Eternity with You

Chapter 2

"This incident would have been a disaster if not for the actions of a mysterious hero, who bravely stepped in to rescue the child and vanquished the Kraken with a single move. Right here is an instant replay of the magnificent power this person possesses." The news report announced before it cut to a video recording of the incident.

Karl was watching the clip in fascination when he heard the bell above his door ring. He twisted around and smiled at the newcomer.

"Well, you had quite the eventful morning," Karl commented with a grin.

George rolled his eyes and took off his hoodie, "What are they saying?"

"Hmm... well the public is singing your praises, while the authorities want to charge you with a fine for damages. So what are you going to do?" Karl informed.

George sighed, "I don't even want to think about it. Give it a few weeks and this entire thing will blow over."

George then placed his hoodie and sunglasses in the back room before walking over to the plants display that they had by the window.

Karl Jacobs was a childhood friend of George's, and the two co-owned their tiny shop. Karl did minor repairs, while George was a florist. George had just started tending to his plants when a middle-aged gentleman walked in carrying an old wristwatch.

"Excuse me, could you please fix this for me?" He asked as he handed the item over to Karl.

"This is quite the classic Sir, must mean a great deal to you..." The brunette commented.

"It belonged to my father..." came the reply.

"I see... don't worry sir, I'll have it fixed in a jiffy," Karl reassured before closing his eyes to focus. Soon the brunette's body glowed dark purple. The marks of age that the wristwatch bore slowly disappeared till it looked as good as new.

"Here you go Sir," Karl said as he handed back the precious heirloom to the proper owner, who thanked him and paid.

Not all heroes that were reincarnated had combat abilities. There were some people like Karl, who possessed helpful abilities that were not suited for the battlefield. Karl could revert time for an object and even managed to go back in time himself. Though it would be only in a spirit form so he couldn't mess with the past.

The day started pretty normal, with George entertaining a few customers and healing some of their plants. They were about to take their lunch break when 3 men strutted through the front door. One had blonde hair, the other was a dirty blonde, and the third man was a raven head.

From their outfits alone, the brunette could tell that these people were official heroes, which only confused the two brunettes. There was nothing particularly interesting at their store, so what would these important men want from them?

For a few seconds, there was only silence as the 3 newcomers seemed to scan the shop's inventory. They paused when they noticed George's little flower display and then one of the men finally decided to speak.

"We're sorry to bother you, my name is Philza, and I am the director of the Local Hero's Institute. May I ask which of you sells those plants?" The man asked.

"That would be me," George instantly responded.

Suddenly the blonde man standing behind Philza marched forward and stopped right in front of George. "Hmm... I was expecting more..."

"Excuse you?" George exclaimed in surprise.

"Sorry, I just pictured you differently. You don't look at all like a man who could defeat a level 2 monster with a single move."

George sucked in a nervous breath, "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Don't play coy, we know that it was you who defeated that Kraken."

"Look Mister... neither me nor my friend know what you're talking about. If you have no other business here, then I kindly ask you to leave." Karl suddenly spoke up, wanting to stand up for his friend.

"Dream, chill dude... you're scaring them." The raven head spoke up before walking over to Dream and pulling him back.

"Please excuse my subordinate, we are still shocked to find out that there was someone of your skill level hidden right underneath our noses. There is no need to deny it, we have no plans to report you to the authorities. We simply want to extend an invitation to receive training at the Hero's Institute." Philza said.

"Training?" George repeated.

"Yes, someone of your skill level would make a great hero. So what do you say?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I will have to say no. I have no intention of becoming a hero." George stated.

"So selfish..." Dream muttered under his breath.

"Pardon?" George probed, his eyes narrowing on the blonde.

"I said that you're so selfish. All that power and you choose to squander it on becoming a florist. You could be out there saving lives but instead, you choose to stay here and tend to your plants."

"What I decided to do with my life is no concern of yours. Is it so wrong for me to choose to live a peaceful life instead of spending my days chasing after monsters? "George argued back.

"Yes! You have a duty as a reborn hero to protect humanity. It is the sole reason why the deities gave you another chance at life!" Dream pointed out.

Philza was about to put a stop to their fight when suddenly a blue butterfly flew in from an open window. As it flew past his eyes, for a split-second he saw it. A bright red string floating magically in the air was linking George and Dream.

How interesting... Philza thought to himself.

"So you're saying that we have no free will? We are mere slaves to this sick system where we have to constantly put ourselves in danger." George stated.

"Sick system? This system has allowed humanity to prosper."

"Humanity's prosperity is built on the backs of children who were forced to fight. The second a child shows signs of being a reincarnated hero, it is common practice for their parents to ship them off to an institute for training. You all were raised to be mere weapons; how can I not find that sickening!"

"Enough!" Philza commanded in a loud voice.

The pair instantly stopped their squabbling but continued to glare at each other.

"I agree that the morals of how the hero system functions are in a gray area. Which is why I am not going to force you to join if you truly don't want to. But I will say this, more powerful monsters have been popping up lately so people of your skill level are badly needed. How about you take some time to think about it, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." Philza said before turning to leave.

Dream shot George a look of disdain, which the brunette instantly mirrored, before following his leader out leaving only the raven head behind.

"Um excuse me... you're Sapnap right?" Karl asked the raven head in a soft voice.

"Yes, I am. Are you a fan?" The raven head asked with a kind smile.

"No I'm... you don't? You know what, forget I said anything..." Karl muttered out before running off.

"Okay... that was weird..." Sapnap commented before turning to George.

"I'm sorry about Dream. He can be kind of an ass sometimes. He's just a little pissed because you stole the limelight this morning." Sapnap explained.

"What, he got some kind of hero complex or something?" George asked.

"I guess you could say that..." Sapnap said with a chuckle. "Anyway, I do hope you join us. You would be a big asset to the team."

"I'll think about it..." George replied, making Sapnap smile.

The raven head then said his goodbyes and left.