The night was quiet, save for the sound of thick fluid dripping onto the dirt.

  Ren stood in a wasteland littered with the carcasses of hundreds of monsters. The air was heavy with the smell of iron and rot, the silence only broken by the occasional hiss of a dying demon. His hands were coated in black demon blood, and his jeans were torn where a deep gash on his thigh continued to bleed.

  A small, weary smile touched his lips. "Teleport," he whispered.

  Instead of his home, Ren appeared in a silent, sprawling graveyard. Thousands of white headstones stretched into the darkness, standing like silent sentinels under the moonlight. He walked with a heavy limp, his boots crunching on the gravel, until he reached a particular grave at the edge of the hill.

  He stood there for a long time, looking down at the name carved into the stone—the first man in the Mirakai Clan who didn't look at Ren with disappointment. This was the master who had seen a struggling boy and taught him that his power wasn't a curse, but a weapon.

  Ren closed his eyes. A soft, warm glow emanated from his palms. Slowly, a cluster of vibrant, otherworldly flowers materialized in his hands blooms so radiant they seemed to pulse with their own light. He knelt, ignoring the pain in his leg, and placed the flowers gently on the headstone.

  "I finished it, Master," he whispered, his voice thick. "Everything you taught me... I'm using it. Thank you for not giving up on me."

  He stayed on one knee for a moment longer, his hand resting on the cold stone. Then, he stood and snapped his fingers.

  Ren appeared in the quiet hallway of his home. The smell of the graveyard was replaced by the scent of his mother’s cooking.

  "Ren? Is that you?" his mother called from the kitchen. She didn't come out; she stayed where the light was bright. "How is it going with Liya? Are you two meeting tomorrow?"

  Ren looked at his blood-stained palms. "I'm meeting her tomorrow, Mom," he replied.

  He walked toward his room, passing the living room. His five-year-old brother was sitting on the floor, eyes glued to the television. The Hero Network was airing a documentary about Ren’s friend, Tobi.

  "Switch it off and go to sleep," Ren said. "It’s late."

  "But I want to see Tobi!" the boy argued. "I’m watching it so I can understand your story better when it comes out. I want to see your heroic fights, Ren. No one even knows you're a hero."

  "There is nothing good in my past," Ren said, his voice flat. "It will only scare you. Don't watch it."

  "Then why let Mr Eye air it?"

  "Because the world needs to see the side of things they’ve been ignoring," Ren said. "You'll understand soon."

  He went into his room and closed the door. Through the wall, he could hear his brother asking their mother about **Mr. Eye**. He listened as she explained the history of how there are only 30 **Ogheros** on the planet because they are born from the world's limited energy.

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  "And the Norheros Mom?" the boy asked.

  "Their powers are different, honey," she explained. "They are granted by God, passed down and inherited from one generation to the next. God chooses who receives them, and they are transferred according to His wish, so the world is never without protectors. But the Ogheros... they are the planet's own strength."

  The next morning, Ren woke up and checked his leg. The skin was smooth, the wound completely sealed.

  "System," Ren thought. "Status of the injuries?"

  [All injuries healed successfully, Ren. You are at 100% capacity.]

  The System projected a virtual screen in the air. The footage was grainy a thermal feed showing a cluster of high-level demons burrowing beneath a residential zone. They were a hidden threat, waiting to strike while the world slept. Ren’s jaw tightened. His eyes turned a sharp, lethal red. He snapped his fingers and vanished.

  When he returned a few hours later, his shirt was splattered with dark, foul-smelling demon ichor. He had intercepted the threat in the silence of the tunnels.

  Ren walked straight to the bathroom and turned the water on scalding hot. He stood over the sink, staring at the black stains on his knuckles. He grabbed the soap and began to scrub. He washed them repeatedly, obsessively rubbing the skin until it was raw. He watched the last of the black blood swirl down the drain.

  Finally, he looked up at the mirror. The red in his eyes had faded. He felt a rare, slight pull at the corners of his mouth. A successful hunt. Another day of peace secured.

  "How is the invasion going?" Ren asked, his gaze fixed on a point in space only he could see.

  [The pieces are moving into place. Your intervention has stabilised the sector. Everything is proceeding as planned ] the System replied.

  Ren took a deep breath, feeling relaxed for the first time in days. He changed into a fresh shirt and drove to meet Liya.

  At the restaurant, Liya reached across the table, her fingers gently brushing his.

  "I’m still in shock," she said softly. "I know you told me you were an Oghero, Ren, but you said it with that look on your face... I thought it was just one of your jokes. And the World Order thing I believed you were a member, but I pictured you as a strategist or an advisor. Not this ."

  "I'm just a normal person born with a special power, Liya," Ren said. He looked down at his coffee, his hands trembling slightly before he hid them under the table.

  "I searched for you online and found nothing," she laughed softly. "I'm just happy you're safe."

  Ren didn't look up. He stared at the reflection of the lights in his cup. A raw, hollow ache settled in his chest. Does she deserve someone who isn't covered in ghosts? "Liya..." he said, his voice cracking. He looked at her, his gaze filled with a sudden, deep sadness. "After you watch my story... There is a chance you won't like me anymore. Please, don't watch it. It won't give you good vibes. I don't want you to see the person I had to become."

  Liya squeezed his hand, her eyes locked onto his. "I want to know you, Ren. Every part of you."

  Ren pulled his hand away slowly, his gaze drifting to the window. He didn't say another word.

  ---

  **Friday. 7:00 PM.**

  The world was waiting. The Demon threat had been growing more violent, and the public was desperate. Mr Eye had given a massive interview that week, and his final words had chilled the planet.

  _“The world knows nothing about him,” Mr Eye had told the cameras. “I have watched every hero on this earth. But this man... he has saved this world more times than you will ever know. The world is not ready for the truth he is about to reveal.”_

  At 8:00 PM, Liya and Ren's family gathered around the TV. The Trending tab on the Hero Network refreshed: THE STORY OF REN .

  Liya took a breath and clicked Play.

  The screen flickered to life. The story began...