It was raining.
Night had fallen, and the graveyard was silent except for the soft patter of raindrops against the earth. The cold wind brushed against my skin, but I barely felt it. My hands hung at my sides, clenched into tight fists. My breath was slow, heavy, controlled—but my heart wasn't. It was pounding. Like a beast rattling its cage, demanding to be let loose.
I stood before two graves, their names etched into stone, slowly fading from the harshness of time and weather. But I didn't need to read them. I knew them by heart.
Here lay the two people who meant everything to me.
My precious parents.
They weren't elite heroes—not the ones glorified by the world, not the ones who stood on the covers of magazines, basking in fame. No, they were real heroes. The kind who fought not for recognition, not for power, but simply because they believed people deserved to be safe.
And yet… they were murdered.
Killed by the very enemies they spent their lives fighting.
Villains.
Not the small-time criminals that heroes sweep off the streets like dust, but the real monsters—the ones who see human lives as nothing more than playthings. The kind who burn cities down just to hear people scream. The kind who kill not for revenge, not for survival, but simply because they can.
The kind that shouldn't be allowed to exist.
I never understood it. When villains are caught, they're locked away in prison. But why? Why are they given mercy when they've taken so many lives? Why are their victims buried six feet under while they continue to breathe?
I remember asking my parents that question.
My mother, always the gentle one, told me, "Killing is a sin, Aidan. To take a soul is unforgivable."
And my father? He had placed a firm hand on my shoulder and said, "Justice without strength is meaningless, son. But strength without justice is a monster waiting to be born."
Back then, I believed them. I trusted them.
They were the best heroes I knew.
But look where they are now.
The very people they spared—the ones they believed could change—are the same ones who took them away from me.
I feel angry for them. I feel empty without them.
Why, Mom? Why, Dad? Why did you have to leave me alone in this world?
I remember everything.
The way you raised me. The times we played together, laughed together. The warmth in your voices when you taught me new things.
I never wanted to be a hero. But you both believed I would be one someday. You told me I'd fight by your side, that I'd protect people the way you did.
But more than anything… I wanted to protect you.
Because heroes protect people. But who protects the heroes?
That's why I wanted to become one.
And now, all I have left… are memories. Unforgettable, but painful.
Every day is torment. The pain never fades. It has festered inside me for two years, like a disease. A sickness with no cure.
At least… that's what I thought.
For a while, my childhood friend—Asia—kept me from drowning in my grief. She was my light in the darkness. She cheered me up, reminded me I wasn't alone.she is always like that never wanted to see me in so much pain.
But then… she disappeared too.
I don't know where she went. I just hope she is fine, that nothing bad has happened to her. I couldn't repay her, I would—if I ever see her again.
But now, I have nothing left.
I took a deep breath and forced a smile, though no one was there to see it.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. I hope you're both doing well... which is the same as always for me—I'm fine."
I let out a soft chuckle, though my voice trembled.
"It's been two years since you passed away."
The heroes' government paid for everything I needed. I never had to struggle. But even with everything they gave me, it never filled the hole you left behind.
I've grown, though. My body has changed. I'm about six feet now—looks like I am the same height just like dad. And of course, I still look handsome. Black hair, oval face, black eyes. I guess I'm still attractive to girls just like always.
"Nothing's changed."
I exhaled, my breath shaky.
"It's my birthday today."
Seventeen.
It should be a celebration. A milestone.
But instead, I'm standing in the rain, speaking to a pair of gravestones.
"I came here to tell you guys something."
My voice wavered as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
I've finally found a cure for this pain.
That's why I came here tonight.
To ask for your forgiveness.
Not for what I will do—but for what I must do.
If you were alive, I know you wouldn't approve. You'd tell me this isn't the right path for your son to follow.
But my pain won't go away.
Somehow, I thought you might not like this idea of mine.
Or maybe… you would.
I awakened my heroic abilities the day you both died. Not because of fate. Not because I was chosen. But because of the rage that burned inside me.
I will become a hero.
That's what people do when they awaken their heroic power, right?
But not the kind you were.
Not the kind that follows laws.
Not the kind that locks away villains only for them to escape and kill again.
No.
I will hunt them down.
I will kill them all.
I don't care if it goes against the heroic code. I don't care if I have to fight heroes themselves. They just have to do their job and i will do my job.
And as for the villain who took you away from me…
The world calls him the number one villain.
A monster so powerful it took ten elite heroes to bring him down.
He will be a strong opponent.
But that doesn't scare me.
I will find him.
And I will end him.
The path won't be easy. I know that.
But I don't care.
This is the only way.
The only way to let my soul rest.
I wiped my tears away.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of my new life.
A heroic life?
No.
A life of vengeance.
And I won't stop until the one who killed you is not in this world anymore.
END OF CHAPTER.