CHAPTER FIVE: HERO OR VILLAIN

Greg winced as he peeled his hoodie away from his side, grimacing at the deep purple bruises forming beneath. That last hit had hurt, even w

Greg winced as he peeled his hoodie away from his side, grimacing at the deep purple bruises forming beneath. That last hit had hurt, even with his Aura softening the blow, and it smarted every time he breathed too deep. His legs also felt like lead, sore from the fight. But his mind was what hurt the most.

The fact that he had an Aura—an honest-to-god force field—should've been way cooler than it felt right now. Instead, all it did was remind him that, for the first time in his life, he'd actually done it.

He'd fought gang members. Real, dangerous people who could've killed him. And he'd won.

Somehow.

His breath came slow and slightly ragged as he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his reflection in the dark screen of his computer monitor. His hair was a mess, sweat-damp and sticking up in random directions, and a thin cut—thankfully already healing—ran along his cheekbone, where he had been nicked when the leader slashed at him.

He looked like crap.

But the thing that scared him most?

He didn't feel bad about what happened.

The gang had jumped him. They would've beaten him bloody if he hadn't fought back.

And when they ran? When he sent their leader flying?

For just a moment, he'd felt powerful.

His stomach twisted, guilt creeping in.

"You okay?" Ruby's voice was softer than usual, lacking her usual boundless enthusiasm.

Greg swallowed, flexing his fingers. "I don't know."

Silence stretched out before Weiss spoke. "It's understandable. This was your first real battle. There's a reason Huntsmen go through years of training before being thrown into the field."

"Not helping," Blake muttered.

Greg exhaled sharply, running a hand through his messy hair. "I just…" He hesitated. "I mean, what now?"

"What do you want to do?" Blake asked.

That was the question, wasn't it?

He could report to the Protectorate. Tell them about his powers, about what happened. Maybe they'd offer him a spot in the Wards. That was the smart thing to do. The safe thing.

But the idea of standing in front of Armsmaster, trying to explain that he had a bunch of imaginary girls in his head, didn't exactly sound appealing. Or masculine.

He could stay independent. No rules, no expectations—just him, figuring things out on his own.

Except Brockton Bay wasn't kind to independent capes. Sooner or later, someone would come knocking. ABB, Empire, The Merchants—hell, even the PRT might not like some random unregistered cape running around.

"Do you want to be a hero?" Ruby asked.

Greg leaned back against his bed. "I mean… yeah. I think so. I always wanted powers, you know? I used to imagine what my hero name would be, what my costume would look like. But now that I have powers, I don't know if I can actually do it."

"Why not?"

"Because I barely survived that fight! If I mess up, I die!" He let out a shaky breath, lowering his voice. "This isn't a game. I don't get extra lives. There's no respawning. If I screw up, that's it."

"You think we don't know that?" Yang asked, her voice quiet. "We fought the Grimm our whole lives, Greg. We lost people. We got hurt. But we still kept going."

"I'm not you," Greg muttered.

"No, but you could be," Ruby said. "Or at least, you could try."

Greg didn't respond.

"Being a hero isn't about not being scared," she continued. "It's about doing the right thing even when you are scared. It's about protecting people because someone has to."

He sighed. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not," Blake said simply. "But it's worth it."

Greg stared at the ceiling. The worst part was… they weren't wrong.

He thought about the people living downtown, about the kids at Winslow who had to walk home every day knowing they could get jumped just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He thought about the Wards, kids his age risking their lives to protect the city.

He thought about the gang members. The way they ran when they realized he wasn't just some random victim.

He could make a difference.

Maybe not a huge one. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be some big-name hero like Alexandria or Armsmaster.

But he could do something.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

He sat up, shaking the tension from his shoulders. "Alright. I'll try."

A cheer erupted in his head, mostly from Ruby and Yang.

"Finally," Weiss muttered.

Greg rolled his eyes. "Don't get too excited. I still don't know what I'm doing."

"You'll figure it out," Ruby said, confidence radiating through every word. "And we'll help you."

Greg took a deep breath.

It was decided.

He was going to be a hero.