Dominic sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the faint lines of light sneaking in through the blinds. The soft, early-morning glow painted his room in muted colors, and outside, the city was just beginning to stir. But inside the Scotia household, the air was thick with tension—an atmosphere Dominic could feel all the way up to his room. The events at NovaTech hung over the house like a dark cloud, and Dominic could still hear the frantic whispers of his parents downstairs.

  He wasn’t supposed to be home yet. The field trip had ended abruptly, and Dominic, along with his classmates, had been rushed back to the Academy without much explanation. But when he arrived home, his parents were already waiting, faces taut with fear and anger. They hadn’t said much, only that he needed to rest—that they would handle it.

  But what was “it”?

  Dominic sat there, his heart still pounding from the day before. He couldn't stop replaying the attack at NovaTech, the way the intruders had dismantled the heroes with terrifying ease. He had seen heroes fall before, but never like that. Never people like her. Crimson Nova had been untouchable in his eyes, a force of nature. And now she was… gone.

  The door to his room creaked open slightly, and Dominic’s ears perked up. His parents' voices drifted up the stairs, low and urgent. He knew he wasn’t supposed to listen in, but how could he resist? His parents weren’t just anyone. His father was Titan Forge, the number one hero in the country, and his mother, Viora, was known for being one of the smartest tacticians in the world. Whatever they were talking about had to be important. Maybe even more important than what they were letting on.

  Quietly, Dominic slipped off his bed and moved toward the door. He pressed his ear against the wood, straining to make out their conversation.

  "I can't believe this happened," his mother’s voice, sharp and brittle, cut through the quiet. "We trusted NovaTech’s security, Rayner. They assured us it was impenetrable. And now, our son was caught in the middle of an attack? If those intruders had been even a little more coordinated, Dominic—" Her voice cracked, but she swallowed the rest of the sentence.

  There was a long pause, the silence heavy. Dominic held his breath.

  His father, Rayner—Titan Forge—spoke next, his voice deeper, more controlled, but no less tense. "I know, Alexa. Believe me, I know. But we can’t let fear cloud our judgment. The kids were lucky to get out. And NovaTech… they’re scrambling. Crimson Nova’s gone, and there’s no clear replacement. Right now, the country’s going to be looking at us—me—to keep things from falling apart, sorry her name is Hana Kim, the least we could do is give her that respect."

  Dominic’s heart skipped a beat. His father rarely talked about his responsibilities this bluntly. It was always about the duty of being a hero, the honor of protecting others. But this was different. There was an edge in his voice that Dominic had never heard before.

  "They were after something," his mother said, her voice quieter now, but no less intense. "This wasn’t just some random attack. Whoever those intruders were, they knew exactly what they were doing. They took samples, Rayner. Samples from the power modulators."

  There was a rustle of papers, the sound of his father pacing.

  "And that’s the real issue, isn’t it?" Rayner muttered. "They’re getting smarter. We’re dealing with a new level of threat, one that even Hana wasn’t ready for. If they can manipulate those modulators… if they can control powers at will, without the use of a trump power…"

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  Dominic’s mind raced, trying to piece together what he was hearing. Control powers? What did that mean?

  His mother’s voice lowered further, almost too quiet to hear. "And then there’s that man… Veil. The unregistered vigilante. He was there, Rayner. He fought them. And from what I’ve heard, he’s not exactly following the rules."

  A long pause. Dominic could hear his father sigh.

  "We’ve had our eye on him for a while," Rayner admitted. "The government doesn’t like people like him running around, using powers without oversight. But after what happened, we might need him more than we think. I don’t trust vigilantes, but this is bigger than that now. It’s about survival."

  Dominic’s heart pounded harder, confusion mixing with fear. Veil. He had heard the name before, whispered among students at West Horizon. A masked figure who operated outside the system, someone who didn’t follow the rules. But why would his father care about someone like that?

  His mother’s voice took on a new sharpness. "What about our son? What about Dominic? Do we keep sending him to West Horizon? Do we pretend like nothing happened? That it’s still safe?"

  Dominic felt a knot tighten in his chest. His mother’s worry wasn’t just about the attack. It was about him—about his future. He hadn’t manifested any powers yet, but everyone expected it to happen soon. And when it did, the pressure to live up to his family’s legacy would be unbearable. How could he be a hero like his parents when the world was this dangerous? When even the greatest heroes were falling?

  "I don’t know," Rayner replied, his voice strained. "I don’t want him there any more than you do, Alexa. But pulling him out now? That would raise questions. People are watching us. The other heroes, the government… they expect us to keep things steady. If we panic, the public will panic. And we can’t afford that."

  Dominic clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. They were talking about him like he was a liability, like he couldn’t handle it. But what hurt the most was that part of him agreed. He wasn’t ready for this world—this world of powers, heroes, and villains. He was just a kid, and the weight of his parents’ legacy was crushing him. Every day at West Horizon, he felt like an outsider, watching as his classmates showed off their abilities while he waited, powerless, for something—anything—to happen.

  But now, after hearing his parents talk, he wasn’t just worried about his powers. He was terrified of what the world had become. If someone like Crimson Nova could be taken down so easily, what chance did he have?

  "I want to keep him safe," his mother said, her voice breaking through Dominic’s thoughts. "But I also want him to be ready. We can’t shield him from this forever. The world’s changing, and it’s changing fast."

  "Which is why we need to act carefully," Rayner said. "We’ll meet with the other heroes, with the scientists at NovaTech. We’ll figure out who’s behind this attack and how to stop them. But we have to do it without drawing too much attention. And that means Dominic stays at West Horizon, at least for now."

  Dominic bit his lip, his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted to barge into the room, to demand answers, to tell his parents he could handle it. But he didn’t. He stayed silent, listening to the weight of the conversation pressing down on him.

  "I know it’s not what you want to hear," Rayner continued, his voice softer now. "But pulling him out would be a mistake. We’ll keep a closer eye on him, make sure he’s protected. But for now, he stays."

  Dominic heard his mother sigh, the sound heavy with resignation. "I just… I don’t want to lose him, Rayner. Not like we lost so many others."

  "You won’t," his father replied firmly. "I’ll make sure of it."

  Dominic stepped back from the door, his heart racing. He didn’t want to hear any more. He slipped back into his room, his mind swirling with everything he’d overheard. His parents were scared—scared for him, scared for the future. And that terrified him even more.

  As he sat back on his bed, Dominic stared at the floor, his thoughts spinning. He wasn’t a hero, not yet. But he was caught in a world that expected him to be one. And the more he heard, the more he realized that being a hero wasn’t just about having powers. It was about responsibility, about carrying the weight of other people’s expectations, even when you weren’t ready.

  And Dominic wasn’t sure if he’d ever be ready.