Wyvern''s feet landed on the beach below. The hero was careful not to knock over any of the piles of junk, something the Victorian didn''t seem to care about as the golden woman basically dropped from the sky and crashed down onto an ocean of scrap metal, using it as some sort of makeshift throne.


    Hope let go of Wyvern''s tail and looked up at her city. They were in the junkyard that took up most of Oleander''s beach. The Giants had seemingly marked it off as not being part of the city. The massive, armored men had moved away after seeing that they weren''t posing any harm, leaving her and the two Enforcer members alone. Her mind was still racing, trying to figure out what could have happened in such a short time.


    Just how long had she been missing for?


    "This place is a dump," the Victorian called down toward her and Wyvern. The world''s strongest woman had replaced her battle-damaged uniform yet again. A new cape was tied around the woman''s neck, and all the tears in the army uniform had been stitched up by Lady Time, but they were still nasty-looking, marking the entire outfit with a battle-damaged look.


    "No one ever got around to figuring out where a better spot to put all this junk would be." She said awkwardly. She still didn''t really understand what her relationship to this woman really was. As a kid, she adored the Victorian. The woman was her everything and her top favorite hero. Even now, she still dreamed of flying around the world with the woman fighting crime and would kill just to be her sidekick. That said, she also couldn''t help but notice a lot of the mistakes and flaws the number one hero carried. "What are you doing here?" She asked slowly.


    The Victorian''s smile faded for a moment, and the woman awkwardly shrugged her shoulders. "Lillian had Ocean Empress, Daisy has Lady Time, Dandelion has Mister Man, Gladiolus now has my daughter, Violet is protected by Fable, and Wyvern guards Daffodil. Boy Genius and Beta are the only two heroes who don''t guard any of the cities, instead focusing on their little prison. In the past, Rose used to be my city, but now..."


    "You''re not the number one hero anymore." She finished for the woman.


    "No. I''m not."


    She nodded her head, feeling a mix of emotions. Mr. Larison had somehow beaten the Victorian. She knew he was strong, but to be on that level… That likely meant he was in Rose, which meant she wouldn''t be able to find him in Oleander, no matter how hard she looked. "Wyvern and Fable, both said you knew I was alive. How?"


    The Victorian hopped off the pile of trash and floated down until she stood in front of the young girl before her. Slowly, the woman brought her hand up to her chest. "I felt it in here. I could tell that the Brightest Star half that exists within you hasn''t moved to a new host. Though I never expected you''d be in such a small form..."


    "You know about the Brightest Star?" She asked, shocked.


    "I learned about it recently after speaking to Battery," the golden woman said, shrugging. "I must admit I''m a bit jealous. After all, the shard within me never once bothered to try and start a conversation with me."


    "The shard within you?" She froze as she understood what the woman meant. Brightest Star was split in two. The being had claimed Full Monarch did it. She only held onto the title of Lord of the Sun. Her Cosmos half was lost.


    The Victorian smiled, giving her a knowing look. "That''s right. Within me is a bit of the Lord of the Cosmos."


    "A bit? What do you mean by that?" She asked startled.


    The woman gave a nod to Wyvern. The dragon-themed hero nodded back and grew her pair of wings once more, allowing her to fly off. It was a conversation that Wyvern didn''t need to hear. Once the Enforcer member was long gone, the Victorian began to speak once again. "When I first saw you way back during that charity event, part of me had a faint idea that the power of the Lord might live within you. I''ll admit, seeing how weak you were in the past ticked me off a bit. The Lords aren''t anything special, in my opinion. They use cheap tricks to get as far as they could, and none were able to unlock the same level of power my father did. That was until you. In the fight with the Beast, you did the impossible."


    "That wasn''t me." She shook her head. "That was the Brightest Star."


    "Boy Genius''s drones caught the entire thing," the woman said. "Maybe in the beginning, you weren''t in control, but that wasn''t the case for the entire fight, was it? Toward the end, that was you. Cinder was the one who channeled the power of a Lord."


    "Only half."


    "Yes. Only half." The golden woman looked up at the sky, staring at the cracked moon above, which hung up there. The woman sighed softly. "During the war with the Emperor, my father had been sent away from the planet by that damn sword." Hope recalled the memory she had seen. The Emperor used his blade to teleport Full Monarch as far away from the planet as possible. "Even with his top speed, it took him a long time to return. During that time, over four years had passed on Earth. For four years, I trained my ass off to try and fight the Emperor and beat him. In the end, though, it was still my father that did it. He defeated and killed Nier. Yet Nier returned somehow due to being a Ruler. During the fight with the Emperor in his final battle, my father tore his power in two. When he died, the Lord of the Sun didn''t go to me."


    "It went into the pod that created me, right?" She asked, looking down at her hands. "And I''m guessing the Cosmos half went into you?"


    "No."


    "Huh?"


    "The truth is the Cosmos half is lost forever." The Victorian let out another tired sigh and shook her head. "The reason I assumed you''d never reach my father''s level is because most of his true power came from the Cosmos half. It held the power to alter the universe itself. Yet, in the battle with the Emperor, he faced a mighty monster. One that could shake the heavens. After he split his power in two, he sacrificed the Lord of the Cosmos half, using it to lay a finishing blow on the Emperor, who had grown even stronger over the four years my father was gone. I believe it is also this same power that might have once saved Battery’s life and made the man think he was no longer a Ruler. My father was somehow able to cut off the connection they held, to whatever it was that kept bringing them back.”


    She felt a hollow pit forming in her gut at the number one hero’s words. That was why Battery was constantly dying? She remembered the memories once more. That second Emperor, the one who possessed that blue and black light… Full Monarch had done something to the villain in that fight?


    If that was the case though, and Full Monarch did save Mr. Larison from the title of Ruler, why did it come back when Battery died in his fight with the Beast?


    She was pretty sure she knew why…


    Nier had brought Lucifer back. The man had used the power the energy gave off to force Lucifer to come back even after the villain died at the hands of Full Monarch’s Cosmos half. Come to think of it, Battery didn’t come back until after the battle with the Beast… After a new Calamity should have been born. Had she been the one that turned him back into a Ruler? Was it her fault he was now the way that he was?


    “All that''s left of the Lord of the Cosmos is less than embers. Perhaps that''s why I never heard the Ego speak to me." The Victorian hummed. "Less than ten percent of that power is still living within me, which is why I am able to use the Galaxy Dress and control sunlight. It was my father''s last gift. And I''m truly glad he gave it to me. It was thanks to that power I was so sure you were still alive despite Boy Genius finding what was left of your corpse in space."


    She felt a little queasy at the mention of her own corpse but brushed past it. A lot of what the woman was saying made some sense. After all, Ruby Admiral seemed to have completely different powers compared to the Victorian. "And it was because you knew I was alive that you let the Hero Branch expose who I was?"


    "I didn''t know they were going to take it that far."


    "You didn''t stop them though."


    "I can''t."


    "Why?"


    "Because. I made a promise to my father." The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I promised him that as long as I could, I would stand in his former place and do his job. I made a vow with the Hero Branch to obey them and stay on the line of justice. I wasn''t the hero that this world needed; that hero has long since been dead, but I could at least stand in that spot until his rightful heir returned."


    "Are you talking about Mr. Larison?" She frowned.


    "No." The woman shook her head and let out a soft snort. "After the battle with the Beast, Jack Larison was taken into custody by Boy Genius. There, the two of us asked him a series of questions. I wanted to make sure he was still on humanity''s side. It was during this point he told me his plan."


    "You mean what''s going on now, right?" She looked toward the Giants that roamed Oleander. "I heard he kicked out all the heroes."


    "Not all of them, and it wasn''t so much as he kicked them out." The woman cracked a small smile. "I told you; I made a vow to obey the Hero Branch as long as I remained as the number one hero. I was their ultimate weapon. Jack knew this. That''s why he told me about his idea. We would engage in combat, and if he was able to beat me, I''d allow him to take my place and lend him Rose City. The only other person who could possibly take him out besides me would be Boy Genius, and even then, it would take him time to come up with a plan. Time the Hero Branch wouldn''t have. Once they learned I lost, they''d have two choices. Either try to cover it up and get rid of Battery, which they would only be able to do with the help of Boy Genius, or they''d have to try and strike the same deal they made with me, with Battery. He never gave them a chance, though. In one night, his Giants marched forward, appearing in every city, and kicked the Enforcer member out of it. The other heroes, such as the Enforcers teams, or the Sub Enforcers, were left alone and allowed to stay in the city. He did this before the Hero Branch could come up with a choice."


    "Wouldn''t they just make it look like he was a bad guy and try to get the Enforcers to team up against him?"


    "That''s likely what they would have tried, but there were two issues with this." The number one hero held up two fingers. "The first is that he brought Poseidon with him to the battlefield he fought me at. She recorded our fight and uploaded it already. Most of the world already knows he''s bested me and is thus stronger than me. Power doesn''t exactly make you the number one hero alone, though, which is why he also went ahead and defeated most of the gang villains that were in every city almost at the same time with his army. Due to his actions in the fight with the Beast, he''s quickly risen in popularity. The only heroes besides myself who are more popular than him at the moment are Pretty Face and yourself. The second issue that stops the Hero Branch from messing with him is due to how destructive it would truly be. See, not every Hero Branch member is corrupt. Some are seeing how much his Giants are improving the places he touches. They stop crime whenever they appear and have also been quick to fix up cities. Places that were thought to be closed forever are being reworked and used by them. If every Enforcer member other than me were to fight Battery, they''d likely win. Especially since they would have Boy Genius and Beta, but the destruction wouldn''t be worth it in the eyes of the Branch."


    "I still don''t understand why he kicked all you guys out of the city, though, but left the other hero teams behind."


    "To give the rest of the world the help they''ve been needing."


    "Huh? What do you mean by that?"


    "Have you seen the outside world?" The Victorian looked out at the vast sea, watching the waves rise and crash. "There are so many towns, villages, and even other cities that have been built. All without the help of the Hero Branch. Yet many of these places are small still due to how hard it is to advance." She couldn''t help but think of Coral Island. The Anti-Matter Gang wasn''t that big of a threat compared to some other groups, yet it alone had almost wiped out an entire village of people in seconds. "The Emperor tried to give powers to normal humans but failed and created his Monster army. Many of them went mindless and kept growing. He even used numbers from Lucifer''s army. These creatures still roam the world, living beneath the ocean or the Earth, and breed like rabbits, making more monsters. They attack villages on the daily. Not to mention all the other evil Supers that live outside of the cities and cause untold chaos in these lone places. I''m not enough. Neither was my father. That''s the root of all of this. Staying inside of these cities might allow us to protect those people, but it leaves the other humans open to attacks. By taking over all the cities, he''s showing the Branch that he can protect them all. It''s still a work in progress, and only time will tell if his plan is actually smart or not, but it''s forced the other Enforcers to leave and look at this world. To look at all the places that still need help."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    She said nothing for several moments and processed the woman''s words. Many of these places didn''t join the Branch due to fear of Supers. On the other hand, she had to admit it would be easy for even a low-tier villain like Intake or Red Ape to take one of these places down on their own. Helping them out if they needed it wasn''t bad, but what if they didn''t want it? However, if a person were to find themselves in trouble, she''d likely try and save them even if she knew they didn''t want her help.


    And for that matter, would the Hero Branch really sit on the sidelines like this and be okay with what Mr. Larison was doing? Even if he had a good cause, she didn''t fully agree with it. It would have been better to speak about this plan to the other heroes and not just the Victorian, who seemed a little too eager to get rid of her position as the number one hero.


    "Are you still going to be a hero?" She asked slowly.


    "As long as this world still needs me." The woman nodded. "When I was a kid, I wanted more than nothing to spend time with my father. I acted out and did what I thought would get his attention. Now that he''s gone, though, I want nothing more than to make sure this world meets the standards that he held. I''ll take Oleander under my wing and protect it while Battery takes Rose. Even if he''s kicked us out of the cities, they''re still ours to protect. And now that I''m no longer the number one hero, I don''t have to worry about that silly vow I made!" The woman announced smugly and placed her hands on her hips, channeling her inner Ruby Admiral.


    She let out a relieved sigh at the fact the Victorian was going to stay a good guy. She didn''t know if her heart would be able to handle having to fight her idol. "One more question then, if you don''t mind me asking."


    "Go ahead."


    "Earlier, you said Battery wasn''t the one that was meant to take your father''s spot."


    "That''s right. He isn''t. That said, he still bested me in combat. Now it is his turn to hold onto that title until the rightful owner claims it."


    "So, who''s the rightful owner then?"


    "Are you dense?"


    "What?" She asked.


    The Victorian looked her in the eyes and raised her finger, pressing it down on Hope''s nose. "Obviously it''s you."


    "What!"


    The golden woman cleared her throat and gave a sly smile. "And now that you''re back, I think it''s time I make it official. Cinder, from this day on, I''ve decided that you''re going to be my sidekick."


    "Bu wah!"


    ***


    He clutched his stomach as he vomited. It took him a second to calm himself as it poured out, but once his stomach had nothing left to give and his gagging stopped, Alexander allowed himself to slouch down. He stared numbly at the bucket he had used, his eyes tracing the pool of red liquid that was filling it up.


    "More blood, huh? That ain’t good." He slapped himself on the face and wiped some of the blood away from his mouth, forcing on a grin. "Hold on a little more, Alex. You''re a cured man, remember? Don''t go dying too soon. You still have a lot of work to do!"


    He slid the bucket down onto the railing and reburied it with the piles of rubble around him. Once it was hidden, he turned around and began to head back up the tracks to where the rest of their little community was. Whenever he felt himself getting a bit sick, he’d always duck down into one of the rubble-filled train tunnels when no one was looking and do his business out of sight, so no one would have to worry.


    There was no need to stress anyone else out after all. Not after all the things they had to go through.


    As he exited the tunnel, his eyes adjusted to all the lights that had been hung up, and he heard the chatter of people. It still blew his mind that Hope''s friend had been able to cause all of this. Tents and blanket forts had been placed around the underground platform, which he climbed back onto. A few people were cutting up one of the creatures they hunted, some mutated bears, and the smell of the cooking caused his stomach to growl a bit. Children ran around playing while the adults continued to work. Even despite the bad situation, they all somehow thrived. All thanks to the hero known as Paragon.


    "Yo, Lauren!" Someone called out to him. "Why are you coming back from that tunnel? That one''s been blocked off for weeks now."


    "I just wanted to check it out for myself!" He lied. "Never know, it could be cleared out any day from Zoo poking around, and I just wanted to be careful."


    "Mr. Lauren, Mr. Lauren!" One of the kids ran up to him, and he laughed, opening his arms. The child leaped into them, and he spun them around a bit. "Guess what!"


    "What?" He asked the laughing child.


    "Ms. Paragon said she was bringing back strong people!"


    "Did she now?" Paragon still hadn''t returned after leaving for the surface. She and that Kyle kid had gone to find the Sub Enforcers. From what he knew, many of the members of that team had all been friends of his daughter. It made him a bit happy to know that she had so many kind people in her life. He placed the child down and folded his arms. "You know, the heroes back in my day were way cooler."


    "They were?"


    "Yep! We had some real badas- Er badbutts." He rubbed his chin, thinking back. "I lived up near a village in Daisy when I was your age. It was a beautiful place with lots of open fields and plenty of places to fish. Our city was protected by a hero named Golden Weaver. He was one of my favorites, back in the day!"


    "Really!"


    "Yeah! Even got him to sign a T-shirt! Though Hope tore it up when she was a baby." He snorted. He gave a sad smile for a moment and ruffled the child''s hair. "Hard to believe she used to be as small as you."


    "Hey! I''m not small!"


    "Yeah, you''re right! You''re growing bigger every day!"


    "Hey, Lauren!" One of the men near the second tunnel called out to him. "A couple of us were planning to go hunting again tomorrow. Do you want to come?"


    He didn''t get a chance to speak as someone else yelled at the hunter. "He can''t! He''s agreed to help us fashion more spears and armor!" Their local woodsmen hollered.


    "What! He promised he''d help us set up more tents!" A group of women huffed out.


    Alexander let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Guys, don''t worry, I can help all of you out!"


    "But you already do so much of the work?"


    "That''s just because I''m in the tippest-toppest shape of my life." He boxed the air a bit, flexing his muscles. "I never felt better! Now that I''m out of that stupid hospital, I feel like I can do anything!"


    "Just don''t push yourself too far." Someone in the back called out to him.


    "Don''t worry! I won''t." He waved at all the people as he made his way through the crowd. Eventually he reached his tent and ducked inside of it, closing it off. It didn''t block out all of the chatter outside, but he had long grown used to it. He stopped though when he saw his wife. "Jane... We''ve been over this. You need to eat."


    Jane Lauren rested on top of the mattress they had laid out. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the orb of twitching metal, which moved in response to her wrapping itself around her tighter. A bowl of soup rested on the ground untouched and had turned cold. Alexander took a seat and grabbed it, taking the spoon and bringing it up to his wife''s lips. She refused to open her mouth and just sat there, not moving an inch. Her eyes were dull, and she stared off into space.


    "Jane..."


    "It''s my fault." The woman''s voice croaked and sounded stressed due to how long she had gone without speaking. "She died because of me."


    "She''s not dead." Alexander shook his head and reached up to brush some of his wife''s hair out of her face. "That Paragon girl insisted Hope is still alive. That Kyle kid even claimed he saw her."


    "She''s hurt then," Jane mumbled out. "Badly. And it''s all my fault."


    "It''s not your fault."


    "It is."


    "It isn''t."


    "It is-"


    "No, it''s not, Jane."


    "Yes. It. Is." Jane closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I let her go out. I should have put my foot down. I should have said no. I should have done everything in my power to stop it. But I didn''t even when I saw her come back bruised. Even when I saw how it affected her emotionally, I bit my tongue. I didn''t say anything. I didn''t stop her from putting that costume on. I never got onto her. Because... Because she looked so happy. For the first time in years since you were put in the hospital, I saw her laughing and smiling. She was talking to more people besides Armin. She was going out of the house and speaking more. I didn''t do anything, though. I stayed up all night constantly worrying, but I never bothered to call her. I never got as mad as I should have been when she''d come home late or ditch school. I just did nothing."


    Alexander sighed and shook his head. "We knew something like this could happen when we first saw her blast a hole in our roof with laser eyes." He smiled fondly as the memory came back to him. "Both of us knew she had powers and that she''d likely want to grow up and be a hero. It was always the cool and popular thing to do. It was my choice to hide it from her, though. I didn''t want her to get herself hurt, so we hid her powers away and didn''t tell her the truth. Maybe if we had been open with her, maybe if from the beginning she knew, and we were honest with her from the start, something like this would have never happened. If you want to say it''s your fault, then that means it has to be my fault as well. Since it was my idea, the one who is really responsible is me. So, if you want to hate anyone, then hate me."


    "It''s not your fault, though. You were sick."


    "And if it''s not my fault, then it''s not your fault either."


    "But-"


    He cut his wife off by shoveling the spoonful of soup into her mouth. "Now eat up. You should be a hundred—no, a thousand times healthier than me!" He kept bringing the soup up to her mouth, and she quietly ate it.


    "It''s cold..."


    "Well, maybe next time you eat it when it''s good and hot!" He placed the bowl down and wrapped his arms around the woman. He felt the pod brush up against him as it seemed to debate what to do with him, but eventually, one of its tendrils wrapped around him as if it were also hugging him. "It''s going to be okay." He said quietly. "Hope''s a strong girl. I know that she''s going to come back one day. And the first thing she and I are going to do is drag you out of this bed and go to one of the biggest theme parks in the city. We never got to go to one together as a family."


    "Are any of the theme parks even open?" Jane asked quietly as she placed her head on her husband''s shoulder.


    "If there aren''t any, then I''ll make them open up!" He declared.


    "You''re so silly."


    "I prefer cool."


    He didn''t get to say anything else to his wife, and a second later, the tent opened up as one of the hunters poked their head in. "Mr. Lauren! Come quickly! Paragon has returned, and she''s brought a whole group of strong Supers!"


    He pulled away from his wife, smiling down at her as he placed his hand on top of her head. "I have to get back to work.”


    Jane clutched onto him but eventually let go. “Do… Do you really think things can go back to the way they were?”


    Alexander frowned for a moment before he finally gave a soft shrug. “Do they need to?” He turned his back on his wife and got ready to leave. “I think it would be just fine to keep pushing forward where we are now, just as long as we can still go on to be a family.”


    “That would be nice…” That was the last thing he heard his wife say as he shut the curtain and stepped out.


    Alexander turned and found most of their group were facing the stairs that led up to the surface above. "It''s about time she''s returned. She''s been gone the whole day. However, I can''t blame her. After all, it looks like she brought some strong-looking people." The man noted, rubbing his chin.


    Footsteps echoed throughout their tunnel as Paragon slowly walked down the stone steps. Her hair was pure white and fell down her back, reaching slightly past her waist. Her eyes were a fiery red color and blazed with determination. She wore her white lab coat and carried a long wooden sword that hung from her belt. Behind her, five other Supers followed.


    The first Super looked more like a monster than a man. A tall, bull-looking person, they walked on curved legs and wore ancient-looking metal armor that bent from the force of their bulging muscles. Next to him, a young man in an orange jumpsuit stood. He had messy red hair and a long-scaled tail that jutted out behind him, flexing back and forth. A girl stood next to him. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, and a metal mask covered her upper face. She wore a long, elegant silver dress that seemed to almost be alive, swirling back and forth softly. The final two people were a man in heavy-looking armor, resembling a set worn by ancient eastern warriors, letting out a series of robotic clicks as he walked, and a massive swarm of wasps that twisted and formed into a vaguely humanoid shape.


    Myth, Drake, Oxide, Metal Ronin, and Wasp Nest. The new Oleander Sub Enforcers were here. Kyle wasn''t allowed to come and was left back at the base...


    "So, is this everyone?" Alexander asked when Paragon finally reached the bottom of the stairs.


    Sky nodded and gave a slight grin. "Yep. These are some of my friends. We''re going to put a stop to Zoo once and for all since those Giants up top haven''t done anything yet." Even with Battery''s might, the underground beneath a city was a place his forces couldn''t reach, and so crime was slowly sinking beneath the cities.


    Alexander turned and motioned to the tunnel the hunters would use. "In that case, I''ll lead you guys there."


    "You''re coming with us?" Myth asked, letting out a snort. "Is that safe? Red Ape might not be a serious threat, but he is still a Super."


    "Mr. Lauren knows these tunnels better than anyone." Sky explained. "He was one of the first people that explored them. If anyone can stop us from getting lost down there, then it''s him."


    Myth nodded his head as he stared at Alexander. For a moment, the former leader of Pantheon was reminded of the time he first met Hope. She had insisted on coming with him to hunt down Red Ape, and it had been thanks to her that he was able to navigate the tunnels at all. Like father, like daughter...


    "You have nothing to fear with me around." Alexander grabbed one of the wooden spears the men used to hunt and casually placed it over his shoulder. "I can handle myself pretty well. And by that, I mean I''m totally going to hide behind you guys when the fighting starts!"


    "And here I thought he was going to reveal the fact he was secretly a Super or something." Metal Ronin snorted.


    "I wish! If I was a Super, life would be so much easier!" Alexander said with wide eyes. "I''d love to have powers like Golden Weaver or something! That''d be cool!"


    "He''s Cinder''s dad, alright." Oxide giggled.


    Alexander turned away and gave a sly grin as he pointed his spear toward the tunnel. "Now. Let''s stop stalling. It''s go time!" He announced proudly.


    Sky drew her own sword and pointed it up. "Get ready, Red Ape. We''re coming for you."


    "Yeah!" The others cheered.


    Meanwhile, deep beneath Oleander City, a young girl lazily rested on an old train. "Man, am I bored." She slowly brought the green wolf mask down over her face and grabbed the katana that was at her side. "Can''t something cool happen? Maybe I should pay a visit to Rose. I hear you''ve moved over there, Battery." Green Wolf let out a low giggle before she fell back onto the train and waited for something fun to happen.


    Little did she know, she was about to get her wish.