A roaring inferno raged across Oleander, tearing down everything in its path, be it building or person.
The sound of battle cries, cursing, and screaming almost seemed louder than the rumble of collapsing buildings or the roar of the invading monster that went out of its way to attack anything that moved.
Children wailed in their parents’ arms as they were carried across the last bridge that stood, the only way left out of the city.
Cinder did her best not to groan. The creature had hit her only once, and yet she was sure this was the worst pain she had ever felt in her short life. She quietly fastened the straps to the silver shield that hung on her arm.
“You, okay?” The voice of Poseidon almost caused her to jump.
Cinder nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m fine.” As far as she knew, it was just her and Poseidon that were left standing. Mr. Larison, Myth, Snowdawn… Even the Victorian. The others were all…
“Good. Because here he comes.” The water twisted and formed, rising out of the river beneath the bridge they guarded. It developed into a large trident, which Poseidon gripped tight enough to turn her knuckles white.
Cinder felt part of her life leave her when she finally saw the thing that had caused this nightmare. It ripped past another building with ease and was covered in molten metal. The nearby stone began to melt from the heat the thing radiated. It approached menacingly, not even bothering to look at the two of them; its eyes focused on the group of fleeing civilians behind them.
“We have to win,” Poseidon stated, pointing her trident forward.
Cinder nodded and gripped her shield tighter. Smoke rose from her skin, and her costume ignited as she became a blazing inferno. Both of them powered up into their Lord states. “Then I guess we’ll win.”
And with that, their battle began… A battle to take down a Calamity that had arrived on planet Earth. A battle to take down the Beast from Space, which was currently rampaging.
This was it. The final battle was about to begin-
The world cracked. Everything began to fade and break away as the Paths that formed this vision came undone. Whisper sat there, feeling her eyes burn for a moment as the glimpse she had just seen in the future crumbled and faded away. Already the sounds, sight, and emotions she had just felt when she bore witness to it were vanishing along with it.
It was like waking up and being unable to recall what happened in your dream. All that remained was a strange sense of dread. Dread that Whisper couldn’t place as her mind blocked out what she had just seen. As the Paths fully faded away and the real world came back into view, the first thing that Whisper noticed was a palm waving in front of her face.
“Yo!” Cinder leaned over her teammate and brought her hand up and down slowly. “Earth to Whisper? You there? I don’t have to kiss you to get you to wake up, do I?”
Whisper finally moved, her eyes turning to look at Cinder. “Sorry, but the only people on this team I’d be willing to lock lips with are the men, like Battery or Myth.” The girl shrugged.
“What about me?” Snowdawn asked, looking back at the two girls from where he set up front.
“I said what I said.” Whisper giggled softly. It was a fake laugh, though. Her body kept twitching a bit and looking around, still processing everything.
“Are you really okay?” Cinder asked in a worried tone. “You were spacing out for a bit.”
“Sorry. I get that way when I use my power to look at the Paths.” Whisper said sheepishly.
“What did you see?” Snowdawn asked.
If it wasn’t for the mask she wore, Cinder and Snowdawn would have seen the large frown that appeared on Whisper’s face. “I don’t remember.”
“That was pretty fast to forget!”
The girl just shrugged. “I’m not like my father. His power was made to trace the Paths. My mind can only handle so much. I usually can only see a few seconds into the possible branches that are the future. Sometimes though I slip up and look too far. It’s like driving down a road and missing a turn. By the time I realize it, it’s too late, and I have no choice but to see the vision through to an end. Issue is, my mind can only process so much information, and it sort of all blurs together. I tend to forget it almost instantly. Like walking up from a bad dream.”
“Well, I hope whatever you saw wasn’t important.” Cinder noted folding her arms.
“Yeah.” Whisper went silent, and for a moment they stared at the billions of lines that only her father and her were able to see. “I’m sure it was nothing.” That sense of dread wasn’t leaving though…
Cinder clasped her hands together. “Well, whatever it was about isn’t important right now. We have way bigger fish to fry. Like the fact that we’re currently in the middle of a standoff!” She announced, pointing forward.
It had been a full month since the events of the mall happened. One month since she fought both Zoo and Bad Timers. One month since she learned that she was a Lord and got to meet Max Lightning and be held in the Victorian’s arms. One month since she traveled back in time and got to see visions of the past. One month since she accidentally killed a person…
Crime didn’t sleep. Neither did heroes, though. Despite everything that had happened last month, bad guys were still active. In fact, they were even more active now than they usually were. That was why she, as well as her other two teammates, found themselves at the latest crime scene that was going down!
She was instantly reminded of how her story first began. It had all started in a bank. Now here she was on the sidelines watching a bank robbery go down.
After the mall incident, both Zoo and Bad Timers had yet to make a move. There was one group though that didn’t seem to have any issue with acting out while the city was still trying to rebuild. The Wandering Coin had attacked one of Oleander’s many banks once they discovered that the Sub Enforcers were busy dealing with a giant crab monster that had floated up onto the beach. The Victorian was also busy at the moment up in space blowing up giant meteors, so unlike last time there was no way the golden woman would show up and save the day.
Normally it would fall upon the group known as the Watch Dogs to step up and save the day, yet no one had seen the heroes since Old Dog retired. That was why it had finally fallen to the last hero group in Oleander. Team Pantheon rested out in Whisper’s van. They were parked in an alleyway across from the bank, waiting for their moment to act.
Dozens of cop cars were all pulled up outside of the bank with their lights flashing. Myth also stood out there holding a megaphone. “There’s no need for anyone to get hurt! Let the hostages go, and let’s just talk this out!” The dark-skinned man called out.
The bank had been put into defense mode. This mode normally existed so that, during a supervillain fight happening out on the street, it would reinforce the building so it would hopefully not be destroyed. It had been created by Harrison Avalon and was something most banks were trying to install. Now though it made dealing with the issue at hand very difficult as the Wandering Coin were all on the inside in the locked-down building, with dozens of hostages.
“Piss off, Hero Branch pet!” A loud, booming voice came out of the speakers of the bank. “We want a helicopter and for you heroes to clear out of this area! If we don’t get what we want in the next hour or so, I swear I’m going to start putting a bullet into some of these people’s heads!”
Myth gritted his teeth and lowered his megaphone. He placed his fingers on his earpiece and calmly spoke. “Alright, Battery. You’re up.”
They didn’t have an issue getting into the building if they really wanted to. She was more than strong enough to bust down a wall or two; the same went for Myth and Battery. As soon as they tried anything, though, the men inside would likely take out the hostages they had. That was why they were doing this as a stealth mission.
She upped her enhanced hearing and sight and focused her power forward, watching as a shimmer of gold appeared on top of the bank. Battery looked down at the building that he stood on, and slowly his body began to hum and vibrate. Golden lightning seeped around the man’s flesh as his very molecules began to rapidly speed up. Then, in a flash, he was gone, sinking through the roof as if it weren’t there! Battery had phased through it by using an old speedster trick of vibrating so hard you could pass through a nonmoving object.
Inside the bank, whimpers hit the wall. Dozens of people had been forced down to their knees with black sacks placed over their heads. Their arms were bound, and pacing back and forth in front of them were the ones who caused all of this.
The Wandering Coin hadn’t done a job like this before. Normally the group just sold drugs or weapons to people and would get other gangs to join their group. Now that both Zoo and the Bad Timers were out of the picture due to the damage they took last month from the mall incident, it was the perfect time for the Wandering Coin to pull off a real job.
Several bags filled with money scattered the floor as the gang members paced back and forth. They wore large riot armor they had swiped and carried heavy guns able to tear through cars with ease. They even had some Mental-based tech and Super related weapons that could pack a mean punch. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for the police force to take them on. Luckily, the police force didn’t have to be the one to best them.
From the roof, Battery dropped, seemingly appearing inside the building. The red hero landed on the ground, causing all the gang members to jump and turn to him in shock.
“A hero! I told you not to come here! The deaths of these people are on your hands!” The leader of the group screamed and pulled out a handgun, which he aimed at a female hostage. “This is your fault!”
The gun went off, but it stood no chance. Bullets were fast, but Battery used literal light, so his attack was beyond faster. In a flash, every hostage felt a wave of warmth coat them as Battery used his power to create a barrier. The bullet smashed into the head of the woman but bounced off due to the shield that now clung around her body. Without skipping a beat, Battery blasted out a beam of golden energy from his hand toward the wall, blowing a hole right through it.
The Wandering Coin members scrambled to aim their guns, but before they could, a loud roar shook the building, and seconds later, a charging bull monster crashed through the hole in the wall. Myth ran forward, ignoring the gunfire that sprayed across his body. There were at least twelve men in the room, but it was possible there could be more, with other hostages in other rooms.
Battery didn’t stick around long, taking off at a high speed as the man began to search the entire building from top to bottom, making sure no one else was in danger. As he did this, Myth got to work, unleashing a strong punch right into the gut of one of the men. The hero held back his power by a lot, so the force of the strike only caused the man to vomit and fall to the ground unconscious rather than snap his spine in two like Myth could have done.
The Wandering Coin members fired more of their guns but were then stopped when a loud rumbling echoed out, and seconds later a van came crashing through the same hole the bull monster had used.
“Let’s kick some butt!” Cinder called out, jumping out of the van.
“You guys should seriously take a chill pill or two!” Snowdawn called out, and the boy launched a wave of snow through the room, knocking several of the men over and weighing them down with layers of cold.
“Can you seriously stop with the ice puns?” Whisper asked, letting out a sigh. The girl turned her power on, becoming totally invisible, and then used the power of the Paths to make sure she wouldn’t accidentally get shot or hit by one of her teammates. Whisper danced through the room and swung her taser out, downing one of the men.
“My puns are cool!” Snowdawn defended himself. “Get it? Cool?”
“You don’t see the rest of us making jokes like that.” Cinder snorted softly. She moved through the room with her enhanced speed. She dodged in and out of the wave of gunfire. She didn’t really need to worry about getting hit; she just didn’t want to damage her costume, which had been fixed up since the previous fights she got into and was now brand new. She balled her hand into a fist as she reached the biggest gang member, the one she assumed to be the leader. “Lights out.”
Like Myth, she held her strength back a lot. A human body could both take a lot of damage while also being shockingly frail. She used enough force in the strike to send the man tumbling back with her punch, but she held back a bit too much, and combined with the armor the man wore, it meant he wasn’t out cold. The man scrambled to stand back up, and she quickly reached him, ready to strike again.
“I don’t want to die!” The man cried out. Her foot paused midair, halting the kick she was about to unleash. She stared down at the man and felt her heart begin to twitch. The memory of Polaron came back to her. She shook slightly and felt her power dim a bit. Max Lightning’s words came back to her as well. These were normal people. They weren’t Supers. They couldn’t take a beating like she could. Had she almost killed the man? Was she about to take another life and not even realize it? “Stupid girl.” In an instant, the man lifted his gun up, catching her off guard.
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The man had been bluffing.
The gun he held was massive and had a second barrel down at the bottom of it. The second weapon attached to the rifle they held had been built from the remains of the Pallet Boys tech, and it hummed with a bright glow of energy before it unleashed a red laser beam directly into her gut. Her body easily took the heat and was unaffected, but the force of the attack knocked the air right out of her lungs and picked her up, tossing her into the air.
She hit the roof head first and felt her brain rattle around in her skull as the helmet she wore vibrated. “Cinder!” Snowdawn yelled out. The gang member let out a laugh and was about to fire again, but Myth’s fist rammed into the leader’s face, easily breaking the man’s jaw and knocking him out.
She began to drop from the sky, but she felt herself crash into the arms of Battery, who appeared beneath her in a flash of gold. “I got you, kid.”
She chuckled a bit as he set her down. “Guess I wasn’t paying attention.” Her stomach ached a bit, but the attack hadn’t been that bad. She had been working out a bit over the course of the month, trying to raise her strength and durability. “I’m fine. Really.” She said, rubbing her stomach.
Battery nodded and lifted his other hand up. All five of his fingers glowed, and a golden laser fired out of each one. The lasers twisted and smashed into the remaining men, causing them to scream out as they were hit with the effect of a taser and crashed to the floor. “I took out the rest that were in the bank as well.” Battery called out to Myth and pointed toward a set of stairs with his thumb. They all followed where he pointed and found ten more men, all unconscious and stacked up on top of the stairs. “This place is clear now.”
Myth nodded. “Good work. Whisper, start tying these guys up. Snowdawn and Cinder free the hostages. Battery, you stand guard, and I’ll let the Hero Branch know it’s over.”
That was how they found themselves stepping out of the bank. Dozens of cops and Hero Branch workers grabbed the men and began to force them into the backs of cars. The hostages were free and ran out, hugging their family members or friends who had shown up. The air was also once again filled with dozens of drones, all of which had their cameras trained on them.
She felt a little guilty about destroying the wall. She didn’t like damaging the city if she could help it. Places where people didn’t live were fine, but now this building would be shut down until it was fixed up. Still, they really didn’t have much choice. She just hoped the drones would understand that and not try and pin anything on her or her team.
Speaking of the drones as they floated down, the first round of their questioning began.
“Myth, is this the new team that you created?”
“What are all their members' names?”
“Is the reason you created this group because you weren’t given the role of Sub Enforcers leader?”
Myth folded his arms. “I created Pantheon for my own reasons. We were there at the mall as well, so this is hardly the first time we’ve done jobs. I’m also sure you’ve met several members of my team already. Cinder, Snowdawn, Whisper, and Battery-” Myth stopped when he saw Battery picking at his nose.
More questions were thrown at them.
"Snowdawn, are you aware that there is a forum post trying to ban you from making ice puns?”
“I’ll never stop.” The boy announced. “Never!”
“Whisper, is it true that you took down the villain known as Ghost and were the reason the Sub Enforcers did as well as they did during the attack last month?”
“I wouldn’t say I was the only reason.” The sly girl said, throwing her arms behind her head. “I only hard-carried a tiny bit.”
Then it was her turn. “Cinder! I notice you and Snowdawn are around the same age. Are you two a-”
“Nope.” She folded her arms and shook her head. “Never in a billion-trillion-sextillion years.”
“That’s a little cold.” Snowdawn snorted.
“I only like girls!” She announced, pointing into the camera of one of the drones. “Do you hear that! All you lovely ladies out there! I bat for the superior team!”
The drones barely focused on her statement and instead turned to the final member of their team. “Battery! By any chance are you related to the Victorian?”
Battery stopped picking his nose and flicked his finger. He rubbed the back of his neck, then stared at the drone with a stern look. “Yes.” All of them jumped and stared at him in shock, and the drones began to rapidly crowd around him. “We’re siblings.” Battery said casually. “We come from a distant planet in another galaxy. It blew up when we were babies, though, and we were sent off of it by our parents. I arrived first and grew up on a farm-”
“Okay, so he’s just bullshitting.” Snowdawn wiped some nervous sweat away and let out a relieved sigh. “For a moment I thought he was being honest.”
“So you’re not related to the Victorian?” One of the drones asked.
“She doesn’t even know I exist.” Battery said flatly. “Just because our powers are similar doesn’t mean we have to know each other. That’s kind of racist, not going to lie, just assuming all Supers have a connection or something.”
Myth masked a laugh with a cough and cleared his throat. “To be fair, most Supers do have weird connections with one another. A Supers family tree can be one big mess.”
Another drone came down, landing in front of her while she watched the bizarre exchange that was going on. “Hello. I’m Alice Ward.” She almost groaned when she heard the name. It seemed like anytime this newswoman showed up, she always got weird questions. “I’ve noticed recently that the groups Zoo and Bad Timers haven’t appeared anywhere in the city and have been laying low. There are also rumors that the leader Polaron was killed in battle.”
She felt herself freeze up once more, and all the other drones had suddenly gone silent and turned to look up at her. She stared down at the camera with a blank expression. All around Oleander City, dozens of people had stopped what they were doing and watched the live stream Alice Ward had going.
“Yeah.” She said softly. “Polaron’s dead. I know because I’m the one who killed him.” That feeling of disgust and self-loathing was back. She hated herself for what happened to Polaron. If she had been a bit stronger, she could have saved the villain somehow. But instead she failed.
The others all looked at her in shock. She had left that bit out about what happened to Polaron, so only Battery knew. The man looked away awkwardly as Myth shot him a look. The drones began to buzz loudly, gearing up for another round of questioning, but they weren’t able to, as seconds later a large wall of ice appeared in front of the machines.
“I think that’s enough questioning for one day.” Everyone stared up at the roof where Ocean Empress was seated. The woman stared down at them from the bank, flicking her finger out. “Interview is over.”
With a shrug, Battery flared his aura up, letting out a soft EMP wave that downed all the drones. Myth cleared his throat. “Scatter.” Was all the man said, and just like that, they all left.
Myth turned into some sort of flying monster and took to the sky, Battery ran at top speed, Snowdawn and Whisper got into the van and drove away, and she used her super jump to make it on top of a building and escape.
Ocean Empress let out a soft sigh and also vanished on a current of water. The woman surfed for a bit until she was several blocks away. She dropped and landed on another roof. No sooner had she stopped, when she spotted the flicker of gold as the wind rippled and Battery came to a sliding stop next to her.
“Why are you back in Oleander?” The man asked in a blunt tone.
“Straight to the point?” Ocean Empress let out a soft chuckle, and the woman moved, sitting over the edge of the roof that they were on. They were all the way on top of a large skyscraper somewhere in the middle zone of Oleander.
Battery shrugged and took a seat next to the woman. “I’m assuming you do have a reason for coming here. After all, with the return of Golden God, I know crime has been chaotic for all places.”
The hero nodded her head softly. “I normally wouldn’t leave my city, but I promised your daughter I’d give her an update on Paragon’s recovery.”
“My daughter?” Battery stopped and snorted. “Cinder ain’t my kid.”
“Oh? I just assumed?” Ocean Empress shrugged. “Either way, I promised I’d update her. So pass this on, okay? Paragon is still out, but she did wake up a few days ago. Hopefully her body will recover fully, and she’ll be back up and running around within a week or two.”
Battery nodded his head. He looked down at his city as he sat next to the Enforcer in silence. “I’m guessing you have another reason for coming though.” He asked. “After all, you could have just called and let Cinder know that way.”
Ocean Empress allowed her dress to flow softly, the water taking various shapes. “I actually came here for you-”
“I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“It isn’t for that!” The woman hit him over the head, and her eye twitched a bit. “I had another reason for why I came here. Soon the Enforcers are going to be called to another meeting again. I wanted to ask you. Are you really not related to the Victorian? After all, your powers are similar to hers. And I’m not talking about the color or the fact that you can heal with her golden light. I’ve spoken to Boy Genius and know about the shard in your heart. You’re getting your power from that, but for something like that to have ended up inside of you, you must have some sort of connection, right? On top of that, for your body to handle even a fraction of that woman’s power, you must have a body used to that energy.”
“If you want to know, just ask the Victorian.” Battery shrugged.
“She says she doesn’t know you.”
“Then I guess she doesn’t know me-”
“Are you a threat to my planet?” Silence hung in the air for a moment, and the hero stared at Battery.
Battery rubbed his fingers together, feeling the spark of energy between them. “The name Ocean Empress was one you selected after the death of the Emperor.” The man said softly. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Why would you have a title like Empress when a monster like the Emperor once existed? The answer, though, was pretty obvious. At least it’s the conclusion that I came to. You turned yourself into a target on purpose. After all, when the Emperor died, all Lords besides Max Lightning also died. That meant that the power of the Lord of the Sea would be passed down. Many assumed it would go to you. Even back then, you were a great hero who called herself Mermaid. Instead, the power went to your daughter, Poseidon. This fact wouldn’t be known about for years, though. You gave yourself a name like Ocean Empress so that the Organization would come after you instead of your daughter. Even after the death of the Emperor, his army still existed and thrived. And they still craved revenge. That’s why becoming a target was the path you chose. You picked a high and mighty name so all eyes would be on you and Poseidon could grow strong in the background.”
“So what if that’s the case?” Ocean Empress sighed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I guess you can say I’m doing the same.” Battery said flatly. “I’m turning myself into a target as well. I have someone I’d like to hide. Most eyes have been focused on me thanks to my powers; so many people have overlooked them.” The man turned to look back at her. “I can assure you, I won’t be a threat to this world. I want what everyone wants. A total end to all Calamities. I want proof that the Emperor is really dead.”
***
Hope stared up at the building, feeling a weird sense of dread. It had been a day since the bank incident, and she had been requested by Myth to stop by Pantheon’s base. Just her. Snowdawn, Whisper, and Battery would be patrolling the city.
She didn’t really know what the hero would want with her, but she had a feeling it wasn’t anything good. Slowly, she opened the door and stepped into the warehouse.
Her ears twitched a bit as she heard laughter from upstairs. It was a familiar voice, and she felt shock run through her. She moved up the steps quickly and burst into the lounge room that they had. Her worst fears were proven true instantly. Her mother was seated in front of Myth’s desk talking with the dark-skinned man.
“-so anyways, that’s how I discovered Hope didn’t like vegetables.” Jane said, chuckling as the woman recalled the fond memory.
Myth let out a soft chuckle as well. “I, too, was quite a handful for my own father. It sounds like you’ve done an amazing job raising her, Mrs. Lauren. As a matter of fact, there she is now.”
Both adults turned to look at her, and she felt a weird chill go up her spine. “Mom? Why are you here?”
Her mother just smiled and stood up. “I just wanted to check this place out. I had been brought here once by that Battery guy but didn’t get a good look at it since that was when Polaron had been attacking. I thought it would be good if I met Myth. He’s sort of like your boss, right?”
“I guess.” She awkwardly shrugged.
“I was just stopping by.” Her mother patted her on the shoulder. “I need to get back to work. I’ll see you when I get home, sweetie.”
“Okay?” She watched her mother leave, feeling her gut twist a bit. “She didn’t just come to stop by, did she?”
She jumped when Myth dropped a stack of papers down onto the table, his grin growing. “She came by to drop your homework off and make sure I’m actually giving you time to do it.” The man chuckled some more when he heard her groan. “You’re lucky to have her, Ms. Lauren. My own father wasn’t as kind.” The man’s smile faded for a moment, and Myth softly shook his head. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
“Sure. So why’d you ask me to come here?” She asked, taking a seat. “I hope it’s not just about the homework.”
The man’s look grew serious, and her nerves got worse as he looked at her. “Did you really kill Polaron?”
She felt her throat go dry as she recalled that memory. Mr. Larison had claimed she could blame it on him. He had been the one to force her hand to move after all. It was still her power and her attack that had killed Polaron, though. She felt a bit of guilt rise back up, and she bowed her head. “Yeah.” She said softly. “I killed him.”
Myth stood up and moved around the table, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me about it.”
She felt tears in her eyes, but she did her best to hold them back as her nails dug into her palm. “I just feel weird about it.” She admitted. “Mr. Larison said I didn’t do anything wrong. I know heroes kill. I get that. I’m not stupid enough to think you can just save every villain and that it’ll all work out. I’ve seen people die before; I’ve seen dead bodies, but this... It was by my own hands. I just don’t know if I can get used to killing bad guys.”
“That isn’t a bad thing.” Myth said, shaking his head. “Do you remember when we first met?”
“During the Red Ape stuff?” She asked, wiping at her eyes.
“Yeah.” The man nodded. “During that battle, I went for the kill on Red Ape, but you stopped me. You’re right when you say that the world isn’t so black and white. Sometimes you do have to kill a villain. When a police officer goes after a criminal, they go in with the intent of capturing that criminal. If it is required and left with no other option, they will use deadly force. It is the same for heroes. We shouldn’t go in deciding to kill the person we’re fighting. That’s not what a hero does. That’s what a soldier does. Sometimes though your hand will be forced. And when it does happen, feeling guilt or shame means that you’re still a person. That you still feel empathy.”
“Mr. Larison keeps saying that I did a good job. That it was natural or that I could blame it on him if I wanted to, but I don’t want to do that. It’s my fault and my burden.” She said quietly.
“Jack Larison is an interesting man.” Myth hummed. “I have a feeling that at one time he used to be more of a soldier than a hero. He’s trying to help but likely doesn’t understand it. He’s the kind of person who’s killed before and feels nothing when he does it.”
“That’s not true.” She shook her head. She remembered after Polaron’s death. The way Mr. Larison looked down at the body. The man had seemed so sad. “I think he does feel sad. I think he’s still human. He still feels. Just less than others.”
Myth’s grip grew tighter on her shoulder. “Saying things like that is why I picked you to be on my team. Empathy is an important trait. Being able to put yourself in other people’s shoes and view the world through their eyes is something all heroes should do, but sadly many don’t. I won’t tell you that this job will get easier. There’s a good chance you’ll have other cases like Polaron. You’ll have to go through that all over again. It won’t get easier either. It shouldn't, though. But know this: anytime you do have these thoughts or feelings, I’ll be here to speak to you. It is my job to ensure that you all are safe. I’m an adult after all.”
“Would you have killed Polaron if you were in my shoes?” She asked.
Myth let go of her shoulder and let out a soft hum. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that, Hope. I don’t know what I would have done. That said, I can promise you one thing. I wouldn’t have felt nearly as sad about it as you are, and for that reason alone, I am filled with shame.”
“You’re a good hero, Myth.” She said, shaking her head. “I’m lucky to be on your team.”
“And I’m lucky to have you.” The man clapped, causing her to jump a bit. “Now. I think it’s about time we get through some of this homework.”
She let out another loud groan but slowly felt a smile cross back onto her face. It was nice to have a distraction. To do something that wasn’t Super related.
In a way, she felt like she was saving herself. “Alright. Let’s start, I guess.”