The rain fell quietly over Glory City, sliding down steel towers and glowing roads like tears the city refused to shed.
Asher Ryan stood at the gates of the Glory Nation Soldier Training Camp, his duffel bag hanging uselessly from one shoulder. The massive emblem of the nation—three radiant pillars rising into a shielded sky—looked down on him with cold indifference.
"Candidate Ryan," the instructor said flatly, not even meeting his eyes. "Your performance has plateaued. Reaction speed below standard. Combat output average. Mental resilience… unstable."
The words struck harder than any blow.
"You're dismissed."
That was it.
Years of training. Years of believing that if he just pushed harder, ran faster, endured longer—he could be useful. All of it ended with a single sentence.
Asher didn't argue. He didn't beg.
He just turned around and walked away.
---
The year was 2067.
Humanity had never been more advanced—or more desperate.
For decades, the Titans had come. Again and again. Massive silhouettes against burning horizons. No one agreed where they came from. Some said Hell. Others said failed science. All anyone knew was that they hunted humanity.
Glory Nation had survived only because of its greatest achievement:
The Aegis Barrier.
A dome of impossible technology that wrapped the entire nation in shimmering light.
It had held.
For one year.
And then—three days ago—the sky cracked.
The barrier failed.
Engineers called it instability. Politicians called it sabotage. Soldiers called it a countdown.
Asher called it the end.
He walked through the streets of the lower sector, surrounded by people pretending not to panic. Screens flashed evacuation drills. Drones hovered overhead, scanning, watching, waiting.
Asher felt nothing.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Just… empty.
He had trained to protect this city. To stand between it and extinction.
And he failed.
Ordinary.
Average.
Useless.
Worst of all—
Broken.
That unmistakable feeling when you hit your limit… and realize there's nothing left to give.
---
Home was quiet.
Too quiet.
The door slid open, and before Asher could say a word—
"ASHER!"
His sister slammed into him, arms tight around his waist. She was small, fierce, and stubbornly smiling despite the fear in her eyes.
Behind her stood their mother, hands trembling as she covered her mouth. Then she crossed the room and pulled him into an embrace that felt like the only solid thing left in the world.
"It's okay," she whispered. "You did your best."
Asher swallowed hard.
"I wasn't enough."
His sister looked up at him sharply. "That's not true."
His mother nodded. "You're still here. That's what matters."
Asher wanted to believe them.
But deep down, something inside him had already gone quiet.
---
Far above the city, beyond public clearance and civilian hope, stood the Three Glory Pillars.
Three colossal spires pierced the clouds—each housing one of Glory Nation's rulers.
Two kings.
One queen.
Within the central chamber of the Crimson Pillar, the air was tense.
Officials lined the circular hall. Generals. Scientists. Political envoys. Even foreign observers—drawn by desperation rather than diplomacy.
At the center of the chamber knelt a man in heavy restraint chains.
His hair was wild. His smile worse.
Professor Helion Graves.
Brilliant. Insane. Expelled. Imprisoned.
The Psycho of Science.
Queen Reo Valen rose from her throne, her expression sharp with open disgust.
"Why," she said coldly, "should we even consider freeing a madman like you?"
The chains rattled as Helion laughed.
"Hahaha… Queen Reo," he said, tilting his head. "You've grown so regal since the last time we spoke."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But you and I," he continued softly, "know the truth."
The room fell silent.
"There is only one kind of human who can stop what's coming," Helion said. "And more importantly—survive it."
No one spoke.
Because every person there knew it was true.
The Titans were adapting. Learning. Drawing closer.
The dome would not hold again.
"So," Helion said, smiling wider, eyes burning with something unnatural, "what's it going to be?"
He leaned forward against his chains.
"Do you want to die beneath the feet of Titans… or do you want to live?"
The silence stretched.
Then—slowly—the chains were unlocked.
---
Helion stood.
And the world shifted.
"Time and time again," he said, pacing the chamber, "you have tried to create perfect soldiers. Enhanced training. Cybernetic implants. Tactical conditioning."
He laughed.
"And time and time again… you failed."
Screens around the chamber flickered, displaying simulations of the barrier collapsing. Titans advancing. Cities falling.
"You have one year," Helion said calmly. "One."
Queen Reo clenched her fist. "Then speak. What is your solution?"
Helion stopped.
Grinned.
"Hahahahaha!"
He threw his arms wide.
"PROJECT BLUE HORIZON!"
The name echoed.
"This institution," he continued, "will transform ten humans into unstoppable forces… and from them, forge a single champion."
Shock rippled through the hall.
"The Number One," Helion whispered. "Humanity's hero."
"And how," one general demanded, "do you intend to do this?"
Helion's eyes gleamed.
"I have created a drug," he said reverently. "A salvation."
The screens changed again.
A glowing formula appeared.
"HYPER NOVA."
A murmur spread.
"This compound," Helion said, "awakens what lies dormant in every human—abilities beyond matter, beyond phase, beyond logic itself."
The room erupted in arguments.
Unethical. Dangerous. Uncontrollable.
Helion didn't flinch.
"I will select 300 random individuals," he said. "No elites. No favoritism. Through trials, conflict, and evolution, we will discover the Top Ten… and the One."
His voice dropped.
"You don't need heroes anymore," he said softly. "You need survivors."
Silence.
Then Queen Reo spoke.
"…Begin."
Helion's smile turned feral.
"So begins the search for a hero," he whispered.
"Hahaha… so begins Blue Horizon."
Far below, in a quiet home in Glory City, Asher Ryan stared at the ceiling—
Unaware that destiny had just spoken his name.
The chains were back on.
Not because Helion Graves had lost favor—
but because even the rulers of Glory Nation feared what they had just unleashed.
Escorted by armed Sentinels, the professor was led out of the Crimson Pillar, his boots echoing against the marble floor. He didn't resist. Didn't complain.
He smiled.
Behind him, signatures were already being authorized.
Funds rerouted.
Restricted materials unlocked.
Manpower reassigned.
Within weeks, the skyline of Glory City changed forever.
Steel bones rose from the earth. Black alloy walls stretched skyward. Energy conduits pulsed like veins beneath transparent glass.
A fortress.
A laboratory.
A slaughterhouse for the weak.
They named it—
BLUE HORIZON.
---
As the structure rose, so did the unease.
In a quiet park beneath artificial trees, Asher Ryan sat alone on a metal bench, hands clasped between his knees. The city moved around him—children laughing too loudly, drones humming softly, adults pretending not to look afraid.
He stared at the ground.
His reflection in a puddle looked… hollow.
This is it, he thought.
This is what I am.
Not a soldier.
Not a protector.
Just another useless body waiting for the Titans to arrive.
Broken.
A sudden chime echoed across the city.
Every screen—public, private, handheld—flickered to life.
Asher looked up.
The image of three figures filled the air.
"Citizens of Glory Nation," a calm, commanding voice said.
Queen Reo Valen stood at the center, her silver crown catching the light. Beside her stood King Lucca Argen, tall and stern, and King Zion Kade, his eyes sharp with quiet intensity.
"We have always acted in the best interests of our people," Queen Reo continued, "and of our nation."
Behind them, the image shifted—showing the towering silhouette of Blue Horizon.
"To put an end to the terror of the Titans," King Lucca said, "we have authorized the creation of a special institution."
"Blue Horizon," King Zion finished, "will produce ten outstanding soldiers who will stand at the forefront of humanity's survival."
The transmission ended.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then the city erupted.
"This is madness!"
"Ten people? That's it?"
"They're experiments!"
"My son won't be part of this!"
Fear. Anger. Shock.
Asher didn't speak.
His chest felt tight.
Then, unexpectedly, the screen turned back on.
Queen Reo hesitated.
"…Professor Graves has requested to speak."
A ripple of unease passed through the crowd.
Helion's face appeared.
Unchained.
Smiling.
"I see it," he said softly. "I truly do."
The city quieted.
"I see the despair in your children's eyes when they hear that name—Titans." His voice grew colder. "I see how you cling to hope while standing on the edge of extinction."
He laughed.
"Ash and dust," Helion said. "That is what awaits you if you reject reality."
People shifted uneasily.
"You need Blue Horizon," he continued. "This is the only path left. The only road that doesn't end beneath a Titan's shadow."
His eyes burned through the screen.
"This," he said, spreading his arms, "is us making destiny."
"If you reject it," Helion whispered, "then the Titans will make their own destiny."
"And it will devour you all."
Silence fell over Glory City.
Deep. Heavy.
Asher felt it press against his chest.
Helion's voice softened—almost kind.
"I will take only 300 people," he said. "Random. No qualifications. No worth required."
A pause.
"Even if you are useless," he smiled.
"Even if you are broken."
"Even if the world has already discarded you."
His grin widened.
"You can still make your destiny."
A murmur spread.
"He's right…"
"We can fight…"
"He's right!"
"You could be the hero—!"
The crowd began to move.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Helion's voice rang out one last time.
"Come to the gates of Blue Horizon. Once 300 have entered… the rest can go to hell if they wish."
The transmission ended.
Asher's heart pounded.
Destiny…
Is it really possible… to recover from being nothing?
His hands clenched.
For the first time since being dismissed from the camp—
He felt something.
Not hope.
Desire.
Asher stood.
Then he ran.
People ran with him—screaming, pushing, desperate.
The massive gates of Blue Horizon loomed ahead, lights blazing like judgment.
A swarm of bodies pressed forward.
Asher didn't think.
Didn't hesitate.
He pushed.
Elbowed.
Fell—
Got back up.
And somehow—
He made it through.
With a thunderous boom, the gates slammed shut behind him.
Trapped.
Chosen.
A massive screen flickered on above the hall.
Helion Graves appeared, his smile twisted with delight.
"Well done, destiny seekers," he said. "You've already passed the first test."
A strange mist began to pour from the vents.
Sweet. Heavy.
"Now," Helion whispered, eyes glowing, "let's make you all… novas."
Asher's vision blurred.
His knees buckled.
As darkness closed in, one thought burned brighter than fear.
"I will make my destiny…"
The last thing he saw—
Was the mad professor's smile....