Three weeks had passed since the battle that had shaken Tokyo to its very core. The city was still scarred from the battle against the near- level 1 monster, both physically and emotionally. Though the skies were more clear today, a restless tension lingered in the air — like the calm before another storm.
Inside the Nightguard headquarters, the rehabilitation wing was unusually quiet today. Down a long, narrow corridor, a single room held the center of attention: Lucien ´ s rehab room.
Even tho he didn´t really need it. He already used his regeneration when he felt he had suffered enough pain for the mistakes he made in his battle against the monster.
Lucien lay on the rehab bed, eyes closed, breathing steady. His body was completely healed — the wounds from the last fight long gone thanks to his rapid regeneration skill. Yet, despite the outward calm, his mind was anything but peaceful in that moment.
The door opened gently. Rylen, Jason, and Emiluna entered together, their expressions heavy with exhaustion, relief, and a shared understanding of what the past weeks had demanded of them.
"Lucien," Rylen said, forcing a warm smile, "you finally used your regeneration."
Lucien's eyes fluttered open, taking in the faces of his teammates. "Yeah i did. Feels like it's been longer than three weeks," he murmured, managing a small grin.
Jason dropped onto a nearby chair with a sigh. "Those fights aainst those monsters took everything from us. You're the only one who looks like you barely broke a sweat, and you fought the most of us."
Emiluna let out a breath. "We all feel the same way. But what you did… it's different. Everyone's talking about it on the internet."
Lucien sat up and stretched, then moved toward the small training area connected to the room. "I haven't been idle in the meantime."
He had spent those three weeks pushing himself to his limit, training harder than ever before. Every drop of sweat and pain had been worth it to prepare for what was coming next. The Cosmic Punch had dealt a fatal blow to the enemy — but it had also devastated almost all of the city of Tokyo. The public outcry had been swift and unforgiving.
Rylen followed him, eyes on the small television mounted on the wall. The news cycle was relentless, broadcasting clips of destruction, eyewitness accounts, and sensational headlines.
"Teenager with 'demonic powers' causes massive destruction in Shinjuku and Shibuya."
"Demon or Savior? The young hero dividing Tokyo."
"Government to act against uncontrolled superhuman threat."
Lucien's eyes narrowed as he watched the reports. "They call me the 'Demon Boy now."
"Because they're scared of you and what you did," Rylen said quietly. "They don't see the truth — only the destruction you and that monster created."
Jason nodded. "They only see what you did, not why."
Lucien shook his head. "Does it even matter tho? To them, I'm a threat. A danger."
Before anyone could respond, the door swung open again. Two police officers strode in, their faces grim and unreadable.
"Lucien," the taller one announced without emotion, "you are under arrest for '' Mass Destructive Endangerment'' and ''Reckless Use of Cataclysmic Force''. Orders come directly from the higher authorities of the Nightguard Corps."
The room froze.
"What? On what grounds? This is madness!" Rylen exploded.
The officer glanced down at a digital tablet. "Damage to civilian infrastructure caused by your abilities. Charges of reckless endangerment and misuse of superpowers are being filed."
Emiluna stepped forward, her voice sharp. "This is an political issue. They want to control you. That's all they want."
Lucien's voice was calm, but steady. "I won't resist the order… but I don't know what they want from me."
Jason looked to Rylen, desperation in his eyes. "What do we do Rylen?"
Rylen his hands were on his hips, his jaw tight. "Nothing. Not here. Not now."
The officers cuffed Lucien's wrists with cold metal restraints and began to lead him out. The team watched, rage simmering beneath their calm faces.
The outside world had changed completely. And now, Lucien was a prisoner of the very system he had fought for and even rejected him in the first place.
The metallic clang of the heavy door shutting echoed through the sterile hallway. Lucien was no longer a hero on the battlefield — he was a prisoner and a criminal.
His wrists still bore the cold metal cuffs that restricted his power, or so they hoped. The guards led him down twisting corridors lined with white walls that reflected harsh and light. Every step felt surreal, a harsh contrast to the freedom he'd fought so hard to protect.
The guards brought him into a prison cell that looked more like a high-tech laboratory than a prison cell. Cameras blinked from every corner possible, monitors displayed readouts of his vitals, and strange machines hummed quietly.
"Sit down Lucien," a woman in a white lab coat commanded, standing behind a sleek console. Her eyes were sharp and unreadable.
Lucien obeyed, though every instinct screamed resistance.
"Do you understand why you are here in the first place?" she asked.
Lucien's voice was calm and steady, but a flicker of frustration broke through. "I was fighting to protect the people of Tokyo. And now, I'm a prisoner?"
The woman tilted her head. "Your power is very dangerous. Unpredictable. The destruction you caused—"
"It was very, very necessary," Lucien interrupted. "You don't understand the enemy we faced that night."
The woman sighed in anger, checking data on her screen. "We understand enough to keep you contained. Your regenerative abilities are impressive, but we have ways to suppress even that power of yours."
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "You can't control what you don't understand madem."
The woman pressed a button, and Lucien suddenly felt a sharp, tingling sensation in his wrists — a low-frequency pulse designed to dampen his energy. The cuffs glowed faintly, glowing with an eerie blue light.
Pain shot through his body, but his regeneration kicked in immediately. Still, the sensation was a reminder: here, his powers were shackled.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Nightguard headquarters, tension filled the air.
Karu Arakizawa stood in the briefing room, his hands sweaty and fists clenched at his sides. He had just come from a meeting with the higher-ups — the same ones who had authorized Lucien's arrest and imprisonment.
"They're scared of him and his powers." Karu muttered, pacing back and forth. "They see him as a threat to their control, not a weapon against the monsters."
Rylen stood beside Karu, face sharp. "We're powerless against them. The police say it's a direct order from the higher ups. If we try to intervene, we risk being branded as rebels and enemies of the city of Tokyo."
Karu's hands balled into fists. "There has to be a way to free him."
Jason stepped forward. "Karu, you're one of the few people in the corps with political ties. Can't you pull some strings for us?"
Karu shook his head. "I've tried that already Jason. The council is divided, and most want Lucien gone or under strict control. They fear what he represents — something uncontrollable, unpredictable."
Emiluna sighed deeply. "So we just wait then? Watch him rot in a cell while the world panics?"
"No," Rylen said firmly. "We stay ready. We will protect each other no matter what. And when the time comes, we act."
Karu's eyes flickered with determination. "I promise you Rylen, Jason and Emiluna, I won't let them break him. Not without a fight."
Back in the lab, Lucien lay on a cold metal table. Scientists in white coats monitored his every movement of Lucien, running tests and analyzing his power.
He felt isolated, stripped of his agency, trapped not by monsters but by politics and fear.
Yet, even in the darkest moments, his mind raced with strategies and solutions — how to escape, how to fight back, how to protect those he cared about.
Because no cage was strong enough to hold the God of Vengeance.
The rooftop was more quiet the usual, the city's neon glow flickering below them like distant stars. Rylen stood, shoulders tense, eyes locked on Karu.
"Karu… you have to do something please," Rylen's voice cracked with urgency. "Lucien can't stay locked up forever. We can't lose him—not now."
Karu's gaze was heavy with frustration. "I want to help, believe me. But the higher-ups have sealed this case. They control the police, the labs. If I push back, I risk everything—not just my position, but all of our lives aswell."
Rylen's fists clenched. "So what do we do? Stand by and watch our teammate become a prisoner of fear?"
Karu looked out over the cityscape, conflicted but resolute. "We will wait for now. We gather strength and information. And when the time is right, we'll bring him home again."
The night air carried a quiet promise — the fight wasn't over.
And somewhere in the shadows, forces were already moving, watching, waiting.