Ken was already mid-air before Ash even saw him coming. With a loud, over-the-top yell, Ken leapt onto Ash's shoulders like an overexcited child, throwing his weight against him. "I'm fully healed, loser! Unlike your weak ass, I don't need months to recover from a scratch!" he shouted, laughing.
Ash stumbled back a little but caught his balance and just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, brushing his jacket off. "Glad to see your energy didn't get any less annoying."
He looked around, he had expected more, tens of thousands of heroes, maybe, rows upon rows of elites gathered in one massive place to hear what the great leaders of the world had to say. But surprisingly, it wasn't crowded. The place was massive, but not everyone had been called. In fact, it seemed like this was a special meeting. The ones walking around weren't rookies. These were recognizable faces, top-ranked heroes, known warriors, warlords, strategists, and a few mysterious types Ash had only seen once or twice before.
As they walked deeper into the gathering, Ken turned and looked at Ash curiously. "By the way… why'd you need money this morning? You sounded like you were about to sell your kidney."
Ash rubbed his temple, his face tired already. "It's complicated," he said. "But basically… I got a roommate."
Ken blinked. "What?"
"Yeah. Some poet with a guitar and a messed-up sense of humor. The landlord apparently rented the place to both of us. I didn't know. He just… showed up out of nowhere."
Ken let out a loud laugh that echoed too much in the hall. "Wait, wait—what? A poet? You're telling me there's some broke Shakespeare living in your apartment now?"
Ash exhaled sharply through his nose. "His name's Kesher."
"Kesher?" Ken grinned. "Oh, I need to meet this guy."
"You'll regret it," Ash said, shaking his head. "He talks like he swallowed a poetry book and sees the world through rhymes and metaphors. He ate all my food, hasn't eaten for days, and still insists on singing at sunrise."
Ken laughed even harder, holding his stomach. "This is the best thing I've heard in months."
Before Ash could reply, Ken suddenly stopped mid-step. His face froze, a bright blush spread across his cheeks, and his posture stiffened like a soldier in front of a king.
"What the hell—" Ash started, before following Ken's line of sight.
At the far end of the hallway, someone was waving. A tall woman with a confident walk, long red hair flowing behind her like a curtain of light, and golden armor that shimmered with every step. Nero. One of the Wargods. And probably the reason Ken looked like someone had just punched his lungs empty.
Ash raised a hand to return the wave. "Yo," he called out casually. Nero nodded with a polite smile and walked past them, her attention already shifting elsewhere.
Ken stood there, unmoving, eyes wide, cheeks red, mouth hanging open like he'd just seen a divine revelation.
Ash nudged him. "Breathe."
"I can't."
Ash laughed. "Come on, man, what did you expect? This is the Assembly. Of course, she was going to be here."
Ken finally exhaled, long and dramatic. "I know, I know, I just… I wasn't ready. I thought I'd have more time to mentally prepare or something. Maybe rehearse a line. You know, something like 'Hey Nero, I also like swords and screaming.'"
Ash shook his head, amused. "You're hopeless."
They kept walking through the halls, eventually entering the large round chamber that served as the heart of the Assembly. A tall podium stood in the center, surrounded by elevated seating.
They sat down on one of the benches near the edge of the chamber. Ash leaned back, taking it all in. So many powerful people gathered in one room. And here he was, no powers, just his sword and whatever speed remained in his bones. He wasn't even sure what he was doing here.
He thought about Kesher again, wondering if that guy had found something edible to chew on back at the apartment. Probably not. Maybe the guitar.
Ken was still on edge, glancing around nervously in case Nero appeared again. Ash nudged him with his elbow. "Relax, she's not going to bite."
"She could, and I'd thank her," Ken said without missing a beat.
Ash rolled his eyes and smiled faintly. He exhaled slowly, leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and whispered just loud enough for Ken to hear, "Let's hope they're not asking us to fight a legion of monsters beyond our comprehension."
Ken grinned. "Speak for yourself. I've got a reputation to build."
Ash shook his head again, chuckling softly.
And suddenly, the hall went silent as a figure of great respect, Lord Gabriel, walked in. Ash, like the rest of the heroes, rose to his feet in one swift motion and lowered his head, his eyes to the floor in reverence.
Even Ken, who had just been cracking jokes moments ago, straightened up and stood still, his posture suddenly rigid. Gabriel didn't speak right away. He stood before them, hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the gathered heroes with quiet intensity.
Then, his voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but it didn't need to be.
"The world is changing."
He paused. The sentence hung in the air. Simple, but true. Ash blinked slowly, taking it in. "The balance we held so dearly between humans, heroes, and the cosmic forces has begun to tilt. And it's not in our favor."
He began to walk across the stage slowly, his hands still behind his back.
"In light of this, I've made a move. A partnership, some might call it." His tone never changed, but the room's energy shifted. "With Sinclair Industries. Yes, that Sinclair. The biggest weapons manufacturer in the known universe. Draven Sinclair and I have reached an agreement. One that allows us access to new technology. Stronger weapons. Faster ships. Better shields."
Ash glanced sideways at Ken, who raised an eyebrow and whispered, "That doesn't sound comforting."
Ash said nothing. He was too busy listening.
Gabriel stopped walking and turned back to face them. "But this is not about profit. This is about survival."
The silence now was suffocating.
"As many of you know," Gabriel continued, "a disaster has unfolded across the outer rings. The Asura, yes, those very beings who had stayed silent for decades, have begun to move. And when they move, it is never without purpose."
"In just thirty-six hours," Gabriel said, "the Asura systematically wiped out multiple villain factions. They didn't negotiate. They didn't threaten. They eradicated them. Entire colonies… gone. What we once thought of as underground warlords and back-alley syndicates were nothing to them."
A murmur rose in the crowd. "Why would they kill villains? Aren't they like them too?"
Gabriel continued, "And it doesn't end there. After dismantling the villain networks, they struck us. Hero outposts on remote planets burned. Communications lost. Our sentinels gone silent. We lost contact with ten planetary squads."
"The most disturbing part?" he said, his voice a little softer now. "Intelligence confirms… their leader wasn't even present during these attacks. These were just his followers."
That's when the screen behind him flickered to life. A fuzzy image appeared, blurry, low-quality. But the figure was clear enough. A young man. Dark black hair. A calm, cold face. Dressed simply. No glowing armor, no demonic presence, just a human face.
Ash's breath caught in his chest.
"This," Gabriel said, "is Karn. The leader of the Asura."
Ash didn't hear the rest of what Gabriel said. His heart was pounding too loudly. His mind flashed back to that place, those nightmarish creatures, the dream crawlers, and the man who stood beside him. Who stood in front of them. Who stared at those monsters and made them step back.
That man… was Karn?
His hands grew cold. The floor felt like it might vanish beneath his feet.
Gabriel's voice carried on in the background. "We know little about him. Where he came from, what he wants. We must assume the worst. Whatever is happening out there, this… Karn… is at the center of it."
Ash stared at the picture. The same man who saved him, no, who appeared to save him. Had it all been some sort of manipulation? A test? Or something deeper? He didn't know. But the thought of Karn being the enemy made his insides twist with confusion.
Gabriel's tone had shifted now, he was wrapping up. "We stand on the edge of something enormous. I don't know what Karn wants, but I fear we will find out soon. Prepare yourselves. Because this is no longer just a war of power. It is a war of belief. A war of what the world is meant to be."
The hall stayed silent for a long time after Gabriel finished. The lights dimmed. People started murmuring again, but it was different this time. Lower. Nervous.
As Gabriel walked off the stage, the room parted again.
Ash leaned against the wall. His thoughts were all over the place. It was too much, too fast. And what scared him most wasn't Karn, or the Asura, or the lost planets.
It was the question.
Why did he save me?
Ken was still buzzing about Nero. "Dude, I'm telling you, she waved at me. I swear she did. I might just die."
Ash didn't reply.
Ken finally noticed something was off. "Hey. You good?"
Ash forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… thinking about what Gabriel said."
Ken frowned. "Yeah, he went all end of the world mode in there, huh? Still, you heard him. We'll get new weapons. Better tech. We'll figure it out."
Ash nodded, but his heart wasn't in it. He glanced at the screen, which still had Karn's photo frozen on it. The man's eyes stared back at him, even through the blur.
What are you really after…?
He didn't know. But he had a feeling that soon, he'd have to find out.