King of superheroes, p.5
King of Superheroes, page 5
“That sounds…” I let out a low whistle. “Stressful. No wonder the last Omega went mad…”
“You will train.” Mori repeated. “And you will become stronger than them all, if you are open to it.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to be good,” I said with a firm nod. “I promise.”
“Nothing to worry about for now, I fear I’ve tested you enough for one night,” Mori said decidedly, and he held up his hand when I tried to protest. “We’ll have further discussions, Mr. Maddock. I’ll be keen to hear of your progress. But for now, rest.”
“Yes, sir…” I mumbled, and he shooed me out of his apartment and toward the elevator.
My mind was spinning uncontrollably at everything that had happened during my Pillar Placing Ceremony, and by the time the elevator spewed me out onto the fifteenth floor, I was breathless all over again.
Then the mild sensation of panic started to bubble again when literally every single person stopped talking and stared at me with various degrees of distrust, disgust, or even hatred.
The hatred mainly came from the Zeus bros, though, and I purposefully kept my head down as I made a beeline for Frank, who quickly waved me over.
“So, what was that about, Maddock?” someone asked behind me in a sneering voice.
I stopped in my tracks with a heavy sigh, and when I turned around, I was face to face with the biggest of the Zeus bunch.
He was tall, well over six-foot-three, and had a width to back it up. His shoulders were massive, his chest was constantly puffed out, and his suit looked expensive and almost definitely tailored to his mostly ridiculous physique.
“An accident,” I said bluntly. “Sorry if I scared any of you.”
“Scared?” the frat boy scoffed and turned back to his buddies, who all equally snorted with derision. “Far from it. Concerned for the welfare of our fellow fledglings, more like.”
“Yeah, Zach’s right,” one of his cronies chuckled, though the sound was humorless.
I turned to Zach himself and raised an eyebrow.
“And why’s that?” I demanded.
“We have a freak among us,” Zach the Zeus bro sneered. “People are saying you might be an Omega. And we all know how the last Omega turned out…”
“Better pack your bags then,” I said as I lifted my chin and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t you ever think you have the right to tell me what to do,” Zach said in a low voice. “Ever.”
“Or what?” I asked, and I was starting to get impatient.
I just wanted to get back to my dorm room and collapse into bed.
“Or I’ll make you sorry you ever stepped foot in this city,” Zach said, and then he did something that both of us would likely come to regret.
He gave me a hard, purposeful shove in the chest.
That’s when I saw red.
Chapter Four
“Back off.” I shoved Zach in the shoulders with both hands, and then I grinned in satisfaction as I watched him stumble in surprise at the strength I had.
I might not have looked especially jacked in comparison to the blond Zeus bro, who evidently hit the gym religiously and made it his entire damn personality, but just by the one heated push from me, he knew I had something on him.
That didn’t stop him from retaliating, though, and I could see fury wash over his face like a storm cloud.
“Don’t touch me, freak.” He spat the word like it was venom and immediately rounded on me.
That’s when I heard it.
Something in the back of my mind, like listening to a conversation through the wood of a door when you know you really shouldn’t be eavesdropping.
“... Gonna put you on your ass…” I heard Zach’s douchey voice, and I took an automatic step back as I blinked at him.
“What did you say?” I demanded.
“I said don’t touch me, you freak.” Zach’s repeated words were absolutely not the ones I’d heard.
I didn’t have too long to be curious about it, though, because his arm was already pulling back while his hand was balling into a tight fist, but just as he started to swing for me, I heard it again.
It was like a ghost version of his voice, but it was definitely Zach’s.
“I can’t wait to knock his teeth out…” Zach’s voice said, but his lips didn’t move.
Holy shit. I was actually hearing his thoughts.
But I didn’t have time to worry about that.
I took a step to the side just as his fist came swinging toward my jaw, and the momentum of his punch pushed straight through the empty air, so he staggered past me with a surprised yell.
“Get him, Zach!” One of the other Zeus bros, a stocky guy with short brown hair and a protruding forehead that made him look like a caveman, stamped his feet eagerly.
I hunkered down and centered my gravity as I brought both of my fists up to my face, and Zach let out a frustrated huff as he steadied himself.
... I took karate, asshole, let’s see you dodge a kick. Zach’s voice gave away his intentions without him even opening his mouth, and I just hopped over his leg as he swept it in the direction of my ankles.
“What the fuck?” the blond Zeus bro grunted as he rounded on me again, and this time I saw his lips move with the words.
“Karate?” I scoffed. “Okay, Kobra Kai, whatever you say.”
“I didn’t say a damn thing!” Zach half-shouted, and I watched as spittle flew from his front teeth.
“You don’t need to,” I said with an even wider smirk. “I can literally read you like a book.”
“Freak!” Zach fully shouted this time, and he launched himself at me with both of his hands outstretched and gunning for my neck.
“Enough of this!”
A commanding yell sounded throughout the common room, and both Zach and I froze in place as Somnia entered through the elevators.
The beautiful tiny woman looked furious, and it was an expression that didn’t seem to fit her normally serene features.
“No fledglings should be bickering, let alone physically fighting!” Somnia said hotly, and I lowered my hands as I cleared my throat.
“I’m sorry,” I said immediately, and I took a step away from the lightning conduit.
“Somnia, he’s a freak!” Zach hissed through a clenched jaw, and he pointed at me with a finger that was quivering with anger. “He’s an Omega. He shouldn’t be here.”
“I said… Enough.” Somnia’s voice grew cold as she glared at Zach.
He bit his tongue, though he looked entirely unimpressed with having to do so. I felt a sudden smugness, because Zach was exactly the type who was used to getting his way, but his frat boy tendencies wouldn’t work at the academy.
And thank god, because I had far bigger things to worry about.
Frank yanked at my sleeve and pulled me away from the crowd, and I tried to drown out the sound of everyone muttering under their breath. It was a dull buzz, like a hive of hyperactive bees, and I found myself grinding my teeth in frustration all over again by the time my pyromancer friend pushed me into my bedroom.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he gnawed on his bottom lip and shut the door behind us.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I flung my hands up into the air in a throwaway gesture and then shook my head with a sigh. “Zach is a douche.”
“Agreed,” Frank said. “But we all saw him start that.”
“Somnia didn’t,” I grumbled, and I started to pace around my room as my blood continued to boil. “He’s lucky I didn’t fry his ass. We’ve been here all of two minutes, and I already got in a fight.”
“Nothing you could have done,” Frank assured me. “It was self-defense. And I’m sure Somnia can see right through all of the Zeus bros.”
“I hope so,” I said with a frown. “I’m sure Mori will find out. Ugh.”
“Wait, Mori?” Frank asked, and his expression went from worry to excitement within the blink of an eye. “Like, the actual Mori?”
“Do you know him?” I asked as I flopped down onto the edge of my bed. I suddenly felt exhausted.
“I only know of him,” Frank said as he eagerly took a seat on my desk chair. “He’s a Dreamer, right? Astral projection, I read somewhere.”
“Yeah…” I confirmed my friend’s theory and then fixed him with a stare. “But wait, how do you know about him?”
“He’s only the most famous Dreamer to ever live,” Frank snorted at me. “Before I activated, I really wanted to be in the Dreamer pillar, so I did my research.
“You wanted to be a Dreamer?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Frank said with a wistful sigh. “My grandfather was the only one to activate in my family, though, and he was a Conduit himself, so what hope did I have? I’m just glad I got a power.”
“Yeah, I come from a family of Conduits, too.” I nodded. “Yet here I am, with multiple powers apparently.”
“And Mori to teach you!” Frank grinned excitedly. “The guy’s a legend, he was the most famous man on the planet back in his day. Now I guess he runs this place. You really hadn’t ever heard of him before?”
“Nope,” I said with a sigh. “And yet, somehow, I trusted him enough to put his mojo on me and spend an entire evening having an out of body experience.”
“You astral projected?” Frank’s jaw almost hit the floor. “You’re shitting me.”
“I mean, Mori did it to me,” I explained. “I… He said it was a test. Well, multiple tests.”
“For all four pillars?” Frank asked quickly. His excitement started to bubble over to the point where he couldn’t sit still any longer, and he hopped to his feet. “Holy crap, Mark, are you an Omega?”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed and waved my hand. “I have no fucking idea what I am, but apparently I have the chops for it, and it’s freaking me the fuck out.”
“Mark, that’s so fucking cool!” Frank clapped his hands together but kept his voice hushed.
He wasn’t acting freaked out or disgusted like some of the other fledglings, and for that I was extremely grateful.
“I guess it is pretty cool,” I agreed with a reluctant half-smile. “But pretty damn tiring.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Frank nodded quickly. “Did you pass all four pillars?”
“According to Mori, yeah.” I shrugged. “It took it outta me, though, and now I have to train in all four of them.”
“There hasn’t been an Omega for close to a century,” Frank said as he frowned thoughtfully. “I did a whole buncha research before I got here, figured knowledge is power and all that, and I remember reading up on the lore from this crazy old book my grandmother had. But she said those who show affinity for all four pillars have the power to unlock all powers, and that’s what Omegas are, so I figure you’ll have your work cut out for you, and honestly, thank God the Antis aren’t still kicking about, but--”
“Frank, dude, I’m tired as hell,” I interrupted him with a sigh and an apologetic smile. “I promise I’ll keep you in the loop, but I think I just need to pass the hell out right now.”
“Understandable,” Frank said with a grin. “I probably should, too. Basic training tomorrow.”
“Which means Zach and his buddies will do their utmost to impress everyone, yet again.” I rolled my eyes and then shared my friend’s smirk. “Though I’ll see what I can do about putting them through their paces.”
“Good plan.” Frank let out a lighthearted chuckle as he headed for the door. “Get some sleep.”
I did as he suggested and crawled into bed with my mind racing uncontrollably. I ached everywhere, mentally and physically, and after the adrenaline of my altercation with the Zeus bros finally wore off, I started to feel the stress of the evening creep up on me.
I’d nearly caused a fire on the first social night at the academy, I’d met Mori, an incredibly famous Dreamer who’d put me through my paces and literally torn my soul from my body to do so, and also I was about to be the first Omega in the superhero community in close to a century.
It was an odd feeling, but an exhilarating one, and that was mostly the reason why I felt so exhausted. It was born from excitement, not anxiousness, and I had a huge grin on my face as my eyes slid shut and sleep finally took me.
I slept dreamlessly and woke the next morning in exactly the same position I’d passed out, and I groaned as I heaved myself off the mattress, stretched my arms above my head, and stifled a huge yawn.
Then I took a quick shower and let my thoughts empty themselves from my mind and dribble down the drain along with the steady stream of water, and I dressed myself quickly in the hopes that I could grab something highly caffeinated before what I was sure was going to be another tiring day.
Frank was already up when I appeared in the common room, and he eagerly waved me over to a table close to the kitchen area.
“Morning,” he said with a knowing smirk when I stifled another yawn. “There’s a legit espresso machine in the kitchen area, have at it.”
“Thank god,” I moaned and quickly went to fix myself a cup.
There was a veritable feast for breakfast already prepared in the fledgling common area. I walked into the kitchen space and was met with huge silver platters stacked high with fluffy-looking pancakes and glass bottles of syrups, mountains of greasy fried potatoes, and a literal pile of bacon slices. There was also a long row of yogurt pots with a fancy-looking honeycomb display beside it, and then a whole tea station with at least twenty different flavors to choose from. I just grabbed a couple pastries and some fresh fruit before I made an attempt to work the espresso machine.
It was a huge industrial-looking thing built right into the chrome wall with several spouts to place a cup under, but it was surprisingly simple enough. There was a button marked flat white, and that was good enough for me.
I returned to sit with Frank, and we enjoyed our breakfast as we wondered out loud about what the day might have in store for us.
The entire time, I could feel the eyes of the rest of the class on me, but whenever I looked up, everyone looked away and started up hushed conversations. I knew they were talking about me, about me being an Omega specifically, but at least they were keeping their opinions to themselves.
“Fledglings!”
I looked up from my croissant when I heard Somnia’s cool voice echo throughout the common room, and I saw the ethereal-looking Dreamer standing just by the elevators with a cool smile on her face.
“Today is the first day of the rest of your life!” she said with a light air of excitement as she spread her arms wide. “Now that you’ve been placed into your pillars, you will begin your basic training. This will all be done within the same facility, of course, so that you have a better understanding of each other and your abilities.”
“What does that mean for me, do you think?” I muttered to Frank, who just shrugged helplessly at me.
“Basic training is meant to be enjoyable, but by no means easy,” Somnia continued. “This is where you really need to let loose with your power, do not be afraid to use it. You are expected on the eleventh floor in fifteen minutes, where you’ll meet your trainers. Have fun!”
Somnia turned on her heel and waved over her shoulder as she headed back toward the long row of elevators, and I turned to my friend with a raised eyebrow.
“This should be interesting…” I said as I took the last sip of my flat white.
The entire common room was suddenly buzzing like a beehive again, with muttered conversations fueled by a strong sense of excitement. Frank and I almost immediately finished up our food and headed right for the elevators, and most of our classmates eventually followed suit.
The fledglings headed to the eleventh floor as instructed, and I couldn’t help but let my mouth hang open when I saw the training facility.
Almost the entire floor was open-plan, aside from the west side which had walled-off locker rooms for each pillar. The rest of the place looked like an insane sparring room the size of an airplane hangar.
The floor was a soft spongy material like high school wrestling mats, and as I followed the rest of the fledglings out of the elevators, we were greeted by four trainers who were already waiting for us.
They were all dressed in skintight red jumpsuits, with a thick silver zipper down the front and silver piping along the seams, and the four of them had wide smiles plastered on their faces as we approached them.
The guy on the left had cool blue eyes that looked impossibly pale, a huge grin on his face, and jet-black hair that looked like it could’ve been longer than most of the girls’ except it was tied neatly up into a tight bun. The girl beside him was petite and had her honey-blonde hair knotted into a messy ponytail, and on her other side was a freakishly tall guy with mousy-brown hair and a crooked nose. Lastly, there was a curvy woman with bright green eyes and wavy ginger hair plaited into two long braids. She also had literal wolf ears, covered in soft fur the same color as her red hair.
“Welcome!” The guy with the black hair tied into a bun spread his arms wide as he greeted us. “My name’s Liam, and I’m a Conduit trainer.”
The blonde with the messy ponytail was called Abby, and she was going to take care of the Dreamers. The rakishly thin guy with the brown hair was called Pete, and he was the trainer for the Tempest pillar. And the last trainer was Jennifer, the curvy redhead with the braids and the wolf ears who was going to be looking after the Corps.
They split the fledglings up into their assigned pillars, and since no one had said anything different to me so far, I just stuck with Frank and the other Conduits. Our trainer, Liam, bounced from foot to foot like he was walking on hot coals, and his grin was so wide it looked almost comical.
“What’s up, baby Conduits!” he said as he nodded at the group of us and rubbed his hands together excitedly. “I’m super stoked to be a trainer this year, I’ve been studying at the academy for a couple years now, and becoming a trainer is something that a good number of you will end up doing, too.”
