To say the least, David had become one of the most hated men in the world. Many cursed his name, while countless elites who had lost their power or influence were already plotting ways to kill him. He was now enemy number one to the powerful, but David couldn't care less. At the end of the day, he simply returned home.
The cameras followed him all the way, still recording every second of his life for the world to see. Viewers expected a fortress, some grand mansion, or at least a high-tech base—yet what they saw was a modest, almost lifeless house. No luxury, no ornaments, nothing that screamed "hero."
David walked in without a word, tossed his blindfold aside, and sat down in front of the TV. The cameras caught him letting out a quiet sigh before leaning back and closing his eyes. Within moments, he was asleep, completely still, as if the weight of the world had finally been lifted from his shoulders. To anyone watching, it almost looked like he had died the moment he came home.
[SkyHighFan] This is pretty depressing to watch. From what I heard, his name is David, and his life fell apart once his daughter died saving him.
[Tommy6969] What? You guys know his real name? I thought superheroes kept that stuff secret?
[RosaFlower] They hide that because they have something to protect, he didn't because he has nothing to protect. His daughter was the only thing he had left. The government was the one who leaked this, which is pointless since there's nothing the man has in his life.
[Oh yeah!!!] That makes sense why he was so sad when the baby died, he saw his daughter in that baby… that's so sad. The man can't even lie down after she's passed.
Even as David slept, the world continued to watch. Millions stayed up through the night, unwilling to miss a single moment. The stream had become something many could turn away from—every breath, every faint movement broadcast live.
So, when David suddenly shifted in his sleep, moving backward just as a bullet tore through the air toward his head, everyone watching saw it. The shot missed by inches, passing through the spot where his skull had been a heartbeat earlier.
Rubbing the side of his head, David sat up slowly, his expression calm but sharp as his eyes turned toward the window. A small hole had pierced through the curtain and glass, revealing where the shot had come from.
Without a word, he vanished—teleporting outside in an instant. The assassin, realizing he had missed his chance, was already fleeing across the rooftops. David's gaze locked onto him immediately.
Yawning, David lazily lifted his hand and used Blue. Instantly, the fleeing assassin was pulled back toward him, dragged through the air with no chance of escape. The man gritted his teeth, panic flashing in his eyes, and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger—not at David, but at himself.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the still night. David, still half-asleep, hadn't reacted in time to stop it. He looked down at the lifeless body lying at his feet, staring in silence before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Well, there goes any hope of saving whoever they used to force you to kill me," David said softly, his tone calm as his gaze lingered on the corpse.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and began tapping across the screen. It didn't take long for him to find the man's information. He was a former soldier, divorced from his wife, who had since remarried. His record showed little contact with his children, mainly because his drinking had driven them apart.
For her, he had tried his best to change. Even though he could never repair what had been broken or win her back, he had managed to reclaim one small victory—the right to be part of his children's lives once more.
With a flash, David teleported to where his ex-wife's house should have been, only to find it engulfed in flames. The fire burned violently, painting the night sky in shades of orange and red. It hadn't yet drawn a crowd—only a few stunned neighbors had stepped outside, frozen in shock and horror at the sight before them.
David's expression stayed still as he focused, quickly sensing that everyone inside was already gone. There was no life left to save. Without wasting another second, he shifted his attention away from the burning home and toward whoever was responsible for it.
David floated high into the sky and began methodically scanning the world below. He funneled his curse energy into his eyes, sharpening them until they could sense the negative emotions that fed his power.
By attuning himself to that dark current, he could read where the concentrated negative energy pooled, pinpointing both a location and the surrounding land with unnerving precision.
It didn't take long before his vision locked onto a parked car outside a vacant house — an ideal hideout for anyone who had just slaughtered a family and needed to lay low. The place was empty; the homeowners were away.
It made the spot perfect for such people: park the car, watch the live stream to track David's movements, and wait in the vehicle until it seemed safe to move. With no one home to disturb them, they could simply hunker down in the car and hope to remain unnoticed.
"Fuck!" one of the men shouted, his voice trembling as he stared at the live stream showing David looking directly at their car. Panic erupted instantly. They fumbled to start the engine, tires screeching as they tried to escape—but before they could even move, the vehicle froze in place, thanks to blue which appeared under the car.
David hovered above, his calm voice cutting through the night. "You killed a four-year-old and a three-year-old… your very existence disgusts me."
With a simple motion, Blue surged outward, and the roof of the car tore off like paper. A storm of bullets fired upward, but not a single one came close—each shot halted midair, hanging uselessly before falling to the ground.
David's expression didn't change. He looked at the three men inside, fear plastered across their faces, and without hesitation, he moved. In an instant, all three screamed in agony as their bodies collapsed, everything below their necks rendered useless.
"I won't even bother to find out who sent you," David said coldly, his tone devoid of emotion. "I'll know one day—and when that day comes, the one responsible will meet the same fate as you. One day, when technology advances enough for you to move your bodies with your minds, I'll come back to give you all brain damage. The only escape from the life I've given you is death."
He reached into the car, turned off the engine, and took their phones before stepping back. His voice hardened even further. "Remain forever as prisoners in your own minds. Death is far too kind for monsters like you."
With that, David vanished, teleporting away from the scene and reappearing back home. The silence was heavy. He sat on the couch, staring blankly at the blindfold resting in his hands, his expression distant and lost.
Sleep refused to come to him after everything that had happened; he knew the stream had its flaws, but the fact that someone would do something like this was enraging... Then, just as his mind began to drift, his phone lit up.
David saw the message: it was Mister Terrific. The message contained a full list of the children's remains recovered from the tunnel. He opened it and spent the rest of the night poring over each name and finding the families of these kids.
The next day, he set out and spent the entire day traveling across the United States, going door to door. He moved from neighborhood to neighborhood, knocking on doors and standing on porches to personally deliver the terrible news to the families who had lost their children.
Reactions varied and raw. Some parents broke down completely, their hope collapsing into fresh grief at the confirmation. Some simply cried, the truth finally laid bare after months or years of wondering. Others accepted the news with a quiet resignation, saying little as they processed the loss. A number of families managed to speak through their tears to thank him for bringing them answers.
Despite those differing responses, one request was nearly universal: nearly every family asked for their child's remains to be returned to them. David took that request seriously and contacted the president, asking that arrangements be made so the remains could be returned and laid to rest by their families.
With everything done, David finally returned home. The moment he stepped through the door, he exhaled deeply, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. Dropping onto the sofa, he covered his face with both hands, letting the silence of the room wash over him. After a few minutes, he stood and headed for the shower.
The world, still watching through the ever-present cameras, caught a glimpse of him for the first time without his usual layers—though the feed only showed his upper body. Even so, the sight was enough to leave an impression; his build was powerful yet lean, every muscle defined with the kind of precision that spoke of control and discipline, not vanity.
[Sword Dao Ancestor] — You know, doctors and people in fields like that suffer extreme mental stress just from seeing so much death. David's carrying all of this while still holding onto the image of his daughter… Honestly, I'm scared this might break him. What if he snaps one day and goes all "humanity is rotten" and tries to destroy everything? He's been doing this hero work for less than a week, and he's already facing this kind of weight.
[Harry P. Ness] Did anyone else notice this guy went 2 days wearing the same thing, and without taking a shower?
[The Ocean is a Soup] Damn, you're right, the guy really needs to take more showers.
[Spiderjazz] 1+to that
[Candycup] 1+ to that
[Not Sarah] 1+