The silence in the courtroom was deceptive. It rang in my ears like a taut string, ready to snap at the slightest movement. I stood amid the carnage—blood dripped from my fingertips, falling onto the cracked stone tiles, and around me lay the broken bodies of the red-eyed creatures. Their crimson gazes had dimmed, their hoods slipped off, revealing deathly pale faces with sharp fangs. Vampires. Damned bloodsuckers posing as judges. What a farce.
But that wasn't all. Beneath my feet, deep in the castle, I still heard faint moans, the clank of chains, the smell of fear. People. Alive, but barely clinging to life. They were kept here like livestock, their blood drained for these creatures. Disgusting. I clenched my fists so hard my bones cracked. The strength, finally returned to me, surged through my veins, demanding release. And I was going to give it free rein.
The floor trembled again—not from my movements, but from something alive below. The creature the old man spoke of was still growling in the pit. I glanced at the black hole in the floor, from which came the sounds of claws scraping stone. Something huge, hungry, born of my own blood and the energy of that damned Apophia. I smirked. Let it try to devour me.
I stepped to the edge of the pit and jumped in without hesitation. The air whistled in my ears as I fell into the darkness. The landing was harsh—my feet hit wet stone, but my bones, as always, held. The strength coursing through me made me nearly invulnerable. Nearly. Damned telepaths. I hate telepaths.
It was pitch black, but my eyes saw everything. The darkness didn't hinder me, and the outlines of the bone-filled dungeon were clear.
Before me loomed the creature. Massive, over three meters tall, with long clawed limbs and a maw full of jagged teeth. Its skin was black, as if charred, and its eyes burned with the same red light as the vampires above. But there was a part of me in it—I felt it. Its movements, its rage, its hunger—all echoed in my own soul. A spawn of my anger and weakness. Well, time to fix that mistake.
"Come on, freak," I growled, clenching my fists. "Let's see who the real monster is."
The creature lunged at me with terrifying speed, but I was faster. Its clawed swipe missed—I dodged, grabbing its wrist and yanking with force. Bone snapped, flesh tore, and the limb flew aside, splattering the floor with black blood. The creature roared, but I didn't give it a chance to recover. My second blow landed square in its chest—my fist punched through ribs, sinking into soft flesh. I felt its heart—or something like it—clench under my hand, then burst.
It collapsed, shaking the floor, and I pulled my hand free, shaking off the sticky sludge. Disgusting. I looked around. The pit was just part of an underground complex—long corridors stretched in every direction, lit by dim torches. And in each, I saw them—people. Dozens, hundreds. Chained to walls, hooked to tubes, they hung like puppets without a master. Their skin was pale, eyes closed, but faint breaths still raised their chests. These poor souls were just used goods.
A dash.
"Damn you all," I muttered, tearing the chains off the nearest man. The metal bent under my hands like paper. He fell to the floor, groaning faintly but not waking. I checked his pulse—alive. Good. There was a chance.
I moved quickly, ripping chains, pulling needles from veins. Some kind of artificial coma. Children, women, men—all were here, harvested like crops. Some mumbled incoherently, others just stared at me with empty eyes. One boy, about ten, clung to my arm, trembling. He was an albino, and it looked like he didn't have long left.
"Who… are you?" he whispered.
"The one who's getting you out of here," I replied, helping him to his feet. "Stay close."
The cleanup took time. I went through every corridor, destroying everything in my path. A few vampire guards tried to stand in my way—pathetic creatures with halberds and glowing daggers. One got a punch to the jaw that sent his head flying to the ceiling; another was torn in half with a single yank. They were weak, dependent on their masters above. And the masters were already dead.
Finally, I found the heart of this hell—a massive room filled with blood reservoirs. Tubes ran from the people to these glass containers, and from there to an altar with a statue of some winged, fanged creature. A ritual? Sacrifice? I didn't care. I smashed the statue with one blow, and the reservoirs began to crack, flooding the floor with crimson sludge.
"Time to get out," I said to the gathered people. Those who could stand supported the weak. I led them to the exit, punching through walls where there were no doors. Stone crumbled under my fists like sand. Finally, we emerged outside—the cold air hit my face, and sunlight blinded my eyes. The castle stood on a hill, surrounded by forest. The dusty smell I'd sensed earlier was the scent of freedom.
"Go," I told them. "Find help. And forget what happened here."
They left, glancing back at me with a mix of fear and gratitude. I only heard a "thank you" from the albino. He was the only one who could muster the willpower. I didn't wait for more farewells. I had bigger things to do. I returned to the castle.
Clearing the entire castle took more time. The creatures tried to resist, but what could they do against me?
One interesting trick they had was turning into animals. At first, I even thought the rat scurrying out of the castle was just a frightened animal. But channeling energy into my eyes, I saw its outline ripple, like a mirage in the desert. Astonishing and disgusting creatures.
From the dungeon to the spires, everything was covered in their blood and organs. Thankfully, it occurred to me not to give in to rage and kill them all with my hands. My laser vision, which had also returned, handled it better.
Then, finding the library, I hoped to find answers to my questions. Alas, everything there was worthless trash.
I needed to know the location or at least the number of creatures in this Helios, but it seemed I'd killed all the valuable data with my own hands. Maybe I shouldn't have killed them all. Oh well…
To hell with it.
Climbing to the main spire of this bloody castle, I focused. I wasn't sure that simply tearing off heads would fully kill these strange blood-drinking creatures, so…
A wide beam from my eyes consumed everything around. The castle melted, as did everything beneath it. Now they were definitely dead. Holding the laser for about ten seconds, I created a massive crater that sank dozens of meters deep.
Now it was time to fly away.
Up.
The clouds tore apart from my flight.
The sky was gray, shrouded in clouds, as I soared upward. The wind whistled in my ears, but I didn't feel the cold—my strength warmed me from within, like a nuclear reactor. London lay behind me, its suburbs flashing below in patches of green and gray. I flew west, toward America. To Brightburn. To home. Kate and Tori were waiting for me there—or so I hoped.
The flight took a moment, but for me, time flowed differently. I crossed the Atlantic, watching the waves foam below. The world beneath me was in chaos—I saw smoke from burning cities, heard distant explosions. Viruses, earthquakes, wars—everything the headlines screamed about was unfolding right below me. Cities were filled with corpses, filled with abandoned people.
My planet was dying.
And I was part of it. My weakness, my loss of control, had spawned part of this hell. An idiot playing hero.
But now I was different. Now I could fix it. I had to.
Brightburn appeared on the horizon. A small town in Kansas, where I grew up, where Tori and Kyle, my adoptive parents, found me after my ship crashed from the sky. Where I met Kate, my friend. I landed on the outskirts, in a field where I used to play, pretending to be an ordinary kid. The grass was wilted, the air smelled of ash. Something was wrong.
I walked to the house on foot, not wanting to draw attention. The streets were empty, windows boarded up. Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed. Had the virus reached here too? Or something worse? My heart clenched when I saw the familiar house—two stories, white walls, red roof. The paint was peeling, one window shattered. I stopped at the entrance, listening. Silence. But I heard…
"Tori?" I called, pushing the door. It creaked and opened.
Inside was dark. Furniture was covered in dust, glass shards littered the floor. I walked into the living room, my heart pounding harder. On the table was a note, written in Kate's trembling hand:
"Brandon, if you come back, we're in the basement. The virus… it's here. Tori's sick. Save her. Please."
I rushed to the stairs leading down. The basement door was locked, but I tore it off its hinges with one motion. A dim lantern glowed below. Kate sat on the floor, holding Tori, who lay on an old mattress. Her face was pale, lips cracked, eyes closed. Kate looked up, her eyes widening.
"Brandon?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "You're… alive?"
I dropped to my knees beside them, hugging Kate. She sobbed, clinging to me like a drowning person to a lifeline.
"Mom, I'm home," I said, feeling tears burn my eyes. Or was it rage? "Sorry it took so long."
"Tori… she's dying," Kate breathed, pulling back. "This virus… it took my parents two weeks ago. I don't know what to do, I came to your mom. But she…"
I looked at Tori. Her breathing was weak, her skin feverish. The virus. The plague the news spoke of. My mind was chaos. How could I save her? The whole planet was suffering from this virus, and I wasn't a magical doctor to save anyone. But Tori…
And then it hit me like a bell. I wasn't an ordinary human. My blood, my strength—maybe they could save her? Please. I tore my sleeve, exposing my arm, and clenched my fist until a drop of blood appeared.
"What are you doing?" Kate asked, but I didn't answer.
I brought my hand to Tori's lips, letting the blood drip into her mouth. If my energy created monsters, maybe it could heal too?
Hope smoldered in me.
If this didn't work… I'd burn this planet to ashes.
I waited, holding my breath. Seconds dragged like hours. Then Tori coughed, her eyes slowly opening. They were clear, alive.
"Brandon?" she whispered, and I felt the tension release me.
"I'm here," I said, hugging her. "Everything's going to be okay."
We sat there for a long time—me, Kate, and Tori, holding each other in that cold basement while the world outside crumbled. I was home. But this was only the beginning.
Time.
Night fell over Brightburn, and we moved upstairs. Tori weakened with every hour but lived. My blood gave her a chance, but it didn't fully heal her. Kate was making tea on an old stove, her hands trembling. I looked out the window at the dark town and thought. The world was falling apart. Vampires, viruses, wars—this wasn't the end, but the start of something bigger. And I could stop it. Or lead it.
"What are you going to do?" Tori asked, sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket.
"What I have to," I replied, turning to her. "This world is rotting. I can save it. Or destroy it and build it anew."
Kate froze, the cup in her hands trembling.
"Brandon, you're not a god," she said quietly. "You're my friend, but this…"
"I'm more than a friend, Kate," I countered. "I'm a conqueror. My empire is gone, but I can build a new one. Here. On Earth."
Kate looked at me, her eyes glistening. Tori seemed to have fallen asleep.
"Empire? Doesn't matter. But how?" she asked. "You're one against the whole world."
"Not alone," I said, sitting beside her. "With you. And those who join."
I started thinking. There were many options. The hard way: seize power by force. Destroy governments, burn cities, subjugate survivors. My strength allowed it—I could tear the planet apart if I wanted. But that was a path of solitude. Blood, death, chaos. I saw it in the vampires' eyes—they reveled in suffering. I didn't want to become like them.
The soft way: become a symbol. A savior. Heal the sick, like I healed Tori, give people hope. Build a new order through trust, not fear. But that was slow. And risky—people are weak, they'd betray me the moment I turned my back.
"There's a third way," I said aloud, looking at Kate and Tori. Tori, so weak. So vulnerable. "Strength and mercy together. Destroy those who stand in the way, but protect those worthy of living. Create an empire where the weak become strong, and the strong are just. The world was rotting, but I could save it. Or rebuild it. With strength and mercy. Destroy the rich who thrived in chaos, take their wealth, and create a new order. A cure from my blood will heal people, stop wars. And those who lived off others, I'll exterminate."
"It's a utopia, like from cartoons," Kate said, aged beyond her years in a short time, but there was a hint of hope in her voice.
"It's my world," I replied. "And I have to make it real."