Flashback - 2
'Is there... even a hero?'
What the boy asked himself made his heart ache more. There wasn't a hero to save him and his mother.
Or so he thought.
It wasn't because there was no hero.
It was because he was late.
*Stomp*
.....
A man dropped from the roof of the building on the right, stomping the head of the crooked man and smashing his teeth along with his face on the alleyway concrete floor.
The boy's eyes widened in shock at the sudden appearance of the mysterious man who fell from the roof.
His eyes glanced to the man as he ran his eyes over the blood red leather hooded cloak he wore and the pitch black star which glinted and stood out spontaneously behind the robe.
The throng of delinquents found themselves stunned for a minute as they witnessed the man appear from the sky.
The mysterious hooded man, who gave no attention to the delinquents, greeted the boy with his hazel blue eyes which looked at him from its corner.
He titled just a bit so that the light only shone on his eyes that looked at the pitiful boy slouched on the dumpster.
"Here"
The voice was so smooth that it felt unreal.
"Cover your eyes..."
The man threw a handkerchief towards the stunned boy.
The spread out piece of cloth slowly sailed through the air, before it blocked his vision frame and then finally his eyes.
*Punch*
"AARGGHH!!"
*Kick*
"KWEUGH!!"
*Thud*
"Who the hell are you!!"
*Twist*
"Just run away, just run!!"
*Slam*
"You fucker!!!"
*Swing*
"Kill him!!"
*Snap*
"Use your god damn powers!!"
*Stomp*
"Please let me go!!!"
*Stab*
Within two seconds, dozens of sounds echoed as the boy, who was worried about what might happen, hurriedly tried to move the cloth from his eyes.
But it was in vain, as he couldn't move his exhausted, beaten-up limbs.
He counted his breaths as he slumped down in pain.
"Peek A Boo!!"
The Hooded man lifted the handkerchief off from the boy's bloodied face just as he counted to three and helped him by dabbing the blood from his face.
Finally, when he wiped it clean, the man tied the handkerchief on the gash which ran on his forehead, stopping the blood from oozing out.
"Don't look at them... Trust me, it could scar you for life... More than you've been scarred already."
The man's voice warned him.
As the boy tried to look at the man's face before him, to glimpse the details of the man who saved him, the only thing he met was with the darkness which hid it from him.
"Let's help your mom, don't we?..."
The man spoke.
The traumatized boy felt a warm sensation take over his body as if the man before him was smiling.
The man patted the boy's head caressing him, but what he actually did was imbue the boy before him with his mana and energy, which would enable him to stand and move again.
...
"Stay here and don't look back."
The hooded rescuer of the little boy instructed him as he lifted him and let him stand on his feet, maneuvering his eyes in the direction of the road.
The man walked away from him but soon met beside him.
The boy cried as he saw the rescuer hold his inanimate mom in his arms.
"Don't worry, she's alive... C'mon, let's take her to the hospital."
The hooded man assured the weeping child with a warm voice, which managed to pursue the innocent hurt child.
"Now don't get lost... hold onto my cloak..."
The man spoke as he commenced to walk towards the exit.
The boy, who did heed to his words, grabbed onto the cloak.
It was somehow comical to the six year old boy.
It was somehow... resembling those dreams he used to dream about during his sleep.
He couldn't do anything but imagine the man before him as one of the heroes he read about in a comic.
The hero he adored the most also wore a cloak. But the cloak he now grasped in his small hands, felt a lot better... Because his likings had changed.
The hero now he most adored, wasn't out of a comic book or a cartoon...
Instead, It was now...
R - E - A - L - I - T - Y.
...
Another thing the boy couldn't stop himself from doing was to turn back and look at the consequences the men got themselves to.
And boy, did he regret that...
Everyone, Almost everyone, except the trembling man named Bauer had their faces punched into their faces and heads twisted opposite to how they were actually supposed to be.
The wicked man with the crooked teeth who attacked his mom had his face driven into the ground, a dozen of his teeth sprawled around his squashed face which resembled mashed potatoes.
Bauer was still shuddering as he gaped with terror towards the boy, and their eyes met.
The boy yanked his head and his vision back to the road as a chilling whiff blew his red hair to his face.
His eyes were wide open as he tried to refresh and erase the gruesome scenes from his mind.
The only thing the saved boy could think was...
The man to whom he clung on to... Who was he?.
"What... what is your... name mister?"
The boy stammered as he made an effort to ask.
"Hm??... Haha... I don't tell my name to others... but I'll make an exception here"
The hooded man spoke with a chuckle.
"My name is Zerek... Zerek Wrack... What's yours??"
He replied.
And for the first time after that 20 minutes of hell in his innocent life, the boy smiled as he replied.
"It's nice to meet you Zerek... My name is William... William Watts"
××
....
"What do you mean Old man??"
William Watts roared at the supervising reverend. He turned his body and strode his way towards the old man. When William zeroed his distance, he towered over him with his height.
"What was the task I gave you Will?..."
The Old man asked, ignoring the enraged man.
William got taken aback as he heard what the reverend asked.
"Tch... To bring that Hunter Monarch over here"
He replied with a tinge of anger enclosing his words.
"Yes... And what did you do?"
The reverend asked yet again, this time slamming his hands on the table.
"I KILLED HIM!..."
William roared.
"I KILLED HIM BECAUSE THAT MAN DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE A HUNTER!!"
"WHY?? BECAUSE A GIRL TOLD YOU HER PAINFUL STORY??"
The old man bolstered his voice as he roared back at Will.
"...."
William was speechless...
He had lost his way to words...
It was simply...
because what the reverend said...
was true...
"So what if she did??... And it wasn't just her... That man had been harassing almost every girl and woman in that city!!"
William rumbled yet again, Intensifying his voice two times more than how he usually spoke.
"So what William?? So what???... Evil is what we do!!. Evil things are what steers our soul!! Evil things are what makes demons stronger!!"
The Old man hissed at the man before his eyes.
"...."
"Haizz..."
The old man sighed.
"William? Can I ask you a question?."
"Hm?... Whatever..."
William shook his head as he turned to walk away.
"Which side are you actually on William??..."
William gave no notice to the question the old man asked as he wasn't obliged to. So he proceeded with his walk.
"Are you 'Good' or 'Evil' ??"
William paused as he heard what the reverend asked. Even though it wasn't his obligation to reply to the reverend because he was the strongest among them... he still wanted to convey his answer to shut the reverend up for good.
"There's no Good or Evil Old man... Don't you remember what our leader said??"
William was smirking as he tilted his face. His eyes conveyed a ferocious glare to the reverend, which in turn succeeded in sending a chill down his spine.
What the old man saw before him through his eyes, was the same man he saw years ago... The same man who was the strongest among them when they established 'The Black Star'.
The same man, whose presence shook the skies.
"Reality, it's often disappointing..."
William began his words as the old man's eyes shot up.
"There's no Good and Evil.."
William smirked.
"Because it's all just a matter of perspectives"
*Walks Off*
.....
Author Notes
Huff... Another chapter yo!!. I say this every time but I hope this is still to your liking. Am I foreshadowing a bit too much?... But geniuses can figure things out quickly. Hehe, that was it.
Thank you for reading. Stay safe. Please add a comment about the chapter if you could. It'll make my day!!.
Thank you.
.....