"You can be a hero!" Full Monarch announced, putting his hands on his hips as he posed for the camera.
The costume he wore was one of the first-ever hero suits to be created. It was almost pure white, with a few golden butterflies scattered about it and a long, flowing white cape that trailed behind him as he walked through the ruins of a city that had been reduced to rubble. With a wave of his hand, buildings began to put themselves back together, and the street was mended slowly. He wasn't alone either. Following him were men and women in suits, or brown jumpsuits, who made a show of fixing the destroyed street alongside the first superhero.
The city had been reduced to rubble after a threat that humanity had dubbed the Beast came down from the skies. It was during this commercial that the first ever mention of the Hero Branch would happen...
Full Monarch turned back to the camera as the Hero Branch workers around him kept shuffling through the rubble. "Human or Super, we're all Earthlings, and right now, we're facing our greatest crisis yet. We need all the help we can get. Those with powers, and those without." He placed one hand on his hip and raised his other arm, pointing it out at the camera slightly. "I want you for the Hero Branch."
Text appeared under him, flickering onto the TV screen. 'Please find the nearest Hero Branch recruiting station to find a job listing for you. Now urgently hiring. Paid positions available (Now starting at Minimum wage pay).'
That commercial was nearly ten years old by now. Ten years since humanity first faced off against the monster known as the Beast. Ten years since the Hero Branch had been created and superheroes began to appear. Along with heroes, though, there were, of course, villains. Ten years since the public was forced to accept the fact that their cities had become the places of war.
The TV flickered for a second before it slowly faded to black, shutting off. Jackson stared up at it from the desk he rested at. "Do you like heroes, sir?" He turned slightly when he heard the question. In front of his desk, an older man sat quietly, staring down at the ground sadly. "I guess it's only natural that the youth would find them so interesting."
"Oh, I'm really not that young, sir," Jackson said sheepishly, shaking his head. The truth was, he was likely way older than the man before him. He had noticed it after his final battle with the Super known as Lucifer. He had seemingly stopped aging. That had been nearly fifty years ago, and his fellow Lords like Sini, Wano, and Nier were all reaching the point in their lives where their own kids should have started to have children, and in Sini's case, his grandchild would soon have a child of her own. Not him, though. He still looked like he was in his early twenties. Yet he also had a child of his own. One who seemed to do her best to be a pain in his as She was actually starting to look older than him now that he thought about it…
The man stared at the TV above, looking at his reflection. "When I was younger, I used to think I could be anything. Part of me even wanted to be a superhero."
"Is that why you're here?" Jackson asked, giving a faint smile.
"No." The man shook his head and his shoulders slumped down. "My home, my job, even the city block—all of it was destroyed by Supers."
"Surely I- Full Monarch fixed it, though, right?" Jackson asked with wide eyes.
"He did, but the amount we were charged caused my job to lay off most of its workers, and I was one of the ones who got sacked. After paying for the repair tax for my house as well, I had no choice but to come sign up for the Hero Branch. You guys are always hiring, right?" The man asked sadly.
Every major city had a hero. This was because the Hero Branch would place them there. The Branch got to decide which heroes belonged to which cities and which teams could be formed. They did this by creating a hero tax. All cities that had a hero had to pay a tax to keep that hero, which was how the Supers would earn their money. Cities could decide not to pay, and if that happened, the Hero Branch would simply not place a hero within them. Due to the number of villains that ran around, this basically meant every city was forced to have a hero of their own in order for them not to be taken over by crime.
Battles between Supers could be large-scale as well, and so cities were also forced to pay a repair tax. In most cases, Full Monarch would use his power to try and fix the city after he battled in it, but the Branch would still tax the city for this since it took up his precious time. After all, the five seconds it took for Full Monarch to put a street back together could have been used for him to save a few more million people. This was something the number one hero didn't agree with but was overruled on.
After all, how else would the Hero Branch pay for all the costumes and bases for their Supers? The humans that all ran the Branch agreed that it was the best way to maintain a profit while helping out their fellow man. At least, that's what they claimed.
"We'll find a place for you, sir." Jackson reached over the table, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. He did his best to give a kind smile, but he was finding it harder and harder every day to keep it up. "The Hero Branch is here to help."
The man gave a small smile and nodded his head. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad good people like you still exist in the world. We fellow humans have to stick together."
Jackson felt his smile falter for a moment. "Yeah... Human."
He wasn't Full Monarch. Not at the current moment, at least. The Hero Branch would force him to take time off so that the other heroes could get a moment to shine and also so that the cities that didn't pay their hero tax wouldn't have him there to save them as a way to 'encourage' them. During this time, he still wanted to help people, so he worked at a desk job for the Hero Branch. The Hero Branch worked in many fields and was always looking to put people to work, having basically formed a monopoly on every job they could. His job for the Branch was finding people who didn't have work, figuring out what they were good at, and putting them to good use.
Almost the entire world knew the story of Full Monarch, the strongest Lord of the Sun to date, the one who slayed Lucifer, and the only hero able to battle the Beast. Most didn't know the man who wore the cape, though.
As Jackson, he wasn't in his battle form. As such, his hair wasn't golden, nor did his eyes glow. His hair was also shorter. As Full Monarch, it was long and reached past his back, but as Jackson, it was short and held a reddish-brown color to it. He wore a simple suit and a pair of glasses and kept his shoulders slumped down. Full Monarch didn't wear a mask and was almost always busy, so no one ever thought that the worker in front of him was that godlike figure. Even though pictures of the hero Jackson were constantly surfacing, many people refused to accept that anyone with red hair was the legendary Full Monarch. It made it easy to hide, despite his fame, for that reason alone.
Jackson shook the man's hand one last time. "Someone will give you a call back eventually, sir. I'll make sure of it."
"Thank you." The man gave another smile. "You've saved my family."
He felt an actual smile come back onto his face. "No, thank you, sir. Our world needs people like you. You, and so many others, are the ones that keep our planet spinning."
As the man left the room, Jackson felt his smile crack and fade. He pushed up on his cheeks with two of his fingers, forcing it back into place. The Hero Branch main office was filled with bustling people in suits who went to different desks, grabbing paperwork or slaving away on a computer. Today, he was in Lillian. He looked around at his fellow agents quietly. None of them actually knew who he really was and just thought that he was an agent that was shipped to different locations depending on where he was needed.
"Laision!" Someone barked out, causing Jackson to turn toward the voice. It was one of the higher-ups in the Hero Branch. The man folded his arms and studied the young-looking worker before him up and down. "Your eight hours are up. Hurry and clock out. We don't want you getting any unearned overtime."
Jackson sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Right away, sir. I just need to drop off these files, and I'll head out. I should be back here in a few months when you guys need my help again!"
He dropped off his paperwork at the desk of one of the workers, making sure they got the file on his latest client and ensuring they'd call the man back once they found a job for him. Everyone was too busy to pay him any mind, and nobody bothered to walk him out as he left the office. He stepped out of the building and looked around Lillian's streets. It was a pretty city, one that had been taken care of by Mermaid, Sini's granddaughter.
It was strange in a way. Even with battles between Supers going on, everyday life somehow kept going. The rich got richer, and the poor became poorer.
Stealthily, he made his way to an alleyway, ducking out of sight. With his enhanced senses, he was sure there was no one around. The only thing in the area was Avalon's fly drones, which were practically everywhere. Slowly, he felt his power bubble out. His hair rapidly grew, getting longer and longer until it dropped below his back and went from red to gold. His eyes almost seemed to set on fire, and his skin glowed with a faint light. His suit burned away and changed, replaced by his golden hero costume, and in an instant, he was gone, moving so fast that no one even noticed him blasting out of the city.
In no time at all, he found himself miles away. Most of humanity had taken to living in massive cities created by Sini Corp, though there were still people who were too stubborn with their traditions and remained out in the world building small settlements and villages. Sunflower Village was one such place. It barely had a population of over one hundred and was the sort of place where everyone who lived there knew each other.
It was almost the total opposite of a modern city with no technology to be found. The people wore old-fashioned clothes and built their village around a forest from which they harvested resources. All the buildings were log cabins, and the people walked around with axes made for cutting down trees or bows that they used to hunt deer. Places like these didn't have a hero since they refused to join any of the cities, and the folks here tended to not like Supers. He tried to fly over villages and towns from time to time to ensure that they weren't under attack from villains. Luckily, no villain knew about this place or simply didn't bother with it due to how small and lacking of resources it truly was.
A crowd had formed near the back of the village where a large cabin had once stood. Rubble was all that was left of the destroyed house, and the people glared at the group that was going through the rubble. A helicopter made a forced landing in the crowd, and several Hero Branch agents went through the destroyed cabin, looking for something. The villagers booed them and demanded that they leave, but the agents paid them no mind. Sini stood off to the side, out of the office for the first time in years. He was dressed in an expensive-looking suit and had his arms crossed behind his back as he watched the men work.
"Did you guys find anything yet?" Full Monarch asked, slowly floating out of the sky and landing next to his fellow Lord. Sini quietly reached into his pocket and handed something over to the hero. Full Monarch took it and looked it over. It was a picture, one that had been taken with a modern camera. It was framed and likely had been on a nightstand. It showed an old friend. Wano smiled into the camera, his hand on the shoulder of a young, eight-year-old blonde boy. "That's the boy I saw the other night. Well, he was older when I saw him. I tried to find him in the water, but it was like he vanished into thin air."
"This is Wano's home." Sini nodded toward the destroyed building. He held a somber look. "No body has been found."
Full Monarch quietly pocketed the photo in one of his belt holsters. "Did the locals say anything?"
"We haven't been able to get them to talk," Sini said, shaking his head. "They aren't fans of us. I don't think they knew Wano was a Super, either."
Full Monarch looked around at the people in the crowd that glared back at them. "What was Wano doing in a place like this?"
"He wanted to live a simple life." Sini sighed. "After the war, he figured it would finally be over, and he wouldn't need to worry about anything. Then the Beast came... Nier wasn't the only one affected. Wano called it quits. Like Nier, he went off the grid and vanished. I guess he moved out here with his kid."
"How long has this place been destroyed?" Full Monarch frowned and folded his arms. "If that boy truly was the Lord, then that means..."
"Wano's dead." Sini winced and nodded. "We can't say for sure. Not until we find that mysterious boy you saw. What we do know is that someone seemingly attacked Wano, and he's now missing along with his pod. Every now and then, I'd use the Hero Branch to keep tabs on him and Nier and make sure they're doing okay. Nier is always moving, and I can never figure out where he is, but Wano has been here for years."
"If we've been keeping tabs on him, then why are we just finding out about this now?" Full Monarch demanded.
"Because I ordered for it to be kept a secret." Someone stepped out of the helicopter. He was flanked by two men in heavy riot gear. It was a dark-skinned man with tied-back hair. He wore a white buttoned-up shirt and stood up as straight as he could, walking forward with his arms behind his back. He had a smile on his face, though it was the kind that was obviously fake, and his eyes barely held back the look of disgust that was held within them as he eyed the village's people up and down. His nose even wrinkled a bit. Finally, though, he reached the two Lords and held his hand out toward the number one hero. "I don't believe we've actually officially met, Full Monarch." His fake smile only grew. "My name is Ace Ward, and starting soon, I'll be taking over as the head of the Hero Branch once Mr. Sini steps down. I guess that means I'll be your new boss."
Full Monarch hesitantly took the hand and shook it. "You kept the disappearance of a Lord secret from me?"
Ward pulled his hand away and wiped it on his shirt. "I was the first to notice Wano's place of residence has been destroyed. It was my idea to keep tabs on Wano and Nier. After all, strong Supers like your kind running around can cause quite a scare if they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. So, I've had Avalon make a few of his handy little drones and scatter them around in places your kind goes. It helps ease the minds of humans if we know where you are. Roughly three months ago, however, while I was checking up on the drones, I discovered that Wano's home had been destroyed. Wano's lived here for nearly twenty years now. Sadly, the drone that was in this area was also destroyed, so I don't know the exact time or date that it happened or what went down."
"You've known for over three months that one of my friends could be dead, and I'm only just now finding out?" Full Monarch gritted his teeth and looked toward Sini, who had the decency to look a little guilty and flinch. Ward's grin only grew.
"I figured you were busy, and the information wasn't a concern to you."
"Want to try again?"
Ward just gave a sheepish shrug. "You want another reason? The people here didn't know he was a Super. As such, they didn't know he was a Lord. Unlike you and Sini here, Nier and Wano weren't as well known and could go into hiding. With the loss of a Lord, the villains are bound to look for the next reincarnation as soon as they can. By keeping it under wraps, we don't risk them knowing that there is an inexperienced Lord out there somewhere, and it gives us more time to figure out what happened to him and find the Lord for ourselves. Maybe that's actually my excuse. Or maybe I just don't like your kind and thought it was funny that someone as strong as him died, and yet the world didn't even notice."
Full Monarch growled, but Ward ignored him, spinning around and walking back toward the helicopter. "So, what was your end game then? Now, we don't know if Wano is alive or not or where his son could be. We also have no clue who did this!"
Ward stopped and let out a hum, rubbing his chin. "I've read all of your files. Don't you find it odd? After all, the Lord of the Sky discovered he could glimpse into the future after the battle with Lucifer. I wonder how someone snuck up on him to claim his life." The man got back onto his helicopter, closing the door behind him.
"So that's the new leader of the Hero Branch..." Full Monarch said bitterly.
"You'll get used to him." Sini winced.
"I doubt it."
Sini placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and shook his head. "For now, we need to find out if Wano is actually dead. He's strong. Second only to you, he was one of the strongest Supers on this planet. If a battle took place that could actually kill him, then surely this entire village would be gone. The young man you saw might have just inherited powers similar to him, like my granddaughter, who has powers close to mine despite not being a Lord."
"There's one way we can know for sure." Full Monarch looked out across the village all the way across the world, where Rose City would be. "That room that you buried under the ground in the tower."
Sini's eyes lit up, and he nodded his head. "The one with the statues of previous Lords? I didn't even think of that. If he is alive, then there won't be a statue of him up. We can check that way."
Full Monarch turned back to the crowd of villagers and approached them slowly. Their yelling and boos grew. "Could anyone please-"
"Get out of here!" A rock flew forward and bounced off his face, not hurting him. It was followed by hundreds of others and more insults.
"We don't want your kind here! No Supers allowed!"
"The Hero Branch isn't needed! We'll settle this on our own!"
"Your people aren't letting us through! They refuse to let us clean up that destroyed building or do our own investigation!"
Full Monarch watched as more rocks slammed against him and bounced off. "Please, I'm not here to start any conflict. I just want to ask some questions, and then we'll leave-"
"Conflicts? Your kind only knows how to start conflicts!"
"If you were a real hero, you would have never let something like this happen!"
"Take your people and leave!"
"Yeah!"
"Your kind aren't wanted-"
Golden fire blared out, causing everyone to jump back. It quickly died down, revealing Full Monarch. He wasn't glowing anymore. His hair had shrunk back down, and his eyes no longer held a fire in them. His battle mode was off. Respectfully, he dropped down to a knee and bowed his head. "He was a friend. I fought alongside him. I loved him like a brother. He called this place home. Wano tried to live amongst you all. I just want to know what happened to him. Please. That's all I'm asking. I just want to know what happened to a dear friend. If any of you know something, if for even a second he was ever considered a part of this village, then please tell me."
Mutters went through the crowd, and slowly, someone stepped forward. It was a little old man who leaned on his walking cane. "Mayor?" Some questioned.
The mayor of Sunflower stared down at the kneeling hero in front of him. "Wano lived amongst us for over ten years now." The man reached up and ran his fingers through his beard. "Our kind never wanted to be part of your group. We were just fine living out here by ourselves, making do without any help. He and his son Max were a quiet duo. They helped out from time to time. Wano mainly served as our village doctor. We never got attacked by Supers and lived out a peaceful life. Then, in the dead of night, it happened... I was doing a patrol of my village when I spotted someone I didn't know. Someone I hadn't seen before. He had the same glow in his eyes that yours do and had golden hair. I've never seen him before, but Wano had. They went back to his place. Then, later that same night, a horrible noise pierced the air. It woke us all up. When we came to check, we discovered Wano's home had been torn down. We never saw Wano or his son again, nor that strange man. After that, your people started poking their noses in this mess. That's everything I know. Now, make your people leave. Please. We don't want you here. We'd like to be left alone."
Full Monarch bowed his head further down before he stood back up. He looked toward Sini, whose face had gone pale. The words of Ward were ringing in his head once again. Wano had the ability to see the future. He could see when something bad was coming. There was one exception to this rule. Powerful Supers were able to bypass this future sight. Someone would have to be as strong as a Lord to get to Wano and attack him while his guard was down.
Or...
They'd have to be a Lord themselves.
A man with golden hair had come by. There was only one person they knew of. One who Wano would let his guard around. The one they had all refused to take in on 'that cursed' night. Their dear friend.
"Tell the Hero Branch to leave." Full Monarch ordered. His hair glowed once more, and he began to lift off of the ground.
"Where are you going?" Sini asked.
"To find Nier."
***
"-and so, like, I bought the car! Isn't that great!"
"That is so great!"
"I managed to get the house I wanted!"
"OMG, I am so jealous, girl!"
"All thanks to Howard!"
Howard lit up a cigar and blew out a powerful puff of smoke as he listened to the women next to him ramble amongst each other. "You girls know I'd do anything for you." He used his teeth to bite off the head of his flaming cigar and began to chew it up. "That's the only reason any of you hang around me, ain't it? Cause I buy you all pretty shit." He spat out the extinguished nub and laughed. "It sure as hell ain't because of my good looks, right!"
The girls around him all cringed a bit and scooted away. He threw his arm over one's shoulder, pulling her closer. He put another cigar between his lips.
"Be a doll and light me up." He ordered. The girl obeyed, lighting the cigar up, and he once again puffed on it a bit before chewing the head off. The music of the nightclub blared out, and his eyes roamed over the bright lights, staring at all the dancers that were around them. They were seated in a VIP section he owned, and on his couch around him were five different ladies. Each one decked out in the most expensive things he could get his hands on. He was friends with the owner of the club. It was a place most would kill to get into, with many of Oleander's underground getting wasted on booze and partying like there was no tomorrow. "It pays to be one of Howard's girls, ain't that right!" He grunted.
"That's right, Howard!" One of the girls spoke up.
"Yep! You treat us well."
"Keep buying me stuff, and I'll do whatever you want!"
"Yeah! We're all yours, Howard!"
Howard spat out the head of the cigar onto the table next to a large pile of other cigars that had been forming throughout the night. "I own Oleander. Especially now that the other Princes are dead. Still pisses me off that prick actually tried to order me around." He grumbled. "I'd have liked to kill Earth and Wind myself. I'll get the rest of my crew together and jump that armored fucker later. He even had the balls to call himself the Emperor as if he were putting himself above me. It ain't right, is it?"
"No, sir!" One of his girls cheered out.
"You'll take that bad guy down for sure!" Another agreed.
"You're the best Prince there is! If anyone can beat him, it's you!"
"I have to." Howard gritted his teeth. "Evil isn't something this world needs. I ain't a good guy; I know where I'll be ending up when my time comes, but I believe we still all have a code we should follow. I'm bad, but I ain't evil. Not like that bastard. He was pure in every sense. Utter malice rolled up into the shape of a person. Even suggesting going after kids as some sort of fucked-up test? Seriously pisses me off. I made up my mind. I'll call him later tonight and burn him down to ash. I'll make that stupid-looking armor he wears so hot it melts onto his flesh."
"Well, don't you have a vivid imagination?" A voice called out. Howard looked up and frowned when he saw who stood at the entrance to his VIP section. "Room for one more?" It was a young man with blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and electric blue eyes.
"This place ain't for kids. Go home." Howard huffed.
The boy frowned and folded his arm. "I'm not a kid. I'm twenty-one."
"You got a boyish face." Howard placed another cigar between his lips, and one of his girls lit it up for him. "And you're small. Dangerous place, this. Some sick bastards go here, ya know. You'd be what they call a beta-male-femboy. Some guys here are into that. If you don't scram, you might find yourself wearing a maid costume before the end of the night."
"That's…" The blonde boy trailed off, shaking his head. "Well, I'll be having nightmares of that, but speaking of terrible people that go here, I heard Fire Prince hangs out around this place." The boy said casually. "Know where I can find him." Howard's eyes narrowed. The boy just gave a smile and shrugged. "My name's Max."
Max studied the man in front of him up and down. Howard was a tall, muscular man with tanned skin decked out in tattoos. Things like flaming skulls, dragons, volcanoes, or bonfires. He wore an expensive white suit and had a large beard that was burned and reeked of smoke. His hair was cut short, giving him a mohawk, and each of his fingers was covered in golden-looking rings. They had letters across them, the one on the left hand reading out 'flame' while the one on the right reading out 'princ' and wasn't able to fit the 'e' on it.
"I have no idea where he could be. Nice rings, by the way."
Howard sucked the entire cigar into his mouth and began to chew on it, then swallowed it. "I'm not in the best mood right now. I'll give you one chance to turn around and walk out of here. If you're smart, you'll leave while you still have a body that can be buried."
"Did you know Water Prince was killed?" Max questioned. The girls all grew nervous as the young man reached out toward the table. It was littered with bottles of beer and plates with half-finished food on them. He took one of the forks and studied it casually. Howard snapped his fingers, and the girls around him all stood up and moved toward the exit. The music in the entire club suddenly cut out, and all eyes were fixed on Howard and Max. "I'm the one that killed him." Max lied. "That make you mad, big guy? He was one of your teammates, wasn't he?"
"Nah. It doesn't make me mad. I'd have killed the bastard myself if given the chance. You want an award for a job well done?" Howard grunted. The man's hands gripped down on the table so hard it began to crack and shake.
"What I want is for your head to join his on my wall-"
Howard's couch exploded as the man threw a powerful punch toward Max. The attack never reached though as Max jumped back, dodging the strike. The force of the attack flipped over the table and caused his hair to fly up wildly. Screams broke out inside of the club, and people began to run for the exit as two Supers got ready to duke it out indoors. Howard winced and stared down at his arm, finding a metal fork was stabbed into it. The same one Max had picked up earlier.
"Ya little bastard." The man's teeth ground together, and flakes of coal began to gush out of his mouth. "I bet you're working for that metal-armored bastard, ain't ya? He must have sent you to finish me off, huh? Guess I've gone and scared him!" Howard's skin began to change, growing rougher and rock-like as his suit started to rip and catch fire. His head grew longer and split open, and hot magma began to gush out, dropping to the floor below and catching it on fire. It was as if a volcano had come to life. His rings began to melt and drip down his fingers, forming back together into red hot knuckle dusters. "I'll pound your skull in. Don't fuck with a villain."
Max just gave a smirk and raised his arms. Lightning hummed around him, dancing across his skin. "I hope you're watching, teacher. I'll show you just how much I've grown, Nier!"