The air changed the deeper we walked—less sun, more shadow. Each step down the sloped, moss-stained tunnel felt like diving into another world.
(Kekeke… they have no idea this is my masterpiece.)
This place… this Haven... it wasn't just some random hideout. It was my brainchild. Crafted down to every screw and circuit using OmniScript. The location? Underground sewer tunnels, hidden beneath the city's crust like a secret heartbeat.
(And yeah... maybe I was a little inspired by a certain blue gadget cat. You know the one. Tunnel base? Secret doors? Hella nostalgic.)
The moment we hit the first gate—a large, rusted sewer lid—I tapped my foot against the ground in a specific rhythm. A faint click echoed.
Then… hissss.
A rectangular section of the wall beside it slid open, revealing a metallic passage illuminated by soft blue lights. The air turned sterile, a far cry from the grime just outside.
Sara, naturally, gagged.
"Ew. This is disgusting. We're seriously going into the sewer?"
I turned with a smirk.
"This is where our base is. It's the safest place from the enemies we face. They never think to look underground."
James peered over the edge into the metal corridor.
"This is awesome. It's like a sci-fi dungeon crawl or something."
Lily crossed her arms but walked in without complaint.
Harry? He just nodded, keeping close behind me. Quiet. Observing.
The hall ahead pulsed gently with blue neon, and the moment we stepped in, sensors locked onto us. The door sealed behind with a heavy clang.
"Security Check: Registered Aura Confirmed—TYLER. Authentication: Level Zero-One."
My voice echoed through the AI system I coded myself. I almost laughed.
(Damn, I sound cool.)
We followed the hall, descending deeper, until the tunnel opened into a massive chamber.
The Haven.
Ceiling as high as a cathedral, curved like a dome. The walls were reinforced titanium lined with floating data screens. Giant tanks of glowing energy. Lifts leading to upper floors. Even a training ground sealed behind transparent plasma shields.
And dead center, standing tall under a skylight that somehow reached from a sewer tunnel to the surface—
Captain Solarius.
(Kekek… Or, well… me. My clone.)
His golden cape billowed, despite no wind. The insignia of the sun glowed proudly on his chest. His spandex was smooth, bright—but never tacky. His hair shimmered like it was dipped in the sun. And his eyes—green, sharp, kind—burned with that heroic anime main character vibe.
The team froze.
"That's… your boss?" Sara asked, stunned.
"He looks like a comic book came to life," James whispered.
Lily blinked.
"He's hot."
I coughed loudly.
"W-Well, he is the Captain. Of course he looks heroic."
Harry gave me a side glance.
"He looks like you, just…different appearance"
(Ouch.)
Captain Solarius took a step forward and raised his hand. His voice echoed—not through a speaker, but through every wall, every screen, every particle in the air.
"Welcome… to The Haven. I am Captain Solarius."
"Tyler has informed me of the situation. You've encountered Crow—and yet, you remain alive. That alone is no small feat."
He turned, locking eyes with each of them, his presence powerful.
"I see strength in each of you. Doubt. Fear. But strength."
"The world you've entered is hidden from the public eye. Powers, shadows, forgotten wars—this place is a sanctuary for those who fight in the dark to protect the light."
James raised his hand like he was in history class.
"So… like X-Men meets G.I. Joe but underground?"
Solarius blinked at him. His heroic aura flickered slightly.
"I don't get what you just said. But… yep."
(Heh. I do get it, but c'mon—this version of me is the stoic type. No way he knows pop culture.)
Sara took a step forward, clearly overwhelmed. Her voice cracked a little.
"Wait a minute—how do you have powers, Tyler? And why does he have powers? And what even is Crow? I mean—what is this? I don't understand any of it."
Everyone turned toward me.
I glanced at Solarius.
He glanced at me.
(Synchronized nodding. Oscar-worthy. Sheesh, we nailed that.)
Solarius sighed, stepping toward them like the weight of the world was pressing against his solar-charged shoulders.
"I suppose it's time to tell you the truth. About me. About Crow. About our history."
His voice softened. Not weak—just tired. Like he'd carried this for too long.
"A long time ago, Crow—no, Adam Frost—and I, Edward Cole, were just kids. Normal. Stupid. Best friends."
The others leaned in, the room unusually quiet.
"It was 1989. We grew up together. Schoolyard scraps, comic books, chasing sunsets on our bikes. Then came 1999… we were fifteen. That's when everything changed."
He raised a glowing hand. Light pulsed from his palm like a miniature sun, warm and radiant.
"We found it. A rock. A strange one. Like it had fallen from the stars. And when we touched it…"
The light expanded in his hand, casting shadows that danced against the titanium walls.
"…I gained the power of light. And Adam… he gained the power of shadows."
Sara's mouth dropped slightly. Even James stayed quiet now.
"At first, we were amazed. Two teens with powers? We felt like gods. But power has rules. Consequences."
He lowered his hand, his expression hardening.
"We made mistakes. Big ones. We hurt people. Not on purpose. But still…"
"And To cover it up, we erased memories. Everyone who saw what we could do—we wiped them clean. With the light and the dark, we could do that too."
"And for a while, we were just… hidden legends. Quiet."
His voice darkened slightly.
"Then… came her."
He didn't say her name. Just let the silence weigh on them.
"Adam loved her. Truly. She made him whole. Anchored him."
"But in 2007, she died. And something in him shattered. The light in him dimmed. He started believing… the only way to get her back was through the shadows."
Sara whispered:
"…That's why he steals shadows."
Solarius nodded slowly.
"He believes a shadow holds a fragment of the soul. That if he collects enough, he can revive what he lost."
I stepped forward beside my clone, voice low.
"That's why he targets people like us. Why he tried to steal your shadows."
Solarius took the lead again, finishing the story with solemnity.
"We fought. Years later, when I realized he was too far gone, I had to stop him. I used all my light to seal him. Lock him away in a place where darkness couldn't grow."
"…But now he's back. And stronger. He broke the seal."
A pause. Everyone just… stood there.
"So what now?" Harry asked.
Solarius stepped forward, his boots clicking softly against the concrete floor of the underground base. The golden light radiating from his hand cast dancing shadows across the curved walls of the tunnel. His voice was calm but filled with purpose.
"Now… I offer you all what Tyler has. Powers."
The silence that followed was immediate—like the entire world had taken a deep breath and forgotten how to exhale.
The others—James, Lily, Harry, and Sara—stood frozen. The idea of powers was no longer a joke. It was real. And standing right in front of them.
"Wait…" James raised his hand like he was in math class. "You mean like… actual powers? Not metaphors? Like throw-a-car, fly-into-space, teleport-behind-you kind of powers?"
Lily gave him a flat look and crossed her arms.
"Yes, James. Superpowers. He just said that."
"Whoa." Harry's mouth curled into a grin. "I knew today felt weird when I woke up."
Sara flipped her hair—even in the damp sewer, she had standards—and smirked.
"I always knew I was meant for more than popularity. Finally, the universe agrees."
(Kekeke... they're already invested. They just don't know how deep the rabbit hole really goes.)
Harry turned to me, eyes burning with excitement.
"But how? How did you get yours? Is there some kind of superhero injection or—like—a lightning storm? A magic book?!"
I stepped forward, arms crossed, keeping my tone low and mysterious.
"The same way Captain Solarius and I did. Through the stone."
(Hehehe... okay, okay—truth time? That 'Power Stone' is literally a sewer rock I painted with glowing gel ink and coded into the system. It's all smoke, mirrors, and serious backend scripting through my OmniScript Core. But hey—it works.)
Solarius nodded and raised his hand again. A radiant orb of golden light floated above his palm. It shimmered like the sun had been compressed into a baseball.
"Each of you has potential." His voice was steady. "But the power you receive will not be chosen by you. It will awaken based on your essence—your true nature."
James leaned closer, whispering with wide eyes.
"Okay but like... if my essence is snacks and sarcasm, do I get food powers?"
Sara rolled her eyes.
"Please don't ruin this."
(I mean, technically, if I let the system run on pure trait logic, James could get snack-based powers. But let's not do that. Again.)
I gestured toward the glowing platform built into the center of the room. It looked futuristic, with metallic arcs, a pulsing blue floor, and faint symbols engraved into its ring.
"Step onto the platform, one at a time. Once you touch the orb, the system will do the rest. You'll receive a unique ability—powerful, but not unstoppable."
(And definitely not stronger than mine.)
(Let's keep the hierarchy clear, thank you.)
The group exchanged glances. Nervous. Excited. Ready—but not really.
Harry exhaled slowly and stepped forward.
"I'm going first. Let's see what this 'essence' thing thinks of me."
The moment his shoe touched the platform, the light reacted—growing brighter, spinning slowly around him in golden arcs.
Solarius extended the orb toward him.
"Place your hand over the light. Accept what you are meant to become."
They exchanged looks.
Harry took a deep breath and then stepped forward.
To be continue