"Is that her?" Someone asked.
"Yeah. That's the one that destroyed the school."
"What's going to happen to her now?"
"The same thing that happens to all Supers."
Ruby ignored the hushed voices around her. It had happened earlier that day. Her ability to hear had shot through the roof. Everywhere she went, a loud rumbling echoed from the people. Their heartbeats had nearly driven her mad. So much so that she hadn't been able to control herself when she punched a wall out of frustration. Now, here she was, marching through the rubble of the school.
All the students and teachers stared at her, keeping their distance. Despite being less than twelve years old, she had torn through an entire floor and nearly collapsed the building. It was a miracle no one had been hurt. Dozens of men in suits all stood near the entrance of the school, along with a large black armored truck. She walked toward them casually with her bag slung over her shoulder.
One of the men in the suits nodded at her. "Jill Laision-"
"I go by Ruby." She explained, flipping her hair. It had changed red around the time the crazy strength kicked in but now reverted back to its black color.
"Right..." The man opened the door and motioned for her to enter. "If you want to say goodbye, now's your chance."
"Say goodbye?" She hummed and glanced back at the crowd of students and teachers. She didn't really know any of them, but she did listen as they talked about her.
"Who knew we had an actual Super in our class?" One of the teachers said, gritting his teeth. "I always knew there was something weird about her."
"Looks like we won't ever have to worry about seeing her again." Another one chuckled. "The Hero Branch is going to take her back to one of their buildings and figure out what to do with her. All Supers are either required to join up with it or be put to work in other ways, and there's no way someone like her will be selected for their Hero Program. My guess is she'll be thrown in a prison or something."
"Good riddance."
"Ms. Laision?" One of the suits questioned her.
Slowly, she turned around to look at all of the students and teachers. They instantly went silent when they saw the look in her eyes. Her hair and iris had changed once again, lighting up with a bright red glow. "Hey!" She announced loudly. "I have something I want to say!" She closed her eyes, feeling her emotions gradually calm down. Everyone stared at her, all with wide eyes, as they waited for her to do something. "...Fuck all of you!" She stomped her foot down, shaking the ground a bit and causing a mini-earthquake that knocked all the men around her down. "Seriously! Screw you all! This place sucked! God, I'm so glad I'm a Super! You guys are so boring!" She pointed up to the sky and struck a pose. "Get a good look at me! One day, I'll go down in history as the greatest villain on Earth!"
"V- Villain?"
"I knew she was evil..."
"I hope they throw her in the darkest prison!"
She turned away from the crowd and smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "Having fun down there?" Ruby snapped her head up when she heard the voice. Someone rested on the roof of the car, looking down at her. An older girl in her early teens who wore a swimsuit. Just like her, the strange girl also had colored hair, though the girl's was a bright blue. Water flowed in the air around her, twisting around. "So, you say you're a villain?" Before Ruby could even think about moving, she suddenly felt the cold wave of water hit her as tendrils of liquid wrapped around her, dropping her to the floor. "That means I'll have to capture you." The girl announced, sliding off of the car.
"Another Super?"
"That isn't just any Super. That's Mermaid. She's the granddaughter of the great Sini."
"The war hero?"
Mermaid looked down at Ruby with a sly grin on her face as she glared down at the red-haired child. "Crime doesn't pay, kid."
"Let me out so I can beat you up!" Ruby demanded, thrashing around.
Mermaid let out a snicker and turned away the water flowing over her and formed a fish tail which slapped Ruby's face. "Fat chance. You need to behave. We came to pick you up because you leveled this building. Be a good girl and go along with the Branch. My father and the great Full Monarch created them to help keep humans safe and arrogant Supers like you in check."
"The great Full Monarch?" Ruby spat out. "Yeah, right."
Slowly, Mermaid lifted her up and forced her into the back of the armored vehicle. That was the first time Jill Laision met River Sini.
Super is a term that refers to a being with powers. Many no longer consider them to be humans, and for years, they were feared thanks to the great threat known as Lucifer, a monster that nearly brought all of mankind to utter destruction. Despite that, humanity was forced to rely on Supers in order to survive. The war hero known as Full Monarch, with the help of Mr. Sini, created the fledgling organization known as the Hero Branch.
He believed the world didn't just need heroes. They needed superheroes.
All Supers are now currently required to sign up with the Hero Branch, which is run by the humans that hold the most influential power. Here a Super will be given three choices. First, if they are strong enough and willing to obey the Branch, they will be assigned as an official superhero! If they aren't as useful or don't wish to become a Super, the Branch will instead allow the Super to work for the Branch, using their supernatural powers for the betterment of mankind. This can include working as a Hero Branch doctor or researcher or being used to monitor their prisons. Lastly, though, if a Super refuses to become a hero or serve the Branch, they are given a different label. They are called villains.
This system and structure would later be abolished and destroyed by the Victorian and Old Dog after the battle with the Emperor; however, that has yet to happen in this era.
During this time period, the future of what would be heroes and villains was just starting to begin.
"Wake up!"
Ruby felt a powerful slap ripple across her face. Besides her father, there weren't many people who could hurt her, so it made her sober up instantly. Her memories of the past faded, and she suddenly remembered what she had just gone through.
She had been on her father's back when the ocean had come to life. No doubt the work of some villain or something that was out to get him. She had been pulled over, and since she never bothered to learn how to swim, she had almost drowned. Talk about a seriously lame way to go out! It was likely due to almost dying of water that she found herself thinking back to the first time she met her friend River Sini.
"Are you awake or what?" A voice growled out.
Slowly, she looked up, finding a young man standing in front of her. He was around her age—nineteen or twenty, somewhere in that range. He was dressed in a wetsuit that didn't let her see much of his form, but he had his helmet and mask off, showing a rather handsome face. His blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, and he had stunning blue eyes that looked her up and down.
That was when she noticed the state she was in. "Pervert." She said flatly, causing him to flinch back and avert his gaze. She was dripping wet and regretted not taking her jacket back from that one guy. She was tied up with some rope and placed in the corner of a metal room. The way everything moved back and forth, rocking, told her that she was on some sort of boat. The room she was in had several pipes, and steam gushed out. She wasn't really a boat kind of girl; she liked trains more, but she guessed the ship was big, suitable for the sea. "Can you untie me?" She asked casually.
"You're rather calm for someone that's been kidnapped." The man said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, that's because I'm not normal?"
"You a Super?"
Her black hair shimmered and lit up with a red glow, and she flexed a bit, snapping all the ropes off of her. The man jumped back, his eyes going wide as she shrugged. "Nah. I just work out a lot." She cracked her knuckles and patted down her shirt. "Now, how badly should I break your jaw for trying to drown me-"
"Wasn't me."
"What?"
"This isn't my boat." The man sighed and shook his head. "Just my luck. Of course, a freaking Super would end up here. Listen, just find your way up to the top and jump ship. We aren't far from a city dock, and if you're a Super with above human stats, you should be able to swim to it just fine."
"You're just letting me go?"
"I told you! I'm not the one who tied you up." The blonde hissed. "Now leave before you ruin my plan!"
"Plan?"
"Leave!"
"You're really rude." She threw her arms behind her head and rolled her eyes. "Besides, I can't swim, so your plan won't work."
"Why do you sound proud of that fact?" She poked her tongue out at him, and he slowly reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I should have left you knocked out, but no, Max, you have to be a good person. I am going to punch my therapist next time I see him. Okay, change of plans. Follow me. There are some lifeboats up top. I'll take you to one, and then you will leave this ship. Okay?"
"Sure."
He grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her toward a door. She didn't really fight him all that much, but even without giving any effort, a normal human shouldn't have been able to budge her. This guy was also a Super, although he didn't seem to be in a costume. That either meant he wasn't working for the Branch, or he was a villain like her. Lucky for her, though, he didn't seem to realize the fact she wasn't wearing a costume, which should have been concerning to most people.
The halls of the boat were empty. She didn't hear any crew or much sound at all. The ship was a big one, the kind that would carry large cargo, and she knew enough to know that it should have had a large crew on board. Part of her was expecting to see corpses or something. Whoever this man was, he clearly didn't belong here and had forced his way onto the ship, yet there weren't any bodies to be seen.
Eventually, they reached a set of stairs that led up, and she felt the cold wind smack her in the face as they stepped up onto the deck of the ship. The sun had gone down, casting everything in a dark glow lit only by the moon. Large metal crates were scattered about all over the deck of the ship, all tied down. Once again, she expected to see dozens of guards, but there wasn't a single person. This boat just moved on its own.
"Okay, dumbass, listen up." The boy snapped his fingers in front of her face as he walked her over to where a lifeboat hung. He pointed out across the sea, and she followed his gaze, finding a large city sitting across from them. One by the name of Oleander. It was kind of a shithole filled with a lot of crime and gangs. The Hero Branch hadn't been able to clear it all out yet. "Get in the boat, and I'll lower you down. All you have to do is paddle out until you're near the dock, got that?"
"That's Oleander city."
"And?"
She looked back at the crates. "Oleander's docks are owned by the Prince Gang. Oleander is used mainly as a hub for the underground market and to sell illegal things back and forth." The boat they were on was currently heading to the city, so even if she did paddle, it'd beat her there. It'd be much faster to just stay on the big ship. Besides that, though, there was something else she wanted to know. "I wonder what this guy is smuggling."
"Hey-" The boy grabbed at her, but she dodged past his grip and made her way over to the metal box. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He hissed out.
She ignored the boy, stabbed her hand into the metal, and pulled back. It tore to bits like wet paper, and the blonde diver was forced to duck as she carelessly chucked the shards of metal behind her. She was expecting to see money, or jewels, or any other kind of goods. What she wasn't expecting to see was the scared faces of dozens of kids who all looked back at her. Her smile instantly faded, and the boy behind her stared at them all with shocked eyes, just as taken aback as she was.
All of the kids were shivering and looked extremely pale. Who knew how long they had been shoved into the boxes? They were all young as well. The oldest was maybe sixteen. They all wore dirty, stained clothes, and most looked sick. They were likely kids that had been kidnapped off of the street. Homeless children who didn't have any family that would go looking for them. It wasn't the only box either. There were at least twenty more, and as her enhanced hearing went off, she heard more whimpers and cries. There must have been a little over one hundred kids on the ship in total.
"That's what this bastard was hauling?" The blonde man asked, covering his mouth. "I'm glad I came to kill that son of a bitch now!"
Slowly, she turned to look back at the blonde man. "Who are you? And whose ship is this?" She asked, doing her best to remain calm.
The man winced and sighed. "Max. My name is Max. That's all you're getting. As for who this boat belongs to... Water Prince."
Quietly, she nodded her head. "A- Are you going to save us?" One of the kids asked. "Please help us-"
"Hell no!" Her voice silenced them all, even Max, who stared at her with wide eyes. She pointed a thumb back at herself and gave a grin. "I am the amazing and evil Ruby Admiral! I am the world's greatest villain! The top of the top! If you look up the word evil, it'll show a picture of me! Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not some goodie little two-shoes wannabe hero! I'm not here to save you. Water, what's his face? It is just in my way. He's simply competition."
"S- So you won't save us?"
"Not for free." She rubbed her chin and smirked. "Maybe if you were to bribe me, I could help."
"You're a monster." Max glared at her, but she ignored the blonde's look.
One of the kids, the only sixteen-year-old present, walked toward her. He stumbled, barely able to keep himself upright, and his clothes were a torn mess. Slowly, though, he reached into his pocket, pulling something out, which he handed to her. "Please..." he croaked, stumbling into her arms as she caught him. "That's all I have. S—Save them. Please."
She looked down at the single quarter he had offered up. "Not even a dollar." She frowned.
"Are you seriously a bad guy?" Max hissed at her as she gently placed the boy on the floor.
"Yep."
"I wouldn't have saved you if I knew." He growled, and for a moment, his hair stood up, and his eyes seemed to glow. "You're just as bad as Water Prince! I hate you all. All villains must die-"
It was always a sound that would leave her ears ringing. The sound of something moving so fast it created a loud explosion as it moved past the sound barrier. Max had no time to react as a powerful force suddenly slammed into the side of his head. He was hit so hard and so fast he was sent flying, slamming right through the railing and falling down into the waters below. She tried to turn when she heard another crack, but all she saw was red as a thin beam of water smashed directly into her eye, shoving her back and slamming her into another box.
It seems all their yelling had gotten the ire of the captain.
The reason this boat was empty was simple. He didn't need a crew. It didn't just sail; it was carried on a thin wave of water that supported the ship, giving it a smooth ride. Water Prince walked forward slowly, running his fingers through his beard. If you were to look up the picture of a pirate, he'd likely be one of the first ones you saw. His hair was filled with grays, and he wore a long black cloak that struggled to stay connected over his large form. He had a massive beer belly and had a sword at his side. He wore an eyepatch, had a wooden peg for a foot, and a hook on one of his hands. Lastly, completing the look was a large red bird that clicked its beak and looked around.
"I knew there was a rat crawling around." Water Prince grumbled and took a swig from the large jug of rum he had with him. He kicked out with his wooden peg, smashing it into the stomach of the teen. "Lil bastard, trying to escape your cell again?"
"N- No, sir-"
The teen screamed out as the captain stomped on his wrist, snapping it. "I have half a mind to pop that little head of yours. In fact..." A smile crept its way onto his face as rum dripped down his beard. He raised his wooden foot up, placing it over the boy's head, and slammed it down as hard as he could.
It never reached.
Instead, it landed down on another foot that moved its way in front of his peg. His eyes now met the cold red eyes that stared back up at him as Ruby was back on her feet. She didn't even look that hurt. His attack had only managed to leave her with a mild bruise around her right eye. He gritted his teeth and struggled to force his foot down, but a loud snap echoed out as she brought her foot up and shattered his wooden leg. He stumbled back on one foot, his eyes widening.
"You little bitch! That was a gift from my husband!" Water swirled in the air around him, taking the form of bullets. "Do you know who I am?"
"Don't care." Ruby Admiral quickly stepped past the teen. "Sorry, but I claimed these kids. They're part of the Ruby force and are now my loyal minions. I'm going to have to punish you for harming what belongs to me."
The Prince Gang. A group made up of four powerful elemental users. Fire Prince, Earth Prince, Air Prince, and Water Prince. They had taken the name as a way to mock the Four Lords. They themselves weren't too special but were considered high-class villains due to their skill. It was thought that only a true Lord could actually beat them. The bullets of water fired, and red splashed down onto the deck of the ship. Blood dripped down Water Prince's beard, and his face contorted into pain as he collapsed to his knees, staring down at his gut.
There was a small hole that went all the way through him and out his back, rupturing several of his organs. His own attack bounced off of Ruby's skin, who walked toward him steadily. He flinched and whimpered, but she stepped past him and made her way over to the wall of the ship, ripping out the blood-soaked quarter she had flicked at him out of the wall.
"Stand." That was her simple command. One that could not be disobeyed.
Water Prince screamed at her, letting out one last blood-curdling howl as the water around the ship exploded and came to life. He was almost as skilled as Mermaid. Almost... She took aim and flicked her coin.
Neither of the attacks reached each other. Before the coin could pierce him and before his water could bounce off of her, something appeared between them both. The golden blur…
Once again, the sound barrier exploded as suddenly Full Monarch appeared on the deck of the ship faster than anyone could move. "Jill! Thank God! I've been at the bottom of the ocean, searching for you for hours now! I'm so glad you're okay!" He caught the coin, and his other arm casually slapped the water beam away. That was when Full Monarch noticed who she was fighting. "What's going on?"
"For someone that hears all and sees all, you sure are slow." Ruby snorted. "Out of my way, Dad! This is bad guy on bad guy action!"
Full Monarch stared at Water Prince, whose eyes were filled with horror as he was forced to face the number one Super on planet Earth. Slowly, Full Monarch shook his head and brought a hand up. "No. I'll handle it. This is my job, after all." He stared at the villain quietly. "Please just give up-"
Water Prince screamed again, striking out with a whip of water. Full Monarch just let out a sigh and blasted through it, launching a golden light forward. It stabbed into the chest of Water Prince and wrapped around the man's heart.
Just as he did with every villain he faced, Full Monarch gave them a choice: to turn their power off and to stop fighting. And just as they always did, the villain refused to yield, as if some part of their consciousness couldn't submit to the Lord before it.
Water Prince stumbled forward, his body filling with dozens of cracks and breaking down, starting from the center of his chest. The gold ate away at him, ripping into him, and he crashed forward into the awaiting arms of Full Monarch, who held the villain as his body came undone, and he was reduced to less than ash.
"Why do they always pick death?" He asked quietly. "Is there something in them that makes the choice for them? Do they hate and despise me so much they'd rather die than allow me to save them? Is it the only way they can get back at me?"
"Dad?" He turned slightly when he heard the voice and found his daughter looking back at him.
"Right. Sorry. Are you okay?" He allowed the ash to slip out of his arms, letting it flow freely in the wind.
"I'm fine, but you should call someone about them." She said, pointing toward the teens who were staring at the two of them in utter shock.
"Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding me!" Full Monarch forced a smile on his face and pointed a thumb at himself. "Have no fear! I'll save you all-" They weren't given a moment to rest, though, as a second later, a loud, hellish bird scream filled the air.
The red bird that had been on Water Prince's shoulder came down. It had flown off when she fired the coin at it, but now it was back, and it lifted itself into the air and began to grow rapidly, forcing itself to change and evolve!
In the past, a previous Lord of Life, some claimed it was even the first Lord, created a species of bird. One that was able to bond with a Super and evolve alongside that person, gaining their power and claiming it as their own. This species had sadly mostly gone extinct, and no other Lord of Life had figured out how to recreate them. The red bird grew, its wings expanding out and its talons growing razor-sharp. It reached nearly twenty feet in terms of height and soared above the boat, glaring down at the ship. Its talons quickly came down to land in the ocean below as it stood on the water in front of the ship. The liquid bubbled and flowed, coming to life as the creature tapped into the power its master had owned.
Ruby raised her arms up, ready for a fight to break out. But before the creature could even launch its first attack, it felt something touch its leg. Slowly, the bird looked down, meeting Max's eyes, who glared at the beast from beneath the ocean's waves. Lightning gushed out of his fingertips, and the clouds above roared as a bolt of energy fired down, smashing into the bird's head.
The water exploded into a cloud of steam, and Ruby watched on with wide eyes as the bird slumped down and was dragged into the water by Max. "Who the heck was that guy?" She shook her head and looked back at her dad, who was still staring at the water with an even more shocked look than her. "Daddy?"
He blinked a couple of times, silently taking the scene in. "I'll call the Hero Branch..."
Later that night, the ship found itself being swarmed by dozens of heroes and Hero Branch members. A young teen would wake up to find that he was in the care of some of the greatest healers in the world. He would also find a familiar quarter had been placed back in his pocket. One that was heavily dented and still a bit stained with the blood of Water Prince.
But... Just why was Water Prince taking a bunch of street kids to Oleander?
In the back alley of the city, Fire Prince looked around at the scene around him with narrowed eyes. Earth Prince and Wind Prince stood before him. Despite being a gang, they didn't typically see one another and instead focused on their own mini-groups. They also all dressed in their own form of costume as a way to mock the heroes.
Earth Prince was the largest amongst them, standing at twelve feet in height. He wore a large black fur coat and four long spider-looking limbs stabbed out of his back. Wind Prince, on the other hand, was actually a girl. She had long, flowing silver hair and didn't bother with clothes, instead using her power to distort and twist the air into a thick layer of fog as a means to cover herself up. Finally, that left just Fire Prince. Unlike the others, his power was a transformational type. One that gave him rocky skin and a straight-up volcano for a head that could spew lava. In terms of fire-based powers, he was matched only by the Lord of the Sun.
"Where in the ten hells is Water Prince?" Fire Prince grumbled.
"He shows up last all the time," Wind Prince giggled and extended her body with her ability, stretching it out. "Do you think he has more people than us?"
They were in a large alleyway located somewhere behind a group of warehouses. Oleander City was often used as a place for trading and swapping goods. That said, it was the first time any of them had found themselves dealing in people. Beneath Wind Prince, she had formed a glass cage out of solid air that held ten rich-looking kids she had swiped from some Nobles in Rose City. She was able to do this since Full Monarch had strangely been busy this day and not able to show up in time. Earth Prince, on the other hand, had dozens of webs tied around several random kids he had grabbed and dashed off with when some villains had been engaging a hero in battle. Lastly, that left Fire Prince; he had forged a cage made out of coal, which held several homeless men. He was the only one that targeted adults.
"I think a better question we should be asking is how long you're going to make us all wait out here." Earth Prince always spoke in a low hiss. His head was hidden behind a spider-looking mask that twitched and squirmed as if it were alive. "We did what you asked us to do. Now, will you allow us to do our typical business once more?"
In the very center, standing before the three Prince Gang members, a lone figure stood. One cloaked in pure black armor with a long flowing cape and a pair of jagged horns stabbing out of their helmet. The only color that came from their form was a powerful blue light that almost looked like living fire that gushed out of the spot where their eyes should have been.
A single villain...
It took one person to force the four Princes down to their knees.
The figure in black stepped forward slowly, their blue eyes staring past the three cages. The eyes roamed over the kids before settling on the unconscious men that rested in Fire Prince's cage. "Why did you kidnap adults?" A hollow voice rang out, echoing through the alleyway. One that held a great power behind it.
Fire Prince glared down at the villain in black. "You came to us. You beat us all. You destroyed our soldiers. You ordered us to collect you people. You even gave them a point system. Adults were worth one while kids were worth ten. You were practically begging for us to kidnap a bunch of kids. Sadly, for you, I have my morals." He spat out a glob of hot magma. "If you have something against that, you'll have to kill me."
"I see." The figure turned away, not bothering to look at the three power Supers. Then he gave a simple order as if he were directing a dog. "Hell Hound, kill."
Faster than anyone could move, Wind Prince's head was torn off her body as a mace ripped through her. Standing behind her corpse, a large figure in jagged red armor made to look like a wolf stalked forward. Hell Hound twirled her mace and lazily blocked the spider legs that stabbed her way from Earth Prince. As soon as her weapon touched him, his extra limbs shattered and broke away, causing him to gasp in shock. He tried to turn his power back on but didn't have time. Hell Hound smashed her mace down, slamming it directly into his head and caving his skull in.
The cage and web around the kids faded away, causing their unconscious bodies to fall to the ground below, all mostly unharmed. Fire Prince raised his own arms up, ready to fight, but Hell Hound simply turned away from him and instead stalked to her master's side. The cage he stood on shook, and he was forced to jump off as a large blue hand forged out of energy appeared beneath the cage, lifting it up. It wrapped its fingers around the coal, shattering it, and gently took the unconscious man into the center of its palm.
"We'll stay in touch." The man in the black armor threw his cloak back, revealing a white sword that he held. He grasped it with one hand and pointed it up to the sky. "I expect you to come when I call upon you."
Fire Prince narrowed his eyes once more. "Who are you? You've shown up from out of nowhere. Just what the hell's your name?"
"The Emperor." The blade hummed and glowed. "Take me home, Avalon."
And with that, the Emperor vanished with a quiet pop.