The Hero Branch truck drove off, causing most of the destroyed road to rumble. It was a bit shocking that they were able to even get the ride to show up since Oleander wasn''t in the best condition, but the Branch really didn''t want to rely on Battery for keeping the villains contained. It was up in the air what would happen to Red Ape. He had been the only one captured.


    White Lamb and Doc both got away. Green Wolf apparently became some sort of creepy hive mind and was still out there in the world, while White Spider, Red Monkey, Black Shark, and Black Crow were all undead zombies who had been changed at some point when they were in Nightshade.


    Things had really changed a lot since the battle with the Beast. Not just with Oleander, but the entire world had seemingly entered a new age.


    The Victorian had been forced to leave the city once enough Giants appeared. Number one hero or not, the woman was still one of the strongest people on Earth yet seemed content with following Battery''s rules. Ruby Admiral had never wanted to be the number one hero and had instead been keeping the spot warm for when someone else could come and take it. Battery being the one she had been waiting for was doubtful, but the man proved he had the power to back up his words by besting the Victorian in combat.


    Myth had also been forced to leave. The man was now the leader of the Sub Enforcers and would be required to give reports to the Hero Branch on what happened and the state of his team. Despite how hated he had once been by the Branch, the people who ran it were willing to overlook anything and run with Myth while they focused on the true issue that Battery was becoming.


    That left just the four of them.


    "So, Cinder, is this your dad?" Purrfect asked in a sly tone. The cat-themed hero walked alongside them and gently reached out, poking Alexander Lauren in the shoulder.


    "Yes, I''m her father." Alexander said sheepishly. The man looked back at his daughter. "I''m still processing some stuff, but you can call me Alexander. Are you a friend of hers?"


    "Friend isn''t the exact term I''d use." Hope said with a snarky tone. She took a moment to glance at Purrfect. "She fought the Beast alongside me. I thought she had died during that fight, yet I find out she''s not only still alive but somehow in every city?"


    "Clones." Purrfect explained casually. "Those are all my clones. Teacher can''t control all of his Giants as well as he normally can, with so many being created and spread out across the world, so he is basically using me as a medium. I control them for him, and with my new Inverted power set, I can be anywhere or everywhere!"


    Paragon folded her arms, frowning. "That''s all fine and dandy, I guess, but why exactly are you following us?"


    Team Sub Enforcers and the Victorian had quickly left once all the excitement was gone. That meant it was just the four of them now that walked the streets of ruined Oleander, heading back to Sky''s base. She had wanted a bit of some alone time or something to talk to Sky, but her father was here also, and for some reason Purrfect had been following them around non-stop.


    The cat girl only gave a sly grin. "There is no us."


    "Huh?" Paragon frowned at the girl''s words.


    "I''m not following you or Alexander. I''m just following Cinder." Purrfect explained.


    "Why?" Cinder questioned sheepishly.


    "It''s simple!" Purrfect sprung forward and wrapped her arms around the restored girl''s, hanging off of Cinder''s arm tightly. Paragon''s red eyes almost seemed to explode with fire, and the Lord''s already white hair somehow grew brighter as Paragon reached for her sword. Purrfect ignored this though and instead went even further by placing her head on Cinder''s shoulder. "Like, I saw what you did in the Beast fight. Then again, most of the whole world did what with the fight being live streamed by Alice Ward and Boy Genius. You''re totally my type, so wanna go out or something?"


    She tried her best to speak, but it just sort of came out as a series of stutters. "I- er- well- I- you-" Her arm was pressed right between Purrfect''s chest as the seventeen-year-old hung off of her arm. She wondered briefly if she got her fire powers back because her face suddenly felt extremely hot, and she was sure steam was coming off of it.


    Paragon''s sword drawing snapped her out of her embarrassed moment though as the white-haired girl struck out at Purrfect, only for the cat girl to narrowly dodge. "Back off!" Paragon hissed out at the other hero. "She''s already dating someone!"


    "I am?" She asked, taken aback. "Who?"


    Paragon''s angry look then turned to her, and she flinched back, suddenly aware of how much stronger Paragon had become. "What do you mean, who?" Paragon yelled, flailing her arms around. "You literally kissed me after the Beast fight!"


    "O- Oh yeah." She chuckled sheepishly, shrinking down further. "I, uh... kind of forgot..."


    "You forgot!"


    "W- Well, a lot of stuff has been going on, and... I''m just going to stop talking now..." She suddenly felt like a kid again from how small she was hiding on the ground while Paragon glared down at her.


    Purrfect pouted a bit and shrugged. "Well, if she''s already yours, then I don''t want her." The cat-themed hero turned away, giving a lazy wave. "Watch your back though, Paragon. Teacher seemed to be keeping his eye on you last time I checked. Your sister also asked about you."


    Paragon''s sour look only grew worse. Purrfect jumped away, leaping high into the air, and vanished. "A- Are you okay?" She asked nervously to her friend.


    Paragon''s look turned back to her, and she shrunk down even further. "Y- You idiot. You really know the wrong things to say, don''t you?" Paragon growled and then spun away, stomping off down the street.


    She stood there awkwardly and jumped a bit when her father placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don''t worry." He said a bit sheepishly. "I didn''t get it for a while either."


    "Huh?"


    Her dad didn''t bother to explain what he meant any further. She followed after her dad and Sky, feeling a bit odd. Eventually, they arrived near the entrance to the subway station. She had seen the state of her city with Wyvern and then further after her battle with Red Ape, but actually walking the streets was another thing all together. Even at night, the streets would usually have some people walking around, but now they were strangely empty. Battery''s Giants had been working hard, and even now many were still clearing rubble, but Oleander could hardly be called a city anymore. It would take a few years, at least, before it even came close to reaching its former glory.


    "Why are we at the entrance to a subway station?" She asked once Sky stopped in front of it.


    "This is my base." Sky said, turning back. The girl''s angry look was finally gone, but their tone still wasn''t that happy.


    "You have a base?" She asked shocked.


    Sky''s head slowly nodded. "Yeah. After you... After the Beast fight, I formed it."


    "Your friend has been the one keeping us all safe." Her father explained, clapping her on the back. He had a wide grin on his face. "She''s really something, Hope, I''m telling you. She was able to beat back so many monsters and grunts that tried to attack our people. It was thanks to her we were able to form a community and work together."


    "Community?"


    "I think it''s better if you see for yourself." Sky had the slightest hint of a smirk now.


    They climbed down the stairs, entering the subway station, which opened up. Her eyes went wide when she saw the dozens of tents scattered around and the many people running around the platform. Children were playing various games, while adults cleaned clothes or began to cook whatever supply of food they had. She was instantly reminded of the island she had been on earlier. Those people had also been able to live amongst each other, forming a group. Sky had seemingly done the same, keeping an entire section of the city safe. She wondered briefly just how strong the other girl must have become.


    "Paragon''s back!" Someone shouted.


    That was all it took for the flood gates to open, and people began to rush them. Even before the Beast fight, Paragon had been pretty well known, due to the fact the girl was the daughter of Ocean Empress and one of the greatest healers in the world, but now it seemed Paragon had gained a large following.


    Over thirty people had swarmed the healer, shooting out a series of questions and requests. Sky managed to give another genuine smile as she talked to her people. "Mr. Lauren I''ll catch up once I deal with these people. Why don''t you take your daughter and go see your wife?"


    "If, you''re sure." She wanted to protest, but her father dragged her away. She looked back at Sky, who was still in the middle of talking to all the people. The girl looked happy. Happier than she had ever seen her before. "She''s really something you know." Her father patted her head as they walked to a tent in the back. "I''m serious, she''s the reason so many of us are still alive... Things were bad when you..." Her father trailed off slowly. "I''m glad you''re okay."


    She smiled softly and grabbed his arm gently. "Me too."


    No one seemed to recognize her in the subway station, despite the fact her identity had been revealed. She wasn''t too shocked by that, though. There were a few key differences between her and the other Cinder. For one, the fake Cinder had been based off the version of herself right before the Beast fight. Her hair had been short, stopping right before her shoulders. Wish had been the one to cause that; the girl had torn out a chunk of her hair, so she had been forced to get to cut it. Now the body she had had long hair that fell just before her lower back. It was actually even longer than it had been when she first started out as a hero. On top of that, though, her eyes were blue and her hair was a raven black, whereas the fake Cinder had golden hair and fiery red eyes. The last notable difference though was the scar.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She reached up and brushed the scar that went directly across her forehead. It was jagged and had faded by now. It was a wound she had gotten after her very first fight with Wish. Even after being turned into a child and then getting her old body back, it still wasn''t gone. That mark Wish had left on her still remained. It was in fact the only wound she still had that hadn''t left yet. No amount of healing seemed to get rid of it.


    "Are you okay?" Her father asked when he noticed her rubbing her head.


    "Yeah. I''m fine. Is mom okay?"


    Her father rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "She''ll be a lot better once she sees you."


    They stopped outside of the tent. Her enhanced hearing was back, and it allowed her to hear the soft humming that came from inside. It wasn''t from her mother, though. It was coming from something else. Something she had heard before. From beneath the tent, a faint blue light gushed out.


    She moved the curtain away and saw her mother. Her mom rested on a sleeping bag, and in the woman''s arms was a large metal pod. The thing had seemingly come to life and almost wrapped itself around the other woman, humming softly. Blue light kept seeping out of it, but it all stopped once she entered.


    Her mother let out a soft sigh. "You were gone for a while, Alexander."


    "Mom." She croaked out.


    Instantly her mother''s look changed, and the woman''s head rose up looking at the entrance.


    For a moment, Jane''s eyes stared at Alexander, then they slowly turned to look at the young raven-haired girl that stood next to the man. "Hope?"


    She didn''t have time to say anything as she was tackled into a bone-crushing hug from both the woman and the metal pod. The two of them squeezed down on her hard, causing her to gasp and groan. She could feel her muscles and bones ache from how hard she was being hugged.


    "M- Mom, I think you''re going to kill me." She squeaked out, already seeing stars. Her mom didn''t say anything and just began to cry softly. She felt her own eyes tear up, and Alexander crouched down, wrapping his arms around both her and her mother. "It''s okay." She finally managed to say. "I''m okay."


    "Y- You''re really you?" Her mother sobbed out.


    "As far as I know?" She chuckled.


    "You should have seen her earlier, Jane!" Her dad said with wide eyes. "She was so short and tiny! I was able to pick her up and swing her around!"


    "Don''t say embarrassing things like that, dad!"


    "But it was so cute!"


    Her mother''s arms grew tighter around her. "Don''t ever disobey me ever again! Next time I tell you to leave Oleander, you leave Oleander! You won''t ever be fighting something like the Beast again! In fact, I don''t want you fighting ever again!"


    "But mom-"


    "No buts!" Her mother still hadn''t stopped crying yet and was somehow still scolding her. "I gave you one rule when I said you could be a hero. You have to save yourself! You didn''t do that! D- Do you have any idea how much I was worried!"


    She rubbed her mom''s back softly. "I''m sorry I made you worried." The pod let out a series of beeps, and metal tendrils seemed to wrap around her waist. "You too, I guess?"


    "I agree with your mother." Alexander slowly pulled away from them. "This is the reason I never wanted you to get powers, Hope. It''s dangerous. You died!"


    "What!" Her mom said in shock.


    "I only sort of died." She winced, trying to defend herself. "I mean, the fact the Pod here is still connected to me proves it." She brushed her fingers over the metal. "I''m still a Lord. I survived the Beast fight. If I can walk out of that, then I''m pretty sure I can survive anything."


    "I don''t care." Her mom said softly. The woman pulled away and shook her head. "I don''t want you getting hurt like that ever again. I... I thought I was going to die from how much I was hurting."


    She looked away, not meeting her mother''s gaze. "Mom. I''m Cinder. I''m a superhero. Look. We can talk about this later. There''s still a lot that needs to be figured out. But I promise you. Both of you. I won''t ever lose like that again." She looked at both her mom and her dad. "You don''t ever have to worry about me again."


    "Hope''s right." They all jumped when they heard the voice of Sky. The healer had finally managed to get through the crowd and walk over. "About discussing this all later, I mean. Right now, we should focus on other things."


    "Like what?" She asked.


    "Well, for one, we should get you more clothes." Sky said a bit embarrassed. "I didn''t mean to stare, but... Wow."


    She jumped back, covering herself up, as her face turned a bit red. "What the hell, Sky?" Her clothes had gotten pretty banged up throughout the day, and her sudden growth spurt had only caused them to get worse. She wasn''t in her super suit nor her Kevin suit. Nothing too bad was showing, but she felt a little embarrassed by Sky''s looks all of a sudden. Her father took off a coat he was wearing and placed it over her. "Thanks."


    "Of course." Her father smiled.


    "Your parents have been living here ever since the Beast stuff went down." Sky explained. "You''re also welcomed to stay here. We have food and have been managing well."


    She nodded softly. "That does sound nice."


    "More importantly, though, you don''t really have a choice." Sky sighed.


    "What does she mean, Hope?" Her mother asked.


    "Well..."


    She awkwardly tried to explain what happened. Slowly she thought back to what went down on the roof tops when Purrfect had been there.


    "She should be in the Sub Enforcers!"


    "No! She should be my side kick!"


    "No! She should be in the Sub Enforcers! I was her previous team leader, and we have all her friends!"


    "Well, I''m the hero she idolized, and I have a way to greatly power her up! It''s only natural she should be my new side kick! She''ll be the second coming of Full Monarch and take down Battery!"


    Both Myth and the Victorian seemed to be butting heads, the two heroes glaring at one another. Finally, they turned and shot looks at her. "Pick, Cinder!" They both screamed.


    She shrunk down and hid behind Sky. Slowly, she peeked over the Lord of Life''s shoulder. "D- Do you both promise not to be mad when I pick-"


    "Pick!" Everyone shouted at her.


    Sky reached up and patted her hand. "It''s okay, Hope. Do whatever you want."


    She nodded her head slowly and managed to calm her beating heart. The Victorian, Myth, Purrfect, Wasp Nest, Oxide, Metal Ronin, and even Sky and her own farther were all staring at her eagerly waiting to hear what she''d pick. She closed her eyes and gave her answer.


    "Neither."


    "What do you mean, neither!"


    Just like that, shouting began as all sides yelled at her this time, and she hid behind Sky even further. Sky just sighed and shook her head, shielding her from the yells.


    The Victorian''s arms folded, and the golden woman literally stared through Sky to look at the Lord of the Sun. "Explain yourself, Cinder. Now."


    She peeked back out from behind Sky''s shoulder once more. "I did a lot of thinking on my way over here. I''d love to be your sidekick and have you train me. Likewise, I''d love to join Myth''s team and fight alongside my friends once more. There''s a reason I can''t pick either of your sides, though."


    "And why''s that?" Myth asked, also folding his arms.


    She stood up fully and looked down at her city for a moment. "I''ve decided. I don''t want to be a superhero that works for the Hero Branch." She met both Myth''s and the Victorian''s eyes. "I can''t agree with everything they''ve done. Victorian, you''re still working for them, aren''t you?"


    The golden-haired woman bit her lip and looked away. "Cinder. I get they made you mad, but the Hero Branch is a group that owns all ten cities and all the heroes. You can''t just not work with them."


    "The Victorian is right." Myth sighed. "Even on Pantheon, we still had to work for the Branch to an extent. They fund everything about being a hero. They build your weapons and costumes as well as give you medical attention when you need it. They also capture the villains you hold and pay for all the damage heroes cause. If you tried going against the Branch, then you''d be billed for every street or building you destroy, and they wouldn''t even bother capturing the villains you contain. They might even send other heroes after you. You being a Lord means they''d be even more strict about letting you run around as an independent hero. I get that they used your image, and what they did does make me sick, but they literally run our world. They''re practically the ones in charge of everything."


    "I don''t care." She looked her former leader in the eyes. "This has nothing to do with the fake Cinder." That was a bit of a lie. It had some stuff to do with it. "I saw things. I saw the past. I know stuff. Like, I know who you used to be, Ruby." Her gaze caused the Victorian to flinch. "I''ve seen the Branch do good, and I''ve seen them do a whole lot of bad. Maybe they are the only thing keeping this world in order. And maybe getting rid of them would cause more issues than it would fix, and that''s why you haven''t done anything about them, because at the end of the day, the ends justify the means. I''m not that smart; I get that, but I can''t stand by and work for a system like this." She clenched her hands into a tight fist. "I''m not going to get in their way, and I won''t try to stop them. But I also won''t be a cog in their machine. I''m the hero Cinder. And the version of Cinder I want to be is someone who can save Oleander City. I don''t think that will happen if I keep working for the Branch."


    "Are you seriously trying to make it as a solo hero?" The Victorian scowled.


    "Are you going to keep listening to the Hero Branch?"


    The Victorian didn''t bother answering her. Instead, the woman just lifted off of the ground. "Whatever. I offered to give you the Cosmos piece I have back, but I''ll just keep it then. I''ll keep an eye on you because this silly plan will fail. Maybe you''ll be smarter next time we talk." Then, just like that, the golden woman was gone.


    She felt a little hurt, but she looked back at her former team member. "Myth?"


    The man sighed. "I get what you''re wanting to do, Hope, but this is an entire system. It isn''t something that can be beaten by being the strongest. Even Full Monarch wasn''t able to get rid of all the evil that is in the Hero Branch. He did use them for a force of good. It''s because of the Hero Branch that the world can still move on even after so much evil."


    "Maybe." She turned away. "But I''m going to follow my own path-"


    "Is this because of Battery?" Everyone went silent when Sky spoke up, her eyes trained on Hope. "You can be honest, Hope. The Hero Branch despises Battery. They want him dead and have been working with Boy Genius to stop him. All because of what he''s done recently. Is the reason you''re refusing to work with the Branch related to him? Because you know that once you got the piece of the Cosmos or the backing of a Sub Enforcers, they''d order you, the next Lord of the Sun, to go kill the villain known as Battery?"


    "It''s been a long day." She casually threw her arms behind her head. "I think we should all get some rest."


    She never bothered to answer that question.


    That had been the event leading to her walking alongside Sky, Purrfect and her father. Slowly the memories faded as she found herself back in the tent with her parents.


    "So, you decided to make enemies of the Hero Branch." Her mother let out a heavy sigh and slumped down. "Can''t you just do anything normal for once, Hope?"


    "Nope." She said flatly. "I refuse. That''s the coward''s way!"


    Sky bonked her on the head gently. "We don''t want you doing anything that''ll get you hurt, idiot! Why can''t you just take better care of yourself?"


    "Because I have you around to patch me back up." She shrugged.


    Her words caused Sky to look away and mutter a few things under her breath. She felt her father''s hand on her shoulder, and she looked back up, meeting his eyes. He was giving her a thumbs up. "Way to save it. You made up for the disaster that was earlier. Keep lines like that coming."


    "Huh?" She made a face at him.


    Sky recovered and sighed. "It''ll be dangerous moving forward. I doubt Myth will do anything, but the Victorian is sort of a bitch at times. No offense, since I know you look up to her, but that golden woman might seriously attack you if the Branch orders it because you turned her down."


    She shuddered a bit, imagining the number one hero charging at her. Slowly though, she steeled her nerves. "That''s okay."


    "Is it?" Sky asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you don''t even have your fire or anything like that?"


    "She doesn''t?" Her mom asked, frowning.


    She shook her head and looked down at her hand once more. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t get a spark of fire to come out, and her hair refused to change. She also still didn''t hear the Brightest Star. "There''s a couple of things I''ll try. For now, I''ll just hide behind Sky."


    "How... Brave of you?" The white-haired girl asked, cocking her head to the side. "I guess it''ll be a nice role reversal, though. This time you''ll be the damsel in distress."


    She chuckled before slowly remembering something. "Oh yeah, there''s actually something I''ve been meaning to ask."


    "What''s that?" Sky asked.


    "I didn''t see Snowdawn with Myth. What team did he join?"


    Instantly, the atmosphere in the room changed. All the smiles were gone, and her mother once again let out a broken sob. She suddenly felt an intense sense of dread.


    "W- Where is he?" Her voice broke a bit. "I- I mean, I''m sure he''s with your sister or something, right? S- She trained him. H- He''d be in Lillian. Right."


    Sky looked down, not meeting her eyes. "Hope..."


    "Where''s Armin!"


    "Hope!"


    "I was told he was still alive! Your sister told me! He was in the ocean! Where is he?"


    "I''m sorry."


    "Sky!"


    "He didn''t make it."


    Her entire world seemed to shatter and break at those words. Armin Moore, the hero Snowdawn, her best friend, and basically her brother, was dead.


    She felt tears begin to fall down her face. "That''s... N- Not... Cool." He would have been proud that she made a cold pun.