I carried a small wooden chest with me as I went to visit my grandpa at the nursing home. He was sick for a long time, and slept most of the day now, but he asked for it last time I visited for some reason.

The smell of rubbing alcohol and soiled diapers assaulted my nose as I walked through the bare white hallways to my grandpas room. Tired nurses carrying trays of packaged grey food and medicine nodded at me along the way, and patients in wheelchairs stared at me with blank expressions. An old woman was screaming somewhere. I always hated this place.

I finally arrived at my grandpas room and peered in. Pictures of my deceased grandma, my dad, and me at my college dotted the wall, and my grandpa lay there peacefully on the bed. A tray of unfinished food rested on top of the nightstand next to the bed. The tv in front of the bed quietly played the news: another story about the Red Menace, something about him robbing a bank. These stories were getting more common ever since the villain resurfaced a few years ago, so it didn’t catch my attention.

I set the locked chest down nearby, and sat down on the plastic chair next to him for a few minutes to be polite. Even if he was asleep, it felt bad to leave so soon.

I idly scrolled through Twitter, seeing people react to the new Red Menace story. It’ll trend for a few more hours before the next thing catches their attention, as usual.

Suddenly, my grandpa’s hand shot out like a snake and grabbed my wrist, almost knocking the phone out of my hand.

“Grandpa! What’s wrong!? Are you hurt?” I said in surprise.

“I’m fine… but I need to tell you something, Avi.” My grandpa stared at me with intense eyes as he spoke, the most animated I’d ever seen him in years.

“Uh… Okay. What do you need?” I asked.

“This city is going to shit, and I can’t stand watching it from here, useless and pathetic.”

He let go of my hand and rested it by his side.

“I can’t die peacefully knowing this city will continued to be terrorized by the Red Menace and other villains… So I need your help.” He said, staring at the news report with a scowl on his face.

I knew it was normal for old people to say weird stuff like this and wish for the good old days, but this was beyond anything I’ve seen from my grandpa. He never acted like this.

I chuckled in response to my grandpa’s outburst, and pat his arm. “I know, I know, this city hasn’t seen villain activity like this in decades, but what could we possibly do about it? We’re just normal people.”

My grandpa simply shook his head and pointed his frail hand at the chest. “The key is in my nightstand. Open it.”

I raised my a brow at him, but did as he said. I knelt down in front of the chest and opened it with my grandpa’s rusty key, and the chest loudly creaked open.

What lay inside completely surprised me. A perfect replica of Gold Fury’s mask (more widely known as Gold), along with a shiny gold ring lay inside, said to be the source of his power. A sun was emblazoned on the front of the mask, and appeared in perfect condition. Gold was the most famous hero from the city of Vespasia, where I live, back in the 1950s. Nobody has seen him in decades.

I turned back to my grandpa.

“Grandpa, how the hell did you get this? This is the best copy I’ve ever seen of Gold’s mask, it could even pass as authentic. Do you know how much something like this is worth?”

My grandpa stared at me with those piercings eyes again. “That’s no copy, Avi. Don’t you get it? I AM Gold Fury.”

When I heard that, I burst out in laughter. The idea that my old, frail grandpa was the famous defender of Vespasia was unbelievable. Besides, nobody in my family ever manifested any powers.

“Grandpa, I think maybe you sh-“ before I could finish, my grandpa used telekinesis and swiped the mask and ring out of my hands with more force I ever expected from an old man.

“W-wait what!?” I said in shock.

“Listen to me, Avi. This isn’t a joke. I knew from the day you were born that you had the power within you, unlike your father. I didn’t want to tell you, since I didn’t want to ruin your safe and normal life, but I have no other choice. No other hero is willing to step up against Red Menace.”

My grandpa paused to catch his breath. His demonstration of his powers and long speech clearly exerted most of his new-found energy.

“I never told your father about my old life. I lived a dangerous life, and I knew I could die any day I was out in my costume… When your father was born, I left it all behind. I wanted him to have a happy and normal life, and he couldn’t do that as a son of a hero, with all that attention on him. I wanted the same for you, but I knew it couldn’t be. Once a villain finds out about your powers… they’ll either use you for their own purposes or kill you. I wanted to tell you this myself, so you can train your powers and protect yourself, and also save Vespacia from the Red Menace and other villains… I’m sorry for ruining your life, Avi, but there’s no other way.”

When my grandpa finished talking, his head collapsed back on the pillow, having used the last of his energy. I rushed over and held his hand.

“Grandpa! Are you okay!?” I said frantically.

He weakly rolled his head over and stared at me with half-closed eyes.

“Go…. To my attic, and you…. You’ll find everything… else… you need.” He said, before finally going back to sleep. He still had a pulse, but it was clear he was running out of time. This might’ve been the last time he’d talk with that kind of energy, ever.

I took the mask and ring and put it back into the chest.

I was still in shock from everyone he just told me. Latent powers? Being a hero? It was all so new to me, but it also filled me with excitement, now that I had a real purpose in life.

I stayed there for a little while longer, and called on a nurse to check on him. Knowing he’s be alright for the time being, I left with the chest and went back to my car and sat there in silence.

I was Gold Fury now.