A Boy stands at the edge of a cliff. overlooking the sunset. His body tensed, but relaxed, yet tired at the same time. A sword was swinging from his back, connected by a sword belt that was worn.
Albeit not practical, he decided to wear it that way, thinking it looked cooler. Like the sword that swayed back and forth with the wind, his black hair could also be seen dancing in the soothing, calming breeze—along with his tattered black cape.
He gazes at the sunset. The mountains that covered the sun gave it a specific kind of tone, like it was the right time to rest. He sits down, enjoying the small, quiet moment he has, letting his body be free from all the stress it had accumulated over the past few months.
It wasn't easy letting your body accumulate stress and carry such a heavy burden—especially when you were considered the last hope of your species.
"Hah… Life is tough…" the boy muttered.
It hadn't been long since he turned fourteen, yet he was already considered the Hero of Mankind.
The boy clenched his fist. "I won't let all of you down," he whispered under his breath, shifting his gaze toward the massive city not too far from him. The houses looked modern, yet medieval at the same time.
Humanity had lost too much technological advancement. Despite the years passing by, year after year, they continued to lose more. They had to rely on their powers to keep their broken society up and running.
Only a few cities remained in the world. All the nations had fallen. They had failed to protect large portions of their territories outside the bustling cities, so each city became independent. As for the few remaining nations that lasted before everything collapsed—they were corrupt. Humanity had been doomed from the start by its own greed.
"Well… can't forget to get back to my duties now!" The boy smiled, his eyes sparkling with hope.
Despite being so young and being forced to fight to the death—the boy still had hope in him. Yes, it was fading with each passing moment yes, but it was still enough to keep him going.
Just as the boy was about to get up, someone interrupted him.
"No, go rest, Nova. You've done enough."
A man stood beside him, resting his hand on Nova's shoulder, he wore a tattered, broken-down cloak. Underneath a black kimono and hakama. He was significantly older than Nova. His face was covered in scars, as were parts of his arms. His right eye was no good either, marred by a deep scar running down across it.
"Let the adults take care of things for the day," the man said with a smile, gazing at the sunset with his remaining left eye, which shimmered with a strange tint of black.
"…" Nova stayed silent, puffing out his cheeks, acting like a cute kid.
"Hahahahaha!" The man burst into laughter, his long hair—tied back in a ponytail—bouncing back and forth. "Let good ol' Azure and his friends take care of those monsters!" His voice brimming with confidence, assured Nova.
Deep down he knew, he was falling into the sense of dread. Each fight he participates in, getting weaker as the time passes. Once known as the Perfect Swordsman, a glorious prodigy, a genius, now just a old man still pretending he still had it in him.
Yet he knew he couldn't tell the others about it, it was all to him. Albeit his family was gone, the people that looked up to him weren't. He still had others he had to protect.
Nova closed his eyes, lying down on the grass as Azure sat beside him. The setting sun offered a quiet sense of assurance.
"Rest, well kiddo."
Nova let his mind drift into the vast emptiness of what could be considered dreams. Spirals began to form.
Stars went supernova, one by one. The bright yet dark space swallowed the void. Abstract shapes appeared.
"Why weren't you stronger?"
"Why were you even born?"
"Why did you let them die?"
Words took shape from the silhouettes of black figures—neither male nor female. Huge grins formed everywhere, flashing unnaturally bright, white teeth.
Slowly but surely, the whiteness began to consume the place, leaving only Nova's body—motionless—in that vast world of everything and nothing.
"Lights. Camera. Action."
Nova's eyes burst open—wide awake.
The scenery had changed. Now it was nothing but a field of rubble, collapsed buildings, broken-down cars honking endlessly. Roars and screams echoed from all directions.
"HELP!"
"HELP!"
"AHHHH!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
A futile effort. Desperate cries for a chance to live. Meanwhile, Nova lay motionless amidst the chaos, staring blankly at the sky—his mind—empty.
"Get up."
A deep, dark voice called out to him.v"Don't you want to get stronger?"
The creature, a black shadowy figure smiled, shrouded in black smoke that endlessly coughed up darkness.
"The power to devour everyone else."
Still grinning, it formed white eyes—cold and calculating, full of ego and reasoning.
Nova slowly turned his head to look at the creature. Then, he rose and took its hand—accepting the offer.
"That's more like it. Kukuku…" The creature, cloaked in darkness, slowly began to dissipate.
Nova looked around, noticing a dead body nearby—or what little remained of it. The upper half was entirely gone, and even the legs were soaked in blood. He examined it with focused intent before crouching down and touching the corpse.
A surge of bright light burst out for a second before fading. Memories flooded into Nova's mind.
He took a look at his hand, opening it—purple strands of energy running down his finger.
He had gained the ability to control a special type of energy—one that existed outside the bounds of reality. And somehow, it took him only a second to master it.
"Special Energy. I like it" Nova complimented his newfound powers. Yet his words carried no meaning, just blank and empty words.
Beside the body stood a medieval longsword, lodged into the cement. The hilt was made of gold, while the blade radiated an aura of ego and power. It glowed with a purple hue.
Nova, without hesitation, gripped the blade and pulled it free from the ground.
Testing his new abilities, he raised the sword toward the sky.
"Pulse."
A sudden burst purple of energy erupted from the sword's tip, piercing the clouds and splitting them apart. The shockwave rattled the ground beneath him, its force echoing throughout the entire city.
Monsters began to appear one by one after the earthquake Nova had caused. They surrounded him. Yet Nova stood still—unfazed. He gazed up at the sky, watching the sky, as the clouds split open, watching what he created, before slowly turning his head toward the lifeless body in front of him.
His eyes were filled with nothing but darkness. No thoughts. No fear. Just instinct—letting his body take over.
A grotesque abomination, a twisted fusion of goblin and bird, lunged at him from the air. But within mere seconds, Nova jumped back, his body twisting midair, and with a singular fluid swing of his blade, he cut through the monster clean in half.
His movements flowed like water—seamless, precise. He charged into the endless swarm of monsters, his sword dancing wildly in his grip. Each strike carving through layers of flesh, ripping through countless enemies without hesitation.
"Wave," he chanted.
A violent rush of energy erupted from his body—crackling purple lightning and sparks of small explosions surged outward. The blast consumed half the city, encasing it in a swirling void.
From the outside, only a massive black spherical orb remained where the city once stood.
"Die."
With that final command, every creature within the enclosed space exploded, their bodies torn apart in mere seconds.
Nova's pupil shimmered—a thin white line stretching across it—before the brightness consumed the entirety of his eye.
Light poured into his mind. Sounds, once distant and faint, now grew sharper… louder… clearer.
"Huff… Huff…" Nova gasped for air, staring up at the sky, it was already night.
Stars shimmered above, illuminating the sky with quiet beauty. He turned his gaze to the moon, it was shattered, it always was, nobody exactly knew when and how, yet the debris that was parting away from the moon gave it such more beautiful view. He got up, stretching his body with a soft groan.
"Man, I had a nice sleep." Beside him lay his sword and the worn sword belt. Nova glanced at them and suddenly remembered. "Oh, so that's why... THANKS, AZURE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, grateful to his friend.
With a smile, he equipped the sword to his belt. It fit more comfortably now. He let out a small laugh—until the sound of distant explosions snapped him out of small moment of calmness.
His body became tense, rushing to look over the city.
Monsters were beginning to swarm the area, surrounding it. Enormous magic circles flickered into existence throughout the battlefield. Explosions appearing all around, fire, water, lightning. It was clear his friends were fighting—they were alive. But the monsters were appearing at an unprecedented rate.
They wouldn't last long.
And Nova could feel it—his friend was already shouldering too many burdens at once.
***
In a place inside the city, where the fight was taking place on, a man in a grey robe stood firm, holding the line for as long as he could. Sweat poured down his face, his expression twisted with strain.
"Get me more mana potions!" he ordered at his colleagues.
His comrades nodded silently and dashed off, rushing to fulfill the desperate order.
"Jinn… we won't last long…" A voice cut through the chaos. Filled with hopelessness.
A man stepped forward, cloaked in black—his outfit a fusion of a traditional kimono and hakama, a triangular tan Kasa hat shading his eyes. It was Azure, and his face was carved with worry.
"Without Nova, we're basically useless." Azure commented, his face looking like he could give up at any moment. Jinn didn't answer right away. His lips were tight, his eyes focused on the battlefield. His mind still carried doubts, but all he could do was stay hopeful at times like this.
"Don't worry. He'll be here any second."His voice carried confidence… though behind it, the strain was undeniable.
Azure looked away, his jaw tightened.
"And if he doesn't?" The question lingered in the air like a curse. Everyone had all their hopes on Nova, they were in a desperate battle of waiting.
Bodies were falling again. Innocents. Friends. Every second was another life lost. Jinn was barely holding his barrier whilst pouring out spells to lessen the monsters—he was fighting with everything he had.
And still…He smiled. His dark eyes shining bright.
"Nah… I'd win."
In the distance, a silhouette appeared—soaring through the air like a shooting star.
It was Nova. "Yes!" Azure cried out, his face lighting up with hope.
Jinn simply stared, his gaze calm. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Prepare to go out. You need to help him."
A thunderous crash rang out moments later.
Nova had landed—right at the center of the monster army.
"Well hello there… you monkeys." His voice filled with malice, taunted them with a wide grin.
He unsheathed his sword, lowering into a stance that mimicked a dragon's poise—his body leaning forward, blade pointed straight ahead. His eyes narrowed, sharp, deadly, focused. A predator on the hunt.
Within seconds, he launched forward with great speeds. His actions moving faster than sound could follow.
His sword shifted to the side, then slashed through the air—flames erupted, engulfing the blade as sparks scattered across the battlefield. "Fire Slash," Nova chanted.
The fire tore through the monsters in a blazing arc. Screams echoed as monsters were consumed by the flames—howling, burning, writhing.
It was enough to make some hesitate.
But not all.
The rest rushed forward mindlessly, goblins, demons, twisted beasts—all driven by hunger and madness. They charged with a single desire—to devour the one who defied them.
Nova only smirked at the scene. "Come at me then"
He stabbed his sword into the ground, gripping it with both hands and closing his eyes.
"Let Thee Allow Thy To Purge These Monsters…
Send Them Forth To The Deepest Abyss."
Wings of pure light erupted from his back, divine power radiating from his body. He glowed like a newborn sun—holy and divine.
Above him, the sky shifted.
And with that, Nova smiled—brimmed with confidence, his looks giving off divinity.
A massive celestial diagram unfolded across the heavens. All the planets aligned, glowing in unison. The magic, chant, and energy it gave, pulsed with divinity—like god had came down himself to judge and destroy all living beings.
"Judgement Beam."
A colossal sized light descended from the sky, slamming into the ground with tremendous force. The terrain shattered—leveled.
The monsters?
Vaporized. Burned to nothing.
Silence followed.
Only ash remained.
Sweat ran down Nova's forehead.
Light Magic consumed a lot of mana to perform. And that ultimate move had already cost him half of his mana.
Yet even that was just 1/20th of Jinn's mana capacity. Compared to his friend, Nova had very little to work with.
"Nova!" Multiple voices called out to him.
He knew he had to show off a little.
Letting his cape flow in the wind, he turned his back to the gate—the only entrance to the city, though he was still quite far from it.
With dramatic flair, he stabbed his sword into the ground.
"Fear not! For Star is here!" he shouted, his voice filled with excitement
Star. His Superhero name, the name people looked up to. It's a name filled with history.
He yanked his sword free, swinging it with elegance.
"You monsters shall die today!" Pointing his sword to his enemies, he shouted with authority.
His words, filled with pure assurance, echoed behind him—reaching the ears of the people that still hold on in the dark empty world.
Then, he lowered his stance and called out:
"Here I come!"
With a burst of speed that produced a sonic boom, he dashed forward, his blade slicing through monsters flesh like butter.
Every swing of his sword was fluid—almost like a dance.
He had changed. Changed from the clumsy way he once held a blade. From swinging it wildly, to dancing with his sword like a dragon.
Now, he was a god in human form.
And the monsters… Were nothing but ants to him.
It was all thanks to his teacher. Azure. The Black Dragon. His mentor.
Considered one of the strongest.
Black flames appeared behind Nova. It was him—Azure.
"Why are you fighting alone when you have your master with you?" he said with a smirk, looking at Nova.
"Let's fight together!"
With that, Azure joined the battle, slaying monsters alongside Nova.
They fought in harmony.
Their movements flowed like a dragon breathing fire.
Azure was the Dragon.
Nova was the Fire.
The Fight was longer than what Nova had expected.
They were slowly getting exhausted. Nova's body was giving up from the fight itself—his young body not being able to last long.
Yet he fought the urge to scream, he fought the urge to give up. Knowing the moment he does, all the people that was behind his back would all fall.
After a while, the monsters stopped coming.
It was a sign.
The boss was finally appearing.