A Word from the Author:
For all those accusing me of using AI to write my Chapters—you are wrong.
I don’t use AI to write the story. The only thing I use it for is checking punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes after I’ve already written the Chapter myself.
As for the people constantly complaining about the System... if you don’t like it, then don’t read it. The System was only heavily featured for a couple of Chapters because I needed to explain how it worked. After that, did I keep bringing it up every Chapter? No. I pushed it into the background where it belongs.
I just wanted to get that off my chest.
To everyone who enjoys my work, thank you for reading and supporting the story. I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy it.
Also, starting today, the update schedule will be 5 Chapters per week, from Saturday to Wednesday.
***
Like that, night arrived.
Vought Tower was lit up brighter than usual, an entire wing turned into a high-class party packed with military officials, senators, investors, and enough powerful people to start or end wars over drinks.
Music played softly through the hall while waiters moved between conversations carrying champagne and expensive smiles.
The Seven were there too.
Every single one of them wearing polished expressions for the cameras and guests, looking less like heroes and more like a walking advertisement campaign designed by people paid too much money.
Homelander stood at the center of it naturally, smiling for photos while people around him laughed a little too hard at whatever he said.
A-Train looked irritated beneath the act.
Queen Maeve looked drunk enough not to care.
Annie stayed near the edge of the room, smile present but thinner than it should’ve been after the day she’d had.
Madelyn Stillwell moved through the crowd smoothly, perfectly controlled as always, eventually stopping near Senator Calhoun, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.
The senator was holding a drink, already looking tired before the conversation even started.
"Miss Stillwell," he said politely.
"Senator," Madelyn replied with the same practiced calm.
Calhoun took another sip before looking at her properly.
"If you’re here about the bill again," he said, "my answer hasn’t changed."
"But in the current situation," Madelyn said calmly, "are you really sure this is the right time to disagree?"
She gestured toward one of the large screens across the room. News footage was playing on loop again—the red beams cutting through traffic, exploding cars, crowds running in panic while one of The Seven was visibly overpowered in public.
Senator Calhoun watched the footage for a moment before taking another sip of his drink.
"Hm," he said. "Looks to me like one of your heroes getting beaten up."
Madelyn smiled faintly, unfazed.
"And that," she replied, "is exactly the problem."
She stepped slightly closer, lowering her voice into the practiced tone she used whenever she wanted someone to think they were arriving at the conclusion themselves.
"Unregistered supes," she said. "Unknown individuals with abilities powerful enough to threaten civilians, infrastructure, even national security."
Calhoun glanced back at the screen.
"So far," he said, "this one seems more interested in attention than terrorism."
"Today," Madelyn agreed smoothly. "But what about tomorrow?"
The senator didn’t answer immediately.
"What happens when someone like this decides to attack a federal building?" she continued. "Or targets civilians intentionally? Or worse—what if foreign governments begin recruiting people like him before we do?"
That got his attention.
Madelyn could see it immediately and kept going.
"The world is changing, Senator," she said. "And whether Washington is comfortable with it or not, enhanced individuals are becoming a reality outside Vought’s control."
Calhoun exhaled quietly through his nose.
"You’re asking for superheroes in the United States military."
"I’m asking for preparedness," Madelyn corrected. "Because if another situation like this happens..."
She looked back toward the footage.
"...can conventional forces realistically stop it?"
The silence that followed lasted just long enough for the question to settle exactly where she wanted it.
***
Annie finally got out of the tower, changed back into normal clothes, and started walking home.
The party had dragged on for hours—smiles, handshakes, cameras, people talking at her instead of to her. By the end of it, she felt exhausted in a way fighting never caused.
The streets were mostly empty now, the city quieter as midnight crept closer. Storefront lights reflected across damp pavement while traffic noise faded further into the distance.
She let out a tired breath.
That entire night had felt fake.
The speeches, the politicians, the way everyone in the room talked about heroism like it was a product launch instead of people’s lives.
Annie shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and kept walking.
Then she heard it.
A woman’s voice.
"Please—leave me alone!"
Annie stopped instantly.
The sound came from a nearby alley.
She turned toward it and saw two men forcing a woman against the wall near a dumpster, one of them grabbing at her arm while the other laughed.
The woman struggled harder.
"Come on," one of the men said. "Don’t make this difficult."
Annie’s expression hardened immediately. Exhaustion vanished under something sharper.
Without thinking twice, she stepped into the alley.
"Hey!"
Annie’s voice cut through the alley sharply enough to make all three of them turn.
The two men looked annoyed.
"Why don’t you leave her alone?" Annie said, stepping closer.
One of the thugs scoffed immediately. "Mind your own fucking business."
The other looked her up and down with a grin that made Annie’s stomach turn.
"Yeah," he said. "Walk away, sweetheart."
Annie didn’t move.
The lights around the alley flickered once.
Her eyes slowly began to glow.
The men noticed it too, confidence cracking just slightly as the nearby bulbs buzzed louder from the electricity building around her.
Then another voice came from deeper in the alley.
"Yeah," a man said casually. "You should probably let her go."
Everyone turned.
At the far end of the alley, two red eyes lit up through the darkness like embers.
Before either thug could react,
Red energy exploded forward.
The blast slammed into one of them square in the chest and launched him backward hard enough to crack the wall when he hit it.
The second thug froze completely.
Recognition hit his face immediately.
"The—"
His voice shook.
"Devil..."
Then he turned and ran without even trying to help his friend, disappearing out of the alley screaming.
***
A/N: Advanced Chapters are available on Patreon.
👉 patreon.com/Mark841
Currently, 18 advanced Chapters are available