A marvelous world

The ground continued to tremble beneath them as Kevin stood in the midst of chaos. His lips curled into a smirk. Freshly escaped from a hellhole, and now here he was—already knee-deep in another fight. "Perfect," he muttered under his breath. "Just my luck."

More robots clawed their way out of the cracked pavement, some emerging with unnerving speed, their glowing red eyes locking onto the trio. The tremors beneath their feet shifted, and Kevin could feel the entire chunk of land being lifted into the air. The surreal sensation of rising didn't bother him as much as the number of enemies surrounding them. He could fly afterall.

A few robots leapt directly at the archer and the girl, their movements swift and unrelenting as the metal they were made of. Kevin stood back for a moment, watching. The girl raised her hands, the red glow around her intensifying as she hurled a burst of energy toward one of the incoming machines. It slowed, but not enough to stop completely. The archer moved in tandem, firing off an arrow with practiced precision that pierced the robot midair, sending it crashing to the ground in a heap of sparks and metal.

Kevin raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself, but his attention was drawn to the remaining robots. Most of them weren't targeting the three of them at all—they were heading for the fleeing civilians.

Then the air shifted.

The robots surrounding them stilled for a brief moment, their mechanical bodies humming ominously. A collective voice, metallic and cold, spoke from the group in perfect unison:

"Do you see? The beauty of it. The inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword. The earth will crack under the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me—it means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

Kevin crossed his arms. "Real poetic", he couldn't help but mutter with a scoff.

The speech was interrupted when the archer fired an arrow, shattering one robot's face mid-sentence. Its mechanical body jerked, falling backward with a heavy thud. The remaining robots began moving again, advancing steadily toward them.

Kevin sighed as he shook his head in annoyance. "Alright, enough of this crap."

He extended his hands, the air around him humming with energy as his magnetic powers flared to life. Instantly, the robots were yanked toward him, their metal bodies screeching against the pull. Some were airborne, others skidded across the ground, but none could resist the magnetic force dragging them into his orbit.

The girl and the archer both paused, watching as Kevin tightened his fists. The captured robots crumpled in an instant, crushed like soda cans under an invisible pressure. Kevin let the crushed heaps fall to the ground, sparing only a glance at the archer, who was already speaking into what looked like a comm device.

"We're clear," the archer said briskly, his voice calm despite the chaos around them.

Kevin rolled his eyes, "Yeah, no thanks to you."

He glanced at the girl, who was visibly shaken, her glowing hands trembling slightly. Kevin followed her gaze and saw what had her rattled—the robots, even in their eerie mechanical precision, weren't concerned about who they attacked. Their single-minded focus on the civilians was unsettling, their movements unnervingly purposeful.

The girl's expression were tight as she struggled to regain her composure. The archer lowered his bow, casting a wary glance at Kevin before turning back to the girl.

"We need to move," the archer said firmly to the girl.

Kevin snorted, stepping over the crushed remains of a robot as he prepared to follow. Whatever this mess was, it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

The red energy around her snapped and whipped wildly, flickering like a broken neon sign. Her breaths were sharp, uneven, and her voice cracked when she finally spoke.

"How could I let this happen?" she whispered, her words drenched in anguish.

Kevin raised an eyebrow but didn't move. Drama wasn't his thing, and this? This felt like a storm he didn't need to get caught in. The archer, however, stepped forward, concern etched across his face.

"Hey," the man said, his voice steady but edged with urgency. "You okay?"

The girl didn't respond right away. Her gaze was distant, locked onto the crushed remains of a robot at her feet. Then she spoke again, her voice trembling as she spoke more to herself than the archer guy. "This is all our fault…"

The man crouched slightly to meet her eye level. "Hey. Look at me."

She did, reluctantly, her red-tinged eyes brimming with guilt.

"It's your fault, it's everyone's fault—who cares?" the man said firmly, his tone snapping her out of her spiral. "Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know, 'cause the city is flying."

He paused for emphasis, gesturing vaguely upward.

"Okay? The city is flying. We're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense." He gave a dry laugh, more self-aware than amused. "But I'm going back out there because it's my job. And I can't do my job and babysit."

The girl blinked, her expression wavering between shame and something softer.

"It doesn't matter what you did or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill," he continued. "Stay here? Fine. I'll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out there?" He straightened up, his voice steady and resolute. "You're an Avenger."

The girl stared at him, her expression unreadable but no longer fragile. The archer took her silence as an answer, nodded, and turned to leave.

"Alright," he said, his tone lighter now, almost wry. "Good chat."

He slung his bow back over his shoulder, muttering to himself as he walked away. "Yeah. The city is flying," he added, shaking his head in a mix of disbelief and humor.

Kevin moved to leave. He was really not in the mood for this soap opera.

The girl glanced at him briefly but said nothing. Her expression was still contemplative, as though she were replaying the archer's words in her head.

Kevin barely had time to take a step before a sudden gust of wind rushed past him, sending his hair and tattered shirt whipping around. A young man had appeared out of nowhere, his silver hair catching the light as he stopped beside the girl.

"You okay?" the man asked, his voice tinged with concern but carrying an easy, almost cocky edge.

The girl nodded, still visibly shaken but holding herself together. "I'm fine," she murmured, though her tone wasn't entirely convincing.

Kevin narrowed his eyes, observing the newcomer. A speedster, he thought, noting the slight blur that still lingered around the man's form. Speedsters were always interesting—he'd met a couple back in the Null Void, though they didn't last long when faced with someone like him.

The boy placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, his words rapid as though he couldn't slow down even in conversation. "Good, because I don't know if you've noticed, but things are kind of crazy out here. Let's go."

Kevin rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the whole display. He turned his back on the pair, "Great. Another one."

Ignoring the ongoing conversation between the two, he took a deep breath and activated his powers. With a sharp push, he propelled himself upward, his magnetic abilities lifting him effortlessly into the air. The wind whipped past his face as he ascended, his ragged clothes fluttering like a tattered flag.

From his vantage point, the scale of the chaos became clearer. The city wasn't just flying—it was rising higher and higher, chunks of earth and concrete breaking away like drifting islands in a vast sea of destruction. Below, swarms of robots moved with unsettling precision, spreading across the fractured landscape. Their glowing red eyes scanned everything in their path, hunting for survivors or threats.

Kevin floated there for a moment, surveying the scene. He couldn't help but scoff. "What the hell did I just land in?" he muttered to himself. This wasn't just some random battle—this was something bigger, something massive.

His gaze shifted to the horizon, where flashes of light and explosions painted the sky. The scale of the destruction was unreal, even for someone like him who had spent years surviving the Null Void. Whatever this was, it wasn't just about a few robots or a flying city.

Kevin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't the kind of guy to play hero, but this situation was starting to look like something he couldn't just walk—or fly—away from.

"Guess I'll stick around," he muttered, smirking slightly. "For now."