The quiet morning brought cool air to the streets of the Slums. Nina stood at the foot of a pier within a long since abandoned shipyard, greeting the sun as it rose up from behind the horizon. A calming breeze blew through Nina’s scarlet hair and pulled it along its gentle caress. Carried along that cold morning gale were even colder memories. Frustration and rage poured through her veins like the very flames she wielded.

"Why won’t he just die? I don’t get it. How can I be weak!?"

Nina clenched her fist tight as sparks ignited between the crevices of her fingers. Thick trails of black smoke rose up from the pyro’s clutches as her veins began to emit a fiery glow. The burning girl finally turned to leave the dock and head back inside the derelict warehouse she called home. It was once she took her first steps off the pier that she first encountered him. A young man that Nina had never seen before. He seemed human enough and therefore an easy kill. Without a word, Nina engulfed the man in her flames. A fitting punishment for foolishness by Nina’s standards. Her mood lightened with a foretaste for the man’s screams, but they never came. There was not a single sound that emitted from the stranger as his body was trapped within a storm of fire. All was quiet, save for one sound pervading the air. The sound of man’s calm, soothing voice.

"Well now. That’s no way to greet a guest."

Nina’s eyes widened in shock as the stranger reappeared before her, freed from the hungry flames in a split second. In that moment Nina had spotted every detail of the mysterious man. The stranger was thin, with few signs of any muscle anywhere upon his physique. He was much more subtle than some boisterous hero of legend and preferred to hide away whatever power he possessed. His frail figure was cast in soft, pasty skin that seemed to glisten in the splendor of dawn. The man’s body seemed completely luminous and created the magnificent illusion that some enigmatic god came down from the heavens to visit the mortal plane. His hair was white and wavy like ivory lace. Strands curled and flowed in every which way and attracted the light in the same way as his pasty flesh. Despite such a divine appearance, the man’s eyes were a deep red. Those red eyes were almost hellish in nature. They were the abyssal eyes of a machiavellian.

His clothes were almost too simple for one with such a grandiose presence. He only wore a simple white hoodie that lacked a zipper. His legs were clad by bright blue denim jeans, high in quality but certainly bottom dollar. His feet were adorned by bright red high tops that stood out almost too much from the rest of the ensemble. That was all the illuminant enigma wore. Simple clothes that clashed with their colors. It was as if the man wished to be an eyesore to those he walked by.

"Make one move and I’ll reduce you dust," Nina shouted as she lit her arms ablaze.

"Now, now. Is that the first thing you say to your friend, Alice?" the stranger asked with a cocky laugh.

A blast of flame burst forward from Nina’s palms. The man seemed to just flicker out of existence the second the flames touched the hairs upon his skin. Nina’s rage began to grow as her flames glowed brighter and brighter. Her barely controlled inferno spread in seconds, but couldn't light a flame on the man’s body. His agility was otherworldly and far from what Nina had expected.

"Where the fuck did you go!?"

"I’m right here!" the stranger said with a chuckle as he patted Nina on her burning shoulder without so much as a flinch.

Nina immediately threw balls of flame behind her only to see that she was shooting at nothing. Her typical expectations shattered, Nina was completely uncertain in how she could fight someone like that. The man truly was an enigma beyond understanding. It hadn’t been a long time since she had been so outclassed by an opponent. The last thing she wanted to be reminded of was her own weakness. Her overconfidence was once again her downfall as her hastily repaired perspective started to crack once more. Her fears recalled memories stretching all the way back to three years ago. She cursed under her breath as she fought to repress the image of Agent Vixen creeping around inside her head, while the image of myself stood in defiance against her igneous will.

"Why do you want to kill me Alice?" the stranger taunted.

Nina reacted as quickly as she could and reached out to grasp at the stranger. She let off a sly grin as she felt her fingers wrap around the man’s throat. A wave of satisfaction and an almost perverse enjoyment from the infliction of pain rushed through her boiling veins.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Nina asked in a low growl.

"It’s as I said before Alice, I’m a friend."

Nina snarled like a beast and threw the man into the old warehouse wall. The sound of a light frame hitting old and beaten metal resonated throughout the waterfront as Nina slowly approached her visitor. Her body was still ignited and glowing white.

"My name is not Alice!"

A sly grin stretched upon the enigma’s face as his devilish eyes closed with a sense of victory. In that same moment those eyes flashed open again with a frightful glare of overbearing confidence.

"Neither is Nina," the stranger claimed as his lips curled in delight.

Nina froze in place. Her rage did not subside, but vanished, if but for a moment. The words uttered by that strange man made the pyro’s heart nearly stop. For the first time in a long time, Nina was afraid. No one alive would have said something like that to her. That stranger knew more about Nina than she would have liked. There were far too many dark secrets that she left buried in the far reaches of her past. Never again would she let them resurface. The past was the past, a place never to be revisited. So then why would this man open books long left closed?

"You better start making some sense. I’m starting to get a feel for your movements. You can start by telling me your name."

"Very well. I am Regis," the stranger said with a smile as he stood up from the ground and dusted off his clothes.

"What do you want with me?"

Nina planned to allow Regis a chance to explain himself. She couldn’t just flat out kill a man who knew her secrets. She desired to know all that he discovered first. She had to know how much of her closely guarded past had leaked out into the depths of the world. Regis grinned as he approached the tense pyromaniac. His expression said it all, but Nina didn’t want to believe it. There was not a single shred of fear in his eyes. He had to know about every single dirty little secret that Nina buried with the darkest reaches of grey matter.

"Let’s just say I know what you’ve been up to. I know why you are trying so desperately to get stronger. You are trying to open your Mind Gate aren’t you?"

"And what if I am? Are you afraid of the end of the world?"

"What if I told you I know why every attempt has ended in failure?"

Nina was beginning to find herself intrigued. Perhaps Regis was of some use to her, and was worth keeping alive. After all, her sole purpose in life was showing the pitiful human race what they had failed to become. Nina wanted to become a God, a God that would usher in the end of days. She would prove her dominance over humanity soon, but she couldn’t do it with so many hindrances standing in her way.

"Alright then. Humor me," Nina demanded after a few short moments of thought.

Regis’ eerie smile grew ever wider as he relished in the next few words to leave his lips.

"In the Garden of Eden, the first bride waits sleeping."

The second those syllables reached Nina’s ears her head began to pound violently. Her hands immediately grasped her skull as throbbing pulses shook the center of her nerves. Her mind raced at hyper light speeds before flashing into blackness. She felt her body seize as her head throbbed in great pain. A tortured groan escaped her maw as she held her head tight in her fists. She looked up from her seizure with her blue eyes glaring at Regis.

"What the hell is this!?" Nina cried out.

"One of the keys to unlock your memories," responded Regis.

As Regis informed her, Nina saw red flashes racing in her mind. Crimson tinted scenes of the Cocoon. Memories of a broken glass cage. A room strewn with smoke, ash, and bodies. A great burning blade clenched tightly in her fist. Nina was struggling to piece it all together before her body bent forward in an arch as she let out one last cry of terrible pain. Her eyes bulged from their sockets as the flood of memories embedded themselves deep within the layers of her subconscious. At last the pain subsided, but Nina’s anger had returned tenfold. She ran up to Regis with her arms ignited full blast. She backed the smiling albino against the warehouse wall and stared into his red eyes.

"What are you trying to pull here!?"

"You can’t open your Mind Gate, can you? No matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to figure it out. That is because you've already opened it."

Nina hesitated, but ultimately lowered her arm and relinquished her flames. She tapped her foot impatiently as she let off of Regis.

"Go on."

"When you first opened your Gate, Lockhart believed it was too dangerous. Several scientists wound up dead when it happened. He had you put through intense mental conditioning in order to try and contain your ability. The memories of the Mind Gate, and more specifically how to use it, were locked with a set of keys. Those keys are conditioned phrases that will trigger your memories. The phrase you heard just now is the first one."

"Where are the others?"

"All the keys are with me."

Nina immediately lit her body ablaze as she dashed at Regis, her rage flaring up once again. Her burning fist collided with the warehouse as Regis flickered away from Nina’s strike.

"Give them to me!" Nina screamed in a rage.

"Now, now Alice. You don’t get something for nothing. I’m going to need you to do something for me first."

*****

Meanwhile in the Cocoon, Lockhart sat in his office, assuming his usual lax position. His body leaned back into the soft leather of his seat while his legs were propped up on the table, scuffing the expensive mahogany with his equally expensive leather shoes. A cell phone was clutched in the left hand of the glamorous professor as he continued a very important conversation with a certain sword-wielding Demon.

"And you’re sure of this?" Lockhart inquired.

"Yes. It’s nothing like the other mutations, this is something new," said the voice of none other than Genesis, over the phone.

"And you said you retrieved samples?"

"Yes, but we had to give the corpse to CAPRA to keep them off our backs."

"You think it crossed the line?"

"Definitely, nothing we have seen from the Source even remotely matches it."

"This isn’t good for us Genesis, we can’t afford to deal with another rogue element. Talon has her hands full as it is."

"Which is exactly why I stayed behind for the time being."

Just then, an Excalibur rushed into the office unannounced. His black armor was adorned by white stripes, much like the stripes belonging to those in the Hunter Company. A tattered, pasty, pine scarf was wrapped around the man’s neck and draped down his back intertwining with his rather lengthy hair. The look of fearful concern on Lockhart’s face spoke volumes.

"What is it Commander Goose?"

Before Lockhart, stood the Commander of the Excaliburs. A grizzled and battle hardened man, who looked nothing of the sort, stood firm before that mahogany desk with a distressed visage. The commander’s face was clearly visible to Lockhart as the ceiling light cast down upon him. His skin was a healthy balance between Caucasian and dark. His face was smooth like an infant’s, despite looking to be in his thirties. Only a few light scars decorated his soft visage. Dull blue eyes were coupled with minor wrinkles beneath. Despite all the horrors those eyes had witnessed, they held a murderous and excited glint within the irises. They told the story of a man who thought war was fun, and lived for the rush of adrenaline brought on only by battle. Falling past his eyes were his long, dark brown locks. His hair was shaggy and tied up into a long ponytail. His bangs were gently swept to the side to keep his vision clear. To complete the man’s look, a brown leather outback hat sat atop his head. It was the one thing he took from his home back in Sydney.

"Boss, you’ll want to turn on the news."

Lockhart immediately retrieved a television remote and switched the screen onto the local news frequency. Evo City was so separatist in its ways that it even had its own private news agency. Though few realized that it was just another implement of control. Rarely did the news ever give the whole story, instead opting to present small hints or just flat out lies. All of that just to keep the city’s true purpose concealed.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Lockhart silenced himself as he observed the ongoing breaking news report. Scenes of smoke covered courtyards and streets played out over the television. Lockhart’s eyes widened in fear as the realization hit him full force. His gaze panning over in tune with the cameras looking over the toppled building that lay strewn across the smoky epicenter of an explosion.

"…coucil has already been evacuated. Fires are spreading all throughout Ministry Square. The death toll is currently in the thousands including several members of the City Council."

Lockhart immediately removed his feet from the table top. He clenched his teeth in frustration before ending the conversation with Genesis abruptly. Genesis could decide for himself what he wanted to do next. There were far more important matters that needed to be addressed. A single vein could be seen bulging out of the scientist’s forehead. This was not a situation he was prepared to deal with, which was all the more evident by his reaction.

"Orders?" was the one word question uttered by Commander Goose.

"Contact Reaver. Tell him that his services are no longer required. If he refuses to turn himself in, he is to be treated no different from the others. Send as many Demons and Excaliburs as you see fit. I want Nina and her subordinates brought back to the Cocoon, dead or alive."

"Should we assist in the evacuation?"

"No. Leave that to the police."

*****

The news broadcasted its tragic tale throughout the hollow rooms of my apartment. I watched with my fists clenched tight and my teeth grinding as scenes of barbarous cruelty played out over my TV display. Terra tossed me my sweater as she approached me. There was no way that we would be sitting out of that battle. Nina had finally crossed the line and the security of Demon Project had been completely compromised. No one was going to take that lying down.

"This is gonna be a tough one Hev," Hell muttered from within my head.

"I know," I responded as Terra and I fled the apartment

Terra and I ran down the street with our eyes peeled toward the columns of smoke that rose up between the towering glass monoliths in the distance. Alarms rang out like choirs of weeping angels mourning the fallen innocents. Before long I felt the vibrations of a cell phone, provided to me by Lockhart, filling up my left pocket. In a swift motion I pulled the phone from my pocket and answered the call. Lockhart spoke swiftly on the other end.

"Where are you and Terra?"

"We’re heading to Ministry Square."

"Good. Rendezvous with the Excaliburs. I have already given the order, Nina and her subordinates are to be brought in dead or alive."

I felt my eyes suddenly widen as my heart rate soared. It couldn’t be true. Was she that far gone? Was she that beyond help? It wasn’t that I failed to understand the risk she posed. An attack of that scale would cause a number of complications to the Demon Project’s discrete operations. But was I willing to throw away my pursuit of truth? I had to make a choice between my goals and the goals of the Demon Project. That was when I felt Terra’s hand rest upon my shoulder.

"Take it easy. You’ll have a chance to show Lockhart your resolve. Just relax and you’ll be fine."

Those were the calming words I held in my mind as we ran towards that burning scene of chaos. I had to steel myself away from encroaching questions. My resolve was like the last bastion to a king. A last ditch defense that could easily break. I could not let those creeping questions into my walls.

When we arrived, I felt particular memories play out in my mind like a film reel. Ministry Square had transformed into an apocalyptic nightmare. The place looked like a warzone. Soot, ash, and rubble littered the entire square. One of the larger buildings had completely come down and caked the place in dust that still clung to the air. My eyes began to sting as they scanned the smoke filled ruins for any signs of Nina. I could see her in the center of the carnage throwing her flames in a frenzy of orchestrated horror. Agony filled screams showered our ears in a chorus of turmoil. I clenched my teeth in a kindled rage and quickly cut a gash into the space in front of me. I threw my sword above Nina’s head as I entered negative space. My body instantly revealed itself from the depths of my black blade. I crawled out the void within my own weapon and gripped its handle as my body fell upon my enemy. Nina’s eyes widened as I came down on top of her with my sword of dark matter ready to consume her. She grinned with anticipation as I glared at her with my teeth grinding in frustration.

"It’s just like the day we first met, isn’t it?" Nina asked in a cold, taunting voice.

Nina blocked my blade with her own burning hand, only for me to cut right through it and land on my feet. Her entire hand was sucked into the void as Nina pulled away from me with blood flowing from her stump. I quickly opened a gate to negative space and sent her own blood hurling at her at razor sharp speed. Nina blocked the volley by evaporating the blood with her own heat. As soon as the vapors subsided, Nina felt a fist collide with her cheek. I had flung her severed hand at her full speed. Nina grunted in pain and aggravation as I ran forward. I took advantage of my stunning blow and began to glide my light and dark swords across her body in agile strokes. Finally I kicked her in the stomach launching her into Terra who was lying in wait. Terra threw a rock entombed punch at Nina’s head. Nina took the full brunt of the blow and her body hit the ground hard enough to the shatter the already decimated pavement.

"I thought I told you to wait," Terra said in annoyance.

"I didn’t hear you one bit." I replied in a cocky tone.

Terra looked at Nina who was struggling back to her feet. She clenched her fists tight as her severed hand had finished regenerating. Guttural growls slipped between the gaps in Nina’s teeth as she prepared to charge. A single gunshot rang out as Terra approached me. I ran past Terra once I saw the source of the gunshot. Reaver stood behind Nina with a revolver in his hand. He quickly recalled his weapon to summon forth something bigger. Two M16 assault rifles appeared in Reaver’s hands as I charged towards him letting loose a raging cry. Bullets showered around me as I raised a barrier of dark matter to shield my charge. I got within striking range of Reaver and swung at him with my light matter sword. Reaver dodged the strike and attempted to drive his elbow into my face. I blocked the strike and leapt backwards. In seconds I returned Reaver’s bullets from negative space right back at the old dog of war. Reaver took a few hits before pulling a combat knife from his boot. He rushed me with the knife in hand and attempted to claw at my body with it. I dodged his deft maneuvers and returned the favor with a slash to his chest. Reaver ducked beneath the blade and thrust his knife towards my throat. I easily blocked the strike and leapt back to gain more distance from that rabid dog. Our eyes met as I hit the ground. Sparks flew between our gazes as the rage of battle took hold.

Terra ran at Nina and traded blow for blow. Fists of stone and flame collided with each other as the two of them fought. Nina quickly blocked a kick from Terra as her eyes began to glow alight. The air around Terra lit ablaze in a split second. Nina dashed forward in an attempt to catch Terra off guard. Her fists only collided with stone as Terra called forth a barrier to defend herself from the burning limbs. She ran at Nina and punched her straight in her gut. Nina slid back on her feet and fired a jet of flame from her palm. Terra leapt out of the way of Nina’s attack and ran at her opponent as she raised her defenses. Nina growled in frustration and ignited the area around her ablaze. Terra tried to stop herself, but was flung back by the sheer force of Nina’s explosion. Nina was through playing around. She was starting to get serious. She vanished into a cloud of embers and reappeared behind Terra. Terra was caught in her side by a flaming fist. She clenched her teeth tightly as she felt her skin began to sear from Nina’s burning jab. Nina threw another punch at Terra’s face before following up with a blow to earthen woman’s stomach. Terra began to sputter and cough as she gasped for air. Nina pushed Terra back and summoned her flame whip to her hand. Terra tried to block the incoming strike only to feel the strands of inferno wrap around her arm like tendrils. Terra cried out and tried to resist as Nina tugged and pulled Terra’s heavy frame towards her. After several heavy breaths, Terra finally mustered the strength to pull on the whip wrapped around her arm causing Nina to practically fly forward. Terra stuck out her fist and ran it into Nina’s face as she hurtled within range. Nina’s body flew back and hit the stone floor of the courtyard hard enough to raise the panels of rock. The pyromaniac struggled back to her feet, while Terra held her ground fiercely. Nina’s anger was far from quelled. Yet another hindrance was found blocking her way.

I was pushed back to back with Terra. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Krysta with her ice forged weapons at the ready. A blast of wind hit the ground at her feet as another Demon entered the fray. It was at that moment I noticed I had never seen this particular Demon fight. It was Katelyn. Krysta had done her best to hold off Katelyn’s fearsome blasts of turbulent wind. I hoped she would be alright. I turned to face Nina alongside Terra and saw Reaver had already rushed to Nina’s aid. Just then, an Excalibur ran up to support us. A whole squad of soldiers followed behind him. Their guns were aimed at the two rogue Demons. I looked at the man who seemed to be leading the Excaliburs. He seemed to be smiling underneath the shadow of his large hat.

"I thought I told you that your services were no longer required," the man in the hat said, his thick Australian accent coating his words.

"I swore an oath to an old friend, and it is an oath that I can't turn my back on no matter how foolish it is. The only way to stop me is to kill me."

Just then a single bullet ripped through Reaver’s skull. A lick of smoke dripped defiantly upwards off of the barrel of a sleek black revolver. The man in the hat grinned in bliss as his finger pulled the trigger again. Another shot hit Reaver directly in his throat. Reaver poured blood and bile onto the ground in a stream of gore from his mouth and gaping windpipe. His gargled coughs seemed to remain imprinted in my ears.

"Is that all you fucking got!"

Reaver snapped his fingers and opened up a wall of his golden Mind Gates. Hundreds of gun barrels of all different makes and types emerged through the gates and aimed down at us. Not a single inkling of fear came over the Australian man. As Reaver prepared to fire his volley, I watched as the Excalibur stood smiling in defiance. In a split second I quickly raised a barrier of light matter in front of the three of us. The man in the hat did not flinch as he gave the order to fire. The Excalibur squad took formation behind the barrier and unleashed a hail of bullets upon Nina and Reaver from their cover. As that lead storm hurtled towards Nina and Reaver, the pyromaniac gave into instinct and grabbed onto her guardian and disappeared in flurry of embers. Terra sighed in relief as she sat down on the rubble strewn ground.

"Perfect timing Goose," Terra said while out of breath

"Get on your feet. We got more problems to deal with," Goose shouted as he watched a group of armored police officers approach us in a hasty march.

The ECPD were approaching us in full force with heavy armaments. We had nowhere we could run as the small army of officers approached us. They had already taken notice of our presence and there was little to no chance of the encounter resolving peacefully. In the eyes of the ECPD, we were no different from those of us responsible for the carnage.

Within the center of that stalwart formation of order was a strange man with short white hair. He was dressed in a white suit that made him stand out amongst the heavily armed officers surrounding him like a host of knights. In one simple gesture he pointed at our group and gave orders in a battle cry. I could see the red glow of his eyes as he yelled towards us.

"Open fire!"

I reacted fast and opened a rift of dark matter that erased every oncoming bullet rocketing towards my body. I turned back to Terra and Goose as I held the rift open.

"Terra, can you still fight?"

"Yeah! I’m fine!"

With a simple nod given to Terra, I reversed the rift I had made and returned every single lead slug that sought to pierce the bodies of me and my allies to their senders. The officers took cover behind some rubble with minimal casualties as metal pellets showered the ground. Terra stomped her foot on the rubble strewn earth causing a slab of stone to erupt from below, providing cover for herself and Goose while I dashed forward. I could hear the sounds of guns firing off one after the other. Bullets whizzed through the air in a chaotic lead storm. Goose and Terra leapt into the fray in an attempt to push the offensive. I could hear the cries of officers as they attempted to fight back the oppressive advance of a Demon and an Excalibur.

While Terra and Goose were focused on the enemy infantry, I was gunning for their leader. The man in the white suit. I ran up to him and kicked off the ground. My body leapt forward towards my new opponent and flew on wings of bloodlust and rage. My sword of light matter was drawn and wound back, lying in wait. As I prepared to bring my sword down onto that man’s luminous flesh, I watched him stick his palm toward me.

"Hev! Don’t!" Hell cried from within my head as I brought my sword down onto the pale man.

In that moment of confusion, I felt my blade collide with an invisible wall. The nature of that barrier was indescribable. It felt like I was striking an unbreakable, immovable wall of glass. In a split second, I swiftly pulled away from the wall and landed on my feet.

"How!? How is that possible!?"

In seconds, I felt the man’s fist digging into my gut. I could feel every ounce of force behind the man’s single punch. The second he pulled back his fist, I felt my body hurtling backward across the battlefield like a missile. My limp body was launched into a pile of rubble that did little to cushion the impact. I struggled back to my feet and glared at the man in the suit. His devilish eyes seemed to glow with his malice.

"Hell. Wh-what is he!?"

"I don’t know, I don’t sense anything on him. He isn’t a Demon!"

"That can’t be possible! He has to have a weapon, or something!"

The Second Personalities’ innate function as assistants was to increase the spatial awareness of the host. Their senses were heightened, allowing them to watch the combatant’s blind spots with an enhanced range. However, the Second Personalities have a long range ability as well. The ability to detect other Second Personalities. While the Second Personality could locate other Demons through this method, it was also a glaring weakness. Second Personalities had a peculiar signature about them that allowed one to locate another from many miles away. That was how the Second Personalities functioned. They worked like a network, completely ignorant to that which was outside the circle. By some miracle that simple man could wield the power of gods. I watched as the man in white slowly approached me. I readied my blades and charged at him recklessly.

"Heaven wait!"

Just as I was about to strike the man I watched as several projectiles of a pink hue sling past my gaze. They hit the ground hard enough to cause small explosions of air and dust. I could hear Hell shouting in my head as I struggled to maintain my footing.

"It’s Flora! She is covering our escape Hev! Let’s go!"

I suppressed my pride and retreated from the battle as did the rest of the Excaliburs and Demons that were present. Nina and her posse had long since escaped the scene. Engaging with the police any longer wouldn’t be worth it. But now we had a great deal more to worry about. As we retreated with the full force of the ECPD bearing down on us, everything became clear. That attack, that whole day, it was only the beginning of something much worse. The skirmish that occurred that day revealed our existence to the authorities of Evo City. The police were under the control of the cities’ higher ups, but they were still kept in the dark on the truth. It was only natural that they would fall back on their instincts as keepers of the law. Because of this so called law the most important rule of the Demon Project had been broken. In one single day, peace was eliminated. In one simple day, war was declared.

*****

Nina had blinked out of the battlefield and brought her comrades to safety. They appeared atop the roof of a building overlooking the carnage within Ministry Square. Reaver’s wounds had already regenerated, but the rest of his body was greatly fatigued. Katelyn found herself glancing down at the chaotic panorama that Nina had created. There was a sickening feeling of anxiety and guilt clawing at the pit of her stomach like raging bear. Her mind reeled with questions and thoughts that she lacked any inkling of an answer for. She was terrified. She wondered how much longer she could handle being around Nina. Her signs of doubt began to catch Nina’s attention as she flashed a fiery stare which caused Katelyn to shyly move away from the edge of the building.

"Quite an amazing show you put on down there," uttered a familiar sly voice.

Nina and her group all turned to see Regis standing before them. A cruel grin plastered upon his face from cheek to cheek. Nina approached Regis in frustration. Regis simply smiled as he saw her attempt to intimidate him.

"I did what you asked. Give me the keys," Nina demanded.

"Oh you silly girl. You aren’t done yet. You have much more work to do before you earn those keys."

Nina growled under her breath but stayed her hand. She knew any attempt to harm Regis was futile. Regis looked at the columns of smoke rising from Ministry Square. His heart seemed to race with excitement as he beheld the nightmare below him.

"Now the eyes of the whole world will be set on this city."