It was time, time to meet The Queen of Hatred. I could feel my heart thumping through my chest. The only thing keeping me from having a panic attack was the Mood Candy. And thank God I made that purchase, because if I didn't, I would have been dead long before ending up here.
But when I entered, I was surprised. Somehow, despite knowing that the Queen of Hatred was a humanoid Abnormality, my mind somehow, in some way, was expecting to see a monster or something that didn't look quite human.
But what greeted me was a girl who looked like she was cosplaying as a magical girl, or at least that's what she looked like to me. And unlike most Abnormalities, she could talk and actually hold a conversation and not just mumble or spit out random words. She was cheerful and seemed friendly enough.
And the time we spent together went exactly as I expected. Her talking about how she used to fight evil and that she's glad the world is at peace. But the conversation didn't only amount to her being the only person chatting away while I sat there listening, just to throw in a couple of questions here and there. The chat between us went deeper, like what type of people we look up to and what it means to be a hero.
Audio chat between the Queen of Hatred and personal Tim, now playing audio log after introduction:
Queen of Hatred: "You know, when I first became a magical girl, I thought being a hero meant defeating evil. That as long as I fought hard enough, as long as I smiled brightly enough, I could save everyone."
Tim: "And now?"
Queen of Hatred: "Now there's no evil left to fight. The world is peaceful. And I… I don't know what to do now that the world is at peace. If there's no villain, then how can there still be heroes?"
Tim: "Maybe there's more to being a hero then fighting villains and evil."
Queen of Hatred: "Then what would that be?"
Tim: "There are more then just one way to help people, being a good guy doesn't mean that you only need to protect them. Sometimes, just being there when someone is scared can be enough. Or giving them hope when they don't have any."
Queen of Hatred: "But that sounds so small."
Tim: "Some times the smallest things are what make the biggest impact in a person life. The person who stays. The person who listens. The person who keeps trying, even when no one sees there struggles."
Queen of Hatred: "So you're saying… a hero doesn't need to fight in some grand battle?"
Tim: "No. A hero doesn't need some grand battle. They just need someone to help."
Queen of Hatred: "But what if no one needs to be helped any more?"
Tim: "Then just being there in there life and being there freand, heroes can be found anywhere, any time, and heroic deeds can be done by anyone."
Queen of Hatred: "…I never thought of it that way."
Tim: "You wanted to protect people. That hasn't changed. The world being peaceful doesn't erase that."
Queen of Hatred: "So even if I'm not fighting someone… I can still be a hero?"
Tim: "Yeah. Sometimes the strongest thing a hero can do… is give a helping hand."
Queen of Hatred: "Hehe… you talk like you've thought about this a lot."
Tim: "Maybe I have."
Queen of Hatred: "Then… maybe being a hero isn't about defeating evil. Maybe... it's more about not becoming evil."
Tim: "That sounds more heroic than any magical beam attack."
Queen of Hatred: "Ha… you're funny."
Queen of Hatred: "Oh? What's this? You brought snacks?"
Tim: "Yeah. I make sure to always keep something to snack on incase I want a snack."
Queen of Hatred: "Chocolate-covered gummy worms and bears? Sounds tasty."
Tim: "They happened to be my favorite."
Queen of Hatred: "White chocolate … and yellow gummy worms and bears. Usually, regular chocolate is use rather then white chocolate."
Tim: "There quiet tasty."
Queen of Hatred: "Hehe."
Tim: "You can have these if you want."
Queen of Hatred: "Mmm… they're sweet. Comforting."
Queen of Hatred: "So, what should I focus on instead of trying to fight evil?"
Tim: "On the people you want to make happy."
Queen of Hatred: "…That sounds difficult."
Tim: "It is. It's easier to fight someone or something you can point at. But trying to make people lives better is much more harder, now protect someone smile is like trying to protect fragile ornaments in a hurricane."
Queen of Hatred: "You speak like someone who's tired too."
Tim: "Maybe I did."
Queen of Hatred: "Did you ever wanted to be a hero?"
Tim: "No, not really. But, I did want to help people. Maybe just out of fear of becoming something... Wrong, hallow, hartless."
Queen of Hatred: "Hehe… that's a very heroic-like answer."
Tim: "You think so?"
Queen of Hatred: "Yes. Someone bad wouldn't care about such things. But a good person does worrie about becoming bad."
Tim: "…Then I guess we both are good people."
Queen of Hatred: "Hehe… thank you for chatting with me and for the candy, Tim."
Tim: "Anytime."
End of audio log.
That's was how my interaction went, with me leaving that massive bag of chocolate-covered gummy worms and bears. To be honest, that conversation was pretty nice and enjoyable.
Another thing I learned was that the Mood Candy actually worked on her, or at least it seemed like it did. Maybe she was just happy that day and the Mood Candy had no effect on her.
Time will tell.
And I can only pray that my quirk worked against all the odds.
Later that day, I managed to reach thirty percent of my quota just by having a positive interaction with the Queen of Hatred and another Abnormality that goes by the name the Fairy Festival. It was only when I returned back to my room that I truly began to ponder about the conversation between the Queen of Hatred and me.
How back in my original world, I would always try to help people, at my job, at home, and even here. How I would, despite knowing that the people of the Backstreets weren't like the people from my original world. That not all of the people here were good people, just good at pretending to be good.
Those three months I spent in the Backstreets showed me the ugliness of humanity, but not everyone. There were also good people. People that refused to let the darkness of this world consume them. I was tired, but I refused to give up.
Like my mom used to say, when you need strength, just pray. And never stop being kind.
I really do miss home. I miss my older sister, my mother, my father, all of my friends and family. And most of all, I pray that they are safe somewhere better than here.
And for the first time in months, I wept.
I wept for the life I lost.
For the life I was unsure if I would ever see again.
End of Chapter Five.