The Victorian stared down at Battery. The world’s strongest woman was totally silent. His words still echoed through her mind, but she didn’t have time to consider them. She floated off of the ground slowly and instead turned her attention to the city around her.

The battle with the Beast was still fresh in her mind, having just come to an end, and the city around them had suffered the most. She didn’t know the state Oleander would be left in or if it would even be considered a city after this. Not a single building was left standing. All roads were cracked or burned, and mass flooding filled the streets.

The number hero’s enhanced senses caused her to hear everything around her.

She heard the crumbling of buildings, the screaming of children, and the way the Lauren’s cried and clutched onto Paragon. What she didn’t hear was Cinder's voice. That young hero, the one who possessed her father's power, felt strangely absent from the city now. “Anything?” She asked numbly.

She stared up at the sky where Cinder had flown. “I haven’t found any traces of her.” The voice of Boy Genius came over the shared radio they had.

“I understand.” She floated over the city using her golden light to cast healing rays on the people below as she went by. It wasn’t as good as Paragon’s, but the young Lord didn’t seem to be in any condition to heal at the moment. “And what of the Immortals you were telling me about?”

“I’ll explain it later.” The child sighed. She didn’t need to see his face to know it would be forming several new stress lines soon. “For now, can you grab Battery and bring him back here? Not even I know how he came back, and I’d seriously like to make sure he’s not a Calamity hidden in disguise.”

“Yeah.” She nodded slowly. “I’ll get him to meet us at Nightshade-“

“Lois!”

Her enhanced senses allowed her to hear the yell. At the mention of her daughter's name, she stopped. She had been so focused on the Beast that she had forgotten to check on her child. She zipped over as fast as she could, finding herself back near the bridge. It had long since been torn down, no longer connecting it to Oleander. That wasn’t what she focused on, though. Her gaze was instead drawn to the people that stood in front of the destroyed bridge.

The hero Myth stood down below, limping forward. His body was beaten and battered, but he was alive. One of his legs was twisted at an odd angle, and it looked like it hurt him to take a step, but he fought through the pain and marched forward, staring at the girl in front of him.

Lois, also known as Whisper, stood down below. Actually, she didn’t stand. She floated. It wasn’t much, but the girl’s feet didn’t touch the ground. Her mask was gone, and her long hair flowed out, shifting from blonde to a stormy gray color, looking almost like a stormcloud. Lightning danced and sparked at her fingertips, and some even crackled out of her eyes, which had turned a brilliant red. Her gaze was fixed straight up, and her body shook as the energy coursed through it.

“Lois-“ Myth went to touch her but suddenly found his hand in a death grip as the Victorian landed next to him. The number one hero gripped his wrist tightly and gently shook her head. Myth gritted his teeth but didn’t argue, pulling his hand away. “It’s about time you came to check on your daughter.” The young man spat out.

“She’s inherited her father’s power.” The Victorian stared down at Lois and felt several emotions bubbling up inside of her. The one that stood out the most, though, was pride. “I always knew deep down something like this would happen. That one day, Max would pass on the title of Lord to you.” The smallest hint of a smile came onto her face. When Lois was born, she was almost ashamed of the girl. Her daughter, the daughter of a Lord and the number one hero, granddaughter of Full Monarch, had dared to be born with very little power. Yet now here, her child stood with the ability that rightfully belonged to her. “It’s okay, Lois. Mom’s here.”

The mother was finally willing to look at her daughter.

Lois shook, and more lightning spilled out of her. Her shifting hair changed faster and flowed wildly, the wind seemingly coming to life. A strong gust blasted out, and Myth had to transform to stop himself from being blown back. He took on the form of a lion and blocked the gust, gritting his teeth.

The Victorian simply took the strikes to the chest, not batting an eye as they bounced off of her. The number one hero slowly placed her hand down on Lois’s shoulder and ignored the surge of lightning that spilled out and stabbed at her hand.

“Calm down, Lois. Get your power under control.”

“I- I can’t.” Lois finally spoke up, and for a moment her eyes seemed to focus on the face of her mom.

“You can-“

“No! It’s too much.” The floor beneath the two of them began to break and crack as more lightning stabbed out, forming into what looked like a large hand. It came directly out of Lois’s back and was made out of crackling purple lightning that hissed in the air. Lois’s eyes burned, and she couldn’t stop her powers from coming out. The girl saw all the Paths her father had once seen. Trillions of possible ways the story of the world could go. In an instant, she watched Oleander fall apart, never to recover. The time shifted, and she watched it be rebuilt and become the greatest city in the world. Then another, where the city was fixed only to be wiped off the map and be the place of the final battle between Earth’s last two Supers. All at once, every possible way the story of Oleander could end, Lois watched it, all mixing together in her mind.

Tears streamed down the new Lord’s face, the liquid instantly bubbling due to the insane heat of the plasma that dripped down her body. Then Lois heard a whisper. One that followed each of the visions she was being forced to watch. Silent and taunting, another voice was in her head, mocking her for letting go—the voice of the Lord, the voice people like Cinder and Paragon had to deal with.

‘Do you not like what I’m showing you?’ The Loudest Thunder, the fourth and final member of the first four Lords, as well as the youngest Lord, mocked its newest host. ‘Is something like this too much for you? I drove your daddy mad. It was one of the reasons he refused to do anything. He had trouble figuring out what was real and what was a vision. I wonder how long it’ll take for you to go insane. Of course, your father stayed himself even to the very end. I wonder if you’ll manage that. How about I show you what caused him to snap? Let me show you all the ways you’ll die.’

“N- No.” Lois whispered out and grabbed at her head.

‘Shh.’ The voice shushed her. ‘Just give me control and it’ll all be okay.’

“S- Shut up!”

‘Bad girl.’

Lois shook and cried out as it hit her head on. Hundreds of visions. Millions of different ways she could die. She watched herself make a mistake and be impaled by Intake, she watched herself engage the Emperor and the villain casually tear her in half, she watched herself try and stop Battery, who snapped, and the older man simply sliced right through her, and she watched a version of Myth that lost everyone and became the same monster his father was, that version simply ripping her head off. Again and again, she watched herself be cut down, burned alive, freeze in space, drown, and so much more.

“It’s okay, Lois.” The Victorian reached out and cupped her daughter's face, looking into the girl's eyes. “It’s okay.” Lois was shaking and sobbing as more of that power came out. “Just look at me-”

The purple hand of lightning struck out and rammed into the Victorian, throwing the number one hero back. The golden woman landed next to the Laurens and Sky, who barely registered her. Lois looked like she was about to fly off and try to escape, but the girl stopped when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

“Whisper. Lois. Please.” Myth stared at his teammate, his face breaking. “Battery, Cinder, Snowdawn… All of them are… I… I don’t want to lose anyone else. Please.”

The hand rose up about to strike out once more, but it gradually stopped and fizzled out. Slowly, the power died down, and Lois’s hair and eyes reverted back as the girl collapsed into the arms of Myth. Myth held onto her gently as her eyes stared up at him.

“I- I see it.” Her voice croaked out. “I see way too much.”

The Paths flowed and twisted wildly, forming barriers and oceans of lines as if the world itself was nothing more than one big story. It all began to settle as her powers moved on their own, showing her something. It wasn’t a sight of the future.

No…

Instead, the Paths all came together, much like her father had once done for Hope, and formed and twisted, taking the shape of the past.

“What do you see?” Myth whispered.

“It’s showing it to me.” Lois said back quietly. “The sins of the past.”

It was time to see it.

The story before this story.

The story of Full Monarch and the Emperor.

One that did not start with either the greatest hero or the greatest villain.

This story started with a young boy simply named Max.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen, are you all ready to rumble!” The loud voice of the announcer boomed through the underground stadium.

Cheers screamed out across the arena. Humanity, since the dawn of all things, seemed to have some strange fascination with watching two people beat the living snot out of each other. This was no different. Beneath one of the ten great cities, while the people up top worshiped the heroes or lived in fear of the villains, the people down below paid good money to watch two Supers battle.

A large stone arena had been crafted in the center of what might have once been a sewer system. Bleachers and chairs had been scattered around the arena, filled with tons of eager-eyed people. Down in the arena itself, two people stood.

The announcer's voice came back, shaking the ground as he spoke. “In the right corner, we have four-time champion, the one and only Stab Face!” The crowd went wild, and the cheering grew louder. “And in the left corner, new time player, taking on his last match for the night, Quick Feet!”

“I wanted the nickname Storm Foot.” Max sighed and brushed some of his blonde hair behind his ear. His eyes sparked a bit as he stared across the arena he was in at his opponent, Stab Face. “Talk about getting hit with the ugly stick, though. I sure as hell don’t feel bad for my lame powers after looking at him.”

Stab Face was a large, buff man who stood taller than most bodybuilders. He looked almost fully human, save for his mouth. Instead of teeth, he had actual knives that jutted out of his gums. Another pair of knives also came out of the top of his head, forming what looked almost like horns. The man glared ahead at his enemy, and Max gave a wink, which caused Stab Face’s rage to boil and grow.

Max just finished wrapping his hands upright as the announcer gave the go-ahead. Stab Face came at him fast and hard, moving across the arena and throwing out a powerful right hook. The blonde boy barely dodged the strike as it flew over his head. Thinking fast, Max brought his own arm up and rammed it directly into Stab Face’s gut.

One of the rules of the underground fighting arena was different power matchups. Humans had weight classes when they did things like this. Supers, though, operated off of how many enhancements a power gave you. Neither he nor Stab Face had superhuman speed, strength, or durability. They were basically normal humans with a few gimmicks. In his case, though, his gimmick was simply better than Stab Face’s.

Stab Face growled and hissed, throwing out larger strikes at Max. Each blow was heavy and fast, able to knock a full-grown man out in only one blow, but hitting Max seemed almost impossible. The blonde-haired man’s eyes glowed, and he danced around the stone arena, quick on his feet, just as his name suggested.

Every strike that came his way was avoided flawlessly. All thanks to his power. Max watched them. The Paths. Tiny lines that only he and his father could see. They told him the story of every strike Stab Face would make before it landed. He followed his predictions and dodged in and out of the strikes, unleashing his own blows when he could.

He didn’t have super speed or anything like that, but with his ability to follow the Paths, he might as well have been untouchable.

Stab Face collapsed down on his knees, clutching at his gut, which was starting to turn a nasty red from all the punches he had taken. Blood flowed down the man’s chin as he bit his lip with his knife teeth and glared up at Max. “You’re cheating!”

“Aw, you’re just salty 'cause your power sucks,” Max smirked and jumped up, avoiding a surprise kick Stab Face threw his way. While in the air, he brought his arm down as hard as he could, slamming it directly into the Super’s nose.

Stab Face’s nose shattered, and his eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head before he finally crashed back onto the stone floor, falling unconscious.

And the crowd went wild.

Max stepped off of the arena, clutching at his wrist. It ached from punching so much. He had gone through several fights in a row that night, and while not taking a single bit of damage, he was still starting to get tired. The pain of being so successful, he supposed.

Several workers came and began to load Stab Face onto a stretcher. People were swarming the blonde man, but Max ignored them and used the Paths to push his way through the crowd. He came to a stop though when the Paths around him suddenly began to crack and break. He knew what this meant… A powerful Super was nearby, one so strong that the very road of fate and destiny simply couldn’t hold them.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Not bad. You did better than I expected for a Super born with the body of a normal human.” An amused voice chuckled.

“Who are you? One of my fans?” Max questioned as he stepped off of the arena. Two people stood in front of him, seemingly waiting for him. He tensed up, but neither looked like they were here for a fight. The first was a young man, a little older than him. The man had messy reddish-brown hair and ghostly blue eyes that almost seemed to hum with power. They actually creeped Max out a bit, the way they just stared ahead. The man was dressed in a winter suit, wearing a large fur coat over his button-up clothes. Next to him was a woman. She had pale skin and long brown hair, and Max could tell right away she was a Super due to the fact her eyes looked very dog-like in nature and the tips of her ears were covered in fur. She wore a long black trench coat, and he could tell she was holding some sort of weapon beneath it as she stood in front of the red-haired man. Some sort of bodyguard, if he guessed. “Seriously. Who are you?”

“Just someone who watched your match.” The red-haired man spoke in a flat tone, not holding much emotion. His eyes were dull and gave nothing away, and even reading him with the Paths was hard. They kept breaking and twisting away. The man clutched a large suitcase and stared at Max with a bored expression. Whoever he was, he was strong. Max knew that for sure. Stronger than any of the Supers he had fought earlier today.

“Let me guess, you’re here to make me an offer or something?” Max asked hesitantly. “You’re with the Hero Branch, or maybe some other Super-related group, and you saw a newcomer like myself win a bunch of matches in a row and decided you’d like me on your side, right? And that case is filled with a crap load of cash or something?”

“Or something.”

Max went to reach out to pat the man on the shoulder, but the woman next to him growled as if she were some sort of wild beast and glared at him. “Okay then… Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m not really interested in the money. I came here just to see how well I could fight other Supers. It was a one-time thing.”

“I’m sure.” The man said flatly. “You definitely aren’t the type to get into battles.”

Max moved past him and the strange woman, heading for the exit. Most people were also leaving now that his final match had come to an end. “You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but I won’t be hearing you out either way.”

“Hero or villain.” The man asked calmly.

That caused Max to pause for a moment and look back at him. “What?”

“Hero or villain.” The man asked again. “If you had to pick a side.”

Max just snorted and turned away. “Neither. I’m not interested in being a weapon for either side. What did you say your name was again?”

“I didn’t give my name.”

“Okay? Then what the hell is your name?” The blonde boy’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the stranger.

This time, the man turned away from him. “I don’t have a name, but if you want to call me anything, then call me Alpha.” The strange name rang through his ears as the man and the woman walked forward and disappeared into the crowd. The Paths slowly returned to normal as they left, the road of destiny and fate once again rebuilding.

Max shook his head, forcing the strange interaction out of his mind. It was likely some gang boss or something wanting him in their group. Sadly for them, though, he didn’t live in this city, so they wouldn’t even be able to get revenge on him or anything like that. He was sure that he could forget about this interaction. It wouldn’t come back to bite him later. Of that, he was certain.

He moved through the sewers and resurfaced onto the city above. It was the dead of night, yet all the towers around him were filled with billboards featuring the faces of all the current heroes. The greats like Legend, Young Dog, and, of course, the one and only Full Monarch.

He brought his fingers up to his lips and let out a low whistle. The air around him crackled and shifted as a golden blur suddenly appeared before him before it died down into the shape of a young woman. One dressed head to toe in a golden gown covered in various clocks.

“You look stupid.” He said flatly.

“I do not!” Madam Time huffed out and stomped her foot down. “I’m a real superhero! Unlike you!”

“Yeah, whatever.” He rolled his eyes and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I finished what I needed to, so mind giving me a ride back home?”

“I promised I would take you to the city; I never said anything about getting you back.” The woman said smugly. Her hands went to her hips, and she leaned forward, smirking. “You know it’s actually illegal for non-city residences to be in one of the ten great cities. Village people like you who reject the Hero Branch could get in a lot of trouble.”

His eye twitched a bit. “Come on. Just help me out. You grew up in the same village as me! Can’t you just do me this solid?”

Madam Time rubbed her chin and hummed. “I guess. Only because we’re childhood friends though.” She stepped forward and showed off the level of strength she had by casually picking him up and throwing him over her shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes. He hated not having flashy powers like her. It made moving around this massive planet tricky at times. “Are you ready?” She asked.

“I guess…”

He really wasn’t.

She used her power to cause a clock hand to appear over them. It cast a light down onto them, and everything around them seemed to move in slow motion. In reality, her power allowed her to increase her speed. In the coming years, she would be known as Lady Time and take up the mantle as a member of the Enforcers. At the moment during this time, though, she was nothing more than another cog in the machine that was the Hero Branch.

They blitzed through the city at super speeds, moving past the cars and across the bridge. They hit the road, and everything around them blurred as she ran at speeds second only to Full Monarch.

“You’re lucky you have someone like me, you know!” She spoke up as they ran. “It’s only thanks to me you were able to break into the city and get out! What would you do without me?”

“Have a more peaceful life.”

“Hey!”

“So, what’s it like being a hero?” Max asked casually.

“Why? Interested in joining?” She teased.

“Hell no!” The thought of that red-haired man came back to him for a moment. “It’s just, after my match, some guy asked me something about it.” He shrugged. He gripped onto Madam Time as they ran through the world, getting closer to his village, which was practically on the other side of the planet.

“Well, to be honest, it sucks.” She sighed. “We keep having to go after Supers like you, people who aren’t on the side of the Hero Branch, and they make new recruits like me work with Legend. He’s a member of the Enforcers and so crazy strong it’s unfair, but he has terrible luck! An actual meteor almost crushed me because I was standing next to him! I have no idea how he hasn’t died yet! What about you? Have you told your dad what you’ve been doing in your spare time?”

“How can I.” Max winced. “Ever since mom died, he… Well, we moved to this village to get away from the Super life, you know. I haven’t even told him I have powers.”

“Seriously? You need to tell him.”

“I will! Maybe when he’s on his deathbed…”

“Max!”

“Oh, don’t Max me! He’s a Lord! He’ll likely outlive me! All those guys are crazy old at this point, yet they look young! I mean, guys like Mr. Sini or my father are pushing seventy something, yet were still able to have kids just fine and don’t look a day over forty. It’s seriously like they aren’t even human!”

“Most Supers tend to age slower.” Madam Time said, shrugging lazily as she kept running forward. “I mean, despite being named Young Dog, Sini’s son is actually pretty old and even has a daughter of his own now. A lot of them waited so many years to move on with their lives and have kids, I think because they were scared something like Lucifer would return.”

"Well, they were right." Max muttered quietly.

Fifty years. That was how long it had been since the group known as Full defeated Lucifer. The four Lords had all come together and slayed the fallen angel. All thanks to the power of the Lord of the Sun. Despite how good that should have been, there was a lingering sense of fear that remained in the world. Ten years ago, something from space had come down. Something they decided to call the Beast…

He had been twelve when it first appeared. He thought he had been born into an era of peace. After all, with the death of Lucifer, guys like Sini went and rebuilt mankind, bringing them forward. His father was old and had waited until the world was back in working order before he married and had a kid. That was how he had been born. Of course, despite how old his father was, like the other three Lords, the man was still in his prime.

“Do you think it’ll come back?" Madam Time asked quietly.

“The Beast?” Max questioned.

“Yeah.” The girl nodded. “It’ll be the third time he returns to this planet… Full Monarch has been up in space constantly making sure the Beast doesn’t return, but… I mean, it’s only a matter of time until he slips up and lets the Beast get past him, right… What happens then?”

“Who cares.” Max shrugged. “It won’t ever affect me. I’m never, ever going to fight the Beast. You and the other city folk could be in danger, though. You’d likely die in a battle with the Beast, so just go ahead and come live with me and my dad again like old times if the creature ever shows back up to Earth.”

“I’ll pass.” The girl said flatly.

“If you’re sure.”

They didn’t get to talk much more as they soon arrived at his hometown. The ten great cities were all placed snugly together and connected in some way. They were ruled by the Hero Branch and protected by the heroes. His hometown was not like that. It was a place separated outside of the control of the Hero Branch and had no protection. In turn, though, it was free in a way—free to make its own choices and suffer the consequences of those choices.

His village was small, especially when compared to the city he had just come from. It was stuck in the dark ages, with no technological advances to be found. A massive wooden wall hung around it, keeping it safe from the wildlife, and it was placed smack squarely in a large forest.

Madam Time slowly came to a walking pace as her speed turned off. She had also grown up in this place but hadn’t stayed for long. Unlike him, she wasn’t able to hide her powers, and she had been \kicked out. Unlike the cities where being a Super was an accepted fact and used by the Branch, many people in the villages feared the destructive power Supers wielded and would get rid of them the moment they found one.

He and his father had managed to hide that fact from the village, though, as thankfully, his powers weren’t as flashy as Madam Time’s had been.

She placed him down and gripped his shoulder tightly. “Hey. Stay safe.”

“I could say the same to you, hero.” He smirked and hit her lightly on the shoulder. “Be on the lookout for some creep named Alpha, okay?”

“Who’s that?”

“Just some asshole I ran into. He gave me the jitters. So do me a favor and kick his ass if you ever run into him.”

The girl gave a faint smile and patted his shoulder. “Will do. You should get inside soon though. We wouldn’t want me to be seen with you after all.”

“Yeah. It was nice seeing you again.”

He watched her speed off once more, leaving the village behind. It was still in the dead of night, and nothing ever happened around this part of the woods, so there was no one to witness him coming and going. He still used his power to read the Paths and followed them, which allowed him to sneak past the gate of his village and enter silently.

He couldn’t see very far into the future. A few moments at most, but in a fight that made up a lot of time he could use for himself. He had practically begged Madam Time to come take him to her city when he heard about the underground fight club. He never got to do anything fun in this place or flex his powers, so it was nice to get to do that from time to time.

A secret he, of course, kept from his father. At least he thought he did…

“Back so soon.” He jumped when he reached the door to his house and opened it. His father, Wano, stood on the other side with crossed arms.

“Dad! I can explain-“

“Save it.” His father spoke in a stern voice. “I can see the Paths to you know. Where the hell do you think you got that gift from?”

“Dad-“

His father grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him into the house they shared. “Did any of the villagers see you?”

“No! And let go of me! I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-one now. I’m an adult like you, and I can do what I want-“

“If you were spotted hanging around a hero, that would cause trouble for us.” His father hissed back. “I spent years building a life here. I have friends who live next door. If they found out who I used to be and that I was not just a Super but one of the strongest in the world, I’d lose everything. These people don’t like Supers.”

“Then why did you move to this place!”

“Because it was the only way to keep you safe!” Wano gripped his son tightly on the shoulder, glaring down at him. “Look at you, Max. You’re weak. You basically have no powers. Do you know how easy it would be for a half-decent Super to take you out- “

“This isn’t like the war days, Dad.” Max cut his father off. “Lucifer is gone. There hasn’t been a villain like him since, and there won’t be. We have guys like Full Monarch that protect the city.”

“Should I be here for this argument, Wano?” A new voice asked. “It seems a bit personal if you ask me.”

They normally never had guests over at their house. His father was always paranoid, likely suffering from some sort of PTSD from his time in the war with Lucifer. Despite that, though, a man sat at the kitchen table holding a cup of coffee his father had made. He had messy blonde hair and a pair of ruby eyes that glowed with faint energy. A bit of stubble danced across his chin, and he wore a long suit similar to the man with red hair he had seen earlier.

“Who’s this?” He asked his dad plainly.

Wano cleared his throat and gestured to the blonde man. “Max, this is a friend of mine. Nier, this is my son, Max.”

“Nier? As in the war hero Nier?” Max questioned. His eyes were wide as he stared at the blonde man that was seated in their house. Most of the world knew about the legendary deeds the great Full Monarch and Nier did in the war with Lucifer several years ago. His own father had fought in that same war alongside Sini, the four men forming the Four Lords division. Of course, his father was never as popular or as famous as Full Monarch had been, which is what allowed the man to go into hiding in the first place. No one knew what happened to Nier after the war. The man had seemingly vanished from the public light, and rumor had it, he had done something that angered the Hero Branch, causing them to turn their back on him. Yet that mysterious man now stood before him, in his house. “Are you really ‘the’ Nier?”

“The one and only.” Nier gave a sly smile and rubbed his chin. His eyes sparkled a bit mischievously as he looked Max up and down. “Has your father told stories about our time in the war?”

“Of course he hasn’t.” Max snorted and elbowed his dad slightly. “He never does anything cool like that.”

“I don’t like talking about that time,” Wano muttered. The Lord folded his arms and glanced back at his brother-in-arms. “I think it’s best if you take your leave, Nier.”

The blonde man’s smile faded slightly. The man nodded his head and stood up, grabbing his things. “Of course. I just came by to speak to your father on some important matters.” Nier explained, shooting a look at Max. “I wouldn’t want to impose on you all.” He made for the door but stopped and looked back at Wano. “Will you consider what I asked you to do?”

Wano’s lips thinned into a line. “I’m not going to join any sides.” The Lord of the Sky said sternly.

“Sides?” Max questioned.

“Villains are nothing new,” Nier said quietly. “Ever since Jackson started up his little caped squad more and more, Supers have been appearing all over the planet, taking up the wrong side. Normally, I’d let the heroes deal with it, but recently, a new threat has seemingly appeared. It’s small right now, only doing a few hit-and-run missions, but it’s given me a bad feeling. I actually came by to see if your father would want to help us deal with it. No one stopped Lucifer until it was too late, and his power grew too far to control. No one wants a repeat of that.”

“My answer won’t change.” Wano barked out. “After the Beast… You were affected just as I was during that incident. I don’t want to play sides anymore. I’m done with these war games.” He spoke softly. “I’m done with you as well, Nier. I was there. I saw what you did… Jackson let you go. Sini let you go. I let you go. All because we knew the grief you went through. That said… I still haven’t forgiven you. Not once.”

“I was doing it for the greater good-”

"Well, your greater good got several people killed!” Wano spat out.

Nier gritted his teeth and looked angry for a moment. Max stared between the two men. “W- What are you guys talking about.”

“Nothing you should be concerned with.” Nier turned away and began to open the door. “I’ll take my leave, Wano. I do hope you’ll reconsider what I said, though. After all. We wouldn’t want you or your son to get hurt.”

Wano let out a low growl and stepped forward. “Is that a threat-”

Max felt his powers suddenly go off as the Paths screamed at him. His eyes went wide, and he jumped toward his dad, screaming out. “Look out!”

He wasn’t fast enough, though.

The entire house shook, and he smelt a hint of smoke before the walls caved in as an explosion hit them head-on. The entire village seemed to rumble, and wood came crashing down. He heard his father and Nier let out yells as their house began to fall apart, and a thick fire danced across the roof above them.

He felt the force of the blast hit him, and he was lifted off of his feet and went crashing back. His head smacked against the wall, and he felt himself break through a window and crash out into the grass below.

Everything turned red, and a high-pitched whining noise filled his eardrums. Blood trickled down his face, and he struggled to push himself up on his elbow, staring up in shock at the ruins of his home. The house he had grown up in alongside his father had been totally destroyed and caved in. Fire danced along it, burning the building down.

“M- Max.” He heard the voice of his dad croaking out.

He felt his eyes water up as he stared directly ahead. Amongst the ruins, his father knelt, having taken the worst of the explosion. His body was burned and bruised, and he seemed to have just lost a fight. In front of the man stood someone Max would never forget.

Tall and imposing, they wore pitch-black armor that almost looked as if the shadows themselves had been given a life. Spiked horns jutted out of the helmet they wore, and a flowing cape danced in the wind behind them. The only part of their body that wasn’t covered was their eyes, where a pair of slits gushed blue fire. He knew instantly that what he was looking at wasn’t just any normal villain.

Without a doubt, he was staring at the next Lucifer.

“Max.” He met his father's eyes as the Lord smiled, still kneeling before the armored villain. “Sorry.”

That was the last thing his father managed to say before the armored warrior brought down a white sword he had been holding, and Max’s world forever changed.