And from nothing came the, unfortunately familiar, grogginess and dull ache of waking up full of injuries.

My eyes were heavy but I forced them open, only to be met with the white ceiling of a hospital. I winced at the light and turned around where Birgit was sitting on a chair. Wait, no, it wasn’t Birgit. Her hair was completely black and her expression was completely cold and uncaring. Birgit tried to be like that many, but it never could be like this.

Lady Flame.

“Mrs Paulsen?” My throat felt like it had a thousand knives stuck in it. “What-”

“You know who I am,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

“You do.” Her tone didn’t leave any room for argument. “Let us not play games with one another. You are a clear fanboy. And I was sloppy for the first time since I was young. All I want is for you to say it.”

I didn’t say anything. I was an idiot, a massive one at that, but I wasn’t stupid enough to fall into her trap. But I also wasn’t well enough to be able to answer as I wanted to–or even get into a normal discussion.

I tried to wiggle and get more comfortable, but I winced in pain whenever I did. My arms, especially my left one, were like centres of ungodly plain. A few attempts later, I was left a barely breathing mess.

Every breath was a wheezing struggle. My chest felt tighter and tighter. I was on the verge of a very bad asthma attack. I had to relax. This wasn’t going to do.

“Where’s Birgit? Please. I have to talk to her.”

“She is talking to the other fool. The Batman boy. I have met his parents. His father will be very disappointed.”

I tried not to think about the implications of that. What would Azam say? God. This was like all the petty soap opera stuff that we didn’t have in the first year. I had to get Birgit here.

But the only person with me was her mother. Crap. I focused on breathing. Breathe first. Worry about everything else later.

I repeated those words in my head. I couldn’t get ahead of myself. There probably wouldn’t even be a problem. Azam wasn’t knocked out. That was why Birgit wasn’t here. She was chewing him out for being the worst person alive.

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Well, ‘worst’ was probably a bit of an overstatement. I’d seen much worse in my time. I looked at Lady Flame as discreetly as I could.

How did she figure me out? I wasn’t bad at keeping secrets–that was one of the few things I was good at.

It didn’t make any sense.

“My husband,” she said, breaking the silence that was dominating the room, “didn’t mind Birgit going out with someone. Didn’t worry. Until tonight. You know what happened tonight?”

“I got into a stupid fight.”

Not only was it a stupid fight, but it was stupid fight on the night I was supposed to go out with Birgit and her parents. And I was also supposed to meet Sadid’s sister. How did I mess it all up so much?

“No,” she said. “Fights happen. They are disappointing but it is not our place to mind–that is Birgit’s. Tonight we learned something very interesting about our daughter. She does not intend on graduating to being a hero.”

My blood froze. And yet the room actually got warmer. More than likely a side effect of her power. Once again, a heavy silence dominated the room–which was getting hotter and hotter.

Sweat was practically pouring out of my skin. I wanted to claw out of my own body to escape the heat. It was like a primal instinct to escape no matter the cost. Lady Flame was powerful. Not necessarily because of what her powers let her do but because of how efficient she was.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Ulf thinks you can help us persuade her to the contrary but I know better.”

“You-”

“My daughter shall not be a wrestler. She will achieve true glory instead of getting paid to imitate it.”

“A hero doesn’t chase glory. A hero is selfless.” I had a pretty good image of who Lisa Paulsen was as a person. And even then I was disappointed by the woman behind the flaming mask. “It’s about rising above your own struggles and adversities to help others.”

And she actually laughed when I said that.

“Of course. But in order to do that, the hero must rise above the masses. They must be a symbol that everyone aspires to reach but never can so that they always strive to be better. Very few can truly achieve that and Birgit is one of them.

“Years from now, when you see her in the news on your phone or on television, being written in history, you will realise we’re doing the right thing. And you will regret the poison you whispered in my daughter’s ears.”

“That’s not for you to decide.” It took effort but I was able to sit up straighter. “I’ve seen where those ideals lead people. I’m just happy your children aren’t like you.”

As if on cue, the door burst open and a doctor and a nurse walked in. Just as well. This conversation wasn’t going to lead anywhere.

But I couldn’t help but be afraid. I really did know where those kinds of thoughts lead people.

Charles, Paragon, and even me on some occasions. Our heroes eventually became just as corrupt as some villains.

I found myself thinking about Alpha Surge. His ideals and actions that had inspired me.

Would they disappear now? Replaced by beliefs like this?

And where would that lead?