Even after living in Vale for years, Nigel still hated it. It was loud, busy, filled with people, and there weren't enough places to just get some peace and quiet. Now, he was hurrying through the city on an errand. He wanted to stay inside, but that wasn't allowed. They said he needed to learn to socialize before school started, so they sent him to pick something up from the grocers'.
He weaved around people, not sparing them a second look. As he was walking he passed an alleyway. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman being harassed by two men. It was a scene right out of those Mistrali cartoons his parents said he wasn't allowed to watch growing up. The woman was clearly in distress and trying to get away, but one of the men kept a tight grip on her wrist. For a brief moment Nigel made eye contact with the woman. Her eyes pleaded for help, but he turned away.
It's not my problem, he thought.
He took a step forward, but heard the sound of someone being smacked. He turned and saw the woman holding her bruised cheek. One of the men held a knife to her throat. Tears streamed down her face.
Nigel's hands were covered in sweat. His breathing was ragged, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He repeated himself over and over.
It's not my problem. It's not my problem. It's not my problem.
With slow, heavy feet, he stepped into the alley. He walked up to the two men, trying and failing to keep himself from shaking.
"Excuse me," he squeaked.
One of the men looked at him. "Huh? What do you want?"
"w-well, I saw that you were harassing that girl, and I thought that you might have some deviant intentions toward her; like dragging her into that alley and raping her, possibly injecting her with drugs to turn her into your addicted sex slave. But I wanted to tell you that it's wrong and you shouldn't do it."
One of the men put his hands up. "What the hell? We're not trying to rape her, we're just trying to rob her."
"Oh," Nigel turned to walk away, "I guess that's okay."
"What about this is okay?" the woman shouted.
Nigel turned back around. "Oh yeah, sorry. Robbing is bad too."
"Who are you anyway?" one of the men asked.
Nigel sighed. He hated introducing himself. "my name is Nigel Arniano. I'm seventeen years old and I'm training to be a Hunter. I've been living in Vale for a while and I'm still not used to it. To be honest the people here are jerks. Not that I'm calling you guys jerks, though you are trying to rob this woman. I guess you could call that jerkish behavior."
The man holding the knife grew impatient and stabbed at Nigel. Nigel parried the attack with his left hand, and stepped forward attacking with his right. His fist crushed the man's face, and he fell to the ground in a bloody heap.
The woman looked at the man who had attacked her laying on the ground unmoving, blood pooling around his head. She ran from the alley screaming for help.
The other man scowled and grabbed the boy by the collar. The boy recoiled and felt a fist strike him in the stomach. He dropped to the ground and coughed. He tried to get his bearings but felt something strike him in the head. He spat blood onto the ground as spots filled his vision.
"Not so tough now, are you?" the man taunted. He kicked Nigel's head into the ground.
Nigel felt miserable. All he wanted to do was stay home and watch tv, but no, he just had to get involved in something that wasn't his problem.
"Yeah, you always were a bit of a dumbass," a girl's voice said.
Nigel groaned. His day had just gone from bad to worse. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to laugh at you. Seeing you writhing on the ground always puts a smile on my face. That's what you get for trying to play hero, though it did work out better than last time."
"Do you have anything constructive to say or are you just gonna bully me?"
The man stepped back. He had no idea what was going on, but the boy had started babbling to himself.
"The hell is with you?" the man asked.
Nigel didn't hear anything but the girl. "Why are you doing this? Hasn't it been long enough?"
The girl's voice took on an angrier tone. "You know why. You think you're some great hero, but you failed where it counted most. I'll never let you forget that."
Nigel began to cry. "Stop, please."
"What's the matter? You don't like it when I remind you of what a failure you are?"
"Shut up!" Nigel shouted. Nigel's voice unleashed a wall of sound that shattered all of the windows on the street. The ground beneath him exploded, and the man that was attacking him had passed out, blood pouring out of his ears.
Nigel was breathing heavily. His ears were ringing. He dragged himself to his feet and went towards home.
He sniffled loudly. "I hate this city."