Chapter 0

Elena—Iron Pulse—staggered through the wreckage, her metallic armor dented and scorched, the once-polished surface now a patchwork of soot and blood. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale tasting of ash and death. The city square was unrecognizable, a smoldering crater where life and light had once thrived. The ground beneath her boots was cracked and glowing faintly, as if the earth itself had been scorched by the fury of what had transpired.

She had been there when it started. They all had. The mission was supposed to be simple: a routine operation to intercept a rogue faction threatening the city. But it had been a trap. The moment they stepped into the square, the ambush was unleashed. Enemy forces swarmed from every direction, their weapons crackling with energy designed to neutralize superpowers. The team had fought valiantly, but one by one, they fell. Elena could still hear their screams echoing in her mind—her friends, her comrades, gone in an instant.

And then… they had changed.

Ryn—Fireboy—had always been a force to be reckoned with, but what Elena witnessed that night was something else entirely. It started with a flicker, a faint glow in his eyes that quickly spread to his entire body. His skin cracked like molten rock, flames erupting from the fissures. The air around him shimmered with heat, distorting the world like a mirage. He didn't scream, didn't roar. He simply *burned*. The enemies closest to him were incinerated before they could even react, their bodies reduced to ash in seconds. The ground beneath his feet turned to glass, and the buildings around him crumbled as if they were made of paper.

But it wasn't just Ryn. Mira—DarkShadow—was something out of a nightmare. Her form twisted and elongated, shadows pouring from her like ink spilled into water. She grew taller, her silhouette shifting into something inhuman, something monstrous. The shadows around her writhed and lashed out, swallowing everything in their path. Elena watched in horror as Mira's darkness consumed an entire squad of enemies, their screams cut short as they were pulled into the void. The shadows seemed alive, hungry, and Mira was their queen.

Elena had tried to help, tried to fight alongside them, but it was futile. The sheer magnitude of their power was overwhelming. She could only watch as Ryn and Mira unleashed devastation on a scale she had never imagined possible. The enemy forces were obliterated, but so was everything else. The city square was reduced to ruins, the air thick with smoke and the stench of burning flesh. And then, a chaotic moment later, it was over.

The flames around Ryn flickered and dimmed, his body collapsing to the ground. Mira's form shrank back to her usual size, the shadows retreating but still clinging to her like a second skin. She dropped to her knees beside Ryn, her hands trembling as she reached for him. Elena hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a step forward, her voice barely a whisper.

"Ryn… Mira…"

Mira's head snapped up, her eyes locking onto Elena's. The shadows around her surged, forming a barrier between them. Her gaze was wild, feral, and for a moment, Elena thought she might attack. But then Mira spoke, her voice low and venomous, each word dripping with a promise of violence.

"Don't," Mira hissed. "Don't you dare come any closer."

Elena froze, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "Mira, I—I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know it was a trap."

Mira's lips curled into a snarl. "It doesn't matter, all of you play pretend Superheros are frauds…" Her voice cracked, but the shadows around her grew darker, more menacing. "Now, you'll leave us alone. We're done. We're leaving, and if you ever come looking for us—if you ever dare to call for us—I'll kill you myself."

Elena's breath hitched, her eyes darting to Ryn's unconscious form. His body was battered, his breathing shallow, his skin cracked and glowing faintly with residual heat. "But he's hurt. He needs help. Let me—"

"No!" Mira's scream echoed across the desolate battlefield. The shadows lashed out, forcing Elena to stumble back. "You've done enough. You've all done enough. This is the end. For all of us."

With that, Mira gathered Ryn in her arms, ignoring the burns that spread across her skin. She stood, her figure silhouetted against the flickering flames and swirling shadows. For a moment, she paused, her gaze sweeping over the ruins of the city they had once sworn to protect. Then, without another word, she turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Elena alone amidst the wreckage.

Elena sank to her knees, her armor clinking against the shattered ground. She stared at the spot where Mira and Ryn had vanished, her mind racing. The sheer power she had witnessed—the destruction, the horror—it was burned into her memory. She had always known they were strong like other, but this… this was something else entirely. Something beyond human, beyond hero.

The incident was erased from history, the records scrubbed clean, the memories of those who witnessed it altered or suppressed. The city was rebuilt, the scars of that night buried beneath layers of concrete and steel. The names Fireboy and DarkShadow were forgotten, their deeds relegated to myth and legend.

But Elena remembered. She remembered the flames, the shadows, the destruction. She remembered the look in Mira's eyes. She remembered the way Mira had cradled Ryn's broken body, the way she had hissed at Elena to stay away, the way she had promised to kill her if she ever came looking for them.

And despite the sadness, despite the guilt, Elena felt a faint sense of relief. Relief that they were gone, that the world no longer had to fear the kind of destruction that followed them. Relief that she no longer had to bear the weight of their power, the responsibility of keeping them in check. 

Hopefully.