Raj stood at the edge of the rooftop, the city below still simmering from the chaos of the One day before. Smoke trails curled upward from distant buildings, and sirens still cried out in the distance like the world hadn't quite caught its breath. His arms were folded across his chest, face impassive, but inside?
He was still burning.
He hadn't slept. Couldn't. Not after what happened.
The mutant—whoever that walking inferno was—had torn through half a city block like a living flamethrower. And Raj… Raj had stepped into the fire like it was nothing.
Actually, it was nothing. No burns. No broken bones. Not even a scratch.
He looked down at his hand now. The same hand that had grabbed a flaming metal beam, torn it from the collapsing structure, and used it to shield three screaming civilians. That beam should've melted flesh. It didn't even leave a mark.
Super defense.
It was more than strength now. More than light or heat. His body had become… something else. He tapped a knuckle against the brick ledge beside him. It cracked.
Peter climbed up beside him, holding two cans of iced tea. He handed Raj one wordlessly, sat next to him, and let the silence hang for a minute.
"You know people are calling you the 'Blurred Hero' online?" Peter finally said, nudging him.
Raj gave a soft snort. "That better than 'Glowing Dude Who Punched a Fire Tornado'?"
Peter grinned. "Well, yeah. Rolls off the tongue."
They clinked their cans together like two kids pretending everything was normal. It wasn't.
Peter's smile faded. "I scanned some of the footage from the bystanders. The camera distortion around you wasn't just blur. It was like the lens couldn't fully record you when you—" he mimed glowing with jazz hands "—Supernova'd."
Raj nodded. "I know. I saw a clip this morning. It was like watching a ghost with a flashlight taped to its chest."
"That's one way to stay anonymous."
Raj didn't answer. His mind wandered to the screams, the panic, the crumbling tower. And the mutant, eyes wild, flames leaking from his fingertips like he was drowning in his own power.
"He couldn't control it," Raj muttered.
"Who?" Peter asked.
"The mutant. He wasn't just attacking people. He was terrified. It was like something inside him broke loose."
Peter leaned back, staring up at the cloud-streaked sky. "Then we're not just dealing with freak accidents. Somebody out there is turning people into weapons."
Raj turned to him. "You thinking Monica again?"
"I don't know," Peter replied. "She gave us the warning. The flash drive. But if she really cared, she wouldn't trap you in a schoolyard cage."
Raj ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "This whole thing—it's bigger than I thought. First the cameras. Then the threats. Now a literal walking fireball? It's like someone's testing the waters… and I'm the thermometer."
Peter looked at him sideways. "You're handling it surprisingly well."
Raj shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know if that's me… or the solar thing just rewriting my panic circuits."
Peter cracked a grin. "Well, next time you block a firestorm with your face, maybe look a little more worried. People are gonna start thinking you're bulletproof."
Raj raised an eyebrow. "That's the thing."
He rolled up his sleeve. There were dents in his shirt. Melted fabric. But underneath, flawless skin.
"Wait… what?" Peter leaned in. "You took that hit full-on yesterday. That was a gas pipe explosion!"
Raj nodded slowly. "Didn't even tickle."
Peter whistled low. "Okay. We're officially in uncharted territory."
"I need to know my limits," Raj said, staring at his hands. "If I'm going to keep stepping into danger, I need to know exactly how much I can take before I lose it. Or worse—before I can't lose it."
Peter frowned. "You think there's a cap?"
"I think there has to be," Raj muttered. "No one's invincible. And I don't want to find out the hard way what happens when I believe I am."
They sat in silence for a while.
Then Peter asked, "Any other weird changes? Vision? Hearing?"
Raj hesitated. Then, cautiously, he looked toward the wall behind Peter. He focused—not just on sight, but through it. The surface blurred, shimmered slightly, and for a brief moment, he saw the janitor's mop bucket through the concrete. Rusted handle. Half a roll of toilet paper.
He blinked, and it was gone.
Peter noticed his expression shift. "...You saw something, didn't you?"
Raj nodded, slow. "X-ray vision, I think. Kicked in by accident."
Peter leaned back, hands behind his head. "Man. At this point, you're like... solar-powered Superman's lovechild."
Raj squinted. "That's… disturbing."
Peter grinned. "You're welcome."
Suddenly, Peter's phone buzzed. He checked it, frowned. "News just updated. They're saying the mutant from yesterday was 'unregistered' and there's no public record of his identity."
Raj's jaw clenched. "Of course there isn't."
"They've started blaming meta-human gangs. Vigilante forums are exploding with conspiracy theories."
Raj finished his drink. "Let them guess. As long as they're not guessing me."
Peter glanced sideways. "You sure you want to keep this under wraps? I mean… you saved lives. People should know."
"I'm not ready for the world to come knocking," Raj replied flatly. "Not until I know who's behind that knock."
Peter didn't argue. "Fair enough."
They stood up. The air was getting colder now. Raj felt the sunlight still warming his skin like a second pulse under his own. He knew it was still changing him—quietly, patiently.
He looked out over the city, now half-covered in haze.
"Let's train again tomorrow," he said.
Peter nodded. "Same rooftop?"
Raj gave a small grin. "Unless it collapses under my 'solar thighs of steel.'"
Peter laughed. "You are not allowed to say that again."
Raj saluted with his empty iced tea can. "Then let's call it the 'Sun Buns Protocol.'"
"I hate you."
They walked toward the fire escape, joking like teenagers again, but the weight of yesterday hadn't gone anywhere. Beneath their banter, they both knew the truth:
Something was coming.
And neither of them were ready.