The television screen flickered with static before a calm anchor's voice filled the room.
"In other updates, torrential rain continues to batter Voyage City, soaking the dome's southern hemisphere. Citizens have begun protesting at De Great Labs and outside the Mayor's office, demanding the environmental dome be opened to allow much-needed rain and sunlight into the restricted zones. Concerns have also been raised about pressure buildup possibly damaging the dome's integrity if left unresolved."
The screen flashed again.
"And finally, in international headlines, tech mogul Raymond Rutherford has officially purchased Twitter from Elon Musk. In a move that's taken the global stage by storm, Rutherford has pledged over three billion euros to the Mars Civilization Project, aiming to accelerate human settlement beyond Earth."
The segment ended with static fading into the anchor's poised expression.
"More updates as this story develops. This is Channel 7 Voyage Broadcast. Stay safe, and God bless America."
Joyce's glasses cracked as her anger, frustration, and deep worry grew stronger. Her fists clenched tightly.
"How can I fail him? This is supposed to be my duty to protect him," Joyce muttered to herself, her mind flashing back to a few weeks ago during the entrance exams, when Lucian leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Oh, and one more thing, Miss Joyce." Lucian raised his glass of wine in hand, smirking.
"Yes sir," Joyce immediately obeyed, stepping closer.
"Come here," Lucian whispered against her ear. "I know what Johnson's true ability is, and I need you to see me in my office tomorrow. But for now, become close to Johnson and add him to the Elite Class."
"But sir…" Joyce began, only to be cut off.
"No buts. Do as I say, and I commit Johnson Stones to you. Remember, your senior brother is not in this academy. If he was, he would be president of the elite of the elite Gold Class." Lucian's devilish smirk widened.
"Ok sir. I'll do as you say," Joyce answered with a nod, teleporting away in a flash of light.
Back in the present, Joyce was trembling, sweat rolling down her face.
"What should I do? Tony is going to kill me if I can't handle one simple task given to me."
Her younger brother Henry spoke up, his tone calm and teasing. "Sister, I think you should relax. Big brother is not going to eat you, and besides, there is still time. Let's go together to see if both of them are ok. I would not want my rival to be hurt. I want him to grow stronger so we can fight again."
"No, don't follow me!" Joyce snapped as she pulled her face cap down. In an instant, she teleported out of the house, whispering a desperate prayer as she vanished. "Oh God, let me make it in time."
At the center of Voyage City, Johnson knelt on the broken ground, crying bitterly. His clothes were torn, his pale skin bruised. He clutched his unconscious sister tightly, his tears mixing with the dirt and blood.
"Please, give me the power, oh God, to save my sister. Let me prevent this from ever happening again. I promise to use it to save those around me. Or… if you hate my existence, then just send someone to save my sister," Johnson cried out.
His voice cracked as he sobbed harder, guilt crushing him.
"If only I were a bit faster, a bit stronger… so I could never let this happen again!"
His cries echoed across the ruined city as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"God, save my sister! Damn it!"
His cries were loud enough for the scattered audience nearby to hear.
Then, through the chaos, a familiar voice rang out.
"I did not know you were just a crying little boy."
Joyce appeared before him, her teleportation glowing brilliantly, her limiters fully removed as her body shone with power.
"Save my sister…" Johnson whispered weakly before collapsing into unconsciousness.
"Oh, I will. I'll save both of you. Tch, this is my fault," Joyce lamented.
Time froze instantly. A rift tore through the clouds, silent at first, then followed by a deafening roar. A cosmic beam of rainbow lightning descended from the heavens like a divine blessing. It smashed into the ruined city with a brilliance that blinded the horizon.
"Well, it is time, I guess," Lucian said coldly. Moving at light speed, unaffected by the frozen time, he climbed to the highest point of the city. His sword stretched outward as he absorbed the raw cosmic energy flooding down. "I cannot contain this much power!" he shouted, struggling as the lightning cracked through him. Redirecting the divine storm, he reflected it across the city before flashing away back toward De Great Labs.
The cosmic lightning fell upon Johnson and Rose. Their bodies convulsed as the light rewrote their chemistry atom by atom. Their clothes burned away, leaving their forms bare as their bodies glowed in midair.
"You people should not be here," Joyce muttered. With a snap of her fingers, she teleported the crowd of onlookers to a safe location.
The lightning struck Johnson first. He froze in place, dark-haired and unmoving, until the bolt slammed into his chest, then his skull. His knees buckled, his body convulsed. Lightning carved through his bones, rewriting his nervous system atom by atom. His dark hair burned into transparent, iridescent white, flowing wildly as his body blurred like a glitch in reality. Time itself seemed to cling to him. His feet hovered inches above the ground, his heart pounding like thunder.
A strange voice hummed within his body.
"User has upgraded innate ability: Chromokenesis. User can now willfully change hair or skin color. User has adapted to heat, ice, poison. Magic resistance level ten."
His unconscious body glowed as the voice continued.
"User has received new unknown artifact. Linking to user… linking successful."
A shining ring appeared on Johnson's finger.
"You have leveled up. You have leveled up. You have leveled up. You have leveled up. New ability gained: Energy absorption and Aura manipulation, level one. User has advanced super god strength, level one. User has advanced stamina. User speed upgraded from Mach 15 to Mach 65. User can now move at light speed. User has advanced perception."
The ring hummed, shifting its glow toward Rose.
"Shared blood with user. Rose has link to chaos energy. Rose has unlocked a new skill: Ultra regeneration, energy and matter manipulation, spirit energy usage, mind manipulation, advanced perception. User can now see through organic life and objects down to a molecular level. User has gained elemental spirit manipulation, elemental energy manipulation, elemental control. All abilities are level one."
Rose's body transformed, glowing as her long hair turned white. Her form grew sleek, her beauty refined by the system's adjustments.
"Rose has gained hyper regeneration and can move at hypersonic to near-light speeds. Upgrade complete. Fitting biological structure to Rose's imagination. Upgrade complete."
"Do you wish to lock and seal full cosmic energy?" the system asked.
"Yes," both Johnson and Rose answered together. Their blazing aura calmed, reducing to normal, though the cosmic power lingered in their veins.
The ring pulsed again. "Intruder alert."
Johnson's aura surged upward, his body moving on instinct as a weapon of pure energy formed in his hands. He raised it toward Joyce.
Joyce stood frozen, staring in awe. She had witnessed the entire transformation, and now the sheer energy radiating from the siblings left her breathless.
"Oh my God…" Joyce gasped. She reached out without thinking, accidentally brushing against Johnson and Rose. Lightning coursed into her body, covering her in raw energy.
"Stop," Johnson commanded weakly, his voice calm but stern. The ring obeyed, halting its attack on Joyce. Time unfroze, allowing her to move.
"You came, didn't you?" Johnson smiled faintly, his trembling hands caressing her cheeks with affection.
"Yes, I did. I am sorry I came late," Joyce whispered, still glowing as the energy enveloped her.
"Share energy to her, please," Johnson said to the inner voice before passing out.
"Sharing one percent of cosmic energy to Joyce Hart, as her human body cannot handle full energy. Updating status."
Joyce gasped as time froze again. Her aura burst outward as the ring's voice continued.
"Upgrading innate ability: Molecular manipulation to matter manipulation. User can now manipulate matter based on will and energy. User can now create weapons of energy. User has advanced spatial movement, able to move anywhere her ability allows. Upgrade complete."
Johnson, Rose, and Joyce glowed together in the storm of energy.
"Users updated. Memory saved in frozen time. Releasing time."
Time resumed as if nothing had happened. Joyce stumbled, her mind blank.
"What are you doing to me?" she whispered, confusion on her face. She shook her head. "Huh… I cannot remember what happened, right? I came to save John and his sister."
She snapped her fingers, returning the onlookers to the city square.
"Hey, look, someone has joined the party!" one bystander shouted, flashing his camera at the glowing trio. But before the photo could finish, Johnson, Rose, and Joyce disappeared instantly.
"Huh? Where did they go?" another bystander muttered in disbelief.