Mistakes

[Haru Jeong]

11/12/2021 - Late night

Haru’s missions usually carried him to buildings, a still target; tonight however, he found himself slinking after a moving van. The van held people, being carted off for their new lives as servants and slaves. The lucky ones would not live long, the unlucky ones were those tough enough to survive.

Tonight however, there would be no unlucky ones. Haru’s plan was to simply slip in, teleport out with the… cargo and teleport out, watching from a distance as the wheels of the van set off the explosive. The bomb was not big, if all went to plan, it would only knock out the engines and give him the opening he needed to slit the throat of the guilty.

He knew their main base, after this strike that was next, it was a big enough operation it would take days to move out, which meant he had time.

His assault was simple and in the form of a teleport, he dropped onto the roof, he breathed heavily as he caught his breath, a hand lighting up in a white flame.

Five minutes, 37 seconds at the current speed of the van.

He cut through the metal quickly with the flame, and dropped down into the crowd of people. They were all ages, and there were more than he expected, there was no way he could give them all shelter. He was lucky, he knew who could take some of the adults, and they had a place for the others, for now.

The places would not last long.

4 minutes 13 seconds.

He reached for the hands of the people, he urged them to take his, the strong enough to help those who could not move on their own, there were not enough, never enough.

2 minutes, 9 seconds

Haru closed his eyes and focused, his shadows stretched as he fought his own limit.

1 minute, 45 seconds

Eventually the shadows overtook them all, every person except Haru, they were gone, and The teen fell to his knees.

14 seconds

He looked up, and tried to summon enough power to get out.

10, 9, 8…

He could not summon the power, so he turned to move towards the back of the van, to try and kick open the door to find it bolted… he was trapped.

6, 5, 4…

He scrunched his eyes shut, then opened as the time ran out and nothing happened.

Seconds passed, and he felt it before he heard it, the explosion, they had slowed down just enough that his time was just a little off...

His head hit the back of the van, and his surroundings went dark as the flames licked up towards the engine. He was out, he had messed up, and the only collateral seemed to be himself.

[Haru Jeong]

"Get up." The voice was familiar, he was in a warm bed, and across from him was a familiar face, he had seen this dream before, but he was always on a bench, among the streets of the city, never a bed. His father sat on the edge, that face that showed up every time he needed to hear from him looked sad, "You screwed up kiddo, you aren't dead, you won't die, but depending how long you take to wake up... you may get caught." There was a long pause, "I know you want to stop, and I know why you can't." His voice was gentle, kind, but disappointed.

Haru pushed himself up, he pinched a piece of skin between his fingers, "I can't wake up, and I know this is a dream this time." His gaze went around the room, this had been his home, the one he had inherited before it burned, this was his childhood bedroom. His hands ran along the wall, "I should be able to shake this off... right? Wake up? I'm not human after all, I should recover fast, I always do." He paused, already it had begun to fade, already he had begun to regain consciousness, "Dad? How do I get out?"

There was the beginning of an answer, but he could not hear it... not over the roar of the flames and the sounds of sirens as they approached.

----

Shocking brown eyes opened, skin blistered and burned in the heat, his head pounded, yet it was barely felt in the adrenaline, he grabbed for the handle with a tanned hand... that was not right? He was always pale... The fire was not supposed to hurt, why did fire hurt?

Black hair fell into those eyes as the door opened and the very human boy fell from the vehicle, his body laid limp on the ground, one hand pulled out a barely alive pink phone to send a single text, "Help", he was barely out of the flames, yet again his eyes closed, returning him to that everlasting dreamscape.

----

"I can't answer your questions." He was right back where he had been, his brown eyes stared out over a peaceful Rhy'din, "You know that it breaks the rules."

Haru looked back, "Rules don't matter if I'm dead!" He snapped, he grabbed the man who died when he was tiny and pushed him against a wall by his shirt, tears streamed down his face, "Rules don't matter if I can't fix this! They need me, I am only doing this so they don't take me faster!" A choked sob left his lips, "I have people desperately trying to save me, but they can't, I am already doomed! All I can do is prolong the inevitable, Linna knows!" His grip loosened as he fell to his knees hands, his hands dropped from the shirt, "I need help..." He had begun to beg, "I was supposed to have centuries, but I have felt my grip beginning to loosen! I have felt it begin to fall apart! Rules don't matter when you're fucking dead."

In the real world, he laid on the pavement, barely recognizable under the burns, being given one last chance to be what he wanted, human. Normal. Free... And he was that in the dream world, for now.

The older Jeong sat there and stared at Haru, "You're right, there isn't a way to fix it... not until the deal is fulfilled. Fight until then, try to prove me wrong, but it will be fulfilled, my boy, but you will be able to be there."

Haru snarled to his father among the tears, "How?! How will it be fine! They need me and I will be gone according to you!" Arms simply wrapped around him, "How can I be there, yet be lost... I don't understand..."

His questions would remain unanswered, sobs wracked his chest as long as he needed.