[Modern Day, August 2115-The Sanctuary, Meathuman colony]
"Now if the both of you are done arguing like kids over a piece of candy, we have more important things to discuss. Our undercover agents have sent us footage of a person dressed in a heavy and velvety hooded dark red cloak destroying government facilities. Initially, we didn't think anything of it and passed it off as a common criminal case. However-"
"Hang on, where's Raina?" Kayden asked, cutting off the woman who was dressed in a full white outfit with a gray torina long cardigan on the outside.
"She refused to come," the woman said, her tone tinged with irritation. "And frankly, I don't see why you had to interrupt me in the first place." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she shifted her stance, clearly frustrated. "I was in the middle of explaining something and your sudden intrusion just threw everything off. This isn't the time for interruptions, Kayden." Her voice grew firmer, emphasizing her displeasure. "If you have something to say, wait until I finish. Respecting that much should be basic courtesy." She could let go of many things, but talking over people was one of her greatest pet peeves. Her patience for interruptions was thin, especially when she was trying to handle something important. Kayden's sudden entrance, without warning or apology, seemed to only add to her growing irritation.
Vai' ar, meanwhile, shook his head with a smirk. "Can you blame her? If someone murdered my entire family and claimed to be doing it for the 'Greater Good,' I'd be beyond.Heck, I would throw said person into boiling lava and watch him die. If said person could even die in the first place." Vai' ar said as he glared at Kayden. The woman sighed and placed her palm over her face and murmured to herself wondering how two kids become leaders of a colony.
"Anyway as I was saying, we initially thought it was a common criminal problem but after reviewing the newer footage once more, we found a clip of the person using powers to break down a government facility or some sort." The woman said as she zoomed in to the image she showed them from before. "I can run a facial recognition scan on the sanctuary's database to see who it is." Kayden said unplugging the thumb drive from the woman's computer and replugging it into his monitor. "Don't you think we've already tried that back at our bases? We didn't get anything." The lady said. "Jay and I recently upgraded Apollo's database so that it has a larger base of information and a faster processing unit. Apollo can now identify metahumans that are both alive and dead." Kayden said, eyes not leaving the monitor screen. A couple of seconds later the monitor started beeping, indicating that the facial recognition scan had been completed. On it, it showed an image of a child roughly round twelve years old dressed in a light blue top and gray bottoms with some information on the child. While going through the information, one particular information which stuck out to Kayden the most was the birthplace of the kid.
"Hang on, Acre City was the name of the location where we found the new kid before the city went up in flames, maybe she knows something about this 'Joren'. Then without waiting for a reply, Kayden then got up from his seat and went into the room Luce and Hailey were in to ask her for her assistance on the Joren situation. Back in the meeting room with the other five, Hailey, now calmer and more composed after her sister's loss, recounted the Acre City fire and her connection to Joren once more.
A heavy silence settled over the room as the adults grappled with a stark, painful realization. Their entire focus had been on preserving their own colonies of metahumans, blinding them to the brutal atrocities faced by the rest of their kind. How blind we've been, thought one, guilt gnawing at his conscience. We prioritized our safety, our legacy, while others suffered in silence. Another's mind echoed with regret: All those lives lost... and we didn't even see it coming. It was a reckoning they could no longer ignore, the weight of their neglect pressing down on them like a shroud.
"So…that's about it. Why'd you ask?" Hailey asked curiously, snapping the adults out of their confusion. "He's been dead for a couple of years like the others."
"That's where you're wrong sweetheart" the woman said, finally snapping out of her shock. "We've received recent reports about a rogue metahuman destroying government facilities as though he was searching for something," the woman added.
"Or someone." Hailey added.
"I beg your pardon?" the woman inquired, her voice tinged with surprise. Hailey stood there silently, her gaze flickering nervously toward the newcomers. The room settled into an uneasy silence, everyone waiting for her to speak again. A minute passed, then two, then three, the quiet stretching so thin that you could hear a single strand of hair fall to the ground. Finally, unable to bear the tense stillness any longer, Vai'ar broke the silence, asking Hailey in a slightly agitated tone why she had stopped talking.
"Well for starters, I barely know who you are and your names and losing everyone you know and love isn't exactly a trust building exercise." Hailey said, shooting Vai'ar an irritated glance.
"My apologies, I'm Dristina. The rude man is Vai'ar, and the quiet, tall lady at the back is Shi'ar. We're members of the Five," Dristina said. The Five was believed to be a group comprising the five most powerful metahumans in the world at any given time—whether in terms of physical strength or knowledge. As such, most of them were entrusted with leading different metahuman colonies during times of hiding. To protect the Five and their respective communities, only a select few metahumans knew all of their identities; the only non-members aware of their existence were the leaders of the colonies. As for Hailey, having grown up in what others called a "settlement camp," she had only heard tales of the wondrous Five from her parents during her childhood.
"You are members of the Five? The ones from the fairy tales?" Hailey asked, skepticism evident in her voice. She didn't know much about the Five or their colonies, but she understood that their true identities were traditionally kept secret—even when the roster changed—so that ordinary folk remained in the dark. Her eyes flicked between them, trying to gauge whether they were simply dreamers spinning stories or if there was some truth behind their words. Vai'ar smirked slightly, crossing his arms. "Fairy tales? Perhaps. But everything we do is real, even if it doesn't fit the stories you've heard. The Five are bound by duty—to protect, to lead, to keep the world from falling into chaos. We're not legends, Hailey. We're just people trying to do what's right, even if no one knows it."
Shi'ar finally spoke, her voice calm but commanding. "The truth is often hidden behind layers of secrecy. The world fears the power we hold, and so we remain in the shadows. But that doesn't mean we are any less real—or less committed—than the stories say."
Hailey hesitated, her skepticism wavering just a little. The weight of their words, along with the quiet strength in their eyes, made her wonder if there might be more to the tales she'd heard as a child. Perhaps the legends weren't entirely false after all.
Hailey's brow furrowed as she looked between them, her skepticism battling a flicker of curiosity. The dim light of the evening cast long shadows across their faces, making their expressions seem even more serious—almost secretive. The air around them felt charged, as if the very ground beneath their feet carried whispers of old legends.
"So," she said cautiously, "if what you're saying is true, then why reveal yourselves now? Why come out into the open?" Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her uncertainty.
Vai'ar took a step closer, his gaze steady. "Because the world is changing, and with it, the shadows are growing stronger. The balance we've maintained for centuries is slipping. We can't afford to stay hidden any longer—not if we want to protect what's left of the fragile peace."
Shi'ar nodded, her expression softening. "Sometimes, secrets can only be kept so long before they threaten to explode. We've watched from the shadows, but now, the time has come to stand against the darkness—together, if you're willing to trust us."
Hailey hesitated again, her mind racing. The stories she'd heard as a child suddenly felt distant—like faint echoes of a world she'd never quite believed in, yet now found strangely compelling. A part of her wanted to dismiss it all as nonsense, but another, quieter part sensed that there was truth behind their words.
She took a tentative step forward. "If what you're saying is real—if the Five truly exist—then I want to know more. I want to understand what's really happening out there." The members of the Five exchanged a glance, an unspoken agreement passing between them. Slowly, Dristina extended a hand, offering her the first step into a hidden world. "In due time Hailey. But first we need you to tell us more about Joren." she said warmly as she reached out and took her hand. Hands still in Dristina's, hailey turned to look at kayden, to which kayden gave her a firm yet gentle nod to assure her
Now confident she could trust them, Hailey said, "Well, the last time I was in Greenville, the only dead bodies I saw were those of the adults. The children's bodies were nowhere to be found. And if the person in the red cloak is Joren—which I highly doubt, as I've been searching for him for years—he's probably looking for the other kids from Greenville."
"Look, I don't mean to sound rude," Kayden snapped, his tone tense and piercing. "But Joren has a 75% facial similarity to our red-cloaked vigilante. That's not something I can ignore."
Hailey's voice cut through, cold and unwavering. "Yes, and that 25% gap means nothing. Maybe your machines lied. I know Joren—no matter what, he wouldn't kill. Not like that."
Kayden's eyes darkened, clenched fists trembling with frustration. "You're blinded by hope. People are capable of anything—especially after surviving life-and-death encounters. You think you know him, but you don't."
"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Kayden. Be careful where you point your accusations." Vai'ar interrupted trying to sound like he was defending Hailey.
"ENOUGH!" Dristina snapped. "Vai' ar would you please stop trying to start fights with Kayden every time we have a meeting? What's in the past should stay in the past. Bringing it up now won't solve anything. Hannah, Hailey or whatever your name is you're right it may or may not be Joren. Until we get more information, we will assume it's not him. But you'll have to prepare yourself mentally in the event it is." Dristina sighed, fingers pinching her forehead as she dragged Vai' ar by the collar out of the meeting room as Jay escorted them out.
Luce led the way down the brightly lit hallway, the faint hum of distant conversations and the squeak of sneakers on linoleum filling the air. "Here's your room," Luce announced, pushing the door open as they reached a door marked "201". Inside, the space was modest but cozy—bedframes, a small desk, and a shared wardrobe. He turned to his companions. "You'll be sharing a room with me, Eddy, and my sister, Alena." Before Luce could finish his sentence, the room erupted with a high-pitched scream. Both Luce and Eddy flinched, instinctively covering their ears as the shriek pierced the air. Suddenly, a girl—shorter than Luce by a good margin—rushed forward and threw her arms around him and Eddy in a bear hug so tight it nearly suffocated them.
"Oh my god! Luce! Eddy!" she squealed, her voice muffled in their shoulders. Luce and Eddy exchanged startled looks, struggling to breathe but laughing all the same. After a moment, the girl released them, stepping back with a grin.
"Whoa! Who's this?" she asked, eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Is she your girlfriend, Luce?"
Luce's face flushed bright red. "PFFT, oh please," Eddy responded mmockingly, "Luce is so single he makes the phrase 'Single as a Pringle' seem attached."
Luce snorted, crossing his arms "Well, excuse you, sir. I'd have you know I'm single by choice—just not mine." Everyone in the room burst into laughter, the atmosphere instantly light and cheerful.
Luce rubbed the back of his neck, smiling shyly. "Anyway… this is Hailey," he said, gesturing toward the girl. "She's our new roommate."
"Yay new roomie! Ello, I'm Alena or you can call me sparkly." Alena said cheerfully. "Sparkly? Is that a nickname or something?" Hailey asked. "Well kind of. Her actual alias is serotonin. She calls herself sparkly instead because she finds it cuter." Luce said as he typed something on his hologram keypad which appeared above his watch. "Alias?" Hailey asked puzzled. "Yep. Everyone from a colony or the sanctuary is given an alias the moment they join in the case of an emergency ." Luce replied. "By the way, here's your standard issued sanctuary wristband. Using it, you can send a distress call, activate a temporary combat armor, call anyone in the sanctuary that has an allocated wristband as well as use the sanctuary's Artificial Intelligence, Apollos." Luce said. After that, they showed her around the sanctuary, introduced her to the others at the sanctuary. While Hailey settled in, Luce and Eddy proceeded to prepare themselves for school the next day.
The following day unfolded like any other, with Luce and Eddy attending their classes as usual. However, this time, they were accompanied by a new friend, Sarah. During break times, the three of them shared stories about their lives, carefully omitting the fact that
Luce and Eddy were metahumans. After school, Sarah turned to them with a smile and asked if they'd like to stay back for a study session. Both Luce and Eddy nodded enthusiastically, happy to spend more time together and deepen their budding friendship.
As some time passed, Luce yawned and bent over and took out his phone from his pocket to check for the time and upon seeing the time, it had occurred to him that he and Eddy had combat training with Jay back at sanctuary. He quickly nudged Jay and showed the time to him, and he mouthed the words 'Jay'. Eddy stared at him dumbfounded, trying to figure out what he was talking about. When it finally occurred to him, the two of them started frantically packing their backs and Luce, in a state of panic, told Sarah that he and Eddy had 'family' things to attend to. Sarah looks at them perplexed for a couple of seconds and comments that she didn't know they were brothers.
"Oh... oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, haha," Luce said, trying to sound casual but nerves flickering beneath his words. "Let's go, bro. We've gotta get out of here before Dad flips out again." He awkwardly hugged Eddy, a flicker of anxiety in his eyes, and quickly dragged him away from the bench.
"Aww… that was so sweet, bro," Eddy chuckled softly, though a hint of amusement masked a deeper warmth. "We really gotta work on your hugs someday, though," he teased, a genuine smile forming as they shared a fleeting moment of camaraderie. As they slipped out of Sarah's sight, Luce's expression shifted suddenly— anxious. He pulled Eddy into a shadowy alley just outside the school, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Teleport us back to our rooms," he urged urgently. Eddy's face, once bright with happiness, clouded with concern. His eyes darted around, suspicion flickering in his gaze. Sensing Eddy's mistrust, Luce glanced nervously around the corner once more, ensuring no one was watching.
"See? No one's here," Luce assured softly, trying to steady his own trembling voice. "We're safe. Come on, we're already late for Jay's class. Again. Honestly, I'd rather not be scrubbing that nasty daycare toilet again, you know?" His attempt at nonchalance barely masked the rising anxiety beneath his words. After a tense moment of convincing, Luce finally succeeded. With a shared glance filled with unspoken understanding and a flicker of fear, they teleported away.
Unbeknownst to them, high above in the shadows of the nearby rooftops, a dark figure cloaked in a deep crimson robe watched their departure, eyes gleaming with silent intent.
A couple of seconds later, the two of them rematerialized back into their rooms and landed with a loud 'thump'. Eddy laid on the ground for a couple seconds, complaining that he was surprised that he had forgotten how painful teleporting was despite having teleported the day before. While picking up Eddy from the floor, he urged Hailey to quickly get ready for combat training, or they would get killed. "Figuratively, of course"
Eddy quickly added and made a slicing motion below his head and shot Luce an irritated look, telling him that it was too soon to use the word kill around her.
"You mean the spinning objects dude?" Hailey asked in disbelief as she closed the hologram from her watch. "Yes, him. Now get changed." Luce blurted out. Hailey glanced at the both of them silently as though indicating that they had forgotten something. Luce stared at her for a couple of seconds, mind completely blank, trying to figure out what she was waiting for. When realization had finally hit him his face turned pale red in embarrassment, and he stammered, "Ri..right..." without a second thought, the two of them exited the room.
"Cha cha real smooth" Eddy mocked.
"Alright kiddos, for today's demonstration, I will need a volunteer, anyone?" Jay asked. Awkward silence fills the room. "Thank you for volunteering, Eddy." Jay said as Eddy hesitantly dragged his feet upfront. "Today, we will be learning about the five combat rules by simulating a real world fight. Eddy and I will be fighting without any powers and will rely solely on our combat strengths."
The air crackled with tension as Jay and Eddy squared off in the class, shadows dancing on the damp brick walls. Eddy clenched his fists, muscles tense, eyes blazing with determination. Jay adopted a defensive stance-hands slightly bruised, ready to strike at any moment. Without warning, Eddy lunged forward, launching a swift punch aimed at Jay's jaw. Jay sidestepped just in time, retaliating with a punch in Eddy's ribs. Just as Eddy was about to finish the fight with a kick, until Jay made a pulling motion with his hands, which sent the nearby rods flying towards Eddy, knocking him to the ground.
"Rule number one: always watch your back, you never know what surprises your opponent will pull off and if possible, fight in pairs to avoid these situations. Rule 2 : Don't hold back, we don't live in a fairy tale world where everyone will be fair and equal. Holding back will give them ample opportunities to knock you down." Jay said, picking Eddy up.
"Now, the next part of the training session is extremely crucial, so please pay attention," Jay said, trying to get their attention. " Understanding and mastering power is like understanding people—is essential. Powers, much like individuals, are most effective when used in harmony with others. Properly pairing or combining powers can create formidable team dynamics, or "synergies," that maximize their effectiveness." To illustrate this, Jay calls Kenzo forward, inviting him and Eddy to collaborate on developing a coordinated team move within a tight three-minute window. He refers to these collaborations as "synergies," implying that strategic combinations of powers can lead to powerful and unexpected results.
After the brief planning period, Kenzo and Eddy demonstrate their teamwork by launching a coordinated assault on Jay, each attacking from opposite sides to challenge him. Eddy then showcases his teleportation ability by swiftly repositioning himself—teleporting away with Kenzo, grabbing him, and reappearing behind Jay with Kenzo morphing his arms into sharp blades. Jay however , responds to their aggressive tactics with quick reflexes, dodging the attack, then grabbing both Kenzo and Eddy by their necks, forcefully slamming them to the ground. This physical response underscores the importance of control, strength, and awareness during combat.
Jay then offers valuable advice: while teamwork and synergies are vital, they should not be relied upon exclusively. Overdependence on pre-planned team moves can make a team predictable and vulnerable to opponents who can anticipate their strategies. He stresses that when facing opponents who are stronger or more skilled, the key to victory often lies in outsmarting them rather than overpowering them. This leads to the crucial lesson: if brute force doesn't work, cleverness and strategic thinking become your best tools. Consequently, students must invest time in devising various team combinations and tactics to adapt to different scenarios.
Jay begins to explain how to develop these diverse strategies, but he's suddenly interrupted by an urgent alert from his watch—an emergency message. The beeping indicates an immediate situation requiring his attention, and the message specifies a meeting in ten minutes, with instructions to bring Hailey and Luce along.