Amid the café's noise and the overlapping chatter of people, Novan sat alone at a small table, his sharp eyes scanning everyone around him. In front of him was a cup of tea, half-cold, untouched. His thirst was not for the body, but for something else… meaning, an answer, or even a sign that he belonged in this world.
Suddenly, the café door opened.
A man entered—tall, broad-shouldered, with eyes that shone with a strange gleam. Novan had never seen him before, yet something inside him shivered the moment he saw him.
The intention… exploded before him like a black flash:
Betrayal… blood… power.
Novan looked around; everyone else treated the man as ordinary. Some greeted him with a smile, the waiter hurried to set up an extra chair… but only Novan saw the truth.
"This man carries darkness… he will harm someone."
His eyes fixed on the man, who suddenly turned. He smiled—a slow, deliberate smile—directed at Novan.
The smile made Novan's heart tighten. It was not friendly… it was the smile of a man who knew he had been seen.
And then… something strange happened.
A heavy air swept through the café. The eyes of the patrons seemed to vanish from awareness, conversations cut off, the waiter frozen in place. Everyone in the café began blinking erratically, as if they had lost contact with reality.
Novan felt pressure in his head, as if someone was tampering with his memory, erasing moment after moment.
He tried to hold onto the images… the man, the smile, the black shadows… but he couldn't. Everything evaporated.
Seconds… then suddenly he found himself sitting, sweat pouring from his brow.
He looked around: patrons chatting normally, the waiter laughing with someone, the door closed… no sign of that man.
Novan whispered to himself, hand on his head:
— "Why am I sweating…? What is happening here?"
He remembered nothing.
Yet his heart kept pounding, as if his soul remembered what his mind could not.
Novan left the café feeling an unbearable weight in his head. The cold air touched his face, but it did nothing to cool the turmoil inside. Every step he took among people felt like a recurring nightmare.
Every person passing by exploded with intentions before his eyes like lightning:
Theft… betrayal… envy… lies… desire…
The shadows thickened, words clashed in his mind until he almost screamed.
He pressed his head with his hands, breathing in ragged gasps, the street seeming to ripple with dozens of black souls.
— "Why? Why are they all like this?"
Then suddenly… the sounds stopped.
Amid the crowd, he saw her.
A girl walking calmly, carrying a small bag, her hair flowing over her shoulders with a light breeze.
But what amazed him was not her beauty… but what he did not see. No black smoke, no words tainted with evil. Her intention was singular, pure as water:
— "I want everyone to be well… to be happy."
Novan froze, as if time itself had stopped.
For the first time in his life, he saw a soul without blemish.
Goosebumps rose on his skin, his heart pounding in a way he had never felt before.
Something new, strange… a feeling warming his chest.
Could this be what they call "love"?
Novan, who had spent his life fleeing people, who had known only loneliness, did not understand what was happening.
All he knew was that he did not want this girl to escape his eyes.
Time suddenly resumed, and the sounds of the café returned as if nothing had happened.
But Novan stood there, clothes soaked in sweat, face burning with anger and humiliation. Everything around him was normal: people laughing, patrons moving, the waiter cleaning tables… as if he alone had experienced the shock.
He looked around quickly, eyes searching for the man who had humiliated him, the man who had erased moments from his memory and everyone else's.
He found no trace.
But suddenly… he caught a familiar look, a wicked smile, the same eyes he had seen in the café seconds ago.
There was the old man, standing in a corner, watching him.
Novan shivered, but rage exploded inside him.
He rose from his chair, shouting with a voice that shook:
— "I don't know why I exist… but when I looked at her, I knew my purpose! And you cannot take her from me! You will die by my hands now!"
Novan charged toward the old man, each step fueled by anger and betrayal.
He raised his hand to strike… and suddenly, the old man smiled a slow, black smile, as if he knew everything.
Everything around Novan froze. Every movement of the people stopped, every sound cut off, time halted—except his eyes.
Novan stared at the old man, trying to move, trying to strike… but nothing happened except through his gaze.
Then the old man did something humiliating, disheartening: he began slowly pulling at Novan's clothes, leaving the young man in his underwear, helpless, in front of the entire café.
And then, as if nothing had happened, the old man left the café, smiling contemptuously, leaving Novan in indescribable shock and fury.
Time resumed suddenly, everything back to normal. Patrons looked at him in surprise, some laughing, some staring curiously. The girl he had wanted to speak to stood stunned, eyes wide.
Novan, standing there, felt rage burning within him like fire, carrying a promise in his heart:
— "I will never forget this… I will find you, I will take my revenge… and you will not escape this time!"
And with that, his underwear had been exposed twice!
The girl laughed lightly, and Novan felt a momentary relief, initially thinking her laughter was at him. But when he looked again, he saw the dog running around her, playing carefreely. Her laughter was genuine, over something innocent—not directed at him.
She said, petting the dog:
— "Liberty, let's go home. Mom won't let us be late."
Novan paused, eyes watching the dog closely. Something about it was strange… its intelligent gaze, its slow movements at times, as if it understood more than a normal dog should.
When they entered the house, Novan discovered the truth: the dog Liberty was not just a dog, but the transformed form of the girl's mother, the old man's wife, with a mysterious shapeshifting ability. Standing there, seeing Liberty's smile, Novan realized that nothing in this household was as it seemed, and that a tremendous power and awareness lay behind this innocent appearance.
The girl looked at him with clear, innocent, pure eyes, free of any malice or deceit. But the presence of Liberty/the mother, and the old man, filled the atmosphere with invisible mystery and threat.
Novan felt a decision forming inside him:
— "I will learn everything about this family, about Liberty's abilities, and about the power surrounding this girl. And I will not let anyone harm her."
Novan sat by the window overlooking the old man's house, watching every movement inside. The girl laughed with the dog, their motions, their smiles, every detail of the house imprinted in his mind. He felt astonishment and confusion, but also realized that this was the key to understanding the power surrounding this family.
He observed for many minutes, analyzing every glance, every movement, everything that seemed mysterious and full of power. Then he finally decided to step away from the window and return to his apartment to start analyzing everything that had happened.
Sitting in his apartment, head buzzing with thoughts, heart pounding, he whispered to himself:
— "This world… is not normal. There are abilities… powers… things I never knew existed. Not everything that happened today could be a coincidence."
He began thinking about his own ability: the power to see people's intentions, to know what they hide and plan. The flood of information was overwhelming, but it also gave him a deep understanding of the world around him.
Then he remembered what the old man had done in the café: rewinding time, erasing memory, controlling others. Novan realized this was just one example, and that even more complex abilities existed in this world:
Reading others' intentions and thoughts at varying degrees.
Controlling time or the course of moments, as the old man did.
Shapeshifting into other forms, as Liberty does.
Superhuman physical or mental abilities, or affecting the surroundings and emotions.
Novan sat contemplating all of this, trying to connect the events, and every laugh, every movement, every moment of weakness or strength served as evidence of a world filled with mysterious and complex powers.
He whispered to himself:
— "I will study my abilities first, and I will study theirs… I will know their strengths and weaknesses. And I will not let anyone control their lives—or mine."
With this decision, Novan felt that his true journey had begun, and that the world of abilities was not merely about supernatural powers, but a constant test of intelligence, courage, and self-control.
After analyzing everything that had happened that day, Novan felt utterly exhausted. His head was heavy with thoughts, and his eyes nearly closed from fatigue. He finally decided to sleep, hoping it would bring some clarity and calm.
Suddenly, the scene shifted far from the quiet of Novan's apartment…
A man was driving a massive truck loaded with cash, his face full of tension, clearly the main thief. Suddenly, police cars appeared, blocking the road completely. But he was not alone…
Two others appeared beside him, each possessing a strange power.
Pan, the man who could move objects with his mind alone, raised his hand and focused. The truck lifted into the air, as if flying purely by his mental command. The police officers were stunned, unable to believe their eyes.
John, who possessed a unique ability: anything he touched would either collapse or be pulled downward. When he touched the police officers, the entire group fell to the ground, blood splattering terrifyingly, chaos engulfing the scene. When he touched the police helicopter, it toppled completely, transforming into a twisted, blocky mass, crashing to the ground in a horrific, bloody spectacle that shocked everyone watching.
The third thief, Don, controlled particles and air. With his skill, he created an aerial path for the flying truck, making it glide over the road as if defying gravity itself.
After this chaos, the three arrived with the cash-laden truck at their secret headquarters. There, Des, a girl wearing a wide smile, awaited them with clear delight.
Everyone in the city knew them as "The Reckless Four": Pan, John, Don, and Des. Their daring acts, superhuman abilities, and disregard for the law had made them legends in the streets—fearless and ready for anything.
Meanwhile, in his apartment, Novan had fallen into a deep sleep, but something in the city disturbed him—a strange feeling sweeping through him in the middle of the night. He jolted awake, heading to the window, eyes scanning the streets as if sensing an unnatural energy in the air.
Several blocks away, he spotted a bright light and chaotic movement on the road. He focused his ability to see people's intentions, and immediately the tragedy and chaos unfolded before him:
A massive truck hovered in the air as if flying.
Police cars frozen, officers toppled to the ground, blood flying around them in a terrifying spectacle.
The police helicopter that tried to intervene completely toppled, turning into a distorted, blocky mass, crashing to the ground, destruction and blood everywhere—a shocking, bloody scene.
Novan froze in place, heart pounding, mind analyzing every movement, every energy, every intention. When he focused on the four people responsible for the chaos, their full images appeared before him:
Pan, moving objects with his mind, controlling the truck, air, and energy.
John, touching things to make them collapse or be pulled, causing the police and the helicopter to fall.
Don, manipulating particles and air, creating flight paths for the truck above the roads.
Des, the girl waiting at their headquarters, smiling, radiating unusual power and confidence, as if she controlled their emotions or supported them simultaneously.
Novan whispered to himself:
— "These… these four are not just thieves. They are… superpowered, on a level not to be underestimated. I must study them… understand them… know the limits of their powers and how dangerous they truly are."
Novan stood by the window for a long time, eyes glowing with focus. For the first time, he felt that the world he lived in was not just an ordinary city, but an arena of superpowers, where intentions and abilities make the difference between life and death, control and chaos.
He then returned to his bed, mind brimming with thoughts and plans, determined to begin studying every power, every person, every detail of this event. He felt that his true journey had not yet begun… and that the Reckless Four would be the central test of his upcoming abilities.