Hope took several steps back, keeping her eyes trained on the girl in front of her. She had no idea who this person was, but if they were in Hell Land, then that meant they had to be a villain, and that was enough for her.
"Are you okay?" The girl with gray hair asked, cocking her head to the side.
"I'm fine." Hope spun around and was about to run off once again but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked down, finding the girl looking down at her, directly behind her now. "C- Can I help you with something?"
The villain's face remained blank and held little emotion. Despite that, Hope could tell she was being sized up. "You look familiar." The villain finally said. "Who are you?"
She opened her mouth, about to speak, but closed it. Thanks to the Hero Branch, the entire world got to see Cinder without her mask on and even learn that her real name was Hope. She'd have to seriously remember to beat the crap out of the guys that threw her under the bus like that. Her real name was basically out of the question, so she came up with something else.
"Ruby. My name is Ruby Larison."
The gray-haired girl's muscles seemed to relax a bit, and the girl nodded her head. "I see. My name is-" The girl stopped and frowned, rubbing her chin. "Meta. You can just call me Meta."
She was willing to bet money on the fact that Meta was in fact not this girl's actual name, but she couldn't really question it since she was also using a fake name. "Well, if that's everything, I think I should head out before those guys wake up." She gestured to the knights, who were all out cold. "Wouldn't want them to catch me again, right?"
Meta adjusted her hat, her face remaining blank still. "You were caught stealing." The girl questioned, though the answer was obvious as her eyes scanned Hope up and down, taking in the Hell Land jacket. "You shouldn't walk around by yourself. It is dangerous for kids to be here. Is there someone you came with?"
"Nope! Totally alone!"
Meta gave a small nod of her head. "I see. That complicates things. In that case, I should join you. You won't be bothered so long as I am with you."
That gave her serious goosebumps. Was this girl some sort of powerful villain or something? There were hundreds of evil groups all throughout the world. Oleander alone had three big ones in the form of Bad Timers, Zoo, and the Wandering Coin. Most Supers tended to be on the side of evil since it was so much easier. "N- No thanks." She quickly shook her head. "I might not look it, but I'm pretty strong." That wasn't really a lie. She was the one who killed the Beast after all. As soon as she found a way to revert her tiny body, she'd be golden once more.
"If you're sure." Meta didn't seem bothered by her blunt response.
"Yep! Totally sure-"
She jumped a bit when Meta suddenly reacted to something. Faster than she could blink, Meta's hand soared into the air, grabbing something. The villain slowly brought it up to her eyes and stared down at the squirming robot that was shaped like a fly. One of Avalon's drones had found her. It didn't live for long as Meta squeezed down and crushed it. Meta didn't stop there, though. In a fluid strike, the girl drew her rifle and sent out waves of slashes through the air.
Green energy spilled out of the blade and sliced more of the drones down from miles away, cutting through hundreds of them in an instant. The villain spun her sword back around and sheathed it.
"How odd. Avalon's drones seem to be looking for something. He should be more careful, though. He could anger the Owner. I don't want him reading my thoughts though, so I guess I'll just keep destroying them if I sense them nearby-" Meta glanced down suddenly when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her elbow. Hope stared up at her with wide eyes.
"I change my mind! You're just the kind of person I need!" She put on her best puppy dog look and pleaded with the villain. "Big sis Meta, please help me get out of Hell Land!"
Meta blinked. Slowly, the girl placed her hand on the young child's head. "Cute."
Meanwhile, on the other side of Hell Land, Avalon let out a string of curses and kicked a nearby puppy. The dog flew forward, crashing into a woodchipper as the other villains all cheered. "That's ten points!" Someone called out. "Step on up to our attraction! Prove how evil you are by killing the cute pupper in the worst way possible! Top scores win a prize!"
Avalon let out a grunt and adjusted his tie, giving a sly smirk. "Still got it." Though kick the puppy wasn't the game he was best at in Hell Land. That honor went to Club the Baby Seal. He won top spot for that game after he beat a baby seal with another baby seal. "Maybe I should go play a round or two of burn the house down, or a good old-fashioned rob the baby of its candy?"
They weren't real animals or people in any of the games. The dog he had just kicked was thankfully just an animatronic created by the Owner. Every ride in Hell Land was all handcrafted by the Owner, who had a Mental based power made for creating twisted rides. Somewhere down the line, the Owner thought it would be funny or interesting to make a lot of twisted games with life-like robotic models, such as Grandma bowling, where you used a truck to run over as many old women crossing the street as possible.
The scientist stepped away, now holding his prize. It was a life-sized Victorian body pillow. The Owner also thought it was funny to steal hero merchandise and offer it up as prizes in his games, so the heroes wouldn't get any profit. Not like they needed it, though. Those 'good guys' were rich enough.
"My drones should have found Hope by now." He tucked the pillow under one of his arms and pulled his phone out. His smug smile faded when he saw he had no signal. "How the hell did she destroy them all? Her powers shouldn't be back yet." He typed something in, and the screen changed, showing off the last thing they saw before they were all destroyed. "Oh crap! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" He dropped the pillow and took off, running at full speed toward the Owner's tower. "Why the hell is 'she' here!"
The woman in the picture, the one who had seemingly found Hope before him, was someone he knew very well. Someone very dangerous… One of the few Mental-based Supers that could give even Boy Genius a run for his money.
In the crowd of villains, Meta and Hope walked. She clung to the villain, feeling pretty good about herself. If this girl was able to casually destroy Avalon's drones, then she didn't have much to worry about. Those bugs had been her biggest worry. As long as she stuck near Meta, the girl would be able to wipe them out if the man threw any more at them. The way Meta acted also was a good sign. She was pretty confident she could get the girl to protect her from Avalon if it came to it.
Come to think of it though, that was a little odd. After all, she was sure this girl was a villain. She didn't recognize the name Meta or the girl's appearance, but that didn't mean anything. New villains appeared every day.
"You're not really what I was expecting." She finally said.
Meta glanced down at Hope, still having no emotion on her face or in her voice. "What were you expecting?"
"I guess for you to not be so nice? We're in a place called Hell Land." She snorted. "I mean, I look around, and it just sort of dawns on me that every person here is evil, you know." The crowd kept going in many directions. Some people stopped at food stands getting overpriced meals, others got onto rides. Some of the people were in costumes or suits of armor, but most looked like normal people. There were some that even looked like your typical family walking with their children. It sent chills down her spine knowing there were kids here.
"Not everyone who is here is evil." Meta also looked around the crowd, taking the sight of it all in. "Many of the supervillains that come here do so to trade info or goods amongst each other in the Owner's tower. While they do this, their teams are left to run around. My own boss is here, and soon I will be asked to join him. Most of the people you see here are henchmen. People without powers. More still aren't even in a gang and are instead family members of villains or grunts. They just happen to know the right kind of people. Then you have the rich folk who work directly with the Owner. They fund this place and, in return, can take their people and family here as well as get to work personally with many villain groups. The elites of the world and the villains all go hand in hand. That said, does that make this a place of evil?"
"If it's filled with a bunch of villains or people who want to work with villains, then yeah." She said firmly. "I'd say so?"
"Are you against villains?"
"Uh! Well-" She winced a bit. She forgot that she was the only superhero in Hell Land. A superhero without any powers trapped in a child-like body. It was probably weird to not be into the villain life if you were visiting such a place.
"It's fine." Meta squeezed her shoulder as they kept walking through the crowd. She tried to read the girl's face but couldn't. Meta was the kind of person who would be good at poker. The girl never gave anything away. "I'm sure you have your reasons for thinking that way. That said, Hell Land is a place for villains. Not a place for evil. I won't deny that there is evil here and that it was built on top of evil. Being a villain doesn't mean you're evil right away, though. At least that's what I think. There's a whole planet out there. Despite that, though, the only person who protects it is the Victorian. The other heroes have left everyone else behind and stay in their ten cities. They've built walls and closed off the world. Villages, towns, and even other smaller cities still exist that the heroes never come to because it isn't in their part of the world. The Supers that run around in this land are called villains because they don't want to work directly with the heroes or the Hero Branch. Many of those people are here now, staying in the hotels or looking for work to provide for their family or village. I wouldn't say they are evil. Of course there are evil villains; in fact, I dare say most are evil, but I'd also like to say that I wouldn't really call any hero a good person either."
She didn't really have anything to say to that. The ten major cities of the world had closed themselves off. They had left the rest of humanity behind. The humans that didn't live in the ten cities only had the Victorian to look after them. The lone hero who was strong enough, fast enough, and more importantly, kind enough, to go out of her way to check up on them. But she couldn't be everywhere at once. Just as Full Monarch had failed, there was no way the Victorian could keep every place in the world safe at all times.
The Hero Branch had walled everything off and turned the outside world into a place they called the Wasteland. A place where the giant monsters from the Emperor's army still roamed, or the undead zombies of Lucifer's forces walked. She had gone most of her life assuming that there was no one who would be able to make a living in a harsh land like that, yet the memories she had seen had shown her otherwise.
That little village that Wano had moved to. How many more existed like it? Scattered all over this planet. How many places didn't have a hero that could protect them? Not even a hero. Anyone that could protect them. When you considered just how many people must be in danger or struggling to live, it really made her consider if you could call the Hero Branch good.
She looked around at the people in the crowd, watching many of them laugh or smile. Despite that, though, she still couldn't help but remember how most reacted when she had been grabbed. No one had stepped in besides Meta to save her. Did that mean Meta was good despite being a villain? Did it mean that everyone who stood by and did nothing was evil? If that was the case, then every hero who could help but didn't was evil. Then again, what could the people have done? Could any of them have stopped those men from taking her? If a person didn't have the power and knew they didn't and did nothing, were they evil for not trying at all?
"Man, my head really hurts thinking about all of this." She winced and rubbed at her forehead. "Can everything just be black and white, and the good guys always win while the bad guys are mustache-twirling levels of evil? Is that too much to ask for?" That was when she noticed something else. They were going in a complete circle. The entire time she had been debating morality, Meta had walked them around a ride over and over again, the villain's eyes never once leaving it. She followed the girl's gaze, finding it was one of the spinning teacup rides. The kind where they crashed together and bounced around a large field. This one had been made by a Super, though, so it was much bigger, and the crashes looked way more chaotic and crazier. "Do you want to go on that ride, Meta-"
"I thought you would never ask." Meta's voice didn't rise, nor did her face change, but her eyes seemed to have a brief flicker of excitement to them. "I mean…" The girl cleared her throat. "We can go on it if you want, Ms. Larison."
"Right…"
That was how Hope found herself boarding one of the large metal cups. The ride was set up like an arena, with each teacup able to hold four people. It was just her and Meta, however. The other cups had other groups in them, and in total there were nearly twenty. The field was almost a mile long, and once the ride started, it was like a massive earthquake went off, and the cups began to spin so fast, they kicked up tornadoes. She had to do everything she could to hold onto Meta for dear life and not be sent flying off.
That wouldn't be the last ride Meta would take her on, as they walked toward the exit of Hell Land...
Meanwhile, at another spot in Hell Land, the knights Meta had knocked out began to groan and shake as they were finally waking up. They were all handpicked by the Owner and given suits of armor that matched Hell Hound's. The Owner hadn't been one of the four warriors but had been a monster in the Emperor's army who had been placed directly under Hell Hound, and so he had modeled his forces after his former boss.
Each of the Owner's knights was a Super able to rival the strength of villains like Green Wolf or Polaron. Despite that, they had all been knocked out in a single attack from a lone woman. It was enough to humiliate them and wound their pride.
"Wakey, wakey, it's time for school!" The knights jumped to their feet when they heard the mocking voice. They found a lone Super standing at the other end of the alleyway they were in. One dressed in a fur coat with a hat that had the symbol of a butterfly on it. Michael tipped his hat in their direction, giving a smile. "How's it going, boys- Actually, don't answer that I can tell- Oh wait, is that rude? Should I let you answer- Ah, who am I kidding. You're all going to be dead soon- Wait, should I have said that?"
One of the guards stumbled back, staring at the blonde man in front of him. He shook, and the two other guards behind him shot him odd looks. "What's wrong, brother? It's just one Super? We can take him."
"No. We can't." The man through gritted teeth. "I know him. I've seen him before. Look closely, you fools! That man is the legendary villain, Arch-Angel Michael! Member of the Immortals! He's only rivaled by his leader, Arch-Angel Lucifer!"
"Aw, looks like I got a fan club!" Michael gave a cheery smile and stepped forward, causing the three armored men to step back. "Still got to kill you though. Boss's order- Lucy was all like- Again, why am I telling you? You guys will be dead soon- Though I guess if you're going to die soon, it doesn't matter, does it- Okay! I've talked myself into it! I'll tell you what's going on- Only because you keep pulling my leg- See, the thing is Lucifer doesn't like how the Owner is taking the side of the Emperor in their little game, so he asked me to cut down your guy's numbers, so to speak." Michael held up a bag that he casually tossed down in front of the armored men.
The men stared down, finding several heads of their fellow guards piled up in the bag. One of the guards drew their weapon, a large mace, which they swung out while jumping toward Michael with inhuman speed.
Michael just gave a sly smile and dodged the swing with ease. "Let's play a game. Ever heard of freeze tag?" He placed his hand on the guard's stomach, and in an instant the man was covered in ice, becoming a frozen corpse. Michael shoved the man over with his fingers, causing the frozen body to shatter into a million pieces. Another one of the guards turned to run, but Michael stopped him by speaking. "A new game. Simon Says. Simon Says smack yourself in the head as hard as you can." The guard's arm moved on its own, gripping down on his mace and swung it up into his helmet, flattening it. His body collapsed next to the final guard, who hadn't run.
The last guard stood there gripping his weapon. Unlike the others, it wasn't a mace and was instead a large battleaxe. He was the one who was tasked with cutting off the arm of the girl they caught. He didn't run or try to fight. He simply stared Michael down as the young man reached him.
"Tag." Michael casually slapped the man on the shoulder. "Looks like you made the cut. Enjoy your life, man- Oh, hey, can you clean up these corpses- No hard feelings, I hope- You know how bosses can be right? Anyways, I need to go find my sister- Take care, bro!"
Large wings stabbed out of Michael's back, expanding out with a flutter. They looked angelic in nature, consisting of hundreds of golden feathers. Michael took off into the air, leaving the black-armored knight standing in the alleyway, surrounded by his dead men.
The knight looked at the two corpses and then at the bag full of severed heads. "I really need to take my PTO soon."
Back over with Hope, she nearly collapsed to her knees, clutching her stomach. "Never again." She whimpered.
"Are you okay, Ms. Larison?" Meta asked, cocking her head to the side.
"No... No, I am not..."
They had just finished riding a massive rollercoaster, and much like the teacups, it had been built to push Supers to their limit. She had no idea how so many normal people enjoyed it. The ride had moved so fast it caught the air on fire and went up so high that if they had been on Earth, she was sure they'd have reached space.
Meta had taken her on three more rides before that as well. She was happy the girl was seemingly having fun, but it was seriously starting to cause her body to ache. "Let's get you something to drink." Meta stated.
"I'm fine-"
Meta ignored her and began to drag her to another part of the park. They were in a large, crowded area miles away from the beach, where the exit was. Meta ordered them some sort of soda and she quietly took hers.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Meta asked.
"I guess." She took a sip of her drink. "As much fun as this is, though, I'd like to leave. I asked you to take me to the exit. It's good you're having fun and everything, but there's something I really need to-"
"You're being followed." Meta said it in such a blunt way that she almost thought the girl was joking. She jumped a bit and almost spun around, but Meta kept a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Stay calm. I noticed that they were following us a little while before the teacups. At first, I thought they might be after me, but it isn't anyone I recognize. They've also kept their gaze on you. I haven't noticed any of the guards. I've kept us moving with the crowd and at popular places so they wouldn't be able to strike."
"That's why you took me on so many rides?" She had just assumed the girl really liked theme parks.
"I'm telling you now because he's approaching." Meta explained quietly. "If he tries to attack, I'll take him out."
"What does he look like?" She asked.
"He's a red monster."
"A monster!" That caught her off guard. She had been expecting it to be Avalon or Fairy Queen. Both were monsters but looked humanish. Neither were red either, so it couldn't be them. The park was full of monsters, many of them having no choice but to live here since the outside world would attack them. That meant there was a good chance this monster was part of the Emperor's group and dangerous. He also could seemingly bring his dead monsters back like what he did with Polaron or Demonica, leaving them in that weird shadowy form. At least she was assuming Demonica was dead if the girl was in that form. With that in mind, there was no telling who it could be.
"He's here."
"Hope." A voice asked quietly. She felt a shiver run down her spine and she slowly turned around. It was a voice she recognized. "You are Hope Lauren, right?"
He stood at eight feet tall and was covered in red skin that looked like living muscle. He wore a black jacket and blue jeans to cover up his form, and he was bald. A pair of devil horns stabbed out of his head as well as a tail that came from his rear, which flicked back and forth. In other words, he looked exactly like Mars King.
She looked the monster dead in the eyes as he stared down at her. "Kevin?" She asked in a whispered voice.
"Yeah." The boy nodded. "It's me."
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."
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