Chapter 1: The Moment of Choice
Tom rarely, if ever, felt any rage or anger, or any kind of strong, powerful emotion.
Instead his heart was full of cold violence, like the heart of any other child in the orphanage aspiring to climb in the food chain, both that of the orphanage and that of the world waiting for him outside.
The only time there had been rage in Tom's heart had been the first time he had gotten raped, and had had to face the fact that he had been far from the top of the food chain, even with his powers.
Upon arriving to the orphanage, Henry the new kid had started bullying campaign to assert himself as fast as possible as the top dog among his peers. Tom had to respond accordingly, or else would suffer loosing his hard-worked-for place at the top.
Tom hated acting with haste. He had to give Henry the real lesson, to make him the example to others. He came to his thinking place, the reading room.
Some benefactor had, as accompaniment to the financial donation, also given a collection of comics from across the pond. These were different from the British ones he had read before and which were aimed at juvenile audience, these comics had complex story and moral message, and were meant for broader audience. One title attracted his attention: "Superman".
Inside this comics was the subject which greatly touched the interest and the heart of Tom Riddle: abandoned orphan, with secret powers, turning to hero. The orphan who was abandoned, not because unwanted, but because that had been the only way for his parents to save his life.
And that had brought rage into the heart of Tom Riddle, because for the first time he had felt true burden of the prison which the cold violence had been to him, and he wanted to break it, he wanted to become a hero.