Warmth. That was the first sensation Mike felt after endless nothingness. Not the chilling void, not the suffocating silence of the white space where he had confronted the "me from before"—but warmth. His body trembled as his chest rose and fell in ragged breaths. Air, real air, burned his lungs.
He blinked rapidly. The white blur sharpened into colors: a modest room, curtains drawn halfway against the sunlight, a couch nearby. And then—
"Mio…"
She was kneeling at his side, her hand gently pressing against his shoulder, her blueish-white hair spilling across her face. Her storm-colored eyes shimmered with relief the moment his gaze locked on hers.
He froze, unable to move, unable to believe. In his world—the one he had destroyed—Mio was dead. Crumbled into nothingness in his arms, leaving only ash and regret. Yet here she was, alive, breathing, watching him with worried eyes.
Tears blurred his vision before he even realized. He shot upward, ignoring the pain that wracked his body, and pulled her into a crushing embrace.
"M-Mikey?!" Mio stiffened in shock, heat rushing to her cheeks.
Mike buried his face into her shoulder, his arms refusing to let go. He trembled violently, his voice breaking into ragged whispers. "I won't lose you again… I swear, I won't ever lose you again."
Mio's brows furrowed in confusion, her arms awkwardly hovering before she finally returned the hug. "W-what are you talking about? Again? Mikey, what happened to you?"
His throat tightened. How could he explain? How could he tell her that he had lived through countless lifetimes already, watched her die over and over again, screamed her name until his soul itself cracked? How could he burden her with truths that even now felt like nightmares?
He pulled back just enough to see her face, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's nothing. I just… I'm glad you're here, that's all."
She studied him silently, suspicious but unwilling to press further. Finally, she sighed. "You scared me, you know. You were shaking like you were being electrocuted. Then you collapsed. I thought…" Her voice trailed off, trembling. "I thought I lost you."
Mike reached up and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "You won't lose me. Not this time."
The words carried a weight Mio couldn't understand, and she narrowed her eyes. Before she could question further, Mike abruptly shifted the subject.
"Mio… we need to find Chloe."
"Chloe?" Mio blinked. "Why her?"
"Because she's important," Mike said firmly. "The three of us—we won't survive what's coming unless she's with us. And if we wait too long, it'll be too late for her to awaken."
Mio tilted her head, confused. "Awaken? What do you mean—"
Mike didn't answer. He simply extended his hand to her. "Trust me. Please."
Her hesitation lasted only a moment before she took his hand. With a sharp warp, space folded around them, and the two vanished.
---
Awakening the Sun
The world twisted and reformed into the heart of a quiet street, where Chloe stood near a corner shop, tapping away at her phone. She looked as radiant as always—bright blonde hair catching the sunlight, her casual clothes making her seem just another ordinary girl.
Mike's chest tightened at the sight. Ordinary. That was about to change.
"Mike? Mio?" Chloe blinked, startled at their sudden appearance. "What the hell—"
Before she could finish, Mike touched her shoulder. The space around them rippled.
"Wait, what are you—?!"
The three of them vanished, the city dissolving behind them, replaced with the chaotic brilliance of fractured skies. They stood in the ruins of the near-future, where the air crackled with unstable energy.
"M-Mike?! What is this place?!" Chloe stumbled back, her voice panicked.
"The future," Mike said calmly, though his insides churned. "The wave is about to hit. And when it does, you'll awaken."
"The… wave?"
He didn't explain further. He remembered too vividly the first time—the shock on Chloe's face as her body burned with solar energy, the fear, the awe. No matter the timeline, this moment was always the same.
And then it came.
Fwooooom!
The world trembled as the cosmic wave surged overhead, its light cascading across the sky like a storm of collapsing stars. The energy slammed into them, passing through skin, through bone, through soul.
Mio staggered, clutching her head. Mike gritted his teeth, bracing himself. But Chloe—
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
Her scream pierced the air as light burst from her body. Golden flames roared around her, her hair whipping violently as if caught in a solar storm. Her eyes glowed molten gold, her skin radiating heat.
Solar Flare.
Her signature power awakened once again, burning so bright it outshone the broken sky.
Chloe fell to her knees, gasping, her body trembling with overwhelming energy. "W-what… what is this?!"
Mike stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. His expression softened. "Your power. It's yours. And you'll need it."
Mio's stormy eyes widened as she shielded herself from the heat. "She… she's like the sun itself…"
Chloe panted, her hands glowing with unstable flares of plasma. "I-I don't understand…"
"You don't have to right now," Mike said firmly. "But you will. Because we don't have time. Training starts now."
---
Ten Days of Resolve
The island. Remote, untouched, a haven carved from the chaos of the world. Mike warped them there with supplies, the ocean stretching endlessly around them.
Ten days. That was all they allowed themselves.
Ten days of brutal training beneath the sun and storms.
Mike pushed himself to expand his telekinesis—lifting heavier and heavier constructs until sweat poured down his body. Two tons. Four tons. More. He trained not just for strength, but for precision—controlling shards of metal with surgical accuracy, bending trajectories mid-flight, splitting focus into dozens of tasks at once.
Mio honed her storms, her imagination becoming her weapon. She conjured lightning spears, compressed whirlwinds into blades, summoned tidal waves against the shore until the island itself trembled beneath her feet. Yet every time she tapped deeper, her power whispered back at her, calling her something more—something she wasn't ready to accept: Storm Goddess.
And Chloe. At first, she struggled, overwhelmed by her blazing Solar Flare. Her powers burned too hot, scorching everything she touched. But with Mike's guidance and Mio's steady encouragement, she learned to contain it—forming spheres of plasma in her palms, projecting beams of light, radiating waves of heat without losing control.
By the tenth day, they stood together on the beach, exhausted but resolute.
"We're ready," Mike said, more to himself than to them. His eyes burned with determination. "This time, we'll change it."
Mio glanced at him curiously. "Change… what?"
"Fate," he muttered, too low for her to hear.
---
The First Battle
The apocalypse began again, just as it always had. The sky split open, the world trembled, and chaos descended.
The three of them warped into the heart of a devastated city, flames and rubble littering the streets. Screams echoed from the distance. And then—
"Looks like you kids survived after all."
Linda. Her figure stepped from the smoke, eyes gleaming with arrogance, her voice sharp with mockery. Simon was at her side, cold and expressionless as ever.
Mike clenched his fists. His heart pounded, but he forced calm into his voice. "This time… we're ready for you."
But deep inside, his thoughts swirled. And I won't let Mio use Absolute Protection again. Not this time.
The ground shook. A faint whisper of movement brushed past his ear—something unseen. Mike's instincts screamed. The invisible threat.
Brad…
He didn't know his name yet. But he remembered the pain of dying to that unseen enemy in countless timelines. He raised his telekinetic barrier preemptively, scanning the empty air.
Mio stepped forward, storms already crackling around her. Chloe's body blazed like a miniature sun.
"Together," Mike said, his voice unwavering. "No one fights alone. We end this."
The villains advanced. The apocalypse roared.
And the first clash began.