52 Conflict of thoughts

General pov...

Watching him leave Gwen grabbed his hand. But Without turning back he said "Get lost."

Hearing his sharp voice, she released his hand and took a step back in suprise.

Ethan walked away. Gwen tried to go after him but peter stopped her. and said "not now Gwen, give him some time."

Ethan got out of the hospital. He had the only thing in his mind. 'did I'm the one behind her death. I made the wrong choice by letting zee escape. Just to save a woman and child, Who knows how many people died in that first blast?'

'And caroline...'

just remembering her condition was making him angry, Angry at himself. Anyone would have guessed that letting zee go was a bad idea. And he still decided to save that woman and child over hundreds of people. Over caroline...

After wandering around for who knows how long. he took a seat on the bench in the park. He didn't know how far he had walked from the hospital. He was still lost in thoughts, trying to find something that can make sense of his choice.

Anyone finds such a question pointless including ethan himself. ethan knew he did his best. hell, no one could have done any better. one can say that if caroline wouldn't have died. he wouldn't be questioning himself right now. But death of caroline changed everything, For the first time in his life, it made ethan to doubt... himself.

As he was lost in thoughts, many different scenarios were happening insde his head. But every time it ends at the same conclusion that he should have killed zee. over that woman and child.

But snapping him out of his thoughts, people around him suddenly began to shout, while pointing at the big screen in the centre of the park.

On the screen was running the live telecast of someplace. Thousands of people were gathered. Some were wearing clothes like black lotus while some had broken masks like him. Some had sign boards in their hand saying "thank you black lotus". And literally, all people had a black balloon in their hands.

It was the festival to appreciate the black lotus for saving the new york.

After showing people with all kinds of signs and wearing cosplay costumes. The camera finally focused on the stage.

Someone climbed up the stairs and reached the stage. He took out the mic and started to speak "we all are gathered here today to grieve for thousands of life which were lost during the unfortunate incident a month ago. But we wouldn't forget the person who saved many more. It could have been hundreds of times more if he wouldn't have been there. Or if he had decided to only save himself. We all saw what happened to him. What he had to go through in the process. Despite that he fought, he struggled, and he bore the pain to save lives."

"many people say that he fought because he was capable of fighting, that he is special. But how many of us can do, what he did? How many of us can bear what he went through? So let's just give him our appreciation. let's show him that we will always remember what he did. All that pain, every injurie he got wasn't in vain. That what he had gone through was worth it." finishing his speech he let go of the black balloon in his hand. Surprisingly it was the theme to let black lotus know just how many lives he saved by watching the number of balloons in the air.

Following him, all the people let go of the balloon and thousands of balloons flew in the sky.

Watching all this Ethan's expressions don't change. He focused on the screen when he heard the phrase "it was worth it." But he still other than that there wasn't anything special. This all was nothing if he, himself felt that his wrong decision took the life of Caroline and many more.

Then reporter started to take interviews with people who were saved by black lotus. After a few people, Ethan saw a woman grabbing the mic. She said while trying not to cry.

"he was there when that monster saw us. I had already considered myself dead. But I wanted to save my child. I wanted to run away but my legs refused to move in fear. And then a monster attacked and buildings started to fall on us. But he was there, lifting the fallen concrete. I looked at him. He was bleeding, he was injured but he still didn't let go. He hold it until we escaped.> she started crying but continued.

"So I just want to tell him. I don't know who you are. We were maybe one of many people you have saved and you probably don't remember us. But Wherever you are. Thank you...thank you for saving me and my child. You gave us second chance. You gave my boy a chance to live. So thank you. We will forever be in your debt." as the camera focused on the child in the women's hands. patting his mother's hand as if consoling her.

And then one after another people started to talk about their experiences. How and when black lotus had saved them. And then they all said in unison "not only her, but we all are in your debt. You saved us all. You saved The whole NewYork city."

Ethan didn't hear the later shouts of people. He was just staring at the small screen that was repeating the scene of the boy in his mother's hand. He was again in deep thoughts but this time there was something different.

Hearing that woman, seeing the child he had saved. Some unknown feelings awoke in him, making the burden of his mind lesser. He was still not fully convinced that he made the right choice.

But for the first time, ethan felt that not everything can be solved by logic. That sometimes, the body moves on its own...

------------------ end of the volume one ---------------