The battlefield trembled.
The aliens, once ruthless and unyielding, were hesitating. The golden figure had decimated their strongest. Now, faced with an unknown power and the unrelenting resistance of Earth's warriors, even they began to retreat.
Their towering commander roared—a sound more mechanical than organic—and motioned for the troops to fall back.
"Are they... retreating?" Mayari asked, her blade still glowing.
"Good. Let them run!" shouted one of the elite warriors.
But one voice—cold, composed, commanding—cut through the chaos.
"No."
All heads turned. It was Selene, the spear-wielding Pro Warrior of Greece.
"Don't let them escape! Finish this!" she commanded, her eyes burning with fury. "They'll return stronger. We end this now!"
The warriors roared in unison, pushing forward.
But amid the chaos and movement, a question still echoed through every mind:
"Where is he?"
The golden figure—the radiant being that turned the tide—was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is that guy?" Ronald muttered, panting, eyes scanning the skies. "That light... that speed... who was he?!"
Akira landed with a flutter of her radiant wings. Her eyes, sharp as ever, swept the battlefield. "Wait—look!"
Near the very crater where the light had first struck, a figure stood shakily, cloaked in smoke and dust. His uniform was tattered. His hands trembled. But it was unmistakably him.
"ZANE?!" Akuma gasped, sprinting forward with Shane at his heels.
Zane stood dazed, as if awakening from a dream—or a nightmare.
He looked like... Zane.
Wait its zane!
But his eyes were distant, glassy with confusion.
Akira flew straight to him, her wings already glowing with white light. She pressed a feathered hand to his chest. "His pulse... it's faint."
Akuma stared at him in shock. "He's not even bleeding. It's like... he wasn't even in the fight?"
"No... it was him," Akira whispered. "I felt that aura. It's fading now, but it's still in him."
From the PNHS command center, alarms flared again.
Mr. Shawn stood motionless.
"Confirm his vitals. Now," he ordered.
"Sir... Zane's alive. Barely," a technician replied. "But—wait—another energy signature is emerging. Something... massive."
Then the Earth shook again.
A shadow loomed over the clouds.
The sky darkened.
And a thunderous cry shattered the air—ancient, divine, monstrous.
Above them, the clouds parted… and something unimaginable appeared.
A colossal serpentine creature, its body winding like a storm through the heavens. Its scales shimmered like stars. Its maw was wide enough to swallow cities.
"Bakunawa..." someone whispered in horror.
The ancient Filipino dragon of legend—the Moon-Eater—had arrived.
The clouds swirled around its coils, hiding its full length, but just one eye was visible.
And it was watching.
The battlefield froze in awe and terror.
Then—
"So… I was right."
A chilling voice rang out.
From the edge of the battlefield, emerging from a shimmer of space, stepped a masked figure—the same enigmatic man glimpsed once at the Mactan Shrine.
His presence chilled the air.
He stared straight at Zane's weakened body.
"I sensed a powerful energy here," he said. "Was it you, boy?"
Selene snapped her head toward him, her spear aimed instantly. "You."
She took a step forward, fury in her voice. "This isn't the first time we've met, masked bastard. Who are you? Say your name, coward!"
The man laughed, a hollow sound muffled through his mask.
"Even if I told you... you wouldn't believe me."He spread his arms. "Even if I said I was no one."
"RONALD!" Selene shouted. "TAKE HIM DOWN!"
Ronald gave the order. "Elites—move!"
But no one did.
They couldn't.
Because at that moment… they all felt it.
The Bakunawa moved.
Its body shifted, and the very sky rippled like disturbed water. One wing, vast and ancient, passed through the clouds—so huge it blotted out the sun. They saw only its silhouette, but it was enough to make even the strongest warrior hesitate.
Selene gritted her teeth. "What… is this size? This can't be real…"
The masked man chuckled again."Don't worry. It only eats the moon."He turned, eyes narrowed beneath his mask."But I won't let it eat this one."
He stared straight at the sky, then whispered:
"Not yet."
He stepped back into the shimmering rift that had birthed him.
Before disappearing, he gave one final glance at Zane, lying unconscious.
"I'll be back.""And when I do… I'm taking the power I just sensed."
Then—he was gone.
And the Bakunawa?
It didn't strike.
It simply watched.
Then, slowly, it began to coil back into the clouds, disappearing like smoke across the sky.
For now.
The battlefield had finally gone quiet.
Smoldering alien tech fizzled across the cracked earth. Blades were dulled. Guns empty. Armor dented. Exhaustion painted the faces of every warrior, from the seasoned pros to the youngest students.
And in the center of it all… Zane lay unconscious, barely breathing.
The war was over — for now — but the questions had just begun.
PNHS Command Center – Somewhere in the Sky Tower
Mr. Shawn stood dead-center in the command room, glaring at the holographic replay.
On-screen, a blurry silhouette moved faster than light, tearing through enemy ranks like a blender set to maximum divine fury.
The so-called Powerful Man.
Not golden. Not glowing.
Just... light. Blinding. Impossible.
"I've reviewed it ten times," said Milo, the tech analyst, nervously adjusting his glasses. "Still can't make out a face. Hair. Armor. Not even a shoe."
"Maybe he's wearing light-resistant sandals," someone joked from the back.
"Zip it, Martin," Shawn growled.
Graves zoomed in on the footage. "Whoever—or whatever—he was, he singlehandedly turned the battle around. And then… poof. Gone."
Mr. Shawn didn't blink. "And Zane?"
Milo cleared his throat. "Still unconscious. But stable. His readings are… weirdly normal. Like… boring normal."
"Except normal people don't summon light beings that beat alien kaiju into chunky salsa," Graves muttered.
"Could he be the Powerful Man?" someone asked.
"No," said Shawn, too quickly. "I trained that kid. He can barely win a spar against Mayari without falling on his face."
Field Hospital Tent – Post-Battle
Zane lay on a stretcher, breathing slowly.
Surrounding him were Akira, Akashi, Mayari, Alyas, Akuma, Shane, and Ronald. Everyone looked like they'd gone twelve rounds with a tank — except Akira, who looked like she could still slap an alien into orbit if someone handed her a strong coffee.
Akashi had his arm around her shoulder, keeping quiet.
Ronald broke the silence. "So… we're all thinking it, right?"
"Thinking what?" Shane asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That he—" Ronald pointed to Zane, "—is somehow connected to the dude made of daylight that erased half the enemy in under a minute."
"No way," Akashi said. "Zane's our friend, yeah, but let's be real — he trips going down stairs."
Akira nudged him. "Hey! Be nice. He's improving. He only tripped four times last week."
Mayari crossed her arms. "Actually, he only tripped once. The other three were… flops."
Alyas piped in, "He did scream something dramatic before the sky exploded. I remember because he yelled, 'Get out of my world!' and I thought, 'Wow, okay Superman.'"
Everyone paused.
Then Akuma added, "But like… he kinda meant it, didn't he?"
They all looked back at Zane, who twitched in his sleep and muttered something like, "...I didn't mean to kick the vending machine…"
"Yep," Akashi said. "Still Zane."
Zane Wakes Up
His eyes snapped open.
Akira was already by his side, glowing feathers dancing around her fingers. "Zane! You're okay!"
"I'm alive?" he croaked. "Wait—did we win? Did anyone die? Did I trip again?!"
"Not this time," Akashi said. "But, uh… something exploded. Sky broke. Aliens ran. And there's a chance you… summoned a super-powered light guy."
Zane blinked. "I what now?"
Akuma leaned over. "You screamed. Then a giant beam of light hit the ground. Then a man made of pure light started punching aliens so hard they disintegrated."
Zane sat up slowly. "So... that was a dream?"
Everyone: "No."
Zane's eyes went wide. "Wait. You're saying I summoned a light ninja alien smiter?!"
"No one's saying ninja," Alyas said, "but if it helps your ego—sure."
Mayari added, more seriously, "We don't know if you summoned him, or became him, or hosted him. But something inside you called him. That much is clear."
Zane looked down at his hands.
"They don't feel different."
Akira smiled softly, brushing hair from his face. "That's because you're still you."
Akashi added, "Just maybe with a part-time job as a cosmic superhero."
Zane groaned. "Ugh. Do I have to pay taxes on that?"
Elsewhere – The Mactan Shrine
Wind howled along the sacred stones.
And standing at the top of the spire… the Masked Man.
He watched the fading energy on the horizon. The last flicker of the Powerful Man's arrival still hung in the air like smoke.
He spoke aloud, though no one was near:
"He doesn't know it yet. Not truly.""But something ancient has moved. And now… so will I."
From behind the clouds, a monstrous eye blinked.
The Bakunawa.
The Moon-Eater.
Watching.
Waiting.
The Masked Man tilted his head.
"Don't worry. I won't let him eat your moon. Not yet."
He turned, cloak fluttering.
"But next time… I won't just watch."
He vanished in a shimmer of wind.
Back at PNHS – Later That Night
Zane sat under a tree outside the medical tent, sipping hot chocolate from a dented tin mug. His hoodie was slightly torn, his hair a mess, and his soul still processing what had just happened.
Beside him, Shane flopped down with a sigh, holding a half-eaten protein bar like it was the last treasure on Earth.
"You ever think maybe we're not paid enough for this?" Shane asked, chewing loudly.
"We're students," Zane replied. "We're not paid at all."
Shane paused. "...Right. That explains the vending machine debt."
Across the field, Akira leaned against Akashi, her head on his shoulder as they quietly talked. Akashi draped his jacket around her, clearly thinking no one noticed—but they all noticed. Even the bugs probably noticed.
"Get a room," Shane muttered under his breath.
Zane gave a small chuckle, then his smile faded.
"Do you think it was me?" he asked suddenly.
Shane blinked. "What?"
"That light guy… the Powerful Man. Do you think I was him?"
Shane looked up at the stars. "You screamed like a dying WiFi router, passed out, and then he dropped from the sky like a comet with fists. So… maybe? Or maybe he just heard you yelling and thought, 'Welp, time to punch aliens.'"
Zane groaned. "Comforting."
A few meters away, Mayari paced, holding a massive old scroll that she somehow definitely did not steal from the library's forbidden section.
"Well," she announced, "according to ancient lore, whoever wakes the 'Light Guardian' is destined to face apocalyptic-level threats. And usually within, like, seven days."
Zane blinked. "...That's the good news?"
Mayari grinned. "Mhm. Bad news is we're probably going to need a bigger first-aid kit."
From farther back, Ronald, covered in bandages and chewing jerky like an angry bear, shouted, "I just got my shoulder reattached! Can't we fight a mutant raccoon or a cursed chicken next time?!"
Shane looked at Zane again. "You feeling different?"
Zane shrugged. "I feel... like me. Just a little more... watched. Like something's waiting."
"Creepy," Shane said. "Want more hot chocolate?"
"Yes."
They clinked their mugs like two tired survivors of a group project that almost ended the world.
As they sat in silence, staring at the moon above, a breeze passed through the trees.
Zane sighed. "Great. I finally become relevant… and now the moon's next on the menu."