That night Ava trained relentlessly, pushing himself until sweat beaded on his brow. His powers were returning, thread by thread, and he intended to claw every fragment back. Shadows rippled along his walls as his energy built, a low hum filling the room.
Suddenly a portal tore open beside his bed, its edges shimmering gold and black. Out stepped a female Shinma with vast black wings and a golden halo. Her eyes glowed like molten metal and sharp teeth gleamed when she spoke.
Ava's golden gaze narrowed. "What are you doing here, Sister? Is my banishment finally over? Is that why my powers are returning?"
Soryana, the Shinma of Love, folded her wings. "No, Father hasn't ended your banishment. Mother sent me. She felt your power awakening again and worried you'd hurt yourself. She asked me to check on you before Father notices."
"I'm perfectly fine," Ava said coldly. "If you're not here to end my banishment, I'd rather not speak."
"Don't be like that," Soryana sighed. "It's not my fault you chose to commit such a heinous act. But I believe Father will forgive you eventually and bring you home."
Ava's jaw tightened, his black halo flickering above him, horns like spears. "What I did was correct. They deserved it. And I don't care what anyone says my banishment is over now."
He stepped forward, energy snapping in the air. Using his omnipresence, he appeared right at the edge of the portal and tried to force his way through only to be hurled backward as though struck. He caught himself before he hit the wall.
"You're truly banished, brother," Soryana said softly. "Not until Father accepts you back. You know the rule: the only way he'll take you back is if you learn from your mistakes."
"Tell Father I didn't make a mistake," Ava hissed. "And if he doesn't want me back, fine. This place he's sent me to will become mine. I will become stronger than him."
"You know it's impossible to surpass Father," Soryana murmured. "Just do the right thing and he'll forgive you. I love you, big brother. But I have to go."
The portal closed behind her, leaving Ava alone with his burning eyes.
The next morning the kitchen smelled of toast and coffee. Ava sat at the table, eating while his mother wiped her eyes. "This is your last week of school before you head to the Dark Lord Academy," she said. "I'm going to miss you so much."
His father grunted, squeezing his mug. "I can't believe my boy's got powers and now he gets a chance to be a warrior. I don't like everything the Dark Lord does, but he does protect us from the other gods."
"Don't worry, Father and Mother," Ava said, smiling faintly. "I'll graduate with honors. I'll become a general over everything. Not just the Dark Lord over all the other gods."
His father chuckled. "I like that confidence. Big dreams. But the Dark Lord's basically unbeatable, son."
"Stop talking about fighting," his mother scolded, dabbing at her eyes. "I don't want to imagine my son getting punched."
Later that morning Ava boarded the bus, staring out the window as the school came into view. When he stepped off, his omnipresence unfurled like a tide, spreading into a domain around the entire campus. Inside that area, he was everywhere at once.
In the locker room, a group of thugs laughed and smoked, one of them dragging a girl toward the showers. "Come on, say you're down for the team," he sneered as the others jeered.
"Get off me!" she shouted, slapping him before storming out.
"Well, I tried," the thug muttered as the others laughed and talked about stolen phones and gang fights.
Then the lights flickered.
"What the hell?" one kid muttered, trying the door. It wouldn't open. The lockers began slamming open and shut on their own.
"What's going on?" another whispered.
From the far corner, golden eyes glowed in the dark. Ava stood there, black halo crowning his head, horns sharp against the flickering light.
"Are you doing this?" one thug barked. "What's going on, you dork?"
Ava vanished. His voice echoed through the room, cold and omnipresent.
"All those years you bullied me. The first time I've ever been bullied. I was born a god. But you guys help me remember, The world needs me. Existence and non-existence both need me. Wherever chaos rises, I will be there to bind it. You every last one of you are chaotic, and I will wield you like puppets."
A massive fist materialized from nothing, slamming into them. Boys crashed into walls, some knocked out instantly, others scrambling for the locked door.
"Stop! Help! Somebody help us!" they cried.
"Trust me," Ava laughed, "no one can hear you."
He appeared among them, holding a shimmering golden, higher-dimensional card between his fingers. Those still conscious stared, trembling.
"What is that?" one whispered. "Please just let us go…"
"It's one of my abilities," Ava said calmly. "Even without my full power, I can trap anyone—or anything, even concepts inside my cards. Then summon them to fight for me. Rewrite their entire narrative."
He flicked the card at one unconscious thug. The boy was instantly absorbed, his image imprinted on the card's surface. Ava threw more cards; one by one, the thugs were swallowed until each had their own card.
He stared at the deck in his hand and began rewriting their narratives, inscribing obedience into their existence: that they would obey him, protect his family while he was gone, and fight for them no matter the cost. With a flick, he increased their speed and strength far beyond what they'd been before.
He summoned them back. The thugs appeared, bowing before him like soldiers.
"My job is done," Ava muttered.
He shut down his omnipresence domain and vanished from the school before anyone noticed he'd ever been there.
Ava left the school grounds with a faint smile tugging at his lips. Perfect. Now my parents have protection. They've been good to me in this mortal world… and if I'm powerful, my loved ones should be powerful too. Mortals love money it's their version of power. Then I'll give my parents power.
He walked into a store, bought a simple mask, and made his way to the nearest bank. Pulling the mask over his face, he expanded his omnipresence into a domain that swallowed the entire building and even part of the street outside.
Inside, people went about their business depositing paychecks, withdrawing cash, chatting idly with tellers. Then the lights flickered. Dozens of projections of Ava his omni-clones appeared at once, materializing among the citizens, seizing them by the arms. Gasps and screams broke the silence as the real Ava floated above the crowd, masked and calm.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," his voice echoed. "I just need all of the money."
Panic swept through the workers. They stumbled over themselves to lead him to the vault. With a flick of his fingers, Ava's omnipresent telekinesis crushed the heavy door as though it were paper. He smirked.
Stacks of cash glittered before him. He pulled out a higher-dimensional card, its golden glow pulsing in his hand, and absorbed the money into it. Bill by bill, the fortune vanished into the card's impossible depth.
The sound of sirens cut through the air outside. Police cars screeched to a halt, officers shouting, "Freeze!" and raising their guns. Ava chuckled. "You think I'm afraid of humans with weapons?"
Before he could move, the bank's front wall exploded inward. Smoke and dust filled the lobby as a soldier of the Dark Lord stepped through, armor gleaming, voice like iron. "You've broken the Dark Lord's law. The punishment is death."
Ava hovered back, smirk hidden under his mask. I should avoid fighting. Too many eyes. If this gets traced back, it'll only hurt my parents.
"I already have what I want," he said, and with a shimmer of omnipresence, vanished from the bank.
He reappeared outside the limits of his domain, deactivating it in an instant. Above the city, Dark Lord soldiers flew in squadrons, searching. Sirens blared, police scrambled, but to them Ava was just another teenager on the street. He slipped into a clothing store, bought a shirt, and walked home as night fell.
When he arrived, he paused not surprise. The thugs he had captured earlier were scattered around the yard, now obedient servants under his rewritten narrative. One mowed the grass. Another hammered at the roof. They worked in silence, loyal and tireless.
His mother greeted him at the door, confusion on her face. "Are these your friends? It's so strange they showed up after school and said they wanted to help us. I told them we couldn't pay, but they insisted they'd do it for free."
Ava shrugged. "Yeah, they're good friends. You'll be seeing a lot of them while I'm gone."
His father leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. "You excited? Just a few more days and you're off to the Dark Lord Academy."
"Yes," Ava said, a sly grin flickering across his lips. "And I have something for you both."
He reached into his coat and withdrew a higher-dimensional card. With a simple gesture, stacks of money materialized on the kitchen table. His parents gasped at the sight.
"Where did you get this?" his mother asked, eyes wide.
"Don't worry about it," Ava said smoothly. "All you need to know is not to spend it all at once. Whenever you need more, this card will provide." He placed it gently into his father's hands.
His mother frowned, tears welling. "Son, tell me the truth did you steal this? If the Dark Lord finds out about rulebreakers, he'll send his army. You know they surround our planet… every planet in this sector of the Hyperverse."
"Trust me," Ava said firmly. "Take it. I want you to live a better life."
His father sighed and pulled his wife close. "Come on, honey. He's right. Our boy's giving us a chance. And it's not like the government won't just replace the money."
Reluctantly, his mother nodded. They accepted the card.
The days passed quickly. Every day, Ava trained harder than ever, though his thoughts always drifted elsewhere. He thought about his real parents, about the words his sister had spoken to him, and about everything he needed to do to reach his goals. Beneath his calm exterior, it all simmered like fire waiting to erupt.
At last, the day arrived the day he would leave for the Dark Lord Academy.