Centuries later...
A grand scene was taking place outside the premises of the Seleneh family manor. A large crowd of onlookers watch on from beyond the gates, dying to see the face of the one who was worthy enough to claim the blade of the goddess Lunaris.
Inside the building, several groups of news reporters were eagerly preparing for an interview with the young hero.
"Are the cameras on? Alright."
Adjusting her glasses, a female reporter faced the camera and began the broadcast.
"Good morning, people of Lucida! We are here today to interview the young hero who is destined to destroy the corruption that plagues our world! The one worthy to inherit the powers of the goddess herself!"
She said, holding up the microphone close to her face to make sure her voice was clearly heard.
"From the esteemed Seleneh family and at the young age of 15 years old, he is already able to perform feats that only elite Distortion Divers are capable of doing! And now, he's even more powerful after claiming the 'Blade of Lunaris' as his own!"
Turning around, she faced the main man himself.
"I am talking about the one and only, Luke Seleneh!"
Mentioning Luke's name, the cameraman zoomed closer to his face.
He wore a serious but stoic expression that revealed no openings or vulnerabilities. A perfect "superman" if the people watching were to describe him.
"So, Mr. Seleneh, tell me. Your father revealed that your family will conduct a nationwide test to choose suitable candidates all across Lucida to be members of the hero's party. What specific traits are you looking for in choosing a party member?"
She asked Luke excitedly.
Not another second passed before Luke waved off his hand as a sign of indifference and bluntly answered with a voice of slight annoyance as if to say he'd rather be somewhere else.
"It doesn't matter. The hero's party is merely a tool to help me fulfill the prophecy smoothly. In the end, the full responsibility falls onto me."
Taken aback by Luke's bluntness, the news reporter didn't know what to say in response.
"Huh...?"
"I believe that's all I'm allowed to tell you. I'm sorry, but I have to train soon, so we have to cut off this interview short."
With this statement, the other reporters stood up and begged Luke to stay. Sadly for them however, Luke just ignored them while walking away.
"Hey wait-!"
"We haven't gotten anything out of you yet!"
"Please reconsider!"
With a sigh, Luke stopped to look back at the desperate reporters with an intimidating air around him that shook them to their core.
"The responsibility of saving the world is mine to bear. If you people want a weak hero, then you might as well start praying for another calamity to fall down upon Lucida."
He said sternly as his eyes stared them down with a menacing aura.
After finishing his sentence, the room fell silent as the atmosphere became tense. The group of reporters, now hesitant to speak up.
Seeing this, Luke calms himself down before clearing his throat.
"Let's compromise. So that your time isn't wasted, you guys are allowed to at least film my training for material."
The reporters and cameramen discussed among themselves for a moment. Hesitantly trying to make a decision.
"Is that a deal?"
Luke said, getting the attention of the group.
"Ah! Yes, we'll take you up on that offer."
One of the reporters said. Quickly being followed by the other groups.
"Yes, us too!"
"We're in!"
Still wearing a stoic expression, Luke let out a small unnoticeable sigh before turning around and continuing to walk.
"Alright, follow me."
He said as he led them through the halls of the manor.
________________________________________
"Hmph! What a rude kid. He could've at least put up a smile or something! Especially to that pretty one!"
A bearded man said as he ate breakfast while watching what was being broadcast on the TV.
Hearing this, a young boy replied. Trying to reason with the old man.
"Well he has a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders, so I guess I can see where his tone is coming from. Honestly, I don't think I can handle that much pressure."
He said, chuckling awkwardly.
"HAH! That's why you'll never be popular with the girls, Aran! Women want a man with a good smile and attitude! A guy like him is just going to make them uncomfortable, no matter how good looking he is!"
The old man said mockingly.
"Hey, that's a mean thing to say about me, Mr. Brok..."
"Well I'm not wrong, kid. You've been living under the same roof as me for years, but I've never once seen you bring a girl home!"
Brok laughed at Aran's misfortune before getting up from his chair to stretch his back.
"Welp, I'm done. I'll be gone for a few days, so don't do anything stupid while I'm not here. And ya better wipe the table clean before heading out. Today's your first day in the new school, so you better be early."
"Okay..."
Aran said as he sighed.
Standing up to gather the plates on the table, Aran looked down and muttered something under his breath.
"You've also never brought a woman here too, y'know..."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"Ah, nothing!"
'He heard that?!' Aran thought to himself before quickly cleaning the table, picking up his bag and closing the door behind him as to not face Brok's wrath. (otherwise known as his boot being thrown across the room)
His fear, giving him just enough adrenaline to get out of there in time.
That was close... Any longer and I would've gotten hit.
Aran thought to himself sighing from relief as he quickly jogged down the street to get away.
"It's not fair! he can say stuff like that to me but I can't? C'mon!"
Sighing to himself, Aran adjusted his backpack and continued to walk to school.
Boarding a short subway ride, Aran squeezed in between the passengers of the tightly packed cart.
Just another day in the life of Aran Aranea, a boy living in the capital of Lucida, one of humanity's last remaining nations.
After the fall of the old civilization, humanity was able to take advantage of the corruption by using the minerals extracted from the Distortion fields to jumpstart civilization and power their technologies.
In just a couple centuries, the different remaining nations, though separated by distortion fields, were prospering due to the combined efforts of their forefathers. Each having their own culture, fashion and more.
The architecture of Lucida's capital, also known as Astrum, closely resembles a city of the old civilization.
The buildings, though paling in comparison to humanity's past, were still a sight to behold. Towering over the heads of the people and reaching impressive heights.
As Aran stood in the middle of the train aisle, he suddenly heard two boys talking to each other excitedly.
"Hey hey, get this! I heard Luke Seleneh is gonna be attending our school!"
"Whoa, seriously? The hero himself?!
"Yeah, I'm being for real!"
"Nice! Think we can get along with him? We'll for sure be famous if we make him our friend!"
'Talk about being fake...'
Aran thought to himself as he overheard the conversation from his right.
I guess that's just one of the downsides to being popular. Honestly, I feel bad. If I were Luke, I wouldn't know who to trust.
Glancing back at them, he noticed a detail that surprised him.
Hey wait a minute, Isn't that my school's uniform?
Then that means....
Putting the puzzle pieces together, he realized the obvious.
Luke Seleneh himself is going to the same school as me?! No way.
Seems kinda surreal.... Well, maybe not. This school is a prestigious one after all. It makes sense for him to go there.
The school in question is the one and only Potentia Academy.
Boasting the best educational and training facilities in all of Lucida, Potentia Academy is the number one pick if you're aiming to be on top of the social ladder.
Having nurtured even the most elite of the elite, it's a school that birthed legends.
Stepping off the train, Aran walks through the streets and arrives at one of the gates of Potentia Academy.
Many students surround the area. Having idle chats and enjoying their youth. Despite how strict the teachers can be and how competitive the environment is, the place still has a friendly atmosphere.
Aran felt at ease seeing this as he walked through the stone path before entering a building to attend the opening ceremony.
Students sit inside a large auditorium and listen to the headmaster and student representatives to give out speeches on the podium.
Despite this, Aran wasn't interested in what they were saying whatsoever.
In truth, he was listening half-assedly
Every time someone finished their speech, the crowd would clap their hands and Aran would just follow along to pretend he was actually paying attention.
Wearing a blank expression, he struggled to not fall asleep right then and there.
That was until his ears picked up on the sound of some students gossiping again. Hearing this, he did one of his most favorite hobbies...
Eavesdropping.
Admittedly it was rude, but it had become a force of habit for Aran.
Afterall, information is power. Is what he believed in.
As it turns out, it was the same two students from earlier on the train.
Huh, second time today. You two really like yapping at every chance you get, huh?
Aran said to them in his mind.
Looking at one of them, he saw him wear a surprised face while sneakily pointing towards the direction of the podium where a student representative is giving her speech.
"No way, isn't that Phoebe Papilio? She's even more stunning in person!"
The boy said, excitement filling his voice as if he just saw his favorite pop-star in public.
"Phoebe Papil-who?" Said the other. Genuinely not knowing who the girl was.
Seeing his friend's cluelessness, the other student scoffed.
"Dude, do you live under a rock or something? She's one of the top contenders to join the hero's party! And she's only a year older than us!"
"Wait, seriously?! I guess this is what you expect to find in an elite school like this... How are we even gonna compete..."
Said the other boy from surprise.
Hearing their loud voices, a nearby teacher walked towards the two students. He went unnoticed by them until he said with a raised voice, "Hey you two, be quiet! You're causing a disturbance!"
Normally, these words would just make a person go quiet and things would go on as normal.
But the teacher was an especially scary one. His face and body resembling that of a humanoid tiger, he had an impressive physique and stood at an intimidating height. Even the legs of the most burly bodybuilders would start shaking if their eyes met his.
Unfortunately, these two students aren't burly bodybuilders, but are just your average teenage boys.
Their bodies started to shake with fear and break into a cold sweat. Even the students sitting nearby felt their hearts jump out of their chest from just how scary the teacher was.
"Eeekk! S-sorry, sir!"
The boy said as he and his friend looked down to avoid eye contact, along with the other students nearby. Seeing this, the teacher bowed towards the podium to apologize and walked away, sighing.
Surprisingly enough, the student representative, Pheobe, was unbothered by this and just nodded before continuing her speech as if nothing ever happened.
"S-scary..." One of the boys whimpered as some tears welled up in his eyes.
Aran, being close by was also pretty shaken as a drop of sweat flowed down his head. But despite this, Aran couldn't stop thinking about what one of the boys said earlier.
Taking a quick breath to calm himself down, he cleared his thoughts.
"How are we going to compete, huh?" He said quietly with a sigh.
Agreed...
Aran thought to himself.
This school really has an All-star lineup of students this year. Not just the hero, but Pheobe too.
Being here in person is a bit overwhelming to say the least...
After a while, all the student representatives finished their speeches, marking the end of the entrance ceremony with the headmaster encouraging the students to walk around campus for a bit before the classes started.
Hearing this, most of the students formed into groups to explore the school while Aran went to walk by himself, deep in thought.
As an old habit of his, Aran chewed on his thumb as a way to help gather his thoughts.
'Just why and how did Mr. Brok manage to get me to attend this elite school? We're not really swimming in cash, and there are other schools in the area...'
Unable to think of a reason, Aran sighed and just accepted things for what they are.
"Whatever the reason may be, this is a good opportunity for me."
He said as he nodded to himself.
"I need to focus on graduating so I won't be a burden on Mr. Brok's shoulders anymore. I should be grateful. Besides, there's still..."
He suddenly fell silent.
As he sunk deeper into his thoughts, the face of a person suddenly appeared in Aran's mind. Seeing this, he frowned.
Aran sighed before shaking his head and stopping himself from thinking of any more sad thoughts.
He closed his eyes and took a big breath of fresh air, to help fire himself up.
"Alright, we can do this!"
He said. His voice, full of hype.
Filled with excitement about his new school life, Aran failed to notice the thing in front of him and ended up hitting his face and falling on his butt.
Rubbing his hurt nose, he spoke to himself while wincing.
"Ouch... A wall? That can't be right, I'm in the middle of the hallway."
Aran looked up to see what he hit and it was indeed not a wall, but a person. It was a blond haired boy wearing the school's uniform and looked to be about the same age as him.
He had an intimidating air around him. Similar to how Aran felt when he saw the Tiger-like teacher from earlier.
The boy looked down at Aran and glared at him with fierce eyes. So fierce, that it sent shivers down Aran's spine.
Quickly standing up, Aran tries to apologize, but instead keeps stumbling on his own words.
A few moments passed until he finally got them out.
"Sorry, I didn't watch where I was going." He said, as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Unexpectedly, the boy didn't respond. In fact, his face didn't even change expressions.
'Did he not hear me?' Aran thought to himself.
Confused by the silence, he apologized again a bit more clearly, but the boy continued to stare at him.
Trying to break up the awkward silence, Aran tries to excuse himself out of that situation.
"Well, I'll be on my way. Sorry again." He said, bowing slightly to be polite.
After saying those words, Aran walks away from the boy who was still standing there without a word. But then, the second he reaches the corner of the hallway, he suddenly hears footsteps.
Nothing to worry about, right? Hearing footsteps shouldn't be a problem.
One can just easily ignore them. But these steps were different. They sounded strong, fast, and...
HEADING TOWARDS HIM?!
Aran looked behind him and saw the boy from earlier running towards him like a charging bull. His eyes, looking at him like an animal chasing down its prey.
Seeing the boy charge at him, his instincts gave him two options he could choose from. Fight or flight. A biological phenomenon that happens to someone when facing a dangerous situation.
Good thing for Aran however, the choice was an easy one. A complete 'no-brainer' as they say.
Because Aran, humble as he might be, had a strong and trusty weapon that has always gotten him out of sticky situations.
It utilizes the physical explosive power of his legs.
With this power, he could even move like the wind and get out of this situation unscathed.
He calls that weapon...
RUNNING AWAY!!!
HE CHOOSES FLIGHT!
There's no way I'm fighting that guy! What am I, crazy?!
Aran turned around and sprinted as fast as his legs could go.
Tears poured down from his eyes as he squealed like a dying pig.
"EEEEKK!!!!"
"HEY, WAIT!! COME BACK HERE!"
The blond boy yelled at the top of his lungs which only made Aran clench his glutes to run faster, widening the gap between them.
Fear is one hell of a drug.
The chase lasted a long while to the point where classes are about to start. Despite the gap he made, Aran still couldn't shake the boy off.
Aran did everything he could, such as dropping marbles on the floor, as to imitate a cartoon he once saw, but to no avail.
The best the marbles could do was be a mild inconvence for the pursuing boy.
'I shouldn't believe everything I see on TV! That was dumb!'
He whined to himself.
Feeling his stamina start to run out, he chewed on his thumb and tried to think of a way to escape.
Okay, think! If I'm remembering this right, it says on the school map that there's a branching hallway up ahead. If I can just get out of his sight for a few seconds, then I can get away!
But how does someone disappear from his field of vision?
"There!"
As he had that thought, he saw a corner up ahead and used that as a quick blindspot.
Aran made the turn and got out of the blonde boy's sight for a small moment. Not wasting this opportunity, he immediately went back to brainstorming mode.
As Aran was thinking of a way to get out of his predicament, a stroke of good luck hit him. The area in front of him had students entering a classroom in groups.
Seeing this, he immediately thought of an idea.
"That's it!" He yelled out, smiling to himself.
Slowing down his pace, he sneakily joined the students and followed them inside as the blond boy passed by like a flash of lightning.
As Aran entered, he made a sigh of relief before peaking out the classroom door, as to make sure the coast was clear.
After a few moments, Aran suddenly feels his legs turn to jelly. His exhaustion, making him lean on the wall and slowly slide down to sit on the floor.
"...What was that?" He asked himself, breathing heavily.
He stayed there, trying to rest before a fellow student got Aran's attention.
"Um... Excuse me, I think you're in the wrong class."
"Eh?"
Looking up, Aran found the entire class full of students along with their teacher staring at him. Seeing this, he quickly stood up and dusted himself off.
Trying to recover from the awkwardness, Aran tries to calculate the best course of actions to get past this situation.
After the hundreds of simulations that ran through his mind in that split moment decision, he found the answer.
And that is....
TO TRY AND ACT COOL IN FRONT OF THEM LIKE THAT ONE CHARACTER FROM A SHOW I WATCHED!!
Taking a deep breath, Aran demonstrated his (self-proclaimed) masterful acting abilities.
"Ahem ahem... OHOHOHO! Silly me, I must've gotten confused! I'll be on my way then, if you don't mind."
He said with a voice and face that's trying too hard to capture a Prince's charismatic charm. But honestly speaking, he was way off the mark, especially with his average looks.
I'm definitely going to think of this moment in the shower later, aren't I...?
He thought to himself as he cringed inside.
"I see..." Said the teacher who had no idea what was happening.
"Move along then, you're going to be late."
"Heh... Alright." He replied with a grin.
Doing a little salute gesture, Aran turned around before saying "Adieu..." as cool as he can. Doubling down on his persona.
But in actuality behind this class act, Aran's face was red from embarrassment as he went the opposite way. A single tear pouring down from his eye.
'Goodbye, my chances for a social life...'
________________________________________
ARAN
I hang my head low from disappointment as I walk on my way home towards the station. Today's just not my day.
Because I got chased earlier, It took me a while to reach my own class with my tired legs.
As a result, I got scolded by my teacher for being late. To add even more insult to injury, I even flunked my self-introduction by biting my tongue.
So much for good first impressions...
Still, why did that guy chase me earlier? It looked like he was mad, but why did he wait until I was a bit farther away when he could've just grabbed me when I was standing near him? He wouldn't have had to chase me if he did.
Thrill of the hunt, perhaps?
Whatever the case, I should avoid that guy when I do see him. Maybe I'll go to school early tomorrow.
Yeah, seems like a good plan....
Walking through the streets, I thought back again about what happened during the homeroom earlier.
Everyone had just finished introducing themselves and the teacher stepped outside to go get the material for our first lesson.
Judging from his mumbling and the dark bags that were under his eyes, I assumed he was a little groggy and that caused him to forget the lesson material in the teacher's staff room.
'And just a little while earlier, he was scolding me for not being prim and proper...'
A thought to myself as I grumbled quietly.
Seeing this, my classmates went to go talk with their friends during the free time we had before class. Everyone already had their designated friend groups, so I was left sitting alone, scrolling through my phone.
The topics they were talking about were the usual talks about The Hero, Luke, and Pheobe from the entrance ceremony.
Of course, there were other conversations too, but the majority of them talked about those two.
Speaking of Luke, I found out he won't be here until tomorrow. His family is probably busy dealing with the media and other stuff.
The life of a hero is a busy one, I see...
"Hey, Aran Aranea, right?"
Hearing my name get called, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up from my phone's screen.
There I saw a curious group of students standing in front of my desk. Most definitely part of the extroverts.
Greeting me happily, the student spoke.
"Your introduction earlier was pretty funny. Did you rehearse biting your tongue?"
"Oh, no. That wasn't on purpose." I said chuckling from embarrassment.
Hearing that, the students also chuckled back.
They seemed friendly. It was an unexpected interaction, but a welcome one.
I didn't really expect anyone to talk to me right off the bat, but still, it made me really happy.
Fortunately enough, despite my lacking social skills, we hit it off almost instantly. we have similar interests, liked the same shows and movies and even have similar hobbies.
We had a really good mood going on and the flow of the conversation went by smoothly.
As someone who's never had friends my age before, I can call this a great achievement. I thought to myself smugly.
Eventually, the topic drifted to talking about their perks and who has the best one.
These things called perks are a person's power that shapes an individual's future and decides their place in society.
There are a lot of perks. Some are born with mutations that enhance their physical abilities like the Tiger teacher from earlier, other people can control different forces and elements, and there are some special ones too, but my brain would be too fried trying to understand them...
Everyone was arguing. Saying that their perks were way better than the other.
The discussion got so heated to the point where each one of them showed off their abilities, trying to prove who really had the better power.
Though I could clearly tell they were just trying to impress the girls sitting nearby. I'm not going to say anything about that though...
One of them was tall and had messy hair. His perk makes him able to stretch and extend his limbs to about 20 meters long. His name's Ed.
Another was able to float in the air if he held his breath and drop down like a human sized boulder.
His name is Toto. If I were to describe him, he was a big and chubby guy. But at the same time, fluffy like a cloud.
And the last guy's name is Pincer. Fitting his name, his perk allows him to turn his hair into needles and shoot them from his head.
These abilities are very impressive and versatile all things considered.
They could very well land them good rankings as Distortion Divers when they graduate. Assuming they work hard, of course.
"Wow, as expected of Potentia Academy. You really are amazing!"
I clapped my hands in amazement. It was a really fun display of their powers and I was completely invested.
Hearing this, Ed scratches the back of his head and grins.
"Aw shucks, really?"
"Dude, what the hell are you so happy for? He's obviously talking about me!" Toto interrupted before being followed up by Pincer.
"That's rich, coming from a guy whose powers are fully dependent on his lung capacity! That's a stupid weakness if you ask me...."
"What'd you say?!"
Uh oh, you don't wanna make the big guy mad! I thought to myself.
Trying to de-escalete the situation, I quickly stood up.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Guys, there's no need to fight! I meant that all of you are amazing! Honestly, all three of you have a lot of potential."
The moment I said that, they all awkwardly scratched their heads while smiling in a goofy way. It seems like these guys are weak to compliments
Seeing this, I couldn't help but think about how silly this all is.
Aren't you guys a little too easy to please...?
I thought to myself.
As I did though, they all collectively fired back with even more compliments towards me.
"Y'know, you're a really good dude, Aran!"
Ed said to me, quickly followed by Toto and Pincer.
"You can say that again!"
"Mhm!"
Despite the fact that I just thought about how ridiculous it was that they reacted that way, I couldn't help but think about how much of a hypocrite I am.
It's probably because I've never had any friends before, but... I'm ALSO weak to compliments.
"Aw c'mon, it's not that special~"
I said, before all of us giggled like a bunch of teenage girls.
But in truth, from an outsider's point of view, we were probably looking like a bunch of clowns right now.
"Well, that was fun"
Ed said as he stretched his spine before walking back to his seat.
As he did however, Pincer called out.
"Oh wait!"
"Hm? Yeah?" Asked Ed.
Confused by Pincer's suddenly loud voice, Toto looked at him too. "What's wrong?"
Wearing a big smile on his face, he pointed his fingers at them.
"You idiots, there's still someone here who hasn't shown us anything!"
"Oh you're right!" Ed agreed, as he put his fist on his palm. Followed by Toto who knodded.
Turning their heads towards my direction, their faces wore expressions of excitement and curiosity.
"How about you, Aran? What's your ability?"
Pincer asked me, thinking nothing of it but was instead met with my face that looked anxious.
"..."
The moment I heard that, I suddenly felt a sense of nervousness and fear. An old and familiar feeling.
It wasn't as if Pincer asked me something bad. It was a completely innocent question and I shouldn't be mad at him for asking.
But this was the one question that I didn't want to hear...
I sat there silently. It was as if I was underwater and couldn't breathe.
My sudden silence concerns the three of them, with Toto tilting his head from confusion.
Seeing this, I knew I had to speak up soon.
I don't have a choice, huh?
Taking a deep breath, I anxiously told them I didn't have a perk, but was instead met with laughter.
"Huh? C'mon man, be serious!" Pincer said as he chuckled, thinking it was a joke.
Trying to catch his breath, Ed asked me the same question again.
"No but really, what are your powers?"
Hearing this, I try to laugh it off and explain that I really am telling the truth.
I couldn't blame them. 'How would someone without powers be in this school? ' Is what they were probably thinking.
"Sorry, I really wasn't joking. I was just... Born this way."
I said before chuckling awkwardly.
"Huh?" Pincer let out. Not knowing what to say.
Regrettably, after I spoke those words, not just the three of them, but the entire classroom fell silent.
"Oh... Really?"
Toto asked me. His face, seeming like he was looking at a strange, unfamiliar creature.
"Yeah, really..." I said.
Those two words sealed it.
The mood of the classroom got awkward from that point on. The friendly smiles they had, turned into faces of disappointment and smiles of pity.
The other group of students who weren't part of our conversation stopped what they were doing and started to stare at our group. Especially at me.
Noticing the sudden silence of the classroom, I turned my head to look around and see their faces.
'....'
Feeling their gazes aimed straight towards me, I looked back down towards my desk to avoid any chance of eye contact as I felt sick to my stomach.
"Oh, I see... That's too bad." Toto said, trying to be nice.
Trying to recover whatever friendly mood was left, I tried to smile and wave my hands off as if it was nothing.
"No, it's okay. I'm used to it." I said, nervously chuckling.
"Oh, I see..."
"..."
As anyone can apparently guess, playing it off didn't do anything to help at all.
The state of the class room remained that way until the teacher came back with a large book and told everyone to sit down.
Hearing this, the students listened and class went on normally from there.
As I sat there silently, I couldn't help but ask myself a question.
Is there really something wrong with me?
________________________________________
"Ed, Toto, Pincer.... I wonder if the three of them will still talk to me tomorrow.... They kinda seemed like they were avoiding me."
Sighing to myself after remembering what happened, my grumbling stomach suddenly caught my attention.
Placing a hand on my belly, I mumbled to myself.
"Oh yeah, Mr. Brok won't be home tonight. What should I eat?"
I started pondering to myself before noticing something at the corner of my eye. It was a convenience store. Even better, I also noticed they were selling some spicy meat buns too.
"Bingo!"
Hearing my stomach grumble once more, I walk towards the store. The smell of the meat buns, becoming more prominent as I get close. Making my mouth drool a bit.
Stepping inside, the store clerk greets me in a cheerful (and probably rehearsed) voice.
"Good evening, sir!"
I politely greeted her back before stepping in front of the counter to buy.
"I'll have some meat buns, please. Two of them."
"Yes sir! Coming right up!" She said cheerfully before turning her back to me and getting some tongs. Admittedly though, you can still notice a somewhat robotic tone in her voice.
Nevertheless, I gotta admire how she's able to keep such a cheerful way of speaking throughout the day. If I were in her shoes, my energy would be too spent to even crack a decent smile.
After a few moments, the clerk turned around to give me a small bag filled with the two meat buns. I quickly thanked her before paying.
"Thank you sir, come again!"
She said as I walked out of the store.
Lifting the bag close to my face, I take a small whiff of the buns' scent as I smile excitedly.
Not being able to wait any longer, I hurriedly walked towards the corner of the street to cross the road. Unfortunately for me however, I had to stop and wait a bit because of the red pedestrian light.
"Aw, c'mon..." I said quietly.
From my left, I hear a kid nagging his mom for the same reason.
"C'mon mom! Hurry hurry! I wanna get home now!" He said.
Hearing this, I wondered why he was in such a rush. Glancing at him a little, I found out why.
The kid was holding a box for a plastic mecha model kit.
I, as an avid collector and fan of model kits almost screeched excitedly like a little girl. Though I held it in, of course. I'm no little girl!
Nevertheless, I couldn't help but fanboy over the toy.
Hey, what am I saying? MODEL KITS AREN'T JUST TOYS, THEY'RE PIECES OF ART!
'Wait, isn't that the new High Grade TY-77-2 model kit?! I want it!!!'
I screamed in my mind as my otaku persona took over.
So this kid's a fellow model kit enthusiast, huh? Very nice... I can't believe he got the new kit so early... I was planning on saving up my allowance for it. I can see why he's rushing to get home.
I can't blame him though. I'd be running home giddy with delight to build that, too!
Trying to calm her son down, the mother patted him on the head.
"Just wait a bit longer, okay? We're close to home now."
She said, with the aura of care you'd get from a mother. But still, I could slightly pick up a hint of annoyance from her voice.
Listen to your mom, kid. I can see where you're coming from, but It's still her money that got you that thing...
Continuing to protest, the kid talked back to his mother.
"There aren't even any cars on the road right now! I can just run home!"
"No means no, mister! You need to learn to be patient." She said in a stern voice.
And with that, the kid finally went quiet and pouted.
I guess she finally got tired. I understand his excitement, but she's probably been trying to calm him down for a while now. Stay strong ma'am, the journey of motherhood is a tough one, I hear. But I'm sure he'll be more behaved when he grows up!
Unfortunately, the kid still had some rebelliousness left to show.
The moment the mother softened her grip on his hand, he pulled away and ran to the middle of the road.
Seeing how bad this could turn out, I instinctively tried to grab his shirt, but was a bit too late to react as he got away.
Looking back at his mom while running, he wore a smug expression.
"Hmph! I'll show you! I'll be fine!"
"Hey! Wait!"
The mother desperately called out.
As the kid reached the next lane over, he failed to notice the incoming truck approaching him on time.
Finally realizing the situation he was in, his body became paralyzed with fear as he heard the truck sound its horn as an attempt to get him out of the way. But it was no use, he was a deer in the headlights at this point.
Seeing this, my body moved on its own as the truck got closer.
Sprinting as fast as I could, I pulled him away but couldn't stop my momentum and stumbled forward.
The last thing I saw were two headlights heading towards me.
In an instant, my vision became a blur as I felt the large truck weighing more than 10 tons slam into my side. My body flew over several feet before I fell back down. My skin, bleeding as I slid through the rough asphalt.
I was disoriented for a while. I had no idea where I was or what I was doing just now. My head felt like the buzzy static you'd see in the tv.
A few more moments passed by until I finally came back to my senses.
As I regained consciousness and opened my eyes, all I could notice was the loud ringing in my ears coupled by a few muffled voices and the color red surrounding my vision.
What just-
!!!
In the next instant, I felt an intense pain surrounding my entire body. I instinctively tried to yell from the pain, but instead made it worse as my lungs felt like they were being stabbed by the broken shards of my ribs.
I tried to move my limbs, but couldn't for the life of me. The only thing I could move were my eyes. Looking around a bit, I saw the meat buns squished under the weight of the truck's tires.
As I continued to look at my surroundings, I saw the kid sitting paralyzed on the ground. His whole body, visibly shaking from what just happened.
His mother quickly ran towards and grabbed him as she desperately tried to cover his eyes from the gruesome sight.
In light of the incident, a large group of people filled the sidewalks to look at me. Some were pulling out their phones to record, and some were calling for an ambulance.
"Please... Help..." I tried to tell them. But because of my punctured lungs, what came out was nothing but a small pathetic whisper.
A giant wave of fear hit me as I bled out in the middle of the street. I tried to breathe only to realize my nose was already clogged with blood.
In that moment, my mind thought of something grim. Something that I didn't want to admit.
I was dying.
Realizing this, I tried to move my body again, only to fail once more. My desperation causes my emotions to spiral out of control.
No... This isn't real... It's all just a bad dream and I'll wake up soon, right?
I thought to myself as I tried to grit my teeth. I don't want to accept it, I just can't!
I desperately begged myself to keep breathing. Trying to keep myself conscious for as long as possible.
But try as I might, my nose was still filled with blood. I try to inhale and swallow it as a desperate attempt to clear it out. But no matter how hard I tried, my nose got flooded faster than I could get rid of the blood.
My spine grew cold as I feel death steadily approaching. Seeing the hopelessness of it all, tears flowed down from my eyes.
I'm scared... Everything hurts... I can't move...
I don't want this... Please, someone save me...
I was only trying to help...
I begged inside my mind.
But no matter what, I knew my voice wouldn't be heard and that I was quickly running out of time before I lost consciousness for good.
I couldn't do anything. All I could do was to accept the fact I was never going to make it. Realizing this, even more tears flowed down my face as I grit my teeth.
Left with nothing, I think back to all my regrets.
I wanted Mr. Brok to see the moment I graduated... He did his best to take care of me, and this is how I repay him...
I closed my eyes as I continued to cry.
I'm so sorry for disappointing you...
My mind searched through my memories as it desperately tried to find a way to survive. My consciousness, sinking deeper into darkness.
Many images of my life appeared in front of my view.
In those memories, there was a mix of the good and the bad, but Mr. Brok and I got through them the best we could.
The day he took me in, when he taught me how to make gadgets, and the times when he cooked my favorite dish after I had a bad day. All these little things are precious to me.
I felt my heart gradually start to beat slower.
"...."
Seeing these memories, my thoughts became calm as my tears stopped too. I opened my eyes and stared off into space with a feeling of peace.
Although, despite my eyes being open, I couldn't see anything but the images flashing through my mind. Maybe I was already too far gone.
Despite the feeling of peace, I still couldn't help but notice the lack of memories that didn't include Mr. Brok. Thinking to myself that I should've made some friends my age.
Realizing this, I smile wryly while my blood pours from my lips.
I close my eyes again as many more memories flashed by.
After a few moments, I landed on a memory that I treasured a lot. Back to the scenery of that peaceful summer day. I couldn't have been older than seven back then.
In my tiny hands, I held a small keychain of a character from a show I used to like as a kid. I remember being so happy after getting it. To this day, I've brought that keychain with me everywhere to the point where it's worn out.
I smiled slightly from the thought before hearing some footsteps heading towards me.
"Take good care of it, okay?"
Said a voice that sounded like a young boy.
Feeling a hand placed on my head, I saw the face of the boy who was smiling at me gently.
He was the person who gave me the keychain and the person I've wanted to meet again for so long.
Despite my condition, I was able to mutter out a few words as I saw the person in my memory.
"Big... Brother..."
Narrowly opening my eyes again from surprise as I snapped out of the memory.
Smiling wryly, a few tears started to pour again from my eyes as I felt a bittersweet ache in my chest.
I just wanted to see you again... I'm so sorry I couldn't...
Shedding my last few tears, I turned my eyes to look at the setting sun. It seems like I've finally come to terms with my fate...
Letting out my last sigh, I started to think that I did the right thing.
I saved someone's life. It wasn't for nothing... I did good. I couldn't ask for more...
I smiled and thought to myself as I started to feel my eyes getting heavier.
My mind drifted between a state of consciousness and unconsciousness as my surroundings gradually became dim to my sight. Until suddenly... Everything went dark.
My body laid there as my pouring blood was illuminated by the orange sunset. The sound of an ambulance being heard from a few blocks away.
The people on the sidewalk, left silent at the sight of my corpse.
...But despite everything, I was smiling.
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[CONDITION MET]
[RETURNING TO PREVIOUS POINT]
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