Chapter 3: Indecision Part 1

July 2, 2011, 10:32 AM

Philip woke up on the couch in his apartment. He activated the holographic screen on his wristband and checked the time. His body was completely numb, and he was wearing the clothes he used for patrolling at night, although they were dirty and torn on the right side. His arm was covered in bandages from wrist to elbow.

The memories of what happened after being struck by a ball of dark energy were fuzzy. As he cleared his mind a bit, he rushed to the apartment balcony and sighed with relief upon seeing that the city was still intact, except for part of the downtown area.

The television was on, broadcasting the morning news.

["An explosion at the headquarters of the Dark Energy Containment Department leaves the department practically non-functional."]

Philip was speechless, and his skin turned pale. The only shield the population had to prevent further incidents related to psychics had disappeared. They were now in a situation of extreme vulnerability, and fear, desperation, and resentment would skyrocket at any moment.

"Tch."

"The mayor reported that, despite everything that has happened in the past month, a law as controversial as the Dark Reform will only be approved in at least three months, but he is doing everything possible to prevent more deaths. In line with this, the Prime Minister rejected the mayor's request to mobilize a large portion of the country's armed forces to the city. Ultimately, the mayor made another request, this time to the world organization of heroes, to have a group of local heroes from other countries transferred to the city, although it is likely that this request will also be rejected as it would violate the organization's rules. Melbourne's only hope now rests on the clandestine hero, 'Zero,' but few believe he is capable of reversing the current situation, which still lacks an explanation."

Frustration overwhelmed him.

After silently listening to all of that, Philip turned off the television, started undressing, removed the bandage, and there it was—his arm completely corrupted by dark energy. Besides the burnt flesh and blood, there were irregular purple marks running vertically across the entire area.

He showered, put on another bandage on his arm, and after dressing in winter sports attire, he went out for a run. Normally, he didn't have a specific destination and just ran a few laps to exercise his legs, but since his vacation had begun, he headed several kilometers northwest to a large state library. Beneath that building was the Hecker Clinic, where Bill's older brother, Leonard, received treatment.

"Hey, Leon, how's everything going around here?" Philip greeted Leonard after entering his office.

The doctor was around thirty years old, with short light brown hair. He was tall, at least six feet three inches. He wore a light blue shirt under a white lab coat and gray trousers.

"Lately, it's been terrible. Injured people are arriving by the dozens. This wouldn't happen to be your fault, would it?" Leonard said with a cold tone.

"In part, yes, but the city is in chaos regardless of whether I do anything or not, and it seems like it's only going to get worse from here."

"I can imagine what's happening out there," Leonard closed his eyes. There was a silence of a few seconds before he opened them again and continued speaking. "What have you come for? You interrupted my break, so I hope it's something interesting."

"Oh, about that." Philip took off his sports jacket and removed the hook holding the bandage on his arm. Gradually, the wound became visible. "I got this last night while playing around."

Leonard's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a large seal."

"Seal?"

"Yes. When a large amount of dark energy strikes a human body, it leaves a mark. It grows as it's exposed to more dark energy. This has been called a seal for centuries. It's uncommon to see one this large. You must have received a pretty powerful attack."

"Yeah... I'll be direct. Is there any way to remove it?"

"By cutting off your arm... maybe. It's not something that can be extracted without consequences. The dark energy penetrates into your bone and settles there."

"I'll pass on that method. Any recommendations?"

"Well... if you don't want to die, you should stay completely away from dark energy."

A cold and resolute voice struck Philip's ears.

July 1, 2011, 10:57 PM

"Hey! Kid! Wake up!"

As Philip was still confused from the shock, someone slapped him. It was the girl in the red qipao, Willo.

"I've taken care of the idiot who hurt you. Heavens, getting involved in these things, how stupid can you be?"

"What are you talking about?"

Philip was somewhat confused. He felt like a lot of time had passed since the attack by The Redhead's lackey.

"Just go home."

"Why don't you kill me?"

"Why should I waste my time on a weakling like you? Go away and don't get involved with dark energy or the Eyre stones again. Unless, of course, you want to die. I could help you if you're looking for the opposite."

Philip looked at Willo with contempt, and she laughed at him.

"Am I really going to let someone like her fulfill any wish?"

Local Heroes:

"Local Heroes" are individuals with special or superhuman abilities hired by different governments around the world to reduce or eliminate threats that the police or armed forces are unable to handle.

The World Organization of Heroes (WOH) was established through an agreement among 180 nations aiming to regulate the activities of heroes, which were previously conducted clandestinely. The agreement stipulates that no hero can perform their duties outside their assigned territory, except when called upon by a country or city declaring a state of total emergency.

Each country independently establishes the rules for their local hero programs. The rules in Australia are the most stringent in the world, which is why no one has applied to the program yet.

It's also important to consider "Urban Heroes," individuals who, from the shadows, continuously fight for the common good until they can request to become regular local heroes.