The Universal Summit chamber was quiet—uncomfortably so.
Holographic projections of star systems floated above the circular table, slowly rotating. Every representative present understood the weight of silence here. When words finally came, they mattered.
A planet appeared at the center of the display.
Surface fractured. Cities dark. Orbit unstable.
"This is the latest report," a neutral voice said. "The prince of Hola-Kash continues expansion. Dark matter manipulation confirmed."
Murmurs followed, restrained but tense.
Then a representative from Alpha Centauri leaned forward, hands folded.
"Our system has no registered user capable of manipulating antimatter," she said flatly. "We've verified all known awakenings."
The chamber stiffened.
She continued, "Which means the counter we are searching for does not exist… or is not yet within our systems."
Her gaze shifted toward one man.
"Now it is your responsibility, Mr. Brad Walter."
Brad Walter did not react immediately. He merely nodded once.
"We'll expand anomaly analysis," he replied. "Unregistered NORD behavior. Unmapped patterns."
The projection faded.
The summit moved on—but the problem remained.
---
Far away from cosmic silence, life continued normally on Earth.
The Hero Academy cafeteria was loud, alive, and warm.
Lacky Iman sat across from Yash Garu, listening more than speaking, as usual.
"So why hero work?" Yash asked between bites. "You don't act like you want it."
Yash smiled. "For me, it's simple. My father was a hero. He retired. I want to continue the legacy."
He looked back at Lacky. "What about you?"
Lacky hesitated. "I don't really want to be a hero. I'm here to control my NORD. That's all."
Yash blinked—then shrugged. "Oh. Cool."
That was it.
No judgment. No pressure.
Lunch ended, and training resumed.
---
The training hall shifted from motion to silence as a new instructor entered.
"Mr. Xi Yung," someone whispered.
He didn't introduce himself loudly. He simply stood.
"Power without discipline destroys faster than any enemy," Xi Yung said calmly. "Martial arts exist for one purpose only—balance between mind and body."
His eyes moved across the trainees.
"If your body collapses, your NORD follows. If your mind wavers, your control breaks."
He began with theory—stance, breathing, posture. No NORD usage. No combat.
"Discipline comes before strength," he said.
Training began slowly.
Then—
RED ALERT. RED ALERT.
Lights shifted instantly.
A mechanical voice echoed through the academy.
> "PM2Ω detected. South District. All hero teams prepare for deployment immediately."
Every movement stopped.
The room fell silent.
Lacky felt his chest tighten—not with excitement, but memory.
Burnout.
Loss of control.
Chaos.
Xi Yung closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Then opened them.
"Training suspended," he said quietly.
The real world had arrived.