There was a time when the world was normal—No powers, no heroes, no villains. People lived ordinary lives, bound by laws, morality, and the quiet belief that tomorrow would always be the same as today.
That world… did not last.
It began without warning, there was no prophecy. No sign from the heavens, no divine voice announcing the change.
One day, something simply shifted.
The air grew heavier, almost suffocating, as though an invisible force had settled over the entire planet. People described it differently—some said it felt like pressure, others claimed it was as if the world itself had taken a deep breath and refused to exhale.
At first, nothing happened, then, everything did.
The first recorded incident was dismissed as an accident.
An ordinary man, standing in the middle of a crowded street, suddenly burst into flames. Panic spread instantly. People screamed, ran, tried to help—but stopped when they realized something was wrong.
The man wasn't burning, he wasn't screaming
He was just standing, staring at his hands. And the flames... It obeyed him.
That was the moment the world changed.
After that, the incidents began to multiply.
One person could control water. Another could shatter concrete with a single punch. Some could move faster than the human eye could follow. Others… awakened abilities that defied all understanding—powers that twisted the mind, distorted space, or tampered with life itself.
There were no rules, no limits, no explanations. And with that power came chaos.
Society, as it once existed, began to crumble.
Governments tried to contain the situation, but they were unprepared. Weapons were useless against abilities they couldn't comprehend. Cities fell into disorder, crime surged. Those who awakened power began to see themselves as something more… something above ordinary humans.
Fear spread faster than anything else.
For the first time in history, humanity was no longer equal.
Then, they appeared.
A group of individuals—stronger than the rest. More controlled and disciplined.
They stepped forward, not as rulers, but as protectors. They fought against those who abused their powers, suppressed chaos, and restored a fragile sense of order to a collapsing world.
People began to call them heroes. At first, it was just a name — a title given by the public.
But names have power and this on grew.
What started as a scattered group soon became something structured and organized.
Thus, the Heroes Organization was born.
It became the highest authority in the new world.
They created laws to govern ability users. They established ranks to measure strength. They decided who would be trained, who would be monitored, and who would be eliminated.
Most importantly… they decided who was a hero. And who was a villain.
Abilities were no longer just powers, they became identity.
A child's future was determined the moment their ability awakened. Those with useful or powerful abilities were recruited and trained, shaped into protectors of society. They were praised, admired, elevated. They became symbols of hope even at young age.
But not all abilities were welcomed. Some were deemed too dangerous and unstable.
Those who possessed them were feared, watched and controlled. At worst cases, erased.
As time passed, the system became absolute, the line between hero and villain was drawn clearly for the world to see.
Or at least…
That was what people believed.
Because the truth was far more complicated.
Heroes were not always righteous, villains were not always evil. And sometimes… the difference between the two was nothing more than a single decision.
The world did not care why you made it, only that you did. And once that line was crossed, there was no going back.
Somewhere, in the darkness between life and death…
A boy who had once believed in heroes lay on the edge of oblivion, abandoned, betrayed, and broken.
And for the first time in his life…Victor Kane was beginning to understand the truth of the world he lived in.
It was never about good or evil, it was about power. And in a world ruled by power, only one thing mattered.
Strength.
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In a dimly lit room was a bed. And on that bed laid Victor Kane, pale and unconscious. He was surrounded by some group of people.
"There is nothing more I can do for him, he is dead," one of them, an elderly man said to the people by his side.
"You haven't done enough!" The girl with them said. Her crimson eyes burning with rage. "You must do everything you can to bring him back to life or else, I will kill you!"
The elderly man shook in fear. He fell to his knees abruptly. "Miss Klass, I have been your family's healer for decades now and I have never failed you—"
Without letting the man finish, the girl scoffed. "Well, you just did."
The healer lowered his head, a sigh escaping his lips. He glanced at the other person standing beside him, hoping to get some help from him.
The person noticed and gestured to him to leave. The healer got up to his feet, feeling relieved. He bowed to the man and left the room almost immediately.
After the healer had left, the person neared the girl.
"Klass, listen," he began. Though he was putting on a mask, one could tell from his voice that he is still a young boy, perhaps, seventeen or eighteen years old. "I don't know why you're bent on saving this person but he is dead already. You can't do anything about it."
Klass turned around, meeting his gaze. "He saved my life. Without him, there would have been no Klass standing before you right now. Without him, you would have been crying your eyes out already, Claus. He saved your sister, Claus... Regardless of what the hero organization will say about him. And..." She paused, her voice breaking. "...you saw what happened in the end. The heroes failed him, his family, friends... The world failed him. And... I won't fail him. I will do everything in my power and beyond my capacity to bring him back to life. If the family healer can not heal him, I'll search until I find someone capable of doing it."
"But you know he is not one of us, Klass. What will the others say about you—"
Without letting him finish, Klass scoffed. "I don't care about them. And besides, Victor has already denounced being a hero so automatically, he is now one of us. Big brother is also in support... So, I must bring Victor back to life." That being said, Klass left the room.
Claus sighed through his mask. He shifted his gaze to the unconscious Victor, no one could guess what he was thinking, neither could his expression be seen. After staring at Victor for a while, he turned and also left the room.
Meanwhile, inside a hall, the figure who had carried Victor away was sitting on a throne-like chair. He had taken off his mask, revealing his true face. One part was normal while the other part was covered in dark veins — even with that, he didn't look less attractive.
Soon, the healer walked into the hall and stood before him.
"Master Von," the healer bowed his head in respect.
"Is there anything you can do about the kid?" Von asked him.
The healer lowered his gaze. "I am sorry, Master Von. I am incapable."
Von didn't get upset, instead, he sighed and relaxed his back on the chair.
The healer glanced at Von. He knew why Von was unsettled. It was undoubtedly because of Klass.
The Von family had a long history—one that stretched far beyond what the world knew. While the Heroes Organization stood proudly in the light, praised and worshipped by the masses, the Von family existed in the shadows, unseen, unheard… but never uninvolved.
They were not heroes. They were not villains either — They were something else entirely.
An existence that thrived in the grey space between both sides.
For generations, the Von family had dealt with things the world refused to acknowledge. Forbidden abilities, cursed bloodlines, individuals too dangerous to be categorized under the system created by the heroes. While the world labeled such people as "errors," the Von family saw them as… assets.
They collected them, protected them and used them. And in return, they gained power—power that even the Heroes Organization could not fully suppress.
Von rested his chin on his knuckles, his gaze distant. "Klass has always been stubborn," he muttered.
The healer hesitated before speaking. "Young Miss Klass is not just being stubborn this time… she is desperate."
Von didn't respond immediately. His eyes slowly shifted toward the direction of the room where Victor's body lay.
Desperate.
Yes… that was the right word.
For someone like Klass, who had been raised in darkness, trained to survive in a world that would never accept her, emotions were a weakness she had long since buried. And yet… This boy had brought them back.
Von exhaled slowly. "That boy…" His voice trailed off.
Even now, he could still recall the scene clearly —a battlefield filled with chaos.
A boy standing against a villain he had no chance of defeating and instead of killing her... He let her go.
Von's lips curved slightly. "…interesting."
The healer lowered his head again. "Master Von, with all due respect… even if we wished to revive him, the damage is beyond anything I have ever seen. His heart was crushed. His life force is completely gone. By all means… he is truly dead."
Von didn't seem surprised..If anything… he seemed to be expecting it.
"Dead…" he repeated softly. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his throne. "What if he isn't?" He asked all of a sudden.
The healer froze. "My lord…?"
Von's gaze sharpened slightly. "Tell me," he said calmly, "have you ever heard of a case where someone awakened… after death?"
The healer's eyes widened."That is—" he hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "There have been records… ancient ones. Cases labeled as anomalies. But those were never confirmed. Most were dismissed as myths or misinterpretations."
Von chuckled lightly. "Of course they were."
The world only believed what it could control. Anything beyond that… was erased or rewritten.
Von leaned back into his chair, his expression turning thoughtful. "A boy who chose not to kill… in a world that demands blood. A boy who was betrayed by everything he believed in… and died with nothing left to lose." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "If such a person were to awaken…"
The shadows in the hall seemed to stir slightly. "…what do you think he would become?"
The healer said nothing. Because he already knew the answer.
Something far more dangerous than any villain.
Something far more unpredictable than any hero.
Von closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Leave me," he said calmly.
The healer bowed deeply. "Yes, Master Von."
Without another word, he turned and left the hall.
Once he was gone, silence returned.
Von remained seated, his gaze fixed ahead, but his thoughts elsewhere.
"…Victor Kane," he murmured.