It had now been two weeks since the disaster struck. The world had begun to recover, reconstruction work had started, and the injured had received treatment and were beginning to recover. While everything was returning to normal and people were beginning to forget the event, for us it would not leave our thoughts.
We were overcome with guilt and regret. We hadn't left our rooms for two weeks, staying locked away from everyone's gaze. It was as if our instinct was to hide from view; we felt like we were being judged.
The desire to be heroes was far behind us, and all that remained of that dream was dust. Because of us, people had lost their lives. We had failed, and the responsibility of being heroes was far too great, so we chose to run away. Carrying the lives and happiness of others on our shoulders was too heavy a burden for children like us. It was better to give up before causing more misery. There was no place for us in this world of heroes; we were just normal humans with normal lives.
As I lay on my bed, as I had been doing for several days now, doing nothing, staring at the ceiling in heavy silence, someone knocked on my door. It was my father behind the door.
"Nozomi, you can hear me, right? I'm sure you're not asleep. I know you're not feeling well, but can we talk for a bit, just the two of us?"
I remained silent. I wasn't in the mood to talk and didn't have the strength. I couldn't answer my father and preferred to say nothing.
"You don't have to come out of your room. I just want you to listen to what I have to say, Nozomi."
I walked over and sat down on the floor, leaning my back against the door. I said, "I'm listening, Dad."
"Thank you, Nozomi. I don't really know what happened to you, and if you don't want to talk about it, I respect your choice. But we're very worried about your health and behavior. Your mother isn't feeling well and is weakened by seeing you in this state."
I replied, "I'm sorry for causing you pain. I'm definitely causing trouble for everyone. I never succeed at anything I try to do."
He immediately exclaimed, "What are you talking about? You never succeed at anything? Nozomi, you've made your mother and me very proud. You've grown so much since you were little. You've become a kind, strong man with a big heart. You always want to help others. How can you say you only cause trouble?"
"Every time I try to help someone, I only cause trouble. Because of me, people cry. I didn't live up to their expectations." I said these words with a trembling voice and couldn't help but shed a few tears.
He didn't say a word for a few moments before saying, "You can't save everyone, and you can't succeed every time. Nozomi, the most important thing is to always follow your values and never give up. Otherwise, your failures will have been for nothing."
"What's the point of continuing if it means failing and causing even more suffering? It's better to give up." Wanting to become a hero was now far behind me. I would go back to being a normal child and start my life over again as it was before.
"Giving up because of a simple failure is weak. Nozomi, you are far from weak, you can't give up and stop halfway."
My father's words touched me, it was as if he understood my situation and how I felt. But nothing made me want to continue anymore.
"Nozomi, what I wanted to tell you is that you mustn't be afraid to move forward. You must know that your mother and I are behind you, watching you, and when you fall, we will help you get back up. As long as you move forward believing in yourself, everything will be fine in the end. You must trust in your values."
I didn't say a word, listening silently.
"Here, I'll leave some food outside your door. It's your favorite dish that your mother made. You can eat it in your room. I'll let you rest. Good night, Nozomi."
After my father left, I opened the door and saw a tray with pesto pasta, my favorite dish, on the floor. I picked up the tray and took it to my room. I noticed a note from my mother under the plate. The note said, "My son, enjoy this meal and get some rest. No matter how difficult things get, I know you will bounce back. We are here for you, my son. I can't wait to see your smiling face again."
After eating, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "I'm pathetic." I lay down on my bed but couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about my father's words and my mother's letter. That night, unable to sleep, I kept thinking about myself and the future.
Annoyed by everything going on in my head, I got up and left my room. On my way outside, I passed my parents' bedroom, where they were fast asleep. Seeing them sleeping without a care in the world cleared my mind. "Follow my values?" I have to say that my parents had put me back on the right track.
Once outside, I called Elyra and asked her, "Elyra? I know you have a lot to say, but we'll talk about that later. Trust me, I'd like you to do me a small favor."
That evening at Harris's house, someone knocked on the window. Harris, who also couldn't sleep, got up to see who was knocking on his window at such an hour. Once he opened the window, he saw Nozomi.
"Nozomi? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Nozomi replied, "Come with me, please."
Harris followed Nozomi. Thanks to Elyra's teleportation, the two were transported to a mountain. After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a place where Kael, Aria, and Shinrei were also waiting.
Harris asked everyone, "What are you all doing here?"
Shinrei replied, "Just like you, Nozomi called us and brought us here. We're all wondering why we're here. So Nozomi, now that we're all together, you can tell us what you want."
I spoke up: "Listen, I know how you feel. I guess you're in the same situation I was in. Tell me, do you want to stop being heroes?"
They remained silent. Since no one wanted to speak, Kael said, "You want to know if we want to stop? Of course we want to stop. You saw what happened over there, you heard what was said in the media, and despite all that, you want to do it again?"
"I understand you. I wanted to quit too, but it's not the right decision. We'll regret it later!"
Kael stepped toward Nozomi and said, "Not the right decision? How do you know? What do you want us to do? You were there during the fight too. You saw that we're no match for them. There are plenty of others like Raven, and they're even more powerful and dangerous. So don't tell us it's not the right choice! I don't want more people to die because of my powerlessness."
Kael had stepped forward and was now face to face with Nozomi. The atmosphere was tense and the tension was mounting. Nozomi said, "You know very well, Kael, that I am aware of the situation and our weakness. But even if that's true..."
Kael didn't give him time to finish his sentence before punching him in the face, knocking Nozomi to the ground. He didn't let up, climbing on top of him and raining blows down on him while shouting, "Shut up, are you stupid or something? What are you trying to do? Don't you understand that this world isn't made for us? It's all over, we've failed, it's time to give up these stupid dreams. We've killed enough people."
I let him hit me as much as he wanted. The others ran as fast as they could to separate us. Shinrei and Harris grabbed Kael and pulled him away from me while Aria took a closer look at how I was doing. Rain began to fall and we quickly got wet.
"Let me go, I didn't do anything, he deserves it!" he exclaimed.
Aria replied, "Stop it, Kael, you're not yourself, you're letting your emotions get the better of you. We're all tired and not in control of our actions and thoughts lately."
I shouted at Kael, "You thought of me! I'm the one who should be upset. I'll remind you that it's because of me that all this happened. Even if that thing took control of my body, I and I alone am responsible for the collapse of the building and all the deaths and injuries it caused."
I continued, "Everything you said is true, Kael. We were weak, and people died because of us. I can't deny that, but despite everything, I will rise again."
I got up from the ground: "If we give up now, all these people will have died for nothing, their lives will have been wasted for nothing. Turning our backs now and going back to our old lives would be abandoning those who gave their lives. I have decided to move forward. I will carry all those dead people I couldn't save within me. I will never forget their deaths. They will follow me until my own life ends. It's the only way I can honor them and make up for my failure. Answer me, Kael, and you too, do you still want to give up?"
Everyone stared at me and no one said a word.
"We have abilities, powers that can save lives. In the universe, multitudes of individuals are waiting for one thing: for someone to reach out to them. If we run away when we have the ability to save them, it's like running away from our responsibilities and being the cause of their misfortune and suffering."
Harris spoke up: "What makes you think that everything will be fine in the future?"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I can't guarantee that we won't fail again in the future. Maybe we'll even cause more deaths. But even in those situations, I promise to get back up. If I can save even one person and make them smile, then I will have succeeded as a hero. People are counting on us, and every time they do, I will be there. I will never run away again. From now on, no matter what happens, I will stand by my values. I will give my life, even if it's for just one person."
Kael broke free from Harris and Shinrei's grip and ran straight towards Nozomi, his fist raised. But just as he was about to hit him, just before he touched him, he stopped his fist and collapsed to the ground. On his knees, he began to cry.
Nozomi knelt down and hugged Kael. "I'm here. In difficult times, I'll be there to help you get back on your feet. We'll all be there to help each other bear the burden of being heroes and the deaths on our shoulders."
Shinrei approached and spoke to Kael. "Kael, I think Nozomi is right. He must have thought long and hard before coming to this conclusion. It's too early to give up. We have to be brave. I think it's the right thing to do."
Aria agreed with Shinrei. "Let's do our best to move forward together. I have a feeling that the future will be better."
Shinrei and the others joined us, and together, with tears in our eyes, we hugged each other. The rain stopped and the sun rose, revealing its first rays.
Together, we admired the sunrise from the top of a hill. We were tired, having not slept all night after everything that had happened. But the most important thing was that we were together, admiring the sunrise. Those first rays were the symbol of a new beginning.
A new beginning marked as the real start of our destiny, the path we had chosen. We don't know what the future holds, but after that night, we were no longer children. The five of us together are heroes fully aware of reality. Maybe we'll regret it, but maybe this choice will save the world. Only time will tell.