"What do you mean you know Hope is alive?" Kyle asked, stumbling back. That had been the last thing he expected the hero to claim. He stared at Sky in shock as the girl's head cocked to the side. "What are you saying?"
"I guess you wouldn't know, would you?"
"Know what?"
The hero reached into the pocket of her lab coat and fished around for something. Slowly, she pulled out a small metal ball barely bigger than a golf ball. "Do you know what this is?" She questioned him.
"No?" He looked around at all the other people that moved around the underground station Paragon had forged into her base, but none of them seemed to be paying any mind to the conversation that was going on. "I'm guessing you're going to tell me that it's something really important, though?" This was just getting weirder and weirder.
Sky raised her hand up and brought the orb closer to her face, staring into it. The thing was extremely shiny and clean, bouncing her reflection back at her. Whatever the orb she held was, it let out a soft humming sound, and a faint blue light seeped out of the metal, flickering several times. "This is... Well, I really don't know what you would call it." She admitted sheepishly. "The point is this thing belonged to Wish. It was how she kept coming back to life. I don't know how much Cinder told you, but Wish respawned no matter how many times she was killed. It was thanks to a connection she had within me, due to me being an offspring of the previous Lord of Life. This Pod sort of works as a connector, I think. It holds the power of the Lords within it, and it used to be a lot bigger, but I guess it shrank when I wanted to carry it around. When a Lord dies, the power has two places it can go. The first is to a descendant. My sister got her power from her great-grandfather. I never met the man, but Mr. Sini had his power passed down to Poseidon. Originally he wanted it to go to my mother, but she wasn't close enough."
"There's a range limit?"
"Yeah." Sky nodded. "I think that's why the Victorian didn't become the Lord when Full Monarch died. When a Lord dies and they don't have someone in their bloodline, they can pass the power down, or the power will instead go into one of these pods, where it will later birth a new Lord. My father wanted his power to go to me when he died but wasn't able to reach me fully. Only a sliver of his energy found itself within me. This is mainly due to the Prettiest Flower, though. She had been looking for a body she wanted to take over for years and used her host, the Emperor, to create me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"The long and short of it is I was too far away from the Emperor when he died, so I couldn't become the next Lord, and that power went into this metal orb I'm holding that later created Wish," Paragon explained. "When Wish died, though, that power was finally able to fully pass back down to me, and in turn, her Pod now became my Pod. Just as the title of Lords can be passed down, so too can these strange machines." She tossed the orb back up into the air and caught it, repocketing it.
"How do you know all of this?" Kyle questioned with a frown.
Sky gave a sad smile and tapped her forehead. "You've noticed my new hair color, right? Well, let's just say that ever since I gained my title, I've had a new person force their way into my life. One who has a bad habit of not shutting up. She tends to ramble about all sorts of things."
'-the soul is a physical object, able to be mended and changed thanks to our power! Just think what will happen if we truly become one Sky! I'd get my body back, and you-'
Sky went back to tuning the voice of the Prettiest Flower out. With something like this rattling around in her head, she was starting to understand why Wish had gone off the deep end so easily.
Kyle quietly processed everything he was hearing. The Pods and their existence were kept secret from the public. Almost everything about how the Lords came back was something the Hero Branch tried to keep secret, so this was all very new information to him. "So, these Pods," he began. "They are connected to a Lord's power? I guess I get that, but how does that tell you that Hope is alive?"
Sky's smile faded a bit, and slowly, she began to walk in the direction of a series of tents that had been set up. Kyle silently followed after her as she began to speak once more. "My sister also has a Pod. All Lords do. Her Pod had been gifted to Harrison Avalon back when he was pretending to work for the Hero Branch. That was how he got his hands on the strange metal he used for a lot of his inventions, like my sister's armor and weapon or Hope's shield and helmet. Though Battery made those... They're all created and forged from the metal that belongs to my sister. Do you know what this means?" She asked, reaching one of the tents.
"Not really?"
"It means Cinder; Hope also has a Pod." Sky moved the cover of the tent off, allowing him to see inside of it.
He had seen Hope's mother a few times. Jane Lauren was a slim woman with tangled hair and heavy bags under her eyes. She was always working hard, taking up long shifts, and always seemed tired. Somehow, though, she looked even worse. The woman's raven hair was being brushed by her husband, who rested in a chair next to the mattress she was on. Her skin had become extremely pale, and she looked like she hadn't gotten any proper rest in days. She was even more thin, and her once beautiful hair was scattered with grays. She barely looked like she was paying attention to the world, and she was seated on the mattress, her body wrapped around something.
It took him a moment to figure out what it was.
It was made out of the same sort of metal Sky had been showing him. It wasn't in the shape of a ball, though. Not anymore. It looked almost like a living liquid, forming large tendrils that waved back and forth and wrapped themselves around Jane, hugging her tightly. She was as much wrapped around the strange machine as it was of her. As if both of them were trying to comfort one another in a weird hug.
Alexander looked down at his wife, with dozens of emotions coursing over his face. His hand moved back and forth in slow motion as he brushed some of the tangled knots out of her hair and did his best to wash her. "I used to be a fisherman." He explained quietly. He hadn't looked up when they entered but didn't seem surprised by them either. "Not for any big company or anything like that. It made enough to get by, though. One day... One day, I was out at sea, and I saw something floating there in the water."
"The Pod?" Kyle asked quietly.
"Yeah." Alexander gave a slow nod. "I couldn't figure out how to open the damn thing, so I just loaded it in the back of my truck and took it home. When I did get home, the blasted thing opened on its own, and we finally saw 'her' for the first time." He gave a slight chuckle and wiped at his eyes. "The smart thing would have been to tell someone, I'm sure. We didn't, though. Hope was kind of hard to take care of in the beginning. We knew right away she was a Super. She went and blasted a hole in our roof. Still, she was ours. Just by looking at her, I saw Jane and me in her. We didn't want to give her up. I had a friend named Marcus who knew a guy who knew a guy that—well, you get the picture. Marcus was able to get his hands on some old tech the new up-and-coming hero, Little Genius, had made. This was before LG had taken up the name Boy Genius and joined the Enforcer. LG had made this glass that worked really well at masking a Super's power. I always knew it wouldn't be enough. I knew that eventually something would happen, and she'd discover who she really was. Still, part of me prayed that a day like this would never come. I never wanted her to be a Super. I just wanted her to be normal..."
"If your daughter was born as a Lord, then I don't think there was ever a chance for something like that to happen." Kyle winced and shook his head a bit. "Even if she wasn't, though, even if for some reason Hope had been a normal child and she never gained powers, I don't think she'd sit on the sidelines and do nothing. I think, somehow, she'd have found a way to be a hero. She was just amazing like that. Jumping in to save people was never even a consideration for her. Also, for what it's worse, I think your daughter was normal. Powers and all. She laughed, she cried, she had fun... She was a good friend."
"Don't speak as if she's gone." Sky cut in. "That Pod is proof that somehow, someway, Hope has to still be out there."
"It does?"
"It never created a new Lord," Paragon explained. "When the Emperor died, it took a bit of time before Wish was created because Harrison Avalon went out of his way to hide her Pod and make sure it didn't get the DNA it needed. The Pod has to look for humans it can 'borrow' from in order to create the child. I don't really know how it works, but it hasn't tried to make a new Lord of the Sun."
"Because Hope isn't dead?"
"Exactly!" Paragon nodded. "She has to be out there somewhere!"
"If she was, don't you think the other heroes would have said something?" Alexander asked quietly. "Everyone knows she has the power of Full Monarch now. Someone would have-"
"Mr. Lauren!" They were suddenly cut off by a loud yell. They all turned and saw an older man rushing toward them with a shocked look on his face. He was covered in sweat and looked like he had just gotten done running a mile. He nearly collapsed, breathing heavily. "T- The news- Did you- See?"
"See what?" Sky asked.
The man's breathing slowed as he calmed down and handed his phone over to the hero. "I went out to the streets—I found a spot with internet, and this was broadcasting." He gasped.
Sky stared down at the screen and felt her eyes go wide. It was a video, one that was stuck in an endless loop of buffering now that the phone was outside of Boy Genius's drones. On the screen, it showed a hero standing up on a stage with a smile on her face and her hands on her hips. Cinder stared out into the camera…
"My name, my real name that is, is Hope Lauren. And I'm proud to say that I'm working alongside the Hero Branch-" Then the video would replay.
An awkward silence filled the tent, and Kyle felt his face pale slightly as he stared down at the screen. "W- What just happened?"
***
Hope felt the vibrations of the various monitors as her back pressed up against the screen. She had never really been all that scared of Harrison Avalon before, but now she could barely get her heart to settle down.
Her form was so much smaller, and her muscles felt underdeveloped. He towered over her even on his knees, and his eyes were wild and crazy looking. It didn't help that she felt even more exposed in the hospital gown he had her in. Red Ape had been at the top of her list for creepiest scientist, but Avalon had somehow dethroned the Zoo member.
"Isn't it amazing? Your body has been mostly fixed up and put back into one piece!" Avalon rambled. His hands dug into her shoulders, and his mad eyes glared down at her with dozens of different emotions. "This is the first time something like this has happened since Wish. Not even the mighty Full Monarch was able to come back from the dead the way you have done! It really must be you, Cinder! You are going to be the one who will kill the Emperor-"
She didn't get long to process what he was saying. The man was just rambling before something forced him to shut up. A metal hand grabbed the man by his hair from behind, and Avalon was suddenly thrown across the room, smashing into his monitors and shattering them, sending glass and sparks flying everywhere. Avalon slumped down and winced, a little banged up but mostly fine. "What was that for, boss?"
She stared up, feeling her legs shake more. Things had suddenly gotten so much worse. The Emperor stared back down at her, his fiery red eyes glaring into her blue ones. His armor was so black it almost blended in the darkroom as the lights flickered on and off. His hand quickly came down toward her, and she couldn't help but let out a whimper and squeeze her eyes shut. Even with her power at its max, she doubted she'd beat this thing in a fight. He was almost as vile as the Beast and nearly as strong as it.
An attack didn't harm her, though. Instead, she opened her eyes to find she was now dressed in a different outfit. Black robes hung off of her, covering her up much more than the gown had. The Emperor turned away from her and began to stalk toward the exit of the room, which had opened up. He stopped and looked back at her. "Follow."
"W- What?"
"I won't ask again."
Quietly, she followed after him. She stopped and looked back down at Avalon, who was still sprawled out on the floor. He looked up at her and winked. Slowly, she pulled her foot back and used all the strength she had to kick him right between the legs. The last thing she heard before the door to the room sealed shut behind her was his screams of agony.
She didn't know where she was, and looking around didn't help. The Emperor walked at a simple pace, but thanks to how small her legs had become, she struggled to keep up with him. They were in a strange metal-looking hallway. The walls, roof, and floor were all forged out of a golden substance, and the entire place vibrated constantly, a 'hum' hanging in the air.
There were many other hallways and turns, but she saw no windows or doors anywhere. Everything looked the same, and it was hard to figure out which way was truly which. It sort of reminded her of Nightshade. Not once did the Emperor speak, nor were there any other people in the halls. The only sounds were his metal boots and the pair of slippers she now wore, slapping against the floor.
Eventually, the hallway expanded, and they finally reached a new room. Like the other parts of the weird building they were in, this room was also made of solid gold, but it actually had some things in it. There were two large round windows on one of the walls, as well as a massive dining table in the center with two chairs at either end. A few portraits hung on the walls showing off pictures of Sky, though they were all things the girl would have hated, like showing her horseback riding, wearing a princess-style dress, or standing atop a mountain of skulls with the Emperor watching as the world around them burned. A large screen also hung on the wall and showed the news, though the volume was all the way down. Finally completing the fancy look was a large chandelier also forged from gold that hung up top.
She risked a look out of one of the windows and raised an eye when she realized it was a view of sharks swimming around. They were somewhere underwater. "Where are we?" She finally asked.
"Inside of Golden God."
"Huh?"
The Emperor didn't bother explaining further and walked to one end of the table and took a seat. He gestured for her, and she stared at him for a moment before finally climbing into her seat. Her head barely went above the table, and she stared down, finding several plates of steak, shrimp, lobster, and other rich food scattered about, along with at least a dozen other spoons. The armor of the Emperor bubbled and twitched and then vanished. Instead of the modern-day devil, she found herself looking at an old, tired man with bags under his eyes and messy blondish hair. Despite how old he truly was, his body was still hanging on, aging slower than most thanks to his dark gifts. Age had still eaten away at part of the mighty warrior though. And with age came experience. It was hard for her to believe this was the same guy she had just seen.
Those memories she lived through. They were still fresh in her mind. Watching the story of Ruby Admiral had been…
Nier took his fork and knife, slowly cutting into his steak, and took a bite out of it. "You know," he said, finally swallowing his food. "I forgot how much I liked the taste of food. I was up in space for years, and let me tell you, they don't have meals like this on Jupiter."
"J- Jupiter?'
"Oh, it's where my corpse ended up after I died. Full Monarch hit me really, really, hard." The man said, shrugging. "Well? What are you looking at me for? Dig in." He snapped. "It's not real food; we're miles under the ocean, but with Fairy Queen's power, it might as well be the real thing."
"I'm not hungry-"
"I wasn't asking." He took another bite, swallowing it. "Eat. Now. How else do you expect to grow big and strong?"
She picked up her fork and knife and silently cut into the food. She had never really felt this helpless before. Part of her wondered if it'd be best to rebel against him and die. It'd at least get it all over with quickly. "H- How am I alive?" She asked after finally taking a bite of her steak. She hated to admit it, but it was pretty good. "And why did I see all those things earlier? I- It was like I was dreaming or something. What the hell is going on!"
The Emperor wiped his mouth clean and grabbed a cup filled with what she was assuming was wine. Her own glass had milk in it. He took a swig and swirled it around, letting out a satisfied 'pop' with his lips. "I thought Avalon told you?"
"I was told my body rebuilt itself like the Beast."
"Sort of." The man placed his glass down and folded his hands on the table, leaning forward to look at her. "That's what makes the Beast so dangerous, you know. I've been telling those dumbasses not to take it so lightly for years, but they never bothered to listen to me. Hopefully, they'll take my warnings more seriously now. Full Monarch would always fight the Beast in space. When it thinks it will lose, it always takes the coward's way out and blows itself up."
"So, it's not dead?"
"Nope." She felt that wave of despair grow. Everyone had fought so hard, and yet it hadn't even mattered. What a bad joke. "The Beast will take a bit to reform, but soon it'll be back. You did better than I thought you would, though. You getting caught in its blast wasn't part of my plan though. If you were to die, I'd have to wait another fifteen or so years before I could do my plan." The man sighed, rubbing his chin. "You actually did die. It wasn't for very long, but it happened. I'm a bit worried about whether the powers of the Lord remained in you fully or not. If not, I'll have to find where the other half of the Lord of the Sun ended up. I bet Full Monarch thinks he was clever, splitting the power in two to make sure both wouldn't end up in the same place. The final laugh to be had, though, will be mine. Oh, and do tell me if your body is feeling okay. I had to put it together with whatever pieces I could."
"You put me back together?"
"Partially. The blast blew you to bits. I was only able to grab an arm and part of your skull." That made her feel very sick to her stomach. "As I said, you died. Luckily for you, Rulers are good at cheating death. I might not be the Lord of Life anymore, but that control remains inside of me. Your Ego would have shattered and broken, fading away, but it seems the Brightest Star did its best to mend and fix you. Even with my power, though, I wasn't able to restore you back to full. That's why you're so small. Don't worry, though. If you eat plenty of food, your powers and your body should eventually come back. It might be a few months, but you should return to the old you."
That was the first good news she had heard all day. She let out a relieved sigh. Then she remembered who was in front of her. "Why did you save me, though?"
"I had to." The man shrugged his shoulders. "After all, when I called the Beast to Earth, you blowing to bits was never part of the goal."
Her chair fell back as she stood up. She glared at the man, feeling pure hate run through her body. She still didn't feel any of her powers flare up, but that didn't stop her. She grabbed the knife and threw it at him as hard as she could. Lazily, he caught it in between his fingers. "It was you? You did all of that! You killed all those people! You killed Mr. Larison! Wasn't he your son?" She screamed. "You should have taken care of him! Why would you-"
"That traitor isn't dead."
"Huh?"
The man let out a sigh and snapped his fingers. Suddenly sound blared out of the TV, and she jumped a bit, looking up at it. "Introducing the newest members of the Enforcers!" Three people stood in front of the camera. "Pretty Face, Battery, and a new favorite, the daughter of the Victorian, the one and only Lightning Empress!"
"W- What the hell?" She asked, stumbling back. Battery stood in the center, staring at the camera with his typical emotionless face. The one next to him also shocked her, though. It was Lois. Only the girl looked a little different and was covered in lightning. Pretty Face also stood next to them, and all three of them were in front of the Enforcer tower. "I- I saw him die? He's alive?" She couldn't help the slight smile that found its way onto her face. Of course, he was alive. Mr. Larison was amazing like that. If anyone could escape death, it would be him.
"He did die." The Emperor announced in a blunt tone, making her head snap back over to him. "Just like you, he had to be revived. Unlike you, though, he's a Ruler. See, I revived you using my own Ego and my own powers and was only able to do so thanks to you being a Lord and your soul not yet passing on to the afterlife. His power simply revived him all on its own. I wonder how much it took, though. Half? Maybe more? I wonder how much of him is still him."
She looked back at the TV, watching as the camera showed off all three heroes. A second later, though, it changed, suddenly showing off a new scene. One that shocked her. A hero in a red outfit with the symbol of a butterfly across her chest stood on a stage, staring out at the camera that was pointed at her. She wore a metal helmet that covered her face, and fire flicked around her. Cinder, the hero that had taken down the Beast, had just gone live. She wasn't alone either. Standing next to her was a large older man in a suit who was shaking her hand, the Hero Branch director of Daisy, and on Cinder's other side was Dean Ward, the Lillian director. He had his hand on Cinder's shoulder and smiled at the camera.
"T- That's me!" She said in horror. "Oh God, am I a clone?"
"Yo!" The girl dressed up as Cinder announced. "My name's Cinder, but I'm sure many of you knew that already." The fake hero flashed a smile at the camera. "I know some people were wondering where I've been. Well, to tell you the truth, I've been busy. As many of you likely know by now, I am, in fact, the next Full Monarch. I'm the newest Lord of the Sun and Cosmos. The Hero Branch and I have been working hard trying to clean up the disaster that was the Beast fight. I sort of messed up space." The girl gave an innocent giggle before suddenly growing serious. "There's more to it than that, though. I want to be honest with everyone, just as Full Monarch was." Slowly, she reached up and took off her helmet. "My name, my real name that is, is Hope Lauren." The girl stated. "And I'm proud to say that I'm working alongside the Hero Branch-"
"What the fuck!" She started stomping her foot down. "Oh, this is bullshit! Why would other me do that? My identity! I hid it so well!"
"Did you?"
"Well... I still didn't want it to come out like this!" She whined. "Why is other me doing this?"
"Skin Walker." The Emperor said, taking another bite of his food. "That's her name. She was a monster I created during the war. She can shapeshift. When I was beaten, she joined the Hero Branch and now is their pet. She takes on the form of people the Hero Branch wants to use."
"Why is she me, though?"
"They don't want it to be known that you're dead." The man explained. "See, the public all knows that when a Lord dies, they're reborn. Some of the villains, though, know that when a Lord dies, the Pod is created. Villains always go looking for them. Hell, that's why I was drafted into a war when I was a kid. To stop Lucifer from getting his hands on a Lord Pod. By making it look like you're alive, they can try to buy themselves more time to look for your pod to bring you back. Of course, none of them know you survived."
"The heroes wouldn't let something like that happen, though, right?"
"Sure, they would." The man stated. "In fact, I bet it was Boy Genius's idea. They need the time as well. They need to replace you, after all. Sure, some of them would be against it, but what can they do? They could prove it wrong, but doing so would cause panic and harm and risk a villain getting their hands on the Pod. They tried the exact same thing when Hell Hound killed Sini, though back then, they didn't have Skin Walker. Now it's all too easy."
"People will notice I'm not doing anything, though!"
"Will they? Full Monarch was constantly up in space. Sure, he did help out on Earth, but it was never for long. All they have to do is give some of the good deeds the Victorian does to you, and thanks to how fast she moves, no one will be any the wiser. She'd go along with it, too. She's the type to do anything to live up to the shadow of her father, in which she's trapped herself. As it stands, the whole world thinks you're a loyal lap dog of the Hero Branch."
"Then I'll show them I'm still alive!"
"You'll have to get stronger first," the man snapped, and the TV went silent once more. "No one would believe that you're the Lord of the Sun in the state you're in."
"Luckily, that's where I come in!" A voice announced. Harrison Avalon stood in the entrance to the room, flanked by hundreds of his floating metal hands. He gave a sly grin and walked past her, putting her chair back and taking a seat. He began to eat the food on the table. "I'll be doing my best to give you the quick power-up you need, so you catch up to where you were."
"What? Why? How?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
The mad scientist looked back at her and smirked. "Did you know I was a monster? I was in the Emperor's army, after all. Don't you find it a little odd? Why do I look human?"
"I guess I never thought about it before? Mr. Larison was a monster before as well, and he's human now."
"That's not true, actually." Avalon snorted. "I'm sure he thinks that's what happens due to his memory issues, but he was never a monster. Nier couldn't transform him. Just as the Lord of Life can't use her power to change other Lords easily, he was immune to the change." For a moment, she thought back to Wish. Wish was never able to pop her or alter her like the girl could do to everyone else. She had always guessed it had something to do with her being a Lord but never questioned it more. "He got his memory issues from being a Ruler. However, all other monsters actually lose themselves when they change. Did the Brightest Star tell you about Egos?"
"A bit?"
"Good. So, you know the basics, then. Think of them sort of like a soul, I guess." The man hummed. "Supers have their soul, and then the reflection, which is their power. Monsters are different, though. They're created with the Emperor's power. His ability wipes the human Ego, leaving only the Super Ego. And for normal humans, it forces them to convert into a Super Ego. The body isn't able to fully handle it, though, and ends up twisting and morphing as the power goes out of control. I guess in a way the soul controls how the body works. Normal Egos need the human half to keep them in check. Without it, all that's left is a wild reflection that goes mad and mutates the form. This causes memory issues. That's where I come in." He waved his hand, and suddenly she heard a buzzing sound as something landed on his finger. It looked almost like a small fly. "Before I became a monster, I was a Super who had a few powers under my belt. Supers can have more than one Ego inside of them. This is one of the reasons I was able to keep some of my sanity. I had a Mental power that let me make stuff, as well as a power that gave me control over my own memories, which I could then put into people. Those two powers working together allowed me to record things and then shove those recordings into people's heads. Earlier, you experienced it. I have my little drones all over the place, recording nearly every event. Thanks to that, I was able to give you a taste of the life of sweet Ruby."
Her mind raced a bit at what the man said. If had all felt so real. She had actually been totally unaware that she even existed or that she had been watching a memory. It was as if she had woken up as Ruby Admiral one day. She watched the girl's story all the way up until the point Full Monarch began his first ever battle with the Emperor, and Ruby Admiral had suggested Max Lightning have a kid…
It left a bit of a sour taste in her mouth. Knowing all the mistakes the heroes of the past made. People looked up to guys like Full Monarch and the Victorian, yet the Victorian had started off as a villain? It was so weird and bizarre.
"Thanks to Avalon, we can put you through layers of stress without actually having to put you in danger." The Emperor spoke up once more. "Sini, my daughter, and even myself were all Lords that also had another power besides the Lord's Egos. My power is the one to make monsters, which has also managed to snatch a piece of the Prettiest Flower. This power is also what allowed me to take up the mantle of Ruler. By putting you through layers of stress, your body could become a Super once more and gain new powers. This will, in turn, also jump-start the Lord's power within you. Not only will you return to your old self, but you'll also be able to fix the damaged state the Brightest Star was left in and become a true Lord again. Maybe even on the same level as Full Monarch, since your new power would fill in the missing half of the Brightest Star. You wouldn't be the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos anymore; in a way, you'd be something brand new."
She glared back at the man. "Earlier, you said you caused the Beast attack, and that's why I'm in this situation. Why did you do that?"
"I needed Battery to become a Ruler once again."
"What the hell is a Ruler? You guys keep bringing it up!"
Avalon smirked and finished eating the last of the steak. "Just as there are four Lords, there are four Rulers. The Devil, The Angel, The God, and the Giant. The Dark and the Void, Death and Rebirth, Ash and Ruin, and Creation and Destruction. These four powers belonged to an entity long ago. One that called itself the Shadow. Upon its death, it split itself into four pieces. The Rulers are almost like a crude copy of the Lords in a way. The Lords did kill it, so I guess the Shadow decided to steal their gimmick." The man snickered. "When a Lord dies, that power is passed down, but when a Ruler dies, their power forces the body back together, taking over much of the Ego and using it to bring itself back stronger. Alpha was taken in by Nier to be a weapon that could slay Full Monarch. When he became a Ruler, he lost in his battle with Full Monarch, and in turn, the Lord of the Sun somehow sealed the power away. That was why Nier here needed the Beast. After all, he can't kill Alpha himself or-"
"That's enough, Avalon." The Emperor stood up, pushing his chair back. "I first died in my fight with Lucifer. That was when I discovered who I truly was. I was born special, you see. I was both a Lord and a Ruler for a time—the only ever person to hold this title. I had planned for my power to go into my child; however, in the final battle with Full Monarch, I discovered too late that Alpha betrayed me. He had sent my daughter away. By then, it was too late, and I died once more, this time not recovering in time to hold onto the power of the Lord. I spent years waiting for that bitch to mature to the point where she'd bring the power back to what it should have been. I even had to team up with a disgusting human and wait for my precious daughter to get close to that ugly freak calling herself Wish, all so I could fix Alpha's mistake and turn her back into what she was always meant to be. Now that she's a Lord again, I need the Rulers to return. Legend, Lucifer, myself, and even my bastard son. The four of us, and the four Lords. Once you're back to full strength, my plan will finally be possible." His black armor twisted and formed around his body once more. "I waited over sixteen years, but alas, the race is about to finally start. I hope you enjoyed your meal, Ms. Lauren. Soon, we'll be putting you back through those memories of Ruby. There is still so much you must see."
She felt Avalon's hand on her shoulder, and slowly, the man began to guide her toward the hallway once more. She stopped and looked back at the Emperor one last time. "What is it? Your plan? Why are you doing all of this? What could be so important that you'd risk letting me get stronger? You know I'll do everything to stop you, right?"
Those red eyes glanced back at her as the Emperor studied her. "Didn't Avalon already tell you, dear Lord?" He placed his hand up to his chest. "Your power is something that must return to you. After all, you're the one that will kill me."
Avalon hadn't said it as a joke, nor was it a sign that he was a traitor. That was really the Emperor's actual goal…
He wanted to die?
"My name—my real name, that is—is Hope Lauren. And I'm proud to say that I'm working alongside the Hero Branch-"
Myth squeezed down on the phone, causing it to shatter and explode.
"Well, there goes my phone..." Kyle muttered.
"I'll build you a new one." Metal Ronin promised sheepishly.
"So, I'm judging by your reaction that you didn't know about that, Myth?" Paragon questioned the new Sub Enforcer leader, barely hiding her own blinding rage.
Myth was in his human form but seemed to have almost grown in size, fists clenched and teeth ground together. "No," he said, doing his best to hold back his anger. "I had no idea the Hero Branch would go this far."
After saving Kyle, Paragon and the boy had watched the recording one of her people had discovered. The one where 'Cinder' revealed herself to the world and even gave away her identity. It caused Sky's anger to flare up a bit. It was targeted at her. The way that Ward smiled into the camera. She just knew that the bastard had thrown Hope under the bus just to get one last kick in at her for disobeying his direct orders. It was the kind of thing a sick man like him would do.
They had made their way over to Myth's tower and now stood in the destroyed building that held the Sub Enforcers' base. They weren't in the realm; the Sub Enforcers had just gotten back from a patrol, so instead, they all scattered around the destroyed lobby room.
Outside, hundreds of tents had been set up where Oleander's people tried to set up some sort of semblance of normal life; all the while, the 'Giants' walked the street patrolling the entire city, looking for any bit of crime. At first, the Giants had only stayed near the destroyed bridge. The Cleanup Squad Giants were putting buildings in place and slowly moving out across the city to repair them, but they hadn't made much progress. The roaming soldier Giants had stayed near that area, keeping all the humans that camped around it safe.
Battery had left, though. That was the reason she picked now to find Myth. She still remembered the way he acted. The changes that had consumed him. She didn't know what he was plotting, but after he left the city, the Giants began to move quicker, and their patrol area grew further.
"We all know it's a fake." Oxide pointed out. "We could tell people, right? Make a video or a post or something calling it out."
"It wouldn't work." Wasp Nest said, shaking his head. "Back in the day, videos and stuff could be posted instantly, but after Boy Genius joined the Enforcers last year, everything goes through his systems first. If he's sided with the Hero Branch, then any video or piece of media we created would just be deleted without actually being posted. It's one of the reasons you don't see a lot of videos or articles speaking negatively of the Branch. They tend to get rid of them before they even pop up."
Drake rubbed the back of his neck, wincing a bit. "The Branch doesn't always do that." He had worked the most with the Enforcers and felt kind of guilty for the situation they were facing now. "Boy Genius mainly created that system to stop villains from sending secret messages or videos to each other. That said, even if we did get the word out, would people believe us? Sure, a lot of people might, but most of the general population wouldn't."
"Drake's right." Metal Ronin folded his arms. "The people like finding the light in the dark tunnel. Now that they know the next Lord of the Sun has arrived, they'd carry on believing she will save them even if they discover Cinder's dead. It's easier to go on living thinking Full Monarch has returned rather than consider the fact he died before he even did anything this time around."
"Don't say it like that," Paragon said, clenching her fist. "She did something."
"Right." Metal Ronin let out a wince. "Sorry, that came out wrong. What I'm saying is that even if we prove it's a fake, more people would choose to believe in the icon she is instead of accepting her death."
"The Enforcers will just stop this, won't they?" Oxide asked, looking at Drake.
The dragon-themed hero looked away, not meeting her eyes. "Well... It's not the first time they've done something like this."
"Seriously!"
"It's the Victorian," he tried to explain. "My sister is never a fan when the Branch pulls stunts like this, but the Branch has the Victorian, and she is strangely loyal to them, bordering on obsession. If any of the Enforcers tried to speak out, she or Boy Genius would stop them before it happened."
"Boy Genius is in on it, too?" Metal Ronin asked, sounding a little hurt.
"Maybe." Drake shrugged. "He isn't loyal to the Branch, but he does believe in the greater good. If he thinks this will help more people, he'll stick to it, and the fact that nothing has happened yet leaves me to believe he considers it a worthy sacrifice. On top of that, there's Beta. He and Boy Genius are close, and he was built to literally make sure the Enforcers stay on the side of humans, AKA keep obeying the Hero Branch. That basically means at least three members of the Enforcers will go along with this plan, and they happen to be the three strongest heroes."
"So, it's hopeless?" Wasp Nest asked, slumping down. "We just have to watch as they use Cinder's image. All because they want to milk her being a Lord for a little bit longer?"
Myth stayed silent, not saying anything as his teammates discussed what should be done. It was Paragon who stepped up and spoke for the group. "We can't think like that. We might not have any idea what we should do now, but we'll come up with something. I'm sure of it. The Branch can't just get away with this. They're throwing Hope's legacy away!" The girl took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "Until we figure it out fully, though, there's another reason I came to you, Myth."
"What is it?" The dark-skinned man asked, folding his arms.
"It's about Zoo," Paragon explained. "I want your help to take them out for good this time."
"Zoo?" Myth gave a heavy frown as he processed her words. "They haven't made a move since the Beast attack?"
"That's not true." Sky shook her head and looked the man in the eyes. "I've been living in the underground stations beneath the city, keeping a group of survivors safe. Recently, though, we've been running into creatures I'm sure were created by Red Ape. At first, it was just one or two every few days; now, we're running into several of them daily. They're getting closer to my camp and might eventually break out onto the surface."
Myth nodded and looked at the members of his team. His eyes roamed over Metal Ronin, Wasp Nest, Oxide, and Drake. The Bad Timers and the Wandering Coin were gone, so that just left one more team that he hadn't destroyed yet. "Well then. I think it's time the Sub Enforcers face off against Zoo." The only group left that endangered Oleander was Zoo. For the first time in years, he hoped that Oleander would be free.
***
"My name—my real name, that is—is Hope Lauren. And I'm proud to say that I'm working alongside the Hero Branch-"
The TV shut off, and Pretty Face found himself staring at his own reflection. He slowly processed what he had just seen. Ward and another director of the Hero Branch had been up on stage with a Cinder lookalike. He knew it was a lookalike because the Enforcers, or really Boy Genius, had discovered what was left of her corpse up in space. Even knowing how fake it was, though, the lookalike really did pull off the image of Cinder.
She had the same golden hair, those bright, fiery red eyes that held a naive light in them, and a sly yet innocent grin. Even the way the girl spoke was the same as Cinder, at least from what little he had heard of both girls. It was a cursed sight, seeing the dead smile like that.
"Are you sure doing that was a wise idea?" Pretty Face finally asked. He was seated in Ward's office. Now that he was a member of the Enforcers, Lillian had been assigned to him. That meant, effectively, Ward was his new boss, and unlike with the late Ocean Empress, Ward seemed like he wanted to take a very hands-on approach this time around with the team.
Ward tapped his finger on the desk and gave a fake smile. "To be honest, it wasn't actually me who came up with it. The fat-ass director in Daisy was the one that planned all of this out, so if you want to blame anyone, then blame him and the Ros family. I'm sure you're aware now, but Cinder is the Lord of the Sun. We decided it was best to make the other villains hesitate to look for the next Lord. It, of course, won't be long before they put it together that she isn't with us anymore, but it buys us more time for Boy Genius to scout the new pods out."
"Pods?"
"Oh, I forgot that information is classified and kept from most of your kind. No need to worry about it." Ward clasped his hands together. "The important thing is that we're taking some of the credit for work that the other Enforcer members are doing and announcing that it was Cinder who actually did it. So, assume that twenty percent of crimes you prevent are swept under the rug and given to her for the time being."
Pretty Face felt a frown appear on his lips. He messed with his shades, peering over them to look at the Hero Branch leader. "This will, of course, be a temporary thing, correct?" He had joined the Enforcers simply for fame. He had never been a powerful Super, but he was blessed with an ability that made people have a hard time looking away from him. He used that gift, as well as his good looks and voice, to make it big as an idol. The Beast incident had been his claim to fame. Fan favorite Pretty Face throwing hands with the worst villain in history!
They left out the part about how he ran away and hid in a bunker after one attack.
"Just remember that I'm the reason you're on the Enforcers in the first place." Ward smirked and leaned back in his chair. His office had been cleaned up, and he had gotten a big fat bonus after the Cinder incident, allowing him to add more important-looking junk around the room.
"So why exactly did you guys reveal her name?" Pretty Face questioned. "I get you wanted the villains to think she was still alive, but what was the point of throwing her name out there? That just puts targets on her family, doesn't it?"
"Who cares? They're a bunch of nobodies." Ward snickered. In truth, he still remembered that smug look Jane Lauren had shot him after Paragon had left. "As for why I had Hope's name come out, she seemed close to Paragon. It'll serve that healer bitch right. Exposing her little girlfriend like that is the only way I had left that I could hurt her."
"Is it smart to anger her? Poseidon is still somewhere in the city after all and is a Lord."
"The Lords are all perfectly under my control."
"Right, and I'm gay for the fashion." Pretty Face said sarcastically. "What exactly is your game plan when the public finds out she's dead? You said it yourself: This won't fool the villains for very long."
Ward rubbed his chin. "The masses will believe whatever the hell I tell them. It's actually simple, though. The Emperor's being back is something only you Enforcers know. Once Boy Genius locates the next Lord pod, or we discover the next baby with fire powers that has the highest chance of being the Lord, we'll swoop in and claim that poor Cinder died just like Full Monarch in a battle with the Emperor."
"So not only are you pissing off the Lord, you're also pissing off the Emperor?" Pretty Face stared at the insane man in front of him. "How are you alive right now?"
"I'm alive because that golden bitch is following in her daddy's footsteps." Ward threw his legs up on the table and chuckled. "The Victorian is trapped in her father's shadow. She's talked herself into thinking she has to follow our orders because that's what her dad did. Full Monarch was an obedient little pawn that we aimed at our enemies. The Victorian is just like that. As long as she is on our side, the other heroes won't dare step out of line and disobey us. All it takes is labeling them as villains and throwing her at them. She might not be able to save planet Earth, but she sure as hell will slow down its destruction until after I'm dead."
Yes...
As long as the Victorian did everything she could to be half the hero her father was, then every high-ranking member of the Hero Branch was untouchable. All she had to do was remain the number-one hero, and he'd be just fine.
He was truly untouchable-
The entire building suddenly shook. All of the expensive trinkets and cigar boxes he had scattered on his desk dropped to the floor in a loud thud, and he saw Pretty Face's eyes go wide in shock. A second later, the window of his office was covered by a thick shadow as something smashed directly into the building. Glass flew out in all directions and almost stabbed him, but Pretty Face saved his life.
The hero was fast and jumped up, creating some of his colorful energy clones and using them as makeshift shields to block the glass. Cracks appeared along the floor, and the two men found themselves staring into the eyes of something massive.
It was formed out of crackling black energy that almost looked like living darkness. It wore no armor but was in the shape of some sort of humanoid-like figure. It had a massive beard that looked like it was made out of storm clouds and a big pot belly. It cracked a smile, showing off rows of jagged teeth. As Ward stared at this thing in terror, only one thought truly came to his mind.
Giant...
Sixteen years ago, during the war with the Emperor, an army of massive monsters and man-eating Giants had flooded the world. In all the stories, even before the time of the Supers, Giants were viewed as chaotic, dark creatures that could bring about the end of the world. He didn't get to think about that for very long, though, as the next thing he knew, a pair of sharp, jagged claws were pressed to his throat, and he felt someone's breath against the back of his ear.
"The Boss wants to have a little chat with you." Behind Ward, Purrfect stood. She was dressed in a black catsuit with larger ears and a long tail that flicked back and forth, forged from metal. She looked more like a panther than a housecat thanks to her new costume, and she had even dyed her hair black. Her claws drew some of Ward's blood as they ran along his neck.
"B—Boss?" The Giant from outside had rammed its large fist into the building, which caused all the destruction in his office. That same hand opened, revealing a familiar hero. Ward felt his teeth grind together as his eyes met Battery's. The same hero he had allowed to join the Enforcers had just blown part of his building up.
"I wasn't sure how to schedule a meeting with you, so I hope you don't mind the sudden drop-in." The hero said in a cool tone.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ward screamed. He glared at Battery with pure rage. "Do you have any idea who the fuck I am?"
"Do you know who I am?" The hero responded. "Because if you do, you'd know how little I truly care for ants like you."
Battery had updated his costume a bit. It was still the same red suit he had been gifted from Boy Genius, though all the damage from his previous fights was gone. The young boy had given him a new version of the suit that was fixed and allowed Battery's new energy to swirl through the lines across it. Battery had also added a long black trench coat to the design, placing it over his suit. Behind his mask, one eye sparked with wild black lightning, while the other was like a calm sea of blue fire. They weren't flickering anymore. Now they both stood at full power, both focused on a single goal. Both Ego's wanted the same thing after all. Slowly, he stepped off of the Giant's hand.
Pretty Face felt a snort escape him as he looked Battery up and down. "What's this? Entering your edgy hero phase? Seriously, a black trench coat is so-"
"You're not part of this conversation." Battery had reached the hero faster than Pretty Face could blink and smashed his foot into the man's gut with a lazy kick. It was strong enough to shatter all of Pretty Face's ribs and send the hero ramming into the back of the room, where he smashed into another window and went flying out of the building. Outside, another Giant caught him, lowering Pretty Face to the ground, though it didn't do it gently, and left the idol gasping and vomiting up blood.
Ward glared at the darker hero as Battery stuffed his hands in his pockets and simply stared at him. Purrfect removed her claws and casually jumped up onto the desk, kicking her feet out. "Alrighty, Boss! What do we do with him?" She asked, cocking her head.
"I'm still trying to decide that." Battery looked the man up and down.
Ward stood his ground and glared back up at him. "Do you have any idea who I am? I am a director of Lillian! The only reason you are a member of the Enforcers is because I allowed you to be!"
Battery didn't look impressed, and his dual eyes bore into Ward's. "Here's what's going to happen." He lazily created several more hands out of black energy, which tore the room around them apart. The door nearly burst open as several Hero Branch soldiers tried to run in, but they were blocked off as the hands caused part of the roof to cave in. "I'm going to give you a day or two to reveal who Skin Walker is. You're going to make a public apology. Then you're going to step down as head of Lillian, but not before using what power you have left to convince the other directors to leave Oleander alone. It doesn't need any of your help. I'll fix it myself. It will stay a city, but one you will all leave alone."
Ward's teeth ground together so hard one nearly snapped. "You're actually insane."
"Not as much as you-" Battery lazily brought his arm up just in time to block a stream of water that slammed into the room. He deflected it with his palm, sending it slicing into more of the wall. "I thought you might pop up."
Poseidon stood outside of the window, standing on a large horse made out of water that slowly walked up a tidal wave. She looked between Battery and Ward. "What are you doing here, Battery?" She asked quietly.
"I came to look for you." Battery turned away from Ward, allowing his trench coat to smack the man in the face. Purrfect jumped off of the desk, and together, the two stepped back onto the palm of his awaiting Giant. Poseidon got eye level with him but kept her distance. She stood on the back of the horse and was ready to jump off if she needed to. Keeping her trident aimed at him, she allowed the man to speak. "I'd like for you to come join my team." He said simply.
"Huh?" Poseidon asked, taken aback.
"I'm an Enforcer now." Battery explained casually. "That means I'm allowed to build my own team, and the Hero Branch has to pay for it. I heard you lost all your rights to your team and didn't make it on the Enforcers, so how'd you like to join mine?" He questioned, holding his hand out to her. "I'm starting up my own team. 'My' Pantheon."
"Why are you offering?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"Mainly because it'll piss him off." Battery lazily pointed his thumb back at Ward. "But more than that..." For a moment, the color in his eyes went out. For a moment, he felt his heart twitch. For a moment, he felt a faint smile on his face. The image of River faded from his mind, and he shook his head as his eyes lit back up. "You don't have any money coming. I'm guessing you've been living on the street."
She didn't stink; she was likely using her powers to wash herself up, but the look in her eyes and the weight she had lost made it clear to him that things hadn't been going well for her at home. She had lost several pounds, became unhealthily pale, and had bags under her eyes. Her hair was messy, and her costume was covered in various cuts and tears. She stabbed her trident out in the direction of Ward. "Only because that asshole took everything away from me! No sponsors, no team; hell, he even cut off my accounts, so I can't even get a hold of my followers!"
"Then kill him if you want." Battery shrugged casually.
"Huh!" Purrfect, Poseidon, and Ward all stared at the hero in shock and mild horror.
Battery snorted. "But you won't, will you? Because, unlike me, you're a good person. That's why I'm here. Actually, I do have some other reasons." His Giant stretched its arm out, allowing him to reach Poseidon. She didn't flinch as he looked her up and down. He grabbed her by the chin and stared into her eyes. "I bet you haven't gotten much sleep, right? You've been fighting off that 'little buddy' hiding in your brain. You've got an unfair hand, you know. The other Lords can be turned off, but not yours. My father, the Emperor, went and screwed with your body, changed how it worked, and allowed more of the Lord's influence to invade you. I'm sure he did it to save your life; after all, you're important to Paragon, but the downside is that it made that bastard's Ego gain a stronger foothold. Poseidon has been silent. Some people think she left this city. It's because you're afraid of snapping. Scared of letting the Lord take you over? You don't have to be afraid, though."
Battery let go of Poseidon's chin and stepped away from her. She rubbed her jaw a bit. "Why don't I have to be scared? Because you can beat the Tallest Wave?" She asked sarcastically. She still remembered how strong that entity had been. Above even the Beast, the full power of a Lord unleashed was simply Godlike. "No offense; I saw what it did to you. Even if you're a million times stronger than you were in your battle with the Beast, I don't think you could beat the Lord."
"No. I'd lose if it ever came out. That's the thing, though. It won't come out." He looked back at her and smirked. "If you come with me, Poseidon, and join my team, I swear that the moment I even think you might turn, I'll tear your head off your body and stop you before it happens. I'll make sure you won't hurt another person."
She felt her face pale at that. Then she actually thought about it...
Would Sky be able to save her again? If the Tallest Wave got out, would it be so casual with everyone and risk them breaking her free? They had barely even scratched the creature, and yet, in a single attack, it had nearly killed dozens of the greatest heroes in the world. Not to mention, she didn't even know where Sky was anymore. Sky hadn't come home.
Even now, she felt it. The abomination in her head. It yelled, howled, begged to be set free, refused to let her sleep, and constantly pounded away at her skull. Its voice had only grown more prominent since the Beast's attack. In the past, she wouldn't have to worry about it as much, but now, every time she was about to fall asleep, she could feel it bubbling back up. How long did she have until it ate away what was left of her sanity?
How long was she going to be Poseidon?
"Do you promise?" She finally asked in a meek voice.
"I swear on it."
Poseidon slowly nodded her head. "Okay. Well, I haven't agreed to anything yet, just so you know. I'd need to hear more about this team. You'll be building it in Oleander, right?"
"No." Battery shook his head. "Not Oleander. You see-" A series of gunshots rang out. All of the bullets slammed into Battery's head and didn't even make it past his costume before they dropped down into the palm of his Giant. Ward stood, half hanging out of his window, glaring at the man in front of him. He gripped a smoking gun, which clicked, finally running out of bullets. Battery looked back at him. "Did that make you happy, little man?"
"Screw you! Screw all of you! You don't even know who you're fucking with! I'm going to call the Victorian! She's going to kick your ass! I'll order her to throw you into the fucking sun! I know who you are! I'll let the entire world know that you're the Emperor's son, you bastard!"
"That's why you let me on the team." It suddenly clicked with Battery, who let out a snort followed by full-blown laughter. It was a hard chuckle, one in which he covered his face with his hand and threw his head back as if he had just gotten some cosmic joke.
"B- Boss?" Purrfect asked, feeling a little creeped out by the sight of the calm, collected man breaking down into a giggling fit.
"You're just like your dad." Battery's laughter slowly died down, and he looked back at the man, giving a smirk. "You were planning on blackmailing me, weren't you? Going to make me dance in the palm of your hand by holding that information over me, I assume?" He snickered some more. "Man. It would have worked on the old me, I bet. Sorry to say, I don't care now, though."
"You're lying!"
"Am I?"
"E- Even if you're not, I'll still call the Victorian on you!"
Battery's Giant took a thundering step away, now carrying Poseidon on it. His grin only grew as he took one last look at Ward. "Oh, no need. I'm about to pay her a visit myself. After all, I think it's time for the world to discover who the real strongest Super is. You can call me back later once I've become the number one hero."
Ward remained rooted in his tower as the Giant finally left. The man let out a loud curse and slammed his gun down as hard as he could. "God damn it!"
También te puede interesar
Comentario de párrafo
¡La función de comentarios de párrafo ya está en la Web! Mueva el mouse sobre cualquier párrafo y haga clic en el icono para agregar su comentario.
Además, siempre puedes desactivarlo en Ajustes.
ENTIENDO