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74.25% Spectacular World / Chapter 150: Meta

Chapter 150: Meta

Pain trailed through the top of her head, and Hope couldn't help but reach up and rub at the scar that was there. Even after being shrunken down, the wound Wish had left on her was still there. A jagged line that went all the way across her forehead. It suddenly ached and burned as she stared at Kevin, a sick reminder of everything she had gone through in her battle with Wish.

"Are you really Kevin?" She asked startled, though she knew without a doubt it really was him.

Of all the people to run into, this might have been the one she was least expecting. To be honest, she hadn't really thought about him at all since the Wish incident. A fact that made her a little disgusted with herself. Some hero she had been. She had failed to save him from ending up in such a bad fate, transformed into a monster by the Lord of Life's hand, and then taken away by the Emperor to do God knows what.

Now here he stood dressed in clothes but looking much like Mars King had back in the day, only smaller and slimmer. The teen's eyes roamed over her own changed form, and he frowned. "I wasn't sure if it was you or not when I first saw you. You've changed a lot. I mean, you were pretty tall for a girl, but now you look like a kid? This some sort of power or something you have?"

"It's complicated." She sighed. "Wait! Why am I being casual with you? I bet the Avalon, or the Emperor sent you to come get me!" She clung to Meta's arm and pointed at the red-skinned monster. "Get him, Meta!" She waited, but Meta didn't budge. "Meta?" She looked up at the girl's face.

Meta had her head cocked to the side and looked between her and the Mars King lookalike. "Did he call you Hope?" The girl asked firmly. "And he said you were tall? And you 'look' like a kid? Are you not a child? Also, the Emperor is after you? Ah. Those drones I destroyed earlier. They were meant for you, weren't they?"

She felt a chill go down her spine as she looked into Meta's green eyes. They suddenly looked a lot more scary. She could tell the girl was studying her up and down, processing everything that had been said. She had totally forgotten once again that this was a villain. One who had casually taken down those guards and Avalon's drones. One who she could tell was very, very powerful. Maybe even stronger than someone like Wish had been. If Meta turned on her, she was basically screwed.

"Furthermore, are you a follower of the Emperor?" Meta's hand found its way onto her rapier, and her gaze now stared at Kevin. Green energy began to crackle out as the girl slowly drew her weapon. A crowd had started to form around them, but it quickly broke apart when Meta's blade was fully unsheathed. Everyone decided it best to not pay them any mind, seemingly avoiding Meta's wrath. "If you are, then you should know that I am not on the side of the Emperor. In fact, I'd say I'm against him and what he stands for. The one I follow is not him." Things were going from bad to worse in such a short amount of time. She wouldn't be fast enough to escape if Meta decided to fight. Not with the level of speed the girl had shown.

Thankfully, though, the dangerous silence that was starting to fill the void around them was broken by Kevin. "I'm not with the Emperor." The young man finally said, folding his arms. "I might be a monster, but that doesn't mean I follow him. Believe me, it was bad choices that led me down this path. That girl you have with you is a friend of mine. I'd appreciate it if you let her go."

"Let her go." Meta looked down and realized she had Hope's shoulder in a death lock, digging her fingers into the girl's skin. Meta let go and stepped away but kept her weapon drawn. Some people in the crowd stopped and looked at them, but most had seen stranger things during their times and kept moving around them. "Is this man really someone you can trust?" The villain questioned.

Hope stared up at Kevin and then looked back at Meta. Kevin once again spoke up. "Look. I want what you want. I'm trying to get out of this place as well. I escaped from the place the Emperor stored me at and am just trying to find a way back to the real world. I don't want to work for him. I was forced to obey Wish. She kept her cells deep inside of my DNA and forced me to obey her or she'd hurt me. Not just physically but mentally. I could always hear her voice. The Emperor hasn't done that yet. I think he's still trying to decide what to do with me and the other two weapons Wish created. This could be my only chance." He held his hand out toward her. "Do you want to escape with me?"

She stared at the hand, feeling her mind race. Kevin had been a bully. He started off as one of the smartest kids in school and got all the highest scores at any physical activity he did. In a world where Supers existed, he had been born as a normal human who reached the top of humanity's limits. Maybe it was those limits that had broken him just as they had broken so many others. He had fallen into abusing substances to perform better and even joined Wish, becoming a monster. He had done a lot of horrible things, but what choice did he really have when the option was to be turned into something worse by Wish? Not even death would have been an escape for him.

As a human, he had done some pretty bad things. Bullying others and even nearly fighting her at one point, which felt like it was years ago now. As a Super, he had followed someone equal to the Emperor in terms of cruelty. Yet now his eyes were pleading with her. Heroes hadn't come to save him from Wish, nor had they been there for him when his life spiraled out of control. All the bad things he had done, there was no taking those back, but if a hero stepped in now, if one helped him, would it stop him from walking down a worse path?

"I don't think he's a bad person." She jumped a bit when she heard Meta speak. The girl spun her weapon around and slid it into her belt once more. "I am not good at reading people, though. Do what you wish, Ms. 'Hope'."

She winced a bit at the way Meta spoke her name. She got the feeling Meta wasn't happy about the fact she lied. Then again, she was sure Meta hadn't given a real name either, so it wasn't like the girl could be that mad.

Slowly, she nodded her head and made up her mind. "Alright Kevin. If you want to escape, then you can come with me. Meta here was about to take me to the exit." She shot a look back up at the gray-haired woman. "You're still going to help me, right, big sis Meta?" She asked, doing her best to put on a puppy dog look.

"That doesn't work now that I know you're not actually a kid." Meta poked her in the cheek. "That said, I will fulfill the promise I made and walk you both to the exit of Hell Land."

"Who is this girl?" Kevin asked, narrowing his eyes as he studied Meta up and down.

She stepped between them both and raised her hand. "I don't really know, but she's nice, so behave, Kevin!"

Kevin's arms folded, and he turned away. "Yeah. I'll try." He was quiet for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Thank you, I guess. I've gotten really lost in this place, and some of the Emperor's guards have been near the exit waiting for me, so I had no way of actually escaping until I found you."

"His grunts are at the exit?" She bit her lip. "So can we even get out?"

"You have nothing to fear." Meta calmly sheathed her sword once more, and the energy finally died out. "We won't be leaving through the main entrance."

"What do you mean?"

"The way we'll be using is a backdoor exit." Meta explained. The girl walked through the crowd, and they both followed after her. "Big realms like these usually have two gates connecting them to the real world. The front exit is at the beach and is how most villains enter and leave. The way I'll be taking you is a secret, and you'll have to be ready for danger once you step out of it, but it will take you back to the real world."

She nodded her head and walked alongside Kevin as they stalked through the large crowd, heading for one of the rides in the distance. She hoped Meta wasn't just taking them there to get on another one. She was sure the girl had used the following card as an excuse for why they got on so many today. She looked up at Kevin, who kept his eyes forward. "Are you okay?"

"Not really." The teen spat out and winced. "My head hurts still. My entire body, in fact. It's like I'm wrestling with another me in my head. Sometimes I feel my emotions just change and swell on the fly. It really pisses me off."

She nodded her head slowly. The Emperor's power to turn people into monsters wasn't one he got from being a Lord. At least she remembered hearing something similar to that when he was explaining Ego's to her. It was likely the power that allowed him to become a Ruler. Because of that, Wish's methods for creating Supers had to be different. Now that she thought it, Kevin and those other two still had red blood compared to the black blood everyone else had. They also all looked human for the most part. Though now Kevin really didn't since he walked around in his Mars King form. How did Wish change them? It was like she had made actual Supers instead of the monsters the Emperor created. Not to mention, with Wish dead, how did Kevin and the others still have powers? From what she knew, it was Wish's DNA and cells, but Wish was long dead.

Right?

"Why do you look like Mars King?" She questioned nervously.

"Don't know." Kevin shrugged. "Just felt right. After Wish died, I haven't been able to change back. I still have my powers and can alter my form and stuff, but my skin won't grow back." He brought up his hand and caused it to grow and stretch, twisting it into a red horse that was the size of a small baby and attached directly to his wrist. "I'm like a shapeshifter or something, I guess."

"That's pretty cool!" She shook her head and got herself back under control. "What happened when the Emperor took you-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Kevin's teeth ground together, and his fist clenched tightly, shaking. "I just- Can we just focus on getting out of here?"

She nodded slightly. "I understand." She wouldn't say she forgave him for some of the stuff he had done, both as a human and as a Super, but she also wouldn't say all of it was his fault. Especially the part that involved Wish. She still didn't have her powers and was still stuck in such a small body, but she was happy that at the very least she was able to help him out and possibly finally save him from the darkness that had swallowed him whole.

"We've arrived." Meta called back to them. She looked up and found that they stopped in front of a large merry-go-round. The ride itself had a long line of people waiting to get on it, and instead of horses, it was large dragons or mean-looking cats people rode on. The thing spun at crazy speeds, causing the people who rode it to become blurs. It was faster than even a jet, and just the thought of being on it made her stomach flop a bit.

"You're not going to say we have to ride this thing to get out of here, are you?" Kevin questioned.

Meta's face remained blank and emotionless, but she was sure the girl was experiencing the closest thing she had to a smile. Finally, Meta shook her head. "Sadly, there is no need for us to get on it."

"Sadly?"

The girl walked to the back of the ride, going around it where they were out of sight of the line. The ride was placed onto a large, sloped platform, and so moving behind it, they were at the base of the platform directly under it. Meta reached out and placed her palm on the stone, pushing it in and causing cracks to appear along it as it opened up into a doorway. "This is the doorway." Meta explained. "It's sort of like two gates linked up. It will take you to the actual exit. You'll need to be careful when you appear back in the real world, though, because you'll be-"

"Yo Meta!" A loud voice from up above cut the girl off. They looked up just in time to hear the flapping of wings as a blonde-haired boy in a coat dropped down. Michael twirled his hat and smirked. "I was looking all over for you. You weren't at your usual rides- Who are these guys- Oh yeah, father wants us to return to him- Wait, seriously, who are these guys, and why are you showing them the exit?" He looked at the red demon and the young girl smirking. "Hey, my name is Michael-"

"They were just leaving, brother." Meta cut him off and stepped in front of him. "I was just showing them the exit." She looked back at Hope and Kevin and nodded.

Hope turned around to enter the doorway. She didn't know who that Michael guy was, but he was seriously giving her the creeps. She turned back to look at Meta one last time. "Thank you. You're a good person." She stepped past the doorway with Kevin, and it began to slowly cover itself up, sealing back.

The last thing she saw and heard before it fully closed was Meta finally showing the smallest hint of an emotion. It was a smile. A sad one. "No." The girl said. "I'm actually a very bad person." And then the doorway sealed shut, leaving her and Kevin alone.

Kevin was the first to look around while Hope processed the words she had just heard. They were in a strange tunnel. One made of stone that stretched out for about twenty feet. She could hear Hell Land above them. They were under the ride. At the end of the tunnel was a glowing blue portal. The gate that would actually lead them to the real world. She'd have to figure out what Meta meant later. Right now, all she wanted was to be in the real world again. There was so much her friends needed to hear. Not to mention she had a lot of information the Victorian would need.

"Are you ready?" She asked, looking up at Kevin.

"Ready as you are. Thanks for taking me with you..." He grumbled.

"Don't mention it."

They walked to the portal. Gates could come in all sorts of shapes and forms. Some were like the Bad Timers, where you walked directly through an object to enter the realm. Others were like the elevator the Sub Enforcers used. This one sort of reminded her of the portal she and BB had created when they busted into the Wandering Coin realm. That portal had allowed her to see past it and into the realm like a window. This one was much the same, but all she saw was darkness. It spooked her out a bit.

She wasn't the only one either, as Kevin's eyes scanned it up and down. "It'll be okay." She said, half to reassure him and the other half to convince herself. He only nodded. Slowly, they stepped forward. "Oleander, here I come!"

She regretted having her mouth open instantly. As soon as they stepped through, she felt massive pressure smash into her and dropped as there was no floor. A chill worse than any other hit her, and her mouth was flooded with water. It was pitch black, and she realized with horror that they were underwater. She began to drop as the water pulled her down, and she felt a horrible pain along her body. She was drowning.

They were somewhere in the middle of the ocean, deep below... That was the hidden entrance.

Her body was too heavy to swim, and she kept dropping further and further, and already her lungs felt like they were about to explode!

Everything slowly faded away, and she felt her eyes close...

***

The Emperor looked around the room he was in, scanning it up and down. It was a large office room. One with shelves and desks carved out of expensive wood and a soft carpet that served as the floor. Several large portraits of famous moments in history were placed on the wall. They were paintings of people like Full Monarch or Lucifer, ruins of the first city the Beast attacked, and a group photo of the first ever Enforcer team. Each book on the many shelves was expensive as well as being one of a kind.

The room alone cost more than almost all of Hell Land. It was who sat behind the desk though that was truly important.

If you were to ask the world who the Owner was, no one would be able to give you an answer. To many, he didn't exist, and they had no idea of who such a being was. To some though, those on the Enforcers or those high enough in ranking of the Hero Branch would know the horrors in that name.

The Owner, also known as the man who nearly helped the Emperor bring the world to ruins. Better known now for setting up and managing all of Lucifer's Murder Games. A Monster who had grown beyond his creator and formed his own faction all with his own strength.

"I assume there is a reason you asked to come to this meeting, Sir?" The Owner asked, giving a respectful nod to the one who created him. "After all, this was supposed to just be a conversation for me and Master Lucifer."

The Emperor turned his head slightly and found the second-greatest villain in the world standing next to him. Lucifer's face remained blank and impassive, but he could tell the man was angry. Lucifer's fingers tightened around the massive tome he held, and his golden eyes glared down at the Owner for even daring to allow the Emperor into the meeting.

"Indeed, there is." The Emperor remained in his armor. It was his greatest protection from Lucifer's Dead Virus. Unlike Lucifer, he pulled out a chair and took a seat in front of the desk. "Lucifer and I are working together at the moment."

"Don't get it twisted." Lucifer's voice came out almost like a hiss. The man opened his book and began to flip through some of his pages. "We are not on the same side. Just because you are a Ruler like me does not mean we are a team, little Nier."

"You did agree that you needed me in the next Murder Game you're doing, though." The Emperor stated in a blunt tone. "As such, if you're to discuss the games with the Owner, then it is only natural that I be here to give my own thoughts."

"I only need you because it means we can finally have all four Rulers at one place." The leader of the Immortals looked down on the man in the armor. "Your time came and went. You failed to take the world over just as I did. Both of us failed in our attack. Destroyed and beaten by Full Monarch. Though in your case it was your own arrogance. Your son-"

"Alpha is not my son."

"-the one you raised yourself. Turned against you. How fitting. Now here you are corrupted and broke like myself. Forced to accept a dark gift. We might both be Rulers, we might both have walked the same path, and we might both despise the Lords, and the one you called Alpha, but we are not teammates."

The Owner tapped his finger down on the desk as his eyes roamed back and forth between the two villains that stood in his office. "You better not get into a fight and ruin anything in this room. This desk costs more than a village and was handcrafted by Ms. Hell Hound herself." He stated in his typical robotic tone.

Sixteen years ago, during the great war, the Emperor had forced nearly every villainous group to kneel before him. Those that were too strong or too proud were wiped out or given a worse fate. They were turned into monsters. The Owner hadn't been a villain before his change, but after becoming a monster, he was left with no choice but to work for the one who had made him.

Even today, Monsters didn't have a lot of choices for what they could and couldn't do. They either had to be heroes or villains. The world gave them no other option.

The Owner was not your typical monster. He had been a human, one who did not have any powers. Humans still possessed a soul, or Ego, but unlike Supers, who had two, his kind had just one. When the Emperor created his monsters, he injected a new Ego into the host. One that would rampage and destroy much of the first. For many, this Ego granted them new powers if they already had them, or their first taste at being a Super, if they were a human before. It would also likely spell their doom.

The rampaging Ego would break their body and soul, forcefully merging with it on a level a power shouldn't reach. A full Inversion, one in which the host no longer remained in control. With the host out of the way, the power was free to evolve and change with no restriction. This is what created most of the giant monsters that still roam the planet today. Once humans or Supers, they were unable to tame their power and become something almost similar to the Beast in terms of purpose.

The Owner, unlike many other monsters, was able to tame the new Ego. It didn't destroy his soul. It merged with it. A balance. One that allowed him to rise above his human self. Now he stood, not as a monster, but as a Super that could rival many of the greatest groups in the world with his mind.

He didn't have skin. Instead, he was made of pure metal. His head was robotic-looking, with a pair of antennae poking out the top. He looked very machine-like, with steam coming out of various cracks along him. Most of his robotic body was covered by an expensive business suit he wore complete with a red tie. He tapped his fingers on his desk and scanned the two strongest villains up and down, the computer inside of him processing what he should say next. Like Golden God, he was someone who had become a machine upon changing into a monster. They were the same kind of species as Beta, the hero of the Enforcers.

"Every year, Master Lucifer asks me to get things ready for his game. I was told this year you would be competing, sir. Might I know what you will be bringing as forces for these games? Will you be an obstacle or a player?"

"Whatever is easiest." The Emperor replied. "The details are not important. The only thing that matters is that this game has the four Lords and the four Rulers present. Only then can we truly settle the score." He looked toward Lucifer. "I assume you are fine with that."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "You know that only one of us will be able to reach the end. We both have a different idea for what it should be... Unlike Lords, our kind isn't meant to work together. By the end of my next game, mark my words, there will be only one Ruler left standing. One Ruler who will finish the task the Shadow gave to us."

"That Ruler will be me."

Lucifer's tome opened, and he glared at the man. "It will be me! I was around since the beginning! I was there when you were just a Lord. I was the first Ruler, and I will be the last!"

"We shall see." The shadows in the room seemed to almost come to life, and the Owner sighed as both the Emperor and Lucifer summoned one of the members of their armies.

In an instant, Lucifer found himself surrounded by hundreds of metal blades as the shadowy form of Polaron appeared behind him. At that same moment, the Emperor was coated in a layer of ice and frozen to his chair as the hero that once went by Snowdawn stood directly behind him. Neither Snowdawn nor Polaron held any emotion within their eyes. One was formed out of darkness itself in the mirror image of the man; the other was a corpse pieced together by the Dead Virus. Both were long gone.

"That is enough." The ice and shadow vanished as the Owner's fist smashed down into his desk, shattering it. Apparently it wasn't as important to him as he had claimed. The robot took a moment to collect his thoughts and let out a deep sigh, causing steam to flow out of a pair of holes in his head. Both the Emperor and Lucifer turned their attention toward him. Golden eyes, as well as a fiery gaze, dared him to raise his voice again. "My apologies. I seemed to have lost my temper. That said, have either of you considered the task it would be to get all Lords into the game as well as the last two Rulers? Last I checked, the remaining Rulers are not on our side. One is pretending to be a good guy, and the other has died so many times his soul and emotions have shattered away, leaving him twisted and changed into the monster that caused the Hero Branch to leave an entire city behind."

"Legend won't be hard to tame." The Emperor spoke up and dusted some of the snow and ice off of his armor. "He was once a hero, but after dying so many times, he was unable to balance the dark soul within him and has transformed. Even he has his uses as a mindless Ruler. The real issue, however, comes in the form of the hero known as Battery."

"Yes, your son." Lucifer spoke up.

"He was a tool. Nothing more. Nothing less." The Emperor growled. "When I first found him, I knew there was something special about him. He enabled me to chase after my plan in the past. I believed that with him, I could create a world in which the Beast would never attack. Now I see how foolish I was trying to use him. Upon his death, he revived as a Ruler as well. It was quite the shock for me. Unlike Lucifer and I, he has died the least amount of times. Each of our deaths has taken bits of our emotion and mind away. Thanks to Avalon, I was able to restore most of mine, however, which was why it took so long for me to come back in the first place. Alpha, on the other hand, has only died a handful of times now. The darkness is only just now starting to numb his mind and heart. He hasn't awakened as a full Ruler yet. The Ruler of Creation and Destruction needs to be nudged a little more."

"So he needs to die more?" The Owner questioned.

"No." The Emperor shook his head. "It is true that death can have a greater effect on us. It takes away part of our souls and minds, but it won't be enough. Not for Battery. He assumed he wasn't a Ruler anymore, and the truth is I did as well. Full Monarch, with the power of the Cosmos, was able to reverse and repair Battery's damaged Ego in their final fight. This should have cured Battery, but it seems something went wrong and he became a Ruler all over again once he died. It did reset him though. He'd have to die a numerous amount of times to reach the same point as Legend, or like me and Lucifer, he would have to willingly give in and let the Ego within merge with him. He's been keeping it at a distance for quite some time now, however."

"If that's how it is, then leave it to me." Lucifer turned away from the two men in the room. "I know just how to break his spirit. I'll reduce him to the same sort of mad animal Legend is. Speaking of Legend, I even know how to get our fourth and final member to play as well. This will truly be the last Murder Games I perform. One with Lords and Rulers. After this, it will all be over. My plan will come at last."

"You're wrong. It will be me that reaches the end." The Emperor lowered his tone and stared at the man's back. "I will be the one who does the duty as a Ruler. I will be the hero that saves this planet once and for all."

Lucifer didn't bother to look back at the man and walked toward the door about to leave. "We shall see, Nier. We shall see."

Outside of the office doorway, he found his children. The Immortals. Uriel stood near Gabriel, the two arguing about something. Gabriel was hanging off of Uriel's arm, and the wires that formed her dress moved out, choking the pretty man. In the other corner, Michael stood along with their newest sibling. Lucifer looked Metatron up and down, taking in her gray hair and the military outfit she wore. "I have a job for you."

"Yes, father." She kneeled down, keeping her head low. Meta didn't meet his eyes.

He placed his hand on her head, running his fingers through her gray hair. "You're the newest Metatron, so I expect you to uphold the standards of what this name means. My last child that held your name wasn't able to follow my orders. We'll be starting the Murder Games up soon enough. This one will have all four Lords. Do you know what that means?"

"The Lord of the Sun will be there." Meta questioned. Her face showed a flicker of emotion once again. This time one of malice and hate.

"That is correct, my child."

"Finally." Meta breathed out and gripped the handle of her sword. "I'll finally be able to take my revenge on the Lord of the Sun. I'll be the one that slays the false hero that calls herself Cinder."


Chapter 151: The Island

It was all dark, but she could hear splashing all around her, followed by heavy waves slamming down.

"H-"

She almost groaned. How many times has she blacked out and then woke up in some new location? This was starting to get ridiculous.

"H-"

She bet someone like the Victorian didn't have to worry about things like this happening. Neither would someone like Battery. Mr. Larison was way too cool to be constantly blacking out like she was.

"Hope!"

The voice of Kevin rumbled in Hope's ears. She mentally sighed as she felt her body start to wake back up and function again. Even without opening her eyes, she knew her body was still stuck in its tiny new form. She felt a little extra weight on her back, though, which confused her. She also felt sand and water splashing on her and a pair of lips on hers-

Her eyes snapped wide open, and she prayed with all her heart that Kevin wasn't giving her CPR. Thankfully for her, it wasn't Kevin above her. Unfortunately, it also wasn't anyone she knew personally. She didn't make a good first impression either, as moments later, she began to vomit up an entire bucket's worth of seawater.

The person giving her the CPR, whoever it was, thankfully removed their lips just in time. She coughed and gasped, her body shaking. "There, there. Let it all out." It was a young woman. One who was currently patting her on the back as her lungs became free of water. "You'll feel better once your lungs are clear."

She tried to nod her head but was unable to as more water and sand flowed out of her mouth. She was gasping by the end of it and couldn't help the shudders that went through her. Tears were streaming down her face, and she felt really embarrassed about the crying in front of another person, but she also couldn't really bring herself to care.

The woman who had seemingly saved her life kept rubbing her back, soothing her nerves. "T- Thank you." She managed to gasp out. "I almost drowned! Did you save me-" She stopped suddenly when she finally took notice of the person who saved her, and she instantly felt her face go red.

The woman was in her early twenties at the most and had tanned skin, showing a life spent out in the sun. She also had long, flowing black hair. Whoever the woman was, she didn't wear normal clothes, instead being dressed in what appeared to be leaves and grass woven together into a makeshift dress. It was similar in design to the ones from the memories Avalon had forced her to watch. The kind of outfit people in villages would wear.

On top of all of that, though, the woman was extremely beautiful. She had been given CPR from a very attractive lady.

Her face felt hot, and her world spun a bit as she tried to clear her thoughts. That was technically cheating on Sky, was it? Were she and Sky even dating? Did it matter? Who knows. She wasn't really able to think straight at the moment anyway.

The woman noticed her flushed face and cocked their head to the side. "Are you okay, little girl?" The woman questioned. Just like that, her embarrassment was replaced with a flash of annoyance at being called a kid.

Hope blinked a bit and tried to answer. She resisted the urge to explain the age thing and instead accepted the fact that this lady likely thought she was thirteen. It might mean the woman was more willing to help her out. "Yeah? I'm fine, I think?" She rubbed part of her head and coughed up the last of the water, feeling a bit dizzy but mostly fine other than that. "Where am I, exactly?"

She took a moment to judge her surroundings, and it only made her worry grow. She wasn't in any of the ten cities that existed. She was back on Earth, however. She could tell thanks to the blue sky above and the passing clouds. Just like Hell Land, though, she had surfaced up in some sort of beach-looking area. Or, more specifically, some sort of tropical island. The kind that had coconut trees and crabs walking around.

There weren't any big buildings, but she did spot several wooden huts. The island was pretty big just from what little she saw, but the spot she had surfaced on happened to be near what she assumed was a village. It was just past the tree line. Several of those small huts had been built into the trees, and just like the woman, there were people walking about, all dressed in hand-forged clothes. Some were large men carrying sharpened wooden spears or makeshift bows, and others were women washing the clothes or getting cooking supplies.

Most concerning of all, though, was that she didn't see Kevin anywhere near her.

"You're on Coral Island," the woman explained. "I was getting ready to go fishing when I happened upon you in the water." The woman nodded to a wooden boat that was barely tied down and still filled with supplies. "I took you back here as soon as I could. You're really okay, Miss?"

"Yeah." She tried to stand up but collapsed forward into the arms of the woman. "Maybe not." Curse her tiny, weak, pathetic legs.

"You need to rest." The woman slowly helped her back up onto her feet. "I'll take you inside and get you changed out of those wet clothes. You're from one of the big cities, right?"

"Yeah." The woman kept a hand on her shoulder, and they began to walk toward the village. "How did you know though?"

"Your clothes." The woman explained, letting off a soft giggle. "They're the kind city folk wear. I've seen a few of them before. Sometimes, when I'm out sailing, they'll come by on their big ships. Many of them take a kick out of gawking at us and are always shocked we're alive." The woman smirked a bit as she said that. "They think you need the help of Supers and the 'heroes' to make a living."

Coral Island wouldn't be part of the ten cities. As such, it didn't have any heroes other than the Victorian, who would keep it safe during one of her world patrols. Yet despite that, it was still thriving and holding itself together. In fact, it looked good. She couldn't help but stare at some of the workers as they wandered into the village. It was unlike any place she had seen before.

Even the village she had viewed through the memories, thanks to Avalon, was very different from this one. That village had more cabins and hunters. Like something you'd see in a fantasy novel. This one, though, had all the huts high up as makeshift tree houses, with ladders connecting them to the bottom and bridges allowing access to other huts. There were about twenty or so that she counted, and all around the woods, people worked, cutting down some trees to harvest or getting ready to hunt. Children ran around swinging wooden sticks, which they pretended were swords, and some people stopped to stare at her and the woman as they entered.

None of the looks were like the kind she had gotten from Hell Land. They weren't judging or sizing her up. They were more curious, seemingly studying her. Some even seemed concerned by her appearance. "Oh, I almost forgot. My name is Olivia." The woman spoke up. "Might I know your name, Miss?"

"I'm—" she stopped as she remembered Meta. She doubted this place had TVs or any connection to the outside world that would allow them to know who Cinder was, but she didn't want to be unsafe. "I'm Ruby." She once again lied and used a fake name.

"What city are you from, Ruby?"

"Oleander."

"Oleander? I haven't heard of that one."

"Which one have you heard of?"

Olivia hummed and seemed to try to think of the name. "Violet." The tanned woman finally said. "I think the people on the boats always called it that, at least."

She felt like someone punched her in the gut once more. "Violet, I see..." It was practically as far away from Oleander as you could get. However, it wasn't all bad. If she could get to the city at all, then she could call Myth or someone else and get them to come pick her up. "I'll need to head there, then."

"I'm afraid you're out of luck in that case." The woman looked down at her as they reached one of the trees. This one had a long tree trunk that formed a thin ramp, allowing them to walk up it instead of climbing the ladder. "It's still miles away. It'd take a few days to get there. It is possible, but not in the state you're in."

She hated being so weak. It made her blood boil. If only her powers were here. She'd simply have the strength to swim the distance, or even run on the water, or perhaps even fly. Like this, though, she couldn't save herself, much less anybody else.

They finally reached the hut. It wasn't very big. There was only one room, which looked as if it served as the bedroom and kitchen. There was a rack, which the woman gestured to. "It isn't safe to stay in those wet clothes. It gets cold this time of year. Go ahead and change into those, and I'll take you somewhere you can get warmed up while we figure out what to do with you."

"What to do with me?"

"We do have a few ways of getting in contact with a city," Olivia explained. "In case there is a great disaster like a monster attack or a deadly virus that requires their help. In my time, we only had to use it once to stop a giant sea lizard from destroying our island. The one they called the Victorian came in and killed it. We ate that monster for the next year and a half. We'll explain that we have a lost city member, and they need to come pick you up."

That made some of the tension fade. She'd be able to get off the island sooner than later. "Thank you."

Olivia only smiled at her and closed the door. She was alone in the hut now. There were no windows or anything, so she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her. She walked over to the rack and looked down. It was pretty much the same thing Oliva was wearing, but a little longer. Due to her small size, it'd cover most of her form. She really missed her hero costume. It was annoying having to change clothes so often.

She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and was about to pull it off. Her jacket was gone, so she didn't need to worry about that. She stopped, though, when she heard a voice. "Psst. Don't do that. I don't want to see you naked."

She nearly screamed when the voice of Kevin came out of nowhere. It made her jump and look around with wild eyes, but she didn't see anything. "Kevin?"

"Right here." The voice rumbled and almost seemed to be directly behind her. That was when she noticed it.

She didn't remember losing her jacket, but something had seemingly replaced it. She was so focused on her surroundings that she hadn't even bothered to look at herself. She was in the pants the Emperor had created for her as well as the Hell Land T-shirt. They were both dripping wet, but what was really odd was that she had a backpack. A red one that was strapped around her shoulder.

Her hand shook, but she firmly reached for it and took it off. She looked down at it, studying the thing. It was pure red, even the zippers. It was closed and didn't have any design or anything on it. As she stared back at it, it stared back at her. A pair of eyes, followed by a mouth, appeared on it.

"Hey." The backpack said in Kevin's voice.

She blinked slowly, processing what she was seeing. "Hey?"

Kevin had turned himself into a backpack.

A few moments earlier…

"It isn't safe to stay in those wet clothes. It gets cold this time of year. Go ahead and change into those, and I'll take you somewhere you can get warmed up while we figure out what to do with you."

"Thank you."

Olivia smiled at the young girl and closed the door. The woman stood outside of her hut and waited until she heard the child walk to the other side. There were no windows, and despite being made out of wood, it was surprisingly hard to hear through the thick walls. The woman looked around slowly and took in her surroundings.

The other members of the village were down below in the forest, many heading out. None would notice her, nor would they hear any sound she made.

She brought her hands up to her mouth and began to cough. Violent and harsh, she kept coughing into her hand as a bluish liquid splashed out of her throat, dripping down her chin as she vomited up a small metal cube that was roughly the size of a dice. She breathed heavily as the coughing died down and wiped the liquid away from her mouth. The metal cube glowed and began to hum for a moment, letting out a faint blue light. It clicked and unfolded, turning into a small earpiece. It wasn't a normal one, though. This one was special.

"This is Parasite, reporting back to you." Olivia leaned against the wall, placing the earpiece up to her head. Her lips didn't move, as she didn't actually say any of this out loud. Instead, she thought of saying it. The device connected to her, and she felt her mind connect to another.

"It's about time, Parasite." A feminine voice came from the other line, sounding almost amused. No sound was made as it instead went directly into Olivia's head. It was a form of telepathy, a way for them to radio each other all without having to make a sound. "What's your status?"

"I managed to sneak into the village you were telling me about. The people here have no idea I'm hiding amongst them. I've hijacked the body of one of their sailors." Olivia's lips twisted slightly into a smirk, and she glanced down at her body, amused. "I waited at the entrance to Hell Land as you suggested, but that gray-haired girl never showed up."

The voice on the other line let out a loud curse. "Some of our men spotted her in Hell Land. I was sure she'd use the backdoor exit when they saw her heading that way."

"It isn't all lost, my lady." Olivia's smirk grew. "I found something else instead."

"Oh?"

"The report said that the gray-haired girl wasn't alone, right? There was a young child with her. I believe I've run into that person. She called herself Ruby. She's a Super."

"I see. What have you done to her?"

"Nothing yet."

"Oh? That's unlike you? I would have thought you'd have body swapped into the child's form to figure out who she was and her connection to that gray-haired bitch."

"I tried." Parasite bit down on Olivia's lip. It was not hard enough to draw blood, but it was enough to let them feel the sensations the body was going through. "She had nearly drowned, and I pulled her out of the water. My ability failed on her, though. It didn't work. I've never seen a Super able to resist my switch before. She doesn't seem to have physical enhancements, so I'd guess she's some sort of mental-based user. Luckily she thought I was performing CPR on her, so I brought her back to the village and decided it was best to radio in with you first and see what you'd like for me to do before I try anything else."

She heard a chuckle from her boss over the shared device. "This could work, then. That girl clearly is connected to our enemy somehow. Keep a close eye on her. Once we understand the connection she and the gray-haired girl have, we can use it to get our revenge."

"That girl will pay for wiping out one of our ships." Parasite agreed. "The Anti-Matter gang won't simply sit by and do nothing."

Quiet footsteps came from behind her. She hadn't spoken a single word during her conversation with her boss, having used the earpiece to have a psychic conversation. Once she heard Ruby approaching, she opened her mouth wide, forcing Olivia's jaws to snap open, and she forcefully swallowed the earpiece. Blue liquid squirmed inside Olivia's throat and wrapped around the machine, pulling itself down into the woman's guts. Then, she simply closed her mouth right as the door to the hut opened.

"Have you finished changing, Ms. Ruby?" she asked slowly, turning around. She stopped when she saw the girl. "Where did you get that?"

Ruby sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "So, it turns out my backpack had some clothes that didn't get all wet, so I just changed into them." The young girl still had that red backpack on her and had changed out of the black shirt and pants, replacing them with a pair of red shorts and a red hoodie. There was no other color to the outfit, just a sea of red.

"I see where you got your name Ruby from." Olivia said, amused.

The kid just smiled and shrugged. "So, what now, Ms. Olivia?"

The woman turned and pointed out across the island. Past the forest stretching out in the distance was a large hill. Even from where they were, it was easy enough to see that parts of the hill had been hollowed out and more huts had been built on the side of it. "Ideally, I'd like for you to get drier, but if you're ready, we can start heading out that way." The woman explained. "It's about a mile and a half away, so it's a bit of a walk."

"What's over that way?" The young girl asked.

Parasite took a moment to connect with the body's mind, gaining more of Olivia's memories. "The one who runs this village lives there." She finally said. "We don't normally keep things we can't make from hand, but our leader has a little device he was gifted by a hero. It allows him to get in contact with the nearby city in case there is a serious emergency, and we can't stop ourselves. As I mentioned earlier, we can use that to get in contact with someone who can come pick you up."

"Alrighty then! Lead the way, Ms. Olivia."

The woman nodded, and together, the two of them walked back down the ramp of her hut. They reached the forest floor where the other villagers were. Some waved or called out to them, but she ignored them for the most part and instead guided the child toward the forest, heading in the direction of that hill.

Parasite found it funny in a twisted way. The people here hated Supers and refused to live in the ten great cities, so they had closed themselves off. From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if they were thriving and doing just fine, yet everyday sickness and diseases were claiming their kind. They didn't even know that a Super had managed to live amongst them. And even with all that pride, they had been forced to tuck their tail in between their legs and call for help from the heroes a few times.

They made it deeper into the forest after walking for several minutes in total silence. The leader of the village liked to live alone, keeping to himself for the most part. He was only considered the leader due to the power he held, being able to call the closest city for aid. Many of the people in the village tended to just leave him alone and hunt in other parts of the forest. Because of that, they reached a point where nobody was around. A person wouldn't be able to hear anything that happened.

Parasite walked in front of the young girl, keeping her back to her target. "So, Ms. Ruby, being from one of the ten great cities, you must have seen a Super or two in your life, right? What was that like?"

"I guess I've seen a few," Ruby responded casually.

"I see." Parasite felt their real body bubbling up inside of Olivia, ready to jump out. She had tried invading the girl's body when the child was unconscious but had failed at the time. It hadn't been a full invasion, and before she could try again, the child had woken up. The girl's power was the only thing that concerned her, but if she could jump quick enough, she'd be able to take the body over no matter what. She just needed to get the girl talking about something and be distracted. "We see Supers every now and then." She said suddenly. "They're villains, though. Supers that have decided to live out here and attack places like mine. Recently, my group was attacked by a powerful villain. One that almost wiped us all out."

"Really?" The child asked in shock. "You guys seemed fine to me! I didn't notice much destruction."

"Oh, it wasn't these people. It was 'my' real people. See, it all started when a girl with gray hair decided that for no reason at all, she'd attack us."

"A girl with gray hair-"

Parasite chose that moment to strike. While the child was taken aback by what she said, she spun around at full speed, ready to fire out of Olivia's mouth. She expected to see the girl in shock, mouth wide, about to say something. What she didn't expect was the large tree branch that was swinging at her face. "Huh?" Was all Olivia managed to get out before, moments later, the branch slammed into her face like a bat, breaking her nose and nearly knocking her out as she crashed to the ground.

Hope had put all the strength she could into that, which wasn't a lot, but she had been ready for it, having grabbed the largest branch she could hold while she followed after the woman. As soon as the Super turned to look back at her, she didn't hesitate and swung her makeshift weapon directly into the woman's face.

Olivia crashed onto her back, clutching at her broken nose, and howled. A weird blue liquid squirmed in her mouth, twitching and bubbling. Hope pulled her foot back and kicked at the woman's stomach one last time before she took off running at full speed deep into the forest, trying to get out of sight. "You were right, Kevin! She was a Super!"

The red hoodie she wore twitched a bit as the right shoulder rose up, forming a small tendril with a mouth. "I told you." Kevin's voice came out as a thin hiss. "While you were busy drowning, I was the one that pulled you back up to the surface. I managed to change and morph into this bag form just in time to stop that woman from seeing me. I watched as she pulled you back onto her boat and took you to this place. At first, I thought she was just giving you CPR or something, but then I looked closer and saw she was trying to spit this weird blue liquid into your mouth. Either way, I'm pretty good at spotting dirty liars, and she reeked of lies."

Hope made a slight face and rubbed her throat. "What the hell was she trying to make me drink?"

"I have no clue how their powers work, but it didn't have an effect on you, I think." Kevin hummed. "I don't know if the others in this village are Supers either or if it's just her. We also don't know if she was telling the truth when she told us about that device that can radio the cities."

"We don't have much of an option, though, do we?" she winced. She had been running in the direction of the hill as fast as her small legs could carry her. She missed having super speed. "It could be the only way out of here, right? Besides, if worse comes to worse, you can fight them all off!"

"I'm not nearly as strong as you, though. Why aren't you using the power of a Lord?" Kevin questioned.

"About that-"

She didn't get to finish what she was saying as seconds later, the tree next to her suddenly exploded as a fast-moving blue tendril of liquid slashed into it. The tree came down directly in front of her, nearly falling on her, but Kevin's own tendrils dragged her back just in time. She spun around and saw that Olivia had managed to catch up to them. The woman's body didn't seem to be in good condition either.

Olivia's legs had grown larger and longer, as if something in her body was forcing them to expand so she could run faster. Her skin was being stretched out of them, and the muscles inside of her limbs almost seemed to scream at every step she took. Her arms dangled at her side, not bothering to use them, and something was coming out of her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head as if she were unconscious, and it was whatever was inside of her that was truly calling the shots. It looked almost like jell-o. A mass of deep blue liquid formed itself into three tendrils, each six feet in length, which squirmed and flowed out of her mouth.

"Ah, I think I get it now." Olivia's mouth didn't move, and it wasn't her voice that floated through the air. It was still a female voice, but it came out as a series of slurps and slaps as the tendrils bubbled and squirmed. There weren't eyes on them, but Hope was sure they were looking at her. "You're a Mental-Based Super with a power involving biology or something, right?" The tendrils asked her.

"What?" She asked, taken aback.

"There's no need to hide it." The tendrils hissed and squirmed faster. One of them seemed to point at the spot of her hoodie that Kevin's mouth was forming out of. "That suit you're wearing. You made that, right! In a way, it's similar to my own form. Quite clever, creating clothes that can respond to your will."

"Hey, screw you, lady!" Kevin's voice came out as a loud, booming yell. "I do what I want when I want! Got that! I don't belong to anyone!"

"Whatever! It doesn't matter." Parasite growled, and her tendrils started to twitch and stab out in Hope's direction. "I'll make you pay for what your teammate did to my people!"

Her hoodie twitched as Kevin formed more tendrils, which shot out and wrapped around the blue ones, stopping them from reaching her. "My teammate? Lady, I don't even know who you are!" She yelled back.

"Don't lie to me!" Olivia's body crouched down and fired forward like a rocket, trying to headbutt them. She jumped out of the way just in time, causing Olivia to slam head-first into another tree and leave a large dent in it. Blood flowed down the woman's face, soaking her hair, and her arms grew larger and longer, forcefully stretching out toward her. "I will have your body!" Parasite screamed.

Kevin dragged her back just in time, using more of his tendrils to cause her body to duck down and dodge the large arm. She didn't have super speed anymore, but Kevin still had his, and he was doing a hell of a job of keeping her safe. Or at least he was, but then Olivia's arm twisted itself, literally snapping the bones. It almost made her throw up from the sound. The arm had grown way longer than it should have been and was turned into a makeshift lasso, catching her and Kevin off guard. It wrapped around her waist, holding her down.

Kevin cursed, and her outfit twitched, forming barbed tendrils that covered her, but Parasite was faster. The blue tendrils stabbed out, impaling their way through Kevin and causing the boy to hiss. They weren't aiming for him, though, and squirmed their way up. She tried to keep her mouth shut, but they forced it open. The liquid surged forward at fast speeds, dragging itself out of Olivia's mouth and forcing its way into hers. The last of the liquid left Olivia and fully entered her. Kevin tried to stop it, but the slime-like entity caused its form to be more liquid in nature, so his grabs just went through it.

"Hope!" Kevin called out in panic.

Hope began to choke for the second time that day. She could feel the liquid forcing its way down her throat. There was a lot of it, and it squirmed its way through her body, spreading out. She collapsed to the ground, shaking, and could feel it moving in her veins. The burning sensation in her throat got worse as it began to move further up, going for her brain.

Earlier, Parasite had tried to invade the body with only a strand of her liquid but had failed. Now, she was using everything she had. She rose up through the girl's insides and reached the stem of the brain. She crawled her way up it, her liquid flooding it as she wrapped herself around it, and then-

Suddenly, Parasite felt herself standing on her own two feet. Not her liquid forms feet, and not the feet of the child she was trying to take over. They were her feet. The ones she used to have. Back when she had been human. She had been one of the people turned into a Monster by the Emperor back during the war. After his fall, she had found a new group in the form of the Anti-Matter gang—a group of Wasteland Pirates. For nearly sixteen years, she had lived out her life as some sort of slime creature with the ability to take over other people's bodies. Doing so was the only way she could still have human sensation.

Yet now she felt her own two feet touching the floor. "What the hell?" She muttered. "Where am I?"

Everything was on fire. That was where she found herself. The floor, the roof, the walls—all of it was a harsh crackling flame that formed the room she was in—directly in front of her stood a large glass-looking screen, like a TV, though it was black now, almost like it had been turned off. Besides that, the only other thing in the weird fire room was an empty throne that had been split in two.

"How foolish of you." She could hear a voice all around her. It held a mocking tone. It was deep and impossible to fully understand, sounding both male and female at the same time. Part of it even sounded like the girl she had just tried to take over. "I already kicked a piece of you out of my home earlier. I allowed you to carry on living, yet you repay that act of kindness by kicking down my door and forcing your way back in."

Her eyes went wide, and she spun around, looking all around her. The fire in the room hadn't been burning her despite standing on it, but it almost seemed to start to crawl up her form. Heat began to course through her, and she tried to cancel her power, but it didn't work. "So, this is your power, huh? You're like me! Someone who takes over other people's minds!" She screamed.

"Don't mistake your flimsy control over muscles for what I truly am." The voice said, almost amused. "The soul burns the brightest you know, and when it comes to Hope Lauren, her soul truly shines."

"Hope Lauren's? Wait." Parasite's eyes went wide, and the fire started to take the shape of hands grabbing at her. "What do you mean, Hope Lauren? Her hair and her eyes were the same, but she looked so young. Was that Cinder? No, that can't be possible. That would mean you're-"

"After the battle with the Beast, much of my form was destroyed and shattered, repairing her body. How kind of you to offer yourself up to the Lord of the Sun. Don't worry. I'll be sure to savor this meal."

The hands began to grab and tear at her now. Pain surged through her form, and the villain screamed out in pain. They began to break off parts of her, shattering her to pieces. The fire was eating her, absorbing her, and using her to repair itself. Replacing its damaged and cracked body with her. "Stop, please!" She begged. "I didn't know! I'll leave you alone-"

"How many times have you heard that?" The Brightest Star wondered. Their voice still boomed around the room, though their body was nowhere to be seen. The hands kept clawing and ripping, forcing their way into Parasite's body, who screamed even louder as the fire swallowed her up. Her power was being absorbed and broken down. Her very Ego, her soul, was consumed and devoured. "I bet you've heard people say those same things to you. Did you stop when they asked you to? When you pushed their bodies to the limit, broke their limbs, twisted their muscles, or shattered their minds? Don't worry. All I'm doing is giving you the same treatment."

The broken throne gradually mended, a few cracks fading away.

Parasite gave one last scream as more of her broke away, and she was pulled down into the fire. It surged up, and then instantly, she was swallowed whole. Gone in a single moment, Parasite ceased to be.

"I have a lot of work to do..." The voice of the Brightest Star hummed. "We don't have much time, Hope… Neither of us are-"

Inside Hope's body, the blue slime suddenly grew still, then slowly began to bubble and steam. Smoke poured out of Hope's mouth as the vapors of Parasite flowed out of her. She coughed up more smoke and rubbed at her chin, sitting up. "Are you okay?" Kevin asked.

"I think so?" She rubbed her head and looked down at herself. Nothing had changed. At least nothing she could tell. Maybe she had gotten an inch taller? She was sure she had heard it though, even if it had only been for a moment. The Brightest Star's voice. She closed her eyes and tried to reach for that power but felt nothing. Her fire was still gone, and the Brightest Star didn't respond when she called out their name. They were there, though. She was sure of it. They had just saved her life from that villain. It had to have been the Brightest Star. "Damn it." She cursed.

"What is it?" Kevin asked.

"Nothing." She looked over at the body of Olivia and felt panic rise up in her. "Oh crap!" The woman was unconscious. Both her legs and arms were broken, and her head was cracked. She moved over to the woman and grabbed onto her. "We need to get her serious help now!"

"If we move her, it could cause more issues due to the state her body is in, and I doubt she'll make it much longer, so even if we ran and got help, she'd still die." Kevin shrugged, which was weird since he was still currently her clothes.

She shook her head and gritted her teeth. "We have to help her!"

"We can't-"

"We can! And by we, I mean you." She announced.

"What do you want me to do?" Kevin asked in a confused tone.

She crouched down and slowly placed Olivia's head in her lap. The woman's body creaked and groaned, nearly snapping, and more blood flowed out. Olivia wouldn't have much more time… "Kevin, go inside of her!"

"What?" Kevin's tendril grew eyes and blinked as it stared at her.

"You heard me! Parasite mentioned you were similar to her! You might be able to do something like that as well, right? Your own body has a healing factor, and you can clearly split off your cells and make copies since you've made clones before! If you go inside of her, maybe you can reshape part of your body into other pieces and repair her damaged body!"

"You don't know if that will work or not, and if it doesn't, it'll kill her." Kevin hissed. "I can't just shove pieces of myself down her throat."

"She'll die if we don't try, though!"

"She could die if we do try."

"Maybe, but it's better than nothing." Slowly she reached up and placed her hand on the tendril that came out of her hoodie's shoulder. "You're not a weapon, Kevin. You can do more than kill. Wish used you to regrow herself, and you can use that power to help other people. You can use your power to save a life. You don't have to be the monster she left you as."

The tendril had a small mouth on it, which bit its lip. Finally, Kevin grunted. "Whatever. If she dies, it's on your hands."

The tendril stretched out and suddenly stabbed its way past Olivia's lips. She had forced the woman's mouth open the best she could, and she looked away as the red tentacle expanded and grew. Kevin's tendril kept expanding, getting longer and longer, and the body began to make several snapping sounds as the tendril snapped bones and muscles back into place and forced organs back to where they needed to be. As it did this, small bits of Kevin's flesh dripped off of his tendril, which began to squirm their way inside of Olivia, fusing into the woman's flesh and muscles, mending them and anything else he found that was damaged.

It took some time, but slowly Kevin's tendril finally pulled its way out of Olivia's body. Hope reached down and pressed her fingers to the woman's neck, feeling a pulse. She let out a sigh of relief and gave a small grin. "See. That wasn't so hard."

"Whatever…"

Olivia was still unconscious, but her legs and arms had been shrunk back down, and all her damaged flesh was mended. Some things would have to heal naturally on their own; Kevin wasn't anywhere near as great as Paragon was, but at least the woman wouldn't be at any risk of dying.

"What now, hero?" Kevin asked with a sigh.

She stood up and hesitantly grabbed the woman, placing Olivia on her back. "I'll carry her back to the village and figure out what to do from there."

"What if the others are villains also?"

"I don't think they are." She frowned a bit, staring in the direction of where the village was. She had a weird feeling in her gut. Or actually, it was in the back of her head. Some strange new sensation as she stared in the direction of the village. It was a weird bubbling feeling. Then suddenly it changed, and she felt something else. White hot, a feeling of intense rage. Only, it wasn't hers. "S- Something happening." She said in a panic.

"What do you mean?" Kevin questioned, suddenly on guard once more. "What's happening-"

Both of them suddenly stopped when they heard a loud mechanical noise above them. A shadow began to form, stretching out across the island, causing the other people on the island to all stop and look up.

Above the island, a massive metal ship floated in the air, one that looked like an old military boat. Its cannons pointed down at them, and it sported the flag of a Wasteland villain group. The rest of the Anti-Matter gang had arrived.


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