He was stronger than anyone could ever hope to achieve. He had saved me from what would certainly have been my end. But more than that, he had lit a spark within my soul. The way that he carried himself while he helped complete strangers. Something clicked inside. I had to work to become better. To become the man that this hero had believed I could be. To fill the pages that had been left bare for me. I have to do my best. Otherwise, what point was there to be saved at all. I wanted to inspire others in the same way I had been. It's my duty to continue the cycle.

The road was tough. I wanted to give up constantly. But for every day I found myself sore and beaten I would remember what I was chasing. The dream that I was given that day was all I needed to sustain myself. Even more than that, to push beyond my limits and to achieve something more than myself. No amount of sweat could possibly repay the debt that I owed to the hero who had given me another chance. Not until I could stand on even ground with him as an equal. There were times when I thought that my goal was unreachable and that I was wasting my time. But I had to believe in the man who had believed in me. To trust that the potential he saw was genuine.

Time as a concept began to slip away from me as days faded into each other. My training had consumed me. In place of the young man once full of determination and vigor stood an older man. One who had lost sight of what drove him. One who simply worked because it had become all he knew how to do. On the path towards strength I had lost sight of my goal. And although I now had enormous strength, I had no drive to use it.

I was walking down the street after a night out at the pub when I heard screaming coming from an alleyway. I approached and saw a man holding a knife in one hand and grabbing the wrist of a lady with the other. He was obviously drunk and it did not look like the woman was a willing participant.

"Hey, fucker. Just let the lady go and go back to your shithole that you crawled out of" I said as I walked closer to the two.

"Who the fuck?" He said as he turned to face me. It was then that I got hit with a smell I could only describe as roadkill emanating from this guy.

"Why dont you fucking mind your own business. Me and the lady here were just having a discussion over how the rest of her night is gonna be spent" he snarled. I could tell this guy did not know who he was fucking with. So I gave him a chance to back down.

"Listen man, I dont wanna fuck you up. Let her go and get the fuck away from me before I beat your ass" I was trying to get the point across. Looking back, that was a mistake.

The man charged at me. He closed the distance fast, there was little time to react. I did what came to mind first. I charged back my fist.

I blinked.

When I opened my eyes the man had been destroyed. So did the alleyway we had been standing in, and the blocks surrounding it.

All that stood was rubble. All those people, their families, My fucking house. Gone.

"Fuck, Shoulda went for instead"