Ron and the guys lounge in the plush seating of the VIP suite, the city lights shimmering through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
"Order whatever you want," Ron said, gesturing broadly. "The bill's on my old man tonight."
"Ron, I have a feeling that's a terrible idea," Brian muttered, eyeing the premium menu.
"Yeah," Akira added with a smirk. "You're going home broke today." Akira reached for a glass of water he'd just filled, but before he could touch it, Khain snatched it away and downed the entire glass in one go.
Akira stared at him, stunned. Khain merely glared back, shoved the empty glass toward him, and grunted, "Refill it."
Ron ignored the bickering and turned to Sami. "How's everything been, Sami?"
"Busy," Sami replied. "I've been spending a lot of time on the farm outside my place."
Ron blinked. "Farm? Since when do you have a farm?"
"Since you and Carter left," Sami said simply. Ron nodded, though he sensed a shift in Sami's tone.
"Ron," Sami whispered, leaning in closer. "There's something I need to tell you. It's just a theory, but... the house where Rad and I live? I think it belonged to Wulkranoth."
The color drained from Ron's face. "Are you sure?"
"Not confirmed," Sami admitted. "But I think he's the original owner."
Ron took a moment to process the weight of that. "We should pay it a visit sometime. See what we can find."
Sami gave a sharp nod. "Definitely."
Their food arrived, but as the group began to eat, Ron's appetite vanished. His eyes locked onto a man sitting at a nearby table. The stranger wore a low-hanging cap and thick glasses, sitting perfectly still. A cold shiver traced Ron's spine.
Something is wrong, Ron thought.
Suddenly, the man stood up. He didn't look at his meal; he looked directly at Ron. A rhythmic, high-pitched beeping echoed through the silent room.
Before anyone could scream, the world dissolved into fire.
Across town, Liora and Ava arrived at Liora's home. Ava sat on the edge of her seat, her mind racing.
I knew Ron was a mystery, Ava thought, but what's left to find out? I already know about his powers.
Liora returned to the room, a laptop tucked under her arm. She sat across from Ava, her expression uncharacteristically grave. "Fine," Liora said. "I'll tell you everything."
"Start from the beginning," Ava urged.
"More than a decade ago," Liora began, "during a massive storm, Finian came home and told Locki he had to see something. They went out to a van parked in the rain. When Finian opened the back doors, Locki went pale. Together, they hauled a heavy, ornate coffin into the house."
"A coffin?" Ava interrupted. "What does that have to do with Ron?"
Liora exhaled slowly. "They took it to Finian's basement. Then, one morning, a shout woke the whole house. When we rushed down, the lid was off. A man was standing there—it was Ron. His eyes flashed a deep, bloody red before he collapsed."
Ava leaned forward, breathless. "And then?"
"He was out for a long time. We watched him constantly. Then, one day, I walked into his room and found him standing by the window, staring out at a world he didn't recognize. That was the day Ron 'opened his eyes' in Hero Town."
"But why was he in a coffin?"
"Who knows," Liora whispered. "But Finian and Locki were convinced of one thing: Ron isn't from our time. They believe he's from eight hundred years in the past."
Ava sat in stunned silence. I'll have to ask him myself, she decided.
Meanwhile,
The restaurant was a hollowed-out shell of smoke and rebar, but Rad's reflexes had been faster than the blast. He had encased the group in an invisible barrier at the moment of impact.
Sami surged into the air, using his wind-control to sweep the burning debris away from the survivors. But the man in the cap wasn't dead. He hovered in the smoke, manifesting dozens of jagged, metallic needles in the air. With a flick of his wrist, he launched them at the crowd.
In a blur of motion, Ron teleported. He appeared inches from the man's face and buried a powered fist into his jaw.
The man didn't just fall—he detonated.
A second, more massive explosion leveled the remaining structure. Ron teleported to safety at the last microsecond. Below, Rad went to one knee, the strain of using his Transfer Ability to warp hundreds of civilians out of the blast zone taking its toll.
As the dust settled, a massive beam of green energy streaked toward Ron. He didn't flinch. Summoning the Blade of Vengeance, he sliced the attack clean in half. The diverted energy crashed into the distant forest, lighting up the horizon.
"Everyone, move!" Sami yelled to the stragglers. "Khain, Akira—get these people out of here!"
Sami took to the sky, scanning the ruins for the next threat. Instead of a monster, he saw a lone car pull up to the edge of the rubble.
William stepped out of the vehicle, smoothing his suit as if he hadn't just driven into a war zone. He looked up at Ron and Sami with a cold, knowing smile.
"Long time no see, Ron," William said.