I defeated a two-horned monster… Ali was talking to me on the phone about something, but I cut the call—maybe out of anger, maybe jealousy. After that day, I never called Ali or picked up his calls, and time passed.
It's been 10 days since that incident, and I still haven't forgotten the pain of having my arms torn apart. Now I can say I don't want to be a hero anymore. It's too scary, and kids shouldn't handle this. It's the job of adults to save everyone. I'm just a school kid. Yeah… that's what I kept telling myself. But fate had other plans for me.
Street Scene,
"Aahh… stop! Please don't eat me!"
I heard a woman screaming and looked around. What I saw made my trauma return—the same monster that ate my hand last time was holding a woman and was about to attack her. She was struggling, trying to hold him back, buying time until a superhero arrived.
At that moment, I wanted to run away, but my legs wouldn't move. I fell to the ground, frozen with fear. Then suddenly, I remembered my grandma's words:
"Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Never fear anyone except Allah, because Allah is enough for you."
After remembering those words, courage returned. I unconsciously picked up a wooden stick and charged at the monster. He wasn't paying attention to me, so my attack landed on his head.
"Run, lady! Run!" I shouted.
She immediately ran away without even checking if the monster was chasing her.
Now I was alone in front of the monster.
He smiled and said, "Oh, you're that kid with the delicious hands. Sorry for not eating you last time—I had a stomach ache. But don't worry, this time I'll eat every part of you."
Even after hearing that, I didn't feel scared. I said,
"I don't fear death anymore. Everyone dies someday. If I die today, I'll make sure to take you with me."
The monster jumped toward me, and in that moment, something awakened inside me. Flames burst from my hands, burning the monster.
What… what is this!? Did I awaken!?
And not just any power—but fire, like Flame King. I was excited, and since I had seen Flame King fight on TV many times, I copied his moves.
I raised both hands and shouted, "Mystical Fire!"
Then I jumped and attacked with Fury Blast, and finally used Fire King, the famous AoE attack that Flame King uses. My Fire King attack was smaller, but it burned the surrounding trees to ash. Luckily, it ended quickly, so the fire didn't spread. When the smoke cleared, the monster had turned to ash.
If anyone sees me like this than he must think I bullied this monster.
I was overjoyed and immediately called AGA, telling them I had awakened and defeated a monster. I don't know why I called them—before this fight, I had already given up on becoming a hero because of fear. But maybe it was jealousy toward Ali. I wanted to show him what a real hero looks like.
A drone arrived, scanned me and the monster's remains, and confirmed my awakening. Within seconds, I received a message:
"Your Aether Exam will be held in 5 days."
When I got home, my father was waiting at the door.
"Orhan, we need to talk about your powers and superhero work," he said, leading me to his room.
"So, you recently awakened your powers, right?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Kid, you know I also awakened my powers at 17 and became a superhero. But after what happened, I don't want you to become like me. I can't force you, though. Saving others is every superhero's duty, and you're a superhero too. So choose wisely."
"Papa, I don't know what went wrong with you, but I promise I'll become the Hero of Heroes, who saves everyone."
My father smiled and said, "You have courage, unlike me, who just wanted fame. Go and do your best."
Well it was a shocking truth to me that my papa was a Superhero but i didn't asked him about his past because in his speech I saw his regrets that he never want to tell anyone or not anymore.
Narrator: "As per AGA protocol, whenever an underage Aether Awakener is detected, their parents or guardians are immediately informed. That's how Orhan's father already knew."
After that, I designed my superhero costume. Every candidate must submit a costume design before the exam. It takes time, so I started early. My suit had a mask to hide my face and a cape to represent hope. I spent the whole day imagining how it would look, what they would test, and what my first mission would be.
Finally, exam day arrived.
I reached the exam center and looked around. It was the main HQ of AGA, located in Kyuga City, the capital of Hind. I had never been here before. It was the safest place in the country—so secure that not even country-level monsters could pose a threat, since almost all high-rank superheroes lived here.
I entered the HQ, and a robot that looked like a real woman asked for my appointment later. Soon after, I met my examiner, Mr. Rod, an A-Rank superhero.
"I am your examiner today. We'll test your Aether abilities and decision-making skills. First, everyone, go to room 4-B and line up," he said.
We lined up, and our abilities were checked by placing our hands on a glass-like cube.
Alex: 500 Aether power, lightning control
Aashi: 250 Aether power, telekinesis
Robert: (Shouted by management) Later announced: 5,000 Aether power, telepathy, super strength, super speed, invisibility, flight. Multi-ability with this much Aether power cases like this are extremely rare.
When it was my turn, my Aether power was 2,000, and my ability was Fire Element.
"Most of you have over 500 Aether power. Those with less power often have rare abilities and can also become strong. Now, proceed to your decision-making test. Good luck!"
In separate rooms, we faced medium-level monsters. I escaped without a scratch and helped others. After the exam, I received my Superhero Card, ranked B, for my elemental power and helpfulness.
Robert? He was disqualified for killing a candidate. If he had restrained himself, he might have become the next Hero-Rank superhero before me.
After that i met other recently awakened heroes.
"Hi! I'm Arya my Power is Controling. How about you?"
I replied, "I'm Muhammad Orhan Abrar. My power is fire-based. I just awakened recently."
Arya nodded and introduced his friends:
She is Minel and her power is Invisibility, He is Roy and his power is Creation, And lastly he is Chris and his power is lightning control.
Arya asked me to join their group:
"Eventually, you'll need a team to protect others and yourself. Teamwork helps against higher-level monsters, and you can earn credit points more easily."
Narrator,
Credit Points are earned by defeating monsters. The points depend on the monster's level. Solo missions give extra points, while team missions distribute points evenly and extra points for the best performer. Points can be used to rank up, buy gear, make costumes, or exchange for money. If you fail a rank-up, you lose all points and must collect them again. That's why most heroes trade points for money.
I decided to tell my answer to them after some solo missions. They agreed.
I got a message on my card:
"Dispatch immediately to rescue a lost child."
I said goodbye to them and left for mission.
I went to the location and investigated about that child and after searching, I found a lollipop wrapper and a shoe—signs of the child. The sun set, night fell, and I still hadn't found the child. I didn't call my parents because I forgot my phone at the hotel.
Eventually, I arrived in a silent area. No sounds, no birds, no insects. Suddenly, I heard a child's scream. I ran toward it, and what I saw shocked me…
END__CHAPTER :02