Another day, another class. One would think that Superhero College would be way more fun than regular College. Turns out, College is still a slog, regardless of program. Currently, it is Thursday morning here at Paladin's Academy. One more day, Dreadnought thinks to himself as he walks to the classroom.

After yesterday's weird turn of events, Dreadnought finds himself counting the days till Friday. He debated skipping class today. However, the professor stated that attendance is mandatory. He has a cold feeling that this class will undoubtedly be one of the hardest in the semester.

As he enters the classroom, Dreadnought can't help but feel unimpressed. The room was smaller than Calcite's, yet it still featured the same chalk-white walls and a glass board for writing. While Dreadnought breathes in and out, he notices mist forming. He grabs his jacket and zips it up.

This time, Dreadnought chooses to sit in the lower left corner, right beside the window. He pulls out his notebook while waiting for the class to start. He doodles on it for a while up until someone enters the room. A gentle yet freezing wind fills the air. A woman walks in. Her long white hair flowed in the wind, and her piercing blue eyes scanned the room. She sports a long brown coat with a white blouse. She walks to the podium and begins her talk.

"Ignorance of the law excuses no one," she says, her voice making everyone shut up and sit up straight.

"As Superheroes, we are not above the law. For the law is what separates the Heroes from the Villains. Thus, as Superheroes, we must familiarize ourselves with the law, and memorize it by heart."

"This is Hero and Enemy, Law and Liability. Any questions?"

Double Trouble raises his hand, "Yeah, are you singl-"

Before he can finish his sentence, Double Trouble gets frozen in a block of pure ice. Dreadnought rubbed his eyes as D.T.'s freezing seemed instantaneous.

She seems just as strong as Streetwise. If not, more so. Dreadnought shivers. He cannot even begin to comprehend the cold-hearted hero's power.

"First and final warning," She says softly, slowly letting D.T. thaw himself out.

"Does anyone have any relevant questions?"

Sure-Shot raises his hand, "Yes, Miss. Are you seeing anyon-"

Dreadnought covers his face as a strong blast of cold wind rushes through the classroom. When he looks up, he realizes that Sure-Shot is nowhere to be found.

"Anyone else?"

The classroom is dead silent.

"Good, let us begin on chapter one, Understanding your Surroundings."

Several hours pass as Dreadnought continues to write in his notebook. He tries to take note of anything substantial, but at this point, all he can hear is,

"Blah blah blah, insurance. Blah blah blah, Vigilantes. Blah blah blah, code of conduct."

He sighs as he looks through the window. The trees outside put his mind at ease. Maybe I should take a quick break, Dreadnought concludes. He leaves his bag and heads for the exit. On the way out, he passes Matter. He tries to wave at her, but she just ignores him and looks away.

What was that about? Dreadnought ponders. For the last few days, Matter has been acting weird around him, especially after he asked Snooze out. He can't seem to understand why.

Outside the building, Dreadnought breathes a sigh of relief. He watches other students relaxing in the meadow and figures he might as well do the same. He sits on the grass and looks at the sky. The afternoon sun gently warms his face. Perhaps the cold classroom has affected him more than he thought.

"I know that look. You have Hells today, don't you?" Streetwise comments, currently sporting a severely damaged black and yellow suit. Yet, he doesn't seem seriously injured.

"Are you alright?"

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"That's a question you should ask yourself," Streetwise laughs as he sits beside him.

"Hero law is more complicated than I assumed," Dreadnought admits.

"But that isn't the main thing bothering you. Is it?"

Dreadnought goes quiet. Streetwise stares at him, his torn mask revealing his russet eyes.

"You can tell me, scout's honor," Streetwise crosses his heart.

"It's about Matter. She has been acting cold lately," Dreadnought confesses.

"Cold, how?"

Dreadnought starts to talk about an interaction the two had yesterday...

After Calcite's class and lunch, Dreadnought wanted to train with Matter again. Thanks to her and his brother, he was able to sustain his Demon Form for much longer. He found her in the common room chatting with Glimpse.

"Hello Matter, Glimpse. May I sit with you?"

"Fuck off," Matter stands up, flips him off, and leaves.

Dreadnought tilts his head as Glimpse lets him sit.

"What was that about?" He asks Glimpse.

"Seriously?" Glimpse hands him a cup of tea, "you cannot be serious."

"Did I do something to make her mad?"

Matter returns to the table and takes Glimpse by the arm.

"B-bye Dreadnought!" Glimpse smiles as she is dragged away, leaving him all alone.

Back to the present, Streetwise grabs a leaf and tosses it aside.

"Oof," Streetwise lies down, "you probably pissed her off or something like that."

"But I didn't do anything!" Dreadnought complains.

"You want me to talk to her?"

"Will you?"

"Hell nah!" Streetwise cackles, "This sounds like a thing between the two of you."

"You really cannot interfere?"

"Nope, sorry. Whatever's going on between the two of you should be resolved by you two. Interference from a third party only makes things worse."

"You are the expert on interference, aren't you?"

Streetwise and Dreadnought jolt up. A chilling wind rushes towards them as Ms. Winter appears. A couple of students in the background quickly leave the meadow. She tosses a black backpack to Dreadnought.

"When ditching a class, be sure to bring your stuff with you."

"Ms. Winter! I was not ditching. I was simply gathering some fresh air."

"For one hour?"

"One hour?!" Dreadnought checks his phone. Well what do you know, the class ended ten minutes ago.

"Considering this is our first class, I'll let you off with a warning. You will find I won't be so lenient next time."

"I understand. Thank you, Ms. Winter. I will make sure to be present for the entire lecture next time," Dreadnought says as he quickly leaves.

Ms. Winter glares at Streetwise, who rolls his eyes and sits back down on the grass.

As night falls, Dreadnought returns to the first-year's dorm and sighs. He sits on the common room couch as he, along with some other Paladins, watch tonight's top story,

"Owen Rivers here, reporting to you live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Here now at the aftermath following a battle between local anarchist Streetwise and an unknown villain. This level of destruction hasn't been seen since the defeat of The Twelve. Could this mean their return? More to follow shortly after this message."

A commercial break follows as the Paladins begin talking amongst themselves. Dreadnought looks over to Matter, as even with her mask, she cannot hide her horrified expression. She walks through the crowd and quickly leaves the room. Dreadnought stands up and follows her as he tries to confront her outside the dorm.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

"This doesn't concern you, so eat shit."

"What the hell did I do to you?"

Matter stops dead in her tracks. A quiet wind blows between the two. She takes off her hood and mask as she faces Dreadnought.

"After everything we've been through. You truly have no idea?"

"No! So please tell me, what did I do?"

"You know what? Forget it. From now on, just leave me alone."

Matter subtly wipes the tears from her eyes as she puts her mask back up and walks away. Dreadnought stands oblivious and alone. He debates following her but wants to respect her wishes and quietly returns to the dorm.

Meanwhile, in the faculty room, an emergency meeting is being held. Every Superhero employed in Paladins is currently attending this meeting. In total, there are twelve heroes in the room. Matter tries to sneak into the room, but a wall of ice quickly stops her.

"Let her through. She already knows everything I do," Streetwise says. His suit is still damaged from earlier.

"Does confidential mean anything to you?" Ms. Winter sighs. She begrudgingly lets Matter into the room as she sits down.

"As I was saying," Streetwise continues, "while the villain's identity remains unknown to the public. In truth, the man I fought was Clockwork. The underboss of The Twelve."

Quiet murmurs permeate through the room. The Twelve were once the most feared villain team, led by the mad king of villains, Overlord. However, nowadays, their evil presence can no longer be felt—all thanks to the efforts of heroes of the past, including heroes in this very room.

"How did he escape?" Calcite asks Streetwise.

"Through some shadow shit, I dunno. It was like a portal," Streetwise scratches his head.

"I don't get why we keeping this whole thing secret," Glance speaks up, "I mean, Streetwise and co defeated Overlord himself. The Twelve ain't no threat to us."

"Their reputation precedes them," Ms. Winter clarifies, "if word spreads around of their return, a new age of villainy will be upon us."

"She's right," Streetwise smiles, "while they aren't a threat physically, their status as villain royalty will inspire more bastards to rise up."

"And thus, we keep this information secret. We cannot let the public know of their return. Even if it's just one member," Ms. Winter says.

The group of heroes nod in understanding. They all know that the villains have been quiet for far too long. If the Twelve does indeed return, they will trailblaze a new era of chaos. While the heroes of old are prepared for this dark day, one would hope they would help prepare the heroes of today.