You can forgive a lie. But what happens when the thing you loved the most… turns out to be the one holding the knife?
Scene: Sublevel Broadcast Chamber – 3:03 a.m.
Rook stood alone.
No Aya.
No drones.
Just him, two consoles, and the final file.
The one he hadn't touched.
Until now.
The file was labeled:
LEO: BLACKBOX – INCIDENT 47-A[Suppressed Training Feed | Concord Classification: TOP LOCK]
He opened it.
No password. His father had cracked it before he died.
Now Rook watched.
And when the feed played?
He didn't blink.
Feed Contents:
Leo — Zodiac rank, adored figurehead, world-class public icon — stood in a dark interrogation chamber.
A civilian sat cuffed to the chair.
Middle-aged man. No powers. Wrong place, wrong time.
Leo didn't shout.
Didn't scream.
He just spoke in a controlled, emotionless tone.
"Where did the children go?"
The man cried. "I don't know. I just clean the warehouse. Please—"
Leo hit him.
Once.
Twice.
No yelling.
Just mechanical brutality.
"We found scorch marks. We found blood. Where are the other bodies?"
More punches.
No resistance.
Then—
Leo straightened.
Wiped his knuckles.
"Tell my handler this footage was lost."
He turned to the camera.
"Delete this."
Rook paused the video.
His voice was cold.
"You built a golden statue and dressed it in virtue."
He uploaded the file.
To every public channel.
Not just the internal feed.
Global.
Scene: World Broadcast – 7:06 a.m.
The segment aired mid-news cycle.
No warning.
No spin.
Just Leo.Punching a tied civilian.Over and over.
Then turning to the camera, smiling slightly, saying:
"Delete this."
And the world did not delete it.
They screen-captured it.They posted.They trended.
And they began to rage.
Scene: Tessa Rye – Academy Commons
Tessa watched it unfold with a dozen cadets nearby.
When the video ended, no one moved.
No one blinked.
They just stared.
One girl whispered, "He saved my sister from a building collapse."
Another: "He's why I joined."
And Tessa?
She whispered:
"That's what makes it worse."
Scene: Hero Tower Interior – Emergency Council Room
Leo paced like a caged animal.
His gloves were off. His jaw clenched.
Gemini sat at the end of the table, emotionless.
Libra didn't show up.
The council head tapped the feed log.
"You said this file was deleted."
Leo said nothing.
The council leaned forward.
"Then explain why half the world just watched it."
Silence.
Scene: Rook's Terminal – Same Time
Rook wasn't smiling.
He wasn't satisfied.
He was furious.
Not at Leo.
At the silence after the fall.
He whispered to the screen:
"Say something. Justify it.Give me a reason not to destroy every last one of you."
Scene: Street Outside Hero Tower – Two Hours Later
People gathered again.
But this time?
They weren't chanting.
They were holding photos.
Of missing children.
Of burned buildings.
Of siblings in caskets labeled "villain collateral."
And one sign stood tallest:
"I Believed in Leo."
The last word was crossed out.
Rewritten in red:
"I Bled for Leo."
Final Scene: Dorm 103 – Late Night
Rook sat in the dark.
Tessa entered quietly.
He didn't turn.
She sat beside him.
No words.
Just two broken weapons sitting side by side.
Waiting for the next god to fall.