With Orion at the lead, the group emerged from the roaring pandemonium of the Zenith Tech Conclave, stepping through a hidden portal into a realm of stark, sterile silence.
The transition was instantaneous and jarring.
One moment, they were bathed in the horrified awe of thousands; the next, they were enveloped by a private passage reserved for Zenith's absolute elite.
The smooth, gunmetal-gray walls seemed to drink all sound, and the air itself was scrubbed clean by advanced filtration systems, carrying the faint, sterile scent of ozone. It was a corridor of absolute privacy, a world away from the one they had just shattered.
Here, bathed in the soft, recessed lighting, Chloe waited. She stood beside a sleek, obsidian-black luxury vehicle, its form more akin to a predatory beast than a machine. Its engine hummed with a barely audible thrum of immense, contained power.
As a highly-trained attendant of the Wintercroft family, Chloe's own prowess was formidable, her Aether Core polished to a level equivalent to a seasoned C-Rank Hero. Her face was a mask of perfect, professional indifference, a placid lake cultivated through years of service.
But the moment her gaze locked onto Orion and Lyra, that placid lake was struck by a meteor. The mask didn't just crack; it disintegrated. A tremor, subtle but undeniable, shot through her disciplined frame. Her finely-tuned senses, which could normally parse the Aether signatures of an entire room with ease, were now screaming in overload.
These two… they were not merely strong. They were an entirely different order of being. The power radiating from them wasn't the roaring bonfire of a C-Rank champion; it was the silent, crushing pressure of a deep-sea abyss, the terrifying stillness at the heart of a nebula.
The chasm between the power she understood and the B-Rank reality they embodied was an unbridgeable void her mind couldn't begin to process. A deep, instinctual reverence, a primal fear of the predator before the prey, bloomed in her very soul.
Without conscious thought, she began to lower her head, her body moving to execute the deepest, most formal bow of subservience.
"Now, now, there's no need for any of that, Chloe," Orion's light, airy chuckle sliced through the heavy air, and he raised a hand, a casual gesture that nonetheless carried an authority that stopped her cold. "Honestly, all this acting prim and proper is just a bore."
Lyra let out a sharp, derisive scoff from beside him. "Finally, you said something right."
Elysia, however, was not amused. Her fingers found Orion's waist and delivered a sharp, retaliatory pinch, her brow furrowing with genuine annoyance.
"Do you honestly believe you can go your whole life with your savage Sump ways?" she chided, her voice a low, urgent hiss. "This isn't the Sump, where might makes right and nothing else matters. You will be interacting with more high-class Heroes in the future. Nobles from families older than Cascadia itself, politicians whose words carry the weight of armies. There are customs, unspoken rules, and a delicate dance of power you simply cannot ignore."
Lisanna giggled, her bright eyes dancing as she wagged a perfectly manicured finger at him. "Ellie's right, you know. A person's reputation can be just as potent a weapon as their Talent. I see far too many powerful C-Rank morons with grating, arrogant attitudes. They get blacklisted by the Association, shunned by the public, and quietly cast aside before they ever get a chance to truly shine. Power is useless if no one is willing to work with you."
At this, Lyra threw her head back and let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. The sound, unbefitting of the sterile corridor, made Lisanna's wry smile tighten and Elysia's frown deepen, as if she could already feel a migraine blooming behind her temples.
"Yeah, yeah, you can keep telling yourselves that little fairy tale," Lyra drawled, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes, sharp and dismissive, swept over the two noble heiresses. "As long as nobody gets uppity with me, I'll talk the same way whether I'm facing a street punk or an S-Rank god. And if they dislike me for it? If they find my 'Sump ways' lesser?"
She grinned, a flash of predatory teeth. "Who gives a shit. Being popular just seems like a nuisance. I'd rather be feared than loved."
"Is that so?" Elysia's retort was instant, sharp and cold as an icicle. "And what happens when a situation arises where overwhelming power isn't the answer? When you need to rely on allies you've alienated with your brutishness? When a delicate political touch is required? Will your oh-so-charming personality win them over then?"
Lyra rolled her eyes, her expression one of utter disdain for the very concept. "Look here, prissy. With my annoying brother around, our power will never not be enough, even when it seems like it isn't. That's the part you don't get. Besides, what's the point of living if I have to spend half of it smiling and scraping like some two-faced asshole? I'd rather live on that sweet, dangerous edge where my fists do the talking."
"Tch, you stubborn, impossible mule, you—"
"Alright, alright," Orion cut in, his voice calm and steady, a rock in their clashing river.
A wry, affectionate smile played on his lips as he gave Elysia's palm a gentle, reassuring squeeze—a silent plea for calm. She huffed, turning her gaze away from Lyra with a theatrical scoff, though the warmth of his hand anchored her, and she made no move to pull away.
At the same time, he gave Lisanna's hand a squeeze just for the sweet, electric sensation of it, earning a contented little hum from her that vibrated through his own fingers.
"Honestly," Orion continued, his tone placating, "I'm perfectly fine with our reputation being 'the scary guardians who put people in their place.' You two can be the popular public leaders, the faces of our new order. Just think about it."
He turned his gaze directly to Elysia, his eyes locking with hers, drawing her in. "The majestic Ice Hero, the Wintercroft Scion whose regal presence commands such awe that people worship the very air she deigns to breathe."
A sudden, fierce blush bloomed high on Elysia's cheeks, a stark contrast to her icy persona. She gripped his hand tighter, her return scoff lacking any of its usual freezing bite.
"Idiot… it is only natural that a Wintercroft commands such prestige."
Despite her words, a small, undeniably pleased smile tugged at the corner of her lips, a sight more rare and precious than a flawless diamond.
Orion then turned his charismatic smile to Lisanna. "And of course, our enchanting Sunshine Hero, a beacon of light so radiant that nations would kneel and worship her, even from miles away."
Lisanna didn't just giggle; she burst into a peal of wild, unrestrained laughter. "I know when someone wants my kisses!"
Without a shred of hesitation, she surged forward, capturing Orion's lips in a fiery kiss, a torrent of passion she had no desire to control.
Elysia's eyes narrowed into slits. "Tch, you two," she huffed, her voice dripping with exasperation. "Mind the time and place, for heaven's sake."
The two pulled away, Lisanna flashing a smug, triumphant grin at Elysia, a silent victory declaration that only served to heighten the ice princess's annoyance.
Orion simply smiled, pulled Elysia a fraction closer, and whispered for her ears only, "Don't worry, you'll have first turn on the ride home."
Elysia snorted, a sound of feigned indifference, though the pleased, proprietary look returned to her eyes. "I expect nothing less."
All this time, Vice Principal Silver had been observing the scene, his mind reeling.
Was this real?
Were these the same two individuals who had just systematically dismantled a Great Noble House and held an entire stadium hostage with their terrifying power?
The Sir and Madam Guardian?
The atmosphere between them was so… unguarded. So warm.
Despite Orion standing with two of the most coveted noble heiresses in the province, there was no trace of the vicious, backstabbing jealousy he was accustomed to seeing. There was only playful banter, affection, and an underlying foundation of unshakable unity. It was a world away from the rigid, cold dynamics of other noble families and the self-righteous seriousness of most high-ranking heroes.
Pushing his bewilderment aside, Vice Principal Silver cleared his throat, his professional demeanor reasserting itself.
"Sir, Madam Guardian," he spoke slowly, his voice imbued with a deep reverence. "Aegis Academy will see to it that your demonstration facility is in peak, pristine condition. We will make use of our Crucible—the single most advanced Aether scanner and combat simulator in the entire Republic. It can measure Aether purity down to the particle and quantify combat output with zero margin of error. I can assure you, its findings will be absolute and irrefutable. No mistakes shall be made."
"I expect nothing less," Orion replied casually, his tone suggesting this was merely the baseline of his expectations.
Just as he and the others were about to step into the waiting vehicle, the Vice Principal spoke again, his voice now laced with a grim urgency. "Just one more thing, Sir Guardian. After today, even before your demonstration in a week, the Provincial Hero Association Directorate will catch wind of this. Word is already spreading like wildfire, a digital tsunami across every network in Cascadia. Soon enough, the B-Rank and possibly even A-Rank Provinces will hear of it."
"Is that so?" Orion gave a casual glance back over his shoulder, a flicker of genuine amusement in his eyes. "More eyes, the better. Let them watch. Let the entire world watch. Even with all the attention imaginable focused on us, nothing will change."
Lyra let out a long, drawn-out, theatrical yawn, flicking her bored eyes towards the Vice Principal. "In a week, even if some annoying flies from some backwater B-Rank province decide to buzz over, they'll only get swatted. Just make sure that facility of yours has some comfortable chairs. All this talking is exhausting."
With her piece said, she slid gracefully into the car's luxurious interior.
Elysia sighed heavily at her brashness while Lisanna just chuckled. Unlike the siblings, they possessed the ingrained respect for hierarchy.
Elysia gave the Vice Principal a respectful nod. "We thank you for your assistance, Vice Principal. Your credibility is invaluable."
Lisanna smiled warmly. "Yeah! Things will be much smoother with you handling the logistics."
Vice Principal Silver simply smiled back, a gesture that didn't quite reach his awestruck eyes. "It is a small matter."
With one last nod, Orion led the girls into the car. Chloe, her composure regained but her eyes still wide with reverence, closed the heavy door behind them.
The vehicle pulled away with a silent, powerful acceleration, merging seamlessly into the city's arteries.
Silver watched it disappear before his own form dissolved into a column of shimmering silver light, vanishing from the scene in a flash.
...
In the wake of the Zenith Tech Conclave, a frantic, unprecedented storm was unleashed upon Zenith City.
The broadcast of Orion and Lyra's overwhelming display didn't just make waves; it was a cataclysm that ruptured the very fabric of society. The footage spread like a digital plague, becoming the most replayed, analyzed, and furiously debated video across every platform in the Republic of Cascadia. It was a viral supernova, consuming all attention, from the highest echelons of power to the grimiest corners of the Sump.
Within the chrome spires of the Apex, the Great Noble Hero Houses—foundations that had stood for centuries, their power absolute—were in utter turmoil. Emergency meetings were convened in opulent boardrooms where the usual confident discourse was replaced by hushed, frantic whispers.
The Hawks, hardliners who saw this as a threat to the established order, began discussing countermeasures, pooling resources to deploy powerful techs and forgotten Talents in a desperate bid to contain the two B-Rank anomalies. Although not a single one of them dared to make a sudden move.
The Doves, more pragmatic, were already drafting proposals, making back-channel inquiries through trusted intermediaries to explore an alliance with the siblings.
But a third, more insidious faction was emerging. They were the ones thinking heavily on Orion's final, world-shaking declaration: his ability to empower women beyond their natural limits.
For a society built on a rigid class structure defined by inherited power, this was a paradigm shift of seismic proportions.
In darkened studies, powerful matriarchs now looked at their own talented daughters not with love, but with cold, calculating ambition, seeing them as keys to unlocking a power their families had only dreamed of.
Nowhere, however, was the atmosphere grimmer than within the Valerian estate.
The sprawling structure, which normally radiated a supreme, oppressive presence of Aether that kept lesser beings at a distance, was now shrouded in a grim, suffocating silence.
Within its state-of-the-art medical facility, medics worked frantically on the broken forms of Collyer, Cassian, and the three guards.
Their bodies were shattered beyond belief.
Diagnostic screens showed deep, spider-webbing cracks fracturing their Aether Cores. Worse, remnants of Orion and Lyra's invading energies still ran rampant within them—Lyra's chaotic vibrations destabilizing them at a molecular level while Orion's paradoxical energy of "icy light" simultaneously flash-froze and incinerated their life force, actively resisting all forms of healing.
The damage to their minds, however, was on an entirely different level.
Collyer Valerian simply stared blankly at the sterile ceiling from his bio-bed, nutrient tubes and Aether regulators snaking across his ruined body. His mind was a broken record, trapped in a horrifying loop, replaying the sheer, physics-defying finality of Lyra's punch and the absolute, invincible divinity of Orion's spear.
That hadn't been a fight.
It had been an executioner testing the sharpness of his axe on their necks. Such overwhelming, incomprehensible power had shattered his sanity.
A man like him, a veteran C-Rank hero, a lord of a Great House, simply couldn't process it.
He began to murmur, his voice a dry, rasping whisper.
"Power… the point of all power… is to be heroes. To be saviors against villains. Those two… they are not heroes." His voice grew louder, more frantic, gaining a hysterical edge. "We-we need to send word to the Directorate! To hell with inviting the troubles of other Provinces, even a B-Rank province! Those monsters… they are a calamity! They must be put down!"
He was shouting by the end, but his voice lacked any of its usual regal command. It was the desperate, pathetic shriek of a broken man. A chilling thought hung in the minds of every staff member present, though none dared voice it: after this absolute, public humiliation, who would side with the Valerian house?
Who would risk the apocalyptic ire of two B-Rank forces over a clear and personal grudge?
"Understood, Lord Valerian," a senior staff member nodded stiffly, his face deathly pale as he immediately moved to carry out the futile order.