Police sirens blared, and the sounds of tires burning against the asphalt were accompanied by officers barking orders through their PA systems. "Pull over now! You have nowhere to run!" said an officer as his partner tailed a black SUV that weaved through traffic expertly; such so, the officers were struggling to keep up.
Meanwhile, Ky Tempus's father, Ken Tempus, was seen waiting anxiously at his son's graduation. They shared a stark resemblance, both having those tired eyes that gleamed like hunny beneath the sunlight. He'd taken the day off for the special occasion, wanting to see his only son walk the stage and take the first steps into becoming an adult. However, in the sea of blue and yellow caps and gowns, Ken failed to see his one and only son among them. 'Don't tell me you're skipping out on graduation...'
Ky's father was a smart man, he was a doctor after all, and he knew that something was off about his son as of late. Suddenly, his shut-in son was spending all day and night doing who knows what outside and he hadn't seen him touch a video game longer than he'd ever seen in his entire life. He figured, perhaps as Ky was becoming a man, video games became a smaller part of his life, but his son being missing from his own graduation was signaling alarm bells.
Before long, names were being called, and Ky's name would be fast approaching. "Marcus Adams."
As Ky's father waited in the bleachers, Ky was seen elsewhere, standing on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets as the sirens and voices of the police were steadily coming closer. 'Tch. You're telling me that I bust my ass looking for crime and can barely find anything in this quiet ass town but when I have something important to do, NOW suddenly there's a bunch of crime going on. I think the world just hates me.'
He was well aware of his graduation, but the reward of Three Law Points and Two Skill Points was too tempting to pass up. Before long, Ky could see the police chase coming toward him, compelling the boy to stretch and crack his knuckles before the black SUV and the cops began passing him.
Snap!
Ky snapped his fingers, stopping the world around him. He sighed as he casually walked over to the black SUV with a rock in his hand that was coated in his Temporal Cloak. Speeding the time around the rock, Ky threw it like a bullet through the passenger's door and unlocked the door through the broken window. With just a single second left to spare, Ky stepped onto the sidebar of the SUV, just before time resumed and the truck sped off with him attached to it.
"What the hell!?" the driver and his passenger were shocked to see some masked teenager seemingly teleport and hang onto their car. "I have a question. Do you criminals have some sort of group chat that figures out what times I'm busy so you can schedule your crimes?" As Ky quipped, the driver and the passenger looked at each other briefly before looking back at Ky in disbelief. "Who the hell are you?" the passenger asked, getting a disappointed sigh from the time manipulator as a response.
"I guess the group chat theory is off the table... The name's Tempo. Any chance you guys can just make this easy for me and pull over?" The passenger's eyebrows scrunched as he looked at Tempo, still in awe. "Shoot this kid." said the driver and as the passenger raised his gun, Tempo sighed once again. "I guess not."
Ky used his Time Slow ability, causing the armed passenger to begin moving at a snail's pace. Ky climbed inside the car as the world around him moved in slow motion before pushing the passenger out of the door. "Should've worn a seatbelt." Tempo then turned around to look at the driver. "See, this guy has the right idea."
Once time resumed, Ky was seen sitting in the passenger's seat with his arms crossed as the car continued speeding through traffic. "So, where are we headed?" he asked the driver, startling him. The driver said nothing before reaching for a gun and shooting at Ky until the magazine was emptied yet the masked teen dodged every single one. However, unbeknownst to the driver, Ky was simply reversing time the moment his finger squeezed the trigger before dodging at the last second once time resumed. "Damn. So close! How about a little detour?"
Ky grabbed the steering wheel of the van and turned it toward the empty construction site beside them. The driver then lost control of the vehicle, screaming as he and Tempo were heading straight for a pile of gravel. "Thanks for the ride. Have fun in prison."
Snap!
Ky froze time once more, just before the car crashed into the gravel. Without any rush, Ky unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the car, putting his hands back in his pockets before walking off. Time resumed on its own and the car crashed behind him, its momentum being completely halted by the pile of gravel.
The police that tailed the SUV arrived right after, surrounding both Ky and the criminal, aiming their weapons at Ky as if he weren't the reason no one innocent was hurt. "You! Put your hands up!" said one of the officers, his finger itched to pull the trigger.
Ky looked at the officer and chuckled. "Nah, I'll just be on my way." Ky disappeared before their eyes, leaving the police to clean up his work.
Meanwhile, Ky's father was still searching the crowd for his son, his anxiety increasing upon hearing his son's name getting closer and closer. "Nicole Taylor."
'Ky... Where the hell are you.'
"Kyle Tempus." Just when Ky's name was called, it was as if he'd just teleported onto the venue. He walked the stage, grabbed his diploma, and shook his principal's hand before scanning the crowd and waving to his father. Ken smiled and let out a sigh of relief, waving back at his son as he walked back down the aisle to sit with his fellow classmates.
After the ceremony, Ky found his father and the two embraced each other. "Congratulations, son. I'm so proud of you." It wasn't often that the two would hug each other, let alone talk due to his father's work schedule. For a moment, it reminded Ky of simpler times, back when he was just a kid and his mother was still alive. The three of them would always do things together as a family, but those days came to an end when she passed away.
"I wish Mom was here to see it." Ky told his father, his eyes solemn over Ken's shoulder.
"Me too... Maybe she is watching." Neither Ky nor his father were big believers in any sort of religion, but at the same time, they'd hoped her spirit was with them nonetheless. "Maybe." Ky whispered.
"Hey, today's meant to be a day of celebration, right? C'mon, man. Smile." Ky's father shook Ky's shoulders, getting a small smirk from him. "I have some good news. We're moving to Manhattan!"
"What!?" Ky exclaimed, bursting with excitement. He'd always wanted to move to the big city; he even planned on going to college there. "Yup. A new hospital opened up. I'll be getting paid more to work less. I've known for a while but I wanted it to be a surprise. We'll be moving in tomorrow."
Ky could feel excitement filling his body. Not only was he finally able to live in the big city as he always dreamed of, but he'd be able to truly test the limits of Hero x Villain Online. It was almost as if... 'The game wanted this to happen.'
"Wait, you said a new hospital opened up?" Ky asked.
"Yeah, I hadn't heard of it but they contacted me not too long ago and offered me a job. It's like the opportunity fell from the sky."
'Like a Domain? Is that possible? Can the game create anything it wants in the real world?' In Ky's own mind, his theory sounded baseless, but at the same time, he had superpowers through magic contact lenses; therefore, anything was possible.
[Congratulations, Ky Tempus.]
Ky read the words in his visual field but didn't react due to being face to face with his father despite his heart sinking into his stomach. 'So the game was involved. What the hell even is Hero x Villain Online?'
Just when Ky thinks he understands how the game works, yet another curveball is thrown his way. For the time being, he'd play along with the game, but he was growing more and more anxious for answers. However, as the game told him, things would become clearer as the game continues.