Ven closed the book that he was reading in his home’s gigantic library. His eyes were almost twitching from the shocking events he just read about. Why didn’t he consider them more? They talked about them a few times in school, but he never gave any of it much thought.

  The Emergee Wars that took place years ago were really brutal. It was like multiple firecrackers of war setting off throughout the entire planet. His nation, Bahari wasn’t as affected as other nations, like Aerilon, however a large amount of Baharians still lost their lives in the wars. In total, millions of people were killed due to superpowered nonsense. If humanity, a species that gladly committed atrocities for millennia suddenly received otherworldly abilities, then it supposedly made sense for there to be such calamity.

  He felt terrible for not previously considering all the poor people that perished in war. Before, it was always about his pain, and his trauma, and never anyone else’s. After being discharged from the hospital from his showdown with Con-Crush, he thought about how he could change his mindset.

  After being in the hospital for a little more than a week, he was strangely completely recovered. Some of the doctors claimed it was because emergees are occasionally known to heal faster than normal humans, while other doctors, the ones that hated emergees, stated that his fast recovery was also unusual, even to emergee standards. Regardless of the reason, he was just happy to be out. Hospitals were still very emotionally draining for him.

  Ven slowly exited the large library and eyed the hallways that were once destroyed by the villain who shot shockwaves from his mouth. Renovations were now almost completely finished, the builders did an amazing job. With Frank, the shockwave villain being defeated by Mlinzi, he wondered if he would ever see Choi, the speedster villain again. After fighting gang members, he felt he was way more powerful than before, so Choi probably wouldn’t stand a chance.

  He was so glad he thwarted their plans in abducting his mother, who now had to virtually stay home all the time in her home office. She was probably there now, working while sipping on tea from the nation of Korya. If she wasn’t there, then she was probably exercising in their spacious home gym.

  As he walked towards the indoor basketball court, he eyed the security personnel that were in various parts of the estate. The one guarding the door was the mysterious bodyguard Dax. Ven titled his head up when he saw him, and Dax did the same, keeping his stern expression. His aura still seemed like it was intense, just how powerful was the guy exactly? And what were his superpowers?

  He peeped through the large glass doors and saw his mother in some sort of video chat conference. Fortunately, nobody saw him.

  After a brisk walk through the marbled halls of his estate, Ven pushed open the tall glass doors to a private gym. The polished hardwood gleamed under rows of pristine skylights, and two sleek basketball hoops stood at opposite ends of the court like luxury statues. Gold trim edged the backboards, and the air smelled faintly of lemon oil and sweat. The basketball court should have been used very infrequently, maybe some of the bodyguards would use it on their breaks. He hadn’t seen it in years, he almost forgot it existed.

  He grabbed a ball from the automatic dispenser and began dribbling across the shiny floor, his sneakers echoing with each bounce. The court had everything, temperature control, high-end speakers, even self-repairing rims. Yet none of it helped his shot.

  He stepped up to the three-point line and launched the ball. It clanged off the rim. He tried again and it was another miss. Free throw… miss. Layup… rimmed out.

  C’mon… he muttered, catching the rebound and dribbling once more.

  He found himself in deep thought as he continued to dribble. He was happy he was able to win the battle two weeks ago, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t take a lot out of him. Every shot he missed felt like a quiet echo of a questions he couldn’t shake. Despite how hard he pushed his body against Con-Crush, he still found himself wrestling with vicious anxiety. It was like a poisonous fog that just wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he tried to make it. His life transformed only a little more than two weeks ago, so it was still difficult to fully comprehend that he wasn’t going to faint at any random time. With every dribble, his mind still clung to fear.

  He stood his ground against Choi because he had a goal of protecting his mother from abduction. He fought Con-Crush so intensely because he had the two goals of rescuing Asha and avenging Tamu. He took another shot at the basket, missing it completely. He remembered the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, the blinding tunnel vision, and also the moment he thought he’d never see his mom again. These clear goals were important strides that forced him to keep moving.

  Without a clear goal in protecting anyone, could he really stop the demon that would allegedly be at Umoja Terminal in two weeks? Would he subconsciously fold and let anxiety consume him? He still wanted to be a hero, as protecting the innocent felt fulfilling. He just wanted to save people while being completely mentally free. His body was not sickly anymore, what did he have to fear? As he graveled through those questions he took another shot, missing the basket yet again.

  With a frustrated growl, he clenched his fists. A surge of energy swirled through his body, and in one impulsive move, he jumped—and slammed the ball into the rim with a burst of raw power.

  The backboard cracked and the rim bent backward. The shattered remains of the goal clattered to the floor, echoing through the vast indoor court.

  Ven landed hard and stood there, chest heaving. His powers simmered down. The silence that followed felt louder than the crash.

  He stared at the broken hoop in awe. Whoops. It seems he still couldn’t completely grasp the fact that he had powers now. One of these days, his brain would need to understand the new reality—That he was healthy and that he had superpowers.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket. He picked up his phone and almost gasped when he saw the text message from Tamu.

  “It’s ready!!!!”

  ****

  “What took you so long to get here!?” fussed Tamu, as she opened the door of the fancy condo she and her sister rented.

  “It only took like 10 minutes to get here!” argued Ven while bleakly eyeing the black eyepatch that rested over one of her eyes.

  “Yeah, well I thought you’d use your powers to hop over here.”

  “I’m trying to avoid vigilante activities remember? At least for now.”

  Tamu finally let Ven into the condo. The living room was incredibly bright, and the summer sun beautifully complimented the large potted palm tree. He also noticed the humongous vending machine that carried almost every soft drink. He was already familiar with luxury, but he was glad Tamu could experience it too. Her entire family was no longer living in Ashton.

  “This place is incredible.”

  “I’m so glad to finally be out of Ashton. Now, are you ready to see your new suit!?” Tamu said eagerly, still hopping with crunches due to the cast.

  “You know I am! Where is it!?”

  Tamu handed Ven a black suit case that was set on a large elegant white couch.

  “You put it in a suitcase? Why?” questioned Ven.

  “Aw, just open it!”

  Ven anxiously and slowly began to open the suitcase. With a superhero costume now complete, he was virtually in the big leagues now. He wasn’t a registered hero yet, but a costume would definitely make a big statement. It would tell the world that The Rejuvenator is a hero not to be ignored.

  When he opened the suitcase, he pulled out a red suit with black abstracts all over it. The neck area of the suit was red. Inside the suitcase also lay two sleek black boots, to successfully accommodate the suit. He was almost salivating while looking at the suit. The brawler gloves were red, also riddled with black abstracts. It also included a red headband.

  He was extremely impressed with both the quality and design of the suit. If Tamu was able to create it with cheap materials, then she really was a powerhouse of talent.

  “Tamu, this looks awesome,” said Ven, almost speechless. “The fact that—“

  “Go try it on!” Tamu interrupted excitedly. “It should be your size.”

  “Eh, alright,” said Ven as he walked to the nearest bathroom with the suit.

  He briefly stared at himself in the spacious mirror before removing his shirt. He was still in absolute disbelief of his new fit fatigue. He got brief images of flashbacks of being in the hospital when he studied the surgery scar in between his chest. He took a deep breath and picked up the suit. Even in the midst of receiving a long awaited gift, anxiety still seemed to have wanted his head.

  He finished changing and stared at the mirror again. The suit was was tight and yet sturdy. The material probably wasn’t the strongest due to it being cheaper, but it still was great. He could finally be like all of the heroes he admired when he was suffering in bed.

  So this is what The Rejuvenator will be fighting crime in? he thought.

  Another wave of nervousness hit him like a truck. Would this also what he’d be wearing when facing the demon that would be at Umoja Terminal in two weeks? What if the demon was too powerful to defeat? He told Stylo about the warning, and he didn’t believe him, would any other hero believe him? Would he be facing a potentially world ending villain all by himself? What that be the day he would die? Was he going to lose his life in two weeks?

  He sighed before walking out of the bathroom. With a suit ready, he was going to press on. He would be referred like the heroes on television, and he was going to continue to protect the innocent… no matter what.

  “Ah! That looks amazing!” Tamu screamed with stars in her eyes. “You’re going to kick some serious villain butt with this suit. I’ve really outdone myself!”

  “And I feel amazing, I’ll put your graphic store on the map,” Ven said while slowly punching the air, finally feeling like a true hero.

  “…Oh yeah, one more thing,” Tamu said while scrimmaging through yet another bag. She pulled out a large red and somewhat damaged scarf and handed it to Ven.

  “This was… my dad’s scarf,” said Tamu sheepishly. “I uh… thought it’d look good with your suit. He loved superheroes, so it’d be cool if his old scarf was worn by one.”

  Ven thought back to the evil words Con-Crush said concerning Tamu’s father. He essentially mocked the man for dying from a drug overdose.

  “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Tamu said while looking away out of embarrassment. “It’s all up to you.”

  “Yeah, I’ll keep it,” smirked Ven. “It’ll be like my cape.” He wrapped it around over his suit.

  “Looks nice!” Tamu gleamed. “This is the best suit around.” She almost grew teary eyed after Ven put on the legacy scarf.

  “You okay?” Asked Ven.

  Tamu wiped the emerging tear from her eye. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she smiled.

  Suddenly the door opened. “Tamu, I’m back!” Asha yelled.

  She was carrying a ton of shopping bags full of clothes. She was wearing a fancy white and light green dress and her hairstyle was in a more exuberant style. She was also wearing lightly tinted sunglasses.

  “Oh, you’re here too Ven? That suit looks great!” Asha said.

  Ven felt a big gulp of anxiety fall down to his stomach.

  “You don’t even know this Asha woman! How do you know she’s not going squander my wealth? It’s okay to pay Tamu for your suit, but you seriously overpaid.”

  Ven’s mother’s words were echoing in his cranium like a ghost. Why was Asha spending so much money on a rented condo and fancy clothing? Was giving Asha a half a million oricas too much?

  “I got you some clothes too Tamu. I think you’ll like them,” Asha said happily.

  “Great!” Tamu said while rampaging through the bags.

  He studied Asha’s countenance while the two sisters were talking to one another. Asha’s face appeared bright and hopeful, unlike how it used to look. After Ven gave the sisters all of the money that was in his bank account at that time, Asha told him that she would quit prostitution. While he was happy that she was no longer in that profession, he couldn’t help but be afraid due to Vera’s words. Would she look for another job eventually? A half a million oricas was not going to last forever.

  “Hey, uh… Asha. Have you looked at houses in Spectralis yet? That was what we agreed upon and all,” said Ven nervously. His mother’s words were ringing in his ears.

  “Oh…uh, yeah actually. I was going to go take a roadtrip to Spectralis today to check out a few properties. You’re welcome to come with me if you want.”

  “Really!? I’m in!” Tamu cheered.

  “I was talking to Ven. What about your leg?” Asha asked with concern.

  “Aw, don’t worry about it. I’m not going to miss out on the superhero capital. I’ll just hop around,” said Tamu.

  “Eh, okay. Are you in Ven?”

  Ven eyes stirred with glee. He knew he always wanted to go to Spectralis, but now it seemed like he’d check out the city quicker than he anticipated. With all of the superheroes Spectralis held, perhaps he would find assistance from a trustworthy hero in dealing with the villain that would allegedly be at the terminal in two weeks. Maybe he could take the hero exam too, or at the very least get pointers for it.

  Ven held his new scarf, the city of dreams was just over the horizon.