The moment Nightveil's broadcast ended, the nation erupted.
Sirens wailed across Nexara.Patrol drones filled the sky.Hero response units were deployed before the echo of his last words had even faded.
Inside the Hero Association Headquarters, the top-ranked heroes burst into the President's office like a hurricane.
But—
There was no intruder.No villain.No trace of Nightveil.
Only the President, lying unconscious on the marble floor.
A medic dropped to his knees instantly.
"He's alive. Pulse steady."
Another hero let out a long, shaken breath.
"He broke into one of the most protected buildings in the country… and didn't kill him."
The realization chilled the room.
Nightveil didn't break in to assassinate.
He broke in to prove a point.
The heroes immediately began tearing apart the office for clues.
"How did he get in!? There are six layers of biometric locks!""All cameras in the building were disabled—no feed, no data!""Even our encrypted channels were overridden!"
No answers.
Only fear.
An analyst slammed a tablet onto the table.
"He broadcasted to EVERY screen in the nation. Do you understand how impossible that is? Our entire cyber division didn't even detect the intrusion!"
Another officer muttered bitterly:
"And he said he didn't act alone…"
A wave of silence fell.
If Nightveil had help…If he had allies capable of bypassing national defenses…
The implications were terrifying.
The Fray Incident Resurfaces
In a secured meeting room, old files were spread across the table—dusty reports from twenty years ago.
The Fray Incident.
A massacre.A cover-up.A tragedy buried under classified restrictions.
A senior investigator read from the folder:
"Of the five heroes Nightveil killed… only one had direct involvement in the Fray family case."
A younger officer frowned.
"Then… the other four…?"
"Collateral damage," the investigator said quietly.
"Collateral?" the officer echoed, disgusted."What happened to 'I don't kill unnecessarily'?"
No one responded.
Because no one knew the truth.
Nightveil killed with purpose—but his purpose was hidden beneath a twenty-year-old tragedy the Hero Association tried to erase.
And now the world had noticed.
Faith Begins to Crack
News spread like wildfire.
"How did Nightveil get into headquarters!?""Can heroes even protect themselves!?""What good are heroes if one villain can walk past their security!?"
The public's trust wavered.
Heroes, once symbols of hope, were suddenly being questioned—criticized—feared.
A hero councilwoman slammed her fist on her desk.
"This is catastrophic. People won't trust us again after this."
And she was right.
Lionel Academy in Chaos
Back at the academy, students stared at screens that kept replaying Nightveil's broadcast on loop.
A hush fell over the halls.
Then—announcements blasted through every speaker.
"All students are to return home immediately.The academy will close for several days.The Dawnforge Tournament is suspended."
Teachers ushered confused students toward the exits.Parents arrived early, worried and frantic.Security bots doubled their patrol routes.
The Hero Class was no exception.
Gray sighed heavily.Roger paced back and forth.Rain sat quietly, hugging her schoolbag.
"Do you think the tournament will be cancelled?" Rain asked softly.
"No idea," Roger muttered. "But after that broadcast? Everything is messed up."
Astra remained silent, expression unreadable.
Because she felt it too—the shift in the world's balance.
This wasn't a typical villain attack.
This was a statement from someone beyond the system's control.
Behind Closed Doors
In the staff council room, Principal Leonel convened an emergency meeting.
The instructors spoke in heated tones.
"Continuing the tournament now would be reckless.""The students have trained for months—we can't cancel everything because of one villain!""The public won't accept it. Not after what happened today.""What if Nightveil appears again?"
Leonel finally raised a hand.
"If we continue rashly, we endanger every student here.If we cancel outright, we inflict permanent damage to the academy's reputation."
He exhaled.
"For now… we pause. Until we understand what Nightveil's broadcast truly meant."
No one disagreed.
Because deep down, they all felt it—
This was only the beginning.
At the Arcwell Estate
Meanwhile, Raze Arcwell sat on the living room floor, Lily perched happily in his lap.
To her, the world outside meant little.
She didn't understand broadcasts.She didn't understand villains.She didn't understand fear.
She only understood her brother was home.
"Raze! Look!" Lily chirped, placing a toy crown on his head."You're the king now!"
Raze chuckled despite the tension in his chest.
"Then as king, I order you not to tickle me again."
Lily immediately tickled him.
"TRAITOR!" Raze cried, collapsing into laughter.
Luna entered the room holding snacks, raising an eyebrow.
"So while the whole country panics… you two are having a coronation?"
Raze shrugged.
"She doesn't know what's happening."
Luna sat beside them, placing a gentle hand on Lily's head.
"…Maybe that's for the best."
For a moment, the chaos of the world felt distant—muted—almost unreal.
Raze leaned back, eyes drifting toward the window where distant sirens still echoed through the city.
The tournament might be cancelled.
Nightveil might be watching.
The world was shifting into something dangerous.
But at that moment—Lily giggled, Luna complained about snacks, and the Arcwell home remained warm.
Raze closed his eyes briefly.
Whatever storms were coming…
He would face them when they arrived.