"We have received tragic news. Astro Man... is dead..."
Heavy tears of sorrow spilled through the streets, and cries filled with anxiety and tension rose into space. The moans of humanity ascended to the heavens, laden with profound sadness. In every corner of this world, people froze in front of screens, witnessing with astonished eyes the end of the greatest protector, who stood as a solid wall against evil, and now falls before them, leaving behind an echo of pain and emptiness.
Every media outlet repeated the same words over and over -
"Astro Man has died" _ "Astro Man has died"
"The great hero, who protected our world and our universe for hundreds of years, has died!"
"There is nothing worse than being so strong that no one expects you to need help."
"Just now! We have received confirmation that Astro Man has been killed by the supervillain, Shadow..."
"This is a truly dark day – as you can see from the replay, Astro Man was defeated... Even with the help of the Hero Guild, he fell into their hands..."
"We advise every man, woman, elderly, and child to hide in their shelters in the dark days to come..."
"...Be careful, there will indeed be dark days ahead. Expect the other supervillains to wreak havoc..."
"With his death, it seems everyone is asking the same question...
...Who will protect us now?"
But even with the tears of people that almost drowned the entire planet, there was one who did not grieve nor cheer for the hero's death. Instead, he simply let out a sigh as he folded his laptop, cancelling out all the noise it had been making before and completely immersing himself in the darkness of his dwelling
Then the boy stood up and took out his phone from his pocket, and when he opened it, a picture of the person they called Astro Man quickly appeared on his screen. But instead of the heroic images most boys his age would cherish, the picture on his screen was another,
It was a picture of him, distorted and dreadful, his body tainted with dried blood; the whites of his eyes stretched to fill the empty cavities of his forehead, and his mouth completely collapsed as if screaming in eternal silence. His head was twisted at an unnatural angle, as if the universe itself had turned against him, making that fleeting image a painful scene that bleeds hearts and breaths, but despite the distortions and bruises he suffered, he still somehow pulsed with life
The reflection of Astro Man's distorted face on the boy's eyes, which did not quiver, did not blink, but his lips trembled in silence, emitting a muffled laugh that echoed in the dark room. The boy was looking at the picture of the great hero whose features had been distorted.
The boy also had pictures of the other heroes who were with Astro Man from the Hero Guild. The marks of beating and bruising were clear on their faces, but they did not reach the extent of what befell Astro Man. Unlike the hero's distorted face, the signs of life were still apparent on the faces of his friends.
The boy stared at the pictures for a few seconds before turning his gaze back to Astro Man's face. Again, a muffled laugh came out of his mouth, but his eyes remained fixed on the picture, as if they were wide open to a dark secret.
"At the dawn of the eighteenth century, when the world was engulfed in the throes of chaos and crime, and a pandemic of superpowers ravaged humanity, and when all hope seemed lost... Astro Man revealed himself to the world.
His golden light shone on the darkness, bringing with it hope and a cure for the widespread evil, becoming a symbol of salvation from evil.
But his mission was not easy, for the earth is vast and evil is entrenched everywhere. And while Astro Man struggled alone, another miracle occurred.
Just a few months later, new heroes emerged from different parts of the earth, rising to Astro Man's call, thus beginning the journey of the 'Age of Heroes.'
Three centuries have passed since then, and the Age of Heroes still abounds with heroism, but the departure of Astro Man, the symbol of the superheroes, has cast a shadow over the future of humanity. Humanity will have to leap once again and wait.
Wait for the emergence of another Astro Man.
Darkness looms over the screen, interrupted only by the glow of a smartphone held by a boy in his hands.
"Y...y...you...why?"
The boy flips through the pictures on his phone. His eyes stop at a video clip of Astro Man, kneeling on the ground. His face looks relatively intact compared to the horrifying images that preceded it.
"Why would you do that....y....y?"
Astro Man's voice comes from the speaker, trying to rise with difficulty. But as he gathers his strength, a deep hole opens under his feet, pulling him into the darkness.
A long, deep exhale could be heard from the boy's phone, where in the background appeared an image of a shoe crushing Astro Man's head. And before the source of the deep breaths became clear, a series of consecutive blows pierced the air.
And at the moment the sounds reached the boy's ears, he quickly closed his device. And although the room was completely filled with darkness, he was surprised by the bright light that filled the entire place."
"Kenzo, how many times must I remind you to turn on the lights when you're awake? We even installed special lighting that doesn't harm your skin! There's no need to always live in darkness and gloom.
And what about this neglect? Haven't you heard about Astro Man's departure? We must head to the shelter immediately before Shadow finds his way to us!"
Before Kenzo had a chance to respond, a barrage of reproach rained down on him from his sister, who entered his room, his bedroom unusually empty yet ordinary."
In the room that seemed ordinary, the boy's features were strikingly noticeable.
His hair shone with a brilliant whiteness, harmonizing with his pale skin. The only color touches that penetrated this whiteness were the light redness on his lips and the edges of his eyelids, adorned by his sparkling blue eyes.
"Why do you keep sitting like that!? Mom is waiting for us down in the basement!" his sister shouted in a frustrated tone as she burst into his room, that room that seemed unusually empty yet familiar.
"It's not a joke, Kenzo! Stop dawdling!"
With a swift movement, his sister picked something up from the floor and threw it at Kenzo before she hurried out of the room, announcing, "I'll be waiting for you downstairs!"
"..." Kenzo blinked repeatedly as he contemplated his trembling door, whose hinges were about to give up after his sister had pushed it open again. Moments later, he rose, carelessly pocketed his phone, and donned the hooded jacket his sister had thrown at him.
He took one last look at his room, then left it, each step expressing his lethargy.
"Move quickly - faster!" his sister screamed again when she noticed Kenzo's slow movement.
"Don't worry, Julie."
Finally, Kenzo spoke in a calm tone that reflected his personality, "Shadow won't be able to reach this city."
"And how do you know!? Didn't you see the video!? That scoundrel just wiped Astoria city from existence and ended Astro Man's life!"
Julie plunged back into a sea of chaos as soon as she noticed the tired sarcasm in her brother's voice.
"How do you show signs of exhaustion when you spend your hours lying in your room? Are you... you know, never mind. I don't want to know."
"I don't care about the details of what you do in the dark, my pale brother."
"..."
"Quickly, move!" Without hesitation, Julie covered Kenzo's head with the jacket, then grabbed his wrist forcefully. Kenzo had no choice but to comply with the dragging when Julie suddenly rushed outside. As soon as the beautiful outdoor atmosphere greeted him, chaos erupted anew.
Kenzo couldn't see clearly as his sister wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pushed him forward, but it was enough for him to notice that their neighbors shared the same idea, racing towards their own shelters.
"Julie, why did you take so long!? Is Kenzo with you!?"
As soon as Kenzo and Julie reached the shelter, just steps away from their home, the sound of metal screeching rang in their ears as their mother quickly closed the steel door.
"It's not my fault, Mom!" Julie said as she pushed Kenzo aside after ensuring their safety, "This pale one was laughing alone in the dark again!"
"Julie! How many times must I tell you not to talk to your brother that way!?"
"I don't care." Julie said, ignoring the matter, opened a water bottle that was on the table, and handed it to Kenzo before heading to a corner of the steel room. Their mother was ready to say more, but Julie had already started talking on her phone and listening to music by putting headphones in her ears.
"Boy, what do you think you're doing? Don't you follow the news? Astro Man has passed away!"
"...Yes, I realize that, Mom. I saw the bruises he received, and I witnessed his last words before he passed away."
"What!? And where did you see this? The press didn't show any videos! All the news channels I watch are avoiding showing what actually happened to Astro Man!"
Then Kenzo's mother quickly turned on the TV, raising the volume to the maximum as she flipped through the channels looking for the video Kenzo referred to. But no matter how much she switched channels, all that appeared was a blurry image that couldn't be seen clearly.
"Oh my God, what's happening?" The trembling voice of Kenzo's mother echoed through the shelter, her hand shaking with the remote control, as if she was about to lose it, "And what about the Hero Guild? Did they also meet their demise? Why is all this happening? What's the news about Astro Man? And your father?"
"Dad and his team are fine, Mom."
"What? How do you know all this? Did you read it on the internet? Show me!" Kenzo's mother leaned towards him urgently, but Kenzo quickly retreated.
"A... sorry," Kenzo's mother muttered as she tried to look into her son's eyes, but Kenzo avoided her gaze and turned his face aside.
"But how do you know all this? Did your father call you?"
"Don't worry, Mom," Kenzo shook his head, "I know because I... I'm the one who ended Astroo--"
"Ah! There he is! It's your father!"
"...I know, Mom. I'm the one who left them alive."
"Look, your father is fine! Your father is fine!"
"..."
All Kenzo could do was blink a few times as he watched his mother jump for joy, even pulling his sister to join the celebration.
"...I am Shadow, Mom."
But his words were completely drowned out by his mother's cries of joy.