Myth crouched down just in time as a bolt of pinkish energy flew past his head and rammed into the wall behind him. He was already in his lion form, his claws digging into the stone ground of the alleyway he was in.

Love Doctor let out a growl and stumbled back as her attack missed the hero. "I command that you love me!" She shouted, bringing her hands together into the shape of a heart. More of that pink energy swirled around in it and blasted out toward the hero, but before it could hit Myth, a wave of liquid metal suddenly rose up in front of him, forming a shield. The energy splashed against it and faded, and the lion roared and charged.

Love Doctor wasn't very strong. She was a low-level villain dressed in a long white lab coat and a bright pink suit beneath it. Her hair was long, reached down past her back, and dyed a hot pink as well. Her only real strength lay in her ability. Her energy could cause all who were hit by it to fall in love with her. Sadly for her, she hadn't been able to hit Myth with it.

Faster than the woman could react, Myth charged forward, appearing on the other side of the alleyway where Love Doctor was. The woman screamed and threw her arms out, but it was too late. Instantly, Myth felt his form shift as he changed into his bull form and smashed a strong fist directly into the woman's face, easily shattering her jaw and nearly snapping her neck.

Love Doctor was thrown back and would have smashed into the ground at an extremely fast speed, but before she could, an orange blur zipped down. Drake wrapped his arms around the unconscious woman, stopping her fall, and slowly lowered her to the ground. "Whoa, man, take it easy. You nearly took her head off." Drake winced as he stared down at Love Doctor's bloodied face.

"It wouldn't be the first villain he killed recently..." Oxide muttered, stepping out from behind a large trashcan at the other side of the alleyway they were in.

"What was that?" Myth grunted out.

"Nothing." The metal-based hero casually walked past her boss and folded her arms once she was standing next to Drake. It was just the three of them at the moment. Wasp Nest and Metal Ronin were both back at the base with Kyle, getting some much-needed rest. It had been a mostly boring day in the ruins of Oleander City. That was until they got reports Love Doctor was out causing issues. "Hey, I thought we didn't need to deal with bad guys anymore. Battery's Giants are supposed to do all the work." The girl hummed, looking up toward one which rested near the edge of the block they were on.

"Those guys never work," Drake said, rolling his eyes. "They look scary, but it took less than a week for the bad guys to figure out how to get around them. Now all these assholes stick to the sewers or narrow alleyways, and the Giants can't do shit."

"I guess Battery's dropped the ball then." Oxide giggled. "Serves him right."

"You have no idea." Drake pulled his phone out, handing it over to Oxide. It showed a video of one of the other cities. The Giant there had a massive pile of trash around its ankles, and spectators were throwing things at it. "Not all the cities are happy with the way things are. Especially now that his flaws are starting to be noticed by the villains, this is nothing compared to Rose, though." The video changed and shifted to Rose City. Often considered the greatest of the ten great cities, the streets were a mess, with massive crowds seemingly rioting and screaming for the Victorian's return. The building Battery had been staying. It didn't look too good, and all the damage he had caused to the Enforcers tower was already fixed by Rose's Cleanup Squad.

"Even if he did beat the Victorian, people don't consider him the number one hero yet. No matter how much he insists he is." Myth grunted. "He hasn't really made any more appearances since all of this started."

"Poor guy is having it rough." Drake shrugged and took his phone back, calling the Hero Branch. "Yo, we got another one. Love Doctor. We're near Fly Street; come get her."

It didn't take long for the few Hero Branch officers that remained in Oleander to show up and take the unconscious Love Doctor away. She was just a low-level villain with no enhanced strength, and as long as she couldn't form a heart shape with her hands, she was basically powerless, so the officers just placed restraints on her and threw her into the back of an armored van. They watched it drive off, where it would head for a part of the city where a helicopter from Lillian could land. All of Oleander's captured villains were being transferred to Lillian, where they would stay in a holding cell until they could figure out what to do with them. The Sub Enforcers had recently defeated Red Ape, and the same thing had happened for that villain. Red Ape was currently locked away in some cell where he'd likely never see the light of day.

Normally, bad guys would be sent to Nightshade, but because of Battery, that wasn't an option anymore. Red Ape had gotten lucky, as he was meant to be shipped off to the prison, but it vanished before he could.

"Let's head back for today. We're done." Myth allowed his form to return to normal as he flexed his muscles. "I need a long bath."

"Finally." Oxide let out a sigh of relief. "It feels like we've been working all day."

"Because we have." Drake winced and rubbed some of the tension out of his shoulder. "Seriously, would it kill you to let us slack off a bit?"

"We can't." Myth grunted. "If we do, the bad guys win. And if we aren't the ones to capture them, then Battery's Giants will get ahold of them and eat them."

It wasn't often Battery's Giants were able to stop a crime now, but whenever they did, that villain wouldn't make it too far before the Giant simply grabbed them and devoured them. It was a disturbing yet effective way to get rid of crime.

"We could always ask Paragon to help us out." Oxide stated.

Myth shook his head. "No. She's not part of our team. We needed her help once when we were dealing with Zoo, but that's it. She's done more than enough."

"Pretty sure she wouldn't mind..."

"I said no."

"Geez. Okay, mister grumpy." Oxide rolled her eyes and stayed silent for the rest of the walk back to their base.

It didn't take them very long to get back to the falling-apart tower in which their realm was held. When they stepped out of the elevator, they heard laughter. It was enough to lighten the mood for Drake and Oxide, and the two moved into the hallway in the manner they lived in. At the kitchen table, Kyle, Kenny, and Rowan all resided.

"What's with all the laughter?" Ashley asked with a smile. Her metal suit dripped off her body and fell to the floor, leaving her in the civilian clothes she had on beneath it. Drake casually unzipped his tracksuit jacket and placed it on a nearby chair.

"Kyle was just telling us a funny story." Rowan chuckled and clapped his friend on the back.

"Oh? What kind of story?" Drake asked, taking a seat at the table.

Kyle gave a sad smile, and his head bowed slightly as he stared down at the table. "Actually, it was a story my dad used to tell me." That caused the laughter to stop. "He used to be a low-level police officer, and back when he first started, he was a total noob. Ended up shooting himself in the foot by accident." Kyle tried to crack a smile, but it didn't seem to work.

Kenny leaned forward and let out a sigh. "Have you heard anything about your dad recently?"

"How could I?" Kyle sighed and shook his head. "I've been stuck in this realm."

"He's likely alive." Rowan tried to say it in a positive tone, but it came out awkwardly. "I'm pretty sure he would have been transferred to Lillian somewhere."

"Maybe, but it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Kyle said sadly.

"Of course it does." Ashley stared down at the caramel-skinned boy, who was frowning. "You know what? Let's go check out Lillian tomorrow. I'll take you there, Kyle."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm a hero, and I'm sick and tired of seeing a city look like a warzone." Ashley huffed out. "It'll do me some good to walk around Lillian. I assume that's okay, Myth?" The girl shot a look toward their new leader, who stayed near the entrance.

Myth let out a small grunt and began to walk away, heading for his room. "Do whatever you want." Myth stated in a blunt tone. The dark-skinned man opened the door to his room and slammed it shut.

"What crawled up his ass?" Rowan whispered.

"Battey." Drake and Ashley said flatly.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

"I think Battery not doing anything recently has ticked him off more than when the man first started his dumbass plan." Kenny snorted. "Seriously, who does he think he is? He shows up and fights the Enforcers, kicks them all out, and then declares he's the new number-one hero. He's lucky we don't have Full Monarch with us anymore. Otherwise, he'd be getting the ass-beating of a lifetime. He's acting almost as bad as the Emperor."

"Has the Emperor done anything?" Kyle asked quietly. "I mean, I haven't heard anything about him since..."

"Since your dad." Rowan winced.

"Yeah."

Ashley placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward, staring down at the non-powered boy. "Seriously, Kyle, stop being so gloomy. First thing tomorrow, I'll take you to Lillian and let you get some fresh air."

Kyle managed to crack a smile and nodded his head. "Right. Thanks, Oxide."

The others began to talk amongst themselves, but Kyle barely paid attention. He simply sat there and watched his friends. Drake, Ashley, Rowan, and Kenny. Despite everything that had happened to him so far, despite all the horrors he had gone through, he was at least a little happy about the fact that he was surrounded by such good people. Such kind people. Maybe... Maybe it was about time his luck started to change. Maybe things would finally start to go his way-

A bright flash appeared above the table, catching them all off guard. They instantly all stumbled back as the flash began to take shape and formed together into something. Screams of panic echoed through the manor, and Myth kicked his door down just in time to see the light take shape. It formed into what looked almost like a small plushie toy. The kind you would give a baby or something to sleep with. It was chibi and small and wore a dress made of wires. It had the appearance of a young girl, and a smile was on the doll's face as its eyes stared at Kyle, who was staring down at it in horror.

"Hello!" The doll spoke in a soft and happy voice. "My name is Arch Angel Gabriel of the Immortals!" The chibi announced, waving its arms back and forth. "You're Mr. Kyle Brenner, correct? Well, good news! You've been accepted as a player in this year's Murder Game! Congratulations!"

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"What!" Kyle dropped to the floor in shock.

Myth let out a roar and blasted forward, swinging his fist out as hard as he could. His hand literally went through the doll and tore the table in half. The doll stood up and walked through the hero. Kyle backed away, but it was faster. Oxide tried grabbing it as well, but it went through her and landed down in Kyle's lap.

"Time to go!"

"N- No." Kyle's eyes were wide, and tears were streaming down his face. It was happening. The thing his father figure fought against, the reason his dad did what he did. It had arrived. The end of his life was here. "I refuse!"

"Sorry. But you can't." The doll cocked its head to the side, and the two of them glowed. Wasp Nest scattered his body into wasps trying to grab Kyle, but just like the doll, Kyle was impossible to touch, all the bugs phasing through the boy. "I'll be teleporting us to the city the game is taking place in now!"

"Help me!"

Those were the last words Kyle managed to get out before he vanished in a simple flash of light.

"Kyle!" Rowan jumped for his friend, but it was too late. Kyle was gone. Kyle was now a player in the Murder Games.

Kyle wasn't the only person being selected, however. At that exact moment, four other people, each from a different city, all found themselves being suddenly approached by the Immortal.

Meanwhile, within the city of Dandelion, a recent hero was on the scene!

Phoenix stared down at the streets below through a pair of binoculars that he had. "The riots still haven't calmed down." The young hero muttered out. Dandelion was the city of Mister Man. It was a gloomy, dark place that always rained and seemed depressing. The people that lived here all walked around with guns and never took anyone's crap. That included the Giants that were here now. The people raged at the feet of them, firing at them and throwing anything they could get their hands on at the dark figures. "When will they hurry up and stop?"

Phoenix was a young hero. Only about seventeen, he should have been placed onto a Sub Enforcers team, but he decided to strike out as a solo hero instead. His costume was a dark blue in design, looking almost like a skydiving suit. It had a section connected to his arms that could fold out into wings, and he wore a bird mask that covered his upper face. Flame-looking symbols danced across his costume, and a few feathers were attached to his back.

At one point in time, people expected big things from this young hero. This is because of a lie Max Lightning told. Max Lightning, in order to hide Cinder's identity, had told the Victorian that he believed a boy with flame-based powers in his city was the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos. That boy was none other than Phoenix. He had been sent to Dandelion and forced to work directly under Mister Man up until it was discovered he wasn't the Lord, at which point he was discarded and forgotten about. Despite that, though, Phoenix was far from weak. This disgrace that he had faced had only motivated him and left him with a new goal.

Surpass Cinder.

"Who cares if they're still rioting?" A voice called out from behind Phoenix. The hero stood on top of a building and kept a constant lookout down on the people below, but he wasn't alone.

Slowly, Phoenix turned around with a soft frown on his face. "I care, Master Ros."

A young man was on the other side of the roof. He had ashen skin and long, snow-white hair. His eyes were a light blue and held a twinkle in them, and he was dressed in an expensive suit. He held an umbrella above him, doing his best to stop the constant pouring of rain. "What have I told you, Phoenix? Stop calling me 'Mater Ros'. Just Evan will do. We're friends, you know."

"I can not." Phoenix shook his head. "I promised your parents I would take care of you. I am fulfilling the role of a knight, and you are my prince."

"How romantic."

"N- Not like that." Phoenix cleared his throat and did his best to ignore the other boy's teasing look. "You might be able to treat a situation like this lightly, Master Ros, but I can not. It is my job to ensure nothing happens to you. Riots like these can get out of hand, so I will remain on the lookout and ensure they do not cause harm to you or this building you call home. Now, please, go back inside-"

The water above Phoenix stopped falling down onto him as the umbrella Evan held was placed over him. The young prince stood directly behind him now and gave a soft smile. "Only if you agree to come in as well."

Phoenix was glad he was wearing a mask because he was pretty sure his face was pure red. "I- I can not-"

"Come on." Evan wrapped his arm around Phoenix's. "It's way too cold out here for you to be doing this."

Phoenix gave a faint nod and finally turned away, no longer looking at the crowd. "Well... I guess it's okay to take a small break."

"Of course it is." Evan's grin grew as he headed for a door on the other side of the roof, practically dragging his friend with him. "You agreed to keep my family safe and are doing it practically for free. I don't have powers. I'm not a Super, but I know you guys still need rest. I don't want you getting hurt on my behalf." Phoenix muttered a few things quietly under his breath. "What was that?" Evan teased.

"I said you're too kind..."

They were about to reach the door and head back inside when it happened... Phoenix spotted it out of the corner of his eye. It was a bright flash of light. He threw himself in front of Evan, greenish-blue fire blasting off of his arms, but it was too late. The shining glob of light took shape, forming into a small doll of Gabriel. The doll looked up, meeting Evan's eyes, and the boy stared down at it in shock.

"Evan Ros!" It spoke in a cheerful tone. "Congratulations!"

Meanwhile, in Violet, a young eight-year-old girl kicked her legs back and forth slowly. She rested on a small park bench, and she watched the other kids around her play. Her name was Irene Milas.

Irene was a quiet girl. One with messy brown hair and green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses she wore. Violet was a city owned by Fable, and many of its people wore old-timey clothing. She was a bit of an exception, however. She came from the Milas family, one equal in power to the Wards. She was dressed in a simple business suit and clutched a book beneath her arms.

Even at such a young age, she was being taught what she needed to do. She was part of the main branch family, and so it would one day be her turn to take it over and rule as Lady Milas. At least, should she survive until adulthood, that is...

A few Hero Branch officers moved toward the young girl. "Ms. Milas, it's time we get you back home. Your mother asked us to escort you."

The little girl sighed and nodded her head. "Okay. Let's head back then. I've enjoyed my time outside-"

A flash appeared in front of her, and Irene felt herself be tackled to the ground by one of her soldiers as guns were drawn. Screams filled the park, and people began to run. She was scooped up in one officer's arms and carried away, but she managed to look over his shoulder just in time to see the light form into the shape of a small doll. Faster than anyone could react, the doll was on her, staring directly into her eyes.

"Congratulations, Irene Milas!"

Meanwhile, in a prison cell somewhere beneath Lillian City, a man shrouded in shadows stared down at the doll that was at his feet. "So you're saying I'm a player?" The man asked calmly.

"Yep!" Gabriel announced. "Hey, you're a lot calmer than the others have been so far."

The man just chuckled. "So... Looks like I'll be playing in the Murder Games this year." His body began to glow as he got ready to be transported. "Watch out, Lucifer. I'm coming for you."

As for who this unnamed fourth man is, that remains to be seen...

That left just one more player. All the way in Gladiolus City, Alexander Lauren felt his body begin to glow as the Immortal member sat on his chest. "W- What's happening!" Alexander gasped out.

Hope struck out with her hand, but her eyes went wide when it phased through the strange doll-like entity. Gabriel giggled a bit and shrugged. "I am transporting you and all players to the location where the games will be held. We pick a city every year and play there. A barrier will be set up, making it impossible for any hero to get in. Isn't that wonderful? This year, a very special city was also picked!"

"Get the hell off my dad!" Hope screamed. The doll was glowing brightly now, and that light was starting to cover her father. She tried grabbing her father, but her hand was going through him. She couldn't get either of them; neither could Kevin. Her mom stood frozen in shock and horror as the flashing got faster. "Stop it!"

The door to the van exploded open as Fable and Wyvern came crashing in. They both stood there in shock when they saw what was happening. "Shit!" Fable cursed out. "It's starting!"

"What!" Mister Man said in horror. "What city-"

"Who the fuck cares!" Hope screamed as loudly as she could. "Save my dad!" She tried again, and again, and again, but it wasn't working. She couldn't touch either of them. Her father was about to be taken away, and there wasn't anything she could do. She was helpless. Forced to watch. Alexander stared into her eyes, and she could see the horror and fear in them. "Take me instead!" She begged.

"Nah. We don't pick Supers as players." The doll shrugged. "Sorry. Bye-bye!"

"No! Brightest Star, you can have my body!" She cried out. "I'll give it to you, whatever you want, just save my dad-"

All at once it stopped. In a single flash the light was gone, as was her father and the doll of Gabriel. The Murder Games was starting, and Alexander Lauren was a player. Her father. A game that the heroes have never managed to beat. Something that has always ended with Lucifer's victory. Her father was...

Hope felt pure rage, and she didn't wait for Kevin or her mother to say anything. In an instant, the roof of the van exploded as she jumped through the ride and crashed directly onto Lois in the real world. Lightning Empress gasped, but she gave the girl no time.

"You knew!" She screamed. "You knew this was going to happen! You knew, didn't you!"

Lightning Empress stared up into Cinder's rage-filled eyes. Despite how terrifying it looked, the Lord of the Sky managed to crack a smile. "Yeah... I knew he was going to be a player-" Red. Lois only saw red as Cinder smashed her fist down into her face as hard as the girl could. Lightning Empress gasped out as her nose practically exploded and blood gushed down her face.

"You bitch!" Hope punched out again as hard as she could. "Why! Why would you let something like that happen? Why!" She struck again and again, hitting her friend with everything she had over and over and over-

"That's enough!"

Fable grabbed her and tried to yank her off, but she elbowed the man as hard as she could, nearly downing him. Before she could strike again, her body suddenly moved in slow motion as Lady Time hit her, and Mister Man appeared in front of her, placing his gun to her head. Wyvern's tail wrapped around her wrist, stopping her arm, and Pretty Face summoned several of his ghostly clones that surrounded her.

Fable managed to stand back up, and this time, he did yank her off of Lois. "Stop. That's enough. You'll kill her if you hit her again."

She breathed heavily, her jaw clenched, but she finally took note of Lois. The girl's face almost caved in, and she looked down at her knuckles, finding that they had become nasty red. Lois hadn't fought back. The girl allowed her to beat on her as much as she wanted to. "Why..." She spat out again. "Why did you do it?" She was practically sobbing now. "Why didn't you do anything about it!" It felt worse than Battery's betrayal. Lois had nothing. The girl was the Lord of the Sky and Weather, yet just stayed in her city, not helping out, and hadn't bothered to warn her about what was going to happen to her dad.

Lois spat something out as the girl tried to sit up. Lady Time offered a hand to Lightning Empress, easing the hero back up. "I- It was- T- The only way... If- If you knew you- You would have stopped at nothing t- To stop him from being a player. Y- You can't, though. No one can. T- This is the only way. The only path I saw that I liked. Th- The only one wi- with a semi g- good ending."

"Explain." She growled out. By now, her mom and Kevin had managed to step out of the van, but she didn't focus on them. Instead, she glared directly at her trusted friend and teammate. "I'm serious, Whisper. I need to know!" Max Lightning had done this as well. Always keeping the secrets. So focused on the story he wanted to follow, he let those around him get hurt. Maybe it was a trait all Lords of the Sky and Weather carried. "Now!"

Lightning Empress managed to crack a weak smile. "You're about to find out."

"What?" Instantly, Hope felt herself slip forward as Fable let go of her. She took that as her chance, and she threw out another punch toward Lois, but much to her shock, her hand phased through Lois's head. She stumbled forward and passed through both Lady Time and Lightning Empress. That was when she realized it. Fable hadn't let go. He couldn't touch her anymore because she was glowing. Just as her father had.

"What's going on?" Jane yelled out in horror.

Lois let out another weak chuckle. "S- She's been selected."

"I thought we were just told Supers can't be selected as players?" Kevin asked in shock.

"They can't." Lady Time said sternly. "She's not going to be a player. Players are resolved solely for non-Supers. She's going to be assigned a different role."

"What role?"

"I don't know." Lady Time stared at Cinder with annoyance. "The games are always different."

Hope went to say something, but she wasn't fast enough. In an instant, she felt something grab hold of her. It was like a hand dug into her stomach, and she was suddenly dragged. The world around her seemed to shift and break away in a swirling mass of lights, and the next thing she knew, she was tumbling to the ground. She felt herself hit the floor and found she was now face down in the grass.

She was away from the others and moved to who knows where. She spat some of the grass and struggled to stand. She wasn't in a city. At least none that she knew. It was more of a forest. A field of oak trees stretched out all around her in different directions, and grass was everywhere she looked. The sky above was more blue than she had ever seen, seemingly unaffected by pollution, and the air even tasted different. Better even. Her world was spinning as she processed this, and then she heard a voice.

"Hope?"

She spun around and came face to face with her dad. He was standing now. "Dad!" She ran forward and crashed into his arms.

"Oh, thank God you're here! I guess that girl wasn't lying."

"Girl? What do you mean?" She asked, looking up at her dad.

"That weird-ass doll. It took me to this forest and asked me to pick a hero to be my bodyguard. I selected you without thinking, and then you just showed up."

"Seriously?"

"Hello!" She jumped when a third voice joined them, and she spun around to find that the doll was back. The chibi Gabriel floated in the air a few feet and stared directly at her. "You are the hero, Cinder, correct? The player Alexander Lauren has assigned you as his bodyguard! From this point on, you are given a simple quest! Keep Alexander Lauren alive! Good luck! Let the Murder Games begin!"