I packed everything I owned—comics, worn books, a toothbrush, a few glowing mana-trinkets, and every small item scattered around my room. Clothes and food went straight into my orange backpack until it zipped shut over my wings.

I stepped into the corridor where my family waited. Mom had her usual look of warmth and worry, her yellow-feathered wings rustling nervously behind her. Dad stood with his arms crossed, his gaze steady over his broad feathered wings. My siblings leaned near the doorway, grinning with their wings half-spread.

“I know moving out sounds heavy,” I said. “But I’ll be fine.”

“Don, Iris Town has been under attack by Lunaranite raids more times than I can count,” Mom said. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure.”

“Anything could happen,” she pressed as my hand reached the knob.

Dad exhaled, letting his arms drop. “If you’re doing this because you believe it’s right, then go. Moving to Iris Town at ten is a big rite of passage, but it might be the place that makes you the Hero you’re meant to be.”

I nodded, opened the door, and stepped outside. I turned back one last time to grin at them. “Don’t worry. I’ll be the best there is.”

Purple light crackled across my feathers, and I launched upward, leaving a small shockwave as I rose over the Enchanted City. Below, dragons and humans equipped in Celestianite bio-armor darted between golden skyscrapers while self-driving cybernetic cars glided along glowing highways.

My name is Lens Don. I’m ten years old, a crystallized dragon, and the owner of a rare celestial energy called Cosmonimbous. My scales shine like amethyst crystal, burning with a violet hue. I used to train at Brightened Elementary, then graduated, and now I was heading to Iris Town for the summer, and get ready for Insane Middle School the moment I start paying for that tuition.

A sleek yellow cybernetic train glided along golden rails far below. I angled downward, landed at the station, and slipped through the closing doors.

I took a seat, shifting so my wings slid into the open space behind the backrest, and leaned my head back as the train accelerated under the evening sky. Outside, the metropolis blurred into streaks of gold, taking me miles away from home until the hum put me to sleep.

When the air brakes hissed, my eyes opened. I ran out into Iris Town.

Night had fallen. Cottages glowed with lantern light, sturdy brick houses lined the streets, and sharp mountain peaks stood against the starry sky, towering over the distant valley campus of Insane Middle School.

A man in a suit approached with an outstretched hand. “Great to meet you, Mr. Don. Ready to see your town-subsidized house?”

“Yeah!”

We walked down the street while townsfolk finished up their evening routines, stopping before a deep-blue brick house with a stone roof.

The man swung the door open. “Welcome to Iris Town, Don.”

I took a breath and stepped inside.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Life didn’t explode right away, which was weird. I thought moving to Iris Town meant stepping straight into constant action, but for a while, it was just quiet. The kind of quiet where the world lets you settle in before it tests you.

I filled that quiet with Power, the number one Hero.

I was obsessed. Every single day after doing my daily prep work, I dropped my bag on the floor, flopped onto the couch, and started hunting for anything with him in it. News clips of him stopping Lunaranite terrorists, battle footage, interviews where he tried to sound humble while looking like a walking thunderstorm, even those over-the-top action shows that turned his fights into cartoons. If he was on screen, I was locked in.

I studied every movement, every decision, and every moment where he acted without second-guessing himself. He never hesitated. I hesitated all the time.

In my room, I struggled through push-ups while a replay of Power fighting a Lunaranite played in the background. My arms shook halfway down, and I collapsed onto the floor. “This is character development… I think…”

Out in the backyard, my fists glowed faintly as I tried to focus my energy the way he did, only to blast a gust of wind that knocked over a trash can. “…Nailed it.”

Sometimes I paused slow-motion footage of one of his kicks, rewound it ten times, then got up and tried to copy it, only to slip and land flat on my back. “…The form was there, though.” Other times, I just sat cross-legged, staring at the screen and muttering, “That’s gonna be me one day.”

Notebook pages filled with his emblem over and over again, messy at first, then sharper. I thought if I drew it enough, I could understand it, and if I understood it, I could become it.

Then it stopped being a hobby.

I wanted to get into Insane Middle School because that was where people like Power were made. But the tuition for out-of-town kids was brutal, and my parents couldn’t cover all of it.

So I worked.

I did yard work until my arms gave out. Took out trash, ran deliveries, and picked up odd jobs for anyone who needed help. Every coin stacked up slowly in my study desk. Whenever I thought about quitting, I pictured Power standing there, unshaken and unstoppable, and I kept going. I didn’t just want to admire him. I wanted to stand next to him.

That night, Iris Town was peaceful. Lanterns glowed, kids laughed down the street, and I was in my room reviewing my entrance exam guides, double checking where all my gear went.

Then the ground shook.

First a small flinch, then a heavy rumble that rattled the floorboards. My hands froze, the windows shook, and dogs started howling outside.

Outside, massive shadows stretched across the grass. Black and violet dragons dived from the sky—the Lunaranites.

“TO ARMS!” one of them roared, his voice hitting the street like thunder as he crushed a streetlight.

Doors slammed and people ran for cover. Kids cried while parents yelled over the noise, with no town guards in sight to stop them. Down the street, a Lunaranite pinned a civilian against a wall, raising his claws. I stood by the window, frozen, my hands shaking as my brain told me to run.

You know what? It’s time for me to make a move.

I walked out the door and threw my arms into the air. “HEY! LUNARANITES! MOON STRANGLED LIZARDS!”

Gasping echoed from inside every house on the street.

Yep. A ten-year-old Celestianite kid they met two months ago decided today was the perfect day to step outside and roast three Lunaranites all at once.

The lead Lunaranite slowly lifted his head, tilting it. His eyes locked onto mine, sharpening into a lethal glare as I took a step forward. My heart was pounding. Yeah, I was definitely going to die.

I was getting that crazy adrenaline rush—the exact feeling you get when you’re about to stand up to the biggest bullies in Avangard. But right behind that rush came instant regret, because the leader never took his eyes off me.

He snarled, and the other two stepped forward. My heart practically leaped out of my chest, but thank the stars, they didn’t get any closer.

“Do I hear defiance?!” the lead Lunaranite shouted, his voice loud enough to slam directly into your brain. “The Lunaranites come here for the Celestianite only…”

Celestianite? Wait, are they talking about me?!

I wanted to shout something cool back, but faced with three Lunaranites who had way more experience than me, I had nothing. I was relying on the Heroes to show up and handle this, but they were too busy dealing with another Lunaranite crisis over in the Thunderstark Kingdom.

Which meant it was just me. The only Celestianite packed with the most powerful Element, the handsomest scales, and a totally decent chance of beating these guys.

Okay, maybe I was being delusional because I’m so different from everyone else, but still.

What would Power do in a situation like this? The guy would’ve walked over there with a sack of titanium balls and beaten the Lunaranites half to death on his own.

Right. That’s what Power would do. And if I wanna be Power…

I narrowed my eyes as celestial energy crackled over my skin.

I’ll be Power.

“HEY, KID!” another Lunaranite yelled. “YOU MUTE?!”

My stomach dropped. Palms sweaty, heartbeat breaking world records, legs shaking so hard I could barely stand straight.

I tightened the belt on my big-boy jeans anyway and stared the Lunaranites down. “I’ll beat your asses, and—”

All three of their eyes narrowed at once. I squealed a little.

Remember. Power has titanium balls. So do I.

“—and I’m gonna do it… now.”

All three of them launched into the sky, triggering three sonic booms at the exact same time. The impact shook the ground, and the wind almost knocked me flat on my back.

They split up in midair, and the first one dove straight at me.

I looked up and froze. SHIT!

He threw a massive punch, and by some absolute miracle, I hurled myself to the side and rolled across the pavement. I scrambled up fast, dusting the dirt off my clothes. The Lunaranite—now blocking the path in front of me—slowly stood up and gritted his teeth.

I narrowed my eyes. The adrenaline was officially kicking in.

“RAHHHHHHH!!!!”

I launched toward him, celestial energy exploding across my body. Another Lunaranite dove right at my back, but I moved fast enough for him to miss completely.

KRAK!

My fist cracked the leader straight across the jaw. I immediately followed up, uppercutting the second one into the air and sending him tumbling hard into the dirt.

I landed heavy, sliding across the street. “I DID IT!—”

My jaw cracked sideways as the third Lunaranite slammed a fist into my cheek, launching me straight through the wall of a house. Windows shattered, wood splintered, and dust choked the air as debris collapsed all over me.

I slowly pushed myself up from the rubble, gritting my teeth as blood dripped from my nose.

“Damn…” I coughed. “You guys are STRO—”

BAM!

A Lunaranite dropped from above and hooked me straight across the cheek.

I got launched across town, smashing through building after building like a ragdoll. Before I could even recover, another Lunaranite appeared above me and slammed both clenched fists directly into my chest.

BOOOOOOM!

I crashed into the ground hard enough to send a shockwave tearing through Iris Town. The street cracked beneath me. Dust erupted into the sky.

For a second, I couldn’t breathe.

I staggered back to my feet, clutching my stomach while the citizens watched in horror.

Then the Lunaranites surrounded me. All of them.

My breathing turned frantic, thoughts spiraling as I completely lost control of the fight.

I swung wildly and missed. Got uppercutted in return.

“FIGHT BACK!” one Lunaranite yelled.

I tried to kick another one—missed again.

“FIGHT BACK, HERO!” another shouted, slamming a fist straight into my face.

A Lunaranite grabbed my leg, spun once, and hurled me across town.

I crashed through a train set in the middle of the park, metal screeching apart as I tumbled through mulch and dirt. I scrambled up fast and fired another blast of celestial energy.

It completely missed, slamming into a nearby building instead.

BOOOOM!

The entire structure exploded in a massive celestial detonation. My eyes widened.

“Oh no…”

A Lunaranite was already rocketing toward me, claws spread wide.

SNATCH!

His hand clamped around my neck, lifting my feet straight off the ground. Higher. Higher.

I grabbed at his wrist, staring into jagged teeth, glowing eyes, and pure hatred.

“I’ll…” I choked out. “Defeat you…”

The Lunaranite laughed, cold and mocking.

“Really?” he sneered. “You think you’re a Hero?”

BAM!

Pain exploded through my body as his fist drove straight into my gut. My eyes bulged. All the air left my lungs instantly.

He dropped me.

I slammed onto the pavement, bleeding from my face, groaning as I tried not to scream from the pain in my stomach.

“Geez…” I muttered.

The other Lunaranites closed in around me.

Yeah. I was cooked.

One of them raised his claw high above his head, ready to drive it straight through my skull—

FWOOOOOSH!

A streak of blue tore across the battlefield.

BOOOOM!

The ground shattered beneath his feet as a blue aura erupted around him.

He moved effortlessly. Every strike landed clean. Every hit was devastating. Lunaranites dropped one after another like nothing.

The citizens erupted into cheers.

“POWER!”

“POWER!”

“POWER!”

I hovered weakly above the broken street—bruised, shaking, and watching.

Power finished the last Lunaranite with one final crushing blow. Silence fell across the street, smoke curling into the air.

“Thank you, citizens of Iris Town,” Power said, as if he hadn’t just wrapped up the whole fight in under a minute.

Then he turned toward me.

He stepped closer.

“You fought well, kid,” he said quietly. “Real well. You’ve got the spark of a Hero.”

He held out his fist.

I stared at it for a second before bumping it with mine. My hand was still shaking.

He noticed me. And for the first time since arriving here, I felt like I was actually on the right path.