Staying alone in a huge house, Altren felt like a ghost. He could not go back to college because his uncle had previously had him submit his transfers.
Now all the options he had was to go to mighty lights academy.
But he was not deterred.
"Uncle will be there... I know it."
The only place his uncle will run off to was the academy. It was one of his comfort spots.
"He will forgive me when he hears the whole explanation...how long will he stay angry. He will come around. I will go to my knees and bed for his forgiveness." He mumbled whilst packing his bags.
He only had a few things in here that were of value...
He already lost the trust of one. The only other thing was the small jade pendant. He tied it around his neck and kissed it softly. "Give me some luck... I don't think I can live with my uncle cross with me. It doesn't feel right..."
Sighing, Altren glanced around at the empty house. After entering the academy, he won't be able to return home unless the higher supers clear him.
It's the part of the training process every hero had to go through. It took a whole twenty years for him to be allowed out into the world.
Now he was pretty sure he will be able to come out of training in a month or so.
"I need to say goodbye to Kang.... we won't be able to meet or talk for a while."
Taking his bags along, he went searching for Zhu Kang. But sadly, he was nowhere to be seen. Even his dorm mates did not know where he had gone to.
He just left a message for Kang to call him back as soon as he could.
After all, inside mighty lights academy phones were not allowed. Only special untraceable phones will be provided for leisure purposes but making calls and receiving calls is impossible with it.
Altren waited by the dorm room in hopes Kang will come around, but even after an hour of waiting, he did not appear.
His car to the academy had arrived by then.
He had no other option but to leave.
"Tell him to call please," he whispered to the guy called Jake.
"I'll tell him to,"
Altren ran to the gate and got into the subtle car.
"Yo kid, have you packed everything for your stay?"
"Yes,"
The driver glanced back. It was the old grandpa Gritchen who had been with him since he was young. He was the one who trains the younger kids in the academy. "I only see one bag."
"It's enough," Altren hugged the duffel bag close.
"Don't come crying that you forgot to buy spicy hot Cheetos," he mumbled, starting the car.
"Hot Cheetos is least of my concern. Grandpa, have you seen my uncle? He is at the academy right?" he hopefully glanced at him.
Grandpa Gritchen nodded with a small smile. "He is in the dark room."
"D-dark room?! why.. he has not entered that room in a long time.." Altren bit his finger nails until they bled.
The dark room as the name suggested a small dark dungeon-like room that was made with a special material that can withstand heat and flames.
The dark room also has a full-on cooling system keeping the temperature below -30 celsius.
Without that, his uncle's body will explode like an exhausted star.
Whenever his uncle's powers went out of control he would shut himself in order not to hurt others. His light energy could easily burn and even melt off the skin of anyone who comes in contact. He was literally the human version of the sun.
His body heat went that high whenever he was angry, sad or emotionally distraught.
'Did I do this? Did I hurt my uncle that badly..' he held back a sob.
"Kid... is everything okay?" Gritchen glanced back occasionally.
Altren hid his face behind his bag and nodded. "I'm good....."
"You don't sound good. Why don't we go for some ice cream, huh? Like old times. You used to like blueberry, you still do?"
"Please... please take me to the academy as quickly as you can please...."
"so many, please. Is that really you?" the old man sighed. "listen whatever is going on you between you and your uncle, you can talk it out, okay. Don't cry. It's going to be just fine,"
Altren sniffed slightly. "You don't know... you don't know... he does not like me anymore. He hates me. He said that seeing my face made him puke..." he sobbed loudly.
Gritchen grimaced. "Puke? Do you have a new wart or something?"
"Grandpa.... I went overboard. I pissed him off.. and he left me. he abandoned me and left me all alone just like my mother...."
"Shit kid, what did you do?"
Altren glanced up with his tear-soaked face. "I stole his destiny..."
"That doesn't make sense, but yeah..." the car stopped. "We are here. Why don't you go talk it out with him?"
Altren hesitantly glanced at the gates of the complex. It was a high metallic gate with electricity coursing through it. This was put in place to keep out the humans.
Feeling the high voltage, he felt the small hairs on his skin resonate with them.
The gate opened, and the car drove in.
Instantaneous the gate closed behind them.
Standing in front of him was the familiar tall, high-rise building that was completely shrouded by huge banyan trees. The trees were tall, thick, and spread out hiding the complex completely from even areal view.
He got out.
A few supers who knew him nodded.
Altren walked in with determination. "It's just a month... I can make my uncle talk to me in a month. I can do that..."
While entering he tossed his bag in a scanner and banned items like phones were removed.
Right then he got a call.
The super who was checking it glanced at him with a slight warning look.
"Just one call. Five minutes please..." Altren took it from him. the caller id was none other than Kang.
'Hey Kang, what's up."
"n-nothings up... you..." his voice trembled weirdly.
"Are you running? Why does your voice sound weird?"
"No no I'm just briskly walking..." Kang breathed into the phone.
"Kang listen I might not be available for a month or so. I won't even be able to contact you. I'm sorry."
"A month! I-it's okay..." Kang awkwardly laughed it off.
"Are you really okay?"
"I'm fine, tell me more. How is your uncle?"
"He is pissed. Kang.. can I ask you something? Did you and my uncle have something going on?" Altren tightly clenched the phone nervously.
"... We did not," he said in a high pitch
"You hesitated. Tell me the truth." The super was gesturing for him to hand the phone over. "Soon!"
"Fine! We did have something. It was a complete accident, okay. He was drunk, and I was..... Anyway things happened in that hotel room that should not be revealed elsewhere." He suddenly started to whisper.
Altren froze. "Hotel room? What hotel room?"
"At that party, you saw me at right… by the elevator we met….."
Right then the super plucked the phone off his hands and switched it off completely.
Altren sat there dazedly. He was mentally able to connect the dots.
The hotel room…..
His uncle waking up with someone's traces on his hand.....
"Fuck! Oh my fucking god! I can't believe this! I can't believe this," he tried to snatch the phone back but the super tossed it in a locker.
"No phones allowed. Policy,"
"Just one call. Please it's urgent!"
"No phone calls!"
Altren grumbled loudly. "I need to see my uncle now!" he ran in, pushing away everyone in his way directly over to the dark room.
The cool metallic room was there in the corner.
He banged on the doors. "Uncle! We need to talk! It's an emergency! It's about Kang!"
"I don't want to talk about your boyfriend!" his uncle shouted back.
"Uncle, he is not my boyfriend…" he sighed loudly. "The hotel room! I found out who it was. It was Kang!.... Kang is the one who slept with you!!"
"..." the door opened.
His uncle's body was slightly glowing bright yellow. "It's not possible at all. No human can withstand my heat,"
Altren's eyes started to burn badly from the overwhelmingly bright light and heat he was giving off.
"Exactly! Kang is not a human! He is a super!"