"In 2026, over 150 years ago, the research team at the World Food Organization created an injection. A powerful chemical meant to destroy mankind's greatest enemy: hunger.
The injection was called HungerNull.
A single dose ensured that anyone who took it would not feel hunger for an entire month, while flooding their body with enough nutrients to survive."
The official on the podium spoke like a narrator, his voice steady and rehearsed. Behind him, the massive screen flickered to life, displaying images of the drug. Vials. Syringes. Smiling faces frozen in hope.
"It was a game-changing discovery. Almost immediately, large shipments of the injection were sent to the most hunger-infected continent on Earth. Africa."
The screen shifted to a glowing satellite image of the continent.
"Desperate, many Africans took it. Except for some rich and superstitious individuals who refused to even go near it. For years, people relied on HungerNull. But after ten years…"
His tone darkened.
"…the havoc began."
"People who used HungerNull started turning. Their bodies changed. Twisting. Breaking. Mutating. Into mindless beasts that wanted nothing but death. They killed on sight. So they gained the name, Nulls."
Images flooded the screen.
The Nulls were almost human. Same height. Same shape. But warped by something deeply wrong. One was thin and unnaturally tall, its head swollen like a balloon stretched beyond its limit, fur coating its upper body like a ferret's. Another was grotesquely fat, its legs too small to support its bulk, its mouth so wide it looked capable of swallowing a dog whole. There were more. Many more. Some so disfigured that even the narrator seemed unable to describe them.
"The military of that time didn't waste a moment," he continued. "They managed to take some of them down. But the numbers overwhelmed them. Soldiers from all over the world were torn apart. For the first time in centuries…"
He paused.
"…we were no longer at the top of the food chain."
He said it plainly. Almost casually.
Kairo flinched.
The images were disturbing. Too similar to the thing that had eaten his mother. His chest tightened, but he forced himself to keep looking. If he wanted to become a soldier, he had to get used to this.
"Five years later," the man said, "nature had its own plan to save humanity. Humans with extraordinary powers began to appear. Men and women who stood as humanity's last defense. They were called… Oxides."
The screen changed to a group of figures dressed in white,cultural style army suits.
Awe rippled through the graduating soldiers.
The Oxides were of different heights, personalities. But one thing remained the same.
Every single one wore a gas mask.
"With their help, humanity stabilized. For each generation, these people have risen. And now, without further introduction, let me present the Oxides who protect the Veil.."
He raised his voice.
"Accex and Armslaw!"
The hall exploded with applause. Whistles cut through the noise.
The stage split open down the middle.
A platform rose from the floor, slow and deliberate, carrying two figures.
Both wore gas masks.
The first was a large, muscular Black man, his body thick with power, as if the gym were his second home. The second was thin and elastic, his posture relaxed yet dangerous. His black hair was styled with a gothic edge, and his gas mask was painted with jagged teeth.
"Ooh my gods!" Lenard screamed like a crazed fan.
"I can't believe it. It's him. The greatest Oxide of our generation. Accex!"
Kairo shouted as well, his eyes widening, light flooding them. His hero. The man he idolized. The reason, aside from protecting his sister, that he had joined the Defense Force.
Accex was the one who brought Kairo and Ayanda to the veil after their mother was killed, even though his memory about that fateful day was fumbled but he was certain that accex was his savior. Since then, he had idolized Accex above all other Oxides.
"Wow… this is my first time seeing an Oxide with my own eyes," one soldier muttered.
Women crowded closer to the stage, their attention drawn to the Oxides rather than the officials beside them.
Oxides rarely entered the city. They lived outside the walls, hunting Nulls. Seeing them here, inside, felt unreal. Almost forbidden.
They stood with effortless authority. As the platform rose, so did their presence. Confidence radiated from them, the sight almost cinematic, like something pulled straight from a movie.
"I hope I get to work with ArmsLaw someday,So I can see him use his ability. Super strength."
Lenard dreamily said.
"That's lame," Kairo replied. "I don't want to watch someone use their powers. I'll tell him to teach me."
"You can't. You're not an Oxide, remember?"
"I'll find a way," Kairo said, his voice hard with determination. "That way, I can kill those Null bastards and stop them from causing anymore pain… like they did to us."
…...
Adoring screams continued, echoing , filling the air with the energy young people usually bring.
"Will you make a speech?" the officer who introduced the Oxides whispered to the famous duo.
Accex shook his head once, hand pointing to his wristwatch.
A quiet refusal.
Strategically, the speaker forced a smile and returned to the podium.
"Alright then. Everyone, stand up!"
The soldiers rose in unison, like a living machine. Right arms pressed against their chests.
"Yes, sir!"
"Do you swear to protect the wall and everyone within it with your life?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Do you swear to aid the Oxides in every way you can?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then, by the power invested in me as by the council of soilders in Black, I hereby pronounce you soldiers of the Veil!"
"Yes, sir!"
Pow. Pow. Pow.
Gunshots cracked through the air. Celebratory thunder. After two years of training, they were finally soldiers.
…...
After The Graduation, families of the soilders gathered near the outdoor hall.
"I'm so proud of you, honey."
Kairo's mother wrapped him in a tight hug, smiling through shining eyes. They waited somewhere near the event because civilians weren't allowed to attend the graduation.
"Thanks, Mom," Kairo smiled back. Seeing the Oxides had reignited something in him. A fire he thought he'd lost.
"So… do I have to call you 'sir' now?" Ayanda teased.
"Haha!"
They laughed together.
Kairo crouched to her level, his voice softening.
"Nothing's changed. I'm still your brother."
"Where's Dad?"
"He went to the administration. Fixing some stuff."
"Alright,, cool!"
"But he said as soon as he finishes the fixes he will come straight here!"
Pttst. Pttst.
The microphone on the podium crackled to life again. An assistant soldier stepped onto the podium, holding a white note in her hand.
"All soldiers whose names are to be called should report to HQ immediately. You have been selected for a special mission with the Oxides."
A shock rippled through the crowd.
A mission already? With the Oxides? That meant instant promotion. Instant fame. A clear path to greatness.
"This is my chance," Kairo thought. "My chance to talk to Accex. To show him what I'm made of."
But it was easier said than done. A chance like that had to go to the best performing, the most promising students out of the bunch. Exactly opposite to what Kairo was.
"Remo Hid. Omarion Boriv. Chinedu Si. Maphorisa Kennedy. And… Kairo Heno."
"Yes!" Kairo shouted, unrestrained. He hugged his family tightly, joy bursting out of him. Around him, other soldiers stared. Some in envy. Some in bitterness.
Lenard's gaze burned the brightest. Pure disgust glittering in his eyes.
That's what success does, it changes people against you.
"And now my journey begins. I swear on my life i will not stop fighting until everyone of the Nulls is destroyed."
Kairo stood determined.
Eyes crossing with his sister's, even in silence his message was clear.
"I'll do my best to make this world safe for you, Ayanda."