There had been silence for about three hours since Aspen began running tests on the bracelet he'd recovered from the battle scene. He was seated while all seven of us stood around him, watching with eager anticipation. The tension in the room was palpable, our heartbeats seemingly in sync. Aspen made a slight adjustment to the bracelet with a high-heat pen, causing it to glow as an inscription slowly appeared on its surface.
"It's highly radioactive," he announced.
"And these inscriptions... they look familiar," he added, his gaze sweeping over us.
"It's Herite!" Tiana exclaimed, and all eyes turned to her.
"You mean this person is one of General Eirwen's troops?" Aspen asked, curiosity evident in his tone.
"The strokes on the bracelet and the writing format—there's no doubting it," she replied, her voice calm as always.
"There was a time last year when my dad took me on an expedition," Tiana continued. "We encountered a group of Eirwen's troops. They attacked us. My dad... he took them all out, except one. While I chased the last one, he captured a human and used her as a hostage. Before disappearing, he drew a few strokes in the air, and the woman exploded immediately after." Her words were met with a heavy silence.
Aspen cleared his throat, drawing our attention back to him. Rising to his feet, he gave us a reassuring smile.
"We may have a bigger problem on our hands than we anticipated," he said before leading the way out of the room.
I paused for a moment, watching the others trail behind him. Tiana's voice startled me from behind.
"You've got that heroic stare all the higher-ups have when they're faced with difficult situations," she said.
I turned quickly, unsure of how to respond. "Th-thank you!" I stammered.
"During the siege last year, we had over 43 council members. Now, only a handful remain. Eirwen slaughtered them all," she said, her voice colder now.
"Piece of advice," she continued, "don't go around thinking you can be the hero from your daydreams. When you face Eirwen, he'll swat you like a fly."
As she walked away, her words began to sink in. The way she described Eirwen made it clear: fighting him now would mean certain death.
---
Aspen had decided to visit the Incredible Forces Tower to discuss what we had encountered and to report what we'd recovered. While he relayed his plan, my thoughts kept drifting to Tiana's earlier words. A seed of fear began to grow within me.
"Tiana, you're in charge," Aspen said as he left the room.
My gaze met Tiana's. She didn't seem fazed by her new responsibility, maintaining her usual nonchalant demeanor. She watched Aspen leave with a calm expression, as if she already anticipated everything that was to come.
---
ASPEN DRAGONSEYE
When the elevator doors opened, I strode toward the main entrance, ignoring the admiring stares I could feel following me. Increasing my pace to avoid the attention, I exited the building and sped off. Three seconds later, I was at the Incredible Forces Tower.
A worker greeted me and escorted me to the main room. Thankfully, the leaders were already gathered.
"Aspen, twice in one day!" Golden Wings greeted, her tone playful.
I waved dismissively, ignoring her smile, and made my way to the table. Standing opposite the God of Magic, I began my report.
"A situation arose as soon as you all left. A man—identity concealed, powers vaguely unknown—appeared and attacked us. Strangely, he seemed to know my fighting style," I explained.
"And you're sure he isn't someone who copies abilities?" Iron Muscles asked, his rare interest evident.
"No," I replied. "The kids took him out because he couldn't adapt to their fighting style."
"I warned you not to take the kids out," Eldon, the God of Magic, thundered.
"If he hadn't, we wouldn't have this information," Rhea interjected.
The room fell silent as everyone seemed to contemplate her point.
"We also recovered a bracelet with Herite inscriptions," I said, trusting Tiana's analysis.
At the mention of Herite, Eldon's expression darkened. He leapt to his feet, slamming the table with such force that the room seemed to tremble.
"A bracelet from my home planet?" he demanded, his tone sharp.
I reached into my pocket and revealed the glowing bracelet. Eldon's anger gave way to astonishment as he rushed toward me, the wind from his movement tousling my hair. Snatching the bracelet, he studied it closely.
"The person responsible is continuing Eirwen's work from last year," he said grimly. "This message was left knowing we'd find it. The person you fought must have studied your every move, Aspen."
Clenching his fist, he crushed the bracelet into dust.
"If it comes to it, we need to take the fight to them," Eldon declared before returning to his seat.
"And the kids? Where are they now?" he asked.
---
RICHARD GRAYSON
Tiana led us to the Super Seven training grounds. The massive landscape was so vast that it could hold four states. She stopped abruptly, and we followed suit.
"Many of you are curious about your abilities," she began. "This is your chance to find out. Try to hit me with everything you've got."
Finn, the youngest and most aggressive among us, didn't wait for further instructions. He charged toward Tiana, summoning water to surround him as he leapt forward. Water projectiles shot toward her in rapid succession. I instinctively stepped forward to help, but Eric held me back.
Tiana evaded each attack effortlessly, her feet rooted in one spot. Finn, frustrated, changed tactics and began flooding the area.
"You're weak when there isn't enough water," she observed, her tone almost bored.
"And you're stuck in one spot because I've got you trapped," Finn retorted with a triumphant laugh.
"That's your problem," she yawned. "You're overconfident."
With a simple raise of her hand, she countered his water trap and suspended him midair. A flick of her wrist sent him flying.
"Who's next?" she asked, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.
One by one, my teammates stepped forward, only to be tossed around like ragdolls for the next thirty minutes. Then her gaze landed on me. I waved dismissively, signaling my disinterest, but Scarlett and Sasha had other ideas.
"Don't be a crybaby," Scarlett teased, sitting with her spear in hand.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Sasha added, appearing behind me and shoving me forward.
I stopped just short of colliding with Tiana. She smirked, taking a stance.
"Don't hold back," she said.
"Same to you," I replied, bracing myself.
I knew her strength lay in countering attacks. My best chance was to strike before she could react.
I sped behind her, aiming for a surprise hit, but her arm swung toward me before I could make contact. I ducked at high speed, narrowly avoiding her punch. She wasn't just quick—she was calculating.
---
I retreated to gain distance and then sped forward, creating a sonic boom in my wake. If her strength lay in defense, my only chance was to overwhelm her with sheer force.
We collided with a resounding shockwave that blew my teammates off their feet. Tiana countered immediately, aiming a punch at my face. I ducked and managed to land a solid hit of my own, but she remained unfazed.
Her eyes glowed red.
In that instant, I realized what was coming next. She fired a laser beam from her eyes, aiming straight for my chest. Time seemed to slow as I activated my ability, freezing the moment.
The world around me halted.
Charging myself to the limit, I launched toward her, breaking the sound barrier. Grabbing her by the face, I hurled her high into the air and slammed her back down into the ground. Time resumed.
A massive cheer erupted from my teammates. Their excitement fueled me, and I felt a flicker of hope that I might actually win this fight. If I did, they'd surely crown me the new leader.
With that thought, I grabbed Tiana by the leg and dragged her across the ground at high speed, leaving a trail of dust in our wake.
Suddenly, I stopped—not by choice. Tiana had caught herself mid-motion, floating effortlessly in the air. With a scream of defiance, she soared upward, carrying me with her. We climbed higher and higher until the air grew thin, and I struggled to breathe.
She flung me downward with precise force. The speed of my descent created a sonic boom, and just before I hit the ground, she intercepted me. Grabbing my collar, she spun me around in a dizzying whirlwind, the air leaving my lungs in gasps.
I crashed into the ground, dazed. Before I could recover, Tiana fired an energy blast in my direction. Using the last reserves of energy in my suit, I formed a protective shield and sped away.
But she caught me by the arm, halting my escape. My momentum pushed her back slightly, but she held her ground.
"You said not to hold back," I panted. "But you're hiding so many abilities."
"You're not wrong," she replied, equally winded.
We separated briefly before charging at each other again. This time, we exchanged blows, each punch and kick creating shockwaves that tore through the ground.
We separated again and this time I decided to use this moment to my favor. I raised my arm towards the sky and summoned a rain of lightening strikes. She seemed to be having trouble blocking my attacks from the sky but at once she got the hang of it.
Desperate, I gathered all the remaining energy in my body. My fist turned from red to blue as I summoned every ounce of strength.
Tiana's eyes glowed teal blue, her aura suffocating. The air itself felt heavy, and I knew this was the end.
I struck first, my energy-laden punch colliding with hers. The resulting explosion sent a shockwave that carved a crater into the ground and plunged the city into a blackout.
When the smoke cleared, I saw her still standing. Her shirt sleeve had been torn, but she remained otherwise unharmed. Her glowing eyes bore into me, a chilling reminder of just how outmatched I was.
"That's enough," Aspen's voice cut through the tension.
He walked toward us, his expression unreadable, though there was a hint of approval. Placing a hand on Tiana's shoulder, he smiled.
"You did well holding back and not using your full strength," he said.
Turning to me, he added, "And you, Richard, are astounding. Now I understand why everyone sees you as a rising star."
Exhausted, I let myself fall to the ground to catch my breath.
"Meet me in the Seven Room later," Aspen continued. "We have a lot to discuss."
With that, he disappeared in a blur of dust.
---
Later, I found myself staring into a mirror, my hands gripping a ceramic sink as I replayed the fight in my mind. My body trembled, and I exhaled slowly, trying to regain my composure.
As I stepped out of my room, I almost bumped into Tiana. She paused, and for a moment, our gazes locked.
"Tiana," I called out.
She stopped but didn't turn.
"I, uh… I'm not great at starting conversations, but I'm sorry about the fight," I stammered, my heart racing.
She turned to face me, her expression neutral.
"You have impressive resilience and unmatched durability. But don't let today's performance inflate your ego. Challenging others recklessly could get you killed," she said coolly.
Before she could leave, I blurted out, "Can you train me to get stronger?"
Tiana scoffed. "I don't have the tools to enhance your growth, but I can help you find what you need."
Encouraged, I walked closer and gently lifted her arm to inspect it. She looked at me with a mix of curiosity and irritation but didn't pull away.
"I'm glad you're okay," I murmured.
Her lips curled into a faint grin as we headed outside, where the rest of the team waited.
---
Aspen stood at the center of the waiting crowd, his commanding presence immediately drawing attention. As soon as Tiana and I stepped outside, all eyes turned toward us.
"There they are! Just the people we've been waiting for," he said, gesturing in our direction.
"You're late," he scowled, directing the comment at me before his expression softened as his gaze met Tiana's. "But I suppose it's excusable since you were with Tiana."
"Take your seats," Aspen instructed, pulling out a chair for Tiana with a rare display of courtesy.
Once everyone had settled, he began.
"The Incredible Forces Council has made a decision regarding the Super Seven." He paused, letting the suspense build.
The room was silent, save for the sound of anxious breaths. Then, his face brightened.
"We'll be joining their ranks in battle."
The announcement was met with a resounding cheer.
"Settle down!" Aspen commanded, raising a hand to silence us. "We have a lot to prepare for. We're up against a supervillain who knows my fighting style inside and out."
He continued, "I've been ordered to create a new training roster for all of you and teach you many evasive maneuvers."
He turned to me.
"Richard, your case is… unique. Your power's limits remain unknown, and your mana levels are impossible to detect. But this doesn't exempt you from training. In fact, it means you'll need to work harder than anyone else."
His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I didn't know whether to feel honored or overwhelmed.
"But," Aspen continued, "you'll also need to meet with the Council. They've specifically requested your presence."
The air grew tense.
"Why does Richard get to meet the Council?" Rachel asked, her tone laced with disappointment.
"Yeah, that's unfair!" scarlett chimed in.
Aspen raised a hand to quell the unrest. "I understand your frustrations, but this decision isn't mine. The Council sees potential in him and has deemed it necessary."
The mention of the Council sent a shiver down my spine. I had never met them, but their reputation alone was enough to instill fear. Still, I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, no matter how unprepared I felt.