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50.99% Spectacular World / Chapter 103: The End Of Her Story

Chapter 103: The End Of Her Story

Mary arrived back home when the sun began to set. It was a small, cramped space on the edge of Widow Street. Mostly rundown and foul-smelling. Already she could hear her latest parents yelling. She always seemed to get stuck with couples that were on the verge of breaking to bits and thought getting a kid would be a good way to stay together.

She pushed the door open and didn't bother saying anything to them. Her eyes were fixed solely on her hand as she walked up stairs and headed to her room. Her parents didn't even bother to take note of her or ask why she was still covered in blood. She'd likely have to move again or something, as Amy would blab about her having powers.

"I always knew I was different, but I didn't think it was this much."

She had known for a while that she wasn't a normal human. Ever since she was a little girl, she knew she had powers. It was one of the reasons people would send her back to foster care. She kept them secret from all her parents, but they always seemed to pick up on the fact that something wasn't right. Today, though, was the first time she had used her powers in such a way. Her cells had obeyed her command. Now she could see them. Every bit of them twisted and listened to her. Waiting for her orders. She could see her skin shift and change, feel her bones and muscles snap, and her blood flow.

Slowly she lifted her shirt and stared at her stomach. It was littered with scars and burn marks. Wounds she had received from previous parents. Her skin almost seemed to bubble and shift as the marks faded away. Not just them though. The ones on her back, her arms, her legs, all of them hidden away by her clothing, faded from her body as she casually erased the proof of the hatred those people had dug into her. Even her eyes changed, and she no longer needed her glasses. The world came into full focus, and it looked so much cleaner than it ever had.

Everything was pretty. She was pretty.

She forced her tangled hair to grow out longer and fix itself. Got rid of any moles or marks, made herself a bit taller, whatever she wanted in that moment she could do it. She giggled, and with a flick of her fingers, long, jagged claws formed out. "So, I really am a Super." Her claws pulled themselves back into her body. It made her wonder who her real mom or dad were. They'd have to be a Super as well, right? "I guess I should decide what I do with my powers, right?"

She made her way over to the window and stared out at the city, looking at the many buildings that hung in the distance. This city did have an Enforcer, the hero known as Legend, but the man was almost never around, not bothering to protect this land, and instead focused on his son, a hero known as Fable, who was stationed in Oleander at the moment. It was small and didn't have too many Supers. What little villains it did have were all pretty much just low-tier villains who had fun getting away with all of their crime. Of course, if anything too big were to happen, then a big-shot hero would show up. Gladiolus City was right next door, which housed the mighty hero known as Max Lightning, the newest member of the Enforcers.

She rubbed her chin and hummed. "Which side should I be on? Good. Or evil. For humanity or against them." She couldn't really decide how she felt about humans or even other Supers. They existed and could harm others just as they harmed her, but in the end that was simply the way the world worked. Right? Finally, though, she made up her mind watching as thin bone plates grew over her flesh. "I just want to have some fun."

She slipped on a black jacket and zipped it up, as well as pulling her hoodie over her head. She made her way downstairs and moved past her current parents, who had taken to throwing the food they cooked at each other as their screaming match got worse. She closed the door and stepped back out into the city. The sun had already set a while ago, casting everything in moonlight. In the distance, she heard the sounds of hundreds of sirens, as by now the corpses of the three men were found. She covered her mouth with her hand and formed a large bone plate that went directly over it like a medical mask. The back of her jacket tore open as a pair of large wings unfolded, and she took to the air. She flew up, getting higher and higher, watching the city become smaller and smaller. The temperature dropped around her, but she used her power to increase her body's heat, allowing her to be fine.

Soon she found herself high in the air, overlooking her entire city. Black smog clouds constantly rose up from every direction, and even in the dead of night, the place was busy. Her city wasn't as big as others. It only had two sections. The nice part and the bad part. It was almost like two halves of a city had been built and jammed together. One half of the city had large towers that rose up, and the streets were filled with men in expensive-looking suits that were just getting off of work and heading home, or fancy sports cars that broke the speed limit ten times over. The bad part of the city was black and constantly swarmed with masses of fog clouds and acidic rain falling down onto the lands. Crime was everywhere. There were hundreds of Skull Boys, or people that pretended to be the Skull Boys that mugged or murdered people; dozens of cars were hijacked; and low-level Super's tore through old vaults, fishing up whatever loot hadn't been taken already.

This was what it was like in a place that didn't have the Enforcers. So long as the rich were left alone, the villains would be too. If one even thought about stepping foot in a nice street, though, Max Lightning or Legend would be on them in an instant.

She wondered if her latest parents finally noticed she still wasn't home. She doubted it. She didn't even care, to be honest. Her eyes were trained on something else. She had been using her powers to enhance her sight. She wasn't here to stop any of the crime or save the day. Something else was on her mind. She dropped from the sky at fast speeds, her wings folding up as she came in for a crash landing and smashed into the roof of a car, caving it in. It thankfully didn't have anyone inside. In front of her, an old stone building crumbled and broke away as someone smashed their way through the wall holding bags of money.

"The hell?" It was a large, bald-headed man. A Super that had just discovered a drug den and decided to raid it and claim it for himself. He was baldheaded and muscular, standing at nearly eight feet tall, and thick stone covered his flesh. "Who the hell are you?"

Mary cocked her head to the side and gave a grin. "It really isn't important. You're pretty strong. I watched you rip your way through that building."

"So?" The man's eyes narrowed.

Mary stepped off of the car, and her sleeves tore as bones jutted out of her flesh and formed into large gauntlets. She held her arms up and grinned, though it was unseen due to the mask she wore over her mouth. "So, I just figured out how my powers work, and I'd like to know just how strong I am."

The villain snorted and placed his bags down. He reached out with his hand and placed it on a nearby car. Slowly the stone in his skin was replaced with jagged iron. "The name's Intake. I'm not some small fry of a villain!" He grew taller and buffer, flexing his body, and took a step forward, shaking the ground. He let out a loud battle roar and rammed his fist forward as hard as he could down at her. His hand slammed directly into her neck and hit her so hard that her neck spun and snapped. Mary dropped to the floor dead instantly. "Oh shit? Damn, I didn't think she was that weak. Cocky little bitch. Maybe in the next life, she'll—" He heard a horrible snapping sound, and he jumped away, staring in horror as Mary snapped her head back on right. "What?"

"I guess I can regenerate." The girl hummed, flexing her fingers. "Come to think of it, I did that when I was stabbed earlier. I wonder if there is a limit." She could feel her bones grow and expand out of her skin, and her blood twisted out like tendrils coming out of her fingertips. They swirled around her hand, forming a large drill that began to spin. "Sweet!" She moved forward so hard she destroyed part of the street and slammed her hand forward. Intake roared out as the drill broke a massive hole in his body and went all the way through him and out his back. Mary ripped her arm out, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping. Her other hand slapped him against the side of his face and sent him flying down the street, and he smacked headfirst into a building and didn't get up.

Intake was flat on his back, his eyes dull, and not twitching. Completely dead-

"I know you're faking." Mary giggled. "I can see your cells putting you back together. You can heal as well, can't you? Though it looks like yours isn't near as good as mine. I never knew how different powers could be! This is kind of cool. Thanks for showing some stuff off. I guess I should kill you quick or something? I'm not really sure how it works. Sorry, I'm new."

Intake growled once more and slowly stood up. The hole in his stomach sealed shut, and he gritted his teeth. "Screw you. Screw this city. This is the last time I do a job here. I'm moving to Oleander, or Lillian, or something. Maybe I'll even take over the Bad Timers!" He charged forward and swung out with his fist. He slammed Mary into the ground and began to pound into her body, hitting her over and over again, twisting and snapping her limbs, and ripping up her clothes, but her body just put itself back together.

Jagged claws grew out of her fingers, and she swung out with them, ripping into his chest and tearing it away. He gasped and groaned as she forced him down to his knees once more. A jagged bone blade stabbed out of her elbow, and she placed it at his throat, about to decapitate him and end the villain known as Intake. She had never really cared for heroes or villains. As far as she was concerned, most people were villains, and heroes never bothered to come save her. She didn't really know the limit on powers or the man that was in front of her. One thing she knew for sure though was that she was strong. Really strong. The blade dug into Intake's neck, and he gasped and groaned, trying to throw her off of him, but blood tendrils grew out of her back and held him down. Far, far, away, beneath the waves, her Pod glowed and shimmered with a blue light.

Blood began to trickle down Intake's neck, and he stared up at her with pleading eyes.

No one ever bothered to help her out when she gave the same look, though, so she really didn't care too much.

"Wait." A voice caused her to jump. It didn't come from Intake. Slowly she pulled her arm away and turned around, finding someone had wandered onto the street. Intake took that as his chance and took off running, but that was okay. She didn't bother with him anymore. Someone else had caught her eye. "Hello." The man smiled as he looked at her. He had a pencil-thin mustache and combed hair. Like the rich people, he wore a suit and held an aura of importance about him. "My name is Landon Grove. It's been a while, Wish."

***

Mary stared out the window as the car drove down the street. It was a plain-looking black one, and Mr. Grove was as boring as they came, refusing to break the speed limit. She was seated in the passenger seat while he drove and, in the back, a cloaked figure rested so tall they had to stay slouched so they didn't touch the roof of the car. "So, are you going to tell me who Wish is? Or actually better question, who are you?" She huffed out.

Most kids knew better when it came to strangers, but she decided that if he pulled any stunts, she'd just kill him. Grove gave a small smile as he turned the car down a new street heading for the rich part of the city. "Your city really isn't what I was expecting, you know. I live in Oleander. I never imagined that your Pod would take you to this place. Blue really screwed up."

"Huh?"

"Oh. I guess I should give an explanation, shouldn't I?" The man hummed.

"I would like that, yes." She sighed. She was definitely going to kill him for sure.

"Let's cut to the chase. I'm the reason you're alive."

"What?" She frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Nice try, buddy. I can see DNA. We don't match. Not at all."

"Oh, that's because I'm not your parent." He changed lanes once more, and she realized he was driving in a circle, taking them down the same block over and over again. "I said I'm the reason you're alive, not that I was your father. I guess if you wanted to call anyone father, it would be Blue."

"Okay? So, then who the hell is this Blue guy?" Mary asked. "Is it the guy in the back?" The cloaked man hadn't spoken once and simply stared out the window in constant silence.

"No. That is my bodyguard. He's here to help keep me safe."

"So, then who is my dad, then?"

"Dozens of years ago, before you were born, there was something that came from space and threatened mankind. We call it the Beast. This creature has made it his life mission to destroy us. I don't know why, and I don't care. I made it my mission to stop it. I've never seen it myself, thank God, but I've seen what it can do. Only one man ever came close to truly stopping it, though. His name was the Emperor. He had discovered something. He figured out that the Beast targeted normal humans above all else. So, he made it his mission to get rid of all humans. He had discovered he had the ability to control life. With this power, he wanted to change all of mankind into Supers. Create a world the Beast wouldn't want to destroy. The humans betrayed him, however. They turned their backs on their former hero and even killed him. I saw the truth in what he said, though. I saw what he could do. I used my vast wealth and hunted down the one Super I thought could help me. The only Super who worked for the Hero Branch but turned traitor. He was Doctor Blue. A Super blessed with Mental powers that seemed made to work alongside those of the Emperor. With his help, I wanted to recreate the Emperor. Sadly, that isn't possible. So instead, we did the next best thing. We took the Emperor's DNA, as well as the DNA of one of his soldiers, and mixed them together with the help of a device created by the Lords. The Emperor himself had tried to do something similar in the past. I had been afraid that most of his power would go to his creation, but as luck would have it, his title didn't pass down on his death. That title now rests on you."

She blinked a bit as he rambled off his life story. She watched the road in silence. There were still a lot of cars. "That's a lot to dump on me. Let's say I believe you. How'd you even find me?"

The man raised his hand up and held out a finger. A small fly that had been buzzing around the car landed on it. "This is a drone that was created by Avalon. With the help of dozens of Super's, I managed to hack into it. I've had several people looking for you for years now, but I finally seemed to have lucked out. Luck seems to have a way of staying on my side. It is my destiny, after all."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe I am. You were built for me, though. Created to fulfill my wish."

The girl snorted and brushed some of her brown hair back behind her head. "I hate to tell you this, but I don't really have any plans of working for anyone."

"Is that so?" Grove hummed and unclicked his seat belt. "Maybe the next you will think differently."

"What-"

Much to her shock, he popped the door open and threw himself out of the car. By pure chance, it just so happened a mattress had been thrown out of an old home the day before, and he landed back first onto the mattress, breaking his fall. Mary stared with wide eyes as the car went out of control and smashed into the side of a building. Metal and glass exploded around her, but she was left mostly fine. Or at least she would have been, but a second later the car filled with intense smoke as the guy in the back seat lit up. Purple fire exploded out of him, burning through his cloak and blowing the car up. Mary felt the flames wash over her, and for the first time since she discovered she was a Super, she screamed out in pain as she was blasted through the metal and stone wall of the building they had crashed into.

Screams filled the air, and she realized she had crashed into a bank. The fire still ate away at her body, and her power struggled to heal as she tried to push herself up. She groaned and watched as the hole in the wall expanded and someone stepped toward her. Daemon had changed a lot. His red flesh was a nasty gray color and filled with cracks. He was missing an arm and had become skin and bones. Most shockingly of all, though, was what covered his face. Grove hadn't just stolen the drones from Avalon. A metal hand had its fingers jammed into Daemon's flesh, the once proud warrior of the Emperor reduced to a puppet under Grove's control. A similar fate that would await her, Mary guessed, if she didn't put an end to this threat now.

Daemon lifted his hand, and the purple fire blasted out as an intense wave. She threw her arm out, and the limb stretched, getting longer and wrapped around the back of someone's shirt. She threw them in front of her just in time. They screamed as the fire blasted them to bits and gave Mary enough time to roll out of the way. The parts of her that were still on fire tore away, and she began to slowly heal, breathing heavily. Daemon charged forward and swung out with his remaining arm. He was tall and lanky, yet his body packed a serious force of strength behind it, even in this destroyed state. She tried to block his strike, but it destroyed both of her arms, snapping the bones and making her howl in pain. His leg kicked up, smashing into her stomach, and she slammed back, smashing through a person and blowing them to bits.

Her body tried to heal itself, but Daemon didn't give her any time. He grabbed a desk and ripped it out of the ground, swinging it at her. She managed to form wings out of her back and tried to fly up, but he smashed the desk over her body and slammed her back down into the ground. With another wave of his hand, purple fire sprayed out, mowing down more of the people and causing the building to shake as the fire spread throughout it. Sirens wailed in the distance, but they weren't police sirens. Instead, they were something else. Something far worse. It caused Daemon to pause for a second, but the hand that was over his face dug its fingers deeper into him, and he shook his head, walking forward once more and raising his foot up. He brought it down onto her face, and she screamed as she felt her skull start to crack and break. He used all of his might and forced it down as hard as he could, shattering the floor, and Mary felt her face cave in and give out as his foot broke past it and he stepped on her brain.

Everything went dark.

Death.

That's what this was.

No...

Not death.

Because she wasn't alone. There was more of her.

A light.

It began to eat away at the darkness, and for a moment she saw her life. It flashed before her eyes. Every scumbag parent. All the words they'd call her, all the harm they'd leave on her. All those failed friends she made just like Amy. All of it swirled through her head. It wasn't alone either. There was another. A set of memories that weren't her. Someone that looked like her but was just off. A young girl. One with reddish brown hair and bright blue eyes. She watched this girl. No. She was this girl. For a moment, the memories went through her—every moment of this girl's life. It went alongside her own. The good and the bad. She watched this girl, this thing, the one known as Sky.

But whereas hers was mostly bad, this one was mostly good.

She watched Mary get sent back into foster care.

She watched Sky officially become a part of a family and be adopted by a woman named River.

She watched Mary be forced to move to a different school in a different city, leaving the few friends she had behind.

She watched Sky gain an older sister, one that would protect her always.

She watched Mary have her skull caved in by a monster, and no hero showed up to help her.

She watched Sky be nearly kidnapped by a villain, and every Enforcer member came to her rescue.

She saw her life.

She saw the life she wanted.

Under the waves of an ocean, a small metal Pod hummed with a blue light. 'Authorization accepted.'

The darkness broke away. Daemon stepped back and grunted as a wave of power crackled out in all directions. Mary's head reformed, putting itself back together, and her hair grew out, changing into a pure white. She felt her power grow. Double, triple, quadruple, but it wasn't enough. She wanted more! She didn't know how long she had been out for, but the sun was rising up above and the bank building was destroyed. Something was going on in her city. Smoke rose into the air, and screams were around every corner. She didn't care though. This surge of power was so strong that the metal around Daemon's face lit up and shattered, the hand falling off. His eyes gained their light back once more, and he stared at the girl as if he were gazing upon a goddess.

"By the light of the Emperor, it's true." He muttered. "You really are the next one. My leader-"

Mary's fist went through his face, blowing his head to bits and killing him in one shot. Daemon was finally put to rest. She swiped her hand, shooting off the blood, and stepped off of the wreckage of the building. She stared out at her city, calmly taking it in. She felt powerful. Godlike even. Yet no one was around to see it. Bodies littered the streets, and in the distance, she watched as buildings fell. Clouds swarmed the sky above, raining down constant bolts of lightning, and the siren's warning never stopped—a constant ringing that was being drowned out by the screams of the damned. By now, that Grove guy had likely gotten away. He might have even been the cause for all of this, though she had no real way of knowing.

She walked forward slowly, watching as buildings came crashing down around her and the screams grew louder. Everywhere she looked were melted bodies. An intense heat came from up ahead, and then she heard it. "M- Mary." She turned and stared down an alleyway. Amy stood shivering despite the heat, her eyes bloodshot and wide. The girl ran at her and grabbed her. "You have to save me! You're a Super, right? You need to get me out of here, please! I don't want to die." The girl sobbed. "It came out of nowhere. It destroyed my house! My mom is already-"

"What's going on?" She cut the girl off and looked around.

"It's horrible!" Amy sobbed out. "It's-"

She felt an intense heat smash into her, and it tore her off of her feet and threw her down the alleyway. Amy was gone. Reduced to less than ash in a single instance. It was a beam of golden energy, and thanks to her eyes, she could see the massive amount of intense radiation that was being funneled into her body. It was breaking her cells down bit by bit. She gasped and tried to fight against it, but it was no use. She was going to die again. Be forced to relive that life of the other her. She was melting. Crumbling to dust, her regeneration unable to keep up. She saw it though. The thing that was killing her. It was large and powerful, and she finally put it together. What was happening?

Chrysanthemum, the city she lived in, had just been visited by the Beast.

In a blinding flash, Mary's body truly broke away into nothingness as she once again died. But it wasn't the end for her... Not at the moment. Not while the link still existed.

Memories flashed, and for a moment she was that girl. Or at least watching the events play out through the girl's eyes.

Far, far away in Lillian, Sky rested on a swing set, going back and forth slowly. Her head was bowed, and she sighed. This was before she was Paragon. Before she had her powers, and before she had been blinded by her sister Lily. "Is something wrong?" A voice asked.

Sky turned a bit and realized that she wasn't alone. Someone else was on the other set of swings. A grown man. One who wore a simple suit. He had messy blonde hair and a bit of a beard, and heavy bags under his eyes. "Who are you?" The fourteen-year-old girl asked, narrowing her eyes.

The blonde man chuckled and held his hands up. "You can relax. I'm a friend of your grandfathers."

"Grampa Adam?"

"That's right. I used to be on his team." The man nodded. "I was told it's your birthday today. You just turned fourteen? I saw you weren't very happy though, so I thought I'd pay you a visit."

Sky frowned and shrugged. "I'm just a little bummed, is all. Mom and my sister had to leave." The Beast from space had arrived. Ocean Empress hadn't wanted to go, but apparently Lily was eager to try out her powers now that she had unlocked her Lord transformation and ran out, despite the danger. Mom went to get her back. After all, the Beast was something most people don't come back from. "I know it's important. The reason they aren't here. But it still kind of ticks me off." Sky sighed. She swung back and forth on the swing for a moment, feeling the wind in her red hair.

The blonde man nodded his head. He reached down to something that had rested on the ground next to him. "Well, since it's your birthday and I'm in the area, I thought I'd give you something special. After all, I've missed a lot of your previous birthdays due to being a bit busy with something." He handed something over to her, and she stopped and stared at it. It was covered by cloth, but already she had a good idea of what it was. It was shaped like a bird cage. "Go on."

She gripped the cloth and slowly pulled it down. It was in fact a bird cage. Inside was a type of bird she had never seen before. It caused her to gasp as she stared at it. It was young. Not a newborn, but not an adult either. It looked almost like a hawk or an eagle, but covered in crimson red fur. Its feathers looked sharp and jagged, and there was an intelligent light hidden behind its eyes. It stared up at her and cocked its head to the side.

The blonde man chuckled when he saw the star-struck look in her eyes. "His name is Destiny." The man's smile faded for a moment, and he grew serious. "He's the last of his kind. There isn't another of his species out there. His parents died a few years ago, and sadly, I can't take care of him. You can, though, Sky. I'd like for you to raise him."

"Really? Wait... Where did you even get something like this? Who are you? And why would you give me something as important as this? We've never met?"

The blonde man reached out and placed his hand on top of her head. "You're right. We haven't met. But I would move the world for you. That's what a father should do."

Sky felt her eyes go wide, but suddenly her mind stopped working. Her thoughts ceased, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. The blonde man's hand glowed with a faint black energy, and she slumped to the ground, unconscious. Sky wouldn't remember this conversation, nor would she know just where she got this bird from. She would have a strange urge to keep it though and decided to name it Destiny.

The blonde man would vanish from her memories. This wasn't the first time he had come to her after all, not that she could recall.

Nier, the man that should be dead, the monster that became the Emperor, turned away once he was sure Sky was fine. He placed his hands in his pockets and stared out at the world around him. He could feel it. The Beast. It had arrived on Earth. Just two years. Two years from now, he will be able to start his plan. He would stop the Beast for good. Until then, though, the world would think he was truly gone. The shadows rose up, swirling around him, and then he was gone.

And so, time would pass...

Mary slowly opened her eyes. She found herself suspended in a strange box. One that held a liquid that she floated in. "Her consciousness survived." A voice caught her attention, and she felt herself shake when her eyes finally came into focus. "Normally, when a Lord dies, the power passes on. However, in her case, while her body might have been reduced to ash, her soul stayed within this world thanks to the connection she held. As such, she's still alive." They were in a strange metal room. Out in the Wastelands, a tower that was long forgotten. Grove stood directly in front of her, and behind him a blind man with a cane explained everything. Doctor Blue cleared his throat. "Though I would suggest we not let her die too much. The connection she has with the entity known as Sky could cause some... Issues."

"Of course." Grove placed his hand on the glass and stared into the Lord of Life's eyes, a smirk on his lips. "Welcome back to the world of the living, my Wish. You've been dead for nearly one year now. But I've brought you back." Behind him a metal Pod rested, one that glowed with a blue light. "I won't let my Wish die so easily. You saw it right. I was there. I witnessed it finally firsthand. Destiny led me on this path. How lucky I was that you glimpsed it. You see why I did what I did now, right? The power it holds."

She did. The Beast. A monster. More than any creature the Emperor had created. It was a true threat. It killed her so easily. Even with her enhanced power.

"I can help you become stronger." Grove announced. "And if you help me, then once and for all, we can slay the Beast."

That day Mary died.

That day, Wish was born.


Chapter 104: A Choice

Once upon a time, there was a young boy. One said to have been found by a great Devil. This Devil took the boy in and raised him as his own. But the Devil didn't want a son. He wanted a weapon. One that would obey him always and help him slaughter his enemies. He wanted something that could devour the Sun.

So he raised this boy up. He forged him powerful armor and gifted him a weapon that was alive so long as the child trusted it—a partner for this young boy, and he drilled into him the image of what true power should be. Slowly, this child grew and eventually surpassed that of his mortal shell as the Devil fed him more and more. Bigger and bigger, this child became until soon only one word could truly describe him.

Of course… This is just a story.

Right?

"I will defeat you!" Ash rained upon the Earth, pillars of black fire rose, and the planet itself shook! The Emperor's form had changed. His body was larger and covered in black scales. A tail flowed out, smacking the ground, splitting it in two, and with every flap of his wings, the wind tore apart the land. He had become a dragon. A mighty beast able to fight even a star. The Dragon roared loud enough to kill any human that heard it, their heads exploding. Hellish black fire gushed out of his form. "Full Monarch! Come out!"

P tried to stand his ground, but there was no use. Their forces had been slaughtered, as had the humans. This mad beast was destroying everything that got near him without a care. P yelled as he felt himself be thrown high into the air by the force of the wind that bent and twisted wildly through the air.

"The only one that is going to lose is you, Emperor!" A loud voice cried through the darkness. Blue chains of energy blasted out and began to wrap around the monster. Jack gripped them as tightly as he could, his red hair flowing in the wind and his eyes shining with the blue light of hope.

"You!" The Emperor screamed when he saw his creation. "You bastard! I'll kill you-"

Black feathers rained, and the Emperor found his entire body being shoved down as a palm smashed into his snout. Lucifer's hair was swept up wildly as the man's palm began to glow with a hideous black energy, and he forced every drop of the Dead Virus into his former rival's veins.

"Go ahead and die, you damn mutt." The immortal hissed.

Black fire gushed from the Dragon's eyes, and his tail slashed into Lucifer, nearly tearing the man in two. "You betray me as well, Lucifer! Fine then! I'll devour this planet and bring it all crashing down!" His scales began to turn a nasty gray, and his body seemed to almost start to melt as he struggled to his feet and tried to rip his way out of the blue chains that bound him. His fiery eyes glared into Jack's. "I'll start with you! You, who I promised the world to. You, whom I promised to turn into a God. You, who I called a son once! I will devour you-"

Jack jumped at the man and raised a sword into the air. It wasn't made from his powers; instead, it was a physical object lacking color. It was pure white and seemed to bend and twist in his grasp, the blade was covered in hundreds of lines that made it up. He brought the sword down and impaled it into the monster's stomach! The Emperor roared, and Jack screamed back, tearing the sword down and splitting the beast open.

The land was coated in blue light as the man pulled his fist back and rammed it into the stomach of the Emperor. The villain's body was growing in size, glitching out and spasming as his very cells rejected his life. With gritted teeth, Jack grabbed onto something and, with all his might, ripped an unconscious young man out of the monster's gut.

The blacked-out Max Lightning, current Lord of the Sky, crashed into the dirt face first, not moving. The Emperor grabbed at his torn stomach, dozens of blades impaling Jack through his arms and legs. The red-haired man was raised off the ground, but his eyes burned with pure hope. Jack raised his blade high and then brought it down into the skull of the monster.

"Now, Full Monarch!" Jack screamed as loud as he could. "Let's end this nightmare!"

Blue fire burst out of the ground as Full Monarch literally flew through the planet. The flames whipped off his skin as the number one hero rammed his fist into the Emperor's gut, tearing a hole through him. The two took off for space, getting higher and higher, soon vanishing beyond the point of the world. The white sword fell from the skies and stabbed into the ground, meters away from Jack.

Jack felt his chains fade, and he nearly collapsed, breathing heavily as blood poured down his body. "I have to go help him."

"No." The voice of Lucifer made Jack pause. "You've done enough, little Giant." Jack turned around and felt a sharp stabbing pain. Blood gushed down his chin as he stared at the hand that stabbed into his chest. Lucifer's eyes stared into his, coldly. "I'll be giving you this." A golden glow was seeping out of the hole. "It's from Full Monarch's daughter. A shard of her blade. My Dead Virus would kill you too quickly. I want you to suffer. I want you to live in agony, begging for death but unable to die. I want you to beg the Shadow to behead you when the time comes, false Ruler."

Jack gasped and struggled to speak as Lucifer ripped his hand away. He could feel it. The golden shard inside of his chest. Burning and eating away at him already. Lucifer stared down at the young man and cocked his head to the side. He watched as Jack's eyes went from a glowing blue to a lazy brown, and the boy's holy blue light began to leave him replaced with something else. Jack dropped to his back, gasping.

He shot a hand out for Lucifer, but the immortal dodged past his grip. "Sleep well, little Giant. Oh, and don't worry about Sky. I'll take good care of her." Lucifer chuckled as he left the Emperor's failed creation on the battlefield.

"No..." Jack could feel tears in his eyes as everything began to quickly go dark. He felt his skin start to turn cold, and his lungs felt like they were about to explode. "I don't want to die. Not yet. I still haven't paid for my sins. Avalon, save me." He gasped, reaching for the sword that was buried in the ground next to him.

The sky slowly parted, and Jack felt a pair of arms wrap around him. His eyes struggled to remain open, but he stared up at Full Monarch. The man's fire had gone out, revealing the human beneath. His costume was stained, torn, and covered in his own blood. His messy red hair fell awkwardly, and the hero looked like one of his eyes had gone totally blind. Despite all of that, he still managed the giant smile that was on his face.

"Don't worry... It will all be okay..." The man spoke softly and reached up to his chest. "I... I don't have much time left. I can feel it... So thank you for letting me save you." And with that, the number one hero drove his fingers into Jack's chest.

Once upon a time, there was a young boy. One said to have been found by a great Devil. This Devil took the boy in and raised him as his own. But the Devil didn't want a son. He wanted a weapon. One that would obey him always and help him slaughter his enemies. He wanted something that could devour the Sun.

But in the end, they all died.

At least that's how the story should have gone…

***

After Lucifer's fall, Mr. Sini, the Lord of the Sea and Depth, stepped up as the leader of mankind. And with this new responsibility, his power somehow evolved. He had become a Mental-based user.

His mind was expanded, and he was able to break the laws of the universe through a form of creation he specialized in, like all Mental users. His concept of creation was the ability to ensure humankind's continued survival. Long ago, before the Shadow, humanity had been said to be close to reaching the stars. With his newfound power and the fame he gained during the war with Lucifer, he created Sini Corp. Their goal had been simple. Escape Earth.

And he succeeded.

Through sheer will, alongside the help of many of the planet's greatest Mental Supers, they created a series of towers based on the Enforcer Tower. The first of these towers was built on Earth. The second one was built on the Moon. They formed a connection with one another and created a bridge of sorts. Something that could connect to others and allow mankind to escape to another planet. With the power of the Lord of the Sky and Weather on his side, Sini created a tower on every planet in the solar system, building a series of bridges. Each tower would allow someone to move to another one instantly in the solar system—a means of instant teleportation.

The end goal would have been to use the Lord of Life's power to make each planet a place where humanity could thrive. It was when they reached Mars, though, that disaster struck. They woke something up—something that might have existed since the dawn of time, something left behind by the Shadow, or maybe even something else that had been recently created. It was unknown truly what it was.

It was given the name the Beast from Space.

Even the combined power of the Lords was barely able to slow it down. It came down to Earth and fought until the city it landed in was utterly destroyed. Then it simply left. It went back to Mars and seemingly faded away. They lost much that day, but the most brutal blow was the loss of Nier. With the loss of all that he loved, he collapsed in on himself. This would only worsen when the Beast returned a year later to destroy another city, then simply left for the stars once more.

That was the day the Emperor was born.

The hope to terraform planets had been erased with the Lord of Life no longer on their side. The towers became forgotten relics, made worse by the fact that the Emperor stole them for his own and moved his people to the moon. With the loss of Sini during the war and the threat of the Beast from space, the towers were left behind, and humanity moved on, looking for a new solution to survive—one that Avalon brought them in the form of pocket realms.

This tower on Earth, though, wasn't entirely forgotten. It had been used one more time after the fall of Full Monarch. Once a hero, turned into the next version of the devil, the Emperor had fled to the stars just like Golden God. That was until he seemingly returned.

Cinder felt her legs give out. She collapsed to her knees and instantly felt all of her power leave her. She wasn't the only one. Poseidon's back was pressed to the wall, and the hero's body shook. This was so much worse than Wish, worse than Green Wolf, Fairy Queen, or any other bad guy they had seen.

He wore pitch-black armor that almost seemed to breathe as if it were alive. It was rough and full of cracks and dents from his battles. Jagged demonic horns stabbed out of the side of it, and a pair of slits in his helmet oozed a fiery red glow that lit up the darkness of the tower. His cape flowed up, and he took a single step forward, echoing throughout the building.

Her mind raced as she stared at the demon before her. He should have been dead. The title of Lord passes down when one dies. That power had been split between Paragon and Wish. For that to happen, the Emperor had to die. He couldn't live; it was simply impossible. He died in his fight with Full Monarch. The battle had ended with both of them taking each other out. At least, that's what the Hero Branch told everyone.

Yet, despite the fact that his body should have been reduced to less than ash, he stood before them. This broke all the rules she knew about the Lord. Wish was the Lord of Life. If the Emperor was here, then what did that mean?

Mayor Grove didn't look at the villain. His eyes were cast downward. "I'm sorry it came to this." He said softly. "You heroes kept getting in my way. I had no choice but to bring him here. I'm trying to create a new and perfect world. One where we won't deal with the Beast. He gave me Wish. He told me how my fate would end, and I still tried to go around it. We don't get to control how our story goes. We don't get to defy them all. Fate is set in stone from the start." The man's arms trembled. "I really am sorry."

The Emperor didn't say anything. He stood there silently. His eyes slowly roamed around the tower as if taking everything in. He didn't even bother looking at them. She debated attacking, but her body refused to move. She couldn't stand up or even muster any fire. Paragon was the same. The blind girl's arms were wrapped around herself, and her bird shivered on her head. Wish was still in a corner and couldn't look this thing in the eyes either.

Cinder knew what she needed to do: run. Grab Paragon and Poseidon and make a break for it. Escape. Run. Flee. But no matter how much her mind screamed at her, she couldn't. She just couldn't.

It was almost like a powerful weight was pressed down on them. She wanted to cry, to scream, to run; she wanted to do everything but fight this thing. This was a real Devil. A dragon. An apex predator that stood above all others. This was the might of the Emperor.

Poseidon was the first to recover. The girl was breathing heavily and on the verge of having a panic attack, but she still managed to raise her trident. The Emperor still didn't even bother to look at them. His hand was placed on the wall, wiping some of the dust away. "C- Cinder." Poseidon spat out. "Grab Sky and run-"

The red eyes finally turned to look at her, and Poseidon's weapon dropped from her hand. Cinder mustered up everything she had left in her and managed to stand up, but it was too late. They didn't even see him move. The cape flew past them, and his hand was already wrapped around Paragon's throat. She tried to turn, but he was already outside of the tower and gone, taking the blind girl with him. Not just Paragon, but Wish as well.

"Sky!" She screamed.

Outside of the tower, a few miles away, Battery stared down at Fairy Queen's frozen body. "Should I just kill her?"

"Can you?" Ocean Empress asked, cocking her head to the side. She had trapped the unconscious villain in as much ice and water as she could. "Fairy Queen seemed to always pop back up no matter what we did to her. It was why we eventually gave up on trying to kill her and threw her into the Nightshade. Even the Victorian wasn't able to keep her dead for long."

Battery hummed and shrugged his shoulders. "As far as I know, she doesn't have a healing factor, but she's always been able to escape death. It's like the universe is on her side. The moment I attack, the ice could break, and she might wake up. I'd have to go for the head and take her out faster than her brain wakes up. If you're willing to risk it, I can try."

"Can you do it, though? No offense, you're in a bad state."

"You can say that again," Battery snorted. He rubbed at his chest. "The next fight I get into is going to be my last."

"I can get my daughter to heal you-"

"I'm going to die. I don't want to look for any more solutions." He sighed and grumbled a bit. "I'm tired. Really tired. I just want this day to end."

"So, you're just giving up?"

"Yeah."

Ocean Empress frowned and balled her hand into a fist. "Whatever. Next time, I won't be there to get you back up anyway. I couldn't care less. You can go die if you-"

It landed directly behind them. Battery felt his entire spine shiver, and he saw a glimpse of black and red. He didn't even have time to turn around. The Emperor's fist smashed through the ice and wrapped around Fairy Queen. He was gone again in a single heartbeat, faster than Battery, Demonica, and any other person on this planet could ever hope to react to.

Ocean Empress was still in the middle of turning by the time he took off running. He ran at full speed, his golden aura crackling around him as he headed for the others.

Near the base of the tower, the others stopped what they were doing and watched Myth. The hero dropped back down to the ground and reverted back to his human form. Golden God quietly floated over, covered in thick dents and cracks all along his form. "Looks like we got the guy on the ropes," Myth called out. "Between all of us, we should be able to win!"

"Don't jinx it!" Snowdawn yelled out.

"Please!" BB let out a snort and folded her arms. "What else could possibly happen-"

In an instant, one of Golden God's hands buckled and shook as something landed on it insanely fast. Everyone froze when they saw the black cape that flowed in the wind. Instantly, all hope vanished. The Emperor placed Fairy Queen down and slowly stood up, his other hand holding Paragon by the throat. Wish was at his side, still on her knees and sobbing.

Even Golden God was in shock. The once emotionless voice shook as the robot stared down with wide eyes. "M- Master."

Not a single soul moved. Everyone was frozen in place, just staring at the scene before them. Then, suddenly, laughter filled the battlefield. Backup clutched at his stomach and nearly fell over from laughter. "Oh, man. Damn, she really got us. I was actually having a freakout moment." He cleared his throat and pointed at the figure in black. "Guys. It's an illusion."

"A- An illusion." Myth's tone broke for a moment, and he didn't look very sure.

"It's got to be! Come on, guys! There is no way the Emperor is actually alive! Obviously, Fairy Queen put us all under an illusion to freak us out-"

Despite his confidence, no one budged, not even Golden God. It was Paragon who broke the silence once more. She was clutching at the hand around her throat, gasping and shaking. "I—It's not an illusion! R—Run."

A golden flash broke past all the heroes, and in an instant, Battery appeared in front of the Emperor. He swung the mace he had used on Green Wolf down as hard as he could, smashing it directly into the Emperor's helmet. "He's real!" Battery screamed out. Golden lightning danced over him, gushing out of his weapon. "This is the real deal! The Emperor is alive!" His swing didn't even cause the Emperor to budge, and in a flash, Battery was sent smashing past everyone as an unseen force rammed into his stomach.

"Battery!" Whisper used her power to see where he was going to crash and jumped out, opening her arms and catching the hero as he rammed into her.

That kicked everyone off. Attacks flew out in the direction of the threat, but Golden God raised his other hands up and shielded his master. Myth grabbed Backup, shaking the man. "Your flying boat. Get it down here now. Put all the kids on it and run."

"But-"

"No buts! Run! Get as far as you can into the city with the kids and call for the Enforcers and every other hero team. All of them! The rest of us will buy you as much time as we can-" Golden God struck out his hand, ramming through the ship and blowing it to bits. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

In the palm of Golden God, the Emperor held Paragon and looked at her, cocking his head to the side. She gasped and shook, and her bird hissed, but the creature ignored them. Then he set her down. She stared up at him in confusion, but he ignored her and instead grabbed Wish by the throat.

The white-haired girl thrashed around and screamed, throwing her fist into the helmet of the Emperor, but that only managed to break her own bones. They were encased in the hands of Golden God, which twisted and formed a protective barrier around them. She thought about fighting but instantly knew it wouldn't work. She was just so weak.

"I'll kill you." Wish grunted and screamed, still trying to get out of the hands that gripped around her throat. "I'll turn you into slime-"

The Emperor twisted his hand and snapped her neck. His eyes never even bothered to look down at Paragon. Slowly, Wish's corpse began to change and twist. It swirled around and broke away, turning to dust. When it was all said and done, only a single thing remained in his palm. She could tell somehow that it was Wish's power—the girls' title of Lord of Life. It was a lump of energy the size of a small golf ball. Glowing and crackling with power.

She shivered as those red eyes turned to look down at her. His hand came down, and she shrank back. There was no use in running, though. They were trapped within a shell forged by Golden God's hands. She could hear the others screaming and throwing everything they had, but Golden God refused to budge. She accepted her fate. Destiny did as well. His hand grabbed her by the head, and he lifted her up. His other hand, the one that held the lump of power, pulled back, and he rammed it into her.

She gasped. It didn't hurt. It didn't actually stab into her. Instead, it phased into her body. When he pulled his hand out, her body suddenly began to shiver and shake as she felt the power forcefully mold its way into her body. Something was happening. He just gave her the power of a Lord? Instantly, she felt it. Something was changing her. The effects of the power seeped into her, and she gasped and shook. All the injuries she had gained from him and Wish faded away. She was healed. Not just healed, she was-

A beam of golden energy blasted through Golden God's hands, breaking past them. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her as Battery flew in. He held onto her tightly and blasted into the air, whipping around and swinging with massive golden chains that flew out of his back.

"Cinder!" He swung himself around, and Paragon let out a yelp as he threw her.

Poseidon and Cinder jumped out from the tower's entrance, and Paragon felt herself crash into Cinder's arms. They dropped to the ground beneath Golden God, and Paragon stared up at Cinder. "Are you alright?" Cinder asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I-"

"Are you sure?!" Poseidon asked.

"I'm fine!" She cut both girls off and looked around. "I'm better than fine, in fact." She looked down at her hand and balled it into a fist. "I can see."

"What?"

"He fixed my eyes?" She wasn't looking through Destiny's eyes anymore. She wasn't blind anymore. It wasn't just that. Her entire body felt way stronger. The Emperor had done something.

Battery landed down on the ground next to them. "Kid! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine; what about you-"

Battery nodded his head and shoved the mace he held into Paragon's arms. "I want to make a trade." He grabbed the sword she was still clutching and yanked it out of her hands, then jumped back into the air, leaving the mace with her. He landed in the palm of Golden God and pointed his sword at the Emperor. "How the hell are you alive? Actually, it doesn't matter! Here and now, I'll kill you!"

The Emperor didn't look at Battery. Golden God's hands had moved away, allowing the devil to stare down at the other heroes. His red eyes roamed over them.

"Look at me." Battery ordered. The Emperor stepped off of the hand and dropped to the ground. He landed on it softly and turned to look back at Cinder, Paragon, and Poseidon. "I said, look at me!" Battery jumped off of the hand as well and landed in front of the Emperor. All the heroes remained still, all staring at the Calamity level threat. He hadn't attacked anyone yet, nor had he spoken. "I'm in front of you! Look at me!" The Emperor's eyes skipped past Battery and instead turned to judge Myth and Roulette. Both heroes were ready to act at a moment's notice. "I'm right here! You made me! Look at me!" Next, he stared at Money Tree, Snowdawn, BB, Whisper, and Oxide. All the kids shivered and stood behind the adults. "Fucking look at me!" Last were Backup, Bad Wolf, Metal Ronin, and Duplicity. "You did this to me! You created me! I won't let you pretend like I don't exist!" Battery roared and blasted forward, swinging his sword.

The Emperor was gone. Far faster than Battery was, the villain appeared in front of Money Tree. Money Tree didn't even have time to create a barrier or act. The Emperor flicked the hero on top of his head, and Money Tree's neck nearly snapped, and he was blasted back.

"Money Tree!" BB screamed. She blasted her wind forward, causing all hell to break loose as the battle really started. The wind smashed into the Emperor, and he didn't even budge as he walked through it.

Golden God snorted and floated higher up, getting out of the blast zone. "Seems he wants to play a bit. I guess after fifteen years, he's grown soft. After all, he allowed Money Tree to live instead of blowing his head off."

The Emperor appeared behind BB and elbowed the girl in the gut. She vomited out a wave of blood, and he grabbed her by the hair, holding her out in front of him and using the girl to block a wave of Roulette's bullets. At the last second, Roulette held his power back and stopped his attack from hitting BB, and the Emperor swung the girl by her hair and threw her, sending her ramming into Roulette hard enough to shatter the man's ribs.

Oxide tried to jump away, but he was on her, reaching for her face, jagged claws seeming to form out of his gauntlet. Everything became black and white, and time itself froze as Snowdawn used the last of his energy to freeze time once more.

"You've got to be fucking shitting me! The Emperor! As in the actual Emperor! What the fuck! I know I said I wanted to deal with a calamity-level threat, but this is so BS-" He went silent when he watched the Emperor's head turn to look at him. "No fair! I stopped time-"

The Emperor grabbed him by the throat, and time restarted. Snowdawn grunted as the Emperor swung him like a weapon and smashed his head-first into Oxide's stomach. He smashed them both into the ground, breaking it and creating a large crater.

A second later, the Emperor let go of them and raised his palm just in time to block Myth's fist. Myth charged forward using everything he had in his bull form but couldn't even get the thing to budge. "This isn't my first Calamity level threat! Compared to the Beast, you're nothing!" His form changed into his lion mode, and he roared.

The Emperor held his fingers out and thrust them forward, impaling their way past the lion's unbreakable fur and spilling Myth's blood. His fist rammed forward into the face of Myth, and the hero was sent crashing back to where Money Tree had landed.

Bad Wolf and Duplicity both charged forward. Duplicity flew forward as fast as she could, but the Emperor easily dodged past her and kicked up with his leg, splitting her in two. Her form flickered and changed back into its child form, all the damage healing, but she crashed to the ground, and before she could get back up, he placed his boot on her head and pressed down. She screamed as her skull nearly exploded, but before it popped, the Emperor jumped back, avoiding the claws of Bad Wolf.

The Emperor's head cocked to the side as he stared at her. She was a monster and had likely fought in his army. She hissed and swung out, but her claws shattered and broke on his armor. He grabbed her roughly by the ears and pulled back, lifting her up, and then rammed her down into the ground so hard he shattered her snout.

"Come on, come on, hurry up!" a panicked Metal Ronin yelled out. He and Backup stood in the very back, trying to quickly combine their tech and make a quick upgrade to stall the Emperor. Backup was using the supplies of his destroyed ship and attaching wires and metal to the arm of Metal Ronin's suit.

"It's done!"

Metal Ronin flexed his hand, and the downed ship roared to life. The thrusters screamed and blasted out a wave of hellfire, but the Emperor walked through it unharmed and swung his palm out so hard the air twisted and snapped, ramming through what was left of the ship and blowing both of the metal-based users back.

Slowly, the Emperor's eyes turned to the last hero. Whisper raised her arms. "I give up."

He turned away from her and lazily held his arm up, blocking Battery's sword as the hero came crashing down. Golden lightning flowed off of Battery, and the man glared at the Emperor, but the villain didn't even bother to look back at him. "I know what I have to do." His lightning glowed, getting brighter. "I'm going to build up as much energy as I can and turn myself into a human bomb!"

"What!" Whisper jumped away in shock. "You're going to self-destruct! Won't that kill you?!"

"Fate is set in stone." Battery spat out, glaring at the Emperor. "That's what you told me once. You were a real shitty dad, you know that!" A golden barrier formed around him, and the Emperor's glowing became brighter. "This might not kill you, but it'll hurt-"

Instantly ice coated Battery, and the man was frozen in place, his light cutting out and the barrier dropping as he was trapped in a block of ice. Ocean Empress breathed heavily as she flew down, finally catching up. "I'm not letting you blow yourself up." She formed a sword out of her ice and held it up. "Whisper. Get the others out of here." She stared at the monster in black armor. Instantly, she remembered the horrors of the war. The screaming, the pain, the ash, the death. The Emperor still didn't bother to look at Battery and instead stared directly into the eyes of Ocean Empress. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" The hero said softly. "I took your name after your death. Called myself the Empress. I still don't really know why I did it. What motivated me to take up that mantle, but I did. I won't let you take it back so easily, monster."

The Emperor appeared in front of Ocean Empress and threw a punch at her, but she managed to duck under it. She swung her sword, but he caught it between two of his fingers and broke the tip of the blade. He rammed the ice shard forward, broke past her costume, and impaled her on the blade. She stumbled back and reformed another sword, swinging it out, but he ducked under it and stepped forward, using the horns on his helmet to stab her. He easily lifted her up, impaling her on his horns, and her blood flowed down his body. He twisted his head to the side and sent her flying.

In less than a few minutes, he had taken down the Sub Enforcers, the Watch Dogs, and Pantheon, all by himself, all with just his raw strength. Not even a single use of his Lord's powers was required.

Gravity compressed and slammed down on him, but he didn't even budge. Poseidon rammed her trident forward, but it bounced off of his armor. She used her power to create a black hole and launched it at him, but his fist rammed through it and broke it, being too strong for the force of pure gravity to control. As Poseidon fell back, she twisted her water and shot a compressed beam of it into him, but he backhanded it and rammed himself forward with so much speed he shattered her helmet and most of her nose when he head-butted her.

Golden fire slammed into him as Cinder came crashing forward with her shield. She didn't hold back, hitting him with everything she had. He buckled a bit but forced his way past the fire and punched. She blocked it with her shield and grunted as part of the metal twisted and cracked. She shoved his fist off and raised her hand up, catching the mace that Paragon threw at her. She brought it down on top of his head and raised it again, but he grabbed her wrist and squeezed down, snapping it. Her hand dropped the mace, and he caught it, swinging it up, and smashed it into her chin so hard she was sent flying into the air.

He watched her land and slowly stalked forward. Paragon ran to her mother and began to heal her. "Mom! You need to get up." She placed her hand on the woman's face and channeled her power out, feeling her mother's damaged body and mending it.

Ocean Empress groaned and managed to open her eyes up and stare into her daughter's face. "Y- Your eyes are-"

"I'm not blind anymore."

"Why would he do that..."

"I don't know, but you need to get up." Paragon waited until she was sure her mother was healed enough to stand. Then she ran over to her sister and began to heal the girl.

Over with Cinder, she hit the ground and slowly tried to push herself up. She spat out a broken tooth and some blood and rubbed at her jaw. The straps to her helmet broke away, and it fell off of her head, allowing the rest of her golden hair to spill out. It was still short, and she still had that nasty scar across her forehead, even after being healed by beating Wish, those wounds hadn't faded. She looked up just in time to see the Emperor swinging the mace down directly onto her face.

It stopped inches away from her and softly pulled back. His red eyes stared into her own, and quietly, he traced her face with his eyes, taking her in. "I'm going to stop you." She dug her fingers into the ground and pulled out a wave of sand, trying to blind him. She threw a punch, but he easily caught it. Her golden flames roared out, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"The Brightest Star." She froze when she heard him speak. His voice was old and rough, twisted and broken. It held almost no emotion—nothing but a small flicker of recognition. His eyes bore into hers. "You've awakened."

She felt something. Her mind ached, and she gasped. He was doing something. He was invading her mind. Memories flooded her. They twisted and swirled around as her life flashed before her eyes. He was forcing her to relive it all. Every embarrassing moment and thought—the good and the bad, her talks with her mom and dad, her looking up to Mr. Larison, being a hero, her feelings for her team, her thoughts of her friends—all of it was pulled out of her. One memory stood out, though. The state her father was in. The Emperor was using his power to force her brain to tell him everything there was about her.

"Hope?" He spoke her name, and she shivered. He knew everything there was about her now. Most of it, at least. All her dark secrets and private thoughts. She felt gross both with herself and him, and her mind still reeled as it finally stopped coming to the ground. He let go of her hand, and she dropped to her knees, gasping. "I came when I felt the power of the Brightest star. To think my daughter would be here. It was almost too perfect."

"You're insane." She groaned.

"Yes."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"You saved her life." The Emperor stared deep into her eyes and cocked his head to the side. "Pick."

"What?"

"I am a Lord of Life no longer. I have changed. After my battle with Full Monarch, I lost my right to be the Lord of the Land and Life. Now I am a Ruler. With this power, I can save one. So, I'd like you to pick. The one you call Jack Larison, or the one you call Alexander Lauren. Which would you like me to save?"

Her face paled as his words rang through her head. A choice. He was offering to save one.

Her father or Mr. Larison...

It was pretty obvious what her answer was.


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