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Once More Magic
Chapter 1: A World in Ruins

Chapter 1: A World in Ruins

The city was on fire.

Glass rained down from shattered skyscrapers, jagged pieces glinting in the crimson light of a burning sun. The once-bustling streets of Avalon City were now rivers of chaos, filled with fleeing civilians, overturned cars, and billowing smoke.

Above it all, a lone figure hovered in the sky like a storm cloud ready to break.

Omega Man.

His jet-black suit clung to his imposing frame, the sharp, white Ω symbol emblazoned on his chest glowing with an eerie brilliance. The air rippled around him as he raised his hands, summoning arcs of energy that crackled like an angry symphony.

"This system is broken!" His voice boomed over the cacophony of destruction below. "Your leaders? Corrupt! Your laws? Shackles! Today, I am the reckoning!"

With a deafening roar, Omega Man launched another blast, obliterating a corporate tower that stood as a monument to greed and lies. Concrete and steel cascaded in slow motion as the edifice crumbled. The terrified crowd scattered, unsure if they feared the falling debris or the man who caused it more.

Then she appeared.

From the smoke and chaos stepped a young woman. She seemed untouched by the destruction around her, her delicate feet stepping lightly over cracked asphalt and scorched earth. She was dressed in a flowing white dress that seemed to shimmer despite the grime and soot in the air. Her long white hair was tied in a simple ponytail, framing her alabaster skin. Her milky, unseeing eyes scanned the scene-or perhaps didn't need to.

"Hey," she said casually, her voice cutting through the thunderous destruction as if she'd merely entered the wrong coffee shop. "Could you tone it down a bit? Some of us were napping."

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Omega Man turned midair, his fiery gaze locking onto her. For a brief moment, the sheer audacity of her words made him falter.

"And who," he growled, descending slowly to the cracked ground, "do you think you are to interrupt my judgment?"

"I'm Beatrice," she said, giving him a dismissive once-over. Her hand waved vaguely in the direction of the collapsing cityscape. "Is all this... really necessary? You know, big explosions, dramatic speeches, laser thingies. Feels a bit much."

Omega Man's fists clenched, energy sparking violently around them. "You don't understand what I'm doing here! This city is a symbol of oppression, and I-"

"Yadda, yadda, oppression, yadda, yadda, reckoning," Beatrice interrupted, yawning. "Yeah, I've heard it all before. Look, you're mad. I get it. But this?" She gestured to a toppled tower in the distance. "Kind of a bad look, buddy. Maybe just... I don't know, take a yoga class or something?"

The flippancy of her tone sent a vein throbbing in Omega Man's forehead. "DO YOU MOCK ME?" he thundered, taking a menacing step forward.

Beatrice tilted her head. "Yeah, a little," she said with a grin.

"ENOUGH!" Omega Man bellowed, hurling a blazing beam of energy toward her. The ground cracked beneath the force of it.

The dust cleared to reveal Beatrice still standing in the same spot, now holding what appeared to be a roasted marshmallow on a stick.

"Cool light show," she said, popping the marshmallow into her mouth. "Needs work on the aim, though."

Omega Man's face contorted with rage. He charged at her with the force of a missile, his fist cocked back, the air rippling with power.

Beatrice didn't even flinch.

With a casual flick of her wrist, she slapped him. A simple, dismissive, almost bored backhand.

The sound of the impact was deafening. Omega Man's eyes widened as his body flew like a ragdoll, crashing through one building, then another, each collapse punctuated by a thunderous boom. He disappeared into the horizon, a faint glimmer of light marking his distant fall.

Beatrice stretched her arms and cracked her neck. "Whew. Glad that's over," she muttered, looking around at the chaos still unfolding in the city. She sighed, brushing dust off her white dress.

"Guess I should do something about this mess," she said, more to herself than anyone else. Then she frowned. "But first, where can a girl get some ice cream around here?"

And with that, she strolled off into the ruins, humming a jaunty tune, leaving the city-and the legend of Omega Man-forever changed.

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