I woke up in a soft, comfortable bed, way more than anything I'd had back in the real world. For a minute, I just laid there, soaking it in. Then I sat up and scanned the room.
Big. Spacious. It looked like someone actually cared about where I was staying. A flat-screen TV hung on the wall, a sleek computer sat on a desk, and even a mini fridge hummed softly in the corner. There was a full-length mirror by the closet, and something in me knew exactly where I needed to go.
I stood, my body feeling different already, heavier in muscle, lighter in energy, and stepped up to the mirror.
And there he was.
Just like I'd expected. Just like my character.
My reflection showed skin of light brown, hair thick and full but streaked with a single, sharp line of white running down the middle. My eyes glowed a deep brown, but with that subtle shimmer that told me there was more inside. My build was powerful, muscular, but not bulky, like someone cut straight out of a myth.
If you're wondering what I was, well, my race was half Homo Magi, half Anodite. A magical hybrid. My whole build was designed around magic, but I wasn't some fragile glass cannon. Not even close.
I had the powers of Shazam. And unlike Billy Batson, I didn't need to shout a word to transform. All I had to do was think it, and mystic armor, intricate and ancient-looking, would flow around me in arcs of glowing red lightning. Strength, speed, stamina, the whole divine package, mine at will.
But that wasn't all.
I'd finished Merlin's quest back in Worlds Collide. Which meant I had something even rarer, the Knowledge of All Magic. Every spell, every incantation, every system. It was mine to call on.
And then… the crown jewel.
The powers of Acnologia.
The Dragon King himself. I could shift into a dragon, and more importantly, I could devour magic, absorb it, make it mine, twist it into something new.
I let out a slow breath.
Yeah. I wasn't the strongest in my clan, Jack had me beat there, hands down. Hope was right behind him. But me? I was no pushover. Third-strongest in the clan, easy. Strong enough to stand tall in this world.
And if Tet wasn't lying… strong enough to carve out a place in the DC Universe.
Knock knock.
The sound jolted me out of my thoughts. I walked over and opened the door. Standing there were Hope and Jack, both looking exactly like their characters. Golden eyes and all. Honestly, I half-expected this world to "normalize" them somehow, but no, they carried their in-game traits right into reality.
"Good. You're awake," Hope said, already in command mode. "Family meeting in the front room. Now."
"Uh… okay," I said, following them.
The front room looked like something out of a startup office. Three computers already set up, three notebooks, a printer humming quietly, and a massive whiteboard ready for scribbles.
I blinked. "Wait, what? We just woke up. How the hell did you get all this so quickly?"
Hope smirked. "Correction, you just woke up. I was first. Then Jack. Then you. And thanks to my speed and my memories, I tracked all this down and set it up before you even opened your eyes."
"Memories?" I started, but before I could finish, a sudden spike of pain lanced through my skull.
I staggered, clutching my head. A flood of images and knowledge poured in, like a dam breaking.
My name was still Kai, but here it was Kai Hunter. Hope and Jack weren't just friends I'd met online, they'd been with me since childhood in this world. We'd grown up together. Laughed together. Survived together. And Hope… Hope wasn't just rich. She was crazy rich. Mansion rich. Enough to bankroll us living here like it was nothing.
When the pain finally ebbed, I straightened, exhaling hard. "Damn… okay. That was… a lot."
"You good?" Jack asked. "Hit me the same way. Nearly knocked me on my ass."
"Yeah, I'm fine. But hold up, Hope's the only one rich? If Tet was rewriting lives, why didn't he spread the wealth around?"
"That's what I said!" Jack barked, throwing his hands up.
Hope rolled her eyes. "Quit whining, both of you. If I'm rich, you're rich. So shut up and enjoy the perks."
"Fair enough," I muttered.
"Now," Hope continued, her tone sharpening, "we need to focus. This is our first meeting, and it won't be the last. We need to research everything about this world. Who the players are. What threats exist. Where the opportunities lie. We'll spend an hour digging, write down anything useful, and pin it to the board. Pictures, articles, whatever helps."
"Got it," me and Jack said at the same time.
One hour later…
I stood in front of Hope and Jason, pointer in hand. The whiteboard beside me was cluttered now, notes, pictures, printed articles. Since I was the one who actually knew DC, I'd taken point on explaining what all our research meant.
"Okay," I began, tapping the board. "We've got a lot to cover. This world is… weird and crazy, so pay attention."
Jack leaned back with his arms crossed. "Professor Kai in session. Alright, teach, enlighten us."
I rolled my eyes and pointed at the top section. "First up, superheroes. Obviously, the Justice League is active. But it's not just them. We've got other hero groups too: the Teen Titans, the Justice Society, and the Justice Gang."
Jack raised his hand like a student. "So, let me get this straight. Every team has the word 'Justice' in it, except the Teen Titans? What, were they too cool for the brand?"
"Yeah, DC wasn't exactly creative with group names," I said dryly. "Anyway, moving on. The Justice League's roster is huge, but the major players are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, two Green Lanterns, Hawkman and Hawkwoman, Martian Manhunter, and Zatara."
Hope tilted her head. "Wait, I thought it was Hawkgirl?"
"I'll explain in a second," I said, waving her off. "Besides the heavy-hitters, there are a bunch of lesser-known heroes. I saw Shining Knight, Vigilante, Fire… probably more I didn't recognize. Looks like this world is mixing old-school Golden Age characters with modern ones. Weird mashup, but interesting."
Jack grinned. "So basically, Justice League, but with the 'deep cuts' added in. Cool."
I tapped the next section. "Now, Teen Titans. Pretty stacked lineup: Robin, Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, though she's older here, plus Nightwing, Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Red Arrow, Superboy, Aqualad, and Cyborg."
Jack blinked. "Hold on, Nightwing is part of the Teen Titans?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "But most likely in an overseer role, same as Starfire and Cyborg. Kind of like mentors rather than full members."
"Oh, okay. Still, that's kinda cool," Jack admitted.
I flipped the pointer to the bottom half of the board. "Now, the Justice Society of America. Unlike the League or the Titans, this one is fully run by the U.S. government. They're basically the official government-backed superhero squad. Members include Commander Steel, Obsidian, Doctor Mid-Nite, Atom Smasher, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, Hourman, Major Force, and Captain Atom."
Hope whistled. "That's… a lot of power under government control."
"Exactly," I said grimly. "And it means they've got resources, backing, and legal authority the others don't. Makes things… complicated."
Jack leaned back. "Well, I doubt anything in this world is gonna be normal anymore. So, what's the last group about?"
I tapped the lower corner of the board. "The last group is small. Only three members. But don't underestimate them. They've got a Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl."
Hope frowned. "Okay, hold up. Why are there three Thanagarians here? I thought there were only supposed to be two on Earth."
"Usually, yeah," I explained. "In almost every version of DC it's just Hawkman and Hawkgirl. But in this world, there are three: Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Hawkgirl. My guess, and the same theory floating around online, is that Hawkgirl is their daughter. And it kind of makes sense… especially since Hawkwoman went MIA for about nine months a few years back."
Jack blinked. "Wow. Didn't expect Hawk-family drama. So what's this group's deal?"
"They're not government-funded," I said. "But they are bankrolled by a rich guy, Maxwell Lord. They're the newest team on the block. Only been active for about a year."
Hope rubbed her chin, thinking. "Interesting…"
Jack leaned forward. "Alright, but what about threats? I know this world's crawling with villains."
I sighed. "You're right. All of Batman's rogues? Active. All of Flash's villains? Also active. Plus a ton of others. Some I don't even recognize, probably pulled from older comics."
Jack whistled. "Okay, so who's the biggest one we need to keep our eyes on?"
"In my opinion? Lex Luthor," I said, pointing at his smug face on the board. "In this universe, he's not as openly hostile to Superman, but it's still there. He's spoken out against him multiple times. On top of that, he's got a quiet alliance with the U.S. government, his own army of advanced supersuit soldiers, and two extremely dangerous metahumans backing him."
Hope narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
"Ultraman and the Engineer." I pointed at their pictures.
Jack leaned in. "What's the deal with Ultraman?"
"He's basically Superman-lite," I said. "Super strength, flight, invulnerability. I think he might be a Superman clone, maybe even stronger physically, but definitely not as smart."
Jack snorted. "So Lex made a knockoff Superman. Not surprising. Guy's the biggest hater in DC."
"Actually," I corrected, "second biggest. Reverse Flash takes the crown there. You don't even wanna know half the stuff he's done to Barry Allen."
Hope winced. "Yeah, let's… not get into that."
I tapped the next picture. "Then there's the Engineer. She was human once. But now? She's got nanobots in her blood. Her body can morph into weapons, tools, basically anything she can imagine. She's a living arsenal."
Jack let out a low whistle. "Damn… she's hot though."
Both Hope and I whipped our heads toward him.
"What?" he said defensively, hands up. "She's still a villain! I'm just being honest with myself here."
Hope groaned and rubbed her face. I just shook my head.
"Anyway, that's all I've got for now," I said, setting the pointer down.
Jack stretched. "That was… a lot to take in, but not impossible to process. So what do we do now?"
"No clue," I admitted. "But honestly? We should train. Sure, we've used these powers in games a hundred times, but this isn't a game anymore. There's no system, no reset button. We need to figure out exactly how they work here, in reality."
Hope nodded thoughtfully. "Good plan. And while we're training, we should also think about what we want to be in this world. Heroes? Something else?"
Jack cracked his knuckles. "Alright then. Let our training arc begin."
One month later…
It's been a month since we landed in this world, and things are going… surprisingly well.
We've been training nonstop with our abilities. Luckily, Hope's mansion had plenty of property, fields, courtyards, even some old training grounds. Now? It's covered in scorched patches, shattered stone, and deep craters. Battle scars of progress.
To keep ourselves safe, I wove a cloaking spell around the entire estate. The mansion and all the land around it are hidden from both eyes and sensors. To any satellite or superhero flying overhead, this place just looks like a perfectly normal mansion. No one sees the chaos we're actually causing.
And here's the crazy part: we learned something huge. We can fight. Like, really fight. My theory? Muscle memory. All those battles we played through in the game, every combo, every fight, we lived them so many times that our new bodies somehow remembered it all. That knowledge transferred over.
Learning to control our powers wasn't hard either. It came… natural. Like flipping switches we already knew existed.
We also noticed something else. Pieces of our character builds bled into us—not enough to change who we are, but enough to show in subtle ways.
Jack got hit the hardest. Since he's a half-Saiyan, he's a lot more aggressive than he used to be. Quick to temper, quicker to fight. But to his credit, he's managing it. He hasn't lost control, not once.
Other than that? Everything's been fine. We're stronger, sharper, and way more prepared than we were a month ago.
Hope's been busy too. She's definitely trying to start a company again—but this time she wants to actually help the world. With her genius-level IQ, she could churn out inventions that could solve half the planet's problems.
I knew how serious she was when I caught her in the kitchen late one night, hunched over piles of paperwork, signing forms, muttering to herself. The look on her face was pure determination.
When I asked her about it, she admitted she saw this as her second chance to get it right. I supported her, of course. But I also pointed out that she could just buy an existing company and reshape it however she wanted. She literally smacked her own forehead, called me a genius, and laughed at herself for overthinking it. She hasn't pulled the trigger yet, but she's already looking into companies that are up for sale.
As for me? I've been writing. A lot.
I've already filled over 200 blank books with magical knowledge. And honestly? That's barely scratching the surface. The knowledge in my head is endless, and I'm transcribing it as fast as I can, using magic, super speed, anything to get it down quicker.
Why? Because one day, the knowledge could vanish. I don't think it will… but I'd rather be prepared.
Right now, the three of us are in Hope's workshop in her basement, now rebuilt into her personal lab. She's tinkering at her desk, welding sparks flying, while Jason's sitting nearby eating a hamburger like it's his day job.
He looked at me with his mouth full. "So, remind me again—what's she building for you?"
"A Multiverse gun," I said casually.
Jack nearly choked. "A what?"
"A Multiverse gun. I want to travel to different universes and collect items."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Okay… and what kind of items are we talking about?"
"Well," I said, leaning back, "first stop would be Marvel. Find a version of Thor's world where he's gone, but Mjolnir's still lying around. Boost my power big time. Then, maybe the Dragon Ball universe—grab some Senzu Beans, bring them back, grow more here."
Jack wiped his mouth. "That's… actually kinda genius. But come on, Kai, I know you. You've got something else in mind, don't you?"
I hesitated. My face must've given me away, because both Jason and Hope stopped what they were doing and just stared. I sighed. No use lying.
"Alright… I've been thinking a lot. And I know what I want to do in this world."
Jack squinted. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"
I swallowed. "…I want to be a hero."
Jack froze mid-bite, staring at me like I'd just grown two heads.
"In my old world," I continued, "I tried. I became a cop. But the justice system where I was? Corrupt. No real justice ever got served. Here… here I can actually make a difference. But I don't want to join the Justice League or Titans. I want to form something of my own. And if I'm going to do that, I'll need allies—maybe even from other universes."
Jack blinked, then set his burger down. "Okay… interesting. But I've got one question."
"What is it?" I asked.
He leaned forward. "What the fuck, dude."
I looked at him, startled. "What?"
"You didn't think of asking me first? You were just gonna hop into random universes and drag strangers back here to fight with you?"
"I didn't think you'd be interested in being a hero," I admitted.
Jack shook his head, sighing. "You're right, I don't really care about being a hero. But I'm not letting my brother run around in this crazy-ass world with a bunch of strangers watching his back. If you're doing this, I'm in. End of story."
A small smile tugged at my lips. "So… you want to go out and be heroes?"
"Fuck yeah," Jason grinned. "But only on one condition."
"What?" I asked.
"I am not wearing a cape. Or tights."
I burst out laughing. "Fair enough. I'll think of something else to hide your identity."
Jack smirked. "Good. Because if you ever try to make me wear spandex, I'm quitting."
I laughed harder. "Deal."
Hope stood, grabbed something off the table, and walked back over to us.
"You two and your little bromance are always adorable," she said with a smirk, "but the gun's finished."
She tossed it at me, and I caught it instinctively. It looked exactly like the one gun Lex Luthor built in Crisis on Earth-2.
"It can only take one person right now," Hope explained. "Didn't have time to upgrade it for more."
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I'm heading into the city. Found a company I'm interested in buying. And lucky for us, it's actually here in Metropolis. Means we don't have to move."
"Good," Jack said. "I actually like Metropolis. They've got some damn good burgers here."
Hope just smiled faintly. "Enjoy your food. I'll be out."
"Well, since I can," Jack stretched, "I might as well take the car for a spin."
"You really love driving that thing," I said.
He grinned. "It's a Lamborghini. Of course I do. Anyway—good luck. Be safe."
"Same to you," I told him, watching as he followed Hope out.
I looked back down at the gun in my hand. "Well… guess it's time to test this thing out."
I pressed the button. Purple afterimages flickered off me in every direction, and in the blink of an eye, I vanished.
Hope's POV
The elevator hummed as it carried me to the top floor. My reflection in the mirrored walls was calm, but inside? I was buzzing. This was a big step.
I'd found a CEO willing to sell his company outright—something rare in a city like Metropolis. On paper, it was just a pharmaceutical firm. Medicine. But I knew what I could make it into.
With my resources and my friends behind me, this wasn't just about medicine anymore. I could expand into research, into tech, into housing projects that would put my name on the map. Hell, maybe even into weapons—because in this world, power wasn't just about money. It was about politics. And if Lex Luthor could turn a business empire into political clout, then why couldn't I?
I wanted recognition. Influence. And more than that, I wanted to be in a position where Kai and Jack could lean on me. If they were going to throw themselves into the superhero spotlight, I'd be the one funding their gear, building their cover, and pulling strings to clean up their messes when the law inevitably came knocking.
The elevator dinged. Doors slid open.
Time to start building an empire.