After school, Arthur walked back home as usual. Along the way, he decided to walk through a pocket park to calm his mind.
The park's ground featured verdant grass intertwined with wide curved white brick paths. The tree and the wooden benches scattered throughout the park. The butterflies flew over the flowers along both sides of the paths. At the center of the park was a circular ground with an eight-pointed star design at its heart, and surrounding that star were people on benches, footpath lamps, and food carts.
While Arthur was walking through the center of the park, someone called him.
"Hey!"
Arthur looked to the caller and saw Lux sitting on a bench next to a hotdog cart, holding a hotdog, and giving him a wave and a big smile. When Arthur realized it was Lux, he instantly avoided his eyes and quickly strode away.
"Arthur, wait!" Lux put the hot dog down on the bench and ran after Arthur. As he caught up with him, he said, "What's wrong?! You had a bad day at school?"
"Sorry, but I can't talk to you right now," said Arthur without looking at Lux.
Lux looked at Arthur in surprise. "Why?! What happened? Did something bad happen to your family member?! Are you sick and have to see the doctor?! Did you lose your wallet and are going to report to the police? If there's anything I can help with, let me know."
"Everything is fine! I just can't talk to you, okay?!"
"Alright! If you can't talk to me, how about you chat with me?" Lux showed his phone and pointed at the screen.
"No!"
"Write?" Lux showed Arthur his pocket notebook and his pen.
"No!"
"Hand sign?" Lux made a hand sign.
"No! Just leave me alone!"
"If you don't talk to me, how could I know what happened to you? How could I help your problem? I know there's something that happened to you, and you're hiding it from me. Please, Arthur, let me help you."
Arthur carefully looked around, checking if Principal Ferdinand was nearby or not. When he was sure he wasn't around, he turned to Lux and said, "I've been forbidden from talking to you."
"What?! Who forbids you?"
"My principal."
"Wait! How did he know about me?!"
"I… I told him about you."
"Why did you tell him about me?!"
"Because he asked me. He told me that strange things were happening around town lately, and he asked me if I had encountered any strangers."
"Your principal. Who is he?"
"His name is Ferdinand."
"Why did he prohibit you from talking to me?"
"Because he believes that strangers can't be trusted. He thinks my life will be doomed if I involve myself with a stranger. But I don't think all strangers are bad; some of them just want help or a new friend. Besides, if I'm careful enough, no stranger can fool me."
"I'm glad you think like that. But honestly, I don't blame your principal for having that view; some strangers are really dangerous and can ruin other people's lives. However, I think prohibiting a student from talking to any stranger is too much."
"I think so!"
"Did you give him my name?"
"I did. Sorry. He asked me, so I had to answer."
"It's okay, I don't mind. What'll happen if he finds out that you talk to me?"
"He'll expel me from school."
"What?! That's crazy."
"Right?! I've never heard of an expulsion reason this ridiculous before. Hold on!" Arthur suddenly cracked a big smile. "How could I forget it?!"
"What did you forget?"
"He doesn't know your face! That means even if he sees us here, he won't know that you're the stranger who I met this morning."
"Are you sure? You didn't tell him about my appearance and personality, right?"
"Honestly, I did. But hey, just saying that he's nice, friendly, and smart wouldn't be able to point out who he is, right?"
"If you're certain, then I'm okay. So, it means we can talk normally now, right?"
"That's right. I'm sorry I hadn't thought of that before."
"Never mind."
"How was work today?"
"Great. My client is still perfectly safe and sound."
"Good to hear that."
"What about you? How was your school?"
"Both good and bad, like every day. You must not believe it, but today I found many strange things."
"Like what?"
"Like a glowing flower, a white humanoid creature with a blue triangle in the chest, men in cloaks, and more."
"What an odd day for you! Are you sure they didn't come from a movie or a TV series?"
"I knew it! You won't believe me!"
"Just kidding. Honestly, I believe you."
"Really?!"
"Yes."
"Why do you believe me so easily? Don't you need proof?"
"No need. We're friends now, and friends should believe each other, right?"
Arthur smiled. "That's right. But be careful, some friends can pretend and stab you in the back, when the time's right."
"And are you that kind of friend?"
"No, I'm a good friend. I swear on my life."
Lux smiled and rested his hand on his chest. "And I swear in my heart that you can trust me."
"Do you know what happened to me today reminds me of?"
Lux shook his head.
The beginning of a hero's story. Heroes lived their normal lives for a long time, but then one day something unexpected happened and their lives changed forever. They were called to adventure, to fight against evil, and to become legends."
"Or perhaps what happened to you today is the beginning of a horror story."
"Please, don't let it be that. I don't want to be eaten by that adorable white monkey."
They laughed.
"So, you're telling me that you're the next hero?"
"Nah, those heroes are only in books or movies. Normal people won't go on an adventure after encountering strange things. They will go home, tell others what happened to them, before going to sleep, and going to work or school the next morning."
"All heroes were once ordinary people. They became heroes because they chose to accept the call instead of refusing it. Who knows? You might be a hero in the future."
"No way. I'm just a twelve-year-old boy who is struggling with school. I can't be a hero like Firstlight."
"Firstlight? Who is that?"
"Do you live under a rock or something? Firstlight, the most famous superhero in the world."
"The character in the comic?"
"No! Firstlight is real. He came from outer space, founded a team of superheroes, and has been protecting the world ever since. Here, this is the video of him and his team fighting Dr. Antonio in Antarctica.
Arthur pulled out his phone and showed Lux footage of a team of superheroes battling a giant crab-like robot with massive tentacles sprouting from its back. The robot bombarded the heroes with countless ballistic missiles, giant tentacles, giant legs, and giant claws with a laser gatling gun. The heroes gradually destroyed the robot, part by part.
"Are you sure this isn't from a movie?"
"I told you it's real. If you don't believe me, go search the internet."
"Wow! I didn't know that our world had real-life superheroes before."
"Where are you from?! Pluto?!"
"Something like that. You don't want to be a hero like them?"
"Honestly, I do, but I can't. You need superpower to be a hero or a superhero. We commoners with no power can't be heroes."
"You're wrong, Arthur! Everyone has their own power, and they can be heroes if they use it to fight for others. Being a hero doesn't mean you have to possess a superpower, go on an adventure, and fight evil to save the day. Fighting through hardships and obstacles in your life in order to make others' lives better also makes you a hero. A doctor is a hero, a policeman is a hero, a teacher is a hero. You can also be a hero as well, Arthur. All you need to do is find your own way to be a hero."
"Whoa! What a cool attitude! I have no doubt why you became a bodyguard."
"Honestly, I don't consider myself a hero. I'm just an ordinary guy who is doing my best in my duty. But who knows, maybe in the future, we both will become heroes of people."
"I hope so. But I don't think I can be. I'm not strong, brave, and confident like you."
"Before I became who I am right now, I was weak, craven, and unconfident, just like you."
"Are you insulting me?!"
Lux laughed. "No, no, I'm not insulting you. I'm telling you that you can be like me or even better than me if you have enough willpower and determination."
"To be honest, I want to be like you. But school and homework make my life hard enough. I don't want to make it harder."
"Suit yourself, kid. But trust me, you have much more potential in you than you think."
"Truthfully, if I were chosen to be a hero, I would decline."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to make my life harder, fight against others, or save anyone."
"You don't want to save others?!"
"Save others?! I can't even save myself! I would, If I could. But for now, let me focus on saving myself."
"If you say so."
They walked in silence for a moment.
"Can I ask you something?" said Arthur.
"Sure! Why not?!"
"Why did you talk to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"My headmaster told me that everyone has a motive behind their action. Even though I don't agree with many things he said, I do agree with him on this. So, I just want to know, what is your motive behind your action? Why did you talk to me?"
"That's, uh, that's because… I wanted to make a new friend here."
"But why me?! Why not the man behind you or the woman beside you?!"
"Because you seem to be the friendliest, I dared to talk to you without being afraid of being ignored or scolded back."
"And how were you sure that I wouldn't ignore you?"
"I wasn't. I just took a risk."
"Honestly, I don't believe you. My face isn't that friendly."
Lux chuckled. "You might not know it, but you have an easy-going air around you."
"Really?! You know, this is the first time I've heard someone tell me that. Normally, they'll run away as soon as they see me." Arthur laughed. "You don't want anything from me, right?"
"I, uh," Lux's hesitation, even just for a split second, birthed a tiny bit of suspicion in Arthur's heart. "I don't want anything from you, Arthur, you can trust me on that."
"I don't know if I can trust you. You seem like a nice person, but I don't really know you."
"I understand. It's hard to believe in a man you just met, especially not in a day. You'll believe me or not, but I promise with my own life that I come in peace. I don't want to hurt you or want anything from you. The only thing I want is to make a new friend in this unfamiliar place."
"I hope you tell the truth." Arthur gave Lux a smile.
"You have my word." Lux returned the smile.
"Honestly, I think my new principal is some kind of megalomaniac."
"Why do you think like that?"
"Because he didn't listen to me. He kept telling me what I must do, and when I argued with him, he shouted back at me."
"It seems the bad guy isn't a stranger anymore."
"Yeah, you're right. I can't believe an arrogant person like him became my principal."
"Don't worry, a bad person won't stay for too long. Sooner or later, he'll fall down from his throne."
"I hope you're right," Arthur smiled, and Lux returned the smile.
"If Principal Ferdinand heard our conversation, he would be so mad," said Arthur.
"Mad about what?!" said a man in a familiar voice.
When he heard the voice, Arthur's heart dropped to his feet. He and Lux stopped walking and wheeled around.
"Principal Ferdinand!" shouted Arthur, gasping.
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