The sun was beginning to set slowly. The faint, bright orange radiance from the sun seeped through the curtains of a small apartment, casting a warm glow on its furniture.
On the small sofa in the living room, the body of a teenager came into view. He looked to be fast asleep, his scruffy brown hair shifted slightly as a small breeze went through the room.
It was Axel. His body didn't look beaten or broken, nor was his chest caved in. He looked like he'd been asleep for the entire day.
He was alive.
Then, his eyes snapped open. The light from the sun hit him directly, causing him to raise a hand to shield his eyes. His vision was messy and distorted at first, but slowly it cleared, and the familiar features of his apartment came into focus.
A small TV on the side of the room was turned on, the audio from the day's news echoed across the parlor.
> "There has been little to no news about the Skavverns, but our space colonies have detected a massive spike in outwardly presence. If it is the Skavverns then another war might just be upon us sooner than we thought. God help us" <
'Wha—? How did I get here?' he wondered, glancing around frantically. 'Wasn't I in school?'
Then suddenly, the memory of him running down the hallway, with Kaze chasing after him, hit him.
"Whoa," he muttered.
He started remembering. He recalled being in the locker room, Kaze stepping out from the shadows like a villain from those old superhero movies of the 21st century. And finally, the memory of Kaze's fist connecting with his chest struck him again. His face went pale, his eyes went dark with horror.
'W-WHAT THE HELL? Kaze killed me… but how am I here?' his mind raced at the thought.
The last thing he remembered was the holographic screen in front of him. He couldn't recall much of what it said before he blacked out, and now, he was… here.
'What was that thing? Was this all a dream? It has to be, right? Kaze didn't kill me…'
"Are you okay?"
A feminine voice broke through his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. Axel flinched at the sound and turned around to find his sister standing in the doorway. Her red hair fell in scattered waves, catching the sunlight and glowing faintly while her hollow blue eyes studied him with curiosity.
"Kris?" Axel asked, his chest still heaving from the 'dream' he just had. He wondered if his mind was still playing tricks on him. "How… when—"
"When did you get back?" Kris cut in.
"And you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you alright?"
"Yes," he blinked. "I'm good… I'm… alive."
Kris raised a brow at his last word but shrugged it off.
"Do you know what today is?" Kris asked. Her expression shifted. The look on her face suggested she wasn't happy, and Axel already knew why. He wasn't really happy about it either.
Suddenly, the sound of helicopter blades whirring in the sky sliced through the air above the entire apartment complex, as helicopters and small spacecraft flew overhead. Axel walked over to the window to inspect it
It was the Oval Corp. They were here to transport all persons with abilities to the Oval Academy. His sister was one of them, so they were here for her.
"I don't really want to go," Kris declared flatly.
Axel turned around, shaking his head.
"Come on, Kris. You know you don't have a choice. Besides, you're a badass, you'll be fine. he said reassuringly.
"It's not me I'm worried about. I'm worried about you," Kris replied.
"The Collectors Academy doesn't sound so bad," Axel said, forcing a smile as he tried to hide his worry.
"Really? No? Then tell me something, how many Collectors do you know that are alive at twenty-five?"
"Well, there should be a few, I mean—"
"There's none, Axel. They're all dying young." Kris's voice trembled with worry for her brother.
"Well, what would you rather have me do?" he asked, chuckling bitterly.
"Sneak into the Oval Academy and pretend to have powers? What happens when they find out I'm just a regular, weak, pathetic human who can't contribute a single thing to saving humanity from its impending doom?"
"At least you wouldn't be dead if we stick together," Kris muttered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Dead.
That word echoed in his mind as the image of his death replayed behind his eyes.
'Kaze killed me. I don't know how I'm alive, but I am. I don't even know if it was a dream… only one way to find out. The locker room.'
"I gotta go."
Axel grabbed his leather jacket. He paused for a moment, staring at it. It was the same one he had supposedly worn to school that day.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to check something. I'll be back by nightfall, before the Oval Corp gets to our door."
Axel exited the apartment, and within seconds, he was in a transport vehicle headed back to the school, which was on the other side of the city.
He didn't have any money for transportation, but luckily, he was friends with the operator. Thus, he always got free rides to and from school.
Axel sat back in his seat as the vehicle sped off, hovering above the ground. It was one of the 22nd century's technologies.
Some students from other schools chatted excitedly among themselves, talking about how thrilled they were to attend the academy.
They weren't like Axel. They had abilities, which meant they'd be enrolling at the Oval Academy.
Axel, on the other hand, had none. Which meant he was destined for the Collectors Academy, a school for normies like him.
Maybe it wasn't so bad there. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the oppressive nature of powered people. People like Kaze, who preyed on the weak.
Powers were given to humanity to defeat their oppressors, not to become THE oppressors.
More than a century ago, humanity was visited by an alien race from beyond their universe. They didn't come to conquer Earth but to warn humanity about another species called the Skavverns, whose sole purpose was to dominate worlds and enslave intelligent life. Earth had the very resources the Skavverns needed, and would need for centuries to come.
Humans, stubborn as ever, refused to listen to the warnings of these unknown visitors. World leaders as of then had claimed that the Algos themselves were the ones planning to enslave humanity.
The leaders of Earth launched a pre-emptive military strike against the aliens' spacecraft, but their weapons were no match for the beings who possessed abilities beyond human understanding.
The aliens departed Earth, promising to return only when humanity was ready to listen… and to prepare for the Skavverns' coming.
A few years had passed when the first spaceship emerged from the sky. The Skavverns attacked Earth without hesitation, devastating most of the planet's defenses and threatening its very survival.
The war raged on and on for months, and when Earth was on the brink of defeat, the Algos returned. With their unmatched firepower, the Skavverns were finally defeated, and the planet was saved.
Upon their second arrival, the Algos unleashed a pathogen into Earth's atmosphere, one that broke down and rewrote the human genome, altering humanity's genetic code and granting people supernatural abilities.
More attacks struck Earth, but with its newfound powers, humanity fought back, winning the war against the Skavverns.
As time went on, humans learned to tap into the deepest parts of their abilities, becoming stronger and getting even more powerful. But humans being humans, they soon began to see their powers as a way to rise above others and to rule the planet
The strongest among them built Empires in their names, gathering power, technology, and immense wealth that lasted and would last on for generations to come. These Empires stood tall and unshakable, each possessing a unique household ability.
However, not all humans were gifted. One in every hundred was born powerless, and Axel was one of them.
Though his twin sister, Kris, had an ability. It was one of those cases where the mutated gene from parents skipped an offspring and passed to the next. Unfortunately, it had skipped Axel.
"We're here!" the operator growled, his deep bass voice snapping Axel out of thought.
Axel hopped out of the vehicle and onto the pavement. "Thanks, Gary."
"Collectors Academy, huh?" Gary asked through the window.
"Uh… yeah. Don't really have a choice."
Axel turned toward the school and started walking. It was only a few meters away.
Today was the last day of school for every student across the colony, so, as expected, all the gates were locked. But Axel wasn't new to this, he had a history of breaking into places. Scaling walls and picking locks was second nature to him.
He arrived at the spot where Kaze and his friends had cornered him. Dried droplets of his blood still stained the cold floor. That meant it hadn't been a dream.
Realizing this, he sprinted toward the locker room without hesitation. He slammed his shoulder into the steel door, breaking it open on impact.
The kind of force he used should have shattered his bones, but it didn't. What he'd just done was impossible for a normie like himself
He was too focused on finding his body to even notice the sheer impossibility of what he just accomplished.
As soon as he stepped inside, the stench of dried blood filled his nostrils.
He maneuvered between the rows of lockers until he reached the spot where Kaze had killed him. The locker in front of him was dented. Flashes of his body being slammed against it flickered in his mind.
The bench he had sat on was vapourised, almost nothing left of it. That was Kaze's powers.
And finally, there was dried blood everywhere, his blood.
But his body wasn't there… it was gone.
Just then, a sound rang loud in his ears.
>DING!<
A glowing translucent screen appeared before him.
> [Congratulations. You have successfully located your place of death.]
[Anomaly detected: Your body is missing.]
[New mission: Find and absorb your body.]
[You have 24 hours to find and absorb your body.]
[Penalty for failure: Permanent death of host!] <
"What the f—"