Pelumi_David

“Heroes killed my parents. Now I wear the mask of one. Until I can bury them all.”
At seven years old, Hernan Vale watched his parents — two powerful heroes — brutally executed in their own home by the very people they trusted most: the legendary super-team known as the Zodiac 13.
They thought he was dead.
 They made sure the world blamed villains.
 They covered their tracks.
 But Hernan survived — and never forgot.
Ten years later, under a false name, Hernan enters the prestigious Hero Academy, hailed as a prodigy. To the world, he’s a rising star. To his classmates, he’s charming, calm, unstoppable.
But inside?
 He’s a weapon. Waiting. Smiling. Counting names.
As he trains to become a licensed hero, fights real villains, and rises through the ranks, Hernan plays the long game — earning the trust of the Zodiac, learning their routines, studying their weaknesses. One by one, he’ll bring them down.
And this time, he won’t hide in the closet.
But the deeper he goes, the more blood he spills — the more he wonders if he’s becoming worse than the monsters he’s hunting.
 And when love, loyalty, and lies collide, Hernan may have to decide:
Will he save the world like they think he will...
 or finish burning it down?

BLOODCAPE

The system wants a show. They want villains on the street and heroes flying in with soundtracks. But this time, the resistance shows up first. And they don't smile.

Scene: District 9 Outer Block — Civilian Alley Grid, 2:00 p.m.

A small siren. A single flicker on the edge of Concord's protected grid.

"Villain incursion" it read. Standard.

Two juveniles flagged as power-actives. One rogue exosuit, one kinetic flare-type.

But Aya saw the tag that mattered.

"Zodiac Verified: Operation Static Roar"

That code meant this wasn't a real strike.

It was a scripted purge.

"We're crashing it," Aya muttered.

Scene: Resistance Infiltration – 2:17 p.m.

Four resistance units were dispatched.

Aya led. Rook followed silently. Tessa controlled the perimeter drones.

Intervene before Zodiac cameras go live.

The false-flag was already in motion.

Two "villains" were cornered — kids, no older than fifteen — trembling behind a blown-out food cart.

And at the end of the alley: Zodiac Scorpio.

Live feed mic in place. Script memorized.

"This is your last chance to surrender. We have the right to respond with lethal—"

Because Rook shot the drone out of the sky.

Scene: Live Broadcast Hijack — Stream View

"BREAKING: Zodiac confrontation in progress—"

Resistance bodycam.

He swung wide with a shock-gauntlet. She ducked. Slammed a knee into his thigh, swept the leg, landed on top, and disarmed him with a hard wrist twist.

"You're not even trying," she hissed.

He growled. "This wasn't supposed to go live."

Phones raised. Faces panicked — then confused — then furious.

Rook stepped between the children and the cameras.

He pointed to one of the bodycams now linked to the world:

He turned to Scorpio — bleeding, restrained.

Scene: Public Reaction – Feed Compilation

"Wait… are they saying this was staged?""Is that Scorpio getting beat by a girl half his size?""Where's Leo? Where's the rest?""These people… they saved the kids first."

Scene: Scorpio Extraction – Later That Night

Scorpio was sedated. His face broken. Wrist fractured. Ego shattered.

Aries watched the footage in silence.

"They turned our narrative into a liability."

Gemini hissed, "We were trying to rebuild faith."

Final Scene: Rooftop — That Night

Rook leaned against the rail, watching the skyline.

Aya sat nearby, bandaging her knuckles.

They were chanting.

Chapter 49: Fire in the Teeth