Rewriters [Completed]

Belladonna: Regret

I am weak. I know that much... but why do everyone around me have to suffer for it?

•••

Sometimes, I could still see it. That scene unfolding before my eyes even though I tried to close them. The strong, hanging weight of horror and sorrow that gripped my heart until it felt like it was going to explode.

When I got my powers, I wanted to make sure no one would get hurt ever again. That's why I became a hero, despite being told that I was too weak for it.

I just thought I could at least save my friends from suffering ever again.

But I never thought it would lead to death in right front of my eyes.

Some months ago, Vindicate and I got a note from Harbinger, presenting us with an ultimatum - if we did not go to the specified location in less than 12 hours, we would lose something that was dear to us.

Our momentary peace was shattered in a blink of an eye. Just when we thought everything could return to normal, our lives were plunged into chaos once again.

I remembered running for my life. I ran until my legs threatened to give way, yet it didn't matter in the end, for the disaster we feared had already struck.

The building was set ablaze.

Assaulted by smoke and heat, I could barely take a few steps in before a coughing fit forced me to withdraw but it was enough for me to see the horror that would torment me forever.

In the midst of the flames, there was a motionless body, blood oozing out like a ceaseless tide.

Nausea washed over me, and I fell to my knees, too shocked to even scream at the terrifying sight.

It was bad, but Vindicate had it worse, for he was the one who went into the burning building and saw it up close. Even though most of his face was concealed by his mask, his emotions were spilling out, with despair written all over his face.

That was the harsh reality.

No matter how many times I avert my eyes or cover my ears, I kept hearing screams. For a while, nightmares plagued my mind, and sometimes I would wake up in cold sweat, too shaken to fall back asleep.

However, the world was not going to wait for me to get it together. What if, during that time, another tragedy occurs?

That's what I told myself, despite wanting to sink into pit of regret and sorrow. I have to put on a straight face, no matter how I was feeling. No one has to know what I am going through.

"Are you okay?" Vindicate asked, and I was pulled back to present time, surrounded by the dark walls of the meeting room.

"Yeah." I let out a defeated sigh. I didn't like being in this particular room because failure always ended us here. "I was just thinking."

"It's not your fault, you know," Crimson Flare spoke up abruptly, clenching his fists. "It's mine... I lost control again and allowed him to escape."

"It's-" Vindicate's sentence was cut off by a slam on the table.

"It is not okay!" Crimson Flare shouted. "It's been more than a year since Harbinger appeared, and since then many people lost their lives. Where is the justice for them? Where is the justice for m-"

The other super put his hand on his shoulder. "I know you want this to be over. We all want that too... but the past few months told us that we have been too hasty. While we try to pick up Harbinger's trail, I think you - we - should take some time off."

"We can't do that." Without warning, Crimson Flare stood up, knocking back the chair he was seating on, visibly agitated. "Have you forgotten what happened because we could not act fast enough? Have you forgotten the superhero who was cruelly murdered with his own powers used against him, and the civilian who was left to bleed out painfully? I didn't, and I never will. That's why we need to act now."

I couldn't say anything to that. I simply looked down as a memory flashed before my eyes. It was an image of the civilian who I tried to save, cold and lifeless in my arms. His despairing eyes struck me like a knife, as if he was asking me whether his life had any significance.

"Did you really think that the weak have any right in this world?"

I wondered why tragedies kept happening. I wondered why I was trying so hard to save that civilian even though he was stabbed in a vital point, hushing him as he attempted to speak. I wondered why I called myself a hero even though I could not save anyone.

Instead, when we had Harbinger in our grasp, I gave into my emotions. At that time, the rancid smell of his infected wound and his weakened state drove me to heal his wound with my newfound ability. Because of me, my weakness, he managed to escape.

It's my fault.

"Vindicate is right," I spoke up, lifting my head to look at Crimson Flare evenly. My voice was on the verge of cracking, but I forced myself to keep going. "We have been too hasty. More so than ever, we need a plan, one that will cover all of our blind spots. It will not be like what happened yesterday."

His sharp gaze landed on me, then Vindicate. He let out a long drawn sigh.

"... fine."

With that, he turned around and left. Vindicate shot me a grateful look and went after him, leaving me alone.

The answer was simple.

I had a lot of regrets throughout my life. I just don't want to go through the pain of another one yet again. That's why I resolved to be a superhero, and why I decided to stay.

The tragedy won't happen again. Not while I'm here.

•••

Here's an early special chapter because I haven't updated for weeks. There will be more of this type of chapters in the future to provide a different perspective. There's also another type of chapter, but we will get to that soon-ish, probably after chapter 6.

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Next | Chapter 4: A Faint Light