Chapter 5 – A New Place (Part 2)
Far from the molten wasteland, his mind drifted back to a memory in his dream—one from Earth.
In a different world.
A different sky.
A city of towering skyscrapers, flashing neon, and crowded streets.
A city that stood trembling under the shadow of a colossal monster rising from beneath its roar, shaking glass loose from buildings and sending cars tumbling like paper toys.
High above the chaos, two heroes fought desperately.
Captain Supreme—tall, broad-shouldered, armored in cutting-edge tech—darted through the sky like a steel comet, cape fluttering behind him. He peppered the monster with blasts of energy, trying to draw its attention away from the civilians fleeing below.
Beside him flew Knight Shadow—her entire body covered in razor-sharp, metallic black feathers, wings beating with predatory grace. She sliced through incoming debris midair, each movement silent and deadly, like a phantom carved from obsidian.
Together, they struck, dodged, and countered—but the monster barely flinched.
"Two of you won't be enough!" a voice bellowed from behind them.
Both heroes spun around—ready to attack—only to freeze in recognition.
"Battle Master?!" Captain Supreme shouted. "You're alive?!"
An old mountain of a man landed with a thud.
Battle Master—bare-chested, cloak trailing, muscles carved like stone—stood armed with enough ancient weapons to supply a museum, each glowing faintly with mystic energy.
"It's been too long," he said with a grin. "Let's get to work."
Knight Shadow dipped her wings in respect. "We could use the help."
As the three legends engaged, more heroes poured onto the battlefield.
A man in green and yellow swung in using flexible, stretched limbs.
"Alright, what'd I miss?" called Mr. Stretch, landing beside the monster's leg.
Before Battle Master answered, a blur of black and red rushed past—Edge, a Japanese swordswoman in an immaculate business suit, katana gleaming like captured moonlight.
"That monster," she said flatly, "is what you missed."
The giant roared, sweeping its tail in a wide arc. Mr. Stretch elongated his body to escape the blow, grabbing the bus full of trapped civilians nearby.
Knight Shadow reacted first—black ethereal ropes burst from her wings, latching onto the monster's leg to slow it down.
"We don't have time!" Mr. Stretch yelled. "People are dying!"
Even more heroes arrived—Super Humans, heroes with machines, martial artists, heroes using magic—each fighting in their own way, but none able to stop the monster.
"It's a giant!" Doctor Magic called out, stepping onto the battlefield in a suit and tie far too clean for the occasion.
Knight Shadow helped civilians out of the bus. "Nice of you to join us, Doc."
Doctor Magic murmured an incantation, hands glowing with arcane power.
But even then…
Even with everyone there…
The monster didn't stop.
It inhaled deeply—air twisting and warping around its jaws.
"MOVE!" Captain Supreme shouted.
A torrent of toxic green smoke exploded from its mouth, knocking several heroes back and flattening a row of buildings. The city groaned under the strain. People screamed.
"We're running out of options!" Edge yelled, blade vibrating from the force of the last block.
"Then we make new ones!" Captain Supreme commanded, though even his voice wavered.
Heroes staggered.
Some limped.
Others bled.
For the first time, Earth's mightiest defenders seemed… helpless.
Then—
KRRRRRSHHHHHH!
A thunderous boom cracked the sky.
Everyone froze.
The heavens split with burning red light.
Something—someone—plummeted through the atmosphere like a falling star, trailing a streak of fiery crimson across the sky. The temperature spiked. Alarms screamed. Windows shattered.
"It's a meteor!" Edge shouted.
"No…" whispered a hero with telescopic vision. "That's a man."
The fiery silhouette shot past them—straight toward the monster.
BOOOOOOM!
One punch.
A single, devastating punch.
The impact launched the colossal beast across the city, its body crashing through a skyscraper before landing in a smoking heap.
Silence.
The kind that follows miracles.
The heroes stared, stunned.
"What is that power?" one whispered.
"Is he is glowing like the sun?" another murmured.
They tracked the crash site as the glowing figure fell, slowing only at the end before slamming into the street. When the dust settled, they approached cautiously.
A man lay in the crater—his body steaming, glowing faintly like cooling metal.
Golden hair.
Golden eyes.
Radiance carved into human form.
He rose slowly, steadying himself.
Captain Supreme stepped forward. "Who are you?"
The man's voice rumbled with quiet authority.
"I am Null-Ar Kilark of the House Kilark."
He paused.
"But you may call me Dawnbringer."
A distant rumble shook the ground.
Nolen jolted awake on the ashen soil, breath quick and uneven.
His campfire crackled beside him.
"Why dream that day?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes, waking to his new reality.
He sat up, staring into the horizon as the memory became hazy.