The world was calm… before it shattered.
Golden light washed over the city as families wandered the park, hands intertwined, hearts light. In the middle of it all was Paul, the physics teacher everyone respected. His arm was around his wife, and his daughter Emily danced ahead, holding her balloon like it was her whole world.
"Look, Dad! Ducks!" she shouted, pointing at the pond.
Paul smiled softly. It had been weeks since they spent time like this. The burden of the world had been heavy lately, but this walk… it was perfect.
He knelt beside Emily and kissed her forehead. "Nothing's more beautiful than this moment," he whispered.
But beauty never stays.
Then came the distant explosion.
Far away, but loud enough to still hearts.
Paul turned his head sharply. People around them began to stop, murmur, look at their phones.
Then came the sirens.
Screaming.
Gunshots.
Emily turned around. "What's going on?"
"Stay close to me," Paul said.
They began walking faster.
Then they began running.
Elsewhere…
Eclipse shot through the sky, lightning trailing behind him. He saw it from above—the blown-open prison van, the gates ajar, and men with faces twisted in hate pouring into the streets.
He dived downward.
Too late.
A park.
Two convicts were charging toward a family. A girl with a balloon. A mother screaming. A father trying to shield them.
Eclipse's heart dropped.
He pushed harder through the air—
Bang.
The balloon popped.
So did something else.
Emily fell without a sound.
Paul's hands trembled. His mouth opened, but no words came. He stared at his daughter's body in disbelief, like this was a bad dream he would wake from.
His wife sobbed, clutching Emily to her chest.
And then—he landed.
Eclipse didn't blink.
He saw the blood.
He saw Paul's eyes—frozen, furious, broken.
He turned to the convicts.
They saw him too.
They tried to run.
They didn't get far.
Eclipse's movements were silent, precise.
He didn't roar. He didn't shout.
He struck.
One blow per man.
Bones cracked. Chests collapsed. Knees shattered.He squeezed out the eyeballs of a prisoner
He teared apart one in two halves
Every prisoner running for their lives begging Eclipse.But Eclipse looked like a lion who wasn't eaten for years
falling slowly, eyes distant.
Then he turned.
Paul was still there.
On his knees. Holding his child.
Tears ran down his cheeks, but his face was cold now. Silent.
Their eyes met.
Paul's lips trembled as he whispered, "Why weren't you there?"
Eclipse said nothing.
Then he flew away.
🕳️ Two Months Later...No hero.
No lightning in the sky.
No one to save the people.
Eclipse vanished like a shadow into fog.
The media turned on him. Some called him a murderer. Others, a fallen hero. A few defended him—arguing that in his pain, he did what anyone would.
But the world had changed.
Paul didn't return to school.
His classroom stayed locked. Notes piled up on his door. His students whispered.
No one asked him where he was.
He stayed inside his house, barely eating, barely speaking.
His wife stayed silent too.
They had lost everything.
Then one day, Paul stood behind a microphone.
Black suit. Tired eyes.
"I was a teacher. A father," he said softly.
"I trusted heroes. But even heroes can fail."
"I'm not angry. I'm not looking for revenge."
"But my daughter is gone. And someone… must answer."
The room was quiet. Cameras clicked. His voice was calm.
But his eyes—cold and hollow—said something else.
📞 Later That Night…James sat alone on the roof of his rented house, hood over his head. He hadn't worn the mask in weeks. His phone was turned off.
He stared at the stars.
Then… it rang.
The same unknown number he talked months ago.
Shaking, he answered.
A voice, distorted and sharp, whispered:
"You failed the girl. Now you'll fail the city."
"We're just getting started, Eclipse."
Click.
James didn't breathe.
He stared at the phone.
And for the first time in weeks…
Lightning danced on his fingertips.
To Be Continued…
Next Episode 5 on Friday