A frail-looking boy wearing a black hoodie was running for his life. His speed was so unmatched that whichever direction he took, he made it look and feel like something either invisible or faster than the speed of light just went by.
He didn't even dare to look back, yet with every corner he took, his speed was increasing. In a towering building city where almost every building was close to each other, running out of breath now, it showed that he must have been at it for some time now.
With nowhere to hide and the people who were running after him catching up faster than they were the first time, he tripped and tumbled into a pond. With not enough time to spare nor feel the pain if he felt it, he rolled back up quickly, picked up his backpack, and headed straight for the next alley he saw.
Those who were after him caught up to the direction they last saw him, but sadly, when they got there, he was nowhere to be found.
"Damnit, where the hell did he go?" One of the boys running after him stopped and looked around.
"I don't know, but we better find him quick, or Jason's going to have our heads on a platter." Another boy caught up, trying to catch his breath.
The boy that they were chasing was Percival Asgard, and he could tell that they were very close. All he needed to do was to be careful so he wouldn't alert them, and he was doing a great job too, despite walking around in a place where trash cans were everywhere.
His backpack was tightly pressed against his chest, trying to figure out a plan to exit the alley on the other side without them knowing.
Percival heard something, ran so fast that he hid behind one of the cans, pressed his hand against his mouth just to make sure he didn't make the mistake of making noise, only for him to see a cat chasing a rat.
"Phew, that was a close call," he whispered to himself.
He crawled out from behind the trash can, sneaked toward the exit that he was staring at. Everything was going according to plan—at least, that's how it seemed for the next couple of seconds.
The second half of his body was out of the alley.
"And where do you think you are going?" A boy caught him by surprise.
Percival wasn't really expecting anyone, let alone what happened to him next. He just felt a kick that made it feel like his insides had just been rearranged. He fell backwards, coughing like crazy.
"Found you," a boy revealed himself as he crouched next to Percival.
At first, Percival didn't see who it was; his mind was still reeling from that surprise kick, so he needed a few seconds to get his mind back.
After those few seconds, he rolled over and tried to sit.
"Oh hey, Jason, I see that you still kick like a five-year-old girl. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what can I do for you today?" Percival crawled back.
"What did I tell you about hanging out with my girlfriend, huh?" Jason ignored the comments.
Percival gasped playfully, "You have a girlfriend? Who is the unlucky lady?"
Jason retreated and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe the disrespect given to him by a simple nobody like Percival. Worse part—he's even stronger than him, not just with strength but also physical appearance.
Jason's friends finally caught up.
"Yo, you got him?" the first friend asked.
"What took you dorks so long?" Jason sounded a little mad.
"Sorry—"
The second finally caught up too, barely able to catch his breath.
"We were held back," the first friend looked at the one who just joined them.
"Anyway, let's move on from that," Jason dismissed the thought, though he had a thousand questions.
"So, what should we do to him?" the second friend was trying to find a place he could rest.
Everyone forgot about what they really came here for because now they were distracted by this guy.
Which really did work in Percival's favor because while Jason was distracted by his friends, Percival was busy coming up with a plan that he wasn't sure whether it was going to work or not. But if it did, it was going to allow him to be set free.
"I don't know. I mean, we could beat him up until he becomes pulp and we'll just leave him here," the first friend suggested.
"Nah, that's too risky," Jason disagreed.
"Then what must we do?" the first friend asked for more suggestions.
"Or you can just beat him up and help him up to school, pretend like you just saved him. Now, I'm sure that might make you look heroic in her eyes." A better plan was just thrown out there.
"Hey, that's a good idea. Now, who came with that?" Jason looked at his friends, impressed.
That left him confused because none of them would fess up; instead, they both looked as clueless as they could be.
"Now, who said that?" Jason asked again.
They both shrugged.
"We don't know," the second friend replied.
Jason then knew right away who was the one who said that.
"Why, you little—" He turned around slowly.
To his surprise, Percival was already up, and he threw an open plastic trash bag. Every single thing that was inside spilled out.
"Gah!" Jason tried to block the coming dirt, but some got into his mouth, and he lost it.
His friends rushed in, trying to help, but Percival was already three steps ahead of them. All he needed to do was kick the bags that were on the ground toward them.
"Whoa!" They both stepped back.
Little did they know, he really didn't kick those bags; it was just a part of his plan to scare them off. Also, he couldn't kick them that hard to send them flying toward them.
When they came to realization—because both had stepped back and looked away—they saw him now running away, turning a corner.
Percival just barged into school like a maniac. Everyone present in the hallway just looked at him. Some people's faces were filled with disgust, while others just chose to ignore him and pretend like he didn't even exist.
Not that he would complain or anything—he was used to this kind of treatment now. And the person who made him be hated like this by everyone was the very same girl who came to him running.
"Where have you been? I was worried sick," the girl held his hand.
"Uh," he was trying to come up with a lie.
"Anyway, never mind that. Just come with me." She just pulled him.
They walked into one of the classes, which was actually drama class. There, a news bulletin channel played, and some of the students and teachers were just watching quietly.
"What is going on?" Percival asked the girl.
She actually goes by the name Valkyrie Myers, Percival's best friend and the same girl who had almost gotten him beaten by Jason today.
"Shh, just be quiet and listen," she told him.
On the screen, there was a headline written:
THE DREADNOUGHT HAVE HIT ANOTHER WARD!
"Today, ladies and gentlemen, we bring you sad news. Just last night, the Dreadnought army invaded and destroyed Ward Twenty-Four. Not only that, but they also killed the residents of that ward, leaving nobody alive. In other words, they completely wiped it out," the news reporter informed everyone on live TV.
Every single student and teacher present gasped; others even cried, while many were shocked and scared.
Valkyrie was still holding Percival's hand, and she's one of the strongest people he knew, but after that news report, he saw she was like a completely different person.
She tightened her grip.
"Hey, are you doing alright?" Percival felt the change in her.
"Do you think our ward is next?" she asked, trying to stay strong, but her voice was breaking.
"Hey, hey, hey, you and I know very well that we live in one of the safest wards ever built, so I doubt even the Dreadnought know where we are. Don't forget, our ward is a secret." Percival tried to make her feel better.
Valkyrie wiped her tears, avoiding making eye contact with him because she didn't want him to see her in that weak state.
"You're probably right," she said, pressing herself against his arm.
He just stood there and smiled like what he just said to her was real. Though it was true—their ward was one of the few wards that was considered one of the safest wards in all history. During the war, it was never invaded nor attacked by the Dreadnought.
Yet again, as much as he wanted to believe it was exactly as he promised, he couldn't help but doubt whether he was right or not.
Then the principal came to the class, running.
"Principal Stacks, is everything alright?" Valkyrie asked.
"Kids, one of the wards is being invaded, and our sources tell us that they are also heading this way. So for everyone's safety, please leave school now and go home, where you'll probably be safe." Principal Stacks talked so fast, some of the students barely even heard him.
Percival and Valkyrie looked at each other, and they ran for it.
They finally reached their ward, and once they stepped inside, they saw something that they weren't even expecting to be such a possibility: their ward, their homes—all of it destroyed.
They had been holding hands, but once they saw this, they had no choice but to let go.
"Mom!" Valkyrie went to check on the other side of the destroyed buildings.
Percival did the same.
He ran so fast, dodging each incoming fired shot heading his way. The Dreadnought were still there and still destroying and killing everything and everyone. Those who were not hurt ran screaming.
Percival saw his mother crawling on her stomach, trying to reach something.
"Mom!" His feet took off on their own.
When he was just a few meters away, in order to get to her fast, he slid.
"Mom, don't worry, I'm right here." He tried to hold her, but she didn't let him. She just pushed him away.
Confused and lost, he'd never seen his mother in this kind of state. It's no secret she was badly injured, but for her to do something like this to him—it was new.
"Mom, where are you going?" He ran after her.
"No, leave me alone! Let me go to my daughter!" She cried in pain.
'Daughter?' Percival thought to himself. After all, he had no idea what she was on about, and it wasn't like he saw his sister anyway.
He persisted and went after his mother again, and only when the dust from the destruction finally settled did he see it and understand why his mother was acting like this.
The thing that he saw—his mother push him and act like this—was the fact that she was not crawling to get out of danger but toward a hand that had been buried under rubble from building pieces.
When he paid close attention, even to the tiniest details, he saw whose hand that belonged to, thanks to the bracelet it had. It was a hand that belonged to his younger sister.
"No, no, no!" He tried to pull her out.
But it was futile because no matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work.
"Somebody, anybody, please help us!" Percival cried for help.
This time, he was even trying to lift the fallen pieces. Even his mother, who was injured and had probably lost so much blood, tried to help.
"Percy, Percival, where are you?" A girl's voice echoed somewhere through the chaos.
It was Valkyrie; she must have heard his cry.
"Val, I'm here! Please come help me!" Though he didn't know where she was, he still called out to her.
By grace, he managed to spot her, but that feeling would soon flicker out like a paraffin lamp when something else erupted behind Valkyrie.
"Val, look out!" He tried to warn her, but she couldn't hear him.
His mother pulled him by the pants: "Go save her. She's the only person I truly trust to take good care of you."
Percival didn't want to leave his own mother in this kind of state, yet again, he couldn't let his own best friend die.
"I promise I'll be back for you, Mom." He crouched, gave his mother a kiss on the forehead, and just allowed his body to take control and run for her.
He got to her, and when she saw him, she couldn't believe it. She just jumped to hug him.
"I'm so glad that you are okay," she sounded so relieved.
Before Percival could say anything, what he saw the first time became clear. Something was indeed behind Valkyrie; he just saw a dark green energy beam being shot toward them.
"Val, look out!" He spun her around, exchanging positions, then pushed her out of the way.
Something pierced through his heart. Percival coughed blood, and there was a big hole in his chest.
He saw Valkyrie out of danger and unconscious with just a minor bleeding on her head.
Then he fell into his death.
In the midst of darkness, something else was happening.
Something rippled through time and space.