Page 1 of Origins

Chapter 1

Sulien

Why is it that the world’s most talented people always end up babysitting a bunch of teenagers under the guise of education?

My history teacher, Professor Vitalis, used to be the world’s greatest fixer of mistakes. My dad used to call him aneraser. His ability to rewind time allowed him to go back to any point in history and write entire tragedies out of existence. Wars, famines, natural disasters, and more were all recorded for posterity and then promptly eradicated before they could even begin. He could also rewind time for individuals, making him an incredibly effective healer. Although I suppose it wasn’t technically healing—more like biologically resetting them to a point in time before their injuries occurred.

Regardless, his days of fame and glory were behind him now. Vitalis had grown old, losing most of his hair and gaining a pot belly that he attempted to hide under an endless collection of argyle vests. I had a theory that he’d collected the ugliest ones he could find throughout all of history just to wear them in class. Despite his questionable fashion sense, though, I enjoyed having him as a teacher. His firsthand experience with every major historical event made him the perfect candidate to teachThe Anthropology of Heroes.

I twirled the metal barrel of my pen betweenmy fingers, watching my portly professor prepare his teaching materials. The dry-erase marker squeaked on the whiteboard as he scrawled an outline of today's lesson across the surface in emerald green ink.

“Now, class, this should mostly be a review. From this point on, your goals should shift away from academics and toward preparing to transition into the hero workforce via your placement site… You allhavefound a hero center willing to take you on as interns, I hope?”

My shoulders stiffened as the class erupted into a chorus ofYes, professor. The pen slipped through my fingers, smacking loudly on the table in front of me. Vitalis’s silver eyes pinned on me. I felt myself shrink under the weight of his gaze, almost as if my body was folding in on itself just to prevent the embarrassment about to ensue.

“Mr. Seo, is everything alright?” His tone was even, and some might have even interpreted it as kind. But I knew it was a charade. No matter how high I scored in my classes or how well I did in combat training, the staff and students at Vanguard University would always see me as the son of a villain.

The bane of my existence called out from a few rows behind me: “Sulien doesn't have an internship! Nobody wants Necro's kid at their center. He’s a liability.”

My jaw tensed as I turned toward the sound of the voice: Jack Voltaris. His eyes met mine, and his face twisted into a self-satisfied smirk. I rolled my eyes as I considered how to respond. Honestly, there was a lot of low-hanging fruit when it came to insulting Jack. The Voltaris family may have called themselves the world’s most powerful heroes, but my dad had beaten his dad within an inch of his life more times than I could count. Bringing that up wouldn’t exactly make me look like a good guy, though.

Maybe I could call him out for his poor grades? Nepotism was the only thing preventing him from being expelled; his mom was our headmistress, and she’d never admit that her precious son was a complete failure. Jack probably wouldn’t understand the wordimbecile, though, and if he wanted to look it up in the dictionary, he’d have to learn to read first. Honestly, his only redeeming quality was his stereotypical attractiveness. Bright blonde hair, dazzling green eyes, and a sharp jawline made him the poster child for masculinity.

Dammit, I let myself get distracted by his infuriatingly pretty face again.

My eyes flicked from his face to his hands. On his left index finger was a ring that bore the symbols of Aegis, the top hero center in the country—the one his daddy dearest built from the ground up. The gold band sparkled under the fluorescent lighting as if mocking me for my lineage. But bloodlines be damned, I’d be the best hero this world had ever seen, or I’d die trying.

“Not everyone has the luxury of crawling back to Daddy when they realize no one else wants them.” I smirked at his slack-jawed expression before returning to facing forward.

With Jack dealt with, I picked up my pen and opened my notebook. But before I could officially settle in for class, a ball of ice smacked me in the back of the neck. A surge of anger coursed through me, igniting in my chest and quickly traveling down my arm. The tips of my fingers glowed just long enough to ignite the corner of my notebook paper.

“Mr. Seo!” Professor Vitalis snapped. “Pyrokinesis isapowerful and dangerous ability. If you are to have any hope of succeeding as a hero, youmustlearn to control yourself.”

Laughter rippled through the room as I fought off a surge of embarrassment. It wasn’t that Icouldn’tcontrol my power… but it was harder to keep in check when someone pissed me off. With a deep breath, I waved my fingers over the smoldering paper. The embers flickered, and I knew one wrong breath would fan them into an inferno. But, as I held my breath, the orange glow slowly dissipated, leaving a single ribbon of gray smoke to float up from the singed page.

I waved it off and lifted my head, preparing the proper words to explain myself to Vitalis. I’d probably tell him something along the lines of: ‘Apologies, professor, my passion for hero work momentarily overwhelmed me. Won’t happen again.’ But, as I cleared my throat to speak, a knock came from the door.

Vitalis cast a lazy glance in the direction of the sound, using two fingers to beckon whoever was on the other side to come in. The door creaked, and a girl dressed like a secretary timidly entered the room. The pencil skirt and white button-down made her appear older until I noticed the soft, rounded features of her face.

She was pretty, that was for sure. Her honey-blonde hair was held back in one of those claw clips, revealing a set of gold earrings emblazoned with the Aegis logo.

Great, another Voltaris brat. Must be my lucky day.

“Hello, Callie. Always a pleasure… What can I do for you?” Vitalis asked.

“I…” Callie hugged her arms to her chest as she looked around the room. The way she was acting, I had to wonder if she’d ever been around another human being before. “Mom—Sorry, Headmistress Flora asked me to grab a student for her.”

Jack cackled from behind me, and I folded my handsin my lap to prevent myself from igniting anything else.

“Who’s in trouble now?” Jack snorted like the pig he was.

A spark of irritation danced in Callie’s ocean-blue eyes as she glared at her brother. I stifled a chuckle. MaybethisVoltaris wasn’t so bad.

“No one is in trouble.” A dusting of pink danced across Callie’s cheeks. “Flora wanted me to get someone named... Sulien Seo?”

The room fell silent, and it might have been my imagination, but I swore I felt every set of eyes in that room pin on me.

“Look at that. The villain in training is getting some special attention.” Jack scoffed.

---