Aarav sat on the building terrace, the wind brushing his hair as the cube glowed faintly in his lap. It had been three days since he first discovered his powers, and each day brought a new surprise. What frightened him more than the powers was the world's subtle differences—the strange skyline he saw from this rooftop, the odd names on the shops, and people who acted almost like he remembered but not quite.
He now had someone to talk to—Meera. She didn't laugh when he told her about the parallel universe theory or the powers. In fact, she believed him more quickly than he expected.
"Maybe I've always known you were more than just the quiet boy," she said.
They started spending more time together. After school, they'd sneak away to test his powers. She'd take notes, ask questions, even design fun little 'missions' for him.
On Wednesday afternoon, while helping Meera carry books from the library, Aarav discovered another power. As he struggled to hold the stack, he wished silently that gravity would ease. The next moment, the books felt light—almost floating.
"Did you do that again?" Meera asked.
"I think so. I didn't even try hard."
They shared a grin. It was like playing a game only they knew the rules to.
But Aarav's world was about to grow even bigger.
That Friday, during lunch, a new student arrived. A tall, thin boy named Rishi. He had quiet eyes and a bandage on his wrist. He sat at the edge of the playground alone.
Meera nudged Aarav. "Go talk to him. He looks like how you were before."
Reluctantly, Aarav walked over. "Hey, I'm Aarav."
Rishi glanced up. "Hi."
"You okay?"
The boy hesitated, then nodded. "Just moved here. Everyone's different. And this place—it doesn't feel… real."
That sentence hit Aarav like a jolt.
He sat down beside him. "What do you mean?"
Rishi turned slowly. "I don't know. It's like… I woke up and my parents knew different things. My room had things I never bought. Like I slipped into someone else's life."
Aarav leaned forward. "You might've come through a shift. Like a parallel world."
Rishi froze. "You believe in that too?"
Aarav pulled the cube from his bag.
Rishi's eyes widened. "I have one too. But mine's shaped like a triangle."
In that moment, a silent connection formed between them. Aarav wasn't alone in the universe anymore. There were others.
Later that evening, Aarav, Meera, and Rishi met on the terrace.
They shared stories. Rishi's powers were different—he could control wind currents and speed. Together, they tested each other's abilities, laughing, falling, failing, and succeeding.
Meera brought out a notebook. "You guys need to name your team. Every superhero has one."
Aarav chuckled. "We're not superheroes."
"You're protecting people, hiding your identities, testing powers… if that's not superhero work, what is?"
After some fun debate, they settled on the name: Axis Guardians—a nod to the cube's reference to Axis-7.
But their fun was short-lived.
That night, as Aarav looked out the window, he saw flickers of light in the sky. Not lightning—something stranger. Streaks of energy pulsing across the clouds like invisible wires.
He turned on the news. There had been strange magnetic waves in the atmosphere. Scientists were baffled. Animals were restless. Power outages were increasing.
The cube pulsed again.
This time, words hovered in the air:
Phase 2: Guardian Initiation in Progress.
Aarav stood frozen. Was this part of something bigger? Was he just one of many? What did "Phase 2" mean?
He quickly texted Meera and Rishi to meet tomorrow.
He was beginning to understand that his powers weren't an accident—and this parallel universe was more dangerous than it seemed.
Something was coming.
And the Axis Guardians had to be ready.