"Hey... you're seeing this, right? I'm not blind, right?"
"Don't worry, you're not blind..."
"What the hell...?"
The murmurs grew louder-some trembled in fear, others stood frozen in shock. A few fell to their knees, unable to bear the overwhelmingly terrifying sight.
The air was thick with the stench of blood. The monstrous creatures lay in grotesque piles, their once-terrifying forms now lifeless. But rather than easing the tension, their deaths only deepened the people's fear.
Because more terrifying than the monsters... was her.
Still in the sky, stepping atop a black, floating mass, cloaked in shadows. A crimson scythe in her hand, and from her lips she let out a maniacal laughter-a bone-chilling sound that echoed through the streets. Her eyes gleamed with twisted amusement, sending shivers down every spine.
The people couldn't look away. Torn between the monstrous corpses and the girl above them, they didn't know which was worse. Her power felt foreign, unnatural-something that didn't belong in their world.
With every swing of her scythe, another monster fell. She moved with deadly elegance, that wicked smile never fading.
Then, one monster moved. It hadn't died.
It slowly rose, lifting its club once more and stalking toward her while she was still fighting off the others.
Kritanta sensed his movement. She turned to him, ready to strike again.
Swish-
But before her scythe could reach its neck, the creature's head already had a hole in his head. She paused, confused.
Then came the gust-sharp and slicing-she felt the rest of the monsters around her falling one by one.
She turned her gaze upward towards the direction of where it had come from.
Atop a tall building stood a girl, around her age. But unlike Kritanta's eerie presence, this girl radiated an ethereal light. Her long silver hair shimmered in the breeze, and her peridot eyes locked directly onto Kritanta-calm, clear, and unwavering.
Then, she suddenly disappeared, 'Was that superspeed? Or teleportation? No.. it definitely wasn't...She moved like wind.. No, she became wind.' And there stood the confused Kritanta, 'Humans can do that?', she thought. Although she suspected she might be from another race, but she can't sense another blood in her. So she must be a human.
"Hey! Girl! What are you doing over there!?"
She turned towards the sound and saw a group moving through the smoke and rubble. Cloaks fluttered behind them, their armor glinting under the light. Swords, staves, and weapons of all kinds at the ready. She stared at them intently, trying to assess them.
A guild.
Their emblems gleamed on their shoulders, unified and official-but their eyes were filled with wariness as they stared at her, the girl still floating with a bloodstained scythe in hand. To them, she looked nothing more than a grim-reaper-with bloodstained clothes, her dark hair that matches her cloak and her eyes that resembles blood.
Her stare alone was enough to make them gulp nervously. She continued to stare for a bit, trying to assess their strengths before removing the black magic that kept her afloat making her fall to the ground, landing safely on her feet.
She slowly looked up at them, tightly holding her crimson scythe.
No one moved.
The silence between them was sharp-until one of the armored figures, clearly the leader, stepped forward with caution. His voice was steady, but she heard the forced calm in it.
"Excuse us, miss... I'm Orren and we're from the Celestial Code Guild," he announced. "We're... the ones in charge of protecting this city."
Kritanta tilted her head, uninterested. "And?"
"You were seen slaying over a dozen Class-B monsters... alone," the man continued. "That kind of power is unprecedented."
Another guild member whispered nervously, "They didn't even touch her. She floated down with some... black thing and she literally laughed while killing them. If that's not psycho personality, I don't know what is."
The man's eyes narrowed. "We're not here to hurt you. But we need to understand what just happened. Please, come with us for questioning."
The others shifted behind him, gripping their weapons tightly in their hands, unsure if they were speaking to their savior or not.
"She... handled that attack alone," they whispered, gesturing to the piles of monster corpses around them. "Even our elite were struggling before she showed up."
The others joined in and glanced at each other uncomfortably. One then muttered to the person next to him, "Is she even human...?"
Kritanta narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"No! No-we're just... asking."
Kritanta didn't respond. Just slowly lowered her weapon.
'Fine. But if they try anything stupid, I'll rip them apart', she thought. 'On another hand... Who was that girl?'
Kritanta didn't resist as they tugged her forward, her eyes narrowed, but her steps fluid. The strange metallic beast before her hissed and clicked open, revealing cushioned seats and a low hum, like a predator waiting.
"This is... a carriage?" she muttered under her breath.
The girl pushing her forward-sharp-eyed, gum-chewing, bored-snorted. "It's a car.
Kritanta tilted her head, processing. Kar? Whatever it was, it moved without beasts. Still, she slid in, her posture rigid, her fingers ghosting over the door's smooth surface like it might bite her. The door slammed shut beside her with a heavy thud, and the glass around her vibrated slightly.
The car started. She braced instinctively, but the vehicle rolled forward with smooth precision.
The man beside her then said dryly. "We're driving you to CHO Headquarters."
"CHO," Kritanta repeated, voice laced with mild contempt. "You speak as if it holds authority. Like a throne."
"It is a throne. Just one with bureaucrats instead of kings."
Outside, the world unfolded like a fever dream.
Towering buildings with mirrored skin reached for the clouds, their tops blooming with antennas and floating platforms. Billboards flashed animated sigils-glowing glyphs that twisted and shimmered as if alive. Between the structures, streams of light danced-holographic butterflies fluttering over commuters, and flocks of mechanical birds flying alongside drones.
In the sky, chunks of land floated lazily, connected by glowing bridges or simply drifting like sacred relics lost to gravity. On one of them, she saw a spiraling temple suspended in air, its base surrounded by rings of pale fire.
Orren leaned back on his chair, arms behind his head, watching the girl look outside with a fascinated expression.
"So," he said, "you gonna tell me how you did that? How you slaughtered them?"
Rose shrugged. "I didn't really... do anything. It just happened."
He gave her a skeptical glance. "Sure. People just manages to slaughter all the time."
She looked down at her hands. "I didn't even know people from here can get powers... No wonder you reacted like this."
Orren's brow furrowed. "Wait-you didn't know about Anomalies?"
"Is that what you're called?" she asked.
"Some of us. Depends on what you can do. People who awaken usually go through it young. Late bloomers like you are rare... and usually not this strong."
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not registered, are you?"
"Registered?"
He groaned. "Okay, wow. You're basically a newborn."
He gestured vaguely around them. "There's normal people, then there's us-people with powers. We're ranked based on what we can do. That power of yours? I don't even know what that fits into."
Rose blinked. "Ranked?"
"Yeah. D, C, B, A... then the freaks." He smiled like it was a joke, but his eyes weren't joking.
"There's a system for all this. Hunters, Guilds, territory. It's complicated."
"You make it sound like a game."
"Wish it was."
He stood and stretched. "Anyway, you've got more power than you should. That's gonna get you attention. The wrong kind."
Rose hesitated. "Is that bad?"
Orren didn't answer. He just looked at her like he knew something she didn't.
"Tell me this-has anyone else seen you do that before?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Good," he said, too quickly. "Keep it that way. For now."
A man walked by with molten veins glowing beneath translucent skin, his arm pulsing like lava. A child zipped down the sidewalk riding a breeze he conjured with every giggle. Another woman-perhaps not even human-had porcelain limbs and hair of living shadow.
Kritanta murmured. "Their appearance... shaped by their 'anomalies,' was it?"
The man nodded, cautiously interested. "You pick things up fast."
'I've seen monsters born from nightmares. Demons forged from desire. But never... this. This chaos of acceptance.' She leaned forward, watching a woman shift her arms into wings of glass as she landed on a rooftop as she thought silently to herself. 'They are loved. Or at least, tolerated. In the human world I knew, they'd be burned.'
Kritanta stared out the tinted window in silence for a while, her crimson eyes reflecting the brilliant skyline of this human world. Towering structures kissed the floating islands above, tethered to the land by glowing chains. Lights flickered across the city like restless stars, and individuals twisted the elements to their whims as casually as breathing.
"So this is what the rest of Earth looks like," she said abruptly, still watching the streaks of neon.
Orren raised an eyebrow. "Earth? What's that?"
Kritanta slowly turned toward him, confusion flashing across her features. "You don't know Earth? The world without magic-only machines and iron towers. A dull realm that dreamed of power but never held it. I thought this was Earth, merely... changed."
Orren gave a half-shrug. "I've never heard of an Earth. This is Caelvaris. Some still call it Terra, from the old tongue. But Earth? No. Not in any of our records."
Kritanta stared at him, genuinely shaken for a moment. "Then... where am I?" she muttered, more to herself. "If this isn't the place from those old tales..."
Orren glanced ahead, his voice lowering. "What I know is this-our history begins after The Sundering. Seven centuries ago, something shattered the world. Cities fell, mountains split, and the sky bled. The old empire vanished, leaving behind relics no one understood."
Kritanta narrowed her eyes. "You speak of it as if it were myth."
"It might as well be. Most people don't remember anything beyond three generations. The Age of Silence wiped out more than magic-it took memory. Names, meanings... gone. That's why we call it The Era of Convergence now. Magic and machines coexist, but barely. And the current Caelvaris only managed to get a few scraps and broken stones from the Old Age."
She studied him as he continued.
"We've divided each region or country into different sectors. Each region is ruled by their owns sets of governments. Like.. Elaris! Elaris is a country that has a constitutional monarchy system and has 21 sectors while Aurelace has a semi-presidential system and has 25 sectors."
Kritanta raised an eyebrow at his words. "Oh? Tell me more. I want to know more about the countries."
He thought for a second before continuing, "Caelvaris has a total of ten different countries. We have Elaris, Aurelace, Zhuyue, Kemetra, Raavkal, Varethiel, Calverand, Thessaria, Sahadva and Namyra. And the country we're in now is Calverand... We also actually have a central city called Aestharra, it's in the very center of Caelvaris. That's where all of the rich and the privileged gather since it's a place for trades and stuff. That's also where the fancy academies and all are."
Kritanta nodded slowly, listening carefully to his explanations. "And what about the CHO that you mentioned?
Orren thought for a while on how to explain it as best as he could before proceeding, "The CHO or Central Heroic Order is the paramilitary and regulatory organization that oversees all powered individuals across Caelvaris."
Kritanta leaned in slightly. "Anomalies. Now that I think about it, that's a pretty good way to call it"
Orren nodded. "Everyone's power manifests differently. Some are minor-just heightened senses. Others reshape the world around them. Mine's called Phaseburn." He raised a hand; a dim, flickering flame hovered above his skin, violet and jagged like cracked glass. "It lets me bypass solid matter for a few seconds. It hurts like hell."
She tilted her head. "You bear your gift like it's a curse."
"Because it is. Every ability here comes at a price. Overuse of mine eats away at my nerves. Others go blind, mute, or lose sleep for weeks."
"I see.." She said as she listened quietly. "Well, that was some good information." She murmured to herself as she looked back out the window.
___________________________________________
They brought her a massive tower made of glass and steel that almost reached the sky. The name "Central Heroic Order" (CHO) was placed outside in big and bold letters. Inside, dozens of heroes and agents swarmed the halls. Some watched her warily in silence, others whispered excitedly-curious about the girl who slaughtered all those monsters alone.
Kritanta's expression remained deadpan as they they led her to an enclosed white room. There, was a guy sitting nervously, his fingers fidgeting nervously-as if he was waiting for them to arrive.
She sat down slowly, every movement graceful, with an air of quiet confidence in the white room within the Headquarters, the walls soundproofed and one-sided glass reflecting a tired version of herself. Her scythe was confiscated (or at least they thought it was-the scythe would return when wanted to anyways), and a team of analysts, mages, and psychologists gathered on the other side of the glass, whispering in nervous confusion.
Inside the room, the guild leader from earlier leaned forward with a notepad. "Hello, Miss. I am Darian Vox, an officer from the CHO's Recruitment and Integration officer", he said nervously with a serious look on his face.
Greeted with silence, he then continued. "We saw the remains of the monsters you killed. You took down at least 28 of them. Alone. Civilians have also mentioned, saying you laughed while doing it."
"I did," Kritanta answered, blunt.
Darian jotted something down, then looked up. "And what were you doing in Sector 9? That district's been off-limits since the monster activity began
Kritanta shrugged slightly. "Passing through. Looking for something." A flicker of something-grief, rage, maybe both-passed through her eyes.
"Looking for what?"
She smiled faintly. "Medicine."
The man blinked. "You mean supplies?"
"No," she said, voice quiet. "A very specific medicine. Someone stole it from me." The man paused before continuing with his questions.
"And that scythe of yours... it wasn't detected as an artifact or a summoned weapon. You also used black... energy to float midair. That's no registered ability. Who trained you?"
One of the analysts behind the glass whispered, 'That... isn't a quirk, or tech. It's something else.'
"No one," she said. "I did it myself."
The man's brows furrowed. "We've cross-checked every registry-Hero Academy, Rogue Network, even black-market entries. You're not in our system. Not even under a fake name."
Kritanta looked unbothered. "I'm not part of your network."
"Then who are you?" the man asked carefully.
There was a pause. Kritanta thought to herself, There was no benefit to telling them her real name. Not yet.
"Rose," she said, tasting the lie on her tongue. It wasn't really her first name-but it would do, for now.
The man paused. "Last name?"
"I have no last name."
"Then age?"
"Fifteen."
"Background?"
"Orphan. No records, no family. I don't even remember where I was born."
The room grew silent.
The guild leader looked over at the others watching behind the glass, then back at her.
"You're aware that your actions could have been seen as a threat, right?"
"I killed monsters," Kritanta replied. "You're welcome."
A flicker of amusement passed through the Darian's expression before he leaned forward. "We're offering you a position. An S-Class provisional rank. You'll be supervised, trained, and assigned missions. You'll get food, shelter, and pay."
Kritanta's eyes narrowed slightly. "In return for?"
"Your power. And because someone like you, left unsupervised, would either be hunted down or recruited by the wrong people. We'd rather you work with us. With your strength, you could save cities... or level them."
Kritanta was quiet for a moment, eyes focused downward. The offer was tempting, but she didn't want to waste her time. If they can't provide what she needs, then she has no reason to join them. So she asked, "If I join... will I have access to your network?"
"Yes," the guild leader nodded. "A global database of heroes, villains, lost tech, crime syndicates-why?"
"I'm looking for someone."
The room went still.
The guild leader studied her face, then said, "Then you have more reason than most to join. You help us. We help you."
Kritanta looked away for a moment... then gave a slow, deliberate nod. She thought about it. She can't just go around looking for the thief blindly-especially since she knows nothing in this world, so joining an organization that has access to multiple information may help her.
"...Fine."
Darian smiled. "Welcome to the Central Heroic Order, S-Class recruit 'Rose'."
"Whatever..", she said coldly. "Can I go now?"
As Kritanta was about to stand, ready to leave the white room, Darian, motioned for her to stay seated.
"Before you go," he began, his voice steady but not without an edge, "We'll assign someone to guide you through the initial phase. You're new to being a hero and stuff, and we can't afford any... misunderstandings." He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle in the air. "They'll show you the ropes, make sure you're settled into your new role. For your own safety-and ours."
Kritanta arched a brow, unfazed. "I don't need a babysitter."
Darian smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "No, you don't. But someone needs to keep an eye on you, 'Rose.' You're not the only powerful person in this city, and not everyone is as... forgiving as we are."
He waved his hand, and from behind a partition, a figure stepped forward.
Kritanta's eyes flicked over to them-tall, with dark, messy hair and a hard, unreadable expression. The new arrival wore a black cloak with a distinct red emblem on the sleeve, indicating their rank within the guild. They walked in silence, meeting Kritanta's gaze with a level of cool detachment that matched her own.
"This is Elian," Darian said. "He's an A-Class hero and your new guide. He'll accompany you during your training and assignments until we're confident you can operate independently."
Elian gave a curt nod but didn't offer a handshake or even an introduction. He simply stood there, his posture still, eyes scanning Kritanta as if he were trying to gauge her every move.
Kritanta studied him back, feeling the weight of his silent assessment. There was something calculating in his eyes, something that told her he wasn't here to be a mentor but a warden.
"I don't need a babysitter," she repeated, her tone colder than before. "I'm not a child."
Elian's lips twitched into something resembling a smile, though it was more of a smirk. "Don't worry," he replied, his voice smooth but laced with caution. "I'm not here to babysit. Just here to make sure you don't tear the city apart."
Darian glanced between them, sensing the tension that was building. "I'm sure you'll get along just fine." He stood up, brushing off his hands. "Elian will brief you on your first assignment. And, 'Rose'-remember, your actions will be observed. Don't make us regret this decision."
With that, Darian left the room, leaving Kritanta and Elian alone.
Kritanta stared at him for a moment, the silence between them thick and suffocating. She didn't trust him, not one bit. But at least he was here for a purpose, just like she was. And if she played her cards right, she could use him just as much as he might try to use her.
"Lead the way," she said finally, standing up and readying herself for whatever came next.
Elian gave a nod, motioning for her to follow. "Come with me. We've got a lot to go over."
As they walked out of the room, Kritanta couldn't help but feel the eyes of everyone else in the building on her. She was dangerous-she knew it. And now, she had someone who would make sure she stayed that way.