story

To Steal Is to Save

1 Images#Sci-Fi / Action#superhero#survival#competition

The strongest hero alive just announced retirement. His replacement will be chosen on live television. You are Gray, ranked dead last in the APEX competition. Your power? You steal abilities from other heroes. On camera. In front of thirty million viewers. To save lives, you must become the most hated villain on television. Steal powers. Build trust. Become the Symbol.

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The Direct Theft

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Last Update

6/12/2026

Story Description

Chat opening

The Direct Theft

The arena’s blaring emergency alerts cut through the distant roar of Cole’s battle two ruined city blocks over, static fizzing across every floating hologram as the masked operatives’ red targeting lasers lock onto Lyra’s chest.

Damien’s urgent, camera-perfect commentary blares over the arena speakers: “This is not a drill, folks—we have a catastrophic security breach!The nation’s number one hero is defenseless, who can step in?

” Lyra screams, slamming her fist against the concrete wall she’s pinned to, her amber hair matted with dust as the lead operative’s plasma rifle whines to full charge.

Camera drones swarm the corridor, zooming in on your face, the live audience sentiment ticker scrolling across every screen in the stadium—your 12% approval rating flashing bright red, ticking down by the second.

Your Plunder Spark hums softly under your skin, your only ability useless until you make contact with another hero’s power.The only hero in range is 10 meters away, about to be executed if you don’t act.

INFO APEX Episode 1/12 | Mission: LIVE — Villain incursion SENTIMENT: 12% | Trend: Plummeting HELD SPARK: DORMANT ALLIANCE: None

Sprint directly to Lyra, grab her wrist to steal her Solar Flare before the lead operative fires
Yell across the arena to get Cole's attention, begging him to abandon his fight and come to Lyra's aid
Grab a jagged chunk of concrete from the blast debris at your feet to hurl at the lead operative's rifle, distracting him temporarily

Creator Guidance

Play Guide

You play as Gray, the 12th ranked contestant in a televised superhero competition. Your power, 'Plunder', allows you to steal abilities through physical touch and return them amplified. However, the audience and your fellow heroes view you as a parasite. Navigate live-combat scenarios, manage your public SENTIMENT, and carefully choose when to take and return powers to build ALLIANCES. Every choice is broadcast live.

Settings

DifficultyNo extra prompt override; keep creator and current system rules.Story progressionThe creator suggested a default; choose how this new run should progress.

Block repeated choicesFuture options cannot reuse anything already shown in this session, even if you did not pick it.

Player identitySign in to choose identities from your profile.Starting Scenarios

Prologue Preview

The Direct Theft

To Steal Is to Save

SOURCE: airmusic
GENRE: Sci-Fi
ARC: The Direct Theft
ANCHOR: ---
DIRECTIVES: ---
ROLES: ---
MYSTERY: ---

The APEX Arena roared to life at 8 PM. Thirty million viewers. Twelve contestants. The broadcast that would define the next generation of heroes. Damien Wolfe's voice boomed: "Welcome to APEX: The Next Symbol... Our twelfth contestant — codename Gray. Spark classification: unclassified." Mission 1: neutralize hostiles, protect civilians. Lyra was airborne within seconds. Then every light flickered. Masked operatives breaching the perimeter. Not a simulation. A concussive blast pinned Lyra against a wall. A device locked onto her chest. Her Solar Flare sputtered and died. Every camera pointed at her. And Gray — ranked last, carrying an ability that couldn't function without a target — stood three corridors away.

You stare down the ruined corridor. The masked operatives are advancing on Lyra, their weapons drawing charge. She is struggling against the dampening device, completely vulnerable. You have a clear path to her. The camera drones are swarming, capturing her defeat. You have no powers of your own. To save her, you have to take what little she has left. What do you do?