Sunday mornings were supposed to feel peaceful.
For Bobby Williams, they felt like a countdown.
The sun was out, the sky clear, birds chirping like life was something to celebrate but all Bobby could think about was the same thing he thought about every day.
"I really don't feel like going to work."
He adjusted the strap of his worn backpack as he walked down the sidewalk, hands shoved in his pockets. At 18 years old, life had already settled into something predictable. Wake up. Work. Go home. Sleep. Repeat.
He worked as a janitor 9 to 5, sometimes longer if they needed him.
It paid decent.
But it wasn't living.
Bobby glanced up at the sky.
"…Man," he muttered. "Life is kinda boring."
His mind drifted as it always did.
To manga.
To anime.
To the kind of worlds where people mattered.
Where power, purpose, and destiny actually meant something.
His favorite as a kid?
Avatar: The Last Airbender.
People bending the elements, shaping the world itself…
"…Now that's a life," he said under his breath.
A gust of wind brushed past him.
Then—
A laugh.
Soft.
Not his.
Bobby stopped.
"…Okay… that was weird."
But there was no time to think about it.
Up ahead, a young mother was pushing a stroller. Beside her walked a toddler barely steady on her feet, giggling as she played with her baby sister.
Bobby smiled slightly.
At least someone's having a good day.
Then
The baby dropped her doll.
It rolled into the street.
The toddler's eyes lit up.
"I'll go get it!"
And before anyone could react—
She ran.
Straight into the road.
Time slowed.
A truck roared down the street.
Too fast.
Too close.
The driver slammed the brakes but it wasn't enough.
The mother screamed.
Bobby didn't think.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't plan.
He just moved.
"HEY!"
He sprinted forward, faster than he ever had in his life.
His heart pounded.
I'm not a hero…
The truck was almost there.
But I can't just stand here
He reached the girl.
Grabbed her.
Shoved her out of the way.
And then
Everything stopped.