Eternity with You

Chapter 3

George glanced over at Karl, who had been unusually silent since the heroes' unexpected visit. Determined to find out what was going through his friend's mind, George marched right up to him and tapped his shoulder.

"Karl, about this morning-"

"I think you should go," Karl immediately interjected.

George was taken aback by his friend's words. "What?"

"I think you should go to the training institute. George, I understand that you want nothing to do with heroes, especially after what happened to your parents."

George's eyes drifted to the ground and he clenched his fist.

Unlike most parents nowadays who had no qualms about sending their kids off to a training institute the second they showed signs of being a hero, George's parents were adamant about their decision of waiting till George turned 18 and having him decide on whether or not he wanted to train as a hero.

At first, the thought of becoming a hero appealed to the brunette, but that all changed several years ago when his parents had been caught in a monster attack while he was out with Karl. The heroes arrived too late, and all they did for the bereaved families was offer a quick "sorry" before leaving the scene to offer a scripted apology in front of the press.

They didn't care that there were people who had lost their lives that day. All they wanted to do was put on a show of grief to stay in the public's good graces after such a devastating event. And it worked, support flooded in for the heroes, people telling them that it was okay and that they tried their best.

Ever since then, George has loathed heroes. He saw them only as clout-chasers, who only sought after the fame and fortune that came with the job. They never truly cared about helping people, all they wanted was to look good for the cameras.

"But this world needs a hero who cares George. Someone who would unselfishly fight to protect people and not care about getting their names shouted out on the news. You could start a change in them, and through your actions, you could show them what it means to be a true hero." Karl explained.

"You're making me into some kind of saint Karl. I'm not that good. I'm a lazy selfish person. I wouldn't want to do anything if it doesn't benefit me in some way." George scoffed.

"You're not a selfish person George, if you were, you wouldn't have risked your life to save that child today." Karl pointed out.

"I said I was selfish Karl, not a demon. I couldn't have that child's blood on my hands, especially since I was close enough to help." George responded.

"And you just quietly slipped away afterward. Not caring about receiving any recognition or reward for what you did...."

"If I had stayed, I would have gotten arrested for being a vigilante."

Karl let out a sigh, "There's just no winning with you. You should add 'painfully stubborn' to the ever-growing list of traits that make up your charming personality." Karl stated in resignation.

"Bold of you to assume that it wasn't already on there," George declared with a chuckle. He then returned to his side of the store so he could clean up and head home.

~0~0~0~

You're just scared... a voice echoed across the void.

George's body felt heavy and he tried to open his eyes but he just couldn't find the strength to do it.

You're scared that you won't be strong enough to protect anyone. You failed to do so before, so why would it be any different now...