Exodus and Nathaniel awoke sharply in the morning, taking only mere seconds to slide into their suits and leave the room, the bed made and everything neat. "I have a feeling we won't be returning to this room today," Nathaniel muttered, and Exodus could not help but agree. They ran into no one else, which Exodus found as strange, even when they went into the Grand Hall and grabbed breakfast. After, they went to the Training Room, and then passed it, Exodus was confused as to where Nathaniel was taking him but didn't say anything as his brother took him outside and into a large garden. Concrete paths crisscrossed before each grassy bed. Nathaniel didn't stop to observe, instead leading him to a large pile of rocks and boulders. "What are we doing here?" Nathaniel grinned at Exodus' question and turned towards him. "I was thinking of a little dodging drill!"
Exodus was confused, and Nathaniel immediately addressed his brother. "I'm going to send all of these into the air, as high as I can, and you're going to destroy them in the air." Before Exodus could open his mouth to respond, Nathaniel's legs began glowing and he jumped up, slamming his bright boots into the ground. There was a rumbling sound that emerged from the earth, shaking Exodus to his core, and then the boulders and rocks lifted. They rose high into the air, and disappeared behind the clouds, gone from view. "Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Nathaniel, and Exodus nodded. His legs glowed yellow, and he jumped, soaring several feet into the air and still rising. He looked up and watched as the massive rocks fell. "DESTORY THEM!" Nathaniel roared from below, and Exodus raised his glowing fists.
He felt his body become weightless for a moment, and then he dropped, the rocks falling alongside him. Exodus punched forward, his knuckles striking into one of the closest boulders, and it exploded in a shower of pebbles and dust. Exodus turned, and let his fists do the work. Boulder after boulder, rock after rock, they exploded as he plummeted to the ground. He swung his fists and legs through the air, watching with a keen interest as they disappeared, one after another. "Look out!" Nathaniel shouted warningly, and Exodus looked down. He barely even noticed as the ground, rushed to greet him, but he could not do anything to stop it. It was mere seconds before death, and his legs would not power up to take the impact in time. There was a blur, a golden one, and something crashed into Exodus. He hit the ground seconds later and rolled, coughing and wincing in pain.
Nathaniel stood above him, sighing and shaking his head. "We still need to work on landing…. but that was a remarkable job!" Exodus grinned as he shakily stood, still feeling the aftershocks of the landing. Nathaniel turned his attention towards the large clock outside the Capital's door and swore. "It's two in the afternoon. That is why we did not see anyone. They were all just relaxing after training, most likely." Exodus nodded, and then a thought came to his mind. "Hey…I've been meaning to ask," Exodus began, and Nathaniel glanced at him, "Why do you smile so much?" Nathaniel sighed, and looked around, making sure no one else was around. "Alright, if I tell you, will you promise to never mention it to anyone else?" Exodus nodded, both intrigued and nervous. Nathaniel sighed, nodded to himself and looked up again, "Ok. So the story is –"
***
You have a master, which is lucky, isn't it? You would have thought I would never have had a master, given not many of wielded the Hope before me. Well, no one else knows this, but I did have a master. She was…She was quite something. Just a little older than me, wielded the Hope and was willing to take me on as a friend and learner. Funny how things can work out, isn't it? It did, for a while. Two years, she was my master. She helped me grow, to become the Hero of Hope, to become the number one. Like some kind of cringy teenage story, we began to develop feelings for each other. A little more time passed, and we were then madly in love. Her name was Vanessa, and no one could have been more perfect. Amazing brown hair, a pale face, blue eyes that sparkled in the night like a million fireworks. You would have thought it was perfect, huh? It was. Whenever she was not pushing me and training me to be better, we would go out together fighting crime or just go somewhere quiet. The two of us. However, there was a threat she warned me of. There was a Villain. He led this group of other Villains called The Uprising. I was not aware of such…danger…at the time. I thought it was just her trying to get me to be prepared for anything. This was before the Seventh House, Peace, was destroyed. Everyone, including mother and father, slowly forgot. It only took two years, but I and now you are the only ones who know of the Seventh House. The Peace House was incredible, its lands full of beautiful beaches and amazing animals. I wanted to run away and live there. You see, my master was from Peace House. While we were there, just a little over two years ago, something happened. The threat she had warned me of...he came. We were sitting on a roof, one overlooking the beach, and then the sky went black with clouds and red lightning. I was scared, mostly because I had never seen such Power as this. She told me that the time had come. We had to fight. We ran, straight to where Peace was. We were only, I would say, a minute away from reaching the main Peace Hall, where everyone else had gathered for a town meeting. We watched as someone glided through the air and hovered above the building, yes, he could fly. All he did was point one hand into the air and bring it down to his side quickly. A lightning bolt of red shot from the clouds, and the Peace House were no more, not even the children survived. Me and my master, we went into battle. While I was powerful, I was nothing compared to my master. But this…evil… was greater than even my master. We fought for hours, both of us tiring while the monster seemed unphased. My master once told me that there was an ability that the holders of Hope could use. It was a one-time, and you die after a period of time. I warned her repeatedly, but even I knew it was likely the only way. I was ready to do it, but then my master shoved me aside. She did it. Only those who have the Hope, and who are in a reasonable proximity, can see what she does during what is called the Transition. I saw a bright white light encase her, and then there was a man. I assumed her was her previous master. I knew he must have been dead, but then, he spoke, as though he were actually there! I memorised what he said. He said: 'Like my master before me, I will say the same words to you. The Power of Hope can restore peace and harmony to everyone. This Power has been passed on to each person until the right one can be found. In order for true peace to be found, one needs to sacrifice. I made that sacrifice, to keep the world in order. Now, it is your turn. Do your best, Chloe!' I watched as she reached out and grasped her master's hand. Her master disappeared, but then, her entire body was glowing colors of green, yellow and white. I could do nothing. She was at well over one billion percent Power. She raced towards the man, who I now understand was called Obliterate, from the Rage House. She put all the Power into her right arm, and then punched him. The explosion sent me hurtling into the forest, where it took me a day to escape and run back to the now desolated and, dare I say, obliterated Peace House. I only ever found a leg, the one that belonged to Obliterate. Her body would have been destroyed. She was gone. Before the fight, just that morning on the beach, we kissed. Even though she was my teacher, she was still my lover, the one I would never let get hurt. She told me that the best Heroes in this world were the ones who were always smiling, even in the face of death, because it told everyone else it was going to be ok. In her last moments, she was not scared or angry in her last moments. I saw her face just before it happened. She was smiling. That, little brother, is why I always smile."
***
Exodus stared at his brother, who had been speaking for the past ten minutes, but that didn't bother him. He was in both shock and awe at his brother. Exodus opened his mouth to speak, but then he heard something creeping up behind him. Footsteps, Exodus realised, quickly spinning around and raising his fists. The attack caught him off-guard. A syringe plunged into his neck, and Exodus stumbled, already feeling the effects of the chemical. He looked around, his eyes watering, and watched as Nathaniel fell, unmoving. Exodus fell onto one knee, gasping for air to try and calm down his hyperventilating, but nothing worked. "Have fun…in the Hunt," whispered a voice. That was the last that Exodus remembered.