The Mind World And The Outcast Hero

What The Hero Left Behind

The heinous images of the destruction of Conscience City crashed into Sindy's mind. A beautiful city where she had once wished to spend a romantic date with Nathan was now nothing more than his grave. The pain rattled her like an aftershock. If given the choice, she would have surely chosen any other form of physical pain over the emotional trauma that now haunted her

Sindy laid in her bed covered with red blankets, Nathan's favorite color. Her eyes were painted pink from the excessive crying that they had been through over the past two days. She had cried so much that she was surprised her eyes weren't bleeding. They stung as if acid had fallen into them.

"You never keep your promises..." She muttered softly to herself.

Suddenly, a knock came echoing through her room door. Naturally, due to how she was feeling, she did not answer.

"Sindy, it's Andrew... Let me in..."

The silence continued. Sindy still refused to respond. In a sense, she reminded Andrew of when Nathan had gone into his depressive episode.

"You know that if you don't let me in then I'll just come in anyway, right?"

Due to still not getting a response, Andrew slowly grabbed onto the door handle before trying to slide it open. However, the door refused to open. Sindy had locked herself in.

"Of course... You're a girl so you wouldn't hesitate to lock yourself in..." Sighed Andrew.

Gently, he then slid himself down onto the cold steel floor as he rested his back against the door.

"You know..." He continued in a slightly pained voice. "...I saw Nate just before we left on the mission. He had this gleam in his eyes. I could tell that he was more determined than ever to save the people he cared about and in the end, that was exactly what he did. He was a hero, Sindy. There were five million people in Conscience City that day and he saved them all. And to be honest, that makes me happy. I'm happy that he was at least able to die being the hero he's always wanted to be. But I'm also in pain that he's no longer here... So I understand how you feel..."

Sindy slowly looked over to the door. She then clenched her half-hearted necklace with Nathan's name between her fists.

"Andrew..." She finally answered in a trembling voice. "You don't understand..! I've known Nate for ten years! He's done so much for me... He was there for me when no one else was! Even when my parents died, he was there to help me up. He has never left my side. Because of that, I inevitably fell for him and never got back up... I loved him with all my heart, Andrew! So I'm certain you don't understand how I feel..!"

Suddenly, Sindy was interrupted by the sound of Andrew's fist slamming into the door.

Her words had only upset him.

"What do you mean that I don't understand, Sindy? You're right, you knew him much longer than I did and you were madly in love with him too! But don't try to act like I never understood anything!"

Andrew's voice then dissolved into a painful tone. It almost sounded as if he was about to cry.

"He was my best friend for five years... Maybe that's not as long as you knew him but Nate meant a lot to me too! Before I met him, the only kinds of people I had in my life were nothing but fakes who wanted to take advantage of me for what I had. Every one of them left me behind like garbage once they got what they wanted..! I trusted no one for a long time because of that. But that all changed when I met Nate! He showed me that if I chose to keep the right people in my life then I could rely on them and they wouldn't leave me behind. He's the reason I'm able to smile and joke around the way I do today. It's thanks to Nathan..! So don't try and act like I don't understand Sindy, cause I do..."

Sindy realized she had been a little irrational and unfair to Andrew. She was allowing the pain she felt to control her emotions which was wrong. Slowly, she then began to cry once more. She didn't know what to do. The pain was just too much for her to bear. If she had the chance to reach inside her chest and remove her heart, she would have done so long ago.

"Nate had one last thing to say before he sacrificed himself..." Continued Andrew softly. "He told me that I shouldn't take revenge for his sake. He didn't want me to avenge him. Instead, he told me to keep smiling and find a way to get back to the Real World with you... I intend to carry out his last wishes as his friend..!" 

Andrew then paused for a brief moment as he built his confidence to relay Nathan's very last message. "He also told me to tell you sorry for breaking his promise..."

Immediately, the door flew open behind Andrew. He looked up to see Sindy standing behind him in a plain red long-sleeved shirt and small black shorts. Her hair was messy and her once bright blue eyes had very little color left in them. She sniffled and tried her best to force a smile. 

"Andrew, I'm sorry... I'm just going to need some time by myself. I really appreciate you coming here to tell me all of this but I'm going to need some time to let it all sink in, okay?"

Andrew nodded in acceptance of Sindy's request. However, in truth, his reason for visiting her wasn't solely to tell her Nathan's final words. Deep down, he needed someone to talk to so that he could better cope with the pain of losing Nathan. He missed his friend dearly and secretly wished that he could go back in time to save him.

But even if he could go back in time, he knew there was nothing that he could do to save Nathan. He was far too weak to do anything by himself. He needed to become stronger. Slowly, Andrew then picked himself up before walking off towards his room, drowning in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Alondo and Instructor Brady were immersed in a deep conversation inside the Captain's Office.

"Brady, are you sure there was no sign of Nathan after the explosion?" Asked Alondo in frustration.

"Unfortunately, there was no sign of him. The only thing that was left after the explosion was his broken sword which you were given," replied Instructor Brady who was wrapped in bandages. He almost looked like an ancient mummy.

"I see..."

Instructor Brady then took a puff of his cigar which he had been banned from doing until he recovered.

"Brady, come on. No smoking!" Reprimanded Alondo.

"Urgh... Damn it, fine!" He groaned as he extinguished the cigar. "So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You don't seem like someone whose lifelong work just got flushed down the toilet. You were preparing your entire life for the Mind Hero's arrival and now he's dead before he could accomplish anything. I mean, you look frustrated but not as frustrated as one would expect."

Alondo sighed, "I don't know. My intuition is telling me that Nathan is still alive somehow. I mean, I believe he's dead but I also don't think he's dead? I don't know... It could just be that reality hasn't hit me as yet."

Instructor Brady then groaned in pain as he forced himself up onto his crutches.

"Well, I hope that he's still alive too. Not that I believe that anyone could survive a blast of that magnitude but it's healthy to at least be a little optimistic."

Following this, the Instructor proceeded to leave the office. However, before he could, Alondo called out to him.

"Brady!"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Leave your box of cigars here in my office!"

"Aww come on!"

*****

Presently in the Class S lobby, inside Isabella's room...

Isabella stared at the ceiling as she laid on her bed. Her eyes radiated with boredom and a slight sense of pain.

"Big brother..." She called to Rick who was nearby.

"What is it?" He answered.

"I think I was in love with Nathan. I feel this pain in my chest now that he's gone... I almost feel like I'd do anything to get him back. I promised that I would marry him when we fell in love..."

Rick's eyes widened in surprise at his little sister's remark. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Love? What are you talking about, Isabella?"

"I said that I'm in love with Nathan..! I feel sad now that my Nathypoo is gone..."

"Cut the crap, Isabella. You know how people are! They don't deserve your love. No one loved us when we needed it so we can only love ourselves. In this world, one only ever gets what they want by using others to fulfill their needs. Things such as love are nothing but a cruel trick to bend others to become your slave. You can't allow yourself to fall for something like that!"

Isabella frowned, "Big brother, that's what I've always thought but I don't recall Nathan playing any tricks on me. The moment I saw him, I felt this irresistible pull. He's different from anyone I've ever met and displays the qualities of a true hero!"

"Isabella, real heroes don't exist! If they did then they would have saved us back then! That's also the reason we joined AA, remember? Alondo doesn't believe in heroes just like us. It's why, unlike the other so-called hero agencies, this one is called Assassins Agency and not some cringy ass hero name. So get that style of thinking out of your head."

Isabella then sat up before looking her brother in the eyes. This was when Rick noticed a sparkling teardrop falling from her face.

"I don't know anymore..! Lately, I've been wondering if everyone's as selfish as we think they are. Like, what if there are people out there who would have genuinely tried to help us if they had the chance? What if Nathan was there that day? Would he have tried to save us?"

Isabella's words dug deep into Rick's heart. He desperately wanted to tell Isabella that Nathan was the same as everyone else but he couldn't. Not after he had sacrificed himself to save over five million people. He still struggled to understand why Nathan had done something so selfless. He could have easily chosen to run away and save himself but he had chosen to save everyone around him as a true hero would. Rick was left speechless.

Soon after, Isabella began to cry as her emotions overwhelmed her. She felt lost and confused wishing that she had the chance to stay with Nathan just a little longer.

"I wish you could have saved him, big brother... I wanted to ask him the question while we were on the mission but I couldn't... I  just wish that I could ask him now. Would he have saved us like how he saved all those people?"

Rick was speechless. He had never seen his sister exhibit feelings of sorrow for another except their parents. It made him feel uneasy.

AA was missing Nathan's presence. Some were intrigued by his sacrifice, others saw him as another dead Mind Hero, and the opinions some had for him had finally changed. Even though he had died, there was no question that he had left an impact on the lives of those around him. He had died as a true hero.

-END,

          Arc 1, The Tragic Hero.

To Be Continued...