Larry was enjoying a leisurely walk through the city, enamored by the cool breeze. But as he glanced backward, he spotted the valiant knight appearing like a frightful ghost in his white armor. As Larry saw Daniel coming, the criminal tried to run. However, again, like a ghost, Daniel appeared before him with blistering speed, blocking his path and grabbing him before he could escape.

  "Good night, Larry.” Daniel placed his arm over Larry’s shoulder, almost putting him in a headlock. “Here’s the thing. I know you have friends in low places. So, do you mind telling me which ones supply the fancy toys to the gangs?"

  "Who are you? How do you know this—"

  Daniel hoisted Larry by the collar, raising the criminal in the air.

  "I can't tell you that, but what I can tell you is that I also know about your fear of heights. And there are a lot of tall buildings."

  "Okay, I'll talk." Larry scanned from left to right, ensuring there was no one else around. "I—I don't know who the big man is, but I do know that he's been building a cache of hardware for years. And the Trinity test makes it prime time for anyone who wants to stock up."

  “Trinity test?”

  Again, Daniel’s six years of imprisonment were hindering him. Being cut off from society and enduring the trials of the past months, he had no idea what the Trinity test was. And its significance.

  “The government figured out how to weaponize a new form of power, nuclear energy.”

  “And after seeing the US get a higher grade of weaponry, the big man probably has a long list of customers. The gangs, terrorists, and enemy nations.”

  Larry nodded.

  "Where’s the manufacturing?"

  “I don’t know.”

  Daniel jumped to the roof of a tall building, hanging Larry over the edge.

  Larry took a deep breath. "One of his small plants is the Edge Bread factory."

  Later, Daniel tossed Larry into the police station, and seeing the officers handle Larry, he marched off to the bread factory.

  ***

  As time went by, the night had become chillingly cold to the point one could see their breath as white vapor. The guards around the Edge Bread factory took numerous positions around its several thousand square feet of space, many of them playing cards to pass the time. However, as one group of guards was in the middle of a new round, Daniel soon marched up to the factory.

  The guards saw him approach, and one pulled a lever that activated a loud alarm bell, summoning the entirety of their comrades. The guards attacked, brandishing their clubs, guns, and other weapons. But as they dogpiled on him, beating him as much as they could, he blew them away. Daniel lifted the pile of assailants, tossing them aside, and scattered their bodies across the street as they moaned and screamed from the pain. And he continued forward as they lay on the ground disoriented.

  Daniel continued his mission, jogging over to the main factory. As he neared the five-foot-tall, thick, metallic doors, he could feel the temperature drastically increase. “Let’s do this.” Daniel kicked open the doors with one hit of his foot. Inside, the criminals worked at incredible efficiency as their forces were divided into two groups.

  The factory was divided near perfectly down the middle by a red line into two areas so as to better accommodate the groups. The first group did the bread making in the area in the far left. But the other prepared seas of weapons on various conveyor belts on the opposing far right. Still, as Daniel smashed open the giant metal doors, he stopped their production on both sides, cold.

  "You're being shut down," Daniel shouted.

  Unbeknownst to Daniel, the criminals saw a firing squad approaching behind him. And they ran for their lives from the coming battle, screaming as loud as they could.

  "I didn't think it would be this easy."

  Quickly, Daniel saw the firing squad in the reflection of a machine. He prepared to clap his hands, blowing them away, but his damaged ribs stopped him mid-motion. And as Daniel reeled in pain, one of them shot him in the face with a laser.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Daniel crashed into a machine, struggling to get to his feet. But as he stood, the firing squad knocked him back down with a salvo. However, as they were about to pull their triggers, preparing for the killing strike, Daniel used his remaining strength, making one thunderous clap that blew them away.

  Hastily, the clap made one of his attackers hit a giant machine instead, and it exploded into a green inferno. The inferno swallowed the factory. With the shockwaves knocking Daniel out a window into a river miles away.

  ***

  Karen was sleeping soundly in her warm bed inside her apartment. But strange sounds, such as footsteps on her wooden floors, loud groaning, and even a metal pot hitting the floor, awakened her. She jumped out of bed as the sounds continued. Karen looked under her bed, taking out a locked box and key. She used the key to unlock the box, taking out a gun.

  Karen left her bedroom, seeing the lights in her kitchen. She sneaked up to it, preparing to shoot at any intruder, but stopped, seeing that it was Daniel, wet and shivering at her kitchen table.

  Karen sighed in relief, taking a seat by the table with a smile. "I trust you won."

  "Well, yes and no."

  As Karen heard Daniel, she let out a playful giggle.

  In the morning, the creature again looked down at the city through the shadows of his penthouse. He waited for mayhem but got harmony. He waited to hear the symphony of tragedy, but instead, he got the sounds of people. Daniel’s crusade from the night had quelled the criminal underworld, if only for the day. But realizing what the valiant knight had done, his blood-red eyes seared with hatred, knowing what the peace he created meant.

  "So, let there be war."

  ***

  In Karen's apartment, Daniel was half-asleep, going for the morning paper. As Daniel read through it, he spotted the advert for the writing contest, and his heart skipped a beat.

  "The contest. With everything that happened, I forgot about it."

  Later, Daniel was sitting by the kitchen table again, staring at the advert and the trial of the steel champion.

  "What am I going to do? I promised Ma, but I'll break down if I get rejected again," Daniel thought.

  Daniel slammed his head on the table in frustration. But Karen soon walked into the kitchen with her short-trim silk nightie, seeing the advert and the trial of the steel champion.

  And without him noticing, she picked up the book.

  "Love, are you planning on entering this contest with this book?"

  As Daniel heard Karen's voice, he lifted his head in a panic.

  "I—I'm not entering the contest, but if you need to know, it's that old superhero story I wrote.” Daniel ran his hand over his head. “I told you about it on one of our dates in high school."

  "This is the story about the cute rabbit detective?"

  Red-faced by his creation, Daniel took a deep breath. "No, the other one. The trial of the steel champion."

  "May I please read it?" Karen batted her eyes at Daniel.

  Daniel swallowed hard, but he reluctantly nodded yes.

  Karen hastily left the kitchen and returned with her reading glasses. Daniel watched Karen as she read his story on the other side of the kitchen table, sweating a storm, heart pounding, and waiting for her response. And as she finished, he jumped from his seat, going to her.

  "Well?"

  "I think you need to enter that contest. If you were able to make such a hopeful masterpiece as a child, there's no telling what you can do as an adult."

  "Hopeful?” Daniel sat back down on his seat. “In the end, it didn't matter what the hero did. Horrible things would never stop happening."

  "It's hopeful because, despite all that, the metal man had the ball bearings to persevere."

  As he heard Karen's words, it was like the world shook. He looked at her happy face from reading his book and quickly read through it himself.

  "I—I didn't get that." Daniel forced out a chuckle. "I guess I have to prepare for that contest."

  Karen got up from her seat and walked to Daniel, kissing him.

  "But first, I'm making you breakfast, angel."

  "The offer sounds divine, love. But I planned on fixing you something special to help you recuperate.” Karen gently ran her hand against his cheek. “I want to continue our...debrief from last night."

  Karen walked over to the kitchen stove, and as she worked, Daniel couldn’t help but look downward, admiring her butt.

  As the morning went on, Karen and Daniel held hands, walking to the Jones family home.

  "My word. Love, there's quite a bit of work to do if what you described about the factory is true. You're just lucky either that armor or your alien blood p—"

  Karen quickly noticed Daniel looking behind at a young boy walking with his father. The boy broke away from his father and picked up a rock, throwing it at a nest of birds in a tree, joyously laughing. However, his father hastily got hold of him.

  "Why would you do that? Those birds are alive, too. Your mother and I taught you better."

  "I'm sorry, Daddy. I won't do it again," the boy said, shedding tears.

  As Daniel looked at them, his features hardened as he covered his face with his free hand. But Karen grabbed it, dragging him forward, holding both hands.

  "Come, my love. We mustn't dilly-dally."

  ***

  Daniel and Karen arrived at the house, meeting Charity in the living room.

  As Charity saw Karen, she ran over, hugging her. "Karen, I can't believe you're here. You know, even though things between you and little brother didn't work out, it—"

  Charity looked downward, seeing Daniel and Karen holding hands.

  "Are you two...back together?"

  Daniel and Karen gave Charity worried looks as an answer.

  "Little brother, I want you to be happy. And I love Karen, but—.” Charity paused, exhaling heavily and growing a smile. “Nothing. As long as you promise to treat her like a gentleman."

  "I will, sis."

  Charity giggled, kissing Daniel on the cheek and leaving for the dining room. But as Karen tried to follow, Daniel stopped her.

  "Karen, can I ask you something, and you answer as a friend and not a girlfriend?"

  Karen nodded.

  "I failed so many times, but I can't help but ask. Do you think there's hope for me to live honorably and be a winner?"

  "Yes, of course. The fact that you keep trying your hardest regardless assures me of that."

  Karen grabbed Daniel's hand, pulling Daniel to the dining room, meeting happy smiles from the Jones family.