The next day, Banner headed to work. He apologized for his absence and began to do his daily duties. He forgot to water the plants. His lunch that day was rice and chicken.

The day after, Banner arrived late at work. He apologized once more and vowed to not repeat it. He accidentally used the wrong cleaner for the windows, staining them a bit. His lunch that day was just plain flatbread.

The day after that, Banner arrived late once more. He was given a final warning, one that he paid barely any attention to. He forgot to properly take out the trash from the patient’s rooms that day. He didn’t bring anything to eat.

His face grew a bit empty around the cheeks, losing definition. Lin refused to talk to him, leaving Banner to either order through an intermediary or leave as to not bother her any more than he needs to. After realizing his powers, he refused to use them, or even learn anything about them. He kept them hidden from view, not using them a single time despite the usefulness they might provide.

He ran into Kennard on a few occasions, sometimes when he thought it was a bit dangerous for a boy his age. He tried to lecture him about staying out at a time like that, but Kennard just nodded along and repeated his actions the next day. Banner eventually stopped bothering the kid at all.

His home deteriorated as Banner refused to take care of it, or himself. The garbage piled up, his beard grew a bit too big, and a smell started to emanate from him. Despite it all, he didn’t notice.

****

Banner finished up his shift, putting the tools back into his janitor’s closet and leaving the room. On his way, he walked into what used to be Listeny’s mother’s room. The dark room had no one occupying it as all the patients were afraid of it.

They dare not go near it, so it was only the janitors who routinely went in there to clean out any dust that had piled up. Banner didn’t know if they had removed any of the belongings, so he decided to check for himself.

The room was dark, with the curtains covering the window and stopping any light from shining within. Banner opened those windows and found that a book was on the table. Apparently, no one had cleared it out from here and the Baroques hadn’t decided to take it. Banner remembered that he was supposed to return this to the library, but the thought had slipped his mind. He decided to at least return it, to not cause the library more trouble than he already had.

He creaked open the door to the hallway and walked towards the entrance. Leaving the hospital, he read through the book again. It’s shallow messaging not resonating with him at all. It was because of his attention to the book that he didn’t notice the sounds of a crowd gathering around the street. Banner looked up and saw the bell tower in all its glory, and a little girl hanging helplessly from it.

He dropped the book immediately as he recognized the little girl. It was Listeny, shaking and holding onto the edge of the building. Banner shoved through the crowd to find Mr. Baroque but he was nowhere in sight. His heart started racing again, as the crowd were shouting at the little girl not to move at all.

“Wait for us there!”

“Stay still, help’s coming!”

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“Are there any of those hallowmancers around?!”

Banner couldn’t wait for any of that however. He saw a carriage parked near a building and started moving through the crowd to get to it. He climbed on top of the vehicle and from there jumped onto the railing of a building.

“Look over there!”

“Stay still, okay! The nice man’s coming to get you!”

They were trying to reassure her in the best way they could. Holding onto the railings, Banner heard the sound of the metal giving way. It dragged itself out of the hole and made Banner jump up and down. It was an uncomfortable sensation for him, heightened by the reaction of the crowd. Banner kept climbing, step by step. He put his hands and feet onto the railings and tried his best to slowly approach as to not break it any more than he already had.

The shoddy foundation of the building proved trouble for him, however, as it made his job all the more difficult. He kept climbing, but after another point where the metal and bricks broke, he was forced to look down and notice his current height. He was a significant distance away from the bottom of the building, which made him tighten his grip all the more around the railings.

During this time, he noticed Lin looking up towards him. She caught his eye and her voice seemed to be echo above those of the rest of the crowd.

“Banner! I’m sorry of what I said! I hated you for your powers, not for who you were! I was wrong to do that! Please, save her! USE THEM, BANNER!” Those words made time freeze for the man. He opened himself up to them, the powers he had been blessed with.

A pool of power from his stomach spread all throughout his body, strengthening it, perfecting it. Banner felt it give him the concentration that he needed to succeed. He planted his feet against the metal of the building, and jumped.

His body flew in the air, defying gravity as the railing behind him became dented and broke away. It fell to the ground as Banner rose above it, catching himself on a bluff from the bell tower. The wind struck his face and he slowly approached Listeny.

“Listeny, I need you to come here slowly, think you can do that?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “I did it, mister Banner, it was me!”

“No, you didn’t, Listeny. I read the report, she passed peacefully!”

“S-she promised we’d go on adventures,” she sniffed, “T-t-that m-me and her would go on adventures, after that day.” She started bawling in front of him. Banner felt an immense guilt over the fact.

“You didn’t kill her, Listeny.”

The little girl looked up at him.

“You gave her peace. She knew you’d be fine. She knew that after she passed, you would be able to succeed. That you would be able to on more adventures tomorrow. Even if she couldn’t herself.”

Listeny burst into tears fully, wiping her face with one hand and holding the other towards Banner.

“P-please take me home, mister Banner,” she said between tears.

Banner nodded as he grabbed the little girl and held her close. He looked downwards and opened a portal to the ground. Another one appeared in front of him and he jumped through, landing on the solid street below.

He took the little girl and let her stand for herself. After he did, the crowd erupted into cheers and screams. They gave him pats, shook his hand and gave him applause for what he had accomplished. Banner could see Lin smiling at him. Even further behind her, he saw Koy smirking at both of them. She stared at her cigar and tossed it in the trash after putting it out. She then joined in on the applause.

Listeny’s father arrived soon after, worrying over his child and holding her close. Banner nodded to the man and exited the center of the crowd, instead walking towards the wreckage of the front of the building. A man stood there, in his business suit, holding his hat as he stared at the metal in awe.

“I-It just fell apart? And if that man wasn’t fast enough…” he muttered to himself.

Banner held out an arm and put it on his shoulder. “Oksifer?”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps you're regretting some of your actions now."

"I just... I didn't think it would lead to this is all," Oksifer replied.

"I don't blame you, Oksifer. But the way you're going, both your business and your family is going to suffer. Have you looked at your children lately?"

"I haven't made time... Oh, I do sound horrible when I say it that way."

"Your family needs you. Are you willing to be there for them?"

"I suppose I have to be now, if I want to be known as someone who had a smidgen of integrity."