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Chapter 147: Starting From Zero

Chapter 147: Starting From Zero

Hope was sitting alone on a bench in a bustling city park. All around him, vibrant energy was pulsating through the air. Children were running around, playing games, and chasing each other. Couples were strolling hand in hand, exchanging loving glances. Some vendors were selling ice cream or balloons, and the sweet aroma of cotton candy filled the air.

Despite the beautiful scenery, the boy’s heart was heavy with anguish. He sat with his head down, lost in thought. Suddenly, a ball hit him in the head, jolting him back to reality. Three young boys approached him, the smallest one catching the ball.

"Wow, sorry, mister," the smallest boy said, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"I told you to pass the ball! Sorry, mister!" the other two boys chimed in, looking apologetic.

They apologized while disputing the ball right before the young man, who gritted his teeth and stood up, his face twisted with anger.

"Tch... GO THE FUCK AWAY!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the park.

The three kids screamed and ran away from him, forgetting their ball in their haste to escape.

Hope breathed heavily and, upon raising his head, noticed the gaze of all the other people. He sits back down, placing a hand on his face.

Suddenly, the cold feeling of a can of juice on his temple made him jump.

"If you wanted that ball that much, you should have ask me to buy one." Thomas appeared in front of him.

"Uh... What are you doing here?"

He took the can of juice handed to him, and Thomas collected the ball before throwing it toward the children, who exclaimed with joy.

"There, isn’t it better to give joy to people?"

"Urgh...What do you want?"

"Just taking care of my little protégé. Is this a bad thing?"

Hope looked at him and redirected his gaze to the ground.

"Leave me alone."

"Hm? You said keep me company? If you insist."

He sat beside him, with Hope looking at the ground and Thomas gazing at the sky. The breeze was refreshing and the sounds around them were indistinct.

Thomas leaned back in his seat with a smile on his face.

"Can you believe that there is a huge hole releasing monsters? It was a wise decision to come to the South."

He remained in this position for a while, waiting for a response, but as he received none, he continued.

"It’s a beautiful day. Children are playing, couples are dating, and there is no sign of danger. This is a perfect place for two cowards like us."

"Leave me the fuck alone!!!" Once again, Hope caught the attention of people, who began to murmur.

"Hm? Why? I want to talk, and you’re my favorite buddy. Don’t be so harsh."

"For the last time, go away and leave me alone! I don’t want to see anyone!"

Thomas lowered his gaze and glanced at Hope with a grin.

"Like you refused to do when I was at rock bottom? Nah, I’m good here. I’ll stay a little."

The silence came again. Thomas observed in the distance a couple teasing each other on another bench and smiled warmly.

"Hey, look, it seems like a soldier won the jackpot. Should we cheer for him?"

He waited for a bit, but as before, only the sound of the wind answered him. He glanced at Hope with a teasing smile.

"Say, speaking of love, have you already confessed to Mercy?"

Hope raised his head for the first time and looked at him in astonishment.

"Ah? Touch."

"Why don’t you just leave me alone? I don’t want to see anyone, is it too much to ask?"

"It’s important to have alone time often, but not always. So, how is it with Mercy? I bet you haven’t confessed yet."

"What Mercy? Why should I confess to her? Stop putting my name in anything."

Hope stared at the ground, still groaning; Thomas raised him to the sky.

"Is this because you can’t decide between all these beauties, or is this because you’re afraid of the competition?"

"For God’s sake... Is this why you came to talk to me? To annoy me?!" He stood up, the hairs standing up on his spine. "I don’t like her; I don’t like someone who never trusted me and who blames me for everything! I should have never met her, it was my biggest regret, but it’s fine, now I’m not her knight since the one she loves is back, they even kissed each other! I’m free, and I want to stay alone, so don’t bother me!"

"You should think a little at your choice of word, I think your description is a little different than reality."

"If you keep talking about that, then I’ll leave."

His breathing became heavier, his shoulder tensed, and some veins popped on his neck. Thomas observed him meticulously and crossed his arms.

"Oh, you don’t want to talk about your love life then? I guess there’s no other choice than skipping to the next topic, Eli-"

Hands grabbed him roughly by the collar and brought him close to Hope’s face.

"One word... one more word, and I kill you, right here, right now."

His hands trembled, Thomas stared into his bloodshot gaze, people around starting to move away.

But to Hope’s surprise, he smiled.

"Oh, then love talk."

The boy, taken aback, released Thomas and sat down again. His mentor imitated him, and both looked at the ground again.

"You know, I kinda understand how you feel... about Mercy. Remember my shameful confession? Imagine having such a great speech only to be trashed like that. Do you know what they call me on the team? The guide, because I showed to everyone their fate if they attacked Dora. My parents disowned me, I am among the weakest of the council, and the girl I love is fond of the one who destroyed my life... what a pity. .. hey, I think I’ve suffered more than you."

He smiled and leaned forward.

"You know, I really resented Iris for that. I hated her personality, I hated her for betraying me... I hated her so much that I wished to see her lose against the Disaster... But then, something happened.I suppose you know what."

"I know already, and I didn’t ask."

"Yeah, somehow, I felt the same. It’s always like this. We take action, we deceive the girl we like, and he comes, saves the day, and gets the girl. I really thought that life was just unfair... but then, I saw something amazing."

Hope turned his gaze to him and noticed the brightness of his eyes.

"Did you know that Iris wasn’t the tough lady we thought? Under her armor, she is a shy girl with no experience in life. She wears an outfit without realizing that the label is still on it, she reads a manual before taking any action on a date, she mixes two perfumes, and she trains to kiss when she’s in front of a mirror... I’ve never seen her like this, but when I saw it... I realized that I was silly."

"... You?"

"Yes... Iris never did anything to me; I was the one who left her because I knew that Dora was better than me. If I had listened to Eryl, I would have kept my powers. Dora would have never gotten close to her, and I would have kept my power... If I had them now with the dean’s training... I could have been so much stronger. I could have been the one standing next to Iris... Hope, Dora did nothing wrong. I was the one who caused my own downfall."

Hope frowned, troubled by Thomas’s reasoning. He remembered his chat with Mercy and the same remark she made to him.

He rolled his eyes and stood up.

"But I’ve decided to start again from zero."

"Huh?" Hope looked at him again, but this time, Thomas’s face shone with determination.

"After seeing this side of her, I decided that I couldn’t just give up on her. Hope I will fight back for Iris, no matter what awaits me."

"... But why? You have no chance against him...What’s the point?"

Thomas stood up with a smile, showing his teeth and clenching his fists.

"Because I love her, isn’t that enough? I refuse to stay down forever... Hope, I will come back in the game of life, and this time, I’ll do everything correctly."

He held out his hand to the young man who seemed lost.

"Let’s forget the past, Hope. Let’s start a new story and rewrite our names. I am Thomas, only Thomas, and You are Hope."