Dawn broke gently over New York City, bathing the skyline in pale gold. The air felt unusually fresh, the breeze cool against the towering steel and glass structures that reached for the sky. Hovercars glided silently between buildings, holographic wardens flickered at street corners, and glowing advertisements shifted colors as the city woke.
It felt like the start of a great day.
Inside a small apartment tucked between two high-rise complexes, a boy stood hunched over, struggling with his jeans.
"Come on… seriously?" Kyle muttered, tugging hard at the waistband.
Kyle Nova was lean, slightly underbuilt, with sharp brown eyes and messy black hair that refused to stay in place. After an intense five-minute battle with gravity and fabric, he finally succeeded. Breathing out in relief, he grabbed his phone from the bed and sprinted out the door.
He was late.
Kyle raced down the bustling street, weaving between pedestrians and floating delivery drones. Everywhere he looked, technology pulsed with life—mechanical arms repairing roads, holographic news screens replaying footage of distant battles, and armored patrol units hovering just above ground level.
This was the world he'd grown up in.
And today, he was one step closer to becoming something more.
"Kyle!"
His head snapped up. Standing near a glowing signpost was Bill Andrews, his close friend, tall and broad-shouldered, tapping impatiently on a wrist device.
"What kept you this long?" Bill said, trying to hail a taxi. "We've got, like, five minutes."
"Had a little difficulty," Kyle replied, jumping into the taxi beside him. "You should be glad I even made it."
The vehicle lifted smoothly into the air and sped off.
The ride to Omega Corp took thirty minutes. Kyle had been here before—countless times—but the sight still made his chest tighten. The massive structure loomed above the city like a steel guardian, layered with energy shields and rotating defense rings.
This was the headquarters of Omega Corp.
The last line of defense against the Invaders.
For forty years, Omega Corp had stood between humanity and extinction, producing heroes, soldiers, and specialists who put their lives on the line daily.
Kyle had grown up watching them on screens, memorizing their names, dreaming of standing where they stood.Now, he was here.
The taxi touched down at the entrance, and they were ushered inside. The assessment hall was massive and sterile, its walls glowing with soft white light. Twenty other candidates stood scattered around the room, all pretending not to stare at one another.
Ten minutes passed.
Then the doors slid open.
A man stepped inside, looking half-asleep and deeply uninterested. His eyes drooped, and his shoulders sagged as if the job itself exhausted him.
"Everyone line up according to your registration numbers," he said flatly, pointing weakly toward a door on the left. "Groups of five. Go when called."
Then he left staggering out of the hall.
Kyle and Bill were up first up with a girl with long blonde hair leaned against the wall, completely absorbed in her phone. A quiet boy stood nearby, calm and still, eyes closed as if meditating. Another girl scanned everyone with open suspicion, her gaze sharp and calculating.
As they stood in line, Kyle's mind drifted to the possibilities of him not even make it. Do I even have enough power to be accepted? he thought to himself. Must of his life he was rejected from all most everything thing he ever wanted, no one wanted anything to do with some one who is weak and useless like him. He came here only to just get rid of the last dream he ever had and move on and stop dreaming
Suddenly, his stomach churned.
Hard.
Pain exploded through his abdomen, sharp and violent. Kyle staggered, clutching his stomach, and bolted toward the restroom. The pain intensified, spreading through his body like fire.
Then his necklace began to glow.
A brilliant blue light pulsed against his chest.
Before he could react, darkness swallowed him whole.
Kyle opened his eyes.
He stood in an endless void—dark, silent, infinite. No ground, no sky. Just emptiness. Panic crept in as he turned, searching for anything familiar.
Then—light.
A white door rose from the darkness, radiant and impossible, the only source of illumination in the void.
Heart pounding, Kyle stepped forward and pushed it open.
Inside stood a being of pure white light, glowing like a miniature sun. Chains of radiant energy bound him to the room, pulsing faintly with immense power.
Kyle's voice trembled. "Who… who are you?
The being remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"I am Astreil," the voice echoed, calm and vast. "Guardian of your universe. Protector against all threats."
Kyle swallowed.
"I was defeated," Astreil continued, "by the Invaders—an alien race seeking to conquer Earth and the other eight planets. I have been trapped here for years in that necklace."
Kyle clenched his fists. "The Invaders are already here," he said. "They've been here for forty years. We've been fighting them… but we're losing our ground"
Astreil's glow intensified.
"Then release me," he said. "So I may reclaim my burden."
Kyle hesitated—but stepped forward.
The chains shattered.
Light surged.
"Thank you," Astreil said. "However… I am not at full strength. Fragments of my power are scattered across Earth. Until they are recovered, I will lend you my power. To turn back wasted time"
Kyle nodded, determination burning through him. "I'll do it."
Light exploded outward—
Kyle gasped and collapsed onto the restroom floor.
He shot up, heart racing, checking the time.
Barely a minute had passed.
He stood, steadied himself, and walked back into the assessment hall.
This time, fear was gone.
In its place burned something far stronger.
Hope.