Ven stared at his brand new reflection in a bathroom of the hospital. His once frail figure was now well built and adorned with muscles. He wasn't too big, yet he was pleased with the results. He wondered if it was fair to celebrate his new physique, he didn’t work for it after all. The Emergence is what gave him a strong physique, seemingly healed him, and possibly gave him powers. He put his white T-shirt back on and walked out of the bathroom.

  Now that he was officially and miraculously made healthy, he was being discharged from the hospital. The only reason why he hadn't gone home yet was because many doctors in the facility were skeptical and didn't fully believe that Ven was now healthy.

  I mean could he really blame them? He had a heart transplant only a few weeks ago, organ recipients don’t usually recover so quickly.

  As Ven walked back to his hospital room, he wondered what he'd do next. If he were discharged, what was the plan? Would he apply to many university? He still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to major in. Or would he go to Spectralis and attempt to fulfill his dream of becoming officially employed by the prestigious Hero Brunch to fight alongside other brave superheroes? Speaking of superheroes, he still wasn't even sure what his superpower was exactly. Just how could he find out anyway!?

  Due to his mother's wealth, he really didn't need to do any of that, however even the son of a billionaire knew he had to find purpose elsewhere. As cool as gaming all day and munching on cheetos sounded, he knew it wouldn’t fulfill. Every man must find his purpose.

  As he walked, he glanced at his strengthened hand with awe. He already decided. Becoming a superhero would become his goal. He just had to pass the annoying task of passing the tests to get employed.

  Ven put his hand down as he continued to ponder. Though he was healthy now, he realized he really didn't feel all that different emotionally. He was still fearful, and unfortunately he was still gravely depressed. Would those negative emotions fade away when fighting crime? Why would those emotions persist though he gained a healthy body? Perhaps his mind was still in doubt of his new reality.

  Ven finally made it back to his hospital room and saw Patty, the nurse making his bed.

  "Don't think you'll be here much longer Ven," smiled Patty, her face still filled with awe.

  Ven looked at her with an almost sad smile. "I guess you're right." Perhaps he would miss her when he gets discharged. "Have you seen Rudy? I checked by his room but he wasn't there. I wanted to tell him 'what happened.'"

  "Ven... Didn't you hear? Rudy is no longer with us. He had a grand mal seizure sometime after midnight and passed away. Doctors tried everything but there was no saving him… I’m sorry.”

  Ven's eyes widened in disbelief. Rudy's extreme pessimism was annoying, but hearing about his untimely death was extremely disheartening. He wasn't exactly close to him, yet his eyes began to soak. He and Rudy were a lot alike—two sick men who gave up their naive conquest on the world. It appeared Ven's conquest was just beginning, while Rudy's never even started. If only Rudy listened to him and went with him to the Emergence site. If he did, would he have gotten healed and thus still be alive? If he listened to Rudy and went back to his room, would be also be dead like Rudy?

  "I don't know what to say," Ven frowned. Perhaps nothing could be said.

  "Though we wish Rudy was still alive, it's important to understand that he is now free from his suffering."

  "I guess…"

  Ven's phone began to buzz, his mother was calling. He gasped when he realized he already had numerous missed calls from her. God forbid he forget to take his phone to the bathroom.

  Ven answered the phone as his excitement began to overshadow him.

  "Vendel!" Vera screamed on the phone.

  "Yeah Mom?"

  "I got a call from Doctor Tiba. Are you really okay?" The worry in her voice could be heard miles away.

  "Yes Mom, I'm fine. Everything's okay. I'm being discharged now," said Ven. Funny enough, he didn't know if he really believed himself or not.

  "Oh, thank God!" cried Vera. "I know I was praying for a miracle and all, but I didn't expect things to happen so fast! Tiba says you're not even skinny anymore. How do you think this happened?"

  "I... uh… went to to twenty-first Emergence site last night. It was at the Malaika convention center."

  "Ven! Seriously! Why would you do something so reckless!?” Her excitement was now tainted with worry.

  "I'm not sure to be honest. I got to a point to where I didn't care if I died and was willing to do anything to feel healthy. I figured, that even if I died trying to get to the Emergence site, it'd all be worth it."

  After a brief pause, Vera spoke again. "Sheesh... You really are just like your father. DNA is really something. Do you want me to pick you up now? I'm in Aerilon now so it may take me some time to get there."

  "No, it's fine. I'll meet you at home later today since I don't want to wait here all day after being discharged. I'll take a ride back alone."

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  "Alright, sounds good. I’ll give Nuru a call! I'll see you later tonight. I'm glad you're finally feeling better!"

  After the phone call ended, Ven looked at the window with a strange sense of trepidation. Just why was he so afraid?

  ****

  After Ven was finally discharged from the hospital, he walked out the front door with Dr. Tiba's haunting words still radiating in his confused ear. He stared back to look at his former prison. After all of the years of torment, he was leaving the place he hated so much. It still felt surreal, he was practically pinching himself repeatedly to see if he was dreaming or not. Now he was left standing in front of his old hospital home and pondering his future.

  He sat on the same bench he sat at the other night, and called a ride. That time he called one of his mother's housekeepers instead of a standard rideshare. To his astonishment, the house keeper arrived in a large shiny black limousine.

  "Good evening, Vendel. Glad you're feeling better," the elderly male housekeeper named Nuru said.

  "Eh, thanks. Don't you think the limo's a little too fancy?"

  "Not at all. You are going to run the company some day, so this is fitting for you."

  Being ill made him forget how wealthy he truly was. Now that he was healthy, would he finally begin to appreciate it, or would he continue not caring about it.

  "Where to sir?"

  "Let's go home!”

  Nuru drove away from the hospital. Ven clicked a button near one of the seats, and it unleashed a bottled drink that appeared from the compartment in the middle of the limo. It was a bottle of iced green tea from Korya. After taking a sip, he cringed when he realized the drink was unsweetened. He looked at the other buttons, but was too lazy to make another drink appear. I mean what if they were unsweetened too? How miserable would that be.

  Ven's mind returned to remembering Dr. Tiba's cryptic words. "I think I know why you're healthy now Vendel... You're an emergee, aren't you? That’s just terrible… I hate emergees. You were better off sick. I don't even want to see your face again."

  The doctor's character completely changed when he realized that Ven was exposed to the Emergence. How could someone so nice become so cold? Did other people like Dr. Tiba hate emergees as well? What did this revelation mean for him if he wanted to become a superhero?

  "Hey Nuru," said Ven as he titled his head towards the direction of the driver's seat. "What do you think of emergees?"

  "Emergees huh?" said Nuru as he merged on a busy highway. "I think most of them are bad news, but some of them are true heroes that have no problem protecting everyday citizens."

  "I see," said Ven as he stared out of the tinted windows.

  "Why do you ask?" asked Nuru

  "Oh, uh… No reason."

  Nuru merely smirked and continued driving. He eventually took an exit and entered a street that was covered with luscious green trees. The trees had yellow flowers all over it, the more they drove on the street, the bigger the flowers seemed to become. They were on their way to a gigantic mansion in Safi Heights, the most upscaled neighborhood in all of Bahari. All of the large mansions were all unique and spacious, a true skeptical of upperclass. Most of the mansions were various shades of brown, however a few of the mansions were shades of white.

  Nuru finally arrived to a bark brown mansion locked off by humongous black gates. After hitting a switch, the black gates slowly began to open. Ven sighed as the limo drew closer to his home. He hadn't been there in awhile, every time he saw it, he was reminded of all of the pain he accumulated in that place over the years. Seeing the house again was like being run over by a tank of despair. Nuru pulled up to the front of the large mansion. The yard was also extremely well kept. Ven exited the vehicle and tilted his head upward towards the huge structure. the front of the house was adorned with a silver statue of a sitting Lion. The lion only further solidified his anxiety.

  "Have a great day Mr. Ngugu. Welcome back home!" said Nuru. "You do remember the passcode right?"

  "Of course."

  "Good to hear. Take care!" Nuru drove away from the fancy mansion. Nuru's job as a housekeeper included cleaning the home or providing designated rides. He had his own place so he did not stay with the Nguvus.

  Ven finally walked back to his house with a stomach full of anxiety. He typed in the passcode and then opened the large black double doors. He was greeted by a gigantic circular room that had double doors on both sides. The floors were shiny and well polished, and the exquisite carpet was a great addition. Nuru must have freshly cleaned the place.

  Ven pulled out his smartphone, his only object that he brought from the hospital, and looked at his bank account that included his allowance. He never fully comprehended how much money it truly was.

  He walked into the exquisite kitchen and rampaged through the pantry for a snack. All of the snacks his mother had were gross and flavorless. Since Vera was a healthnut, there seemed to be nothing in the place that would satisfy his sweet tooth. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to become more health conscious as well, he was hospitalized several times after all.

  He grabbed a bag of sugar free chocolate chip cookies and almost spat the entire substance out. It was terrible, how could people stomach sugar free sweets? He put the bag back into the pantry before growing wide eyed when he noticed there was a carton full of hot cocoa powder. He hadn't had hot cocoa in years, now his mouth was craving it. He eagerly grabbed a mug before turning on the enormous television in the adjacent living room. He grabbed a white mug and then poured milk into it. He put the cup into a microwave, as he didn't feel like boiling the milk over the stove. After the milk was warm enough, he took the mug out and poured the cocoa powder into the warm milk. He then walked back to the pantry and placed two large marshmallows into the cup. The glorious smell was wonderfully intoxicating—perhaps it was the first time he had smelled joy in years.

  He walked to the adjacent living room and sat on an enormous reclining chair with a warm cup of cocoa in hand. He grabbed the remote and began to flip through channels. His jaw dropped when he saw the headlines of the news.

  The twenty-first Emergence has taken place in both Amani, Bahari and Draca, Alpinea. The new emergees are out of control already!

  In his shock, he took a sip of the cocoa. He cringed when he realized how awful it tasted. The cocoa had to have been expired, just how long was it there?

  He sighed as he redirected his attention to the television. The woman talking was Baharian and was standing in downtown Amani in front of a branch of a Nguvu bank building. It wasn't the headquarters, it was merely a franchise.

  "Many new emergees have suddenly appeared after the twenty-first Emergence mysteriously came forth. What should have been exciting has now turned into a nightmare as the crime rate has substantially increased in less than a day!There have been reports of numerous break-ins and robberies. There have also been many reports of assault and battery. This bank behind me was just robbed by a group of new emergees minutes ago! It seems they're already using their newfound abilities for misfit. There have been no reports of death or serious injuries, however experts predict they will soon be reported if the pandemonium continues. The Hero Brunch is rumored to arrive here shortly to deal with this catastrophe.

  All of the new emergees causing chaos, and yet there he was still unsure of what his power was. How did they find out anyway? And Why were they causing chaos? Wouldn't it be better to try out for the Hero Brunch and then live the good life? Regardless, someone needed to stop the criminals.