113 The World Without Him (2/2)

There was a time when all he had wished for was to set off on some grand adventure and live an exciting life. But in truth, what he really wanted was to escape the miserably bleak life he had been born into.

He did not want to live and die without doing something. The thought of dying without having accomplished anything was what frightened him in his sleep back in the slums.

Living an entire life for just the sake of living was his greatest fear. To him, it was akin to already being dead. The only difference between himself and those who'd already been buried six feet under was that his heart was still beating. That was what he had thought at the time.

It was why he had been so obsessed with saving them at the time. Why he had wanted to save them in the first place.

It disgusted him to the core of how rotten he had been back then.

He had not saved them because they had been his precious friends. He had only used that as a convenient excuse to hide his true desires.

What he'd wanted was to do something great — something that'd make him feel like his life had a meaningful purpose. That he'd been was born to do something special that only he could accomplish.

A valiant, fearless hero setting off to save his beloved friends? It was almost as if he'd been tempted with his personal holy grail. He couldn't have asked for more even if he wanted to…

That was why he had decided to live a mortal life in Cem-Elle.

Reed had come to the conclusion that his power had corrupted him. He had been way too immature at the time to handle what he had been bestowed.

At his worst, he had thought himself above others. Made himself out to be a chosen one, a hero and much more… He had let it feed on his fears and deepest desires. A fatal mistake that'd cost him dearly in the end.

Thus, he had sealed what had once turned him into a heartless monster. For the last two years, Reed had not once used Anima so much as a single time.

It was to remind himself of what he really was past the incredible power he possessed. He was a human being, just like them.

The first customers had finally arrived and Reed smiled when he saw them. They were the only ones who still stuck around even after the youngsters took over as the bakery's main demographic base.

As soon as the elderly couple walked into the bakery Reed said, ”Absolutely dreadful weather today, don't you think? I hear that it's going to last all week, I'm afraid…”

The old man smiled and said, ”Rain isn't that bad, my boy. There's plenty you can do indoors that you can't outside, after all. Keeping one another warm, for example…”

Reed snorted in amusement and said, ”I can't even begin to imagine how much a pain you must have been when you were young, gramps. You're a lucky guy, having such a tolerant wife, you know that?”

The old man's wife laughed and said, ”He certainly was a handful back in the day, but I always knew how to put him in his place. The moment I learned what his weakness was, it was over for him. ”

She grinned, looked at Lu'um with a gleam in her eye and said, ”Make sure you learn what his weakness is, dear. Once you do, you'll see what I mean…”

Lu'um slowly nodded and said, ”I'll make it my top priority, grandmother.”

They were an odd couple, for sure, but Reed didn't dislike that about them. In a certain way, it was like they hadn't aged a single day past twenty on the inside, despite being well into the seventies.

Mr.& Mrs. Hartford always seemed to live in their own little world. Whenever these two came, even Lu'um would genuinely smile.

Reed envied them from the bottom of his heart. They, who near the end of their lives, did not seem to be affected in the slightest by the age. In many ways, they were what Reed one day longed to be.

Fulfilled, truly happy, and in love with his one-and-only the way they were…