Nova Force Book 1

It was the day of the ranking test. The anticipation had me up before dawn, a habit I'd developed out of necessity. In my room, I was practicing lifting myself off the ground, along with everything else in the room—everything except for the bed Durato was sprawled on.
"Saw you cuddling your pet monster this morning. For all that tough guy act, you looked like a little kid with their teddy bear," Durato teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Hey, come on, who can resist this cuteness?" I countered, holding Liger up to his face, the creature's eyes wide and innocent.
A knock on the door interrupted us. It was Tarif.
"Hey guys, Konessàne is asking for you before you leave," he said, his voice urgent.
"Alright, I'll be there," I replied, feeling a knot of anxiety tighten in my stomach.
Laylah stirred and woke up, realizing she was floating in mid-air. She let out a yelp and rolled off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud.
"Rome! What's the meaning of this?" she shouted, glaring at me.
"Sorry, I had nothing else to practice with," I said sheepishly. "My bad."
Laylah groaned, rubbing her side. "Next time, use your imagination or something. Just not me."
 
Something felt off this morning. All three of us were sick with the common cold, an unusual occurrence considering our rigorous training and resilience.
We trudged to Konessàne's chambers, which doubled as his research lab. All three versions of Konessàne greeted us.
"Good morning, my friends. How was your sleep?" asked the perky one, his energy almost jarring.
"It was okay," we all replied in unison.
"Awesome," he said, grinning.
"Ah-choo!" We sneezed one after the other, the sound echoing through the lab.
"That's some nasty cold you all got there," observed Tarif, concern etched on his face.
"Before we start, let me see your swords," Konessàne requested.
We drew our swords, each handle matching our rings and cloaks. Durato and Laylah unsheathed theirs, the sight of their blades always impressive.
I hesitated. "I only unsheathe my sword if I'm going to kill, but just this time, I'll let you all see it." With that, I drew my katana.
Durato's longsword crackled with blue lightning marks, Laylah's katana shimmered with red lightning, and my katana glowed with purple lightning. Konessàne's and Tarif's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Uncle K, is that what I think it is?" Tarif asked, barely containing his enthusiasm.
"Yes, indeed it is," Konessàne confirmed, circling us to examine the swords closely. "That's novarium steel. May I touch it?"
"Sure, go ahead," I replied.
Konessàne's eyes gleamed as the dirtiest version of him, covered in soot even this early in the morning, carefully inspected the blades. He muttered something under his breath, and light shone from his hand.
"Appraisal!"
His expression turned puzzled. "The density of this steel is different from what I've seen before, and it's a bit heavier. Based on what we've heard about the island, is it possible that the density of novarium steel varies?"
We exchanged glances, and Durato and I looked at Laylah.
"Alright... The density, gravity, and atmosphere on that island are different. As you go deeper, it's harder to breathe, walk, and do anything," Laylah explained.
"Remarkable. You guys really went through a lot on that island. Could that be why you're sick now as well?" Konessàne asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I was wondering if you guys drugged us or something," Durato said, half-joking.
"The atmosphere here is different from the one you are used to, so it might affect your bodies in some way." Said the more sophisticated looking Konessàne.
"No, we would never do that. Your bodies were in a different environment for a while, and now you're suddenly back here. Think of it like having a hot bath and then jumping into ice-cold water," Konessàne explained.
"I understand," I replied.
"But no worries. We have something that can heal all that," Konessàne said, handing us bottles bottle.
"Drink some of this, you guys; it'll make you feel better," the more sophisticated looking Konessàne said, passing us vials filled with a colorful liquid. We exchanged wary glances but drank the contents, hoping for relief.
I opened it and let Liger sniff it. He licked the bottle, signaling it was safe. I gave Liger that one and took another for myself. We all drank, and immediately, our sickness vanished, leaving us feeling rejuvenated and ready for whatever lay ahead.
"Wow, awesome!" exclaimed Laylah, her eyes wide with amazement.
This potion reminded me of the ones from my village, but it felt different—better.
"I see you guys still don't fully trust me," Konessàne said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I mean you no harm."
"And we never will fully trust you. Sorry," I replied, my tone resolute.
"Oh well. One last thing before you all leave. Rome, your eyes..."
Konessàne's expression grew serious as he began to explain something called the Eyes of Disruption.
"Eyes of what now?" Laylah asked, perplexed.
"The Eyes of Disruption," Konessàne continued. "These eyes have the power to disrupt certain functions of the body. There are rumors of someone in the Brittaniac Empire who can stop your movements and even kill you using your own blood. All he has to do is look at you, and it's over."
Another person, who had personally helped Konessàne in his war, could cause immense pain by increasing the creatinen levels in your body that your muscles produce.
"Incredible! Aren't these people overpowered then?" Laylah asked, awe-struck.
"Well, not necessarily. If they fight someone stronger than them, their eye techniques aren't as effective. But we still don't know much about it," Konessàne explained.
Everyone turned to look at me. "Why are you all looking at me? I don't even know what they do." I added.
"You'll find that out later." Said the Konessàn but what he said next left us all speechless.
"Rome, one question. Were you very sick with your eyes before the supernova?" he asked.
I froze. How did he know this? And what did it have to do with everything he just told us?
"Not entirely, but yeah..." I replied reluctantly. "I had a sickness that no one knew about. It affected everything in my body, including my eyes. I think it was my nerves that were damaged. I got about 90% better before the supernova."
"This only solidifies my findings even more," Konessàne said, his eyes gleaming.
"I was sick too," Laylah admitted. "I had poor vision and a disease that affected my muscles. I couldn't walk for long and easily got tired."
"I also had a condition," Durato added. "It gave me seizures and caused me to hallucinate from time to time."
"Yes! Yes! It's final. I've finally got it!" Konessàne screamed with excitement. "People who were sick before the supernova got powers. The more severe the sickness, the more powerful your nova force."
"The Eyes of Disruption, wow, really something powerful in this day and age," he continued. "Someone I know had cancer in his eyes and had to remove one. He wears an eye patch now. He possesses one of these eyes."
 
"Wait, this person. Does he have a team of people. One female who has some sonar ability. A guy so fast and this insanely strong dude??"
 
"Yes. Do you know them? Well they are well known around these parts. Said Konessàne.
"I see they're still alive; not even them could scratch that beast. I said, remember the events of that day.
 
"I've seen it once, a massive beast and you could feel it's power from afar. said the other Konessàne.
 
We ended our discussion there because it was time for the ranking test.
 
"All the best at the ranking test, give it your all you guys.'' said Konessàne with an air of encouragement.
 
We were all still reeling from the information we'd just learned. It was hard to tell if everything was accurate, but it made sense. Staying with the soldiers instead of escaping had proven valuable. In the short time we'd been here, we'd gathered so much crucial information. Now, I needed to find a way to the Caribbean to locate my family. But first, I had some questions that needed answering.
"Can you believe all this?" Nova Dos said, still wide-eyed. "I mean, the Eyes of Disruption, the powers tied to our illnesses—it's almost too much to take in."
"I know," Nova Uno replied, shaking her head in disbelief. "It makes sense, though. Staying here with the soldiers was the right call. We've learned so much already."
Nova Zero nodded thoughtfully. "It's like everything's starting to come together. We've gathered a lot of valuable information, but I still need more."
"More?" Nova Dos asked, raising an eyebrow. "What else do you need to know?"
"For starters," Nova Zero began, "I need to find out how to get to the Caribbean. My family might be there, and I need to find them. But there are other questions too. Things I need to clarify before we move on."
Nova Uno leaned in, his curiosity piqued. "What kind of questions?"
"Well, for one," Nova Zero said, "I need to know more about the Eyes of Disruption. How exactly do they work? And what other powers could we potentially have? There's still so much we don't understand."
"And we need to figure out our next move," Nova Dos added. "Now that we know we have these abilities, we need a plan. How do we harness them? How do we protect ourselves and our loved ones?"
Nova Zero looked determined. "Exactly. We've got a lot to do, and time isn't on our side. Let's make a list of our questions and start getting some answers. Once we have a clear direction, we'll head to the Caribbean."
Nova Dos nodded in agreement. "Right. First, we gather as much information as we can here. Then, we find your family and figure out the rest from there."
Nova Uno smiled, the excitement of the journey ahead lighting up his face. "Let's get to work. We've got a lot to uncover and a lot of ground to cover."
 
"Hey, why do you all wear masks?" Tarif asked, his curiosity evident.
"The masks protected our faces when we left the island," I replied, my tone flat. "We didn't know what we'd encounter outside, so we kept them on."
"But why not take them off now?" he pressed.
I met his gaze, my eyes cold and unyielding. "I'm not sure about the others, but who I was before is dead. I'm now just Nova Zero."
 
"From now on, call me Nova Zero, okay, Tarif? Only Konessàne, my friends, and you know my real name."
 
Tarif sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, you're no fun."
 

I didn't respond, letting the silence emphasize the finality of my words. The mask was more than just a shield—it was my new identity.