Prologue: Right And Wrong

"Ariel, breakfast is ready." Ariel's mom shouted, it was morning and the clock was striking 6 o'clock.

"I can't find my shoes." Ariel's voice came from the room upstairs. His mom was cooking something in the kitchen on the ground floor. 

"They are down here. Come fast or you will be late," She rolled her blue eyes and added, "Again." Her mom had her hair covered with a black shawl.

Ariel descended the stairs swiftly, "I won't be late." His mom looked out from the window right next to the stove on which she was cooking a Paratha, "Yeah right. Your school bus has arrived. Take the roll and run, or they will leave you again." She puts pressure on the word 'again'. Ariel grabbed his rolled paratha wore shoes slowly and rushed out. It took him about 2 minutes to roll the paratha, 3 minutes to wear shoes, and a whole minute to open the door and go out. He got out of the house and looked outside, but he couldn't find a bus anywhere. It had already left, and a light grin appeared on his face. He seemed happy about missing the bus.

Suddenly, a car stopped in front of their house's gate. It was a silver Civic Reborn and only one guy was sitting in it. He had black hair and he stopped right in front of Ariel. With a bright smile, he said, "Don't tell me you missed the bus, again."

Ariel looked happy "Yeah, sorry I overslept." That man opened the car's door "Hop in or you will be late." Ariel smiled and did as the man asked of him. He missed his bus so, he could go with his father. His father was a busy man, so the only time they could have for themselves was during dinner or when he missed his bus. "I am your father, Ariel. I know you. You loved school, but ever since you joined college, you have been sad all the time. Is someone bullying you?" Ariel was looking outside the window with a smiling face he said "Dad, I am not being bullied. I just don't like waking up in the morning." His dad just smiled back and then they did not talk about anything until he stopped the car in front of the college gate, "Well, you can talk to me whenever you want." Ariel opened the car's door and smiled, "Dad, you don't need to worry about me. I am not a weak boy and you know that I know Martial Arts, no kid would dare to bully me." Then he waved his hand, as he entered college "Bye Dad." 

 ***

Danish burst into the classroom, anger evident in his eyes. Without a second thought, he lunged towards Ariel and swung his fist, but Ariel remained motionless, standing his ground as blood tripped down from his mouth. Tears welled up in Danish's eyes, from the weight of his words. "You could've saved them. More than 50 kids died. The whole school was blown up. No one saved them—neither you nor the government. They did not bow down to their demands. Are you happy now? You won, you asshole." Danish's voice trembled with anguish.

Ariel raised calmly, his gaze unwavering. "Danish, I didn't want it to happen too but this is the reality. Power doesn't make me a hero, nor does it make the government good. Powers just make us strong not better. I am no god, I am but a man. I can't decide anyone's fate, I won't save or destroy anyone as I have no right to interfere in law. I have no desire to get involved in these kind of events. Those kids died because a document was more important than their lives, someone made that choice. A hard choice with which that man will have to live forever," he stated, his voice laced with sorrow.

Disappointment filled Danish's eyes as he looked at his childhood friend. "I thought we were best friends and that we knew each other. However, I can't even recognize you anymore. You were such a kind person, you never cared about facts or calculations. I still remember the day you jumped into the sea to save some random kid even though you didn't know how to swim. But, it's my fault, I forgot how superpowers work—they create heroes and villains. Maybe you were never meant to be the hero in this story, despite saving people for a year, you saved them just because I asked you to. You never wanted to save them. Something changed within you. God made a mistake choosing someone as cold-hearted as you. Or maybe these powers have given you too much intellect that you have become an emotionless machine." Frustrated, Danish stormed out of the classroom. Ariel stood there in the class, lost in thoughts, everyone in the class staring at him with puzzled faces, figuring out what just happened.

 ***

Meanwhile, at Ariel's home in the evening, his father, mother, and sister gathered around the dining table. Ariel sat beside his father, contemplating the events of the day. His sister, Ezra, seated next to him, shared the highlights of her day at college. Laughter filled the room as they reminisced about old times.

But, Ariel's mind was restless, wondering in another dimension, he suddenly sighed out loud and finally mustered the courage to speak. "Dad, can I ask you something?" Einar, Ariel's father, placed his glass of juice down, and replied, "Of course, what is it?" Ariel hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Dad, if you had superpowers, would you harm the bad people and save the good ones?"

A wave of surprise washed over the room at Ariel's unexpected question. Einar pondered the query before responding, "Good and bad, huh? Even if I had superpowers, it wouldn't make me a deity. I cannot determine who is good or evil. However, if someone's life was in danger, and I could protect him or her, I would intervene. However, I would not resort to violence directly. Instead, I would ensure their safety and seek help from the authorities. Having power doesn't mean you are law." Ariel listened intently, processing his father's words. "So, stopping someone from committing a crime or causing harm to others isn't wrong, as long as I can prevent it without causing harm to others?" Ariel stopped and it seemed like he was battling something or someone in his mind.

"But you also taught me that there are no inherently bad people in the world, just individuals with different perspectives and ways of doing things. Wouldn't it be wrong to stop someone who is just trying to reach his goal?" Ariel sought clarity.

Einar smiled, a glimmer of wisdom in his eyes. "That's right, son. We are all driven by motives, and those motives shape our actions. Everyone believes they are right in their way. Even a killer cannot commit such acts without a solid motive. It is what compels us that controls us. However, there's a deeper layer of manipulation at play, something we may never fully understand or acknowledge. But, those motives don't matter what matters is what you do for those motives. Your actions, your ways of doing things, and your perspective of the world will take you close to your goal or far away from it."

Confusion clouded Ariel's face as he sought answers. "So, what is it that manipulates us? Are we being manipulated too? And you didn't answer my question." Einar placed a hand on Ariel's head and gently said, "That's the enigma, son. We may never truly know what manipulates us. Even if we did, we might choose to ignore it. You asked if it's wrong to stop people from chasing their dreams or goals. Son, there is a limit to everything, a line. That no one should cross, even for his dreams or goals. Killing, manipulating, and hurting others for your dreams, is wrong. Son, killing a human means killing his dreams, his goals, and his plans for the future. So, if you can stop someone from hurting others, you should. Even if it means stopping them from realizing their dreams, don't let anyone cross that line and never yourself cross it as well." Einar smiled. " You are special, son. But, being special only means you are not strong it doesn't make you judge and jury. But, son if you see a crime happening in front of you even if you don't have power, even if you are not special and you don't do anything about it you are a coward."

Ariel's mom and her sister looked at father and son talking to each other with such a serious tone. Ariel's mom scuffed, "Great speech, now, eat your meal before it gets cold. Or you both will be washing dishes tonight." Slight laughter filled the hall. Ariel still seemed to be processing things his father just thrown at him. Finding a perfect answer to it…