MEGA MAYHEM - A WORLD THAT SEEKS JUSTICE

The sun was beating down on Xin’s neck. He was nineteen years old, hanging by a thin safety cable fifty stories above the ground. In the giant city of Jiangnan, Xin was a nobody—just a window cleaner trying to earn enough for a warm bowl of noodles.

​"Hey, kid! Focus!" his partner, Old Chen, yelled from the other side of the glass. "One slip and you’re a pancake. My wife will be furious if I have to find a new partner."

​Xin wiped the sweat from his eyes and grinned. "Don’t worry, Chen. I’m too poor to die. The universe wouldn't know what to do with my medical bills."

​They shared a quick laugh, but it didn't last.

​The birds suddenly went quiet. The air felt heavy, like it was about to rain, but the smell wasn't rain—it was burnt metal. Xin looked up and saw the sky cracking open like a broken mirror. A massive rock, glowing with a strange purple light, was screaming through the clouds.

​It wasn't a normal shooting star. It was moving too fast, and it was headed right for them.

​"Chen! Jump!" Xin screamed.

​The meteor slammed into the top of their building. The impact felt like a giant’s fist punching the world. The steel cables snapped with a sound like a gunshot. Xin felt his stomach drop as the platform vanished from under his feet.

​He was falling.

​As he tumbled through the air, he saw the meteor lodged in the side of the tower. It wasn't just a rock; it looked like a piece of high-tech machinery from another world. A silver shard broke off the meteor and shot through the air, hitting Xin right in the chest.

​He didn't feel pain. He felt a sudden, freezing cold. Then, everything went black.

​Xin woke up with a gasp. He was lying in a pile of broken glass and concrete in a dark alley. He should have been dead, but he didn't have a single scratch on him.

​He touched his chest. Under his torn shirt, a glowing silver mark was etched into his skin. It looked like a complicated circuit board made of light.

​"I'm... alive?" he whispered. His voice sounded different, deeper.

​He tried to stand up and accidentally pushed against a brick wall. To his horror, his hand went right through the bricks as if they were made of butter.

​"What happened to me?"

​"You've been touched by the 'World-Engine,' human," a cold voice echoed.

​Xin spun around. Three tall figures stood at the end of the alley. They didn't look like people. Their skin was as black as coal, and their eyes were glowing pits of white fire. They wore long, flowing robes that looked like they were made of stars.

​"Who are you?" Xin asked, his heart thumping against the silver mark on his chest.

​"We are Elementals from Earth-6," the leader said. He raised his hand, and a blade made of pure shadow formed in his palm. "That technology in your chest belongs to us. It can rewrite the world, and we want it back."

​Xin backed away. "I don't want your technology! Just take it!"

​"We would," the Elemental hissed, "but it’s fused to your heart. To get it back, we have to kill you."

​The creature lunged at him. It was faster than a car. Xin didn't know how to fight, but his body moved on its own. He threw his hand out to block the blow.

​A wave of silver light exploded from his palm.

​The air rippled like water. The Elemental didn't fall back—it reversed. One second it was inches from Xin’s face, and the next, it was back at the end of the alley, standing exactly where it had been five seconds ago. It was like someone had hit the "rewind" button on a remote.

​Xin stared at his hands. "I just... turned back time?"

​"The boy is using the Engine!" one of the other creatures shouted. "Kill him before he learns how to use it!"

​Xin looked up at the sky. More purple streaks were falling from the clouds. This wasn't just one meteor. It was an invasion. He thought of Old Chen, his neighbors, and the thousands of people screaming in the streets.

​He felt a hot spark of anger in his chest. The silver mark glowed brighter.

​"You're not taking anything," Xin said, his voice becoming steady. "And you're not hurting anyone else."

​He turned to run, but the ground beneath him suddenly turned into bubbling lava. One of the Elementals had melted the street with a single touch. Xin jumped, expecting to fall into the fire, but he flew thirty feet into the air, landing on a nearby roof.

​He looked out over the city. A giant golden fortress, the size of a mountain, was floating down from the clouds.

​"PEOPLE OF EARTH," a voice boomed from the sky, shaking the buildings. "GIVE US THE ENGINE, OR WE WILL BURN YOUR CITY TO DUST."

​The three Elementals jumped onto the roof, surrounding Xin. He was alone, he was confused, and the entire world was watching.

​The leader of the creatures smiled. "Well, hero? Are you going to give us your heart, or should we start burning the city?"

​Xin looked at the giant ship in the sky, then at his glowing hand. He had the power to change things, but he was just a kid who cleaned windows.

​What was he supposed to do now?