The gaming pods slowly opened with soft mechanical hisses.
Bobby practically stumbled out of his pod first.
“…What the hell man?!”
He looked genuinely traumatized.
“Your punch literally evaporated me!”
Jack immediately burst into laughter from the viewing seats.
“No shit Sherlock!”
Bobby pointed aggressively toward Damien.
“I’m serious! One second I was preparing myself mentally…”
He mimicked bracing for impact dramatically.
“…then BOOM. Suddenly I’m watching my own defeat screen.”
Damien climbed out of his pod calmly.
“You said you couldn’t tank a direct hit.”
“I DIDN’T THINK YOU’D TEST THE THEORY IMMEDIATELY.”
Jack laughed even harder.
The sound echoed through the massive gaming arena while Bobby continued complaining dramatically about “unfair Vice Captain powers.”
But despite all the joking…
The match had affected all three of them deeply.
Especially Bobby.
Because for the first time since entering Verdancy…
He fully realized how abnormal Damien actually was.
And Damien himself quietly realized something else too.
Dr.
Frost definitely noticed that strange output difference.
There was no way he hadn’t.
The following three weeks passed surprisingly quickly.
Much faster than anyone expected.
Life inside Verdancy slowly became normal.
Or at least…
As normal as secretly being one of sixteen genetically perfect Superhumans training inside an underground terrorist organization could become.
The Superhuman Unit adapted frighteningly fast.
Especially regarding the Second Stage.
At first many expected external Aether manipulation to be impossibly difficult.
But surprisingly…
Most of them learned the basics within days.
Simple Aether blasts.
Weapon infusion.
Basic projection techniques.
Of course control still varied massively between individuals.
Adrian focused heavily on destructive output.
Ria prioritized precision.
Sylvia excelled at stable manipulation.
Drew naturally adapted extremely quickly.
And Damien…
Well…
Damien’s learning speed honestly started becoming concerning.
Even to himself.
The Fighting King Simulator meanwhile became an absolute disaster.
Or masterpiece.
Depending on perspective.
The boys from both squads became completely addicted to it.
Every single evening turned into chaos.
“TWENTY CREDITS ON ADRIAN.”
“YOU’RE ACTUALLY INSANE.”
“Damien’s banned from betting.”
“That feels discriminatory.”
“Because you punch people into alternate dimensions.”
Entire rivalries started forming through the simulator.
Bobby and Adrian fought constantly.
Jack somehow became weirdly good at terrain usage.
Drew specialized in counterattacks.
Sasha fought like a maniac.
Even shy Silver became terrifying inside simulations once combat started.
And somehow…
Without fully realizing it…
They were improving rapidly.
Combat instincts.
Aether control.
Adaptability.
Creativity.
The simulator trained all of it naturally.
Dr.
Frost probably planned it from the beginning.
One particular match even became legendary inside the base.
Adrian vs Sasha.
Moon terrain.
Low gravity.
The entire fight ended when Sasha kicked Adrian into orbit accidentally.
Bobby laughed about it for two straight days.
Eventually however…
The final week before mandatory training resumed arrived.
And Damien decided to go home.
Not permanently.
Just temporarily. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
But something about it felt important.
Maybe because deep down…
He knew things would never truly return to normal again.
Blueburn City welcomed him with familiar neon lights and endless skyscrapers stretching into the clouds.
Hover traffic moved across the sky like streams of artificial stars while giant holographic advertisements painted the night with shifting colors.
For the first time in weeks…
Damien felt strangely nostalgic.
This city used to feel like his whole world.
Now…
It felt smaller somehow.
He walked quietly through the familiar streets until eventually stopping before a certain house.
Sarah’s house.
Right next to his own.
The lights were still on upstairs.
Damien hesitated briefly.
Then knocked.
A few seconds later—
Rapid footsteps echoed inside.
Then the door burst open.
“DAMIEN!”
Before he could react—
Sarah practically launched herself at him.
THUD.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly while burying her face against his chest.
And then Damien realized—
She was crying.
Not lightly either.
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she held onto him tightly like she was afraid he might disappear again immediately.
“Where were you all this time?!” she asked between breaths.
“You’ve been missing school and you were never home and you didn’t even bother to call!”
Her voice shook badly.
Then quieter—
“I thought you were dead…”
Damien froze slightly.
That sentence hit harder than expected.
Sarah finally let go enough to look at him directly.
Her eyes were slightly red now.
“All this happened right after you met with that tech recruitment guy…”
She wiped her eyes quickly.
“Frost… something.”
Damien stayed silent.
And Sarah immediately noticed.
Which only worried her more.
“Damien…”
Her voice became softer now.
“If you truly see me as your friend…”
She looked directly into his eyes.
“…you’ll tell me what’s going on.”
For once…
Damien genuinely didn’t know what to say immediately.
After a long silence—
He sighed quietly.
“Sarah…”
His voice sounded heavier than usual.
“I’m sorry.”
That alone surprised her slightly.
Damien rarely apologized.
“After meeting Dr. Frost…”
He looked downward briefly.
“…my life changed instantly.”
The wind outside rustled softly against the quiet neighborhood while he spoke.
“He had answers.”
Sarah listened silently.
“Answers to questions I’ve had since I was a child.”
Damien’s voice remained calm.
But this time…
There was actual emotion underneath it.
“I got curious.”
His hands tightened slightly.
“So curious that I left without saying anything.”
He laughed weakly once.
“I guess that was selfish.”
Sarah stared quietly at him.
Because this version of Damien…
Felt different somehow.
More distant.
But also more honest.
Then Damien looked at her again.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Sarah nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Her voice became quieter.
“What is it?”
Damien hesitated.
Actually hesitated.
Then finally—
Even he stumbled slightly over the words.
“I’ll be leaving again for a while.”
Her expression changed immediately.
“I don’t know how long.”
His voice remained steady.
“Maybe a week.”
“Maybe a year.”
“Maybe only a few days.”
The silence in the room became painfully heavy.
“But I won’t really be staying here anymore.”
Sarah’s fingers tightened slightly.
Damien looked away briefly.
“I have… another life now.”
That sentence sounded strange even to him.
“And I don’t want to drag you into it.”
Sarah stayed completely silent now.
“I’ll try my best to keep in touch.”
Damien forced a faint smile.
“And visit sometimes.”
Then his expression became serious again.
“But if one day I disappear completely…”
His voice lowered slightly.
“…for your own safety…”
“…don’t look for me.”
The room fell silent.
Completely silent.
Sarah stared at him for several seconds.
Then finally—
“Damien…”
Her voice sounded small now.
“I don’t fully understand what you’re saying.”
She stepped slightly closer.
“But…”
Her eyes locked onto his.
“I trust you more than anyone.”
Damien froze slightly.
Then Sarah continued quietly.
“So I need you to promise me something.”
“…What?”
“That you’ll never disappear.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“That you’ll always be my friend.”
Then softer—
“And that you won’t push yourself too hard.”
Damien blinked once.
Then unexpectedly…
A faint smile appeared.
“That’s technically three things.”
Sarah stared at him seriously.
“…Alright,” Damien admitted quietly.
“I’ll try.”
And somehow…
That answer felt more genuine than any promise he could have made.
The atmosphere slowly became lighter afterward.
They talked for hours.
Like old times.
School gossip.
Funny neighborhood stories.
Childhood memories.
Even stupid arguments from middle school resurfaced somehow.
At one point Sarah complained for nearly ten minutes about Damien ignoring messages.
Which was fair honestly.
Eventually night fully settled across Blueburn City.
And without realizing it…
The two had wandered outside while talking.
The futuristic streets glowed beneath the silver moonlight while cool wind flowed between the towering buildings above.
Finally—
It became time to leave.
Damien stopped walking.
Sarah stopped beside him quietly.
Neither spoke immediately.
Then Damien looked toward her one last time.
“Goodbye for now.”
Sarah nodded slowly.
“…Don’t die.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“I’m serious.”
Damien gave a small nod.
Then—
His portable teleporter activated.
Blue light surrounded his body softly.
The wind suddenly rose around the empty street, blowing Sarah’s hair and dress gently beneath the moonlight.
For a brief moment…
She looked almost unreal.
Like a goddess standing alone beneath a silver sky.
And then—
Damien vanished.
Leaving only drifting blue particles behind.