The evening air was thick with humidity, clinging like an invisible coat to the young man standing on the edge of the small town's river bluff. Overlooking a stretch of muddy water glinting gold under the dying sun. Jeans frayed at the knees, a solid navy T-shirt clinging to his frame, tennis shoes scuffed from months of wandering, he felt like a man permanently in transit—never quite here, never quite anywhere.
Jonah ran a hand through his dark brown hair and sighed. Crystal blue eyes traced the horizon where the trees blurred into the sky. He had no particular reason to stand here tonight, except that he'd wanted to.
His world always felt lacking: Philosophy books, science journals, random odd jobs, and conversations with strangers in gas stations. Everything felt small. Everything felt quiet.
He'd always suspected that life was meant for something bigger. Not fame, not wealth, not the ordinary human trappings. He wanted… purpose. And maybe a little recognition. Not for himself exactly—he didn't crave admiration—but to know that someone, somewhere, could see what he was capable of.
"Jonah."
The voice came from behind, soft and melodic, almost like a breeze stirring through the tall grass. He spun. Nothing. Empty air.
"Hello?" he called, voice steady, though a faint tension hummed beneath it.
A ripple of light cut across the bluff like a sunbeam had fractured and reformed in the air itself. The glow intensified, warm, golden, impossible in the natural world. Jonah stepped back instinctively, boots crunching against gravel, but something in him did not flee. A curiosity, deeper than caution, rooted him to the spot.
Then the voice spoke again, clearer this time. "Jonah Elias Stone. You have been chosen."
He blinked. Chosen? For what? His mind raced through every prank, every odd job, every fleeting dream of being… more. "Chosen for what?" he demanded, though not harshly—more with the polite incredulity of a man who had been waiting for life to surprise him.
"To participate," the voice said, "in a contest unlike anything your world has ever known. You will cross realms, acquire powers, and become one of the warriors who guard the Omniverses."
Jonah laughed, low and incredulous, shaking his head. "Right. Okay. And I assume this is not a joke? I get superpowers, world-hopping, all that?" His grin was easy, affable, but his pulse had quickened. Excitement pricked at the edges of his calm.
"You will," the voice said. A figure began to coalesce in the light, humanoid, tall, and impossibly elegant. "If you accept, your life as you know it will end. If you refuse… You will return to your world, unchanged, but knowing what could have been."
Jonah hesitated for the briefest moment. Then his lips curved into a smile, the kind of smile born from years of suppressed longing. "Honestly? Sounds amazing. Let's do it."
The light enveloped him, warm and vibrating, and he felt a weight lift from his chest. A thrill of anticipation surged through him. It was the first time since he was a child that he felt a sense of wonder. For once, Jonah wasn't just a wanderer; he was on the verge of becoming something more.
And as the world faded, leaving only brilliance and possibility, he thought, Finally. Finally, something more.
The light dissolved as suddenly as it had appeared. Jonah blinked against the afterimage, standing on a platform that seemed suspended in nothingness. The air was neither cold nor warm, and yet it carried a strange weight, like the anticipation of something monumental.
A figure materialized before him, taller than any human, their form elegant and alien, yet strangely comforting. "Jonah Elias Stone," it said, voice resonant and calm. "Welcome to the Contest of the Omniverses."
Jonah straightened instinctively. "Contest?" he repeated. He couldn't help the grin creeping across his face. Finally… something extraordinary.
"Yes," the figure said. "Only one champion can emerge. You will travel across realities, acquiring abilities, skills, and knowledge. Each ability can be gained from only one world, and only after contributing meaningfully to that world. You can acquire as many skills and knowledge as you desire, but only one power per world.
You will face challenges, make choices, and integrate what you acquire into your being."
Jonah's eyes glittered with excitement. "And… the prize?"
"The champion retains all acquired abilities," the figure explained. "The champion earns the support of the Morizoan Alliance. After training and preparation, you will be sent to your first world to protect, to save, or to resolve a conflict of critical importance. You may also choose companions from other contestants, should you win. Those who do not become champions or companions will have their memories of the contest erased, but retain a lingering sense of opportunity lost."
Jonah's pulse quickened. "And the… abilities?"
"You may choose one ability to serve as your foundation, your Core of Being," the figure said. "It will anchor all future powers and skills you acquire. You will also have access to a database containing every world and ability in the contest. Take as long as you need to select your Core and your first worlds."
A translucent interface shimmered into existence around him, stretching in every direction, displaying worlds, biologies, and powers like stars in a living constellation. Jonah walked among them, fingers hovering over impossible possibilities.
Less than an hour later, he stepped back. A single choice pulsed in his mind as if it had always belonged there. "My Core of Being," he whispered, "will be… the ability to understand, innate aptitude, Sylar's ability from Heroes, but without the hunger."
A warm glow emanated from the interface. "Accepted," the figure said. "Your mind is now linked to your Core. All future powers you acquire will integrate through this foundation."
Jonah turned back to the database, exhilarated. He began to make his list. The worlds he wanted to visit—each chosen with purpose. He wanted to win, and he believed this was the winning strategy.
First: Naruto. Byakugan. Perception and energy flow, a foundation for combat and awareness. It will also make the use of Innate Aptitude easy.
Second: One Piece. All forms of Hak. Haki is a biological trait. You either have the potential for it or you don't.
Third: Ben 10. Tetramand Armor.
Fourth: X-Men Original Trilogy. Wolverine's Healing Factor with bone claws.
Fifth: Mass Effect. Augmented Healing.
Sixth: The Expanse. Radiation and Vacuum Immunity.
Seventh: Star Wars. The Force (Midichlorians).
Eighth: MCU. Thanos Physique.
Ninth: DCU. Mr. Terrific Genius.
Tenth: Star Trek: Picard. Dominion Shapeshifting.
Eleventh: X-Men: First Class. Quicksilver Speed.
Twelfth: Transformers G1. Cybertronian/Quintesson Genius.
Thirteenth: DC Legion of Superheroes. Matter-Eater Lad.
Fourteenth: Guyver World. Biogenic Manipulation Organ.
Jonah paused, letting the thought settle in. "According to that…being, I can spend two days in one world, or two trillion years. It doesn't matter. Time itself is irrelevant.
The figure's presence was still there, patient and commanding. "Once your list is complete, you may begin. The first world will be your proving ground. You will contribute, you will learn, and only then will your chosen ability manifest fully."
Jonah's lips curved into a grin, the kind that felt like it stretched from his chest to the tips of his fingers. "Let's go," he said, eyes bright. "I've got worlds to see, powers to earn, and no time to waste."
The light enveloped him again, not as blinding as before, but pulsing with the promise of infinite potential. Jonah felt a thrill surge through him—hope, excitement, drive. He was twenty-five, standing on the threshold of a destiny he had only dreamed of, and for the first time in his life, he was ready to claim it.
Jonah sat cross-legged on the edge of the platform, the infinite void stretching around him, a canvas of possibilities rather than emptiness. The glow from the database of worlds lingered like a distant constellation, the list of his chosen travels etched into his mind as clearly as a bookmark in a favorite book.
A soft hum filled the air, vibrating through his chest. He could feel it in the back of his throat, in the tips of his fingers, as if the very fabric of this place was aware of him. Then, almost imperceptibly, a voice spoke—not with words, but through thought.
"Jonah Elias Stone. Your Core of Being has been activated. This is your Innate Aptitude."
He closed his eyes and focused.
Images, sensations, and patterns swirled into his mind: the invisible currents of the platform beneath him, the structure of the database above, the subtle shifts in the void around him.
Innate Aptitude gave insight, analysis, prediction, and comprehension. That understanding would be the key to acquiring powers in the worlds to come—but only if he learned to wield it wisely.
He opened his eyes, crystal blue and focused. "Okay," he muttered to himself, voice firm. "First world. First test. Let's see how good I really am at this."
The interface shimmered again, highlighting his first world: Naruto—power: Byakugan.
Before stepping forward, Jonah ran a mental checklist, instinctively using his Core:
Observe: the world's natural laws, patterns, energy flowsAnalyze: how the inhabitants interact with abilities, weapons, and their environmentPredict: outcomes, strategies, and potential consequencesIntegrate: any useful skills, not just power, into his mental framework.
It was not just about gaining power. It was about becoming a master of comprehension, capable of navigating systems, strategies, and worlds. He could already feel the gears turning in his mind, the first threads of a network that would eventually link every ability, every skill, every piece of tech he acquired.
A deep breath. Jonah's grin returned, broader this time. "Let's go save a world," he said, standing. The platform beneath him pulsed, responsive, ready. He stepped forward into the light, feeling the subtle thrill of anticipation—the first step of a journey that would make him more than human.