Remy received one-quarter of Amelia's inheritance while his parents received the rest. This included all her superhero-related assets, a portion of her substantial wealth and one final letter.
After a heartbreaking funeral, which fortunately no superheroes attended, Remy stood alone in his sister’s room. He opened the envelope containing his sister’s last message before shooting a glare at the large Endless poster on the wall to his right, turning away from it as if the superhero could spy on him.
The letter read:
Hey Rem,
If you’re reading this, it means that I’m no longer here. Before any superhero starts their career, they are highly encouraged to write a letter for their loved ones so here I am writing this. Fun fact: I’ve tinkered and edited this letter countless times since the private livestreams.
First things first, I hope you’ve grieved me properly. I know you like to pretend you’re an invincible strong man but let your emotions out. It’s an important step to moving on.
I never told you this for obvious reasons but one of my desires was to not be alive. Life is precious and amazing, but death seems so easy. Eternal sleep after Eternal Insomnia? Now wouldn’t that be a perfect way to escape everything. I’m sure you can relate. My point is, finally, I can rest now. No matter how I died, just know that I got what I wanted the most.
Don’t do anything crazy. We’re all going to die eventually so wait until your time comes.
Because of the superpower we shared, we spent an absurd amount of time together and, brother, I do not exaggerate when I say those night shifts with you bickering in my ear are one of my most treasured memories. You probably thought I was the only one providing the entertainment, but hearing your thoughts about things and even your school life fascinated me.
You were a cool younger brother, Rem. It was fun to be around you. You’re a quick thinker, smart in many aspects yet also dumb as bricks at the same time. I don’t know how you pull it off.
Half of the time, I don’t think you were fully absorbing my gems of knowledge, and that’s why I leave you with an edited compilation of everything I taught you. It took me AGES to go through each private livestream, but I think it turned out nice. There are 108 lessons in total at the moment, and something tells me there won’t be any more. At this point, I’m just giving you random quizzes.
Each lesson covers a specific topic on how to be a competent superhero. Yes, yes, I know you don’t want to be one, but this is just in case! Remember what I’m always telling you about learning and knowledge?
Well… this letter is getting harder and harder to write. I’ve written and deleted sentences far too many times and I keep tearing up. It’s probably because I know these will be my last words for you. I’m sorry for leaving too soon.
Whatever you decide to do next, make it an adventure. Enjoy your life.
Love,
Big Sis Amelia.
P.S. Maybe learn an instrument? I wanted to learn how to play the saxophone but even without needing sleep, I never found the time.
Surprising himself, Remy didn’t cry, instead smiling slightly. Simply reading Amelia’s messy handwriting while imagining her voice gave him a warm feeling inside. He read the letter a few more times before emptying the envelope to find a tiny spherical disc. Then he quickly went back to his bedroom and inserted the disc inside the Perspective Sync Lens. When he put the device on, a display only visible to him revealed two titled folders.
Folder 1: Lessons. (108)
Folder 2: Highlights (5,104)
Remy raised an eyebrow. Highlights? By focusing on the second folder, it automatically opened to show a full page of clips. He selected the first one titled I Had to Do It.
While Wide Awake slingshotted herself across Everforge City using two black threads, a squeaky-voiced 10-year-old Remy began complaining…
“I can’t believe you did that to him. Isn’t that illegal? You can’t hurt a supervillain like that. You used excessive force. It’s immoral. That’s superhero brutality.”
“Shut your dumbass up,” Amelia snapped. “You know nothing about the superhero laws. That was within regulation.”
“You kicked him in the nuts, like, twelve times.”
“I’m ignoring you.”
“I can’t wait to tell Dad about this.”
“Spiders were coming out of his mouth!” Amelia exploded. “Spiders! Huge ones! I had to do it! There was no other choice! And if you tell anyone about our private live streams I’m going to do the same thing to–”
The video abruptly ended, and Remy burst into laughter. He selected the second video titled, I’m Not Lying.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Wide Awake’s legs dangled from the roof of a towering skyscraper as she scanned Everforge with her Super Vision. “I once saved a boy with a B-rank ability who could turn invisible but only after doing a backflip. The only problem was he couldn’t do a backflip. One day, the dude knocked himself out after successfully triggering the superpower. His family thought he’d been abducted by the Collectors, and the police had no leads.”
“Stop giving me fake stories.”
“It’s not. There are all kinds of strange superpowers in the Super Era. I swear on your life I’m not lying, Rem.”
“My life? Bet on yours!”
Remy grinned. He spent the rest of the afternoon going through some of the highlights and found himself having to stop because his parents kept hushing him for making too much noise. And much to his delight, he had only watched five per cent of the content. Amelia couldn’t have given him a better parting gift. The memories they shared were by far the most valuable thing he owned, much more precious than her assets or riches. Only his sister herself could replace them.
He returned to Amelia’s letter, this time heavily drawn to the last line– Whatever you decide to do, make it an adventure. Enjoy your life. His sister had said the same words right before her death. Initially, Remy had dismissed the words, too focused on her horrific demise but clearly, this wish for him had always been on her mind.
Enjoy his life? With the cold new reality Midnight had injected into him, that felt impossible. How could he live happily knowing the superheroes Amelia had respected so highly were getting away with the most heinous of crimes?
Remy racked his brain for an answer, pacing up and down his bedroom long into the night until a tiny seed of an intriguing plan entered his mind. Not taking it seriously at first, he nurtured the seed playfully, giving it sunlight and water, but as the scheme got more elaborate and crazy and fun, Remy’s heart began to thump.
The plan had thousands of holes in it; there were thousands of ways it could go wrong and end up in his death; and it would require extreme patience. But it would also allow him to satisfy the burning desire that had been crackling in the back of his mind ever since he saw Amelia’s broken body covered in crimson.
Remy took a deep breath and sat down on a chair, finally coming to a life changing decision, his hands meshed together. He would satisfy his sister's last wish but that was only possible by dedicating his life to one single mission– Retribution. Every ounce of corruption in the ranking system needed to be cleansed. Everyone involved in his sister’s death needed to be severely punished.
And Endless? The fake number-one-ranked superhero? The man who had tortured Amelia and ignored her screaming pleas? Remy wasn’t sure how exactly but he would make sure he would die in the worst way possible…
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Remy went to the basement, Amelia’s old training facility. According to his mom and dad, she had practised there every night from the age of six after begging them to create a place where she could hone her craft so that one day she could be a powerful superhero.
He crossed dusty floored padding and stood in the centre. The area was humbly sized, somehow managing to fit in two heavy bags, weightlifting equipment, cardio machines, and even old holographic simulators for realistic combat scenarios. All four windowless walls were covered with superhero posters from the top three superhero companies.
How convenient. They would be a perfect reminder of his targets.
Remy put on his Perspective Sync Lens and selected the video for the first lesson titled Close Combat. He adjusted to a fighting stance and smiled as soon as he heard his sister’s voice.
“Shut up and listen to me, Rem! The Wide Awake style comprises of a mix between, boxing, taekwondo and wrestling. We’ll start with boxing, my fav. I don’t know why but something is fascinating about two fighters standing in range trading with skill: slipping, catching and countering…”
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4 years later…
Thud, thud, thud!
Thud, thud, thud!
Thud, thud, thud!
Remy unleashed hell onto an old beaten heavy bag, throwing rapid jabs, hooks and uppercuts. Just within listening range, Endless spoke on a holographic display in the background.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, today is a tragic day. It’s a time for us to mourn our fallen superheroes who have courageously sacrificed their lives for the good of humanity. When asked to be the one to give the speech on Superhero Memorial Day, I was deeply honoured…”
Sweat dripped down Remy’s eyebrow as he alternated between punches and kicks. The more the fake superhero spoke the more aggressive, and rapid Remy’s attack pattern became. Endless was probably reading from something, preaching about peace, equality and justice, though Remy only absorbed two words near the end of the speech where deceased superheroes were listed off...
“Wide Awake–”
BOOM!
Remy threw a hook with such force the heavy bag popped and white stuffing leaked out of it. He stepped back and winced, finally realising his knuckles were bloody. How long had he been practising combinations?
What triggered him specifically wasn’t the fact that Endless had said his sister’s name. It was the way it had been said. Just like all the other superhero names, he’d said it in an emotional, choked-up voice.
The performance was extremely convincing. No one would ever imagine the fraud had murdered Wide Awake. Endless's virtuous, angelic persona seemed to have no holes. There were never brief instances of a scowl or an obvious fake smile.
Remy wrapped his knuckles in bandages, then placed both hands on his hips, cracking his neck to one side.
“I guess it’s about time.”
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On a crisp spring morning, Remy stood outside his parents' house. He wore a backpack, and a suitcase rested by his leg. The scent of blooming flowers lingered in the air.
"We’re the same height now," his dad said, enveloping him in a warm embrace. "Eighteen already? You’ve grown up so quickly. Stay safe, son."
"I will. Thanks again for the last-minute history lectures."
His dad patted him on the back twice. "No problem. Remember what I said – we’re in the Super Era."
Remy nodded. "I know, I know. Superheroes are in abundance, and the industry is highly competitive. I shouldn’t feel pressured to be like Amelia."
His mom rushed to hug him next, tears welling. "Please be careful, Remy."
"I will."
"I can’t lose you as well."
"I know."
"Call now and then, okay?"
"I’ll try."
"I love you."
"I love you too, Mom."
"Where are you even going? You missed the Superhero Entrance exam last week. What are you going to do now?"
Remy let his mom go and treasured the present moment, focusing on the warm sun rays blessing his face. He smiled. "I already told you, Mom. I’m going on an adventure."