After his mother bid him farewell, Ven found himself engrossed in the strange blog post. He must’ve read it a dozen times… or maybe more. It claimed to know the exact location and time of the twenty-first Emergence—and somehow, it was near his hospital. Despite his illness, a glimmer of hope stirred within him. He envisioned this as an opportunity to become a superhero and possibly even be cured. There were rumors—barely verified, half-whispered stories online—that some Emergences had healed people. Real, life-changing healing. It wasn’t fully proven, but what if it was true? If there was even the slightest chance… he couldn’t afford to miss it.
The television was only tempting him further. A replay was running—one of those flashy clips of the famous husband-and-wife superhero team taking down villains in the middle of Spectralis. The city looked like something out of a dream. At sunset, the lights seemed to be so bright that they outshined the stars.
Spectralis, the city located within the nation of Aerilon was the heart of Superhero stardom. It was essentially Superhero central and it wasn’t just powerful. It was proud, alive, and bursting with culture. It was a very diverse city, people all around the world chose to live there for the Superhero culture. Every district seemed to have had its own flavor. At the city’s core stood the Hero Brunch—the headquarters of the world’s top heroes.
But not everything about the city was bright. For every cape flying overhead, there were ten villains lurking in the shadows. Everyone knew it. Even the heroes. As much as people thought it was a safe haven, it was really far from it.
The battle Ven was watching had taken place in Spectralis’s bustling financial district. Artico, the ice-powered hero, was on full display—slick moves, sharp reflexes, and enough control to maybe even outshine Stylo, another big name in the ice scene. His wife, Ms. Pyra, wasn’t any less impressive. She was a fire-powered hero that brought the “heat.”
Ven had noticed a pattern. A lot of emergees ended up with fire or ice powers. It was weird. It was like those two powers were the most common.
One of the villains, a brute with super strength, charged at Artico like a runaway train. But Artico was quick—effortlessly slipping past every swing like it was nothing. Then, without warning, he threw out both hands and blasted a massive wall of ice straight at the grunt. The villain hit the ground and was basically down for the count.
Not far off, Ms. Pyra had her hands full with two others—one flying, the other using telekinesis. Flames burst from her boots as she launched into the sky, darting through the air like a fire-powered eagle. She was locked into a high-speed aerial clash with the flier.
The psychic villain hurled a barrage of stones at Ms. Pyra, but she snatched one out of the air and whipped it back at the flying villain. He dodged it with ease—but that’s exactly what she wanted. The moment he shifted, she unleashed a wave of fire that swallowed him whole, dropping him mid-flight.
The other villain tried to counter with another rock, but before he could throw it, ice crept up his legs and locked him in place—Artico’s doing. He barely had time to panic before Ms. Pyra hit him with a blazing blast that knocked him out cold.
What made the fight even more impressive was the way the experienced emergees held back. Even with all the chaos, they stayed in control—carefully dialing back their powers to avoid doing any real harm. It took serious restraint, especially in a fight like that. In short, Ms. Pyra’s flames would not kill anyone (unless she wanted them to).
Ven was hooked. The footage on TV had him completely drawn in—it felt almost too real. Whoever filmed it deserved way more credit than they were probably getting. If only he could fight just like the heroes.
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As he watched the chaos unfold, something strange hit him. He’d seen tons of superhero fights before, but now that he thought about it… the villains never really won. Not in any of the recordings he’s seen anyway. He couldn’t tell if it was just coincidence, media control, or something deeper—but it made him think.
And then came the what-ifs. What if the rumors about the twenty-first Emergence were true? What if he somehow ended up in the middle of it? Would he suddenly become heroic like the heroes in Spectralis. He couldn’t help but picture it—becoming just like Artico or Ms. Pyra. The thought was wild, but it gave him hope. Real hope. That video wasn’t just entertainment—it lit a fire in him. Maybe… just maybe, he’d check out the rumored place for himself. If it was really legit, his life could change forever.
A mix of excitement and fear churned in his chest as he clicked off the TV. The idea of actually getting to the Emergence site felt ridiculous—especially with the terrible shape he was in. He knew the smart thing was to stay put, and try to let his new heart settle, like the doctors told him to.
But still… the thought wouldn’t leave him alone. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and it was right there, just out of reach. That kind of opportunity had a way of pulling at you, no matter how impossible it seemed.
He sighed as he scratched his dreadlocked head with a puzzled countenance. Deep down, he knew it was a terrible idea to try to get to the rumored Emergence site. After all, he just had a heart transplant a few weeks ago—what was he even thinking? Going to site wasn’t just reckless, it was flat out dangerous. If he really went through with it, it wouldn’t be some epic adventure. It would be probably be a nightmare. Even if he tried to go, his anxiety would likely tear him apart like a buzzsaw.
If he could have someone take him to the sight just to see what would happen, it would be spectacular, however he knew that everyone around him would immediately decline. Not many people in the world would be willing to take a recent heart transplant recipient to a random location in the middle of the night. He was likely all on his own.
Then of course, there was a chance that the author of the blog post was simply lying. That definitely wasn't impossible, but the post had a lot of traction on the superhero blog site. Many commenters were saying that the poster had credibility and that he wasn't just some troll since he supposedly made many predictions in the past that came true. Ven wanted to believe them all, he was so desperate. The post being strangely deleted a few hours later by the site only increased its credibility to him.
He took a screenshot of the location and time of the twenty-first emergence. June 26th, 2035, at 12:00am in front of the Malaika convention center. At that time, it was June 25th, 2035, at 11:01pm. The Malaika convention center was only about three miles away. He didn't know what to do… but he needed to decide fast.
Should he be a fool and sneak out of his hospital room to go to an alleged emergence with an echocardiogram scheduled in the morning, or should he be wise and rest in his hospital room and hope that his new heart (which still seemed to have complications) would fully adjust to his body.
I've got to do something, Ven thought as his eyes became watery. He was terrified of leaving his hospital room alone. He knew that the doctors and nurses would yell at him like a dog barking at a mailman, if they caught him trying to leave the hospital. His mother would also probably die of worry too. Still... maybe something had to be done.
He slowly arose from his bed and picked up a nearby walker. This was probably the dumbest thing he had ever done in his life, but he decided to put his full faith into the emergence site. He held on to the hope that it would give him superpowers and perhaps a strong healthy body. Even if it was unrealistic, even if it would be dangerous, he had to try.
He grabbed a chilled water bottle and cautiously opened the heavy door. He then slowly glanced left and right down the pristine white hallway. After Spotting a large male nurse walking away on the other end of the hall, he quickly withdrew his head. He was determined not to get caught during his daring escape to “freedom.” Once the nurse was out of sight, he emerged nervously ventured forward.
His heart pounded with anxiety, but he took a deep breath, refusing to succumb to his usual panic. He needed to reach the alleged Emergence, even if it meant risking everything. The panic was echoing, and the pain was throbbing, yet he did not stop his panic filled walk. He continued to tiptoe with his walker until he made his way toward the elevator at the far end of the hall. He believed he was undetected by anyone around, until he heard someone from behind speak to him...