ZARAKI CITY – EARLY MORNING
The buzzing neon lights of the city dimmed slightly under the gray morning sky. In the center of Zaraki, crowds gathered around the massive SkyNews holo-board, which glowed in shifting red tones.
> "BREAKING NEWS: THREAT SURGE ATTACKED AWAKEN HERO TRAINING GROUND – MASS CASUALTIES REPORTED!"
Gasps. Panic. The citizens murmured in terror.
"Not again..." "They attacked the Academy?" "If the heroes are dying, what chance do we have?!"
Children clung to their parents. Elderly citizens whispered prayers. Fear rippled through the street like wildfire.
AWAKEN HERO HQ – CLASSIFIED MEETING ROOM
Inside a cold steel chamber lined with glowing data panels, five high-ranking heroes sat around a rectangular table. Tension filled the air like smoke. At the head sat the oldest among them, his white beard like thunderclouds and his eyes stern with age and wisdom—Obada Zeus.
Obada slowly raised his head and asked, his voice heavy:
"Has the boy been killed?"
The other four heroes nodded silently.
One hero raised his hand.
Obada's eyes narrowed. "I know what you're about to ask... Why we killed the boy."
The hero lowered his hand, nodding in agreement.
Obada continued:
"That boy carries within him a cursed power—one directly tied to the Red Sky. That's what the Threats are after. And now… there are whispers of a new force. A group calling themselves... Esada."
The room tensed.
"If the boy awakens… he could bring the world to ruin."
Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Killing him was not the best option."
All heads turned. It was Black, the most unpredictable among them.
Obada leaned forward. "And what would you have done?"
Black stood up, eyes blazing.
"We could have used him. Turned him into a weapon. Used his power against the Threats. Instead, we throw away our most dangerous gift just because we're afraid of what he might become."
He stepped back, shaking his head in disgust.
"This is why I despise cooperating with you so-called heroes. You're not guardians—you're just afraid old men playing gods."
Black stormed out of the chamber.
"The boy could have changed the tide… but now, we may have destroyed our only hope."
Obada's eyes followed him, unreadable.
Inside a high-tech treatment room, injured heroes lay unconscious under glowing stasis fields. One room stood out—a ward where Catherine, a young female hero, lay weak with an IV in her hand.
She mumbled faintly, over and over:
"I hope you're alive, Eli... please be alive…"
A nurse entered.
"Time for your treatment, Miss Catherine."
"Nurse," Catherine whispered, "do you have a patient named Eli?"
The nurse checked the system. "No… we have no record of any Eli. Is there a problem?"
Catherine forced a smile. "No. Nothing at all."
As the nurse left, Catherine turned her face to the window, eyes heavy with tears.
Eli's unconscious body floated on the surface of calm water. Slowly… his eyes opened.
Ping!
A holographic blue system interface burst to life before his eyes:
> SYSTEM INITIALIZING... USER: ELI RUME STATUS: CRITICAL INJURY – AUTO RECOVERY ACTIVATED VITALS STABILIZED. HEALING RATE INCREASED 200%. NEW ABILITY DETECTED: AUTO-DODGE (Passive) XP GAINED: +300 LEVEL UP! LVL 1 → LVL 2 SKILL POINTS AWARDED: +3
"W-What the hell?" Eli gasped.
The interface flickered off as he stood on the muddy shore, shirtless, a torn cloth tied around his waist. He looked around.
"Where the hell am I?"
The AI chimed: "Welcome back, Eli. Scan complete. Coordinates unknown."
He shook off water, drenched and disoriented.
The air was humid. Loud generators buzzed. Strange music echoed in the distance.
Five rough-looking black men, shirtless, tattoos glowing with low-level energy, walking toward him with activated powers.
One of them shouted, eyes squinted:
"Na who you be? Wetin you dey do for our locality?!"
Eli blinked, confused.
"Na who be you? Wetin you dey do for our area?"
Eli blinked. "What... what language is that?"
"Language Identified: West African Pidgin. Translating."
Eli cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I don't know where I am. I just washed up here. I mean no harm."
The men whispered. One of them laughed. "Omo, this guy fresh die. Make we call Alhaji make he ready crate. This one go fetch better money."
Eli looked confused. "What did he say?"
His system interpreted: "He intends to sell you."
"Great," Eli muttered.
Without warning, one of the men tackled Eli to the ground. Another activated his ability—Steel Hand—and threw a punch.
> Auto-Dodge activated.
Eli's body jerked away mid-punch, barely avoiding a skull-shattering blow.
"Omo! This guy go hard for us o," said the steel-handed man.
"No dey talk nonsense," his friend snapped. "Make we finish am together!"
Eli dropped into a stance, raw instinct guided by his newly awakened system. His eyes locked on each attacker. They charged.
The first came with twin flame whips, but Eli somersaulted over him, landed on his back, and elbowed him in the spine.
> +25 XP – Critical Hit.
The second hurled concussive sound blasts from his mouth. Eli rolled behind a fallen barrel, then launched himself forward. He snatched a broken plank and slammed it into the man's jaw.
> +30 XP – Counterattack successful.
A third tried to trap him with gravitational push, but Eli slid across the mud and headbutted him.
> Skill unlocked: Reflexive Aggression.
The fourth came from behind with enhanced speed—but the system highlighted the move before it even happened.
> Danger Detected – Pre-Dodge Route Calculated.
Eli ducked, swept the attacker's legs, and sent him flying.
The fifth, Steel Hand, was back. Furious.
"YOU DEY CRAZE?!" he shouted, fists glowing.
He lunged.
Eli's system activated a temporary burst mode, and with a scream, Eli slammed a full punch straight into the man's chest, knocking him out cold.
Eli dropped into a stance, raw instinct guided by his newly awakened system. His eyes locked on each attacker. They charged.
The first came with twin flame whips, but Eli somersaulted over him, landed on his back, and elbowed him in the spine.
> +25 XP – Critical Hit.
The second hurled concussive sound blasts from his mouth. Eli rolled behind a fallen barrel, then launched himself forward. He snatched a broken plank and slammed it into the man's jaw.
> +30 XP – Counterattack successful.
A third tried to trap him with gravitational push, but Eli slid across the mud and headbutted him.
> Skill unlocked: Reflexive Aggression.
The fourth came from behind with enhanced speed—but the system highlighted the move before it even happened.
> Danger Detected – Pre-Dodge Route Calculated.
Eli ducked, swept the attacker's legs, and sent him flying.
The fifth, Steel Hand, was back. Furious.
"YOU DEY CRAZE?!" he shouted, fists glowing.
He lunged.
Eli's system activated a temporary burst mode, and with a scream, Eli slammed a full punch straight into the man's chest, knocking him out cold.
Panting, bruised, Eli tied the five men up with nearby scrap cloth.
He stared at them. "Where is this place?"
One spat, "You go dey shout like say we get Google Maps for mouth."
Another chimed in, "Tell am make he calm down jare. Na we he beat, we nor kill am."
"No talk like mumu. You go beat you, you go dey explain joke?"
Eli blinked. "Does anyone here speak English properly?"
"Na wetin I dey yarn since! This guy no well!"
Eli raised his fist.
"WAIT WAIT! BROS! Bros abeg nor vex! You dey Lagos! Na Lagos you dey!"
"Lagos? Like... Nigeria Lagos?"
"Yes na! You dey Naija proper!"
Eli collapsed on the ground, staring up at the sky. "How the hell did I end up in Nigeria?"
Far away, across a rooftop, a black silhouette watched him through a pair of futuristic binoculars. He tapped a communicator.
"Target confirmed. The Red Curse is alive."