C-Team: From Here To The Multiverse

It didn't take Haru long to return to the main lobby.

He spotted his uncle almost immediately — standing at the front desk, still trying (and failing) to spark conversation with Freya, who looked about as interested as a brick wall.

"So I was like — how the hell are you gonna stop me?" Leonidas was mid-rant, animated.

"Then I backhanded him clean across the control room and saved the city from a hydrogen bomb.

I swear, most of these criminals aren't even villains — just absolute idiots. You get what I'm saying?"

"Uh huh," Freya replied, eyes fixed on her screen.

"Next time I run into one like that, I'm gonna smash their face into a wall and livestream it to the entire multiverse!"

"Uh huh."

"Anyway, Frey, remember that ti—oh."

He turned mid-sentence.

"Oh, Haru! How'd it go?"

Freya glanced over her shoulder at Haru for a second, then promptly returned to ignoring both of them.

"It went well," Haru said, walking up. "He gave me my number and told me to head down to the lab.

Wanna see it?"

Leonidas stepped forward as Haru raised his right hand.

The number gleamed faintly: 87

Leonidas' face shifted — just slightly.

A flicker of recognition.

A hint of something heavier beneath his usual bravado.

"…Huh," he murmured. Then smiled again.

"Well, let's get you to the lab then, shall we?"

"Yeah," Haru said, falling in step beside him.

He could feel the change in the air.

Subtle. Quiet.

But it was there.

That number had pulled something out of Leonidas — a memory, maybe.

Something unspoken.

"See ya, Frey," Leonidas called with a smirk as they headed toward the elevator.

She didn't bother responding.

Haru waved anyway, giving her a small, shy smile.

Freya, without looking up, offered him the faintest smirk.

That tiny acknowledgment was enough to make Haru breathe a little easier.

Maybe — just maybe — he'd made a decent first impression after all.

The elevator was close by as they got there quickly. They stepped into the elevator together, this time with Haru leading the way.

He held out his hand and confidently spoke:

"Eighty-seven."

A soft pulse of golden light responded, and the doors slid open.

Inside, Haru used his number again to activate the controls — selecting their destination:

Ground -7. The Lab.

As the elevator began to hum to life, Haru couldn't help but feel… good.

Proud, even.

The soft chime of each descending level echoed like a rising drumbeat in his chest.

He stood tall. A little smirk tugged at the edge of his lips.

Finally — things were going his way.

"By the way, kid," Leonidas said casually. "Prepare yourself."

"For wha—"

The elevator dropped.

Floor 0 was fine. But the second it passed that — it shifted.

It moved like a lightning bolt.

A vertical blur of speed that made Haru feel like his soul was lagging behind his body.

When the elevator stopped, Haru staggered slightly, gripping the rail.

Leonidas gave his head a small shake, snapping the dizziness from his own senses.

"Warned you, kid."

"Yeah, yeah… I know."

The doors slid open — and Haru blinked.

Whatever he was expecting…

This wasn't it.

This wasn't a lab like the ones at school.

It was massive.

A sprawling, multi-layered research complex.

Walls of illuminated white and transparent glass, stretching endlessly into different wings.

People of all kinds moved through the halls — some in sleek lab suits, others looking like visiting soldiers, warriors, or scholars.

Some were clearly here for tests.

Others looked like they lived in this place.

Everywhere he looked, something new caught his eye:

Reactors glowing with caged fury.

Artificial floating cores of raw energies under calibration.

Interactive holograms responding to spoken thought.

And in one corner —

Tiny alien creatures being guided through intelligence and movement tests, darting around obstacles with eerie coordination.

Haru wanted more time to explore — so much more — but Leonidas nudged him forward as they approached a checkpoint:

A sleek rail gate separating the public corridor from the inner facility.

A tall, vaguely Martian-looking man with grey-green skin and sharp yellow eyes stepped in front of them.

"Are you civilians?" he asked, polite but firm. "If so, you are not permitted in this section unless given direct access."

"I—uh—was given permission," Haru said quickly, remembering Narkul's advice.

"By Nar—, I mean the President."

The Martian's gaze sharpened.

"Number?"

"Eighty-seven."

Immediately, a translucent screen lit up above the gate.

Information populated. Access confirmed.

The Martian straightened and gave a respectful bow.

"Please wait a moment. One of our premier scientists — Lady Skyla Volkov — will be with you shortly to escort you to the Head of Operations."

He bowed again before walking off down one of the side halls.

Haru blinked.

"Premier scientist?"

Leonidas nodded, hands casually in his pockets.

"Yep. We're about to meet the Head of Operations himself."

"You know him?"

"Of course. Souta Tanaka.

Genius from a parallel Earth.

One of the smartest men in the Multiverse, literally no exaggeration needed."

Haru felt pressure build in his chest.

High expectations, indeed.

"What about this Skyla Volkov?"

"His assistant," Leonidas said. "Never met her myself, but word is she's no slouch — said to even rival his intellect. You're getting the full VIP treatment, kid."

He grinned.

"You better not disappoint."

"I'll try my hardest," Haru muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"No promises, though."

They waited a little while longer before she finally arrived.

To say she was a stunner would've been an understatement.

She stood about the same height as Haru, maybe a few inches taller in her boots, and looked only a few years older — early twenties, at most.

She wore a simple white lab coat that fell around her like a tailored curtain — modest, but just fitted enough to hint at the functional outfit beneath.

Pale ivory skin.

Long, flowing golden-blonde hair.

Emerald green eyes behind a pair of cute, rounded glasses.

She stopped a few feet from them, offering a soft smile and peering at them politely before giving a graceful curtsey, her coat sweeping slightly as she moved.

"My name is Lady Skyla Volkov," she said. "But you may call me Skyla. Nice to meet you."

Haru, once again confronted with a beautiful woman on a day already filled with mind-bending events, panicked slightly and bowed.

Full-on.

"Haru Tadashima! Nice to meet you too!"

Leonidas chuckled.

"Chill out, kid.

Nice to meet you too, Skyla."

"A pleasure to meet you both," she said, looking at Haru with friendly professionalism.

"Haru?"

He snapped into focus.

"Y-Yeah?"

"If you'll follow me, we can begin your tests and initial assessment. That would be most appreciated."

"Uh—sure! But what about my uncle?"

She glanced at Leonidas with an ease that suggested she already knew the answer.

"Of course. Leonidas should know his way to the main operations room.

Ain't that right?"

Leonidas gave a short nod.

"Yeah, I've got it. I'll meet up with Souta and catch up with you two after."

Before turning to leave, Skyla offered him her oversized cloak.

"This should help you move through the restricted zones without any trouble."

Leonidas raised an eyebrow, then accepted it.

"Appreciate it," he said, sliding it on.

Haru, meanwhile, took a moment to glance at Skyla again — more subtly this time.

Underneath the coat, she wore a sleeveless black fitness vest and matching tights — clearly dressed more for movement and functionality than style, though somehow she still pulled it off effortlessly.

"Ready to go, Haru?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah," he replied, voice just a touch too high.

He forced himself to chill out.

Too many expectations were riding on him today.

He couldn't afford to get distracted.

As he followed Skyla deeper into the lab, weaving through corridors of glowing panels and arcane tech, the realization settled in again.

It had been creeping up on him since he arrived — quiet, undeniable.

He still couldn't believe it fully, even now.

A guy like him.

Not rich. Not poor. Not a prodigy. Not a failure. Average in most ways, always floating in the middle of everything.

Except for his gifts. His strange abilities that had always isolated him.

The ones that never made much sense.

The ones that always made him feel different — without a reason.

Until now.

Because now he understood.

He wasn't just another name on a list.

He was a Legacy Child.