Chapter 1: The First Awakening
Vincent Harlow woke to the familiar stench of rot and the oppressive air of the slums, the low hum of distant electricity crackling from a nearby building as a reminder of the world he was back in—a world overflowing with superpowers. To most, these abilities were a blessing, a ticket out of poverty or into power. But to Vincent, they were just another tool to be exploited, another piece of the puzzle in his intricate game of control.
He sat up slowly, his senses sharp, taking in the room around him. The orphanage looked just as he remembered: the flickering lights powered by a kid with a low-level electric charge, the cracked walls occasionally patched by a girl whose power could barely manipulate stone. This world was alive with power—raw, untamed, often wasted by those too weak or too foolish to understand its potential.
Vincent's lips curled into a cold smile as he ran a hand through his hair, memories of his future life crashing down on him like a tidal wave. He remembered how Hero Corp had used its god-like powers not to save the world but to bend it to their will. Zenith, the number one hero, with his mind-breaking influence, had manipulated everyone like puppets on strings, while Vincent had been forced to dance along—until they discarded him like trash.
But now, Vincent was back in his 17-year-old body, with knowledge of the future—a second chance to rewrite the twisted fate that awaited him and exact his revenge.
He clenched his fists, feeling the familiar powerlessness of his own lack of superhuman abilities. Unlike the heroes of Hero Corp, Vincent had no flashy gifts or world-breaking powers. What he did have was his mind, sharper and more dangerous than any superpower. And he was going to use it to tear down Hero Corp from the inside out.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Vincent's gaze shifted suddenly, locking eyes with an unseen audience beyond the confines of his world. He spoke directly to the reader, his voice smooth and laced with a dark edge.
"Welcome," he said, his tone a mixture of bitterness and amusement. "To the world where almost everyone has a power—a so-called gift. But let me tell you a secret: strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from knowing what others will do before they even realize it themselves."
He let his smile grow wider, more unsettling. "You see, my power is simple. It's influence, manipulation—understanding the psychology of those around me and bending their actions to my will. I don't need to throw fireballs or bend steel. I just need to know which words to say, which emotions to trigger, to make them dance."
"Watch closely," he added, a glint of malice in his eyes. "I'm about to show you how to turn power into a leash."
The First Manipulation in a Superpowered World
The orphanage's hallway buzzed with low-level chaos as Vincent stepped out of his room. He spotted a kid levitating small objects with his telekinesis, another creating little sparks of flame in his hands to impress a small crowd. At the center of it all was Darius, the local bully, whose power to manipulate gravity allowed him to pin a younger kid against the wall, making him feel ten times heavier.
Vincent's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene, his mind already calculating. Most of the children were fascinated by Darius's power, but to Vincent, it was just another vulnerability—a power driven by emotion and ego, easy to exploit.
"Darius," Vincent said, his voice cutting through the noise like a knife. "You're showing off again. But all this gravity manipulation… it's just wasted on someone like you, isn't it?"
Darius turned, his face twisting into a scowl, though there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Shut up, Vincent. What do you know about power anyway? You don't even have one."
Vincent's smile remained cold and unwavering. "True, I don't have a superpower. But I understand something you don't—how to control those who do. What's the point of your power if you can't even use it to your advantage?"
He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low whisper that only Darius could hear. "Imagine if you used your gravity manipulation not just to bully children, but to gain influence over this entire orphanage. Make them see you as a leader instead of a brute. You'd have control over more than just their bodies—you'd have their minds. Their loyalty."
Darius's eyes widened slightly, his grip on the younger kid loosening as he considered Vincent's words. The idea of having not just strength but respect—a twisted form of admiration—seemed to appeal to him in a way simple bullying never could.
Reflection to the Reader: The Power Behind the Power
Vincent turned his gaze back to the reader, breaking the fourth wall with a smirk that held no warmth. "You see what I did there?" he said, his tone almost bored. "Darius thought he was making a choice, thought he was deciding to change on his own terms. But all it took was a few carefully chosen words to reframe his perspective. I didn't need to have a superpower—I only needed to know how to make him question his own motives."
He shrugged slightly, as if explaining the simplest of tricks. "Influence is the real power in this world of fire and lightning. A nudge here, a suggestion there, and people will believe they're the ones pulling the strings. They'll never know they're dancing to your tune."
Seeds of Revenge
As Vincent walked back to his room, his eyes turned to the sky beyond the cracked windows, his thoughts dark and calculating. The names of the ten heroes of Hero Corp flashed through his mind, Zenith's face standing out above the rest. One by one, they would fall. He would make them pay for the suffering they caused, and he would do it in a way that left no doubt—he wasn't a pawn anymore.
His best friend from the orphanage, the girl whose power to copy abilities would one day lead to her tragic death, would be crucial to his plans. He didn't care to save her out of kindness or nostalgia—no, her survival was a strategic move, a piece on his board that he couldn't afford to lose.
This time, he would use every connection, every manipulation, every ounce of his intellect to destroy Hero Corp from the shadows. The superpowers that once crushed his spirit would now be his tools, wielded by those too blind to see they were being led by a master with no strings of his own.
And this time, Vincent Harlow would not be defeated.