"Ow, ow, ow!"


    "How did you manage to cut your finger? You have super durability!" Jack sighed, and his eye twitched as Hope gripped her finger.


    "I don''t know!" She whined. "I was just cutting and then hit it! Why is the kitchen knife sharp enough to cut me!"


    "You''re terrible at cooking." Lois snorted.


    "Says the girl who hasn''t done anything," Armin replied snidely.


    "Hey! I''m doing my job. I''m a cute waiter." Lois flipped her blonde hair back and fanned herself off with one of the paper plates she had. "Besides, it''s way too hot back here for me to actually do anything. I''d have a heat stroke for sure!"


    "We got another order!" Mr. Thaddeus announced.


    "I''m on it!" Armin ran to the back, turning the knob of an oven on full blast.


    It was not in the middle of some dangerous mission that Team Pantheon found itself bonding; instead, it was actually deep within a little restaurant that they had opened for the day. On her first patrol, Hope had seen a group of people most heroes ignore: the homeless. At the time, Snowdawn had made an offhand remark about opening a soup shelter. Little did he know that his suggestion would have a significant impact.


    Thaddeus liked the idea so much when Hope suggested it, and the moment all of their off-time schedules aligned, he had set up this little kitchen. Spider Street was filled to the brim with warehouses and storage lockers, most of which had been abandoned or unused. Thaddeus found them one, Jack had called up a few of his buddies in the Cleanup Squad, and they had turned the storage locker into a makeshift mini restaurant. It wasn''t huge, but they set up a few tables outside with umbrellas over them, allowing people to stay in the shade while they ate. It was sort of like they had a food truck or, rather, a food shack.


    The inside of the storage unit had several large grills that were hooked up near the back, as well as some stoves scattered about. They had some wooden tables filled with fruits and vegetables and pots and pans scattered about. It wasn''t a particularly good restaurant, but it was getting the job done, and people seemed to be enjoying it. A large crowd had formed outside of their unit, and they were making an effort to make sure everyone got some food.


    Thaddeus and Lois served as the waiters, making sure people had plenty of water to drink and would bring them plates of food. Armin and Hope were in charge of cutting up things like vegetables, fruit, or meat. Lastly, that left Jack, who served as the cook and made various types of soups, chilis, and burgers. All the food was free and served with a bottle of water. They had gotten a lot of their resources from Money Tree, who had donated a small fortune that allowed them to buy everything they needed. It was undoubtedly an unorthodox soup kitchen, but one that was making sure everyone on Spider Street would be well fed.


    When they were out on patrol, the Sub Enforcers would come in and manage this mini kitchen. Their plan was to go until they fully ran out of food, and with how much they had, it was going to last them for a couple of days.


    "Hey, Sir! How much do I stir this?" Armin asked, standing in front of a large pot of chili. Since Jack was busy tending to Hope, Armin had taken over cooking for the moment.


    "I don''t know. I''m not a professional cook." Jack shrugged.


    "You could have just said chef instead of professional cook."


    Jack ignored the ginger boy and took Hope''s hand, looking down at it. She had somehow managed to cut herself with a regular knife. It wasn''t a large wound, but it was a tiny mark on her fingertip. He placed his other hand over it and made sure their hands weren''t visible to the public as a faint golden light seeped out, and he sealed the wound closed, healing it.


    "Thanks." Hope sighed, taking her hand back. "How''d I even manage to cut it?!"


    "By being dumb," Lois suggested.


    "You''re no help."


    All of them weren''t in their hero uniforms. They wore their civilian clothes, along with some aprons and stuff that protected them from stains. Jack grabbed a ladle and fished out a large scoop of chili, which he poured into a bowl. "Go make yourself useful and put this at a table needing it," he said, sliding the bowl over to Lois.


    "You better listen to him, Lois. He''s doing his dad voice!" Hope mocked. Lois just rolled her eyes and took the bowl, strolling away. They watched Lois walk away before Hope awkwardly rubbed at the back of her neck. "Um... Mr. Larison. I had something I wanted to ask you," she said softly.


    "What is it?" He questioned, raising his eyebrow.


    "Well, there''s this school project I have to do for my science class. Mrs. Mars wants us to make something for the science fair," the girl explained slowly. She looked down, not meeting the man''s eyes as her thumbs twiddled. "I was just... I... I was wondering if you''d help me out with it."


    "Can''t you get Moore to do it with you?"


    "My dad''s helping me out," Armin called out sheepishly. "Mrs. Mars knows kids typically cheat and get their parents to do the project, so she asked to just skip the cheating part and get our parents to help!"


    "My mom is busy with work." Hope explained. "With everything that''s been going on, the hospital she works at is filled to the brim with new patients, and they aren''t letting their nurses go home, so she keeps getting stuck with shifts. And my dad is..." She shook her head, clearing the thoughts. "I already told Mrs. Mars, and she said it would be okay to get someone else''s help if I needed it, like a close family friend. The thing is, though, the only family friend we have is my Uncle Marcus, and he doesn''t live in Oleander anymore... S- So I... I... You know what? It was a stupid thing to ask. I''ll go see if Lois or someone wants to help; I''m sure you''re busy-"


    "I can do it."


    "W- What?"


    Jack gave a lazy shrug. "I''ll help out. I can''t promise I''ll be any good, though. I never went to school when I was a kid. Most of my life lessons were drilled into me by the Princess of Life. She was the closest thing I had to a teacher, I guess. Still, I bet if we put our heads together, we could maybe create a model volcano or something like that. How hard can it be?"


    Hope stared up at the man before she let out a soft giggle. That giggle then broke out into laughter, getting her several odd looks. "What''s so funny?" Lois asked, making her way back over and pinching Hope''s cheeks. She was followed after Thaddeus, who folded his arms.


    Hope took a moment to calm down before her eyes slowly trailed over from Mr. Larison to Lois to Thaddeus before finally settling on her friend Armin. "It''s just... I don''t know. I''m weirdly happy, I suppose. It''d be nice if days like this could last forever."


    "Aw, you''re going to make me cry!" Armin ran forward and pulled her in for a tight hug.


    Lois chuckled and ruffled her hair while Thaddeus just patted her on the shoulder. Jack turned away, giving the tiniest hint of a smile. "It''d be nice, wouldn''t it, Kid? Days like this are important. Days like this should happen more often."


    She smiled up at the man and nodded. "Yeah."


    In the end, she came fourth in the science fair.


    ***


    "Hope..." The good times didn''t last. A burned hand came out of the ocean, grasping at the sand. Snowdawn''s ice was entirely shattered and broken. He was on the other side of the city, now resurfacing up on the beach. "Please, Hope..." His flesh was burned and blackened, and he struggled to move. "Please, don''t die... Get up, Armin... Damn it, move! Save your friend, you worthless hero!"


    The Beast was after her. He had lost his mother to a Calamity level threat. He had claimed he would make a difference. That he would be the one to cause a change in the tide. Did pushing Hope out of the way do that? Or was she still in danger? Did the Beast already kill her? Was she in trouble? And what of Thaddeus, Lois, or Mr. Larison?


    All of these thoughts raced through Snowdawn’s mind, blocking out most of the pain he was truly in as he forced his remaining arm to crawl himself forward and out of the stinging ocean. His flesh dripped off of him, and he vomited up blood, but he refused to stop moving. Not until his story was at an end.


    His vision blurred, but gradually, his eyes focused, and he saw something—a pair of boots. Then he felt a hand land on top of his head. It took all his strength, but Snowdawn looked up and stared into the man''s golden eyes.


    "Oh," Armin said quietly. Lucifer cocked his head to the side and pressed down. "So that''s how it ends, huh? Not… A… Cool… Way… To… Go." In an instant, Snowdawn''s body shattered and broke away as the Dead Virus devoured him, leaving a single piece of paper that floated softly to the ground.


    Lucifer bent down and picked up the paper. He opened his tome and placed it gently inside. He now had a new zombie to call upon. "Lucifer!" A voice cried out. "Uriel''s being mean again!"


    Behind Lucifer, two figures argued. The first was a man in golden robes who held a powerful beauty about him. Uriel balled up some sand and chuckled as he threw it at the girl in front of him. "Quit complaining, Gabriel! You''re the reason I was thrown into Nightshade, after all! This is the least you can take."


    "Ow! That one had a rock in it!" The young girl whined. She looked to only be in her teens, and she had black hair with stripes of white all along it. She didn''t wear much clothing; instead, she was wrapped up in dozens of wires that formed a cloak around her. "Lucifer, tell him to stop!" Gabriel complained, stomping her foot down. "Why didn''t big brother Michael or big sister Metatron get to come?"


    The Immortals, at least a few members of them, had arrived in Oleander. The city shook as the fight with the Beast kept going on. Lucifer finished his checkup on his novel and slowly turned to where another figure stood on the beach. "I''m shocked you came here. Why did you ask to meet me in a place where the Beast is active?" The leader of the Immortals asked in an emotionless tone.


    A man in black armor with a long cloak turned to look at Lucifer. The Emperor stared at his long time enemy. "You know why I asked to meet with you." The Emperor''s voice rumbled through his helmet.


    Lucifer clutched his book, and both Uriel and Gabriel ducked behind him, peeking out from either side of his shoulder to glare at the Emperor. "I, of course, know why you asked to meet with me, but why is it that we had to meet here of all places? Are you planning on engaging the Beast in a fight?" Lucifer, the Ruler of Death and Rebirth, the Angel, stared the Emperor down.


    "No. The Beast will soon be dead once more. It doesn''t matter what happens to it. If we truly want to stop it, that will have to come later." The Emperor, the Ruler of the Dark and the Void, the Devil, stared back at who used to be his enemy. "I hold the same title as you. Therefore, we are teammates now."


    "Don''t make me puke. As soon as I can, I''ll kill you." Lucifer said flatly. "You stand before the Immortals."


    "And you stand before the Devil. Watch your mouth." The Emperor slowly turned and stared back at the ruins of Oleander city.


    "Is it because you still have emotions you asked to meet here?" Lucifer asked in an almost taunting tone. "That''s it, isn''t it, dear Nier? After all, this is where your children are-"


    "My child." The Emperor corrected. "I only have one child."


    "Oh, how you wound Alpha."


    "I want you to start your Murder Games," the Emperor said, cutting the Immortal leader off. He turned to stare back at Lucifer. "And this time, I’d like to participate in them."


    “We should kill him.” Gabriel hissed.


    “I agree with Gabby.” Uriel hummed. “Give the word master.”


    The Emperor’s red eyes narrowed, and the man became cloaked in darkness, one that matched Lucifer’s own. The two Rulers stared each other down, neither giving an inch. Finally though Lucifer sighed.


    “Just what are you planning, little Nier?”


    “A change.” The Emperor spat out. “One that will bring salvation to this destroyed world.”


    ***


    Battery didn''t have time to react. His mind raced faster than it ever had, and his energy tried to come crackling out. All at once, though, everything stopped, and he realized it too late.


    The Beast had stopped time once more.


    That was how it suddenly appeared behind him. The damaged state that it was left in, though, didn''t allow for it to keep its time stop up for long. He felt blood flow out of him as the Beast''s arm rammed through his back and came out of his chest. His lungs and heart had already been destroyed, so there was only one spot left the Beast needed to strike. Battery tried to turn, but it was too late.


    The Beast''s other hand came up and sliced out. The fingers tore through Battery''s neck, and in an instant, his head was torn clean off. The severed head hit the floor with a thud and rolled. White flames exploded out of the Beast''s arm, blowing the torso of Battery''s body to bits and scattering it to the wind. All that was left was a pair of legs, which fell forward uselessly.


    Silence hung over the battlefield...


    The Beast was smaller now. It stood at just under six feet in height. The cracks along its body were gone, and its arms were back. It had gotten rid of its wings and most of its height, using its power to control its body and rebuild its damaged parts with the mass it no longer needed. It might as well have fully healed.


    Cinder felt her legs give out, and she collapsed onto her knees, staring numbly down at the head of Battery. "Mr. Larison-"


    A roar pierced the air as Myth transformed. Sharp claws jutted out of his fingers as he took on the form of his lion. It didn''t stop there, though. He grew bigger, and his muscles expanded, nearly doubling his size. He didn''t care about keeping his sanity or keeping his power in check. He forced it all out, every drop of his raw strength. His roar shattered the floor around him, and he jumped at the Beast, clawing out with so much force the wind twisted to his will.


    His attack never reached.


    The Beast launched forward even faster than it had been and rammed a fist directly into Myth''s face. Its mass might have dropped, but thanks to its blinding speed and control over gravity, its attack was barely reduced. The punch was so strong it shattered the snout of the lion, breaking all of Myth''s teeth and nearly snapping his neck. Myth was sent flying back, crashing through the battlefield and ramming through hundreds of piles of debris.


    Poseidon tried to stand up, but her legs gave out, and she vomited up a wave of black blood. ''No, no, no. You stay down.'' A voice hissed into her ear. The voice of the Tallest Wave. ''This is what you get. Watch what your actions cause. This is your fault, stupid girl!''


    The Beast turned and pointed toward Cinder. The hero was still on her knees, her eyes staring down at Mr. Larison''s head. White energy crackled out of the alien''s fingertip, firing a wave of energy. "Hope!" Hope looked up just in time to see Sky throw herself in front of her. Sky held her arms out, ready to use her body as a shield. She hadn''t arrived in time to save her mom, but she could at least save her friend!


    The explosive force of the attack rammed forward and shook the ground, cracking it and sending shards of debris into the air. Poseidon screamed out for her sister, but her body didn''t want to obey her anymore. The force of the blast picked her up and sent her flying high into the air away from the area. Slowly, the blinding white light died down, and Hope stared up in shock at Sky, who was perfectly fine.


    Sky''s eyes were filled with horror, and tears streamed down her face. "Why! Why did you do that? I didn''t tell you to save me!" Destiny let out a weak cry, his massive body badly burnt as white fire ate away at him. At the last second, before the attack could hit Sky, he dove in front of it, using himself as her shield. "You idiot! You could have lived! You didn''t need me! Why did you save me, Destiny!" She cried out. She placed her hands on him and tried to use her power, but they weren''t wanting to respond.


    They didn''t see a point.


    There was no coming back from this. The attack had already reduced half of Destiny''s body to ash. The bird gave a weak cry and managed to wrap one of its wings around her, setting its head on her shoulder. Its breathing was shallow, and more of the white flame began to crawl up it, breaking parts of it away. Like Max Lightning, its very atoms were coming undone. Soon, it would be nothing more than space dust. Paragon wrapped her arms around Destiny and let out a harsher cry.


    First, she had failed to save her mother. Next, she put Lily in more danger by forgetting about the Beast. And now she was helpless, forced to watch as Destiny died. There was nothing she could do. She was useless. Always useless.


    ''That''s right... You''ve never been suited for things like this. You''re worthless at stuff like this, aren''t you? But I''m not... Give in... Be a good girl. Obey your mother. Let my body belong to me once more...''


    She always failed.


    The Beast took a step forward and began to charge up another attack. It pulled its fist back, light crackling across it and zapping the air as it got ready to unleash a hellish punch. She closed her eyes and hugged Destiny tighter but then stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she looked up and saw that Cinder had stood back up. "Hope?"


    Hope stepped out from behind Destiny, and her eyes met the Beast''s, which narrowed. The Beast stepped forward and struck out with everything it had, ripping the air around it to bits. "Just kill him." Time almost seemed to stand still as Hope spoke quietly. "I don''t care what else happens. Just make sure he dies a painful death!" She screamed.


    The fist of the Beast nailed her dead on, and an explosive force blasted out. Sky felt herself be nearly flung back, but she managed to keep her arms around Destiny, who in turn had dug one of his talons into the floor, keeping a hold on the ground and stopping them from being sent back. As the dust settled, she stared up in shock as Hope stood in front of the fist, perfectly fine. Then she felt it. An intense and harsh heat began to seep out. One that didn''t burn her but still allowed her to feel its power. The Beast, on the other hand, found itself taking a step back, and part of its white body ignited with harsh golden fire, causing steam to bubble out of it.


    The spot on Hope''s stomach that had been hit was coated in several layers of golden fire. Her eyes closed slowly, and that fire began to crawl up her body, covering her up. It went over her entire form, covering her from head to toe. No... It wasn''t just that. She was becoming fire. She was becoming a Sun that had taken on the shape of a human form. A star that shined brighter than any other.


    The Brightest Star opened its eyes and stared at the Beast in front of it. The Lord of the Sun and the Cosmos, the one who conquered, the one who stood above all its other siblings, the one who had landed the final blow on the entity known as the Shadow that resulted in its kingdom coming to an end. The first ever Lord to truly bond with a human vessel spoke only a single word. "Kneel."


    The Beast crashed down as a wave of power rammed into it from all directions. It was shoved down to its knees, its face planted directly into the ground so hard that it cracked the floor.


    The Brightest Star was back.


    Meanwhile...


    "Is everyone still alive?" The Victorian asked.


    "Define still alive..." Mister Man grumbled.


    Wyvern just lightly nudged him with her tail. "We''re fine. Thanks for saving us."


    "It isn''t me you should be thanking." The Victorian said, shaking her head. "It''s Paragon." She gripped down on one of the large red feathers that Destiny had been dropping. They weren''t full heals, but they had managed to patch her up. She grabbed one just in time and used her power to create a golden bubble around herself and the other heroes that were in the area, shielding them from the massive black tidal wave that had come crashing down. They had been stuck at the very bottom of it until suddenly, the water faded away, leaving them free.


    "Are you two alright?" Wyvern asked, directing her attention to the two civilians the Victorian had also managed to save.


    Alice and June were flat on their backs, both shaking. June had managed to stay alive, though, and caught the entire thing on Alice''s phone, much to the audience''s delight. Their blog was currently the most viewed in the world, with nearly one billion people watching the stream. "I- I guess we''re fine," Alice said, shakily climbing up to her feet. June followed suit. "Thanks for getting us out of there-"


    "Shh." The Victorian suddenly shushed them, holding up a finger. Like her father and like the current host of the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos, she too was blessed with enhanced senses. These senses were normally used to allow her to fly around the entire planet and come to the rescue whenever something was in danger. Now though her senses were telling her something else. "It''s my dad..."


    "What?" Wyvern and Mister Man both said in shock.


    The number one hero ignored them and walked forward steadily. They were at the base of a knocked-over building that worked like a makeshift ramp. She climbed up it, the others following behind, and she peered down at what was left of the battlefield below. The others all stood rooted in place, their eyes filled with shock at what they saw. Alice yanked the camera out of June''s hand and held it up, zooming in as much as she could.


    The Beast lay face down on the ground, struggling to stand. In front of it stood a figure just as mighty as Full Monarch once was. Cloaked in golden fire, it was in a shape she knew well. "That''s Cinder!" Alice said in shock. “That''s her, isn''t it?"


    Mister Man stared down at the golden girl. "Full Monarch was always cloaked in blue fire. Despite that, though, it''s clear that she''s doing the same thing he did, isn''t she? That''s it, isn''t it, Victorian?"


    Jill slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body shook slightly, but finally, she nodded. "Yeah. That''s it. That''s my father''s power. Cinder has become a true Lord of the Sun."


    "So, I guess your title as number one hero will need to be revoked then, won''t it..."


    The Victorian gave a faint smile. "Yeah... It was fun while it lasted, I guess."


    Alice''s arms shook as she heard what the Enforcers were saying. Her mind raced, and her chat was filled with thousands of comments as her view base increased. They were nearly at a billion—two billion—three billion and climbing. Over half the world now had their eyes on the hero known as Cinder, and all of them had one question they kept asking in the chat.


    ''Who is Cinder?''


    Golden hair streaked down Cinder''s back. The fire outlined her body, and she almost looked like the Beast, though made out of golden fire instead of white. Her fiery red eyes were dull, and her head cocked to the side as she stared down at the Beast in front of her. "Hope?" The vessel for the Prettiest Flower spoke up behind her, but she ignored it and raised her arm just in time to block a strike from the Beast.


    Energy beams gushed out of the Beast, firing out wildly in all directions, and it forced itself to stand back up, throwing out a powerful strike that the Lord casually blocked and deflected with her finger. The Beast’s body hummed, and then it began to glow. It flashed over and over again like a flashlight turning off and on. It jumped back, gravity swirling around it, and its body began to change and alter. It got buffer and heavier as it transformed itself and ditched its speed, putting on as much muscle mass as it could. That blinking light that made up its skin didn''t stop; instead, it got faster, turning everything into a strange black-and-white-looking color scheme.


    "Oh? Is that your plan?" Cinder floated off the ground serenely. Her eyes remained dull, and her face didn''t twitch, not showing a single hint of emotion. Despite that, she held her hand out and motioned with her finger, almost daring it to come at her.


    The Beast roared, and its back split apart, growing out a pair of massive butterfly wings. It took to the sky and sliced out with its claws, but the attacks never hit the Lord. Cinder was nimble and didn''t need wings to fly anymore. Just like the Victorian, she twirled through the air almost lazily. She dodged every strike the Beast threw out at her boredly and smashed her fist out, ramming it into the gut of the Beast and sending it crashing back into the ground. It rolled across the street and came to a stop, glaring up only to find that Cinder was no longer in the air. It felt a tap on its shoulder, and it twirled around only to feel an immense amount of pain as Cinder uppercut it.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The Beast''s head was torn off of its body and rolled away. Cinder stood there and cocked her head to the side. "Get back up. I''m not done playing yet." A tendril of white energy snaked out of the Beast, and it grabbed onto the head, forcing it back on. Its muscles grew even more prominent, and its strikes sent shock waves through the air, the force of each attack blowing down the destroyed buildings around them and ripping the ground up. "You couldn''t hit me when your body was slim and fast; why do you think this form would work?" She dodged every one of the strikes with ease, then came to a sudden stop and held her finger out, blocking the fist that came at her with it. "Besides. You''re not nearly strong enough. Are you the only one that remains? I could have sworn we killed your kind off. Is that why you''re doing this? Are you mad that we destroyed your people and decided to call Earth our home? Is that why you pick on my subjects? You''re just some child throwing a tantrum. You''re not even doing it right. The least you could do was try and blow the planet up. Of course, I''d never let you harm my kingdom."


    The Beast''s jaws snapped wide open, and a wave of white energy began to spill out as it glared at the Lord of the Sun. The attack fired, but Cinder simply grabbed him by the throat and tilted his head back, forcing the attack to get sent high into space.


    Cinder let go and pulled her fist back, about to unleash a powerful strike, but stopped suddenly. A trickle of something came out of her nose, which burned and began to steam up due to the amount of fire that coated her. It was a stream of blood. The vessel was… She wobbled and grabbed at her head, gasping. The Beast took that as its chance and rocketed out with a fist, throwing everything it had into the attack and ramming it directly into Cinder''s face, blasting her back and sending her crashing through the ground and the sewers.


    Cinder laid flat on her back, and her emotionless face finally showed a tiny bit of annoyance. "Damn that Full Monarch. What did he do to me? This body isn''t as compatible as his was, and he''s torn most of me away. What was he thinking-"


    The Beast came crashing down onto her and wrapped a hand around Cinder''s face. It twisted and threw the girl through the walls of the sewers, blasting out with another wave of hellish fire that washed over her. Cinder dropped out of the attack, and a loud crack echoed out. A tiny bit of her golden form now had a few slashes across it.


    Above, Paragon stayed on the ground, her arms still wrapped around Destiny. The bird had finally stopped moving, and its eyes closed. She hugged it tighter, running her fingers through his fur as he passed away and died in her arms. She was so useless. Here, she was not able to do anything, and Cinder turned into the same thing her sister had become. What a joke she was. She hoped the Laurens would resent her, that they''d curse her and wish death upon her. She really was no better than Wish at the end of the day.


    ''It''s okay. Mom''s here, sweetie.'' She heard the voice of her mother. She could almost feel her arms wrapped around her. ''Hush now with that negativity. You tried your best. No one can be mad at you. Just... Let go... Close your eyes. Mom will take care of you now-''


    "Don''t do it, Sky." Sky felt her eyes snap open as she heard the voice. "Don''t give up. Not yet. Hope needs your help. You have to save her."


    Sky felt her face pale. She slowly pulled away from Destiny and stared out in shock at the person who spoke. "H—How are you... How are you alive?"


    Battery''s severed head rested on a nearby rock, staring up at her. A black tendril of energy came from his neck and had dragged its way over to her. One of the eyes was swollen shut, and blood poured down his nose and ears. His good eye was dull, barely holding any emotion. "I don''t have a lot of time." The hero explained in a pain-filled tone. "I''m using my power of Inverting imagination to force my brain to keep going and create vocal sounds, allowing myself to speak. I barely have any power left, though, and soon it''ll run out. I''ll be dead when that happens."


    "I- I''m sorry..." Sky felt tears flow down her face, and she winced. "I couldn''t save you either, could I? You''re important to Hope, and yet I let you die-"


    "Why do you insist on being weak?" His words silenced her. "Sky. Pick me up. Take my mask off."


    "Huh?"


    "Do it."


    She felt a little sick in her stomach, but she wrapped her hands around him and lifted him off of the ground. She got her fingers around what was left of his mask and pulled it off. His eyes hummed with a shadowy black energy, and his reddish-brown hair was as messy as ever. His eyes looked tired. Like he was about to fall asleep, she had seen him without his mask before, but something about it this time was different. Something about the way he looked at her was almost familiar. Those eyes that stared at her... She had seen them before.


    "Do you notice anything?"


    "Who are you?" She asked, suppressing a gulp.


    "Why do you insist on being weak, Sky?" Jack questioned her. He stared into her eyes, feeling his life force reaching its end. "Why do you keep running away from your power?"


    "It isn''t my power... It''s the power of the Lord of Life-"


    "Not that power. Your power. The one you were born with. The one that called you its host. Your power. Our power."


    "O- Our power?"


    "Are you scared?" Jack asked. "Are you afraid that you''ll turn out like them? Like our dad."


    Sky breathed slowly and bowed her head. "You were adopted by the Emperor, right... Well, not me. I''m his actual kid. I found out he made me with the help of the Princess of Life, and now I also found out the Prettiest Flower helped create me as well. She had used her vessel, which was the Emperor at the time, to give him the power to make me. I''m just meant to be a perfect vessel for that bitch. The Princess of Life, Wish, the Emperor, and even the first Lord of Life. Why are they all evil? Why are they all so twisted and dark? I''m surrounded by so much evil. How could I not be scared that I''ll turn out like that?"


    Jack listened to her silently. "When I was a kid, my father used to beat me."


    "The Emperor?"


    "No. My real father." Jack stated. "I grew up locked away in a basement for most of my life. He had kidnapped my mother. He wanted her. He never wanted me, though. Every night, I wondered why I was born. If I would end up like him. Then, I had the chance to escape, and I took it. That was where I ran into Nier. He took me in. He raised me. I might not like him, I might even hate him, but at the end of the day, he was a father to me when no one else would be. He molded me into his tool. His perfect weapon. The sword that would kill Full Monarch. He also used me to create you."


    "What!" Her eyes stared down at the severed head in shock.


    Jack looked up at her with a rare hint of emotion. "Your hair is the same color as mine. Haven''t you ever found that odd? How could we be so similar if I was adopted by Nier? Nier used his power as the Lord of Life to create a body that looked like his late wife. The real Princess of Life died the first time the Beast attacked, along with her daughter. The one he created could never feel that hole in his heart, but it didn''t need to. He just needed her body to house his child. That was you. He knew that if he used his power, though, that child would turn out just like the Princess of Life. A fake copy. A clone. One without emotion or soul. The proof of this was in Hell Hound. She was the corpse of his daughter given new life. Yet she wasn’t the person he knew. If he wanted his daughter back truly, he would have to start from nothing. So, he needed actual DNA from someone. I was one of the donors. In a way, that really does make you my sister, Sky. We share blood, and we share a father."


    "So, I''m actually related to you... What does that have to do with anything?"


    "Would you say I''m a good person? That I was a good hero?"


    "I guess?" She said slowly. "You''ve saved me, my mom, and countless others. You''ve fought to the end for what we call the side of good, and you''ve gone out of your way to help Hope. I''d say even if you did bad, you''re good now."


    "So then, why are you scared?" Jack asked. "I did evil. I was a bad guy. I fought Full Monarch, and my actions resulted in his death. I''m as evil as the Emperor could make me. Yet... You would still say I''m good because of my most recent actions. Full Monarch saved me. He was the one that started me on that first step. Hope kept me on my path, though. She was there every step of the way. So were Armin, Lois, and Thaddeus. All of them carried me to this side together. All of them got me to this point. Sky... You and I are both the children of the Emperor. You share my blood. If I can change after doing so much evil, then so can you. Our parents do not define us. Ocean Empress raised you. She is your mother. That doesn''t mean you''ll turn out good, though, just as being the daughter of the Emperor doesn''t mean you''ll turn out evil. We are our own people. It is your choice. Your decision. You must pick who you are. You are strong. You are a good person. Your friend needs help. So why are you running?"


    Sky stared down at the severed head, and her lip quivered for a moment. "What if I''m not strong enough?"


    "You are."


    "How do you know?"


    "I just do. You were born with my power. My ability of creation. That realm you hold. In a way, it''s similar to my strongest ability—the one I used to fight against Full Monarch. You''re strong, Sky. You know you''re strong. And you have the power of a Lord. You''re stronger than the Prettiest Flower. All of you are. They died. This isn''t their world. Not anymore."


    "I don''t think my ability to control Life will work on that thing."


    "Then don''t use it. Use my power, the power of Creation, and use your new title. You aren''t just the Lord of Life, Sky. You''re the Lord of the Land as well. Create your world. Create your Land. Use your power. Your full power. Surpass me. Surpass us all. This is something only you can do. You''re not the child of the Emperor, you aren''t the host for the Prettiest Flower, you aren''t my sister, and you aren''t the daughter of Ocean Empress. You are the hero, Paragon. You do not need to run anymore."


    Sky gently placed the head back on the ground. "Thank you... I''ll save Hope. I promise."


    "There''s one more request I have for you, Sky." Jack asked weakly.


    "Of course."


    "In my pocket. Where my belt was, my corpse should have it. Take it and give it to Hope."


    Sky nodded and stepped away. "I''ll do my best. It''s okay. You can rest now. You did well. You did amazing. You were a good hero, Battery."


    Jack gave a faint smile and stared up as the sun began to rise. He didn''t know if it was really daytime or if it was just the sheer power of the Lord of the Sun, but it didn''t matter. It was pretty. It was amazing. The sunlight touched his skin, and for a moment, he swore he had his body back. He swore that his legs were in the water and that he was seated at a beach. He was happy.


    Sky left.


    Footsteps walked forward, and the Victorian stared down at the head of Battery. The man had a smile on his lips, and his eyes stared glossily out at the sun above. Respectfully, she reached out and closed the eyes. "Thank you for being a hero-"


    Battery bit her hand!


    "OW! WHAT THE FUCK!" She pulled her hand back and glared down at the severed head. "You asshole! I have half a mind to stomp you out, now!" Jack just gave a grin and chuckled. Slowly, the Victorian huffed and sat down next to the head. She stared up at the rising sun with him as it cast its golden glow down onto the planet. "It''s a good view, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah..." Battery''s grin grew into a somber one. "You know... It''s kind of funny."


    "What is?"


    "Suddenly... Part of me doesn''t want to die."


    Jill reached out hesitantly. "My dad would be proud of you. Goodbye, Jack Larison." This time, he didn''t bite her hand as she gently closed his eyes.


    He had seen a lot; he had done a lot. There was some good, but there was more bad. He had done some good, but he had done a lot of bad. He knew where he would end up. He knew that his chances of getting to see his wife were slim, but none of that mattered in this moment. The nameless boy, Alpha, Jack Larison, the hero known as Battery, adopted son of the Emperor, sidekick to Cinder, and the last person Full Monarch saved, finally died.


    “It wasn''t so bad, I guess…”


    Hope stared numbly at the screen that was in front of her. She watched in silence as her body moved on its own, fighting the Beast. They had blown the sewers to bits and destroyed the roof above, taking to the skies once more. She watched as her body flew as if it were always able to, dodging strikes the Beast unleashed and slapping it around.


    "Do you regret your choice?" A voice asked from behind her.


    "A bit." She admitted. "I said it in the heat of the moment. I don''t suppose you''ll be willing to give me my body back, will you?"


    Everything was on fire. That was where she found herself. The floor, the roof, the walls—all of it was a harsh crackling flame that formed the room she was in. Directly in front of her stood a large glass-looking screen that allowed her to see what her body was seeing in real-time. It was strange. It was almost as if she had become some sort of weird robot and was in the cockpit of her mind, staring out a window. Directly behind her, the one that was currently in the driver''s seat resided.


    They were also made out of fire, but instead of the harsh orange, this ''thing'' that was in control of her was a bright golden color. The same color her body currently was in the real world. They rested on a massive throne made of solid flame, and they wore a jagged crown that fused into their fiery form. They were also missing half of their body. It had been the first thing she noticed when her eyes first landed on the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos. The entity, as there was no way this thing was human, was missing half its body. It was as if the entity had been sliced cleanly in two right down the middle, with only the right half sitting on the throne. This meant it only had one arm, one leg, one eye, and half a head. The way its body was on fire reminded her of the Beast, though this thing was nearly twenty feet tall, and unlike the Beast, she could see it had insides. Its organs hung out of its body, and black blood constantly spilled forth. The same black blood inside of Poseidon or other monsters the Emperor had created.


    She knew who this was. This thing. It was the first Lord, the Brightest Star.


    She tried her best to ignore the thing and stared out the glass, watching as her body began to act up once more, allowing the Beast to unleash a devastating blow directly to her gut. "You talked a lot of smack, but now you''re getting my body all beaten up." She taunted.


    "Do not dare mock me." The Brightest Star''s voice held no emotion behind it. It reminded her of the way Lucifer would speak in a way. Its voice was also laced with various effects over it, constantly changing pitch and volume, making it impossible to honestly tell what the thing''s gender was, if it even had one. "My weakened state is all thanks to the efforts of Full Monarch."


    "Full Monarch this, Full Monarch that, it always comes back to that guy." She sighed. "Why can''t there ever be any drama with the Lord of the Sky?"


    "You should be thanking me, human. Because of my intervention, you will survive the blast."


    "The blast? What the hell do you mean by that?" She suddenly got a very bad feeling in her gut as she watched her body and the Beast engage in a battle of strength. The Beast''s form still flashed on and off, getting faster. "Oh God! It''s going to blow itself up, isn''t it!" She''d read her fair share of comics to know where something like this was going.


    "It''s the final trump card." The Brightest Star still spoke in a flat voice, seemingly not bothered by what it was revealing. "Their kind always held resentment toward those that were above them. As soon as it figured out it wouldn''t be able to win this battle, the thing rigged its body to blow."


    "How do we stop it?"


    "You don''t. It can''t be stopped. Soon, all of Oleander will be reduced to ash."


    "You can''t be serious! You have to do something! Mr. Thaddeus and the others are still in the city!" She glared up at the Lord, but it didn''t even bother looking down at her. "Y- Your siblings are here! Poseidon and Paragon will die! You''ll let your sister die! The Tallest Wave said you cared about the Prettiest Flower-"


    "They are of no concern to me."


    "How can you say that!" She demanded.


    "They will be reborn, just as we always have." The Lord''s eyes slowly trailed down to her, and she felt her nerves light up as the flames around her crawled up her legs, forming tight chains that made her gasp. "My brother and sister will complain for a few hundred years that their perfect vessels were destroyed, but they will get over it in due time. We always do. You are not an ideal vessel for me. Compared to Full Monarch, you''re worthless." The chains began to tug on her, causing her to gasp. "And thanks to my missing half, I cannot bring forth my full strength. I have half a mind to kill you and wait until a new vessel comes along. Do. Not. Yell. At. Me. Again. Understood?"


    The chains came undone, dropping her to the ground, and she gasped, her body shaking. "W- What the hell are you?"


    "I am an Earthling."


    "Y- You can''t be human-"


    "I never said I was human. I am an Earthling. Someone who lives on Earth. This is my kingdom. My siblings and I call this place our home. It is just unfortunate we have to share it with your kind."


    "My kind?" She glared up at the Lord. "You guys are supposed to be heroes! The tales say the four Lords slayed the Shadow and died for us! They protected humans down to their last breath, and upon their death, they gifted humanity with superpowers! You guys loved us so much that you were willing to let your powers be passed down for thousands of years! How could we be so wrong? You''re not a hero. You''re a monster. As bad as the Beast." She spat.


    The Brightest Star was silent for several seconds. She was afraid that it might attack her once more, but instead, it shifted in its throne and looked back at the glass, watching as the body it controlled rammed a fist through the Beast''s stomach. "Maybe... Maybe at one time, we were how your stories described us."


    "Maybe?"


    "I do not fully recall the past." The Lord reached up to where the missing half of its head was grasping at nothing. "Fifteen years ago, I gave my power to Full Monarch. I did not take him over; instead, I willingly handed it all to him. He repaid me by splitting me in two. He fractured my ego and tore me in half. I lost my title of Lord of the Cosmos and only hold the power of the Sun now. I went from the very top all the way to the bottom because of that man. In his actions, half my memories went with the other half. The half that goes by Lord of the Cosmos. I do not know where it is or what it knows. Full Monarch''s actions are why my siblings are so hostile to your kind now."


    "Because you were betrayed by Full Monarch? That doesn''t make sense. He''s a good guy? The number one hero? There has to be a reason he did that. You guys are bad guys or something! I''m sure of it!"


    "Your arrogance astounds me." The Lord of the Sun raised its palm up, and fire twirled and twisted, forming into various shapes. After a moment, it settled on the image of planet Earth. "Do you even know what superpowers are?"


    "No? Do you?"


    "We were the first entities you call Supers. We stood at the top of the food chain. We were gods. Living, breathing divine beings. We ruled this planet and allowed you humans to live among it in exchange for worshiping us and obeying us." His fingers compressed around the ball, shattering it. "That was until ''it'' came."


    "The Shadow."


    "Yes. A great darkness. One from beyond even this universe. Something that shouldn''t exist. A cursed evil. It threatened this planet. Our kingdom. Our home. It killed millions of our subjects. We declared war upon the Shadow. My siblings and I fought it with everything we had. As we died, something new came about on this planet. Our energy seeped across it, and thanks to the efforts of my siblings, we were reborn. Our ego passed down. And so a new set of four Lords was born. Yet we did not know it, our slumber numbing us to the world."


    "You didn''t know it?" She frowned and rubbed her chin. "Now that I think about it, it doesn''t really make any sense, does it? Everyone knows that the four Lords have their battle mode, where our hair changes. That''s us tapping into a bit of your strength, but the only other person to ever go beyond that was Full Monarch. We never heard of a Tallest Wave or Brightest Star before him. There was never an instant in a Lord being taken over by their power before that event."


    "When we died, the thing you call ''superpowers'' was created. At the same time, our power was also passed down. A power has what we dubbed an Ego. What you see before you is my Ego. Another word you could use is soul. All Supers have two Egos: the human and the superpower. A Super is the human''s Ego in charge that directs the Ego of the power. By Inverting, however, you open that door. While it allows a Super to get a massive amplification not unsimilar to the ''battle mode'' the current Lord Vessels use, it can cause the power’s Ego to take over. The Ego of a Super is different from the Ego of a Lord, however. You see, my siblings and I are special. Our soul is what was passed down along with our power. Our Ego resides inside of you and the other Vessels. We are alive and can think and feel. All other Supers, however, have a mindless Ego. One that does not feel nor think. It simply exists. As such, when it takes them over, it turns them into the base instincts of what their powers are, driving them mad."


    "I guess that explains why no other Super ever heard voices before." She muttered. They simply couldn''t. It seemed only the Four Lords had powers that could talk back to them if what the Brightest Star was saying was true. "If you guys have always existed inside of previous hosts, though, why is it only now that you''re all taking us over?"


    "My siblings all have their own reasons, I''m sure. At the end of the day, though, we don''t get to decide who our vessel is. In the case of you, we sometimes end up in a body we don''t like."


    "Ouch..."


    "As for why we''re now taking your bodies over... When we first died, we slumbered. We dreamed. Our power passed down through the ages, creating new Lords, though they never were able to reach the true level of power I or my siblings hold. This was because we weren''t there to gift them our full power. They could only tap into the smallest portion of it. Then, all of a sudden, one day, I found myself awake. The dream I had been in came to an end, and I found myself in a body."


    "Full Monarch?"


    "That is correct. This was the first time a human ever gained the true power of a Lord. When I turned that man into a god, he went and betrayed me. Tore me to bits and ensured the next vessel would not have my full power. Damaged beyond repair, my siblings and I decided we would no longer help your kind out. Now, you will help us. You will give us your bodies. We will not give our power to you; we will take yours. We will make sure we are reborn so that we can stop what woke us up."


    "What... What woke you up?" She asked nervously.


    "We are passed down through death. When a vessel dies, we await until a new host comes. Our Ego then appears within that person. In some cases, they were a Super before they became a Lord, in which case they can have a power other than what they get from the Lords. This ability to pass down and think for ourselves is what made my siblings and I truly special. And then... Another power woke up. Planet Earth became the host of Supers once my siblings and I died in our fight with the Shadow. Upon its death, the Shadow split itself apart, and it scattered its own Ego. Fragments of the great evil. These fragments are awakened through death. When the human Ego fades away, it leaves a door for them. They call themselves the Rulers."


    The Ruler of Death and Rebirth. Lucifer had said something along those lines. The Emperor had as well. It was almost as if they were a dark version of the Lords. A cheap knockoff. She turned to look back at the Beast. Her mind was racing. She still had so many other questions she wanted to ask. Like, what was the Beast? Where did it fit into all of this? If they were the first Supers, where did their powers come from, and what was up with the monsters the Emperor created? How did they fit into all of this? Unfortunately, she didn''t have the time to ask any of that. Time was the one thing she didn''t have a lot of. The Beast was about to blow.


    "I want my body back."


    "You would die." The Brightest Star said lazily. They shifted on their throne, and they kept staring at the mirror that let them see her body. "You aren''t strong enough. Even if you were, the explosion would kill you-"


    "Then give me your power."


    "What?"


    She turned to look at the Lord and held her hand out. "You heard me. I''d be strong enough with your power, right? Give it to me. I''ll beat the Beast and save everyone in the city before it blows up. I have a plan. You said your kind existed to give us power and that you allowed Full Monarch to have his body and the power. Do the same for me."


    "Why would I ever do such a foolish thing!" The chains wrapped around her again, grabbing her by her wrists and ankles and pulling on them. "I should kill you now-"


    "Then do it." Her words silenced the Lord. She stared them down. "You were with me from the start, right? Were you awake during that time? Did you watch me? You saw my story—all of it. If you think I''m the kind of person that would hurt you, then kill me right here and now! If I''ve gotten to this point and I haven''t been able to convince you that I''m a hero, then I don''t deserve to live!"


    "You''re bluffing-"


    "You should know me better than anyone, right?" She announced. The chains cracked and snapped as she forced her way out of them. She took a step toward the Lord and stared up at them. "If you really were there from the start, you know who I am—my hopes, my dreams, all my flaws, my screw-ups—all of them should have been something you saw. I can''t say I agree with you or your siblings, but if for even a single second you were ever actually a hero, then give me a chance. I''m sorry Full Monarch hurt you. I don''t know why he did it, and I never will. I don''t want to hurt you, though. I want to save my friends and family, and I''d even like to try to save you." She held her hand up toward the Lord, who peered down at her silently. "Let''s save ''our'' city, Brightest Star."


    In the real world, the Beast''s fist slammed directly into Cinder''s face as the hero was caught off guard in her mind. She went flying back and spun through the air before gently landing on the ground.


    Then she heard a voice.


    "Hope!" At the end of the block, Sky rounded the corner and pulled her arm back. "Catch!" Sky threw something at the Lord as fast as she could.


    On instinct, the Brightest Star commanded the vessel they controlled to catch the object that was thrown at Cinder. It stared down in silence at the baseball it clutched. The thing Mr. Larison had been hiding away in his pocket. Memories flooded through them both. All of it surfaced up. The full story, where she met Mr. Larison right up to the end. Slowly, though, it focused on a nice calm memory. One with them on a roof throwing a ball back and forth.


    Within the mind, the Brightest Star stared down at their hand as if they were actually clutching the ball. So many thoughts and moments came to its mind. Hope had seen a lot, met a ton of people, and had lived a good life. "I really hate humans." Their own memories came out now. Memories of an older time. They remembered looking at the castle the humans had built, learning all the kinds of food humans made, and even helping tend to the garden that a human had created. "I never could bring myself to get rid of your kind, though. They always seem to do the impossible."


    In the real world, Cinder''s body flashed and suddenly changed. She was still cloaked in fire, but it was no longer golden. Instead, it was a plain orange flame. It cloaked and hugged her, and slowly, her eyes opened, filled with emotion as she grinned. "Get ready, Beast. You''re about to get an extra special beatdown. I''ll show you everything Hope Lauren can do!" Hope announced, now back in control.


    The Beast howled and charged, and she moved faster than she ever had before, literally zipping through the air. She rammed a fist directly into its face and sent it flying back, crashing near where the bridge to Lillian was.


    ''I gave you half.'' The voice of the Brightest Star stated. ''You only get half of the half that Full Monarch left you. I expect it back after this.''


    "Don''t worry." She landed on the ground, balling her hand into a fist. "This sort of power is more than enough." She never felt stronger. She wasn''t alone either.


    The Beast jumped at her, striking out, and she got ready to block, but before she could, a flash of white appeared before her. Sky jumped in front of her, the girl’s lab coat flowing in the wind. The girl''s hair color changed, shifting to a pure white, and her eyes ignited, causing her to look a lot like Wish. It wasn''t Wish, though. It was Sky—the girl who stopped running. Sky''s power flexed out as she tapped into her ability to create her realm. It Inverted and twisted, and she summoned a portion of it to her! It appeared directly under her. The street they stood on suddenly became a field of flowers, and roots rose up as a twenty-foot circle around her shifted into a piece of her land. The roots took shape, forming into a wooden sword, which she gripped and swung out.


    The Beast''s arm met the wooden sword, and Sky''s teeth gritted. She felt her power surging around her and going wild. Her power was off the charts, getting a boost both from being in her Lord''s battle mode as well as the power boost she got from summoning her land. That was what allowed her to cut out and slice right through the Beast''s arm, cutting it clean off!


    The Beast stumbled back and howled, opening its mouth and charging up an intense beam of energy it was about to launch out, but Sky twirled out of the way, allowing Hope to ram her hand forward. She used all her explosive power and the force of her supernova, shoving it all into her fist and ramming it directly into the head of the Beast, snapping it in two, and causing the energy to go blasting out wildly in all directions. She then ducked down just in time for Sky to slash out and split the Beast''s stomach open.


    The Beast wasn''t dead, though, and it struck out with its fist. Hope jumped in front of Sky, blocking the strike and taking the brunt of the attack, which sent them both flying back. As they crashed across the road, Cinder flipped herself over, landing on her feet. "There''s a reason I took us to this place!" The Beast jumped at her, and she threw her hand out, causing a chain of fire to blast out and wrap around something behind her. Sky stabbed caused her land to grow, increasing it to thirty feet, and copied what she had seen Battery do, as a giant wooden hand grew out of the ground just in time, wrapping around the Beast. The Beast shattered out of the grip, but it was already too late. "Take this!" Hope screamed.


    She pulled back on her chain, causing the mace of Hell Hound to land in her hand. She swung it out with everything she had, putting her all into it for one final attack! Fire blasted out of her arm, launching it forward, and the Beast realized it lost once more to the Lord of the Sun.


    The mace blew its head clean off, hitting it so hard that the weapon shattered to bits and broke. The power-canceling ability it held caused the Beast''s entire form to crack, and it stumbled back before letting out one final hiss. Then, its body faded away. Something was in it after all, though. A metal ball the size of a small golf ball dropped to the ground. It shattered the floor, weighing more than even a skyscraper, and it began to rapidly blink and hiss. Hope stumbled a bit as the fire around her vanished and faded, and she felt the Brightest Star take the energy back.


    "Is it over?" Sky asked nervously, walking over to stand next to her friend.


    "No." Hope shook her head. "That thing is going to explode."


    "What!" Sky stared down at the metal orb in shock. It began to rapidly blink and glow. "Can you pick it up and throw it?"


    "I could, but it wouldn''t work." Hope explained. "The Brightest Star told me how big the blast is. Even if I chucked it, the thing would still reach the city." The blast would not just wipe Oleander off the map, but Lillian as well. The Beast’s final attack and means of total annihilation.


    "What do we do then!" Sky felt panic settle in. After everything they had gone through, the thing was just going to blow up. Despite that, though, Hope looked strangely calm.


    "Do you like me, Sky?" Hope asked, cocking her head.


    "What kind of question is that?" Sky asked, blushing. "What''s with you? We need to figure something out-"


    Hope closed her eyes and leaned forward, kissing the girl. Sky froze and stared in shock as Hope pulled away, giggling. "Sorry," Hope said sheepishly. "I wanted to at least have my first kiss before I died. I don''t count Wish. You''re going to be a great hero, Sky. I know it."


    "H- Hope-" Sky felt a sharp pain in her stomach as Hope''s fist slammed into her. Sky dropped to her knees, gasping out as her eyes went wide. She clutched her stomach, nearly blacking out.


    "Goodbye, Sky. I really liked you." Hope''s back glowed as a pair of large wings made of fire forced their way out of her. She reached behind her and ripped her backpack off and scooped up the orb inside of it, holding it close to her. She turned back to look at Sky one last time, getting a final look in. "Tell my parents I''m sorry."


    Sky stared at the girl as Cinder smiled happily. "Hope!" It was too late though.


    The ground broke as Hope forced herself to fly. The tiny orb was heavy, but she wasn''t going to give up. Her wings flapped and grew larger, taking on the shape of a butterfly as she got above the city and kept on going nearing the clouds. She chanced a look down at the bag that held the orb. Even through the fabric, she could see the glowing. ''Are you sure about this?'' The Brightest Star asked in her ear.


    Hope didn''t say anything as she surpassed the clouds. She felt a chill hit her, and her body shook, but she kept on flying. Her lungs ached, her vision blurred, and ice began to dance across her fist. "Cinder," she said quietly. She got right to the edge of Earth. "I got to be Cinder—I was a real hero, right?" It was funny. It had started with a backpack. She had thrown it at Mars King in the bank. That was the first time she had truly felt like she had done something. Like she had made a difference. She could still remember the face of that little girl she had saved.


    ''Yeah... You were a hero.''


    She threw the backpack out as hard as she could with everything she had. Just like how she had thrown it at Mars King.


    "I was a real superhero!"


    It barely left her grip and then exploded.


    In an instant, Hope Lauren''s atoms came undone, and she was blown to bits...


    Somewhere within a familiar stone tower, a new statue would be found. The statue of a previous Lord of the Sun and Cosmos. The statue of a hero who called herself Cinder appeared.