'But if this Pernicious is that strong then there's nothing you can do about it. Just let it go,' she pleaded with her face full of tears.
'I wish I could but this is where I was born. I am human before anything else. You saw for yourself what these Supreme Races can do. If I left the people of Bradwield to protect themselves then they're just as good as doomed. Simon, Owen, Miss Putin, Mr. Benson…everyone will die, Samantha. I'm the only one who can protect them.'
She wiped the tears from her eyes vigorously. 'Promise you'll come for me when you're done.'
He looked aside, pain and grief gripping his heart.
'Promise me!' she begged him.
'I can't.'
'Why? Don't you love me anymore?'
'Sam, there are possibilities that I will die or I could lose myself, my humanity to my power.' He realized that every single word coming from his mouth was causing her great misery.
'So you want me to just sit and hope for you to come for me?'
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mother's wedding ring. 'I'm asking you to marry me,' he got down on one knee.
She gaped in shock, 'But what if…'
'I will find you. It's not a promise but hope is what we need, so..,' he kept still, the ring in his hand and his knee in the dust.
She nodded violently, 'Y…Yes!' she stuttered, exposing a flashy grin.
He slid the ring onto her ring finger before standing up. 'It was my mother's,' he said shrugging hopelessly.
'It's beautiful,' she said admiring it with her hand outstretched. She swung her arms around his neck and they both kissed passionately with tears in their eyes. Their lips had to eventually let go of each other. She chuckled softly, 'It's funny…'
'What?'
Her arms were still clung around his neck. 'It seems like yesterday I was calling you Orphan boy but today we're engaged.'
He chuckled too, 'Did you know that Simon actually predicted this?'
She opened her mouth wide in embarrassment and astonishment.
'Yep. He said we would be friends, then go to the School Dance together, then become best friends, then boyfriend and girlfriend, then marriage…' They laughed together but their laughter had grief trailing within it and it died down no later than it had started. 'I love you,' he told her as he wiped the last tear strolling down her cheek with his thumb.
'I love you too,' she replied.
'Wait here…' He immediately sped back home with his heightened speed.
He returned a few seconds later with a briefcase in his hand.
'What's this?' she asked him.
'There's about two million gems in this briefcase,' he said, 'so it looks like you won't be sleeping in sand and eating desert bugs.'
'Thanks,' she said as she took the briefcase. They kissed one more time and she ran through the deserted lands, crossing the border into Dasa. She turned her head after every few yards to wave back at him. They waved at each other until she was out of sight.
Brendan was left standing in the open. The blood on his arm, caused by the Finch's vicious assaults was beginning to dry up. He sighed deeply. With the last tear in his eye, he put his mask back on, turned around and headed home.
*
Brendan felt relieved. His stress level was low, now that he had defeated the worst evil of the city. When he woke up, he felt overjoyed. The only thing that was bothering him was that he had to hide his dirty laundry from Miriam, which was quite difficult to. He showered and brushed his teeth before heading downstairs. Miriam was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. It was exactly eight o'clock.
'Morning, Miriam,' he greeted her when he reached the foot of the stairs.
She walked in, 'Good morning, sir,' she responded, politely curtsying, 'breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,' she added.
'Okay,' he said whilst throwing himself onto the couch. His feet were spread across it as if he intended to sleep on it. He turned on the TV and flipped to his now favorite news channel; Bradwield Future News:
'Yesterday, some Bradwield citizens witnessed the fight between the Anonymous and the most wanted criminal of the city; the Finch. The fight was said to be unpromising at its early stages as the Anonymous appeared to be clearly losing. But just when people thought he had died, the Anonymous resurrected from the dead and silenced the Finch, leaving her to be judged by the city's people. Journalists tried to capture video clips of this epic battle but every gadget went blank because of the presence of these two massive forces. Experts say that the outcome of the battle was mentioned by prophets; that the Anonymous would come out victorious. Some people are now calling the Anonymous a hero whilst others still regard him as a magician or a sorcerer who deserves to be tried before a court-of-law and also hold him responsible for the damage that the city experienced. The mayor had no comment on the Anonymous but he is pleased to say that all schools will resume today. This is Cindy Copperfield reporting for Bradwield Future News; enjoy the rest of your viewing.'
He switched off the TV and stretched his arms and yawned. He stood up and went straight for the stairs, 'Miriam!'
'Sir?' Her head popped from the entrance of the kitchen.
'Put my breakfast in the oven; I'll have it later.'
She nodded without question and returned into the kitchen.
He ran up the stairs into his room and took his costume from under the bed and tossed it on top of it.
Was this the future that awaited him? The life that fate had chosen for him? The Flicker told him that destiny would one day come knocking on his door, and he would have to answer. And so this was it. The life that chose him.
He took out the picture of Samantha from his cupboard, the picture he had taken when she had spent the night, and he kissed it. 'Take care of yourself, babe,' he said. 'I hope I'll survive this journey so we can be together again.' Just then, he heard voices in different parts of his head: "Murder"… "Murder"…"Robbery"…"Assault"…"Murder"… That's when he remembered what Marauder had told him: "I will be a mere whisper in your head." One part of the voice was stronger in his forehead. He quickly put on his costume and opened his window then he ran using his heightened speed through the open window in the direction of the voice.
When he arrived at an alley, the voice began to sting stronger on his forehead. Not too many people could be seen walking in the streets.
Inside the alley, a young man had a pistol to a woman's throat and her back was forced against the wall. 'Give me the purse, woman!' the man breathed into her face. He was wearing a leather jacket, dull-green baggy pants and white sneakers. The woman was in a white party dress and pink tennis shoes.
'Let the woman go,' Brendan told the aggressor.
The man was quivering in fear as if this was his first time holding a gun. 'Stay back or I'll decorate these walls with your brains!'
Brendan sighed, 'I bet you, I can snatch that gun from your hand, deliver you to the cops and be home in time for breakfast before you can even pull the trigger.'
The man's quivering increased. He looked at Brendan in dread. He knew that he was telling the truth, 'I'll…I'll take that bet!' The stubbornness in his voice clearly doubted himself.
Brendan flexed his shoulders. He looked at his wristwatch. He turned back to the thug. 'Then start counting…'
THE END of the FIRST PROPHECY