It was the year 2024 — the world once again changed.
There had been many tragedies before. There have been deaths, and there have been events before that could be called apocalyptic. But this is when it truly ended.
Not by Darkday, not by the aliens that invaded them — but by the humans themselves. A civil war that never should have happened, a civil war for superiority.
A war to favor a stronger race. It was sudden, so sudden that it didn't really seem real. There wasn't even any warning, it just… happened. More than a third of the population are probably dead and dying, and right now…
"...we are vulnerable."
Bulwark was currently standing on one of the Academy's stadiums, surrounded by those that still had the will and strength to listen — there were still many. Most of those that were already inside the academy, as well as maybe half of those that have been rescued throughout the past week.
"I can no longer promise your safety, that guarantee has already passed and whatever little trust you still have left in you, keep it only to yourself," Bulwark continued to address the people — supers and normal humans alike.
"Right now, there are no heroes — not anymore and not yet. We… are all just victims of a war that never should have happened."
"..." The normal humans couldn't really look at the supers beside them. But still, the fact that they could still stand near them means they still believe that they could co-exist… at least that's what everyone in the stadium wanted; that's why they were there in the first place.
"What we can offer, however, and what we are offering now is shelter," Bulwark took in a deep breath as he looked at all the somber melancholic faces in front of him, "The Academy is your home and it will remain to be until you need it. And please…
…always remember that we are equal. Being without power… does not mean that you are weak."
"..." The normal humans that previously had their heads down slowly looked at Bulwark as he uttered those words. Some, finally able to look at the supers standing beside them.
"And if you think you are better…" Soon, however, the tone of Bulwark's voice shifted completely.
"...If you think you are better than your peers; if you think you are better than the rest of us, if you so much as utter a word of bigotry or discrimination to your neighbors…
…I will drag your corpse for everyone to see and hang you at the very ceiling of the Academy. That's not a warning, that's a promise."
And with those words, Bulwark stepped down the stage — leaving the stadium in an entirely different mood that made them look at each other in disbelief.
"...What the fuck was that?" Hannah, who was watching Bulwark from backstage, could not help but force a chuckle as soon as he entered.
"I had to give them a sense of security," Bulwark sighed.
"Huh… right."
"Has the House of Super tried contacting us in any way?" Bulwark then said as he checked on a tablet that was resting on a nearby table.
"No," Hannah sighed, "You'd think after we recovered the comms 3 days ago, they'd start talking to us."
"..." Bulwark didn't really say anything as he just continued to check the news on his tablet.
"It's shit out there," Hannah said as she peered over the tablet, "You saw the drone shot above the cities that weren't in the blast radius?"
"I assume there's chaos?"
"Actually no," Hannah scoffed, "They're all just hiding, people don't know who to trust anymore. And the House of Super… They have some normal humans tied up in chains like slaves. It's… getting worse."
"Earth is back to where it started," Bulwark sighed as he closed his eyes,
"...Walk with me, child."
"..." Hannah only nodded as he followed Bulwark out of the stadium.
"How many people did we manage to rescue today?"
"About 20,000… more or less. Paragon's magic ship is doing wonders."
"That is less than yesterday," Bulwark once again sighed.
"Those… that are in a relatively safe area don't really want to go."
"That is fine, we only take those that need it. Our healers need to rest too."
"..."
"..."
"...You said we wouldn't be able to recover from this," Hannah lowered her voice as she continued to walk with Bulwark through the large fields of the Academy, "What did you mean by that?"
"The Age of Supers is here."
"...Empress said the same thing. But what exactly does that mean?"
"It means we can no longer stop it," Bulwark said as he stopped walking, "Supers have always been the ones to adjust to the world, for the normal humans. And now the world is being forced to adapt to us, whether we like it or not."
"..."
"The transition should have been smoother and taken decades. But the House of Super hastened it…" Bulwark then looked Hannah straight in the eyes,
"...using your brother as the catalyst."
"..."
"I always knew that boy will change the world."
"..." Hannah only let out a breath as she looked away.
"There is a way to stop this war, or at the very least disrupt it."
"...How?" Hannah once again returned Bulwark's gaze, only to see him pointing at her.
"You."
"...What?"
"They use your brother as a banner and as a call to raise arms…
…but what if you tell the world who he really is?"
"...What do you mean?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows.
"You know what I mean, child."
"..."
"..."
"...Did Empress tell you?"
"No," Bulwark let out a small chuckle as he shook his head, "The Pope told me after Riley perished. And then I confronted Empress about it and she told me everything."
"...The Pope knows?"
"Tell the world who your brother really is, and the House of Super will collapse into itself," Bulwark ignored Hannah's question.
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"...Why haven't you done that already?"
"Because sometimes the solution can be worse than the problem it solves," Bulwark sighed as he looked towards the bright sky,
"...Eternal Dark."
"...What do they have to do about this? They've been quiet so far," Hannah raised an eyebrow as soon as she heard those two words.
"That is the scary part about it. You know they exist, and you know they carry the Will of Darkday… but never once have they done anything except introduce themselves."
"..."
"What do you think will happen if we announce your brother's true identity?"
"Those that are loyal to the cause of House of Super… would probably try to join Eternal Dark," Hannah sighed as she looked to the ground.
"That's possible," Bulwark nodded, "So now the choice comes to you — Riley is your brother, and the leader of Eternal Dark is an old friend of yours…
…you stand at the very center of this, Hannah Ross."
"You…
…you're just passing the responsibility to me."
***
"...There's no one here."
"Of course, no one would be here, I told you already."
The beach of Atlanta was peaceful, almost as if it was unaffected by what was happening to the rest of the world. And of course, along with it — the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency. And right now, John and Ellie were standing right in front of the building.
"The whole world has gone bonkers," Ellie's voice was filled with a breath of disappointment, "Those House of Super twats nuked placed with the highest population of normal humans. Didn't you see the news?"
"...The buildings here seem to be intact," John squinted his eyes as he looked at the long street.
"...That's because Atlanta has a lower population than most."
"...So where are the people?"
"Hiding or dying," Ellie sighed before looking at John, "Seriously, the more human you become the stupider you think."
"...Because you are the only human I am learning my humanity from," John said as he stared at Ellie; his eyes, somewhat filled with warmth.
"..."
"..."
"I think that was an insult, big sister." And suddenly, Elliot stood between the two. A small smile quickly grew on John's face as he nodded before him and Elliot gave each other a high-five.
"..." Ellie could really only shake her head as she once again turned her focus to the Paige and Paragon Agency,
"...And here I thought we could finally start a new life. I guess…
…we really don't deserve it."
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"..."
"Fuck," Ellie could not help but stomp her foot on the ground in frustration, "Let's go… there's nothing for us here."
"Can… we at least enjoy the beach?" Elliot said as his sister started walking away.
"No… Elliot," Ellie sighed as she stared at the horizon. It has been a while since she last tasted a hint of freedom, but…
"It would be tasteless to have fun while the rest of the world is dying."
"...Why?"
"Just because. You'd understand if—"
"You three!"
And before Ellie could finish her words, a group of people suddenly appeared from the corner of an alleyway near them. All of them, wearing a red cap.
"Great, the fucking twats are here," Ellie quickly breathed out as soon as she saw them; after all, the red cap was the signature of the House of Super.
"What did you call us!?" The only woman from the group seemed to want to rush towards Ellie but was quickly stopped by her comrades.
"Fucking twats," Ellie smirked.
"You—"
"Stand down," the man that seemed to be the leader of the squad stepped forward… before pointing some kind of device toward Ellie and the others.
"The boy," the squad leader then said as he pointed at Elliot, "He's a class 2. Take him."
"..." Ellie quickly stepped in front of her brother, "Fuck off, go bother someone else."
"Hand over the human."
"This human is my brother," the ground beneath Ellie started to darken and crystallize, "So I suggest you twats fuck off."
"..." The squad leader raised his finger, and as he did so, his men quickly started to surround Ellie and the others. As soon as they did so, however, all the sand and trash littered on the ground started to tremble.
"John…" Ellie quickly grabbed John's hand as she shook her head, before once again turning her attention to the squad leader,
"Back away now, we don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, trust me…" The woman in the group once again stepped forward, "This isn't going to—"
And before she could finish her words, the door of the Paige and Paragon Agency suddenly opened…
…with Paragon suddenly stepping out of the building.
"Why are all of you just standing there and not entering?"
"You…" Ellie could really only raise an eyebrow as she saw Paragon casually talking to them, "You…
…were inside?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Paragon nodded,
"It's my job."