Chapter 2: What Makes a Hero?
Abel paced back and forth while these feelings he had fermented. He caught site of the tv remote out of the corner of his eye and reached for it. He sat down on his couch and turned on the tv. The screen flashed and then he flipped through a few channels until he found what he wanted.
"Yes David, scientists are basically predicting that magic levels will rise again. However we want to share some breaking news with you right this instant. We will have to save this story for later because our new favorite hero Whirlpool, has just put out a massive fire. We will play back the footage that our on the scene reporter just took." A newsman made a fast segway.
A cute woman in her 20's stood in a chaotic street, with people running away and others gathering to watch. The chaos made a massive crowd of people shoving to move in every direction. "I'm here on 8th street and a massive fire broke out. It almost looked like the building exploded. We were nearby when it happened and can assure you viewers that it was quite a surprise."
The camera shifted angles to look at a tall office building. Windows were shattered and black smoke rose into the sky in a constant flow. Flames flickered and waved out of the windows, dancing like people waving for help. The crackle and hum of background noise grew apparent once the girl stopped talking. People stumbled out of the doors coughing, and some jumped from low windows into the bushes. Smoke congealed and fell to the ground in slime-like globs.
A man in jeans and a leather jacket walked into the shot. He yelled some orders to the crowd that couldn't be understood amidst the screams of the people. Firetruck sirens sounded and the man in the leather jacket yelled at the firefighters too. He cracked his neck, dropped his leather coat under his foot, and shook his muscled arms like an athlete warming up.
Then he raised his arms he was trying to lift the sky. Not even a second later the camera tilted and the image became blurry. The camera was shaking aggressively and the sound of the wind was so loud Abel had to turn the volume down a little. The sound died down and the camera steadied to look at the building again. "Wow" the reported mumbled into the microphone by habit.
The building was surrounded by a tornado. The wind had become something that could be seen. It whipped around in a circle that covered just the one flaming office building. Papers and dust and smoke filled the camera's perception, all subject to the powerful cyclone.
A stream of water entered the image. The camera followed it to the source and the firemen were aiming the hose at the tornado. The camera then shifted over to the hero again. "Whirlpool is amazing. Everyone, he has made a tornado to stop the fire from spreading anywhere else. The flames are being funneled into the sky!" The camera looked up and a tower of flames spiraled up out of the building.
The camera dipped down suddenly to look at Whirlpool who was in a T shaped pose. He moved quickly. His arms blurred and his hands were together. A clap like thunder attacked the microphone and the camera shook slightly. A small cyclone maybe 12 feet tall flew from his hands and slid across the ground like a spinning top. It crashed into the tornado surrounding the building.
Whirlpool launched more, sending out his attacks continuously. Drops of water sprinkled onto the camera lens. "Whirlpool is making... whirlpools. You may not be able to see it viewers, but these tiny tornados or full of water! All of us spectators are getting pretty wet. But it's nice. The air was so hot before."
Whirlpool's assault continued and the camera looked up to show that the spiraling tendrils of fire had died down. The fire went out from top to bottom, unable to compete against the natural disaster like forces of this hero. After the fire had gone out, the tornado slowed, bringing all of the debris to rest in a ring on the ground.
The sound died down as shock and awe likely filled the air instead. Then three dark figures crawled out of the windows of the building. The haze and steam distorted three unknown monsters. They reached the ground and pulled closer to show that they were ants.
These ants were the size of large dogs though, easily reaching an adults hip in height alone. Their antenna swayed and searched while their mandibles clicked. "What are those? Monsters?" The confusion and fear overcame the reporter yet she still spoke into the microphone.
Whirlpool stroked his chin then lightly waved his hand around, almost like a conductor leading an orchestra. The ants stopped walking and shifted back and forth. Whirlpool cocked his head to the side then lashed out with his left arm. The three ants took to the air and were launched back into the building.
The walls were cracked and the ants struggled to move from the perfectly molded imprints. Whirlpool put his palms together like a prayer and pointed his fingertips at the ants. Then a tiny stream squirted out. It turned on and off in spurts like a sprinkler watering a garden. His hands shifted subtly between each squirt.
The contact with the ants made a small mist, so it wasn't possible to instantly see what had happened. The mist quickly cleared and the ants were riddled with holes like swiss cheese. Whirlpool knelt down to grab his jacket and patted the dust off before putting it back on.
He walked over to the reporter then said "Sorry our date got interrupted like that. Monsters... they're just overgrown magical pests."
"Our date? Shut up Jack!" the reporter punched Whirlpool, or Jack if you're on a first name basis, in the shoulder.
"What a scoop!" A male voice could be barely understood. It must have been the camera man.
Abel clicked his remote and shut the tv off. "A hero... really?" he mumbled to himself. This strange feeling still seemed to be there, just resting with him. While pacing around he looked at the photos on the wall. A picture of him in the hospital when he was a baby, hooked up to some bulky equipment. One of his mother smiling and blushing while pushing a patient in a wheelchair at the hospital. One of his father and mother smiling together.
Abel stepped over to a small drawer by the door and looked at the small shrine on top. A picture of his father and his friends from when he was serving in the military. One of him in his firefighter gear, similar to the equipment on the tv, but older. One of him flashing his detective badge and a silly smile at the camera. A handful of medals laid out in a line. "A hero?"
Abel grabbed his dark denim jacket and his backpack before locking up and leaving. He walked up the street to the bus stop, and one hovered along after he waited for a bit. "Hey kid, where you off to this late? It is a school night." The lady driving the bus raised an eyebrow, but had a joking tone in her voice.
"I just need some air. You remember how hard being a highschooler was, you aren't that old." Abel winked at her and they both laughed as he moved to the center of the bus to sit down.
He looked at the aurora in the sky, red and blue flecks floating down its streaming waves of gold and silver. As he looked at the sky, a tingling sensation made Abel's hair stand on end. He stopped and pulled out his phone. He decided to play a game to pass the time, organizing troops and taking care of a civilization in a resource management game.
After beating a particularly difficult level where he started with a disadvantage in troops and resources, his stomach began to rumble. He got off at the next stop and found a convenience store to buy some food in. The convenience of the city. They were a little more isolated in his suburb compared to this block closer to the city.
He picked out a couple of things then turned to go to the register, but someone was already waiting in line. The man raised his hand and a ball of fire appeared. "Just give me the money. It doesn't have to be difficult."
The man behind the register shivered and began to pull out the money. Abel wasn't as brave as the man behind the register though. His legs shook and he fell to the ground again knocking some snacks off of the shelf. The man turned around and 3 more fireballs formed in the air next to him. He moved his index finger in a circle and the 4 fireballs began to rotate. "Let's not do anything stupid now. Okay boys?"
He turned back to the man at the register, greedily watching his money come to him. 'Is this what I want? No! What am I thinking?' Cold sweat ran down Abel's back. 'This is a chance. No! But, I could act now. His back is turned...' Abel slowly got up, and looked at the positions of the cameras and the monitor. Abel took in all of his surroundings and made his plan in seconds.
He slowly reached out and grabbed a couple granola bars. He waited. The robber reached out to grab the bag and when he did, Abel tossed the granola bars over into another aisle of the small store. Abel took this opportunity to move when the robber looked in the direction of the sound.
Abel took hold of a wine bottle and brought it down on the robber's head as hard as he could. "If this gamble pays off, then I knocked him out." Abel said quietly to the clerk. The robber groaned and his lifted his hand to his head. Abel saw this and brought the bottle down again, hitting the hand that was on his face. "Run!" Abel yelled.
He ran to the door and the clerk took off too. The clerk went to call the cops from a nearby alley. Abel ran across the street and into a large park. He ran for a while until he couldn't take it anymore, which wasn't very long. He saw a trail head in the distance and walked over to the sign that marked it.
"Oh. I'm in Supera Park. Isn't this place huge? I wonder if I'll see any wizards or mutants training." Abel took deep breaths and began to walk down the trail. He listened intently, hoping to come across a group of students training. However, he had the strangest feeling that someone was watching him.
He couldn't hear anything other than night sounds of insects, crickets and cicadas. It felt like someone was there though. That strange feeling that had been growing and bothering him, all day in fact, was becoming clearer. "I've been saying weird things, acting crazy all day. I fought a villain, basically. What is going on? At least, its peaceful here."
Abel sat up against a tree. He rested his weary heart and his weary mind, only looking up at the aurora through the trees. The gold and silver had a rainbow of colors splattered through it now. When looking at it, Abel no longer felt a strange sensation. He felt a small connection.
"Magic aurora." he whispered softly.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SalukiSands
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I hope you guys are enjoying this. I should have another chapter out today or tomorrow.
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