Royal Cloak cleared his throat and said, "There are thirty-three superheroes here, and now I'll be listing your names and your powers."
Axel didn't know why, but he was the sighing type, and this felt like hell to him.
Why am I suddenly acting like a jerk? he thought.
Royal Cloak held what seemed like a tablet and, with a loud, clear voice, said, "First, I'll mention the females before moving on to the males. When your name is called, a red light will shine on you for identification."
The superheroes all looked at him, excited—some even elated. Axel was surprised as hell. He was scared, yet they were happy.
What a contrast, he thought.
And so, Royal Cloak began:
"FEMALE HEROES
1. AURASTRIKE — Rhea Voss
Generates and manipulates energy halos that can be used as shields, weapons, or thrown like boomerangs.
The red light, a sort of laser, pointed at the girl Axel had been admiring earlier. He looked at her, shocked.
Dope powers she's got, he thought.
Royal Cloak immediately continued:
2. EMBER LANCER — Valerie Kain
Can condense fire into solid, piercing lances; the hotter they burn, the sharper they get.
3. PIERCE — Elise Ward
Her voice creates harmonic shockwaves that can crack solid objects or enhance her agility by rebounding sound.
4. SILKEN VEIL — Naomi Chen
Secretes bio-silk from her fingertips, weaving it into armor, traps, or razor-sharp wires for combat.
5. NEON BLITZ — Zadie Cross
Converts absorbed light into kinetic energy, allowing for speed bursts and plasma-charged attacks.
6. GRAVITONIA — Carmen Sloane
Alters gravity within a set radius, making objects heavier, lighter, or completely weightless.
7. DUSKRIDER — Mira Holloway
Summons spectral horses from the twilight realm, riding them through solid objects and shadowy dimensions.
8. CINDERSPAWN — Liana Torres
Controls volcanic ash, shaping it into smokescreens, weapons, or golems.
9. MIRRORMELD — Seraphina Lyle
Can duplicate herself using reflections, each copy acting independently until shattered.
10. SPINAL EDGE — Natalia Pierce
Generates and ejects bone blades from her body, regrowing them instantly with each attack.
11. HONEYQUEEN — Veda Alston
Produces bio-honey with healing properties and can control swarms of golden wasps.
12. RIFTBLADE — Olivia Kade
Wields a sword that cuts through space itself, allowing her to step through her slashes to teleport.
13. LUMINARA — Isla Vaughn
Absorbs starlight to enhance her strength, speed, and healing during the night.
Royal Cloak stopped, looking at the audience. He cleared his throat and continued:
"MALE HEROES
14. OBSIDIAN TIDE — Kai Mercer
Can liquefy his body into black volcanic glass, reforming at will and shaping sharp edges for combat.
Axel panicked. Soon, it would be his turn. He felt almost terrified now. But really, there was nothing big about it. When someone was called, they just stood there; some waved, but it wasn't compulsory.
Then why was he so scared?
15. VOLTSPURGE — Jasper Orion
Generates bio-electric arcs that grow unstable the longer they're contained before release.
16. IRONROOT — Elias Boone
Has living metal vines embedded in his body, which grow and adapt to his will.
17. ASTRAHOUND — Dante Riven
Summons astral wolves from a cosmic plane, each one embodying a different celestial force.
18. FROSTVEIN — Nolan Keats
His blood is liquid ice, and any wound he takes instantly freezes over, forming jagged armor.
19. GEARFORGED — Viktor Hale
A walking clockwork warrior with gears and pistons in place of bones, making him nearly indestructible.
20. PHANTOM GALE — Orion Thorne
Controls the wind's afterimage, leaving behind clones made of compressed air for brief moments.
21. EMBERLOCK — Ronan Drake
Captures and stores heat from his surroundings, releasing it in high-impact thermal bursts.
22. FERROSHIFT — Damian Crowe
Can break apart his own metal-infused body, shifting between a solid and liquid state for combat.
23. NOVA CHAMPION — Zane Ryker
Can summon miniature supernovas, condensing them into high-powered energy spheres.
24. STORMCRUX — Callum Raine
Generates lightning-infused clouds that act as extensions of his body, forming defensive shields or attacking with storm bolts.
25. PYRESTEED — Ezra Maddox
A fire-charged centaur, able to generate a burning steed out of flames for high-speed movement.
26. CRYPTONIC — Magnus Vail
Manipulates unseen pressure waves, crushing or repelling enemies with invisible force fields.
27. SPECTRON — Felix Quill
Converts his body into pure prismatic energy, shifting colors for different combat effects.
28. VOIDBREAKER — Rael Draven
Channels black hole fragments into his strikes, causing brief distortions in gravity around his attacks.
29. MOLTEN VIGIL — Corbin Stroud
His bones are superheated magma, allowing him to release devastating lava-powered strikes.
30. TERRA STORM — Julian Holt
Summons geo-charged tornadoes, combining earth and air for defensive and offensive storm barriers.
Royal Cloak paused, scanning the crowd as if searching for Axel, who now felt uneasy.
It's my turn! My damn turn! Axel thought, breathing hard.
Dan looked at him for a split second and whispered, "You're the only one left, kid."
Axel forced out a faint smile.
"I guess," he muttered under his breath.
Royal Cloak spoke now.
"And lastly, quite a newcomer we have here."
He paused, then announced:
The fourteenth inferno hero [Super hero name undecided at the moment?]— Axel
Generates and controls supernatural infernal flames that intensify with battle.
[Little info for now]
The red light shone on Axel, who now felt somewhat intimidated. He felt embarrassed because all eyes were starting to stare at him now.
Then, the air shifted.
Vociferously, like with the blast of a gust of whirlwind.
A sudden crackle of energy rippled through the room. The air pressure dropped, and a strange hum vibrated through the walls. Without warning, space itself split apart, a jagged tear forming in midair, swirling with embers and flickering shadows.
A portal.
The superheroes tensed. Some backed away instinctively, while others stepped forward, ready for a fight. A fiery glow pulsed from within the rift, illuminating the room in shades of crimson and gold.
Axel's breath caught. His body reacted before his mind could process it— his flames flared to life around his hands, responding to whatever was coming.
Something was stepping through.
And in that moment, Axel knew —his introduction was the least of his worries.