tears, the hero forces himself to remain dignified despite having just wept before the wise star. The sage remains in the same position, patiently awaiting the next question from the young human, who begins to think seriously. What does he want to know? Now that he knows the truth about his life, or why he ended up on Ooo, Finn doesn't...
"Is there anything or anyone that grants impossible wishes?" Finn asks, straightening himself to his full height.
"Huh?" The wise man seemed genuinely interested in the question, then his eyes shone brighter. "There are many beings who can answer that question, but I know you're looking for those who keep their word. They are rare, but there is something in Ooo that can grant your wildest wishes... provided you pay the price."
Raising two fingers, he grabbed a bit of his smoke to shake it, which changed its shape to become, before the amazed eyes of the budding hero, a blue rose.
"This is a Blue Rose, a symbol of the impossible. It only grows if the wish comes from the deepest desire of your heart. If you ever try to make a wish with another desire, then magic will destroy the rose." The green stem between her fingers began to crumble to dust. "You will find this rose in the Cave of Wonders in the East of the Candy Kingdom, but be careful not to spoil your wish, young hero, for you will only be entitled to one rose."
"Only one? But why?" the blond man asked, confused.
"The laws of this world were written so that only those with pure hearts could win, but make no mistake, young hero, pure hearts can be as dark as yours is bright," Oripon patiently explained, raising a finger . "This is the first method... the second, however, is not the wisest, but you can ask for more than you desire."
"Cool! Tell me! I want to know!" said Finn happily, who was quickly calmed by the sage's very serious look on him.
"I advise you not to go there unprepared for what awaits you. Beyond the dark mountains lies a crimson spring from which it is forbidden to drink, lest you become a bloodthirsty creature. In this cursed spring hides the Lady of Dawn; she will grant any wish, provided you give her something she desires," said the Star Sage, gazing at the human before him with absolute seriousness. "Beware, young hero, this bloodthirsty creature will not hesitate to demand monstrous acts from you just to see you suffer."
Nodding gently to show he understood, he still kept the information in the back of his mind just in case, and once this was done, he felt a little better knowing that once the heroic trials were over, he would have some tasks waiting for him at home.
Slowly the realization that only one question remained made its way into his head and Finn did not know what else could interest him now that his past had finally been clarified, then a small idea came to him, raising his eyes towards the old sage he took a long breath.
"What is the purpose of these trials?"
If it were possible, Oripon would have blinked, but instead he started laughing like a madman, grabbing his forehead with his large hand. The man who had descended from the starry sky started laughing so hard that it made the walls tremble.
"By the Fates, I haven't heard such a good question in a long time," he said in a long, cheerful breath. "Young hero, you know very well that evil never disappears, that's why you exist, as well as all those who wish for a more beautiful world, but the fact is that most of them don't understand what the true purpose of a real hero is...even if you have come close to it a few times, you still haven't understood."
This time Finn would tell the wise man he's wrong, after all he saves people so often that some have started to imitate him or make figurines in his likeness, if that's not proof.
"Because of this, we, the great sages, have decided to devise these trials to evaluate those who believe themselves worthy of the title of hero. Until now, no one had succeeded in entering this temple." The great man's eyes focused on the young blond man's dark arm. "And this is the very first time someone has agreed to wear this."
"Are you talking about my new arm?" Finn asks simply, running a hand over the transformable limb. "What is it anyway? Some kind of cursed object or an arm taken from a demon?"
"None of that, young hero. When you read the stele of power, you chose to relinquish your innocence so that you might be granted the only power that would be useful to you in becoming a true hero. The desires of your naked heart then gave the answer: an arm made for you alone, a blade wielded not for yourself but for others, a shield that will not yield. This arm is yours, young hero," he declared, moving his legs, which he crossed while placing his hands on his knees. "And it will undoubtedly serve you to fulfill your destiny."
"My destiny?" Confusion was clearly visible on Finn's face as he took a step towards Oripon. "Can you see the future?"
"Just what could be, it's like seeing a river split into several streams, I see what might be possible or not, but in the end I always manage to know what you will do, young hero, and everything tells me that your destiny holds many more trials for you." Smiling with all his perfect teeth, the wise star leaned towards the human who swallowed hard at this jovial smile. "If you succeed in tomorrow's trial, I will give you a reward that you will like, I'm sure of it."
"I see..." Finn said softly, looking at his arm with admiration and above all a relief at not having yet had a cursed weapon, especially after the sword of grass.
"The stars have spoken," the great man declared respectfully. "Now it is time for you to rest after your trial, young hero."
Before his eyelids could even close, the Sage transformed into a cloud of smoke that rose into the air. Leaving Finn alone, he could only sigh and lie back down on his makeshift bed, trying to digest the truth about his family and the entire story surrounding his life. He had, of course, had countless theories about why Joshua had found him in that forest that day. Besides, had Martin left him there? But why? He had risked his life to save him before. Why had things changed?
Questions, always questions, Finn could swear that his whole life revolves around them, the answers sometimes come like tonight but it's never enough to understand the fact that he lived for years before knowing the name of his real parents.
Crossing his arms behind his head, our young hero continues to let the memories of his life flow freely, trying to take a wiser look at his past decisions, and damn it, he tried not to moan with boredom when he saw himself acting like some kind of hyper-Gooffy, but it's even harder when he sees his attempts at romantic interaction, all of which ended in failure, not a crushing one, but rather a burnt one.
Love has truly driven him mad to the point that he has forgotten his duties or even his common sense. Jake tried to guide him, but Finn has always struggled with his romantic feelings. He doesn't know why, but love always makes him feel strange. He knows he loves someone, but he is so afraid that this love is not reciprocated that he immediately feels terrified, as if the mere fact of not being loved is his worst nightmare.
Opening and closing his black fingers, Finn continues to think about the most important women in his life; he tries to take stock or turn the page to forget them once and for all after concluding that no matter what he feels, things remain impossible between him and them.
Bonnibel will always remain a solitary Princess seeking to understand the mysteries of science to ensure the future of her people.
Marceline will always remain immortal and free to do whatever she pleases.
Phoebe, for her part, will always cling to this impossible love because of the laws of nature.
He knows that thinking about them does nothing for him except remind him that he fell in love with the strongest women in Ooo, maybe that's his type of girl, the one who is not afraid of anything and who does not back down from any obstacle to achieve her goal, he would be lying if he said he did not find Bonnibel's devotion attractive, Marceline's passion for her music made her so alive, and Phoebe set her mind on making the kingdom of flames as grand as the rest of the wonders of Ooo and she would change the way others see her people.
Finn can say it now, he likes passionate women.
~O~
When the young hero's blue eyes opened, he saw nothing but an ocean of darkness. Quickly raising his body into a defensive position, Finn looked around at the place he seemed to have fallen into after falling asleep.
The shadows around him trembled and undulated like living smoke, then they began to swirl around him like a tornado, soon in his ears he heard cries of rage, despite his hands over his ears he could only listen to the howls that were meant for him.
"SO weak!"
"Is he a hero or a clown?!"
"I can't believe I could have trusted you!"
"You're just like your father!"
It hurt, hearing the voices of the people you've defended your whole life telling you such horrors can only break your heart, breathing more erratic Finn tries to escape the howling winds only to hit a wall, looking up the young human gasped at the sight of Princess Bubblegum sitting on a throne with an expression of absolute fury towards him, before understanding what was happening Finn found his hands tied by banana guards as the voice of his longtime friend.
"I believed in you, Finn, you were our protector, but once again you have disappointed us all," she said, her face creased with disappointment. "Because of what you did to the Flame Princess, our kingdom is on the verge of going to war with them."
"What?!" It was his voice, but Finn barely recognized it, his voice distorted by fear.
"By lying to her you made her unstable and hateful towards all the liars of Ooo, and now she has started burning anyone who dares to lie to her, we are all threatened because of you Finn, what do you have to say to justify what you did?!"
A reason? Something to give the impression that he didn't do anything wrong?
Finn would like there to be one.
"That's true, Finn," said a more sorrowful voice. "Why did you do this to me?"
Raising his head, the young hero felt his heart clench as he saw the flame princess facing him, dressed in her battle armor and her eyes shining with rage.
"You lied to me, you used my feelings just to amuse yourself," she reminded the blonde girl, who had the decency to be ashamed. "The worst part is that I could have probably died or killed the Ice King, but I suppose that doesn't matter to you... after all, you're just like your father."
If possible, her eyes widened even more when she heard her crush tell her that he looks like the man who abandoned her.
"It's true that you're both the same, two selfish people who only live for themselves without ever worrying about the consequences of their actions."
A boot barely touches his skull as Marceline whirls around him with her face distorted by her demonic side.
"Simon could have died because of your little lie," she said, venom dripping from the corners of her mouth. "I would have been all alone again...does that matter to you, little human?! Does anyone else matter in this world besides you?!"
It was like being crushed under a rock; he felt the full weight of his mistakes compressing his heart to the point that it risked bursting.
"You never loved us," the three women said in unison.
Finn wanted to tell them the opposite but then he felt himself falling, the fall was short because a few moments later he was plunged into a raging sea, he tried to come back to the surface but the waves prevented him from breathing, swept in all directions Finn was living one of the worst experiences of his life he felt someone pull him up, first relieved and trembling with fear he was then horrified to see his father holding him by the arm.
"Ha haha ha!" His face contorted by pure sadism, Martin took a sword and simply sliced off the hero's right arm, who screamed in pain before returning to the water.
Caught in a whirlpool, Finn was just there watching his father standing on the shoulder of the giant Protector, he raised the severed arm like a trophy before bursting into laughter like a madman.
"Thank you for everything, Finn! Thanks to you, I'll be able to go as far away as possible and never come back! In any case, I'm proud of you; you're definitely your old father's son!"
The sky was lit by a flash of lightning and then the Protector threw a punch shattering the waves which began to rise until they became a tsunami that Finn could only endure while crying.
Feeling his body against the sand made him gently rise, then a delicate pair of fingers grasped his chin and forced him to look at his mother's saddened face.
"Why didn't you come home? ...I waited for you for so long...didn't you want to see me again? ...didn't you want me to be your mother?..."
Every word was forgotten when Minerva left like ashes caught in the wind, when he just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry Finn felt someone circling around him whispering words as sweet as honey.
"Forget them...they don't love you...they'll hurt you...they have nothing to offer you but suffering...why not forget everything...you'll be so much better off..."
Finn wanted it all to go away, for all of this to cease to exist, his mental vault couldn't even pull him out of the sadness that had just overwhelmed him, he was suffocating because of the guilt of his act, he wanted to redeem himself and have the chance to deserve their forgiveness, but all he felt was this feeling that he hadn't thought of anything but himself.
"Hey Finn, come on, let's play video games and eat some delicious ice cream!" exclaims a mini-Finn loudly, dancing in front of the hero who watches this version of himself running and shouting in all directions. "And Jake told me we're going to fight some Trolls, are you coming!"
"..."
"And you know Princess Bubblegum called me for a mission? Maybe she'll finally see what I'm really capable of!"
".../..."
"I was just trying to understand my dreams to help her! I was worried, and then Jake told me that the Cosmic Owl only appears in times of great danger! I didn't want her to leave!"
"Leave alone..."
"I'll never understand why Marceline keeps hanging out with the Ice King, okay, the guy used to have a cool side, but now it's just weird to see them together..."
"...let me..."
"But life goes on, and soon I'm sure a-
A pair of fists slamming into the sand crushes the mini-Finn as a howl of rage crosses the landscape.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The hero's cry faded into a distant echo, his fists clenched until his bones cracked. Finn soon felt tears falling from his eyes; it was without a doubt the worst feeling he had ever experienced in his life.
Disappointment.
"Facing one's own fears is nothing more than proof that one seeks to tame them so as never to be subject to them again," said Oripon, standing before a Finn sniffing with rage.
"...why? I buried everything in my trunk..." Finn murmured with cold rage. "...I shouldn't even remember it!..."
"Dare you reject everything you dislike like a child soiling their diaper and hiding it under their bed?" the wise star asked sternly. "You wanted to become a true hero? Then know that no hero has ever known a life without misfortune; many gave up because sorrow and grief consumed them."
Finn silently nodded
"What? ...I've made so many mistakes...can I even fix everything?"
"That's something you must find out for yourself, young hero," replied the wise man, who began to levitate in the air under the bewildered gaze of the blond boy, who quickly got back up. "Question your heart!"
A moment later Finn finds himself alone again with everything that frightens him, abandoned on the edge of a beach, left with his fears that continue to gnaw at him again and again.
Oripon wanted him to search for an answer in his heart?
His gaze shifted to the ocean that filled the horizon. It was strange to think that his fear stemmed from a vague memory of his childhood; subconsciously, he disliked salt water because it was there that he had the worst experience of his life. Letting out a long sigh, Finn began to walk toward the wet sand. In a few seconds, the swirling waves began to beat more furiously. Soon his feet touched the water, which in response rebounded rapidly. After everything he had been through, Finn couldn't be surprised to see the now raging ocean take the form of a fifteen-meter-high horse, its mane resembling a waterfall cascading like a tidal wave, sweeping everything in its path. Its yellow eyes shone fixedly on the human, who didn't flinch before the embodiment of his fears. Then, without any signal, the steed began to move, raising its front hooves before dropping them to the ground. In an instant, a veritable tsunami stands facing the blond boy who feels his heart leap as he sees the gigantic wave rolling towards him.
Deeply inspired, the human mustered as much courage as he could before starting to run towards the tsunami.
"RAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH !"
Obviously he was swept away, carried off in a whirlpool, the human was soon a prisoner of a million voices screaming all their anxieties at him, all the water around him trying to suffocate him in his misery.
Of course Finn didn't give up, as soon as he was on the surface he bellowed as loudly as he could at the water horse before being drowned again by the waves, he struggled for a long time in the waters which sent him mental images of the worst moments of his life, searching at all costs for the answer which according to the sage of the stars lies in his heart.
His strength failed him; the air in his lungs could no longer be held.
Little by little, his whole life began to flash before his eyes, buried memories, others he thought he knew, only to discover new things within them. For a long time, Finn felt abandoned in his darkness. He thought he knew what it took to be a hero, but so far his actions give the impression that he is just a child who seeks nothing more than recognition, despite his good deeds. No, in the end, all of this was for nothing...
...
Yet...
Can he leave, leaving so many mistakes behind him?
...
Non !
Non !
Better to die than to give up!
Withdrawing into himself, Finn lets go of everything that binds him to his fears; no matter what he has done in the past, what matters now is that he rises up to show the world what kind of hero he is!
Her hair began to crackle, and her skin began to produce bluish sparks.
In an instant the surface of the water exploded as if a monstrous force commanded it, in the middle of all this stood Finn straight and proud facing the aquatic steed which charged once again towards him.
Tense all his muscles, Finn arms his black fist, pivoting his hip, concentrating his forces on a single point.
Finally, the two forces meet.
~O~
He slowly lifts his eyelids; a few seconds were all it took for him to realize he's back in reality, with all his memories intact. He winces slightly at the thought that he's lived much longer than his body shows. Outwardly, Finn is a young man who will soon be sixteen. But in his soul? Good heavens, he has centuries of life under his belt, but it seems his brain has blocked everything out to avoid disturbing him.
"I would say that your soul is a good thousand years old," Oripon said softly, sitting in the same place as the first time. "Even if I don't know the reason...you have something to accomplish in this world, and that's surely why you have this spark within you that shines like a star."
Simply sniffing, the human slowly rises while stretching his fleshy muscles.
"I've just reborn my life entirely after accepting all my failures," Finn said, his voice firmer than usual. "And on top of that, I've made the decision to become stronger than ever." The young human turned to the wise man with shining eyes. "That's why I need you to show me the way forward."
"Are you sure of yourself? The path you wish to take is irreversible," warned the entity of wisdom. " The dangers will be so great that you will be at your wit's end. "
"A hero faces everything that threatens those he has sworn to protect," Finn interjected, his voice brimming with resolve. "No matter what awaits me, I have a duty to be their hero."
Beneath his shaggy beard, Oripon broke into a broad smile.