I appeared in the training room at Sanctuary..
I rolled my shoulders once before speaking.
"System, summon Underdog, Zombieman, Daenerys Targaryen, and Tony Tony Chopper."
A bright light flared in front of me.
For a second, the entire room was washed in white, then it vanished.
Four figures stood where the light had been.
They looked around immediately, confused, alert, trying to understand what had just happened.
Then their eyes landed on me.
Right on cue.
"Hello, everyone," I said calmly. "I'm sure you're wondering what's going on, so let me start with an introduction."
My hero suit folded back into my watch, disappearing piece by piece.
"My name is Edward Valtheris, Ed, for short. I'm the one who summoned you here."
I paused just long enough for it to sink in.
"And I'm your new boss."
Silence.
I watched them carefully, reading every reaction.
Zombieman didn't even flinch.
If anything, he looked bored.
He casually pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a slow drag like none of this surprised him in the slightest.
…Yeah, that tracks.
Chopper, on the other hand, looked like he was one loud noise away from passing out.
His eyes darted around the room, clearly trying to find somewhere to hide—except there was nowhere to go.
Poor guy.
Underdog scratched behind his ear, glancing around with mild curiosity.
Not scared.
Not impressed.
Just… there.
I tilted my head slightly.
…Yeah, he and Courage would definitely get along.
Then there was Daenerys.
She stood tall, composed, every bit the queen she used to be.
Her face was calm, controlled.
But her eyes did not like what I said. Especially the "boss" part.
Good to know.
"I'd like to understand your situations a little better," I continued. "If you don't mind, tell me how you died in your world… and what the voice said to you. Why did you agree to come here?"
A small pause.
Then Zombieman spoke first, exhaling smoke as he did.
"You can call me Zombieman," he said flatly. "S-Class hero. Rank 6."
He took another drag before continuing.
"I died fighting something called God. That thing blew me apart with one hit."
His expression didn't change, but there was irritation in his voice.
"Pissed me off, honestly. I'm used to walking away from anything."
He flicked ash to the side.
"Next thing I know, I'm in some white void. A voice asks if I want to live again… keep being a hero."
A small shrug.
"I said yes."
He glanced around.
"Then I ended up here."
I nodded slightly.
"You made the right choice," I said. "This is a hero organization—and you're not the only one here from your world."
That got his attention, just a little.
"We've got Silver Fang here, too."
For the first time, Zombieman's expression shifted.
"So Bang's here?" he said, a faint smirk forming as he took another drag. "Good. Haven't seen the old man in a while."
Underdog stepped forward, puffing his chest out slightly.
"So, a superhero organization, huh? That's good," he said with a confident nod. "Because in my world… I was the best hero there."
He paused for a second.
"…Even if I was technically the only one," he muttered under his breath.
I had to fight the urge to smile.
"I died protecting my city," he continued, more seriously now. "There was a bomb, big enough to take out an entire building full of people. So I grabbed it and buried it deep underground. Tried to fly out before it went off…"
A small pause.
"…Didn't make it."
His expression softened just a little.
"It exploded and took me with it."
Then, just as quickly, his confidence came back.
"I woke up in a white void. A voice asked if I wanted to live again, to keep being a hero. Of course, I said yes."
He looked very satisfied with himself.
Yeah…
He definitely wanted praise.
Or a treat.
Then Tony Tony Chopper hesitantly stepped forward, fidgeting a little.
"Um… m-my name is Tony Tony Chopper," he said, voice small but polite. "I'm a doctor."
He glanced around nervously before continuing.
"I… I don't really know how I died. One moment I was with my crew, and then… something appeared in the sky."
His ears drooped slightly.
"It was dark… I couldn't see what it was. And then, just like that, I was gone."
He swallowed.
"The next thing I knew, I was in a white void. A voice asked if I wanted to live again… to keep being a doctor."
He nodded quickly.
"So I said yes… and then I appeared here."
He looked up at me, a little unsure.
"I-I hope that was okay…"
…
Yeah, I was absolutely getting him cotton candy later.
And maybe a head pat.
Actually, definitely a head pat.
But I stayed focused and turned my attention to Daenerys Targaryen.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Just watched me.
Measured me.
Then she stepped forward, chin slightly raised.
"My name is Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen," she said, her voice calm but filled with authority. "Mother of Dragons. Breaker of Chains. And the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."
Yeah… she carried herself exactly like a queen.
"I reclaimed my throne from usurpers," she continued. "Only to be betrayed and murdered by the man I loved."
There was a flicker of something in her eyes, but it vanished just as quickly.
"I awoke in a white void. A voice offered me life again… and I accepted."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And while I am grateful you brought me back."
A small pause.
"What makes you think you can command a queen?"
There it was.
I didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
Instead, I tilted my head slightly.
"I'll answer that with another question," I said calmly.
I met her eyes.
"What is a queen… to a demigod?"
Silence.
"What?" she said, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm a demigod," I continued, my voice steady. "And more than that…"
A faint smirk.
"I'm the king of dragons."
To prove it, I let the power loose.
My body began to change.
Black scales spread across my skin like armor, growing and hardening in seconds. My frame expanded, muscles shifting, bones stretching. My eyes burned, blue markings flaring as they turned a deep, glowing blue.
My teeth sharpened into fangs.
My wings tore free and expanded outward, and within seconds, I stood in my full dragon form.
Massive.
Ancient.
Powerful.
The training room… was not built for this.
My head pressed slightly against the ceiling, wings scraping against the walls.
"…Yeah," I rumbled, glancing around. "Probably shouldn't have done that in here."
Before anything could break, I snapped my fingers.
Space folded.
In an instant, all of us were standing in the middle of the island, open sky above and endless space around us.
Now my wings could actually stretch out fully.
I exhaled, smoke curling from my jaws.
"That's better."
Everyone took a step back, staring at me with a mix of awe… and fear.
I lowered my head slightly.
"I know who you are, Daenerys. I've seen your entire story, your struggles, your victories, your losses… and I know the moment when you became mad."
The shock on her face lasted only a second before it hardened into anger.
"I am not mad," she snapped.
"Tell that to the survivors of King's Landing," I shot back.
Silence.
"…King's Landing?" Chopper asked, confused.
I didn't take my eyes off Daenerys, but I answered him anyway.
"It was a kingdom. Not a perfect one, corrupt, filthy, people starving half the time, but that wasn't on them. That was on the rulers. Bad leaders, bad decisions. The previous king was insane… liked burning people alive."
Daenerys looked away, unable to meet my gaze.
"But that's not the point," I continued, my voice steady. "The point is, you were trying to take back a throne that was yours. And honestly? I think you could've done it… without slaughtering thousands of innocent people."
"…What?" Zombieman said, now fully invested.
"She had a dragon. A powerful one. And she used it to burn half the city to ash. Women… children… men who weren't even soldiers, anyone unlucky enough to be in her path."
"I had no choice!" she yelled, glaring at me.
"YOU HAD CHOICES!" I shouted back.
Chopper yelped and bolted behind a tree, his body sticking out while his face stayed hidden. Underdog and Zombieman instinctively stepped back.
Daenerys… didn't.
She fell back slightly, staring at me, not with anger this time, but fear.
That's when I realized it.
I'd gone too far.
My body shifted back, the dragon form fading away. I always forget how… intense it feels to others. Too vicious. Too overwhelming.
I took a breath, then walked toward her and held out my hand.
She hesitated.
For a moment, it looked like she might refuse.
But then… slowly… she took it.
I pulled her back to her feet.
Seeing that I'd calmed down, the others started to approach again.
"…Forgive me," I said quietly. "My dragon side… It's not easy to control. That's why I avoid using it."
I met her eyes again, this time, steady. Not angry. Just honest.
"But I meant what I said. You did have a choice. You could've flown straight to the Red Keep. Ended Cersei. The war would've been over. Armies don't fight for a dead ruler."
Her gaze dropped.
"Instead… you let your anger take over. You burned the army, yes, but you burned the people too. The very people you were supposed to protect."
Silence hung heavy in the air.
"A queen protects her people… she doesn't destroy them."
I paused, then added, more quietly:
"…Jon did what he thought was right. King's Landing barely survived one Mad King. They wouldn't have survived a Mad Queen… not one with a dragon."
She didn't say anything, but I could see it in her eyes, regret, quiet and heavy.
"Look," I said, softer now, "I'm not here to shame you for your past. I'm here to give you a second chance… a chance to do better. What you do with it, that's up to you."
I turned and started walking.
"Come on. Let me show you around."
There was a brief hesitation behind me, just a couple of seconds, but then I heard footsteps. They followed.
A couple of hours later
I leaned against one of the lab tables, arms crossed, letting out a slow breath.
The tour had gone… better than expected.
Chopper and Underdog had been wide-eyed the entire time, practically bouncing with excitement at everything I showed them. Labs, training grounds, tech, if it existed on the island, they were amazed by it.
Zombieman, on the other hand, had taken it all in stride. Barely reacted. Just a few glances here and there like he'd seen crazier things before, which, honestly, he probably had.
Daenerys…
She hadn't said much.
But she watched everything.
Especially Goliath.
There was something like wonder in her eyes when she looked at him, like she was seeing a piece of her old world again, but… different. Bigger.
After the tour, I led them to the living quarters and let them choose their rooms. Figured it'd give them space… and time to think.
Right now, I'm in the lab waiting for Cell and Selene to wake up.