"So, what card did you get?" Rowan asked casually.

Hope shrugged and fished the card out of her robes. To be honest, she had basically forgotten all about the strange cards they had been gifted until Rowan brought it up out of the blue. She looked down at the golden card, her eyes tracing over the image of the woman that was on the front of it. "I picked the Athena card. Says it makes me wise or something, I dunno."

"You didn't get the Aphrodite card?" Rowan said, a little shocked.

"I debated it... Am I that predictable?"

Rowan just gave a shrug and chuckled. "I got the Hephaestus card. It says I can make stuff. Still haven't used mine either, though." The tech-based hero turned to look at the other two bodyguards. "How about you guys?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Claymore and Phoenix.

She had been shocked to see Rowan. The Sub Enforcer member, as it turns out, was also in the Murder Games. More shocking was Kyle. The poor kid had apparently been selected as a player. The two had been surviving for the past few days without food or water and had been on the brink of starvation or dehydration when they came across the city. They apparently managed to steal some of the local clothing and snuck in and had been eating free sample food to survive. They also apparently had run into Intake. Turns out that old villain was running around this place and likely held a massive grudge against her.

Rowan had noticed her walking through the streets and had stalked her all the way to her old hideout. Like her, he had clocked in on the fact that this city was a one-for-one recreation of Oleander. After getting jump scared by him, she had used her enhanced hearing to find out where Phoenix and Claymore were and gathered them.

They all planned to stalk the city and be on the lookout for good spots for the battle, but since this was a direct mirrored version of her city, she already knew this place like the back of her hand. So now they were bunkered down in her old base. This place looked like Oleander City, but it did have a few flaws. Namely the buildings. Pantheon's base was completely empty. The entire building on the outside was a perfect replication, but the inside was just an empty shell.

It wasn't the only building either. Pretty much every major building in the city was totally gutted. The skyscrapers didn't even have other floors and instead were just hollowed out, allowing you to look all the way up them if you entered one. Many of the buildings were being used by the people as homes, though, but all the decorations and furniture in them were provided by the people staying there. It was the same for the underside of the city also. She had tried to enter the sewers or subway stations. There were stairs leading down and manholes, but if you were to remove them or go down the stairs, you'd be met with a wall of dirt.

This city reminded her a lot of a toy or model. From a distance, it looked like a perfect replica, but the longer you looked around, the more you realized that the creator was lazy and took several shortcuts. Still, it did worry her as to why it was here. Why on Earth would someone recreate Oleander? And why do it in such a fantastical world?

"I got the Poseidon card," Phoenix spoke up and caused her thoughts to end as he finally answered Rowan's question. The hero pulled out the golden card that showed off a man holding a trident.

"So it was you who stole it!" Rowan huffed and folded his arms, shooting the other boy a mocking glare. "I tried picking that card, but you beat me to it."

"I tried picking it as well." Hope chuckled.

"I got Zeus," Claymore said casually. "Though, like all of you, I haven't used it!"

They were all seated on the floor of her old base, sitting cross-legged in the box-shaped room. This was one of the buildings that wasn't being used by the public, so for today, at least, it would serve as a good resting place. Come tomorrow night, they'd begin the battle, and all bets would be off. Until then, though, they were going to enjoy each other's company the best they could.

Pied frowned slightly and rubbed his chin, letting out a soft hum. "Why didn't they give those cards out to the bad guys?"

"What do you mean?" Kyle folded his arms and shot the kid a look.

"I mean, if they wanted to test the product out, they would have also given them to the bad guys, but they didn't. At least, none of the ones I know got any." Pied toyed around with his flute. "It's so weird. I mean, the Murder Games are supposed to be a total stomp where the Immortals run wild and slaughter, yet this year's game, they've gone out of their way to give you guys the advantage every way they could. They even let you guys bring in extra bodyguards and double up. Also, despite placing a bunch of bad guys in this world, none of you really got into that many fights. It's mostly because we weren't told where you guys were, and most of the villains went out of their way to murder and pillage the other villages without a care now that they could. We're hardly an obstacle to you guys. I just don't get why the bad guys would be giving you the advantage like this. They even gave you the advantage in time by making it so they wouldn't be able to act for a full week. Why?"

"I'm sure it's some evil plan they have cooking up." Rowan sighed. "Fact is, it's very likely that this is a trap, but I mean, we really don't have a choice, do we? It's either get out of here or wait for the Immortals to come, and I doubt any of us, even Cinder, could beat a single one."

"Are they really that strong?" Cora asked, shivering a bit.

"It's not them I'm worried about." Hope balled her hand into a fist as the image of the Emperor and Lucifer came to her mind. "Two real nasty threats are playing nice to each other. It's like the Devil is teaming up with another Devil."

"We'll manage." Claymore casually dropped to his back and stared up at the roof of the hollowed-out building. "Good guys always win, after all. Though I am a bit worried about Irene... Was it really a good idea to leave her out of the city with the others?" He bit his lip.

"Don't worry." Hope tapped her ear. "I have my senses on high alert. I can hear them all talking with Shift. The moment there's trouble, I'll bolt over there."

"Who's Shift?" Rowan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My sidekick." She bragged.

"Huh?"

"You know, you guys are all taking this pretty well," Nikos commented. "I mean, shouldn't you all be preparing for tomorrow? After all, that's when the Queen will arrive."

"I'm worried about it as well," Kyle admitted. The boy curled up into a ball and stared at the ground, wincing slightly. "I just have this horrible feeling inside of me that something is going to go wrong. I lived the past year afraid I'd get dragged into this fucking game, and now here I am. I know you all are saying this is our chance to escape, but... I don't know. It's just my nature to worry, I guess."

Rowan reached out and placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "We'll manage. I know we will." They had told Rowan about their plan and how they were going to use Pied. He was actually going to be really helpful and would make it go a lot smoother since he had a few gadgets he was able to make from some scrapped tech he had on him. They just needed to get everything set up, which they'd be doing tonight and tomorrow before the celebration truly began. They planned on beginning what would hopefully be the final battle in the middle of the celebrations, kicking it off with the plan Phoenix had come up with. "We're going to make it out of this alive. All of us. I know it."

"Well, don't jinx us." Claymore snorted.

Cora looked between them all and didn't say anything. The girl just stared at all the strange people that she had gotten to know over the past few days. It was shocking to see so many Mages all up close like this, even more so when she realized that a lot of them were just kids like her. She was weirdly happy. She hoped that things would work out for all of them. That they would all get a happy ending.

That was when Cora saw it.

A small shimmer of gold appeared above Hope's head, followed by a quiet 'popping' noise. It caused them all to jump and instantly go on guard, all the heroes entering a battle stance. They all froze, however, when they saw what it was. A small, chibi-looking doll floated in the air. Gabby had reappeared.

"Hello!" The Immortal announced, striking a pose as she landed on Hope's head. "How are you all doing!"

Hope's eye twitched, and she tried to reach up and grab the doll, but her hand phased through it. "What do you want, Gabby?"

Gabby made a fake pouting noise and floated up a little higher. "Aw! Don't be that way, Cinder! You're going to make me sad!"

"Good."

Gabby giggled and folded her arms. She floated through the air and twisted until she was totally upside down, allowing her to look down at them all. "I came here since most of the bodyguards are here. You all decided to gather up in one spot? A bold strategy, but I thought I'd remind you all that there can only be one winner. These games will go on until only a single player is left standing from the five." Gabby looked down at Kyle, and her grin grew larger. "Not to mention that you're all running out of time." She floated lower until she was perfectly eye level with Hope. "You're on day five in case you forgot. That means tomorrow is day six, and then after that is day seven. And on day seven..." Gabby licked her lips. "That's when the hunt is going to truly begin."

"I hate to break it to you, you doll bitch, but we're all going to be long gone by-" Claymore was cut off by an elbow to the gut. Phoenix shot the boy a look and shook his head, making it clear he wanted no talks of the plan. "Ow..."

Gabby spun around, slowly circling them all. If they tried to grab her, she'd just phase through them. Eventually, she landed back on Hope's head and sat down, folding her arms. "I'll remind you that the Murder Games ends only if either the players win or the Immortals win. As a reminder, there are two ways for the players to win and two ways for the Immortals to win. You can win by either killing your fellow players and ensuring you're the last one standing, taking up a spot in our ranks, just as we win if we kill all but one of you. The other way for you guys to win is for you to kill Father. Of course, that won't happen. Lastly, there is the secret second way we Immortals can win."

"Tell Lucifer that if he wants a fight, he can come and get it right now." Hope declared, shocking everyone. "I'll take him on in a one versus one if I have to! If he beats me, he can add me to his collection. In return, while we're fighting, though, he has to let the others go."

"Father says no." Gabby snorted. "He will wait till the seventh day, at which point he will gladly reduce you to ash."

She nodded and folded her arms. She figured he wouldn't come out willy-nilly like that since he seemed set on following the rules of the game he was playing. Still, it did just confirm one thing she had been wondering. "So. You're watching through Gabby right now. I bet the Emperor is there as well." Gabby froze and felt Hope step out beneath her. The doll found herself staring into Cinder's blue eyes, and for a moment, they almost seemed to flicker red... "You aren't going to win." She promised. "I don't care if it has to be me; someone is going to stop you." Then she casually flicked Gabby, her finger going through the doll. "Now leave."

Gabby let out a huff, and then her body glowed before she faded out, leaving them all alone once more. Rowan collapsed onto his back, breathing out. "Damn! That was way too stressful; don't piss them off like that, Cinder!"

Hope just smiled and poked her tongue out. "I'm good at making bad guys hate me. I got that rizz that attracts villains to me. Too bad they all wanna murder me, though. Speaking of which, we're totally going to have to fight Intake."

"Is he like your nemesis or something?" Claymore asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, that'd be Wish, but she died a while back, so I guess my new nemesis is Lucifer."

"Most people wouldn't say that so casually..." Phoenix sighed and shook his head. The hero stood up and grabbed a bag that Rowan had handed him. "I'm going to go set all of this up for tomorrow. Pied, are you going to be able to manage?"

"I will." Pied nodded. "I'll help you all the best I can. I- I want to make those guys pay for what they did!"

Hope grinned and rubbed the kid's hair. "I call dibs on him when we get out of here; I'm gonna collect a bunch of sidekicks and make my own team, I think! It's going to be called the Cooler Pantheon!"

"Shift's right, she's bad with names," Claymore said flatly.

"Get some rest for tonight," Phoenix stated. "When the celebration does start, we're going to strike when the Queen makes her appearance. We'll blend in till then, and Pied will be the one that gives us the signal. We're going to wait for him to give us the perfect chance to strike. Cinder, do you think you can draw a map of all the bunkers and give it to him for tomorrow night?"

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Hope nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "Yep. I also checked them out already, they're where they should be, just like in Oleander. The buildings are mainly empty but still reinforced and seem to be on the same level as the one that withstood the Beast's attack. If that thing's rampage couldn't destroy it, then I doubt ours will, so we're going to be good to go."

Phoenix nodded, and a small smile managed to crack his lips. "Sounds good. We're going to do this. We're going to win."

The next night, they would all lose.

***

His life had started off rather boring, in all honesty. He had been a normal high school kid who blew his future away. He wasn't good in school and so never had decent grades, and his bad reputation made it impossible for him to get a decent job.

Because of this, he had worked as a simple store clerk, sweeping the floors and stocking the shelves. It had been hella lame and sucked. The only thing that had kept him going in life was FOF, also known as Freedom of Federation, a video game he was somewhat good at. Better than good, actually. When he hadn't been at work, he was streaming constantly, going through match after match. He had been a pro at the computer game, so much so he had even been given the chance to join a game-sports team. The wondrous Land Eight.

Sadly for him, though, being somewhat good at streaming and being a pro gamer were two very different things. Working as a store clerk for most of the day meant he had limited time to game, and that became very clear when, in his first match, he had been totally outclassed and demolished in every single way.

And okay, sure, was he cheating at the game? Yeah? And did he get caught? Also, yeah. In his defense, though, the other team was just better because they had way more time to play, and so that was why it was fully justified for him to take his knife and cut them all up.

Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and-

That had been the day Christopher Lyn awakened his powers. A wave of kinetic energy has blasted out of his knife, and in a single slash he had cut up every person in that building, all because they laughed at him. Because he wasn't as good at video games as them. Because he had dared to cheat? That was also the same day the villain known as Red Wolf appeared, working under Green Tiger.

And one more year later, Green Tiger would be mysteriously sliced up, and a new villain would take over Zoo.

Green Wolf casually stared at herself in the mirror. "What do you think? I think I pull off the cosplay well, but should I do it? I mean, I usually make my girl skins dress all cute and shit 'cause it's funny to take scrubby nerds out when you're running around as a loli in a dress, but do I do that now in real life, since I'm a chick?"

Doc turned in the direction of where Green Wolf was rambling and folded his arms. "I'm blind."

"Oh yeah. Eh, I think I pull it off." Green Wolf smirked and rubbed her chin.

"I agree." A second, Green Wolf stated, nodding her head.

"Quite." A third Green Wolf announced.

All three of them were dressed in a different colored dress, having their hair done up, and carrying fake wands. Green Wolf had gotten inspired after reading some magical girl comic and decided to experiment.

"Lords above, please put me out of my misery." Doc grumbled and got to work loading up a cartilage into a large tube filled with a greenish liquid, where he'd get to work creating body number one hundred thirty-two. The other one hundred and thirty-one bodies were currently around the lab they had moved into after ditching Oleander City.

"I really will have to thank Cinder when I see her next." Another Green Wolf stepped forward, this one wearing her usual outfit and twirling a knife. "It was hard to control so many different bodies at once before, but after running into her real form, she did something to me, and now it's super easy to split my soul into all these different bodies! Not to mention, they're all still connected to me. Every single one of them is sucking up kinetic energy and funneling it all to me! I've already gotten enough to enter my boss mode again!"

In the corner of the lab, a makeshift boxing arena had been set up where two Green Wolfs were repeatedly punching each other, constantly building up waves of kinetic energy, which were all being funneled into the prime Green Wolf. A few other Green Wolfs were cheering on the two in the ring and placing bets. Others still were helping Doc to build more of their kind, and a few were getting a bit freaky with each other and making out.

Naturally, the only person Green Wolf could love was another Green Wolf.

"I guess I'm playing with cheats on this time." Green Wolf hummed and twirled her knife, feeling untapped power. This body was incredible. Literally born to be a Super, it didn't matter what powers were in it; it'd bring them up several levels. Her strength alone dwarfed anything her old one had. Not to mention, having access to so many copies basically meant she had an infinite amount of energy since, at any time, any of them could transfer the built-up power they had into her. "I said it'd take me a bit to get back to full strength, and I'd be able to fight the heroes, but I reached my peak a while ago and then surpassed it a few dozen times over. I really should go pay Battery a visit. After all, he's one of the people I have to thank." She giggled a bit and imagined slicing both him and the Victorian up.

"Yes, why don't you go fight him?" Doc suggested.

"You're just hoping I die so you can escape."

"Guilty as charged."

"Sorry, Doc, but I'm a patient man—uhh… girl. I'm a patient girl. I'll wait the time limit like I agreed and create one hell of a boss fight. A level impossible to beat, one that'll put even the Emperor's chaos to shame. Sadly though, I'll need 'his' help." Green Wolf sighed. "I'll have to bust him out. Again..."

"A prison break? Nightshade's gone, and every other prisoner has been kept in those giants or scattered to a random city prison." Doc frowned. "The Enforcers are finally back in their cities, and those giants didn't go anywhere either, meaning it's basically impossible for any villain to do something out in the open. Even with your strength, you're still no match for someone like Battery, much less the Victorian teamed up with Battery."

"Oh, don't worry, I know a full-on assault won't work. Right now at least..." Green Wolf took a seat in a chair and held her hand up, having a few other Green Wolfs do her nails and take her mask off. "Give it time, though. It's only a matter of time until Battery, or someone, slips up. No matter how strong he is, he's still not a god, like Full Monarch. He can't protect every city all the time. Eventually, he'll grow tired, and when he does... That's when I'll strike and claim my team member back."

Doc nodded. "Yes, it's a shame White Lamb left; after all, her powers are useful for staying silent. I've been scared a hero with enhanced hearing would hear us, considering how loud you are."

"What's truly a shame is what happened to all my other pets." Green Wolf sighed and flipped her hair. "I can't believe all those stupid fuckers ended up in Nightshade. Worse yet, they all got sent to Uriel's cell and have been turned into zombies. Damn that Uriel! I should have been the one to kill them all!"

"Uriel is the right-hand man of Lucifer." Doc hummed slightly. "Stories claim he is so close to Lucifer he was even gifted his own copy of the Dead Virus, and his zombies come back as their perfect selves, having bodies that are them at their powers peak. It lets his Super Zombies be a lot stronger and makes them very deadly. Now that he had nearly every member of Zoo in his book, which one do you think would be the worst one to fight?"

"Red Raptor, for sure." Green Wolf propped her feet up on another Green Wolf, using the other girl as a footstool, and casually turned the TV on. "He was second only to me, after all. Of course, upgraded or not, I'd still take him out in a single slash. Oh, also, you got something wrong earlier."

"I did? What'd I get wrong?" Doc frowned.

"I said I'm going to go get a teammate back, but I didn't say it was going to be White Lamb."

"If not White Lamb, then... Oh no..." Dread filled Doc. "Seriously?"

"Yep." Green Wolf sighed. "For the third time... I'm going to go save Red Ape."

***

It truly was a celebration. That was the first thing that shocked Hope.

She didn't really know what she had been expecting when she woke up that day, but it wasn't this. They had spent most of the night and that day mapping out the fake Oleander city, showing it to the others who weren't familiar with it, and by the time they were done, night had descended upon them all.

More people had entered the city. A lot more people. The streets were crowded, and merchants were bustling on every corner. Everyone was also being funneled into one place. The stadium. The same one where the Pretty Face concert had been held. That was where the main event would truly begin. The smell of food was heavy in the air, as all sorts of food stands were set up, and various music played throughout the city. Everyone was cheering and partying like there was no tomorrow.

As the sun fully set and the moon rose, that was when all the lights appeared. Various different-colored paper lanterns had been set up, some hanging and some even floating, bathing the bland-looking city in an assortment of colors that made it look almost pretty.

All of them had been forced to split up when the hundreds of crowds all marched to the stadium. She was lucky and got a front-row seat, but the others weren't as fortunate. Kyle had left the city, being taken to where Shift was by Phoenix the other day, so he was safe. Rowan stood near where Claymore was, and people didn't even bat an eye at Claymore's sword, all too busy celebrating. The two of them were up near the top. Somewhere in the middle row of the stadium were Phoenix and Pied, and lastly, that left her all the way at the bottom, where Cora and Nikos both stayed on either side of her.

She had tried to get them to both leave with Kyle, but both siblings refused. And it wouldn't really matter too much, though. Once combat truly started, they wouldn't be in any danger.

The celebration had started off strong and only grew, with all sorts of different things going on in the stadium down below. A massive stand had been set up, similar to the one Pretty Face had sung on, but it was currently being used for some play that was being held. The play in question was a weird plot, following a girl who could change her face, going out to a field where she was devoured by a worm and taken over. She didn't really get it, but everyone else seemed to love it.

Besides that, there were a few games that were held, some looking like a boxing event, where two muscular men beat on each other in the ring, while others were track and field. Once again, the people in the stadium seemed to love it all, their cheering only growing. Nikos and Cora both practically had stars in their eyes as they watched the celebration.

"I don't really get any of this." Claymore chuckled.

"Me neither, but everyone else seems to enjoy it." Metal Ronin shrugged. Both the boys' voices came through her ear, thanks to the earpiece Metal Ronin had built for them all.

"Stay focused, guys." Phoenix barked out.

"Phoenix is right." Hope nodded in agreement. "We need to be ready. It could start any second now. Are you all set, Pied?"

"Yeah." Pied's voice came out a bit nervous. She shot a look up to where she thought he was in the crowd and gave a smile.

"You'll be alright. We got this."

"R- Right."

More events were held after that. Another play, this one about a man who wanted to carry the weight of the world on his back but ended up getting crushed, as well as the story of a bandit who wanted to become a princess. There were a few musicians as well who played various instruments, giving a surprisingly soft melody, and most shockingly, a mini-baseball game was held with twenty different players. It was a butchered version of the actual sport, but close enough to be enjoyable, though the main sport in Oleander was football, so she found it odd why they'd hold a baseball game instead.

Eventually, though, it was time for the main event... It was nearing midnight, and she had started to worry that they'd run out of time. After all, they were on the sixth day, and she didn't know if Lucifer would come out the moment the seventh day started, to the moment the seventh day ended, actually appearing on the eighth day, and she didn't want to find out.

The main event started with the sound of a horn. It was loud and deafening and caused most of the stadium to go silent. The people down in the field all moved away, and at one of the stadium entrances, a carriage was pulled in, being carried by four massive men. The carriage was brought all the way to the stage and placed down gently, and one of the men made their way over and opened the door.

That was when 'she' stepped out.

Hope felt her breath hitch.

She looked upon herself.

Queen Cinder was finally here...

The woman looked exactly like her, though she had golden hair and eyes the color of red. She wore a long white gown and a heavy-looking red and white crown. Various expensive jewelry was present on her form, and her eyes gleamed as she walked across the stage. The cheering grew to its loudest point, but then, all at once, it cut out when the woman casually lifted a finger. In an instant, the entire stadium had once again gone completely silent.

There wasn't a microphone, yet somehow, the Queen's voice came out for all to hear. "Greetings, my loyal subjects." Her stomach flopped as she heard the voice. It sounded exactly like her but was wrong. It lacked the emotion she did and seemed to hold a bit of a mocking tone behind it. "I am, once again, proud that I was able to bear witness to you all, my loyal children." It was obviously a lie. She could tell the Queen was disgusted. "Oh, how you've all grown in the time that I've been here. I am filled with joy." Another lie. "But of course, you all know why these celebrations are held. I appeared before you all to claim the destined one. The one that is important. The one that will keep our world spinning. Our savior."

"What's she talking about?" Hope muttered.

"I don't know." Cora winced.

"I think it's what Dad said." Nikos shrugged. "He mentioned someone is selected."

Queen Cinder continued, and her eyes kept roaming over the thousands of faces that were in the crowd. "The destined one is someone who holds even more importance than me. They are a truly blessed one. An individual who can save this world from destruction. That is why I come to these lands every year. I come seeking the new destined one so our world can once again live. I will begin the process of selecting them now."

Many people shuffled. Hundreds stepped forward, volunteering and raising their hands. It was like everyone wanted to be selected. Hope gasped and felt her eyes go wide when she watched the Queen do something that shocked her. Fire came out of her look-alike. Golden flames took on the shape of a pair of butterfly wings. The Queen lifted off the stage and began to slowly float around the stadium.

Hope felt a pain in her heart and had to actually fight back the tears. It wasn't fair. She didn't have her fire powers, but this faker did? Why? How? That just wasn't right. They stole her look, spent a year pretending to be her, lying, and now made this world worship her. Everything about this person, she hated it. All of it. It was a mockery of what she stood for. She had to control her rage and stop herself from outright attacking the flying woman. It wasn't time. Not yet.

Queen Cinder floated through the crowd before finally spotting the one she wanted. The Queen came down slowly and pointed at a single person. "You."

"M- Me?" Cora stared up in shock and awe as the Queen floated directly above her, holding a hand out.

Hope nearly cursed and looked away, doing her best to hide her face. Luckily, the Queen didn't even bother to look at her; instead, she was transfixed on Cora. "Yes. You. You're it. The one who will save this world. I select you."

Nikos was in shock and looked at his sister and then at Hope. Hope remained motionless, though. It wasn't time. Not yet. They had to wait. She couldn't attack yet.

"I- I'm honored, but..." Cora took a nervous step back.

Queen Cinder gave a devious smile and floated down toward the other girl. "Nonsense. You've been selected." She hooked an arm around Cora's waist. "You're mine now."

The people were cheering. Loudly. They all screamed for joy. Cora shot a nervous look to Hope, and Hope balled her hand into a fist, about to strike out, but she stopped at the last second when she finally heard it. It took a moment to break through the cheering of the crowd, but when it did, it caused the screaming to instantly stop.

All across the city, small little microphones had been set up, all placed by Phoenix, and in that moment they all played the same sound. The sound of a pipe.

Queen Cinder frowned when she watched all her subjects suddenly grow dead-eyed. In an instant, everyone began to shuffle away, leaving the stadium. All with a single programmed order. 'Get to safety.'

Queen Cinder let go of Cora and floated up, expecting some sort of attack, but it never came. "What is this? I didn't plan for this to be part of the show?"

Nikos's eyes were glazed, and like the others, he followed the crowd leaving. As it began to disperse, it allowed the Queen to stare down as the stadium began to rapidly get empty. Those that remained instantly put her on guard. Especially one who, now that she was looking, seemed to look a lot like her...

"Hey," Hope said, stepping onto the railing. In only a moment, all of the city's streets were clear as every human made their way to some sort of bunker or reinforced building, getting out of harm's way.

Queen Cinder made a face but then chuckled. "Hey."