What Heroes Are [fanfic]

4- A Failure

*🎧. 🎧. 🎧. 🎧. 🎧. 🎧. *
The scene changed. Now we were both standing in front of the White House, lit up in the dark in all its glory.

'This place makes me think about the mistakes I've made in the past. And I've made a lot' Justin's eyes were glazed over.

'In this world, wherever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exists, there must also be losers.'

He looked over at me, his expression was pleading for help.

'And I'm one of the losers' he kicked a stone, but promptly passed through it.

'In my father's eyes, my sister was the ideal child. She was the better spy among us. And she sacrificed her life for the sake of my father's job. Compared to her, I'm a coward.'

His voice was now quivering.

'But she understood me. She would be the one to hug me and tell me everything will be alright. She would humm a lullaby till I fall asleep. But they took her away from me'

Now his face seethed with anger.

'Those insignificant little powerless shits took her away from me!' His voice was raising.

'And I tried so hard. So hard to please my father. But time and again, I failed. All I wanted was justice. For my sister'

I caught sight of a single tear roll down his cheeks.

'Justice comes from vengeance. But that justice only breeds more vengeance.' I heard myself say. The quote I've heard my father say so many a times. And a lesson I learned from my career as a police officer.

I looked at Justin, the person everybody came to know as Phantom Kid. A person who caused so many people sorrow and sadness. And the person who dared to hurt my Ren. I realized he is also a person who has been hurting, and thinks hurting others is the only way he could climb up the ladder. I suddenly found myself sympathizing with this villain. Every child grows up hoping to impress the parents who raised them. But when these parents start comparing them with their siblings, they let their child fall into a dark depressing hole that spirals down to the pit of  Tartarus. Knowingly or unknowingly, they end up ruining their own children.

But you only get to be a parent once. If you mess it up, there's no going back.

All I can do is wonder what the president of United States is unto next, having had both his children die, because of his carelessness, as I continue my afterlife, protecting Ren from the sidelines, and trying my best to reassure her in times of worry through her dreams.

Never in a million years did I ever think I would fall in love with a woman so deeply. And never in a million years did I ever think I would end up a failure. I know that there isn't much I can do for her, but I manage to help her out as much as the powers of my afterlife lets me.

Everyone in this world are hurt and are hurting. Ren was hurt just as much as Justin. But it all comes down to the persons mindset and how their brains process the information and how their minds manage to cope with the pain. But once their hearts find love, their life will be full of hopes and dreams. And I do hope that one day, I'll get to spend my time with Ren again.

In my mind I know that I will always love her.