54 Heroes and Hope

In essence, the martial art, Day of Judgement, was a straightforward technique.

He wasn't lying when he said that anyone had the potential to use it. After all, it was created with humanity in mind. It didn't matter whether child or elderly; As long as you were human, that is.

However, in the end, the only one to wield and master the martial art had been Lee Dojin. It was as if it had been designed just for him. No, in a way, it was, seeing as 'He' had only bestowed it to him.

Dojin bit his lips. "Though the creator itself was a questionable being, I can't deny that this is one of my strongest techniques." He turned around. With the warehouse wall gone, the night light shone in, illuminating the place. Due to his title 'King of the Shadows,' he could see in the dark anyway, but the soulsmog had obscured any light.

He saw Do Jiwoon, half of his body charred black. His left arm was gone, and any open wounds had immediately been cauterized by the flame. His white hair swayed in the open wind.

The Day of Judgement consisted of 7 techniques—referred to as trumpets—each stronger than the previous one. What Lee Dojin had used was the first trumpet: Scorched Earth.

The wings on his back were only for decoration. If only, they served to remind the enemy that the technique had begun. Something like a warning. Though if one saw the wings, it would be far too late.

Upon activation, Lee Dojin would ignite his blood enough to make it steam. His whole body, in turn, reaches such a high temperature, that everything around him evaporates into nothingness. It is as if he was clad in the sun's flames. Then, focusing the heat on one single point—most often a fingertip—he phases through the opponent. It won't burn or flare up, but everything he touched, vanished, crumbling into ash.

"Why? You have so much power..." Do Jiwoon asked. He held his arm (or what was left of it). "If we fought together, we could have ruled the world."

Lee Dojin breathed out a ball of hot air. "Yes, but with your way of life, humanity will not prosper."

It was said that this ability, upon mastery, could destroy 1/3 of the Earth. Though he had never achieved that, the power today was abysmal compared to his prime. Still, if he went too far, the first to burn up would have been him.

Do Jiwoon tried pushing himself up, his legs shaking as he did. "Humanity? Who cares about that? When the world is going under, how can you be thinking about stuff like that? It's eat, or be eaten!" He walked towards Dojin, at the same time stumbling. "Let society crumble! It was shit anyway! This hodgepodge made of hypocritical rules was doomed for failure. The reset was inevitable. Will you push against this burden? What can you, a lone human, do?" He grabbed him by the collar. "You cannot fight fate." The boy's face was incredibly pained. Though it came not from the wounds.

"I can," Lee Dojin said, his voice full of conviction. He slapped Do Jiwoons hand away. The boy fell down.

Ah Yeurong, watching everything unfold, stepped out her delirium. She cautiously approached Jiwoon. "Sukjin..."

He turned around, laughing. Sweat flowed down his face, as he gasping for air. "Yeurong? You are awake." He paused. "Had a good dream?"

She knelt down, brushing the hair out of her face. "You don't look so well."

He analyzed himself, seeing his broken body. "I suppose I don't." He wanted to lift his left arm, only to realize it was gone. A chuckle escaped him. "You aren't faring any better though, it seems."

She held her face. She nodded, thinking she must have appeared haggard. Her hair was disheveled, and her lips chapped. The whole place was still hard to breathe, even with the fresh air entering through the now open warehouse.

"Say, was everything between us a lie?"

Do Jiwoon paused for a second. He closed his eyes. "Yes."

Ah Yeurong didn't reply. Her face was unfathomable, her thoughts shrouded in darkness. She turned her head, looking at the night sky. "I see." Looking at the scenery, everything felt so free. The stars were beautiful tonight.

"Moving on," Lee Dojin squatted down to face Do Jiwoon. He grabbed his hair and yanked his head up. "Extract the shadow out of the unborn child."

Jiwoon's irises shook. "How do you know that," he asked with a quivering voice.

"Well, apparently we all have our secrets," he said. "This isn't a request, by the way."

He gulped, then nodded. Looking at Yeurong, a sigh left his mouth. Was there any use in resisting? His lips opened. "Purgatory: Soul Extraction."

"Wait, I'm not ready ye—" However, the ability had already been invoked. She felt something well up her throat, and soon, the soul came out, regurgitated by her. She coughed, the remaining smoke leaving her mouth. If possible, she'd never want to experience this again.

At first, it was only a cloud, without any features. Right after, a face formed and as the limbs followed, Lee Dojin's expression went to shock. "I see," he muttered. "That does explain a lot."

The soul, unlike the others, was incredibly detailed. Before him, there stood another Do Jiwoon, an older version, one he knew too well. The man looked just like the day Dojin killed him.

The soul screeched. Maybe it was saying something, but it was hard to tell. It rushed at him, fast enough to lose its shape. Lee Dojin did not move. The soul jumped, stretching out his hand, and in the end. . . embraced him. Not as an attack or a feint. It was an honest hug with no killing intent.

Lee Dojin placed his hand on the soul's back. It felt incredibly cold. He winced.

He muttered, "What's up, Jiwoon. It's been a minute." A gentle smile escaped him. And right after, innumerable memories resurfaced in his mind.

...

"I'm thinking of changing the world," Jiwoon said. He took a sip of his soda.

Lee Dojin, squatting next to him, looked up. "The fuck?"

He crushed the empty can in his hand and stashed it away. His sight fell upon the Sivilla schools court. The two of them were atop the roof, an access only they knew. If the educators got wind of it, they'd be getting a beating. However, it was worth the risk, seeing the beautiful scenery below. Here, they had a full view of all the students in the yard.

"I mean it. 'How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.' Those were Anne Frank's words." He chuckled. "You see, not everyone can be like you, Dojin." His short hair swayed in the wind. "They can't be strong and hold on to a hope that may never come."

"Hmm." Lee Dojin watched the sky. "I'm not a strong as you think I am."

Meanwhile, Do Jiwoon eyed the people underneath. "That may be so, but you are a beacon for the weak. You are like a hero." Humans looked so interesting when observed from up high. Especially the students in this school. "These guys, they have no path on their own. No hope at all. They need an anchor. If so, I want to create it. A hope for those wandering alone."

"I don't think that's necessary." A bird landed next to them. "I believe in humanity. We are flawed, yes, but that is what makes us beautiful. Even in the futility of death, we find excellence in the fleetingness of life. That, I think, is hope enough."

"I don't agree." Jiwoon laughed. "We may not see eye to eye, but you'll have my back, right?"

Lee Dojin smiled. "Is there anyone else dumb enough to follow scum like you?"

...

"Motherfucker, how dare you sneak up on us," an unknown man shouted. He punched Do Jiwoons face.

"Damn, that hurt." He fell to the ground. Surrounding him were several adult men, their faces enraged. In their hand, they held various weapons, ready to beat him into submission. "Well, it's fine. You all are goners anyway."

"Huh? Look at this brat talking trash. Has your brain been—" Before he could finish his sentence, a kick knocked him unconscious.

"What was that!" The people turned around. Soon, one by one, they began falling.

"It's your end," Jiwoon said, laughing as these adults went down.

Lee Dojin appeared before him. "That was reckless of you, using yourself as bait."

"I had no choice, did I? They took one of our kin." He spat out a loose tooth. "If we had taken any longer, who knows what they'd have done to her. This was the only way to find the kidnapped girl. And I knew you'd have my back." His brows furrowed. "I hate adults. Always looking down on us. Oh, how I pray that one day they'd eat their just desserts." There was a hint of melancholy in his voice.

...

"Dojin, Dojin! The world has given us a chance!" He laughed maniacally, his face full of blood, but it wasn't his.

Lee Dojin looked at the dead people surrounding them. He held his broken arm. He did not understand what happened. A sudden voice appeared before them, and suddenly the world had turned to hell. It was only later he realized what the Mirage was. "You... How can you smile in this situation?"

"Don't you understand? In times of war comes the greatest change!" He dragged his twisted ankle. "Affinities? Monsters? First Advent? Fine by me. In the end, nothing has changed. The world is still shit. For the people without hope, let's create a utopia."

"A utopia? I'm all ears." He smiled wryly. "Tell me how you can possibly create one in such wretched hellhole."

...

"Do Jiwoon! Do Jiwoon! Do Jiwoon!"

The people outside chanted his name, but he paid it no heed. In front of him stood Lee Dojin, wings on his back. Light emitted from him, washing away the dark room.

"You should have told me you'd come visiting."

Lee Dojin looked at the countless corpses surrounding him. In the middle, there was a pregnant woman, deep asleep. "Why did you do this?"

"To achieve our dream." He flung his arm, blood splattering the wall. "This will be our hope."

Lee Dojin's face scrunched together. He bit his lips. "Hope. Why are you so obsessed with hope?"

Do Jiwoon scoffed. "Someone like you will never understand." The souls rose by his command. "Humans, without hope, will grow destructive. Society will crumble without something to cling on to. Just like we saw in Sivilla. There has to be something worth fighting for, or else we fight ourselves."

"What will you do when the fight is over? Where will the soldiers return to, when their home has turned to a wasteland?" Lee Dojin walked forward, his eyes glowed white. "Are you planning to take all the darkness upon yourself?"

"If that is what it takes, yes." Jiwoon was shrouded in souls. "See, war carries no great meaning. It is never for the greater good. It has never stood for what was right. Still, who decides what is right? Only when one thing disappears do we value it. Through pain, we learn pleasure, and through death, we learn life. Talking about peace, yet offering sacrifices to achieve it; Such is the height of human fallacy. You understand too." He sighed. "A time of peace has no need for heroes."

"It seems we do not see eye to eye."

He nodded. "Dojin, say, do you have my back?"

A pillar of light destroyed the rooftop. "No, I am afraid, not this time."

...

"Say, was I wrong?"

"I do not know."

Do Jiwoon coughed. His body had shattered into pieces. There was no chance of him surviving. Blood escaped his open wounds and the light in his eyes dimmed. "Maybe, it was me that needed hope the most."

Lee Dojin did not answer. He sat next to Jiwoon, his back turned against him.

"You know, I considered you my friend." He paused. "No, you were like a brother to me. My only family." He breathed out. "Maybe I just wanted to be like you. Able to live my life without questioning the purpose. You always looked as if you had it figured out. I envied that."

"I am also only a weakling."

"Don't sell yourself short. See, we both were never given hope in life. Yet, why are we so different? I wanted to understand, why, even through the same experiences, did I end up looking up to you? Why did you become my light?" blood seeped through his eyes. He saw nothing anymore. "Say, when I am gone, can you remember me as a hero?"

His last words remained deeply ingrained in Dojin's mind.

...

Returning to the present, The soul slowly faded away.

Lee Dojin's arms slacked down. He stared at the old Do Jiwoon, muttering, "So long, brother."