Misunderstood gift

Your MC is a typical Chosen One material: young, naïve, possibly a farm boy. His life (I imagined him as male, but feel free to play with the gender) revolves around a single secret: his ability to see the inner nature of people at a glance. An Old Wise Mentor encourages him to join a Five-Man Band out to destroy the Evil Overlord. The party is suitably impressed by the MC’s gift of truesight.

The Five Man Band begins on their merry jaunt. The MC is praised to the skies as he exercises his power and grows stronger. The party picks up companions along the way and there much joy, etc. – until the moment that the MC makes a mistake and sentences the wrong person to death.

This mistake is just the tip of the iceberg. He discovers that this is not the only error he has made: he and everyone around him has misinterpreted his gift, and he has been damning innocent people ever since the beginning of the quest.

Shocked and horrified by what he has done, the MC tries to hide the consequences of his errors. But the effort to do so tears the Five Man Band apart (as some defend and others condemn him. All of them are hiding from their own role in his wrongdoing and from their own crimes — some of which, done in the name of the Greater Good, are worse than any the Evil Overlord perpetuated).

As the heroic band collapses, the MC realizes the true nature of his gift: he cannot see the inner nature of people, only the “roles” that they play (“noble king,” “spunky, rebellious princess,” “wise mentor,” etc.)

He can no longer hide from what he has done. He attempts to clean up the mess he made of individual lives, whole families, and entire communities.

I always imagined that he can never quite fix what he did wrong, and so on coming face to face with the Evil Overlord, is executed for his crimes. But of course, you can go wherever you want with the end.

AAP by Selah Ex Animo