Arvin Ros paced back and forth. The director of Daisy held a stress ball in his hands, which he kept gripping, squeezing till it finally popped. "I take it all back." The man muttered. "Ward is right about you; you''re downright useless! I can''t believe you had a member of the Immortals with you."


    Hope flinched a bit and couldn''t bring herself to look up and meet the man''s eyes. She was just as mad at herself as he was. She had literally allowed one of the most evil people in the world to stand casually next to her parents. This revelation about Meta was practically causing her blood to boil.


    "She should be arrested!" Halo screamed, throwing her arms into the air. "Not only did she humiliate me, but she also caused all that damage to the city, and she is clearly working with the Immortals!"


    "I''m not working with them." Hope snarled out and glared at the older woman, causing Halo to let out a yelp and dive behind the chair she had been sitting in.


    "Intentional or not, you still allowed a member of the Immortals into my city." Ros sighed and collapsed in his seat. "There''s only one reason they would be on the move like this."


    "The Murder Games." Purrfect leaned against a wall, her head bowed and her arms folded. "Battery said it would be starting soon, but I hoped he was wrong. As usual, he isn''t..."


    "You don''t get to say that," Hope said under her breath, but she knew the other hero could hear her. "You didn''t know him as long as I have."


    Purrfect frowned. "Hey, don''t get all snappy with me. You''re the one that screwed up, you know."


    It was just after Metatron and Michael had left. Ros had quickly gotten his Hero Branch officers to clear the scene of the public who had been there to witness everything that went down. All the heroes present had been gathered up, and they now all rested inside of the director''s office. It was a plain-looking room with several shelves of rewards and seats scattered around.


    Hope found herself near the back, sitting in a soft armchair. Next to her, Dust Cloud and War God stood. Dust Cloud looked very uncomfortable, while War God looked like she was full of rage. They both stood on either side of her, ready to act if she tried anything funny. Halo was on the other side of the room, practically hiding behind anything the woman could get her hands on. Finally, that left Ros, who paced around the room nonstop, and Purrfect, who was chilling out in the corner.


    Hope leaned forward in her chair, but her movement caused both War God and Dust Cloud to tense up. "I think who really screwed up was you, Purrfect." She said flatly.


    "Oh yeah?" Purrfect raised an eyebrow.


    "You figured out who she was and had plenty of time to act, but you didn''t." She stated in a blunt tone as she stared back at the cat-themed hero. "Instead, you sent these three people after my friend and then waited on the sidelines. You didn''t warn anyone, and you didn''t bring any proper backup. You wanted all the credit for yourself, right? Using Battery''s Giants, you planned to try and get a cheap shot off of them, but that failed, and you ended up letting them get away. Then, of course, there''s the fact you made me fight these three idiots-"


    "Idiots?" Halo''s knuckles turned white from how hard the woman gripped down on the chair. "You''re the idiot!"


    "Nice comeback." She said sarcastically. Halo looked like she was about to lose it, but before another fight could break out, Purrfect let out a soft laugh, catching them all off guard. Purrfect laughed for several seconds before finally managing to catch her breath. "What''s so funny?" Hope asked, frowning.


    Purrfect''s smirk grew larger. "Just the way you''re speaking now. I didn''t really get to know you too well before the Beast stuff, but you seem like you''re a totally different person from that version of Cinder that I met. You keep talking about how Battery changed, and you want to speak to him because of that, yet you don''t seem to realize how much you''ve changed as well."


    Hope shook her head and looked down at her hand for a moment. "No. I''m still me. I''m just a little more ticked off than I normally am. I''m not the one that changed. It''s the world I returned to that''s different. However, that does bring up my next point. You can get in contact with Battery, right? Tell him to come over here."


    "Battery is an enemy of the Hero Branch!" Ros spat out. "He is not allowed in here!"


    Purrfect snorted and rolled her shoulders. "Sorry, Cindy, but no dice. Not because of what this guy said, though. Battery isn''t leaving Rose. He''s been too focused on that place. The only time he left it was when he went to steal—well, that doesn''t matter. The point is, he''s staying put. He did want me to pass on a message to you, though, when he learned you were alive."


    "Oh yeah?"


    "''Stay away.''"


    Hope let out a giggle. "Yeah. I was betting it''d be something like that. He''s scared I''m going to make him change his mind about whatever plot he''s cooking up." Her smile turned somber for a moment as her head bowed once more. "That was how it started out. I''m the one that keeps him on the straight and narrow path. I leave for a bit, and look what happens."


    Purrfect''s smile vanished, and the girl frowned. "Don''t get it twisted. Battery doesn''t need you anymore. You shouldn''t even care about that man in the first place. He told me all about his plan. You know he never actually cared for you, right? When he learned you were the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos, that was when he pretended to join you. You were never a person to him, always just a weapon. One that he planned on aiming at his enemies. After you died, though, he decided it was time to pick up the slack himself. Now, he''s going to be the one that handles it all. So he honestly doesn''t need someone like you around. How does that make you feel?"


    "If you''re trying to hurt me with your words, it won''t work." Hope stood up and turned away, ignoring the way War God and Dust Cloud flinched. "I''ve made my mind up a while ago. Mr. Larison is in a bit of a rough state right now. He has nothing to worry about, though, because I''ll be there to smack some sense back into him."


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Ros barked out when she walked to the door.


    "I''m leaving. If you think you can stop me, go ahead and try." No one budged an inch as she opened the door and began to leave. She slammed the door shut behind her, shattering most of it.


    Ros grumbled a bit but didn''t say anything. It was Halo who spoke up next. "What do we do now?" The woman asked nervously.


    Ros finally took a seat and slouched down in his chair. "A little bit ago, Roulette of team Watch Dog got in contact with Ward. He claims Michael came to Watch Dog''s base and did confirm that the Murder Games are soon to begin."


    "And we don''t have Boy Genius to help us?" Halo whimpered.


    Ros let out another heavy sigh and shook his head. "No. We have Battery to thank for that." The director shot a nasty look in Purrfect''s direction. "He''s really screwed us over this time. Not only has Boy Genius vanished since Battery took over Rose, we lost contact with Beta. Those two were the only ones able to get in contact with the Victorian, so now our strongest fighter is God only knows where on this ball of dirt."


    "Battery could get ahold of him—"


    "He''s the reason we''re in this mess!" Ros yelled, cutting Purrfect off. "Do you even understand why the Immortals are a threat? Sure, in terms of destruction, they aren''t as bad as the Beast, and when it comes to a body count, they don''t come anywhere close to the Emperor, but they make up for it in one way. They have never lost." Ros let out a few deep breaths as he collected his thoughts. "The reason they are called the Murder Games is because the Immortals follow a series of rules put in place by one of their members. Not even Lucifer is above these rules. When the games begin, they pick a series of players and a city. That city then becomes blocked off with a barrier so strong I doubt even Full Monarch could get into it. That''s why it''s so hard for us to stop them. When the games start, whatever city is selected has to rely on the heroes that are within that city. That means it''s usually one Enforcer and their team and one Sub Enforcer team going up against all five of the Immortals. Worse yet, the heroes have to keep protecting the city''s people who are caught in the crossfire. Because of Battery, though, there isn''t a single Enforcer in any of the cities!"


    "That''s not true." Purrfect''s grin was back as the girl cocked her head to the side. "Rose still has Battery."


    "So what? It''s not like the Immortals are going to attack it. They''ll likely attack my city or something!" Ros grumbled. "God only knows what poor bastards are going to be forced to play in their damn games."


    Purrfect just gave a lazy shrug and moved away as she headed for the door as well. "Battery has a plan. There''s a reason he did what he did. You just have to trust him."


    "Well then, it''s too bad I don''t!"


    "Yeah," Purrfect''s smirk vanished for a moment as she opened the door. "I guess it is."


    The door closed once more, leaving Ros alone with the three other heroes. Halo''s shoulders slouched slightly. "Welp... I''m going to go suck up to Pretty Face and hope he lets me back into his bunker."


    Meanwhile, down in the parking lot of the building, Hope opened the door to her destroyed van and climbed in. The poor ride had seen better days, that was for sure. A sad fact as well, considering it hadn''t even been a week since she set out: it was hard to believe how much stuff was constantly going on. Back when she was on Pantheon, it seemed like weeks would go by when nothing was happening. Now... Well, now it felt like she barely had time to sit down before some new threat stood before her.


    Was this how Full Monarch felt?


    She shook her head and closed the beaten-up door behind her. Despite how badly the car looked outside, the inside was the same as she had left it, not having been damaged. That was good. At least it wasn''t totally ruined.


    She moved to the kitchen area of the van and found her mother and father waiting for her. Or at least her mother was waiting for her. Alexander was placed onto the table, still unconscious. Kevin rested on the table next to her dad, the monster''s red tendril seeping out and piercing one of Alexander''s veins. Jane was seated nearby, watching with a worried look.


    "What''s going on?" She asked, fully stepping into the kitchen.


    "I don''t trust that Meta bitch now that I know who she is," Kevin grunted out. His tendril twitched and pumped something into her dad''s arm. "I''m breaking some of my cells down and sending them through his body to check it out from the inside."


    "You can do that?"


    "With a lot of focus. Something you''re currently breaking."


    Hope nodded and raised her hands up in a surrender motion. "Right. I''ll leave you to it then, I guess..."


    Kevin''s weird blob form eyes her up in silence. "What''s with you? You know this is tiring work, right? I''m basically saving your dad''s life. It''s also all your fault this happens."


    "Hey, now!" Jane stood up, glaring down at the red monster.


    "What?" Kevin rolled his eyes. "I''m right, and we all know it." The monster shrugged his shoulders the best he could, which was impressive since he didn''t actually have shoulders. "She let that Meta girl come into the van, and she even left that blasted woman alone with her father. Not to mention, she left me there to protect this guy. I ain''t a hero. Though, I have to say I''m sure as hell better than you or that Halo girl. You got all ticked off at that girl for destroying the city, yet you didn''t stop her fast enough. Come to think of it, you''re almost never fast enough to get to the threats when it really matters, are you? Even when you saved me, back when I was a human, you only showed up at that warehouse after I had been shot. Some hero you are-"


    "That is enough!" Jane yelled. "I won''t just let you badmouth my daughter!"


    She winced, and her shoulders grew slack as she nodded softly. "No, Kevin is right." She managed to give a faint smile. "I just seem to always be a bit behind, don''t I?" Sometimes I really hate myself for that fact. Mr. Larison was always the speedy one. Coming up with good ideas was his skill, not mine." She shook her head and slapped at her face, doing her best to cheer herself up. "That''s all the more reason I have to get him back! Cinder and Battery! That was how my story started, and it''s how I''m going to make sure it ends!"


    "Hope..." Her mom stared at her, almost with a look of pity.


    "I''m fine!" She turned away and threw her arms behind her head casually. "Can you get us out of this city, Mom? I need to go to Gladiolus, clear up something there, and then I can head straight to Rose City and give Mr. Larison the biggest knuckle sandwich!" Jane frowned, but slowly the raven-haired woman nodded and stood up, heading for the front of the van. She was about to follow but stopped for a moment and shot a look back at Kevin. "Thanks."


    "If you''re thanking me for saving your dad, then don''t bother." Kevin spat out. "He only got injured because I slacked off and got too cocky. I''m just doing this so I don''t owe him any favors."


    She snickered and shook her head. "No, it isn''t for that, though; thanks for making sure he''s fine. Also, thanks for what you said. Sometimes, I don''t pay attention to some of the mistakes that harm people. I... I want to do better, but it''s hard. I still have a long road ahead of me if I want to be a good hero." Her hand balled into a fist. "Next time I see Meta, I''ll make sure I don''t let her or that guy escape. I''ll stop them both."


    "There''s going to be a next time?"


    "Haven''t you seen my luck? Of course there will be a next time."


    "Good point." Kevin shuddered a bit. "Just be sure that I''m not there when you get into a fight with those crazy bastards. Seriously, I ain''t the hero type, got that! I''m not going to fight the Immortals! No matter what!"


    "Noted."


    "I''m serious!"


    "I''m sure you are." She giggled a bit as she headed for the front of the van. "Let me know when my dad wakes up, okay?"


    Kevin grumbled some more but kept working. "All of you are just pains in my ass... This whole family is stupid sometimes."


    The van already roared to life when she reached the front. Her mom was at the wheel, and she took a seat next to the woman as they drove out of the parking lot. They hit the main road and began to head for the bridge that connected Daisy to Gladiolus. The bridge went through the wall and was placed on the other side of the city in a way that caused the main castle to block it off. This meant she really hadn''t gotten a good look at Gladiolus and didn''t really know what to expect. Armin had told her a bit about the city, from a time he and his mother had visited it, but that had been years ago.


    She took a seat next to her mother, and they drove mostly in silence. Slowly, though, her mother kept peeking at her. "Are you okay?" The older woman asked.


    "I mean physically, I guess I am." She shrugged and rubbed her stomach. "I''ll need to get new clothes, though. Feels like I go through a new set of clothes each time I get into a battle."


    "I meant emotionally. You''ve been a little hard on yourself lately." Her mother said sternly.


    She winced again and gave a lazy shrug. "I guess I''ve just noticed how much harder this has all gotten. And yet, it still feels like it''s nothing compared to what Full Monarch did. Everyone seems to have these expectations of me being the next him, but that just doesn''t seem possible. And, like, I''m not trying to be him, but still. I just am starting to see the mountain I have to climb. Made all the worse by the fact that I don''t have my Lord powers."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "You''re doing the best you can. You''re still young. You''re still a kid. Anyone that expects you to save the world is a dumbass."


    She giggled before something caught her eye. Someone stood on the side of the road, staring at their van, seemingly waiting for them. Her mother saw them as well and slowed the car down until they came to a stop in front of the person. Since there were no windows, she was able to just poke her head out. "Hey, you need something, dwarf bro?"


    Dense Iron''s eye twitched a bit as he glared up at her. "I have a name!"


    "I know."


    The man growled and gritted his teeth. "You know, I have half a mind to not give you this stuff! I''ve been waiting out here for hours for you to show up, and this is the thanks I get?"


    "Stuff?" That was when she noticed he had a backpack on, which had a long, wrapped object attached to it. It was obviously a sword, and her eyes lit up as she stared at it. "You got me a gift! I knew it! This is the part where you give me the sword I used earlier, isn''t it? You recognize my brilliance and are going to lend it to me-"


    "No." Dense Iron said, causing her smile to fade. "I told you, that blade is worth more than you''d ever be able to pay off. It costs almost as much as an entire city and ain''t for sale."


    "Aw..."


    "This ain''t much, but here." Dense Iron slowly took off his bag and tossed it into the van. She caught it and stared down at the backpack. Her hands found their way to the wrapped object, and she undid it to find that it was indeed a sword. It wasn''t the one she had used earlier, though. That blade had been finely crafted, forged from a strange black metal, and literally hummed in her hands. This one, by comparison, was almost plain looking. There didn''t seem to be anything special about it at all. "That was one of my earlier blades." Dense Iron explained. "It still gets heavy and tougher when swung, but it''s just a normal sword. It likely won''t be able to cut anyone with durability, no matter how hard you swing it. You can use it to bash some heads in, though. You seem good at that. Inside of the bag is also a jacket. Nothing special, just a plain tracksuit coat for you to wear so you stop ripping your clothes. It''ll also get tough and heavier with my powers."


    She hugged the backpack to her chest and ran her finger over the iron blade. Even if it was a plain and boring-looking sword, she was still giddy. If it did get as tough as he said, then she could use it as a shield while also using it as a blade. It was almost too good to be true.


    "Why are you just giving me this stuff?"


    Dense Iron had already turned and was walking off, but the small man turned to look back at her as he ran his fingers through his beard. "Your name is Cinder, right?"


    "Yeah?"


    "I wasn''t there. I wasn''t in Oleander City. Not like Heavy Iron or Light Iron were. Those two boys had gotten a lot of their gear from me, and I wasn''t able to be there with them when they battled the Beast... You were, though. You even took that thing down." Dense Iron gave a smile, one that she couldn''t see since his back was turned. "I guess I''m just a little glad that you beat that thing when you did." He began to walk off.


    Cinder was nothing like Full Monarch. He was sure of that fact. He had been the one to make Full Monarch''s gear, after all. That had been so many years ago. Back then, he had tried making a sword for the number one hero, but Full Monarch turned him down. After all, the number one hero didn''t need a weapon. Weapons were meant for killing, and Full Monarch despised killing. He would much rather save people. Cinder, too, wanted to save people. He could tell it just by looking at her. Despite that, though, she wasn''t afraid to carry a weapon. She was able to take Halo with the sword without using the blade. She really was different in her approach to handling combat.


    "You would have liked her, Jackson." Dense Iron reached the end of the curb, vanishing from view. "You would have been proud to know she''s not another you."


    Back in the van, Jane drove once more and let out a soft chuckle. "That was nice of him."


    "Hell yeah, it was! I got a badass sword!" She attempted to draw her sword but didn''t have enough room. With a smile, she placed it back at her side and opened the bag. Inside was a simple tracksuit jacket that was red with a white stripe across it. It was clearly made out of some fancy material and sort of felt like a weighted blanket, being a little heavy. It likely wouldn''t be used too much; she did have a hero suit in the form of Kevin, after all, but it did mean that if she was caught without a costume again, she wouldn''t have to worry about her clothes exploding as badly.


    "So next stop, Gladiolus City?" Jane asked.


    "Yep! Onwards!"


    They didn''t really have to worry about anyone getting in their way. Daisy''s people didn''t usually drive cars, keeping the whole fantasy theme going on, and the Hero Branch had seemingly decided to leave her alone after she beat up so many of their heroes. Soon enough, they arrived at the bridge that led to Gladiolus. Right off the bat, she noticed something was wrong.


    It was angled in a weird way, going up in a slope-like motion. Despite that, though, she didn''t actually see the city it was connected to. It just kept going up and up, getting steeper and steeper, until it went through a cloud.


    "Where''s the city?" Her mom questioned.


    "Good question. I have no freaking clue."


    The van drove up a little more and reached the bottom of the sloped bridge. She was about to get out or try calling for someone, but before she could, a loud buzz echoed out. Something came out of the bottom of the bridge and connected to their van, wrapping around it. It was a series of wires. Jane tried to back the car out, but it was too late.


    All along the bridge, a series of gears began to form, and then their van was tugged forward. Silver wires jutted through the stone and seemingly fused to the bottom of their car, no doubt caused by some sort of power. The wires tugged them all the way onto the bridge and forced their car forward, going up the slope.


    She was forced to buckle herself in as the entire van began to lean back as it was dragged. It was like an escalator or something, dragging them up top. "Kevin! Keep my dad secured to the table! And keep the table secured, too!" She screamed back as the van was forced into a ninety-degree angle.


    Kevin managed to wrap himself around Alexander, and he stabbed another one of his tendrils through the table and into the ground, keeping it held in place as everything in their ride was flung to the back as the van was lifted up fully.


    The wires carried them higher and higher as their van was lifted across the bridge, and soon, they went straight through the cloud that it pierced. As it kept going, a heavy mist started to get thicker, and it became totally impossible to see anything. The only sound that greeted them was the shaking of their van as it rumbled along. Eventually, though, they came out of the mist, still rising up, and the bridge slope began to change once more, curving slightly. They were past the clouds, heading to one massive series of them that stood above all others.


    Hope felt her eyes widen in shock and also mild hype as she noticed the bridge connected to that massive cloud. It didn''t float like the other ones did, instead staying perfectly in place. It also looked less like a cloud the closer they got and more like a series of cotton. The ''cloud'' itself was massive. Made up of hundreds of large chunks that all formed together into a size nearly as big as Daisy. All along the top of it, many different buildings were located. They were all formed from stone and looked like skyscrapers, but each one was far smaller than any building in Oleander. Despite that, though, they still pierced the skies themselves, higher up than any other building could claim.


    It looked very similar to Oleander or Lillian, with a series of different buildings, streets, and parks. As their van pulled all the way up to the top of the bridge, they were jutted out and landed awkwardly on a nearby road. People dressed in business suits walked around like normal, though some did shoot them odd looks, and many children were playing in the streets and road.


    It looked shockingly peaceful and normal. Even safer than Daisy had seemed. Made all the more weirder by the fact that there weren''t any Giants. For the first time since she had started this trip, none of those massive creatures hung around.


    This city was seemingly free.


    Before she even had a chance to grasp what she was truly seeing, a massive shadow flew above the van, and something came crashing down directly in front of them. "More trouble?" Jane winced.


    "Not this time." Hope smiled and poked her head out the window. "Hey, Fable!"


    From the dust that had formed in front of them, the figure fully stood up, revealing a tall, dark-skinned man in a lion cloak. "Cinder?" Fable questioned. "I guess Lightning Empress was right. What are you doing here?"


    "I was about to ask you the same thing." She said sheepishly.


    Fable let out a small hum and crossed his arms. "It''s a little complicated. You arrived on the sky bridge, right? So that meant you were down in Daisy. You saw what was down there, right?"


    "Yeah, the Giants." She nodded. "That time on the island, when Wyvern and you saved me, Wyvern explained the whole thing to me when we were flying back to Oleander. I notice there aren''t any Giants here, though."


    "That''s right." Fable nodded his head and gave a slightly smug grin. "I lost my battle to Battery. He''s got a mean punch, but he''s still nothing compared to the Lords. He kicked all of us out of our cities and placed all his Giants in each city to keep them safe without us. Not this one, though. When he tried that shit, someone tore his forces down and fried the little kitty cat that serves him. Lightning Empress is not someone to be messed with. She is the Victorian''s daughter, after all."


    "Sky told me Lois got Max''s Lord powers, but I didn''t know she became this strong." She muttered. Then again, she should have expected as much. She had seen Max Lightning through the memories Avalon showed her, and the boy had been part of the Emperor''s grand plan at the time. Clearly, the Lord of the Sky and Weather was someone not to be messed with. "I actually came here to see Lois."


    "I know." Fable gave a faint chuckle.


    "Let me guess, Lois told you I''d be coming?"


    "Yep." Fable nodded. "Wanted me to take you to her. I didn''t really believe her at first; I figured you would be busy training your ass off with the Victorian. How''s that going, by the way? None of us have been able to speak to good old goldie in a while."


    "About that... Just take me to Lois, big guy..."


    "Sure thing." Fable moved over to the van and easily picked it up. Some of the people on the street were taking pictures and snapshots, but he paid them no mind. Instead, the powerful hero crouched down and then, in a single leap, tore through the air. He blasted through the sky at a high speed, leaping from building to building as he headed for some destination. "Since Battery''s Giants kicked us all out of our cities, we''ve all decided to stay here with Lightning Empress." The man yelled out to her. "We''ve been trying to convince her to take the battle to Battery. With her help, I''m confident we could win, but she''s been stubborn. I haven''t been able to get her to move at all. Think you can convince her?"


    "I can try, I guess?" She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I do plan on having her help me get to Battery. I also just wanted to check in on Lois after everything that happened with the Beast. That''s sort of the real reason why I came down here. Or, I guess, came up here?"


    "Speaking of up, how the hell does this place even exist!" Jane demanded. "We''re basically in space!"


    Fable let out a heavy laugh and kept up his series of jumps, carrying the van above him. "Lord of the Sky and Weather. You know how they can be. Max Lightning was the one who brought the city up here. Used to be down in the water like Daisy, but eventually the hero lifted it into the sky and, with his powers, put a pocket of air around it that makes sure people don''t freeze to death or struggle with breathing."


    "That''s so cool!" Hope said, wide-eyed. "Could I put Oleander on the Sun or something!"


    "That''s a stupid idea!" Her mom said, shaking her head. "A very stupid idea."


    Fable came down from the sky, carrying them still as he crashed at the end of a city block. "I have to ask, Cinder," the man said slowly. "My brother. How''s he doing?"


    "Myth?" She frowned and thought of her old boss. "He''s keeping it together. At least for now."


    "Good." Fable sounded a little relieved before he finally placed the van down and gestured in front of him. "Well, Cinder. Welcome to what''s left of the Enforcers!"


    They were at the entrance to a park. Directly past the gate a large stone table resided. Instantly she saw them. Mister Man and Lady Time were already bickering like an old married couple. Wyvern was slumped down, doing her best to ignore them while trying to read a good book. Pretty Face was also trying to ignore the two and instead was shooting himself several suggestive looks as he stared into a mirror. Beta, Battery, Boy Genius, the Victorian, and Lightning Empress were nowhere to be seen.


    Fable walked forward to a seat at the table and waved her over. "This is all of us, not counting Lightning Empress."


    Hope climbed out of the van, and as she did, she slipped her new jacket on and zipped it up. Her sword remained in its sheath and rested at her side. Jane stayed in the van and watched her daughter with nervous eyes. Slowly, Hope approached the table. "Where''s Lois?"


    "Still so impatient." A loud voice announced, seemingly crackling out like thunder. Hope felt the hairs on her body stand up, and she looked to the sky as a figure began to float down. It was a young girl with long grey hair and fiery red eyes. The girl wore living lightning, which formed together, covering her body, and slowly, her feet touched down on the ground. Lois, also known as Whisper, now known as Lightning Empress, cocked her head to the side. "Hey, Cinder."


    "Hey, Whisper."


    "I''m Lightning Empress now."


    Hope didn''t respond to that, and instead, she stepped forward. Both girls stared at each other for several moments before finally they embraced, pulling each other in for a tight hug. "How have you been?" She whispered to the other girl.


    "Good." Lois gave a sad smile, hugging her back. "You?"


    "I think you already know."


    "I do." Lois giggled softly. "I''m glad you''re alive."


    "I''m glad you''re alive as well. Armin..."


    "Yeah... I know."


    They stayed like that for several moments, simply holding one another. Mister Man sighed as he leaned on his elbow. "So, the mighty Cinder did live. She looked a little more impressive in her fight with the Beast."


    "Will you shut it?" Lady Time growled, choking Mister Man out, when she pulled the hero into an elbow lock.


    "It''s good to see you again, Cinder." Wyvern nodded respectfully to the younger girl.


    Pretty Face closed the mirror he held and leaned himself forward on the table, giving a sly grin. "Okay. Now that the main character is here, can we get back to the real job? My fans are waiting for me in Lillian. I promised them a concert, but I can''t do that if Battery''s Giants are there. You kept saying no, Empress, but now your little girlfriend is here, so are you ready to change your mind?"


    Lois flickered her finger lazily, causing a bolt of lightning to zap near Pretty Face. "As cute as Cinder is, someone else claimed her before me. Besides, I already have my special someone, and let me just say, his future is a lot happier than yours." The girl promised.


    "Hey! No reading our Paths!" Pretty Face growled. "We agreed on that!"


    "Oh, don''t be such a woman." Mister Man said, rolling his eyes.


    "Whoa! Sexist!" Lady Time slapped the man over the head.


    Wyvern clasped her hands together, praying. "A big meteor. Just have a big meteor come down and smash them all. Please, God, that''s all I ask."


    Hope stood off to the side, finally breaking out of Lois''s arms as she frowned. "You know, I gotta say you guys are a lot more badass when the Victorian is around."


    "Well, go ahead and give her a call," Fable grunted out.


    "I can''t."


    "Why not?" Everyone but Lois turned to stare at her in shock.


    "I sort of turned her down when she requested I be her sidekick, and she got pissed and left. Haven''t seen her since. No clue where she is now."


    Lois gave a lazy shrug. "Not even I know where Mom flew off to. She''s above my Paths. Same for Battery. It''s why I haven''t gone directly for him yet."


    "That and the fact he''s one of our friends, right?" She asked nervously.


    "Sure," Lois said flatly.


    She shook her head and grasped Lois by the hands. "Listen. I do need your help. I''m not asking you to fight Battery. The truth is I don''t want to fight him at all, but-"


    Lois smirked and raised a hand up. "Hope, sweetie. This is me we''re talking about. I''m already ahead of you in this conversation. You want our help to storm Battery, knowing he''s going to use Poseidon and other people to protect himself, so you can try and get close to him because you think you can be the person that causes him to change his mind. Is that correct?"


    "Well... Yeah! I need to talk to him! I know that if he and I just talk things out, we can come to some sort of agreement! I believe in him still!"


    "That''s cute, but it won''t be that easy." Lois took a seat and shrugged. "He has the backing of Avalon''s company. At least what''s left of it, that thing was almost as big as the Hero Branch itself, so he''s able to battle them in terms of finances. Secondly, he has Poseidon on his side, who is likely stronger than I am. On top of that fact, he has a seemingly endless spawn of those soldiers he can pull out of his ass and now has Beta on his team as well. If that wasn''t enough, Battery himself is a lot stronger than he should be. He was able to beat my mother, after all. I can say for sure I''m stronger than you, and I don''t really know if I''d be able to beat him in a fight. Now, this wouldn''t be too bad if our goal was to beat him. After all, if I and Fable team up, we''d likely be able to win, even if Beta does get involved, as long as Poseidon was dealt with by you or the others. But you don''t want to beat Battery, do you? You want to talk to him, but I just don''t think that''ll work out. I think it will come to blows, and I also think you''ll lose to him as you are now."


    "Well then, what do we do? We don''t have time to wait; the Murder Games are going to start soon." She argued. "I need to do this now."


    "She''s right." Fable nodded. "I received a call about it earlier. We''ve got a serious time limit. We don''t have Boy Genius with us. Who knows what city the games are going to take place in? We need to put a stop to Battery right now so we can all return to our cities."


    Lois let out a sad sigh. "Sorry, but that won''t work out, either."


    "Why not! You said it yourself. We can beat Battery." Wyvern questioned. "If Lady Time and I distract Poseidon, you and Fable can take Battery while Mister Man deals with Beta. With Cinder here, our odds go up even more. We''ve been trying to get you to act, but you keep refusing."


    "Because if I do, it won''t matter." Lois''s eyes lit up, and for a moment, she saw past the veil of the world. "I''ve been watching it. It''s faint. I don''t know how this path will truly end, but I know that I need to do it. The Loudest Thunder is walking me through it. I''m not meant to stop Battery. Hope is."


    "So then, why aren''t you helping me get to him?" Hope frowned. "I just need you to distract Poseidon, and I''ll talk to him."


    "I already told you that won''t work. You''ll lose as you are now."


    "We don''t have time for this." Mister Man grunted. "Just say what we need to do."


    Lois looked at the man silently before slowly turning to look back at Hope. "It''s on you. You have to do this. It''s all riding up to you."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "When you next see Armin, you have to reach out for him."


    "Armin! Seriously, Lois, what are you talking about-"


    "If I tell you too much, you''ll change the Path!"


    "What are you talking about, though? We don''t have time for this-"


    "You''re right." Lois gave another sad grin. "Time''s up."


    Hope felt her blood suddenly go cold as she stared at the other girl. "What does that mean-"


    "Hope!" Her enhanced senses kicked in just in time, and she spun around and ran toward the van. It was her mother screaming for her. She partially kicked the door down. "Hope, come quick! S- Something''s happening!"


    She came to a sliding stop and froze when she saw it. Kevin and her mom were both standing. Kevin had taken on a large orb-like form with massive spiked tendrils trying to claw at something, but his attack went through it.


    It was a strange little creature. That was the only way she could describe it. It looked vaguely like a human; it reminded her more of a chibi plushie with how big its eyes were. It wasn''t that big, around the size of a plushie doll, and it wore a black dress made out of various wires. It had mostly black hair, with a few bits of green along it, and its eyes looked like a star emoji. It rested on her father''s chest, her dad slowly coming to as he stared at the small doll in confusion.


    "Hello!" The doll spoke in a soft and happy voice. "My name is Arch Angel Gabriel of the Immortals!" The chibi announced, waving its arms back and forth. "You''re Mr. Alexander Lauren, correct? Well, good news! You''ve been accepted as a player in this year''s Murder Game! Congratulations!"