Rewriters [Completed]

Chapter 2: Answer, from your Soul

Caught in potentially the dilemma of his life, Kaleo found himself seated at a bus stop as he pondered over his next move. While everyone else was getting on or off the bus, he was stuck.

There were two possible options: the first was to call the police, the most logical and politically correct option, but the thought of that made his stomach churn uncomfortably for some reason. The second was to pretend he was completely unaware of the situation and see how things go, but if anything went wrong, it would be his responsibility and he would blame himself forever if anyone got hurt because of his choices.

He threw his hands in the air as though he was flipping a table in frustration, resulting in a few judging stares from random bystanders. Clearing his throat nervously, he stood up and quickly made his way out of the bus stop in case he did something weird again.

Putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans - he had taken off his slightly soaked jacket, he let out a sigh.

But then again, she might not even be that villain. Isn't Harbinger a guy?

No matter how much he tried to convince himself on that possibility, it was too much of a coincidence to assume that there was no connection. On the other hand, his heart was telling him that there was no way a - no offence - delicate looking girl could be the most notorious supervillain in Vale.

Kaleo remembered the day when Harbinger first appeared in the news almost a year ago. The supervillain had beaten up and killed a superhero, despite the latter having the power to manifest shields, with pure brute strength. The superhero was protecting a medical facility, which the villain promptly destroyed afterwards along with many of the patients and researchers.

It was terrifying, shocking the whole town to the core. No hero could match Harbinger's power, not even the strongest superhero in Vale, Statue, dared to face him.

Just the thought of it left him in cold sweat and he couldn't stop shaking.

With no obstacle in his way, more horrors infected the town at a rapid pace. It was a chaotic time, but eventually hope did come, and that was the superhero group known as the Vanguards of Vale.

Vindicate, Belladonna and Crimson Flare. They were a fearsome force to reckon with and their efforts put Harbinger's crimes to an astonishing stall. For a while, peace seemed plausible if not for their only setback - they never managed to catch him.

Kaleo knew very well the terror that was so deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people that day. Even now, as people continued on their daily lives, he could hear the insecurities, hidden behind a mask of forced smiles.

And now fate had brought Harbinger to him.

He took a deep breath. Whatever he chose now would send ripples throughout the future to come for a long time, and that scared him.

Can I handle it? he wondered. Can I make a choice and accept whatever happens next?

Strangely enough, when Kaleo took notice of his surroundings, he realised that his legs had brought him back to the hospital.

Great. I'm back where I started.

Resisting the urge to throw up his hands again, he sighed. The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became, making the noises in the background more unbearable.

He sat down on a nearby bench, putting his headphones over his ears, exhaling deeply. Maybe he was putting too much thought about it and the answer was already in front of him, just that he haven't realised it yet.

Kaleo nearly jumped when someone handed him a bottle of water and sat next to him.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.