World Rejector

Chapter 4: First Mission

One week had passed since I met Amber and the others.

One moment I was just an average nobody, drifting through life. The next, I was dragged into a hidden world of chaos and danger.

FLAMES. That’s what they called themselves. One of the secret organization of Dark Side Agents working in the shadows to stop Neo Silicon Valley from collapsing. They dealt with the threats no one else dared touch—rogue ability users, cyber-terrorists, crime syndicates.

At first, it was terrifying.

Then... it got exciting.

Maybe this was what I needed. Something to keep me so busy I didn’t have time to think about her.

Mio.

My jaw tightened at the thought. No matter how hard I trained or how much I distracted myself, she always found a way to sneak back in.

I exhaled slowly.

No use dwelling on it.

The last few days had been filled with training—endless running, sparring, drills, and ability control exercises. I’d imagined being thrown into missions right away. Some kind of cool action hero, saving lives and taking names.

But instead…

“Go grab lunch, Noah.”

“Clean the training hall, Noah.”

“Oh, and Noah?”

“What?” I said, turning while mopping the floor.

“I just wanted to say your name.”

This girl is annoying.

Still, the rest of the team had been surprisingly supportive.

Sion taught me the basics of close combat.

Emma drilled strategy into my skull.

Lynn sharpened my reflexes.

And Mei… well, Mei just enjoyed laughing at my mistakes.

It was exhausting. But I was improving.

And for the first time in a long while, I felt like I was becoming someone.

Not Mio’s ex-boyfriend.

Not some loser.

Someone with purpose.

Someone with a goal.

…

Today was supposed to be my rest day.

So naturally, I found myself in a coffee shop after my morning run—bone-tired, but mentally restless.

The same coffee shop.

The same table.

The same spot where Mio broke up with me.

I stared into my cup, watching my reflection ripple across the dark surface. The smell of roasted beans lingered in the air—comforting and familiar. But it didn’t ease the tightness in my chest.

“What kind of future awaits me now?” I muttered under my breath.

Back then, I was just some powerless nobody. No goals. Nothing to offer.

She saw that.

And she left.

But now?

Now, I had World Rejector. An ability that defied logic.

“If I wanted to… I could erase anyone who wronged me,” I whispered.

The thought unsettled me.

That wasn’t who I was.

I wasn’t a villain.

I wasn’t one of the bad guys.

I took a deep breath.

I won’t let my power define me.

I’ll be the one to define it.

And just then, as if fate decided to mock me, I saw her.

Mio.

But she wasn’t coming into the café. She walked past it and entered the department store across the street.

My heart skipped a beat.

Same sleek black hair, tied in that neat side ribbon. Still as beautiful as ever.

If I became great… if I proved myself… would we have another chance?

I hated that thought.

It was foolish.

But part of me still longed to know the answer.

I stood up, half-ready to walk across and say something—anything—

Bzzt.

My phone rang.

“Yeah?”

Amber’s voice crackled through. “Noah, get your butt moving. We’ve got a mission.”

“Seriously?” I groaned.

“Not kidding, dumbass. Sion’s already on the way. Ability user hijacked a department store—hostages involved. He controls machines. It’s messy.”

My stomach dropped.

I turned to the window.

The department store.

The one Mio had just entered.

“Send me the location.”

“It’s the department store across from—oh. You’re already there. Great. Don’t screw this up.”

She hung up.

…

I was already running.

Sion met me by the basement entrance.

She barely looked at me.

“You ready?”

“I was born ready...”

We slipped inside.

The basement reeked of burnt plastic and ozone. Lights flickered overhead as we crept through the dark corridor.

Then we saw it.

A hulking robot, easily twice my size, stood in the center of the room. Crimson eyes glowing. And beside it, a man—leaning casually against a steel pillar, sparks dancing between his fingertips.

He grinned. “Well, well. Amber’s little toys.”

Sion stepped forward, arms crossed.

“Surrender. You’re outmatched.”

He laughed. “I don’t think so.”

Lightning burst from his fingers.

“Sion!”

I dove aside as the bolt scorched the air where we stood.

Sion retaliated with a flick of her hand, launching projectiles at him—razor-sharp and fast. But they bounced harmlessly away.

He raised his hand again. “Nice try. But—”

“Shut up.”

Sion vanished.

A blur of motion. She reappeared behind him mid-spin, delivering a brutal roundhouse to his skull—

—but the instant her foot connected, an explosion of electricity sent her flying into a rack of metal shelves.

“Sion!”

I charged forward.

He snapped his fingers—another bolt of lightning shot toward me.

I raised my hand.

“Reject.”

The bolt vanished.

He froze.

He tried again.

Same result.

“You... what are you?” he whispered.

I clenched my fists and lunged.

“The guy who’s going to end this.”

He snarled.

The robot beside him powered up. Its massive arms aimed at me.

“Die!”

It swung.

“Reject!”

The arm vanished before it could strike.

I wasn’t done.

I touched the robot’s leg—

“Reject.”

The leg disappeared.

The machine toppled over, slamming into the floor with a crash.

“WHAT?!” the man screamed.

“That’s not teleportation… That’s erasure?” he stammered.

Still distracted.

Sion seized the moment—burst forward and delivered a flying kick that knocked him out cold.

“You talk too much,” she said, then turned to me and raised a hand.

I high-fived her, grinning.

“Good job, newbie.”

The mission ended soon after. Sion reported in. The criminal was taken into custody.

I had saved the civilians.

Mio was one of them.

She didn’t see me.

Didn’t know.

And maybe…

Maybe that was for the best.