Il’s Influence

Kevin sat at the table, eating in silence as the brothers conversed, his thoughts drifting aimlessly. He had no intention of interrupting their reunion, but he couldn't help but smirk at their unshakable confidence. They wanted to be superheroes. Yeah, so did he.

But before his mind could wander too far, an eerie feeling crept up his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and an almost imperceptible hum filled the air—like the static charge before a storm. His fork paused mid-air.

Tson noticed it too. His eyes flicked to Grayson, whose fingers twitched, tiny blue arcs of energy crackling at his fingertips. Grayson frowned, lifting his hand and testing it, watching the sparks dissipate. "Huh."

Tson's stomach tightened. "Grayson… what exactly did waking up do to you?"

Grayson exhaled slowly. "I don't know." His voice was quieter now, the bravado slipping away. "I remember… pieces. Flashes. But mostly? It's like I woke up already knowing things I shouldn't."

Tson's brow furrowed. "Like what?"

Grayson turned his hand over, staring at his palm. "Like how many people walked through this house in the last seventy-two hours. What they weighed, based on the footprints and the weight they left behind. Their hesitation, the exact moment the temperature dropped three degrees when you opened the door. I can even feel when the Il was implanted, and even when I was in a coma, my thoughts were still getting clearer. The motor part wasn't incorporated yet, but I was aware, even when Prime had control over the suit… even when I fought you, trying to hold myself back." His fingers curled into a fist. "I don't know why I know all this. It's like my brain's running a million calculations a second, whether I want it to or not."

Kevin swallowed hard. "That sounds… uh, not normal."

Grayson huffed a dry laugh. "No kidding."

Tson's jaw clenched. This wasn't a simple recovery. Whatever had happened to Grayson in that coma—whatever had brought him back—had changed him.

"You need to be careful," Tson said, his voice low.

Grayson tilted his head. "Why? You think I'm dangerous?"

Tson hesitated. "I think you're different. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet."

For a moment, the room was silent.

Then Grayson sighed and reached for the pan on the stove, lifting it off the burner. "Well," he muttered, "whatever I am now, I still make a damn good omelet." He slid the food onto a plate and turned to Kevin. "You want some?"

Kevin blinked. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

Tson barely heard them. His mind was racing, fingers tapping against the counter. His brother was back. Alive. Awake. But if Grayson didn't fully understand what he'd become…

Then what did that mean for everyone else?

And more importantly—when would he incorporate the Il into the Sentinel suit?

Grayson's situation made Tson second-guess everything, but without the Il implantation, Grayson would still be in a coma with brain damage.

"Uhhh, okay," Tson thought, then turned to Grayson. "When are you going to start the superhero company? Don't you have to submit an application for that?"

Grayson paused, then laughed. "Oh, that's right. Hold on."

Before Tson could blink, Grayson teleported to the basement, where the lab was. He sifted through the files, browsing the various projects Tson had been working on. After a moment, he found it—Paragon of Radiance. He skimmed through the details with his computer-like brain and finished the application in record time.

"Well, well," Grayson muttered, "in order to create a superhero agency, you need at least one superhero with a license. Let's make this happen."

Grayson cracked his fingers, then dove into the system, hacking through multiple screens with ease. Minutes later, a screen popped up showing Grayson, now officially licensed as a superhero.

Tson, who had followed him downstairs, stared in disbelief. "What the hell… you hacked the government database to create a superhero license?" Tson asked, his mind reeling.

Grayson grinned. "Why go for a D-grade license when you could make an SSS-ranked one?"

Tson frowned. "Too much attention. And it's risky. You might be alerting them."

Grayson raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm going to go for an SSS? That'd be too obvious. This way, we stay off their radar."

Tson didn't respond. He knew if Grayson was serious about creating this superhero agency, he was going to have to step up his own game.

An idea sparked in his mind. "Kevin," he said, turning to him. "You mind practicing with me?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Why would I—"

Before he could finish, Tson realized he was already in a sparring space downstairs. The two of them stood in the middle of the circle, hands raised.

Tson was getting his ass handed to him. Kevin started with a punch that Tson barely avoided. He leaned his head sideways, attempting to counter, but Kevin grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder, then quickly moved to put Tson's arm behind his back, immobilizing him.

"You're good," Kevin said, "but your ground game needs work."

Tson grunted as Kevin helped him up. He immediately took a fighting stance, ready to go again. But it was clear who was in control. Kevin dominated every move, making Tson realize just how much more he had to train.

Elsewhere, a different candidate had his eyes set on Superhero University. Unlike Tson, Ezron Thaln had chosen a much darker path.

Ezron had delved deep into the mysteries of the Il, experimenting with it in dangerous ways. While Tson refined his techniques through testing, Ezron had taken a more sinister route—extracting Il fluid from others to fuel his research.

Now, on the verge of a breakthrough, he could feel it—the moment of revelation. He was about to merge two powerful Il essences, something that had never been done before. If he succeeded, he wouldn't just be another applicant.

He would be unstoppable.

The green liquid shimmered before him. With a syringe in hand, he bit down on the plunger and injected himself with the Il fluid. As the needle pierced his skin, he collapsed, the darkness of unconsciousness taking over, his dreams of becoming a superhero finally within reach.