Prologue: Not A Hero

When I discovered that I, Finnegan Hugo Mertens, was about to travel through time, my first thought was how I could fix every mistake I had ever made.

To save those I couldn't, to mend the hearts I broke, to bring justice to those who deserved it.

If I could change my past, I could live the life my younger self had always dreamed of living.

To be a savior.

To be a warrior.

To be a hero.

A hero.

Puff-fut, the only way my name and that word could be anywhere near each other is if a big fat NOT was plastered right smack in the middle.

I'm no hero.

I mean sure, I saved a few people here and there, stopped the world from collapsing onto itself once or twice.

But I'm no hero.

If I was, I would have done what was right. Cause that's what heroes do.

Problem was, I didn't know what was right. Still don't. All I know is that I made the wrong choice that day.

I'm no hero.

However, I know deep down, I can't change what happened. In order to find some shred of redemption, I need to live with my flawed past.

Still, I'm no hero.

If I was, even after my greatest failure, I wouldn't have turned my back on the people I cared for the most.

My friends.

My lover.

My family.

...my brother.

...I'm sorry Jake.

I am so, so sorry.

However, that can't stop me. It WON'T stop me. Not this time. Not now.

Not again.

I'm no hero.

But sometimes, you don't need a hero.

Sometimes, you just need someone who can get the job done.

And that, I am.

So with that…

"YAAAAHHHHOOOOO!" I yelled, diving into the multicolored vortex.