CHAPTER 21 : STARTING, AGAIN

"The most severe mutated monster attack we've ever seen occurred in Putrajaya yesterday.""Thankfully, that area was a quarantine zone! What would've happened if there had been people there?""Footage shows individuals believed to possess 'extraordinary powers' fighting the mutated monsters-""Inspector Mikael, one of the police officers missing after the mutated monster battle in Putrajaya...It is reported that he suddenly developed powers and fought the mutated monsters-""Several more areas have been quarantined following the mutated monster attack in Putrajaya...""Who are these individuals with 'powers'?""Ahh, all of it is just fake. You can't just believe everything these days-""Police investigations have shown evidence of the existence of 'powered humans'-"News, newspapers, articles, podcasts, social media. The whole of Malaysia is debating about what happened in Putrajaya during our fight with the Stray. It's being called the worst mutated monster attack.It feels strange to realize I'm one of the people involved in the situation that everyone is talking about now..."Looks like we're getting a day off from patrolling today, most likely because of what happened recently and they probably help train Mr. Mikael," Nasuha said after reading the message sent by Khalid. Khairul, lying on the sofa, let out a small laugh."Only two days in, and we already have another day off, huh?" Khairul asked."Well...What can you do, right?" Nasuha walked over to him and sat on the floor next to the sofa."Man, it's boring...Being stuck in this house when there's no patrol. And we can't even go out. God, I miss my bike," Khairul sighed, thinking about his motorcycle, which was lost after the incident on the Ipoh highway previously."In the news, they said that the battle we had was the worst mutated monster attack...Do you agree?" Nasuha asked, and Khairul thought about it."Ipoh highway, Ipoh hospital...I feel like that was worse for us. I couldn't fully use my powers, and my dad almost killed the both of us. A lot of people died too...I don't know, maybe for the public, the case in Putrajaya was really bad. Our experience isn't the same as theirs," Khairul explained, and Nasuha chuckled softly. She closed her eyes and leaned her head a little on Khairul's."You might be bored, but I feel at peace here. I feel like my life has so much meaning now, even though it's tough and painful. I have friends who share the same heavy responsibility, and I have you." Nasuha then looked at Khairul, their eyes meeting. Khairul immediately lifted his head from the sofa and exhaled deeply."A meaningful life, huh..." Khairul scratched his head. Nasuha then sat on the sofa beside him."Khai, I still feel really guilty. I wasn't careful, and I fainted during our fight the other day," Nasuha said with a bittersweet smile, and Khairul looked at her again."Enough of that. You saved me and Kyoko too," Khairul reassured her. Nasuha just nodded and then smiled warmly."Nasuha, you-" Khairul's words halted as he stared at Nasuha, then quickly looked away again and let out a long sigh."Never mind.""Huh? What were you going to say? Just say it..." Nasuha asked."It's not important. It's nothing really." Khairul raised both his hands. Nasuha puffed out her cheeks like a hamster, as if she was sulking at Khairul.Khairul just looked confused by her reaction."Oh yeah. Did I tell you? My dad yesterday..." Nasuha recalled something she wanted to share with Khairul."Stop it! Stop trying to be a superhero! I'm begging you!"My dad really didn't want me to continue working as a member of HOPE anymore. I've never seen him so desperate. He was truly worried when he heard I nearly died during the previous fight..."And what did you say to him?" Khairul asked."'I has chosen my path now! I am strong enough, how many times do I have to say it? I will keep using these powers to protect people!' Like that...Though I didn't shout that much, hehe," Nasuha recounted with enthusiasm. Khairul rested his head, listening intently, and chuckled."I'm weird, right? Haha...There's still a part of me that questions whether what we're doing is right. But at the same time, what's the point of questioning everything? As long as I've started to love my life again, that's what matters more. Right?" Nasuha looked at Khairul, her eyes sparkling in his view.Khairul suddenly stood up.This is...dangerous...What's wrong with me?This feeling is strange. I don't like it. No, I do like it, but... Ahh, it's weird, I don't understand it at all.Khalid fired a barrage of shots from both his pistols, while Mikael deflected all the bullets by spinning his scythe, closing in on Khalid. He formed an axe from the black liquid shadow and swung it swiftly toward Khalid's head.It only managed to scratch Khalid's helmet.Mikael was undergoing training in the Mind Dimension, with Mei watching them."It doesn't feel like there's much we can teach you, Mikael. I'm not too surprised, though—you've managed to control your emotions and powers quickly. As expected from a former Inspector, huh?" Khalid explained, with a slight tease in his voice."This Mutant power is strange. I've only had it for three days, but it feels like I've understood it my whole life. Yet at the same time, I don't get it at all... What is this black liquid? How am I forming weapons with it?" Mikael asked, staring at the black axe in his hand."These powers are a reflection of ourselves. They manifest our desires," Khalid responded."My desire is... to create weapons with black liquid?" Mikael questioned, looking confused."No... Your desire is to have the same abilities as Strays to protect others. Maybe you don't realize it, but your power allows you to manipulate the shadows around you," Mei explained."I'm too old for all this stuff," Mikael said, rubbing his head."You might be strong, but you haven't beaten me yet, Mikael. If you want to wrap up your training quickly, try killing me," Khalid challenged, aiming his pistols back at Mikael."This time, I'll defeat you," Mikael replied, creating new axes and scythes from his power.Meanwhile..."Our company might be taking quarantine leave too... I wouldn't be surprised, especially after what happened in Putrajaya. It's so close to us..."Ehsan overheard his colleagues talking, his fingers pausing momentarily from typing. A look of relief crossed his face, and he smiled slightly.That's great...I'll have time to be with Nasuha.I'll talk to her slowly. Maybe I can ask to bring Nasuha home too."Still strong enough to keep fighting, Rose? It's quite remarkable, after all that you've been through, and the friends you've lost, that you're still here," said a bearded man in a military uniform, speaking to Rose. Shaurya was also present in the small office room."This isn't the time to mourn the dead yet. As long as those mutated monsters are out there, there's no time to stop moving... I know you understand that, General," Rose responded."Humans with powers... they've caught my attention. There's no denying they exist, and they're different from the mutated monsters. They're still clearly human and can control their abilities. They are the key to for us to end this conflict. We need to understand them and... use them. They're the strongest weapon we have against the mutated monsters," the General explained, pushing a file filled with pictures and information about the 'powered humans.' The file was labeled 'Superhuman.' Rose's expression shifted, looking slightly disturbed, but she quickly composed herself."We call them, Superhumans. Apart from the incident in Putrajaya the other day, there have been other sightings and CCTV footage capturing glimpses of these Superhumans... I've got a special team I'm assembling to track them down, and I want you and your team to join this team," the General offered confidently, smiling at Rose. She placed the file back on the table and looked him straight in the eye."Sorry, but I'll stay with PDRM, and my fight is alongside my fellow police officers. They need me," Rose declined, her expression cold. The General's confident smile faded into disappointment."What a waste, Rose. I was thinking of putting you in charge of this special team, but it looks like I'll need to find someone else... someone more interested," the General sighed."My apologies, General.""The military is already moving in. How much longer can we hide them, Sister Rose?" Shaurya asked with concern, his brow furrowed. Rose crossed her arms."Don't stress about it too much, Shaurya. You've seen what they can do. Even the military, with all their weapons and procedures, will be a hassle for HOPE, but not a real threat. They know as well as we do that their primary focus needs to be wiping out the Strays, not hunting down Superhumans. At least for now..." Rose explained, and Shaurya nodded in understanding."Still, we need to stay a little cautious. I can only warn them to be more careful," Rose lowered her head slightly.Originally, I just wanted to protect two innocent kids from being hurt or used by the government. Now I'm deceiving the whole world...There's no right move left, only choices. Every outcome will hurt more people, will continue to deceive more people.You have to choose, Rose... Which side are you going to be on?"Remember what I've told you—the military will do everything they can to get you. Even if you can fight back, they'll just change their mission from capturing and controlling you to killing you, just like the Strays. Please, stay hidden." Rose spoke gravely to Khairul and Nasuha as the three of them sat at the dining table. Nasuha's phone was connected on a video call with Khalid and other HOPE members."Understood. For now, we'll keep a low profile," Khalid replied from the other end, and Rose turned toward him."Things getting rough, huh?" Mikael's voice came from behind Khalid."Mikael, you're done with your training?" Rose asked."Yes..." Mikael replied."Pretty quick, huh? That's impressive," Nasuha praised."The difference with Mikael is that he's quick to face his internal conflicts. Plus, he's already got combat skills, so he adapted faster," Khalid explained."Mikael, you heard what I said earlier, right?" Rose asked."Yeah, I heard. We don't have many options. They've got gadgets like drones to spy on us, so we need to be careful with those. There's a lot to consider when dealing with the military..." Mikael responded."There are also reports of other Mutants out there. You should try finding them too," Rose suggested."When are we getting back into operation, boss?" Khairul asked Khalid."Tomorrow. So be ready," Khalid answered.I'd never have it in me to betray them. If it wasn't for HOPE, the Strays' situation would be far worse. In just two days, they've managed to ease a lot of the pressure. As long as they keep doing the right thing, that's all that matters to me..."I'll allow you both to go home," said Rose after they finished talking to Khalid and Mikael. Khairul and Nasuha both looked shocked."There's no reason for you to stay here anymore. Bella's not around, and you've already proven you can control your powers and be trusted. Plus, your dad hasn't stopped pestering me about bringing you home, Nasuha," explained Rose."Seriously?" Nasuha seemed excited, but Khairul's expression remained empty."I don't have a home to return to, you know?" Khairul sighed."You can stay with me," Nasuha offered."Yeah right, like your dad would ever allow that..." Khairul gave a bitter smile. Rose was thinking about how to handle Khairul's situation."But I think I can ask someone for help," Khairul remembered.Eventually, Nasuha and Khairul left Rose's place, Nasuha carrying her luggage and backpack, while Khairul only had his own backpack. As they stepped forward, they saw Ehsan waiting for Nasuha."There he is, my best employee," Hazim called from inside his van, waiting for Khairul. Khairul gave a small smile and quickened his pace."I'm your only employee..." Khairul replied with a bitter smile."Khai," Nasuha called out as she watched him. Hazim patted Khairul's shoulder, signaling for him to go over to Nasuha. Khairul nodded in understanding and walked toward her."Well, um... See you tomorrow. Feels kinda sad leaving you behind," Nasuha said with a bittersweet smile."Leaving me? No way... Hazim's house is in the same neighborhood as yours, and we're going on a mission tomorrow. We'll be seeing each other all the time," Khairul replied."It's still sad though, you know? This is the first time we won't be eating at the same table or me waking you up when you oversleep... after so long. I've gotten too comfortable with that routine," Nasuha said, sounding a bit melancholic."Nasuha. Anytime you want to hang out or eat together, just tell me. If you need me, I'll come. I'll always be here, as long as you are," Khairul reassured her. Nasuha smiled again, looking away."Alright then... See you tomorrow." Nasuha waved her hand, and Khairul slowly waved back.When I think about it, yeah, it's kind of sad watching Nasuha leave. We've been stuck together for so long. Guess those times are over now, huh?