The elevator door opened to reveal a spacious hall, the walls adorned with intricate, tech-looking decorations. There was even something like a bulb, seemingly piercing to the eyes; it sort of glowed, tiny and unique in its own way.
Dan and Axel stepped out of the elevator, and in doing so, Axel exhaled, letting out a nervous breath.
The hall was filled with people, all clothed in costumes —superhero costumes, that is —some looking silly while some carried a great amount of "steeze." Some also looked average— nothing too good, nothing too bad, and nothing too great either.
Axel, squinting his eyes a bit to see them clearly, realized that they were all teenagers like him. Some weren't actually teenagers but weren't far from it. Axel guessed they were at least in the age bracket of 21–25, or something lesser.
They all looked at him, almost indifferently. But then, Axel noticed that they were now gazing at him. At his head, in particular. He almost shrugged. He knew the reason. His look wasn't that superhero-like. He looked at all of them— they were clothed in normal superhero clothing. At least, clothes sewn to fit their superpowers. Bodysuits and all, slim-fitting, nothing unique.
The only one that caught his eye was one clothed in a robotic suit. But he soon dismissed it; it was nothing that special. He could name at least eight superheroes—very quickly, that is —with this sort of suit.
Axel shifted quite uneasily when the stares became too piercing, and Dan had to clap to halt it.
"Cool look, eh?" he asked, looking at the inhabitants of the hall who were staring at Axel.
"Stunning sight, isn't it?" Dan continued. "Meet— um —"
Dan almost laughed. He didn't actually know Axel's superhero name. He knew him as the new Inferno Hero, but his real name? He didn't know.
"What's your superhero name?" he whispered to Axel in a very low voice.
Axel felt very nervous now. He didn't know his superhero name. It seemed funny, but he hadn't really thought of it. This would seem like an embarrassing situation to him at this point— in front of these people, superheroes— and he didn't know his superhero name?
The Voice had earlier told him to create one. He hadn't done so and had not thought it to be important, but now it seemed to be.
"I'll say it tomorrow," Axel whispered. "Just tell them I'm the Fourteenth Inferno Hero."
Dan was a bit shocked that he didn't have a superhero name but nonetheless composed himself. All eyes were on them now—their whispering seemed cringe, and the audience felt it quite awkward.
Dan coughed to cover up the delay and hit Axel lightly on the shoulder.
"Meet the Fourteenth Inferno Hero!"
The crowd wasn't that welcoming, as only a few clapped. The way it was done and with the sound, it seemed like they had actually patted their hands and not clapped.
Axel found it weird.
Did they not want a new addition to the superheroes, or were they just jerks? Axel didn't know.
Dan felt a bit embarrassed. Fourteenth Inferno Hero? Yeah, right! That was actually a bad way to introduce someone.
Soon, they all faced forward, no one even showing a bit of sign to make Axel feel at home.
Well, you basically couldn't blame them. Seeing a new superhero wasn't a new thing for them. If it had been another superhero, they wouldn't have even clapped or looked at him or her. The reason they even stared at Axel was because he had white flames all over his head, which seemed cool.
Dan led Axel into the crowd, and they stood there.
A bit of gaucheness accompanied them. The crowd soon spaced away from them—not because of anything discriminatory but because of the flames on Axel's head.
They were afraid it would burn them.
Dan was thinking the same because soon he voiced out with a smile:
"You guys should quit acting like babies. It will do nothing to you. Just harmless flames."
After he said that, Axel's flames flickered a bit, and the people staring at him gaped for a split second.
First, they were scared.
Second, they were fascinated.
And third, they were impressed.
To them, Axel seemed to be the coolest superhero in this hall.
The girls (superheroes too, of course) were already starting to gossip in a corner, impressed with the aura that came with Axel's presence.
Axel just looked downward and occasionally glanced at them, a bit nervous.
A certain girl caught his attention, though. She only glanced at him once and returned her gaze forward. She was clothed in a white bodysuit—slim-fitting and all, the normal stuff. She was light in complexion, a bit tan, her hair beautifully tied in a ponytail.
She was stunning.
Gorgeous.
Axel thought of her as beautiful and would like to know her name.
"Axel!" Dan interrupted his thoughts.
He was startled and immediately turned to face Dan, who was staring at him with a smile.
"So, seen Jeff?" he asked.
Axel shook his head.
"No, not at all."
Dan laughed almost silently.
"I actually thought he would beat me, you know? I actually did. I'm shocked he hasn't even arrived yet. I mean—" Dan laughed again, not too loudly. "He entered into a damn portal!"
Axel smiled, his nervousness suddenly gone in that moment.
"Perhaps he's stuck in the middle of the portal?"
Dan had to laugh out very loudly. Not even holding it in for one bit.
He moved his head backward and laughed loudly, all the people in the hall looking at him with a touch of disdain.
Axel smiled uneasily.
"That laughter was erratic," he said.
Dan only grinned, still getting out of the laughter.
"Don't worry. I'm a top superhero here."
Axel only nodded, wondering what they were all doing, just standing here. He wanted to ask when—
An electro-sonic voice thundered from a seemingly invisible speaker all over the hall.
Dan smiled. "He's here."
Axel could only wonder.
Who?