I was never a night person as much as a day person. It doesn’t help that I'm an insomniac and I barely sleep. I have to get woken up a lot by my parents and they get very creative with how they wake me up. At least my sister just poured cold water in my face. Another thing is that at night I don’t need to socialize that much. I don't really like talking to people besides my family and even then barely.

My sister, the more charming one comes with territory of becoming the next big hero I guess. In a world full of superheroes I‘ve lived a pretty chill life even though my parents are Nimbus and Moxie, both famous members of the vanguard but to me they're just mom and dad. Them and the rest of the Vanguard are the reasons this city is so safe.

The central district of Steel drake city is where the home base of the vanguard is. No one really causes crime unless there are new or real veterans. I never liked the name though it was just dumb but hey when help save and build the city what hero wouldn’t want it named after them.

Mom and dad always make sure to be there for Me and my sister, making sure to come to school events when we are younger or just order a pizza and watch a movie, one of the few times I like being around people. Mom and dad have been spending more time with Mary for the last 2 weeks can’t blame them, she just got her powers. A perfect hybrid of the both of them Moms super strength speed bullet proof skin healing factor most likely to get stronger the more hurt she gets and dad’s Extremely strong weather manipulation. Heard them say that she can be the next big hero especially since steel drake has been missing for a couple months.

I would be happy for her if she didn’t keep breaking stuff seriously she destroyed the microwave! Anyways people would probably wonder If I'm joining the family business like my dear sister and the answer no. I got powers: The basic superhuman physique and I can breath elements. Apparently my grandpa had something similar but it’s pretty weak. I can breathe out a bit if flames or sparks of lighting or some ice mostly just use to heat up my food. Another reason is that I’m not really a heroic type I’m not gonna risk my Life someone who I barely know for for sometimes no rewards A lot of the time it’s their own fucking fault that they got in that situation so why don’t they try to get themselves out of it. I know that's a selfish way of thinking and not everyone gets themselves in these situations but still I’m risking my life to hold up a mountain for some kid I will never see again so what's the point?

Well I think that's enough of thinking to myself as if I was talking to someone. I hop out of my very comfy bed that still calls for me and I head to the closet to grab some black running pants a white nylon shirt and a blood red hoodie with several black bats seemingly flying across the hoodie and A large shadowy red eyed bat on the back. It was a gift from Nosferatu, the oldest member of the vanguard, an amazing tailor and my favorite hero. As I finish getting dressed I see myself in the mirror. Height wise I’m decently tall around 6 '6 and I got a pretty muscular build but nothing too crazy I got short hair and decent jawline. The most eye-catching thing about me is that I got an odd case of albinism: pale white skin and hair and pinkish reddish eyes. I thought I was adopted when I was younger but I actually got it from my grandma apparently it skipped a generation.

After staring in the mirror in the mirror like either a weirdo or someone that likes looking at them I get up and get out of my room and head down the stairs I make sure to jump the last 4 steps. The house I live in is a pretty nice two story building with a basement and an attic my parent can get something better. They are rich but they like the simpler home. It has that well uh that home feeling so no mansion for me. I head to the kitchen and notice a place covered in tin foil with a sticky note on it.

I walk over and grab the sticky note it reads: "Richy, sweetie, me and your dad decided to take your sister on her first patrol We're all really excited! I decided to leave you some leftover lasagna, your favorite, heat it up and eat before you head out on your run, Make sure to be careful! and if anything happens make sure to use the button on your watch that alerts me and your father and will be right there love you sweetie xoxoxoxoxoxo. Ps me and your father got a mission and will be gone for a couple weeks. We know you’ll still be asleep so I just wanna say we love you so much and see you when we get back!". I smile as always mom is a super mom both literally and figuratively as I put the lasagna in the microwave.

Due to me being a fast eater and just loving Italian food the lasagna is gone in a flash as I wash the bowl and head outside. I feel The October air hit me sending a small chill through my body as the leaves hit the grown leaving a sea of red orange and yellow. As I turn on the timer on my watch, take a deep breath and start running I take short light steps as I feel the wind gently press against me and lights from multiple sources fly past me. I make sure Keep my breath in a steady rhythm. Good breath control helps with running a lot. I run a lot to not only train my cardio and my leg muscles just in case I never need to run from the latest super powered brawl but also because of the rush it gives.

I’m no adrenaline junkie, probably another reason I’m not a hero but the feeling of pushing yourself trying to break your limit that feeling of satisfaction when you make real progress I love it. I run down the street as I start sprinting, taking larger steps as I grab a light pole and use it to help me make a sharp turn to the left. I jump onto a fire hydrant and use it to help me jump onto a nearby car and immediately jump off as I continue sprinting. Eventually after 12 minutes I meet a gravel path with trees covering its side as I run down. This path leads to an old abandoned train track that I usually rest at before I head back home. Sometimes I run down it a bit if I really feel like pushing myself. I run into more of an open field area as I See that old rusty pierce through the field.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

I run past several old rusty cars stripped of all of what makes them valuable. I spot an orange cat staring at me with curiosity as it lays on one of the car's roofs. I smile at it as for all I know it can be shapeshifter In disguise or some mage familiar now most people think mages are people with powers that love to roleplay and get too into character or people that just want attention but like we essentially got invanded by a evil necromancer after world war two so who knows.

As I eventually meet The train track and decide That wanna keep pushing myself as I keep running. Sometimes I wonder If I did decide to become a hero I heard That if push your and power enough it can evolve and get stronger I wonder How would I feel If I push myself Improves grew what type of rush would I get How would i feel risking my life as I improve bit by bit How satisfied would i be? I’d probably die in the first week but still it’s something to think about.

As eventually I feel my muscles crying for me stop as I feel lungs about to pop from exertion and my heart beats out of my chest I stop to catch my breath. I took deep breaths as I sat on the tracks. I noticed something. A large glowing light I turn and see a train heading down the tracks as I stand up and move a couple feet away from the tracks. Weird this train track has been closed for years since the tracks are too old and a train could cause the tracks to potentially break and the train crashes.

I start walking, too tired to run. I hear the rumbling in the distance and can hear the sparks as if someone pulled the brakes. I turn and see the train. The train seemingly was a cargo train but it was heavily damaged as if it got hit with a bomb, parts of it burning and pieces of metal falling off. I start trying to sprint barely being able to move even slightly faster as I hear the and with a loud screech i turn to see the front the train as it explodes with a deafening BOOM launching me back as I hear the train crash and burn around me surprisingly I’m mostly fine but before I celebrate another BOOM burst through my ears as I feel a wave of heat and concussive hits me as I feel something stab into my shoulder As I roll across the ground.

I was in agony as I felt several muscles tore. I felt multiple bruises And a deep tearing pain in my left upper arm. I opened my eyes and I saw I was a bit burnt, nothing bad, the front of my hoodie being a bit charred then I stared at my left arm. A large piece of metal shrapnel was stabbing into my left upper arm. I felt it digging into my flesh and I could feel it touching the bone. I gently lift up a hand and grab the metal and I gently pull it out. Pain and blood trickle down my arm as I drop The metal and stand up with some effort. I look around the once lively field filled with large pieces of burning metal and torn apart train cars.

Fire was starting to spread across the grass I Went to click the button on my watch to call mom and dad to get me out of this fucked situation but there was no beep. I look down and of course It's broken “GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!” I yell as I grab the broken watch and toss it and start walking, making sure to avoid the burning metal and train cars. I eventually make it through the Burning field as I walk for A minute. I spotted some Silver cylinders. It was very dented and had several shards of metal stabbing it. “Nope” I mutter I’m not dealing with that As I Go to walk past but with a HISS It opened. I run several feet back waiting for it to explode but nothing happens as I start to hear Gasping? I walk and slowly look besides as I gasp. Laying there was Steel drake there was no mistaking. She has shiny silver scaly skin and short silver hair. I could see her reptilian gold eyes staring at them as if they were empty. She hundreds of machines digging into I couldn’t see her body past her elbows all covered in machines. By the point they connected I could see digging into her flesh it made me want to vomit as I held my mouth. She wore an oxygen mask that wasn't pumping oxygen anymore. It was obvious she was dying but who could do this? She survived lava gunfire, skyscrapers dropping on her to the bottom of the ocean, hell even a nuke didn’t give her a scratch but now she was dying in front of me.

She tried to speak but all that came out were chokes, I tried to do something but it was too late as her eyes rolled into the back of head as she died. I needed to call mom and dad, Tell them what happened and they can handle this. I went and closed her eyes but as soon as I touched her I felt my body be overloaded. I saw thousands of flashes of different locations, the only ones I could perceive were that of several doctors doing tests on me and as soon as they came they disappeared.

I fell to ground gasping what the fuck was happing but before i had time to understand what was going I heard A loud BANG! As I felt a searing hot pain in my ear. Did someone just fucking shoot me? I turn and see several armed figures in what seems to be in modified swat gear each holding assault rifles and one of them was holding one with a smoking barrel and was pointing at me. “Secure subject and capture the kid just in case he touches the body” several others started to aim at me and before I could think I started sprinting I heard several more gunshots as I started to move in an erratic pattern making it harder for them to aim and hit me.

I sprinted faster than ever before, blood trailing down the right side of my face as everything seemed to blur past me as the wind rushed against me and eventually I got home. I don't know how but I felt faster I got to my front door I slammed into it as splinter into hundred of wooden shards as barley stopping my momentum as I’d slam into my kitchen wall Shattering it fully stopping my momentum as I stood confused I then could feel the cold floor touching my feet as As my jaw nearly hit the floor.

I saw that it was a solid, scaly dark Grey metal. The nails on my toes were claw as the remains of my shoes barely hung on and my hands were also different as they were now also a solid scaly dark gray metal like steel drake. What the fuck is happening!? As after a couple seconds they returned to normal flesh I took a couple steps back trying to boggle my mind on what was happening As I heard a couple steps near the doorway as I heard my mom voice “Richard what happened!?” as I felt my eyes start close as i felt my body sway eventually fall over as I went unconscious.