A movement. A name. "The Red Circle." Dozens of enhanced individuals sat in the underground bunker some with visible powers, others masked, scarred, angry. Survivors. Misfits. Forgotten test subjects from earlier wars. At the center stood Kael Ronin, an ex-cyber soldier with silver veins and a magnetic pulse core in his spine. His voice carried weight.
"You know the name Atlas Vale," Kael said. "You know what he built. What he destroyed. You know who paid the price."
He held up a holopad showing battle footage IronSoul firing energy blasts during the Treant invasion, leveling a city block. "We were never collateral damage. We were people."
Back in the city… Atlas Vale walked through the Hero Command Center, unaware. His focus was on peacekeeping, rebuilding efforts, diplomacy. But something new flickered on his personal security feed: Multiple energy signatures forming beyond District 9. He stared at it. Something was coming. Not just monsters this time. People. And they were coming for him. Meanwhile, Stella met with local city leaders discussing a peace celebration. But in her gut… she felt it too. The storm wasn't over. It had just changed form. She doesn't come in fists blazing she speaks from experience, from pain, from loss. This is her moment Neo Valley Unity Plaza. A huge crowd had gathered citizens, heroes, workers. The city was celebrating the 1-year mark of peace and rebuilding. At the center stage stood Atlas Vale, dressed in a black and silver coat, preparing to give his speech. But before he could speak… Energy pulsed. Screams. A blast shattered the side of the plaza. Figures appeared masked, glowing, angry. The Red Circle had arrived. Kael Ronin stepped forward, helmet off. "We come not as villains but as justice!" he shouted. "Your so-called hero cost lives. Cities. Families. We demand answers. We demand accountability!"
The plaza guards raised weapons. Tension crackled. Atlas stepped forward, calm but alert. Before he could speak Stella landed. A thunderous boom shook the square as she stood between Atlas and the Red Circle. Her armor gleamed in the sun. Her cape barely moved. Her voice cut through the chaos. "Enough." She stepped forward slowly, facing Kael and the crowd.
" You want justice? I get that. I do. I was there when the sky burned. I held civilians in my arms as the Treants leveled buildings. I watched friends die. And yes Atlas was part of it." She turned to the crowd.
"But so was I." A silence fell.
She looked back at Kael. "You want to blame someone for the price we paid? Then blame all of us who stood and fought. Who bled. Who chose to act when others ran." Her voice cracked just a little.
"Peace has a cost. And sometimes… the people who pay it are the ones still standing." She turned to Kael fully now, steady.
"You want to tear all this down for revenge? Or do you want to help make sure we never have to rebuild from ash again?" The crowd was silent.
Even Kael's expression shifted from rage… to thought. He didn't lower his weapon. But he didn't fire it, either. Alright time to turn up the heat. Stella's speech planted doubt in the Red Circle… but not everyone's willing to listen. One of them furious, reckless, grieving makes a choice that could turn everything into chaos again. Kael Ronin lowered his hand slowly, unsure, his expression tight. But just behind him, a younger member of the Red Circle, Vex, with glowing veins and a twisted cybernetic arm, snarled. His voice cracked with pain and rage. "They don't get to walk away from this! My sister died in that crater while these heroes watched!"
He raised his palm energy built in an unstable, glowing pulse. Stella's eyes narrowed.
"Don't," she said calmly, "I know your pain, but this isn't it. This won't make it better."
But Vex was already mid-charge. He fired. A high-velocity plasma bolt aimed not at Atlas… but at the crowd. Stella moved first. In a blur of motion, she caught the bolt mid-air her armor sizzled, cracked, but held. She grunted, skidding backwards, sparks flying from her boots. Atlas immediately moved to shield nearby civilians, activating a short-range barrier from his arm gauntlet. Then all hell nearly broke loose. Kael turned, grabbed Vex by the arm, and slammed him to the ground.
"We're not murderers!" he roared. "We don't become what we hate!" Vex tried to struggle but Kael held him down, shouting to the others, "Stand down! Everyone"!
The Red Circle hesitated then slowly lowered their weapons. The crowd… slowly began to breathe again. Later that evening, the plaza was quiet. Stella sat on the stage edge, armor cracked, her arm bandaged. Atlas stood beside her, arms crossed. "I didn't think that speech would work," she said.
"You've always had a stronger punch than me," Atlas said, smirking.
"But today? That was something else." She looked up at the stars. "Just hope they listened."
Meanwhile, far across the cosmos, Zerion soared through the stars his eyes locked onto a distant blue world. Earth. A thrill coursed through him. He whispered to himself, 'At last…' as he descended with divine intent, ready to conquer, ready to build his kingdom from the ashes of resistance."
To be continued…