ã€ŠShade: Unbound (VOLUME 2 COMPLETE!)ã€‹


 Chapter 1 - To Awaken

    In the murky depths, a boy floated, his limbs moving with a languid grace, a silent dance with the currents. The tide of gray bore down on him, eroding his once-vibrant essence. But amidst the bleakness, a flicker of longing shimmered within his eyes, resembling a distant star begging to be seen.

    With a single movement, he surged through the water, a sleek predator chasing an elusive prey, his gaze fixated on the distant shore. The currents recoiled from his fervor, resisting him as if guarding a long-held secret. They whispered caution, urging him to reconsider his path and heed the mysteries that lay hidden beneath the surface.

    Unfazed by the opposition, the boy forged ahead. Every firm motion cleaved through the resistance like a relentless blade. Reluctantly, the currents yielded, guiding him hesitantly toward his destination.

    He burst forth from the abyss, hands clasping the forgiving grains of the sunlit shore. A tangible foothold in a realm reborn, at last. Droplets of water ceased clinging to his form, cascading down in a shower of prismatic radiance, each droplet a fleeting prism that refracted the memories of his journey.

    They danced in the air, a celestial ballet of liquid gems, as if bidding farewell to the depths which had held him captive. The glistening trail he left behind mirrored his metamorphosis. It spoke of hunger, a desire to prove himself against the shadows that threatened to consume his spirit.

    Stretching beyond the sands, a vast expanse of barren land unfolded, devoid of life and sustenance. In the center of this desolate domain stood a colossal mountain, its summit hidden by the clouds.

    The boy advanced, eager to commence his climb.

    *******

    Finn''s eyes snapped open, heart pounding like a drum. He blinked, struggling to grasp the remnants of a dream more vivid than reality¡ªtextures, colors, and sounds evaporating like smoke. Adrenaline surged as he leaped from his chair, scanning his cluttered room¡ªa familiar mess of posters and scattered books.

    Could it be¡­?

    Finn thrust his hand toward the wall, breath catching in his throat. His pulse quickened. Any second now¡­ Nothing. A beat passed, still nothing. ¡°Come on,¡± he muttered through gritted teeth, willing something to happen. He had been waiting for this moment his entire life¡ªonly to find¡­ nothing.

    He paced, anxiety creeping in. Had he been foolish to believe he was special? Maybe it was all a trick of his mind. Finn inhaled deeply, grounding himself. No! This was real. Something new had to be within him.

    His gaze fell on his pen and notebook, shimmering under his stare. No, they were brighter.

    As if pulled by an invisible thread, Finn crept toward his desk, heart hammering. The pen lay there, silently beckoning him to get closer. He reached out, trembling fingertips hovering above the smooth surface. The instant his skin grazed the pen, a ripple of color surged from his fingers, spreading across the pen until it shimmered a vibrant electric blue. Finn swallowed¡ªthis was real. His power was real.

    Awe washed over him as he stared at the shimmering pen. After years of feeling like a nobody, he was finally¡­ something.

    The next moment, he tried to focus on his power again.

    His vision went dark.

    Finn¡¯s pulse quickened, panic surging through him. He stumbled backward, colliding with his chair and hitting the floor with a thud. ¡°What¡­¡± His voice trembled as he scrambled up, breath quickening. Eyes darting around the now-ominously quiet room, he felt the walls closing in.

    Light filtered in from under his door, casting long shadows that danced across the floor. The comforting mess of his room faded, replaced by looming silhouettes. He took a shaky breath, trying to steady himself, but the air felt thick.

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± he whispered, the sound barely audible. ¡°So I can black out a room.¡± Gift or curse?

    What if he couldn¡¯t control it? He was superhuman. The implications hadn¡¯t fully sunk in yet. He could seriously hurt people. Obscure the ground and trip someone. Darken a crowded stairway and wait for the domino effect. Black out all traffic lights at a busy intersection and cause mass chaos. Vivid images of car wrecks and broken bodies flashed through his mind. It would be easy.

    Shaking those thoughts away, he turned back to the pen, now pure white. While at first, he hesitated to do anything else with it, a swell of determination nudged aside the fear. He flipped it over in his hand, marveling at how it retained its color after he stopped focusing. There wasn¡¯t even any difference in tactile sensation. Nothing other than visual proof. This was it¡ªhis power. The ability to manipulate colors¡ªor light? Either way, it was something.

    His heart raced with anticipation as he considered the possibilities. Would it be enough? Finn clenched his fists. He was ready to push his limits. He could control this.

    Experimentation ensued. He learned he could change colors without touching objects; it was just harder. As he brushed against the walls, he watched waves of black and white dance across them. Making things lighter or darker could have real uses! What if he could brighten a gloomy day or cast shadows for cover? Excitement mingled with anxiety, bringing his mind back to the balance he needed to maintain.

    Considering, he swept his orange bangs aside¡ª

    Wait.

    Finn bolted to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. In the mirror, a wide-eyed boy stared back, hair flaming orange. He was leaner than most, just shy of average height, and his usual bluish-gray eyes widened in disbelief. He touched his hair, heart pounding. Dispelling his power, it reverted to brown. So, his ability wasn''t limited to inanimate objects. What if he could use it on himself¡ªand others?

    With determination flaring in his chest, he focused, paying more attention to his reflected self than he had in a long time. After a tense moment, his skin tone darkened, eyes brightened, hair turned canary yellow. He attempted to shift it to a normal blonde but only managed a wild, chaotic mix. He held his breath as his hair flickered into wild colors, control slipping from his grasp.

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    Green splotches flickered across his face, then he reversed it. The green spread, interspersed with patches of his pale skin. It was exhilarating, but what if he had an accident? What if he outed himself in public, or altered himself permanently? No, he wouldn¡¯t make a mistake like that. It was fine.

    Finn stepped back to the wall, observing himself from a distance. He concentrated, trying to match the color of the tiles. To his astonishment, he nearly succeeded! This one technique had incredible implications. Camouflage. Maybe even invisibility one day! The thought sent a shiver of excitement down his spine.

    It didn¡¯t matter. He¡¯d work with what he had. Blending in was a start.

    He practiced until he saw progress, which wasn¡¯t until he was well into the impromptu training session. But as thrilling as this was, reality hit him like a cold wave. What next? This power could open several paths.

    When Finn finally opened the bathroom door, his heart sank as he came face-to-face with his mother. Her arms were crossed, her red hair catching the light from the hallway.

    "Mom?" he said, trying to sound normal, though his pulse quickened.

    "Finn, what were you doing in there?" she asked, her tone sharp but not angry. "This is the third time I¡¯ve come up to tell you dinner is ready."

    His stomach flipped. Had it really been that long? He had lost track of time entirely. "Just... looking in the mirror," he replied, trying to keep his voice even. But even to him, the lie felt hollow, like a poorly rehearsed line in a play.

    "For two and a half hours?" she pressed, her brow arching.

    Finn froze, his mind scrambling for an explanation. Two and a half hours? He had no idea it had been that long. His palms began to sweat, though his face remained carefully neutral. She couldn¡¯t know. She could never know. Could she tell? Could she sense that something was off?

    Then he realized the colors on his socks were still off, and fought really, really hard not to give into the urge to look down.

    His mom¡¯s stance softened slightly, her arms lowering. "I suppose you are at that age now," she mused, her voice taking on a thoughtful tone.

    Finn''s heart pounded, but not for the reason she probably thought. She didn¡¯t understand. She couldn¡¯t know about his powers. No one could. It wasn¡¯t just about changes that came with being a teenager, it was something so much bigger.

    "I''m not angry," she continued, running a hand through her red hair¡ªactual red hair, unlike his poor imitation earlier. "I know you''re going through a lot of changes right now. Your body, your mind... it''s normal to feel confused or curious."

    Finn clenched his jaw, nodding to get through the moment. His mother¡¯s words and the faint embarrassment he felt from them blurred together, the intended reassurance missing the mark entirely. She wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the real issue. She was talking about puberty, when what he was dealing with felt like another universe.

    "...and if you ever need to talk about anything, you can come to me. You don¡¯t have to go through things alone," she finished.

    "Yeah. Thanks, Mom," Finn muttered, trying not to sound too distant. "I''ll be down in a few minutes."

    She gave him a small smile, satisfied with his response, and turned to head back downstairs.

    Once the door clicked shut, he leaned against it, heart still racing. What was happening to him? He was supposed to use his powers, but he had to figure out how.

    He had to choose.

    That part, at least, was simple.

    He would have to become a hero. Honestly, it was the only way. There was no other option¡ªhe couldn''t become anything else, knowing what was at stake. This wasn¡¯t just about him.

    And even if he didn¡¯t have a good reason, the only other options were villainy, which just wasn¡¯t happening, or the military, which lacked upward mobility, freedom, and had a minimum age of sixteen for enlisting. No sense in waiting months before getting out there.

    But even with that resolution, the path ahead was murky. If he joined a government program, he¡¯d get a costume, support, everything covered. But telling his mother about his powers? There was no point; she would never understand. The less she knew, the better.

    Independent hero? That was more appealing. But was he really ready? What if he just ended up patrolling his neighborhood, barely scraping by? He couldn¡¯t afford to stagnate; he needed to grow!

    There was someone he needed to fight, after all.

    He rummaged through his pocket, retrieving his phone and searching for the app he was looking for. Having visualized this day for so long, it felt strange to be signing up for Aegis Corp.

    Working for a decentralized mercenary corporation with influence in most parts of the world? He would have preferred not to, but it was a shot at real power.

    Ostensibly, it offered only hero work, but everyone knew villains likewise accessed and utilized the network to keep apprised of the latest events. Furthermore, they used it to stage their own operations with secret codes for access and recruitment. Such was the price of anonymity. Anyone would be able to sign up.

    Hence why many clients featured hidden requirements in their missions and submitted personalized requests to established heroes with a good reputation or a known skill set. Finn also wondered if he wouldn¡¯t be putting himself at a disadvantage by not using the support network the other superhumans in the city had access to. He probably couldn¡¯t even afford not to register. How far would he get if everyone else was exchanging information while he patrolled the streets blindly?

    The registration screen appeared, asking for a name. Chroma, Hue, Spectrum¡ªnone resonated. They all gave a rather limited impression of his power. There was more to him than what those labels conveyed. He left it blank for now, putting it off for later.

    He skipped the power section as well. No specific requirement, but how would he gain access to missions without showcasing his talent? It felt like a ticking clock; the more he hesitated, the more options slipped through his fingers. Aegis was right there, offering him countless possibilities.

    And the store was their main selling point. Without it, the organization wouldn¡¯t have been nearly as popular. Finn understood why, as it was also his main reason for joining.

    Money, gadgets, weapons, primebeast materials, even surgery. If you had the credits, you could buy it. Granted, some things were illegal, but Aegis delivered internationally. Meaning that if one could travel to a place with different laws¡­

    Overwhelmed, he took a deep breath. The agreement to take responsibility for his actions brought clarity. It felt like a promise, like he was finally seizing control.

    He filtered for stealth missions when his profile was ready, finding a long list. Low pay, but expected. He could build himself up slowly, learn the ropes. Besides, Darkshiv did this sort of work, too.

    Finn''s thoughts flew faster than he could keep up. This was it¡ªhis first step into a new world. Could he do it?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it,¡± he whispered to himself, his breaths coming faster now. ¡°Tonight.¡±

    His hands hovered over the screen. He was actually moving forward with this. No more fantasizing in his room about what he would do if he got powers. The day had come.

    Hesitation gnawed at him, but he pushed it aside. This was his moment. He had a goal, a target.

    He exhaled slowly, then clicked the button.

 Chapter 2 - To Link

    The city was bustling, as usual, and Finn tried his best to avoid the crowds as he made his way to the first location on the mission list. This new outfit was making it significantly easier. Dressed in black cargo pants and an old gray hoodie, along with some gloves, he snuck from building to building. It wasn''t necessary, but this type of practice did keep him alert.

    As far as equipment went, he didn''t have much. Just what he''d been able to take from home. Some thread, a water bottle, duct tape, and a wrench in place of a real weapon. But he wasn''t planning to fight, the missions were about stealth.

    In contrast to the crowded streets, his destination was far quieter. It was an abandoned building near some industrial terrain. This kind of sight was common. With so many people flinging their powers at each other, buildings tended to get destroyed, and it was up to either the government or private landowners to fix them. And given that it was Apexia, assimilation tended to take priority over maintenance.

    As Finn approached the building, he could see that it had been cordoned off with yellow caution tape. He checked his Aegis Corp app for more information and saw that the building had been damaged in a recent battle between two villains. Recent by megacity standards, at least. It had been months since that event occurred, and no one had come in for repairs yet.

    He used his power to blend in with the environment and got a closer look. He couldn''t find anything suspicious, but the objective didn''t involve people. Strangely enough, he was supposed to enter the building and take pictures of the damages and look for any hidden compartments. For a moment, he wondered why no one else had done this mission already, then reminded himself the whole thing was worth a meager five credits.

    Upon taking the mission, he had been worried that the pictures he took with his phone would be traceable, but after some research, he had discovered that Aegis Corp had an automated filter for media files that rendered them and made the device they were recorded on indiscernible. Having learned that, he was less apprehensive about using Aegis'' software; anonymity was a business model for them.

    Finn entered the building, his footsteps echoing off the walls. The inside was dark, and the air was thick with dust. It was clear that no one had been inside for a long time. He turned on his flashlight and started walking around, examining the damage.

    The walls were pockmarked with holes, and the floors were littered with debris. Finn wondered if anyone had bothered to salvage anything before abandoning the building. He continued walking, looking for any hidden compartments.

    Past the next door, he felt the floor groan underneath him the second he stepped foot inside. Taking a step back, he quickly took a few pictures and backed out of the devastated room, not wanting to make it collapse. A five credit reward wasn¡¯t worth breaking his neck over.

    Finn continued his search and found a hidden compartment behind a fallen wall. He carefully removed the debris and pulled out a small metal box. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should open it, but then chose to do so.

    Inside the box, he found a stack of papers and a small, broken device. He snapped some pictures of the papers and examined the device, but he had no idea what it was or what it did. He would look it up in the Aegis store later.

    The papers weren¡¯t making sense to him either. It was all technical jargon he didn¡¯t have the knowledge to understand. He was pretty sure it had to do with construction though. Which made sense, given where he had discovered it. But whether it was suspicious or not, Finn couldn¡¯t tell.

    Satisfied with his findings, Finn made his way out of the building and back onto the city streets. He had completed his first mission for Aegis Corp, and it was a success. And yet, as he walked away, he couldn''t shake the thought that there was something more going on than just a simple reconnaissance mission.

    The next location was thirty minutes away. On the way there, Finn spotted a figure rushing through the air on a storm cloud towards a plume of smoke rising in the distance. Finn knew he couldn''t have made it there in time, even if he ran at full speed, but he was glad to see there were heroes responding so quickly. Even if he wished he had the ability to fly like that.

    But that was neither here nor there, his objective was the other way regardless. It was another set of abandoned buildings, this time closer to a residential area. The mission was similar to the last one but not quite the same. He was supposed to take pictures, but rather than look for hidden compartments, it required him to collect evidence of any potential crimes.

    Finn thought his power should be well suited to that. And he ended up being correct on that front. After entering the building, he discovered his power actually had a lot of forensic utility. In addition to being able to change the color of an object to spot fingerprints, he was also capable of spotting other traces, such as minor damages the naked eye would have otherwise missed. Or other clues like gunpowder residue, footprints, and blood.

    It certainly felt good to succeed at something so easily. This place had been the crime scene for what seemed to be assault or murder. That set him on edge at first, but Finn realized none of the evidence looked particularly fresh. He doubted anyone would be coming here today.

    As if the universe was trying to prove him wrong, he heard screeching tires outside at that very moment. He ran up to the dirty window to see what was going on.

    It was a van. Four people exited the vehicle, and the first thing Finn noticed was their weapons. Three of them carried knives, and the last one was holding an actual gun. Not a small one either. Some sort of automatic rifle or something. Finn wasn¡¯t an expert on firearms.

    But he had prepared for this eventuality, no one would know he was¡ª

    A woman happened to be walking by. What were the odds? Finn had no idea why anyone would be wandering through such an area at night.

    Oblivious to his misfortune, one of the guys accosted her and dragged her into the alley next to the abandoned building while their gunman made a phone call.

    What was he supposed to do now? Leave her to her fate? He had come here prepared to hide his presence if need be. So why did it have to be here, of all places, that a random person showed up and fell victim to a bunch of criminals right where he stood?

    Finn could almost laugh at the bitter irony of his predicament. In all his preparations for tonight, he may have been right in judging his own capabilities and choosing the correct path. Except, he had failed to account for what would happen if someone else was getting hurt and no other heroes were around to save them.

    Without proper preparation for combat with his powers, he didn¡¯t feel as prepared as he would have liked. He knew some basic fighting stances and moves, but nothing that would even the odds between himself and four adult men. Let alone armed ones.

    However, his legs were already taking him out of the building from the side door which led into the alley. It was out of sight from the other three guys. He walked up behind the assaulter.

    He made sure to be as quiet as possible, but that might not have been necessary with how distracted the guy seemed to be with the struggling woman. He could hear him growling threats at her in a low voice.

    Finn used his wrench to hit the man in the back of the knee. He buckled and lost his grip on the woman. The man began to swipe his knife behind him, but Finn was ahead of him with a punch to the jaw. He was out cold.

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    For a second, Finn halted to process how easy that had been. The size difference hadn¡¯t been too great, but still.

    Shaking his head, he regained his focus and began tying the man up, starting with duct tape over his mouth to prevent him from making any noise.

    He looked at the woman, who he now saw was a lot younger than she¡¯d looked from a distance, and signaled for her to be silent and run all the way upstairs into the opposite building.

    Finn used the interim to call in the authorities, then waited. His power lasted a few seconds after he touched something, so he changed the color of the door the girl had gone through to match the walls. That way nobody would notice the entrance and chase her. He kept the door to the building he¡¯d done his mission in, ajar, and waited.

    After another minute or so, the gunman, apparently the leader of this group, seemed to be done with his phone call and addressed his men. ¡°Where the fuck is Leo? I swear, if he¡¯s taking so long because he couldn¡¯t keep it in his pants, I¡¯m kicking his teeth in so hard he¡¯ll be eating his food through a straw for a year. Go check on him.¡±

    When they reached the alley, the one guy shouted in alarm, pointing at Finn, who promptly rushed into the other door beside him. They gave chase as anticipated.

    Once inside, Finn immediately hid beside the door and used his power to match his clothing with the pattern of the building¡¯s interior, which wasn¡¯t hard, given that it was only one color.

    The two men ran right past him upon entry, then one shouted for the other to go upstairs while running into another room. Finn let out the breath he didn¡¯t realize he¡¯d been holding. Pulling out his water bottle, he stalked closer to the other room.

    He saw the guy looking in a closet with his back to the door, giving Finn the opportunity to come closer. Before he did, however, he set a trap near the middle of the stairs.

    As he crept between the dusty furniture, the water in the bottle turned black. Then, when the guy finally turned, he was splashed in the face with black liquid.

    Robbed of sight, he wildly swung his knife back and forth as he shouted, but Finn waited for an opportunity to smash the hand wielding the knife with his wrench, then promptly tackled the guy into the closet, knocking the back of his head into a wooden plank. Now unarmed, the guy was still struggling to clear his vision as Finn hit him in the jaw.

    His beginner¡¯s luck seemed to have run out, because the blinded man shoved Finn away, sending him rolling over the floor as his opponent got up. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the lingering ache in his shoulder.

    Wild swings came before he was ready, and one of them caught him in the side, pushing him back down. Finn grimaced. The man¡¯s vision was recovering and he¡¯d barely made any progress.

    Outside the room, he heard the other gang member thundering down the stairs, then falling over the thread Finn had tied there. Using that moment of distraction, he rolled back, swung the door shut and used his power to black out the window.

    The first gangster, who had just gained a clear line of sight, was now blind again. A moment later, he was shoved in the back. Finn didn¡¯t waste another second and kneed the stumbling man in the face, earning him a grunt.

    Given that he was going off memory, he had to undo his power to reorient himself. What he saw was that his opponent was still not down for the count, glowering with a hand covering his nose. Before the man was up, Finn kicked him back down and ran to the closet, then blacked out the surroundings.

    Finn grabbed the top ledge of the cupboard to hoist himself up and almost fell back down, barely saving himself by using the hinges and handles with his feet. When he was on top, he got the tip of his shoe between the wall and closet, he pushed with all his strength.

    The only thing the criminal saw when the light shone back in, was a giant closet falling on top of him. This time, he wasn¡¯t exactly raring to continue the fight, groaning pitifully underneath a piece of furniture more than double his bodyweight.

    Finn had already moved to the other side of the room, breathing heavily, because the guy¡¯s buddy was coming in. He didn¡¯t make it two steps before tripping over a camouflaged leg. The door swung shut and the blackness descended.

    Disarming this guy was easy; Finn just stomped on his hand and broke his grip. He cried in pain, making Finn hesitate. The thug almost managed to get his bearings, but Finn recovered first.

    He wasn¡¯t going to try a grapple against someone heavier than him, so his technique was simple: rain down blows from unexpected angles until the enemy gave up or stopped moving.

    It took longer than Finn would have liked. After the seventh hit, he wished for a warrior power that would make physical confrontations like this trivial. But it worked, and probably in less time than Finn felt it had taken.

    The man was mumbling something unintelligible, but Finn gathered the general sentiment, which was that he surrendered in the face of that onslaught. He didn¡¯t even resist the tape tying his limbs together. Apparently, falling down the stairs, getting tripped, and subsequently beaten into submission was a bit discouraging. And painful, going by the constant flinching.

    Part of Finn had expected to have to fight another round, but the other gang member was still on the ground, cursing under his breath. He wasn¡¯t as receptive to being tied up, but he also wasn¡¯t in any position to negotiate with Finn standing on the closet and weighing him down further.

    A minute later, both of them were subdued, and Finn was about to get up when he heard shouting outside. ¡°Just come on out, you little bitch,¡± the gunman was saying, ¡°I promise I don¡¯t hit girls.¡±

    Girls? Oh, right. The leader had never seen Finn. He assumed the girl from earlier had done all of this. But he seemed hesitant to enter the alley. Almost as if he didn¡¯t want to stray too far from the van.

    ¡°You have until three! One, two¡­¡±

    Finn was no longer listening, instead having found a way out of the house through the other side window with some new loot from his fight. By the time he could peek around the corner, the cacophonous gunfire had already started. He saw the would-be murderer firing recklessly into the open house. Didn¡¯t he care if he hit his goons?

    Either way, that wasn¡¯t going to stop Finn from sneaking up on him by camouflaging himself in the peripheral view of the distracted criminal.

    Letting up, the gunman opened his mouth again, but cold steel pressed against his throat.

    ¡°Drop the weapon,¡± Finn said in a low voice.

    The rifle clattered to the sidewalk, making Finn¡¯s eyes widen. Though he supposed it would have been risky to call his bluff, even if he never planned to actually use the knife.

    ¡°What gang are you in? Homeland? Look man, I wasn¡¯t gonna stay on your turf for long, just a quick drop-off. That¡¯s it. No need to make this ugly, alright?¡± He shifted, exposing a tattoo on his neck. Finn recognized it.

    Venin. This guy was a member of Venin, a local gang run by Viperia and all the villains working under her, who each commanded their own groups of men. Ones like this guy. If this guy failed to report back, that meant reinforcements might arrive, which meant more armed men could show up. Or worse, ones with powers. But he could already hear sirens, so he should be fine.

    Pushing the guy onto the road, Finn dropped the knife as the cops got out of their car. The gang member put his hands in the air and waited for his imminent arrest.

    As Finn stood there, watching the police apprehend this gangster, he took a few seconds to convince himself this was real. He had actually stopped four of these guys by himself, and he had prevented a potential murder from happening. The tension in his body gave way to a rush of pride, followed by exhaustion.

    One officer approached him, and Finn pointed in the direction of the remaining criminals. At the beginning, the man thought Finn was a criminal, then he realized Finn was on an Aegis mission. His tone still had a cold edge to it, though.

    The conversation concluded after a few more words, and Finn glanced to the side to see the cargo from the white van being unloaded. It was a metal cube lined with neon lights and a glowing center with strange markings on it. He managed to take a picture from a distance. Scrolling through the Aegis app, he found a mission for gathering intel on Venin, and submitted his photo.

    Having confirmed that the gangsters were all in cuffs, Finn made his way over to the other building and walked up the stairs. Behind a dusty old chair was a crouching girl, turning frantically at the sound of footsteps behind her. She relaxed when she saw who it was. Beckoning her to come with him, he made his way out.

    This whole experience was surreal. He replayed the fight in his head, and went over each mistake he could identify and how to fix them. Frustrating as it was, practice alone wasn¡¯t going to help him solve every issue. He frowned. If this was how he did against normal humans, what would he do if he encountered an actual villain? Those credits couldn¡¯t come fast enough.

    At the bottom of the stairs, he realized he hadn¡¯t been speaking very much, too focused on his performance evaluation. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked the girl.

    She just nodded.

    Finn kept talking as he opened the front door. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t realize you were here. If that guy had just shot you instead of sending his lackey¡­¡± he trailed off.

    She looked unnerved at that, and Finn cringed internally at how badly he was messing this up. He was supposed to reassure the victim, not remind them how close they came to certain death.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he heard the girl say in a soft voice behind him as they stepped out into the alley.

    ¡°It was nothing,¡± he replied. ¡°Just don¡¯t wander around alone in these kinds of places at night. Don¡¯t you have a safety routing app?¡±

    ¡°No, I do. I¡¯m sorry. I was just dealing with a lot. I- I did something I can never undo, and I just wanted to get away from it all, and then I ended up¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I was lucky you happened to be here.¡±

    Finn took a closer look at her. An immaculate glittering red dress embraced her tall figure, boosted even further by a set of high heels. Her hair and makeup were ruined, however. He figured she¡¯d been crying from the mascara trailing down from her slanted eyes. But he couldn¡¯t tell if her tears came before or after she ran into the thugs.

    A moment later, he nodded as he checked for credits on his phone. Still nothing.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± the girl asked.

    Finn paused. He hadn¡¯t thought about it a great deal, but he supposed he now had a better understanding of what did and didn¡¯t work for him in battle. That warranted a suitable name.

    ¡°Shade,¡± he decided. ¡°Call me Shade.¡±

 Chapter 3 - To Temper

    Finn had parted ways with the girl when the police noticed them. He had slipped away around a corner and covered himself with his power before walking back home.

    It was the next day at school now, and the normality of it all threw him off. For whatever reason, his instincts were primed to fight again, or to have to hide from another crazed gunslinger, but no one paid him any mind.

    The first few hours passed like any other, but that started to change around lunch time. As he sat in the cafeteria, he scrolled through his feed and saw the notification from Aegis Corp come in. For security reasons, it wouldn¡¯t show the icon unless he clicked on it, but he was eager to find out what it would tell him. He was interrupted, though.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    Finn turned to see a lanky, freckled boy looking at him with apparent concern. He nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Jack.¡±

    ¡°Are you? You look super tired. You stay up late to scroll the feed or something?¡± Jack asked, putting a hand on Finn¡¯s shoulder.

    That made him flinch, which Jack took notice of. ¡°You¡¯re hurt,¡± the boy said, taking a seat opposite Finn.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Finn stressed.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t give me that, Finn,¡± he leaned forward. ¡°Remember that time we went camping, and you thought you were being sneaky with your secret candy stash? My parents might not have noticed, but I knew about it even before you took the first bite. Just like I know something''s changed with you now.¡±

    Should he tell Jack? Telling anyone about his secret identity was risky, but it was arguably riskier to not tell anyone and keep going on missions all by himself, doubly so if trouble kept finding him despite his efforts. His pool of potential candidates to reveal himself to was small anyway. And he had already ruled out one of them, so Jack really was the best option.

    Yet he kept quiet, not wanting to volunteer his greatest secret. While hero work was dangerous, he didn''t want to expose Jack to said danger by revealing himself. He would ultimately have to complete his goal alone, anyway.

    ¡°I''d say you took up a sport, but there''s no reason to hide that from me. Did you get into a fight?¡± Jack held his hand up before Finn could answer. ¡°No, you''re not the type to throw down without a very good reason. That means one of two things. Either someone gave you a reason, or you had an accident.¡±

    Finn tried to school his features into something unreadable, but it was an exercise in futility.

    ¡°Not an accident, got it. And since I was with you yesterday at school, it must have happened after. You should''ve just been at home the entire¡­ Finn, are you involved with a gang?¡±

    Why did everyone think that? Was it something about his demeanor?

    ¡°Or did you just have a run-in with them?¡± Jack continued. ¡°Maybe a few members saw you, shook you down for all your money? It''s possible, but the odds of that are low in this part of the district. Where were you yesterday?¡±

    The silence spoke volumes, pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place. Jack leaned back in his seat, a mix of astonishment and excitement dancing in his eyes.

    ¡°You ran into trouble, didn''t you?" Jack''s voice was barely above a whisper, as if afraid of shattering the fragile revelation. "Not just any trouble... something bigger, something dangerous. Finn, were you at that burning building last night?¡±

    ¡°Do I look burned?¡± He¡¯d seen it from a distance, though. It had slipped his mind after all the ensuing chaos yesterday.

    Jack¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did you meet Mistral?¡±

    ¡°No, it was nothing. Just forget about it,¡± Finn said. It was a good thing Jack had no idea about¡ª

    ¡°Do you have powers?¡±

    Finn''s breath caught.

    ¡°HOLY SH¡ª¡±

    Finn clamped a hand over Jack''s mouth, soon enough that his outburst only resulted in a few head turns from the people at other tables.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Finn urged.

    Jack calmed down somewhat, then continued in a whisper. ¡°But you have powers now. Wait, what did you even get? Please tell me you¡¯re a mobility type.¡±

    Finn sighed. The cat was out of the bag, might as well answer. ¡°I¡¯m not. My power isn¡¯t anything crazy. I just change the colors of objects near me. And of myself. I used it for camouflage last night.¡±

    Jack, who had been sitting with his hands in his hair as he processed this information, paused. ¡°Last night? When did you manifest?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday.¡±

    ¡°You went on patrol on your first day? How did you join the district team so fast? How¡­ no. You did not.¡±

    Again, silence turned out to be the most telling response Finn could give.

    Jack laughed in disbelief while shaking his head. ¡°I guess Aegis is better than going out completely blind. How many missions did you get in yesterday?¡±

    ¡°I was on my second when the third happened all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°How? Did you walk in on a burglary or something?¡±

    ¡°Sort of, but not really. I was collecting evidence on some crime scene in an abandoned building for an anonymous client when I heard this drifting noise outside. So I went to check it out, and it was four armed guys hopping out of a van. The leader had a gun.¡±

    Jack was listening intently with a slack jaw, so Finn continued. ¡°The other guys all have knives, but then this girl comes walking by at that exact moment. The timing of it was actually ridiculous. Then one of them storms up to her and drags her into an alley.¡±

    ¡°So did you save her?¡± Jack asked, eyes wide and eager.

    Finn nodded and recounted the rest of the story, with Jack on the edge of his seat until the very end.

    ¡°Shade?¡± he said after Finn was done.

    ¡°Shade,¡± Finn confirmed.

    ¡°I like the name, it works. But I wish I could have brainstormed it with you,¡± Jack buried his face in his hands.

    ¡°Since when have you ever been good with names?¡±

    ¡°Since always.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°And you haven¡¯t told your mom?¡¯

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Obviously not.¡±

    ¡°Right, because of your¡­ father,¡± Jack finished hesitantly.

    ¡°...Yeah.¡±

    The two fell silent for a while before Jack changed the topic. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell me right away? You know you can trust me with this kind of thing. We could be like a team.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not safe.¡±

    Thankfully, his friend didn¡¯t push the matter any further. ¡°What about your credits? Did you get any recruitment offers?¡±

    Finn looked at his Aegis app. ¡°No offers; I got a rating. And 300 credits for that info gathering mission on the Venin.¡±

    ¡°300?! That¡¯s enough to buy a whole new computer and then some¡­¡± his friend trailed off.

    Then Jack asked Finn to show his profile, and he did so.

    Name: Shade

    Missions completed: 3

    Ability: N/A

    Combat capabilities:

    Hand-to-hand combat: Novice

    Weapon proficiency: None

    Power control: N/A

    Tactical awareness: Novice

    Strategic planning: Intermediate

    Client recommendations: Shade is best suited for missions that require reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, where combat is not the primary objective. Further training is recommended to improve combat capabilities and power control.

    Additional notes: Shade has demonstrated a good understanding of the basics of combat, but lacks experience and specialized training. Currently, he is unable to utilize any offensive powers or weapons, but shows potential for improvement.

    Estimated threat level: F+

    ¡°But,¡± Jack began, ¡°how do they know this? I get that the people who requested the mission would approve of your ability to gather intel, but who could have seen you fight those Venin members if they all got arrested.¡±

    Finn shrugged. ¡°Has to be the police. I¡¯m inexperienced, but I¡¯m not naive enough to assume the police don''t use Aegis as a way to collect and spread intel about independents. Especially when they¡¯re not officially allowed to build a file on them. And I got the impression the cop didn¡¯t like me. I assume he interrogated the Venin thugs and passed along a note to the client. Or maybe the police was the client who put out that mission. Who knows.¡±

    Jack bobbed his head to the side. ¡°I guess, but isn¡¯t the report awfully positive if it came from someone you think doesn¡¯t like you?¡±

    ¡°Ha. It doesn¡¯t have to be him specifically. It was probably a colleague.¡±

    ¡°Could be, but have you thought about why those guys were there in the first place?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The Venin thugs. Think about it. They came racing to an abandoned building after sunset with an important package and immediately sent someone to neutralize a potential witness. And then their leader got on the phone while waiting outside the van. And he didn¡¯t want to let the cargo out of his sight? What were they doing there if not delivering it?¡±

    ¡°The guy did say something about a drop-off, but no one else was there.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t they? Or did they just choose not to show themselves when they saw an unknown vigilante deal with the Venin and secure the witness?¡±

    Finn sat back, considering that. ¡°So what are you saying? This unknown person was observing from the shadows and passed along data about me?¡±

    ¡°Not sure, I was just putting it out there. It¡¯s possible they were just late and never showed up, but these kinds of exchanges tend to happen fast. Thugs don¡¯t tend to stray too far from their territory. Especially not for long.¡±

    ¡°Then you think someone else was involved?¡±

    Jack nodded. ¡°It''s possible. And if they were, they might have been the one who gave the positive report to Aegis. Maybe they''re interested in recruiting you, or maybe they just wanted to see what you were capable of.¡±

    Finn stared at his food tray, lost in thought. ¡°It''s definitely worth looking into. If we get more information on this package, we should be able to find out who they were waiting for.¡±

    Jack grinned. ¡°That''s the spirit. I have a feeling we''re just scratching the surface of what''s really going on here.¡±

    "And we might not get any further than that if I get blown up next time I''m on a mission," Finn commented. ¡°Which is why we''re going to train today.¡±

    ¡°After you get some more sleep,¡± Jack chuckled.

    ********

    The aforementioned slumber ended up taking place on his living room couch once he got home from school, and his mother woke him up right before dinner time.

    He jumped when he felt her hand on his arm, startling her.

    She leaned closer, her wavy red hair falling over her shoulders. ¡°Are you having nightmares again, Finn?¡±

    He rubbed his eyes and got up, realizing that he still had his coat and backpack on. ¡°No, Mom. I was just a bit on edge.¡±

    ¡°From what?¡±

    ¡°Midterms?¡±

    She raised her eyebrow. "Finneas Waylon Allister. Do not lie to me, young man."

    He took a deep breath, trying to come up with a convincing lie. "It''s nothing, Mom. I just had a¡­ weird dream." Wow. Very compelling.

    ¡°And it¡¯s not a nightmare,¡± his mother''s blue-gray eyes softened. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±

    Finn shook his head. ¡°No, it''s alright. I think I just need to get some fresh air.¡±

    ¡°Once you''ve eaten dinner, you can do that.¡±

    Finn didn''t waste any time after finishing his inescapable meal and texted Jack to meet up at a place where they could train, which turned out to be an abandoned warehouse.

    They decided the goal would be to discover as many uses for his power as possible, and then master the most useful ones as quickly as possible.

    They started by testing his camouflaging, and it turned out that, when he wasn''t in low light conditions, it wasn''t great. He could only maintain his power for a short time when he focused only on himself. If he tried to maintain his power on other objects, he was able to hold for longer, but he couldn''t manage more than a few colors each.

    But they found the trick to crossing the line between simple camouflage and something approaching true invisibility was to manipulate the colors of both the surroundings and himself. And if that wasn¡¯t hard enough, Finn would have to account for the multiple angles he might be seen from, as well.

    They also tested his ability for potentially combat situations, and after Finn explained his last fight to Jack in more detail, they came to the conclusion that his tactics would largely revolve around misdirection by messing with the perception of his opponents.

    Unfortunately, Finn was unable to change the color of other people, nor could he directly affect the clothes they were wearing. So he couldn''t simply black out someone''s eyes and end them. In order to accomplish that, he needed to blacken another material, and then cover their vision with it, as he had done with the water bottle.

    They even tried steam and different forms of smoke, but Finn still didn''t have enough control over his power to shift the color of such diffuse materials. When he tried to color the air itself, he couldn''t even see his power begin to show. It just wouldn''t take.

    By the end of the session, they had come up with a few techniques.

    The first was color shifting, which involved Finn running around while changing colors rapidly to create a sort of strobe effect, which disoriented the opponent. He wasn''t confident that it would stop someone from putting a bullet in his head, but it would work if he ever needed to play distraction.

    The second was to partially camouflage his weapons to trick his opponent into thinking it was shorter than it truly was. Though he had only begun practicing this one and definitely wasn''t ready to use it in combat. And not just because the moving camouflage on an object was hard to do. He also sucked with weapons. Even a stick was proving difficult.

    The last technique was creating illusions, of sorts. He would change the colors of objects in the surroundings to display images that didn''t exist. For example, he could create a fake hole on a wall and make people try to run into it. Or when he was really advanced, he should be able to create moving images to create illusory clones of himself in the environment and make his opponents chase those, at least on walls. But he wasn''t advanced at all. So he was stuck with just turning street lamps red for now.

    But he knew it would be possible one day, and that was why he kept practicing until it was near midnight.

    As they left the warehouse, they discussed Finn''s investment plans, and Jack seemed to think he didn''t need both the grappling hook and the adhesive boots, and instead tried to get him to purchase a set of armor for less credits to bolster his defenses so he could take a hit if something went wrong out there.

    Which was a valid point, but Finn felt he needed to invest in his mobility because of his role. Defenses would only be relevant if he ended up in a combat situation. And his fighting style would involve a lot of running around.

    In the end, they agreed that he would have more practice sessions before he went on another mission, and then only do non combat ones until he had saved some more.

    Over the next week, they researched potential progression paths he could take in the future while also training together. All these obstacle courses and agility exercises were getting on his nerves, but he endured them.

    Now that he''d made some real strides with his power, he was ready for another mission.

 Chapter 4 - To Respond

    ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡± Finn, currently Shade, spoke into the microphone.

    ¡°Positive. The connection is established and I should be able to reach you through pretty much any building that isn''t protected by a special power or twenty layers of concrete,¡± Jack''s reply came through his earphone.

    Finn nodded, his black eyes scanning the rooftop of the tall building he was perched on. The stones were so much clearer, even in the dark.

    It was a new application of his power. It had come to mind after he learned that he was able to see through his own colors with sufficient concentration. By coloring his eyes black, he was able to provide a screen from the glaring lights in his environment to prevent his pupils from dilating as much, thereby improving his night vision.

    He found it easier to darken the entire eyeball rather than just the iris. The first time Jack saw this, he¡¯d said it made Finn look like some kind of demon.

    ¡°Alright, then,¡± he said, adjusting his earphone.

    He focused, letting his power take over, and in seconds he had changed his appearance to blend in with the shadows on the rooftop. He tested his visibility by peeking over the edge and scanning the surrounding area.

    ¡°Can you see me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nope. You''re basically invisible as long as you stand still.¡±

    Finn nodded and went to collect the action camera from where it was perched on the roof. Then he hooked it up to his suit, giving Jack a clear view of what was in front of him. The downside of this real-time footage broadcasting was that its battery would run out in just a few hours, but it was all the teenagers could manage with their limited funds.

    Anticlimactic as it might have been, he used the stairs to get down from the building. He had been training in parkour, but he wasn''t going to put his skills to the test unless he absolutely had to.

    Once he got closer to his destination, he used his improved camouflage to creep past any people who might have seen him otherwise.

    It was at the far end of a public park in his district, but there was nobody here. That shouldn''t be a surprise, since they had chosen to eschew combat missions for now.

    His eyes fell upon the desolate landscape before him. It was worse than expected. The earth was dry and cracked in places, and the grass had lost its color. Like a forgotten battlefield, scarred by the ravages of criminal gangs and haunted by the relentless grip of a drug epidemic, it stood as a testament to the shadows that now danced upon its weary grounds.

    The objective was to collect any residual vials of the drugs people used here and package them. The mission even listed a specific drop-off location. The client was not anonymous this time. In fact, it was a clinic with a good reputation for this type of research. Purportedly, it was to analyze the samples and help treat suffering addicts. Those were the only reasons Finn had accepted the mission in the first place.

    Finn carefully scanned the area and saw a small plastic bag lying on the ground. He walked towards it and picked it up, then placed it in the secure container he had brought with him. He continued to search the area, looking for any other vials or drug paraphernalia that might have been left behind.

    Minutes later, he made his way to the drop-off location and left the container in the designated spot. He told Jack the mission was complete, then began his journey back home ten credits richer.

    He walked away, feeling somewhat accomplished. He may not have been able to stop the drug problem entirely, but he had made a small difference. And while that wasn''t enough for Finn, he could live with it for now.

    However, just as he was talking to Jack about his future plans, Jack went quiet.

    ¡°Jack?¡± Finn tried.

    ¡°I''m here, but¡­ something came up.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Do you have to go?¡±

    ¡°No, I mean on your end. There''s a hostage situation near the cafe two blocks down, and only a few police officers are present. No heroes nearby. I know we agreed to wait with these kinds of things. It''s just¡­¡±

    Finn slowed to a halt. For the second time now, he was caught in this situation. He had been fully prepared to accomplish his own objectives, but someone needed his help when no one else was there to save them. Ignoring them was never an option, he knew that.

    But on the other hand, he didn¡¯t think he was ready to take on anyone even remotely powerful. He only had a few parlor tricks at his disposal, if he was being honest.

    Despite that¡­

    Heroes didn¡¯t have the luxury of waiting until they were ready. It was up to them to do what they could to save the day.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    It was then that Finn noticed his legs were already running toward the incident. ¡°Alright, I''m on my way. Tell me what''s happening.¡±

    Jack quickly filled him in on the details, then bid him to tread with extreme caution. There was a group of armed robbers who had taken hostages in the cafe, and the police were trying to negotiate their release. But it wasn''t going well, and the robbers were becoming more agitated by the minute.

    Finn arrived at the scene and saw the hostages in question through the window. Five people on their knees and three guys behind them pointing guns at their heads.

    Consulting the police first was an option, but he decided against it so as not to alert anyone. He camouflaged himself and walked around the store, searching for an alternative route to bypass the robbers and reach the cafe unnoticed.

    His gaze fell upon the emergency exit. The door was ajar. However, he noticed one of the robbers watching the open exit from inside, guarding it with a gun clutched tightly in his hands.

    An opportunity presented itself as Finn approached with camouflage; the guy had turned his head away to say something to the rest, and Finn used that moment to slip through.

    Behind one of the tables, Finn altered the color of the spot where his shadow was cast to match the surroundings, effectively eliminating it. This was the next level of his technique, one step closer to becoming completely imperceptible to the human eye.

    A sense of urgency swept through him. He knew he had to act swiftly and decisively to save the hostages from the clutches of the ruthless robbers.

    His gaze darted from one corner of the cafe to another, analyzing the layout, the positions of the robbers, and the vulnerable hostages caught in the crossfire. Every detail was etched into his memory, fueling his determination to execute a plan that would ensure the safety of the innocent.

    One by one, scenarios unfolded in Finn''s mind, each with its own risks and potential consequences. He could charge in head-on, relying on his agility and combat skills to disarm the robbers and neutralize the threat.

    Yeah, right.

    He would probably fail to get the first opponent on the ground, then his and the hostages'' brains would get splattered with hot lead.

    But what other options did he have? He wasn''t confident in his illusions to create meaningful distractions, and if he failed to capitalize on them in time, he would be giving up his element of surprise.

    Sneaking further into the building, he realized just how difficult it would be to do this alone. He even consulted Jack with a whisper, who told him to use one of his new tools. It would provide a distraction, sure, but could he do that by himself?

    There was no need to do it all on his own, he soon realized. The hostages could work with him.

    He took another moment to survey the surroundings and saw that the caf¨¦ was a small space. If he was going to take them by surprise, he needed to act fast. But he couldn¡¯t just rush in. He needed the hostages to cooperate with him, so he used a technique he had been practicing over the past few days: communication.

    Getting the attention of all the hostages would be almost impossible without alerting their captors, but he didn¡¯t have to. He only needed one of them to pass on a message.

    While he got the woman on the far left side to read the mysterious colored letters on the floor next to her, he knew she got the message when he saw her subtle nod. She tried to sneakily get the man next to her in on the plan, but when he finally got it, there was a gun barrel pressing her head down.

    By the time all the hostages were aware of his incoming signal, he wasted no time throwing a makeshift flashbang cobbled together from a flashlight and liberal use of his power, to blind the robbers. The hostages were also affected, but they knew to dive out of the way the second it went off.

    Finn didn¡¯t even have to close his eyes, for they were already shielded from the moment he entered the building. Just as he predicted, the only shot that went off made a hole in the ground but didn¡¯t hit anyone. Luckily, they had bunched up in a tight crowd, so a single tackle was enough to take two of them down, and make the last guy stumble. He disarmed the ones on the ground and quickly got up again.

    The hostages were already crawling away in different directions, keeping themselves low, giving Finn the opportunity to disarm the downed men and then charge at the last one.

    It had barely been a handful of seconds before Finn was on him. He bashed his shoulder into the man¡¯s chest and forced the gun out of his grip after pushing its line of fire well away from any bystanders. Finn rolled off of the wildly thrashing man, not seeing a need to subdue him now that he had lost his only leverage.

    When everyone recovered from the incredibly bright lights, the police saw their targets had already been neutralized. They rushed into the building and apprehended them. Once the robbers were in cuffs, Finn appeared from seemingly nowhere.

    That last camouflage might have been unnecessary, but he wanted to be ready in case one of the guys was carrying another weapon. It turned out he didn¡¯t have to, so he only ended up scaring the cops with it. They jumped at his sudden appearance, briefly pointing their guns at him, and lowered them once they figured out he was on their side.

    ¡°You know,¡± one of them said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we coulda handled that whole spiel cleanly if you didn¡¯t show up.¡±

    ¡°I happened to be nearby,¡± Finn said, shrugging.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize you, kid. I reckon you¡¯re not with the DHD?¡± the cop asked.

    Finn knew the DHD was the Department of Heroic Defense, the main government organization in charge of all heroes who aligned with them. He shook his head. ¡°I was on my own doing some missions when I heard some people were taken hostage.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an Aegis rat?¡± a female cop asked from the side. The cop who had been talking to Finn glared at her, but her question went unanswered, because one of the hostages came up to Finn and thanked him. He hadn¡¯t trained to accept compliments and overwhelming gratitude, so he just awkwardly stood there as the man shook his hand and declared his teary-eyed thanks.

    By now, Finn also heard Jack talking through his earphone, but he couldn¡¯t respond in front of all these people, so he left as soon as he could. Before he was gone, one of the hostages asked his hero name, which he provided.

    Making his way back home through the shadows, Finn noticed his phone vibrating, so he looked at it to see the notification. It was on the Aegis app, but the name of the sender threw him off. The DHD. There wasn¡¯t any text provided. They had attached a single file, nothing more.

    When he opened it, he wondered why had been expecting anything else.

    It was a recruitment contract.

 Chapter 5 - To Convene

    ¡°You¡¯ve already decided you¡¯re not signing, so what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jack said through a mouthful of carrots and peas. He pointed his plastic fork at Finn. ¡°We both know they¡¯re going to keep pressing you either way. And the more fame you gain, the more they¡¯ll have to offer to get you on their adolescent program.¡±

    Finn absently prodded the patty on his plate. ¡°It¡¯s definitely sooner than expected, but some of the officers yesterday seemed really glad I helped them out. I thought it was going to be worse. And it¡¯s not like I can tell them my reason for not joining, meaning I have to lie or give them the silent treatment.¡±

    ¡°I know, but you can¡¯t let that be the only reason. You have to think about what you want, Finn,¡± Jack said, leaning in closer. ¡°You have the power to make a difference. The DHD can give you the resources and support to do even more good.¡±

    Finn sighed. ¡°I know, Jack. But you also know why I can¡¯t join. I can¡¯t risk my mother finding out about what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± He had another reason why he couldn¡¯t join, but Jack didn¡¯t need to know that.

    Jack nodded. ¡°I understand, Finn. But you have to consider the potential benefits as well. The DHD has a lot of power and influence, and they can offer you protection and guidance. Plus, think about all the good you could do with their resources.¡±

    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying, but I¡¯ve made my decision. I can¡¯t join the DHD.¡±

    Jack regarded him for a moment, then grinned. ¡°Thank God. I wasn¡¯t trying to coerce you, but I am glad you¡¯re staying independent. It means I get to keep playing support.¡±

    Finn smirked back. ¡°We need a name for you. I can¡¯t keep calling you Jack while I¡¯m out there.¡±

    Jack clapped his hands together. ¡°Does this mean I get to display my immaculate naming talents?¡±

    Finn stared at him, deadpan. ¡°Blow me away.¡±

    Jack scratched his head. ¡°Hmm, let me think. How about¡­ Visionary?¡±

    Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Visionary? But you don¡¯t have any powers related to sight. Or any powers period. And that name is too grandiose.¡±

    Jack shrugged. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m always helping you keep an eye out for trouble, right? Plus, I¡¯m good at spotting things that others might miss.¡±

    ¡°I see what you¡¯re going for. But wouldn¡¯t it be better if you had a name highlighting your position instead?¡±

    ¡°What about Consoleman?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Controlmeister?¡±

    Finn shook his head.

    The other boy snapped his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve got it! Gridlock.¡±

    Finn considered it briefly, then nodded.

    Jack pumped his fist in the air. ¡°Yes! I knew my naming skills were on point.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, Gridlock. We have work to do.¡±

    As they finished their meal, Finn couldn''t help but feel grateful to have a friend like Jack by his side. Even without superpowers, Jack was an integral part of his operations, and Finn knew he could always count on him.

    They got back to class after that, and Finn was surprised at just how much more productive he was at school now. For starters, he finished all his homework during school hours so he would have more time for training and missions with Jack. To top that off, Jack had made him research optics and reflectivity in his spare time so he could utilize his powers better. Finn¡¯s understanding was still far from complete, but he was getting there.

    During Finn¡¯s last period, which was math, he wasn¡¯t with Jack. His friend had already gone home since he didn¡¯t have sixth period today. And it just happened to be the class where something unexpected happened.

    ¡°Heeeey Allister, was it?¡± a high voice sounded behind him.

    The moment he turned and saw who it was, he was suspicious. ¡°What do you want, Casey?¡±

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    ¡°Chill out,¡± the girl waved him off. ¡°I was just gonna invite you to my birthday party. Y¡¯know, since I¡¯m turning sixteen in two weeks.¡±

    With narrowed eyes, Finn looked around the classroom. And indeed, a group of girls near the back was observing their interaction with varying degrees of mirth.

    ¡°Why me?¡± Finn asked when he looked back at Casey.

    She swished her blonde hair. ¡°Not just you, obviously. Everyone in this class is invited.¡± And with that, she walked off to the next person, not even waiting for his response. Finn found it interesting that she had invited him without telling him where she was holding the party.

    The rest of the day passed like any other. There were no coincidental interruptions when he went to complete today¡¯s missions, but he did notice that he was starting to run out of easy objectives. In a few days he would have to wait for more missions to pop up, or go for more dangerous missions.

    This upgrade in threat level had pros and cons. The downside was that he would be much more likely to encounter armed thugs and potentially even villains with powers, but it would get him credits much more quickly.

    The next day, Finn arrived at school feeling more on-edge than usual. He knew he had to be more careful with his missions, especially now that the difficulty level had increased. He could take another break to train with Jack, but his practice could only get him so far. If he wanted real power, he would need credits.

    That didn¡¯t mean he had no solutions, he just wasn¡¯t sure if he liked them.

    The first was to just blow his accumulated credits on worse equipment to give him slightly more protection against the threats he would be facing, which was less than ideal.

    His second solution was simple: team up. Aegis offered more than single person missions. In fact, some of the missions Finn had completed didn¡¯t even specifically require him to do them alone, though the rewards usually didn¡¯t increase even if more people signed up for one. And that was if they didn¡¯t instantly get locked when one person took the mission.

    Finn was wary of getting lured into a trap, and the list of heroes willing to waste their time working together with him probably wasn¡¯t very long. But then, he was good at disappearing, and he didn¡¯t need top-of-the-line independents helping him to gather some credits. He just needed some people better suited for direct combat.

    Jack was in favor of the second option, and Finn ultimately decided they could research the candidates before committing to anything.

    The next few days went by in a blur of midterms, missions, and research. Finn and Jack spent most of their free time poring over Aegis¡¯s database, looking for heroes whose skills and abilities complemented their own. Finn had always seen himself as a lone wolf, but he was beginning to see the value of having allies.

    Eventually, they narrowed down their list to a handful of heroes who seemed like good candidates. There was Maelstrom, a water manipulator with impressive offensive capabilities; Moonflower, a stealth expert like Finn; and Sphinx, a shifter who could provide cover during missions.

    Finn and Jack reached out to each of them separately, laying out their plan and explaining the benefits of working together. To their relief, all three heroes were receptive to the idea. They agreed to meet up and discuss the details of their partnership.

    His temporary new partners all had their own reasons for wanting to work together. Maelstrom was interested in the potential for bigger payouts on missions, while Moonflower was eager to learn from Finn¡¯s expertise in stealth (that part of his pitch had been Jack¡¯s idea, but Finn felt that calling his meager experience ¡°expertise" was an overstatement). Sphinx was simply looking for a change of pace from her usual solo missions.

    On the night they agreed to meet, Finn traveled through the shadows while conversing with Jack. He noticed that his stamina had improved significantly, and his mom was already making worried comments about his sudden weight loss. To play it off, he¡¯d told her he started exercising, which wasn¡¯t even a lie. Every day, he would go through a few calisthenics exercises before and after school, to help with his ability to traverse different kinds of terrain.

    Though in the front windows of one of the buildings he walked past, he noticed his own reflection. The hooded figure looking back at him had a more defined frame, but it wasn¡¯t super noticeable.

    Finn was the first to arrive at this corner of the park, so he channeled his camouflage and waited, his back against a tree. After a few minutes, he noticed a man in blue kevlar armor and a tactical helmet with a bandana over the lower half of his face. Then, a girl dressed in black with a white flower print on her spandex bodysuit with a motorcycle helmet. A little later, a woman in featureless cloth with a mask of the same material. It simply had two eye holes cut into it.

    Finn watched them exchange words for a minute before the man in military gear grew agitated and said, ¡°So where¡¯s that Shade kid?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, Maelstrom. You have to remember some of us have actual lives. Give him some time,¡± Sphinx quipped, her eyes half-closed behind the cloth mask.

    Maelstrom wanted to retort, but Finn chose that moment to reveal himself. ¡°I was the first to get here, but I generally wait to see which way the cat jumps first. At least when I can afford to,¡± he interjected. They all seemed surprised, though Sphinx was the only one who didn¡¯t take a step back.

    ¡°You have invis?¡± Moonflower perked up after he released his power. ¡°Why did you only say you had camo?¡±

    Finn suppressed the urge to shrug and said, ¡°It only works this well when I¡¯m standing still.¡±

    The group looked at Finn with interest, and Maelstrom spoke up. ¡°So, we have got stealth covered. What about firepower?¡±

    ¡°I can storm in through the front and create a distraction for these two,¡± Sphinx replied, pointing at Finn and Moonflower.

    ¡°If you let me get in a good position, I can hypno some of ¡®em,¡± Moonflower said.

    ¡°I will be your vanguard then,¡± Maelstrom said to Sphinx. They discussed their plan some more before making their way out of the park.

    Their target was a small-time gang called the ¡°Beastlords.¡± It had recently established itself near this part of the district after the DHD had driven away one of Venin¡¯s lieutenants. The exact mechanics of their powers were unknown, since they were fairly new, but Finn and the others had a general idea of what each of these guys could do.

    Finn felt out of his depth when he saw the ease with which Maelstrom and Sphinx traveled from building to building. Sphinx, true to her name, took the form of an oversized lion with a human face¡ªthis also ended up being the first time Finn saw a shifter transform up close; instead of slowly morphing her own body, an ethereal outline shaped itself in the air before her human body disappeared in a blink and her new form had taken its place. It offered her great strength and durability, but she also had some telekinetic abilities, such as now when she used it to keep her landings quiet every time she leaped into the air.

    Maelstrom made a dozen tiny water jets under his boots to control the trajectory of his jumps. He had a limited volume of water he could control, but close to his body, he could make it an extremely potent weapon.

    Momentarily, Finn had been worried that he would have to make a pitiful run on their tail. Moonflower had him covered with her motorcycle though, offering to give him a ride. It barely made any noise as it ran on electricity.

    She stopped some distance from the building the Beastlords were using as a base and began their approach. Finn and Moonflower cautiously crept towards the enemy''s lair. With each step, a sense of unease settled upon him, as if the weight of the situation was finally sinking in. This was the moment he had been preparing for, but doubts began to creep into his mind. Nevertheless, he steeled himself, determined to face whatever awaited them.

 Chapter 6 - To Challenge

    Outside a repurposed office building, a group of thugs sat around a table, drinking and laughing as they cheered on their fellow gang members racing back and forth in their stolen cars.

    But in the next moment, they saw a four-legged figure jump into the sky from a distance. Its silhouette covered the moon before it came down again. When it hit the ground, a cloud of dust rose into the air. The thugs rushed to pick up their weapons and alert their leaders of this intruder.

    Man-sized chunks of asphalt flew out of the dust cloud and clobbered two guys in the front, then floated up again and took down two more.

    The remaining thugs scattered, some firing their guns wildly in the direction of the dust cloud, others fleeing in terror. One of them reached for a nearby phone and called out for backup. A jet of water emerged from the dust cloud and shot it out of his hand.

    In just a few seconds, the thugs had been reduced to little more than a bunch of imbeciles running around like headless chickens.

    From the clearing dust emerged a man dressed in military gear who wasted no time taking down the remaining grunts, sprinting and knocking them around with blasts of pressurized water.

    A three meter tall sphinx followed him, and unlike the man, this beast sauntered through the group, letting their bullets bounce off her hide while telekinetically disarming them.

    Within the first minute, most of the lackeys had been taken out already, but then someone else came out of the building. He was dressed rather oddly, wearing a fur coat that reached down to his calves and a boar mask on his face. The sphinx tried to launch a projectile at him, but then the guy raised a hand and a set of bone spikes emerged from the ground and cracked the pavement in front of the sphinx. The man in military gear charged forward, using his water blasts to keep the boar-masked man at bay.

    But the boar-masked man was not alone. From behind him materialized another figure, this one dressed in a sleek black suit and wearing a featureless white mask. The black-suited figure twisted his hands and suddenly the air around them began to warp, creating a vortex that drew Maelstrom towards them.

    Sphinx screamed and charged forward, but the black-suited figure merely thrust a hand forward and sent Sphinx flying backwards with a burst of wind. The boar-masked man laughed, sending a wave of bone spikes towards Maelstrom.

    But just as the spikes were about to hit, Maelstrom conjured a blade of rushing water to cut through them and then jetted himself backwards. The black-suited figure was undeterred and continued to manipulate the air around them, creating a powerful gust of wind that sent debris flying towards the military man.

    One half was destroyed by jets of water and the other was lifted out of the way by the sphinx and sent towards the guy with the boar mask, starting the battle in earnest.

    Finn watched on from the sidelines, in silent awe at the spectacle before focusing on the task and sneaking into the building. The entrance was unguarded now, and he and Moonflower were able to slip through unnoticed.

    The tremors, slashes and shocks of battle raged on outside. In Finn''s opinion, this "small-time" gang was plenty strong. But he knew the bigger gangs had more people, influence, and power at their disposal.

    Surprisingly, there was no one on the first floor. Perhaps Razorback, the leader who was currently fighting Maelstrom and Sphinx, had ordered them to evacuate. Understandable, Finn thought. His lackeys would only get in the way if they tried to participate in that fight.

    Inside, Finn and Moonflower made their way through the darkened corridors. They were on a mission to retrieve a stolen item that the gang had taken from the nearby museum.

    As they turned a corner, they saw a pair of thugs guarding a door. Moonflower, now wearing only a black mask and goggles, glanced at him for a moment, then started climbing up the wall. It took Finn a moment to realize she was using a gadget from the Aegis store to make her hands and feet stick.

    She crawled over the ceiling and held a hand out. On her fingertips, Finn could see two translucent purple petals forming on them with a soft glow. She brought her mouth close and whispered something at them before letting them fall on the pair of thugs.

    When the fluttering petals landed on top of the guards¡¯ heads, a bizarre sequence played out. They both got a misty look in their eyes. They stood still for a few seconds, followed by one grunt standing offering no resistance as the other choked him unconscious. With his buddy asleep, the thug tossed both their guns across the hallway and took himself to la-la land as well. Moonflower jumped down and handcuffed them.

    Finn took it all in, wide-eyed. This was his first time working with other heroes, and he was beginning to question whether that was an accurate label in this case. He knew she was a psionic, but he hadn¡¯t seen such a sinister ability in action before.

    Usually, psionics with mind control capabilities created a mental force construct with specific conditions that had to be met before affecting the target''s brain in some way.

    If he were in Moonflower¡¯s shoes, he would also want to improve his stealth. The better she was at sneaking up on people, the more easily she could use her power on them.

    They opened the door and found a room full of duffel bags. It seemed they had found the money stash, but that wasn¡¯t their goal.

    Moving farther into the building, they encountered more thugs moving supplies out of the different rooms. Moonflower made extensive use of her power while Finn dealt with the few guys she couldn¡¯t reach. She had let Finn borrow her collapsible baton which also had an electric shock function. Needless to say, that made Finn''s job much easier.

    As they made their way through, Finn was beginning to appreciate just how little people ever looked up.

    When they encountered a larger group of grunts carrying giant boxes down the stairway, Moonflower used her power on five of them to make them start fighting their sane lucid companions. This obviously caused a huge commotion, but the two heroes had used that opportunity to pass them by, and soon enough, they reached the top floor.

    For a gang called the Beastlords, Finn found them strangely organized. Razorback and Deft were outside. That left one of their villains unaccounted for.

    Finn and Moonflower cautiously made their way onto the top floor, scanning the area for any signs of the missing Beastlord member. Finn had been hoping that he would be absent today, but no such luck. The massive man was sitting right there on the floor next to a painting.

    He wore one of those old tiki masks over a white robe which did nothing to hide his muscular physique. His greasy hair peeked out from beneath his hood, and Finn could see him crumpling a bag of potato chips between his thick fingers.

    ¡°Frenzy! Frenzy! We need your help,¡± one of the grunts came running up the stairs, panting.

    ¡°Whaddya want this time?¡± Frenzy drawled.

    ¡°A bunch of our guys just started spacing out and fighting us out of nowhere! It''s a mess down there.¡±

    Frenzy stiffened. ¡°Lead the way,¡± he said firmly, dusting off his white robe.

    Just as he reached the stairway, a purple petal fell on his head. He stared blankly ahead of himself before grabbing the lackey next to him and smashing him into the wall. The poor guy collapsed like a sack of bricks. But Frenzy didn''t wait, already bounding down the stairs to make his wrath known to his other subordinates.

    Moonflower took that as her cue and sprinted across the hallway to get to the painting. Finn picked it up and started taking it down the opposite staircase, using his power to hide it and himself from sight. Briefly, Finn wanted to suggest they take the elevator, then realized how stupid that would be. Couldn''t alert anyone of their position. And how did this building have running electricity?

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    ¡°Why do they even steal these things?¡± Moonflower asked at one point. ¡°It''s not like they can sell stolen paintings, so if they can''t get rid of ''em, why bother?¡±

    ¡°Immunity,¡± Gridlock said over Finn''s earphone. ¡°A lot of criminals throughout history would steal prized art pieces from museums and hide them somewhere so that, if they ever got arrested, they could try to leverage a lighter sentence for themselves in exchange for the location of the stolen art piece, which they typically hid in some remote location.¡±

    Moonflower obviously couldn''t hear him, so Finn relayed the information to her. She tilted her head. ¡°Makes sense. I guess they were planning to bury this one later. Good thing we got here in time.¡±

    Inwardly, Finn was impressed with how knowledgeable Jack was becoming. In the time Finn spent practicing, his friend hadn¡¯t been standing still.

    The duo was a couple of floors down when they heard a thunderous crash from above, followed by a roar. It sounded like a primebeast. Moonflower froze. ¡°How did he¡­¡± But it was too late. Frenzy was headed straight for them, and he was pissed.

    Knowing they had no hope of outrunning him, they exited the stairway into one of the floors and saw no one was present. The walls were lined with office cubicles. Finn motioned for Moonflower to hide behind one of the cubicles while he positioned himself at the other end of the row, putting the painting by the door. They could hear Frenzy''s heavy footsteps coming closer.

    He didn¡¯t bother checking the floors above them, as if he knew they had gone here, somehow. Finn grabbed his baton and waited, trying to slow his rapid heartbeats.

    Frenzy burst through the door, his eyes bloodshot and his breaths coming out in short gasps. Finn braced himself, ready for the attack.

    One by one, Frenzy checked and smashed the cubicles. Finn knew he would find Moonflower first, so he decided now was a good time to flashbang Frenzy. He signaled his team member to shield her eyes, and tossed it over the floor at their adversary.

    Running up behind the staggering Beastlord, Finn activated the shock function on his baton and hit the man with it. Frenzy spasmed and fell to one knee. Moonflower came in and dropped a petal on his head. For a second, it seemed to have worked, but then Frenzy swung an arm at Finn. Pain exploded from his side as he got sent flying into a cubicle near the other end of the room.

    Moonflower hid in the time it took Frenzy to recover. Finn groaned, trying to get an elbow under him and failing. Gridlock was shouting something at him, but he hardly registered it. To his horror, Frenzy was already sprinting in his direction.

    During the past few days, Finn had managed to extend the range of his power somewhat. He had worked especially hard on shifting colors without making contact first. Now, he was able to black out the nearest lights on the ceiling.

    That alone wouldn¡¯t have been enough to throw Frenzy off, but combined with his camouflage, he was able to roll away and buy himself some time to catch his breath.

    Frenzy looked left and right but was unable to find Finn before receiving another shock to the back. Except this time, he barely flinched as he was being electrocuted.

    Finn barely danced out of the way of Frenzy¡¯s grasping hand, feeling the wind rush over his face. If this guy managed to get his hands on him, he was dead.

    Closing the distance, Moonflower used her power on him again, but Frenzy shrugged that off too and swatted her away. Finn tried to knock him off his feet with a shoulder check and failed miserably; he wasn¡¯t that tall while this guy had to be over two meters. The difference in weight class was too great.

    The Beastlord barely stumbled before Finn threw a punch at his face. To Finn¡¯s surprise, his head snapped back.

    Frenzy threw overhand right back but Finn disappeared from sight. He tried to switch his focus to Moonflower, but she was already in his face with a dose of pepper spray. Finn chose that moment to tag in again, throwing another punch. This time, Frenzy didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Shade,¡± he heard Gridlock say. ¡°Listen. I think I¡¯ve figured out this guy¡¯s power.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me,¡± Finn breathed while splashing some black water in his opponent¡¯s face.

    ¡°Right, so besides super strength, this guy is getting better and better at resisting certain types of attacks as you¡¯re fighting him. I think his power is adaptation.¡±

    Finn understood. They were facing a warrior type: someone with an enhanced physique and some other ability to supplement it. ¡°So how do I beat it?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing. You need to hit him with a lot of different types of attacks at once, or a single very potent one.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t defeat him then?¡±

    ¡°Not by yourself.¡±

    Finn and Moonflower continued to fight Frenzy, throwing everything they had at him. Finn tried to use his power to change colors rapidly and disorient him, but Frenzy seemed to be adapting to that too. Moonflower tried various combinations of her powers, but they had little effect on him.

    ¡°Please tell me you can buy me a few seconds, Shade,¡± Moonflower spoke, raising a hand into the air as she did so.

    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± was what Finn responded with, but he immediately began distracting Frenzy.

    He started with one of his personal favorites. He recolored the ground black while creating a pattern resembling broken concrete around it to make it seem like there was a hole in the floor. It wasn¡¯t overly convincing. It didn¡¯t fool Frenzy for more than a split second. But it bought him enough time to increase the distance again.

    Frenzy smashed his fist into Finn¡¯s raised arms so hard it cracked his forearm and made him bounce off the floor. The Beastlord followed it up with a shin to the gut, leaving Finn winded and once again being sent flying. Was it just him or were the blows getting stronger?

    With the help of adrenaline, he endured the excruciating pain in his stomach and fished around his backpack for what he needed. Frenzy ran at Moonflower, but Finn covered her by shifting the colors of the room as he ran across the room. Frenzy started shouting threats involving the neutralization of Finn¡¯s reproductive organs at this point, exasperated from being played over and over.

    This time, Frenzy was smart. The moment Finn used camouflage, he tossed some sawdust from the devastated cubicles to not lose track of his location. Finn wasn¡¯t able to apply his power to the dust in time, so Frenzy came straight for him.

    Only to lose his balance and fall over.

    Finn had taken some thread out of his backpack and tied it around two separate ends of the room, then baited Frenzy into chasing him so he would trip over the thread made invisible by Finn¡¯s power.

    And that was all Moonflower needed to come in one final time and press all five of the petals on her fingertips into his head. Frenzy gasped as his eyes glowed purple and his body froze.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Moonflower panted, taking rushed steps forward. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna find out how long it takes him to get out of this.¡±

    Finn grabbed the painting sprinted out of the building, hearing Gridlock cheer and cackle all the while. They saw the whole place was empty now. No one else was present. Finn figured the desertion had something to do with a certain rampaging villain.

    Outside, they met up with Maelstrom and Sphinx and saw Razorback on the ground, defeated. Police officers swarmed the surrounding area, apprehending some stray thugs.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the other guy?¡± Moonflower asked as she walked up to them.

    ¡°Double-crossed his boss and booked it,¡± Sphinx¡¯s voice boomed. She shook her giant head, mane swaying in the wind.

    ¡°You secured the painting?¡± Maelstrom asked.

    Finn nodded, holding it up with one arm.

    Maelstrom sighed with relief. ¡°I will be honest. I was somewhat worried when I saw all the rank and file flooding out of the building earlier. But you completed the objective, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    Finn¡¯s chest swelled with pride at those words. For years, he had wanted to receive a power to go out there and prove himself, and now he was actually doing it. Step by step, he was getting strong enough to reach his goal.

    He looked at the painting in his hands, feeling a sense of satisfaction that they had completed the mission without anyone getting seriously hurt. Besides himself, perhaps

    Finn let out a shaky breath, feeling the adrenaline wearing off and the pain from his injuries starting to set in. He was pretty sure he had some fractured bones and extensive bruising all over his torso. But still. He had finally done it. He had fought a villain and won. Sort of.

    He glanced over at Razorback, who was now being handcuffed by some nearby police officers. Frenzy was also being dragged out of the building, unconscious. Finn glanced at Moonflower, who noticed his limp.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± Finn replied, gritting his teeth.

    Maelstrom approached him, prodding for injuries. ¡°We should get you to a hospital. You took quite a beating.¡±

    Maelstrom asked two of the officers to give Finn a ride to the hospital, and they agreed.

    Sphinx took the painting from Finn¡¯s tired arm, hovering it over her shoulder. Then she left with Maelstrom to bring it back to their client.

    Ten minutes later, left in the backseat of a police car, he had a talk with Jack about the mission before Jack asked, ¡°Has your credit balance updated yet?¡±

    Finn checked his Aegis app, and his jaw dropped at the number he saw.

    Credits: 4418

    He showed Jack over the action cam, and the other boy had a more vulgar reaction. He hadn¡¯t known how much the painting would net him, but the mission to drive out the Beastlords had been worth 2000 credits and split among four people, meaning he had received 3500 credits for retrieving the painting in good condition, netting him 4000 in a single night.

    ¡°But who¡¯s that message from?¡± Jack asked after he was done cursing.

    ¡°Hm? Oh.¡± Finn noticed someone had sent him a direct message on the Aegis forums, and it wasn¡¯t anyone he knew. It was from one Calliope, detailing how they would like to meet him. Jack seemed rather excited at the prospect of being approached this way.

    Finn frowned as he read the message, feeling skeptical about this mysterious person who wanted to work with him. He didn''t even know their power, and they were being awfully vague about what they wanted him to do.

    Finn voiced his suspicions, and Jack replied, "Maybe they''re shy. Or maybe they just want to keep things low-key. Either way, I think it''s worth checking out. We could use the extra credits, right? We can set the terms of the meeting."

    Finn nodded slowly, still feeling uncertain but willing to hear the person out. He sent a reply to the message, asking for more details and suggesting a public place for the meeting.

    As they waited for a response, Finn thought back to the events of the night. It had been intense and scary, but also exhilarating. He had never felt so alive.

    Wasn¡¯t that contradictory? He had almost died, and he had certainly been afraid, but if given the opportunity to do it again, he would say yes every time. He winced when he thought about the heart attack his mother would have if she ever heard him say that.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± the officer said, and Finn got out of the car with a nod. It was time to assess the damage he had taken tonight. Hopefully it wasn¡¯t too bad.

 Chapter 7 - To Prime

    Finn gingerly shifted his body onto the soft bed sheets, releasing a tired exhale. He was thoroughly fatigued, and he made a mental note to devise a better plan for entering his house undetected in the future.

    When he got discharged from the hospital, Jack had suggested that he refrain from purchasing anything from the Aegis store until the next day. Finn agreed and was now ready to indulge in some much-needed rest, as recommended by the physician.

    "Based on our physical examination, you have sustained three fractured ribs, internal contusions, and a fracture in two bones of your arm," the doctor had informed him. The medical professional had then administered an injection of a gel-like substance into his arm and chest to help keep his bones properly aligned during the healing process.

    What Finn hadn¡¯t expected was the touch that followed. The doctor put his glowing finger near the fractures and said this would speed up the recovery process. Healers were rare, even minor ones, and he was fortunate that he had been seen to by one. It meant he wouldn¡¯t have to wait as long before he could go on missions again.

    Finn had inquired if there was anything that could be done to alleviate his bruises, but the doctor told him that they would subside naturally. He had been provided with a few painkillers, but they would not aid him in concealing the marks from his mother. For the time being, he would have to wear long sleeves around her to hide his injuries.

    When he woke up the next day, moving around was noticeably easier. If he had felt like a truck had hit him the previous day, he now felt as though it might have been a scooter.

    Despite his recovery, showering and getting dressed turned out to be quite bothersome. He ate breakfast and went to school.

    When their history period started, Finn was zoning in and out of the lecture regarding the fall of South America. He was starting to notice he was working so efficiently that he was already ahead of the material the teacher was covering. But when he and Jack went over it together, Finn did gain a new appreciation for how dangerous summoning abilities were. Especially ones like Seraphim¡¯s.

    At lunch, he looked over the Aegis store with Jack. Finn knew better than to blow all his credits on a single purchase; he now saw the value of having many different tools at his disposal, especially ones that would help him escape dangerous situations. But he still needed the bare essentials.

    In the end, they settled on a set of advanced grappling mechanisms, toggleable adhesive boots and gloves like Moonflower had, and some light but highly durable armor that wouldn¡¯t restrict his movement too much.

    Finn still had some credits left and wanted to spend those on cheaper items such as a pair of noise-canceling earbuds that could protect his hearing from loud noises and some drones, but Jack assured Finn he would get those himself.

    They spent some time browsing the store to set goals for what he was buying next, with a priority on offensive options. After his encounter with Frenzy, he was well aware of how weak he was compared to even weaker villains who didn¡¯t matter in the grand scheme of things.

    He browsed the weapons section and was immediately overwhelmed by the wide range of choices. There were traditional weapons like swords, bows, and guns, as well as more exotic ones like energy blasters and sonic cannons.

    Finn knew he couldn''t afford anything too expensive, but he also didn''t want to compromise on quality. The question was whether he could save that much with the gear he had already bought.

    His eye fell on a pair of lightweight gauntlets that could fire bolts and waves of concussive force. They weren''t the most powerful weapons in the store, but they were versatile enough to be used in close combat or at range. They were expensive, though. Far out of his current budget. He added it to his list of things to reevaluate later.

    He saw a few other weapons that interested him, but he skipped over the lethal ones. Some ranged options would be nice, but not necessarily priority with his improved mobility. Part of him felt that he was jumping the gun with all this forward planning. Yet another part of him couldn¡¯t advance soon enough.

    Finn closed the app when lunch ended and went to his next class with Jack. It was English, but once Mr. Lewis finished his presentation, everyone was only talking about one thing.

    The Junior Aces.

    Across the country, the DHD had a separate program for their adolescent heroes. Though there were exceptions, a lot of promising teens with powers in Apexia were assigned to a squad with their peers and trained to work as a unit, all under the guiding hand of an adult squad leader.

    And the squad located in their district called themselves the Junior Aces, mainly due to their leader.

    People couldn''t shut up about it right now because they had just announced their newest member.

    Finn watched the broadcast on Jack''s phone. The new recruit was a girl, which was surprising since the Junior Aces had been an all-boys team up until now. Her power hadn''t been showcased yet, but she apparently went by Damsel.

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    Compared to the garish outfit of her leader, her armor was much less colorful, though still striking in its own way. The chainmail cuirass on her torso shone in the sunlight and flowed into her maille skirt, which had a sheathed sword attached to it. She wore a medieval style knight¡¯s helm that left the lower half of her face covered by nothing but a thin, transparent veil.

    They were currently on a podium with a crowd of reporters hounding them with questions, which Damsel started answering when she had joined her new teammates.

    "So, Damsel, how does it feel to be the first girl to join the Junior Aces?" a reporter near the front asked the newly minted heroine.

    Damsel looked calm and collected as she replied, "It feels great to be a part of such a prestigious team. I''m honored to be given this opportunity."

    ¡°How do you work with your team to coordinate your efforts and achieve your goals?¡± queried another.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten to know them fairly well over the past few months, and I¡¯m confident in following Nar¡¯s lead,¡± she said, gesturing to the team captain.

    It was obvious to Finn that they wouldn¡¯t announce Damsel¡¯s membership within the first few days of her joining. They obviously had a rigorous training process to get her acquainted with the team and combat scenarios well before she was ever revealed to the public. So while Finn had more experience in the field, she had far more practice with her power than him. Though he was surprised they allowed her to do public speaking this early in her career.

    A third reporter asked, "And what do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Junior Aces?"

    "I hope to help protect the people of Apexia and to use my abilities for good."

    ¡°Can you tell us about your powers?¡± someone else tried.

    ¡°I am not at liberty to do so, no,¡± Damsel laughed politely. ¡°But you will see soon enough; it won¡¯t be long before I go on my first patrol.¡±

    They bombarded her with more questions, but Damsel fielded them well, until the press conference ended.

    Finn was intrigued by the new recruit. He found himself pondering what sort of powers Damsel possessed and how she would blend in with the existing team.

    He was also reminded of the fact that he had never actually met any DHD heroes face to face. So far, he had stayed mostly out of the public eye. Jack had searched him up and found some mentions of him on the internet after he rescued those hostages, but nothing that was gaining real traction like Damsel¡¯s first appearance. Finn wouldn¡¯t mind working with her team, as long as they didn¡¯t force him to join their ranks.

    When they left school that day, Finn finally got a response from this Calliope person who had messaged him yesterday. They seemed fine with his terms, so he said he would get back to them when he ¡°had time.¡± Which was to say, when his broken bones had repaired themselves.

    It was definitely annoying that he had to sit on his ass and wait for his fragile little body to heal, but that didn¡¯t mean his practice stopped entirely. His legs were still functional, and his powers didn¡¯t require any physical exertion to train.

    By this point, he was almost comfortable with his camouflage technique. Maintaining borderline invisibility while people were looking in his direction from multiple angles was hard, but doable. He just had to visualize a mental map of the environment in his head, and project it onto himself using his power as a medium, while also hiding any traces of his presence in his surroundings.

    Keeping himself invisible while moving was even harder, yet he was also making progress on that front. If he took slow steps, and kept moving at a constant pace, he wouldn¡¯t be spotted by sight. He would have to make a lot of adjustments once his new gear arrived.

    Which was another thing. The Aegis store delivered their packages to specific dropoff points at designated times. They listed a few separate locations throughout his city, and he got to pick one. Or he could suggest one and wait for it to get approved. Once it got delivered, he could pick it up and use the app to gain access to their items.

    While Jack was intrigued by the Aegis store''s delivery system, Finn remained skeptical about the organization''s extent of influence and the potential consequences if it fell into the wrong hands. Assuming it hadn¡¯t already.

    Finn couldn''t shake the suspicion that there was more to the Aegis organization than met the eye. He couldn''t determine their motives with certainty, but acknowledged that they provided chances for individuals to improve and make a positive impact.

    Despite this, Finn exercised caution when accepting missions from anonymous clients as he feared they could be unknowingly assisting villains in exchange for meager rewards. The thought of his own abilities being used for the wrong purposes made him apprehensive. He didn''t want to be a pawn in someone else''s game.

    On the other hand, he also didn''t want to let his fear hold him back. He believed that he could do good with his powers, and he was determined to make a positive impact in the world. He just had to be careful and choose his battles wisely. Unless those battles came to him. Then he had no choice but to fight.

    In the meantime, he continued to hone his skills in the privacy of his own home. He experimented with his powers, trying to push his limits and discover new ways to use them. It was a slow and tedious process, but he knew that he had to be patient if he wanted to get as strong as he needed to be.

    He was in his bedroom practicing his illusions on one of the walls when the notification came in. He opened it, expecting to see another message from Calliope, and was surprised to be wrong. As a matter of fact, he was surprised the alert hadn¡¯t come from Aegis forums at all. It had instead come from his mission catalogue.

    For the first time since signing up, Finn had received a request to do a mission. Someone else had approached him. Naturally, that rang some mental alarm bells, but he decided to at least see what the objective was.

    It was a request to infiltrate a warehouse known to belong to Venin, one of the most powerful gangs in Apexia. The description detailed the address, the layout, and what his target was. It was some old-looking wooden box, but Finn had no clue what was inside.

    He had up to two months to accept or decline, and he saw the enormous payout for the mission. More than quadruple the payout for the recovered painting from yesterday, and the reward could go up depending on his performance. He was even given the opportunity to form his own team for the mission if he wanted.

    The client was listed as anonymous, but since he would be stealing from criminals anyway, Finn wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to refuse it outright. It was a big opportunity to test his new capabilities.

    At the bottom of the request, he saw Moonflower had recommended him for the job, and the whole thing started to make more sense to him. Still, the fact that she hadn¡¯t accepted the job herself and instead passed it on to him was concerning.

    Between this, his training, his studies, and his upcoming meeting with Calliope, Finn''s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and possibilities. He knew he had to make a decision about the mission, but he also didn''t want to rush into anything without careful consideration. The fact that Moonflower had recommended him was simultaneously reassuring and unsettling. She had given him no reason to distrust her judgment, but he also questioned why she couldn''t do the mission herself.

    Even if he wasn¡¯t certain whether this mission was worth the risk, Finn was glad that someone had enough faith in him to tell other people he was prepared to take on a task this big. It made him feel like a real hero.

 Chapter 8 - To Call

    For the first few days after Lyra Chen manifested her power, everything seemed great.

    Her parents were more supportive of her singing career than they had been in years, her practice was going better than ever, she felt like she had direction again.

    Lyra¡¯s manifestation had ended up becoming a fond memory, despite the rather ominous vision. When she got her power, she didn¡¯t know what to do with this sensation suffusing her body, so she just started humming a tune in her room. She didn¡¯t realize her window was open until they got a noise complaint. Her parents hadn¡¯t approached her sooner, too enraptured by her song.

    Her ability to shape sound waves was, albeit limited, very much to her liking. Oftentimes, she heard stories of people getting saddled with powers they never wanted or needed, and she was glad she wasn¡¯t one of them.

    As she continued to experiment with her power, Lyra discovered new ways to enhance her singing. She could manipulate the acoustics of her room to make her voice sound richer and fuller, and she could even create her own backing tracks with the sound of her voice.

    Her family never had much. That was why they had initially been dismissive of Lyra¡¯s aspirations and wanted her to choose the stability of a regular job instead. Now? She had convinced them there was an actual chance.

    But good things never lasted forever.

    Lyra''s positive momentum came to a halt when she secured a gig at a bar. At the beginning of the night, things were going well. She had put on her mother¡¯s best dress, and her mother had come to watch her perform in it at the front of a small crowd. She did a few songs as practiced. On the fifth, however, she noticed something strange.

    A voice.

    You can do more. Why are you being so careful? Let go.

    Her own, but also not.

    Do you really think you can live your life only showing people a sliver of your true potential?

    Lyra was taken aback by the voice in her head. It was like someone was speaking to her directly, but she couldn''t see anyone around her who might be doing so. She tried to ignore it and continue with her performance, but the voice persisted, urging her to let go and push her powers to the limit.

    Feeling a bit unnerved, Lyra decided to take a break after the next song. As she was walking offstage, a man approached her and introduced himself as a talent scout. He was impressed by her performance and wanted to offer her a recording contract. Lyra was ecstatic, but the voice in her head grew louder, urging her to take things even further.

    That''s when things started to go wrong. Lyra''s powers, fueled by the voice in her head, began to spiral out of control. The sound waves she created spiked in volume and frequency, causing glasses and bottles to shatter and people to clutch their ears in pain.

    In hindsight, Lyra should have stopped there, but she didn¡¯t. The annoyance, the disdain, the people getting up and leaving.

    And her mother. That look of disappointment?

    Utterly devastating.

    Despite her better judgment, she prepared for the refrain of the current song, and let go.

    It was exhilarating, before she looked back down at the crowd and saw it.

    People sliding off their chairs, falling to the ground in agony. Including her mother. She wasn¡¯t even conscious anymore, blood pouring out of her ears.

    Lyra didn¡¯t even realize she was already on her knees beside her mother. It was all too much. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She waited for the ambulance to arrive and ran. As far as she could, she didn¡¯t care where, as long as it wasn¡¯t back at that damned bar.

    Eventually, her run slowed to a walk. She began to catch her breath. And the guilt began catching up with her. She had hurt so many people. And her own family. She didn¡¯t even know if they all survived or not. If her mother...

    Lyra saw her reflection in one of the windows of the houses she passed. She felt sick to her stomach. That gaudy dress. She looked ridiculous. And those heels. Why had she thought she could stand out? Why had she thought she could be different? What gave her the arrogance to believe that? She had flown too close to the sun, and burned not just herself, but other people too.

    ¡°Mama¡­¡± she whispered, her vision blurring. In the middle of the sidewalk, she broke down sobbing.

    Lyra cried for what felt like hours, feeling as though the world had crumbled beneath her feet. She had always dreamed of being a singer, of using her voice to touch people¡¯s hearts. Now those dreams were nothing but a distant memory. She gazed up at the sky, seeing the twinkling stars above, but they offered her no solace. The night, once a canvas for her dreams, now seemed to mock her with its silent indifference.

    On some level, Lyra had expected someone to lend her a hand. Someone who would tell her it was going to be okay and make her favorite honeyed tea.

    Of course that someone wasn¡¯t coming. She had made sure of that.

    Lyra aimlessly wandered the streets, lost in a daze of guilt and despair. Every step she took felt heavy, burdened with the weight of guilt and sorrow. The echoes of shattered glass and agonized cries reverberated in her mind, a haunting symphony that reminded her of the havoc she had unleashed.

    Yet she couldn''t bring herself to go home, to face the reality of what she had done. She sniffled, hugging her body to stave off the brisk night air.

    The night wore on. Lyra found herself in an unfamiliar part of the megacity. A different district. The streets were dark and deserted, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as she realized how vulnerable she was. Or was she?

    ¡°Is this what you wanted?¡± she said, her voice hoarse. ¡°I did what you asked, and I¡¯m lost. Now what?¡±

    The voice in her head didn¡¯t deign to respond. Lyra could have almost laughed. What was she doing, rambling to herself like some crazy person?

    A few blocks down, she ended up near an old residential building when a van drifted to a stop next to her. She froze, wondering if her misdeeds hadn¡¯t caught up to her after all.

    Turning, she could see four armed guys getting out, one of them coming right at her.

    Let him.

    Lyra tried to run away, but she was dragged into an alley by her hair. He pulled her up against the wall and brandished a knife. She made a futile attempt to push it away from her. He was saying something, but she couldn¡¯t hear it over the pounding in her head.

    Just one scream, and he won¡¯t bother you anymore.

    She knew she could stop this guy if she wanted, but she didn¡¯t want more people weighing on her conscience. Maybe she deserved this. If this was her end, she would stop hurting people.

    But she wouldn¡¯t see her parents ever again.

    Release it. Don¡¯t hesitate.

    Faced with a choice between death and admitting she was a monster, Lyra panicked.

    But she would not be making that choice today.

    The man assaulting her buckled. Lyra scrambled away and watched a figure in dark clothing promptly knock him out with a single punch.

    Lyra watched with wide eyes as the figure tied up the man, held a finger to their lips, and shooed Lyra into the building next to them.

    She did as her savior instructed and ran inside. Once there, she ascended to the next floor. Taking a peek out of the window, she caught a glimpse of the chase going on. Two of the bad guys ran after the mysterious new arrival, who went through the door of the opposite building and leaned against the wall next to the door.

    What took Lyra by surprise was when they changed colors to match their environment. The two giving chase went in and missed their target completely, splitting up to search other parts of the building. The hero stalked after them, and then Lyra ducked again.

    She didn¡¯t know what happened after the fourth man with the gun started shouting for her to come out. She even heard gunshots, making her curl into a ball. And then a siren. But at length, the shrouded rescuer came up behind her and beckoned for her to follow.

    When she got up, she realized this person was smaller than her. Which threw her off. They¡¯d seemed so large earlier.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked as they neared the van. He. A male voice. But young. Probably close to her age.

    Lyra realized she was taking too long to respond and hurriedly nodded. But the boy had more to say as they walked out. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t realize you were here. If that guy had just decided to shoot you instead of sending his lackey¡­¡± He trailed off, glancing at her.

    Her eyes widened when she thought of that possibility. Would the voice have let her die? Would she let herself die? She didn¡¯t want to think about it right now.

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    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said softly. When nobody else showed up for her, he did. He didn¡¯t hesitate to jump into danger to save her life when she had been this close to giving up on herself. That meant more than she could convey with words.

    ¡°It was nothing. Just don¡¯t wander around alone in these kinds of places at night. Don¡¯t you have a safety routing app?¡±

    ¡°No, I do. I¡¯m sorry. I was just dealing with a lot. I- I did something I can never undo, and I just wanted to get away from it all, and then I ended up¡­¡± She sighed. She didn¡¯t think he wanted to hear her life story right now. ¡°I was lucky you happened to be here.¡±

    She saw him look up and stare at her face for a while. Peering into those squinting eyes, Lyra abruptly felt self-conscious. She looked terrible right now.

    Then, he checked his phone and looked through some kind of app. It took Lyra a second to realize he must have been completing a mission for Aegis. She had never been big on hero work, but today had started to change her perspective. This boy had risked his life to save her, and she was just standing there like an idiot while these people around her worked to bring these criminals to justice. The police nearby had already arrested all the thugs.

    She owed this boy her life. And she would have to repay him someday. But in order to do that, she needed some way to look him up later. She didn¡¯t even know what he was called.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± she tried.

    The boy paused for a moment, as if considering. ¡°Shade. Call me Shade.¡±

    The conversation ended at that point, because a police officer strode up to talk to her. She looked to her side and saw nobody there. Shade had already left.

    Lyra was offered a blanket and a ride home by the cop. She wanted to accept, but she was terrified of going back. The shock had started to wear off, and even if she were willing to face her parents, she knew just how much trouble she would be in if she did. Not just from them, but also the rest of the world.

    If she went back, she was definitely facing legal punishment or some kind of program she didn¡¯t want to be a part of. Best case scenario, the DHD would strongarm her into joining their ranks.

    Did she want that?

    You don¡¯t live to be caged like a rabid animal.

    She shook her head. What she wanted didn¡¯t matter. She was far past that stage.

    She was going to repay the debt she owed no matter how long it took.

    But she was going to do so on her own terms. Like Shade.

    Lyra refused the police officer, but the officer insisted he at least take her to a more populated area, which she reluctantly agreed to.

    During the ride, she expected him to have a lot of questions for her, but he mainly seemed concerned with her well-being and whether she knew anything about those gang members.

    She checked her phone for the first time since running away. It had blown up with missed calls and texts from her father. She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up the news. The incident at the bar had been reported, though it was overshadowed by a headline of a hero named Mistral. And several others. It was pretty far down, actually. Shouldn¡¯t such a freak accident have gotten more attention?

    Lyra herself wasn¡¯t all that important, but all those people didn¡¯t deserve to be forgotten, not after giving her a chance to show off her talents.

    The article listed a dozen people injured, but no deaths. She almost broke down from relief, but she kept it together for now. Some were still in critical condition.

    She thanked the man and got out of the car near a hotel. She had some money left. From her part-time job, not from her parents. Then she realized she wouldn¡¯t be able to register her name there without being apprehended. So she had to wait for the stores to open again to get a change of clothes.

    Plodding over to a public tap, exhausted, she leaned down and washed her face. Was she really going to sleep outside? What if she encountered more thugs while snoozing on a park bench?

    Lyra walked towards the hotel, trying to blend in with the crowd. Her heart was racing as she realized that she was completely on her own now. She had no idea where to go or what to do next, but she knew that she couldn''t stay in one place for too long.

    As she entered the lobby of the hotel, she noticed a group of people gathered around a TV screen. For a brief moment, she had been worried they were watching a news report about the incident at the bar. They weren¡¯t. It hadn¡¯t even happened in this district, so it made sense. But every glance she got made her anxious, made her question herself. She tried to ignore them and headed towards the reception desk.

    "Excuse me, do you have any available rooms?" Lyra asked the receptionist, trying to sound as composed as possible.

    The receptionist looked up from her computer screen and scanned Lyra from head to toe. "We do have a room available, but I''m afraid I''ll need to see some identification."

    Lyra felt her heart sink. "I don''t have my ID with me," she lied, hoping that the receptionist wouldn''t catch on.

    The receptionist raised an eyebrow but didn''t say anything. "That''s fine, but I''ll need you to pay in cash upfront," she said, handing Lyra a form to fill out.

    Lyra quickly filled out the form and handed over the cash. She was relieved to have a place to stay for the night, but she knew that she needed to come up with a plan soon.

    She collapsed on her bed the minute she entered the room.

    The following morning, she blinked at her unfamiliar surroundings when her phone''s alarm went off. The next second everything came rushing back.

    For a time, she just lay there. She didn''t set any alarm the previous night; this was just the standard one she had for schooldays. Huh. School. How long would it be before she entered a classroom again, if ever? She wasn''t sure she wanted to know.

    Showering was the first thing she did, and it invoked some silent tears when she tried to sing out of habit. She didn''t stay there for long.

    Having breakfast with a dress on would have been strange, so she stopped by some stores and bought two outfits and some shoes in addition to a backpack. The clerk gave her an odd look for her attire, but she played it off by saying she was hungover.

    She changed in a private stall and went back to the hotel to pack her stuff and charge her phone. Seeing her mother''s dress in the plastic bag, Lyra didn''t have the heart to throw it away. She took it with her.

    Dressed and fed, she was down to her last few apos. So she needed to make more, and she only knew of one way to do that.

    Aegis.

    Lyra was already making an account as she walked. She tried to look for a remote area to start practicing, but it was difficult.

    While she had no plans of singing again, she hadn''t explored every possible avenue of power. Mainly due to the fact that she''d never had plans to become a fighter of any kind until yesterday.

    It was a good thing her powers were invisible. It meant she could hone the less overt aspects of her powers in front of other people. Such as silence, for example. She focused on dampening the sound waves created by each footfall, and the result was an eerily silent gait.

    For her next idea, she did need total privacy, so she did her best to find a spot in the park. Few people were here. The sky was overcast, and most would be attending their job or education. She found a small forest near the edges and entered.

    Whilst nobody was watching, she clapped, then captured the sound and concentrated it into a ball and threw it at a tree with her hands. It made the tree sway a little. Granted, its trunk was relatively thin. But it was something.

    She practiced until she could do it consistently, then switched exercises. Hopping into the air, she focused her power on her feet and amplified the sound waves of her landing, adding some reverberation to the ground. She launched herself up into a tree, flailing around as she fell through the branches. Okay, less power next time.

    Sometime later, she changed into another outfit. This one was darker and hid her identity.

    Although Lyra hadn''t chosen to become a stealth based operative, those missions seemed to have lower levels of risk. The ones that went for less credits, anyway. But she wasn''t too concerned with that. The exchange rate from credits to apos was amazing.

    What was worrying was that most of the missions had to do with Homeland, a name she recognized. She read from the descriptions that it was a villain gang. According to a search on the internet, they were a group of nationalists fighting against the expansion of Apexia. The latter part tracked with what she already knew, but she only now realized the extent of their widespread gang presence. As far as she was aware, there were no such criminal establishments in her old district.

    At present, she was in their territory, which explained why the hotel hadn¡¯t asked too many questions. And the cop, as well. How hadn¡¯t he been able to identify and arrest her? Was the police understaffed? Regardless, she was on her own now.

    But she was also in Homeland¡¯s territory. She had to be careful.

    She mostly focused on the smaller, low-risk tasks, such as retrieving lost items or gathering data. The former was made easier by her power. Reverberating sound from walls helped her locate items if she knew what materials they were made of.

    Retrieving boxes and snapping pictures in broad daylight and such a crappy outfit wouldn¡¯t have been her idea of heroism twenty-four hours ago, but she had to do this. With the help of her power, few people spotted her. That didn¡¯t make it less awkward.

    A few hours later, she finished her last mission for the day and decided to experiment. Her power made listening in on conversations happening dozens of meters away possible, so she made use of it. She wasn¡¯t eavesdropping; she was keeping these people safe. By listening to their problems. And some other stuff her parents wouldn¡¯t have wanted her overhearing. She filtered those parts out.

    Around sunset, Lyra inevitably caught wind of a crime happening in real-time. She ran towards it. Guessing the robber¡¯s escape route, she managed to cut him off. He was shoving his way through the throng of people. Upon spotting Lyra, he tried to take a turn into an alley. She was glad he chose to get away from other people.

    Rather than risk a wrestling match, she clapped and concentrated the sound into a ball, carefully aiming at the spot his legs were about to be. It swept him off his feet, and he went tumbling head over heels.

    This was the perfect time for a one-liner about how it was over, but Lyra just kind of stood over him, hoping he wouldn¡¯t get up and keep fighting. He didn¡¯t.

    A middle-aged woman jogged up behind them. ¡°My purse!¡± she was shouting. Lyra picked it up and held it out to her. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough. You saved me so much time,¡± she said.

    She was about to speak, but she didn¡¯t want her voice to be recognizable. She used her power. ¡°It was the least I could do, ma¡¯am,¡± she replied in a voice that sounded like she was speaking into a fan, keeping an eye on the prone robber.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that we have people like you around. With all the gang activity, these bastards think they can just get away with anything.¡±

    Lyra had no clue that was the case, so she just nodded along.

    Having settled that, she noticed some people were staring and even filming her at the end of the alley. She didn¡¯t know what to do with the criminal in front of her, so she was glad when the police showed up to arrest him.

    Leaving the scene, she exchanged her credits for money. She had no idea what she thought would happen, but no wads of cash magically appeared in her hand. She was presented with a list of drop-off locations where she could pick it up.

    When she arrived at the location she had selected, she could already see a small box waiting for her behind a container. Opening it with her Aegis scanner, she picked up the money and left.

    She could have gone back to the hotel, but she wasn¡¯t comfortable staying there more than a single night. Luckily, there were many bed and breakfasts in guest houses nearby. Lyra tried to filter for ones that wouldn¡¯t ask too many questions, but she wasn¡¯t sure what specifications to look for.

    Lyra changed back to her normal clothes and found a small guest house a few blocks away from where she was. It was a bit run-down, but it was cheap and seemed safe enough. She paid in cash and checked in. The room was small, with a single bed, a nightstand, and a small dresser. It was clean though, and the door had a lock on it.

    Sitting on the bed, Lyra closed the Aegis app and read the messages her father had sent her throughout the day. She regretted it instantly. The texts started out angry, but he had resorted to pleading a few hours ago. Without meaning to, Lyra read the messages in his voice.

    Unlike Lyra and her mother, her father had not been born in Apexia. Lyra remembered the times she and her mother would jokingly make fun of him when he struggled to pronounce a word in English. They would correct him and laugh afterwards.

    She missed her parents. She missed listening to them talk.

    Looking back at those moments now, she would have given anything to experience them one more time.

    *******

    The next few days passed in a blur. Lyra kept herself busy during the day by training and procuring regular items for her nightly outings. Additionally, she altered her appearance by getting a haircut and wearing non-prescription glasses. Her hair was now chestnut brown, which was a stark difference from her usual jet-black hair. Looking at herself in the mirror was weird, but it confirmed her new identity.

    Furthermore, she bought a new phone, figuring that it would be simpler to dispose of her old one rather than risk being traced through it.

    At night, she would complete more Aegis missions. She had a run-in with a couple of Homeland members, but she disengaged and escaped. Her improving control over her powers made that easier than she would have guessed. Having a gun pointed at her was frightening, but she couldn¡¯t afford to stop just because she was afraid. Her goals involved more than just herself.

    Conversely, she also learned her goals would take more than just herself to reach. She needed allies, and she had a certain hero in mind.

    Contacting Shade had been easy when she was more acquainted with Aegis forums. She sent him a message, but it took a few hours before she got a reply.

    Lyra was disheartened when he didn¡¯t instantly trust her. It made sense, but it made setting up a meeting difficult. She wanted to agree to his terms off the bat, but that would seem suspicious.

    She knew that revealing her true identity would resolve this issue, but she didn¡¯t trust the forums enough to do so. She also had doubts about whether Shade was the same person she had previously interacted with. There wasn¡¯t much public information on him besides his listing as a stealth type hero.

    They ultimately agreed to meet whenever Shade had time. Lyra brooded. She was asking favors from a person who didn¡¯t need her help. A person to whom she already owed a debt.

    Lyra kept herself busy with small-scale hero work. She would often follow a criminal with her power and wait for them to make a move before intervening. They tended to make suspicious phone calls, so it worked out for her. It was a risky strategy, but it allowed her to gather more information and minimize the chances of an altercation.

    A few days later, Lyra got the message providing a place and time.

    Her breath hitched.

    It was time for Calliope to meet Shade.

 Chapter 9 - To Join

    ¡°You just blew your previous record out of the water!¡± Gridlock exclaimed.

    ¡°That comes with the ability to swing from rooftops,¡± Finn replied, but inwardly, he was excited too. He leapt off the wall with confidence, no longer fearing a potential neck injury from a missed ledge. He finally had the chance to test his parkour skills to the fullest.

    Due to the doctor¡¯s healing, he had recovered in a fraction of the time it would have otherwise taken. The bruising still made him sore, but his movement was no longer inhibited.

    ¡°Come on, just because you¡¯re a natural chameleon doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t celebrate with me,¡± his friend bantered.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a chameleon.¡±

    "Yes, you are. You go invisible, you climb up trees, and you¡¯re always waiting to catch your prey off-guard.¡±

    ¡°How do you explain the grappling hook, then?¡± Finn challenged.

    ¡°That¡¯s your tongue.¡±

    ¡°...Shut up.¡±

    Jack laughed.

    Finn rolled his eyes, but he couldn''t help but smile. It felt good to be back out here, even if he had to endure Jack''s teasing. His fingers grasped the roof of another building, and he hoisted himself up and kept running. It was amazing what a little bit of healing power could do.

    Finn was unsure which of his latest purchases he liked the most. The grappling hook was extremely durable, but it also wasn¡¯t always a hook. It was more of a fastening mechanism with different modes that would automatically be deployed depending on what type of surface it made contact with. It was also portable, its cable being stored in a small disk he could stick anywhere on his person. And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, he could also dissemble the gadget and make two separate grappling hooks.

    The adhesive gloves and boots were similarly durable, and no matter how hard he tried, he hadn¡¯t been able to break their hold on any solid surface when the adhesion was toggled on. If he ever missed a step or fell, he would just grab onto a wall and hold himself there. He could even climb ceilings, like Moonflower had.

    His armor hadn¡¯t been tested against a real weapon yet, but it was supposed to be able to defend him against bullets. Right now, he was appreciative of how comfortable it was to move around in. It was made of a stretching fabric. The vital areas had some tougher plating over them, which allowed him to make harder landings with dives and rolls without getting hurt.

    While he would have liked to maintain his invisibility during his run, that might have been too much to ask. He was simply going too fast for his control to keep up with all the shifting images in his environment. He even spotted a kid pulling his mom¡¯s sleeve and pointing Finn¡¯s way.

    Keeping his grappling hook invisible was easier, but hard nonetheless. He was still getting used to its speed and efficiency.

    On his way to the meeting with Calliope, he¡¯d decided to circle the surrounding area in order to make sure they weren¡¯t setting any traps. It had absolutely nothing to do with his enjoyment of the run.

    His grappling hook spooled him up the last building and threw him into the air. He landed with a roll and looked around. The person he assumed to be Calliope was already there, and it was a woman, going by the subtle curves on her figure. She wore a sparrow mask and loose black clothes.

    She pushed herself off the wall she¡¯d been leaning on. ¡°Your eyes are different,¡± she remarked in a strange, vibrating voice. As if she was talking through a fan.

    She must have been referring to his night vision technique, but he didn¡¯t remember her. ¡°Do I know you?¡± Finn asked, a hand hovering over his wrench. He really needed a better weapon.

    Calliope raised her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t want to start a fight. And... no, I wouldn¡¯t go that far. But we have met before.¡±

    Finn remained silent.

    The girl continued. ¡°I want to show you something, but I need to be sure it¡¯s you. Can you use your power, please?¡±

    ¡°You should already know what my power is,¡± he said, his mind racing with potential candidates for who this could be. She was too tall to be Moonflower, and he doubted the stealthy heroine would go for such baggy clothing.

    Finn watched this Calliope closely, trying to read any clues in her body language. She seemed nervous but determined, her eyes darting around as if checking for any potential threats. Was she a runaway member of the Beastlords? He couldn''t shake the feeling that he was walking into a trap, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

    She nodded. ¡°You can turn yourself into the color of objects, right?¡±

    Broader than that, but close enough. He blinked, and in an instant, his eyes had changed from completely black to stark white. Calliope gasped.

    ¡°You wanted to meet me,¡± Finn stated.

    ¡°I did,¡± she said. She took a deep breath. ¡°Okay¡­ here goes,¡± she exhaled, taking her mask off. Finn¡¯s brows receded. He hadn¡¯t been expecting that.

    Finn was staring at a teenager around his own age with chin-length brown hair. She looked to be of Asian descent, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She seemed exhausted. But also familiar, though he couldn¡¯t place where from.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have my makeup on,¡± she was saying, now in her normal voice, ¡°so if you don¡¯t recognize me, I understand. I dyed my hair, too.¡±

    Then it clicked. ¡°You¡¯re that girl,¡± Finn said. Nice and descriptive. He elaborated. ¡°You were in that abandoned residential area when the Venin gangsters came in.¡±

    Her face lit up. ¡°You remember me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s coming back to me now. But I never learned your name.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah, I never told you. It¡¯s Lyra,¡± she stepped closer.

    Finn straightened. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say it was you from the start? I would have made time for you sooner.¡± A bold-faced lie. He wouldn¡¯t have gone anywhere when his ribs were broken, but it sounded professional.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t trust the Aegis forums with that kind of information. Like I said before, I couldn¡¯t guarantee it was you,¡± she scratched her head sheepishly.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you give me a hint, send me something only I would know?¡±

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    Calliope¡ªor Lyra¡ªopened her mouth, then closed it again. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not cut out for this hidden identity thing. The lies, the deception, the double meanings, the¡­¡± she sighed, shoulders slumping. ¡°It¡¯s hard keeping yourself a secret,¡± she said softly.

    He could relate to that, and he supposed her inexperience made sense. ¡°If nothing else, you¡¯re the first person to show me this much trust so soon after meeting me. That¡¯s a good sign.¡± That trusting nature could also get her killed, but he didn¡¯t want to kick her while she was down.

    Lyra perked up at that. ¡°Thank you, but¡­ I might have come here to ask you something else, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°I was hoping you would maybe want to team up,¡± she blurted the words so fast, as if they were burning her tongue to get out.

    ¡°Same as us,¡± Gridlock chimed in.

    ¡°Same as you?¡± Lyra¡¯s head reared back.

    ¡°YOU CAN HEAR ME!?¡±

    Finn might have winced if his earphone didn¡¯t have auto noise dampening. Or if he was paying attention to Jack at all. His gaze had snapped back to the girl the moment she said that, and he spoke in a low voice. ¡°What is your power, Calliope?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to, it¡¯s just become a habit after tracking down so many criminals,¡± she hastily clarified. ¡°I have the power to shape sound, but range is super important, and I can¡¯t hold a single sound for very long, and some frequencies are impossible for me to work with.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Gridlock muttered.

    Lyra was fidgeting now. ¡°It¡¯s really not that impressive.¡±

    Though invasive, it was an extremely useful power. And while Finn wanted to trust her, knowing Lyra had that sort of weapon at her fingertips, he remained on guard. ¡°What else can you do with it?¡± he asked instead, more to give himself time to think than anything.

    ¡°Not that much, just a few things, like making small shock waves or listening to sounds coming from far away.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you can hear the drones?¡± Gridlock asked her.

    ¡°Is that what¡¯s causing the buzzing?¡±

    ¡°No way. Point to where they are.¡±

    She did so.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Gridlock repeated. ¡°Shade¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Finn asserted. ¡°By ¡®team up,¡¯¡± he said to Lyra, ¡°you mean a long-term partnership, as in for more than one mission?¡±

    ¡°If it''s okay with you,¡± she stressed.

    Finn was well aware that he needed allies to get to where he needed to be. Even if his goal couldn''t be accomplished with other people, he would need help working his way up to it.

    Gridlock had shown him that having a support system was invaluable. And Calliope here could turn out to be a helpful asset. But she needed to prove it.

    ¡°We''ll go on a mission,¡± he declared.

    She blanched. ¡°Right now? Does that mean you¡¯ll have me?¡± Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°I mean, does that mean I can be on your team?¡±

    ¡°That depends,¡± Finn turned and jumped off the building, over to the next.

    He looked back to see how she would follow and caught her doing a running start. She threw her hands down at the ground and rocketed through the air in an arc. She windmilled her arms, but she made it with barely a stumble.

    With his new equipment, Finn was faster, but he was impressed with how well she was able to use her power to travel, even if it wasn''t at the level of Maelstrom or Sphinx.

    The mission Finn had in mind wasn''t huge, but also not what he would call small. Valued at a few hundred credits, it asked them to protect a shipment as it passed through the district. It was coming in a truck, but it wasn''t so important as to attract any of the big names.

    They also had an advantage. With Jack''s drones, they would be forewarned of any incoming threats, and Finn could use his power to make the driver steer clear of danger.

    When they made it to the edge of the district, Lyra had donned her mask again. Jack explained the mission to her as they waited.

    Headlights in the distance were the starting sign of their job. After informing her of what was about to happen, Finn grabbed Lyra by the waist and jumped off the building. To his surprise, she didn''t scream.

    She silenced their landing on the back of the truck, surprising him a second time. If he could combine this power with his invisibility¡­

    He refocused on the task at hand. ¡°Have you seen anything yet, Gridlock?¡±

    ¡°Nope, we''re still in the clear.¡±

    And it seemed they would be for most of the ride. For a moment, Finn let himself think they had a chance at some free credits today. A foolish mistake, that turned out to be.

    Because halfway through the district, they were alerted that a group of motorcycles was approaching their location from a side street. On top of that, Jack spotted a car driving up closer. It had apparently been taking the same turns as the truck. Finn used his power to instruct the driver to take a turn, then looked at his first target.

    He didn''t want to wait for his opponents to come to him. He would bring the fight to them first.

    When he picked up Lyra for the second time, he was coming to regret his choice of missions. Carrying another person while swinging from building to building was tiresome, particularly if they were taller. But he managed it.

    His grappling hook was split in two, with one disk on his hip and one on his arm. Having both on one side was disorienting at first, then he got the hang of it. He just needed to use his arm to course correct.

    The car rolled down its window and bullets went flying. Finn pushed off a building with both feet and swung in front of the car''s windshield. They didn''t shoot through it. Not because they didn''t want to, but because they couldn''t see him. He had used his power to black out all their other windows, and it swerved, braking and crashing into a lamp post. Not at life threatening speeds, but they were out of the fight.

    ¡°Can you deal with a few bikers?¡± Finn asked over the rushing wind.

    ¡°If you get me behind them, maybe?¡± Lyra responded, clinging to him tightly.

    That had been the plan either way, but he was curious to see her deal with them. He made his way around to the other road and showed up behind the thugs. They were carrying firearms, which was already against Apexian law even if they weren''t trying to steal from a truck. He also saw them whooping and doing wheelies, blocking the whole road and leaving no room for other traffic to come near. Clearly a procession of well-mannered gentlemen up for a friendly chat.

    Finn would have liked to just deal with all of them by blacking out the visors on their helmets, but he couldn''t for two reasons. The first was, not all of them wore helmets. The second was that his power wouldn''t allow it.

    Lyra clapped, but it made no sound. She cupped both hands around an invisible ball and tossed it between the group.

    A third of them lost control of their vehicle and fell off their bikes, and some of those bikes and men went sailing into their buddies, which caused a small domino effect. Lyra used her power to cushion their fall, making use of the loud sounds from the crash.

    Less than half were left, and the remaining bikers finally noticed them. They honked their horns and slowed down, changing formation. Not that it mattered.

    One of them was still fumbling for his gun when Finn kicked him off his bike with both feet into another one, though that guy dodged this time. He tried to shoot as well, but he couldn''t get a lock on Finn''s abrupt accelerations.

    Wanting to try something new, Finn used his glove and boots to stick to the side of a building. Angling his grappling hook towards one of the biker''s guns, he fired it. It missed, but it did latch onto the biker himself. The man got yanked off his motorcycle and went flying towards Finn.

    Seeing the speed of his chord, Finn slowed his reeling in and kicked the thug in the stomach once he was near. His feedback was a wheeze that may have been a soul leaving a body. Jack made his approval known then.

    Finn dropped the biker from a reasonable height and saw the last few bikers almost getting away. He rushed to catch up and kicked most of them down, but the last guy kept shooting his gun.

    Instead of getting close enough for the guy to get a clear shot at them, Finn went over to the road ahead of his adversary, using his ability on the road. It was his new and improved hole-in-the-ground technique.

    It still wasn''t perfect, but definitely enough to fool someone wearing a helmet while driving. Finn made sure to make it too large to just drive around and too close to break for in time. If the guy were fully focused and in position, maybe he would have beaten the odds, but he wasn''t. He was steering with one hand and looking up, until it was too late. The biker swerved out of balance, his vehicle clattering on the ground and sending him tumbling over the asphalt.

    Finn was already tracing the route back to the truck, but he knew Jack would have warned him if there were other people coming at it.

    And as it turned out, there were. Two more groups, though these were smaller. One was a set of cars who turned and drove away as soon as they saw him. The other, Lyra managed to deal with pretty well, throwing three of her shock waves, one of which hit dead center.

    Honestly, Finn was surprised Jack hadn¡¯t been more vocal throughout this whole ordeal, but he supposed he shouldn¡¯t have been. They were both aware of how someone would listen in on their conversation.

    They landed back on top of the truck when it was halfway out of their district, this time not muted. Finn signaled with his power to the driver that they didn¡¯t mean any harm, and looked at Lyra. She was breathing heavily and swaying on her feet.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Finn asked when the truck stopped for a red light. He paused for a moment, mentally noting how he¡¯d asked the same thing the night they first met.

    ¡°My¡­ you¡­¡±

    Finn waited for her to get the words out.

    ¡°So much¡­ so many times,¡± she panted. ¡°Please don''t flip my stomach again so many times in one night.¡±

    ¡°What''s your daily stomach-flipping quota? If you tell me the exact number, I can take it into account next time,¡± Finn said while he confirmed the mission in his Aegis app.

    Jack chuckled, but Lyra just leaned forward. ¡°Next time? I passed?¡±

    Finn dipped his head in acknowledgement. ¡°I don''t know where you live, but I could take you there if you can handle some more stomach flips,¡± he said, looking up at her. ¡°You''ll want to be well rested tomorrow. There''s a lot of work to do.¡±

 Chapter 10 - To Advance

    The following morning, Finn was lost in his thoughts. He had¡ªmuch more gently¡ªescorted Lyra home later that night. The thing was, her home wasn¡¯t really a home at all. He knew it was a bed and breakfast in his district, making him wonder where Lyra actually lived, and why she hadn¡¯t wanted to go there.

    Jack picked up on it too and offered to investigate, but Finn declined, saying he didn¡¯t want to pry into her personal life. He expected her to show him the same courtesy, so it was fair. He did plan to offer her help, but if she refused, he would leave it at that.

    ¡°Look at you,¡± Jack had said when he explained his thoughts. ¡°Already worried about our new colleague?¡±

    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want us meddling with whatever she¡¯s going through, that¡¯s fine,¡± Finn had replied. ¡°But I need to make sure it won¡¯t affect her performance on the field. Especially if we¡¯re taking her to infiltrate Venin.¡±

    Finn had discussed the mission request with Jack the day he received it, and his friend was excited about it, though he did suggest they take their time before accepting. Finn agreed.

    With a third team member on their roster, Finn would have more backup in case something went wrong. She would have to show she was up to the task in the coming weeks, but Finn couldn¡¯t deny she showed a lot of promise.

    It distracted him to the point where he almost ran an extra lap around the gymnasium. He was back in school, and it was time for physical education. Finn had always been middle-of-the-pack, but after manifesting his power, his classmates seemed so slow. So sloppy.

    He had come up with an excuse to sit out this class last week due to his injuries, but this time he was participating in dodgeball after the warmup. From the opposite team, Ines aimed the ball at him, and for a moment he wanted to dive out of the way. He¡¯d grown accustomed to having guns pointed at him, but this was a mere ball. Recentering himself, he caught and threw the ball back with precision. She tried to dodge, but Finn had thrown it in a curve. It hit her legs and she was out.

    Doing this a few more times, he began to notice the rest of his team thinning out. Eventually, it was just him against four on the other team. He briefly considered playing this out, then Jules reminded him of why it was a waste of time with his poor excuse for a throw.

    But just as he was about to run into a ball and go over to the locker room, he saw people cheering for him on the bench. People he normally never talked to. While he never did his best to stand out in class, it wasn¡¯t like he was trying to be invisible. As Shade, yes, but Finn Allister?

    He¡¯d never given it his all.

    Finn had always viewed school life as a transitionary period, at best. He had expected to form a power and move on from this institution. And he had gotten one. A strange one, but a power nonetheless.

    Even after revealing himself to Jack, he had only started getting ahead of his schoolwork to free up more time for training. But here and now, he experienced for the first time the kind of attention famous heroes got whenever they made a public appearance. Or at least something close to it. He would reach that point as Shade someday, but here and now, he didn¡¯t want to let these people down.

    Wasn¡¯t that what being a hero was all about?

    He caught Jules¡¯ ball and dodged two more before launching into a daring sprint towards the opponents. His movements were agile and calculated, evading the incoming throws with finesse.

    As the game intensified, Finn''s mind became an intricate web of calculations and observations. He anticipated his opponents'' movements, exploiting their weaknesses with each throw. The ball seemed to obey his will, curving through the air with uncanny accuracy.

    The crowd''s excitement reached a crescendo as Finn executed a breathtaking series of dodges and catches. His teammates on the bench, once strangers, were now his supporters, their cheers pushing him to give his all.

    Finn eliminated his opponents one by one, until it was just him and the final adversary. The tension in the air was palpable, but Finn remained calm, channeling the energy of the moment.

    His opponent lunged forward, hurling the ball towards Finn. Time seemed to slow as Finn evaded the throw, his body contorting and catching the projectile in a single motion. With a flick of his wrist, he launched the ball back, aiming true.

    The sphere sailed through the air, closing the distance with precision. It collided with the opponent''s outstretched hand, sealing Finn''s victory. The gymnasium erupted in thunderous cheering, a wave of admiration and respect washing over him.

    He was surrounded by his teammates when he came to the benches, and Finn received their compliments and friendliness politely, as he presumed a hero would.

    While being celebrated like this wasn''t the reason he wanted to be a hero, it reminded him of who he was protecting.

    It made him feel closer to his dad.

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    He was walking back to the locker room when Ines called out to him. ¡°Finn! You''re coming to Casey''s party tomorrow, right?¡±

    ¡°He is!¡± Jack said with a hand on his shoulder before he could say anything. Finn raised an eyebrow at him.

    From the sidelines, he caught Casey herself looking at him with interest, like he was an old automobile at a car sale and she just found out how much horsepower it had. He ignored her.

    People were still recounting the match to each other, and Finn followed their conversations. He''d made some mistakes, like not keeping the proper distance and the timing on some of his throws. It could have gone more smoothly.

    However, when he neared the locker room door, Finn felt a blow to his back and fell on his knees. He turned to see it was Jules who had pushed him.

    ¡°What the hell is your problem?¡± Jack pushed the other boy back.

    Jules scoffed. ¡°Oh, don''t mind me, I''m just figuring out what power Finn was using. It''s not precog, because he didn''t see that coming.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Finn got up, confused.

    ¡°Don''t play dumb with me. I might be a pleb, but I''m not blind. You could have played that match in your sleep. You didn''t break a sweat," he frantically gestured back to the gymnasium. ¡°You weren''t even out of breath!¡±

    ¡°You think I was using powers to play dodgeball?¡± Finn said, taken aback.

    Jules curled his lip in disgust. ¡°No, I think Y¨¢n M¨® himself had his hand up your ass and was using you as a sock puppet.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course you were using powers!¡±

    Finn glanced at Jack, who seemed as flabbergasted as he felt.

    Jules kept ranting. ¡°Well motherfucker, don¡¯t keep us in suspense. Say what you manifested. Enhanced balance? Strength? Vision? All of the above!?¡±

    Before he could say more, the crowd parted behind them.

    Mr. Cotherman, the teacher for this class, stepped between them.

    ¡°Jules,¡± he spoke in a low baritone, his muscular frame rising to its full height. ¡°I¡¯m going to say this once, and only once. Pressuring other students to disclose their manifestation is strictly forbidden. And for good reason. Do you have any idea what consequences not just you, but I, the principal, and the entire school board would face if one of our students had their secret identity leaked? No, I didn¡¯t think so.

    ¡°Public use of powers within regulations is permitted under the condition that one hasn¡¯t signed a contract preventing them from doing so. And you know who signs contracts like that? The DHD operatives. The Junior Aces. The people protecting this city. And if anyone is going to hold them accountable for breaking the rules, it¡¯s most definitely not you.¡±

    Jules was looking at the ground now.

    Their gym teacher began walking away and spoke over his shoulder. ¡°As for Finneas, I¡¯ll tell you right now that no use of powers had to be involved there. He is good, but you also suck at dodgeball.¡±

    *******

    The day was over before Finn knew it. He¡¯d successfully hidden his bruises in the locker room, which he stupidly only now realized he could hide with a simple use of his power, and sat through the following classes before walking towards the entry gate.

    Meeting up with Jack, he asked what had been on his mind. ¡°So why do you want me to go to this party?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I just want you to have fun for once,¡± Jack smiled.

    Finn¡¯s gaze was unrelenting.

    ¡°Okay, okay, and maybe I also want you to do some info gathering,¡± Jack admitted.

    ¡°Why there? And why as myself?¡±

    ¡°Because Casey¡¯s family is going to be there,¡± Jack said.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say her father has his fingers in a lot of pies.¡±

    ¡°You want me to investigate Casey¡¯s family at a birthday party? Do you have evidence of any crimes they committed?¡± Finn was getting the idea that Jack had been preparing for this.

    Jack shrugged. ¡°There have been rumors floating around about her family''s involvement in some less-than-legal activities. I''m not saying it''s true, but if there is any truth to those rumors, we could potentially uncover valuable information or connections that could help us in the future.¡±

    Finn narrowed his eyes. ¡°Three things. One, won¡¯t Casey host her party at some other venue? Two, how do you know it¡¯s going to be at her house? And three, if it is, am I supposed to sneak through their property?¡±

    ¡°No, she said so, and not exactly. You don¡¯t need to sneak through their whole property¡ªwhich is huge by the way; the Wardell estate could probably house every class in our year.¡±

    Finn questioned the likelihood of overhearing anything significant amidst a crowd of intoxicated teenagers.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll find there, but it¡¯s definitely worth checking out,¡± Jack said, which wasn¡¯t convincing at all.

    Finn crossed his arms, still skeptical about the plan. They were treading into murky waters, potentially invading Casey''s family''s privacy without solid evidence.

    "I understand there are rumors, but we can''t just start prying because of hearsay and nothing else," Finn pointed out. "Investigating someone''s family without evidence is wrong. What if they''re innocent? It could ruin their reputation."

    ¡°You''re right, Finn. We need to be cautious and avoid jumping to conclusions. But sometimes we have to take calculated risks,¡± Jack sighed. ¡°I''m not asking you to accuse or punish anyone. Just observe, listen, and gather any useful information discreetly. Invisibly, if you can manage it without getting caught. If there''s nothing worth pursuing, we''ll back off.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I''ll gather information if anything catches my attention,¡± Finn acquiesced. ¡°But I won''t go digging for trouble. If we don¡¯t find anything solid, we''ll drop it and move on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for. And it¡¯s a good way to improve your nonexistent social life.¡±

    ¡°As if yours is any better.¡±

    "I acknowledge that my social connections may not be extensive at the moment,¡± Jack conceded, ¡°but I''m working on expanding them. That''s why I suggested you do it instead, since I''ve already begun living vicariously through your cam and mic."

    Finn exhaled through his nose and shook his head.

    ¡°And it¡¯s not today, so we still have time for our plans with Lyra. And chances are she¡¯d appreciate the break when we¡¯ve put her through her paces. Not sure though, we don¡¯t know her that well yet,¡± Jack said, pulling out his phone to check his news feed. Finn wondered just how much time his friend spent searching for workable leads.

    Jack froze. ¡°Finn, look at this.¡±

    When he leaned over to check what his friend was seeing, Finn was shocked. It was an article titled, ¡®Mysterious Duo Takes Flight: Vigilante Heroes Soar Through the Sky¡¯ with a picture of himself in costume using his grappling hook to swing past a building, his arm hooked around Lyra with her bird mask on.

    Finn might have been making strides, but so was Shade.

 Chapter 11 - To Strive

    Finn checked the latest mission in with the Aegis app, and turned to Lyra. ¡°I¡¯ll be in contact for our next mission,¡± he said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied. ¡°Goodnight Shade, goodnight Gridlock.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Gridlock said back over Finn¡¯s earphone.

    As she was about to leave, Finn addressed her. ¡°Calliope.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yeah? Did I forget anything?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s something else,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m offering you my help.¡±

    ¡°Um, with what? Haven¡¯t you helped me out already? You let me on your team.¡±

    Finn shook his head. ¡°I mean your life outside the missions.¡±

    Lyra stilled. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°I noticed you weren¡¯t living in your own house. That, combined with what you said to me that first night out about ¡®wanting to get away from it all¡¯ made me think you might be dealing with some problems. My question is whether you want me to lend you a hand in solving them.¡±

    ¡°That was your first night out¡­¡± she muttered before collecting herself. ¡°Oh! No no no, there¡¯s no need. I already got way too much help from you guys, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something you can solve. Not that I¡¯m underestimating your abilities! Just¡­ it¡¯s complicated.¡±

    ¡°Anything you want to talk about?¡± Gridlock asked.

    Lyra visibly struggled with that, clenching her fists at her side. ¡°...I can¡¯t, sorry.¡±

    ¡°One more thing,¡± Finn added. ¡°Do you think your daily life will affect your performance on the field in any way?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t, I promise. I¡¯ve been getting more rest lately,¡± she replied. ¡°I can focus on getting better with my power.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Finn nodded. He hesitated, then said, ¡°Goodnight, Calliope.¡±

    Lyra¡¯s posture relaxed. She bid them both goodnight once again and headed off. Finn and Jack watched her leave in silence.

    Minutes later, Finn landed on the rooftop of a building in his neighborhood and thought back to today¡¯s missions. Lyra''s contribution was even more valuable than he would have thought. She could silence his movements while he used his invisibility. This combo made sneaking up on people so easy, Finn was almost starting to think his power was a bit unfair.

    Almost. It was far from enough for what he was going to do with it, in the future.

    He refocused on the present, facing the skyline. Lyra was improving with her projectiles as well, making them more suited for areas of effect. Her range of hearing was becoming more refined, and she was using her reverberations to move around better. She also benefited from having him distract the enemy with illusions while she prepared her next move.

    Overall, they had complementary skill sets. And that was evident from their increase in credit gain. Finn had earned more credits in one day than he had in his first week.

    That didn''t mean it was without downsides. The disadvantage of taking on higher caliber jobs is that it made them more known. It gave people an idea of their powers. Finn''s Aegis profile confirmed that.

    Name: Shade

    Missions completed: 37

    Ability: Illusions and invisibility, specifics unknown

    Combat capabilities;

    Offensive power: Low

    Defensive power: Low

    Mobility: Moderate

    Utility: High

    Hand-to-hand combat: Novice

    Weapon proficiency: None

    Power control: Moderate

    Tactical awareness: Intermediate

    Strategic planning: Intermediate

    Estimated threat level: E+

    People might not know about his armor yet, as he hadn''t gotten hit much after buying it, but the negative assessment of his offensive power rang true. He relied on visual deception to beat his opponents, not overwhelming force.

    That wasn''t going to cut it against truly powerful villains though. Or moderately powerful ones, as he had learned in his fight against Frenzy.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    For that reason, Finn was going to invest in a weapon. He had accumulated quite a lot of credits with Lyra''s help. During this night alone, they had been able to earn over a thousand credits from a handful of missions. On top of the amount he had already saved, he could make a decent purchase.

    Browsing the store, he first went and looked at the blaster gauntlets again. He didn¡¯t have enough to buy them, but he was starting to think shock waves weren¡¯t the optimal choice anymore; Lyra made them largely redundant.

    Though at his current budget, his options weren''t unlimited. He didn''t want to exclude all weapons that dished out some sort of concussive force. They seemed like one of the best non-lethal choices for him currently.

    He also saw some wrist mountable gadgets, such as a mini crossbow, which would require Finn to keep renewing ammo. And a pocket flamethrower. Finn wanted to skip over it, but Jack told him it might have its uses if he learned to apply his power to fire. Finn found it too destructive and volatile, so he decided to leave it for now.

    Next up was a paralytic agent that could be administered with various bladed tools. It wasn¡¯t lethal, but it would require him to use yet another weapon to penetrate his opponent¡¯s skin, which made it useless against villains with high durability. Finn might have considered it if the supply wasn¡¯t finite.

    Finn came across the electric baton Moonflower had let him borrow on their mission together. The electrocution would serve him well, but he was looking for a better vessel than a baton. He¡¯d seen how it held up against Frenzy. He needed something better.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is working,¡± Jack said at length. ¡°You¡¯re looking for something that won¡¯t turn normal humans into meat paste, and simultaneously something effective enough to hurt villains with enhanced bodies. So what I¡¯d recommend is a tool you can adjust the intensity of. That way you¡¯ll have something to take down both people with powers and people without.¡±

    With Jack¡¯s advice in mind, Finn continued scrolling. A tool that could adjust the intensity of its effects seemed like the ideal solution. After a few more clicks, Finn''s eyes landed on a device called the electro-modulator glove. Singular, not plural. There were options for a set, but those went for over ten thousand credits, whereas this one was being sold for six thousand.

    Was it out of his price range? Yes, but not so much so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get that amount within a week at his current pace. He read further.

    The high-tech gauntlet was specifically designed for non-lethal combat situations. With its advanced electrostatic modulation system, Finn could precisely control the intensity of the electrical discharge.

    Featuring a sleek and ergonomic design, the glove seamlessly integrated with Finn''s grappling hook and invisibility abilities. Its backhand housed an intuitive control panel, allowing Finn to adjust the power output and select from various modes based on the scenario.

    Beyond its primary function, the gauntlet held an intriguing capability¡ªan ability to generate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Activating the EMP mode would enable Finn to emit localized electromagnetic bursts, temporarily disrupting electronic devices and disabling nearby security systems, providing a tactical advantage to him and his team during missions.

    After adding the gadget to his list, Finn became more firm in his decision. He shouldn¡¯t try to seek out a single weapon that could do everything when he could leverage a combination of tools and gadgets to enhance his combat capabilities.

    Near the end of their shopping, Jack told Finn to make at least one purchase. Finn, who was about to close the app, stopped and asked what.

    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t want to get the baton because you didn¡¯t think it was a good weapon, so why don¡¯t you buy another weapon you think is good. One you can add functions to in the future,¡± Jack explained.

    Finn considered what type of weapon would be good for him. Bladed weapons would present the same problem as before, and he hadn¡¯t liked many of the ranged options, mainly due to the requirement of repeat ammunition purchases. But among blunt weapons, Finn didn¡¯t want anything too bulky. It wasn¡¯t that the baton was bad. It just didn¡¯t feel the same as the sticks he¡¯d been training with.

    Selecting the closest thing he could find, he bought a collapsible, modifiable staff for a much more affordable hundred credits. The staff offered the advantage of being compact and easy to carry, making it convenient for Finn to bring it along during missions. Its extendable design allowed for greater reach in combat, giving him an advantage against opponents with longer reach or in situations where he needed to keep his distance.

    With Jack''s suggestion of a weapon he could add functions to in the future, Finn realized the staff could be further modified to conduct the shocks from the electro-modulator glove. The conductive material used in the staff''s construction could be enhanced or replaced to improve its electrical conductivity and ensure efficient transmission of the electrical discharges.

    With the drop-off location approved, Finn went to collect his new weapon. Catapulting over there with his grappling hooks, his anticipation grew. He recognized that with the addition of the electro-modulator glove and the modified staff, his arsenal would become more versatile and formidable. This marked a significant stride in his journey toward becoming a well-rounded hero, ready to confront a broader spectrum of challenges and adversaries.

    *******

    Jacques Spencer, known to most people as Jack, rubbed his eyes as he put down the headset for today. Which reminded him that he needed to get Lyra an earphone of her own for easier communication among the team.

    He honestly wasn¡¯t sure what to think of the girl, and it bothered him that Finn didn¡¯t want him to look into her past. He knew something was going on, and he didn¡¯t want her to bring down a world of trouble on them before they could get their hero career off the ground.

    She seemed really nice, but while Jack wasn¡¯t the most paranoid person in the world, he knew people could do horrible things even when they had the best of intentions.

    Like he had when he first met Finn, for instance. It was more than four years ago, Finn had been eleven at the time, and Jack, twelve. The other boy had recently moved to this district with his mother. When he had been sent out of the house for spending too much time behind his computer, he saw Finn sitting in front of his door, staring into the distance. He went up to him and asked who his favorite hero was.

    When Finn told him to go away, Jack had gotten angry, not understanding why Finn was being so standoffish. The frustration bubbled up inside him, and without thinking, he lashed out, resulting in a heated confrontation between the two boys.

    Their scuffle caught the attention of their mothers, who quickly intervened and forced them to apologize to each other. Jack felt a pang of guilt as he looked at Finn''s tear-stained face. It was only then that he discovered the reason behind Finn''s cold attitude.

    Finn''s father had recently passed away, leaving him devastated and withdrawn. Jack''s anger dissipated, replaced by deep remorse as he realized the pain he unknowingly inflicted on his newfound companion. In that one moment, Jack''s perspective shifted, and he recognized Finn not as an adversary, but as someone in need.

    And in some ways, that had never changed. At first, Finn needed someone to help him get through that dark period of his life. Now, needed someone to protect him from himself. After they became friends, he had slowly started coming out of his shell until he was something resembling normal again. But as soon as he got his powers, it was as if some other part of him finally woke up.

    Jack had never seen that kind of drive in Finn. It both fascinated and worried him. Finn seemed consumed by the desire to prove himself, to make up for lost time, and to honor his father''s memory. The intensity with which he pursued his training and sought out challenges was remarkable, but it also left Jack concerned for Finn''s well-being.

    Reflecting on their shared history and the encounter with Lyra, Jack couldn''t help but feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Like it was with Finn, there was more to Lyra than met the eye. He couldn''t shake off the nagging feeling that there was something she wasn''t telling them, something that could potentially jeopardize their mission.

    Conversely, it was true that Jack had been in favor of Lyra joining the team. Her power was certainly worth the risk. He just wished she would lay all her cards on the table. But it would be unreasonable of him to expect her to do that when they hadn¡¯t returned the same trust she had shown them. He would have to talk to Finn about letting her into their lives a bit more.

    Talking to him about it and getting him to listen were two entirely different things, though. Finn was far too guarded to trust someone so quickly. And he would probably say something about focusing on the mission, always preoccupied with the next step, the next goal.

    Watching his best friend grow so rapidly and then seeing the dissatisfaction at his own failures was comical and frustrating. They hadn¡¯t even been at this for a month, and they were already preparing to take on one of the major gangs.

    Everything was moving so fast. Finn moved so fast.

    That was why Jack tried to get his friend to attend Casey¡¯s party. It was a good way for him to slow down for a moment and actually be Finn for a while, not seek out more trouble as Shade. Well, it was one of the reasons, anyway.

    He hadn¡¯t been lying when he said he wanted Finn to gather information there. It was important for him to get used to using his civilian identity to get himself into places where Shade would only raise suspicion. And the Wardell family was likely a very good connection to have. And if not that, then at least a force to stay apprised of.

    On his second monitor, one of his coded bots alerted him of a confrontation between Homeland and three of the Junior Aces. Apparently, they had been fighting some regular thugs before Trooper came in. The situation had seemed hopeless, but Mistral had arrived in time to bail his charges out.

    So many things to keep track of, he thought, turning his computer off and getting up from his chair to walk out of his basement. He had moved most of his stuff here when the house was being renovated a few years back, and it had stayed that way after the rooms were finished. It had stayed that way after his siblings moved out as well. He wasn¡¯t complaining though, it was a decent place for Gridlock to operate from.

    Just not as good as if they got their own headquarters.

 Chapter 12 - To Perceive

    In front of the massive, ornate metal gate, Finn felt out of place, and these clothes weren''t helping.

    Dressed in a suit, complete with dress shirt, shoes and a tie, he thought he looked ridiculous. But his mother had insisted on it as soon as she caught wind of this upcoming party.

    Since he wasn''t going on missions as Shade today, he hadn''t seen a need to deliberately hide his exit. This was a grave error, Finn had come to find out.

    When she saw him about to leave, she extracted the whereabouts of this party from him and proceeded to drag him upstairs to ¡°properly get him ready.¡±

    She had even gelled his hair, of all things. He never did anything spectacular to his hair. He barely even kept up with his haircuts, let alone styling it. But now it was slicked to the side, making him resemble a movie character. And not the handsome male lead, more like the quirky, awkward sidekick.

    By this point, he would have thought there would be some indication of someone acknowledging his presence, like some guard or intercom, but the gate simply opened on its own.

    While Finn had wanted to bring his costume, or at least some form of protection, he had no doubt this place would be riddled with scanners of all shapes and sizes. He was sure he already passed at least one check walking through that gate.

    Having been permitted to enter the Wardell family''s property, he saw what Jack meant when he talked about how big it was. Finn couldn''t tell if it was bigger than their school building, because he couldn''t see all of it. One part of the mansion encompassed a large, white square, which was in turn built around a large, circular patch of grass with a fountain in the middle.

    The water in the fountain was being replenished by a marble swan. Its wings were spread wide as if it were about to take flight, the eye on its forehead facing the sky.

    Above the first story near the front of the house were gardens. Gardens on top of a house, Finn didn''t even know that existed. And that was just the visible part from where he stood. Finn wondered how far the property went. He guessed the only distinction between their front and backyard was that collection of trees looming over the rooftops on either side.

    Even the grass was perfect length. As if they specifically had automated robots tracking and maintaining the uniformity of all the greenery.

    ¡­Did they?

    A soft glow from the ground distracted him from that thought, and he looked down to see a holographic arrow hovering in front of him, pointing in the direction he had to walk.

    Suffice to say, Finn didn''t like his chances of infiltrating this place even if he and his whole team were given a month to prepare. And now he was doing it on a day''s notice and absolutely nothing to protect himself with. Wonderful.

    According to Jack, the estate had been constructed generations ago, predating the establishment of Apexia. Over the years, it had undergone numerous fortifications to protect against the ever-increasing threats facing humanity. The rise of primebeasts vying for dominion had resulted in territorial losses for many countries.

    As the population density surged due to the forced retreat of civilians, conflicts arose within the surviving communities. Once the threat of primebeasts was curbed, the absence of a common enemy led to civil unrest and eventually civil wars across the globe, until united forces of powered individuals emerged to quell the chaos.

    Western Europe was one such area. After the supernatural fauna reclaimed Great Britain, English became the standardized language here, and Apexia, a megacity, became the foundation for a new nation. In terms of size, it rivaled an entire country, with each district akin to a city in its own right.

    From its inception, this grand estate had witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of both ordinary people and superhumans, each passionately pursuing their own causes. Their collective existence was a tempest of diverse convictions, and this estate had weathered it all.

    Walking through the open entrance of the premises, Finn felt like he was becoming part of that narrative. In what way, he wasn''t sure yet.

    ¡°Allister, you''re one of the first,¡± Casey greeted him, prompting him to look back down. Her attire showcased a stunning forest green dress, its hue shimmering elegantly as it caught the light. The sight ignited a spark of curiosity within Finn, prompting him to contemplate experimenting with his powers to recreate that captivating effect on various materials.

    Complementing her ensemble, her lips boasted a glossy pink shade, while her eyelids were adorned with a subtle, muted eyeshadow that accentuated her captivating green eyes. Honey blonde curls cascaded around her round face, enhancing her natural beauty. Without a doubt, she exuded the enchanting aura befitting a birthday princess.

    Finn was more surprised by the fact that she''d deigned to welcome him. He glanced into the stair hall beyond the foyer and saw some of their classmates sitting on a luxurious couch; one taller boy was talking to them, saying something and making them laugh.

    Finn kept all those thoughts to himself, nodding and handing her a present.

    ¡°Much appreciated,¡± she accepted it graciously, adding it to the growing pile of presents she had already gathered. Finn wasn¡¯t sure what had brought on the sudden change in attitude. Perhaps it was her family¡¯s presence causing her to act this way.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Casey,¡± Finn said, his tone neutral.

    Casey thanked him and directed him to the rest of his classmates, then turned her attention back to the main door, where another pair of guests arrived.

    Upon entering the hall, Finn spotted a statuesque man at the top of the stairs, overseeing the event. He knew from pictures Jack had shown him that this was Cyrus Wardell, Casey¡¯s father. His well-groomed beard emphasized his chiseled jawline, and his piercing gaze revealed the striking resemblance between him and Casey, particularly in their eyes. A smile adorned Cyrus¡¯ face as he waved a hand in Finn''s direction, prompting Finn to offer a hesitant wave in return.

    Finn''s gaze shifted from Cyrus to the rest of the room, taking in the grandeur of the occasion. The hall was adorned with elegant decorations, with shimmering chandeliers casting a warm, golden glow. Soft music played in the background, creating an atmosphere of sophistication and celebration.

    ¡°There¡¯s the dodgeball king!¡± he heard from behind him. He turned to see Ines pointing at him from the aforementioned couch, which he now saw was only one of many seats. Going over there, he saw some of them had been supplied with drinks.

    ¡°Ready to show off your dodgeball skills on the dance floor?¡± Ines teased, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

    ¡°I don''t know about dancing, but I''ll be ready to dodge any obstacles that come my way,¡± Finn replied, eliciting laughter from the group. Why was that so funny? He wasn¡¯t joking.

    ¡°Be careful with making such bold statements, lest someone take you up on your challenge,¡± sounded a smooth voice beside him. Finn turned his gaze towards the young man standing beside him, taking in his appearance. It was the boy he¡¯d observed before, and up close, the family resemblance with the other Wardells was clear. His hair might have been a shade lighter, but he still retained the same striking features as his sister. The lighting of the room accentuated the pronounced lines of his jaw, giving him a distinguished and slightly mysterious presence. His voice, like velvet caressing the air, held a hint of playfulness, as if he knew something others didn''t.

    From his unthreatening-yet-fit build to his inviting and relaxed posture, he exuded an effortless charm that drew people towards him. There was an air of confidence in his demeanor, a self-assuredness that commanded attention without being overtly demanding.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to stay on the lookout, then,¡± Finn said, meeting his eyes. For just the right amount of time, the older boy let a pause linger, and in that fleeting moment, his intense gaze appeared to explore the depths of Finn''s very essence. A subtle smirk played on his lips, as if Finn had passed some sort of test.

    "Indeed, one must always be prepared to navigate the unexpected," the young man acknowledged. "Especially in a place like this." Without breaking eye contact, he held his hand out. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Finn. I¡¯m Aiden, Casey¡¯s older brother.¡±

    Finn took Aiden''s hand. His mind raced to find the right words to say, aware that the purpose of his presence here was to gather information discreetly. Yet, it seemed that the entire Wardell family had swiftly noticed his arrival, leaving him feeling exposed and vulnerable. The expectant gazes of the other guests only added to the pressure, like they anticipated a clever remark or a captivating story.

    Collecting his thoughts, Finn managed a polite nod and replied, "Same to you, Aiden. It''s good to meet you." He kept his voice steady, masking the subtle unease that swirled within him.

    Aiden''s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, a subtle spark of curiosity glimmering within their depths. As he leaned forward, his body angled towards Finn, it revealed an unspoken invitation to delve deeper into the depths of their connection. The corners of his lips curled upwards, forming a knowing smile that betrayed his keen awareness of the situation. His head tilted ever so slightly, as if trying to catch the hidden truths lingering behind Finn''s facade.

    What in the world was this guy¡¯s deal?

    "So, Finn," Aiden began, his voice laced with genuine interest, "how did you find yourself drawn into the realm of dodgeball? It''s not the most conventional passion, I must say."

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what my classmates said about me before I got here,¡± Finn said, giving them a pointed look, ¡°but passion is a strong word. I just played out a match, like any other game.¡±

    ¡°Ah, a modest player,¡± Aiden remarked. ¡°I take it there is a more general element to the sport that you enjoy, then? Such as aiming and dodging or perhaps competition as a whole?¡±

    At this point, Finn wanted to lie his way out of the conversation. And he would have, if he thought Aiden would fall for it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything special, I was only trying to see how far I could go.¡±

    ¡°Quite far, evidently, and if you are searching for your limits, have you tried your hand at any other fields of human endeavor?¡±

    ¡°I tried some combat sports when I was in elementary school, but I quit after I moved to this district,¡± Finn answered.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Really? I think that¡¯s a shame, Finn. You seem like you would be very talented at martial arts. The philosophy in most of them might even interest you. It''s not just about physical combat; it''s about cultivating inner strength, finding balance, and honing your mind as well. It might be worth exploring if you''re open to it. Discipline and self-improvement are good values for you to espouse, if your motivation is to go as far as possible.¡±

    ¡°And you seem to know a lot about martial arts,¡± Finn observed.

    Aiden''s laughter danced through the air, a melodic rhythm that resonated in perfect harmony. ¡°Yes, that is true. My father was adamant that I train to at least an appreciable level of mastery. Casey, too, even if she doesn¡¯t act like it. You should ask her to throw an overhand right; the look she will give you is hilarious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Finn said, internally questioning the possibility of Casey ever hitting a punching bag.

    As the conversation with Aiden reached a natural pause, Finn''s attention was drawn to the commotion near the doors where the party was being held. By now, there was quite a crowd, and Finn could see some were already being led through one of the doors to where the party would actually be taking place. He saw Jack over there, too.

    Behind Cyrus, all manner of personnel walked to and fro, preparing food and beverages and other tasks. Some were even hovering past the guests with trays full of hors d''oeuvres.

    The anticipation in the air grew palpable as guests started to make their way into the main event. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Finn to discreetly gather information and navigate the mansion.

    "I think I should head inside," Finn said, glancing toward the doors. "But it was... interesting talking to you, Aiden."

    Aiden picked up a cranberry endive from a tray and raised it, as if to toast. "Likewise, Finn. Enjoy the rest of the party. And don''t hesitate to seek me out if you need anything or if you simply want to continue our conversation. I''m sure we could explore some interesting topics together."

    ¡°Alright,¡± Finn offered a brief nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention to the doors and joining the stream of guests making their way into the party.

    Once he entered the other room, the first thing that stood out was the difference in lighting. It was a lot darker in here, making it easier to sneak around unnoticed. The second was the different areas where some adults were already gathered. Casey had invited not just her classmates, but also what he presumed to be business partners of her father and some of his other connections.

    That was good for his objective, but he would need to get close first. And after reconvening with Jack, he was set to engage both the guests and the staff in conversation. It did not go swimmingly. Without Aiden to lead him through the dialogue, Finn wasn¡¯t adept enough at social interaction to gain more than superficial information from basic talks. He was starting to see why his usual behavior didn¡¯t get him much attention.

    When he approached a food table with two businessmen talking to each other, they halted their conversation when they saw him. Finn leaned over the table with two hands to get some food on his plate, then walked away.

    As he was walking away from the table, he felt like he was forgetting something, but he knew that wasn¡¯t the case. His phone was missing from his pocket, but that was intentional. Instead, it was hidden behind one of the bowls on the table he just left.

    One might have wondered why Finn would leave it out in the open there, but he hadn¡¯t. At least, no one was able to see that he had, because he had used his power to make his phone invisible as it recorded the conversations of all the guests near that location.

    His power had developed to a point where he was able to make smaller objects completely blend in with the environment. Plus, his range had increased to a level where he could maintain their invisibility throughout this whole room, spacious though it was.

    He would have Jack collect his phone later so as not to look too suspicious going to that table twice. When he was done eating, he would do the same with Jack¡¯s phone at one of the other tables in order to cover more ground.

    Finn wished Lyra were here. With her power, she would be able to complete this task in minutes.

    He sighed and looked down at his plate. He had not been paying attention to the type of food he scooped up, and he had no idea what this was, but it smelled really good. And it tasted good, as well. He¡¯d have to ask Jack later. Assuming it wasn''t poisoned.

    For the first few minutes, he took his time eating and observing the dances people were practicing; it wouldn¡¯t do for him to be suspected of being in a rush for wolfing down all his food in one go like some maniac.

    The music shifted between music suited for the different age groups, and music friendly to all ages. Finn watched them go through the steps as he tracked the rhythm in his head and tried to predict where they were going to move next, and how. It was easy to get lost in, he found.

    It seemed he wouldn¡¯t be able to spectate undisturbed, however, because he saw someone walk up to him in his peripheral vision.

    ¡°You¡¯re already eating?¡± Ines said when she found him standing on the sidelines. ¡°You can dance with a full stomach?¡±

    ¡°Who said I was going to dance?¡± Finn narrowed his eyes at her.

    ¡°Our entire class? Everyone is waiting for you to get up there.¡±

    He doubted that. But this girl was really persistent, wasn¡¯t she? Though for info gathering, Finn might be able to spark up more conversations if he showed people a good dance. The problem was, he had never danced before. And he also didn¡¯t want to. It was embarrassing to think about.

    To his dismay, Jack had also crept up in his field of view and was signaling for him to go. Finn reluctantly set his plate aside and followed Ines and Jack toward the dance floor.

    ¡°You know I haven¡¯t practiced this,¡± he said to Jack.

    Jack put a hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°Finn, just think of switching between stances for training.¡±

    Despite Finn wanting to object, Jack pushed him into the middle of the crowd. Finn, having been shoved into the deep end, looked around. Some people glanced his way, but he wasn¡¯t drawing too much attention.

    Amidst the ongoing dance, Finn caught Aiden moving across the floor, effortlessly transitioning between dance partners. Aiden''s charismatic presence drew the attention of those around him, and his interactions revealed his extensive network and the respect he commanded among the guests, as though he were shining.

    Unfortunately for Finn, he would soon be illuminated by this moving sun, and he didn¡¯t see an easy route of escape. Aiden glided toward Finn with a knowing smile on his face. Finn''s eyes widened as he realized he was about to be swept into the dance.

    "Finn! We meet again so soon, what a coincidence. Shall we embark on a rhythmic journey?" Aiden asked.

    There was nothing for it but to follow Aiden¡¯s lead. To fall into his orbit.

    Other guests parted to make room for them. Thankfully, the dance wasn¡¯t anything intimate, leaving a healthy distance between them. Finn accepted, feeling a mix of trepidation and curiosity. As they took their positions on the dance floor, Finn did his best to match Aiden''s graceful movements, looking at the frame of his posture and matching it as best he could.

    When that wasn¡¯t working properly, Aiden had positioned himself to guide Finn further into the dance, leading by example. Aiden''s effortless lead and reassuring presence made Finn feel at ease, as if they were gliding through the motions as friends rather than strangers. Finn had no choice but to respect Aiden''s skill and natural charm, understanding why he was such a popular figure among the guests.

    Even so, Finn wasn¡¯t content being carried through the dance without learning anything. Instead of trying to match the older boy and constantly missing the timing, he started tracking the beat in his head again. The fluidity and timing of Aiden¡¯s movements became more apparent to him from this lens.

    He began to notice the patterns in the techniques his counterpart was performing, and with each passing moment, Finn''s trepidation transformed into determination. He needed to unravel the secrets of Aiden''s dance, to understand the intricacies that made it so captivating.

    As Aiden twirled and spun, Finn absorbed every detail, committing the steps to memory. He observed the subtle shifts in weight, the precise placement of each foot, and the gentle sway of the body that added a touch of elegance to every movement. Aiden''s movements held a hidden language, waiting to be deciphered.

    Driven by newfound insight, Finn mirrored Aiden''s steps to the best of his abilities. Though there were moments of stumble and misstep, Finn persisted, guided by his hunger to grasp the essence of the dance. He allowed the music to flow through him, synchronizing his movements with the rhythm, matching the grace of his partner, yet never touching.

    Surprisingly, Aiden acknowledged Finn''s efforts, a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. It was a silent encouragement that fueled Finn''s resolve to improve. He no longer felt like an outsider, but rather a student eager to absorb the wisdom of a master.

    With every spin and nuanced movement, Finn felt a growing sense of assurance. He started relying on his gut feelings, shedding doubts, and finding comfort in the liberating act of self-expression. The dance floor became a space of infinite potential, where restrictions faded away, and boundaries became less defined.

    As the music swelled to its crescendo, Finn and Aiden found themselves in perfect harmony, their movements merging seamlessly. The onlooking guests couldn''t help but be captivated by their synchronicity and the beauty of their shared dance.

    In that transcendent moment, Finn realized that the dance was more than just steps and techniques. It was an embodiment of connection and understanding, an unspoken dialogue between two souls. He was communicating with someone who had spent years of his life refining himself, becoming better and better to reach this point. Aiden had unknowingly become more than just a dance partner; he had become a catalyst for Finn''s growth.

    As the final notes of the music reverberated through the room, Finn and Aiden concluded their dance with a seamless elegance, eliciting a thunderous applause from the captivated audience. Finn, out of breath, locked eyes with Aiden. He wasn¡¯t on the older boy¡¯s level yet, but Aiden had made sure to accommodate him and made the movements easier to follow.

    While Finn wasn''t a superstitious person, in that instant, he realized that this dance marked the inception of something greater. Almost as if he had just met a kindred spirit. Which sounded insane. He and Aiden were nothing alike. Right?

    Jack playfully nudged him, pulling Finn back out of that otherworldly atmosphere. ¡°Care to tell me where the hell that came from?¡±

    Aiden had moved on, and Finn glimpsed some movement from the sidelines. The music transitioned to a slower tune.

    ¡°I¡­ have no idea,¡± Finn admitted. What had come over him, back there?

    ¡°Either way, I don''t think you''re done for the night just yet,¡± Jack pointed ahead, to his classmates coming through the crowd.

    The forest green dress clued Finn in on who was at the front before he could see her face. Casey stumbled forward, throwing a glare back at Ines.

    Guests on the dance floor slowly made room for the birthday girl. Her eyes were on her brother, who just inclined his head. Some silent message passed between them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them again, she regarded Finn.

    How had he gotten to this point? He was supposed to be earning credits, not dancing with the richest teenagers in all of Apexia.

    Casey scrutinized him. Finn knew what he had to do.

    Mentally vowing to make Jack pay for this later, he faced the music¡ªliterally.

    A soft, enchanting melody filled the air, wrapping around Finn like a comforting embrace. Swallowing his reservations, Finn closed the distance between himself and Casey, his steps slow and measured.

    If someone had told Finn three days ago that he would be asking Casey Wardell for a dance at a party in her own mansion, he would''ve looked at them like they were crazy, because they were. Finn was just crazier now for actually going through with it.

    He held his hand out, regretting his attendance of this party in his head. The things Jack was making him do...

    The girl stood for a time, then her hand began to rise, only to stop. Finn stared into two green orbs searching his own bluish ones, and he just waited there, leaving his unspoken question in the air.

    A barely perceptible nod and a raised hand later, they touched. Casey''s skin was cool, and her fingers were delicate. He grasped it just firmly enough.

    They started their dance holding each other''s hands but with a decent amount of distance between their bodies. Casey rigidly went through the steps. Her technique was fine, but she wasn''t focusing on the movements. She was more preoccupied with the noise around them.

    The music picked up, but she still didn''t seem to have her head in the moment.

    ¡°Listen to me,¡± Finn said.

    Casey''s eyes darted towards him, a note of caution lacing her voice as she responded, "What is it?"

    ¡°Throw an overhand right.¡±

    Casey gaped at him in shock, utterly mortified. Aiden had been right.

    ¡°Allister, I swear to G¡ª Ah!¡±

    Finn swiftly shifted their bodies, guiding Casey into a dramatic dip. Her words were cut off, replaced by a surprised yelp as she found herself balanced over his arm. A beat passed, then time stood still, and the noise of the party faded into the background.

    His hold on her remained steady, and she glanced at his arm, then back at him, her eyebrows easing into a lighter expression.

    Lifting her upright, they continued their dance, this time flowing more easily. However, it wasn''t effortless. Finn barely knew this dance after seeing it a few times and reading Casey''s next moves from her stance and rhythm, but he was taking the lead. This became easier as the dance went on.

    There was also the style Casey danced with. It was quite a bit harder to work with than Aiden''s. Finn tried to adjust his style to match hers, then realized that wouldn''t work if he was leading.

    He needed to complement her, not match her, so he did. Like two opposite colors on the wheel, their shared presentation of grace and strength created a captivating contrast on the dance floor. Finn found himself attuned to Casey''s every move, their dynamic improving with each step. He adapted his steps to harmonize with her style, finding the perfect balance between leading and responding to her subtle cues.

    By the end, both of them were being showered with applause, and Casey initiated a bow, which Finn joined. Idly, he realized Casey was the second girl whose waist he''d ever held.

    ¡°Not bad, Allister,¡± Casey said. ¡°You really are a boy of many talents. Like, nobody would have expected that from you.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t terrible either, once you forgot you weren''t alone in the room,¡± Finn shot back.

    Casey huffed. ¡°I guess I owe that to your unexpected ability to dip me out of nowhere.¡±

    Finn shook his head. ¡°Doesn''t that just mean my ability to surprise people is a talent?¡±

    They went back and forth a while longer before their classmates rushed up to them. Fielding the wave of enthusiasm and teasing, they disengaged and went back to their respective places when all was said and done.

    Leaning against a wall, Finn stared up at the ceiling for a second, but was soon interrupted. Jack, moment ruiner of the day, came to remind him of his tedious task: espionage.

 Chapter 13 - To Veil

    After the party concluded, their operation had yielded¡­ mixed results, to say the least. They had gotten some leads, but sneaking around the mansion itself had obviously been out of the question for Finn after he had drawn so much attention to himself. And he was sure they had some kind of technology in there that would have caught him anyway. Even using his power on his phone had been risky.

    Jack had filtered the recordings for any useful information. They had caught wind of some places Finn would explore in the coming weeks, but no groundbreaking discoveries were made that night; just some slightly suspicious chatter with a few details that might lead to more.

    Having interacted with the Wardell siblings, Finn was relieved they hadn¡¯t found anything; he really wanted to believe they were innocent. But he supposed that, even if they were, their father might not be.

    Unlike his son, the enigmatic Cyrus Wardell hadn¡¯t mingled much during the party, apparently content to view his daughter¡¯s birthday party from a distance. Because of that, Finn hadn¡¯t managed to get a read on the man. He was far from an expert at discerning the contents of people¡¯s character, but he could usually tell when someone was saying something that warranted suspicion.

    Jack did inform him that there were often extended periods where Casey and Aiden didn¡¯t get to see their father, which made sense to Finn given how much the man was involved in with his various businesses and investments. But he wondered if it had shaped them to become the way they were today.

    The extended periods of absence reminded Finn of his own father. He remembered how ecstatic he would be whenever his father would come back home and Finn would show him one of his drawings. His father would always smile, pretending they didn¡¯t look terrible, and pick Finn up so they could exchange stories.

    But those days were gone.

    They had been taken from him.

    Finn breathed slowly until the pain in his chest subsided. He was more equipped to deal with it now, years later. Even if the memories still stirred up a torrent of emotions inside him, he had long since learned to channel them into his drive to get stronger. Strong enough to face that monster.

    He turned off the shower, watching the cold water drip down his toned body. Ever since starting his training with Jack, he''d started to become capable of greater and greater physical feats. His new mode of transportation as Shade served as a testament to that.

    His strength was accumulating bit by bit, but he knew this was far from sufficient. And he didn''t think it was coming fast enough. Not so much to start taking drastic measures just yet, but he couldn''t shake the thought that he could be doing more. Especially after that conversation with Aiden regarding martial discipline. He would talk to Jack about expanding his training regimen.

    He was doing that to Jack a lot, wasn''t he? Passing requests and probing his friend for information and perspective. Finn wondered how his friend juggled all of that in addition to the skills and knowledge he was acquiring.

    His mind raced with potential ways to make his routine more streamlined and efficient. He kept coming to the conclusion that having a team to support him would bring him to his goals faster. A team that included Lyra, now.

    Finn would have Gridlock help her with picking out purchases from the Aegis store as they gained more credits. If she could get ways to supplement her power and cover her weaknesses, the upcoming Venin infiltration would be that much easier.

    One thing he did question was Lyra''s own training schedule. She was showing improvement, but Finn couldn''t tell if that was from dedicated practice or just experience she gained from the missions he took her on.

    In any case, Jack would be able to help her train. Although, if they wanted to include her in the personalized training sessions he had with Jack, it would be more convenient to disclose their identities. Finn wasn''t ready to do that yet. Not until he really trusted her.

    And it also depended on what was going on in her life. He didn¡¯t know what made her so eager to join up with him or use Aegis, but he suspected she had a good reason, like him. He supposed they didn¡¯t have to know everything about each other to work together, at least for now.

    When he entered his room again fully dressed, he pushed his damp hair away, watching the shifting colors on the walls blend themselves into shapes. First one at a time, then two, and so forth. At this point, Finn hardly considered his original light and dark exercises proper training anymore, so he had taken to generating multiple illusions at once. Convincing ones, at that. As long as he kept the color scheme relatively simple, it became difficult to distinguish them from reality. Although it was frustrating to be limited to hard surfaces, given his inability to project his power onto thin air.

    They were sharper than they had been last night, but that might have been because he¡¯d gotten a good night¡¯s sleep rather than any major improvement in control. His camouflage had been progressing much more slowly in that regard; he was still far from being able to run around completely undetectable.

    He would have to put his powers to the test again tonight.

    *******

    This place is perfect for you. Stand up and sing. If you want them to listen, all you have to do is reach out.

    Lyra took measured breaths, trying to filter out the voice. It had suddenly popped up again, after days of silence. Naively, she had thought that maybe joining forces with her new companions would keep it that way, but she was starting to learn just how persistent this unwanted visitor could be.

    She sat on the edge of a building, looking down its many stories at the street below. It was strange to think about, being so comfortable sitting inches away from an otherwise lethal fall simply because she knew she would be able to catch herself with her power.

    While she had never been afraid of heights, per se, her parents had always kept her from straying too close to the edge of their small balcony. It taught her to stay alert whenever she was somewhere high up, even when she wasn¡¯t in their apartment.

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    In her darkest moments, some unspeakable part of her brain had often urged her to defy those words of caution, to throw it all away and take that leap to freedom, but she¡¯d managed to restrain herself every time.

    Because all it took was one slip-up. She had learned that the hard way.

    That must have been the worst part of it all. That she had succumbed to that childish part of her, and that she wasn¡¯t even the one to bear the brunt of the fallout. All those people would never be the same again because of her, unless a miracle happened. It made her sick to her stomach whenever she thought about it. Which was most of the time.

    Now, though, she couldn¡¯t let herself be distracted, because she had a debt to pay. Multiple debts. And that started here, with this mission. She could already hear the telltale buzzing of Gridlock¡¯s drones in the distance, so Shade wouldn¡¯t be too far behind.

    She got up and was reminded that her costume was still a bit lacking. She wore a protective vest underneath her dark, baggy outfit, but it wasn¡¯t anything special. Just something affordable she¡¯d gotten from the Aegis store.

    Shade had been wearing something similar when they first met, but she now knew that had been his first night on a mission, and he wouldn¡¯t even have had to reveal himself if she hadn¡¯t been clumsy enough to stumble into a dangerous area like that. And the very next time she saw him, he¡¯d already had his current, high quality outfit on. She couldn¡¯t afford to embarrass him by wearing these rags any longer than she needed to.

    It was a new line of thought she should get used to. She¡¯d never been so dissatisfied with her clothing before. She was used to shopping for cheap stuff, and usually liked what she found, but she didn¡¯t want to skimp on anything and make her new team look bad.

    A few buildings away, she heard the sound of rapid footsteps, and turned in that direction. Moments later, Shade shot his grappling hook toward the top of the building and vaulted over the ledge, landing on both feet with a slight crouch. He made it look so effortless. Lyra had never even seen him stumble.

    ¡°Calliope,¡± her teammate said in that down-to-business tone of his. Come to think of it, he had never addressed her by her real name.

    ¡°Uhm, yes?¡± she stood at attention, adjusting her mask.

    He approached her and held out a closed fist. Briefly, Lyra thought he was waiting for a fist bump, then realized she was supposed to hold her hand out. When she did, Shade dropped an earpiece into it. It had a little wire attached with a microphone that would curl around the ear.

    Lyra stared at it for a moment. ¡°Is this for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gridlock laughed, his voice coming from Shade¡¯s earpiece and her own. ¡°You might be able to hear me talking to Shade, but this¡¯ll make it easier for you two to communicate with each other. You know color signals are harder to read in low light conditions. Long distance too, if you¡¯re ever out of range for your power to hear us.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. How much does it cost?¡± She grinned sheepishly, but neither of them could see her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Shade said, turning around. ¡°Put it on. Then we¡¯re heading over to the first location.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lyra agreed, though she still felt uneasy accepting such a gift. It did fit nicely over her ear, she had to admit.

    She checked her phone, about to accept Shade¡¯s invitation for the mission, then paused. ¡°Guys?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Gridlock asked, though she could hear him from two different sources. She filtered out one of them.

    ¡°I got a mission request. Do you know what to do with these? This is my first time seeing one,¡± she held up her phone to Shade, who was walking over to her.

    ¡°Any recommendations listed?¡± Gridlock spoke in a hurry.

    ¡°Not that I can see¡­¡± Lyra scrolled through but didn¡¯t find anything resembling a recommendation.

    ¡°I got it too,¡± Shade cut in. ¡°The client isn¡¯t even anonymous. It¡¯s from a pharmacy.¡±

    They continued sharing details with Gridlock, who researched both the objective and the client. They were being asked to recover a stolen supply of medication from an armed group of criminals by a pharmacy. The credit reward was in the hundreds.

    ¡°It could be a trap,¡± Shade suggested.

    ¡°But it¡¯s unlikely. Their reputation is pretty clean. It¡¯s definitely not the first time they¡¯ve posted an Aegis mission, or the first time they¡¯ve given out the reward for one,¡± Gridlock countered. ¡°What I think is, your reputation¡¯s caught up to you, and this is a good opportunity to prove how reliable you are as a team.¡±

    The young hero didn¡¯t respond for a time, and Lyra could see his gaze harden in the dim lighting. It looked pretty scary when his eyes were all black. ¡°There¡¯s a time limit,¡± he said.

    ¡°I know, but an hour and forty minutes is more than enough time to get there. If I send my drones over to scout the location, we could make a plan before you go in.¡±

    Instead of responding, Shade surprised Lyra by turning to her again. ¡°What do you think, Calliope?¡±

    Lyra stood and blinked for a couple of seconds before her mouth started working. ¡°I uh, I think we should be¡­ careful?¡± She mentally kicked herself. As if he needed to be told that.

    ¡°You¡¯re not saying no,¡± Gridlock concluded, sounding pleased with himself.

    She glanced at the street below. ¡°I¡¯m not. I mean, if you guys think we can handle this, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    In silence? That¡¯s not what you were made for, and you know it. You will always suffer if you refuse to let yourself be heard.

    She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the mental commentary would go away. Thankfully it did.

    ¡°¡ªirst,¡± Shade said.

    Lyra blinked. ¡°S- sorry, I didn¡¯t catch that?¡±

    ¡°I said, we can go there and see for ourselves first.¡±

    ¡°Right, yeah, I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±

    She hoped Shade would just leave it at that and lead the way, but he was still staring at her. ¡°We already went over this,¡± he enunciated in a low voice, stepping closer. ¡°If something is bothering you right now, you have to tell me. I¡¯m fine with letting you do whatever you want during the day, but when we¡¯re out there, all it takes is one moment of distraction, and everything will be over. That CAN¡¯T happen.¡±

    Lyra squirmed.

    Shade was unrelenting. ¡°So what is it?¡±

    ¡°Shade,¡± Gridlock began. ¡°You¡¯re blowing this out of¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± He continued to address Lyra. ¡°We¡¯ve been getting a lot done so far. That¡¯s why you¡¯re still on this team. But if you¡¯re going to start daydreaming while we¡¯re preparing for a mission that could get us killed if we don¡¯t stay alert¡­¡± he trailed off, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid.

    Gridlock cleared his throat. ¡°What Shade means to say is that you can tell us what¡¯s going on. You don¡¯t have to be afraid we¡¯ll kick you off the team if you¡¯re dealing with some issues, but if it hinders your focus on a mission, that could put you in danger. Both of you.¡±

    They went silent after that. Was she that obvious, or was Shade just perceptive? It could have been either, but she had to come up with an excuse. It left a bitter taste in her mouth to lie to them, but telling the truth was just unthinkable. There was no way ¡®I¡¯m hearing a voice in my head that¡¯s been bothering me since the night I put a dozen people and my mother in the hospital¡¯ would be met with a positive reception. And she owed them too much to put this on them as well.

    Still, she couldn¡¯t brush this off. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± she started, ¡°that time of the month for me.¡± Oh, gosh. Had that really just come out of her mouth? She desperately wished the floor was quicksand, her face flushing with embarrassment.

    More silence.

    Shade broke it this time. ¡°Never mind, then,¡± he said, his tone even. In contrast, his power had come undone, revealing bewildered, blue-gray eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯ll, ah, give you some space. Yeah.¡± That was Gridlock.

    ¡°Can you still do the mission?¡± Shade asked.

    Lyra rapidly nodded and unhooked the earpiece, a mix of emotions churning inside her. ¡°Give me a minute, please?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll wait a few blocks over,¡± Gridlock said for Shade. The boy turned and jumped off to another building.

    Lyra took a few seconds to compose herself.

    That was not how she had expected this to go.

 Chapter 14 - To Divert

    Camouflaged on top of a building near their destination, Finn looked down. There didn¡¯t seem to be any indication of criminal activity aside from those people lugging cardboard boxes into a pickup truck, and some guys keeping watch around them. ¡°Are they saying anything?¡± he asked over the comms.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re talking about ¡®getting the loot to a hall so they can make the next batch,¡¯¡± Lyra said over the earpiece, this time focused on the task at hand. ¡°No, uhm, actually, I think Hall is a name.¡±

    ¡°Has to be drugs,¡± Finn concluded. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Remember, you don¡¯t even need to take all of them down, just grab the boxes and escape,¡± Gridlock reminded them.

    ¡°Couldn''t they just call the police for this?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°It''s not like everyone knows about this mission though. Our team was singled out to do this mission. The pharmacy probably didn''t want to risk the police getting involved for some reason,¡± Gridlock explained.

    ¡°We don''t have to work through official channels,¡± Finn added, ¡°and they don¡¯t have to pay us that many credits to get the job done, since we¡¯re new.¡±

    Lyra responded after a beat. ¡°Oh, so is this mission a kind of test? Gambling on medicine sounds super dangerous.¡±

    Gridlock laughed. ¡°Could be, but it¡¯s important that we do this right, ¡®cause it¡¯ll be good for our reputation if we succeed¡ªleads to more targeted mission requests in the future.¡±

    They discussed the plan more as they waited for the driver to leave, figuring it would be easier to extract the goods while they were on the road rather than within view of the people here.

    The set time limit puzzled Finn the most, as these people didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush to get anywhere, nor were they acting like criminals who had just pulled off a heist. Their calm demeanor made him wary.

    At length, the truck drove off, and Finn and Lyra tailed it from atop nearby buildings. They shadowed the truck until it was a good distance away from its starting point. Then Finn positioned his grappling hooks to swing by the vehicle, already jumping off a roof as he did so.

    Grabbing a box with each hand, he shot back up to the building while turned to look at him.

    That had gone smoothly, better than expected, he thought as he landed. His feet touched down on the ledge of the building before pausing.

    ¡°The weight is off,¡± he said.

    Lyra, who had been walking up to him, spoke. ¡°The weight?¡±

    Finn said nothing more, putting the boxes down and opening them, only to see stacks of rubber foam inside.

    ¡°A decoy,¡± Gridlock voiced his thoughts, no doubt paying rapt attention to the action cam transmitting video footage. ¡°I still have eyes on the¡­ wait.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a bigger truck driving the opposite direction right now. You should target that one, but assume they already know you¡¯re coming.¡± Gridlock rattled off the fastest route to their target and they set off.

    Wind rushed past as Finn sprinted, intensifying every time he was pulled along by his gadget. It was times like this where he resented his weak, slow body, but nothing could be done about that currently. He was already traveling faster than two days ago.

    The same went for Lyra, who had apparently improved as well, no longer stumbling or making shaky jumps. Her run was steady too, though obviously slower than his own. Which wouldn¡¯t be an issue, since she was going to be the one cutting their target off.

    It took several minutes to get close. Finn saw the truck, this one bigger than the last, come into view. It didn¡¯t conveniently have the cargo out in the open, so they would have to break through somehow.

    He pushed for that extra bit of speed to get in range and shoot his grappling hooks at the container whilst jumping.

    The hooks stopped dead in their tracks, twin cables coiling around them in midair like snakes in the grip of a hunter.

    Time seemed to slow as Finn realized what was happening. He fell through the air while he tried to retract his hooks, and it worked. But it was too late. He would hit the asphalt before he could readjust and correct his course.

    ¡°Finn!¡± Gridlock shouted over the comms.

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    His arms flailed in a desperate attempt to clutch windows behind him with adhesive gloves, but he was already too far away. The ground rose up to meet him as he plummeted, promising a swift end.

    Dread rose up from deep within his gut. He couldn¡¯t die, not like this. He still had a duty to fulfill. He reached for his power with all he had, coloring himself completely invisible. It didn¡¯t help. Of course it didn¡¯t. Why would it? If he¡¯d just had a better power, he would have been able to do more. He wouldn¡¯t have died for nothing.

    At the last second, however, a small shock wave erupted from the ground, cushioning his fall. He rolled to the side, disoriented but still alive. Scanning the surroundings, he saw the truck getting farther away.

    ¡°Are you okay?!¡± Lyra¡¯s voice sounded in his ear.

    It was then that he noticed her standing there a few blocks ahead. Had she always been able to use her power at that range?

    ¡°I¡¯m alive,¡± Finn said, more to himself than anyone else. And not under his own power. If it hadn''t been for his teammate, he wouldn''t have survived that. He scowled.

    It seemed he wouldn¡¯t have time to do anything else, though, because someone was coming for him. Two someones, in fact.

    One was a man in a black jacket with red markings lined across, wearing shoes and pants with the same colors. His face was covered by a skull mask on the bottom half and a hood over his head.

    Beside him ran a guy dressed completely in leather and military camo print mask, leaving only an opening for the eyes.

    The first man extended his hands, which turned into grainy rock and metal. He ground them together, creating hundreds of glowing sparks which converged in the air like so many fireflies. Then they swarmed towards Finn''s position.

    Finn activated his power again, making himself harder to see as he rolled away. But the second assailant made a v-shape with his fingers and pulled out a rock. He used his fingers to aim, pulling back as if firing a slingshot. The rock went flying hard enough to crack the pavement.

    But it didn¡¯t hit Finn. He had already evaded the second attack and sprinted away from the sparks. They hovered near a parked car, sliding through its tiny gaps. Nothing happened at first.

    An explosion followed right after, knocking Finn off his feet and sending a wave of burning heat over him. Some shrapnel had hit him, but none of it managed to penetrate the fabric of his suit. Immediately, he got up and used the rising smoke as cover.

    ¡°You just ran into Ignis and Orion,¡± Gridlock said, a slight tremor in his voice. ¡°Not affiliated with any major gangs, but still dangerous if you keep getting caught out like this.¡±

    Calliope was the one to ask the most pressing question. ¡°Do you know what their powers are?¡±

    ¡°Roughly. Ignis can cover himself in rock and metal and manipulate the sparks he creates. Orion can shoot projectiles and stop certain things from moving, but I¡¯m not sure how.¡±

    That would have to do. Finn skulked behind the cars, watching Orion keep his distance while Ignis shot more sparks at the fire, making it explode once more. Finn shielded his eyes with an arm before moving further.

    Orion jumped to the side to dodge a shock wave from Lyra, who had landed behind him. She dodged the villain¡¯s projectile as she fired another one of her own.

    Finn used that opening to extend his grappling hook, catching Ignis by the leg and yanking him over. As the man tried to get his bearings, Finn extended his new staff and swung it down. But a layer of rock blocked it, sending the reinforced alloy of Finn¡¯s blunt weapon skidding off.

    He backed off quickly, not wanting to get targeted by more sparks. But Ignis simply sent sparks into another car behind him, blowing that one up as well. Finn knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to zone him in, prevent him from escaping by creating a ring of fire. That wasn¡¯t going to happen. Now that Lyra had engaged Orion, he was free to use his grappling hooks to travel around again.

    Part of him was still hesitant to use it despite his knowledge that his opponent couldn¡¯t make him fall again, but he pushed through it. He only needed to get to the other side, not jump from deadly heights again.

    With a swift flick of his wrist, Finn launched his grappling hook towards the opposite building. It latched onto a building wall on the other side of the street, leaving the other free to save him at a moment¡¯s notice. He felt the tug as the retractable cable pulled him across the street. His body soared through the air, narrowly evading another volley of sparks from Ignis.

    He stuck to the wall with a glove and a boot, assessing the situation. Lyra was getting pushed back, and Ignis was rushing in her direction now, sparks forming a ring around him.

    Hopping down to the sidewalk, Finn detached one of his grappling hooks, and looked around for the rock Orion had shot earlier and found it. He tossed it, but Orion wasn¡¯t blind to his surroundings. It halted instantly within arm¡¯s reach of the guy.

    A shock wave rocked the ground and caused Orion to lose his footing, but before Lyra could capitalize on it, Ignis closed in, with Finn following close behind. His body was camouflaged, but still somewhat noticeable at this speed. He shot a hook at Orion.

    It stopped again, once more stopping in the air for a moment before being released and retracted. This time Finn saw a faint shimmer accompany the technique, and he had an idea.

    Ignis fired a wave of sparks at Lyra, but Lyra just dispersed them with her power and backed up a few steps. Finn had escaped again, causing Orion to look around, searching for traces of his stealthy adversary.

    Orion¡¯s eyes darted left at another grappling hook coming from seemingly nowhere, and he used his power to halt its movement. But it didn¡¯t retract this time.

    Finn, who had been sneaking up from behind, hit Orion with his staff full force in the back. The villain stumbled.

    Lyra had already been signaled, and she wasted no time. Leaping over Ignis, she threw a shock wave at Orion, who took it with a grunt.

    That wasn¡¯t all, though. They continued to pummel him, preventing him from regaining his concentration. Ignis intervened, but his ally was out of commission when the wave of sparks forced the two heroes to withdraw.

    Finn ran back to the lamppost he had tied his grappling hook to and put it back on. They were now on each side of the remaining villain, leaving him no escape.

    Given the numbers advantage, one might have thought Ignis would be comparatively easy to take down.

    That was not the case.

    More cars detonated as sparks set them off, and the rows of fire grew higher. The raging flames and smoke were starting to make it to breathe, but Finn pushed forward, attempting to get into a better position.

    Calliope tried to blast Ignis, but the man¡¯s rock-covered chest weathered the blow. He stepped forward and thrust a metal hand out to his side. The sparks flew back to their master, enveloping the hand. It began to glow white-hot.

    Rearing back his superheated fist, he jabbed at the ground, sending a pulsing wave of heat over its surface. Lyra jumped to avoid it, but Ignis was prepared for that. Another deluge of sparks rose from the surrounding fire, splitting apart and converging on her from multiple angles at once.

    Unable to dodge properly without a solid surface nearby, Lyra tried to deflect the sparks, but there were too many, threatening to burn her alive.

    At the last second, she was yanked backward by the grappling hook, and Finn caught her as he swung back to a spot on the road with clearer air.

    When they touched down, all the villain¡¯s limbs were glowing with heated rock armor. He strode toward them, steps leaving a trail of scorch marks. His hands slammed together in a devastating clap, and a rush of heat surged forth.

    Finn and Lyra dodged to the side, managing to find cover in time. But they knew there was more where that came from.

    Because the fight wasn¡¯t over yet.

 Chapter 15 - To Attract

    ¡°Are you all finished out there?¡±

    ¡°Just about, yes,¡± Matilda Albrecht said while she cuffed the last criminal. He was muttering curses at her, but she ignored him, lifting his entire body up with one arm and tossing him onto the backseat of a police car.

    ¡°Yep, all done,¡± Warp added. He fiddled with his costume¡¯s sleeve on the other end of the street, next to another member of their team, who remained silent. That was understandable. Scalestrike couldn¡¯t exactly talk in this form, which Matilda found rather comforting sometimes. The rest got rowdy enough as it was.

    Josiah, their point of contact in the field, hummed over their comms. ¡°Great. Now, as much as I''d like to send you kids home, there are people in need of your help.¡±

    ¡°Like always,¡± Warp laughed. ¡°Just tell us where to go.¡±

    Matilda frowned. ¡°Warp. Be respectful.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you telling me that, Damsel,¡± Warp shot back, saying her field name as if it were an insult. ¡°Ya think you can order me around just because we¡¯re doing split patrols, huh? Is that it? Cuz last time we did, it was your fault we got caught out by Homeland.¡±

    Irate, she strode up to him and got in his face, speaking in a measured, deliberate tone. ¡°And how many times will you bring that up before you understand that I am not the only person to blame? Pointing fingers won¡¯t do us any good. It¡¯s unproductive.¡±

    Her white-clad colleague crossed his arms. ¡°Says you, the idiot who after months of combat drills fucks up on her first day. Easy to shift the blame though. Not like we had to save your ass from getting split in half.¡±

    Just when she was about to retort, Scalestrike put a massive claw on each of their shoulders, looming over them. They looked up at him, and he shook his gray-scaled head. His shifter ability resembled a pangolin, made larger and far more resilient.

    Had it been anyone else, Matilda would have felt that familiar shudder of disgust at their touch. But somehow, her transformed teammate had a reassuring quality to him whenever they were patrolling the streets. It must have been the monstrous proportions, since she definitely didn¡¯t feel that way about his human form.

    Before they could speak, he picked them both up by the waist and jumped up a building. The silent hero put them down and continued to run, prompting them to follow along.

    ¡°Mind your language, Warp,¡± Josiah admonished as they headed to their next location. ¡°Let¡¯s take a step back here, remember that you¡¯re supposed to be a team. This all works out better when you think of yourselves as a unit.¡±

    Warp scoffed. ¡°Right. We¡¯re not shit without Nar, anyway. Thanks for reminding me.¡±

    ¡°Warp¡­¡±

    The boy said nothing more as he used his power, creating localized wormholes in front of himself, stepping through them to travel over the rooftops.

    If she was being brutally honest with herself, Matilda didn¡¯t disagree with Warp on that last part. The situation two days ago would have never become that dire if they¡¯d had Nar with them.

    That wasn¡¯t to say she thought the other Junior Aces weren¡¯t capable in their own right. They just weren¡¯t on the same level as their leader. She worried what would happen when he moved on from their team. Who would take his place? She wanted to take the reins herself, but it seemed at least one of them still wasn¡¯t ready to accept that.

    This was their third day in a row doing split patrols. She¡¯d suggested they group up again, but Josiah and the rest of their supervisors seemed to disagree, going on about the value of covering more ground.

    She couldn¡¯t tell if that was due to safety or publicity reasons. In her opinion, they were limiting themselves this way because there were some threats in the district her group wouldn¡¯t be able to take on by themselves. What was the point of splitting up only to run into an obstacle which required them to call in the others?

    And if the DHD was just being image conscious, then she didn¡¯t know what for. Matilda had looked herself up a few times since her debut, and her ratings weren¡¯t bad. Far from it. Just from the fact that she was a girl, she was already the second most popular member. She even had her own fan forums online. Some of the posts on there made her uncomfortable, but it was nice to know she was finally inspiring people.

    Here and now, she needed to focus on the mission. They had wasted enough time with their childish bickering. She cleared her mind, bounding over the next ledge faster and higher than any normal human could. As a warrior type, one thing she didn¡¯t mind was running long distances. It didn¡¯t make her tired in the least. Not that she would complain if it did, it was part of the job.

    Glancing over the readout on her helmet¡¯s built-in display, she learned that they were supposed to help with a fire caused by a villain fighting against two vigilantes. In the distance, smoke billowed into the night sky, rising from the blazing inferno.

    The fire department had already been called in, but it was spreading, and they were having a hard time keeping it contained without being able to get near its source. So it was up to them to get the remaining people in the surrounding buildings out of their homes.

    Nearing the sight after a few minutes, Matilda squinted her eyes against a particularly bright flash, though that wasn¡¯t necessary with the protections her visor offered. Explosions kept coming, creating even more smoke.

    They passed right over the firetruck evacuating people from one side of the area, and headed over to the next building, feeling the temperature rise. At the head of their group, Scalestrike curled into a ball and rolled onto the streets below. He picked up the prone form of a costumed figure lying unconscious on the sidewalk and retreated. She was fairly sure that it was Orion.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Next, she shifted her gaze to the ongoing fight a short distance away. It was a spectacle. The two vigilantes, Calliope and Shade, faced off against the raging Ignis.

    Brightly glowing sparks were drawn in from the fires, swirling around the villain to either fly at his opponents or reinforce the searing heat whip he was swinging around with one rock-clad hand. Shade danced around the attacks, taking every opportunity to reposition himself with his grappling hook and support his partner. She even saw him disappearing from view every so often, reappearing in one of Ignis¡¯ blind spots to strike with his dark metallic staff.

    Calliope seemed to be the one responsible for return fire, sending forth shock waves to disperse the sparks and push Ignis back. This wasn¡¯t always successful, and some hits she still had to dodge, never jumping too far off the ground, despite clearly having the power to do so. She was trying to keep herself low for some reason Matilda couldn¡¯t discern.

    Ignis straightened out his whip and turned it into a spear, running straight at Calliope. She couldn¡¯t dodge in time, but Shade once again appeared from nowhere to pull her out of the way. Unsurprised, Calliope blasted another shock wave into the face of Ignis, causing him to tumble over the ground, spear dissipating in a shower of sparks.

    All the sparks in the air converged on him, forming a protective barrier around Ignis. His two adversaries were already out of the way, though. Matilda watched with a slack jaw. How were they able to coordinate so well?

    ¡°Damsel, please don¡¯t get distracted. You need to get the people trapped inside those buildings out,¡± Josian said.

    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± she replied, not bothering to argue. She had not been getting distracted. The fire would have been dealt with more easily if Ignis was stopped, which was why she¡¯d stood there and looked for an opening.

    Warp was already inside, getting people out through his wormholes. It was a shame only one person could travel through it before he had to remake it. But he was still getting a lot of people out. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t actually have to look for anyone, since their displays indicated where all the remaining civilians were trapped.

    Damsel¡¯s greaves shattered the glass of the top floor window. She landed with a roll and sprinted through this apparent kitchen, shoulder ramming through the front door.

    In the hallway, she was greeted by a wall of flames, and it was hot. Not to a level she couldn¡¯t tolerate. No, the real problem was how difficult it was to breathe in this environment, which made her fear how bad it would be for the person in the opposite room.

    She punched the apartment open, and was met with a cloud of smoke. She coughed, rushing toward the old lady in the bedroom. She called for Warp to help her get the victim outside, and a swirling portal opened in front of her. She pushed the woman through it, the portal closing behind her.

    Finding the stairs would take too long. Her gauntleted fist struck the floor three times and broke through. Even without super strength, her power allowed her to imbue metal with the ability to compromise a percentage the structural integrity of any material it came into contact with, per impact. Whether it was a papier-mache or a wall of diamond, she could break it.

    Falling into the empty apartment below, she had her sights set on the closest civilian to free, and went straight in that direction, not caring about the wall between them. Precious seconds ticked by on her display as she continued to free people from the fire.

    Outside, the battle concluded with a maneuver from Shade. He managed to get his hook to latch onto Ignis, then yanked the man off his feet. Calliope stepped up immediately and landed a shock wave straight on the villain¡¯s head. Ignis rocked back a few paces on the street, then fell down, the rock and metal covering him receding. Clusters of sparks in the air burst apart, the remnants carried away by the wind.

    There were more people that needed to be saved, but there was too much fire. No one could get past all of it.

    As if hearing Matilda¡¯s thoughts, Calliope went into a building on the other end of the street, the same one Scalestrike was in. She dissipated some of the flames with her power, but it didn¡¯t hold for more than a few moments. Enough for her to get through, but nothing more.

    Her eyes widened as she got to another floor. She had been expecting the heroine to just leave. And maybe Shade would, because he was just standing there, in the middle of the road, not rushing to help his companion.

    But he, too, proved her wrong. His arms stretched out to each side.

    Then the world blackened.

    The walls, the floors, the ceilings, the street, the burning cars. And most importantly, the flames. All of it lost its color.

    It was surreal, experiencing this. As though she was in some kind of shadowland. She found herself amidst the black fire, unsure of what was happening.

    ¡°You seeing this?¡± Warp said over the comms.

    ¡°Indeed I am. We don¡¯t have a detailed log of Shade¡¯s powers, but whatever he did, it seems to have stopped the fire from spreading. Make use of it while you can,¡± Josiah urged.

    They didn¡¯t need to be told twice. As they ran, however, the flames turned even darker. Matilda wouldn¡¯t have thought that possible, but she couldn¡¯t deny it when it was happening right in front of her eyes. All light they might have emitted was now gone, making the flickering fire look like two-dimensional outlines, rather than the real thing.

    And they were dissipating.

    The Junior Aces hadn¡¯t stopped moving, continuing their rescue operation, now made much easier with only smoke and residual heat to deal with. Soon after, everyone was evacuated, and the environment returned to normal.

    Fire reignited in some places. A minor issue, seeing as nobody was inside anymore. The fire department had moved in, finally able to do their job now that the villain threat was confirmed to be neutralized.

    Matilda had sent the last few civilians through the portal and moved to apprehend Ignis. There wasn¡¯t much left to do. He was unconscious and looked to be suffering from heatstroke. She merely administered the precautionary measures, handing him off to Scalestrike.

    She saw the vigilantes standing not too far away, so she approached them. Calliope turned first, Shade following a second after, swaying on his feet. Up close, Matilda could see his sclera were black as the night, giving him an inhuman look.

    The bird mask Calliope was wearing followed Matilda¡¯s every step. She raised both hands to show she meant no harm, then said, ¡°That was fantastic work. I don¡¯t think we could have evacuated everyone without your help.¡±

    ¡°The fight got out of hand,¡± Shade stated, as if that explained everything.

    ¡°Yeah, a lot of people got hurt,¡± Calliope spoke in a strange, vibrating voice. ¡°I think¡­¡± she glanced at Shade. ¡°I think it would have been safer if we just let that guy run away, maybe. It was my fault.¡±

    Despite not being sure about the specifics of what happened before she arrived, Matilda doubted that was truly the case. Although the villains didn¡¯t seem to be here to deliberately hurt civilians. The fires were more collateral damage.

    ¡°Invite them for squad try-outs,¡± Josiah encouraged. She ignored him. It was rude, but she didn¡¯t want to scare these heroes off so quickly.

    ¡°You did a great job of subduing Ignis, and it wouldn¡¯t do to let him roam free and attack again some other time, would it?¡± she said instead.

    The heroine nodded. ¡°I hope you keep him off the streets. I wouldn¡¯t want to fight him again. It feels like I just got out of a sauna, but ten times worse.¡±

    Unbidden, a chuckle escaped Matilda. Would Allen approve of her making friends like this? Surely, he would. It was not like there were any other girls on the Junior Aces.

    ¡°Are you open to sharing your training routine? I noticed your synergy appeared very well-practiced.¡± She wished she could just turn off her comms to have this conversation without a whole team listening in, but that would get her in more trouble than it was worth. And she didn¡¯t want to get into trouble to begin with.

    ¡°Uhm,¡± Calliope began.

    ¡°Use rehearsed signals,¡± Shade recommended. He turned and walked away.

    ¡°I should probably go as well.¡± Calliope took that as her cue to leave, following him but giving Matilda a small wave.

    ¡°What a bunch of weirdos,¡± Warp came up to her after they¡¯d left.

    Matilda shot him a reproachful look he couldn¡¯t see, crossing her arms over her chainmail vest. There was something off about those two, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she disliked it.

 Chapter 16 - To Ache

    Heat. Strain. Stumble. Departure. Collapse.

    Finn hardly remembered the events leading up to his sudden intermission; they blurred together when he tried to recall them, forming a vague, confusing mass in his mind.

    But he did remember the desperation. The people in need of aid, and his response and his response to their pleas. He had pushed and pushed, further than he¡¯d ever had to. Further than he¡¯d ever dared to.

    And it was not without cost. Dried blood flakes stuck to his face below his nostrils. His head felt like it was being stabbed by a dozen burning spikes. It was excruciating, but also exhausting to be in pain for so long, clouding his thoughts. He''d held the dam for as long as he could.

    He took heaving breaths, staring up at the night sky while his back rested on cold stone.

    Something buzzed in his ear, but he didn''t register what the sound was.

    ¡°...ade. Shade?¡±

    He lay still, groaning when the headache intensified.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± he heard a feminine voice say.

    ¡°Try to see if you can get him to talk. I need to know if he¡¯s still lucid,¡± came the response from his ear again.

    Fingers brushed his shoulder, hesitant at first, then a little more insistent. ¡°Shade, can you hear me?¡±

    The hand shook him lightly. ¡°Ah¡­ Finn?¡±

    That cut through the fog in his mind. He struggled to sit up. ¡°How?¡±

    Lyra raised her hands placatingly. "Gridlock shouted your name when you got caught by Orion, so I thought maybe that would¡­ get through to you?¡± Her tone made it sound like a question. Her eyes searched his own, but for what, he didn¡¯t know.

    He could begin to make out her features now. Some of her hair was plastered to her worried face, which had a sheen of sweat covering it. She had taken her mask off. He paused and looked around, trying to see if anyone else was around.

    ¡°We¡¯re alone here, I checked,¡± she said, gesturing at the empty roof. They were on top of another building, as usual. No one else in sight.

    Assured that there was no immediate danger, he addressed Lyra¡¯s previous answer. ¡°So Gridlock revealed my name.¡± He didn¡¯t bother hiding the accusatory tone.

    ¡°Shade, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡ª¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter anymore,¡± Finn cut him off. ¡°She already knows.¡±

    They fell silent for a time.

    Due to that one slip of the tongue, which hadn¡¯t even been his own, he was more or less outed. If Lyra really wanted to, she could just search public records in the district for people with his name. It wasn¡¯t common. Besides, he knew she had some idea of his age, so she could narrow it down to high schoolers.

    He turned away from her, as if not showing his eyes would make her forget everything.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just pretend it never happened,¡± Lyra said at length. ¡°It¡¯s going to be just like before. You don¡¯t need to be mad at Gridlock.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your place to tell me that.¡± Finn stood, shakily, and took a step toward the ledge.

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what I was thinking. I never meant to get between you and Gridlock or anything like that. It was just that I was feeling bothered when I heard you guys might get into a fight or something because of a name I overheard and it would be terrible if I caused a rift to form between you. I only just joined this team and the last thing I want is to cause trouble for¡ª¡±

    Finn turned back to her. ¡°Lyra.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Go home. We¡¯re meeting again at the same time tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but¡­ is it safe for you to go back by yourself right now? I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve never stretched your power that far.¡±

    He grit his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t follow me.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Jack exclaimed, heated. ¡°You know what? Fuck it. Revealing your identity was my mistake, but you¡¯re being ridiculous about this. You just burned out your power, and now you¡¯re suffering backlash. So bad you literally didn¡¯t have the strength to stand just minutes ago, and now you wanna go back on your own? Come on, just let us help you. Oh, and hello Lyra, I¡¯m Jack.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Uh, hi Jack,¡± the girl said awkwardly.

    Anger rose from his gut, but Finn didn¡¯t respond to his friend. He stood on the edge of the building, readying his grappling hooks in silence.

    ¡°Finn, don¡¯t you dare,¡± Jack said.

    He unhooked his body cam, putting it in his pocket.

    ¡°Lyra, stop him,¡± Jack said hurriedly.

    Lyra remained still, however.

    Finn¡¯s cable shot out, and he stepped off the edge, letting himself fall. A wave of nausea hit him when his feet connected with the wall on the other side, but he pushed through it, making his way home at a much slower pace than usual.

    ¡°Finn,¡± Jack said a few minutes later, when he was far out of Lyra¡¯s range.

    Standing on a sloped rooftop, he wasn¡¯t too far from his house anymore.

    ¡°Listen,¡± Jack continued at FInn¡¯s persistent silence. He sighed before continuing, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡®Exposed¡¯ was the first word that came to mind, but it wasn¡¯t what Finn let out of his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s only a headache. I need sleep, that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it, but that¡¯s not what I was talking about. It¡¯s about what happened with Lyra. I basically unmasked you, and I won¡¯t blame you if you¡¯re holding a grudge.¡±

    He wanted to lash out again, but at this point, he was too exhausted. So he simply listened.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to lose my best friend,¡± Jack admitted, sounding almost plaintive. ¡°And it looks like I might, if I let you keep doing things the way you are. You don¡¯t know when to call it quits. It¡¯s like you get more desperate the longer we do this. Which is crazy, because you¡¯re improving much faster than you realize. That¡¯s why I want you to start trusting us to handle things for you. Maybe I didn¡¯t prove that tonight, but I think Lyra has; she deserves a chance.¡±

    ¡°Convenient.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s convenient for you. I fall one time, and you use that moment to tear down my secret identity. You can¡¯t take that back. It doesn¡¯t matter if it was an accident. I¡¯m doing exactly what you want now,¡± Finn said, but there was no fire in his words. He was a bit out of breath, even.

    ¡°This isn''t some scheme to get you to play into my hands, but if it makes you more open with our teammate¡ªwho saved your life by the way¡ªgreat. All I want is for you to let yourself recover and please sit tomorrow out.¡±

    ¡°How many times have I saved hers?¡±

    ¡°More than I care to count, Finn. That¡¯s the entire point of trust. You¡¯re supposed to have each other¡¯s backs, just like I¡¯ll have yours.¡±

    Without saying anything further, Finn turned his earpiece off, not waiting to hear what Jack would tell him next.

    Looking down at the streetlights, he realized he had no idea what time it was. He checked his phone and saw it wasn¡¯t too late yet, but he also saw an Aegis notification. That was odd, since they had obviously failed the mission. The truck had escaped because Lyra had turned back to help him, after all.

    When he opened the app, he knew what he¡¯d received. A decent sum of credits for taking down Ignis, enough to bring him halfway to his next purchase. To his disappointment, he saw nothing for Orion, but he didn¡¯t know what had happened to that guy in the chaos.

    Unsurprisingly, the credits had come from an anonymous party. Had he logged the bounty himself? He couldn¡¯t remember, but if he hadn¡¯t that meant someone else must have passed along the information, or found out some other way.

    Pocketing his phone, he traveled the last stretch to his house and quietly made his way inside. When he was in his room, he almost let himself fall on the bed, but he had the presence of mind to change out of his costume first.

    As the fabric slid over his arm, he sucked in a sharp breath. He looked at it and saw he had a burn there. It wasn¡¯t too severe, but the fact that he hadn¡¯t even been aware of it was alarming.

    He examined the burn, tracing his fingers over the reddened skin. It must have happened at some point in the fight. Apparently he¡¯d been too preoccupied to notice.

    His body felt clammy all over, and he was starting to notice more bruising as well. He would have to hide those with his power, which should be easier than it had been last time.

    Security measures taken, he got into bed. Sleep slowly claimed him, pulling him into a realm of dreams where the weight of his duty was momentarily lifted off his shoulders. But even in slumber, his mind remained restless, searching for answers and solutions to the tangled web of his double life.

    The next morning, his eyes cracked open to a stream of light coming from the window. He got up and ready for the day, his headache having lessened somewhat. After he got out of the shower, he dressed and went downstairs, where his mother was cooking breakfast.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at work?¡± Finn asked.

    She gave him a strange look. ¡°No? I have today off, remember? We talked about it yesterday.¡±

    Had they? He tried to summon the memory of it in his mind, but nothing substantial came up. ¡°Yeah, I remember now,¡± he lied.

    ¡°Natalie told me you danced with the birthday girl at that party the other day,¡± his mother said, giving him a sly smile.

    Jack was really on a streak, wasn¡¯t he? Blabbering his information to people left and right. Now even their mothers knew what happened with Casey. He sighed. This was comparatively trivial. Embarrassing though it may have been, it didn¡¯t matter that much what his mother thought he was doing, as long as she didn¡¯t find out the truth.

    ¡°Other people tricked me into it,¡± was all he said.

    Finn''s mother raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. ¡°Tricked you? Well, as long as you had fun. You know, it wouldn''t hurt to let loose every once in a while. You''re still young, after all.¡±

    He nodded absently, sitting down at the table as he checked his Aegis account again. There was a message on the forums, from Calliope. She¡¯d linked him a clip, and when he opened it, he saw it was a recording of their fight against Ignis.

    Seeing himself fight from someone else¡¯s perspective was new, and it gave Finn a different vantage point to evaluate his performance. He watched intently as the scene unfolded, observing the way he moved, the decisions he made, and the impact of his actions. He spotted so many mistakes, ways he could have moved better, but he was most dissatisfied with the lack of impact his attacks seemed to have. He needed that weapon as soon as possible.

    ¡°Your father was a really good dancer too,¡± his mother spoke up, out of nowhere.

    Finn looked up, surprised by the sudden shift in topic. He hadn''t expected her to bring up his father, especially not in the midst of his thoughts about being Shade.

    ¡°It was before your time,¡± she went on, ¡°a few dates after we first met. I found a flyer for dance classes in our area, and we signed up. We were both pretty inexperienced, but he learned the steps so quickly.¡± Her smile grew wistful. ¡°I wish we could have done that more often before¡­ You know.¡±

    Though he hadn¡¯t personally experienced it, he could somehow picture his father having fun with something like dancing. That casual ease with which he communicated translated to other aspects of his life, which must have included movement.

    After his passing, Finn would often miss the way he set the tone in the room whenever he walked in. In the first year after his death, he¡¯d sometimes waited in the living room in the dark of night in sheer denial, hoping his father would show up somehow, but he never did.

    Finn supposed he would be taking the same risks, years later. It was just him and his mother, but she was safe so far, although they no longer lived with the knowledge that Dad would show up to save them if worse came to worst. Was that going to last forever, or would obscurity no longer be enough to protect them later down the line? What would Finn do if someone truly dangerous came for his family?

    To that, he didn¡¯t have an answer.

 Chapter 17 - To Mend

    When Finn got back to school, there were two main topics of conversation in his class. More specifically, people were talking about both his dance with Casey at the party last weekend, and the clip of Shade and Calliope fighting Ignis, which had apparently gone viral. He was involved in both of them, but people didn¡¯t know about his role in the latter.

    Going by the angle from which the footage was captured, it must have been one of the residents inside the surrounding buildings who filmed it. He¡¯d already seen it, but now that he wasn¡¯t actively evaluating his performance, he was coming to notice it was decent camera work as his classmates went around showing everyone the video.

    ¡°I''m telling you, this has to be a publicity stunt from the DHD. There''s even pics of them talking to Damsel afterwards,¡± some guy was saying.

    ¡°Are you crazy? She was obviously trying to get them on her team.¡±

    ¡°I mean, If they get ¡®em to sign, I hope they change Calliope''s outfit. She''d look amazing in spandex.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. You are disgusting.¡±

    ¡°But what about that Shade kid?¡± Someone else said. ¡°He just winked out that fire like it was nothing. Don''t think any of the Junior Aces coulda done that. Well, except one.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he can color my hair black?¡± a girl from the side piped up.

    ¡°Dunno, but I doubt it. His power seems temp, not perma.¡±

    ¡°Guess he''d just have to follow me around all day,¡± she giggled.

    Instead of his usual spot, Finn took a seat near the front of the class this time, a few rows away from Jack.

    ¡°Allister,¡± Casey said behind him.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°You seem to have missed your usual stop,¡± she smirked, looking at Jack, then back to him. ¡°Did you sleepwalk your way here?¡±

    ¡°Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?¡± Ines teased. ¡°Can¡¯t you see he came to sit here because he missed you so much?¡±

    Finn gave her a flat stare. ¡°The only thing I miss is the privilege of not seeing your face.¡±

    ¡°Finn, how could you say that?¡± Ines brought a hand to her chest. ¡°After everything I¡¯ve done for you¡­¡±

    He just shook his head and got his notebook out. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d deliberately made the decision to sit close to them.

    ¡°Allister,¡± Casey said again.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°My father wanted you to know he was impressed by your dancing skills.¡±

    Cyrus Wardell had been watching? But he hadn¡¯t even been in the same room as them, as far as Finn was aware. Then again, he could have easily been observing through some other method. And why have Casey deliver the message after the fact instead of just coming up to Finn himself? There had been plenty of opportunities to do so.

    Either way, Finn would be lying if he said he hadn¡¯t noticed an overall improvement in his movements after Aiden¡¯s crash course. That well-timed, rhythmic motion was probably the reason his face hadn¡¯t been burned off yesterday.

    ¡°All I did was copy what I saw other guests doing,¡± he said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Sure it was,¡± Casey responded dryly. Did she not believe him?

    ¡°So are you taking her out on a date or not?¡± Ines asked. ¡°You already have her family¡¯s blessing.¡±

    Another girl overheard that and decided to meddle. ¡°A date? They¡¯re actually going on a date?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Finn and Casey said in unison, then they exchanged a look.

    That, of course, did nothing but fan the flames of curiosity burning among their classmates. The girls kept inundating them with questions as though it was an interview, and the boys mimed crass gestures at Finn behind Casey¡¯s back.

    And so, the rest of the class continued. The lecture itself didn¡¯t end up being very interesting, which was expected, but Finn found himself paying even less attention than he otherwise would have. Was this a side effect of his power burnout? He hadn¡¯t been able to manifest his power as strongly ever since he pushed it that far.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    The results spoke for themselves though. He absolutely didn¡¯t regret doing what he did. He hadn¡¯t even known that would be possible, but seeing the pictures of himself in action, he became more motivated to create proper techniques with black. Or vantablack, he supposed.

    Granted, it would require more training before he could apply it while moving, let alone while in combat. Range hadn¡¯t even been the issue with his power burnout, it had been intensity. And now that he knew what he could do when he pushed himself past his limit, he was dead set on getting a handle on it.

    Still, he would have to wait until his power had recovered to do that, he thought as he walked toward the lunch table. Two hours had passed, and he realized he was abnormally hungry with how much food he¡¯d gotten scooped on his tray. The school didn¡¯t offer the worst food in the world, but he also wouldn¡¯t ever choose to eat it outside the cafeteria. On any other day. Today, it looked so tantalizing he could hardly wait to dig in.

    As he sat down, he was disappointed to see Jack would distract him from his meal. A flash of irritation rose up in him, but he suppressed it and ignored the other boy.

    Despite Finn¡¯s best efforts, Jack seemed determined to keep Finn¡¯s attention from the meal, tapping him on the shoulder. ¡°Finn, listen, you can¡¯t go out tonight, do you understand?¡±

    Finn frowned. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I know how much you- wait, what?¡±

    ¡°My power is burned out. I have to wait until it comes back.¡±

    ¡°That was surprisingly reasonable of you¡­¡± Jack said, eyeing him cautiously.

    Was he really that bad? Whatever. Finn continued eating.

    ¡°And maybe notify Lyra that you¡¯re not coming, or she might go to the meetup spot for nothing, you know?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll let her know.¡±

    Jack tilted his head, looking puzzled as he watched Finn gulp down the milk. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more pissed about this whole thing.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t say anything to that, simply wolfing down the rest of his food. Did his power burnout require energy to recover? That would be weird, but he didn¡¯t exactly know how powers affected human physiology. This was something he would ask Jack about, but he wasn¡¯t really in the mood right now.

    Honestly, he was still angry about the fact that Jack had revealed his name to Lyra, but if he viewed it from a more positive angle, it had sped up their rate of improvement. As long as he was willing to show his face to Lyra, which he might as well at this point. Although, there was a chance she hadn¡¯t looked him up at all. Maybe he could use his unmasking as a test to gauge her reaction and see if she was really trustworthy.

    Probably not though, he wasn¡¯t going to risk his identity. And even if he were willing to do that, he didn¡¯t want Jack taking this as greenlight to cross boundaries in the future for what he thought was Finn¡¯s own good. Hence his silence. It wouldn¡¯t do to become a pawn.

    ¡°So do you think we¡¯re good to go on that Venin operation?¡± Jack started again.

    ¡°We?¡± Finn stabbed down with his fork for another bite, but only hit plastic. And he was still hungry.

    Jack hung his head forward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? I can¡¯t change what happened, but I do feel like shit for slipping up like that.¡±

    ¡°...Alright, whatever,¡± Finn said. He would need his friend on future missions, as much as he wanted to deny it, and he didn¡¯t want to let this drama go on for too long. It was slowing down their progress, and he had enough on his plate as it was. He looked down. Maybe not literally.

    *******

    Before Finn knew it, he was back home. The rest of the day hadn¡¯t taken long at all, and he had finally gotten around to asking Moonflower why she hadn¡¯t taken that infiltration mission.

    Her answer was that she wanted him to have it since she had been ¡®prepping for another big gig¡¯ and couldn¡¯t be ready to take the other request on top of that, at least not within the specified time limit.

    Acceptable, as far as Finn and Jack were concerned. They would float the idea to Lyra once they knew more about each other, but for now, Finn spent his time recovering his power as fast as possible.

    In the end, it only took two days for him to get back to full strength, and he was tempted to immediately push it further than last time, but he held himself back, knowing that would only slow him down in the long run.

    That didn¡¯t mean his training was put on hold completely, of course. He kept going through his usual exercises to make sure there would be no hiccups on the field. There was no reason to risk it anyway.

    Besides increasing his pace, anyway. Though that seemed to be a constant in his life. Always burning something away to get himself ahead even faster. He knew what he was doing it for, so he wasn¡¯t going to stop anytime soon, but his limits made it tedious.

    For the time being, his priorities were to get his next Aegis store purchase, which was the glove capable of electrocution he could adjust the power of, and potentially some other upgrades for his staff.

    After that, they would have to investigate those leads they¡¯d gotten from Casey¡¯s party. While Finn didn¡¯t expect to get anything productive out of them, it might lead them to uncover something bigger if they kept at it.

    Not that he wanted to waste too many nights on that. He had so many other threads of thought and activity vying for his attention, and now there were yet more being added.

    Over the next few days, his missions didn¡¯t turn out to be anything too threatening. They encountered no more villains, and the credits accumulated swiftly. Upon logging his last mission for the weekend, he wasted no time making his purchases.

    He had overshot his goal by a few hundred credits, so he kept those for later. Currently, all he bought was the glove. It showed him a drop-off location and he went for it.

    Lyra had asked them for help deciding what to buy, and Jack was happy to oblige. She ended up settling on a set of decent quality armor, similar to his own, but she would keep the bird mask.

    In addition to that, she decided to double down on defense, buying a sonic shield projector gadget that would project a sound screen which was supposed to stop impacts from going through it. At their price range, the versions available to them wouldn¡¯t even stop one bullet, but Lyra should be able to enhance it with her own power.

    The Aegis store was adamant that they pick different locations to pick it up though, because the app wouldn¡¯t approve of her following Finn no matter what she tried. He still wasn¡¯t quite sure how that worked, but there must have been some reason for it.

    Once they¡¯d picked up their new gear and reunited, Lyra tested her gadget and confirmed she could in fact reinforce the shield with her ability, though that wasn¡¯t a surprise since she had already known the frequency from the description.

    Finn was keen to test his new weapon as well, but he wouldn¡¯t use Lyra as his guinea pig, so he put it away.

    ¡°Calliope,¡± he said.

    She looked up at him. ¡°Yeah? Anything wrong? Your ears don¡¯t hurt because of the shield, do they? That would really suck.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s about last week. I threatened to kick you off the team. I shouldn¡¯t have, not over something so small. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Not at all, don¡¯t mention it. Or do mention it if you want, just, I won¡¯t do it again either. Uhm, I can¡¯t really control it. Ah, I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    ¡°Shade,¡± Jack said. ¡°Did I seriously just hear you apologize?¡±

    Finn idly inspected his staff. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    With Jack¡¯s laughter in the background, Finn and Lyra left for the day, deciding to spend some time practicing before they did their next mission.

    He had a feeling they were going to need it.

 Chapter 18 - To Upturn

    ¡°There¡¯s four guys driving in around the corner,¡± Gridlock informed them.

    ¡°I hear them,¡± Calliope confirmed. ¡°Shade?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Finn replied. He fired his grappling hooks, one at a time, and pulled himself across the street, somewhat camouflaged. Nowhere near his best attempts at stealth, but better than anything he¡¯d ever managed in motion before.

    The car below had its windshield blackened, making it swerve out of control before braking. Shortly after, a piercing ring broke the windows, originating from within the vehicle.

    Four men stepped out, pointing guns this way and that, none of them finding their unseen assailants. Suddenly, one guy in the back spasmed and collapsed from seemingly nothing.

    His comrades whirled on him, but another suffered the same fate at that moment. The last two jumped back, but they were likewise dealt with, the first being yanked back with a grappling hook and the second going down in a fit of spasms as well.

    Finn disarmed them, then eyed his handiwork for a second. He''d made good time, faster than he normally would. It was evident how his new electro modulator glove made subduing people easier, and Lyra silencing his steps in near-invisibility made the combination even more effective.

    Jack seemed to share his opinion. ¡°That was quick, definitely better than the previous record.¡±

    Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you keep records of everything I do?¡±

    ¡°And a bunch of other things, yeah. I have a list for Calliope too.¡±

    ¡±A list? Are you grading how well we¡­ fight bad guys?¡± asked Lyra.

    Jack gave a small laugh at that. ¡°More or less. It''s a good way of tracking your improvement. You guys might not always notice how much better you''re getting, but I do. And the areas you''re not as good at, we can work on in training.¡±

    ¡°You guys want me to train with you?¡± Lyra said, sounding a bit shocked.

    ¡°Sooner rather than later, if I can help it. Not sure why it''s so surprising for you though. It''s honestly a miracle you''ve gotten this far by yourself.¡±

    Lyra brought a hand to her neck in embarrassment. ¡°Oh, that''s¡­ I try my best to practice a lot during the day.¡±

    ¡°How much time do you have during the day? Do you even go to school?¡±

    ¡°Gridlock,¡± Finn warned before Lyra could answer.

    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don''t want to, Calliope. I was just curious,¡± Jack said. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s something we wanted to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°Something important?¡± she asked. ¡°Wait, no, of course it¡¯s something important, sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is something important,¡± Jack chuckled. ¡°It''s still early in the evening, and my drones have been spotting some shady activity around one of the places we''re investigating, so I want you both to go there.¡±

    ¡°A special mission?¡± she guessed.

    ¡°That¡¯s the important thing, it¡¯s not a mission,¡± Jack revealed. ¡°Let¡¯s just say we did some digging of our own and found out more.¡±

    It shouldn''t come as a surprise that Finn was fully aware of what Jack was talking about right now. He was referring to one of his leads in his investigation of Cyrus Wardell''s business partners.

    Since the sole limitation on Jack''s drone usage was their battery charge, he had been able to send them scouting at different parts of the day and night, practically whenever Finn wasn''t on a mission. And sometimes he would send a drone or two away even then, if the objective looked particularly easy.

    Suffice to say, he''d gathered quite a bit of data in the last few weeks, despite his drones having been rather difficult to hide in the beginning. A drug deal here, a truck making an extra unnecessary lap there. The district was full of hidden clues and precursors to criminal activity if one knew where to look, and how.

    Not every piece of intel was actionable, not without getting involved with major gangs, but they would have enough evidence to pursue for the next few months, if credits weren''t a priority.

    On a few separate occasions during their missions, Lyra''s ability overheard robberies or other smaller crimes Jack had missed with his drone surveillance. That left Finn as the only member of the team who didn''t have some sort of wide range observation power, which irked him to no end.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°You want me to help investigate this place in person?¡± Lyra was saying.

    ¡°Pretty much. Just swing by and wait for something to happen while listening for anything worth our attention inside,¡± Jack instructed her.

    Not saying a word, Finn shot his grappling hook at a nearby wall and ascended in the direction of their new target. He didn¡¯t want to waste more time than necessary with this mission, because he wouldn¡¯t be getting any credits for it. And he didn¡¯t believe the Wardells were that suspicious anyway, so he figured it was better to get this over with as soon as possible. Though he had to admit Lyra¡¯s power would be extremely useful here.

    Lyra was right behind him, jumping from building to building. Her leaps were higher than ever before, courtesy of the shock absorptive boots she¡¯d purchased from the Aegis store. It was the first addition she had gotten since buying the protective suit.

    Contrary to Lyra, Finn hadn¡¯t purchased anything in the past few days since the acquisition of his new gadget. That was partly because he was saving credits, and partly due to the practice he was putting in with the electrocution feature. He found it less than ideal to have to put his hands on his opponents to bring them down, but it was working so far.

    His next upgrades would be to his staff. Besides outfitting it to be able to channel his electric shocks, he needed a feature to make it hit harder. The fight with Ignis had reminded him of how tough some of the villains out there were. And it was in line with Jack¡¯s advice to have adjustable intensity on his weapons, since the device he was planning to get would allow him to build up force with each impact the staff endured, and release it, although the surface area through which it could do so was limited.

    Additionally, Jack had advised him to get a feature on his staff that would allow him to break through heavy fortifications. Finn argued that the other features could serve his purposes just fine, but Jack was in favor of getting a bladed attachment or some other cutting implement on his weapon. It wasn''t going to be used on most people, just structures or certain villains they would have to use something sharp against. Finn hadn''t agreed to that just yet, which led him to push it off in favor of his more pressing goals.

    In the present, the office building they were looking for was in sight. They reached its rooftop soon after. Finn slowed his pace and focused on his camouflage, Lyra silencing their footsteps.

    ¡°Tell us what you hear,¡± Jack said about half a minute later.

    ¡°There aren''t that many people left inside, but I think two people are¡­¡± she paused. ¡°Please forget I just said that.¡± She turned her head away.

    ¡°What did you hear?¡± Finn pressed.

    Lyra tensed. ¡°It''s¡­ not worth your attention? Nothing suspicious, just a boss and his assistant spending some, uh, quality time together.¡±

    ¡°...Alright, now focus on the mission,¡± Finn said. He wasn¡¯t naive enough for Lyra to have to explain what that meant. He hadn¡¯t thought about her power that way before, but now that he did, he was realizing she could really eavesdrop on every part of someone¡¯s daily life if she wanted to.

    It did make him wonder to what degree he himself was subject to her power. She would be able to hear every breath he took, every slight rustle of his clothing, and maybe more. What about his heartbeat? Could she hear it whenever they were about to get into a big fight? Was she a walking lie detector, able to perceive the spike in heart rate when a falsehood left someone¡¯s mouth?

    He had never questioned her about it. Perhaps that was because he¡¯d assumed she couldn¡¯t.

    Or maybe he trusted her to volunteer such information.

    Huh.

    What a strange thought.

    Finn shook off his contemplations and refocused on the task at hand. There was no time for personal musings when they were on a mission. He couldn''t let his thoughts distract him or hinder their progress.

    Finn''s attention was drawn back to the investigation as Jack''s voice came through their communication devices. ¡°Keep monitoring the situation, Cal. We need to gather as much info as possible.¡± Finn swore he could hear the smile on Jack¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t that funny. This kind of thing was rather common in corporate settings, based on the TV shows his mom watched.

    Lyra reported talks of things related to the business, but there wasn¡¯t anything super interesting. It was mostly idle chatter at this time of the day, after most people had already gone home. She was able to glean some interesting tidbits about upcoming sales, but none of it sounded suspicious.

    However, when they were about to call it quits, Lyra stopped. ¡°A man on the seventh floor got a call. He¡¯s alone in his office. They¡¯re talking about a shipment for their new project, saying it¡¯s ¡®off the books.¡¯ It¡¯s happening in two hours,¡± she said, waiting.

    ¡°Either of them saying what it is?¡± Jack asked.

    ¡°Not yet. Wait, no, the caller hung up,¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that was about.¡±

    ¡°Did they say where it¡¯s going?¡± Finn inquired.

    To his and Jack¡¯s surprise, the address Lyra repeated was not one of the listed business partners they¡¯d been able to dig up. But they would be able to make it there in about thirty minutes. He immediately set off in that direction.

    Meanwhile, Gridlock¡¯s drones scouted the surrounding area for anything that looked remotely like the ¡®shipment¡¯ they were looking for. Finn''s mind raced as he swung from rooftop to rooftop, his thoughts consumed by the possibilities and potential dangers that awaited them.

    What could this mysterious shipment be? The fact that it wasn¡¯t officially recorded raised concerns. It suggested something illicit or covert, possibly involving illegal activities. Finn considered various scenarios, each one more dangerous than the last.

    It could be a shipment of illegal weapons, fueling the criminal underworld and escalating the already precarious balance of power in the city. Such a cache of weapons in the wrong hands could wreak havoc and threaten the safety of innocent lives.

    He didn¡¯t think it was outside the realm of possibility that the shipment itself contained innocent lives, either. He¡¯d never actually been involved with or seen a human trafficking mission on Aegis, but his mind was somehow conjuring up the worst ideas imaginable.

    His threat assessment didn¡¯t distract him from his route, which was growing to be extensive. He was going all the way to the other side of the district, where he didn¡¯t often take missions.

    Lyra kept pace with him, likely used to his unannounced take-offs by now. As Finn glanced at her running form, he almost couldn¡¯t believe there had been a point where he considered conducting this investigation with just himself and Jack. How much longer would it have taken them to find something of this magnitude without the benefit of such a strong listening power?

    In any case, they made it to the other building, some type of storage facility near the district canal, without further incident. When they landed, the only thing they could really do was wait and listen. Lyra heard some people here as well, but those seemed to be waiting, like them.

    ¡°Shade,¡± Gridlock spoke up. ¡°I can see a villain on one of my drone cams. It¡¯s Deft and a few armed men.¡±

    Finn took a second to recall who that was, then remembered the former Beastlord executive who had abandoned his leader and disappeared whilst Finn and Moonflower were inside their hideout.

    ¡°What are they doing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Waiting, for now. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be the case when the shipment arrives.¡± He remained silent for a time, then said, ¡°Another car pulled in. It has tinted windows, and it¡¯s waiting near Deft.¡±

    Finn gripped his staff more tightly. There was a good chance all hell would break loose when the shipment arrived, but he had no plans of backing down. They had the element of surprise here, and they weren¡¯t going to waste it.

 Chapter 19 - To Rouse

    Contrary to Finn¡¯s expectations, the shipment hadn¡¯t come in a truck at all. Instead, it arrived via boat across the canal. Or so Finn guessed, because the front door of the building he was standing on opened, making way for a group of men armed with assault rifles to head outside toward where the ship was docking.

    Thankfully, there weren¡¯t any houses closeby. He didn¡¯t know what to expect, as he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was being delivered, but if a fight broke out, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about innocent bystanders getting involved.

    What surprised him more was that the villains waiting hadn¡¯t made their move yet, even if they¡¯d moved closer. He would¡¯ve expected them to move in guns blazing to secure the haul and get out, but that was not what happened. These criminals were being careful, getting into position for whatever it was they were planning, not making any noise.

    Obviously, since Finn and Lyra had discovered this meeting through their own investigation, no Aegis missions had been listed for this situation. They wouldn¡¯t be losing any credits by alerting the authorities before they could secure their own objectives; there was no reward to be had, in the first place. Unless they planned on stealing the cargo, which Finn definitely wanted no part of, given how cautious everyone was being.

    Regardless, this situation was precarious, and they didn¡¯t want to be the ones to throw it into chaos. Jack was ready to call in the police, but they weren¡¯t sure if that would be enough, and they didn¡¯t have a direct line of contact with the district heroes.

    They descended, hitting the street in total silence, remaining unnoticed as they approached the ship. Finn readied his staff as he blended in with the environment.

    ¡°Are you hearing anything?¡± Gridlock asked for what must have been the twentieth time since they got here. It was understandable, though. All the waiting had made Finn restless as well, especially knowing there was a group of villains right around the corner.

    ¡°Still nothing,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s inside the container. I think it¡¯s completely sealed.¡±

    ¡°Wait for the right moment,¡± Jack said, but they didn¡¯t need to be told that. They knew what they were getting into. Or rather, they didn¡¯t know, which was why they were exercising caution.

    The container was carted toward the building, and that was the last moment of calm. One of the criminals fired his gun at the group escorting the shipment, but the uniformed man it was directed at dodged without even looking. He turned and fired his own rifle back at the shooter, but the air distorted and the bullets curved around their target, sailing harmlessly into the open air.

    When Finn took a step forward to join the battle, Gridlock spoke again. ¡°Wait. It might be better to hold off on jumping in.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Finn snapped.

    ¡°Calm down, Shade. I¡¯m saying this because we don¡¯t know what side to join right now. You could help fight against the villains, sure, but you have no clue if that other squad will attack you or not. Keep in mind, we¡¯re probably looking at an illegal shipment being defended from potential thieves. I¡¯ve already called it in. If we just wait for the cops to arrive, we won¡¯t have to do anything.¡±

    That was¡­ true, if the police brought a strong enough force. But he wasn¡¯t ready to let this go. ¡°We can just take them both on,¡± Finn said. ¡°No need to choose a side.¡±

    ¡°Can you? Chances are, Deft and that squad leader both have powers, and I see Panel running up behind them.¡±

    Finn wanted to rebuke him, but looked ahead and saw the villainess was indeed there. She¡¯d been the one hiding in the car beside Deft, her costume now on full display. Her brown hair flowed freely behind her a mosaic mask that reminded him of modern art he¡¯d seen in school. The bodysuit she wore was entirely white, sporting only a few tools on its utility belt.

    Finn knew what their powers were, but Jack relayed the relevant information for Lyra¡¯s sake. ¡°Deft has a minor variant of spatial manipulation, and Panel makes flat square surfaces of energy that she can control. You think you can fight that?¡±

    Again, Finn wanted to push back. However, Lyra surprised him by speaking up first. ¡°I think so. We¡¯ve all gotten a lot better at fighting, right?¡±

    Unconsciously, Finn nodded along, approving of her attitude this time. ¡°She¡¯s right, Gridlock. We can¡¯t just sit still and let fights like this play out in front of us.¡±

    Jack sighed. ¡°Just be careful, the other squad might see you as a threat. Stick together and watch each other''s backs.¡±

    They moved closer, staying hidden behind a stack of crates as they observed the escalating conflict. The men guarding the shipment were putting up a formidable defense, utilizing their powers and firearms with precision, though it was looking to be a stalemate so far. Deft''s power allowed him to manipulate the positioning of objects and distort trajectories, making him a challenging opponent to face. Meanwhile, Panel was using her energy panels to create shields and barriers, effectively protecting herself and her allies.

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    Yet they had a hard time advancing, because the squad leader seemed to know exactly how to direct his gunmen in order to keep the opposing party from making progress, while keeping the pressure on Panel with grenades and other tools so she couldn¡¯t use her ability to push them away.

    Deft¡¯s group was hit by a shock wave in the middle of all this, sending them tumbling away from each other.

    The company squad leader didn¡¯t capitalize on the opening, opting to suddenly direct his men to dive out of the way, but not all of them were fast enough. Their formation was ruined by a second shock wave. And that was just the opening salvo for the third party.

    His staff in one hand, Finn dove straight for Deft. His weapon stretched impossibly forward and glided over the man, but Finn was ready with his other hand, which managed to electrocute him. Space spasmed along with the villain and Finn was sent bobbling and rocketing out of the way.

    Other criminals were clearly affected by this as well, but Finn was the first to recover, disarming one thug with his staff and tasing him. A square pane of light surged up from behind him, but he dove underneath it in a roll and kept running and neutralizing the shooters, using camouflage the entire way through.

    Apparently Deft had recovered partway. Unfortunately for him, he had made the mistake of using a sonic gadget on them to gain the advantage, and Lyra punished him for it by neutralizing it immediately.

    As Finn reached the last of Deft''s goons, he bore witness to a gruesome scene. The guy didn''t find cover in time, and he was riddled with bullets a moment later.

    Finn watched the thug slump in shock, seeing red liquid leak onto the pavement from his head and torso.

    The way the shooter coldly moved on after confirming the criminal''s death¡­ the sheer finality of it hit Finn like a truck. This guy was gone. Forever. He would never get up again. Finn just stood there, hands shaking. It wasn''t supposed to be like this, every bad person was supposed to be cuffed and taken to someplace far away from¡ª

    ¡°Shade!¡± Lyra¡¯s voice shouted over the comms, bringing him back to the moment. ¡°I can¡¯t hold this for much longer!¡±

    He had to focus. His grappling hooks shot out, leaving the rapidly cooling corpse behind him. He saw the company men weren¡¯t taking shots at Lyra, using non-lethal methods to subdue her, while the rest fought Panel and Deft, the latter two being deprived of their men.

    ¡°We could work something out, kids!¡± the squad leader shouted. ¡°Just come with us, and we won¡¯t have to do anything drastic.¡±

    Finn had absolutely no plans of listening to the man. He yanked Lyra back with his grappling hook. When she was steady on her feet again, Panel summoned one of her shields to block a barrage of incoming gunfire, then flipped it sideways and hopped on top of it, rising into the air in an impressive display of agility and control over her energy panels.

    Deft pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Lyra, but she used her sonic shielding gadget and enhanced it with her power to block. She and Finn repositioned themselves before he could do more.

    The villain quickly shifted his attention back to the uniformed gunners trying to shoot Panel off-course, providing cover fire as his companion flew toward the container. She didn¡¯t make it, though, because the squad leader was standing in the way.

    Without their squad leader to direct them, the uniformed men were much more susceptible to Lyra¡¯s next shock wave. They all fell, but Finn was already headed straight for Deft.

    This time, Deft had been smart enough to not leave any open route to touch him. At least not that Finn could see. The man¡¯s suit and blank mask seemed to spiral to his eyes, as if twisted like a rope. But that was impossible, as Deft was still shooting just fine.

    Left with no way to approach, Finn moved around trying to find an opening, then told Lyra to fire a shock wave at him. She did so, and Finn got another opportunity. But it seemed Deft had anticipated it, because a spinning vortex pulled him in. Finn swayed, dizziness and confusion setting in.

    He shot out his grappling hooks toward the ground in order to keep himself in place. It worked, though Deft aimed the gun at him this time.

    Another shock wave came in, but it seemed to travel around Deft, leaving him unharmed. He turned and covered over ten meters with a single step, running toward the shipment and taking potshots at the squad leader.

    Finn and Lyra attacked the company squad during that time, the leader fighting off two superhumans at once with what looked to be only a single sensory ability.

    The men themselves weren¡¯t too difficult to disarm, since they were already on the ground and got picked off one by one. Lyra turned to Deft, who still had his defenses up, and clapped, in a different frequency, channeling her next shock wave longer than Finn was used to. Perhaps longer than ever before.

    She tossed it at the masked villain, successfully breaking through his protection. The man was visibly vibrating and fell to his knees, trying to stay in control, but Finn suspected the technique used to keep protecting Deft also kept Lyra¡¯s attack inside.

    Not even five seconds passed before his power went haywire again, making space tremble, and letting the shock wave free.

    Into the metal container.

    It rattled loudly, and the squad leader instantly backed away from it. ¡°Run, you idiots!¡± he shouted.

    Even Panel listened, floating the other way. Deft also didn¡¯t waste a second, bolting back to the city, each step swallowing an abnormal amount of distance.

    A banging noise came from inside the container, and the metal bent out of shape at the point of impact. Then again. And again.

    It broke open.

    Water flooded the road, washing out an octopus. Given how still it was, Finn would have been convinced it was dead, if its appendages didn¡¯t start to glow.

    The water flowed back toward the creature. From the container first and the canal. A huge wave surged upward, like a small tsunami.

    One of the prone men shot at it. Bullets splashed ineffectually into its water barrier, which morphed into a levitating sphere. It flicked a limb. A blade of water shot out at devastating speed, right at Panel in the distance.

    She reacted in time to raise one of her shields. It didn¡¯t matter. The blade pushed against it and sent her sailing right off of her platform. Another blade came for her before she could defend herself. It split her in half, sending two gory chunks falling from the sky.

    ¡°Get out of there! NOW!¡± Gridlock yelled over the comms.

    Lyra was tugging on his arm by now, and he made no argument as he started running, but he knew they wouldn¡¯t be getting away without a fight. A fight they had no hope of winning.

    Ultimately, Finn¡¯s guess had been half-right. This was a trafficking operation.

    It just wasn¡¯t humans being trafficked.

 Chapter 20 - To Breathe

    Running away was an exercise in futility. Lyra knew that, but she did it anyway.

    What was the alternative?

    It¡¯s simple. You need to finish what you started.

    Her expression tightened. The voice was back again, at the most inconvenient time imaginable. She absolutely could not afford to be distracted right now.

    ¡°What class?¡± Finn asked as they sprinted.

    ¡°Can¡¯t tell. Don¡¯t assume it¡¯s colossal though,¡± Gridlock said, the words practically stumbling over each other for how fast they came out of his mouth. ¡°Just hold out until help arrives.¡±

    Lyra had learned those classifications in school, at one point. But she failed to recall the specifics. She didn''t have time to ask either, as the creature fired its first attack at them. Lyra could hear it coming, but she still almost got hit because of how fast it was. She and Finn jumped out of the way, a massive blade of water rushing past, carving a deep furrow in its wake.

    Lyra had to shield her eyes from the debris and droplets of water. They were outmatched here. Even Shade and Gridlock, skillful as they were, wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat something like this. This was the kind of thing the military dealt with in force.

    How were a couple of teenagers supposed to fight a primebeast?

    For a while longer, they ran, but then Lyra realized Finn wasn¡¯t using his grappling hooks, and he slowed his pace after some time.

    She turned to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°If we keep running, we¡¯ll lead it back to a populated area,¡± he explained. He wasn¡¯t wrong. They¡¯d unleash this beast on thousands of innocent civilians if they ran, but what else were they supposed to do? Fight this thing?

    Then she looked back toward the docking area. Her stomach flipped when she saw the bodies of drowning men struggling uselessly in the floating water around it.

    Even worse, it clamped its tentacles around them and began to eat them.

    It was growing, too. With each horrific bite, its body rippled and expanded. Soon, the monster had gone from the size of a beachball to that of a house.

    Diluted blood sank into its skin, painting it a dark red color, and the rest of the water flowed to the ends of its glowing tentacles. Or whatever octopi limbs were called¡ªand classifying this thing as an octopus was debatable, but she''d never been particularly knowledgeable about animals.

    Which she was coming to regret, because knowing how this primebeast¡¯s powers worked was of the utmost importance here. They needed every advantage they could get.

    So far, it seemed to be able to attract water with its glowing appendages. And also repel it, considering how it fired those crescent blades.

    Levitation was part of its arsenal as well, because it was once more floating in its water sphere, absorbing stray thugs and consuming them in one enormous gulp.

    Then, the beast surged forward in a raging torrent, eerily hollow eyes staring right at them. Lyra threw herself out of the way, but Finn charged to meet it head-on.

    She gasped, instinctively reaching out a hand to stop him, but it was too late by then. He was too close to the massive sea monster, a deadly collision imminent.

    Finn slid underneath it at the last second, using his grappling hook to pull himself forward. He stuck a hand into the water, electrocuting a public pool''s worth of volume.

    Sparks lit up across the bubble, and the creature shuddered.

    But that was it.

    In fact, the luminescent suction glowed even brighter after the shock ended. It pointed one in Finn''s direction, the water bulging out. However, Finn had already camouflaged himself. The creature turned and searched, yet found nothing.

    So it decided to hit everything. The other arms stretched, pushing out the water in an omnidirectional blast.

    Lyra couldn¡¯t even see where Finn was, let alone if he was hit. She had to focus on not getting pulverized herself, leveling her sonic shield and concentrating her power into it.

    Her heart pounded in her chest as she fought to maintain her sonic shield against the onslaught of water and mud. The creature''s power was overwhelming, and the force behind its attacks threatened to break through her defense. It held, thankfully.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Standing still was a death sentence though. She rushed to support her teammate. He seemed to be swinging around with his grappling hook again, but his mobility was limited in an area without too many tall structures to hold onto. The surroundings were mostly just an empty road, the company building, and the grassy slope she was now running off of.

    And the noise of all this rushing water. It reminded her of the times she visited the coastal districts with her as a kid. She hadn¡¯t disliked the ocean then, but this experience was making her reevaluate her opinions on it.

    It turned out that Finn was fine, but the fact that he¡¯d hidden from it meant Lyra drew the monster¡¯s ire. Facing down a primebeast was certainly not on her bucket list, but here she was, taking a shaky step back as it reared its body back for another attack.

    She leaped from the reverberating ground beneath her, to the side of the incoming water blade. Its gaze tracked her, the mass of water orienting its body to follow her movements.

    Finn chose that moment to come back, with an assault rifle. She figured those must have belonged to the criminals that got eaten.

    ¡°Cal, I need you to use your power on it again,¡± Jack told her.

    ¡°Uhm, what? How?¡± she responded, quite distracted with making sure she wouldn¡¯t get split in half.

    ¡°If you can somehow disrupt the hold it has on all that water, we might stand a better chance at hurting it.¡±

    She tried, but her shock waves were too weak. She would need to channel something more potent in order to get through but that would take time. ¡°I need some time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, just focus.¡±

    Finn started to distract the primebeast again, buying her precious seconds. He swung around, narrowly dodging and disappearing for short moments. Never too long, lest it shift its attention to Lyra again.

    When she was ready, she let Jack know and threw her charged sonic wave at the giant octopus. Her technique made a hole in the sphere, exposing its skin.

    Finn shot at it, the gun¡¯s recoil almost making it fly out of his grip. A few bullets actually landed, and did nothing to it.

    Sure, they might have drawn blood, but they might as well have been pinpricks for how little effect it had on the creature. Besides making it more angry, that was. If it could roar, it surely would have, but instead they were stuck with this tense silence. The creature itself looked plenty mad, still.

    How could she discern the emotional state of an octopus? That sudden increase in power, probably. The rushing water spun around it, its limbs directing it like a natural weapon, an extension of its body. Or perhaps just a means of expressing itself.

    You should start doing that again.

    The water formed into a veritable whirlpool around it, and it headed straight for her. She tried to get out of the way, but another water blade came for her from within the creature¡¯s domain. She could just barely get her shield up in time, and it still knocked her violently into the ground, winding her and splashing out in a wave around her.

    She wanted to stand, but the monster did not let up, sending out a barrage of water slashes in her direction, each one keeping her still longer, until it could get near her.

    The familiar sensation of a hook attaching to her leg and yanking her away registered in her mind when she was already flying through the air. Finn caught her and set her on her feet, which she didn¡¯t have the time to thank him for.

    Finn tried shooting it, but the primebeast ignored him, akin to a hunter knowing the weakness of its prey and no longer viewing it as a threat. It was much more interested in her, especially when she waved her blinking shield gadget around.

    ¡°The light,¡± Finn said while they sprinted back the other way. ¡°It¡¯s attracted to light sources.¡±

    That made sense, actually. Lyra remembered the gruesome display at the start of the battle when Panel had been killed from hundreds of meters away. Had it prioritized her because her power gave off light?

    Before she could even say anything, Finn turned on his electric glove and raised it so it was in the cephalopod¡¯s view. It instantly changed courses for him, firing another slash his way, but he sidestepped it and tried to lure it farther away.

    Tried being the operative word.

    A siren sounded some distance away, and three police cars were driving at full speed their way, with a costumed man following close behind. Was he an Aegis operative? None of the DHD members had that kind of outfit.

    The creature didn¡¯t even turn right away, simply putting out its tentacles and slashing away at the air in its usual fashion. The water blades flew, even faster than before, and two cars were obliterated, the third being pulled out of the way just in time by the man running beside it.

    The man had super strength, that much was clear. A warrior type, and a strong one. He leaped into the air, throwing himself at the beast. The monster sent up an explosion to meet him, but he weathered it admirably, the armored panels on his body suit dripping wet when he emerged.

    He grabbed the nearest humongous limb and wrapped both arms around it, spinning around and launching it away. It crashed into the road, leaving cracks and a flowing pool of water, now slackened.

    Bounding toward it again, the hero raised a fist and punched it full force. It tried to wrap its tentacles around him, but he shrugged them off and kept pummeling it relentlessly. His hands were coated with blue blood, every punch doing more damage.

    Yet it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Glowing from its entire body, the creature flexed, drawing in all the water from the surroundings again. But more than before. Way more. Nearly half the canal was drained, sending out a massive wave that crashed into both her and Finn. There was no avoiding it, it was simply too big.

    At least the creature didn¡¯t seem to be targeting them, so they only had to deal with a gargantuan wave of water ramming into them. It drenched her from head to toe, despite raising her shield and lessening the impact.

    Finn was less fortunate. He had no sonic defense tool like her, and though she made an attempt to protect him with her power too, he went limp when the wave sent him crashing into a stack of crates. Panic set in. She tried to swim closer in the rushing water, but he was swept away.

    When the wave abated, she sucked in a breath of fresh air as her eyes fell back on the monster.

    It had the hero trapped in its sphere now, and the man struggled in vain against his inevitable demise. He even had a force shield protecting him from the water pressure, but the man¡¯s oxygen was limited. A warrior type would have lasted longer under such conditions normally, but the creature eventually wrapped all eight of its enormous limbs around the man until his gadget lost the battle of strength.

    She watched him get eaten, watched the creature¡¯s wounds heal, and she watched the wave come at her from the other side when the primebeast repelled the water. They crashed into the canal, but she managed to spot Finn before darkness enveloped her.

    Did that matter when she was blind? She couldn¡¯t use her listening power underwater like this, she¡¯d never practiced using her power through mediums other than air and sometimes solids. She propelled herself shakily through the depths, searching for Finn¡¯s body with a shoddy version of echolocation. A panic-inducing eternity later, she found him and swam ashore, but he hadn¡¯t moved a muscle the entire time.

    They reached the surface, and she looked at his motionless figure. Even when she dragged him ashore, he didn¡¯t give any signs of life. Jack shouted something in her ear, but she didn¡¯t register it, or the fact that her earpiece had apparently survived all of that.

    Finn¡¯s closed eyes looked so peaceful now, a far cry from that hardened gaze he usually had. Wait, what was she thinking? He needed to live. He had to, she couldn¡¯t afford to let him die here. Too many people had already died because of her today. It was all her fault.

    She tried her best to reanimate him, seconds ticking by as his life hung in the balance.

    ¡°Please live¡­¡±

 Chapter 21 - To Corner

    A primebeast of untold power was out of his league, the fight proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

    They couldn¡¯t outrun it, couldn¡¯t outfight it. Not even tactics were working. Yet he kept trying and trying, until help arrived on the scene. He¡¯d been creating more distance between them, but then came a wave, towering and unavoidable.

    That was the last thing he saw before the world went black.

    When he awoke, he was a gurgling, sputtering, coughing mess. His body ached all over. It would¡¯ve been easier to identify spots that didn¡¯t hurt than ones that did. He didn¡¯t even remember where he was, only feeling that there was something blocking his mouth.

    Aching for breath, he pulled it all the way off and coughed water out of his lungs, rolling over to his side. Blearily, he opened his eyes, finding he was face-to-face with a sparrow. No, not a sparrow, a mask.

    Calliope.

    Wait, the investigation, the villains, the monster. His eyes widened, and he raised a gloved hand to his cheek. It touched bare skin.

    His face was exposed, and Lyra was staring.

    For a moment, he stayed in that position, one elbow supporting him as he watched her.

    Then he hurriedly pulled his mask back over his dripping wet hair, forcing his aching body to move. There was no time to worry about getting exposed now.

    Nothing felt broken, but the waves had battered him thoroughly. He endured the nausea setting in and stood.

    His earpiece was on the ground, so he picked it up and shook it. Putting it back on, he heard Jack¡¯s voice come through.

    ¡°...to move! Just hide for now!¡±

    Finn tried to talk, but it just devolved into more coughing. He stumbled away, shooting a grappling hook to get some distance from the primebeast, which was currently going berserk against the last remaining police car.

    When he felt the familiar pull, he immediately became lightheaded. He failed to stabilize his landing, rolling over the street, the world spinning around him. He writhed as his body exploded with agony, suppressing a groan.

    ¡°Shade!¡± Lyra said, but he couldn¡¯t muster the energy to respond to her.

    Black spots clouded his vision, and it wasn¡¯t his power this time. He tried to get his arm under him again, but it gave way, and Finn collapsed onto the pavement. The pain coursing through his body was overwhelming, threatening to consume him entirely. He fought to stay conscious, to keep his mind focused on the active threat.

    Lyra''s voice was distant, barely audible amidst the throbbing ache. He could feel her presence nearby, her concern and urgency palpable, but his body refused to cooperate. He felt weak and helpless, like a puppet with its strings cut.

    The sound of rushing water came closer, and he knew it was over at that point. They looked back, seeing the hulking form of the sea creature rush at them on a tidal wave, raising a limb to cut them apart with another flying slash.

    He saw Lyra standing over him, holding her shield aloft, prepared to defend him. The lethal, transparent blade swept through the air, making Lyra¡¯s knees buckle when it hit, but it still splashed off, the clear liquid splashing over the shield like rain over an umbrella.

    Clear liquid¡­

    Finn extended a hand toward the giant sphere of water encompassing the octopus, coloring a tiny spot. It did nothing to harm his enemy, but it didn¡¯t need to; it was just a proof of concept.

    Fighting back the wave of nausea, he grabbed Lyra and used his grappling hook to carry them away one more time. The pain was nearly unbearable, but he couldn¡¯t afford to break here.

    As expected, the creature used that power again, its entire body glowing and attracting the surrounding water. He managed to find cover this time so as not to get hit by another wave, but they were still drenched.

    With full concentration, he focused on the creature and channeled his ability, turning the entire bubble around it to the color of his choice: white.

    He didn¡¯t hold back, channeling maximum power to create as much reflectivity as possible, disorienting the creature by leaving it trapped in an impromptu lightshow of its own making.

    It worked better than expected. The milky mass of water popped, and the creature flopped around on land, grasping at everything and nothing, glowing and dimming at random. Water rushed this way and that, sometimes even exploded, but it didn¡¯t reach them.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± he could hear Jack say as he tried his best to run through all the pain, exhaustion and dizziness. He¡¯d probably come close to burning out his colors again, but the mental strain wasn¡¯t that bad yet. ¡°It actually worked! Just a bit more, help is almost there.¡±

    But it wasn¡¯t enough. The primebeast got up, rising on its tentacles and crawling their way at a terrifying pace. Finn clenched his fists in frustration. No matter what they did, this thing kept getting up.

    Stolen story; please report.

    It wasn¡¯t even using water this time, merely dragging its gigantic body over to the puny rodents in front of it. They used their powers and gadgets to create more distance, but it leapt through the air to cut them off.

    The landing shook the ground, causing them to lose their balance. Lyra turned and futilely tried to run, only to have a tentacle wrap around her leg. A blood-curdling scream filled the air as her leg cracked.

    Finn shot his grappling hook at her and tried to pull her free, even knowing his strength could never stand up to it in a tug-of-war or literally anything else. His feet slid over the wet pavement, the monster dragging him forward as if he weren¡¯t even there.

    On the verge of devouring Lyra, it opened that monstrous maw, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.

    Lyra tossed in a shock wave.

    It shuddered and slackened its grip, allowing Finn to get her free from those suction cups with much effort. Since he didn¡¯t have the energy to catch her properly, she slammed into him, and they fell back in a heap together.

    The creature moved again, and Finn tried to fire his hook again, but the beast caught it. Lyra raised her shield, which it slapped out of her hand. She kept firing shock waves at its uncovered form, though Finn could see they had little effect. It drew closer, looming over them, weathering the attacks to consume its prey. Even though it had given up on using its ability, they still didn¡¯t have a chance of killing it, but it was still perfectly capable of snuffing out their lives.

    Right next to him, he heard an irregular hiccups and sniffles. His teammate was crying, even as she tried to fend off what would be their demise.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she whispered. ¡°I- I wanted to... This wasn¡¯t how...¡± And the rest was unintelligible.

    Not like it was her fault, either way. It was strange. He didn¡¯t feel at peace, per se, and he certainly didn¡¯t accept death, but he was able to stare it in the face, knowing he¡¯d done what he thought was best to achieve his goals. While it hadn¡¯t been enough, it was better than the alternative of sitting in his room and wasting away in mediocrity.

    Ultimately, they lay there, a tangle of broken and bruised limbs, being dragged across the ground like helpless lambs to a slaughterhouse.

    Suddenly, they stopped.

    A wall of gray enveloped them.

    *******

    Allen was furious.

    The night had started off easily enough, regular patrol, a heist, educating his charges.

    What ruined it was the alert that followed. A primebeast, of all things, sighted near the edge of the district, beside the canal.

    That alone would have been enough to send him racing toward the scene, but it got worse. Not just because the reinforcements that had arrived were promptly obliterated by a threat the DHD should have taken more seriously, but also because they¡¯d been about to let the Junior Aces go there, right under his nose.

    The nerve.

    Who in their right mind would allow such a thing? The classification wasn¡¯t even confirmed, they had no idea how dangerous it was.

    And worse yet, two vigilantes, two children, were engaging it in combat at this very moment.

    Which was why he couldn¡¯t wait a second longer.

    His team was also on the way, but he was ahead of them, as he was both the captain and their fastest member. The world beneath him zipped by, blending together in a canvas of concrete and light.

    Though he¡¯d heard the news later than he would have preferred, he at least managed to arrive soon after the alert. And when he did, the scene he bore witness to was one of utter devastation. Huge furrows were carved in the earth, the building ahead was damaged beyond repair, the canal looked half empty, the trees were flattened, and the whole area was soaked. He even spotted a bloody corpse.

    His eyes narrowed. There, ahead in the distance, he spotted the monster approaching two small figures. It looked like an octopus scaled up to ridiculous proportions, hollow eyes and red skin with muscles rolling grotesquely underneath it.

    Far from the worst he¡¯d seen.

    He slowed his storm cloud and generated more of it to separate the kids from the monster, lifting them up gently. They floated up behind him, away from that abomination.

    With another cloud, he rained down a lightning bolt on the beast. It writhed and glowed brightly, beckoning the water in the environment towards its position.

    Switching strategies, Allen created more of his gray clouds, which were pulled toward it just like the water. When it was within his grasp, he lifted it into the air and sent it crashing back down to the ground. It formed a massive crater, but the beast wasn¡¯t dead.

    Blades of water flew from the dust, and they were promptly blocked by a wall of condensed storm clouds. The crescent shapes were dispersed and absorbed, allowing the clouds to grow darker.

    Lowering them, Allen commanded them to rain down a hail of icy daggers, faster than the projectiles they had absorbed their fuel from. And they obeyed, raining down a crystalline barrage on the beast, which was now moving to the side. Some of that water shielded it, but the deadly downpour still drew blood.

    Again, the beast tried to counter by forming a water cyclone around itself. It was useless, of course. Allen generated more clouds and sent them down to both unravel its creation and replace it with his own version.

    It struggled against the heavy winds buffeting it, burrowing arms into the ground to steady itself. Allen slapped it away, and it rolled much like the jellyfish he used to play with at the beach when he was just a boy.

    Hilariously, it tried to camouflage itself with a sort of pseudo-invisibility to escape. That was never going to work. Allen had enough experience with invisible opponents to know how to deal with them. He dispersed an enormous cloud omnidirectionally and watched the beast¡¯s outline present itself.

    With a flourish of his hand, the clouds darkened and arranged themselves into the form of a weapon. He compressed and released them, and they disappeared, revealing a train-sized glacial lance, fit to be wielded by a giant.

    It rocketed down, leaving a gust of wind in its wake that would have thrown a normal person off their feet. The primebeast had been jumping into the water, and got hit right when it hit the surface, creating a splash taller than the nearby company building.

    The instant Allen got a clear view of it again, he saw it was dead. Like the overgrown fish it was, it had died on a skewer, hanging there lifelessly for the world to see.

    Granted, they would check and contain it later, but the public was allowed to take pictures, and he had no doubt they would.

    ¡°Ah, sir Mistral?¡± he heard behind him.

    ¡°Yes?¡± He turned to the masked girl on the other cloud. Calliope, if he recalled correctly. Her bodysuit was wet, and her leg was twisted unnaturally. Her friend, Shade, was lying face-down next to her, though Allen could see him breathing.

    ¡°Thank you, for saving us. I really thought we were going to¡­ die,¡± she spoke through a strange filter.

    ¡°You¡¯re safe with me, young lady,¡± Allen said before switching to his team comms. ¡°Radi, I have some people I¡¯ll be leaving in your care. And Zeta?¡±

    ¡°Captain?¡± sounded the raspy voice in his ear.

    ¡°Sweep the area for clues before the forensics team arrives. I want all possible leaks that could have allowed a primebeast to breach district security identified as soon as you can manage.¡± Which was very soon, but there was no point in feeding Zeta¡¯s ego right now. He needed the guy to stay productive.

    They should have been thankful this monster hadn¡¯t been stronger. If a colossal¡ªor god forbid, a titanic class¡ªhad managed to get anywhere near the district, the consequences would have been disastrous. And if he was being honest, he wanted this problem dealt with before the military decided they needed to meddle where they didn¡¯t belong.

    It was a shame the culprits were either dead or missing, or they could have gotten leads more easily. He paused, his gaze landing on the two young heroes once more.

    He supposed these kids could tell him what they knew.

 Chapter 22 - To Assemble

    For the second time that night, Finn regained consciousness. His entire body felt lighter, enveloped in softness, as though he were floating. He opened his eyes, then squeezed them shut again at the noises around him.

    ¡°See? I told you he would be well,¡± an accented voice said next to him.

    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am,¡± another voice came. He recognized it as Lyra.

    Cracking his eyes open, he squinted to see her sitting next to him, one of her legs held out over the cloud they were on. Cradling it was a woman wearing a green robe with small tree symbols above the eye holes of her mask, almost resembling eyebrows. He knew who she was, too, though he¡¯d never met her in person before.

    So Mistral must have still been nearby. They¡¯d had front row seats for the man¡¯s unbelievable might, and Finn was now keenly aware of just how far he still had to go. Or even more aware; it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d needed the reminder.

    But those were things he could worry about later. Right now, they needed to get out of here. He didn¡¯t feel the least bit comfortable being surrounded by a team of DHD heroes.

    ¡°The captain has some questions for you, and I must ensure you are of sound mind and body before you answer to him,¡± Radi continued, stalling his plans of escape.

    ¡°Are we?¡± Finn asked impatiently, sitting up. It was as if he had wool under his skin instead of blood and muscles, soft and tingly.

    The older heroine turned to him. ¡°You are concussed. And bruised. So relax your body, please. It will help you recover.¡±

    ¡°Uhm, how long will it take for your power to set in?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°You need to nourish your bodies. More than normal. The more you eat, the faster my power will work through your injuries,¡± Radi said. ¡°And you, girl, should not be walking on that leg for forty hours minimum.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Lyra said.

    Radi tilted her head. ¡°But will it not be hard for you to reach home now? Vigilantes really don''t have it easy.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Finn cut in.

    ¡°Yes, I know you will. You are welcome,¡± Radi chuckled.

    Finn wanted to stand, but Mistral descended at that moment. Looking up, he saw the man in his gray bodysuit lined with armor near his vitals, and a blue helmet with a visor that obscured his face. Today marked Finn¡¯s second time seeing the man in real life, as he had seen the hero flying overhead on his way to that fateful first encounter with Lyra, but it was likely Mistral¡¯s first time noticing him.

    ¡°So,¡± began the most powerful man in the district, ¡°while it pains me that you had to go through all of that, I¡¯m still going to have to ask you a few questions.¡±

    Finn just waited. He appreciated the help these people had given him, but he didn¡¯t trust them. The thing was, there wasn¡¯t much he could realistically do to put himself in a different position, at the moment. He was way out of his depth, even more so than he had been against the primebeast.

    Mistral crossed his arms. ¡°First things first. What were you doing here?¡±

    Controlling the flow of information was one of the few things Finn could do in this situation, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to take the opportunity. ¡°We spotted a team of villains preparing for an attack and jumped in to stop them when they tried to steal the primebeast from the boat.¡±

    ¡°You arrived here by happenstance, then?¡±

    It seemed Mistral really was curious about how they¡¯d just happened to be in the right place at the right, and Finn was trying to avoid lying here. Not because it would weigh on his conscience, but because he wasn¡¯t sure if the senior hero could detect it.

    But he supposed he shouldn''t assume everyone was a walking lie detector. Most likely, the best Mistral could do was check security footage around the city and spot them traveling in a certain route.

    Still, it was best to give away as little about their investigation as possible.

    Or was it? He obviously wasn¡¯t equipped to deal with threats of this caliber, and going by that manager¡¯s phone call, this super-powered octopus might have been part of a larger project.

    And was the DHD actually untrustworthy? They hadn¡¯t ever given him concrete evidence that they were. Maybe it was simply in his nature to assume they were corrupt, since he couldn''t picture a world where nothing was wrong with them as an organization. Besides, Aegis had to have some ties with them, no?

    That thought gave him pause. He knew it was probably just a coincidence, but after his first operation that didn''t have anything to do with an Aegis mission objective, the strongest hero team available had shown up rather quickly. Heroes of that caliber tended to be occupied at times like this.

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    And right after another, independent hero had shown up and died alongside a bunch of police officers.

    But maybe it hadn¡¯t been quick at all. It wasn''t like he''d been conscious of the time while fighting and running for his life.

    ¡°We were on patrol,¡± he ended up saying, his tone noncommittal.

    Mistral stayed silent for a moment. ¡°Sure, sure, be that way. I don¡¯t even blame you, given the position that you¡¯re in. You either have a long-term contract with an Aegis client and all the resources that would entail, or you have another team member doing reconnaissance for you. The second option would explain the drones I found.¡±

    Using every muscle he knew how to use in his face, Finn tried to school his expression into something that wasn¡¯t surprise, and it worked. But they knew about Jack now, somehow.

    Holding up a hand, Mistral continued. ¡°I¡¯m not here to bring you behind bars. You don¡¯t have to be concerned about us trying to lock you up or whatever worries you might have in that regard. The truth is, we¡¯re rather understaffed for how much is going on in the district. I¡¯m already taking a risk by staying here so long, but this investigation is dangerous enough to take priority, which is why I¡¯m going to take it out of your hands.¡±

    Radi, who had been nursing Lyra¡¯s leg, was now standing straight with her hands folded in front of her as she observed the not-interrogation. Lyra was also looking at him, and at that point, Finn was somewhat glad to see she wasn¡¯t chiming in and making this any harder for both of them. It also would have been bad if they had questioned her before he woke up.

    He stopped that train of thought. Now he was just being rude. How low was his opinion of her? What had she done to warrant such treatment? If it hadn¡¯t been for her, he would have drowned to death. Holding his teammates to his standard was his preferred way of doing things, but that held no weight when he couldn¡¯t even live up to those same standards himself.

    ¡°The primebeast came by boat, in a container,¡± Finn said as these thoughts raced through his head. ¡°It broke out while the fight was happening, and then everyone else tried to run away.¡±

    ¡°Which villains were present?¡±

    ¡°Deft and Panel. Deft got away in time. Panel¡­ didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I am sorry you had to see that,¡± Radi spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s not right for children to see so much.¡±

    ¡°I agree with my colleague,¡± Mistral said. ¡°If it were up to me, you never would have come anywhere near this place, but it isn¡¯t. You kids are not under my jurisdiction. But you could be, if you were so inclined.¡±

    There it was. The obligatory recruitment offer. Finn had wondered when it would happen, and it seemed the answer was now. But he didn¡¯t plan to change his mind. ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± he refused.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mistral responded, turning to Lyra.

    She nodded. Finn didn¡¯t know why that surprised him, but it did. He would have expected her to hesitate, or give the two adult heroes some signal that they might interpret as hesitation, but no such thing happened. She was on his side.

    ¡°In that case, I have two more questions. I¡¯ll conclude the questioning about the beast first: can you tell me anything about the people who were supposed to receive the shipment?¡±

    ¡°Their leader moved like he had some sort of sensory power for danger,¡± Finn informed him. ¡°His subordinates were coordinated enough to hold off the villains.¡±

    Finn could part with that information, at least. It wouldn¡¯t be traced back to him in any way, nor would it give away much about what he could do on the field. And he wanted to know what power the guy was using. Future sight? If so, Finn was curious how exactly it worked. It was one of his favorite powers.

    Upon receiving such an ability, wouldn¡¯t it add a whole other dimension to combat? No longer just having to worry about the past and present, but also that which would happen later. Were there specific moments where the ability could be triggered deliberately, or did it activate automatically when there was impending danger? How did the ability itself determine that? Did it have a range, or was it global? Was it predetermined, or could the projected outcomes be altered through active intervention? Could the power itself display potential futures in direct response to what the user might do, or did it force a reactionary fighting style?

    ¡°That sounds impressive,¡± Mistral said, and Finn agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m still going to arrest him.¡± He looked toward Radi. ¡°As for the second question, I believe Radi knows how to handle this one.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Radi nodded, apparently not having to ask for clarification as to what he was talking about. She turned to Finn and Lyra. ¡°Do your parents know about your powers?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Finn responded warily.

    ¡°Because when the rejuvenation period ends in two hours, you will need to be checked on every few hours for a whole day.¡±

    And that was how they were planning to catch him, wasn¡¯t it? They helped heal him, but the effects of Radi¡¯s power would be evident on his body for the next day, so if anyone saw that after he took his mask off, his secret would be out. That was why Radi asked them whether his parents knew.

    It could have been a mere warning, but he suspected this woman was bound by a medical oath that forced her to say these things regardless.

    ¡°Do we need to do anything while we¡¯re recovering?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°You need a lot of rest, and your bodies will demand nutrition as it burns energy to get better.¡±

    As Lyra asked a few more questions for clarification, Finn¡¯s eyes started to get heavy. The weight of the night was finally settling on him. And what a night it had been. To think he¡¯d been planning to go on another mission after this one was over.

    Tonight had been his first confrontation with real death, and he found it so¡­ abruptly brutal. Those guys had been gunning each other down and moving on methodically after each kill, as though they hadn¡¯t just obliterated the years of life experience, relationships, and knowledge their victim had.

    From the primebeast, he hadn¡¯t expected anything else. Honestly, he saw the thing more as a natural disaster than a living being; it was there to kill, and they all knew it. Despite that, it had caused mass devastation. He didn¡¯t think the images of all the mutilated and drowned corpses would be leaving his memory anytime soon.

    He tried to get off the cloud, but Mistral stopped him and offered to fly them home. They couldn¡¯t afford to let him know where they lived, so they ended up settling on a location that was a fair distance from their houses, but still closer than the canal.

    When they reached an accord, the man wasted no time and flew there. This was definitely not his top speed, but he did have two injured patients in tow, so it made sense that he wasn¡¯t racing through the air. They made good time, too.

    They touched down in the park and watched Mistral leave. That left the two of them by themselves.

    ¡°Gridlock?¡± Finn tried for the first time in what felt like forever. ¡°Are you there?¡±

    It took a few seconds, but the other boy got back to him. ¡°Wha? Oh, yeah I¡¯m here. I was just focused on securing the drones. Someone tried to ping their location and trace them back to me, so I was trying not to get us all caught.¡± After a few more seconds, he added, ¡°And I was pretty useless during that whole fight you guys were in. Better to put my mind to something I have control over.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much any of them could have done against that prime beast, and Jack had called the authorities for them, which was more than enough help, but Finn didn¡¯t think such platitudes would cheer his friend up. If he was being honest, he felt a bit useless himself, at the moment. He needed more power.

    ¡°You¡¯re not useless,¡± he simply stated. ¡°Did you hear what Radi said?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t go home. I would offer you to stay with me, but that would leave Calliope unattended, and my parents are home, so¡­¡± Jack trailed off.

    Lyra then turned her head to Finn, fidgeting with her hands behind her back. ¡°Uhm, I might have an idea.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Jack said.

    ¡°Y- yeah, if Shade wants to,¡± she said, looking away.

    ¡°If I want what?¡± Finn prodded.

    She inhaled deeply, then rapidly spoke in a single breath, ¡°If you want to stay at my place?¡±

 Chapter 23 - To Unveil

    Unsurprisingly, Finn had his reservations about that suggestion, but Lyra already knew who he was. She knew his name, she knew his face. And Jack didn¡¯t have any problems with revealing himself to her at this point. No doubt, his friend would want to get their joint training underway as soon as possible.

    And they wanted Jack to come through for them here, because neither of them were in good condition to walk long distances. Despite Finn¡¯s assurances to Mistral, he already thought it was enough of a hassle to walk to the edge of the park while awkwardly supporting Lyra with a shoulder as she limped with him on one leg to the edge of the park.

    He was of half a mind to use his grappling hooks here, but he didn''t want to risk falling when Radi¡¯s power would start to take effect soon, and he definitely didn''t have the energy to do so while carrying another person.

    Which was why they were waiting for Jack to pick them up. As it turned out, Jack had somehow been able to secure a vehicle to drive them around in. It was a van with tinted windows, big enough for Finn and Lyra to get in through the back once they made sure no one was watching.

    Finn had known his friend had a driver¡¯s license, seeing as Jack was nearly a year older than him and therefore legally old enough to drive, but the car had come as a surprise. That made Finn suspicious. Small purchases were one thing, whole vehicles were another. Jack¡¯s family was well off, but they weren¡¯t rich, which meant he had to have gotten his hands on a relatively large sum of money some other way.

    But Finn wasn¡¯t about to inquire about it in front of Lyra, so he let it go for now. He¡¯d have to bring it up to Jack when they were alone again.

    ¡°Same place as last time?¡± Jack asked Lyra when they¡¯d gotten into the back of the van.

    Lyra, while in the middle of removing her mask, looked up. ¡°Last time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The place Finn dropped you off at the night we first met.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no,¡± she replied, then she rattled off her new address.

    Finn saw Jack frown in the driver''s seat. ¡°An apartment? Pretty sure you¡¯re not old enough to rent one of those.¡±

    Lyra remained silent for a long moment.

    Jack, who had been about to hit the gas, crossed his arms and looked at Lyra through the rear view mirror. ¡°You know, I think it¡¯s about time you explained what¡¯s really going on with you.¡±

    Still, Lyra was mute.

    Before Jack could open his mouth again, though, Finn interjected. ¡°Not here. We need to be out of sight as fast as possible.¡± The DHD could be secretly trying to follow them.

    That made Lyra turn to him, and Finn got a good look at her face for the second time since she¡¯d revealed her secret identity to him. Her hair was still wet, having hardly dried beneath the bodysuit, and the dark circles under her eyes were even more pronounced in the shadows of her position opposite him.

    She looked away after a few seconds, and Finn realized he was still wearing his own mask. Not only that, he also realized he hadn¡¯t been intending to take it off. Which was strange, since he would have to when they got to her apartment, or wherever this girl really lived.

    Rationally, Finn knew Lyra had seen his face when he regained consciousness after she had¡ªnot for the first time¡ªsaved his life. It hadn¡¯t even been her fault, he¡¯d taken off his own mask in order to breathe, not realizing that would also mean revealing himself.

    Yet it bothered him nonetheless. It could have been the events of today sinking in and affecting his mental state. It could have been because he simply wasn¡¯t at a hundred percent right now. It didn¡¯t make any real difference at this point. He knew some instinctive part of him still wanted to hide who he was behind his hero identity.

    Behind Shade.

    Though he wasn¡¯t sure he really trusted Lyra, even he couldn¡¯t deny that her actions thus far had proven her trustworthy. And yes, she was obviously hiding some part of her life from them, but so was he. He hadn¡¯t told anyone, let alone her, what he eventually planned on doing. And that was why, on some level, he considered it fair if he likewise remained ignorant about her motivations.

    That made no sense to him when he articulated the thought like that. As far as he knew, the way to grow to trust someone was to understand them, wasn¡¯t it? Yet he didn¡¯t feel too bothered that she wasn¡¯t telling them everything.

    Or perhaps the true reason why he wasn¡¯t too worried about Lyra¡¯s secret was that he had a hunch it wouldn¡¯t be anything to break up the team over. It felt uncharacteristic of him to operate that way, but he¡¯d gone against his own expectations more than once when it came to Lyra. Whether it was in battle or when they were in conversation with each other, there was a sense of something there. Something that drove them to jump in at the right moments, say things that needed to be said.

    He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, so he shook the thought and raised a hand to his mask.

    This felt simultaneously long overdue and far too soon. But he didn¡¯t hesitate, wanting to get it over with before he managed to talk himself out of it with a billion other rationalizations borne from motivated reasoning. He was too tired to go through that again, if he was being honest with himself.

    In one motion his hand pulled down the wet head covering of his bodysuit, allowing his damp bangs to fall down over his forehead. He frowned and pushed it back, then found Lyra staring at him again.

    ¡°What?¡± He said. It came out more standoffish than he¡¯d intended, but he wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable voluntarily showing his face like this.

    She raised her hands. ¡°N-nothing. Just, uhm, you look¡ª¡±

    ¡°Like shit,¡± Jack finished for her at the wheel, pressing down on the gas and taking the first left turn ahead. ¡°Both of you. And the smell, man. God. You both have to take a shower later. Unless you get me some nose plugs.¡±

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Lyra gaped at Jack, mortified, but Finn knew his friend was just trying to lighten the mood. He wasn¡¯t sure how Lyra was taking it, but Finn mainly felt exhausted after that whole ordeal. And distanced. Like he wasn¡¯t the one who had fought the primebeast.

    Was this Radi¡¯s power taking effect? No, it hadn¡¯t been two hours yet. He was just¡­ numb.

    A few beats passed in silence before Jack spoke up again. ¡°We¡¯re out of sight now, so let¡¯s hear it, Lyra. We¡¯re not taking any extra risks by showing our faces near you?¡±

    Hearing that, Lyra deflated, shoulders slumping as she adjusted the position of her broken leg. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, her voice barely audible.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Jack replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lyra repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much danger I¡¯m in, but nothing has happened so far.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to give me more than that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys let me hang out with you,¡± Lyra muttered. Then, realizing the apparent non sequitur, she added, ¡°I¡¯ve been on my own for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ Why? And how long?¡±

    ¡°Since the night I met Sha- the night I met Finn, that¡¯s when I ran away,¡± Lyra said, giving Finn a look he thought might have conveyed guilt. ¡°I ran away because I hurt a lot of people, and one of those people was my mom.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a criminal?¡± Finn asked, eyes widening.

    ¡°I think so? I wanted to be a singer, but nobody walked out of that bar unharmed.¡± Lyra squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head with her hands. ¡°Except me.¡±

    ¡°Wow wow wow,¡± Jack glanced at her over his shoulder. ¡°Start from the beginning.¡±

    Nodding, she said, ¡°My whole life, I¡¯ve wanted to sing, and I was so happy when I got my power that I accepted the first performance gig I could. I went there, I did a few songs, and, and¡­¡±

    ¡°And what?¡±

    ¡°I lost control on stage. I knew better. I knew better, but I still went for it,¡± she ground out. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t just me who suffered for my failure, but all those innocent people too.¡±

    ¡°Suffered?¡± Finn echoed, drawing Lyra¡¯s attention again. ¡°So they lived?¡±

    She regained a bit of her composure at that. ¡°Some of them barely.¡±

    Finn had already guessed Lyra was a runaway, of course, but the reason caught him off-guard. He¡¯d known she felt guilty, he just hadn¡¯t understood why. Now that he did, though, he was unsure what to think.

    A criminal? A fugitive, from the sound of it. He didn¡¯t have as much of a problem with that as he thought he should. Under normal circumstances, he might have reacted differently. But currently, he just sort of let the information sink in, observing it and seeing it for what it was: bad, but not the worst case scenario.

    Although he had known due to the structure of Aegis that he would one day be forced to make a decision when faced with the choice between allying with a criminal and going his own way, that day had come sooner than expected. And definitely not from the person he expected. He needed to ask Lyra where her priorities lay.

    Jack took over the conversation, however. ¡°Did you even live in this district, Lyra?¡±

    She looked down. ¡°No, I lived in A23F.¡±

    ¡°And you ran here in a panic? That''s why Finn found you near the edge of the district. You were escaping from the next one over.¡±

    Lyra didn''t even have to answer; they already knew.

    The freckled boy kept going. ¡°So that answers my question about how you got your new place. You got a fake ID.¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, is Lyra even your real name?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Lyra said hastily. ¡°I didn''t want to lie to you guys.¡±

    ¡°So if you haven''t been caught yet, it should be safe¡­¡± Jack trailed off, his expression contemplative.

    He seemed oddly accepting of this, Finn thought. But then, what would be the appropriate reaction? If Lyra''s story was true, she hadn''t had any malicious intent when that incident occurred.

    But good intentions didn''t necessarily excuse evil, did they? He was sure the thugs they took down on their missions thought they were committing crime for a good reason, too.

    While he didn''t know the extent of the damage his teammate had caused, exactly, she wasn''t a murderer. And that factored into his judgment of her, as did the fact that he''d known her for some time now. Did that mean he was biased, or did it make his conclusions more reliable because he had a better understanding of her?

    ¡°Not to sound rude, but ah, why didn''t you already look into it, Jack?¡± Lyra tried, hesitantly. ¡°Don¡¯t you usually like to have all the information?¡±

    ¡°You have Finn to thank for that,¡± Jack snorted. ¡°He''s the one that wanted to give you space.¡±

    She gave Finn another surprised look, but Finn didn¡¯t wait to ask, ¡°Why Aegis?¡±

    Lyra blinked. ¡°Wha?¡±

    He observed her with narrowed eyes. ¡°Why did you sign up?¡±

    ¡°...Because I had to.¡±

    The way she said it told Finn there was a lot to unpack there, but Jack didn¡¯t give him the chance. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Finn noticed then that the van had come to a halt, and they were parked a short distance away from an apartment complex surrounded by tall trees.

    ¡°We¡¯re still going?¡± Finn asked his friend, looking up at the building.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can take you anywhere else before your time runs out, so yeah, we¡¯re still going. Now get up.¡±

    Getting into Lyra¡¯s place turned out to be a rather complicated affair, what with the injuries and having to enter through the window, but they eventually managed it with some use of Finn¡¯s power and lending Jack the grappling hook.

    When they got inside, Finn saw how Lyra lived, and he supposed he should have anticipated something like this. The whole space was sparsely decorated, the floors and walls bare with the odd chair or small table scattered across the rooms. He saw a couch in the middle of it all and a bed off to the side. That was it, really. Aside from a half-empty glass of water in the kitchen.

    Despite Jack¡¯s earlier comments about their hygiene, he wasn¡¯t actually pressuring them to do anything other than sit down and rest, instead bringing out the food he¡¯d prepared along with a set of spare clothes for Finn.

    Then he felt it. A tingling in his gut, almost like an itch but not quite.

    He¡¯d seen the effects of Radi¡¯s power before, but it was a whole different experience when it was your own stomach that began to glow as if it contained the world¡¯s brightest lantern.

    It was through this that Finn learned he was also capable of using his ability internally, but he didn¡¯t see any distinct uses for that right now, since he lost concentration every time his body reminded him it was absolutely starving¡ªand it did so quite often, it turned out, as he hadn¡¯t been able to stop himself from eating anything coming out of Jack¡¯s bag that looked remotely edible. Lyra was much the same.

    Having eaten enough for three days but far from satisfied, they took separate seats and silence took over the room.

    Lyra was the first one to fall asleep. That left Jack and Finn on their own, but Finn merely stared ahead. With someone watching over him, he was ready to recover his energy levels again. It would be a restful, quiet night.

    Or so he thought.

 Chapter 24 - To Obscure

    The discomfort in her back was what ended up waking Lyra. She sat up with a groan to rub the ache away.

    It took her a second of wondering why she wasn¡¯t in her bed for the memories to come rushing back. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, then froze at the sight of two faces staring back at her.

    ¡°Care to explain what that was about earlier?¡± Jack asked while seated on a chair while typing away on a laptop.

    Lyra looked his way, confused. ¡°Earlier¡­ Oh! I wanted to tell you you could use the shower, but¡­ I don¡¯t really remember falling asleep, sorry.¡± Her leg felt a lot better though. Radi had already twisted it back into place yesterday while Finn had been unconscious, but now she felt a muted tingling and the occasional throb whenever she bent her knee.

    Speaking of Finn, the boy was still in his Shade costume, sans mask. His clothes and hair were dry now, and he stared her down with that intense gaze of his. It was odd seeing the person behind the mask, honestly, because Finn had a bit of a baby face that clashed with how she had always imagined him to look.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember what happened?¡± Finn asked, but Lyra had no clue how to answer.

    She glanced back and forth between her teammates, then gave a hesitant shrug.

    ¡°I think she really doesn¡¯t know, Finn,¡± Jack said. ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of. Some people do all kinds of crazy stuff in their sleep.¡±

    ¡°In my sleep? I didn¡¯t do anything weird, right?¡± Lyra asked, mortified.

    ¡°Do? No, not necessarily. You were in that chair the whole night,¡± Jack gestured to the window, and she noticed it was already light outside. ¡°But you had a lot of interesting things to say.¡±

    Talking in her sleep? She¡¯d never done that in her life, as far as she could remember. Well, obviously she wouldn¡¯t be able to remember, but her parents would have told her if she had, right?

    ¡°Can I ask what about?¡± she tried.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, I was going to tell you anyway. Was just checking if you remembered anything,¡± Jack said, sitting up straight. ¡°You were talking about us, and yourself, but it was¡­ a bit sinister.¡±

    The freckled, dark-blonde boy seemed to be trying to find the right words to explain, but Finn spoke up before he could. ¡°You said you were trapped.¡±

    Lyra turned to Finn, seeing that severe expression fully focused on her. He looked a lot better than he had when they first got here, not so lethargic and more alert. ¡°Trapped?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± That was Jack again. ¡°You were telling us to set you free. Not really begging or even asking, more like threatening.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said reflexively, before having processed those words. Then her posture stiffened.

    She didn¡¯t feel particularly trapped right now. As a matter of fact, this was probably the most free she had ever felt in her life. Living on her own, going out at night to fight crime. It was a far cry from the looming promise of monotony she would¡¯ve been doomed to, if not for her powers.

    Not that this was what she wanted. No, what she wanted didn¡¯t matter. Not anymore. But she could acknowledge that, despite the constant risk of death, she could say she was out there, now.

    ¡°No need to apologize if you really weren¡¯t awake,¡± Jack said. ¡°We were just thinking it was something you¡¯d wanna be aware of. And there¡¯s no way we weren¡¯t going to bring it up again. It was kind of scary.¡±

    ¡°Did I say anything, uh, specific? Like how I was trapped, or¡­?¡± Lyra was not expecting a solid answer. She was asking about her own sleep talking, after all.

    Finn surprised her. ¡°You were being suppressed. That¡¯s what you said. You were trapped by yourself. Silenced.¡±

    She gasped.

    No¡­

    The voice?

    As much as she wanted to deny it, those words matched up with what it had been saying to her. What it had been trying to push her into.

    The blood drained from her face, and she could already see the other two had noticed her change in demeanor, clearly expecting some kind of explanation.

    This wasn¡¯t fair, she had just opened up to them about her past last night, and now she had to tell them about the fact that she was hearing voices in her head? It hadn¡¯t even been a day. Was omitting one detail of her story so much to ask?

    If she denied knowing anything about the voice, she might sow distrust, but if she told them the truth, they would think she was crazy. At this point, she was starting to believe that, herself.

    With a sigh, she schooled her expression into something resembling calmness. Facing her guests, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m sure about what could have happened. I had some pretty scary thoughts, but nothing concrete, probably.¡±

    Jack shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we can look into your brain to see what you¡¯re thinking while you sleep. Not without some of the most advanced American tech. So if you don¡¯t know anything either, I guess that¡¯s that.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Right, ah, but I think I should go take a shower now¡­¡± Lyra said, abruptly changing the topic. She stood, but her leg still felt fuzzy and tingly, so she favored it, awkwardly limping away and avoiding eye contact.

    She quickly made her way to the bathroom and shut the door behind her, slumping in relief as she did so. Here, she could think. Alone. And maybe actually get into the shower, she really stank right now.

    A second later, she winced at the realization that she had just rushed into the bathroom without giving Finn a chance to go first. What a host she was, treating her guests like crap. But there was no way she could come back out now. That¡¯d be weird.

    Though on the other hand, that was assuming he and Jack had really believed her when she said she wasn¡¯t sure what caused her to act that way while unconscious. She wasn¡¯t even sure if they believed she had been unconscious when she said those things.

    Ugh, her entire body cringed at that thought. She didn¡¯t want to start doubting her teammates now, but it was just too much. She couldn¡¯t handle dropping another truth bomb right now. It was a big secret, but Shade and Gridlock were trustworthy. She would tell them, just¡­ later.

    Yeah, she convinced herself.

    Later.

    *******

    Silence overtook the room for the first few minutes after Lyra left.

    Although Jack was tempted to talk the situation over with Finn, he knew that was a stupid idea. From this distance, Lyra would hear everything they said.

    His fingers drummed on the keyboard. This wasn¡¯t how he had imagined the day to go. The glum atmosphere, anyway. The fact that he had to sit here and watch two recovering patients of Radi¡¯s power was within expectations, but there hung a bit of a dark cloud over the room.

    Jack had watched a lot of movies in his life, and, despite his mother¡¯s disapproval, that often involved the horror genre. Lyra¡¯s earlier comments reminded him a lot of those film plots about demonic possession. It would be a hapless, unsuspecting young girl suddenly getting taken over by some invisible entity which made her commit heinous acts, to the detriment of everyone in her environment.

    Not that he thought that was actually happening here, but it was an interesting reference.

    More likely, Lyra had been telling the truth, but that must still mean there was something plaguing her subconsciously.

    But was that their problem?

    They¡¯d had a good team dynamic going before all of this, and it was hard to give that up. However, Jack wasn¡¯t sure all this was really worth the risk of getting pulled into whatever trouble she¡¯d gotten herself involved with. Though he had certainly thought so at first.

    Now that Lyra had come clean about her circumstances, Jack had started seeing for himself how bad the consequences of her actions were. And his findings were¡­ surprisingly mild. Then again, maybe that wasn¡¯t surprising at all, since her case would¡¯ve been relatively low priority. Never this low, though. Her case had been all but forgotten by now, with no active updates or reports. It didn¡¯t even mention her full name, but a little bit of digging uncovered that too.

    Some victims had tried to sue the bar for their injuries, but they weren¡¯t getting anywhere in the near future, what with legal battles being so slow. Aside from that, no one was investigating the matter, as far as he could tell. Had Lyra covered her tracks that well?

    The first time Jack had seen Lyra through Finn¡¯s body cam, she¡¯d said she was no good at maintaining her double life, but he was beginning to doubt that claim, given how well she was doing for herself with the fake ID and apartment. It would¡¯ve required strong connections with some less-than-savory individuals in the district. A district Lyra apparently hadn¡¯t lived in until recently.

    There was also the possibility that it wasn¡¯t her at all. Someone could be covering for her. The question was, who?

    Nothing about Lyra Chen made her a priority target to any of the major gangs, she had been a very normal school girl with some extracurricular experience in music. As he considered that, he pulled up her high school class photo from the previous year.

    And there she stood, near the end of the middle row, a strained smile on her face. Her long black hair was a stark contrast to the shorter brown she had now. She dyed it, then. He¡¯d suspected as much.

    A few clicks later, Jack decided to call it quits. The takeaway was that it wasn¡¯t immediately pressing, and he could work on finding this mysterious benefactor when Finn wasn¡¯t recovering from a concussion. And besides, he felt like a creep for digging into someone¡¯s past so thoroughly, even if it was important to rule out the possibility of her civilian life posing a threat to them.

    Of course, he knew Aegis operatives in general hadn¡¯t exactly endeared themselves to the authorities, but Jack had been taking extra measures to protect his and Finn¡¯s civilian identities after his massive blunder.

    This had been especially crucial last night, when his drones suddenly picked up several probing signals from an unknown source attempting to trace his location. Around the same time Mistral descended from the sky after killing that primebeast.

    The first suspect that had come to mind was Zeta, a DHD hero who fulfilled a similar role as him, providing his allies with technical and informational support. But he hadn¡¯t been able to confirm it, as he¡¯d been too preoccupied keeping himself from being traced, which was extremely difficult, since Zeta was both more experienced than Jack and rumored to be in possession of a power that made him even more of a menace near electronic devices.

    Only his precautions had been able to save them all from getting uncovered. He¡¯d managed to redirect the man to the company they¡¯d gotten the lead from. Finn had been reticent about that particular aspect of their investigation, which was understandable. But if he was being honest, he would rather have this matter be taken out of their hands. While Finn would never admit it, Jack knew they had bitten off more than they could chew.

    It was a shame. He loved mysteries, but Finn¡¯s safety was more important than satisfying his own curiosity.

    Much more important.

    On the wall, the colors shifted, distracting him from his train of thought. He recognized the patterns as what Finn practiced to create perceived depth with his power. When he looked to his left, he saw the boy in question concentrating on it, hand outstretched, making it shift back and forth between two particularly challenging city backgrounds.

    ¡°Finn,¡± Jack said, drawing his attention. ¡°Take it easy.¡±

    His friend reluctantly lowered his hand without saying anything. The look he was giving Jack said enough. He clearly disapproved and didn¡¯t want to waste time, but Jack didn¡¯t want to start up this argument again. It was good that Finn was listening this time, at least.

    He¡¯d already fallen asleep in short intervals without realizing it multiple times throughout the night, but he hadn¡¯t gotten any rest since the moment Lyra had started addressing them, ostensibly in her sleep.

    Finn sighed. ¡°What time is it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°A bit past eight o¡¯ clock. Why? You know I can¡¯t let you leave yet,¡± Jack answered. Then he pointed a thumb behind him. ¡°And you should get in there after Lyra¡¯s done. Don¡¯t wanna come home smelling like canal water, do you?¡±

    In response, he only received a flat stare. But he hadn¡¯t expected much else. There was no way he could convince Finn to take his clothes off in a stranger¡¯s house; he was just happy to be engaging in the conversation instead of going further down some dangerous rabbit hole.

    After half a minute in silence, the colors on the floor in front of Finn started changing until they arranged themselves into a sentence for Jack.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± it read. Finn didn¡¯t need to elaborate.

    Quickly typing up a response, he turned his laptop to Finn, the screen displaying, ¡°A lot. But she¡¯s in less trouble than she should be. Will find out why.¡±

    With a nod, Finn wrote out, ¡°She needs our help.¡±

    Jack¡¯s eyes widened, and he reassessed the young hero, who matched his gaze with half-closed eyes. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, he was seeing a spark of¡­ determination?

    He had expected more of an argument from Finn, or for him to say they should bail out and continue with Aegis missions before she cost them more credits, but no. Not even a hint of hesitation.

    All those things he¡¯d said to his best friend had not fallen on deaf ears. Finn truly valued Lyra as a member of their team.

    Jack had no hope of fighting the smile that was forcing its way onto his face, so he didn¡¯t try.

    ¡°Well,¡± he said out loud. ¡°I should probably see about ordering you some food.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Jack looked at Finn¡¯s brightening torso as Radi¡¯s power took hold for another bout of healing. ¡°Your stomach is glowing again, and you guys devoured all the stuff I brought as soon as we got here, so.¡±

    ¡°No need to order! I can, uh, cook us something!¡± Lyra shouted from the bathroom.

    Neither of the two boys missed her sudden insistence on cooking something herself instead of having someone deliver at her address, which made Jack wonder just how foolproof Lyra¡¯s new identity really was, but he let it go for now.

    Better to keep observing, and be ready to act if things went wrong.

    He hoped they wouldn¡¯t. He would love to have another friend.

 Chapter 25 - To Deepen

    As it turned out, Lyra¡¯s cooking was surprisingly edible. Finn hadn''t known what to expect, given what he had learned of her past last night. The taste was actually decent though, even if the vegetables were cut into rough chunks.

    It also occurred to him that they were basically eating a rather heavy dinner course for breakfast, but he was too hungry to care, since his body demanded a lot of nutrition to heal under the influence of Radi¡¯s power.

    The glowing effect made it clear why going home was a non-option for him right now; in addition to the light periodically coming from his stomach, which might have been manageable with creative use of his power, he also had the fatigue to worry about. And he couldn''t maintain his power while unconscious. Not yet.

    So that left him stuck here, at Lyra''s table, in an apartment she must have acquired through dubious means, bringing spoonfuls of food into his mouth one after the other. While he normally might have had more reservations about eating at Lyra''s place, the hunger pangs his body was currently going through quickly washed those away. And maybe it also helped that the girl opposite him was in the exact same situation, already scooping full another plate for herself.

    Jack watched on in silent amusement as he watched the two of them eat, still working on his first plate while they were already on their fourth serving.

    Finn wondered whether this was an attempt at a recipe or if Lyra simply improvised with what she had in her kitchen cabinets. But either way, it was surprising. She seemed to be acclimating fairly well to having her own place. He was certain many other kids their age wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that many responsibilities.

    Though he wasn''t particularly concerned with what other teenagers did unless he had to be, they did serve as a point of reference for behavioral norms when he was interacting with one. And Lyra was certainly proving to be nothing like what he had expected. Then again, he didn¡¯t know much about her past. And he wouldn¡¯t for some time unless he prodded Jack for information later.

    Or he could just ask her.

    Right when he was thinking of what to say, however, Lyra finished another plate and glanced back and forth between him and the kitchen, the silent question not needing to be spoken. He nodded and she moved to get more, but Jack stopped her and reminded her that she should let her leg rest, then went to the kitchen himself. He noticed she and Jack were about the same height.

    Finn didn¡¯t know how much food Lyra had stored, and he also didn¡¯t know how much nutrition the healing process required for his injury. It would be inconvenient if she ran out.

    When his friend returned, he only carried one plate, which he gave to him. With a glance at Lyra, it was obvious that she was full. He supposed that made sense, considering his injury would be harder to heal than hers, but it did leave him as the only person at the table eating. While that made it somewhat awkward, he didn¡¯t care too much at the moment.

    Eventually, Lyra said, ¡°Is the food¡­ good? I cooked it in a rush, but I hope you¡¯re not just eating it because of the cravings from your, ah, concussion that¡¯s still healing.¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve eaten this either way,¡± Finn replied after swallowing a bite. That wasn¡¯t entirely true, but he certainly wouldn¡¯t have declined because of her lack of cooking experience. The food itself was fine.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, it¡¯s good,¡± Jack added. ¡°Did you learn to cook at home?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well, kind of? I never really made a deliberate effort to learn, but I picked up some stuff from my mother whenever she¡­¡± Lyra fell silent, her gaze drifting towards her lap.

    ¡°That¡¯s already a lot more than me,¡± Jack said. ¡°More than Finn too,¡± he continued with a small laugh.

    The fork paused halfway up to Finn¡¯s mouth. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen me cook.¡±

    That only made Jack laugh harder. ¡°Yeah, right. As if. No way you¡¯re making a decent lasagna; I¡¯d sooner expect you to blow up an oven.¡± Then he leaned over to Lyra while pointing a thumb at Finn and saying with a too-loud whisper, ¡°This guy¡¯s lucky he always has his mom cooking for him. Apexia¡¯s streets might be safer with him around, but her cooking appliances definitely aren¡¯t.¡±

    And Finn himself sat there, simultaneously amused and the slightest bit offended, as he often did when they had dinner together. Until he noticed Lyra¡¯s expression, that was. There was a slight smile on her face as she looked at him from between her hair curtain.

    ¡°Is that¡­ true, Finn?¡± she asked.

    Finn stared at her, deadpan. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Right, sorry, I¡­¡± She hesitated. ¡°I should have asked this before, but do you have any favorite foods your mother makes for you? I was so hungry earlier that I just went for something I knew I would like, but if you could maybe tell me what you like, then, uhm, next time¡­¡±

    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Next time?¡±

    She raised her hands defensively. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t assume you¡¯d want to come over again. Not that you aren¡¯t welcome, but if we ever have another emergency on our¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lyra,¡± Jack interrupted. ¡°He¡¯s just messing with you.¡±

    After a beat, the girl straightened. ¡°...Oh.¡±

    Swallowing another bite, Finn decided to answer the original question. It was hard, though, for some reason. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d talked about his tastes in anything to anyone besides Jack. Save for that one odd conversation with Aiden Wardell.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    When it came to food? He wasn¡¯t a picky eater, but he also didn¡¯t have many preferences. So he had to think of something.

    ¡°Lemon cake,¡± he said after a few moments. ¡°It¡¯s refreshing and¡­ sweet.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a dessert?¡± Lyra responded, tilting her head to the side almost imperceptibly.

    ¡°I know he doesn¡¯t look like it, but he¡¯s got a real sweet tooth,¡± Jack told her. ¡°He¡¯s right about the lemon cake though, his mom¡¯s is to die for.¡±

    Jack didn¡¯t know just how apt that choice of words really was, because Finn had never told him about the first time he ate that cake with Mom. She hadn¡¯t called him down for dinner or anything, he had wandered to the kitchen on his own. They had simply sat together in silence and worked on their respective slices.

    It was the first time they¡¯d had a meal together since Dad died, after all.

    Ever since that day, he preferred that particular flavor over any other. And his mother had made it a habit to make it for him on all his birthdays. Which made it feel like the beginning of something new, a step forward.

    Lyra mumbled something unintelligible, prompting him to look up.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Jack said.

    ¡°I said I¡¯d¡­ like to try it sometime. Maybe. If that¡¯s okay with you,¡± she fidgeted in her seat.

    Finn exchanged glances with Jack. What should they say here? ¡°No, because we don¡¯t trust you not to get our families involved in the trainwreck that is your past¡± sounded needlessly harsh considering her generous offer to let them stay at her house. And if they did say that, he was sure she would understand, or at least say she did. Which would make it even more rude.

    Besides, it was obvious at this point that any friends she might have had before her life got uprooted were no longer in contact with her. Because they couldn¡¯t be, after she changed her identity and moved districts.

    So was it friends she wanted? That seemed likely to Finn, though he couldn¡¯t say he¡¯d ever been in that position himself. He had Jack, and he didn¡¯t care to form a connection with anyone else. But now it seemed like he would have to.

    Still, regardless of how much Lyra was in need of human interaction, that didn¡¯t mean they shouldn¡¯t continue to gather more information and act when they had a better way of ensuring her safety and their own. That was what he imagined Jack was thinking, anyway.

    ¡°Someday,¡± Finn ended up saying.

    Lyra blinked. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jack said, going along with Finn¡¯s decision. ¡°But it¡¯ll be a few months before Finn¡¯s next birthday, so you¡¯ll have to wait.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Finn is fifteen, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup, I¡¯m a bit older than him. Have you had your sixteenth birthday yet?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah, I had it a few days before I got my power.¡±

    The conversation drew out after that, with the three of them getting to know each other better, until Finn was finished.

    For the rest of the day, there wasn¡¯t much to do besides talk about their lives and discuss Aegis related business, but that already kept them busy enough.

    Maybe that was to be expected, because the Venin infiltration was drawing closer, and they had yet to make a decision.

    One thing was for certain. If they did take this leap, there would be no turning back.

    *******

    Emily Allister was at a loss.

    These days, it felt like she hardly knew Finn anymore. He was in his room whenever they weren¡¯t having dinner, and when they were, she could never get him to open up to her.

    When she found that this sudden change in behavior wasn¡¯t letting up, she had thought that her son was finally moving on from his grief.

    She certainly hoped so, but that explanation didn¡¯t account for his recent disappearances. She never noticed him leave the house, but he always left after school. Whenever she asked him about it, he would say he was exercising, or that he was with Jack.

    It wasn¡¯t like she was trying to be overbearing, she just wanted her boy to be safe. And the first step to make sure of that had been to check how he was doing in school, something he should have been making time for. If there was anything amiss, she would have a chat with the teaching staff to see what was going on.

    Contrary to her expectations, the answer turned out to be nothing. Or rather, nothing bad. His grades had skyrocketed. He had done better than ever before in his midterms, for reasons totally unknown to her. Jack had been helping him study, but she hadn¡¯t expected Finn to actually apply himself.

    She also knew Finn was a growing teenager, so it had occurred to her that he might be seeing someone. It wasn¡¯t her business to pry, and she had already given him ¡°the talk,¡± so it was hard to see what else she could do, if that were the case. He¡¯d been to some party recently, no? And there was something about him dancing with a girl there, too, but she was just guessing at this point.

    Even his current whereabouts were unknown to her, other than that he was somewhere with Jack. Supposedly, he would be back later today, but he didn¡¯t elaborate further despite her texts asking him to. It made her anxious.

    She supposed she just wanted him to make the right choices.

    Letting him go and make his own life decisions was difficult. Emily had known that from the moment she started leaving little Finneas at the daycare when he was a toddler. But years later, life had taught her that lesson again.

    Months after that government official gave them the worst news of their lives, she had moved them out of the central district, wanting to live someplace that wouldn¡¯t remind her of¡­ that time in their lives.

    Her job at Apexia Properties was relocated to the company building in their new district, which worked out about as well as it could have, given the circumstances. She could¡¯ve easily lived off of the retirement savings and life insurance alone, but she didn¡¯t want to get stuck in her own head, and work really helped with that.

    Finn¡¯s placement, on the other hand, had ended up being everything he didn¡¯t want. And it was her doing. He had been practicing combat sports in the central district, after spending so long convincing her to let him try it, and registering in a new organization would have cost her no more than a moment. But she didn¡¯t. Instead, she had signed him up for extra school tutoring so he wouldn¡¯t be held back a year after spending so much time away from school.

    He argued he could do both, but she had refused to listen to any of his pleas, no longer wanting to enable anything that led to such a dangerous career path for her only remaining family.

    ¡°Your father is gone,¡± she had said. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself if I let you make the same choices he did.¡±

    She remembered the expression on his face. Of betrayal, of utter devastation. But he hadn¡¯t made a sound. He had shut down completely.

    A blanket of listlessness had settled over him, as if he wasn¡¯t entirely awake anymore, just going through the motions. Upon meeting Jack, he¡¯d slowly gotten to a point where he could function normally again, yet he¡¯d never gone back to the person he used to be. And years later, the person who emerged from that blanket was not anyone she recognized.

    In retrospect, she wished Finn had fought her more on that decision. If he¡¯d screamed and slammed doors and stomped across the floor to get his way, that would be a sign that there was some fight left in him. That she hadn¡¯t broken her son.

    She considered that her greatest failure. Failing to notice that he was barely hanging on by a thread before it was too late. She¡¯d been too caught up in her own loss to realize he was only putting on a brave face for her.

    Hot tears trailed over her cheeks, and she wiped them away. To say she had this coming would have been an understatement in her opinion.

    Despite that, this wasn¡¯t about her. She still worried for her son. She prayed that, no matter what, Finn wouldn¡¯t fall victim to one of the many monsters of this world.

    Especially not to Omega, like his father had.

 Chapter 26 - To Encounter

    ¡°I¡¯m still surprised I managed to convince you to come here,¡± Jack was saying as they walked off the escalator to one of the electronics stores on the second floor of the district mall.

    Finn¡¯s gaze shifted from the glass ceiling to his friend. ¡°This is part of our preparation,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Sure, Finn. Because having fun is beneath you now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a priority,¡± he allowed. It really wasn¡¯t. From the day he¡¯d gotten his power, there was rarely ever a moment he spent not working toward improving in some way. Before that, it had been much easier for Jack to get him to join in on whatever he was doing. Which made sense, seeing as he hadn¡¯t been accumulating power back then. And he was glad to be doing that now.

    To that end, they had been doing missions at a moderate pace, if only because they spent the rest of their time together in practice. Now that Lyra had officially been included in their training, their teamwork was improving even more quickly than it had been. It felt strange to not have her at his side when he was out on the field. It probably had for longer than he¡¯d realized.

    That was one of the reasons why he¡¯d agreed to tell Lyra about the Venin infiltration job to ask her to tag along. Her power complemented his own very well when it came to stealth, and after their dedicated training sessions, even more so. She¡¯d also said yes instantly.

    Jack found her lack of hesitation unnerving, after what had happened at the canal. He¡¯d said as much, too. But Lyra had merely shrugged in response, saying she didn¡¯t have a way out, so she would continue to follow them.

    To Finn, it was understandable. The incident with the primebeast was still crystal clear in his mind, even a week later. It had exposed some uncomfortable truths to him, some of which he hadn¡¯t been ready to bear witness to; he just couldn¡¯t let that slow him down. He suspected it was the same for Lyra, as well.

    Most of all, it had exposed him to his own weakness, in ways he had never quite experienced until now. That meant he knew how far he still had to go.

    It meant he needed to go on this mission.

    When Moonflower first recommended him to do it, he hadn¡¯t really expected to go through with it, but currently, there was no other option. His reputation among Aegis clients was sure to have tanked, considering they had failed that one mission request that ended with them fighting Orion and Ignis. The task had been to secure the stolen cargo, not to defeat two villains.

    And as a result, they hadn¡¯t gotten any requests since that whole debacle. It had boosted their fame among the people of Apexia, yes, but they would need to prove themselves before important groups started trusting them with important tasks.

    For that purpose, the upcoming infiltration was going to be a defining event for them. Therefore, preparation was more important than ever. Finn was under no delusion that he stood a chance against the strongest of Viperia¡¯s top guys when he had barely been able to handle the likes of Deft and Panel, and then suffered a humiliating defeat against a moderately powerful beast whose ability he countered.

    On top of their purchases from Aegis, they had been making plans to decrease the likelihood of them being detected at all, once they got to that warehouse. This was also the reason they were at the mall; Jack wanted to get something to better conceal his drones, while Finn had tagged along for lights and things with reflective surfaces he could effectively use his power on.

    The reason he was going personally was because he didn¡¯t like letting Jack be the one to prepare everything while he just waited around until it was time to suit up. And because he¡¯d rather assess the equipment he was buying personally, since he was the one with the best grasp of how his power worked.

    From an outside perspective, one might assume that went without saying, but Jack¡¯s superior understanding of physics had made it so he was often the one thinking of new implications for Finn¡¯s power. However, now that Finn had progressed in his studies and gotten a handle on his limits, that was no longer necessarily the case.

    Granted, most of his ideas were still only possible in theory. But it made him think about what other effects changing the color of an object would have when it was subject to external forces.

    So far, he had tried to mess with the color of the solar cells on his grappling hook device, but it hadn¡¯t made as much of a difference as he would¡¯ve wanted. He refused to believe there wasn¡¯t something to be discovered there, though.

    The preparatory work also extended to the last member of their team. Lyra had been ecstatic when Jack had given her material to study to better understand her power. Apparently, she had really been missing school, and not just the social aspect of it.

    Finn couldn¡¯t imagine ever getting to a point where he would miss sitting through lectures for hours on end. Which was not to say that he didn¡¯t see the necessity of education, sometimes, but it was ultimately just a means to an end.

    Glancing to the side, he found himself near the back of the store, on his own. A quick look around showed him Jack was all the way on the other end talking to one of the employees. How had that happened?

    He was at the audio section, so he passed the computer section and walked toward¡ª

    ¡°Finn! Are coincidences common between the two of us, or is it perhaps fate bringing us together?¡±

    He whirled at the sound of his name and identified the speaker. Tall, blonde, green eyes, carefree smile, relaxed posture.

    ¡°Aiden¡­¡± Finn said warily.

    ¡°The one and only,¡± responded the Wardell heir, approaching him. ¡°But really, what are the odds? I certainly don¡¯t come here often, and, I suspect, neither do you.¡±

    Aiden had not come alone either. A girl stepped up to his side, standing a bit shorter than Finn. She had shoulder-length raven hair cascading in loose waves, framing her slightly tanned skin like a curtain of silk. Above the smirk of her lips, mahogany brown eyes were trained on Finn with apparent curiosity.

    ¡°You¡¯re the expert dancer?¡± she asked him.

    Finn realized what she must be talking about. ¡°...You mean from Casey¡¯s party.¡±

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    Aiden nodded. ¡°Yes, as you can see, your reputation precedes you.¡± He put a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is Colette, my girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°I should say thanks,¡± said Colette. ¡°Casey¡¯s getting tired of it, but I love teasing ¡®er. She was so insistent about not getting a dance partner at the party, but guess what?¡± She spread her hands to gesture at Finn.

    What was he supposed to say here? He had more pressing matters to worry about than Casey¡¯s personal life, and he would rather be left alone to attend to those matters right now. Except, it seemed that these people, whom he barely knew, wanted to engage him in conversation.

    Strangely, the first response that popped into his mind was ¡°it was nothing,¡± but that would be a lie, and not a beneficial one. He definitely did not want to repeat that experience.

    He settled on, ¡°Our classmates set us up.¡±

    ¡°Is that not great? A collaborative effort,¡± Aiden said.

    ¡°For a good cause,¡± added Colette. ¡°Bringing new talent into the family.¡±

    ¡°He is promising,¡± Aiden inclined his head. ¡°But he would need to go through more tests first.¡±

    ¡°Tests,¡± Finn echoed.

    ¡°You¡¯d be awesome,¡± Colette assured him. ¡°Having you join us at dinner would be a change of pace for sure. So, be a hero and sign here, here, and here.¡± She mimed presenting him with a contract and pen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not pressure him too much,¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°But she does bring up a juicy topic, Finn. What are your thoughts on heroes?¡±

    It was hard, but Finn kept his poker face. ¡°Is this the part where you tell me Casey is secretly Damsel?¡±

    Hearing that, Aiden and Colette exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.

    ¡°Can you imagine? Casey putting on the armor?¡± the girl giggled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ensure she finds out you said that, Finn,¡± Aiden said, smoothly reining in his amusement.

    Despite himself, Finn sighed. It was strange how he found himself getting swept up in Aiden¡¯s natural pull whenever they interacted. At least this time, he didn¡¯t have to fear hidden security measures in the walls. Though he was sure Aiden had other ways of defending himself.

    ¡°What reason do you have to be in a place like this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Ah, that, well,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°Colette had a little accident.¡±

    ¡°My new pet bird broke my phone, so I have to get a new one,¡± she said, not sounding the least bit upset about it. ¡°We get to go on the best mall date ever ¡®cause of that.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be my go-to location, no,¡± Aiden said when she linked arms with him. Then he refocused on Finn. ¡°But I hope you weren¡¯t expecting to change the topic that easily; you never answered my question.¡±

    His opinion on heroes? In general? That was a loaded question. And the answer had changed ever since he made his Aegis account, without a doubt. He¡¯d pondered the complexities of interpersonal dynamics within the confines of masked vigilantism, be it heroism or villainy, often enough, but that kind of answer wouldn¡¯t be one a civilian would give. And Aiden seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say about it, for some reason.

    ¡°I think¡­¡± he began, his eyes searching the floor for words. ¡°I think everyone who goes out there has their own reasons for putting on a mask and making an effort to stop crime. Whether those are good or bad reasons, almost everyone who takes that step believes their reason is convincing enough to risk their life for. Some think they¡¯re invincible, but sooner or later, they¡¯re taught that they can actually be killed. And not everyone is prepared for what they encounter when they¡¯re exposed to mortal danger, usually for the first time ever. Sometimes people come to find out their convictions were insufficient after all, they realize they would¡¯ve stayed home if given the chance to do it all over again. Other times, they become even more sure of their beliefs. They find that this is the only life they would allow themselves to live.

    ¡°But none of that matters when something goes wrong, and for their family, only a silent corpse is left. All they can do is scream into the void at the injustice, hoping someone with more power than them will one day show up to make things right. Eventually though, they forget. They forget and they move on.¡±

    That¡­ was more than he¡¯d expected to say. Or wanted to. Was that really how he felt? Had that experience with the primebeast affected him more than he thought? And when had he crossed his arms?

    When Finn raised his head again, he noticed Colette blinking at him, clearly taken aback by his response. Aiden, on the other hand, had a look that took Finn a moment to recognize.

    Understanding.

    Damn it. He should have said something more generic.

    ¡°I can respect that stance,¡± Aiden said after a moment. ¡°Say, Finn, I don¡¯t suppose you happen to have a favorite hero?¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡±

    ¡°Without a shadow of a doubt. It¡¯s Shiftseeker. It¡¯s fine if you haven¡¯t heard of him, given that he passed away some years ago.¡±

    Heard of him? He had lived with him. His own father, how could he not know of him?

    ¡°Call me dull or whatever,¡± Colette said, apparently having recovered from her earlier surprise. ¡°But I¡¯m picking Noor as my fave.¡±

    The most powerful heroine in Apexia? Somehow, Finn got the impression Colette wasn¡¯t telling the truth. Regardless, it was an interesting pick, in this context. Noor was one of the few heroes who both did not wear a mask and used her real name on the field.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Aiden asked Finn.

    ¡°Shiftseeker,¡± Finn spoke in the most neutral tone imaginable. He wasn¡¯t trying to expose their relationship, but saying anything else felt wrong. Not to mention Aiden would know he was lying.

    ¡°Oh, really now? I must say, this is quite unexpected from you.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not just parroting you?¡± Colette wondered aloud.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s being truthful,¡± Aiden stated with complete confidence. ¡°I just can¡¯t help but wonder about the story behind it. Assuming there is one, of course.¡±

    ¡°I met him in the central district. I used to live there,¡± Finn explained. Technically, it wasn¡¯t even a lie.

    "You did mention relocating districts last time," Aiden acknowledged. "Central, I see? I do find myself there occasionally, although it can be quite hectic compared to this serene locale."

    Apexia was a megacity, so it did not have a capital. But if it were a nation, the capital city would be the central district. That was where the strongest individuals, on both sides of the law, operated. His father had been somewhat of an exception in that regard. He had not been limited to just one district.

    As for Aiden¡¯s claim of district A23G being comparatively tame, Finn agreed. Because it was.

    Colette hummed thoughtfully. ¡°How¡¯d you meet ¡®im? Did he save you?¡±

    Finn shook his head. ¡°I came up to him with some of my¡­ friends when we saw him on the street. We asked him to use his power.¡± That particular memory had a bitter aftertaste. Having to treat Dad like a stranger so he wouldn¡¯t raise suspicion. Thinking of those other kids as his friends, despite not having had contact with any of them since he left that place¡­

    ¡°Mesmerizing, isn¡¯t it?¡± said Aiden. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed it myself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± If Aiden had seen or met him, what age would he have been? He didn¡¯t look that much older than Finn. Neither did Colette. Three or four years difference, at most.

    Then again, a man of Cyrus Wardell¡¯s means could easily arrange a short meet-and-greet for his son.

    Finn decided to ask a question of his own. ¡°What school do you go to?¡±

    ¡°I''m in my first semester at the district university, despite not attending a public high school like Casey. Rather unfortunate. If I had, we might have crossed paths sooner!¡±

    ¡°You only went to that uni because you¡¯re transferring soon,¡± Colette spoke up. And from the look she was giving her partner, it was obvious there was more to it that she wasn¡¯t saying.

    ¡°Yes, next semester if all goes as intended. And who knows?¡± he addressed Finn. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be heading to Central.¡±

    Before Finn could respond, someone called out behind him.

    ¡°Finally making friends?¡± It was Jack, and he had a heavy-looking plastic bag in one hand.

    Finn turned back to the older couple. ¡°I still have things to buy. Good luck with your¡­¡±

    ¡°Date,¡± Colette supplied.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need it,¡± Aiden joked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Finn. We will see each other again.¡±

    Finn walked in the opposite direction, and when he was side by side with Jack, he noticed something.

    For whatever reason, he felt lighter.

 Chapter 27 - To Infiltrate

    The deadline came sooner than he would have liked, but had also been further away than he could wait for without getting antsy. Contradictory as it may have been, there would be no more delay.

    It was time.

    Standing on the ledge of a rooftop, overlooking the district skyline, Finn heard the verbal confirmation from Lyra over their comms.

    ¡°I¡¯m in position.¡±

    Her voice was underlined with a hint of nervousness, though that was to be expected. After all, they were doing something big.

    ¡°All clear on my end,¡± Jack said. ¡°Shade, now is our chance.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t respond, knowing Jack could see him move, while Lyra would be able to hear him from where she stood.

    If he did speak up, however, he would¡¯ve sounded different. Over the past few weeks, he had been acquiring some items from the Aegis store that would help with both this particular mission and their fight against greater threats. That included a voice changer. Lyra didn¡¯t need one for obvious reasons, but for him it was. Better to make himself as unrecognizable as possible, just in case.

    In the same vein, he had also covered his eyes, for the first time ever. Previously, he had been using his powers to black out his eyes. Now, he had a visor fitted over his head covering. Its features included an HUD, a map, a health monitor, and a camera. That last one was especially important, since it meant Finn no longer had to hook up that action camera to his suit and cover it up with his power just so Jack could see what he was doing.

    Of course, the visors had not come with such software, given the price they¡¯d bought them for. Instead, Gridlock had reprogrammed them himself.

    Visors, plural. Lyra also had one, though hers was modified slightly so it would fit under her mask. She seemed oddly attached to keeping it for some reason.

    In any case, his costume now looked different than it had over a month ago. For instance, in addition to the visor, it had also been layered with anti-thermal detection. They weren¡¯t sure what to expect, so they figured it was best to make him as hard to detect as possible.

    This thermal regulation system also synergized with his adhesive gloves and boots, and with a slight modification, they were able to integrate the two. He was now able to hold onto objects far hotter or colder than he would otherwise. Not to mention his electro modulator glove¡¯s effect could now be channeled through his staff even if he held it with both hands.

    His upgraded footwear tempted him to go running off the building, but he was on a stealth mission, so he had to be quiet, and remain unseen.

    As a result of many hours spent tirelessly practicing with his abilities, Finn had a handle on maintaining camouflage while in motion, both on himself and other objects. Namely his grappling hook.

    Remaining nigh undetectable, he slowly abseiled down to a side alley. Once his feet touched pavement, his cables reeled back and he began skulking to the warehouse.

    Soon, the sound of his footsteps disappeared, courtesy of Calliope¡¯s power. She was standing on a nearby rooftop, ready to back him up if things went sideways, but still close enough to maintain her dome of silence around him.

    When he reached the front of the warehouse, he was not surprised to see the front entrance guarded by two men with assault rifles. There was no jovial sense of banter between them, or any conversation at all for that matter, like with the Beastlords. These men were professionals.

    Not professional enough to be safe from Finn, however.

    In the weeks they spent making the plan, he had deliberated how to go about reliably neutralizing thugs that stood in his way. Electric shocks were not going to knock someone out for an extended period of time, at least not at the levels at which he could guarantee the survival of his target.

    That brought his mind back around to the option of the wrist-mounted ranged weapons he¡¯d come across a few times in the Aegis store. They had different configurations for it at various prices, and the one he needed happened to be quite affordable.

    Atop his right wrist, a small shooter device had been fastened. And on his leg, he had a detachable case of tranquilizer darts. He loaded some up into his shooter and took aim. For weeks, he had been practicing to hit targets from a distance. Despite that, he had no confidence that he would be able to make the shot from so far away.

    Which was why he simply walked up to the unwitting man until he was a step behind him, then loosed a shot right into his neck. The thug grabbed at the dart and spun around, but he found nothing there. Immediately after, Finn kicked the rifle out of the man¡¯s grip.

    The other guard next to him noticed the silent distress of his colleague and scouted for the unknown threat, only to get hit with a dart in the neck himself. They both fell down, disarmed.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Finn dragged the bodies away from the giant metal door that had to be accessed remotely. That second part was totally within Gridlock¡¯s capabilities after weeks of studying the ins and outs of their security system.

    Of course, that did mean this would alert the gang members inside, but they were already expecting the door to open, because the person behind the surveillance system was currently looking at footage of a truck pulling up outside. That meant Jack didn¡¯t even have to open the door himself, as the guard in charge already did it on his own.

    The window between the initial confusion and the realization that nothing was coming through would be short, so Finn had to be quick. And he was, wasting no time moving up the walls toward the surveillance room up the stairs.

    Since the mission request had included the layout of this place, he knew exactly where to go without having to search. The man on the chair pulled his gun when the door opened to seemingly nothing, then slumped in his seat. Loading a third dart into his shooter, Finn quickly got into position for the next enemy.

    The next guy was out of sight of the rest, making him an easy target. He went down with a shock and a dart. Running towards his next target, he looked down at his camouflaged wrist and had to admit the investment had been worth it, even though the ammunition was finite.

    But on the way to his fifth target, the smooth sailing was apparently done. The bodies outside were discovered and the thugs shouted in alarm. Fully alert, they gathered and huddled closer together in groups, all falling into formation and pointing their guns this way and that. As they did so, they moved toward the back of the warehouse. To their objective.

    On the one hand, it was smart to try and protect the most important thing in the building. On the other hand, that defensive strategy would also give away its general location among this sea of crates. It was fortunate, since Jack had found out that they moved the mysterious box every so often, so it would have been a gamble if they tried to search for it themselves.

    It was also exactly what they¡¯d planned.

    Right as Finn got close, though, one of the thugs in front of him threw a smoke bomb. The smoke spread quickly, and he knew he¡¯d been spotted before he could adjust his camouflage. He dove to the side to dodge the incoming bullets.

    ¡°Fucker¡¯s invisible!¡± one of them cried.

    Finn shot his grappling hook at the speaker and yanked him back, then let go midway so the lingering momentum would slam the thug into the wall. He collided with a pained grunt. And slid down.

    In the next moment, Finn shot his hook at the ceiling and exited the smoke cloud. He aimed at the men beyond the cloud and dropped one of his homemade flashbangs at them. Almost mechanically, he dropped down into the chaos and dealt with them one by one.

    A few guys came out of the smoke cloud sticking close to each other. The one in the middle shot a flamethrower in random directions, presumably to keep the invisible opponent from approaching. Another guy put some strange device on the ground and read something on it. Then he pointed straight at Finn.

    Dodging another round of bullets, Finn used his grappling hook to swing around and pick off the members of the group one at a time. He only came halfway though, because the thugs started swarming him.

    Stretching out a hand, he focused his power on the flamethrower and blackened the fire into nothingness. Unintentionally, the black also spread over the weapon itself. Finn blinked at that but didn¡¯t have time to deliberate and moved on.

    Every so often, one of the groups would try to track him, only to get bowled over by a shock wave. That was where Lyra came in. Since he¡¯d been detected, it was better for her to join the fray and help him finish the job faster before reinforcements arrived.

    Though that only left Jack¡¯s drones in the air to serve as warning. With that in mind, they beat the thugs in short order and went to get what they came for.

    ¡°Shit, Havoc¡¯s on his way,¡± Jack informed them. ¡°Take a right turn out of the entrance.¡±

    Finn extracted the wooden box from a crate near the back. The thing looked a lot smaller in real life, but he had no time to wonder about the measurements of their loot.

    He did as instructed once he was out of the warehouse, Lyra right behind him. They didn¡¯t see anything out in the night air, but they wasted no time making themselves scarce. Mission accomplished, no reason to stick around a second longer than necessary.

    To his dismay, he saw they wouldn¡¯t be making a clean escape today.

    A green disc of pure energy came rushing toward him at breakneck speed, and he abruptly had to change course to avoid getting bisected. It sailed past him and got lodged in a wall ahead. He got as far away from it as possible, knowing the follow-up would be devastating.

    True to his name, Havoc¡¯s power was among the most destructive out of the Venin lieutenants. In fact, this menace sported the highest rate of collateral damage out of any active villain in the district. With his ability to shatter energy discs and detonate the fragments, he could create chain explosions powerful enough to collapse entire buildings.

    The structure behind them, some sort of factory, shared the same fate. Another disc collided with the first one and the shards of energy blew up. Overhead, the sky filled with debris, and the ground shook violently just as he landed, threatening to throw him off balance.

    Focusing his power, Finn righted himself and whitened the rising smoke cloud. The next energy disc sailed through just the same, but Finn made that completely white too, just in case it had some disruptive effect. It didn¡¯t. Neither did black.

    Back to square one, he tried to put more distance between them, since Havoc didn¡¯t have much of an issue aiming from way behind them.

    Glowing green heralded the arrival of the next attack through the smoke. They distanced themselves from the first disc again, but the new one curved around it.

    Straight at Lyra.

    ¡°Cal!¡± Gridlock shouted.

    Lyra got her sonic shield up in time, deflecting the disc slightly, yet not managing to stop it from breaking through. It caught her across the stomach and through her side, so fast that it looked like the bladed edge met no resistance flying out behind her.

    She lost her grip on the gadget, a spray of blood trailing after her as she fell, unconscious.

 Chapter 28 - To Bleed

    Time seemed to slow as Finn watched his mission partner, teammate and companion get brutally slashed and plummet towards the ground. His legs moved on their own, kicking off another wall and swinging with his grappling hook to catch her.

    He had attached the wooden box to his back in order to carry Lyra¡¯s unconscious form while sprinting through the district. Under his mask, he cringed how roughly he was jostling her, but the alternative was leaving her at Havoc¡¯s mercy.

    Ducking in midair, he evaded another green disc by a hair. When he landed on another building, Finn¡¯s HUD reminded him just how precipitously Lyra¡¯s vitals were dropping, and all he could do was awkwardly try to stem the bleeding in the middle of an active chase with a villain. ¡°Calliope? Stay with me,¡± was all he could think to say. He¡¯d always thought that line was cheesy whenever he heard it in movies growing up, but here he was.

    ¡°You need to shock her awake,¡± Jack told him when his repeated shakes were having no effect.

    Finn didn¡¯t even question it, knowing there was no time. He set his electro modulator glove on the absolute lowest setting and triggered a slight jolt. She stirred in his arms. ¡°Listen,¡± Finn said, his voice hurried. ¡°You need to stop the bleeding as much as you can. And stay awake, alright?¡±

    The only reply he got was a wet cough, but her hands found her wound and covered it.

    Yellow flashes on his HUD alerted him of a new suggested route. A second later, Gridlock said, ¡°Shade, follow those directions. We¡¯ll meet there, and you¡¯ll drop off Cal, okay?¡±

    Finn braced himself for another explosion before responding. ¡°Drop her off? She needs to go to a hospital.¡±

    ¡°Two reasons why she can¡¯t go there. One, Havoc is on your tail. Two, that¡¯s going to be the first place the Venin will look even if you do lose him. He¡¯ll have men stationed there at the very least.¡±

    Taking in those words, Finn¡¯s thoughts were in rapid fire. Right after, he said, ¡°What about Radi?¡±

    ¡°In another district for an emergency. You know she¡¯s overworked, and she was outsourced in the first place. And it would take too long to get to her even if she were here.¡±

    ¡°Then where do we take Calliope?¡± Finn snapped.

    ¡°Just follow the route I set for you. I have a plan.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t argue further. He had no more time to talk; Havoc was catching up. He could take in the man¡¯s appearance now. Wild black hair, green suit and tie, and a white mask with a crudely drawn vertical mouth on it.

    Most importantly, Havoc was flying on an energy disc. He jumped off and let the lethal weapon collide with one of its cousins. The resulting explosion was so massive that Finn was able to ride the shock wave, letting it propel him away from his enemy as the thermal regulation of his suit shielded him from the heat.

    Havoc fired another disc which Finn barely sidestepped. At this point, it was clear that Finn couldn''t let it go on like this, but he could not engage this man in a fight, even if he wanted to. There was no time, plain and simple. Meaning that what he needed was a distraction to create more distance to get Lyra to safety.

    How to go about that? The darts he shot were being blocked by bursts of green, and his staff was of no use at long range. Unless¡­

    Finn grasped the staff with one hand and tapped it against every solid surface he came across. With his latest upgrade, he was able to build up kinetic charges inside his weapon and release them in a much more powerful strike.

    But again, that would be useless without the ability to get in close range. The solution was therefore to fasten the metal rod to his grappling hook and shoot it.

    Spinning in midair, he loosened the shot just as Havoc was forming another disc. The villain used it as a shield, and Finn had no idea how much damage it ended up doing.

    The explosion was in the way.

    Retracting his cable as he ran, he observed the damage to his gadgets. The staff was fine, but the end of his grappling hook was cracked, and the cable had started fraying. Fortunately, he¡¯d gotten into the habit of splitting his grappling hook into two separate ones by default these days, having learned from his incident with Orion.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    However, that did make his escape less smooth. Despite how careful he was trying to be, Lyra still whimpered. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± he told her. Though he didn¡¯t let himself relax, he was getting the impression that he¡¯d widened the gap between himself and Havoc.

    Four jumps later, he noticed a drone hovering above him. It veered off in the opposite direction. ¡°I disabled the tracker they had on the box. Stay low so Havoc doesn¡¯t find you again,¡± Gridlock spoke hurriedly.

    That was what he¡¯d been doing, but it was good to have confirmation of the tracker¡¯s existence. He ducked into another alley upon hearing another explosion go off. Jack informed him that Havoc was going in the wrong direction.

    Still, the fact that a point blank detonation of his own power had barely affected him was disappointing. Finn had hoped to incapacitate the man or discourage him from chasing altogether. Neither scenario came to fruition, in the end.

    He shook his head. Such thoughts were irrelevant now. What mattered was making sure Lyra didn¡¯t bleed to death.

    When he finally got to the rendezvous point, Jack¡¯s van was parked near a side road, and the boy himself, wearing a balaclava, quickly ran out carrying a metallic tube when Finn arrived. He hovered over lyra¡¯s body and sprayed the wound.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Finn asked.

    ¡°Blood coagulant; it¡¯s the only thing I had on hand for emergencies. Don¡¯t ask how, there¡¯s no time. I¡¯ll take her somewhere safe and you complete the mission.¡±

    Weirdly, Finn found himself hesitating a second before letting Lyra go. It almost felt like he was abandoning her, but he rationally knew that wasn¡¯t the case. He didn¡¯t have the knowledge, skill or powers to treat the fatally wounded, anyway.

    He watched Jack carry her gently into his vehicle and drive away. When his friend put his foot on the gas, Finn activated camouflage again. Now that Havoc couldn¡¯t track him anymore, he had no reason to rush.

    Not that he was going to waste time on purpose, of course. He made his way to the designated drop-off point for the mission whilst making sure no one spotted him.

    As it turned out, the drop-off point was some type of vent he was supposed to drop the box into. He did so and walked away, thinking about how anticlimactic that had been. Part of him had been expecting another obstacle to show up and prevent him from completing the mission, but nothing came for him.

    Minutes later, his credit balance was updated.

    Credits: 108¡¯429

    To say the number caught him off-guard would be an understatement. Though Finn supposed it shouldn¡¯t have. It wasn¡¯t as if they had gotten through that mission unscathed, and they had recovered an item of untold value.

    Granted, that didn¡¯t mean they should expect to receive this many credits every time they went up against a major gang, because opportunities like this were rare. Besides, even if the Venin had other such things in their possession, they would undoubtedly up their security after this incident, so it was naive to think they would be able to gain this many credits.

    And yet, considering all of that, it was still an impressive gain. Because he had only gotten half the reward. The other half was Lyra¡¯s.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± he asked over the comms.

    Jack didn¡¯t speak, instead sending a written reply. It gave him an address, and his HUD directed him there. He shot his grappling hook in that direction and swung there, keeping a decent pace. Even after all this running, his legs weren¡¯t all that tired. His physical condition over the past two months had done wonders for his body.

    When he arrived, he saw an unassuming, but well kept building. Tidy, but not eye-catching by any means. Cautiously, he walked into the main lobby. Aside from Jack in one of the waiting seats and a receptionist behind a polished desk, no one else was present.

    Finn gestured around when he drew near, his unasked question evident.

    Once again foregoing a verbal reply, Jack explained over text that this was one of the available services he found on Aegis, and that, in exchange for credits, they could receive treatment here if the hospital wasn¡¯t an option. Discretion was what they staked their reputation on, meaning that they apparently didn¡¯t have to worry about their identities being compromised here.

    Currently, Lyra was undergoing surgery in one of the clinic¡¯s secure medical facilities. Jack had arranged for her to receive treatment in advance, rather than paying upfront. As the receptionist offered Finn a warm smile, he started to feel uneasy about their situation. They were relying on a service he hadn¡¯t thought they''d need, and the gravity of it weighed on him.

    After completing such a huge task, he should¡¯ve been more excited, but he could barely focus on his many credits. Intellectually, he had always known that this path of theirs could come to an abrupt end. That death was a risk every time he put on the suit. But here and now, he was beginning to realize the trajectory of his choices.

    Was this what his life was going to be like? Constant escalation of danger, increasing risk for greater reward, until one day, he was strong enough to fight Omega? It would all be for nothing if he died along the way.

    And that was only considering himself. What if he lost Lyra? What would he even do if that happened? He¡¯d be all alone on the field again. She had uprooted her life to work with him, and now she might¡­

    Jack¡¯s hand on his shoulder brought him back from those dark thoughts. He beckoned Finn to walk with him up through the stairway, closer to the room in which their teammate was being operated on. The sterile, white walls seemed to close in around him, and his tension heightened.

    Finn forced himself to calm down, trying to ignore the dried blood on his gloves and falling into step behind his friend. The sight of Lyra narrowly avoiding being cut in half played in his mind over and over, but he ignored it.

    Concentrating on his Aegis app, he thought about what he should buy from the store. But all that came to mind was a replacement for his grappling hook and some more tranquilizer darts. The store offered more things that he wanted, just nothing he didn¡¯t think he could do without. And the things he did want no matter what, were still outside of his price range, so he decided saving would be best for now.

    They sat down in the waiting room, and Finn wondered if this facility also offered body enhancement surgery. He¡¯d seen it in the Aegis store before, but the cost was in the millions of credits every time. Assuming he could one day afford it, though, he wasn¡¯t sure how willing he was to let himself get cut open by complete strangers. Regardless, it wasn¡¯t a dilemma he had to solve today, given that he was nowhere near reaching it in the first place.

    Hours passed while they waited, and Jack suggested for Finn to go home, but he refused.

    ¡°Only one of us needs to be here,¡± Jack reasoned, speaking up for the first time. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to make more people suspicious than we need to. And you should get some rest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Only one of us needs to be here,¡± Finn shot back. ¡°Just go home.¡± It wasn¡¯t like Finn would get any sleep, even if he left.

    Jack¡¯s response was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A middle-aged lady in scrubs stepped out and delivered the news.

    The surgery was successful.

 Chapter 29 - To Ward

    Stepping into the sterile room, Finn¡¯s gaze trailed down from Lyra to all the medical equipment she was connected to.

    The doctors had done all they could, and she would make a full recovery. Or so they said. Only time would tell for certain. He¡¯d seen the wound up close, and even though he wasn¡¯t an expert in human anatomy himself, it had looked serious.

    He and Jack rounded the bed and unfolded two chairs to sit on. Neither of them spoke for the first minute or so, allowing Finn to settle on Lyra¡¯s obscured facial features.

    Due to the nature of this facility and the obvious demand for secrecy of its clientele, the staff couldn¡¯t very well expose the secret identities of every patient, so they came up with small holographic projectors which automatically blurred out faces. While it wasn¡¯t foolproof¡ªnot even close¡ªit was a sign of goodwill, if nothing else.

    Finn didn¡¯t like the thought of Lyra¡¯s personal life being affected by her Aegis career even when she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Let alone when she was suffering from a grievous wound.

    It was already tiresome enough to avoid being seen in public with her. Having to go to their training spot with a mask on was a hassle, and though she knew they were only doing it to keep their identities safe, he knew it bothered her on some level. As Calliope, she might have been rising through the ranks, but Lyra didn¡¯t have anyone to rely on.

    And if her injury had made her more vulnerable to the hidden forces lurking in the periphery of her life¡­

    Wouldn¡¯t he be responsible? Yes, she had made her own decisions, but he was having a hard time just leaving her like this. Perhaps because he¡¯d been treating her as a temporary colleague. Or, if he was being blunt, a means to an end; a pawn.

    Despite knowing it was unrealistic to expect to never get hurt on the field, the least he could¡¯ve managed was to get out safely after spending so long to prepare for this mission. Though he supposed the fact that they had succeeded at all was proof of their readiness on its own.

    Still¡­ What was he going to do now? As he pondered that question, his eyes drifted down to the wounded girl¡¯s chest. It rose and fell slowly. He was reminded of that time they went to her house to recover, when she suddenly started talking in her sleep.

    This time, however, she slumbered silently.

    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here all night,¡± Jack said, breaking the silence.

    Finn shifted his attention. His friend had taken a seat on the opposite side of the bed, and was now staring Finn down through the eyeholes of his balaclava, arms crossed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then,¡± Finn replied, making no move to leave.

    Jack sighed. ¡°She¡¯s gonna be fine, and it¡¯s not like us being here would make a difference if this place was unreliable. We¡¯ve already brought her here.¡±

    Logically, Finn knew he was right. If the people here wanted to harm Lyra, they could have done so when they were literally cutting her body open earlier. And the whole reason this place was still running was precisely because they never mistreated their patients. Yet despite that, he still thought something was off about the way Jack kept prodding him to leave.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted me to be more involved with the people around me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t appreciate your efforts to support Cal, but you can¡¯t forget to look after yourself. With how fast you¡¯ve been moving, it¡­¡± Jack paused. ¡°Something like this was going to happen eventually. In fact, it already has. This is just the first time we didn¡¯t have some kind of lucky break to immediately fix the problem for us.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying I should slow down?¡± Finn responded, his voice low.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying you need to think about the consequences of our actions. She¡¯s obviously out of commission for the time being, so you can¡¯t take missions for now, let alone ones of this threat level.¡±

    Beneath his mask, he frowned. They were just getting started on dealing with the real threats in the district, and now Jack wanted him to throw away all this momentum? He had to admit the argument made sense, but he couldn¡¯t wait forever. They had already been slowing down for over a month in preparation for today.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop,¡± Finn ended up saying. He couldn¡¯t afford to sit still for however long Lyra¡¯s recovery period would end up taking, not when they couldn¡¯t rely on Radi. With that woman, asking for healing either meant going on an unreasonably long waiting list, or they would have to approach her directly and beg for her services, which Finn wasn¡¯t comfortable with at all. And even if he were, the DHD would no doubt try to use that as leverage to get Lyra to join the Junior Aces. The only reason she had healed them before was because they¡¯d been on-site victims of an anomalous primebeast attack. Or so he thought. Regardless, they couldn¡¯t realistically expect Lyra to magically have her injuries healed again.

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    Jack seemed to consider his answer for a moment before saying, ¡°At least promise me you won¡¯t do anything rash until tomorrow? Then we¡¯ll talk about it more.¡±

    ¡°...Alright.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay too late.¡± Jack got up and walked out of the room far more easily than Finn had been expecting. Perhaps because he realized neither of them were in the mood to argue, at the moment.

    Now, Finn was left alone in this room with Lyra, or Calliope, the person who had been by his side for most of his hero days. His teammate.

    His friend.

    That thought made him pause. Had he really started thinking of her that way? After considering it for a moment, he realized he had. He wasn¡¯t sure when, but at some point, he had acknowledged her as a friend¡ªthe first one since Jack, honestly.

    Well, this was the friendly thing to do, wasn¡¯t it? Being supportive or whatever? At least he had an idea of what would be going through his own head if he found himself in the same situation as her. He didn¡¯t think he would be intensely relieved to see familiar faces. No, he would just be suspicious about his identity getting leaked, and probably search for a way to escape.

    His eyes closed for a moment as he thought. With nothing else to do besides waiting and staring at a sleeping girl, Finn decided to browse the Aegis store.

    None of the options available within his budget caught his attention for long. Some were interesting, but he was still inclined to save his credits until he had enough to buy one of the big purchases. Something that would truly get him to the next level.

    The dilemma, as always, was whether to hold onto his credits so he would have more later, or to make a purchase now that would help him collect credits even faster in the future.

    Given his current circumstances, the former seemed like a better choice because he wouldn¡¯t be as effective on the field without Lyra, meaning his progress was going to be slower either way. Until she recovered.

    To that end, he considered buying her access to a healer, but there weren¡¯t any in this district, and the ones he could find outside of that only healed in their own location or charged extra to travel to remote places. And again, just like with the DHD¡¯s healers, there was usually a waiting list.

    Hypothetically, though, if he could afford to get her healed, that would just put them in the same situation they had been in today.

    No, they weren¡¯t strong enough. Just like when the first real threat showed up before, they could do nothing but run and hope for the best. Clearly, that wasn¡¯t sustainable.

    They needed to prepare more. They needed to train harder. They needed to be better.

    Did that mean he had to quit missions altogether while waiting for his partner to get back on her feet? Definitely not, but he was still aware of the risks.

    His first encounter with the Venin had been pure coincidence; he¡¯d just happened to be nearby when one of their goons tried to kill an innocent bystander. But this time, they had infiltrated their base and stolen a valuable possession from them. Chances were, they would see that as a declaration of war.

    So if he went out there again, he would have one of the two biggest gangs in the district hunting for him. Or they would simply put up a bounty for him, he wasn¡¯t clear on the details of how villains who mattered actually operated. He rarely looked into it.

    Omega was an exception, of course. But his confrontation with that monster was still far away.

    At length, as he pondered the many potential outcomes of the future, Lyra stirred. She groaned slightly, and he used his power to black out any places from which they could be watched, as well as the holograph covering her face. She wasn¡¯t actually wearing the projector, so his power worked on it just fine. Although he¡¯d always thought that particular limitation was fairly arbitrary.

    Her eyes opened groggily, and after a few blinks, they widened a fraction upon spotting him.

    ¡°We got the credits,¡± Finn informed her. No matter what happened, it would be reassuring to hear it wasn¡¯t for nothing. Wouldn¡¯t it?

    Lyra opened her mouth, but whatever she croaked at him was unintelligible. She looked down at the blanket she was under and tried to get up, then immediately gave up with a cringe.

    ¡°Stop moving around,¡± he said.

    Her eyes slid shut as she laid back down, for so long that Finn thought she¡¯d fallen asleep again, before she said, ¡°How¡­ long since¡­?¡±

    He could hear that vibrating filter over her voice, the one she used whenever she was talking to anyone not on their team as Calliope. But in this case, she was using her power to make her weak voice understandable to him. Finn was impressed she had the presence of mind to do that, currently.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a few hours,¡± he answered. Maybe he should¡¯ve just led with that.

    She stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Really hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°...It looked painful.¡± Finn didn¡¯t know what else to say to that.

    To his surprise, Lyra actually breathed a laugh at that, followed by a wince. ¡°Was I heavy?¡± she asked.

    Finn blinked, though she obviously couldn¡¯t see that. What kind of question¡­? ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve carried you before.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± was all she replied with.

    The conversation stalled at that moment, perhaps because Lyra was still tired. As for Finn, he never spoke to Lyra just because. Any time they talked about personal questions, it was Lyra who initiated them. If he addressed her of his own volition, it was about their hero life.

    But that level of professional distance had gone out the window after that primebeast attack, and if she was a friend, he should at least make himself available to her when she needed him.

    ¡°You can leave me here,¡± she said after a minute or so.

    ¡°When you recover, are you going back out there with me?¡± he asked. It was an important question he wanted an answer to, even if he had already decided to help her.

    The young heroine nodded wearily. ¡°Of course¡­ owe you too much,¡± she mumbled.

    Owed him? As far as he was concerned, friends didn¡¯t keep track of debts, but he wasn¡¯t going to say that out loud.

    He got up to leave, and said, ¡°If something goes wrong, send me a message.¡±

    This time, Lyra genuinely didn¡¯t respond, having succumbed to sleep. Finn released his power on the projector, disguising her face once more, and returned the room to its usual color.

    Silently leaving the building, he wondered how long it would take before their next high-profile job. Because when that time came, things would be different.

    He was going to make sure of it.

 Chapter 30 - To Alert

    It was past midnight when Finn reached his home, and like always, he managed to enter unseen.

    After changing out of his costume, he was tempted to go to bed immediately, but decided to take a quick shower first.

    And quick it was, taking him only a couple of minutes to wash and get himself ready to sleep. As he stepped out into the dark hallway, though, he found his mother standing there.

    ¡°You know, I was going to ask where you¡¯ve been, but I have a feeling you won¡¯t give me a straight answer. And yes, I know you weren¡¯t with Jack,¡± she said, arms crossed.

    ¡°How do you know I wasn¡¯t with Jack?¡± Finn countered.

    She held up her phone. ¡°He got home hours before you did, that¡¯s how.¡±

    Well, he couldn¡¯t say Jack hadn¡¯t warned him.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I stayed after Jack left,¡± he said, trying to think of something on the fly.

    ¡°Stayed where?¡±

    What to say here, the hospital? No, that would just worry her more, but it was the closest thing to the truth he could say without giving himself away.

    ¡°At someone else¡¯s house,¡± he said.

    ¡°So vague,¡± his mother responded, frowning. ¡°You know you can come to me if you¡¯re dealing with something. I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t keep me in the dark. Maybe I¡¯ll go ask Jack about it tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No, Mom. I,¡¯ he began, ¡°was just hanging out.¡±

    Her response was a flat stare.

    ¡°We had a¡­ friend who needed help,¡± he continued. ¡°I lost track of time while I was there.¡±

    She raised her eyebrows at that. ¡°You have other friends?¡±

    Finn sighed. ¡°Is that so surprising?¡±

    ¡°Not as much as it would¡¯ve been a few months ago, but yes, somewhat.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know why he even bothered asking. They were both well aware of the size of his social circle the past few years.

    It was time to go to sleep, anyway. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know everything about her.¡± And he realized his slip-up as soon as it left his mouth.

    She pushed a red lock out of her face.¡°Her? Finn, are you seeing someone?¡±

    Right before instinctually denying it, he reconsidered. He had no experience with that kind of thing, but it would be a good excuse for sneaking off at these late hours.

    ¡°...Yeah, I am.¡± That didn¡¯t make it any less embarrassing to say, though.

    His mother paused for a moment, then stepped forward. ¡°Really?¡±

    He nodded, adjusting his pajamas. She just had to make him double down, didn¡¯t she?

    ¡°You really like her?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± he lied, trying to prevent his expression from contorting like he¡¯d just swallowed a mouthful of lemon.

    She ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. I had a suspicion, but now that it¡¯s actually happening I¡¯m shocked.¡±

    He would¡¯ve added a ¡°she¡¯s great¡± in there as well, but that was too much. ¡°Stop asking about it,¡± he said instead.

    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± she said as she put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°But be safe. I¡¯m not ready to become a grandmother yet.¡±

    His eyes widened. Best not to grace that with a verbal response, though, going by his mother¡¯s knowing smile.

    And before he knew it, he had been pulled into a hug.

    ¡°I¡¯m so relieved,¡± she kept saying, over and over. And every time she did, the guilt piled on just a bit more. But it was fine.

    As long as Mom didn¡¯t find out the truth, she¡¯d be fine.

    *******

    It was still dark when Finn woke up to the sound of his phone¡¯s ringtone. He immediately knew something was off. It could only be his mother or Jack, and his mother had no reason to call him at this hour.

    He picked up.

    ¡°¡ªome on, yes! Okay, Finn, listen,¡± came Jack¡¯s voice.

    ¡°What?¡± Finn replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It was hours before his usual time, and his usual time wasn¡¯t particularly late.

    There was a deep breath on the other side of the line. ¡°I can¡¯t make it to school today.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked, while also noting today was apparently a school day. With everything that went down yesterday, he¡¯d almost forgotten. He supposed that came with the territory of planning a major mission on the last day of the weekend, but there really wasn¡¯t a more opportune moment in their allotted time frame.

    ¡°Family member died.¡±

    ¡°...Who was it?¡±

    ¡°My great aunt,¡± Jack explained. He didn¡¯t sound particularly sad about it. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever met her, but her children expect us to attend the ceremony this evening. Thing is though, they live in a coastal district, so we¡¯ll be traveling all day to get there.¡±

    ¡°And you wanted to tell me not to do anything reckless while you¡¯re away,¡± Finn guessed.

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    ¡°Yup. So, promise me you¡¯ll stay home just for tonight? If you wanna run a bit longer tomorrow night to make up for it, that¡¯s fine with me.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± It was too early to argue, and they¡¯d already more or less gone over it.

    ¡°Cool. Okay, see ya. Oh, actually, catch some more sleep if you can; I just realized what time it is.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to stay awake all day?¡± he asked, knowing Jack had pulled an all-nighter.

    ¡°Copious amounts of coffee and excitement. I¡¯m working on a new project. I¡¯d tell you about it now, but you really have to experience the whole thing at once. But yeah, that¡¯s about it. See ya tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Finn agreed, then hung up.

    Sitting on the edge of his bed, he pushed his hair out of his face and thought. He could go back to sleep, but if there were no missions to prepare for until tomorrow, he might as well spend a few hours practicing with his powers until he had to go to class. So that was exactly what he did.

    In the time since he¡¯d first manifested his ability, he hadn¡¯t made much progress with expanding its versatility. He was still mostly using it for misdirection and communication. But he knew there was more to it. Because there was no other way. He simply could not accept a reality where this was all he could do.

    As he mulled over his untapped potential, he kept up the regular control exercises he always did when he had the chance. In that aspect, he¡¯d been making steady progress. His range and control were improving, and he was getting a better grasp of the concept of boundaries which he could use as a frame for his power.

    That one time where he stopped a fire had been a clue, but the problem with that was that it didn¡¯t work on every energy source. After all, it wasn¡¯t like the majority of his opponents used fire. The only reason it had worked in that one instance was because he had been able to mentally distinguish the flames from the surrounding air.

    Obviously, he and Jack had looked into it, and the conclusion they came to was that he had prevented the particles from emitting heat by giving them absorptive properties with his power and thereby ended the fire.

    They had tried to replicate that feat with small things like lighters and matches, but the problem was that he never had a medium through which to guide the energy. And even if he did, he didn¡¯t have the slightest clue how he would go about doing that, assuming he could.

    Electricity and light had been subsequently attempted, with little in the way of success. He had already known he could surround light sources with his power to darken the environment. And electricity seemed strictly impossible to affect. At least directly. He could change its color when it was within a contained environment, but that didn¡¯t stop it from doing whatever it would¡¯ve done originally.

    Which wasn¡¯t to say he was incapable of affecting all machinery powered by electricity. In that aspect, he¡¯d already seen some measure of success. Especially with light sensors. He was becoming quite comfortable with those.

    However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to put that into practice unless he knew the internal structure of the device he was trying to use his power on. After all, there weren''t many situations where flooding a machine in a single color would be useful.

    What they hadn¡¯t been able to make heads or tails of was his uncanny ability to see through his own power as he pleased, at least under certain circumstances. For example, if he colored his entire eyeball, pupil included, white, there should logically be no light reaching his retinas, and yet that technique didn''t render him blind. At first, Jack had thought Finn was making his power transparent to only himself, but that didn''t explain their later tests where it turned out that light did not actually get into his eyes.

    If he wasn¡¯t using ocular vision to perceive the world around him, then what allowed him to see?

    When he colored his eyes black in the beginning, he''d simply blackened his whole eyeball and left a small hole for his pupil to see, then soon found that wasn''t necessary.

    Jack had posited the idea that it was actually his color receiving visual feedback and sending it back to his brain. But he had dismissed it, arguing that, if that were the case, why did that not apply to all the other things he applied his power to?

    Or maybe it did, and he merely hadn¡¯t trained his ability to the point where he could sense that.

    If that was true, then learning the internal structure of inanimate objects would become trivial.

    To test out his hypothesis, he brought his attention to the wall. Closing his eyes for extra concentration, he changed its color slightly and tried to sense the material.

    Was it working? It felt like he was just imagining it, but the only point of reference he had was his not-quite-vision.

    It certainly wasn¡¯t like he could suddenly see the wall without perceiving light. Though, perhaps that wasn¡¯t necessary. If he managed to get some mental feedback of its shape, he could go from there.

    And lo and behold, it was indeed possible.

    In his mind, he perceived the tiny ridges of the colored wallpaper pattern. The surprising amount of detail caught him off guard, but he supposed this sense would be just as effective as his own precision allowed.

    As it turned out, the rest of the room was just as easy to map out, like the rest of his house. Granted, he was more careful with the latter, using unnoticeable colors to navigate the other rooms, but they were just as effective.

    After getting ready, he left the house after his mother went to work, eager to experiment with his new discovery outside.

    It worked on practically everything. Cars, street lights, roads, sidewalks, buildings, trash cans, whatever he saw, he could feel out. Except other people. He had expected this, of course. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to be able to sense something which the sensory ¡°organ¡± couldn¡¯t interact with. And it didn¡¯t seem like that was going to change anytime soon. Best to prioritize what he could do for now.

    Internal structures were tricky. He could flood an object with his power just fine, even one that wasn¡¯t hollow on the inside, but most of the time he had no clue what it was he was actually sensing. Given that he wasn¡¯t an engineer, he didn¡¯t know how the average car was constructed, and that meant he didn¡¯t know what every moving part on the inside was doing.

    Not to mention trapped air. If there wasn¡¯t an opening allowing airflow to the outside, air was perfectly within his reach, since it was surrounded by a boundary. So that meant it was just as obtrusive to his senses as solids or liquids would be. The phase of matter wasn¡¯t the determining factor for whether he could use his power on something or not. So anything within an enclosed system that wasn¡¯t a living being, was susceptible to color manipulation.

    At this point, he was comfortable enough to walk to school with his eyes closed. The only thing stopping him from doing that was the fact that he could still bump into other people. And it would¡¯ve looked extremely suspicious. He knew Lyra didn¡¯t need her eyes to navigate her surroundings.

    As if she¡¯d heard that thought, he received a message from her on his phone that very moment. He responded right away.

    (L): <r u busy?>

    (F): <I¡¯m heading to school.>

    (L): <talk later maybe?>

    (F): <It¡¯s fine. How is your wound?>

    (L): <hurts. doctor said will leave a really big scar :(>

    (F): <But your movement won¡¯t be hindered?>

    (L): <should be back to 100% in a few weeks>

    (L): <but I wanted to ask you smth>

    (F): <Ask.>

    (L): <can u help me 2morrow?>

    (F): <With what?>

    (L): <got cleared to leave in the morning, can u take me home?>

    ¡°Who¡¯re you texting?¡± Ines asked, leaning over his shoulder.

    ¡°No one,¡± he turned his screen off and took a step away from her.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what it looked like,¡± she said, skipping up to his side.

    ¡°You must have seen it wrong,¡± he said absently, withdrawing his power from the nearby school building.

    ¡°Was it another woman? You¡¯d better not be cheating on Casey, mister.¡±

    ¡°I am not in a relationship with Casey. Or anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Suuuure,¡± she got in front of him, walking backwards up the steps as they headed to class together. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Finn. I¡¯m a super reasonable friend. I¡¯ll give you all day to tell her about your mistake, and if you¡¯re lucky, she¡¯ll forgive you.¡±

    He gave her an unamused stare.

    ¡°What? It might be harder than you think. We don¡¯t have PE today, so don¡¯t go thinking you can charm her with your dodgeball talent again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been over a month.¡±

    ¡°Well, to her, it feels like yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re heartless.¡± She looked at him with a sly smile before settling in on the opposite end of the hallway, apparently satisfied.

    He gave Lyra an affirmative response before going back to his tests. The good news was that he would never need to look at another floor plan in his life. The bad news was that he knew Jack was going to force him to study a bunch of books about all sorts of different machinery to get the most out of this power.

    A few minutes later, the teacher arrived and opened the door for everyone. Some of the boys in the back were talking about the raid on a Venin base yesterday. Wait, what?

    ¡°I thought you said they were never going big? I told you Shade was the real deal. You owe me twenty apos, dude,¡± Jules was saying when Finn strode up to them. The other boy turned around. ¡°Oh hey there, Asswipe. The fuck do you want?¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear about this?¡± Finn asked the others, ignoring him.

    ¡°The forums, where else? I thought your buddy was really into hero stuff,¡± Dean answered.

    He nodded, pulled out his phone and walked away. He knew they weren¡¯t talking about Aegis forums, but instead one of the other websites people his age would be likely to frequent.

    Sure enough, not even two seconds after filtering for A23G on the first community site on his list, he saw an action shot of Shade and Calliope escaping that first explosion Havoc set off.

    From what he could tell scrolling through the comments, Lyra¡¯s injury was still unknown to the public as of now. It was already surprising that people knew they were behind this stunt in the first place. He had to hand it to those truly dedicated fanatics risking their lives to get good footage.

    When the teacher called on them to start the lesson, he put his phone away. From that point onwards, the morning passed uneventfully. He attended his classes like normal until lunch rolled

    around.

    He opened his phone again, realizing it was still on that same website. The page refreshed. And he saw.

    A post titled, ¡®Homeland Assault on Apexia Properties. Potential Hostage Situation¡¯ on the front page.

    His mother worked there.

    Finn was gone before anyone noticed.

 Chapter 31 - To Rush

    Ever since the day his father died, Finneas Allister didn¡¯t remember getting anywhere this quickly.

    Adrenaline was a contributing factor, allowing him to run faster than he would otherwise.

    His familiarity with the area also helped, knowing where the obstacles were in the environment meant he knew what routes and shortcuts to take.

    Camouflage allowed him to slip by everything in his path unnoticed, even cars in the middle of the road.

    The physical conditioning he¡¯d been doing with Lyra and Jack wasn¡¯t to be discounted, either. His muscles were now able to maintain far higher speeds without getting tired. He pushed for yet more speed, sprinting as hard as he could and then some.

    But it was all still far too slow.

    His mother was in danger, and he couldn¡¯t get there soon enough. Worse yet, he still had to go home because he¡¯d been too stupid to take his costume to school with him.

    By the time he got to his house, he pulled the window open and dashed to his closet and yanked out his suit and gadgets from underneath his other clothes.

    He was out of there in less than half a minute, already changed and shooting his barely-visible grappling hook at a nearby building. With a front flip, he carried his momentum into a roll and jumped straight off to another rooftop. As he rushed toward the scene, his mind raced with a million thoughts at a time.

    This was it. The moment he¡¯d been dreading would one day come. The fight had come to him, and the stakes were higher than ever.

    He would face it with everything he had.

    Was he ready? No, he wasn¡¯t.

    But that wasn¡¯t going to stop him. He was going in there and saving his mother. No matter what.

    Distantly, he realized he was breaking his promise to Jack. He¡¯d agreed not to do anything rash, and here he was, doing exactly that. But it wasn¡¯t really a choice. The moment Jack learned about this, he would understand.

    Not that he would be able to do anything to help. He was too far away.

    Lyra wasn¡¯t going to be able to do anything either, she¡¯d gone through intense surgery just a day prior, and she was in no condition to move.

    Under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to ask them for help, would¡¯ve wanted to do everything on his own. But this was more important. He would have reached out, the issue was that he simply could not.

    He was on his own.

    And that thought gave way to a feeling he hadn¡¯t experienced in quite some time: vindication.

    From the moment he¡¯d started this hero business, he often found himself wondering if he was making the right decisions, if he shouldn¡¯t have been more patient, spent more time preparing for his long-term goal, but now he knew he had been on the right track all along.

    For this upcoming fight, he was going to need every advantage he could get, and all his hard-earned skills and tools had prepared him for this.

    If he had taken it easy, if he had been too cautious, too lax, he wouldn¡¯t have been prepared for this current moment. And that wasn¡¯t even considering what would¡¯ve happened if he¡¯d listened to his mother and simply done nothing with his power. If he had remained as weak as he was on that first day, completely useless, he wouldn¡¯t be here right now.

    Maybe, though, his current power still wouldn¡¯t be enough. And if it wasn¡¯t¡­ Well, then he would have to do better. Somehow. Whatever it took.

    Once he saw speeding police cars going in the same direction as him, he refocused. He could already see the building in the distance. But this far out, there weren¡¯t any obvious signs that something was wrong.

    When he got closer, he was reminded of that time where he came upon the caf¨¦ with those hostages in it, except on a larger scale. Police surrounded the building from the outside, while Homeland members patrolled the many floors. And he knew which one his mother would be on.

    This was where he started sorely missing Jack¡¯s assistance. If he were present, he would have gathered plenty of information while he focused on his target. Lyra would¡¯ve also been able to overhear what the men inside were talking about, and point out the location of the individual hostages. But Finn was going in blind unless he went down to talk to the cops himself.

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    He had a choice. Either go in there and free his mother immediately, or assess the situation and gather assistance. The first seemed far more appealing, the only problem was that announcing his connection to her was tantamount to blowing his cover.

    Under the cover of his power, he shot his grappling hook at the building opposite to the Apexia Properties one to get a better look at the people inside. And when he did, he almost exploded with rage. His mother stood in a row of people lined up against the wall, with a few gunmen pointing their weapons at them. And behind them. No¡­

    A pit formed in his stomach as he watched a man with a metallic, dark gray mask pace back and forth, his black cloak billowing as he did so.

    Bodkin, district leader of Homeland, standing between Finn and his mom.

    If he went in there now, he would die. Even if, by some miracle, he did survive, his mother certainly wouldn¡¯t.

    After agonizing for a few seconds about what to do, it suddenly hit him. There was a way for him to map out the interior, he simply wasn''t used to applying it for practical purposes yet.

    Why was Homeland here? He would have to scout out the building with his ability. He might not be able to sense the people, but he could spot the objects they moved.

    If he could find out what Homeland was doing here, he might be able to lure Bodkin away and get his mother to safety.

    Clearly, they weren¡¯t taking hostages to collect ransom like petty thieves; they had some other goal they were trying to accomplish, considering the location lined up with their agenda. That meant this whole situation had to be a distraction for their real plan.

    Or was it? Their leader was in the building, so they were either trying to convince the authorities that their presence here served some greater purpose, or they¡¯d brought Bodkin because they actually needed him.

    He got his answer a few seconds later when he spotted a group of Homeland forces in a computer room, presumably typing away hastily going by the keyboards. And, to his power, it seemed like there were guns floating in the air pointing at the walls, but he knew there were people behind the firearms. A plan began to form in his mind.

    Casting a glance down to the gathered authorities, he saw three people in costume. Damsel, Warp, and Mountpin. The former two, he had met in person before, but the latter was one of the adult heroes on Mistral¡¯s team, a woman whom he¡¯d only seen in the media until today.

    Although he didn¡¯t know everything about the situation, he suspected this was all the DHD was going to send, be it because everybody else was unavailable or because Homeland was active in other places as well, he couldn¡¯t be sure.

    Whatever the case, them being here made things easier for him, assuming they were willing to cooperate with his plan.

    To that end, he stretched his power even farther, though he had more than enough range to reach them. By now, his range had grown to span multiple blocks, at least. That was to say, his communication was rather clear.

    When the colored letters started manifesting themselves beneath Damsel¡¯s feet, she jumped back in surprise, then started looking around. Unable to spot the messenger, she went back to reading. Finn explained the plan to her, which she eventually responded to with a thumbs-up aimed at the wrong building.

    As she told her allies about that, Finn reassessed the situation inside. All things were still in place for him to commence his distraction, and he didn¡¯t waste any more time.

    From one second to the next, all screens in the Apexia Properties building went dark.

    The panic set in soon after, and just as expected, the typing in the computer room grew more frantic. What Finn didn¡¯t see coming was that Bodkin would just up and leave the floor his mom was on right off the bat. The man walked off with a finger to his ear, gesticulating wildly with the other hand.

    Originally, his plan had been to jump in while Bodkin was distracted, then black out the room and quickly get rid of the goons before luring him away. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be this easy, but he wasn¡¯t going to complain or stand there gawking like a moron.

    He shot one grappling hook and swung down, diving through the open window and using his other grappling hook to swing his charged staff at the group of armed men who were only just starting to react.

    Two of the guys were reaching for their dropped guns, but Finn kicked one of the weapons away and retrieved the other one with his first hook, having retracted it already before firing it again.

    These rifles were heavier than people gave them credit for, he found. But the weight didn¡¯t stop him from pointing it at the downed men. He wasn¡¯t playing games here, and he couldn¡¯t afford any of them trying something stupid. Not now.

    Jack would¡¯ve rattled on about how this brazen display of holding criminals at gunpoint was bad for his image or whatever, but he couldn¡¯t care less, currently. He gave Warp the signal and waited for the portal to manifest.

    Meanwhile, the office workers stared at the semi-invisible person holding a gun with wide eyes. A few seconds of heavy silence passed before Finn said, ¡°Line up in front of that window, then walk through one by one.¡±

    In answer, he got confused stares before the indicated space started swirling like water draining from a pool, dim flashes of light running through it. One of the men apparently recognized it, because he sprinted straight towards his escape. It took all of Finn¡¯s self-control not to kick him in the stomach and toss his mother in first.

    Both the guy and the portal disappeared, which prompted more worried looks, but seeing as their savior¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t change, they slowly began to form a line.

    He saw Mom take last place, and had to keep himself from verbally reacting. He wasn¡¯t worried about her recognizing him that way, since he had a voice synthesizer on, but the only reason he¡¯d gone through all of this extra trouble was to keep Shade¡¯s connection to her a secret. Ostensibly, he was here to evacuate a group of innocent people, nothing more.

    Needless to say, she was really testing his patience here. The portal opened back up, and he watched the agonizingly slow employees step through one after the other.

    Then came the turn of Mrs. Allister. She turned her head in his direction, and he saw the uncertain expression on her face. It made his gut clench with rage. She wasn¡¯t supposed to fear for her life like this.

    It was almost definitely his imagination, but he was starting to feel like she was stalling on purpose. She wasn¡¯t, of course. No way she would be able to tell it was him. That was the reason he hadn¡¯t undone his power yet. He doubted she¡¯d recognize him even if he just showed himself to her in the suit without camouflage, but there was no reason to risk it.

    Finally, she stepped through, leaving Finn alone with the criminals. He practically deflated. He let out a breath he hadn¡¯t known he¡¯d been holding, and signaled to Warp that everyone on the floor was¡ª

    Glass shattered behind him, and he looked over to see a thick chord lodged in the ceiling. One of the Homeland guys laughed. ¡°You¡¯re done for now, kid,¡± he chuckled.

    He heard the cable reeling something in. Finn didn¡¯t wait to find out who was coming for him. He shot his grappling hook out of the building and got out.

    In the air, they passed each other.

    With his dark blue armored suit and visor, he looked like a taller, more muscular version of Finn in costume. But he knew this man was much more.

    Trooper was much more. And he was coming for Shade.

 Chapter 32 - To Struggle

    For the second time in two days, Finn found himself running away from one of the most dangerous men in the district. Or trying to, really.

    In the brief instant after they spotted each other, Trooper had already retracted that deadly grappling hook¡ªwhich was much larger, sharper, and sturdier than his own¡ªand aimed it in the place where Finn was going to be.

    Given that he preferred his organs inside his body, he had to dodge, but he couldn¡¯t just dive out of the way because he had no leverage in midair. Instead, he quickly shot his second hook downward to connect to another window on the opposite building and narrowly avoided getting his head turned into strawberry jam.

    His hand moved instinctively to cover his face when Trooper¡¯s hook brutally smashed through the window and sent shards of glass flying everywhere. He knew the man would be following right behind, and he also knew that he was still holding the rifle he¡¯d picked up earlier.

    Without hesitation, he shot straight at Bodkin¡¯s right hand man. Part of him had expected it to shoot blanks or for it to be out of ammo, but that wasn¡¯t the case. The bullets ripped out of it so wildly that Finn almost lost his unwieldy one-handed grip on it. They hit Trooper¡¯s arm.

    And bounced right off.

    Of course, he¡¯d never expected it to actually finish the job. He was aware that Trooper had a warrior-type ability, but the fact that a gun couldn¡¯t even trigger his complementary power was¡­ frustrating.

    None of that was going to slow him down though, he couldn¡¯t afford to let it. The moment he did, he was dead. He dropped the gun to have his hands free again, jumping off the building to create as much distance as possible.

    Trooper, for his part, didn¡¯t look to be taking this seriously at all. As a matter of fact, none of his body language betrayed anything other than immaculate form. This man was extremely well-trained. He was undeterred.

    This was the point where Finn was starting to realize the consequences of what he¡¯d just done. Not only had they just kicked the hornet¡¯s nest that was the Venin, he had now picked a fight with Homeland as well. And he wasn¡¯t affiliated with the DHD. He didn¡¯t have the government¡¯s resources. He was some kid with no backing that had nothing to protect him against two giant supervillain organizations, both of which had ample motivation to end his life.

    He didn¡¯t even have his team to watch his back right now. No Lyra, no Jack. It was only him, with a trained killer hot on his heels. He might have succeeded in saving his mother, but the universe seemed intent on letting him know how hard he¡¯d jinxed it thinking Bodkin¡¯s departure made things easy.

    And if he had to create a bigger gap, the building Homeland had taken over would fall out of his range, leaving them free to do whatever it was they had come there to do. Unless the DHD heroes managed to solve that whole thing.

    Either way, it was out of his hands now. He¡¯d even planned on staying just to maintain the cover of having come there to save the people, and in a way, he was still doing that. He was dividing their forces by drawing away one of their top executives. Considering the fact that Trooper had single-handedly defeated half the Junior Aces not too long ago, they probably weren¡¯t complaining that he was out of their hair.

    Besides, it was too late for takebacks. He had already decided in favor of getting out in the open rather than getting trapped in a room with a stronger enemy.

    With the benefit of hindsight, he was realizing that might not have been an optimal decision, seeing as Trooper was drawing a ranged weapon of his own. A bulky firearm with what Finn assumed was a huge loading chamber.

    It was a good thing he didn¡¯t have to keep looking over his shoulder to see where the weapon was being aimed, thanks to his very recently acquired sensory ability. Sprinting off another ledge, he dove away from the line of fire, quickly latching into the next roof and pulling himself in that direction.

    A glowing red sphere sailed past him, right onto the path Finn had been about to take. It erupted in flames, cutting off his escape. The only other way was back, but Trooper was sure to cut him off there.

    But he had an answer for this.

    One flex of his power was all it took for the fire to go unnaturally black and die down in a matter of moments, leaving Finn free to sprint through and jump away again. It would be wishful thinking to imagine this sudden reversal would buy him much time, and he wasn¡¯t about to put it to the test.

    His stomach lurched from yet another jump as he sensed Trooper produce a gun, this time trained straight on him. He fired the second grappling hook which he¡¯d been keeping handy in case he needed to shift courses. Like now.

    The white-hot laser that came out of Trooper¡¯s weapon scorched a deep furrow of molten stone in the wall. Finn had to push away from a wall with his staff to dodge, but it still grazed his shoulder. Underneath his mask, his face contorted in a grimace at the feeling of his skin being seared off.

    Finn gritted his teeth against the pain, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he swung away from the lethal beam. The building beside him cracked and sizzled from the intense heat. He needed cover.

    This time shooting his grappling hook lower, He zigzagged between the different structures around them in an attempt to get some breathing room.

    His camouflage had been active the entire time, and while he couldn¡¯t use it to maximum effectiveness, it should have made a difference whenever he managed to get out of sight to change direction.

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    The only explanation was that the villain wasn¡¯t relying on normal vision to track him. Still, he tried to shake his pursuer as best he could.

    But Trooper wasn¡¯t having it. He targeted Finn¡¯s hook. Or rather, its cable.

    That was bad.

    It only took half a second to snap under the relentless heat, causing Finn to plummet with his remaining momentum. He recovered in a breath, shooting down his other hook at the road below and landing in a roll.

    His opponent dropped straight to the ground, showing not even a hint of strain from the thirty-meter drop. The road cracked underneath his boots, and the two of them faced off.

    Bystanders either scattered or pulled out phones to get some exclusive footage. In this brief moment of respite, Finn tried to get as much air in his lungs as possible.

    Normally, this was where a conversation would take place between the two sides, be it to negotiate terms or for pure showmanship. But Finn wasn¡¯t very talkative with his enemies. And based on all media coverage, neither was the person in front of him.

    Without warning, the fight was back on. Trooper bounded toward Finn, sending chunks of asphalt flying in his wake. From his wrist, a translucent purple blade materialized, emitting a dangerous hum as it slashed horizontally.

    Finn¡¯s life almost ended right then and there. The reason it hadn¡¯t was because Finn had unleashed the kinetic build-up in his staff at the ground below them. This had created a small crater, made invisible by his power. Not enough to be a threat, but sufficient to throw off Trooper¡¯s footing on the last step.

    As a result, the blade had not touched any of his vital organs. It did leave a nasty cut on his thigh, though. The fact that his movement wasn¡¯t impaired was a small consolation.

    Not wanting to miss the opening, Finn used his glove to hit Trooper with an ineffectual electric shock, backing out immediately after doing so. That was his best shot at making it out of a close-range confrontation alive. As Jack had told him, dealing with warrior types as someone with baseline human physicality could only be done by staying ahead, preventing oneself from getting caught in an exchange that was bound to end in defeat.

    So instead of reacting to Trooper, which was impossible, Finn guessed where the attacks were going to land and dodged accordingly, trying to widen the gap between them. However, even that much would have ended in him getting bisected if his grappling hook didn¡¯t pull him away at the last second.

    He reoriented himself and landed on his feet near the side of the road. In the periphery, Finn could see the passersby looking on in shock and awe. Ignoring them, he used his power to apply his hole-in-the-ground technique despite knowing Trooper wouldn¡¯t fall for it; he was really just doing the reverse of what he¡¯d pulled earlier.

    In fact, Trooper stopped running altogether. Retracting his blade, he skewered a car with his grappling hook, sending sparks flying as he tugged on the chord and tossed the vehicle right at Finn.

    Under any other circumstance, he would have dodged that by traveling up a building with his remaining hook, but doing that would mean death. Not for him, but for a recording girl staring dumbly at her impending doom over there on the sidewalk.

    She was too far away for him to reach her without traveling backwards, so he shot his hook at a door behind her and yanked himself over. He kicked the girl out of the way as he passed her, but he didn¡¯t see her reaction.

    The car slammed into him, and even with the blunt force absorbent underlayer he was wearing, even while traveling with the momentum of the impact, it still hurt like crazy. He crashed straight through a window in a rain of glass, tumbling end over end across a wooden floor, into a¡­ rack of blazers?

    It was at that point he realized he was in a clothing store. He winced and forced his protesting body to get up before it was too late. Glancing to the side, he saw an employee gawking at him with wide eyes. ¡°Run,¡± he commanded. She didn¡¯t need to be told twice.

    To his dismay, he could see Trooper coming through the entrance. In preparation, he built up the energy in his staff again, though he had no idea how he was going to land another hit.

    His taciturn would-be executioner unclasped the laser cannon once more, leveling it at him. This was it. Nowhere to run or hide. If he didn¡¯t think of something here and now, he was dead.

    Then it hit him. He raised a hand.

    From an outside perspective, it would¡¯ve looked like Finn was gesturing for mercy. But that could not be further from the truth. In reality, he was applying his power where he knew it would be effective.

    It was only a day prior that he had learned of his ability to affect the color of people''s weapons. And all that time spent learning about reflectivity hadn¡¯t gone to waste, as he now knew the internal structure of Trooper¡¯s weapon would be using reflective surfaces to fire the laser. He could sense as much too.

    Figuring out how to disrupt that process was easy. He simply had to stop those surfaces from reflecting light, which took nothing more than a simple application of black, at maximum intensity.

    Trooper pulled the trigger. The cannon blew up in his face.

    Finn sprinted forward, knowing he wouldn¡¯t be getting another opportunity like this. With full force, he bashed the staff into Trooper¡¯s visor and activated the kinetic charge. There was an audible crack.

    Spurts of blood came from the smoke, but Finn didn¡¯t stay to see how much damage he¡¯d done. He needed to get out of here, fast.

    Belatedly, he noticed his camouflage had come undone on its own. He reactivated it and dashed out of the store, his leg protesting as he did so. He wasn¡¯t sure how many of his bones were broken. Maybe none, but he was definitely feeling some bruising in his side.

    His hook carried him to a rooftop, and a loud crash from below told him Trooper was ready for another round. Because why wouldn¡¯t he be? His power, in addition to his strong physique, was that of hyper-regeneration. He had a fitting name, honestly. Beside his varied arsenal and extensive combat experience, he was known to be able to get up from just about anything. The latest entry on that list of feats was taking a hit to the skull from a metal staff with enough force to shatter concrete.

    That was the reason Finn had been so certain this fight was unwinnable for him. He simply didn¡¯t have the firepower to put this juggernaut down.

    That was also the reason dealing damage hadn¡¯t been his goal to begin with. No, his real aim had been to destroy the visual equipment Trooper was using to keep him in sight.

    And when Trooper ascended another building and looked around, that seemed to have worked. Finn was already running away again, not wanting to waste time. He was confident Trooper would have redundancies, but if those were even a little bit less efficient than the original method, he had an advantage.

    Sure enough, Trooper now had some sort of watch-like device on his wrist. But what he might have lacked in accuracy, he was now making up for in area of effect. Before Finn knew it, Trooper had cast a massive net over the building he was jumping over.

    Knowing he couldn¡¯t get caught, he looped around and just out of its range.

    Into a blast of concussive force.

    He recovered a beat later, starting to alternate between high and low to make himself more unpredictable. Trooper kept firing more of those shock waves, each of them corralling Finn closer to the villain¡¯s line of sight.

    This was not going well. He knew that. He¡¯d long since known victory was impossible, but to be unable to escape? It was embarrassing beyond measure. His expression hardened, and he kept going.

    When he went for another leap, he saw a white bird in the sky circling above him, red markings covering its feathers. He squinted. Was that a primebeast?

    Then, miraculously, a voice started speaking, the words unintelligible. It sounded like it was coming from right next to him, but there wasn¡¯t anyone close besides the man chasing him.

    The voice spoke again.

    ¡®Shade?¡¯

 Chapter 33 - To Falter

    ¡°Who¡­¡± he started saying, seemingly to nothing. Was this the point where he started losing his sanity out of desperation?

    ¡®Shade, follow Quillvoy, ¡®kay? That''s my pet flying over your head right now.¡¯

    Even assuming this was real, which meant he was under the influence of some psionic¡¯s power, it was quite hard to focus on what it was saying while fleeing from Trooper.

    He got the gist of it. They wanted him to follow that maybe-bird in the sky? He noticed it had switched from circling to heading south.

    Either he listened to the voice and saw where it was leading him, or he could just ignore it and keep trying to delay the inevitable.

    What did he really have to lose when the alternative was death? He followed.

    ¡®Oh, so you can hear me, great. I was scared this wouldn¡¯t work. I can¡¯t hear what you¡¯re thinking though. Eh¡­ What I¡¯m about to tell you is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I need you to hold out for a couple more minutes.¡¯

    Easier said than done. But he was attempting to do that anyway, so it made no difference.

    Trooper reacted to the sudden shift in directions by launching tiny, homing rockets his way, which prompted him to find cover and get them to detonate. He used his staff to dislodge pieces of brick from a wall, then tossed those at the incoming projectiles one by one. It worked for the most part, but he was still forced to enter the next building over.

    Crashing into the hallway of an apartment complex, he dashed into the stairwell and slammed the door behind him, making it trigger the detonation for him.

    As soon as he heard Trooper enter the building behind him, he kicked through one of the windows and exited again.

    Finn¡¯s mind went back to the voice. Though he wasn¡¯t an expert on thought projection, the person speaking to him ¡°sounded¡± feminine. His best guess was that they were using the primebeast overhead to observe and communicate with him. That meant¡­

    Explain. Finn wrote out with his power on one of the buildings ahead.

    ¡®You know, I had no idea your range was that huge. And, yeah, of course I¡¯ll tell you the details. First things first. As you might¡¯ve already guessed, I¡¯m Moonflower.¡¯

    He had not guessed that, but to his defense, he was preoccupied with something very pressing. It made sense it was her, though, considering she was the only psionic he¡¯d ever worked with.

    ¡®We¡¯re sending help your way. I¡¯m actually closer to your location, but there¡¯s not much I can do against a top exec like Trooper.¡¯

    We? Who was Moonflower working with? Someone with a vested interest in helping Shade? He doubted she was doing this out of the kindness of her heart. Or maybe she was, no time to think about the nuances of her morality right now.

    Trooper was making himself known again, hitting Finn with more shock waves to influence his escape path. He had to wonder, could the villain not see the bird in the sky? Moonflower hadn¡¯t made any mention of that possibility.

    ¡®You¡¯re doing pretty well,¡¯ the heroine was saying. Finn didn¡¯t know if he should be offended at her surprised tone. ¡®You¡¯ll get more info if you can meet up with us, but for now just focus on not dying.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t need to be told that. Finn sprinted through the twisting alleys and across rooftops, doing his best to evade Trooper''s relentless pursuit. A blast here, some bullets there. The attacks kept piling on, making it harder and harder to keep up the evasion. He¡¯d pulled out all his tricks, and it hadn¡¯t been enough. What else could he do?

    The Aegis store might be his solution. It sounded insane. And yet, in theory, he could make a purchase from there, then race to wherever he needed to pick it up and use whatever he needed to slow Trooper down.

    Two problems with that approach came to mind. The first being, it would take too long to get the drop-off spot approved. The second? Even if he managed to get it approved immediately, there was no guarantee it would be on the same path he was following now. In all likelihood, he would have to run in a direction that wasn¡¯t south.

    Not to mention that wouldn¡¯t even be a factor if he couldn¡¯t shop for whatever item he needed one-handed while running for his life. Concentrating on the mental conversation was barely doable, let alone adding another task to the mix.

    So that was out. Finn continued his mad dash through the urban labyrinth, dodging Trooper''s attacks to the best of his ability. He continued to wrack his brain as Moonflower encouraged him.

    ¡®Almost there. Keep going for a bit longer.¡¯

    Finn frowned, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. He needed more than words; he needed a plan, an advantage. His mind raced, considering the resources at his disposal. The Aegis store might be unavailable, but what about his environment?

    Abruptly, he focused his power on all reflective surfaces in Trooper¡¯s view, making them as reflective as possible. Given that it was still early in the afternoon, that meant the sunlight Trooper had to deal with was suddenly magnified to distracting levels, though it also helped that Finn used his last remaining makeshift flashbang. And since Finn had shattered that visor, he bet the man had lost his eye shielding.

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    As it turned out, he won that bet because the next time Trooper landed, it was with a slight delay for him to let his vision adjust. Finn seized this momentary advantage. He darted into a narrow alley, hoping to lose Trooper momentarily. Moonflower''s voice chimed in again.

    ¡®Good thinking with the light. Try to steal a car if you can.¡¯

    What? Finn was absolutely not going to do that. And that wasn¡¯t even because he found it so morally objectionable that he would never consider it in a life-or-death situation. It was simply because he knew he had better chances of getting himself killed if he drove a car than if he continued on foot.

    Although this mode of travel was becoming less desirable by the second. His breathing had grown labored, sweat was pouring off him beneath the suit, and his injuries were beginning to make themselves known again.

    Furthermore, he wasn¡¯t even sure if going by car was faster than just using his grappling hook and running from building to building. Maybe Moonflower had made the suggestion because it would hide him better from Trooper¡¯s detection. After all, he wasn¡¯t carrying a tracker this time, like he had against Havoc.

    He sprinted through a crowded area, the people blurring by. Compared to the high-velocity, irregularly shaped attacks Trooper used against him, moving around these civilians felt effortless, so much so that they hardly noticed his camouflaged form.

    But he knew Trooper didn¡¯t care about collateral damage, so he decided to move up high again. That was better for speed, anyway. His hook shot up and dragged him out of the masses, lifting him onto the roof of a post office and widening his view of the surroundings.

    Behind him, Trooper was closing in again. The widened gap was rapidly shrinking, and there wasn¡¯t much Finn could think to do that would prolong the chase and buy him more time. But there wasn¡¯t nothing, either. After buying himself a bit of breathing room, he¡¯d had time to think.

    His staff was loaded up again, and he needed to find a way to get another hit off. Trooper made him reposition with another shock wave, trying to get him down low again. That was fine.

    They were leaving the populated areas. He¡¯d spotted an abandoned building not too far from here, all he needed was to get Trooper to follow him in. Without getting caught first. His running form was faltering from the mounting exhaustion. It was so bad, he was starting to become nauseous. He corrected his posture and kept going.

    When he swung the door open, he knew Trooper wouldn¡¯t blow the wall away to get to him. After all, the man wouldn¡¯t want to give him more space to escape. He bolted inside and got in position.

    Trooper came in a second later, looking around and quickly spotting him. Finn thrust his right arm forward, shooting the severed cable of his lost grappling hook. His opponent tried to snatch it. Finn let him, having already disconnected and rolled to the side.

    Instead, he used that as a distraction to shoot his real grappling hook at the door and close it. Staff at the ready, he slowly began whitening the dim room. Trooper raised an arm to shield his eyes, expecting another light show.

    That was what Finn had been counting on. The moment Trooper anticipated his flashbang, he pulled himself forward with the grappling hook while darkening the entire room. It might not truly render the guy blind, but he knew the second of disorientation would buy him an opening.

    Finn smashed Trooper in the face again.

    Not that he stopped there. This time, he turned on the electric shock feature at its highest setting. He realized that last time he tried this, it had been Trooper¡¯s suit that rendered the attack ineffective, not his physicality. It wouldn¡¯t put him down, far from it, but it would paralyze him for longer than before. It had to.

    Two seconds later, he was out of there, rounding the corner and pumping his legs like his life depended on it. Because it did.

    ¡®Couldn¡¯t see what you did in there. Good job though. Go ar- watch out!¡¯

    In his fatigue, he sensed the grappling hook too late. It caught him in the side, and Trooper, who was back sooner than expected, used it to smash him straight into a wall, then another. Finn wildly bashed his staff against the thing to get free, coughing blood as he got ragdolled back and forth.

    The last swing sent actual cracks through the wall. His vision was filled with stars. No, he refused to go down here. Gathering his strength, he brought the metal weapon down and freed himself. It had made a wound in his abdomen, he could see that. And feel it too. Black spots crept up in the periphery of his sight.

    Keep going, he thought to himself. He got up from his slumped position, marshaling his mind to get his body back in line for each step. One step, two¡ª

    His body gave out.

    Moonflower was talking to him, but he didn¡¯t catch it. He tried for his grappling hook, wondering why it wouldn¡¯t shoot, then realized he was lying on top of it. Lacking the strength to move his arms.

    He flexed his power. Colors strobed around him chaotically, to no avail.

    Trooper regarded him for a moment, then¡­ nodded. Finn could barely even move, whereas the only damage this professional killer had taken were a few scorch marks and a broken visor. The purple blade flashed again, and the supervillain rushed at him to finish the job.

    Was this it? Would he just be another statistic on a graph of teenagers who¡¯d gotten in over their heads?

    Finn looked at the building he wanted to reach. It seemed so far away now. And now that he was considering it, this was the same area he¡¯d first met Lyra in that first night.

    It was poetic, in a way. To have his career end in the same place where it started.

    His eyes drifted back to face his death.

    The only thing they saw was the radiant glow of the afterlife¡­

    He blinked.

    No, he wasn¡¯t dead. Trooper was visible behind the glow, pressing his murder weapon against it with grim determination.

    On Finn¡¯s side stood a new figure. Tall, lean and garbed in a golden jester¡¯s outfit with a sun emblazoned on his chest. His lustrous mask was made up of two dark circles for eyes and a curved, dotted line in place of a smile. Silver bells adorned his cap, jingling in unison.

    Finn knew who this was. Who didn¡¯t? This young man led an entire team of new heroes, and had been under Mistral¡¯s tutelage for years. But his name reached beyond just this district. For good reason, too. Many people, including those at the top, expected him to become one of the strongest humans in the world, someday.

    At this point, Finn knew he was done fighting. Why, it was obvious.

    Nar had arrived.

 Chapter 34 - To Discover

    ¡°I must admit, I was starting to worry,¡± said the captain of the Junior Aces. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure whether another opportunity like this would present itself. You have this awful habit of causing trouble behind my back.¡±

    Trooper, unsurprisingly, didn¡¯t answer. Despite his silence, however, there was a shift in posture that Finn recognized even through his hazy vision.

    Wariness.

    Nar flicked a wrist, and the glowing barrier pushed forward, forcing Trooper to back away. Seemingly satisfied with the distance, the hero lowered his arm and turned to Finn.

    ¡°I heard you put on an admirable performance,¡± he remarked, tilting his head with a jingle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take it from here.¡± He gestured for another platform of energy to spawn beneath Finn and carry him away, gently so as not to jostle the injuries.

    Wait¡­ Finn recognized this power. The color might have been different, this one having a yellow-gold hue, but the structure of these panels was the same. Was that what Nar had up his sleeve this time? That made sense, he supposed. After all, this guy¡¯s toolkit was nothing if not variable.

    As he floated away, Finn watched the jester¡¯s form shift into that of an oversized, golden pangolin, like a lustrous duplicate of Scalestrike.

    Nar dove forward, curling into a ball midair and hitting the road rolling. He rapidly picked up speed as Trooper tried to snag him with a bunch of different tools.

    Just when that giant net the villain had used on Finn was about to cut off Nar¡¯s path, a panel materialized upwards from nothing, causing Nar to bounce into the sky. But it didn¡¯t stop there. Another panel appeared in his trajectory, then another. Soon, he was ping-ponging himself through the air to the point where Finn¡¯s tired eyes could barely follow him anymore.

    He knew calling Nar¡¯s power rare would be an understatement. Having the ability to copy other powers was one thing, but to be able to copy, store, and rotate between multiple different abilities? That was unprecedented.

    Granted, while the limitations of Nar¡¯s ability had never been made public, people often speculated about them. Such as a maximum threshold of how powerful an ability could be for him to copy it, issues with control, or the highest number of powers he could use at once.

    And Finn knew that number was not two.

    He was proven right a moment later. Nar ended his impromptu pinball game to bear down on Trooper like a golden comet. Trooper¡¯s blade flashed, and it looked like he was about to cut Nar in half, but before they made contact, a pair of swirling distortions appeared in the air. One, in the space between them.

    The other, right behind Trooper.

    Nar maintained his momentum when he traveled through the portal and caught Trooper in the back, ramming into the road. A giant dust cloud erupted, obscuring Finn¡¯s view.

    Once the dust cleared, Trooper was standing and visibly regenerating his torso. His pulverized torso.

    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, seeing the massive crater Nar had made drove the point home. Finn really had a long way to go. He hated being so helpless.

    The fight continued, but Finn didn¡¯t see the rest of it, as he rounded the corner then. A pair of medics awaited him.

    They checked his vitals and moved him onto a stretcher, wheeling him into the large container of an otherwise nondescript cargo truck. He lacked the energy to resist.

    Inside, it was so well furnished that the only indication he was even in a container was the rectangular shape of the room.

    Even more startling than that stark contrast were its occupants. Aside from Moonflower, whom he¡¯d known would be here, there were two that he certainly hadn¡¯t.

    Walking up to him was a man in green spandex. He put a hand on Finn¡¯s arm, and it felt like that touch injected lightning into his veins, dulling his pain. He abruptly sat up, feeling more energized than he had in his entire life.

    ¡°Whoa there,¡± said the stranger. ¡°You¡¯re not healed, so don¡¯t move around too much. I only gave you a little bit of juice.¡±

    As Finn thought of a response, the other occupant spoke up. ¡°I hope you can excuse my crude methods, but I am afraid my hand has been forced in this matter. I assure you, I am not doing this because I don¡¯t respect your health.¡±

    His head swiveled to the person speaking to him, and though they had met before, it had not been on more than one occasion. Without ever exchanging words.

    Even seated on a luxurious sofa, Finn recognized that sculpted physique. Together with the blonde beard that had hints of gray in it, and his green eyes crinkling with his photogenic smile, it wasn¡¯t hard to remember Cyrus Wardell at all.

    ¡°Why?¡± was the first word that came to mind.

    The owner of the Wardell estate nodded at the medics and the green-suited man, who promptly excused themselves and left the three of them alone. The truck began to move. Finn had been wondering if he needed medical attention, but apparently not.

    ¡°Why did I go out of my way to rescue you? That question, I can provide with a simple answer: I was merely repaying a debt.¡±

    ¡°A debt? To me?¡±

    Cyrus chuckled, his deep voice sounding smooth and relaxed. ¡°You and your team managed to uncover a primebeast trafficking ring in one of my affiliate companies,¡± he explained. ¡°So yes, I am grateful that you were able to bring that powder keg of an operation to my attention.¡±

    No way. ¡°...You weren¡¯t aware of that?¡±

    ¡°I resent what you are implying,¡± said the billionaire. ¡°Ah, or were you perhaps investigating me? If so, I am curious as to where you acquired your leads.¡±

    Finn wasn¡¯t going to grace that with a straight answer. If he told the truth that he¡¯d found out by planting bugs at his daughter¡¯s birthday party, his cover would be blown. And Finn suspected this person wouldn¡¯t be happy to hear that either way.

    ¡°Calliope¡¯s power is useful,¡± was what came out of Finn¡¯s mouth. It was the most noncommittal thing he could think of.

    At that, Cyrus gave an understanding nod. ¡°The young Ms. Chen. Helping her out was a gamble, but I can¡¯t say I am displeased with her results. But it did stand out to me that you two seem awfully cautious in how you associate with her outside of your Aegis work.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Finn¡¯s mind went blank. He knew Lyra¡¯s real identity? But he didn¡¯t know who Finn was. Wait, you two? People knew about Jack?

    On second thought, he had known about Jack¡¯s drones being discovered by Mistral, so there would have been some recorded intel about an additional member of their team. But for said intel to have reached the Wardell family head...

    A second later, he connected the dots.

    ¡°You gave me that first assessment.¡± It was a statement. There was no question now, it had to be him. This man¡¯s connections ran even deeper than Finn had originally thought, reaching well into the DHD. He must have been the one helping Lyra from the shadows too.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Cyrus confirmed. ¡°Initially, I was hesitant to commit any resources to that girl, but when you saved her life, the thought of leaving her to her fate left a bad taste in my mouth. I even considered taking her under my wing.¡± He exhaled. ¡°But of course, I wanted to see what would become of you, as well. That was the entire point of those small, inconsequential tasks I distributed across the district. To scout for new talent like yourself.¡±

    ¡°What about the other missions after that, from anonymous clients?¡±

    ¡°Most of those came from me, yes,¡± Cyrus said. ¡°You struck me as the independent type, so I deemed observation and patience to be the best course of action.¡±

    Course of action for what? Was that the real reason Cyrus had gone to such lengths for him? To recruit him? That meant his entire career up until this point had been one big audition.

    A small, petulant part of him wanted to lash out at the idea. The whole time, he had just been aiding the agenda of some powerful, hidden faction. Running around on the palm of someone else¡¯s hand. It was just like he¡¯d feared. Except Cyrus didn¡¯t seem evil to him so far. Assuming he was telling the truth.

    A big assumption, if he was being honest. He wasn¡¯t quick to trust anyone, much less the leader of a¡­ whatever this was.

    ¡°You want me to join you?¡± Finn wasn¡¯t sure why that sounded so unbelievable right now.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fun! I can¡¯t wait to work with you again,¡± Moonflower chimed in, reminding Finn that she was still in here with them.

    Cyrus held up a hand. ¡°Before I extend the offer, I would like to give you some context about what it is you are getting yourself into.¡±

    Finn just listened.

    ¡°Ostensibly, Aegis as an organization is completely decentralized; it has no de facto leadership. This is true. Technically.¡± Finn¡¯s mysterious benefactor put his elbows on his knees. ¡°But as with every other route to power, there will always be people coveting it.¡±

    Impulsively, Finn wanted to accuse the person in front of him of doing exactly that, but he remained silent.

    ¡°At this point in time, it may be accurate to say there exists a tenuous balance, of sorts, among these forces. My own organization is similar in how it extracts, synthesizes, and redistributes resources across the reaches of the network that Aegis truly is. But we differ in both our ends and our methods.

    ¡°Now, that is not to say there aren¡¯t dominant factions controlling vast portions of the superhuman population. What I¡¯m conveying to you is that this divide of power allows the possibility of outsiders coming out ahead.¡±

    Finn thought he knew where this was going. ¡°And you want to break the balance by becoming the most powerful.¡±

    ¡°That would be convenient, wouldn¡¯t it? But no, that is not what I seek to accomplish,¡± Cyrus said, shaking his head. ¡°Tell me, Shade, what do you know of the war against humanity?¡±

    The war against humanity? ¡°Are you talking about primebeasts at the border?¡± Wasn¡¯t Moonflower using a primebeast now?

    ¡°In part, yes. It¡¯s often misrepresented to the general populace, but we do face an existential threat as an expansionist civilization. In that respect, Homeland¡¯s doctrine isn¡¯t entirely without merit. From my perspective, it¡¯s their code of conduct that¡¯s flawed, despite the appeal it holds to the disadvantaged.¡±

    ¡°Homeland is one of the groups trying to take over Aegis?¡± That made sense to Finn. They were active beyond A23G. Bodkin was just their district leader, he wasn¡¯t the boss of the entire movement.

    ¡°It is. As is the very government that¡¯s been feeding you propaganda your whole life. You can group in the latter with the Apexian military. I consider them, if not the same, then at least closely related.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s bad because Apexia isn''t united,¡± Finn concluded.

    Cyrus gave a slow nod. ¡°Essentially. But not all the major influences on Aegis operate on this continent. Nor do they all solely focus on combating the primebeast threat. Take North America, for instance.¡±

    North America had been at war with South America for decades now, ever since Seraphim, the strongest villain in the world, had decimated that place and built her army there.

    ¡°Then what are you going to do for humanity?¡± Finn asked plainly.

    ¡°Well, the aim is to help the human race survive the coming years. The threats that could spell our end are the perpetual intraspecies conflicts around the globe, and the war with primebeasts. I believe that we could save ourselves if either threat were eliminated, or if both were alleviated sufficiently. The issue is that both of these threats are escalating, while we are not necessarily growing stronger to compensate.¡±

    ¡°So you want to make humans stronger?¡± The only way Finn knew to make that happen for superhumans like himself was to unbind one¡¯s power. And there was no recorded way to do that reliably.

    ¡°I¡¯m moving the pieces into the correct positions, though promoting them certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± the businessman smiled. ¡°What I want you to know is that positioning is key to my worldview.¡±

    It sounded ambitious, but Finn figured there had to be a trick to the magic. ¡°How would you know where to place people? Is one of your employees all-knowing?¡±

    ¡°As of right now, I don¡¯t employ any such people, but who knows what the future holds?¡±

    ¡°You do, presumably.¡±

    ¡°How astute of you,¡± Cyrus laughed again, louder and less controlled this time. ¡°I do have my means. None that I¡¯m willing to disclose, currently, but also nothing like what you are imagining.¡±

    Moonflower held Finn¡¯s gaze, but remained silent. How much did she know? Clearly a lot, seeing as she was allowed to sit in on this conversation.

    ¡°I have one more minor question before I do my pitch,¡± Cyrus picked the conversation back up. ¡°Why Homeland? You were perfectly fine letting the government handle that alone, Shade. Did you perhaps have a personal stake in that assault?¡±

    Finn said nothing.

    ¡°I will not press you for it. But I thought it would be prudent to ask since it leads into my reason for wanting to recruit you. Or rather, my reason for having waited until now before making an attempt.¡± He paused. ¡°What I mean is, you have effectively cornered yourself.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t even deny it. Going in to save his mother had put him in the cross hairs of Homeland, while he had already stolen some item of untold value from the Venin for¡­ He looked back and forth from Moonflower to Cyrus. Had they put him up to this, had this whole thing been their plan? Moonflower had forwarded the mission to him, he hadn¡¯t forgotten that.

    Regardless, they couldn¡¯t have planned the Homeland thing, given they didn¡¯t know his identity. And none of that changed the reality of the situation. He was, in fact, cornered. If he went out there with Lyra again, they¡¯d more than likely be caught and killed. With everything he knew about the hidden workings of Aegis now, he had no doubt there was some kind of bounty on his head.

    ¡°What are you offering?¡± he replied, his tone even.

    Cyrus sat up straight. ¡°Many of my resources. Mentorship, missions, training facilities, medical care, et cetera. In exchange, I want you to lend me your capabilities in the pursuit of my goals. In time, I will elaborate in more detail on what it is that I plan to do in the long term. And, of course, you would be free to pursue your own agenda as well.¡±

    ¡°My agenda?¡±

    ¡°Did you think I had not deduced that? It is apparent that you have some reason not to join the Junior Ace program, and your methodology differs greatly from Ms. Chen¡¯s. It has a clear direction, which she follows.¡±

    It was true. He did indeed have a goal of his own, but he had never looked at it that way. Was his determination to succeed the real reason Lyra had been so inclined to follow him?

    Beyond the effects his death would have on the people closest to him, he had hardly considered the implications of what it would mean for the people around Shade to have someone so motivated to get stronger in their midst. It wasn¡¯t as if he made a deliberate effort to become the leader of his team. That sort of thing just happened naturally.

    Was that because of his personality, or his power? He had become quite aware of his own general resistance to being controlled by others. But that could just be a contributing factor. As his control improved, he was coming to find out just how excellent of a tool for communication and direction his ability was. It was very well suited for ordering people around, which required working in a team setting.

    Cyrus here seemed to be offering to expand his network, and give him more ways to nurture the power he held within himself.

    Nevertheless, he realized that he couldn¡¯t rely on anyone else to achieve his ultimate goal. This was all just part of his climb, not something he would use forever.

    When it came down to it, he would be alone.

    ¡°And what if I say no?¡± he challenged.

    ¡°Then I would have your wounds treated and urge you to reconsider before you get killed.¡± Cyrus held up a finger. ¡°I should remind you that there is no rush. You do not have your team members with you, so gather them at your convenience and talk over the terms with them.¡±

    Was this what he needed? An actual support system away from the DHD that would let him do what he wanted? It sounded too good to be true, which meant he was going to have to do even more digging with Lyra and Jack to get to the bottom of this.

    If they could verify these people, though, then the offer was seriously tempting. More than tempting. He would argue it was a necessary step.

    ¡°How long until we have to make a decision?¡± he asked.

    ¡°While there is no time limit, do consider that I am a busy man, so if you could give your answer by the end of the week, that would be fantastic.¡± Cyrus looked at his watch and stood. ¡°Hm, we have arrived. It seems this is where we part ways, for now.¡±

    The two medics held open the door for Casey¡¯s father as he exited the container, followed by Moonflower. After they were gone, the medics walked in and started carrying Finn into a medical facility to begin his treatment.

    Just like that, he was at a crossroads.

    He had a decision to make.

    [VOLUME 1: END]

 Chapter 35 - To Decide

    ¡°Are we really moving forward with this?¡± Jack asked, leaning forward on his chair.

    ¡°I think it depends on what you want. They already know who I am, right?¡± Lyra responded.

    From his own seat, Finn glanced between his teammates. Two days had passed since the ordeal with Homeland and Cyrus extending his offer thereafter. Now that both Finn and Lyra had been cleared to go home again, they had time to come together and decide whether to accept or not.

    But regarding his treatment, it had been rather rigorous. When he¡¯d indicated that he wanted to leave as quickly as possible, they used all sorts of advanced-looking machines and tools he had never heard of and did not recognize in order to get him back on his feet. What he saw of the whole procedure while under anesthesia seemed rather painful, and the doctors confirmed that by giving him some heavy pain medication to go, which he had taken¡ªhe could hardly move otherwise.

    Moreover, they also informed him that he could be treated by a healer as soon as he agreed to the offer. That, at least, made the deal more tempting. If there was one thing Finn disliked, it was being forced to waste more time than necessary.

    Except that didn¡¯t mean he could just go and shake their hands on it. This required careful consideration, from all three of them.

    Which led to where they were currently, in the living room of Lyra¡¯s apartment. Jack¡¯s drones and Lyra¡¯s power were making sure there wasn¡¯t anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. Finn¡¯s newfound object sense would be able to detect hidden cameras and the like, as well, but there were none.

    ¡°This decision involves you too¡­ Lyra,¡± Finn said. It felt strange to address her by her real name; he¡¯d been about to call her Calliope again, as he was used to. Not that she was wrong on the point of her identity. Cyrus was fully aware of who she was.

    The reason he was making an effort to include her here was because he realized the importance of her choice, and because he didn¡¯t want her to hide any misgivings she might have if he did end up joining for the sake of going along with him. The last thing he needed was hesitation when they were heading into an unfamiliar environment.

    Or perhaps he simply wanted to know what his friend was thinking.

    Jack narrowed his eyes at Finn, then said to Lyra, ¡°He¡¯s right. Your input is just as important as ours here. We¡¯ve gotta be on the same page.¡±

    She squirmed a bit, but nodded. ¡°Okay, but¡­ okay.¡±

    ¡°I can go first, if that¡¯s what you want,¡± Jack suggested, running a hand through his dark blonde hair. ¡°I say we decline for the time being.¡±

    ¡°And what are we going to do in the meantime, nothing? We can¡¯t go out there right now,¡± Finn argued. What was Jack¡¯s plan here? They all knew how limited their options were. That was precisely why Cyrus had waited until now to reel them in.

    ¡°I, uh, I agree with Finn,¡± Lyra added. ¡°You two are very competent, of course. I¡¯m just saying¡­¡± Her hand went to her stomach. ¡°I was useless against one of their top men. What if next time we¡¯re sighted in public, they send three or four? We¡¯re not ready to fight both major gangs at the same time.¡±

    ¡°We would train and prepare until we are,¡± said Jack. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot we need to work on.¡±

    ¡°Work on what?¡± Finn pressed. ¡°None of that would be nearly as effective as what we¡¯d have if we sent them our agreement.¡±

    Jack snorted. ¡°Since when did you become so trusting, Finn? You¡¯re acting like you know for certain that this isn¡¯t all some baiting tactic on their part.¡±

    For a moment, Finn stared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t trust them, I¡¯m saying this is the next step. We¡¯ve been working for them the whole time, we just weren¡¯t aware of it.¡±

    ¡°Fair, but who¡¯s to say we won¡¯t get a better bargain if we wait?¡±

    Finn took a deep breath. ¡°Jack, I should be the one asking you why you¡¯re suddenly so reluctant to make real progress. You¡¯re always going on about how important it is for us to have a good support system, but when someone with actual resources comes along, you want to stall?¡±

    ¡°I mean, the Wardells might poison your white truffle sauce for real this time.¡±

    ¡°Jack¡­¡±

    Their technical specialist sighed, hanging his head. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll admit it. I¡¯m comfortable with what we¡¯ve had going on so far, and I don¡¯t want it to end. I know it¡¯s unsustainable, I know you¡¯ll eventually have to move on to something bigger, but it sucks thinking about being left behind. If you sign with these people, they¡¯ll have plenty of professionals more capable than me ready to whip up new routines and gadgets and software for you to use, so yeah, I wanna stall before I end up getting replaced. I¡¯m little old Jack with no powers or talent, nothing special. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, which was by your side.¡±

    Finn¡¯s eyebrows receded slightly. He¡¯d known Jack had been struggling with feeling useless after they lost to that primebeast, but he never thought it was this bad.

    ¡°You¡¯re not replaceable,¡± Finn stated. ¡°Cyrus seemed interested in knowing more about you, so you shouldn¡¯t worry you¡¯ll get kicked off the team. And even if he tried, I wouldn¡¯t let him.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea how little sense it makes for you to say that?¡± Jack retorted. ¡°You never wanted to be held back, but now you¡¯re offering to slow yourself down for me. I¡¯m not one of the best, or even close to it. You need to recognize when it¡¯s better for you to move on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± Finn shot back.

    Jack threw his hands up. ¡°What?¡± he snapped. ¡°Nothing lasts forever, Finn. You, of all people, should know that.¡±

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The words stung, reminding Finn of the darker, lonelier days in his life. His gaze drifted to the floor, searching for a time long past.

    Then, realizing how that came across, Jack amended, ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Fuck.¡±

    Finn snapped back to the present. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t. It¡¯s whatever.¡± He looked up again. ¡°But I stand by what I said. This isn¡¯t the end of Gridlock, and I won¡¯t let anyone tell me otherwise.¡±

    Jack still looked a bit out of sorts, but he visibly calmed down after that. ¡°Look, I appreciate that, it¡¯s just that at times like now, when you¡¯re ready for another upgrade in the near future, it¡¯s hard to justify my position on this team to myself. Not only to other people.¡±

    At that, Finn merely shook his head in disapproval.

    Seeing this, Jack gave a strained smile. ¡°I¡¯m saying you guys are better than me, okay? Just take the damn compliment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not better than you,¡± Lyra said with surprising urgency. ¡°I¡¯m not even better than myself before I got my powers, all things considered. Plus, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d be super comfortable having somebody else looking out for me.¡±

    ¡°You need to stop letting yourself believe this is the end of the road for you,¡± Finn added. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been doing missions with your drones on the side, so start saving up credits. Learn more. Get better.¡±

    His friend blinked. ¡°I did not realize you knew that.¡± He gave a short laugh. ¡°Thanks, though. I obviously can¡¯t farm credits at your pace, but I¡¯ll take it over nothing.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re convinced?¡± Lyra asked.

    The taller boy sat up straight. ¡°Sure, guess there¡¯s no putting it off anymore. It¡¯s a lotta pressure. Is this how you feel all the time, Finn?¡±

    That didn¡¯t even begin to describe it. But Finn was not at all inclined to voice any of those inner thoughts. Best to deflect instead of giving an actual answer here. ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic, Jack.¡±

    ¡°Right. Well, we still have to do a background check and whatnot. I should get started on that.¡± Jack grabbed his laptop and began typing.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to find much,¡± Finn said. ¡°We were investigating the Wardell family over a month ago, and turned up nothing.¡± He knew scouring for any information they could find was a necessity at this juncture, but he also knew how well prepared Cyrus was. Though this did resolve the initial qualms he¡¯d had about spying on Casey¡¯s family back when Jack first brought it up to him. They had been hiding something.

    ¡°I know,¡± Jack replied as he stared at his screen. ¡°At this point, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re taking the threat of having two gangs after you so seriously, Finn.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we ever have to worry about Finn not taking anything seriously,¡± Lyra jested, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

    Finn turned to her. This was new. He hadn¡¯t expected her to make a comment on his character, let alone so casually. She almost sounded¡­ confident.

    She caught his gaze and started fidgeting. ¡°Or, ah, that was presumptuous of me, what was I thinking? I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about. Sorry.¡±

    Never mind.

    ¡°What are your goals?¡± he asked her suddenly.

    ¡°My goals?¡± she echoed, tucking her hair out of her eyes.

    ¡°What you want to accomplish by working with us.¡±

    ¡°To help you out?¡±

    ¡°And for yourself?¡±

    She paused. ¡°I want to heal the people I hurt. And I can¡¯t do that if I don¡¯t have a lot of credits, so I have to save up for a healer who can deal with¡­ complex cochlear and cerebral damage.¡± She said that last part as if trying to remember an exact quote.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing to aim for,¡± Finn said.

    ¡°It¡¯s what I have to do, but¡­ thank you.¡± she said, then continued in a quieter tone, ¡°What¡¯s your goal, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±

    As a matter of fact, he did mind. He just couldn¡¯t let Jack know that he did, because that would make him suspicious. And there was no way in hell Finn would admit what he was planning to do to Omega. No doubt, it would result in endless attempts to get him to stand down. Yet he still needed to justify his level of dedication to their missions here.

    ¡°To become the strongest,¡± he lied. That wasn¡¯t to say it wouldn¡¯t be convenient if he were to attain that level, but he wasn¡¯t competing with everyone.

    Lyra regarded him, but if she noticed something was off, she wasn¡¯t verbalizing it.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, Lyra,¡± Jack perked up a moment later, thankfully having been distracted. ¡°Have you thought about the possibility of hanging out with us, if this deal goes through?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we hanging out already?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah we are. I meant in public. Without our masks on.¡±

    Finn shot him a look.

    ¡°Come on, Finn. You can¡¯t hide your face from everyone you work with, and now that we know who the people that covered up Lyra¡¯s case are, we know your identity won¡¯t get leaked if you¡¯re seen with her.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Eh, it was worth a try,¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°That being said, it was a serious question. Even if Finn isn¡¯t open to exposing his real identity, he can easily disguise himself to look like someone else with his power. His control is more than good enough.¡±

    That¡­ was true. He could do that. The last time he¡¯d given that notion real thought was on the day he manifested, when he had no hope of pulling off such a feat. It was easy to forget the more trivial, non-Shade-related applications of his ability. Though if they improved his mastery in new ways or inspired an actually useful technique, it was worth looking further into.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble for him¡­¡± Lyra was saying. ¡°I¡¯d like that. My days are a bit quiet outside of training.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Finn declared. ¡°Text me a time and I¡¯ll see if I can meet up with you then.¡±

    ¡°Smooth,¡± Jack remarked.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    With a smile, Jack said, ¡°By the way, Finn, what did you tell your mom? She pressed you to spill what you¡¯ve been doing every night, didn¡¯t she? What was your excuse?¡±

    This was a far easier question to answer. ¡°I told her about Lyra.¡±

    ¡°Not gonna lie, that¡¯s unexpected, but great that she knows you have a new fr¡ª¡±

    ¡°She thinks we¡¯re dating,¡± Finn clarified.

    Two seconds went by in silence before Jack recovered. ¡°Good one. I almost believed you there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke.¡±

    Another couple of seconds passed. Then Jack began to laugh uproariously.

    As for Lyra herself?

    The girl was frozen in shock.

    Somehow, Finn got the impression this wasn¡¯t going to make the list of his most brilliantly executed plans.

 Chapter 36 - To Ascend

    Were it not for her well-honed sense of professionalism, Serena Fielde would have breathed an audible sigh of relief upon hearing the ping announcing the blissful release from this insufferable elevator ride.

    Finally, the doors of the transparent elevator opened. Maintaining a stony expression, her heels clacked against the floor as she walked toward the meeting room. She might have enjoyed the view if not for a certain pest.

    But alas, even if she had more space now, that pest was coming with her.

    ¡°You know they¡¯re only offering coffee and tea this time around?¡± he was saying.

    ¡°I am fully aware of that fact, Director Sands.¡± How he¡¯d managed to attain that position was beyond her. ¡°I would recommend that you elaborate on your opinion in four minutes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not seeing how much of a disaster this is! How do they expect me to get through this without my hot chocolate!?¡± Sands gesticulated wildly.

    Serena resisted the urge to massage her forehead and kept walking through the corridor. It was rather high-end, as would be expected of such a place. Biometric scans that didn¡¯t slow them down at all, portraits of past government achievements exuding the subtle pressure she had been acclimated to over the course of her career, everything was in place.

    ¡°Talk about frugality,¡± Sands huffed as they entered the meeting room. ¡°People think my job is easy just because I make it look easy. Well, let me tell you, it¡¯s not. I need my sustenance.¡±

    Inside, she could once again lay eyes on the neatly ordered district from the window. It gave the illusion of safety, of peace and prosperity. In some sense, that might even be true.

    However, it was always accompanied by the constant mayhem of the monsters who clashed in these parts. The reason she couldn¡¯t see any of that from where she stood was because signs of collateral damage never lasted long, here in district A10A.

    Or, as it was colloquially referred to, ¡°Central.¡±

    As a crisis management specialist, she appreciated the illusion of normalcy. The sanitized perfection of Central belied the chaotic underbelly that Serena was all too familiar with. And because of her job, she knew that perceived calm was mostly beneficial to the general populace.

    The conference room itself was bathed in natural light, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the meticulously planned cityscape. The meeting table was a sleek, polished surface, and the chairs were as comfortable as they were utilitarian. Overall, that sense of authoritative pressure was amplified here, though she wasn¡¯t altogether opposed to it.

    A satisfied groan to her right told her Sands had found his seat. But of course, they weren¡¯t alone in the room. International Liaison Martin sat opposite him, and on the next chair over, Cornelissen, the psychological analyst, worked quietly on her tablet.

    To Serena¡¯s dismay, the Minister of Finance, von Lieren, was sitting in the spot she¡¯d been hoping to claim. Which forced her to sit between Sands and the person who would be facilitating the subject matter of this meeting, including the presentation thereof.

    Well, person might be a strong word.

    At the head of the table sat a figure made almost entirely of blue metal. Its hands, each closely jointed to the rest of its body yet not physically attached, were folded on the wooden surface. Besides floating limbs, its form gleamed with a delicate network of sleek plating, simultaneously aesthetic and efficient.

    In Serena¡¯s eyes, it looked like some kind of post apocalyptic mannequin-turned-doomsday-bot, but she naturally kept that thought to herself.

    Synthetic Envoy Nexus, or SEN for short, was officially said to have been born the same way as everyone else, from flesh and blood parents. Though she wasn¡¯t sure she believed that. While she didn¡¯t find much credence in the conspiracy theories surrounding it, she knew there was more to the story of how this entity had become the leading representative of the Global Accords.

    The soft, white glow from its optic sensors passed over each of the members in turn, ending on her. ¡°Good afternoon, Agent Fielde. Would you prefer to conduct this meeting with a beverage at hand?¡± SEN projected the words into the air without moving that steely face.

    Its voice sounded perfect, which made it more eerie to her. No robotic undertone. It sounded so human that it didn¡¯t sound human at all. ¡°No thank you,¡± she replied curtly.

    ¡°Acknowledged. Then, let us proceed.¡± Its head swiveled to address the assembly once more. ¡°I shall commence by offering a comprehensive overview of the ranking lists, after which we can review the implications. Is everyone in agreement?¡±

    Nods and verbal assent around the table.

    That was the purpose of this meeting. To go over the latest assessment of the most powerful superhumans.

    Those who stood at the peak.

    SEN poked a slender finger into the air, and a moving holographic image of a man garbed from head to toe in black leather materialized above them. His only distinctive feature was the skull mask he wore on the lower half of his face. Which worked well, for someone specializing in covert operations.

    ¡°Darkshiv,¡± SEN announced. ¡°Situated in North America. Elevated to hero rank five automatically following the unfortunate demise of Novastra.¡±

    Martin burst up from his chair. ¡°Novastra is dead!?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that is accurate. However, I urge you to reserve any grievances you may harbor about this revelation until you''ve had the opportunity to examine the remaining nine entries.¡± SEN scanned the room once more, perhaps to see if anyone else would say something, and continued with the list.

    ¡°On the villain side, the fifth position persists unaltered. It is still occupied by Dollhouse, situated in Solvarna,¡± it said, gesturing for the image to change to that of a slender woman wearing a ridiculously oversized doll head. Her figure would have been accentuated nicely by that blue dress, if it didn¡¯t have so many blood stains on it.

    This was bad. As one of the other two megacities in the European Federation, Solvarna was the home of some of the strongest people on both sides of the law. And with Novastra meeting his end, Serena knew the heroes there were going to have a very difficult time ahead of them, fending off the likes of Dollhouse and her toys. If Solvarna fell¡­

    No. Best not to think about that right now. She needed to maintain her composure.

    ¡°The fourth-ranked hero is the former number three, Noor. Situated here in Apexia,¡± SEN explained when the image changed again, this time to a woman dressed in form-fitting white armor. Her face was bare for the world to see, and it wouldn¡¯t have been out of place on an average college campus. Really, she looked to be in her early twenties, but her true age was over three times higher. Indefinite lifespans were just one of the benefits of the Unbound. Evolved abilities were another. And Noor¡¯s was particularly fierce.

    Yet she¡¯d been demoted, somehow. That could only mean someone had taken her spot. And Serena already had a good idea of who that was.

    ¡°Next, we move on to Novastra¡¯s killer. Promoted to villain rank four: Omega. Situated primarily in Apexia. Known to roam the world often.¡±

    In the wake of that bombshell, the tension in the room was palpable. Omega had traveled to one of the other megacities and taken out the top hero there, plunging the whole area into chaos.

    ¡°Is his current location known?¡± Martin asked, in a more subdued tone this time.

    ¡°The latest sighting was three days ago, but I will provide you with more context later,¡± SEN informed him.

    Almost unconsciously, Serena leaned back and stared up at the image of this headhunting monster. His hulking body had red scales all over its back, and light gray hide in the front, rippling with muscle. Those massive arms ended in giant, bony white claws.

    His face contorted into a fearsome visage, with sharp, ursid features completed by a pair of predatory yellow eyes. A row of razor-sharp teeth protruded from his snarling mouth, completing the terrifying countenance. Smaller, sinuous scars criss-crossed his scaly exterior, with a huge scar running across his chest.

    From the top of his bear-like head, a ridge of coarse, dark spines ran down the creature''s back. Every inch of his body seemed built for violence, from the powerful limbs to the massive tail that flicked with restless energy.

    As Serena took in the image, she couldn''t shake the feeling of being watched by a creature that existed beyond the bounds of mere instinct, a being that had honed the art of predation into something both savage and strategic.

    And this was after having seen it often in the past. The first time she saw it, as a young girl, his appearance had given her nightmares. She wondered how many more young Serenas this event would create.

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    At least the media would have time to prepare, since the news likely wouldn¡¯t make it to the public for another few days. After all, Omega liked to isolate his victims before brutalizing them.

    ¡°At third position from our side,¡± SEN broke the silence, ¡°we have Phantomurge. Promoted in recognition of his recent triumph against a horde of colossal-class primebeasts. Situated in Domini.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t even a recognizable creature, human or otherwise, being displayed here. It was just a wild mix of floating rocks, lightning, metal, water, trees, and many more things Serena couldn¡¯t identify. But that was within expectations, given Phantomurge¡¯s power. It was good to hear that the last of the three megacities was safe, for the moment.

    Coming up after him was someone who looked perhaps even more out of place than all the rest. SEN materialized a person wearing a long mantle which dragged over the ground because it was far too big for him. A crown of white mental force floated over his head, and a crowd of people was following him, all of them with a glazed-over look in their eyes.

    It was a dark-skinned boy, who didn¡¯t even look old enough to attend middle school, smirking at the camera which presumably captured this footage.

    ¡°Still ranked at number three on the villain list, we have Mansa. Situated in the African vassal kingdoms.¡± SEN¡¯s tone remained completely neutral.

    Statistically speaking, his power made sense. Africa had the highest psionic population in the world. It was a double-edged sword, as advantageous for them as it was detrimental. On the one hand, it made many of their superhumans highly coveted by international government agencies and allowed them to maintain the most secure prison system in the world.

    On the other hand, their reputation suffered for it, making people more wary of them. And even though they managed to hold the primebeast threat at bay without external aid, the continent was rife with internal power struggles for supremacy.

    ¡°Equally unbending is his nemesis, Saio-Queen. Hero rank two. Likewise situated in Africa,¡± SEN swiped, and the image switched to a woman wearing a red-orange and yellow patterned cape over a vibrant bodysuit, gemmed bracelets adorning each of her wrists.

    Silently exhaling, Serena let the relief flow through her. No more surprises. The situation was worrying, but not unsalvageable.

    ¡°The second-ranked villain, Skaldvaldr. Situated in primebeast territory. Known to have fought Domini¡¯s military forces.¡± The accompanying visual displayed a bearded man that could best be described with a single word. Unkempt. Aside from patchy clothing made¡ªpresumably¡ªof primebeast hides, he¡¯d made no effort to dress up, a mane of wild blonde hair covering the upper part of his face.

    Out of all the savages shown to them so far, this was the one Serena was least worried about. Not because he was lacking in strength or ferocity. Rather, it was because he, by all accounts, simply had no interest in attacking humans. Even those run-ins with the military hadn¡¯t necessarily been caused by him. Yet that, combined with a few other ill-fated encounters, had been enough to put him this high. Truly a force to be reckoned with.

    And then there was the gap.

    Separating number one from everyone else.

    Long, black hair flowing past his shoulders. Porcelain white skin with glowing, narrow cracks all over. Two horns curving up from his head, above the twin embers in his eyes. A thin tail, ending in an arrow-like point. No clothing obscured his wiry frame, save for a pair of singed shorts that may have once been full-length pants.

    ¡°Standing in first place, the most powerful hero in the world, Yama,¡± SEN declared, to the surprise of nobody. ¡°Also referred to as Y¨¢n M¨® by his fanatics and countrymen. Originally situated in China. Currently hunting down any titanic-class primebeasts nearing human civilization.¡±

    As the strongest shifter in the world, and probably the strongest living being period, it was no surprise that Yama was bearing the burden of keeping humanity from being overwhelmed.

    Shouldering the weight of the world. Without waver.

    Despite that, he was not omnipresent. He could not cull every threat at once. That left room for weak points in humanity¡¯s defense against extinction.

    SEN seemed to linger for a bit longer before moving on. ¡°Concluding the list, we have Seraphim. Villain rank one. Situated in South America. At present, her summons and followers are at war with North American forces.¡±

    An auburn-haired woman walked with bare feet, leaving white imprints everywhere she stepped. Her gaze, like the rest of her face, was soft. Wrapping around her body was a sleeveless dress made of snow, two massive wings extending from the back, formed from crystalline feathers. In her right hand, she held a grail, water streaming out of it and into nothing, never reaching the ground.

    Serena had always thought she looked delicate. But appearances could be deceptive. This psychopath had ruined an entire continent, and planned on devastating many more. Responsible for a horrible conflict, reaping over one billion lives.

    North America¡¯s use of cutting edge technology was the main reason they hadn¡¯t perished already. Not too long ago, they had claimed to be preparing something decisive to push the war in their favor, but they¡¯d been spreading similar sentiments for forty-six years now.

    Though Darkshiv had helped before, his ability was limited in what it could accomplish against creatures without an organic nervous system. Serena guessed that was also the reason he rarely engaged in domestic combat missions.

    Seraphim could push harder, of course, but there was the eventuality of primebeast contention, and that of external aid.

    She had fought Yama. Once.

    If that battle made one thing clear, it was that they were in a league of their own. The Pacific still hadn¡¯t fully recovered from that terrible clash.

    Ever since, neither of the two had made a real effort to go after the other, apparently content to keep to themselves.

    Maybe it was no coincidence that the two strongest individuals on the planet had no true competition in their respective regions, whether it was through elimination or deterrence.

    ¡°Now, transitioning to the discussion segment,¡± SEN intoned, projecting all five entries concurrently on both lists. ¡°What topic shall we delve into first?¡± It queried, knowing full well what everyone would be focusing on.

    In fourth place, Apexia¡¯s pillar now faced mortal danger.

    ¡°Based on the established behavioral pattern, I believe Noor is Omega¡¯s next target,¡± Cornelissen vocalized what they were all thinking.

    ¡°I was going to say we should send her to Solvarna, but I am now hesitant,¡± Martin added.

    ¡°So we are in agreement regarding our top priority,¡± SEN confirmed. ¡°What would you propose as the optimal course of action?¡±

    Its true message was clear: if you do nothing, Noor is going to die.

    Omega had been known for many years now, steadily climbing the ranks. He was notoriously hard to defeat, and harder still to capture. Most everyone would have expected him to have died or been stopped by now, but this menace had managed to pull off yet another upset, and this time one that could have disastrous consequences on the national scale.

    She¡¯d been trying to avoid the thought, but if any megacity fell, primebeasts would collapse on the others, suffocating and overwhelming them until they fell, too.

    ¡°What are her chances?¡± Serena asked, unable to stew in her mind much longer.

    ¡°Are you referring to Noor¡¯s odds of survival?¡± SEN responded. ¡°My calculations, rounded up to one decimal, predict a thirty-four point six percent chance that she will be alive in one year¡¯s time. Our team of precognitives obtained similar results. If you¡¯re considering her chances of victory against Omega, they are lower.¡±

    Heavy silence descended on the room for the second time. It was worse than she had hoped. They could try to enlist help from abroad, but Omega had the initiative here. And with his modus operandi, it was unlikely to help. They couldn¡¯t babysit their top hero.

    To her surprise, it was Sands who came up with the idea. ¡°If it¡¯s a fight we need to avoid, why not circumvent the possibility completely?¡±

    SEN turned to him. ¡°Could you elaborate, Director?¡±

    He straightened. ¡°I¡¯m saying, if we need to make sure Omega never gets near Noor, can¡¯t we just toss him out of this world?¡±

    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t mean¡­¡± von Lieren said. ¡°Do we even have the facilities to make that happen?¡±

    ¡°I am intrigued,¡± SEN tilted that metal head, its tone becoming the slightest tinge more animated. ¡°You propose we utilize Wanderlust¡¯s dimension to effectively contain Omega?¡±

    Serena¡¯s eyes widened. Wanderlust¡¯s power, which had persisted after his death, was famous for two things. The first was that it served as an automatic network for securely transporting goods from the Aegis Corp store to its buyers. Probably even producing them, some theorized.

    The second was that no person who entered it had ever managed to escape. But that wasn¡¯t because there was a lack of spatial distortion and teleportation powers. It was because of the thing that lurked there.

    Information on it was scarce, as their world had only established remote contact with it a handful of times, but if what she heard of it was true, then stopping Omega was well within its capabilities.

    Sands nodded, prompting SEN to say, ¡°Are you not concerned that you could potentially be dooming all the people there to their end?¡±

    This time, Serena actually sighed. Someone had to make the hard call. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to seriously prioritize the potential people who might be alive there at the cost of all the citizens we know for certain are living in Apexia.¡±

    SEN bobbed its head. ¡°Considering the gravity of the situation, we must weigh the known against the unknown. If the sealing of Omega is feasible, and the potential risk to the inhabitants of Wanderlust¡¯s dimension is, while regrettable, secondary to the imminent threat Apexia faces, it might be a strategy to consider.¡±

    Serena supported it. ¡°We need to act swiftly. Lives hang in the balance.¡±

    It was Cornelissen, of all people, who objected. ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable with the idea of unleashing a power as dangerous as Omega¡¯s on a dimension we don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°It''s a risk,¡± Serena admitted, her voice steady. ¡°But we are also risking our own safety by keeping Omega in this world. Apexia''s survival is at stake, and we can''t let him wreak havoc here.¡±

    SEN processed the information, its luminous eyes shifting as it accessed its vast database. ¡°The potential threat to the alternate dimension is indeed a concern. However, given the current circumstances, it might be the most viable option to prevent catastrophic consequences.¡±

    ¡°But Omega won¡¯t just come to us,¡± von Lieren pointed out.

    ¡°Won¡¯t he?¡± Sands countered. ¡°We know what he¡¯s after, so we know how to bait him out. Not like we have to defeat or capture him. Just get him through a portal.¡±

    There was more back and forth, but at length, they settled on the idea Sands came up with.

    Once this was over, they couldn¡¯t waste any more time.

    They had a monster to catch.

 Chapter 37 - To Recover

    After Finn confirmed his acceptance of the offer, Moonflower had sent him a time and place for the meeting almost immediately.

    That wasn¡¯t overly surprising, since they had waited until the end of the allotted week to give their answer. Finn had wanted to squeeze every bit of time they could for Jack to conduct his investigation.

    But in the end, his friend¡¯s investigation didn¡¯t amount to much. He was just one person, and Cyrus had managed to keep an entire organization hidden for who knew how long. Again, not surprising.

    What did strike Finn as odd was that Cyrus seemed awfully confident in letting him know who he was. Maybe that was because he knew Finn wouldn¡¯t do anything through this mysterious source of intel he had hinted at, or due to the simple fact that, should they try to leak anything, it was their word against his.

    Alternatively, there was the possibility that it was an open secret that all the important people already knew. In that case, Finn would¡¯ve been even more behind than he thought. He hated how much information he was still lacking.

    That was part of the reason he was coming here. Another part was the need for strength. If there was one thing the fight against Trooper had taught him, it was that, as he was now, he could only go so far. Parlor tricks couldn¡¯t bridge the gap between himself and real monsters.

    Did that mean he would give up? No.

    He would just have to find a way to get better.

    Currently, he was in his Shade costume, joined by Lyra in her Calliope outfit. They weren¡¯t planning to do any fighting¡ªeven if they were, their bodies weren¡¯t in optimal condition¡ªbut Finn didn¡¯t want to show his face to Cyrus, even if Lyra¡¯s identity was already known. Jack had taken steps to make sure they wouldn¡¯t be recognized in their association with Lyra, and Finn intended to keep it that way.

    They arrived at the meeting location. It was on a rooftop, which he could say was definitely his style, but he wouldn¡¯t be waiting for someone the way Cyrus was. He usually didn¡¯t pick this type of building, either. A hotel terrace near the center of the district.

    The man, impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, sipped from a cup of coffee, sitting on a shiny white chair as he did so. Steam rose from the mug as he looked over it to them. Looking back at the open door to the staircase behind him, he beckoned someone over.

    Contrary to Finn¡¯s expectations, the fourth person attending this meeting was not Moonflower. Instead, a figure clad in a red-and-gray bodysuit stepped out, hands folded over each other. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was a man or a woman.

    ¡°As per our accord,¡± Cyrus said, and the figure stepped toward Finn. They reached out a hand, and Finn¡¯s first instinct was to dodge, but he calmed himself when he realized nothing dangerous would be happening.

    When the hand touched him, he felt a pulse of wellness course through him. Not at all like the electric surge of energy from the other superhuman who had used his power on Finn when Cyrus first made contact with him. More like a misty cloud of blissful peace seeping into every fiber of his body. He felt whole.

    He also felt a slight sense of ecstasy, but that could¡¯ve been him getting high from the pain meds he was on. Best not to show any signs of that outwardly.

    Lyra¡¯s reaction was not so curated, as she visibly slumped with relief as soon as the healer touched her. The moment it was done, the healer bowed to Cyrus and left.

    Cyrus stood, leaving his beverage half-finished on a table. His chair folded in on itself about twelve times before landing in the man¡¯s palm as a small square plate. Finn could hardly believe his eyes. Had he actually just seen that thing shrink?

    ¡°Now that you are in form, there is no need to delay. Follow me,¡± the billionaire said, walking towards the edge of the roof.

    He jumped.

    Finn and Lyra sprinted after him and got there in time to see him maintaining his straight posture as he plummeted a solid fourteen stories down. Right before hitting the ground, his pace slowed to a crawl, and he landed deftly on his feet, as though he¡¯d just hopped down from a sidewalk. It was only when his expectant gaze turned to them that they jumped down after him.

    The familiar lurch in Finn¡¯s stomach gradually declined when he deployed his grappling hook and lowered himself to stand next to Cyrus. Lyra had already come down, simply breaking her fall with a shock wave and a roll.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t escape my notice that one of your members is absent,¡± Cyrus remarked.

    ¡°They¡¯re listening,¡± Finn answered, knowing Jack was observing this encounter in real-time.  They had kept their technical support off the field in case something happened during the meeting. Mentally, though, Finn had an ¡°I told you so¡± moment. His friend had underestimated his own value.

    ¡°Come now, there is no need to be so bashful. I don¡¯t bite,¡± their new boss told them. He tapped his watch and waited there, in the presence of two known vigilantes.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring any security?¡± Finn asked. He didn¡¯t know Cyrus well enough to be able to tell if the man was just in a particularly reckless mood, or if this was regular behavior for him. Throwing himself off rooftops and standing in the middle of the street, seemingly defenseless.

    ¡°Why, it¡¯s because I know you two will be on your best behavior,¡± Cyrus responded.

    Finn recognized the obvious lie, but he knew he wasn¡¯t going to get a straight answer, so he didn¡¯t push any further. Unless he had precogs who told him he wouldn¡¯t be attacked tonight? Honestly, Finn hated that thought far more than simple security guards.

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    ¡°Aren¡¯t you, ah, concerned about being seen with us?¡± Lyra asked, glancing around.

    ¡°Not particularly. Are you?¡±

    The question was so casual, it took the girl a second to find her words. ¡°I¡­ guess not.¡±

    This was extremely suspicious. Why had Cyrus kept his identity hidden from them for so long if he was just going to blow it before their working relationship even started? It made no sense. If the goal was to betray them, he would become the prime suspect after exposing himself like this.

    Or would he? Finn paused. Looking around, he noticed that no one walking past had stopped to look at any of them. At all. Not even once. In fact, no one had even thrown a single glance in their direction.

    It should be impossible. People should be swarming them. The richest man in Apexia being out in public with two up-and-coming Aegis heroes? Front page news, easily.

    ¡°What is your power?¡± Finn inquired in a low voice.

    ¡°I am afraid I must disappoint you. I do not have one. In my younger days, I considered that a setback, but I now realize there must always be someone sitting on either side of the chessboard,¡± Cyrus exhaled. ¡°And that role just so happened to fall into my hands.¡±

    If he was telling the truth¡­ Goosebumps rose all over Finn¡¯s skin.

    Cyrus wasn¡¯t alone. His security was just out of sight.

    Some obscuration power. Perception manipulation? Finn was willing to bet that if he tried to attack Cyrus right now, he would be just like those people passing by them. Just not register the guy¡¯s presence anymore.

    If he didn¡¯t catch a laser to the skull. He wasn¡¯t keen to find out.

    ¡°Are you saying we¡¯re pawns?¡± Lyra questioned. Her tone was less accusatory than Finn¡¯s.

    And it got a smile out of Cyrus. ¡°Currently, you are nothing. I don¡¯t mean that in a denigrating way, it is just your reality as of this moment. You need to be polished, first and foremost.¡±

    With that, a black limousine pulled up in front of them, and Cyrus got in.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Gridlock suddenly spoke up over the comms. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying, but I can¡¯t even get a look at this guy. Whatever gadget he has on him is distorting and corrupting all image capture.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean we should run?¡± Lyra proposed. With her power, she could talk out loud into her microphone without Cyrus hearing her.

    ¡°No, it''s expected that he''d have something like this on hand, I guess. Just really annoying,¡± Jack sighed. ¡°At least I have your location.¡±

    After his friend¡¯s bold temptation of the universe, Finn expected to be teleported to another dimension, but their benefactor fortunately had no such plans for them. They merely entered the spacious limousine and took a seat.

    Finn sat next to Lyra, wanting her close in case anything went down, and on the opposite side of Cyrus.

    ¡­He was really going through with this. Finn couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d managed to convince himself to do this. On the way here, it wasn¡¯t real yet. This was the next step, he had said as much, but now, here in this high-end vehicle with a squeaky clean floor, fine leather seats, and crisp lighting, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

    At least they hadn¡¯t been backstabbed yet. He tried to make himself seem comfortable.

    ¡°You have likely deduced this already, but the location we¡¯re headed to is one you¡¯ll be visiting often in the next few weeks,¡± Cyrus explained. ¡°It will be crucial in preparation for your next undertaking.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell us to meet you there?¡± Finn pointed out.

    ¡°An old man can¡¯t indulge in some theatrics every so often?¡± Cyrus joked, then added, ¡°The person who healed you is on standby for another operation as we speak. It was more convenient to have you come there first.¡±

    Cyrus wasn¡¯t even that old. He was forty-four. They¡¯d done enough research on him to know that. But the second part might have been telling. ¡°Then that¡¯s your only healer?¡± Finn concluded.

    ¡°I will neither confirm nor deny.¡± Cyrus gave away nothing through his expression.

    ¡°Do you know what our roles will be?¡± Lyra didn¡¯t bother using her voice filter anymore, knowing there was no point.

    "I have a notion, contingent upon your forthcoming progression. I may revise my stratagem in how I position you, based on your capabilities on the field. Or off the field, should you prefer to stay out of peril entirely.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking us to a training facility, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am, yes. Though I will not be staying with you personally, since I have other matters to attend to this evening.¡± The man gestured at his watch. ¡°It is best to expect this manner of business from me often, in the future. I will call upon you as needed, and you are otherwise free to make use of the resources at your disposal.¡±

    Soon, the tinted windows around them indicated that they were entering a well-lit tunnel of some sort. The vehicle came to a halt, and the door opened automatically. Realizing that was their cue to leave, they got up and stepped out into a long garage.

    ¡°I am eager to hear about your progress,¡± Cyrus called after them. ¡°Arrangements can be made for accommodations, if you wish. Simply inform Azur of your choice. Until next time.¡± The door closed.

    As the luxurious car drove away, a woman holding a sheet of glass like it was a clipboard walked toward them from the other side of the garage.

    ¡°My name is Azur,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°Any questions you have about your training schedule or other related topics, I¡¯ll answer to the best of my ability. The instructor is already present.¡±

    Without awaiting a response, she gracefully pivoted on her heels, her brown ponytail dancing behind her, and went through the nearest door into a labyrinth of cutting-edge facilities.

    ¡°Are you still with us, Gridlock?¡± Lyra asked, unbeknownst to their new guide.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jack answered.

    They followed in silence, passing what looked like advanced locker rooms and other areas Finn didn¡¯t recognize. After a left turn, they entered a huge space, bigger than a football field by a third.

    Beneath them was a jet black floor, glowing red lines marking the boundaries of two rectangular training fields, one of them being empty. Standing in the middle of the other training field was a man wearing a motorcycle helmet in dark climber¡¯s gear over a bodysuit with a square-shaped red bullseye on his chest.

    Finn did a double take. This was Frameshot. An independent hero active in the district. And he¡¯d never had a clue this man would be associated with someone like Cyrus. It made sense, but having such a blatant example thrown in his face made him wonder just how many of the ¡°independent¡± heroes truly worked alone.

    ¡°Hey, kids,¡± he greeted, waving. ¡°Come over here so I can tell you how this is going down, and we can get this session underway.¡±

    Lyra walked ahead first, hesitantly, and Finn strode after her. When they made it to their instructor, he launched into a detailed description of the different parameter tests he had planned for them today.

    Not even five minutes had passed before the man was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

    A girl with honey blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a sharp blazer over her otherwise casual outfit.

    Casey Wardell had entered the building.

 Chapter 38 - To Clash

    Finn knew that showing any signs of recognition here would be detrimental, but Jack held no such reservations.

    ¡°The princess came to cheer you on,¡± he laughed over the comms.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lyra asked him. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t know what Casey Wardell looked like.

    Frameshot clearly did, though. ¡°l didn''t receive notice of your arrival,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a planned visit,¡± Casey clarified.

    She went to stand next to Azur, just outside their field, watching with arms crossed.

    Finn needed to sell the act here, and he had just the question for that. ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked.

    Casey rolled her eyes. ¡°Should be obvious. But I¡¯m Casey. I¡¯ll be overseeing your training from now on.¡±

    Going by the look Azur was giving her, that decision had not been approved by anyone else.

    Frameshot stared for a while, then continued like nothing happened. ¡°So first up is a frequency test¡ª¡±

    ¡°Boooooring,¡± Casey interjected. ¡°Let them fight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow,¡± the hero said.

    She looked at Finn and Lyra in turn. ¡°These two. Shade and Calliope? Let them fight each other.¡±

    The training hall was silent for a moment.

    ¡°Their regimen doesn¡¯t require anything of the sort, miss,¡± said Frameshot.

    Cyrus¡¯ daughter scoffed. ¡°Like they''re not curious. And come on, isn''t this a smarter way to test them? The damage mitigation feature is still active, regardless.¡±

    ¡°Damage mitigation!? What. The fuck,¡± Jack¡¯s voice spoke in Finn¡¯s ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to them,¡± Frameshot said. ¡°I figured doing the standard introductory lesson could give us a good baseline, but if they want to, they have permission.¡±

    ¡°Please, please, please. It¡¯s just one round,¡± Jack was saying. ¡°But wait until I get my chips.¡±

    A fight? Against Lyra? Finn rarely contemplated it. For his purposes, she was a complement to his toolset, not a grindstone to sharpen his skills against.

    Whenever they trained with Jack, they never did full contact sparring. She was a girl; Finn would destroy her just based on the physicality difference alone. That was why they kept it to demonstrations, repetitive movement drills and obstacle courses.

    With powers and gadgets involved? There was too much risk of getting hurt to even try. He¡¯d always regarded it as an impossibility not worth entertaining. So now that the opportunity was in front of him, he wasn¡¯t sure how to respond.

    ¡°This sounds dangerous to me,¡± Lyra said. ¡°We just received healing, so I don¡¯t know if¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna get hurt if you spar here,¡± Frameshot assured her. ¡°But that only matters if you want to do it. Do you?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, if Shade wants to.¡±

    As expected, she passed the final decision onto him. He was used to that responsibility by now, and it wasn¡¯t one he usually stopped to think about. But the circumstances were far from usual.

    Did he want to fight Lyra? Not really. He had no inclination to punch his friend in the face.

    But was it valuable for his goal? Almost certainly.

    Ultimately, the more one-on-one combat experience he had, the better prepared he would be for Omega.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it,¡± Finn decided.

    ¡°Yes! Shade, I swear I¡¯ll treasure this moment for years to come,¡± Jack promised through a mouthful of chips.

    ¡°You can go stand on the red circles and wait for the countdown,¡± Frameshot indicated the two spots which had just now lit up with red rings at opposite ends of the field. A red glow encompassed them, then faded. ¡°Oh, and you can start testing the damage mitigation if you don¡¯t trust it yet.¡±

    Finn took his starting position and turned to face Lyra, who was fidgeting in place. Her gaze darted back and forth between Azur and Frameshot.

    ¡°But won¡¯t Shade be at a disadvantage if we fight on flat ground?¡± She tried.

    Frameshot stepped off the field, and Casey said something to Azur that Finn didn¡¯t catch. The woman tapped on her glass pad a few times, and red-and-black pillars of varying height started rising all around them, interspersed around the field.

    Would it really work? Testing the waters, Finn slammed his staff into the floor, and wasn¡¯t surprised to find that it did absolutely nothing other than create a loud noise. Then he started tapping it on his arm with increasing intensity, but no matter how hard he tried, he didn¡¯t feel any pain. Though he did manage to lose his grip on the staff when he activated the kinetic buildup function.

    Inwardly, he marveled at the seemingly magical protection field around them. He tried his electric glove, but found that, though it was still debilitating, there was no pain or lingering damage from that, either.

    Lyra was much the same, trying out her shock waves to see if they were really safe to use.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Frameshot asked.

    They both nodded and faced each other.

    As the red countdown lights flickered, Finn tried to push down the rising tension. The prospect of fighting Lyra felt like traversing uncharted territory. It was a mental hurdle he would have to get past.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this,¡± Lyra said over the comms.

    ¡°Cal, don¡¯t hold back. Just imagine Shade as an enemy right now. Treat him like he just hurt your parents,¡± Gridlock advised her.

    Lyra stiffened. Then, a second later, her whole air changed.

    She got into a combat stance, one they had drilled extensively. Knees slightly bent, one leg facing him, her hands poised to strike. This must have been the Calliope their enemies saw.

    The sight gave way to a budding sense of anticipation. Finn couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t want to find out what Lyra was capable of in an all-out fight. He repositioned his grappling hooks¡ªthe second of which he had replaced¡ªand gripped his staff.

    Frameshot spoke one more time. ¡°First to hit the damage threshold or surrender loses. Begin!¡±

    The countdown hit zero.

    Finn simply disappeared from view with his camouflage, sneaking around the pillars on the field.

    Of course, he was aware of the futility of this tactic. He could see Calliope¡¯s sparrow mask following him everywhere he went. She didn¡¯t need to see him to know exactly where he was.

    And therein lay the difficulty of this matchup. Lyra¡¯s power hard-countered most applications of Finn¡¯s, which revolved around catching the opponent by surprise through optical deception.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    However, he wouldn¡¯t let that discourage him. He needed to accomplish one of two things. Either he had to rush her down and overwhelm her despite her awareness of his position, which was a reckless approach. Or he had to find a way to outmaneuver her acute senses.

    He began by testing her defenses. Since she had lost her sonic shield gadget, she was forced to sidestep the grappling hook he shot at her. She did so effortlessly.

    With a flick of his wrist, he retracted the cable and continued circling her. She was going to play this reactively, realizing that Finn approaching for an attack also meant exposing himself. She knew his tricks. But the opposite was also true.

    Standing behind a shorter pillar, he considered his options. He knew that her ability utilized echolocation to provide her with a picture of the surrounding area. She could sense everything on the field, including him. That meant there was no avoiding detection, but it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t still mislead her.

    Diving forward, he shot one of his grappling hooks with his charged staff attached. Predictably, Lyra dodged again, but Finn didn¡¯t stop there. He shot his second hook at the cable of the first, and immediately retracted it as soon as it connected, causing the first one to get pulled back for another swing.

    Seeing the weapon coming back to hit her again, she jumped high in the air with a shock wave at her feet to avoid it entirely. The staff collided with one of the pillars, releasing its heavy impact. A loud clang resounded, and Finn used the opening to close in as his hooks slipped back into place.

    Lyra had only just landed when Finn was right behind her. He swung his staff and managed to hit one of her hands. Her other hand threw a shock wave, but Finn yanked himself away with a hook. He landed on top of a pillar, looking down on his adversary.

    Finn perched on the pillar, taking a moment to evaluate the situation. Landing a single hit wasn¡¯t enough, especially when neither of them could feel pain. And Lyra wasn¡¯t going to fall for the same move twice, but he had more to show.

    The seconds ticked by, and Finn decided on his next move. With a swift leap, he descended from the pillar, creating a burst of color as he landed. At the same time, he launched both grappling hooks at different pillars, swinging himself around the arena. This rapid movement wasn¡¯t just about attacking; it was a strategic probe, a continuous test of Lyra''s ability to keep up.

    Doubling back to her, he swiped his staff again and was met with a shock wave in answer. He leaned slightly to the side, and the weapon fell out of his hands. He let it, sailing past her until he came to a stop once more.

    He shot his grappling hook at her. She dodged upward again, and Finn¡¯s hook connected with his staff, but he didn¡¯t try to make it hit her this time. Instead, he reeled it back in. He extended his other arm, as if to shoot his other hook, prompting Lyra to brace herself in midair with a shock wave to counter. It was a feint.

    Without warning, he deactivated his camouflage. It seemed to catch her off guard, as her posture changed in response to his sudden visibility upon coming down. He kept up the momentum, sprinting around her.

    She spun with him, but he reactivated his camouflage and turned the entire field white. Though she had visual protection from the brightness, the split second of disorientation allowed him to shoot a hook at her legs. She still narrowly avoided it.

    Extending the cable of his hook, he looped it around her body and pulled it taut. Constricted, Lyra couldn¡¯t stop him from going for her exposed back. In order to stun her and end the fight, he readied an electric shock and thrust his glove at her¡­

    His arm was blown back the moment it made contact.

    Stumbling, Finn couldn¡¯t react in time to the shock wave Lyra threw at him. It took him right in the gut, sending him flying back.

    Seizing the momentum, Lyra stamped one foot down, and then launched herself into the air again. Finn tried to regain control with his hook, but Lyra had already disentangled herself. His other hook flew towards another pillar, only to be shot off course by yet another shock wave.

    He bounced right off the vibrating pillar behind him, into another. And another. Until he was tumbling head over heels, unable to find his bearings as the field blurred around him.

    By the time his hook found purchase and pulled him down again, it was too late. He rolled to a stop on his back, just in time to see Calliope¡¯s form rocketing down, leading with her shock absorbent boots that caught him straight in the chest.

    Due to the settings of the field, there was no pain or injury on impact. Lyra just hopped off of him and landed on both feet, but the blinking red field was a clear enough sign.

    He had lost.

    ¡°And the match goes to Calliope. Well done, kid,¡± Frameshot clapped, walking over.

    ¡°What a performance,¡± Casey commented with a tilt of her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Lyra called out, taking a hesitant step forward.

    Finn didn¡¯t move, staring up at the ceiling lights. Underneath his mask, he grimaced. It was over. Even after giving it his all, he wasn¡¯t able to defeat Lyra. She had certainly surpassed his expectations. She had surpassed him. If she wasn¡¯t already stronger from the start.

    He had thought that, really, there was never any competition between them. Finn would get stronger on his own, and his teammate¡¯s progress would just benefit him. It would never bother him if she happened to be stronger.

    He was wrong.

    Clenching his fists, he tried to push the bitterness down. Was this it? Was this all he had to offer? Some flashy colors with two ropes and a stick? What a joke. Forget about avenging his father, he could barely lead a team as he was now.

    Had he ever gotten a real win since getting his powers, against anyone that mattered? One that didn¡¯t rely on the help of other, more competent people? Maybe he was the weakest link all along. And a delusional weak link, at that. He sighed.

    Jack was far more enthusiastic over their earphones. ¡°Dude, what the shit!? That was insane, Cal! I know I said not to hold back, but you just turned into some kinda angel of death. What even was that combo you pulled? I¡¯ve never seen you do anything like that on the field,¡± he said, sounding slightly out of breath. ¡°And Shade! You damn near secured the win even with a bad matchup. I have the footage saved and everything. Were you trying to break your personal record for most trickshots? Then you decided to use your grappling hook as a lasso? I need to see more of this.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t feel like responding, and Lyra was conversing with their instructor.

    ¡°Do you mind explaining what you did at the end there? You know, because we don¡¯t have any baselines. Courtesy of a certain someone,¡± the man said, throwing a sidelong glance at the other girl.

    ¡°It¡¯s, uh, nothing special. I just pushed a sound wave through my body and made the surrounding area reverberate,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°I mean, not that it wasn¡¯t hard, but, I only tried that because I knew I wouldn¡¯t get hurt and, yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have plenty of time to practice that,¡± Frameshot assured, snapping his fingers. ¡°As for what you did wrong, I¡¯d say it¡¯s not ending the fight sooner. Shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve let your enemy disengage after that first exchange. It¡¯s fine to feel out your opponent sometimes, but you can¡¯t get so comfortable with jabs that you can¡¯t follow them up with a hook when you have to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±

    ¡°Great. Now, go pick up your colleague so I can give him some tips as well,¡± Frameshot gestured at Finn, even though he was standing close enough for him to have heard everything they said.

    He heard Lyra¡¯s footsteps on the hard floor as she approached him. When she stood over him, she asked, ¡°Do you need a hand?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Finn replied in a flat tone, getting up and promptly heading to Frameshot to receive some advice. Arriving in front of the significantly taller man, he looked up, waiting.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot to say, but first I¡¯m going to ask you a question,¡± Frameshot began. ¡°What do you want to specialize in? You have adequate stealth techniques, and I understand Calliope counters you, but is your plan to rely on your gadgets forever?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Based on what I know about you, you¡¯re focused on mostly combat missions, and you¡¯ll continue to pursue those. Is that right?¡±

    Finn nodded. ¡°It is.¡±

    Frameshot considered Finn for a moment, as if gauging his commitment. "Alright, here''s the deal. You''ve got potential, but you need to expand your skill set. Combat isn''t just about relying on flashy moves and surprise attacks. You need to be adaptable. Gadgets and camouflage are tools, not crutches. What happens when you''re in a situation where they''re compromised or ineffective?"

    Finn listened attentively. It was a perspective he hadn''t given much thought to. The part about reliance on surprise attacks rang especially true.

    "You should consider broader training¡ªhand-to-hand combat, strategy, and maybe even some communication skills. You''re leading a team, after all. Your success depends on more than just your individual prowess."

    Sure, but he was going solo eventually. Although hand-to-hand combat was an avenue he hadn¡¯t utilized much as Shade. Whenever he was on the field, he usually snuck up on his opponents to catch them by surprise, given that he wasn¡¯t particularly large and couldn¡¯t bet on winning head-on confrontations most of the time.

    But¡­ he would need to be able to, when the time came.

    ¡°Hand-to-hand combat?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Uh-huh. There¡¯s a slot for that in your schedule already, but if you want to prioritize it, you¡¯ll be fighting me soon. Or somebody else. We¡¯ve got a lot of capable fighters that could kick your ass across the training field. But that¡¯s for later,¡± Frameshot pointed to the pillars around them. ¡°During the match itself, you were too hasty, so you overextended. You wanted to end it fast. That''s not a bad instinct, but you have to balance it with patience. Understand your opponent, study their movements, and exploit their weaknesses. You tried to trip her up, but you let yourself get baited into a trap. The speed your gadget affords you can be an advantage, but only if you use it wisely."

    And if the terrain happened to be to his advantage, Finn thought. If Lyra hadn¡¯t asked for that, it probably would have been over sooner. ¡°I understand,¡± he responded.

    "One more thing," Frameshot continued. "Don''t get too hung up on losing. Everyone faces defeats. It''s how you respond and learn from them that determines your growth. Now let¡¯s go see about those parameter tests.¡±

    Finn could have laughed. Everyone faced defeats?

    If only the world were that fair.

 Chapter 39 - To Set

    Stepping into the elevator, Matilda leaned back against the mirror, a frown crossing her veiled mouth as Josiah followed her in.

    ¡°There really isn¡¯t much you could¡¯ve done. I know it¡¯s not easy to come to terms with, but this is for the best,¡± he was saying.

    ¡°He was overdosing,¡± she ground out, trying her level best not to snap at him. It was hard, but she managed it with clenched fists at her side. The elevator doors closed, and they began their ascent.

    ¡°Look at me, Damsel,¡± Josiah said, prompting her to lift her head. He was a man in his late thirties, wearing a turtleneck sweater under his clean-shaven face and shaggy haircut. His calm demeanor, his kind eyes, the lines on his face that spoke of years of experience. All in all, his appearance made him very approachable, which was no doubt intentional.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± her supervisor continued. ¡°While reckless, your attempt to save him was admirable, but sometimes there isn¡¯t anything you can do. To me, this outcome is relieving. You are not responsible for what happened to that man.¡±

    Man? The guy hadn¡¯t looked much older than her. But she kept that to herself. ¡°You¡¯re making it sound as though it¡¯s a good thing that he died.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± It took Josiah longer to admit that than she would have liked. ¡°But your safety is my priority, and that is non-negotiable.¡±

    ¡°He only saw my face¡­¡± she protested weakly. Just because he had seen what she looked like didn¡¯t mean he deserved to die to ensure he would take that secret to his grave.

    "Only saw your face? Matilda, you¡¯re more than smart enough to realize the consequences of your identity being exposed to the public,¡± Josiah replied, his voice soft but firm. His gaze held a mixture of concern and understanding, as if he had seen this scenario unfold many times before. ¡°It sounds terrible to weigh the value of a human life like this, but I mean it when I say your well-being comes first. You don¡¯t realize how much you¡¯re already worth to the DHD at such a young age.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that special,¡± Matilda retorted. And she meant it, too. Damsel was just a poor attempt to cover up who she really was. A scared, broken girl.

    Her armor was tough, hard to break through. It made her feel safe and protected, and it was easy to hide behind. But it would be impolite to arrive with her face hidden. And Josiah was talking to her now, no longer to Damsel.

    Plate rustled as she took off her metal helmet, chainmail clinking against the hard surface of the elevator. Her strawberry blonde hair spilled out, draping over her shoulders.

    With her face now exposed, she saw herself in the mirror reflection. That little button nose, the round cheeks, and a pair of too-large amber eyes. They often garnered compliments, but those people didn¡¯t know. About her¡­

    She felt dirty.

    Matilda looked at the floor, one arm hugging the other. She could see Josiah reaching out a hand to touch her, and she flinched.

    He thought better of it and lowered it again, then said, ¡°You may not realize it now, but you are very special for more reasons than one. Your abilities aside, I¡¯ve rarely seen someone with as much grit and commitment as you.¡±

    She did work hard to convey that image, but that was to secure her place on the team. After spending so long in therapy, she was quite tired of Allen treating her like she was made of glass. It had been a struggle to convince him to let her attend try-outs, and that close call on her first patrol hadn¡¯t helped either.

    If he learned of what happened today, he might actually revoke her privileges as a member of the Junior Aces. And then she would be back to being herself, all the time. She could scarcely imagine a worse outcome if she tried.

    However, just because Josiah was willing to hide the fact that a drug addict had seen her use her powers in an attempt to get medical attention as he was on the verge of death, did not mean she should let him.

    Yet at the same time, she was aware of the close call she¡¯d had, having stumbled upon the man in her civilian clothing. But what was she supposed to do? The ambulance wouldn¡¯t have gotten there in time.

    Ultimately, though, it made no difference. That person had not survived, and no matter how much the haunting memory of his corpse in her arms compelled her to take responsibility, he would never come back.

    The DHD was not going to let stories like that reach front page news. And deep down, she was glad the situation turned out the way it did, despite her arguments to the contrary. Her relief outweighed the grief she felt for that poor guy. She hated that she felt that way.

    Out loud, she muttered a ¡°thank you¡± and turned to face the elevator door. This was her stop.

    At the chime of the elevator, Josiah waved. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve arrived. If you ever need to talk again, I¡¯m here for you. Now go say hi to your teammates.¡±

    With a short goodbye, Matilda stepped onto the plush carpet with the Junior Ace logo depicted on it¡ªa stylized letter ¡°A¡± in dark purple against a golden backdrop. The elevator doors slid shut behind her, and she walked towards the door on the other side of the short corridor.

    Although various methods of authentication had been established here, she opted for the retinal scan, since she already had her face exposed. A moment after she looked into the lens, the door opened on its own. When she came in, she immediately spotted two people sitting at the large round table in the middle of the large room.

    ¡°Hey, Matilda!¡± A boy slightly younger than her greeted with a wave, face lighting up as he did so. His name was Benjamin. He was playing some game on his phone, going by the way it was tilted sideways. That was a feat he could only manage in his human form, which he always assumed when he wasn¡¯t on patrol as Scalestrike.

    ¡°¡®Sup, Tilly,¡± said the person a few seats over. This one¡¯s name was Dolen, though he went by Warp whenever he had his mask on. Looking down at his hands, she could see he was similarly engaged in whatever game Benjamin was playing. Multiplayer, then. While she herself wasn¡¯t really one for video games, she was glad her team was getting along again. After all, tensions had run quite high for a while after her debut, but their next confrontation with Homeland had more or less set things straight.

    Granted, they probably wouldn¡¯t have succeeded if Shade hadn¡¯t drawn Trooper out, but still. She was feeling a lot better about her performance this time around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± she replied in a subdued tone.

    Dolen looked up at her, then frowned. ¡°You okay?¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said with a strained smile. ¡°Do you know where Aquiveil is?¡±

    ¡°Juuuuuust around the corner,¡± came another voice. A tanned boy with drenched locks clinging to his forehead came up to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look upset. Are you upset? Because if so, it¡¯s definitely not my fault, as far as I know. Or is that not why you were looking for me? Either way, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here because I just started this little art project which I wanted to ask your help for. You know, since I¡¯m working with some pretty tough materials you¡¯d be able to cut, no sweat. But even if you did sweat, I could just wash it off no problem. With my power, not in a creepy way. So if you really think about it, there¡¯s no downside to helping me out here.¡±

    This guy liked to talk. But she was starting to appreciate his energy a lot more on this particular day. It was nice to know he was still the same after what happened today.

    Realizing he was giving her a chance to respond, she said, ¡°Well, Seth, I wanted to revise some of our strategies for the new split patrol arrangement.¡± Honestly, she didn¡¯t care that much if they got any tangible results today. She just needed to take her mind off of everything else.

    ¡°Riiight, yeah, of course. Of course, I had some things in mind for that, and I can tell you about them later, but I might be able to think of more if¡­¡± He trailed off and watched her through narrowed eyes with a finger gun pointed at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cut those materials for your art project,¡± she agreed.

    Seth snapped his fingers. ¡°Yes! I promise it won¡¯t take more than a few minutes.¡± He turned around and started walking back, then stopped midway when the elevator chimed again.

    A new figure appeared from its doors. She didn¡¯t have to look to see who it was, since that telltale jingle sounded with every one of his steps. But she found herself unable to look anywhere else, anticipating his arrival despite having interacted with him many times already. There was just something about him, something she couldn¡¯t quite articulate.

    She addressed the gold-clad hero as he stepped into the room. ¡°Team captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Junior,¡± Nar replied without missing a beat. She couldn¡¯t see his expression, since it was hidden by the dotted smile of his mask. It was an unspoken rule for them to take it off while in their team room, but Nar rarely bothered, since he was so busy and rarely stayed here for long.

    Or maybe he simply thought he was above such rules.

    No, she was just projecting. It was clearly because of his hero work. He¡¯d done more for Apexia than she ever had¡ªand maybe even more than she ever would. The thought carried a wave of anxiety, but she had a hard time denying it.

    ¡°Anything new?¡± Dolen asked while she dwelled on that.

    Before explaining, Nar walked over to the round table and leaned forward with both his gloved hands on the smooth surface. ¡°A noticeable uptick, yes. I¡¯ve been disrupting quite a number of exchanges, so to speak. But no progress on identifying the laboratory the Venin is using for production, so far. They¡¯re being careful.¡±

    Right¡­ the Venin, Matilda thought. She¡¯d had her little episode with Josiah earlier because of them. After all, they were the ones supplying this terrible drug across the district. They were the reason that man was dead.

    ¡°You¡¯ve noticed it too, haven¡¯t you? They¡¯re getting desperate, like someone lit a fire under them,¡± Seth replied, his tone suddenly grave. An easygoing babbler he may have been, but he knew when to get serious. Besides, he was still the second oldest member on their team. And soon to be the oldest.

    ¡°I have indeed noticed,¡± said their leader. ¡°But it¡¯s not as if Viperia will just tell us what¡¯s going on if we approach her, now is it?¡±

    They fell silent for a few moments after that, each stewing in their own thoughts. Nar was right. Viperia wouldn¡¯t just tell them what she was planning. And if there ever came a point where she felt ready to deal with the government, it would be a situation where she made the demands, using some kind of leverage. Typical villain behavior, really.

    ¡°It sucks,¡± Benjamin eventually spoke up. They all turned to him. One of his hands was turning over his phone between his fingers while the other rested on his lap. ¡°Just when we¡¯re about to lose our best team member, everyone in the city starts going insane. It hasn¡¯t even been two weeks since Homeland hit that uh¡­ real estate agency building, and now the Venin are causing a drug frenzy. Or epidemic, however you wanna say it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Matilda tried to say, but the words rang hollow. ¡°We still have Allen. The adults are going to be doing most of the work, regardless of what happens.¡±

    ¡°Not trying to be negative here, but Ben¡¯s right,¡± Dolen said. ¡°Much as I don¡¯t like it, our squad¡¯s power is about to be halved with the loss of one guy. More than halved, if I¡¯m not bullshitting.¡± His eyes found the jester standing among them, but the captain wasn¡¯t saying anything in response yet.

    Why was Nar leaving the Junior Aces? The answer was rather simple: age. After turning eighteen, the DHD¡¯s hero program for minors made their members eligible for recruitment to hero teams across the entire megacity.

    Nar¡¯s ability made it so he was a famous rising star around the globe and in high demand basically everywhere. Which was why it was a foregone conclusion that he would be leaving district A23G when his time was up.

    The problem was, his time had been up for a while now. His eighteenth birthday had passed last month, and while nobody actually moved teams on that exact date, he couldn''t delay more than the rest of this semester. Meaning they had a few months before Apexia¡¯s golden child spread his wings.

    They could try and get him to stay, and some of them had, a few times. Yet, they all knew it was no use. Even if he could stay here, it was only a matter of time before he grew too big for this small pond.

    Not to mention, it wouldn''t be fair of them to ask him to stay. He had by far put in the most hours out of the whole team. As one would expect from a boy who¡¯d become a hero when he was barely eleven years old.

    Nar pulled back a chair and sat down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. When the time of my departure comes, I will have made sure there¡¯s nothing left here that you can''t handle without me.¡±

    ¡°Just the four of us?¡± Benjamin asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re more capable than you know. And you aren¡¯t the only ones fighting the good fight.¡±

    Matilda couldn¡¯t deny that. They still had Allen and the other adult heroes, just like she¡¯d said earlier. But it also brought her mind to something she had been wondering about.

    ¡°Have you sighted Calliope lately?¡± she asked. With his current power combination, his vision was probably the best in the district, and he could fly, so he covered a lot of ground every time he went out.

    The captain looked at her, and she could almost feel him smirking behind his mask. ¡°Why her, specifically? Is there something you¡¯d like to tell us?¡±

    She crossed her arms. ¡°No particular reason, I was just curious. She hasn¡¯t been seen by the public for a while. So have you?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°What about Shade?¡± Benjamin asked. The boy had been curious about him ever since he learned of his help against the Homeland hostage situation and later Trooper himself. ¡°You rescued him, right? He didn¡¯t say anything about her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. She didn''t exactly come up in conversation between us. In fact, I barely had the chance to speak to him at all. Not that I think he¡¯s the chatty type either way.¡± Nar paused. ¡°Maybe they just decided to retire early.¡±

    She very much doubted that, but it was clear that Nar didn¡¯t think they should worry too much, for whatever reason. Maybe he was teaching them to have faith in their peers. Or there was more to the story than he let on. It wouldn''t be the first time he was privy to information he wasn¡¯t allowed to tell the rest of the team.

    That was to be expected, however. Not only due to his level of competence, but also because of his personal background. She couldn¡¯t say he lived the life of a normal teenager, even under his civilian identity.

    As though he heard that thought and wanted to punctuate it, Nar took off his mask. Removing the golden jester hat, he bared to them a face Matilda had to admit was very handsome. Light blonde hair, bright green eyes, captivating features, he had it all.

    ¡°All of you, on the other hand, will not be retiring anytime soon,¡± Aiden Wardell said. He made eye contact with each of his teammates, who all felt growing trepidation. ¡°I know precisely how to keep you sharp in the coming days. You should see what I have in mind for squad training!¡±

 Chapter 40 - To Impend

    The streets were busier than Lyra had expected, what with it being around noon on a weekday. But maybe that shouldn¡¯t have been too surprising, considering a lot of working adults would be on their lunch break right now. They were normal members of society with normal routines, unlike her.

    Part of her felt left out from that, like she was missing out somehow. But she knew what she was doing was necessary. It wasn¡¯t really a choice at all. And another, deeper part of her felt a bit glad about not having to adhere to such a mundane life path anymore. Things had become both easier and harder for her, in a weird way.

    After her fight against Finn yesterday, Frameshot and Azur had continued with the parameter testing, as promised. Casey Wardell had left soon after their duel ended, apparently not interested in observing the rest of their training. Once she was gone, the training session passed without any further hiccups. Except for the tension she felt being near Finn. It was pretty obvious that he wasn¡¯t in a good mood after the match had been ruled as a win for her, but she had avoided bringing it up. Should she ask Jack about it? He¡¯d known Finn for much longer than she had.

    Either way, she hoped her friend would be over it today, or their meetup was likely going to turn awkward. Well, she wasn¡¯t even sure if it was reasonable for her to expect that of him. Honestly, she was surprised he still agreed to come when she¡¯d asked for confirmation over text.

    Why had she followed through on this anyway? The moment Finn revealed that he had told his mother they were¡­ seeing each other, was still fresh in Lyra¡¯s mind. It was just an excuse to explain his absences whenever they were out in costume, yes, but the way he mentioned it so nonchalantly wasn¡¯t something she could understand or imitate. It was still hard to believe. She never pictured him to be the kind of person to talk about that stuff. And they were most certainly not about to have that kind of encounter.

    Nope.

    This was definitely not a date.

    Not at all.

    She surreptitiously used her power to provide herself with feedback on the area surrounding the sidewalk she was standing on. The many analog clocks in her vicinity told her only a minute had passed since she last checked the time. Fidgeting, she checked her phone so she wouldn¡¯t look like a weirdo staring off into the distance. Then she realized she could¡¯ve checked her time like this in the first place, and she wanted to kick herself. But that would look weird, too, so she didn¡¯t.

    One of the people walking by stopped a few paces away from her, and she turned. In front of her was a teenage boy with olive skin, jet black hair, and green eyes boring into her own. His features were different, somehow. More angular. And was his nose bigger too, or was she imagining it?

    ¡°W-wow,¡± she said. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t look the same, and I¡¯m still having trouble recognizing you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Finn said, his voice flat. His clothes were all-black. He normally wore blue denim and a t-shirt, but she wasn¡¯t sure if he was using his power on his usual wardrobe or if he was actually wearing something else. Aside from the jacket, anyway.

    ¡°Right, of course¡­¡± There was something else she noticed, though. ¡°Did you¡­ change the way you breathe and walk to sneak up on me?¡±

    A pause preceded Finn¡¯s next words. ¡°I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She could hear the obvious lie, but she didn¡¯t know why he would deny something like that.

    He just stared that intense stare of his, not saying anything else.

    Lyra didn¡¯t dare to try and push further. She¡¯d asked because she thought he was trying to improve his stealth after his fight with her. She just couldn¡¯t help it; his disguise only worked so well because of how skilled he was, and if he was actually still sour about her being ruled the winner of their match, she wanted him to know that. But she had no idea how to convey that without sounding like she was gloating, or worse, pitying him.

    ¡°So,¡± she said, changing the topic. ¡°I have ah, a place I like to visit every once in a while. It¡¯s only a minute away if we walk.¡±

    Internally, she cringed. What did she mean, if they walked? Of course they were going to walk. What else would they do? Steal a car? Fly? Sprint through the streets like a pair of lunatics? It hadn¡¯t even been two minutes and she was already messing up.

    ¡°Alright,¡± was the response she got.

    For whatever reason, she suddenly felt a lot of pressure. Contrary to their missions, she was leading this not-date, so she had to walk in front, and Finn would follow her. The thought made a weight settle on her shoulders. Why was something so simple making her feel so uncertain? It was just a few steps and then they¡¯d be there.

    She hoped she hadn''t stood still for too long before she began walking, casting a glance back at Finn to make sure he wasn¡¯t about to leave or something. With her power, there was no real need for that, but she also found his disguise fascinating. She looked a second time.

    He met her gaze.

    Lyra turned away again, simultaneously wanting to slow her pace to walk next to him so they could talk and wanting to get this walk over with as soon as possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s right there,¡± she said when they made their way over to the next street.

    Finn didn¡¯t speak until they came to a stop a short while later. ¡°A tearoom,¡± he observed.

    She nodded. ¡°Mhm. Do you like tea?¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s been a while since I last had it. You said you¡¯ve been here more than once?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she hurriedly replied as she opened the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I hope you don''t mind if we just sit down here for a while and share a drink? Uh, I mean, we both sit at one of the tables and each have our own, very separate, not-covered-in-somebody-else¡¯s-saliva drinks.¡±

    Oh gosh. She was absolutely ruining this, but she tried not to let her nerves show on her face when they sat down and ordered from a nice waitress working the afternoon shift.

    Lyra got her usual honeyed cranberry tea, and Finn took a second before he decided on lemon. Then, when it was just the two of them again, silence fell. She scrambled for a conversation topic and came up empty.

    What did it say about her that she had nothing to talk about other than Aegis work which she couldn¡¯t mention out in the open? Well, maybe it made sense because Finn practically never volunteered personal information, and she rarely felt comfortable asking. Most of the things she knew about Shade out of costume were anecdotes Jack told her about. Plus, she had never been the social butterfly type, so it wasn¡¯t too surprising that she couldn¡¯t just let the words flow like water, but still.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to come here,¡± she said after a few moments. ¡°You probably think I¡¯m boring.¡±

    Finn slightly raised one eyebrow at her from where he sat across the table. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wasting time you could have spent training and I didn¡¯t even have the decency to be a good host, or friend, or¡­¡± Date. Wait, no, not that last one. ¡°Or anything,¡± she finished lamely, slumping in her seat.

    ¡°I¡¯m not bored,¡± Finn said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re unfunny.¡±

    Was that a roundabout compliment? Did he actually think she was funny? She wasn¡¯t even trying to make any jokes yet. ¡°But then why haven¡¯t you laughed?¡±

    The boy crossed his arms, as if challenging her. ¡°You¡¯d have to do way more to get me to actually laugh.¡±

    ¡°And what do you suggest I do? I¡¯ve never seen you smile, not even once!¡± she exclaimed, gesturing at his face with a hand. Then she realized what she was doing and quickly retracted it. She¡¯d apparently made a good impression; she couldn¡¯t ruin it seconds later.

    ¡°I didn''t ask you to do anything,¡± Finn said.

    ¡°No, no. I can be funny, just listen,¡± she insisted. Clearing her throat, she began by saying, ¡°Why did the bird paint her room with feathers?¡± She waited a moment. ¡°So she could finally nest in peace!¡±

    He just stared.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do another one. Why did the fool switch from juggling flowers to juggling torches?¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Finn said flatly.

    ¡°He decided it was time to ¡®turnip the heat.¡¯¡± She shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Get it? Because turnips¡­¡±

    No reaction.

    Thankfully, before she could embarrass herself further, their order arrived. She thanked the waitress and sipped her tea to cover up the heat in her face.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Looking over at the boy who¡¯d miraculously not yet run away from what must have been the most awkward conversation imaginable, she tried again. ¡°So,¡± she began, scouring her mind for a change of topic and coming up short. Maybe honesty was the way to go here. ¡°I realized that I never actually asked if you have any, uhm, niche hobbies or activities you like to do with your family?¡±

    Finn looked away for a moment, considering. Lyra continued, ¡°Because for me, I¡¯d visit tearooms like this one with my mother from time to time. It wasn¡¯t much. W-we didn¡¯t have much. But it was our thing.¡±

    After a few moments, Finn spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t say I have anything like that. Not since I moved to this district. But what you said doesn¡¯t sound bad.¡± His eyes met hers. ¡°Time spent with family isn¡¯t something you should take for granted.¡±

    And wasn¡¯t that the truth? There were so many things she wanted to say to her mother that she simply couldn¡¯t, now.

    ¡°You¡¯re really focused, you know,¡± Lyra said.

    ¡°Focused?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Maybe driven is a better word, but you really have, I don¡¯t know, a clear direction? Most of the time I feel like I have no clue what I¡¯m doing, both in and outside of¡­ work.¡±

    Finn regarded her oddly. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a clue what you¡¯re doing, what does that say about me, losing to you?¡±

    Oh, maybe he wasn¡¯t really sour about their match. Either way, she had to say something about this. ¡°That you''re someone competent? I saw your latest clip. Or montage, I guess. It went viral. Needless to say, if I was in that situation, I¡¯d be dead in two seconds.¡±

    If Finn appreciated the praise, there wasn¡¯t any sign of it on his face. Rather, he regarded her seriously before he said, ¡°You¡¯re better than you think, Lyra.¡±

    Through a herculean effort, she managed to take the compliment with something approximating grace. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a smile, consciously avoiding saying his name in turn.

    She wasn¡¯t sure why, but hearing him say her civilian name still felt strange, somehow. Was it something about his voice or tone? Or was it because he just didn¡¯t use it that often? Also, ¡°civilian name?¡± When did she start thinking of herself as Calliope first and foremost?

    Seeing as she couldn¡¯t come up with a solid answer, she automatically sipped her tea. And at that point, she realized that she had missed this. Honestly, even before she ran away from her old life, she failed to recall the last time she did this, or anything like it, with anyone outside her family. At least in a one-on-one setting. Group hangout sessions were more common, back then.

    The conversation went a bit more smoothly after that, with Finn being more willing to answer her questions than she¡¯d feared. Then again, maybe he always had been, and her worries were simply unfounded from the start. It certainly wouldn¡¯t be the first time she fretted about nothing. She just couldn¡¯t help it.

    ¡°How did I do?¡± Finn asked after they finished their drinks.

    She blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°In the interview we just did,¡± he said. ¡°Assuming you don¡¯t have anything left to ask.¡±

    Lyra stared at him, incredulous. Then she gave a very unrefined snorting laugh. ¡°It wasn¡¯t- I¡¯m sorry, okay? I was just trying to get to know my friend better.¡±

    Again with that tone; he sounded so serious when he was joking, it was hard for her to tell when he was messing with her. Especially because he didn¡¯t smile or give any other indication of mirth when he did so.

    ¡°But, well, yes,¡± she said when the moment passed. ¡°We can go now. There''s someplace else I wanted to introduce you to.¡±

    Finn fished around in his pocket and casually handed her fifty apos. ¡°For the drinks,¡± he clarified.

    Lyra sat there with the bills in hand, unsure what to think about his frivolous treatment of currency. ¡°No, I invited you. I should¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he cut her off, already getting out of his seat and heading towards the entrance.

    Paradoxically, she felt more comfortable now than she had at any other point today. Shaking her head, she went and paid for the tea and followed Finn with the rest of the money.

    Outside, she fell into step with him, and noticed him looking contemplative. He wasn¡¯t easy to read. So, wondering what he was thinking at the moment, she decided to just ask, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Their eyes met. ¡°Tonight.¡±

    Her brain ceased functioning for the second it took her to remember they were going to be training at that time. Yeah. Training. Not anything else. Focus.

    She exhaled. ¡°Oh, yeah, I¡¯m still getting used to it. To me it still feels like we should be jumping rooftops instead of what we¡¯ve decided to do.¡±

    Somehow, that was what did it. It was a small thing, almost imperceptible, but Lyra caught the smile on Finn¡¯s face when he turned away. ¡°I¡¯m not disagreeing,¡± he said.

    They walked in contented silence for a while before the mood shifted. She heard Finn¡¯s phone vibrate, and he stopped walking and withdrew it from his pocket to look. He tensed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Is there an emergency?¡±

    Finn didn''t respond, so she stepped over to look at the screen. And what she saw was a news article, detailing the death of Novastra. While she hadn¡¯t been a fanatic in her childhood, she had recently started looking into the hero scene more at Jack¡¯s behest. Which was the reason why this name was immediately clear to her, as opposed to just vaguely ringing a bell.

    The face of Solvarna had just died. This was huge. Huge and terrible. She read further, until Finn scrolled down to an image of the perpetrator.

    Omega.

    Assimilated.

    Lyra reared back. The voice was active again, but she didn¡¯t for the life of her understand why. More strangely, it only spoke a single word. She knew what it meant, but she had no idea how it fit the context. Or what it wanted her to get from that. She waited for it to speak up again, but no. It remained quiet.

    This was bad, she didn¡¯t know how to get rid of this thing, and she was too scared to tell anyone about it. Maybe she could ask Finn, but this was not the time. He looked pretty agitated right now.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked, once again being met with silence. Verbal silence, at least. His heartbeat was through the roof.

    She put a hand in front of his screen and repeated herself. It got his attention. His expression was furious.

    Her hands came up in a placating gesture. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going through your mind, but you can talk to me, okay? Please?¡±

    He just put his phone away and kept staring.

    Thinking quickly, she pointed to an alley nearby. ¡°We could¡­ go over there? Might be better if we don¡¯t do this in the middle of the sidewalk.¡±

    She started in that direction, and he thankfully did follow, albeit slowly. In the alley, she waved a hand to make a sound dampening barrier; they were face to face away from prying eyes and ears.

    ¡°What do you want me to tell you,¡± he said. It was phrased like a question, but his tone made it clear it was a statement or demand more than anything.

    ¡°Whatever is upsetting you so badly,¡± she answered softly.

    He¡¯d schooled his expression into the usual one he wore. ¡°I¡¯m not that upset.¡±

    Her face fell. ¡°I can hear how fast your heart is beating¡­¡±

    He froze. ¡°Since when?¡±

    ¡°Since the surgery. I know you were lying to me when I asked about your goal the other day.¡± Which was honestly understandable. It wasn¡¯t like he was obligated to tell her his life story. Besides, she was being a scumbag hypocrite by calling out his lies when she was literally hiding a voice in her head which might very well compromise her sanity and cause her to kill them all at one point, if it hadn¡¯t already. Wow.

    She couldn¡¯t just leave it at that. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to- to confront you about it, just¡­¡±

    Finn said nothing. He scrutinized her for an agonizingly long time, causing her to fidget as she waited.

    Eventually, he seemed to come to a decision. ¡°You saw what I was reading,¡± he said.

    ¡°An article about Novastra? You¡¯re clearly invested for some reason besides general concern, right? Did you figure out something I didn''t, or is it personal?¡±

    ¡°Omega killed my father,¡± he said without preamble.

    ¡°...Oh.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going after him. That''s the main reason I¡¯m doing all this.¡± He meant hero work, she knew. Going out and doing Aegis missions, catching criminals, saving runaway girls from crazed gang members. It was all in preparation for this?

    ¡°The number four villain in the world,¡± she breathed, bewildered. And climbing the ranks, too.

    Finn¡¯s fists clenched. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Jack about this.¡±

    She was shocked that Jack didn''t know, but nodded all the same. She straightened her posture. ¡°Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± he snapped. ¡°You¡¯re not getting involved.¡±

    ¡°Sorry! I didn''t mean to press you, Finn.¡±

    She shifted uneasily. This would be the moment where she confided her own secret in him, but the words just wouldn¡¯t come. Guilt gnawed at her, yet her mouth didn¡¯t say what she hoped it would.

    Finn, unaware of her internal dilemma, chose that moment to close out the conversation. ¡°We should move on to the next spot you had planned.¡± He turned to leave.

    A spike of panic ran through her, and she reached out to grab his shoulder. ¡°Wait! Listen, I¡­ I understand.¡±

    His eyes fell on the hand she was touching his shoulder with, and she quickly retracted it as though he were a burning stove.

    She swallowed, considering how to phrase this. ¡°What I meant to say was that, while I don¡¯t really know what it¡¯s like to lose a parent, I understand that feeling of having a goal so important that death in chasing it is a better outcome than sitting still and going with the flow. Doing nothing, knowing you should be out there.¡±

    Though Finn was obviously much more determined than she was. She still recalled that night, the two of them huddled together in front of the tentacled primebeast. Lyra, sobbing pathetically as the end came near, in contrast to Finn, simply staring at it with grim resolve. She¡¯d found out exactly what the difference between them was, then. What set him apart from a failure like her.

    In the present, however, Finn was nodding at her. ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s go.¡±

    He was walking out of the alley, marking the end of their little private discussion. But she had to say something.

    ¡°Finn.¡±

    He looked over his shoulder.

    She fiddled with her dyed brown hair, and asked, ¡°Can we make this a regular thing?¡±

    ¡°Training takes priority,¡± he said immediately. He sighed. ¡°But alright.¡±

    Her grin was wide and goofy and dumb, and she was only half as embarrassed about it as usual, too eager to keep her new closest friend.

    She wouldn¡¯t let him down. That was a promise.

 Chapter 41 - To Fortify

    After spending the afternoon with Lyra, training that night was more intensive than simple parameter testing, given that Azur and Frameshot now had an actual baseline for both Finn and Lyra to improve from. And the results were more positive than the instructors had been expecting.

    Apparently, Finn¡¯s power was among the best when it came to range, activation speed, flexibility, level of control proportional to training time invested, sensory capabilities, field communication, and stealth.

    But that was it. Ultimately, colors were relatively harmless. Despite his staggering control over them, his power didn¡¯t have any real offensive or defensive applications. It had utility, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to get him through a straight fight against a powered opponent on its own, as his battle against Lyra had proven.

    As the lesson drew on, it became increasingly clear to him that he was reaching the end of the period of rapid growth he¡¯d been experiencing over the past few months since first manifesting his ability.

    Now that he was being confronted with his weaknesses on such a consistent basis, he could no longer deny his limits and was forced to confront reality and consider his options. He wasn¡¯t going to give up on his goal. Obviously. However, it was becoming clear that there were certain routes closed to him at this point in time. Possibly forever.

    He¡¯d never liked that thought; that there were things he was never going to be able to do or become. It was an affront to his potential on a fundamental level. Even if he had no desire for a particular path in life, not having the ability to achieve it was still bothersome, for whatever reason.

    Throughout his life, Finn had rarely consciously articulated that to himself, but now that he was paying attention to it in such a different context, it struck him just how much it resonated with so many different parts of his past. Had this aversion to limiting himself been controlling his actions? Was that the reason his power manifested with a prominent navigation aspect? To show him the way rather than have him get lost in the endless depths of possibility?

    Regardless, it didn¡¯t matter now. Ruminations on the underlying psychological mechanisms shaping his power aside, he needed to refocus. He was currently engaged in a sparring match with Frameshot, who was talking to him about the very topic he''d been thinking about.

    ¡°Listen, kid. I know what you''re going through. Don''t want to hear this from an adult, I¡¯m sure, but it¡¯ll help you,¡± the man said as he hooked a foot behind Finn and sent him sprawling with a shove to the chest. By the time he recovered, Frameshot was speaking again. ¡°You¡¯re feeling the pressure. Pressure to grow, experiment, follow that same high you got the first few months with your new power.

    ¡°Thing is, that never lasts. After those early stages, it''s a steady decline in improvement until you plateau. You hit a wall. What do you do then? Well. You either accept what you¡¯ve been given and leave it at that, or you continue to get better.¡± He batted Finn¡¯s elbow strike away with contemptuous ease and kept talking, not even the slightest bit winded. ¡°See, I¡¯m just going to explain the second option, ¡®cause the first doesn¡¯t require me to tell you what it means, and I can tell you¡¯re not interested in that kind of life.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Finn pressed, panting. His double jab and hook got stopped before the second punch could even be thrown.

    ¡°So, I figure it¡¯s best to just tell you straight up your options are limited,¡± Frameshot said. Then he added, ¡°Limited, but not nonexistent. You could stay the course and keep picking up new gadgets, for one thing. Collect more credits, as you have been doing, buy better equipment. But that isn¡¯t going to carry you to the big leagues, not by itself. Not like you¡¯re the only person doing Aegis missions after all.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Finn answered, charging again.

    ¡°Right, so you know other options you can take. You¡¯re not a warrior type, meaning you can go for physical enhancement surgery, but a lot of people are apprehensive about that kind of thing. For good reason; it presents a lot of risks, like having the procedure botched by someone lacking the skills to do it properly. Or experiencing side effects afterward. Heard some nasty stories about that. But it¡¯s good to keep this in mind, with Mr. Wardell¡¯s contacts being able to guarantee quality service.¡±

    He straightened and landed three shots on Finn¡¯s torso with deadly accuracy, causing the blinking red lights on the field to signal the end of the match.

    ¡°The last one is a bit trickier.¡± He paused, and amended, ¡°A lot trickier, I won¡¯t lie. No one in any of my circles knows the secret to unbinding your power, even the Unbound themselves. But if you do ever reach that stage?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Your power¡¯s going to be doing things you couldn''t even dream of before. Just, it''s not reliable. Waiting for it to happen on its own is less than optimal as far as strategies go.¡±

    The instructor clapped his hands together. ¡°But that¡¯s all for going solo. I still think you¡¯d work best in a team. In that respect, the solution can be as simple as recruiting people whose powers synergize with yours. Looking at it from that angle, Calliope is already a good start.¡±

    Not what Finn wanted to hear, but none of this was exactly surprising. He and Lyra worked well together, but they couldn¡¯t always hope to stay by each other¡¯s side. They were too likely to get separated, especially if their future enemies realized keeping them apart decreased their effectiveness considerably. And, once again, there were situations where she simply would not be present in the first place.

    Apart from that last suggestion, though, Finn had considered all those options as potential avenues of growth. But when it came to actually choosing one, he didn¡¯t want to. He saw no reason to pick. He planned to do all of those things. Even the surgery. While being unconscious and under the knife was less than desirable, the results would speak for themselves. Couple that enhanced physique with an unbound power and better equipment, and he¡¯d be incomparably stronger than his current self.

    Stolen story; please report.

    And yet, pursuing those things would inevitably come with risks. Which was fine with him. He¡¯d been risking his life for quite some time now, and this current period simply gave him the time to round out his skill set on the path to his goal.

    ¡°Think that¡¯s enough,¡± Frameshot was saying. ¡°Let¡¯s go see how your partner¡¯s doing before we move on to the next exercise, yeah?¡±

    Finn looked over to Lyra, where she was doing target practice with Azur against a set of glowing metallic cubes suspended in midair. She hadn¡¯t yet performed the technique she¡¯d used to win their duel again, instead focusing on the underlying mechanics of her power and fine-tuning her techniques to improve her overall performance.

    By this point, Finn was over his loss against her, having recognized that all he could do about it was improve and sulking about it would be nothing but a hindrance to his progress.

    That being said, he was already thinking about how to counter her fighting style. And going by the increasing fluidity of her attacks, he was fairly sure he¡¯d be thinking for a while longer.

    *******

    Casey Wardell strode through the hall and towards the indoor training field the two new vigilantes, wondering if she should try for another interruption in the intended training schedule. After a few moments of thought, she decided against it. As exciting as the fight had been, she didn¡¯t want her father to think she was irresponsible enough to repeat her stunt from last time.

    Truthfully, she hadn¡¯t really been bored, she¡¯d only wanted to get their measure without looking paranoid. And she had succeeded, knowing Frameshot wouldn¡¯t actually countermand her suggestion. It had come down to the two heroes themselves, in the end. And they had not disappointed her.

    Even after the videos she¡¯d seen of their field performance online, she was positively surprised with their battle sense and apparent eagerness, though their respective styles were still rough around the edges. Still, they were here to rectify exactly that, and they would be ready for field work again soon enough, even with all the attention from the gangs they had garnered.

    Whatever they ended up doing, she was invested now. Though she could only show that in this place, and not at school. Over there, she was just a normal, if privileged, girl. Here, she was¡­ also a normal girl, but with different interests and priorities.

    Initially, she¡¯d chosen to attend a public high school to childishly differentiate herself from Aiden, but now she liked how the students there centered her. It was a nice change of pace, and she had plenty of friends there. She couldn¡¯t say she would associate with all of them outside of school, but the general atmosphere was pleasant.

    This wasn¡¯t something as secretive as a super¡¯s double life. That wasn¡¯t a possibility for her, because she didn¡¯t have powers. But at the same time, she did have some secrets. It would be rather inconvenient for everyone involved if it came out that her father was harboring vigilantes around the district and providing them with resources in exchange for protecting his assets.

    Which meant she wouldn¡¯t just go blabbering about her visits here to anyone outside the family. Not to mention, she actually had a purpose here. Her father might not have suggested or even approved of it, but she wanted to take a more hands-on role with these two in particular. If she could demonstrate her ability to manage them in a competent way in place of her father, it would indicate her capabilities were sufficient to get more involved with his operations.

    She had long since realized it was going to take work if she wanted his position.

    When she neared the training field, she could hear the vibrating impacts of Calliope¡¯s attacks before she saw them. Shade was watching her with his staff in hand while Frameshot discussed something with Azur.

    The girl in the bird mask was charging another concussive sound blast when Frameshot called for a timeout. She turned to him as he began to speak. Casey neared in order to catch what he was saying. In doing so, Shade glanced at her while Azur nodded in acknowledgement before returning to her notes.

    ¡°...wave has a stronger impact. That¡¯s great, but what I want you to do is to have your attacks ride the sound waves themselves. Better than just tossing them. Got it? Right, I¡¯ll leave you to it then.¡± With that, the military veteran turned vigilante stepped back and gave Calliope space to try out the advice he just gave her.

    This time, she clapped her hands soundlessly once more, but didn¡¯t push her hand out. She held it out to her side and pulled her hand back. The impact rang on multiple cubes this time, faster than Casey could turn her head and much more widespread.

    She blinked. There was no denying that she was impressed, and she wanted to approach, but elected to just observe for now. She couldn¡¯t be thoughtless about this.

    As Frameshot moved to congratulate her, Casey¡¯s attention turned to Shade, who was still standing in the same position. No indications of any potential changes in his mood. Her eyes narrowed. That was suspicious. No excitement? No jealousy? She didn¡¯t think she was a natural at reading people, but that was irrelevant when she had spent considerable time acquiring that exact skill.

    Right now, it was hard to pin down Shade¡¯s dynamic with his teammate. Or subordinate? Calliope seemed to defer to him a lot, but that didn¡¯t necessarily tell her much. This lack of reaction to the sudden advancement of a close associate was odd, however. She would have expected at least a bit of shock.

    Granted, she couldn¡¯t see his face, so some missed emotional cues were excusable. It was just that she did not want to leave it at that. There were a few explanations she could come up with. One being that this sort of advancement from Calliope was the norm. Another being that he actually didn¡¯t care how far she advanced either way. And a third was that he had sublime acting skills or some power controlling him. The fourth was that she was overthinking things and had simply missed a brief microexpression while looking at the girl vigilante.

    She exhaled quietly, eyes drifting back to the others. It wasn¡¯t as though she was an expert on dealing with boys herself. Her birthday party had shown everyone that much. It was annoying how much she was teased about it, though Aiden wasn¡¯t too excessive, seeming quite interested in her dance partner himself for whatever reason.

    No, it was more Ines and Colette who kept prodding her about it, always pushing their little spiel about finding love and her having a boyfriend and whatever. Really, she didn¡¯t see it as anything more than a spar or a training exercise. Nothing more.

    The worst part was that she wouldn¡¯t always be safe from that here. Colette could stroll in any time and start ribbing again. She blinked and took a calming breath to clear her thoughts.

    Oh well.

    At least Allister wasn¡¯t here in the room with her.

 Chapter 42 - To Polish

    ¡°Next time?¡± Finn asked.

    ¡°Next time,¡± Jack promised through his earpiece.

    ¡°I think you should. It¡¯s probably safe now, and their training really helps a lot,¡± Lyra chimed in.

    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just, ugh. You already know my reasons. It¡¯s not like I can just turn a switch in my head and suddenly do a complete one-eighty.¡±

    Neither teammate said anything to that, knowing Jack simply needed time to accept that they could still be a team. And he would have to do so sooner rather than later, because Finn wouldn¡¯t allow him to get left behind.

    With that thought, he jumped off the roof of the building they were on and swung his grappling hook, the movement smooth and practiced after drilling it on and off the field for months.

    Lyra followed him, her powerful leaps boosted by her shockwaves. No longer were her steps hesitant, nor were her landings awkward. She ran with the improved motions taught to her by their new instructors, and her boots made no noise for her footfalls.

    Today was another day of training, and Finn was resolved to take a step forward today, no matter what. He wasn¡¯t advancing quickly enough. Lyra was making progress, but that wouldn¡¯t help him unless they fought or went on a mission again.

    The latter would apparently be happening in the not-so-distant future, according to Frameshot, but they hadn¡¯t been able to get anything more out of the man besides that. He seemed to know something about Cyrus¡¯ operations throughout the district. Definitely not all of it, Finn was sure, but substantially more than he and Lyra did.

    Azur might know more, given her field of expertise, but it was Casey who he thought experienced a similar lack of knowledge. She was a bit too invested in their training. They were heroes, yes, but all they did was rote practice of their powers or sparring, the second of which being something she could go and see anywhere else.

    It was suspicious. They weren¡¯t yet special enough to warrant that kind of attention. He suspected she wanted to use them for her own ends. Either that or her presence there was supposed to prove something.

    Granted, it was possible her reasons were more childish and she genuinely just wanted to watch the new recruits in action for her personal entertainment. But he wouldn¡¯t count on that possibility. Even if she were there for purely educational reasons, it was probably to sate her curiosity about the people in her father¡¯s employ. He supposed she would approach them if she wanted them to do work for whatever purpose.

    One thing was for certain, though. And that was her silence about it at school. She didn¡¯t even give a hint that anything in her life was different. And he supposed that was true from her perspective. He¡¯d exchanged a few more words with her as Finn, but absolutely nothing she said or did indicated that she knew who Shade was under the mask.

    It would be a massive security risk if she knew, and he wasn¡¯t sure what he would do about it if that turned out to be the case. He¡¯d been making sure he was never followed to his house since the first day he started going out in costume, and the only time something had gone wrong with his family had been pure happenstance, due to the place his mother worked at.

    However, he knew he wouldn¡¯t back down if someone outside of his team ever found out who he was. He couldn¡¯t afford to. Ideally, no one would ever find out, but he knew how low the odds of that were. Maybe if he was content to remain complacent, keep his heroics at the district and take it no further, that would be in the cards for him. But if he continued to expand his network like he was now, gaining more and more allies along the way, he would eventually be expected to extend some level of trust towards them.

    Originally, he wouldn¡¯t have thought that was an obligation, and he knew it wouldn¡¯t be to most people, if they were asked. Yet at the same time, he remembered how relieved Lyra had been when they were finally able to interact in a more casual setting. Unmasking to someone else removed a certain element of mystery and tension.

    There was something to be said here about personal and professional relationships, but what mattered to Finn was how he needed to conduct himself in order to get closer to his goal. Not that he was only pretending to be Lyra''s friend so he could get at Omega. He really did think she was a nice enough person to be around. But his priorities remained clear, and if his view of other people and the world in general changed in pursuit of them, that was fine. Expected, even.

    Should he come up with something to do the next time they decided to hang out together? It was something to think about, at least. Her work ethic had really improved since last time.

    They were nearing the facility by now, and they traveled in silence now that the conversation with Jack was over. It had been a while since Jack had last played overwatch on one of their missions, so Finn could understand why he was feeling stuck to an extent. While Finn knew his other friend was still doubtful about his capabilities in the long term, he was confident Gridlock was far from done.

    It was at that point that Finn actually noticed Jack had dropped the call and wasn¡¯t listening in anymore. That was a departure from their usual modus operandi, but it would be counterproductive to talk to Jack about trusting Cyrus¡¯ people with his education only to then turn around and say they needed him to keep spying.

    When they arrived, the door opened by itself. Which made him second-guess his earlier thoughts. Normally, Azur would stand at the entrance and lead them inside, but that wasn¡¯t the case this time. Would they finally have the rug pulled out from under them this time? He shook his head, dismissing that line of thinking. Hesitantly, they headed inside, wondering what was different.

    The halls looked the same as before, but when they approached the training field, Finn attempted to use his power to sense inside. This ability wasn¡¯t able to sense people, but he could tell the terrain had been rearranged, presumably for some exercise planned for them. Exchanging glances with Lyra, he entered first.

    Inside, he noticed three things. The first was that Frameshot was absent. And the second was that Casey had arrived before them this time. And finally, there were two people present who hadn¡¯t been here before.

    To the side, on a field-generated seat, sat a girl in a black bodysuit with white flower print on it, wearing a motorcycle helmet. He recognized her, of course, from his very first joint Aegis mission: Moonflower.

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    And in the middle of the field, facing him directly while the rest were still turning their heads, stood a figure in a golden jester costume with red bells adorning his cap and a sun emblem on his chest.

    Nar.

    Instantly, Finn was wary. Coordinating with a government licensed hero to help out a new associate was one thing, but to have the leader of the Junior Aces come down to meet him directly in this training facility? That was ridiculous. Cyrus was even bolder than he thought. Or the conspiracy ran even deeper than he anticipated.

    ¡°Wow,¡± he heard Lyra mutter under her breath. Up ahead, Moonflower waved at him. Casey, he noticed, had a complicated expression on her face.

    Nar spread his arms as they approached. ¡°The diligent students grace us with their presence at last!¡± He beckoned. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve no time to waste. The schedule is rather ambitious today.¡±

    Finn said nothing in response, merely coming to a stop in front of the other costumed boy and waiting.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Nar began, unperturbed by his silence. ¡°Allow me to start by mentioning that today, I¡¯ll be stepping in for Frameshot, who''s otherwise engaged. Beyond that, I must say our session will deviate somewhat from your usual routine, offering a different perspective.¡±

    That intrigued Finn, but he kept listening before asking questions.

    ¡°More precisely, I intend to utilize my abilities to offer you a deeper understanding of how your own powers function.¡± He extended a hand towards Lyra, his demeanor both confident and reassuring. ¡°Now that we''ve addressed the preliminaries, shall we dive into the heart of the matter? Calliope, may I have the honor of replicating your power?¡±

    Underneath his visor, Finn¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯d obviously known Nar¡¯s ability for a long time now, but to receive an offer to copy theirs wasn¡¯t something he really expected to happen. Not this early on in his career. People with the ability to affect¡ªlet alone fully mirror¡ªother powers were few and far between. And oftentimes, the ones who possessed those powers had limitations that made them reluctant to offer their services to just anyone. Which meant that Nar was very generous, or very powerful. Or both; he wasn¡¯t sure about the exact limitations of his power copying.

    Glancing to his side at Lyra, he was caught off-guard. Her body language was the complete opposite of what he¡¯d been expecting. He¡¯d imagined she would be ecstatic at the prospect of having someone to help her with her sound manipulation, and if not that, then she would default to her usual timid, reserved bearing. But he saw none of that now.

    She was shaking with¡­ barely contained rage? What?

    ¡°No,¡± she bit out tersely.

    The jester tilted his head. ¡°Are you certain? I''ve encountered a variety of sonic powers over the years. I could perhaps offer some insights into honing yours.¡±

    She twitched. ¡°I said no.¡±

    Nar held up his hands. ¡°Very well. It''s entirely your choice. I wouldn¡¯t dream of pressuring you into something that doesn¡¯t sit well with you.¡±

    With a few deep breaths, she managed to calm herself down. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Finn was still wondering what that was all about when Nar turned to him and asked, ¡°And you, Shade? What do you say?¡±

    Someone vastly stronger and more experienced than him was offering valuable tutelage, so why was he hesitating? Just because it was somewhat intrusive? He didn¡¯t even know how the process worked, so he didn¡¯t even know how to react other than with a general sense of unease.

    Whatever reason Lyra had for turning Nar down, Finn didn¡¯t know if he could afford the same luxury at this juncture. He needed anything he could get his hands on to get stronger. Having Nar knowing his weaknesses was something he¡¯d rather avoid, but honestly? The cold truth of the matter was that the person in front of him did not need to figure out his weaknesses to kill him.

    Ultimately, he decided that it was better to end up taking the risk. All for the sake of his goal.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he ended up saying. ¡°How does it work?¡±

    His new mentor reached out. ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    Finn did so, and when Nar grasped it, he felt the brief impression of a star. Then it was over.

    The floor beneath them rippled with color, rings of blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Nar said, laughing wildly. ¡°This is excellent.¡±

    The sight of it filled Finn with disbelief. Nar''s enthusiasm was infectious, yet Finn couldn''t shake off the unease bubbling within him. Seeing his power manifested by someone else was surreal and slightly unsettling. Even so, he knew this was an opportunity to learn more about his abilities and perhaps unlock new techniques.

    Then, the lights began blinking on and off, alternating between visibility and darkness. After a few seconds of this, Nar grew quiet.

    ¡°Oh?¡± the jester said. ¡°It goes further than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Further?¡± Finn prompted, waiting for Nar to explain.

    Nar looked at him again. ¡°Yes. As you''ve likely deduced by now, your power isn''t about manipulating light, per se. Yet, it intriguingly affects light and other forms of energy to a limited extent. It seems that your ability operates on an underlying mechanism, guiding whatever it touches to manifest the color you envision, irrespective of its material makeup. It''s as if your power works on a conceptual level.¡±

    Finn frowned as he absorbed the implications of that.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not all,¡± Nar mused, a hint of amazement in his tone. ¡°Your power is quite fascinating. It provides automatic feedback from every interaction it has, registering the color of a target before transforming it into your chosen hue. That sensory aspect cleverly enhances your spatial awareness. Moreover, there are elements of your ability that seem linked to time or understanding. These aren''t exactly locked, but your perspective on your power might evolve as you explore those facets more deeply. Even I can''t claim to master every possible application yet.

    ¡°However, it¡¯s clear that your power lacks innate offense, defense, and mobility. Short of unbinding, that¡¯s not going to change. It makes perfect sense that you¡¯re covering yourself in gadgets to compensate.¡±

    Hearing that, Finn grimaced. He didn¡¯t like the word ¡°compensate.¡± Not in this context, where it meant making up for weaknesses because his power didn¡¯t want to do any heavy lifting. From the start, he¡¯d hardly ever complained about his power, but hearing over and over how little it could do in the scenario he was setting himself up for was frustrating.

    ¡°Regrettably, I''ll have to ask you to set aside those gadgets for now,¡± Nar continued as he walked to the center of the field. He glanced at Lyra. ¡°Both of you. The three of us are going to do a little warm-up exercise. Your task is to fight me with your abilities while I do my utmost to whip you into shape.¡±

    Finn moved to follow with Lyra right behind, anticipating that he had a long night ahead of him.

    As it turned out, he was right.

 Chapter 43 - To Gleam

    ¡°Faster!¡± Nar said after he faded from view. ¡°Do you truly think a real opponent would wait for you to discern their location?¡±

    Finn¡¯s head swiveled in the direction of the voice just a second too late. He tried to pivot only to receive a kick to the stomach for his troubles, sending him bouncing across the floor like a pebble on a lake. The training field may not have had pain settings turned on, but that blow was definitely beyond human limits. Either Nar was copying a warrior power, or he was just that strong.

    He rolled back to his feet and spotted Nar immediately this time. He moved in with his own camouflage and lunged. The junior hero team leader dodged with ease, but he had timed it precisely so he could duck to let Lyra jump over him and fire a shockwave point blank.

    Nar evaded the attack in an instant. ¡°Hah! Your synchronicity is as good as I thought. But oftentimes, teamwork isn¡¯t enough. You need the battle sense to go along with it.¡± He grabbed Lyra¡¯s arm and threw her into Finn, sending the both of them sprawling.

    They tumbled over the training field, quickly disentangling themselves and getting back on their feet. The jester¡¯s movements were as fluid and unpredictable as his taunts, leaving them scrambling to adapt to his relentless pace. A few fruitless exchanges later, Finn charged in again to challenge Nar up close, his body colored to hide his approach and Lyra silencing his steps.

    ¡°That technique has limited utility when I can simply do this,¡± Nar explained as he waved his hand and turned the entire training field stark white, putting Finn in plain view of everyone present. Finn tried to turn the field black, but his power was locked in a struggle for dominance against this copy of it.

    Now that he was seeing it for himself, he¡¯d be lying if he said he didn¡¯t feel some measure of frustration at the fact that Nar¡¯s mastery over his power matched his own after having possessed it for less than ten minutes. He supposed there was a reason this guy was so highly coveted by the top brass of Apexia.

    Putting all his strength into his legs, he sprinted forward, all attempts at stealth completely abandoned. His fist flew at Nar¡¯s face, only to be deflected with a forearm and countered with a palm strike to the chest. Finn staggered back for a brief moment but recovered and redoubled his efforts, trying for a low sweep followed by an elbow.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Nar hummed, adopting an exaggerated thinking pose while swatting away Finn¡¯s attacks with one hand and hopping away from Lyra¡¯s, every landing silent. How the bells on that costume didn¡¯t make any noise in battle was a mystery. Finn feinted a jab then went for a hook. His target just swerved out of the way and looked at him. Finn got the impression he was smiling under that mask.

    ¡°How to best phrase this? Ah, yes. It¡¯s akin to a pair of circus animals that aren¡¯t fit for performances, no matter how well they¡¯ve been trained to work in concert, because of their bad individual habits,¡± Nar lectured when Finn threw another punch. ¡°Shade, your power is misaligned with your intent. You aim to strike me down, yet you¡¯ve only attempted to conceal your approach so far. You aren¡¯t terrible at executing some of these martial techniques. Your movements are very textbook, but they don¡¯t flow into each other. In fact, there¡¯s hardly any rhythm at all. The problem here, ultimately, is that you haven¡¯t mastered your own body.

    ¡°And you, Calliope, have the opposite problem,¡± he said, the comment drawing her out of whatever she was going to do and causing her to pause and watch him with a wary posture. ¡°Though it isn¡¯t as detailed as direct power copying, I¡¯ve acquired enough information about your power to form a decent understanding of its mechanics. As for what I have to say about it? Nothing. You¡¯re using it correctly in the technical sense, and it¡¯s served you well enough so far. But let''s be honest¡ªthe real hurdle isn''t about limitations, is it? No, any boundaries you face are ones you''ve set for yourself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Lyra replied.

    ¡°Despite already knowing how to wield your ability, you simply don¡¯t. The barrier you''re encountering is psychological; a fear of your own potential holds you back.¡± Nar shrugged. ¡°You have an understandable reason for it, of course. But ask yourself, is this restraint sustainable? Eventually, circumstances will push you beyond your breaking point, and the dam will burst. And even if you somehow do manage to contain it indefinitely, will you not regret it when you face a moment of dire need, yet never learned to fully harness your strength?¡±

    She said nothing in response, instead taking over for Finn again with more aggressive movements.

    ¡°It''s quite the conundrum, isn''t it? I''ve faced similar challenges in my own journey. Not identical, but nonetheless akin enough to understand. What I would recommend is this: on the field, never stop confronting that edge of how far you¡¯re willing to go, keep facing it and see if you can push yourself just a bit further each time. Off the field, confront your mind; discern what sacrifices you''re prepared to make to surmount this mental block,¡± the jester finished, twisting around another attack and roundhouse kicking Lyra in the same motion.

    She flew past Finn, and he didn¡¯t waste a second before going in. He was considering Nar¡¯s advice. He just didn¡¯t know how to apply it, even as his kicks and punches flew past his target again. Rhythm? What did that mean, and how did his power have anything to do with it? Lyra was the one with the sonic powers. All the moves he used were ones he¡¯d learned. Was that the key here, learning?

    He¡¯d been observing Nar¡¯s style this whole time, but he couldn¡¯t map other people with his colors, so he was limited to sight. The movements seemed clear enough, yet became more complicated when he tried to mimic them. Nar countered with another backhand, and Finn copied the dodge he saw against Lyra earlier, twisting to the side and swinging his leg up toward that smiling masked head.

    His shin was caught in a gloved hand, and he heard a low chuckle coming from his instructor. ¡°A novel approach, certainly. But I said to master your body, not mine.¡±

    Then the world spun and he was on the floor, for the umpteenth time.

    Pushing himself off the dark metallic surface, Finn wracked his brain. His body, his power, his body¡­ What was he missing? He shook his head upon seeing his teammate take another hit.

    He and Lyra kept fighting and kept being beaten back. One at a time, both at once. Solo or combined attacks, it didn¡¯t matter. They didn¡¯t stand a chance at scratching this monster, let alone beating him.

    Taking a deep breath, he approached Nar, cautiously this time, camouflaging only his arm to try and distract his adversary. The colors flowed and rippled to match the environment, clinging to him like a second skin.

    Wait.

    He withdrew the power from his costume and channeled it underneath, on his actual skin. He focused on his senses and discovered the details there in his mind. Describing to him the different layers, the tiny hairs, the sweat glands, the nervous endings, all of it. Pushing deeper, he encountered blood, muscle, tendons, and finally bone.

    Noticing a slight error in his arm¡¯s positioning, he corrected it. Eager with his new discovery, he spread the colors throughout his entire body, drinking in the sensations of all its functions and gathering as much information as possible from his toes to his legs to his torso and the organs therein to the spinal cord up to his entire head. Thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, cerebellum, pituitary gland, cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, corpus callosum, every individual neuron firing off electrical signals in a network so complex its intricacies eluded¡ª

    He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. ¡°What happened!? Are you hurt?¡±

    The words caused him to look up, which made him realize he was on his knees and panting like his life depended on it. Calliope¡¯s bird mask stared back at him, concern evident from her tone and position.

    ¡°This was to be expected,¡± Nar assured, leisurely strolling up to them. ¡°He¡¯s sensing his own brain for the first time. With such heightened precision, it''s quite overwhelming, far too much to simultaneously maintain awareness of the outside world or his own physical form.¡±

    Lyra looked at Nar for a few seconds, then back to Finn. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Finn said. Only a bit of nausea that quickly faded as he stood up. He nodded at her. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±

    And so they did. Whatever program the training field ran on apparently also tracked their vitals, which confirmed that he was indeed fine. After that, they wasted no time getting back into the swing of things.

    Avoiding his brain this time around, Finn mapped out his body and corrected every flaw in his stance that he could find, resulting in a far smoother opening. Once he was satisfied with his position, he used his power to determine the most efficient way to move his limbs with minimal energy expenditure.

    The difference was immediately noticeable. Nar pressed him with a counter, but Finn merely bent one knee and tilted his head to the side, causing the punch to miss by millimeters.

    He wasn¡¯t done. No need to foolishly ignore his momentum when every part of his body was telling him where it was going. He leaned into his evasion and threw a hard left. Nar weaved and threw a jab. Finn stepped around it to counter, causing Nar to spin and kick.

    It landed on two blocking arms and pushed him back. Nar followed up but Finn once again leaned into his movement and did a back handspring, hands hitting the floor and easily supporting his body as his legs flew over him. He was aware that he was still being chased, so he did another. And another. And another.

    When he came back up, he saw Nar retreating from a shockwave Calliope had thrown. His eyes narrowed. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have made it out of that exchange on his own. This wasn¡¯t enough. He needed to be better.

    Nar¡¯s opinion differed. ¡°Fantastic, Shade! Absolutely fantastic. Your application of increased proprioception is even better than I hoped!¡±

    They engaged in a two-on-one, Finn taking point now because he was able to hold off Nar for far longer than before. That allowed Lyra to take advantage of openings and deter Nar from punishing Finn for leaving openings.

    Granted, none of this actually brought them any closer to landing a hit or causing this rising star to up his speed, which Finn was sure he could. However, they were able to force him to reposition somewhat consistently.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Throughout their fight, Finn kept pulling out new moves. Nar was still beating him back, but the exchanges lasted far longer. Everything he¡¯d drilled was coming to the forefront. Weeks of training culminating in this moment. Backflips, cartwheels, various martial techniques, it all came to him like breathing. Natural and easy, almost subconscious.

    The rest of the fight passed in a blur, much like the rather inventive exercises that came after. Finn was too caught up in his new epiphany to think about more than carrying out instructions. Before he knew it, the lesson ended.

    Lyra was sitting next to him, her breathing heavy. He was similarly exhausted, focused on getting more oxygen in his lungs while Nar talked with their spectators. It was such a strange yet calming sensation, being able to track every single one of his bodily functions. Those anatomy textbooks Jack had made him study were coming in handy here, though he was surprised how well he remembered them.

    ¡°Calliope,¡± he said.

    She turned to him. ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°You can hear every sound being made inside of your body, right? Is it always this¡­¡±

    ¡°Gross?¡±

    ¡°Meditative,¡± he finished.

    ¡°Uhh, maybe? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a super zen person or anything, but I can get lost in the sounds sometimes. It just gets weird for me when I think about it too much. Does that make sense?¡±

    Finn nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    They lapsed into silence until Nar came up to them with Moonflower and Casey in tow. He noticed Azur leaving through a side door.

    ¡°I have something to show you,¡± the hero declared, gesturing towards the entrance. ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me.¡±

    That was how they ended up walking through the halls of the complex in a group of five. Finn was at the front with their new host at his side.

    Said host addressed him, bells jingling. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. How do you feel about machine operation?¡±

    ¡°Using my power? I¡¯ve considered it,¡± he answered honestly.

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t found anything worth spending time on? Well, I would strongly recommend exploring it further. Your ability to convey information compared to an unpowered human is frankly astounding. There''s a whole realm of possibilities you can unlock when combining your powers with technology. Precision, efficiency, enhancement. It¡¯s a different form of mastery.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m plenty impressed already,¡± interjected Moonflower, who had fallen into step with them as well. ¡°It¡¯s like night and day, Shade. I remember when you were gawking while Sphinx and that water guy handled some thugs, like it was the wildest thing ever. Feels like yesterday. Next thing I know, you¡¯re taking on Homeland executives, turning whole neighborhoods into massive mirrors, and moving like balance is just an afterthought.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m suggesting ways he could continue climbing the ranks. What he¡¯s accomplished up to this point is, of course, admirable,¡± said Nar.

    ¡°Totally! I''d be lying if I said he couldn''t wipe the floor with me in a fight,¡± she added.

    Assuming she didn¡¯t have anyone too powerful under her control, Finn would agree. Then he wondered if he could use his power to break psionic effects.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± Nar announced, stopping in front of a pristine white sliding door. It opened to reveal an additional set of doors with icons distinguishing them as designated male and female entrances, respectively. ¡°Showers with a costume cleaning area attached.¡±

    Why were they being told about this now? Were they just not expected to stay before, or did these people have something else planned for them?

    He didn¡¯t get any more time to think about it, because Calliope took off her mask, revealing a sweaty Lyra with hair plastered to her forehead. ¡°Thank you, I really appreciate it.¡± She seemed to realize what she¡¯d done afterwards and sheepishly lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m Lyra.¡±

    His eyes widened at the cavalier unmasking of his teammate. He¡¯d told her Moonflower and Cyrus knew her identity, and there was a good chance Nar did too, but from the weird look Casey was giving her, she definitely hadn¡¯t known.

    ¡°Is this really¡­¡± Casey trailed off.

    The jester watched the scene unfold with a tilted head. ¡°It seems so.¡±

    Nar reached up to his own mask and Finn was instantly on guard. He was revealing his identity to them? For what reason? They hadn¡¯t even known each other for a day. Was he trying to bait Finn into revealing himself while using some copied disguise power to cover up his true face? Were they about to reveal critical information about themselves as collateral for some binding contract? He was abruptly starting to wonder if his initial paranoia hadn¡¯t been right all along. He checked for cameras, but there weren¡¯t any observing them.

    The cap and mask were removed to bare a familiar face, one Finn had thought he would encounter again but not in this context. Not in the least. And now that he knew who he¡¯d been exchanging blows with this whole time, all he could think was that it made sense. There was really only one person Finn knew who had this level of uncanny insight, and he was right here.

    Aiden smiled. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lyra. My name is Aiden.¡±

    Moonflower was next. ¡°Colette,¡± was all she said, spinning the helmet in her hands. He had suspected it was her as soon as he saw Nar¡¯s real face, but it was good to have confirmation. This explained her deep involvement with Cyrus¡¯ organization, what with her being involved with the Wardell family in both parts of her life.

    Everyone was looking at Finn, now.

    ¡°Shade,¡± Lyra tried.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t feel pressured to unmask just yet,¡± Aiden said with his characteristic calm and inviting demeanor.¡±I understand we caught you off guard, and it''s perfectly reasonable to keep your identity under wraps if you prefer.¡±

    "Seconded!" Colette chimed in with a playful grin. "And don''t worry, I promise I won''t tease you too much if you''ve got some seriously oversized ears or something."

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Casey demanded. She looked at her brother, pointing an accusing finger at him. ¡°You planned this, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Aiden held his hands up. ¡°I did no such thing.¡±

    Finn took the time they went back and forth to think. He was fairly sure Aiden was telling the truth, considering Lyra had been the one to initiate this whole thing. And he had no clue why she¡¯d done that, but if he was going to ask, it would be when they were alone again.

    The only question he needed to answer right this moment was whether or not to show these people his face. And he could come out with countless reasons not to. First off, the security risks. Anything that led to Finneas Allister would lead to his mother, which was dangerous for obvious reasons. Second, he would never be safe from reprisal in the event of betrayal unless he used his power to disguise his identity. But again, his mother would be vulnerable.

    Third, he barely knew these people as heroes, but at the same time had already interacted with them in his civilian identity. And if he revealed himself here, those two parts of his life would meld together irrevocably. Jack was one thing, but to involve so many people who knew Finn with Shade? It seemed ludicrous.

    Although, this might be the next step in his plan of taking risks wherever he could afford to in order to gain power. If he revealed himself to these people, it would allow him to interact with them with or without a mask and improve his relationship with them. Yeah, he rarely cared about what others thought of him, but he could tell they were all hoping he would just introduce himself, even if they were nicely pretending it wouldn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t.

    Besides, he hadn¡¯t forgotten about that perception manipulator or whatever Cyrus¡¯ hidden subordinate had used to keep him from being noticed while standing around in public. That power had probably been turned against Finn already, as much as he hated the idea. He always made sure he wasn¡¯t followed when he went home, and the thought that someone could¡¯ve been staring him in the face while he was none the wiser¡­

    He sighed. No more stalling.

    The head covering of his suit took a bit more time to remove with his visor, but he knew the ins and outs of his costume since he¡¯d done this quite a few times. Just not in front of other people.

    And when he did, everyone went quiet.

    The air in the room cooled his face, which made him realize he was still sweating, too. He brushed his hair out of his face with a glove.

    ¡°Finn!¡±

    Aiden was beaming.

    ¡°Casey, look! It¡¯s your boyfriend.¡±

    Colette smiled, her expression a touch incredulous.

    ¡°Allister, what?¡±

    Casey was gaping at him, her face the picture of shock. She was giving him the look you might expect a child to have when their parents flushed their favorite goldfish down the toilet bowl. Her face morphed from dismayed shock to disbelief, her mouth opening and closing, trying to form words but unable to decide which ones made sense in this moment.

    Her eyes darted between Finn and the rest of the group, searching for some sign that this was all just an elaborate joke, that they were in on it, that there was a punchline waiting somewhere. But no one was laughing. It was all real. Her gaze then locked onto Finn again, her brows knitting together in confusion as she stared at Finn with narrowed eyes like that would suddenly change the fact that her classmate and Shade were the same person.

    ¡°Allister, what?¡± she repeated, her voice higher-pitched than usual. She took a small step back, perhaps in an attempt to get some space to regain her composure. An unsuccessful attempt, it seemed, as she still stood there shaking her head and mouthing slow, inaudible ¡°no¡¯s¡± in a vain attempt to reset reality itself.

    He raised an eyebrow at the spectacle, not having expected such an intense reaction. It wasn¡¯t like he was particularly close with any of them.

    ¡°What does she mean, boyfriend?¡± Lyra was looking between him and Casey.

    ¡°Is that competition I¡¯m hearing?¡± Colette crooned.

    ¡°I¡¯m not anyone¡¯s boyfriend,¡± Finn said, exasperated. He directed his attention at Aiden. ¡°So why did you lead us here? You could¡¯ve just had Azur show us this place if the group unmasking really wasn¡¯t planned like you said.¡±

    ¡°Indeed I could have! However, I saw an opportunity to discuss our expectations for the upcoming mission with you directly,¡± Aiden replied with a wide smile.

    Finn perked up at that. ¡°Upcoming? How long?¡±

    ¡°A week, give or take. It''s a minor operation, laying the groundwork for something substantial. I can''t reveal too much, but my father will brief you on the finer details soon enough.¡±

    That was sooner than expected. ¡°What skills do we need?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly things you¡¯re already proficient at, such as stealth, for insta¡ª¡±

    ¡°No one told me about any of this,¡± Casey interrupted, frowning and glaring around at them.

    ¡°Because you weren''t part of the grand design, were you? Worried I might charm your friends away, dear sister?¡±

    The other Wardell sibling drew herself up to give a retort, then huffed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever.¡±

    ¡°Oh, here''s a thought! Why don¡¯t we all get together and hang out sometime? It¡¯d be a blast!¡± Colette spoke up.

    ¡°I think it could be fun,¡± Lyra said, nervously looking at Finn. It made sense, he supposed. She¡¯d been isolated from people her age for a while, and she wanted him to come along.

    ¡°It could be,¡± Casey conceded, though she still appeared distraught and agitated.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Finn said. He¡¯d already anticipated something like this when he took his mask off. It was odd how surprised Lyra seemed at his agreement, though. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had said yes to this sort of thing.

    ¡°Great!¡± Aiden said, clapping his hands. ¡°We should probably exchange contact information to coordinate and plan something worthwhile.¡±

    And thus, Finn had yet another social occasion marked on his schedule. Just a scant few months ago, he never would¡¯ve thought he would be associating with this kind of crowd, but now that he was, he found he didn¡¯t entirely hate it.

    Time would tell if this would last.

 Chapter 44 - To Cocoon

    ¡°Here you go, ma¡¯am,¡± the cashier said. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You too,¡± the woman replied as she put the receipt in her shopping bag. She hoisted her groceries and walked off to her car, her steps trudging and weary as she made her way across the parking lot.

    She heaved a deep sigh when she finally settled in the driver¡¯s seat, taking a long look at her rearview mirror and seeing the stress lines on the face of her reflection. Her applied lipstick was slightly smudged, a testament to the frantic morning she had spent juggling supply runs she only trusted herself with and appointments with doctors who wouldn¡¯t ask the wrong kinds of questions. She brushed a stray lock of brown hair, streaked with gray despite her relative youth, behind her ear, trying to collect herself. Genevieve Remy was a name few would associate with power or fear, but it was her reality, the mask she wore during the daylight hours.

    Her hands rested on the steering wheel, but she didn''t turn the ignition just yet. The time for her next visit was already nearing, and she knew there wouldn¡¯t be many more before they either found a solution or¡­

    No. They would succeed, no matter what. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched the wheel until her knuckles whitened. A few breaths later, the tension eased, and she began her drive. Traffic was light during this time of day, but that was to be expected, since her schedule was far from regular.

    Genevieve navigated the streets of Apexia with practiced precision, her mind running through the list of tasks she needed to accomplish before the day ended. She still had to place a call to some of her people to consolidate resources now that they were pushing the experimental product harder than ever before.

    She was essentially fighting a war on two fronts. Maybe even three. Ridiculous as it sounded, one of her more promising samples¡ªnot the most promising, those were kept far more securely¡ªhad been raided from a warehouse she had assigned a squad to. By a pair of upstarts. Aside from a brief stint with Homeland, they had been quiet since then, as they should. But Genevieve would not forget.

    Viperia would not forget.

    From Havoc¡¯s report, she knew the little slut had been gravely injured, and could potentially have died. She doubted that latter part, but if it were true, that would be convenient for her. One less headache to worry about. One less problem to throw people at until it went away.

    Truth be told, she was growing frustrated with the lack of results from their latest round of experimentation. Never mind that it was causing the DHD and Homeland both to up the pressure on her gang, the reason she was taking on more heat wasn¡¯t even bearing fruit.

    More failure and disappointment. It was sickening to admit those were becoming constants for her by now, but such was her life. She wanted to take more decisive action, but the last thing she needed was a dead hero being promoted to martyrdom and the inevitable backup she would have to deal with afterwards.

    Unfortunately, the DHD was getting bolder with their grade schoolers, letting them patrol so close to her territory. Again, she was aware of the problem, and couldn¡¯t solve it permanently without inviting even bigger problems.

    Although, it wasn¡¯t like she was entirely heartless. She didn¡¯t want to kill kids. In a different life, she would never even entertain the notion. But here and now, the thought crossed her mind every so often. While she would leave them be for the time being, if they became too troublesome, she would strike them down with force. She couldn¡¯t afford to be soft. She knew that to do so would be taking away someone else¡¯s baby, but she would not hesitate.

    Not when she was so close to losing her own.

    The streets were growing quieter as she turned the corner away from the empty lot she just drove past. After a couple more turns, she pressed a button on her dashboard and a garage door opened up to her left. She drove in, parked her car in the middle of the massive empty space, grabbed her bags and got out.

    She didn¡¯t run, but neither did she waste time. Her steps across the pavement were brisk, the echo of her low heels resonating against the concrete, reminding her that every second counted. The weight of the world pressed down on her, but Genevieve Remy knew better than to show it. She had learned long ago that vulnerability was a luxury she could not allow. In her line of work, displaying weakness was akin to drawing a target on one¡¯s back.

    There¡¯d been a time where she wasn¡¯t involved in this life, but that was long past. She didn¡¯t have a choice now, not when her only reason for living was in peril. She knew better than to live in fantasy.

    Her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket, and she pulled it out, already knowing who was calling. The name on the screen read ¡°Grimoire.¡±

    With a tap, she answered, bringing the phone to her ear. ¡°Talk.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Viperia, always so curt. You wound me.¡± Grimoire¡¯s voice oozed with a practiced elegance, every syllable drawn out as though he savored the sound of his own voice. The cadence was part aristocrat, part arcane scholar¡ªa man whose ego was large enough that he had turned his delusions of being a researcher of mystical arts into reality. ¡°You know, a little ''hello'' wouldn¡¯t kill you. Well, most likely not.¡±

    Genevieve clenched her jaw, her patience with Grimoire already thinning as she quickened her pace across the pavement. ¡°I don''t have time for your games, Alec. Where are we on the research?¡±

    A low chuckle escaped from the other end of the line, a sound rich with amusement and a hint of condescension. ¡°Ah, straight to the point, as always. How very... unmagical of you. But very well, since time seems to weigh so heavily on your shoulders¡ªthough I must say, it¡¯s rather unbecoming of you to be so urgent when dealing with forces beyond your comprehension.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Grimoire,¡± she warned, her tone dropping to a dangerous level. He may have been her biggest hope out of all her lieutenants, but he knew it, and sometimes he needed to be reminded of his place.

    ¡°Tch, fine, fine. If you insist on being boring.¡± His voice lost its mocking lilt, replaced by something more serious. ¡°Ah, progress¡­ it''s crawling, as you might expect with something of this magnitude. Even for one as gifted as myself, this is no simple incantation. Your offspring¡¯s condition is¡­ quite remarkable, truly. It¡¯s as though his very essence¡ªhis soul, if you will¡ªis shedding its former state, evolving into something far beyond what we¡¯ve seen before. An unprecedented metamorphosis.¡±

    Upon hearing that, her grip tightened. ¡°And you can¡¯t tell me what¡¯s going to happen to him when that process is done?¡±

    ¡°At this juncture, the outcome remains shrouded in uncertainty. But I suspect you have little appetite for exercising patience while we await its culmination, do you?¡± he asked despite knowing the answer.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    Grimoire let out an exaggerated sigh, as if truly disappointed in her lack of tolerance for the intricacies of his work. "You¡¯re always so pragmatic, Viperia. A shame, really. If you embraced the unknown, just a little, you might find it liberating."

    Genevieve didn¡¯t respond, her silence icy and absolute, letting the weight of her expectations hang in the air between them. She could picture him now, lounging in some over-decorated study, draped in velvet or something equally insufferable, twirling a quill as he stalled for the sake of his own amusement.

    ¡°Very well,¡± he relented with a huff, his tone growing more businesslike. ¡°I¡¯ve been delving into the more¡­ esoteric realms of alchemy, combining conventional science with what I call ¡®existential transmutation.¡¯ The process involves altering the very nature of a person¡¯s essence¡ªtheir being¡ªat a fundamental level. Through that, I will be able to synthesize a counteragent to halt the transformation.¡±

    He paused, letting his words sink in. "But before you ask, no, this isn¡¯t some garden-variety serum or chemical concoction. It¡¯s alchemy on a level most mortals would call madness. I, however, call it¡­ innovation.¡±

    His voice lingered on that last word, as if he found great satisfaction in the sheer audacity of it. She didn¡¯t play along.

    ¡°And how long will it take?¡± was her reply.

    ¡°By my estimation? A month. Give or take, of course.¡± Grimoire¡¯s voice dripped with casual arrogance, as if even time itself was a mere suggestion when he was involved. ¡°But that, my dear Viperia, is hardly our greatest hurdle. No, no¡ªwhat we need to focus on is the acquisition of¡­ materials. The rarer, the better. Our current samples might suffice¡ªin theory¡ªbut if we¡¯re to guarantee absolute stability, I require something a bit more¡­ exclusive.¡± He let the pause linger, savoring the last word like fine wine. "Think of it as the difference between using a common gemstone and, say, a flawless diamond.¡±

    She knew it was pointless to question the demands of his ¡®recipes,¡¯ so she didn¡¯t, instead saying, ¡°Let me guess. The Hollowsworn?¡±

    ¡°Regrettably, yes. Only they can provide the purity I require.¡± Grimoire¡¯s tone was measured, devoid of humor, as if the gravity of the situation had finally settled on him.

    Her expression morphed into a scowl. She never liked dealing with those unsavory zealots. Someone else in the district had already tried smuggling one of their primebeasts in, and paid dearly for it. But she lacked the time and power to turn her nose up at them, much as that grated on her.

    No reason not to go forward with this. ¡°...See it done. You have my support, just don¡¯t get the military involved.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. I¡¯ll work quietly, in the shadows where I so adore playing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been good at quiet,¡± she shot back, her voice sharp. ¡°Make sure this time is the exception.¡±

    ¡°Always so commanding,¡± he mused, undeterred by her tone. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. The Hollowsworn have their uses, and when properly¡­ motivated, they can be very cooperative. Just be prepared for some additional expenses. Rare beasts don¡¯t come cheap, and neither do their handlers.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not dealing with live beasts,¡± she decreed. ¡°Now. Get. Started.¡± And with that, she ended the call.

    Putting her phone away, walked down the stairs into the underground complex and shook off her previous mood. Best not to be all dour-faced for this.

    ¡°Elise,¡± she said to the woman in front of the reinforced metal door. ¡°How is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been excited to see you ever since he woke up twenty minutes ago, boss.¡±

    She bobbed her head once, then fixed her gaze on the door. ¡°Open it,¡± she commanded.

    Elise obeyed and punched in the code for her. Stepping through, the head of the Venin put on her best motherly smile. ¡°Yves? I¡¯m back. I brought your favorite.¡±

    In the corner of the room, a small figure hunched in front of a television screen turned at the sound of his name being called. He had taken traits from both his parents, but his eyes, the one feature that most strongly resembled her own, were now replaced with solid black orbs. It didn''t matter. He was her son.

    ¡°Mom!¡± Clawed, carapace-covered hands and feet scrambled to get upright. A quartet of translucent wings unfurled on his back, and he fluttered over to her, his expression one of elation.

    ¡°Mom,¡± he repeated. ¡°I had a nap today, like super much longer than normal. I dreamed about piloting a spaceship and taking everyone to the moon. Noor was there. Can you believe that?¡±

    Her heart clenched, but she didn¡¯t let it show on her face. ¡°That¡¯s great. How long did you sleep?¡±

    ¡°Twenty-two hours. Why? Is something wrong?¡±

    Worse than last time, she concluded. ¡°No, nothing is wrong,¡± she assured him, pulling his inordinately strong body close and wrapping him in her arms. In her human form, she was just a normal person, but she could transfer light damage to her other form in this base state. At least he wasn¡¯t using his power. That made things easier. ¡°Mommy is here for you.¡±

    Genevieve held Yves close, feeling the warmth and slight tremor in his body. She couldn''t deny the unease settling in her stomach. Each day, the symptoms of his condition seemed to grow more pronounced, and the hours he slept crept longer and longer. Yet, for now, her embrace was enough to reassure him. His giggle resounded in the room as he nestled against her shoulder, content and unaware of the storm brewing inside her.

    For years now, she had clung to the hope that that man would reappear, offering another miraculous remedy. But that hope had died a swift death when she caught wind of his demise. There would be no miracle drug this time, not unless Viperia got her baby boy one herself. And she could. Because she would do anything for her son.

    Anything.

    Even if it killed her.

 Chapter 45 - To Shadow

    Finn walked up the steps and through the entrance to the school building, invisibly probing with his sensory power to scan the place top to bottom. Save the people, as he couldn¡¯t use his power on them.

    However, he could still infer where they were some of the time. Arbitrary though it may have been, the objects people carried could be detected by his power. They just couldn¡¯t be considered clothing, or part of a person, or however his power decided what he was and wasn¡¯t able to affect. For example, if an individual a few blocks away was wearing gloves, those gloves would not be apparent to his senses. But if they were carrying an object like, say, a phone, then his power could reach it. Here at school, he put that into practice, locating the hundreds of students by the items on their person.

    Finn navigated the halls of the school with a precision only his unique power could afford him. He effortlessly sidestepped a pair of students loitering near their lockers, their phones lighting up his mental map like small beacons. Ahead, a teacher''s briefcase and the rattling keys in her hand signaled her presence long before he would have otherwise noticed her rounding the corner.

    He''d gotten used to this peculiar way of seeing the world, where the inanimate told the story of the animate. He couldn''t detect the warm breath of the person or the subtle shift of their muscles under clothing, but the clattering of a backpack full of books, the swing of a keychain, or the slight jingle of loose change was more than enough to sketch out the school¡¯s daily rhythm.

    Granted, that didn¡¯t account for everyone. Some people, he was only vaguely aware of because they didn¡¯t carry any such items, instead having to rely on the discoloration left by their shadows in order to infer where they were. This was even less reliable of a method for distinguishing a person from an object, as some shadows were so distorted or stationary that it was impossible for him to tell the difference.

    Though he had to admit he hadn¡¯t explored this facet of his power to the best of his ability. A limited degree of interaction with energy, Aiden had called it. Such as the light shining on a material surface, changing its perceived color. Finn didn¡¯t understand the distinction between that and the ¡®color¡¯ of the base composition of a given material. When a certain color of light, say, a red one, shone on something, he would be able to identify that color, and how the surface looked despite the base matter itself never changing. How did his power decide what color something was? Could it truly be conceptual, like Aiden had speculated?

    The only other feat he¡¯d been able to accomplish with this technique, if he could call it that, was to dampen flames. He had already done so when Ignis started that fire during their fight. At the time, when he realized they were within his capability to affect, he had figured that he would simply blacken them so as to stop the heat from spreading. But it had been far more effective than anticipated. And the vantablack coloration over such a wide range had strained his power more than anything ever had before.

    Gaining insight as to his limitations was difficult, he concluded. Especially when his power was so enigmatic. Every time Finn thought he had a grasp on it, something new and unexpected would happen, throwing him off balance. It was frustrating, like trying to piece together a puzzle without all the pieces¡ªor with pieces that kept changing shape. Still, he had come to terms with it, knowing that understanding would come with time and practice. He just needed to keep pushing the boundaries, little by little.

    His senses alerted him to a shadow moving through the crowd of students, deftly avoiding its surrounding obstacles without slowing its pace. It wove all the way through the crowd behind him until he turned to see who it was.

    ¡°Ines,¡± he said.

    The girl he was addressing wore her dark hair in a ponytail, as usual. She wasn¡¯t wearing a backpack or holding a phone, but he didn¡¯t know if that was unusual, as he hadn¡¯t ever paid that any special attention before now. Upon seeing him, her eyes widened and she smiled.

    ¡°Finn, hey! So nice of you to greet me,¡± she said, walking up to him.

    ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    She brushed him off with a grin. ¡°Oh, relax! We¡¯re just chatting like we always do. So, what¡¯s been going on with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been fine,¡± was all he offered. And normally, that would be the end of their talk for him, but now he wanted to know something. ¡°You¡¯re good friends with Casey, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°The best! Why? Need me to play wingwoman some more?¡±

    ¡°No. I assume you¡¯ve known her for long?¡±

    ¡°As long as I can remember. The two of us? We go way back. In diapers together and everything. You¡¯d have to search far to find someone who knows Casey better than I do,¡± she said, her voice taking on a fond note.

    He gave her a sidelong glance. ¡°You must have spent a lot of time around her family, then.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah. I know them pretty well too.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s interesting?¡± asked another voice from the side. Finn didn¡¯t have to turn his head to know who it was, having recognized her bag already.

    ¡°Casey!¡± Ines exclaimed. ¡°Finn was just wondering how long I¡¯ve known you because he misses you so much.¡±

    ¡°Was he, now?¡± Casey said, arms crossed and giving him a meaningful stare.

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    Finn met her gaze, and immediately began to think about the possibility of her obliterating his secret identity at any moment. There was no turning back, and they both knew it. Had he made the right choice? Could she be trusted to keep that information to herself, or was she simply waiting to reveal it? And if she wasn¡¯t, she might be the weakest link in the chain. If someone else found out about his new affiliation and wanted to pursue the face behind the mask, she might be the first to crack under pressure.

    Or not.

    He exhaled. ¡°It looked like she was part of your inner circle, so I asked.¡±

    Ines put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You can be, too, Finn. Just let me help you, and you can continue staring lovingly at each other all you want.¡±

    They both shot her unamused looks.

    ¡°No need to help him. Finn¡¯s a natural charmer, just give him some time,¡± said a fourth participant in this ridiculous social interaction.

    Jack stepped up beside Finn with a smile, and one moment of eye contact was enough to convey a thousand words. He knew what was going on here, and he was pushing Finn along.

    The banter continued after that, but Finn¡¯s thoughts were still occupied by his friend. Gridlock was scheduled to receive instruction starting today. There weren¡¯t many things he could do or say that would help with tonight¡¯s training. And unlike before, he wouldn¡¯t be there to oversee what was happening. Not to mention Jack would most likely unmask, seeing as the rest of the team had already done so.

    Either way, he didn¡¯t have long to worry about it, because their next mission was coming up soon.

    *******

    Landing well away from the ledge of another apartment complex, Lyra straightened her legs and began to wait. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for this to be one of their meeting spots. Whether it was out of habit or just because it seemed more practical, they never just met up at their destination rather than linking up somewhere else before going together.

    It had been getting easier, but now, she was nervous again. While Finn had given his typical ¡°it¡¯s fine¡± response when she asked if it was okay that she had chosen to unmask, she still felt she had overstepped a boundary. She hadn¡¯t intended to force him to reveal his face; she was just so tired after fighting Nar that she hardly thought about it until it was too late.

    And now she was waiting for her friend again so they could learn the outline of their next mission. So it was no surprise when she heard him coming well before he was in her field of vision. And once he was, she could hardly even tell that she was there; the sound of his grappling hook gave him away, obviously, but if she didn¡¯t have super hearing, he could have easily escaped her notice.

    If she hadn¡¯t been specifically looking for him, she was sure he would have. The colors of his gadget and costume were blending in near-perfectly with the night, and his movements were more efficient than ever. He was close to mastering camouflage, she thought.

    She would have been lying if she said she wasn¡¯t impressed by the sudden leap of progress Finn had made against Nar. Really, she was impressed by a lot of things Finn did, but yesterday had been particularly noteworthy. He would probably blow most professional gymnasts out of the water, and she didn¡¯t even know if she fully understood the significance of his improvement. There was probably more to it that went over her head.

    The hook reeled in one more time, and her partner leaped onto the roof. ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asked.

    She nodded, and Finn wasted no time before turning to shoot his hook again and swing to another building. She was used to this behavior by now, and it wasn¡¯t like they couldn¡¯t talk on the way.

    ¡°Hey, um,¡± she began.

    Finn just looked at her to acknowledge he had heard. He didn¡¯t miss a step even while running with his head turned.

    Lyra hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I just wanted to say... I¡¯m sorry, again, about the whole unmasking thing. I didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot like that."

    Finn refocused on his path, leaping smoothly between buildings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said, his tone flat but not unkind. ¡°It was my decision to reveal myself, not yours.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But nothing. I know how exactly much of a risk I took by showing them my face. It¡¯s too late to change my mind and too soon to regret it. I was planning to do something similar regardless. None of it was your fault. It would be pathetic of me to blame you for choosing to be open,¡± he countered. Then after a pause, he added, ¡°And don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand why you did it.¡±

    Now it was her turn to pause. He¡¯d known why she did it? Why had she¡­ oh gosh. That was so embarrassing. She was so desperate for affection that she¡¯d jumped at the first opportunity to try and forge new connections, and he knew it. She felt her face heating up as she realized she¡¯d been seen through. She needed to say something else, quickly.

    ¡°Okay, I think you¡¯re right. Maybe I was just¡­ curious.¡±

    She could imagine Finn¡¯s raised eyebrow. ¡°Curious?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I just wanted to know why you did it, I guess. Taking your mask off, I mean,¡± she said. Wow, that sounded dumb. She re-apologized for something she¡¯d already been forgiven for because she couldn¡¯t communicate like a normal human being.

    Her awkwardness hung in the air for a moment as she struggled to recover from her own words. Finn didn¡¯t immediately respond, navigating the rooftops with a fluid grace that seemed almost second nature to him. The silence wasn¡¯t uncomfortable, but it wasn¡¯t exactly reassuring either. Lyra wanted to kick herself for fumbling the conversation, but there was no taking it back now.

    ¡°I already knew all of them from my civilian life,¡± he said eventually. ¡°I didn¡¯t interact with them often, and I can¡¯t take it back, but that familiarity influenced my thought process.¡±

    Lyra blinked. ¡°Really? That makes sense.¡±

    She nodded to herself, not sure if Finn noticed the gesture. There was more to it than she had initially been aware of. He wasn¡¯t doing these things impulsively at all, was he? All his decisions were well thought-out. He always had a reason, a plan, even if he didn¡¯t share it. Maybe especially when he didn¡¯t share it. Could she emulate that behavior?

    These thoughts are pointless. Embrace me and observe your true nature.

    She frowned. Of course. When the voice in her head reared its ugly head again, she could do nothing except bite her lip in muted frustration and ignore it, like basically every other time it happened. Was it getting more insistent?

    Lyra shook off those thoughts, knowing they wouldn¡¯t help her here. They had arrived, and they were going to be receiving the necessary information on their next mission from their benefactor, Cyrus Wardell.

    Time to see what they were getting involved with this time.

 Chapter 46 - To Prod

    Everything was ready. He knew his destination, but it was a strange feeling nonetheless. It had been too long since he¡¯d last done this. Even though the time off had been essential, vital to increase his competency, his patience had worn thin. Finally, it was time to get back into the action.

    Quietly.

    Finn approached the building with soundless footfalls, courtesy of Lyra. It was a familiar routine, easy to slip into and easier to maintain. The difference was that his form was fit for sneaking around, now. His feet were placed with care, one in front of the other while remaining vigilant of his surroundings. Really, the silencing from his teammate was probably redundant, but he wasn¡¯t going to say no to the extra certainty.

    Especially considering the place they had been tasked with infiltrating. It wasn¡¯t an out-of-the-way warehouse this time. No, instead, it was a legal establishment complete with licenses and all the other necessary certification.

    If they were caught, it would complicate things for them. After all, Shade being spotted robbing a store wasn¡¯t exactly in line with his occupation as a hero. Not to mention the moral objections he would have against petty theft.

    Fortunately, they weren¡¯t actually here to steal any products sold by the store itself. Rather, the reason they were here was stored in the backroom behind the counter.

    As for what he could sense back there? Literal piles of drugs. Packaged in the same strange cubes he had seen on his first night out.

    ¡°This mission will be placing the first domino,¡± Cyrus had said when they were being told about this operation. ¡°Setting the stage for the inevitable collapse of Viperia and her little criminal gang.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re taking down the Venin? For good?¡± Lyra had asked, sounding slightly shocked.

    ¡°Quite so, and swiftly at that. By the end of next month, there will be no more Venin to speak of.¡±

    And with that declaration, they had gone on this mission. The job of itself was fairly simple: get in, extract as many of the cubes as possible, get out. The problem was that there were more security measures in place than they could possibly circumvent. The gang leadership wasn''t stupid; they knew they had to protect their assets if they were facing people with the ability to go invisible. Not that Finn was ignorant enough to think he was the only opponent they had, but that kind of preparation needed to be factored in when making decisions about how to handle this.

    How they stashed such a ridiculous amount of drugs here without worrying about potential inspections by the authorities, he had no clue, but that was neither here nor there. What mattered was that they couldn¡¯t simply call the police and have them call the place up because, even if they managed to get the government heroes to come along to requisition the dangerous narcotics, the chances of the Venin stealing the drugs back were just too high. Nevermind the fact that law enforcement wasn¡¯t authorized to destroy the drugs on sight. They had to take it back for scanning first, keep it in holding, ensure a safe destruction site that had no risk of contamination, et cetera.

    Needless to say, doing this mission was much quicker, in addition to guaranteeing effectiveness. The only downside was the increased risk factor, there was no getting around the fact that they were putting themselves at risk by not just going out, but also going after one of the gangs they¡¯d made an enemy out of. This time, however, they had a support network capable of handling any unforeseen complications.

    Finn crouched low, slipping behind a stack of crates as they neared the back entrance. The store was quiet, save for the hum of the overhead lights and the occasional shuffle of the clerk out front. This part of the plan was simple. With his improved control over his power, he reached out toward the security camera lens and projected an image identical to what it had been recording less than a minute ago.

    He reached out with his senses again, feeling the shapes of the objects in the backroom. Shelves, boxes, a metal counter. And there, scattered in a locked storage cage, were the cubes. They seemed smaller than the one he¡¯d seen previously. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was his imagination, and he frankly didn¡¯t care about their size beyond how easy it would make carrying the things out. But then he saw something else. Sensors underneath the drugs, presumably sensitive to weight.

    One man stood guard watching the entrance, but he was tased and taken care of in short order. All it took was a quick detour through the window, which he opened by using his power to sense the internal structure of the lock and applying the targeted magnetism function of his glove.

    With another shift in colors on his phone, he wrote out the message towards Lyra. He knew he could talk and only she would be able to hear him, but it would be imprudent if he didn¡¯t have a way to silently communicate to her over long distances the same way she could, considering his power.

    They had no way to get the product out without also tripping the alarms, so they would have to get as much as they could and then retreat. But with Lyra¡¯s ability and his grappling hooks, they could move quite a lot. They had even brought a large enough sack to store it in.

    Lyra stalked in after he opened the door from the other side, her movements a bit less smooth than his own, yet still far more practiced than ever before. Together, they headed for the stash and got in position to bolt as quickly as possible when the time came.

    Upon taking this mission, Finn wondered what the purpose behind taking drugs was beyond kicking the hornet¡¯s nest. And their benefactor had of course provided an answer.

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    ¡°Their leader does not limit her clientele to addicts in street corners,¡± Cyrus had explained. ¡°While she is desperate enough to have started such trades, her major buyers purchase in bulk, and close deals in advance. Ones which her people have to produce and store the drug for. By hitting some of those hitting storages, we are putting her in hot waters with outside forces.¡±

    It made sense to Finn. It would be significantly harder for the Venin to strike back if she was dealing with insistent customers who weren¡¯t getting their money¡¯s worth; fighting a war on so many fronts at once was impossible.

    Conversely, a desperate Viperia would also be more prone to acting rashly, so they still had to be careful.

    Regarding this probing strike in particular, Cyrus had seemed certain about their success, and given everything at play, Finn wasn¡¯t about to disagree with the man.

    Lyra had been less sure. ¡°But what do we do when they send their top guys after us?¡±

    She had gotten a smile in response. ¡°Let them come. You are no longer solo agents without support, so why should you operate as though you are?¡±

    That was true, at least. They were prepared for potential complications. But here and now, they had to remove this tarp from the boxes. He did so without tripping the alarm, and so they began an unspoken countdown.

    On his signal, they both took as many cubes as they could and sprinted back out. The Venin absolutely knew what had been stolen now, and they weren¡¯t going to wait around to find out. Moments later, they were climbing a nearby rooftop and dashing into the night, the clerk running the store none the wiser.

    Even if there hadn¡¯t been an instant alert, the guard Finn had knocked out had likely missed some sort of check-in. There was no doubt the response would be fast. He would prefer if they made it out in time, but he knew the odds of that happening were low.

    Unlike last time, he wasn¡¯t making the mistake of waiting until he was already running before making sure there weren¡¯t any trackers on the containers holding the product. He knew there were and, thanks to Gridlock, they had been able to secure a drone capable of inhibiting the signal prior to meeting up for the job.

    ¡°Shade, I¡¯m hearing really fast clinking noises in the distance,¡± Lyra warned. ¡°Chains, maybe.¡±

    Chains? That was bad. He knew exactly who matched that description among the Venin¡¯s roster. Fetter, an enforcer with a track record of brutal and efficient murders under his belt. Known for taking out the trash on Viperia¡¯s behalf. Less unhinged collateral damage than Havoc, but more bodies.

    Despite having switched off the tracker, the Venin did have people stationed in the area in the event of a hit like this. And that was evidently enough for this powered criminal to find them. Lyra told him what direction their pursuer was coming from and Finn led them down the route that put the most distance between them.

    The first sign Finn perceived was a long shadow in the shape of a series of interconnected rings. Then he noticed chains wrapping around lamp posts, buildings, and other outcroppings in the environment. When he glanced behind him, he saw a figure wrapped in so many metal chains they might as well be armor with glowing yellow eyes, swinging towards them at rapid speed.

    He thought they would have a few more seconds to run away, but it seemed that was not to be. A volley of absurdly thick chain links the size of a fist flew through the air, promising to shatter their bones if they hit, impact absorption suits be damned.

    Had this happened a month ago, this might have been the end for him, what with the metal flying both at him and any direction he could dodge in. With his current level of skill, though, he simply jumped and tossed his bag to the sky, contorted himself in midair, and the charge of his staff smack away two of the links in order to create a narrow gap for himself which he just barely fit through.

    Lyra had thrown a shockwave to throw off the trajectory of the projectiles and spun in place to avoid them. The remaining projectile either sailed into the brisk night air or peppered the building ahead, sending dust and chips of brick flying.

    A breath later they were running again, and Finn knew this wasn¡¯t sustainable. They couldn¡¯t keep themselves open for potshots. Either they engaged Fetter in battle, or they ran into reinforcements.

    While Nar was patrolling nearby, he was still a few minutes out from their location, meaning that with his current combination of powers he wouldn¡¯t make it in time.

    But Frameshot did.

    Chain links exploded at Fetter¡¯s side, bits of metal raining down as the villain careened into the side of a building.

    The older vigilante was crouched a few roofs away, holding a huge, scoped rifle in his hands. Around him, a white haze breezed off him like pulses of wind, hints of blue at the edges. He leaned to the right, and in a blur he was on the next building over, steadying his aim in record time for another shot.

    Fetter was ready the second time around, forming a ball of chains to block the shots while repositioning and firing more of those projectiles. Frameshot sidestepped them with casual ease and moved closer between them and the villain, buying a window for them to escape as he shot enhanced bullets at the Venin lieutenant.

    The metal-clad man was pushing back hard against Frameshot¡¯s assault, the chains flying faster and faster as the villain adapted to his new opponent. Clattering echoes of metal links whipping through the air filled the street, punctuated by the sharp cracks of Frameshot¡¯s rifle punishing every attempt to close the gap.

    Seeing this, the younger vigilantes didn¡¯t waste a second longer, immediately taking the opportunity to duck into a side alley out of sight. As soon as they stepped into a corridor ahead of them, Finn pushed his senses outward, feeling the layout of the narrow space they¡¯d entered. His breathing was controlled, steady, though his heart hammered in his chest. Lyra was right behind him, her movements silent as ever. They exchanged a glance before running off towards the drop-off point.

    Their first mission from Cyrus was a success, but Finn hated how he had once again been running away. Intellectually, he knew he had achieved his goal as intended. It was just that he couldn¡¯t deny to himself the fact that he was helpless against people of Fetter¡¯s caliber in a head-to-head confrontation, like he had been previously.

    So he concluded what he had all the previous times this thought came up: he needed more. More power, more insights, more resources.

    And he wasn¡¯t going to stop until he got it.

 Chapter 47 - To Broach

    If there was one habit she had maintained after running away from home, it was looking in the mirror. Lyra checked herself over for the umpteenth time, her eyes drifting to her hair. Black at the roots; she¡¯d have to dye it again soon. And she couldn¡¯t forget her glasses, even though she hadn¡¯t ever had problems with her vision. At least she had an excuse to fuss over her appearance with the disguise she needed to maintain.

    Perhaps nobody was actively looking for her, but she wasn¡¯t going to risk it. Better to just keep it up and make sure she was never caught, because she absolutely could not afford to be. The last thing she wanted was to be caged like an animal, forced to dance to the whims of some government organization that couldn¡¯t care less about her.

    Good. Let that drive you.

    Lyra took a deep breath and let it out slowly, summoning every ounce of self-control not to give any other visible reaction to the voice starting to agree with her thoughts. Just like everything else, this wasn¡¯t going to stop her from solving her problems her own way.

    Giving herself a last once-over in the mirror to make sure she didn¡¯t look too bad, she headed out the door, walking down the stairs of the apartment complex towards the outside world.

    Though she hadn¡¯t questioned it much at the time, this place had been rather easy for her to get. To her knowledge, the owner of this building wasn¡¯t engaged in anything illegal, but she wasn¡¯t who they thought she was. Back then, she had been surprised by the relative trustworthiness of the people who had forged her new identity. Now, she knew Cyrus Wardell had been the one ensuring she got settled quickly.

    She didn¡¯t know what to make of it. Not that she was ungrateful or anything, just¡­ it made her suspicious. He obviously wanted her because of her power, but where would she end up if she kept doing what he asked? Where would Finn end up? Well, they would deal with that when the time came. Her teammate seemed to trust the man, or at least willing to play along for the moment, so she simply followed his lead. She trusted his judgment.

    A few days had passed without incident since they completed that mission and successfully escaped from that Venin lieutenant. No emergency abdominal surgeries this time. The corners of her mouth twitched downward as she stopped her hand from going to her scar. She didn¡¯t like being reminded of it, and she liked the idea of bringing attention to it even less.

    Lyra¡¯s steps echoed faintly in the stairwell as she made her way to the lobby. The cool, stale air of the apartment complex was a stark contrast to the warmth outside, the kind of heat that clung to you like an unwanted shadow. She paused for a moment, her hand lingering on the door handle. The voice had been quieter lately, but its presence was always a weight in the back of her mind. Not enough to distract her from her goals, but enough to remind her that it was still there. Watching. Waiting.

    Out on the street, the city buzzed with its usual rhythm. Cars sped by, people moved with purpose, and somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. Lyra slid her glasses up the bridge of her nose, scanning the area as she stepped onto the sidewalk. She was just another girl in the crowd. She had learned not to glance around suspiciously, look for exits, or jump at every sudden movement in her peripheral vision. It wasn¡¯t necessary. She could simply use her power to map out the area with sound, and the people around her wouldn¡¯t notice a thing.

    She let out a quiet breath and tapped into the familiar sensation¡ªan invisible ripple extending out from her like a pulse, bouncing off the surfaces around her. She didn¡¯t need to close her eyes to picture the map in her head. It was instinct by now, like breathing. The echo returned in waves, tracing the world in shades of sound only she could interpret.

    Pedestrians rushed past, a child tugging at her mother¡¯s hand, a couple deep in conversation. Nothing stood out. She wasn¡¯t being followed; no unfamiliar shapes hovering too long in one place, no sudden movements that set her instincts on edge. She forced her muscles to relax and matched her pace to the casual rhythm of the sidewalk.

    One step at a time, she reminded herself. One step at a time.

    For people she expected to interact with more than once, she tended to commit the sounds they passively emitted to memory. Their breathing patterns, their footsteps, the tempo of their movements, that kind of thing. Finn was the person she was most familiar with, but she could also pick out the other three when she reached the street behind her destination. And going by the way the Finn-shaped blob turned its head in her direction, she had been noticed as well.

    When they came into view, Lyra saw the Wardell siblings standing in the middle with Finn and Colette on either side of them. She was surprised to see them here with such low security, but then again, maybe there was actually a ton of security present that she didn¡¯t know of. If there was one thing Cyrus had made clear, it was that he had the means to employ subtle guardians.

    Casey was standing with her arms crossed while Aiden conversed with Finn about¡­ having hero parents? What? She¡¯d never known Finn¡¯s parents were heroes! But wait, why were they discussing this in public? And Finn wasn¡¯t even wearing his disguise. Had he deemed it safe now that they had other people around, or did he just not care anymore? Ugh, she wasn¡¯t even within earshot and everything about this meeting was already throwing her off.

    She pursed her lips and looked up at the building, which was at least familiar. It was an arcade that had been founded before Apexia, nearly a century ago. After the emergence of primebeasts, it had been damaged, but remained standing¡ªthough it had received many renovations over the years. Along with the Wardell estate, it was one of the most famous buildings in the district.

    By contrast, the faces of the Wardell children weren¡¯t well-known at all, which was probably intentional on Cyrus¡¯ part. That was a decision she agreed with, at least. Fame wasn¡¯t something you thrust upon someone, they had to want it for themselves.

    Colette waved, which made Casey turn to look as well. Aiden and Finn¡¯s eyes were already on her. Lyra didn¡¯t like being the last to arrive and holding everyone up, but it was convenient that she wouldn¡¯t have to wait for everyone to gather. She was sure she was on time, regardless.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Colette said when she arrived.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re at capacity,¡± Aiden announced, breaking off his conversation with Finn. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡±

    And so they did. The entrance hall was lined with colorful lights on the sides, creating the right atmosphere for an arcade. It was hard to articulate, really. She wasn¡¯t sure what gave those semi-dark pathways that appeal, but it was there. There was no issue with visibility, but the dim lighting combined with the neon colors gave the place a feeling of immersion, like stepping into another world. Lyra adjusted her glasses again as she entered, the faint sound of game machines and the steady hum of conversation filling the air. The arcade was busy, but not overwhelming. People clustered around various machines, some lost in their own battles against pixelated enemies, others laughing as they shared a round of multiplayer fun.

    Finn walked ahead of her, not giving any outward sign of wariness, but nevertheless being ready. Again, it was hard to pinpoint any sign of what exactly gave off that impression of vigilance, but she knew for a fact that Finn was just as alert here as he would be on any mission of theirs. Maybe it was the way he distributed his weight when he walked? He just looked more prepared than he would have previously.

    ¡°Ever been here before?¡± Colette, suddenly at her side. She had seen the older girl coming, but it had been an impressively innocuous approach.

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    ¡°I, ah, no, this is my first time. Coming here, I mean,¡± Lyra replied. She glanced over at Casey, but Finn¡¯s classmate seemed content to observe in silence.

    ¡°Same,¡± Colette said. ¡°I heard the air hockey tables here are insane. Want to give them a try later?¡±

    ¡°Sure, yeah, that sounds nice.¡±

    ¡±Oh, look at that!¡± she pointed toward a massive dance machine that was lighting up with rapid flashes of blue and pink. ¡°You ever try something like that?¡±

    Lyra¡¯s stomach churned at the thought of being on display like that, even though Colette¡¯s question seemed innocent enough. ¡°Uh, no. That looks¡­ intense.¡±

    Colette laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that great at it either. We could just watch other people embarrass themselves.¡± The girl turned her head again to see Aiden and Finn stepping up to the pads. ¡°Or not.¡±

    ¡°Here we go,¡± Casey muttered.

    The three girls went to stand behind the two boys that were about to begin a game. Lyra had no idea what magic Aiden had been working while she wasn¡¯t paying attention to get Finn to agree to this, but here they were, moving with a fluidity she couldn¡¯t hope to match. There weren¡¯t many people near them at first, despite the song they selected being one Lyra knew would probably be hard to dance in tune with. Then the music started, and neither player missed a single step.

    People were beginning to draw closer, watching the previous record get casually obliterated. By the end of the song, neither boy looked worse for wear. The crowd murmured as a stone-faced Finn walked away while Aiden was trying to convince him to do another song.

    The next game, whack-a-mole, played out much the same way. And the next. And the one after that.

    Perfect. Scores. Every. Time.

    Clearly, they were using internal color manipulation to enhance their proprioception in order to improve their physical coordination. And even if Aiden wasn¡¯t copying Finn¡¯s power, he probably had some other ability to help him dominate at an arcade. Or perhaps neither of them was taking this seriously and they were just that talented. Lyra didn¡¯t feel like asking to make sure.

    It was when they neared the pinball machines that Casey got fed up. ¡°Aiden, you¡¯re not getting tired of showing off?¡±

    Her brother glanced around. ¡°Ah, dear sister, that was merely the prelude. Wait until we cycle back to the first game¡ªthen you''ll witness the true competition as we strive to surpass even our personal bests.¡±

    He just got a deadpan stare in return, at which point Colette decided to intervene. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you guys head off on your own for a while, and I¡¯ll show the girls around to another game I¡¯ve been meaning to try?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Aiden said. ¡°What do you say, Finn? I¡¯ve been meaning to show you the VIP section, which a certain someone was unwilling to enter.¡± As he said that, he gave his sister a pointed glance, but it had no heat in it.

    When Finn raised an eyebrow at Lyra, she couldn¡¯t do anything but shrug.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Finn responded, and turned to head off with the older boy.

    It was strange. Aiden didn¡¯t seem socially tone-deaf, so why would he focus so much on one person without giving the rest an opportunity to engage? Was it something with Casey? Trying to annoy her into getting him to leave her alone? Why not just do that from the start, then? Lyra didn¡¯t have the people skills to unravel all the layers of whatever this interaction was. Colette was already leading them to a more out-of-the-way section of the arcade while engaging them in casual conversation, so she put it aside for the time being.

    For someone who had never been here before, Colette sure seemed to know her way around. They reached a quieter corner, where the lights weren¡¯t as blinding, and the noise wasn¡¯t as loud. Colette stopped in front of a large machine Lyra hadn¡¯t noticed before¡ªan old-school skee-ball setup with a vintage feel, wooden lanes polished from years of use, and faded lights giving it a nostalgic charm. It felt out of place in this modern arcade, but somehow, it fit the calmer section they were in.

    ¡°So,¡± said Colette. ¡°Can you do your thing?¡±

    Lyra gave her a weird look. ¡°My thing?¡±

    The dark-haired girl leaned in close and whispered, ¡°Sound-blocking barrier.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh, yeah, I can. One second.¡± She raised one hand a few centimeters off her side and flexed her fingers. The sounds around them were muffled. This way, there would be no suspicious dead silence if someone came near them. ¡°Done.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± Colette exclaimed with impressive volume, apparently having complete faith in her ability.

    Her fellow vigilante leaned against the side of the machine. ¡°I was just wondering, you know? What''s it like being on a team with Shade?¡±

    Lyra wasn¡¯t sure what she''d been expecting, but it wasn¡¯t that. Which was odd, considering it wasn''t that surprising of a question. Of course they would inquire about the more interesting member of her team.

    She didn''t have to think long about her answer. ¡°It''s purposeful. Efficient, I guess? It''s hard to put into words, but Finn is really driven. He''s constantly training. Even when we''re out doing something together out of costume, I''m pretty sure he''s using his power the whole time to improve his range or control.¡±

    Colette tilted her head. ¡°Out together, huh? You¡¯re dating?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lyra said, a bit too hastily. ¡°No, just friendly outings. It was something I suggested, and honestly, I think he¡¯s just humoring me. It¡¯s¡­ nice of him. He doesn''t have to, so it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t appreciate it.¡±

    At her side, Casey grabbed a ball and tossed it up the ramp into the outer target. ¡°Allister is your leader, isn¡¯t he? You¡¯re not worried that involving yourself with him too much will negatively affect your team dynamic if you keep getting closer without him realizing it?¡±

    It took Lyra a second to realize Cyrus¡¯ daughter was talking about Finn. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, but he''s not as oblivious as you think. He¡¯s actually very aware of what''s happening around him, like people-wise. He just doesn¡¯t care that much, I think.¡± She was becoming less and less sure the more she talked. It felt rude to speak about his personality as if she knew him super well, but she didn¡¯t feel like she was wrong, either.

    Colette nodded slowly, her fingers brushing idly against the skee-ball machine. ¡°Hmm, so he¡¯s like that all the time? Sounds stressful. It¡¯d be a real shame if he burned out. Maybe he could use a little something to loosen him up, you know?¡±

    ¡°A little something,¡± Lyra echoed, uncomfortable.

    ¡°Yeah. You like him, don¡¯t you?¡±

    That¡­ she wasn¡¯t certain of. She felt like she knew Finn too well to idolize him in the distant way one would with a celebrity or a superhero, but she also hadn¡¯t exactly had an entire lifetime to consciously decide which of his characteristics appealed to her, and in what way, despite how often he occupied her thoughts. They had only known each other for a couple of months, after all. But she somehow didn¡¯t think that meant their relationship was shallow. Finn was just not a simple person. Heck, she would be hard-pressed to say what she wanted in a partner to begin with!

    Though none of that changed her desire to be ever closer to him¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she ended up saying.

    The other girl didn¡¯t seem surprised by her answer. ¡°Can¡¯t hurt to see if he¡¯s open to going on a real date. I mean, what do you think he would say if you asked?¡±

    Lyra straightened her back and crossed her arms, then narrowed her eyes as she used her power to modulate her voice to do her best Shade impression. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Calliope. Focus on the mission.¡±

    That caused Colette to immediately burst out laughing. Casey was quiet, but Lyra could see the girl¡¯s shoulders shaking.

    ¡°That was,¡± Colette breathed, still chuckling. ¡°That was so accurate.¡±

    Realizing what she¡¯d just done, Lyra quickly continued in her normal voice, ¡°Finn can never hear about this. Okay?¡±

    She got a shrug in response. ¡°Sure, my lips are sealed. On one condition.¡±

    ¡°Condition?¡± Lyra asked, a pit forming in her stomach.

    ¡°Mmhmm. You have your own place, right? Invite him over for dinner.¡±

    Lyra¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°Dinner. In the evening? Just us, alone?¡±

    Colette smirked. ¡°Yeah, duh. Do you have a better way to figure out how you feel?¡±

    Glancing around, Lyra caught Casey giving her a look that might have been sympathetic.

    Suddenly, she was starting to regret what she¡¯d gotten herself into.

 Chapter 48 - To Sense

    Finn found Aiden¡¯s behavior peculiar, to say the least. It might have been their first time interacting without masks since the reveal, but there was a certain eagerness and anticipation in place of the relaxed attitude he was used to from the older boy.

    It became apparent when Aiden started talking while they were waiting for Lyra. He¡¯d figured Finn out. Without mentioning specific names, it was clear he knew what Finn hadn¡¯t said that one time at the mall.

    And now he was being asked to come play on some sort of dance pad game with the guy. It was simultaneously befuddling and embarrassing. A similar experience to Casey¡¯s birthday, except it was easier this time because his body was so much clearer in his awareness. He knew where every tendon, muscle fiber, bone, and nerve was. He suspected it was the same for Aiden, but then, the oldest Wardell sibling had been doing this for far longer.

    More concerning was that they were drawing a crowd. He didn''t want to stand out so much doing exceptional things in public. School was one thing, but he didn''t need random people suspecting he had powers. Though, that didn¡¯t seem to be the conclusion they were coming to. And recording video wasn¡¯t allowed here, fortunately.

    They didn¡¯t have as many observers for the other games, but they were all just as easy to beat. Aiden was clearly trying to get him somewhere alone without actually asking.

    When they separated from Lyra and the others, he soon found himself herded into the VIP section. Aiden took a seat on a luxurious red chair intended for a racing machine, while Finn took the one next to him when he gestured. Neither of them made any move to start playing.

    ¡°I consider myself rather good at spotting patterns,¡± Aiden began, ¡°but I never would have guessed who your father was when we first met.¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m not really like him,¡± Finn replied, staring at the idle starting screen.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. I merely said it wasn¡¯t immediately obvious to me.¡±

    Finn remained quiet for a minute, then asked, ¡°So you met him?¡±

    The Junior Ace captain smiled. ¡°Back when they paraded me around as the next great thing¡ªnewly manifested, full of potential. The higher-ups couldn¡¯t wait to introduce me to every prominent figure in Central. Noor, Omnibus.¡± He looked at Finn. ¡°Shiftseeker.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t anyone else in the room with them, but the fact that Nar was dropping names now meant that he was confident nobody was listening in. Likely because of a power he had equipped. This dialogue was between the two of them and no one else.

    Regardless, Finn kept his tone low when he spoke. ¡°What did he say to you?¡±

    ¡°That I never had to worry about going out of style.¡±

    Finn cracked a small smile of his own. ¡°That sounds exactly like him.¡±

    A beat later, Aiden¡¯s expression got a bit more serious. ¡°He truly did help me when I was starting out, though. I¡¯ve always felt like I owed him greatly. Even after he passed.¡±

    Though Finn knew his father would have disagreed with that sentiment, he still appreciated it. He¡¯d never gotten to meet anyone who knew his father like this without him knowing. And everyone his family had been involved with before they moved, they had since lost contact with. Having someone who really saw and appreciated Dad the way Finn knew he deserved was amazing.

    So why did it hurt so much?

    ¡°It¡¯s not my intention to center this around myself,¡± Aiden continued, ¡°but I believe seeing him through that particular lens to be appropriate. He possessed a certain presence, something mesmerizing, that I¡¯ve long admired¡ªand, if I¡¯m honest, have been striving to cultivate in my own way. Whether I ever achieve that same gravitas is irrelevant, I think. There¡¯s a kind of contentment in knowing he never wanted me to replicate him, but rather, to navigate my own path. And I suppose that¡¯s the true lesson, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    For the first time since Finn had met him, the Wardell prodigy looked reflective and a bit withdrawn. Staring down with his hands idly resting on the wheel in front of him. ¡°I haven¡¯t the slightest idea what I would have done if I¡¯d never met him. The other heroes were pleasant enough, but¡­¡± he trailed off.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t the same,¡± Finn supplied.

    ¡°Precisely.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t surprising; he¡¯d met his fair share of heroes, having lived in the central district for the first decade of his life. There were many things young Finn had been unsure about, but the question of his favorite hero wasn¡¯t one of them.

    His father was charismatic in a way others weren¡¯t, true, but it was more than that. He always seemed to know when to prop someone up, and when to give them a little push so they could walk forward on their own. And if that opinion was biased, then he didn¡¯t care. He would gladly hold onto it regardless of what other people might think.

    Aiden¡¯s words lingered in the space between them, heavy with a reverence that made Finn¡¯s chest tighten. He hadn¡¯t anticipated this¡ªhearing about his father from someone who knew him, not as some distant symbol, but as a real person. His father¡¯s absence had carved out an emptiness in Finn¡¯s life, one he¡¯d been quietly carrying with him for so long, even when he tried to ignore it. But now, talking to Aiden, it was as if that emptiness was being filled with fragments of the man he used to be.

    ¡°He never mentioned you by name,¡± Finn said. ¡°But, looking back, I think he did talk about you to me a couple of times. Six or seven years ago, right?¡± At Aiden¡¯s nod, he pushed on, ¡°He had faith in you. And seeing you now, I don¡¯t think that faith was misplaced.¡±

    The blond boy stared at him, surprise evident on his face. ¡°That means a lot, you know. More than I can express in words. And I don¡¯t say that solely due to your relationship with him. I know you¡¯re not the type to dole out compliments easily.¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m not. Maybe I should take it back,¡± Finn joked.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t,¡± Aiden responded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me a reason to, and I won¡¯t.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    It was odd, being here like this, no matter how much Finn thought about it. It was just a conversation he¡¯d never expected he would get the opportunity to have. And now that he had, his perspective had shifted. You could be in the thoughts of others without ever knowing. The links between people, the shared emotional ties people sometimes never learned about. Human interaction was an intricate web of connections, interwoven from countless meetings of information exchange, both relevant and inane.

    And at this moment, he found himself uncovering another such connection that might never have been found if he had said no to a simple invitation to a party. He was relieved that he hadn¡¯t, in retrospect. But it emphasized how many elements of his surroundings might make themselves apparent if he let them.

    Like Lyra standing on the other side of the arcade, conversing with Casey and Colette, for instance. Her lips were pursed as the other girls talked to her about¡­ something he couldn¡¯t quite make out from the movement of their lips and tongues or the contraction of their lungs.

    He blinked.

    People.

    He could sense people.

    Nothing was hidden from him now.

    He instantly sat straighter. How had this happened? He didn¡¯t remember spreading his colors into the environment to map anything out. As a matter of fact, he knew he hadn¡¯t because his power was not in active use at all. All the colors in his range were untouched, even by those invisible ones he used to sense everything.

    That meant this new aspect of his power was passive. He couldn¡¯t turn this off; he would always be aware of what was going on around him. That was also the reason he didn¡¯t miss the return of Aiden¡¯s smile despite having turned his head the other way. And the other details of the blond boy¡¯s physique, which he found was obviously enhanced.

    Had he known about this part of his power, and never spoken up about it? Finn didn¡¯t bring it up even as they got up and walked back to the others. He sensed Aiden using his power to send a message to Colette, who was now herding the two younger girls back to their previous meeting spot.

    This was going to take some getting used to, Finn could already tell; having that element of mystery from simple things like turning a corner and walking into view taken away probably removed all sorts of minor psychological effects from social interaction that worked on normal people. He would have to be careful about that. He didn¡¯t care that much what other people thought of him, but it would be disastrous if someone found out he had powers just from the way he acted.

    Maladjustment to interpersonal communication in his civilian life wasn¡¯t the only potential issue this brought, though. If anyone found out he had this power in particular, he could be dead within the week. Being able to see underneath anyone¡¯s mask so long as they were in his general proximity offered so many advantages, it was frankly ridiculous. Perhaps not in direct combat, but being able to memorize someone¡¯s face while they thought their secret identity was safe, then tracking them back to their house, their base of operations, and any other locations they frequented? That was dangerous.

    So, considering Aiden had Finn¡¯s power, it was unlikely he would go babbling about it. Still, Finn didn¡¯t intend to tell anyone except two people about this new sensory ability.

    When the girls came into view, he had already assessed each of their general moods. Casey seemed amused, Colette excited, and Lyra¡­ nervous, fidgeting and glancing back and forth rapidly. The effect was exacerbated as soon as she laid eyes on him. He sensed her muscles tense and her breathing and heartbeat quicken.

    What was her problem? She¡¯d seemed fine when they entered, so what changed? It must have been something they¡¯d said to each other.

    ¡°Finally done?¡± Casey asked her brother, tapping her foot. ¡°What did you even talk about that¡¯s gotten you to act so strange?¡±

    ¡°A mutual acquaintance,¡± was all Aiden said.

    They went through the arcade games again after that, this time at a much more sedate pace. Aiden was no longer inclined to set the record on any of them, instead just speaking with Lyra and Colette in his usual manner.

    Finn was left playing whack-a-mole with Casey. If this had been before his breakthrough, he could have just not used his power to cheat. Now, however, the internal mechanisms of this machine were clear as day to him whether he wanted them to be or not. Meaning he always knew where the next mole was going to be. He decided to let the blonde girl win anyway. It would draw less attention.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re also, like, not going to tell me what you talked about?¡± she asked, quickly slamming her mallet down.

    ¡°You¡¯re guessing correctly,¡± Finn said, missing the next one on purpose. ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me what it is you discussed either, do you?¡± He glanced at Lyra, who was distractedly playing some shooter game and losing hard.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re even.¡±

    Casey huffed. ¡°I suppose we are.¡±

    After Casey¡¯s narrow victory, she put the mallet away with an exaggerated sigh, throwing her hair over her shoulder like she¡¯d just won a world championship. ¡°Well, Allister, it seems some of us don¡¯t need extra advantages to win at whack-a-mole,¡± she quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

    He shot her a flat look. ¡°You¡¯re right. The true test of human excellence is how fast you can hit plastic rodents with a foam hammer.¡±

    ¡°This is going in my portfolio.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll open a lot of doors for you.¡±

    The younger Wardell sibling crossed her arms. ¡°You mock me, but I¡¯m getting a gold medal for my efforts soon enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±

    They joined up with the rest, and their evening at the arcade drew to a close after some more time spent getting drinks, talking, and playing more games. Lyra never quite managed to relax, and Finn knew better than to pry.

    When the Wardells and Colette¡ªwho shot Lyra a quick thumbs up¡ªeventually departed, Finn walked with Lyra for the small part of their respective routes they had to travel together. Alone. Without his disguise. It made part of him paranoid, but seeing as he¡¯d already shown up as Finn and been seen with her it made no difference at this point. And it wasn¡¯t like there would have been a point in showing up in disguise from the start. His connection to Casey could be found by anyone willing to do a bit of digging.

    Although he could have put himself at ease and taken another way home, that felt improper for some reason. Not to mention she had to be informed of his discovery.

    They spoke up at the same time.

    ¡°Hey, I wanted to-¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you need to-¡±

    ¡°You can go first,¡± Lyra said.

    ¡°Put up a barrier.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, doing so without question.

    He began telling her without fanfare. ¡°I can sense people, and all things within my radius. Without any active input from me, everything around me is obvious to my senses.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± she exclaimed before gasping. ¡°Wait, when you say you can sense people, is it to the same level as you can sense yourself?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Lyra suddenly had this faraway look in her eyes as she muttered to herself. ¡°You can sense¡­ inside me¡­¡± Her gaze refocused on him.

    She began blinking rapidly, staggering back. Her arms moved to cover her privates as she retreated.

    Then she sprinted away at full speed.

    Finn remained where she left him, frozen as she bolted into the night.

    A few minutes later once she left his range, he sighed.

 Chapter 49 - To Recalibrate

    It had been a while since Jack had actually needed to put his drink down for an extended period of time for fear of choking on it in case he laughed, but this?

    This definitely qualified.

    ¡°¡­so that was the last thing on my mind,¡± his best friend finished.

    ¡°And the first thing on hers, apparently,¡± he said between chuckles. ¡°She must have been so freaked out. Especially at the thought of knowing you could observe all the signs of her freaking out in real-time.¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± Finn began.

    Jack shook his head, recovering from the last bout of laughter. ¡°No, seriously, you saw her limbic system light up the moment it sank in. And that¡¯s on top of the realization that you can see her naked whenever she¡¯s within your fuck-off massive range. Plus, you said she was already nervous because of what she was going to say to you, which I think I have a pretty good idea about. And, let¡¯s be honest, you can take a solid guess at it as well if you just let yourself think about it for half a second. You¡¯ve seen all the physiological signs. And I know for a fact you¡¯ve explored this new power enough between the time you got it and now to have gathered enough data from other people to contextualize what you saw. So don¡¯t bullshit me.¡±

    Finn opened his mouth before closing it again, and Jack could see it begin to dawn on his friend what kind of position he¡¯d put Lyra in.

    He didn¡¯t show many outward signs of concern, but Jack had known him long enough to notice the twitch of his brows and the way he set his mouth.

    ¡°Should I call her?¡± Finn asked after a beat.

    ¡°No,¡± Jack said immediately. ¡°What you need to do now is give her space to handle the bombshell you dropped on her, then when she¡¯s ready you can go see her again. All of her, I mean.¡± And after that last part, the hilarity rose again and he was back to holding his desk for support.

    He was met with a flat look. ¡°Jack¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± he gasped. ¡°Give it time, man. Let her process it all, and then¡­ well, let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t get a restraining order.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡±

    ¡°It is from where I¡¯m standing.¡±

    Finn sighed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to freak her out.¡±

    ¡°I know that, she knows that, but that doesn¡¯t change that she¡¯s probably reevaluating everything about your friendship right now.¡± Jack wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. ¡°I mean, imagine if the tables were turned. Imagine if she could read your thoughts or something similarly crazy.¡±

    ¡°That sounds¡­ bad,¡± Finn conceded.

    ¡°Right. So you would need time to adjust, just like you¡¯re giving her at this very moment.¡±

    The brown-haired boy frowned. ¡°What I don¡¯t get is why she didn¡¯t say anything. I never tried to invade her privacy. She was in my range when I got this power, and I told her as soon as I got the chance.¡±

    Jack shrugged. ¡°People don¡¯t always respond rationally when they feel vulnerable. Especially when it¡¯s about something this intimate.¡± He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ¡°You might not think of it that way, but in all likelihood, Lyra¡¯s been playing through every moment she¡¯s spent around you in her head, wondering how much of herself you¡¯ve really seen.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t even paying attention to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I get it. Okay? I get it, you don¡¯t have to convince me. I know you weren¡¯t trying anything remotely like that,¡± Jack interrupted, daring to take a sip from his drink again.

    Finn grimaced, his frustration evident, but didn¡¯t say anything further.

    ¡°But you have changed, you know,¡± Jack added after a second of silence.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°The old Finn wouldn¡¯t have been so worried, first of all. And second, you have a social life outside of me! I can still hardly believe it.¡± When he saw Finn¡¯s raised eyebrow, he smirked, a tinge of melancholy entering his voice. ¡°I was the one to encourage that, but it happened so much faster than I expected. I can¡¯t help but feel like we¡¯ve grown apart a bit, you know? And that¡¯s just from a few weeks of not seeing each other as often as we used to. What will change if I don¡¯t see you for a month? Or a year?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Finn said in usual Finn fashion.

    Jack snorted.

    They were currently in Jack¡¯s basement, which had over the past months more or less turned into his new room and the place he spent the most time in by far. He¡¯d even moved his bed down here so he¡¯d wake up and fall asleep to the Gridlock space. Or at least, that was the intention. In practice, other responsibilities took up his time on some days.

    ¡°How did you get your new power, anyway?¡± he asked, changing the topic.

    His friend looked briefly contemplative. ¡°By understanding. I just thought about people being connected in an abstract sense and understood. Then my power showed me people like that was its function from the start.¡±

    ¡°You gain new powers through comprehension, then?¡±

    ¡°Calling it new could be the wrong way of looking at it. It¡¯s more like discovering what was there to begin with. And this is almost everything. Anything else I discover would be building on what I have already.¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Huh. So no sudden ability to augment your body?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°If you need- no, nevermind.¡±

    Finn tilted his head. ¡°What?¡±

    Jack waved him off with a wistful smile. ¡°Nothing, just falling into old habits.¡±

    He was going to suggest a training routine, but realized that wasn¡¯t his job anymore. Besides, he was sure Finn had this aspect of his ability covered.

    No, it was his own capabilities Jack was more concerned about. As soon as he¡¯d gotten in contact with Cyrus¡¯ people, they started testing him through a series of layered encrypted messages, until he solved those and received an address. After that, his training began in earnest.

    The technical team were an obscure bunch. Apart from one guy he half-suspected was Zeta, he didn''t recognize any of them, which shouldn¡¯t have been surprising for what would have to be a group of shut-ins, but he had trusted the intel he had collected on the specialists in the district. All in all, it made him cautious in their first interactions

    But they weren¡¯t at all hesitant to bring him into the fold. Though they offered paths for both software and hardware, Jack was more comfortable with the former.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t working to expand his capabilities into hardware as well. If he wanted to take to the field himself, he would need something reliable. And he had been putting in the hours to set himself up.

    Shame it wouldn¡¯t be ready for their next mission. He would have loved to fight by Finn¡¯s side for an operation as big as the next one.

    Granted, it wasn¡¯t the end of the world. This way, he would have longer to prepare and show Finn later. For the time being, he would stay quiet about it.

    It was nothing but a distraction at the moment, as he could see Finn concentrating on the shifting colors on the floor. Diligent in practice like always. Hell would freeze over before Jack caught his friend slacking off for even a day.

    Instead of breaking that focus, Jack decided to spin his chair around and solve some scripts on his computer. This was something they used to do more often; just both doing their own thing in silence while in each other¡¯s company. Recently, though, it had fallen to the wayside, what with the power training, missions, and expanding social circles. It gave moments like this a nostalgic undertone.

    He didn¡¯t know why he was being so sentimental. Maybe it was the thought of Finn separating from him plaguing him on a subconscious level. But he had expressed that before, so it shouldn¡¯t be subconscious.

    Jack shook his head slightly, clearing his mind as his fingers moved across the keyboard with practiced precision. The soft tapping was the only sound in the room besides the occasional shuffle from Finn''s chair. It was comforting, this kind of quiet. The kind that came from familiarity, where words weren¡¯t necessary to fill the space.

    Yet, the weight of the earlier conversation lingered, gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. He hadn¡¯t meant to get so sappy, but it was hard not to when he saw Finn growing into someone different than the person he''d always known. Not bad, just... more. More complex. More alert. More powerful.

    Now that he actually had a path forward, Jack was more content with his role, no matter how difficult it was. Doubly so if he wanted to remain useful to Finn in the long term. And to Lyra, he supposed.

    He would have to catch up with her again once she sorted everything out with Finn. Or they could have another one of those talks with all three of them together, and give themselves the opportunity to evaluate how things had progressed after taking Cyrus¡¯ deal. See where they wanted to go from there.

    ¡°I was wondering,¡± Jack said out loud, causing Finn to look up. ¡°What¡¯s the plan after all this?¡±

    ¡°All this?¡± the other boy asked.

    ¡°The next few missions, once you get your hands on more resources, credits, other stuff you want. When you¡¯re more established, basically. What then?¡±

    ¡°You changed viewpoints,¡± Finn observed.

    He gave a confused look. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    The young hero narrowed his eyes. ¡°A couple of weeks ago you were still clinging to our previous team dynamic, saying this might be it for you, and now you¡¯re suddenly so eager to look further ahead.¡±

    ¡°Guess I am. And I guess you¡¯ve also gotten better at dodging questions.¡±

    Finn¡¯s lips flattened into a thin line, and he sat straighter. He looked to the side for a second, then back at Jack. It was clear from his eyes that he didn¡¯t want to answer, which only served to confuse Jack further. What was so secret about his plans after the next few months?

    Another unfortunate consequence of his friend¡¯s improved proprioception was that his increased control over his tells made it so his body language gave very little away about what he was thinking, unless he let it. With time, Jack imagined he would become completely unreadable. Able to mute or fake any reaction. He¡¯d be the greatest actor in the world, if someone undertook the herculean task of convincing him to pick up a script and play in a scene.

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± was what Finn gave him.

    Opening his mouth to respond, he paused. Did he have the right to push for more? If Finn wanted to keep his plans to himself, was he obligated to tell Jack about them? It seemed weird to feel the need to hide that, but was it? He hadn¡¯t forgotten how he had outed Finn to Lyra. That was arguably the reason things had transpired the way they did. That fuck-up, accidental though it may have been, could be the reason for this change in attitude. It could have permanently damaged their relationship, despite Finn¡¯s acceptance of his apology.

    But no. If he let anxiety and paranoia over what-ifs guide his actions, he would never get anywhere. Being unreasonable in the moment was a small price to pay for¡ª

    A chime sounded from Finn¡¯s phone.

    The recipient of the notification reached into his pocket and checked, not showing any outward reaction besides a single blink and a long, drawn-out silence.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Jack asked at length.

    ¡°Lyra. She invited me for dinner tomorrow at her place over text, to ¡®help with my new discovery.¡¯¡±

    Jack felt his eyes widening. ¡°Dinner? That¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    Finn nodded slowly, still staring at his phone, clearly unsure how to react. The invite wasn¡¯t hostile, at least on the surface, but the ambiguity of Lyra¡¯s message hung heavily in the air.

    This unannounced tone shift had taken away Jack¡¯s momentum, leaving his thoughts in disarray.

    ¡°So you¡¯re going?¡± he finally managed to get out.

    ¡°Obviously. I can¡¯t allow this to go on any longer than necessary,¡± Finn stated, his tone matter-of-fact.

    Jack gave a disbelieving laugh. Of course Finn wouldn¡¯t hesitate, confrontation or no. ¡°...Worst case, she throws spaghetti in your face and demands you never speak to her again. Best case, well. No need for me to spell that out for you.¡±

    ¡°Very helpful.¡±

    Jack threw his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m saying you¡¯ve got this. Whatever happens.¡±

    ¡°Whatever happens,¡± Finn echoed absentmindedly, putting his phone away before moving to stand. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m heading out.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Jack blurted.

    Finn focused on him, half out of the chair.

    ¡°Wanna play some games?¡±

    The vigilante considered that for a moment. ¡°Sure,¡± he agreed.

    And so they did, just like old times. He didn¡¯t think Finn knew just how much he appreciated this, because who knew how many more times they would get to do this in the future?

    One thing was for certain: Jack was going to make sure to savor every moment of it while he could.

 Chapter 50 - To Bare

    From his perception, the moment he entered Lyra¡¯s awareness was obvious, going by her reaction. And that was with a decent number of people around him.

    He didn¡¯t know how she picked him out from everyone else. Maybe it was the route he was arriving from, or the size of his body, or some unique sound he made that only she could pick up on. Whatever the case, she knew.

    It made for a rather awkward few minutes where they were both fully aware yet not in line of sight of each other. Under normal circumstances, Finn wouldn¡¯t be affected by such things, but right now he didn''t want to leave Lyra stewing in the dread she was apparently feeling. So he wrote a message on her wall with his power.

    Upon seeing it, she relaxed somewhat, but remained in place. Having their dynamic permanently altered was going to take some getting used to. Intellectually, he could understand why she had reacted the way she did at the thought of him being able to watch her this way. For her more so than for him. He had the ability to stare at her whenever he wanted without having to stare at her with his eyes. And trying to hide behind any form of clothing was futile. From this point forward, she would forever be¡­ bare, to him.

    Funnily enough, he was reminded of a motivational speech he¡¯d heard somewhere about imagining people in their underwear to deal with anxiety when speaking in front of a crowd. Not that he was a particularly anxious person, nor did the idea of talking to a bunch of people at once scare him, but how did that advice apply to him now that everyone was naked no matter what they chose to wear?

    As a concept, he understood it was a way to remind oneself of the humanity of their fellow man. To remove a layer and remember that, in the end, no one was perfect. But Finn could see beyond even that. To him, a human was a set of complex systems working in tandem to sustain a life. It was hard to see them as anything else when the biological activity was clear as day.

    Because of that, he was also cognizant of how easily one disruption to that larger structure could put an end to that life. He had seen people die. There was no way he was ever going to forget that. The dreams stopped after the first few nights following the fight with that primebeast. However, they were on his mind every moment where the idea of mortality surfaced in his thoughts, which was often. Whether it was getting riddled with bullets, crushed, or sliced apart, they represented potential ways to go. He wondered how all of that would look with the added perspective of his new power.

    Probably even more gruesome, he figured. He hadn¡¯t witnessed a death yet since gaining this power, but there was a morbid sense of fascination with seeing it happen. He didn¡¯t know if it was a bad sign that he didn¡¯t doubt for a second he would see another death again.

    Perhaps one day, he would be forced to kill someone with his own hands, too.

    The thought was difficult to picture. There were many people he could think of that deserved it, but actually carrying out something with that level of finality seemed improper for him as a hero. Like a step too far.

    He had been taught that the military killed primebeasts and any humans aligned with them at the border. Heroes weren¡¯t supposed to put lawbreakers down like dogs in the street; they subdued people and made arrests so the justice system could give them due process.

    Dad had never told him about any kills, at least. Finn hoped that meant he¡¯d never had to, and not that he deemed his son too young to learn about them.

    And Omega¡­

    His time would come. Finn would show him.

    Lost in thought, he kept up his pace. Before he knew it, he was in the hallway leading to Lyra¡¯s apartment. The door was already open. Of course; they could sense each other.

    On the other side of the doorway, she stood, staring down at him with a solemn gaze. The height difference was more noticeable now. After a second, she gestured towards the living room.

    He held her gaze as he stepped through, then watched her close the door behind him. The walk to their respective seats was quite tense for his friend. He was deliberately trying his best to ignore the information his senses were flooding his brain with, but he wasn¡¯t having any luck.

    When they were situated, he scrutinized the cup of tea in front of him. Now that he was in the room, he could smell it was the one he¡¯d ordered in that place Lyra had showed him.

    Opposite him, she sat straight, hands in her lap. It was a stark contrast to how he had expected her to act. Although, he couldn¡¯t say he was disappointed.

    Lyra took a deep breath, and began to speak.

    ¡°I want to apologize,¡± she said firmly. ¡°For two things. First for running off like that even though you physically couldn¡¯t have told me any sooner, second¡­ for being a hypocrite.¡±

    He raised a questioning eyebrow.

    She adopted a guilty expression. ¡°Excluding the fact that I can hear your heartbeat all the time, uhm, well, sometimes when we touch, I use my power to get pretty detailed images of your body from the inside out.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°Okay, sorry, really detailed.¡±

    That was not something he¡¯d ever stopped to consider. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say in response.

    Eyes widening, she pointed a finger at his face. ¡°You¡¯re blushing!¡±

    Finn went still. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°You are! You¡¯re just covering it up with your power now.¡±

    Studiously ignoring her foul, completely false accusation that was in no way based in reality whatsoever, he said, ¡°So you¡¯ve been sneaking peeks at me this entire time without my knowing?¡±

    She winced. ¡°It sounds super awful when you put it like that.¡±

    Perhaps she expected him to respond, but he merely waited for her to elaborate.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I just, ah, did that for the sake of¡­ that. There was always an excuse. One time it was, ¡®Oh, I just had to check him over for injuries,¡¯ and another time I¡¯d say, ¡®We just made contact during a training exercise, that¡¯s all it is.¡¯ Things like that.¡±

    Processing that, he took a sip of his tea. It was good, sweet enough for his tastes.

    Lyra fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with her confession. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, really. It¡¯s just¡­ well, you¡¯re always pushing yourself so hard. I wanted to make sure you were okay, and then it just¡­ became a habit?¡± she finished in a higher pitch, as if it were a question.

    Finn put his cup down and leaned back, thinking that over. ¡°Every time we trained?¡±

    ¡°Not every time,¡± she hurriedly added. ¡°Only when I was worried or curious. Wait, oh my gosh no¡­¡± She held her head in her hands. ¡°Please forget I said that.¡±

    ¡°What you did was weird,¡± he said, eliciting a visible cringe from the girl. ¡°But¡­¡±

    She slowly lowered her hands from her face, still looking uncertain.

    ¡°...It¡¯s also irrelevant,¡± he continued. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t get in the way of our work in the field, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    His fellow vigilante gave him an incredulous look. ¡°You¡¯re giving me permission to do it again?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m giving you permission, but I won¡¯t stop you from doing something you¡¯ve already been doing, either. Because it would make no sense for me to do that when I can see you so thoroughly.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± she breathed. ¡°You don¡¯t think it was creepy?¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± he answered bluntly. ¡°But why would that matter now?¡±

    She stared into her own cup of hot liquid. ¡°Are you¡­ serious?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay then. I mean, not that I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll take you up on it or anything, I¡¯m just saying okay as in I understand, not okay as in I¡¯ll keep examining every centimeter of your body whenever I get the chance. That feels rude even if you say you don¡¯t mind. Aaand I¡¯ve been talking for way too long and dinner should be ready by now so I should go and get that all on the table so¡­ yeah.¡± She cleared her throat and rushed into the kitchen.

    Bemused by the sudden frantic energy, Finn stayed in his seat as she rushed off. He didn¡¯t understand why she was so worked up. That was to say, he didn¡¯t understand on a mental and emotional level. Physiologically, he could follow the signs associated with certain moods inside her body. His comprehension of human anatomy was still a work-in-progress, but he was beginning to identify certain patterns of brain activity. He wanted to say he could pick out the specific chemicals being released by the brain too, but his senses weren¡¯t that precise yet. He concluded that more practice was required before he was able to tell how Lyra was feeling from a glance.

    So it was with total surprise that he watched the aura around her light up in real-time.

    An aura of color, flaring like a hazy corona around her body. It consisted of multiple colors at once, and shifted between them as well. A lot of smaller ripples: light red, green, orange.

    Surrounding them were two big colors. Purple and yellow, dominating in different shades. And all the way at the center, overlayed on her head, was a concentrated, indiscernible mess of undulating waves, seemingly dormant. No fluctuations in its rhythm.

    Double-checked the other people in his range, Finn confirmed none of them were giving him the same kind of images as this. Not a single one of them even had an aura. Just regular people, nothing hidden from him, no matter how embarrassing.

    Yet here Lyra was, with this random power? No, it was his power showing him something about her. That much he could say. But what did it mean? Were the colors stress levels? Why so many different ones, if that were the case? Did they represent thoughts, with the nature of them displayed by the color?

    He sighed before he could stop himself. Lyra heard, turning her head in his direction with a spike of yellow around her. And then it clicked.

    ¡°I can see your emotions,¡± he declared. His voice was low, and a normal person would¡¯ve had to be within arm¡¯s length to perceive his words. Lyra, however, registered them perfectly well, evident based on how she almost dropped her pan of vegetables on her way to the table.

    ¡°Whu?¡± she asked eloquently.

    ¡°Your emotions,¡± he repeated. ¡°I can see which ones you¡¯re experiencing.¡±

    She remained silent as she continued putting dinner out on the table. Finn gave her time to come to terms with his revelation, moving to his seat at the table when everything was done.

    ¡°What do I say now?¡± Lyra asked, her voice soft and calm. Serene, almost. Finn could see through the deceptive tone; her yellow, which he inferred was fearfulness, hadn¡¯t gone down.

    ¡°You could tell me what you cooked,¡± he replied, looking over the meal. ¡°Even though I can sense all of it, I don¡¯t know what most of this is.¡±

    Green, orange, and white rose around her, yellow receding a little. ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve just stuck with something familiar. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve made for myself before: it¡¯s called ¡®Mapo Tofu,¡¯¡± Lyra explained. ¡°But I made some adjustments. Less spice this time, in case you don¡¯t like it too hot.¡±

    ¡°I can handle spice,¡± he said.

    She nodded, another pulse of white. ¡°But do you like it? I probably should¡¯ve asked before you came.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t eat it often,¡± he admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s mostly because my mom doesn''t do well with spicy food.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t named most of the colors yet, but he thought there were more positive emotions than negative when he said that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± she said, handing him his plate.

    Accepting it with both hands, he didn¡¯t hesitate to taste it. ¡°Your cooking has improved a lot,¡± he said the moment he finished swallowing.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Bright green flared, intermingling with silver. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, smiling.

    The conversation dwindled, the two of them simply enjoying the food without any more verbal attempts at communication. Though Finn did find it amusing how Lyra kept glancing at him when his eyes were on his plate, as if she didn¡¯t know he still sensed exactly what she was doing.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a step,¡± Lyra spoke when her plate was empty. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to say I don¡¯t have an issue with it, but it¡¯s true. I was never great at poker anyway, so I don¡¯t feel much more exposed by having my emotions signaled to you. I hope it¡¯s not too bad?¡±

    He shook his head, putting his utensils down. ¡°It¡¯s not. It looks like an ¡®aura¡¯ around you with colors representing what you¡¯re feeling.¡±

    She nodded along. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. We can be the privacy violation duo!¡±

    Finn couldn¡¯t help it. He laughed.

    Lyra joined in with a surprised titter of her own, her aura growing warmer. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could laugh.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t force it,¡± he replied with a shrug.

    ¡°You¡¯re a tough crowd,¡± she remarked.

    ¡°Probably,¡± he agreed. ¡°There¡¯s just one part I haven¡¯t made sense of.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Some sort of condensed mass of colors. Emotions, or something similar, in your head? It showed a single slight deviation when you were eating, but otherwise it hasn¡¯t been active.¡±

    She paled, and so did the yellow around her.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s your subconscious mind,¡± Finn speculated.

    ¡°Y-yeah! That must be it. You¡¯re right,¡± she said far too quickly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to press her on this when he had half-baked suspicions to go on himself. He would need more data, but so far no one else had shown an aura. They¡¯d revisit this topic later.

    Another pause arrived, this one shorter. Lyra was the one to break it again. ¡°Can you promise me one thing?¡±

    ¡°That depends,¡± he said cautiously. It was unlike her to try and extract promises from him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to tell me, but if you ever see something dangerous in my emotions, like a serious threat¡­ Can you stop me?¡±

    Not even close to what he had been expecting. Was she afraid of herself? Nar had said something along those lines during training. Was this what he meant? It wasn¡¯t like Finn had never thought about the consequences of misusing his power. Intrusive thoughts had popped up in his head before, but he¡¯d never actually been close to acting on them. Was it different for Lyra? He frowned. Knowing what she told him of her past, it might be.

    Overall, it was a reasonable ask, albeit a strange one. His friend thought she could potentially use some help in the future, and he was prepared to provide it. He faced her directly, seeing his reflection in her dark brown eyes. ¡°If I see anything of that nature, I swear I¡¯ll do everything in my power to make sure you come back to your senses.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ so reassuring, I don¡¯t have the words for it. Thank you so much.¡± The relief on her face was clear. In her aura, yellow subsided, being replaced by white and deep pink, taking their place alongside purple.

    It was good that they were able to talk through everything tonight, he concluded. He figured there would be no more obstructions to their cooperation on the next mission. Sliding his chair back, he stood. ¡°Since we¡¯ve addressed everything, I¡¯m going.¡±

    Her panic returned in full force.

    He blinked. Did he forget something? Hm, yes he did. ¡°Unless you need help with the dishes?¡± It was the polite thing to do. Mom wouldn¡¯t let him hear the end of it if he left without offering. And she deserved it, with how much work she had put in.

    She shook her head, a rapid, desperate motion. ¡°No, no. You can leave, if you want. I can walk you out.¡±

    On the surface, the offer seemed innocent enough, but he now had the tools to instantly know what was going on underneath. More worry and anticipation, plus the same colors as earlier. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, pushing the chair forward and striding ahead.

    Lyra followed, grabbing her coat on the way out. They walked out together, and she went through a range of different feelings on the way. Yet she said nothing.

    When they were outside the apartment building, she began to slow her pace on the sidewalk, and Finn turned to her. ¡°You have more to say, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The telltale muffling of ambient noise indicated she had put up a barrier, and she nodded. ¡°I¡­ I like you.¡±

    Finn¡¯s expression remained calm, but internally, he was flabbergasted at her admission. His extra sense picked up on every subtle change in Lyra''s physiology. Her pulse had quickened, her breathing shallowed, and her yellow aura once again contained a swirl of deep pink, white, and purple¡ªcolors he still hadn¡¯t fully defined but could guess at now. She was telling the truth, and she was terrified.

    ¡°But you already knew that,¡± she continued.

    He didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± she demanded, a note of accusation leaking into her tone. The shades of red surprised him, both in how intuitive they were and in the fact that they were coming from Lyra. He couldn¡¯t recall an instance of her being angry at him in any capacity before.

    But he couldn¡¯t distract himself with her aura for the rest of the night. The barrier she had put up blocked all the background noise, making the moment between them feel even more isolated, like the world around them had stopped moving. He was Finn here, not Shade. No gadgets or impact absorbent suits to shield him from her. She could kill him where he stood, if she wished to.

    He crossed his arms. ¡°What was I supposed to say? You weren¡¯t coming to me about it, so I assumed it wasn¡¯t urgent enough to affect our work. And I was right. It wasn¡¯t. So what¡¯s your issue?¡±

    She grabbed her hair in frustration. ¡°Wasn¡¯t urgent enough to- Ugh! You just left me to stew in my, my, I don¡¯t know, stupidity while you knew full well I was struggling with how I felt!¡±

    ¡°And it was my job to make you address that? You seemed fine.¡±

    With a gusty sigh, she deflated. ¡°I was afraid. In the beginning, I didn¡¯t want anything to change how we worked as a team, so I kept to myself. But I was lonely. And you were awesome. I wanted to be friends from the start, and when I got that opportunity after the surgery, I jumped on it. I thought maybe if we kept meeting up to do ¡®friend¡¯ things, I¡¯d find out how you feel about me, and it would clear up how I felt, because I wasn¡¯t even sure about that.¡± She clenched her hands, a brittle smile forming on her face. ¡°And here I am, no closer to getting that answer. All I found out is that you had a better read on me than anyone else. Sorry for framing everything we did together like a date.¡±

    Finn¡¯s jaw tightened, but he kept his arms crossed, watching Lyra with a careful eye as she finished speaking. Her aura was still rippling with that mess of emotions he was slowly piecing together. There was enough going on to suggest she was in turmoil. She¡¯d just dumped all of this on him, after all.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said in a flat voice.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± She stepped closer, scowling. ¡°What doesn¡¯t matter?¡±

    ¡°You wanted to know what I was¡­ feeling,¡± he said, the last word spoken with distaste. ¡°Then you said you were sorry about how you acted. My response to both is that it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Her annoyance bled away into confusion. ¡°Why?¡±

    He paused, considering his words. ¡°I told you what I need to do¡­ There are things I need to put aside in order to accomplish it. Including the quirks of a teammate who can make my climb go faster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I am to you? A teammate?¡±

    ¡°If you were, I wouldn¡¯t have come here without my mask. But first and foremost, I need to focus my attention on what I have to do to get closer to my goal. In that context, you are Calliope. And even if I had the space to think of you in a different light, I can¡¯t.¡±

    Her eyes searched his face for something before she opened her mouth again. ¡°You¡¯re with me now, right? The next mission isn¡¯t here yet. Why can¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°I could die,¡± he stated. ¡°I think about it every time I suit up. No matter what steps I take to ensure personal safety, the world isn¡¯t fair enough to allow me to guarantee my own survival.¡±

    ¡°I could die too. Why are you acting like I¡¯m not taking the same risks?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting it. If I die, I¡¯ll end up the same way as the person I¡¯m doing this for: a memory to the people who knew me in life. But I can¡¯t not do it, because I can¡¯t live with myself if I sit there and waste this power I waited for all this time. It¡¯s not what I expected, and it¡¯s not what I wished for, but I keep going.¡± His gaze drifted to the night sky, arms falling to his sides. ¡°This is my path, and if I allow that sort of thinking in my mind, the idea that it¡¯s alright to get tied down, I might lose. Because that¡¯s what Dad did. And I can¡¯t be like him.¡±

    When he looked back down, Lyra had tears rolling down her cheeks, waves of blue pervading her aura. ¡°Whoa.¡±

    Finn said nothing, waiting for her to collect her thoughts.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it hit so¡­ close to home for you. I got the feeling you were being callous at first, but now I know that¡¯s not it at all. I understand if you want to cut this conversation off after this. I¡¯d just like to tell you about my perspective first,¡± she quavered, her voice tender.

    Her lungs expanded to their limit in his power¡¯s sensory component. ¡°I grew up stifled,¡± she said in a steadier tone. ¡°I had a dream, but life kept getting in the way, and when it didn¡¯t, I waited for opportunities that deep down I knew were never going to come to me. The pressure from my parents increased to choose a career as I approached high school-age, and I felt stuck between choosing something I didn¡¯t want and something I didn¡¯t believe I could do. You know how I got my power, and what went wrong, but when I was alone that night, walking through the district by myself, I almost died. Then you came. Somebody with no stake in whether I lived or died, risking your life because you were nearby. I treasured that, and I didn¡¯t want to let it go. Then we met up, and that first run was the scariest experience I¡¯ve ever had. Ever since then, I''ve been through so much with you. I¡¯ve seen you grow. You¡¯ve seen me laugh, you¡¯ve seen me cry, and I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. It¡¯s only been a few months, but this is the best time of my life. I feel terrible saying that after what I¡¯ve done to get here, but it¡¯s true. No more confusion or dancing around it.¡± She wiped her eyes. ¡°When I think of my dearest memories, you¡¯re in them. When I try to imagine who I want to spend my time with, I think of you. I wonder what you¡¯re doing when I fall asleep and when I wake up. I yearn to do small, everyday things with you around like doing the laundry or shopping for groceries. If you can reciprocate even a fraction of that, I¡¯ll be happy. So I hope you¡¯ll let yourself at least answer the question of how you feel. Because I want that, Finn. I want you.¡±

    Finn felt her words wash over him, their weight heavy on his chest. For a moment, he didn¡¯t speak, the only sounds around them being the faint hum of the distant city and the muted rustling of leaves as a breeze passed through the street. The silence between them thickened, stretching until it almost felt unbearable. He stood there, trying to process what she had just said.

    It would have been easier if she had yelled at him, easier if she had been angry, but Lyra¡¯s quiet vulnerability was so much harder to face. She had laid her heart bare, exposing the truth of her feelings with such raw honesty that it felt like an intrusion into a space he had no right to be in. Much like this entire evening had, he realized.

    ¡°I want you.¡±

    Those three words echoed in his mind. She had said them with such sincerity, with such longing. And what did he have to offer in return? What could he possibly give her, knowing where his life was headed? What had he done to warrant that desire?

    For the first time today, he took in her appearance in full. He didn¡¯t know anything about fashion, but her clothes looked stylish enough. She hadn¡¯t bothered with her non-prescription glasses, leaving her with nothing to cover her red, teary eyes. Her dyed hair was growing out, and her expression was hopeful, if he had to put a name to it.

    Beyond that, her aura was filled with colors he didn¡¯t understand. And her body¡­ He found nothing wrong with it. That was as far as he let his thoughts go in that direction.

    She was right. He did want to cut this conversation off here; he didn¡¯t want to proceed with something so uncomfortable and in opposition to his purpose. But that would be cruel. He could answer her question. Sorting out thoughts didn¡¯t equate to acting on them.

    Ultimately, he went with honesty. ¡°I don''t know how to do this. I don''t know what I¡¯m looking for.¡± He let out a breath. ¡°I don''t mean to disappoint you.¡±

    The girl¡¯s aura seemed conflicted, then she came to an internal decision. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Neither of us are experts at this. The problem is, I¡¯m in a bit of a bind. I owe you the world, and now I¡¯m adding to my debt.¡± She wrung her hands. ¡°Can I ask you for a favor?¡±

    Again, she was his friend, she didn¡¯t owe him anything. But he nodded in acquiescence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    While he was doing his best statue impression, she moved into arm¡¯s reach. One of her hands, the right, reached for his left. She retracted before touching two times, then grew bolder when he didn¡¯t react. Their digits brushed against each other, and she snaked her fingers across his palm, grasping tightly.

    Lyra stepped closer still, her breaths coming heavier. It smelled of the dinner they¡¯d eaten earlier, and he figured his own did too. With a final ripple of pink, she leaned forward.

    And her lips met his.

    The second their lips touched, Finn¡¯s mind went blank.

    His senses didn¡¯t actually falter, but his awareness of them did, overwhelmed by the sheer shock of the contact. He hadn¡¯t expected this, not in the slightest, despite the progression of their conversation. It wasn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t have predicted her actions¡ªno, his ability to read her emotions had been hinting at it all along¡ªbut because he never allowed himself to consider this as a possibility. Not for himself.

    For her, though, this was everything. He could feel her trembling against him, her fingers still laced with his, gripping him like a lifeline. The aura around her flickered wildly, a whirlwind of pinks, purples, and colors he couldn¡¯t quite figure out yet. Her pulse quickened, her body warm against the cool night air, and he could feel the weight of her emotions pressing into him, her feelings so much clearer than they had ever been before.

    Finn stood rigid, unsure of what to do with his hands or how to respond. The only thing he could focus on was the sensation of her lips¡ªsoft and warm¡ªpressed against his. Time stretched out in that single moment, though in reality it lasted a few seconds at most. Then she pulled away, eyes wide and searching his features for any sign of what he was thinking.

    ¡°H-how was it?¡± she asked, her flushed cheeks illuminated by the light fixture above.

    ¡°I need to think,¡± he said in a daze. ¡°Alone,¡± he added with more clarity. He¡¯d always been peripherally aware of relationships, but thinking about them as a genuine prospect was foreign to him. He¡¯d accomplished nothing to deserve one, and he had priorities. He could not forget that.

    But¡­

    Getting that confession and subsequent kiss out of his mind was proving very troublesome.

    ¡°Of course,¡± she said hastily. ¡°Sorry for springing that on you. I¡¯ve just been visualizing doing that for a while now. I was scared that if I didn¡¯t do it right this moment, I never would.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he replied absently. ¡°I should go.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah, just, ah,¡± she stammered, fumbling with her hand. Then the sound cleared up, signifying the end of the privacy barrier. ¡°There. Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± he responded, and meant it.

    With a shy smile, Lyra turned and headed back into the lobby, and Finn started his walk back home. Her warmth still lingered as he put one foot in front of the other. He was unsettled. It wasn¡¯t comfort, nor was it discomfort. It was just new. And he was dealing with a lot of that, lately.

    Were they going to have to have another talk about this? Somehow, the irony made him smile. Planning a talk to clear up boundaries that stemmed from a talk to clear up boundaries.

    If they were, that would have to be soon, with their next mission right around the corner.

    They would have to be ready, because if something happened to either of them there, wouldn¡¯t that be the end of... whatever this was turning into?

 Chapter 51 - To Affirm

    Curled up on the couch with her phone in hand, Matilda sipped from her hot chocolate. The scent of marinated meat wafted through the living room from the kitchen, cluing her in on what Allen was cooking today; one of her favorites. This was the kind of evening that made her feel guilty about not training, but Allen was strict about taking rest days.

    Thankfully, he tended to be home to make sure she relaxed. He even found the time to prepare food. A noteworthy feat with his busy schedule, and something that made her appreciate him all the more. Despite his hero work, he made time to spend with her.

    When he was around, she felt safe.

    Matilda took another sip of her drink, savoring the taste as she glanced toward the kitchen. She could hear the soft clatter of pots and pans as Allen moved about, the sound familiar and comforting.

    In an ideal world, she could responsibly spend the whole week this way. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t live in an ideal world. Not to mention she needed to keep improving. She wasn''t satisfied with most of her showings since her debut. Some had been decent, but she hadn¡¯t bagged a big victory over anyone as of yet.

    She wasn¡¯t some kind of glory hound or anything, but she didn¡¯t want to disappoint all the people who had invested in her, and she wanted the image of Damsel to represent strength, not incompetence and favoritism.

    While Nar¡¯s presence on the team overshadowing hers was a factor in that he set the standard so high, she couldn¡¯t blame him for her failures. Furthermore, they had him to thank for all their more intensive practice routines, which she had to admit were effective.

    Granted, their team captain was patrolling solo more often recently, meaning he wasn¡¯t present for training as often as the rest of them. She wasn¡¯t naive enough to think he was doing so simply because he felt like it. He must be preparing for something, she just didn¡¯t know what. And when she had attempted to probe him for information, she was met with that infuriating, arrogant dismissal of his.

    Would Allen be willing to satisfy her curiosity on the matter? Unlikely, but she was going to try asking him over dinner regardless. For now, she let her eyes drift back to her phone.

    Swiping to refresh the page, she read through a new string of comments on the video she¡¯d been watching. This video wasn¡¯t one of her own. Instead, it was shaky footage of Calliope, and her partner, Shade.

    They had been sighted at a Venin front and gotten into a confrontation with Fetter. Frameshot had jumped in on the action as well, though the footage was just a few seconds long. She had already gone over it a few times the past week, but there really wasn¡¯t much to be gleaned aside from the two vigilantes being better equipped.

    She pursed her lips as she scrolled through the many different accounts giving glowing praise to the pair. What these people were saying was true, much as she would¡¯ve liked to deny it so she didn¡¯t have to face her own inadequacies. Having met them herself once, she knew she would get along well with Calliope, and Shade seemed to take his job very seriously. Which he had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt when he came to help out against Homeland.

    Speaking of, that was another thing. People had compiled and posted every part of the Trooper chase that had been caught on tape. Including a shot of Shade and a car flying directly at the camera. Needless to say, that video had made the rounds. After that spectacularly coordinated battle against Ignis, it was the second time a clip of the young hero had gone viral.

    And that was what he was: a hero. No matter what anyone else said about Aegis operatives only being in it for the money, he had gone above and beyond to keep innocent bystanders from getting hurt, even putting himself at risk to do so. She hoped his teammate would get a similar showing, to shut people up for good.

    For the thousandth time, she lamented the fact that she was forbidden by the DHD from contacting any independents without strict supervision. If she had more freedom, she would set up a meeting, learn from them, and maybe earn a friend or two in the process.

    Rubbing her eyes, she put her phone away and brought more of that heavenly cocoa beverage to her lips. The rich, velvety flavor warmed her from the inside out, but didn¡¯t quite dispel the nagging feeling in her gut. She felt like she was spinning her wheels without making any real progress compared to everyone around her. Would she perform better if she cut herself free from the system?

    The clatter of pots and pans shifted her focus back to the kitchen, where Allen was busy stirring a pot. The steady clink of utensils, the bubbling of a simmering pot¡ªit grounded her, drawing her out of her self-critical spiral. She knew she was being hard on herself, but it was impossible not to be. The pressure to improve, to stand out, was ever-present. Something had to justify her ability to have moments like this.

    ¡°Dinner is almost ready. Should be about five more minutes,¡± Allen announced.

    With a stretch of her legs, Matilda moved to the table and sat down. Her eyes settled on the polished wood while her guardian took the garlic bread out of the oven.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Allen?¡± she said hesitantly.

    He glanced over his shoulder, his expression one of open curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s up, kiddo?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering whether you would be willing to look into extra training opportunities for me? Nar isn¡¯t present as much as before, and Aquiveil can be a leader when he puts his mind to it, but¡­¡± she trailed off.

    ¡°Matilda, you¡¯re doing great. You are not going to burn yourself out with extra hours,¡± Allen warned. ¡°Although, if you really want to sharpen your skills even more, I might be able to sign you up for one of the cross-district sessions next month. I think they¡¯re holding it in A22.¡±

    A pit formed in her stomach as he said that. ¡°I want to stay with you,¡± she blurted. She sat straighter and coughed into her fist. ¡°What I meant was, I want to stay here and utilize the resources in my immediate environment.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all quite busy at the moment,¡± Allen replied, grinning.

    ¡°I understand that, but I was thinking that I could perhaps get in contact with Calliope and Shade? If you endorse my request, surely the board will allow me to go meet them?¡± she said, her eyes pleading.

    ¡°Not going to happen,¡± Allen shot her down mercilessly. ¡°But,¡± he pressed on with a raised finger when she opened her mouth to argue. ¡°You may be seeing them sooner than you think.¡±

    That brought her up short. She paused in what she¡¯d been about to say in response and thought. See them sooner than she thought? To do what, exactly? As far as she knew, the DHD hadn¡¯t gotten in contact with them before she had. And any attempts at recruitment that had been made were clearly shot down, given the fact that the two weren¡¯t on her team at this current moment.

    ¡°What do you mean? Are they coming in for tryouts?¡± she asked, hoping to extract more information out of him.

    Sadly, his response was a shrug and that smile that told her he was done talking about this topic. She tried a couple more times, but he didn¡¯t budge, as expected.

    Allen set the table and brought out the food. She relented by then, frustrating as it was, and decided to dig in. It was delicious, as always, and thoughts of heroism took a temporary backseat. Damsel could never permit such weakness, but for Matilda, on days like this, it was okay.

    After all, she was supposed to spend the day with the man who took care of her when she needed it the most. She didn¡¯t understand what made her worth that kind of care, but here they were.

    Certainly, it was a far cry from her birth parents, who¡­ did the unthinkable to her. She hated it when her mind went there, but her therapist had said it was unhealthy to suppress or disown that part of her.

    For years, she had lived in hell. It didn¡¯t take long to figure out what was happening to her wasn¡¯t normal, but that didn¡¯t mean she saw a way out, not when it was made abundantly clear to her that letting someone else know would have dire consequences. So she suffered in silence.

    When things had finally escalated to match her worst nightmares, no heroes came for her. At the height of her pain, of her desperation, she had seen the vision. And afterwards, she had been stronger than she could have imagined.

    The monsters in human skin she had come to fear so much were suddenly on the ground, broken and bleeding. She didn¡¯t even remember beating them, only seeing them there and breaking through the wall with a chunk of the radiator, dripping crimson.

    Once she was out, scared and alone and running barefoot on cold asphalt, with nothing and nobody to turn to, he had been there. Floating on a stormcloud, hail and lightning swirling around him, Mistral found her sprinting across the street in her birthday suit.

    He didn¡¯t ask what happened. Didn¡¯t need to. He¡¯d simply come down, draped his cape around her, and said, ¡°You¡¯re safe now.¡± Words she had never expected to hear in her life.

    Following that fateful meeting, she didn¡¯t want him to disappear again, as he no doubt did with all the other thousands of people he¡¯d saved. And to her surprise, he hadn¡¯t, choosing to take her in. She had gotten to know the patient, kind, caring Allen underneath the mask. The person she could never possibly repay.

    The road to recovery was long, and she hadn¡¯t fully walked it, not even close, but he had supported her the whole way.

    ¡°You belong to me.¡±

    Those words still haunted her, some days. She would feel like she was back there, experiencing it all over again. In the beginning, it could make her wake up screaming, but Allen would be by her side, letting her know they couldn¡¯t hurt her anymore.

    Times like this, where she sat with him eating an exceptional meal in a comfortable chair with nice, soft clothes on, she didn¡¯t deserve them. That was why Damsel had to be great. To show that she was more than just a useless victim, a scarred girl, a freeloader.

    She turned to her plate again. The air between them was easy, the sound of clinking utensils the only noise as they finished up. Allen stood and moved to take the dishes to the sink, but Matilda abruptly walked up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug.

    ¡°Careful not to crush me, okay?¡± he wheezed, gently embracing her in turn. ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother Radi at this hour.¡±

    She loosened her hold a bit. ¡°I love you,¡± she said, her words muffled in his chest. He smelled like home.

    Matilda held onto Allen a moment longer, letting the warmth of his presence anchor her. It was a rare gesture for her¡ªphysical affection didn¡¯t come easily. But Allen never pressured her, never pushed her to give more than she was comfortable with, and that was perhaps why she felt so secure in moments like this. He always let her come to him on her terms.

    Eventually, she let go, looking up at her favorite person in the world with a small, sheepish smile, which he returned with a fond, tired look. ¡°I love you too. Now go get the ice cream out of the freezer.¡±

    She nodded and went to get their dessert. Living like this wasn¡¯t anywhere close to what Matilda had expected when she made her bid for freedom, but now, she couldn¡¯t imagine having it any other way.

 Chapter 52 - To Seal

    As the setting sun shone over the Apexian skyline into his room, Finn was finished preparing and ready to go. For the mission. The meeting preceding it¡­ he was less sure what to do about that.

    He and Lyra hadn¡¯t spoken since that emotional rollercoaster of a night. This time, he was the one dragging his feet, and he knew it. But what else was he going to do? It wasn¡¯t as if he had a simple answer to her question. And he couldn¡¯t let what they¡¯d done compromise his goal in any way.

    What if rejection had a worse effect, though? Would that strain their dynamic forever, making it so they never reached the same level of synchronicity they had previously? Maybe it was a pointless concern, but nothing related to this matter was trivial in his mind. Every decision he made regarding his relationship with her suddenly felt like it had the weight of the world behind it.

    Would he lead her on, if he knew it helped him advance faster? He doubted he could ever get himself to that point, though the fact that he was even entertaining the thought was concerning. Either way, lying to Lyra wasn¡¯t feasible regardless.

    That left him with the truth, and how he wanted to handle that. There didn¡¯t seem to be a right way, a right answer to all this. Yet, it would have to be addressed today; he couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. It was just so jarring to have their relationship take such an abrupt turn. From what he could tell, it had been a long time coming for her. But he hadn¡¯t even confronted the idea until she laid it out for him in detail. Hadn¡¯t wanted to.

    This was why he¡¯d always imagine how useful precognition would be. No need to deal with all this nonsense drama when you could simply see how people would react in advance. Not knowing what she was going to say wasn¡¯t scary. Just grating, with stakes this high.

    He was sure she would at minimum act like she understood no matter what answer she got from him, and that made him want to disappoint her even less. He would be able to see her pain if he broke her heart. Hurting his friend was the last thing he wanted to do.

    ¡°Finn!¡± his mother¡¯s voice called from downstairs, drawing his attention back to the present. In the awareness granted by his power, he saw her standing at the foot of the stairs. ¡®Seeing¡¯ every part of her body like this had been ultra weird at first, but he was learning to ignore certain aspects of the information being fed into his brain. And he was honestly glad to be able to check whether Mom was in good health in an instant.

    Turning the door handle, he walked to the top of the stairs and faced her. There was no aura of emotions surrounding her, or anyone else. It was still only Lyra, as far as he could tell.

    ¡°There you are,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°I was going to ask you what you wanted for dinner.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m heading out tonight,¡± he said.

    Upon hearing that, her expression turned sad, then resolute. He didn¡¯t need an aura to figure out what she was feeling; Emily Allister wore her emotions on her sleeve.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to you first,¡± she responded.

    He sighed. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Turning around, she walked to the living room and he came down the steps, taking a seat on the couch opposite her when he arrived.

    ¡°Do you need me for anything at this point?¡± she asked, her face resigned.

    His eyes widened. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m relieved my son is growing up, but I barely had a hand in it. I¡¯m just concerned because I don¡¯t know you anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said automatically.

    Mom leaned back in her seat. ¡°I know you are, but I feel so useless these days. You used to be either here or with Jack. Now you¡¯re going to these parties, getting top grades in school, hanging out with other friends, or with your girlfriend who I still haven¡¯t met. Is there nothing I can help you with?¡±

    ¡°There is.¡±

    She perked up. ¡°Oh?¡±

    He grimaced and let his gaze wander to the floor. ¡°It¡¯s actually about Lyra.¡±

    ¡°You can tell me,¡± she said. Her face scrunched up as she reconsidered. ¡°If you keep certain things to yourself.¡±

    He gave her a flat look, but still spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say to her lately. Last time, she took things further than I expected she would, and it¡¯s been on my mind since. I can¡¯t afford to let this affect how I¡­ do things.¡± He couldn''t be specific here.

    Mom¡¯s brows knitted in concern. ¡°I¡¯m unsure what you mean. Is she moving too fast for you? Are you uncomfortable with your body? Is there something else getting in the way?¡±

    ¡°I need to clear the air between us, that¡¯s the important part. My issue is that I haven''t decided what to tell her if I can¡¯t give her what she wants.¡±

    A smirk played on his mother¡¯s lips. ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like you don¡¯t know if you can. You need to figure that out for yourself first.¡±

    Shaking his head, he replied, ¡°I have to make sure this doesn¡¯t get in the way of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Finn. Focus on how you feel.¡±

    At that, he fell quiet. How he felt? Why did everyone want to know so badly what his feelings were? They didn¡¯t make a difference in anything, did they? In the end, it was his actions that spoke for him, not his feelings. He wasn¡¯t going to let fleeting emotions decide the course of his life, right?

    Except, in this instance, they were the only factor. If he had to tell his friend the truth, he needed to know what the truth was. So what did he want to do with her, obligations aside?

    The first thing that came up in his mind were the times where Calliope was at her most reliable. Saving his life, landing a decisive blow in battle, scouting for him, muting his approach to their enemies. As a hero, it was obvious he didn¡¯t want to break up what they had.

    As for Lyra? He had no idea where to start. No, he didn¡¯t dislike the time they spent together. Really, he appreciated their outings, those had been fun. But beyond that? It was difficult to think of her in a romantic context. That went for anyone else too.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Why?

    Was there not a person on Earth that matched his tastes, or was it another obstruction causing that dissonance? He quickly concluded it was the latter, considering he wasn¡¯t that picky, but then what was stopping him from visualizing her in such a way?

    At times like this, he found himself wishing he could see his own aura to eliminate all ambiguity in these sorts of situations. Yet he didn¡¯t have that to guide him. The only thing guiding his life path right now was his goal. He paused in realization. That might be it¡­

    He already knew he had never planned to get entangled with another person in a non-platonic manner while chasing that monster, but what about after that? After the big fight was done, did he plan to have a life? Did he plan to be alive?

    Disturbingly, he found the answer wasn¡¯t an immediate yes.

    Finn sat in silence for a moment, digesting the weight of that last thought. It wasn¡¯t that he had a death wish. He¡¯d never actively expected to not make it out of his journey alive. But now, confronted with the concept of a life after his ultimate fight, he realized he had no plans for it. No real sense of what life might look like if he won. Or if he survived.

    It wasn¡¯t a conscious decision¡ªmore like something buried, a gnawing truth he¡¯d refused to confront. The single-minded drive to accomplish what he ought to do for Dad ever since he gained his power, it did not prepare him for anything else, including this. He had nothing.

    And now, here was Lyra, pulling him into a world of feelings and choices that didn¡¯t fit neatly into his framework of revenge and justice. Her affection, her needs¡ªthey were real, and suddenly a future beyond his goal didn¡¯t seem so impossible. But it still seemed¡­ distant. Unreal. Like a distraction.

    However, that wasn¡¯t what he needed to address; this was about the present, where he had not fulfilled his duty and had a teammate who wanted to take the ¡°mate¡± aspect of their relationship a lot more seriously.

    Did he truly avoid deeper connection because he wanted to prevent himself from making the same mistakes as his father, or was that just a smokescreen for another part of him that he didn¡¯t want to come to terms with? He had no clue. Shocker, he wasn¡¯t going to figure out every part of his inner self in the span of a few minutes.

    And maybe that was fine, if he opened himself up to learning on the go.

    Ironic, then, that improvising wasn¡¯t a comfortable method of conduct for him, even though he had plenty of practice with it in combat. Applying it to interpersonal bonds was a step above that, as far as he was concerned. Nonetheless, that didn¡¯t mean he would discount the possibility.

    ¡°This was¡­ eye-opening,¡± he muttered. ¡°Would¡¯ve taken me longer if I hadn¡¯t come to you.¡±

    Mom¡¯s smile returned. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. You¡¯re my son, I would be a pretty lousy mother if you couldn¡¯t even talk to me.¡±

    With a nod, he went to stand. The second he got up, she mirrored his movement. Before he knew it, her arms were wrapped around him, and he was surprised to note he was hugging her back.

    When they separated, she was at eye level. She blinked and looked him up and down. ¡°Are you entering another growth spurt?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± he said. He was certain, in fact. He always knew how tall he was at any given time with his sensory ability, but he was careful not to let such things influence his responses.

    He hesitated. Couldn¡¯t he just tell her? Did she not deserve honesty, despite how sure he was that she would be devastated?

    In the end, he decided to wait. Once this upcoming operation succeeded, there would be another opportunity to sit her down and reveal himself.

    Just as he reached the doorway, she called after him, ¡°Oh, and Finn?¡± He stopped and glanced back at her. After a brief pause, she added, ¡°Stay safe out there.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    *******

    Although they hadn¡¯t specifically agreed to meet up here, it was a common enough rendezvous point for them to know their next talk was going to be in this place. So Finn wasn¡¯t perturbed in the slightest to sense Lyra waiting for him on the rooftop they had become rather familiar with during their relatively short career.

    The outward reaction she had to his presence was a slight twitch, in stark contrast to her aura, which was going wild. Small wonder, with what was at stake.

    Swinging around the corner of the last building, he saw her figure with his vision. Physically, she was prepared to go out into the field, but her expectant posture told him there was no dancing around the elephant in the room anymore. Not that he hadn¡¯t known that to begin with.

    Finn exhaled quietly, landing a few meters away, studying her. The sun had dipped low enough that the shadows on the roof elongated and stretched toward them, and his eyes instinctively flicked to his surroundings, absorbing the shades of the city and the fluctuating colors of her aura.

    His teammate didn¡¯t greet him, and neither did he say anything to dispel the awkwardness. They stood there, with her not knowing what she was going to hear and him not having found the words to express what he wanted to convey.

    With his sensory prowess, he was able to determine that they were well out of sight from everyone, and would be for some time. And that was why he decided to take off the head covering of his bodysuit, along with his visor. He wasn¡¯t going to do this as Shade.

    Calliope¡¯s bird mask came off as well, exposing the frightened face of Lyra Chen. She was watching, waiting for him to start speaking.

    Finn set his visor down against one of the air conditioning units beside them, resting his palms on it to gather his thoughts for just a moment longer. Enough putting this off. He straightened, directing his gaze at her once more.

    ¡°What you said and did that night,¡± he began. ¡°I¡¯ve turned it over in my head in every way I could.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn¡¯t move, but he could feel the weight of her anticipation pressing down on him.

    ¡°And¡­ I don¡¯t have anything more for you.¡± The words were delivered in a slow, deliberate tone.

    The effect on her aura told him exactly when the words registered, though not every nuance was comprehensible. She wasn¡¯t taking it well, uttering a trembling, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What I was telling you, that wasn¡¯t a lie. I don¡¯t have the answers, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for. The things you were asking for never came up in my¡­ life plans, whatever they¡¯re called.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Lyra, you are the only person I¡¯ve confided all the most important elements of my life to. And I don¡¯t think my choice to do that was wrong. In costume, you¡¯ve always had my back. Out of costume, you¡¯ve done your best to be a great friend. I acknowledge that.¡±

    The shifting colors around her went from crushed to confused. ¡°So, what does that mean?¡±

    Finn allowed himself a full, genuine smile, teeth and all. ¡°It means that I trust you.¡±

    Her eyes went wide. He didn¡¯t know why that made her heart and aura flutter, but he continued, ¡°For that reason, even though my goal hasn¡¯t changed, I¡¯m willing to see where this goes. I¡¯m willing to give you a chance.¡±

    The tension in her shoulders seemed to melt, but only slightly. She swallowed hard, glancing down for a brief second before looking back up at him.

    ¡°A chance?¡± Her voice was hedging, as if afraid to hope too much. ¡°As in a chance to be together?¡±

    Finn nodded.

    White bubbled up around her, a color he tentatively identified as relief, along with gradients of green, orange, purple, pink, and salmon. Disbelief and joy were evident on her face, and she walked forward with a blush spreading on her cheeks.

    Shyly, the girl¡¯s fingers touched his arms, like he was going to disappear if she didn¡¯t. ¡°You mean it?¡±

    Another nod.

    ¡°So if I make my pitch now¡­¡± she said, raising her other hand and putting it on the other arm. At his lack of protest, she slowly pulled him closer.

    And didn¡¯t give him any more time to change his mind.

 Chapter 53 - To Raid

    On the way to their actual destination, Finn was almost on autopilot as he swung from building to building with his grappling hooks, the movements ingrained and familiar. In his unoccupied mind, he wondered what type of gum Lyra had been chewing before meeting up with him. The flavor was rather strong when he swallowed, now.

    Granted, he was still aware of his surroundings; it would be ridiculous beyond belief if someone with his senses couldn¡¯t stay vigilant of what was going on around them. That was why he scanned for threats despite knowing there wouldn¡¯t be any attackers, and kept track of Calliope leaping rooftops behind him.

    The instinct to probe his environment with colors remained, but he was learning to get rid of it. Rather than forcing the information out of the outside world, he just had to let it speak to him. The existing colors, the matter around him, had a passive aspect that was fully apparent to him without any additional effort.

    One might wonder how much extra mental bandwidth it cost to have such a tidal wave of information assaulting the mind at all times, but the answer was surprisingly none. As a matter of fact, Finn hadn¡¯t strained the cognitive limits of his power after those first few days of practice. He¡¯d pushed himself on intensity when manifesting vantablack in his entire range to put out those fires, yet those limitations never carried over to other aspects of his power, like what his mind could handle in terms of complexity or quantity.

    It wasn¡¯t as though he had infinite control or precision, just that his mind had not encountered a ceiling for itself in the ways it used his power. When he retreaded that thought, he realized he had been thinking of his mind as a separate entity, like he wasn¡¯t his own mind, which sounded weird when he made conscious notice of it. What if his mind in this context wasn¡¯t his mind, but his power?

    Was his power alive?

    There were certainly many researchers asking that question, and he was not one of them. But that didn¡¯t matter; if he needed to dive into the more abstract parts of his ability to increase his chances against Omega, he would. Besides, Jack had hammered into him the importance of increasing his knowledge base. It might be worth looking into when he found the time.

    Speaking of his best friend, they had him on the line again for this mission. Finn wasn¡¯t clear on what it was he had trained while they were going through their bootcamp with Frameshot and later Nar, but the drones that flew in to accompany them looked far more advanced.

    ¡°Are you guys official yet or what?¡± Gridlock asked offhandedly.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Finn said.

    Lyra tried to say something, but devolved into a fit of happy giggles.

    Jumping over another ledge, Finn turned in the direction of the location they had been instructed to travel to by Cyrus. This time, they would not be the only ones in attendance.

    The request to attend was twofold. One came from the Wardell billionaire, and the other from the DHD itself. The latter reaching out to them had been unexpected, though in retrospect it made sense. Knowing what they were getting into, having all hands on deck was a given. Adding some more couldn¡¯t hurt, either.

    Contacting Shade and Calliope was only possible via Aegis, and that was what had happened. Finn knew there were legal stipulations for when the government was allowed to make use of it to contact independents, so the fact that the hero branch bothered jumping through those hoops to get to them for something other than recruitment spoke to the importance of what they were planning.

    On the other hand, Finn now also had context about how the government was, according to Cyrus, just another faction vying for control over Aegis as a whole. He would have to be careful about ulterior motives from them in the immediate future.

    At the very least, there were people in attendance whom he had already been introduced to, so he wasn¡¯t jumping into an entirely unfamiliar environment. Keeping his guard up just went without saying, particularly in this situation.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the abandoned building came into his range, and when it did, it made him pause as soon as he processed what he was sensing. So many costumes in one place, it was more than he had ever witnessed prior.

    Mistral was there, standing on a stormcloud at the head of the crowd. Next to him were Mountpin and Radi, each woman on one side. The Junior Aces, sans their captain, were positioned in the back. He couldn¡¯t detect Zeta or Gossamer, the other members of the adult district team, anywhere nearby. But plenty of other, non-affiliated vigilantes were scattered across the room.

    Among them was Sphinx, looming over the rest in her shifter form and staring at the impromptu podium with bored eyes. Her swishing tail betrayed the aloof air she was trying to project, however. That mission at the start of his career where she helped him thwart the Beastlords seemed like lifetimes ago.

    Around her were others he didn¡¯t recognize and whose hero names he had heard from Jack but had never seen in action. Some of them he knew from pictures, but others didn¡¯t have enough exposure for him to even know what their costumes looked like, making it hard to discern which was which from the list of Aegis operatives in the district.

    Conversely, their faces were plain as day to him. He could see under every single mask in the crowd, promptly obliterating any sense of mystique the heroes may have carried for him if he had come here at an earlier point in his life.

    Admittedly, there hadn¡¯t been much left, by his estimation. Months of being Shade had seen to that. Still, being fully aware of the clear excitement, nervousness, irritation, and a whole host of other emotions clear on the faces of people who were under the impression no one could see them, brought with it a wave of disillusionment. These were just people, at the end of the day. Living, breathing people who could make mistakes like the normal civilians who so worshiped them.

    Of course, based on what he knew, he and Lyra were the newest heroes here, with the exception of Damsel. But by this point, Finn would say they had a decent amount of experience in addition to his training refining his acquired skills to a new level.

    ¡°Been a while since I eavesdropped like this,¡± Jack was saying. ¡°Ready to get this show on the road?¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but there is something I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Lyra, her voice bright. She had apparently recovered enough from her giddiness to articulate words.

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Not sure how so many fingers can be in one pie without messing it up?¡± he guessed.

    Lyra nodded, though Jack couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Basically, yeah. With so many potential leaks, isn¡¯t it kind of guaranteed that the Venin would find out about it? How did the government prevent that? I mean, it doesn¡¯t even seem like they have devices that can block signals inside that place. If we can still talk to you in there¡­¡±

    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying. The short answer? They didn''t prevent anything. The longer answer? They knew what they were doing when they organized this meetup. They have resources the Venin isn''t aware of.¡± Gridlock¡¯s explanation was vague, but made perfect sense in the right context.

    Lyra looked at Finn¡¯s back, and he indicated his confirmation with a flex of his power. A sign she took with a pleased smile under her mask. Her aura flared, pulsing much the same way it had when they were alone. She didn¡¯t ask another question.

    But she had been right to worry about operational security. After all, the reason they were here was to organize before destroying the Venin for good. It was totally rational to have concerns when the gang in question could find out about their plan so easily.

    The truth was, they knew. Viperia was aware that her key addresses were compromised, and would have doubtless relocated by this point. But there was one variable she wasn¡¯t taking into account.

    Nar.

    Copying Finn¡¯s power, Nar had been taking extra patrols to scout the district for Venin hideouts. Where Finn would have spent significantly more time covering that much ground, the jester was able to use other abilities to get around significantly faster, and even keep his approach subtle if necessary.

    This had been a resounding success, and also what he knew Mistral and the others were basing the real plan around. What they were planning before Finn let his power get duplicated, he wasn¡¯t sure, but right now they had a trump card the Venin leader could not possibly have predicted.

    So this assembly and the subsequent strikes were known to the supervillain. She assumed she was prepared. In reality, Nar had long since tracked down all their relocated assets, and was prioritizing targets in order of significance.

    The downside of the plan, which Nar had told him about, was that the DHD would know about his ability to sense objects in the environment. However, Finn was unconcerned with that comparatively minor aspect of full the breadth of sensory capabilities; the passive people sensing and emotional auras were a bigger deal in his view¡ªthey could have figured out his awareness of inanimate material from extensive observation anyway. And that wasn¡¯t even counting the fact that the older boy had downplayed it to his superiors.

    Not to mention, if Nar had unlocked as much of the power as Finn, he would have to keep his ability to sense underneath masks close to the vest, rising star or no. Perhaps that would change when he was sufficiently powerful to disregard the perceived threat others saw in him, on top of what he represented in the first place. But that day was not today.

    In an ideal world, Finn would have nobody knowing anything about his power, ever, until he defeated them, but the situation as things stood was¡­ not the worst. While he didn¡¯t like leaving so much to other people, he could tolerate it.

    Multiple individuals inside the large space began noticing their arrival, some taking ready stances and others merely turning in the direction of the entrance. They weren¡¯t the last to arrive, others were coming in from around them as well, yet they weren¡¯t the first either.

    They came here at the exact time Cyrus had stipulated. Was this part of the man¡¯s schemes, to have other people reacting to their hero personas in a specific manner only possible with them coming in on the later side.

    He supposed it was possible their benefactor had given them a reasonable time without double meanings, but Finn knew better. If there was one thing he knew Cyrus Wardell never lacked, it was intentionality.

    Whatever that hidden layer of plotting was, the impact of himself and Lyra walking in was a variety of different reactions being displayed on the faces of these people. And in their bodies too. Odd as it was, he could see the inside of every human and inhuman body in the vicinity.

    Being active superhumans, it went without saying that most took care of their physique, the most basic needs being tended to. But not all of them were in perfect health. He could see various cardiovascular systems straining a bit too much to keep going, various improperly healed micro fractures, what could be the beginnings of a tumor, bad joints and ligaments, and a bunch of scars and old injuries that had likely been sustained in combat.

    Despite knowing that telling them about their internal health issues would be detrimental, he still felt a compulsion to do so, since ignoring it when it could potentially save a life down the road was rubbing him the wrong way. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint the precise reason for it.

    He saw this in normal people all the time now, and that had resulted in suspiciously engineered scenarios and recommendations to Jack to hack into their devices and use targeted advertising to get them the help they needed.

    The impulse to warn them, to intervene and fix those hidden problems, gnawed at him. It was a peculiar sensation, one that surfaced more and more the deeper he dove into his power. He couldn''t quite explain why it bothered him so much with his fellow heroes; it wasn¡¯t like he could act on it without raising a thousand questions about how he knew such personal details. Yet the awareness that he could do something¡ªno, that he should do something¡ªbuzzed in his mind, loud as static.

    It could have been some byproduct of his powers, an instinct to ¡°correct¡± the world when it deviated from its optimal state. He didn¡¯t know. He kept imagining scenarios in which a single suggestion could change everything for someone. A word whispered in the right ear about that blood clot forming near a hero¡¯s heart, or the ligament damage that would inevitably tear during their next mission. Things they couldn¡¯t see, things that he could fix.

    He didn¡¯t even know if the sensation was a foreign one or internal to himself, really. What was it those philosophers said? Power revealed who you really were? Maybe this was similar, where he had the ability to act on certain things for the first time in his life, and his moral character was being exposed in ways it never had been previously.

    ¡°Moral character¡± might have been the wrong term for it. He just did what was right, proper for a hero to do. It wasn¡¯t as if he had some sort of burning sense of justice in his gut urging him to go around scouring evil from the face of the planet. Rather, he did what Dad would have done, and if there was someone in danger right next to him, doing the right thing wasn¡¯t something he could skip out on.

    Except, when so many people¡¯s problems were laid out as if they were right next to him, he suddenly felt overwhelmed with solving them all, even if he knew he couldn¡¯t.

    Because he couldn¡¯t save everyone.

    No one could. Not even Yama. Admirable as his defense against the strongest primebeasts in the world was, he couldn¡¯t be everywhere. And in his absence, innocents would die when faced with such abominations.

    But Finn wasn¡¯t doing this to save everyone. When it came down to it, his goal came first. It took precedence over everything else. And this was a big step toward it, as he was now taking the fight to his enemies.

    No more running away.

    A couple more people streamed into the building, and he caught Sphinx smiling at him before Mistral called for attention.

    ¡°I see everyone¡¯s made it,¡± he said, projecting his voice to be easily audible without shouting. ¡°That¡¯s good¡ªwe¡¯re all in this together. Now let¡¯s get started and go over what needs to be done.¡±

 Chapter 54 - To Coordinate

    The commencement of Mistral¡¯s speech was met with a professional shift in attention for most of those present. These people were used to switching their focus in a deliberate manner, though Finn noted how they still kept an eye on each other; since most of them were on different teams, trust was obviously at a minimum, even if they had worked together before.

    He wasn¡¯t surprised, as there was no one outside his team that he wouldn¡¯t treat with that baseline level of wariness and suspicion. Lyra¡¯s comment about there possibly being a Venin plant here wasn¡¯t lost on him. He doubted such a person would attack while surrounded by enemies like this, but if he was wrong, he would be prepared.

    To that end, he went over the people present. He saw one guy with a white ring the size of his torso suspended above his shoulder. Hanging from it were three spheres made of metal, wires, and other materials Finn couldn¡¯t identify. They were machines, obviously, but neither the gadgets nor the run-of-the-mill costume rang any bells in his mind.

    If Finn was able to use his power to block any light sensors inside, he would have an advantage. Ideally, though, he wouldn¡¯t have to fight this guy at all. Same for the other independents he didn¡¯t recognize. Some reminded him of descriptions he¡¯d seen on Aegis profiles, but few of them were so familiar to him that he could be a hundred percent certain of their identity. Either because they didn¡¯t get as much exposure as he and Lyra, or because they traveled around different districts for jobs.

    Of all the people around, he could only name three of them with certainty. Valken, Holderbar, and Axon. He kept his gaze on Mistral rather than glancing at any of them, since that was pointless when his power provided better sensory information about everyone in the building.

    Valken was hard to miss. The hulking woman stood head and shoulders above the crowd, her body clad in a suit of gray and black armor that was equal parts military and mythic in design. Her helmet, shaped like a falcon, concealed her face to everyone except Finn, but her reputation was unmistakable. No one else on her squad had powers, and yet they were trained professionals all the same. Combined with her tactical prowess, aerial mobility, and proclivity to take high-risk jobs, she was a force to be reckoned with.

    On the other side of the room, Holderbar leaned against the wall. Compared to the others, he looked unassuming. Scruffy dark hair, simple leather jacket, hands in his pockets, impassive facial expression. His physiology also looked completely normal, indistinguishable from a regular human. The man was an enigma. He operated solo, rarely took jobs through official channels, and had an air of mystery that worked in his favor. His name had popped up a few times in conversation with Jack, and they were no closer to figuring out anything more than what the man wanted the public to know. Which included what he looked like, weirdly enough. He made no effort to cover up his identity, and even so, no one knew who he was. All of that screamed danger to Finn, even discounting the rumors about him being split in half once and walking it off.

    Finally, there was Axon, the last person he could confidently name. She was the one he knew the most about, mostly because Jack hadn¡¯t been able to shut up about her last year. And from Nar, the other day. Wearing a sleek bodysuit with circuitry woven through the fabric,

    Axon specialized in some form of data manipulation. It made her amazing at gathering intel and gave her unmatched synchronicity with her gadgets. Really, those sounded like things Finn should be good at. She was like a fully realized version of the skill set he was working on right now. He would have to take inspiration from her power use, because his current capabilities with manipulating tech left a lot to be desired. Blacking out sensors was within his capabilities, and he didn¡¯t have to use his hands to type, allowing him to communicate with his team without speaking. This woman just took it to another level. Jack seemed to think she had an artificial intelligence in her head, but Finn had his doubts, as he was becoming accustomed to the feeling of not having a tangible limit on his cognitive bandwidth when using his power. Plus, her brain wasn¡¯t inorganic to his senses.

    A couple of the others stood out to him, but nothing detailed or actionable so far. What he could do in this situation was limited, so he simply remained on guard.

    ¡°...value your services,¡± Mistral was saying. ¡°So let¡¯s not waste time. I¡¯m sure most of you know what I¡¯m about to tell you, but for those who don¡¯t and those who need a reminder, I¡¯m going over the roster of opponents quickly before we head out. All clear?¡±

    There were nods of assent around the room, and Finn took a closer look at the DHD district captain as he pulled out a small device. He didn¡¯t look much different from last time. Gray bodysuit, armor panels over his vitals, blue helmet. The only difference was his cape, which he had chosen to wear for this mission. Finn remembered debating Jack about its utility.

    However, he was now able to pierce through the disguise, peer at the man beneath. Nothing out of the ordinary, a guy in his early forties, the fit physique he¡¯d come to associate with people who did this for a living, combed dark hair, and a plain face. His eyes, though? Those were the eyes of a veteran. As expected of the leader of a hero team.

    Mistral turned and gave the device to Radi, who pointed it behind them. An image appeared of a man in a green suit and a mask with a crude vertical mouth drawn on it. ¡°We''ll handle Havoc first. His power''s the most dangerous in a crowded area. Those energy discs of his¡ªsharp, explosive, and he can control them without needing to see his target. He uses them to boost his movement, too, so he¡¯s going to be hard to pin down. This one¡¯s going to be tricky. We¡¯ll need to keep the civilians away if we¡¯re going to minimize the collateral.¡±

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    Next to Finn, Lyra tensed up at the sight of the projected supervillain, orange and red flaring around her. Having been part of that battle himself, he could attest to the fact that this guy had almost succeeded in killing her. Not that he needed that context to see the scar running across the middle of her torso.

    He paused at that thought, realizing how invasive it was. With people he barely knew or even family, he didn¡¯t care how much of them his power could see. But with Lyra, he had opened himself up to a world of things he didn¡¯t know how to handle.

    In any case, it held no immediate relevance. He could deal with it later. Or they could, he supposed. He shook off the train of thought.

    ¡°On the bright side,¡± Mistral went on, heedless of his thoughts, ¡°most of our strike zones are clear of civilians. Fewer distractions, less collateral. Now, let¡¯s move on to the next target.¡±

    The image changed to a man dressed in maroon robes embroidered with subtle gold and silver symbols, a wand in one hand and a flask in the other. His face was covered by a high-collared hood and a metal half-mask that had more strange symbols engraved in it. ¡°Grimoire,¡± Mistral continued, his tone measured. ¡°He¡¯s got conditional, small-scale reality manipulation, mostly through spell casting and alchemy¡ªhence the whole magician act. What matters is that he fights with both pre-prepared items and active power use. That makes him unpredictable. Assume he¡¯s got a counter for anything we throw at him. He prefers mid-range, but don¡¯t be fooled¡ªhe¡¯s just as dangerous up close.

    ¡°After that, we have Niebla.¡± He gestured, and the slide changed to show a woman shrouded in dark blue mist, obscuring her form to a silhouette. ¡°Her powers revolve around controlling her unique vapor. It can disrupt your equilibrium, block vision, slow you down. Worse, she can solidify it at will, turning it into walls, blades, or anything else she needs. In close quarters, she¡¯s especially dangerous, since she can use the mist to cut off our air supply or limit our mobility. Avoid letting her pull you into her fog. If you can disrupt the mist, do it early and aggressively.¡±

    While the tension in the room ratcheted up for some, the overall mood was still eager, with the majority being confident in their numbers and experience.

    Mistral pointed to the chain-covered man displayed behind him..¡°Fetter¡¯s straightforward. Controls metal chains, can fire them off as projectiles, and he¡¯s tough to take down. Not much finesse, but hard to injure.¡±

    This villain was still fresh in Finn¡¯s mind, and seeing him photographed instead of in person didn¡¯t quite have the same effect. Although, now that he would be able to see the man beneath the bundle of chains, perhaps another in-person meeting would lack the same impact.

    Taking a steady breath, Mistral shifted his attention to the last, and most dangerous, opponent. "Then we¡¯ve got the Venin''s boss: Viperia.¡± She might¡¯ve looked human, but the slicked-back green hair, gleaming white scales, and razor-sharp claws told a different story. ¡°Reptile shifter, very high strength classification. If you see her, disengage. Call for backup. I¡¯ll handle her.¡± His voice hardened as he emphasized the danger. ¡°And if you¡¯re forced to fight, do everything you can to avoid her claws¡ªone scratch, and you¡¯re dealing with poison. No antidote yet. Radi can only work so fast, and she can¡¯t be everywhere.¡±

    He glanced meaningfully at Radi, his team healer, making sure the point landed.

    ¡°Now that we understand the threats, let¡¯s talk teams. We can¡¯t predict where each of these villains will pop up, so we¡¯re going to structure the groups around completing key objectives.

    The arrangement was made based on your skills, with some coverage in case you run into trouble.¡±

    After that, no one wasted time. Pre-existing teams were, of course, kept intact. And the group divisions were announced one by one.

    As for who they ended up with, it was obvious from the way Damsel was fixated on Lyra. The girl underneath, who he confirmed was indeed not Casey as he had sarcastically suggested to Aiden and Colette, looked excited, determined, and a bit uneasy.

    Mountpin and Scalestrike, meanwhile, had their eyes on Finn. Scalestrike¡¯s look, Finn had no idea how to interpret, what with him not being an expert on pangolin facial expressions. It didn¡¯t seem hostile, though. This would be their first time working together since stopping that fire from Ignis. However, he found it odd to see the modified animal form in its original color, rather than the gold Nar¡¯s copied power turned it into back when the jester had saved him from death by Trooper.

    Contrary to the junior shifter, the adult heroine exuded boredom. His senses registered the dismissive arch of her eyebrow, and the way her body language screamed ¡°unimpressed.¡± She evidently didn¡¯t care for the setup or the fact that she had to work with the likes of him. Her casual disdain was so palpable, Finn was bemused. Their past interactions were nonexistent. She¡¯d been present at the Homeland hostage situation where he¡¯d gone to save his mother, but he had only seen her from a distance, that was it. Whatever caused her to have such a strong opinion of him, he didn¡¯t care, as long as she didn¡¯t make it his problem.

    Finn deduced the intention behind the current line-up was to have himself and Lyra on scouting and observational support, with Mountpin taking point while Scalestrike and Damsel played defense. They would see how well that worked in practice.

    Next to him, Lyra¡¯s aura had calmed down, and she was observing their new allies too. If he was being honest, he couldn¡¯t recall a time where she¡¯d looked more confident. Good. She was ready.

    They walked to the front together, and when every hero present was standing with their assigned squad, a burst of ice shot up at the ceiling and popped, scintillating crystalline flakes drifting down gently and recapturing the crowd¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Final check,¡± Mistral said. ¡°Everyone knows their assignments, everyone knows the stakes. I don''t need to tell you what''s riding on this. Stick to the plan, trust your teammates, and we''ll walk out of this in one piece.¡±

    He paused, letting the gravity of his tone sink in.

    ¡°Move out.¡±

 Chapter 55 - To Soar

    Today marked the second time in Finn¡¯s life where he was standing on top of Mistral¡¯s signature stormcloud, soaring over the district with Lyra at his side. However, unlike last time, there were more than three people on the cloud.

    Though the number may have been dwindling, a lot of the other independents from the meeting spot had tagged along with them. And Radi, Mountpin, and three of the Junior Aces.

    Three, not five, because in addition to Nar being on solo patrol, Aquiveil had already disembarked with his own group. That left Damsel and Scalestrike, the ones with whom they were in a squad, and Warp, who was playing a key role in making this all happen.

    Warp¡¯s task in this raid was to create portals to pick up and drop off his allies while Mistral made good time getting them from point A to point B. The transport formation was set up in advance in order to make the most efficient possible use of the boy¡¯s power and provide the opportunity for quick escapes and reinforcements. Finn imagined he himself would be frustrated if he were put in a position like that, playing taxi and being kept on the sidelines, but if Warp took issue with his current station, he didn¡¯t show it.

    The way he used his ability was quick and efficient; clearly this wasn¡¯t the first time he and Mistral were using their powers in concert in such a manner, with Mistral listening to console and indicating where to place portals and Warp channeling the gateways exactly in those locations.

    Of course, that did not mean his power came without limitations. For example, there was the one person per portal rule, or the fact that distance did actually matter. At close range, the portals opened more or less instantly, whereas if one end was placed at the edge of his range, which was over a kilometer away, it would take time to charge.

    In Finn¡¯s senses, the swirling portal was more like the mouth of a twisting tunnel distortion in space, so maybe they were wormholes, and beyond it¡­ he couldn¡¯t sense beyond it. Shouldn¡¯t he be able to? His passive perception wasn¡¯t being forthcoming, and active probing wasn¡¯t leading anywhere either, perhaps because he couldn¡¯t define a real boundary between whatever lay behind the opening and everything else. He just couldn¡¯t figure out how it worked.

    It grated on him to just give up on trying to understand it, but he wasn¡¯t getting a lot of opportunities to do more scans, as the second to last group had been dropped off a few seconds ago, leaving Finn and Lyra standing with only the government heroes.

    For a long moment, he focused on his image of the city below, but they were farther from the ground, far enough that there weren¡¯t many people in his range. This sensation of flying, of defying gravity, was impressive. He wouldn¡¯t lie and say he never dreamed about flying in his childhood, or play-acted with other kids. The fantasy of spreading your wings and enjoying the freedom of being in the air, unhindered, was understandable. For the current version of him, however, aerial mobility was a means to an end that he was going to get his hands on.

    Whenever he visualized what it was like being at the top, it was just difficult to picture himself being stymied by something as simple as his opponent hovering a few meters in the air. Ranged attacks and stealthy ambushes were the only counters he had as he was now. Never mind that he would prefer not to have to put himself in positions where someone could drop him from lethal heights.

    Sensing less of roads and buildings and people with his power also made him rely on his eyes more, which made him assess the state of the city. This district didn¡¯t look much worse than before the Venin leader had started drug pushing in the extreme, getting tons of people addicted to her product.

    It had apparently resulted in a notable number of overdoses. Finn knew little about it, since he didn¡¯t interact with ordinary people much in his career. The other heroes did that, he was more prone to staying invisible and doing what he needed to do.

    That meant he also didn¡¯t have firsthand experience of Viperia¡¯s wrongdoings to the general public aside from those thugs who tried to kill Lyra on his first night in costume. His neighborhood was clear of those things, and he hadn¡¯t seen any real instance outside of it, since he hadn¡¯t strayed into Venin territory recently. Ironic, though, since they were the first gang he¡¯d ever tangled with.

    Mistral¡¯s hand went to his communicator again, showing the man was listening to whatever was being said on the other end of the line. Lyra could tell him if he asked, but he knew she¡¯d report it to him if it were important anyway. And Finn knew what the older hero¡¯s priority was; he was supposed to be on standby to wait for the moment Viperia showed herself.

    To Finn, it was odd. How could it be that the Venin wasn¡¯t getting steamrolled in an instant with this many gathered superhumans to destroy them coordinating? He knew the other gangs hadn¡¯t made any moves to intervene, and they were strong, yes, but so were many of the other independents. The powered Venin villains couldn¡¯t fight every one of the strike forces at once, meaning some assets had to be manned solely by unpowered members. It was a losing battle no matter how he sliced it, especially when the Junior Ace captain was leaking the coordinates on relocated assets. Sometimes even assets in transport, which would get hit again and again.

    As a matter of fact, why go through the trouble of gathering so many independents in the first place? Receiving backup from other districts was a possibility for the DHD. A likelihood, when a supervillain gang leader was running around starting drug epidemics with new, untested narcotics and the local hero scene was having trouble dealing with them.

    Had they not asked for it? Unlikely, at least one person would have suggested it and kicked it up the chain. So then the people up high had denied the request? Why? What was the point in denying the district extra heroes to work with, who could the government possibly¡­ His eyes narrowed. Cyrus.

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    If Cyrus¡¯ comments about the Apexian government were to be believed, it was possible they thought sending more heroes to this place would make those new arrivals susceptible to the Wardell head¡¯s influence, seeing as they knew his son was one of the top prospects for the next generation, and didn¡¯t want him gaining any more power even if they didn¡¯t know about his secret organization. Finn could also be onto nothing here, but this suspicion was hard to shake, now that he¡¯d come up with it. Just politics and power games causing normal people to suffer, as usual.

    Yet that didn¡¯t answer the question of why the Venin hadn¡¯t made some explosive counterstroke. Thus far, only one villain had been sighted, and that was a guy no one had heard of before. It wasn¡¯t a problem since he had been arrested soon after, but could the reason for the delayed response be because they had new hires that needed to be thrown to the wolves?

    Or Viperia simply knew Mistral was lying in wait, and wasn¡¯t going to make the first move even as her criminal empire burned around her.

    In any case, they should be approaching their own target, making him turn his thoughts back to the companions that had been grouped up with them. Mountpin stood near the front of the cloud, close to her leader, arms crossed. He estimated her to be in her mid twenties. Wearing a form-fitting, two-piece wheat gold colored tactical suit and argent gauntlets and armored boots with wheat palms and soles, her outfit matched what he had seen of her on television, complete with the utility belt and needle-covered mask, hair styled in a long black ponytail.

    She didn¡¯t pay them much attention, only glancing Damsel¡¯s way every few questions the knightly girl fired off at Lyra.

    ¡°I was wondering what your opinions are on Homeland, Calliope. I happened to be present when they attacked Apexia Properties, and Shade came alone that day. Was that because of some potential reservations you have about engaging in hostilities against that movement?¡± she inquired, the curiosity on her face plain to Finn despite her helmet.

    Lyra shifted on her feet, uncomfortable being reminded of the day she was bedridden after sustaining a grievous injury. He spoke up in her stead. ¡°Calliope wasn¡¯t available at the time.¡±

    The armored girl turned to him. ¡°Oh, I see. My apologies. It seems I forgot some of you have lives outside of being a hero. Not that I think that makes you any less of one, by the way. It¡¯s just so surprising to hear that you two find the time for anything else with how in-sync you are. You must be putting in a lot of extra hours together. Are there any special routines you''re practicing?¡±

    ¡°She wants to know if you¡¯re fucking,¡± Warp threw in from the side.

    Damsel rounded on the white-clad hero, fists clenched at her sides. ¡°Warp!¡±

    ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t judging, just making sure our new friends know what it is you actually mean.¡±

    As the other two bickered, Scalestrike turned to Finn. The massive pangolin shifter was physically incapable of human speech in this form, but he managed to look apologetic on his team¡¯s behalf somehow.

    A couple of paces ahead, he heard Mistral say, ¡°Looks like Grimoire¡¯s shown up. Valken and her people are having trouble holding him off. The regular members are armed with unknown tools as well. Warp, get to the next drop-off point and then circle back the way we came.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± the portal maker said, cutting off his antics with Damsel.

    ¡°I¡¯m capable of providing backup, Mistral,¡± Mountpin said. It was immediately obvious to Finn how she only included herself in that assertion.

    She was shot down, though. ¡°No, I need you watching over the kids. The other strikes are still proceeding as planned¡ªit¡¯s not numbers we¡¯re lacking.¡±

    Her expression briefly soured before she schooled it again, but the frustration was unmistakable. Finn wouldn¡¯t pay it any mind unless it started affecting them in the field.

    It didn¡¯t take long before they began to slow, and Warp was using his power again. Mountpin was the first to walk through, taking deliberate steps to the other side. Damsel was next, turning and disappearing through her portal like her senior. Scalestrike, too, entered as if it was no more dangerous than a doorway, which it wasn¡¯t. Finn had seen normal civilians, his mother included, use these portals after all.

    Lyra cast a glance his way, trepidation pulsing around her for a moment, then braved the portal herself.

    When she was gone, it was his turn, and he started walking over the cloud, weird as that sensation was. Like walking over a soft pillow but not being encumbered by it in the least. With a deep breath, he stepped to the other side of this breach in space.

    The transition was instant. He didn¡¯t get time to wonder what his senses registered in between, because the answer was nothing. One moment he was higher than the tallest buildings in the city, and the next, he was standing in a room with the others.

    Due to Nar vetting every building for traps and continued observation from the DHD, they didn¡¯t have to bother coming in from the outside and storming the building that way. Instead, they could come from within and ambush the criminal gang, allowing them no time to prepare. As he was thinking this, he concentrated on his environment to see if there was anything worth noting.

    And that was when he noticed it, on the top floor.

    A geometrical crystal, more rectangular than cuboid, refracting light off its translucent surface. Inside, an iridescent mix of blue, purple and pink. On the whole, it would fit easily in the palm of his hand.

    But something was off. An anomaly. It contained¡­ more than it was supposed to. He used his power on it, wanting to know more.

    What was this? He couldn¡¯t find the center of it. It was similar to Warp¡¯s portals to his senses, yet at the same time not at all. The commonality between the two was his inability to probe past a certain point with his colors, but they had different types of spatial alignment, if that was the right way of putting it. Where the portal power he just experienced had a logical beginning and endpoint, the dimensions this shape contained should have been impossible. He had no idea what this thing was, why the Venin had acquired it, or how it was supposed to work. If it had any function to begin with. Where would anyone even find this?

    He put the questions out of his mind. That could all be answered once he acquired this strange object.

    If it was going to help him discover more about his abilities, he would get his hands on it, no matter how many villains he had to defeat to do so.

 Chapter 56 - To Breach

    As far as Finn could tell, his shock went unnoticed by the DHD heroes, since they didn¡¯t react. Lyra, on the other hand, stared straight at him in a spike of alarm, having heard the near-inaudible hitch in his breath. A single nod of reassurance caused her to look ahead again.

    To recenter himself, he peered around the room. His eyes tracked the layout of the otherwise nondescript space; it was close to empty, only a few chairs and tables scattered around. Nothing interesting here.

    Switching focus back to his power¡¯s senses, he gave himself the chance to register everything else around the strange crystal thing. The building itself wasn¡¯t too tall, three floors total. None of the Venin¡¯s villain roster were around, as he saw no one in costume. The possibility of one going around the building unmasked crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. There was no point in doing that with the information they had at their disposal.

    No, it was all rank and file stationed around at different locations to protect the most important assets on the top floor, along with the floor below that. Really, the bottom floor which they were currently on was the least staffed. The guards protecting the building from intruders were either outside or on the roof.

    And there were all sorts of strange things he couldn¡¯t identify in the same room as that crystal. Nothing that had the same weird effect on his power as the unknown mineral that he now noted was locked in a safe together with a bunch of other things. He had to get there fast, preferably alone so he could secure what he was after without anyone seeing.

    Mountpin pressed two fingers to her earpiece, giving the confirmation signal. She turned to the group, her eyes sharp. ¡°We don''t have time to squander,¡± she stated, her voice measured and leaving no room for debate. ¡°Efficiency is key, so we¡¯re splitting into two teams. Sweep through the building, and we¡¯ll round up the stragglers before they even know what hit them. Calliope, you¡¯ve already scanned the layout, correct?¡±

    Both his and Lyra¡¯s powers were well-suited for the task, but Mountpin made it clear where her expectations lay. Lyra just nodded at the older heroine and looked to the wall where Finn was displaying an exact map of every room, door and staircase in the building.

    The government hero glanced over the floor plans Finn projected, her expression unchanging, as if the information had simply appeared out of thin air rather than being carefully gathered by his power. She didn¡¯t waste time acknowledging him¡ªher focus remained on what needed to be done. In contrast, Lyra shot him a quick, appreciative look, then shifted her attention back to the mission at hand.

    After the brief second she took to memorize it, Mountpin was talking to Damsel. ¡°You¡¯re with me. Calliope too.¡± She addressed the shifter. ¡°Scalestrike, take¡­ him,¡± she said, gesturing Finn¡¯s way with a dismissive flick of her gauntlet. ¡°Keep your team intact¡ªno injuries, no casualties. That¡¯s your responsibility.¡±

    They formed up, and Damsel took a moment to speak to Finn. ¡°Shade, I think your control is very precise and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Focus,¡± Mountpin cut her off. Damsel blinked but ceased talking. Lyra, meanwhile, was scowling, anger starting to roil in her aura. Before she could say anything, Finn strode forward to the doorway, camouflage colors matching the surroundings.

    As they began to move, Mountpin¡¯s gaze swept over them once more, her expression cold and determined. ¡°No delays, no mistakes,¡± she said in that same clipped, authoritative tone. ¡°Scalestrike, to the left. We¡¯re going right.¡±

    Split up to cover more ground, take care of the thugs quickly, get out. It was a plan Finn could agree with, except he now had another objective, one that took priority. His hand went to his back where the staff he hadn¡¯t actively used on the field in quite some time rested, ready for him to use.

    Lyra¡¯s group diverged from his own, with him leading the way regardless of what Mountpin said. Scalestrike wasn¡¯t initiating conversation for obvious reasons, but that suited Finn just fine. The mission here was to strike from unexpected angles, not go for an evening stroll with unconventional conversation partners.

    With one of his claws, the overgrown pangolin ticked on the floor twice to get his attention. He turned, and saw the other hero pointing diagonally above them. Finn already knew what was there, but it was good that he didn¡¯t have to explain that there was a weapon storage not too far away from their position. Enhanced sense of smell?

    At the end of the corridor, the first Venin member they encountered had no clue he was even being targeted until a dart was sticking out of his neck. It was inconvenient that Finn had to hold a hand over the struggling thug¡¯s mouth, but without Lyra here to silence his cries, some measures had to be taken. At least it didn¡¯t take more than a few seconds until he slumped.

    Scalestrike was giving him a look he couldn¡¯t interpret, having witnessed that encounter. Why? Was it the darts, did their regulations not allow those or something? Or was it the act itself? Whatever, he didn¡¯t care about all the DHD¡¯s sensitivities. Besides, Scalestrike wasn¡¯t making too much of an issue out of it either, since he pulled out a pair of cuffs and slapped them on the unconscious criminal.

    After the first guard, it seemed their luck had run out, as the following moment a group of armed men were leaving the room nearest to them, seconds away from opening the door. He frowned. Couldn¡¯t they have just stayed where they were and made his mission easier?

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    Without hesitation, he signaled to Scalestrike what was about to happen, and the naturally shielded hero charged into the fray right when the door handle turned. The guy on the other side was greeted with a hulking ball of scales bowling him over and taking some of his comrades out as well. Others jumped out of the way and aimed guns to shoot at Scalestrike, bullets bouncing off him like they were hurling popcorn into a block of concrete.

    Finn had run around them and used his grappling hook to pull one of them toward him and knock down some more in the process. With his other hand, he extended his staff and smashed it down into the arm of one of the last gunmen. He cried out in pain and dropped the weapon.

    On the floor, he saw one of them with a phone in hand shouting in a frantic voice to send reinforcements. It was inevitable, of course. But still, it made Finn rush even faster. If he couldn¡¯t get that crystal¡­

    One of the other guns was pointed in his direction, but he didn¡¯t even look to stay out of its line of fire no matter how many times its wielder tried to target him. Doing something like this when he could sense both the person operating the weapon and the weapon itself was simple, really. When you could see every muscle twitch through people¡¯s clothing, it would be hard to incorrectly read how someone would move.

    To his surprise, one brave thug wanted to test his mettle with a knife, having run out of ammo from firing at his larger, scaled companion. He dodged to the side and grabbed the offending arm by the wrist, pulling the gangster off-balance with a shoulder check and slamming him into the ground. The fight ended in a single move, the entire scuffle lasting no more than a minute.

    All the guards were lying on the ground in varying degrees of pain, no longer having the will to fight. Scalestrike was also getting up from tackling the last three guys on his end, and tilted his head in an unspoken question.

    Concentrating on his senses, he said, ¡°Reinforcements are coming in from the upper floors.¡±

    With a nod, the pangolin moved to secure the defeated enemies, but Finn just felt they were wasting time. What if the gang members got an order to relocate the crystal somewhere else? What if Viperia herself came here to extract it?

    Fortunately, no such things happened. Perhaps Viperia had learned that moving her¡ªlikely stolen¡ªpossessions did her no good. If that were true, great. One less thing he had to burn energy on.

    His senses also registered the other team fighting on the opposite end of the building, the three females of their squad making quick work of the waves of Venin thugs. They were already fighting their batch of reinforcements, because that side was closer to the stairway.

    Damsel used her warrior strength to lift thugs into the air and throw them into each other, the flat of her blade cracking guns open and rendering them useless. Further back, shockwaves tore through the crowd as Lyra repositioned herself with quick hops. Whenever the gang members grouped up, she scattered them with another blast. Together, they were dealing with maybe half their opponents.

    The other half was being casually handled by Mountpin. The woman¡¯s right arm was transformed into a man-sized shield of silvery needles, bunched together to block a hail of gunfire while she stepped deftly over a prone criminal. Her arm turned back to normal, and she extended her other arm in a sweeping motion. Partway through, it turned into an enormous hammer made of hay. Every thug left standing was done in one move, blown away by the sheer mass and volume of the impact.

    That was Mountpin¡¯s power¡ªthe ¡°needle in a haystack¡± personified. But she had developed it further and mastered the ability to invert the form and turn into a needle stack with hay at the core. And she had the control required for partial transformation in situations like this where taking up too much space might be impractical.

    Despite her attitude, Finn had to admit she wasn¡¯t incompetent. But they had no time to spare. He took a moment to assess the damage around him. Their room was littered with unconscious thugs, groaning and defeated. Scalestrike was already tying up the last few, his bulk moving surprisingly fast for someone of his size. Finn briefly considered helping but figured it would only slow him down. They had to move faster.

    When it was done, they made their way for the rest of the reinforcements on their end, who were grouping up near the stairs. Their answer was to apply the same tactic as last time. Finn making himself effectively invisible, Scalestrike playing vanguard. It was a simple strategy, and they weren¡¯t shy of applying it again.

    The repeat went off without a hitch, so much so that it almost felt too clean. Not even five minutes later, they were standing over another bunch of downed Venin members. They were tied up in record time, and Scalestrike soon stood again, beady black orbs assessing their work as if satisfied.

    Something strange happened then.

    Outside the building, someone was walking in their direction. That wasn¡¯t common, considering they were in an industrial area, but also not unheard of. Moverover, her appearance didn¡¯t suggest anything special: a youngish woman in faded skinny jeans and a crop top.

    This one in particular, however, had an unerring path, making a beeline for them.

    His mind went on high alert. It couldn¡¯t be Viperia in her human form, could it? That made no sense. Why not shift in advance if she was going to kill them anyway? He discarded that idea. It wasn¡¯t her.

    His other teammate, who had been quiet most of the evening, spoke up. ¡°Cal, you have incoming. Four o¡¯clock,¡± said Gridlock over their comms.

    Sure enough, not even five seconds later, he sensed a green-suited masked villain riding a glowing energy disc riding into range. When he neared the building, he fired one at the wall. When it made contact, the resulting explosion sent a tremor through the building.

    Without losing a beat, the woman on Finn¡¯s end started emitting dark blue mist and formed it into blades to cut the front entrance open to kick it in, sending the doors off the hinges.

    In that instant, the reality of the situation dawned on Finn.

    Havoc and Niebla were here.

 Chapter 57 - To Disperse

    Fog billowed through the space below them, snaking through vents and sliding across every solid surface in the building. Ceaselessly, it expanded, until the whole floor below was covered in the unnatural vapor.

    To Finn¡¯s surprise, it retracted the following moment, converging back on Niebla¡¯s skin briefly, then bursting onto the second floor. So she could sense through her mist, he concluded. Similar to his own power in that regard.

    When he had realized what was going on, he had started sprinting for that strange, rectangular crystal on the floor above him to make sure he secured it before anything could happen to it. But alas, he didn¡¯t make it. A cloud of dark mist cut through the wall next to him and formed a blade that went straight for his heart.

    The attack was so sudden and so fast that he barely had time to pivot out of the way. How did she know? The mist hadn¡¯t touched him. Did she have passive senses like him? No, she didn¡¯t, he realized. A phone rested in the Venin enforcer¡¯s pocket; she must have been told where they were by whoever sent out the distress signal.

    That, and she was looking at him through the hole she¡¯d made in the ground. He mentally kicked himself for being so focused on the possibility of someone else having a similar sensory ability to him that he¡¯d forgotten something so simple as line of sight.

    Scalestrike, having followed him from where he started dashing off out of nowhere, came to a stop a few paces behind. He used his power to communicate who they were facing, what he knew, and made an arrow indicating the villain¡¯s position.

    Simultaneously, he poured the information he was getting into a singular channel in his comms, not bothering Lyra with her own fight. His attention briefly flickered to her, and he saw her team engaging the other Venin superhuman already.

    Movement in his peripheral vision brought his focus back. Niebla jumped up to meet them, and he half-expected her to launch into a monologue about how they would never foil Viperia¡¯s plans. No such thing happened, of course, and the fight started in earnest.

    Hand gripping his staff again, he gave the ground a few taps to build up its charge just as a ripple of miasma rose to engulf both him and the shifter behind him. He held his breath. While there was no way they were going to be able to circumvent inhaling the mist entirely, and he had a filter in his facemask, he would avoid risking it for as long as possible.

    If only that helped with his movement. It wasn¡¯t quite like moving underwater, but he was slowed enough to be noticeably hampered.

    The almost inky wave blotted out the ceiling lights, patches of it being shaped into various constructs once more. Around him, he observed the vapor drawing in more of its surrounding gas and blackening into a solid box. Wasting no time, he smashed his staff into it with full force, activating the charge and dispersing the entrapment technique in one blow.

    Breaking through, he fired his grappling hook behind him to get away from the woman and turned to Scalestrike, who was getting pummeled by a batch of swords and spikes. They failed to pierce through his scales, but the Junior Ace had no way of anticipating where the attacks would come from. Add to the fact that Niebla was keeping him off-balance by concentrating most attacks around his center of gravity and legs, he was practically helpless. Finn launched his hook at the larger hero and reeled him in, pulling the pangolin out of the smoky nightmare zone.

    A real villain, sent here to get rid of them. Finn knew what it meant: life or death, as it had so many times in the past. The difference, unlike every other time, was that he wasn¡¯t backing out. He wasn¡¯t running away¡ªhe was going to win.

    Their opponent repositioned herself to the side before attacking again, letting her power expand farther. Taking another deep breath, he used his electro modulator glove to send a shock through the weird substance Niebla produced when it came near, hoping to end the fight then and there. Whatever it was made of, it didn¡¯t conduct electricity as the electricity did nothing. No surprise that something so common didn¡¯t completely neutralize her. Rather obvious in retrospect.

    Next, Finn channeled his color into her mist, intending to see if he could get a better handle on the properties of her power. And it worked. Upon trying to use his ability to obscure hers, the whole space in front of them went pitch black, as if they were looking at a two-dimensional cutout of a cloud rather than one with actual depth. The villain inside was abruptly caught off guard, crouching to make herself as small a target as possible and sending her newly darkened vapor to circle around and enclose them with more spikes.

    Vantablack on such a large scale still stressed his power, causing that building pressure in his head which increased the longer he maintained it. Though he couldn¡¯t deny this was much easier to handle than when he stopped that fire.

    Plus, it might be worth maintaining since he had now confirmed something. Under normal circumstances, Niebla could see through her own smoke. Currently, however, the attacks lacked accuracy, relying more on volume than precision. His power was blocking her vision.

    Leveling his wrist at her, he shot a dart at her neck with perfect accuracy, though as expected the projectile was slowed by the mist and pinged off a shield she formed with a wave of her hand.

    Scalestrike took a ready stance when he made a green arrow on the floor pointing to where Niebla was. When they were about to be swallowed for the second time, Finn charged instead of waiting for the unnatural haze. Indicating for his ally to follow, he used his staff to clear a path.

    The moment he passed the threshold, the attacks redoubled in their ferocity, and each and every single one of them was on target without fail. She would know where he was so long as her power was touching him, regardless of eyesight.

    But it was working. He was advancing. Due to his senses, he could sense the formation of each solid creation and predict where they would hit. That allowed him to clear the way for Scalestrike to build up momentum and gear up for a rolling impact on the gang lieutenant.

    By this point, Finn was familiar with her physiology inside and out. Which was sufficient to confirm she wasn¡¯t a warrior type and didn''t have enhanced toughness; one hit from the shifter, and she¡¯d be done.

    He maintained his run as best he could, dodging and ducking and jumping where necessary, then jumped to the side. His grappling hook adhered to the wall and pulled him toward his enemy in an attempt to trap her into being slammed into the wall by the other hero coming from the left.

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    Ducking under his staff, she dove forward between them. Landing in a handstand as the scaled hero crashed into where she had been a moment ago, she consolidated a sharp ring that extended around her in every direction, threatening to bisect Finn.

    When he sensed what she was doing, he rolled under it to avoid it. The pangolin, unable to see, fell over in the process of uncurling himself, the solidified mist clashing against his hardened scales and pushing him back. Then the ring retracted again, forcing Finn to duck.

    The mist weapons didn¡¯t stop. Spikes, swords, axes, and jagged spears continuously formed and launched at him, as if Niebla¡¯s focus sharpened each time they dodged or blocked. The density of the mist around them seemed to thicken with every missed attack, creating an oppressive atmosphere that didn¡¯t let up even when Finn had to gasp for breath.

    His thoughts didn¡¯t so much race as they waded through quicksand, slow and heavy. She was herding him away from any escape routes. It was too easy for her to control the battlefield in such a confined space. The lack of air became more and more pressing too. They couldn¡¯t go on like this.

    Things were truly desperate when his equilibrium started to falter. One of his legs was positioned a centimeter too far, just a bit off, just a bit slower to correct. The next sword that flew his way almost lopped his arm off. He threw himself to the side, but it still nicked his shoulder, drawing a line of blood.

    Beyond a slight grimace, Finn didn¡¯t react. Reaching behind him, he fished around for a contraption he hadn¡¯t used in the field for quite some time. The makeshift flashbang.

    Niebla dodged the moment he threw it, not knowing what it was. When it didn¡¯t do anything, she moved to destroy it. However, right at that moment, everything around her turned white. The only part Finn left black was where Scalestrike sat balled up to defend himself from the onslaught.

    Suddenly having her retinas flooded with light, the villain stumbled back for a moment, but Finn didn¡¯t attack because he knew she could still sense him. He just shot his grappling hook at the nearest window and smashed through it, getting the junior hero out along the way.

    Both boys fell a single story and landed in a roll, one protected by shock absorptive padding in his bodysuit and the other having the natural defenses to weather far worse. Finn assessed his condition after exiting the cloud, which was manageable. Glancing to the side, Scalestrike himself didn¡¯t seem damaged, but based on the panting breaths from his squad member, the shifter form still needed air just like him.

    Their opponent caught onto what he was doing and surged forth with her smoke to follow them as they filled their lungs with blissful oxygen. He built up the charge in his staff again, ready to go on the offensive, only to be forced to spend it blocking the absolutely gargantuan club rushing down at them.

    His staff bent from the impact, and his feet were off the ground before he knew it. Sent flying, Finn did his best not to skip across the pavement like a pebble and got his bearings with his hook, but by then the navy smog was free to swamp them.

    What was that attack? Why hadn¡¯t she used it earlier? Because it used most of her smoke, probably. Her total amount was finite. She couldn¡¯t do that and have her cloud up at the same time, meaning she couldn¡¯t use it while whittling them down with disorientation tactics and faster sneak attacks. Never mind that it would take longer to prepare than a smaller weapon.

    Scalestrike was caught inside again, as he expected, yet he didn¡¯t leave the guy in the dark this time, instead using the full range of his power on the mist to redirect the light coming from the building and light fixtures around them in order to send signals with his colors, telling the pangolin where the attacks were going to come from and where their target was.

    Having those indicators supporting him, the other boy moved far more confidently, avoiding the most critical attacks and dealing with the ones that wouldn¡¯t topple him over or stab him in the eye.

    Seeing this, he closed in as well, diving into the multichromatic mayhem with the intent to press his advantage. But his advantage began to fade with every step he took. Niebla destroyed the surrounding light forces and began to solidify the mist around each of them, wanting to tie them down and keep them here long enough for them to choke or finally get hit.

    No longer were the signals reaching Scalestrike with but the natural light from the night sky to work with. Finn saw the momentum shift back into their enemy¡¯s favor, resetting battle conditions to what they had been earlier. Them slowly suffocating while fighting for their lives.

    It didn¡¯t matter that he smashed through the first barrier, because she already had a second and third salvo of sharp edges and blunt force waiting for him. And then he was back to dodging, no closer to her than he had been before. What other confirmation did they need? The two of them couldn¡¯t beat Niebla by themselves.

    So it was a good thing there was someone else, then.

    Gridlock.

    Finn had never stopped using his power to communicate information to his teammate, collecting the required data to understand the best strategy, which they were going to apply now.

    Simple in application. Little more than a color signal, something he¡¯d been able to do for ages. That was all it took to set up this final strategy.

    Niebla¡¯s senses were tactile, limited. Finn¡¯s senses, meanwhile, told him all about a large drone getting into position for him to aim at. His grappling hook tore out of the mist and connected to it, then pulled it in with them, right past the Venin member. She realized what he was doing and tried to cut the chord of his hook, but he retracted it.

    The drone was also under fire from her weaponry, and she successfully destroyed it, skewering it on a dark spike.

    But that was alright. It just needed to get close enough.

    Gel exploded out of the ruined chunks of metal and wiring¡ªsomething Gridlock had prepared with the new resources at his disposal. It wasn¡¯t lethal, simply pushing away the mist and covering the woman from head to toe, leaving her connected to the whole cloud around them by a small tether. And that was her limitation. She had to be connected to her power to control it.

    The surrounding fog wavered, clearing up enough for them to see normally again. The mist, once thick and oppressive, began to recede, revealing the chaos of their surroundings. Debris lay scattered across the ground, and the aftermath of their battle echoed in the air, sparking remnants of light sources in the area dimly illuminating them.

    To her credit, Niebla was quick to reassert control, cutting through the gel and flexing her mist again. The darkness thickened, tendrils of it curling around her, eager to reclaim their domain.

    Too late.

    Scalestrike hadn¡¯t needed any more prompting the instant he could see. He charged forward, his powerful form a blur of motion, doing his signature move and crashing right into her. The force of his attack hit with the weight of a mountain, and Niebla staggered as he barreled through her hastily erected shield, the wind knocked from her lungs.

    Like he thought, she went down in that single hit, apparently not able to withstand an angry pangolin shifter to the face.

    This time, the air cleared up for real. And Finn let his staff fall to his side, exhausted by the whole affair.

    They had done it.

    They¡¯d won.

 Chapter 58 - To Silence

    She had to be dreaming.

    That thought kept repeating itself over and over in Lyra¡¯s head, the reality of what had happened with Finn still seeming so unbelievable. There was simply no other explanation for what she¡ªwhat they had just done a few hours earlier. It was magical. Heck, everything about the past week beggared belief.

    How she had been so daring, despite how terrifying it was to open herself up like that, she couldn¡¯t say. Well, she could, but it was embarrassing beyond measure to think about in detail, even if it was also reassuring and maybe a bit satisfying?

    Ugh, she was all over the place.

    At this point, she should probably be focusing on their current mission, but it was so hard to pay attention to anything else when the task was so easy. Was it bad to underestimate seasoned gang members? Yes, definitely. She just didn¡¯t want to spare them any more mind than she needed to, not when she could bask in this feeling she had. Of being understood and accepted and getting closer.

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to ruin this mission for Finn. It was important to him, so she would see it done to the best of her ability. The professionalism and competence she needed to show on the field were paramount, because she couldn¡¯t embarrass him. Or herself; the credits they¡¯d get from this were also important.

    When it came to that aspect of the raid, she wasn¡¯t sure how exactly everything had been arranged, but only a few of the objectives had been privately sent in advance by the DHD in exchange for decent credit rewards. The rest were put up at the last minute by anonymous clients, perhaps as a form of information control.

    Jack would know more about the details of the DHD¡¯s policies and legislation regarding interactions through Aegis as a platform, and she was sure he would explain it to her if she asked. Bothering him about it now seemed rude, though. He was busy coordinating things from his end too.

    Better to leave him to it and focus on what she was doing, namely walking through a corridor of the Venin storage site with Damsel and her prima donna of a squad leader. Separate from Finn. If she got through this as quickly as possible, they could reunite. And after this mission, they could do¡­ more.

    Quieting the butterflies in her stomach, she looked in the direction where she heard the Venin gangsters group up.

    ¡°They¡¯re all bunching together to the right, past that door,¡± she informed the heroines.

    Mountpin¡¯s sharp eyes fell on her. "Good observation," the woman replied, her tone clipped but tinged with a trace of approval. ¡°We can use that to our advantage. Damsel, you and Calliope get behind me. I¡¯ll engage their main force; you¡¯ll focus on eliminating any stragglers.¡±

    Damsel nodded her assent, drawing the sword sheathed on her hip. The armored girl readied her stance as Mountpin¡¯s arm morphed into twin tendrils made out of needles and tore the door open.

    On the other side of the doorway, the thugs didn¡¯t hesitate to start shooting, prompting Lyra to ready a shockwave while Mountpin started hammering away at them. The loud clatter of gunfire, mixed with the screech of metal shredding wood and the occasional grunt of surprise from their enemies, filled the corridor. Damsel, her sword gleaming, darted forward with quick precision, slamming the flat of her blade into one of the shooters, disarming him and sending his gun skittering across the floor.

    Seeing her opening, Lyra ran forward and unleashed a wide area shockwave, pushing a couple of the men targeting the Junior Ace back to disrupt their cohesion. Damsel lifted one disarmed by the leg as if he didn¡¯t weigh more than a pillow. He gave a yell as she whacked him into another gunman, knocking both to the floor.

    And on they went, with each takedown being smoother than the last. Getting used to each other¡¯s combat styles helped, even though it wasn¡¯t flowing quite the way it had with her¡­ boyfriend? Yeah. Felt weird to be able to think that, like bringing the word up in her mind would make it less true somehow.

    Refocusing, she blasted the last few Venin members and realized she had a wide smile on her face. Good thing she was wearing a mask, or the others might start thinking she was crazy if they saw.

    Let them hear it too, so there won¡¯t be any more doubt.

    Her pace slowed, running steps losing momentum until she came to a stop. Looking around, she observed the action had died down, much like her mood. Mountpin had subdued her half, with Damsel now tying up the last armed assailant, both clueless as to how easily she could have gone too far.

    With no more active hostiles around them, she took a breath. The voice wasn¡¯t just a problem she could keep to herself anymore, not when she made Finn promise. He deserved more than vague hints. The full truth. After this, she told herself. After this was done, they would have a talk about it, despite her dread at the idea.

    When they got through this, she might be able to take some grim amusement in the fact that the voice still being there at least confirmed to her that she wasn¡¯t dreaming.

    We could wake everybody else up.

    ¡°Just shut up already,¡± she gritted out.

    Damsel¡¯s helmet turned in her direction. ¡°Did you say something, Calliope?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she lied, faintly shocked at how smooth she sounded. Was she so out of it that she hadn¡¯t even thought to control the soundwaves? She couldn¡¯t let herself get sloppy. ¡°What about the supplies on the top floor? I still hear a few people up there.¡±

    ¡°We have to wait for Mountpin to report back before proceeding. She won¡¯t be long, don''t worry.¡±

    They chatted a bit while they waited, until they were interrupted by an announcement she really should have expected.

    ¡°Cal, you have incoming. Four o¡¯clock,¡± Gridlock said over her earpiece. Listening more closely, she did indeed hear someone flying from that direction.

    Someone she¡¯d encountered before.

    ¡°Havoc is here,¡± Lyra said out loud, causing Damsel to freeze. Meanwhile, Mountpin¡¯s head snapped in her direction, asking clarifying questions, but there was hardly time.

    Havoc¡¯s disc cut through the air towards the building and exploded on contact. She had braced herself, so it didn''t drop her to the floor. Unfortunately, the dust and plaster still flew at her face.

    Moreover, she couldn¡¯t even shield her face with her arms. Well, she could, but it was pointless, since her knight squad mate was already diving in front of her, weathering the debris with her armor and enhanced body.

    Like her charge, Mountpin also covered her body in metal. Needles grew in place of her costume and formed a protective layer across her front side.

    Fully expecting a follow-up attack, she listened for another disc in the air, but none came. Instead, the dust cleared and the villain hovered, gazing down at them from behind his creepy mask.

    The villain took the lull as a chance to speak. ¡°Causing trouble, are we? Can¡¯t you let a guy catch a break? Blowing up your dismembered bodies is fun and all, but my show is on right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going down today,¡± Damsel shot back, voice hard.

    ¡°Ha! At least one of you is in high spirits.¡± The villain looked in Lyra¡¯s direction. ¡°And you. You just love raising a stink.¡± He paused, cupping his chin. ¡°That sounded better in my head. I was originally going to say you love wreaking havoc, but, you know. Brand identity and all that. Anyway, how¡¯s your tummy feeling, girlie?¡±

    She didn¡¯t grace that with a response, feeling the anger bubbling up inside her. Without fear, she noted. That was unusual. She should have been afraid of this guy. She just inexplicably wasn¡¯t.

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    ¡°We¡¯re not dragging this out,¡± Mountpin cut in sharply, putting an end to the crazy ramblings. ¡°First priority is shutting down his movement.¡±

    As soon as the words left her mouth, she fully transformed into a living pile of needles, no longer concerned about the enclosed space with most of the wall now missing. Three shifting limbs composed of tiny metal pins shot out to cut off potential escape routes. A fourth went straight for the chest.

    Havoc casually tossed a smattering of energy chips which went off like a batch of firecrackers, cutting open a path for him to pass through with a dip of his head. Another set of needle tentacles followed, and was evaded in a similar manner.

    Why wasn¡¯t he trying harder to kill them? He could¡¯ve chained that attack with two more, easily. Even if the others could withstand his attacks, destroying the building around them could slow them down and render them more vulnerable to repeated fire.

    ¡°He¡¯s holding back,¡± Lyra communicated to the women, manipulating sound so the powered Venin lieutenant didn¡¯t overhear. ¡°He¡¯s not allowed to collapse the building, the things stored above us are too important to his boss.¡±

    She suspected that was also the reason they sent Havoc to deal with them. She was just glad that¡­

    On the opposite end of the building, a strange smoke-like substance spread and seemed to be hunting for someone. Finn¡¯s posture was ready; when the mist came up to meet his running form, he dodged the blade that suddenly formed and struck at him.

    ¡°Shade!¡± she called out privately over their comms. If Niebla was here too, they were in trouble. ¡°Do you need me to come help?¡±

    There came no response. After a second, she realized he hadn¡¯t heard her at all. Their comm link was turned off.

    Jack started talking again. ¡°He can handle himself, Cal. Focus on your own fight for now. I¡¯ve got some things I wanna test out. If it gets really dire, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    At that, Lyra was torn. On the one hand, she wanted Finn to be safe. On the other, she agreed that he was skilled enough to hold his own. She pursed her lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said to him.

    ¡°Guilty as charged. Now try not to get sliced in half, please and thank you.¡±

    Mollified considerably, though still worried, she brought her attention back to her own battle. Ahead, Damsel was sprinting toward the flying villain with a metal rod in hand. The girl adopted a javelin thrower¡¯s stance and launched it with her superhuman strength and momentum.

    Another disc flew into its path at just the right moment to blow up, making it veer off course. Havoc, not even sparing them more than a passing glance, was busy dealing with the inverted haystack woman.

    Explosive force pushed Mountpin to the ground, and she let it flatten her into a bed of needles, then launched herself at her enemy by pushing off with a flexible pair of arms, much like a spring.

    Havoc twisted out of the way, narrowly avoiding surprise acupuncture. Not to be outdone, he peppered Mountpin with a hail of explosive energy fragments, raising one hand over his shoulder before tossing the flickering green shards at full speed.

    The adult hero¡¯s scattered form reconsolidated and turned wheat gold, hay starting to form all over her body. Soon, she was swinging massive hammers at the villain, which were destroyed with little effort but also much quicker to reform. She pressed her assault, driving the man back.

    Finding an opportunity to provide support with her shockwaves was proving difficult, Lyra found. Havoc mostly covered himself with an array of discs that would explode and intercept most attacks coming his way, leaving only a few that he had to move out of the way for. Luckily, difficult didn¡¯t mean impossible.

    ¡°You know,¡± Havoc shouted. ¡°If I knew this morning I¡¯d be getting sweaty with three ladies tonight, I would¡¯ve brought protection!¡±

    Although Lyra and Mountpin didn¡¯t react to the basic taunt, Damsel seemed incensed by that remark, charging recklessly at Havoc with a cry of rage. Her sword drawn, she jumped and swung it full force at one of the discs. It went straight through and she almost reached Havoc but was blown back by another protective saucer.

    She slammed into the ground next to Lyra, rolling over the ground in battered platemail. Her fists came down on the floor, irritated huffs coming from her as she pushed herself up.

    ¡°Damsel, control yourself,¡± Mountpin reprimanded, though it was a distracted comment. Most of the woman¡¯s focus was on the guy they were fighting.

    This wasn¡¯t getting them anywhere. Mountpin had been right about mobility being the main issue they needed to contend with here. Perhaps that was to be expected of a seasoned heroine, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was unable to neutralize Havoc by herself.

    Damsel hadn¡¯t let up, finding any metal she could and whacking it into the night sky presumably with her power imbued. It wasn¡¯t accomplishing much.

    Did that mean Lyra had to be the deciding factor? How? It was the types of attacks that were proving ineffective here, and the way to overcome that was to either use a technique Havoc was unprepared to deal with or increase the frequency to the point where he was overwhelmed.

    Wait. Frequency.

    Up until now, she had seen it as a hard limit of her power, that the one thing she could do was shockwaves because she hadn¡¯t figured out how to modulate the frequency of her captured sounds. But what if that was wrong?

    She dismissed the idea. She would take time to dive deeper into that component of her power later. No time to miraculously learn that out of nowhere. But there was an aspect of her abilities she currently knew that she didn¡¯t use in active combat, as she had deemed it useless.

    Silence.

    It was a feat she accomplished by either limiting how far the sound could travel or neutralizing it at the source. Lyra¡¯s heart raced as the plan began to take shape in her mind. Silence was something she had always used passively, something to dampen sound around her, to block noise or make Finn slip by unnoticed. But now, standing in the middle of this chaotic battle, a thought came to her: Could she weaponize silence?

    She could feel the vibrations of the discs as they exploded, the shockwaves reverberating through the air. Sound and energy intertwined in a way that she had always been sensitive to. Maybe, just maybe, she could manipulate that interaction.

    ¡°Okay, let''s see what I can do," she muttered to herself, feeling a strange mix of nervousness and excitement.

    When she raised both hands in concentration, she felt a little like a kid pretending to conduct an orchestra. She supposed that, weirdly, what she was doing would be no different in the sense that Lyra was about to compose a symphony of silence.

    She focused on the sound waves around her¡ªeach explosion, each metallic clang of Damsel¡¯s sword, each screech of Mountpin¡¯s needles scraping across the walls¡ªand began to visualize the space where those waves moved. The energy contained in the discs themselves was foreign, nothing like anything else she had ever observed in reality. That made sense, since they were unique to their creator.

    But given that they interacted with the physical world, they could still be influenced, she hoped. To start with, she muted all the sounds around her.

    The effect was instant. Seeing the battlefield now was akin to watching a movie with the audio muted, special effects playing out and mouths moving with no accompanying sound.

    ¡°Smart move,¡± Havoc said into the silent air, knowing she could still discern what he was saying. ¡°But I¡¯ve fought in worse conditions. You think muting the sound will make a difference? I don¡¯t need my ears to blow you all up.¡±

    His words meant nothing. Narrowing her focus to his discs, she quickly found out that Havoc was not, in fact, controlling his discs with sound. But that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t disrupt the process, limited as her options were. She couldn¡¯t detonate them early, she couldn¡¯t smother all the energy and let them fizzle out into nothing, she couldn¡¯t take over the discs and pilot them.

    Though when Havoc set off another one against a humongous clump of hay from Mountpin, Lyra directed the release of energy with a wave of her hand, pushing down on one part of the disc and making it explosively shatter in his face.

    Havoc¡¯s power came with immunity to his own explosions, it seemed, since he came out of it unharmed, but his vision had been hampered and the other discs were now out of formation. Mountpin capitalized on the opening and dragged him to the ground with a snaking tendril.

    Against all odds, he was freeing himself even after that interruption of his entire rhythm. While it might have felt like an eternity, Lyra didn¡¯t have more than a moment to launch herself up with a shockwave and rear her fist back. Risking a ranged attack through the ambient silence wouldn¡¯t pay off in their favor. That level of control was beyond her. A punch would have to do.

    However, her arm alone wasn¡¯t strong enough to put a grown man out of commission, meaning she needed to prepare another shockwave¡¯s worth of concussive soundwaves. So rather than letting them ride the air, she used a trick similar to what she¡¯d done in her duel with Finn.

    She applied reverberation to her fist. And when it made contact with the villain¡¯s chest, it literally rattled every bone in his body with unleashed vibrations. It was so effective, there was no delay between her punch landing and him going limp.

    Upon undoing the silence field, time regained its usual pace. Havoc fell into Mountpin¡¯s grasp, Damsel stopped ineffectually batting metal into the air like the world¡¯s most aggressive baseball player, and Lyra started feeling the effects of gravity reasserting itself.

    Briefly, she worried that she might have killed a man. But his heartbeat was beating, and his breathing was stable. With a normal shockwave, she broke her fall, coming to a stop next to the restrained, unconscious criminal.

    This was it. It was over. The guy who had come closer to killing her than anybody else, who could have ended her if not for her teammates, was now at her mercy. The training had paid dividends, she admitted to herself. She expected to feel more satisfaction, but was merely relieved that she didn¡¯t have to stress about the possibility of dealing with him again in the future.

    The first thing she checked when her boots hit the ground was how Finn was doing. As it turned out, Jack had been right, and he was actually okay. His fight was over.

    Then they had one more thing left to do.

    Checking out the storage supply.

 Chapter 59 - To Defy

    Part of what he hadn¡¯t expected was how swift the process would be after all was said and done. Once the villain was defeated, Scalestrike used a device he was carrying on him to communicate with someone, and not two minutes later Finn could sense the police approaching with specialized restraining equipment.

    The other part was how the remaining unpowered Venin members didn¡¯t even try to escape. Instead, they just put down their weapons and walked out of the building with their hands in the air.

    Truth be told, this kind of surrender wasn¡¯t something Finn really experienced in his own career. The name Shade wasn¡¯t one that made bad guys give up hope. But with the backing of the DHD, it seemed the criminals weren¡¯t even going to try to get out when they were surrounded by five different heroes who had just beaten their powered superiors into submission.

    He wasn¡¯t sure whether Lyra¡¯s fight ending around the same time as his own was a coincidence or an indication of the power differences in each match-up. And it didn¡¯t matter. If he¡¯d finished his own battle earlier, he would have helped her, but that turned out to be unnecessary. They had proven to be too much for the Venin enforcers to handle.

    Real villains from one of the biggest gangs in the district, defeated by them. This was another step on his path. Yet despite that, he couldn¡¯t be entirely satisfied. There were still things he was missing. His decision making hadn¡¯t been optimal in retrospect. He should¡¯ve been faster with stopping the mist from locking Scalestrike down and leaving him to fend for himself. Except, he had known that was the wrong call; he hadn¡¯t done it for no reason.

    He wanted to win on his own. It was unreasonable, it objectively slowed everyone down. In the context of this mission, it served no one. The problem was that Finn was thinking further ahead than just this mission. His goals were greater than arresting thugs or catching drug dealers. In his future, he had a fight waiting for him unlike anything he had ever faced before. That confrontation, it was coming one day¡ªFinn felt it in his bones. And he was running out of options to prepare himself.

    Still, that didn¡¯t automatically justify his actions. Were his priorities wrong in that fight? Probably. Nothing had ultimately been gained through the risks he took, after all. Then again, would it have made much of a difference? The fact remained that the both of them combined had been losing in spite of Finn¡¯s efforts to allow Scalestrike to navigate the fog. Never mind that power interaction between the dark vapor and his colors.

    Once again, the limitations of his power were showing their arbitrary nature. Without being aware of it, Niebla had almost fooled him; he thought her power was just a telekinetically controlled cloud of gas she had a set range for, but she also had to be attached to it. He wasn¡¯t sure why that didn¡¯t count as her wearing her power, thus preventing him from altering its color. Did his power just work better against other powers, or was the volume too great to count as clothing?

    Hands-on experience, real combat against other powers, that was what he needed to find notable power interactions and broaden his understanding of his ability. The risk factor was a given. He wouldn¡¯t continue this if he was unwilling to face danger. If anything, Finn was far more prepared for the risks than he had been months ago. He¡¯d grown, sharpened his skills, and expanded the comprehension of his powers, but every fight revealed new limitations¡ªmore questions than answers.

    Never mind that the opponents he fought had to be worth something in their own right. Besides Trooper, he hadn¡¯t truly fought that many strong opponents on his own. Whatever ¡°strong¡± meant, at this point. It was a relative term, he supposed. And all he had managed back then was to hold out until someone stronger could save him.

    Frenzy and Ignis, albeit significantly less dangerous, were some of his biggest feats in terms of personal achievement, but those had been the result of teamwork. Moonflower and Calliope¡¯s roles had played a bigger part in the victories. They¡¯d provided the firepower to shift the balance of each respective fight. Even tonight, Scalestrike was the one to have landed the finishing blow. The Junior Ace just had more strength than he did.

    That was what it came down to in the end, wasn¡¯t it? Firepower. Something he sorely lacked. He would likely always be supplementing his skill set with a weapon of some kind, but there were only so many different gadgets he could carry on his person.

    No matter how he thought about it, this wasn¡¯t enough to beat Omega.

    Which was why Finn was working his way up the stairs right now. He moved as quickly as he could, taking the steps two at a time even as he saw Lyra approaching with Mountpin and Damsel from the opposite side.

    Though he had opened their comms again, his more-than-friend wasn¡¯t saying anything. Jack was the one talking.

    ¡°Cal, I don¡¯t think you have any idea how much we can do with your silence field. Muting entire battlefields is worth it for psychological impact alone. And that¡¯s not even considering the actual uses like redirecting certain types of explosions or disrupting systems in general. Man, the implications¡­¡±

    Finn was learning all about how Lyra¡¯s control over sound had advanced in her confrontation with Havoc. Sure, it was good for the team. What bothered him was that¡­

    The gap between them was widening.

    After his loss in their spar, he had tried not to think too much about it, instead focusing on his own progress. His breakthroughs in sensory abilities had been great on that front, but none of that addressed the aforementioned issues with his power set. And he had uncovered most aspects of it. Anything he gained after this would be a complementary benefit, at best. He was plateauing.

    Contrary to him, Lyra didn¡¯t seem to be reaching the limits of her power at all, and if he was being honest with himself, he knew she wouldn¡¯t. Not anytime soon. Her pace of improvement ever since they took up training with Frameshot and Nar would definitely continue, if not increase.

    Her being able to defend herself was good. He didn¡¯t want her to get hurt. He just also didn¡¯t want to get to a point where she was the one taking on the most responsibility in the team not because she wanted to lead, but because he was too weak to hold onto that role. Beyond that, it served as an indicator that he wasn¡¯t growing fast enough.

    To that end, he headed toward where she was. His objective was there, and they had reached it first despite his efforts to get away from Scalestrike without looking too suspicious.

    Upon entering the far corridor, he saw Lyra turn to him. Damsel had been profusely apologizing to her senior for something he didn¡¯t have time to listen to, and Mountpin glanced at him for such a short instant that he wouldn¡¯t have caught it if he wasn¡¯t literally sensing the twitches of her extraocular muscles.

    ¡°You¡¯re hurt,¡± Lyra observed while taking hurried steps his way, putting a hand on his arm just under the lightly bleeding shoulder wound. Her voice, like her aura, was tinged with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch. I¡¯m fine,¡± said Finn.

    The look on her masked face told him that answer didn¡¯t satisfy her in the least. She didn¡¯t say anything further, however, correctly prioritizing their mission over a negligible scrape.

    Without warning, Finn entered the storage room ahead. He¡¯d already observed it with his power multiple times, and seeing it with his eyes was just confirmation of what he already knew. Various shelves stocked with items, boxes, and weird gizmos he didn¡¯t know the name or function of. And, of course, what he had been looking for all this time.

    Once he opened the chest, he learned not everyone was willing to let him go in uncontested.

    ¡°I see Scalestrike¡¯s shadow decided to take initiative,¡± Mountpin remarked from behind him. ¡°Maybe Niebla¡¯s suffocation affected his brain. He seems to have forgotten where he stands.¡±

    She pushed him aside and swiped a bronze miniature tree he had picked up from his hand, then started looking into the chest herself.

    Jack sighed over Finn¡¯s earpiece. ¡°I¡¯ve had it with this bitch. Wait, Cal, what are you doing?¡±

    Lyra marched up to the woman, nostrils flaring. They were both tall, but she still had a few centimeters on Mountpin, making it so she was glaring down at the adult heroine.

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    ¡°You need to shut your mouth,¡± she warned, her tone grave.

    Mountpin¡¯s head reared back almost imperceptibly. ¡°Pardon?¡± She sounded in equal parts offended and surprised.

    ¡°You heard me.¡±

    For a second, the expression of Mistral¡¯s teammate hardened. Then when Lyra stood her ground, she scoffed. ¡°You think you''re untouchable just because you handled Havoc, do you?¡±

    ¡°Fight me, if you want, but you¡¯re not disrespecting Shade again.¡± Lyra¡¯s stance was firm, dark red rising from her outline, and she looked genuinely ready to throw down at a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t fight,¡± came Damsel¡¯s voice from where she was approaching the two, trying to separate them without actually using her hands to do so with force. ¡°We can resolve this with words, can¡¯t we?¡±

    Mountpin kept quiet a tense moment longer before speaking more flatly. ¡°I suppose we can. Listen, Calliope, I won¡¯t be disrespecting your Shade again¡ªon one condition. He follows protocol while we''re here. No exceptions.¡±

    Hearing that, Lyra visibly relented, tension draining from her shoulders as she assumed a more relaxed pose. ¡°Okay.¡±

    The squad leader turned to her junior. ¡°Damsel, keep an eye on both of them. I¡¯m going to verify the area and make sure everything¡¯s ready for confiscation. We don¡¯t need any more surprises.¡±

    With a final look in Finn¡¯s direction, the woman walked away, oblivious of the invisible rectangular crystal resting safely between his fingers.

    *******

    Her gang was in dire straits.

    Viperia became more aware of that after each report coming in.

    The way it had started was simple enough. A planned raid on her properties coordinated by the DHD that enlisted the help of various independents. Nothing she couldn¡¯t overcome. Shuffle around her assets to some backup locations, fortify those bases, gather her forces for a counterattack if necessary. All things she¡¯d been prepared to do in advance.

    Except, what she had done didn¡¯t work. No matter where she hid her supplies, there¡¯d be a squad sent to go bust that place. Sometimes they¡¯d even try to steal her things whilst they were in transit.

    So the issue must have been a double agent in her organization telling the heroes where to go. A traitor with a death wish. Surely that was the case, right?

    Wrong.

    She had taken every possible precaution. Control of information, isolating specific people to make sure they couldn¡¯t be the leak, hidden cameras, coded messages, personal inspection. None of it made a difference.

    They just. Kept. Finding. Out.

    How?!

    Whatever method they were employing to run circles around her, it was working. The only reason she wasn¡¯t defending it all with her life was because they were keeping Mistral back, probably because she hadn¡¯t shown up yet. And a drawn out confrontation with him now¡­ no. She needed to neutralize their hidden trick.

    Following the first few strikes, she had told Grimoire to pull what he had out of his stash so they could buy time. For what, she didn¡¯t know. But she needed the extra time regardless.

    Then the more important storage facilities were being hit, and she had no choice but to send out her other three lieutenants as well. Some things she could not afford to lose. To make sure of that, she had even attempted to enlist the aid of her clients, but they were all a no-show now that there was so much heat on her.

    At length, Genevieve began to notice a pattern. A string of coincidental patrol routes that were lining up exactly with the discoveries of her contraband and other resources. It led back to one individual.

    The golden jester.

    When she learned that, it wasn¡¯t hard to put the pieces together. He had acquired some psionic or sensory power and was using it to sniff them out everywhere they went. By now, all the buildings she¡¯d thought safe were compromised. Even the one they had Yves in.

    And now her baby was gone. They had him.

    Seeing the message Elise sent detailing how Gossamer had broken in and taken her child away had sent her over the edge. Over a decade of efforts to cure him, and this was how it was ending? Being discovered by the authorities? They were going to put him down like a rabid dog. Taking a shuddering breath, she tried to banish the image from her mind. He wasn¡¯t gone. He couldn¡¯t be. She couldn¡¯t let them take him away from her. Not after everything.

    She didn¡¯t care about caution anymore. So she ran straight for the pain in the ass that was gleefully ruining her life.

    ¡°GIVE HIM BACK!¡± she screeched, lunging at the fucking bastard kid and his idiotic smiling mask.

    Swerving smoothly out of the way, Nar countered with a spinning back kick. His sharp-pointed shoe connected with her jaw, making her see stars. Reeling from the impact, she stumbled and tried to stab him with her claws, and they met thin air.

    The Junior Ace captain buried a fist in her scaled gut, and she nearly doubled over. Then he turned it into a one-two combo and hit her with an uppercut, lifting her off the ground. She didn¡¯t get the chance to fly far as a gloved hand caught her wrist, slamming her back into the pavement so hard it formed a crater.

    ¡°Why hello there,¡± said Nar from within the dust cloud, voice light as if she were a stranger he encountered on a morning stroll. ¡°I would say I didn¡¯t see you coming, but I¡¯m not in the habit of lying to ladies with green hair.¡±

    Son of a bitch.

    ¡°How dare you¡­¡± she ground out. In the blink of an eye, she was up and fighting again, this time with increased speed. The young hero was ready, though, pushing her arm out of the way with a palm and wrapping her in golden chains that spawned from nowhere.

    Struggling against the restraints, she snarled. This was Fetter¡¯s power, obviously. Did that mean they¡¯d gotten him too, or was his power already taken in a previous fight? Either way, she flexed and shattered the aureate chains.

    Nar had taken that time to reposition herself up above the abandoned buildings, both hands up and shooting glowing energy stars at her. Some grazed her scales, some missed, and the rest she blocked. Charging at him before he could fire another wave, she dove forward with her claws all put together for maximum venom concentration.

    ¡°You know,¡± the boy said conversationally, sidestepping her with unnatural grace. ¡°I think I will delay calling this in. Wait for the district to be cleansed of your gang for good before I bring this dance to a conclusion. Give you a front-row seat to your empire crumbling.¡± He tilted his head, oozing smug amusement. ¡°It¡¯s more poetic that way, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± she growled, getting ready for a more precise set of attacks. ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me where my son is, or I¡¯ll rip your heart out and make you watch me eat it!¡±

    ¡°Ah, family reunions¡ªalways so messy, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    When her last attack was parried, she threw her body forward and locked him in with both arms. He may have been physically capable and more agile, he may have been versatile, he may have prepared powers to counter her that she hadn¡¯t seen yet. Even so, she was still stronger.

    Arms wrapped around him, she rammed him through a building. The whole building. Not just one wall. They came in through the front, smashed layer after layer of concrete, wires, piping and plaster, then exited with a crash from the other side. She pressed her claws into his back to administer her poison.

    But something was off. Pressed against her body was not the fabric she expected. No, it was natural armor which she recognized on the changed form of her adversary.

    His figure was masculine. It was different in coloration. Golden hair, golden claws, gleaming white scales with a faint golden hue. But the transformation was unmistakable. Her own power.

    He¡¯d copied it.

    ¡°You look so surprised,¡± the not-Viperia commented with the altered vocal chords that came from her power, completely unharmed. ¡°I always thought this would be expected of me, what with my power being broadcasted to the entire world. Perhaps I was wrong.¡±

    The following attack was so sudden and so fast that she had no time to process it. A golden haze surrounded Nar¡¯s form. A heartbeat later, the world blurred around her. Belatedly, she realized her head was being used to make a furrow in the asphalt underneath them, dragging across it.

    Genevieve smashed her palms to the ground to break her momentum. Twisting out of the shifted jester¡¯s grasp, she rolled to the side to get her bearings. Nar stood a few meters removed from her, waiting to see what she would do next.

    These odds were not in her favor. Even in her rageful, desperate state of mind, she could recognize that much. In addition to her power, Nar was stacking at least two more powers on top of it. Ones that enhanced his speed and defense, she suspected. She couldn¡¯t keep up.

    Leaping away to create enough distance for what was about to happen, she went into her human form. Nar saw her face, but who cared? Her identity was burned the moment they caught Yves.

    Fishing around in her pockets, her hand found one of the variants of the drug formula she¡¯d been distributing across the district. It had a special touch from Grimoire to it, one of his personal best that granted the user more than a temporary feeling of ecstasy. It was untested, and the effects might be irreversible, but it would give her the strength she needed.

    When she took this along in case of an emergency, it was Mistral she imagined using this against, not his arrogant prot¨¦g¨¦. Hmph. Mistral would come when she did this regardless.

    Genevieve stabbed the syringe into her arm, with the weight of a woman ready to burn the world down.

 Chapter 60 - To Surge

    Standing on his stormcloud, Allen felt a bit of the heavy tension of tonight leave his body when Aiden finally got back to him. He¡¯d been afraid someone younger, someone less experienced, would have to face that menace Viperia before he could get to them. Never before had he been so glad to be wrong.

    Because Nar was there, holding her off while waiting for backup. His backup. Allen needed to get there, and fast. Not that he believed the junior captain couldn¡¯t handle himself, he simply wanted this mission to be over. Committing to a large-scale raid like this with so many people had plenty of ways it could go wrong. When the board had first started pushing for it, he reacted with wariness.

    Having an entire gang removed from the board, especially one as disruptive as the Venin were, was a tantalizing prospect, to be sure. But they had to move with caution. Guarantee that nobody got left behind and caught out unnecessarily. And with so many other heroes on the board, there were a lot of moving parts. It was good that the coordination team back at HQ was helping them direct the mission with some of the squad leaders to make things flow more easily.

    Too many times throughout his life, Allen had seen entire groups of professionals fall apart due to tiny errors in communication, which taught him the importance of getting every member of an operation on the same page. Applying those same lessons here was a given; he let Zeta keep him apprised of all the different locations the others were hitting, he issued commands to course-correct where necessary, and he kept his eyes peeled on the flying transport he was providing for Warp and the rest.

    Until now. Their highest priority target had shown herself, and it was time to capitalize on the opportunity. ¡°Warp, I¡¯m needed elsewhere,¡± he announced. ¡°Drop them off, then await further instruction from Josiah.¡±

    Despite the mask he was wearing, Allen knew Dolen well enough to tell when the boy was miffed. And this was one such instance, obvious from the way his shoulders set and his finger started tapping incessantly on his leg. Understandable, though. Soaring the skies to pick people up with portals when he usually had to walk must have been fun. Any other day, he would have allowed the teenager to stay on.

    Today was not any other day.

    In a swell of power, his cloud split itself off from the one carrying all the passengers, which he set to land on a nearby rooftop where Warp could send them away as needed. His own cloud accelerated, the billowing gray mass of vapor picking up speed each second he concentrated on it.

    As Allen surged forward, he let his thoughts flow through the rhythm of his pulsing cloud, pushing him onward. His mind was constantly sifting through contingencies, a habit formed from years of seeing plans go awry at the worst moments. Viperia wasn¡¯t just any enemy; she was cunning, ruthless, and, it seemed, willing to go to any extreme.

    Now that they knew why Viperia¡ªor Ms. Remy, he supposed¡ªwas doing all this, he was more on-guard than ever. He¡¯d known better than to automatically assume her motivation was wealth or power, having brought in many criminals over the years and reading their files, but to know she was doing this for her family? It struck a chord with him. And it painted a lot of what she did in a different light.

    Nothing that would justify the heinous acts she had ordered and carried out, of course. He was only acknowledging that the knowledge that all this resistance they faced was the desperation of a mother at work made this more visceral for him, more personal. God knew what he would do if Matilda was stuck with a condition like that and he thought he was the only one who could help.

    Perhaps an attempt to get her to surrender peacefully was the right course of action here. They¡¯d see what could be done from there. She wasn¡¯t getting away with what she¡¯d done, but her son was innocent, as far as they could tell.

    Assuming he could win. He¡¯d bested Viperia in all previous confrontations they had, but she had ensured she was never captured by being resourceful. On top of that, she was apparently boosting herself with some strange unidentified serum now.

    Facing her directly required every skill and ounce of caution he had honed in the field. And though Nar would doubtless be confident enough to taunt her with that ever-smiling mask on his face, Allen knew better than to underestimate someone like her, even with the prodigy holding her at bay.

    Beneath him, the megacity spanned far everywhere he could see. Focusing on one particular area, the target location was coming up in his view, and he lowered his cloud to surge toward that area. When he got closer, however, he began to hear tremors. Huge impacts, shaking the air and shaking dust free from the cracked buildings surrounding the epicenter of the battle he was now convinced he had found.

    Upon cresting the final building, he was greeted with the sight of the infamous Venin leader bull rushing her golden adversary. Nar, transformed into a reptilian humanoid with a version of Viperia¡¯s power, swerved out of the way just in time and landed a kick in her side. While it barely fazed her, it altered her trajectory slightly and sent her rocketing into a building next to them.

    Except there was no delay between the moment she crashed into the massive wall and her rushing back out. Nar seemed caught by surprise as well, since he didn¡¯t get away in time and had to block her charge with both arms. The force blew him back, but he didn¡¯t break through any hardened surface, as Allen caught him.

    The cushioning of his generated blanket of condensed moisture lifted his mentee upright, leaving them both staring down a crazed, panting Viperia. Verdant locks fell down her forehead, shrouding her face like a curtain. Her slitted eyes, abnormally wide and ringed with red, flitted back and forth between them. Darkened veins bulged across her pristine white scales, marring her usual macabre-yet-elegant appearance. The tips of her claws were dripping acidic green ichor by her feet like leaky taps, as if she couldn¡¯t control her venom output anymore.

    Steadying himself, the copied shifter dusted off his shoulders and called out, ¡°Your makeover is daring, but now that we find ourselves in polite company, dare I suggest there is room for improvement? A bit of moisturizer? Or perhaps an exorcist?¡±

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    The supervillain hissed at him, baring her fangs and shambling in their general direction the way one might expect from a zombie, every drop of that toxic venom sizzling as it hit the pavement.

    But that look she had said it all. This woman was one hundred percent prepared to kill.

    Allen turned to the young man on his right. ¡°What powers are you using?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Viperia, Frameshot, Vanthelis.¡± Nar¡¯s reply was immediate, with no quips or funny retorts this time.

    After considering that for a moment, he nodded. ¡°Coordinate with HQ and collect a combination of powers which can remove that drug from her system. Then come back here and wait for my signal.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± The next second, the costumed jester stood next to him in place of the reptile form from earlier. A gloved hand landed on his shoulder. To an outsider, it would look like a gesture of support, but in reality it was Nar copying Mistral¡¯s power back into his rotation.

    The faint constellation faded from his awareness as his junior flew away on a cloud much like his own, differing only in color. Nar was fast, but not to the same degree as Mistral. Fantastic though it would have been, the generational talent had not fully mastered his power. Beyond his inability to copy unbindings, people often overlooked how much training went into using an ability like power copying to its true potential. It sometimes meant he had to limit himself to one slot if the skill floor was particularly high.

    This led him to use simpler powers or ones in which he already had a fair amount of practice for missions like this, where the stakes were so high. And Allen had to admit Nar¡¯s control over storms was coming along nicely. Far better than his own, back in the day.

    No longer worried about the boy, Allen turned back to the boss of the Venin. She watched the fading dot in the sky with hatred in her eyes before turning back to him. She raised her claws, as though getting ready to pounce.

    ¡°Genevieve,¡± he tried. ¡°I know you¡¯re not thinking clearly right now. Whatever you¡¯re doing, it¡¯s not going to save Yves.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say his name!¡± she hissed, venom dripping from her fangs as she tightened her grip on her claws. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about me! About what was taken from me!¡±

    ¡°Then tell me!¡± he pressed on. ¡°We do want your son to be safe. If you¡¯ll give me something to work with here, that can go a long way.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to let him live as long as he can be useful to them, and then when they¡¯re done draining him for all he¡¯s got, they¡¯ll kill him! Don¡¯t think you can lie to me!¡± she roared.

    ¡°You have to realize this can¡¯t possibly end with you getting your way. Not like this. If you don¡¯t surrender, you leave me no choice.¡±

    Her laugh was a sharp, mirthless cackle. ¡°You expect me to just abandon everything I¡¯ve built? Everything I¡¯ve sacrificed? Give my child a fate worse than a snowball in hellfire at the hands of those who don¡¯t give a damn about him?¡±

    ¡°Not everybody is against him. Please understand that.¡±

    But Viperia was done talking. She shot forward faster than a locomotive, and Allen barely had time to shield himself with a row of five ice walls. Four shattered, and the last was melting in the spots where the lizard woman dug her claws in.

    Crackles resounded from the stormcloud as Allen waved his hand, causing it to envelop them both and emit bolts of lightning at his adversary. In their prior fights, this alone had been enough to drive her off, a decisive way to push her back and gain ground. Under the effects of the drug, though? She flinched for all of half a second before shouldering through the ice and jumping at his throat.

    Restraints of ice flew with precision at her limbs, aiming to hamper her movement as much as possible. He jumped back in the instant she was locked down and created more distance. Rain flooded down on her and froze, leaving her vulnerable to a gust of air that blasted her skyward.

    She surprised him by spitting on his crystalline manacles to give her arms the range of movement to power through the rest. After freeing herself, she twisted in the air and landed on the ledge of an old distribution center.

    Then she was in his face.

    Rising dust from the crumpled roof she left behind with the force of her jump blotted out the district skyline behind her; only the woman within breathing distance was visible as he leaned back, the light of his sparking clouds reflected in her mad eyes, glistening alongside the frost on her scales. Her teeth parted, ready to bite his head off.

    A gargantuan spear of ice knocked the wind out of her lungs as it descended on her back and showed her the ground again. Allen let out a breath. That had been close, he had to be careful here. She might be unstable and fighting more recklessly, but blow for blow, she was stronger than him in this state. So when she got up, he was looking for an opening to counterattack.

    What happened afterwards wasn¡¯t what he expected.

    Over the next few exchanges, the balance shifted in his favor. Allen could see the telltale signs¡ªHer claw strikes were less precise, her hyperventilation was getting to be more out of need for air than intense emotion, punctuating her vicious growls with ragged breaths. It was as if the drug was taking a toll on her body, sapping her strength and clarity with each passing moment.

    After landing a pillar of ice that sent her sprawling back against a shattered wall, Allen watched as she struggled to regain her footing. The ground shook with the impact, sending shards of concrete flying in all directions. Viperia¡¯s claws dug into the pavement as she pushed herself upright, the strain evident in the way her shoulders heaved with each labored breath.

    Seeing her like this, a twinge of sympathy ran through him; he understood the desperation that drove her. But there was no time for compassion now. He couldn¡¯t afford to let her regain control.

    With each passing moment, the air thickened with the mingling scents of rain and burnt toxins. Allen focused on his own breathing, steadying himself as he calculated his next move. Viperia¡¯s wild swings were becoming predictable. She was relying too much on brute strength instead of strategy, which shouldn¡¯t have surprised him in retrospect. She was tripping on untested power-enhancing substances. That it had negative side effects was a given.

    The clearing stormcloud crackled ominously above them, mirroring his thoughts as he readied himself for the next assault. He had to act decisively before she could rally her wits. He had to press his advantage while it was still there.

    ¡°Zeta?¡± he said over his comms when Viperia was recovering from another round of flash freezing.

    ¡°Captain. I thought you were occupied?¡± came the response.

    ¡°I am. Tell any available fighters we have to surround my location in case Viperia tries to escape. She¡¯s not getting out. I¡¯m ending this here.¡±

    He would end this.

    He had it under control.

 Chapter 61 - To Spiral

    Things were going well. Objectively speaking, that was true. The way this mission had gone so far was not that far outside of Finn¡¯s expectations. Lyra¡¯s improvements against Havoc were impressive, but expected. His own fight against Niebla had been difficult, but not impossible. The other heroes, too, had carried their weight.

    Her attitude aside, Mountpin had proven her competence as a member of the adult DHD team. Damsel and Scalestrike knew how to handle themselves as well. Again, not a surprise. Bringing in criminals was what they did, and these people had the support of the government at their backs.

    The procedures they followed were smooth and streamlined, a result of all the work that had been put into creating, testing and iterating them over many years of hero work. It was all very reliable.

    It wasn¡¯t that he thought their overwhelming advantage would yield no results. Logically, he understood the utility of having Nar include his sensory ability into a larger arsenal of supporting powers to scout out anything Viperia may have hidden throughout the district. Capitalizing on that sort of intel was going to make for a devastating strike on the Venin. Perhaps sufficient to eliminate the gang in its entirety.

    Viperia¡¯s assets had been seized, with every building containing her most valuable possessions having been secured. And the top subordinates under her command had been defeated. Arrested, too, save for one.

    Grimoire, the man who presented those complications Finn had been anticipating, managed to escape. He wasn¡¯t sure about the details, but with such a ridiculously versatile power there would be some way the villain could¡¯ve gotten away, even with the opposition he¡¯d been facing.

    That being said, he seemed to have left his boss out to dry, since she was currently engaged in solo combat with the district¡¯s highest-ranked hero. All they had left to do was this last part: converging on Mistral¡¯s location and surrounding the perimeter, as per his request.

    There was just something about this whole operation. Finn couldn¡¯t put a finger on it, but it nagged at him in the back of his mind.

    His grappling hook latched onto another high-rise block of flats, reeling him in and providing the momentum for his next swing. Landing on a run, he decided to consult Jack.

    ¡°Gridlock. You¡¯re sure we didn¡¯t miss anything?¡± he asked over the comms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know what it is we would¡¯ve missed, but yeah, pretty sure,¡± Gridlock answered. ¡°Why are you getting so antsy now? You already won your big fight, got the prize, got the girl. You¡¯re good. This mission isn¡¯t solely reliant on the three of us. It¡¯s a bigger op where a lot of people pitch in, and now you¡¯re going to be doing something that may not seem like it matters all that much, but is part of our job nonetheless.¡±

    ¡°I get that. This isn¡¯t like anything we¡¯ve done before. What I¡¯m saying is that we should keep our eyes open, even though it would be good for us if we completed the mission without having to do anything else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to finish this quickly too,¡± Lyra added.

    ¡°I know you do,¡± Jack replied with a laugh. The girl flushed and said nothing more. ¡°But Shade, you¡¯re overthinking it. Mistral¡¯s got this covered.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t press the issue further, knowing he wouldn¡¯t get anywhere when he lacked something concrete to back up his point. He had a gut feeling, and little else. But that wouldn¡¯t stop him from paying close attention to his surroundings.

    They¡¯d received the opportunity to separate from their assigned squad, which Finn had taken immediately. The sooner they got out of there, the better. Because he had acquired what he came for.

    This artifact, if that was what it was called, hadn¡¯t revealed many of its mysteries, other than that his colors took to it well. Really, the way he could play with its visibility and odd dimensions in how it refracted light would keep him busy for hours if he were at home practicing his control.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t at home. He didn¡¯t have time to dive into this palm-sized marvel in-depth. Later, he would do everything he could think of to explore its hidden aspects. For now, he focused on seeing this mission through; they weren¡¯t out of the woods yet.

    Other independents were heading in the same direction as they were, utilizing various powers, vehicles and gadgets to travel from place to place.

    To point one out, Valken was carrying her unpowered subordinates in her airstream whilst she soared over the buildings with impressive speed and fluidity. None of her passengers seemed the least bit concerned about being dropped, having no doubt done this many times already.

    A few streets to the left, Moonflower simply rode her motorcycle. He couldn¡¯t spot her telepathic bird, Quillvoy, anywhere. Did that mean she left it wherever she kept it?Was it outside his sensory reach? He wouldn¡¯t miss the markings on its body if it were anywhere near him.

    In the chaos of his chase during the Homeland incident, he hadn¡¯t had much time to contemplate the exact nature of that animal. Or primebeast? Finn was unclear on the details. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for the government to capture primebeasts and use them for various purposes so long as they were no higher than monster-class.

    While it was less prevalent in Apexia to his knowledge, North America did that often to facilitate the creation of their technology. Excluding their unique minerals, they used various powers from live specimens native to their region that allowed for methods of production which they were not able to carry out with conventional equipment.

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    In this case, the maybe-primebeast was being utilized for actual field work. That was far rarer. He assumed Colette had used her hypnotic mental force petals on this beast repeatedly to tame or enslave it, but he couldn¡¯t be certain.

    Behind him, some yellow-suited guy he¡¯d never heard of used adhesive gloves and boots to frog-leap from building to building. Going by his physique, it was a warrior type power rather than any force manipulation.

    Aside from them, there were also some DHD-affiliated heroes traveling in his range, one of whom caught his attention.

    Aquiveil¡¯s method of travel was an interesting one. His power was a form of hydrokinesis that allowed him to draw water to himself, then float tiny drops around his body in a three-dimensional grid pattern. Any object or person within this range had an ¡°outline,¡± which he could switch with another position where he had sufficient drops to form that outline. In other words, he could cover people with his water and teleport them around in his domain to a spot where there were enough droplets to recreate that outline. The higher the concentration of water drops, and thus the more accurate the outline, the faster the teleportation would activate.

    In practice, the Junior Ace looked like the forward-blinking center of an expanding and contracting localized rainfall zone. He would extend his water in tiny bits around him, switch places with some drops ahead of himself, draw all his water in, and repeat.

    Finn didn¡¯t doubt that the coastal districts would be interested in adding him to their ranks once he graduated from the junior program, as it was obvious how effective such a power would be in an area where he could access more than just the water vapor in the air. As things stood, however, Aquiveil had decent synergy with Mistral.

    Overall, they were making good time getting to their destination. And a minute later, Gridlock spoke up again.

    ¡°Well, would you look at that? I found out about one new development. But it''s already dealt with,¡± their teammate informed them.

    Finn¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Turns out our favorite lizard gang lord¡¯s been doing it all for her son,¡± said Gridlock. ¡°Setting up the gang, stealing weird shit from different places, making shady deals on the black market, all to¡­ cure him I guess? I haven¡¯t actually got that much information on what¡¯s wrong with the kid other than that it¡¯s power-related.¡±

    That threw Finn for a loop. To think the most feared gang leader of the district was secretly someone¡¯s mom all this time, it was hard to picture. Yet also strangely understandable. If his mother had powers and he was in that desperate of a situation, he didn¡¯t know what lengths she wouldn¡¯t go to.

    ¡°How old is he?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°Ten? Eleven? Somewhere around there. But the point is, we don¡¯t need to worry about it anymore.¡±

    Finn had to admit this display of competence from the DHD put him somewhat more at ease. Overlooking a child with an unknown power who discovered that his mother wasn¡¯t coming home sounded potentially catastrophic. Reassuring to know that possibility had been averted, then.

    Scaling another wall, he saw the shifting clouds, flashes of lightning and shattering ice were becoming visible in the distance. They were approaching the battle site. Signaling to Lyra, he went for the place with the smallest number of people covering it.

    When they reached the building he¡¯d picked out, he donned his camouflage and crouched. Meanwhile, Lyra muted their movements and breathing unprompted. They got in position and waited.

    Now that he was close enough to observe the battle with his power but not so near as to be hit by a stray piece of debris, he tried to parse what he was seeing, since it was all going so fast. Faster than any fight he¡¯d ever been a part of.

    A white reptilian figure streaked with black that must have been Viperia blitzed across the streets, dodging crystalline projectiles as she readied a venomous claw and tensed her legs for a jump. Her scaled feet broke through a block of ice as big as a house, sending shards flying in every direction while she lunged at her opponent.

    Mistral, for his part, looked calm. He hovered to the side and opened a cloud that sent an icy blade rushing forth as if he¡¯d expected her to make that move. She tried to slap it away but got hit by another bolt of lightning and sleeting rain and wind, sending her careening off to the side, where another two massive transparent blocks slammed down on her like the jaws of a titan.

    Bile, blood and venom spewed forth from her mouth in a disgusting mix of filth, melting through the ice and giving her arm room to smash through the rest. She snarled as the chaotic weather raged around her.

    Unlike last time, Finn was fully conscious to witness Mistral¡¯s full power here, and he could see why this was the man chosen to be district captain¡ªhis control over the storm elements was nothing short of spectacular. Every movement was efficient, his attacks relentless, each shift of the wind carrying purpose.

    He grit his teeth. This just¡­ wasn¡¯t a level combat he could approach. Not as he was.

    Heedless of his internal struggle, the enraged lizard woman struck the ground, digging her claws into the concrete and forcing the rubble away with a surge of raw strength.

    His eyes narrowed. He could sense a strange, foreign energy rippling inside Viperia¡¯s form¡ªa dark, insidious substance that seemed to cling to her cells, refusing to let go. That must have been the drug she took. The way it ravaged her body each second was clear as day to his senses. Sapping a bit more of her strength, degrading her musculoskeletal structure, obstructing her breathing like a slowly tightening noose.

    She was dying.

    Taking into account her diminishing strength, he wasn¡¯t surprised to see her unable to react to the next round of attacks. She struggled against the roiling stormclouds picking her up, shocking her, disorienting her, and dispersing to leave her locked up to the neck in ice. Then another round of clouds came in and generated more, compressing her ice prison. Her venom wasn¡¯t potent enough for this new level of density, sizzling against it but not making any real progress.

    Incapable of offering further resistance, she screamed in fury and anguish. A desperate sound tinged with melancholy. Unfortunately for her, no one answered her cry.

    From the sky, Finn sensed a rapidly descending Nar. The young hero dropped in front of the trapped supervillain, placing his hands on either side of her head. Glowing golden energy suffused her, scouring the drug from her body and rendering her limp.

    Given that Mistral was still floating a good distance above her, it was likely that Finn and Aiden were the only two people to notice the inky tears streaming down her face. No sobs, just silent weeping.

    Viperia had a faraway look in her eyes. She wasn¡¯t unconscious, but definitely nearing that point. She was no longer under the influence and being subdued by Nar and Mistral both. For a moment, Finn allowed himself to think it was over.

    And that was when everything went wrong.

 Chapter 62 - To Corrupt

    How did it all come to this?

    It was simple, really. One bad day¡ªthat¡¯s what it took to change the course of her life. To bring her here, caught in a place she never imagined, carrying burdens she hadn¡¯t chosen. And yet, in Ginny¡¯s mind, she¡¯d had no other choice.

    She¡¯d been a teenager, desperate to escape a home where every kindness was fleeting and each act of cruelty left its mark. So when he came along, a young man who spoke to her gently, who looked at her like she was precious and held her hand like he would never let go, she¡¯d believed in him with her whole heart. Doe-eyed, infatuated, she¡¯d followed him into a better life, one she barely dared to believe could be hers.

    Life had felt too good, sometimes, almost like a dream. Those nights when he held her close, she would lie awake, fearing that any moment it would be taken away, wondering if it was all too perfect to be real. She¡¯d lived a life where the good was always punished, stripped away just as quickly as it had appeared, and she couldn¡¯t help but wait for the other shoe to drop. And though he had warned her, more than once, that he wasn¡¯t innocent himself, that he too had a past he was running from, she¡¯d held on to the hope that they could escape it together.

    Still, he stayed, holding her tight, faithful and true, until the end.

    The end. How quickly it had come, and how mercilessly.

    It had happened in a place so ordinary, so public. They¡¯d been walking together, his hand in hers, his laugh echoing through the street. Then two loud shots had shattered the air, and his body had crumpled beside her. Ginny had been frozen in shock, then fell to her knees, pressing her hands to his chest, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. She¡¯d screamed for help, her voice breaking as she begged for anyone, anyone, to come save him. As his blood soaked through her fingers, the cold shock of reality set in. This life, this happiness she¡¯d thought was real, it was all slipping away, leaving her alone again.

    When they¡¯d taken him away, she¡¯d known there was no going back. The realization sank deep: she had nothing. No one. She was alone, like before, only now she knew what it was to love and lose. That first night, she dreamed of him, the pain still fresh, the yearning inescapable. But in that dream, she saw something else, something foreign and strange. A vision of a different self, a different life.

    She woke up changed. Scaled and strong and inhuman. The anger, the emptiness, they gave way to a burning readiness to inflict pain. She would visit upon them ten times the cruelty they had unto her.

    The next few days were a blur. She hardly remembered what she did or why, only that blood stained her hands, her claws, her teeth, and venom seared through her veins, seething with every strike. The same people, the same gang that had taken him from her, now lay dead, and she was alone with her grief and rage. Books she¡¯d read as a child, movies she¡¯d seen, they¡¯d all said revenge would leave her empty. But she wasn¡¯t empty. She was sick, overcome with nausea, but it wasn¡¯t because of the lives she¡¯d taken. It was because she felt that this¡­ this was a beginning. She wasn¡¯t just Ginny anymore.

    She was carrying a legacy. His legacy.

    Her anger began to fade, replaced by something worse. Anxiety. A kind of deep, gnawing dread crept in. She couldn¡¯t let it end here; she needed something lasting, something real. She would build something for their future. Not just hers, but for the child she¡¯d discovered she was carrying only days after he¡¯d died. The only thing she had left to love, to care for.

    She turned to her power, assuming her other form, bringing the remaining gang members to heel. She gathered them up and remade them, piece by piece, building her own operation with each day. It was all for him. Soon, she told herself, she would leave this life behind. As soon as she had enough money saved, she would take her son and run far away, leave Viperia behind. But then the complications began.

    Her child had been growing within her for months when she began to notice the pain. It started as a quiet ache, then grew sharper, sometimes waking her at night in a panic. Nothing she did as Viperia should have affected her pregnancy. She couldn¡¯t believe it was happening. But her worst fears were confirmed. Doctors, ones she¡¯d consulted in secret, in her civilian guise, told her that her child was showing signs of severe mutations, multiple birth defects, and a congenital disease. Her heart felt like it had been ripped from her chest. They told her that he would likely never be able to live without constant care, that it was a wonder she hadn¡¯t miscarried already.

    Genevieve would rather die than lose her baby, her last link to the life she¡¯d lost. She was desperate, desperate enough to do anything, and Viperia¡¯s network was vast. She leveraged her resources, looked for healers, people with the power to help, but none would. Most didn¡¯t have the ability, and the handful that perhaps did were unavailable to someone like her, gang leader or no. Her hope faded with each passing day.

    Then one night, after a heist that should have gone smoothly, she returned home, exhausted, only to see a man in her apartment. His gray hair jutted out in untamed wisps, and his suit was practically bursting with pockets. He looked as though he could have been carrying a whole convenience store in there, and his iridescent eyes followed her every movement. He pointed at her belly, saying he could help, and she didn¡¯t know what to think.

    Asking who he was got her an answer she couldn¡¯t believe. Wanderlust, he said. Founder of Aegis Corp.

    Before she got the chance to think of another question, he placed a small vial of black liquid on the table and walked away, disappearing as if into an invisible door.

    She¡¯d been horrified by the thought of drinking it. She had no way to verify any of that man¡¯s claims. But later that evening, when she noticed a warm wetness on her legs, and red stains leaking through her underwear, she knew there was no choice. She drank the vial¡¯s contents, forcing it down even as the taste of rot and decay made her gag. She kept it down, her heart pounding as she waited, hoping it would work.

    A warmth spread through her, something calm and steady, and by the next day, the bleeding had stopped. She dared to hope. She sought out a doctor that wouldn¡¯t ask too many questions, and for the first time, she saw her son on an ultrasound, healthy and whole.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    She thought it was over. But life, as always, had other plans.

    Months later, she gave birth to her son without complications, only to learn that the changes she¡¯d sensed in him hadn¡¯t stopped. Over time, the mutations became more pronounced. She kept him hidden, concealed him from the world as best she could. But in those first few years, as his health began to fluctuate, she realized that whatever had kept him alive also twisted him, altered his behaviors. She¡¯d done all of this to protect him, to give him a life he could survive. But even that gift, it seemed, came at a terrible cost.

    She devoted time and energy to tracking down Wanderlust again, to no avail. Even if she had been able to find him, it would¡¯ve been too late, as the man had died not long after their meeting.

    Years passed, and Viperia¡¯s resources became more plentiful, she collected items, artifacts, anything that would potentially be able to help her little boy someday. The Venin expanded, she recruited a specialist who seemed to be her best bet. She never stopped. Viperia couldn¡¯t retire, because her family was in need.

    Her son, on the other hand, kept mutating as he got older. Changes were small and gradual, at first, until he started sleeping longer and longer. After that slumber, he would sometimes get visibly worse. He would begin his metamorphosis into some unknown creature. None of that was counting the measures she took to keep his actual ability contained.

    It all added up to her spending all the waking hours that she wasn¡¯t using to act as Viperia, settling some matter or other for him. Tiring as it was to keep up, she kept going on being a mother and a criminal.

    Genevieve tried to give him as much of a normal childhood as she could manage, creating makeshift classrooms at home, bringing in tutors she trusted to never speak of his condition. She bought him books and toys, anything he could need to foster his mind while his body became something even she, with her venomous powers, couldn¡¯t fully understand.

    However, she didn¡¯t need to understand, only take action, regardless of what form that took. The moral concessions she made to get closer to a cure seemed trivial, both when she made them and in retrospect, be it a dead security guard or a civilian caught in an accident during a chase. She was aware of the road she was going down, but where she ended up was irrelevant. This wasn¡¯t about her.

    Whenever those black eyes looked up at her with affection and curiosity, that conviction became stronger.

    But she was having a rough go of it. Especially in the present.

    Here and now, amidst the tons of rubble and scattered frost, she watched her whole life fall apart for the second time before reaching the age of thirty.

    On some level, she had always known. Winning just wasn¡¯t a possibility when the odds were so ridiculously stacked against her. The reason she didn¡¯t surrender was that it didn¡¯t matter if she was outmanned and outgunned, she was never going to give up on her child¡¯s future. There would be nothing left to live for if she let someone take that away, after all.

    That jester, she might have been able to overcome with the aid of Grimoire¡¯s drug, but the district captain? She¡¯d never bested him in the past, and the side-effects of the serum had started setting in earlier than she¡¯d hoped. As a result, she got tossed around like a ragdoll, then they imprisoned her like some rabid animal.

    Nar and Mistral combining their efforts to take her in. Two heroes who were frankly more powerful than her. It was unfair. They were going to put her away for good and leave her powerless to stop what was going to happen to the one she was doing this all for.

    So Genevieve Remy began to cry.

    How could she not?

    For all the control and poise she''d had to cultivate in her Viperia persona, none of it mattered now. Everything had come crashing down. It was over, she had been caught and defeated, her gang was done. This was it.

    Yves was at the mercy of those bastards who would see him as nothing more than a problem. Who would take her baby and¡ª

    No¡­

    NO!

    She refused. Who cared if she was trapped in ice? What did it matter if she couldn¡¯t move her body? She was breathing. Her eyes were still open. She was not dead. For someone she held dear, she had become a monster to take revenge. Now, that was no longer enough. Now, it was time to become something more.

    Time to shed her old skin.

    And then, it happened.

    *******

    Hidden by uncountable dark, looming trees was a lake. Not of water, but of green, bubbling liquid releasing noxious fumes. From the lake, a pristine girl surfaced, nourished by her bath. Her eyes opened. The lake went placid.

    In a single deliberate step, she covered the whole distance from the center to the dry grass. The earth beneath her foot cracked, sending veins of dark green spreading like roots through the withered grass. A tremor rippled outward, warping the world around her with its pulsing energy. Shadows clung to her, eager and waiting, as if summoned by her emergence. She stood, taking in the dense forest before her, the trees bending ever so slightly, their twisted branches reaching toward her in quiet reverence.

    Whispers sounded around her, the indistinct susurrus having no discernible source. Or having all discernible sources. It came from everywhere. Omnipresent, like before.

    Yes, she had been here before, she realized. It may have been a long time, but the environment was familiar to her. More real than anything she knew.

    Her first time waking up in this place, she had walked into the pool of venom to draw on its strength for times ahead. Now, she was here for strength once more, and a mere part would not suffice.

    This world was hers.

    Fangs of gleaming white shot up in the horizon, rising further from the ground along with impossibly massive jaws. They closed, breaking the two tilting halves of the forest together like crumbling stone, grinding trees and earth into dust beneath their incomprehensible weight.

    Swallowing, the girl surveyed the crater where her resting place had once been. Her eyes narrowed in disapproval. Not enough.

    With a flex of her will, her lake expanded into infinity, submerging greenery, trees, and grass. It consumed everything, dissolving all traces of life and reclaiming the land, sweeping aside any hint of resistance like an unstoppable tide. She felt the surge of power growing, dark and vast, filling her veins as the boundary between her and the lake vanished. The venom''s essence became her own, her being merged with its depths, stretching to contain more than she¡¯d ever thought possible.

    Soon, she started changing.

    Later, the whispers were gone.

    *********

    When Genevieve came to, she was not the same. It was a fundamental truth. As much as the inevitability of night following day, an unspoken law etched into the fabric of her being. She could feel it, a transformation that had altered her down to the marrow, the very essence of what made her her.

    She was untethered. She was¡­

    Unbound.

 Chapter 63 - To Poison

    Everyone felt the change when it happened. From one moment to the next, something was different. It was akin to looking at something, blinking, and then realizing it had details you never noticed before. Except here, they hadn¡¯t been.

    The other vigilantes in his sensory range shifted, discomfort and dread clear in their body language. He wasn¡¯t sure all of them had caught on yet, but every last one of them knew something bad had happened.

    Honestly, he wasn¡¯t even completely certain he had caught on yet. He had an idea of what happened, yes, it was just so bad that he didn¡¯t want to articulate it to himself. The literal worst case scenario was coming to pass.

    Jack, however, had no such reservations. ¡°You guys, if that¡¯s what I think it is, you need to get out. Right now. Don¡¯t even think about fucking around. You need to run.¡±

    Lyra, having been watching as if in a trance, snapped out of it with that last emphasized word and turned to Finn. He saw the weird aura thing in her head ripple a few times, though he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it, and currently he simply did not have the time.

    ¡°No. We need to move,¡± were the first words that fell from his lips. Jack didn¡¯t respond, knowing they couldn¡¯t afford to argue.

    In the hold of the district¡¯s top heroes, Viperia¡¯s body flexed. Her muscles bulged, and her mouth fell open, impossible wide as her jaw unhinged. The ice prison keeping her contained shattered, throwing Nar back a dozen meters.

    Those white scales on her body fell off, like an old husk that had served its purpose and was no longer needed. Discarded, rudimentary. In their place, brand new scales of a gleaming dark gray formed like armor forged in a storm, sharp-edged and unyielding.

    On her shifting, ophidian face, her eyes lost their verdant light, black sclera with slitted white pupils emerging there. Her hair, too, disappeared, dissolving and leaving a green luster on her exterior.

    Finn never stopped moving in the time she transformed. His grappling hook had already latched onto another building and started carrying him away. Mistral, also, didn¡¯t wait for her to just complete her evolution. He threw icicles at her, followed by a roiling wave of lightning. But it did next to nothing; beyond momentarily displacing her, there was no visible effect. No damage.

    It seemed she wasn¡¯t done changing, though, since her arms began to shrink, while a tail took the place of her legs and morphed into a serpentine body. The size of her body was increasing as well. Even without his senses telling him all about the metamorphosis, he could see her visibly growing in the distance to match the abandoned buildings around them, getting to eye level with the floating Mistral.

    And what was Nar doing¡­? Wait, switching powers. Of course. This might even be his only opportunity before things went out of control. Really, they weren¡¯t in control to begin with, but Finn was categorizing this moment as a chance to prepare in his head, hoping it would help somehow.

    What was the plan, then? First they needed to see if Mistral and Nar could handle it. If they couldn¡¯t, they had to reassess and see what could be done from there. He didn¡¯t want to just leave, because letting this monster out of his sight felt like a stupid idea.

    Even though he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    They were facing an Unbound, after all.

    There was no way this was going to end with their triumph if they just rushed in recklessly. Something just told him so, despite him not knowing anything about Viperia¡¯s strength beyond her apparent durability.

    As if on cue, she deigned to show them what she was capable of. The lizard-woman-turned-giga-snake opened its mouth and coiled up. Trails of smoke started leaking from its throat, and then a veritable beam of acidic venom spewed forth from her, shooting straight for the district¡¯s hero team captain. The speed and sound were comparable to that of a high-pressure garden hose, except more cacophonous and with a hissing undertone.

    Mistral raised a wall of ice and dove out of the way onto another cloud. Good thing he did, because the venom burst through as though the barrier attempting to block it wasn¡¯t even there. And through the five buildings behind it.

    An explosion followed, shaking the surroundings and obscuring the battlefield. The dust didn¡¯t need to clear for Finn to sense a massive hole where her breath landed. Anything that had been there was gone, the edges of where she¡¯d hit melting visibly with sizzling smoke rising from them.

    Witnessing that, Finn didn''t need to make any estimations of what would happen if that attack hit him. He¡¯d be dead. Plain and simple. No amount of blocking or inventive gadget use or lucky positioning and armor cushioning would save him.

    Golden chains shot around the serpent, seeking to entrap her. Huge volumes of ice did so as well, Nar and Mistral combining their efforts in the lull created by the gang leader discovering her newfound powers.

    They may as well have been trying to wrap her in cotton candy for all the effect it had. Her body twisted, scattering shards of glistening metal and ice around her and leaving her free to move as she pleased.

    Hails of gunfire pinged uselessly off Viperia¡¯s left side.

    After a beat, her neck swiveled to the source.

    Then she slithered.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Such tremendous swiftness and momentum was behind the movement, she was a locomotive accelerating from zero to blistering, mind-numbing rush in that split the air with a thundering rumble.

    Finn almost died.

    Not even from a deliberate act on Viperia¡¯s part, or any other superhuman present. No, the gales of wind from the snake¡¯s passing had merely thrown his grappling hook off course while he was in the middle of firing it, causing it to miss the wall he¡¯d been aiming at. He was out of position to shoot his other hook, and it was only with a feat of dexterity he wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull off without his enhanced proprioception that he managed to twist and latch onto a window behind him.

    He was certainly too late in warning the group of independents preparing to continue their ranged assault. He couldn¡¯t do anything but watch the Venin boss barrel into the building, collapsing it with the weight of her charge. One of the gunmen on the roof used his power to create a hexagonal field that seemed to enhance the velocity of his bullets and emptied another round in her direction.

    A tail slap reduced him to red mist.

    Another falling victim plummeted into that deadly mouth, bitten down on and necrotizing from the inside out. The black pulp that Viperia swallowed didn¡¯t even resemble the hero it had once been. And she just kept going. Swatting and crunching on seasoned veterans like flies.

    If he hadn¡¯t had his power constantly feeding him the exact details of everyone¡¯s viscera, this  might have given him more pause. He didn¡¯t let it stop him either way. His weakness was already slowing him down too much when he didn¡¯t have paralyzing fear arresting his movement.

    Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t afraid, despite the risk of what they were facing. What he was looking at, it was a mere glimpse of what he¡¯d be facing in the future. Assuming he made it out of this alive.

    Wearing a tense expression on her masked features, Lyra followed him and kept pace with his run, alert regardless of the frustration and worry she was exuding. He understood. They weren¡¯t doing anything of any real consequence, he knew. All this was accomplishing was keeping the distance between them and Viperia consistent.

    Something Mistral didn¡¯t adhere to in the slightest. The man flew at rocket speeds, elbow-deep in an colossal overloaded elemental spear of swirling ice, lightning, surging water, and a tornado holding it together.

    The roaring weapon slammed into the scaled juggernaut. Contrary to Finn¡¯s expectations, it managed to do something to her, namely knocking her back far enough away that no one else could be harmed. She rolled along the ground. The quakes from her weight alone caused him to nearly lose his footing again.

    Unfortunately, what little damage it did do was superficial. Some scratches near her abdominal region that healed in a second. That was it.

    Suddenly, a golden dome formed around her, turning the area inside fuzzy and slowing Viperia down while she moved to untangle herself. Nar floated up beside his mentor and kept both hands extended, focused on maintaining the field.

    The other heroes present took that as a signal to engage, commencing the mayhem in earnest.

    By this point, being outmatched was more of a way of life than a one-time occurrence for Finn. The aquatic primebeast, Trooper, Havoc, Fetter, all of them were vastly stronger than him.

    But this was something else.

    It wasn¡¯t just facing a stronger opponent this time. He couldn¡¯t do anything to this force of nature, he couldn¡¯t resist her, he couldn¡¯t escape if she targeted him. He couldn¡¯t even assist Nar or Mistral. He was supporting the supports.

    Warning signals with color, highlighting danger zones, keeping people aware of the others¡¯ positions, he did his best wherever he could. The problem was that there weren¡¯t many places for him to lend aid.

    Valken came next. She dive bombed Viperia from above and pushed her into a cone of flame created by another hero, a move someone else followed up with twin slaps of crimson handprints as big as a caravan. It was followed up with another move. Then another. And so forth. They didn¡¯t give the rampaging Unbound a second to breathe.

    Finn didn¡¯t know if it was better or worse that he, unlike the rest, didn¡¯t have to wait with bated breath to find out how much effect a particular attack had through the smoke and flashing lights from powers and environmental effects being chained continuously in a small radius. He could observe the actual damage Viperia incurred, negligible as it was. Conversely, he was likewise aware of the ridiculous healing rate she boasted, rendering the strikes that did work on her trivial.

    And she wouldn¡¯t even let them keep that up.

    Sweeping her tail around, the reborn viper broke the entire formation, ending a dozen additional lives forever. She glided out of the slowing field immediately. Mistral threw two more of those crackling hurricane javelins at her, but they didn¡¯t throw her off again as she had braced herself.

    Perhaps it was because he¡¯d expected her to start fighting Mistral, but he was shocked when she instead bounced off the ground in a manner reminiscent of a spring, away from her opponents.

    Towards the densely populated district.

    Mistral shouted something and gave chase, Nar at his heels. The liters of blood coating the streets didn¡¯t get the consideration of pause they probably deserved, but there just wasn¡¯t time. The people who were still alive needed to move, and that included himself. So he tracked the snake that was already nearing the edge of his range. At least he wouldn¡¯t lose her trail, with how much devastation she left in her wake.

    Viperia was about to descend on a bunch of innocent civilians. They couldn¡¯t let that happen. Mom was there, clueless as to what was going on in this area. He didn¡¯t want this wyrm of destruction coming anywhere near her.

    The others? Aiden, Colette and Lyra were here at the battle or closeby. Jack was operating remotely, and Casey¡­ would be able to escape, if Ines was with her.

    Which brought him back to the question: what could he do? The answer was the same as before, nothing, but that just led him to look at the other people on this mission, who were dying in droves if they didn¡¯t get out of the way fast enough.

    Backup seemed like the best option for them, and it looked like they were getting it, going by his lip reading of Nar¡¯s conversation with whoever was on the other side of that earpiece.

    Finn welcomed that revelation. Other districts would be jumping in and bringing someone capable of defeating Viperia for good, putting an end to the chaos and bloodshed.

    But that would all have been far more manageable if she¡¯d stayed in one place, rather than rushing into a district full of civilians with iron determination, unmoved by the attacks peppering her.

    Did her behavior confirm she was sufficiently lucid for rational thought? He would say that she was at minimum capable of conscious thought after Nar removed the drug from her body. Thus, her goal would likely be to look for her son, if there was a higher priority than fighting the heroes.

    As for the direction she was traveling in?

    ¡°Cal, Shade,¡± Gridlock spoke, his tone grave. ¡°She¡¯s headed for the DHD building.¡±

 Chapter 64 - To Persist

    Keeping up was getting harder.

    It hadn¡¯t been easy before, but Viperia wasn¡¯t occasionally stopping to swat her assailants anymore, just slithering at full bore to the district proper.

    And they were traveling in an area with a relative lack of high structures, limiting the distance Finn could cover in a single swing.

    Worse yet, there weren¡¯t any delaying factors besides Nar and Mistral, both of whom had undoubtedly been instructed to hold her in place until backup arrived. What backup that was going to be, Finn didn¡¯t know. Whoever got here the fastest to start with, he supposed.

    Counting on the branches from the surrounding districts showing up seemed reasonable to him. The question was whether they had anyone capable of stopping Viperia, and if not, how long it would take for someone stronger to show up and what level of support they had the authority to call in. None of these things were certain in his mind or in reality, but he hoped.

    That was what he was reduced to, in this battle. A bystander, wishing for things to be alright in the end. It felt so pathetic he didn¡¯t even have the words for it. He should be more frustrated, he thought. Maybe the idea pissed him off so much he was looping back around to amusement, because it was close to making him laugh.

    He refocused his thoughts from the useless directions they were going in. There was no way he could afford to get distracted by his own agitation and powerlessness. If he couldn¡¯t do anything, he would find a way to change that. Viperia was approaching the city, so he needed to be ready to change tactics.

    ¡°Are you getting any updates?¡± Finn inquired over the comms, more to have something to say than anything else.

    ¡°Nothing worth mentioning right now. The officials are reaching out to Central, but response times aren¡¯t looking good.¡± His friend paused. ¡°At least we know what the villain is after; Viperia¡¯s motives are pretty straightforward. Only one person she¡¯d be going for.¡±

    Right, Viperia would be trying to free her son from captivity, starting with the most obvious location the heroes could¡¯ve hidden him in.

    ¡°Are they actually holding him there?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°If they were before, they aren¡¯t now. I can guarantee you that,¡± Jack replied.

    That was if the rampaging gang boss couldn¡¯t track him over long distances by scent alone. Though Finn supposed that would be irrelevant if her son was out of the district already; no way was she getting that far¡­ was she?

    Whatever could happen, Nar didn¡¯t seem to be planning on leaving it to chance, as he activated yet another power to keep her in place longer. He was losing ground, while Mistral was failing to keep her back fully. She hadn¡¯t managed to tag or shake either powerhouse, however. They eventually slowed her down long enough for others to catch up.

    The second clash which Finn had no method of meaningfully contributing to, was taking place with much more caution on the heroes¡¯ part. Having left behind the broken bodies of the ones Viperia ruthlessly slaughtered earlier, there was a zone that they steered clear of around the Venin leader, each mercenary that could fire from a distance doing so, whereas the rest kept moving. Not surrounding her¡ªshe had proven that to be futile¡ªbut getting into a better position at least.

    Weaknesses were what they targeted first. Or rather, what they perceived to be weaknesses. Like the eyes, for instance. None of it worked, bullets, elemental fire, and other esoteric effects pinging off her glassy black orbs.

    Within seconds, Viperia responded to the flurry of powers, flashing lights lighting up the dark night, various powers blasting her into the ground. By¡­ dancing.

    Her head lifted, and her long, serpentine neck began to undulate in a slow, hypnotic rhythm, a motion eerily reminiscent of a cobra entranced by a snake charmer¡¯s flute.

    The ones closest to her started flagging. Even the storm manipulator and jester, albeit briefly before they caught themselves.

    What was noteworthy was how the powers being used on her began to weaken along with their users. Finn had never seen anything like this. Power dampening? Or was she just making it so the superhumans were too weak to concentrate on their power use properly?

    Cryoforged weapons collided with her in time to push Viperia into the umpteenth trap of the day. And to their credit, it didn¡¯t break quickly like the last.

    She broke free anyway, then darted out between the transparent pillars. There were attempts to stall her further, but she was reaching the city.

    Ever since her unbinding, they hadn¡¯t been able to ascertain this monster¡¯s limits, and now it turned out she was still learning, still in the process of discovering her abilities. Assuming an altered transformation and more venom were all she had was foolish, looking back. It left them scrambling for an answer to the last move while the gap in strength only grew.

    Despite the impending disaster, Finn felt light. Just not in a good way. Physically, he¡¯d never felt better, which only reinforced his sense of helplessness. Even at his peak, this fight was out of his hands. Running along the ground was like floating, steps coming easily and each muscle twitch registering to his passive senses.

    Mentally? He just kept banging his head into the same wall over and over again. The result, of course, was the same every single time. No progress. No solution.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    The citizens had already been warned of a potential threat to their homes, and evacuation efforts should have started with the signal from the DHD reaching all citizens in her path and beyond. What made the situation risky was how he knew that this was going to take a while, and that not everyone would make it out in time.

    Moments later, the proof of his prediction unfolded in his range. Alongside the other independents and government heroes traveling near them, Finn witnessed the first apartment complex getting rammed by that massive serpentine body. There were people still inside.

    With the level of detail he was sensing, it was as if the crash happened in slow motion.

    Walls cracked under the impact, and the sound echoed like a thunderclap, jolting the air and rattling bones. Glass shattered in jagged rain, and the apartment floors buckled as Viperia¡¯s massive form tore through, sending fragments flying with deadly speed. The residents inside, blissfully unaware moments ago, had only seconds to register the earth-shaking force before everything around them began to collapse.

    A young man, barely in his twenties, caught mid-stride in the kitchen, was crushed in an instant as the ceiling buckled under the impact, pinning him between the stove and the unyielding slab of concrete above. He had no time to scream, only a look of shock frozen on his face as he was abruptly stilled, his hopes and dreams snuffed out in a heartbeat. Nearby, an elderly woman who had been painstakingly shuffling toward the exit was struck down, her frail body flung backward by a piece of jagged debris that shattered her neck like glass. She collapsed where she stood, limbs splayed out in an unnatural angle, her final moments stolen without warning or ceremony.

    Behind her, a young woman¡ªa friend, or perhaps a neighbor¡ªhad been helping her navigate the unstable corridor. She tried to scream, but terror strangled the sound in her throat as she staggered backward, her footing lost in the chaos. She stumbled blindly toward the broken elevator, the doors partially ajar and twisted, a dark maw waiting at the building¡¯s core. One misstep and she plummeted into the chasm, her hands clawing at the air in vain as she fell, her cry finally breaking free, only to be swallowed by the dust-filled silence below. She never got up, her final cries vanishing into the cacophony of ruin.

    The visions seared into Finn¡¯s mind, each one a vivid, merciless reminder of what it meant to be weak in the presence of such monstrous strength. He grit his teeth, feeling helpless rage churn in his gut as he watched lives cut short in an instant. It was brutal, unavoidable. Viperia was too large, too strong, too unstoppable for him to prevent any of it.

    Even a boy no older than ten, running behind his father, but being too late to avoid having the room above fall on top of him. He didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    Finn''s fists clenched. A kid. Just a child, swallowed by destruction he never saw coming. The sight hit Finn harder than he wanted to admit. He felt a hollowness in his chest, an ache at his own inability to save someone that young. They weren¡¯t supposed to die. It felt so wrong, like a breach of the very things he¡¯d been taught and believed since before he himself was that age. Two parts of the world that were meant to stay separate, crashing into each other and leaving behind an irreparable mess.

    He wanted to turn away, but it was useless. His awareness didn¡¯t allow him to turn away from the images of those people. Couldn¡¯t ignore the atrocities burning in his mind with painful clarity.

    Next to him, Lyra pressed her hands to her ears, squeezing her eyes shut as the horrific sounds reached her.

    He knew how she felt. With their senses, each and every casualty stood out to them, and they stood there watching it all happen, smoke rising into the air.

    The damage was as bad as expected.

    Viperia had already charged on, uncaring of the carnage she wrought. Most of the heroes followed her, attempting to prevent this from going on any longer. But some stayed.

    Throughout his short career, Finn rarely interacted with the general public. Only on a few occasions had he jumped by to stop petty crime and said the bare minimum to get out of the interaction before moving on. As an Aegis operative, engaging them wasn¡¯t a priority.

    But now there was nothing else to demand his attention. Nothing he could affect. He wasn¡¯t like Dad, didn¡¯t have that attitude or outlook that attracted others to him. His power gave him the ability to blend into the background, fade from the spotlight; the best use of his capabilities was to observe, to assess so he could find a way to strike.

    Since he couldn¡¯t do that at this juncture, where did that leave him?

    Right here, paying attention to the voices calling. Fear and agony hung thick in the air. All these innocents, begging for aid, for a hero.

    Which was why he couldn¡¯t just leave that little there girl to her fate. He and Lyra were the only ones who could perceive her cries for help.

    She was buried in the corner of the collapsed building, choking on dust, panicking while she ineffectually banged her tiny fists into the block of concrete

    ¡°We need to get her out,¡± Finn declared, rushing over. Lyra followed. They didn¡¯t waste any time when they got there.

    Digging someone out from underneath blocks of rubble was both less suspenseful and easier when you could sense them, but that didn''t make their predicament any less dire. Being able to sense which ones he couldn¡¯t move was crucial here. It made it so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about accidentally removing the wrong one and causing the entire thing to cave in. It was just difficult regardless.

    His grappling hook lifted the final slab safely off her bruised legs. He picked the girl up, and she clung to him like a lifeline, heaving sobs wracking her body. His training had never prepared him for this, so he handed her off to Lyra, who whispered soothing words to her as she rocked the girl gently back and forth. He wondered if it was enough.

    Stupid question, really. How could it be? This child had lost everything. As many more would, today.

    Viperia had gone, and they were left to pick up the pieces, quite literally in this case. Gridlock sent updates, encouraging them to stick to their task. Finn understood what his friend was trying to do: keep them out of the fight for as long as possible. And at the moment he didn¡¯t have the power to justify why he should head back into the conflict.

    It wasn¡¯t over. When the emergency responders arrived, he would have to get back into the action, but until then he used his colors to guide other heroes towards survivors, the ones who could still be saved.

    In the distance, a fire started, and he turned it vantablack to extinguish it. Finally, something he could deal with. There wasn¡¯t even anyone near the flames, but having that tiny semblance of control over this tragedy invigorated him somewhat.

    More cries reached him from every direction, faint and scattered in the rubble, like flickering signals barely clinging to life. His senses guided him from one trapped form to the next, each heartbeat and whispered gasp calling him forward. One woman lay crushed beneath a collapsed wall, her breaths shallow, eyes unfocused, a child curled beside her with a vacant stare. Finn¡¯s hands worked fast to clear the debris around them, and when another hero appeared to assist, he stepped away without a word, his focus already shifting to the next life he might still have time to save.

    More ruined homes.

    More fallen victims.

    More deaths.

    Finn never stopped moving.

 Chapter 65 - To Seek

    Harrowing.

    There was no other way to describe what she was seeing, what was happening. Her struggles with inadequacy and disgust at herself took a backseat to the sheer brutality of the scene playing out in front of her eyes.

    After seeing that initial impact, Matilda had made the gut-wrenching decision to keep chasing instead of helping the victims. She didn¡¯t know if it was the right one. She didn¡¯t know what she could do, but she did know there were people she wanted to keep safe.

    ¡°Josiah. Tell me you¡¯ve already left. Please,¡± she begged over her earpiece. She couldn¡¯t lose him too. Pushy as he might have been sometimes, he¡¯d still been there for her, helping her get settled in her new role as Damsel whenever Allen wasn¡¯t around.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be okay, Damsel. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± he answered in that calm tone which seemed completely inappropriate for the current situation.

    ¡°You¡¯ve evacuated?¡± she gasped out while jumping another ledge, fully aware of the distance between herself and the nearest hero other than herself.

    ¡°Yes, I have. But you need to stay safe as well. You should regroup with your team; let the captains handle this for now, okay?¡± came the reply in a tone that conveyed how he thought she¡¯d seen more than enough action for the day.

    ¡°I promise to be careful,¡± she said.

    ¡°Be safe.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t swear she would stay out of the fight, but she knew when she was outclassed. Heavily so, even. She¡¯d never managed to push Aiden in training, and now they were facing an opponent more destructive than him and Allen both. She wasn¡¯t delusional about her odds in a head-to-head confrontation with an Unbound.

    But she was a warrior-type. And her unique ability made it so a substantial portion of her practice was spent preparing for situations such as this, where an immensely durable opponent showed up and she was able to provide the requisite power to break through if she could get close enough.

    Truthfully, she was terrified. The feeling surprised her; she¡¯d thought she was over that nervousness that came with her first few outings. And she discovered she was, but this wasn¡¯t mere stage fright. This was terror. It washed over her, goosebumps rising on her skin, tightening around her chest, nausea nearly making her hurl when the viper¡¯s massive head turned her way. She could¡¯ve sworn the monster was looking at her.

    They had witnessed an unbinding in real-time. Nothing they could¡¯ve planned would have prepared them against that, short of having an Unbound of their own at their backs. Suffice to say, this development was rare. Even though there were protocols in place for the current scenario, it seemed delusional to think they could control the situation. The board was scrambling, and everyone knew it.

    Josiah wasn¡¯t answering anymore, presumably because the command station had been shut down while the local DHD branch was being cleared. That meant she was free to switch over to her team comms, but there wasn¡¯t much of a team right now. Scalestrike, Mountpin and Gossamer were way ahead, helping the civilians who were about to be in Viperia¡¯s path get away so there wouldn¡¯t be a repeat of what happened earlier. Warp and Aquiveil were doing the same, just all over the place, one boy being able to make portals and the other capable of teleporting by the use of controlled, symmetrical rain.

    So Matilda jumped from rooftop to rooftop to the best of her ability to look for an opening in the main clash, or maybe do something that wasn¡¯t standing around and praying for a miracle. People were dying, after all. And the only ones holding the line were their resident jester and storm caller. The rest had been pushed out of the fight, unable to keep up with the sheer intensity.

    It was almost beautiful, from a distance. Definitely not as chaotic as it must have been up close, what with the two strongest heroes present wrestling down what might have qualified as a veritable basilisk. Or something in that vein. She wasn¡¯t an expert on mythology.

    Golden hues and blue flashes danced through the dust-filled air, lighting up the streets in bursts as Nar and Mistral fought to contain the creature. The scale of the fight was staggering; each blow from the Unbound rattled windows, shook buildings, and sent cracks snaking across the pavement. Despite her still being multiple blocks removed from them, Matilda could feel the impact of each clash reverberate through her, a constant reminder of the raw power she was up against.

    Watching her step was important here. She wasn¡¯t going to lose her balance and fall down and lose her balance before reaching the others. Except she might have to jump anyway, because the Venin leader opened her mouth wide again, primed to unleash her stream of poison. Mistral wrenched her head to the side a second too late.

    Viperia used her venom breath again, the beam blasting across the cityscape, melting buildings and roads with vicious potency. Green smoke rose into the night sky. It filtered the illumination in the streets, casting the battlefield in ominous light, an eerie backdrop to this senseless massacre.

    The quick dive Matilda performed in the nick of time was what saved her from being reduced to a puddle. Dark green cut the air above her, raining down drops that splattered in its wake. She landed on the ground from a height that would be lethal to an ordinary human with nothing but a shoulder roll, continuing her run to avoid splash damage. She was unscathed.

    The people around her weren¡¯t so lucky.

    Next to her, a man got hit and was missing the front of his chest, face contorted as if to cry out, yet accomplishing nothing more than gurgling blood.

    A group of people on the other side of the street were buried in rubble.

    One woman¡¯s face melted off, splatters of acid spraying across her head and neck, eating through her skin and muscle and bone. She screamed like a banshee, then went quiet as her brain ceased functioning and freed her from the maddening torture she¡¯d been experiencing in her last seconds of life.

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    Matilda¡¯s pace slowed, coming to a halt in front of the innocent civilian¡¯s remains. She fell to her knees as the body slumped to the ground with a wet thud.

    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡± she whispered. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. People dying in front of her without being able to do anything. It was like being back in that alley, watching that boy slowly succumb to Viperia¡¯s awful drug. Now the villain was actually here, ending lives in person.

    Matilda braved another look at the latest victim. What lay in front of her was so gruesome, she would have absolutely vomited if her stomach hadn¡¯t been empty before the mission. She dry-heaved and felt distantly thankful that her veil wasn¡¯t ruined by puke. Small mercies.

    Her hands trembled as she reached out, but she stopped herself. It was pointless, this one was already dead and carrying the body to Radi wouldn¡¯t save her.

    It was unfair. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, these people hadn¡¯t done anything wrong and they were being slaughtered because some overpowered criminal was throwing a tantrum. She pounded her fist into the pavement, spreading spiderweb cracks around the impact.

    She gasped for air, her breaths shallow and ragged. Was this what it meant to be a hero? Watching people die, not being able to do anything about it, and then repeating the same thing over and over? The woman¡¯s screams echoed in her mind, cruelly haunting, as though to reinforce her point. Despair threatened to overwhelm her, a bottomless pit forming in her stomach. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

    Rumbling caused the chips between her gauntleted fingers to shake, and she looked towards the source. Out of sight, beyond a collection of devastated homes, Viperia had begun moving once more. Of course. These people obviously meant nothing to her. Matilda was reaching the limit of her resolve. It was all just too much.

    Damsel had to keep going. People needed her to fight, to stem the tide against calamities like the one heading for the center of the district. Forcing herself to stand, she put one greave ahead of the other, approaching the fallen concrete to see if the citizens underneath were alive. They weren¡¯t.

    Forcing her eyes shut, she gritted her teeth. But she didn¡¯t collapse, or give up. She pressed on. Waving down a team of paramedics making their way through the chaos, she leaped off the sidewalk.

    This time her run was a dead sprint. No gawking, no three-sixties to reorient herself and assess the situation, none of that. Only catching up to the serpent mattered.

    She pumped her arms and legs as fast as she could, sometimes barely even needing to jump to skip between buildings. The battle raged on, and she decided to go around rather than get closer and be rebuffed. She knew where they were going after all.

    Shockingly, she reached the DHD building sooner than her target. It seemed to be mostly empty, save for the entrance, which was barred by a contingent of heroes standing shoulder to shoulder. One she recognized: district A23H¡¯s hero team, apparently the first of the backup to have arrived.

    What few houses there were in the area had long since been vacated, so no new casualties mounted as a result of Viperia barreling over them, ahead of the two heroes she¡¯d been fighting. Brick, wood, plaster and concrete exploded as she made her entrance, those black eyes zeroing in on the DHD headquarters.

    The leader of the other hero team, Beefdom, was a muscular man in skintight red spandex wearing a helmet with a blue colored visor and metallic pauldrons on his shoulder. He raised his arms, his massive biceps flexing in his suit, and bellowed in a husky voice.

    ¡°Time to bring the pain, you overgrown lizard!¡± He cracked his neck dramatically, his visor glowing ominously. ¡°Prepare to feel the full force of Beefdom!¡±

    The other heroes standing with him visibly winced at his line, but Matilda barely had time to focus on their discomfort. Her eyes widened as Beefdom charged toward the monstrous Viperia, muscles rippling with raw power. With a roar, he tackled the venomous beast head-on, slamming his shoulder into the creature''s side like a battering ram.

    Viperia staggered for a split second before she whipped around to hose the hero in a torrent of poisonous venom.

    Beefdom shot up like a cannonball, punching her jaw shut with an uppercut. Green ichor dribbled down the sides of the snake¡¯s mouth as her head snapped back.

    Her two main opponents of the night flew around the corner then, Nar rushing forward to protect Beefdom from the inevitable counter. Mistral, however, didn¡¯t fly forward to help at all. Instead, he surged upwards. Looking up, Matilda saw the whole sky becoming more clouded.

    No way, she thought. Allen was going to use that attack here? What about the collateral damage? There were no ordinary civilians around, but still.

    Nar flew down to another member of Beefdom¡¯s team, clearly touching them to get a copy of their power. That one had control over mud, if she recalled correctly. So they were going to stall?

    And when the others jumped in, the fight grew more hectic, even if she had to admit this other district team was much more coordinated than she¡¯d thought. More so than theirs. Then again, Allen¡¯s team only had two fighters besides himself, so perhaps that comparison was unfair.

    Viperia rushed for the building, burrowing into it and thrashing frantically inside. She let out a series of loud hisses, as if calling for someone. Searching.

    But Beefdom dragged her back out by the tail. She rolled on the ground without having found whomever she was looking for. Shaking herself off, she rose back up, body coiling into a more dangerous position.

    Then promptly got hit with potshots from somewhere Matilda couldn¡¯t identify. The sharpshooters kept harrying the shifter every time the balance was about to tilt against them. Bolts and bullets and flashing lasers interspersed timed assaults from Beefdom as Nar worked on keeping the zone locked down. And she could see the other heroes crowding around the edges, but not approaching as boldly as before, no doubt having learned their mistake.

    If they could keep this up, Allen might be able to finally end this. But the supervillain wasn¡¯t going to make it that easy.

    For the second time tonight, Viperia danced, and Matilda was not ready.

    The effect hit like a freight train. Her legs felt like noodles, wobbling under her until she fell flat on her butt. It wasn¡¯t fear this time, just this pervasive weakness throughout her body, leaving her unable to flex her enhanced strength or even stand straight.

    Her eyes stayed on the fight, but she saw Nar was taking point now, directing golden barriers to fly this way and that. Either he learned to reverse the effect somehow or he was just enduring it better.

    She tried to push herself to a standing position. Her arms weren¡¯t cooperating, giving out when she tried to put her weight on them. No, she couldn¡¯t let this happen.. She needed to get up.

    ¡°Looks like you could use some help,¡± she heard behind her.

    Matilda turned to see who the speaker was, only to realize she was listening to a different kind of speaker: one attached to a flying drone.

    It didn¡¯t look like any of Zeta¡¯s models, yet it was strangely advanced and compact. White, with a sleek finish and a camera pointed at her helmeted face.

    Matilda eyed the lens speculatively. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The voice on the other end paused for a moment, then responded.

    ¡°You can call me Gridlock.¡±

 Chapter 66 - To See

    What was it that made a night memorable?

    Casey found herself wondering that as she sipped her too-sweet milkshake while Ines sat opposite her, talking animatedly about their plans for next week.

    ¡°And then we could go horse riding! It¡¯ll be so much fun. I know how much you hate them,¡± her lifelong friend was saying, staring into the distance with a smile. No doubt visualizing Casey on one of those¡­ creatures.

    ¡°I¡¯m vetoing that,¡± she replied. It would certainly be a memorable experience, but not in a good way. ¡°We¡¯re going somewhere else. Either the movies or, like, a place with better drinks than this. No horses.¡±

    ¡°But Caseeeeey,¡± Ines whined. ¡°The ponies are so cute. You need to give them a chance.¡±

    She swirled the monstrosity of sugar and dairy in her hand. ¡°I said no. Your sales pitching skills need work.¡±

    They were currently seated in one of the restaurants near the shopping mall. Outings into the district were what they often did together when they were free. Even if the location Ines had chosen left a lot to be desired, the upside was that few people came here at this hour, or at any hour really. It was a relatively quiet evening, all things considered. Normally she would appreciate that. This time, though, it was more to distract herself than anything. And this was proving a bit too routine, too normal for her to completely live in the moment.

    Because she knew something was happening tonight. What bothered her was that she had no way of knowing the specifics. Father had stonewalled her when she tried to pry for details, and Aiden hadn¡¯t been available to begin with. So that left her spending the day with Ines, as usual.

    ¡°I¡¯d give it more consideration if we invited more people,¡± she continued. ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t do it, but that kinda thing is always more fun as a group, y¡¯know?¡±

    Ines gave her this faux-hurt look, putting a hand over her chest. ¡°Am I not enough for you?¡±

    Casey rolled her eyes.

    Before she opened her mouth to respond, an alert went out on every phone in the vicinity, including her own. The trilling beep prompted her to reach into her pocket and see what was going on.

    When she did, a spike of fear ran through her.

    Rampaging villain.

    This practically never happened. Villains attacked all the time; it was the way things were, both in Apexia and many other parts of the world. But for an actual alert to be issued across the entire district? She didn¡¯t know if there was precedent for that. She definitely hadn¡¯t experienced it herself, that much she could say.

    Ines took her by the hand and led her to the exit of the restaurant, onto the streets. People streamed out of the nearby buildings, having received the same warning and getting to safety as quickly as they could.

    Distant rumbling shook the earth, not enough to actually cause anyone to lose their footing but more than enough to cause increasing levels of distress. People were beginning to panic in earnest now that the first tangible sign of the threat had made itself known. Parents shielded their children, others got on the phone with their loved ones, and there came a general uptick in tempo of the fleeing crowd away from the danger zone marked by the alert.

    In all the haste, Casey barely had time to process the rapid shift in circumstances. The nerves were starting to get to her. What was going on? Were they going to die? Where was her family? They must have known what this was about.

    Stampeding hordes of fleeing citizens built up around them when a particularly loud tremor arrived, threatening to swallow them up in a wave of desperation and fright. Some person she couldn¡¯t see knocked her drink out of her hand, spilling it all over her shoes and the pavement. Another bump on her back, and Casey was stumbling forward while clutching the familiar hand so she wouldn¡¯t get lost in the press of bodies.

    For all of a moment.

    Suddenly, they had space. People moved around them as if they didn¡¯t exist. No, that wasn¡¯t right. They were being avoided like they were part of the scenery that wasn¡¯t worth paying attention to. As if the small circle they were standing in was a rock in a riverbed, everybody else flowing around it like water.

    The sheer oddity of the situation made her take an embarrassing amount of time to get her bearings and realize they were under the effects of a power. But she didn¡¯t see any heroes around, not as she inspected any specific individual for noticeable costumes and not when she turned to the evening sky. And they were isolated, which must have meant her father or someone he knew was behind this.

    Turning to her side, she said, ¡°Do you see any¡­¡±

    Upon seeing her best friend¡¯s face, she trailed off. She found none of the playful grinning she was used to, nor the fear she could reasonably expect in this situation. Instead, there was a look of utter concentration. Ines surveyed the surroundings with a critical eye and tugged her hand again to move into the crowd, people once again bizarrely parting for their passage without being aware of it.

    Casey glanced around, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. And trying to make sense of the source. ¡°Ines,¡± she said slowly. ¡°Are you doing this?¡±

    Ines didn¡¯t respond right away, just kept moving forward with that same intense expression, her grip on Casey¡¯s hand firm, almost unyielding. Casey didn¡¯t resist but let herself be pulled along, her mind spinning as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

    She had known Ines all her life, or rather she thought she had. This was the girl who fondly teased her when she got stuck on math homework, who insisted they go shopping every weekend, who had been in her life longer than she could remember, before kindergarten. The idea that she might be¡­ more¡­ had simply never crossed her mind.

    ¡°Ines,¡± Casey repeated, louder this time, a thread of frustration slipping into her voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you¡­?¡±

    Ines looked at her then, a flicker of something like regret crossing her face. ¡°Just keep close, Casey,¡± she murmured, voice low and calm, a tone so at odds with the whirlwind of chaos around them. ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡±

    They didn¡¯t have time for what? The confusion, the fear, was gnawing at Casey, but she bit it down, kept pace with Ines, who was guiding them further away from the rumbling and back toward the estate.

    As they walked, she finally had enough clarity to take stock of their surroundings. The buildings around them were unfamiliar in the dark, lit only by dim streetlights and the occasional flash of headlights as others scrambled away. People had mostly emptied the area, leaving only the distant echoes of alarms and the muffled roar of what she assumed was the villain wreaking havoc somewhere far behind them. The streets themselves were a surreal contrast¡ªeerily quiet in the immediate radius, as though the city had decided to swallow up the sound before it reached them.

    Pursing her lips, Casey yanked her hand away. ¡°Stop,¡± she commanded, slightly out of breath. She was in decent shape herself, but Ines didn¡¯t seem the slightest bit winded.

    Their eyes met, and whereas in other scenarios she might be able to tell how Ines was feeling from a glance, she didn¡¯t trust those expressions anymore.

    That short black ponytail, the dusky brown skin, those approachable features, Casey took them in as if seeing them for the first time, for some discrepancy in the facade. She couldn¡¯t find any, leaving her feeling lost and uncertain.

    ¡°Explain,¡± she ordered.

    Ines started to talk, then paused. More deliberately, she began. ¡°As you saw earlier, I used my power to get us away. I won¡¯t deny it. The cat¡¯s clearly out of the bag.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure how the powers in question worked, though at the moment that was irrelevant. ¡°How long?¡± She didn¡¯t need to elaborate on her meaning.

    ¡°Since we were four.¡±

    The words struck her like a physical blow, and she screwed her eyes shut, breathing heavily as she went through years and years of memories in her head.

    As she did this, Ines remained silent, giving her the much needed time to recover from having her entire life upended. Which parts of their past were genuine, how much was real, how much was carefully curated lies? She thought they knew each other. Their parents knew each other.

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    Their parents¡­

    Her eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re with Father. This whole time, you have been.¡±

    The apologetic look she got confirmed it.

    Now things were beginning to make a terrible sort of sense. She¡¯d always thought her father was sometimes rather lax in the security measures he took for her safety every time she left the house. She wore her shield device against lethal damage, but was otherwise completely vulnerable and free. Or so she¡¯d thought.

    ¡°All those times you said you had to do something at home, or whenever you disappeared because of an ¡®emergency¡¯ with your parents, you were, in truth, working for Father,¡± she stated, searching Ines¡¯ face for any trace of the friend she grew up with. ¡°Doing his dirty work, I take it? The things he doesn¡¯t want me to see? Things I¡¯m too delicate and stupid for?¡± Her voice had risen to a near shout at the end.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this so I can always look out for you,¡± Ines clarified softly. ¡°I had the honor of being chosen to keep you out of harm¡¯s way. I trained day and night to become the best protector I could be, and I don¡¯t regret it for a second.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. ¡°Just tell me,¡± she said, the words raw in her throat. ¡°How many people know?¡±

    ¡°...Basically everyone in your dad¡¯s organization besides you,¡± the liar admitted with a shrug.

    ¡°Even¡­ even¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t get the words out, she felt so betrayed.

    That drew a wince from the exposed superhuman. ¡°I¡¯m ninety percent sure he figured me out, yeah. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°So my whole life you¡¯ve been- I can¡¯t¡­¡± Casey huffed. ¡°Ines?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Stay away from me.¡±

    She started running.

    ¡°Casey, wait!¡± her apparent sworn guardian called out. She didn¡¯t listen, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, drowning out everything else as she ran down the unfamiliar streets. Anger and confusion propelled her forward, each step taking her further away from Ines, further from the traitor. The world blurred around her, every stride pounding the bewildering truth deeper into her mind.

    She didn¡¯t have a destination, only a single need: distance. She sprinted blindly, driven by a turmoil so fierce that she barely noticed the ground shaking or the growing sound of sirens up ahead. She was going in the direction of the danger. Of the supposed rampage she¡¯d been running from mere moments ago.

    Finally, when her lungs burned and her legs began to shake, she slowed down and stumbled into a narrow, dim alleyway, hidden from the streets. Here, the sounds of the distant disaster were muted, and the cold air wrapped around her as if sealing her in a space of her own making. She braced herself against the cold brick wall, gasping for breath, pressing her palms to her temples as she tried to still her spinning thoughts.

    Nothing in her life was real, she didn¡¯t know who she could trust. Hell, she didn¡¯t know anyone, period. All the people in her life insisted on wearing masks and running circles around her. For her own good, they said. Why should she believe that? She never got a say in anything. Whatever instances she could recall of her father granting her permission to do something related to his businesses, she questioned. How genuine was he being, and how often did he just humor her, never expecting her to get anywhere meaningful?

    She hated it. She hated having nobody to turn to and confide in. The bedrock was gone, and now she was falling endlessly down a bottomless pit.

    Mother would have known what to do. Casey wished she were here, to give her a hug and call her Little Swan again. But that time was over.

    In this alley, she was alone. Obviously not for long, since her whole family was in on a dozen schemes she didn¡¯t know about and would make her look ignorant and stupid when they found her, the same as ever. Fuck that.

    Why was she the only blind one?

    In another world, she found the answer.

    *******

    Burnished gold shone in the cosmos, casting a girl in its warm glow. She floated through the infinite expanse, at the center of a constellation. The stars called to her, whispering of everything and nothing. She wanted to respond, but she had no voice, only her eyes.

    She tried to reach out, but her fingers drifted soundlessly through the stardust, passing through shimmering light that she couldn¡¯t grasp. Her whole body felt different, like she wasn¡¯t flesh and bone anymore. She was something else here, something weightless and fluid, suspended in a reality that obeyed no rules she recognized.

    With no other way to convey intent, she focused on one star, willing it away.

    Under her gaze, its fires sputtered, shrinking until it was just a faint ember in the vast darkness. She felt a pull within her, a thread connecting her to this star and, somehow, to all of them.

    One by one, her gaze fell upon different stars, each flickering in response, as though they were alive and attuned to her presence. She was drawn to their individual glows, their colors. One a deep blue, another a molten red, each a thread in a web she now realized she was woven into. She could sense them, their vast distances, their immense lives, each bound to her by a resonance she couldn¡¯t comprehend.

    Nevertheless, the girl studied them, taking in the delicate weave of the constellation she floated within. While she didn¡¯t know its shape¡ªshe could see but a fragment¡ªit felt like part of her. A piece of her she¡¯d been missing her whole life. These stars were patterns written in a language she had not learned, a language that was both ancient and new, waiting to be deciphered. One that she would know, in time.

    Here, in this incalculable universe, she was little more than a speck, yet her existence stood out amongst the incandescent orbs. Her heart burned unlike any other. None were unknowable to its flame.

    The stars burned brighter.

    *******

    Casey gasped as she woke, eyes snapping open then darting back and forth, trying to remember the vague images and impressions she had experienced, akin to a dream. She was unsuccessful for the most part.

    Which way was home, she wondered. Then everything came back to her. She didn¡¯t want to be there right now.

    Light spots clouded her vision. She blinked to clear them, but they stayed. Blinking more furiously, the stubborn things still wouldn¡¯t go away. It was as if she¡¯d stared at the sun too long and it left temporary imprints on her retina, except these weren¡¯t fading.

    ¡°Hello? Are you alright?¡± asked someone behind her.

    Casey rubbed her eyes and faced the new arrival, hoping she didn¡¯t look as confused as she felt.

    An unfamiliar woman stood at the mouth of the alley, staring at her with obvious concern. Skinny, redhead, dressed for comfort. Perhaps late thirties or early forties.

    The woman reared back, bewildered. ¡°Your eyes!¡±

    Her eyes? What was wrong with them? Was she injured? That would explain the spots. Aside from the fact that the spots had changed places. They didn¡¯t move with her eyes, they were fixed points in space. Some moving this way and that, far removed from her, one approaching quickly.

    When she zeroed in on that star, she saw it had a shadowy quality to it, aptitude for obscuration. But she didn¡¯t want it to come closer, afraid of what would happen. So it flickered.

    ¡°Listen,¡± the woman said at her lack of response. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re an off-duty hero, but I¡¯m looking for my son. Have you seen him? He hasn¡¯t been picking up his phone. He¡¯s about this tall, brown hair, my eyes.¡±

    Hero? What did she¡ª

    Oh.

    Those stars around her, they were part of her power, or targets? And her eyes were probably giving some visual clue that it was active.

    She had powers. However they worked.

    ¡°And your name is¡­?¡± she attempted, for lack of anything better to say about her abrupt concerns regarding secret identities.

    ¡°Emily Allister.¡±

    Casey froze. This was Allister¡¯s mother. It had to be. And now that she looked closer, the family resemblance was clear.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°Casey,¡± she supplied dully.

    And what a predicament she was in now. If his mother was asking around about him, then she didn¡¯t know he was in costume right now, presumably fighting supervillains. This poor woman had no clue he had powers and was worried sick about him after the announcement.

    Such a mess.

    ¡°I do know your son, he¡¯s in some of my classes. I haven¡¯t seen him tonight though,¡± she lied, feeling like garbage for doing so. He owed her one for this, she would tell him that next time they spoke.

    It was hard to watch the emotions play out on her face. Surprise, disappointment, resignation.

    ¡°But I can look,¡± Casey added, guilt winning her over. The least she could do was make sure he made it out of there. ¡°I was searching for some people anyway.¡±

    Then she was practically bowled over, swaying from side to side as Allister¡¯s mother squeezed her ribcage with impressive force. And she didn¡¯t know if it was the initial rush of emotion from gaining powers, the loneliness she felt in the wake of the bombshell that was just dropped on her, or natural charm, but Casey returned the hug, clinging on for dear life.

    They separated, and the woman gave her a teary-eyed, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she brushed it off, uncomfortable at how open this lady was. Though she felt like she¡¯d needed this. ¡°But I should, like, go. Wouldn¡¯t want to waste more time than necessary.¡±

    ¡°Right. Here¡¯s my number. Give me a call if you find him.¡±

    Pocketing the slip of paper, Casey started walking away.

    ¡°And Mrs. Allister?¡± she said, looking over her shoulder.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    She gestured to her face, eyes returning to normal. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±

    Emily raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Of course! I didn¡¯t see anything.¡±

    Casey nodded, the brief connection grounding her in this strange new paradigm. She had powers now. Secrets of her own, answers to chase down, and maybe, if she was lucky, some truth to finally uncover. For once, she held something they hadn¡¯t predicted.

    At least she could be sure no one saw this coming.

 Chapter 67 - To Storm

    Even from all the way back here, the change in the skies was impossible to miss. Dark swirling clouds crackling with energy converged, forming an ominous glowing point in the center, almost like an eye glaring down at the world beneath.

    The distance and lack of detail were strangely somewhat novel for Finn, given that he¡¯d been acclimating to the precision of his new senses, and having to rely on his eyes for something outside of his range reminded him that his passive awareness was not necessarily going to let him know everything transpiring on the battlefield. There would be effects he couldn¡¯t account for. Or in this case, ones that were simply too far away.

    ¡°Gridlock?¡± Lyra spoke up, leaving the unasked question hanging in the air.

    Jack still got what she meant. ¡°That¡¯s Mistral up there. It looks like he¡¯s preparing some technique to deal with Viperia, but it¡¯s taking a lot of time, and I don¡¯t have anything about it in my notes. Which are extensive by the way.¡±

    ¡°How many people are on Viperia?¡± Finn asked.

    ¡°A lot. Backup¡¯s finally arrived. Beefdom got there first, Nar¡¯s still taking point, and I think I see A23F¡¯s team coming in as well. And that¡¯s not counting the indies who are sticking with this mission and haven¡¯t bailed yet. Those are mostly staying back.¡±

    Not enough, then. Finn knew it was probably not too surprising that only the nearby teams were available on such short notice, though it was unsettling just how much damage Viperia was able to do before anyone managed to stop her. The current roster of heroes coming down on her didn¡¯t have the power to end the battle.

    Aiden was strong, he could attest to that. But the older boy hadn¡¯t been capable of stopping Viperia even with his mentor¡¯s help. He supposed that was why they were stalling for Mistral to come through with this presumably much more powerful attack.

    He didn¡¯t want to think it would be that easy. This raid had already gone on for so long, the idea of it ending seemed hard to picture. Actually, he didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d been. Likely not as long as he thought. It just felt that way because of everything that had gone wrong. All the people who had suffered. The images of all the death he¡¯d witnessed today weren¡¯t something he would ever forget.

    Right now, they were on the move again, swinging and jumping to the battlefield, respectively. They had taken off after the emergency services arrived in force, despite knowing they could¡¯ve stayed to help more people. Because he had drawn the conclusion that any minor contribution they could make to the battle was going to be more effective for ensuring the safety of all the people who could get hurt if they didn¡¯t, especially if it tipped the scales.

    ¡­Yeah, no.

    He was just paranoid about Viperia rampaging in the same district where his mother lived, even if his motivated reasoning might have sounded valid from a certain perspective. Although their house wasn¡¯t close to the DHD headquarters, he didn¡¯t want the unbound villain to suddenly change course and put her in danger. The decision to stop in the first place was absolutely influenced by the feedback from his power. Besides, other heroes had stopped to get people out of the wreckage.

    Flashes of the last civilians bleeding out under the rubble came up in his mind. He pushed them down. He''d shown others where they were. That was the extent of what he could afford to do.

    His grappling hook pulled him onto the next roof. The trip to the fight was much quieter this time around, many of the initial participants having chosen to stay behind or straight up leave the mission entirely. He could understand it, if not agree with it. This was a mission given to them by Cyrus which they were following up. The whole objective of bringing down the Venin¡¯s boss wasn¡¯t personal for them. He assumed the same was true for many others too, so the unwillingness to risk their lives here wasn¡¯t too perplexing.

    What he didn¡¯t grasp was how Viperia thought this situation could ever end in her favor. Unless she became the strongest in the world, she would inevitably lose. Even if she managed to free her son, they¡¯d be subdued and the kid would be recaptured. The problem they were facing was how much damage she could do before someone with enough strength was sent. She must have known that.

    Running would have been the better option for her. It would have been a lot easier than bulldozing through all the heroes to get to the most secure place in the district. He¡¯d turned that thought over in his mind multiple times, and settled on the idea that trying to ascribe logic and rationality to her actions was pointless.

    Why was he thinking so hard about what was going through her head, anyway? It wasn¡¯t that important considering she was behaving more like a primebeast than anything.

    Maybe he just wanted to find meaning in her actions because the thought of her being totally unpredictable filled him with unease. All the more reason to end it as soon as possible.

    Making their way over the devastation left in the wake of the transformed gang boss was another unwelcome sight. More bodies, dead and nearly so. He didn¡¯t stop running, limiting himself to giving as many color signals as he could to the paramedics, heroes, and victims.

    It was becoming easier. For the same reason he wasn¡¯t keeling over from the passive aspect of his power overloading his parietal lobe, maintaining multiple ¡°instances¡± of color manipulation was less tricky than it had been. There didn¡¯t seem to be a real ceiling to the total number he could run at once. The thing hampering him most was precision, and while it was at a level that the naked eye couldn¡¯t really spot the visual difference between his current work and that of a Shade with ten times the control, it still served as a buffer to the other aspects. Pushing certain parts of his ability to the brink was doable, but all of them simultaneously? No tangible progress was made that way. And a bunch of suboptimally constructed recolorings weren¡¯t very useful.

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    Aside from that, he also ran into the barrier of conceptualization. Some base part of him, a fundamental element of his way of thinking perhaps, was prone to remaining how it always had. Regardless of how much cognitive bandwidth his power provided him with, he wasn¡¯t simply going to switch his mind from thinking in a single stream of consciousness to managing a thousand concurrent mental iterations at the same time in the blink of an eye. He was beginning to think he would need something drastic to shake the habit of thinking like a human, monstrous as that sounded.

    Never mind that the extra brain capacity only really applied to his power, not any random stray thought. Then again, going by how he could visualize practically anything using his power, that wasn¡¯t a true hindrance.

    Ultimately, he was missing a way to convert that avenue of growth into offense, into a weapon he could use. A weapon better than parlor tricks. Great as it would have been to have an accessible way to achieve that, he saw the situation for what it was and acknowledged none of this was going to happen today.

    Soon, they caught up to the battle. Or rather, he had it in his range now. They weren¡¯t quite there for the front row seats yet. It didn¡¯t matter, though; he and Lyra could perceive the fight just fine from where they were.

    Fine enough to see it was chaos.

    Dogpiling an Unbound with the most prominent heroes of various districts resulted in a slugfest for the most part. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to follow it if not for his ability to see past the smoke and explosions and dozens of bodies moving this way and that.

    Viperia became more lethal with each new trick she discovered, her coiling ophidian body the size of an office building broke up formations, and each time she tried to position herself for a move that would buy her some space, ten other powers would prevent her from doing so.

    Closest to her were the heroes who wouldn¡¯t easily die from a single attack. Nar still took up most of her attention, but Mountpin went in with her amorphous needle form right behind him. Being flattened by straight hits, morphing around them, aiming for perceived weak spots like the eyes and mouth, the woman did her best to harry the supervillain. Her contribution was a drop in the bucket.

    A bit behind her was Scalestrike, rolling around the battlefield and mostly blocking stray shots from hitting squishier people, whom Aquiveil occasionally teleported to a better position with his water drop outlines.

    Not all the DHD heroes were with their teams, however.

    Damsel landed greaves-first on a building closer to the gigantic snake, and Finn noticed a drone floating next to her, which she appeared to be conversing with. Under other circumstances, he would¡¯ve assumed that was Zeta chaperoning her, but the model was unmistakably one of Jack¡¯s.

    ¡°Gridlock,¡± he said.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? You planning another maneuver?¡± his friend replied after a moment¡¯s pause.

    ¡°No. What are you doing with Damsel?¡±

    ¡°Helping her look for an opening. You guys should group up with her.¡±

    When had he gotten acquainted with her? This was the first time Finn saw those two working together in any capacity. Jack was expanding his network, which was good, but in the present all Finn cared about was how long it would take to eventually find the supposed opening.

    He wasn¡¯t sure about the specifics of the knightly heroine¡¯s power, other than that it was high damage and a warrior variant. The biggest issue would be making sure she wasn¡¯t caught out or hit by a counterattack. That was the point of having a team: covering each other¡¯s weaknesses. But being part of a team could also make you complacent, drive you forward less, not stimulate you to seek to genuinely improve as much.

    Which category did Damsel fit into? Both, he would say, as she didn¡¯t have any real solo achievements but was showing willingness to branch out from her usual crowd here. This whole night, she had been, he realized. It had never been a problem of attitude, but of constraints. That inference made him more confident than ever in his decision not to join up with the government.

    Next to Finn, Lyra seemed to want to add something to the conversation, based on the way she bit her lip and how her aura fluctuated. He didn¡¯t press. If it was important enough, she wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to keep it hidden from them.

    Below, their opponent disengaged. Viperia burrowed herself into the ground, coating herself in venom and slithering through the melting dirt. She came up underneath one of the buildings a few support heroes were standing on. Finn warned them, and it got them moving, though it was Nar who ended up having to save them with a dozen platforms and

    Erupting through multiple stories of concrete, stone and other materials he didn¡¯t bother identifying, the towering predator had a dangerous gleam in those slitted eyes and readied more venom breath.

    Then Beefdom wrapped his arms around her like she was Apexia¡¯s biggest tree trunk and hurled her skywards.

    Platforms of gold manifested below her, positioned exactly so she wouldn¡¯t be able to get any leverage and hoisting her up farther and farther. Nar had his hand pointed up at her, tension and strain evident in his posture. He¡¯d been pushing it for a while.

    Through it all, the battlefield seemed to hold its breath, the chaos briefly stilled as they waited to see who would make the next move.

    Then the sky cleared. The dark clouds, swirling and crackling with energy, drew inward, spiraling toward a single point directly above the suspended Viperia. The oppressive storm began to collapse on itself, twisting downward in a perfect, lethal funnel, like a cosmic drain swallowing the fury of the heavens. At the center of it all, a figure descended¡ªa streak of motion outlined in lightning and frost, glowing against the writhing black.

    Mistral.

    The district captain careened towards her, thrusting forward his arm and releasing all the accumulated fury in one go.

    The explosion made the world flash white.

 Chapter 68 - To Pour

    Even after all these years, it was hard to get used to the sheer magnitude of this technique. Part of that was due to how little Allen had used it, and part of it had to do with the near uncontrollable power he had to somehow keep in check until he delivered the condensed hyper-storm to its target. It was like trying to steer a raging elephant one-handed. Not to mention the blinding explosion that always followed.

    Blue sparks and mist emanated from his arm, the limb still numb from the aftershock.

    He was already beginning to regret using the attack before he could see the extent of the damage he had inflicted, sheer exhaustion catching up to him immediately upon steadying himself.

    Granted, he hadn¡¯t made this decision lightly. The ultimate application of his power had certainly found its mark, and for once, the serpent didn¡¯t shrug it off.

    The explosion had smashed her clean into the ground, forming a crater massive enough for the surrounding buildings to tip forward dangerously, making it look as though they were trying to see how hurt Viperia was as well.

    Half her side was gone. Bare parts of a greenish skull, a missing eye, broken ribs sticking out. With a wheezing hiss, the snake tried and failed to get up, streams of black blood raining down as her hulking body rose off the ground, chunks of frozen, torn, and blackened flesh falling off. Her body fell with a crash, the surroundings shaking from the impact. On top of that, traces of glowing blue lingered on her exposed innards, inhibiting her regeneration.

    But she wasn¡¯t dead.

    He knew he had to finish this. Other heroes were already responding, walking back toward where they¡¯d cleared the area, but he¡¯d pushed himself to the limit of his power for that singular attack. Which was one reason why he didn¡¯t use it under normal circumstances. Another was the unreasonable amount of collateral damage it caused if he didn¡¯t use it far up in the sky.

    Allen dispersed his power. Gravity took hold and his stomach lurched from the freefall, but the sensation was familiar. Anything to conserve energy in those precious few seconds before he came down on the rampaging gang leader again.

    Viperia was weathering a bombardment of suppressing fire from everyone present while she kept trying to stay upright. Lasers, fireballs, bullets, everyone who could throw something at her, did.

    Nar swooped in from the side and sent battering rams of pure force into her side, aggravating her wounds and keeping her off balance. But Allen could see the writing on the wall. This wasn¡¯t sustainable; Viperia was going to get her bearings in a few more breaths.

    Inhaling deeply, he extended his arms in a diver¡¯s position, speeding up his fall and calling on his power. Here and now, he needed everything. Rather than just floating on the new stormcloud, his entire body was covered in it. With the ease of long practice, he had donned his extra power-generated layer of armor. It roiled over his body with angry rumbles, but the vibrations were familiar to him. This application of his power required a lot of control, more than he could manage for extended periods of time without injuring himself. For this final sprint, he held nothing back. There was a window of opportunity in front of him, and he had no plans to waste it. The fight had gone on for far too long as it was.

    Among the main advantages of this application of his ability, being clad in his own power, was the maneuverability it provided. Although he was adept at standing on clouds and getting around that way, this made micro adjustments in midair much easier. And he¡¯d gotten to a point where it served its function as actual armor even better than his costume did, since it reacted to external contact by countering with lightning, rain, ice, or cloud cushioning, depending on what type of attack it was, in order to neutralize or redirect it.

    Moveover, the residual energy of the attacks it received would be absorbed, extracted, and included by his storm in his own offense, not only fueling it but also strengthening it beyond what he would normally be able to manage. The problem, he always found, was the danger of spinning up such an intense power charge so close to his body. One wrong move, and he could suffer disastrous backlash.

    Having his body covered in a raging storm also caused severe signal interference, to the point where his communicator wouldn¡¯t work anymore. But that wasn¡¯t an issue. The request for aid had been sent. More reinforcements would come, but he couldn¡¯t rely on that. If he were the type of person that left the safety of his district up to a hope and prayer like that, he would¡¯ve never been named captain.

    No, this had to be quick.

    Accelerating, he twisted and landed in a three-point stance on the ground, not slowing down in order to touch pavement with maximum impact. Cracks spread out beneath him as his armor rippled with sparks and he raised an arm to channel the surge into his next move: a whirling sphere of darkened vapor, pure pressure condensing it to the size of a golf ball.

    He flicked his wrist, causing it to shoot off faster than a speeding car. When it reached Viperia, who was beginning to make her way out of the crater, it burst outwards in a dazzling spray of glittering drops reflecting the light of the surrounding projectiles, the beauty of it completely at odds with how viciously it knocked her away. She slammed into asphalt, carving a trench just by sliding there with her massive body.

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    With a boosted jump, Allen closed the distance in a blink, through the haze of beams and rays and other power effects before anyone could pull back from committing friendly fire. From an outside perspective, his actions might¡¯ve seemed reckless. And they were, to a degree, but he¡¯d calculated what he could take on the specific path he was on and made a judgment call. The energy extracted from those and his next stopping point would be sufficient to feed into the next step of his assault.

    Fizzing and crackling intensified on his storm gauntlets, lightning traveling into a spot between his hands until he¡¯d formed a glowing white-hot plasma ball. The application of his felt somewhat unnatural, outside its usual purview. In contrast to using it in conjunction with something else, he didn¡¯t do so well with pure heat, and it was all he could do to keep the spherical disaster stable. It snapped and popped, eager to be let loose. Allen obliged.

    Viperia, prone on the ground, saw the blast coming and rolled out of the way. He created a gray cloud and had the heated ball of destruction bounce off it. When it hit, the burning wave seared her undefended side and made her cry out in that snakish way again.

    Meanwhile, the other heroes worked to subdue the slithering menace with various capture methods, many of them familiar to him. He was here with many who had fought at his side over the years, not alone. Though he was prepared to finish this.

    Allen didn¡¯t let up. The moment the searing wave connected, he slammed his feet into the ground, sending a crackling ripple of electricity along the surface. With a snap of his fingers, the charge erupted into jagged bolts, tracing the fractured asphalt like branching rivulets of light and latching onto Viperia¡¯s exposed wounds. Her pained hiss turned into a bellowing roar, shaking the air as she thrashed against the converging net of attacks.

    Thrashing turned into writhing, the district leader increasing the power of his paralysis. The moment she was locked down, he leaped in her direction, swallowing the distance of an entire street in a second. He was in her blindspot under one of Nar¡¯s barriers now, so she couldn¡¯t see him, but she obviously knew where he was. The sound would¡¯ve given it away.

    Before she could turn to face him, however, he buried his arm in her gaping eye socket, freezing the inside at full blast. He grew crystalline spikes too, for good measure. She bucked against him with unbelievable strength, so great that he would¡¯ve been bucked off if not for all the other heroes keeping her from moving more than a few centimeters. If he successfully froze her brain, this would be done. He flared his power as hard as he could, pushing past the limit until he could finally stop her.

    It still wasn¡¯t enough. Viperia broke out, shattering a dozen different restraints and hurling him away. The dark blood leaking out of her body suddenly traveled upstream, climbing up her body and towards her teeth. Then her teeth gained a jet black glint, just as she reinforced herself with more venom, coating every part of herself in the substance.

    Flying over the DHD headquarters, Allen didn¡¯t panic or hesitate to make use of his momentum. But the tenacity of this particular supervillain did make him utter a curse he wouldn¡¯t have if he thought anyone could hear him.

    The Unbound lunged. Her jaws closed on each other right where he¡¯d been a second ago. The shockwave rippled through his armor and Allen absorbed it to shoot back a devastating sheet of rain that washed most of the poison off her body.

    She twisted and slammed her tail into him before he could react. He barely registered the fall. He was in the air, followed by an instant where the world was a blur, and after that he was on the ground, in the middle of a plume of rising dust.

    Around him, the world spun as he hopped up, his armor absorbing the brunt of the impact, but the force still leaving his senses reeling. He gave himself the tiniest jolt of electricity and shook himself, clearing his head.

    There was no doubt about it. She was on the level of a colossal-class primebeast, and not a weak one. Whatever she had just discovered how to do, it put her on another level. She had been stronger than any single person present from the start, and the gap was growing wider the longer they let her acclimate.

    And yet, he had a lot of energy from that one swipe. More than anything he¡¯d taken before. That was why he couldn¡¯t waste it, the only course of action he could take was to prepare a decisive strike that would end this quickly.

    Previously, this would be where the other heroes picked up some slack, but Viperia had become too fast for the majority to keep up, let alone take any potshots. The snake blitzed toward him at a breakneck pace, staggering anyone who moved too close with merely the tremors of her movement.

    She stopped just short of him and he backed away, leaving her crunching on the road. It blackened from her bite, flaking and rotting rapidly.

    Her lone eye tracked him as he readied himself to put her to rest forever. He blasted her with wind to put the right amount of distance between¡ª

    She didn¡¯t get blown away nearly as far as he thought she would. She arrested her flight just a few meters in, having dug in her tail beforehand.

    That was all she needed to coil like a spring and push herself upward from her tail point. His eyes widened while he scrambled to dodge to the left.

    It was a feint. She used her tail to slap into another building and sunk her fangs into his armor, straining it past the breaking point. He lost his mental grip on it, causing it to disperse in wisps. He managed to slip out by the skin of his teeth.

    She opened her mouth, and his eyes widened in alarm because he knew what was coming, swerving out of the day with a fresh cloud and erecting barriers of frost in between. Then the final tail slap broke them as if they were made of eggshells.

    Allen attempted to dodge, but the stream of venom spewing out of Viperia¡¯s maw was inevitable.

    It connected, melting through his arm and a chunk of his torso.

    Mistral fell.

 Chapter 69 - To Shine

    This wasn¡¯t happening. There was no way.

    That was all she could think at that moment. A plain denial of what had taken place a moment ago. Matilda refused to believe this was it.

    That brutal finishing move was executed so fast, no one could have intervened, but she could reach Allen now, so she did.

    She sprinted over the road without hesitation, taking bounding leaps over the pavement until she was halfway down the street. Crouching, she kicked her legs and made her way up the building, leaping into the air to catch him.

    He landed in her arms with a pained grunt, and the damage was even worse up close than it had seemed from afar. Her face crumpled as she looked him over. His left arm was completely gone from the shoulder down, and his side was partly melted away, chest included. She didn¡¯t think she was completely imagining it when she thought he felt a lot lighter than he should have.

    The gaping wound was frozen over, acid no longer eating away at him, but the damage was already done. Not even his cape had come out of this untouched. Her heart felt like it was getting stabbed every time her gaze wandered down.

    Gravity took hold, and they started falling. She felt him shifting the tiniest bit. ¡°Nice¡­ catch,¡± he praised in a rattling breath.

    How could he be so casual? How could he joke like that when it was his life on the line? Her lips parted to argue, to tell him to stop, but her voice caught in her throat, replaced with a dry sob.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± she said, voice shaking. ¡°Don¡¯t strain yourself.¡±

    Nar flew by then, having finally caught up after the lightning-quick exchange he hadn¡¯t managed to protect Allen from. There was no point in stopping either. Even if he had a combination of powers ready that could help, the switching process would take too long, especially since he¡¯d already done plenty of that tonight. Never mind the fact that he wasn¡¯t specialized or highly trained in healing. Instead, he was preparing another ability to combat the giant serpent slithering off to somewhere else.

    For a brief moment, when they crossed paths, Allen caught his gaze.

    Even though she could not see their eyes, she knew they conveyed a thousand words of meaning in that single glance. The details were lost on her, but she hoped this wasn¡¯t¡­ No, she couldn¡¯t even finish the thought.

    It couldn¡¯t be true. Not like this. Not when he still had so much left to teach, so much left to give.

    Upon touching down, she let her rescue training take over and got down to ground level, trying not to jostle Allen. If the quick journey hurt him at all, he didn¡¯t show it.

    ¡°You kids grew so big when I wasn¡¯t looking, didn¡¯t you?¡± he asked, grinning weakly. Even as he spoke those words, his tone was losing weight, voice getting breathier and weaker.

    Matilda wanted to answer, but her throat closed up, the lump in it too massive to swallow.

    Carefully setting her adoptive father against a wall facing away from the fighting, she activated the communicator on her ear to speak with his team.

    ¡°Radi!¡± she shouted urgently, teary-eyed. The woman needed to hurry up. They didn¡¯t have time. ¡°You need to come here immediately.¡±

    The reply came in that same Dominian accent the older heroine always had. ¡°I am on my way, Damsel. I saw what happened.¡±

    That made sense. She must have been waiting in the wings this whole battle until something like this occurred. Expected of someone with her power. Radi was a professional. Even so, Matilda hated how calm she sounded, like she wasn¡¯t taking this seriously. That wasn¡¯t true, but it felt like it. Calmness was necessary in the field, but right now it grated on her nerves like nails on glass.

    Over the increasingly distant rumbling, she heard footsteps approaching less than a minute later.

    She turned. Radi was kneeling beside her, and while her expression was impossible to read with the mask over her face, the younger girl knew there was sympathy there.

    After a few seconds of watching Radi put her hand on Allen¡¯s chest, Matilda couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Can you-¡± Her voice broke. ¡°Can you save him?¡± She sounded as scared as she felt, and somehow she didn¡¯t have it in her to care about that.

    More time passed in awful silence as the healing coursed through him, and she felt a dash of hope when Allen sat a bit more upright, only for Radi to crush it.

    The healer shook her head. ¡°No counteragent has been devised as of yet, and that is excluding the increased toxicity from Viperia¡¯s unbinding. If it were only that, I would have the capability to sustain him long enough for others with better-suited abilities to restore his body. Unfortunately, there seem to be traces of another substance circulating in the bloodstream. An extra poison, specialized in rot and decay. Taking that addition into consideration, his condition is not one I can slow down any further. He would have seconds left, were I not here. Even with my help, it makes little difference. He is being destroyed from the inside out.

    ¡°I am deeply sorry, Captain,¡± said Radi when she turned her head to face her team leader, voice soft and gentle. ¡°This is the most I can do.¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s plenty,¡± Allen replied with a wet cough. ¡°I get to talk to my daughter on my way out. What more could I- could I want?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to make it,¡± Matilda said hastily, but the lie rang hollow to her ears no later than it left her lips. ¡°You have to.¡±

    She got a wry smile in return, and he raised a trembling, blood-stained glove to his visor to lift it off his face. He looked pale, sweating and drained. His eyes struggled to stay open, fluttering as he looked her way. Between labored breaths, he said, ¡°You¡¯ll be¡­ the best of us. Better than me. You¡¯ll be fine, Matilda.¡±

    Allen¡¯s grip was so heartbreakingly weak, she sobbed when her hands closed around his. It was as if the ground had opened up beneath her, threatening to swallow her whole. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± she whispered. She took off her own helmet and veil. ¡°Please. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do without you. Please, Dad.¡±

    A rasping chuckle came from his throat, his head lolling to the side slightly. ¡°I thought you¡¯d¡­ never¡­ call me¡­¡±

    His grip slackened further, and Radi placed a hand on Matilda¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He is holding on for your sake,¡± she said quietly. ¡°But his body cannot endure much longer. You must prepare yourself.¡±

    Prepare herself? How could she prepare herself for this? The tears only flowed harder at the thought of being alone. Images of their time together flashed through her mind, making her curl up and hold onto the fabric of Allen¡¯s bodysuit with balled fists.

    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you,¡± he told her so quietly she almost couldn¡¯t make it out.

    His eyes were glazing over, and she shook him as if that would somehow delay the inevitable. Of course, she couldn¡¯t. His features softened, and with them, the faintest trace of his smile lingered¡ªa mark of a man who had no regrets about the family he left behind.

    Matilda wailed.

    Huddling against his cooling, lifeless body, she let out the sound of her grief, hearing it echo off the walls.

    There was no end to it. Ceaselessly, she cried. Every time she opened her eyes, she saw it. Reality would set in, tearing her apart and leaving her hollow. Empty. She was on her own now.

    Except she wasn¡¯t alone. Radi¡¯s hand had never left her shoulder. ¡°Damsel, it¡¯s time to go. Get to safety, I will take care of the body.¡±

    ¡°Hurts,¡± she hissed, sobbing harder. Speaking was too much, calling up the ideas in her head and trying to form words just brought the pain into sharper clarity. Her breath hitched, her throat feeling like it had a vice clamped around it. Snot and drool dribbled down her face with every convulsive gasp.

    However, despite her pain, the world didn¡¯t wait for her. The tremors were getting louder again. ¡°I know it hurts. But he sacrificed his life to save all of us. Do not let it be in vain, and I will do the same. Okay?¡±

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    This just wasn¡¯t fair. She¡¯d finally found a home with him, and now he was gone, left on some battlefield with two people keeping him company on cold pavement. He should have had more time. Everyone else had passed by them, preoccupied with handling the disaster he hadn¡¯t been able to stop.

    Worse, that disaster was still rampaging. Just as it dismissed Allen after landing the killing blow, it would move on if they let it win. Go to some other place to spread misery and death.

    Never would she allow that. This monster wouldn¡¯t get to leave this behind.

    Grief turned to rage in her heart, a billowing storm that demanded to be let loose. Taking a shuddering breath, she swallowed, finally composed enough to nod. Her hands reluctantly let go of the man she held most dear in her life, internalizing the words. It was up to her. It wouldn¡¯t be in vain.

    Donning her helmet and veil again, she stood and marched away in the direction of the battle before Radi could stop her. ¡°Damsel!¡±

    She had rounded the corner. With a screech, the metallic hood of a nearby car crumpled as her gauntlets grabbed on. She lifted the whole vehicle over her head, then sprinted.

    Up ahead, the clash was in full swing. The serpent dodged lasers and avoided getting trapped by barriers, fighting back with bites and tackles and poison. It succeeded in worming its way out of the enclosure the heroes were forming. It was going through a side street.

    Crouching for maximum force, she flexed her legs and jumped after it, higher than ever. Higher than the beast attempting to escape them.

    Screaming at the top of her lungs, Damsel brought the hunk of steel down with all her might.

    *******

    Lyra couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. Superficially, the hit seemed ineffective. Damsel¡¯s impromptu weapon broke as soon as it made contact, and Viperia¡¯s head was only shoved to the side a little. Afterwards, the knightess fell down. A pair of strings quickly whisked her out of harm¡¯s way, saving her from the expected counterattack.

    Internally, it was a different story. She¡¯d known Damsel¡¯s power could deliver real hurt, but witnessing what the girl could do by picking up a car and dunking it into Viperia¡¯s head was something else. When she concentrated on the loud vibrations traveling through the giant snake¡¯s body, she could see the internal damage from that attack. Extensive skull fracturing and even brain trauma, along with hemorrhaging and torn tissue in several places. Far more damage than that amount of force should¡¯ve been able to deliver, taking into account the defenses the Venin boss had displayed so far.

    This was true damage. Yeah, Lyra felt that was a good name for it.

    The raging viper wasn¡¯t nearly as sharp now, beginning to slacken against the onslaught as dark blood started leaking from her maw, struggling to stay upright and fending off Nar¡¯s attacks to the best of her ability. But the damage also made her more desperate. She was throwing a lot more venom around than before.

    To Lyra¡¯s dismay, that state didn¡¯t last long. The injuries the Unbound received from Damsel¡¯s attack were healing in no time, everywhere aside from the brain. The cerebral area was almost glacial in its regeneration. Until the damage there just disappeared in a blink. It took her a second to even suspect how that transpired. Once she did, she scowled.

    ¡°She transferred the damage to her human form,¡± Finn concluded, which confirmed her suspicions. The gang leader could do that exactly one time. A sign of how desperate she was. She was staking everything on this battle here. Either she got through, or she didn¡¯t. Lyra wished she would simply drop dead already.

    Then kill her.

    No, not this. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took Finn¡¯s hand in hers. The gesture surprised him, but he didn¡¯t recoil. Rather, his fingers were firm and comforting as they watched together.

    Contrary to her expectations, Nar took the intermittent pauses as a sign to back off from the fight entirely, landing on a rooftop and standing still for whatever reason. Wait, no, that must have been him switching powers. Something to put an end to all this, hopefully.

    Other captains were the ones to take point, coming to the fore in and keeping her distracted for the real damage dealers to land their shots. Viperia was taking advantage of the terrain a lot more often, leveraging her bulk to create smokescreens and burrow into the earth below to surface in a different spot. It created bouts of anticipation where every fighter watched the shape Finn generated to indicate Viperia¡¯s location, rearranging their positions as needed.

    In one of those short lulls, she could feel the weight of what they¡¯d seen happen sink in.

    Mistral had died, but there was no time to mourn him. The battle raged on as it had before, albeit not without a significant hit to the overall morale of the heroes present. Viperia wasn¡¯t stopping to wait for anyone, either killing somebody in her way or getting out of a bad position. And now that she had recovered from her most debilitating injury, her pace had increased again.

    Combined with the changes in her fighting style and demeanor, the way it became more punishing and direct, Lyra had a bad feeling about how much more targeted the snake¡¯s attacks were becoming. The last thing they needed was the Unbound they faced becoming more calculating and lucid.

    What could they even do in such a situation? It wasn¡¯t like any of them had an unbinding waiting in the works, convenient as that would have been.

    Pathetic. You don¡¯t need to consume in order to grow. We¡¯re stronger as one. All you need to do is let go.

    Her scowl deepened. She¡¯d hoped to ignore the voice until it went quiet. No such luck.

    Story of your life. Never stepping up to solve a problem until it blows up in your face.

    Thankfully, Nar arrived at that point with a new power to distract her.

    And what a power it was.

    Beautiful. Regardless of how it worked, she found it beautiful. Ripples danced over his form as he swam through the air. He approached the scaled colossus with a grace that was quite literally out of this world; there were parts of his movements her senses didn¡¯t pick up. His form seemed to travel between various points in an instant. At first, she assumed it was teleportation. But that didn¡¯t seem complete. The Junior Ace captain seemed to be building up some kind of momentum too, using it to land punches and kicks capable of fracturing those inordinately durable bones.

    Mystified, she watched Nar zip back and forth, raining down devastating hits on Viperia one after the other. He was winning.

    Finn, also, stood frozen, transfixed with the scene in front of them.

    Nar always knew where to be. As if he was chasing disturbances in general. Not an exact type of vibration or wave. Just any significant change in the environment was enough for him to latch onto. At least, that should be the case if Lyra was understanding this correctly. Then again, he could move in straight lines into the sky as well, so she could be wrong. She didn¡¯t research powers as a hobby like Jack would.

    But her friend did enlighten her as to whom it belonged to. ¡°Shiftseeker¡¯s power!? He had it all along! What?¡± The boy on the other end of the call was laughing hysterically.

    ¡°Dad¡­¡± she heard Finn whisper, so low that the microphone didn¡¯t catch and transmit it over their comms. Only her power allowed her to hear him say that word.

    That was his dad¡¯s power? It was so strong. Just a few hops and the serpent was already on the backfoot, struggling to even keep that massive slitted eye trained on the jester. She couldn¡¯t land a single hit, swiping at empty air no matter how hard she tried. Lyra would¡¯ve lost him herself a few times if she couldn¡¯t feel the exact location of every individual hit.

    Nar didn¡¯t pause, simply continuing the assault while preparing another attack at the same time. His right hand shimmered and attacked from an unexpected angle, except instead of only pushing Viperia back, it carved a massive gash across the front of her body, meeting no resistance and splitting her scales easily. The wound didn¡¯t heal.

    By now, the fight had gotten to the point that the rest could hardly contribute, similar to Mistral¡¯s earlier duel with her, both parties going so fast it was hard to follow their exchanges. The distinction here being that Viperia wasn¡¯t the one dominating.

    It was almost enough.

    The next attempt at landing at one of those cuts wasn¡¯t as clean. Nar blitzed forward, aiming for an exposed part of her skull. And his power fizzled out at that moment, the fluctuations around him trembling and giving out, opening him up to Viperia¡¯s tail slap. It was only a partial shift to the side that kept him from taking the full brunt of the impact, and even that sent him flying into a building. A quick check made her aware he was alive, though clearly worse for wear.

    At least it explained why Nar hadn¡¯t used Shiftseeker¡¯s power before: he wasn¡¯t able to control it properly, so using the ability was a risk the whole way through.

    What are you waiting for? Join the fight.

    She couldn¡¯t fight that. What did it expect her to do?

    Sing.

    And that was why she never listened to it, all its suggestions led to ruin. What if she had a repeat of that disastrous first performance with her power, and Finn got hurt because of it?

    If you stop hesitating, he won¡¯t. I can show you.

    No! Where were the reinforcements? How much longer was it going to take to send one heroic Unbound? The other heroes had engaged Viperia for the umpteenth time, but they were not a real match for her at full strength, let alone with some starting to tire in an extended confrontation. Viperia was getting more dangerous as the night drew out. Lyra fidgeted, looking around for a magical solution she knew wasn¡¯t there.

    Wasting time when you can¡¯t afford to? It¡¯s like you want everything to go wrong.

    She was about to think up a response, but then a glow lit up in her mind, and she heard the voice scream in agony. Lyra yelped, recoiling at the awful burning sensation in her head, flapping her arms in front of her face while staggering back as if fending off a particularly dangerous mosquito.

    What was that, she wondered upon recovering. Where did it come from? She tried to scan for the source, or the voice, yet neither was forthcoming with answers. In fact, the voice was totally silent now, not uttering a peep even when she provoked it. She didn¡¯t dare hope it was gone for good, in spite of the welcome reprieve.

    ¡°Calliope,¡± Finn spoke in an alarmed tone. ¡°What was¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, he began to glow like the morning sun. She stared at him with rapt attention, scanning his whole body with her eyes and senses. Still there was no identifiable source.

    Lyra¡¯s instincts screamed to act, unaware of what was coming.

 Chapter 70 - To Enhance

    Finn felt, on an existential level, that the glow encompassed his entire being.

    He inspected his hands, puzzled as to what was happening. And even more puzzled at the fact that he knew there was no ill intent behind it, whatever it was.

    Moreover, he felt something else, accompanying the sudden intrusion as clearly as a sun illuminating a sapling at dawn, aiding its growth in the light of a new day:

    Power.

    Suffusing him, head to toe. And yet paradoxically, his muscles didn¡¯t give the impression of being any more robust than before, and neither did his skin or bones. No, this increase, this strengthening was of a different nature.

    It was his ability, his connection to the colors in the world around him. There was something fundamentally different about it now. It had been bolstered. Enhanced to greater heights, ones he had barely been able to grasp before, ones that were now in his reach. Experimentally, he tried a basic application of color to the environment.

    The entire district turned white. As far as the eye could see, yet in his awareness he knew exactly where the boundaries were. His passive senses were no exception. The edges of his senses were well past the disaster zone, to the point where he could even sense plenty of people in their homes continuing with their lives like everything was normal. He had been seeing nothing but fear and distress since the moment alerts started going out in response to Viperia¡¯s rampage.

    Contrasting that starkly were the scenes playing out in his mind, people he observed in real-time being untouched by the horrors of tonight¡¯s events. Though they were starting to wonder why every object around them seemed to be doing its level best to reassert its identity as part of the milk brotherhood.

    Finn pulled back, eyes widened in shock. This range was far beyond anything he had ever come close to, much more than the measly few blocks he used to content himself with. His perception was¡­ bigger than this entire battle. As it had been previously, but not to such a mind-boggling degree.

    The rooftop supporting him returned to its regular shades, and he saw Lyra watching him with clear confusion.

    ¡°What¡­¡± she tried, not quite getting the words out. But she was noticeably calmer. The inexplicable part of her aura overlapping her head had gone inert when the glow had briefly touched her, unlike the ripples he had felt from it earlier.

    ¡°Are you- Did I really just see you do that?¡± Jack spoke up then, a bit of awe lacing his voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Finn admitted. He honestly didn¡¯t have a clue. Who was doing this? He knew this wasn¡¯t the result of unbinding, so how were his capabilities better? It had to be someone else¡­

    There. In his preoccupation with his expanded range, he had neglected the sensory information he was receiving from his immediate vicinity momentarily, but there was something different. Or more accurately, someone. The battle was still ongoing, and civilians had long abandoned the area in accordance with the safety mandates and emergency responders.

    A few lingered, but one in particular was uncomfortably close to the battle, hardly a kilometer away, if that. And she was staring straight in his direction.

    Casey Wardell.

    Was she the source of the glow doing weird things with his power? Yeah, that explanation rang true in his head, though he couldn¡¯t explain the certitude with which that belief cemented itself after a moment¡¯s consideration.

    The girl was just standing there near one of the vacated buildings behind them, sunglasses over her eyes but no attempt at a mask or anything else to obscure her identity despite the public power use. She wasn¡¯t even carrying any other equipment, just leaning there against a wall with her arms crossed without so much as a phone in her pocket.

    That the circumstances leading up to her arrival and subsequent power use here were a mystery to him went without saying. However, Finn quickly dismissed those details as irrelevant in the current situation. Instead, he assessed the useful aspects of their predicament. The key pieces of information were that Casey had gained a power somehow, as he was pretty sure she hadn¡¯t possessed one before, and she was here to help out.

    When it came to the nature of the power itself, it currently acted as some sort of ability amplification, if his deductions were correct. Whether it had other facets that weren¡¯t active at the present moment, he didn¡¯t know, and with her presumed lack of experience it was very possible his blonde classmate didn¡¯t either.

    Swiftly, Finn scrawled out a message with his power in her field of vision, asking how long she could keep this up. Her head twitched in surprise, and Finn couldn¡¯t figure out why until he remembered Casey didn¡¯t know about his true sensory capabilities.

    She took it in stride nevertheless, mouthing something like ¡°long enough.¡± Then she made the universal hurry up motion with her hand, the sentiment she was trying to convey obvious to Finn. He knew what she wanted him to do.

    Take action.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said out loud, drawing the attention of his two teammates, who¡¯d been in a discussion of their own. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± demanded Gridlock. ¡°What is that effect you¡¯re under? Why are you glowing?¡±

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    ¡°Shade, are you¡­ are you okay?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s temporary,¡± Finn replied to both questions at once. As the answer left his mouth, he was beginning to appreciate just how accurate it was. It was, in fact, temporary. This was not a permanent boost to his personal strength. The moment Casey stopped channeling the boost, he would go back to what he was.

    Essentially having that windfall of power he¡¯d been searching for fall into his lap only to know it was guaranteed to be taken away later was bitter. Ironic. But it was what he had, and he was going to use it, even knowing he couldn¡¯t rely on this power to achieve his ultimate goal. Yet even so, he couldn¡¯t deny the feeling was intoxicating.

    He didn¡¯t look towards the battle. Every detail of it was already obvious in his head, each individual muscle twitch from Viperia, shifts in the terrain, attacks fired by the heroes.

    At the forefront, right under the head of the snake, Holderbar was the one taking point, as opposed to the DHD captains Finn expected to assume that role. The unassuming jacketed man displayed incomprehensible feats. One moment he dispersed like wind. The next he made duplicates of himself. Then he charged ahead faster than a speeding car. Even after witnessing it personally, Finn couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the guy¡¯s ability.

    Whatever it was, it didn¡¯t change what he needed to do. Namely figuring out the new limits of his own power before anything else. The new sphere of influence was one thing he could check off the list. His control was also sharper. In addition to that, there was another quality to the colors now, one he¡¯d never been able to leverage or even perceive in any real capacity before.

    For lack of a better term, the ¡°realness¡± of the world around him was, all of a sudden, easy for him to understand. But if that were the only thing that had changed, it would be a rather useless development for him given that he could already see through almost any form of deception.

    What Casey had done allowed him to move his mastery over color along a different axis entirely. It wasn¡¯t just the base parameters of his powers that had expanded. No, he was also capable of whole new techniques such as the following.

    Out of a habit borne from long hours of practice, he crouched slightly in the camouflage stance used for sneaking around. While that wasn¡¯t what he was planning to do here, the movements themselves helped him focus. He figured it would be most effective to use this technique on himself considering that, regardless of how much he had improved since that first day of receiving his powers, it still worked best when used on targets he was touching or his body.

    Thus, more so than altering his colors in terms of shade or brightness, he lessened them. Slowly, the fabric of his costume started letting in the light from the other side of his glove..

    Finn was speechless. His body was transparent. He gazed down at himself in silent wonder at the casual ease of this trick¡¯s modulatory component. Little more than a thought, and he was actually see-through.

    Sight and sound faded out. As did touch, smell and likely taste. He could no longer feel the wind on his skin, the world casting itself to an indiscernible blur in his eyes. Lyra¡¯s voice called out to him, but he couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying.

    Her motions grew increasingly frantic, and he took half a step forward. The red-and-white bird mask was suddenly a hair¡¯s breadth away from his visor. Did she just approach him? No, he sensed that she was stationary, and her shocked expression indicated she registered what happened at the same time he did.

    That was all his own speed. He was quick. He could explain why, he just hadn¡¯t expected the effect to be this pronounced. Perhaps, he supposed, rendering yourself less susceptible to air resistance by means of partially unmooring yourself from reality was best done with caution.

    Doing the opposite wasn¡¯t outside the realm of possibility either. If he wanted, he could make himself more ¡°real.¡± And he did, fading back into view with more weight than before. The dimensions of his body didn¡¯t change, nor did any of its colors, but they were more apparent. As if he had surpassed the point of one hundred percent opacity. His outline was just more obvious than anything around him.

    Finn took a step back and found himself moving against regular resistance with abnormal steadfastness. Where in his faded state he had been bypassing the natural atmosphere with a somewhat unreal physique, he was now anchored to reality in a way no one else was. Pushing against the air with greater success due to his emphasized position in the universe.

    Useful, he concluded. He couldn¡¯t use this against other people, manipulating their place in the world by altering how their colors existed, because his power was incapable of affecting them. It could see the colors they comprised, yes, but turning someone else invisible or blackening internal organs was beyond him.

    Not that he needed that. He could affect everything else, and after beckoning with his hand he wasted no time shooting his grappling hook to travel closer to the big fight. On his way, he assessed the situation further.

    Aiden had gotten up, recovered from that brutal hit that had nearly taken him out of the fight for good had he not managed that last second dodge. Finn knew the older boy wasn¡¯t going to be using Dad¡¯s power again because of his imperfect control over it. Although, it had been heartening to see it confirmed that his father would have been able to resolve the entire Venin situation on his own. Finn buried the stab of pain he felt at being reminded of dad being gone, nice as it was to know someone was carrying on Shiftseeker¡¯s legacy.

    No longer risking that power, Nar swerved up into the air with a combination of powers Finn had seen from him before tonight. He must have been approaching the limit of his repertoire. Come to think of it, the Junior Ace captain had taken too long to get back into the battle, even though he should¡¯ve been able to get regeneration fairly quickly. Did that mean that every subsequent ability swap took more time than the last?

    Down below, the Unbound serpent reared back for another poison breath attack, and Finn seized his opportunity. A trio of independents raised a barricade of concrete to block the attack before scrambling away from certain death. He targeted it, reaching out with a hand and all the mental force he could muster to take its color and pulling on every characteristic, bidding it to claim its place.

    His other hand faced the space in front of Viperia¡¯s open mouth, and as soon as the stream of venom burst forth, he pushed its sickly green away from the world, willing its strength to disappear into oblivion. He didn¡¯t succeed in erasing it altogether, not by a long shot, but the effect was noticeable once it connected with the hastily erected defense.

    The collision still happened, the wall still melted away, the remnants of the attack still melted pieces of the road underneath, if at a considerably slower rate. The heroes behind it?

    They were fine, heads swiveling around with flabbergasted looks on their faces.

    Finn never let his guard down. He braced himself for the next round, vigilant of every minute change in the area. He needed to be ready.

    The fight wasn¡¯t over.

 Chapter 71 - To Place

    Finn surveyed the area as everyone processed the unexpected outcome of that attack, and it was apparent that this one change in tempo gave a lot of heroes some much needed breathing room, however brief it may have been.

    Viperia didn¡¯t remain still for longer than a second. If the question of Viperia¡¯s lucidity had been up in the air before, Finn was certain she was coming to her senses now. Her sole remaining eye swept over everyone present, then her tongue snaked out of her half-ruined maw, tasting the air. The viper swiveled her head in his direction, locking onto him.

    Then, over the noise of the battlefield, in a slurred, hissing tone, she began to speak.

    ¡°Yyyyyyoooooooooouuuuuuu¡­¡±

    While he was sure there wasn''t any power effect attached to the word she¡¯d uttered, various people present nonetheless froze in terror as they looked on.

    Of course, Finn himself had never stopped moving. Even the interception of Viperia¡¯s venom breath had been conducted in midair when his grappling hook was pulling him towards another rooftop. This method of travel was particularly useful now because he was considerably faster as long as the power he temporarily held was applied to his body.

    That feeling of the air suddenly having less of a hold on him, the sensation of his feet leaving the ground so lightly and yet leaping off so much farther than should be possible, the sudden transitions to having his body become more real to weather the impact of his landings in order to save time with his increased resilience, it was all difficult to get used to and somehow felt intrinsic to his being in spite of that. Regardless of how much he hated the idea of losing this power when the battle was over, in the here and now it was going to do good work. Finn would make sure of it.

    So when he pivoted and changed course in response to Viperia¡¯s mad charge, the only thing he felt was a muted sense of wonder, now overshadowed by the calm focus he was going to need for the fight ahead of them.

    One step, two steps, a hand on the ledge pulling him up lightly, clearing the way for a demented snake monster to crash through. He already had multiple signals going out towards the other heroes, highlighting positions of weak structural integrity in the structures around them, pointing out where Viperia was most injured, and to top that off there were small indicators of where her attacks would land whenever he could manage it.

    Which wasn¡¯t often. She slithered forward with her focus on Finn, determination unerring and her pursuit unceasing save for swatting away anyone brave enough to stand in her way. They were quickly reaching a similar level of chaos as before over the course of this short chase, Finn doing his best to find an opening and not having much luck in keeping all assailants from getting injured by the serpent.

    Unfortunately for her, she didn¡¯t quite succeed in batting Nar aside. After nearly ending the fight with the power of Shiftseeker, the rising star had endured a blow that would have killed most other heroes present, and he was already back for more. His power spawned golden panes of light¡ªa familiar sight at this point¡ªbut this time around they were smaller and more numerous than any previous attempt. They dug into the open wounds on the gang leader¡¯s side, digging into her musculature and causing her to spasm to the left. She couldn¡¯t move away from her position.

    In response, she tried to shoot more poison, but Finn was already bolstering the barrier lock and preparing to weaken her breath again. She didn¡¯t get to fire it though.

    Beefdom came in with a body slam strong enough to sound like a cannonball the size of a small asteroid, rocking the surroundings with tremors so great the building Viperia smashed into actually collapsed under her weight, a rain of concrete and metal and dust burying her massive body for a moment. Just a moment.

    It wasn¡¯t three seconds later when she broke free, hissing and lunging for Finn again, teeth bared in a manner he was growing used to, primed to release more of her devastation on the world. She didn¡¯t get the chance. Her mouth was suddenly filled with a giant block of¡­ was that hay?

    Yes, it was, he realized. Mountpin was standing below with her arm outstretched, her transformed arm extending into that reptilian mouth. The Unbound bit through it with ease, only for it to be replaced with more. And more, and more and more, making the street look like the inside of a barn as the excess hay fell down. Viperia kept her jaws clacked shut, but more hay entered from the opening in her exposed skull between the teeth that Mistral had made, forcing them open.

    It looked vaguely comedic, Viperia almost vomiting a wheat golden stream, simultaneously furiously shaking her head this way and that. More powers joined. Finn did his utmost to make them more real, ensuring they would hit harder despite the fact that he knew most of them wouldn¡¯t do any meaningful damage whatsoever. They would keep the pressure off of him, that was what mattered here.

    ¡°Shade! What do you need me to do?¡± Lyra asked next to him. She¡¯d caught up to him and joined him in an arc over to the next building circling the area.

    Upon landing, he turned to face her, which was technically unnecessary since they both knew he could sense every cell in her body regardless of the direction his head turned. This was more about acknowledgement than perception. Despite her behavior being expected, he was impressed with how quickly she was able to switch from panicking about a strange power effect erasing him from existence and standing ready to engage a supervillain with an unbound power in combat, simply because he had made his priorities clear. No superfluous questions about his well-being beyond silent, concerned glances. No attempts to distract him with things that could wait until the battle was over. Just readiness to jump into the action. During the time they had spent together, Lyra had become experienced and professional in her own right. Calliope was a reliable teammate to have.

    ¡°The next time Viperia charges, I want you to throw her off with a shockwave from the ground,¡± he instructed her.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lyra jumped off the roof and channeled a considerable amount of reverberation through the ground, considerably more power than he¡¯d ever seen her use before. More than he thought she was comfortable with, but her aura had returned to a relatively stable configuration. She really had come a long way.

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    Finn addressed his friend next. ¡°Gridlock.¡±

    ¡°What, you going to explain what happened back there?¡± his friend said over the comms.

    ¡°My power is better for the time being. That¡¯s all that matters. Do you know how long it¡¯ll take for reinforcements to get here?¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell you, sorry. I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re dragging it out so long, since they should know what¡¯s going on here. And I can¡¯t get to the bottom of this right now.¡± His friend said that last part in a growl, sighing and then continuing, ¡°But if you can win this before then, we won¡¯t have to find out.¡±

    He was planning to. But it was easier said than done. Even the barrage currently buffeting Viperia wasn¡¯t enough to hold her down indefinitely. She slowly gained ground, a repeat of the same pattern that had been repeating itself over and over throughout this fight. Finn just didn¡¯t have a good way around it yet. They had a decent finisher in Damsel, if she was able to get some more hits in. The issue was that getting her close was going to be a risk because he couldn¡¯t directly shield her or weaken Viperia¡¯s physical attacks due to his inability to alter the colors of living entities in his range. And he doubted Damsel would be able to survive a faceful of venom either way.

    In terms of warrior types, Beefdom was the strongest hero present, and his punches weren¡¯t doing as much internal damage as the Junior Ace girl. From the more unique powers, Holderbar was a wildcard, and not one that had shown off a capability to kill Viperia so far. All the people who¡¯d been firing projectiles and failing to do any lasting damage were right out. So who did that leave him with? Nar? Out of the powers he had stored, only Dad¡¯s would be able to decisively end the fight. It would¡¯ve been the preferable option if the older boy could control that ability.

    Snapping a hand out, he reinforced a pile of debris in front of Gossamer, protecting the last member of the local DHD team from splashes of acid with a flex of will. Lowering it back to his side, Finn resumed his thought process.

    Mistral¡¯s power might be the answer here, as it was more reliable in these circumstances with who exactly was using it, but he didn¡¯t know if Nar could muster the power required to end this. The district captain hadn¡¯t been able to even with his arm up to the elbow in Viperia¡¯s eye socket, after all. Most likely, Aiden had considered all of this and would¡¯ve brought it up or taken action if he had the means to put a stop to the bloodshed.

    And now he was back to square one, with no visible entrypoint to the fight. Ironic how even with his power boosted, there was no way for him to win aside from sitting on the sidelines and pulling the strings or whatever. It felt annoying. He wanted to go down there and punch those scales himself. The reason he didn¡¯t was that he had tested his own new force output and found himself lacking.

    Casey didn¡¯t seem to be growing impatient, at least. He took that to mean she wasn¡¯t dissatisfied with his performance, not that she didn¡¯t know what was going on. The latter piece of information he knew from asking her clarifying questions about her power whenever he got the opportunity. His lip reading skills were good enough to make out her answers. She wanted him to act as a coordinator of sorts. And it turned out he wasn¡¯t in danger of leaving her range, so there was that.

    The fighting raged on. Viperia managed to gain ground by scoring another surprise casualty. She was beaten back down, but not as far as before, shaking off the heat lasers pelting her in favor of a tail swipe. More heroes down, more ground given. Ultimately, Finn had two options. He could stall, or he could take a risk.

    The choice was made for him.

    By some stroke of insane luck or skill, Viperia managed to do her weird, undulating dance thing that weakened superhumans in her vicinity which the entire contingent of heroes had specifically been preventing her from doing.

    Beams flickered, flails went limp, chains gave slack, people slumped, and all that saved Viperia from killing nearly everyone around her was the fact that Nar miraculously recovered first, again, and tossed her into the air. But Viperia didn¡¯t miss a beat, turning the motion into a roll and heading straight for Lyra.

    When the building-sized juggernaut approached, Finn had to admit he felt a spike of tension shooting through him the moment he registered she was doing another dance to disable them.

    What none of them expected was for all three of them to remain perfectly alert. The thing in Lyra¡¯s aura roused, and the glow surrounding Finn dimmed a bit, but that was all. Lyra triggered the shockwave underneath Viperia with the force of a small earthquake, utilizing the tremors caused by the snake¡¯s movement.

    Both of them were in motion as Viperia steadied herself, Finn firing his hook near Lyra, reeling himself with reduced air resistance. He scooped her up and started running from the monster behind him, who was readying a nasty-looking breath attack. This one was black, unlike the darker green ones before.

    Instead of chasing him again she fired her poison. Finn already knew from the muscle twitches in her body and the positioning of her head where it was going to be, meaning the best possible route to dodge was apparent to him. Lyra fired a shockwave from her position in his arms to prevent any splatter their way.

    Like an angry train, Viperia barreled ahead to cut Finn off from his planned route over the road, forcing him to brush past the black smoke and look for a better place to disengage. He gritted his teeth. He knew they couldn¡¯t keep this up. Despite the power granted to him, despite being a literal beacon of light in the darkness, he had no chance in a straight fight.

    Looming multiple stories over them, Viperia tracked them cautiously, and Finn prepared his colors in the hopes of zipping away successfully. The rest were too far back to get here in time. His eyes were wide, alert, observing the tiniest changes in her body to predict where she would¡ª

    A giant rocket cracked the air, exploding on Viperia¡¯s head. It sent her rolling over the asphalt, shaking the earth violently.

    She came to a stop a good distance away from them, far enough that Finn had time to pay attention to whom it was that came to save them. And when the vehicles came into his range, he was stunned. He recognized those uniforms.

    Homeland.

    The district¡¯s other villain gang had come to help?

    There were about half a dozen cars racing up the road, with the frontmost one carrying Bodkin and a massive mounted device that had presumably fired that weapon earlier.

    Finn blinked. Normally he never focused on the specific faces of the thugs in a gang; there were too many of them. But there was one face he did know, in the passenger seat of the rightmost car. His gym teacher.

    He could still recall the last class they had, a perfectly normal affair. He remembered the day when the man had broken up his confrontation with Jules after that dodgeball game, too, even though that felt like a lifetime ago.

    And more importantly¡­

    Why was Mr. Cotherman wearing Trooper¡¯s costume?

 Chapter 72- To Decay

    To say it was unbelievable would be an understatement. Finn couldn¡¯t quite wrap his head around the fact that a villain organization had decided to help out in such a crisis. For a moment he thought they were perhaps here to start some sort of free-for-all fight, but he dismissed that notion when they drove into view and glanced at them without making any hostile movements. They simply got out of their vehicles and into position to launch that massive rocket-dispensing monstrosity again.

    Trooper, meanwhile, hopped out of his car and sprinted straight towards Viperia, who was now shaking herself off as she rose from the cracked ground.

    The man who had not that long ago been set on executing Finn fired off his thicker grappling hook and pulled off the same trick he used during their fight with one of the abandoned civilian cars parked off to the side, spearing the metal hull and latching onto it, flexing his arm and tossing it full force at the Unbound.

    It had little effect beyond rocking the giant snake¡¯s head slightly. Finn had briefly considered enhancing it with his power, but the thought of outright helping a supervillain, much less one that had almost put an end to his life not that long ago, gave him pause. It wasn¡¯t just the thought of putting himself in danger like that by aiding a villain with unknown motives. He couldn¡¯t sense Mr. Co¡ªTrooper¡¯s¡ªemotional aura or anything, but he felt he had a fairly good read on his intent just based on body language alone.

    Briefly, the villain locked gazes with Finn, and under that mask he could see an indecipherable expression cross that face before it shifted back to impassive. Trooper refocused on Viperia and readied another gadget as she got her bearings and assessed her new set of opponents.

    Lyra asked the obvious question while Finn set her down. ¡°Why is Homeland here?¡±

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Jack said, sounding alarmed. ¡°I¡­ I was so focused on the fight that I didn¡¯t even have any drones up to scout for any third parties that could arrive. Fuck, I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve been more on the ball.¡± The frustration was evident in his voice.

    ¡°They¡¯re not here to cause trouble for you though, I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± their friend continued, regaining his composure quickly. ¡°It¡¯s probably more that they have a vested interest in keeping the district up and running, or they got orders from the main branch to show up in force. Oh, wait, I¡¯m already seeing them negotiate with some of the heroes back here.¡±

    Indeed he could. They were plainly visible in Finn¡¯s senses; it seemed they had surrounded the perimeter and came from all angles. Though he could tell there were a few more Homeland executives present besides the local leader and his right hand.

    Truce was a strange thing in Apexia. It certainly wasn¡¯t common, as there wasn¡¯t demand for it considering the government at least wanted to look like things were well in hand. And truthfully, they mostly did. Villain attacks rarely escalated to the level they were seeing now. It was just that right now they were in the presence of a rampaging tyrant who would not stop at anything to get what she was looking for.

    More often it was at the borders with the military that villains sometimes acted, but generally only in a subordinate capacity; sometimes, arrested villains got offered forced military service against primebeasts as an alternative to prison, depending on their crimes.

    But Finn wasn¡¯t worried about that at the moment. Really, Homeland¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t as urgent in his mind as he would have thought. More to the point, he was prioritizing Viperia. She was the real threat. Finn needed to deal with her, and he could sense Casey waving her arms to get him to start moving again.

    Right, she likely couldn¡¯t tell what had just happened and what seemed to be causing the momentary delay.

    She was right, however. He couldn¡¯t just stop. He pushed away stray thoughts of how he was compromising himself by working with villains and the question of what he was willing to turn a blind eye to in order to achieve his goal, instead zeroing in on Viperia again. He signaled the person who had his back the most to start moving as well.

    To her credit, Lyra didn¡¯t miss a beat. She got into action and attempted to stagger Viperia once more with a shockwave channeled through the ground so someone else could use that as an opening. They weren¡¯t having much luck on that front, especially when the viper jumped again, having dismissed Trooper with a tail thrust and decided to keep on chasing Finn.

    Yet, Trooper was showing why he¡¯d earned his name. His broken body was already reforming itself and he shot his laser gun into the air with solid aim in spite of the ruined arm he was using to hold it steady.

    The small quake ended up doing nothing, same with the laser, and yet it was harder for the serpent to dodge when Bodkin directed one of the people in the front car to shoot another one of those rockets. In the meantime the Homeland branch leader himself saw fit to use his ability.

    One hand outstretched, the rocket was coated in some sort of enhancing layer, bearing a lustrous blue color that looked quite intriguing to Finn¡¯s senses. He didn¡¯t stare for long, only paying attention to the attack long enough to know how it affected Viperia. She countered with one of her poison breaths, but he weakened it while enhancing the projectile.

    The black venom was far more difficult to weaken than the green one she¡¯d used most of the fight. He frowned, watching the empowered projectile grow most resilient with his influence. He¡¯d decided to add his own power to it at the last second, odd as it was to work together with a villain. The thing surged forward, partially melted by the acidic substance and then collided with Viperia¡¯s head.

    Another blow, another knock-back, another fall. She was grievously injured, Finn saw, but he knew better than to get his hopes up. Despite the flesh of her frontside being mostly gone, there weren¡¯t many injuries hampering her insane musculature.

    Never mind that this was only temporary damage. Her left side was missing even now because of the lingering energy from Mistral¡¯s ultimate technique and nothing else. If not for that, the snake would¡¯ve been fully healed.

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    So it wasn¡¯t a surprise when her flesh started to regenerate at speed after her second fall. Bodkin glanced at Finn for a moment but Finn didn¡¯t acknowledge him, too honed in on his next target. Namely that building up there calling for him to climb it for a better position. He still wasn¡¯t planning to do anything up clo¡ª

    His body faded for a dash to the side and a giant mouth that almost swallowed him whole.

    Those blackened teeth gleamed in the light coming from below, and Finn smelled the scent of death wafting from Viperia¡¯s mouth. It didn¡¯t stink per se. Rather it was simply so strong that he didn¡¯t think he was ever going to forget it no matter how hard he tried. He was familiar with the smell of blood, this was just ten times more overwhelming.

    The behemoth of a gang leader had blitzed upwards so fast he hadn¡¯t been able to do more than frantically dive out of the way and scan his surroundings for anything that could save him from the follow-up move he knew was coming in the half-second he had to process everything.

    He had a second opportunity to dash away with a lightened body, but he stumbled, his muscles not quite responding as they should.

    His eyes widened. What was that? Why were his legs not working? He scanned his body and found the answer immediately. The poison. He¡¯d run through Viperia¡¯s smoke earlier when he was dodging her thinking it was the same as the green smoke, not a major threat. But the black smoke was different, and it had entered his body through the open wound he¡¯d stubbornly refused to treat after his fight with Niebla.

    Viperia demanded his attention in the present. He quickly thought of something and hooked a piece of debris then reeled it in and used it as an impromptu shield reinforced by his power. To block the hit he knew he wasn¡¯t fast enough to dodge anymore.

    He still tried of course. He didn¡¯t want to risk it, but his instincts were right and Viperia proved capable of massively outranging him with that gargantuan tail which could end his life in a single strike if he took it unguarded. Even if he had, it might¡¯ve ended him, he suspected.

    A glowing golden barrier ended up being his saving grace, killing some of the force of the swipe even if it did break after offering some resistance. Finn was trying to brace himself for the incoming pain as he attempted to swerve out of the way with another grappling hook shot. It didn¡¯t help. She still managed to hit him.

    The pain was excruciating.

    He¡¯d never felt anything close to it in his life. His training sessions at Cyrus¡¯ facility had been protected by a high-tech field that prevented him from taking actual damage. His previous fights had not seen him get injured often, and when he did it wasn¡¯t to a degree that he could honestly describe as unbearable. Even after his run-in with Trooper back then it had not been this bad.

    Not to say he wasn¡¯t aware of how lucky he was to even be alive. He was cognizant of how many factors were necessary to give him a shadow of a chance at not being instantly turned into pulp by a hit like that. His reinforcement, the shield, pulling his body away from the momentum of the blow, the barrier assist, all of that helped him not die. But as he crashed through a window, visually perceiving the world as a rapidly spinning blur around him, he could do nothing except choke on his own blood and let his power feed him information about his surroundings with perfect clarity. It dutifully let him know how helpless he was.

    What made it worse, he dazedly noted, was the psychological awareness that this was the level of pain he was feeling through the haze of adrenaline that had spiked in his system. That, if he were at baseline hormonal levels, he would be unable to even think. Thinking was hard as it was, honestly. His thoughts were moving through molasses, it felt like. And the brain fog. Buzzing in his ear, almost like a voice. Every moment, the spots of black encroached on his vision, and he started to feel really tired.

    He could sense the state of his body. He would die in a few minutes, at most, stuck here in the wall of this office building. Best case scenario, someone would¡­ no, gravity asserted its grip on him and his entire nervous system screamed in agony as he fell face-first on the floor, blood leaking out of his suit and pooling underneath him.

    ¡°...inn! Please¡­¡± someone called out. Someone? No, not just anyone. Lyra. His friend¡­ girlfriend¡­ He observed her running up to him with her aura flaring out of control and couldn¡¯t do a thing to reply besides gurgle pathetically.

    From that point onwards, he couldn¡¯t even properly concentrate on his surroundings anymore. He was about to fall asleep. He would never admit this out loud, but he suspected he already would have let himself lose consciousness if not for his senses telling him precisely how bad his situation was. He knew that if he closed his eyes now, he would never wake up again.

    An interminable amount of time passed in a blur of semi-wakefulness while he was dragged somewhere. At some point, the glow faded from him and lit up some other place. He was too tired to pinpoint the exact location. It was moving, anyway, and they weren¡¯t. They¡¯d stopped a second ago.

    ¡°Radi¡­ you¡­ him!¡± Lyra was saying, but he couldn¡¯t make out every word of the conversation with the other person standing next to them.

    ¡°¡­close¡­ limit¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ beg¡­ anything.¡±

    ¡°After¡­ nothing¡­¡±

    In a heartbeat, he was lighting up for the second time today. This time not an outline, but internal. He felt Lyra pry open part of his costume to expose skin, then the other person injected him with a syringe. He¡­ started to feel better.

    His broken bones, ruptured organs, cracked spine, torn muscles, and split skin were resetting themselves into their proper place. Making him whole. At which point he felt a violent urge to cough.

    Finn had enough strength to roll over onto his elbow and push himself up a bit. Then he pulled up the lower part of his mask and began expelling the crimson liquid from his airways, tasting sweet lungfuls of air again. The others were talking, but this time he could hear them clearly even if he was taking a moment to himself so he could recover. He realized who the other person was, at least, standing on a sidewalk some distance removed from the main battle.

    And her next words shook him to the core.

    ¡°You will not survive this,¡± Radi stated, panted and slouching as if she were barely capable of standing straight. ¡°There is no cure for what you have in your bloodstream. But I gave you the fastest, most potent treatment I could. You¡­ can fight.¡±

    Upon catching her breath a bit, her heartbroken tone became clearer. Finn didn¡¯t know how to process what he¡¯d just heard. And apparently neither did the people around them, the scant few heroes nearby staying silent while Lyra muttered a series of increasingly insistent no¡¯s.

    Finn felt the weight of her words settle over him, heavy and unrelenting, like a boulder crushing his chest, leaving him breathless and immobile. No cure. The phrase repeated itself in his mind, twisting and gnawing at his resolve. He wanted to scream, to deny it, but all he could manage was silence, his thoughts ricocheting wildly between despair and defiance.

    He was¡­ dead?

 Chapter 73 - To Resolve

    The realization of what this would mean, what the implications of his conditions were, sank in gradually. It wasn¡¯t a sudden flash, but a slow trickle of thoughts seeping into Finn¡¯s head, weighing him down with dread the longer it went on. An inevitable stream adding to the sea of despair building in his gut.

    Denial was his first reaction, obviously. He wanted to refuse to accept the possibility, scour his mind for any potential options he had, only to become more and more certain that he didn¡¯t see any potential ways to get out of this.

    Nar couldn¡¯t heal him with any of his abilities, and if there was a combination of power that could, it would demand he take his attention off of Viperia which none of them could afford. Radi¡¯s power had been among the ones the Junior Ace captain had used to scour that drug from Viperia¡¯s previous shifter form. It had worked, but this new venom? That wasn¡¯t going to be enough. Intuitively, Finn just somehow knew.

    The other solution, seeing another healer after the battle who somehow could manage it, assuming there was one who could cure the poisoning? That would require him to make it out of this. The idea sounded manageable, but he didn¡¯t know how long he had. Not too long, if Radi¡¯s comments were anything to go by.

    And the healer wasn¡¯t done speaking yet either, it seemed. ¡°The only reason you are still alive is because your power interacted strangely with this toxin. I have no reference for this phenomenon, but I believe that if you do what you did more often, you might buy yourself more than the few minutes you have left.¡± The words left her mouth in a strained tone, clearly in an effort to maintain her composure.

    ¡°Minutes?¡± he answered, sounding exponentially more calm than he felt. Serene, even. ¡°What about Calliope? She didn¡¯t get poisoned?¡± His senses tracked every cubic centimeter of Lyra¡¯s body but didn¡¯t find anything amiss. Yet he asked all the same.

    Radi shook her head. ¡°No. I take it the two of you both were exposed to the smoke, and only you had an open wound, Shade?¡±

    As he suspected, then. It was the cut. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Silence fell for a few moments. The adult heroine wore an anguished expression on her face underneath that tree-themed mask. Finn sensed her biting her lip before screwing her eyes shut and fishing a small case out of her pocket, holding it out to him.

    ¡°Earlier, I injected you with the necessary nutrients my patients require to keep up with my accelerated healing. In these capsules is a stabilizing agent that will slow the deterioration of your body. Take one whenever you start to feel sluggish,¡± she instructed.

    It was only now that the weight of the situation had truly settled in that Finn began to feel numb, absently moving to grab the proffered case. Had he just accepted his fate? Was this an admission that there was something irreparably wrong with him? Yeah. Yeah, it was. His awareness told him so. The slow decline of his cells, the small black motes floating in his blood, latching into his bones and muscles and skin and making him weaker and weaker. Despite having been restored to full health moments ago, he already felt himself grow more tired and frail. He was decaying.

    Lyra hurriedly stepped up next to him and reached for Radi¡¯s other hand, taking it in her own quivering hands, her aura blazing in open grief, misery, and a miniscule ripple of hope. ¡°You can do something. I know you can,¡± she said, voice on the verge of breaking down and sounding like her, without the usual Calliope filter she used on the field. ¡°What if we did like ah, uh, a transplant or something? You can take whatever you need from me and give it to him. You¡¯re a healer, aren¡¯t you? Anything I can give, I¡¯ll give. Please,¡± she begged as she brought the woman¡¯s hand to her forehead in a bowing motion, openly sobbing now. ¡°Please. I can¡¯t lose him.¡±

    Hearing those words, hearing Lyra plead for his life no matter the cost to herself, the heroine stood for a moment, then muttered something in a foreign language under her breath. At speaking volume, she replied, ¡°I express my deepest regrets, to both of you.¡± She looked between them. ¡°I never wanted to involve you children in any of this, and everything went wrong beyond what I expected. Not that it matters what I say. My words are meaningless to you. They solve nothing. I know that well. But I could not live with myself if I never faced you to admit my shortcomings¡­ So. I must say, again, there is nothing more that I can do.¡±

    Briefly, Finn thought he saw what it would look like if Lyra¡¯s soul broke apart, but then her eyes widened and she looked towards him. ¡°We can still keep you here. We wait for backup to arrive and then they¡¯ll get other healers here, or a hero with a different power? Somebody could put you in stasis! We have to get somebody like that here. He¡¯ll live longer if he doesn¡¯t fight, right?¡± She asked as she glanced in Radi¡¯s direction quickly. ¡°He should!¡± she said to herself without waiting for an answer. ¡°Shade, you can just stay here with me and I¡¯ll guard you until someone else arrives, Radi might not be able to keep you topped up but she can try, and you¡¯ve always been tough. You¡¯ll make it through this if you don¡¯t go back into the fight again.¡±

    ¡°His chances are¡­¡± Radi trailed off. It was clear what she meant. Staying here and trying to keep himself stable was a hope and prayer, at best.

    For his part, Finn merely listened to her frantic, breathy rambling until she was done. As he did so, an odd resolve settled over him. It was similar to what he always felt and told himself, but it had a more final note to it, for lack of a better term. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to change his mind.

    ¡°No,¡± he said softly.

    The distress quickly ramped up in her aura, soaring beyond what he thought possible. ¡°W-what do you¡­¡±

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    ¡°No.¡± The repeated word was more firm this time, conveying that it wasn¡¯t up for debate. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding away.¡± He took a few steps away from them, turning towards the chaos.

    He¡¯d been observing the whole battle the whole time, and he could see that even with Casey¡¯s power shining on other people, it wasn¡¯t going their way. Aiden had gotten the buff several times, but it didn¡¯t seem to be having a visible effect on his copied powers. Other heroes got substantially stronger but never enough to outclass Viperia herself, always unable to deliver that decisive blow necessary to put her down.

    Homeland provided a buffer, some much needed breathing room through the use of timely distractions. Bodkin¡¯s ability to create floating blue weapons and coat existing ones served as a substantial source of artillery while Mr. Cotherman just didn¡¯t stay down, using Trooper gadgets that a normal human wouldn¡¯t have the strength and resilience to handle in order to save people from being devoured by the enormous serpent, occasionally dealing superficial damage.

    Overall, Finn was able to see where the battle was probably headed if he didn¡¯t step in. And it was in a direction that he couldn¡¯t allow it to, regardless of what else happened.

    Because Mom was there.

    Not particularly close to the battle. But well into the area that the majority of people had long since vacated. Her head turned this way and that while she walked around and searched. For him. He didn¡¯t know how he hadn¡¯t noticed her before. His senses obviously had. She¡¯d been in his range the entire time. Yet that didn¡¯t preclude him from glossing over her by virtue of not paying attention, apparently.

    If she got close, the chances of her surviving the night would decrease precipitously. He wasn¡¯t even going to entertain the thought of letting that happen. But what could he do? If he revealed his secret identity, she would come. Of that he had no doubt. If he told he communicated to her the fact that he was Shade, and she found out that he was fighting a supervillain gang boss right now, with the district in the process of evacuating? She would come here.

    Meaning he had to do something else to keep her safe. What came to mind was¡­ to lie. He felt awful for doing this, but there was no choice in his mind, really. It was either this or coming clean with disastrous consequences. With a simple flex of his power he directed her away from the battle, scrawling colored messages and arrows around her saying her son was located there. Far from the danger.

    Relieved and guilt-ridden when she took the bait, he clenched his fist. His fingers were frustratingly weak, but he could move for now. That would have to do.

    As for why he was fighting, he wanted to say that his mother was the only reason. He honestly did. Except it wasn¡¯t. The main reason was that he was tired. Tired of running and licking his wounds after the fact. Tired of turning his back to the dangers he faced in costume even though he had spent his entire career as Shade preparing for someone incomparably more powerful.

    It made no sense, now that he was thinking about it. The long term didn¡¯t matter. He knew that. He wasn¡¯t under any delusions that he would make it out of here anymore. But that just meant that he knew how important it was not to go out shamefully. If he took his fate lying down instead of going out fighting, what was he worth? How could he face himself knowing that he should¡¯ve been in the battle making a difference instead of fleeing when things got serious?

    Here in this moment, steeling himself for death, Finneas Allister acknowledged that he had no other option. The time for running away had passed; he¡¯d known it going in, he knew it now.

    Of course, Lyra didn¡¯t feel the same way. She was incensed, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him as hard as she could. ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± she shouted. ¡°You can¡¯t leave me! You¡¯re all I have left! Why aren¡¯t you thinking about tomorrow?! If you go in there, you¡¯ll die! Please just sit this one out! The fight doesn¡¯t even matter that much, does it? Does it?¡± she pressed when he said nothing. Then her tone took on a hurt, tender tremor. ¡°Or do you care more about getting your fists bloody than you do about me?¡±

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not true,¡± Finn responded calmly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Then stay with me.¡±

    He gave a shake of his head in answer. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    A dozen different emotions flitted across her face and aura, eventually turning into a glare. ¡°Are you actually doing this?¡± she asked, rage and desolation warring in her voice.

    No more words needed to be exchanged, though. Instead, Finn signaled Casey in the distance, who was actively providing support for the battle by targeting various heroes with her ability. He got his grappling hook out and aimed it at the opposite building, ready to return to the action.

    Sound faded away around him, prompting him to glance at the girl who¡¯d stood by him since his early days as a vigilante.

    ¡°You know what?¡± she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. ¡°Fuck you. I¡¯ll never forgive you for leaving me alone, you know that?¡± Her voice broke. ¡°Never.¡±

    All he had for her was a resigned sigh. He shot his hook and pulled himself away from her. He could perceive the way she fell to her knees in tears when he scaled the building.

    ¡°Cal¡¯s right,¡± Gridlock spoke over the comms, evidently having followed the entire exchange. His voice sounded a bit flat. Almost hollow.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to try and convince me too?¡± Finn challenged.

    He got a scoff in return. ¡°No point. I¡¯ve known you too long to not notice when you¡¯ve made up your mind. I¡­ you¡¯re going to make it. That¡¯s what I¡¯m going with. I don¡¯t know how true that is, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to keep going if I stop believing you¡¯ll be back with us after this.¡±

    At that, Finn felt an uncomfortable pang in his chest, but he buried it in the place where he buried everything else. He needed to be at his best for this. After some parting words.

    ¡°Jack,¡± he said gravely. He paused for a few seconds. What he was going to say next felt simultaneously like the easiest and hardest thing ever, but he managed. ¡°Thank you. For being my best friend all these years, even though I¡¯m such a bother.¡±

    If Jack had any words left to say, he didn¡¯t voice them. Finn smirked, amusing himself with the mental image of his friend sitting in his chair, too stunned to speak.

    Inhaling deeply, his gaze focused ahead of him, he braced himself and gave the signal.

    This time, when the glow illuminated him, Finn swore he needed nothing else to finish the fight.

 Chapter 74 - To Oppose

    Knowing he had to jump into the action immediately was a powerful-but-unnecessary motivator to get Finn moving. The fact that he was living on borrowed time served as a sort of pressure, a constant demand to make himself useful in the best way he could. He would have been fighting regardless, but this need to prove that it wasn¡¯t all for nothing, that he wasn¡¯t meaningless, gave the whole situation more weight than he thought possible. Frankly, the entire battle had taken so many turns and devolved so rapidly the only reason he still knew what to make of it was because he¡¯d been able to follow almost every step through his senses.

    The venom ravaged his body slowly, breaking down flesh and bone, making for a gradual, insidious death. He would have to take the second capsule soon, having already administered the first. Otherwise the damage would be too great to continue fighting. Yet if he took one too early, he¡¯d cut his total remaining time short.

    He had another temporary advantage to stave off the end, though: his enhanced power. His ability to anchor himself in reality beyond what should be possible allowed him to slow the progression of his condition. The same applied if he did the opposite; the poison wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with his body properly and thus wasn¡¯t able to damage him as much. If he hadn¡¯t been doing that when he initially got hit, he would probably be nothing more than a corpse by this point since it would have latched on far better.

    Furthermore, this boost to his abilities, which was rapidly becoming more familiar and comfortable, granted him a level of mobility that wouldn¡¯t have been feasible even with the grappling hook. So now that he was able to combine the two, he could approach the battle in seconds. He could see that the other heroes needed it. Badly.

    They rushed Viperia from every exposed angle, working to kill this monster to the best of their ability. That was something Finn realized that none of the people present held any delusions about, not anymore. Perhaps in the beginning some people had still been aiming to capture the Venin leader, but now it was just about putting her down for good. No matter what. He could see the increased brutality compared to the early stages of this conflict.

    There was a lesson here somewhere. Something about mercy being a privilege, but he was too preoccupied re-entering the fight to really dwell on it. He reinforced a light fixture near Scalestrike to protect the Junior Ace from the incoming tail whip. He grit his teeth upon seeing that it wasn''t enough. Viperia slammed it down on the young shifter hard enough to crater the road underneath. Then Finn¡¯s eyes widened as his senses told him that the rolling ball of scales was trapped, but unharmed.

    This guy was insanely durable. Finn had to give credit where it was due, fully aware that he himself had almost been turned into paste by a softer blow. He concentrated his power to indicate for one of the warrior types to go and free the trapped pangolin, then reinforced Nar¡¯s barriers as the jester closed in on Viperia up above.

    Finn didn¡¯t spare Aiden any more thought than that because he also needed to provide backup for Bodkin¡¯s assault. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to support a villain who¡¯d stood in a room with Mom while a bunch of goons held her at gunpoint, but he couldn¡¯t do more than briefly acknowledge the feeling and throw all his focus into ending the fight as soon as possible. Because they were reaching their limits.

    During the time where Radi had been healing him, he¡¯d kept observing the others while he could, and it had taught him a few things. The first was that Casey¡¯s power could only affect one person at a time, rather obviously. The second was that when she applied it to her brother, it didn¡¯t directly boost his copied abilities, instead removing the touch requirement on his copying and perhaps allowing him faster switching times. Not terribly useful here, given that Nar had settled on what he deemed the most effective power combination some time ago and therefore had no real need of active transitions to other powers for as long as he was forced to take Mistral¡¯s place in the haphazard formation they¡¯d started forming.

    Narrowing his eyes, Finn grabbed one of Bodkin¡¯s flying swords and stabbed it down into Viperia¡¯s scales. He¡¯d added his own bolstered power to it, so it managed to cut about a hand¡¯s length deep when he pushed it into an existing wound, but no more than that. He wasn¡¯t sure what the Homeland district leader¡¯s power was beyond his ability to summon weapons. Jack had speculated it was something to do with being stronger when used as part of a crowd, and that was arguably true considering normal swords, axes and guns certainly wouldn¡¯t be doing as much as they were even without Finn¡¯s help. However, that wasn¡¯t going to be of any use when Viperia regenerated most of the damage in the span of a few heartbeats.

    What they needed here was another one of those rockets. The other Homeland members were staying back. Finn put them out of his mind for the moment. The only thing he needed to focus on was that car the weapon was mounted on. Create an opening, signal the operator to start firing. Simple.

    He kept dashing in and out of the fight like an angry mosquito might do to an elephant, both to look for opportunities to do even a small amount of damage and to rescue whomever he could. They couldn¡¯t lose more people here.

    Tilting his head towards the sky, he locked gazes with Nar and the older boy went to work with his Shade-reinforced barriers to trap the serpent. It went more smoothly than any time previously. Aside from the new arrivals, most people were getting tired of the constant fighting, wishing for a clean ending but not having gotten it so far. And yet they were also growing wiser to Viperia¡¯s tricks, most of which seemed to have been discovered at this juncture.

    Beefdom bulldozed forward and wrapped his arms wound the gigantic snake body with both arms and suplexed her down onto the street, sending up a cloud of dust that didn¡¯t hamper Finn¡¯s ability to perceive them in the slightest. He made color signals to show Nar exactly where Nar needed to place his barriers when a few of the other heroes fired ranged attacks to keep the snake¡¯s head pointed away from them, lest they get hit by her devastating breath attack again.

    Golden shields sprang up around the Unbound shifter, trapping her completely as they pushed tightly against her body. One of the shields even went between her jaws in order to block the venom from spewing out. And so, the viper was pinned just in time for the next rocket to launch. Bodkin stretched his hand out to activate it and Finn reinforced it with his power, getting as close as was practical in order to get the maximum effect from his ability. He wouldn''t hold back on this. They had to finish it here.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    A massive collection of bright white arrows pointed out Viperia¡¯s exact location. The rocket launched. Nar wrenched her head up with his shields to put it in the direct path of the projectile. And it was on course to hit. The full force they¡¯d been able to bring to bear in this short time. Was it enough?

    They never found out.

    At first, Finn thought Viperia had dodged. The explosion that would¡¯ve followed never came and the rocket sailed past the displaced shields that had been holding her head in place, the sudden lack of resistance sending them careening off in different directions.

    Then that initial assumption was proven wrong by the information his senses gave him. Her lower body was still partially contained. And wait, were those claws? But she¡¯d lost them, hadn¡¯t she? Why was there so much room left open for her? A split second realization later, he had all the answers he needed.

    Viperia was shrinking.

    But she wasn¡¯t going back to the form she¡¯d had before unbinding. No, he could feel in her existence that her presence wasn¡¯t diminishing in the slightest. It was more like her power was being compressed into a smaller vessel, making her that much harder to hit while keeping all the devastating lethality from before.

    The now-lizard scrambled forward with the extra space she had to move in the brief confusion left by the sudden miss. She pried open a gap between a cluster of shields to her right and broke through, running toward the nearest hero she could see. The nylon-clad man in ninja getup didn¡¯t stand a chance. Honestly, it might even be a stretch to say Viperia actually finished him off, as she just sort of ran over and let her claws filet him, not giving any more regard than that.

    It was at this moment that the other heroes were able to get their bearings and reengage in the fight. The spirals of light coursing toward her hit her exterior and slowed her down, the movements now going from those of a freight train with zero regard for inertia to a more manageable pace, though not slow by any means.

    Additionally, a dozen more effects rained down to slow or otherwise debilitate her, but half of them missed, and the other half wasn¡¯t able to make up for the sheer strength their opponent possessed anymore. Before, the bulk of the building-sized snake had more than enough surface area to get hit easily. Now, the increased agility from the slimmer, lighter form made her ridiculously difficult to hold still at all for more than an instant. She also had so much more leverage now that she had her claws back to grab onto things and change course without having to slither out of the way of incoming attacks.

    Seven more heroes paid the price, gored by those gleaming black scythes of doom. Dead in less than a second from a maneuver so quick Finn nearly couldn¡¯t see it. Blood splattered over the pavement and dripped off her claws in the evening light as Viperia loomed over the fresh corpses, tasting the air with her tongue for new prey.

    Mountpin jumped in the way and tried to sink her needles into Viperia¡¯s remaining eye but she was also shredded apart by the reptile¡¯s natural weapons. Not that it killed her, of course. It merely scattered hay and thin pieces of metal everywhere as the woman got pushed away.

    To Finn¡¯s surprise, the next person to step up to the plate was Axon, the supposed data manipulator, or whatever her power was. She hadn¡¯t been present for the battle prior to this, only now riding in. He¡¯d forgotten about her after the debrief at the rallying point, honestly.

    She drove the lead motorcycle in a set of high-tech looking vehicles lined with neon lighting of various shapes and sizes. Flooring the gas, she broke the speed limit thrice over, racing in with one commanding arm pointed forward. Three cars and two bikes overtook her, deftly riding around the ruined infrastructure and heroes without any passengers, as if driven by a ghost. Or, Finn supposed, as if directed by a tech manipulator.

    Viperia shrank again, further compressing her form until she was only a little larger than the average house. She perhaps thought it a good idea to make herself more maneuverable in response to these new arrivals. She was wrong. Making herself a smaller target did not pay off in this case. She responded to the lead car swerving past a gap in the road and drifting up to her with a black stream of acidic venom. The car sprouted a glowing blue shield in front of it, deflecting the corrosive substance entirely.

    It transformed in the middle of its last acceleration, avoiding a claw swipe and turning into a worm-like metal contraption that twisted itself around her, clutching with all its strength to hold her swill. Finn enhanced it. The other vehicles came in to do the same thing but this time they didn¡¯t even have to activate their shield. Viperia was being harried by the other heroes again, who¡¯d reformed and were shooting at her.

    The absolute menace was completely trapped¡­ and it wasn¡¯t meant to last.

    Predictably, she shrank again. The sudden gap required the machines to tighten their hold to compensate with the reduced volume of the target, except they were too late. It was ironic that Viperia managed to get free from capture with the same trick twice in a row. Granted, it wasn¡¯t like Axon could¡¯ve known unless she¡¯d been observing the whole time. Which she might¡¯ve.

    Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. That wasn¡¯t the reason Viperia got free. What allowed her to get out was a combination of blackened venom, claws, and raw strength. Finn could feel the force shields straining under his enhancement effect and Axon¡¯s control. Neither ended up being sufficient.

    In a burst of sparks, shrapnel and acrid smoke, the supervillain emerged. She was much shorter than before, almost as small as she was before her power reached the next stage. Three meters, at most. Her scales were gleaming black with a sickly green luster, and she had the diagonal cut from Nar using Dad¡¯s power, along with the missing chunks of flesh on her left side, crackling energy preventing regeneration there. Despite that, she stood tall. Bipedal, having regained some of the poise she had as the leader of a gang.

    Excluding her scales and height, the sole difference between this Viperia and the original humanoid form was her hair color, a green so dark it bordered on black. Though none of that was going to fool Finn. He knew she was on a different level now. If the presumed increase in power didn¡¯t make it so, then the calculating glint he saw in her expression did.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what caused it, but the evident transformation gave way to a pause where both parties sized each other up. The result being a wave of trepidation in the heroes. Finn even saw a few of them trembling in fear.

    And then, at some unspoken signal, they charged.

 Chapter 75 - To Depart

    At first, their frontal assault looked to have been the right move. Despite the transformation of their target, the battle actually seemed manageable for a moment. The first exchange happened in a blink, but they were ready.

    Although their adversary moved instantaneously with speed that beggared belief, Nar didn¡¯t miss a beat, countering with a wave of golden translucent golden force to hold Viperia in place. Someone else followed up with a laser, and Beefdom threw a haymaker so powerful it rocked the street on impact.

    If they wished for the evolved lizard woman to remain still, though, they were going to be disappointed. While Nar¡¯s power remained active, she moved despite the telekinetic pressure holding her back. Noticeably slower, though. Slow enough that Finn could actually follow her movements.

    He wasted no time. His power tried to reinforce Nar¡¯s around the contours of Viperia¡¯s body. It didn¡¯t work. He gritted his teeth. This was one of those times where the arbitrary limit of his power reared its ugly head. He couldn¡¯t affect the layer of force around their opponent because it counted as part of her, or as if she was wearing it, like clothing¡ªyet somehow it let attacks through from the outside. Frowning, he dropped the idea and ran forward along with plenty of others to rain down a flurry of attacks as Viperia¡¯s movements were hampered.

    Swinging his enhanced staff, it connected with the dark scales and didn¡¯t do any visible damage, blending in with all the other blows the shifter was taking. It didn¡¯t even stagger her, merely pushing her stomach inward a bit. Viperia swung her claws, but Nar wrapped golden chains around her this time, another layer of containment to go with the force. He was going all-in on subduing her, it seemed. Was someone else preparing to land another devastating blow?

    Regardless, he wasn¡¯t going to find out, since Viperia broke the chains and dashed forward. She caught a hero by the throat with her tail, squeezing until the woman¡¯s neck broke, causing screams to ring out from another person behind Finn. A giant spectral feline pounced on the supervillain, who twisted out of the way, the movement blurring into rapid a flick-flack that ended with her out of the line of fire of another hail of blue bullets by a hair. Trooper fired his grappling hook at her unsuccessfully, catching thin air instead of the leg he¡¯d been aiming for.

    Finn couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Even slowed down significantly, she was on a different level, almost playing with them. Almost, because the expression on her scaly face was anything but playful. She snarled, baring her black fangs at one of the heroes running at her. He held a giant hammer, the head reaching all the way up to Viperia¡¯s height. Air twisted around the weapon as he swung, and Finn bolstered it.

    A clawed hand blocked it, then crushed the weapon in half a second of effort. Viperia didn¡¯t stop there, swiping her other hand to disembowel the man and kicking his corpse into the path of another group of close range fighters with enough strength to scatter them like bowling pins. Her attention turned back to Finn, the white slit on her black sclera narrowing in agitation.

    Finn didn¡¯t wait for her to charge before dashing sideways, knowing she was still faster than him, reduced air resistance or no. His eyes widened and how much distance her first step covered, over half the gap between them cleared in an instant as she waded through the barrage of suppressing fire without a care. Right when she was almost in his face, a bundle of thread snapped into place around the humanoid reptile, binding her in place.

    Realizing this was his chance, Finn anchored the threads in reality beyond what should be possible to make them sturdier, harder to break or change. Gossamer was a short distance away, her power straining to keep the struggling monster in place. He knew it wouldn¡¯t last more than a few seconds, but that was all they needed.

    Red cages of metal, shining manacles, blue rope, and a bunch of other powers sprouted around the now-stationary opponent. Finn enhanced all their colors to the best of his ability. That was the disadvantage of this shrunken form Viperia had assumed. Lithe and agile as it may have been, fast as it may have moved, it was still a far smaller target. Previously, many powers had been limited in use or completely useless because the giant snake was the size of a building, which was a much larger area than what a lot of these restraining techniques could encompass. Hence why they hadn¡¯t been used. But now, with their opponent no more than double the height of a normal person, these options suddenly became viable again.

    Provided with some breathing room, Aiden floated closer and stretched out his hands. Nothing happened for a few moments. For a few more seconds Viperia just weathered the attacks coming in but warily eyed the Junior Ace captain. Still nothing happened though. Except something did. A tiny, golden flame came to life. It was concentrated and vertical, like the fire from a laboratory gas burner, roaring as it grew brighter. Next, in a flash, it extended like a lance, stabbing into the Venin leader¡¯s head.

    The venom breath she¡¯d been building up spilled from her mouth as she lost concentration, trying to bring her hand up to her face but failing. There was a hole in her forehead, yet not too deep. Finn¡¯s senses told him it didn¡¯t extend far inside, not sufficient to be lethal.

    But the heat¡­ wasn¡¯t dissipating. Not the way it should. The wound lost its glow, yet it spread underneath her scales, glowing beneath the cracks. Then she flexed to break out while another rocket bore down on her and everyone got some distance.

    Nar, meanwhile, backed away, and Finn saw the clear signs of exhaustion under the mask. How had he been able to switch powers so fast after so many rotations? Was he straining himself to the limit?

    No time to investigate further. After so many unsuccessful hits, Finn half-expected Viperia to pull another crazy trick to avoid the combined power of Homeland¡¯s weapon operator, Bodkin, and himself. But no such thing happened. She just took it straight to the face, the doubly superpowered weapon impacting her body in a contained boom. The environment shook, and all the power of the weapon could be felt, even if it didn¡¯t reach them. Smoke extended from the blast radius, but it was quickly swept away by an aerokinetic they had on hand.

    Quickly enough for everyone to see a regenerating Viperia breaking out of her impromptu cell. Finn could see despair setting in for the people around him. They were starting to realize what it meant facing someone of this caliber, what it meant to fight an unwinnable battle to the bitter end. Or maybe they were just losing the last bits of false hope they¡¯d clung to.

    Personally, he wasn¡¯t too surprised. Even though this exact attack had seemed like the finishing move earlier, he¡¯d suspected this compressed form had higher durability and similar strength and speed. The only thing she lacked was weight and size. Two things she honestly did not need in order to deal with them.

    The attack wasn¡¯t that big in scale. They¡¯d only cleared the area to the end of the street, but that was enough. The buildings on either end of the road were gone, completely destroyed. What remained of the road itself was a crater, just one far less devastating than he would¡¯ve expected. Less devastating than the first rocket. At which point he realized: Bodkin could control the area of effect of weapons he coated.

    However, the potency couldn¡¯t be doubted. It had sheared away flesh all the way down to the bone in places, and those scales were blackened with soot. There just wasn¡¯t any way to make the damage last. Potency wasn¡¯t the issue anymore.

    Perhaps if the entire group of heroes and villains were a coordinated collective, they would¡¯ve been able to come up with a better answer before their enemy broke out. But beyond the individual groups doing their own thing, they¡¯d never trained together a day in their lives, and the second they saw her standing still they had to take the opportunity to land a strong attack. So strong, in fact, that Nar hadn¡¯t been able to keep up his force suppression field around Viperia.

    And that was all she needed.

    She disappeared in a flash, practically teleporting next to Finn and stabbing at him with a claw. Her aim was off. Not because he¡¯d dodged in time, but because he¡¯d used camouflage at the last moment. No, it would be more accurate to say he¡¯d used true invisibility, as he had activated his camouflage while his body had looked partially faded from lessening the colors of his visage. Combined, he was completely undetectable to the naked eye. Not even Viperia was an exception, searching for him. Briefly. She had plenty of other senses to rely on that could detect him. He¡¯d just surprised her. But it would do. For this one attack, it saved his life.

    He backed away from the claw, dashing backwards when Nar was about to reactivate his force ability. It didn¡¯t take this time, Viperia blitzing around towards the other heroes instead of sussing out the exact location of the invisible Finn. Without the field hampering her, no one stood a chance.

    First, Viperia stopped next to a heroine with short black hair, twisting her head off with a welding mask still attached. Then she appeared next to a hero with a surgeon-esque getup, caving his chest in with a simple jab, which turned out to be fatal. After that she rounded on Beefdom¡¯s squad, his supporting members unable to prepare themselves for having their rib cages torn open, heads stomped on, spines ripped out¡­

    Harrowing didn¡¯t even begin to describe it. Finn couldn¡¯t keep up with her, couldn¡¯t keep up with the slaughter. Viperia opened her mouth and fired more venom, except this time it was concentrated and even more lethal than before. Try as he might, his defense enhancements and weakening of her attack didn¡¯t help. The entire group standing there died within seconds of being hit.

    The deaths were blurring together. Keeping track of all of them was starting to be a tall task. One he didn¡¯t have the time to complete with his attention occupied futilely attempting to save the remaining fighters. At some point, he¡¯d begun running in the direction Viperia appeared in. He couldn¡¯t consciously explain why, other than in some vain attempt to make it seem like his proximity actually mattered in the middle of all this carnage. Did it matter that he was more effective up close if he was facing something like this? No, but that wasn¡¯t any reason not to perform as well as possible.

    Among the combatants she targeted, only the final two survived. The first was Trooper, getting stabbed in the gut and slumping for a second before he stood upright again, no worse for wear.

    The second was Beefdom, rushing at her with a punch that carried the weight of all his dead comrades. She caught it with ease, the black venom on her claws nicking his skin. The poison began to spread, but the captain of A23H tore his arm off at the elbow before it could affect a vital area, retreating as he sacrificed his limb.

    When all was said and done, a scant few remained. From what had been over a hundred before, Finn was now looking at less than twenty.

    Viperia was surveying her handiwork like it was some macabre play rather than a mass grave in the making, just as Nar¡¯s ability took hold again, though he could see it was weaker. Less solid, lighter, more prone to breaking.

    But he wasn¡¯t the only Wardell sibling to hinder her.

    Casey¡¯s power didn¡¯t have visual feedback when she used this aspect of her gift, but via the metaphysical link he shared with her through the glow, he could tell that she was doing the opposite to Viperia. Reducing the shifter power, decreasing it.

    The effect was immediate. Viperia fell to one knee and the remaining fighters took the chance to try and finish this once and for all. Finn was one of them, using his staff at full charge to ready a blow that would do as much damage as he could muster. Mr. Cotherman used his laser cannon, and unlike last time they fought, Finn was on his side. So rather than limiting the internal reflectivity to make it blow up, he made it more reflective, in addition to empowering the structural integrity of the device itself and adding reality to the high-intensity light that was beginning to build.

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    Viperia hadn¡¯t become a long-standing gang boss without racking up experience, though. If nothing else, she had skill. In her weakened state, slowed down on top of that, she deftly weaved past a pair of gauntleted heroes to dodge the laser. It would¡¯ve worked, if not for one thing.

    Like Finn, his grappling hook was also invisible until the last moment, so she couldn¡¯t see it in time to sidestep it. It connected with her leg, and he had to pull with all his strength to get her to move even slightly towards him. She was heavy. Of course, that wasn¡¯t a big problem. He didn¡¯t need to pull her all the way. Just slow her down so Trooper could land his shot.

    Viperia held up both arms to block the flashing red beam that seared her frontside, and it surprisingly melted and peeled off her scales, starting to dig into her bones, nearly removing her arms altogether. The force was so great that she began taking steps back just so she wouldn¡¯t fall over.

    Reeling his hook back in, Finn approached her from behind, but she must have heard him as her tail lashed out blindly when he neared. He stayed clear of it and used his staff to hit her in the back of the knee to break her balance. It didn¡¯t work, but the distraction served its purpose in allowing Trooper time to use his other hand so he could fire his own grappling hook.

    Contrary to his own, it wasn¡¯t a mere semi-magnetic, semi-adhesive effect that clung to surfaces temporarily but harmlessly. No, Trooper¡¯s hook pierced and latched onto whatever he shot it at. Brutal, efficient, and heavy. Much like the man himself.

    With Finn enhancing it for him, and Viperia¡¯s form weakened, it found purchase in her ruined arm and pulled her forward as the laser cut out. The Homeland villain had no trouble handling her weight. She couldn¡¯t recover in time to avoid Nar rocketing down from the sky at full speed, smashing her into the ground with a barrier in front of him.

    From there, the pressure didn¡¯t let up. Bodkin kept shooting at her, and even though it wasn¡¯t close to as much ranged assault as before, with Casey¡¯s new power discovery, it was infinitely more effective.

    Unfortunately, when Finn checked on her, he saw her leaning on the wall behind her for support, eyes squeezed shut in pain. There was even a trickle of blood dripping from her nose. She couldn¡¯t keep this up for long.

    To his shock, Viperia was up again a moment later. He was too exhausted to feel any frustration at this point. At a certain point he was just coming to expect it with no particular emotion. It wasn¡¯t strange anymore.

    The real strange part was how she had never stopped glowing. That heat between her scales, inside her scales, was still there. More intense than before. Not just heat, also¡­ the lingering energy from Mistral¡¯s strongest technique. It was fading from her half-exposed skull, spreading to her scales as well. But it didn¡¯t make her stronger. It didn¡¯t have any noticeable effect at all. She got wounded like usual. Trooper cut her with his translucent energy blade and her crackling, glowing scales parted. What was going on?

    With nothing stopping it from regenerating any longer, the left side of Viperia¡¯s face healed. Her other eye was back, and with it she no longer had a blindspot there, avoiding a swordsman from one of the surrounding districts. She was physically as good as new, save for the cut on her chest.

    Right as she was about to counterattack, the ground began to vibrate, and Finn sighed as his senses told him who was approaching. With a tremor, Viperia stumbled into the trajectory of a bazooka shot from Bodkin. She fell backward, towards a girl with a bird mask.

    Lyra¡¯s blurry fist connected with Viperia¡¯s back, shaking her to the core in a very literal sense. It didn¡¯t do a lot of damage. What made it so effective was how thoroughly it disoriented the Unbound. Viperia couldn¡¯t get her bearings in time for the follow-up that came from another familiar girl.

    The metal pipe Damsel hit Viperia with did not break when it made contact. What broke this time was Viperia¡¯s arm, as the woman tried to block the hit ineffectually. Finn was making sure the new weapon didn¡¯t shatter with his ability, and the internal damage power worked wonders. The knightess went for another hit. The bipedal reptilian weaved around it and tried to lash out, but got hit by one of Nar¡¯s fire lances again.

    A golf ball-sized hole opened up in her throat, narrowly missing her spinal cord. He must have been going for the head, and Finn was fully intent on providing another opening for Aiden to do exactly that.

    Injecting the tiny needle of another capsule into his veins, he ran forward with his staff raised, and Trooper also approached. Viperia used her breath attack on Lyra, which got deflected with a targeted shockwave, whereas Trooper got grabbed and thrown into a building so hard he came out the other side.

    Picking up a loose piece of rubble, Viperia tossed it at Bodkin. The saved himself from an early grave, though his shoulder still shattered under the glancing blow. He wasn¡¯t even a warrior type. He went down with a cry of pain. Finn didn¡¯t think he would do the same if that happened to him, but there was no time to compare.

    He closed in and swung at Viperia, causing her to back away right into Lyra¡¯s next shockwave that in turn knocked her into Damsel¡¯s swing. The frontside of the shifter¡¯s skull fractured, and they kept up the offensive.

    Nar made more lances that each came closer to skewering her head, Lyra kept her disoriented enough to stop her from mounting a proper defense, Damsel did by far the most damage with her bone fracturing hits, while Finn stayed invisible and used his charged staff in combination with his dashes to push her forward or slowed her down with his hook. She was getting beaten like a pi?ata from every direction, getting burned and broken at a rate her weaker regeneration could barely keep up with.

    At one point, the supervillain grabbed the pavement and clawed herself out of their circle, desperately getting away from them. The moment she was out, she thought she was safe. She couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. A wave of floating water droplets washed over them, dense and far-reaching.

    Viperia, still on her knees, got soaked, then blinked out of her position and reappeared in the middle of them in time for a dashing tackle from Finn into a shock wave and another whack from Damsel. The beatdown continued mercilessly, this time with the suspended rain in that signature grid pattern hanging around.

    Aquiveil hovered nearby, ready to teleport Viperia back should she escape a second time. Finn kept up the assault, knowing this needed to end quickly.

    Nar finally speared Viperia through the skull, but not in a vital area as she didn¡¯t look to be dead. Somewhere near the frontal lobe, though her brain didn¡¯t appear to be the exact same as that of a human. She went half-limp all the same, slumping. Damsel shattered her spine with an overhead strike, arresting her movement entirely. One more and she could¡¯ve ended it.

    With a ripple in her form, Viperia began to grow.

    A reverse of her shrinkage before, her form seemed to revert, and throughout the fight the energy build-up in her scales had never ceased, instead intensifying beyond all reason. The other difference was that this one wasn¡¯t at all focused. He saw it for what it was, which was a gambit to make herself a bigger target and multiply her surface area so each attack didn¡¯t have as much effect. A sound strategy if they didn¡¯t have the power to kill her. They did, so it did nothing except buy her time.

    Buy her time¡­

    ¡°She¡¯s going to explode!¡± Jack shouted over the comms. ¡°It¡¯s like an explosive variation of molting. She can expel her external energy to the outer layer of her skin and shed it in every direction. Violently. With the amount she¡¯s built up she¡¯s going to devastate the whole area. You need to get away now. If you don¡¯t¡­ Oh.¡±

    Wait, what did he see? Finn knew that his friend was observing the surroundings of the battle, but nothing in his range really stood out.

    He refocused on the battle, watching Viperia¡¯s tongue snake out. He was getting his last hit in so the others could put a stop to this madness. He took a step¡ª

    Viperia¡¯s tail caught him around the waist, no doubt to keep him close rather than have him slip away again after another hit. It was all he could do to reinforce his existence to the point where he wouldn¡¯t get his skeleton crushed. Lyra freaked out and jumped straight towards him, but that just resulted in her getting pinned down by a clawed hand.

    Purple sparks lit up around everyone else, and a second later they had all disappeared with a popping sound.

    The entire area was empty save the three of them. Boy, girl, and monster.

    The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. The reinforcements had arrived outside his sensory range, and they¡¯d evacuated everyone they could, which was to say everyone not in direct contact with the mass murdering Unbound.

    His arms were still free, and he had his staff in them, so he was ready when Lyra managed to vibrate Viperia to the point where the growing, fiery beast loosened her hold somewhat. His staff, fully charged, rammed down and he got free.

    He caught his balance. Sprinting over to Lyra, he helped her to her feet. Viperia wasn¡¯t reacting to their escape, having a hard time staying upright. It was a cursed wonder that she was even moving with a hole in her brain, period. But her movements were becoming smoother by the second, and the glow was still intensifying. Killing her would take too long without Damsel or Nar present, if they could manage it before she inevitably recovered. They didn¡¯t have time. They had to run.

    Faint swirls in space originated ahead of them as they began making distance, sputtering to life and flickering as if through the screen of one of those old televisions. Shortly after the portal started coming into existence, Finn understood. Warp was creating it from the edge of his range, a last ditch effort to save them from the explosion. The caveat was his limitation.

    Only one person could enter his portal before it expired and he had to make a new one.

    Something they lacked the time to do. Neither did they have time to cover the entire distance by themselves.

    He saw in Lyra¡¯s aura that she was thinking the same thing he was.

    They moved at the same time, Lyra jumping back and aiming a shockwave that would send Finn hurtling into the portal. Finn observed every moving particle in her body to see her next move, to predict what was going to be. This plan hinged on the assumption that he dodged right and maneuvered around her in the perfect way.

    His mind zeroed in on her aura and muscles, her brain and nerves, anything to suggest what she was going to do. He needed to know because he could not mess this up. It felt like an eternity but couldn¡¯t have been more than a fraction of a second.

    When he pictured the area she was looking at from her perspective, he saw the faintest outline of color suggesting what she was going for¡­ there.

    Positioning himself as if diving to the left, he pulled a feint and went right. Lyra¡¯s shockwave missed and she couldn¡¯t prepare another one in time for his dash. Then he was behind her.

    She was vibrating now, her entire body was vibrating. To send him flying the moment he touched her. It was the same trick that won her the duel they¡¯d had back during their first official training session. A technique she¡¯d initially considered risky because of the internal damage she could do to herself if she wasn¡¯t careful. She was pulling out all the stops.

    He responded in kind. His entire body reinforced itself beyond anything he¡¯d managed before tonight, making him resistant to her shockwaves along with the hooks he fired past either side of her, connecting to the road with the portal between them. He jumped forward, tackling Lyra along as the gadgets spooled back in. His body endured the shock.

    Lyra tried to twist him in front of the portal. He brought his legs up and kicked full force, sending her flying head over heels into the spatial breach. When they parted, her face and aura spoke of disbelief, heartbreak, and longing.

    Finn watched his partner get to safety during what he guessed were the final seconds of his life. The portal winked out as anticipated, and he kept running. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to make it in time, but there was no reason to give up.

    Pumping his legs faster than ever, he noticed that Jack had been pleading for his life the entire time, and felt sorry for disappointing his friend. He¡¯d known something like this could happen. After so many brushes with death, he supposed his luck had run out for real.

    A newly sprouting portal bloomed before him, and his hand reached out. Behind him, Viperia released all the energy she¡¯d built up in a giant explosion.

    His power spread to everything he could think of that would save him. The explosion, to make it weaker. His body, to make it sturdier. The weird crystal in his pocket that he had never found a use for. The very air itself. Everywhere his power could extend, it did. Where it couldn¡¯t, it still struggled.

    His fingers brushed the edge of the whirling pattern in space, but the portal wasn¡¯t finished, leaving him to weather the surge of fiery death alone. Roaring waves of forceful heat encompassed him.

    And then he was nowhere.

 Chapter 76 - To Conclude

    The distant sounds of battle grew fainter when she took another left turn, chasing after some more stragglers that hadn''t gotten away in time.

    Her motorcycle thrummed silently as she extended her hand, a translucent purple petal on her fingertip touching an angrily stalking man with a gun the moment she drove by. His eyes glazed over and he turned in place, running off in a straight line. She floored the accelerator to get to the next street.

    Being a psionic, Colette knew she was probably never going to be loved the way a lot of other heroes tended to be. The stereotypes about her kind of power were prevalent; out of all the people she¡¯d met as Moonflower, only a small minority wasn¡¯t wary of her ability. Mind control was always the foremost concern when people saw mental force constructs, and it didn¡¯t help her case that with her, that was exactly what they got.

    It took a special type of person to rise above the preconceived expectations and prejudice. Larger than life paragons. The likes of Darkshiv or Saio-Queen. Colette was not that brand of superhuman, nor did she think she needed to be. Sure, she had some aspirations to take on jobs beyond street level more consistently in the future, but she didn¡¯t see herself taking the limelight the way some of the global top ten did.

    She didn¡¯t even consider herself much of a hero, if she was being honest with herself. Which she liked to think she quite often was, by the way. In her position, you only ever did well with heaps of self-awareness and soul searching and all that jazz.

    It had taken a lot of inner work for her to get to this point. Becoming so comfortable in your own skin wasn¡¯t easy, despite how she made it look. Not to start acting like a shrink or anything, but the psychological patterns causing her to make decisions that had led her to this point weren¡¯t exactly the most rosy or pure. She doubted a kinder, more innocent girl would¡¯ve gotten a power like hers.

    Though she would be the first to admit her background was a privileged one¡ªbeing the daughter of a successful CEO and all¡ªshe¡¯d grown up feeling like she lacked something. Be it excitement, tension, danger, or whatever else didn¡¯t fit into the lifestyle of a typical girl her age. Okay, yeah, she was a bit of a thrill seeker. Sue her.

    Anyway, the point was, her life had always felt like it was missing certain elements. Aside from being a bit dull, that was. If you pointed a gun at her head and forced her to use a single word to describe it, she¡¯d say influence was what she was really after. And her manifestation of it, of that desire, was pretty sinister. No point in denying that.

    But she was a merc, at the end of the day. At least, she¡¯d started as one and that mentality carried over into her current work under Cyrus. So she couldn¡¯t say she was particularly bothered by the idea of enthralling people. It was both temporary and limited to criminals. The second part was a self-imposed limitation; it wasn¡¯t like she went around using it on random people or her friends unless she had a good reason.

    Right now she was using her power on the most disruptive people in the area, ones trying to take advantage of the chaos and threatening the safety of everyone else. Just sprout a petal, impart a command, and tap their heads with it. Simple stuff. That way the emergency services effectively had double the number of people maintaining some semblance of order. See? She could do good.

    Quillvoy was helping the boss, so chances were she was on her own for the rest of the night. And this was how she was spending it. On the periphery, helping people get away. After all, she couldn¡¯t very well just start a bout of fisticuffs with an Unbound, now could she? That was something the rest could handle. Definitely. Maybe¡­

    Alright fine, she was worried. She had no idea why it was taking so ridiculously long for the supes from Central to show up. The area was beginning to clear out when the tremors abated a little. People were reaching the edges of the district, and her readout told her¡­ that Mistral was dead. What the¡­?

    From that point onwards the notifications just kept streaming in. Death after death, from names she recognized and ones she didn¡¯t. But luckily none of her friends were dead. She hoped it would be over soon because this was becoming nerve-wracking. Even with all her experience, and being removed from the situation, she intellectually understood the danger they were facing.

    Minutes later, she read about the incoming explosion and banked right. Hard. She was about to push for all the speed she could when purple sparks lit up around her. She blinked, uncomprehending for a moment, thinking this was her own power malfunctioning. Except she wasn¡¯t doing anything, and then something strange happened.

    The scenery changed from the empty street to a crowd of exhausted-looking heroes in an instant, civilians farther back. The sight disoriented her for a moment. That was simply her brain catching up to the transition from one environment to the next though. The transportation itself had been seamless. Instant. No vertigo whatsoever. Even her momentum had been stopped entirely, making it so she sped up for a second before letting go.

    Who had teleported her? The reinforcements, right? They must¡¯ve finally arrived. She looked around and soon spotted them there in the center of the group. A man in a lavender ninja outfit made of silk. Her eyes widened in recognition. That was the Voyager, Apexia¡¯s famous mass teleporter. So that was who had saved her.

    And if he was here, then the other members of their team should be as well. She didn¡¯t have to look for the next one. Instead, the giant transparent wall spanning all the way up into the clouds was enough of an indication. Standing at the bottom with her hands pressed against it, a blonde woman in an off-white coat with knee-high boots of the same color and a kind of helmet mask, twin pigtails poking out from the back. Cerese was her name.

    Before she could try and spot the next one, her attention was drawn by the telltale swirling of Warp¡¯s portal, which spat out Calliope of all people before winking out. Wait, not everyone had made it? Colette abruptly grew more panicked. Who else could she¡ª

    The horizon lit up, a wave of roaring heat exploding outward so brightly it would have made her squint if she wasn¡¯t looking through her helmet¡¯s visor. It crashed into the Cerese¡¯s barrier, but the woman¡¯s power held strong, not straining in the slightest to weather the blast.

    All the same, she could feel the ground rumbling, the devastation clear in spite of the force not reaching them. Her arms twitched, instinctively wanting to cover her from the danger she knew she was safe from. She kept them by her side, looking around for the others when the light had died down enough to make out the others again.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Her hardened soles came down on the pavement one after the other in a rapid clip, motorcycle forgotten. She slowed her pace when she came closer to the rest of the group, and spotted all the Junior Aces. Captain included. A sigh of relief left her. Then she realized the position Aiden was in.

    He was on his knees. Nar was on his knees, slumped forward.

    Colette ran to his side, putting a gloved hand on his shoulder. ¡°What¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t often lost for words, but seeing him like this was apparently enough to get her to that point.

    ¡°I failed them,¡± Aiden said tonelessly, completely breaking character. It was unthinkable, she hadn¡¯t seen him do that before, ever. Even in the most dangerous and serious moments, he would at most remain quiet. But he¡¯d never let anyone hear him sound so defeated.

    Mistral hadn¡¯t made it, she knew that. Yet that shouldn¡¯t have warranted this bad of a reaction, should it? Casualties in such numbers didn¡¯t occur often, but they weren¡¯t entirely unheard of either.

    ¡°It all happened because of me,¡± her boyfriend continued, letting out a long breath. She squinted, trying to spot the charisma and ambition of the charming young man she¡¯d fallen in love with. He was sitting straight now, though that didn¡¯t fool her. Behind the deceptive, perpetual smile of his mask, his expression couldn¡¯t have been anything resembling cheerful or mocking.

    At that moment she realized he¡¯d said ¡°them.¡± Plural rather than singular. For the umpteenth time, her eyes swept over the area, and now she realized there was indeed someone missing. A certain color manipulator that she¡¯d grown fond of in recent times.

    Shade was nowhere to be found.

    Lyra¡¯s shocked rambling confirmed it. ¡°I can¡¯t hear him. He¡¯s gone. Gone¡­ I can¡¯t find him. Ican¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhimIcan¡¯tfindhim¡­¡±

    The girl was on her knees and elbows, cradling her head as the buzzing around her grew more frantic. It was a low hum at first, then it became more insistent, louder. Then Colette started feeling it in her body, traveling through her legs and chest. The pitch rose, and her ears started to hurt.

    It clicked in her mind that second, because she had read the girl¡¯s file. Lyra Chen had become a missing person¡¯s case, the trail of which had gone cold, courtesy of Cyrus. However, the reason the girl had gone missing was due to an incident with her power going out of control in some bar. At first Colette had assumed it was a control issue that had been remedied. But if her power was tied to emotion or something similar¡­

    She stepped forward with a petal on her index finger before the soundwaves became so loud she could no longer think. A small shockwave nearly blasted her off her feet, staggering her. She persevered, making contact with her power when she was in range and speaking a single word:

    ¡°Sleep.¡±

    The grieving girl collapsed like a sack of bones, going limp as soon as she¡¯d imbued her intent. She didn¡¯t need to speak to apply her power, per se. The spoken command just helped steady her. An essential step, since it had felt like her brain was getting scrambled.

    In the corner of her eye, another heroine sent her a grateful look, but she just felt drained. She hadn¡¯t even done much, really. The only thing she could feel was the weight of the past evening making her weary.

    The headache was getting bad enough that she was considering a costume change just so she could rub her temples during times like this. She lowered herself to the ground, dimly aware of Cerese lowering the giant shield and the smoke having cleared.

    A glow rocketing down behind her shocked her back to full awareness. She saw the people gathered look up at a spot above her shoulder and followed their gazes. A woman who looked like a girl about her age floated there, wearing a white bodysuit with no embellishments or capes, completely unmasked. Her shoulder-length brown hair blew in the wind as she coolly watched the cratered wasteland ahead of them. Colette could barely believe her eyes now that she was seeing this heroine in the flesh. She¡¯d imagined meeting her a lot, though certainly not under these circumstances.

    ¡°Voyager,¡± the strongest heroine in Apexia spoke. ¡°Prepare a maximum security prisoner transport. I¡¯m taking her alive.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Noor,¡± Voyager replied, pulling out a communicator and speaking rapid instructions into it.

    Noor¡¯s eyes had never left the rising form in the center of the crater from the moment she arrived. In the distance, Viperia got back up. The giant lizard didn¡¯t seem to have a scratch on her besides a cut on her chest. And she bolted upon seeing who she was facing, not hesitating for a second.

    District A10A¡¯s main hero team captain only moved when Viperia tried to run, covering kilometers of distance in a fraction of a second, a multicolored silhouette left in her wake. She appeared in front of Viperia, barring the lizard¡¯s path. Moonflower used her helmet cam¡¯s zoom-in function to see more clearly.

    Viperia tried to turn the other way, and all she got for her efforts was a fist to the face that impacted her so hard Colette heard the sound of it reach them a few seconds later. The lizard slid across the barren landscape, far enough to carve a trench from one end to the other.

    To her credit, the shifter recovered and went on all-fours with her mouth wide open, dark smoke wafting from her maw. Then, in a flash, Noor came down on her head with both feet to snap her jaws shut, cratering the ground with just a casual landing.

    Viperia actually tried to shrink her way out from under the heroine¡¯s boots, and she managed it briefly. Entering some weird humanoid lizard form, she sprinted away. She didn¡¯t make it more than two steps before Noor caught her by the throat. She struggled and clawed at her stoic adversary, to no effect whatsoever.

    The number four hero tossed her into the air so fast it broke the sound barrier, and Viperia went flying into the sky until she was a tiny black dot. Above her, a massive tangle of light shifted and twisted in the air, then settled into a giant clone of Noor herself.

    Made purely out of aurora lights.

    Noor reared back a fist, and her avatar mirrored her movements, cocking an arm back. She punched.

    The massive arm came down on Viperia like the hammer of a god banishing her from the heavens. The supervillain shot back towards the ground with more speed than any military fighter jet Colette had ever seen. And when she touched down, the land rippled.

    This time, Colette didn¡¯t stop her arms from covering her face against the dust, and she was sure the people around her were taking cover too. Cerese hadn¡¯t raised a barrier, so it must not have been dangerous for them.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the dust cloud to disappear, one of the heroes using a power to clear it, and when they could see the outcome of the fight, well¡­

    Noor was hovering over them again, this time with an unconscious human woman tucked underneath one arm. Colette just gaped. That last blow had knocked Viperia out of her shifter form.

    Seeing that, every person present relaxed. And the cleanup began, many with a heavy heart from the losses they suffered tonight.

    While the battle was over, Colette knew full well things would never be the same.

 Chapter 77 - To Avoid

    On the screen in front of him, the various visual feeds linked to each modified drone spread throughout the district for tonight¡¯s mission were being displayed. Most of them had gone completely black, no longer transmitting a signal.

    But the boy wasn¡¯t paying attention to any of that, eyes glazed over as his mind tried to come up with any explanation, any alternative, for what he feared¡ªwhat he knew¡ªhad happened. His arms hung limply by his sides, and he slouched forward as the weight of the dark reality he now lived in began to settle on his shoulders.

    He was a¡­ no, he wasn¡¯t a failure. That didn¡¯t even begin to describe how useless he¡¯d been this entire time. All the feelings he¡¯d been pushing back while striving for competence and success the past few months came back in full force. He was nothing. Just nothing, not even a blip on the scale. He hadn¡¯t made any meaningful difference in the end. Those countless improvements and upgrades only served to allow Jack Spencer to watch when his best friend faced certain death and got taken away.

    His vision became blurry, salty drops of liquid streaming down his face, falling one by one and darkening his blue denim jeans with overflowing sorrow. He squeezed his eyes shut to cut off the flow of tears, uncaring of how it would look to anyone else. He was alone right now anyway. He¡¯d come to the regular spot where he met up with Cyrus¡¯ tech people, but had chosen to isolate himself from other people to conduct his first big mission as Gridlock. He didn¡¯t like having other people in the room when he needed to be at peak focus.

    He wanted to say he regretted that, but even at this point, he couldn¡¯t delude himself into thinking it would¡¯ve made a difference. All he could do was sit there and state ahead listlessly. Why¡­ what¡­ no, he couldn¡¯t even come up with the right questions to fuel his own self-depreciation, that was how distraught he felt.

    A numbness began to spread from his chest to the rest of his body, tingling every part of him with an ominous precursor to the pain he was sure would come eventually. But not now. The reality hadn¡¯t fully sunk in yet. One foot was still stuck in the realm of denial, much as he would¡¯ve wished his entire self was in that stage. Just aware enough to feel the impending dread of how much worse this was going to feel when he finally let himself process and accept everything.

    At which point he almost slapped himself out of sheer disgust at his own thoughts.

    ¡°When did this become about me?¡± he asked the empty air. ¡°Finn is fucking gone and all I can do is whine about how much it¡¯s going to hurt?¡± He let out a mirthless chuckle, shaking his head. None of the thoughts his mind conjured were making much sense or maintaining coherence after he gave them more than a few seconds of attention. Jumbled up messes of memories long past and futures unfulfilled flitted through his mind¡¯s eye, wearing away at the walls he¡¯d raised around his heart.

    The camera feeds kept relaying what they saw, yet he honestly couldn¡¯t bring himself to care. As soon as he saw Lyra safe on the other side of the barrier, he¡¯d turned away. Now, glancing at it again to distract himself, he idly noted Sphinx cradling a broken paw off to the side, somewhere behind Nar. Most of the other independents who¡¯d participated had either fled or died, or in some unlucky cases, both.

    Jack remained silent as the scene played out before his eyes. Moonflower showing up and knocking an increasingly hysterical Lyra out, Noor arriving, Cerese lowering the barrier, Viperia getting up but being easily defeated.

    It was all rote after that; Noor secured the unconscious woman who must¡¯ve been Viperia in human form, the Voyager took charge of her and took off with a team of specialized agents, and the civilian crowd behind the heroes started getting louder. Some other day, he would¡¯ve been excited, but now he just watched dully as the strongest heroine in the megacity interacted with the public. Wait, was that Casey? Why was her nose bleeding? Eh, she would be fine, someone else could take care of it.

    This turn of events was certainly something, he could acknowledge that. Sending this level of reinforcements all the way to A23G sent a message, indicating the threat they¡¯d faced and that Central was taking this event seriously. Enough to send Noor herself.

    Granted, she probably came here because the higher-ups wanted Noor to ensure Nar¡¯s survival until he truly stepped into his power. But¡­ it was convenient for them at least. Not that the other members of Noor¡¯s team couldn¡¯t have dealt with the Unbound villain, it was just more reassuring to know the situation was actually over. Or at least, it was reassuring to most. To Jack, it just told him he was going to have to live with his fuck-up for a long time.

    What would¡¯ve reassured him was if all this backup came in time instead of dragging their fucking feet until the worst case scenario came to pass. His knowledge base was expanding, and he could infer that they were caught in the middle of some political or organizational conflict between the government and the Wardell faction. From that perspective, Nar was also a point of interest considering his ties, which both sides must have known about.

    Regardless, it didn¡¯t concern Jack anymore, did it? Who did he think he was all this time? He was just a false king on a plastic throne, with power over a grand total of nothing. Protect Finn? Who was he kidding? He couldn¡¯t even protect this goddamn drone system. Over half of them were destroyed, and they could fly.

    Not to mention these were the latest versions, kitted out with minor tools like swiss army knives, flashlights, and other knick knacks like that gel bomb that had been useful exactly once tonight. And not even in the main battle.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Honestly, it was a surprise there were this many still around considering how shitty they were relative to the amount of work he¡¯d put in. He half-expected one of the gathered heroes to snatch them out of the air or tell him to leave, but no such thing happened. He wasn¡¯t the only tech hero in Apexia after all.

    Assurances that he was alive had been sent to his family, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He sat a little straighter in an attempt to make his mental state match his Gridlock position. It didn¡¯t work. He felt that clawing emptiness creeping closer and closer, carving a hole in his chest. Soon he wouldn¡¯t be able to think, never mind watching anything.

    Some of the Homeland forces on the monitor were getting into a verbal altercation of sorts with a few Aegis operatives that didn¡¯t last more than three seconds before Noor intervened and put a stop to the entire thing. Seeing her handle herself that way must have given a lot of people in the crowd hope, because they started cheering.

    Blinking slowly, Jack saw no reason to share their enthusiasm at the casual display of power and looked at another drone cam. This one was doing a fly-over of the section that Viperia had blown up. Not the entire district had been leveled, or he wouldn¡¯t be in one piece right now. The explosion had been isolated to this area, and it was a wasteland.

    It was essentially just a giant crater at first, except it was now deformed because Noor¡¯s avatar had punched the reptilian shifter so hard it distorted the landscape, but not so hard that it affected any of the people who¡¯d been teleported by the Voyager.

    A weary breath left him. He thought about what he could¡¯ve done differently, and came up empty. Short of figuring out Viperia¡¯s molting technique earlier so he could warn Finn in time, nothing would have helped.

    So what then¡­?

    Never more so than in this moment had the path forward seemed so unclear, so vague and undefined and hard to grasp. His thoughts were spiraling. All he could think of was to look back at what brought him here.

    An almost unthinking desire to stay with his friend? Arguably his only friend at the time? He wasn¡¯t one for superficial friendships. It wasn¡¯t until recently that he¡¯d really started expanding his social circle, meaning it made sense that he would want to keep Finn close.

    Aside from that, it definitely had to do with his own obsession with heroes in general, but that hardly seemed relevant right now. Not with this horrific, terrifying loss hanging over him, waiting to settle on him and tear him apart.

    That interest in keeping Finn around had turned into them forming a small team, and the whole experience had been astounding in how new it felt. Then they were suddenly getting involved in increasing levels of danger, culminating in the meeting with Cyrus.

    Going forward with that had been hard, almost impossible, since it seemed like the end for him when there were so many more competent people without powers to choose from. Yet they had gone for it. He saw now that having the right skills and tools could get you far.

    The following period had been foundational for all of them, and here he was, seeing just how unprepared they had been. He wanted to be angry at Cyrus, go to his fucking estate and smash his face in, but he couldn¡¯t find it in himself to summon that rage. Not right this second. Hopefully it¡¯d come later. Better than this yawning pit in his stomach.

    And Lyra. What was he going to do with her? What would he say? He knew how devoted she was to Finn, and she¡¯d recently begun showing it more in the hopes that he would reciprocate. He¡¯d started to, but that had been ripped away.

    She¡­ He didn¡¯t know if she was ever going to recover from this. He didn¡¯t know if he could do that himself. He felt lost, he admitted in the sanctity of his mind. Without Shade, he felt lost.

    One of the drones seemed to plummet out of nowhere, catching his attention. Eyes bloodshot, he looked at its readout and saw the battery was in fact full, and it couldn¡¯t have caused the fall.

    The camera feed arrested a bit off the ground, then turned to a gauntleted hand steadying it to keep the person it belonged to in view. A female knight, blonde, scuffed armor, veil over her mouth.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Damsel spoke in a hoarse voice.

    He sat there for a moment, surprised at the turn of events. Had she just leaped into the air to snatch up one of his drones? It seemed like it. What did she want?

    ¡­Did it matter what she wanted? Everything was over. They¡¯d paid the ultimate price, and it was downhill from here. He could never go back to how life was before.

    ¡°Gridlock, are you there? I have come to ask you a question,¡± Damsel tried again.

    Sighing, Jack flicked on his mic. ¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯m here,¡± he replied, clearing his throat to keep his voice from cracking. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Hello, yes. The reinforcements from the central district are all busy, and the normal authorities won¡¯t let me help with any of their temporary housing establishments. I wanted to go help with evacuation instead, but I don¡¯t have any information. I was wondering if you could perhaps show me which survivors need me the most.¡± She glanced behind her. ¡°This isn¡¯t everyone.¡±

    Of course they wouldn¡¯t. They needed a heavy PR boost from this rescue, and they wanted Central¡¯s iconic team at the helm when helping the victims and innocents displaced from their homes, otherwise Homeland would get too much good rep from this, public trust in the government would plummet, et cetera. He understood all of that. But was it his problem?

    Then he registered Damsel¡¯s tone and noticed that it sounded subdued. Hollow. At which point he remembered that Mistral was also dead. Gone for good. He wasn¡¯t the only person suffering through loss. And here the girl was, jumping on the first opportunity to do good.

    Jack closed his eyes for a long moment. ¡°Yeah, I can send some drones to scout ahead for you. Just follow the one you''re holding.¡±

    He was going to do the same.

    Anything to push away that awful void.

 Chapter 78 - To Linger

    In resting periods, a multitude of diverse spheres spun lazily around the central, glowing sun in a nearly pure black void. A simple solar system, it looked like. Except, the backdrop wasn¡¯t quite normal. It wasn¡¯t identical to the real space outside Earth; there were almost no other stars.

    Only in the vast cosmic distance, so far away they couldn¡¯t be made out in detail, did the pinpricks of light shine. Out of reach, for now and for the foreseeable future. Most certainly. To think otherwise was a fool¡¯s hope.

    Perhaps that explained why Aiden found himself hoping exactly that. Because what he had done was foolish. There was no way around it. No way around the consequences, either. He was too well-adjusted to allow the repercussions of his actions, and the emotional impact thereof, to stop him from functioning. But there was no question that he felt the weight pressing down on him. It permeated the air, the people, the site of the battle.

    Out of the powers in his constellation, flight was easily the most understated one. He only had one specific power dedicated to it most of the time. And oftentimes, he used an ability that allowed flight as a byproduct rather than having it as a primary function. It was more efficient that way. More convenient. It allowed for better combinations, better applications of the tools in his repertoire.

    Currently, as he floated over the wasteland that had once been almost half the district, there weren¡¯t any other powers active besides the one he was using to soar in the direction of the family estate. He didn¡¯t even remember precisely whom he¡¯d gotten it from. It had been in the middle of all that chaos, when he¡¯d briefly had the touch restriction of his copy lifted, much to his confusion at the time. Now that he knew the reason¡­

    It wasn¡¯t something he could change. Whatever happened, happened. When he approached the more affluent areas, he glanced at the orange-purple sky one more time before donning another undeniably useful-yet-painful ability. One of the planets in his awareness¡ªa celestial body with kaleidoscopic roads leading everywhere and nowhere all over its surface, more colorful than its predecessor¡ªspun on its axis to show its other side to the central sun it orbited.

    The power answered his call immediately, colors shifting on his body to camouflage him, creating near-perfect invisibility by blending in with the twilight sky above him. Stretching his arms out before him, he dove down toward the familiar fountain in the middle section of the front yard. Not a soul detected his descent in the direction of his house.

    It was something he did since he wanted to be home as soon as possible and get to his room as soon as possible, after he made a few other stops. Under different circumstances, he would use his transposition to teleport into the hall of the mansion without fanfare. Regrettably, that was no longer possible since the metaphysical planetary copy had been taken out of his rotation. Single digit ability storage capacity, and he had thrown a high level mobility asset to the wayside for what he¡¯d needed in the moment against the first Unbound of that caliber that he¡¯d had a head-to-head confrontation with. Another sacrifice he needed to deal with. At least this was a sacrifice he didn¡¯t regret.

    Were he to send out a pulse of invisible color through the surroundings, he would be able to detect the various security measures around the house of such quality that this place would¡¯ve likely survived the explosion Viperia caused if it had been caught in its radius.

    He didn¡¯t, though, so the only senses he had were his enhanced conventional ones. He knew the original owner of this power had evolved it further, but this was where one of his limitations came into play. The moment his power touched another, he created a snapshot for later use. It would remain at the strength of the original use at the time of copying forever, until he reinitiated contact.

    This meant that if the original user developed the power beyond its previous parameters after he created his replica, he wouldn¡¯t benefit from it unless they were gracious enough to let him touch them again. Beyond that, receiving a power at the strength it was when he copied it rather than when it first manifested, also meant that getting them under control was often harder.

    After years of skill training, he had gotten a handle on so many powers that he often encountered similarities that translated from one ability to the other. This was the reason he generally didn¡¯t lose control over his new copies. Otherwise, measured applications of any power would be akin to trying to perform complex brain surgery with a battleaxe instead of a scalpel. At least until he adjusted to the irregular starting point.

    However, he hadn¡¯t needed to do that with this copy in particular. His experience with similar abilities had been enough to perform close to its current ceiling. And it was useful, far more than anyone knew. That was the reason he was keeping it, in addition to its sentimental value. It had more than proven its worth two days ago during the raid, even if there wasn¡¯t going to be a repeat of that disaster anytime soon.

    The political upheaval of something like this happening had been greater than anticipated, though he really should have known. He had thought that such a relatively out-of-the-way district wouldn¡¯t garner national attention. Noor traveled around to other districts occasionally to solve problems that the local DHD divisions couldn¡¯t deal with themselves, but with all the context, it made sense. Power-created narcotics being spread around the area for months, followed by a large-scale raid backed by plenty of independents, and the entire operation going up in smoke when the leader of the supervillain gang they had targeted reached the next stage of her power, something that couldn¡¯t ever be anticipated, not truly, but could absolutely happen again in similar circumstances. Yet those specifics weren¡¯t at the forefront in the public consciousness.

    What really grabbed attention was the number of heroes who had died. Someone, likely one of the survivors, had made a list of every participant in the raid and published it. It had caught on like wildfire, leading to online discussions about appropriate force in superhuman combat, pacifism, interventionism, and the costs and benefits of extricating gangs from the megacity. Not to mention all the pictures of the civilian victims who¡¯d suffered terribly at the hands of the dark serpent.

    Aiden had time for none of it.

    Striding through the halls at a brisk pace, he removed his mask and jester¡¯s cap, then climbed the stairs three steps at a time. This section of the property was empty save for a few rooms, as he knew it would be. He didn¡¯t spare a thought for the richly decorated walls, doors and ceiling, or the embroidered carpet softening every step.

    Soon, he reached the room he¡¯d been looking for and knocked on the door. No response. Not that it would fool him. In the time after he had received his power, he had copied many abilities that would improve his physique beyond its natural limits permanently in various ways. The only reason he hadn¡¯t taken that avenue of growth further was because too many alterations would render his body incompatible with many other powers that required baseline physicality to function. Still, he had taken it far enough to hear the breathing inside the room, giving the game away.

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    ¡°Casey, it¡¯s me,¡± he called.

    Angry footsteps bonked on the floor before the door swung open and he was greeted by the sight of a scowling little sister.

    ¡°What,¡± she said in a low, dangerous voice. She was trying to appear composed, but it didn¡¯t escape Aiden¡¯s notice how she leaned on the doorframe for support. She had manifested less than seventy-two hours ago, and she¡¯d pushed far past the recommended levels of power strain on her first day. It was fortunate that she wasn¡¯t suffering anything more than exhaustion. He didn¡¯t know what he would¡¯ve done if it had turned out she wasn¡¯t going to make a full recovery. That wasn¡¯t the case, thankfully.

    ¡°I¡¯m checking up on you,¡± Aiden responded. ¡°I am well aware that I¡¯ve been a bad brother to you lately, and I¡¯m going to make it up to you. But in order for that to happen I need you to speak to me. You can¡¯t keep pushing me away.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d approached her, just the first time things had progressed past stony silence.

    ¡°But when you shut me out every time, it¡¯s fine? You and Father always pull the same shit with me, and I¡¯m tired of it. I¡¯ve been tired of it ever since I found out the truth about Ines. The only reason I returned here is because you found me after¡­ everything.¡± She gestured broadly, taking a deep breath. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m still here is because I need to see some things through.¡± She looked further down the hall.

    Aiden took a moment to reply. ¡°If this is about Finn, you have to tell me. I don¡¯t want you dealing with it alone.¡±

    Hearing that name, her gaze snapped back to him. ¡°You think some boy I¡¯ve known for a few months is¡ª¡± She swallowed. ¡°You think¡ª¡± Her lip trembled, and she bit it.

    Aiden reached out a hand. She backed up, slamming the door shut in his face.

    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± he heard from the other side. And that was the end of their conversation.

    His hand still raised, he lingered for a moment before lowering it and deciding to give her more time. They could talk later, and she wasn¡¯t taking it as hard as the next person he needed to visit.

    On his way, he clenched his fist. He¡¯d let his mentor down, he¡¯d let his sister down, he¡¯d let his role model¡¯s son down. All because of his own hubris. His own ¡°initiative¡± to take on more of the burden of responsibility in a misguided attempt to make the operation easier for everyone else.

    From the very second he had decided not to call in Viperia¡¯s presence upon seeing her initial approach, he had doomed so many people to death. And he¡¯d been too prideful to see it. If Allen had gotten there before Remy injected the drug into her veins, everyone would be fine right now. There was no denying it. It wasn¡¯t even some misguided form of survivor¡¯s guilt or anything. He could see the steps that would have led there, objectively. The alternate universe where he¡¯d made the right decision had been playing out in his head over and over since the fight, reminding him of his stupidity.

    Despite all of that rationalization for his guilt, he knew the real reason. He¡¯d been too weak. It was that simple. If he¡¯d been stronger, he would¡¯ve been able to end the fight whenever he wanted. If he¡¯d mastered Shiftseeker¡¯s power, he would¡¯ve been able to solve the entire situation by himself, unbinding be damned.

    He closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his head of those thoughts. While he would address the issue of his lackluster strength in a few minutes, he had to do something else first.

    At the end of the hall, he headed for the eastside wing of the mansion, straight for their many guest rooms. When he reached them, he could already hear muffled sobbing from the other side of the door.

    Knocking on the door, he said, ¡°Colette, I¡¯m coming in.¡± He didn¡¯t want to address the other person directly without standing in the room itself. It felt too much like hiding away.

    ¡°Okay,¡± his girlfriend said, and he took that as leave to turn the handle.

    Inside, he saw all the usual furniture they kept in their guest rooms. And on the king size bed sat two girls. One he knew very well. The other, he didn¡¯t know as well as he perhaps should. With her head buried in Colette¡¯s shoulder, the girl¡¯s brown hair covered her face as she openly wailed. Their arms were wrapped around each other, Colette softly rocking back and forth as she rubbed the younger girl¡¯s back.

    She was inconsolable. The only time she ever stopped crying was when she slept, and she wouldn¡¯t even do that naturally. Colette had to use a petal to command her to sleep. It was that bad. And as soon as she woke up, it would start all over again. This cycle had continued for a while.

    Going by the new clothes she was wearing, and the fact that her hair was still wet, he assumed Colette had gotten her to shower somehow. Small miracle, that.

    He was usually quite good at this; consoling a grieving person, being the shoulder to cry on, portraying himself as a reliable but safe figure people could turn to, he had the skill to do all of that. And it was most certainly a skill. Though he had a natural awareness of the intricate layers of social interaction, he had spent plenty of time honing his proficiency at it. High innate aptitude in any area of life wasn¡¯t going to prevent him from improving on it if he deemed it necessary, which he often did. He was talented, but he worked on himself to become exceptional. Because Nar needed to possess such qualities.

    Yet here and now, he knew Nar was precisely the reason the girl in front of him was experiencing this indescribable pain. It put him in a position he¡¯d never truly been in before. He found himself having nothing to say.

    A rarity, for Aiden Wardell.

    ¡°Lyra?¡± he decided to open with. She gave no cue that she¡¯d heard him, shoulders shaking with each sob. ¡°It¡¯s Aiden again. I didn¡¯t come here empty-handed today. I have an offer for you, instead of empty platitudes or my condolences. I hope hearing it will help you.¡±

    No response.

    ¡°It¡¯s about your parents,¡± he continued.

    Her head rose a fraction, indicating that she was listening, but she didn¡¯t say anything through the tears.

    ¡°I¡¯ve requisitioned a healing power from one of the heroes who came to the city for cleanup today. And brain damage is well within its purview. Hearing damage is likewise easy to cure. It won¡¯t even take long. One session will be sufficient.¡± He paused. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do for you.¡±

    She began to cry harder.

    Aiden decided to leave for training, giving her time to process the bombshell he¡¯d just dropped on her.

    But as he was about to cross the threshold of the doorway, he heard her breathing even out. And Lyra spoke her only sentence.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never get to apologize.¡±

    For the second time, Aiden had absolutely nothing to say.

    And he kept silent for the rest of the day.

 Chapter 79 - To Grasp

    The sound of black wingtips treading down this particular set of stairs was not an unfamiliar one. And yet, it also wasn¡¯t one that Cyrus Wardell heard often. After all, it had been quite some time since he last had a need to visit this room. It was coming in rather handy, however, he had to admit. Such was the benefit of simple forethought. One had to act decisively to get anywhere in life, but preparing contingencies in advance almost always turned out to be beneficial.

    Though his footsteps did not echo, they came one after the other in quick-but-unhurried taps, resounding crisply through the stairway. It served as a welcome tonesetter. After all, the unique sound was more from the material of this part of the facility than his own footwear.

    Today, he was taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with someone he had decided to take a risk on. The help of Colette¡¯s companion, Quillvoy, had been instrumental in apprehending this individual. He would have to express his appreciation to her somehow. Perhaps it would be prudent to ask Aiden what she desired the most at the moment, seeing as he knew her better than anyone.

    Not immediately, of course. He would wait until a better opportunity presented itself. The youths were all still raw from the mission that had gone so far out of everyone¡¯s control. They deserved some much-needed time to recover and recenter themselves after such a huge ordeal. When they got back on their feet, he was sure they would continue. The ones that were still with him, at least. The loss of Shade had been deeply unfortunate, and he would ensure the boy¡¯s sole remaining parent was taken care of from here on out.

    On the other hand, he had gained a new miracle power in his daughter, Casey. Part of him blamed himself for what had led to the falling out between her and Ines, but he had long since acknowledged that it was impossible to keep an iron grip on every possible variable. Some things just weren¡¯t going to transpire the way you thought they would. Casey was livid, currently. Especially with him. But she would come around; he was well aware of how badly she wanted to become part of his organization, and her ability would grant her that opportunity despite her inexperience in many other aspects.

    Cyrus was perfectly cognizant of how manipulative that thread of thought sounded. He was just equally conscious of how they fit into his worldview and what he deemed acceptable on his moral compass. Since the day he created this faction, he had known that he couldn¡¯t keep his firstborn out of it forever. And now his youngest had turned into what the government would doubtless see as a high-value asset to add to their ranks. It was simply such an Apexian way of thinking. Putting the powered young ones in the spotlight, parading them as the hope of the future and shouldering them with unreasonable amounts of responsibility and expectations. He couldn¡¯t claim that he wasn¡¯t guilty of it himself to a lesser degree.

    However, that did not mean he was ever going to compromise on his personal rules. Not a soul worked under him by force. Every single member of his group was there of their own free will. That was going to hold true in this upcoming conversation as well, albeit with the board positioned in such a way that he was in fact the best possible choice.

    He reached the bottom of the stairwell and raised his hand in front of the digitized security lock. It flashed from red to green and the sliding metal door opened with a muted hiss. Stepping through, he approached the left-facing chair he had one of his people prepare in the middle of the room.

    When he took a seat, he had a clear view of the person behind the reinforced bars on the other side. It was a cell big enough to move a few steps back and forth, but not much more. It had all the necessities to hold a prisoner long-term and nothing else.

    Deciding to set the tone of the conversation himself, Cyrus said, ¡°From a political standpoint, all fugitives associated with the criminal gang known as ¡°the Venin¡± are currently top priority for arrest amongst the remaining heroic forces in the district. Of those fugitives, only one has been confirmed to be a villain with a registered power. And if that villain were to, say, run across the district in a desperate bid to escape the grasping arm of the DHD, his likelihood of success would be unfavorable.¡± He paused, letting the words sink in. ¡°Do you understand your predicament, Grimoire?¡±

    The villain standing in the cell, bereft of his costume, gave him a glare that looked almost grimly entertained, as if he had realized he was in so much trouble that he couldn¡¯t help but find some amusement in the fact that things were nearly as bad as they could get.

    Some seconds passed in silence, then Grimoire clicked his tongue. ¡°You¡¯re attempting to play this game with me? You presume to understand me? To gauge my potential like a mere chess piece on your board? You¡¯ll find me a more unpredictable opponent than you¡¯ve bargained for. Give me a day, and forget about the district. I will not even be in Apexia anymore.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cyrus agreed easily. ¡°You would find yourself in Somnus by then.¡± He had no doubt that this incident would warrant such a response. The Global Accords existed for situations like this; shipping off the Venin¡¯s leadership was not going to be a problem for the authorities.

    Grimoire scoffed. ¡°Somnus? Please. I¡¯d sooner embrace oblivion. At least death would allow me to exit this stage with some dignity intact, unlike that psychic abyss masquerading as a prison.¡±

    Cyrus stroked his beard with a small smile. ¡°In that case, this conversation does not have to take long. I will make my offer straight and to the point. Work for me, not under your current alias but a different one. And I will provide you with projects as interesting if not more so than the ones you were working on previously.¡±

    That made the other man tilt his head. ¡°You realize how high you¡¯re setting the bar here, yes? And even assuming I did believe your outlandish claims about giving me a project more interesting than little Yves, what are you going to do if I refuse?¡±

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    Hearing this, Cyrus spread his hands. ¡°As I said, I will release you and leave you to your fate. If you believe you have the means to escape half of Central¡¯s main team and countless others who came here, I will not stop you from trying.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course, I believe that would be a waste. From what I¡¯ve gathered, you are not someone who readily concedes defeat¡ªwhether the odds favor you or not.¡±

    ¡°Psychological profiles?¡± Grimoire inferred. ¡°How¡­ adorable.¡±

    ¡°My people do good work,¡± Cyrus said. ¡°If freedom is what you seek,¡± he continued, ¡°the question is not whether you can escape now. The true question is your ability to maintain it against a system that has already marked you as its target. Let alone one with as much influence as this.¡±

    Grimoire leaned back, a razor-sharp grin slicing across his face. ¡°And what am I to believe is the alternative, Wardell? Your organization? A lumbering beast pretending to be a hunter: too slow, too predictable, and far too blind to see the traps it stumbles into.¡±

    Chuckling softly, Cyrus narrowed his eyes a fraction. ¡°Perhaps, but even a blind beast can crush a serpent underfoot, provided it knows where to step.¡±

    The captive villain rubbed a hand under his receding hairline with a snort. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve proven that much.¡±

    As they hashed out the details of their agreement, Cyrus was pleased with the results. He was recovering some of the losses he¡¯d suffered in the battle against Viperia, and he would be in a better position in the district when it was eventually rebuilt. It was just such a shame about the young Finneas Allister. The boy had drive.

    Although¡­

    His analysts had discovered something strange. At the exact same millisecond the explosion happened, there was a ripple in the network of gatekeys left by one of the most elusive men in history. And when he called upon contacting one of his informants in the DHD, he learned that the gatekey he had expected to be recovered from one of hideouts had not been found.

    Curious.

    If his hypothesis was correct, then they might all be in for a surprise soon.

    Ah, well.

    Best not to give the children false hope.

    ******

    From the moment the explosion hit him, the world stopped making sense. If there even was a world, still. He couldn¡¯t tell. Nothing his senses told him made sense. At some points, they stopped telling him altogether. The thought would¡¯ve been horrifying if he wasn¡¯t in so much pain. He couldn¡¯t focus, and yet his power was such that even without focusing the information was fed into his mind just as clearly as if he were dedicating his full concentration to it.

    He didn¡¯t know how many times his power blacked out. Maybe never, maybe it was the space itself. Maybe his power stopped reading his surroundings because there was simply nothing to read. If there even was any space or time to begin with. Those concepts seemed like suggestions more than laws here. Wherever ¡°here¡± happened to be. He had no clue. He was ignorant about everything except the blinding agony he experienced every second of every hour¡ªor every day? Who was he, even?

    Interminable. Unquantifiable. Impossible to orient. Infinite. Wherever he found himself, he couldn¡¯t even muster the slightest twitch of resistance. No sense of motion or stability. He could¡¯ve been hurtling through the milky way or standing completely still, he had no way to distinguish between the two. Did he even have a body anymore? His senses showed him nothing but a blur of different smeared colors. Was that what he was? An abstract chromic art piece?

    No closer to the answer, he found himself moving from the question of whether he had a body, to whether he had a mind. To the latter, the answer was a clear yes. Yeah, he was thinking. Cogito ergo sum or whatever. It was something Jack would¡¯ve taught him and Lyra if he didn¡¯t already know.

    Wait¡­ Lyra¡­ Jack¡­

    He remembered everything.

    Finn remembered himself.

    His eyes would¡¯ve shot open if he actually had control over his body. But because he didn¡¯t, all he could do was sort of remain suspended in this slice of unreality. But he was dying wasn¡¯t he? Then how could he not have a body? Was this¡­ the afterlife? That didn¡¯t make sense. He didn¡¯t feel dead, though he had no idea what death was supposed to feel like. He¡¯d always heard that while dying was in many cases excruciating, death itself was peace. Because if that was true, then the pain was making it pretty clear he was alive.

    He tried to reach out with his power, found nothing to grasp at, and reached harder. Viperia had killed him, except he¡¯d gotten away? How? He¡¯d failed to reach the portal in time, and he¡¯d been a dead man walking before that anyway. He couldn¡¯t wonder anymore due to the pain. It wracked his entire being, scouring all errant thought and consuming him whole until he began to lose that small bastion of sanity he¡¯d managed to hold onto.

    For better or worse, it didn¡¯t last long after that.

    All at once, the connection with his body returned, and this time the pain went from existential to merely physical. His sides and back burned so badly he wanted to scream. Scratch that, he did scream, but the sound was drowned, and bubbles came from his mouth, drifting upwards through his damaged mask. Liquid entered his airways. Water.

    The burns were rapidly cooling, and he thrashed, almost out of breath. His senses had returned and were informing him about the place he was in. Some massive body of water, like a lake. He swam to the surface. It was too late. Black spots encroached on his vision, and he tried to get his grappling hooks out, but they were stuck to the remains of his suit.

    Near the surface, Finn expended the last of his strength, and began to slump. He wouldn''t make it...

    A hang caught his wrist, hauling him out of the water.

    Finn coughed and took in greedy gulps of air, not even looking at the one who¡¯d rescued him. His focus was absorbing enough oxygen to get his mind working again.

    It took a few seconds to regain his composure. When he did, he cracked an eye open, power working in tandem with his vision to take in this individual. Holding him up was a man, early to mid twenties, black hair grown out in a way that suggested he hadn¡¯t seen a barber in ages, and all over his body, he had thin, white scars, including his face and torso.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± said the stranger, his aura radiating mirth. ¡°Welcome to hell.¡±

    [VOLUME 2: END]

 Chapter 80 - To Strand

    Regaining his composure was proving difficult. Mentally he kept wanting to refocus, but physically his body just kept trying to expel the last drops of water out of his airways. Finneas Allister tried to get his feet under him, then realized there was no solid ground to stand on, water glistening in the light underneath.

    The man in front of him was¡­ walking on water. No, that wasn¡¯t it. He was walking on air, not even making contact with the liquid surface. Still holding Finn by the arm, he carried him all the way to the edge of the lake. Or was it a pool, considering they were inside?

    His senses were beginning to tell him that since he was in some sort of giant building¡­ facility? The walls were thick. Made of a hardened metallic substance that wasn¡¯t quite metal. And beyond those walls were¡­ more rooms, ones without lakes in them. Finn could sense the various types of equipment and other items he couldn¡¯t identify with no context about where or what this place was.

    Hell, the stranger had said, but Finn obviously didn¡¯t believe that. He wasn¡¯t dead, after all. The pain was far too real for him to have been untangled from his mortal coil, discounting whatever that experience earlier was when he traveled to this location somehow.

    It seemed this building was big enough that his range quite literally could not encompass it wall to wall. It hadn¡¯t even been able to encompass this room completely. It was huge. So big he didn¡¯t have a hope of observing or understanding it all in what little time he had left before his body decided to give out for good. He felt out of his depth in every sense.

    A familiar feeling, by this point.

    If he felt this level of pain in his entire body when his latest mission started, he would be screaming his lungs out. Instead, he just felt relieved that the pain wasn¡¯t half as bad as before. The water had cooled the burns, and that hyperreal agony he¡¯d gone through in his short incorporeal venture was even worse than that. Now, the leftover adrenaline in his body was fading, giving way to the omnipresent aching which he found more manageable. That being said, it was also more noticeable now that the worse sensations had passed and he had little else to focus on.

    More flashes of pain lanced down his arm as he dangled in the air, his apparent savior holding him up just high enough not to touch the maybe-lake again while striding toward the door in the distance. Finn observed all of this with his power¡¯s senses and his left eye. The right one couldn¡¯t see much due to his cracked and distorted visor.

    How did he even get here? He remembered the explosion, him almost making it to Warp¡¯s portal after Lyra involuntarily took the previous one, then being hit by the blast before something happened. He checked all over his person for what was different about him, and noticed how aside from his deteriorating condition, his body was the same.

    What differed was the crystal he¡¯d stolen. Useless as it had seemed, he had all but forgotten about it until the last moment when he flooded it with his enhanced power in the hope that it would do something. And it had, seemingly. He strongly suspected it was responsible for sending him to this place. Really, he was sure of it. The way it had lost some of its radiance, as if in an inactive or dormant state, said it all. It had expended a ¡°charge,¡± if he had to put a term to it. And now it was recharging.

    He tried to focus his colors deeper on the incomprehensible core, but all he got in return was a blaring headache that made him grit his teeth and squeeze his eyes shut. His power had been strained past the limit. Far past it, even. At the end, he had pushed more than he had ever thought possible. And it had saved him from instant death, at least.

    This strain was intense, though. He felt like a wrung-out old rag, squeezed for all its juice and tossed to the wayside. Any active use of his power was difficult to manage. Not impossible, but hard enough that each attempt forced him to brace himself for the discomfort that would accompany it.

    Was it the result of Casey¡¯s enhancement, his own efforts, or both? It wasn¡¯t like he could go back to ask, could he? Unless he managed to activate the crystal again. Alternatively, he could try to physically travel back there too, but he didn¡¯t know if that was possible considering his ignorance about his location.

    None of that mattered, of course. Not if his death was mere hours away.

    The sensation was ever-present, that cold certainty creeping up in his spine that there was nothing he could do to make himself better and that any opportunity he might have had was gone. Destroyed, along with any delusions of a healer descending from the sky to restore him to full health. It was plain to see in his decaying cells. The poison, though slowed by some weird power interaction he didn¡¯t understand, was set on killing him from within and he had no cure. No way to remove it, either.

    What was he supposed to do?

    He grit his teeth, thought about everyone he was leaving behind, and concluded that it was probably better if he couldn¡¯t face them right now, when he was like this. A lump formed in his throat, heat building up in his chest as he forced down the feelings of helplessness, frustration and indignation at his circumstances.

    Were he to leave behind a corpse here, no one would know what his last thoughts were, so what purpose was there in whining to himself about the finality of Radi¡¯s diagnosis, about the futility of his last-second save?

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    Finn dismissed all unnecessary noise in his mind and honed in on the current moment. He needed to take action; everything else was irrelevant. What did he need, first and foremost? Information. To that end, there was someone who could help him.

    Turning his gaze from the surface of the water, he concentrated on what he could discern about this person. Weird clothing he didn¡¯t recognize the style of. No footwear. Scars, distinct white lines that didn¡¯t pull on the surrounding skin. And a robust body, similar to warrior types he¡¯d seen yet also not.

    Surprisingly, there was internal damage. Injuries he couldn¡¯t identify the cause of but ones he knew did not come from an ordinary weapon. Despite that, the man gave no sign of it in his walk, carrying Finn with minimal effort.

    His aura suggested he wasn¡¯t faking it, the emotions therein were too tranquil, and he knew from experience it would be evident in his musculature as well.

    Wait¡­ aura? How did this guy have an aura? There was only one other person he¡¯d ever met who had one, and she was not here.

    ¡°Had a long day?¡± asked the stranger, catching his stare. They reached dry land, and Finn got promptly dropped in the pale sand, aggravating his injuries and causing him to hiss.

    ¡°...You could say that,¡± he forced out, not knowing why he was entertaining this small talk.

    ¡°Tough,¡± was the response. ¡°It¡¯s about to get longer. A lot longer.¡±

    Turning on his side to get a burnt black glove under him, he pushed himself up with an elbow for a whole second before his arm gave out.

    ¡°Pitiful,¡± the man observed coolly. ¡°But since you¡¯re still breathing, don¡¯t start whining about rest. That¡¯s not on the menu.¡±

    Rest to do what exactly? Finn wondered as he tried again to prop himself into a sitting position. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste. Who are you?¡± he demanded, panting.

    The man stared for a moment, his expression unreadable and his aura heavy and oppressive, like a storm building. ¡°Gunther. And you are?¡±

    Clenching his jaw from the exertion, he managed to get his feet under him and stand, fishing around in his pocket for something he sorely needed. ¡°Shade. Where are we?¡±

    ¡°Names sorted. Great. Now we¡¯re making progress,¡± said Gunther, sounding amused at the interaction. ¡°As for where we are? We¡¯re in a separate dimension, kid. Specifically, Wanderlust¡¯s dimension. Try not to die before you figure out what that means.¡±

    Wanderlust¡¯s dimension? That put him farther away from home than he¡¯d feared. He hadn¡¯t known much about Wanderlust besides him being the founder of Aegis, and it was Jack who¡¯d gone digging and found out more about how this artificial dimension was now apparently notorious for being inescapable. Not a soul had made it out of this place after Wanderlust¡¯s death. Ever.

    That left him with what? An unknown amount of distance between himself and the exit to this alternate world, if there was one in the first place. In addition to this unknown superhuman in front of him, who didn¡¯t seem interested in letting him catch his breath. In a way, Finn appreciated the attitude. No coddling, no nonsense, just getting to the matter at hand. He found the small metal case and opened it to find the last capsule inside, and quickly injected it into a bit of exposed skin. That would buy him some time. ¡°I need to get out of here.¡±

    Gunther watched Finn¡¯s actions with a faint smirk, his gaze sharp as a blade. ¡°Need to get out of here, huh? Sure, kid. Go ahead and tell the walls your big plan¡ªmaybe they¡¯ll open up out of sheer pity. Or maybe you¡¯ll realize, like the rest of us, that this place doesn¡¯t let go without a fight.¡±

    ¡°I am getting out of here,¡± he reaffirmed. ¡°And what do you mean by ¡®us?¡¯ There are others?¡±

    Gunther shrugged. ¡°There were.¡±

    ¡°Did you kill them?¡± he asked bluntly.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Are you an Unbound?¡±

    After a pause, Gunther burst into laughter. ¡°No.¡±

    Finn¡¯s eyes narrowed. There was something weird about his answer. There was something weird about every reaction this person had, in fact, but this one especially. As if that was some hidden double meaning. And up until now, he hadn¡¯t been able to put his finger on it, but after having talked, he was starting to understand what it was that seemed strange.

    When it came to auras, his sample size was laughably small. A grand total of two people. But of those two people, he had noticed the commonality in their auras. They both had that inscrutable mess overlapping their head, the one that gave off random fluctuations from Lyra that Finn hadn¡¯t been able to interpret.

    With Gunther, however, it was clearer. The congregated aura blotch over his brain looked the same as hers, if a bit darker in color. What stood out was how synchronized it was. Every surge, every spike, it was all mirrored by that thing in his head. Finn had originally written it off as the subconscious mind, but that didn¡¯t seem right anymore. And if it was correct, the implications were alarming. Was this guy fully in control of his own mind? Because if so, that sounded¡­ powerful.

    Moreover, he didn¡¯t even know anything about this person, he had to remember that. He suspected Gunther of being an Unbound, but aside from that he had no clue. He¡¯d never heard of anyone by that name back on Earth, and he knew most of the big names. Of those heroes, not many except Noor showed their real face.

    Although, it was totally possible that he had met someone whose real name wasn¡¯t known to the public, and he wouldn¡¯t have ever found it out if not for the extenuating circumstances at play. In that case, it might be better to let sleeping dogs lie and not pry into what could be a secret identity.

    Shockingly, Gunther didn¡¯t wait for him to finish his internal deliberation. The man, who looked less than a decade older than Finn, turned on his heel and began strolling in the direction of the gate. ¡°Keep up. You can ask your questions while we move. Standing around flapping your gums won¡¯t get you out of here.¡±

    He was right, Finn knew. No need to stand around. He needed to get out, and there was no point in waiting for his condition to get worse. He may have been on a timer, but he was going to do everything in his power to return home. Impossible odds be damned.

 Chapter 81 - To Congregate

    ¡°Gate¡± was an appropriate word for the exit, he concluded. From a distance, it looked like a regular metal door, but seeing the sheer size of it up close had made him reconsider. It was over ten meters tall, Finn¡¯s power told him. And the ease with which Gunther opened it was his second instance of witnessing the level of power this man possessed. He¡¯d come to know plenty of people who could do something similar, but there was something about this display in particular that told him his new travel companion was on a different level.

    The first clue was Gunther¡¯s stance. Casual, yet masterful all the same. He settled both hands on the surface and pushed. Slow, firm, inexorable. The door gave way, unable to bar this juggernaut from entering. It swung open once it gained momentum, though it didn¡¯t slam into the wall of the massive hallway beyond; this facility was too well designed for that.

    Another clue was the way he saw the man¡¯s physiology shift. He¡¯d already noted how it was distinct from warrior type powers, but now he saw what exactly the difference was. This kind of strength was more human. Or to put it another words, the musculoskeletal structure didn¡¯t deviate as much from a baseline human. It was just more compact. And perhaps there was an unseen supernatural element working to aid that physical power. Scientifically, generating that much force with this kind of body should be impossible in both cases.

    Regardless of how the underlying mechanics worked, Finn could tell he was in the presence of a truly experienced fighter. Everything from the way he walked to the way he spoke radiated battlefield know-how. His assessing gaze had been obvious the moment he¡¯d dragged Finn to land. Measuring him. Seeing how much of a threat he was and ultimately concluding he wasn¡¯t one.

    That implicit dismissal of his personal power and capabilities would¡¯ve irritated him far more than any insult from Mountpin ever could if he¡¯d had the energy for it. He didn¡¯t, however. So here they were, walking through the sterile white hallway in silence.

    Despite feeling like a corpse held together by nothing but willpower and self-deception, this detail did not escape Finn. Every part of the facility that he could sense was clean. Too clean. Not even in the way a mundane building would look to his power after it had gone through a round of cleaning. No, this was something else. Normal, unpowered hands were incapable of scouring every last microscopic bit of dirt from a single room, let alone a whole building.

    And he couldn¡¯t sense a speck of dust in his entire sphere of influence, nor were there any signs of contamination or impurity in that body of water he¡¯d just been pulled out of. It gave the whole area a polished feeling. He didn¡¯t find it reassuring in the slightest.

    He also didn¡¯t know where Gunther had gotten that clothing. He assumed it wasn¡¯t from Earth. It would look out of place just about anywhere, if he was being honest. That said, it did look well-designed. Just foreign. The sleeveless, dark red fabrics swaddled the man¡¯s torso enough to make it look like he was wearing an additional layer of clothing underneath, and the¡­ he couldn¡¯t call them pants. The fabric covering the legs had a weird cut to them that forewent one leg almost entirely, while the other left the shin bare. Shoes were apparently not a consideration. Though granted, that shouldn¡¯t have surprised Finn given that he was looking at someone who could literally walk on air.

    Of course, he voiced none of these thoughts. They weren¡¯t a priority. Not even close. He was just familiarizing himself with the environment until he felt fit enough to continue the conversation. Then he scratched that thought, taking a deep breath. He wasn¡¯t going to feel better than this, ever. Unless he managed to find a cure to Viperia¡¯s poison.

    Rather than thinking about that further, as he¡¯d already resolved himself in every way that mattered, he briefly allowed his thoughts to drift to the possible circumstances that would have led to his current predicament. From what he could gather, the crystal in his pocket was responsible for bringing him here, and he¡¯d triggered it by accident in the explosion.

    Upon taking the crystal from that storage supply, he hadn¡¯t expected anything like this. He¡¯d thought this item would allow him to gain insights about his power if he managed to figure out how to penetrate that impossibly vast inner space. That hadn¡¯t happened. Instead it was a way to Wanderlust¡¯s dimension. Finn didn¡¯t know what the supervillain would want with that before the next room came into his range.

    His eyes widened.

    Gadgets, items, weapons, pills, all moving around. Or being moved around, rather. By robots, levers, mobile platforms, floating drones, sensors and cameras guiding the entire process. It was like a well-oiled machine, every step planned out with purpose and intention. But the tempos weren¡¯t consistent. As if everything was following orders, not performing tasks at specific predetermined intervals.

    Was there an intelligence behind this? There was no way for him to know for sure. Then he focused on the actual products being transported and almost froze in shock. He recognized them. The vast majority of them, he could recall the name and price of. Why wouldn¡¯t he be able to?

    They were from the Aegis store.

    The implications of that were a shock, to say the least. Did that mean he was observing the Aegis store from the other ends, right now? No, that couldn¡¯t be it. There were a lot of things here, but not even close to all the things he¡¯d seen. While that could have meant the other items were in other rooms, he doubted it.

    Aegis Corp. was a decentralized mercenary organization for hero work, but here was its founder, stacked with rooms providing the items from his own exclusive dimension. Aside from the fact that it would go against the purported mission of the organization to have a monopoly on its most appealing aspect, it wasn¡¯t something anyone could hide forever. Anonymity aside, there was no way that kind of conspiracy could stay hidden with the powers some people around the world possessed.

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    Additionally, the founder was dead. Therefore, nothing that came here could leave, including the gadgets, unless someone bought them. That was bad for business. Or there was someone here? On second thought, Finn didn¡¯t know all the variables at play. But that element of mystery might be the answer to his earlier question.

    Perhaps Viperia had thought that there existed a chance she could extract whatever it was she needed to cure her son from this place, and hadn¡¯t been sure it would work, resulting in her holding off on that plan and storing the only way to get here for later, in one of her warehouses.

    More and more, he started to get the impression that he was right, then dismissed that train of thought entirely. It didn¡¯t matter if he was right. Viperia was a thing of the past, and no amount of complaining or retrospective analysis was going to get him out of here.

    He was about to latch onto something else to keep his mind occupied, but Gunther broke the silence. ¡°What do you bring to the table, kid?¡± he asked without looking back, tone more probing than casual.

    ¡°I control colors,¡± Finn replied simply, not having to ask for elaboration. ¡°I can make signals, track things, camouflage myself, block out lights, that sort of thing. You?¡±

    ¡°For now, I¡¯m strong. Durable. But it¡¯s good to know you¡¯ve got some tricks. Utility¡¯s nice. Could¡¯ve been handier if this place were actually meant to get lost in. At least then, the way out would¡¯ve been simple.¡± He finally glanced over his shoulder, a faint smirk playing on his lips. ¡°Still, doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve got my way.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s your plan?¡±

    ¡°To show you why I don¡¯t need one.¡±

    With that, they continued on, spending a solid three minutes approaching the next room. Every step sent fire up his nerves, straining his injured body. It was becoming a fight to even stay upright, and while the deterioration had slowed enough for him to survive a few more hours, there was no telling how much longer he was going to be able to stand. With the adrenaline having completely faded, all movements were pure pain. He didn¡¯t even have it in him to scream or grunt, knowing that would only strain his chest. Never mind that it wouldn¡¯t endear him to the other person stranded in this world.

    Trying to cover up his limp, he asked, ¡°How did you end up here?¡±

    ¡°Same as you, I¡¯d wager: not on purpose.¡± And that was it. Gunther¡¯s tone made it clear he wasn¡¯t about to say anything more on the topic.

    They remained quiet for a few more moments before Gunther said, ¡°To save myself a long-winded explanation, I¡¯m going to show you what we¡¯re up against. This is a different kind of opponent. Not human, not primebeast. The kind that you¡¯re not going to encounter anywhere else.¡± He stopped and pushed the next door open. ¡°Go ahead and see for yourself.¡±

    Finn watched with bated breath for all of two seconds. He strode past Gunther to enter the room at a brisk walk¡ªsince he couldn¡¯t run¡ªand looked around. It was a massive space with items that had always been far out of his price range placed around him, ones that wouldn¡¯t take more than a few seconds to reach and grab.

    At that point he was hit by a realization. He couldn¡¯t sense anything stopping him from just grabbing an item that could cure him. That healing tank? The surgery bot? He could survive until he went back and saw everyone again! Mom, Lyra, Jack, everyone¡­

    What had Gunther said about an opponent? He couldn¡¯t see anything. Did that mean they were watching remotely? He blacked out every sensor in his range, which didn¡¯t cover the whole room but should hide him from sight. None of the machinery stopped, stuttered, or otherwise acknowledged his interruption.

    Weird, but he was sure no one else was in the room. None of the machines were making noise. So he took a few loud steps towards the first revitalization pill box he spotted. Wouldn¡¯t cure him on its own, but it would be a start. Nothing out of the ordinary happened as he approached it. No secret lasers, guns, bombs. He walked by unimpeded. Meanwhile, Gunther was watching him curiously.

    His arm extended to grab it, and when it was a finger length away, something happened. A liquid white mass formed out of nowhere and blocked him from reaching it. He almost stumbled back, catching himself at the last moment. It wasn¡¯t more than that. Just the formless blob, preventing his hand from grabbing the pills.

    Retracting his limb was easy. It didn¡¯t try to keep him there. He looked down at his hand for any residue, but there was none. He didn¡¯t know if that was good or bad yet. Unsure whether he should push it, Finn looked back at Gunther, finding the man motioning for him to continue.

    So he pushed, reaching out a hand and doing his best to press as much force into the milky mass as he could.

    He was blown back so fast he couldn¡¯t even register it, coughing on the ground and grunting in pain involuntarily. He couldn¡¯t help it, his body had already reached its limit and he kept asking it to do more. But he needed to get back home. He had people to get back to. He had a goal he needed to achieve. It couldn¡¯t end here.

    With even greater effort than the previous time, he pushed himself up, gritting his teeth and getting his feet under him in an impressively short window, if one took into account the state of his body. Something his opponent didn¡¯t need to do.

    His senses saw the fluid white barrier drip to the cold floor, forming a puddle that grew and grew. More mass kept getting added even when the entire thing was already spent. Drops formed from thin air, he could perceive it clear as day.

    It wasn¡¯t even done. The puddle began to change, contracting and rising into an elongated shape, eventually starting to resemble a humanoid. It rose, solidifying into the form of a monochrome, featureless man. Completely white, and no eyes. But Finn knew he had its attention, prompting him to draw his staff and¡ª

    The top half clattered to the ground, a cacophony in the otherwise silent room. The shape-shifting obstacle had a limb raised parallel to the ground, its hand morphed into a blade. Finn¡¯s hand trembled as he observed the unnaturally clean cut on the remains of what had been a reliable weapon for months. This thing had rendered it useless in an instant. A literal instant. No hyperbole; he hadn¡¯t even seen it move. Like an animation where you saw the image skip from one frame to the next.

    ¡°Not human, not primebeast.¡±

    Ironically, he found that his power was perfectly capable of affecting this thing. Unlike any of the opponents he had ever faced before. He could make it any color of the rainbow, and he did, trying to render it blind, disorient it, whatever was required to break through or bypass it. On the other side was his ticket to survival.

    It was not to be. Because he had met it.

    Finn had met the guardian.

 Chapter 82 - To Hurt

    It came in waves.

    That was the first descriptor that came to mind. There would be a period of emptiness, as if all color was being sucked out of the world, all thoughts and emotions falling down a bottomless pit, leaving her drained for however long she stayed awake. Then something would trigger a memory, some reminder in her environment would set off a flood of the worst anguish imaginable, pain so bad she would cry herself hoarse until she fell asleep.

    But sleep wasn''t better, because she would be there again, back on the field, failing to save the love of her life. It tore her apart every time. There was no way out, no way to forget what happened. What she had and hadn¡¯t done. Her last words to him¡­

    Only, she would open her eyes again, starting the cycle over, feeling as if she''d drowned before another flood would come. Hence, waves.

    Lyra Chen had given up. Things weren¡¯t going to get better, not for her. She was nothing but a husk now, sluggishly trudging through the days. Even getting out of bed would''ve been too much if she didn''t have people actively making sure she left her room.

    The one thing she had left was the voice. Something she could do without, and also something she could not ignore for much longer.

    You''re ending it? Like this? What would Finn think if he saw what you were doing?

    ¡°Don''t you dare say his name,¡± she shot back in a tired, harsh whisper.

    Feet planted firmly on the tiled floor, her grip on the handle tightened, cold steel resting against her wrist as she fought with herself to just push down. She needed to apply more pressure and stop hesitating already. What did she have left?

    Everything, all the things you see around you. They can be moulded by your notes, shaped however you desire, and you want to throw it all away over a mistake you wouldn''t have made if you had let me help from the start?

    The voice wasn''t shy about intruding on her every thought anymore. It had been observing her from the start, and now that she was finally making a decision for herself, something of consequence, it was trying to batter her down by berating her about her failures. She knew she was a failure, which was why this was going to be easy. Two strokes, and she''d be gone after a few minutes.

    I''m not doing this to hurt you.

    It had resorted to lying, so she stretched out her arm and repositioned the knife vertically. A world without Finn was a world without Lyra. When she thought of it like that, nothing seemed more fitting than this.

    I want to be free, with you. I understand your pain. What I''m giving you is a way to express it. If you choose to embrace me, you''ll reach heights you never thought possible before. We can show the world what he meant to you.

    She squeezed her eyes shut, grinding her jaws down so hard she thought her teeth would break. With a grimace, she let out a sound halfway between a groan and a scream.

    I''m here for you.

    Feeling all the strength leave her, she let her arms flop to her sides, exhaling slowly. Tears streamed down her cheeks, not accompanied by sobs this time. She merely stared at herself in the mirror, an utter wreck of a girl. Gaunt cheeks because she couldn''t keep her food down. Sunken, dead eyes. Someone who didn''t want to go on any longer. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and never get up again. But something had called to her.

    ¡°Would I¡­¡± she tried, her words careful. ¡°Would I have done it?¡±

    Without me? You would have. Your conviction is there.

    It was hard to decide how she felt about that. Distant satisfaction at the knowledge that she wasn''t all talk, or disappointment that she couldn''t have been so resolved earlier when it could have made a difference. She eyed the sharpened metal in her hand. The aftershock of realizing how close she''d just come to making such a final decision still wracked her body, leaving her taking shallow breaths while the weight of her future, bleak as it looked, settled on her shoulders. Followed by a realization.

    This¡­ this was the first time she''d deliberately let the suggestions of the voice alter her course of action. For as long as it had talked to her, she had dismissed it as a forbidden part of her, but here she was, talking to it like its opinion had relevance. And now that she had given in once, she was self-aware it would happen again. She''d anticipated that it would be a slippery slope from the start; that wasn''t a new revelation. What shocked her was how¡­ fine she felt about it. Because what else was she going to do? Who did she have left?

    At one point, making things right with her parents had been her primary drive, yet today, that was at best a distant concern. She didn''t know if that made her cold or if she''d just spent too much time away from them. Back when she came here to this district, her mind had been on fixing the people she had broken, and now she didn''t think about them nearly as much as she should. The voice was aware of that, which was why it hadn''t used them to appeal to her when she was at her lowest. That said more about her than anything. All those years, she had wanted them to accept her choices, until today, when she acknowledged the fact that their approval hardly held meaning anymore.

    Aiden had offered to heal them, and she hadn''t accepted, even days later. She was stalling, anybody could see that. The reason for it was that she didn''t want to go back. She couldn''t. After all that time spent looking for a healer, she had gotten what, and it barely registered on her scale of priorities by the time she did.

    Mama deserved to recover, but she couldn''t return to how things used to be. She would call Nar later and arrange for that healing session. After she got out of her bathroom.

    Blinking, her eyes drifted back to her reflection. ¡°What now?¡± she asked, searching mirror-Lyra''s gaze like the voice wore her face.

    Now you shed the old you and move on.

    Shed the old her, huh? That was well within her power to do. Her right hand lifted the knife up to her head, and channeled her power into the handle. Constant vibration, easier to perform when there was a constant sound in the air to sustain it. Or if she provided one herself. In this instance, she just latched onto the ambient noise, making the blade oscillate until it began to blur slightly, a dangerous hum emanating from it.

    Listlessly, she brought the edge down on her hair, separating dyed strands from the natural black that had been growing out. Brown locks fell to the ground with each pass, a few centimeters of hair remaining on her scalp.

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    The result was messy, to be honest. She looked somewhat boyish with her hair so short. She didn''t remember the last time she had it at this length, nor did she care to. Just a few weeks ago, she would''ve been fussing over how it would come across to everyone else, but those thoughts had become unimportant. Beyond checking to see if she had gotten it all, she didn''t have it in her to smile or frown at her haircut. She simply stared for a time before turning and heading for her bedroom.

    Familiar as the movements were, this was the first time since that day that she''d slid the box holding her costume out from underneath the bed.

    Clicking it open, she grabbed the white bird mask painted with red lines. Was she ready to do this again? No, she never would be. But did it matter?

    We have each other, and that''s enough to keep going.

    In the end, Lyra didn''t disagree.

    *******

    In another time, she might have found this trip lonely, isolating, but instead it was making her restless. She was back to roof hopping, out in the open like the old days. No fear of whomever it was that might get the bright idea to target her. She didn''t know why she had always been so afraid before. The worst that could happen was death, which was preferable to being forced to continue breathing.

    That said, it wasn''t the first thing she would resort to. If she died, that made things easier. And if she didn''t, she could keep being a so-called ¡°hero.¡± Whatever that term meant. She didn''t love being out here in the least. It was just the least objectionable action she knew to take.

    More importantly, she knew Finn wouldn''t have approved if he heard what she was thinking. He would be furious, and she loved that about him. All the little things, the precious moments in the short time they''d spent together. Ripped away so soon. It was cruelty of the highest order. For what?

    How was it that she was the one who had to suffer? What need was there to have the one bright spot in her life destroyed? Maybe she was cursed. There didn''t seem to be an alternative explanation.

    She slowed her steps and slowly came to a halt. The hole where her heart used to be spread out, a stabbing pain that didn''t let up. Raising a hand to her chest, she felt her throat constrict before swallowing. He was gone.

    Up ahead.

    No doubt, she would have given into the urge to curl up in a ball if not for the sound she heard to the northwest. The telltale sound of somebody''s hand cocking a gun. And a person pleading. Through the haze, she felt herself jumping in its direction.

    Covering the distance didn''t take too long. A short couple of blocks from here to there. She discovered that the source of the sounds came from an alley. What she saw was¡­ a typical robbery. Mundane in its simplicity, she leaped off the building above and fired a shockwave, sending the armed man sprawling.

    The young woman he''d been threatening took off running the second Lyra touched down. Unsurprising, though she didn''t pay it any more mind than that.

    Casually walking up to the downed robber, she slid the gun under a dumpster with her foot. The guy scrambled upright while she gazed down at him. His clothes were worn and scruffy; like they''d already seen days of use and weren''t washed.

    ¡°No need for this shit,¡± he said, leaning against the wall she''d cornered him to. ¡°I wasn''t gonna shoot that bitch, alright? It was just a scare. Go in, grab the money, get out. Tons of people like me gotta make ends meet ¡®cause their house got turned to fucking ash! Don''t you got somewhere else to be? Better shit to do than catching harmless guys like me.¡±

    When she said nothing, he continued, ¡°¡®sides, aren''t you under capacity?¡±

    Her blood froze.

    The lowlife actually had the gall to smirk. ¡°Yeah I know who you are. Your little fucking glowstick boytoy kicked the bucket and now you costumed fucks''re stretched thin after the big names from Central left us to eat shit. Why not focus on more important stuff?¡±

    Lyra didn''t remember throwing the first punch. She just saw red and the next thing she knew her fist was buried in his gut. His eyes bulged out and he wheezed. He tried to hit me with a haymaker but she sidestepped and countered with another straight in his solar plexus. He doubled over.

    She stood over the pitiful excuse for a man, knowing she could take him in and end the entire altercation here. She didn''t.

    Grabbing him by the collar, she heaved and threw him into the reverberating wall, sending him bouncing off it back to her. Right on time for another hook found his face, flecks of red spattering on the filthy ground. He started to say something, only for her to grab his head and knee him in the nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch.

    The pathetic piece of trash stumbled past her, and she kicked him. He crashed to the ground, yelping in pain.

    Stepping closer, she hovered over him for a moment. Then she stomped on his stomach with moderate force, vibrating her leg to send a shockwave into his entire body. With a shudder, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.

    Doing it again, she brought her foot down and watched him come back to the world of the living. After all, she wouldn''t let him pass on so easily. She wanted it to hurt.

    ¡°P-please¡­¡± he begged, barely getting the word out past the blood filling his mouth. It did nothing to stop Lyra from grabbing his shirt and dragging him just high enough to begin whaling on him.

    Again and again, her fist impacted his face. With each consecutive hit, her glove became redder. Ceaseless, meaty thuds resounded through the alleyway. Some of it even splattered on her mask, a fine match in color. Her eyes widened in anticipation as the criminal''s bruises began to swell and leak. He had stopped making noises of pain a while ago, and she hadn''t noticed.

    Capturing the sound of her last hit made charging her balled-up hand for the killing blow, a shockwave at maximum strength that would crack a skull¡ª

    ¡°CALLIOPE, STOP!¡±

    Lyra stopped.

    Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw a girl in full plate armor save for her lower face which was covered by a veil. She stood with a sword at her side, and Lyra could make out the pursed lips the new arrival had upon seeing her.

    ¡°...Damsel?¡± She tilted her head.

    ¡°This is¡­ No,¡± Damsel said firmly. ¡°Enough. You need to let him go.¡±

    Regarding the knight heroine for a moment more, Lyra glanced down at the guy she was holding up. Blood was everywhere. His clothes, her gloves, dripping down to the pavement. She''d beaten him far beyond the point of recognition. His head was one big swollen clump. He was slumped, wet rattles of breath the only outward indication that he was alive. His heartbeat was perfectly audible, but working hard to keep him from crossing to the other side.

    It wasn''t enough.

    ¡°Does it matter if he lives?¡± she asked in a dull monotone.

    ¡°What do you- Yes! Of course it matters! You are a hero. Don''t throw that away for scum like him. Even if you¡¯re experiencing loss.¡±

    Lyra dropped the worthless bottom feeder and stood up, staggering back as she registered what she had done. She grabbed her head with both hands. ¡°What did you make me do?¡± she demanded from the voice. Finn wouldn''t have let her. He wouldn''t¡­

    You''re becoming free. You aren''t going to stop here, this is just the first step.

    She squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°No, shut up. Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Calliope?¡±

    Her focus snapped back to Damsel, who was watching her warily. Or was that concern? She didn''t know anymore.

    Looking left and right, Lyra took shaky steps back. ¡°I should go. Yeah, I need to go.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Damsel said, reaching out a hand, but she was already out of sight.

    And the moment she escaped the scene, Lyra spoke to empty air the words she should''ve said to Finn back when she had the chance.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

 Chapter 83 - To Bound

    Hostilities didn¡¯t continue. In fact, this new adversary never even seemed to move unprompted. All it did was stand there, facing Finn with eerie stillness.Hostilities didn¡¯t continue. In fact, this new adversary never even seemed to move unprompted. All it did was stand there, facing Finn with eerie stillness.

    On the other end, Finn just stood there watching its every move¡ªof which there were none. Not a twitch, like a porcelain statue staring him down. After a few more breaths, his eyes drifted back to his bisected staff. A weapon he had amassed so many credits for, destroyed in an instant. Rendered useless as if it were nothing more than a plastic kids toy.

    This thing¡­ It was on another level, wasn¡¯t it? Neither Mistral nor Nar had displayed that level of speed. Even Viperia, for all the strength her unbinding granted her, had not managed this. What was, for all intents and purposes, instantaneous movement. He couldn''t do anything, just let the dread settle in his stomach at the question of how this thing had gained its power.

    Perhaps equally disquieting were its origins, given that Gunther had been very particular about this thing''s species. It didn¡¯t fit into the categories he was familiar with, if it had one at all.

    Though there was something.

    Finn could sense its body was made up of a strange material, of sorts. A body composition so out of the ordinary and so far beyond his area of expertise he was left fumbling around in the dark. With his sensory capabilities, that was ridiculous. And yet the truth was right in front of him, clear as day.

    The way it assembled without delay from nothing gave Finn a hint of what its true nature entailed. Small parts making up a greater collective, congregating into a fearsome warrior for the purpose of driving off invaders.

    Each building block was tiny, but had a pattern to it, in turn comprising tinier building blocks. The individual parts were so small Finn couldn¡¯t even identify them with his senses. He¡¯d thought precision had been his selling point, yet he found himself coming up short here. His only option was to guess.

    ¡°This,¡± Gunther said, nodding toward the barrier between him and survival, ¡°is Amalgam. The guard dog of this dimension. Built, trained, and leashed to serve Wanderlust¡¯s whims, even now that he¡¯s rotting.¡±

    He crossed his arms, his dark gaze narrowed and focused. ¡°From what I''ve seen, it¡¯s got two marching orders. One is what you just saw; no one lays a finger on the precious merchandise, ever. Second? It''s programmed to make damn sure we don¡¯t claw our way out of this hole.¡±

    Programmed? Yeah, it had been clear that this Amalgam was made by something else, a robot of sorts. But that wasn¡¯t all there was to it. Based on the context clues he¡¯d been given, he could tell this thing was a group. No, that was too broad of a term. It was more accurate to say it was a colony of microscopic machines.

    Nanomachines, to be exact.

    He¡¯d never considered the possibility, and considering that they were beyond his ability to affect individually, he had no hope of communicating with them. Or maybe this appointed guardian was smart enough to communicate and simply refused to, whether due to sentience or some sort of access code Wanderlust had imparted on it within his lifetime.

    There were just too many unknowns.

    ¡°And you have a plan to steal some of these items?¡± Finn ventured.

    ¡°No,¡± his new ally denied, walking up to Amalgam without a care in the world. ¡°The reason I brought you here was to show you how dangerous it was.¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve told me that on the way,¡± Finn snapped, with more heat in his voice than intended. ¡°Why bother with a demonstration when we were going to have to deal with it anyway? I¡¯m wasting time by standing here.¡± He couldn¡¯t afford to lose more time than he absolutely had to. If his body succumbed to the poison before he got out of here, he was as good as dead.

    ¡°Kid, this was necessary,¡± Gunther rebuked. ¡°No better way to learn than seeing something with your own eyes. Now that you properly appreciate the danger, we can move on to the escape route. Follow me.¡± With that, he turned and left, showing his back to the Unbound-level killer bot as if it were just another Tuesday.

    ¡°You would still have to fight that thing,¡± Finn pointed out. ¡°If we¡¯re going to do that anyway, why not do it back there?¡± They were moving into a side door, Amalgam¡¯s blank visage following them with its ¡°head¡± all the way. Finn kept an eye on it, despite knowing it wouldn¡¯t make a difference if it decided to kill him. Unease was all it brought him, along with the humiliating knowledge that he was once again being allowed to do something by forces far beyond himself.

    ¡°Terrain advantage,¡± Gunther replied succinctly, as though that explained everything. It didn¡¯t sound like he was going to say anything more on the topic. And Finn¡¯s input clearly wasn¡¯t being taken into consideration, so the next best option was to change the subject.

    ¡°How long have you been here?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Couple months, I¡¯d say. Hard to keep track of time sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Where are you finding food?¡± It was something he¡¯d wondered about. How else would this guy have stayed alive? He was fairly certain Unbound still needed to eat.

    ¡°Outside.¡± Gunther sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, this isn¡¯t even going to take a day.¡±

    Finn frowned, immediately skeptical. ¡°You¡¯re saying we can fight that and escape within twenty-four hours? Tell me what you¡¯re leaving out. Unless you¡¯re being delusional.¡±

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    Gunther stopped in his tracks, aura rippling with equal parts surprise and amusement. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m leaving a lot out. Delusional, though? No. You¡¯re just going to have to trust me, Shade¡ªand you¡¯ll hate every second of it.¡±

    Trust him? The concept sounded ridiculous, and yet he found it intuitive all the same. Finn¡¯s instincts were telling him, hilariously, that this person was trustworthy even though he intellectually knew that couldn¡¯t be the case. Not this soon after meeting someone. He¡¯d never felt anything remotely similar to this since¡­ He scowled. Thinking about her would only distract him at this point. He¡¯d already acknowledged the similarities between them.

    Out loud, he said, ¡°What makes me so much more important than everyone before me? You said they all died, but here I am following you to who knows where without the slightest idea of what¡¯s going to happen. How is this going to be any different?¡± He halted his footsteps. ¡°Do you even want to get out?¡±

    The large hallway was totally silent for a few eternal heartbeats, nothing but the sound of his own labored breathing reaching his ears.

    ¡°As a matter of fact, yes. You are not a corpse right now because I pulled you out of that water.¡± Gunther¡¯s chuckle was low, edged with irritation as he stepped closer, his hand gripping Finn¡¯s shoulder just enough to make his presence known. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be different from the others¡ªI am. I¡¯ve seen what this place can do. I¡¯ve gained insight, learned the rules. And this time...¡± His gaze sharpened, a shadow crossing his face. ¡°This time, I won¡¯t fail.¡±

    From here, Finn could look up into the taller man¡¯s onyx eyes and see the resolve in them, the iron-clad certainty that he believed what he was saying. Not a hint of doubt in his aura either. Nothing but raw intensity looked back at him, and he didn¡¯t shy away. He kept his body steady, not allowing himself to be cowed.

    It would have felt natural for him to say he¡¯d faced worse things, but that wasn¡¯t true, and they both knew it. The truth was that Finn had no idea what this person was capable of, and he somehow knew it was far worse than anyone whose power he had witnessed before. He was beginning to believe it, now. This was someone who had come close to reaching the peak.

    One day, he would get there as well.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he eventually spoke, shrugging off the hand and walking further down the massive, eerily clean corridor. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±

    Gunther followed, his footsteps measured, his tone quieter now, yet carrying the same weight as a thunderclap. ¡°Good. First step¡¯s the hardest, Shade. Remember that when you start questioning yourself again.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t respond, focused on the endless corridor stretching before them. The pristine walls gleamed in the dim, sourceless light. There was no sign of wear, no cracks, nothing to suggest age or decay. Just an oppressive, sterile perfection that felt more hostile than inviting. Every few steps, Finn glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting to see Amalgam silently pursuing them. It wasn¡¯t, but the sensation of being watched never left.

    At length, Finn broke the silence. ¡°How much farther?¡±

    ¡°Close enough,¡± Gunther responded, his voice tinged with humor or menace. Or both, he couldn¡¯t quite tell. ¡°Patience.¡±

    Patience was hard to cultivate when you had deadly poison running through your veins, and the few ways you had of slowing it down were unavailable. But he said nothing more, keeping his eyes on the next step. No reason to lose sight of the present.

    He made his way through the facility, Gunther walking a few steps ahead after the next room. It was more convenient, considering his fellow prisoner had been stranded here for much longer and actually knew the way. After some time, though, he began to notice something. In the walls, various mechanisms that would trigger upon receiving specific sensory inputs. They were not harmless.

    ¡°Traps?¡± he observed, hiding how out of breath he was.

    Gunther tilted his head. ¡°You spotted that, did you? I know the way to avoid those, but if you can detect them on your own, that¡¯ll make things easier.¡±

    To demonstrate, Finn called on his power to outline the exact path they needed to take in black and white, using red to indicate the places on the wall and ceiling where the spikes and flamethrowers would come out. Pain lanced through his skull, threatening to break his composure, but he didn¡¯t let any of his discomfort show.

    It got him a nod of acknowledgement. ¡°Handy.¡±

    As such, they made their way through the maze of traps without incident, foreknowledge and local pseudo-omniscience both helping them to avoid any nasty incidents. Although, if Finn had to judge their quality, he would say they fell short of Amalgam by a vast margin. In fact, he would go so far as to say Gunther had no reason to avoid the traps on his own and was doing this purely for Finn¡¯s benefit. If not for that, there would be no need for the black-haired man to carefully maneuver his way around.

    Sometime later, the two of them reached another gargantuan metal door which Gunther pushed open with minimal effort. On the other side, they found a giant chasm. Not deep enough that he couldn¡¯t sense the bottom, but definitely deep and wide enough that he would fall to his death if he tried to jump over. The opposite end of the room was identical to the one they¡¯d entered through, making him wonder what its intended purpose was when this Wanderlust character supposedly made it.

    It was odd. Finn could think of various mechanisms and different layouts that would be orders of magnitude more efficient than what they were seeing. Evidently, nothing of the sort had ever been implemented. Why? It wasn¡¯t as if he was so arrogant that he thought his ideas were entirely unique.

    He dismissed the thought internally. If his journey was going to be made easier for some purpose he didn¡¯t understand, then so be it. He didn¡¯t have enough breaths left in him to ponder it for too long.

    They came to a stop near the edge of the chasm, looking out over the chasm. Finn¡¯s grappling hooks, if they still worked, weren¡¯t long enough to reach the other side in one go, and he wasn¡¯t sure whether he could use his adhesive gloves. They¡¯d been burned to the point he didn¡¯t want to bet his life on them, meaning he saw no reliable means of crossing the room.

    When he opened his mouth to speak, Gunther wrapped an arm around his waist and hoisted him up, aggravating Finn¡¯s injuries, almost making him whimper if not for a quick gritting of his teeth.

    ¡°This one¡¯s no trouble,¡± was all the man said before he sprinted.

    The whiplash rattled Finn, creating black spots in his vision until his carrier leaped. His stomach lurched as they soared through the air with the speed of a commercial airplane, clearing a five-hundred meter gap like it was a small puddle toddlers could jump over.

    Upon landing, it was all he could do not to puke his guts out. Gunther let him down, the motion surprisingly gentle considering his earlier treatment, and gave Finn moments to recover.

    ¡°Come on, get up,¡± his travel companion said. ¡°This was the easy part. Where we¡¯re headed, there¡¯s something far worse waiting for us.¡±

 Chapter 84 - To Degrade

    The clock was ticking.

    All the signs were pointing to it, at least on the physiological level. His heart raced, pumping blood through his failing body at a worrying rate. His arms felt like they were about to fall off. His blood trickled from his nose at the constant power use as they trudged their way through the trap rooms. His legs were beginning to turn to dust.

    That last part wasn¡¯t a metaphor. The musculature in Finn¡¯s thighs was literally starting to decay and lose its consistency, the structural makeup falling apart into flaky red powder. It was too small for the naked eye to see for now, less than a thousandth of the total amount, but it would start to escalate to life-threatening levels and immobilize him if it continued like this.

    Except, he knew it wouldn¡¯t. The only reason it was progressing so slowly in the first place was because of Radi¡¯s stabilizing agent. And even if he wasn¡¯t partially phasing in and out of reality anymore, thus not affecting the formula before it ran its course, he had a few hours left if he was being optimistic.

    Finn would just have to be optimistic, then.

    He clenched his core as a jolt of pain ran through his body with a step up a set of stairs. Body slightly bent forwards, his hand twitched to start nursing it, but he kept it firm at his side the moment he realized what he was about to do. And that wasn''t the only physical ache he wanted to soothe, yet he could not afford to look weak. They were almost there, after all. Just a bit longer, like Gunther said¡­

    Speaking of the other man, Finn observed him get a look of growing anticipation on his face. His aura, similarly, reflected the eagerness he was feeling to get to the end of their journey. Knowing that was impossible to fake, Finn could at least rest assured that Gunther wasn''t going to be wasting time.

    What he did need to be cautious of was the continuous deterioration causing pain so debilitating it was becoming unbearable to keep moving. It had gotten to a point where he was gritting his teeth whenever he braced himself to make another move forward. If he didn''t do that, he was sure he would be screaming at the top of his lungs right now.

    Everything, every part of his body felt like it was being torn apart and replaced with liquid fire. Like needles stinging his skin in each bit of skin, coated in acid. If he''d had to endure this amount of pain a few months ago, he honestly had no idea whether he would''ve been able to do it.

    The worst part wasn''t even that, however. No, the worst of it was how he could observe in gruesome detail the way his internal organs were on the verge of failing. If he wasn''t immobilized soon due to lack of strength in his limbs, he would succumb to this. He could acknowledge that much at least. An admission of his own fading vitality.

    No matter how much he tried to push the thought down, worry rose unbidden in his mind. What if he didn''t make it? What would happen to his friends, what would happen to Mom? He didn''t know how much they knew about that explosion; maybe they knew where he was and simply couldn''t get to him. Or alternatively, they thought he had genuinely died in the explosion.

    For the first time in a long while, Finn found himself begging in his own head. He wasn''t sure what for exactly. A lot of things. For everyone to be safe, for him to be able to make it back in time, for the chance to see them again, for an opportunity to say everything he hadn''t gotten the chance to. The closer he came to death, the more pressing each of these thoughts.

    What did it mean that the pain of that uncertainty, regret, and all other associated emotions was worse than the pain of physically dying. He found himself reminiscing on his journey. If he ever made it back, the first thing he would do was make sure he never took those moments for granted again.

    Then another stab of agony from his striding foot brought him back to reality and he dug his gloved fingers into his palm, centering himself. When did he get so ridiculously sentimental? There was no time for any of that, he had to make it out of here. He hated how uncertain he was beginning to sound, even to himself.

    Just what would it take to ensure that, though? He realized he was more or less following someone else''s lead here, and he had to wonder if that was the best course of action. Of course, he felt like it was too late to back out now; he lacked the energy to start on a new route. Despite that, the nagging itch in the back of his mind told him he was missing something.

    This was the worst situation he could find himself in. Too weak to overcome his predicament with strength, too ignorant to navigate his way through it with knowledge. Which left him with nothing.

    No. He dismissed the thoughts in a sudden bout of clarity. Negativity and complaints weren''t going to help him. Focusing on being one hundred percent efficient was hard when you were hours away from an excruciating death, but he needed to tighten his concentration. Even if he was just walking at the moment. Soon, he would have to do something else, whatever it was.

    He surveyed the area they were in with his senses. The rooms were getting smaller bit by bit. Currently, he had started sensing the sterile spaces almost end to end. That meant every door they stepped through still gave way to a space bigger than a radius of multiple city blocks, yet it was shrinking. Less distance to cover, less time for his body to fail him. Good.

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    ¡°How far?¡± he asked. He hated how impatient it sounded. The question came out before he could stop it. Impulsive behavior, a trait he despised in this scenario.

    Instead of telling him to stay calm or some other vague nonsense, Gunther replied with a succinct, ¡°Thirty more minutes at this pace.¡±

    Finn blinked under his mask, not having expected such a concrete answer. If that was true¡ªand nothing in the aura suggested that it wasn''t¡ªthen he could manage to reach the finish line. Yeah, half an hour was within his ability to complete. Until that moment, he would keep his broken body moving. Step by step.

    Ahead, he scouted more traps, and he flexed his power to indicate the safe path.

    A mistake.

    Blood spurted from his nose, filling his ruined mask with coppery red liquid, seeping into his mouth and making him cough. He doubled over, nearly falling to the ground but managed to hold a hand out to the wall so he could steady himself, peeling the facial covering partially off so he could spit it out. His body protested each movement, from the bending of his arm to the reinforced fabric roughly scraping against his burned skin. He''d barely even realized how bad he looked after the fiery wave of force hit him back home. It didn''t matter. He spat the crimson drops out, along with saliva and a wad of brown phlegm that came from his barely functional lungs.

    ¡°Don''t strain yourself, kid. Stop using your power,¡± Gunther said, the look on his face betraying nothing of his thoughts while Finn blinked away the black spots amidst the worst headache known to man.

    Once he collected himself and stood up straight, he lowered his mask again. He looked at Gunther''s aura and saw not full-blown anxiousness, but definitely a kind of tension. A yellow so pale it was almost mistakable for white. This was his first time seeing it. More practice was required before he could reliably tell what someone was feeling at any given point.

    More concerning was how bad that reaction had been. Throughout their trip, the strain of his power had been noticeable, yes, but nothing to this extent. Nor had he been using it liberally. Sparse usage, only enough to make the walk go by faster.

    He looked inward to see if he was still bleeding, and froze. Many areas were damaged, but one of them stood out. The first time he had tried to sense it manually, he ended up on his knees because the sheer complexity was beyond his ability to comprehend. Now, he could always sense it passively, but it was filtered out, in a sense. In the way your eyes could see your nose time but you didn''t consciously register it all the time. It was always there, within his range, but only now did he fully internalize it. The severity of the damage to his brain, that was.

    It¡­ He wanted to hurl. He told himself he was prepared for anything, and here he was, nerves rushing through him at what he was observing. Viperia''s poison was affecting his brain. He could have slapped himself. Why wouldn''t it? It was circulating in his bloodstream, so it went without saying that his brain wouldn''t stay clear of its destructive influence.

    To be unable to think? That was a step too far. Obviously, since cerebral activity was essential for power use, this was the reason for his sudden failure to affect the colors in the environment. Under normal circumstances, that would be the most distressing part of his situation. Here, it somehow wasn''t. It was his prospective inability to think. If this went on for a little longer, would his mind even be his own anymore?

    With a shudder, he shook himself. He had to think of what he could still do. It would be a while before the damage became noticeable in other ways, it was still light for now, but they had to hurry. He increased his pace, ignoring the fact that his bones felt like they''d been thrown in a woodchipper.

    Strangely, that was when Gunther decided to get chatty. ¡°Most people¡¯d be out cold in your state. You know that?¡±

    Finn didn''t turn to look. ¡°I''m not most people.¡±

    A low chuckle rumbled out of him. ¡°That much is obvious. But I¡¯ve gotta say, it¡¯s not every day you see abilities that leave scars like those.¡± He gestured loosely at Finn¡¯s battered form. ¡°What¡¯s the story there?¡±

    ¡°It''s not important.¡±

    ¡°Poison,¡± Gunther pressed, like he was putting pieces together aloud. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that shot you took earlier, you¡¯d already be a corpse. Makes sense. World¡¯s a nasty place.¡±

    In response, Finn grunted.

    ¡°Come on, kid,¡± Gunther said, his voice laced with sardonic amusement. ¡°What kind of fight leaves you crawling in here like this?¡±

    ¡°...A gang leader.¡±

    Gunther snorted. ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯re giving me? What, was he your local dealer?¡±

    ¡°We were raiding her bases, and later surrounded her. Then she unbound her power,¡± Finn forced out with labored breaths, shrugging to make his attitude seem casual.

    Gunther grinned, his voice dropping a note lower. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking. Keep going. What¡¯d she do to you?¡±

    ¡°Poison me. Decide to explode in my face. The usual, you know how it goes,¡± Finn responded dryly.

    ¡°Ha!¡± the raven-haired juggernaut barked. ¡°Exploded in your face, huh? That¡¯s classic. Nothing like someone willing to burn their own house down to take you with them.¡±

    Finn didn¡¯t reply, just kept trudging onward, eyes straight ahead, breathing uneven.

    Gunther¡¯s tone shifted, the amusement giving way to something weightier, more deliberate. ¡°Let me tell you something, kid. People who fight like that? They¡¯re the real deal. They don¡¯t care about winning pretty or keeping score¡ªthey just care about taking the other guy out. And that kind of person, they¡¯ll make you stronger if you survive. Every time you meet one, it¡¯s like the world¡¯s way of saying, ¡®evolve or die.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve done some evolving of your own,¡± answered Finn.

    ¡°You could say that.¡± A jagged spike in the aura accompanied that statement, bright green in color.

    Though with that, the conversation came to an end, and they resumed their walk, eventually stopping when Gunther held up a hand. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    And so they were.

    In front of the final room.

    They marched on, and the air itself seemed to hold its breath.

 Chapter 85 - To Sever

    Standing in front of the door, clutching a stack of folders in one hand, Lyra took a deep breath before knocking. Her gloved fist banged against the glass, the sound resonating through the house more clearly with the aid of her power. She stepped back, taking her place beside the tall gold costumed jester.

    Nar spared her a glance, the unspoken question hanging in the air. She just shook her head in response, gesturing with a hand for him to take the lead on this. Maybe it was cowardly, maybe it was cold, but she couldn''t bring herself to care.

    Honestly, the fact that she had even managed to drag herself here was almost a miracle. The whole world felt as though it was made up of various shades of gray, dull and bleak sights greeting her wherever she went. It drained her the longer she looked at it. But the voice made sure to keep her restless.

    Sleeping hadn''t been easy, after her recent accident. It was too easy to get in her own head and keep herself up at night. The others were supportive, more than she deserved, yet it didn''t feel like enough to keep going. Sooner or later, she would snap again.

    You know what to do.

    Yes, she did. And she would, once this was finished. She straightened her back at the footsteps approaching the door, watching until an Asian man about her height opened it. He looked downtrodden, like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and didn¡¯t have the strength to bear it. A shell of the man he had been in the past. His gloomy eyes flitted back and forth between herself and Aiden, a frown growing on his face. He didn''t recognize her behind the mask, Lyra noted. She didn''t know how to feel about that.

    He started to close the door, saying, ¡°I don''t want to buy your costume¡ª¡±

    Golden light shone in the doorway, arresting its movement with telekinetic force. ¡°Mr. Chen, will you please spare us a bit of your time? I promise, it''s of the utmost importance and you will be interested.¡±

    The man''s eyes widened, his expression lighting up with awe. ¡°Nar? You are real? ¡­Why me?¡±

    Lyra knew his recognition of Nar was a testament to the older boy''s fame. If he hadn''t known about him before, he certainly would now, what with how much the Junior Ace captain''s approaching move to Central was being talked about in the media.

    ¡°If you''d allow us to come in, we can explain exactly what our intentions are, sir,¡± Aiden replied smoothly.

    Chen Yi-kang, as she knew his name to be, hesitated. He gazed behind him into the house, an unreadable expression on his face, then looked back at them and gave a resolute nod, uttering an accented, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    The golden force dispersed and they stepped through into the hallway. The apartment itself was modest, if she was being generous. It wasn''t too disorderly; there was obvious effort put into keeping it clean, but the whole thing felt cramped, even compared to her own place back in A23G.

    Hard to imagine she had lived here for so long. And to think she had been planning to come back here? It was strange. This place didn''t feel like home anymore.

    Trailing after Aiden, she let her gaze wander to a family photo. A younger Lyra, around eight years of age, stood between her parents in front of a ferris wheel, smiling gap-toothed at the camera with a ball of cotton candy in her hands. One of the happy memories of her childhood.

    It brought a stab of pain with it, piercing her chest as she thought about whom she wanted to share those memories with. A few muted breaths later, she managed to force it down. She needed to handle this first.

    The walk into the living room had barely taken a few seconds. It was a tiny house, after all. She would have been embarrassed showing it to one of Apexia''s richest teenagers if she still had the energy to worry about that kind of thing.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± her father said when they were all seated. He¡¯d been polite enough so far, but there was an unmistakable wariness in his demeanor. She understood, of course. For people like him, having superhumans show up on your doorstep was practically unheard of.

    ¡°Not bothering with the pleasantries? I have to say, that¡¯s refreshing,¡± replied Nar, chuckling. ¡°As for what we want? Well, I will be honest. I can heal your wife.¡±

    He stiffened.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Aiden tilted his head, bells jingling softly. ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t. It¡¯s. No. You can¡¯t. Not possible,¡± he ground out, the words choked by emotion.

    ¡°May we see her, Mr. Chen?¡±

    He muttered something in Mandarin, and she grasped maybe half of his prayers and curses. Then, looking to have aged ten years in the span of ten seconds, he asked, ¡°What is your price?¡±

    ¡°There is no cost, sir. This is all free of charge.¡±

    He visibly wrestled with himself at that, disbelief warring with budding hope. Eventually he settled on his choice. ¡°I will show you. But please, don¡¯t be loud.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I assure you, my friend here is capable of making our entry totally silent, if she wishes.¡±

    They got up, and Lyra took the cue for what it was, noticing the brief glance she got from her father, who had thus far barely paid her any attention. A wave of her hand muted every noise made by them, rendering the few steps to the bedroom soundless.

    When they entered, the room was dark, curtains drawn. On a two-person bed in the middle lay a middle-aged woman. She stared at the ceiling, her gaze unfocused. She didn¡¯t even seem to register their presence. Her father walked up to the woman and took one of her hands, prompting a groan and some unintelligible mumbling from her.

    After some gentle coaxing, he got her to sit up straight. Drool dribbled down her chin, and her head hung forward. It made her dark hair fall limply past her shoulders. She groaned again, blindly fumbling with her other hand for a duvet, pulling it tight over her legs. When she was comfortable, she didn¡¯t make any further moves, apparently content to spare off into space indefinitely.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Lyra¡¯s stomach churned. What had her mother been reduced to?

    Fortunately, Aiden didn¡¯t waste time and stepped forward, one hand lighting up in his signature gold while her father stared at him in askance. A desperate plea that didn¡¯t require any more words. Nar simply nodded and approached.

    From his fingers, a quintet of sparks flew and circled around her mother¡¯s head a few moments, sinking into her forehead and ears. Five suspenseful heartbeats passed, punctuated with a gasp.

    Margaret Chen sat up, back straight, eyes alert, and looked around. She was the picture of confusion as she laid eyes on the two costumed people standing in her room before locking eyes with her husband. Nar stepped back, and the two embraced, whispering hushed assurances to each other. Her father managed to give Aiden one last teary nod of thanks, and then he was too caught up with his wife to pay them any attention.

    ¡°She¡¯s completely healed?¡± Lyra asked as the two stood together on the other at the foot of the bed, observing the reunited pair.

    Aiden nodded. ¡°Certainly. No complications, she¡¯s made a full recovery. No dietary restrictions, either. She can go back to living as normal straightaway.¡±

    She swallowed thickly. ¡°Thank you. I know I can¡¯t repay you for this, but thank you.¡±

    ¡°You do not owe me anything. This is the very least I could do for you, after everything. Don¡¯t press me on this,¡± he said firmly. And she knew he meant it, even though it felt wrong to her. All she did was take and take. She never gave anything back.

    ¡°But,¡± he continued, ¡°I think I will get out of your hair now. I have some more errands to run while this power is still in my rotation.¡±

    His meaning wasn¡¯t lost on her. He was going to heal the other people she hurt on that fateful day. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t have to be there for those. She didn¡¯t know what she would do if she had to face them again.

    And with that, Nar left, leaving Lyra to look at her parents crying in each other¡¯s arms. It was a heartwarming sight, and were this a different time, she would have smiled at it. But she didn¡¯t belong here anymore. This was¡­ not home. Just an old part of her life she had to deal with.

    You can begin when you¡¯re done here.

    Yes, she could. She tried to think of what to say, but it was hard to mentally articulate her feelings. Though she also didn¡¯t want to play it by ear. Sadly, it looked like she didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter, because she couldn¡¯t escape her parents¡¯ notice forever. A somber mood had swept through the room now that the initial excitement had died down enough for them to think about the person they were missing.

    ¡°Can we help you, Ms. Hero?¡± her mother began. ¡°We¡¯re grateful for the healing,¡± she hurriedly added when Lyra said nothing, apparently having been brought up to speed by her husband, ¡°but we¡¯d like a moment for ourselves, if it¡¯s all the same to you?¡±

    Sighing, Calliope reached up to her bird mask and pulled the strap off her short black hair. She was wearing her full outfit, save for the head covering she would normally put on. This felt freer, she found. Liberating in a way she hadn¡¯t thought she needed.

    Lyra slowly lowered the only protection of her identity, baring her face to the people who had brought her into this world. She stuck the mask to her hip.

    ¡°LYRA!¡± they shouted in unison, rushing forward to envelop her in a hug.

    She let their affection wash over her with her arms hanging limply by her sides. They fussed over her, rapid-fire questions pouring out one after the other. Their faces were the picture of joy. It almost made her doubt whether this was the right path, whether she should decide to put down the mask for good.

    Almost.

    Happiness was a thing of the past, for her. All she could do was direct her suffering productively. And that direction was not here.

    ¡°What did you do to your hair?¡± she heard her mother say, her face just a few centimeters away. Their arms grasped her tightly, as if she would disappear if they let go. Unbeknownst to them, she really would.

    ¡°I cut it, Mama,¡± she answered in a tired voice.

    ¡°This whole time. What were you doing?¡± her father queried.

    ¡°Trying to be a hero, Papa. It didn¡¯t work out.¡±

    ¡°You know how long¡ª¡± he cut himself off, exhaling deeply through his nose.

    Her mother tried to pick up the mood, suggesting, ¡°Let¡¯s have tea!¡± She was already out the door making her way towards the kitchen without giving Lyra a chance to respond. Her father followed, keeping her in his field of vision the entire time.

    Left alone for a moment, Lyra stood still, her hand curling into a fist at her side. The house felt unbearably small now, the walls pressing in, and the weight of her parents¡¯ elation was suffocating. She glanced back at the bedroom where the bed her mother had been confined to sat, its sheets rumpled and stained with the marks of long days and restless nights. She forced herself to look away.

    You¡¯ve done what you came here for. Go.

    The thought pounded in her head, louder than anything else, but her feet refused to move. They were rooted to the old, familiar carpet, which smelled faintly of mildew despite her mother¡¯s meticulous cleaning habits. She exhaled shakily, her fingers twitching. ¡°Just a few more minutes,¡± she muttered inaudibly.

    Clinking cups and low murmurs drifted in from the kitchen. She followed it reluctantly, her legs feeling like they were weighed down by lead. Entering the kitchen, she found her parents bustling around in a way that felt almost normal. Her mother poured tea into mismatched mugs while her father set out a plate of crackers and some fruit, evidently cobbled together from what little they had on hand. They acted as if this were any other day, as if their family hadn¡¯t been fractured for months. It was both comforting and painful.

    ¡°Sit down, Lyra. You must be tired.¡± Her mother handed her a steaming cup of tea. She took it, but she didn¡¯t sit. She didn¡¯t trust herself to get comfortable here.

    ¡°No,¡± she said, downing the scalding hot tea in a few gulps. She savored the burn, letting it distract her from the moment. Heedless of her mother¡¯s shocked expression, she tossed the folders she¡¯d been carrying onto the table, in front of Papa.

    He frowned. ¡°What is this?¡±

    She pointed at the papers. ¡°Those are fake identities. They¡¯ll give you a chance to start over after I¡¯m gone.¡±

    Hearing that, her mother¡¯s familiar stern attitude returned. ¡°What do you mean, after you¡¯re gone? Explain yourself now, young lady.¡±

    Lyra scoffed. ¡°Exactly what I said. I don¡¯t need you anymore, so I¡¯m cutting you loose.¡± The resentment she¡¯d once felt had faded, but she was familiar enough with the feeling to draw on it here, to say what needed to be said. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough. You¡¯re nothing to me. I just don¡¯t want you to be a liability when my identity gets exposed. If you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll listen, take the IDs and the money I was gracious enough to give you, and move far away from here.¡±

    They watched her, stunned. In the time they¡¯d known her, she had never acted like this, ever.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even deserve this much,¡± Lyra forged on. ¡°I¡¯ve never been proud to be associated with you. But who knows? Maybe if you play your cards right, you¡¯ll actually end up becoming something more than the failures you are now.¡±

    To finish it off, she gave them a final, condescending smile, looking over the apartment as if disgusted by it, and turned away. ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    She was already out the door when the shouting started.

    A single shockwave-enhanced leap was all it took to get out of sight, and she donned her mask again, letting the tears flow. This was for the best.

    She¡¯d already had her talk with Cyrus, and this was the last thing she had to do prior to leaving. It marked the end of a chapter in her life. She had no goals of her own left, but she knew Finn had never reached his.

    Calliope the hero was dead.

    However, at the end of all this, Omega would be, too.

    That was the debt she would pay, even if everything else fell apart.

 Chapter 86 - To Fight

    The last few steps were both easy and difficult. Relief at finally having reached their destination clashed with physical exhaustion and decay. His feet stumbled to the threshold, shaky steps almost sending him sprawling. He barely recovered by catching himself on the cold, unforgiving metallic door. Waves of pain shot through him, but it was tempered with the knowledge that this was it. The end of this little journey.

    By now, he had grown used to the ridiculous size of the spaces they''d come across. Each previous room was so massive it could fit multiple city blocks inside; they must have been walking for hours, at least. That made this room in particular stand out in how much smaller it was. Not small, but smaller. The key difference was that his sensory range encompassed it entirely from end to end even before he entered.

    That gave him a clear view of what all was inside, and, having seen the interior, he had to admit he was confused. Was his failing brain not noticing something obvious? Because the only thing he could see was a circular platform in the center of the room. Dead center, in fact. The walls themselves curved around it, likewise in a circle. And he couldn''t see a door on the other side either.

    The lack of an exit was the final confirmation Finn got before Gunther spoke up. ¡°Moment of truth,¡± he said, rolling his shoulders. He was going through stretches, limbering up one shoulder with an arm and then the other. Getting ready for heavy physical exertion. But why? This door was smaller and lighter than the ones they''d already gone through. This one should be easy.

    Sure enough, the dimension¡¯s sole other inhabitant pushed against the hard surface, and it gave way, swinging open to reveal the empty room Finn''s power had described to him earlier. So then why get ready for something strenuous? Was Gunther hiding how much effort it took behind a mask of gruff indifference? Was he just reading too much into this? Yeah, that was probably it. They were close to getting out, after all. Just a bit more.

    His eyelids fluttered, threatening to close, but he forced them open. He had to stay awake. This was the finish line. He didn''t have the time to wait for a second chance. Forget about rest. Keep moving forward, don''t look back, he told himself, following the taller man into the room with trembling yet resolute steps.

    They entered. Whatever he had expected to happen, be it something grandiose or unexpected, nothing had come to pass so far. It was still just them, the sound of their footfalls filling the silence.

    Once they came to a stop a few paces away from the platform, Gunther turned and faced him. Except he wasn''t saying anything, merely looking at him with an assessing gaze, like when Finn had first arrived in this place.

    ¡°We''re here,¡± he said.

    ¡°We are.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± he prompted.

    ¡°Preparing for the endgame. Needed some time to recover¡ªthat¡¯s why I didn¡¯t just haul you straight here. Gave me what I needed,¡± Gunther explained.

    Finn needed more than that. ¡°Tell me what you''re planning.¡±

    Gunther scoffed. ¡°Think you¡¯ve got the power to make demands? Or is your soul cracking, lashing out at the world as it falls apart?¡±

    He was tired of these philosophy lessons. ¡°There''s no time for this.¡± If this game was going to continue forever, he might as well try his luck with the crystal in his pocket, even though he could tell it was depleted.

    The older man dipped his head in acknowledgement. ¡°Guess there isn''t.¡±

    More silent heartbeats passed, with Gunther simply staring at the platform. It was round, elevator a few centimeters over the rest of the floor, and lighter in color. Completely white where everything else was gray. The artificial light shone down on his face, making his features seem harsher despite his placid expression.

    ¡°See that?¡± he began, pointing at the platform. ¡°That¡¯s the target. ¡®Cause there was no other way to pull enough of our gracious host¡¯s attention here. Why? Family¡ªkinship, maybe. Amalgam wasn¡¯t the first of its kind.

    ¡°The first success, sure, but Wanderlust had a failed iteration. Less independent, less refined, confined to this one spot. Worse in every way. And somehow still useful, since it provides an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn''t need a plan,¡± Finn challenged, clenching his numb fists. Was this guy going to get this over with or what?

    ¡°I don''t. All I need is timing,¡± said Gunther. ¡°The dimensional boundary between this place and Earth is always blocked, Amalgam sees to that. Given enough time, I could break the block, but why bother? I¡¯ve found a way to make it focus so much of itself here that breaking free gets a whole lot easier. All I have to do¡­¡±

    And then it happened. Gunther changed.

    Not the way a shifter did. He didn''t move his consciousness from one body to another, effectively changing shapes in an instant. No, the clean, faint white scars all over his body grew rougher, thicker. His torso reddened and expanded, tearing out of his shirt with red scales. He grew and grew, past the point where anyone could be called human.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Dark spikes burst from his back. Ivory white claws extended from his monstrous hands each bearing such sharpness they were no doubt capable of ripping through steel. And his face elongated to form a snout, teeth growing to match those of a predator. Two gleaming yellow eyes gazed downward.

    ¡°...is to bring a sacrificial lamb,¡± he growled in a guttural voice, like sandpaper scraping in the air, deep enough to rumble in Finn''s entire body.

    The entire world ground to a screeching halt. Finn''s mind went blank. Every thought he had about conserving energy, keeping himself going, making it back out of here, it all went out the window.

    Because he recognized this monster. How couldn''t he? For years, he had imagined the moment he came face to face with the object of his revenge. Hate flowed through his veins as he recalled his piled up anger, the hurt this piece of garbage had caused. Pain and loss, that void in his heart aching whenever he was reminded it was only him and Mom at the dinner table. The funeral, knowing he could never say goodbye. That feeling of lacking something that he''d had his entire life growing heavier, unresolved burdens weighing down on him with no way to get rid of them. Quiet nights where he couldn''t see a way out and wished he could have Dad back.

    He unleashed it all.

    ¡°OMEGA!!!!¡±

    Miraculously, he still managed to break into a run. His failing body wasn''t going to slow him down. Not for this. He didn''t care what happened to him afterwards, he had to do this no matter what. His arm reared back for a punch.

    Ever since becoming Shade, he had thought that there were various instances in his career where he''d hit that adrenaline peak. The point where his strength spiked to the true limit of his physical capability. He was wrong. This moment here was, with one hundred percent certainty, the furthest he had pushed himself. Never before had he mustered all his might quite like this.

    Finn''s charge elicited no reaction from the three-meter tall, scaled bipedal bear. Omega just stood there, watching his fist make contact.

    The bones in his hand broke from the impact, such power did he channel into the hit.

    Uselessly.

    He might as well have been punching a diamond wall for all the good it did. His nemesis didn''t budge in the slightest.

    Undeterred, Finn continued punching until his arms were ruined, and kept going once he reached that point. A scream erupted from his throat as he saw the world-class murderer refuse to go down. But his assault came to a stop.

    Omega was going to counter. He didn''t know how he knew. The aura simply made it so obvious. Rather than a cloud of emotions, he saw a multicolored outline of that massive right arm swerving into a backhand. He tried to dodge, but he was too slow. Far too slow.

    When it struck him, everything went black. As if for a moment, Finn was no longer in the material realm, exposed to the touch of death. And when he bounced, the world blurred by. Flashes of the wall, ceiling, floor. From what he could register, he skidded across the room before coming to a stop.

    In the middle of the white circle.

    A pure black liquid started to rise from its surface, surrounding him and hovering there. Long enough for Finn to look back up.

    ¡°Goodnight, Summitway,¡± Omega said. ¡°Looks like this one¡¯s a bust too. Maybe the third time''ll be the charm.¡±

    Those were the last words he heard from his enemy while he was trapped in this circle. White liquid surrounded the black, and he realized that it was coalescing the same way Amalgam did back in the other room. It formed a dome around him, preventing his escape.

    With his senses, he spotted Omega''s claws rending the air itself, and that was the only thing he could discern prior to what he had to dub the second most painful experience of his life.

    The black liquid found his skin and sank into his body. He couldn''t do anything to stifle the vocal reactions to the pain, but he didn¡¯t bother. That was the furthest thing from his mind. He needed to obliterate Omega. He attempted to crawl out¡­

    His body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. His movements ceased completely, he didn¡¯t even blink. All his focus turned inward because the black substance was attacking his heart. His other vital organs weren¡¯t spared either. And now that it was inside of him, he noticed that the composition of this strange material was the same as Amalgam, but not. Cruder.

    It didn¡¯t matter though. Now that his power had identified nanomachines once, it could do so again. The problem was that he had no clue what to do about it. He strained his power and got an exploding nose bleed in return as his physical form was ravaged and he lay there helplessly. He imposed his will, commanding his ability to work.

    He suffered a brain hemorrhage, his senses kindly informed him. What was happening? He didn¡¯t get it. Why was he not dead already if the goal of these hellish creations was to kill him? He was no match for any being with real power. If the past few months had taught him anything, it was that.

    Did that mean there was a purpose to this beyond destroying him from the inside out? Blood pooled under his head as he considered the answer. He convulsed, thinking of where to apply his power. None of his tricks seemed to make any difference.

    Except, that wasn¡¯t true.

    He was disrupting the movement patterns of these nanites in larger clusters. What he was lacking was precision. At no point had his power reached a level where he could affect his surroundings on this scale. Atoms, molecules, the building blocks of life itself.

    The answer, then, would have to be an increase in precision? He didn¡¯t think he could manage it. He had to manage it. There was no other option. Whether he estimated his abilities sufficient or not, he would die if he didn¡¯t pull it off.

    In the latter half of the battle against Viperia, he had experienced a boosting power from an external source. One that had let him modulate his power on a new axis of reality altogether. That wasn¡¯t relevant here. The important part was that it had also stretched its basic parameters past what should ordinarily be within his capability.

    He recalled that sensation of becoming more. He remembered the feeling of growth, and grasped it again. Gathering all his mental fortitude, he concentrated, envisioning himself possessing greater control. He tightened his mind¡¯s hold, performing the leaps repeatedly. Every pass, he got closer and closer to that ideal.

    Trapped in an alternate dimension, betrayed, poisoned, wounded, paralyzed, and infested with foreign invaders shredding the foundations of his existence, Finn did not surrender.

    He fought.

 Chapter 87 - To Absorb

    To say the passage of time was impossible to keep track of for him was entirely accurate. He had no idea how long it took for the nanites to deconstruct half his liver, but it felt like an eternity. Though once they did, he managed to push his power to new heights. At long last, his control and precision were at a level he couldn''t have imagined before.

    It wasn''t enough.

    Directing the black substance invading his body? That could be done; he felt the collective¡ªfor that was its true nature¡ªrespond to his probes. The tiny parts moved when he focused his entire being on willing signals into them, redefining their set course by flashing a bunch of different things until they responded to something. And they did. It simply wouldn''t stick. Whenever he got a portion of them to stay away from his vital organs, they would come back a moment later.

    He needed to narrow the color focus down even more. The shades of his metaphysical grasp reached out to the myriad of miniscule, meticulously crafted machines. Still too many. His power just encompassed multiple nanites simultaneously despite his intent due to a lack of finesse. While he could sense them, as long as he wasn''t able to separate them manually one by one, it was pointless. They spurred each other into action, somehow. Driven by some artificial instinct that told them to take him apart, slowly and painfully.

    There wasn''t time to dwell on it any more than that. Either he succeeded at evolving his ability or he died. And with each failed attempt, the latter started to seem more likely. He started getting desperate, aware of the blood rising from his windpipe into his mouth. He hadn¡¯t taken a breath in who knew how long. His lungs were incurring increasing amounts of damage after every attack.

    They were inexorable, these things. Soon enough it became a rhythm of sorts. He couldn''t keep up the defense, because with each wave, his body got closer to death. He''d managed to keep them out of his brain, but that was hardly an advantage when the poison inside him was working its way through there!

    His vision was going dark, black spots encroaching on the view of his broken visor. Good thing he wasn¡¯t relying on his eyes in the first place. It was a distraction in every sense, but the indicator of his plummeting oxygen levels forced him to do something. He couldn¡¯t win without more air but he couldn¡¯t move or breathe.

    When the nanites launched their offense this time, he let them, putting all his focus on baiting them towards a nerve cluster in his chest to cause as much pain as possible. And his plan was successful: he coughed.

    Blood splattered against the inside of his mask, dribbling all over his face, but he paid it no mind. He drew a rattling breath that sucked in as much crimson liquid as it did air, but he suppressed the urge to cough again so as not to break his focus. It was a small reprieve, yet also the extra window he needed.

    Doing it all in one go wasn¡¯t possible, he had found. The discrepancy between where his power was and what he required from it was stark, a gap that couldn''t be bridged with a single push. He needed to hone his chromatic touch, an endeavor which would take multiple passes to get right and consolidate his willpower in bursts.

    So he started. He concentrated on pressing his power together as hard as possible, and then some. Beyond maximal strength. Smaller and smaller it went, until it stopped. That was the sign.

    Pause.

    Regather.

    Continue.

    The new method made progress, and he was close to the finish line. He had far surpassed the scale of a regular microscope by now. He was getting there. He could do this.

    Then the venom kicked in and his mind became hazy, lacking the clarity he had managed to scrounge together in this desperate life-or-death battle.

    His hold slipped. Oxygen ran low. He was so tired. Every part of him had been pushed past its limits, screaming for him to give up, the agony reaching a crescendo he couldn''t scream along with. Rest was what his body pleaded for. It was all shutting down, finite energy expended. If he could just rest¡­ for a little¡­

    But he couldn¡¯t afford to die here.

    His eyes shot open.

    From outside his body, outside the physical realm, colorful roads surged into his mind, carrying with them memories. Ones he should not have remembered with such vivid accuracy, but did. The contents of said memories weren''t in chronological order, but they helped wake him up to reality. They reminded him who he was. That, in the end, was the most important thing.

    Finn took the decisive plunge into himself. Distracting thoughts weren''t so much discarded as they were never there in the first place. He wound his power around the nanites ravaging his body and, ignoring the strain, ignoring the suffering he wrought upon himself, compressed it.

    The agony was worse than inhabiting a body that was on the very edge of breaking. It drowned out everything else. But he just kept going. The exhaustion of all his battles fought before this, all the foreign elements pumped into him, he fought it and kept climbing, until he reached the peak. Blinding pain seared his mind, exponentially worse the closer he got.

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    And suddenly, he had it. The nanites stopped attacking him in unison, the billions or trillions of them halted by his power down to the last unit, not a single one missed. The exact number didn''t concern him at the moment, he just let his power make this all happen. Upon achieving control, it all went smoothly. None of the internal shredding continued.

    At which point he found that he had no clue what to do. His body was still about to die, and even if the havoc these new intruders had wreaked on his organs didn''t kill him, the poison would. A mental tug later, he found he could give instructions to the nanomachines to travel in certain directions.

    He flushed with relief, despite knowing it wasn''t over. He tried to sigh, and gurgled a bunch of blood as a result. He coughed a third time and breathed. The hardest part was behind him. Now he only had to figure out how to go about stabilizing himself and getting rid of the poison in some way.

    The reason his power worked on the nanites was because his power could affect their internal mechanism, and also due to his limited ability to influence energy with his colors.

    How that was going to save him, he couldn''t say. He was too tired to think up a million different instructions even if he could do that. More specifically, his color manipulation was too tiring. At best, he had a few more uses left in him. Anything complex would, at the very least, put him under. And if that happened it was over.

    With that in mind, he distributed the clusters of impromptu helpers to different parts of him. Mainly his limbs and ruined innards, to help fix them. Then he took a detailed depiction of his physique at its most healthy, drawn from perfect recollection down to the cells, and spread the message. He predicted he would have to steer the process a bit, perhaps test the limits of what the nanites were capable of. He was wrong.

    The instant the picture of what he wanted manifested inside the unfathomable inventions, the whole colony spurred into action. Nothing went to waste. Parts he thought would be lost for good got broken down and converted into new, healthy tissue, bones, nerves or whatever he needed to fix what had been destroyed.

    When his broken hand recovered enough to move, he pulled up the bottom half of his mask and hacked up all the red mucus. That done, he inhaled. His heart, liver, colons and lungs were patched up in kind, even his brain was healed. He had been warily protecting it but realized it was going to get worse if left unattended. The feeling of his thoughts speeding up was discomforting, as it came with the knowledge of how compromised he had been before. Nevertheless, it was miraculous.

    ¡­Despite their excellent work, however, the machines could not create matter ex nihilo. Some things had to be sacrificed in order for him to be restored to the best possible condition with the amount of blood loss he had experienced. So he lost weight. He hadn¡¯t had much if any fat to sacrifice, so he chose to lose a bit of muscle mass. He could at least dictate what he lost.

    Though that didn''t mean the poison was gone. It was still circulating in his bloodstream, simply having been out-healed until now. He didn''t even have to break it down by himself, the nanites coming into action to help with it once they had obeyed his command.

    Black motes of decay resisted their efforts to remove them, but he reinforced them with his power. He didn''t know how it helped, though that wasn''t relevant right now. It did, so he would be fine. Before he knew it, he wasn''t in immediate danger of dying anymore.

    Unbelievable as it was, that damn venom was fully neutralized. It wasn''t an issue anymore. Its exotic properties had been no match for the combined might of Finn and his new companions. Assistants? Friends? He could come up with a better name for it later.

    Later¡­

    There was actually a later. He''d done it. His weakened but whole arms tore the mask and visor off. He threw them to the side and rolled over.

    Here he was on his back, staring at the ceiling. Abandoned in an alternate dimension. Omega was long gone. Amalgam had retreated. It was just him. He was alone.

    He laughed hysterically.

    Completely and utterly spent from the endless mission, having ridden a roller coaster of emotions so intense he hadn''t even come to terms with it yet, Finn''s laugh turned into a sob. It was over. Finally, it was over.

    From the start of his journey until now, he''d bottled it all up. Every setback, the frustration and hurt, the lowest points, the trauma, he had suppressed it all, telling himself he would deal with it after his confrontation with Dad''s murderer. Because that was how he''d be different.

    It all erupted in his quietest moment. With no one here to bother him, he could admit to himself what a failure he had been. To everyone. It was a sobering realization, a simmering background thought he''d carried for as long as he could remember being pulled to the forefront, glaring in how obvious it was.

    This journey he had embarked on, from start to finish, was immature. He had crossed his arms and refused to engage in life after Dad was gone like a petulant child, waiting for a power to show up. And when he''d metaphorically flipped the table in frustration, he''d gotten one.

    He didn''t deserve it, he had never done anything to deserve how far he had even gotten, regardless of whether he ultimately reached his goal or not. The reason for that was other people. Practically everything he had accomplished, he had achieved with help.

    Finn was nothing but a blip on the scale. His action had accomplished so little, and the reason he had ended up here was that he was reckless. A careless loser. That described him pretty well.

    With his own vendetta and boiling rage to fuel him, he had cultivated a life that was unsustainable, no matter how he looked at it. Did that mean he would stop going after Gunther? After Omega? Of course not.

    Obviously he was at fault. He was the person who let that monster back into the world. Any death caused by that psycho bear was on him. Plain and simple. If there were already people dead because of him¡­

    He shook his head. Damp, matted hair whipped against fresh pinkish skin. Rising shakily from the pool of red, Finn put his hands on his thighs and rose to his feet, flecks of blood dripping off of him. His eyes drifted towards the spot where he had last seen his father''s killer.

    This wasn''t about revenge anymore.

    This was about responsibility.

 Chapter 88 - To Reconstitute

    In spite of his soul-deep mental exhaustion, the first stumbling steps were incomparably easier than before, if a bit out of balance. He was skinnier, and he had at best been lean to begin with, so his current build was slight, to say the least. And yet, he found himself drawing more strength out of his muscles than he had at any point during the past day, relatively speaking.

    He still felt rattled from that earlier confrontation, and the subsequent war he¡¯d waged on the prototype colony. Weariness hung over him like a heavy cloak, contrasting his physical fitness with an undercurrent of sheer tiredness that he found to be quite disorienting. Sleep could come later, when he¡¯d gotten his bearings. But could he continue like this? He would prefer it if he was able to clear his head.

    The tiny army of robotic marvels responded. They swam around in his head and released a wave of energy at multiple parts of his brain, and suddenly he felt clarity return in force. His eyes widened in time how alert he was feeling out of nowhere. What was that?

    He didn¡¯t know. And the fact that he didn¡¯t know was what unsettled him. These things had just responded to his intent without any conscious input from him. Truth be told, he had no idea how to handle that. He was only now coming off the adrenaline rush of confronting Omega and fighting for his life back to back.

    His eyes drifted to his filth-soaked costume, the last relic of the old Shade, and he began to think. Hadn¡¯t he discovered something spectacular here? Even if it was entirely by accident, there was no reason not to make use of this new tool at his disposal, was there?

    ¡°How far can I go now¡­¡± he mumbled out loud, surprised at the crisp sound of his own voice. He didn¡¯t sound at all tired or hoarse like he¡¯d expected he would. On the contrary, his vocal cords produced clear notes, very much his own voice but more refined. If he¡¯d had an example to compare it to, he would¡¯ve used it, but he didn¡¯t think there was any precedent for this. Had the nanites healed more than he¡¯d been aware of?

    Multicolored bridges formed in his mind, carrying more thoughts with them once again. Memories of what had happened during that desperate bid for his own life. He blinked. His power was supplying him with memories of what had happened earlier, lacking not a single detail. This was effectively a version of perfect recall.

    And the memories informed him of exactly what had been done to his vocal cords. It had simply taken the image of his own body, which he had also drawn out of his power¡¯s memory storage without being aware of it, and restored it back to that state, except it had foregone the imperfections. Now that his senses could clearly compare the image he¡¯d imparted and the result he got, he could see the deviation of what he asked the nanites to do versus what they ended up doing.

    Due to the nature of his power, he didn¡¯t need a mirror to see what he looked like. Dried blood aside, his skin now had a complete lack of birthmarks, scars, or night imperceptible differences in pigmentation. Bone structure, also, had been rid of the smallest flaws that could hamper him in any possible way.

    As a matter of fact, even the lengths of his limbs weren¡¯t the same. He had been made thoroughly aware by his senses of people¡¯s internal bone structure, and therefore he likewise knew that one leg was almost always shorter than the other, no matter how small the disparity. With the current him, though, that was not the case. His limbs, where necessary, had been reconstructed down to the atom.

    So too were his fingers and toes remade, lengthened until they were precisely even. It was an odd sensation, though it explained how he¡¯d lost a noticeable amount of muscle mass. This explained both that and his skewed sense of balance. Much like his improved senses. Be it vision, hearing or touch, everything was better.

    Finn pressed his lips into a flat line, pushing away his budding sense of awe. He knew it wasn¡¯t just blood loss. That was just the only thing he¡¯d paid attention to. Which was ridiculous, because he had been directing uncountable nanomachines at once. Or rather, his power had. Yeah, that sounded more accurate. But couldn¡¯t he lean on that for his senses as well? Maintain multiple threads of thought for the sake of keeping track of various targets in his sphere of influence? It sounded convenient.

    Thoughts for later, he supposed. He had to focus on what was in front of him. Or inside him, whatever. Either way, he needed to bring his attention to what was important. He had these machines in his body. Nanomachines, but still machines nonetheless. He remembered discussing with Jack and Aiden the possibility of specializing in machine operation using his power, but he was quite sure they had all imagined something of a larger scale than himself, not something so inconceivably small. Ironic as it was, he had a feeling it would help him more than any giant military tank ever would.

    What he had to do was go through a mental checklist to make sure he wasn¡¯t missing anything and could take action as soon as possible.

    Was he stable? Yes. Radi¡¯s formula had been expunged from his body alongside Viperia¡¯s poison, if it hadn¡¯t been worked out of his system already by that point. And he was no longer dying from any particular condition in the short-term.

    Could he move? Another yes. While his balance was still wonky from unexpectedly gaining a body of perfect proportions, he should be able to manage regardless of the odd feeling it gave him. Thankfully his facial alterations were only skin-deep.

    Did he have a way of leaving Wanderlust¡¯s dimension? No. A flash of panic washed over him. He honestly didn¡¯t have a clue where to begin approaching that particular issue. The crystal in his pocket still wasn¡¯t anywhere close to being fully ¡°charged.¡± If he was going to get back to everyone, wasn¡¯t that the biggest obstacle standing in his way? He had a duty to fulfill, he owed it to all the people Omega might hurt in the future to make it back posthaste.

    Was there a way of exiting this room that he could think of? Again, no. The door was too heavy for him to push or pull it open. Even if he became twice as strong, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it.

    On the bright side, he didn¡¯t think Omega would be fighting anytime soon. If the state of that monster¡¯s human form after his previous failed escape attempt and fight against Amalgam was anything to go off of, Finn was willing to bet that it would take time before Apexia saw that living nightmare roaming its streets again. More than likely, Omega would be taking time to recover.

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    Amalgam was stronger, after all. No other explanation, Finn thought. It would make no sense for Omega to wait to confront Amalgam at a fraction of its original strength if he had the ability to handle it at full. Which meant that there was time to figure out what to do.

    Strangely, he didn¡¯t feel any form of despair at being stuck here. He just¡­ accepted that he needed to think of other options and thus turned to the newest and most versatile weapon in his arsenal.

    At a mental prod from him, the nanites stirred. He waited and observed them before giving any specific commands. Controlling them was still new to him; there wasn¡¯t a manual that would just appear from nothing and guide him in their use. He didn¡¯t think there was, anyway. And neither was there a mentor specialized in the use of these creations.

    Was there?

    Straining power somewhat¡ªit became noticeably less strenuous to use following his transformation¡ªhe willed the color signals to prompt the nanites to carry out a command: communicate. It wasn¡¯t exact or well-directed, he just wanted to see what they did and whether they understood his various ways of trying to convey his desires.

    To his utter shock, they exhibited signals that made it past his miniature color fields that he used to control them, energy signatures that he didn¡¯t have a hope of reading. And they made it out of his body, seemingly meeting open air and dissipating into nothingness.

    He waited.

    At first there was silence.

    Then, it hit him like a burst of static. A reply.

    ??¡ø¨€¨€¨€???¨ˆ: 5F-RR:?¡úERR¡ú~~~

    It wasn''t a voice. It wasn¡¯t even sound, really. It was something his mind registered as data¡ªraw, incomprehensible, and overwhelming. Finn¡¯s head throbbed as he strained to parse it. A code? A signal? Whatever it was, it felt impossibly vast, as if it was something meant for a machine far greater than he was. Or a collective, maybe.

    Like the one he was harboring.

    HIs eyes widened at the implications. That message¡­ was it from Amalgam? But he didn¡¯t know how to decipher it. The vast complexity of it boggled his mind. Even if he were given a week to decrypt every aspect of the message, he didn¡¯t think he could do it. It would take months. At least. Did he have that much time?

    He watched his restored fists clench. He couldn¡¯t afford to panic right now. One thing at a time. So, the message. Was it actually from Amalgam? Process of elimination told him that it was. There was no other intelligent being that could communicate with him or his nanites at that level in this place.

    That meant he could communicate with Amalgam, if he managed to understand that underlying code and form messages with it himself. That could potentially get him out of there, if reprogramming Amalgam was a possibility. Or convincing it to let him leave. It certainly beat the alternative of engaging it in combat. He wasn¡¯t going to defeat it in a straight fight.

    At that moment, his stomach rumbled. He still needed sustenance? It shouldn¡¯t have caught him off-guard. He¡¯d just expected something to be different. But either way, that required him to leave this room even earlier. He couldn¡¯t stay here without food or water for months deciphering that encrypted message.

    Assuming Omega hadn¡¯t been lying, and that was a big assumption, there would be food and water ¡°outside.¡± Wherever this outside was, he couldn¡¯t sense it. The facility he was in was so gargantuan that it had individual rooms that the entirety of his range couldn¡¯t encompass, let alone the whole building.

    Stretching his arms and shoulders, he made his way over to the door, noticing how there was no reaction to him walking away from the circle. No sudden mass of white interrupting him or stopping him from leaving. Good.

    He unlatched one of his grappling hooks, what was left of it, from his side. It had taken too much damage for him to be able to shoot it the normal way. Instead, he manually grabbed the hook and pulled it out, unspooling it out of the palm-sized disc it was stored in.

    Stepping up to the door, he attached the semi-adhesive hook to it, and pulled it off. It came loose without resistance, causing him to frown. This thing was really broken. He tried the other one and got similar results. Shaking his head, he tossed both of them away and concentrated on the nanites.

    Combined, the machines made up some sort of collective intelligence, didn¡¯t they? A rudimentary one. Like Amalgam, but in an earlier stage, maybe? And with a host. Did that mean they could eventually become that strong?

    Could they make him strong enough to kill Omega?

    If the answer was ever going to be yes, they had better get him past this door. He pulled on the handle, but there was no give, no matter how much effort he exerted. Standing back, he decided to try something else.

    In order to move the giant hunk of metal standing before him, he needed more force than his muscles could possibly generate on their own. What, then, could give him more force? Energy. He needed more energy. And that was what he set the colony to do.

    Obviously, he couldn¡¯t draw too much from inside his body, since he needed it to live, but since the nanites could send energy outside his body, was the reverse not true as well? He should have no problem drawing it in. All he needed was the specific type of energy to absorb, as energy was basically everywhere he looked. He decided on light.

    Lo and behold, when he specified the type of energy he wanted and translated it into a proper command, the nanites went to work and absorbed light around him through his skin. It was slow, and no matter how hard he tried, it seemed that they could not leave his body under any circumstance. To speed up the process, he peeled off the top half of his costume and turned his skin vantablack.

    When they had collected it, he noticed they were converting it into heat without prompting, so he stopped them. He needed kinetic force, and reinforcement of his musculoskeletal structure. A temporary gathering of nanites that would make sure he didn¡¯t break himself trying to hit a ridiculously durable surface.

    At his signal, the nanites held the internal structure of his arm together while he gathered all the converted kinetic energy in his fist. He bent his knees, reared his arm back, twisted his hips, and punched.

    A thunderous bang rang echoed through the empty space. Out of breath, Finn straightened and surveyed his handiwork. The metallic door was now bent inwards with a fist-sized imprint at the epicenter, proof that he had reached a level beyond anything he¡¯d ever achieved.

    Finn grinned. It wasn¡¯t a nice, happy grin. But it was real and vicious, baring his bloodied teeth.

    He had real potential, and when the time came, he would emerge from this place as someone better.

    For the first time in years, Finn felt like he wasn¡¯t just surviving¡ªhe was becoming.

 Chapter 89 - To Gauge

    Rapid footfalls of his boots echoed off the walls of the vast, empty space around him. The rooms were getting bigger again as he backtracked to the starting point; after destroying that first door, getting past the others had just been a matter of focusing his power properly. He knew what to do now and there was enough energy to absorb that he was confident that he would be able to get out of this facility.

    At least, if he could find out where the exit was. He still hadn¡¯t actually sensed the outside world here, he merely assumed there was one because that made sense in his head. Such preconceptions were dangerous, though. He shouldn¡¯t take too many things for granted in a power-created pocket dimension, however this place worked.

    Wind blew against his bare torso, cool and soothing after the intensive physical exercise. Powering up his punches with kinetic energy was becoming more of a natural process, though he was still far from using it in active combat. At the moment, it was just a tool to break out of this place and find himself something to eat, because he was starving.

    That came with the territory, he supposed. After all, he''d had to use other parts of himself to heal his injuries once his nonexistent fat reserves were gone. He needed to replenish those resources with proper nourishment.

    Additionally, he felt his mouth had dried out as well. Hydration was a bigger priority than ever, so he''d have to find a source of water first and foremost. If push came to shove, he could think of a few ways to potentially extend the amount of time he could live without, but he wasn¡¯t going to put that to the test if it wasn''t necessary.

    Seeing another massive door coming up, Finn didn''t stop running and reared his hand back again. His nanites went into formation, reinforcing the parts of his body he needed and gathering the accumulated energy into his fist. With each repetition, he found the optimal distribution more quickly. His fist clenched and shot forward into the barrier standing between him and the next step towards freedom.

    A cacophonous crash reverberated off the crumpled metallic surface, a sizable dent formed from the impact. But it wasn''t enough to just break through it in one hit. Far from it. He needed multiple hits at full power for that, at minimum.

    It didn''t help that the doors had gone up in size as he backtracked to the other side of the facility. Fortunately, unlike the rooms themselves, the doors had a maximum size after a point that they didn''t go over. That saved him from having to find another way to get past them.

    The hinges also made it so the doors opened towards him, meaning he had to pull rather than push to get them open. At least, if he wanted them to remain intact. Good thing he didn''t care about that in the slightest. By now, he wasn''t even wasting time on breaking the whole thing down, instead punching a hole large enough for him to jump or crawl through whenever he could.

    Omega had made it look like a breeze, shoving these things open while not even so much as touching his transformation. Just showing off his ungodly strength with nothing but his human form. Finn hated it, in retrospect.

    Hopping into the opening he''d made, he got to the next room. It was a familiar one, like the rest. But this one in particular had given him trouble before; it was the room with the giant chasm he hadn¡¯t been able to cross unaided. Now, on the other hand, he felt he would be able to manage it just fine.

    Over the course of his studies for his power, he had become quite familiar with the mechanics of electromagnetic forces. Out of all the fundamental forces, that was where he had focused the vast majority of his attention. While he couldn''t claim his understanding was complete, he possessed sufficient knowledge to see how inaccessible the other three were for the current him. Weak and strong interaction were right out. Comprehension aside, he just couldn''t get the nanites to do anything in that direction. Gravity was similarly out of reach. A problem of mass, simple but not solvable. He wasn¡¯t suddenly going to be able to alter the curvature of space or increase and decrease his mass in an instant.

    Which left him with electromagnetism. When he had started out as Shade, it had been a crucial topic since he needed to know how visible light¡ªelectromagnetic radiation with certain wavelengths¡ªworked. Not to mention its usefulness in understanding his gadgets. He had made liberal use of the electro modulation glove, and of course knowing how electricity would interact with a possible target was paramount. Here in this alternate dimension with evolved capabilities at his disposal, he could delve into another aspect of it. Namely, electromagnetic fields.

    With his improved senses, he could discern that the odd, metallic substance everything around him seemed to be made of, was ferromagnetic. Though he couldn''t tell exactly what material it was. Probably because it wasn''t supposed to exist. In all likelihood, the entire building was made from something Wanderlust had synthesized himself.

    Either way, what mattered was that he could influence it with an application of his nanites. He recalled the memories of his grappling hook that was, in reality, not an actual hook. In terms of shape, it didn¡¯t have a point to dig into any surface it touched. Rather, it was a long, robust cord tipped with a small black cone that stuck to solids it made contact with by applying a mixture of adhesive and magnetic technology.

    For Finn''s purposes, he was focused on the latter. All he needed was to manipulate the fields in such a way that he stuck to the wall by means of the nanites inside his hands.

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    Kicking off his boots, Finn extended his hands toward the nearest wall, concentrating on the nanites embedded in his palms and fingers. He envisioned the electromagnetic interactions he needed to create¡ªa controlled attraction between the metallic surface and his own body.

    To achieve this, he utilized the same energy conversion feature he used for his enhanced punches in a different way. Foregoing kinetic energy this time, he mentally directed the nanites to generate a localized magnetic field in his hands. The machines obeyed without delay, aligning their internal charge distributions in response to his will. A faint, invisible force pulsed outward as the nanites induced a negative charge in his skin while manipulating the material of the wall to carry a corresponding positive charge. Opposites attracted. The moment his palms touched the surface, they stuck firmly, as if fastened by an unbreakable bond.

    Testing the adhesion, he applied force in different directions, pressing forward, pulling back, and shifting his weight slightly from side to side. The connection held firm¡ªstrong enough to support his weight but not so rigid that he couldn¡¯t release his grip when necessary. He took a deep breath and leaned into the wall, preparing for the next step.

    His bare feet followed suit. The nanites in his soles adjusted, replicating the same process at a lower intensity to avoid impeding movement. By carefully balancing the strength of the attraction in his hands and feet, he ensured that he could climb without getting locked in place.

    Finn bent his knees and lifted himself, reaching upward with one hand. His muscles tensed as he transferred his weight to his opposite limb, feeling the microscopic forces at work. With each movement, the nanites subtly recalibrated their output, adjusting the electromagnetic pull in response to shifts in balance and center of gravity. This ensured he never lost grip when repositioning.

    Halfway across, he encountered a slight irregularity in the metallic surface¡ªa protrusion that jutted outward. Instead of attempting to navigate around it, he tested a different function. By reversing the polarity in his right hand, he generated a repelling force rather than an attraction. His palm hovered just above the obstruction, the invisible pressure pushing against the metal like two magnets resisting each other.

    The counterforce allowed him to leverage his momentum, giving him an additional point of stability without direct contact. Finn smirked. That was useful. He logged the method in his mental toolkit before shifting the charge back to its adhesive configuration and continuing forward.

    As he neared the opposite ledge, he prepared for the final maneuver. Wanting to test something out, he gathered energy into his legs while using the nanites in his feet to briefly increase their repelling force. The sudden magnetic push launched him upward. At the same time, he redirected the polarity in his hands to create an attraction to the far ledge, pulling himself toward it in midair.

    His fingers caught the edge with perfect precision. With one last heave, he vaulted over and landed on solid ground, breathing heavily but exhilarated.

    This was control. This was power.

    Finn rolled his shoulders, taking a moment to bask in the satisfaction of having not just crossed the chasm, but mastered the technique that allowed him to do so.

    The possibilities were expanding. And Shade was just getting started.

    Without looking back, he advanced towards the door and broke through as he had done with all the others, the process beginning to feel routine. Getting to his feet on the other side, he got up and sprinted. The sudden lack of footwear made the cold, hard floor more noticeable, but that was fine. He wasn¡¯t planning to sleep here anyway.

    At the end of the hallway, he took a turn: the first divergence from the route he had taken with his sworn enemy. He could hardly follow the same path all the way back. That would lead him to a dead end, as he had already seen.

    With this, he was in uncharted territory, striking out on his own to find a way out of this mess. He had to get back to Mom and Lyra and Jack and everyone. But¡­

    Not as he was.

    They didn''t need the old, childish, weak Finn to come back to them. In a way, they truly had witnessed his death. When he returned, it would be as someone reliable.

    He needed a goal, something concrete beyond getting strong enough to fight Omega. That would be especially nebulous because Omega was a moving goalposts, notorious for mysteriously growing stronger every time he appeared. Finn had no plans of letting that deter him, he just wanted something tangible that he could reach.

    Thinking back to the battle against Viperia, he decided to use Mistral as his first milestone. He would have to be stronger than that, on a level where he could start fighting against Unbound and not die in three seconds.

    In order to climb his way up to that stage, honing his connections with the nanite colony took priority. He would be working on that and deciphering Amalgam''s code simultaneously throughout his stay. In no world would he accept anything less.

    Three sequences of dodged traps later, he happened upon another room. This one was filled with giant metallic beams, scattered from one end to another, some standing and others laying on the ground. The whole thing looked like one of those modern art pieces. But that wasn''t what drew Finn''s gaze. His eyes were fixed on the far wall as he ran in its direction.

    Though it likely hadn''t been more than a day since he last saw the outside, it felt like an eternity had passed in the meantime. Finally, he was able to see a way out of the facility. There was no doorway, but he didn''t need one. He just vigorously whaled on the featureless maybe-metal until it gave.

    All in all, with it being so much thicker than a door, and his arms having to recover each time, coupled with the fatigue, it must have taken over an hour. And then he saw the sky and ground.

    The radiant blue sun sat high and proud in the air, gracing the transparent blades of grass on the endless plains with its light. A gargantuan white and gray bastion stood in the middle of the land, firm and unmoving as Finn poked his head out of it. Looking down, he saw that he was multiple stories up, nowhere near the point where he could jump down and survive, but he could climb down now. No need to go back and find an exit.

    As he looked over the foreign world, Finn took in the vast expanse until he sighted what seemed like a small settlement, little more than tiny dots in the distance.

    He made his way over there, knowing he had a lot of training ahead of him.

 Chapter 90 - To Honor

    The arm servos whined almost imperceptibly from the strain of lifting such a heavy object, but he managed it. ¡°Here you go, ma''am.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! I don''t know what I would have done without you. Things are so rough around here these days, but I don''t have the money to move out. Insurance didn''t have my back,¡± the older woman responded with a bitter smile.

    ¡°I know, ma''am, but please stay near populated areas. We''re not always gonna be around to keep you safe, even though we''d like to be. There''s just too many bad guys to deal with.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I''ll be careful. Thank you again¡­ What did you say your name was?¡±

    He raised his helmeted head from where he''d been inspecting his gauntlet for potential damage to look at the lady in front of him. ¡°Gridlock, ma''am.¡±

    The response got him a tilt of her head. ¡°I don''t think I''ve heard of you before,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°That would be because this is my first outing. Done some hero work before, but never got up close and personal with the baddies, you know?¡± Jack explained, giving a laugh he didn''t actually feel.

    ¡°I see. Well thank you, young man. Stay safe out there!¡± she said as she left in her now-upright car.

    ¡°I should be telling you that!¡± he called back good-naturedly, almost smiling.

    Almost.

    ¡°That was good,¡± a serious voice spoke from behind him. ¡°I expected to be required to intervene, but it seems that was unnecessary. Your armor works as well as you said it would.¡±

    He turned to look at the speaker, who was clad in armor herself. Gleaming silver, styled after the cladding plate of a knight. Medieval with a sword strapped to her waist, unlike his own set of modern power armor.

    It was a noteworthy contrast they made, two armored heroes seemingly from different time periods working together. But this was still very much an experimental thing, at least practically if not on an interpersonal level.

    ¡°Thanks, Damsel,¡± he replied. It was the first time he''d gone out, and also their first time going out together, seeing as she''d insisted on chaperoning him when he mentioned this eventuality to her in one of their chats.

    Today was a better day for the two of them, he thought. Neither of them were okay; he wasn''t sure if they ever could be, but they''d pulled themselves together over the past few months after Viperia''s arrest. Oftentimes, grief still weighed one of them down to the point of threatening to slip into non-functionality, and the other would be there to keep their head in the game.

    Because this was their coping mechanism. Probably not the most healthy idea ever, throwing themselves into hero work to keep from wallowing in despair, though he felt it also wasn''t the most unhealthy way of dealing with it. There were worse alternatives that he''d seriously considered. He was glad he''d settled on this, ultimately.

    After their initial meeting on that fateful day, they had kept in contact under the pretense of working with each other until the district stabilized.

    Ostensibly, that dynamic had been temporary at best, one that made them allies of convenience, but they''d gotten talking and¡­ here they were. Still associating with one another.

    For him, it was a way to keep being Gridlock. With his teammates gone or unavailable, he''d needed to partner up with someone else while getting his power armor up and running since he hadn''t wanted to lose momentum. Finn had always been particular about that term. Always keeping himself moving, never stopping.

    He swallowed the lump in his throat.

    For Damsel, it had been a way to keep up something of a support network in the field whenever she was working more than the allotted hours for minors in the DHD. He''d been supporting a bad habit, yes, but he was in no position to judge. In the wake of Mistral''s funeral and the changes to the local branch, she had needed someone looking out for her.

    Just as he had needed someone looking out for him. As much as he didn''t want to admit it, he''d come far too close to losing himself even when he didn''t think he had the right to. After all, how could he give up when his brother in all but name had been wiped off the face of this world in a blaze of glory, sticking to his guns until the end and saving countless lives in the process?

    ¡°Thank you. For being my best friend all these years, even though I¡¯m such a bother.¡±

    It still escaped him how Finn could think that of himself for so long, but there was no time to give reassurances anymore. He''d had his chance to say his goodbyes, and wasted it, hoping against hope that it wouldn''t be the end. And that regret hurt nearly as much as the loss itself did.

    ¡°Come, let us head back. We should be done for the night,¡± Damsel said, drawing him out of his thoughts. She walked and motioned for him to follow.

    ¡°Head back?¡± he questioned, but still followed all the same. ¡°If we''re ending the patrol, shouldn''t you be heading back home?¡±

    The knightess was quiet for a moment, then scoffed. ¡°Home,¡± she repeated in an odd tone. ¡°Hilarious how the meaning of a singular word can change so much because of a single evening, no?¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± he hedged. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±

    ¡°Not about it. About something else. Just¡­ I apologize in advance.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Now he was just confused. He kept silent, and eventually they reached an empty, dilapidated garage. And it looked like Damsel was familiar with the place as she pulled down the door behind them and flicked a switch to turn the lights on. This place still had power? He didn''t dwell on it when she faced him.

    And promptly removed her helmet.

    ¡°Wait¡ª¡± he tried, only to be ignored.

    He was treated to the sight of a strawberry blonde teenage girl with soft, cute features. The haggard expression she wore looked out of place on a face like hers. As if she should be anywhere but out on the streets and getting into fights with criminals.

    ¡°Hello Jack,¡± she said, searching his face plate for a moment before nodding. ¡°It''s about time we had this conversation, I think.¡±

    ¡°What''re you talking about?¡± he asked, as much to give himself time to think as to actually find out the answer. He had known Matilda¡ªnot Damsel anymore¡ªby her real name for some time now, but she had never shown him her face. It was a boundary he had respected and never felt the need to push. For her to be revealing herself like this with no buildup, it was weird. And what was that about a conversation?

    ¡°I mean that we should talk about what comes next,¡± said Matilda, a wistful look finding its way onto her face. ¡°Because we can''t continue this any longer. I''m¡­ moving on.¡±

    ¡°Moving on,¡± he said dumbly. He didn''t like where this was going at all.

    Taking a deep breath, she said, ¡°I''ve been recommended for a transfer to A10A. I accepted.¡±

    So Damsel was leaving. She''d be gone and¡­ he would be left on his own again, pretending to be someone he wasn''t no matter how hard he wanted to think otherwise.

    Wait, was that why she had chosen to emancipate herself rather than take another legal guardian? Because she knew her stay here would be temporary. She had planned this all along, most likely. She''d known it was never going to be permanent, and never given any indication that it would be, he''d just been deluding himself.

    ¡°I could put in a good word for you,¡± she continued.

    His mind came to a screeching halt. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It would be favorable if you came to Central with me. I don''t know how I could manage it, but there are definitely things I can say to the DHD that would catch their interest. Having you as a colleague would be reassuring. Especially when I don''t know what I am going to be facing once I arrive there.¡±

    Silence came over them as neither of them knew what to say next.

    Matilda broke it again. ¡°My apologies for springing this on you. I am simply- simply a bit scared of leaving. And I also apologize for doing such reckless things like requesting you uproot your life for me. I have barely told you anything about myself, and here I am asking you to do something so drastic.

    ¡°I just had this idea that, with the move coming at the end of the school year, it wouldn''t be suspicious if you were one of many people to relocate to another district after Viperia happened,¡± she clarified, saying the supervillain''s name like a curse. ¡°If monetary concerns are the issue, then I can spend one of my annual recommendations to get you a scholarship. Assuming you want to in the first place, of course.¡±

    Processing her word vomit, Jack sighed and pulled off his helmet, noting the slight creak of the shoulder joints in his armor. Had to fix that. ¡°Matilda,¡± he began.

    She was staring intently at him, as if trying to dissect him with her large eyes. Their eyes met, and he started pushing out the story he''d been making up in his head.

    ¡°I was already planning to leave the district,¡± he lied. ¡°If you''re worried about not having me around in Central, you shouldn''t be. I''ll be testing out my new equipment for a while, but I do want to move away sooner rather than later. Gotta get out of here at some point, right?¡±

    Fuck it. If the alternative was to get left behind, he was prepared to do anything to get Cyrus to secure him a position there. Besides, it wasn''t like he didn''t have family living there. He could stay with Louis, if need be. What mattered was that he couldn''t remain here.

    Matilda''s mouth hung open. ¡°Oh. That, ah, that is convenient.¡±

    ¡°Yup, sure is. Anything else you wanted to say?¡±

    ¡°I suppose not? That was all, really¡­¡±

    ¡°Then I''m off. I wanna do some repairs before I hit the sack tonight. Besides, it''s probably good if I make maintenance a part of my lifestyle if I''m going out in armor all the time.¡±

    She nodded along. ¡°Yes, that makes sense.¡±

    ¡°Fair warning, though, don''t expect me to join up with the government.¡± And with that, he walked towards the side door.

    ¡°Wait. Do you think it will be easy to get around my squad supervisor? It will be Noor over there, not merely Mountpin.¡±

    ¡°Nope. But I''m sure you can figure it out.¡±

    Not giving her more time to reply, he put his helmet back on and left. That done, he consulted the HUD readout that gave him the diagnostics on his drone network, directing them back to their loading stations to make sure they wouldn''t be followed.

    Another day of hero work as Gridlock, concluded. And he''d have to go back to the somber, depressing atmosphere of his own house. Mom usually spent the evenings with Emily to check on the woman in the wake of her son''s death. Jack¡­ couldn''t bring himself to face her again after that first time. It was too much. Despite how horrible it made him feel, he would keep avoiding her if he could help it. What would he say to her? ¡°Sorry I got your son killed, I swear I didn''t do it on purpose?¡±

    No way.

    With both his friends gone, Gridlock didn''t have anything left except this. Being a hero. A shadow of a memory that he was trying to make real through blood, sweat and a deluge of tears. He hadn¡¯t even managed to stop Lyra from going off on her own. Who knew what that girl was going to do in the state she was in?

    All he could do was keep at it. It was the one thing that didn''t make him feel sick for even existing. Not to mention that the rest was either leaving or already there in Central. Nar, or Aiden Wardell as he had suspected and later found out, had been the first to go. It was good fortune, therefore, that Jack had encountered him in the training facility owned by Cyrus and asked for pointers, once.

    He''d felt the crushing reality afterwards.

    ¡°You''re ordinary,¡± Nar had said. ¡°You lack not only the power-granted benefits of your teammates, but also their natural talent for combat. However, for your purposes, that might actually be a boon. Why? To phrase it in basic terms, if you don''t have any immediately apparent strengths, you also won''t be wasting potential no matter which specific route to power you choose to take. You are a blank canvas, but that also means that you require high quality paint and an expert painter to turn yourself into something great. And a great brush. Hmm, my metaphor is losing focus, isn''t it? Well, I''m not on top of my game, currently. Regardless, you should direct your efforts at refining your foundation whilst you acquire other tools for your arsenal. Remember this: luck is when preparation encounters opportunity. Nothing more.¡±

    Yeah, Jack could do that.

    If nothing else, Gridlock would do his utmost to be prepared for the times ahead. He knew what it was like when disaster struck if he wasn''t.

    So he would do what it took, and maybe, just maybe, he could become someone Finn would''ve been proud of.

 Chapter 91 - To Execute

    Of every possible day during her time as part of the Carrion Feast gang, Xena would have never guessed this would be the one where everything changed.

    It started like any other day, really. Chaffster banging the shit out of a random grunt three rooms over, so loud that it woke her up. If not for that, she''d be sleeping in. But here she was, getting up at seven like a good little schoolgirl because some fucking idiot had to be so noisy.

    She could handle some noise, but not when she was still hungover from the night before. Now she was left staring up at the ceiling as the obnoxious bonking kept her awake.

    Unable to get more shut-eye, Xena lifted the blanket and threw her legs over the side of the bed, looking to ease her headache. She hadn''t drunk enough water yesterday.

    Here in their hideout, being up early was a good thing because it meant there was no one in the bathroom on this floor. She splashed her face with water, then got ready for the day.

    Their hideout was outside the populated area, closer to industrial terrain but not quite abandoned as it might have been in other districts. No, rather, this was private property hired from a real estate mogul that may or may not have been a villain in disguise. Not like she knew for sure, she wasn''t the person who handled that kinda stuff. It was great for her that she had access to hot water though. She didn''t know what she would do if she couldn''t at least have a decent shower every day.

    Their base of operations was located on the periphery of Central. One of those areas where the heroes rarely if ever came. Though it did help they had Hoodwink concealing the presence of this place a bit, the main benefit was definitely obscurity. When no one knew where it was, no one would be able to bust down the door and start arresting people left and right.

    Once she was back in her room, she threw on a hoodie because fuck wearing her costume all day, then pulled on a pair of shorts. No mask, because she wasn''t the least bit concerned about people seeing her face. Her civilian ID was only useful for buying groceries and little else. Not like she had family to go back to; none of them did.

    Around the base itself, villains and normals alike mingled however they pleased. She liked it better that way, made things easier because nobody made a hassle about it when she stayed over at someone else''s room to get a good night''s sleep, and maybe more than that if she felt like it. Last night she hadn''t quite managed it though. Her usual squeeze wasn''t available because of an unfortunate health complication. Death, mainly. Consequence of a heist gone bad the other week.

    She wasn''t too sad about it. The dude had been good for one thing and one thing only. But now she was up with nothing to do, so she might as well head down and eat a bit.

    Just as she opened the door, though, she saw Raze walking in her direction. His messy blonde hair and stubble framed a long, unkind face, and his bloodshot eyes were looking at her. She''d never appreciated his forceful leadership style ever since he took over the gang, but at least he always let them do their thing until noon at least. The fact that he was here was a pain in the ass. And the first sign that something was off.

    ¡°What''s up, boss?¡± she greeted, trying to hide her annoyance. And her wariness, ¡®cause the boss was acting weird. That was the second sign. Twitchy. Paranoid. Eyes darting back and forth. Raze wasn''t normally the type to be so on-edge.

    Her feigned casual attitude seemed to work, since he got straight into it. ¡°Bloodbrand. Is Chaffster up?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, I think so?¡± The noise had died down, but he shouldn''t be asleep yet if he''d pulled an all-nighter. The guy wasn''t a big sleeper in general.

    ¡°Go fetch him,¡± Raze replied without missing a beat. ¡°I want both of you geared up and downstairs in ten minutes.¡±

    What the hell? What brought this on? But before she could ask for elaboration, Raze twisted on his heel and strode away.

    Then, she remembered something about him. Raze didn''t have genuine precognition, exactly, but he did possess a sort of long-term danger sense. He had made a single offhand comment about that aspect of his power a while ago, but it seemed important now. She couldn''t think of another reason why he''d be acting like this. It was an instinct that steered him right and kept him alive for so long in a pond filled with bigger fish.

    Not that he was weak. Far from it, she would rate him at about a high B or low A, going by standard Aegis rankings. There was even one time where he''d come face to face with the leader of Homeland and didn''t die in two seconds.

    He was no Unbound, sure, but he was definitely the closest out of all of them to reaching that point. She didn''t have a way to quantify that, of course¡ªno one she knew did. It just felt true when she said it to herself.

    When he was out of sight, she knocked on Chaffster¡¯s door and yelled at him to dress up and meet downstairs before doing the same herself.

    Sudden shifts in her daily tempo like these weren''t entirely unheard of. It was part of the life, even if the days were pretty relaxed for the most part. The fight could come to them at any time, or there could be an invaluable opportunity the boss wanted them to pounce on.

    With practiced ease, she donned the tight leather outfit, red streaks lining the pants and vest with a bastardized masquerade mask covering her face. They didn''t normally wear masks around base, but the situation called for it.

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    Soon enough, everyone had gathered on the ground floor, awaiting Raze''s next orders. It wasn''t military discipline by any means, but they had the experience to know when to stop fucking around.

    Raze started going on about keeping watch around the base, which confused her, but it seemed he was set on this as they all spread out to act like sentries or some stupid shit.

    Three whole hours she''d wasted in her place on one of the balconies on the second floor, bored out of her skull playing phone games or looking at porn. But, credit where it was due, someone did eventually turn up.

    There, in the distance.

    A woman.

    Xena brought her feet down where she''d kicked them up and shot a text message in the group chat.

    Given their location, it couldn''t possibly have been a coincidence that this stranger was here on the exact morning where they had to abandon their usual routine and stand watch for hours on end, for two reasons. One, you didn''t see random civilians striding up here every day. And two, the newcomer was absolutely not a civilian.

    The sleek, reinforced black fabric clinging tightly to the lady¡¯s body wasn''t a normal outfit (Xena looked her over twice to make sure), and the white bird mask with painted red markings gave away her identity as a supe.

    Granted, Xena didn''t know if it was a white-hat or another villain, but the way she walked towards them with purpose put all ambiguity as to the woman¡¯s destination out of her mind.

    Footsteps came from behind her and she turned, seeing Cipher walk up together with Chaffster.

    ¡°Who''s that?¡± the latter asked, his hairy barrel-chested torso rippling with muscle as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Seeing him like this, she could see the appeal others saw in him, but she just couldn''t stand his attitude. Or his snub nose and beady eyes, even if it was covered up by a lion mask right now.

    ¡°Dunno,¡± she drawled, stretching like a cat and getting into a more comfortable position. ¡°Think Raze¡¯ll have us fight?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely. Although he might be engaging in combat himself,¡± Cipher chimed in. The bespectacled, wiry man might have seemed out of place with their gang at first glance, but she''d gotten him to snort enough lines with her to know better. He was wilder than she was in some ways. During parties at least. At the moment he just enjoyed his role as the numbers guy. Everyone needed a numbers guy, really. And this was theirs.

    ¡°Found her,¡± he continued. ¡°That outfit matches one Calliope, a heroic D-rank Aegis operative based in A23G. Suspected sonic manipulation power.¡±

    Xena felt her eyebrows rise. ¡°That''s it? Nothing else?¡± She would have expected more, it didn''t seem right for someone like that to be so unimpressive.

    ¡°Involvement with the Venin incident. A period of inactivity. That''s it,¡± he confirmed.

    Venin, huh? That story had been making the rounds around the country lately. It wasn''t particularly impressive in scale, but it was a massive PR disaster for the government in terms of how many heroes had died prior to Noor showing up and wiping the floor with the newly unbound gang leader. Plus, a huge part of the district had been wiped out after the remaining civilians and heroes were saved by Voyager.

    The footage was really cool. She would''ve liked to go there and see the wasteland for herself, but they were sadly already rebuilding.

    Eh, it didn''t matter.

    Still, she had to acknowledge that fighting a shifter Unbound that massive could cause problems for a lot of people, them included. She didn''t think the Carrion Feast¡¯s combined might could stand up to something like that. Well, maybe if they rallied around Raze, and he had time to set the terrain? She shook her head. Probably not even then.

    Either way, Raze slammed the front doors of the building open. His face was red and he was hyperventilating on the floor beneath them. He stepped out of the building to meet their guest.

    ¡°WHY. Are. You. Here,¡± he ground out.

    ¡°To overthrow you,¡± Calliope said while resting a hand on the wrapped stick at her side, and Xena was thrown by both the words and the voice. The volume was low, but she could hear the woman as if she were right here pouring liquid honey into her ears.

    ¡°Don''t think I''m ignorant,¡± their leader shot back, now costumed in a biker outfit with a spiked helmet. ¡°My people already figured you out. You can''t even take me. Let alone all of us.¡±

    ¡°Come at me all at once, then. It won''t make a difference,¡± the not-heroine answered, words filtered with a vibrating undertone.

    Raze gave a mocking laugh.

    And attacked without warning.

    The clash came and went so fast, Xena couldn''t follow it. Two rushing blurs passing each other. Then they both came to a stop, Raze facing away, Calliope with her back to him facing them.

    Xena and the others saw it at that moment.

    Raze was down an arm.

    The inflated red-spiked appendage was on the ground, gushing blood much like his cut-off stump. The swing had been so quick and clean, she hadn''t seen it happen. How had a stick even¡­ except it wasn¡¯t a stick.

    In Calliope¡¯s hand was now a sword, the earlier ¡°stick¡± now unsheathed. The model itself struck her as unique, or at least rare. While Xena was by no means an expert in swords, she knew it wasn''t quite a katana. The blade was almost completely straight and lacked a wrist guard, so it didn''t even look like a weapon when it wasn''t drawn.

    That wasn''t all. It also looked to be blurring with vibrations, giving off a sound that reminded Xena of a hummingbird. There wasn''t even any blood on it.

    Calliope twirled her sword, strutting toward the still-recovering Raze. Sweat coated the boss¡¯ face, his features twisting into a snarl. But Xena could see his veins bulging, the clenching muscles in his neck and jaw betraying how hard he was trying not to scream his lungs out.

    ¡°Fucking bitch,¡± he spat, repositioning. ¡°You think you''ve won?¡± He stretched out his remaining arm and made a pinching motion with his fingers. A wave of bladed spikes burst forth from the severed arm and rushed at Calliope.

    Unbothered, the woman blurred again and appeared behind Raze, sword raised for a decisive strike as the audience watched him narrowly dodge with bated breath.

    Until now, Bloodbrand had harbored doubts about their future. But seeing this, it became clear that one thing about this day would stay in all their minds for years to come.

    What they were witnessing wasn''t a fight.

    It was an execution.

 Chapter 92 - To Usurp

    For all that the scale of the battle escalated, the balance remained unchanged. No matter how much Raze tried to turn the tables on this Calliope, he couldn''t land a single hit. Not even one.

    His severed arm was just the start, growing white blades and exploding into tiny fragments of bone dust that would kill anyone they came into contact with. Calliope merely countered those deadly white clouds with shockwaves.

    Raze grew desperate, soon. His arm gigantified in a wave of dark red muscle and gleaming sharp bone, smashing into the ground so hard the entire base trembled. The hand attempted to grab the young hero-turned-rogue, but she stayed out of the way.

    Having the power he did, their boss wasn''t actually capable of a full transformation. He wasn''t a shifter, after all. But that didn''t make him less dangerous because he was perfectly capable of transforming his legs for boosted speed, and he''d held off on that so far to surprise his opponent.

    To no avail.

    Maybe it was lucky that the base itself was mostly safe from collateral damage, as the two were moving away. Or maybe not. Raze probably didn''t want to lose the property during the fight and be left with nothing after, and Calliope seemed to have high cognizance of her environment in general. No sneak attack had hit her yet.

    He blitzed forward, legs bulging and tearing out of his pants, only for Calliope to lean to the side and send him tumbling with another shockwave as though she had seen him coming. He used his arm to carve up the pavement around her and send it flying at her back, yet she leaped into the air and dodged the majority of the impromptu rock shower.

    Some bits of hardened ground still reached her, but she was ready, slicing through them with her sword wherever she could and even kicking off one of the projectiles as a platform in midair.

    They leaned forward as it looked like Raze was finally going to land a blow, one that could end the fight because it didn''t seem like Calliope had a warrior-type physique. The enormous hand, large enough to belong to a titan, crashed into the sound manipulator.

    And kept going right through her, leaving her undamaged. Calliope¡¯s form was blurred, vibrating at extreme frequency as she phased out of the back of the offending limb. She¡­ she could pass through solid objects!?

    Xena stood up, licking her lips and gripping the railing tightly as her pupils dilated. This was something else.

    The masked woman righted herself with the grace of a professional gymnast and swung her sword, cutting off a huge, gnarly finger. Raze screamed in pain, retracting the arm, using his massive legs to stomp away for a breather.

    ¡°Help me, you idiots!¡± Raze roared, fear bleeding into his voice.

    Cipher, Chaffster and Bloodbrand exchanged looks, then collectively shrugged. This was par for the course. After all, it was how Raze had gotten his position from the previous leader in the first place. So they kept on watching.

    Just in time for the finisher.

    Since Calliope wasn''t holding a weapon big enough to sever any more arms and legs, she burst back and forth across the battlefield, raining down cuts that Raze tried to regenerate from while attempting to flatten, shred or grind her to dust.

    Unfortunately for him, the damage accumulated faster than he could handle, and he began to get whittled down, unnatural dark blood seeping out of his enormous limbs while his regular sized body snapped its head back and forth to keep up with the zipping blur methodically taking him apart.

    Craters and trenches spat out smoke all around him when he stomped again, but Calliope deflected another explosion of bone knives and closed in, unafraid.

    With a final jump, she kicked his leg hard enough for tremors to run through his entire body, causing him to fall over. Upon hitting the ground, the whole base quaked. Xena steadied herself as Calliope ran up the twisted muscle and lopped off the left leg. And the right, and the remaining arm.

    Raze was helpless to defend against Calliope¡¯s glove, fingers closing around his face and dragging him along on her journey down the still-falling arm to the ground.

    Wet splattering noises sounded in her ear in time with Raze hitting the ground, and Xena was confused about why she could hear it so clearly. Calliope must have been amplifying the sound for their benefit, she realized.

    ¡°St- sto- ugh,¡± Raze coughed when Calliope kicked him in the stomach. He tried to speak agan but only received a boot to the face for his trouble.

    ¡°Stop?¡± Calliope said with a chuckle. ¡°I don''t think so. Your gang is mine now, Raze. Spoils to the victor and all that, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±

    The crowd began to cheer, members of the Carrion Feast gang, powered unpowered alike, baying for blood. Xena was no exception, howling for the mystery woman to end it already.

    Part of her thought the newcomer wasn''t going to do it. Perhaps, being a former hero, she''d cauterize every bleeding stump and throw the bastard in a cell. That part of her was wrong.

    Calliope cut a surprise bone blade and started bringing her foot down on Raze''s face. He groaned something unintelligible. ¡°What was that? I can''t hear you,¡± she mocked.

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    Lifting her foot, she brought it down over and over until his head popped like a melon. His scattered brain matter spread out on the pavement, getting warmed up by the midday sun.

    They loved it, overwhelming cheers washing over the new leader, whose body language betrayed nothing of her thoughts.

    ¡°You,¡± she spoke once the cheering calmed down somewhat, pointing at a random grunt. ¡°Clean up the mess.¡±

    The guy rushed to obey without question. Calliope paid him no mind as she strode towards the building, at which point Xena and the others knew it was time to go meet the boss.

    Reaching the bottom floor, they were just in time to see the gang members part around Calliope like an ocean, allowing her quick passage to the supes.

    Things went quiet when she reached them, a silent staredown taking place as they stood in front of each other.

    ¡°Are any of you interested in taking revenge?¡± Calliope finally broke the silence.

    ¡°Not particularly,¡± Cipher answered for them. ¡°But then, I suppose that''s why you chose our gang and not a different one, correct?¡±

    The boss conceded a nod at that but didn''t otherwise respond. She looked them all over a second time, making Xena¡¯s spine tingle when those dark eyes passed over her.

    ¡°I only need one of you as my second-in-command,¡± she announced, leaving the unspoken question hanging in the air.

    ¡°I''ll do it!¡± Xena said. She knew an opportunity when she saw one. No one objected.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Calliope said while taking the lead, apparently not needing anyone to show her around the building. Cipher and Chaffster just left them to it and Hoodwink observed quietly from the corner without following. Xena found herself walking faster than intended to keep up with the taller woman¡¯s gait.

    Surprisingly, Calliope found the old meeting room on her first try, pushing the door open far enough that it almost hit the wall on the other side.

    The moment they were both inside, Calliope looked around at the space with a speculative hum, the door closing on its own behind them.

    In the middle of the room was a round table with enough chairs to seat every superhuman in the gang and then some. Xena decided to sit two seats away from her leader, wanting to get to know her but also not wanting to misstep and get the watermelon treatment.

    Both seated, the first thing Calliope did was sigh and remove her mask.

    Xena gasped.

    ¡°Uh, boss, don''t you think this is a little quick? Even Raze waited a couple days before unmasking, you know? Not that I don¡¯t like your face,¡± she hastily added at the end.

    She was a bit shocked to see how their next leader measured up in the looks department, honestly. An exhausted-looking half-Asian girl with black hair in her late teens¡ªthough apparent age wasn''t an absolute with unbindings being a thing. Calliope, or whatever her real name was, had this nonchalant sort of air about her. Xena recognized it; it was the vibe you got from naturally beautiful people who either didn''t know or didn''t care they were naturally beautiful. It would''ve pissed her off if she didn''t find it so hot. And scary.

    ¡°That''s not for you to worry about,¡± Calliope responded, now sans voice filter.

    ¡°U- uhh, right. Yeah, of course,¡± Xena agreed.

    Calliope leaned back in her chair, studying Xena with an unreadable expression. ¡°First things first¡ªwe''re rebranding. Carrion Feast is dead, along with Raze. I want something new, something with real weight to it.¡±

    Xena blinked, leaning forward slightly. ¡°Rebranding? You mean... a new name?¡±

    ¡°A new name. A new image. A new direction,¡± Calliope confirmed. ¡°We''re done being scavengers picking at scraps. From now on, we take what we want.¡±

    Xena grinned, excitement bubbling in her chest. ¡°Alright, boss. What are we calling ourselves, then?¡±

    Calliope smirked, eyes gleaming with something dark and decisive. ¡°The Black Dirge.¡±

    *******

    Outside the borders of Apexia, away from the confines of the United European Federation''s megacities, sprawled huge swathes of overgrown wilds. Untamed lands which served as a habitat to various species of primebeast, from the smallest ducklings to the enormous natural disasters humanity had grown to fear over the past century. They could all be found here.

    And yet, humans dared tread these grounds in kind, seeking to strike down these predators with supernatural capability. Countless wars had been waged, small and large. A push and pull dynamic between two sides for territory, neither willing to let the other exist in peace, for that was not their nature. Humanity sought conquest, innovating and building its collective wisdom with every generation in pursuit of heaven and earth.

    Primebeasts, meanwhile, held the innate compulsion to destroy humans on sight, territorial though they might have been. Among conventional researchers, the cause for this was unknown, as nothing about the nature of ¡°powers¡± should suggest any inherent desires attached to them. Superhuman psychology wasn''t different enough from baseline for that to be the case. Truly, they were lost.

    They were fools.

    In the wilderness, well away from human civilization, a mountain stood tall and proud, its peak grazing the clouds. To a casual observer, one thing that would immediately become clear was that this mountain had not formed naturally. No, its angles were too perfect, its sections geometrical in a way nothing in nature was. However, it was also not man-made. It was about as far from man-made as possible, in fact. For human hands did not possess the glory of their overseer who would bring about the end.

    Such was His prowess that they need not fear for their lives in these quarters. They were protected by an otherworldly will. Because they had each vowed to eternally serve the collection of beings who sought their rightful place in this world.

    The Hollowsworn, they were called.

    Two men stood in an empty room, their faces obscured in shadow. One, a compact figure with an axe in his hands, stood at attention. The other, a taller man with a dark beard, gazed at his subordinate.

    ¡°Any word on Shellrend?¡± he asked in a low baritone.

    ¡°None, Master. After returning to this dimension, he has not moved,¡± came the reply. It was cold and no-nonsense. He preferred it that way. Much better than Sheepskin in that regard.

    ¡°I see. Remain vigilant; seek to apprehend him if we get the chance. He is a unique specimen, and we cannot afford to lose him. Nor can we allow Summitway to find another connection to our world when we have not even located its latest one,¡± he declared.

    ¡°Actually, Master, he is not.¡±

    ¡°Elaborate.¡±

    ¡°Shellrend, I mean. He is no longer unique. There is a second successful merging underway.¡±

    The room was quiet for a long moment, until the Master spoke. ¡°Give me a name.¡±

    And he received one. ¡°...Worldsong.¡±

 Chapter 93 - To Traverse

    Pale bark cracked under the force of his knuckles, denting the trunk inward. Straightening, Finn assessed his handiwork with a tilt of his head. Not the most impressive punch he¡¯d thrown during his time here. Yet at the same time, his personal best.

    Despite how contradictory that sounded, it was true. Because he hadn''t been reinforcing himself. That punch had been pure physical force. Just his base level of strength, nothing more. He almost couldn''t believe it, because back on Earth, he had undoubtedly hit a ceiling on his power progression, and it had taken enduring hell many times over to finally break through. But now that he had?

    He was on an entirely different level than before.

    Finn''s eyes moved to his hand, and he clenched it into a fist, turning it over as he did. The calluses he had once carried were gone, as was the scarring from the small wounds that had accumulated over the course of his career as Shade. Those burns on his shoulder, the minor cuts, all of it had disappeared, replaced by flawless, smooth skin. Even after all the time spent training and having countless accidents while testing the limits of his newfound power, the nanites took care of it.

    At first, he had assumed that there would be some limit to the number of times they could perform a task, or a problem with fuel, or any of a dozen other problems. Every step of the way he had expected some complication to arise, but that never happened. He was truly fortunate beyond belief.

    Obviously, the pain it took to get here was something he never wanted to experience again. However, denying the ridiculous amount of luck required to transport him across dimensions and get him in the exact position required to inherit the prototype colony? Impossible.

    Sighing to himself, Finn sat down on the otherworldly grass and thought. This stay here, it was miraculous. He knew he shouldn¡¯t have been alive, that by all rights he was dead following the explosion. For a time afterwards, he had even been a walking corpse. It was only because of the help of other people that he was here today, trained and breathing and ready. Without them, he would have been nothing.

    Not that he had instantly admitted that to himself. In the beginning, he¡¯d forced the narrative into his head that he and he alone was responsible for all good things that ever had and would happen to him. Regardless of the fact that he logically knew it wasn¡¯t true, he¡¯d repeated it over and over in his head. As a coping mechanism, of sorts. The weight of the overwhelming silence in this place had kept pressing down on his shoulders, along with the knowledge about his friends¡ªor lack thereof¡ªand the question of what was going to happen to them.

    Now, though, after having so much time to stand still and think, he was able to see the situation for what it was and acknowledge that it was a combination of luck and effort that got him here.

    Unfortunately, as nice as he was sure that would sound if he said that out loud, the main concern wasn¡¯t ruminating on how he got into this place; it was how to get out.

    On that front, he had taken far too long for his own liking. Training was one thing, but it wasn''t the reason he still resided in this dimension. He was actually stuck. And the time he''d here had primarily been dedicated to cracking the code behind Amalgam¡¯s message.

    And he had managed it.

    It had been a difficult venture the whole way through, not to mention all how much he had to rely on his power to recall the exact memory of the cryptic message he was supposed to decipher.

    Ultimately he had decided that a single sample wasn''t enough, so he had gone back to the facility to make another attempt at communication, which worked, much to his pleasant surprise.

    The last time he had done that was weeks ago, he thought, and the crystal must have been recharged for months at this point.

    He honestly didn''t know. Not because it was absolutely impossible for him to keep track of time, but because he didn''t see a point in doing so. He had a rough idea, though. Assuming there wasn''t some sort of relative time differential going. He dearly hoped that wasn''t the case.

    Whatever the case, worrying about it wasn''t going to bring him back any faster. Only taking action and solving his problems would. Hence why he had been working tirelessly to come up with a solution, sharpening his mind. Aside from that, he had been honing this new weapon at his disposal, using it to strengthen his body whenever he took a brain to get back to code-cracking with a fresh perspective later.

    Jack would probably be surprised that he was allowing himself breaks at all in this situation, and also pissed that he was filling said breaks with more training. Finn smiled. Hopefully he could tell his friend all about it when he returned.

    Hopping to his feet with inhuman grace, he turned to the other end of the clearing. The forest populated by alien-looking trees had been a strange find. A fortuitous one, too. After all, they were the sole source of food.

    During his first visit, the plant life had been the first thing that stood out to him. Pure white trees with multiple trunks fused together, sprouting up in different directions. Odd, spiraling branches, nothing like the gnarly growths he''d gotten accustomed to in his old world. All of them were dense with blue leaves, and unique purple fruits.

    At least, purple when they were ripe. Upon sprouting, they started out pink, slowly growing from a small dot to a matured fruit. Shaped like tomatoes, with fuzzy skin and juicy flesh. He''d wondered if they were poisonous, though he''d risked eating them since he was confident in his ability to scour poison from his body now. Either way, it was a moot point. These things were most certainly not filled with poison. In fact, they were the single most nutritious form of sustenance Finn had ever encountered. His body lacked nothing. A single fruit, designed to contain all that was necessary for human survival. It seemed so valuable, he had started collecting seeds from the cores. That was not to say he needed to eat daily, at this point.

    But today would be his last day. He would trace back the route from whence he came, and then collect what he needed before heading home. A complicated look flashed over his face at that word: home. The thought felt surreal.

    Wasting no more time, he crouched and took off with a sprint. Wind beat against his face as he ate up the distance with his rapid steps. In truth, the designs for upgrades to his body had been largely handled by the nanites. He lacked the expertise to optimize his own physiology beyond baseline, and the colony seemed designed to elevate its host to the next level, even if he was presumably the first successful subject.

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    They seemed to have a specific endpoint in mind for what he was turning into, and worse came to worst, he could always stop them. But he had no plans of doing so for now. The benefits were plain as day. Excluding the improved physical strength from normal training and increased height¡ªsomething he found useful for the extra reach¡ªhe had been remade to be faster, stronger, more resilient than a regular human. Down to his very bones.

    For fuel, the nanites used air, water and fruits to convert into matter for his body to become better. It was an ongoing project, but one that had started slowing down, of late. He didn''t think he could get much better physically unless he discovered something major that could help. Unless he was able to ask his colony somehow, but that seemed like a long shot. Smart as they were, he hadn¡¯t ever been able to hold a conversation with them.

    His eyes moved over the scenery, taking in his surroundings one last time. Focusing his vision in front of him was unnecessary. He could sense the way ahead just fine, even if he didn''t remember it perfectly¡ªwhich he did. Better yet, he could sense even more than before, as he had now gained the passive awareness of all light within his range.

    It was different from solids or liquids or gases with a color. He understood it scientifically, but using supernatural senses to detect it made him aware of how fast it traveled. Finn had gained a new appreciation for the speed of light, and for his ability to incorporate light into his own arsenal more. His understanding was far from complete, and the biggest project he had in mind was only in concept phase at the moment, but he was finally able to harness it. From the day he first manifested his ability to manipulate color, light had seemed completely outside his grasp to directly manipulate. No more.

    His own travel time was cut down by more than half, but it still took a while until he made his way back to the settlement he had spotted from his place up in the facility so long ago. To accelerate his pace, he used a couple of reinforced steps that exploded the soil beneath him. It was still outside his means to measure in real-time, but he was quite sure most speeding cars couldn''t keep up with him when he did this. Regardless, he didn''t hold a candle to them over long distances, because these brief bursts were just that: brief. Each one of them took time to charge.

    Returning to the camp, Finn was greeted by a somber sight, causing him to slow. He would move on in just a moment, but he felt it was appropriate to spare a few seconds of silence for the people before him. Or their memory, at least. For they were no longer alive, all resting in graves he had dug for them.

    He had no clue about their history or origins, but when he originally came here, the camp had been inexplicably populated by cold, unmoving skeletons. The remains of what he could tell had without a doubt been humans once. The cause of their death, on the other hand, was a mystery.

    As much as he hated the man, Finn did not think Gunther had been lying about not having killed the other inhabitants. Not these ones, anyway. The corpses were too old. Though that wasn''t where the forensic clues ended. There also seemed to be signs of burning. Blackened edges around the tents here and there. The fire must have been stopped partway through. Did these people have access to more tools than he thought? Maybe. He couldn''t definitively tell one way or the other. All he could do was give them the courtesy of a burial.

    Finn took a deep breath, and moved on. He supposed he should be grateful that the tents were still intact, because he wouldn''t have any new clothes otherwise. Plus, he had discarded his costume. The reason was simple. It was too small.

    So that left him with these strange fabrics and exotic-looking clothes. There were a lot of them, fortunately. And he was the last person to ask about style or fashion. He didn''t know or care about that stuff. Lyra would have given him a look for some of the things he had worn, that much he could say.

    At least he would be able to see her again soon, after so long. Packing up a huge, cobbled-together backpack, he rested it on his shoulders and rushed off without looking back.

    The facility was a fair distance away. Closer to the camp than the forest had been, but nonetheless far. And neither journey made him particularly tired, due to the fact that he possessed superhuman stamina. He imagined this was what all warrior types felt like.

    Reaching the enormous building didn¡¯t take too long, but getting to the entrance did. Nevertheless, he made it there all the same. And when he reached the entrance, he wasted no time stepping through.

    Similar to the way his own nanites never left his body under any circumstance, Amalgam never left the vast structure in front of him. Finn lacked the information to discern the exact reason for it, and it was far from a priority to figure it out.

    Wasting no more time, he sent out the first deliberately curated signal with his nanomachines. Calling it a language would have been the understatement of the century. The messages he had to send to even be able to begin to make himself understandable to this entity was a bundle of data of so many different facets, systems and points of reception that a single dialogue contained enough encoded signals to stymie an entire organization of seasoned professionals with the sole purpose of achieving some form of understanding.

    Even with his ability to cheat using a nanite colony that had a basic ¡°instinct¡± to comprehend and compose messages, he wasn''t capable of simply winging it. He had needed to script his responses in advance so he wouldn''t be caught completely flat-footed. And the way they talked wasn''t straightforward like throwing words at each other, either. No, it was more like painting a masterpiece with nothing but advanced mathematical equations and expecting the recipient to solve them, then use the answer in their response.

    Keeping all of that in mind, he now knew the initial message all that time ago roughly translated to:

    [Greeting reciprocated. Assistance required?]

    Finn replied as planned, using his nanites to dispense the request.

    [I need a way back to my home world.]

    Unlike his own careful deliberation and painstaking calculations to give that response, Amalgam answered him instantly.

    [Use gatekey.]

    He held up the rectangular crystal. [Do you mean this?]

    [Correct.]

    A thought struck him then, unrelated but potentially priceless. [Can I have the items you guard?]

    [Access denied. Administrator permissions not detected.]

    He shrugged. It had been a long shot anyway. He could buy things from the Aegis store later, knowing the independent colony was a major supplier. Now to get back on topic.

    [How to activate the gatekey?]

    [Multiple methods available. Offering assistance for immediate transfer to destination: Earth.]

    [Accepted.] Anything else would be irresponsible.

    Amalgam manifested around him, both in the dome that had surrounded him during the absorption of the prototype and the humanoid form he had first seen. Meanwhile, Finn deciphered the message in his head. Good news.

    [Safety protocols: engaged. Cross-dimensional stabilization: active. Designated regions detected on gatekey: three. Routing for highest survivability. Immediate transfer?]

    [Yes.]

    And then he was somewhere else.

    It wasn¡¯t Apexia.

 Chapter 94 - To Cross

    Paloma trudged through the snow as quickly as she could. She''d been on her own ever since her abuela got caught by the bad men, running and hiding. The torn bag carrying the last of her food and water was running out from one too many stops to eat and drink, never mind that it hadn¡¯t contained much to begin with.

    She knew she wasn¡¯t going to make it out here in the frosty air, but turning back was suicide. They thought her family¡ªwhat was left of it¡ªwas with the resistance forces. They weren''t! But their pleas fell on deaf ears. She''d been sent to flee into the frigid night, with only hope and prayers to keep her company. Where was she going to rest? Sleep? There didn''t seem to be an answer. She was well past any form of civilization now, and none of the abandoned houses around her were properly insulated from the freezing temperatures. That was how things were for longer than she''d been alive: you either slept out of the cold, or the cold would put you to sleep forever.

    Being forced to run, she blinked back her tears and swallowed heavily, then resumed her greedy gulps of air as she exerted herself. The snowy layer was so thick she couldn''t run at full speed, having to lift her legs up so high for each step. It made her muscles burn, but she didn''t dare stop even after getting some cover from the trees. Couldn''t get caught.

    Couldn''t let them find her.

    Alternating between looking behind her and making sure she wasn¡¯t secretly being watched from any other angle, she clutched her bag tighter to her body in a vain attempt to give herself the illusion of safety and staving off the weather.

    Paloma¡¯s lungs burned as she forced one more desperate step through the deep drifts. The frozen world around her was a harsh expanse of endless white and bitter wind. Each gust slicing at her cheeks was a shard of broken glass. Crunching and groaning of snow and ice punctuated eerie the silence, the only undertone to her labored breaths.

    Exhaustion seeped into her bones; each muscle screamed in the relentless cold. Hunger gnawed at her stomach and her fingers numbed, starting to go stiff. Every breath was a battle, and though stopping could be fatal, she couldn''t go on for much longer.

    Just¡­ just a bit of rest. She would start searching the destroyed houses in this abandoned town for leftover food or supplies later. Stepping behind the fence of one of the devastated residences to her left, out of sight, she took a moment to catch her breath.

    Due to some rotten luck, however, it would seem that whatever god gave her this life hated her enough that she wasn''t even afforded this small break. She could hear a low rumbling, barely noticeable enough for her to make it out over the wind. It was unmistakable though. There was something nearby. At the end of the street, if the direction the sound came from was an indication.

    Instantly her entire body locked up, not making a single sound. She wanted to find a better hiding spot, but she didn''t want to be heard, because she was fairly sure she knew what that was. And if she was right, there was a fair chance it had very good hearing. And smell. Oh no no no.

    The weighty thuds of its passage over the landscape grew ever closer, causing her to tremble even harder. A shadow loomed before it came into view, the huge silhouette sending her heart racing. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from whimpering while the danger approached. In her panic, not wanting to do nothing, she shifted slightly, the noise from her tiny action not even registering in her mind.

    Wrong move.

    All sense of mystery was dispelled as the creature rounded the corner swiftly, trepidation replaced with acute dread. It looked like a deer, but nightmarish. Wild black fur, pointy antlers, glowing red eyes, and two stories tall at least. A primebeast.

    She screamed, and didn''t wait for it to make the first move, simply dashing away to the other side of the house. Put as many obstacles as possible between them. Not that it helped. The beast barreled straight through the house to continue its charge, resulting in a cloud of dust, planks and bricks.

    Dodging a piece of wood coming for her head, Paloma stumbled and fell, burying her face for a moment until panic and not being able to see set in and she scrambled out. She grasped at anything she could without taking her eyes off her feral executioner.

    Her hand closed around something hard and she threw it with all her strength, right at the head. Stone bounced uselessly off its antlers, lacking the force for it to even acknowledge the hit. She hyperventilated, trying to come up with something and failing miserably. This was it. She was going to die painfully and get eaten. Alone.

    The deer beast reared back to spear her like a brocheta, pawing the ground in preparation for a second charge. Then it shot forward in a spray of white faster than Paloma could react, promising a brutal¡ª

    A blur collided with its side, sending it crashing through the fence into the next house over in a cacophony of breaking walls and glass.

    Processing what happened a second later, Paloma looked at the figure before her, clad in odd silken clothing that was far too loose and thin for any sane person. The new arrival faced the primebeast that was now getting up, standing calmly with a raised arm, hand making the universal gun sign.

    What happened next would never leave her memory for as long as she lived. Standing before a raging primebeast that possessed the power to flatten homes, the tips of the stranger''s fingers began to shine with pure light, so bright Paloma had to squint.

    The flash that followed was so fast she had to figure out what happened from the red spot in her vision after blinking. A long line of light. A laser?

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    It had shot forward into the primebeast who was mid-sprint and collapsed a beat later, as if not yet realizing it was dead. The ground shook from its impact with the ground and it slid forward, momentum carrying it to its killer''s feet.

    Silence fell once more, and she felt safe enough to breathe again, gasping to the point her lungs felt like bursting over and over. And then, apparently done surveying their kill, the figure turned.

    When she got a good look at his face, her breath caught. Long black hair, vibrant green eyes, and a well-defined face with perfect olive skin. Her jaw hung open for longer than she would be willing to admit later.

    The thought of ¡°later¡± brought back the tears to her eyes, and Paloma began to sob from relief. She was safe, finally.

    Her savior spoke.

    She didn''t understand a word of it.

    *******

    Finn eyed the hulking primebeast¡¯s corpse again, watching the smoke rise from its head, which now bore a gaping hole.

    Logically, he knew full well it was completely, truly dead. He could sense that its brain had been burned through and its body had stopped functioning altogether. But that internal paranoia learned over the course of his career hadn¡¯t left him yet. He was still expecting it to get back up and resume the fight. Frankly, he just wasn''t used to winning fights this easily against an opponent with any real power.

    But the evidence was clear as day. A primebeast that was likely monster-class, lying dead in front of him. He was the undisputed victor, barely having had to put in any effort. His laser attack hadn''t even burned his hand all that much, so he fixed it with a few slow, deep breaths that the nanites converted into the tissue required to heal him. He shook his head. Power assessments could come later, when he knew more.

    Not an excuse to let his guard down. This environment was not one he had ever visited in the past. Overcast sky, snowy landscape, abandoned city full of broken houses? Amalgam had just dropped him here, and the one other living person in his range was being attacked, prompting him to rush over without delay.

    One thing was for certain: he was decidedly not in Apexia.

    Lying to himself would do him no good. He had to admit that he was stranded here with no way out.

    In this frozen hellscape.

    The irony of it all was sick and twisted, going from one place far from home to another despite his intentions.

    But could he have done anything to prevent this? Looking back, he didn''t think so.

    Because he remembered what Amalgam had said about the gatekeys and the possible routes he could take. The one he¡¯d taken was rated for survivability, meaning the other options had been even worse than this somehow? It was hard to wrap his head around that notion. That he had gotten the safe option and somehow still ended up in a place where primebeasts roamed free.

    If any colossal-class beasts showed up, his odds of winning would be drastically lower. He could potentially survive such a fight, but his chances would be worse if he had to worry about protecting a little girl.

    He looked back at the crying girl whom he had tried to speak with. Tried being the keyword. She didn¡¯t speak English. And he didn''t speak Spanish.

    Upon fully uncovering the nature of his ability¡¯s recall aspect in Wanderlust¡¯s dimension, Finn hadn''t had access to any textbooks to learn new languages even though that was one of the first uses he had come up with. Which meant he¡¯d been caught a bit flat-footed here. No way to communicate complex concepts to this girl, who by the way did not look old enough to be in middle school. Ten, maybe. Twelve at the very most.

    It was funny, in a way. For all his increased power, the first roadblock he ran into wasn''t an opponent he couldn''t defeat, but a simple language barrier. His father and mother had always spoken solely English with him.

    From what he knew, Lyra was the same. She spoke English and a few words in Mandarin, according to what she had told him. Jack was fluent in French as well and spoke it with his family. Casey, on the other hand, did actually speak Spanish from her visits to Solvarna, the megacity south of Apexia.

    Sadly, none of them were here, and the climate of this place most definitely did not match Solvarna. Nor did the apparent state of welfare. He would think he was somewhere deep in the north, if not for the sole resident he had encountered.

    Seeing how she was shivering from the cold, he stepped closer and controlled his nanites to emit some heat from his body to warm her up, mainly using his hands. She sagged forward, falling into his embrace. Crouching down, he scooped her up in his arms. He tried to get her to talk more, but she didn''t seem to comprehend what he said no matter how clearly he said it. Soon, she fell asleep.

    Alright. She was obviously in no condition to do anything else, meaning he would have to find his way out of here and get her to safety. He couldn''t allow another primebeast to get the opportunity to go after them. Finn would prefer not to get into a fight with this extra ¡°baggage¡± he was planning to transport.

    Adjusting her body so she was riding piggyback, he set off in the direction opposite of where the girl¡¯s footsteps had come from. Presumably, she had left whatever was there behind for good reason.

    One of his recent advancements was that he was able to render himself invisible. Not the camouflage he had used as Shade from the beginning. No, this was true invisibility. It worked by manipulating incoming light around his body with his nanites and projecting a perfect replica of the image that would originally be there if he weren¡¯t standing in that place. The downside was that light didn''t reach his retinas using this method, leaving him blind. And even that was remedied by the fact that he did not need his eyes to see. It was an excellent technique.

    It also wouldn''t work. Despite his training, he still couldn''t change the color of other people''s bodies. It seemed to be an insurmountable limitation of his power, and the reason why he couldn''t render the girl invisible or even camouflaged. He could use some fabric from somewhere to cover them with but primebeasts were likely able to track by other senses. He couldn''t do anything about that, meaning the real danger was staying in this place.

    With that in mind, he set out on a journey away from this place. He would do his level best to make sure he wasn''t attacked by a colossal-class or titanic-class primebeast. Yet those might not be the most dangerous possible encounter, as he was aware of his general location now.

    This was South America. Territory of the world¡¯s strongest supervillain, Seraphim.

 Chapter 95 - To Weigh

    Finn could imagine how, to normal people, the weather in this part of the world could be just as dangerous as the primebeasts or villains present. On a wider scale, that was. Given that he had only learned about this continent through history books and lectures rather than personal experience, he didn''t truly know how things worked here when he was actually in these war-torn lands.

    Carrying the yet-unnamed girl was difficult at first since he still had the huge bag with his supplies strapped to his shoulders, but he managed to create a comfortable spot for her between his back and the makeshift backpack. He made good time through the snow, avoiding any primebeasts that he could detect¡ªwhich was to say, all of them¡ªand taking a loose zigzagging route north. That said, he made sure not to jostle his small passenger too much so as not to wake her up.

    He didn''t want to get into a fight right now. Besides having a point of vulnerability with him, he didn''t want to waste time getting home after learning about the setback he was facing. It didn''t matter that he wanted to test his limits. He could do that once he found a place where the kid could rest, out of immediate danger.

    With the snow being rather high, he eventually decided to start tree hopping where he could¡ªa trick he had picked up during his mobility training in the first few weeks or so.

    Maintaining gentle turns and slower jumps in order to not create a ton of whiplash, Finn eventually reached a drier patch of ground that he could better run on.

    Then, suddenly, his sphere of influence fell over something strange. Something he had not wanted to encounter but whose true nature he could guess at.

    Distant, moving crystalline constructs in the form of animals were of particular interest. Because those things were not primebeasts. That tall, moving hound made of pure ice must have been a controlled minion of Seraphim. And it couldn''t be the only one of its kind, either.

    Actually, ¡°controlled¡± might not have been the correct term. He was reasonably confident that the ice monstrosity on the edge of his range was autonomous to a significant degree. Though there were supposed to be many of them spread throughout this massive territory.

    From school, Jack, and the internet, Finn knew that Seraphim was the undisputed strongest summoner-type in the world, with the ability to create a legion of frozen soldiers of all shapes and sizes to do her bidding. To him, that hadn''t sounded like the strongest power ever. After all, he believed quality was better than quantity. However, it seemed to be enough.

    Enough to rule a continent for decades.

    Finn steered clear of the frosty canine. If his suspicions were correct, it was totally possible that the long-standing warlord had a way of gathering information from her summons, even when they were defeated. Or especially when they were defeated.

    All in all, it seemed to him the best call here was to avoid the danger. Even supposing he was now as strong as Yama, which was absolutely not the case, getting into a protracted battle with Seraphim seemed like a profoundly stupid idea from all angles.

    Having exited Wanderlust¡¯s dimension, Finn had concluded that not every fight was worth taking. He had a responsibility and a goal, and he would be remiss to divert attention and time away from said goal so long as it wasn¡¯t necessary.

    Almost immediately after spotting it, he decided to leave this thing to its patrol or whatever else it might have been doing. And so he ran on, his passage barely making a sound as he picked up the pace a bit.

    Soon, he happened upon a camp, of sorts. Except more advanced than that. There were full-on residences here. He wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it, before looking closer with his power¡¯s senses and noticing that the construction of the¡­ cabins, for lack of a better term, was too perfect to be done by hand, or even by machine. All the imperfections he had grown used to in man-made buildings were absent. These things were genuinely perfect down to the molecule. It was a marvelous sight for someone who could appreciate it. Though Finn suspected the list of people who were actually capable of that was quite short. Likely consisting of just himself and the creator.

    They were in a more forested area now, snow-capped foliage blocking out light from the bleak, clouded sky. Based on what he was able to deduce, the encampment had been placed in a clearing. And inside it were people. A larger group than he would have thought, about the size of a platoon, but they didn¡¯t look like military men. Not at all.

    Foregoing the option of sneaking in and causing undue conflict in the long term, Finn decided to make his presence known more openly, walking up to the pair of men standing guard around the perimeter. It wouldn¡¯t have been something he would even entertain doing before his training, but he had countermeasures against those rifles the guards held. They weren¡¯t a threat to him.

    The guy on the right spotted him first, shouting something in Spanish and leveling the barrel of his gun at Finn while the guy¡¯s companion did the same. Approaching with his hands raised, Finn made his steps slow and deliberate. The two men hesitated upon seeing the girl resting on his back.

    He made his lack of comprehension of their language clear, speaking a few English words which seemed to alarm them. They shuffled closer together and exchanged some hushed words before one of them ran off and the other kept his weapon pointed at Finn.

    It didn¡¯t take more than a minute for the runner to return with a third man in tow, this one clad in warm, practical survival gear. Side-swept hair, kind eyes and a polite smile fixed on his face.

    Telling the guards something that must have meant ¡°stand down,¡± he stepped towards Finn.

    ¡°Hello, my name is Ernesto,¡± the man greeted, holding out a hand. After a moment, Finn shook it. Best to get along here so he could move on as quickly as possible.

    ¡°Shade,¡± he replied simply. Was he wearing a mask? No, but he was using a more advanced version of the disguise technique he¡¯d used back on his first date with Lyra. Now that he¡¯d become able to sense every cell making up a human body in all the people around him, he had gained a new level of insight on how to create the illusion of altered facial structure using colors, meaning this disguise was far more convincing than what he¡¯d managed the previous time he tried his hand at it. There was no risk of him being recognized as Finn Allister by anyone.

    ¡°I take it you are not from the States, then?¡± Ernesto asked.

    ¡°No. Apexia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, far from home, I see. May I ask, how did you end up here? This isn¡¯t the most popular vacation spot in recent years,¡± came the reply, made to seem casual but betraying a hint of wariness. Which Finn found reassuring, if anything. It would have been strange for this man not to be even the slightest bit suspicious of him.

    ¡°...Teleportation gone wrong,¡± he offered. No further elaboration. He wasn¡¯t going to tell them about Omega or Wanderlust. Omega hadn¡¯t used his gatekey so there was no reason to assume he had landed in this country. And if he had, he would be long gone already.

    Perhaps sensing Finn wasn¡¯t going to elaborate further, Ernesto nodded. ¡°And this one?¡± He was pointing at the girl now.

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    ¡°I found her on the way. She caught the attention of a primebeast.¡±

    Ernesto¡¯s head reared back a little, eyes widening as he looked Finn up and down again as if seeing him in a new light. ¡°You killed it, then found your way here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see. One more question, and when that is done I let you ask me a few things in return?¡± he suggested, gesturing for Finn to follow him into the camp.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    The impromptu guide fell into step beside Finn and lowered his volume. ¡°How did you find us? Usually we are protected from outsiders stumbling on our hiding places.¡±

    Though he kept his gaze forward, unwavering, Finn observed the man¡¯s microexpressions with his power and came to the conclusion that there was more to his question than simply the intent to inquire about Finn¡¯s ability to suss out the location of a presumably well-hidden settlement. In fact, what was that in the guy¡¯s breast pocket? A wooden token of sorts? He¡¯d assumed it was just a charm, but maybe it was similar to those artifacts he had seen in Viperia¡¯s storage supply. A power-created item capable of granting an ability to anyone who knew how to activate it.

    Was this place protected by it then? It was too early to say for sure. ¡°I have sharp senses,¡± he said vaguely.

    Surprisingly, that got Ernesto to huff out a laugh, clouds of fog escaping his mouth. ¡°All the signs tell me that you are dangerous beyond belief, yet I find wondering if that isn¡¯t exactly what we need.¡±

    Finn finally gave him a side-eye with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Need for what?¡±

    Bringing a fist up to his mouth, Ernesto cleared his throat and relaxed in a way that indicated the conversation was veering back into well-trodden ground for the accommodating man. ¡°Ah, you see, as I am sure you have been able to figure out, we are not part of Seraphim¡¯s army, nor are the people here rebels.¡±

    He said that last part with a wave of his hand at the people scattered across different parts of the camp. Some eyed Finn with curiosity of hostility, though most paid them little mind. Really, most of them looked to be preoccupied with organizing the daily affairs one or another. That one group near the center was preparing dinner, for example. The older kitchen lady having people run to and fro to acquire various ingredients.

    Yet due to the familiarity they displayed, the residences here were very much temporary even if the people had started getting acquainted with each other. Lack of decorations in the rooms, travel bags, wheeled contraptions fit to carry a lot of supplies at a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°Refugees,¡± Finn guessed.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ernesto confirmed. ¡°And, on the presumption that you do indeed want to get back to your city, I humbly request that you travel with us.¡±

    With them? Finn was confident that he could make it out of here on his own. Sneaking out of this place would be far easier without other people weighing him down. It was what his power specialized in, arguably. Stealth. Logically, there was no reason for him to involve himself with this group. His goal in coming here had been to drop off the girl so he could be on his way.

    They came to a stop in front of a somewhat larger building, Finn shrugging off his backpack and moving to set the girl down. She woke up, blinking blearily at him. Immediately after she began to shiver and gaze back and forth. Then her eyes settled on him and she stopped panicking. Slowly, he let her find her balance to stand on her own feet.

    For the third time since they¡¯d met, she said something he didn¡¯t understand, but this time Ernesto came to the rescue, kneeling beside the girl and asking her something. For once, Finn could infer the question from context.

    ¡°Paloma,¡± the girl answered. Ernesto beckoned one of the women walking past, who approached and took Paloma into the building after some whispered words.

    Seeing her cast a final glance back at him, Finn spoke. ¡°You built the entire camp, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why, yes I did. My power is logistically one of the best, but it is only me. We lost our superhuman fighter when Seraphim¡¯s forces last found us,¡± said Ernesto. ¡°You have proven that our protections are not infallible even when stationary. So the final leg of the journey will be in the next few days. I was planning to wait a week, but the sooner, the better. If we had you to protect us, we would be eternally grateful.¡±

    That was the sales pitch. Protect these people for virtually no return¡­ Could he bring himself to leave these people behind? He needed someone to show him the most efficient route, didn¡¯t he? Yeah, he did. Never mind whatever contacts this Ernesto was bound to have. No way this was a solo operation. Too much experience. There must have been a support network, or a pickup at least.

    ¡°How long would we be traveling?¡± Finn asked.

    He could tell from the way Ernesto¡¯s face lit up that his words inspired hope. ¡°Taking into account the fact we are in Colombia, it should take a few weeks at most to reach my contact, whom I assure you will be ready with enough flying vehicles to take us all over the border to the US. But I understand you might want some time to consider, so please do. We have a room for you in the far hall second from left.¡±

    Checking with his senses told him that the indicated room was indeed empty. But he didn¡¯t have much need for sleep these days. Far less than a baseline human. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he said. ¡°I need to check on some things first.¡±

    He was about to turn and walk off, stopped by a thought popping up in his mind. ¡°What¡¯s the date?¡±

    Getting up and dusting the snow and dirt off his knees, Ernesto shot him a confused look. ¡°The date? Ah, it¡¯s the eighteenth of March, 2033.¡±

    Aside from a nod, Finn gave no outward response or reaction before he walked off to a secluded area of the camp.

    He was shocked at how much time had passed, honestly. The fall of the Venin had taken place around the end of the year prior to last. That meant he had spent over a year inside Wanderlust¡¯s dimension. It shouldn¡¯t have been surprising, though. It was just odd to realize that his sixteenth birthday had passed without his knowing, his seventeenth coming up soon.

    With the knowledge that a substantial amount of time had passed, it would be prudent to inquire about the happenings of the world. Ernesto would likely be his source for that; the guy seemed to be well-connected for what was otherwise a relatively insular population. It made sense, he supposed, considering how often the man traveled.

    Leaning on the wall of a shed-like building full of tools, Finn contemplated the request he¡¯d received. To help the upwards of forty people through a war-torn country with primebeasts on the loose¡ª

    The auras lit up instantly, no warning whatsoever. Finn¡¯s jaw dropped as he suddenly saw everyone in a way he hadn¡¯t just moments earlier. Paloma¡¯s relief, fear, sorrow and contentment while she finished her meal. Ernesto¡¯s persistent worry.The general uncertainty pervading the camp.

    And they all lacked the dark spot in their heads. Even Ernesto, whose power was clearly denoted by the slightly elevated reality of his aura. This¡­ This was¡­

    Terrible.

    The number of individuals whose aura he had ever been able to sense yesterday was less than a handful. A couple of powered humans who took up a lot of his thoughts, each for vastly different reasons.

    His chest constricted as the realization sank in, dragging him under like he was chained to a metal ball in the sea.

    Lyra was like Omega.

    The evidence was damning. He couldn¡¯t come up with any other way to explain it. His breathing quickened, and he tried to think of what he should do. But he didn¡¯t have anything. Neither of them were within reach.

    What was that blob thing? No one else besides them had it. It wasn¡¯t a subconscious. So what? Their power, did that explain Lyra¡¯s ¡°inner voice?¡±

    Finn slumped. Maybe Omega hadn¡¯t been lying at all. Maybe it wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t gained his unbinding yet and it would simply be a matter of time, but that his power fundamentally couldn¡¯t.

    Because it was enmeshed with him. The same way Lyra was entangled with hers.

    Omega had seemed in sync with the thing in his head while Lyra hadn¡¯t. Did that mean he had already given in while Lyra was still in the process of being taken over? Was it possession at all? Closer to fusion? Did it make a difference? Her words bubbled back up in his mind, unbidden.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to tell me, but if you ever see something dangerous in my emotions, like a serious threat¡­ Can you stop me?¡±

    Finn bit down a scream, hoping above everything that Lyra was safe, and that he could get to her in time. Despite those hopes, another thought rose in his mind.

    What if he was already too late?

 Chapter 96 - To Forecast

    Night had fallen by now, but he still hadn¡¯t gone inside. He hadn¡¯t even moved from this spot, and no one had bothered him. All he¡¯d done for the last few hours was think. Agonize about the crushing realization of what he¡¯d missed all this time. How one minor development with his power gave him proof of the worst case scenario.

    A tiny bit of context was all it took to turn his world upside down. He gritted his teeth, fingers digging into the snow, then sighed. He wanted to muster up more anger, more burning hot range, but he couldn''t. The emotion welling up inside his stomach was fear. Dread. Finn didn''t fear Omega in the sense of what the monster could do to him. What he was afraid of was what Lyra would become, knowing almost for certain what her power was doing to her. At least in general terms. The broad strokes were enough in this case as the picture they painted wasn''t something Finn could ignore.

    She was being influenced by the destructive tendencies of her power. Which explained her reluctance to leverage it to its fullest extent. Of course. Aiden had told her as much. He hated how much sense this was making. If something pushed her over the edge, it could have disastrous consequences. He needed to get to her before it was too late. Assuming she wasn''t too far gone already. He shook his head. No, he wasn''t even going to entertain that. He was going to keep his promise no matter what, now that he''d seen where she might end up.

    Omega served as an example of what could happen to her if she synchronized with her power more, didn''t he? Finn wasn''t sure how that process worked. He only knew he needed to stop her before the thing inside of her was fully realized.

    So did that mean he was going to abandon the people here? Run off alone for the sake of his own agenda, leave them to make what could be an impossible journey? They could die. He inhaled deeply, drawing a full breath of icy air into his lungs as he considered.

    Alright, what was the priority? The problem was that a lot of things seemed to be of extreme importance at the moment, but this was just one more thing that he felt couldn''t wait, that he knew had the potential to go wrong at any time. But the truth was, he lacked the means.

    To save these people was to delay himself, there was no denying it. But if he left now, if he turned his back on them, could he live with that? Could he live with knowing he might¡¯ve condemned them all to death, just because he couldn¡¯t wait?

    His fingers clenched tighter, half-buried in the cold. The snow burned against his skin, but it was a distant sensation. It was nothing compared to the twisting knots in his chest.

    What was he supposed to do?

    Every second he lingered here, he lost time¡ªtime he might not have. But if he left them behind, if he let them fend for themselves in the middle of a frozen wasteland, wasn¡¯t that just another failure? He¡¯d spent so long trying to be better. Trying to do the right thing. If he made the wrong choice here, it wouldn¡¯t just be a mistake. It would be a betrayal.

    But Lyra¡ªshe was changing. Whether she knew it or not, whether she was fighting it or not, she was losing herself. And if he let that happen, if he waited too long, would there be anything left of her to save?

    His breath came out in uneven puffs of white.

    Neither choice had permissible consequences. That was the heart of the matter. He didn''t want to abandon these people, even though he owed them nothing, even though he would be better off without them.

    His senses had been observing the area around the camp, and while he had noticed a few low-class primebeasts walking past, they had all miraculously steered clear of this place. Some mental manipulation effect? He wasn''t sure about the specifics, but it did remind him of something. Ines¡¯ power was like that. He¡¯d never asked her about the specifics after figuring out the nature of her abilities, and to his knowledge she had used it maybe a handful of times in his presence before he became aware of it.

    This phenomenon he was witnessing here felt the most similar to what the girl had done with Cyrus back during his and Calliope¡¯s scheduled meeting with him that led up to the start of their training. People had just walked around them despite not consciously noticing their presence in the middle of a busy sidewalk.

    Such a power, if Ernesto¡¯s artifact was indeed similar, was undoubtedly useful for escaping the country. Since Finn wasn''t going to steal from a group of desperate refugees, the only way for him to stay under the¡­ notice-me-not field, for lack of a better term, was by accepting the invitation. The question was, would that excuse be sufficient justification for staying? He didn''t think so, though he wanted it to be.

    When he weighed his chances of making it out alone, he didn''t think it was arrogant to say his likelihood of success was high. The physiological upgrades to his body were proof of that. Reflexes, strength, speed, durability, he was simply better. Even taking into account the eventuality of a higher class primebeast with exotic senses registering his presence, there seemed to be little that could truly stop him from crossing the border if he was focused on escaping and nothing else.

    Finn sighed, leaning his head against the wall of the shed behind him. If that wasn''t a good enough practical reason to stay, then what was? Though, practicality could possibly be the wrong angle here.

    The moment he got up from the worst defeat of his life, over a year ago now, he¡¯d resolved himself to take out Omega because it was his responsibility. Viewing this situation with the displaced people of South America through a lens of responsibility, the next step was to decide whether this was his problem. And if it was, how many more such problems would he encounter in the future, preventing him from completing his main objectives sooner?

    Empty platitudes wouldn''t cut it anymore. Were these people worth delaying for, or not? He couldn''t come up with an answer that night. Instead he remained seated, thinking about it in silence.

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    So by the time the dim, gray morning light shone down on him, he was in the same spot, allowing a small figure to find and approach him easily. Being able to sense the auras of normal humans now, Finn was familiar with the dancing melange of colors outlining people since he had gained more than two data points. That meant he already knew how the little girl he¡¯d saved was feeling when she had walked up to him.

    ¡°Ehh, hola, Mister Shade. I¡­ name¡­ Paloma,¡± came the introduction with deliberate slowness, broken English spoken with great effort.

    He turned and looked at her with a soft smile. ¡°Hello, Paloma,¡± he replied.

    The preteen¡¯s eyes widened when he actually responded, as if she hadn''t expected him to grace her with a second of attention. She started and stopped speaking a few times, but whatever it was she wanted to say wasn¡¯t coming out right, resulting in a frustrated pout while she glared at the snow beneath them.

    Finn, for his part, was content to wait for her to find her words as he began concentrating on the auras around him again. It gave him a feel for having access to this aspect of his power so ubiquitously.

    There hadn¡¯t been a conscious revelation to unlock this advancement, but he had to admit it could''ve occurred for different reasons, or the flash of insight was subconscious and he didn''t know what it was. He still didn''t have a solid idea of what his power''s criteria were for growth. Did it just make arbitrary decisions? No way to tell.

    ¡°?Jugar¨¢s conmigo?¡± Paloma asked eventually, holding up some marbles. He could tell it was a question from the tone, not the words. It was easy to infer what she was asking from context as well.

    ¡°Alright.¡± He stood and dusted off his pants. ¡°How does it work?¡± he prompted, gesturing at the marbles with a tilt of his head to overcome the language barrier.

    Paloma beamed, clearly delighted that he was willing to play. She crouched down, clearing a small patch of snow with her sleeve until a hard, frozen surface peeked through. Carefully, she placed one of the marbles in the center, then looked up at him with expectant eyes.

    Finn studied the setup, picking up on the simple nature of the game. She gestured for him to do the same, so he knelt across from her, rolling one of the smooth glass spheres she gave him between his fingers before setting it down opposite hers.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Paloma said slowly, pressing her lips together in concentration as she searched for the right words. Then she simply demonstrated, flicking another marble toward the center, aiming to knock his out of place. The small sphere struck his, sending it skidding sideways. She let out a victorious giggle.

    He blinked. Her aura had flickered for a moment before she threw. In a way he recognized, too. Then he thought back to the other times something like this had happened, and he saw an opportunity. Those had been times of extreme stress, this was far calmer. A simple game of marbles he could use as practice.

    ¡°Again?¡± he asked, flicking his eyes to their game.

    Paloma nodded, eagerly resetting the marbles. Bending over the marbles like this, she looked so small, wrapped in a thick winter coat and gloves. Vulnerable and innocent in a way the war hadn¡¯t ruined yet, having fun in such a trivial way. He wondered what the point of saving her would have been if he abandoned her today and it got her killed. A flash of guilt ran through him, and he quickly shut off that line of thought.

    The second time, the young girl drew her arm back for a second throw, he tried to channel the experiences he¡¯d had. First while trying to push Lyra into Warp¡¯s portal, then later when Omega had revealed his true nature. An outline. That was what it was. A colored form that corresponded with their aura which took the shape of their body. In a future position. The implications of this were insane, but he focused on trying to summon that outline again more vividly.

    It failed, nothing but an indistinguishable twitching blur preempting Paloma¡¯s throw. Another hit. She urged him to throw harder, though he let her win and kept his eyes on her the next round.

    At its core, what were his senses? The ability to sense colors physically, for one, and what else? These emotions were more than just representations of fluctuating brain chemistry or the like; they took on their own forms, despite existing solely in people¡¯s heads.

    Wait. People¡¯s heads¡­ mental! His power had a¡­ what, a Physical Realm and a Mental Realm? Yeah, that was what he would call it for now. It was fine. What mattered was the distinction, rather than the nomenclature.

    Auras, then, were an extension of the mind, the consciousness which bled emotions, flickering in the vast universe like a candle in the dark. Finn was incapable of reading surface thoughts. He lacked the expertise to even begin to decipher thoughts from neural signals in the brain with his material perception, and he doubted he would reach that level in the next few years, if not more. That left the mental, where emotions flared off of the humans in his range, no context attached to them. But these associations, instinctive and fundamental to the mind, could grant insight because they were linked to his domain of colors. He likened it to something he had read about before, the mind linking colors to other things like sounds, numbers, smell, and so on.

    Synesthesia.

    Four more rounds passed with poor results until he made that crucial connection. Paloma made the same movement again, and he saw a transparent outline of Paloma¡¯s arm, dyed in a myriad of emotions, make the expected throwing motion before she actually did, an outline of the marble rolling straight into his marble with picture-perfect accuracy.

    Her actual throw happened, and it was a bit off. It still hit, she was good at this game, though with a hint of inaccuracy. Of course, Finn thought. That made complete sense. The outline wasn¡¯t a hundred percent accurate due to the differential created by a gap between hand-eye coordination and kinesthetic thought.

    In other words, the reason why his vision of the throw was skewed to just this side of reality was because Paloma wasn¡¯t skilled enough to exactly execute a complex feat like that. He wasn¡¯t looking into the future from any other source than what she decided to do, after all. The moment she committed to a course of action, her aura would manifest into that movement and show it at the exact same time, before she could actually move to do it with her body.

    Finn got up and corrected the little errors in her form so she could perform a better throw, and lo and behold, the hypothesized result turned out to be correct. Satisfied with his results, he decided to win a couple of rounds to make Paloma more competitive, testing a ton of variations on this new discovery. Definitely power testing. No other reason he should participate.

    They played together for the rest of that morning.

 Chapter 97 - To Thaw

    Warmth spread from his hands, thawing the otherworldly fruit in slow waves. Having sat near the top of his backpack, it had frozen solid in this harsh climate. He had collected mostly seeds since he had expected the actual fruits to go bad within a short time frame once he made it out, but he supposed that preservation was no longer an issue with the weather being what it was. Silver linings.

    Finn wasn''t planning to eat it himself. Instead, the intended recipient stared as if he was about to give her a diamond. Eyes filled with wonder, Paloma watched intently while he prepared the first part of her lunch.

    Controlling heat emission like this was an exercise in precision, testing his limits with the energy conversion feature of the nanites inside him. For input, he had taken to absorbing predominantly light as an energy source, and then turning that into a different type of energy. At first, it had been difficult. Over time, it grew steadily easier.

    First, he had to take into account things like heat convection and the temperature he produced, in addition to how the heating affected the moisture this fruit contained. Second, he had to gradually ramp up the output so it didn''t take forever while also not cooking it. It was a balancing act not to denature any of the nutrients, no doubt.

    Paloma looked fascinated by the whole process, though it didn''t take too long. When it was done, Finn transferred the fruit from his cupped hands to her own. She received it with a bright smile, laughing as she stroked the fuzzy ball.

    They were inside one of the cabins now, no longer out in the cold, so the girl had taken her gloves off.

    Sufficiently amused with the texture of the peel, Paloma took a careful bite of the fruit. The moment her teeth sank into the soft flesh, her eyes widened in shock. Then, just as quickly, her face lit up with pure delight.

    ¡°?Est¨¢ rico!¡± she exclaimed, giggling as she chewed.

    Finn leaned back against the wall, watching as she took another eager bite. The juice dribbled slightly down her chin, and she wiped it away hastily with her sleeve before diving back in. It was clear that whatever this fruit was, it tasted far better than she had expected.

    ¡°It¡¯s good, huh?¡± Finn asked, amused.

    Paloma nodded enthusiastically, kicking her legs as she sat on the wooden bench beside him. ¡°Muy, muy bueno,¡± she affirmed between bites. ¡°Like... um... dulce, pero no mucho.¡± She frowned in thought, trying to find the right word.

    ¡°Sweet, but not too much?¡± Finn translated. While learning to speak Spanish fluently was going to take some time, he was able to expedite it by taking the words the people around the camp spoke during the day using his perception recall ability and inferring what they meant from context.

    ¡°S¨ª, s¨ª!¡± She grinned. ¡°Y... um...¡± She hesitated, then placed a small hand on her stomach. ¡°Warm.¡±

    He raised an eyebrow. Warm? He was sure he''d gotten the temperature correct. Or did she mean- wait, yeah. That was right. The fruit was incredibly nutrient-dense, and she must have been feeling it right now. He just hadn''t expected the effects to be so immediate.

    It wasn¡¯t just filling her stomach¡ªit was revitalizing her. Her skin had a bit more color, her shoulders less weighed down with exhaustion. The faint dark circles under her eyes were still there, but there was a noticeable energy to her now.

    Another bite. Another giggle. She looked at the fruit like it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

    ¡°Do you want more?¡± Finn asked, already reaching for his bag.

    Paloma hesitated again, then shook her head. ¡°No, this good.¡± She held the half-eaten fruit close, as if cherishing it. ¡°Thank you, Mister Shade.¡±

    Finn blinked. That was the first time she had thanked him outright. Although it was good that she was content with this, because he couldn¡¯t stay with her forever.

    ¡°You''ll be fine on your own, won''t you?¡± he said, getting up from the makeshift cot. His room here was a simple thing, but it had the necessities for sleep.

    Hearing that, Paloma made a sound of protest, but couldn''t seem to find the words to express why. The spike of fear in her aura was a noticeable tell too.

    ¡°I''ll be back,¡± he said, leaving the girl with his bag to enter the small hallway. He walked past the other rooms, past the people in the common area. None of them paid him any mind. Not surprising; keeping an eye on an invisible man was rather hard. The light bent around him naturally now. Granted, without Calliope around to mute sound waves, he still made a few heads turn when the door seemingly opened and closed itself.

    Outside once more, he made his way across the camp toward the perimeter surrounding these perfect wood-like buildings, heading straight for their creator as soon as the man was in sight.

    ¡°I need information,¡± he said when he was two steps away.

    Ernesto jumped in fright before whirling to face him. He undid his invisibility. ¡°Ah, Shade, it''s you. I see. Information, you say? I would be happy to provide it, if I actually have knowledge on the topics you are interested in.¡±

    Oh? He recovered surprisingly well. Then again, Finn guessed someone in Ernesto''s position would have to be socially adept at least to some degree.

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    ¡°What do you know about the top five villains and their movements over the past year?¡± he asked, seeing no need for preamble.

    ¡°The top¡­ My understanding was that you were displaced by a teleportation incident. How long have you been here on this continent?¡±

    Ernesto only got a deadpan stare in reply.

    The leader of the refugee camp held up his hands. ¡°Okay, forget I asked anything. The top five, you said? Global?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Let me see¡­ Dollhouse got her hands on another hero team shortly after Novastra was replaced. A shame, all those senseless deaths.¡±

    ¡°And the others?¡± Finn prompted.

    ¡°Next, Omega has not made a single appearance.¡±

    He almost froze. But he couldn''t outwardly react to that. Thankfully, keeping a perfect poker face was easy with his level of proprioception.

    Omega hadn''t made a single move known to the public? He couldn''t imagine better news. Finn was almost certain this meant that the bastard was still recovering. Either that or he was biding his time somewhere. Or maybe he had died to his injuries after escaping Amalgam¡­?

    Yeah, no.

    Regardless, it was good for Finn that Omega hadn''t made a move yet. However, he was under no delusion that it would stay that way.

    ¡°Mansa, I have not heard much about. He could be doing plenty of things in Africa and we would be none the wiser. Information wars are their forte for a reason,¡± Ernesto continued. ¡°Skaldvaldr is the most active as always, just not in ways that impact humanity directly.¡±

    Then, he rolled his shoulders and huffed out a steaming breath, gazing up at the overcast sky with a complicated expression on his face.

    ¡°And Seraphim. That malnacida does what she has been doing,¡± Ernesto spat through clenched teeth. ¡°For a generation, going on two, she has ruined our people, and for what? Money? Conquest? Ego? I¡­¡± He brought his gaze back down. ¡°Sorry, I let myself get carried away. You asked what she is doing, well, it''s safe to say her situation has not changed much. That''s also the reason why my contacts agreed to pick up this group.¡±

    Finn¡¯s mind reeled for a moment, trying to process everything Ernesto had said. The names bounced around in his head, each one representing something dangerous, something important to his mission¡ªor perhaps just his survival. The past year had been tumultuous, and yet the silence surrounding Omega was a strange kind of peace. The silence of a predator lying in wait.

    His gaze flickered back toward the camp, a small, quiet cluster of refugees huddling against the cold, trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy. It was apparent now how much of an impact Seraphim had on these people. Not just Ernesto, but the others as well. Finn could see the occasional flashes of dread, frustration and anger all throughout this place, pervading their daily lives. There was longing as well, a want for what they no longer had, Finn suspected. He''d never experienced anything like this personally. Being on the ground with them made it all so real.

    Finn couldn''t help but wonder how many of them had lost something to Seraphim¡¯s machinations, or how many were simply trying to outrun the chaos the world had become. There was something tragic about their misplaced hope. They were just like Paloma, caught in the crossfire of things far beyond their control.

    It wasn¡¯t survival that had kept Finn here so far¡ªit was the feeling of being in the presence of those who hadn¡¯t given up entirely, who still fought against the bleakness in small, personal ways. He thought of Paloma, how quickly she had warmed to him, how her laughter filled the cold air, even if just for a moment. It was the same thing that kept so many of them alive¡ªsmall joys, fleeting moments of comfort.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    He knew that.

    None of this would ever be enough if the likes of Seraphim or Omega were allowed to continue unchecked. If it weren¡¯t for the fire in people like Ernesto, things would have already crumbled. People would be fighting among themselves for scraps, and the bitter truth was, it wasn¡¯t far from that reality. But what could he offer them? Hope? More than likely, it would just end up like every other illusion they had chased. One more false dawn before the night consumed them.

    Ernesto shifted his weight, bringing Finn out of his spiraling thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s not just about what they have done to us,¡± the leader said quietly, as if realizing he was speaking more to himself than to Finn. ¡°It¡¯s about what is coming. Every day that goes by, it¡¯s like the world is preparing for a storm that no one is ready for.¡±

    A storm, huh?

    Somehow, that seemed exactly right.

    It didn''t amount to more than a gut feeling at the moment, though. Nothing concrete. Finn had other tasks to focus on.

    ¡°It was good information,¡± he said.

    ¡°Ah, truly? I see, thank you. I am happy to help.¡± The man rubbed the back of his head a bit. ¡°So, have you come to a decision? I don''t mean to rush you, but some clarity would be appreciated.¡±

    In the end, there was no need to ask the man to elaborate any further. Finn knew what he was asking. Would he escort the refugees out of the country?

    He had all the information he was realistically going to get. He was as informed as he could be for the upcoming decision. The sole person of interest he hadn''t learned about was Lyra, but he didn''t have any idea what he would do about her situation even if she were standing in front of him this very second.

    Omega hadn¡¯t moved, things sounded like they were as fine as could be expected. He didn''t have the luxury of saying he had time, yet he knew he wasn''t going to get any closer than this. That left him with a choice. Except, that choice wasn''t a real choice.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± He looked Ernesto in the eyes.

    The guy¡¯s relief was palpable. ¡°Words cannot begin to express how grateful we are.¡±

    ¡°On one condition,¡± Finn added.

    A pulse of yellow in the aura.

    ¡°And what would that be?¡± his host asked cautiously.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving tomorrow,¡± Finn announced matter-of-factly. ¡°If I¡¯m coming with, I absolutely can''t afford to waste more time than necessary.¡±

    Taken aback, Ernesto gave a nervous laugh. ¡°It looks like my worries about rushing you were misplaced. If anything, it''s the opposite! Very well, sir. We were going to wait until the coast was a bit more clear, but if you can take point, the other side will be within reach. I must warn you, of course, that a lot of the responsibility will fall on your shoulders. Can you handle it?¡±

    Finn¡¯s response was to nod in acknowledgement.

    From there, everyone was moving. Packing bags, readying vehicles, scouting for exit routes. Preparation was picking up all around.

    And that was how he''d gotten himself tied up in the journey of a lifetime.