“Ah!” Exclaimed Woman Man the moment he opened his eyes.
“Wonder Man!” Lina exclaimed in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
He remained silent as took several deep breaths to steady himself before looking at them. Lina was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face whereas Zayden eyed him with a neutral expression.
“What did I see…?” He wondered aloud.
This made Lina raise an eyebrow incredulously and ask, “Huh? Why’re you asking yourself that?”
“I don’t know what I just saw.”
“What? You don’t know what you saw?”
“Yes.”
“How can that be? Surely, it would’ve been something, but why are you unsure?”
“I wonder about that…” he mumbled hesitantly, trying to recollect what he had witnessed.
Zayden observed their conversation before asking Lina, “Why’re you so worried by his confusion?”
“Well,” she began by glancing at Wonder Man before turning back to Zayden as she explained, “You know how I told you Wonder Man could see someone’s super power simply by wondering about it?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Well, from all the cases he had taken, he has a track record of ninety percent accuracy.”
This surprised Zayden as he reacted with, “What? Really? Then, this is a big deal.”
“It is,” she agreed gravely and turned back to Wonder Man. “At least, try to remember what you saw.”
“I wonder if that’s possible,” he replied flatly. “I can’t recall… anything. It’s almost like what I witnessed was wiped from my memory.”
“That doesn’t make sense. How can what you witnessed suddenly vanish?”
Wonder Man shook his head and stated, “I’m unsure, but,” and he turned towards Zayden, “I can be certain that he possesses a super power. I just don’t know what kind it is.”
“He does?” Lina asked in surprise.
“I do?” Zayden asked, equally as surprised as Lina.
“Yes,” said Wonder Man and smiled at him. “I believe it to be extremely powerful one at that too.”
Lina and Zayden look at him in amazement before Lina asked sceptically, “Are you sure? You just said you don’t even remember clearly what you saw, so how can you be certain his super power is incredible?”
“I’m positive, princess,” he said confidently with a grin on his face, to which she whacked him on the head in annoyance. Rubbing his head, he continued to say, “We can prove my words by visiting the super human testing centre.”
Asura recalled from Zayden’s memories that this was the facility that tests and assess the people that visit it on whether they are super human or not. It is a government run organisation with facilities spread across the entire world to ensure super humans are logged correctly.
“You’re bring a bit too pushy, Wonder Man,” said Lina doubtfully.
“Princess, I’m positive he’s a super human!” Wonder Man said firmly while looking at her with great confidence. “It’ll be proven if he simply takes the test. That’s all there is to it.”
Lina continued to look perplexed and doubtful over his words, as if unsure what to decide. She knew from previously of how disappointing people felt about themselves after not being able to awaken as a super human.
It was at that moment that Zayden stepped forward and said, “I will take the test.”
“Huh?” Lina asked in surprise while Wonder Man nodded his head in ascent with a bright smile.
“Are you sure about this?” She asked with concern.
“I am,” he replied positively. “I’d like to see for myself to be honest.” Then he thought to himself, “I don’t know what he saw, but he will be very suspicious of me if I simply walk away from this. I don’t want that. I have to keep a low profile until I manage to regain some of my prime state. Besides, I’m curious what this testing facility will be like.”
As such, the three came to an agreement to get Zayden tested at the super human testing facility to ascertain about his super human status. Just as they were about to depart, the security force of the area arrived and Wonder Man decided he would stay behind to explain what had happened to them while Lina and Zayden departed for the facility.
With that, Lina and Zayden got back into the luxury car, and she drove them both at high speed towards the testing facility. It did not take them long, about a few minutes from the shopping mall, when she turned into a drive way and finally parked the car in what looked like a parking lot.
“We got here fast,” commented Zayden in amazement.
“I’m a fast driver with a fast car and fast skills to top it all off,” said Lina confidently.
He turned his head to look at her with an exasperated look and asked, “Were you even driving under the speed limit?”
“Course’ I was. That was the maid road and the speed limit was at 110,” she said confidently.
He stared at her for a moment in silence before asking, “Are you sure about that?”
“I am. Why?”
He slowly tilted his head to the side to look towards the road and pointed to a road sign some distance away from them.
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“Do you see what it says in that red circle?”
She turned to look in the direction he was pointing and saw the number in the circle, which read “70.”
“Oh,” she said simply and remained silent while continuing to stare at it. “I don’t know why it says that.”
“You don’t know why it says that?” He asked her curiously with an eyebrow raised in exasperation.
“Yes, I swear!” She said and turned back to look at him with an incredulous look. “They must’ve changed the speed zone, but up until here the speed zone was 110. I swear!”
She kept insisting what she believed in with a flustered look made him internally find it very funny.
“Alright, I believe you,” he told her, and she sighed a deep breath. Then he advised her, “You’re a driver with an amazing car with high-speed skills, but I hope you remember your family that are waiting for you to come home safe and sound. So, please… drive safely.”
For a moment, she was surprised by his statement before nodding and saying, “Yes. I understand. I’ll be careful in the future.” There was a momentary pause in which he nodded with a faint smile before she realised something and defended herself with, “Wait! Why am I reacting like I did something wrong? I swear I was driving safely and not recklessly like so many others!”
“I believe you,” he told her with yet another faint smile. Then he pointed at the building before them and asked, “Can we go in now?”
“Um… Yes. Sure, we can,” she said in agreement with a defeated look on her face.
The two of them headed towards the large building, where people were coming in and out holding papers. Much of the people going inside had an apprehensive expression on their faces while those coming out had the most dejected looks on their faces.
“I think you can tell what all that is about,” said Lina, nodding at the nervous people going in and the people with great depression coming out.
“They’re here to take the test,” he replied, and she nodded in ascent.
After entering the building, Lina lead the way and Zayden followed her as he had been her for the first time, including in the memories that Zayden experienced. Then she told him to hang back while she handles the testing measures, and so he stood there silently while glancing around at the people walking by.
There were people wearing black suits like uniform that spoke to people holding some kind of paperwork before leading them away towards the innards of the building. Then there were others following the people wearing the black suit from the innards of the building with depressed expressions.
Asura was appalled that several of them were crying, especially grown men from the extreme disappointment. He could not comprehend the reason for them to possess such devastated feelings considering everything that he had experienced.
“To think I’ve ever cried only two times in my life compared to these people,” he muttered to himself.
There were indeed only two times, two different situations that destroyed his very being and made him cry his heart out. However, before he could reminiscence about it, Lina returned followed by a woman wearing yet another black suit that seemed like a uniform in here.
“Come along. We’ll get you tested now,” she told him with a smile, and he nodded in understanding.
The woman in black suit bowed to him and greeted him with, “Greetings, sir. My name is Pina Mahart, and I will be in charge of your testing today.”
“Thank you very much,” he replied and nodded his head at her. “I’ll be in your care.”
“Please, this way,” she said and began leading both Lina and Zayden into the building.
“Is this your first time being here, sir?” Pina asked him curiously.
“Yes, it is,” he replied with a neutral expression while looking around.
“I see,” she said, then stopped and turned around before giving him an encouraging look before saying, “I wish you all the best!”
He was startled by her behaviour before nodding and saying, “Yeah. Thanks.”
Then she turned around and began leading the way again before saying, “Please don’t let the expressions and expectations of others burden you. Remember, today is a special day for you, and whatever the result may be, be positive and stay positive.”
“T-Thank you for that,” said Zayden with a surprised expression.
“And remember, if you become a super hero, make sure to celebrate with the funds you receive for the first time. It marks the beginning of a grand adventure in your life on this marvellous day. So, it is only right to celebrate it. Okay?”
“I… I’ll consider it,” he told her with a baffled look on his face.
Walking beside him, Lina chuckled at his reaction and told him, “Take it easy. There’s nothing to fear, and everything will be fine. She’s just trying to reassure you in her way.”
“I understand that, but… isn’t it excessive?”
“Oh no!” Pina said while glancing at him. “You have no idea how many people threat to harm themselves if they were to fail the test. There were even incidents of people committing suicide because of failing the test and seemingly loosing hope in life.”
“That’s…!”
“Yes. That is excessive, but we can’t be sure of one’s feelings unless we experience it ourselves,” she said sadly.
He looked at her and felt the sadness emanating from her, so he reassured her by saying, “Rest assured, I’m not a person that gives up for an illusion.”
Pina was clearly surprised by his words as she came to a stop and turned to look at him. Lina was also surprised by his statement and turned to look at him.
“Illusion?” Pina and Lina reacted in surprise.
He nodded at them and said, “Yes. Depression is an illusion. It only affects you if you allow it to. I mean, if giving up is such a simple thing, then there wouldn’t be healers dedicating their energies into healing people, protecting people and making them feel better.”
Then he paused for a brief second before adding, “Besides, you’re simply passing on the pain to somebody else by giving up, so I refuse to give up no matter what.”
As soon as she finished speaking, silence fell on them as they came to a stop and the two women look at him in awe. He came to stop and looked at them with the same neutral look on his face.
“Am I wrong?” He asked finally to break the tense silence.
“Oh no. You’re not,” said Pina and smiled at him. “That’s a very positive outlook you have, and I’m actually glad about it.”
“Yeah, Zayden. You’re perfectly spot on!” Lina said firmly and smiled at him while giving him a thumbs up gesture with her hand.
As they turned and began walking again, Pina sighed and said, “I wish everyone possess even a small amount of positivity that you possess, sir.”
Zayden shifted his eyes slightly downward while muttering, “True.”
A few minutes later, they stopped outside a door, which Pina unlocked with a key by placing it on some kind of scanner. The door unlocked, and she turned the knob and swung the door open to a large room with strange equipment situated everywhere and people wearing white lab coats.
“Here we are,” said Pina happily. “This is the place you’ll be tested whether you are super human or not.”
“I see,” he replied with the same neutral expression that did not give away how he was feeling.
Pina told them to wait, and she hurried over to speak with the people wearing the white coats.
While waiting, Lina asked him, “Are you nervous?”
“No,” he replied simply.
“Really?” She asked in surprise. “I was terribly worried.”
“Wait. You were also a super human?” He asked, turning to look at her in surprise.
She nodded and replied, “Yes, I’m a super human except my super power isn’t combat related.”
“Not combat related? Is that why you became a nurse at the hero hospital?”
His question surprised her, and she turned to him and said, “You’re sharp.”
“Sorry if I guessed without your permission.”
“Not at all. I can see why you’d come to that conclusion considering my dad is the guild leader of the strongest guild in our country, the Berserker’s,” she said and sighed deeply. “To be honest, I don’t want to be here.”
“Oh no. I’m sorry for putting you in this place for my sake,” he apologised quickly, realising she must have bad memories from that occasion from her time.
“It’s alright,” she reassured him. Then she sighed and said, “I was hoping I’d get something useful, but in the end, I got something useless.”
“Is it? If you don’t mind me asking, what was your super power?”
She hesitated for a moment, but she was spared to think about it further when Pina returned to them and said cheerfully, “Zayden, everything’s ready! You can take your test now!”
“Okay,” he said and straightened up. Then he turned to say to Lina, “I’ll be back.”
“Good luck!” She wished him with a bright smile.
Nodding in acceptance, Zayden turned and stepped forward with a determined expression on his face.