Long ago, before the world had powers, heroes and villains were just fantasy. In those days, people looked at firefighters as the closest thing to real-life superheroes.
Then the Stones fell.
With them came the power that rewrote history. Superheroes appeared overnight. Common criminals twisted into supervillains. Chaos reigned for the first few years until the governments of the world finally united to impose order. Now, being a "Hero" was a profession: a licensed job requiring years of academy training.
And the firefighters?
They became the consolation prize. The dumping ground for those who wanted to be heroes but weren't strong enough for the academies. In the public eye, they shifted from being saviors to being failures.
It was understandable why Omar and Marie were confused. Roy could already defeat Marie. Having two powers instead of three wasn't a limitation for him.
The three of them walked in silence.
Roy led the way, his eyes hollow. Dark bags hung heavy beneath them, evidence of the nightmare that still hunted him even while awake. He wasn't focusing on the path, just moving his legs on autopilot.
Omar walked a step behind, wrestling with the reality that he might have to face the academy alone. Marie trailed them both, unsure if speaking was her place or if silence was safer.
A minute passed. Then, the silence shattered.
"Why a firefighter?"
Omar's voice was tight with frustration.
"You could get accepted to any academy. Why go to the job known for failures?"
Roy stopped walking. The others halted behind him, waiting.
"That is exactly the reason," Roy said, not turning around.
"I don't want any attention coming my way."
Omar stepped closer.
"But don't you want to be a real hero?"
"That's why I'm going to be a firefighter."
Marie blinked, finally stepping into the conversation.
"How does that make sense? Firefighters are seen as... lesser."
Roy turned then, his expression weary but firm.
"That's what they're known for, not what they are."
He looked between them.
"Heroes fight villains. They trade blows and destroy city blocks. But one person can't do both. You can't fight a monster and save the civilians from the debris at the same time. When there's a massive battle, who do you think is actually pulling people from the rubble? Or when a normal person has an emergency that doesn't involve a supervillain?"
Marie hesitated.
"Other heroes?"
"You would think," Roy said.
"But no. Saving people in situations like that doesn't bring fame. It doesn't get you ranked. So the pros save just enough to avoid public backlash, and they leave the rest."
He sighed.
"The real heroes in those moments are the firefighters. I bet if you calculated how many lives an average hero saves compared to a firefighter... the firefighter wins every time."
Roy kicked a small stone on the path, watching it skitter ahead.
Then he started walking again.
"But of course, that's just the secondary reason. The main one hasn't changed. I want to disappear."
They continued walking until they reached a small park. They claimed a wooden bench with a table in the middle: Roy on one side, Marie and Omar opposite him like an interrogation panel.
Omar leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"I knew that living a normal life was important to you, Roy. But I didn't think it was this deep."
Roy's lip twitched into a faint smirk.
"Deeper than your pockets."
Omar rolled his eyes but didn't take the bait. Then he stood up
"Look, if you go to the academy, you can still be a firefighter after you graduate. You know that, right?"
"Yeah."
The one-word answer fell flat. Roy's resistance was written in the tension of his shoulders.
"And you know you can ask for your identity to be kept secret from the public," Omar pressed.
"I know. But the public isn't the problem."
Omar pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply.
"So, what is your problem?"
Roy's face darkened. The annoyance flared, sharp and sudden.
"The problem is the institutions. The people in charge. If they know my power, they'll want to use it. And even if no one tried to use me, I don't like using my powers anyway, and it's the main thing in the academy."
Omar sighed, sitting back down heavily.
"Ah. I forgot about that part. But you still haven't told me why you hate your past life and your powers so much. You act like they're a curse."
"I know enough," Roy said, cutting him off.
"And I don't want to talk about that now."
"Sure. Whatever."
Omar crossed his arms, visibly frustrated. The future he had imagined—the two of them conquering the academy together—was dissolving before his eyes.
Silence settled over the table again, heavier this time.
"You know... Silvergate has entire divisions built for searching for Space Stones," Marie said quietly.
Both boys looked at her.
"They research people with powers and those without," she continued, her voice gaining strength.
"They've studied this longer than anyone else. If there are three of us sitting here who remember past lives, I bet there were people like us before. We aren't the first."
She looked directly at Roy.
"But if you keep refusing to learn... maybe the next time, you won't be able to stop your past life from taking control. You'll lose the 'normal' life you're trying so hard to protect."
Roy froze.
'Taking control.'
The memory of the murderous impulse flared in his mind. The ghost voice.
Both Omar and Roy stared at her, genuine shock written across their faces.
"I... didn't think of that," Roy admitted, his voice low.
"I didn't know that either," Omar said, blinking.
"How do you know that?"
Marie frowned.
"Why are you two shocked? I just searched every popular academy so I could choose the one that would work best for me. Didn't you?"
"No," Omar said, sounding almost offended.
"And no offense, I didn't think you'd know that much."
Roy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. No disrespect, but I didn't think you were the type to research something before choosing."
Marie glared at them.
"You two have known me for less than a week and you already have assumptions about me?"
A faint smirk touched Roy's face.
"Technically," he said, "I've known you for more than a lifetime."
The joke hung in the air for a moment, lightening the mood just enough. But Marie's words had landed where they needed to. They had dug into the one fear Roy couldn't ignore: the fear of losing himself. A fear he'd carried from the second he got his powers.
He looked down at his hands, turning them over slowly as if seeing them for the first time. If he stayed on the outside, he might be safe from the government. If he didn't use his powers, he might be able to escape the ghosts. But not forever. If it took over, he might not stop. Next time, he might actually hurt someone.
Roy let out a long, defeated breath.
"Fine."
Omar looked up sharply, hope sparking in his eyes.
"Fine?"
"Marie's right," Roy said,
"Running and hiding won't solve anything. Maybe it's time to try."
He looked at Omar.
"I'll apply to Silvergate."