A burning sensation went through their bodies. They saw darkness, actually, but only for a split second.
THUD!
They fell.
Axel struggled on his knees, looking at Dan, who was also trying to do the same.
Getting on his feet now, Axel beheld the figure who had come to their rescue. Before he could utter a word, Dan touched him on the shoulder and said,
"Axel, meet Portalwalker, or you can call him by his real name, Jeffery."
Axel was stunned merely by looking at the superhero. His sight seemed to carry a certain pinch of aura—Axel didn't know if he was in awe or just stunned and speechless.
Portalwalker was a tall, athletic man with a lean, agile build. His short, wavy black hair had streaks of shimmering violet. His deep silver-violet eyes resembled swirling portals, glowing faintly as he moved them slightly. His smooth bronze complexion added to his otherworldly aura.
He wore a sleek, form-fitting black bodysuit with deep purple and blue highlights.
He was wearing just an eye mask. It was sleek and angular, with glowing energy lines that shifted in sync with his power. Now, as he moved to extend a handshake to Axel, faint distortions rippled around him, making it seem as if he was always slightly out of place with the world.
"Hey, kid," he said, giving Axel a handshake.
Axel took it, too stunned to speak.
"Nice to meet you, sir," he stuttered. "And thank you for helping us."
Portalwalker waved his hand.
"Nah, you don't need to thank me," he said. "Helping is my job. Moreover, Dan is a very good friend of mine."
The building they stood on top of was more of a skyscraper—stylishly crafted and so tall it dwarfed other buildings, making them seem little.
Axel, from where he stood, could see a megacity. He could see many superheroes, male and female, flying around. There was no sign of a bus, truck, car, motorcycle, or even a bicycle.
What's the use? Axel thought. This is Superpolis. Hell, everyone has powers here.
Dan interrupted his thoughts with,
"Let's all head to HQ."
Axel furrowed an eyebrow.
HQ? he thought. Interesting.
Dan flew a bit off the building, and Axel, sheepishly, did the same.
Portalwalker (Jeffery) only smiled.
"I can't fly, so I'll just conjure a portal that will take me there," he said jokingly. "You might want to enter, as that'll be simpler and easier."
Dan laughed. "Enough with entering portals for a day. Last one to HQ mops the lobby for a week."
Portalwalker smiled. "You'll just—"
Dan had already zoomed away, holding Axel by the hand and dragging him as he did so.
Jeffery giggled (in a manly manner) and rolled his hands forward, slowly conjuring a portal.
THOOOSH!
The portal was in front of him.
Without hesitating, and also fearing to lose, he plunged into it.
---
Superpolis was more of a megacity. Located far away from where Axel found the sword in the Khaos Realm, it was the most stunning and beautiful place in the dilapidated realm.
Some said it was located at the end of the Khaos Realm, some said at the middle, while others said at the beginning. But as it was in the history books, the Khaos Realm didn't have an ending. It was more of a galaxy on its own, even housing sub-realms. If one wanted to estimate the size of the Khaos Realm, one might say it's a quadruple billion times larger than Earth (and that's not even close at all).
And now, Superpolis— it was more like a country. If one wanted to compare it to Earth, one might say it's like the tenth-largest country on Earth.
A city built for the powered, by the powered. Everyone here had an ability —some strong, some weak, but no one was normal. That meant everything, from the streets to the skyline, had to be built to withstand a city where power was a part of daily life.
The buildings? Reinforced. Glass wasn't just glass—it was impact-resistant, energy-absorbing material designed to hold up against stray blasts. Skyscrapers stretched high, connected by suspension bridges and skyways, because half the population didn't even bother with roads. Some buildings had landing platforms instead of doors, designed for fliers to enter straight from the air. Others had power-adaptive architecture—walls that absorbed shockwaves, streets that repaired themselves after damage, and entire districts designed to suppress out-of-control abilities.
The Super District was the heart of the city, where the strongest heroes operated. Every skyscraper there was sleek, modern, and lined with defensive tech. No one caused trouble in Power District unless they wanted to disappear. Villains dreaded that part of the city.
The Common District housed most of the population. High-rise apartments, mid-level housing complexes, and power-friendly homes lined the area.
The HQ served as a place for training superheroes for the future. There, they were taught how to control their powers, use them correctly, and even awaken dope skills and classes, upgrading their abilities. It was more like an academy for training superheroes.
Then there was The Arena. A massive structure—part stadium, part battleground— built to handle powered combat. The walls were self-repairing, the floors adaptive, shifting to create different battle terrains. It was where grudges were settled, training happened, and champions were made.
Superpolis wasn't only a city for superheroes; it was also a city for villains. Long ago, superheroes living there wanted to change the name to Heropolis but stopped, as there were many villains living among them.
The villains had their place in the city, though. It was called the Restricted Zone.
The Restricted Zone was different. It wasn't officially recognized, but everyone knew about it. A part of the city that had been abandoned— too dangerous to be reclaimed, too lawless to control. Old buildings still stood, cracked and leaning, covered in graffiti and energy scars from battles no one wanted to remember. The ones who lived there weren't registered, weren't controlled, and definitely weren't safe. It was ruled by villains—the strongest, actually.
Superpolis had quite a complex world, evolving from being medieval to now being too modern. Some said it had been around for over 500 years.
It was a city that never stopped moving. Sky traffic, ground traffic, teleportation hubs. The air hummed with power, the streets vibrated with energy, and every day, someone rose while someone else fell. It was a city that produced and groomed the next world-famous superheroes. It was more like a place of training if you thought about it.
In Superpolis, having power wasn't special— it was as normal as breathing.
But knowing how to use it was.
---
Axel felt himself being dragged to an elevator. They were inside a building now (apparently the HQ), and Axel was still shocked at how they got inside.
It was a surprisingly unconscious mystery.
Inside the elevator, he and Dan remained silent, catching their breaths. With the elevator door now opening, Dan said in a cool voice,
"Welcome to the HQ— or should I say, the academy."