In a world where the spectrum of heroes and villains exists, there is bound to be absolute good and also pure evil. Lumian was the closest thing to absolute evil in the world.
In a world where men dominate the skies, move mountains and split seas, and display all sorts of powers found in dreams and fantasies, Lumian was, unfortunately, powerless and ungifted, so to speak.
The fact that Lumian was powerless was unfortunate for only him and a massive fortune for the entire world because despite being powerless, he was still a massive plague on the world around him. There was hardly a crime he hadn't committed.
Thievery, plagiarism, manslaughter, murder, vandalism, arson, burglary, assault and battery, harassment, aggravated assault, and even more unspeakable and heinous crimes. He was the textbook definition of a villain.
As earlier mentioned, in this world men who were capable of doing the things men should not be able to do existed, and as life always has been, these men and women alike, naturally fell in line according to the spectrum, separating themselves into good and evil, well in this case: Superheroes and supervillains.
It was only so long that Lumian could avoid capture; his latest misdeed had drawn the attention of a hero, not just any hero, a superhero known as "Voltstrike."
"It's over, Lumian. Give up and surrender. Your villainous acts end today, and for good this time"
Voltstrike was a man of average height, athletic with a sharp, chiseled face and piercing blue eyes that seemed to shimmer with electricity. His hair was a striking white, with blue streaks, and spiked as if perpetually charged.
He wore a sleek, midnight blue suit accented with bright, electric blue lines that glowed faintly, particularly around the stylized lightning bolt emblem on his chest.
His gloves and boots were designed to channel his electrical powers, with metallic components that hinted at their purpose. Voltstrike was a living conduit of electricity, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Lumian was cornered, his back pressed against the cold brick wall of an abandoned alleyway, before Voltstrike and his seemingly almighty abilities, Lumian was but an ordinary man. But despite that, Lumian had an indifferent expression on his face; his eyes were as deep and dark as the abyss, with nothing behind them but absolute malevolence.
"If I surrender, wouldn't that make it too easy for you? I can never let you get me that easily, it would defeat the whole purpose of me behind a villain, wouldn't it?"
Lumian spoke in a tired, low, raspy voice with little emotion behind each word. Voltstrike looked at him with disgust evident on his face, even though he donned a mask, it was still noticeable.
"Don't try anything stupid, Lumian; I'm warning you!" Voltstrike cautioned
Lumian pushed himself off the wall, "Or what Voltstrike? You'd kill me? Oh stop it," he said, waving off Voltstrike's warning, "You are a hero aren't you, you lot who claim to be problem solvers, yet all you do is manage the problem, you should be called super managers instead," he said, chuckling at his flat joke
Voltstrike's face knitted together in a deep frown, "Don't take a step closer, I may not be able to kill you, but I am very much capable of incapacitating you. Don't try me," He further warned
Lumian's lips curved into an unsettling smile, "Incapacitate me? Bullshit! We both know you want to do far more than that, so do it! After what I just tried to do? Should a vile sinister person like me still be alive?! Come on, do it!!" He urged the young Hero
"Quiet! You tried to blow up an orphanage, with kids inside! You're right, scum like you should not be alive, but I'll let the law deal with you. So keep quiet and stay put till the police arrive" Voltstrike shouted at Lumian, his voice bouncing off the walls of the alley
"Oh please, I was doing the kids a favor if anything?" Lumian sneered
"You despicable lowlife, I'll make sure you never see the sun again,"
"There's an easy way to do that, just kill me," Lumian shrugged
"Shut up!"
"Don't tell me you're scared…Michael" Lumian said with a wide grin on his face
His heart skipped a beat as Lumian uttered his name. How did he know? A cold sweat broke out as a mix of confusion and fear washed over him and for a split second, Voltstrike's mask of confidence slipped. His real name was spoken by Lumian, a villain, it felt like an invasion, leaving him momentarily exposed.
Lumian's smile grew wider, "That's right, I know who you are, Michael Browning and I know more than that too.
A promising young hero, steadily on the rise to fame and glory, with his exciting power, he was always on the front runner should a villain show up. Rumor has it that even the top Heroes of the Vanguard have their sights on you, how exciting" He paused, waiting to see Voltstrike's reaction,
"Want to know what else I know?
I also know that you, Michael Browning, recently got married to the beautiful Angela Bastille, or should I call her Mrs. Browning, whom you met in a Café after you got your Hero license. The both of you are living like the perfect married couple in that fancy new apartment of yours,"
Voltstrike's eyes widened in shock, as sparks of electricity flew off him, "How? How do you know this? Who told you?!" He barked
There was a reason Lumian survived so long without any abilities despite being such a fiend. Lumian tasks himself with the job of finding out the secret Identity of Heroes and even his fellow Villains at times, he uses it to his advantage to blackmail and threaten his way out of tight situations like the one he found himself currently in.
Lumian walked up to Voltstrike and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Doesn't matter, Michael. I am going to walk away now, and you will let me, is that understood?"
Voltstrike stood frozen as he still processed what was happening and how the tables had turned in a flash.
"I'll take your silence as a yes, adios Michael," He said, then walked away, whistling as he did
At that moment, many things flashed through the young Hero Voltstrike's mind. His identity was compromised, would he now become the villain's puppet? Doing as he was told, to save those precious to him? What if the Villain hurts his wife to get back at him? What if he tells other villains about his identity? Maybe he already has!
Voltstrike felt as if his neck was bare on a guillotine, and Lumian was his executioner who could bring down the blade on his neck at any moment. The thought of it scared him, it scared him so much, and there was no way he was going to let it happen.
"Hey!" Voltstrike called out to Lumian who was on his way out of the alley
Lumian turned around to face Voltstrike, but he was immediately hit by a bolt of electricity. The force of the attack sent him crashing into the wall.
Lumian's eyes fluttered open as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He saw Voltstrike towering over him.
"You were right, scum like you deserve to be dead," Voltstrike said, his expression cold as the north but his voice slightly wavered, "But first, I'll make you suffer for your actions before I reduce you to ashes"
Voltstrike fired a bolt of electricity at Lumian's legs, and Lumian screamed out in pain as his legs were being toasted by high voltage.
"What now? You…you are going to kill me?" Lumian forced out a laugh
"That's the plan, you can carry all your information on me to your grave," Voltstrike replied icily
Elias scoffed, "So much for being a Hero," He said as his eyes narrowed, a smirk playing on his lips as he slowly raised his hand. He extends his middle finger
He holds the pose for a moment, locking eyes with the Voltstrike, making sure the message is clear—no words needed. The silence that follows is heavy with the unspoken insult, a direct, cutting "Fuck you, you hypocrite"
Voltstrike anger rose exponentially, as his eyes glowed with voltage and his body crackled with electric energy, "Maximum Voltage," He whispered
A barrage of high-voltage electricity flowed out from his hands threatening to reduce Lumian to nothing but dust.
"Fuck," Lumian whispered as he closed his eyes, and waited for death to come for him.
He waited for a few seconds but he felt nothing and heard nothing too, not the heat of Voltstrike's bolts, the night breeze blowing on his face, or the sound of electricity crackling and clashing with each other. It was as if the moment had taken a pause.
He opened his eyes, lo and behold, everything around him was frozen in place, in time. Voltstrike's electric bolts hung in mid-air, his scornful expression frozen in time, too. Everything stood still, everything except him.
"Am I dead?" He asked no one in particular as he inspected his hands
"No, you are not dead. At least not yet," A strange voice answered him