A boy stood amidst the flames and ashes of what was once his home—a broken-down ruin, barely recognizable. His body was charred, half-burned, with flesh crisped like charcoal. The pain was unbearable, but compared to the bullets still lodged in his torso, it was a far cry from the agony he had already endured.
Was he dead? No… although death would have been a mercy.
Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up from the ground, groaning in pain. His body screamed for rest, but there was none to be had.
Today was his birthday. Yet, the flames around him would not burn out—not for him. As the clouds darkened and the first drops of rain fell, he covered his face and knelt, the cool water slowly mixing with the tears streaming down his face.
He sobbed, broken and lost.
What can you say to a boy who has lost everything? What would you do if everyone and everything familiar to you were taken away?
On his 10th birthday, the only thing he could do was cry. He cried his heart out.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the memory.
Voice: "Ivan…"
Voice: "Ivan."
Voice: "IVAN!"
Ivan snapped out of his daze.
Ivan: "Huh? Oh, yes?"
Endo's voice rang in his ears.
Endo: "YOU LIVED IN GAIJIN!?"
Ivan blinked and looked over at Endo and Leonin, both staring at him with shock and curiosity.
Leonin: "What do you mean by the government covering it up?"
She folded her arms, clearly troubled by the revelation.
Ivan remained silent for a moment, then stood up.
Ivan: "That's enough for today."
He began walking toward the door, pausing only to glance back at Endo.
Ivan: "And Endo, call my name if you ever need me."
Endo: "Wait, you're leaving?"
He asked, confused.
But Ivan didn't respond. He left without another word.
Endo turned to Leonin.
Endo: "Did we ask too much?"
Leonin, still deep in thought, crossed her arms. There were so many questions swirling in her mind after what Ivan had said.
Leonin: "Looks like I've got something to do this weekend."
Meanwhile, Ivan soared through the skies, flying toward a ruined district sealed off from the rest of the city. He landed in the remains of what had once been bustling streets, now ghostly silent.
As he walked, memories flooded his mind—the vibrant streets, the lively people going about their daily lives. He stopped and looked up at a crumbling old school building.
Ivan: "I still wonder… where did all of you go?"
He hopped over the rusted fence and walked toward the school entrance. Inside, the halls were eerily quiet, the walls still adorned with faded signs. He remembered sitting with friends in a classroom marked "Theory and Practicality," debating famous abilities and how they worked. He smiled faintly at the memory of the practical room, where he'd always mess up and blow things out of proportion, everyone laughing as he failed again and again.
Climbing the broken stairs, Ivan floated up to the third floor, landing softly in front of a door labeled "Multi-Ethnicity Classes." He paused, wondering if things had been better back then.
A sudden noise echoed down the hall. Two voices.
Voice 1: "Hey Louis, where's the stash of C-grade weapons and explosives?"
Voice 2: "Um, Cassidy, could you kindly STOP ASKING ME? For the last 30 times, I already told you—it's in the Multi-Ethnicity room!"
Cassidy: "Come on, don't be such a killjoy! I've got nothing else to do."
Louis turned, pointing at Cassidy.
Louis: "I'm serious, if you ask me that one more time, I swear—"
Cassidy interrupted, noticing something.
Cassidy: "Uh, Louis, is that someone you know?"
Louis snapped to attention, eyes narrowing as he looked at Ivan. He took a defensive stance.
Louis: "Who are you, and what are you doing in a restricted area?"
Cassidy: "Yeah! Otherwise, we'll smoke bomb ya and run awayyy!"
Louis: "CASSSSIDY!"
He hissed.
Louis: "Don't tell someone we just met what we're going to do! I was trying to look cool!"
Ivan, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, began to laugh—hard.
Louis and Cassidy both looked at him in confusion. Louis grew increasingly unnerved.
Cassidy: "What's so funny?"
Ivan managed to calm himself, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
Ivan: "Sorry, sorry… my God, Louis, you really haven't changed."
Louis squinted at him.
Louis: "Who are you?"
Ivan: "I'm Ivan. Ivan the Terrible, the one with all the theories and no practical skills."
Louis's eyes widened.
Louis: "Ivan!"
Ivan: "Yep."
He replied, smirking.
Louis: "Where the hell have you been? And why do you look so… buff?"
Ivan: "In short… Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter."
Louis blinked, completely lost.
Louis: "Wait… what?"
Cassidy: "Oh, so you reached for the stars?"
Ivan grinned.
Ivan: "I even reached Antares."
Louis's confusion deepened.
Louis: "Wait—what!?"
Cassidy turned to Louis.
Cassidy: "So… who is this guy, exactly?"
Cassidy looked at Louis, silently asking a question. Louis responded after a brief pause.
Louis: "He was my classmate back when school was still running, and the city was alive."
Cassidy: "So, he was like a best friend?"
Louis: "More like someone I had to drag back to his house."
Ivan chimed in, grinning.
Ivan: "And you had the fanciest car in town."
Louis: "Oh, shut it."
He shot back.
Louis: "What are you even talking about?"
Cassidy: "Wait, Louis had a car?"
Louis: "No, I didn't."
He replied, clearly irritated.
Cassidy: "Oh, yes, I remember now. You used to say it was the love of your life. Tell me more about that."
Ivan, laughing, started to speak, but Louis raised a hand to stop him.
Louis: "No, Ivan..."
Ignoring the gesture, Ivan continued.
Ivan: "We used to call him Louis XVI because of that stage play he did about the French Revolution."
Cassidy: "You sure look like you're about to lose your head over there."
Ivan and Cassidy kept taking while Louis was left their dying of embarrassment
They shifted focus back to **Endo** and **Leonine**.
Endo: "Well, looks like it's time. I'd better head out. My parents will kill me if I'm not home soon."
Leonine: "Which sector?"
Endo: "No, wait... sector 4-40."
Leonine: "I'll run you over."
Endo: "Yes, of course. I seem to be getting into trouble a lot today."
As they left the restaurant, **Jun** and **Yun** watched them from across the street.
June: "Hey, Yun, take a picture."
Yun quickly snapped a photo of **Endo** and **Leonine** walking outside.
Endo: "So, what did you mean by 'run me over' earlier?"
Leonine: "It's simple. Your sector number is 440, right?"
Endo: "Yeah, it's 440."
Suddenly, without warning, **Leonine** scooped **Endo** up into her arms.
Endo: "What the...?"
Leonine: "Let's go!"
Yun's camera clicked again.
Yun: "We got the shot!" he called to **Jun**.
June, wide-eyed, couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Wow..."
Both June and Yun stood there in stunned silence, unsure of what to make of the scene unfolding before them.
Leonine sped off, running so fast she broke the sound barrier.
Endo: "Ugh, not again!" he groaned, glancing at his glasses, which were now almost shattered from the sheer force of her speed. "These glasses are about to fall apart from that last sprint!"
Leonine: "We made it in under a minute! That's 33,000 miles!"
Endo blinked, adjusting the bent frames. "I mean, I could've taken the hyper-fast subway, but yeah, we definitely beat that by a landslide."
Leonine tilted her head. "Wait, what happened to your glasses?"
Endo: "I think they're broken... again. And now I can't see properly."
Leonine: "Shouldn't your evolution have fixed your eyesight by now?"
Endo: "I can't just evolve on command. My brain doesn't work that way, and it's exhausting trying to force it."
Leonine crossed her arms, then extended her hand. "Fine. Hold my hand."
Endo hesitated. "I can get back home through muscle memory, it's fine."
Leonine: "Nope. I'm not leaving you like this. As a hero, I'm concerned for your safety."
She gently grabbed his hand, placing it into hers.
Endo blushed slightly: "Uh... I've never been, you know, grabbed like this before."
Leonine gave a small smile. "Consider it a treat."
As they strolled through the streets, they soon reached **Endo's** house. Standing outside were his parents and sister.
**Endo's father**: "Endo?"
Noticing the two approaching, his eyes widened at the sight of **Leonine** holding **Endo's** hand.
His sister, Trisha, gaped. "Oh my god, is that—?"
Trisha: "Leonine, the second-ranked superhero!"
Leonine gave them a thumbs-up, grinning.
Endo's mother, wide-eyed, spoke up. "My, my... What did our son do? Did he cause you any trouble, Miss Leonine?"
Leonine shook her head. "No trouble at all. I was just, you know, carrying him home."
A collective frown appeared on their faces.
Trisha snorted. "Oh, so he didn't even walk home by himself?"
Endo: "Trisha, no!"
Leonine blushed slightly.
Endo's father stepped in. "Why don't you two come inside?"
Endo's mother chimed in with a teasing smile. "It would be lovely if you could stay for a while... or maybe even the night."
Leonine glanced at Endo. "I really should get back to work, but I appreciate the offer."
She turned to leave, but not before handing **Endo** something.
Leonine: "Oh, Endo... Here."
She gave him a small cube with her number etched into it.
Leonine: "My personal number."
As she walked away, Endo's family stared in shock. His father leaned in with a grin.
Endo's father: "Son, I never expected you to bring a girl home. And a superhero, no less."
Endo: "Dad, it's not like that! You wouldn't believe what happened today."
His mother playfully pinched her husband's ear.
Endo's mother: "He should take lessons from his mother on how to handle this."
Endo: "Mom, please..."
The family shared a laugh.
---
Later, back with Ivan and Louie, the conversation shifted dramatically.
Ivan: "That's how Louie got rejected by 20 girls."
Louie groaned, lying face-down on the ground.
Louie: "Well, well, well."
Cassidy, observing the scene, shook her head in amusement.
Louie: "Ivan, how did you survive the purge?"
Ivan's expression darkened.
Ivan: "25 bullets to the chest. One through my brain."
The atmosphere grew tense as **Ivan** continued, his voice flat.
Ivan: "I fell through the mountains, broke my body, passed out."
There was a long silence before Louie finally spoke up.
Louie: "How did you survive that?"
Ivan: "Pure willpower. And luck."
Louie blinked. "What are you doing now?"
Ivan shrugged. "I guess I'm a villain now."
Louie's eyes widened. "You're a villain? How come I've never heard of you?"
Ivan: "I just got back a week ago."
Cassidy looked at Louie, showing him a digital news article.
Cassidy: "Sector 449 was attacked by another villain. And the second-ranked hero was seriously injured."
They switched on the news, where a reporter was addressing the recent events.
Reporter: "The agency made a significant mistake. But we will apprehend the villain soon. We assure you that by the end of the week, he will be locked up."
The reporters fired questions, but the agent dismissed them.
Agent: "No more questions today."
As the broadcast ended, **Louie** turned to **Ivan**, his face pale.
Louie: "Ivan... did you do that?"
Ivan simply nodded.
Ivan scratched his head. "Wait... What was Bismarck's class again?
Cassidy: That means you're on the same level as the hero of the multi-city division. Close to a national threat."
Ivan smiled. "I told you the truth."
Louie was speechless. He never imagined that the kind-hearted, intellectual Ivan had become something entirely different.
After a long pause, **Louie** made a decision.
Louie: "Ivan, I offer you an invitation to join the White Doves."