Fourteen years ago...


    At a young age, he had been blessed with powers. Or maybe it was more of a curse. They had come to him in his teens. The cursed knowledge of the world. Seemingly by fate, Edward Blue found himself as a Super, one with a Mental based ability that allowed him to understand humanity on a level only second to that of the Lord of Land and Life. By the age of seventeen, he had created his first Super based product. A cream that was able to duplicate a person''s cells and eventually regrow flesh. There was just one issue, though. The limb wouldn''t belong to them...


    He had discovered this power when he tried to recreate his father''s arm. His dad had lost it in the war with Lucifer, having been a mere mortal that was forced to live through it. The newly grown arm had choked his father and killed the man.


    That was the day Edward Blue finally realized what powers were.


    He had been scooped up by the Hero Branch shortly after that. They agreed to look the other way and let him stay so long as he promised to help them out. So, he became Doctor Blue and was forced to work alongside a man named Alma. Forced to heal those who had also been cursed. Where did powers come from? This was something the world was still unsure of. Many agreed they were a blessing handed out by the Four Lords after they defeated and killed the Shadow. Others like him viewed them as a curse. The proof that the Shadow truly was the one who won at the end of his battle.


    That was why he was here now. That was why he did what he wanted. The reason he faked his death after the Emperor declared war on Earth two years ago. All of it was for this one moment. His goal, his plan, his hopes, and his dreams. All so he could finally answer that single question.


    The truth about Supers.


    "Are you sure that this ''thing'' is actually here?" Daemon hissed.


    "I''m sure." Doctor Blue nodded his head and stared out the window. "Trust me. If you follow my lead, we''ll get your master back. One year ago, the Emperor died at the hands of Full Monarch, but that doesn''t mean his story has to end."


    "If you''re wrong about this, I will kill you." Daemon growled. He was the father of Demonica and had served in the Emperor''s army, though he wasn''t one of the big four members. After the death of his dark lord, like many other monsters, he was stuck with no place to go, his sanity and body constantly breaking and glitching. Back in the day, he had been a powerful villain. Now though he was on the verge of breaking. If he didn''t get a new Lord of Life to fix them, then he as well as many other monsters would snap.


    Doctor Blue looked up at the tower that was in front of them. One of Avalon''s many labs. This particular one was in Oleander City. "Trust me. Avalon took control of Sini Corp after Mr. Sini died at the hands of the Emperor. He used the resources to look for something. Then suddenly he stopped looking. He found whatever it was he was looking for, and I have a pretty good idea that I know what it is." He had been a high-ranking member in the Hero Branch, after all. He knew of the Pods. The secret that housed the Lords. "We''ll save not just monster kind, but dozens of others as well."


    The two of them were parked on the side of the street in a simple-looking van. This would be the day that they would change the world. The day that a new Lord of Life would be born. Or at least that was the plan Doctor Blue had. Slowly, they opened the doors of the van and stepped out onto the busy street of Oleander. Instantly, they were given several odd looks. Or more specifically, Daemon was. Doctor Blue was dressed nice. He wore a simple button-up shirt and blue jeans, not standing out. His hair was wild and a bit messy, as well as filled with various dyes, but other than that, he was normal-looking. He had been trying to lay low since he faked his death and hadn''t mastered the art of coloring hair yet, it seemed. Daemon, however, was the opposite of normal looking. The monster stood at nearly ten feet tall and was lanky with long arms that reached all the way down. None of his form could be seen due to a thick, dirty brown cloth he wore that hid the fact he was no longer human, but that seemed to only draw more attention to himself.


    "We should get this over with." Daemon called out. "I don''t like their stares. It is only a matter of time until one of them calls for an Enforcer member."


    Doctor Blue nodded and led the way. They crossed the street and entered Avalon Tower. He doubted Harrison Avalon himself would be there. The man had hundreds of towers all scattered around the world in various cities. This one in particular focused mainly on creating recording software devices and was open to the public at certain hours, offering tours. As for why Avalon had decided to store ''that'' thing at this tower, that was simple. He had allowed his emotions to get the better of him. Sini was killed by the Emperor within Oleander city. It was only fitting that Avalon would store the future Lord here as well in Sini''s old tower. Perhaps as a way to get back at the monster that stole the man he looked up to.


    The inside of the tower was large. They found themselves down in a waiting room. There were several people, many of whom were either clocking into work or hoping to go on a tour. A few guards instantly took note of them as they entered and made their way to the reception desk.


    "Are we doing this stealthily?" Daemon asked.


    "I don''t care."


    "Good. I hate stealth missions." The monster gave a sinister chuckle and ripped his cloak off, instantly causing widespread panic to erupt on the first floor. Just like his daughter, he looked like a demon. Covered in jagged red flesh that looked almost like the shell of a crab, twisting horns stabbed out of the top of his skull. Purple fire gushed out of his eyes, and he waved his hand, sending out a tidal wave of the flames that washed over anyone that got in his way. Screams filled the building instantly as the villain killed dozens of people.


    A loud piercing alarm broke through the air, and in no time at all, a hero would soon be arriving. Daemon let out a loud laugh and began to blast more of his hellish fire out in all directions. He would be staying behind and holding off whoever showed up. Doctor Blue made for a set of large stairs that led further up to the floor. A few security officers tried to stand in his way, but he reached into his pants pocket and threw out a vial of orange liquid that caused the men to combust and explode. He made his way up to the floor above, stuffing his hands in his pockets.


    More fire swept through the building, twisting and bending around him, making sure not to harm him. Everyone else wasn''t as lucky, however, and were devoured by the fire. Daemon was far stronger than his daughter. So strong that in his prime, should one of the Emperor''s four warriors fall, it would have been his job to take their place. Now though, his mind and body were crumbling away and shattering, and soon he would be nothing more than a mad animal, much like the giant monsters that wandered the Wasteland.


    As Doctor Blue finished his climb to the floor he had been looking for, he stopped outside of a particular door that led to Avalon''s secret viewing room. A place the man would go to relive some of his best and worst memories. Already he could hear police sirens, and the sounds of fighting had grown worse. No doubt Daemon would be engaging a Super now. The doctor pulled another jar of liquid out and threw it onto the metal door in front of him. Green liquid splashed against it, and the metal steamed and hissed, slowly crumbling and breaking to bits as a new form of acid he made ate it away. The door fell off of its hinges and crashed to the floor below with a loud thud, allowing him to enter the hidden room.


    Monitors covered the walls in every direction, all showing off various scenes across the world. One even showed himself entering the room. He frowned when he saw it and looked up, spotting the robotic fly that hovered above and recorded him. "Spying on me, Avalon? Sadly, you''re not as smart as I am." Doctor Blue announced. He smirked and strolled forward, eyeing the thing that stood in the center of the room. "If you were truly smart, if you truly wanted this thing to never come back, you would have gotten rid of it and ensured that a new Lord could never be found. Instead, you hid it away in such a way that it could be found. All because you wanted to hold it as a trophy. All for Mr. Sini. That''s what makes me and you different. That''s why the Branch was more interested in me than they were in you-"


    The floor outside of the room he was in exploded in a hail of purple fire as Daemon was thrown through the roof and crashed into the hallway. "We got trouble." The villain grunted out. "Old Dog got here sooner than we thought."


    From the hole in the floor, Old Dog came swinging in, being carried by a grappling hook. The man easily dodged a wave of Daemon''s purple fire and slammed his pointer finger into Daemon''s shoulder, hitting a pressure point and causing the villain''s arm to drop to his side. Old Dog''s eyes turned to look into the room, but Blue had already reacted to the hero arriving and threw a jar onto the ground where the door should have been. It exploded, and instantly a massive foam wall began to grow and block off the entryway. He heard Daemon screaming outside as Old Dog grabbed the fire-based villain and used him to smash through the foam, trying to break past it. It would only buy Blue some time.


    "Sorry, Daemon. I didn''t want to leave you hanging, but I guess I''ll have to sacrifice you if I want to make a getaway." Doctor Blue turned to look back at the thing that was in the center of the room. It was a round Pod. One made out of a metal from out of this world that hummed and vibrated with a faint blue light. The man reached into his pocket once more and pulled out his last jar. One that was filled with a red liquid. "I got this blood sample off of a piece of metal Full Monarch had thrown at the Emperor in their final battle. As fate would have it, I managed to get a small bit of his DNA." Quietly, he tilted the jar over and allowed the contents within to pour out onto the metal Pod. "I need this to work. I need you to accept it. I need you to help me. This DNA is connected to both the Emperor and the Princess of Life.”


    The Pod seemed to let out a low humming sound, and slowly it clicked. The metal began to bend and twist and unfold slightly, opening up. The glowing grew in size for a moment, and when it died down, the cries of a baby filled the room.


    "Welcome to the world of the living, my creation. My Lord. My Wish..."


    Fire blasted into the room, scorching the room, and Doctor Blue turned just in time to see Old Dog be thrown into the room. The old man rolled across the floor and smashed back first into a wall. A second later, Daemon strolled into the room, glaring at Doctor Blue. "You tried to leave me!" He screamed out.


    "Now, Daemon-"


    "You bastard!" Daemon pointed at Doctor Blue, and the fire blasted out, heading in the direction of the man''s eyes. That was the last thing the Doctor saw before his sight would be stolen away from him by the crazed villain.


    Doctor Blue screamed as the purple fire washed over the top part of his face and burned his eyes to a crisp instantly. He dropped to the ground, grabbing at his eyes, and he howled. Daemon ignored him and strolled forward, glaring down at the child that rested in the pod, which began to cry.


    "What is this! This isn''t what you promised! This is a fake! This child can''t be my new master!" He roared and brought his fist up, slamming it down toward the child and the Pod.


    The Pod let out a low beep, and instantly it closed, keeping the child safe. Daemon''s arm bounced off of the metal, and part of the metal rose up like a liquid and struck out, slicing the villain''s arm clean off and causing him to join Doctor Blue on the floor as he also screamed. Black blood poured out of his wound, and the Pod slowly rose up off of the floor, floating into the air. He tried to blast at it with his free hand, but it was far faster. In a single heartbeat, it rammed itself into the wall, breaking through it and flying off away from Oleander City looking for a new place where it could raise the newest Lord of Life that was just born.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    By the time Old Dog finally came to, he found himself in a heavily destroyed room, both Blue and Daemon, completely unconscious. "What the hell?"


    ***


    Two years from present day...


    The bell tolled through the hallway, and students ran around in an effort to get seated.


    “Everyone better be in a seat.” A loud voice said as an older man entered the classroom dressed in the typical bland gray suit all teachers had and drinking from a cup of coffee in an effort to stay awake. Thankfully, the day was almost over, as this was the last period of the day. This man was Mr. Neptune. Someone who had gone into his career due to his hatred for kids. He taught ages thirteen and fourteen, the age group he viewed as the worst.


    He stood in front of his desk, letting out a tired sigh as he set the coffee down and pinched his nose, getting himself ready for the final lesson of the day. Next to the man, a young thirteen-year-old girl stood waiting on what to do as the teacher let out another sigh, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.


    Finally, the teacher removed his hands and set his cup down. “Okay, I’ll make this quick since I’m tired. This here is Mary Roads.” He sighed, shaking his head for a moment. "She was the top of her class at her old school, and so they thought it would be best to move her over to our wondrous academy." The teacher said sarcastically. "It is my hope that she''ll cause you slackers to pick up the pace and work harder."


    As he spoke, many of the kids looked away awkwardly as his eyes roamed the classroom.


    "Of course, out of all of you, there is one in particular I''m thinking of." He moved through the classroom before finally stopping in front of a desk. "I''m of course talking about Ms. Laison!" He slammed his hand down onto the desk as hard as he could, causing the girl who was sleeping to fall back and crash to the floor in a painful heap. "How many times have I told you not to sleep in my class!"


    Amy Laison groaned and rubbed at the back of her head as she glared up at the teacher. A while ago, people might have once called her pretty. She was young, only about fourteen, and held a charm about her. That charm, however, had faded as years of stress piled on. She had short red hair and heavy bags that were under her eyes, and she smelled heavily of smoke. "What was that for?!"


    The man didn''t bother to reply and turned away, folding his arms behind his back.


    “Now that sleeping beauty is awake, let’s go ahead and start class.” The teacher said, moving back to the front of the room. He gestured to the girl, who was still standing awkwardly near the entrance of the room. “Ms. Roads, you can go ahead and take a seat near Laison near the back. Let me know if she disturbs you in any way."


    "R- Right." Mary looked away, not able to meet the eyes of any of the students. She realized just how underdressed she truly was. This was the kind of school made for the rich. The kind of kids who were supposed to get good grades. All the boys wore suits, and the girls wore dresses. She was dressed rather plainly, wearing a simple long-sleeved shirt and a skirt. Her brown hair was a bit of a tangled mess, and she kept having to push her glasses up further on her face as they tried to slip off of her nose. The only one who stood out more than her was Ms. Laison, who wore very baggy clothing and kept her head down on the desk. It was clear most of the other students didn''t like the delinquent. "H- Hi." She said sheepishly as she took a seat.


    Amy''s eyes poked up for a moment, and she looked at Mary. "You''re talking to me?"


    "I- I guess?"


    "Why?"


    "What?"


    "Why." Amy''s eyes narrowed as she eyed the new girl up.


    "W- We''ll we''re sitting next to each other so-"


    The teacher cleared his throat and folded his arms. "Laison. Stop bothering the new girl."


    Mary flinched a bit when she saw the look in Amy''s eyes. The girl glared at her before turning away and putting her head back down in her arms, tuning the class out like she normally did. "S- Sorry." Mary muttered. She had no idea why, but the teacher seemed to have it out for the young red-haired girl.


    "It''s going to be a long day." Amy groaned.


    Once more, the day soon ended just like any other as the bell rang. Amy felt exhausted as she slowly walked down the stone steps and out onto the sidewalk. The street was filled with dozens of fancy cars as all the rich families came to pick their kids up from school. She didn''t have a ride, of course. That was just fine with her, though.


    Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up and blowing out a small cloud of smoke. A few parents and kids shot her some dirty looks, but she either ignored them or flipped them off. Their city usually held two types of people. The rich, and the ones that wished they were rich. Somehow, she had gotten stuck in the cloud of other rich students and was forced to see just how much she didn''t fit in every day she went to school. She was just about to leave when she heard the voice.


    “Hey, wait up.” A voice called out, causing her to nearly trip mid-step down the stairs. She turned to find Mary pushing her way through the crowd of students and making her way over. She narrowed her eyes and turned away, about to leave, but the girl was shockingly fast. "Wait!" Mary managed to catch up with Amy as they stepped off of school property. "I- I wanted to say sorry." Mary said, breathing heavily. "I didn''t mean to get you in trouble during class."


    Amy snorted and dropped her cigarette to the floor. She stomped on it and rolled her eyes. "Trust me, you didn''t. That bastard has it out for me."


    "Why?"


    "Because I''m not the perfect little girl he was expecting." She chuckled darkly. "He wanted a daughter that would obey him like a slave."


    "You''re his daughter!" Mary asked with wide eyes. "But your last names are different?"


    "Stepdaughter." Amy sighed, shrugging. "My dad died. I think my mom cut the brakes on his car, and he flew off into a river and drowned. Poor bastard. About a year ago, she remarried that prick we call a teacher since he comes from a filthy rich family."


    "That''s..."


    Amy scoffed when she saw the look on Mary''s face. She punched the girl lightly on the shoulder. "What about you? I can tell you''re not one of the rich brats. Why are you here?"


    Mary rubbed the back of her neck and gave a small shrug. "He sort of explained it already. I''m a transfer. I live on Widow Street. My grades were really high, so I guess they decided to take me out of Widow Academy and put me up here in this school with all these fancy kids. It''s a little overwhelming, to be honest." She chuckled.


    Amy''s eyes flashed with surprise for a moment as she stared at the girl. "Widow? That''s like the shitty part of town, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah..."


    Amy gave a sly grin and clapped the girl on the back. "So, I''m guessing your parents aren''t coming to pick you up then, are they?"


    "No. I was just kinda planning on walking back, I guess."


    "Well, if you don''t have to head home instantly, want to have some fun?"


    "Fun, how?" Mary asked nervously.


    Amy hooked her arm around Mary and practically started to drag the girl down the street. "I know where a good arcade is. I also know how to cheat at the games and get a massive cashout on coins!"


    "Seriously? An arcade? Isn''t that something boys do?" Mary asked, fixing her glasses.


    "Live a little." Amy shrugged. "The best game there is this one with the Victorian, and you get to beat up a lot of bad guys that were around back in the day."


    Mary nodded her head as they walked. "Do you like heroes?"


    "I guess. Doesn''t everyone?"


    "I doubt villains do." Mary hummed.


    "I don''t know. The way some of them focus all their effort on a rival and chase after them. I think that''s a form of love in a way." Amy stated. "I think villains love heroes more than anyone else. Without the heroes, they wouldn''t exist after all. They''d just be monsters."


    She frowned a bit at Amy''s explanation. Something about it ticked her off. "So have you always gone to that school?" She asked, changing the subject.


    "Nah. Just recently, like you. Only for about a year, in fact. I''m trying to tough it out until I''m able to join the army."


    "You''re not very girly, are you, Amy?"


    Amy just giggled and shrugged. "I''m too busy trying to survive to focus on things like that. What about you? This is the first expensive school you''ve gone to?"


    Mary shook her head. "I never knew who my parents were. I was on an adoption list and have sort of moved across the country a few times. I never seem to stay in one city or school for very long. Usually, I get sent back to foster care and am loaned off to some new family that wants to try practicing having a daughter before they realize I''m smart and they try putting me in a fancy school, only to then see how expensive it is and how little it benefits them, so they then send me back to foster care." Still, she was doing better than a lot of other kids. She was at least getting an education and had a consistent roof over her head and a source of food.


    Her and Amy kept talking about various topics as they walked through the streets of the busy city. They were so focused on their conversation that Mary didn''t even question the fact that they stepped down an alleyway, nor of the dangers it could have held until it was too late.


    "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Both girls jumped when they heard the voice, and Amy felt her blood run cold when she looked up. At the end of the alleyway, a man stood. One dressed in gang clothes with the symbol of a skull. He held a switchblade, which he flicked back and forth as he walked forward slowly. "Looks like we got quite the nice-looking catch today, boys." From behind them, blocking the other side of the alleyway, two more men stepped forward. Both also held knives. The leader, the one in front of them, walked closer, and Amy couldn''t help but eye the handgun he had strapped to him.


    The Skull Boys. A low-level gang of non-Supers who still caused a lot of trouble in their city. Mary shrunk back, hiding behind Amy, who eyed the men up, trying to figure out what she should do.


    "What do you guys want?" Amy asked quietly.


    The leader of the little squad rubbed his chin and stared at the two shivering kids. He stood in front of them while the other two men stood behind them. They were caught completely between both sides. “Here’s the deal.” The man said after some time. He eyed them both up, taking them in. “I''m a nice guy. Why don''t you just-"


    Amy struck first while he was distracted. She rammed her knee directly into his crotch and drove him to the ground. Her elbow came out, and she managed to strike at the man behind her, but the third one smashed his fist into her, sending her tumbling back. "Amy!" Mary screamed.


    The two men she had knocked over were already back up on their feet. Amy swung her backpack and smashed it into the leader''s head as hard as she could, and he let out a loud hiss, throwing his hand forward. Unfortunately for her, it was the hand that held his knife. This robbery was about to become a murder. The leader saw his mistake too late and tried to pull his hand back, but it was in vain. Amy watched as everything seemed to slow down, and the switchblade grew closer to her eye. Her life flashed before her eyes. A short one that barely did anything. She was about to die-


    A pair of hands shoved her to the ground at the last second as Mary threw herself in front of the knife. The blade stabbed the young girl directly into the neck, and her eyes went wide and field with fear. Red streamed down, and her mouth filled with blood. The world became blurry as her glasses slipped off her face and crashed to the floor, and her body shook, falling back and causing the blade to further slice her neck open and slide out of her, allowing more of her blood to flow. Mary hit the floor and gurgled, and Amy let out a scream. She tried to cover the girl''s neck, but it was no use. Mary had already lost too much blood.


    "Shit!" The leader hissed out. "T- That was an accident. I didn''t mean to..." He shot a look at his friends, but they dropped to the ground, shaking. "We- We''re not even in a gang! We just dressed up like this and tried to get money- I can''t go to jail for this." He turned and made a break for the exit. He only managed to get a few steps forward before he crashed to the ground as something hit his leg. He felt a weird sensation go through his body, and he tried to stand, but his body didn''t move right. He looked down and let out a guttural scream when he saw that his right foot was gone.


    The other two men dropped their weapons and fell back in horror, and Amy''s body shook as her eyes stared down at Mary in shock. The blood that had flowed out of the girl had almost seemed to come to life. It floated off the ground connected like a whip and sliced out, ripping the fleeing man''s leg clean off. The blood gradually pulled its way back into Mary''s body, her neck wound healing. Her neck cracked a bit, and she managed to stand back up.


    Amy stared up at the girl, fear in her eyes. "M- Mary-"


    Mary rocketed forward and rammed her fist into the face of one of the men. Red splattered onto the ground as she caved his face in. Her other hand rose up and fired out a bone spike into the throat of the other one, downing him and causing him to choke on his own blood. That left just the leader left. He screamed and tried to crawl away, but she slowly walked after him.


    "W- What are you?"


    Mary looked down at her hands. They were caked in blood, and she watched as the cells within them twitched and moved to her will. "I guess I''m a Super." Her hand went over his face, and he screamed as his body began to melt. It was a slow and painful death, and his body would stain the streets for days to come. Mary turned back to Amy, her face caked in blood, and she smiled. "Are you okay?" She tried to take a step forward, but Amy threw her bag at the girl.


    "S- Stay back! Y- You''re a murderer!"


    "They would have killed me, though?"


    Amy''s body shook, and the girl turned away. "P- Please. Never talk to me again."


    Mary stood there alone as the girl ran for the exit. Mary looked down at her hands, watching the cells shift and change once more. Unknown to her, far away beneath the seas of their city, a metal Pod began to hum with a blue light…