Chapter 1: "I'm Not the Hero, Can't You Tell?"
Before you go off and say heroes should do their job. That as the hero I 'have a duty to fulfill and I should be a self sacrificing person who would put others before myself--'
"ARRRGH!!"
I would like to say I've heard it all before.
"Guuh!"
And I'm confident I made a choice that's good for me.
"AAUUGH!"
Because I'm positively happy with my new life as I am.
"HEKYUK!"
Oh that?
I'm in a bar fight in a hellhole of a City that I'm too apathetic to remember the name of.
One moment while I just-
"And stay out!" I threw the poor schmuck out the door after beating him so roughly. It is a bar rule that you can't touch the waitresses. There's literally a sign for it.
"Hey Lysander how about a beer?One on me!" some drunk guy said. I ignored him and went back to my chair. My red haired partner is still at the table watching, I think he was amused.
I guess I should back up and explain some things. My name is Lysander Xenian. I am a - what do they call it? I'm an antihero I guess. I could be the good guy. I could be the bad guy. Sometimes even I can't tell.
My story isn't great. And to be honest? it all starts, (sigh) with a window.
*Flashback*
"Hasta la Vista! kid!" Kerosené yelled triumphantly.
The rocket launcher fired a projectile the size of a basketball and it sent me crashing through the window of a 34 story building.
Am I falling to my death?
yeah.
Do I have any last words?
Yeah.
do you wanna know what they are?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
Yeah.
You get the idea. I would love to say that I miraculously got up again and announced to the press that I fully planned to defeat the Villain Kerosené after recovering. Only to die when the city is inevitably carpet bombed. Or blown up, or whatever plans of mass destruction the madman Kerosené has in store. But that didn't happen.
Short version: the Villain won and I died in an epic fall from a ridiculously tall building.
Silver lining? I died quickly. Just how I would have liked it. Not slow and in agony and giving me time to regret the things I hadn't done.
I wanted my afterlife to be quiet, the serenity of watching snow falling in the Winter. I'd like that moment to go on and on,like a GIF image until I realize that the quiet afterlife isn't for me.
But either God -if there is such a being- hates me or I did something wrong.
Because here I am in my old bedroom. The one for my sixteen year old boy self. I had the alarm clock in my hand. Likely I'd been half asleep when I grabbed it and I turned off the alarm, and fell asleep again before putting it where it goes. I did that sometimes, but if I woke up holding the alarm clock that meant today was a school day.
oh CRAP.
I jumped out of bed and promptly fell on the floor since somehow my foot was tangled in a blanket. Struggling to hurry I put on my uniform. I didn't bother properly tying my tie or getting breakfast and just ran out the door. I wasn't even really sure how late I was. I needed to hurry and figure out what day this was and how I'd been sent back in time.
Did this count as reincarnation?
Where was the consciousness of my actual sixteen year old self?
I had too many questions.
I guess that all could be answered once I get to school. Or found time to get to a computer.
My bag banged uncomfortably at my side but it didn't matter, I needed to get in my classroom before the role call started. I skipped the stairs and tried to climb the side of the wall. Something I'd learned in my training as a hero. It technically hadn't done me much good in that department but at least I knew I could now use it to get to school earlier and skip the stairs. I was a bit exhausted from that climb. So I was given somewhat odd looks by some of the students who were close enough to hear me breathing heavily and saw me coming through the window.
I slipped into my seat with an awkward smile followed by an equally awkward and out of breath good morning.
The homeroom teacher came in less than five seconds later and close behind her, another student. I tried to look like I was paying attention and I stared at the whiteboard, scribbled in black marker the name of the Homeroom, which was Reading/ELA, Mrs. Jennings own name and the date.
August 3, 2044.
My heart sank.
Of course I was brought back to the year everything went to hell for me. This was even the third day of school. Which meant that the new student was ...
"Greetings to a new year class. I am your Reading/ELA teacher Mrs. Denise Jennings. I am married by the way so I won't take anything other than Ma'am when spoken to." some male students in the back gulped loud enough to be heard where I was and I was in the front. Mrs. Jennings wasn't differing from her script so far. If I recalled correctly she'd said the same thing on the first official day of school. And she would continue to do so for the remainder of the week. It would lose its exact threatening power by tomorrow but a lot of students would still respect her
"I see many new faces but I also see many who were in their freshman year last year."
the figure behind her shifted so I could see his glossy red velvet cake hair.
I stiffened. That was definitely him.
"Speaking of new faces," She paused and slid out the way so I could see the most beautiful boy I would see for a long time. "we have a transfer student," His hair was resting on his shoulders, one portion of the left side near the back, behind his ear was in thin braids that had been pulled out the way so I could see the black nautilus earrings he wore. The bangs of his hair looked thick and fell over his eyebrows. He looked better than a third of the actual girls in this school. .. Not to be offensive to girls of course.
I wouldn't have paid him any attention if it weren't for that and his violet eyes.
The boy smiled nervously as his eyes scanned all of us.
" ohayo-- ah! Good morning" he seemed to need a moment to gather himself.
"My name is Jang Gililheun," he spoke carefully like he'd spent several hours making sure he'd say the introduction right. He must be really nervous. This didn't help me feel less pity for him.
"Why don't you mention something you like?" Mrs. Jennings whispered helpfully.
"...uhm!!" he looked like he wanted to say that was the worst thing she could have said but he did open his mouth to speak.
"I like the color lime green, flower pressed orchids and mystery novels," he stated. As a hero I'd gotten good at reading people, I could tell he was really into the last one by how his voice relaxed with confidence that he knew what he was talking about.
"I'm.... I'm half Korean by the way," he mumbled.
"You also like trying to imitate a Disney princess?" a girl behind me asked. He gripped his school bag so hard the knuckles turned white. I thought his bone was going to force through his skin. I didn't need to think about that honestly, it brought back unpleasant memories.
"no my hair is naturally this color and length," he said but there was an edge to his tone. like he had to answer this before, many times. He took the empty seat next to me.
The girl muttered a low 'damn' as if she was disappointed. But I doubted she believed him.
However it was absolutely important to me that I believe him.
At least one person has to this time. I said I wasn't going to be the hero but I'll be damned if I don't save this boy. Because.. he didn't deserve what happened to him. My eyes drilled a hole of determination in the wall as I forced myself to look in front of me and away from the boy who two months from now would end up in the newspapers as a suicide victim.
He felt me looking and tried for a smile when he glanced my way.
I tried for one as well. And tried not to think of the pictures I saw of him in the papers. I never interacted with him at all before. I don't 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. Maybe I should change that.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone