VILLAIN'S RISING

A boy with flaxen hair and sharp facial features strode down a large hallway with slow, heavy steps.

The people walking past him may nod their heads from time to time to respect and acknowledge his presence.

However, he knew this respect wasn’t something that he gained for himself. It was the result of his father’s life’s work.

Nevertheless, Anthony would find himself nodding back. Maybe deep down, he wanted people to acknowledge him.

-Knock! Knock!

After arriving in front of a room, Anthony patiently knocked on the door for the person inside to answer.

-Click Creak!

The doorknob twisted, and the person from inside the room clicked open the door.

The person on the other side of the door was a girl. She had the same hair as Anthony, and even her facial features greatly matched him.

Well, that was to be expected since she was his sister.

“Brother,” she spoke in a whispering tone. The corners of her eyes were red.

‘Maybe she was crying again,’ Anthony thought to himself.

“Reb, you wanna grab something to eat?” He offered with a smile.

“Mmm mm,” she lightly shook her head and instead invited him into her room by slightly opening the door wider.

A faint smile appeared on Anthony’s face as he lightly patted her head and walked inside.

“How’s the situation?” Rebekah asked with a bit of hesitation in her voice.

“Frankly, not good,” Anthony dropped his head and took a seat in front of the reading desk comfortably. “People are scared, and since that bastard openly made that announcement, the world government is also pressuring into surrender Los Angeles over to him.”

Rebekah closed the door behind her before facing her brother. “Do they not understand that even if we surrender, the world will be done for?”

“They do. At least, most of them do. But they need someone to blame. That’s human nature.” Anthony let out a deep sigh and leaned back on the chair.

“I still don’t know what you see in this world,” Rebekah clenched her fists in frustration. “Why can’t we just leave? Go somewhere else and start anew… alone?”

Anthony knew this topic would come up. But he didn’t want to talk about this right now. So he simply shook his head and tried to change the subject.

“More importantly, how are you? You said you barely escaped the Progenitor, right? Did you really not know his true identity before that?” Anthony asked.

“I- Uh, no. Only after I escaped did I find out that the Progenitor was someone named Sam from the academy.”

Of course, Rebekah lied through her teeth. There’s no way she could tell her brother that she plotted their father’s death with Sam.

Anthony, believing what he was told, nodded his head. He touched his chin and began thinking.

“What’re you thinking?” Rebekah inquired with a frown.

“Sam killed father. That means he’s stronger than both of us combined. How can we even defeat someone that strong?” Anthony spoke his mind in reply.

All his life, Anthony had never met a single hero stronger than him. Even pros who possessed world-breaking abilities paled in comparison to his strength.

So when faced with someone much stronger than him, Anthony couldn’t help but find himself a little bit shaken right now.

With a bit of hesitation, Rebekah made a suggestion, “I-I have an idea.”

Those words instantly piqued Anthony’s interest, as he replied, “You do? Tell me.”

“Well, what if we use the relic that we’re guarding to our advantage,” Rebekah spoke.

At first, Anthony was confused, but a moment or two later, he widened his eyes in understanding. “Wait, you mean we revive father?!”

The relic of Los Angeles, also known as the Branch Of The Tree Of Life. An ancient relic that first appeared during the Dark Ages.

Although many relics emerged after the events of First Light, this specific relic was infamous for making miracles.

The Branch Of The Tree Of Life could cure any illness and boost vitality. But most of all, it could revive dead people from the memories of a person.

Rebekah knew what she was suggesting. Reviving her father would mean destroying the future that she had dreamt of with her brother.

However, she had a lingering feeling that if they were to face Sam like this without their father, they would die. And she would be damned if she let Anthony die in vain.

“Reb, we can’t do that!” Anthony, however, instantly rejected his sister’s proposal.

You see, there’s no power that comes without a cost, especially the one that can bring back people from the dead with no constraints.

The Branch Of The Tree Of Life has been used ten times in the past to revive people. And nine out of those ten times, the people who came back were deprived of their sanity.

They came back yelling, “Why did you bring me back?! I don’t want to experience that again!” and stuff like that.

Anthony feared that if he were to bring his father back and he’d come back insane, the world would be put in danger.

“Tsk, you’re right.” Rebekah nodded. She knew the risks, and she knew her brother wouldn’t abandon the world even if he had to sacrifice his life.

“Reb, your instincts have always been good, right?” Anthony stood up and turned to face his sister with a serious face.

“Ah, yeah, you could say that,” Rebekah answered, a bit confused. “Why do you ask?”

“I want you to tell me truthfully. How do you feel about the upcoming battle?” Anthony questioned in an earnest tone.

Rebekah closed her eyes for a moment. Even though she stood still, she felt a chill constantly hitting her spine.

“I… feel like I’m standing in a graveyard full of corpses. Ours is among them.”

“…I see.”

*

Twelve hours passed like that, and the sunlight pierced the night sky, vanquishing the darkness and announcing the arrival of daybreak.

Although the whole city of Los Angeles was heavily guarded, one spot, in particular, was more safeguarded than the rest– The Central Bureau of Heroes building, holding the Branch Of The Tree Of Life relic.

In an open field, thousands of heroes stood neatly in files of rows, ready for what would probably be the biggest battle of their lives.

The odds were against them. Starsuper was dead. Lightbringer was also dead. Several other big heroes had also lost their lives.

This was exactly what people would like to call ‘a dire situation.’

There was no escape. If they surrender, they will lose. If they fight and then lose, they will die. In either case, the world will be done for.

While the heroes stood there, anxious for the upcoming battle, a tall man with long red hair tied into a ponytail walked in front of them.

With a resolute face, he looked at the crowd in front of him and yelled

“Good morning, brave heroes! I am, as you all may know already, Eve Dragonheart.

“According to the strategy department, the Progenitor is marching down here with his army of demons and dragons. By estimation, we could believe that he has eighty thousand demons and two hundred dragons.”

Eve took a dramatic pause and glanced over the pale faces of the heroes in front of him. They were sweating buckets. All signs of courage vanished.

Sighing, Eve continued, “If we believe our sources, in less than an hour, the Progenitor will arrive here.

“Also, in less than an hour, remaining heroes from all around the world will join us. The reinforcements from Mars will arrive, and all of us together will launch the largest battle in the history of mankind after the end of the Dark Ages.”

Catching his breath, Eve took a moment of silence before he continued, “Mankind, huh? That word holds a different meaning for all of us. That’s to be expected since we all are, after all, different.

“But remember, our differences are what makes us human! We are selfish, greedy, and cowards. But we are also generous, selfless, and courageous! And that man– the Progenitor– is seeking to strip us of our humanity! He’s seeking to rob us of our differences! That is as good as dying! Our individuality is what makes us human!

“But while I do oppose him and his notions, I do agree with him on one thing! We can’t let our differences consume us! We have to unite in our common interest! We have to show him that we can stay human and progress forward!

“Perhaps it’s fate that today’s December 24. Tomorrow is Christmas– a time for giving and not simply a day we exchange gifts. The spirit of Christmas is in the ‘togetherness.’ It’s in the thought that you put into thinking about others. It’s a selfless time where we forgive, take stock of what’s important, and become ‘better’ versions of ourselves.

“On the day of such a joyous occasion, we will be fighting for our world, fighting not from tyranny, persecution, or oppression, but from annihilation. We’re fighting for our right to live– to exist! And should we win the day, we will be giving the world the gift of freedom!

“Should we win the day, the 24th of December will no longer be known as a religious or national holiday. No, it’ll be known as the day when the world declared in one voice, “We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We will live on! We will survive!“ Today’s the day we will celebrate as the day our world is united!”

As soon as Eve finished his speech, the field full of heroes erupted in cheers and applause!

-“We will fight! We will survive!”

-“For our world! For our lives!”

-“For the glory of humanity!”