No Gods, No Heroes

Chapter 5 

A Few Years Ago

Sierra Private Hero Academy

A man in his late thirties, dressed in loose, casual clothing, stood at the front of a classroom. Only six students sat before him, all clad in dark blue uniforms, each with subtle personal touches that set them apart. A large projector displayed images on the board.

"The Third World War was the deadliest event humanity had ever witnessed," the man began, his tone steady but grim. "More than half the world perished in a biological war that spanned twenty-five years. As the conflict reached its peak, VOR personnel—weaponized humans capable of manifesting mutations caused by the Viral Omnigenic Retrovirus—became the war's most common assets. Those who survived were hailed as Heroes for their sacrifice. After the war, the world was divided into four colonies."

The projector flickered, splitting the screen into four labeled sections.

"Sierra Nova, our Motherland, founded the Western Colony. Vostara rules the North. The South became Lima, and the East is now Aurora Kyoto."

The screen darkened as the projector powered down.

"Any questions?" the man asked, shuffling his papers without looking up.

A hand shot into the air.

He sighed. "Yes, Miss Flynn?"

Janice lowered her hand slightly but kept her gaze steady. "What about the Revenants? There are conflicting theories about their origins."

The other students exchanged hushed murmurs.

The man set his papers aside and leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. "Do you know why each colony is shielded by a massive dome?"

Silence filled the room.

"The overuse of VORs concentrated battles in specific areas, littering the land with the bodies of fallen soldiers and VOR users alike. The virus's longevity is… impressive. If left unchecked, it continues to mutate. Any organism that comes into contact with it becomes a Revenant. The nature of the transformation depends on the host."

The projector hummed back to life, illuminating the board once more.

"There are five classes of Revenants. At the bottom, we have Duskwraiths. They're dangerous to civilians, but any Sentinel-class Hero can handle them without much effort. Next are Nightgaunts—district-level threats that require coordinated efforts by Pinnacle-class Heroes. Beyond them, we enter heavier territory."

Low murmurs swept through the students again.

The man raised a brow. "I assume most of you already know this. This is a Hero academy. If you don't need this information, feel free to leave. The Recruitment Program expects this to be common knowledge by now."

His voice was calm—too calm.

No one moved.

The murmuring in the classroom faded.

"Bloodreapers," the teacher continued, "are district-level threats. They have the power to destroy entire cities. Only direct intervention by Vanguard-class Heroes can bring them down. A prime example would be the Ironclad Goliath that appeared six months ago. It was swiftly taken down by Harvey Flynn, the number one Hero."

"After it destroyed nearly half of Nova," a student interjected lazily. His legs were propped on the desk, and a thick textbook covered his face as he leaned back in his chair.

"At least they showed up. You Nova miscreants should be grateful," another student quipped, a sharp giggle escaping from under the book.

The first student lowered his legs, speaking calmly. "I was there when it happened. I lost my brother and my best friend."

The other student didn't miss a beat. "Isn't that why you're here? They picked you up, dressed you in a uniform, and now you think you're one of us?"

"That's enough, Elliott," Janice snapped, her tone sharp and controlled.

Elliott sneered but didn't respond.

"Don't act like a saint, Janice," Karim said, pulling the book away from his face. "You're just like all of them—"

"That's enough, both of you," the teacher said, his voice cutting through the tension.

Before anyone could respond, a loud alarm blared, filling the room with a cold, metallic urgency. A chill of fear spread through the students as the automated voice rang out over the radio system.

"Attention: All residents in and around Sector Delta are advised to evacuate immediately. A Revenant has been detected. Classification: Palelord-class Revenant."

The room froze.

The voice continued, steady but dire. "It is accompanied by multiple low-level Duskwraiths. Full-scale military deployment is underway. Evacuate immediately."

The teacher didn't hesitate. "Alright, everyone downstairs. Move!" He ushered the students toward the door, his calm authority overriding their panic.

As the group hurried down the stairs, the teacher stopped by a hidden compartment built into the wall. With a swift motion, he retrieved a sleek, futuristic shotgun and grabbed three glowing batteries from the compartment. Loading the weapon, he motioned for the group to keep moving.

The students raced down the flight of stairs into an underground garage.

"Get to the bus!" the teacher ordered, his voice sharp.

One girl, adrenaline pushing her forward, broke ahead of the group. She sprinted toward the bus but never made it.

In a blur of motion, she was knocked to the ground. A Hollow Wolf pinned her beneath its hulking body, saliva dripping from its snarling maw. Its fangs bared as it growled at the rest of the class, daring anyone to approach.

"Move!" the teacher barked, raising his weapon.

The electric round struck the creature dead-on, sending a crackling jolt through its body. The Hollow Wolf let out an ear-piercing screech before exploding into a shower of blood and viscera.

The girl remained frozen on the ground, trembling as she slowly raised a hand to point at the garage entrance.

The rest of the pack was there, silhouetted in the dim light. At least a dozen Hollow Wolves stalked forward, their glowing eyes locked on the group.

"All of you—get inside the bus! Elliott, you're in charge. Start the engine. I'll hold them off and join you later. Go!" the teacher ordered, loading another battery into his shotgun.

"Yes, sir."

The teacher spun into the hallway, firing at the advancing Hollow Wolves as they lunged toward him. Elliott led the others onto the bus, Karim trailing behind.

The doors hissed shut—right before Karim could step inside.

"Open the door, Elliott," Karim said, glaring through the glass.

"No. Apologize and admit you were wrong about Sierra, and maybe I'll let you in," Elliott replied, folding his arms.

"Stop messing around. This isn't a joke!" Karim snapped.

From inside, Janice's eyes widened. "Karim—why are you still outside?"

"He won't apologize," Elliott said with a smirk.

The teacher's voice cut in, stern and clipped. "Open the—"

Before he could finish, a Hollow Wolf pounced, its claws slashing clean through his neck. His head rolled, landing with a sickening thud as blood gushed from his body.

"Mr. Gillian!" Janice screamed, her voice breaking.

"Elliott, open the door!" she shouted.

"No. He can apologize, or he stays out there."

"If being proud of Nova means I die here, so be it. At least I'll still have my dignity," Karim growled, picking up the shotgun the teacher had dropped.

"So be it."

The bus roared to life with a soft hum, rolling toward the exit.

Karim's figure shrank in the distance as the Hollow Wolves turned their attention to him.

Janice bolted for the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel. "Stop the bus!"

Elliott shoved her aside, sending her crashing into the passenger seat. She gasped, catching her breath, then kicked him hard in the ribs. Elliott stumbled, and the bus veered sharply, slamming over a speed bump. It swerved uncontrollably, crashing through a building. Flames erupted from the wreckage.

A heavy thud echoed from outside.

Through the rising smoke, a man in all black landed in front of the burning bus. Without hesitation, he ripped off part of the vehicle's twisted frame with his bare hands.

"Dad?" Janice whispered, blinking through the haze.

"Come on," he said, lifting her effortlessly from the wreckage along with the other dazed students.

"What are you doing here?"

"Working," he replied with a faint grin. "I came as soon as I heard. It was too close to your school."

Janice's voice trembled. "Dad—Karim's still out there! He's fighting them alone!"

Her father glanced in the direction she pointed, his expression unreadable.

"A kid from the Nova slums," Elliott muttered under his breath.

"So what? He'll die if we don't help him!" Janice snapped.

The distinct click of an empty shotgun echoed from the tunnel where Karim stood.

"Dad… he's going to die."

Her father exhaled slowly. "Let's get you all to safety."

"What?!" Janice recoiled.

"Saving you all is worth more than one Nova," he said simply, his tone devoid of emotion.

"We're fine! We don't need saving—he does!"

"You come first."

Janice's eyes narrowed. "You won't save him because he's from Nova?"

Her father met her gaze without hesitation. "Yes. They're less significant than you."

"If we leave him Dad you'll be no different from the Revenants" 

The tunnel behind them fell into silence, heavy and suffocating. Janice's fists clenched as tears slid down her face.

Her father gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."

Present Day

Janice slowly opened her eyes to the vast emptiness of the night sky. The stars were hidden behind thick clouds, leaving only darkness above. Her gaze shifted to Malick, who sat beside her, head bowed in restless sleep.

She flexed her arm, noticing the wound had healed. Careful not to disturb him, she tried to sit up—but the subtle movement was enough to stir Malick.

"Janice… you're awake! You're awake!" Malick's eyes lit up as he rubbed the sleep from his face.

"Yeah," she replied softly, managing a faint smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little lightheaded," she admitted. "I had a dream, Malick."

"A dream?"

"About the day I first found you… the day I ran away from home."

Malick grinned at the memory. "Oh yeah. Your hero speech nearly got both of us killed. Can't believe it's been four years since then."

"Malick?"

"Yeah?"

"You've been the best sidekick I could ask for," Janice said, her voice dipping into something more serious. "But I feel like things are about to change. Promise me—no matter what happens—we stick together."

Malick chuckled quietly.

Janice frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Malick said, shaking his head.

Janice glanced around, her brow furrowing. "Where's Isaac?"

Malick's smile faded. "We were ambushed. He stayed behind to cover our escape."

Janice tensed. "We have to go back—"

"You're barely recovered," Malick interrupted gently. "Don't push it."

Before she could argue, footsteps crunched softly over gravel.

"You didn't think I'd let you two have all the fun without me, did you?" Isaac's voice called out. He emerged from the shadows, brushing dirt off his jacket.

Janice's shoulders dropped with relief.

"Glad to see you're okay," Isaac said with a warm grin.