>Boooooooom<
A deafening shockwave ripped through the clear air above Durango, Mexico. It wasn't the sound of thunder; it was the sound of reality tearing itself apart. Nearly every eye on the planet, from bustling market stalls to quiet suburban living rooms, was glued to the live broadcast of this one-in-a-lifetime confrontation. The battle was between the world's top two rankers, a clash that had already rendered half a city block into dust.
"Hello, my name is James Right, and right now, I'm clinging for dear life in a news helicopter, broadcasting live over the shattered remains of downtown Durango," the reporter, James, muttered to the camera, his voice tight with adrenaline. His usually polished hair was plastered to his forehead. "This is the fight between the legendary hero, Ryusei, and the catastrophic villain known as Lucifero. As you can see, these two are the absolute pinnacle of human power—the highest-ranked individuals alive. Ryusei is fighting desperately, trying to protect this city from complete, fiery destruction at the hands of Lucifero."
Suddenly, the helicopter lurched violently. James's eyes widened in horror. A piercing, brilliant crimson beam—so fast it looked like a tear in the sky itself—was aimed directly at their little speck of metal, threatening to vaporize the broadcast and the reporters instantly.
>Boooooooom<
The beam struck, not the helicopter, but an invisible, shimmering barrier of pure azure energy that erupted in front of their lens. The force of the impact rattled the camera loose, nearly pitching James out of his safety harness. The air burned with ozone. Ryusei, a blur of motion miles below, had intercepted the attack just in time, blocking the devastating energy beam with a hastily constructed projection of his raw powers. The hero was already strained, and the sheer effort cost him precious seconds of focus.
The ground shook as the two powerful individuals, the embodiment of destruction and defense, clashed again. Their struggle was a dizzying dance of light and devastation. Finally, they separated, hovering hundreds of feet apart, their energy crackling visibly.
"Yo, Ryusei. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" The villain, Lucifero, opened his mouth, and the sound was not a roar, but a casual, mocking drawl. His shadow was a deep, unsettling purple against the ravaged landscape. "Heard you finally got married. And you didn't even bother to invite me? " The villain chuckled, a dry, rasping sound devoid of genuine humor.
Ryusei did not crack a smile. His jaw was set, sweat tracing paths through the dust caked on his face. "Shut up, Luz," he sighed, the exhaustion of the battle heavy in his tone. "Why? Why are you trying to destroy this city?" He felt a profound sense of loss. Since the moment Luz returned, he had been transformed—not just into a villain, but into something frighteningly, monstrously powerful.
"I go by Lucifero now, haven't you been paying attention?" Lucifero tilted his head, a gesture of casual disappointment. "And you can't even say hello to your best friend before asking me to stop? Honestly, you always were boring, Number one." The final title was spat out like an insult.
***
September First: San Francisco
Today is September first. The air in the city of San Francisco was cool and crisp, but inside the cramped, beloved old orphanage, the kitchen was already warm and thick with the scent of frying bacon and fresh toast. The familiar, rhythmic clatter of pots and pans was the only sound aside from the low murmur of the morning news flickering on a small TV screen in the corner.
In the kitchen, three figures moved with coordinated efficiency: two teenage girls and the kindly, middle-aged woman who ran the home. One girl, Angel, possessed hair the color of midnight and eyes that seemed to hold untold secrets. The other, Lisa, was a striking blonde, her movements quick and energetic. Both were undeniably gorgeous, but their focus was entirely on preparing the massive breakfast.
Lisa stacked plates with practiced speed. "But seriously, Angel, how long are those three going to sleep? School starts in less than an hour." She didn't sound angry, just exasperated.
Angel let out a quiet, knowing laugh as she stirred the scrambled eggs. "It's just because of him that they can't wake up yet. You know Dicou and the others followed his lead. They didn't even sleep three hours, did they?"
She was referring to the boys' fateful decision to stay up. They had been watching a marathon of classic action movies late into the night, but when the news broke that Ryusei and Lucifero were fighting live in Durango, two of the boys had rushed to the TV. However, one of the three, determined to finish the final movie, had convinced them to push on. They eventually stumbled to bed around 5 a.m.
As the girls were talking, they suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, descending the old, creaking wooden stairs. They both froze, looking towards the hallway.
It wasn't a stumble or a frantic rush; it was a measured pace. The person who appeared was a young, handsome man. He had flawless, pale white skin, a bright cascade of blond golden hair that seemed to catch the light, and brilliant emerald green that were already wide awake and focused.
Angel and Lisa exchanged a glance of genuine surprise. He was the last person they expected to see first.
The young man offered a slight, genuine smile, his voice calm and polite. "Good morning, Angel, Lisa, and Ms. Monica."
"Good morning, Alexis," the girls replied in unison, still a little stunned.
Ms. Monica turned from the stove, a spatula in hand, and her expression melted from hurriedness to mild shock. "Oh, good morning, Alexis! You're actually the first one down. Are the other two still sleeping?" She glanced at the clock hanging above the refrigerator. It was already 8:00 a.m.
A shadow crossed her face. "Alexis, Angel, and Lisa. Listen closely. You all need to wake up those two boys who are still sleeping and get to school on time. I can't be late taking the younger children. If you miss the bell, you will automatically have house arrest for a week."
All three sighed heavily. The two girls glared pointedly at Alexis. It had absolutely been his fault that they were all up so late.
As they made the slow walk up the stairs toward the boys' room, the tension built. They eventually arrived at the closed door. Lisa didn't bother knocking. She threw the door open and took a deep breath.
"Wake up, you stupid asses!" she screamed, her voice hitting a high, piercing note that bounced off the wooden walls.
"Oh Lisa, shut up," he said. As soon as he heard it, he saw a bullet coming in his direction, which he barely avoided. Surprisingly, there was another bullet shot at him that he couldn't dodge but luckily it was stopped in midair by some strange force. Alexis, the one who shot the bullets suddenly chuckled.
" Say that again and I will shoot them straight in your heart Dicou " He couldn't accept that even if he was sleeping and we woke him up suddenly, he couldn't foul mouth a girl. The one who almost had a bullet in his head was Dicou a young handsome man with tanned skin, brown bronze hair, and brown eyes.
" Lisa, I apologize and I thank you Eptosi, Dicou said ". As soon as he said that, everyone was looking at the boy who saved Dicou from the second bullet. The protagonist of this story, Eptosi. His silver hair contrasts sharply with his dark black eyes, giving him an otherworldly look. Though leanly muscular, he carries himself with a calm grace. As he was putting his clothes on, he looked at them with emotionless eyes, then put a warm smile on his face and said.
" Good morning everyone, and sorry for being up so late. " He had already finished putting on his clothes. Soon after, Dicou also finished dressing up. Suddenly, they heard a car coming back, then all of them froze up. They all looked out the window to see who it was. It was Ms. Monica, she was coming home. If she sees that they are still at home, they will automatically be placed under house arrest.
" Angel, fly with your wings to grab our bags before she gets home, and Eptosi helps us jump out of the window. " When Alexis stuttered it. Angel was already flying downstairs to get the bags while the rest jumped out the window. Before falling, they were stopped in midair because of a strange force. It was Eptosi power. They began running on air. Everyone who saw this would be perplexed.
" I hope Angel got the bags on time " Lisa murmured. She was worried that she would be caught with Monica. It isn't the first time that this has happened. There were times that they woke up late and got grounded for it. Mostly because of Alexis and Dicou but she couldn't deny it was her fault sometimes too. But it was never Angel and Eptosi, those two were always the first to wake up. Then we landed on the street and saw a very gorgeous girl flying through the air with five bags. She threw each of them their bags. We all looked at her and said the same thing.
" Thank you, Angel, you really are one." We thanked her and made a joke about her name. Eptosi glanced at his smartphone and saw it was 8:25. We needed to be at school at half 9.
" We need to move fast " I murmured. It takes at least 20 minutes to walk to school. He was thinking of a plan to move faster but suddenly, someone spoke.
" Angel will fly with Lisa to school, Eptosi will help Dicou, and I will travel alone " Alexis is lazy and not responsible, but he is great when it comes to planning battle strategies.
***
Everyone followed the plan, and five minutes later we were all at school.
" Hahaha, looks like I'm first again, " Alexis said chuckling. Showing his immature side again. Every time we were racing Alexis was always first.
" Shut up before I hit you twice, just because you got a nicer one doesn't mean it's the better one " Dicou responded jealously. As they were all walking into the school they saw a poster that indicated the tenth grade.
" Hope we will all be in the same class " Angel murmured. They were three different classes in our grade.
" It would be nice " Eptosi chuckled. Of course, it was always enjoyable to be together.
> Drrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggg<
Suddenly we heard the bell ringing. Voices came from all directions. Teachers were screaming the names of the children in their class.
" Eptosi, Alexis and Dicou "
" Angel and Lisa "
We all heard our names being called, but the girls were called out by another teacher.
" What a pity we can't be together. "Alexis said. It's always more fun with the girls. He thought.
" We will see you later, " Dicou said.
" Yeah and don't make too much fuss. Eptosi, watch on them. " Lisa responded.
" Sure " Among the three, Eptosi was the most mature. So she left him the responsibility.
We saw various children of our age as we walked to where the teacher called our names. This was going to be their class.