A New Alliance

"Th-that can't be." Zeke stuttered.

"I am sure you hope that is not the case. However, hope is hope and facts are facts. You are making sandcastles in a playground that does not belong to you. I don't care about what you do outside the school, but do not mess around here." Ryan shook his head at how gullible Zeke was to think that everything would suddenly fall into his hands on a platter. He went ahead and patted Zeke's shoulder with a heavy hand, straightening out his uniform with his hands.

"I know you've been bullied a lot in the past year so I'll give you, a fellow low tier, some advice. You have a family, go and take care of them and return to being a normal student. Leave that association, nothing good will come off of it."

Ryan left. Zeke stood there, conflicted.

"What is the truth? Who is lying?" Zeke murmured, but within his heart, he already had realized that something was wrong. Whenever he confronted those villains he felt a familiar power to his own, he just refused to think about it till now. He turned his hand over and a blue flame exploded out of his hand.

"Is this really my power?"

---

"BREAKING NEWS! The Villains have announced that they are forming an organized alliance. The Villain Alliance!"

A new news cycle had begun, the birth of a new competing alliance of villains. The news wondered what the Hero Association's reaction to the situation would be? The government was still unusually quiet.

Soon the hero association announced that they would not allow any evil to continue across the city. Heroes were patrolling and skirmishes with villains kept growing violent and dangerous. The government continued to ignore the situation.

In the student council room, the present student council members were discussing the new rising factions.

"It is the government's behavior that seems to be the most baffling in this scenario. What are they waiting for?" Lily was confused with what was going on and why the government continued to remain silent.

"The collateral damage from these heroes and villains fighting is constantly increasing. These heroes, they have constantly been growing more and more wanton in the way they fight. Unlike the government, they hold no responsibility." Adrian bitterly shook his head.

"Surprisingly, I haven't seen much activity in this district, I suppose they have put some effort into securing us. The school has been relatively calm since the incident with that mob." Diana spoke while she was busy chatting on the phone.

"Where is Jordan? It's been a couple of months since the Meel incident, there is no sign of him at school." Sarah asked, curious about the illusionist in the student council.

"He has been taken away for some secret training by his dad. Extended leave from school." Roman answered, before changing the topic. "I heard there is a new strong person in the school who is set on challenging the School King?"

Adrian laughed, while the others stiffened a bit.

"You mean Zeke right? He came to talk to me in person a couple of days ago." He said with a smile.

"He issued a challenge?" Roman asked.

"He was pretty nice about it. He said he just wanted to know where he stood now in the school hierarchy, and that he was not interested in becoming the school king." Adrian said matter of factly.

"Big words for someone who lost to you." Lily scoffed in disdain.

"H-how do you know I won? How do you manage to find put such secrets anyway? There was no way anyone could have snooped on us, I made sure of it." Adrian stuttered, stunned to find out Lily already knew, to which she replied in one word.

"Ryan."

"Oh...", Adrian drooped his shoulders. After all, if there was anyone in the school other than the principal who made him lose his confidence completely it was that mysterious teacher Diana had.

"Zeke is actually not a bad person.", Adrian said, trying to change the topic. "I realize where he is coming from."

"Adrian, you have always been too soft for a King." Sarah shook her head. She had not forgotten that his instigations had become a cover for assassins against them.

"No... you folks won't understand. I fought with him, I understand his circumstances after I fought with him. He is a good person."

"Your 'good person' friend seems to have been missing from the campus since your fight.", Lily smirked.

Adrian coughed. "I am sure he must have his reasons."

---

After Ryan warned Zeke, he stopped instigating the low tier students to rise up, but still stood up against any bullies he came across. He went and challenged the school king to a duel, to find out where he stood. Even though he lost, he was happy to find out that Adrian was a good person who did not hold things against him.

Ryan's words were still heavy on his mind. Was he really just a pawn in a much larger game? If so, he had to find out. He had to question that old man Gustav Klimt. Most of all he had to warn the other heroes first. Even if they had come out of unclear origins, their motives were noble and he did not want to lose that precious thing that had caused them to rise up against tyranny.

At the hideout of the Hero Association. Zeke had called for a meeting for the founding group of the association to discuss this matter.

"Everyone, the reason I was so presumptuous to call you all here, is because some things have been nagging my mind regarding the origin of our group." Zeke opened the discussion in such a manner.

"What do you mean?" Some of the heroes asked, puzzled, while others remained silent.

"Have you not found it suspicious that the heroes and villains have risen up at the same time?" Zeke continued.

"Strength breeds opposition." One of the ones silently partaking commented.

"I wonder about that. Let me be honest here. I am originally a low ability user whose ability was amplified by old man Gustav Klimt. Could it be that you folks are not the same?"

When Zeke asked that, he was met with silence. The silence which affirmed that what he said was true. They were all low tier ability users whose abilities had been amplified to the peak.

"Yet at the same time villains who seem to have high tier ability versions of gangsters that we heroes cleaned up. Do you really think they popped out of nowhere?"

The ramifications of what Zeke had just implied would have been enough to stun his peers were it not for a gruff cough and a sigh to come out

"Hah, you've figured me all out, kid." Old Man Klimt walked out of the shadows.