In a world where caped superheroes and villains fight for supremacy, there was me, Nightmare, the world's most deadly villain.
Cool name, right? But I never gave myself the name Nightmare; it was the public that gave it to me because I caused them recurring nightmares, something I'm very proud of.
Hehehe, the joy of knowing someone is dreaming about you is really exhilarating. It shows that they really care about me. No worries; I understand if most of you don't understand this. After all, it's not easy for the entire world to be dreaming about you.
One might ask, why was the entire world dreaming about me? Of course, it was because they all liked me…totally not because I turned humans into monstrosities and unleashed them on the public.
Or is it the burning of my enemies alive while laughing like a psychopathic sadist?
Oh yeah, I remembered I once released a drug to the public, promising to extend life. But the clueless fools would've never thought it would actually turn them into my slaves!
I consider myself to be the true epitome of villainy. While those rookies were busy committing petty crimes, I was busy slaughtering Earth's finest Heroes and delivering their heads to their family.
I was so wicked that the Public had no choice but to nickname me the Architect of Chaos.
I practically dictated the lives of billions of people for a decade, but like any ruler, I knew my time was limited.
I know I can't rule forever.
No ruler rules forever.
And old age was a bitch to remind me of this fact.
All these years in my quest, I forgot I was getting old, and it was only after the sound of my spine cracking that I realized time was running out.
I still had lots of things to do, the reason I descended into villainy in the first place. Saving my sister, annihilating all superhumans, heroes and villains alike. I strongly suspect this whole goal was the reason I became the most sane person in the world.
But completing these goals was more difficult than your feeble brains could comprehend.
All these years I haven't been sleeping; I was searching, searching for my sister, Anna, the only person that kept me waking up.
When I was ten, the five great elite clans murdered my father, Troost Blackthorn, the richest man in the world, and took away all his properties because he was a dud, someone without superpowers.
They claimed it was because he was a threat, but I knew they were just selfish bastards.
My father was a patriotic man with several charity organizations all over the world, a man who believed in giving back to the public. But he received a fucking knife to the face for all his good deeds, and his reputation tarnished, fabricating all sorts of crimes against him.
And then the very public he'd helped in the past hailed the five elites as heroes and condemned him.
What was even worse was that I wasn't able to fulfill my old man's wish in saving Anna; she was held captive in a hidden facility where her life was being prolonged and was being used to produce drugs that could regenerate almost all injuries.
Anna was going through a lot of pain; I can see her in my dreams cursing me for not coming to save her, and it hurt… it really hurts.
I found myself waking up in the middle of the night crying and thinking about how life would've been with dad and Anna; Mom was long gone and dad refused to take in another wife.
Regardless, we were happy.
It was just the three of us against a world gone mad.
I was a failure, you know? Despite all the power I amassed, I couldn't find the location of one single facility.
I wanted to end Anna's suffering.
I wanted her to be happy.
I wanted to see her smile.
Even if it was the last thing I do.
Just when I was getting a lead, I finally ran out of luck. Torrin Blackstar, humanity's Strongest Hero, came after me.
Our fight was epic and shook the world, but Torrin was just too strong, especially against a dud like me.
And in the end, all it took was a lightning bolt to shatter all my goals and dreams.
In my last moment, did you know what I was most afraid of?
I was afraid Anna would think I abandoned her, and that hurt countless times more than Torrin's scorching lightning bolts.
It hurt me greatly that Anna would continue to suffer because of me, but I pray in our next life, may we not encounter such a horrible fate again.
An undernourished girl with wisp of hair clinging to her bald head brought the heartfelt letter she'd been reading to her chest with great difficulty despite all the mechanical wires connected all over her body.
"Brother…" She whispered with tears streaming down her cheeks, each drop a reminder of their unfortunate fate.
While the little girl was crying her heart out, somewhere else a pair of red eyes snapped open.
Hundreds of students, wearing matching black uniforms, clouded the red eyes view and they were a gathering in front of a massive gate with enthusiastic gleams in their eyes.
'What in the world? Whose body is this, and where am I?' The red-eyed boy with beautiful hair of the same color questioned as he looked at his thin arms and then scrutinized his surroundings.
"Didn't I die from Torrin's lightning? Where am I now? And who are these people?" Nyx frowned as he approached a youngster.
"Hey, you there, I demand you to fill me in on what is happening here. Explain yourself now!"
"Security, I think we have a mad man here!"
That student didn't even waste a second as he quickly ran away.
Nyx approached several more students, but they all ran away from him, except one person.
"Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?" A concerned voice spoke behind the red-haired boy, and he turned around, finding a light-skinned youth with dreadlocks and beautiful black eyes staring back at him.
"Where is this? And which year is this?" Nyx quickly threw out a question, not willing to let the boy slip away like the rest.
The teenager stared at Nyx strangely. "Is this some new trend I'm not aware of?"
Nyx violently grabbed the boy, pulling him closer to him. "Tell me right now!"
"Chill man, okay, I guess there is no harm answering your question." The boy sighed defeatedly, "We are currently at the annual entrance examination for the Elite Hero Academy; as for the year, We just entered 2050… making the 100th year mark since the dismissal of Humanity's Deadliest Villain, Nightmare."
The red-haired boy narrowed his eyes and lessened his grip on the boy. He'd long stopped listening to the rambling of the black-haired kid and was trying to connect the dots and make sense of the situation.
"100 years have passed already? But it just feels like yesterday. Is this some sort of dream?"
Nyx's normally calm heart was now beating erratically.
All he remembered was being engulfed by Torrin's bolt of lightning, and the next thing he saw were these kids all dressed in black uniforms. It didn't feel like 100 years.
…It felt like seconds ago.
Although he was doubting himself, deep down inside him, only Nyx knew how bad he wanted this to be true. While deep in thoughts, he suddenly heard loud whispers coming from the others.
"Oh my gosh, is that the legendary White Frost!" One student pointed out as a woman with blue hair appeared within their midst.
"She's even more stunning in person! I wish I can get an autograph."
In front of the students a striking woman with waist-length, blue hair stood. Her face was extremely beautiful and her pair of icy-blue eyes held a chilly indifference while a form-fitting blue dress clung tightly to her body, accentuating her alluring, lithe physique.
As they watched this woman that seemed to be in her early twenties, the students couldn't help but feel an uneasy chill crawling down their spines because this woman was no ordinary character.
"Attention, everyone!" The woman spoke, her voice as cold as death itself, sending shivers down most of the students there, and they all fell silent almost in an instant.
"Although many of you might know already, my name is Camilla White, and I'm the vice-principal of the Hero Academy… I've been made in charge of overseeing this year's Entrance examination!"
"As your supervisor, I advise you to be on your best behavior and not break any of the rules; if not…" Her cold gaze swept through the crowd. "You will be kicked out regardless of whoever your parents are. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Everyone instantly echoed, as if fearing the ire of the woman nicknamed White Frost, a name that was widely known by everyone in the entire world! She was one of those characters villains prayed not to encounter.
The only person who wasn't affected by this woman's extraordinary appearance and didn't show any expression of fear was none other than the red-haired boy. Remaining calm, he raised his gaze to meet Camilla's cold eyes unfazed.
"I remember her." Nyx stared at his trembling arms in disbelief, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. "I really did survive that attack and became…younger."
No matter how he looked at it, reality was crystal clear here.
There was no doubting.
This was no dream.
Nightmare, the deadliest villain, has indeed returned, but of all the places…it was the prestigious Hero Academy.