“You’re nothing special, so I’m going to give it to you easy” A large dark-skinned man said in a deep menacing voice.
A boy who looked to be about sixteen years old looked up at the large man. They were both in what could be considered an underground dungeon, though it was expansive. The large man overbearingly stood over the young man and had a slight grin on his face. The boy tried to move to the side to get away but the man shoved him back forcefully, causing the boy to collapse on the ground.
“I guess I don’t know my strength heh heh” The large man said proudly.
“Don’t worry kid, this is nothing personal. You can blame one boy who thought that he was something special” The large man said evilly.
The large man grabbed the teenager by the neck and opened his palm. A large black fire erupted from the palm of the man’s free hand. The man thrust the hand into the boy’s head and pulled out what looked like a small orange flame. The man crushed the flame, engulfing it with his black flame.
“You’re not gonna die, but you’re not gonna be anything special either” The large man said as he threw the boy against the wall forcefully.
Meanwhile, at Byron Limit High School…
*Emery Acer, that is the name of a young man who proved himself to be a person who is able to stand up to his fears and fight alongside his friends who followed him into certain peril. Though Emery’s own conflict between his desire to be a hero and his desire toward violence were his own, they had been amplified by one who wanted to see Emery consumed by it. Orion and his squad had been defeated by Emery and his friends who had all just about discovered their newfound powers on the same day they were pitted on the battlefield. But that victory was somewhat of a lucky break and was only short-lived…*
The gymnasium at Limit High School had been turned into a ballroom. Where the basketball hoops were, there were now tables with fruit punch and party snacks. On one side of the gym was a large speaker system and the rest of the gym was a large dance floor. On that dance floor were a sparse yet numerous amount of high schoolers dressed in formal attire. It was the end of fall semester and this night, the winter formal at Byron Limit High School.
It was a wintry wonderland, as the ballroom was decorated with large crystalline snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. Powdery artificial snow was everywhere, and the colors blue and white were everywhere. Despite all of this, there was anything but a chill in the air.
It was just the beginning of the event but students were already dancing and having fun. Cheesy 90’s music was playing but that didn’t stop the students from taking to the dance floor. Students were still arriving, and the excitement was building as friends greeted friends. At this point, none of those in the Adventure club were at the dance.
Enter, stage right, one Kiran East and on his arm was none other than Trisha Rojo. This was the same Kiran who was kicked off the boxing team and later inspired to join a certain hero club. This was also the same Trisha who laughed at the very idea of a hero club and was the school’s only evil empress. What could account for this very unlikely pairing? Let us find out.
Kiran walked into the auditorium with Trisha, her arm around his arm. Trisha was smiling and Kiran looked slightly puzzled, like he was eyeing the room for something. With Kiran’s free hand, he scratched the side of his forehead.
“I thought the rest of the crew woulda been here by now. Emery better be here” Kiran said, feigning disappointment despite his excitement.
Trisha caught herself before her slight scowl became a full grimace and tried to smile a toothy smile. She squeezed closer to Kiran and looked up at him.
