The Heroes we Are: Prologue: The Boy Amidst the Flames
Fire burned. Flesh tore from the bodies, blood poured from the veins and charred skin filled my eyes. The world was a special hell that I’d bought myself into. The site was a feast of blood and a baptism of fire. I saw nothing but the result of my dream.
My ears only registered the screams of people who clung to life mere moments before they tumbled to their demise. My eyes only witnessed the inferno that threatened to claw and thrash at the world itself. My skin only felt the dry air that filled the wind’s breath and attacked to crack my skin. My throat only tasted the heavy blood that ran through my mouth. My nose only noticed the familiar scent of gunpowder that, over time, had become a part of me. My mind only recollected a past memory that would be the beginning of the path that would lead to this moment.
I want to be a hero!
I started to laugh, my lips jutted up and down in the lively manner I was never allowed to have. A sickly chuckle accompanied the image of despair that is this reality. I started to calmly go mad. What is this farce? Is this the end of my ideal? Is this reality or illusion, life or death? Why must I, alone, suffer this fresh hell? I lived my life for THIS? THIS is the result of my dream?
Why, why, why. I started to scratch at my hair. Why, Why, Why. I started to claw at the only thing I can at this point. WHY, Why, Why. I started to tear everything out. WHY, WHY, WHYYYYYY!!?!? My throat gave sound and a wretched scream pierced the air.
My eyes were frozen, doomed to forever witness the death of many. I saw the dry air contrasting with the fresh life dying before me. The buildings fitted the scenery I was forced to witness. The sight of the impact on windows painted the scene of ruin. The bricks are splattered over like the scene of blood splashed across a human chest. The rooftops laid on the ground, forever stained with the inability of doing their purpose. The furniture, inside, forever split like human limbs sprawled across the floors.
Howls of anguish flooded the air like the music of a symphony. The scene of extreme sorrow violated my heart. The banquet of fire fluttered through the ashes. The beauty of the destruction only magnified the tragedy of it all. The thought of hope only gave sight to this image of despair.
The people that were the highlight of this tragedy were the only things I had eyes for. All of them had the grip of flames clenched to their bodies. Many of them were lucky. Most unleashed a single harrowing scream before they faded into death.
Some weren’t so lucky.
Some had to live through the rubble on them, their countdown to death being the fading fury of their hearts. Some were run through with the shards of glass that released their despair. Some of them lived only to witness the despair of their family members and follow them afterwards. Some of them managed to raise a valiant effort against the flames walking around for any survivors but, alas, the flames eventually overtook them. They all waited for the hand of death called fire to send them away from this scene of despair called hell.
I ran. My legs carried me to the sources of such anguish and horror. I did the impossible and ran across this scene of carnage. I searched for anyone still alive, any person able to live through this environment. The sight of countless corpses filled the next few hours. As I pushed back the rubble that buried countless people possibly still breathing, I wondered to myself. Was it all worth it?
The next thing that gave me grief was the sight of a child. His pale, bloodless body was covered in red. I couldn’t tell if it was his blood or that of others. His eyes weren’t that of the image of an innocent child, no, he had seen far too much for that anymore. His cracked skin was that akin to a smoker’s, the surface being fractured by the dry air attacking him. I saw every part of him. I saw myself at that age, innocent, pure with only a simple wish.
I want to be a hero!
The simple wish taunted me now. What was once pure and sweet, over time, became covered with the blood of despair and the ordeal called obsession. I cursed everything about it. I cursed the ideals I held in my hands and, with a roar to the sky, I tore at myself. I cursed my existence for bringing my ideals to such a place. This landscape of horror was my reality now.
Where did my dreams take me? Here? Why? I only lamented these questions. I only contemplated the beautiful and ugly things before. Only now I realized the truth. The ugly things became beautiful here and the beautiful things became ugly. The truth I knew was shattered and inverted beyond my scope of vision.
I wanted to cry that this wasn’t my desire. I wanted to lament that this wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to yell that this was just an illusion. I at least wanted to lie to myself. I didn’t give birth to this tragedy. Only the crackle of flames surrounds my body. My lamentation gave voice to my own hypocrisy. This is what being a hero means. The young voice once again echoes through my mind.
I want to be a hero!
Shut up... shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP YOU BASTARD!
A groan of anguish filled my throat. The echoes of sorrow cut through the crackles of destruction. A voice of long forgotten regrets grew to be a part of the scenery called hell.
How much of this was the result of my ideals? How much of this was not my fault? How much sophistry must I go through before I’m satisfied!?
But I couldn’t turn back now. The price of justice has been paid in blood. I couldn’t turn time back or spin the fabrics of reality to prevent this monstrosity from happening. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. A silent sob escaped my throat and my eyes started to well up in tears. I cried silently into the boy’s chest, ignoring whatever horrors were being released beyond this moment. The world had gone in flames and I choked in grief at my inability to stop this scene. These daily occurrences were never going to stop. Never... never, never, never, Never, Never, NEVER!
Unless...
I looked up at the sky. Dawn hadn’t cracked its light down yet. There was one way, one way to make this scene stop. If some greater power is there, give me power. If my wish is too big for one man to realize, then give me power to realize it. If the scope of my dream is too big for one man to accomplish then give the power to make them come true. If the magnitude of my being is too small to attain the miracle that is my ideal then give me a greater power.
I shouted out to the gods above me. The slightest crack of light enveloped my body.
“HEY! Listen to me! I can’t save the world from itself with my own power! So you know what? Give me more power! If I can’t do it with my own power then give me power to save the world! You can do it, can’t you, you BASTARDS!”
My tirade against the beings beyond the earth ended in a hoarse throat and my hopes enlightened and crushed in a matter of seconds. I wavered a few seconds of consciousness. Finally, my vision caved in, my eyes served their final purpose. The last thing I saw before the darkness took me was a hoof of white reaching out from the crack of dawn with a single tease.
“Your wish will be reality.”