The BalanceKeeper

The generators in Zone Blackridge groaned to life, and the base lit up in a slow, steady bloom. Screens buzzed on. Emergency lights flickered, then steadied. The scent of scorched circuits and old dust clung to the air like a warning from the past. For the first time in years, the facility breathed.

Kael stood at the center of the operations room, flanked by Mira and Reina. The rest of the outcasts—their followers—had dispersed to their quarters or duties, the echoes of Kael's speech still fresh in their minds.

He faced a large projection on the wall: a map of Carthis's southern district, just above the docks.

"Six hours from now," he said, voice even but ice-cold, "the Broker is making another exchange near the coastal hospital ruins. Same route Varn used to funnel the last batch of children out. Same kind of guards. Same kind of filth."

Mira's lavender eyes narrowed. "More kids?"

"Confirmed," Kael replied. "There were a dozen, possibly more. They all had the same tech as before—quirk amplifiers wired directly into their veins."

Reina leaned forward, resting her elbow on the console, her grin a deadly weapon. "What's the plan? Do we hit them hard or softly?"

Kael didn't respond immediately. His gaze wandered across the dimly lit room before returning to them.

"The plan is that we go in quietly," he said. "Only the three of us. "

"Just us?" Mira asked, her tone calm, but clearly surprised.

"Yes," Kael said. "No one else. This isn't just a rescue mission. It's a purge."

He stepped away from the console, pacing slowly. The way he moved—measured, deliberate—carried the weight of something deeper than vengeance. Something righteous.

"Let me be clear," Kael said. "Anyone involved in this—guards, handlers, the tech smugglers, even low-level lookouts—every single one of them loses their Quirk."

He paused, letting the words settle.

"They don't get the luxury of fighting back. They don't get to go home to their crooked lives. They chose to work for Varn and All for One. They watched while children were broken apart for profit."

His voice was steady, cold as carved obsidian.

"If you raise your hand against the world I'm building… if you protect monsters like Varn, or the Broker, or All for One… then your Quirk belongs to me, no questions asked."

Mira gave a small nod, her lips pressed tight in understanding. "I see. You're not just trying to disrupt their operation; you're dismantling their power—permanently. This is the beginning of the brand new world you're hoping to create."

Kael nodded once. "Exactly."

Reina whistled. "You sound like some kind of God."

"No," Kael replied. "I'm not God. I'm just a man who desires a world where everyone lives peacefully, under the same sun."

He turned back to the map and pointed to a side inlet near the rusted loading bay.

"There's an old sewer intake. Half-submerged. Nobody patrols it. That's our entry. Mira, you'll scout and disable internal cameras. Reina—blood mist at the ready. I want you standing by to silence any guard who stumbles near our path. For all we know, All for One might make an appearance himself. We have to be ready for anything."

"And you?" Reina asked, her grin widening.

I'll handle the holding room and get the kids out using Mass Link and Dimensional Rift, just like last time. Then, I'll remove every Quirk connected to this operation, starting with the last person guarding the Broker's drop.

"Is there really a chance he'll be there?" Mira asked.

"It is highly improbable," Kael said. "The Broker avoids getting his hands dirty, but he leaves a trail. And I intend to follow it."

He tapped the screen again, highlighting a hidden cargo crate behind the hospital.

"They use this to store suppressors, vials, ID scramblers. It's the heart of their supply chain. We take that too."

"And if someone begs to go free? That they were being used by All for One and Varn?" Reina asked, her tone sarcastic.

Kael didn't blink.

"Then they can beg with my hand on their face, stripping them of their power. I'm done with those people. They were hurting innocent children without a care in the world. Why should I give a damn about how they feel?"

His words were harsh, but they understood him completely.

"I'm not a hero. I don't give criminals second chances, not anymore. I'll put you down like the dog you are." They could feel the aura around him getting heavier, so heavy to the point where they had to step away even though they were already standing on the opposite side of the room from him.

"I've got power that'll give anyone who isn't a top ten hero in their country a run for their money. I'm stronger, smarter, hungrier than any one of you in this facility. I will achieve my goal of liberating the world. No matter what."

Kael left the room, leaving Reina, Mira and Dr. Sato there alone. Reina breathed a long sigh as she placed her hands behind her head and sat down. Breaking the silence, Mira spoke, a hint of worry in her voice.

I genuinely believe he'll be able to eliminate the world's problems, but I fear he'll transform into the very thing he aims to eradicate. He possesses the same power as All for One and the desire to acquire quirks, just as he does. Their sole distinction lies in their intended use of power. One seeks to rule the world through fear and chaos, while the other aspires to liberate it from such fear and control. I regret to say it about the man who granted us all second chances, but I fear the lines between good and evil will eventually start to blur for him. He's already confessed to having nightmares about individuals he's taken quirks from, who relentlessly attack him in his sleep. However, due to one of his quirks, he's claimed to have ceased sleeping and hasn't slept for weeks now. I detest the thought of Kael succumbing to uncontrollable urges that drive him. But it seems like, like he might.."

She stopped rambling, looking down towards her lap. Reina couldn't believe what she had heard while Dr. Sato sighed, already knowing about Kaels sleepless nights. He'd find Kael standing atop the base, staring out in a daze at the stars. Whenever he tried talking to him, Kael wouldn't respond. He didn't even flinch.

"I trust that little guy! As long as he stays true to his word and uses his gift to save the people of this world, then I don't care about what else he does. I used to live day to day, hoping it would all get better for me. That day never came though , not until I met him. Equinox. The man who, despite having a Quirk most would deem pure evil, used it for good and to help those who couldn't help themselves. I aspired to be what he was, and he inspired me to become a greater person all around. I started using my Quirk to help those who couldn't help themselves, even if it meant that I had to share the little food I had myself or to stay up all night making sure someone was safe. Kael gave me purpose, a meaning to write all the wrong the world suffers from. He's my Hero, no matter what. He's the kind of man a woman like me could only dream of being. I support him, and that's that. So if you think about doing anything that goes against his ultimate goal, Mira, just know that you would have to go through me first in order to get to him. And I can promise you that it won't be an easy fight."

They both started giving each other side-eye. "It will never come to that. My loyalty isn't so shallow, Reina. I just don't want Kael to lose himself to power and All for Ones influence. We need to remind him every day that he doesn't have to fight alone. We have each other to rely and count on. That's all I'm trying to convey, nothing more, nothing less."

"Mhm. Good. Then have more faith in him, Mira. He's strong, and doesn't falter easily. And since he likes sharing more secrets with you it seems, you do what's best for him in our stead."

Reina got up and began leaving. Dr Sato, who had kept his entire mouth shut the entire time, continued his silence.

"I will. I promise to do everything in my power to protect him no matter what."

Reina nodded, leaving Mira and Dr Sato alone in the room as she left. Mira looked out the window governing over the main area of Zone Blackridge. She saw people training, eating, talking, having the time of their lives it seems.

"Look at what you've accomplished, Kael.."

She saw their endless smiles and gratitude plastered all over their faces. 'You gave them purpose and life, Kael. Please continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Please..'

…

Hours Later – Carthis Dock

Fog clung to the shoreline like a warning whispered through the dark. Beyond rusted cranes and gutted shipping containers, the rendezvous site blinked with sickly yellow floodlights—a broken-glass building surrounded by warehouses and half-submerged scaffolding. Smugglers' voices echoed faintly in the distance, too relaxed for men standing on a knife's edge.

Kael crouched atop a forgotten container, silent and still. The mist clung to his coat, shadows folding around him like armor. Beside him, Reina shifted with restless energy, bloodred eyes scanning the maze below. Her wild split-toned hair caught the breeze in white and pink streaks, the metal along her jacket and piercings catching dull light like warning fangs.

Mira stood at Kael's other side—silent, composed, unreadable. The neon glow from the docks kissed the gradient of her midnight-to-violet hair as she pulled her gloves tighter. Her lavender gaze followed Kael's line of sight without question.

"Warehouse Three," Kael said, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "Six guards. Two smaller heat signatures inside—likely the children. Glass overlook up top. That's where the Broker is watching from."

Mira gave a single nod. Reina grinned.

"You want it quiet or flashy?" she asked.

"Quiet. For now," Kael said, his voice low but decisive. "We keep the advantage."

Mira stepped closer, her expression firm. "You sure the kids are still untouched?"

"We'll know soon," Kael replied. "You take the lower side. Reina, sweep the east. I'll go up top and cut off the command."

Reina cracked her neck with an eager smirk. "About time."

They moved.

Kael dropped first—Silent Sole ensuring his landing made no sound against the creaking metal below. With Shadowslip, he vanished between the rows of broken crates and rusted pipes. Mira moved with clinical precision along the side wall, eyes alert. Reina stalked along the misted perimeter, mist already rising faintly from her fingertips in anticipation.

The enforcer at the warehouse door never heard Kael coming. One tendril of DarkBind wrapped around his legs and throat, slamming him silently into the steel wall. Kael's hand brushed his neck—no words, no sound.

A heartbeat later, the man dropped.

Inside, dim yellow light bathed the warehouse in a haze of dust and decay. Boxes labeled with medical insignia lined the walls—inside, Quirk suppression cuffs, amplifiers, and syringes still humming with static. Two children sat huddled in the far corner—wide-eyed, trembling.

Mira reached them first, her form a blur of black and violet. She knelt, arms out and steady.

"You're safe now. Don't move."

A guard turned toward her, gun half-raised—then dropped, shrieking, as crimson blades burst through the air. Reina emerged behind him, her Blood Haze swirling into jagged spears before pulling back into mist.

Kael stepped into the light, footsteps soft against the cement. His gaze swept the warehouse. The last guard reached for his comm—

—and went rigid as Latchgaze locked his body in place. Three seconds later, he hit the ground.

Above them, behind bulletproof glass, the Broker stared down from the overlook room. No panic—just recognition. The kind of look only a man who knew the consequences already understood.

Kael vanished from the warehouse floor in a single Flashstep, reappearing at the top stairwell. A guard tried to intercept him with a shock baton. Kael ducked, turned, and used Kinetic Forge to fuel his counter-strike. The man slammed into the wall and slumped.

Reina arrived half a second later, dragging a duffel bag behind her. "Found the haul," she said casually. "Documents, equipment, maybe even a few location tags."

Kael stepped into the Broker's room without ceremony.

"It ends here," he said flatly.

The Broker's voice was hoarse, resigned. "You think you can just waltz in here and fight us with consequence? DO YOU KNOW WHO WE WORK FOR? WHEN HE GETS HIS HANDS ON YOU, I PROMISE YOU'LL REGRET EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING HERE TODAY!!"

Kael didn't answer.

When he emerged outside the room moments later, the Broker lay crumpled behind him, drained and silent.

Mira had already led the kids upstairs, now bundled in emergency blankets pulled from the crates.

Reina swung the duffel bag over her shoulder. "That all of them?"

Kael gave a single nod. "Everything her will be useful to us. Let's take it all home."

He extended a hand—and Dimensional Rift bloomed in the air before them, swirling violet and black.

The children were first through. Then Mira who was carrying 5 crates worth of supplies for them. Reina followed, blood mist curling protectively behind her. Kael stood for a moment longer, letting the weight of the night settle across the broken city.

Kael gave one last glance over his shoulder.

Smoke curled from the rafters. Sparks danced in the rafters like fireflies. Mission: complete.

He turned to follow them—

And froze.

A shadow stretched across the wall behind him, impossibly long. A slow, deliberate set of footsteps echoed across the scorched concrete.

Kael's eyes narrowed as he turned around.

Mayor Varn stood at the far end of the warehouse, silhouetted by the crackling flames behind him. His tailored coat he usually wore in public was gone, replaced with sleek black armor woven with gold threads. In one hand, he held a crystalline vial filled with a shimmering violet liquid.

"So…" Varn's voice cut through the smoky air like a razor, smooth and venom-laced. "You're the little shit screwing with my city. This should be good."

Kael said nothing.

Behind him, Mira turned at the sound, her eyes going wide. "Kael—!"

Reina snarled. "We're coming back—!"

Kael's arm lifted sharply—and the Rift snapped shut behind him.

"No," he said, his voice like iron. "This bastards all mine."

Mira's shout was lost to the silence that followed.

Varn raised a brow, amused. "How noble. You really think you're some kind of savior, don't you?" He rolled the vial between his fingers. "But this city doesn't want saving. It wants to be free from Heroes and authority. I alone gave it that."

Kael took one slow step forward. "What you gave them is false hope. You knew that if anyone went against you, they'd be dead by the next morning. You ruled this city through fear and terror, and now it's time for you to pay the price."

Varn chuckled and popped the cork from the vial. "Let's see how well your words stand up to scrutiny."

He drank it.

For a moment—nothing.

Then Varn's spine snapped backward with a grotesque crunch. His eyes bulged as his body began to twist, bones cracking, skin hardening into radiant, diamond-scaled plating. His frame expanded outward, muscle mass ballooning as his arms vanished and a tail burst from his spine, coiling around support beams like a constrictor.

Kael's eyes widened as he instinctively activated Dimensional Rift, warping to the rooftop of a nearby building just as the warehouse floor exploded outward in a cyclone of debris and coiling muscle.

A monstrous hiss echoed through the night.

Mayor Varn was gone. In his place slithered a 60-meter-long serpent, plated in obsidian-and-sapphire scales that glinted like armor under the rising moon. Its head was massive, crowned with a ridge of bone and diamond fangs nearly the size of Kael himself.

The beast turned toward him, slitted eyes gleaming like molten silver.

"Was it worth it, boy?" the creature rumbled, voice still unmistakably Varn's but distorted through rows of serrated teeth. "All your scheming, your little rescue… just to watch everything you built get swallowed whole?"

Kael didn't answer at first.

The wind howled.

He exhaled slowly, eyes dark as void, and rolled his shoulders once.

Then came the whisper of tendrils lashing from his arms. DarkBind ignited with violet shimmer. Power surged beneath his coat like a coming storm.

He met the monster's gaze without flinching.

"Worth it?" Kael said, his voice calm and low. "You haven't seen the cost yet."

Then the rooftop cracked beneath his feet as he leapt into the night—the battle just beginning.

…