Scene: Fallout and Transfer

The office was silent—just the buzz of distant monitors and the hum of fluorescent lights. Then Cecil slammed the file shut, hard enough to make Rex flinch.

"You think this is a joke?" Cecil growled, his eyes boring into Rex’s with a fury that was almost physical. "Forty-seven dead. Civilians. Innocents. Because you thought charging in blind was the heroic thing to do."

Rex opened his mouth, but Cecil didn’t let him speak.

"Save it. You’re off the American roster. Effective immediately."

Rex blinked. "Wait, what? You’re benching me?"

"No. I’m exiling you," Cecil snapped. "You're being transferred to the European Monster League. Romania. Maybe over there, you’ll be less of a disaster—or at least surrounded by people who already scare the hell out of everyone."

Scene: Arrival in Romania | The Monster League Mansion

The Transylvanian wind bit through Rex’s jacket as he stood at the tall, wrought-iron gate.

Beyond it stood a grand, centuries-old mansion with ivy crawling up its weathered stone walls. Across the misty forest valley, a castle loomed like a shadow watching over the land—silent, ancient, and unnerving.

Rex knocked once on the old wood doors, but they creaked open on their own, groaning like they hadn't moved in decades.

“Alright, cool,” he muttered. “Nothing says 'welcome' like haunted house vibes.”

He stepped inside, dragging his luggage behind him.

The grand hall was cavernous and dim, lit by flickering candle chandeliers. A group stood at the center: humanoid shapes, but… different. Sharp eyes. Unnatural skin. Unsettling presences. Monsters—but clearly intelligent, powerful, and watching him with interest.

Rex squared his shoulders, grinned, and strutted forward.

“Well, hello there.” He raised a hand in a casual wave. “I go by the name Rex Splode—no, I don’t know why my parents named me that either. Probably because they had a sense of humor and no foresight.”

Silence.

He looked over the strange, unsettling group, gesturing to their features with mock admiration.

“But anyway, I couldn’t help but notice your fantastic… faces? Very monstrous. Love the aesthetic.”

One of the beings, a tall woman with luminous eyes and skin like porcelain over bone, tilted her head.

“You are the American?” she asked in a voice like velvet over steel.

“Yup. That’s me. Hero. Explosions. Poor impulse control You must be… one of the monster members?”

Another figure, draped in tattered robes, chuckled darkly. “We all are, Rex Splode. And now, so are you.”