The sunlight shone through the window.
Jin opened his eyes, hollow. Bereft of all purpose.
Not too long ago, all he did was laze around, living the easy comfy life of a shut-in.
Coming to his senses, he only remembered the smell of blood.
The heroes were swiftly tested upon the injection of the serum.
He didn't want to remember it.
After getting out of bed, he made his way to the classroom on wobbly legs.
Swaying left and right with each step, if only he could just vanish.
I want to go home. he thought.
"Ahh..."
He rubbed his temples to alleviate this stinging pain. He ended up facing the floor, folding in on himself.
That girl. She was shot dead, he was sure of it.
Jin should have died that day too. In a way it was a blessing and a curse.
Once the pain subsided he steeled himself and entered the classroom.
He wobbled his way over to his seat, that same one, in the farthest corner.
On his way a familiar girl caught his eye.
His heavy steps made her aware of him.
For a moment they just stared at each other without saying a word.
The others didn't arrive yet, Jin noticed. It was too quiet.
"I thought... you died!...."
He mumbles under his breath, his voice was louder than he intended.
"..."
She broke the eye contact and looked downwards.
"I forgot why I came to this place."
She flipped through the pages of her notebook without so much as a glance.
However Jin did see it.
Rapidly flashing before him, pages filled with scribbles.
They looked like study notes to him.
Eventually, her thumb flipped trough the blanks.
She smiled.
"I'm Yuna..."
He was unable to reciprocate when she reached out for a handshake.
How pathetic I am.
Jin squeezed his hands repeatedly. Are they greasy?
He thought of the last time he shook someone's hand. Would she be disgusted at me as well?
Growing impatient, she grabbed his arm and placed his hand into her own.
To her it was like holding a feather as firmly as she could while trying to not accidentally crush it.
Her eyes glimmered as they teared up. A radiant girl with hollow eyes.
"Um.. what is your power?"
She asked.
".... I can... um...."
"Oh, you can? I wouldn't have guessed!"
She giggled in a higher pitched tone.
It didn't quite suit her.
Jin clears his throat to try again.
"I—I... died—"
He held his hand over his mouth.
"Oh... so you are immortal?"
He shook his head.
*gachak*
The noise of the door opening made Yuna jump.
With a single light push, Jin was slammed into the wall behind him.
She looked over her shoulder with her mouth agape.
However, Jin simple crawled out of the crater and wobbled to his seat, his head held low.
The sound of their shoes clacking on the floor filled the room as they took their places in the classroom. followed by their teacher.
"What happened here...?"
A certain blonde boy asked himself out loud.
They all took to their seats.
"Well then kids, time to get to work!"
The Conman's voice was loud but deflated.
"Aurelio Renzo, Azalea Blaise, Jin Hakuva."
Jin's head bobbed up, looking at all of his classmates for the first time, albeit, the back of their heads.
Suddenly a paper was placed on his desk.
Yuna swiftly took back to her seat, as she finished the chain of handouts.
"Get ready for your first mission, you three."
- - -
Who? Jin would ask himself.
Looking up from his slouched sitting pose, there were two people looking quite shocked.
"W— Why me?!"
He was a blonde, pretty boy.
A girl tapped on the paper she held up with one hand.
Her hair was like a red sea.
"It says 'lowest scores'! How do we have low scores?"
Jin didn't know what she was talking about.. what scores?
He looked upon the paper.
It said that this class will have its 3 lowest scoring students attend missions.
"You were chosen because you'd have the best chance of survival."
The Conman responds.
"Even without adequate training, we are sure you three will yield results together."
It sounded like he was reading it from somewhere but he clearly looked straight at the girl.
"As the paper states, the hero integration complex must prove its legitimacy by perpetually having 3 of our heroes ready to be deployed."
"Oh, so after this mission is over I won't have to risk my life again, right?"
"That is right Mr.Renzo.. assuming you will successfully score high enough."
The pretty boy looked puzzled.
"What are be being scored for though?"
"Tests."
They were all adults here. What could they possibly be tested for?
Math? No. Knowing him it must be something bad.
"Either way, while you are a student you may have the ability to avoid going on missions."
He had a grin on his face.
"However, what will you do once you 'graduate'?"
Aurelio looked elated thinking of the future.
"Oh, I will—"
"WRONG!"
*bam!*
He slammed his desk at the same time.
His mouth morphed into a twisted grimace.
"You idiots signed up, thinking you will get out of here one day?"
For a few moments, it was quiet.
Aurelio audibly gulped.
"Once you graduate from the Complex, you get to stay in the Complex.
Instead of just 3, it will be all of you!"
He spread his arms open wide, his back bent backwards.
"So, you better get used to it, Mr.Renzo.
Once you are thoroughly educated, your life ends right there... take this assignment as a learning opportunity."
His face returned to normal.
"So? Get out of here."
"Wh— NOW?!"
A soldier walked into the room.
However, he didn't approach them.
He simply held the door open for them.
The air grew colder. Jin could see his breath.
*beep*
Azalea fiddled with her choker.
"Don't do it."
The Conman returned to his usual jovial tone.
I could probably do it. Jin thought. With his power, he could probably just run away.
But that would defeat the purpose of all of this.
To become a real hero.
The other two followed behind him, never really closing the distance.
- - -
Aurelio Renzo always exuded a noble air with his I-am-better-than-you attitude.
Azalea eyed him up.
She adjusted the mic on her headset to be able to speak.
"Hey."
"..."
"Got nothing to say?"
"..."
She sighed. So you can feel fear too. she thought.
Their families had many dealings in the past. Its the main reason people even started to call the Blaise Corporation the 'Kingdom in the City'.
She assumed a more comfortable sitting position, resting her head on her hand, making herself smaller, something she would usually not do, especially for Aurelio.
"Tell me your power. It must be useful to us right now."
"..."
He slowly turned his head. Nothing about him looked out of the ordinary.
But his face muscles were as though they had died along the way.
Even so, he opens his mouth.
"La..."
If it wasn't for the headset, the spinning of the rotor blades would have drowned him out.
Azalea leaned forward as if to try and hear him better.
"La? Singing? Well I guess you were always proud of your voice. It fits!"
She grinned, trying to sound like this was just a regular conversation.
"Ser..."
"..huh?"
She tilted her head to the side.
"Ser... like a knight? What do you mean?"
He shook his head. Like a statue made of stone, his head turned away from her.
"La... ser... no way."
She moved right next to him on the seat to get his attention.
"Laser, right? How strong is it? How do you create it?"
"..."
No reaction.
"If you don't tell me we could die. You know that, right?"
His eyes darted at her, though he head stood frozen as always.
"Ah..."
What is wrong with this guy? she thought. He lost the ability to speak.
Those two syllables were all he could muster.
Azalea truly had never seen Aurelio like this. He was always confident and loud.
She smiled.
"Honestly, I prefer you like that."
She bumped his shoulder lightly with her fist.
Alright, now to ask... that guy.
Jin Hakuva. Initially she hadn't even noticed he existed.
Weird, since his large frame would be pretty eye catching.
Perhaps it had something to do with his ability. Was this a stealth mission?
No one told them what to expect once they land.
When they first entered the helicopter, there were 2 white plastic containers on the bench seats.
They had a few holes at the top. Azalea thought she saw them move on their own, though they stopped when Jin sat down next to them.
She took on a more casual posture. She can't just show him the same submissive play she gave Aurelio. He was different after all. He was nobility. Jin is just some guy to her.
"So, what's your power?"
In contrast to Aurelio, Jin looked up from his slumped posture.
He had rings under his eyes which seemed as though bereft of light.
"Transfer."
He said.
"Hm? What does that mean?"
"Do you know what 'Laser' means?"
"What? Um, since our teacher thought we would all be battle ready with next to no training, I would assume it would be a laser capable of instantly eliminating a threat."
"Wow."
His expression unchanged, Jin lightly clapped his hands.
"Then you can figure it out with just 'Transfer' then as well."
He slumped back and stared at the floor.
"..HUH?"
How dare that fatso talk to me like that! her mind was in a whirl.
Nowhere was it stated that the heroes can't attack each other with their powers... but then again nowhere did it say that they would die if they dared to go against their new owners.
It was too risky.
When they returned alive, she would make sure to ask that literal Conman if she could assert her dominance.
"Transfer..." she muttered.
Despite his rudeness, he was right. It wasn't too hard to figure out in this situation.
If that laser might be their strongest weapon, transfer could be some kind of supporting ability.
What would it transfer though...
"Do you guys wanna hear about my power? It might help."
"..."
She crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.
What kind of mission requires a helicopter anyway?
She didn't know this was the standard procedure.
The way they were seated, they couldn't simply look outside.
Their backs were against the wall and there were no windows in the back of the helicopter.
All she could look at was Jin with his containers.
There were only two options.
Either they were being sent to some sort of open field to do battle, or the helicopter would land on a government owned building and then they would head to the mission from there.
Either way, by the time they arrived, wouldn't they be too late anyway? The villains would be gone just hearing them come from afar.
It made no sense to her.
She looked over to Jin, his expression was as calm as ever.
Despite him declining to speak to her, he was still wearing the headset.
Maybe if she tried she could reach out to him.
No way. I bet he was only wearing it in case the pilot had something to say.
"Prepare for contact."
To her surprise, said pilot indeed spoke to them.
A feeling reminiscent of an elevator going downwards, they were landing.
How uncomfortable.
Despite the headset, Azalea felt her ears popping.
It was so sudden.
How are the boy's dealing with th—
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Looking to the side, Aurelio held his head in his hands, shaking violently.
"Hey calm down!"
His eyes began to emit a green glow.
"No fucking way!!!!!!"
A laser beam shot out. With one motion, the entire Helicopter was split in two.
In the corner of her eyes, she saw a row of parachutes that used to hang on a wall fly far away from them, forever to be unopened.
However, one did.
The pilot was seemingly prepared for this turn of events.
Maybe they were sent here to die.
Azalea clung to Aurelio as they began to fall freely.
It felt like the air itself was grasping at their necks, taking their breath away, squeezing their bodies tight.
It was enough to make the girl tear up, them leaving a trail through their descent.
Is this the end? she wondered.
After awkwardly trying to turn in midair, she dared to look below to see the moment she would impact.
They were above the city. "Hah, so that is how it is..." according to the pilot this was where the mission would take place.
Was the mission to die here? Was this all an accident, or a plan to get her killed?
Those thoughts would lose all their meaning anyway as she braced herself to lose everything in just a few more moments.
However—
"Jin?!"
His hulking figure appeared below them, obstructing the view.
The containers from earlier were tied around his waist.
"What can you even do?!"
Transfer. What did it mean?
Either way, she had no choice but to leave her fate into this chubby man's hands.
Then he embraced them both.
"Wh— WHAT?! Let go!"
For a moment she forgot the mortal danger until—
*Splat.*
It rattled her to her core when the made contact with the ground, though Jin's belly cushioned their fall.
Azalea couldn't prevent her nose from bleeding. Her vision was blurring and turning in front of her.
Jin turned to the side to shake the two off of him.
In that motion, she lost her grip on Aurelio who just slumped to the ground right next to her.
How could he be alive? His spine should have shattered or something like that.
The white containers on his belt shook on their own as if panicking.
Something looked darker than before behind that white plastic.
She turned to Aurelio and tried to shake him awake.
"Hey.."
No response. He wouldn't be dead, would he?
"HEY!"
A tear dropped down, landing on Aurelio's cheek, after which he opened his eyes.
"Thank god.."
Her form crumpled down on his in an embrace, relieved he was still breathing.
However, Aurelio had other concerns.
He stood up, his eyes darting through the city around them.
It was ablaze.
Who was at fault for this? Was it their mission to stop an arsonist? Or...
Where did the helicopter land?
The two split parts. They fell from above towards the unsuspecting public.
He became sure of the nature of the flames in the distance.
*Boom!*
A gunshot.
Azalea turned to see Jin's large back casting a shadow on them while he spread his arms wide.
The setting sun dyed the sky red.
It was so bright as it encircled her eye.
A ray of light through the shadow.
It took a while to realize the hole's true nature.
Her legs wouldn't budge. He gave his life for them and here she was, pathetic, useless, like nothing had changed.
One of the white containers was releasing a red liquid underneath, they kept shaking on their own.
There must have been holes underneath as well.
The ray of light slowly dissipated.
His shadowy back remained steadfast.
Jin turned his head to the two behind him.
"Get up."