42: A standoff

[A/N Before I forget here are the pictures for Aiden's suit and Celeste's visor

Visor-->[Image]

Suit-->[Image]

]

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The morning sun bathed the city in a warm golden hue as Aiden and Celeste strolled leisurely toward the school. Celeste wore her usual confident expression, though her new visor rested stylishly across her brow.

Aiden, meanwhile, whistled a jaunty tune, hands tucked into his pockets, his new suit packed securely in a sleek compartment on his back for any... unexpected surprises.

The faint hum of life echoed around them, the city waking up with its usual symphony of chatter, distant engines, and bird calls.

They hadn't walked far when Toru joined them, her cheerful presence lighting up the atmosphere. "Good morning!" she chirped, adjusting her tie and brushing her short green hair. Aiden glanced at her and offered a casual wave. "Mornin', Toru. Ready for another exciting day of school?"

Toru giggled nervously but nodded. "Exciting, huh? I hope it's the good kind of exciting."

Aiden opened his mouth to reply when the sharp, sudden roar of multiple engines cut through the tranquillity. Around the corner, several black, armoured trucks screeched to a halt, boxing them in.

The screeching was so abrupt that pedestrians paused, some whispering, others taking out their phones.

The air grew thick with tension.

From the vehicles, a squad of heavily armed men clad in sleek black-and-grey tactical armour disembarked, weapons holstered but at the ready. The hum of hydraulics hissed as the last van's doors opened. A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out, his appearance immediately drawing attention. He wore a combat suit adorned with marks of rank and scars that told stories of survival.

His helmet gleamed but left his face visible—a chiselled visage of authority and ruthlessness.

"Aiden Wilhelm Fritz," the man called out, his voice a low growl, tinged with false civility. "By order of our benefactor, we are here to escort you. Kindly come along quietly, and no one gets hurt."

Aiden's smirk was immediate and maddeningly confident. "Escort me? Sorry, buddy, I didn't order a convoy."

Celeste stepped slightly closer to Aiden, her gaze calculating beneath the visor. Toru, while visibly rattled, instinctively positioned herself on Aiden's other side.

The leader's gaze swept over the three of them, lingering on Celeste's calm composure and Aiden's unflinching attitude. "I wasn't asking, your highness," he sneered. "You're coming with us. You can do so with dignity or—"

"Or what?" Aiden interrupted, tilting his head, the smirk still plastered on his face. "You'll throw me a forced royal welcome party? Hate to break it to you, but I'm not the 'go quietly' type."

The man's expression darkened, but before he could respond, the Author changed the scene...

[A Few Hours Earlier]

The dimly lit warehouse buzzed with activity. Crates of weapons and supplies were being loaded onto trucks, men exchanging terse orders and slapping clips into high-tech rifles. At the centre of it all, the leader, who went by the codename Graves, leaned against a metal table, reviewing the glowing holo-bounty displayed before him.

The bounty was unmistakable—a detailed description and image of Aiden, tagged with the words: "Priority Target. Capture Alive. Reward: 50 Million."

Beneath it was an encrypted note detailing Aiden's status as a "Prince of Paradis" and warning of "unique abilities."

Graves smirked. "Fifty million," he mused, running a gloved hand along his jawline. "For one kid? Must be one hell of a prince."

A grunt from one of his men caught his attention. "Boss, you sure about this? The last 'special target' we went after turned out to be a meta with plasma fists. We lost three guys."

Graves' smirk widened. "That's why we're going in prepared this time." He gestured at the trucks being loaded. "State-of-the-art weapons, counter-meta tech, EMP rounds—this kid won't even have a chance to blink. And besides, the client was clear: he's important."

The mercenary leader straightened, his voice cutting through the noise. "Gear up, boys. We've got ourselves a royal prize to catch."

The men responded with gruff affirmations, and within minutes, the convoy roared to life, speeding toward their target.

[Back to the Present]

Graves' patience was waning. "You're making this harder than it needs to be, kid. Last chance: come quietly, or we do this the hard way."

Aiden tilted his head, his smirk turning almost pitying. "The hard way, huh? You guys really should've done your homework."

Graves' men shifted uneasily. Something about Aiden's unshaken confidence set them on edge. Celeste finally spoke, her tone icy and amused. "I'd listen to him if I were you. He tends to get... creative when annoyed."

Toru remained silent but was subtly inching closer to Aiden, her invisible hands ready to assist if needed.

Graves chuckled darkly, raising his hand. "Alright, boys, let's teach these kids why we don't take lip from—"

Before he could finish, Nimbus darted out of Aiden's bag, perching on his shoulder with an indignant squeak. Aiden chuckled, rubbing the chinchilla's tiny head.

"Nimbus, buddy, I think we're about to show these guys what hard really looks like."

And with that, the tension in the air snapped, the standoff poised to explode.

-

-

The tension in the air snapped like a taut wire. Aiden's smirk widened into something almost predatory as Graves barked an order.

"Take him down!"

The mercenaries sprang into action with military precision, rifles snapping up to aim, the rapid staccato of gunfire ripping through the quiet morning. Bullets zipped through the air like deadly bees, tearing into the pavement, splintering nearby benches, and ricocheting off parked cars.

Yet, Aiden didn't flinch.

With a sharp burst of movement, he leapt straight into the hailstorm of bullets, his form a blur of gold-trimmed robes fluttering behind him. His caramel complexion seemed to gleam under the rising sun, giving him an almost otherworldly glow. The bullets hit him—but not in the way the mercenaries expected.

Each projectile that connected with Aiden shimmered for a split second, then simply disappeared. Vanished into thin air as if the universe had decided their existence was no longer necessary.

One of the mercenaries faltered, his confidence cracking as he shouted, "What the hell is he?!"

Graves snarled, "Focus! He's just one guy! Overwhelm him!"

Aiden laughed—an infuriating, cocky sound that echoed above the chaos. "Overwhelm me? Oh, guys, you don't get it, do you? You're not even scratching the surface."

Behind him, Celeste and Toru held their ground. Celeste activated her visor, the lenses glowing faintly as it began analysing the trajectories of incoming bullets. She stood protectively in front of Toru, who clung nervously to her side.

"You okay back there, Toru?" Celeste asked, her voice calm despite the storm of violence.

Toru nodded, though her hands trembled. "Y-Yeah... What about Aiden?!"

Celeste smirked, holding up a hand as a bullet zipped toward them. The instant it was within range, her quirk, Absolute Reflection, activated. A sharp pulse of light enveloped the projectile before it shot back toward its origin, slamming into the shoulder of an unfortunate mercenary.

"Aiden?" Celeste's smirk grew wider. "Oh, he's having the time of his life."

And he was.

Aiden was a whirlwind of motion in the middle of the battlefield, his laughter cutting through the chaos like a blade. One mercenary rushed him with a combat knife, swinging wildly, only for Aiden to sidestep with almost lazy grace. The mercenary stumbled, and before he could recover, Aiden flicked his fingers, and the knife simply vanished.

"Looking for this?" Aiden teased, holding the knife up before letting it dissolve into nothing. "Sorry, pal. I don't think you'll be needing it."

The man swung a fist in frustration, but Aiden ducked, crouching low before delivering a sweeping kick that sent the mercenary sprawling to the ground.

Another mercenary charged in, this one wielding a baton crackling with electricity. He aimed for Aiden's ribs, swinging with deadly intent. Aiden caught the baton mid-swing with his bare hand, his quirk nullifying the energy in an instant. The baton sparked once, then fell silent.

"That's cute," Aiden said, yanking it out of the man's hand. He twirled it like a cheerleader's baton, then bonked the mercenary lightly on the head. The man stumbled back, dazed, before collapsing in an unceremonious heap.

Bullets continued to rain down, but they were either erased by Aiden's quirk or reflected back by Celeste, who seemed to be in her element. She stood like a fortress, her visor gleaming as her hands moved with precision, redirecting every shot with an almost effortless grace.

"You guys are really bad at this," she called out to the mercenaries, her voice dripping with amusement. Another bullet ricocheted off her quirk and lodged itself into a nearby truck tire, deflating it with a loud hiss.

One particularly brave mercenary attempted to flank her, creeping along the side of a van. Celeste didn't even look his way as she snapped her fingers, sending a reflected bullet zipping straight into his leg. He dropped to the ground with a yelp.

Meanwhile, Aiden was on a rampage. He cartwheeled over one mercenary, his movements so fluid it looked almost like a dance. When another tried to grab him from behind, Aiden bent backward, Matrix-style, and kicked upward, sending the man sprawling.

"Oh, c'mon!" Aiden called out, spinning on his heel to face the remaining mercenaries. "Is this really all you've got? I've fought rowdy toddlers who put up a better fight!"

Graves, watching from the sidelines, growled in frustration. "You idiots! Take him down already!"

Two mercenaries tried to rush Aiden simultaneously, one going high and the other low. Aiden clapped his hands together, and suddenly, the ground beneath their feet shifted. It wasn't earth-shaking, but enough to make them lose their balance and collide with each other in a heap.

"Teamwork!" Aiden quipped, flashing a grin. "Love to see it."

Nimbus, perched on Aiden's shoulder, squeaked indignantly as another mercenary fired a poorly aimed shot in their direction. Aiden glanced at the chinchilla and raised an eyebrow.

"Want to get in on this, buddy?"

Nimbus leapt from his perch, landing squarely on the mercenary's helmet. The man panicked, swatting at the tiny animal, but Nimbus was too quick, darting around his head like a tiny furry menace. The mercenary ended up running into a lamppost, knocking himself out cold.

Aiden doubled over with laughter. "Oh, Nimbus, you're a legend!"

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[1 out 2 chaps today]