"Stop right there!"
"You have stumbled upon the Western District of the VilZone!"
"You shall not pass!"
"For we are—"
"—The Aura Alliance!"
Nicholas froze mid-step, staring at the bizarre group blocking his path. Five masked individuals stood before him in a painfully dramatic formation, each striking an exaggerated pose. Their costumes clung awkwardly to their frames, and each suit was a different bright color: purple, blue, green, yellow, and red. Their helmets were shaped oddly, resembling knock-offs of power armor, but the designs were… pretty mediocre.
'Who… are these ranger rejects?' Nicholas thought, utterly baffled. He hadn't even gotten that far into the Villain District, and this was his welcome party? Were these Villains, or just an unfortunate group of cosplayers who'd taken themselves way too seriously?
The figure in red jabbed a gloved finger at him. "Turn back, wanderer! You dare enter our territory without permission?"
"Permission?" Nicholas repeated, his voice flat and disbelieving. "You're kidding, right?"
"No one crosses into the Aura Alliance's territory without our approval!" the Yellow Aura declared, his voice sharp and slightly nasally. He even stamped his foot for emphasis.
Nicholas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose—or at least he tried to, but his fingers only grazed the surface of his mask.
"Listen, I don't know what your whole shtick is, but I'm just passing through. Some guy stole my phone, and I tracked him here. I'm not here to mess with your… operation. Or whatever this is supposed to be."
"Silence!" The Blue Aura cut in, crossing his arms in a sweeping, exaggerated motion. "Your excuses will not fool us, interloper! No one passes without proving themselves worthy!"
Nicholas froze for a moment, his patience visibly wearing thin. He stared at the group, letting their words hang in the air.
'Alright, that's it.'
In a blur of movement, Nicholas appeared next to Blue Aura, his dark mist swirling around his arm, forming into a dense, gauntleted fist. Without hesitation, he delivered a solid punch straight into Blue's gut.
Blue Aura let out a strangled gasp, stumbling back as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his stomach and wheezing loudly.
"Blue!" the Purple Aura shouted, stepping forward in outrage. "How dare—"
Before he could finish, Nicholas closed the gap, driving his fist into Purple's abdomen with the same precision and force. Purple crumpled next to Blue, coughing and groaning.
Nicholas straightened up, letting the gauntlet dissipate as his dark mist receded. He turned to the remaining three—Red, Green, and Yellow. His cold, calm voice echoed through his mask.
"Anyone else feel like testing me?"
The three froze, exchanging nervous glances. They quickly shook their heads in unison, their defiance evaporating like mist under the sun. Without another word, they scrambled to pick up Blue and Purple, hoisting their fallen comrades over their shoulders. They scurried away like frightened children, vanishing into the district's maze.
Nicholas watched them retreat, shaking his head in disbelief.
'Here I thought I was walking into a lion's den. There's nothing here but cubs… Not that I'm complaining.'
Nicholas couldn't help but reflect on his experience so far. He knew not everyone in the Villain Zone would be as ridiculous as the Aura Alliance or as harmless as the others he'd encountered, but he had to admit, he was underwhelmed.
"They're all… just kind of weak," he muttered, almost disappointed.
Despite his lack of athleticism, he fared far better than he'd expected. Most of the Villains he fought were sloppy, their movements uncoordinated and sluggish. Some didn't seem to know how to properly use their powers at all, fumbling with their abilities like untrained children.
Nicholas even felt compelled to offer tips to a few of them. "Hey, try focusing on compressing your energy before releasing it," he told one, dodging a poorly aimed energy burst. To another, he remarked, "If you can't aim properly, maybe don't use your power so recklessly—it's just embarrassing."
His words were genuine, but they only seemed to humiliate them further.
"Here I thought a Villain Zone was supposed to be scary," he said aloud, shaking his head.
As the words left his mouth, a sense of foreboding settled over him, like an invisible weight pressing against his shoulders. It was as if he had unknowingly tempted Fate itself, mocking it, and now he regretted it. He could almost feel it smirking somewhere, waiting for the moment he'd eat those words.
Finally, Nicholas reached his destination: the basement of an old, crumbling apartment complex. The air was heavier and colder here. Shadows danced unnaturally along the cracked walls, cast by a single flickering bulb that barely lit the damp, dingy room.
"This is it," he muttered under his breath, gripping the door handle.
The basement opened into a wide room, cluttered with stolen electronics and junk scattered across mismatched furniture. At the center of the chaos sat the thief, hunched over a table covered with dozens—no, hundreds—of smartphones. Each one glinted under the dim light like trophies.
Nicholas spotted his phone immediately. Its cracked screen and the familiar worn case stood out like a beacon amidst the pile.
The thief was absorbed in sorting through the phones, completely unaware of Nicholas's arrival. A wave of satisfaction swelled within him as he stepped forward. He'd finally tracked the bastard down.
"Finally found you," Nicholas growled, his voice echoing off the damp concrete walls.
The words spilled out before he could stop himself, driven by the frustration and adrenaline that had been building throughout his pursuit.
The thief froze. Their hands hovered over a phone, and they turned their head slowly toward him. Their face, partially obscured by a tattered hoodie, twisted in shock.
Nicholas cursed inwardly. He'd just given away his position, and now the element of surprise was completely lost. But when he noticed the thief's expression—a mix of panic and awe—he paused.
The thief's eyes darted to the door, then back to Nicholas, their body tense like a cornered animal. But something in their expression shifted as recognition dawned.
"You're…" the thief's voice was surprisingly soft, almost timid.
Nicholas narrowed his eyes, unsure of what to make of the sudden shift in tone.
"You're Unknown," the thief whispered, their voice trembling with fear, and… something else. Their eyes sparkled with a strange admiration.
Nicholas blinked, caught off guard. Of all the reactions he'd anticipated, this wasn't one of them. He had been ready for a fight or even some kind of trap, but not… this.
Unsure how to respond, Nicholas simply nodded, his imposing mask and dark aura doing most of the talking.
The thief stared at him, frozen in place, as though they couldn't decide whether to be terrified or starstruck.
"Uh..." Nicholas wasn't quite sure what to do now. Upon seeing the surprisingly youthful thief's face, he lost all feelings of rage. "You're... just a kid."
The thief looked away and huffed. "I'm thirteen for your information!"
'That means you're a kid.' Nicholas thought. What was a kid like him out stealing for? His appearance was quite clean and he didn't seem to have visible scars or bruises. Really what was this kid doing?
Nicholas sighed. "Then let me ask you, what are you doing with all those phones?"
The thief stared at Nicholas, their defiance quickly replacing any earlier hesitation. "None of your business!" they snapped, before lunging forward with a knife, the glint of its blade catching the dim light.
Nicholas sighed. "If I just asked you to return my phone, would you?"
The thief vanished mid-step, reappearing directly behind Nicholas with the blade aimed at his back. But Nicholas had already sidestepped, twisting his body just enough for the knife to swipe harmlessly through the air.
"Guess that answers that question.," Nicholas muttered, spinning around to face the kid. "Anyways, you're pretty sloppy."
The thief growled in frustration and teleported again, this time reappearing to Nicholas's left. They struck out with the knife, aiming low, but Nicholas stepped back with ease, the blade slicing through nothing but air.
"Not bad," Nicholas said, his tone almost teasing. "But not good either."
The thief gritted their teeth and teleported again, this time materializing above Nicholas and swinging downward. Nicholas stepped aside, the blade narrowly missing him and clinking against the hard floor.
Before the thief could teleport away again, Nicholas flicked his hand out, sending a light punch toward their shoulder. The force wasn't enough to hurt, but it threw them slightly off balance.
"You're really making me work here," Nicholas said, his voice calm as he kept his eyes locked on the thief.
The kid teleported again, now behind him, and lunged once more. But Nicholas was ready, twisting his body at the last second and lightly tapping the back of the thief's head with his knuckles. It wasn't a hard hit, but it was enough to disorient them.
The thief stumbled, then glared at Nicholas. "Stop messing with me!"
"Stop trying to stab me," Nicholas shot back, crossing his arms as if he were scolding an unruly sibling. "Seriously, what's your plan here? You're barely landing a hit."
The thief screamed in frustration and teleported again, this time circling him in quick bursts, appearing and disappearing like a flickering light. Nicholas carefully tracked the movements, waiting for the kid to inevitably strike.
When they reappeared directly in front of him, the knife aimed straight for his chest, Nicholas acted. Darkness flowed from his hand, solidifying into a sleek black gauntlet that encased his forearm. The thief's blade connected with it in a sharp clang.
Nicholas's voice was quiet but firm. "Enough."
The knife cracked, a jagged fissure splitting through its center. The thief's eyes widened in shock as the blade shattered into two pieces, the broken halves clattering uselessly to the floor.
Nicholas held his ground, staring down at the kid with a calm yet unyielding gaze. "You've got guts, I'll give you that," he said, flexing his fingers within the gauntlet. "But you're way out of your league here."
The kid didn't seem to like that. Out of nowhere, a pepper spray canister appeared in his hand. Before Nicholas could react, the kid aimed and sprayed it directly into his eyes.
"Shit!" Nicholas yelled, stumbling back as he clutched his face. His eyes burned as if they'd been set on fire, tears streaming uncontrollably. Still, he managed a grin through the pain. "Not bad. You had a trick up your sleeve after all. But I should probably mention something… or, well, a couple of things."
The kid lunged at him with another knife, but Nicholas sidestepped, blocking the blade with his gauntlet.
"Firstly," Nicholas began, dodging a wild swing, "I've figured out your ability and attribute. It's a space attribute, isn't it? One that allows for teleportation. At first, I thought you could teleport yourself within a certain range. But then you started making some weird decisions." He ducked under another swing, his vision was still blurry but functional. "If that were the case, you could've just teleported out of this basement with no problem."
"Shut up!" the kid snapped, his voice cracking in frustration.
Nicholas ignored the outburst and kept talking as he blocked another strike. "Then I thought about how you stole my phone. You didn't take it directly from me, did you? It just… disappeared and ended up with you. Same with that pepper spray. I saw it on the table when I came in." He swept the kid's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling to the floor.
Before Nicholas could capitalize, he found himself face-first on the ground instead.
"Guess you're not even trying to hide it anymore, huh?" Nicholas muttered, getting back to his feet.
The kid shrugged, his expression cocky. "What's the point? You've already figured it out."
Nicholas nodded. "Right… Your actual power is teleporting things around you, not yourself."
The kid grinned. "So what? Does that mean you're giving up? If I put my mind to it, you'll never get close to me. You'll never land a hit."
"That so?" Nicholas mused aloud, his tone calm. A moment later, a dark dagger materialized in his hand, and with a quick throw, it shattered the room's only lightbulb. The basement was plunged into complete darkness.
The kid stammered, his bravado crumbling. "W-what are you doing?"
"Disabling your power," Nicholas replied coolly. His voice echoed eerily in the confined space, making it impossible for the kid to pinpoint his location.
The kid looked around wildly, but all he could see was darkness. "What do you mean?"
"You've basically confirmed my suspicion," Nicholas continued, his tone even and unhurried. "I wasn't sure how you activated your power, but now I know—you need to see the object you're teleporting. Without sight, you're helpless."
The kid's breathing grew erratic as he shrank to the floor, clutching the knife tightly.
"It clicks when I think about back when I chased you," Nicholas said, his voice coming from all directions. "When you looked back at me and disappeared, I thought you teleported yourself. But you actually teleported me farther away. That's when I figured out your range—twenty meters."
The kid, desperate, started slashing the air around him. "Shut up! I'll find you! I'll—"
A sudden sting on his leg cut him off. He gasped, touching the spot and feeling the faint burn of a small cut.
"The other thing I forgot to mention," Nicholas said, his voice suddenly close, "is that I can see pretty well in the dark."
The kid froze and then started to cry.
Nicholas hesitated, startled by the sudden outburst. "Hey, uh… I only grazed you to stop you from running around with that knife," he explained, his tone softening.
The crying only grew louder, echoing in the darkness.
"Oi!" Nicholas groaned, running a hand through his hair. He scanned the room and spotted a first aid kit on a nearby shelf. Grabbing it, he knelt down next to the kid and started treating the shallow cut.
As he worked, he frowned. "It's really not that bad, you know. I've had worse just falling off my bike as a kid." He finished cleaning and bandaging the wound, sitting back on his heels as the kid's sobs quieted.
The child sniffled, glancing at Nicholas hesitantly. After a long silence, they finally spoke. "Mister… how did you figure out my ability so fast?"
Nicholas blinked, caught off guard by the question. Of all the things to ask…
He decided to go with a playful tone. "Well, you see, I once taught a hero in the making how to use their power! I was their coach, you know." It wasn't a lie, really.
The kid's eyes widened at the mention of a hero. Or at least Nicholas thought they did—his night vision only allowed him to see vague shapes, not details.
"Mister... you're friends with Heroes?" the kid asked, a glimmer of hope lighting up their voice.
Nicholas felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead. "Uh… well, friends might be a stretch. I know two heroes. To be precise," he replied awkwardly. He paused for a moment and thought. Could he even count Slash Draw as a friend? Probably not. If he were being honest, the actual number was just one.
The kid's eyes lit up even more. "If... if you're friends with Heroes, then you must be a good guy!" they exclaimed, excitement dripping from their voice.
Nicholas deadpanned. No... I grazed you with a knife and mentally tormented you in the dark for a bit. I'm definitely not a good guy, he thought grimly. He hated the way he'd handled the situation—everything felt messy and instinct-driven. But it was too late to dwell on it now.
Taking a deep breath, Nicholas lit a small flame on the tip of his finger, casting a soft glow in the otherwise dark basement. The kid flinched but then relaxed slightly, staring at the light. "I can help you," Nicholas said, keeping his voice steady and calm. "But I need you to tell me why you were collecting all those smartphones."
The kid hesitated, glancing at the floor. After a moment of silence, they finally opened their mouth to speak. "I—"
Before they could finish, an earsplitting screech reverberated through the room, forcing both of them to cover their ears. The sound was sharp and unnatural, like metal scraping against bone, amplified a hundredfold. Instinctively, Nicholas extinguished the flame on his finger, plunging them back into darkness.
The noise made the floor beneath them vibrate faintly, and Nicholas's mind raced. What the hell was that? He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Something's above us, he realized, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. 'A banshee? No… Ghosts aren't real, are they?'
His thoughts spiraled as the screech grew louder and more intense. Whatever was coming, Nicholas had a sinking feeling that Fate was preparing itself to humble him.
He had been quite cocky since he entered the Villain Zone, hadn't he?