Chapter 5

Freedom was... complicated, Harry concluded.

It was a novel and wondrous experience for the first few days, to see what it felt like to do whatever he wanted.

It was...liberating. Like being free from his cage. Not bound by any rules.

But after the initial excitement and novelty wore off, his newfound freedom grew a bit...stale.

The reason? He simply couldn't get out of the habits that Hydra had so forcefully put in his brain. Even if he wished to sleep late, he simply couldn't. His body forced him to wake up at sharp 4:30, and if he tried to sleep further he will simply lay on his back, staring at whatever ceiling he had slept under that day.

And that was another complication. Now that he was out of Hydra, where would he stay? He had never thought about that, the idea of freedom seemed too taboo to plan further.

If he stayed in a hotel, Hydra's training will punch him in the gut and he will lay awake all night, paranoid of getting found. He couldn't rent a room for the same reason. Money wasn't an issue, he could steal from the richest and they will never know, but where to use that money when every person who walked around him looked like a target.

And thus, he had taken to sleep outside. Sometimes under a bridge, sometimes in someone's garage. The anonymity of his nature calmed him enough to sleep.

This could've all been solved had he still carried his wand. A simple imperio would've made sure of the target's loyalty, and he wouldn't have to sleep in the open.

Alas, life never goes as planned. This too, he had come to realise soon.

The biggest problem of all though, was that he no longer knew what to do. In Hydra, he may have to listen to orders and follow strict rules, but atleast his life had a meaning. A purpose. To train and become better. A goal, to achieve his freedom.

Now what? Now that he'd completed his biggest goal...What can he do now? What should he do now?

Even if he occupied his time by continuing his training, he couldn't do it all day. The time he usually spent under his teachers learning magic and combat was now free, and he didn't know how to fill it.

So he aimlessly travelled. Running away from black SUVs and any authorities, his feets wandered the streets of New York.

While it had its downs, Harry still wouldn't give up his freedom for anything. Hell, just the expansion of his food taste was worth all the trouble. Burger and pizza were like a dream for him once. No longer. No human, or god, could now stop him from worshipping the goodness that was double cheeseburger. With a chocolate milkshake at the side. He would've escaped way earlier had he known what he was missing.

The amazing food was only rivalled by his newfound appreciation for the... colourful language that New-Yorkers used. Truly, he hadn't known you could curse someone's mother in so many ways. Well...now he did.

But most importantly, has got to be the freedom of his emotions. No longer needing to maintain an emotionless facade brought with it a liberation that he never knew he could experience. He felt alive like he never had. Every minute of every hour brought with it a new emotion. And Harry absolutely loved it. Reveled in it. And treasured every moment like it was his last, for it might very well be.

As the days passed, and the fact settled that his freedom wasn't going to be snatched away, some things quickly became clear. A realisation if you will, that emotion was a very complicated subject.

Not all emotions were as... satisfying, as he once used to believe. Once he got used to his newfound freedom to feel, he quickly grew a sense of dislike for some particular feelings.

Pain, for instance, he no longer enjoyed. With Hydra, pain was the only thing available that grounded him to reality; made him more than a dead-man walking. But in here? Free to feel the wondrous joys and happiness that this world had to offer?

Pain was now unneeded. No, more than that, it was unwanted.

Still, while he was fine with the challenges that his newfound freedom brought, he definitely needed a new plan for his life ahead.

Fate must've heard his prayers because he soon found it.

---------------------

Harry Potter

Age: 9

Race: Wizard

Level: 23

Mana: 360/360

Health: 260/260

Stamina: 260/260

Stats

Strength: 20 (6)

Speed: 21 (6)

Dexterity: 21 (6)

Vitality: 20 (6)

Endurance: 20 (6)

Intelligence: 30 (6)

Wisdom: 29 (6)

Points: 23

He was sitting in a takeout restaurant, Dos Caminos, waiting for his order of tacos. It was an amazing place that served mexican food, and most importantly, didn't bitch about his age too much.

He passed the time by studying his status. Lately he'd found himself thinking about allocating his points somewhere. He had been saving them for when he finally fought Hydra, as a trump card if you will. But he never got the chance due to his abrupt decision to give them a huge 'fuck you' in the middle of a mission. In other words, he forgot. So now he was left wondering.

He had achieved two levels by killing Hydra mooks, while a hidden Quest netted him 3 more, abruptly pushing him by full 5 levels in a single day. It was a drastic growth, something he'd never experienced before.

Quest [A Path to Freedom] completed]–

Escape the clutches of Hydra (X)

Kill 6 Hydra members in your escape (X)

Leave a destroyed base behind (—)

Eliminate Hydra before your escape (—)

Eliminate all loose-ends (—)

Rewards: 2 Levels

[First Story Quest completed]– Rewards increased by 50%: 1 Level

Quests had been the only way for him to level up before his first kill. After that however, they had lost their value for Harry when he realised killing was much more faster than quests.

This message had come as a pleasant surprise. If quests actually gave him full levels as reward, then it meant they were much more valuable that he had once assumed. Especially considering he had failed 3 out of 5 objectives. It was simply logical to conclude that his rewards would've been even higher had he completed all of them.

The thing is, now he was left wondering where to put his hard earned points. What were his Strengths? what were his weaknesses? Should he focus on physical prowess or magical? His fighting style involved both aspects of combat, so should he simply divide the points equally? He couldn't decide.

He shelved his thoughts for later as the waitress brought in his order.

"Here's your Al pastor tacos." She said in a singsong voice before putting down the plate. "Enjoy!"

They looked delicious, and smelled delicious. Harry was dying to try them out.

The first bite was heavenly; there was so much happening in his mouth that he couldn't describe them well. A combination of Sweet, savoury, and spicy hit his tongue as his teeths bit into the juicy pork meat and pineapple covered in soft...bread? He could only guess.

He was so busy enjoying his meal that he didn't bother observing the new arrivals. Which was why when he did turn to the trio of women who took a seat to the very back, he was shocked to the core.

He instantly slammed down the gamer's mind, his emotions calming like windless water, and his eyes began scanning the entire room for threats before finally landing on the women again.

Smiling and laughing beside her friends was agent 33. Dressed in a black low-neck top and navy jeans, the woman did not look like a shield agent.

Did Shield fire her? Or was she undercover...yes, it must be the later. Probably here to catch him. Did they think he will leave her alive because they knew each other?

Foolishness.

If she wasn't here for him then his best option would be to tuck tail and run. Confronting her will do nothing. But if she was indeed here for him then running was useless. Shield had somehow managed to find him and they didn't wish to leave him be.

It doesn't matter. He will treat them the same as Hydra; by slaughtering them. The only good agent in this world was a dead one.

Of course, that didn't mean he will leave his food half-eaten.

After blazing through two more tacos, Harry quickly approached the counter to recieve his bill, nor waiting for the waitress.

Waiting for the wait-ress. Huh.

"In hurry, kid?" The Mexican guy at the counter asked, counting his money.

"Yeah, skipped school to be here you know?" Harry replied easily.

He'd observed the place enough to know what excuses to use.

The guy laughed, returning the change. "Aye know. Would've do the same."

Ignoring the man's broken English, Harry put the coins in his pocket and turned around to leave...only to crash into a large burly man.

"Watch yourself boy!" The man snapped, his large palm coming to grab Harry's head, trying to push him aside.

His instincts flared and before the man knew what was happening, Harry had his arm twisted clockwise before slamming his shoulders in the man's chest.

The man stumbled back, his hands fumbling for purchase, before inevitably crashing against a table with a cry.

There was a moment of silence as the people took in the scene.

'Goddammit Harry. Now you've done it.' He chastised himself.

Thankfully, instead of the room pointing at him and screaming 'freak!' like he half-expected, they started laughing at the downed man.

"Put down by a kid, Ed!" One of the men hollered. "That's gotta be a new low for ya."

Unfortunately, that also bought 33's attention to him.

Their eyes met, shocked brown eyes staring at the cold emerald ones, and he knew at once, she wasn't acting. She was geniunly surprised at seeing him...unless she was a master level actress.

He didn't duck down or pretend to not see her. The guise was up, and now was the time for the pin to drop.

"...Harry." She mouthed silently before her wide eyes flickered around at the audience.

She whispered something to her colleagues and quickly left her seat to approach him.

His mind was swirling with questions. Should he simply leave? Will they track him down? Did they even care really? All of his paranoia against Shield was cultivated by Hydra. Perhaps they weren't as evil and manipulative...

Yeah, right. He will believe it when he sees it.

"Harry." 33 said again as she came to stand beside him. "What are you doing here?"

She shook her head, dismissing her own question.

"You know what? It doesn't matter." The woman clutched him arm before he could respond and started dragging him back to her table. "C'mon, I'll intro–"

Harry smacked her hand away, calming his instincts to shoot down the woman and make a break for it.

He still palmed the gun though.

"I don't wish to do anything with your...organisation, 33." He replied. "I hope you understand. I'll be taking my leave now."

"Woah woah woah, calm down!" 33 waved her hands at him. "I'm not here for work. I come here every weekend. You know, to enjoy and stuff."

She looked back at the other two before turning to him again. "Look, I never really thanked you for...well, basically saving my life. I was just a little angry about you using your...ahh, magic abilities on me, you know?...And this is really not a good place to discuss that. Just...come with me please? I promise not to take too much of your time."