Luke and Ice circled each other in the training yard, both shirtless, both gripping wooden swords, sweat already shining on their skin. Luke struck first high and fast. Ice blocked with ease, steel‑hard reflexes kicking in, and countered with a sweeping leg strike meant to take Luke off his feet. Luke jumped, dodging the sweep by inches, and slammed his shoulder into Ice's chest. Ice stumbled back, grinning."You won't win that easily," Ice said. Luke slid into a defensive stance, smiling right back. "I don't expect anything easy from you."Ice came in hard, his sword arcing high. Luke blocked, but Ice didn't stop. Blow after blow one, two, three forced Luke backward, boots digging trenches in the dirt. Luke finally found an opening and drove an elbow into Ice's stomach, knocking him back. But Ice recovered instantly. He spun, leg whipping around, and his kick smashed into Luke's chest. Luke hit the ground hard, air rushing out of him. Ice raised his sword for the finishing strike "Are you two done fooling around?" Sophie shouted. "We have business to handle!" Ice froze, then laughed. He offered Luke a hand. Luke grabbed it, and the two pulled each other up with a nod of respect."Next time," Luke said, brushing dirt off his chest, "you won't be the victor." Ice smirked. "I expect you to come back stronger. You always do." Sophie crossed her arms. "Let's go. Thomas is waiting. "Luke and Ice wiped the sweat from their faces and followed her inside. Inside the Light Compound The heroes had taken refuge in Light's compound training, planning, waiting for the right moment to strike. But the real question hung over them like a storm cloud: What will Lucifer do next? When Luke, Ice, and Sophie stepped into the main room, they found Light, Albert, Thomas, Riot, and Stuart gathered in the center, all wearing the same worried expression."What's going on?" Luke asked. Light exhaled slowly. "It's been a year since Edwin's death. We're living in torture, waiting for Lucifer's retaliation. So… we think our best chance at survival is to make the first move." Silence fell over the room. Stuar shrugged. "How about we just go to his house? "Light raised an eyebrow. "Child, don't be naive. We're talking about the supreme ruler of the world."Luke stepped forward. "Maybe it ain't so bad."Everyone turned to him, confused.Light crossed his arms. "Alright, Mr. Commander. What do you have in mind? "Luke hesitated, then said, "I don't know the full plan yet. But I do know that our best chance is to take the fight to him before he gathers his forces."Albert nodded. "He's right. We could hit him with the element of surprise."Ice frowned. "But how?"Thomas stepped in. "There are survivor villages scattered across the world. If we can unite them, we can build an army." Ice nodded slowly. "An army against an army… better than just us."Light sighed. "Lucifer could have hundreds of thousands. Maybe millions. And we might only find a few thousand survivors if that. Remember, Edwin destroyed the only village we knew existed."Luke shrugged. "Only one way to find out."Ice looked at him. "And how do we do that? "Luke grinned. "Easy. We're going recruiting."
The heroes gathered around the planning table, tension and purpose hanging thick in the air. After hours of debate, they finally agreed: they would split into teams of two and search the cities for survivors. Luke stepped forward. "Alright. Stuart with me. Ice, you're with Riot. Thomas and Sophie. Light and Albert. Those are the duos."Riot groaned. "Aw, why Ice? He's too strict." Everyone laughed—except Ice, who crossed his arms. Luke smirked. "Good. He's there to make sure you don't do anything dumb."Thomas raised a hand. "Who's in charge of what areas?"Light nodded. "Perfect timing. Albert has the equipment."Albert walked in carrying a box full of gadgets. He set it down and pulled out a bulky walkie‑talkie with a long antenna something that looked like the first cell phones ever made, just slightly smaller. Alongside it was a small earpiece."This is how we'll stay in communication," Albert said. "Click the button in the center of the earpiece to talk. It'll broadcast to everyone wearing one."Luke pointed to Thomas and Sophie. "You two will travel to Eden. Find any survivors and try to convince them to join our cause. But we're not forcing anyone."He turned to Stuart. "You and I are heading to Perfect City. Same mission."Then to Ice and Riot: "You two go to New Babylon."They both nodded—Riot less enthusiastically. Luke continued, "Light and Albert "Before he could finish, Light cut in. "I'll stay here. I'll gather any survivors who come our way and start training them. Weapons, gear, whatever we need."Luke smiled. "Great thinking."Light placed a hand on Albert's shoulder. "And don't forget—Albert was once the world's greatest sharpshooter."Albert gave a quiet, humble nod."So even if our numbers are small," Light said, "our quality won't be."The group murmured in agreement.Thomas stepped forward, voice steady. "This is our best chance to turn the tide of the war. A reminder not that any of you need it but we are humanity's last hope for a free world. Don't do this for yourselves. Do it for mankind."Determination filled the room. Riot thrust his fist into the air. "For humanity!"Everyone answered with a grunt of approval.Luke stepped into the center, raising his hand. "Militia move out!"