Chapter 6: Find Happiness
Removing the knife from the woman's chest, Aiden looked at the downed hero with pure disgust. In his eyes this woman was worse than the villains, a fraud seeking fame and fortune among the masses. Such a hero didn't deserve to live.
Watching the knife disintegrate into purple light particles, Aiden returned back into the shadows and disappeared from the murder scene.
---
3 years had passed since the Lightstorm incident and Aiden had recently turned 14. For the past 3 years he'd hunted down both heroes and villains alike. Hiroto likened him to a seasoned hunter. Focused and restless.
During his free time he would study the Japanese language and had become quite proficient in it. Even going so far as to only talk to Hiroto and the old man in their native tongue.
His training with Mike and Angela was still ongoing but his battle instincts were way higher than before. He could now not only create a mental image of his surroundings but also the distinct features of his opponent. In some cases he even preferred fighting with his eyes closed as he felt more focused and in tune with his body.
He also kept studying the human body with Branden and felt like he had an adept knowledge that could rival professional doctors. And if Branden's praises were to be believed then he could go and get his medical license right now if he wanted to.
And of course he enjoyed his job as an assassin. He felt deep pleasure gathering intel and making battle strategies in case plan B didn't work out. Finding out his targets habits and schedule was fascinating as he felt like he could see the inner workings of their mind. From the places they went, to the people they met, it was all fascinating. But that could never compare to the feeling he got whenever he thrust his knife into the body of another person.
Aiden didn't see himself as a psychopath or anything of the like, but he would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy causing other people pain. Branden said that it was related to the trauma he suffered as a child. The trauma apparently also also put a mental block on him where he could only construct a knife as a weapon. If he couldn't move past his trauma then it was likely that he wouldn't be able to construct anything else. But to Aiden that didn't matter. With his knife and his astral shift he felt like nothing else was needed.
---
Hopping from building to building, Aiden saw a orange glow in the distance.
'The fucks that?'
Feeling a sense of unease he stopped using the buildings as platforms and started Astral shifting through the air. It was only when he saw the origin of the orange glow that stopped. His HQ... His home... It was on fire. Without a second thought he shifted towards the burning building and through the walls.
The inside of the house was covered in fire. From the living room to the upstairs area, everything was engulfed in flames. Smoke was rising in the air and spreading across the ceiling making it hard to see. It looked like a scene from out of a movie.
Knowing that he had little time until the place completely collapsed, Aiden closed his eyes and searched for a heart beat. After what felt like forever he finally picked up on something. It was faint, weak even, but it was there. Rushing to one of the upstairs rooms he shifted through the flames until he found himself in the upstairs corridor. Without waiting for an invitation he burst through the door and found a fallen old man gripping onto a letter.
"OLD MAN!!" Picking the old man up, the 14 year old Aiden broke the nearest window and with all his strength he threw the old man as high into the air as possible. Shifting out of the burning room he shifted below the airborne old man and while they were falling he held him in a princess carry. Using his quirk he kept continuously shifting a couple inches down from the air so that every time his body vanished it would appear below the old man and slowly bring the two of them down safely.
"*Cough* *Cough* Aiden~"
"Old man!!" He cried laying him on the ground.
The old man's face was covered in soot and for the first time in Aiden's life he could see that he wasn't in good shape.
"What happened!? Where is everyone!?"
Struggling to open his eyes the old man looked at Aiden's face with a sad expression.
"They got us." He said.
"Who got us? What are you talking about!?"
"The villains and the *Cough* *Cough* heroes. They found out we were targeting them. *Cough* They hired a group of mercenaries to *Cough* take us out... Everyone *Cough* died. Then they set the place on fire."
Dead?
Everyone was dead?
...
...
...
The faces of Hiroto, Mike, Angela and Branden flashed in his mind as he slowly understood the words coming out of the old man's mouth. The world seemed to lose its colour as white noise permeated the air. Aiden felt an emotion he hadn't felt for a long time. Something he thought he'd never feel again after unlocking his quirk. An emotion so dangerous that he locked it away.
That emotion was pure unadulterated RAGE.
---
Seeing the look on his face, the old man grabbed onto his arm and snapped him out of it.
"Aiden!"
Refocusing his attention back onto the old man, he took a couple of deep breaths and calmed his restless heart.
"The mercenary group... What are they called?" Although calm he couldn't hide the fury behind his eyes.
"Aiden-
"What were they called?" He repeated.
Seeing the resolute look in the young boy's face, the old man just shook his head and sighed.
"Wild Dogs."
Nodding his head, Aiden had already though about how to track them and what methods he should use to torture the group that took away his second family. It was only after he felt the old man's grasp on him weaken that he stopped planning his revenge and focused back on him.
Feeling that his time was drawing near, the old man looked at the young man as if trying to memorize his features. Handing the letter over to him, he showed a grandfather-like smile and called his attention.
"I never told you this before but my granddaughter's a hero. Haha quite a good one to." He smiled as if recalling something. "Ironic isn't it. For me, a killer of heroes to have granddaughter as one. Its like a bad joke *Cough!* *Cough!*"
"Old man..." Aiden said with worried eyes.
Shaking his head the old man chuckled.
"Old man huh, I never did tell you my name did I... *chuckle* Well that's okay I guess, being known as old man isn't that bad." While saying this his body gradually grew weaker.
"Old man..." He said in a saddened voice.
"Hey, what's with that look. You've seen people die before, my death is no different albeit it being slower." He joked.
Realizing that the old man didn't have much time left, tears started to form in the corners of his eyes.
"Don't cry child. Death is a part of life. And I've lived a good meaningful one. I know I haven't been the best teacher for you 'Sorry about cutting your arm off' but raising you and watching as you've become the man you are today is something that I'm truly proud of." He smiled. "Just promise 2 things Aiden. Take this letter to my granddaughter in Japan and promise me that you won't spend your entire life hunting heroes and villains. I know that is what we molded you into being, but you are far more than just a brainless killer. So promise you'll live a long happy life."
"I-I'll try..." He struggled to say.
"*Sigh* Coming from you that may as well be a promise." He smiled and looked at Aiden's face for the last time. "Thank you for being such a great grandson. I hope you find happiness..."
"Old man-- OLD MAN!!" Realizing that the old man's breathing had stopped he couldn't stop his tears from flowing as he held onto the lifeless body of his mentor. "Not again... Please don't leave me alone again!" He cried not caring in the slightest at the sound of fire trucks in the background.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Arada
Arada I was planning to have this be more sad... but then I remembered that I was always planning to kill them off so I purposefully didn't develop them a lot.
Your welcome audience, I saved you from growing attached to them. No need for an applause.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone