The world didn’t end with fire or ice. It ended with evolution.

At first, the C-Genes were a scientific marvel, hailed as the next step in human progress. A single strand of corrupted DNA that manifested in every newborn, gifting them with abilities thought to be the stuff of myth and science fiction. One child could move objects with a glance; another could slow their heartbeat to survive wounds that should have been fatal. The abilities varied, but they were manageable, predictable. Humanity adapted quickly, building a society where these powers were as natural as breathing.

But the first Variant changed everything.

Unlike ordinary abilities, Variants possessed power that shattered the rules. They could leap over skyscrapers, control the elements, even alter the very fabric of reality. Yet, their abilities were unstable, driven by chaos and volatility. They were stronger, faster, deadlier—and they couldn’t turn it off. The same gene that elevated them also corrupted them, making their bodies fragile and their minds unpredictable.

Fear spread faster than understanding.

Variants were branded as monsters. Cities passed laws banning them from public spaces. Nations built compounds to contain them. The media turned them into villains, and the public followed suit. For every heroic act by a Variant, there was a disaster that fed the hysteria—a collapsed bridge, a wildfire, a crater where a city block used to stand.

For decades, the world tried to control them. They failed. Variants couldn’t be cured. They couldn’t be tamed.

Then, they started to disappear.

No one knew where they went. Some said the government was exterminating them, hiding the truth behind propaganda. Others whispered of underground movements, groups of Variants who had grown tired of hiding and sought to reclaim the world that had rejected them. Most people didn’t care. They were just glad the chaos was gone.

But not all Variants disappeared.

Ram Honda was six years old when his powers first emerged. He didn’t understand the whispers of fear in his parents’ voices or the way they avoided looking at his glowing legs when he jumped higher than the rooftops. He didn’t understand why his mother cried when he floated for the first time, his body hovering like a feather caught in an unseen wind.

“You’re special,” she said, her voice trembling as she cupped his face. “But you must be careful, Ram. The world doesn’t understand.”

By the time he was twelve, he understood too well. His powers had grown stronger, wilder. His father avoided him, calling him a freak under his breath. His friends stopped inviting him to play after he accidentally jumped through a wall. At school, the teachers didn’t bother hiding their disdain.

“You’ll end up in a Variant camp,” one of them sneered after he smashed a desk in a fit of frustration. “You’re dangerous.”

The words stuck, carving themselves into his soul. Dangerous. A word he couldn’t outrun, no matter how hard he tried.

Now, at twenty-four, Ram crouched on the edge of a neon-lit rooftop, the weight of those same words pressing on his shoulders. Below him, the sprawling metropolis of Osaka pulsed with life—hovercars zipping between buildings, holographic billboards casting their glow over the crowds below. The city looked alive, but it was suffocating. Every inch of it was designed to remind people like him where they belonged: nowhere.

He adjusted the dampener on his wrist, a sleek device designed to suppress his powers. It worked just enough to keep him under the radar, to stop the authorities from noticing his unstable energy signature. But the weight of it was suffocating, a constant reminder of the limits society placed on him. On all Variants.

His earpiece crackled, pulling him from his thoughts. “Honda, you in position?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, his voice low. “Target’s moving toward the west sector. Probably armed.”

“Be careful,” the voice replied. “He’s a Variant. Like you.”

Ram tightened his jaw. Not like me. Variants weren’t all the same. Some gave in to the chaos of their powers, becoming the monsters society already believed they were. Ram wasn’t one of them. He’d spent years training, honing his abilities, forcing control where there was none. He wouldn’t let his powers define him.

He wouldn’t become the thing they feared.

The hum of his corrupted genes began to rise, a familiar static building in his legs and chest. He ignored it, focusing instead on the target below—a figure darting through the crowd, their movements erratic. The faint glow of unstable energy shimmered around them, visible only to another Variant.

Ram took a deep breath, letting the power coil in his muscles. Then he leapt.

For a moment, the world fell away. The wind roared past him, the city lights blurring into streaks of neon. His legs burned as the Jumper ability surged through him, propelling him forward. He landed silently on a rooftop ahead, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his spine.

The target didn’t notice. Good.

He activated his Levitation ability, his body lifting effortlessly off the ground. The sensation was intoxicating, like floating on air, but it drained him with every second. He had only moments before the fatigue set in.

Descending into the alley below, Ram caught sight of the target—a young man, trembling as he clutched a dampener in his hand. His eyes widened when he saw Ram, recognition flashing across his face.

“You’re one of them,” the man hissed, his voice shaking. “A monster.”

Ram stared at him, his chest heaving with exertion. “Yeah,” he said softly. “But not the kind you think.”

As the faint hum of sirens filled the air, Ram knew this was just the beginning. The world may have forgotten the Variants, but they weren’t gone.

And the corruption wasn’t finished with humanity yet.