August 26, 493 U.C.

I looked out at the rain. It spattered on the window and the garden. Part of me wanted to go stand in it instead of this nonsense. I didn’t want to be a villain even if we needed to cause a ruckus. My bruised arms just made it worse. I ensured none of them were showing.

Like some irksome shadow, Dad loomed in the background. “Remember, don’t play with the kids. Don’t be polite. You need to inspire fear. Demand it, and then take something more.”

I nodded, only half listening. “Got it, Dad. I’ve got it. Be snarky! Be demanding! And be mean!”

“There you go.” Dad let out a long breath.

I spun to him and tried to smile, forcing myself to give him a thumbs-up instead. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

“That’s why I’m worried.”

I teleported to Earth, leaving him behind. Walking down the crowded streets, I considered jumping over to California. Instead, I walked the streets of Paris, enjoying the sights. They had some strange tower from ages ago. I didn’t get it, but it was there.

Buildings towered nearby. The sun bounced off of them, lighting the crowded streets. I dodged around the small horde of people who were completely apathetic to my presence.

Once again, people just assumed that I was a cosplayer. It made it challenging. I walked down the sidewalk while missing the smell of the forest. The city smelt like exhaust, pavement, and other pollution. The smell of freshly made bread mingled with it.

Looking over, I considered robbing a bakery. Then I decided to just do it. I strode up to the little shop; the door slid open as I did. Walking inside, I enjoyed the smell. A woman was working behind a counter that showed various baked goods.

“Cosplay or Viper?” someone asked.

I grinned evilly at him. “Viper. I’m here to steal breakfast!” I proclaimed with my nose up.

The woman behind the counter looked up with a smile. “Can we get a picture? And can you stamp our wall?” she asked.

“Sure, but I’m robbing you,” I said, striding forward. “I want a cinnamon roll.”

“That’s fine. I’ll throw in some others.”

That impressed me. It seemed that she was properly terrified. She was also smiling. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but I didn’t want any crying kids, so that worked. I walked over and stamped the wall.

“What other powers can you use?” a man asked.

“A few. I can do this!” I stopped time and used my carefully prepared spell. Then I resumed.

A massive tritop illusion appeared. The horned dinosaur stood there in massive glory. Its green and brown skin rippled. It snorted and moved forward, clipping through tables and chairs.

Damn it! I had forgotten about that. It took less than a second for people to realize it was an illusion. Some kids giddily ran over and waved their hands through it. I was afraid that Dad wouldn’t approve of that development, but it was too late now. They had already decided that it was their favorite toy. Several were laughing as they swatted at it.

“She is Viper!” some woman said and started taking pictures.

The lady at the counter grinned and placed the bag on the counter. “Here you go, dear! Thanks!”

“You’re welcome?” Honestly, I knew that I’d messed up. I was confident that Dad would be livid since I’d inspired no fear whatsoever. Uncertainty hit hard. I didn’t want more training. Panic flooded through me at that thought.

‘Demand more,’ echoed through my mind. It combined with the panic.

“And a ham sandwich!” I demanded. It was at that moment that I realized my next mistake, but the words were already gone. My face went crimson. Like the spiciest food of Vuln, my face burned, sending out a scorching heat around me.

The shopkeeper promptly added one to the bag with a grin. “Anything else?”

I took it. “No, thank you,” slipped out before I could stop it.

I slapped my hand over my mouth. That was met with laughter. I turned and saw the kids playing with the tritop. Everyone was filming this utter disaster.

With a firm desire to bail, I did that and headed for the door. I wasn’t looking forward to heading home. Dad was going to be pissed. I needed to figure out a way to cause some chaos without doing real damage. Walking outside, I glanced over. A smile spread across my face. A girl in a vibrant yellow dress was standing there. Her blonde hair was in a shoulder-length bob.

I rapidly altered my plans. “Hi, Sunshine! Can I get a plushie?”

“Hello, Viper. Please don’t resist. We need to speak with you at command. I’ll get you a plushie there.”

I sighed and looked at my bag. “My food will get cold if we go that far.” I pulled out the cinnamon roll and nibbled on it. “Want some?”

“Sure, we can split it at command. Come along.” Sunshine inched closer.

I studied her and made a choice that Dad would like. I hated it. “I think I need to fight you! That’s what villains do, right?”

“That might hurt people. You don’t want to do that.”

I frowned. “We could do it in a parking lot or something. There has to be one around here.”

“I’m very busy this morning.” Sunshine stepped closer. “Let’s go.”

Her trick didn’t work. It did buy me enough time to have a properly villainous idea that didn’t involve fighting with her. I used haste. Then I kissed her on the cheek with a grin. I released the spell. “Ha! I win!”

“Sure.” Sunshine reached forward with cuffs as haste kicked in.

I zipped up the street and stopped time. Then I cast another spell and resumed time.

“STARLIGHT!” A small area was bathed in starlight as it blocked out the sun. In theory, I could use this for some potent light magic. I hadn’t learned exactly what yet.

“Thanks for the magic, Sunshine!” I yelled with a smile.

“What? You can’t do that!” Sunshine shouted. Her eyes flicked over to my spell. A look of horror came crashing over her face.

“Why do you think I kissed Jackhammer and the band?” I grinned and picked up a car. Then I set it back down. “Thank you all!”

“You did this to get power?”

I waved at her. “Toodles!” Then I teleported. At least I’d taken care of the Platinum rumors and disobeyed a guardian. I walked into the front room with my head held high. That was better than the first time even if I had messed it up.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Dad let out a long breath. “That was horrible.”

“I tried, Dad! I really did!” I walked inside, enjoying the cinnamon roll.

“Go for the cash register!”

“No one uses cash. What century are you from?” I rolled my eyes.

“Evil! You were supposed to be evil. Why didn’t you throw the car?”

I huffed at him. “That would have broken things. I don’t want a felony!”

“You should have done it,” Dad said angrily.

I huffed and headed for my room. Ungrateful jerk. I wasn’t in the mood for more of his endless critique.

“At least you messed with the guardian. How did you cast that spell?” Dad asked.

“I learned to free-cast a few things. I’m experimenting. You know that.”

“What about the dinosaur? Can you make it look less like an illusion?” Dad asked.

“No,” I replied, sitting at my desk. “I’m still learning. I managed to figure those out, but it’s hard.”

Dad sighed. “Do your chores and homework. We’ll figure out something.”

I spun back around and chalked it up as a win. Dad had hardly yelled at me, and I had gotten yummy food. I continued eating while pulling up my homework.

Daniele: Casey! Viper struck again! You need to see this!

Me: I’m looking!

Daniele: Can I come over?

“Dad, can Daniele come over?” I asked loudly.

“Hide anything incriminating first. That includes your food!”

To Daniele: Sure.

I used haste, chowed down, and went to change. I rapidly shifted outfits and amulets. I stashed stuff into my pocket dimension. Then I zipped up to the door and dropped the spell. She showed up a few seconds later. “Hi, Daniele! That’s my dad.”

Daniele waved at him. “Hi, Mr. Erikson.”

Dad sighed. “Don’t make a mess.” Then he headed for his room.

Daniele giggled and walked inside. “He’s sort of grouchy,” she whispered.

“No arguments from me. Come on.” I led her to my room.

Daniele walked into my room and sniffed. “It smells like baked goods.”

“I was cooking,” I lied quickly and regretted my life choices. Damn it! Think things through! Think! I berated myself for the most obvious clue ever.

“You can tell me if you are Viper or Platinum,” Daniele said softly.

I shook my head. “Nope. I’m not that.”

“I trusted you with my magic,” Daniele said softly and sadly.

That hurt. Worse still, she looked at my long sleeves and connected another piece. I’m the worst liar. Dad was right about that.

I looked back at her. “It’s complicated, Daniele,” I whispered.

“You are. I know you are.”

I held my finger to my lips. Then I closed the door. I pulled out a glowing amulet. Then I dropped it around her neck.

Daniele turned and looked in a mirror. “What? How did you get this?” she whispered as she studied her bleached blonde hair, small nose, and the remainder of the Viper look.

“Made it. Don’t tell. That’ll cause problems.”

Daniele spun and looked at me in confusion. “Why not go to the guardians?”

“The fae killed my mom. They’ll kill me. She was a guardian. I inherited my magic,” I whispered.

“What?” Daniele looked at me in confusion. Then realization flooded her face. “What do you look like, Casey?”

I lifted the amulet from around my neck. Then I used haste and clamped my hand over her mouth since she went to squeal. It took several seconds before she calmed down. That was when I released her.

“Sorry. But you look like Eluna,” Daniele said with wide eyes.

“I know. Fate is cruel.” I shivered and put my necklace back.

Daniele studied me. “Are you Platinum too? She looks similar but different.”

“Yep. I have another amulet. Do not tell my dad,” I said softly.

“Wait, so you got your magic because you were born from a guardian?” Daniele asked as she grappled with it. “That’s why you didn’t need them.”

“Yes. And that’s why I have the familiar plushie. I have a familiar named Ela. I’d bring her out, but she’d spaz out and try to get you to turn me in.”

“Can I see the Platinum amulet?” Daniele asked with a nervous smile.

I handed it to her. Then she slipped it on and transformed. She stared in the mirror and brushed her hair. It was strange seeing a version of me standing there. I studied her.

Daniele took it off. “This is so wild. The fae are totally onto you.”

“Shhh. Don’t let Dad hear. We’ll talk later.” I grabbed the necklace and went to open the door before Dad got suspicious.

“Viper is a terrible villain. You know that, right?” Daniele asked.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

Daniele began giggling hysterically. “They have an ad running.” She pulled up a site.

Martha’s Bakery!

Our local shop has been a staple in the community. Our bakery provides a wide variety of baked foods and foods. We were also the second shop to be ‘robbed’ by the notorious Viper. She specifically requested a legendary Cinnamon Roll and a mouth-watering Ham Sandwich. Stop in to see a famous location with great food!

I had expected it. But I hadn’t expected that speed. She was capitalizing on it hard and fast. It was smart. I didn’t blame her at all.

Daniele giggled. “Want to come to my place?”

“Sure.” I got up and followed her. “Going to Daniele’s place, dad.”

“Get your chores done. No more than five minutes there.”

I sighed and headed over. We walked down the corridor and into the house. I walked into her room and took a seat on the soft couch. The pink lit the place. “Alright, are we clear here?” I asked.

“Yes. They’re at work. How do you move that fast?” Daniele asked with a massive grin.

“The spell messes with spacetime. It doesn’t feel fast to me. It feels like normal time.”

“Is that why you were singing?”

“Yes. I spent two hours chopping bugs. It doesn’t look like that to anyone else, but it was two hours to me. It was so exhausting too. I had to entertain myself.”

Daniele contemplated things. “And you didn’t need to be awakened like other guardians?”

“I got a potion,” I said. “But that’s all I needed. People know how to make it.”

Daniele’s eyes widened as she realized something. “I see. Just know that you can always come to me, Casey.”

“Thanks. Please don’t tell. I can’t, Danielle. They’ll kill me.” I shook my head.

Daniele patted my leg. “Don’t worry. You can trust me. And you really aren’t meant to be a villain.”

“I know, but we need it. The fae are plotting things. That’s why guardians aren’t human anymore. I keep messing it up. I’m bad at this. I wondered why he home-schooled me, but I know now.”

“Why a villain?” Daniele asked.

“We are trying to save humanity from the nobles and fae. They are dragging us down and erasing the human genome.”

Daniele frowned. “The guardians really aren’t human? I know they look fae-like, but they aren’t human?”

“You qualified. Find out. They’ll tell you that they aren’t,” I whispered.

Daniele nodded. “Did your dad make you fish?” she asked.

“Yes. Then I got magic, and it stopped hurting.”

Daniele paused for a moment. Her eyes darted towards my arms. “Does he hurt you?” she asked softly.

“It’s just training or me fighting something. He loves me.” I shook my head to try to clear some churning emotion while she gave me that look. “I should go. Please don’t tell anyone about this, Daniele.”

“Just know that you can always come to us. My parents like you.”

“Thanks.” I turned and headed for the door. I needed to finish the weekend chores. I’m not writing about them. You’ve read about them already. They are boring.

Current Level 11 Current XP 6.14% Current Max Mana 8687.35 Regen per minute 13.16 Reputation 7000

Tier Skill Cost Tier 11 User Time Dilation (Haste)

- User experiences 256 seconds for 1 earth second.

- Force transference limited to 25%. 1 mana per earth second. Tier 7 Pocket Dimension

- 128 cubic meters of pocket space.

- Rapid stash and rapid draw.

- You may tether objects to your pocket space.

- Your pocket space preserves, cleans, and organizes items inside based on your will. 32 mana Tier 7 Time Stop

- Caster leaves spacetime. They may remove and place things back in spacetime.

- You may control the flow of time in the demiplane.

- You may summon in willing living creatures.

- This automatically triggers if you take significant damage.

- Recast to gain vision. 200 mana to cast.

Variable cost to move items in and out. Tier 7 Teleport.

- Teleports the caster or a willing creature.

- You may cast this on a willing or unwilling creature if they are within fifty meters.

- You may teleport inside an object, causing the matter to push outward.

200 mana for the caster.

400 mana for a willing creature.

1000 mana for an unwilling creature with no resistance.

- Short range casts cost less mana.

Tier 3 Attire Swap

- Locked to a single outfit. Current outfit set to Magical Girl Uniform.

- Attire cleaned on swap.

- Attire repaired on swap. 20 mana. Tier 3 Enhanced Body

-Caster’s body is enhanced by a factor of eight. 2 mana per caster second. Tier 2 Enchanting.

- Enchantments last twice as long. Variable cost. Tier 2 Potions.

- Potions last twice as long. Variable cost. Tier 2 Familiar Manifestation. 20 mana to cast. Tier 1 Free casting

- Cast any spell you can replicate. Variable cost. Penalty of 8x mana.