ã€ŠGift of the goddessã€‹


 Chapter 1- Our heroes journey begins

    Math, one of the greatest torture methods known to children kind. They deceived us when we were younger. Making us think our one two threes were separate fraom our a b c''s. If only we knew of the great beast Algebra two before it prowled upon us all.

    I swear I don''t understand this stuff. I mean who cares about the exact time Jane has to get to the bus stop. Jane needs to focus on running to the stop!

    I huffed as I leaned forward on my desk. Staring intently at the clock.

    "Come on.." I muttered.

    Brrrring! Brrring!

    Then finally the bell erupted to life. Freeing us all from the torture known as Algebra two! I was the first kid out the door.

    As I made my way outside from the school. I quickly moved to the side of the building under a tree. Shielding myself from the blazing sun.

    I took a breath and relaxed myself. Watching as one by one, all the kids faded away from the courtyard. Eventually leaving, just me.

    "What the heck is he doing?" I muttered. I squinted my eyes and continued to look around the now empty school lot, half expecting to see him magically pop up. "I bet he got in trouble agai-"

    "Raah!"

    I leaped forward in a panic as I heard someone yell into my ear. I looked behind me quickly, ready to attack.

    I practically leaped out of my skin as I heard someone roar in my ear. I quickly spun around and held my hands up ready to fight. But I quickly just sighed in relief once I saw who it was. It was none other than my good old friend Zack, dying of laughter...

    "Gotcha dude!" Zack laughed out.

    He was hunched over now covering his mouth trying to compose himself. However, I wasn''t too entertained by his joke. I sighed and punched his shoulder, quickly walking away from the school grounds. Zack followed behind me, still laughing like an idiot..

    Zack was about my height with shaggy brown hair that went down to his shoulders. He had this old school ''rock star'' type style, and he always looked like he was up to something, like he just stole candy from a baby. He had his signature ACDC shirt on that he always seemed to be wearing (I swore he didn''t wash that thing), with his signature ripped jean jacket vest and black ripped jeans. He really had the too cool for school look down.

    I was a lot plainer looking in comparison though. I had a blue zip hoodie I wore all the time, worn out looking jeans and short black hair that kinda hung in my eyes. I was the type of guy that could easily blend in with the background.

    "So, want to hang out at your place today?'''' Zack asked as he jumped ahead of me with a goofy grin on his face. He turned around, walking backwards to face me.

    "Not unless you''re going to help with chores," I replied.

    Zack groaned, now facing forward again, moving his arms behind his head.

    "I guess the Mighty Zack can help the sad, poor Stryder with meaningless tasks for a while."

    "You mean flirt with my sister all day?" I asked, raising my brow at him.

    "Maybe just a little."

    "She''s too old for you man."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Love has no age; besides, she can''t resist this sexy beast." He stopped next to me with his thumbs pointed toward himself and a cheesy grin on his face. I continued walking ahead and ignored him.

    "There''s not enough water on this earth for all that thirst you got."

    "Like you don''t ogle at Alexis.."

    "Shut up," I mumbled.

    We lived in a small city area, so our walk home usually consisted of a few shops and alleyways. It always smelled like cigarettes walking down the street, like someone was smoking right next to you. It wasn''t the best place to live, but it was affordable.

    As we got further down the road to my place, my eyes widened in surprise at the sight before us. It was a bald guy. He looked like he was in his late thirties, maybe fourties. He was wearing clothes that were obviously way to young for him to be wearing. But the part that caught my attention was the Red Steel beam bandana around his neck. He must be one of them then, a Red Steel Gang member.

    As we continued to walk, I noticed the guy seemingly change his path to walk directly in front of Zack''s. We grew closer and closer, but the guy didn''t move and neither did Zack.They bumped into each other as they passed.

    "Hey Scrub!" The bald man barked out in our direction.

    He stopped walking and so did Zack. We both turned around to face this guy who didn''t look happy.

    "What?" Zack spat out.

    "Maybe you didn''t notice, but I''m from the Red Steel Gang. So if you bow down and ask for forgiveness now, maybe I''ll let you off with a warning." He glared down at Zack who met his glare with a smirk.

    I could already tell this wasn''t going to end well...

    "Look, I''m sorry for him; he didn''t know-"

    "You can shove your forgiveness right here baldy!" Zack yelled back at the guy cutting me off.

    He turned around and pointed at his butt, walking off in a huff.

    "Zack!" I called out. The guy just started laughing and shaking his head.

    "All right kid, you''ll regret that," he croaked as he turned and walked away.

    The Red Steel Gang- Zack just pissed off the Red Steel Gang. I took a moment to register in my mind, Zack just pissed off the most powerful gang in our city. Once we were far enough away, I yelled at him.

    "What the heck is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish or something!" I roared, yanking him around to face me.

    I could feel my heart racing a bit as I tried to control my anger.

    "I''m just sick and tired of that Red Steel Gang, thinking they own the damn place; I''m not going to let them push me around." He looked me dead in the eye.

    I could see the conviction in him; it was rare to see him look so serious. I sighed and relaxed a little bit, I could see where he was coming from.

    "Look, I don''t like it anymore than you do, but making enemies with a whole gang isn''t wise. We can''t fight all of them."

    "I know, I know. I just hate it. It''s like I''m trapped in my own damn city." He growled.

    "I understand. Regardless, if anything happens tomorrow, I got your back." I gave him a reassuring smile, and I could see a wave of relief wash over his face.

    "Then-"

    "Five dollars a mask, sunny!" Zack was interrupted by the call of a small old man in the alleyway.

    He was wrinkled up like a prune and seemed to only have a dirty white cloth on as clothing. He looked like he hadn''t eaten in days. I looked over at his small misshapen, cardboard stand where the two masks he referred to laid.

    One mask was red and the other was white. The white one was sort of plain looking with two normal eye holes and a sword pointing downwards in the middle of it. While the red one looked like some kind of Japanese demon thing, with large teeth pointing up and down. I pulled out a twenty and handed it to the old man and grabbed both masks, handing the red one to Zack.

    "Keep the change," I said softly.

    I gave him a nod as the old man seemed to be in disbelief at the twenty-dollar bill before him.

    "Such a hero, Sir Stryder," Zack mocked with his mask on; he was mimicking a crooked monster-walk now.

    I just sighed and rolled my eyes at him. We both waved the old man goodbye and began to walk away.

    "Thank you, my knight." I assumed it was the old man, but I was puzzled somewhat by the tone. It seemed more...feminine.

    I turned to say no problem, but the man and his stand were gone.

    "Where did he go?"

    "I bet the old guy had the munchies."

    "Right..."

    I decided to just not think about it and push on back down the road.

    We soon arrived at my dad''s apartment. It was one of those new-york styled ones that stands on the sidewalk like a corner store. We walked inside and walked up the steps to my door, I got my keys out and opened it. The apartment wasn''t all that big; there were only two rooms. My dad had one and my sister had the other, so I slept on the couch in the living room. Zack threw his backpack on the floor and jumped on my couch.

    I sighed and walked over to him.

    "Didn''t I tell you if you came over we had to do chores?"

    Zack groaned."But Lux isn''t here yet!"

    "Well, too bad, now get up."

    I demanded as I flicked him in the face. He got up with a groan and we began to clean the house.

 Chapter-2 Reunions

    After we finished cleaning, we put in a movie and sat back on the couch. We didn''t have a DVD player, but we still had a TV that could play VHS tapes. Besides, there really wasn¡¯t much else to do. The living room consisted of just the TV and the couch. There were two baskets next to the couch that held my clothes, one full of my clean clothes and the other my dirty.

    "Finally!" Zack cheered in exhaustion as he flopped back on the couch.

    His shaggy brown hair flew in the air, landing back down and covering his face.

    "You act like you did something," I replied as I walked over to the couch.

    I flopped down next to him and grabbed the remote. Right before I was about to press play, I heard a knock at the door. "I wonder who that is," I groaned.

    I got up and stretched as I walked over to the door.

    "Probably some ghetto kid selling candy," Zack replied.

    I just rolled my eyes at his comment and opened the door.

    "Hey Bro! I left my keys again," Lux chimed with a nervous-looking smile.

    She had bags upon, bags railed down her arms.

    "You gotta stop doing that," I laughed as I started to take the bags from her.

    Lux was a little bit taller than me. She had long raven locks and ocean blue eyes, and she had this amazing ability to make anyone around her smile. No matter what mood they were in. She was still in her nurse''s trainee uniform with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

    "Oh, my sweet Lux has arrived! My darling, how could you keep your future husband waiting!" Zack cheered, exploding to life, not looking the least bit fatigued anymore.

    "Oh, I''m sorry. How could I ever leave poor old Zack waiting? However shall I make it up to you?" My sister sarcastically replied as she walked into the kitchen.

    "It''s okay my dear. I¡¯ll forgive my darling this time," Zack hummed, practically skipping over to her. "Come my dear; let''s watch a movie together on the couch.¡± Lux laughed as she took her hair down. Letting her hair cascade onto her shoulder.

    "Give me a call when you''re legally allowed to watch R rated movies, okay hun?" With that, she started walking away to her room.

    "Does buying a rated R movie from a shady Puerto Rican guy count?"

    "Are you talking about Sarah''s Game? Dude, you almost pissed yourself every time one of those dolls showed up." I about died at the memory of Zack''s girlish screams.

    Zack spun around quickly on his heels and glared at me.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "Hey! When the dolls start taking over and eating your flesh, I''m gone!" He spoke so seriously, I had a hard time telling if he was joking or not.

    He turned back around toward my sister and I heard a loud squeal come from him. He fell back onto the floor yelling, "Kill it! Kill it!" I looked to see my sister holding up her baby doll. The doll was no bigger than her hand. It had curly brown hair and a worn blue sundress. It had pale skin and a cracked green eye. The left eye was missing (total nightmare fuel.) She''s had that thing ever since we were kids.

    "Oh, my darling Zack, did my friend Emily scare you?" Lux laughed as she shut the door to her room.

    "She knows she wants me," Zack said, getting up from the ground.

    "I don''t think she''s into seventeen-year-olds," I muttered.

    We sat back on the couch and started the movie up again. An hour into it, I could barely keep my eyes open. Crap! No! No! No! I can¡¯t fall asleep! Zack¡¯s gonna prank me! My eyes were getting heavier, and heavier. I could see the flashes of darkness, then suddenly everything was black.

    That¡¯s when the picture started to form. I was in the middle of the street, which seemed oddly familiar. I looked around trying to get my bearings, and that''s when she appeared. Everything suddenly made sense. I was with Mom, walking down the road where I grew up. I looked over at her long raven locks and mesmerizing blue eyes. I hugged her immediately.

    "Mom! I missed you!" I cried into her as I buried my face into her side.

    She was so warm and soft. She slowly moved her arms around me, not saying a word.

    "Oh Stryder, if only you really did love me." She whispered softly into my ear, like she was telling me a secret.

    I was stunned, I let go of her slowly, looking up at her face. She was still giving me that same smile, but it felt like it was mocking me now. My heart began to race and I could barely keep still.

    "That''s not true. I do love you Mo-"

    Bam! Something exploded against my mom¡¯s back! She fell face-first on the ground like a rock. Her back was bloody and busted open. My mind slowly went to mush. I couldn''t think, breathe, or move. I looked up and saw a black humanoid figure standing there with a gun in his hand. The words ''all your fault'' started appearing everywhere around me-on the floor, the sky, and the walls. I even started hearing it in my ears.

    "Stop it," I begged, but the voices just got louder and louder. The words swirled around me like a ball, trapping me in a sphere. "I said stop!"

    Then everything flashed in my eyes with a blaring white light. I quickly sat up, my heart racing and sweat rolling down my face. It was like I ran a marathon. I couldn¡¯t stop panting, I was still petrified. I looked around, and I could tell I was home. Zack was sleeping next to me on the couch, drooling and mumbling something about chickens.

    "It was just a dream," I murmured.

    I wiped my face and noticed the tears. I heard someone moving behind, I turned around to see who it was. It was Lux, staring at me with concern. She was fully dressed in her trainee uniform for her morning classes. Seeing her calmed me down some.

    She stared intently at me for a moment. Then, she quickly ran over to me and wrapped me in her arms. I melted into her embrace, it felt so comforting. Like getting a hug from a teddy bear when you were scared at night. I couldn''t bring myself to let go of her, so I ended up holding onto her for a while.

    "I can tell you had that dream again," she whispered softly, gently petting the back of my head. "Remember, it''s not your fault what happened to Mom. It was out of your control." I accepted the words she spoke, but I didn''t believe it for a second.

    "Yeah..." I replied with a cracked voice.

    "I love you Stryder, no matter what that dumb, old drunk says. Now go take a shower, and make sure this idiot does too." She said, pointing at Zack.

    "Gotcha," I replied, giving her a strained smile.

    "Oh, I made bacon and eggs for you guys. It''s in the microwave," she chimed, right before rushing out the door.

    I sighed and got up, trying to clear my head as I walked to the bathroom.

 Chapter-3 I become a clown

    I leaned over the sink and listened to the trickling water.

    I just need to calm down. However the words didn''t stop my heart from practically beating out of my chest. I gripped the sink aggressively and stared into the bowl. Focusing on the water as I let myself calm down.

    "Stryder, Strdyer¡­" It was like the trickling water was whispering my name.

    I just tried to ignore it. The anxiety was just getting to me, that''s all it is..

    "Stryder...Stryder.."

    I jumped from the sink as I heard my name called from behind me. My heart racing again as I scanned the bathroom. It had to be za- I stopped dead in my tracks. When I realized no one was in the room with me.

    ¡°What the heck...?" I mumbled to myself.

    ¡°You have been chosen by fate, by fate," the whispers continued to echo throughout the bathroom, the sound bouncing off the walls.

    My head spun around the bathroom like an owl. Looking everywhere I could to find the source. But the voice just continued. Louder and louder!

    ¡°You shall become our knight!" The voice roared into my ear.

    I panicked and ran out of the bathroom. My heart was punching against my chest, and I could barely keep myself still. It wasn''t the voice that scared me so much. But it was the breath I felt brush against my face as I heard the voice.

    This had to be some kind of prank. Come on Stryder, voices? Yeah right. I took a few deep breaths and started scanning around the house. Looking for anything that could''ve caused the sound. Or even an open window or flowing air vent for that breath. But nothing..

    That voice. It called me a knight, just like the old man did yesterday. Is it possible they were connected? Or am I just hearing things thanks to the stress from the dream?

    My theorizing came to a stop as I heard a loud obnoxious yawn coming from Zack. He sat up and stretched his arms to the sky. His long brown locks were frizzy, reminding of what hair looks like after an electric shock. He didn''t say a word. He just got up and walked into the bathroom. Slamming the door behind him.

    It was at that moment I remember school was gonna start soon. And so did the memory of how long one of Zack''s ''beauty showers'' were. I should really be getting ready.

    I slowly creaked open my father''s bedroom door. Sneaking my way inside to his dresser. I snagged one of his bottles of cologne and sprayed myself. Hoping the deodorant and cologne would mask any funk. Since Zack would for sure use up all of my shower time.

    I sat back on the couch waiting for Zack to finish his beauty shower. I held up my mask in the air and turned it over in my hands. Feeling the cold and metallic material between my fingers. It was weird, the masked looked like it was plastic. But it was heavy and sturdy like metal. What I found even weirder was the lack of a watermark anywhere on it. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    "And the devilishly handsome Zackeriah is complete!" I heard Zack cheer as he flung the door open. Steam from his hot shower flowing out of the bathroom behind him.

    I just rolled my eyes and stood up. Dropping the mask on the couch.

    "Whatever, come on let''s go. Lux left us breakfast." I replied as I leaned down and grabbed my bag.

    "Ah my sweet love left me a gift." Zack hummed happily as he strolled over to the kitchen. "I forgot something at home. So I''ll just meet you at school!" Zack cheered as he snatched his food and ran out.

    ''I forgot something at home.'' That was Zack''s code for. My dick dad isn''t home so I''m gonna skip. I wanted to drop off my food to the homeless guy. So I didn''t bother arguing with him. I just grabbed my things and headed out.

    As I came upon the alleyway however, I saw no sign of the old man. Which was bittersweet. At least I got to eat breakfast I guess.

    I debated if I was gonna be a mom and go make Zack come to school. However, the memory of the last time detoured me from that. I walked in on him in only his boxers while he was singing some old rock song in the living room. Shredding a broom-like it was a wicked guitar.

    So I guess that meant I was on my own today.

    ¡­.

    As the school day progressed, I had been getting really strange looks. People kept pointing and laughing at me, staring at me and taking pictures. I thought it was my cologne at first, but that didn''t explain the pictures. I didn''t really have any time to bother with it, so I just tried to ignore it. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time a bunch of kids made fun of me.

    It was fourth period now¡ªgym class. I got changed out in my gym shirt and shorts and walked out to the gymnasium. We had two gyms connected to one another, the girl¡¯s side and the guy¡¯s. We had girls and guys free time today. Every Friday, after we worked out and did our stretches, we were free to do whatever we wanted in the gym.

    Soon after we finished our stretches, the girls came over to our side. That''s when I saw her¡ªa goddess among the common girls, a beauty undefined by earth who could only be appreciated right by the heavens¡ªAlexis Summers. Alexis had short black hair with fiery red streaks in it, and a creamy skin tone. She was about my height and had these breathtaking amber-brown eyes. She wore these wrist bands that had her favorite bands on them, and usually had a punk-rock style to her.

    She smiled at me and strolled my way, but as she got closer, her face turned from her normal smile to uncontrollable laughter.

    I felt my heart sink. Oh no. No! No! No! I needed to run! But I couldn''t leave since that would be rude! But the smell must have been bad. She''d never love me if I stink! My mind raced until she said the words.

    ¡°Zack gotcha, dude!" She said between chuckles.

    She held up her little makeup mirror thing and I saw my reflection. Zack had drawn all over my face. The markings under my eyes were smeared from my tears this morning. And in big bold letters on my forehead it read, ¡°You got Zacked!¡± Lux saw me like this¡­ Everyone saw me like this¡­ Alexis saw me like this.

    ¡°I''m gonna castrate that boy when I see him," I growled.

    Alexis just laughed.

    "Come here, let me clean you up." She said between laughs.

    Zack figured out early on that I had a crush on her. But I was way too shy to talk to her. So that¡¯s when Zack got hell-bent on making us best friends. And ever since then the three of us have been inseparable. With Zack trying to play the wingman. But I¡¯ll bet all my money that she''s into Zack. She¡¯s always talking about him, and laughing at all his jokes. It¡¯s like her smiles always brighter when he¡¯s around.

    ¡°Hey, did you have that dream again?" she asked, as she looked into my eyes.

    Her face was only a few inches from mine. I could feel my cheeks flushing. I quickly averted from her gaze.

    If I could have my way. I would just stay right here like this. Getting lost in her amber eyes. But this wasn¡¯t a dream, and I couldn¡¯t lie. With a shaky breath, I told her about my dream. Then she did the thing I hated most. She gave me the generic, it¡¯s not your fault speech. I hated it, it was like pitying a child. I know it was my fault. They don¡¯t need to sugar coat it. I know there¡¯s blood staining my hands.

    ¡°Hey!" Alexis huffed.

    I jumped a bit and she flicked my nose. Snapping me back into reality.

    "Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought. What''s up?"

    ¡°So Homecoming''s happening  soon and I was wondering¡­¡± She suddenly stopped, and I could see her cheeks becoming as red as the streaks in her hair.

    She moved her hands behind her back, seemingly trying to hide her fidgeting.

    I could feel my heart beginning to race. Was she gonna ask me to homecoming!? Me? Stupid old me!? I took a breath and tried to compose myself. Doing my best to conceal my smile.

    ¡°Yes?" I chimed.

    ¡°Could you¡­..drop a hint that I want Zack to ask me to the dance?" she blurted out.

    I could feel all of the excitement inside me, just fade. I stared at her for a moment, not saying a word. Zack, she liked Zack¡­Zack. I forced my smile to stay on my face. I can¡¯t let my feelings get in the way. I needed to stay smiling for her.

    ¡°Definitely!" I chimed.

    "Ooh thanks, I''m so shy. I don¡¯t think he would go for a girl like me, but maybe if you tell him, maybe he will!" She cheered as she playfully punched my shoulder.

    ¡°Hey, any guy would be lucky to have you. You¡¯re great." I wanted to leave, I wanted to just disappear from the planet...

    "Aww thanks. I''m glad we''re friends. Now come on, let¡¯s play some basketball or something,¡± she said, pulling me to a hoop.

    Well, I guess I was right...

 Chapter 4 - I Beat up Some Thugs

    I guess this is to be expected. There was always that twinkle in her eyes when they talked. Besides, Zack was a lot cooler than me. His style, his jokes, his go with the flow attitude. Yeah right, like someone as cool as her would like someone as lame me.

    As much as I wanted to shut it out. I couldn''t help but compare myself to Zack. The entire walk leaving the school was just an infinite loop, reminding me why I should''ve seen this coming.

    The thoughts only came to a halt when I saw him at the school entrance, Zack. He waved excitedly toward me with a huge grin on his face. Then a flicker of rage hit me. I forced up a huge smile on my face and started power walking toward him.

    ¡°Hey Stry¡ª!" He stopped in mid-sentence. ¡°Oh, this is not good,¡± he mumbled as he stumbled back.

    When I got up close to him. I kneed him in the nuts. He flopped to the ground like a rock. "Ah! Can¡¯t you take a joke!?" He yelped out as he curled up in a ball on the ground.

    ¡°That¡¯s for the face paint, and oh yeah, Alexis wants you to ask her to Homecoming " I said cheerfully back to him.

    ¡°Find your humanity, Stryder! I never knew my devilish charms were this powerful! I don''t want to die just yet!"

    I sighed, ¡°Get up.¡±

    Zack slowly rose to his feet, still a bit hunched over.

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t plan on taking her to Homecoming. That was never the plan." He huffed.

    ¡°I know I may seem mad, but all I want is for Alexis to be happy. So don¡¯t fight me on this one. Just take her, for me, alright? I know you like her,¡± I said, flashing him a small smile.

    On the inside, I felt this gaping hole in my chest. I tried my best to ignore it and kept the smile on my face. I had to remind myself it wasn¡¯t about me. It was about her happiness.

    I looked him in the eye and he looked back into mine. We stared at each other for a moment. We usually had these weird staring contests whenever we disagreed on a hard topic like this.

    ¡°Fine!¡± he groaned in defeat. ¡°Man, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever win one of those.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now let''s get out of here.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    With that, we headed out of the school grounds and started our trek down the road. Most of the walk was me chastising and threatening Zack, over the face paint he gave me this morning.

    But as we were about halfway down the road to my house. We saw two Red Steel gang members darting toward us.

    One was a tall, dark skinned fellow wearing a tank top and basketball shorts. He had a Red Steel beam bandanna tied on his arm. The guy was built like a tank. The guy next to him had a grey hoodie on with the hood up. He had his mouth covered with a Red Steel beam bandanna.

    As they got closer, they just stopped and in front of us. The two of them looming over us.

    ¡°Hey kids, remember me?¡± The guy with the bandanna said, as he pulled his hood down.

    Revealing a shiny bald head, and then it clicked. It was the same guy from yesterday!

    Then BAM! The baldy clocked Zack in the face. I charged forward at the guy but his friend anticipated me and decked me in the face. I stumbled back and heard them running. I shook off the stinging sensation and charged after them. They were carrying Zack away into an Alley.

    When I made it into the alleyway, I saw them both on top of Zack, kicking and punching him. I wasted no time and charged them both, ramming them off. I quickly stood up and turned around to check on Zack, making sure he was okay. However as I did, I was at a loss for words. Zack had gotten up, and ran away!

    ¡°That little¡ª¡± Bam! One of the guys clocked me in the face again and I stumbled back.

    I shook my head and regained my focus and got in my stance. It was the baldy coming at me again. I smirked at him as I kept dodging and weaving his punches, and then started counter striking him. I was beginning to overwhelm him, that''s when his friend came up and sucker punched me. I couldn¡¯t handle them both, but luckily I had an idea.

    As the baldy came in close, I kicked him in the nuts with all my might. He dropped to the ground instantly with a squeal and his friend took a step back, taking out a switchblade.

    ¡°Huh, you got balls kid, but it¡¯s over.¡± My heart was pounding faster and faster and I could barely think straight.

    I tried calming myself down to think of a way out; I had to hurry before the other guy got up. But the only option I had was to either surrender, or fight with a chance of getting stabbed. I took a deep breath and readied myself; I was going to fight my way out.

    Then, he reappeared.

    Zack was at the entrance of the alley making gestures for me to come back to his end. I couldn''t help but smile, that the knucklehead didn¡¯t leave me after all!

    I looked back at the guy again and had a plan now. I moved some and he lunged at me; his body stance was horrible but it took me by surprise. I moved in close and let him stab me in the shoulder. A sharp, warm stinging pain shot through my arm. I ignored it and kept with my attack and grabbed onto his arm. I turned, flipping him over my shoulder and slammed him to the ground.

    I bit down on my lip as the same sharp pain shot through my arm again, I could feel my blood slowly covering my arm. I shook off the pain and bolted toward Zack. As I got closer to Zack, I could see he was holding something up in his hands. I couldn¡¯t make it out at first, but when I got to him, it all became clear.

    Zack had his hand up, holding a lit Molotov! I couldn¡¯t even comprehend the situation anymore. I started debating if I was dreaming or not, but my heart almost pounding out of my chest answered that for me.

 Chapter-5 We see a ghost

    "Forgive this you greedy little pigs!" Zack roared.

    He leaned back and slammed the Molotov down in front of the two men.

    The bottled exploded as it crashed to the ground, flares of orange and red consumed the area and the two men. It was like a bomb had gone off. I wanted to run in and help, but I was paralyzed. I couldn''t force myself to move. It was like I was hypnotized by the flames. Then something I can''t explain happened.

    I saw an angel-like figure standing in the flames. The angel flapped its wings and the silhouettes of the two gang members suddenly vanished, with the angel. I was at a loss for words. I thought I was going crazy.

    "Zack did you s-"

    "Yeah I did," Zack replied instantly.

    We both stared wide-eyed into the flames. Watching as the eruption of fire dwindled at an unnatural rate. The flames that had engulfed the alleyway were soon gone. Leaving no trace of the fire.

    "No, it can''t be. The fire...it''s...it''s gone!" Zack stammered out.

    He quickly ran back into the alleyway. Running his hands over the brick walls that had been engulfed by that unholy fire. Not a thing was out of place. Nothing was burned, no ashes, just a normal dirty alleyway.

    "It''s cold," Zack muttered.

    I wanted to believe I was hallucinating. But Zack¡¯s reaction, that was proof enough I wasn¡¯t. We both definitely saw it.

    My thoughts were interrupted as an intense stinging pain shot through my arm. The knife wound, it cut deeper than I thought. As I focused on the pain, I could feel the blood flowing down my arm. I moved my hand up to the wound and tried to add pressure. But I couldn¡¯t relieve any pain. I grunted a bit and walked over to Zack. The pain reminded me.

    "Hey, are you''re alright?" I asked.

    I looked him over a bit, seeing how bad his cut¡¯s and bruises were.

    "Yeah, I just got a few bruises," he replied soullessly.

    He seemed lost, like he had seen a ghost or something. But then again we just might have.

    Surprisingly enough, no one saw us fighting or the fire, so it was easy leaving the area (another odd occurrence.) We walked back to my house to get patched up, not speaking a word to each other. When we arrived to my place, I could barely steady my hand enough to put the key in the lock. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Zack walked into the kitchen and sat down at our small kitchen table, taking a load off. I walked to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. When I came back in, I began to clean up some of Zack''s wounds. I could tell he was getting a black eye, and his lip was busted open. Plus a bunch of minor bumps and bruises.

    "Woah, Woah dude, your cut looks pretty bad! Fix yourself first." I ignored his comment and kept patching him up.

    "Don''t worry about me; you know how I am," I replied.

    Zack sighed and let me finish fixing him up.

    "My hero," Zack said sarcastically.

    After I finished with him, I fixed myself up. Like Zack, I had bruises and red bumps all over my face. I was sure my cut needed stitches though, but I patched it up the best I could for the meantime.

    I walked over to Zack and sat down across from him.

    "So let''s talk about what''s been happening," I blurted out.

    "What''s there to talk about? I''m sure you know just as much as me," he shot back with obvious agitation.

    "Well, after what just happened, I don''t think it''s a coincidence anymore."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Think, who else suddenly vanished out of nowhere on us?"

    "Every girl you come in contact with," he snickered some with that comment.

    "No, you idiot! The old man, remember?"

    "Oooh right, the old geezer. I thought he just had the munchies.

    "Even if he did, it doesn''t add up. Unless he was Houdini."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Think about it. He just so happens to be in the same alleyway the gang just jumped us at? and vanished? It was a dead-end area, and he vanished as soon as we turned our backs, with no trace. Did you ever stop to think how odd and random it was for him to have only two masks and for them to be in perfect condition? He also seemed really poor and frail. I''m sure we would have seen him begging before too."

    "You have a point, I guess. But what does it mean?"

    I leaned back in my chair and moved my thumb to my mouth, nibbling on my thumbed nail and tried to think.

    "Zack, yesterday do you recall any odd voices?"

    "Now that you mention it." He sat back and gripped his chin with his fingers. "When I went home, I kept hearing these voices saying you will be our sorcerer," he mimicked the words like he was telling ghost stories around a campfire. "I thought it was the TV, or some druggy outside."

    I began to tell him about the voices I heard yesterday, and back at the old man''s stand. He looked shocked when I finished.

    "So Sir Stryder the knight. What a fitting title for you. But anyway, what''s your verdict on all this?"

    "Well, in every way I look at it, I think something wants to use us for something. The titles I can''t figure out. Maybe it''s something with our personalities? I don''t know."

    It was silent for a minute. My mind raced with ideas and possibilities. The knight and the sorcerer, but why? Why the fire. Why the masks? and why save the thugs? Then something else hit me.

    "Zack, what the heck were you thinking!"

    Zack jumped some in his seat. "What, what?" he spazzed.

    "You brought a Molotov! We could have been killed if that went bad!"

    "Well, you always told me to start thinking ahead, so I did," he said with a nervous laugh.

    "Not like that!"

    "Well, I thought since you''re a ninja or whatever, you could handle it, but all I saw was you getting your ass kicked."

    "Don''t turn this around on me! And watch your language!"

    "I thought you said you did martial arts for thirteen years; why the hell did you lose so bad."

    "Shut the hell up. I''m rusty, okay! I can still kick your butt any day!"

    "Ha! I got you to say hell," Zack snickered.

    I didn''t respond. I was going to kill this boy.

 Chapter 6 - The Cursed Child

    We sat in silence for a while. I was in deep thought, trying to find each piece to the puzzle. While Zack just messed around with his bandages for awhile. Eventually, Zack''s small attention span got to him, and he decided to leave. I moved to my couch/bed, and kept thinking about this. I was really in the dark here. I had no idea what to make of it, I sat there lost in my thoughts most of the day. I was wondering if more gang members would show up now. Or if whatever was messing with us was manipulating the whole thing. I ended up with more questions than answers as the day went on. Soon Lux came home and I decided to take a break from over thinking. As I got up to say hi, she screamed. I had almost completely forgotten about my wounds...

    "Stryder! What happened to your face!" she shrieked.

    She ran over to me, dropping her backpack. I could see the worry and concern in her eyes as she looked me over. She reminded me so much of Mom. I remember when Mom used to clean my scrapes and bruises, she would always tell me I was a wild child. I smiled a little thinking about it.

    ¡°My bad, sis..¡± I said softly

    ¡°What happened!¡± she demanded.

    I explained to her what happened with the gang and Zack, minus the molotov fire and the angel. I told her we beat them up and they ran off basically. Needless to say, Lux wasn''t pleased. She looked me over and fixed me up some more. She was going to college to be a doctor, so she knew a thing or two about how to fix me up the right way (apparently I had done a crappy job.)

    "Lucky I wasn''t there. I''d bust a cap in the-"

    "We can take care of ourselves, Lux."

    "I know, I know, but they''re messing with my boys! I got my pistol under my bed, Stryder. Remember that."

    Before I could reply, we were both stopped by uncontrollable laughter coming from behind us. We both turned to see our dad, surprisingly looking pretty sober. My dad was tall and a bit chubby. There was barely any hair left on his head, and he had the look of a man who had just woken up from a nap. For the first time in awhile, I saw him laughing and smiling. It kind of put me at ease to see him smiling. It had been so long.

    "Oh, look at the old cursed child getting into fights again," he chimed cheerfully.

    "Shut it Dad. You''re drunk!" Lux fired back at him.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "Still taking up for that kid? All he''s done is cause issues for us. What one thing has he done for this house? I pay the damn bills around here."

    "I said shut up! You''re drunk," Lux yelled again.

    "I''m perfectly sober. Don''t make up lies so that cursed boy will feel better. He''s destined to ruin lives. He''s nothing but dead weight and it''s about time someone told him the truth. That''s why Serena''s dead! Because of him!"

    I couldn''t take it anymore. It felt like there was a fire building up inside me, growing more wild with each word that came out of his mouth. I was done holding back the flames within me. I wanted to let it out.

    "I don''t need you to believe in me, all right! I know I''m useless! I know I''m good for nothing! And I know I killed Mom that night! But-but!" I could barely keep talking. My heart was racing and my hands were in fists, trying to keep my shaking body still, but I managed to push the words out. "But I will make it up to her!"

    All he did was laugh at me again, even harder than before. "Boy, you''re trash, always have been and always will be."

    Before I could even process what he said, Lux ran up and punched my dad in the face. He stumbled back and fell against the counter. Lux stared at Dad and he stared back at her, rubbing his face in disbelief, leaning against the sink. We all just stood there in silence. I could see the shock and confusion in her eyes as she looked down at her fist. I wanted to say something, anything, but the words just wouldn''t come out.

    "You see, what¡¯d I tell you. You always start trouble." He groaned as he turned away to walk to his room.

    I stayed still, letting his words really hit me. He was right. He was always right about me. I was cursed.

    "I''m, I''m sorry," I said.

    I tried to hold back my tears as I ran to our window. Before Lux could question me, I climbed through our window and got onto our fire escape, and ran down the stairs. I didn''t know where I was going. I didn''t care either. I just needed to get away. I kept running and running until I couldn''t run anymore, and found myself in some type of park. I didn''t even notice, but the clouds were filling the sky. It was gonna rain, and I was too tired to go anywhere else.

    I felt so weak on the inside, like I was crumbling away piece by piece.

    "Everything is my fault," I said to myself softly.

    I was the reason Dad started drinking. I was the reason Lux couldn''t enjoy her college years. I was the reason Alexis couldn''t be happy with Zack. I was the reason everyone''s lives were miserable. All I wanted was to see people smile. I should just disappear. If I wasn''t around, everyone could be so much happier.

 Chapter 7 - I gain a blessing

    I stared up into the sky and tried to clear my head. I felt exhausted. The grey sky however only loomed over me with a gleam of despair. Reminding me why I can''t relax. But what was I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to go..?

    I was just burdening everyone. Maybe I should just sit here and waste away. Just disappear. Then maybe Lux can enjoy her years in college, and maybe dad can start looking hopeful again. Zack and Alexis can date without worrying about me too.

    I stared into the ominous grey clouds. Accepting whatever fate had for me. I deserved it after all. Then, huge chunks of snow started to fall from the sky.

    Weird, it''s not even winter yet.

    As the snow grew closer, I noticed it wasn''t normal. Instead of being balls of it, it was rectangular. Almost like a card. I don''t know why. But one just felt. Like, like it was mine. I picked it out like a needle in the haystack. Watching as it danced its way down to me.

    It felt instinctual, like I just been waiting for it all this time. I sat up and lifted my hand for it. As soon as its edges fell into my palm, a ray of blinding light came from it. I closed my eyes and tried to hide from the blaring light.

    I felt the heat in the air cool around me. I was hesitant. But I slowly opened my eyes. I looked at the card. It had the word ''Knight'' written on it in fancy cursive writing.

    "Knight..?" I muttered.

    My body suddenly started to glow. Balls of light that reminded me of fireflies began to surround me, growing brighter and brighter, until all I could see was white.

    I started to panic, but I couldn''t move my body! I was paralyzed. The light slowly began to die down, and I could see again, but I was somewhere else entirely.

    It was dark and hazy around me; there was an ominous purple light coming from above. I could see shadowy apparitions scattered about, looking just as panicked as I was. In front of us was not just one but twelve giants. They all looked the same with long elegant dresses. However, each had a different color dress and different color hair. In the middle was one in a red dress, she stepped forward and started to talk.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "Everyone, may I have your attention." The one with a red dress stopped talking and another giant took over in a blue.

    "You may call us whatever you like¡ªgods, goddesses..."

    Another one picked up from the last giant. I assumed they all were just gonna talk like this. "Witches, monsters, demons, etcetera,"

    "We''re not even entirely sure what we are.''''

    "What matters is your purpose here."

    "We have grown bored and wish to play a game."

    "We have chosen each of you specifically to participate in our game."

    "And shall grant you all imperiums."

    "You are free to do as you please with these impeuriums."

    "Also, if you entertain us enough."

    "Or defeat another player."

    "You may grow in power and be given upgrades."

    W-what? What the hell was she talking about!? What the hell was going on!? Did I pass out outside? Am I hallucinating? Impuriums? Upgrades? And now goddesses...

    They stopped talking for a moment, and I looked at the still black figures. I had control over myself again. It seemed like everyone else got control again as well. We were all panicking.

    "Now there are rules to this game," The orange giant called out.

    "One, you are not allowed to tell anyone about us except the other players. Lies and other excuses are allowed."

    "Two, if you kill another player to gain an upgrade, said player shall be revived unless that child''s owner says otherwise."

    "Three, we are not allowed to see future events."

    "To check your skills, focus and your card shall appear again in your hand. It grows as your skills grow."

    "We also have enhanced your body''s natural durability and physical fitness."

    "Now have fun our children, with our gifts."

    As she finished her last words. A bright light shined from behind them. Slowly consuming the area.

    I was about to cover my eyes but I stopped. I stared wide-eyed as I recognized Zack a few feet away. We stared at each other as everything was slowly consumed by white.

    Then, I appeared back in my dingy apartment. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes, making sure they weren''t playing tricks on me. Then I pinched myself and felt a sharp pain.

    "Guess it wasn''t a dream then," I sighed.

    This would be the real test if I wasn¡¯t dreaming. I thought about my card, glittering sparkles shined in front of me as my card materialized from the light. I held out my hand as the card fell into my palm. The card still had the word ''Knight'' written in fancy cursive letters.

    I turned it over to the back and saw it had ''Vision'' written there. I decided I had enough for one day. I felt like I was running on E. I looked over at my couch, and I just collapsed on it. Sleep sounds so good right now..

 Chapter 8 - Lets be Heroes

    I woke up to the feeling of a warm burning sensation on my chest. I sat up slowly and looked down. The left side of my chest was glowing. There was a bright light shining through my shirt. As the light grew brighter, so did the burning in my chest.

    "Ah!" I yelped and clutched my chest.

    But the burning didn¡¯t stop. I threw my shirt off and tried to get a better look. The light was beginning to die down, and so was the heat. When the light was gone, it revealed a mark. A downward pointing sword on my chest.

    ¡°What the heck¡­¡± I mumbled.

    I jumped a little as I heard a crash coming from my sister''s room. I didn''t even have time to react. She swung her door open and slid on the floor toward me, still in her pajamas with a  wicked bed head.

    "Hey, you o¡ª" She stopped mid-sentence.

    She looked at me funny. I was starting to think Zack pranked me again.

    "Hey, your face; it looks fixed," she said in disbelief.

    I grabbed my shirt off the floor and slowly headed to the front door. Crap! I don¡¯t have a good enough lie set up yet! I needed to escape.

    "Well you know, puberty," I said as I slipped on my shoes..

    "What? What does p¡ª"

    I immediately slipped out the door. I was lucky that I slept in my clothes. I slipped on my shirt and headed to Zack''s. I focused on the card and it appeared from the glittery dust in the palm of my hand. It read ''vision'' on the back still.

    "That''s a whole lot of detail," I grumbled.

    "Yo!"

    I looked ahead and I saw Zack waving at me from down the road.

    We met up and both confirmed that what happened last night was real. We then agreed we should go somewhere private and talk about our cards and the imperiums. Zack was excited to show me his ''make Stryder salty powers.'' There was this old abandoned factory near the outskirts of town. There was a rumor of it being cursed, so not many people ventured there. The perfect place for a secret conversation, or to get mugged.

    As we arrived behind the building. Zack leaped in front of me with excitement.

    "Ready to have that heroic little mind of yours blown!" Zack cheered.

    "Whatever helps you shut up faster." I huffed.

    Zack got in a stance and took a breath. Closing his eyes as he tried to focus. He held his hand out, and I could feel a wave of heat washing over me. Smoke slowly rose from his hand, and then a green flare erupted from his palm. I took a step back. And as the smoke faded and the flares died down. There were two balls of fire left rotating in his hand.

    "Woah! Dude! Dude!" I cheered.

    He just summoned fireballs! Freaking fireballs! Just like in a video game!

    "I know right? As if my devilish charms and smooth voice wasn''t enough. I get even better."

    "So it doesn''t burn at all?" I asked.

    "Not even a little. Now, more importantly, show me what you can do!"

    "Well, I''m not really sure. My card only says vision on it." Zack began to break down laughing, almost dropping his balls of fire.

    "I guess I really am the cool one!" He stopped abruptly and slowly looked up at me,  with the ''I''m up to no good'' smirk.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Zack," I said as I slowly backed away from him.

    "Stryder, if I''m wrong, you get a free hit," he said with a crazy look in his eyes.

    "Zack, don''t you d¡ª"

    He aimed back his arm like a baseball pitcher and chucked the fireball toward me. I started to panic when suddenly, everything around me started to slow down. The ball that was flying toward me was now hovering.

    I started to calm down as the ball came my way. I stepped to the side, and easily dodged it. I noticed him fling the other one at me and I dodged that too. Once I relaxed, everything went back to normal again. I looked over at Zack, who seemed to be in awe of me.

    "Dude! Your eyes started glittering blue. That was cool!"

    "Zack! What if you had been wrong!"

    "Details, details. Sometimes you just gotta take risks."

    "I hate you sometimes; you know that."

    "You know you love me. Without me, you wouldn''t know how to have fun."

    "Without me, you''d probably be in jail," I said under my breath.

    "That''s why we''re bros," he chimed.

    I smirked at his statement.

    "Just imagine; we can change so much with these gifts!" I cheered, holding out my hands to the sky.

    I felt so energized, so warm and fuzzy on the inside! This was great!

    "I can get women," Zack said with a smirk to rebuttal me.

    "We can fight for justice."

    "I can burn that guy who stepped on my jays!"

    "Zack, haven''t you ever dreamed of being a superhero?"

    "I''ve dreamed of being a superstar, making money, oh and the ladies." He growled like a tiger and I punched his shoulder.

    "Zack, people die every day to people like the Red Steel Gang, people who''ve done nothing wrong. We''ve been blessed with abilities that can make a¡ª"

    "Look, I''m not like you Stryder. I''m no knight in shining armor. Just because I was blessed or whatever doesn''t mean I owe anyone anything."

    " How selfish can yo¡ª"

    "But! I can work to make this world a better place for my sister, so she can walk around without fear."

    He gave me a big cheesy grin and I couldn''t help but smile. He held out his fist and I reciprocated by holding up mine.

    "We can do it together." I chimed.

    We bumped fists and laughed a little. It may not have seemed like much, but from that point on, I knew things were gonna be different for us.

    Clunk!

    Something fell over from around the corner. I jumped and looked over at Zack. I felt my heart beginning to race.

    "What was that?" I whispered to Zack.

    "Maybe someone''s getting it on in there," Zack snickered.

    "Do you have a filter?" I asked.

    "It is time to test your strength young heroes," a disembodied voice called out around us.

    It sounded familiar, like one of those goddesses.

    Then from the corner of my eyes, I saw three people emerge from around the wall. Each a red steel gang member. I almost forgot to breathe as I saw one of them brandishing a pistol. The others seem to have knives in their hands. This was real, this was really happening. We were going to have to fight.

    "Who the hell are the two of you!" The one with the gun called out to us. "Whoever you are better get ready for a beat down."

    I took in a deep breath. This was it. Our first test as heroes. I activated my eyes and charged at the gunmen. He seemed to panic at that and shot rapidly at me. I dodged it with ease and came in close. I grabbed his wrist and shoved his arms down to the ground making him shoot the dirt. I moved my leg behind him and swept him to the floor. As he fell on his back I stomped on his wrist, making him drop the gun.

    "AHH!" I heard Shrieks of agonizing pain coming from behind me.

    I turned hastily around to a shocking sight. There was Zack holding the ''I don''t know pose'' while the other two gang members were engulfed in his unholy green fire.

    "I tried to warn ya. I''m hot." Zack said smugly down at the soon to be Red steel kabobs.

    "Hey don''t roast them alive!" I yelled.

    "Oh crap right!" Zack yelped.

    He quickly turned around and tried desperately to shut it off. When that didn''t work, he tried stomping on them. Then, poof. The fire was magically gone. I just gave him a look. The two didn''t seem too intensely  burned. I guess he can control the heat level of his flames, maybe?

    "What, what are you?" The guy I was standing over stuttered out.

    He looked like he was about to cry.

    "Doesn''t matter who we are. What matters is what you know." I insisted. I leaned down and snatched his collar.

    I pulled him up to my face and glared into his eyes.

    "Oh I see what you''re doing!" Zack exclaimed running over to me.

    "Oh really?" I replied with some skepticism.

    "Uh huh, watch this." He turned to the gunmen. "You know where the leader of the Red steel gang is don''t ya?" Zack chimed as he yanked the kids collar from me.

    He brought him super close to his face, holding out a hand and erupted a fireball to life. He smirked at the poor kid.

    "I don''t think you wanna test him, as you may have seen he barely knows how to turn off his fire." The guy looked petrified.

    But Zack just started to giggle.

    "He looks like he''s about to piss his pants!" Zack chuckled out.

    I elbowed him in the side and he coughed. Gaining his serious face back.

    "look man I, I don''t, I don''t know nothing." He said frantically.

    "I find that hard to believe." Zack said as he moved the flame closer to his face.

    "Okay! Okay! He''s inside this building! Honest!"

    "If you''re lying I know where you live! I''m a witch ya know!" Zack yelled as he bolted to the warehouse.

    I punched the guy in the face a few times knocking him out. Then I followed after Zack. This was it. The next stop, the boss battle.

 Chapter-9 Boss battle

    The old rusty doors to the factory towered over us like we were ants in the grass. We both looked over to each, then back to the doors. This was actually real, we were really going to go after the leader of the red steel gang. We were really about to do this. Were we ready for this? What if we get jumped by more members? Can I even dodge more than one gunshot at a time? I can''t get cold feet now, this maybe our only opportunity to-. My thoughts came to a screeching halt as I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I turned to see Zack giving me a confident smile, I knew exactly what he meant by that look. I needed to relax.

    I took a deep breath and slowly put my hands on the old rusty doors,  pushing them open. We were greeted by a rush of cold air that carried the aroma of cigarettes and alcohol, and the smell only grew stronger as we began to walk further inside. There was a huge litter of construction equipment inside the building, metal beams, heavy machinery. Maybe it was an old assembly factory? It reminded me of one of those horror movie scenes, were the stupid teens walked into an obvious trap and got themselves killed. Definitely don''t know how that feels...

    "Oooh, I can''t wait to roast this guy''s nuts on an open fire!" Zack cheered as he erupted his hands into flames. Followed up by a daunting super villain laugh.

    He was the last person who needed to control fire...

    "Shut up you idiot! He might have more goons in here." I whispered to him.

    "Dude, we literally have superpowers. You just weaved a bullet and now we''re taking down a gang leader. Loosen up!" He cheered smacking my back.

    I was about to throttle him, but out the corner of my eye, I saw a steel beam whizzing our way, seemingly outta thin air! I shoved Zack out of the way and dived to the ground just barely dodging it. I rolled to my feet, hunched down behind a machine. I looked behind me and saw the steel beam lodged into the floor, that was almost our heads. As I started to think of a new battle strategy I heard someone clapping, I looked up and saw a dark figure walking toward us with a bunch of machines and tools floating around them.

    "Zack!-"

    "I''m on it!"

    The room became illuminated with a green flare coming from Zack''s fire, and the figure became completely visible. It was a man with tannish skin and dreads, he had a red bandana on his head with a blue jean jacket on. There was an odd dragon tattoo coiled around his face. I was beginning to get nervous. The reality of this situation just hit me, he must be a gifted. I focused on the steel beams and equipment floating around him.

    I assumed it was telekinesis or possibly metal bending, or maybe gravity. Regardless he has to be a noob just like us, he probably can''t control it that well yet. I at least knew mine would activate in dangerous situations, my best bet would be to rush him head-on.

    "Zack cover me!" I yelled charging in.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "Don''t hog the beating!" Zack complained as I ran.

    The machines and beams started flying toward me fast. I jumped and weaved the oncoming onslaught. My parkour and freerunning hobby was really paying off. Zack was shooting fireballs at flying objects coming my way. Missing most, but he was try- Oh crap! Suddenly one of Zacks fireballs was inches away from making me barbecue. I leaped out the way and rolled behind a machine.

    "My bad!" Zack called out.

    Really! He almost roasts me alive and all he can say is ''my bad''? I let go of the thought and looked back at my target. He seemed to notice me and immediately sent more equipment my way. I vaulted over a machine for cover as the equipment rammed against it. I took off at top speed toward him again. This time getting a good rhythm with his attack pattern, I was reading him like a book.

    As I got closer to him I could see the panic in his eyes. Then Whoosh! The wooden planks from all around started flying toward me. There were just too many of them, I couldn''t dodge them all. I guarded myself the best I could putting my arms up to protect my head. I guess the metal bending idea was out now. I was slammed back bouncing off the floor and skidded back toward Zack.

    My forearms stung from the hit but I pushed myself back up. I honestly felt fine, but there was a problem here. He is much better than I anticipated. However I couldn''t help but smile. I was excited, eager to keep going. This is what a fight among gifted felt like, It felt like electricity coursing through my veins.

    "Who the hell are you two! Bunch of kids got powers too?" He snarled.

    I faced him with a wicked grin on my face. I pulled the collar of my shirt down and showed him the mark on my chest.

    "That''s right! You controlled this city for far too long. It''s time to bring you to justice!" I yelled to him, but he just laughed at me.

    "Kid I''m the fucking leader of the red steel gang. I am the damn law!"

    "It''s over! Today is the day the law catches up to you!" I yelled charging toward him again, Zack following behind me this time.

    The guy had more equipment sent our way and I prepared myself. I was a bit worried about Zack. He couldn''t see things like my gift allowed me to. So I made my maneuvers easy for him to follow dodging the equipment.

    When we got closer to him he pulled a gun from his pants and shot rapidly at us in a frenzy. I dodged the bullets pushing forward and rammed my fist into his face with all the force I had. He flew backward as Zack followed up from behind and shot a fireball at him the size of a basketball. I dove to the side to get out the way as it exploded on contact blasting him back, leaving ember trails of his flames behind. He crashed into the side of a conveyor belt leaving a huge dent in the machine. I stared in awe at his slumped over lifeless body which dragged me out of my rush. Did, did we just kill him? Was he de-

    Then my words were lost in the wind as the man slowly struggled to his feet, and he stood right up. (As if he wasn''t just nuked halfway across the room into a conveyor belt.) He should be dead or at least have broken most of his bones from a blast like that. I guess that''s the "upgrades" they were talking about.

    " EAT THIS LOSER!"

    Zack immediately started blasting him rapidly with mini fireballs. A lot of them flew in every other direction but the ones that hit knocked him back down hard to the ground. Then like an army of bees, they piled upon him until BOOM! They all exploded. There was silence for a moment as we both waited to see if he would get back up from that. Did we actually win? Or is he gonna get back up for round two?

    "Good job my children, you''ve gained an upgrade by defeating Joe Libro. The cops have been alerted and your DNA evidence shall be erased, and so shall the memories of the trials outside." I knew this voice clearly, it was the Goddesses. Before I could even speak we began to see this blue glittering all around us. It quickly consumed everything, and it all turned white. When things were visible again we were in the middle of the woods. I guess that was it then, we had won.

 Chapter - 10 A walk down memory lane

    Blue lights that shimmered like fireflies in the night began to form in the air above us, slowly materializing into our cards. Once they formed from the blue lights they slowly descended to our open palms. There was a shimmering light coming from the back of the card, I turned it over and the words "weapon equipped" were written under vision.

    "What the heck does that mean?" I mumbled.

    Suddenly the whole card shimmered turning into a blinding light. I guarded my eyes and waited for it to die down. I could feel a cold sensation in my hand as the feeling of the small card soon turned into something much rougher and heavy. Once the light began to fade It revealed an old looking book left in my cards place. The book had an old and worn look to it, like something you find in a fantasy game from an old wizard. There was a fully armored knight printed on the front with his sword pointed down to the ground below him in the art frame.

    "Hey, you got a book too?" Zack asked.

    But just as fast as the books appeared, they vanished from our hands.

    "This day can''t possibly get any weirder." I sighed.

    "I saw you out there Stryder! You''re finally loosening up!" Zack cheered hopping over to me, smacking my back repeatedly with excitement.

    "What are you on about now?"

    "Your whole Justice is served thing." He was saluting me now and I just shook my head.

    "Yeah, I got a little carried away I suppose." My face got a little red as he put his arm around me.

    "We both just got an upgrade and took down a gang leader! Were bad a-." Zack started but I interrupted him.

    "Don''t finish that sentence. You know I don''t like cursing."

    "Oh great! That stick found its way back up your butt. Great."

    "Let''s figure out where we are and start walking" I moved his arm off me and started to take the lead through the woods.

    "Oooooor I can just burn the forest do- ".

    "No. Just stop talking..."

    As we continued to walk I started to recognize the trail we were on.

    "Hey, Zack. Remember when we took Annual out on these trails?" I asked him, now drowning in the nostalgia.

    "Oh yeah, I remember! I got one hell of a beating for sneaking her out. But she was so happy to see the spring flowers." I turned to see a familiar smile on his face. The kind of smile that just made you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside."I remember bringing her to the lake. She was so surprised to see the fish." Zack said chuckling some to himself.

    "Yeah, it was a day of first for her," I added as we became quiet for a bit.

    I hadn''t seen her in what felt like forever now. Memories flooded my mind of her. Then I felt a twinge in my chest. Just like that, I was brought out of the happy nostalgic mood, and back to reality, the reality of my sins. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Hey, do you think I can see her today?" I choked a bit getting the words out, and for some reason, my heart began to race.

    Zack, unannounced to me lit up like a Christmas tree as I asked that.

    "Yeah of course! She''s pretty weak now, so we can''t take her out. But all she does is talk about you! She''s totally in love." Zack seemed to be super enthusiastic.

    I began to pick up some flowers as we walked. Remembering how much Annual liked them.

    "I''m nothing special." I hadn''t intended on it but my words came out more bitter than I expected

    "Dude how can you even say that! You are the world to her! When I was too scared of my dad to take her out you were the brave one."

    "Like you weren''t brave. You started pick-pocketing people to get money for her, which I still don''t approve of." I spoke in my disapproving parent voice.

    "Hey, it''s how we met though." He chimed, seemingly trying to justify it.

    "Yeah clocking you in the face is such a great memory."

    "Yeah, I even had a knife and you still clocked me. Even gave me a lecture after..."

    He went quiet for a moment. Seemingly getting lost in his past now. Then he looked at me with a sincere smile on his face.

    "That''s where I met your mom too! She was such an awesome person. She bought me food and gave me money for Annual."

    "She helped start the blossoming of our friendship."

    "Which changed the course of my life forever." He stopped walking now and looked over a small pond.

    I stopped as well and looked up at the sky. I stared at the clouds as if they were the pearly gates themselves, thinking if I stared long enough I could hear her voice again. However, that idea terrified me. What would she say if she could see me now?

    "I wonder, I wonder If she''s proud of what I''ve become," I muttered softly to the empty skies.

    "Stryder. You''re a Hero. You were chosen by some entity to gain powers, I''m sure you''ve exceeded her expectations."Zack chimed in.

    He had this bewildered look on his face. But, I couldn''t hear him. My body was right there near him but my mind was miles away. His words were nothing more than white noise to me. I was remembering all the time¡¯s mom and I walked these trails with Lux. I remembered the bedtime stories she used to read to me at night...

    My heart began to ache remembering her death. The scene replayed in my head on a loop. Then I remembered last night, I remembered when Lux punched dad. I caused that, that was my fault. I tried shutting my mind off from remembering it but I couldn''t help it. I leaned against a tree and I realized I had tears running down my face. I felt like someone had just punched me in my gut, I tried to get a hold of myself but the tears kept coming. I completely forgot where I was. My head started spinning and it felt like the world was crashing in on me. Then everything became still again, I felt a warm embrace holding onto me. I focused myself and saw Zack holding me.

    "Your mom died protecting you, she made that choice didn''t she!"

    "If I could''ve just controlled myself she be alive right now!"

    "Stryder, that girl was going to die if you didn''t do something! If I know your mom as well as I think I do she''d want you to make that decision all over again!"

    "And how do you know that!"

    "Because that''s where you got your heart from dude! When I failed at trying to rob her she bought me food! When me and annual ran away she gave us a roof over our heads! When I was kicked out of school she fought for me to get back in! So yeah I think I know a thing or two." His voice cracked some , It was odd seeing Zack like this. It made me start thinking clearly again.

    I relaxed and hugged him back. I felt a lot better now, the dreaded record in my mind had finally become silent. Zack was right. If I was going to make mom proud, I needed to get my head in the game. Once I became more relaxed I felt Zack let go and step back.

    "Zack, I know it took a lot for you to say that. Plus give me a hug, but I really needed that. Thank you"

    "Right. Now don''t ever mention that hug. Ever! Got it?" Zack threatened as I whipped my face clean of tears.

    "Right, gotcha" I sniffled.

    "I mean it; I''ll cut you."

    "You have fire powers yet you resort to threatening me with a weapon you failed to cut me with before?" His hand suddenly burst into his unholy flames with a wicked grin on his face.

    "Ooh, Thanks for the reminder"

    "Ok, ok lips sealed bro." I held out my fist to him and I gave him a smile. He returned my smile with one of his own. Then we fist-bumped.

 Chapter 11 - The Princess of the flowers

    We started to remember our way around, following familiar trails in the forest. Once we had our bearings back, we started heading to Zack''s place. As we made our way back, I started picking all sorts of different flowers. I stared at the flowers intently for a bit, I wonder if I really should be going to see her. Did I have the right to just show back up in her life like this? I looked over at Zack who still had a huge grin on his face as he walked, there was no turning back. This was something I needed to do.

    Eventually, we found our way out of the woods and back to the city, and from there to Zack''s place. The rest of the walk was relatively quiet, Zack had an oddly peaceful look on his face the whole walk. However, I couldn¡¯t keep myself still. By the time we found our way back to the city, I had bitten off all the nails on my fingers.

    When Zack¡¯s apartment building came into sight, my heart began to race more and more. I took a deep breath as we stopped at his door. I stared at the cream-colored walls and scratched-up door of his little apartment building. It looked exactly the same as the last time I was here. Zack knelt down to the mat and grabbed his key from under it opening the door. I followed behind him as he stepped inside.

    There was trash all over the place, food, drinks, and clothes. It looked like the remains of a college frat party. Zack walked straight through the sea of trash down the hall. I followed further behind him as he walked. I stared down the hall knowing exactly which room was hers. I felt my heart racing more intensely as I stared down the hall at the door. I was really back. I was really going to see her again after all this time. I noticed the halls down to her room and Zack¡¯s were the only ones untouched by the storm of trash. Zack stopped at her door, bearing a huge smile on his face as he swung it open so hard it crashed against the wall.

    ¡°Guess who I brought Sis!¡± Zack screamed leaping inside her room.

    I jumped a little realizing that was my cue to go. I jogged down the hall and jumped into the room. Then there she was. Sitting up on her bed with wonder in her eyes as she saw me.

    ¡°Stryder!¡± She cheered weakly for me.

    I was speechless at first. She looked exactly like how I remembered her. Her long and tangled brown hair looked like it hadn¡¯t been brushed in ages. She still had that sincere and hopeful smile on her face, and her bold green eyes that reminded me of gemstones. But she looked so pale and weak, like she could shatter from a single touch. It made my chest hurt looking at her like this, but I kept my composure. This was the first time in years since I''ve seen her, it didn¡¯t need to be with me crying.

    ¡°Hey Annual, long time no see.¡± I replied to her in a soft tone, giving her a big smile.

    ¡°My knight has finally returned to me,¡± she proclaimed softly, laying back down.

    I walked over to her and laid the flowers down next to her on the bed. Her expression seemed even more excited at the sight of them. Like a kid in a candy store.

    ¡°My hero.¡± Her voice seemed too soft now, almost inaudible.

    ¡°I¡¯m no hero, princess Annual,¡± I replied giving her a somber look.

    She lifted up the flowers and smelled them with a satisfied look. I had this feeling of guilt washing over me. I had been avoiding her for so long, and all she wanted was to see me. I was a horrible person. She looks so happy just having me around like this. I should''ve visited much sooner.

    ¡°Mmm, Stryder these must be the blue Hyacinthus flower, they kinda remind me of you. It¡¯s a good representation.¡± She spoke softly to me again, however, she wasn''t looking at me. She was fully engrossed in the flowers.

    ¡°Thank you, it''s my favorite color too,¡± I replied.

    I kneeled down next to her bed, taking in her smile that stretched ear to ear.

    It felt so refreshing seeing her again, smiling just like she used to.

    ¡°I want these flowers at our wedding night,¡± she weakly proclaimed.

    She looked up at me, staring deeply into my eyes.

    ¡°Wh-what.¡± I stammered a bit as I felt the heat rushing to my cheeks.

    She moved her gaze back onto the flowers, smiling so tenderly at it. Like it would break if she held onto them too hard.

    ¡°Whenever I get better, I''ll make you a great bride. I promise.¡± She said in almost a whisper, which led to a coughing fit.

    ¡°Rest, we¡¯ll talk about this another day. I''ll be back, I promise.¡± I moved my hand over hers giving her a reassuring smile.

    She eventually calmed down and gave me another smile back.

    ¡°Ok my knight, I''ll be waiting for you.¡± She said sweetly to me as she closed her eyes and I slowly moved my hand from hers.

    And in an instant she was asleep, which was our cue to leave. I looked over her one last time before I stepped back, heading out with Zack. Zack had a peaceful look on his face. A look I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. I can¡¯t blame him either, I felt exactly the same. Like a weight had been lifted off my chest. As we got outside, we both sat in silence for a bit in front of his place until Zack spoke up.

    ¡°Hey, let''s go back to the woods and examine our books. It may give us an edge on other power buffs.¡± Zack said to me softly.

    I was surprised to hear a complete thought come out of his mouth. Was the world ending? Was this the warning sign?

    ¡°Zack, that¡¯s actually a smart idea. Did the body modifications fix some of the neurons in that brain of yours?¡± I said with a laugh.

    ¡°Neuronitisins?¡± He asked questioningly, and I just sighed.

    ¡°I guess Revelations hasn¡¯t come yet then¡­¡± I muttered under my breath.

    We walked back down into the woods. I didn¡¯t want any chance of someone running into us. After a bit of walking, I figured we were deep enough in to stop.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Alright, let''s summon those bad boys!¡± Zack cheered.

    I took a deep breath and concentrated. I thought about my book and focused on that in my mind, imagining every detail of it. Then the familiar blue sparkles of light appeared in front of me. I reached out and put my hands in the blue lights. I felt something heavy and rough land in my palms. I held my hands there till the lights vanished.

    I pulled my book in close and examined it, exactly as I remembered from earlier. I looked over at Zack who was on his knees holding out his hands. There was an intense flame that appeared above his palms, I could hear it crackling like a campfire as his book slowly came into formation from the flames, dropping into his hands. Soon the flames vanished and there was nothing left but the book. Zack smirked looking over to me, raising his eyebrows up and down at me like an idiot.

    ¡°This is how you get o.p. with style.¡± Zack purred.

    ¡°Suiuure. I just hope you''re up for the challenge of reeaaaading!¡± I joked in a ghost storytelling tone.

    ¡°Shut up ya nerd and see my power!¡± He stood up from his pose and started rapidly turning pages in his book.

    ¡°Ha! Here we go!¡± He abruptly stopped and began to read out loud. ¡°Creatura autem nocte voco. Ferae aestum in shapeshifter noctis profundum. Veni autem quarta et iussu meo!¡± It sounded familiar to me but I couldn''t put my finger on it. Latin maybe?

    He made another weird pose with his legs spread wide apart and his handheld out in the middle of us. His head was flung back like a ballerina with his other hand on the book. Then suddenly an odd mist came from the ground. A dark purplish light shimmered from below us as smoke secreted from it. The glowing lights seemed to make a five-pointed star around us and the smell of burning rubber filled the area.

    ¡°Behold! My almighty power! I summon the Beast to do my bidding! Come now!¡± Zack yelled as the smoke and lights slowly began to fade.

    To reveal a small goblin-like creature standing before us. He had big ears and a toga-like cloth on him. He was only as tall as my legs and had a light green skin tone. He kinda reminded me of a frog, with big blue eyes as large as pool balls. We stared in silence for a while, then Zack broke that silence.

    ¡°The hell is that?¡± Zack demanded.

    He looked over to me like I had an answer for him, and I just shrugged.

    ¡°Come on Zack, rela-¡° I tried to calm him down, but he wasn''t having it.

    ¡°No, no, no! What in the hell is that? Did I summon freaking Dobby from Harry Potter!?¡°Zack yelled in a furious fit.

    ¡°Zack don¡¯t be mean to the little guy.¡±

    The creature looked up at the both of us with no expression on its face at all, as if he''s been through this before...

    ¡°I thought I was summoning a freaking demon king or a hot monster girl! But instead I get some diarrhea with legs!¡± Suddenly the creature cleared its throat. He started talking in some funny-sounding languages until finally, it spoke in English.

    ¡°Does this suit you better?¡± The creature spoke in a refined upperclassmen voice.

    He sounded like someone you expect to see teaching physics or something, sophisticated.

    ¡°My name is Thadias Dawnbat the Third.¡± He spoke fixing his clothes and bowing to us both.

    ¡°Well, Thadias, I am your lord and master Zack, the mighty slayer of worlds.¡± Zack approached the little man now and I followed suit.

    I knelt down next to him and examined him in greater detail.

    ¡°And I¡¯m Stryder, welcome to our world,¡± I said holding out my hand for him to shake.

    He shook my fingers slowly and looked toward Zack.

    ¡°What is my mission Master Zack.¡± He replied, bowing to Zack again.

    I studied him curiously and I started to wonder where he could have come from. Did we abduct him from another dimension? Did Zack create him out of thin air? My mind raced with questions, so much so in fact that I missed Zack and the creature¡¯s conversation. Zack was now looking in his book with a surprised look on his face.

    ¡°Oh, I take back what I said, you''re pretty cool, Thadianius.¡± Zack said as he read his book, looking like a 5-year-old kid in a candy store.

    ¡°It¡¯s Thadius, sir the-¡° Zack stopped Thadias in mid-sentence.

    ¡°That¡¯s a dumb name. For now on, I will call you Bean, because you remind me of green beans.¡±

    ¡°Sir that¡¯s ¨C¡° Thadias started to talk but Zack stopped him.

    ¡°Ah ah ah. I own you so no back talking, Bean.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Thadias sighed defeatedly.

    ¡°Come on Zack, at least make it something cool?¡± I tried to help Thadias out but Zack wasn''t listening.

    We eventually moved on to my book. I started reading my weapons equipment section. There were no pages beyond the vision and weapons sections. It basically said that I can manifest any weapon I could imagine. But the catch was I couldn''t summon any types of firearms. Once I read over all the other minor details, I set the book down and concentrated on creating a double-edged longsword. I closed my eyes and held my hands out. I took a deep breath in and focused.

    I could feel a cold sensation in my hand, then I started to feel the leathery handle of the sword in my palms. I opened my eyes to see the rest of the sword materialize in my hands. There was a mass of blue sparkles in my hands that slowly materialized the sword¡¯s shape. Then like ashes floating to the sky from a fire, the blue lights floated away leaving behind my blade. I gripped the leather handle of the long sword with both my hands and swung it around. It wasn¡¯t really heavy at all. I wondered if it was my new strength, or did I make a weak weapon? I started thinking again, but I was interrupted by Zack¡¯s -oohs and -aahs.

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Zack squealed, running over and snatching the blade from me.

    I imagined the blade turning back into dust and as Zack swung it around it soon dissipated into the same blue lights as before.

    ¡°Dude, we¡¯re really superheroes!¡± Zack exclaimed, jumping over to me grabbing my arms and swinging me up and down and around.

    I started to ignore my inner questions and fell into the inner child stirring within me. I jumped around in a circle with him while we chanted ¡°We''re gonna be heroes. We¡¯re gonna be heroes!¡± Zack followed suit adding his own twist to it. ¡°We''re gonna knock some thugs, knock some thugs!¡±

    The reality finally set in for me. Today was the first step in being real heroes. Our fun soon ended when we noticed Bean, who was just staring at us with a ¡®really¡¯ look on his face.

    When we finished fangirling, I decided to look through Zack¡¯s book. I noticed he had a whole other page with a spell on it he didn''t notice. It seemed like a magical plant type of spell. I sat on the ground and started to read it over.

    ¡°Hey, Zack. There¡¯s a whole other page in here.¡± I called to him as I finished up my reading.

    ¡°What, for real!?¡± Zack yelled.

    He ran over to me and practically knocked me down, taking his book back and reading it frantically.

    I didn¡¯t fight back and sat up from the push and started manifesting other weapons. I materialized various different types of weapons as I leaned against a tree stump. I summoned tomahawks, bows and arrows, katanas, etc. I could manifest as much as I wanted. I started to pant and leaned heavily on the stump. I was sweating intensely as all my materialized weapons vanished. I guess there was some kind of limit to my summoning.

    ¡°Hey Stryder! I think we should have a real test run of our powers!¡± Zack called out to me.

    I forced myself to stand up, and turned to face him. I realized he could probably tell I was sweating but I put up a good front.

    ¡°Woah, it looks like you ran a marathon, Dude. What happened?¡± Zack asked in a more agitated than concerned tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. What are you going on about now?¡± I grunted, forcing myself to sound as normal as possible.

    ¡°Well, I went ahead and called out those genies or whatever. One responded to me and said your genie thing was cool with my idea.¡± He suddenly got an evil grin on his face.

    ¡°What kind of favor did you ask?¡± I replied, letting my exhausted voice shake my words.

    ¡°A quick little battle royal.¡± He held both his hands out with his demonic green flames in them. I was tired and confused. What the heck? A battle royal?!

    ¡°We could kill each other!¡± I yelled at him.

    ¡°Ppffft- they promised to regenerate us. Besides, I really wanna get you back for that nut shot!¡±

 Chapter 12-Stryder vs Zack

    ¡°How do you know we can trust!-"

    Before I could even finish Zack started firing his hellfire in my direction. I quickly summoned a shield and blocked the oncoming fire. I was still worn out from summoning so many weapons earlier, I couldn''t hold my ground against him. The rapid flares of green fire erupted against my shield and I was blown away. I crashed hard against a tree knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground and tried to catch my breath as fast as I could, I knew Zack was still coming.

    I activated my eyes and as soon as I did I could see fireballs heading my way. I forced myself up and dodged the incoming fire that rained from the sky. Each one erupted with an explosion as they landed on the ground. I used the smoke from the explosions to escape and hide behind a tree. I was panting heavily and drenched in sweat. It really did feel like I ran a marathon. What was that idiot thinking! He''s gonna burn the whole damn forest down!

    I started to think, I needed a good retaliation plan. He probably has a limiter to his magic. If I used my eyes to evade his magic I could tire him out. Wait that''s stupid, all he knows is range attacks as of right now. I could use my eyes to evade his shots and go in close with a blade. Or maybe I should play it safe and snipe him with arrows. I probably have bad aim being this worn out, plus summoning arrows would be a lot too. I manifested a hunting knife and turned to look to my left to see if I could spot him. Out the corner of my eye, I saw him leaning against a tree panting, then I almost jumped out of my skin.

    I turned toward a sound that could only be described as the howl of a wildebeest. I turned quickly toward the sound and almost crapped myself at the sight before me. It was bean,but he didn''t look the same. He was gigantic, at least seven feet tall, he had big muscles and a slimy slippery look to him. He had rows of stained sharp teeth like a shark. It reminded me of the creature from the Black Lagoon!

    He lurched back and leaped at me, my eyes made it child''s play to dodge him though. I dove to the creature¡¯s side as he grabbed for me, I rolled to my feet and slashed at his stomach. I hesitated though, the reality was I was going to kill him if I attacked. I forced the idea of his rebirth in my mind to shut off my conscience and thrusted my blade into him.

    As my blade entered his stomach however a light red mist shot out of him like steam from a kettle. I was taken back by it at first but I kept going and slashed his stomach open, causing loads of red mist to spew out of him now. The thing roared again exploding into the red steam. I didn''t have time to relax though, I could hear Zack running toward me panting and chanting something I couldn''t understand.

    Suddenly the ground below me began to rumble and shake like an earthquake as vines shot out from under my feet. I easily dodged them and dove behind a tree again. I stopped there and decided to catch my breath. Even using my eyes was taking a toll on me. What should I do? If I attack Zack he might not come back. I don''t know if I should trust them or not to bring us back. And Zack is dead set on killing me now. I sighed in frustration. Maybe if I can make it end in a tie, but how am I supposed to do that? Maybe if I get him to waste all of his magic...

    My thinking was interrupted by the sound of footsteps running my way, I needed to think faster. Either I lose or we tie, those are my only two options. I took a deep breath and ran out from behind my tree. As soon as I did I was greeted with his fireball frenzy. I easily dodged them but I felt myself getting more drained. I had used too much of my powers, I won''t be able to keep up anymore. I kept dodging and diving trying to think a way out of this. Then vines suddenly grabbed my legs and held me tight like a snake coiling around me. I couldn''t focus on dodging them and his fire. I was held down by the vines before I could even think I was bombarded by Zacks rain of fire.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    The blast knocked the air out me plus the unbearable heat made me howl in agony as the fire ate away at my flesh. I spazzed in the vines grasps trying to escape. But I was helpless. As I was bombarded with an intense barrage of fire. I couldn¡¯t think, It burned! It just burned so much! Soon my sight was nothing but the green flares of Zacks flames. Then the heat just vanished, and it was black.

    It was cold and I couldn''t see anything. It felt was like I was underwater, was that it? Am I really dead? I looked around at the endless darkness that surrounded me. Just when I started to lose hope. I saw something small and blue glowing in front of me, like a firefly. Soon that one turned into hundreds of them flying around, consuming the area with a comforting blue light. Then, I heard my Godesses call out to me.

    "I don''t appreciate you holding back, my knight."

    It sounded soft and gentle. Yet I could hear the underlying frustration in her voice.

    Then the blue light slowly faded away. It was replaced with the green foliage of the forest, and the golden aura of the sun.

    I could feel the ground beneath me appear, and I just dropped to my knees and gasped for air.

    My whole body freezing and numb, I moved my arms around myself trying to gain some warmth. From the base of my stomach, I could feel the heat rising up to the rest of body. Until I felt warm enough to not be curdled in a ball.

    "Dude! You re-spawned just like a Call of Duty character!" Zack cheered running over to me.

    I felt my eye twitch at the sound of his voice. And I remembered the burning agony I faced. As soon as he was in reaching distance, I clock him in the face as hard as I could. He flew back and slammed into a tree, and dropped into the dirt floor.

    "What the heck is your problem! What if they tricked us! What if I really had died!" I yelled furiously at him. He got up rubbing his bruised face slowly with a smirk and a chuckle.

    "Well, I''ll take this pitiful little punch. Because I destroyed you!" He yelled with a triumphant giant smile on his face and a bleeding nose.

    I felt my eye twitch again at his bragging.

    "Shut up, you gopher brained idiot!"

    "Oh, is little Stryder mad he lost to big buff Zack? Not only did he lose his girl but-" Zack stopped in mid-sentence.

    He realized what he had done, but it was way too late.

    "Oh, what was that?"

    "N-nothing. Man isn''t it hot out here? Hehehe" he laughed nervously as I put my hand on his shoulder ever so gently.

    Don¡¯t kill him Stryder, don¡¯t kill him...

    "Well mister big and buff needs some big buff armor right?" I summoned the heaviest plate armor I could think of. The blue sparkles appeared around his body as the armor formed around him and Zack fell flat on his butt.

    " Ahh! What the hell is this? It''s like fifty fat chicks are holding onto me!" He groaned trying to wiggle his way out. I smiled as I turned from him and began to walk away whistling.

    His screams for help music to my ears.

    "Well weak pitiful Stryder needs some time to think about life. Since you know I just died and all!" I kept walking and walking, soon I couldn''t hear his cries for help anymore. Pure bliss.

    I looked up toward the sky for a moment. It was getting late, I bet Lux is getting worried. I looked down at my hand thinking about the fight. Zack actually killed me. I actually died today. I thought about my mom again. Is that what it felt like when she died too?

    When I arrived home no one was there. I took this opportunity to take a shower (I was starting to smell like Zack¡¯s life choices.)

    As I sat in the shower and leaned against the wall. I watched as the steam from the water fogged up the area around me. I couldn''t shake the thought of my mom. That cold emptiness that filled my body, the seemingly endless black void that surrounded me until I saw the blue lights. I can''t believe she went through all that for me. Then dad''s words resonated in my mind.

    "The cursed boy," I whispered to myself.

    Do I really have the right to try and be a hero? I tried to ignore the words, but they kept circling in my mind. I can''t keep doing this. I needed to deal with this head-on. I needed to talk to mom. I needed to visit my mom.

 Chapter 13 - The Zombie Effect

    The sky was covered in a grey shroud that was obviously a harbinger for the eminent rain to come. How cliche I thought, going to visit a grave on a dark and moody day. I stared into the sky trying to keep my mind clear, I knew if I started thinking about it too much I would get cold feet. I didn¡¯t want to run away anymore.

    I stopped at the white picket fence staring into the cryptic field of tombs. I looked over at the people scattered about the place. Some were leaving, taking notice of the coming in rain clouds, others had umbrellas and a few didn¡¯t even seem to notice the clouds. I stared for a bit at the gate that held the hollow fields. My legs felt like cement, and my heart began to race. I don¡¯t have the right to be here...I don¡¯t have the-

    ¡°She made that choice didn¡¯t she!¡± Zack¡¯s words echoed in my mind. She made that choice, right? She made that choice to save my life, I at least owe it to her to visit.

    I took a step forward inside, and took a breath. It felt like walking on eggshells. I didn¡¯t know why, but I was terrified. I put my hands in my pockets and tried to prevent myself from shaking. I forced myself forward with each step. I stared up at the big oak tree across the way and headed there.

    As I walked, I felt the rain start to come down on me. Maybe I should just give up, I mean I could catch a cold if it¡¯s raining right? Lux would be mad if I came home soaked, and Dad would beat me if I tracked water in the house.

    However, I had walked the whole trek here already without even thinking about it, I guess my legs went on autopilot mode. I was shielded slightly by the big oak leaves from the relentless attack from the clouds above. I stared at the gravestone blankly for a bit, like I was looking at a stranger. I hadn¡¯t been back here in years, I didn¡¯t know what to say. My legs began to feel like jello and I fell to my knees.

    ¡°Mom..¡± I shuttered out.

    I took out my mask slowly and set it on the gravestone.

    ¡°Hey, It''s been a long time hasn¡¯t it?¡± I choked the words out of my mouth like I was being strangled.

    I tried to force a small smile on my face, attempting to ease the moment, but it wasn''t working. I took a deep breath and started telling her about my day. I told her about Zack and Alexis, I told her about my powers and the fight with the gang leader. I told her about the fight Dad and Lux had.

    It''s been forever since I visited her tombstone. I would always walk up to the gate, but never enter. I didn''t feel worthy enough to step foot in here. But I felt so much lighter the longer I talked, I even forgot about the rain that piled on to me. It was like she was right there with me. Her warm and charismatic smile, shielding me from the rain like she used to do.

    ¡°Mom, I remember the nights when you would read to me. You read me that story about the knight who killed that dragon and saved the princess and the whole kingdom. I thought he was the coolest when I was younger. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. And I finally have that chance to be a real hero like him. But. But!¡± I yelled but repeatedly to the gravestone.

    I was crying and ripping the grass out the ground around me in frustration, trying to get the words out. It was like that strangling feeling had come back with full force. I felt this pain in my stomach, as if someone was twisting a knife into me.

    I even began to feel the rain now. Like it was holding me down on my knees. That warm cheerful feeling I had of my past wisped away like smoke. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her lifeline. I had the image of her falling to the ground replaying in my head over and over again. I felt like I was gonna throw up. I couldn''t take it anymore, I was falling back into the loop of her death all over again.

    Then like the sun breaking through the clouds I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder. I couldn¡¯t move. I felt the presence of someone kneeling down beside me with a warming touch.

    ¡°Go, be the hero I know you can be.¡± A soft nostalgic voice whispered to me. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I slowly turned and saw her, my mother. Her always kind and sincere smile and her breathtaking blue eyes. But just as fast as the apparition came, it was gone. I stopped moving and breathing for a moment. I stared at the now empty grass next to me where the figure was. I had no words. I just stood up and grabbed my mask from the gravestone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mom, I''ve wasted so much time. I''ll go make you proud.¡± I said lastly to the tomb.

    I stood up and looked over her grave one last time. Today is the day I stop looking back and start moving forward. And I knew just the place to start.

    ¡­.

    I headed down the street to a nearby liquor store, this place was a hot-spot for the Red Steel Gang. Rumor has it they get free service from this place, like their own personal suppliers. As you would imagine, this created a lot of issues around this area, my dad even got jumped here a few days ago. I was lucky enough to not be noticed as I hid beside the wall of the liquor store, Waiting to see if I would to catch something.

    It was beginning to feel like hours of me just sitting here staring at people coming in and out of the store. The rain had finally stopped, but I was becoming restless just sitting there. Just when I was about to give up for the night, my waiting paid off. I saw a woman leaving the store in a hurry, speed walking down the street. As she was walking, I could see two men cut her off on the sidewalk. I moved from the wall to get a better look, I could see the taller one of the two men stepping forward toward her. She took a step back from him, but he snatched her hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s a pretty little thing like yourself doing out here alone?¡± One of them asked the girl as she struggled to yank her hand away.

    ¡°Please just take my money and let me go!¡± The women tearfully begged the two men.

    They both just laughed at her and started pulling her off into the alleyway. No one around reacted to them, people just kept moving on like nothing was happening. It was almost like they were looking away. My blood began to boil. I put on my mask and activated my eyes, following behind them as quickly as possible. I saw one man holding onto the girl tightly while the other was pulling a gun out of his pants snickering.

    ¡°Let her go!¡± I yelled, catching both of their attention.

    The gunman jerked the gun at me holding it sideways.

    ¡°Who the hell are you supposed to be? Batman? Get outta here kid.¡± The gunman yelled at me, shewing me away with his gun.

    He had a Red Steel Beam bandanna over his mouth and the other had one around his neck. There was no doubt about it, they were Red Steel Gang members.

    ¡°Red Steel Gang, you have infested this city long enough. It''s about time you face justice!¡± I declared proudly to the two men.

    I was surprised by my own voice, it sounded like someone else was talking. Like someone way more confident. They both stared in silence at me. Then they started laughing hysterically. Then Pop! Pop! He fired his gun at me.

    I reacted fast and swiftly, weaving the bullets coming my way as I ran in at the gunmen. I leaned back and rammed my fist into the guy¡¯s face. He flew back and hit the wall hard and dropped to the floor like a rock.

    The guy with the bandanna over his mouth slowly moved his hand to his pocket. I took notice and prepared myself. Then he sprang at me taking out his switchblade and swinging it wildly at me. I dodged easily and summoned an Albion sword to counter strike his swing. His knife flew out his hand as he stumbled back. I held my blade out to his neck and I could see he was shaking.

    ¡°Go, get out of my sight. Now!¡± I commanded.

    He still seemed to be petrified in fear, as he stayed where he was. I stared into his eyes, and he seemed to get the message that I meant what I said. He ran past me, and slipped and fell flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and continued to run off again. Once he was out of my sight, I looked over to the girl who was staring at me in horror on the ground. I walked over to her and kneeled down, offering her my hand.

    ¡°Are you okay miss?¡± I asked her calmly.

    She stared at me for a bit before she reluctantly took my hand and I helped her up. She had the look of fear and amazement on her face, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off me.

    ¡°What, what are you..¡± She managed to stammer out.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a guy trying to make a difference.¡± I looked over at the guy leaning against the wall, he was out.

    I forgot about the body modifications we had. It must have enhanced my strength too... I tried not to dwell on it now and focused back on the lady in front of me.

    ¡°Call the cops immediately and tell them every single thing that happened okay?¡± I told her as I slowly stepped away.

    She pulled out her phone and gave me a surprising smile.

    ¡°I will, thank you. I have a daughter at home and I just-¡± she seemed like she was about to get emotional, but I stopped her before she could finish.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand.¡± I gave her a nod and with that, I took off.

    After a while of running, I came back to my house catching my breath behind my building. I took my mask off and stared off into the night sky. I can¡¯t believe I really did it, I really saved somebody!

    Words could not express how happy I was. I just couldn¡¯t believe it, a stupid screw up like me actually did something. I actually saved someone¡¯s life! Look Mom, if you''re watching now. I¡¯m finally listening to you. I am doing what I always wanted to do. I can finally be a hero!

 Chapter 14- The dodge ball of death

    I spent most of the school-day pretty paranoid. Not just about last night, but Zack was worrying me too. See, he¡¯s the bragging type; if he thinks he has a leg up over someone, he won''t hesitate to take them down. I¡¯d imagine the ability to conjure fire, vines, and to summon a goblin-like familiar has left him feeling pretty high-and-mighty.

    One of the rules we have as gifted is to not tell people about the goddesses. Zack¡¯s a really good liar, so I don¡¯t have to worry too much about him exposing them. However, showing off his superpowers to get a girl¡¯s number or to burn a guy he doesn''t like, that kind of stuff I wouldn¡¯t put it past him. The last thing I need is him to expose himself like that. I had gym class next so I was gonna see him, and I hadn¡¯t heard any rumors of anyone fire bending yet, so that was a good sign.

    I rushed into the gym, my teacher announced that we were playing dodgeball today and to get dressed immediately. As I walked down to the changing room, I noticed most people were already in teams, I also noticed that Zack was there. For the first time in the six years I¡¯ve known him, he was on time for class (and it wasn''t even a field trip.) That was the first sign that something was wrong. With that in mind, I started thinking of some contingency plans just in case Zack slipped up.

    As I went upstairs, I noticed the two distinctly different groups on either side of the gym. On one side we had all the jocks wearing yellow jerseys, while on the other side were all the geeks, shy kids and Zack with no jerseys. Zack was standing in front of the geeks, sticking his tongue out at all the jocks, daring them to come closer. They all got a good laugh at his facial expressions.

    That was the second sign that Zack was up to no good. He usually sided with the strongest people and hid behind them, or solely relied on me... Then a light bulb went off in my head. He was gonna rely on me and my new eyes to win. He chose the team I felt the most sympathy for!

    I growled as I heard the coach yell my name and tell me the oh so wonderful news that I was on Zack¡¯s team. That evil genius played me by getting here early...

    ¡°Now that my knight is here you¡¯re all going down!¡± He cheered as the other team just chuckled and shook their heads.

    If they only knew...

    The coach lined up the balls, and we all stepped back against the walls. We all waited in anticipation for the whistle to sound us off. I looked over at Zack, who was flexing and making kissy faces at the girls. They looked like they were supposed to be playing volleyball on their side of the gym.

    Then I felt my heart skip a beat. I could see Alexis waving our way, I felt the butterflies in my stomach begin to form. However, a knot soon took its place. I remembered she asked me to put in a good word for her for Zack. I didn¡¯t wave back and faced forward again, I needed to get my head in the game. Zack could pull something at any time. Besides, it was a lot better than letting my mind wander.

    Then the whistle sounded off. Most of my team and the entire yellow team ran for the balls like sheep to the slaughter. I never understood why everyone always ran up to the balls, it was suicide.

    ¡°Get ready for the grand wizard to shine!¡± Zack cheered, punching my shoulder playfully.

    ¡°What does that-¡± Before I could even ask he was running off to the front lines.

    Zack¡¯s a coward, he never runs to the front unless we already won. The final sign I needed. I activated my eyes and watched him carefully as I slowly made my way to the front. I noticed that there were only three of us now, my team had been annihilated. I watched in astonishment as the balls coming Zack¡¯s way were smacked to the side¡­by nothing. Zack pretended to dodge the balls that were smacked away, but I wasn¡¯t fooled. He stood up tall with a smirk and his arms folded as he stared down the other team. Then I remembered my fight with him in the woods, Bean, it had to be Bean!

    ¡°Ha! Your aim¡¯s crap, meatheads!¡± Zack yelled as the only other person on our team stared in awe at him.

    ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Our teammate cheered from behind Zack¡¯s nest of safety.

    I was beside them now. There was a moment of ceasefire as the opposite team seemed to be in awe at Zack¡¯s dodging skills.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing,¡± I whispered to him.

    ¡°Giving these losers a show,¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°You know wha-¡±

    ¡°It''s time to get zacked, losers!¡± Zack declared to the other team, completely ignoring me as he stepped forward.

    I could see the kid behind Zack get a more confident look in his eyes, he ran from Zack¡¯s protective bubble to grab a ball. The yellow team took notice of this and fired at the kid. My legs moved without me even thinking about it and before I knew it I was guarding the kid. I caught the first ball that came my way and smacked the other balls away. My eyes made this child''s play.

    ¡°Jeffery! Out!¡± The couch yelled as Jeffery shot me a death glare.

    ¡°Zack, and the guy whose name I don¡¯t know, get behind me. I''ll take care of them.¡± I called out as I eyed the yellow team down.

    But they just started to laugh at me.

    ¡°Oh, Stryder¡¯s gonna take us out! I¡¯m so scar-¡± I chucked that rubber ball hard at his face before he could even finish.

    He dropped to the ground hard like a rock as everyone''s laughs were silenced. I just gave them a quiet glare as the guy whose mouth I just shut slowly got up rubbing his face with a groan. Followed by our couches all too familiar roar of ¡°you¡¯re out!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right my knight! Show these jocks they need to go back to the gym!¡± I turned quickly back to Zack and gave him the shut-up-or-I''ll-kill-you look.

    He chuckled and held up his hands, backing away slowly. I turned back quickly and looked over the yellow team again. There were three balls coming my way. I sidestepped and did a back handspring dodging the other balls.

    ¡°Spread out!¡± Someone yelled on the other team as they all did so.

    Everyone was silent, watching in anticipation. Then the balls came flying my way, I used my eyes dodging like a pro. Using flips, spins, and corkscrews to dodge, catch, and throw balls back at the yellow team. Then one by one I took out the entire team. I have to admit. I showed off a bit for Alexis. I knew she liked Zack and all but I, I just, I don¡¯t know, I couldn¡¯t help myself.

    ¡°Game! Nice work Stryder! Should sign up for some sports with moves like that!¡± The coach called out to me.

    I was suddenly surrounded by praise from my entire team, some of the other team members, even a few of the girls came over. I was blushing like a tomato now as everyone complimented me. I didn¡¯t know how to take compliments, so I just stood there awkwardly smiling like an idiot and nodding. Then I felt my heartbeat pick up, as Alexis came over to me with a huge grin on her face.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°That was flipping awesome, dude! You have to show me some of your ninja moves!¡± Alexis chimed doing some ninja strikes and noises.

    I was still super flustered and slowly becoming nervous. I needed to say something, but I didn¡¯t know what to say. I didn¡¯t want her to think I was boring or didn¡¯t care. My brain was completely scrambled, but soon my brain moved back into place as I felt someone move their arm around my shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my knight for ya!¡± Zack cheered as he leaned more onto me. ¡°Strongest of them all!¡± Then it all came back to me. Bean, I was supposed to beat Zack for using Bean.

    However, Alexis¡¯ constant praise just melted my worries away. I watched her smile and relaxed a bit. I felt that pit in my stomach again as I thought about it. She really did like Zack. All this time, all my stupid fantasies of manning up and asking her out. It was all for naught. It would never happen. I felt my smile slowly begin to fade, but just as I did, I felt a tug at my shirt sleeve. Alexis¡¯ friend was asking for my attention.

    She had long neat and clean black hair that had no sign that she had just come from a volleyball game. She was a head shorter than me and had these greenish-brown eyes, that admittedly I stared into. I was trying to guess which color was more dominant. Her skin was blemish-free and looked smooth like silk. I could see her cheeks flush red like the streaks in Alexis¡¯ hair. I realized I was still staring at her eyes and immediately looked away.

    ¡°S-sorry.¡± I stammered out as she just shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I wanted to introduce myself. My name¡¯s Valentina, I¡¯m the student council president.¡± I immediately felt embarrassed.

    I know she was just the student council president, but to me, that made her a bit above me. Like she had some celebrity status or something.

    ¡°O-oh, nice to meet you. I''m Stryder.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m Zack sweet cheeks.¡± Zack blurted out as he leaned over to her.

    I could see the hurt and frustration in Alexis¡¯ eyes as she looked to me for help. But before I could even speak, Valentina spoke up with a sigh.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Grendell, I know you quite well. From flooding the boy''s bathroom to sneaking into the girl''s locker room. The student council is very aware of your presence.¡± She had this look of agitation in her eyes as Zack had one of fear.

    ¡°Haha, oh yeah! Well, I think I¡¯ll be taking my leave now¡­¡± Zack chuckled nervously as he slowly walked off.

    Valentina just glared a bit at him as he slowly walked away.

    ¡°I''m sorry about him..he¡¯s...he¡¯s an idiot,¡± I said flatly as Alexis chuckled a bit.

    ¡°Anyways, I came to ask you about possibly joining a sports team here at school. Clearly you have the physical capabilities.¡± She proposed but I just shook my head slowly.

    ¡°I''ve never really been good at any sports. The most I do is parkour in my free time and that''s not much of a sport.¡± I said softly.

    ¡°I think with a little practice you could be a great help. We¡¯re in a bit of a losing streak right now¡­¡± She said softly

    ¡°With those ninja moves of yours! I bet you¡¯d be great at sports! Super agile!¡± Alexis cheered happily which made me smile a bit.

    ¡°Well, I''ll think about it, is that alright?¡± I suggested to the two who just smiled and nodded. Great well I¡¯m going to go get dressed now, nice meeting you Valentina.¡± I said waving off to her as I headed back down the stairs.

    As I did I could hear Zack bragging loudly and proudly to everyone. Some looked agitated as others were just trying to ignore him like I was. However, as I was getting dressed I could hear Zack going back and forth with another kid. It was harmless at first, then it started getting heated.

    ¡°Bruh, if you don¡¯t shut up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what are you gonna do about it!¡±

    ¡°I''ll bust your lip open!¡± The guy yelled back, that''s when I headed over there.

    ¡°What''s up?!¡± Zack yelled.

    I started to run once I saw the guy he was arguing with, he was going for a punch. I leaped in just in time, and got clocked in the face! And let me tell you, if I hadn¡¯t had those body modifications, I would''ve lost a tooth.

    ¡°Look, believe me, I know he¡¯s an idiot and all, but we¡¯re better than this senseless violence aren¡¯t we?¡± I asked, staring the guy in the eyes. He looked shocked for a moment before he finally relaxed again.

    ¡°What am I thinking? I got the homecoming game coming up soon. I can''t afford to get in trouble with this idiot. Good looking, Stryder.¡± He said softly as he turned to walk off shaking his head. Thank god our coach stayed upstairs, or else that would have been bad.

    ¡°Seriously. Can you be just a little less heroic?¡± Zack asked me with a groan.

    ¡°Shut up, or next time I''ll deliver the punch, got it?¡± I grumbled as I walked over to my locker.

    As school let out, I waited on Zack at the front. Zack eventually came over to me and dragged me to the park.

    ¡°Dude, dude, you''re gonna love this!¡± Zack exclaimed, but I just stayed quiet.

    I was deciding whether I should hit him first, or yell at him. But I was curious to hear what he had to say first. He was giggling like a dufus the entire walk to the woods.

    ¡°Check it!¡± Zack cheered.

    He took out some upside-down photos and handed them to me. I turned them over and I was speechless.

    ¡°Zack! What the hell! How did you?-¡±

    ¡°Ssshhh.¡± Zack hushed me.

    This perv had just given me photos of the girls from gym! Changing into their regular clothes!

    ¡°Hey, I even got a good shot of Alexis for you. Don¡¯t you wanna just take a peek?¡± Zack creepily whispered into my ear.

    I was disgusted and furious. But a part of me awakened when he said, Alexis.

    ¡°Well, umm, I umm.¡± I started to say before I snapped back into reality. I couldn¡¯t dare look at these photos.

    ¡°Come on Stryder, just quench a little of your thirst. How is she gonna find out? Just a little peek won''t burn your Christian eyes. You¡¯re a man after all, and this is the jackpot!¡± He snickered with a smirk.

    ¡°I won''t! It¡¯s the principal of the thing! It''s wrong! And an invasion of their privacy!¡± I manifested a knife and slashed the photos up.

    ¡°Noo, my babies! How could you! My beautiful, beautiful babies!¡± Zack yelled falling on the ground to the remains of his photos. Seemingly crying over them.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be using your powers so recklessly. What if someone finds out, and they come for us!¡±

    ¡°Jessica¡¯s Awesome bod! Gone! I worked so hard for that shot!¡± Zack whined.

    He was on his knees beating the ground in defeat.

    ¡°Are you even listening to me!¡± I hollered.

    ¡°Shut up you homewrecker! Those were my children! My gifts from the gods! And you ruined it!¡± He cried

    I sighed.

    ¡°Oh, and if you take a single pic of my sister, I''ll cut your nuts off,¡± I said activating my eyes, giving him a death glare.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± He groaned like a child.

    He folded his arms and turned away from me.

    ¡°Also, Bean can get big?¡± I asked curiously.

    But he just ignored me.

    ¡°I guess someone doesn¡¯t want ice cream on the roof tonight,¡± I sighed walking away from him.

    He sprung up fast and hugged me from behind.

    ¡°Oh yeah! Bean has lots of abilities!¡± He yelled holding onto me.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious though, get one picture of Lux and your-¡°

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡±

    ¡°What do you take me for? A perverted freak?¡± Zack asked, seeming offended.

    ¡°Yes, yes, I do. You better be on your best behavior for Alexis as well.¡± I told him as I continued to walk away.

    ¡°How dare ye claim the handsome and charming Zackery is anything but a gent!¡± He yelled.

    ¡°Says the guy who took photos of the girls changing. Or the time you tried sneaking into the changing room at the pool.¡± I said in a rebuttal.

    ¡°I thought we agreed to never speak of that day!¡± Zack yelled running up to me. He had a please-Stryder-don¡¯t look in his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know this was all the way back in middle school and all. But you have to admit that was hilarious.¡± I said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Look, I was young Stalin back then. I didn¡¯t have much control over my wild side yet.¡± Zack mumbled

    ¡°And now you¡¯re a crusty old horse, with new tricks,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Crusty!? I am a strong vibrant young stallion!¡± Zack yelled while smacking his chest repeatedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but someone who dresses as a girl to get into the girl''s changing room does not get to be called a stallion.¡± I shot back. ¡±I can''t believe you wore that one piece. I told you over and over that was stupid. Just because your hair went to your shoulders, you thought it would work.¡± Zack groaned and facepalmed.

    ¡°There was even a guy who hit on me. You remember? The guy who bought me food?¡± Zack groaned.

    ¡°Oh yeah! He followed you around all night. He looked dead inside after you were caught. You deserve that crusty horse title. As a matter of fact, Zack the thirsty, crusty horse sounds pretty accurate to me.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think you''re safe. I seem to recall someone sneaking around in the pool area, so you could stare at Alexis. I remember you going on and on about how hot she looked in that ¨C¡± I put my hand over his mouth.

    ¡°We were both kids, I guess.¡± I blushed a little and sighed.

    Zack chuckled teasingly as we walked the rest of the way home.

 Chapter-15 Storytime with Stryder

    After we got the ice cream we decided to head up to the roof. I usually scaled the building to get up to the top. I don¡¯t know why, but I love freerunning. I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, roller coasters, go karts etc. Zack was the one who originally got me started on parkour and freerunning (I thought it was suicide.). But after some practice, I loved the feeling of the wind in my face. Zack however, gave up on it rather quickly after an incident. We were rooftop hoping one day for practice, and he tripped over a ledge. I barely caught him from plummeting to the ground. I only had him by his ankle, safe to say he never climbed again. He even looks at jungle jims crossed eyed now.

    I was climbing up on the drain pipe like I usually did. I don¡¯t know what Zack does to get up there anymore, nor did I really question him. As I made my way to the top, I saw Zack sitting on the ledge waiting for me. First time in a long time, he beat me up here.

    ¡°Hurry up grandma! The ice cream¡¯s gonna melt!¡± He hollered.

    I sighed in annoyance and mocked his yelling with my hand as I walked over to him. I sat next to him on the ledge, overlooking the city below.

    ¡°Alright, you can start eating now.¡± I said as Zack¡¯s eyes lit up like a christmas tree.

    ¡°Sweet!¡± Zack cheered as he popped opened the box of Blueberry Popsicles.

    He took two out and practically ate them and the wrappers. I snatched the box from him, fearing he¡¯d eat the whole thing if I didn¡¯t stop him.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± Suddenly Zack yelped as he cringed hard, grabbing his head like it was about to explode. ¡°Brain freeze!¡± He started wailing as he flailed around, almost knocking me and himself over the edge.

    ¡°Are you trying to kill us you idiot!¡± I yelled at him in a panic.

    I held onto the edge with an iron grip. I noticed Zack tipping over, and I pulled him back on the ledge, steadying him again on it. I could see him staring down at the streets below, with the fear of god in his eyes.

    ¡°Holy crap!¡± He yelped, as he practically leaped from the ledge (almost knocking me over) back onto the rooftop.

    ¡°Calm down you nimrod! You''re gonna knock me over!¡± I barked at him, as I steadied myself again.

    After a bit of Zack¡¯s panicked wheezing, things became calm again. I took out a popsicle and looked out at the city below me. I had a perfect view of the park. I could feel the wind pick up as a breeze danced through the trees below. The setting sun painting the sky with shades of red, orange, and yellow. It was absolutely breathtaking. I slowly ate my blueberry popsicle with a smile etched on my face. Memories of the first time me and Zack had these popsicles, started flooding back into my mind.

    I remember it was a scorching summer, and me and Zack were playing tag in my backyard. Zack had been it for forever, he was just so slow. I had let him tag me a few times, just because I felt so bad for him. My mom had come outside with Lux brandishing a box of Blueberry Popsicle.

    Zack ended up ditching tag all together and went to shower Lux in his ¡®love.¡¯ My mom walked over and gave me the box, I immediately ran under the tree in the back and started eating some. A little later Zack joined me under there, both of us destroying the box in an instant. We both stayed under that tree for a little after that, feeling way too fat to run around anymore. I remember looking over and seeing Zack, knocked out with his head on my shoulder and ice cream all over his face. I smiled and relaxed, following his lead and going to sleep too. It was crazy, imagining how different things were for us now. No more tree, no more mom, yet we kept this tradition intact. We kept moving forward, even when she isn''t here.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Hey earth to Stryder, you okay man? You''re eating your ice cream like it''s your last meal or something.¡± Zack questioned, looking rather concerned.

    But that look lost its value when I noticed a familiar blue stain on his face.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just remembering stuff.¡± I chuckled some looking at him and sighing. ¡°Anyways, let me tell you about last night.¡±

    As I told Zack about it, he seemed to get super excited. I swear I could see his eyes twinkle as I looked at him, which made me laugh.

    ¡°Dude you''re freaking awesome! Personally I would have roasted the guy¡¯s nuts. But I guess scaring the piss out of them and knocking them is enough! Why did you let the other go though? They¡¯re gonna be looking for you now.¡± Zack had that look of concern on his face again as he said that last part, but I just smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s the point. I want them to focus their attention on me. If they start seeking me out, I can take them out much faster. Plus we took out their leader, so they¡¯re disorganized as well. Making sloppy movements, plans, and overall easy pickings. But one attack isn¡¯t gonna fully get their attention¡± I paused for a moment taking a bite of my ice cream.

    Zack stared at me with a small but content smile on his face.

    ¡°Man! This is really happening, although I¡¯m not surprised, knowing you after all. But you''re not the only one here who has a goal to fulfill.¡± He replied softly.

    He was looking down at the ground, folding his hands together. His demeanor completely changed, he had that rare serious look on his face. It threw me off looking at him.

    ¡°It''s for Annual, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked softly, looking down on the now almost vanished sun.

    The mood had completely changed.

    The once warming sunset was beginning to fade. Leaving behind it a cooler shade that announced the night. I almost forgot how much Zack held in. Hiding all his pain behind that mischievous attitude and smile. He always hid behind that mask, and I was always the one to pull it off. We were both in the same boat here, we couldn¡¯t afford to be slacking. We didn¡¯t say anything for a bit as we watched the sun, slowly vanishing from our sights.

    ¡°I will get stronger, and I will find a cure for her. No matter what it takes me Stryder. I will be her hero.¡± Zack said firmly, tightening his grip on his hand.

    I was proud to hear him say something so noble. All my life I¡¯ve never seen him have any real ambitions or goals. The conviction in his voice was enough to convince me, he was serious.

    ¡°I''ll do whatever it takes to help you. This is something we must, no, we will do.¡± I looked over to him, and he looked back at me.

    ¡°We¡¯ll always have each other''s backs, no matter what. So I guess from time and time again I''ll help take out the trash. Besides, I think chicks dig superheroes too. Oh yeah, I am gonna be rolling in babes.¡± Zack snickered, putting his hands behind his head.

    I laughed.

    ¡°So I¡¯m going again tonight, and every night after that. I know a few spots to go to, so are you in?¡± I asked looking over to him in his eyes.

    ¡°I already told you man, I¡¯m gonna be a hero!¡± He replied smiling like a dufus.

    He held up his fist to me and I smiled holding up mine. We fist bumped and I could just tell that things were gonna change for us. This was truly the beginning.

 Chapter 16 - The Alley of justice

    Every night for the past few weeks, Zack and I have been going around and putting a stop to the Red Steel gang. Slowly but surely we started seeing less and less of those creeps walking around the city. We had officially made a name for ourselves. The people started calling us the Alley of Justice, Knight, and wizard. We were full-fledged superheroes now. Although Zack was a bit of a handful to take care of¡­ He had an issue using his real voice, way too much when we were in ¡®costume¡¯ (which were nothing more than glorified hoodies.) He even tried to actually burn someone''s nuts off! I thought he was just kidding about that! Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to not be caught yet. People kept trying to impersonate us and claim they were the Knight and Wizard, trying to take credit for our work.

    Which only prompted them to get attacked by the Red Steel gang and police¡­ With them basically going underground now, we have a lot more free time. However, tonight was an odd night. This was the first time in weeks we heard screaming for help coming from the streets. I and Zack were on the scene.

    I slowly crept around the corner of the alleyway, trying to see if I could get a better look. I saw what seemed to be a man holding out a knife at a woman. The man was around six feet tall with a hoodie on that covered most of his face, and a familiar Steel Beam bandanna tied to his arm. But something was off about this, he wasn¡¯t even threatening her. He was just looking around like he was expecting something to happen.

    ¡°Hurry up and go! My butt hurts from sitting like this!¡± Zack yelled in a whisper voice.

    ¡°Shut up you nimrod! Something''s up. I think it¡¯s a trap.¡± I whispered over to him.

    ¡°Who gives a damn! They ain¡¯t got nothing on me!¡± Zack cheered getting up and running around the corner.

    I tried to reach and stop him, but he was already gone. Crap! He just let our position go! I stood up quickly and followed after him. As soon as I turned the corner, I saw the man with the knife smiling widely at us.

    ¡°Now!¡± He yelled.

    Suddenly people sprung up from all around us, all Red Steel gang members. My eyes grew wide at the sight before us, each person had some serious firepower on them, rifles, shotguns, A-K¡¯s, etc.

    ¡°We finally got you, Alley of Justice, you guys are idiots you know that right? Thinking you can shove us around any way you like?¡± The guy with the knife started going on and on about how we fell for such an obvious trap.

    But his supervillain monologue was interrupted by Zacks, hysterical laughter.

    ¡°You¡¯re the idiots! Oh, man! You guys are killing me! You really think you¡¯re a match for me!¡± Zack said as he fell to the ground laughing, holding onto his sides.

    The guy with the shotgun, however, didn¡¯t seem too pleased with his laughing though.

    ¡°Keep laughing punk!¡± He yelled as he fired off a round at Zack.

    Zack kept laughing as he slowly stood up. The bullets seemingly stopped in mid-air, halfway toward us. Then they fell to the ground like pebbles. Zack¡¯s laughing was just a distraction, so he could use a spell. Zack gave the awed eyed Gang member a wicked grin. His palms had a faint pink glow illuminating off them. A few others shot again and again at the force field, but the same result occurred each time.

    ¡°You guys have no idea how bad you messed up. Mr. Knight, Beans blocked the only exit, you can attack now.¡± Zack said, looking over his shoulder to me. I smiled slightly and nodded.

    ¡°On it.¡± I replied, manifesting an Albion sword.

    I could see some of them shaking, as reality had finally set in. They thought they had trapped us, but it was us who had them trapped. I slowly stepped forward toward them, as they seemed to panic fire at me. I didn''t even bat an eye, as all the bullets just hit the force field. I activated my eyes and I swear I could see the guy with the knife piss himself. I readied myself and ran out of the force field at them. Dodging their shots with ease. Then one by one, I slashed their guns in half and bashed the end of my sword into their heads. Knocking each and every member out.

    ¡°Alright wrap them up, Wizard,¡± I called out to Zack, making my sword vanish from my hands into the sparkling blue dust.

    ¡°Rodger, Rodger!¡± Zack replied as he said his enchantment calmly and slowly.

    Vines then erupted from the ground below them, wrapping each and every one of them up. I walked over to the lady, who was on the ground staring up at us in awe.

    ¡°Are you alright miss? ¡° I asked reaching out my hand to her and helping her up.

    She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a tight red business dress with red heels on. She looked pretty, she had makeup on like she was going out somewhere. She looked to be in her twenties, maybe early thirties.

    ¡°Alley of Justice knight¡­ You¡¯re real.¡± She said in complete shock.

    ¡°Yes, we are real,¡± I said kindly back to her with a smile.

    ¡°Bill! Get the camera! Get the camera!¡± She shouted, jumping back from me. A cameraman came from behind a dumpster rolling a big camera at my face (I almost stabbed him.)

    I jumped back some, and Zack ran over to my side. ¡°We¡¯re rolling live on channel thirty-three news! With your host Ella! Please, heroes, tell us! Is there any message you like to give to the public!¡± She asked, holding a mic up to my mask. And my mind went blank.

    ¡°U-ummm¡± I stammered out before Zack pushed me over and got all in the camera.

    ¡°To all you lovely ladies out there. The Alley of Justice Wizard, yes the sexy beast that I am! Is single! I would appreciate all the praise and gif-¡° I got up fast and shield bashed him away from the camera. He was using his real voice again...Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Ignore him, please. We don¡¯t require any thanks for doing this at all. Were just some people who were tired of the way things were. Anyone can be a hero. You don¡¯t have to fight crime to be one either. Just open your eyes to the things around you. And see what you can do to make a change.¡±I said softly in my hero voice.

    The camera lady seemed to like it. But now I was out of things to say, I started to mentally panic.

    ¡°That was gay.¡± I heard Zack groan as sirens could be heard in the distance.

    ¡°Crap!¡± I shrieked looking to Zack

    ¡°Umm Knight! We need to get the heffle out of here!¡± Zack yelled getting up off the ground.

    I nodded and turned to run. But I stopped when I felt the ground shake underneath me, like something giant had dropped down next to us. Then I felt a big rough hand snatch me up and shoot off into the night sky. I didn¡¯t panic though, I knew this feeling all too well by now. It was Bean. His invisibility power can engulf whatever it touches, so he helped make great getaways.

    ¡°Well, our name is definitely out there now huh!?¡± Zack cheered over the rustling winds.

    I smiled and nodded, letting the rushing wind take me away.

    ¡°Totally!¡± I cheered.

    Soon we landed, and Bean set us down in the woods.

    ¡°Our first interview¡­ and I totally blew it! Open your eyes to the world around yu? That was so corny!¡± I groaned as I took off my mask.

    ¡°Relax, you totally gave the people what they wanted to hear. People eat up that Superman crap.¡± Zack replied, taking his mask off.¡± But I can¡¯t imagine why you expected me to not let these fine ladies know that the sexy Wizard was available!¡± He cheered with a snicker as he started walking away down the trail.

    ¡°If only you had a brain to match,¡± I said under my breath.

    ¡°What was that?¡± He roared back to me.

    He stopped walking now and got in my face. I nearly hacked as his hot breath strolled its way into my nostrils.

    ¡°Dude your breath reeks!¡± I groaned walking ahead of him.¡± How do you expect to get all the single ladies with hot breath like that!¡±

    ¡°At least Alexis loves my breath!¡± He fired back, then cupped his hands over his mouth immediately after.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that,¡± I said cheerfully.

    He slowly backed away from me, as I stepped closer. I smiled at him as I put my hand on his forearm. Blue speckles appeared around his arms, and then the heaviest, biggest gauntlets I could think of manifested over him. He yelped and fell forward on the ground.

    ¡°Bean!¡± he cried out.

    ¡°You used up too much magic. You can''t summon Bean for at least eight hours¡± I said with a devilish smirk.

    ¡°C-come on Stryder, you know you I was kidding right?¡± Zack stammered looking nervous now.

    He was desperately trying to yank his arms up, but he wasn''t remotely strong enough.

    ¡°Maybe sleeping in the woods tonight might humble you up some, hmm?¡± I said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Come on dude! Don¡¯t leave me here! The squirrels are gonna come! Their nature¡¯s gangsters!¡± Zack cried out desperately.

    ¡°Oh fine, fine, you''re lucky I¡¯m nice¡± I undid the gauntlets on him.

    We both continued to walk back to my house together in silence. We eventually successfully snuck into my apartment from the fire escape window, or so I thought... When I stepped inside I saw lux standing there, waiting on us.

    ¡°So Stryder, mind telling me where you''ve been?¡± She said hopping over to me with the, I caught ya grin.

    ¡°I was uh, trying to see if I could see those Alley of Justice guys. Yeah! Me and Zack wanted to meet them. S-sorry I snuck out.¡± I stammered out.

    ¡°Oh really? Is that you why have this!¡± Lux said, snatching my mask from my hoodie pocket. Zack stared wide-eyed at me, I was at a loss for words.

    ¡°That¡¯s just an uh, a replica of the Knight''s mask. You know I am a huge fan of the Alley of Justice and all.¡± I replied softly.

    My sister knows when I lie to her. I was finished. She has been acting suspicious of me for a while now. A week ago I sent Zack out with my mask and a sword, pretending to be me. I was hoping to throw her off the trail but Zack had way too much fun being me. Biggest mistake of my life, so that never happened again.

    ¡°Yeah we were running around looking for them,¡± Zack said, adding into the conversation with his calm and sincere tone.

    ¡°Oh really? Because I¡¯m single ladies, the sexy Wizard of Justice! You didn¡¯t even change your voice!¡± Lux said moving her attention toward the dodo brained Zack.

    ¡°Hey, that wizard just knows he¡¯s a sexy beast I guess,¡± Zack replied.

    ¡°I''ll give you a kiss on the cheek if you tell me, Zackie poo,¡± Lux said in his ear seductively.

    She even gave him a little wink. Zack looked over at me for a millisecond.

    ¡°Yep, it''s us.¡± Zack said quickly with a giant grin on his face.

    I facepalmed and groaned at this neanderthal.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Lux cheered, triumphantly pointing at me with a wicked grin on her face.

    ¡°Now how about my little smoochy?¡± Zack asked, closing his eyes and turning his cheek her way.

    She kissed her hand and smacked Zack in the face. Zack creepily oohed and ahhed in excitement.

    ¡°Finally! One step closer to kids and the white picket fence!¡± I was so pissed, I walked over and decked Zack in the face.

    He fell back and landed in my dirty laundry basket.

    ¡°Worth.. it¡± he coughed out, remaining in my basket.

    ¡°You idiot!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°Dude! You have to tell me how this happened¡± Lux cheered running over to me.

    She was smiling ear to ear. Then right before I could even speak, I heard my Goddesses voice whispering in my ear.

    ¡°Remember the rules young Stryder, no telling about us.¡± As fast as it came, it vanished.

    My sister looked concerned for me. Did she hear the voice? Or was it my reaction?

    ¡°You okay Stryder? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?¡± Lux asked sitting back on the couch.

    I relaxed a bit, she didn''t hear the Goddess.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, just umm a little nervous is all¡± I stammered back to her.

    She patted the seat next to her, and I sat down. She cracked open a coke can and awaited my response.

    ¡°Well it umm, it all started a few weeks ago, when I was walking out at night with Zack. We both saw this shooting star and made a wish. Believe it or not it came true¡± I said looking away from her. I knew if she looked into my eyes, she could tell I was lying.

    ¡°Really? A shooting star huh?¡± She sounded very unamused. ¡°Well I don¡¯t buy that.¡± She said bluntly. She paused for a minute, seemingly waiting for me to reply. But I was at a loss for words at this point.¡± But I know you wouldn¡¯t lie to me, unless it was important. So I¡¯m not gonna pry. But next time, if something big happens to you like this, you better tell me!¡± She said putting me in a headlock and giving me a noogie.

    ¡°Alright, Alright I gotcha next time!¡± I said begging to be freed.

    ¡°Well just make sure you stay safe. You don¡¯t have anything to prove you know?¡± She said looking back at me.

    I looked down at my hands and smiled.

    ¡°I know I don¡¯t. This is just something I have to do. I feel like this could be my calling, my purpose ya know?¡± I replied softly.

    ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± She replied softly back, but it sounded like she had more to say. But she just stopped. ¡°Well anyway, Dad''s probably over some woman''s house. There¡¯s pizza in the fridge if you want. I¡¯m gonna go catch some z¡¯s, night dork¡± She said walking off into her room.

    I looked over at Zack, who had fallen fast asleep in my dirty clothes. Serves him right I suppose. I ate some cold pizza and watched the moon for a bit before I went to sleep. I can''t believe this is actually a thing. We¡¯ve really made a name for ourselves, everyone knows about our personas. It''s kind of creepy actually, hearing everyone talking about us inadvertently.

    Girls fantasizing over us, conspiracy theories argued and made about us. Zack would always enter those conversations and make up some half-baked theory. Usually on the lines of them, or us I should say, being a failed government experiment. Bent on messing up the establishment, or something like that. Even with all of Zack¡¯s mess-ups, the way he talks about the Ally of Justice makes it hard to pin him as the Wizard. He even went around saying he was the Wizard, but no one bought it. I started to act like a fanboy of the Knight since everyone expected me to be obsessed with him... It''s really weird to talk about myself so much. It¡¯s a little hard when Alexis starts talking about the knight. Such an easy way to impress her¡­ I needed to stop.

 Chapter-17 A new challenger arrives

    I sat back in my chair and stared anxiously at the clock. Our teacher ended class early for us today, and for the first time in my life. I wish I was learning something in math.

    All the students in my class were buzzing about homecoming and their dates. Which for me, only hammered in the fact that Zack and Alexis were going together. I tried my hardest to just ignore it, but I couldn¡¯t. Not to mention I was starting to think about Annual again. I wasn''t sure how I felt about her anymore. It was like a flood gate of emotions had been opened up, and I had no idea how to deal with any of it. I just, I hadn¡¯t seen Annual in years. I blocked off my mind from thinking about her, and now everything was flooding back. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Trying to fill my head with literally anything else.

    BBRRRINNNGG

    Thankfully the bell awakened to save me from my thoughts. I quickly got out of my chair. But as soon as I did,my teacher rushed over and slammed her hand on my desk.

    ¡°We need to talk to Mr. Beowulf.¡± She croaked.

    My teacher Mrs. Bates was an older lady. She had short white curly hair. She was a bit on the short side, but that didn¡¯t make her any less intimidating. Her eyes, they looked like they could suck the soul right out of you (no wonder she¡¯s a math teacher.)

    I gulped. ¡°Y-yes, mam?¡±

    But she didn''t say a word. She just glared at me until everyone else was gone. Then she cleared her throat and began ripping me a new one.

    Apparently, I had a low D that would drop to an F soon. And she was letting me know I needed to figure something out. Or else I''d be failing her class.

    The sad part was, no one I knew could help me. Lux barely scraped by with a D in math, Zack paid people to do his homework. Alexis was an okay student, but she couldn''t teach to save her life. And my social skills had much to be desired...I was always too nervous to ask someone in the class for help.

    I walked outside staring at my report card. I was doing good in all my other classes, math was the only thing hurting me. Lux has already made it clear, I was going to college. And the likelihood of anyone paying for me to go was almost impossible. She got in at her university on a full-ride scholarship. I was not smart enough for all that. So I had no idea what I was gonna do. And a failing grade wasn¡¯t helping...

    I looked up for a moment, and I saw some familiar faces still hanging around. It was Zack, Alexis, and Valentina. Zack was talking to Alexis, he had a nervous smile on as he was talking. Alexis however, seemed as happy as could be. Then there was the bored Valentina. I felt so bad for her, being a third wheel and all. I folded up my report card and slid it into my pocket. Then I jogged over to them.

    ¡°Ah! Stryder! My best friend! What¡¯s the haps? How''s it going!¡± Zack called out as he quickly hopped over to me.

    I was confused, but I pretended like it was normal.

    ¡°Hey guys, I just escaped the torture room known as algebra two.¡± I chuckled slightly as Alexis was now glaring at Zack.

    I felt like I was intruding on something...

    ¡°What took you so long to get out?¡± Valentina spoke up.

    I could see she was much more perked up now.

    ¡°Well, I might¡­Possibly be failing math..¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Pfft that all? I got a guy named Miguel, does homework for a dollar.¡± Zack chimed in with a smirk.

    He put his arm on my shoulder and leaned against me.

    ¡°What? No, I don¡¯t have a dollar to give!¡± I snapped back. ¡°Besides that¡¯s not helping me learn, and it''s dishonest.¡±

    ¡°Blah, blah, blah. I bet you just gave your money to the needy again.¡± I was quiet for a moment.

    ¡°T-that doesn''t change what I said!¡± I huffed as Alexis chuckled.

    ¡°I could teach you Stryder.¡± Valentina chimed in.

    ¡°Really? I can¡¯t pay you ya know?¡± I said softly as I looked over to her.

    Then with the sincerest smile, I''ve ever seen before, she just shook her head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay me, I''ll do it for free.¡±

    ¡°I feel bad not paying you back somehow,¡± I replied.

    ¡°How about me and you talk sports? Then I¡¯ll help.¡± She said cheerfully.

    I did really need this help. Plus she was like the valedictorian in our school. It¡¯s like getting help from a master. I was about to agree. But my words were lost to the wind when I heard police sirens going off. Which wasn¡¯t unusual here. But not one, not two, but seven or eight cars were flying down the street.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Alexis asked as we all shrugged.

    She jogged over to the school¡¯s entrance, and we all followed behind her. As we made our way over to the entrance, we all jumped at the sound of a loud explosion. We looked down the street toward the sound, and I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. The cops had barricaded around something down the road. There was this huge flame coming from behind the car barricade.

    ¡°The hell is that!?¡± Zack yelled.

    Suddenly we could hear gunshots going off and screaming.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But let''s get out of here!¡± I yelled.

    I pulled Valentina closer to me, guarding her just in case a stray bullet came.

    They all seemed to agree with me, and we ran down the opposite end of the road. I was behind the group when I heard another loud explosion. I looked back and saw a flaming police car, flying back from the barricade. I saw a heavier set man trying to run away from its path as it bounced on the ground like a kicked soda can. I immediately stopped and ran back at top speed to him. When I got close enough I leaped forward and tackled the man out the way. The car crashed down and we rolled out the way to safety.

    I sat up immediately and checked to see if the guy was alright. But as soon as we stopped rolling he shoved me off of him. He got up fast and ran down the road screaming. I wasn¡¯t mad though, I was just happy he was okay. But that peace didn¡¯t last long as a monstrous roar ripped through the air. It sent shivers down my spine as I looked back toward the barricade. I could see the thing walking around in it. I didn¡¯t see much, but it looked like a monster in there.

    ¡°Yo, Stryder! We gotta-¡± Zack had come back over to me now with a panicked expression on his face. But he stopped talking once we heard that thing yell again.

    ¡°Bring me the Knight!¡± The thing roared again.

    I squinted my eyes down the street to the barricade. I was hoping to get a better look at the thing, but I wasn¡¯t prepared for what I saw. Bodies upon bodies laying before his feet. Cops, and civilians. Then behind him, I could see a group of people huddled up. They looked like his hostages. Suddenly Zack yanked me back into reality.

    ¡°Focus! We need to suit up¡± Zack yelled.

    I nodded and got up, then we both ran toward the woods. We agreed that if any event happens, we head there. Bean would rondevu with us there with our hoodies and masks.

    Once we arrived, Bean was there waiting for us. While we changed, Bean transformed into his invisible form. After thinking about it the whole run here, I had an idea.

    ¡°Zack, I¡¯m going in alone,¡± I said bluntly as I set my mask on my face.

    ¡°The hell are you talking about!¡± Zack yelled as he seemed to almost drop his mask at that.

    ¡°He asked for the Knight, not the Wizard. He has hostages and severely injured people all around him. I¡¯m not nearly as mobile as you. So you can help all the injured, and possibly the hostages. I¡¯ll be the distraction.¡± I replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy! What if he kills you!¡± Zack fired back.

    ¡°And what about those innocent people? Zack, nine times out of ten he¡¯s here for us. We weren¡¯t fast enough to save them all.¡± I said somberly as I balled my fist. ¡°We put the people first, end of discussion,¡± I said flatly.

    I felt Bean wrap his hand around me now and grab me. I looked back to Zack, and he looked back into my eyes. We stared at each other down for a bit before he looked away.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zack grumbled as he climbed onto Bean¡¯s back.

    ¡°Good, because I¡¯m counting on you guys. I¡¯m sorry, but I need to lean on your power a bit.¡± I said softly as Bean took off into the sky.

    -

    Soon we were above the scene which seemed to have gotten worse. More cop cars surrounded the perimeter, and more bodies laid on the floor around him. Bean dropped me down from the sky, I could see the crowd and the police looked up in awe as I became visible to them.

    I crashed down in front of the creature, separating him from the cops. Then it all became quiet, the crowd, the police. The only sound I could hear was the sirens and the sound of the crackling fire. The ash from the flames floated in the air like snow around us. And the smell of burning metal and rubber filled the air. I looked over the bodies on the ground, and tried to hide my shock and rage. A few had holes through their chest like they had been speared. I bit my lip and faced the creature.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, just like you asked. No Wizard.¡± I said flatly to him.

    The thing seemed to be made of some kind of gemstone. It was tall and humanoid in figure. He was a bright shade of green and had these odd spheres connecting his ligaments together. He stepped toward me slowly, each step sounding like crackling ice.

    ¡°Ah, the rumors are true. You are real.¡± His voice was low and groggily.

    It reminded me of the sound someone makes when they gargle water.

    ¡°Very real. Now I don¡¯t know what you want. Talk or a fight, either way we can settle this away from this city.¡± I said firmly.

    ¡°You still play hero? That¡¯s fine. Keep up the act, I guess that¡¯s kind of cool. However, I¡¯m here because you and your wizard friend have made a great impression on the gifted community.¡± He said smugly.

    ¡°Then why just call me out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well he seemed more like¡­ support.¡± He said with a chuckle. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think I could kill you both at the same time. I want this territory.¡±

    I growled and stepped forward.

    I heard more police cars coming in. A few officers were on their walkies talking about bringing something in now. I wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. But whatever it was. It would probably end up getting them hurt again. Bullets clearly didn¡¯t leave a scratch on him.

    ¡°Right. Well if it¡¯s a gladiator match you want. Then I accept, but only if you let these innocent people go.¡± I demanded.

    ¡°Ya know, I¡¯m actually starting to buy that hero crap.¡± He chuckled.

    I started to think, maybe I¡¯ll just have to throw him outside of the perimeter. Or maybe I- I stopped for a moment as I noticed a big black van pulling up. There was this huge satellite dish on its back, I had no idea what it was. I activated my eyes and glanced back behind me. There were more vans like that coming in. Before I had time to think about it, I heard a cop yell.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    Then this unholy sound started drilling into my ears! It felt like a knife was digging into my head, over and over again. I felt my knees buckle under me as I fell down to the ground. I covered my ears trying to avail the pain, but nothing worked! I looked up and noticed one of the vans was on fire.

    I saw the stone man holding up his arm. His fingers came together, and it seemed like they were stuck like magnets. Then some more stones began to form around his hand as it grew and grew into a large jagged blade.

    I saw cops shooting relentlessly at him, but the bullets just bounced off. They needed my help, I needed to move! I forced myself to stand, it felt like a boulder was on my back, and I had the urge to vomit. But I stood right up. The ringing hadn''t stopped, but it was more bearable.

    Then I felt all the adrenaline I had rush into me. I saw him aiming his blade at a child, a little boy. He was one of his hostages. They were all on the ground holding their ears too.

    I charged forward as fast as my body would let me and dived in for the kid. His blade grew more and shot out fast down at the child. I barely made it in time as the blade slashed my arm open. I gritted my teeth and kept forward. I had the kid in my arms, I needed to get him out. The stone man roared like a monster and slashed furiously at me. My eyes were barely any help. Thanks to that ringing it was hard to focus.

    That¡¯s when I heard a loud pop! The police were shooting again, and this time at me too! I forgot I was just as much an enemy to them as rock head was. I barely dodged a few bullets, as one hit my shoulder. The hot burning sensation brought a wave of pain through my body, but I kept going. I was going to save this child. No matter what.

    I saw some cops ahead, who didn¡¯t seem to have a gun in their hand. I was getting close to them, when I felt another bullet hit my leg. I tossed the child to the cops standing by as I dropped to the ground face first. I slammed my palm to the ground and tried pushing myself up, but I just fell back down. I tried holding myself up, but then the sound suddenly became more intense. I couldn¡¯t even hear myself scream over the high pitch ringing. It felt like my brain was getting cooked! My stomach was shaking violently like a tsunami. I felt something cold and wet running down from my ears, I knew that had to be blood. My gunshot wounds also stung, everything hurt. I needed to get up, I needed to fight. They needed me. But no matter what I did or tried, I was powerless.

    Just when I felt like I was gonna pass out, the drill in my ears stopped, the intense ringing was replaced with a faint ringing sound. I looked up and saw an officer standing over me, they were fuzzy. Like static on a TV. They helped me up, but I had to lean on them heavily for support. Soon my vision came back and the storm in my stomach ceased. I pushed off the cop, who now I could see was female. She was a blonde with a ponytail, she had on a blue police officer''s uniform. She had very bold brown eyes and freckles. She looked oddly familiar. But I was too messed up to think from where.

    I heard muffled talking in my ears, I squinted as I could tell the officer was trying to talk to me. I couldn¡¯t hear a word from her. But I could read her lips.

    ¡°I convinced my team to let you loose. We need help.¡± She asked with a look of regret in her eyes.

    ¡°Evacuate the area, and any civilians nearby,¡± I said. Hopefully in a normal tone. ¡°I''ll take him away from here.¡± She nodded as I stepped forward.

    I got used to the pain in my leg. I needed to focus on what was important here. Getting this freak out of here. I knew Zack would listen to me and focus on the civilians. However, a part of me wished he was here with me. I took a deep breath and looked at the stone man. I watched as he slashed the police officer''s chest open. His blood flying in the wind, and splattering the ground like rain. Then he just dropped to the ground. I felt this pit in my stomach form. Watching the pool of blood growing underneath him.

    I tried summoning something, but I couldn¡¯t focus well enough to get anything out! I was wasting precious time! He was gonna die! I gave up on summoning anything and charged in at the guy.

    Every step forward was burning. My body ached and screamed at me.  And my dizziness in my head didn¡¯t stop. But I pressed forward and rammed my fist into his face. The pain from hitting his rock face was almost worse than the pain in my leg from all that running. He stumbled back a bit and I fell on the ground. I groaned and looked up. And I almost crapped myself. He was coming down on me with his blade! I spun out the way as his blade went into the ground. Rubble splattered onto my face as he pulled it out. I stood up as fast as I could. I staggered some but my mind was becoming clear again. I looked to my hand and saw the bloody marks on my knuckles from punching him. I was sure I broke something, but I leaned on the idea of the body modifications. I prayed they would keep me in one piece.

    I went back in and grabbed his head and pulled him down hard, and rammed my knee into his face. It hurt like hell, but I didn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°COME ON!¡± I yelled as I punched him again and again with all I had.

    He stumbled back each time, I could tell my left hand was broken. And if my right hand wasn¡¯t, it was definitely fractured. The pain surprisingly enough made my mind more focused. I could summon something now, but I already felt exhausted. Any good hit on me and I was down. My right hand was shaking from the pain. I groaned and tried to get it to stop. That¡¯s when I heard his groggily laughter.

    ¡°Is this all the legend has? I guess the Wizard would have been better.¡± He grunted as he walked towards me.

    I stepped forward once, but I was trembling. He was gonna kill me, I failed. I was gonna die. I gritted my teeth and tried ignoring the pain, and the fear.

    ¡°Say¡¯s the guy who probably hits like a girl.¡± I coughed out.

    He ran in at me and I used my eyes. But I fumbled and couldn¡¯t get out of the way. He rammed his rock fist into my stomach. I felt the air get knocked out of me, as I fell to my knees. He didn¡¯t hesitate as he went back in with another punch to my face. I fell back to the ground, and he kicked me back down the street. Plan b was working slowly now, but I needed to stay alive for it to work.

    ¡°That''s all you got?¡± I coughed out with a smirk.

    He roared and came back in at me. He knocked me back again and again, but I refused to fall.

    ¡°What''s the matter big guy? Can¡¯t knock me down?¡± I teased.

    ¡°I''ll make you eat the pavement!¡± He roared.

    ¡°I like to see you try!¡± I yelled as I stood up straight.

    Then he rushed in at me with a full on barrage. I learned this tactic from Zack. He got in a fight with a guy once who brought a knife. Zack kept making fun of him and telling him he couldn¡¯t fight like a man. Or that he was just too scared to fight him for real. The guy fell for Zack¡¯s bait, and ended up only being a fistfight. Probably one of the most clever tricks Zack has ever done.

    I smiled some, I wasn¡¯t alone after all. Even when he isn''t physically here. He still has my back.

    I felt like a rag doll as he pummeled into me, I kept my ground as he kept laying into me. Soon we were down the street, away from almost everyone. My plan had worked. He was far, far away. I watched as the hostages all ran free. Then Zack appeared, grabbing the injured from the ground and vanishing. Thank goodness, they''re safe.

    Then I fell to my knees and tried catching my breath. I felt so tired and heavy. I was at my limit here. My body was wailing at me. Everything burned and ached, even breathing was a chore. I summoned a spear and propped myself up with it.

    ¡°I see what you did. I don¡¯t like being played.¡± He growled.

    He made his hand back into a blade. This was it then, my final push. I took another breath as my body trembled a bit. It was a mix of emotions and pain. I picked up the spear and lurched back.

    ¡°Well guess what. I¡¯m not done yet!¡± I yelled as I hurled the spear at him with all I had.

    Not using my eyes or summoning helped my composure a lot. As long as I can take the pain, I had a good amount of fight left in me. But it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll survive anyways. I watched as he just laughed at my spear, it was more of a screw you throw then anything else. I needed to stall for Zack.

    Then, I was at a loss for words. My spear made contact with the sphere that connected his arm to his shoulder. It shattered the ball into dust!

    ¡°AHHH!¡± He yelled in pain as he dropped to his knees. His free hand holding his now armless shoulder. ¡°No! This can¡¯t be!¡± He roared. ¡°I was invincible this time!¡±

    There it was, my shining ray of hope. I bit my lip hard and summoned a short sword. I ran at him activating my eyes, I forced myself more into this attack than any before. I couldn¡¯t even feel my pain anymore. I gripped my sword like my life depended on it, and went in at his other arm.

    He panicked but it was already too late. He tried swinging his blade arm at me and I dodged by ducking. I came up and slashed his elbow piece into smithereens. The dust from his sphere blocked my view of him for a moment. He stumbled back and I darted forward through the dust. I changed my sword into a rapier and jabbed forward at his neck. I felt it connect as the aa sphere exploded into dust. Then the rest of his body shook, then crumbled to the ground. I stopped and watched as the rock pieces slowly began to turn into blue dust. The dust shimmering as it floated up into the sky.

    I panted heavily and chuckled a bit as I did. I won, I actually won! I smiled, then my head felt light. I staggered some trying to not fall down. Then the pain, it came back with a vengeance!

    ¡°Congratulations my child, you have beaten James Cannon.¡± My goddess announced as I dropped back to the ground.

    It was like my body was on fire, everything burned and ached. I forced so much pressure on my leg, it was killing me the most. I bit down on my lip, trying to help take the focus off it. It was bleeding pretty bad too. I looked around at the destruction before me, I kept property damage to a minimum at least. But Zack and I will have to clean up these cars and scrap metal lying around. I couldn¡¯t move for real either. I guess I pushed myself a bit too far today.

    The cops may come and grab me soon, they¡¯ll definitely unmask me. I need to move, I can''t afford to stay down on the ground. I tried to sit up and fell halfway of going up. I was done. I pushed the boundaries of what my body could do. I laid back and stared at the sky. I smiled to myself and relaxed. I at least got to use my powers to help people. I stared at the clear skies above me and listened to the sound of sirens in the distance. This was it. I was done.

 Chapter- 18 Friend or foe?

    I could feel the wind picking up as a cold breeze swept over me. I shivered to its touch, which only brought all the aching pain back. I knew there was nothing I could do to avail the pain, so I had to just take it. Even with a hoodie on, I could still feel the cold grasp of the wind against my skin. I didn''t even remember it being this cold earlier. As a matter a fact, it was pretty warm outside.

    I sighed and just kept my eyes to the sky, maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and Zack will find me first. Then again, there were a lot of injured people to attend to. I hope he prioritizes getting them still.

    As I tried to relax, I was startled up by this mist swarming around me. I tried looking around to see where it was coming from. But the mist was too thick.

    I could feel the temperature drastically drop around me. Was it Zack? I wonder if he got an upgrade? Wait, this could be a friend of that gem guy! I panicked as I tried to force myself up, but I couldn¡¯t. I felt a wave of intense pain wash over me again, I bit my lip hard trying to not scream. Whatever this was, it had me. I looked ahead as I saw the silhouette of a person. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was just seeing things, or if it was real.

    Then the floor under me became cold, my whole body shook from the icy sensation. Which only prompted another wave of pain to shoot through me. I bit my lip again trying to not wail. However, I started screaming when I felt myself sinking into the ice! It was like drowning in a pool! I flailed about trying to swim my way out of the ice, but it only made me sink even faster. Soon I was completely sunken in the ice. It felt like I was swimming in the arctic. But, I just couldn¡¯t move. Everything was a different shade of blue, swirling all around me like water. Was this it then? Did I die?

    ¡°Good fight my young hero.¡± I heard a faint whisper coming from around me.

    I tried to look around, but I saw nothing. I was holding my breath for a while now, I couldn¡¯t hold it for much longer. Then one of the strands of blue began to grow dark, then another and another. Darkness was slowly consuming all the color around me until it was complete darkness. The cold sensation faded, but I still couldn¡¯t move. This is how I imagined space would be like, an empty black void filled with nothing. Well, at least in space there were stars. Just when I was about to accept my defeat, I saw a shimmering blue ball. It looked like a floating bubble, it sparkled and swayed in the black void. I was entranced by it, maybe it was because it was the only light in this endless darkness. I wasn¡¯t too sure. It felt oddly familiar. The bubble began to shake and ripple, and without warning, it exploded. I closed my eyes and as I did, I could feel a warm sensation washing over me. I felt a lot more relaxed and calm. I could even go as far as to say it was an inviting feeling.

    I opened my eyes, and there she was, standing before me. My Goddess. She was smaller this time, still taller than me, but almost my height. Her skin was a light blue shade that resembled a blueberry, and her hair was almost a black shade of blue. Her dress was dark blue at the top and became lighter the further down until it became white. Surprisingly enough, her blue skin wasn¡¯t the most interesting thing about her. It was her eyes. It was like staring into a galaxy. Her eyes were shimmering white, pure white. It was like stars were moving in her eyes. I could just feel her power as I stared into them.

    ¡°You have made me proud today my hero.¡± Her words were soft and echoed all around me.

    I was frozen, I couldn¡¯t move. I didn¡¯t know if it was fear, or something else keeping me still. But I kept staring intently into her eyes, I just couldn''t look away.

    ¡°Because of your victory today, I have won a bet amongst my sisters. You have made this game very entertaining for us. Keep it up.¡± She said as a crooked smile slowly etched itself onto her face.

    I didn¡¯t immediately respond, I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Apart of me wanted to yell at her. People died today for their stupid game, innocent people. But, I couldn¡¯t find the words to speak. It was like my mind was blank, nothing at all was coming through. I just stared back at her sadistic smile and her eyes. Then a flash of a light blue light began to shine behind her, consuming the area. It blinded me with its intense rays.

    I sat up fast and desperately gasped for air. It felt like I was drowning! I frantically looked around in a panic. Hundreds of questions filling my head as I realized I was home. I was laying in the middle of the floor of my apartment. I was trying to jog my memory here, how did I get here? When did I get here? What happ-

    My thoughts came to a stop as I was tackled by my sister, who had me in a death hug. I flailed a bit trying to breathe again. I desperately tapped her shoulder hoping she let me go. It took her a second, but she eventually got the message and let go. I took my time to catch my breath as my eyes adjusted to the room.

    I saw my sister kneeling beside me, I could tell she had been crying a lot. Her eyes were puffy and red, her clothes didn¡¯t look much better either. They seemed wet and wrinkled up. Zack stood behind her with a relieved look on his face, I was happy to see he was fine. Nothing more than a few bumps and bruises on him. His hair was a mess, but that was per usual for Zack. Then I noticed someone else standing there, someone I didn¡¯t recognize.

    The first thing that caught my eyes was his hair. It was white as snow. He was tall, definitely six feet something. And he had this mischievous smirk on his face, It kinda reminded me of Zack. He was also in some casual wear. A worn-looking hoodie and ripped jeans.

    No one was attacking him, or looking the least bit uncomfortable. So I decided to just relax for now.

    ¡°Are the hostages and civilians okay?¡± I groaned as I sat up.

    I expected some pain as I did. But to my surprise, I felt fine. I slowly rubbed over my chest and arms. I noticed my shirt and the remains of my hoodie were gone.

    ¡°There were a few casualties, but for the most part everyone is okay.¡± The man with the white hair spoke up.

    His tone was very happy go lucky. Like he really didn¡¯t care about anything.

    Then the memory of the officers being stabbed flashed into my head, the bodies that were on the ground when I faced that stone guy. I wasn¡¯t fast enough for them. I balled my hand into a fist trying to contain my frustration.

    ¡°Dammit!¡± I yelled.

    I rammed my fist into the floor. If I was just a bit faster! If I was just a little more aware!

    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up, kid.¡± The white-haired man spoke again. ¡°You did the best you could despite the situation. Focus on the lives that you saved, not the ones you lost.¡±

    ¡°How can I when it¡¯s my fault! That creep showed up to fight me! I was the reason he came!¡± I snapped back.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure you''re smart enough to realize it. But being a superhero isn''t at all like how it is in the comics. Well, that depends on which age of comics I suppose..¡± He replied as he moved his hand to his chin in thought.

    ¡°Who are you anyway?¡± I asked as I tried to ignore his comment.

    He blinked a few times and looked around the room at us like he wasn¡¯t expecting anyone to ask.

    ¡°Ah right, introductions.¡± He said with a yawn. ¡°Well I¡¯m Jack, I''m from the Alliance of the Holy Knights. I was sent here to monitor and observe Stryder Beowulf, and Zack Grendall. Our leader Arthur wanted to send his regards through me.¡± He finished with another yawn and began to rub his eyes.

    ¡°Oh great, now some gay organization is stalking us?¡± Zack sighed.

    ¡°Who is Arthur? And how do you know our names?¡± I asked frantically.

    He makes it sound like he¡¯s known about who we really were for a while now. I had so many thoughts, questions, my mind was exploding!

    ¡°Better start talking, or else!¡± My sister charged forward to the man, holding something black in her hands.

    As she flung her arm up to him, I could see her brandishing a pistol at Jack¡¯s face.

    ¡°A normy with some spunk? I like it.¡± Jack said with a smirk.

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject, talk,¡± Zack growled as he held out his hand at him.

    Green sparks went off in his palms as a flame erupted to life.

    ¡°Come on guys, even after I saved your little hero? And here I thought we were all friends.¡± He spoke dramatically as he looked around to all of us.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    I thought the gun was a bit excessive, but we needed this info.

    Then to my surprise and horror, Jack started laughing. Laughing while he had a gun and practically a flamethrower in his face! He wasn¡¯t taking us seriously, which scared me even more.

    ¡°Well, my boss created this organization for similar reasons as your ¡®Ally of Justice¡¯. He¡¯s been bringing people together in order to change the world. He sent me here to make observations to your development. He wants me to help train you so that we could all work together one day.¡± Jack said nonchalantly as he looked over to Lux again with a smile. Which made her glare back at him.

    ¡°I see, well can I talk to this Arthur then?¡± I asked.

    I expected him to have some lame excuse. But, he casually took out an old grey flip phone from his pocket. Then began dialing on it. Jack started to tap his foot against the floor as the phone rang.

    ¡°Just how old is this guy? Using a freaking flip phone.¡± Zack mumbled.

    ¡°Hey boss, I just made contact with the wizard and knight. Uh huh, uh huh, yeah he wants to speak with you.¡± Jack said as he looked over to me.

    He held his phone out for me to take and I hesitantly grabbed it.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I asked softly into the phone.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Wulf? I heard you¡¯d like to speak with me?¡± A deep raspy voice on the other end asked.

    ¡°Y-yes, I wanted to know how you figured out who we are. I also would like to know why you¡¯re so interested in us.¡± I asked hesitantly.

    I wanted to ask something to trick him into saying something about himself. But I wasn¡¯t that clever, I had no idea. These questions were the best I had at the moment.

    ¡°Well, I had another special individual observing you for a while now. The goal was to see if you were truly earnest about your heroic acts. I apologize for the..stalkerish methods, but people tend to act more real when no one''s looking.¡± He replied very calmly to me.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact someone was watching us. I also couldn¡¯t find much fault with his logic. It was creepy, but it was a decent idea.

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, the observer was called back upon Jack¡¯s arrival.¡± He said reluctantly. ¡°As for your second question, I think you and I are pretty similar. We both want to make a difference in a broken world. And from what I can see, you¡¯re genuine¡±

    ¡°I can see where you''re coming from,¡± I said softly as I really thought it over.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad, don¡¯t worry about Jack either. He is harmless, he is a pretty good teacher. I don¡¯t know if you''ve heard of the hero Whirlwind, but he made him into what he is now.¡± I could hear someone talking to him in the background. ¡°Well, I must be going now. I¡¯ll keep in touch. Oh, and I hope you¡¯ll be ready for my game this summer.¡±

    ¡°Wait what do you mea-¡± before I finished he hung up on me. Game? What game!? He managed to leave me with more questions!

    I couldn¡¯t even think straight. They had all the pieces in their favor. They knew us, our faces, our names, our home. And this Jack guy, clearly he wasn¡¯t a pushover. He didn¡¯t look the least bit worried this whole time. I was stuck, we couldn''t do anything. And this game, what the heck was she talking about? I needed to remember to look up this Whirlwind guy too.

    ¡°So Stryder, what do we do?¡± Zack asked which snapped me out of my thoughts.

    ¡°We believe them, for now,¡± I replied as Zack let his hand drop, extinguishing the flames.

    ¡°You lucked out Frosty,¡± Zack growled.

    ¡°Oh, I was so scared,¡± Jack said, rolling his eyes.

    ¡°Oh, you dare doubt the mighty powers of Zack!? The great destroyer of worlds!?¡± Jack just chuckled and looked over to Lux, who was putting her gun down.

    She stepped back from him, but Jack stepped toward her, completely ignoring Zack.

    ¡°So, may I ask the name of such a beautiful lady?¡± Jack asked as he looked down to Lux with a cheesy grin on his face.

    Lux just rolled her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m Lux, Thank you for saving my brother by the way. But don¡¯t get any ideas, I am grateful and all. But I don¡¯t date guys who stalk little boys for a living.¡± Lux said with a smirk. While Zack busted out laughing.

    ¡°Ya that¡¯s right, tell him my sweet! You got no chance with my girl! Frosty the snowman!¡± Zack cheered.

    Then I noticed something odd, there was an icy mist coming off of Zack¡¯s waist. He was frozen from the waist down in an instant!

    ¡°Is that the best you got Dumbledore?¡± Jack asked as he turned toward him.

    ¡°You wanna go frosty?¡± Zack replied.

    He swung his arms down as his body ignited into green flames.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to the D and D game you belong to? You''re not ready for the big boy leagues¡± Jack added with a sigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t burn the place down idiot!¡± I yelled at Zack who jumped and turned his flames off.

    Followed by Jack''s intense laughter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take you seriously when you look like you pissed your pants!¡± Jack said between laughs.

    I looked Zack over and couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile. His pants were soaked from the melted ice! He really looked like he peed himself!

    ¡°Like hell, I¡¯m taking that from Santa''s lost elf¡± Zack growled as he charged in at him with a fiery fist.

    However, Jack just smiled at him as he did. Suddenly Zack slipped and fell forward as Jack stepped out of his way. Which made Zack fall face-first into the garbage bin. He struggled to get a foothold on the ground as Jack froze all the floor below him. Zack slipped about as he tried to regain his stature, it took him a sec before he finally flung his head out of the trash. As he came up we could see the chunks of food and whitish green liquids mixed in with his hair.

    ¡°Ewe. What is this stuff?¡± Zack asked in a grossed out voice.

    That¡¯s when Lux started to bust up laughing.

    ¡°That¡¯s a combination of Dad¡¯s moldy drinks and yesterday''s garbage!¡± Lux chuckled out.

    Then we all joined in laughing at Zack.

    ¡°You just made a very powerful enemy Frost. A very powerful enemy!¡± Zack sneered.

    ¡°I think I''ll manage, I''ll take my leave on that note,¡± Jack said through chuckles.

    He then headed toward our window, and before we could even say anything, he got onto the ledge and leaped out.

    ¡°Stryder, why are all of your friends so weird?¡± Lux asked with an astonished look on his face.

    ¡°I attract idiots I guess?¡± I looked over at Zack, who was muttering kill, kill, kill, kill kill.

    ¡°Go take a shower, Zack, you really stink!¡± Lux said as she pinched her nose.

    Zack didn¡¯t even respond to her, but he did get up. He slowly hobbled over to our bathroom and shut the door behind him.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that even with all of this going on, you two haven¡¯t changed a bit,¡± Lux said with a satisfied sigh.

    ¡°Yeah, It''s nice to know even with powers, Zack¡¯s still an idiot,¡± I said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Stryder, I was really scared ya know? Having to just sit back and watch all that today,¡± Lux said, dawning her serious face.

    ¡°I apologize, I didn¡¯t mean to cause any casualties.¡± I looked down at her feet as I said that.

    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look into her eyes, I didn¡¯t deserve too.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean! I thought you were gonna die!¡± She yelled as her voice cracked.

    I could tell she was about to cry. My eyes widened as I heard that.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± I replied softly.

    ¡°You idiot! You ever sit back and consider the feelings of others? Imagine how I would feel, how Zack would feel?¡± I suddenly felt her embrace me, which made me jump.

    I wasn''t expecting this, any of this. I was hesitant, but I slowly hugged her back.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just, I always thought. I was replaceable ya know? Like I was nothing really special like everyone else.¡± I admitted to her.

    I don¡¯t know why I said it, but it just came out. And, I felt a lot lighter saying it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever think anyone can replace you. I love you, dork, Mom would be so proud.¡± She said softly as she slowly let me go.

    She wiped the tears from her face and sniffled a bit. It hadn¡¯t really hit me until now, but I was something precious to her. I felt all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°So what happened? What¡¯s the news saying about all of this?¡± I asked, trying to sound more optimistic now.

    ¡°The news is trying to say it was a terrorist attack. People who portrayed the Alley Justice came and blah blah blah.¡± Lux said waving her hand off as she walked into the kitchen.

    ¡°Let''s talk about something else okay? Something more normal?¡± She asked.

    She opened the fridge and pulled an old big box of pizza from yesterday.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯d prefer that honestly. It¡¯s been a hectic few days.¡± I said trying to force a laugh out.

    ¡°So, did you ask Alexis to homecoming?¡± She asked with a little dance as she warmed up her pizza.

    I started to clean the trash up from the floor. That warm and fuzzy feeling was just slaughtered, a rush of bitterness and regret came over me.

    ¡°She¡¯s going with Zack,¡± I said bluntly, hoping she didn¡¯t hear the bitterness in my voice.

    ¡°She¡¯s what! I''ll kill that boy! Doing that to his best friend, after all, you did for him!¡± She started to rant on but I calmed her down.

    Once I explained how things went, and how I basically told Zack to go with her. She started to calm down.

    ¡°You really do deserve better Stryder. Don¡¯t worry, you will find someone you deserve soon. Hey! Maybe I can go with you!¡± Lux said cheerfully as she grabbed her pizza from the microwave.

    She skipped over to the living room and hopped onto the couch.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think taking my sister to the dance is the new hip thing, but I appreciate the sentiment,¡± I said as I finished cleaning the floor.

    ¡°Oh ha-ha very funny.¡± She said with a mouth full of pizza.

    I eventually sat next to her on the couch, and we turned on an old movie.

    It felt really refreshing to just worry about the simple stuff. When people''s lives and the fate of my city weren¡¯t on my shoulders. Even though it was a less than happy topic, I still enjoyed the simplicity of it all.

    We sat, and we talked for hours on the couch, just catching up with each other''s lives. Reminding me of a long-forgotten reality.

 Chapter- 19 The fall of Icarus

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of this Whirlwind guy before,¡± Lux called out from under her bed.

    She was shuffling around looking for her laptop. I don¡¯t own anything that could give me the means to research this whirlwind. Plus Lux really wanted to be a help to us. She hasn¡¯t really had the opportunity to.

    ¡°Do we even have Wi-Fi here?¡± I asked skeptically as she slowly got up from under her bed. She held up her hot pink laptop with a very proud smile on her face.

    ¡°Nope! Which is why we''re heading to the library.¡± She chimed happily as she set her laptop down on her bed.

    I was a bit surprised to see her with such a girly colored laptop. I figured she would have a black or dark blue one. As I was looking it over, I noticed the many stickers on it. She had skulls, fireballs, and a small Michael Myers chibi sticker on there. And suddenly her laptop fit her perfectly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t judge my pink! I won that in a stupid writing contest. You know how society is, girls get pink and rainbows and boys get blue and footballs.¡± She groaned as she grabbed a pair of dirty socks off the floor, and began to slip them on.

    She was in dark blue denim shorts with a light blue T-shirt. She didn¡¯t bother fixing her hair yet, and I figured she wouldn¡¯t. I stared a bit at her as she finished putting on her shoes. It was astonishing how much she resembled mom. The way she dressed, her face, her eyes. It was a little haunting.

    ¡°Yes, yes I know. Wearing dirty clothes and keeping my hair a mess is very unladylike of me. But we shouldn¡¯t be out too long.¡± She responded without even looking over at me.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna say anything. I was just thinking that... You look a lot like her. Mom I mean.¡± I spoke a bit softly with a small smile on my face. I looked over at Lux, who was blushing some.

    ¡°Y-you really think so?¡± She asked as she looked down to her feet.

    ¡°Yeah. Right down to wearing old clothes she hadn''t washed in a week.¡± I replied with a chuckle.

    ¡°Like mother, like daughter I suppose.¡± She whispered.

    She was smiling down at her shoes as she seemed to be thinking about something. It was rare for us to bring up mom in conversation. I was always afraid to. I could feel my heart begin to race, I moved my hand up to my mouth and went to bite on my nails. But I had nothing left to bite. Which immediately led to me tapping my foot. But just as I did, I felt Lux move her hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Come on! Let''s go!¡± She cheered as she gave me a warm smile.

    I felt the pit that was beginning to form in my stomach slowly fade away. I gave a smile back to her and nodded. She went to grab her laptop and then we headed out.

    As we got to the library we headed to the very back to get some privacy. We found a desk back there and set up. There was this sort of awkward silence between us for a bit. That was until Lux spoke up.

    ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to get all nervous when we talk about mom.¡± She said softly as she kept her eyes on the screen.

    ¡°I-I know, I wasn¡¯t nerv-¡±

    ¡°Stryder don¡¯t even. I know you better than anyone, I can tell when you''re anxious.¡± She fired back immediately in her stern mother tone.

    Which kept me quiet for a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said eventually.

    ¡°Good.¡± She chimed happily.

    ¡°I just, I can¡¯t help but feel like that. It was my fault that it happened.¡± I whispered to myself.

    ¡°Stryder, you can¡¯t keep beating yourself up over that.¡± She replied with a softer tone.

    She looked away from the screen and over to me. She kept her eyes fixated on mine with a sympathetic look. But that look just felt like a lie.

    ¡°How can you say that?¡± I grunted out. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to make me feel better!¡± I balled my fist in frustration as I looked away from her.

    ¡°Stryder that¡¯s enough! No one but that stupid drunk blames you for that!¡± She snapped back.

    ¡°Is that why you couldn¡¯t even look at me for a year? Is that why you avoided me for so long?¡± I asked as I turned back to face her.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    She looked away as soon as I caught her eyes. Which only confirmed my disbelief, which I was afraid of most.

    ¡°Stryder I¡¯m sorry I just-.¡± She started but we were both interrupted by someone.

    ¡°Excuse me you two!¡± We both stopped as we turned to see who was talking to us.

    There stood one of the men that worked in the library. He looked to be in his thirties, he had long brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He reminded me of some kind of hippie. Definitely not the uptight librarian type. He had on his blue uniform and really fancy shoes. I could see his jaw was clenched tight like he was holding back a yell. His eyes were like daggers staring us down, which was oddly intimidating.

    ¡°Sorry, sir! Will be quiet,¡± I replied softly.

    He made an odd gurgling sound as he looked to me, then Lux over and over.

    ¡°This is your first warning. You get another, and you''re out. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I replied quickly.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Lux said under her breath as she looked back to the screen. Luckily the man didn¡¯t hear her and turned back around to leave.

    As we became alone again, I could feel the tension between us. Lux was biting on her lip as she typed in whirlwind¡¯s name. I just looked at the screen and tried to not talk. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her, I didn¡¯t mean to complain. After all, she had all the right to ignore me when she did.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a video of this guy that seems to be viral right now. I watched it a while ago when it was first spreading around. I just didn¡¯t know who the guy was,¡± She whispered.

    But as she spoke she seemed to refuse to look at me. Which made me feel even worse about myself. Maybe I was just overthinking things now? I don¡¯t know.

    ¡°I guess I was just too preoccupied with other stuff to really listen to the talk around school,¡± I admitted. ¡° I heard rumors of some stuff happening, but nothing that made me bat an eye.¡±

    ¡°I saw a ton of memes about this guy,¡± Lux added with a smile.

    I guess not having a cell phone, and being super antisocial wasn¡¯t a smart idea while superheroes were becoming real. I¡¯m sure there are a bunch of different heroes out there by now that I have no idea about. I would imagine Zack has heard of them by now, being as popular as he is.

    ¡°I guess it pays to have a social life.¡± I chuckled some trying to ease the tension.

    But she still wasn¡¯t looking at me.

    ¡°Right.¡± She replied absent-mindedly.

    She scrolled through YouTube and clicked the first video in the results. I sat back, and she muted her laptop as the video played.

    The video was taken from somebody''s cell phone. The quality wasn¡¯t the best, but it was visible. They were in the streets, like a highway or something. Traffic had come to a complete stop, as the video showed someone in a hood. They were weaving fiery punches from something. The more I watched, the more clear the antagonist became. It looked like a girl. She was in a red hoodie and blue jeans. She had this black gas mask on her face, letting her blonde hair cascade in the wind. Her fists were lit ablaze with dark red fire as she relentlessly shot punch after punch at the hooded figure.

    The one dodging had some weird gust of wind showing up each time he blocked a punch with his arm. His hood had some kind of swirling wind around it, seemingly keeping it down over his face. He had a dark green zip hoodie on, with black jeans and black boots. The hooded guy seemed calm and relaxed, dodging and blocking each strike. The girl was producing fire from her elbows and fist like firework sprinklers. It seemed like it was making her strikes much faster, and harder.

    She was pushing him back toward a car. The person who was recording moved around to get a better angle. It was clear he was holding his phone from outside his car window. I could see the surroundings a little better now. There were more people on their phones, seemingly videotaping the fight. I could also see a few cars piled up in a crash. I¡¯d assume that¡¯s probably how traffic initially stopped. It seemed like a few people were complaining, but oddly enough. It was like a lot of people were cheering and rooting for¡­ someone. We had it on mute, so we didn''t know who exactly.

    I was a bit surprised to not see any police, or anyone trying to force themselves through. It was like some gladiator match. I looked intently at the screen, trying to decipher more. That¡¯s when I noticed the steam coming from the girl. I thought it was a quality problem before but no, she had steam emanating off her. The hooded guy ducked from a right hook, just barely dodging it. She came in for an uppercut with her left arm and the hooded guy jumped back. He hopped up and spun around in the air. As he did, a gust of wind picked up and formed a funnel around him. It was only an instant, but his foot shot out from the funnel and kicked her in the chest. All the air dissipated from him as he made contact, and gently fell to his feet.

    She slid back like she was on a slip and slide. Was she melting the concrete!? She was bent over holding onto her chest. Stumbling a bit as she came to a stop and the surrounding crowd seemed to be in shock. The girl stepped forward and stumbled a bit, as the hooded man stepped toward her. I had no idea what happened, I wondered if he broke her ribs or something. But it didn¡¯t last that long. It was like an explosion. A bright red flare sparked from her feet. Then she rocketed forward at him, leaving a trail of smoke behind her. Ramming him into the hood of the car.

    The hooded guy was lying on his back against the car hood. He struggled to sit up as the cameraman zoomed in on him. His hood surprisingly still managed to hide his face. The girl was standing in front of him with her hands held out, sparks were erupting in her palms as the fire consumed her arms. As soon as the guy tried to get off, she shot an enormous burst of fire at him. He swung his arms out in front of him, as the fire spiraled around him like a tornado. The cameraman jumped and zoomed out. There was a huge funnel of fire swirling around him and the car. The girl¡¯s arms sparked and flared like a wildfire as the funnel grew, and grew.

    The cameraman frantically flung his arm back into his car, nearly dropping his phone. The view was from his car window now, looking through his cracked window. Then BOOM! The funnel exploded. A wave of fire shot out in every direction. The driver jumped hard again and dropped his phone.

    We could see the screen shake a lot as it dropped to the floor. I¡¯m sure if we could hear it, we have a good idea of what was happening. Luckily it didn''t take long for him to pick his phone up again. The view was of the inside of his messy car, then through the cracked screen of his car window.

    As the camera refocused, alone stood the hooded man. In front of what was left of the car that had been melted like cheese. He was panting hard and staggering a bit. Then, he dropped face first into the asphalt. The cameraman zoomed in on him, he seemed lifeless, like a doll. Lux and I grew closer to the screen. It was just a still image of him lying there. Then we both jumped back as a giant wall of ice erupted up from the ground around him. The cameraman panicked and dropped his phone again. Which ended the video.

    I blinked a few times in shock, that was insane. Like really insane. It was like I was looking at a TV show or a video game. They were really fighting with superpowers!

    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Lux muttered as she scrolled down a bit on the videos.

    The title of the video was, ¡°Icarus takes an L to Helios Comet!!¡±. Which kind of aggravated me. I started looking at the related videos. One said ¡°Missouri''s Whirlwind reduced to Icarus,¡± Another was titled ¡°Icarus losing his wings! (a complication of him getting knocked by Helios Comet¡±.) I noticed that video after video was just making fun of him.

    ¡°That explains all the memes that are going around¡­¡± Lux sighed

    ¡°And why I haven¡¯t heard of Whirlwind, I have heard about Icarus though,¡± I replied. A few kids in my class were laughing at a video a few weeks ago. Talking about how Lame of a hero Missouri has."

    She kept scrolling down looking at the videos, but it was nothing but videos upon videos roasting this guy. There were some with videos of the early stages of their fight. Which looked like it was in the city. Then one video that stood out to me was called, ¡°Why the Knight would stomp Icarus in a fight¡±. Which put into perspective how iconic I had really become. Lux nudged me playfully as she pointed out the video.

    Before we had a chance to watch the earlier fight scene, Lux got a call. She jumped a bit at her loud ringer and answered quickly.

    ¡®What! Who''s this!?¡± She loudly whispered into the phone.

    She looked aggravated, but her face soon softened to one of confusion.

    ¡°How¡¯d you get my number?¡± She shot back at the phone.

    Then she just listened for a bit, nodding at what the person was saying. She promptly hung up after telling the person okay.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± I asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°It was Jack. He said he needed to see you, and it was urgent.¡± She said with a little worry in her voice.

    My eyes widened in surprise but I nodded. What could this emergency be?

 Chapter- 20 Da Rules!

    Jack insisted that I needed to meet up with him in the woods, he refused to give any more details but to be ready. Lux decided she stay back, she wanted to find more out about Icarus. However, I could tell there was still this air of tension between us. I was starting to regret telling her how I felt. I had gone and made things awkward between us. I attempted to get it off my mind as I trekked over to Jack. I knew I couldn¡¯t do anything about it right now.

    So I focused on trying to figure out where Jack could be. I assumed when he said the woods, he meant the area where me and Zack met to hero up at. I did my best to look around and make sure I wasn¡¯t being followed. As I got closer to the spot, I could hear a very familiar voice yelling about cheese.

    ¡°How dare you take me away from my grilled cheese!¡± I heard Zack boom angrily at someone, who I assumed to be Jack.

    Once I got to the spot, I saw an angry Zack pointing his finger at Jack who was relaxed up in the trees. Zack kept yelling on and on about how pissed he was that Jack teleported him away from his food. But Jack seemed almost asleep in the trees. His eyes were closed as he leaned back against it. Not a care in the world.

    ¡°Jack what¡¯s going on!?¡± I yelled over Zacks repeated yelling.

    ¡°I''ll tell ya what¡¯s going on! This Hippie took me from a perfectly good grilled cheese!¡± Zack roared in frustration. His hands had smoke coming off them as he growled, glaring up at Jack. Who still seemed like he could be asleep.

    ¡°Jack what was the emer-¡± I stopped speaking as I could feel the temperature begin to drop around us. Jack still seemed very much asleep, which made me worry.

    ¡°H-hey F-frosty. T-turn the h-heat ba-¡± Before Zack could stutter out another word, I felt the ground below us vanish.

    I wanted to jump but I didn¡¯t react fast enough. Suddenly the ground felt like a freezing pool as I fell down into its depths. I started to panic, but I relaxed once I realized this felt all too familiar. It was just like that moment I fell into the ground after fighting that stone guy. I relaxed and closed my eyes as I let the icy waves carry we away.

    It felt like it was only a moment, but I could feel warm air hitting my face. I opened my eyes and I could see a bright light above my head. It was like opening your eyes under the water at the pool. I felt a rush of the waves pushing and I shot out of the depths. I focused myself as I came out and saw a dirt ground below me. I landed on my feet, almost falling over. Then came out Zack, who was now screaming uncontrollably.

    He landed on his feet stumbling a bit, but held his ground. He was shivering and began rubbing over his arms.

    ¡°Eww, is that what being birthed feels like?¡± He shivered out.

    Then I looked around us, and I was speechless. It was like we were in some kind of mountain area. I could see trees and plants surrounding us. I could hear birds chirping loudly, and the sun was much more overbearing here than back home. I had to take off my hoodie. There was a huge mountain behind us that made me feel like a speck of dust. Then, something odd that caught my attention. A single ice cube rested on the ground right next to us. Where the hell did that even come from? And where the hell are we even at!? Then Poof! I saw a blue light flash from the ice cube and out came Jack, yawning loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you both could make it, now let¡¯s get to business-¡± He started to speak but Zack interrupted him.

    ¡°What the hell is going on!? Where are we!?¡± Zack spat out question after question but Jack just sighed.

    He flicked his wrist at Zack and an odd blue mist shot out from his hands. The mist hit Zacks face and ice popped up over Zack¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Hey, grown-ups are talking.¡± Jack sighed as he looked to me.

    I just gave him a thumbs up, while Zack roared into the ice. He tried scratching it and pulling it off. I wonder if he forgot he has fire powers¡­

    ¡°As I was saying before Dumbledore decided to interrupt. We need to get down to business with training. And going over how your abilities work, and etcetera.¡± Jack said as Zack finally decided to melt the ice with his handset ablaze. However, he was still having trouble doing it.

    ¡°I think we''re pretty good on the basics, we been superheroes after all. We got a lot of practice in.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Is that why you two still haven¡¯t checked for your upgrades on your abilities?¡± Jack asked. Which made me feel like a complete fool.

    ¡°I.. Forgot,¡± I said embarrassingly.

    ¡°I figured as much. Do you recall stone saying anything about owning territories by chance?¡± Jack asked.

    At first, I didn¡¯t recall anything like that, but then it hit me. During our first interaction, he did say something about that.

    ¡°Yeah, I do act-¡±

    ¡°Ah! I can breathe!¡± Zack gasped out. He started panting hard as the remnants of ice slowly began to fall off his cheeks.

    ¡°And are you aware of your popularity and ranking among the gifted?¡± Jack added.

    ¡°Kind of,¡± I replied.

    ¡°You two are hopeless.¡± He sighed.

    ¡°Blah, blah, blah we get it. Were dumb. So help us out and explain it to us. And would you mind adding in there, why you needed to take us to the middle of nowhere to tell us this crap!¡± Zack grunted out in clear frustration.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Hhhhhmm I don¡¯t know If I like that tone young man.¡± Jack teased with a clear smirk on his face.

    ¡°What did you just say? I''ll roast you ali-!¡± Zack began to yell but I covered his mouth.

    Jack just began to snicker at us and I sighed in annoyance. These two were just alike..

    ¡°Please, Jack. Help us.¡± I asked as I looked him in the eyes. His playful smirk never left, but he eventually nodded.

    ¡°Oh alright, since you''re begging. Let''s start with your abilities. Remember you get power ups for defeating another gifted, and pleasing your goddess. As you call them.¡± I removed my hand from Zack¡¯s mouth as he tapped me.

    ¡°What do you call them?¡± Zack asked.

    ¡°Unpleasant and inappropriate things, moving on. You should always make it a habit to check and see if you¡¯ve gained a new ability. Or check to see if something of yours has been upgraded.¡±

    ¡°So our powers can upgrade?¡± Zack asked.

    ¡°Not just your powers, everything. Think of it like a video game. Your health, stamina, strength, speed. They all can grow, but this is different from super strength and super speed.¡± He added which confused me.

    ¡°How?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Think of it like, your body¡¯s normal abilities pushed to its limit. Like activating adrenaline.¡± he replied and I just nodded.

    It made some sense.

    ¡°Next thing, tier list, and territories. There''s no official list of either. People around the world all claim to a hero of their area. Thus, random gifted come to claim land, so to speak. It¡¯s like a mini game within the game the gifted community made up. Which is why stone came for you.¡± Jack said.

    ¡°So like turf wars basically?¡± Zack asked.

    ¡°Oh yeah I forgot you two live in the hood.. I should''ve just said that..¡± Jack said trailing off into thought. ¡°Anyways, to give you a perspective. You both went from what we call a D list group, to a B rank. Stone was undefeated, and you ended his winning streak Stryder.¡± Jack looked me dead in the eyes. He had a stern and intense look in them, which had me worried.

    ¡°So that means I gathered some serious attention then huh?¡± I asked

    ¡°Yes, but most are afraid of permadeath. So they don¡¯t attack high tiers often. Unless their O.P that is.¡± Jack responded.

    ¡°So where are you in ranking?¡± Zack asked folding his arms.

    ¡°Well I gave my territories to Arthur. But I am ninety-nine wins to one lose. That loss being Arthur.¡± My eyes got wide as he said that.

    He defeated ninety-nine people!? Already!? And Arthur, he has to be some kind of monster. I haven¡¯t even fought Jack yet, but I can already tell he¡¯s crazy powerful. And if Arthur took this guy down...

    ¡°How have you done so much in such a short amount of time!?¡± I asked in shock.

    ¡®Well here''s another secret. Your gen wasn¡¯t the first.¡± Jack said with his more playful smirk again.

    But my mind was blown. Not my gen? Just how long has this game been going on? How many gens are there!?

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait, slow down. You¡¯re saying there are others who have been super for longer!?¡± Zack blurted out.

    ¡°Indeed, Arthurs group used to be made for keeping our kinda secret. But there¡¯s just too many to keep up with now. Which is why we moved to recruiting more.¡± Jack responded.

    ¡°So tell me, how long have you had your powers? And does this mean Stone was new or old? And are all the high tiers people who have had power for a long time! And how many generations are there exactly!?¡± My mind swirled like a typhoon. I had question after question popping up in my head. There was so much to take in and think about. Right before I could ask another question Jack froze my mouth.

    ¡°Calm down, Einstein! Knowing any of that won¡¯t help you right now. The point is you were noticed before we had a chance to get to you. The fact is strong people will be coming for you both, for all kinds of reasons. You need to get ready for when that does happen.¡± Jack had a very serious tone behind his words again.

    Which really got me focused. He was right, no form of analyzing was gonna help me right now. If I stayed just as I am, I won¡¯t be able to prevent anything for the future. I felt the ice over my mouth slowly fade away, and turn into mist before my eyes..

    We stood there silent for a moment as me and Zack took it all in. I thought about all those casualties that happened when I fought stone. The beat down I got, I was nothing more than a punching bag who got lucky. I needed to be stronger.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check our updates out,¡± I said looking over to Zack, who nodded in agreement. I could see that rare serious look on his face. I wondered if he had Annual in mind.

    I held my hand out and summoned my book. A bright light appeared before me as my book materialized. It floated in the air before me and I quickly opened it, looking over the pages, scanning for any sign of an update. As I flipped however I saw nothing new, no updates at all for my powers, or any sign of physical changes for me. But I did see a new page. I looked it over quickly and read it, over and over.

    Super strength, my new power was super strength. There wasn''t much detail other than I had to consciously think about it to activate it. No percentage amount added or scaling, just super strength.

    ¡°Again with that wonderful detail..¡±I sighed.¡± How about you Zack?¡± I asked looking over to him as I sent my book away.

    ¡°Just some updates on my abilities, nothing new.¡± He responded a bit absentmindedly. He was running his thumb over his chin as he seemed to be in deep thought.

    ¡°Good to see you both onboard, now once you¡¯re done. Come at me, with everything you got.¡± Jack chimed with a big smile on his face. Before I could even respond or react. I heard the crackling of fire beside me. I turned to see a smirk on Zack¡¯s face as he had his handheld out beside him. Smoke secreted from his palms till it sparked and exploded. In its place, three small green fireballs. His book vanished from in front of him, and he stepped forward.

    ¡°Bring it on Frosty!¡± Zack cheered triumphantly.

    No plans, no using the prep time, why would I expect anything less?

 Chapter 21 - The Alley of Justice VS Jack Frost

    ¡°I said come on!¡± Jack roared as he held his hand out in front of him.

    An icy mist came from his palm. Before I could even assess what was going on, a giant wave of frozen mist shot out from Jack. The wave was so large that I couldn¡¯t even see the sky anymore. I instinctively covered myself in armor and held my ground against the crashing wave of ice. It felt just like water crashing down on me, the only difference was the freezing effect it had on my armor. I had to make layers upon layers inside the huge Viking armor I summoned. I had to make sure my skin didn''t freeze to the armor. But the longer the wave hit the more layers I lost to the frost. It was only a few seconds but it felt like hours.

    Once I felt the waves stop, I dissipated all the armour around me and Immediately summoned dual blades. I began to pant heavily now, with one simple attack he already had me exhausted! What the hell was this guy!

    I looked over to Zack who looked as tired as me. I knew he didn¡¯t work off his physical energy like me, but he looked equally exhausted as I did.

    ¡°Good! You survived the first strike!¡± Jack cheered, which only agitated me.

    This guy wasn¡¯t even trying yet...

    ¡°Now for the rules! Since I clearly would steam roll you two, were gonna make it easier on ya!¡± He smirked and pointed up to the sky. I hesitantly took a look though, I was worried he was tricking us into something. ¡°Go head I¡¯ll let ya take a peak!¡± Jack cheered almost on cue.

    I slowly lifted up my head, I hadn''t even fully noticed yet. But our entire terrain was now ice! As I continued to check the surrounding area I could see a glimmering snowflake in the sky. It was floating in the sky, slowly gliding to the mountain behind me and Zack.

    ¡°Rules simple, get the snowflake.¡± Jack chimed as I shifted my focus back to Jack.

    I suddenly heard a loud roar coming from behind me. I quickly turned to see Bean being frozen in mid-air. He was reaching out for the snowflake, from his waist down he was frozen in a block of ice.

    ¡°Bean!¡± Zack cried out to the sky. He had a petrified look in his eyes.

    ¡°Your a lot more clever than you let on, you noticed the snowflake and sent Bean to get

    it during my wave.¡± Jack said smugly as Zack just grit his teeth.

    Zack slowly turned back toward him with a nervous smile on his face. ¡°Well I got news for ya Frosty. That¡¯s not all the Destroyer of Worlds is capable of!¡± Zack roared as he summoned more fireballs.

    He glared down Jack and took off at him. I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to think. But clearly frontal assaults weren¡¯t that great of an idea. We should be focusing on getting the snowflake!

    I groaned and decided to just run in behind Zack. If I let him die this early on I might as well take the L too.

    However, Jacks smile had me questioning my actions, it was like he was excited. I didn¡¯t think too much of it and quickly passed up Zack.

    As I came in at Jack I slashed my gladius at his neck. But he easily evaded my slash by jumping back. Zack quickly followed up by shooting a barrage of fireballs at us both. I quickly dove out the way as Jack simply made a wall of ice shoot up and protect him. We both stopped as the wall of ice crumbled down on the last hit from the fireball. Revealing a yawning Jack.

    ¡°I take back what I said, your just as reckless and thoughtless as I presumed.¡± Jack said stretching.

    ¡°Oh screw off you-¡± Zack began to yell but stopped mid sentence.

    ¡°Zack, close range tactics!¡± I roared out.

    I figured it be self-explanatory, but clearly not. I took the lead again and quickly charged in at Jack.

    I activated my eyes and aimed my blades for his chest. But he was too quick, it was like he was reading my movements before they happened. He was so fast, I wasn¡¯t used to this speed.

    Zack followed up with his hands lit ablaze like a falling star, aiming a jab at Jack¡¯s face. I went in fast for a side slash at his waist. But he quickly dodged my strike, while blocking Zacks attacks with a frozen arm.

    Me and Zack both gave our battle cries and relentlessly attacked him. But the guy was like a snake! Nothing connected! Even with my eyes I couldn¡¯t touch him! Just the embers from Zack¡¯s flames, and the air from my strikes could touch him.

    Me and Zack both came in for a side strike to his waist, finally getting a handle on his movements. But as soon as we did, a wall of ice came up from the ground between us and him. I heard a loud thud come from the wall of ice, and soon as I heard that noise the wall shot forward.

    I summoned some armor over me as the ice wall crashed into and sent me flying. I was airborne for a moment, before I crashed on the ground and bounced like a pinball, eventually started rolling. I tried to stop myself from rolling, but I was suddenly snatched up by my ankle. It felt like some kind of vine, and it slammed me hard into the icy ground.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    I groaned and sat up slowly, I looked in the direction I was heading and saw the whole forest was turned into a scene from Frozen. With Jack still having his hand held out toward there, an icy mist washing over him slightly from the attack he did. I looked down and noticed a vine that was wrapped around my leg. I turned to look at Zack lying on the ground, with his hand held out toward me.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you guys!? Come at me with everything you got!¡± Jack yelled over to us, sounding pretty agitated.

    I forced myself up and glared over to him. This guy was really insane. How the hell were we supp-

    ¡°You know he¡¯s right. If you keep holding back like this, training isn¡¯t gonna do a damn thing. And with all these huge baddies that are gonna be coming, I think you need to stop screwing around.¡± Zack said bluntly.

    ¡°What are you talking about!? Of course I¡¯m-¡± I started but Zack interrupted me.

    ¡°Then why haven''t you used your super strength yet. ¡±

    I felt a shiver run over me, I didn¡¯t think he noticed, or would even think about it. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say.

    ¡°I promised to make a place where my sister could walk around freely, together with you. And if I¡¯m gonna do that, I need you to take this seriously Dammit!¡± Zack roared, finally looking over at me.

    He had that determined look in his eyes, that oh so rare look. I felt guilty, Zack was giving his all right now. And here I am scared of my powers. I looked over at my hand and then back over to him.

    ¡°Zack I¡¯m sorry, I-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want your damn apology! Give it to me after we kick his butt.¡± Zack cheered now with a smile. ¡°Now activate that strength of yours!¡±

    I looked down at my hands again, I was honestly scared. The only person I¡¯ve actually gone all out on was stone. Even with the gang leader, I was hesitant. Jack wasn¡¯t a bad guy, and with super strength... I could really do some damage. What if I lost control? What if I-

    ¡°Stryder look out!¡± I heard Zack yell.

    I quickly looked up and saw Jack sending shards of ice my way. I quickly summoned a shield and blocked the ice. That¡¯s when a huge explosion went off next to me, I looked over and saw Zack shooting up into the sky and dropping in front of me.

    ¡°Zack what are you-¡±

    ¡°You know, Annual has a lot of faith in you.¡± He said as he summoned vines out in front of us. Blocking the rest of Jacks on coming shards of ice. ¡° So did your mom, and so do I. I know you''re scared. But Stryder, your mom didn¡¯t die so she could become shackles! So stop letting her hold you down, and help me. Help me make a future that Annual can live, that we all can live!¡± He activated his fire and blasted at the shards his vines were missing.

    I looked down to the icy floor, I felt this pit in my stomach form. What was I doing? Memories of my mom flashed in my mind, then the memory of her grave. I promised her I be the hero I know I can be. Annual, I promised her I protect her, that I would change things. And Zack, here protecting me from Jack, not able to lean on me at all.

    I balled my fist and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I thought about activating my strength, and focused on it. I felt this odd cold sensation slowly coursing through my body, like it was slowly freezing me on the inside. I let it consume every inch of me, and then, I opened my eyes. I could see Zack smiling big at me. I looked down at my body, and I could see I was secreting this blue mist. It was just like the mist that appeared when I dissipated, or create my weapons.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Zack cheered.

    I gave Zack a smirk and then looked over to Jack.

    ¡°Is your soap opera episode over yet!?¡± He yelled over at us.

    ¡°Come on Zack, Let¡¯s go create that future.¡± I said stepping forward.

    ¡°Well I see someone learned to use their super strength! Well come on! Let¡¯s see what it can do!¡± Jack yelled out to us. I smirked at him and got ready, summoning new light armor over me.

    ¡°Zack, let¡¯s take em down!¡± I dug my feet through the ice and into the ground and propelled myself forward, charging at Jack.

    Jack stood his ground with a smirk, ready for me to co

    <ol>

    <li> I summoned a single long sword and charged him. Zack road in quickly from behind on his vine, he held his hand out and shot a rain of fire down at Jack. I didn''t even bother focusing on them, I trusted Zack a bit more now.</li>

    </ol>

    As I came in I aimed to slice at his neck, but Jack dodged my slash with ease by ducking, he went to jump back and away from me and the rain of fire. I quickly jumped back and switched to a spear, and launched it at him. Then back to my dual blades, not wasting any time as I landed and went back at him. He summoned a wall of ice to block the fire, so I skidded to a stop and jumped up using my strength. I easily leapt over the wall and came down on him. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice me.

    As I came down on him he quickly jumped away, I crashed into the floor and activated my eyes. My blades sliding into the ground and out as I ran forward. Zack soon came around the corner with his hands lit a blaze and swung at Jack. Jack barely managed to dodge by weaving the blast, that¡¯s when I caught him off guard. I quickly slashed for his chest as the floor below us rumbled. A vine shooting out from the ground I assumed.

    Then, Jack suddenly vanished. I panicked and stomped on the floor to stop myself. The vines shooting up where he was once was, trying to grasp him. Then he reappeared just as fast as he vanished, right below Zack. He leaned back and punched Zack in the gut, a block of ice covering his fist. As he made contact, the block of ice exploded against Zack, blasting him back.

    I didn¡¯t waste time and charged him again. I went for a double downward slash at his head, but he quickly weaved my slash and I came back up from below with another. He couldn''t dodge this one, and held his hands out as if to catch it. Ice formed in his palms as my blade made contact with it, stopping all my momentum.

    ¡°How are you so fast and strong! My strength and my eyes aren¡¯t even working!¡± I groaned as I pushed against his ice.

    ¡°Remember my lesson earlier on physical stats? My senses, reaction time, strength, speed; they¡¯re pretty much maxed out to the best of a human''s potential. However, you are still stronger than me. I¡¯m pretty sure I fractured my arms stopping this attack.¡± Jack chuckled.

    I could hear a cracking sound coming from under my blades, I assumed I was breaking through. Oh, how horribly wrong I was.

    The ice in his hands exploded with a surprising amount of force, my blades shattered and I stumbled backwards. Just as I was trying to catch my footing and get my bearings straight. I felt what I assumed to be a cannon blasting me in my stomach. I heaved over and almost hurled. He must of shot through my armor! I looked up only for a moment, and I saw Jack. I could see what I thought was a blast from a cannon, was actually his fist. I could hear the sound of crackling ice, and the cold sensation growing against my stomach. He gave me a mischievous smirk, as the feeling of fear began to sweep over me.

    ¡°Not bad kid, but not good enough.¡± He chuckled out.

    Then BOOM! I was blasted away by an explosion from his fist, I could feel shards of ice lodged into my gut as I was knocked away. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. I suddenly felt a barrage of hits coming from all around, my head, my back, my stomach, it was relentless. Each just as hard as the punch he delivered to my stomach.

    I eventually braved opening my eyes against the onslaught. Then some things began to make more sense, he was vanishing and reappearing all around me. Something I barely managed to notice was his figure coming from the ice.

    The shards, the icy floor he made, and the whipping snow and tiny shards of ice that flew around us. He was traveling between each one! Before I could even fathom what I might do with this info, I felt him grab my face like a vice grip and ram it into what felt like a boulder. I was stunned, my vision faded and the only thing on my mind was this blistering pain that was coming from the back of my head. I felt his grip on my face lessen as he eventually let me go. I dropped and fell to my knees, then face first onto the ground. This guy, this guy was unreal!

    I could tell just from the look in his eyes, we haven¡¯t even seen his serious face yet. Was this it then? Should me and Zack just admit defeat? I could feel the welts and sores all over my body from his barrage of attacks just now. Plus the cold sensation from the ice shards that blasted right through my armor. I had no plans, no comebacks. This feeling was familiar to one I had fighting stone, at least this time around I could tap out. It wasn¡¯t a battle to the death.

    Just when I was about to say uncle, I heard a slight rumble coming from both sides of me. I looked over slightly, but not directly at it. I could see two big green vines popping out from the dirt next to me. This had to be Zack, I smiled slightly. I see he hasn¡¯t given up yet, if that¡¯s the case. I can get back up.

    One more go then.

 Chapter 22 - Leap of Faith

    I smirked and grabbed onto the vines on either side of me, as soon as I grabbed a hold of them. I was flung forward right at Jack. He turned around with an odd look of shock on his face, he really didn¡¯t see this coming.

    ¡°Take this frost!¡± I roared as I got closer.

    I activated my super strength and donkey kicked him straight in his chest. The vines kept pulling me forward with tremendous speed, like I was riding on a roller coaster! And I carried Jack right along with us. As we flew, I saw a huge green flare flash around us. I was startled by it, Zack? What else was he doing?

    I let go of the vines and kicked off Jack, doing a backflip and landing on my feet.

    I was surprised to see Zack in midair above Jack, he was upside down and was seemingly falling. Jack was trying to stand up, but he was clearly fatigued. I summoned a war hammer quickly and charged in.

    Zack had his hands held sideways in front of him. He clapped his hands together and vines shot out from the ground around Jack, insaring him like a snake. Then the vines suddenly burst into flames. Regular colored flames for some reason. I could see steam coming off Jack, like he was trying to protect himself from the fire with ice.

    ¡°What did you do!?¡± I heard Jack wail from the vines as I got closer.

    ¡°Can¡¯t teleport to ice that¡¯s been melted can you!?¡± Zack yelled back with a cocky smirk.

    He used his fire to rotate himself back onto his feet.

    I came up behind Jack quick and activated my super strength, then rammed my war hammer into him and sent him flying with the vines. I stopped and started panting intently. While Zack cheered proudly.

    ¡°That¡¯ll teach that frostbitten los-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky! Don¡¯t forget all his physical traits are enhanced!¡± I roared at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with slamming him with a hammer like Thor!¡± He hollered back.

    ¡°You idiot! Think about it! If his physical stats are so high, how high do you think his durability is? I kicked him in the chest so hard I could break concrete walls, yet he could still talk like nothing happened. Plus he didn¡¯t seem slightly bothered by anything. We did nothing but stale him¡±

    ¡°Geez Stryder, you sure know how to make a girl feel special.¡± Zack sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying we need to focus on the task at hand and not let up. Let¡¯s actually make a plan.¡± I suggested as Zack groaned.

    ¡°Fine!¡± Zack groaned again. ¡°I guess you gotta plan already don¡¯t you.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I smirked and dispelled my hammer.

    ¡°If you think you can handle it.¡± I chuckled.

    I looked back down from the side of the mountain, the area was huge. I couldn¡¯t even see Zack anymore. The only sight I had was a sea of trees. I was hesitant to keep going, I was a little skeptical if this was gonna work. But I had to put my faith into Zack, and keep my faith in myself. We were gonna beat this guy.

    I used my super strength and leapt up the mountain, I had summoned armor that would help me dig into the mountain. I looked up above me, the snowflake was still floating near the top. My role was to get the snowflake, while Zacks was to distract him.

    I could see smoke slowly consuming the forest, soon seeping out above the trees. It looks like it had gotten started.

    He re summoned Bean and shape shifted him to be about my height and build. The idea is, Jack won¡¯t be able to see it¡¯s not me, nor see me climbing up the mountain due to the smoke. Jack lost almost all of his ice, so he¡¯s lost a whole lot of mobility. So as long as Zack can play a good game of tag, we should be fine.

    I climbed and leapt up the mountain, occasionally looking back at the smoke filled forest. I could hear and see huge green explosions coming from below.

    I was mesmerized by the sight, I wondered if this was what war was like. It looked like bombs exploding. I never really thought about this, but we really are dangerous. To think there are more people like Jack out there¡­..more people like Zack¡­ I shook my head and moved that thought to the back of my head, I needed to focus. One slip up, and It¡¯s all over.

    As I was about at the top, I heard a huge explosion. One bigger than all the others. I stopped and looked back at the smoke, and I was astonished at the sight before me.

    The smoke was being pushed away by what looked to be some kind of snow storm. In the middle of the forest, was a gigantic pillar of green fire. Crap! The gig was up! I needed to hurry!

    I leapt up harder than before, taking a chance I might fall. Zack was given his all right now, so I need to be too!

    I kept climbing and climbing, I could see the top on the horizon. Just when I was about to reach it, the rocks exploded under me. A huge ice shard shot out from the rock. I was flung into the air along with the rocks, scattered to the wind. No way! He thought ahead and planted ice up here!?

    I was in midair, the snowflake right above me. I quickly summoned and chain flung it at a rock, I yanked myself forward toward it. As soon as my feet made contact with the rock, I used my super strength and launched myself up at the snowflake with all my might, feeling the rock shatter underneath my feet.

    I could barely open my eyes against the wind, my heart was racing intently. I needed to reach it! I needed to get it! Or else everything Zack did was pointless.

    I reached my hand out to the snowflake as I got closer and closer. The wind in my eyes, making it hard to keep looking. But I managed to keep an eye on it. But, just when I thought I was gonna make it, my momentum stopped. No! No! No! No! I panicked, this couldn¡¯t be happening. I was so close!

    I started to fall back down to the ground, slowly at first, then faster and faster until I was like a falling star. I squinted looking down, I needed another rock. I could sling my chain at it, and try again. Maybe even get back on the mount-.

    I stopped, as I saw a shining green light shooting up at me. It was getting closer and closer. That¡¯s when it clicked, just who this was. I couldn''t help but smile. As we drew closer, I could see a smug look on his face. And I knew exactly what he was thinking.

    As we both drew closer I summoned some fire resistant boots, turning myself so I was pointing doward like a rocket. Zack shot up and spun around, slamming his feet into mine. I could feel Zack keeping us steady as we kept falling. He was using his fire from his hands to keep us balanced. His vines were coming from his body, connecting my legs to his. Then I started feeling a warm bubbling sensation below my feet.

    ¡°It¡¯s all you.¡± Zack said.

    ¡°Right,¡± I replied.

    Then, I felt this explosion erupt under my feet hurling me up toward the sky. I reached out my hand high for it. This was it!

    But, all my adrenaline stop, as I felt something grab my ankle. I quickly looked back and I could see Jack, grabbing me. He flung me down, and he rose up ahead of me. No! I wasn¡¯t gonna lose dammit!

    I summoned a chain and hooked it onto his ankle, I flung him down with all my might. As he came down to me I aimed to knock his lights out. As I swung however, it was like I hit the air. Did he teleport again? I decided to forget it, and looked back to the snowflake. Which to my surprise, had gotten closer to me.

    I focused on it, and as soon as I got close enough, I snatched it.

    Then everything went blue? Yes, not black or white. Everything went blue. It was like I was in water. I felt cold, but it was the comforting type of cold. Then it hit me, it was the same feeling I had when I finished fighting stone. Minus the Goddesses talk.

    Did he use some ice illusions on me? Did I fall into his ice? Or did we really win? And if we won...why am I here!?

 Chapter 23 -Flying too close to the sun

    It was odd, I could breathe just fine. Even though I was seemingly floating in an endless sea. There was this cold sensation washing over my body, kinda like gentle waves sweeping over me. Yup, this was the same exact feeling from before.

    I looked around and saw what I assumed to be the sun above me. It was like opening your eyes underwater. Soon I felt myself being pushed up by the waves, getting closer and closer to the light. I prepared myself and soon popped out. I kept my focus and shot out of the blue, and landed on the dirt ground.

    I took the time and began to take in my surroundings, we were deep in the woods somewhere. It kinda looked familiar to me, but I just couldn''t put my finger on it. Suddenly a roaring screech pierced through the woods from behind me. It sounded like a little girl, my adrenaline activated and I quickly summoned a sword.

    I quickly turned around to an icy patch on a tree. The patch was screaming...? No, no this sound was actually sounding pretty familiar now. I lowered my sword and began to relax.

    That''s when Zack popped out from the ice like a kid off a slide.

    He finally stopped screaming once he crashed face-first into the dirt.

    He popped up quickly and frantically, holding out his hand like he was ready to shoot fire at someone.

    "Where are ya frosty!? Huh!? Huh!?" Zack hollard. (He looked like he was gonna crap himself).

    It had just occurred to me, we technically could still be in the challenge. The likelihood of that is low, especially since I feel like the ice healed us. But could it be a trap to lower our guard? No, if he restores my stamina he restores my ability to summon and use my eyes.

    "Not bad for a couple of street rats!" I heard Jack cheer as he walked from behind the tree.

    Which made me calm down.

    "For Narnia!" Zack yelled as he attempted to shoot fire at Jack. But nothing came out.

    "You read a book!?" I cried out in shock.

    "Aaahhhhhh...... Oh." Zack said softly. "No more juice."

    "Good observation Einstein." Jack sighed. " Here I was about to compliment you..."

    "So...it''s over?" I asked.

    "Yes, the snowflake was pretty much a floating bomb of ice. I used it to heal you both and teleport you here." Jack said as he walked forward toward us.

    "Arthur was right, you two just might be something. Don''t get me wrong though, you both are turds. But with a whole lot of work! You two can be fine a piece of crap!" Jack cheered.

    "What?" Zack asked.

    "Your teamwork is your best attribute. You both compliment each other well. But that only works for when you two actually work together." He said sternly. "Stryder, you need to be more loose and confident in battle. Your hesitation nearly caused your demise in the first five minutes. There won''t be a therapy session in a real fight."

    "Right!" Zack cheered.

    I slowly looked down to the ground in embarrassment, Jack was exactly right.

    "Oh don''t think you''re safe! You''re too confident! If Stryder didn''t remind you about the level of your opponent, you wouldn''t have seen me coming! Plus you''re impulsive, going in thinking everything will be fine. You almost blasted Stryder away!" Jack huffed. "Like I said, your both turds."

    I looked up for a moment and I could see Zack looking away from Jack, his fist balled in frustration. We were all silent for a moment.

    "So what now?" I asked.

    "We go home, your sister''s been calling for you," Jack replied, giving us one more hard look. Before he finally turned around and started walking.

    I took every word Jack said to heart, I was even thinking about what Zack had told me. A sacrifice my mom made for me, I''ve turned it into such an ugly thing. I was so afraid, even after all that I''m still afraid of myself. Deep down, I still wonder if I''m good enough to be using super strength.

    I wasn''t sure how I was supposed to deal with this. Because it wasn''t just my mom holding me back, she wasn''t the only shackle holding me down. If I ever really wanted to become a hero, I needed to do something about this.

    Maybe I should talk to Lux about this...

    I was suddenly snatched away from my thoughts as someone smacked my hand from my mouth.(I hadn''t even realized I was gnawing at my nails).

    "Stop biting your nubs!" Zack yarped. I quickly moved my hands into my pockets.

    "R-right, my bad.."I replied softly. " Just a whole lot to take in right now..."

    " I have been telling you the same damn thing for years!" Zack roared.

    "Using my superpowers and asking out girls are two completely different things." I quickly retorted. "Besides we know how well that went last time," I added under my breath.

    "Potato, tomato the point is you hold yourself back from being the mega Stryder you can be!" He cheered.

    "Mega Stryder? I asked.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    "Yeah! I bet you''ll be like Superman or something! Laser vision! Flight!" Zack went on, and on.

    I appreciated this, the tension had faded away from us. It was like we were walking home from school, way before this whole superpower business. Us to dorks being dorks. I wondered if Zack knew, did he do this on purpose? Or was it just Zack being Zack again. It didn''t matter honestly, it was just what I needed either way.

    We eventually arrived back at the apartment, me and Zack laughing and joking around still.

    As Jack opened the door, we stopped dead in our tracks. None of us said a word, Lux was sprawled out on the floor. There were notes, photos, and a whole bunch of paper all over the living room floor. She was looking over something on the floor, we all just stood there. Watching her...do whatever she was doing.

    "Umm, Lux?" I asked.

    I stepped forward a bit toward her, but as soon as I got close all of her shifting stopped. Which kind of freaked me out.

    "Lux...are..are you okay?" I asked softly with concern.

    "I tried so hard Stryder!" She cried out. "But there''s like nothing online about Icarus! I searched and searched! But the only video I could find was that video with Helios Comet! Everything else is just speculation!"

    I jumped back hard as she snatched my hands, her eyes looking a bit red and strained. The aroma of coffee was seeping off her.

    "Umm is that so?" I asked with slight concern.

    "That''s a pipe dream your fighting after, Icarus is an elusive type. The Helios comet fight was the world''s first confirmation of whirlwind urban legend." Jack added cheerfully, as Lux sprang over to him.

    "You trained the guy right! Tell me more about him!" Lux demanded as she got in Jack''s face.

    Who promptly threw a snowball at her.

    "Sooooorrrrryyyyy, my student master relationship is very confidential." He said firmly.

    Lux just stood there, letting the snow slowly fall off her face. A low intense growl seeped from her lips, as I felt the hair on my neck stand on end.

    "I''LL KILL YOU! YOU POMPOUS LITTLE-!" Lux began to scream.

    She stopped in her tracks however as the T.V flipped on. I quickly turned to the screen in pure bewilderment. We were all silent as the T.V show chased some scenes in the desert. There was a huge tipped over truck, flames erupting from inside of it like a bubbling volcano.

    What the hell was this? Was the Goddesses doing this?

    The shot zoomed in on what seemed to be four people, besides the blazing fire that flung around them like snow. Three of the four were in orange jumpsuits, while one seemed to be in a regular T-shirt and Jeans. His hair was white as snow, just like Jack''s. He didn''t look much older than us, maybe college age. The screen focused on them for a moment before they started running.

    "Lux is this some movie!?" I asked frantically.

    "No it''s not, plus I know that guy with the white hair isn''t any actor..." Lux said with a look of awe, at the T.V.

    That''s when Zack quickly jogged over to the couch and plopped down on it.

    "That kid''s name is Rex." Jack added very sternly. "A gifted."

    This must''ve been the Goddesses doing. But why?

    I could see Jack''s usual nonchalant face, turn to one of shock and horror. I looked away from him and back to the T.V screen. Someone with a familiar hood was standing before the group.

    "Is that Icarus?" Zack asked as he sat up more.

    "What the hell''s going on?" Jack growled.

    Icarus hood began to glitch and static on the screen. Until his face just stayed glitched.

    "Rex, I can''t let you go any further. If you don''t surrender, I''ll stop you with force." Icarus said out in an odd robotic autotune.

    Someone one was glitching his audio and face...

    "Well why don''t you come and try?" Rex said with intense confidence.

    The camera angles and sound quality made it almost seem like a T.V show or a movie. The sound was clear and perfect, plus the camera was following along perfectly. The camera eventually looked over the prisoners, who were pointing in shock at the camera. Clearly something was there taking this video, that was really freaking them out. While something else was hiding Icarus''s identity.

    "Jac-" I turned to ask Jack, but I stopped.

    His fists were balled, and he had a nasty glare at the screen, I didn''t think Jack could make a face like this. He was fuming.

    "Ha! I''ve heard all about him on the news! This guy''s a joke!" The prisoner in the middle spoke up.

    He stepped forward toward Icarus now as the camera slowly zoomed in closer to him. He had long nappy brown hair, and looked pretty built. The other two followed behind him slowly. One with darker skin and a bald head, the other had short blonde hair and was rather round in shape.

    All three of them walked past Rex, and stood off against Icarus. The camera zooming out, so we could see all of them standing off against one another.

    Icarus got into a stance and kicked high into the air. Landing with his right foot forward. His hands up and flat, kinda reminded me of a Bruce Lee stance.

    The camera zoomed in intently on Icarus, still a glitched face but his hood visible. Whoever was hacking was doing great on only blocking his face.

    I guess it makes sense that the Helios comet video is the only video out there of him. Plus this Rex guy, sharing his identity out in the open. Not even trying to hide it. Plus no glitches on him either, which means, whoever''s doing that must be on Icarus''s side specifically. Which would make sense, considering knowledge on him is really scarce.

    The one with stringy hair charged him, two chunks of the earth shot up from the ground that looked like the size of cars. The prisoner leaned forward and stayed low, flinging his hands forward at Icarus while charging in at him. Icarus jumped as the left boulder rocketed forward at him.

    The wind dispersing around him became a bit wild as he shot high in the air. He landed on the boulder hands first and vaulted over it and up into the air quickly. The right one came quickly at him, he spun around like some graceful ballerina. The air swirling around him as he just barely dodged the rock. It was like he was riding the wind. He spun forward like a wheel now and came down on the prisoner with his leg raised high with tremendous speed. Driving home an axe kick on his head, making him drop to the floor.

    "Damn!" Zack cheered.

    Immediately the heavier set prisoner charged in at him. He leaned his head back and shot this huge steaming green vomit out his mouth. The air seemed to swirl around his body as he just barely dodged the acid spit. I fell forward leaning on the couch in anticipation now, I wanted to do something to help him. I gripped the couch harder and harder now.

    "Come on kid..." Jack growled under his breath.

    I looked over at him, and I could see his fist clenched even tighter. An Icy mist coming from his hands now.

    "Kick their butts Icarus! Woah! This dudes a freaking ninja!" Zack cheered.

    I quickly looked back to the screen as he pulled out what seemed to be a gun from his hoodie. He shot one time, and he seemed to hit the acid spitter in the leg as he was spewing the acid.

    "My dude brought a glock! He poppin em!" Zack cheered.

    The acid spitter fell to his knees, and the acid spit fell all over on his own body, and he seemed to be burning. Before he even had a chance to react to anything, Icarus was already upon him. Icarus leaped forward and rammed his legs into his face, kicking hard off him and flying into the air. The spitter falling back and rolling backwards on the ground.

    "I don''t see what all the memes are about! This dudes legit!" Zack cheered.

    Zack wasn''t wrong, he was so much better than people had been saying. He didn''t waste a moment incapacitating those two. All the while barely showing us anything new. I could tell he was trying to end this as quickly as possible, with no deaths either. As far as it looked, he could do it too. But Jack didn''t seem so sure, and since he trained him. I''m sure he knows him best.

    Even after all that with the prisoners, Jack''s still worried. Which means, he was worried about Rex.

    I looked away from the screen as Zack cheered Icarus on.

    "Get Em bird brain!" Zack cheered.

    "Jack tell me, just who is this Rex guy?" I asked sternly.

    Jack slowly turned toward me and relaxed with a deep breath.

    "Rex, is a monster." Jack said softly.

 Chapter 24- Melted wings pt.1

    "What do you mean by that!?" I demanded.

    "I mean that Icarus is in serious trouble! Rex has managed to climb within the top ten of the S ranking threats in the same amount of time you and Zack have been playing hero!" Jack yelled back as his voice cracked.

    I was taken back by this. The calm cool and collected Jack was panicking. That alone spoke volumes about how much danger Icarus was in.

    "Your telling me snow white over here is that strong!?" Zack squealed from the couch. "Pfft icarus is finna get clapped.."

    I heard Jack growl as Zack said that.

    I looked back toward the screen , I could see Icarus facing off against Rex. The visual zoomed in on them both , his face still blurred out to the camera. Rex with a calm smirk on his face, his white hair flowing in the desert breeze.

    "Rex, it''s not like you to do something like this! Just surrender, you know this isn''t right." Icarus spoke in a very robotic and staticky voice.

    Whatever was assisting him was changing it.

    "I understand, but regardless, if you want to stop me. Then come!" Rex roared out to Icarus.

    He was confident in his tone, one might even say proud. He had the type of voice you imagine a captain to have. Someone who you trust to lead your troops.

    Then a screen popped out in front of me! It was a light blue holographic screen. It was as big as one of my math textbooks. It had the words. ''Accept challenge?'' written on it, and the words yes, and no under it. But the word no was whited out. I turned over to Zack, and Jack. They had the same screen appearing in front of them.

    Jack immediately pressed yes, over and over again. But, nothing happened.

    "What the hell!" Jack roared.

    Still ramming the yes button.

    "I don''t think we can click it until Icarus''s match is up." Zack called out.

    I attempted to tap the yes button, the screen felt like cold glass on contact.

    Then I felt my stomach churn, as nothing happened. I looked back toward the screen, rage building up in me.

    "I guess we just have to hope Icarus doesn''t lose." I said between gritted teeth.

    "Umm, what are you talking about?" My sister asked.

    But I was too frustrated to even respond.

    These Goddesses...treating us all like were some toys!

    I looked back to the screen and saw Icarus charging in at Rex. The view panded out showing icarus leaping into the air, a huge gust of wind shooting off from his feet. He was at least a story high, right before he rocketed himself down at rex, spinning forward and coming out into an axe kick.

    Rex leaped back as Icarus crashed down, the air seemingly cushioning his landing as he crashed like a meteor in front of him. The wind picked up and swirled around him, the dirt and dust from the desert floor began to cover the area. Our visual was quickly lost as Icarus bolted forward into the smoke after Rex.

    We all were on the edge of our seats, as it grew silent

    Then out of nowhere a pure white beam shot out from the dust cloud!

    The dust around the beam began to disperse as we got a visual of Icarus. Rex was shooting beam after beam at him. However, Icarus was flawlessly dodging each one like some kind of ballerina. Slowly getting himself closer and closer to Rex.

    Rex didn''t seem the slightest bit worried about it though.

    He whipped his hand vertically at Icarus, sending another beam at him fast.

    Icarus barely limbo dodged the white beam, and the rest that came after. If it wasn''t obvious before, it was now. He definitely couldn''t fly.

    He propelled himself into the sky, kicking off the ground and moving back. Losing all the ground he just made, as Rex relentlessly blasted at him.

    I could tell icarus was baiting Rex to move back. But why...I looked around on the screen, it was only for a moment. But before the camera panned back to Icarus in the sky. I saw a guards body next to the camp fire of a van.

    Maybe he was trying to get him away from the blasts...

    "You will receive a boost in your strength, agility and durability for this match." I heard my goddess whisper to me.

    Which threw me for a loop. What was she giving me all these enhancements for? Did I really need all this to fight Rex?

    "Accept the challenge my child." She added as I looked over to Zack. "You and Zack will fight him together."

    Zack was standing now with his book floating in front of him. His eyes wide with a huge grin on his face.

    "Hell ya! Let''s clap this albino bastard!" Zack cheered. "I got a bunch of new spells!"

    "Stryder no! Don''t get any crazy ideas!" My sister cried. "You heard Jack! just let him handle it!"

    But I had already made up my mind.

    "Icarus is giving his all right now to stop this guy, all by himself. I don''t know if anyone else saw, but icarus was making a point to move the fight away from the truck. I noticed a guard was lying on the ground next to it. He''s doing his best to help get that guy out of the crossfire, while also trying to stop Rex. I won''t ignore it!" I said firmly.

    I turned to look at Lux, and I could see tears welling in her eyes. But I kept my conviction and stared back into her eyes.

    "Stryder please.." She begged.

    "I''m sorry Lux, but if I don''t do something. If I ignore this, I can''t live with myself." I said softly as I looked back to the screen.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It hurt to do this, it hurt a lot. But I couldn''t just stand here and watch.

    The screen showed embers and sparks of Rex''s flashing white lights, mixed with the dust and whirlwind of Icarus. Their attacks bathed the sky like a beautiful fourth of July show.

    Icarus was barely managing to dodge the blasts that came his way. I was impressed with his level of mobility, he was using his airburst to shoot him around like he was walking on the sky. Not to mention the wind around him when on the ground was clearly boosting his speed. I needed to take a note from this, with my equipment and super strength...

    Something that was more impressive, was how the scene was displayed for us. Without a single fault the screen was like some intense action movie.

    Smoothly following icarus around. Not to mention dodging the blasts from Rex, and getting a good visual of the battle. I was starting to think that it must have just been magic from the goddesses, however someone did react to it earlier...

    "I admire your courage, I''m sorry it has to be this way." The camera panned over to Rex as he talked.

    He raised his hand out toward the truck, and I felt my stomach drop as I realized what he was about to do.

    "Now who''s next?" Rex said softly as the camera zoomed in on his face.

    It was a careless look, void of any emotion, or sympathy. He was really gonna kill that guy!

    "Now go my child, it is your turn!" I heard my goddesses voice boom into my ear.

    I could feel this cold sensation covering my body. Every part of me began to tingle from my head to my toes.

    "You''ll be sent in right in front of the blast, Zack will be behind you." My goddess said one last time. "That''s what you would want, isn''t it?"

    I nodded, and summoned the toughest shield I could think of. I heard someone running toward me, I turned back quickly and saw Lux trying to stop me. Then I saw Jack reaching out his hand like he was gonna freeze us.

    Then, like a flash everything went black. I suddenly felt the sting of the hot air against my face as I dropped down on the sand.

    The first thing I noticed was a gigantic white beam of death. Safistasy I was a little panicked.

    I activated my eyes and held my shield in front of us. The blast came fast and I just barely blocked it. The intense pressure against my shield was pushing me back, I had to activate my super strength and ding into the ground. Even the heat from the blast was getting intense. I was lucky I could make heat resistant equipment.

    Soon the pressure began to die down, and vanished. I slowly looked up, and I noticed I had my mask on! I was so worried about Icarus I didn''t even think about it.

    "Don''t worry Icarus, we''re here to help!" I announced.

    I stared ahead as the dust began to fade. There was no doubting it, we were here. I stared into the dust until I caught the eye of Rex.

    "I see, I guess that means I failed the challenge." I heard a raspy dry voice reply from behind.

    I turned around and I could see Icarus''s back, he was guarding the man with his hands held out. He slowly relaxed himself and moved his hands down. That''s when I got my first fact about Icarus, his hands were a dark chocolate shade. I atleast know his race now.

    "Will distract Rex, you take the survivors away from here if there are anymore." I called out to icarus as Zack stepped up with me.

    "Yeah, will take snow white out to the ball for ya." Zack smirked.

    "Ive been using my wind to keep a few of the security guards and other prisoners alive, I''ve kept the fire going as a distraction. I''ll move them out and meet you back for back up." Icarus replied as he leaned down and gently picked up the man.

    Icarus was amazing, the fire was masking the survivors this whole time. Dancing in the sky, analyzing the battle field, protecting civilians, while also fighting Rex and his gang.

    People are crazy to insult him...

    I stepped forward and summoned my Albion sword. I spun it around in my hands as I walked over looking at Rex, who didn''t seem the least bit concerned.

    "Pfft you''ll be lucky if I don''t killem with a sneeze!" Zack cheered as he held out his hand and followed my lead."Get going Stryder, we need to dim this flashlight a bit."

    I smirked and took a step forward and summoned some heavy light armor over me. I activated my strength, and I felt so light. Even when I activated my eyes, I could tell my meter for going was extended! I leaned forward and readied myself to run.

    "Zack, you can let loose a little bit. I think I can handle anything right now." I said as I got ready to bolt.

    "Let''s not get cocky, remember what Jack said about this guy.." Zack said, which made me stagger a bit.

    "Since when were you the cautious type?" I chuckled out.

    "Pfft since when are you the confidant type?" He chuckled back.

    I looked back to him and he just smirked.

    "I have a plan set in motion, just trust me and head in. I have a few new tricks up my sleeve."

    Zack actually had a plan? He was actually thinking things through?

    Jack''s words rang in my mind. I smiled and focused forward again, I guess it was time to put what we learned to the test.

    I readied myself as Zack held out his hand toward me, and I focused on Rex.

    "Roger that, let''s see if we can take this guy down before Icarus gets back!" I cheered right before I charged in at Rex full speed.

    I felt this odd sensation roaming over my body, like Lotion was pouring over my skin. I thought I was going to teleport again. But no, I saw out of the corner of my eyes twenty different me''s! All running together at Rex!

    Zack was able to clone me!? That''s a super upgrade! I got caught up in the excitement and roared out loud, all the clones followed suit and they all roared after me.

    I slowed myself down as we ran, all the clones taking their own lead as they quickly surrounded him.

    But Rex just smirked as he looked around the crowd. A look of true excitement twinkled in his eyes.

    Then he immediately lunged forward, and left hooked one of the clones in the face. His hands leaving a misty white trail behind him.

    The clone turned to a purple mist upon contact, and Rex went in for another. I charged at him while his back was turned, and aimed to stab him. The area around me was slowly beginning to be consumed by this purple mist, it reminded me of clouds right before a stormy day.

    I activated my super strength and launched myself forward at him, I tried to control myself as much as possible. I kept Icarus in mind as I focused, trying to mimic the concept he had with my super strength.

    Running, long jumpers, I tried thinking of every track and field event. I tried thinking about how each muscle in my leg was supposed to function. I didn''t have time to practice this, I needed this to work out all in one go!

    I can''t expect the enemy to wait on me to learn!

    I charged forward at my top speed, condensing my super strength to my legs, I was faster. A whole lot faster, especially with that boost. I was at him in mere seconds. I had him, I had him!

    It worked! I can''t believe it worked! On my first time! My blade was practically at his back in an instant. But, my celebration was cut short, just when I thought my blade would slide into his back. It was cast aside by the back of his hand, my mind went blank.

    How!? How!? Did he react so fast!? There''s no way! My speed! My strength! Everything was boosted!

    I fell forward as he redirected me, I tried to refocus myself on trying to catch my fall. But I was immediately rammed by his knee in my stomach. I could hear my armor shatter as he made contact.

    I felt shards of my chest plate stab into my body, I quickly dispelled it before it could get too deep into me.

    My eyes, my strength, even all my armor dispelled. I felt vomit come up, and I could have sworn he broke or cracked some of my ribs. I dropped to the floor like a rock. I tried to move, but I could barely feel my body. I managed to turn my head and see wave after wave getting blown away by Rex with ease.

    That''s when it happened. Rex smirked as he quickly turned to the left side of him and swung his arm hard at the air. The air seemed to shift, like a glitch in the system. Then, that''s when Zack appeared out of nowhere! Glitter shimmering all around him. I guess he went invisible. Another new trick...

    It happened so fast, he batted Zack away like a fly. I quickly forced my way back up, the last few clones covering me as I focused myself just enough to summon another blade. I bit my lip and grunted, I barely was able to get my eyes to activate again.

    This guy..with one blow... He''s practically knocked me out of commision. Icarus needed us, I can''t stop right here. My eyes flickered a bit, I could barely stand to keep them activated.

    "Your healing properties have been enhanced my child, get up and keep going. You will regenerate quickly." I heard her whisper into my ear.

    I forced myself up slowly, staggering to my feet.

    I guess she had a point, if I didn''t have that enhanced healing I''m sure I''d be done already. She probably increased my defense too.

    I needed to go back at him again, but this time I increased my swinging speed. I took a breath and closed my eyes. I focused on my breathing, and concentrated on my super strength.

    "Now let''s try this again..."

 Chapter 25 - Sorry

    Everything was white, I didn¡¯t remember much. It was like the sun was crashing down on me. It didn¡¯t take long before, white turned into black. I felt this intense burning pain all over my body, I wanted to scream but I couldn¡¯t even breath. That¡¯s when everything went cold. I lost all feeling over my body, this feeling was familiar. That¡¯s when it hit me.

    I must be dead

    All I could see was the endless darkness, it felt like waves were pushing me on. I wonder if I¡¯ll come back this time?

    I¡¯m sorry Icarus, all those innocent people¡­ I hope Zack survived at least.

    That¡¯s when I saw the shimmering blue lights begin to sparkle around me. Slowly consuming the darkness, this was a first. Not a word from my Goddess.

    As the darkness began to fade, I started to feel my body again. My vision started to come back to me, and I could see the dirty walls of my apartment. The feeling slowly started to come back to my legs slowly, I could feel the floor below me. I didn¡¯t have the strength to stand on my own, and I immediately collapsed.

    ¡°Stryder!¡± I heard Lux cry.

    It didn''t take long before I felt her grab onto me. The feeling in my legs slowly began to come back to me, I could see tears streaming down Lux¡¯s eyes as she moved me to the couch. Warmth slowly made its way back into my body, and I could move.

    ¡°Lux, is Zack okay? What about Icarus?¡± I frantically asked.

    ¡°Relax, Zack¡¯s on the floor over there. And Jack left soon after Rex attacked you both, I think he went to check on Icarus. So please listen to me for once and sit back!¡± Lux roared as she shoved me back down on the couch.

    Her tears dropped onto my face, and I just stopped. It was just like when I fought stone all over again. I wasn¡¯t being considerate of her feelings¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lux, I¡¯m okay I promise.¡± I choked out.

    She leaned down and buried her face into my chest.

    ¡°You idiot! You didn¡¯t listen to me!¡± She yelled into me. ¡°I thought you were gone¡­¡±

    I slowly moved my arms around her, rubbing her back.

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always doing this!¡±

    ¡°I know..¡±

    I stayed quiet after that. I could feel her rough grip on my shirt slowly lessen. We stayed like that for a while, until her tears were gone. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say to her, what could I say? I felt terrible for torturing her like this. But I didn¡¯t have a single regret about what I did. Icarus needed me, those people needed me¡­

    ¡°Stryder, be honest with me.¡± I heard Lux ask as she slowly rose from my chest.

    She sat up and properly sat down on the couch, and I followed her lead.

    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± she asked.

    Lux was looking down and away from me, unlike her usual confident self. No warm smile, just a tear stained face and a fainted voice.

    ¡°Of course I do! Why would you even ask that?¡±

    ¡°You never tell me what you think, you''re always so positive and cheerful to me. Even when we were kids and I stole your toys or lied to mom to get you in trouble. You never got mad at me.¡± She paused for a moment, she was scanning her hands as if there was some script there to tell her what to say next. She stayed like that for a moment, then she looked up into my eyes. ¡°But at the library, that was the first time you told me how something I did made you feel.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just you Lux. I don¡¯t really trust anyone with my feelings.¡± I spoke without even thinking this time. I don¡¯t know why, but maybe it was time. I was really honest.

    ¡°What? Not even Zack?¡± She asked in pure shock.

    ¡°I left Annual because I was scared she was gonna die like mom. I broke her heart, which means I broke Zack¡¯s heart too. How could I trust him with my feelings? How could I give him this weight when he¡¯s already carrying so much? Let alone carry the weight of the one who did that to Annual..¡± I looked over at the sleeping Zack on the floor. ¡°To be fair, I still lean on him all the time. I think I¡¯d lose my mind if Zack wasn¡¯t around. He¡¯s like my other half, ya know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Zack feels the same, I don¡¯t think he be holding that against you Stryder. But beyond that, you don¡¯t want me to carry any because you think I blame you for it, don¡¯t you?¡± She spat out, with some obvious malice.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry..¡± I quickly responded.

    ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop!¡± She roared, she had tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯m the one that ran away from you! I¡¯m the one who left you all alone when you needed it most! So stop apologizing! Stop killing yourself every day!¡± She shouted.

    Soon she couldn¡¯t even talk, I felt her shaking as she just bailed her eyes out. She grabbed my shoulders and tried her best to look me in the eyes.

    ¡°Lux it¡¯s my fault! You don¡¯t have to feel guil-¡±

    ¡°No dammit! It¡¯s not okay! It¡¯s not! I ignored you! I let dad beat you! I wanted it to happen to you! I¡¯m the worst big sister ever!¡± She cried out, her tears falling onto my face. ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve it, you''re so kind and giving! I was wrong, forgive me, please¡­¡± She sniffled.

    I didn¡¯t know how to respond, all this time I thought she hated me. I thought she wanted me gone, but she was just afraid. Scared of what I thought of her. Scared that I blamed her. I didn¡¯t have any words, I just moved my arms around her and pulled her into me.

    ¡°Lux, I love you. I¡¯ll always love you. If you can forgive me, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± I said softly.

    She was still shaking, still bawling her eyes out on my shoulders.

    ¡°Mmmhhm! I forgive you!¡± She cried into my shoulder.

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile, I haven¡¯t held Lux like this in ages. I haven¡¯t seen her cry in a long time either. Her warmth, it felt nice. I felt complete. I held onto her, and let her cry it all out.

    I planned on staying like that for as long as I could, but a knock on the door cut our time short. The knock became more violent and needy as time passed. Lux sat up quickly and fixed her face the best she could.

    ¡°Stay still, I¡¯ll get it.¡± She sighed.

    She got up and quickly rushed over to the door, while I sat up to see who it was.

    ¡°Look, right now¡¯s not a good-¡± Lux stopped immediately as she opened the door more.

    She seemed to freeze in place.

    I got up from the couch, my mind zoomed with thoughts of who that could be. I walked over to Lux and my heart nearly skipped a beat. Standing at the door, was that police officer from the stone attack! The one that let me go from the sound machine! Blonde hair that went to her back, brown eyes, and freckles. She was in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. A gun holster at her side.

    She stared into my eyes with a look of shock, I stared back at her with an equally confused look.

    ¡°It¡¯s no doubt now, you really are the Knight¡­¡± The officer stammered out softly.

    My sister snatched her arm and slung her inside, slamming the door behind the officer. Thus making us lose the play dumb option.

    ¡°Lux! Chill out! She is still a cop! And she¡¯s armed!¡± I yelled over at her.

    But Lux¡¯s aggressive wolf face soon changed to one of shock and confusion.

    The officer had tears streaming down her face, a huge smile was etched onto her as she was staring at me.

    ¡°Thank goodness, I thought you were dead.¡± She sniffled out.

    ...

    We all sat in the kitchen, looking over the officer who had finally compose herself

    ¡°My apologizes, my name is Officer Wealhtheow, but you can call me Donum my first name. I¡¯m sorry this is so sudden! I panicked when I saw the video of you and that Rex guy, I had to make sure you were okay.¡± She said quickly as she looked us both over.

    ¡°So what? You¡¯re a cop that was there for the stone incident?¡± Lux asked.

    ¡°Yeah I remember her, she was the officer that convinced her team to let me go,¡± I replied. ¡°But how did you find me? Better yet recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve known about you for a long time now, even before your debut as the Knight...¡± She was blushing now, her eyes averted from us both and onto the floor.

    Lux squinted her eyes with a concerned look on her face, slowly stepping in front of me.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lux asked.

    ¡°Right, you probably wouldn¡¯t remember me.¡± She coughed and sat upright.

    She turned toward us and smiled happily.

    ¡°I¡¯m the girls whose life you saved years ago in that alleyway.¡± She said cheerfully.

    My body went numb, flashbacks zoomed in my mind of that day. The screams, the fight, my mom being shot. The girl''s face who ran away from me, I couldn¡¯t forget it. The look in her eyes, the tears. This was her, I knew she looked familiar. She was okay. Better than okay! She went and became a cop! A smile slowly rose to my face, tears came pouring down.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay!¡± I cheered.

    ¡°No way¡­¡± Lux stammered out. ¡°It was you..¡±

    Lux walked over to her slowly, her head down as she dropped to her knees at the women. I was still in shock, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do here.

    ¡°You, you¡¯re the one my mom died for.¡± Lux spat out.

    ¡°What..¡± Donum asked in shock.

    ¡°Four years ago, on Heorot street. My mom was shot to death by an unknown assailant.¡± Lux growled out. ¡°Because Stryder ran in to save you.¡±

    I unconsciously stepped forward, I could feel it, The hurt, the guilt, the pain. It was all gonna reach a point here. I moved my hand on Lux¡¯s shoulder, I wasn¡¯t sure how she could be feeling right now. How could I? Donum seemed to be in shock, guilt splattered all over her face. I remembered Zack¡¯s words, about letting my mom''s death be shackles. I needed to tear my shackles off.

    ¡°Serena Beowulf died four years ago to save me because I ran in to save you. You didn¡¯t know her, but I can assure you. She was the type of woman who do it all over again, if it meant seeing you like this.¡± I stepped forward, moving my hand off Lux. ¡°So please, don¡¯t feel guilty or ashamed. She wouldn¡¯t want that.¡± I said flatly, looking Donum in the eyes.

    She quickly looked away from my gaze.

    ¡°But still, I-I didn¡¯t know all this time, that I-¡±

    ¡°I made that choice, not you. And I have to live with that burden every day. but I know for a fact. My mom wouldn¡¯t want us to thank her sacrifice with something ugly like shame or guilt. She wants us to live, just like you have.¡± I gave her a big smile.

    She slowly lifted her head to face me, she stared into my eyes for a bit. A puzzled look on her face, like she was waiting for me to do something else.

    ¡°Please Stryder, tell me. Just what happened on that day?¡±

 Chapter 26 - Melancholy

    Sometimes I wake up wondering if I¡¯m still in a dream. If the actions I take really have an effect on the world around me. It was a surreal feeling to be in a position like this. Talking to the ghost that always haunted my mind. I always wondered what she could be doing with her life, I wondered if I was a ghost haunting the back of her mind. And now the voices couldn¡¯t plague me anymore. I had my answers.

    ¡°We were walking home from the grocery store, that¡¯s when we passed you in the alleyway.¡± I could feel this twinge in my chest as the words came out.

    I could hear the gunshot ringing in my ear faintly, flashes of my mom¡¯s body dropping in front of me flared in my mind. I moved my hand up to my face slowly, I looked over my fingers. Slowly moving them to my mouth, but I stopped. I moved my fingers down and I looked her in the eyes.

    ¡°I heard you screaming for help, and once I saw what was going on I ran in without thinking.¡± I took a breath and tried to calm down. My heart was racing, faster and faster the more I talked.¡± I tackled the guy down, and you ran off. Now here¡¯s the part, I hate the most.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you-¡± She started to talk but I stopped her.

    ¡°No! I want you to know who the real hero is. I want to tell you about her. Once you were gone, I tried wrestling him down. But he got the better of me and threw me off, and pulled out a gun.¡± I balled my fist in frustration, this wave of rage built up inside me. ¡°That¡¯s when my mom came in, she tackled the gunman and told me to run. I hesitated, I wanted to go back in and save her. Then the gunshot sounded off, and my mom. D-dropped.¡± I could hear myself beginning to stutter.

    I tried to tell her more, but the words escaped me. I wanted to tell her how the killer ran off past me, that my legs felt like cement. That I couldn¡¯t do anything at all. That I was completely useless.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this,¡± Lux said as she shot up.

    I was suddenly free from my shock and I quickly turned to her.

    ¡°Lux-!¡± I called out.

    She rushed to the door and I chased after her. I tried to grab her shoulder but she just smacked my hand away. She stopped as she swung the front door open, she hesitated as she looked down to the floor.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this Strdyer, I just can¡¯t! I can¡¯t even stand being in the same room as...¡± She stopped for a moment.

    A clear look of astonishment crossed her face.

    ¡°Lux it¡¯s okay if you still can¡¯t forgive us both yet..¡± I replied.

    She stood still for a moment, then she abruptly slammed the door leaving out.

    I jumped a little and stared at the door. I remember the week of Mom¡¯s funeral, my dad beat me as soon as we got home. Telling me over and over again how it was my fault. I carried that burden for years, and even now I still carry it. I can¡¯t imagine just how much she¡¯s carrying on her back right now. How much change I¡¯ve been forcing on her to take. How many mixed emotions she had to bury in order to take care of me. She needed time.

    ¡°Forgive Lux Donum, it¡¯s a lot for her to take in at once.¡± I turned back to her.

    Her eyes met mine for a moment, then she quickly looked away to the floor.

    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s fine!¡± She replied. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine this is easy for her, or for you.¡±

    ¡°Well, if I¡¯m being honest. Seeing you is the greatest blessing I could have ever gotten.¡±

    She slowly looked back up into my eyes. She had this look of astonishment on her face.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Why is that? So much happened because of me..¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re alive and okay! Your living proof that that day wasn¡¯t a waste.¡± I smiled brightly at her. ¡°I always wondered what happened to you, I ask myself if I made the right call. I lived in guilt for so many years, and I guess it just feels nice to be free! I have all my answers. I¡¯ve been reminded a lot recently, just how much Mom loved people. And I can say without a doubt, she¡¯d be okay with this outcome. If it meant seeing you like this.¡±

    ¡°Your mom sounds like she really was an amazing person.¡± She said softly.

    ¡°She was, she absolutely was. So tell me about your-¡±

    ¡°Ah-! Rex! Where are ya! I got ya now flashli- Ah I died didn¡¯t I¡­¡± I heard Zack yell from the living room, finally waking up.

    ¡°Zack! You¡¯re up!¡± I cheered as I looked over to him.

    He looked over to me and his eyes widened in shock, then they formed into smirk.

    ¡°Oh Stryder I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt! So bold! I¡¯m still in the room!¡± Zack snickered as he stood up.

    I looked over at Donum and then myself, realizing now the only clothing on my body were some tattered jeans. I could feel the warmth rising to my cheeks, and I could her Donum chuckle.

    ¡°I-it¡¯s not like that, she¡¯s just a friend!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m messing with you idiot! I¡¯ve been awake for the past hour! I''ve been listening to all your sappy crap. And how are you gonna quote me and not give me any credit! You don¡¯t respect the mighty destroyer of worlds enough! Maybe I should go to work for that Rex fella.¡± Zack rambled on and I just ignored him for the most part.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you speak up!¡± I yelled over his complaining.

    A serious look dawned on Zack¡¯s face and he looked me dead in my eyes.

    ¡°Because you needed to spread your wings all on your own. As charming and powerful as the mighty destroyer of worlds is. You can¡¯t expect me to always be the wind beneath your wings. You gotta learn to fly on your own.¡±

    I was taken off guard by this, but he was absolutely right. I didn¡¯t know what to say at first, I was at a loss for words.

    ¡°But don¡¯t misunderstand, I¡¯ve been relying on you a bit too much too. That fight with snow white really showed me just how much work we have ahead of us.¡± Zack walked over to me, he was dressed in a similar fashion. Nothing but tattered jeans on. He smirked as he got closer, but quickly moved past me and over to Donum.

    ¡°Hey baby, what do you say to me and you. Flying out of here on a hot date? I could offer you some sage advice too. I¡¯ve got years of warlock experience under my belt.¡± He lulled out as he leaned over on the table, flexing his twig arms for her.

    Donum sighed and rolled her eyes, slowly going to her holster.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got about three seconds before I pepper spray into those wizard eyes of yours.¡± Donum huffed out, giving him a stale look.

    I smirked and chuckled a bit as Zack backed off.

    ¡°You know how many crazy wizard fangirls we arrest? Wanting to meet the ¡®sexy wizard of the alley¡¯ it¡¯s maddening how far these fangirls go for you...¡± Donum sighed. ¡°Besides I¡¯m not interested in kids.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it if my sexy charms drive the girls wild.¡± Zack cried.

    ¡°Dude we wear masks, how charming can you actually be?¡± I asked with a sigh.

    ¡°Hold up, hold up, go back, go back. Did you just infer that there are some tasty damsel in distress? Possibly a cage full of them?¡± Zack asked excitedly.

    ¡°A jail cell full of crazed fangirls, willing to break the law. Just to see you.¡± Donum corrected.

    ¡°Ooh! I like ¡®em hot and crazy!¡± Zack snickered and I just sighed.

    You know a few minutes ago I thought he really had matured.

    ¡°Do me a favor and actually keep changing your voice when you¡¯re on camera! It¡¯s not exactly easy to access that stuff!¡± Donum roared. ¡°I¡¯ve been cleaning up for you for a lot of things.¡±

    ¡°As a token of my appreciation, let''s say me, you, and a good corn dog off Burben street.¡± He winked, slowly moving his hand on her hand. Donum didn¡¯t seem to react, she just stared at his hand and slowly looked up to Zack¡¯s face.

    Then Zack yelped loud like a little girl as his whole body seemed to vibrate. He dropped to his knees and held onto the kitchen table panting hard.

    ¡°W-what. T-the hell. W-was that!?¡± Zack stammered out.

    Donum held up a yellow taser and smiled sweetly at Zack.

    ZZZZT!

    She turned the taser on and stared at Zack.

    ¡°Touch me again and I''ll show you the power of science, magic man.¡±

    ¡°Grrr¡± Zack growled like a dog and slowly backed away from her.

    I walked over to the sink and poured myself a glass of water, and walked back over to Zack.

    ¡°Here.¡± I insisted.

    ¡°What? Some Mom remedy for after you get tazed?¡± Zack snapped at me as he snatched the glass.

    ¡°No. just figured you needed some water for all that thirst,¡± I replied with a smirk.

    Donum started laughing and Zack just growled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll vine whip you ya know!¡± He roared, but I just kept laughing.

    It felt good to laugh like this, it was nice to forget about death for a second. To forget about all the hurt that was in the room. I wondered if Zack knew. It¡¯s become apparent Zack isn¡¯t as dumb as he acts. He¡¯s observant and clever. Much more capable then I assumed him to be.

    He¡¯s always been one to make the whole room laugh, that was his talent. I admired him for that. He always seemed to know exactly what to say, and when to say it. Guess that¡¯s why I always let him lead when we talked to people, he was just better than me. Even now when I should be at my lowest when the situation tells me I should feel stern and withered. I feel so light and full of joy.

    ¡°Zack, thank you,¡± I said softly.

    ¡°Eww, don¡¯t go saying some gay I love you stuff.¡± Zack huffed.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just complaining I don¡¯t treat you well a minute ago?¡± I asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°Oh, is this you realizing just how much cooler I am finally?¡± He asked.

    ¡°No, just thanking you for how dumb you are. Your squirrel brain can really lighten the mood ya know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll roast you alive Stryder¡­ With words, and fire!¡± Zack roared.

    Donum was laughing hysterically now, we both stopped what we were doing and looked over to her.

    ¡°You know, you guys are nothing like what I thought you¡¯d be.¡± She managed to say in between laughs.

    ¡°Well get used to it! This is the real deal baby!¡± Zack cheered as he flexed again, this time producing fire from his fist.

    I took the glass of water and dumped it on his flaming fist.

    ¡°We do have fire alarms, idiot..¡± I sighed.

 Chapter 27 - Breaking chains

    ¡°Have fun with your boyfriend!¡± Valentinas little cousin yelled out to us.

    Right before he skipped out the door.

    I could see Valentina¡¯s cheeks slowly flush a bright shade of pink.

    ¡°S-shut up you twerp!¡± She roared back.

    It was like looking into another dimension. The usually composed and calm student council president. The girl whose rumored to have a perfect GPA, and has colleges from all over scouting her. Spent half of the entire time I was here arguing with an eleven year old.

    We were supposed to be doing math. But she stopped every other question to yell some almost non-PG threats back at her little cousin. Who clearly knew how to crawl under her skin just right. I kind of just watched for a bit. I admit, she looked really cute when she was frustrated. It was like looking at a grumpy kitten.

    ¡°Maybe a break will do us some good?¡± I suggested.

    She was growling slightly now as she glared at the door. She was wearing some batman pajama pants, and a white T-shirt. Clearly in her nicest Saturday morning wear.

    ¡°I suppose, are you hungry by chance?¡± She grumbled.

    ¡°I could eat.¡± I chimed.

    She got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. I stood up and stretched. I¡¯d rather be fighting Rex right now then doing math¡­

    ¡°Ever had chicken pancit before?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Never heard of it. My diet usually consists of ramen, peanut butter and jelly, and hotdogs.¡±

    ¡°What!? That¡¯s so unhealthy!¡±

    ¡°On special occasions when one of Lux¡¯s good friends stays over to study. I am graced with cold pizza.¡±

    ¡°Can you not afford vegetables? They don¡¯t cost that much.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s true. However none of us know how to cook. My mom used to be the cook. And Lux practically made Frankenstein last time she cooked¡±.

    ¡°Oh I see. Does your mother just not like to cook anymore?¡± She asked.

    She was busy making us a plate from a pan on the stove. Her cousin was eating away at that before he left.

    ¡°Well, she passed when I was young. So I didn¡¯t really get a chance to learn a lot from her.¡±

    It was odd. I usually danced around the question. Or I¡¯d feel my heart begin to race a mile a minute. But it just came out so smoothly¡­

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to bring that up!¡±

    She looked up from the plates and gave me a sympathetic look. Her amber eyes seem so genuine. I just smiled and shook my head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it really. It¡¯s fine, you couldn¡¯t have known.¡±

    I walked over to the island table that separates the kitchen from the living room. It was odd. Her house seemed only a tad bit bigger than ours. I heard her cousin complain about how he and his uncle had to share a room because of Valentina. I guess the bright colors and actually furnished place made it seem like it had more to offer. Her walls were a bright orange color. They had this retro type of style with their furniture. I kinda liked it.

    ¡°Well, if it makes you feel not alone. My mom¡¯s not around anymore either.¡± She replied softly.

    My eyes widened in surprise, and her gaze left mine.

    ¡°Well, I really appreciate the vulnerability. I¡¯m sorry if I brought up some old scars.¡±

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°N-no it¡¯s fine really! I never really got a chance to meet her. So it¡¯s not like you brought up anything.¡±

    Her statement puzzled me, never seen her?   Her eyes soon falling back onto mine.

    ¡°What do you mean? If you don¡¯t mind me asking that is...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind.¡± She took a breath. ¡°My mother passed away giving birth to me.¡±

    There was silence for a moment. I-I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. I just tried to think about how she must feel. Never even having a chance to meet her.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry. That¡¯s terrible.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t I try to not dwell on it. My dad says she knew the odds of having me.¡±

    ¡°It must eat away at you huh?¡±

    She got a somber smile on her face and slowly shook her head.

    ¡°Not really, the exact opposite actually. It reminds me that she wanted me to push forward and live. She gave her life so I can smile and enjoy mine. I guess that probably explains why I try so hard in school.¡± She chuckled slightly.

    ¡®She made that sacrifice didn¡¯t she!?¡¯ Zacks words rang in my head. That talk with Donum. Everything started to feel like it made sense. But why? Why did I suddenly feel lighter? Why did the world suddenly make sense? This wasn¡¯t anything new? And yet here I was, feeling like Valentina had just given me the final piece to the puzzle.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to lay all that down on ya like that! I don¡¯t know what got into me!¡± She laughed nervously.¡±Didn¡¯t mean to get all deep and stuff.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You actually helped me out a lot just now.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She asked.

    ¡°My mother died protecting me from a gunshot a few years back. I ran in to protect this girl, and I got way in over my head. She died because of my actions that day. But seeing you. I think, I think seeing someone else who shares the same scars as me. Being able to live without the chains of guilt like that. It makes the things Zack say, seem real. Like it¡¯s something tangible. I think that¡¯s what it means anyways..¡±

    ¡°Zack gave advice!?¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°Believe it or not!¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad my story could help.¡±

    I jumped slightly as I felt her warm hand rest on top of mine. I looked back into her eyes again. She was giving me a small smile now.

    ¡°It feels good to be able to talk to someone who actually can understand what it feels like.¡± She said softly.

    I blushed a little and smiled back at her.

    ¡°And here I was dreading going to tutoring.¡± I chuckled out.

    She slowly moved her hand from mine. She kept her smile on me for a moment. It was like her eyes were searching mine for something.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I get this chance to actually talk to you. You¡¯re nothing like I imagined.¡± She chimed.

    She turned around and went to the microwave. Putting both our plates inside.

    ¡°What did you think of me before?¡±

    ¡°Well, I knew you as the puppy dog for a while. That was Alexis''s nickname for you anyways.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, oh, right.. You had a crush on her didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Well I¡­¡±

    I felt my cheeks flush.

    ¡° I noticed how you looked at her~.¡± Valentina sang.

    ¡°Well that ship has sailed.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry about that by the way. She¡¯s just really into Zack. I tried telling her you were a better choice.¡±

    ¡°Well I appreciate the sentiment.¡±

    Annual¡¯s face flashed into my mind.

    ¡° I think I¡¯m over it though.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best anyways. I can¡¯t dance to save my life."

    "You¡¯re such a boy.¡± She scoffed.

    ¡°And what¡¯s that¡¯s supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°From the way Alexis talked about you. It seemed like you were more of the refined shy guy. The type of guy who hides in the back, and writes poetry or something.¡±

    ¡°And what do you think of me now?¡± I asked.

    The microwave went off and she walked away to it.

    ¡°Well for starters. Your far braver than I thought you were.¡±

    I blinked.

    ¡°Me? Brave?¡±

    ¡°Well duh. At dodgeball, you didn¡¯t waste any time to protect your team. Literally running in to save them like you were superman. Or the better example. When that stone guy attacked the city. You ran in and saved that guy from being crushed by a car! You even took precedence to make sure me and Alexis were safe.¡±

    She took the steaming plates out of the microwave and walked over to me.

    ¡°I guess I never thought about it like that¡­¡±

    ¡°Your reaction to Zack taking Alexis to the dance also shows your heart. Plus point A we just talked about a second ago. You put others above yourself.¡± She set my plate down in front of me.

    The plate reminded me of shrimp scampi. But had the faint smell of lime to it. Then the smell of chicken hit me. I was practically drooling¡­

    ¡°Then today, I can see you''re a genuine guy. From how you spoke about your mom. I can see how deeply you cared about her. How bad you felt about what you did. Then not being scared to tell me about your hurts.¡±

    I looked down at my plate. I knew my face must of been red.

    ¡°I-im not that great. But thank you. You''re really being too kind.¡±

    I felt her flick my head. Which made me look up at her.

    ¡°Forgive me if this is to¡­ forward. But I¡¯m sure your mom wouldn¡¯t want you to talk about yourself like this. And for what it¡¯s worth. I think you''re a really great guy. Some chicks really dig the hero type.¡± She winked.

    I felt the heat rise into my cheeks and I looked away. I pulled my hood over my head.

    ¡°Aww, such a cutie.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I looked up at her from my hood. ¡°I¡¯ll hang on to every word. I promise.¡±

    She leaned in a bit closer to me. Her brown eyes seem to shine. My eyes moved from her eyes to her lips. I could feel my heart race a bit as I moved back up to her eyes.

    Crap! Did she know what I was thinking about!? I panicked. I wanted to bite my nails but she was so close. I was too scared to do it.

    ¡°Make sure you do alright?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°W-well, we should probably eat.¡± I stammered out.

    However, I caught myself staring at her a bit. Her pink lips, her amber-gold like eyes. Her silky black hair that seemed to be shining. She was beautiful.

    Annuals face flashed into my mind. ¡®My knight¡¯. Her voice seems to dance around inside my head. Was this right? Did I even deserve to feel like this after what I did to Annual? Am I even really over Annual?

    I slowly stepped back.

    ¡°Your right. We should eat before it gets cold.¡± Valentina chimed.

    ¡­..

    I needed Zack! My brain was literally exploding right now. I couldn¡¯t get Valentina out of my head! Did she really mean what she said? And why isn¡¯t this Alexis thing bothering me more!? It¡¯s like as soon as I saw Annual again, she started to fade. Why is that? I felt like my stomach had a pit growing inside of it.

    I still felt guilty. And for once, I wasn¡¯t thinking about my mom. Annuals face filled my mind every time I thought about Valentina. I don¡¯t know how to explain it. I just felt, wrong? Maybe it was because of what I did to Annual. How I ran away from her¡­

    I slowly came to a stop on the street. I been blocking that out for so long. Blocking out all the memories I had with her. I guess, Alexis was just a shield from thinking about it. Something like this was right up Lux¡¯s department. However, that flame of hope died. She wants nothing to do with me right now. Plus Annual, I was scared to bring up Annual with Zack. After all, I did something terrible to her.

    I slowly started to walk again.

    ¡®You needed to spread your wings all on your own.¡¯ Zack''s words soon came back to me.

    I clenched my fist. My mom would want me to be happy. I started to walk a bit faster. I needed to break the last chain that was holding me down. I need to face my demons and take responsibility.

    I needed to face Annual.

    I turned the corner to Zacks apartment complex. As soon as I did. All the fire within me died. I was speechless. My blood ran cold as I stared in shock. Flashes of the past came into my mind as my breathing started to get erratic.

    The red and blue lights of the cop car blanketed over the apartments. I could barely see the big white truck that stood next to Zack''s place.

    Please, don¡¯t let it be happening again.

 Chapter 28 - Fallen petals

    I ran, I ran as fast as I could. I activated my super strength and increased my speed. I didn¡¯t care about getting caught, I just needed to know everyone was okay. That Annual wasn¡¯t¡­

    I didn¡¯t even want to think about it. Just the idea that she was getting worse, it sent shivers throughout my body. I leaped like a bunny and bounded over to the truck. It only took me three hops from the entrance to land right beside the ambulance truck.

    I ran around to the back of it and saw that the doors were open. I was taken back for a moment. I expected to see nurses or doctors back here. However, I found two men in black suits. Each suit had a golden sword with wings pinned to their collars. One man was tall with darker skin. The other was short and rather pudgy.

    I looked down toward the stretcher. There was Annual. She looked feverish and was squirming. I got defensive immediately.

    ¡°Who are you guys!?¡± I demanded. ¡°And what are you doing with Annual?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s our line kid.¡± The dark-skinned man spoke up.

    ¡°Stryder?¡± I heard Zack''s voice call out to me from behind.

    I didn¡¯t turn away from the men in black.

    ¡°Stryder! The guy who defeated Stone and fought Rex!? Plus he¡¯s number three of the legendary swordsman!? So cool! Can we get you-¡±

    The pudgy guy was fangirling over me. But the tall one elbowed him before he had a chance to gush anymore.

    ¡°Shut up, we''re losing our cool factor.¡± The tall one whispered to him.

    ¡°Zack, who are these guys? And why do they have Annual?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great news Stryder! Like the best news ever!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I turned around to face him.

    ¡°Think he¡¯ll give me an autograph?¡± I heard him whisper again.

    ¡°I talked to Frosty Flakes! Who talked to Arthur! Who agreed to help take care of Annual, she¡¯s going to a top-notch doctor!¡±

    ¡°W-what! Really!?¡± I cheered.

    A warm feeling slowly raised its way into my chest. I began to smile uncontrollably.

    ¡°Yeah! Not to mention he¡¯s searching for all the support class gifts around! As long as we agree to work with him!¡±

    My smile slowly began to fade. As long as we agree to work with him huh?

    ¡°Zack, are you sure we can trust this guy?¡± I asked softly.

    I could see Zack''s smile fade. He looked confused.

    ¡°Listen Stryder. Who cares about any of that? As long as she gets fixed, that¡¯s what matters right?¡±

    I didn¡¯t respond at first. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was right.

    I looked back down to Annual. Her anguished face, her squirming. The color in her hair. It¡¯s even more faded¡­

    ¡°I guess, you have a point,¡± I said trailing off.

    Just what was Arthur playing here? Did Zack just make a deal with the devil? I looked back to Annual. I didn¡¯t trust this, not one bit. We were pretty much giving him a hostage to use against us. I didn¡¯t want to leave her. I knew nothing about Arthur. To be totally honest, I wasn¡¯t fully trusting of Jack yet either.Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°We¡¯re riding with her up there right ?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Zack cheered

    I heard a high pitched beep coming from the men in black. He reached up and put a finger on his ear. I assumed it was an earpiece.

    "Yes, understood." He nodded and looked back toward us.

    "It''s clear to jump now. Knight, and wizard. If you are riding with us, this will be the time to get in." The bald one announced.

    I nodded and Zack hopped onto the truck. He was carrying a few books (which surprised me.) That is, it surprised me until I saw what kind of books he was carrying. Each one was a different book on plants and biology. Annuals favorite reading material.

    There were seats built into the van''s walls. It didn¡¯t look like the most secure thing. But seats were seats. Zack and I sat back next to each other. I could see a soft smile resting on his face. He had a cheerful pep to his step as he kicked his feet back and forth.

    I wanted to be happy about this. Annual needed this, she deserves this. But even still. This voice in the back of my head kept nipping at me. Telling me something was wrong. Maybe that was just my anxiety?

    "Isn''t it great!?" Zack cheered. "After all these years. We can finally save her!"

    I smiled some and nodded. I''ll just deal with the situation as it comes. If this is our best option for her. Then who was I to question it?

    "Yeah, I can¡¯t wait for another trip down the river for some plant samples" I chuckled.

    "Right! You two better not ditch me to go down a raft again!" Zack laughed.

    "Just don''t take five years to get a walking stick again!¡±

    Suddenly the air got cold. Zack and I stopped laughing.

    "The hell is-"

    The whole van shook and I ran up to cover Annual and hold onto the stretcher.

    Then it all suddenly stopped.

    "S-Stryder?" I heard Annual mumbled out. I looked down at her. She barely had her eyes open. "What''s going on?"

    "Don''t worry. Everything''s fine!¡± I promised.

    I gave her a big smile.

    The back doors opened up. But I didn''t see sunlight peeking through the door. It looked more like a fluorescent light.

    The men in black hopped up with us and grabbed the ends of the stretcher. Annual grabbed my hand and looked me in my eyes.

    "It''s okay. These people are gonna fix you up. I promise."

    Flashes of my mom flared into my mind. Memories of the hospital. The beeping of my mom''s lifeline whispered in my ears. My grip on her hand lessened slightly.

    No! no! I''m not gonna run away! It won''t be like last time! She needs me right now.

    ''Stryder'' my mom''s voice echoed in my head. I could feel my heart begin to race. Are you gonna run away? I looked Annual in her eyes. I pushed a smile onto my face and held her hand firmly.

    "I''m here for you. Annual, you''re gonna be fine." I chimed.

    Her big green eyes got wide in surprise. She stared into my eyes, and I looked into hers. I could see her eyes getting watery. A smile slowly formed on her face. She nodded and the men pulled her away from me. Zack stood up and we followed behind them.

    Everything in this place was white with yellow trimming. It reminded me of a cheesy sci-fi movie. There were a few other trucks inside the place, and some medical equipment lined up on the walls.

    We followed behind the men to a hallway. I didn''t notice before. But they had a faint symbol of a sword in a stone on their backs. More accurately an Albion sword.

    My heart was racing more aggressively the further in we went. I gripped my pants leg and tried to calm down. But still, I couldn''t help but keep shaking.

    She''s gonna die. She''s not gonna make it and you know it. It''ll be just like last time.

    I tried to shut out the thoughts as we walked into an elevator. But they kept bombarding me. My shaking slowly got worse and worse. I leaned against the cold steel walls and started to pant. The images of the doctor rushing into my mom''s operating room blared into my mind. My dad''s yelling, the beatings. The sound of my mom''s life support ringing on the flat line.

    The voices, the images. My legs began to buckle.

    "Stryder, what''s wrong!?" Zack cried.

    I gripped my right arm tight. Trying to force myself to calm down. The pain in my arm was bringing me back some.

    "I-I''m fine." I stammered out.

    I was losing it. No! Dammit no! She needed me! She needed me right now. Ignore it! She''s gonna be fine! She''ll be fine!

    "He''s not fine! He''s having a panic attack!" One of the men in black yelled.

    "Ahhh!" I roared.

    I slammed my fist into the wall with all my might. The entire elevator shook and slammed around. I panted slightly as the images slowly faded. Every inch of my skin told me to leave. But I wouldn''t. I don''t care if I have a heart attack.

    I''m not running away anymore.

    "I''m fine," I grunted.

    The elevator came to a stop. As the doors slowly came open, we were greeted by many men in suits. Guess punching the elevator wall wasn¡¯t the smartest idea...

    ¡­..

    We waited outside the operating room. We weren''t allowed inside while the real doctors and gifted specialists were in. Which only made the words corrode my brain even further.

    I was rapidly tapping my foot as me and Zack sat down. He was staring at me from the corner of his eye for like an hour. I wasn''t too focused on him though. It took all of my focus, just to not be shaking all over right now.

    "I see Annual wasn''t kidding." Zack blurted out.

    "W-what are you talking about?"

    "She told me you really couldn''t handle being around her like this."

    I took a breath and tried to relax again.

    "It''s no excuse for leaving her like I did. I should¡¯ve been there for her."

    "I feel like an idiot.." He grumbled, "I''m supposed to be your best friend! And I didn¡¯t even believe it.¡±

    "What are you talking about?"

    "You know the reason why I always push you to talk to girls?"

    "So you can have an excuse to flirt with them.." I muttered.

    "Stryder, I really couldn¡¯t stand you. Annual means the world to me. And you mean the world to her. I know it would depress her if you found someone else."

    I raised my brow.

    "Then why do you always push it?"

    "Because she asked me to."

    My eyes widened as I looked over to Zack.

    "She what!? Why!?"

    "Because she knew you couldn¡¯t handle being around her. She wanted you to be happy. And she knew with how things were, it wouldn''t be with her."

    I looked down at the floor. It felt like a pit was forming in my stomach and my heart was still racing. I didn''t know how to respond. She cared about me this much. Even while she was dying in bed. She was only thinking about my happiness. I grabbed my arm and tried to stop the abrupt shaking.

    How could I abandon someone who cared so much about me? What''s wrong with me!? I hated the shaking! I hated the thoughts in my head. I hated not being able to sit still! It wasn''t fair! Why! Why! I''m so pathetic! This whole time. She was trying to be my hero.

    "I apologize by the way. I knew what I was doing with Alexis. I- I just-¡± I could see his hands shaking some as he spoke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I blurted out. ¡°I can understand why you did it. I guess for a while now I knew things weren¡¯t okay. I was just scared to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He asked in astonishment.

    ¡°Yeah, I forgive you for Alexis. To be honest I can¡¯t really remember why I was even into her.¡±

    I held up my shaky fist to him and gave him a small smile. Zack chuckled and reached his hand up to meet mine.

    ¡°Just promise next time you¡¯ll talk to me about how you feel, alright?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I promise from here on out. No more secrets.¡± Zack chimed as he bumped my fist.

 Zacks Origins, a christmas special

    ¡°Zack, please don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Her voice was faint, it was like she was trying to tell me a secret. I was so used to her annoying yammering. It just didn''t feel real, to hear her sound so dead.

    It felt like I was lost in a dream. No, this was definitely a nightmare.

    ¡°Ppft! Me? Worried? As if I¡¯m worried about some gnome like you. I¡¯m just relishing in the fact I don¡¯t have to hear that squeaky voice of yours anymore. This cold of yours must''ve been my Christmas gift!¡± I chuckled.

    I moved my hand behind my back and balled my fist. The warm sensation of blood started to drip down my palm as my nails dug into my skin. I forced a smile onto my face and looked her over. While she just squinted her forest green eyes at me. Damn, even her eyes were starting to look dull.

    ¡°Zack, you know this isn¡¯t just a cold, right?¡± She asked.

    ¡°The Hippie thinks she¡¯s a doctor now?¡±

    ¡°Well, I just-¡±

    ¡°Look, I told you before, you have nothing to worry about.¡±

    I walked over to her bed and grabbed her book.

    ¡°You promise?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to your big bro!¡±

    I moved the cover over her body and gave her a big grin. She nodded and started to cough, and my heart nearly stopped. I saw drops of blood splattered onto her sheets.

    ¡°Zack..¡± She mumbled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, really. It¡¯s just because your throats scratched up, it¡¯s normal.¡±

    ¡°Zack, why are you bleeding?¡± She asked as she pointed at my hand.

    That''s where the blood came from..

    ¡°It¡¯s just a papercut. Grabbed your book the wrong way.¡±

    ¡°Zack.¡± She said with some more base.

    I ignored it though and just hurried out the room. It was weird, my whole body just felt heavy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡±

    I quickly shut the door to her room as I left, and then leaned against it. What the hell was this? Is this a joke!? She¡¯s gotten ten times worse. My jokes aren¡¯t even working anymore. I wiped the blood off onto my pants and took a breath. The weight I was feeling a second ago slowly faded away. I''m all she¡¯s got. I¡¯m not gonna let her get worse. I moved my hand into my pocket and pulled it out. I looked over the old rusted kitchen knife and caught my reflection in the blade. I almost didn¡¯t recognize myself. When did I start hating my own reflection?

    A flash of that night came into my mind. My hands trembled just at the memory of it. The echoing of his body dropping on the ground played in my ears. It¡¯s either eat or be eaten. I shouldn¡¯t care about that lousy gang member. I bet he¡¯s killed people, so why should I care? Right, I at least have a reason. I¡¯m being a hero.

    ¡­

    I watched as a mother and her son walked down the street. The flickering lights from the lamp posts barely illuminated their way. I slowly crept behind them and reached into my pocket. Perfect, I recognized the kid. I think I saw him at my school once, back when I was still going to school that is. She drove a pretty nice looking car if I recall. They definitely had money.

    I got a little faster, moving my hood over my head. As we were coming up to the end of the street I stopped. This was it then.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I roared.

    The women jumped a little but stopped. She slowly turned around with a look of fear in her eyes. She was tall with long black hair and blue eyes. Then her son immediately turned around and moved in front of her. And his eyes were different. They were blue, but they were intense. Like he was daring me to do something. Honestly, it made me tremble. And something about it, it just pissed me off.

    ¡°I want everything you got, or else,¡± I smirked and took a step forward.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I won''t be punked by some thirteen year old. I''m the threat! I''m the one he should be afraid of here! The kid stepped forward as well. His confident stare not wavering. This kid..

    ¡°Stryder get back!¡± His mother called out to him.

    As she reached out for him, the kid just darted at me. I admit I panicked a bit. The last guy who attacked me didn''t look like this! I could see the fear in his eyes, but this kid. It was like he had no fear!

    I bit my lip and charged at him. As I looked into his eyes, it was like I could see him. I could see the guy I stabbed! No, I won''t weaver! I''m gonna move forward! If I stab his eyes out I''ll do it. If I kill him nothing can stop me!

    "Ahhh!" I roared as I ran at him with all my might.

    Flashes of his face came into my mind. The blood that spilled from his body, the screams that plagued my dreams! I wanted it to stop! This war in my head!

    I thrusted the knife at the kid as I got close. I glared into his eyes and he glared back into mine. Then, I felt him grab my wrist and force it down. I tried to pull back. But the last thing I could see was his eyes again. The man I killed was gone. And I was lost to the bottomless sea of his. Then he rammed his fist into my face, and I felt myself go airborne. Damn, I''m sorry Annual. Looks like we might not eat again.

    ¡­.

    Slowly the light started to come back to me. And instead of the sky or the roof of a police cruiser. I saw a light blue ceiling of a house. I stretched and it felt like I was on a couch. I groaned and slowly sat up.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake! Thank goodness.¡± I heard a voice call out from the floor beside me.

    I looked over, and there he was. The boy with blue eyes. He was wearing a blue jacket and jeans. And had this stupid grin on his face. I could see his unruly raven locks a lot better now. He looked like a dweeb.

    ¡°What¡¯s, what¡¯s going on? Where am I?¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°My house, I hit you pretty hard. We didn¡¯t want to leave you in the streets.¡±

    ¡°How long have I been out?¡±

    ¡°Hhhmm, a few hours.¡±

    Annuals gonna kill me¡­

    ¡°So, what? The cops on their way?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Let me ask you, why did you try and rob us?¡± The kid looked over at me.

    His intense eyes again, it was like they could see my soul. Super intimidating¡­

    ¡°My sister.." I mumbled.

    Suddenly the kid¡¯s intensity faded. And moved to something much softer.

    ¡°You know, stealing is wrong, right?¡±

    I growled.

    ¡°Like I care kid..¡±

    "Who are you calling kid? We go to the same middle school."

    "Whatever.." I grumbled and turned away.

    Then he quickly got up and walked off. I sat up and watched him run off down the hallway somewhere. Then I looked around the place some more. I was in a living room. There was a couch across from me, and a fireplace on the wall. The shelf on there had some statues and trophies, plus a Christmas tree with some fancy ornaments. They looked like they might be worth something¡­

    I quickly got up and grabbed everything that looked like it could sell. No way was I gonna sit here and wait to be jailed! As I was grabbing the last art piece, something flew into the room and slammed into my face. And I fell back onto the ground.

    ¡°Ah! What the hell!¡±

    That''s when I saw a basketball bouncing away from me. I looked up, and there he was. Standing in the hallway with his arms crossed. Giving me a very disappointed look.

    ¡°Do you seriously want me to hit you again?¡± He huffed.

    ¡­.

    I wondered if I died when he punched me earlier. Because this was starting to get really unreal. Not only did they take me to their home, but they gave me food. And then drove me home to check up on my sister. To think I tried to rob a doctor! I looked over at the blue-eyed kid. He was perfectly calm sitting on the filthy floor of my hallway. It felt wrong for him to be here. Like he was somehow just better than all this.

    ¡°You know, if you were to talk more instead of robbing. You might have gotten help sooner.¡± He blurted out.

    I growled.

    ¡°Ya, like who? No one cares about us. Not even our parents.¡±

    ¡°So what? You give up and start attacking people?¡±

    ¡°What else could I do?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a family, and everyone has a story. You¡¯d be no better than your parents, ignoring people¡¯s lives like this."

    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are!? I bet you had a cushy life! You got no idea what it¡¯s like! So don¡¯t talk like you understand anything!¡±

    ¡°But am I wrong? Can you honestly tell me what your doing is any better? Just because it benefits you?¡±

    I felt the rage inside me slowly begin to fade. I had nothing. I couldn¡¯t say anything to him. The memories of that man came into my mind. Watching his body drop. I never even thought he could be just like me. I could end up like that one day. But something else he said struck a chord with me. He said I was no better than my folks. And honestly, thinking about it. I was becoming just like my old man.

    ¡°Just because it¡¯s the easy route, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the best.¡±

    Just who the hell was this kid? Talking like he was some old sage! I wonder he skipped a few grades or something.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked

    ¡°Stryder.¡± He hummed.

    ¡­.

    ¡°I think he¡¯s really cute.¡± Annual whispered.

    ¡°You think Venus flytraps are cute. I think your tastes are just weird.¡±

    ¡°So mean! Introduce me!¡± She huffed as she hit my arm.

    We sat back on Stryders couch and enjoyed some nice cookies and milk. While Stryder and his angel sister cleaned the dinner table. They insisted we come over for Christmas, and I was skeptical. But his mom had been taking care of Annual for a week or two now. It was weird, these guys were really genuine. But I really only came over for his hot sister.

    Stryder still pissed me off.

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I huffed.

    I got up and walked over to him. That¡¯s when I started to hear the screaming coming from down the hall. Their old man didn¡¯t seem too thrilled about us being here. So I figured that must be him and his mom going at it.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± I asked as Stryder stacked up the dirty plates.

    ¡°Hhhmm? Oh, don¡¯t worry about that, what¡¯s up? Still hungry?¡±

    ¡°No, no my sister was curious. She saw your martial arts statue and had questions.¡±

    I looked over and saw the beauty in the kitchen cleaning dishes. I smirked and grabbed the dishes from his hands.

    ¡°I can do this if you don¡¯t mind talking to her.¡±

    He blinked a few times and gave me a smile.

    ¡°Sure thing!¡±

    Then he scurried off over to Annual. I watched as her eyes and smile grew wide. Then Stryder sat next to her and started talking. I could see a blush slowly rise onto her cheeks. I felt this warmth fill my body. It was like I was complete. This really was the best Christmas ever.

    _______________

    Happy holidays everyone! I hoped you enjoyed this prequel story! I just wanted to take this time to thank everyone for all the nice comments, and messages! I also posted two chapters of Holiday! And two chapters of Guardians. This is my gift to you all, and I hope you like it. (I lost sleep over this ridiculous goal lol).

    So please, comment below what you think of the story! Whose your favorite character! That would be a great gift for me if your up for it. If not I still appreciate the gift of your viewership. It''s really made my hard year worthwhile. And I can''t thank you all enough! Happy holiday''s!

 Chapter 29 - Trouble in paradise

    The doctors said that we wouldn''t be able to see Annual for another day or so. Zack decided he was gonna camp out at the hospital. I wanted to join him, but the doctors advised me to leave to get some fresh air. I knew they were only telling me that so I would calm down. And I¡¯ll be honest, I wasn¡¯t doing so hot anyways. So I begrudgingly agreed to go home.

    I didn¡¯t immediately go home though. I was still shaking for a bit after I got back. I took a walk through the park to calm my nerves and then headed back home. I was walking up the fire escape when I heard my sister''s voice.

    "You''re annoying, you know that?" She whined.

    I stopped under the second story of the fire escape and moved myself against the wall.

    "And you''re dodging the question." Jack hummed.

    "Wow! It''s almost like I don''t want to talk about it. Crazy right?" Lux sarcastically replied.

    Jack groaned.

    "Would telling you something personal about myself make you feel more comfortable?¡± He asked.

    "Why are you so interested? I told you I''m fine!"

    "I guess Icarus is just rubbing off on me." Jack chuckled. "But is it a deal?"

    "No promises."

    "You know, you''re pretty cold. And that''s coming from a guy with ice powers."

    "Losing interest frost."

    Jack sighed.

    "Ever heard of a town called oblitus?"

    "No?¡±

    "And you never will. Because I killed everyone there."

    I felt this cold shiver wash over me as he said that. Flashes of that giant wave of ice came into my mind. There was silence between them for a moment. Then Jack spoke up again.

    "I was part of the first generation. Getting superpowers worked a bit differently back then."

    I looked up and I could see Jack looking over his hands. He looked disgusted with himself. Like he just did something wrong.

    "What do you mean?" She asked.

    "I couldn''t control it. My sister got mad at me one day and... I just exploded, and so did everything else."

    "Y-your joking right? Does that mean that-"

    "Your knight in shining armor is fine. His generation has limits and levels. A lot more controlled than us. I was only twelve when It all happened. Everyone I know was dead, so I was alone. And I did terrible things when I was alone. That''s when Arthur found me."

    "I''m sorry that happened to you. You didn''t have to-"

    ¡°Arthur once told me that our true strengths lie within our weaknesses. I thought he was full of crap.¡± Jack chuckled.  ¡°But now I¡¯m starting to see what he was talking about.¡±

    Lux groaned smacked her face. "That sounds like something Stryder would say."

    "Well him and Arthur are both annoying hero types." He sighed.

    I grumbled.

    "When our mom died. I think that''s when I realized how much I really disliked him. I remember he never got mad at me when we were kids. No matter how mean I was to him. I felt like mom loved him more than me. They were always together. So when I heard what happened, I just wanted him to disappear, to suffer. He took her away from me for so long. And now it was forever." She stopped talking for a moment.

    I felt like an intruder listening to this. These were Lux''s private thoughts. But even so, I couldn¡¯t afford to leave. This was my only chance to know what was wrong. To see if there was something I could fix!

    ¡°I hated him, I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel as alone as I did. But as I watched him suffer. I just felt terrible. I felt like it was my fault that he got hurt, that he experienced so much pain.¡± She started hitting the railing. ¡° I hate that I just can¡¯t love Stryder! I hate that I can¡¯t just accept Donum!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    "Then stop running." Jack spat out.

    "W-what?¡±

    "You''re running. The only way you can move past this is to face it. Time doesn''t heal wounds. What you do in that time does. And avoiding both of them isn''t gonna solve anything now is it?"

    She sniffled and slowly turned back to face him.

    "I''m scared Jack. Everytime I look at Donum I just think about everything that happened. And Stryder..."

    "One of the things I like about you Lux, is that You''re brave. I know you can do this." I could see Jack moving closer to her."Just be honest with them. And you won''t have to do this alone. I know I''m fairly new to the gang. But I''m here for you."

    "Why? I''ve blown you off every time! Why are you doing so much for me?"

    "I already told you didn''t I? If Arthur hadn''t believed in me, I wouldn''t be here. And if I hadn''t seen Icarus persevere through so much. Just to see people smile. I wouldn''t know what being a hero really means. So I guess I want to be a hero too! Plus your kinda hot. That helps too."

    "Oh my gosh!" I heard lux chuckled as she punched his shoulder. "And here I thought you were maybe an adult."

    "Only physically."

    "Thanks Jack, really. I think I''ll take your advice. When I''m ready."

    "Great, in the meantime. How about snow cones?"

    "I''d like that." Lux replied.

    "Technical first date?"

    "Fine, I guess you can call it that."

    "Yes!" Jack cheered.

    I leaned against the concrete wall and just took it in. She¡¯s still beating herself up over this. I felt bad for eavesdropping, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty for this either. No, I needed to stop this. I''m gonna be a hero people can believe in right? I''m gonna help save Annual right? There was no time for hating myself. My mom gave me this life. She gave me this chance. Annual sacrificed so I can be happy right? Then there''s no reason I shouldn¡¯t be standing tall right now.

    "I''m just not the hero for her right now." I whispered to myself.

    I guess I''m not meant to fix everything. I looked up where they were standing. I guess I needed to do something else with my night.

    ...

    The door slowly opened up to a surprised Valentina. I have to say. She looked really cute in her panda bear Pajamas.

    "S-stryder? What are you doing here?" She inquired.

    She folded her arms and leaned against her door frame.

    "It''s kinda late I know. But I wanted to know if you wanted to join me for a walk in the park. My sister¡¯s on a date and I don''t want to interrupt. Plus Zack''s out doing..."

    She snickered.

    "Probably illegal, and delinquent things?"

    "Precisely."

    "Well, I''m not exactly happy to be a second choice. But I could use a break." She chimed.

    "Great! I-I mean I''m sorry! Your not a second choice or anything. It''s just I''m not used to hanging out with girls. Well wait, I mean I hang with Lux all the time but she doesn''t count. She''s not like a girly girl. I don''t think I can handle that. Not to say your not!-"

    I wanted to shut up. I really, really wanted to shut up. But the word vomit kept pouring out.

    She giggled. "You haven''t been on many dates have you?"

    Suddenly I stopped talking. Only to feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

    "I-I''ve been on a date before. Wait do you think this is a-!"

    "Relax, I''m only teasing. Let me get my sweater and we can go."

    The moon was in full bloom tonight, illuminating the way as we walked. Me and Valentina walked quietly for a bit down the road.

    "It''s crazy to think a month or two ago we couldn''t walk outside like this."

    I smiled slightly at that.

    "I know what you mean. I don''t think I''ve been able to enjoy the moonlight like this in awhile." I sighed happily.

    "Ya know, I think seeing you show up at my door tonight is the most unexpected thing to happen to me. And we have superheroes running around here.¡±

    "Come on, it can''t be that weird."

    "You know, I think I know why I never noticed you before."

    "Why''s that?"

    "Because you''re not looking at the ground anymore." She smiled. " I can actually see your face."

    I smiled slightly.

    "And I don''t think I''ve seen you when you''re not chastising Zack." I chuckled.

    She sighed.

    "Somedays I feel like I''m that kid''s mom. Can''t you knock some sense into him!?" She growled.

    "Your preaching to the choir. I''ve given him speeches, I''ve beaten him. Even tried a pavlov experiment. Dude just does what he wants."

    "Honestly, how are you two even friends."

    "Opposites attract?" I suggested. "I don''t know. I guess you can say we compliment each other well. I stop him from getting arrested, and he pushes me to have fun. I wouldn''t be able to look up like I am now without him."

    "So I guess it''s like me and Alexis then. She gets me out of the house when I want to read, or study all day. She''s probably the only reason I somewhat have a social life."

    I chuckled.

    "I don''t think introverts make friends. We just get adopted by extroverts."

    She laughed.

    "What do I need a social life for when I have books to keep me company?"

    "Have you read the Percy Jackson series?"

    "Yes! I love that series! Annabeth is my favorite. I am totally a child of Athena!"

    "Hmmm. I don''t know what I¡¯d be honestly."

    "Definitely Zeus."

    "Isn''t he like, the king of the gods? I don''t think I''m fit for all that."

    "You just don''t see it. But I definitely can see it."

    I raised my brow. "I can see Ares before Zeus."

    "Pppft." She snickered. "Ares? You''re like an adorable puppy."

    "Isn''t that what Alexis called me?"

    "After talking to you I definitely don''t disagree. Just not a misunderstood poetry puppy. More like a....fluffy pup who says fight me."

    I just rolled my eyes at her.

    "I can be tough."

    "Ergo the fight me line. I didn''t forget your dodgeball fight. Which reminds me we need to tal-"

    She suddenly stopped talking. I could see a fearful gleam in her eyes as she looked forward. I looked ahead and I could see what stopped her. There was a man in a red hoodie just standing there waiting on us. I guess we spoke too soon about the ed steel gang.

    "Let''s turn around." I suggested.

    Valentina nodded and I moved my hand on her shoulder. Slowly turning us around. However as soon as I did, I heard rapid stomping coming from behind us. I quickly turned around and that guy in a hood was just a few steps away from me!

    I activated my eyes and pushed Valentina away.

    "Run!" I roared back to her.

    I was speechless as I saw what was hidden under the hood. I could see blonde hair and a dark red scaly skin with bold blue eyes.

    He went to slash at my face. I caught the glimpse of his sharp claws. Even with my eyes. It was like he was moving at normal speed!

    I barely blocked his slash with my forearm. I looked up into his face and I saw a spark of fire come from his lips.

    Crap! I used my strength and shot my handout as fast as I could at his face. I summoned the most fire resistant gauntlet I had and grabbed his jaw. I came in close and swept his feet and slammed his head into the ground.

    He immediately grabbed my hand and wrapped his legs around my arm. I could feel him biting into my gauntlet! I summoned another gauntlet sleeve out over my arm and his grip and slipped out. He dropped back down onto the ground and I dispelled the armor immediately.

    His eyes seemed to be wide in shock. My mind was running a mile a minute. I need to make sure Vals safe, while also not using too much of my power. I already gave away too much to this guy that I was the Knight. Then my brain short circuited. Valentina was coming around from behind the guy!

    She held out pepper spray to the thing and sprayed it into his eyes. The creature wailed loudly like a monster.

    "Yes officer were in Dudlen park!" I heard Valentina yell into the phone.

    I didn''t waste time and picked her up princess style and ran out of the park. He must''ve been a gifted. That pepper spray won''t keep him down for long.

    Valentina told the 911 operator that we were heading away from the scene. I just ran as fast as I could without my super strength. I looked down to Valentina. She looked petrified. She was breathing heavily and trying to calm herself down.

    It didn''t take me long to get her back home. Just who the hell was that!? Was it some new challenger? How does he know my identity? And did Valentina see anything when I fought him? I wasn''t thinking when I started the attack. I acted on instinct.

    I looked down to Valentina. She looked petrified. She was breathing heavily and trying to calm herself down.

    Just what the hell is going on here?

 Chapter 30 - The Knight and dragon

    The police soon came by and took our report. It was kinda hard to describe the guy. I mean, I basically saw a blonde lizard man. He also asked me if he had any weapons on him. What was I supposed to say to that? Yeah, he''s got really sharp teeth and I think he can breathe fire? I just said a blonde kid with a knife attacked me.

    After the police left I stayed with Valentina for a while. She was pretty nervous about staying home alone. So we sat on the couch and watched Star Wars while we waited for her dad to get home. I listened to her nerd out over lightsabers and the Jedi for a while. Trying my best to let her calm her nerves.

    I was starting to wonder if I could make a lightsaber...

    "I''m surprised you''ve never seen A New Hope before. It''s a classic!"

    "I was never really into sci-fi. But I''m actually really liking this."

    Valentina patted my shoulder.

    "Well next time you visit me in the night, we can watch more."

    I reached down and took a handful of popcorn. As soon as I got the chance I needed to go get Jack. This lizard kid was worrying me. I wondered if he was one of the people Jack was warning me about. I hope he didn''t attack anyone else...

    The door abruptly swung open and a man ran into the house. Vals face lit up with excitement. The man was in a white button up shirt with blue slacks. He had short brown hair that was neatly cut like a military man.

    "Oh thank God you''re alright!" The man exhaled.

    Valentina shot up in excitement and ran over to the man and tackled him in a hug.

    "Of course I''m fine dad!" She cheered as she fell into his embrace.

    "Oh dad, this is Stryder! He protected me from the assailant tonight." Valentina chimed as she slowly let go of her dad.

    I quickly stood up and stepped toward the dad.

    "H-hello my names stryker, I mean Stryder!" I corrected..

    I didn''t think I would be this nervous. But my mind was going a mile a minute, and my heart was pounding. I wondered what he thought of me, if he blamed me for the attack? Did he think I was a thirsty kid going after his daughter? Was staying here with her even a wise decision? Man having a mask on made life so much easier...

    "Thank you so much Stryder." He said quickly as he reached out his hand to me.

    I hesitated at first, but then I quickly shook his hand.

    "I didn''t do much sir. I''m just glad I was fast enough to get her away safely."

    We were still shaking hands. I was so wrapped in my thoughts I didn''t even notice he stopped shaking. I quickly let go.

    "S-sorry about that."

    Valentina chuckled a bit.

    "You can relax, I know he looks all mean and grumpy. But he''s like an old teddy bear."

    "W-well I should be going. My sister''s probably worried sick." I said quickly as I slowly moved to the door.

    "R-right, well I appreciate what you did for my daughter. You should come by for dinner one of these days so I can properly thank you." The dad said.

    "You don''t have to do that." I began to relax some. "But I''d love to come over regardless. See ya! Thanks for the help by the way Val!"

    With that I quickly slide out and shut the door behind me. Then I booked it home!

    Once I made it back to my apartment I quickly swung the door open.

    "Jack emergency!"

    Jack had his arm around Lux sitting on my bed/couch watching a movie. I forgot the only furniture in this house was my bedding. Something for me to worry about on a later date.

    "O-oh Stryder! We were just umm-"

    Lux started but I cut her off.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "No time! Jack, it''s a gifted! I think he came for me."

    "What!?" He shrieked as he shot up.

    "I''ll explain on the way! Come on!"

    The night air was surprisingly warm. It felt like it was wrapping around me like a blanket. The moon was still out and brightened the night like the sun.

    "So I''m guessing you have a lot of questions."

    "Well yeah of course-"

    "Like did we make out? Was he touching my sister? And-"

    "What!? No, shut up we need to focus."

    "Especially with us on your....bed? I think you called it."

    "Not right now Jack. Possible Hell boy on the loose. Need to focus on the task at hand."

    "I''m surprised you''re taking this so lightly."

    "Look, Lux is happy right? She was comfortable with you as far as I can tell. Who am I to say anything about that. That''s all I care about."

    Jack didn''t say anything back. I looked over at him from the corner of my eye. I could see a small content smile on his face. I didn''t bother to say anything else. I¡¯m sure he got the picture.

    It didn¡¯t take us long to arrive back at the park. I was hoping the guy left a trail, or something behind that we could track.

    "So this is the spot huh?" Jack asked as he finally landed.

    I hadn''t even thought about it before, but Jack can definitely fly. I wonder if there was some trick to it. I''d ask him later.

    "Yeah, this is where he attacked us. Be careful, cops could still be looking around here." I turned back to a maskless Jack, who seemed to just not care.

    "Honestly, you heroes and your secret identities." Jack said sarcastically. "If I get caught, I get caught."

    "Aren''t you worried about your fa-" I stopped myself.

    I remember what he said back at the fire escape. His only associate is Arthur. I could see Jack eyeing me curiously and I turned away. Right, I wasn''t supposed to know that.

    "Anyways." Jack chimed as he held out his hand.

    Snowflakes slowly began to descend from his palm. It swirled around like a blizzard in the air. I could feel the cold air nipping at my skin. Then the snow flurries slowly began to form an image. I became speechless as I watched a flurry image of me, and the hooded guy form. Then an image of Valentina formed behind us, coming in with her pepper spray.

    "Stryder! You were out with a lady huh?" Jack chimed as he nudged me.

    But my eyes were glued onto the flurries. I could barely tell, but it looked like Valentina saw me summon my armor. I felt this pit in my stomach form slowly.

    "Oh no..." I muttered.

    "Well hero this is where I step off. These flurries will guide you to where he went after this."

    "Wait what!?"

    "I''m not here to solve your problems." He yawned and moved his hands behind his head. "You won''t learn if I solve all your problems now will you?"

    "But Jack, wait! I think Val saw me."

    "Well, how are you gonna figure it out? If you get stumped I can help. But right now, this is your first trial Mr.hero." Jack slowly began to ascend to the sky.

    This guy...I was really on my own here. Not only did I have to catch a loose psycho. But now I have to determine if Val saw me use my powers or not.

    I looked to the flurries and saw the lizard kid rubbing his face. Then he took off toward me and Vals flurries. I guess I''d have to worry about my Val problem later.

    I chased after the flurries. Which brought me back to the main street. The flurries went away from Vals house and I followed.

    Then to my horror he turned toward my place. He sat outside of it for a while. The flurries seem to suddenly go into fast forward mode. Every movement he had was extremely fast like I was fast forwarding it. D-did the ice react to me? Is Jack watching me? I looked around me for a bit. Frosty wasn''t anywhere in sight..

    Then my flurry came back...I felt my blood run cold. H-he was watching me. He was watching me this entire time. As my flurry ran back out with Jack the lizard kid followed after. But he stopped. I could see ice freezing his legs.

    Jack knew he was following us.

    I could hear a crackling like fire coming from behind me. I turned quickly and I was greeted by three fireballs coming my way. I quickly activated my super strength and sprung myself to the left, and away from the rain of fire.

    The kid stood across the street with his hand to his mouth. Smoke slowly rose off his hand. His blonde hair was now boldly exposed.

    I summoned light armor over my body. A nice upgrade of my powers was fire resistance type armor. That''ll protect me from his fire at least. I don''t trust my swords against his scales.

    I activated my super strength and charged forward, summing gauntlets over my arms. The dragon boy ran in and opened his mouth, a bright flash of light came out and blinded me. Immediately after I felt something slam into the side of my head. Then a barrage of hits slammed into me. I felt and heard the tearing of my armor.

    I felt him slash my chest plate off, and with that he slashed my chest open. He noticed my eyes and before I had a chance to react. He opened his mouth and fire blasted out from his mouth. I was lucky enough to summon armor over my chest again. The fireball came out and blasted my chest and I was sent flying. I bounced back on the ground like a ragdoll. I quickly caught myself and skidded to a stop.

    "Pathetic, don''t tell me I came all this way for some doormat." The dragon boy groaned.

    I dispelled my armor and stood up.

    He''s fast in close combat, so my eyes won''t help. Plus his mouth has concentrated fire shots. Not to mention claws that cleaned through my armor like butter. This guy was tough.

    "What exactly do you want?" I asked.

    "Test to see if you beating stone and damaging Rex was a fluke or not."

    "Well as you can see, I''m not all that. Sorry to disappoint."

    "No, you''re just not trying yet." He roared as he charged forward.

    I quickly took my hoodie off and activated my strength. I threw the hoodie in his direction and he countered with a blast of fire. I used my speed and  charge to the right side. I could see his ocean blue eyes get wide as I came upon him. He was still in mid breath as I clocked him! I activated my full strength as soon as I made contact. He flew back from me skidding and bouncing on the ground.

    I guess that meant he couldn¡¯t handle my speed.

    I watched in shock as I saw a burst of crimson red and yellow burst from his body.  He flew into the air and spun around and soon landed back on his feet

    Suddenly a woman''s screams echoed through the empty streets. Me and the assailant both turned toward the sound. He didn''t hesitate and leaned back. Just like he did before when he was about to spew fire. I didn''t hesitate. I focused everything into my legs and darted toward the fire. It burned, my thighs, my calfs. It was all on fire. But I pushed myself. I needed to save her!

    I saw as the fire shot out from his mouth. There was no time to get to the girl. I leaped forward and summoned armor over me. The fireball crashed into me. It reminded me of when Jack punched through my armor, and also when Zack burnt me alive. I felt a hot burning sensation slam into my back as it broke through my armor. It was like a hot stove top was slammed into my back. I was sent flying and crashed into a building, then dropped to the ground.

    I bit my lip as I tried to hold back from screaming. But I ignored the burning pain and stood up. I looked over and the girl was halfway down the road. I panted heavily and looked back toward the dragon boy.

    "Well, are you gonna get serious now? Or am I gonna have to blast some more people?" He scoffed.

    I growled and I stood up straight. I get it now. This was real. It was like I was fighting Stone again.

    I took a breath and stood up straight. I needed to interrogate him. He not only knew where I was. But specifically who I was when he came after me and Val. Not to mention he knew where I lived. I slowly started walking toward him.

    He has quick reactions, but I don''t think he''s faster than me. I summoned my gauntlets over my arms. I can''t cut his skin. But I can rock his brain if I beat him enough. Plus, I should test and see if his stomach is a weak point. I remember some fairy tales saying something about dragons having a weak under their belly. I focused all my strength into my whole body and took a breath. I felt the burning sensation creeping all over me again and I just let it envelope me. I took one good look at him. Then I charged in.

    He seemed to panic as I started running at him and he rapidly shot fireballs at me. I activated my eyes and dodged the crimson balls of death. I wasn¡¯t slowing down one bit and I charged in. His fireballs were a lot smaller, but faster then before. Still, I managed to dodged each one of them and as soon as I got close. I clocked him with all my might! He was sent flying and I chased after him as he flew away and clocked him again. I summoned a chain around his body and skidded to a stop. I flung him back toward me and focused all my strength into my arm and as he came in I slammed my fist into his stomach and he went flying. It was like watching a bottle rocket shoot off. He then slammed into a truck on the side of the road. I panted heavily as sweat dripped down my body. Suddenly this wave of exhaustion fell over me and I stumbled forward.

    I watched as his body was motionless in the car. I didn¡¯t hear my goddesses voice. I guess that he was out.

 Chapter 31 - Heroes payday

    "The hell did you do to him? Hittem with a train!?" Jack cried out as he looked over the lizard kid.

    Well, he wasn''t exactly a lizard anymore. After he passed out. He changed...

    "Did you beat up a model!?" Lux cried.

    The kid was ridiculously handsome. Even with all the welts and bruises on his body. He still looked like he walked right out of an action movie. He had creamy skin that seemed blemish free. And his blonde hair seemed unrealistically bright. I had him chained up to a tree deep in the woods. Jack and Lux were examining him like he was a alien or something.

    "Its actually unfair how handsome is..."Jack grumbled.

    "You said Zack''s on his way right?" I asked.

    "That''s what Arthur texted me." Jack replied as he stood up.

    I took my mask off and sighed. I wondered how long it was gonna be till he woke up. Jack was refusing to say anything at all to help me. Just here to watch the show. But to be honest, I felt relived he was here still. If he broke out I wasn''t sure I''d be able to catch him again.

    "Woo hoo! And the wiza! Has arrived!" I heard that idiot wail from above...

    We all looked up, and there Zack was. The green flares form his fire were illuminating the night sky. He rocketed down and landed in the middle of all us. To my surprise he was in his mask. But the surprise didn''t end there. He was also wearing a bunch of new threads! He wasn''t in his same old AC/DC shirt anymore. He was wearing brand new red van''s highstops ,New Black ripped Jean''s and a black and dark red hoodie. His Hood was up and his masks colors complimented it quit nicely.

    "Zack?" I asked.

    He snickered."The one and only."

    "Where did you..?"

    "Big man Arthur gave the Alley of justice some dona-" He stopped talking as he seemed to catch sight of the kid chained up."The hell happened here? Kid looks like he''s leaking hamburger helper!" Zack shrieked.

    "Did you steal those clothes!?" I yelled.

    "W-what!? Me!? Steal!? I''m a superhero now that''s behind me!" Zack yarped back.

    "You just stole some snickers from the convenience store last week!"

    "Forgot that place! They were trash talking the wizard!"

    "I mean you did rob them after all."

    "Hey that was only after-"

    "Boys!" Lux roared.

    We both jumped to her voice and looked back to her.

    "Sorry Lux.." We both said in unison.

    "Did Arthur give you the credit card?" Jack asked as he turned to face Zack.

    Zack flung his hood off and went to take his mask off.

    "Damn right he did. Plus!" He went into his pocket and pulled out a smart phone. It looked sleek and brand new. The back was red and the front just looked like all screen."This bad boy!"

    "I-is that a smartphone?" I asked.

    "Yup, you got one too." He chimed.

    He went into his pocket again and pulled out a similar looking phone. He tossed it over to me and I caught it. The phone really was slick and cold to the touch. I''d never seen a phone as fancy as this. The back of my phone was blue.

    "Plus your own credit card." Zack said as be flicked a card toward me.

    I jumped and I quickly caught it, fumbling a bit with it.

    "And why did Arthur give us these?" I asked.

    "Who knows and who cares. All I know is Tinder has opened my eyes to some hot babes over here." Zack purred.

    "Of course the first thing you do is tinder.." I sighed.

    "Anyways, whose short blonde and handsome over there?"

    "Don''t know yet. He hasn''t woken up since I slammed him into a car."

    "Damn Stryder what did he do? Jay walk across the street?"

    "He attacked me and Valentina when we were walking and-"

    "Woah! Woah! Woah! Hold on, hold on go back. You were out with who?" He chimed as he happily hoped over to me.

    I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I looked away from him.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Wait Stryder! Where you out on a date! And you didn''t tell me!?" Lux roared.

    I suddenly felt Lux tackle me into a hug from behind.I had to activate my super strength to not fall over.

    "Nothing it was nothing really!" I assured her.

    "You old horn dog! As soon as I leave you start making moves. That Valentina chick is pretty hot. But way to stuck up...guess that sounds about right for you." Zack chuckled.

    "Its nothing, really. We were just hanging out because you and Jack were..." I stopped and looked up to Lux.

    I could see her cheeks gain a rosey pink shade.

    "D-did he tell you!?" She cried.

    "Tell you what!" Zack roared.

    He held out his hand as fire erupted into his palms. He glared at Jack. Who just started picking his nose with his pinky.

    "That me and Lux are totally in love!" He chimed as he flicked something off his Pinky.

    "Your what!?" Zack roared as he stomped over to him.

    Jack smirked and moved a hand to his hip.

    "L-o-v-e." Jack sounded out.

    "Jack!" Lux pleaded.

    "Could you people shut the hell up!?"

    We all went silent.

    We all slowly turned toward the chained up boy. Who was aggressively glaring at all of all.

    "Shut the hell up blonde!" Zack roared as held his handout toward the kid.

    The ground shook and vines shot out of it, quicky wrapping around his mouth. The kid groaned and the faint memory of fireballs hit me. Jack just smirked and I watched as the vines melted away.

    Zack didn''t notice however, and continued to march toward Jack. The kid leaned back and seem to hacking a loogie. I looked to Zack, then back to Jack. Who clearly was banking on the kid.

    I looked over at Zack again. Then the memory of Alexis and him blared into my mind. Guess he kinda had it coming. I stepped back and Leo flung his head forward. Mini lava loogie shot out from Leo''s mouth and rained down onto Zack and his new threads. Burning through them all and his cheek. He yelped like a little girl and jumped back. That''s when I noticed there was ice below him. He slipped on it immediately and fell back.

    Then something odd happened. He crashed...on the air. My eyes widened and Jack just smirked. D-did Jack do that on purpose? I''d never seen this spell before? It was like he was on an air seat.

    "What the hell.." Zack grunted.

    "Is that a new spell? Or a changed form of the sheild?" I asked.

    "Wouldn''t you like to know.." Zack grumbled.

    He turned to the kid and I decided to drop the spell topic. This kid mattered a lot more right now.

    "So kid, are you ready to talk?" Zack asked.

    He didn''t even pay attention to Zack. He just ignored him and looked away. Zack pointed his finger at Jack who was yawning.

    "I''ll deal with you later!" He declared.

    "Whatever." Jack yawned. "Come on Lux, it''s time to let the heroes be heroes."

    "R-right..." Lux said defeatedly.

    "I know you want to see cool hero stuff. But its safer with me." Jack replied.

    I turned to Lux, she was staring hard into my eyes. I looked back and gave her a smile.

    "I''ll be fine." I said cheerfully.

    Luxs look of concern turned to a small soft smile. She nodded toward me and stepped toward Jack. I smiled and turned back to the kid.

    Zack looked back to them and he grumbled.

    "I''m gonna melt that damn popsicle.."

    "Focus." I replied.

    "So you said you came here to see if I was who I said I was. How do you know...anything about me?" I asked.

    "One of the swordsmen who were coming to challenge you had your info. I just came along."

    I raised my brow.

    "Swordsman?" I asked.

    "Right you two are in the boonies. That Arthur guy you were talking about. He has a tournament coming up this summer with his seven hand picked swordsmen. A few were visiting around and scoping out the competition. It''s a big event most of us in the community are looking forward to."

    Suddenly I was reminded of that phone call I had with him. Him mentioning his little game.

    "So, there are more people coming like you? When?" I asked.

    "Tomorrow afternoon I''d assume. If they keep the same pace that is." He replied.

    "Your surprisingly cooperative." Zack pointed out. "What''s your aim?"

    "I just have nothing to loose by lying at this point. I lost my fight, for now."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" I asked.

    "I don''t intend on leaving until I can best you."

    "Why? After all there are plenty better then me."

    However the kid didn''t reply. He just stared at me. What game was he playing at...

    "What''s your name?" Zack asked.

    "Leo."

    Zack took out his phone and started typing. Occasionally looking up at him. Then he just stopped. His eyes got wide and he seemed star struck.

    "T-this kid is A rank! He''s above us in the threat category!" Zack hollered. "And you scraped him all by yourself!?" Zack asked

    I shrugged.

    "I guess so?"

    "Ah if you could beat him, that means I definitely would have stomped him." Zack chuckled.

    Leo just grumbled at his comment.

    I kneeled down and looked looked Leo in his eyes.

    "Leo, do you think you could take me to meet the swordsman?" I asked.

    He looked me in my eyes for a moment.

    "If you agree to a rematch. Then I''ll accept." He said flatly.

    "Then it''s a deal." I chimed.

    I prepared myself and dispelled the chains. Leo stood up and stretched immediately.

    "I''ll meet you at your home around ten am tomorrow. Sound good?" Leo asked.

    "Are we just gonna trust him?" Zack asked.

    I stood up and stretched myself.

    "Not like we have a choice. We don''t have anyway of holding him down all night." I replied.

    Leo yawned and started to walk off, and I tugged Zack In the opposite direction. After we were far enough away I leaned over to him.

    "Send bean to follow him." I whispered.

    "Way ahead of you. I was wondering why you were taking such a risk and letting him go like that."

    "I just have no way of verifying anything, and I also have no reason to think he won''t just go and attack some random people. So this is the best option. Since we can''t just chain him up all night." I replied.

    "Makes sense. Since that''s handled I can share the good news with you."

    "What? Did you buy a race car?"

    "Huh, that does sound like something I''d do." He took out his phone and started typing.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Reminding myself to buy a race car for homecoming, got it."

    "You don''t even have a license."

    "Bribe DMV, got it."

    I sighed.

    "Anyways, the good news?" I reminded.

    "Ah! Right!" He cheered. "Its about Annual! She''s awake! And feeling a lot better!"

    I stopped walking as this tingling sensation washed over me. I felt my heart begin to race as I stared at Zack in shock.

    "Y-your serious!?" I cheered.

    "I would''nt joke about this. Next time you get a chance, you should go visit her. Shes able to walk. Take her shopping." He suggested.

    His words from earlier rang into my mind. I thought he wouldnt want me around her because of what I did. Because I ran away.

    "Do you mean that?" I bluntly asked.

    Zack''s charismatic smile slowly began to fade. Until he adoned his rare serious look.

    "The idea petrifies me if I''m being honest." He said bluntly. "However, when I mentioned your name. It brought a smile on her face I could never make. No matter how hard I tried."

    "Zack, I-"

    "No, it''s fine. I could tell just by looking at her eyes. It just be hurting her more if I kept you away from her."

    My mouth felt dry. I wasn''t sure how I felt, what I should say. I wanted to vomit. But at the same time I felt fine. My chest was slashed open today. But this pain in my chest right now. Was real pain.

 Chapter 32 - The girl with scaret hair

    It was unreal to me how such a small and weightless card could have so much money packed into it. I asked Jack how much was on it, and he said and I quote. ¡®Just go wild with it.¡¯ Zack said he would text me any updates he had on Leo. So far all Leo has done is sleep in an alleyway. I had to fight the urge to go and help the poor kid. But if he had a secret agenda, I needed to catch him plotting. I was a little apprehensive to leave such a delicate mission to Zack. However, I talked to Bean myself and I trust him a lot more than Zack.

    So I skipped school today and decided to go shopping. So far I bought enough food to fill our fridge, then I gave out some food to the homeless ( Zack roasted me for it). After that I decided to buy Lux a laptop. Then I got Valentina a star wars hoodie, as a kind of thank you gift. I held off on buying anything until tomorrow. I figured I would take Zack''s suggestion to heart and take her shopping. Anything to get out of the hospital setting¡­

    I was walking down the road to my last stop. Zack and I hadn¡¯t been back to this place in years. Since Zack got us banned from here that is. I looked up at the sign, and there it still was. Daniros Pasta house. It was a small red building at the end of the road. The red paint on the buildings was peeling now. I remember it being so much more colorful. I wondered if he¡¯d recognized me now.

    I took a breath and looked over the old wooden door. So many memories in this place. I slowly reached out and opened the door. The ringing of the bell echoed throughout the empty store. I caught them just as they were opening.

    ¡°O-oh just a second!¡± I heard a burly deep voice call out from the back.

    The shop was old fashion. The chairs and tables all looked like something you see in a history museum about the nineteen-eighties. All glazed over with a red, white and green paint that¡¯s faded with the years. The only thing that hadn¡¯t worn out through the years was the smell. Just as inviting and mouth watering as I remembered.

    ¡°H-hello! Take seat anywhere you li-¡±

    A husky man in a dirty white apron came out. He was hairy, with streaks of white hair scattered about on his head. He stopped talking to me and just stared in my direction. Oh crap he recognized me!

    ¡°H-hey¡± I stammered out. ¡°Long time no see, it¡¯s me Stry-¡±

    ¡°Ah Stryder my boy!¡± He cheered happily. ¡°It¡¯s been years! You''re looking good! How¡¯s Lux?¡±

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s doing good. She actually got a scholarship for university, she¡¯s in med school now.¡¯ I replied as I stepped in more.

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s fantastic!¡± He cheered.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I took a breath and relaxed some. ¡° Hey, do you remember that day Zack ordered hundreds of dollars in food? And then dined and dashed?¡±

    His happy expression slowly began to fade to an owl like scowl.

    ¡°That little..¡± He growled.

    ¡°Well, since I took part in that I-¡±

    ¡°No no no Stryder you''re fine!¡± He pleaded as his voice became calm again.

    ¡°No It¡¯s not fine. You helped me and my sister out a lot when we didn;t have money. And I aided in stealing from you.I recently got a lot of money given to me. So I figured it only be right to pay you back for that.¡±

    He sighed and closed his eyes,  scratching his beard for a moment. Seemingly thinking hard about something. I took a few more steps closer to him.

    ¡°Tell ya what. I¡¯m only gonna charge you for the food you actually ate. And in return, you and Zack come by here sometime. Help the business out.¡± I went to object to what he was saying. But I could see he wasn¡¯t gonna have it.

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Deal.¡± I said as I took out my card.

    I smiled as memories of when Zack and I used to come here . I should totally bring Annual down here when she¡¯s fully okay. We all could eat here together once she¡¯s okay.

    WIth that, I paid him and caught up for a bit. It was nostalgic to get to see and talk to him like this again. Sadly I didn¡¯t have all the time in the world to talk. It was around nine thirty when I said my goodbyes to him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As I was walking back home, I texted Zack that I was forcing him to pay Daniros back. He sent me back a sad face emoji. Then a smirking face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just ball out at his restaurant and actually pay him this time. Let the girls know Zack is balling.¡± He texted back to me.

    I rolled my eyes and began looking over the phone. There was no doubt in my mind that this phone was being monitored. Plus the money was for sure being tracked and monitored. But at this point what did all that really matter? They knew my name, my face, my family. They have a man on the inside whose dating my sister, plus they have Annual. If they really wanted to attack, or threaten us, we had no choice anymore. On the other hand, this was a good opportunity to get information on Arthur. Plus throw monkey wrenchs into things. The phones, the cards, even Jack can be used against them one way or another.  I thought about Icaruses for a moment.

    I wondered how much Arthur actually knew about him. If he truly managed to stay hidden this whole time. I wonder what Arthur thinks of him. Come to think of it, I wonder what Jack thinks of him. He seems to admire and respect him alot. No, it¡¯s more than that. His reaction when he was fighting. He was desperate to try and save him.

    THUNK!

    ¡°AH!¡±

    I roared as I  walked straight into a street sign. Followed by Zacks obnoxious laughter.

    ¡°Earth to einstein!¡± He chuckled out

    I growled and rubbed my now throbbing head.

    ¡°Your timing is actually impeccable.¡± I grumbled.

    I turned around to Zack, and I was a little surprised by the sight before me.

    Zack was wearing a new outfit. He had a burgundy sleeveless jacket on, a white T-shirt and light brown joggers. Plus a pair of burgundy red Van hightops. I looked him over up and down. Then I looked at my own shabby blue hoodie and my worn out shoes. Maybe I should consider going shopping¡­

    ¡°You like the new fit?¡± Zack asked smugly as he tugged on his jacket collar.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty Zack, I¡¯ll say that..¡±

    ¡°Once this whole meet is over, I¡¯m gonna give you a makeover.¡± He chimed. ¡°I¡¯m thinking a skater look will look good on you.¡±

    ¡°As long as I can still fight in it. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, you want a girlfriend at some point right?¡±

    I felt the heat rise to face as he said that.

    ¡°W-what do clothes have to do with that!?¡±

    ¡°Everything. Ever wonder how guys who got step dad bodies get girls? It¡¯s the swag. If you wore more tight fitting stuff and showed off your only good asset, I''m sure girls would like you. Well at least talk to you. Your personality, and..your overall Stryderness is still babe repellent.¡±

    ¡°Just like how your brain is knowledge repellent?¡±

    I asked with legitimate concern in my eyes.

    ¡°I swear, if only everyone knew how sassy you were.¡± Zack huffed.

    ¡°I see you two are always this annoying.¡±

    I heard the exasperated voice of Leo coming from behind us.

    ¡°And here comes lizard breath.¡± Zack grumbled.

    I just elbowed him.

    ¡°Leo, you ready to take us?¡± I asked as he got ahead of us.

    ¡°Yeah, by the way next time you want to tail someone. Get something quieter¡±

    Leo groaned.

    I turned to Zack, whose eyes were wide in shock.

    ¡°I thought Bean was just paranoid..¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Bean said it was like Leo could see him. But I thought he was just paranoid.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up losers.¡± He groaned.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll get there a lot faster if we take Bean.¡± I suggested.

    Leo stopped walking and shrugged.

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    ¡­.

    We flew around for about an hour. I hadn¡¯t even been to this part of town before. We were passing by what seemed to be an abandoned area. We zoomed past the woods for a while until we came across an old deselent road. Then we passed an abandoned car that was overgrown by nature. It looked like it was from the nineteen fifties. This was strange, I¡¯ve explored all over the city. But I¡¯ve never even heard of this route.

    ¡°That was a nineteen sixties cadillac!¡± Zack cheered excitedly.

    ¡°Bean! Remember to grab that on our way back!¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to work on cars?¡± I asked.

    ¡°A bit, my dad used to be a mechanic before he became a druggy. So I learned a thing or two from him. Plus it helped rob parts from people.¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°Interesting...¡±

    I looked ahead again and I could see us coming upon a small city. The sun shined brightly over what seemed to be a dystopian area. There was a strip of buildings to our left that looked caved in and deselent. Vines and moss covered over them. The concrete looked like nature was having it¡¯s revenge. Weeds and sunflowers were poking out of the cracks. To the left was a huge body of water. I wasn''t sure if this was connected to the ocean, or was just a big river. I could see an old and broken down doc nearby as well.

    ¡°The hell is this place?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea..¡± I replied.

    Then something off in the distance caught my attention. Something big and dark was coming closer from the sky. I would think it was a plane. But it was way too wide. Leo stood up and pointed toward the sky.

    ¡°And there it is. The Flying Dutchman.¡± Leo said as Bean slowly came to stop.

    The black shadowy mass burst through the clouds. And suddenly Leo''s title made a lot more sense. It was a ship, a gigantic ship! There was a black flag with a skull on it, twirling around  in the wind.

    ¡°A flying pirate ship?¡± Zack sighed. ¡°You know what, why the hell not.¡±

    ¡°H-how does it fly?¡±

    ¡°Are you really asking in a magical battle royal. Where you can dodge bullets, and fly on a goblin. How does an obvious magic ship fly?¡±

    I went to open my mouth, but I really didn¡¯t have a valid argument.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± I

    All three of us stared at the sky in disbelief as the ship slowly descended down to the docs. The air pressure coming down shook the waves and the wind around us. Until it finally crashed into the water. So this, this was my first impression of the seven swordsman. Possibly a pirate. Who can manipulate a ship.

    I was already intimidated.

    We watched as three silhouettes appeared on the railing. Then all three leaped off. One flying off, seemingly carried by the wind. While the other two looked like meteorites coming down and crashed onto the shore line. While the other floated over to us. It became clear that it was a girl.

    She had ember locks that flared in the wind. However her bold sea green eyes were what stuck out most to me. As she got closer, I could see the freckles splatter across her face. She landed right in front of me. She was inches from me. She carried the subtle scent of sea salt on her.

    ¡°Oh moy gawsh, yaw even cutah in puhs''n!¡±

    Oh my gosh she had an Australian accent. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. She stared deeply into my eyes. Was this the chick the one who owned the boat? Should I be prepared to fight? And what about the other two behind her? I looked over at the girl again, and I could see her big charismatic smile. It was unreal how pretty she was.

    ¡°P-pretty thank power ship.¡± I mumbled out.

    What...What did I just say¡­?

    ¡°And you pulled a Stryder..¡± Zack sighed.

    The girl giggled and stepped back.

    ¡°Adahable!¡± She cheered.

    ¡°And I¡¯m the devilishly handsome destroyer of worlds, Zack.¡± He moved his hand into his hair and combed it back.

    He raised his eyebrows up and down at her and grinned. And she giggled with a slight blush.

    And there goes Zack...I¡¯m such a failure...

    ¡°Noice t'' mayt yah two! moy nuyme''s Elizuybeth! numbah foah of the saeven swohdsmahn.¡±She Chimed happily.

 Chapter 33 - The white dragon

    The seven swordsmen. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting really. I guess I imagined they would be more rugged and dark? I looked over to Elizabeth, It was hard to have my guard up with her. I watched as she just beamed with a big smile as Zack shot rounds of pick up lines after her. Every so often taking a glance back at me with her sea-green eyes. She gave me a wink, and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I swiftly looked away.

    She was way too cute¡­

    It was like she was ripped right out of a Halloween costume catalog. The worn black boots, tattered black pirate coat, and tight ripped blue jeans. And by her side was her marker. The cutlass blade. The blade handle seemed to be gold, studded with gems lining along the guard handle. I stared a bit, trying to study it.

    I wondered if she could summon the blade on her own..? Or did she just have to carry the blade around with her at all times? I¡¯d have no way of determining that right now either. She could have it out to show she means business, or she just simply had to carry it around. Maybe if I can find a holster on her that¡¯ll be proof she can¡¯t summon. I looked back over to her again. My eyes glazed down to her waist, and there it was at her side. A nice scabbard around her waist. Crap! I should''ve done that! Well no I guess it doesn''t matter if they¡¯ve seen any videos of me-

    ¡°And here Oy thaw'' yah were shy!¡± Elizabeth boomed.¡±buh'' you''ve gawt no shame checking me out.¡±

    I felt a shiver run down my spine as she said that. I hadn¡¯t even realized it, I was slyly staring at her hips! I quickly looked away

    ¡°I-It''s not what you think! I wasn¡¯t checking you out! Well technically I was, but it was to see if you had a scabbard. Not that I wouldn¡¯t want to check you out, your super hot. Well, I mean-.¡±

    I wanted to die. Why couldn¡¯t I have gotten the superpower of invisibility!?

    Thankfully my word vomit came to a stop as I heard Zacks uncontrollable laughter. It snapped me back into reality. I just turned back to look at the ship and prayed she didn¡¯t look back over to me again. But I could hear her giggling from behind. I could see in the distance the figure of the other two shipmates. The nervousness slowly melted from me as I was reminded of the situation.

    ¡°Oh moy gawsh your so adahable!¡± She chimed.

    I jumped as I felt Elizabeth hug me from behind. That ever so familiar scent of sea salt wrapped itself around me again. It was like my brain shut down. I just stuttered as my brain tried to find the English files. She was warm, and I would be lying if I said it didn¡¯t feel nice.

    ¡°Why is he so popular..¡± I heard Zack grumble.

    ¡°Idiot¡¯s..¡± I heard Leo sigh.

    ¡°Leo!¡± She squealed as she promptly let go of me, and I could breathe again.

    I quickly turned and saw her running over to Leo, who just glared at her. As she got close, she leaped to hug him. But Leo quickly grabbed her arms and spun her around, slamming her into the ground.

    ¡°I told you not to touch me before didn¡¯t I?¡± Leo huffed.

    She yelped and started to cough as she landed on the ground. My instincts kicked in and I ran over to her.

    ¡°you''re a maynie Leo!¡± She coughed out.

    I skidded to a stop and dropped down next to her. I looked her over, she seemed fine for the most part. Just a little dusted up.

    ¡°That was uncalled for lizard breath!¡± Zack roared over to him.

    ¡°For once I agree with Zack. That really was uncalled for.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let the Siren fool you..¡± Leo muttered.

    ¡°Siren?¡± I asked softly.

    Then just like that, she sat up fast from the ground. She was laughing and had a huge smile on her face.

    ¡°It''s fine really! Oy''m used t'' him bein grumpy.¡± She chimed.

    She gave me a goofy smile and another giggle. But, it seemed off. Like it was forced somehow.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Ah yeah! Another babe coming in!¡± Zack cheered.

    I stood up and looked off into the distance. And he wasn¡¯t lying. Two more people were walking our way. The one Zack was referring to, had me kind of nervous. Her raven locks flowed in the wind, and her dark red eyes seemed to shine even from the distance. She was in all black armor and looked fierce. Then next to her was someone who looked a lot more casual. He kind of reminded me of a club DJ. He was wearing a black and white fit, with a mostly white leather jacket. However, what stuck out the most was his hair. It was pure white. Just like Jack, and just like Rex¡¯s.

    ¡°Another white-haired freak! Is there¡¯s some stupid bingo book to this stupid battle royal!¡± Zack huffed.

    I moved my hand down to Elizabeth and helped her up.

    ¡°You''re lucky they didn¡¯t attack you, Lizbeth!¡± The Black knight called out as they got closer.

    I noticed a hint of an accent in her voice, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. I looked over to Zack, to my surprise, was just scrolling through his phone. Which was odd. Normally he would have thrown pick up line, after pick up line at the knight already. But he seemed really focused on his scrolling.

    I looked back to Elizabeth and she was jogging over to the two people happily. Leo walked forward as well and I followed their lead. As I was walking, I felt someone grab my shoulder. I looked back to see Zack, dawning a very serious look.

    ¡°That guy in the white, I knew he looked familiar,¡± Zack whispered to me.

    ¡°Well, what is it?¡± I whispered back.

    ¡°His name is Weislung, he¡¯s an A rank.¡± My eyes widened, and I felt my stomach drop.

    ¡°Y-your kidding!?¡±

    ¡°It gets worse, this guy fought Rex. Like ten times!¡±

    ¡°Did he ever win!?¡±

    ¡°No, but he tried. A lot of the comments claim he¡¯s gotten better each time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrifying¡­¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he only probably wants to kill you.¡± Zack hummed.

    ¡°Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always here for ya best friend.¡± He snickered.

    We stopped walking and faced off with them. Elizabeth and the black knight just stared off at us. Elizabeth was smiling happily, while the knight just glazed over me. Then there was Weislung. He was looking me dead in my eyes. His pupils were a shining white color. He looked ready like he would pounce at any moment. I looked over him slowly and then I noticed his blade. It was a katana, a black handle showing through the grip. And his blade, it was like he was displaying it for me to see. I guess he was trying to intimidate me.

    ¡°Well, toime t'' introduce the rest of the guyng!¡± She pointed toward Weislung.¡°This here is wuyslung! bettah known as the White druygawn.¡± She then gestured to the black knight. ¡°And this here is the black knoigh'' Isabella. and she''s single." She hummed with a wink.

    ¡°H-hey! Don¡¯t tell them that rubbish!¡± Isabella roared.

    That¡¯s when it hit me! It was a British accent. It was subtle, But it was there!

    ¡°Oh? are yah steell theenkin bout'' Arrow then?¡± Elizabeth hummed.

    ¡°A-absolutely not! That¡¯s rubbish!¡± Isabella yelled.

    I looked over to Isabella and I could see her cheeks were crimson red. I smiled slightly and chuckled a bit. I felt my shoulder slowly relax as I laughed. All the tension I had slowly began to wash away. It was just like school, with Zack and Alexis. However, I felt all the tension drop back down onto my shoulders as I heard someone darting toward me.

    I quickly turned and I saw Weislung darting at me with his blade raised. I activated my eyes and summoned a sword. As the blue flares faded with its completion. His katana slammed into my blade.

    ¡°Weis! Not again!¡± I heard Isabella roar.

    ¡°¨¡? Anata no kanari hayai!¡± He snickered with a huge grin as he pressed his blade harder against mine.

    ¡°W-what are you-¡± I stopped trying to talk and just focused on the blades.

    He was strong, he was really pushing me back. I stood my ground and activated my super strength. Slowly pushing him back now.

    ¡°Anata mo tsuyoi! Tatakaimashou!¡± He cheered as he jumped back from me.

    I summoned a chain around his arms before he jumped away. I used my strength and yanked him back toward me. His eyes got wide and I glared into his. I could see the shock in his eyes as he was flung toward me. I charged in and dispelled my sword. I needed to set a precedence right now. I needed to show them why you shouldn¡¯t mess with the knight!

    As he came back into me, I slammed my fist into his stomach and sent him flying back. I watched as he flicked his sword. All I could see then was a giant white beam of light. I instinctively activated and summoned armor over myself. But It didn¡¯t form in time and I felt the full brunt of his attack against my chest. I was sent flying back and skidded on the ground.

    There was no doubt in my mind now, this guy must¡¯ve been the same type as Rex.

    I rolled onto my feet and slid to a stop. I quickly looked up and tried to assess the situation. I saw Zack look back to me with a petrified look in his eye. He jumped up and seemed to step onto the air. He leaped up one last time and landed above the group in the sky. I stood up quickly and I could feel the burning sensation from my chest. My shirt and hoodie were both burnt through by the white blast. I was blessed I didn¡¯t somehow wind up with fifth-degree burns.

    I looked over at Zack and saw the familiar green flames flaring in the sky around him. I watched as Elizabeth, Isabella, and Weis all struggled against what looked to be vines latched around them. But I didn¡¯t see Leo anywhere.

    ¡°You dare attack the Wizards sidekick and think you could get away with it!?¡± Zack yelled down to them.

    Sidekick huh?

    I walked over to them and summoned light armor over my body. Followed by a roman style sword and shield. Then, like a meteorite rushing down from the sky. I saw Bean crash down in front of Weislung. Rubble from the ground flailed into the sky as he stared down at a sushi wrapped Weislung.

    No, don¡¯t tell me I have another big battle to fight...

 Chapter 34 - The girl and her ship

    ¡°How did I miss the kid!?¡± Zack shrieked as we watched Leo seemingly appear from nowhere.

    He leaned down to Weis and whispered something to him. Which turned his excited face into a more of a grumpy look.

    I slowly lowered my weapons and looked them over a bit.

    ¡°Everyone cahlm down, playse! it was just a misunderstanding!¡± Elizabeth cried out to Zack.

    Who slowly stepped down toward her, like he was descending down a staircase on air. Fire still rotating around his hand. I looked over to Weis and Leo. He seemed to have tamed the beast. Weis was looking bored and agitated. And was grumbling something in japanese.

    ¡°What do you mean misunderstanding!?¡± Zack yelled. ¡°Did Mr.Anime not try and fillet my sidekick!"

    And there he goes calling me a sidekick again..

    ¡°He won¡¯t attack again.¡± Leo called out to us. ¡°Besides, none of us have attacked either. Nor has anyone struggled out of the pathetic vines you made.¡±

    I guess he had a point there. Everyone was pretty calm, even Weis.

    ¡°Excuse me charmander!?¡± Zack roared.

    ¡°I believe you.¡± I called and quickly jogged over to them.

    ¡°Are you insulting the mighty wizard!?¡± Zack hollered as he dropped down in front of Leo.

    Bean turned and gave Leo a similar glare.

    ¡°You know, your breath is almost as bad as your goblins. So I suggest you move before I make you move.¡± Leo bellowed back as he glared at Zack.

    But Zack didn''t move an inch. I saw Leo lift his hand, and I could see the rugged draconic scales begin to form on his arm.

    ¡°You wanna go barney!?¡± Zack roared.

    Crap! I needed to stop this!

    I  quickly dashed over and slid in between them just in time. Leo''s reptilian claws slammed into my shield. Wisps of steam rose from his fist as he glared at Zack.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just calm down, alright?¡±

    I grunted as I looked back into Leo''s eyes.

    He looked astonished for a moment. Staring back into my eyes. Then, he quickly pulled his hand back and turned around.

    ¡°Whatever.¡± He huffed.

    ¡°Oh no we''re not do-!¡±

    I swiftly turned around and yanked Zack''s hair.

    "The hell are you-!¡±

    Blue sparkles appeared around his face for a moment. Then Clank! He fell face first onto the ground as I summoned the heaviest helmet I could think of over his face.

    Zack flailed around as he desperately tried to yank the helmet off. The idiot wasn''t even looking for the latch lock..

    The vines suddenly vanished from around everyone. Retreating back into the ground.

    ¡°So I take it your here for a sparring match?" I asked.

    The girls stood up and stretched. Isabella looked rather annoyed, while Elizabeth had a chipper smile still on her face. While Weislung just looked pissed off.

    ¡°Fune ni modorimasu. Itsu tatakaeru ka oshietekudasai.¡± Weis grunted to Leo.

    ¡°Hai.¡± Leo replied.

    ¡°yup! We ool ready challanged a few othas. So you¡¯re next on the leest.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh! I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡± Zack roared.

    I looked over and he had vines and Bean trying to help rip the helmet off.

    ¡°How can I say for sure I¡¯m not gonna die? There¡¯s always the chance I won¡¯t be regenerated.¡± I replied, ignoring Zack''s threat.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°We have a working deal with those goddesses. Guaranteeing a regeneration after the match.¡± Isabella spoke up.

    ¡°No offense, but am I supposed to just take your word for it?¡± I asked as I crossed my arms.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. If you check your book, there should be a note inside of it for this specific challenge.¡±

    I raised my brow, and held out my hand. I swear, everyone is in such a hurry to kill each other¡­

    I sighed and focused on the book. The blue flares appeared around my hand as my book formed. I quickly opened it up and found a letter with a red stamp seal inside the front page. I hesitantly grabbed the letter and opened it up.

    Yup, everything they just said was true. Just like Zack they got permission to kill me. How does that even work!? Am I the only one who dosen''t have the goddesses on speed dial!?

    I looked up at the two of them. Both giving me a prideful smirk. They were clever. They could see exactly how I work, and account for it. And the most I''ll gain is how they work. And they still have all the other swordsmen info. I needed to use this leverage as a way to get more info.

    Clearly this tournament had to be something serious.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll agree to the match. On one condition.¡±

    Isabella raised a brow.

    ¡°And what might that be?¡±

    ¡°I want you all to share the info you have about the other swordsman.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Elizabeth chimed.

    ¡°No way!¡± Isabella said in unison with Elizabeth.

    ¡°Look, you came here out of the blue and attacked me, and my city. Then expect to get three death rounds out of me? For essentially nothing? No way.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s stopping us from just fighting you right now?¡± Isabella huffed crossing her arms.

    ¡°Aha!¡± I heard Zack cheer and pant as he threw my helmet off.

    ¡°Well for one, I could just hold back. Remember I¡¯m just a sidekick. Zack would totally over take the battle, and your whole goal for scoping me out would be for nothing.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that we have the legendary Jack frost on speed dial.¡± Zack said with a laugh. ¡°See were kind of Arthurs favorites. So I know he will be delighted to help us out."

    ¡°Wow, you''re not trying to kill me? I¡¯m surprised.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Zack snapped.

    I could see the panic slowly rise on Isabella''s face. But what threw me off was the focus on Elizabeth''s face. She seemed like she was analyzing me. What was it that Leo called her? The Siren? I needed to look into that later...

    ¡°Y-your bluffing..¡± Isabella stammered out.

    ¡°No he¡¯s not. I met him myself, he seems like he¡¯s their handler. When I was chasing the knight he was always right on my tail. I wouldn''t be surprised if he was watching us right now. You''re better off agreeing to the terms. It''s not like you have a lot of info in the first place."

    ¡°Shut up! He doesn''t know that!¡± Isabella roared.

    ¡°He does now..¡± Leo muttered.

    Isabella looked over to me and frantically looked back to Leo.

    ¡°Ppfft this is a cakewalk! You don¡¯t even have to win for the information!¡± Zack chuckcled.

    I could see Isabella''s eyes get wide. Then she got a devilish smirk onto her face. Crap, I should''ve put a helmet within a helmet on him¡­

    ¡°Then I wager that you get more information per win. you can beat us all, you win all the information.¡± Isabella hummed.

    ¡°Oh! That sounds loike fun!¡± Elizabeth cheered.

    I face palmed.

    ¡°You just had to say something didn¡¯t you!?¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Maybe next time you won¡¯t. I don¡¯t know, summon a damn death trap on my head!¡±

    ¡°This info could help us both you idiot!¡± I yelled back.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, maybe I could¡¯ve thought of that if I wasn¡¯t dropped to the ground!"

    Then we both started yelling at each other. I was so mad! These guys have way more experience fighting gifted! All I''ve done is fight petty thugs! How the heck was I gonna win!?

    ¡°Oye! Boys!¡± I heard Elizabeth yell.

    We both stopped and turned toward her.

    ¡°Is it a deal? Knight?¡± Isabella asked.

    I growled a bit at Zack, who just stuck his tongue out at me.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a deal.¡± I huffed.

    ¡°Great! waell come on aboahd the Floyin Dutchman!¡± Elizabeth cheered.

    ¡­.

    ¡°Ya know, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever been on a boat before.¡± Zack chimed as we both stared in awe at the deep blue sea.

    It was weird. I¡¯d seen the ocean hundreds and hundreds of times before. But It was a whole different experience on a boat! It was like we were one with the waves everytime the boat swayed.

    ¡°Does my trash raft count?" I laughed.

    "Oh yeah! When we tried to go down the river with Annual!" He chuckled. "She was so mad at you!"

    We both just started laughing at the memory. And this time around, it just felt good to laugh. To remember her.

    I turned back around to everyone else. Weis was on the deck with us making sushi from scratch. He looked way too excited making it. While Isabella just leaned against the railing texting someone. And leo laid on the floor.

    Then there was the warm and cheerful Elizabeth happily skipping over to us.

    Then I felt a shiver run down my spine as I glanced over to an empty steering wheel.

    "Elizabeth! Aren''t you supposed to be steering!?" I yelped in a panic.

    She just chuckled and shook her head.

    ¡°Don''t worry about'' that. Oy just physically steeuh faw funsees. Oy can control this ship weeth my moind. Even whaen Oy''m flyen it.¡± She said proudly.

    I wonder..

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s super cool, can you control everything on the ship?" I asked curiously.

    Maybe I can trick her into talking about her powers.

    ¡°Well nao, just the theengs built into the shiiep! Oy even cawntrol the cannons and the ammuneetion. Buh'' Oy cahn only load the ammuneetion intao the cannons faw some raysawn."

    "That''s a really cool ability still. Is your power just control of your ship? I noticed you were like flying earlier." I asked.

    "yeah, Oy cahn floy and-" She stopped mid sentence, and gave me a smirk. "Oy say whaht yoah doin."

    ¡°Did you finally catch on parrot for brains?¡± Leo called out from the floor behind us.

    Elizabeth huffed.

    ¡°lets chuynge the topic than Mr.smahty pants. Tell me about yourself. Loike what''s yoah favorite colah?¡±She asked sitting down criss cross in front of me.

    I followed suit and sat down across from her.

    ¡°I like the color blue, it''s always been my favorite.¡± I hummed turning back at the sea.

    ¡° I like the color red, the color of fire baby!¡± Zack cheered.

    He shot up using his fire and landed on the railing. What a show off...

    ¡° Oy loike the colah orange, it''s bright and excitin loike autumn layves.¡±She hummed as she pulled her legs in and hugged them.

    I stared a bit at her. She was so cute, like an innocent little puppy.

    ¡°So what compelled you to go out at sea?¡± Zack asked.

    ¡°Well Oy didn''t have much of a home t'' begin weeth raylly¡°¡± She sighed looking down to her knees.

    ¡°What do you mean? If you don''t mind me asking.¡± I sounded a lot more worried than I intended.

    It just bothered me alot. Seeing her happy go lucky smile just fade away like that. It was wrong.

    ¡°Nao it''s foine, moy fymily is just raylly poor back home is all. Oy want to'' change that faw them.¡±

    She spoke now in a much softer tone. I could tell something heavy was on her mind, I didn''t think she was telling the full story. I needed to say something. So I started to speak the first thing that came into my head.

    ¡° My mom died when I was younger. I stupidly ran in and fought a guy who was trying to attack this girl, and ended up getting my mom shot in the process. So I understand if you don''t want to relive the past. We all have things that scar us. But those scars are just battle wounds that prove that we can survive. I''m sorry If this seems a bit sudden and all, but I think you have a great smile and I''d like for you to keep it.¡± I unconsciously was talking now, I wish I would have shut up sooner.

    Come on Stryder! You have a great smile? She''s probably gonna think you''re flirting!

    Zack looked at me like I just spilt the beans or something. Elizabeth didn''t look at me still, but she was definitely blushing. Oh crap Luxs advice on girls was lies!

    ¡®Say the first thing that comes to mind Stryder.¡¯ Girls like honesty Stryder¡¯.

    ¡°Thank yah. Oy appreciate an honest man¡± She chimed as she leaned over and kissed my cheek.

    The voices in my mind went quiet. And I couldn''t think straight. I was definitely blushing. She gave me a smile, and I smiled back at her.

    ¡°W-well you have my mom and my sister to thank for that.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Wow, Stryder you didn''t scare a girl away on the first conversation, you''ve really leveled up!¡± Zack laughed out on the railing.

    Elizabeth joined in and started laughing herself. I rolled my eyes and turned to see Zack. Laughing so hard that he fell back off the railing. Towards the ocean.

    "Ah! Stryder! Help!" He yelped as he fell off.

    I quickly summoned a chain and sickle and attached it to the railing. Then I quickly leaped off and grabbed his ankle just in time.

    "Ah my hero.."

    "Can''t you walk on air!? Or call for Bean!?" I yelled.

    "Huh, didn''t think about that.."

    ¡°You idiot..¡± I huffed.

    ¡° Instant karma¡± Elizabeth joked while laughing from above.

 Chapter 35 - The black knight

    It was at this moment, I thought I was gonna die.

    Upon the horizon, a small island came into view. And that island looked like something that was taken straight out of a horror movie. As we got closer we could see the destroyed remnants of a broken dock. We could even make out some heavy work machinery. It looked like it hadn¡¯t been touched in decades.

    ¡°What''s with all these abandoned places I''ve never seen before!?¡± Zack said as he looked skeptically at the island.

    ¡°Your hometown has a lot of these. Even the place we left was made for the industrial age. People would take the ferry over to this island to work at the factories. However, as child labor became more of a public issue they lost a lot of workers. They were also losing revenue due to better competitors. Which ultimately led to this area''s demise.¡± Leo said as he walked over to us

    The island looked like the setting for a zombie apocalypse or something. Like the people just vanished from here.

    ¡°Why do you know that?¡± Zack asked as we pulled up to the island

    ¡°I like to be educated on my surroundings if possible. Ignorance is nothing more than a chosen weakness, and I refuse to be weak.¡± He said right before he leaped over the railing and landed on the ground below

    ¡°Freaking lizard breath..¡± Zack grumbled.

    He jumped up onto the air and walked down it like stairs onto the island.

    I just shook my head and jumped onto the railing and looked over the island. The place was filled with old crumbling buildings and construction items. The ground below me wasn¡¯t sand, but broken black concrete. This place really must¡¯ve been all business¡­

    I leaped off the ledge and landed on the ground. Leo was walking ahead and examining the area, while Zack stood above me on the sky looking over the ship.

    ¡°Yahoo~!¡± I heard Elizabeth cheer as he flew above us all, spinning around in the sky with a huge smile plastered on her face.

    She squealed happily as she slowly descended down next to me.

    ¡°Oolroight!  Isabella wawn rawck, puypah, sciccors. So she gets fuhst crack at the bloke!¡± Elizabeth chimed.

    ¡°Oroka..¡± Weis grumbled.

    ¡°Ooh, the chivilirish Stryder has to hit a woman.¡± Zack chuckled above us.

    I just rolled my eyes.

    ¡°A fighter is a fighter,¡± I replied. ¡°As long as she¡¯s okay with it.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it!¡± Isabella called out from above.

    She landed across from me, with a whole lot more force! The dust from the ground rose around her. And it just dawned on me. I spent this whole time talking to Elizabeth, and I semi fought Weislung. But I knew practically nothing about Isabella.

    I looked her over from head to toe. Her armor looked heavy, but why was it black? Does that mean it was enchanted? Or was it just an aesthetic? And those red eyes¡­

    If I had to make an assumption. I¡¯d say she had to be able to manifest her weapon. Since Wieslung and Elizabeth have their swords on them. I can guess she probably has to summon like me. Which doesn¡¯t necessarily help analyze any specifics on what it does.. From the jump I can tell she¡¯s a powerhouse too.

    Hmmm, if I rush her, maybe I can stop her from manifesting weapons. I can use my eyes and my speed to focus solely on the attack.

    ¡°Well let¡¯s meet in the middle and face off,¡± Isabella said as she walked off toward the center of the city.

    ¡°Oy''m gonna take a veedeo faw Arrow! so yah bettah win!¡± Elizabeth cheered.

    Isabella''s cheeks became a rosy shade and she huffed.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Rubbish..¡± She muttered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be nosey or anything. But is this Arrow guy your boyfriend?¡± I asked.

    Then her cheeks became a dark red that seemed to cover her whole face.

    ¡°N-no! He¡¯s not my boyfriend yet!¡± She grunted.

    I laughed a little and nodded.

    ¡°Yet?¡± I teased.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± She growled.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll come?¡± I asked. ¡°To challenge me?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not the type. He¡¯s much more interested in seeing the world, and doing the hero thing.¡±

    I smiled some as she stopped, and I stopped as well. She turned around and faced me and I faced her.

    ¡°He sounds like a cool guy,¡± I added and readied myself.

    She nodded and followed suit preparing herself.

    ¡°You should be focusing on me though.¡± She said flatly.

    ¡°Raydy! Fight!¡± Elizabeth cheered.

    I was thrown off. She started so abruptly!

    I quickly dashed over to her and summoned light armor over my body, and two gladius blades. As I got close enough to strike, I noticed a bright red flare coming from her. I struck for her chest plate, but I was met with the clank of another blade. I looked down and my eyes grew wide. As the crimson red flares began to die down, left in its place was the flat side of a humongous blade.

    Before I had time to think, she was already shoving me back. With Strength that made Wieslung look like a puppy! I slid against the ground as she shoved me away like she was using a fan. I looked her over again. And I could see the faint shimmers of red coming off her armor and her eyes. That¡¯s when it hit me. The red shimmers, the summoning, her glowing eyes, the red mist when she slung me away.

    She was just like me!

    I tripped on the debris behind me, I used my strength and jumped high into the air doing a backflip. Trying my best to just not fall over. As soon as she came into view again, I was greeted by a flying black and silver spear. I summoned a shield and activated my eyes. But it was ridiculously fast! Like she just chucked a bullet at me! I reacted in time to smack it away with my shield as it was still forming. But the force still knocked me back.

    I crashed against the ground and rolled on it like a flicked marble. I dropped my weapons and tried to stop my rolling as I managed to roll onto my feet. I looked up and she was quickly upon me. But this time, she had nothing but gauntlets in her hands. She swung at my face and I used my eyes. And it was odd. It was like it was normal speed. I could see what she was going to do. But I wasn¡¯t reacting as fast as I normally do. Was it her eyes making us-

    I felt her armored leg slam into my stomach. I couldn¡¯t help but keel over as it hit. And she came in for a hard right hook and then a left hook. I spun around on that left strike and stumbled back. I could feel the blood piling in my mouth. Then I felt her ram into me and I went airborne and slammed into a building. The wind getting knocked out of me.

    ¡°Woo! Go Lizbeth!¡± Elizabeth cheered.

    ¡°Come on Stryder! Don¡¯t let a girl clap you!¡± Zack roared.

    I slowly pushed myself up from the wall and spat the blood out my mouth.

    ¡°Are you really the man who defeated Stone and managed to hit Rex?¡± Isabella asked as she casually walked over to me.

    I smirked and chuckled a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint.¡± I coughed out.

    I was already feeling the lag in my body after just one punch. Let alone that assault she threw at me. This girl was insane. I summoned armor over myself.

    But I had to keep going. I needed that info. She summoned her huge blade again. I got a better look at it this time. It was six feet tall and way bigger than her. It was all black and silver and the blade was wide. Wider than her body. It reminded me of the buster sword.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we respawn. I know a real warrior won¡¯t surrender.¡± She said with a smirk.

    I smiled at her.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± I said as I went to summon my Albion blade.

    Before it even finished, she had her huge blade swinging at my side. I quickly turned my manifesting blade to block the strike. And I did, but it felt like a moving truck slammed into me! And I was sent flying again!

    ¡°You''re disappointing me, hero.¡±

    Goddess!?

    I crashed back into the concrete ground again and groaned.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m trying..¡±I grumbled as I rolled over. ¡° She¡¯s just better at my strategy then I am.¡±

    I forced myself up, and as soon as I did.

    Everything was black. It was like I teleported into some endless darkness.

    ¡°I had a bet on you young hero. And I would rather not lose.¡±

    I looked around for her, but there was nothing. Just an empty black void.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, really. But she¡¯s just a better fighter than me. I¡¯m doing my-¡±

    ¡°Your sister''s life. If you don¡¯t win, I¡¯ll claim her life.¡±

    I felt a shiver run down my spine as she said that. I froze in place. Lux, she was gonna kill Lux?

    I blinked and suddenly I was back on the island. I could hear the cheers of the others behind me, and the charge of Isabella in front of me. I stared at her. She was fully dawned in her black armor. My heart was racing fast. I took a breath and thought about Lux.

    I summoned my light armor over my body. This was the first time in my life. I thought about how I was gonna kill someone. She was gonna respawn, but still. Flashes of my death when I fought Zack blared into my head as I started walking forward. She wasn¡¯t a bad guy, she wasn¡¯t a monster. Just a girl. I didn¡¯t want to let her experience that. I didn¡¯t want to slice away at her.

    I activated my super strength and summoned my Albion sword again. I focused and condensed my strength, preparing to focus on my speed. But if this was for Lux, if it meant I could keep her safe.

    I had to end her as fast as I could.

    I took one more breath and then charged forward. As I came up close I slashed at her shoulder arm piece. I skidded forward off the momentum and spun around toward her. She skidded to a stop as well and tried to swing her blade back at me. I easily ducked the slash and came in and sliced at her open wrist.

    I cringed as my blade sliced her hand like butter. Followed by her loud wailing. To think a moment or two ago, we were laughing with one another¡­

    She stumbled back and I wasted no time and charged her with a shoulder check. She stumbled back some more and I ran around and got behind her. She was summoning something over her bleeding arm. I took that moment to summon a chain and swung it at her ankle. The chain quickly wrapped around her leg and hooked onto it. Then I yanked it and she fell face-first into the ground, I summoned a spiked war hammer. And went over to her, I hesitated to swing it down.

    ¡°Forfe-¡±

    Before the words could get out she yanked me in with the chain. Before I could do anything she slammed her fist into my chest plate. I felt the shards of the metal lodge into my chest as she sent me flying back on the ground. I dispelled the armor immediately as I slammed onto the ground.

    I spat up and rolled back. Then DINK!

    I crashed into the side of an old crane.

    ¡°Maybe I should just kill her now.¡± I heard her voice whisper. ¡°Kill her now, or I will end her life.¡±

    I spit the last of the throw up out of my mouth. Slowly moving back up and panting. Dammit! Dammit! This isn¡¯t a game! Come on Stryder. Ignore it, ignore the feeling.

    ¡°You killed the Red steel gang leader and stone. You can do this.¡± I grumbled as I stumbled forward.

    But even so, my conscious was screaming. She didn¡¯t deserve to go through that.

    I sighed and looked ahead. She was charging in again.

    I was shocked to see her sword in her right hand. The same hand that had it¡¯s wrists cut open by my blade. These body enhancements. Just how far did they go!?

    I stayed perfectly still and as she came close. Then I preemptively dodge a right sideways swing from her by ducking. She stumbled forward a bit as she missed. I watched it and gave her a sympathetic look. She was predictable with that. I then activated my strength and used it on my speed. I summoned a gauntlet over my fists and gave her an uppercut. She stumbled back and used her sword to stop her fumbling. I quickly came in and focused all my strength into my fist, and then slammed into her. Sending her flying back into a building.

    ¡°I guess, I¡¯ll stop holding back now.."

 Chapter 36 - The blood on my hands

    I solemnly stared at the dust that filled the building she crashed into. I was feeling it now. The guilt of all of this. I didn¡¯t like thinking about how I was gonna kill her. The worst part was I couldn¡¯t think of a nice way to do it. She was a strong opponent, and I virtually had no upper hand on her. I used my summoning more creatively, and she seemed to follow the same swing pattern. But that''s all I had.

    I started to jog forward, increasing my speed as I went. The building ahead of me was about two stories tall. It looked rather barren. Walls were missing from top to bottom, and it looked fragile. Like one hard-hit would collapse the whole thing.

    As I got in close, I was greeted by a black and red blur. I quickly leaped to the side and just barely dodged whatever it was. I looked forward again and saw two more coming. One was raining down from the sky at me. While another was flying toward me. I jumped back as the thing from the sky slammed down a few feet in front of me. While the other one just zoomed past me. But it was way above me.

    I could tell from the one in front of me now that she was hucking spears at me. But why did she-

    RRRRGGHH!

    A loud and eerie creaking cried from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw the hook from the crane I slammed into. And it was flying down onto me! I used my strength and leaped forward again. Crap! She played me! She used that first spear to line me up, and the second to drop that one onto me when I jumped back!

    As I looked forward and started to think again. There she was, coming down on me with her huge blade. Lux¡¯s face flashed into my mind. I acted fast and shot myself up at her with all my strength. She grunted as I slammed into her. We both flew back and slammed into the ground. I summoned a chain as we landed and wrapped it around her leg. As we rolled I popped up onto my feet and with all my might flung her forward and let go. She flew like a baseball and crashed into the half made building.

    I took a moment to catch my breath. I could feel the stream of sweat running down my face and into my eyes. I wasn¡¯t like Zack. My energy to us my abilities came from my stamina, not some mana pool. I guess I got it now why she only summoned that sword and spears. I¡¯ve been draining myself.

    I sighed and stood tall. I stared at the building and balled my fist. I¡¯m needed to end this now.

    I took a breath and then charged into the building. As I came in close, I could see her up and preparing to charge me. I could tell from the way she held her sword she was going for a left swing. I deactivated my eyes and when we met in the middle I preemptively dodged her. And it''s a good thing I did! She had a powerful swing! I could feel the wind pressure hit my face like a fan as she swung past me. She stumbled forward a bit but quickly turned around toward me.

    I only activated my eyes as she went to swing. She was glaring at me as I calmly dodged her strikes with relative ease. She was getting angry, and I knew my calm attitude was just making it worse.

    I learned her pattern quickly. She went for a right swing, then a left swing. Then she¡¯ll go for an upward swing, and come down. I had her slam into the building a good couple times. I was sure it only needed one more hard-hit before it toppled on us. Just what I was hoping for.

    As she came down for her downward strike, I summoned swords and made an X with my blades above my head. As she slammed down onto them, I slightly panicked. This one had a lot more force than the other swings! I moved the direction of the slash down to the ground beside me. I pinned her blade down with my own.

    Her eyes grew wide and I quickly slid up her blade with my own. She stumbled back and let go of her sword. Just barely dodging my slash. She fell back on her butt and summoned a shield over her. I quickly came in and focused, all of my strength. Then I stomped on her shield! The whole building shook from me and started to come down. I then leaped forward out of that place. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Sorry..

    As I rolled on the ground I could hear the loud crash of the building. But the sound I couldn¡¯t ignore. Were her screams.

    I soon came to a stop and the dust and debris from the building filled the air around me. I panted heavily as sweat ran down off me like I was in a shower. It felt like I just ran five miles. It was hard to catch my breath.

    As the dust settled and her screams faded. I was greeted by silence.

    No words, no cheers. Just silence. I thought about the pain she must be experiencing right now. Flashes of that dark void filled my mind. The pain of being crushed under a building like that. I swear I was just born to make good people suffer...

    I slowly pushed myself up to my feet. And this wave of immense pain washed over me as I put pressure on my right leg. The same leg I used to stomp on her. I growled and leaned on my left.

    I could feel the sudden rush of cold air sweeping over me. Goosebumps rising on my arms as I shivered.

    ¡°You definitely broke something kid.¡± I heard Jack hum next to me.

    I quickly turned to my left and I saw Jack floating down toward me. He was staring intently at the building I just toppled.

    He whistled.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t peg you for the type guy who¡¯d kill in a sparring match. What? Did she piss you off?¡±

    I just looked to the ground. Not saying a word. I felt dirty, disgusted with myself. He just confirmed it for me. She really was dead.

    ¡°Geez Stry! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d go for the win like that! Thought you were gonna pussy out!¡± Zack called out to me. I looked up and I could see Zack leaping down from the sky above me. "Was totally wicked though!¡±

    He landed and immediately leaned on my shoulder. I fell a bit onto my right leg and the pain came rushing back.

    ¡°Ahh crap!¡± I grunted as I shoved him off and fell onto the ground.

    I looked over at my leg and noticed Ice was now forming over it.

    ¡°I guess you pushed your body too hard with that last attack. She probably died on impact, but it was wise to drop the building on her just in case.¡± Jack added.

    ¡°Shut up, please. Just..stop.¡± I mumbled as I looked at my leg.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You just won the fight, why are you so crabby?¡± Zack huffed.

    ¡°Because I just killed someone that¡¯s why alright!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°She¡¯s getting regenerated! Calm down, golden crusader. You died too before it¡¯s no big deal.¡±

    I felt the heat rise my chest in me as he brought that up. I balled my fist and glared at him.

    ¡°And do you think I like dying!? Do you think it was fun burning to death you insensitive prick!¡± I roared back.

    ¡°Hey let¡¯s calm down,¡± Jack interjected.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault you decided to smash her to death! You didn¡¯t have to kill her you know! So don¡¯t go crying to me like I just killed her!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice!¡± I cried. I punched the ground next to me and kept my fist balled. ¡°I¡¯d rather die again then make someone go through that.¡±

    ¡°So what? You gonna ignore what you did to stone?¡± Zack added.

    ¡°It''s not the sam-!¡±

    ¡°Ah, good job my child. I am pleased with your work.¡± Her voice loomed over to me like a whisper.

    I felt my heart sink, and my rage build. Zack and Jack were silent. This was the first time, everything didn¡¯t go black. I slowly turned around and there she was. Jack and Zack stood in awe of her.

    My goddess.

    It was like she was living fire. Her long blue dress flowed and flared against the wind. While her hair floated around in the sky like she was in water.  Her pale skin was almost white to me. Yet I could see a slight tinge of blue in her. And her eyes. It was looking into space. They were dark, but had a blue shimmer to them like stars. She stood over us all. Staring down to us like we''re animals at the zoo.

    ¡°So this is what the Archetype guardians look like¡­¡± Jack muttered.

    ¡°Is this a joke to you?¡± I grumbled out as I forced myself up.

    My leg was still screaming in pain. But my rage was stronger than the pain. She made me do that to Isabella, she held Lux¡¯s life in the balance like she was some toy!

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s funny to treat us like this!?¡± I yelled as I stomped over to her.

    I summoned a blade, and before I could take another step. She appeared in front of me. Her eyes staring deeply into mine. I could feel my knees begin to buckle. It was like staring at a shark. Like she could just devour me at any second.

    ¡°Yes, yes I do. I find enjoyment in watching you all squirm. You, silly humans, are nothing. Just another world, just another life form that will one day vanish. WIthout leaving a trace of yourself behind.¡±

    I shivered. I wanted to move, I wanted to run. My whole body was trembling. But still, I couldn¡¯t run. I couldn¡¯t just back down to her.

    ¡°U-us humans, our lives. They do matter.¡± I stammered back with a shaky voice.

    Her eyes grew wide as she stared into mine. A small smirk etching itself onto her face.

    ¡°Arthur..¡± She said softly. ¡°I see why you''re his favorite.¡± She moved closer to me, right next to my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me. If I see you not trying again, I¡¯ll implement the same rules again.¡±

    This time. I couldn¡¯t even breathe. It was like my whole body was stone. I blinked, and everything was normal. I dropped to the floor and desperately tried to catch my breath. Her eyes blared into my mind. Sending another shiver down my spine. Mixed with the wave of pain shooting through my leg.

    Arthur and the goddesses, just what the heck was really going on?

    ¡°Let¡¯s take you home. You need some rest, kid.¡±

    ¡°The hell was that!? Was that his goddesses!?¡± Zack chirped.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jack replied.

    I slowly stood up, panting heavily now. But my leg was feeling better, and her eyes just abruptly stopped appearing in my mind.

    ¡°Why was she blue and not red?¡± Zack asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. Let¡¯s just move. I guess I forgot to explain somethings...¡± Jack sighed.

 Chapter 37 - The rattling of chains

    ¡°So what you''re telling me is we''re living in an RPG?¡± Zack cheered

    ¡°waell that¡¯s one why of puttin ih.¡± Elizabeth hummed.

    ¡°Can we not talk about our lives like it¡¯s some video game?¡± I huffed.

    But if I was being honest that was probably the best way to explain it. I just, what the Goddess said, what I did. I don¡¯t want to lose the value of ourselves, of our lives. It just felt wrong to me to treat this like a game.

    ¡°So what are the classes then?¡± Leo spoke up.

    ¡°Well, these aren¡¯t anything official. Just some classifications I¡¯ve made myself through the years I¡¯ve been doing this.¡± Jack said.

    ¡°Years?¡± Isabella chimed in.

    ¡°WIll explain later,¡± Zack added.

    ¡°Anywho, from what I can tell the blue Goddesses. Still not too thrilled about calling them that. But their children are based on things. I deemed her the arch type class.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean,¡± Zack grumbled.

    ¡°Well notice how Stryder can summon, has physical enhancements, and everything is specific toward knight type attributes. I¡¯ve also noticed this with every other blue. There¡¯s even one for jesters and rangers.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then what about me. I had the red Goddess!¡± Zack chimed.

    ¡°That¡¯s the casting Goddess, my Goddess. Were all primarily focused on the magic arts¡±

    ¡°And me?¡± Leo asked.

    Jack snickered.

    ¡°Your Goddess is the green one. The Goddess of the Animorph books.¡±

    Leo just growled in response.

    I looked over to Isabella for a moment. I felt my heart race for a bit as I quickly looked away.

    ¡°That must mean Oy''m a piryte ahch type!¡± Elizabeth cheered.

    I suddenly jumped hard as I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a very stern looking isabella.

    ¡°Mind if we have a chat?¡± She asked.

    I quickly looked down and away from her.

    ¡°S-sure, what about?¡±

    She pointed to the other side of the boat and walked over to it. I watched her as she walked. My legs felt like lead, and my heart felt like it was gonna pop out of my chest.  She hated me, she had to. I bet she was gonna attack me, or go off on me. I deserved it anyway. I made her go through that. It was my fault. It¡¯s always my fault.

    I hesitantly followed her lead. And as soon as I got close again she flicked my forehead with some super strength.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± I yelped as I stumbled back.

    I reached up and rubbed my forehead, and she just sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I got beat b a wimp.¡± She huffed.

    I looked up at her for a moment and quickly looked back down to the deck of the ship.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be some kind of hero?¡±

    I felt my heart sink as she asked that. I bit my lip and balled my fist.

    ¡°I¡¯m sor-¡±

    She snagged my shirt collar and forced me to look up into her red glaring red eyes.

    ¡°How can you call yourself a hero when you¡¯re looking down like that huh? Aren¡¯t superheroes supposed  to smile against all the odds?¡±

    ¡°How can I smile after what I did to you!?¡± I yelled back. I reached up and grabbed her wrist. ¡°How can I smile when all I do is hurt, people!? How am I supposed to keep going knowing every step I make is just a bigger mistake waiting to happen!?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Then you might as well quit being a hero then. Because someone as hopeless as you can¡¯t ever dream of accomplishing anything!"

    I felt my grip on her arm lessen. Her words made my whole body feel drained.

    ¡°Then maybe I should..¡±

    ¡°I overheard what you told Elizabeth about your mom. Are you implying your mother¡¯s death was pointless?¡±

    ¡°No I-¡±

    ¡°Then how dare you give up on yourself? She died saving you right? Does her sacrifice mean so little to you that you¡¯d lose all your resolve after one bump in the road?¡±

    I looked away from her.

    ¡°Why are you doing this...I killed you. I made you suffer.¡±

    ¡°And I got back up didn¡¯t I? We can¡¯t move forward if we keep looking back. Yes, you killed me, but I was asking for it. And I¡¯ve learned a lot from it.¡± She let me go and I stumbled back some.

    There I go again, being helpless. I thought about Zack when we fought Jack. We almost lost because I didn¡¯t trust myself. And even now, how much have I really grown!? I took another step back and took a breath. I raised my fist and decked myself in my face! I felt the burning pain that slammed against my cheeks and stumbled some.

    ¡°What are you-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I was being pathetic.¡± I looked up at her and gave her a confident smile. ¡°I won¡¯t let it happen again. Thanks for that.¡±

    Her eyes were wide for a moment, then she started busting out laughing.

    ¡°Bollocks you city folk are funny!¡± Isabella laughed. ¡°I like this Stryder a lot better.¡±

    ¡®She made that sacrifice didn¡¯t she?¡¯

    Zack¡¯s words rang in my ear yet again. I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t let her words become chains again. I needed to remember that.

    ¡°If you want, I can tell you somethings that helped me get the advantage on you.¡±

    She smiled and nodded.

    ¡°That would be grand.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°What''s the big idea coming back so late with no contact huh!?¡± Lux roared into my ear as her headlock got even tighter.

    I flailed and tapped out against her arm repeatedly while Zack just laughed at me.

    ¡°Ah, how I missed you, my love,¡± Zack cheered.

    But as soon as he let his presence be known, she let go of me and pounced on him!

    ¡°You''re his best friend! Why the hell do you look spiffy and he has all battle damage!¡± Lux yelled as Zack squirmed.

    ¡°Amor my little daffodil, I didn''t know you were into this stuff,¡± Zack muttered and Lux immediately dropped him.

    ¡°Eww,¡± lux squealed as she stepped away from him.

    I cleared my throat and caught her attention. She turned around to look at me, and I felt the urge to look away. But as her eyes met mine, I stayed focused on hers.

    ¡°Lux I need to talk to you.¡±

    She looked surprised. She got her serious face on and searched my eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I fought one of Leo''s friends, and I was holding back..¡± I felt my heart begin to race as I spoke. I balled my fist more intensely and took a breath. ¡°Because of that my-¡±

    Crap! I almost forgot I can¡¯t tell her about my goddess! I needed to think fast...

    ¡°Another player threatened to kill you if he didn¡¯t try his hardest. So he ended up killing Leo¡¯s friend. But It¡¯s all cool because she had an extra life.¡±

    Zack chimed in and saved my life. That extra life bit may cause issues down the line but, better than anything I would''ve thought of.

    ¡°I just felt like you had the right to know is all. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I broke eye contact with her as I said that.

    ¡°Stryder..¡± She started to speak, and It felt like I could feel the disappointment in me in her voice. I closed my eyes, I could even feel my body begin to shake. I didn¡¯t want her to hate me again!

    Then everything became calm. I felt her warm embrace around me. Calming the rapid fears of my mind.

    ¡°I can''t imagine how hard that was for you. I''m sorry I wasn''t there,¡± she said with a weak voice.

    She sounded like she was about to cry. I buried my face into her and wrapped my arms around her.

    ¡°Don''t be sorry! I''m the one putting your life in danger!¡±

    ¡°Stryder I trust you, I know no matter what you''ll come through for me. You always have. I''m sorry, as the older sister I should''ve been there for you.¡± I couldn''t speak, I just held her.

    She trusted me still, even after hearing what I did. After hearing what the stakes were!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you before? Stop being so self-centered, we''re all in this together. Powers or no powers, that¡¯s how family works.¡± Zack hummed as he laid a hand on my shoulder.

    Which only made me quiver some more. I felt vulnerable. Like a turtle without its shell. I was scared to move, I was scared to breath

    ¡°That''s right, you don''t have to carry this burden alone,¡± Lux said.

    ¡°I wanted you to stay safe, away from all this stuff,¡± I muttered as I slowly pulled away from her.

    ¡°Well too bad, what kind of annoying sister would I be if I stayed out of your personal biz.¡± She said with a chuckle

    I looked up at her and I couldn¡¯t help but smile back.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough of me almost crying for one day. I¡¯m gonna hit the showers.¡± I said with a sniffle.

    ¡°You know, our boys got a date with some fine ladies tonight¡±  Zack chimed as he moved an arm around Lux.

    However, Lux just leaned down and flipped Zack over her shoulder! Then darted at me. I quickly ran and jumped over the couch. I sprung on my feet and leaped into the bathroom, locking the door.

    ¡°Stryder Abel Beowulf! You get out here right now! You met a girl and didn''t tell me!¡± she yelled as she banged on the bathroom door.

    ¡°Oh, I can''t hear you over the sound of the water sis!¡± I yelled as I quickly turned on the shower.

    ¡°You get out here right now mister and spill those beans!¡±Lux yelled, but I just started to sing over her.

    ¡°We are talking when you get out! Do you hear me!¡± she yelled.

    But I just started to sing even louder.

    Whenever I came out I heard the front door open, I heard her oohing and aahing to someone. I figured it was Jack. So I wrapped a towel around myself and walked out of the bathroom, I needed to get some fresh clothes.

    I yawned as I came out, making my eyes shut for a moment.

    ¡°Hey lux, was that jack who came in?¡±I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I''m here with friends!¡± Jack snickered.

    ¡°What?¡±

    I opened my eyes and I went speechless. I blinked a few times in disbelief. But they were still there even after. There on my couch was Leo and his crew!

    I quickly turned around and headed to the bathroom. But I slammed face-first into the door. I grabbed the handle and yanked at it.

    ¡°Hey! Hey! Let me in!¡± I yelled as I banged on the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry the person you are trying to reach doesn¡¯t care,¡± Zack replied.

    ¡°Hey, this isn''t a game! Open up!¡±

    ¡°Hey buddy, you remember that helmet incident? Yeah, Suffer for it.¡± He snickered.

    ¡°So rude Stryder, ignoring your guest like this,¡± Jack with a sour tone

    ¡°Crickey, Oy''m still enjoyin moy view though.¡± I heard Elizabeth hum.

    It¡¯s like I could feel her eyes on me...

    ¡°This isn''t funny¡­¡± I muttered.

    I dashed over to my clean basket and got some clothes, and my boxers. But I didn''t want to lift it out the basket. I could still feel Elizabeth staring at me. I didn¡¯t want her to see my...

    I sighed and just yanked it out and ran into Lux¡¯s room. I quickly shut and locked the door and took a breath. Which prompted them to laugh.

    Women¡­

    Zack and I promised to take the crew out to see the city tonight. I don¡¯t really have anything ¡®fancy to wear.¡¯ My nicest shirt was a plain white V-neck T-shirt Lux bought me a few years back, plus some nice black jeans. I put those on and walked out of the room. And I immediately heard giggling.

    I looked up and I could see Lux with a photo album in her hand. While Elizabeth, Isabella, and Weislung sat around her with amused faces.

    This can¡¯t be good.

    ¡°Lux...what are you doing?¡± I asked.

    I looked over her shoulder and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. There in the photo album were pictures of me and Zack as kids!

    ¡°Lux why..¡±

    ¡°Because I love you, and these are the best photos ever!¡± She winked at me and I groaned.

    Then Zack popped out of the bathroom right on time. With the same threads on from earlier. The only difference now was a brown fedora he had on his head.

    ¡°Zack, Oy deedn''t knaow yah loiked t'' be a praetty preencess!¡± Elizabeth giggled.

    I looked over and saw the surprise shot of Zack from grade school. He just wanted to see what it felt like...

    ¡°You pinky swore!¡± Zack yelled.

    ¡°She swore a lot of things Zack,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°I think it''s time to go, don¡¯t you agree Stryder?¡± Zack said walking to the door.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± I added as I followed his lead.

    ¡°But we¡¯re at the best part,¡± Isabella chuckled.

    ¡°Hows abeow'' yah ooll have a boys noigh'' out eh?¡± Elizabeth joked

    ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Lux chimed in.

    ¡°Oh, fun,¡± Leo muttered.

    I didn¡¯t even notice he was next to me.

    ¡°I guess,¡± Jack said with a sigh.

    ¡°That''s a horrible idea,¡± Zack said flatly.

    "I was actually really wanting to relax.." I sighed.

 Chapter 38 - Reaching Nirvana

    ¡°Jack come on! They were supposed to tell me the information because I won. Let¡¯s go back and have dinner.¡±

    ¡°I bet you just want to go flirt with that Australian chick.¡± Jack sighed.

    ¡°W-what! No that¡¯s not it!¡± I stammered back.

    ¡°What, do you think she¡¯s ugly?¡± Zack asked as we walked.

    The ever growing sound of club music only got louder and louder. It was like a rockier version of lofi. I couldn¡¯t really put my finger on it, the music was just so out there. Jack had teleported us to this rocky island. He said he couldn¡¯t teleport us directly to the party because of rules or something.

    I blushed.

    "No that¡¯s not it! I just want to focus on the mission alright? I even missed out on talking to Isabella.¡±

    Zack whistled.

    ¡°Geez Stry, Isn¡¯t she like, spoken for?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! She knows the other swordsman well. I need to get more information so I can prepare myself.¡±

    ¡°Are you always this serious? Your hairs gonna start looking like mine if you don¡¯t relax.¡± Jack joked.

    ¡°Why did you bring me with you..¡± Leo grumbled from behind me.

    ¡°Cuz you and the Knight both need to loosen up. When''s the last time you¡¯ve been to a party?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± Leo replied

    ¡°Pfft, Stryder and parties? Yeah right.¡± Zack snickered.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to parties!¡±

    ¡°A girls night with Lux and her friends doesn''t count Einstein,¡± Zack chuckled.

    Then Jack abruptly stopped and turned back to look at me with shock.

    ¡°Have you seriously never been to a party before!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve just never had the time..¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Please, he just freezes up in any group event we go to. We once went to a friends barbeque and he hid in the corner the whole time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know anyone!¡±

    ¡°Considering I¡¯m your only friend, you¡¯ll never know anyone.¡±

    I quickly looked away from them. That stung a lot more than I expected it too.

    ¡°Listen kid, how are you gonna be an example to the world if you can¡¯t talk to a few strangers?¡± Jack asked.

    And I suddenly dislike myself even more. Great. You know what, no. I¡¯m not taking this.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I asked for this ya know!¡± I snapped. ¡° It¡¯s not like I asked to shake whenever someone I don¡¯t know talks to me! It''s not like I want to overthink whatever someone thinks about me!¡±

    ¡°Easy Stryder no ones-¡±

    ¡°No! I¡¯m sick and tired of people like you who have it so easy with your communication skills. Acting as if it¡¯s so easy! You have no idea how hard it is!¡±

    ¡°Well what are you gonna do about it?¡± Jack asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like it right? Well what are you gonna do about it?¡±

    ¡°Well I..¡± I trailed off as my embers of rage, slowly began to flicker away.

    I didn¡¯t know what to say to that.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that it¡¯s harder for you to be social. Icarus was the same way. But don''t whine about it unless you''re trying to change.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done..¡±

    ¡°I know it is, just like it¡¯s easier to stay in your comfort zone. Rather than take a risk and change. I¡¯m not saying change, or to not change. But you really need to take a look at what you want to be, and ask yourself what it takes to become that.¡± Jack gave me this icy glare.

    And I was frozen in place, the whole group was silent. Nothing but the music around to fill the void. Take a look at what I want to become? Have I ever really done that? I thought handling mom was all I needed to do. I thought I would be the perfect hero if I did that. But what does a perfect hero even mean to me?

    ¡°Geez Jack you didn¡¯t have to-¡±

    ¡°No, Zack he''s right. He¡¯s right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been looking ahead like I needed too.¡±

    ¡°Ah great! Well while you deal with your mid life crisis, I¡¯m gonna go party.¡±

    ¡®Wait, you haven¡¯t even told us where we are.¡±Leo spoke up.

    Jack groaned like a kid and spun around.

    ¡°This place is known as Nirvana,¡± Jack said quickly. ¡° It¡¯s a secret place for those gifted who aren¡¯t interested in the whole territory wars. Come on follow.¡± Jack said as he quickly jogged off.

    We all followed off behind him. The rocks on the island were scattered about this place like a desolate mountain. Yet I could see the ocean in the far distance around us. And in the center I saw loads of flashing lights and colors. We all followed after Jack, Weislung catching up to him before any of the rest of us. The rocks hid our view of the middle.

    Jack soon jumped into the air, leaving a white trail of snow behind him. He didn¡¯t say a word and just flew straight to the center.

    ¡°The hell.¡± Leo groaned.

    Before anyone could say anything. Weislung climbed atop a boulder and leaped to the next one, following after Jack. I looked at Zack and he smirked.

    ¡°Good luck leaping rock to rock hulk!¡± He cheered as his hands sparked with a green flare.

    Then erupted to life as he flew off after Jack.

    That dick! We could¡¯ve taken his solid air platforms up! Or road on Bean! I groaned and just tried to ignore my frustration and activated my strength. I leaned down and bounced over on the boulders, Leo right behind me as I did. And for a moment, I really felt alive. The wind in my face, the adrenaline in my veins. It felt like doing parkour! It''s been so long! It felt so freeing.

    But my attention was soon taken away by the huge center. It was a giant open area! With hundreds upon hundreds of people inside! There were red and white cubes floating in the sky around it, with people dancing atop each one. Huge gigantic rainbow bubbles floating all around. My eyes were infatuated with the sight. It was breathtaking. As I scanned around I saw Jack on the outside rim of the action. I leaped over to him and landed behind him and Zack.

    He was smiling reminiscently at the stage to the right, that I was just now noticing.

    There were three people on stage. One was a man in all white attire, besides his bold red shirt. He had floating red disks that he was spinning under his hands like a turntable. His skin was dark, and he had a smooth bald head with black shades. Next to him was a shirtless guy in dirty white pants. He had pale skin and rainbow hair that went to his shoulder. He was dancing on stage as I saw the rainbow bubbles coming off his body. And finally to the right of the guy was a woman. She was floating on a white cube sitting crisscross. Her skin was red, and her hair was pure white and short. She was drinking a water bottle like she hadn¡¯t drinken water in days.

    ¡°And those guys are known as the three truths. They¡¯re the gatekeepers of this place.¡± Jack hummed happily. ¡°Anymore questions?¡±

    ¡°Where''s the rap battles!?¡± Zack cheered.

    ¡°Attaboy! Just run around. They¡¯re all over the place! With that, I¡¯m gonna make my introduction. Remember, no drinking, and don¡¯t eat anything anyone offers you!¡±

    Before I could get another word out. Him, Zack, and Weislung leaped into the party. Soon getting lost in the horde of the crowd. And I just sighed.

    ¡°Thanks a lot Zack. I at least wanted help..¡±

    I stared into the sea of the crowd. I could feel my heart begin to race. I took a breath as I tried to relax myself. I wish I at least had my hoodie, or my mask...

    ¡°You''re not seriously gonna join them, are you?¡± Leo asked.

    I jumped slightly as he spoke. I had completely zoned out for a minute there.

    ¡°Well, after hearing what Jack said, yeah.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Why? What does being  a hero have to do with partying?¡±

    As he said that, I saw Zack''s smile flash into my mind. I smiled slightly at that and chuckled. I guess deep down I¡¯ve always known.

    ¡°Whenever I¡¯m scared, or feel like I don''t know what to do, Zack¡¯s always been there to back me up. Whether it was asking out a girl, or having confidence enough to help me put my foot down.¡± I chuckled some. ¡°And he has this ability to make everyone around him laugh. No matter what the situation is. I don¡¯t know exactly what my ideal of a hero even is yet. But, I know for me, Zack has always been like my hero. I¡¯ve always been jealous of his ability to just talk to anyone and ease people''s minds, make them smile. So I think if I want to be more like him in that way. I need to move forward.¡±

    Leo blinked a few times looking at me. As if he was analyzing what I just said. He leaned back against a rock and folded his arms. He closed his eyes and nodded.

    ¡°I see, well don¡¯t let me stop you then.¡± He huffed.

    I nodded and took a breath. I turned back to the sea of people. Welp, here goes nothing...

    ¡­.

    It was like playing an old pinball game. But I was the pinball, and the machine was on steroids. I was getting smacked around person to person. I eventually got tired of saying sorry to every person I bumped into, and just quietly followed the flow of the party. I could barely hear myself think with all the noise. I tried to be friendly and say hi, but I was never in the same place long enough to do that. There was just so much dancing and partying going on. It really was like a sea.

    Soon I was led to a circle. People were gathered around it cheering and hollering for the people inside.  I slowly squeezed my way through and I was...well if I''m being honest I wasn¡¯t really that shocked. There in the circle was Zack and some random guy having a dance off. The other guy was tall and skinny. He had huge white wings and was using them to show off some impressive acrobatics, sending feathers throughout the crowd. Who were all going wild.

    He soon stopped and crossed his arms, looking at Zack with a confident smirk. While Zack stepped forward and looked up at him.  Giving him a cocky smile right back. He tipped his fedora to the guy. Then he dropped and spun around in a circle on the ground. Quickly flicking his body up to a handstand, sending a flashy red flare out from his body like it was fireworks! He then bent his arm and flung himself up in the air! Ember trails lighting his way as he soon landed on his feet, showing off and doing tricks, treating his body like a robot! Using his flames to imitate sparks in his systems.

    After a bit of showing off he stopped and took his hat off. He shot it off his hands with a small spark of fire. Making it spin in the air, while he spun around himself. He then abruptly stopped in the Micheal Jackson tip-toe stand and stretched out his hand and jabbed his hat. Then the hat seemed to defy gravity and spun all the way up his arm, leaving a smoky trail behind. Soon coming up his shoulder and landing back on his head. He moved his hand over the hat and tugged it down slightly over his face, completely stopping the smokey trail.

    I even have to admit, that was totally awesome! We were all speechless for a moment. Then we all screamed and cheered for Zack!

    ¡°Winner! Zack Grendall!¡± I heard some low deep voice announce from one of the pink floating bubbles.

    Which only prompted the crowd to scream even wilder. I ran out and shoved Zack with excitement.

    ¡°You killed it out there!¡± I cheered.

    Zack caught himself and fixed his hat. When he looked up and saw me he gave me a huge grin. He moved his hand horizontal under his chin, then vertical beside his face. Repeating this a couple times as he vibed to the music.

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m repping the king of pops swagger right now. I can¡¯t lose,¡± He chimed.

    ¡°Next is for all the gold! The title of floor king! Jack Frost vs Zack Grendall¡±

    ¡°What!¡±

    ¡°What!¡±

    Me and Zack both yelled in unison. We both turned to see the crowd open up, making a path leading toward us. And there he was, with a sideways ice crown on his head walking toward us.

    ¡°You gotta be kidding me,¡± Zack muttered.

    Jack smirked as he soon stopped in the circle. A big cocky smile plastered on his face as he looked down on us.

    ¡°So, heard you were trying to take my crown?¡± He hummed.

 Chapter 39 - Cutting Loose

    ¡°Stryder, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here though. Finally cutting loose huh?¡± Jack chirped.

    ¡°Yeah, the Alley of justice not only fights crime, but we also fight posers.¡± Zack cheered as he stepped forward.

    Wait, did he just say we?

    ¡°Oh is that right? You two gonna take my crown?¡± Jack huffed as he folded his arms.

    ¡°Wait, wait no I was just-¡±

    ¡°Were totally gonna mop the floor with you!¡± Zack cheered.

    ¡°Zack wait I-¡±

    ¡°Alright! then lets see what the Alley of Justice got!¡± Jack cheered toward the crowd.

    And everyone went wild, and I felt like I was gonna pee myself! Zack just dragged me into a dance-off. I can¡¯t even do the cha-cha slide right! Oh God everyone¡¯s looking at me! I moved my hand back to pull up on my hood. And I felt all the warmth drain from my body. No, no, no, no! I grabbed Zack¡¯s arm and yanked him down to me.

    ¡°Zack what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡± I whispered to him. ¡°I can¡¯t even do the hockie pokie!¡±

    ¡°Ah! Chill out your gonna break my arm!¡± Zack pleaded.

    I looked down and noticed the all too familiar blue mist coming from my arm. Crap! I forgot it was emotion based! I let him go and he yanked his arm back and stretched.

    ¡°Just relax, I have a plan for that alright.¡± Zack groaned.

    My heart felt like it was gonna pop right out of my chest. Everyone¡¯s eyes, all their eyes were on me. Jack walked off in front of us. While the crowd went wild. I, however, was too focused on calming my breathing. He was getting started, doing something very reminiscent of what Zack was doing earlier.

    "A-and what is your big idea?" I stammered out.

    "Do you remember how to do your parkour kickflips and stuff?"

    "Y-yeah? But that''s not dancing!"

    "Look, I''ll cover that up. Just manifest a weapon and as soon as it forms dispel it as your jumping around. It''ll make a blue mist that will hype me up."

    "I can¡¯t do that! E-everyones watching me!" I cried.

    "You don''t really have a choice. We¡¯re already here, and if you just leave there gonna be looking at you a lot harder. Just close your eyes."

    "Just close my eyes..?"

    "Yeah, I''ll work with whatever you give me. Just go."

    He looked me in my eyes, and I looked into his. We stared at each other for a moment, and then I quickly looked away, losing our battle of wills.

    "Not like I have much of a choice.."

    "That''s the spirit! Just trust me." He snickered.

    I looked up and I saw a jaw-dropping sight. Snowflakes! Like fully detailed snowflakes were floating around the crowd. It was beautiful. It was like a Christmas movie! All the while Jack danced under the falling snow that glittered the field.

    "Show off¡­" Zack grumbled.

    ¡°You sure, you sure you want to rely on me? You¡¯d be better calling over weis or something ya know?¡±

    ¡°You think I can find weis by the time Jacks done?¡± He said as he gave me a look.

    ¡°Right, I just-¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Besides!¡± I felt Zack move his arm around me. ¡°Were in this together! The ultimate tag team duo!¡±

    Suddenly the crowd lit ablaze with cheers and praise. While Jack raised his arms high in the air, which only made the crowd go wilder.

    ¡°And now it¡¯s time for the Alley of Justice to clap back with some fiery moves!¡±

    The voice boomed from the bubbles around us. And I felt my knees buckle. Just when I thought I was relaxed. Their eyes were all on me again. I shook slightly and I felt Zack¡¯s arm slowly remove itself from me.

    ¡°Just close your eyes and go.¡±

    Zack whispered to me. I took a breath and staggered forward. Here goes nothing I guess.

    I heard the crowd cheering for me, and I tried to cleanse my mind. You want to be more like him right? Someone who can face a crowd, someone who doesn¡¯t shake or tremble even without my mask. Then you have to go!

    I opened my eyes and ran forward. I started to summon a sword in both my hands and as soon as it was about to be finished, I dispelled it. I swung my hands in front of me and did a front flip. The glitter from my summoning flew around me in the sky. I also activated my strength to send me high into the air, and give my body the blue mist.

    I forced a smile on my face as I looked over the crowd. But I couldn¡¯t hear them. Everything was silent, it was like I was frozen for this one moment. I was doing this, I was really doing this! With my eyes wide open to the crowd!

    Mom, I hope you¡¯re watching me! I hope you can see! I¡¯m not gonna hide away anymore!

    I landed on the ground and kneeled down as I felt an intense heat coming from behind me. I looked up, and I saw the blazing green flares of Zack coming from the sky. He landed down in front of me and immediately rolled down over his shoulder. Then quickly began to spin around like a top on the ground. I quickly got up and darted forward, then jumped into the air. I could see him coming up to a single handstand. And I immediately spun my body around over him and did a corkscrew. All the while I summoned and dispelled my weapons, and used my super strength mist. I landed down in front of Zack, and then I felt Zack hands on my shoulder as he frog leaped over me. Landing on the air. He turned back to face me and nodded for me to come up. I leaped up to him.

    ¡°Pretend to fight master Zack.¡± I heard a voice whisper in my left ear.

    Clever to use beans invisibility like this. I smiled excitedly and nodded. I summoned twin blades, and went down to strike him and missed on purpose. He gave me a smirk and summoned fire over his fist. We both chuckled as he aimed to strike my face, and I dodged with ease. And we went back and forth exaggeratingly dodged and struck at each other. Zack using some cool dance moves to dodge me, while I did flips and spins to dodge him. Soon we came in and both spun around and stopped back to back. I was panting heavily and so was Zack. The crowd started to cheer wildly for us and Zack snickered.

    ¡°So you kept your eyes open huh?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t just let you have all the fun,¡± I said with a breathless laugh.

    However, our relaxing soon came to a wobbling end as the floor beneath us shook.

    ¡°Zack! What¡¯s ha-¡±

    ¡°Crap!¡± Zack yelled as we both dropped.

    I tried to focus and before I even had a chance to regain my thoughts, we both crashed against each other on the ground.

    ¡°Ah, that freaking hurt..¡± Zack groaned.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me..¡±

    ¡°And it looks like we have a winner for tonight¡¯s dance-off! The newcomers! The blue knight and the flaring Wizard! Make that noise for the Alley of Justice!¡± The voice cheered from the bubbles.

    I rubbed the back of my head as I looked around at the crowd. I felt my heart race again as reality hit me. I took a breath again and looked ahead. Jack had a huge smile on his face as he walked over to us. He kneeled down to me and Zack and took his crown off.

    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you kid!¡± He cheered as he placed his frozen crown on my head.

    I stared at him for a moment. His big goofy grin, his icy blue eyes. I felt warmth rising in my chest as he said those words to me. I felt like a fire was growing within me, spreading all the way down to my fingertips.

    He, was proud of me...

    ¡­.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Zack at?¡± I asked.

    Jack had teleported us back into town from the park, apparently, he froze a tree there. We all came through except for Zack. We were just about at my house before I realized he wasn¡¯t with us.

    Jack just chuckled and shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    As I opened the door to my apartment, it became clear what Jack had done. I sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me..¡±

    Zack was in the fetal position on the floor. Rubbing his arms with chattering his teeth. WHILE THE DESTROYED AND BURNT REMNANTS OF MY FRIDGE WERE LAYING AROUND HIM! And Jack was just busting out laughing.

    ¡°No way! You blew it up!¡± He laughed out.

    ¡°That was just hilarious, wasn¡¯t it!? How you sent Zack to our freezer and made him blow it up! Scaring all of us girls half to death!¡± Lux roared from the kitchen. She quickly stomped over to Jack and shoved her finger in his face. ¡°You''re going to go buy me a new fully stocked fridge! Right now!¡± Lux yelled

    ¡°R-right.¡± He stammered out with a nervous laugh.

    ¡°My love, let me hold your hot bod for warmth, I''ll Catch a cold,¡± Zack groaned as he crawled over to Lux.

    Followed by Elizabeth¡¯s laughter.

    ¡°Umm no, you just blew up my fridge! And last time I checked you have fire powers! Warm your self up!¡± She yelled over to him.

    Then, we all went silent as we heard our front door open up. It¡¯s like I forgot how to breathe. I watched as my dad stepped through the door, holding up a bottle of whiskey. He turned to his left, and I could see his eyes get wide at the mess on the floor.

    ¡°That¡¯s it! That''s it! You can steal my money! You can take up space in my house! But I''ll be damned if you destroy and drink my beer with these sluts!¡± He yelled.

    I growled and quickly stomped over to him. I stood in his path and glared into his eyes.

    ¡°Take it back,¡± I demanded

    ¡°Look dude I-¡± Jack started to talk but my dad cut him off.

    ¡°Shut up! What the hell did you just say boy?¡± he asked as he got closer to me.

    Suddenly my fire died, and my heart began to race. I felt like my feet were frozen in place as I stared off into his eyes. No, no going back. Be brave! Be like Zack!

    ¡°I-I said I won''t let you talk to them like that. T-take back what you said.¡± I stammered.

    I didn''t know what to do next, I wasn''t even confident about what I just said. My mind swirled for a moment with what to say next. Then my thoughts became silent as I heard him laughing. It was unnerving. Why, why was he laughing!? Then without warning, he charged forward and slammed his fist into my face. I stumbled back with my already weak knees and fell onto the ground.

    I coughed some and slowly pushed myself up. My nose stung, I reached up and touched my nose. And I could tell it was bleeding. I stared at the ground as my blood dripped onto the floor. My heart racing again, my arms shaking. I felt cold splashes over my body where the old welts used to be.

    ¡°You killed her.¡±

    ¡°Your useless.¡±

    ¡°Your ungrateful.¡±

    Memories of his words and beatings started to fill my mind, and my breathing became heavy. I started to tremble as I tried to force myself to stand. No your not useless, you didn¡¯t kill mom. Don¡¯t listen to him, don¡¯t give in! I slowly turned around, and I could see my dad swinging his hand around like it was on fire. I pushed myself up and tried to calm my breathing. I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack. As my eyes met him again, I saw he was charging at me again. This time with his bottle raised.

    I looked around and I saw Zack and Lux both darting toward me. Fire in Zack¡¯s hand, and a fiery rage in Lux¡¯s eyes. No! No! What should I do!? Should I summon something!? Should I charge at him and stop this!? Should I block them both and just take it!? However, I couldn¡¯t even get my arm to move. Was I, frozen in place?

 Chapter 40 - Looking ahead

    No, not again. Not again! I need to do something! I need to move! But I couldn¡¯t, no matter how hard I tried. It was useless. As I was about to give in, I saw a white blur appear in front of me, followed by a chill that ran down my spine. Jack stood in front of me, holding my dad''s wrist in his hand.

    I looked over, and I could see ice freezing Zeke and Lux¡¯s feet to the ground. No way, he managed to stop everything.

    ¡°Look, let¡¯s all calm down. Like I said, I¡¯m the one who broke your fridge.¡±Jack said firmly as he stared intently into my father''s eyes.

    I could see my dad hesitate as he opened his mouth. Like his words were stolen right from his lips. There was silence for a moment, then my dad snatched his hand away from Jack.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He grumbled.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll replace the fridge, the beer, and all the food.¡± Jack went into his pocket and quickly pulled out a thick stack of cash. ¡°For now, compensation for the trouble.¡±

    My dad eyed the money a bit before he snatched it from him. Jack took a step back and folded his arms. My dad quickly looked over the bills, creating another moment of silence. He looked Jack up and down after he finished.

    ¡°I guess this will do, now leave.¡± My dad huffed.¡± I got work in the morning.¡±

    He quickly turned from Jack and trudged off to his room.

    ¡°You little-¡±  Zack growled as he whipped around toward my dad.

    But Jack teleported right next to him. I hadn¡¯t noticed till now, but there was ice scattered all over the floor. That explains his moves just now. Jack quickly put a hand over his mouth as my dad slammed the door shut.

    ¡°Let me go ya snowcone I¡¯m gonna blast that piece of crap!¡± Zeke growled.

    ¡°And what exactly are you gonna accomplish by doing that?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Let¡¯s all just calm down.¡±

    ¡°Jack, I¡¯m sorry. I-I froze up there..¡± I muttered out.

    My body was still shaking as I rose. Even with him gone, it still feels like his gaze was on me. I looked to the floor and rubbed my arm. I wanted to calm down, I wanted to relax. Damnit! Why can¡¯t I calm down! I felt my whole body quake as I felt a hand gently rest on my head.

    ¡°What are you talking about! You were totally brave out there!¡± Jack chuckled.

    I slowly looked up, and I could see Jack¡¯s goofy grin smiling down on me. He ruffled my hair a bit and pulled away. I was at a complete loss for words. Brave? How could he call me brave?

    ¡°I¡¯ll have that fridge for you tomorrow. For now, I think we should listen to the old man and scatter.¡±

    Zack just grumbled.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s leave then.¡± Leo sighed as he walked to the door.

    I looked up for a moment, and I watched everyone get up and walked to the door. Zack was still grumbling, but Jack just put him in a headlock and dragged him to the door.

    ¡°roigh'', waell say yah on the mohraow than.¡± Elizabeth hummed as she waved bye to me.

    I hesitantly looked up at her and waved back. This was embarrassing. All of this was embarrassing. I wanted to hide away in my hood, I wanted to just disappear. I looked over at Jack again. He managed to take control of the entire situation and put everyone at ease. Even if I don¡¯t believe I am. I felt so much better after he told me I was brave. He was just like Zack.

    I see, I still have a long way to go. If I¡¯m gonna catch up to either of them.

    I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I turned around and I saw Lux, with a rather defeated look on her face.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Stryder, I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there fast enough for you,¡± Lux mumbled.

    I looked her over for a moment. I pushed a smile on my face and moved a hand over hers.

    ¡°What are you talking about! I saw you running in.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Jack can just teleport, no biggie.¡±

    She looked back to me with wide eyes, and I just met her with a smile.

    ¡°Are you okay Stry?¡± Lux asked skeptically.

    ¡°Yeah, totally. The punch stung a little, but I¡¯m totally fine.¡±

    ¡°Stryder, it¡¯s okay if you¡¯re not alright ya know?¡±

    I looked over to her and took a step away.

    ¡°No, It¡¯s not alright,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been scared of my own shadow my whole life, I still shake when I¡¯m around him. And I¡¯m not okay with that. I¡¯m gonna be different. I¡¯m not gonna let him or anyone else hold me back from being the person I want to be.¡±

    ¡°Stryder..¡± Lux said.Her eyes glazed over me. Like she was trying to find something on my face.¡°I see.¡± She gave me a smile and then chuckled. ¡°Thank you, I think I needed that.¡±

    I tilted my head.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well your not the only one trying to change little brother.¡± She hummed as she quickly stepped past me to go to her room. I turned back to her, as the memory of her and Jack¡¯s conversation came into my mind. ¡°And for the record, your the bravest person I know. So don¡¯t forget it, hero.¡± She added as she shut the door to her room.

    And I just sighed. Seriously? How vague can you be..

    ¡­

    I felt my entire body start turning hot, my heart started to beat against my chest like a mallet to a drum. The sweet smell of sea salt strolled into my nose, and It was like I was lost at sea looking into her deep blue eyes. HOLY CRAP SHE¡¯ S CLOSE!

    ¡°Good mawnin dahlin.¡± Elizabeth chimed.

    She had her arms wrapped around mine. Pulling herself closer to me with a huge grin. My eyes finally pried themselves from hers and I looked around the lunch line. Everyone was staring at me. I could even hear people murmuring about us.

    ¡°W-what are you doing here Lizbeth?¡± I stammered out.

    ¡°waell, Oy wanted t'' come t'' say yah! Plus Oy wahnted t'' say what an imaericahn school was loike!¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Ah, I see. Well, h-how about we eat outside. I can buy you some food? Let you try what our school district considers food.¡± I hummed.

    And she gave me a very excited nod.

    ...

    I looked over at Elizabeth as we walked outside. She was curiously poking at her burger patty with her plastic fork.

    ¡°it''s nawt gawnna come aloive naow, is ih?¡± She asked as she squinted at it.

    I chuckled and shook my head.

    ¡°Who knows honestly. That¡¯s why I suggested you get the pizza.¡± I hummed as I pointed out a bench for us to sit at.

    As I started to guide our way, I felt something warm and soft hit the back of my head. I stopped walking and reached back to feel the substance on my neck. It felt like mash potatoes, at least I prayed it was. I turned around and saw a table a little bit away from us under the pavilion. I groaned once I saw the giggling wrestling team. These guys again...

    I turned to Elizabeth and I saw Terry from the team walking over to us. Terry was a lot bigger than me. People around here called him the hulk. He had short blonde hair and brown eyes. He was one of the rich kids, so he was always wearing nice name brand clothing. He and the rest of his team weren¡¯t exactly fans of me. I told a teacher on them awhile back when they were picking on a classmate of mine. Which got them suspended from wrestling for a while. I ignored the mash potatoes and stepped forward. I needed to deescalate things.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re new here. Why don¡¯t you come to our table and hangout?¡±

    I looked over at Elizabeth, she didn¡¯t seem fazed as he moved an arm down her back. And I dropped my tray and quickly snatched his hand from her.

    ¡° Funny prank Terry, really funny. But-¡± As I pulled his arm away he quickly shoved me back.

    I stumbled some but held my ground.

    ¡°You want to do something Rat!¡± Terry yelled.

    I looked around for a bit, and I could see why he was being so bold. No teachers were around. Great, I didn¡¯t want to hurt this guy.

    ¡°Look, let¡¯s just calm down alright.¡± I stepped forward and looked him the eye. ¡°Just leave her alone.¡±

    I made sure to separate him from Elizabeth. He growled at me, and then SMACK! A pizza came flying out of nowhere. I looked back to the door and I saw Alexis running over to us. She stood next to Elizabeth and glared at Terry.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and roll around on the matt with some of your guys and leave the fine couple alone. Just because your single doesn¡¯t mean you gotta be this jealous matt boy.¡± Alexis huffed

    D-did she say couple!

    ¡° You little bi-!¡± He was about to yell something, but he stopped dead in his tracks.

    I looked around and I could see the whole area staring at him. Even his own team was giving him a look. He growled some and threw the pizza down to the floor. He looked at me, then Alexis. He stared at her for a bit longer and I stepped up to him. I glared intently into his eyes. If he thought he was gonna touch her. He had another thing coming.

    He blinked a few times and staggered back. Then, he turned around and walked to his table.

    ¡°Woah Stryder! Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see you this angry!¡± Alexis chuckled.

    She smacked my back and I let out a sigh.

    ¡°He looked like he was gonna do something.¡±I turned to her and smiled some.¡±I wasn¡¯t gonna let that happen.¡±

    ¡°Geez, and here I thought I was coming to save you.¡±

    And it was at that moment, I felt the mash potatoes sliding down my back. I shivered at the feeling and Alexis laughed.

    ¡°Well here¡¯s some napkins, I gotta get back to Isabella in study hall. See ya!¡± She chimed with a wave, then ran off.

    I sighed and walked over to the bench.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about all of that Lizbeth.¡± I said with a nervous laugh. ¡°We have some history, didn¡¯t mean to drag you into it.¡±

    I took my shirt off and flicked the mash potatoes off of it.

    ¡°why deedn''t yah foigh'' back?¡± I heard Elizabeth ask.

    But it was odd. Her normally happy go lucky tone was gone. If anything I¡¯d say she sounded agitated.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I made you feel unsafe there. I just didn¡¯t see the point in turning it into a fight.¡±

    ¡°Yah laeh'' him push yah around and cohl yah nuymes! yah could''ve tyken him, nao one impohtahnt was lookin. sao why? why diied yah laeh'' hiiem off?"

    I smiled softly, and  just shook my head. I took a napkin and rubbed the mash potatoes off of my neck.

    ¡°Just because I have power, doesn¡¯t mean I should abuse it. Plus, it¡¯s just names and potatoes,it¡¯s no big deal.¡± I moved my shirt back on and started checking my hair. I looked over to her and she seemed off. She was looking at the ground, her ember locks hiding her face from me. I moved over to her and rested my hand on her head. ¡°However, I would have throttled him if he got a step closer to you or Alexis.¡±

    She slowly looked up, and I flashed her a big smile. She looked shocked, not a word came out of her mouth. She just stared at me for a moment. I could feel her lean into my hand and she let out a sigh.

    ¡°Oy''m an idiot..¡± She mumbled.

    ¡°No, your just human. And there¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡±

 Chapter 41 - When does the blood wash off

    Blood, I watched as it trickled down from the locker like a sprung leak. Leaving a crimson trail and puddle on the floor. And underneath it was a limp body. And above him was Leo, who was being pulled away by our school¡¯s security guards. I stared breathlessly at the sight. What happened? What did he do!? Why did he¡­

    All the students were swarming around it like bees to a hive. Buzzing around with there phones, taking pictures, and videos.

    ¡°Bro did Brad just get stomped by a freshman!?¡±

    ¡°I heard it all started from a your mom joke.¡±

    ¡°He was like a freaking animal! Dudes a savage!¡±

    I stayed in the flow of the crowd and listened carefully, trying my best to paint some kind of picture. The most common thing I heard was this Brad guy getting mad at Leo for bumping into him. Then things range from Leo just attacking him, to Brad making fun of him, to Zack sending Leo after Brad. Which, wouldn¡¯t be the first time he paid someone to fight his battles. But I knew Leo wouldn¡¯t do anything for Zack.

    Then the late bell roared throughout the halls and the teachers got a lot more serious about us leaving. I wanted to see if I could find someone who had a video of the fight or something. But when they threatened detention, the rush got a lot more serious.  Elizabeth, I needed to talk to Elizabeth. As we were scattering from the scene, I quickly fled to the bathroom. I checked if the coast was clear. Then I gave her a call.

    ¡°Crickay, diied yah meess me oolraydy?¡± She chuckled into the phone.

    ¡°Hey Elizabeth, if you¡¯re not busy could I meet me behind the school?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so bold Mr.hero. buh'' yah should tyke me on a propah dyte befoah we jump that fah!¡± She snickered.

    ¡°Elizabeth, I¡¯m serious. I need to talk to you about Leo. Can you meet me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, of coahss Oy cahn. diied somethin hahppen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it when I see you,¡± I replied and quickly hung up.

    I waited a bit, and then headed out of the bathroom. As I was making my way down the hall, I was almost immediately spotted. By none other than Valentina! What was she doing out here!? I felt the panic begin to set in. She tilted her head at me, and started to walk toward me. Think! Think! What would Zack say at a time like this!?

    ¡°Stryder? What are you doing out here?¡± Valentina inquired.

    ¡°N-nothing really, I just..¡± Think, think! ¡°It¡¯s just, the pizza didn¡¯t sit well with my stomach if you catch my drift,¡± I said with a nervous laugh.

    She rolled her eyes and gave me a slight chuckle.

    ¡°I see, well you better hurry! You better not be sneaking off to see your girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°W-what!? No no! She¡¯s just a friend.¡± I said with a laugh.

    ¡°Whatever you say puppy dog.¡± She hummed.

    She waved off and proceeded to walk past me. I took a breath and started to walk ahead. That lie went easier than expected. Maybe I look less nervous now? Is that a good thing? Gosh, is Zacks bad side rubbing off on me¡­

    I shrugged the thought off and just continued toward the backdoor. And once I arrived I carefully and quietly opened the back door.

    ¡°hy theah cutie!¡± I heard Elizabeth humm.

    ¡°Woah! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± I yelped.

    She just chuckled and happily hoped back. I gave her a stale stare and sighed.

    ¡°Ssshh, keep it down alright. We gotta be quiet okay?¡± I whispered to her.

    I leaned against the brick walls of the school and looked over to her.  And she just happily saluted me.

    ¡°rawdgah, rawdgah.¡± She cheered.

    ¡°So, did you hear what happened?¡±

    ¡°Oh yayh! He bahshed someone''s fyce in!¡±Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to sound so excited about it¡­¡±

    ¡°Guessin yah wahnt t'' gao bayt the Villian daown?¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly. Yeah, I¡¯m not okay with what happened and all. But I don¡¯t understand the situation. And I really don¡¯t understand anything about Leo. So I figured I get an understanding before I talked to him about it.¡±

    She looked a bit surprised. Her sea-green eyes glazed over mine, searching them for something. I recalled her reaction to the bully earlier, she must really care about people. I pushed off the wall and stepped closer to her. I reached my hand out and petted her head gently. Then I flashed her a big smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure everyone¡¯s okay. But sometimes a conversation is more effective than just taking action. I have no idea what that kids been through. But for someone his age to be that stiff, it couldn¡¯t have been easy.¡±

    I felt her whole body shake as I spoke. I looked her over and she was looking to the ground. Her fist was balled, and she looked frustrated. She leaned into my hand for a moment. But then she abruptly looked up at me and smacked my hand away. She stepped away from me and glared me down.

    ¡°He''s keelled people yah knaow! hiies hahnds aren''t clayn! He doesn''t desuhve yoah koindness! he''s a mawnstah!¡± She roared.

    It was like her body was set ablaze. Her normally soft and bubbly voice was now harsh and rough. But her eyes, they were telling me a different story. She looked lost and scared. Her body trembling as she let out a shaky breath.

    ¡°Elizabeth, if that¡¯s the case I¡¯m a monster too. I got my mother killed, I killed stone, and I killed Isabella. Look, just because he made some mistakes dosen¡¯t mean that defines who he is.¡±

    ¡°Lair..¡± She grumbled.¡±Thaen yah taell me! Yah taell me whaen the blood wahshes off than hero! Yah taell me whaen yah cahn look yoahsself in the mirrah aguyn and nawt say a mawnstah!¡±

    Her voice cracked, and her shaking got even worse. I looked her over for a momemnt. She was so hurt by something. I took a step toward her, and she staggered back.

    ¡°Elizabeth, talk to me. What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked as I stepped closer again.

    But this time, she didn¡¯t move away. She just looked up at me. And I could see tears streaming down her face. She bit her lip and tried to control herself. I hesitated, but I stretched my hand out to her. I knew that look, that face of guilt. Just when I was about to hug her. The wind picked up around us. I quickly moved to reach out for her, but she blasted off into the sky.

    ¡°Liz!¡± I yelled.

    But she kept going till she was nothing more than a spec in the sky. I stared for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts. ¡°Then you tell me when the blood washes off!¡± Her words rang in the back of my mind. I looked down at my hands. I wonder, I wonder what pain she¡¯s hiding behind those eyes of hers?

    ¡°Woah, she can fly too¡­¡± I heard from behind.

    I jumped and turned around. To see none other than Valentina. Staring off into the sky with stary eyes.

    ¡°V-valentina! What are you-¡±

    ¡°Woah! So she¡¯s gifted too. How did you know!?¡± I heard that voice again, but this time, I could tell it was coming from above.

    I looked up and it was like I forgot how to breathe. There she was, Alexis summers! Flying down from the sky with huge dark purple bat wings!

    ¡°It was only a hunch, but it made a lot of sense.¡± Valentina hummed.

    ¡°What, what is going on,¡± I stammered out.

    Alexis landed down in front of me. Her amber eyes are wide with excitement. I felt my cheeks flush as my thoughts turn to mush. Even at a time like this. I can¡¯t get over how hot she was. Her bat wings definitely fit her style.

    ¡°Well, I thought we were snooping on you and your girlfriend because Val was Jealous.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Val squealed.

    ¡°But it turns out she¡¯s like a super detective!¡± Alexis cheered.  ¡°I can''t believe you really are the Kni-¡±

    Valentina suddenly pounced onto Alexis, covering her mouth and growling at her.

    ¡°Be quieter you idiot!¡± She whispered.

    Valentina looked up at me as Alexis tried to fight her.

    ¡°Listen, I took percations to make sure no one was recording us or snooping. But I don¡¯t want to take any more risks. Meet me at my place after school. I¡¯ll explain everything. But for now, let¡¯s go back inside. It¡¯ll look a lot more suspicious if we don¡¯t,¡± Val added.

    I just nodded. My brain hadn¡¯t still come to terms yet. Between Angry Elizabeth, cute devil Alexis, and apparently detective Valentina! Just, what the heck was going on¡­.?

    ...

    ¡°So, tell me again. How I gave myself away?¡± I asked as I uncomfortable shifted in Valentina¡¯s couch.

    I looked over at Aelxis who was happily stretching her wings out. A huge smile on her face as she yawned. Still can¡¯t beleieve this is real.. I shifted my attention back to Valentina. She had made herself a gass of ice coffee and was walkign over to the couch with me.

    I didn''t notice before. But she was really cute today. My eyes followed her from her legs to her head. She was wearing black long stockings with a green skirt and a grey type sweater. I couldn''t help but stare a bit as she came over. Her obsidian locks happily bouncing around as she strolled over to me.

    That''s when I heard Alexis snicker.

    "You two need to get a room already." She chuckled.

    "W-what are you talking about?" I stammered out.

    "My class is a succubus. I can see the level of desire someone has for someone else."

    I quickly looked away from her. Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! How long has she been able to do that!? I slowly looked up again, and I could see Valentina sitting on the far end of the couch from me. Her face red as well as she looked down at her coffee.

    "A-anyways! That night with Leo tipped me off. After you left, I asked Alexis to see her phone. Since you gifted have that battle chart. And I found out who he was."

    I still haven''t even used that¡­

    "So, how did that tell you it was me? Since my real identity is hidden on there." I asked.

    "Well, I thought I saw a blue mist coming from you that night. But it could''ve been a lot of things. Then I remembered the day stone attacked, and you and Zack running off. For a while now it made sense Zack was the wizard, but you were like a fifty, fifty still. As far as I knew he could use you as bait for the wizard."

    "Alright, is today what gave it away?" I asked.

    "Yes, but not by you technically. Once I got info on Leo and then saw him magicilly appear at school with that ginger girl. I knew he and her had some type of relationship. So I had Alexis follow her around while I watched Leo from afar.¡±

    ¡°That explains the pizza..¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Alexis hummed. ¡°I was watching!¡±

    ¡°Leo seemed to catch onto me though, so I had to stop. But hearing this girl was suddenly all on you. It was too coincidental. The boy she was with attacked you, while the girl clung to you.¡±

    "She was so jealous. She was scared you were in love with the ginger girl." Alexis chuckled out.

    But she was promptly stopped by Valentina chucking a pillow at her face.

    "Anyways! The rest is history now. I''m sorry we eavesdropped on what clearly was a private conversation." She sighed. "I just like, I just really wanted to know."

    "I can''t believe you''re really the Knight! That''s totally awesome! You even fought Rex!" Alexis cheered.

    I blushed some more and shifted a bit in my seat.

    "Well, it wasn''t an easy fight. And we definitely died."

    "Wait for real!" Alexis squealed.

    "Yeah, wait how did you even see our fight?" I asked

    "Apparently a few lucky people around the world got to view it. And I just so happen to be one. It just popped up on my T.V While I was cleaning. The ending was really unclear to me. Guess the white screen really was him dropping the sun on you."

    "So it really is like a living video game.." Valentina muttered.

    I turned my attention back to her.

    "How much do you know?" I asked.

    "Well, I know that a bunch of people at random have powers. I know that it''s like a battle royale. I know you can''t say specifically what''s going on." Val hummed.

    "Oh! Oh! Do you know Icarus by chance!" Alexis cheered.

    "Well technically no."

    "Are you and Zack friends with other heroes!?"

    "Well as you saw today. Were trying to see if that¡¯s the case." I chuckled. ¡° But honestly, I have no idea what¡¯s going on anymore.¡±

 Chapter 42 - Two Heroes

    "Faresti meglio a lasciarmi andare adesso! Ti scioglier¨°, cazzo!" Leo''s fictitious voice ripped through the tree lines.

    "Whatever you say lizard breath.." Jack muttered.

    "What is he saying?" Alexis asked.

    "It''s Italian I think. And if it is he''s not saying very nice things.." Valentina said

    Jack looked over to her and smiled approvingly.

    "Precisely, I like your girlfriend Stryder." He hummed.

    Valentina blushed.

    "I-i''m not his girlfriend!" She stammered out.

    "S-she''s not my girlfriend!" I stammered out.

    "Aww, aren''t you two adorable." Jack hummed

    "Wait till I tell Annual about this. Stryder dating my mortal enemy.." Zack huffed.

    "Would you knock it off!" I yelped.

    We all stood around Leo, who was frozen solid to a tree in the middle of the woods, with nothing but his head exposed. He roared loudly in rage as red flares flew out of his mouth like a fourth of July show.

    I looked around at everyone who was just staring and laughing at him. I''d be pretty humiliated if I was like this too. I sighed and turned to the group.

    "Hey, can you all leave me alone with Leo?" I asked.

    Jack just shrugged.

    "Sure thing superman." He chimed.

    "What!? Leave you alone with Bowser Jr!?" Zack hollered."That''s suicide!"

    "For once I agree with Zack. You saw what he did at school today!" Valentina chimed in.

    "Mi senti!" Leo roared.

    "Look, if anything goes wrong I''ll holler. Plus Jack can heal me." I added. "Just trust me, I''ll be fine."

    "No way, I''m staying too," Zack demanded as he stepped forward.

    "Zack you don-"

    "Look, I''ve been letting you carry a lot lately. I think It''s about time I pick up some slack."

    "Zack you really don''t have to."

    "I told you once before that I was gonna be a hero right? I want to be the type of man Annual can be proud of seeing when she gets back home. So I''m staying. Too bad, so sad, you''re stuck with me." He said as he walked over to me.

    The type of man Annual can be proud of huh? I smiled and nodded.

    "I wouldn''t have it any other way."

    "WOULD YOU NEANDERTHALS SHUT UP AND LET ME OUT ALREADY!!" Leo roared.

    "Stryder, If there''s anything I can help with. Just let me know, okay?" Valentina asked.

    "Right! Same here! After all, I got powers too!" Alexis cheered.

    "Still weird.." Zack muttered.

    "Alright, then I''ll let you two handle it," Jack said as he walked over to the girls.

    "Try to not burn the forest down. It''ll be a real drag if I have to clean that off." He snickered and snapped his fingers.

    Suddenly Leo was free, the ice around his body shattered and crumbled to the ground. He dropped down on all fours. And then quickly shot up after Jack.

    Jack stood completely still, giving Leo a smile. The girls squealed in a panic, and leo whipped his head back. Ready to blast Jack with his flames. But just as he was about to let loose, Jack vanished.

    Leos flames shot forward where Jack and the girls used to be. But there was nothing there but grass and trees. Zack lifted his hand up to the air, and I could see the air kind of distort around the fire. Slowly but surely going down and fading

    "I still can''t believe she''s one of us.." Zack muttered.

    "Come back here frosty!" Leo roared into the woods.

    "Not to mention she''s basically a thirst detector," I chuckled.

    "What! That''s gonna make homecoming super awkward." He groaned

    "Anywho, Leo! Come this way, we need to talk!" I called out as I walked over to him.

    "Like hell! I''m gonna slaughter that frostbitten-"

    Zack snapped his fingers and vines suddenly sprouted up from the ground underneath Leo. Who immediately leaped out the way. And got in a defensive stance.

    "Listen, kid, you just beat one of our classmates face in. Even if he is a prick, that''s not cool." Zack sighed.

    But Leo didn''t respond, he just glared at the both of us. He panted heavily, letting smoke and ash fall from his mouth.

    "Leo listen, we just want to talk. That''s all. I have some questions too."

    He looked me over, and then back to Zack. He slowly stood up straight, losing his aggressive intense stare.

    "Alright, fine, what is it." He asked as he slowly approached us.

    I smiled some and walked closer myself, Zack following behind me.

    "First of all, let me ask you. What happened with you and that guy today?"

    He huffed and a small spark came out.

    "Nothing too special. We bumped into each other, and he demanded I apologize. I ignored him and kept walking. Then he yanked me back by my hoodie and asked me if I knew who he was. I told him if he didn''t let go in three seconds, he''d regret it. That''s when he said something about my mom. And the next thing I knew he was bloody on the floor." Leo said without any remorse.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I see, well, he didn''t start it at least..

    "I get he was a dick and all, but dude. You gave this guy a concussion, your lucky Arthurs men intervened."

    My eyes grew wide and I turned to Zack.

    "What! Really?"

    He snickered and nodded.

    "While you were growing your harem. I was busy talking to Arthur. The short story of it is, he took control over everything. The police and the hospital. He said he''d leave us to deal with his punishment."

    "Arthur huh?" Leo mumbled.

    "Do you hear me, kid!? You gave him a concussion for a mom joke. Don''t you think that''s an overreaction!? Plus you called all the attention to yourself."

    I kept staring at Zack. This whole time I was running around, he was out here taking responsibility!? Not only that, he was talking sense to the kid! I wonder if the world was gonna catch on fire next...

    "There are a few things in this world I will not tolerate." He glared at Zack as he spoke. His blue eyes seem to shine as he did. "And disrespecting my mother is one thing I will never allow to stand." He growled, baring his sharp teeth as he spoke.

    "I can understand that. But still, you shouldn''t just lash out at people like that."

    He didn''t respond to us, he just continued to glare at me.

    "I will not yield to this." Leo finally responded. "If you''re here to punish me, then do it. I''ll accept it. But I will not take it back."

    "Leo, tell me, why is it that you''re here? Your no swordsman, and I am nowhere near the strongest person in this game. So why? Why come here with the swordsman and challenge me?"

    He looked into my eyes for a moment. And I watched as his defiant glare slowly softened. Then he quickly looked away from me.

    "I watched that video of you. The video of you fighting stone. You had nothing to gain in that fight. And you sent Zack to save the civilians, while you took a beating. You could''ve ran away, or tagged teamed him. Yet you chose the option safest for the people. Even after they attacked you, you still pressed on for them." He trailed off and slowly faced me again. "Even coming here, I saw where you lived, and how you lived. You weren''t full of pride,nor being sponsored to help people by Arthur. You were genuine."

    "Is this some kind of love confession?" Zack whispered to me.

    I jumped some and looked over at Zack. Who had a dead serious look on his face.

    "W-what!?" I Squealed.

    "I mean, it''s none of my business if he swings like that.." Zack muttered.

    Leo growled.

    "No, you idiot! I came here to see if I can change! If I can learn to be a hero."

    Zack and I both became speechless. Staring wide-eyed at him. The kid who attacked me and Valentina, the guy who bashed someone''s face into a locker! He wants to be a hero!? There was silence for a while. Then it was suddenly broken by Zack''s uncontrollable laughter.

    "Zack come on! Don''t laugh at him!" I said as I yanked his vest.

    "Oh my gosh! No! No! That''s hilarious!" He cried as he held onto his side.

    "You gotta problem with that dumbledore!" Leo roared.

    Zack took a breath and rubbed a tear from his eye.

    "Kid, you bashed some guys face into the wall with no remorse."

    "He deserved it!" Leo roared back.

    "Yeah, for insulting your mom right? But let me ask you, do you think your mom would be proud of that?" He asked in a more relaxed tone.

    "What do you know?"

    "Listen, I was just like you before I met this loser over here," Zack said as he pointed back to me with his thumb.

    "In fact, we met when I tried to rob him and his mom."

    "Your point?" Leo groaned.

    "My sister, she''s been sick beyond help for years. She''s the one who convinced me to go to school every day when my parents didn''t care. She''d be the one to listen to me when I wanted to cry about my day. She even gave me a hard smack with her weak little arms when I started smoking in middle school."

    "That''s nice and all, but what does that-"

    "Hey, did I say I was finished? Geez, kids nowadays, I tell ya. Anyways, my point is, I''d do anything for my sister. And when she found out the stuff I was doing to save her. She was devastated. I''m still pissed at Mr.Knight in shining armor over here for telling her. She told me she''d rather stay in bed forever then watch me throw my life away. Me and you are one and the same. I''m where I''m at today because of her encouragement, and Stryders idiotic faith in me. So if you''re here to change, I know you can."

    Leo looked speechless. He stared up at Zack in awe, but I couldn''t blame him. I was in the same boat over here. Then Zack flicked his head.

    "So don''t go throwing away your chance to change over some prick in school. I''m sure your mom wouldn''t want that."

    Leo growled and glared at Zack.

    "You''re wiser than I had anticipated, I''ll consider your words. But I will make no promises."

    "Geez kid, can you talk like a normal thirteen-year-old!? I didn''t anticipate this, I''ll consider your words. Blah, blah blah, you sound like some old hardened vet who can''t get over nom or something."

    Leo growled again, and I stepped forward. Resting a gentle hand on Zack''s shoulder.

    "Forgive him, he''s still learning how to not talk like a thirteen-year-old."

    "Oh screw you man, I sounded like a chad just now."

    "Leo, would you mind telling us why your mom''s such a sensitive topic?"

    He looked me over some, then he looked to Zack. He seemed to be thinking about something.

    "I''ll respect the vulnerability you''ve all shared with me. By sharing myself. But I''m not comfortable with giving details just yet." He replied as he folded his arms.

    "That''s perfectly fine. Thank you." I replied.

    "My mother was murdered by my father for her wealth and status. Growing up he always made life very difficult. Trying to groom me and my brother to succeed for the family."

    "Woah, that''s pretty intense," Zack muttered.

    "What do you mean by succeeding for the family?" I asked.

    "My family is part of the mafia. Well, my mom''s side of the family is anyways. My dad married into it. And it was clear all he wanted was money. A few years ago, he faked an attack on the family. Which got my mother killed in a shoot out. Then he weaseled his way up, till he was practically in charge. It was then I realized, he wasn''t normal. He is what we call an ancient, one of the people who had powers before this game started. He''s powerful, not only in the game but with his connections too."

    I nodded and sighed.

    "I see, I''m sorry you had to go through that."

    "I''m not gonna become him, I''m gonna be different. My mother deserves justice. And nothing less!" He declared as he balled his fist.

    His eyes were bold and determined. Not a single area of weakness on his face. I can''t imagine what type of hell he had to grow up in. What type of hell his mom tried to save him from.

    "Geez, that sounds like a comic book backstory.." Zack muttered, and I elbowed him.

    "Dude!" I grumbled

    "Phoenix wing is the only group actually pushing my father''s advancements back at the moment."

    "Whose that exactly?" I asked.

    "A team like yours actually," Leo added.

    "I heard their leader Gilda and Rex are evenly matched." Zack chimed in.

    "What! Seriously!?" I yelped.

    This is real, people on Rex''s level are just roaming around! What if they want to challenge me!? What could I do!? Could Jack even fight them!?

    "Why did you choose us over Gilda then? Were so not on their level." Zack asked, which brought me out from my thoughts.

    Huh, that was actually a good question. I''m starting to think he does have a brain.

    "While Gilda has good intentions. He''s still known as the devil to players. He''s underhanded and clever. He will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. His goals are usually noble, but still. He reminds me too much of my father. But you." Leo said as he turned toward me. "You really do have the heart of a hero."

    Before I could even speak, I felt Zack move his arms around me.

    "Well, you are in luck! Because our hero boy can definitely sissy you up to be the greatest goody two shoes!" Zack cheered.

    "I-I can''t promise any of that alright," I said as I shoved Zack off me. "What I can promise is, if you want to change. I can support you. Changing doesn''t work like changing clothes." I looked to my hand and started thinking about my change. "It starts with asking yourself what type of person you want to be. And really defining that image. Then it takes hard work. It won''t happen overnight, and it won''t be easy. It''ll be easier to just quit. But real strength comes from pushing forward even when it''s hard. And with that. I promise we can be by your side while you define that image. But I''m not magic."

    "I''m aware. I knew I couldn''t do the same thing and expect different results. That''s why I came here. With people, I know who would want to guide me."

    "Sounds like to me, you''ve already taken the first step." Zack hummed.

    "With that I''d like to say. Welcome to Alley of justice, Leo."

    I stepped forward toward him. Holding out my hand for him to shake. He looked up at me starry-eyed. Not a word from his mouth.

    "You sure about this? I could bash someone else''s skull it." Leo said with a smirk.

    "Think of this as your punishment. You''re gonna be stuck with me and Zack." I snickered.

    "Don''t blame me if I burn the house down then." He said as he took my hand with his own rough hand.

    Well, I guess we''ve got a dragon now.

 Chapter 43 - The Flying Dutchman

    "So Leo, what can you tell me about Lizbeth?"

    I relaxed on beans back, moving my arms behind my head as I looked up at the clouds above us. Bean had molded his back into having rough walls around it, kind of like a boat. The walls were white and smooth to the touch. It reminded me of an armadillo shell.

    I looked over to Leo who had his hands folded in the corner. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be thinking. He took a breath, letting a small flare fall out from his mouth. He then opened his eyes and looked into mine. Giving me a very serious look.

    "I''m not gonna tell you anything." He said firmly.

    I sat up rather quickly and stared at him.

    "What!? Why not!?"

    "Don''t worry about it." He said dismissively. "I have my reasons."

    "Still a little douche huh pretty boy?" Zack sighed from atop Bean''s head.

    I groaned and stared at Leo. Who gave me a rather plain stare back, until he closed his eyes again. Not saying another word. I sighed and laid back on Bean. Well, that confirms that there''s something up with Elizabeth. But what could it be?

    "Yah taell me whaen the blood wahshes off than hero! Yah taell me whaen yah cahn look yoahsself in the mirrah aguyn and nawt say a mawnstah!"

    A monster? She was so sweet, what could she be feeling so guilty over. Actually come to think of it. She did silence Leo when he was trying to tell me something about her, what did he call her again? A Siren? I moved my thumb to my face and started chewing on my nail. I wonder what that means. Sirens are known to lure men at sea to there deaths right?

    So let''s lay everything out in front of me. She''s known as the Siren, every time I''ve shown mercy today she was shocked. And she asked me when does the blood wash off, and when can you look at yourself again. She even called herself a monster, plus she told me that she was really poor back home. Looking at this just for what it is, I''d say she feels guilty for someone she killed. There''s also the chance that she wanted to kill me. Sirens are known to kill men, so maybe I was on her list. Then again she had a good chance to do this earlier. That is, unless she knew Alexis and Valentina were there. No, that freak out she had. I doubt she''d be like that if she knew people were watching...

    Well the real question is, what will I do with this information. I was literally just a flight away from our fight. And if I don''t go all in, Lux was gonna die. I sighed.

    "Why is my life like this.."

    "If you''re wondering why you were blessed with a harem of women while I''m not. I''d like to know that answer myself." Zack grumbled.

    I sighed.

    "Why can''t you be getting challenged by swordsmen?" I muttered.

    "Hey, if fighting some lame swordsman means I can swim in a sea of babes, then it''s totally worth it. Besides, if it were me, I would''ve clapped them already. I''d walk up for a handshake, and then, pocket sword!" Zack cheered.

    "Pocket sword?" I asked.

    "No, wait! FINGER BLADES! Wait no, no sword breath!" Zack snickered.

    "To think some goddess thought it was a bright idea to make you conjure fire..." I huffed.

    "She just knew how hot I was," Zack said smugly.

    "More like how full of hot air you are..."

    "You two.." Leo grumbled.

    "I know you''re not talking when you''re body''s built like Bowser Jr."

    Leo groaned.

    "I don''t even know who that is.."

    "Your kidding, right? You''ve never played Mario before?"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "What part of grooming me all my childhood did you not understand. We didn''t get to play games or watch cartoons."

    "What did you do in your spare time?" I asked.

    "Read and plot murder," Leo muttered.

    "Geez, it''s like we''re raising our own Hannibal.."

    "Finally, a reference I understand." Leo sighed.

    "That''s unsettling. .." Zack mumbled as he faced forward again.

    Soon enough we were back, flying over the arena. I sat up and leaned over the wall. I stared down at the destroyed buildings from my match with Isabella. My stomach dropped a bit as I remembered it. I needed to try my hardest, but I also needed to help Elizabeth...

    I scanned the area until my eyes landed on a familiar ship. I could see somebody on it. But I wasn''t sure if that was her or not. She was like a spec from our perspective.

    I stood up and stretched, mentally preparing myself. I spent this whole time thinking about figuring her life out. I hadn''t even thought about a battle strategy. Welp, I got like three minutes, let''s think.

    She can fly and telekinetically control her ship. But not all of her ship, she did say she could only load the cannons, not fire them. That proves she doesn''t have full control. But still, I have no idea to what extent. Plus I need to remember her titles, she''s a swordsman and the Siren. I wonder if she has a murderous song? Heck, I wonder if her sword has some secret abilities. She''s a pirate archtype. And they''re pretty sneaky. I sighed as Zack started to lower Bean down to the ship.

    So I need to avoid getting on or near her ship, maybe even use the buildings to hide in. I can''t fight well airborne. So drawing her in would be a wise choice. Plus she can''t fire her cannons without being on her ship. So if I draw her away, the ship loses all its advantages. Then, I can turn this into my playground. I moved my backpack off from my back and grabbed some paper from it. Just in case I''ll stuff my ears before the fight. And when I win, I''ll talk to her.

    As we came down, I could see the familiar happy glow of Elizabeth. It was like earlier today never happened. I looked her over curiously as we landed. I hopped off and I saw Elizabeth jump off her ship. The wind coiling around her as I watched her descend down from the sky, landing right in front of me. Her beautiful sea-green eyes staring back into mine.

    "Oye! sohry faw floyin awhy eahlier, some old maemohoys cuyme up. buh'' Oy''m ooll bettah naow!" She said with a nervous laugh.

    "That''s alright, really. I''m just glad you''re okay. Maybe after this, we can go get dinner like we planned, just the two of us and talk."

    "Oh? Is someone askin me on a duyte?" She teased.

    I felt my cheeks flush and I immediately looked away. No, focus. Don''t get flustered. I took a breath and turned back to her.

    "Liz, I''m worried about you," I replied.

    And for a moment. The mask fell off. She looked lost, confused even. She immediately stepped away and looked down to the ground.

    "Whoy cahn''t yah just layve ih'' alone.." She muttered. I felt a huge gust of wind come in and circle around her like a tornado. Before I could even react. She shot up into the sky. "The foigh'' stahts naow!"

    I guarded my eyes from the intense gust Watching Liz swiftly shoot up and then elegantly land on her ship''s railing. A loud creaking roared through the area as her ship slowly rose from the water. The water below the ship turning wild as she flew up, sending it out like rain around me. But I didn''t move, I just stared up at her. Watching her glare down at me.

    "I get it," I mumbled.

    If I''m gonna get close to her. If I''m gonna be able to breakthrough. I need to win.

    "Holy crap! The hell did you say to her Stryder!? Did you use one of my pick up lines!?" Zack called out, but I didn''t respond.

    I just turned to look at Leo, who was just staring back at me from Bean. You''re testing me, aren''t you Leo?

    I slowly turned back to Elizabeth. Watching as her ship turned toward me. I activated my super strength and started condensing it into my legs.

    I took a breath and turned to my abandoned playground. Jack, Arthur, Zack, and Leo. Everyones expecting so much from me. Every step I take, every choice I make. It''s all eyes on me. I balled my fist and leaped forward into the city. And right now, I bet deep down Elizabeth wants me to keep reaching out to her. No, I saw it in her eyes. She''s screaming for someone to grab her hand. And no matter what it takes, I''m gonna reach out to her!

    I bounded like a bunny, further and further into the city. Once I felt I was far enough, I Leaped behind some buildings and hid. I summoned a small shiny shiel and moved it just barely around the corner of the building. Then I carefully watched its reflection. I could see her and her ship flying into the city now. Maybe I can climb up and intercept her. Try and end it in one shot...

    "Hoidin ahh ya!? theenk Oy''m gawnna come in and seahch huh? waell, Oy gawt somethin faw yah haerao! " she roared.

    I continued to watch, a little thrown off by what she said. Did she really read me that easily? Then I saw something odd. Ropes were thrown down from the sides of the ship. I watched curiously as three on each side came down to the ground. Elizabeth just lowered herself down onto the deck of her ship. Leaving her out of view. But then, I saw my worst nightmare sliding down.

    Skeletons and Zombies! Real skeletons and zombies were sliding down from the ropes! I was speechless. My eyes stuck on the zombies. It was like their skin was just barely holding onto the bones. Its sagged and shaked with a dark molding color. Then my eyes shifted to the skeletons. They all seem to have a worn red residue on their bones. Like it was dried blood. And if it was blood, whose was it? But the worst part, was that they were sliding down in the truckloads! She had a whole undead army!

    "No way..." I mumbled.

    Wait, I''ve heard about this before. The flying dutchman having an undead crew. I wonder, I wonder if the blood she was talking about. Did, did she have to make this army!? And if she did, can that happen to me if I lose!?

    Either way, this makes her a necromancer. And makes me way in over my head.

 Chapter 44 - The heart of Ares

    Shivers went down my spine as the zombies'' low growls and the clanking of the skeleton''s feet filled the area around me. The undead, such a tricky fight. Not to mention the fact they were all packing some kind of weapon on their backs. If my assumption is right and she is a necromancer, then I need to figure out what kind. There is the chance if I kill one she could just resurrect it right after. Which will make blasting through them a suicide mission. I might be able to draw her out with some gorilla warfare. But my area of movement was way limited. Zombies below and a pirate with wings and a ship above.

    So much for drawing her out...

    I leaned back against the old worn walls of the office building. I looked down at the scattered horde, roaming around different buildings in search. I was lucky the first floor had caved in on itself here. I managed to climb up to the third floor and hide. I needed to think. This was literally insane! I can''t expect some boosted strength parkour will help against someone who can fly! But that seemed like the best course of action now. I sighed and looked out the window. The ship was about to pass by the building. I took a breath and turned toward the steps leading to the fourth floor. Welp. Here goes nothing.

    The steps creaked each time I stepped on them, and I could feel the weak base under them. This building was ready to just collapse. And if I wasn''t careful I was gonna die by this. A bitter memory came into my mind of Isabella. That must''ve been terrifying for her.

    Luckily, I managed to make it to the top of the steps. I waited till the ship fully passed me. Which gave me time to appreciate all of this disgusting place. The smell of mold filled the air around me. And I could see old bags of what I assumed to be some guys lunch on an old broken water damaged table. Well, It was probably lunch like eighty years ago. Now it looked like some kind of fungus hot dog. Note to self. I gotta bet Zack to eat that.

    As the shadow vanished, I quickly moved to the broken window. I peeked my head out and saw the back end of the ship. Then I quickly leaped onto the windowsill and then leaped up to the roof. I stood up and took a breath of fresh air (the things we take for granted in life). I looked up and saw Elizabeth floating above her ship. She seemed to be scanning the area in front of her. This was my chance. I summoned a bow and arrow and kneeled down to prepare my shot. Just when I was about to fire. I heard the faint, yet familiar sound of clattering behind me. I swiftly turned around and my eyes grew wide. A Skeleton was slowly pulling itself up on the roof! I quickly shot my arrow at the skeleton''s skull and sent him falling back. Crap! He''ll make a noise when he crashes down!

    "Theah yah are!" I heard Elizabeth yell.

    I quickly turned back around and saw her zoom at me, followed by her ship turning around. What!? Did she hear me!? This guy couldn''t have dropped already! I dispelled my bow and summoned my light armor over my body.

    She zoomed at me with incredible speed, but she wasn''t faster than a bullet. I activated my eyes and she aimed her sword at me, and I easily dodged her blade. I stepped to the side and summoned a ball chain. I whipped it at her and tried to grab at her leg. But she zoomed up just in time. And as that happened I felt something hard slam into my back, I flew forward and crashed onto the ground. I fell with it and rolled back onto my feet. I quickly turned around, and there stood a zombie with an old war hammer twice his size. I was lucky that it wasn''t a blade. I turned back around and looked for a place to leap, but all I saw was cannons aimed at my face! It was a few feet away. But all five cannons were poking out the ship and seemed ready to fire.

    I leaped without thinking and went above the cannon. And immediately after the cannon fired and blew down the building. The dust-filled the scene and from the ship came a flying Elizabeth. I panicked and summoned heavy plate armor over me. I heard her sword slash against my armor. I quickly summoned a second helmet over my face, blocking off the eyeholes. I felt saved for that moment, but now I was falling down! I went to dispel the armor, but I heard Elizabeth slashing her sword into the armor again and again. Crap! I could only see darkness with this double layer! I activated my strength and pushed it to its limit. I was just gonna swing with all my might, I just needed to get a read on her-Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    CLANK!

    I felt my whole body suddenly slam down on the ground. I coughed at the sudden drop and tried to focus myself again. Did I drop that fast? I quickly undid my second layer of the helmet, and I was greeted by a light brown wooden deck. Wood? But..no no wood! The ship! I landed on the ship! I quickly sat up, using my strength to help make the heavy armor feel light. As I stood up and looked around, I noticed I was surrounded. Skeletons, zombies. They were all here, and more climbing on the ship. Maybe I can tunnel down the shi- I looked down to where I crashed, and the ship was perfect. Not a single scratch on it! Was this thing enchanted!?

    I dispelled the armor and recreated light armor over me. I was shocked, I was outnumbered, and for once. I was out of ideas. I looked up and saw her pointing her sword down at me. I looked into her eyes and I felt it. This sudden adrenaline. It had been years, so many years since I felt this. No, no don''t feed it. I summoned my sword and looked around me.

    A challenge, I only got like this when I''d lose. Just like with Jack, nothing holding me back. But it was different. I didn''t have to watch out for Zack or worry about her dying. I summoned my shield and smirked at the crowd. I hated this. My mind wasn''t focused on saving her. But to survive, no I wanted to win! Without a word, I charged at a zombie. Not a thought in my mind. I sliced the zombies head clean off, and as it fell from his lifeless body, I jumped and activated my strength, kicking the head toward a skeleton that was charging at me with a knife. The skeleton stumbled back and I ran at him. I dove for his side, and as I did, I slashed his spinal cord through and made him crumble. As I rolled to my feet I turned my sword to a spear and stomped on the ship with all my might! It didn''t break, but it shook violently and leaned to the left and I javelined my spear forward. Kabobbing two zombies in the face. I changed my shield to a gladius and summoned another and ran into the horde.

    And I let loose. I let everything go. I sliced, smashed, and cracked everything that dared to enter my path. Come on! More! I want more! It felt warm, my whole body felt like it was taking a hot bath. And I fell more into it. One by one the horde was falling to my hands. And I loved it. Watching them fall before me was like ecstasy. Something I haven''t felt in years. Then I saw Elizabeth flying toward me with her blade out. I leaped into the air at her. She seemed to panic as I made her slice through my shoulder. It stabbed clean through me, and I gave her a smirk. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into me. I activated my strength and yanked her from the sky and spun her around like a rag doll. Then swung and threw her down on the ship. I could hear her gasp and I watched her body jolt. The ship shook from it. Then I summoned another spear. Then with all my strength, I threw it down at her. Before she could move again. The spear stabbed through her chest. And this time, through the ship. Her eyes grew wide, and my adrenaline calmed. My thoughts came back, and I just remembered where I was.

    I-I just killed Elizabeth. The warmth was now gone, a cold wave hitting from the pit of my stomach to the ends of my fingertips. I felt the sweat dripping off my body. If she would have just waited a little longer. I would''ve drained myself fighting that horde. I stumbled a bit. I was drained. I wasted too much on those little guys.

    "Congratulations my child. We all enjoyed the show you gave." I heard the whispers of my goddess in my ear

    I growled slightly, but I was too tired to care, to think. The zombies and skeletons around me all dropped like lifeless dolls. I looked over at the sword in my shoulder. It slowly turned to blue dust, and piece by piece faded away from me like a fog. I didn''t even think about that. I just acted. I let my instincts take over...

    I hated it. I hated it so much. But deep down. I felt great. I thought I was gonna die. I accepted it. And I fought for that win. As much as I hated it. My body loved it. No deep down I loved it.

    Eeerrrrr!

    The ship suddenly made a loud creaking noise. I raised my brow at it. But then it all clicked. If her undead army fell when she fell, then-

    Just as the realization hit me. I felt our ship drop. I panicked and went airborne. I grabbed the railing with my weak strength and held on tight. Until the ship crashed into the ground. And I slammed back into the ship. My body ached, but surprisingly the fall didn''t hurt that much. Definitely not as bad as one of Jack''s punches. However, I didn''t feel like moving. I coughed and dispelled my armor. And rolled onto my back. I looked up at the sky and I saw Zack flying just above with Bean.

    I didn''t say a word though. I just closed my eyes. That is until I heard a rustling next to me. I turned over and saw the hundreds of shimmering blue flares forming next to me. From the dazzling flares appeared Elizabeth, who was just dropped onto the deck. I jumped up and looked at her. And she was still out. I gritted my teeth. These damn goddesses, no respect.

    I slowly crawled my way over to her. Her ember locks all over her face. I took my hoodie off and put it under her head. Then moved the hair out of her face.

    "I''m sorry about that," I mumbled.

    I flopped next to her and sighed. I looked up for Zack, I was hoping he''d come down by now. I wanted to get home. But Zack was gone. Like he just, vanished.

 Chapter 45 - Davey Jones locker

    The dark clouds in the sky seem to be looming over the battlefield. Staring down at us like it was plotting something sinister. I was starting to wonder if the clouds had just consumed Zack now. With everything going on it wouldn''t surprise me if nature itself became my foe.

    I was still way too exhausted to move around. I didn''t realize it till now, but I had a lot of cuts all over my body. I sighed. I really let that feeling consume me again. But I have to admit, it felt great. To just let go, to fight without a single thought. No worrying about saving innocent people, no if I die everyone else dies too schtick. I was able to just be free. It was like, like a bird leaving the cage. I hadn''t felt this since my martial arts days. I smiled some and looked over to Elizabeth.

    She was soundly asleep against my hoodie. Her ember locks laying against her face. I was grateful my hunger for fighting was actually useful. I hated it though. How can someone who wants to be a hero crave for combat like that?

    I looked over my shirtless body and sighed at all of the cuts. I had my T-shirt ripped and wrapped around the cutlasses stab wound. After a while of pressure,  I was lucky my cut stopped bleeding. I wonder if the body modifications included my healing factor too¡­

    "Mmmm."

    I heard Elizabeth groan as she slowly sat up. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her gaze landed on me, and I gave her a smile.

    "Hey, you rest okay?" I asked.

    She blinked a few times, her eyes looking me up and down.

    "Mmm, what a delectable soigh." She hummed.

    She sat up and bit on her lower lip. Her eyes were looking at me like I was a piece of meat. I blinked a few times.

    "U-ummm Elizabeth, you okay?" I mumbled out.

    But it was like she couldn''t even hear me. Her eyes glimmered as she continued to look me over. She moved on all fours and slowly crawled over to me. My eyes trailing over her and her long flaring locks that cascaded down from her shoulders. And I could feel my face slowly becoming hot.

    She was inches from me now. Her eyes staring intensely into mine. And my brain had suddenly just shut down.  She reached out and rested her hand on my chest. Slowly sliding her soft yet callused fingers down to my stomach. Which sent shivers down my spine.

    "Damn, yah raylly ahh built loike huhcules." She mumbled.

    My body felt warm, I could feel myself leaning into her. She was warm, breathtaking, and she was enjoying me like this. I felt confident, strong even. I wanted her, I wanted her closer to me. But just as her charm was about to drag me under, Annuals face came into my mind, and then Valentinas.

    I slowly reached down and grabbed Elizabeth''s hand, then moved her back from me. I took a breath and refocused myself.

    "Elizabeth stop, you need to focus on resting right now." I said firmly.

    Her eyes grew wide, she didn''t say a word. She just slowly sat back and looked me over skeptically. Then she huffed.

    "Hey thiies is suppose tao be moy draym! haow daeh yah reject me! isn''t that aguynst the rules aw somethin!?" She whined.

    I immediately started to chuckle as she said that. It hurt a bit to laugh, but it felt really good to do it. The tension, the stress, it all just faded.

    "Liz, you just responded. This isn''t a dream." I said between laughs.

    I could see her cheeks flush a heavy red shade. She quickly looked away from me and groaned. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "Oh moy gawsh Oy diied nawt just do thaht.."

    "Don''t worry about it. How are you feeling? Is everything fixed?" I asked.

    Her eyes glanced back over to me, and then her ship. She seemed to be analyzing everything.

    "Yayh, everything buh'' moy shiiep! What''s the biieg idea anywhy weeth yah bein shuhtless! Oy thaw'' yah knoights hahd mawdesty!?" She said with a chuckle. "Nawt that Oy''m cawmplinein."

    I rolled my eyes and stretched a bit.

    "You''re the one who stabbed me in the shoulder."

    "And yah threw a spayuh through moy hot!"

    I looked down to the wooden deck. My heart racing a bit as I remembered the fight. I seriously let that feeling consume me...

    "I''m sorry, I kind of lost it back there." I mumbled as I continued to look away from her. "But my goddess would''ve been mad if I didn''t go all out."

    The strange thing is. I didn''t know if I was trying to convince her or myself with that last statement.

    "Nao wohroys, raylly Oy cahn''t blyme yah faw gaowin ooll eow''. Oy was the idiot who ran in. If Oy''d just wited a leettle lawngah¡­"

    I took a breath and tried to relax. Feeling guilty wasn''t gonna fix anything here. I needed focus. The fight wasn''t truly over yet.

    "Liz, let me ask you, are you a necromancer?" I blurted out.

    Her eyes grew wide, she went to open her mouth but she stopped. It was clear I caught her off guard. That was all the proof I needed.

    "Shahp as oolwhys Oy say. Oy guess an undayd ahmy is a dayd geeve awhy though." She said as she forced a laugh.

    Her eyes drifted away from mine. She was nervous.

    "Liz, let me ask you. And I''m going to just be blunt about it. Did you kill people and make them apart of your army?" I asked.

    I could see her bite her lip as she let out a heavy breath. Then she pushed a smile back on her face and turned toward me.

    "What! of coahss nawt! those weah just some bahg of bones Oy found!" She chuckled, but she wouldn''t look my way.

    "Elizabeth, I won''t look at you any differently if you tell me the truth. But if you don''t, I can''t trust you."

    I could see her smile slowly begin to fade away, her eyes glancing up at me. She seemed to jump as she met mine. Then quickly back away again. She chewed on her lip a bit roughly, and then growled.

    ¡°Liar!¡± She roared.

    She turned back toward me quickly. Her hair flying in her face as she glared at me. Looking like a fiery grudge. She got up and leaped at me. Her blade seemed to fly up from out of nowhere and land in her hands. I jumped back, but I was still too drained. I stumbled and fell and she landed right on top of me, thrusting her blade down at me. I quickly grabbed the bare blade with my hand. And I was surprised as to how weak the thrust had been. I looked back into her eyes. I could see tears streaming down from her face. Her tears and my blood were dropping down onto my chest like rain.

    ¡°Moy hahnds ahh red! And sao ahh yours! Sao stawp actin loike yoah bettah thahn me! stawp praetendin t'' be a hero!¡± She roared at me.

    But I could see it in her eyes, I could see the hurt. I firmly grasped the blade and slowly sat up. I could feel the pressure from her easing up more.

    ¡°My hands are red, as dark as they come. I killed my mom, I left Annual all alone in a bed to die, I held Lux back from enjoying her life.¡± I sat up to her and looked her in the eyes. Her whole body trembled as I did. ¡° I¡¯m also terrified of crowds, and I overthink things way too much. And I spent the majority of my life wasting my mother¡¯s sacrifice. I know I¡¯m worthless. But even so, I want to change. I want to become a man worthy of that title. Someone who can really be worth calling a hero. I don¡¯t know what happened in your past, and I¡¯m not gonna pretend like I do. But your past doesn¡¯t define who you are. Those hurts, those mistakes you made. They don¡¯t determine who you will become.¡±

    I could hear the rattling of the blade as her body shook. Her eyes were wide peering intensely into mine.

    Then, she dropped her sword and really started to ball. And I immediately pulled her into me and hugged her.

    ¡°Oy keelled thaem strydah! Oy''m oolraydy a mawnstah! it''s too luyte!" She cried.

    She lifted her fist and started punching my chest.

    ¡°No it''s no-¡± I started to say before she cut me off with another angry yell and a punch.

    ¡°yaes, ih'' is!"

    ¡°Liz, your future isn''t something that''s already set. It''s something you''re making right here, right now.¡±

    I felt her body tremble again, and she just fell into me. And started balling.

    ¡°I daon''t, Oy daon''t want t'' do thiies anymoah! Oy daon''t want t'' hyte myself anymoah. Oy daon''t!¡±

    I ran my fingers through her hair and nodded.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, you can change. I believe in you.¡± I whispered to her.

    ¡­

    It was a little while before she stopped crying. My blood had ran down and stained her clothes and my pants. But I didn¡¯t really pay too much attention to it. I was more worried about her. She sniffled a bit and turned over in my arms. She looked me over with puffy red eyes. She looked like a kid who just got in trouble. It was kind of cute.

    ¡°Oy''m gawnna taell yah a storay, okay?¡± She mumbled out.

    I nodded and relaxed some for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± I hummed.

    ¡°Whaen Oy was abeow'' taen, moy dahd laeft me and moy mawm. And soon aftah he laeft, Oy naotusd moy mawm''s maentahl styte decloinin. Gaowin daown t'' the point wheah we lawst ahh heowse, and could barely affoahd food. Sao, Oy becuyme a thief." she sighed. "The fuhst toime Oy keelled someone, was whaen a rawbberay waent wrawng." she held up her hand to her face, and then rested it back in her lap "O- Oy puyneecked and Oy ended up stahbbin hiiem. Even naow Oy steell remembah haow ih'' faelt stahbbin intao hiies chaest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Liz..¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Daon''t be, fyte gawt me bahck. Whaen Oy gawt bahck home, Oy found moy mawm on the floor. She had tyken too many peells and...she deedn''t myke ih''. Sao faw the fuhst toime, Oy was raylly alone. And Oy hahd t'' suhvoive. and strydah, Oy- Oy had t'' do sao many theengs t'' leeve. It''s nawt just moy hahnds, moy whole bawdy is feelth..¡± She sniffled out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again,¡± I replied immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t ever speak so poorly of someone I hold so dear to me. I like you just the way you are. Your beautiful, and a joy to be around. You always put a smile on my face. And like I said before, I don¡¯t look at you any different.¡±

    ¡°Oy deedn''t believe a rayl hero could exeest. Oy deedn''t buy that yah raylly faw'' faw whaht yah weah foightin faw. Oy thaw'' yah weah just fuyke. Oy intaended t'' come heah and exploih'' a phony, buh'' sayin yah aftah yah faw'' isuybaella and the stohoys yoah seestah tawld me abeow'' yah graowin up, and sayin yah at school tuh-die, and sayin yah weeth yoah dahd. Oy couldn''t daeny ih'' anymoah. shahk tooth shaowed me the veedeo of yah foightin stone, ih'' was ooll the proof he nayded faw yah bein genuine. Oy deedn''t buy ih'' though, honestly, Oy hyted yah whaen Oy fuhst maeh'' yah. Oy thaw'' if Oy faw'' yah and gawt close t'' yah, mybee Oy could prove thaht yaw nao bettah thahn me. Prove thaht thiies wohld is just full of liahs, thieves, and muhderahs, just loike me. That the wohld is just full of despaeh and dahkness and the only thing yah have in loife is yoahsself. Buh'' thaen yah tawld me abeow'' yoah loife, yah myde yoahsself vulnahable. Thaen Oy stahted t'' fohl in love weeth who yah weah. yah raylly weah, moy hero."

 Chapter 46 - The petals in the wind

    A hero, she really said I was her hero. All this time, all this fighting. Did I really? Did I really change someone? Have I really been growing? Elizabeth, Leo, they really changed because of me.

    Elizabeth''s eyes grew wide as she stared into mine. I could see the gentle splashes from my tears landing on her cheek. Oh no I''m crying. Stop, You''re supposed to be better than this. I chuckled and started wiping my eyes.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to cry," I said between chuckles.

    "What''s wrawng?" She murmured out.

    "It''s just, my whole life."

    "He''s destined to ruin lives. He''s nothing but dead weight." My father''s voice echoed in my head.

    "I hated you for leaving Annual." Then Zack''s

    "I felt like mom loved him more than me. They were always together. I just wanted him to disappear, to suffer." Then Lux''s.

    "I''m just so blessed. Thank you for telling me your story. You have no idea what it means to me."

    For once, it felt real. Everything for once felt like it was finally moving! I wasn''t stuck fighting to prove myself. I wasn''t cursed! I wasn''t stuck to always ruining peoples lives. People believed in me. Learned from me. The tears kept rolling out. And I felt Elizabeth slowly embrace me. She didn''t say a word. She just held onto me.

    For the first time in my life, I didn''t feel like a burden. I can do this. I can be a hero!

    After a bit of me crying, we eventually got up. Elizabeth was busy away at remaking her ship. So I sat back and recovered while she worked. As I watched her work, I tried to think of what I could''ve done better moving forward. If she hadn''t run in at me, I would''ve depleted all of my energy. As I was thinking. A realization came into my mind.

    "Hey Liz, did any of your undead have powers?¡± I was so focused on fighting, I wasn¡¯t even paying attention.

    ¡°Hmm? Waell Oy diied, buh'' Weis buhnt thaem t'' creesp.¡± She huffed.

    I watched as she held her sword up, and I felt the ship slowly lift itself up into the air. I quickly looked around and noticed the beams of wood that were scattered on the ground all started to glow with a bright turquoise mist. Then one by one they floated up to the frame of the ship. I stared at the wood in awe, still finding myself in shock over these gifts¡­

    ¡°Burnt them huh? So I really was lucky then.¡± I mumbled.

    I can¡¯t imagine what I would¡¯ve done if I had three or four different gifted here. Not to mention the flex that Weislung managed to beat all of them! That¡¯s literally insane! I had trouble just handling her basic undead army.

    ¡°Hey what happened to those bodies then? Are they gone for good?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Nao, Oy cahn regeneryte thaem at some point. Ih''''ll just tyke some toime.¡±

    I bit my lip as she said that. I was starting to remember what started our whole cry fest in the first place. Those dead bodies, they were people just like us. I wonder how the Goddesses handle this if they¡¯re still technically alive? I wonder if they¡¯re conscious of this, or if it¡¯s all like some dream.

    ¡°Lizbeth, you should let them go to rest,¡± I commented as I stood up to face her.

    ¡°W-whaht!? buh'' thaht''s moy trump cahd!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and you said you wanted to be different right? The first step to change is atoning for the things you did. It¡¯s not right to keep them like that. Let the ones you cut down rest.¡±

    I could see the embers of resentment in her eyes begin to die down. Her hands slowly came down to her sides, and she let out a heavy breath. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Oolroigh''OMr.hero, Oy''ll be a good leettle piryte frawm naow on!¡±

    I smiled some and nodded.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan then?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oy''ll tyke the bodoys bahck t'' thaeh homes. And Oy''ll geeve thaem a propah burial. thaht''ll be staep numbah one.¡±

    "That sounds like a pretty good plan. And I want you to know I support you fully on this." I walked over to her and held out my hand to her. "Elizabeth the Siren. Would you like to join the Alley of Justice?"

    She blinked a few times. Her eyes trailed down from my face to my hand. I could tell she was staring at the wrap around my palm.

    "Are...are yah shooah? Oy could oolwhys gao bahck t'' keellin aguyn?"

    "And as a member of the Alley of Justice, if you do that. Zack and I will hold you accountable for your actions."

    She gave me a soft smile, her eyes slowly looking up to mine. First it was a look of fear, but then. I could see the embers spark in her eyes and she gave me a look of determination.

    "Thaen Oy''ll join, and thaen mybee one die. Oy cahn repie yah faw thiies."

    She said as she clasped my hand. I smirked and squeezed her hand gently.

    "Yeah, I''ll be looking forward to that. I''m excited to keep growing alongside you."

    She giggled some and leaned forward. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and before I could speak. She left a soft kiss on my cheek.

    "Waell aftah ooll thiies haow could Oy nawt wahnt t'' be a hero!? Yah myke ih'' look praetty cool!" She chuckled as she walked past me.

    I knew my face was still red. I slowly lifted my hand to my cheek and turned back toward her. Watching her fiery locks flare in the wind.

    Man, I have to be dreaming¡­

    ¡­.

    "So you''re telling me you got teleported away?"

    "Yeah! Whenever I was getting closer to landing, it was like the clouds swarmed me! Then pooof! When I got out I was above our home in another cloud!" Zack exclaimed. His loud voice echoing off the hospital walls.

    "Interesting¡­" I mumbled.

    "Well come on Einstein, any idea the hell that was?"

    "Well, that''s pretty hard to answer honestly."

    "And why is that?"

    "There''s just too many variables. For one, Jack easily could''ve made some frozen mist to emulate clouds if he wanted to. Elizabeth''s abilities are all pirate mythos based. So weather control isn''t too far fetched. Plus we don''t fully know Weiss abilities either. And then there''s the option it''s just the goddesses wanting to mess with us." I sighed. "If I wanted to eliminate some things, I''d say Elizabeth is unlikely, and so is Weis. Because I''m sure we would''ve seen signs of it by now. So that leaves Jack or the goddesses."

    "The clouds didn''t feel cold, it felt like...like nothing really. Different smells, and thicker air. But that''s all."

    "Then maybe it was a goddess?" I suggested.

    "Well, what if it''s a new person altogether! A flying type trainer is coming to challenge us!"

    Which made me groan.

    "Icarus is an option I guess too."

    We both stopped outside of her room. The talking was doing my anxiety some good. But as soon as I focused again. My heart started to race. I balled my fist and took a few deep breaths. Were just coming to pick her up, we¡¯re just coming to pick her up.

    "Gosh, you look like your gonna throw up." Zack chuckled as he stepped ahead of me. "Let the mighty Destroyer of Worlds get that for you."

    He reached out and grabbed the doorknob. My chest started to hurt as I tried to just breathe. My fingers were going numb as he opened the door. And there she was. Sitting up in bed. Her amber locks moved over to her left side, her shining emerald eyes were scanning a page of an old-looking book. She jumped a little when we opened the door and looked up to us. Her eyes grew wide and so did her smile.

    "My heroes!" She cheered.

    I tried to focus just on her smile, just her eyes. But my ears were betraying me. The faint sound of my heartbeat played in my mind. Reminding me of the sound of the machine.

    "C-can we h-hurry this up Z-zack?" I chattered out.

    "Right, well baby sister of mine! Me and your knight got the okay to take you out today for the mall!" Zack cheered.

    "What! Really!? I can leave the bed!" She cheered.

    Her voice, it wasn''t strained. For a moment, just a moment. A feeling of peace hit me. It was like getting ice cream on a hot summer''s day. It was just what I needed. And I had no idea how bad I needed it till I had it. I missed this, her voice.

    "It''s good to see you, princess." I hummed and I gave her a smile.

    I took another breath, and for once. My body slowly began to calm down. Not completely, but I could let go of my fist at least.

    "My knight, I see you fought a dragon coming up to see me." She chimed, her eyes trailing down to my hand.

    I slowly tried to move my hand from sight. I wonder how much she knew, how much Zack had told her. How much Arthur told her. I needed to come up with an excu-

    "More like a pirate! Our little Knight over here has become quite the women beater lately."

    I blinked a few times as I felt the rush of heat rise to my cheeks.

    "H-hey! Don''t say it like that!" I roared.

    "Well I watched the video of you and that Elizabeth girl." Annual chimed in."I can''t say you weren''t a bit brutal."

    Does she already know everything!?

    "How did you..?"

    "Big brother Zack here got your abuse on camera!" He snickered.

    "You what!? Why!?"

    "Well once I found out there was some battle royal you were a part of, I definitely wanted to see my future husband in action." She hummed.

    "So you know everything?" I asked.

    "Yeah, I told her about the shooting star game," Zack interjected.

    My eyes got wide, but then they relaxed again. I see, she knows as much as Lux then.

    "Can you show me something? I''ve seen all of Zack''s magic already. But your weapons look so beautiful when you summon them. I want to see it for my own eyes." Annual chimed.

    Her big green eyes staring at me in wonder. I smiled and chuckled a bit. My heart was still racing, but I was a lot more stable now.

    "Anything for you princess." I chimed as I walked over to her.

    I kneeled down by her bed and thought about a small knife. I held my hand out to her. But it was shaky. She looked me over and moved a hand undermine. Which sent goosebumps down my arm.

    "It''s okay, I''m not going anywhere." She whispered.

    I looked at her, getting lost in her eyes like I always do. I took another breath and slowly looked away. Getting my focus back and slowly summoned the fancy knife. The blue mist forming in my hand. Slowly manifesting a silver end of the blade in my palms..

    I looked up and I could see her eyes staring in glee at the small blade appearing. The blue mist faded from my hands and left the blade in its place. It was a small knife with a silver handle. A rose stem was etched in on the handle leading to the blade. Which had the blooming rose and its scattered red petals up the rest of the blade.

    I learned that I can add whatever design I want on the blade. As long as it fits the old school requirements. So this is still a genuine cinquedea dagger. Just with a little Stryder bonus.

    "Wow..it''s so pretty..¡±

    "I appreciate the kind words princess.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, I''ve got switchblades prettier. Come on, if you''re gonna do stuff like that, make something cooler. Like, make a sword with Hank hill on the blade!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Be like, I¡¯m sorry charcoal villain. I only sell propane and propane accessories!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who that is..¡± I huffed.

    ¡°I bet you like Charcoal grills...¡± Zack sighed.

 Chapter 47 - The wilting flower

    "Captain America would destroy Tony stark In a one, on one," I snapped.

    "Pppffft as if! Tony would wreck that little boy scout. What kind of loser uses a shield as a weapon!? You don''t even do that!" Zack snapped back.

    "His shield has adamantium in it! Plus it''s the best weapon for protecting people. Something Tony could never break!"

    "Right, cuz the great Knight of the Alley uses a shield to fight." He huffed.

    "You two really haven''t changed have you?" Annual giggled.

    We both stopped arguing and looked down to her. She was grinning ear to ear. I was surprised. I figured she''d fight us and try to force herself to walk. But she seemed rather content to have me pushing her around in her wheelchair.

    Me and Zack both skipped school to take her to the mall. We couldn''t manage to get a weekend free from the doctors to take her out. So we just agreed to do it the next day.

    "Changing would imply that I could get awesomer than what I already was. And I''m already the Chad king Zack."

    Chad king?

    "Are you implying your gift wasn''t an upgrade?"

    "It''s like adding diamonds on top of gold."

    "More like adding a crown on a garbage bin." I muttered.

    "Or adding whipped cream to a burnt brownie." Annual added.

    And we both laughed at that.

    "Oh great, the duo is back..." Zack huffed.

    "It''s not our fault you''re so full of hot hair." I countered.

    "Or that you''re so roastable. I mean come on your head looks like a shih tzu!" Annual chuckled.

    "You''re one to talk when you look like Francine from Arthur!"

    "Says the seventeen year old who can''t even grow facial hair!!"

    And suddenly we became a tourist attraction in the middle of the mall. We got all sorts of stares, and random workers laughing at the roasts they were throwing back and forth. It was odd, I never thought we''d get a chance to be like this again. It didn''t feel real, none of it. Even though I was holding the wheelchair in my own hands. I was sure I''d wake up at any moment.

    "Gnome!" Zack yelled.

    "Gremlin!" Annual snapped back.

    "Gnome!"

    "Gremlin!"

    "Gnome!"

    Geez! I haven''t heard these nicknames in forever! I think the last time I heard them was when I visited her at home the first time she got sick. I couldn''t help it. I just started laughing. I stopped rolling the chair and leaned against it. Letting the waves of nostalgia fill me with this joyous warmth.

    "The hell''s your problem shield boy!?"

    "It''s nothing really. I just haven''t heard you being called a gremlin in forever." I sighed as I took a breath.

    "Whatever, I''m out. You two are too much nerd for me. Scaring off all the babes."

    "....It''s an early Thursday, what babes?"

    "Wouldn''t expect a shield boy to understand. I''m off." Zack moved his hands in his pocket and started walking off toward a churro stand. "Oh yeah, and no tongue you two!"Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as he said that. Why did he have to yell that outloud!?

    "Such a gremlin.." Annual sighed, I could tell her cheeks were a rosey shade as well.

    "Anyways, you said you''d help with my style right?" I asked.

    "Mmmhhmm, speed off my knight!" She cheered.

    I chuckled and started to push her again, going at a jogging pace toward the nearest clothing store.

    "High ho silver!" She cheered with a giggle.

    Soon I started to slow down and came to a complete stop. I could hear the pop music secreting from the place. The store was all white and looked pretty retro. It was like a store for Ken and barbie dolls. I¡¯d never step foot in a place like this...

    "Alright my Knight, it''s time to get you some new threads." She hummed.

    "Do I really need to¡­"

    "Considering you''ve been wearing the same style since I''ve known you. I think it''s time for an upgrade." She reached up and patted my hand. "First of all, I don''t think this place suits you. You''re very active, I think a skater look would suit you better."

    "But I don''t even skate.." I mumbled.

    "Don''t whine, come on! Getty up Silver!"

    I sighed and turned from the shop.

    ¡°Whatever you say Princess!¡± I cheered as I rode off.

    ¡­

    "See, doesn''t that feel great!"

    "I mean, it''s better then the pink bunny shirt you had me wear."

    I walked out and stood in front of her, slowly turning around for her.

    "I just wanted to see you in a tight cute shirt. Show off those guns!" She replied as she looked me over.

    I blushed and looked away. First Elizabeth and now her..

    "What''s with you girls always teasing me?"

    "It''s because you''re so cute when you''re flustered." She chuckled.

    "So not fair.."

    I was wearing an open dark blue and yellow checkered flannel that was a bit long. And under that was a white T-shirt. Over all of that was a new dark blue zip hoodie. Then below the deck I had ripped light blue jeans and dark blue and white Van''s.

    The pants were loose, I could run and kick in them all I like. Plus the shoes were actually pretty comfortable. No holes lining the bottom of them like my old sneakers.

    "I kinda like this, but I could do without the flannel underneath. It feels a bit extra."

    "What! No way! It pulls the whole thing together!" Annual huffed. "Don''t forget I''m in charge of the style choices here."

    I groaned.

    "Well this is the last outfit I need. I''ve gotten plenty of joggers, shoes and shirts. Plus two new hoodies. I think we''re good here."

    "Not yet, one last thing before we go get the Gremlin."She held up her hands as if she wanted me to pick her up. "Wheel me off silver!"

    "You promise we can hit the comic book store after?" I asked as I walked over to her and wheeled her to the front.

    "I suppose the generous princess Annual will allow her handsome Knight to soil his brain for a little." She teased.

    I took the clothes from her lap and bowed.

    "Why thank you my princess." I joked as I set the clothes on the counter and paid.

    Then I gave her the bags and wheeled her off, toward wherever she was directing me. And it soon became clear where she was taking me. Some kind of hippie store. It had the yin yang symbol on the front and on the inside I could see buddha statues, fans, questionable jars and rolling mats. And there was a strong sweet aroma coming from inside. I was guessing it was incense burning in there. Totally a hippie store...

    "Oh my gosh it''s still here! I haven''t seen this place since I was little!"

    "I''m surprised you remembered. Didn''t my mom take us all here?" I asked.

    "Yes! This place has some Interesting plants last I remember." She chirped.

    I smiled some and shook my head.

    "Always such a flower head." I chuckled.

    "Hey, plants are awesome! They can be beautiful and delicate. Yet have the strength to break through concrete. The Pyrophyte plants have even adapted to fire. The Banksia, have serotinous cones that are completely sealed with resin. The cones can only be opened after the heat of the fire has physically melted the resin away, releasing the seeds.¡±

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s like you were reading that straight from a book.¡±

    I said as I started to wheel her into the shop, keeping my eyes peeled for anything green.

    ¡°Considering all I could do all day was read books, I¡¯d imagine I have a good grasp of things by now.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Well go on Professor, tell me some more cool plant facts.¡±

    ¡°Hhhmm, there¡¯s a tree called the Hura crepitans or as the people Native to the region call it, the Sandbox tree. It has the amazing superpower to shoot seeds out like bullets, at least forty feet away.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty metal.¡± As we made our way to the back, where I spotted some leaves, she pointed me away from them.

    ¡°Princess? I think the bonsai thing is back there.¡±

    She just shook her head and continued to point, and I followed her lead.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got one last thing I want you to get for your new look.¡±

    What could she want me to get from here..

    ¡°Up! Up there!¡± She cheered as she pointed to a twin necklace.

    It was black and white, with this leathery type of necklace attached to them. I reached up and grabbed it. It was two halves of the yin yang symbol. One-half black with a white dot, the other half white with a black dot.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±

    ¡°A reminder, I heard about how close you¡¯ve been getting with Valentina.¡±

    I blushed some, but I also felt my heart begin to race as she mentioned that.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like were-¡±

    ¡°Let me finish, I heard you were getting closer to her. And I wanted to let you know that I¡¯m perfectly okay with that. Stryder, I know you better than anyone. And I can only imagine how much you¡¯ve been beating yourself up over something like that. And Zack was rather furious you would even look at someone else. So I wanted you to know that it¡¯s okay if you¡¯ve moved on. I love you, and I mean that sincerely. And love isn¡¯t jealous, of course it hurts a little. But I¡¯ll be happy as long as you are. So don¡¯t feel like you have to hold yourself back because of me.¡±

    It felt like I got the wind knocked out of me. I was hit, but I had no idea if I was okay with this or not. A part of me felt relief hearing that, but another side of me. It hurt, it felt like someone close to me just died.

    ¡°Annual, what we had back then. It isn¡¯t dead, but I won¡¯t lie and say I feel the exact same way still. Things are...complicated. If I¡¯m being honest with myself, I have no idea how I really feel about you, or Valentina right now.¡± I moved from behind the chair and got infront of her. I kneeled down on one knee and looked her in the eyes. ¡°But still, even if I can¡¯t decide yet. I know I still love you, and I am so grateful for you caring about me, even when I was too scared to see you. You¡¯ve been my hero, even now you have been. So no matter what I can promise you this, from now on. I¡¯ll always have your back, knights honor.¡±

    I gave her a big grin, and her eyes grew wide. I could see remnants of tears appearing from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°You''re so cheesy, you know that?¡± She sniffled as she whipped her eyes.

    ¡°I thought you liked cheesy?¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°I want you and Zack to wear this.¡± She said as she held it up to me. ¡°I think it¡¯s just the right type of cheesy for you two. Plus after hearing Zacks bitterness toward you before, and you fighting Stone alone. I just wanted a reminder that you two need to stick together. I really do think you two can do anything, as long as you have each other.¡±

    ¡°Well, in that case, the leather cord holding us together, that must be you then right?¡±

    She blushed a little and looked away.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t done much.¡±

    ¡°Annual, if it wasn¡¯t for you. I wouldn¡¯t have a reason to face my fears, without you Zack wouldn¡¯t have been able to see past his own bitterness.¡±

    I leaned forward and rested my forehead against hers.

    ¡°Your life is just as precious,¡± I said softly

    She slowly turned back to me, and I felt her lean in.

    ¡°Stryder, is it okay that I cry?¡± She mumbled.

    I moved some and pulled her into my chest.

    ¡°I got you, just let it out,¡± I whispered to her.

    She leaned into my chest and slowly started to cry. Her hands gripped my shirt tightly, and her gentle whimpers turned into loud cries. And I just pulled her right into me.

 Chapter 48 - Looking up

    "This is kinda sus, and why do I gotta be sus with Stryder," Zack whined.

    He leaned back in his chair and held out the yin half of the necklace. He turned it over in his hands with a disgusted look.

    ¡°Come on Zack be nice. Annual put a lot of thought into this.¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Zack please, I just want you both to have something. Something that reminds you both of each other.¡± She mumbled as she looked down into her lap. ¡°I just think you two can do anything together. I wanted something to remind you both of that.¡±

    Zack¡¯s eyes grew wide as he looked over to her. He lowered the necklace and leaned over to her, resting his hand on her head. He smiled and ruffled her hair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go pretending like we''re not a trio here. We gotta Annual this up a bit. Cuz the last thing I want to think about is shield boy over here everytime I look at this.¡±

    ¡°I can agree, I know I said the cord is enough to remind us of you. But maybe we can add another small charm to this or something?¡± I suggested.

    Annual slowly looked up, her bold green eyes stared at Zack in a bit of awe.

    ¡°Come on, let''s go buy some charm bracelets with some flowers on them. I¡¯m sure we can rip those off and addem on to it.¡±

    ¡°Not a bad idea.¡± I hummed.

    I lifted my burger up and took a bite. Watching the wholesome family moment. Zack really had been maturing lately. And from the look in Annuals eyes, I¡¯m sure she could notice.

    ¡°Or maybe I should go buy a Gnome charm?¡± Zack snickered.

    ¡°Or maybe I should have gotten Stryder a trash can to remember you by.¡± She hummed sweetly.

    And there it goes...

    ¡°Spoken like a true Gnome.¡±

    ¡°Says the guy with goblin breath.¡±

    ¡°Says the Hippie who has lettuce stuck in her yellow teeth.¡±

    ¡°You shih tzu haired Gremlin!¡±

    ¡°You flower snorting Gnome!¡±

    And just like that, those two were yelling at each other again,  in the middle of the food court. I slowly slumped down into my seat as all eyes quickly turned over to us. Great..

    ¡­

    ¡°Stryder you don¡¯t have to do this, I can talk to him ya know?¡± Lux whispered.

    ¡°No, Lux this is, this is something I have to do.¡±

    I turned to her and gave her a smile. I held out the keys to her and she hesitantly took them from me.

    ¡°Just go to the new place with Zack and Annual. I¡¯ll catch up with you later. Besides I left Zack alone in my new room. I rather him not prank me.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Stryder, I¡¯m serious,¡± She huffed.

    ¡°And so am I. I don¡¯t want to be scared of him my whole life. So I¡¯m gonna face him now.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    She moved a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. I could see the worry that resided in her deep blue eyes. But, I just returned her worried look with a smile. I moved my hand over hers. My heart was racing, and my hands were trembling. And I was sure she could tell how scared I really was.

    ¡°Hey Lux, I think I got a little taller.¡± I hummed.

    Her eyes got a bit wide, she opened her mouth like she was gonna say something. But all she did was stare at me. Soon morphing her lips into a smile.

    ¡°To think, in the blink of an eye you become such a man.¡± She whispered.

    I smiled and took a step away from her, my eyes scanning over the old worn down place. The place I¡¯ve called home for years. No more waiting, no more staying in my comfort zone. I was gonna change, I¡¯m gonna become someone like him. Jack¡¯s face came into my mind. Even with my body shaking, even with my heart pounding to pop out of my chest. I was gonna keep moving forward. I turned from Lux and started toward my father¡¯s door. But I was quickly stopped as I felt a hand firmly land on my shoulder. I turned around and I met Lux¡¯s stern eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be outside waiting on you. Just because you''re a little taller now doesn''t change that I¡¯m your big sis. I¡¯ll let you handle this, but I¡¯m gonna be right here for you when you''re done. I¡¯m not gonna let you shoulder any more pain by yourself. You understand?¡±

    I smiled, I could even feel my shaking body ease up.

    ¡°I love you, Lux, I appreciate it.¡± I hummed.

    ¡°I love you two knucklehead, now go.¡± She slowly moved her arm off of me and walked off to the door.

    I watched her go for a bit, and then I took a breath. I reached up and grabbed the yang necklace. I looked down to it and saw the symbol and the small blue flower. I felt this strength surge through me. Lux, Zack, and Annual. They were all with me right now. I can do this.

    I walked to his door, and I knocked on it. I took a breath and I felt my heart race as I heard him groan. His disheveled steps echoed throughout his room as he got up. I stared down at the floor as I heard him getting closer and closer. Soon he was right in front of the door. It was like I could hear my heart right in my ear. A chill washed over me as his steps stopped, and the door slowly creaked open. Then It was like I forgot how to breathe. I held my breath as the door fully opened up to me, and it was like I was paralyzed.

    I heard his low growl in front of me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me trash.¡± He grumbled as he quickly went to shut his door.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s easy to stay in your comfort zone.¡± I heard Jack''s words echo in my mind.

    I bit down hard on my lip, I could even taste the blood in my mouth. I grabbed the door as he went to shut it. I held it open against him and I looked up. I hadn¡¯t even realized it. But I was almost his height now too. It was crazy, just a minute ago, it felt like I was just a kid. But now, I felt like I was a man.

    ¡°I-I have something to say. And I¡¯m not shutting the door till you listen to me.¡±

    ¡°What did you say to me you little-¡±

    I went into my hoodie pocket and grabbed the thick stack of cash I had. Before he could finish, I held up the money to his face. And then I let it all fall from my hands, and rain down onto his feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m moving out, as of today I don¡¯t live here anymore. And this should be compensation for all the years you had to put up with me.¡±

    His mouth hung open, he had a mix of shock and rage on his face. My heart was still racing, but the pain on my lip kept me focused. No holding back, no giving in. His eyes eventually settled on mine. I could find the gleam of disgust residing in his amber pupils.

    ¡°You think this money can replace what you did? You¡¯ll always be the parasite that killed Serena! No amount of money is gonna-!¡±

    I growled and balled my fist.

    ¡°My mother loved me,¡± I said firmly as I glared into his eyes. ¡°I am not a curse, and I am not the event. And if you can¡¯t see past that, that¡¯s your problem. For my entire life, I lived like I was a mistake because of you. And I¡¯m done hating myself. My number is amongst the bills. If you can ever look ahead from the past. You can call me, and I¡¯ll love to talk.¡± I let go of the door and took a step back. ¡°Now you can shut your door, I¡¯m done.¡±

    I turned around and grabbed the duffle bag on the floor, and started to walk to the door.

    ¡°Who do you think you are!?¡± He roared. ¡°She would be alive today if it wasn¡¯t for you! How dare you pretend like you had nothing-¡±

    ¡°I never said it wasn¡¯t my fault, I just said I¡¯m done hating myself for it. She¡¯d want me to move on with my life. So that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do.¡± I stopped at the door and turned back to him. ¡°And honestly, I think mom would want you to do the same.¡±

    I looked into his eyes. He looked shocked, no he looked completely devastated. He growled and reached into his room.

    ¡°How dare you talk like you knew her!¡± He screamed.

    He pulled out an empty beer bottle and threw it at me. I stepped to the side and let the glass smash against the wall. He grabbed another and some of the cash on the ground and started throwing everything at me. Yelling every curse word in the book. But I just watched him yell and throw my money around. After yelling for a bit, he charged at me. I relaxed though. As he came in for a punch, I grabbed his arm and kneeled down. Then I turned and flipped him over my shoulder, and slammed him into the ground. He cried as he landed like a baby. Yelling over and over about calling the cops. And for a moment there, I just watched him. His little baby tantrum. The flip didn¡¯t even feel good.

    I just pitied the guy, was this what I was like? Crying in my own self pity?

    I decided to leave him like that. I headed to the door and I walked out. I could see my sister pacing back and forth outside. As soon as she laid eyes on me, she ran over and hugged me.

    ¡°I heard him screaming and loud noises! Are you okay!? Did everything end alright!?¡± She cried.

    ¡°Yeah, calm down, calm down.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Everythings all good. Let¡¯s just walk home.¡±

    She looked me over and took a breath.

    ¡°Right, let''s do it." She chirped.

    I gave the old place one last look. Before I turned around and started to walk away. Lux didn''t walk immediately. I looked back at her and I could see her staring at the place. It wasn''t long before she hurried over to me.

    "Lux, you didn''t have to come along if you weren''t ready yet," I mumbled as she got close.

    "Yeah right, like you can get rid of me that easily. We''ve got some good memories in that place. But I''m sure we can make much better ones in this new one. So how did dad take it."

    "Hhhmm." I tapped my chin. "As well as I''d imagine he''d taken it."

    "So not well at all?" She sighed.

    "Precisely, I even flipped him."

    Lux stopped dead in her tracks.

    "Wait, you what!?"

    I chuckled and scratched the back of my head.

    "Oh yeah, he came at me and I kind of flipped him."

    Lux just stared at me. She seemed dumbfounded. Not a word came out of her mouth. She just stared.

    "Something wrong?" I hesitantly asked.

    She soon smiled and shook her head.

    "No, it''s nothing really. Just taking in the fact that you''re really as tall as me." She hummed.

    "Yeah, better watch out. Give it a year or two and I''ll be as tall as your boyfriend!" I chuckled.

    Lux rolled her eyes and walked over to me. .

    "Ppffft he wishes."

 Chapter 49 - Love is in the air

    ¡°Holy crap this place is huge!¡± Lux squeaked.

    I chuckled a little and scratched the back of my head.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I get for letting Jack help me pick a place.¡±

    Lux and I both stared up in awe at it. The building was huge and looked like it was made of glass! But if you looked closely enough, you could see the gold and grey trimming on it. This is exactly what I imagined actors and superstars lived in. I came here with Jack a few weeks ago, I never went inside. But I gave him the okay to help get me set up to live here. To think the day finally came¡­

    ¡°Well let¡¯s not just stand here! Let¡¯s go in and check it out!¡± Lux cheered.

    She gave me a big smile and jogged ahead. But I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

    ¡°Not that way, we need to go through the parking garage.¡±

    She turned back to me and raised her brow.

    ¡°Uh, sure alright. Lead the way then Superman.¡±

    I nodded and then guided her along to the side of the building. Where I used our key card to get us in. I felt like a secret agent or something going in there! Lux remained quiet the entire time, Just excitedly looking around the building.

    ¡°What took ya so long kid!?¡± I heard Jack call out to us.

    I looked to my left in this maze of a parking garage. And there he was, waving me down.

    ¡°For a guy who dresses like a bum, you sure do like the fancier things in life.¡±

    ¡°Hey I take offense, I¡¯m a man of class!¡± Jack chuckled as we came around the corner.

    Then he tossed some keys at Lux, which hit her upside her head.

    ¡°Hey, what the heck was that for you frostbitten jerk!¡± Lux roared. ¡°It¡¯s dark in here!¡±

    And Jack just responded by laughing. Lux leaned down and snatched the keys off the floor.

    ¡°Oh, you think this is funny!? You still gonna laugh when I take your stupid car for a joy ride!?¡±

    ¡°I think you mean your car, my love.¡± Jack hummed.

    ¡°W-wait, what?¡± She mumbled out. ¡°You bought me a car?¡±

    ¡°Well, you were telling me a few days ago that you hated taking the bus. So I figured why not, not like I have to watch my budget.¡±

    I smiled and patted Lux¡¯s back.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go check it out.¡± I hummed and jogged over to Jack.

    She didn¡¯t say a word. She just slowly walked over to us, and her eyes somehow got wider as she saw the car. It was a new, blue 2019 mustang! The last time she had a car, it was basically held together by duck tape and luck.

    ¡°Jack...I-¡±

    Lux started, but she stopped as Jack walked over to her. He moved rather close to her, and my brother¡¯s senses were tingling. I¡¯d throw a shuriken at him if he tried anything.

    ¡°I tried to get a color to match those beautiful blue eyes of yours. But it really pales in comparison.¡± Jack chirped as he looked her in the eyes.

    Thankfully he didn¡¯t move any closer to her. Just as he was about to move away. Lux grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her. Bringing Jack in for a kiss. I was stunned, and judging by his wide eyes. He was just as stunned! She let go of him, and Jack just stared at her. While I could see a rosy shade spread on Lux¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°You¡¯re nosey, pushy, and so nonchalant about everything. Sometimes I can¡¯t stand you ya know. But honestly, I can¡¯t imagine not having you around lately. You¡¯ve really been a rock for me. So thank you..¡± Lux said as she looked away from him.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°You talk too much, ya know that?¡± Jack said before he pulled her in and kissed her again.

    Lux then immediately wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in. I quickly looked away from them. As happy as I was for her, seeing my sister make out with someone wasn¡¯t exactly how I wanted to spend my time. I gave a loud fake cough.

    ¡°Ya know, the others should be waiting on us still!¡± I called out.

    That¡¯s when I heard a gasp of air from Lux.

    ¡°R-right! My bad..¡± Lux called out.

    ¡°Come on kid. Ruining the mood.¡± Jack groaned.

    ¡°Oh shut up you!¡± Lux yelped.

    I turned back around and I saw Lux hitting Jack¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s get going. I guess your friends do matter.¡±

    With that, we headed up to the room. We were stationed on the fifth floor of the building. The hallways here were really fancy! It was completely different from my old place. With stains and holes in the walls. They had freaking lamps and mint bowls on stands in the halls! It was so bright and golden down the hallways. I couldn¡¯t believe this place even existed! Then I saw it. Room 503.

    ¡°Well, here we go..¡±

    I took a breath and held up my key card to the door. My new home. I pushed the door open and I was greeted by cheers.

    ¡°Suprise!¡±

    There they were! All of our friends! Elizabeth and her crew, Zack and Annual. And even Valentina, Alexis and Donum!

    ¡°What freaking took you so long!¡± Zack groaned. ¡°Leaving me in a boring place with no damn furniture.¡±

    ¡°Sohry! we troyd t'' stawp thaem frawm aytin ooll the food.¡± Elizabeth cried as she hopped forward.¡±Buh'' Weis was myde yah haeld off hiies foigh!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my bad guys.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Hey! Why are you holding my darling¡¯s hand like that!¡± Zack roared as he marched over to them.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? We¡¯re madly in love!¡± Jack chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ve even had our first kiss!¡±

    ¡°YOU WHAT!?¡± Zack cried.

    ¡°Jack!¡± Lux growled and punched him in the gut.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook you, you snowball!¡±

    Then Alexis flew forward and grabbed Zack by his waist.

    ¡°Hey now come on. You still have me Zack¡± Alexis cheered with her wings spread out.

    She flapped them and flew in the air, dragging Zack away from Jack. While Zack hurled insult after insult at him. But he was too busy struggling to get out of Lux¡¯s headlock.

    I started to laugh, but that didn¡¯t last long. I felt someone yank me into the apartment. I looked up and I saw Elizabeth¡¯s bright smile. And that all to familiar scent of the sea.

    ¡°Stryder come on! Oy syved yah a sloice of peezza!¡±

    She pulled my arm into her chest as she dragged me over. My face ran hot as I looked over to her. She was only inches from me now and I was at a loss for words. Then I saw Elizabeth jump with a yelp. She turned around and I saw Annual in her wheelchair.

    ¡°Let my knight breathe!¡± Annual huffed.

    ¡°Whuytevah do yah mayn!?¡± Elizabeth hummed as she turned to Annual.

    That¡¯s when it hit me, they were all here...Annual, Elizabeth and Valentina¡­

    ¡°Oh no..¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°H-hey Stryder?¡±

    And speak of the devil.

    I turned and there she was, Valentina. She was wearing her usual black sweater, and I couldn¡¯t help but admire how cute she was. Her cheeks were red and she looked surprisingly nervous. Is this what it felt like to be popular?

    ¡°H-hey Valentina! I¡¯m glad you could make it.¡± I said as I gave her a smile.

    She seemed to calm down as she saw my smile. She nodded and held out a small brown package.

    ¡°I got you something.¡±

    She held it out to me and I took it.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    She giggled.

    ¡°Well, you gotta open it to figure that out smart guy.¡±

    I rolled my eyes and started to rip the paper off.

    ¡°You look good in your new threads by the way.¡±

    ¡°And you always look good in your sweater.¡±

    I caught my breath as I said that. Did that really just come out my mouth!? I tried to pretend like I didn¡¯t just say that and finished opening it. I snuck a peek at her though, and I could see her cheeks were red.

    ¡°W-why thank you..¡± She mumbled.

    I looked back down to the gift, and my eyes grew wide.

    ¡°Oh my gosh did Rick make a new series!?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm, I was hoping you hadn¡¯t read it yet!¡±

    ¡°This is awesome! Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, just let me know when you finish so we can fangirl together.¡±

    I chuckled and nodded.

    ¡°Totally.¡±

    ¡°Oy deedn''t knaow yah loiked books loike thaht! Haow adahable.¡± I heard Elizabeth cheered as I felt her wrap her arms around me from behind.

    I jumped a little and turned back toward her. Her face was just as close as she was before. And I felt the heat rise to my cheeks just like it did.

    ¡°O-oh Elizabeth, yeah I love this series.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you give yourself time to read. You usually work yourself to death helping people.¡±

    Annual said as she rolled over to us.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve learned the hard way that I need to take some breaks,¡± I said with a nervous laugh.

    Oh crap, they were all around me now. I could see Valentina was looking nervous, she already backed away. While Annual was giving Elizabeth the side-eye. Crap! What do I say? What should I do? Should I try and make Valentina feel comfortable? Or should I try and talk to Annual so she doesn¡¯t feel ignored. Then again, Elizabeth has no in on the conversation.

    ¡°Hey everyone! I¡¯m gonna go get some more food and entertainment! While I¡¯m doing that Lux and Stryder are gonna pick out some furniture for the house!¡± Jack called out.

    He looked over to me, and I could¡¯ve sworn he winked.

    My hero¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Geez little brother, who knew you¡¯d turn out to be such a lady killer?¡± Lux teased as she nudged my side. ¡°Your lucky Jack saved your butt!¡±

    ¡°I could say the same about you.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s just  a curse of being a Beowulf.¡± Lux hummed.

    ¡°Lux, what do I do?¡±

    She turned toward me and flopped down on a futon. She patted the spot next to her and giggled.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you step into my office?¡±

    I sighed and walked over to her. I plopped down next to her and leaned back into the futon. We were so lucky the furniture store was practically empty.

    ¡°So, what seems to be the problem?¡±

    I looked over to her, and she had this smile on her face.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what to do about all this. I want to show them all I care about them ya know? I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone¡¯s feelings.¡±

    ¡°Elaborate some more. Give me the juicy bits.¡±

    I groaned and slid down on the futon. I looked over to her, and she just rolled her eyes.

    ¡°I-I still have feelings for Annual. When I look at her, I still feel my heart racing. I miss her blunt honesty. I miss how we used to walk through the woods. Hell, I even miss hearing her tell me about all the new stuff she learned about plants.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Valentina, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°You were looking at her like she was the only girl in the room.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me..¡±

    ¡°And It¡¯s obvious your super attracted to that Aussie girl!¡± Lux laughed.

    I just groaned again.

    ¡°So not funny..¡±

    ¡°But for real though. You have to understand, that you¡¯re not gonna come out of this without hurting someone. And you¡¯ll only be hurting them a whole lot more trying to do that.¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡°Your right, but still. What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means you need to be honest with yourself about how you feel. I know the past is important to you with Annual. But don¡¯t feel obligated to be with her for nostalgia or pity. If you want to be with her. Let it be because you chose her, not because you feel obligated.¡± She looked over to me and poked my cheek. ¡°And don¡¯t let this stop you from enjoying Valentina. I can tell you really like her. So don¡¯t avoid her.¡±

    I nodded and gently smacked her finger away.

    ¡°I gotcha, I just need to stop running away then.¡±

 Chapter 50 - Weislung vs Stryder!

    I took a breath as I tried to calm my nerves, this was the first time I had a crowd for one of these. I looked up as the setting sun slowly began to fade, and blanketed the area in its warm glaze. I guess I couldn¡¯t ask for a better fight scene. In the sky above us was Bean and Zack, plus everyone else¡­

    ¡°Killem little bro! Woo!¡± I heard Lux yell from the sky.

    I felt my cheeks flush as I heard her calls.

    ¡°You''re gonna fight just like the heroes in my book! Of course I want to see it!¡± Valentina geeked to me just a few hours ago.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be cheering for you from now on my Knight.¡± Then Annuals words hit me.

    I looked over at Weislung. He was stretching his arms to the sky with a wide smile on his face. His white hair shining in the sunset¡¯s rays. Then he started bouncing on his toes. I could already tell from when we first met. I was gonna have to start off going all out with him. I held out my hand and tried to pretend like the others weren¡¯t here. I summoned a single blade and armor. Then activated my strength and prepared to enhance my speed. I was anxious, but deep down. I gave him a smile of my own.

    I was really excited!

    ¡°Watashi ni kite!¡± Weislung cheered.

    ¡°Ready! Fight!¡± Jack hollered from above.

    Then It was like a flash, we both charged one another. The flares of red and orange sparked off our blades as we collided. We both looked back into each other¡¯s eyes, both grinning ear to ear. I pulled back and duked down, aiming my blade for his stomach. But he just spun to the side and avoided my attack. Then he went in for my head, and I just barely blocked with my blade. And then, we went back and forth. Sending sparks into the air every time we collided. He was quick, giving me no time to think. All the while bearing a huge grin on his face.

    This was the guy who defeated Elizabeth¡¯s gifted zombies, plus defeated her in the process. And I still knew virtually nothing about him. As we clashed I noticed his body was shimmering white. It was similar to the blue mist that secreted from my arm. But instead it started forming something on him. His arms had glowing white scales forming. Then the next thing I know I started getting pushed back. I growled and tried to focus on my speed, increasing it as much as I could as I tried to move around him. But he just met me head on. I activated my eyes and quickly reacted, just barely blocking his strike. But as his blade collided with mine, mine shattered! I winced at the sharp pain as he slashed clean through my armor to my chest. It was then I noticed his blade, it had a white mist coming off of it! I quickly jumped from him, but he just charged forward. I had no time to dodge!

    I summoned another blade and tried to match his strength. But as we collided, He cut clean through my blade again! I summoned a different blade this time, but with different materials. However my efforts were in vain as he slashed right through that too!

    Then I tried to make blades that had trick hilts or teeth to them. But it was like he adapted to everything I had! We went back and forth like this for a bit. I realize now that it wasn¡¯t his strength or speed, it was his blade and technique! Every time he struck me, I could see his eyes searching my blade right before he struck. Making slight adjustments each time. Which meant I couldn¡¯t treat him like Isabella and learn his pattern, every movement felt like it was out of left field! And then there were my blades, they were just replicas I created, but is there a chance the blades he and Elizabeth have are just more durable!?

    Whatever the case, I needed to get rid of his blade! I summoned a rather large one. As he began to slice through it. I dispelled it. A large amount of the blue mist appeared in front of us, and I quickly charged forward through it and tackled him down! I made sure to pin his sword hand and jabbed him in the face! Each hit causing his body and the ground to shake! I could see the glowing white scales had moved up his arms to around his neck. Slowly going up to his cheek. What scared me more was the fact that he was tanking all my hits! He soon flipped me over on my back and got on top of me. Quickly jabbing me in the face. Then he went for his sword. I got my foot up from under him and immediately kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back. I rolled back onto my feet. And as soon as I looked up, I saw the fiery white lines shoot out from his sword. I quickly dove to the side and dodged, hiding behind a car. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    So I got time to breathe, let¡¯s think. We seemed pretty matched so far. His speed and strength rival my own. But he has me in experience and durability. Plus those scales, and those fiery sword slashes. I wonder if that was just a sign of his boosts? Or is it doing something more?

    ¡°Kakureru koto o yamete, watashi to tatakatte kudasai!¡± I heard him cheer from above.

    I looked up and saw a white blur. I quickly dove forward and rolled onto my feet, in front of me was a three story building. I needed time! I used my strength and leaped up to the building. As I landed on the roof,  I switched out to a chain sickle. I quickly spun around and saw him appear in the sky. I hesitated my attack though. I was at a loss for words. He appeared up in front of me, with fiery white wings! It was like an angel or something!

    He charged forward at me and reeled his head back, and I could see sparks coming from his mouth. And suddenly I was getting Leo PTSD. He then unleashed an unholy white flame from his mouth! I dove to the side and barely dodged it! But I managed to get on the side of him. I didn¡¯t waste the opportunity and whipped the chain around his leg. I yanked him down toward me and summoned armor over my body, then I morphed my arms to have spiked gauntlets. As he came in, I leaned back and rammed my fist into his gut. He went flying back. But then a memory came back from the last time I did this to him. A flashing white light of his sword was in my face. And I was blasted back, off of the roof!

    I looked down and then back up, and there he was. Charging down at me with his blade in hand. I quickly summoned my own, and collided with his blade just in time. And he obviously shattered mine and sliced at my chest again. But as my blade shrapnel flew into his face, I dispelled it, letting the blue mist cover his eyes. Then I snatched his arm and swung him around to where I was above him. I summoned a blade and aimed to stab him, but he just redirected my slash with his own sword. Then there we were, spinning around and stabbing at each other in mid-air! He had wings of course, but I kept spinning him around every time he tried to focus on stability. I needed to end this, I was running out of steam. Summoning those weapons earlier really set me back!

    ¡°Ahh!¡± I roared as I focused all my strength into my fist, and aimed to ram it into his gut!

    And it seemed like he had the same idea! Because for the first time ever, he struck with his opposite hand. And we both rammed our fists into each other at the same time. I felt my lunch come up as I was sent flying! I immediately crashed into a building. I heard and felt the bricks of the wall shatter behind me. Then I dropped down onto the pavement.

    It hurt, everything hurt. My stomach felt like a rocket was just shot into it! I grumbled and quickly stood up. I knew he wasn¡¯t done yet. I looked ahead and there he was, standing up from the rubble on the ground. I was panting heavily now, I definitely wasted too much energy. I summoned an Albion blade. He was still glowing, not showing the least bit of fatigue.

    No way I was gonna win. The only thing that helped me stay on par with him was my enhancements. And I was spent. I stumbled forward and tried to stand up straight. I held up my sword toward him and smiled. Well, I guess now I can fight like an animal till he kills me.

    Weis looked surprised, he took a few steps forward. His scales and wings slowly began to fade like fireflies flying off his body. Soon he was just normal Weis again. He smirked and held out his katana toward me.

    ¡°Eeeveen¡± He replied with a very thick accent.

    I smiled and nodded at him.

    ¡°I appreciate it, but still. Don¡¯t hold back!¡± I yelled as I charged forward.

    He followed my lead and charged back at me. I skidded to a stop and spun around, taking my hoodie off and tossing it at him. He skidded to a stop and smacked the hoodie out of the way. And I took that chance to leap at him with a slash. He still managed to dodge me.

    Even if he wants it to be even. He''s naturally a higher level than me. So I have to trick him. He went to stab at me, but instead of dodging. I let his sword stab into my shoulder. And I managed to slice his chest. He went to jump back and I grabbed his bare blade. I felt the sharp katana cut my hand open. But I kept an iron grip on it. And pulled him toward me while I redirected my blade to his chest. His eyes grew wide and he dropped his blade and tried to spin out the way. But I managed to cut his side. I dropped his katana as I stumbled forward. He then moved back as I fell. Diving to the side and grabbing his own blade again. I tried to quickly twirl around. I clenched my fist and started to collect blood in my palm. His reaction was better than mine, but not so great when I surprised him now! I might have a chance.

    As he stood up and came at me again, I tossed my blood at his face. I thought I was clever, but I was breathless at the sight of him charging me with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Torikkusut¨¡!¡± He cheered with a smile.

    That¡¯s when it started. Blood began to paint the ground around us as we sliced at one another. I was worried my sword would break if I collided with his. So I either dodged or let it stab me. And I used every trick I could! The rubble around me, my blood, anything I could grab! I even started to get the hang of his own blade redirection technique! I tore at him and he tore at me! Win! I wanted to win no matter what!

    And it was then, as the setting sun vanished, and bathed us in darkness. I truly felt how heavy my body felt. It was like my own sweat was a weight over me. The world started to spin around me. I stumbled back, and Weis charged in. And before I knew it. I looked down, and his blade was stabbed through my chest. And it was odd. It was like I couldn¡¯t even tell I¡¯d been stabbed. The only thing I could feel was my exhaustion.

    He slowly pulled the blade out of me, and I looked down. I hadn¡¯t noticed. But my entire body was scarred and bleeding. I coughed hard and I could taste the blood in my mouth. I staggered forward, trying to raise my sword. But even my blade had enough and vanished from my fingers. Then, I blinked, and I was on the ground.

    That¡¯s it then, I guess I lost..

 Chapter 51 - The winds of change

    ¡°That was rather entertaining my Knight. I hope you prepare for the trials ahead. Because I¡¯ll be sending a storm your way. Trials much more powerful than the white dragon.¡± I heard my goddess whisper into my ear.

    I felt this warmth rise in my chest. It was relieving to feel something. After feeling like I was floating in this endless sea of darkness. Suddenly a blue light shined in the void. And that warmth I felt spread all over my body. Then the area around me was consumed by the azure gleam, and then. I could see the underside of a bed?

    I groaned, even after coming back to life my body still ached.

    ¡°Ah come on! That¡¯s so cheap!¡± I heard Zack groan.

    I slowly sat up and rubbed the back of my head. My body still felt a bit cold, but I was getting warmth back in my hands again. I looked around, and I could see I was in my room. I blinked a few times. I was laying back on a folded-down futon. Above me was the top part of a bunk bed.

    ¡°Games are just simple strategy and reaction time. No different from a real fight.¡± I heard Leo retort from above.

    ¡°Says the guy who ran off the map a hundred times!¡±

    ¡°And now that same guy is kicking your butt. Wonder what that says about you?¡±

    I looked over, and I could see a big flat screen T.V. . And behind it was a huge window that was overlooking the city. My eyes then panned over to Zack, who was sitting in a fancy looking wheely chair. He looked rather agitated. I looked over to the screen again, and I could see they were playing smash bros. I never played it before, but I watched Zack play it at some tournaments he went to at our school.

    ¡°Shut up! This is my first time playing in months!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve never played a game before.¡±

    ¡°Could you be a little quieter?¡± I yawned out.

    ¡°Shut it loser!¡± zack yelped.

    I groaned.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one being beat by a guy who has never seen a controller before?¡±

    ¡°No years of experience can make up for that neanderthal brain of his,¡± Leo sighed.

    I chuckled.

    ¡°To think I came here out of goodwill for you, and you wake up roasting me!¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve been better off waking up to peace and quiet. Not yelling and salt,¡± I yawned.

    I heard some movement from up above. Then I saw Leo drop down from atop the bed. He stood in front of me in shorts and a white T-shirt. He kind of looked like a normal kid now.

    ¡°Stryder, is this the right bed?¡± Leo asked.

    I blinked a couple of times and looked over my bed. Yeah, this was the couch bunk bed I wanted.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Well yeah, I¡¯m not used to sleeping in beds.  Couches are just more comfortable for me.¡±

    ¡°But why not just get a couch?¡±

    ¡°It was for you.¡± I yawned out.

    ¡°F-for me? Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, you said you wanted to stay right? I figured it would be best if you stayed somewhere comfortable.¡±

    ¡°Told ya lizard breath!¡± Zack chuckled.

    Leo squinted his eyes at me. It was like he wanted to argue, but he didn¡¯t say a thing.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Leo mumbled out.

    I gave him a smile and nodded.

    ¡°Of course, by the way. Where is everyone else at?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Preparing to head out. They decided to stock up on supplies before they left.¡± Leo said.

    ¡°Woah what? Are they leaving already?¡±

    Zack got up and walked over to me, holding out a note in his hand.

    ¡°They wanted to catch dinner with us first before they left. So don¡¯t freak out, you can still say goodbye,¡± Zack replied.

    I took the note from him and nodded.

    ¡°And Annual?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s back with Arthurs guys. Getting some tests done to see how she¡¯s been handling her newfound freedom. Maybe even getting her out of the chair soon.¡± I smiled, and this warmth filled my chest.

    ¡°That¡¯s great news! Think she¡¯ll be able to come to the dinner?¡±

    ¡°Probably, the doc says she¡¯s doing pretty good.¡± Zack chimed.

    I nodded and looked back down at the note.

    ¡°So, who''s this from?¡± I asked as I opened it up.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve sapped the sex appeal away from me. You¡¯ve got a couple of gifts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s from Elizabeth.¡± Leo sighed. ¡°And Valentina brought some breakfast for us.¡±

    ¡°Which was fire! If she wasn¡¯t the devil incarnate I¡¯d try and scoop her up.¡±

    ¡°Too bad she actually has common sense huh?¡± Leo muttered.

    ¡°You wanna go Lizard breath!¡± Zack hollered.

    I smiled and rolled my eyes, continuing to open the folded piece of paper.

    Dear Stryder, I wanted to tell you this in person. But as it stands right now, you¡¯ve been asleep for a couple of hours. And by the time you wake up, it might be time for us to leave. So I didn¡¯t want our last few hours together to be sappy. So I¡¯ll put all the sap here! I just wanted to thank you for not giving up on me. I¡¯ve never had someone believe in me before. And from how you fought, I could tell you meant it. You really have changed me, and I intend on atoning for my sins. I¡¯m going back to bury the bodies properly. Then help fix my home town, and show someone else the kindness you showed me. Spreading the good name of the Alley of justice! Keep on being the light in the darkness. And if you ever doubt yourself, remember you saved me.- Love Elizabeth.

    I stared at the words in silence. It almost felt like I was still in a dream. You saved me. She really said you saved me. I saw something drip onto the paper. It took me a second before I realized it was my tears. Then more started to drip down. I saved someone! I really saved someone! I quickly wiped my eyes. Trying to not cry more, but the tears just kept coming. I smiled happily as I set the letter down.

    ¡°Dude weird, why are you smiling and crying¡­?¡± Zack mumbled.

    ¡°I-its nothing,¡± I sniffled out.

    I looked over to Leo and I gave him a  confident smile.

    ¡°Leo, I don¡¯t think I ever said this. But I appreciate you believing in me.¡±

    His eyes grew wide for a moment. But he didn¡¯t say anything. He just leaned down to the ground and grabbed something. I looked over, and I could see a brown bag in his hand. He picked it up and handed it to me.

    ¡°And I appreciate you taking me in,¡± He replied.

    I took the bag from him, and the sweet smell of breakfast came over me. I reached in and took out a wrapped up small bowl. There was a sunny side up egg, sausages, and some rice under it all.  And there was a note taped onto the side of the bowl.

    Hoping you feel better soon! I¡¯ll grab your homework for you! - Val

    ¡°Dude you gotta let me have a sausage!¡± Zack cried.

    He ran over to me and sat down with a beggars¡¯ eye.

    ¡°What!? No way I''m starving!¡±

    ¡°Come on! I bought you a whole game system!¡±

    ¡°I never asked for that!¡±

    ¡­

    I looked over the cryptic gate that held the everlasting resting places. It was weird. I didn¡¯t feel nervous this time around. In fact, I was excited to see mom. I looked up, and I could see the inviting blue sky. I took a breath and smiled. Welp, it has been a while, mom.

    It didn¡¯t take long before I found her grave. I smiled at the old familiar stone. I walked over and dusted the leaves and dirt off of it. Then I sat down, resting some blue flowers at the foot of the stone.

    ¡°Hey, mom I¡¯m sorry I hadn¡¯t visited in a while. I¡¯ve been pretty busy since the last time I came. But I know that¡¯s no real excuse. I¡¯ve got a whole lot to talk about. For starters, Lux has a boyfriend! I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s been here or not. But I think he¡¯s a really good guy. If I¡¯m being honest. I kind of look up to the guy myself. Oh, oh and you¡¯ll never guess! I¡¯ve actually gotten really popular with girls lately. I still get nervous, but I¡¯ve gotten better.¡± I chuckled a bit.

    Then I just kept talking to her, I told her about everything. All the pain, all the tears, and even all the laughs. I don¡¯t know why, but I was hesitant to talk about dad. I danced around saying it out loud. I somehow felt like I was gonna disappoint her by saying it. But after I ran out of stuff to say, that was all that was left. I felt the wind pick up as my heart began to race just thinking about it.

    I took a breath and clenched my fist. I did nothing wrong moving. I needed to remember that.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m doing it now. I¡¯ve become the hero I always wanted to be. And with that, I¡¯ve also learned a lot. People believe in me, and they''re relying on me. I can¡¯t keep holding myself back and hating myself. I can¡¯t move forward if I¡¯m always looking back. So I decided to move out. I love dad, but he was toxic. And I needed to get away from that. I know you wouldn¡¯t want me to be miserable. I don¡¯t want to keep being miserable.¡±

    I stood up and looked over her gravestone. The wind blowing again as I took another breath.

    ¡°I love you mom, and I¡¯m gonna keep going. And never look back again. I¡¯m gonna save people, and learn to have a little fun. For now, I gotta run. But I¡¯ll be back though.¡±

    I gave her stone another smile and turned from it. It felt like a weight had just been lifted from me. I wasn¡¯t feeling guilty anymore, no I felt strong. Leaving was the right decision. It was a decision I needed to make, for me.

 Chapter 52 - A kiss goodbye

    ¡°Dude, this guy totally wants to turn me into mostaccioli..¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like mostaccioli?¡±

    ¡°That doesn''t mean I want to become it!¡± Zack grumbled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I already paid your debt.¡± I chuckled.

    I looked over to Leo, and he was staring intently at Daniros pasta sign. I almost forgot Leo was Italian. I wondered if he was judging our city pasta.

    ¡°Don¡¯t judge it too soon, Daniro makes some mean pasta.¡± I said to Leo.

    He looked over to me, then back to the sign. Then he just turned around and started walking down the street.

    ¡°Uh, Leo?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the docs.¡± He called out.

    I started to walk after him, but Zack quickly grabbed my shoulder.

    ¡°I know that look. He needs some time to himself.¡±

    I turned back to him, and he was wearing that rare serious look. I took a breath and just nodded. I remember with Lux, I couldn¡¯t do anything at the time to help her. Maybe I¡¯ll just ask him about it later¡­

    ¡°Right, for now, let¡¯s go talk to him. Get our table set. Elizabeth said she''d be here soon."

    Zack''s hand slid off my arm and he hung his head down.

    "Do I really have to?" He groaned. "The guy looks like an Italian popeye!"

    "Is the Mighty destroyer of worlds scared of a guy who makes spaghetti for a living?"

    "Hey! I ain''t scared of nobody! You got that shield boy!?" He yelped.

    "Oh really? I bet you''re scared he''ll pummel you if you bring up the past. Bok, bok bok!"

    I gave him a smirk and lifted my arms up, pretending to flap my chicken wings.

    He groaned.

    "Watch me! I''ll go in there and tell him what I did!"

    "BOK!"

    Zack growled and finally stormed through the front door. I just chuckled and shook my head. I gotta write the Zack manual one day¡­

    I gave it a little before I followed him inside. When I came in I could hear Mr. Daniro laughing.

    "Well as long as you and your friends order a lot. And pay this time around, all is forgiven." He chuckled out.

    I smiled and looked over the two. Mr.Daniros eyes lit up when he saw me. He gave another hardy laugh and turned to face me.

    "Whatever you¡¯re doing to him Stryder, keep it up!"

    Zack turned to me and his eyes got wide. I walked over to him and waved my hand away at Zack.

    "I had nothing to do with it. Zack''s just been doing a lot of maturing lately." I chuckled as I patted Zack on the back.

    "Well, I''ll get the burners going!" He chimed as he walked off from us.

    "Let''s go pick a tab-"

    "You tricked me!" Zack snapped.

    I blinked a few times.

    "Why whatever do you mean?" I said innocently.

    "You baited me with that destroyer of worlds crap!"

    "What, no way. I would never."

    I moved my hand over my chest as if I was offended.

    "I''m so proud of you. But I also want to make you step on a lego. I''m so conflicted."

    I just rolled my eyes and started to walk off to the back,A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "Whatever you decide to do, make sure you wait till we leave."

    ¡­.

    "Order up! The meat lovers spaghetti plate and the chicken alfredo!"

    Daniro smiled down at me and Zack. I waved over to him in excitement as I saw our steaming plates. Ah yes! My favorite food! It''s been such a long time!

    "Woah that smells great!" I heard Isabella say. "Almost as good as Leo''s pasta."

    "That little delinquent can cook!? Oh he''s definitely making us dinner!" Lux cheered.

    "Maybe you can ask him how to not burn a pot while boiling water?" Jack teased.

    "Oh my gosh, that was one time! I just forgot about it!"

    "Then let''s talk about the time you put a whole box of frozen pizza in the oven and tried to cook it.¡± I chimed in.

    I could see her cheeks turn red as Jack started laughing.

    "Your kidding! She didn''t!" He chuckled out.

    "Or the time she cooked mac and cheese without boiling the noodles." Zack added.

    "Hey, whose side are you on!" Lux roared.

    "The side that hasn¡¯t left my heart torn asunder!"

    "If you want Lux, I can come over sometime and show you some recipes I like. I cook for my house a lot." Valentina chimed in.

    "Oy say yoah mykin yoah move huh? roigh'' whaen Oy''m abeow'' t'' layve!" Elizabeth huffed.

    I blushed a bit and took a glance at Valentina. Who had a dark shade of red on her cheeks.

    "N-no! I''m just trying to be helpful!"

    We were sitting at a long table close to the back. I sat at the head with Zack on my left, and Elizabeth on my right. I mention this because every time I glanced at Elizabeth. Her chair somehow moved closer to me. Her ever so alluring scent of the sea grazing my nostrils. However, the smell was overtaken by the intense aroma of my pasta!

    Daniro gave a hearty laugh and set my plate down in front of me,then Zack''s. I smiled at the creamy sea of white sauce that blanketed my noodles. And the little boats of golden chicken that colored the dish. I was already drooling.

    "Can you two be any more opposite?" I heard Alexis call out.

    "The loving couple even has matching necklaces!" Jack chuckled.

    "Hey! I don''t play for that team. And if I did, I could do a lot better than Stryder."

    I just rolled my eyes and focused back on my plate.

    "Oooh cahn oy troy!" Elizabeth cheered.

    I blinked a few times and looked over at her. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as her chair was practically right up against mine! Thank goodness Annual wasn''t here...

    "Oh, umm sure."

    I took my fork and twirled some noodles around on it. Then got one piece of meat. I held out my fork for her to take. But she just opened her mouth. I blushed slightly but obliged and fed her.

    "Mmm, crikey that''s good!" Elizabeth cheered.

    "Geez, I swear you had to steal my mojo or something.." Zack complained with a mouthful of food.

    "Oooh Zack cahn Oy troy that too!?" Elizabeth cheered.

    "Or maybe she''s just hungry¡­" I mumbled.

    Everyone eventually got their food and we all dug in. Elizabeth insisted on me trying her ravioli, so she fed me a couple of them. Which was the source of oohs and ahs. And Weis managed to get a shrimp pasta dish I didn''t know existed!

    "So Elizabeth. Since I managed to win two out of three matches. Can you tell me about two swordsmen?"

    "Oh yayh thaht''s roigh''! Waell faw stahtahs, laeh''''s tohk abeow'' Arrow. Seence yoah dytin hiiem, whoy daon''t yah taell stryder abeow'' hiiem?"

    I saw Isabella stop midway from eating her meatball sub. She looked around at all the eyes on her. She blushed and slowly set her sub down. She coughed and then sat back in her seat.

    "W-were not even dating yet.." Isabella grumbled. "But his name is Arrow, and I''ll answer any three questions about him.

    "Three questions!? Come on lady! My guy got beat like a crash test dummy. That isn''t fair!" Zack roared.

    "No, no it''s fine. It''s only fair so I don''t just get the drop on him. Besides." I gave her a smile. "It wouldn''t be fun if I knew everything."

    Isabella seemed to relax more as I said that. She took another bite of her sub and seemed to await my questions.

    I need to be smart and careful. Three wasn''t a whole lot. So what would be a good question? First I need something to set me up for the next one...

    "Hhhmm for starters, what class would you put him under?"

    " I''d say an archetype class."

    "Describe what his class is like.¡±

    "He uses a wide range of weapons. Unlike me and you, he doesn''t summon them. They are already on his person. All different magic like items. I wasn''t even able to see them all. But I¡¯d say his class reminded me of  a video game character.¡±

    I nodded. So he''s like Weis and Elizabeth then. He has a sword that he''s had since the beginning. Plus a bunch of other toys. If I had to guess I''d say he be a trickster of some kind. Maybe he was like Link from Zelda, or maybe he was more ninja-like and focused on stealth? I needed just a little bit more. But what would be good for getting more info on that?

    "What''s his personality like?"

    Most powers I see have a symbolic connection with their user. Plus with all the dating jokes. I''d assume she knew him well. So this should be detailed enough

    "Well.." she rested her hand on her chin as she started to think. "Arrow is very childish, and easy-going. He''s adventurous and always has his eye on the next adventure ahead of him. He doesn''t like to lose either. He also works really hard for his strength. His power isn''t what makes him strong, it''s his ability to play his opponent. You two honestly fight very similarly."

    That''s my confirmation then. I''d assume he''s like Link. I can look him up with Lux later too. Maybe Jack could even have something to add.

    "Thank you."

    She nodded

    "And Elizabeth can fill you in on Penelope."

    "Unloike Isabella Oy''ll taell yah everything we knaow abeow'' hah!"

    "Really!?" I cheered.

    "The only reason she can do that is because there''s so little info."

    "Maynie!" Elizabeth huffed.

    "Well, why is that? Just not stop there yet?"

    "Theah''s nao recoahd of hah anywheah. Nao cuymaera recohdin, aw peecchuhs, nawthin. Nao one she''s faw'' wahnts t'' spayk abeow'' ih'' uythah. We just knaow thaht elaectricity sayms t'' be a cawmmaon thaeme in hah foights. Hah veectims oolwhys end weeth buhn mahk''s."

    That sent a shiver down my spine.

    "We only know her name thanks to Arthur himself giving it to us." Isabella chimed in.

    I nodded.

    "I see.."

    "Ppffft, your gonna get wrecked. You got Batman with superpowers coming after you." Zack chuckled.

    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence,¡± I grumbled.

    "Well, we should get going." Isabella stood up.

    "Right,"

    "I''ll pay." Jack chimed in as he stood up." You kids head out."

    "Sweet! later!" Zack cheered as he shot up from his chair.

    The stars were sprinkled around the beautiful night sky. Shining our way as we flew through the sky! Most of the ride was in silence. Just us enjoying the beautiful full moon on a clear night sky.

    Once we landed, we all got off and stood in front of the flying dutchman. FInding Leo sitting on top of the railing, looking over the night sky. The crew walked over to their ship and then looked back toward us.

    ¡°Well, I guess this is it then.¡± Isabella sighed.

    ¡°Well, we will definitely see each other again, right? We are the seven after all.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°RIght,¡± Isabella said with a nod.

    Leo then stood up on the railing, then he jumped to the ground. Standing in line with his old crew.

    ¡°Oy''m gawnna meess yah Leo!¡± Elizabeth cried.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say the feelings mutual.¡± Leo sighed.

    He looked back to Elizabeth for a moment. Then back over to us. I gave him a smile and he closed his eyes, moving his hands in his pockets. Then he started to walk over to us.

    ¡°Oh yeah, and I want my damn treasure chest for winning our bet.¡± He called out.

    ¡°Yah remembah that!?¡± Elizabeth huffed.

    As Leo came over to us, I walked over to him and patted his shoulder. Then I walked past him and over to the crew.

    ¡°And remember, if there¡¯s anything you guys ever need. Just call okay?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s sweet, considering we came here starting problems.¡± Isabella chuckled.

    Weis hopped forward and gave me a wide grin.

    ¡°Fight again.¡± He said as he held out his fist to me.

    I smiled and nodded, bumping his fist with my own.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna lose next time.¡±

    He nodded and moved his arms behind his head. He turned back to the ship and leaped up to the railing. Isabella waved off to me and then hoped on herself. That''s when Elizabeth walked over to me. Her sea-green eyes seemed to shine as she looked into mine.

    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t want to be sappy. But I just wanted you to know that you¡¯ve helped me more than you think. And your letter really touched me, it¡¯s something I¡¯ll never forget. I¡¯m proud of what you''re gonna do, and I¡¯ll never not believe in you. So take care and call me. Even if it¡¯s just to say hey.¡±

    I moved closer to her and opened my arms, and she walked in and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.

    ¡°You¡¯re always welcome here Lizbeth.¡± I whispered to her as I squeezed her in my arms.

    Soon we broke our embrace, and I looked her over for a moment. We hesitated to move apart, and just when I was about to move away. She shot forward and pressed her lips against mine. The aroma of the sea swirling around me, my body felt like a wave crashed into it. It woke me up, and made every part of my body tingle.

    ¡°Oy''m steell a piryte aftah ooll, sao Oy''m gawnna stayl thiies.¡±She hummed.

    I watched as she began to float up to the sky. Giving me a big smile as she did.

 Chapter 53 - Notice me

    The ride going back was eerily quiet, not a word came out of anyone''s mouth. But everyone''s more somber faces told stories. I looked over to the girls who were sitting in the back. They had their heads in their phones, and Val looked a bit hurt. I wanted to say something to make things better, but that definitely wasn''t my department.

    I looked over to Leo, he was the one I was really worried about. He hadn''t said a word since he walked over to us. And it was like he was staring at something specific up in the sky, like there was something we weren''t seeing. And even Zack was brooding on Bean''s head like Batman!

    I sighed and leaned against the railing. I guess I should give zack credit for his comedic relief abilities. I literally had no idea what to do here¡­

    "So Stryder, you and Elizabeth official now?" Alexis blurted out from the silence.

    I jumped a little at the question. My mind immediately becoming a tsunami of thoughts. I tried to talk but I just ended up coughing. What!? Me and Elizabeth!? Why would they think..? Suddenly the memory of the diner came into my mind, and then the hug goodbye, plus her kissing me. I bet everyone thinks we''re together!

    "Yeah seriously! You really are trying to steal the promised land of booty from me!" Zack cried.

    "Idiots.." I heard Leo sigh.

    "Oh shut it! Wait till your voice drops! I bet you''ll be singing a different tune by then."

    "Whatever." Leo sighed again. "You gotta be blind to not know what''s going on."

    "Well Stryder, what exactly is going on?" Alexis chimed in.

    I looked around, and suddenly everyone was staring at me with wide eyes. You gotta be kidding me. Was everyone on edge because of that!?

    "W-well, of course me and her aren''t a thing! She just kissed me unexpectedly is all.."

    Alexis snickered.

    "Well, I can sense some feelings you have lingering about her. So are you really sure?"

    I blushed a bit, my eyes glancing at Valentina. She seemed really into this too...

    "Look, I-

    "Answer it shield boy! Do I gotta tell sis her knight has fallen for the pirates!?"

    His tone was different. It''s probably nothing no one else could pick up on. It was clear he was having a hard time keeping the joking persona.

    How should I answer this? I can upset Zack and probably Annual too, plus Valentina.

    ''What kind of person do you want to be.''

    Jack''s words rang back into my mind. What kind of person do I want to be? I promised I''d be honest, didn''t I?

    "Look, me and Lizbeth aren''t a thing. I won''t lie and say I''m not attracted to her, nor will I say I never thought about more with her. But if I''m being honest when I''m with her. I don''t feel like I could be more than friends."

    "Do you like someone else right now?"  Alexis hummed.

    And I felt the warmth rise to my chest as she asked.

    "I-Its complicated," I mumbled.

    Everyone was still squinting their eyes at me. But they seem to pull back.

    "Can we end the teen melodrama already? It''s making me sick." Leo groaned.

    "Your hot dragon breath is making me sick. But you don''t see me complaining." Zack fired back.

    "You''re worried about such frivilish things. You should be focusing on the swordsmen we just learned about. Not Stryders love life."

    Zack grumbled.

    "Who the hell asked-"

    "No, Leo has a point. While I was asleep, my goddess did tell me a bigger threat planned to come our way. And we may not be as lucky as this time to meet mostly normal people. The next guy could kill us."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Ppfft, will just respond! Easy peasy." Zack shrugged.

    "Yeah, we can always just try again after that," Alexis added.

    That''s when Leo sat up and turned to the group.

    "Are you two really that oblivious!?" Leo snapped.

    "What are you on about now!?" Zack roared back.

    "Don''t you think Stone would''ve come back for a rematch by now if he responded?"

    Everyone grew silent, as Zack''s face slowly grew more serious.

    "You gotta point actually¡­" Zack mumbled.

    "Leo''s right, this isn''t the time to relax. We need to prepare and train. No one''s guaranteed, the rules for coming back are subjective to our-"

    I had to stop myself. I almost forgot the one rule.

    "Subjective to whom?" Valentina asked.

    We all grew silent.

    "Secret, sorry no normies allowed." Zack huffed.

    "O-oh¡­ " Valentina mumbled.

    She looked a bit hurt. And that''s when we all felt Bean descend.

    "Look, we need to do some research on the Adventurer swordsman, and-"

    "The super Batman!" Zack chimed in.

    "Right...super batman¡­"

    "Those are our most likely next attackers. I''d assume the adventurer one isn''t the attack first type. But as for ''Super Batman''," I cringed as I said that. "We need to be on high alert."

    Everyone seem to nod in agreement. Then Bean finally landed.

    "Well, this is your stop ladies! Thank you for riding Airline Wizard. Please don''t forget your belongings or Bean just might eat them."

    I just shook my head as Alexis gave us a smile and waved.

    "Right!" Alexis cheered. "See ya boys!"

    I looked over to Val, and she seemed still out of it. That''s when Alexis snatched her hand and dragged her off. I wonder If what Zack said really hurt her? Just as I was about to go try and ask her. Zack took off.

    I quickly turned back to him.

    "Zack can you-"

    "I''m still not okay." He blurted out over me.

    I blinked a few times.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Annual, I still want her happiness over anything else. So when she kissed you. I got really bitter. Because I know if she saw that, that would crush her spirits."

    I  nodded.

    "I figured it was something like that."

    "Just date Annual already. You know that would make her happy and-"

    "Zack I can''t just do that."

    He squinted his eyes and sat back.

    "And why the hell not?"

    "I promised I''d never look back and keep moving forward. And that means I have to acknowledge my feelings."

    "Are you over her?" He snapped back.

    "Not exactly, it''s just not the same."

    "What does that mean?"

    "Were not the same people we were years ago. I''ve changed a lot and I''m sure she has too. And sometimes people just grow apart. However, I still get butterflies when we talk. So I don''t think I''m over her persay. Plus I think, I think I''m really falling for Val. She''s on my mind a lot too."

    "The glorified hall monitor!?"

    I smiled some and nodded.

    "Yeah, and I haven''t figured out how I really feel. So I won''t make any hasty decisions. It''s my choice after all." I said confidently as I looked back into his eyes.

    He blinked a few times, he looked shocked. But soon he just started to chuckle.

    "I see, so you''re learning to fly all on your own now huh?"

    "Yeah, and I''m not done going yet."

    "Good to hear. I''ve been getting tired of pulling all the wait ya know." He teased.

    I just rolled my eyes.

    "By the way, why don''t you and Annual move in next to me? Apparently it''s empty over there."

    He groaned loudly and leaned back.

    "Because my wonderful baby sister has caught the justice."

    "I''m sorry?"

    "She wants to stay home and help out the folks. She says she has faith in mom, or something like that."

    Leo seemed interested now. He had one eye opened and was looking over to Zack.

    "Well do you?" I asked.

    He looked away from me.

    "Like I give a damn about them." He mumbled. "They still act like they''re in their freaking twenties partying all the time."

    "I think there''s a chance it could do some good. However I also think them seeing you two on your own might spark something too."

    "Maybe she''ll listen if you talk to her.  Because apparently a Gremlin wouldn''t understand."

    "I find myself more surprised every day by how many words you actually know," Leo added.

    "Hey! You want to fight you littl-"

    "Hey Zack, by the way. I''ve been thinking."

    He stopped his growling and looked back to me.

    "What?"

    "I want a rematch, to see how much has actually changed."

    His eyes grew wide. But he soon smirked in delight.

    "Oh yeah? Think a couple months you''ve grown to the level of the destroyer of worlds?"

    I smiled at him.

    "Who knows, I just want to find out."

    "Fine, tomorrow afternoon. I''ll flombay you again."

    "Will see."

    "You know. I really missed this feisty side of you." Zack snickered.

    ¡­.

    Ya know, with all the action, romance and drama. I almost forgot about how horribly I was failing math. My teacher kept me after school again to yap my ears off about how much of a degenerate I''ve become with missing assignments. Luckily I was made aware that Val was already at my place with Lux. Going over some info she gathered about the adventurer. I think I let my combative side take over too much when I asked questions. I''m starting to remember how dangerous for other people this can actually be. I let it out a couple of times and it''s already corroded my brain. So now I needed to play pick up...

    As I walked into my apartment I was hit with the aroma of beef stew. It smelled heavenly. Couldn''t be Lux, guess Val decided to cook.

    I shut the door behind me and walked into the kitchen. And I was surprised by the sight before me. The kitchen table was filled with notes and photographs. But I was more distracted by Valentina.

    She was wearing a cute white sweater dress with knee-high boots. She glanced back to me, and I could see her wearing makeup. I don''t think I¡¯ve ever seen her with makeup before. Huh, come to think of it, her hair was shiny too. She sat up from her work and immediately fixed herself. Geez she looked good in her dress...

    "Oh, hey Hercules I''m making lunch." She chimed.

    I chuckled at the nickname.

    "Where''s Lux?"

    "Jack swooped her away, and Leo is eating and brooding in your room."

    I shook my head.

    "Of course he is."

    As I walked over to the table, she immediately shot up from the chair. She looked like she was about to say something, but she ended up knocking all the papers over.

    "No!" She squealed.

    She dropped down and quickly started to grab them.

    "Let me help."

    As I kneeled down an alarm started screaming in the kitchen. I could see the panic in her eyes as she hurried from the floor to the kitchen.

    "Might wanna slow down Val."

    But she ignored me and opened the oven. And she reached in barehanded. When her hands touched the pan she jumped back.

    "Ahh!"

    "Val!"

    I dropped the papers and ran over to her.

    She jumped up and hit the handle of her brewing pot. And all of the brown contents spilled onto the counter, floor, and her sweater.

    "No! Oh, I''m so sorry. I''ll clean it up now! And-" She started rambling.

    She looked extremely worried like she just got caught in a murder. I ran over to her and pulled her from the ground and grabbed her burnt hand.

    "Look at me," I demanded.

    She stopped talking and looked at me in a panicked frenzy. It was like she was gonna cry.

    "Calm down, we can order a pizza. For now you''re hurt. Let''s handle the burn  and then I have some clothes you can try on."

    She looked away and nodded.

    "I''m sorry I''m so useless.."

    Useless?

    I didn''t question it. I just got the medkit and got some ointment out. Once that burn was handled, I gave her a shirt and my blue hoodie. She had on some shorts underneath, so luckily she didn''t have to wear baggy pants. Once she was dressed she sat down on the couch and started going on about Arrow, but I stopped her.

    "Valentina, you are not useless. You looked off last night, and it''s my fault for not following up."

    "No it''s fine I-"

    "I''m your friend. I should''ve meddled a bit. So talk to me, what''s going on?"

    She looked away. Her eyes seemed watery and her arms shook.

    "I''m just normal. I don''t have powers like Alexis, Zack, or you. I don''t have any real history with any of you. And I''m not as pretty or charming as Elizabeth. I''m just some one-shot Straight A student. Who can''t even pass a Spanish test! I just, I just want to provide something for the team. I, I want you to notice me.."

 Chapter 54 - Letting it out

    I was utterly speechless. Did, did she just confess to me!? Well, it''s not like I was completely oblivious, but still! No wait, that''s not the most important thing here. She said she didn''t feel like she belonged. That must have been building up a lot of pressure on her. And Zack''s comment yesterday probably didn''t help...

    I could hear her start sniffling as she quickly turned away from me.

    "Forgive me for being selfish. You have the fate of the world on your shoulders, and I''m troubling you with such trivial things.." She forced herself to chuckle. "You can pretend like you didn''t hear any of that."

    "No, forgive me Val. I haven''t taken the time to ask what''s going on with you."

    She slowly turned to face me. Her make up was running from her tears. But I just gave her a smile.

    "And I''m sorry for ignoring your feelings. Valentina, your beautiful just as you are. You don''t have to dress up to make me notice you. I''ve always noticed you." I said with a slight chuckle.

    She glared back at me with rosy cheeks. Then promptly punched my shoulder.

    "What are you laughing at then!"

    "It''s just funny to me. Someone as amazing as you was worried about impressing someone like me."

    Her blush grew even deeper, and she was beginning to look like a tomato.

    "O-oh."

    "So with that being said. Tell me about your week, what''s got you so stressed out lately?"

    "Stryder you don''t have to really." She sniffled and took a breath. It seemed like she calmed down a bit now. "There are a lot more important things to discuss."

    "Yes, and we have all day to talk about those things. But for now, I want to hear about you."

    She shook her head and sighed.

    "If you insist.."

    "Just elaborate on what you told me a little bit ago."

    She nodded and sat back.

    "Well, home has just been really stressful lately. The kid who stays with me is my cousin. And his mother started coming back around again. She''s a raging alcoholic, and it''s been. Rather intense dealing with her, I mean last night we had to call the cops on her! And my cousins been upset about it. And at times I just don''t know what to say to him.."

    "I''m sorry to hear that."

    "Then Alexis has been stressed about Zack, and feeling really insecure. Since he''s flirting with everything that walks." She then looked up into my eyes, and then away again. "Then I started to feel the same. Elizabeth showed up, and so did Annual. And I started to ask myself, was there a place for me to be with you? And I started to notice once we all started hanging out together, that I just didn''t belong. I don''t know much about the fights or powers, nor do I know you as well as Annual. And Elizabeth was gorgeous. It just, it just ate at me. From how busy I was at home, to how alone I felt when I was with you guys. I just haven''t studied like I needed to. And for the first time in years I failed a test. And in a way. It felt like I failed my mom too? I don''t know if that makes sense.."

    I moved over to her and quickly wrapped my arms around her.

    "Just because you''re not dealing with the fate of the world, doesn''t mean your problems are any less valuable. That''s a lot on you at one time."

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    She shook in my arms a bit. But seem to concede to leaning into me. She didn''t say a word, she just stayed close to me.

    "You know, I''ve felt the same before. Like my feelings didn''t matter like I didn''t belong. I''ve always felt like a disappointment to my mom. But you were the one to make me realize my mom didn''t die so I can be chained by her memory. But she wanted me to be free to enjoy life. And I think your mom would want the same. Instead of you overworking yourself. Val, you are enough."

    I could feel her shaking more. There was a low whimper from her, and her face moved into my chest. That''s when she started crying. Her hands grabbed my hoodie, and she just started to ball.

    This was becoming an odd coincidence lately. I wonder why I was making so many girls cry¡­

    As she was crying, I heard a creaking from the hall. I looked up and there he was.  Leo was standing in the hallway entrance with his back against the wall. It didn''t seem like he noticed me looking at him yet. I wonder if he was spying on us, I bet Lux put him up to it.

    After a little bit she sat up and excused herself to the bathroom. I took my phone out and started ordering that pizza. I heard some footsteps coming in from the hall. I assumed Val came back for something. But when I looked up it was Leo, with a rather serious demeanor.

    "Oh hey, did you want some-"

    "Let me ask you a question."

    I stopped and put my phone down.

    "Yeah sure, what''s up?"

    "Was it really that important to talk to her?"

    I squinted my eyes at him and nodded.

    "Yeah, of course. She needed to let some stuff out."

    "But what did that do? That doesn''t change anything. She''s still in the exact same place she was before."

    "Well sort of." I sat up more and faced him. "She''s not alone anymore."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Sometimes it''s not about making a huge change. Sometimes all you need is someone to listen to you."

    "For what? Wouldn''t it be a lot more effective to just do something about it?"

    "Not necessarily, it''s good to talk and open up to people. Because it gives you a chance to reflect and feel validated. Let me ask you. Is it easier for you to see your own weaknesses in a fight? Or for your opponent to see your weakness?"

    "I suppose your opponent if they¡¯re not dumb."

    "Exactly my point. You''ll never see what you need to work on as a person if you''re all alone. Plus you never know what you can do for someone else when you open up. For example, if Val hadn''t opened up to me, I don''t think I would''ve grown as much as I have as a person. The same logic follows with Lizbeth. If I hadn''t opened up to her, she never would''ve thought about changing."

    Leo seemed to process my words. Staring at me intensely.

    "Interesting point of view."

    "You said it yourself before right? You felt like you could be honest because we and Zack were. And because of that, we understand each other better."

    He nodded.

    "Fair point."

    "You never know what one sentence can do to change someone''s entire life."

    As I said that we both heard the toilet flush. We both turned back and we could see Val walking out of the bathroom. My hoodie looked like a mini dress on her. She looked so cute.

    Leo immediately turned around and stepped past her.

    "Hhhmm?" She asked as she passed him, but Leo just ignored her.

    "What''s up with him?" Val asked.

    "I kind of wish I knew.." I chuckled.

    She sat back down next to me and took a breath.

    "Thank you for that, I didn''t realize how long I had that bottled up."

    I noticed she had the makeup washed out. Her eyes were a bit red, but she was back to good ol Valentina. Just how I liked her.

    "Don''t mention it. Just promise me next time you''ll talk to me."

    "Of course." She said with a smile.

    I held up my hand and held out my pinky.

    "Oh no, you gotta pinky promise."

    She chuckled a little and shook her head.

    "Only if you promise to do the same." She hummed as she held out her pinky.

    I nodded and wrapped my pinky around hers.

    "It''s a promise then." I hummed and shook her pinky with mine. She smiled and sat back, moving her pinky from mine. "So on that note. I''ll be honest with you."

    She nodded.

    "Sure, what is it?"

    I took a breath and looked back into her eyes.

    "Val, I have feelings for you too," I said softly.

    Her cheeks flushed red and she nodded.

    "R-really?"

    "Yes, but I also have feelings for Annual. And I don''t want to be a jerk and lead you on. If that makes sense?"

    She nodded quickly.

    "I completely understand."

    "Things are complicated right now, and I''m trying to figure it out. But it''s a lot harder than I expected. So, I don''t want to make you confused, or expect you to wait on me to make a decision."

    "No, no it''s fine.  I don''t blame you at all for this. I appreciate you being honest with me about it. It feels nice to have some clarity on it all."

    I nodded.

    "Thank you for understanding."

    "That just means I''ll have to win you over then, right?" She teased with a smirk.

    I blushed heavily and looked away from her.

    "M-maybe, for now, I ordered pizza. Want to just relax with a movie till Zack gets here?"

    "Oh! Can we watch star wars!? I still need to show you the trilogy. Or we can watch Harry potter since you haven''t seen the movies yet." She cheered.

    "Sure, let''s see what Netflix has," I said as I reached for the remote.

    "Have you seen Avatar before?"

    "The blue people?"

    She immediately snatched the remote from me.

    "I know what we''re watching."

    ¡­

    "Water! Fire! Earth! Air!" Annual cheered.

    "Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony," Valentina added in.

    "Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked!" Alexis roared.

    "Who knew they were such nerds¡­" Zack mumbled as he grabbed another slice of the pepperoni.

    We were in the kitchen eating while the girls were nerding on the couch.

    I smacked his hand, slightly using my strength.

    "Ah! What the hell!?"

    "Who says you get the last slice!?"

    "You should be more grateful to the destroyer of worlds you PEASANT!"

    "Isn''t it a king''s job to feed his people? Oh mighty ruler?" I added as I grabbed the pizza.

    But I dropped the pizza as he shot a mini fireball at my hand.

    "Ah! The heck!? I paid for the pizza!"

    "You wanted a rematch, right? Well, let''s fight for it! The last slice!"

    "Your kidding, right?"

    "Bok, bok! Is someone chicken now?"

    I growled.

    "Fine! Your on!"

    "Are you two really gonna kill each other for pizza?" Leo huffed.

    "You stay out of it! A battle over food can last generations. We gotta nip this in the bud now." Zack roared.

    "You know you can just buy another pizza?" Leo added.

    "No way! It''s the principal! He''s gotta learn he can''t just do whatever he wants." I snapped.

    "Honestly, you two are ridiculous.."

 Chapter 55 - Bestfriends

    "Are you guys really about to do this over pizza!?" Valentina cried out.

    But Zack and I didn''t even look in her direction. I focused on stretching and getting ready. And Zack seemed to be fully focused on the same thing. For once he didn''t have a cocky smirk on his face. Which to me confirmed a hunch I had about this whole thing.

    Jack was off to the side with the girls and Leo. Since Zack wanted to use Bean as part of his arsenal. We had to call him in to make sure the girls didn''t get caught up in the collateral damage. I was grateful this abandoned island was our playground. It means I really didn''t have to hold back.

    I looked Zack over as he popped his neck, giving me an intense stare down. Then he eventually popped a smirk at me. I was used to seeing this smirk when he fought someone in school. I hadn''t seen this in awhile. Zack was definitely pissed off at me. I  wonder if it''s really just about Annual? I only went along with this whole thing because I knew he needed to let off some steam.

    Well, I can''t say that''s entirely true. Ever since I fought Elizabeth, there''s been this fire inside me. I started to fidget a bit, I decided to go ahead and activate my strength. Yeah, deep down I just craved this. I saw an opportunity to let it out, and I leaped for it. Even now, I was smiling back at Zack with intense excitement. Geez, I''m disgusting.

    "You''re going down hero boy!" Zack said as he held up a thumbs down to me.

    "Are you ready!" Jack called out.

    I smirked at Zack and held out my hand.

    "We''ll regenerate, so don''t hold back. Just like last time." I said as I summoned light armor over my body.

    "My Knight, do not disappoint me like before." I heard my goddess whisper to me.

    "FIGHT!"

    I immediately stomped on the ground. The rocks and dust flew up into the air, and I darted to the left around it. Then I summoned a metal-clad boomerang and chucked it to the right. His usual starter is a wall of compressed air. But, I know he can''t make a full dome to cover all of his sides.

    My eyes grew wide as I came around. There was nothing there but my boomerang coming back to me. I skidded to a stop and caught it. Where did he go!?

    I looked around and eventually stopped at the building. He wasn''t in the sky, so maybe he went inside? But the door was shut and the windows weren''t broken.

    Before I could even think of a plan. I felt something wrap around my ankles and yank me up into the air. I looked around and saw one of Zack''s vines coming from the ground. I also noticed a huge hole in the ground next to the vine. Did he go underground!? Is that a new spell!?

    I replaced my boomerang with a sword and went to slash the vine. But before I could even get to it. I saw a bright emerald flare flash around me. Then I felt something hot crash against my chest and sent me flying through the window. I bounced and crashed through a desk and then a table and started to roll on the floor. Finally hitting a wall.

    I quickly sat up and prepared myself again. I started to think back to before the match started, those stretches Zack was doing. Zack doesn''t ever stretch before matches, and he was doing a lot of them. Come to think of it, that hole from the vine had a similar shape. Did he dig up the hole before the match!? And if that''s the case there might be more traps.

    Before I could even think about what I was gonna do with that. I felt a truck slam into my chest! I held my ground and used my strength to tank the blow. Only sliding back on the ground, but damn that hurt! I activated my eyes and slashed. But, nothing was there. So much for conserving my energy...

    I looked around the area, and suddenly I felt another hard hit to my face. I looked around again but nothing was there. Not even the sound of movement! Bean could shapeshift, I wonder if he had a complete stealth mode now. Clever, even if I use my eyes. I can''t dodge what I can''t see.

    I dove forward, hopefully away from Bean. And as I did, I noticed a green glow coming from outside. But it seemed like it was filling the sky. Was he gonna blow up the whole building!?

    As I stood up I felt another clock to the face. But this time, I was ready. I tanked the hit again. And then I grabbed his arm and immediately slammed him to the ground. I saw the outline of his body thanks to the filth on the floor. This form of his made him a lot skinner.

    That''s when I got an idea. I summoned blades and quickly stabbed Bean all over his body. Avoiding any deadly blows. I glanced over at the window, and I could see shadows and flares of what I assumed were Zack''s rain of fire.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    I kept Bean stabbed into the ground. Then I charged to the opposite side of the room. It was only a matter of seconds before I got to the window. I broke the glass and stood on the frame. I looked up  and I was speechless. Hundreds of fireballs were In the sky coming down on the building. I stared up at the sky and waited for the right moment. As the fire crashed into the roof above, dust and rubble filled the sky. That¡¯s when I took my chance. I activated my strength and launched myself forward. As I landed I stomped my feet into the ground, then I quickly bunny hopped away.

    I turned back and saw the area was full of dust and falling debris. I decided to take this moment and sneak back to Zack. I decided to move behind the buildings for cover. Taking my time to catch my breath as I moved. As the dust cleared, I watched the blue mist from my blades shine through the rubble. And Zack immediately lowered himself to the ground as he took notice. Dispelling my weapons does look a lot like a kill, and it seems like Zack noticed too. It was about thirty big blades I put into him. I held the one Albion sword I kept, and continued to creep around.

    "Ha! You''re still a loser! What do you think now huh!? Still think you''re better than me!?"

    As Zack said that, I darted at him.

    "Still think You''re some hero!?" He roared

    I went to slash his head off, but as I got close. I noticed the look on his face. It looked angry, genuinely angry. That line, ''still think You''re better than me?'' I hesitated. And as I came close, I slashed at his arm instead of his Neck. I skidded to a stop and saw the crimson trail of his blood, followed by his wails of agony.

    "Why do you hesitate!? Finish him!" My goddess yelled.

    I hesitated to respond to her. I looked over and I saw Zack on the ground writhing in pain. I summoned a spear and aimed toward him. I can''t risk not finishing it. She might threaten Lux again. Dammit, I let that feeling consume me again. Forgive me, Zack, I reeled my arm back to launch. But right before I was gonna throw it. I felt something burning in my chest. I looked down, and I saw reptilian claws embedded in me. Suddenly the air vanished from my lungs, and I looked back for a moment. And there stood this tall figure with alligator-like skin. He had long stringy black hair, and rows of sharp teeth. But telling from his eyes, I knew it was Bean.

    My vision was fading, and it wasn''t long before everything went black.

    "You are a disappointment." My goddesses whispered.

    ¡­

    "I can''t believe Santa left us here.." Zack grumbled.

    I sighed and leaned back on the ground. Letting the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline fill my mind. I lifted up the blueberry ice cream and took a bite.

    "At least he left us food?" I said between bites.

    "What''s the point of the pizza! We tied!"

    "Well, technically I died first."

    "Like that matters, if Bean didn''t disobey orders I''d be the only one dead."

    "Still, if this were a real match we both lose. Bean doesn''t immediately vanish when you die. So even if I took off your head and insta killed you. I still would''ve died."

    Zack groaned and took a bite of his ice cream.

    "The mighty destroyer of worlds doesn''t like ties. I wanted to mop the floor with you."

    "Yeah, I assumed you wouldn''t blow up the building if I killed Bean early on. Since you wanted me properly distracted from escaping. Luckily for me, I saw the shadows and flares of your fireballs. Guess I was a little cocky there and underestimated Bean though. I thought if I kept him alive and damaged him a lot you''d assume we were still fighting."

    "You¡¯re really letting that urge take over ya know?"

    I looked over at him.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You didn''t even activate your eyes in the beginning! You were definitely fast enough to react to my vine. You were just so caught up in wanting a challenge. Man, I really don''t get all this hype about you. You lost to Weis and pretty much lost to Lizbeth. You''re pathetic."

    "What the heck is your problem lately?"

    He looked over to me and glared.

    "I''m just a little sick and tired of everyone in the world thinking You''re  the second coming or something! I was the one who saved your butt with weislung! I''m the one who saved the hostages while you fought Stone! And I''m the one who convinced you to let Arthur save Annual!"

    "You act like I haven''t thanked you for any of that! I''ve told you I''m grateful! What do you want from me!? A gold star!?"

    "I want Annual to see what a failure you are!" He roared as he tossed his ice cream away. "She''s put all this faith in you! Some guy who''s out here flirting with other girls right in front of her! Knowing that it''ll crush her! Right after you abandoned her for years!" I blinked a few times. I felt my heart race as a cold chill ran down my spine. "You know I tried for years to make her smile! I tried to convince her we should leave our filthy dump of a home! But it always seems to come back to you! Stryder, Stryder, Stryder! I''m sick of it always being about you everywhere I go!"

    "Zack, I-"

    He grabbed my collar and yanked me over to look him in the eye.

    "What am I even then! Your shadow!? Does nothing I do even matter!? Am I stuck being blanketed by your stupid justice crap?"

    His voice cracked and his arms trembled. He was breathing hard. I looked back into his eyes, and then I reached out and grabbed his wrist.

    "You promised.." I mumbled.

    "What!?"

    I leaned my head back and rammed it into his face. He groaned and fell back.

    "There you go holding everything in again! You promised you wouldn''t. And if you do it again, you''re getting another!

    "Shut up!" He roared.

    He quickly got up and launched himself at me. Tackling me down on the ground.

    I quickly flipped him over onto his back, and got on top of him.

    "No I won''t! Zack, I feel the exact same way as you do! You''re so good at talking to people, calming down situations, and always confident in your attacks. You were there for me when I needed sense smacked into me! You''re right, you''ve saved me a lot. And I know for a fact I couldn''t have done stone or the seven swordsmen without you."

    "So why can''t she see that! Why is it that I''m not good enough!?" His voice cracked again, and I could see tears brimming from the corner of his eyes." lux Is with Jack, I couldn''t do anything for Annual when she was sick! And now you''re changing so much. It''s only a matter of time right? Before you all get bored of the lovable idiot!? Just like everyone always does."

    Suddenly the memory of Jack and Lux came into my mind. That moment, the moment I realized I can''t save everyone. I slowly let go of him and stood up. I didn''t say a word as I walked over to the pizza box.

    I summoned a sword and cut the slice in half down the middle, and then walked back over to him. I held out the slice for him to take. Then I tapped my necklace.

    "Zack you''re my best friend. You''ve saved me just as much as I''ve saved you. I''ll always be right by your side to tell you when you''re being stupid. And nothing will change that."

    He looked me over, there was some relief on his face. He took the slice and wiped his eyes.

    "I learned this lesson the hard way.  When Lux was feeling bad about the past. I couldn''t do anything to help her. But when Jack came in, he knew just what to say. And I realized that, sometimes you can''t save everyone. I know that''s hilarious coming from me, but. Annual is her own person. She''s gonna grow and experience pain. And sometimes all you can do is just be there for her when she''s ready. You¡¯re a good brother Zack"

    He took a bite of his pizza and sighed.

    "Yeah right.."

    "Don''t take my word for it. Talk to her, don''t keep wearing a mask. If you really want her to look at you differently, you have to show her the real you. The good, the bad, and the ugly."

    "What if, what if I''m just bothering her more."

    "Your emotions are valid Zack. Trust me, Annual loves you. Love doesn''t judge."

    He sighed and looked back to the lake. The sun was beginning to set on the waters. Bathing it in its orange and amber glow.

    "Maybe your right. Yelling at you did feel good."

    I smiled and grabbed another popsicle, and he followed my lead.

    "Trust me, this ice creams gonna feel even better."

    I held out my popsicle to his,  he smiled and tapped mine with his own. Then we dug in. Even now, the cold popsicle made my whole body feel warm. Like my mom was wrapping herself around me.

 Chapter 56 - The knight locked in a tower

    "Do I really need to go shopping again? Homecomings not that big a deal."

    "I was instructed by ma¡¯lady to make sure you wear something fancier than a hoodie." Jack hummed as we perused the aisles of monkey suits.

    "It''s just one stupid dance." I huffed.

    He stopped and picked up a small white button-up, and a black vest. I cringed looking at it, that looked so constricting¡­

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a good excuse to pull a hot girl close.¡± He snickered and held out the shirt toward me. ¡°Yeah, get you a blue tie and a black jacket. You¡¯ll knock them dead.¡±

    ¡°Geez, this makes me wonder what Zack''s gonna wear."

    "I heard from Annual he was trying to buy some satin robes and a crown."

    "Of course he is.."

    "By the way, you two kiss and make up already?"

    He tossed the vest and button up to me and continued to look around.

    "You could say that yeah, thanks again for leaving us there. That was just what we needed."

    "I am psychic after all." He teased as he grabbed a jacket.

    "Yeah, right. How could I forget the frozen telepathy trick."

    "It''s all in the ice cubes I put in your drinks."

    I paused for a moment. Was, was he being serious!?

    "Y-your joking, right?" I asked hesitantly.

    He just smirked and moved the jacket over his shoulders. Then proceeded to walk off.

    "Jack...Jack!"

    ¡­

    "Are you sure we have time for this?"

    "Stryder, do you know what fun is? Or did you crap it out this morning?" Jack huffed as he continued to type his name out.

    Jack thought it would be a grand idea to ask some random group of people if we could join their game of laser tag. And I had a mini heart attack as he introduced me. I unconsciously moved my hood over my head and tried to not make eye contact. It had been a while since I met new people without Zack around, or without my mask. I forgot how nerve-racking meeting new people was. To make matters worse, Jack deliberately put us on separate teams. I was on the blue team, and he was on the red.

    Before we got to go inside, we had to type out a name we wanted to use at the front desk.

    I crept up behind Jack and looked over his shoulder. I was curious what name he was gonna use. And then I almost forgot I wasn¡¯t with Zack. His name was ''Your mom''. Of course, it was your mom.

    Jack moved out of line and went to join his team. But before he walked inside, he turned back to me and winked.

    "Good luck! And by the way, I plan on using my gifts in there!" He cheered right before he shut the door.

    He''s going to what!? Is he psychotic!?

    "Come on kid, put your name down!" A guy from my team called out from behind.

    "R-right!" I replied as I quickly stepped forward to the computer.

    Name, what name should I use¡­?

    ¡­.

    "The knight huh? You a fan of the Alley of justice?"

    I jumped as I heard one of the guys on my team speak up. Crap! I knew making my name the Knight was stupid! What''s wrong with me!? I couldn''t think of anything else, I just panicked and put it down.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "O-oh yeah!" I replied with a nervous laugh.

    "Hey me too, it''s crazy to think the comics are coming to real life!" He chuckled.

    And oddly enough, I felt myself relax a bit more after that.

    He was a big guy. He was about Jack''s height and was a wall of muscle. He had on a backwards black cap and looked really excited. Before I could reply, the lights suddenly went out. And the faint purple glow from the arena illuminated the area.

    Di-di Ding!

    My vest chimed this tune and suddenly turned a bright blue color. The gun on my arm flashed green, then turned the same shade of blue.

    "Game time!" The man cheered and scurried off.

    That''s when it hit me. This blue glow was just like the mist I emanate when I use my strength. Hell, my eyes can''t even be properly seen in here! Did Jack do this on purpose? Is that why he told me!?

    "Do you know how to have fun Stryder?"

    His mocking words wiggled their way into my mind. Alright then Jack, game on.

    I activated my eyes and just enough strength to increase my speed. I''m gonna obliterate his team! I kneeled down and got ready, then I charged off!

    The place¡¯s layout was built like a crashed space station. Upstairs was a broken down lab, and the downstairs was the sight of the crash. There was an alien ship in the middle and scattered glowing debris around. The rules were simple, the last man standing wins. And everyone had two lives.

    I quickly ran from rock to rock, keeping a lookout for the enemy. But I wasn¡¯t having any luck, it was like my team was the only one here. I leaned against a rock and looked up at the upstairs railing, and that¡¯s where I saw it. The faint red glow. There was somebody there scoping out the floor below like a sniper. If I can wall run up the side and jump to the railing, I could get behind her.

    Without a second thought, I bolted forward at the wall and started running up it. Once I was high enough, I kicked off the wall and over the railing. I took out my gun and aimed it at her, and that¡¯s when our eyes met! Look who has the high ground now! I pulled the trigger and shot her chest plate. And it immediately flashed green. I landed and rolled to my feet beside her.

    ¡°H-how did you?¡± She started to talk but I just ignored her.

    We were behind some glowing styrofoam rock. I didn''t waste any time and I just charged out. As soon as I turned the corner, I could see a gun pointed at me. I used my eyes and quickly saw the green line coming from her gun to aim. It was child''s play to dodge and keep forward.

    They seem to panic as I got close and slid back behind a glowing cabinet. It was only about seven feet tall, and I''ve jumped higher. I jumped over the cabinet once I got close and landed behind him. Before he could even react to my landing, I already had his plate turning green.

    "Two players from blue out of the game!" I heard the announcer call out.

    What!? Already!? I quickly moved out and saw the railing to my right. I Kong vaulted over it to the ground below. Well, I guess I should kick it into overdrive then! I''m gonna be the winner!

    From there I bounded all over the map, taking out person after person. It didn''t take long for it to just be me and one other person. I was a little more hesitant since I mysteriously lost a life. I had no idea who took it either. I was way too in the zone earlier, so I didn¡¯t pay attention to the A.I saying the name of my killer.

    So I decided to see if I could bait the person out. I stayed leaning up against the wall and slowly peeked around the corner. Nothing, I quickly moved back and took a sigh of relief.

    "Boo!"

    I immediately tried to turn to the voice, but my head was the only thing that moved! My feet were stuck to the ground!

    I heard the slightest movement behind me, and I quickly activated my strength to increase my movement speed. And as I turned around, I saw the barrel of Jack''s gun pointing at my chest. I snatched the barrel and lifted it up to the ceiling. Then I held my gun out to his chest to fire. But then he just vanished!

    CRRRR!

    "You have been killed by your mom!"

    I heard the A. I on my gun announce.

    "Forget I can teleport?" He snickered.

    Then all the lights came back on. Crap, he beat me!

    After the game, Jack told me he wanted to get a burger. So we checked our scores and said our goodbyes. My team praised me for my awesome parkour skills, apparently I killed most of the other team. They wanted us to play another round, but I admit I was a bit tired after all that. But refreshed at the same time.

    We sat back at one of the seats in the back corner. Jack ate his fat double cheeseburger, while I ate a chicken bowl from chipotle. I noticed people a lot of people were staring at Jack. I almost forgot how unusual white hair was.

    "Hey, aren''t you ever worried you''ll get recognized? I just realized you never hide your identity."

    "That''s because I don''t give people the chance to remember me. But, if someone wants to make noise, I just kidnap them and let Arthur deal with it." He said nonchalantly as he took another bite.

    Intimidating, clever, and lazy. Impressive.

    "I see," I replied as I took another forkful of rice.

    "Besides, didn''t seem like you were too concerned about keeping secrets back at laser tag."

    I felt the warmth rise to my cheeks out of embarrassment and didn''t look up at him.

    "Y-yeah, my bad. I guess I got carried away.."

    "Yeah, you''ve been getting carried away a lot lately. Normally it takes a lot of build-up to get you to fight seriously. Yet you agreed to fight Zack without hesitation." He set his burger down and gleamed over me.

    "So talk, what''s that all about?"

    "Well I uh, I can''t really explain it. It''s been a while since it''s acted up like this."

    "Lux told me about it, and I have a theory."

    I sat back and looked him over. Wait, was the laser tag thing just bait!?

    "Alright, what is it?"

    "She told me you really started getting into tournaments a little after your mom passed away. That correct?"

    "Yeah, sounds about right."

    "And you quit a little after you knocked out a guy and got disqualified from the finals."

    I looked away from him.

    "Yeah, that''s right."

    I shuddered some as this chill ran down my spine. I started to tap on the table as the memory started to come back to me.

    "I think fighting was your outlet."

    The words hit me like a truck. It was like the wind got knocked out of me just hearing that.

    "What do you mean?" I asked as I looked back at him.

    "Simple, you had issues at home. Your dickhead dad started acting up around then, plus you were isolated from your sister, and too scared to see Annual. Zack would be the only outlet. But knowing you, you probably felt too guilty to be around him. Sound about right?"

    Geez, was he really psychic?

    "Yeah, sounds about right actually. Martial arts always felt so freeing to me. I guess that would make sense..." I sighed and leaned back into my chair.

    It was weird, all of the sudden everything seemed to make sense. And as that clarity came in, I felt like I really had no idea who I even was. To me, it didn¡¯t make sense. Was this really me? Did I really enjoy hurting people?

    "My dad took me out of classes soon after that. He told me I shouldn''t even be allowed to leave the house. So I was grounded, for what felt like years. Till I just got used to not leaving."

    He nodded.

    "You got a lot of stress on you right now." He leaned back in his chair. "Between worrying about your city, Zacks feelings, and the frustration with the girls. I''m sure you''ve got a lot pent up."

    I chuckled a little and shook my head.

    "Ya know, honestly. I never even registered I was stressed. But now that you mention it. I have been feeling really overwhelmed lately. All these changes I''ve been going through, all these people relying on me. Plus I can''t let my guard down with the girls. I might make some stupid hormonal mistake. Feels like I need to be perfect."

    As the words came out, I felt lighter. Like the air somehow became easier to breathe.

    "Well, there is a lot on you. And I''d be lying if I said you can just forget it all. But don''t forget to take care of yourself. The more you neglect yourself, the more reckless you become. Treat yourself every once in a while. And if you can''t do it for yourself, do it for the people around you."

    I nodded.

    "Thanks, I think I really needed to hear that."

    "Well, I can''t really take all the credit."

    "Hhhmm?"

    "I called Icarus about the observation stuff. He gave me the theory, but the advice was all me. It''s funny, even while he did his little deduction. He didn''t even realize he was describing himself too." He sighed. "I really don''t get you hero types."

    I chuckled.

    "I see, well tell Icarus I said thanks. I''m a little uncomfortable with my info being put out like that. But, since it all ended well. I guess I''ll let it slide."

    "Good, because I definitely wasn''t gonna apologize." He snickered and got up. "On that note-"

    "Ice cream?" I asked as I stood.

    "See, now you''re getting it."

 Chapter 57 - The way things should be

    "What really!? You''re gonna take my advice!?" Valentina¡¯s cheers boomed in the empty school halls.

    She stared at me with a twinkle in her eyes as she bobbed in place. She was way too excited...

    "Yeah, I think playing a sport might do me some good. So with that being said, any suggestions?" I asked with hesitation.

    I really didn¡¯t want to do this. But I knew I needed to face this, I¡¯ve been running long enough. Just like my super strength, I just needed to keep control and trust myself. I can do this!

    "Well of course! We can talk to the coaches for the upcoming seasons! Football''s over now, but we have basketball and wrestling coming up."

    I leaned against the lockers and rolled over the idea.

    "I''m scared I''ll have some battle royale PTSD in the middle of wrestling. And I''ve never touched a basketball before.."

    Huh, I''d have to meet a bunch of new people if I do this. My heart started to race and I quickly moved my hood over my head.

    "Yeah no, maybe this wasn''t a good idea.¡±

    "Hey! No turtle shelling! What happened to all that bravado a minute ago!" She barked.

    I felt her grab onto the rim of my hood and start yanking on it. But I just turned away from her.

    "No way, if I join a team that means I''ve got to talk to a bunch of new people. And I''ll probably just drag the team down because I suck. And then I''ll suck in front of hundreds of people during games! I won''t even have a mask or a hood! I''d rather fight Stone!¡±

    "Hey calm down they''ll teach you! And most of the guys are really nice people."

    "No way, I don''t want to bother them. This was totally a bad idea."

    "Hey what happened to all that change talk huh!?"

    I grumbled and looked up at her, my eyes meeting her stern glare. It was weird, I was intimidated. Yet I couldn¡¯t help but admire how cute she was.

    I groaned and hesitantly looked up to her. She was giving me a stern glare that reminded me of Lux. But I was more distracted by her eyes. I almost forgot how pretty her eyes were. It was like getting lost in the woods. I looked down and caught a glimpse of her lips. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and I quickly looked away.

    "Your right.." I mumbled.

    I snuck a peek at her and she was smiling triumphantly at me. Then she took a step back.

    "Look, I''m not gonna force anything on you. This is a hundred percent you. All I can do is support whatever decision you decide to make."

    I took a breath and moved my hood down. You wanted to be more like Jack right? Just like back at Nirvana, you need to keep your head held up and keep moving forward.

    "Thank you Val, I needed that reminder."

    Her cheeks slowly grew to a rosy shade.

    "Don''t mention it, now come on. I have someone we can talk to about this." She grabbed my hand and yanked me forward.

    And there goes my heart, back at the race again.

    "V-val I can walk fine ya know?"

    "Oh no, I don''t trust you to not run away.¡±

    Ah, so it was a trap¡­

    I decided to just not fight it anymore and go along with her. It honestly calmed me down to hold her hand. It was like a fire was flaring in my chest, making my whole body feel warm. I just felt comfortable. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    It wasn¡¯t long before we stopped in front of the gymnasium, that¡¯s when she finally let go of my hand. And I hesitated to let go. I didn¡¯t want the warmth to leave.

    "So um, who am I meeting?" I mumbled.

    I wonder if she noticed my hesitation. I looked over to her, and I could see she was blushing.

    "I-I uh, I have a friend in here named Marco. He was last year''s captain and a member of the student council. I figured if you never played before you might want to try it out."

    She gave me a soft smile and I nodded. She nodded back and opened the gym doors, and the sounds of the squeaking court leaked out. I peeked inside, and I saw two guys playing a game. One was in a shiny purple and yellow tracksuit with the words ¡°Lakers¡± on the back. He had short black hair and dark skin. While the other guy was in a regular white T-shirt and black shorts. He had really curly hair and caramel skin, with freckles splattered on his face.

    "The guy in the purple is Dais, and the one in the shorts is Marco." Val hummed as she stepped inside.

    I quickly followed behind her and tried to keep my head up.

    "Hey Marco!" She cried out as she waved at them.

    They both stopped playing and looked over to us. The curly haired one smiled and ran over.

    "Hey Val, what''s up!" He gave us both a huge smile. And I couldn''t help but feel welcomed.

    "Marco this is Stryder, Stryder Marco." Val hummed.

    "It''s a pleasure t-to meet you."

    I was still nervous. My heart was racing, but I still managed to look him in the eyes

    "Relax man." Marco chuckled. "I don''t bite."

    "Stryder here wants to try out basketball.  Wondering if you can teach him a thing or two.¡±

    Marco''s eyes seemed to sparkle as she said that.

    "Oh yeah I can do that!" He cheered. "I thought you were gonna make me teach someone Algebra again."

    Well if you can do that too I wouldn''t complain¡­

    "Perfect!" Val cheered as she looked over to me. "I have some homecoming committee stuff to attend to. So when I''m done we can walk home together, sound good?"

    I smiled and nodded.

    "Yeah, sounds great."

    "Well good luck!" She cheered and quickly scurried off.

    And as soon as the doors shut, I heard a whistle. I looked back and I saw the purple tracksuit guy walking over.

    "She''s so hot!¡± He exclaimed.

    "Yeah, it''s a shame she''s not into idiot''s huh?" Marco joked.

    "Oh yeah? That why you haven''t made a move?"

    "I haven''t made a move because I''m spoken for Einstein."

    "Bruh, does long distance even count?" He grumbled as he tossed the ball at Marco, who promptly caught it.

    "It¡¯s real to me, besides, she''s into this guy,¡± Marco said as he gestured toward me.

    "What! Seriously!?"

    "Anyways, let''s get started."

    "Hey wait! I got questions!" The other kid ran over to me, but Marco shoved his hand in his face and pushed him back.

    I hadn''t even noticed, but Marco was a pretty built guy.

    "Like I said, let''s get started!" He said, giving another big smile.

    ¡­

    "So, did you have fun?" Valentina inquired.

    "Yeah actually, Marco said I was a natural. But I fouled...a lot." I chuckled. "But overall I had a blast! I never knew basketball was so much fun! I''m going to play a game with him and James tomorrow too."

    She smirked at me.

    "Oh? Sounds like my suggestion to play a sport wasn''t such a bad idea after all huh?" She teased.

    "I can admit when I''m wrong."

    "As payment, you should take me out for ice cream."

    "Ya know what, sure. That sounds like some fu-"

    Suddenly the loud shredding of an old school guitar ripped through the streets. Followed by the loud screeching of a swerving car. We both looked at each other, and then looked behind us. And there it was, a bright green Ferrari with a flying away wizard hat spray-painted on the side.

    Don''t tell me...

    The Ferrari pulled up to us on the side of the road. The windows rolled down, and I could clearly tell it was Led Zeppelin playing. And there in the driver''s seat was Zack. His entire insides were purple and green, and I could see Annual in the passenger seat.

    And then there was Zack. He had on movie star shades and a red velvet cape with white fluffy trimming on it. Plus a nifty gold crown. He lowered his shades to look at me, and I could see the rings on his fingers. Then he smirked. And...and I saw what I prayed was a fake golden grill on his teeth.

    He wiggled his brow at me, and I just stared at him with disgust.

    "Pluts sup plosers."

    It sounded like his tongue was swollen.

    "Did you get touched by Midas or something?" Val asked.

    "You sound like a chain-smoking Donald duck.¡±

    He leaned forward and spat out his fake teeth on the floor. Then he whipped his hair around like a model, and it was oddly shiny.

    "You''re just jealous of my super Saiyan swagger."

    "Super what..?"

    "Uncultured swine¡­"

    "Where are you two heading? Need a lift?" Annual spoke up.

    I looked over to her, and I was a bit surprised. She was wearing a ACDC shirt and a bunch of punk rock gear. But the part that just seemed off, was this thick gold chain around her neck. I blinked a few times. Just staring at her sweet smile and dangling chain. It was like looking at a cute teddy bear with a gold chain on it.

    "We were uh, getting ice cream. Want to join?" I asked.

    "That would be great! But me and Zack are driving to see this indie band concert!" Annual beamed with excitement.

    I smiled and nodded.

    "Sounds rad, you down for a ride in the Zackmobile?" I turned to ask Val and she nodded excitedly.

    "Yeah! My feet are killing me." She chuckled.

    Zack clicked a button, and the doors opened. But not like normal doors, they opened upwards. Like birds getting ready to take off.

    "I named her Morgan." Zack purred.

    I just rolled my eyes and climbed into the back. Where I became speechless again. There in the middle was Bean. But Bean was strapped up in a baby car seat. With a big pink bow on his head. He looked over to me as if he was asking for help. But he did kill me twice now, so I didn¡¯t feel too inclined to help. I sat next to him on the left and Annual on his right. And instead of that new car smell, I smelled freshly made Tacos for some reason.

    "Carry on my wayward son! They''ll be peace when you are done!" Suddenly Kansas started playing and Zack and Annual started singing.

    "Lay your weary head to rest! Don''t you cry no more!"  They both sang as the doors shut, and then Zack zoomed off.

    I looked ahead and saw the big smile on Zack''s face, and the big smile on Annuals. And I felt this warmth in my chest as I watched the two sing. Seems like things are back to how they used to be.

    It didn''t take long before they dropped us off, and me and Valentina were at the ice cream shop. She ordered a coffee flavored ice cream, and I got my favorite, rocky road. Once we sat down, I listened to her gush over the homecoming set up. Venting about the lazy helpers, and how cool the theme is. They somehow got a gangster bonnie and clyde theme for the party. Which sounded pretty cool honestly.

    As she was in the middle of telling more about the set up, I got a call on my phone. I took my phone out and looked it over, and it was Jack. That''s gotta be important....

    "One sec Val." I answered."Hello?"

    "Hey! just letting you know I''m gonna be out of town for a bit!" Jack yelled over the sound of something roaring in the background.

    "Jack are you okay? What''s going on?"

    "Oh nothing special, just a huge prison break at headquarters!" Jack yelled, followed by the sound of something crashing in the background. "This area is cleared! Proceed!"

    "Woah Wait, do you need our help!?"

    "Ppfft, yeah, like you could handle twenty A rank players. I''m just letting you know I''ll be out. So don''t go losing an arm while I''m gone. Or I guess in your case taking one." He chuckled.

    I just grumbled.

    "Yeah, right. Just keep me posted okay? Don''t hesitate to ask for help."

    "Whatever you say hero boy."

    And with that, he clicked off.

    "What''s wrong Stryder? Is everything okay?"

    I sighed.

    "To be honest, I have no idea.."

 Chapter 58 - Homecoming

    "Aww, you three look so handsome!" Lux squealed.

    "Please no more pictures.." I mumbled and turned away from the camera.

    "I already know baby, I''m hot." Zack hummed.

    "And why am I going again? Aren''t I banned because I maimed a guy or something?" Leo huffed.

    We were standing in the living room letting Lux take our pictures. Jack and I bought Leo a classic black suit, that he relunctedly agreed to wear. But honestly, Leo and I paled in comparison to Zacks bombastic attire. He was wearing a dark red blazer with fancy dragon designs coiling around it. Underneath was an all-black button-up with a dark red tie. Plus he had these glistening dark red dress shoes, they shined like polish hardwood. Makes me think I should''ve tried harder¡­

    "Because we don''t want you sitting here and studying more serial killers, Hannibal Jr." Zack barked and Leo just turned away.

    "Whatever.."

    I chuckled some and looked over to him.

    "I think it would be good for you to be around people, ya know? I didn''t get better at it till I was thrown in the fire. I know it''s not the same exact social issues, but the solution is all the same."

    "So Stryder, what girl are you taking?" Lux spoke up and set the camera down.

    "Oh, no one," I said casually.

    "Wait what!?"

    "Yeah, I didn''t ask anyone."

    "WHAT!? But why!?"

    "Like I need any more drama.." I huffed.

    "Besides, Vals busy running the dance and Annuals out getting tested with Arthur again. Her walking has gotten better. So he wanted to keep her for a few days." Zack interjected.

    My hero...

    Lux grumbled.

    "You better have a date for prom is all I''m saying.."

    "Well, milady why not join the Wizards Harem as my second date?" Zack purred and hopped over to Lux. "Those panda Pajama pants look delectable on you my Kung pow chicken.¡±

    He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she just cringed. She leaned forward and flicked his forehead.

    "Get out of here already you pervert!"

    I snagged his collar and started dragging him out the door. I saw Leo trying to tiptoe away from me, and I summoned a chain and wrapped it around his ankle.

    "Where do you think you¡¯re going?"

    He growled.

    "I hate this.." He grumbled.

    ¡­

    There was a bright flash of light in the darkness that made me jump. Crap did we get caught!? I quickly turned around and my racing hard came to a screeching halt.

    It was just Zack taking pictures...

    "The hell are you doing!?"

    "I need a picture to remember this moment. The first time my baby boys breaking the rules!" He squeaked.

    I just rolled my eyes and kept walking to the backdoor.

    "Just shut up and make sure Beans still blocking the cameras for us."

    "Of course my dear padawan."

    I grumbled. Get Leo first, kill Zack later.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    I quickly walked over to the old gymnasium back door. It was connected to the track field outside and didn¡¯t have a functional alarm on it. The first time his illegal habits actually did something good.

    I opened the door to an agitated Leo glaring at me.

    "Do I really have to do this?"

    "Hey! We already spy kid our way to open the door. The least you can do is drink some damn punch." Zack grumbled.

    I shut the door as Leo begrudgingly walked inside. Then all walked together down to the festivities.

    "Won''t the security recognize me?" Leo inquired.

    "Pfft, I''ve been suspended hundreds of times. And I still came in here for free lunch and dances." Zack snickered.

    I shook my head and sighed.

    "Trust me, you''ll be fine."

    We walked back to the cafeteria where the party was taking place. Funky jazz was playing as kids swarmed on the dance floor. From the crowd, we could see Valentina and Alexis running over to us. I know I saw them when we picked them up. But it still left me speechless.

    Alexis was wearing a gothic style black dress and black boots. She had dark red lipstick and some dark eyeshadow. Yet her goofy smile turned this dark style into something that somehow seemed bright. Then there was Valentina, she was wearing a Chinese style black dress with a coiling golden and red dragon on it. Which was something she sewed on herself. It was a reference to one of the books she was currently reading.

    I stared at her a bit, the dress complimented her figure well. And her raven locks were so perfectly neat and clean. Not to mention her lips seemed to be glistening...

    As they came over Alexis started to chuckle.

    "Ya know, I can feel your attraction levels right?" Alexis teased as she gave me a smirk.

    I blushed and quickly looked away. Crap! I just made this so weird, I was staring at them both so intensely too.

    "R-right, my bad for staring."

    "Oh no, it''s fine. It''s better than this guy over here." Alexis grumbled and slapped Zack''s shoulder.

    "Ah what I do!?" Zack yelped.

    "Your staring at every girl in this place!"

    "Yeah, but none of them look as good as you." He replied. "You can tell right?"

    Alexis¡¯s face went red, and Zack started to chuckle. That''s when the song changed to an intense rap beat. A tradition at school for the freestylers and hardcore dancers. Which meant they were calling Zack...

    "You''ll have to excuse me though! I''ve got kids to teach! Be back when the tempo chills!" He grabbed me and Leo and then yanked us to the dance floor.

    "Uh, Zack! What the hell are you doing!? I yelled over at him as I struggled against his hold.

    That''s when I heard the chants from the crowd.

    "Kur! Kur! Kur! Kur!" Everyone started to chant Zack''s rap name.

    I looked over at Leo and I saw him slip out of his vest. We made brief eye contact before I was flung into the middle of the dance. Great, I should¡¯ve flipped him...

    "The Kur is here, and it''s time to rear! All y''all ugly monsters finna get up from outta here! After I spit all my rhymes, it''s time to die. Bars so hot, you just might die!"

    Zack cheered and the crowd seemed to go wild. My eyes scanned over the room, looking at all the eyes on me. My arm was shaking and it felt like my heart was trying to punch its way out of my chest.

    "I''m gonna clear you a path, hit some back handsprings and a corkscrew!" He whispered to me.

    "Why are you doing this!?"

    "You said you wanted to change right!? Well, it¡¯s Zack''s time to teach!" He snickered and tossed me forward. "When you¡¯re done with that I''ll take over! Make some room! Make some room! For the Paragon!" Zack cheered and a pathway opened.

    I wanted to throw up. First the basketball team, and now this. The crowd was cheering for me ¡°Paragon!¡± ¡°Paragon!¡± This wasn¡¯t like NIrvana, if I failed, I¡¯d see these guys every day! My breath started to get short and my mind went blank. just do the motions, don¡¯t think about anything else.

    I walked down the open lane they gave me and stopped at the end of it. I took a few breaths and then slowly turned around. This was it, no running away. I closed my eyes and regained my focus. Then I took off down the lane and started doing my flips and back handsprings. I started to hear the crowd cheer their oohs and ahhs. And honestly, it felt kind of nice. For once I wasn¡¯t thinking about how I was gonna mess it up! I was just bathing in the joy of the moment. My heart was still racing. But I felt in control!

    As I was about to leap to hit my corkscrew I felt something wet smack my face. I panicked and tripped over my legs, and then fell flat on my face. It was silent for a moment. I looked over on the ground and saw a cupcake lying next to me, I touched my cheek and felt the cold whipped cream on my face. Then the whole crowd suddenly exploded into laughter.

    "Paragon! More like Paradolt!" I heard someone laugh. Then they started cheering Paradolt.

    I sat up quickly and forced myself to stand up. My legs were shaky, it felt like I was gonna fall right back down. My breath was becoming much shorter and my mind swirled. I peered over the laughing crowd, and I felt my stomach churning. I just wanted to die, I wanted to vanish.

    "Such a dick move.." Zack growled. He looked over at the laughing crowd and then back to me.¡±I¡¯ll create a distraction, you get out of here and breathe.¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°R-r-r-r ight.¡± I chattered out.

    "Alright Terry! For messing with my partner like that I''m gonna roast yo whole life! Starting with the hairline Dora the explore can''t even find on yo forehead!"

    Zack yelled over to Terry, the same guy who Alexis threw a pizza at awhile ago. The crowd¡¯s attention turned away from me immediately and swarmed over the two.

    That''s when I made my daring escape. It was hard to jog though, it was like every part of me was malfunctioning. I couldn¡¯t even breathe right. I scanned the area and finally found Leo. He was standing in a circle full of girls. He seemed annoyed but overall fine. He should be fine if I step out.

    I quickly dashed out into the halls. I could see the shimmers of blue left in my trail. Meaning I was subconsciously activating my speed. I quickly turned a corner and pressed myself up against the wall. Where I started to collect a much-needed breath. All I could hear was the faint sound of the music in the distance. No more eyes, no more laughs. I slowly slid down the wall and started to feel my heartbeat slow. I sat there and stared at the wall.

    I started to feel myself come back down to reality. I closed my eyes and just sat there. Maybe I should just go home while I can. No, you can¡¯t do that. You need to show Leo you can do this. But as the thought came into my mind to go back into there, I felt my arm start to shake again. Damnit, am I really this useless?

    ¡°I¡¯m so pathetic..¡± I mumbled.

    "Hey, are you alright?"

    Her voice pierced the silence and sent chills down my spine. I looked over and there she was, Valentina. She was giving me a very sympathetic look, and it only made me feel more pathetic.

    "Y-yeah of course. Why wouldn''t I be? Just needed to wipe this whipped cream off me." I said forcing a chuckle.

    She gave me a stern look and walked over to me. Then she flopped down next to me and snatched my hand. She interlocked her fingers with mine and just held on. And my shaking started to lessen. She gave my hand a squeeze and smiled.

    "Stryder, I''m not gonna think you¡¯re any less of a man because you¡¯re nervous. It''s okay if you¡¯re nervous." She hummed.

    But I just looked away from her.

    "How can you not? I''m supposed to be a hero. I did this at Nirvana, why can''t I handle it now?"

    "These things take time. No one changes overnight. You have to be patient. You¡¯ve already changed so much already.¡± She leaned into me and rested her head against my shoulder.

    And right now, that''s all I wanted. She was warm, her hand was warm. Everything was beginning to calm down. Even the music seemed like it was getting softer.

    "Thank you, I needed this."

    "Of course, and remember your human. you can''t be perfect. So don''t try to be, or else you''ll run yourself down."

    "But what if I don''t like who I am?"

    "I like who you are. Even if there are some things to work on. I still like every part of you. Even your imperfections." She whispered.

    She closed her eyes and continued to hold my hand, and I held onto hers. It was like I was melting in my spot. It was all I wanted, all I needed. It felt like drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter¡¯s day. Just the thing you needed to warm you up. I leaned back into her and decided to be selfish for once. I wanted to stay, so I was going to.

    After a bit, our peace was interrupted by my phone going off. Valentina groaned as I shifted to check it. Just in case it was Jack. But I got an even bigger surprise, it was Lux calling me. I sat up some more and quickly answered.

    "Hello?"

    An electronic and static voice answered back.

    "Hello, Stryder?"

    I felt my stomach drop as I heard that.

    "Who is this!?" I demanded.

    "Don''t worry, your sister is fine. I just used her I.D information to make sure you''d answer. This is Icarus, I wanted to relay a possible warning to you. It could be nothing, but I just thought you should be aware."

    "Alright, what is it?"

    "I have reason to believe that the Alley of Justice might be the targets of an attack.¡±

 Chapter 59 - The Azure flame

    "Icarus, what are you saying!? What''s going on!?"

    I felt my heart start to race as everything fell silent. The only thing I took in was the soft buzzing on the other end.

    "Relax, it''s just a theory on loose evidence. However I wouldn''t feel comfortable not mentioning it to you."

    "Well tell me, what''s got you concerned."

    "Well for one, the specific prison that was disturb was the most placid of the bunch. Meaning it had no real issues. Yet it suddenly sparked a rebellion out of thin air."

    "That doesn''t necessarily mean anything. ."

    "It doesn''t, however its specific location happens to be the only one near you. Which normally isn''t guarded as heavily because of its lack of action. But Jack happened to be in your area, so he was the only one able to support."

    "Are you implying this was an attempt to lure Jack in?"

    "I wasn''t finished yet. I checked all the records and it just so happens that three of those prisoners are said to have prior connections to Jormungand."

    "What''s Jormungand?"

    "To put it simply, they¡¯re a terrorist group. But what may interest you about them is their leader. Supposedly the leader is the father of  Firebreather Leo."

    My eyes widened.

    "Do you think he''s after Leo!?"

    "I''ve heard rumors only another dragon can defeat him, and those rumors have substantial evidence. So it''s probable he plotted all this in order to take, or kill his son."

    "Are you certain of this?"

    "No, not at all. To be blunt, the security was lax at this location. The reality of it being just a carefully planned rebellion, that had the unfortunate luck of having Jack nearby is extremely plausible. In matter of fact it''s rather likely that''s all it is. But I didn''t feel right if I didn''t say something. It would be the perfect opportunity, this is the first time Leo has stopped moving."

    "Wait, how do you know that?"

    "There are eyes everywhere Stryder."

    Before I could say anything else he hung up. I listened to the silence for a moment, half expecting to hear something to be said. But that moment never came.

    My arms dropped and I let everything sink in. Leo''s father could be after him. However, this could legitimately mean nothing. I squeezed my phone tighter as my mind raced. What''s the best option? What should I do?

    Should we bunker up and hide? Or would that alert him that we know? Wait, if this is nothing then what''s the point? I''ll ruin Leo''s entire chance to be a normal kid. But is it worth the risk? And he said eyes are everywhere, what does that mean? Is someone spying on us!? Was the information just fed to him from Jack? No, he wouldn''t have said it like that if he did, wait would he? I have no idea what Icarus is like. Maybe he just wanted me to be more careful, or is that something he would even do?

    "Stryder!" Valentina¡¯s voice boomed through the halls. I jumped and slowly turned back to her. She was glaring at me. "Tell me what''s going on, who was that? And why does it look like you''re freaking out?"

    I took a deep breath and tried to relax my body.

    "To make a long story short. I just got some information that might be concerning or nothing. I''ll talk to you more about it later. Right now I need to talk to Zack."

    I quickly turned and ran back toward the dance.

    "H-hey wait!" Val called out, but I just kept forward.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    I needed to do something, and fast. Because if I didn''t, something terrible might happen.

    ¡­

    "And that''s all he said?" Zack huffed.

    "Yeah, that''s pretty much everything. And I tried calling back, but it just goes to Lux." I sighed and leaned back against the lockers in the hall.

    I told the girls to just watch Leo while we talked. I didn''t want to freak everyone out for potentially nothing.

    "I don''t think we have anything to worry about." He blurted out as he moved his hands behind his head.

    "And why is that?"

    "Well Jacks been gone for a few days now right? And Leo hasn''t exactly been clingy. If this Dragonite wanted to come and clap Leo, I''m sure he would''ve done it by now. I at least think we don''t have anything to worry about in a heavily populated area. This guy sounds like the strategy type."

    "You think so?"

    "Mmhhmm, at least for tonight I think we''re safe."

    Surprisingly enough that sounded pretty reasonable. I don''t think he''ll attack in a heavy populated area like this either.

    "I guess you have a point." I pushed off the lockers and stepped forward. "Let''s take some safety measures after the dance. Just until Jack comes back."

    "Yeah, I''m sure bird poop has already alerted Jack of his Game theory. But let''s give a call after the dance. Because I''m sure he''ll have more context for us than what Batman gave us."

    I smiled a bit and nodded. Honestly, a part of me was just excited to hear I got to enjoy the dance some more. I could be with Valentina for just a little bit longer.

    "To right! To the left! One hop this time!" I heard the cha-cha slide playing in the background, and Zack eagerly stood up straight.

    "Hey! A dance you and Leo can do!" He cheered and grabbed my hand.

    "H-hey!" I squeaked, but he just yanked me forward.

    I looked over his happy expression, and I couldn''t help but smile. Yeah, maybe I can relax, just for a little bit.

    As we came back in we didn''t speak a word to the girls. Zack just yanked Leo and threw us both at the crowd.

    "Two hops! Two hops!" The song called off.

    I looked over to Leo who seemed to be in shock. And I just happily played along and nudged him.

    "Come on try it out!"

    "Two hops, two hops!" The song demanded.

    And Leo gave me the stiffest military hop I''ve ever seen. But he hopped at least! We danced to this song and the electric slide. Pretty much every song that had an easy pattern we could follow. Alexis came in and showed us the way, and I for sure messed it up. But I ignored the people around me and just enjoyed the moment. Laughing with the girls, watching Leo try to not move like an unoiled robot.

    "Hey let''s get some pictures!" Zack cheered and everyone seemed to agree, but Leo.

    However, his complaints were overruled, and we dragged him along to the paper mache brick wall. It had fake bullet holes in it and chains dangling from it. And from there we took picture after picture. I wrapped my arms around Leo and so did Zack. He looked like he wanted to stab us, but we still made him take photos with us. And we just goofed off on each one.

    Eventually we all made our way back to the party, entrusting Valentina with our polaroid shots. Because we all knew she was the most responsible. Plus we knew Leo might burn them if given the chance.

    Almost immediately as we walked away from the photoshoot, the gentle lullaby of the slow songs started to entrance the dance floor. Leo took that as his moment to escape and Alexis dragged Zack over to the dance floor.

    Zack squealed and complained that he wanted to join another rap session. But Alexis just ignored him. As they left, Leo came back with Punch in his hand.

    "So Leo, what do you think?" I hummed as he stopped in front of me.

    He gave me a smile but quickly looked down. And I caught a glimpse of an old scar over his right eye. Geez, am I just now noticing it?

    "I can''t say I''m a fan of all these people, but something about it. Everyone is just being so carefree, it''s nice."

    His words were softer than usual, I could barely hear him over the music. He took a sip of his drink and did his best to avoid my gaze. I moved my hand over his head and gently patted him.

    "You''ve been through a lot. This is your time to relax. I can be the same, always scared about what''s to come next. But you don''t gotta worry all the time."

    He slowly looked up to me and had this sparkle in his eye. Like I just told him he won the lottery or something.

    "Tonight is the night to make cherished memories. So don''t hold yourself back." Valentina chimed in.

    She walked up next to me and then held out a photo for Leo. I looked it over, and it was the only calm photo we took together. Leo hesitated at first, just staring intently at the picture. Till he finally took it and held it like a precious gem.

    "I see, you''re as brave as always.." He mumbled as he stared at the photo.

    There was an odd somber look in his eye. I wonder if this all just too much for him.

    "Hhhmm?" I asked.

    He jumped a little and took a step back.

    "I-its nothing! I just said I''m gonna get some punch." He said with a chuckle.

    "But you already have a-"

    Before I could finish, he had already walked off. I blinked a few times.

    "That was weird.."

    "Well this is his first dance." Valentina hummed as she hooked her arm around mine.

    My body suddenly felt warm, like she was a dazzling flame.

    "Well what do you say hero, want to make some more memories?" She asked with a smile.

    I opened my mouth to tell her yes, but I felt a twinge in my chest. Annual¡¯s face came into my mind, and I looked away from her. I really shouldn''t, I''ll just make things more complicated. But my worries went up in smoke as the dazzling flame whisked me away to the dance floor.

    My heart started to race as I got in with the crowd. It''s like I could hear the faint laughter in my ear. I looked around to make sure no one was staring at me. Crap, what if I mess up? What if I stomp on her foot? But I was ripped away from my thoughts as Valentinas¡¯ soft hand rested against my cheek. She moved my head to face hers and gave me a smile.

    "Hey, don''t look anywhere else, just focus on me."

    I didn''t say anything. My eyes just stared into hers. For a second time, my thoughts seem to just melt away.

    Just focus on her.

    My hands slowly moved around her, and gently placed themselves around her waist. Then her arms snaked around my neck. Her eyes were hypnotizing, it truly felt like she was the only person that was here. Her beautiful amber eyes, her shining black hair. My eyes glanced down at her lips. And something just felt right.

    I leaned into her, and she leaned into me. As I was about to close my eyes, I caught a glimpse of Leo. He was running at someone. I stopped myself and pulled back.

    "Stryder what''s..?"

    Valentina asked, but I ignored her and looked over to Leo. And I was snatched back into reality. I was speechless as I watched Leo running at, another Leo!? Before I knew it, Leo had run up and clocked the other him in the face. He went flying and crashed into the concession table.

    The crowd gasped and quickly turned to the noise. And I immediately ran over to the Leo''s. As I arrived I quickly skidded to a stop as the Leo that was on the table stood up, and whipped his head back, and then flung it forward.

    Then FROOOSH! A wave of searing azure flames erupted from his mouth, and blasted Leo. Sending him flying back with a trail of blue embers.

    That''s when everyone started to panic.

    "He''s got a bomb!"

    "It''s a fire!"

    "It''s a school shooter! Run for it!"

    I turned around and saw everyone on the dance floor running like startled cattle. I can''t worry about that now, I need to focus on this Leo clone.

    "What a warm welcome.." The Leo clone coughed out.

    His eyes moved from Leo, and then over to me. I glared at him and held up my fists.

    "You''re gonna regret that."

 Chapter 60 - Aeolus gift

    This was bad, very bad. I can''t afford to use my powers in here. Plus if he fights anything like Leo he''ll probably burn half the student body by accident.

    He cocked his head to the side and stared into my eyes. I felt a shiver run down my spine, it was like staring at a wild animal.

    I only managed to beat Leo because I used my full arsenal. Not to mention I''m not naturally flame resistant¡­.

    I glanced over at Leo who was peeling off the wall, and then back to the panicking crowd. I bet someone''s called the cops already too.

    BBBRIIING! BBBBRRRIING!

    Then I heard my saving grace, the fire alarm!

    "Are you people stupid! Run! Some kid let off some explosives in here! Ya wanna get roasted!?" I heard Zack announce from the speakers.

    Thank god, back up...

    That was the call that really got people running. This seemed to catch the Leo clones attention. I was gonna use that as my way into a sucker punch. But all I could see was a dazzling explosion of fire crashing into the lookalike like a meteorite. He was sent flying and smacked into the DJs set.

    "Leo!" I called.

    As the dust settled, the flares of red and blue illuminated Leo''s face. And the only thing I could see in his eyes was hate. His sharp teeth were bare and he looked like a rabid dog. I called him again and again. But he didn''t hear a word.

    He just leaped forward, using a fireball to propel himself at the lookalike. Then a flash of blue sparked and rocketed at Leo like a shooting star. They collided, and I watched in l amazement. Sparks of red and blue bathed the dance floor, sending embers around like confetti. Lighting the way as they barraged each other.

    "The hells going on!?" I heard Zack yell from beside me.

    "I think Leo''s dad launched an attack. And if I follow that logic the guy who looks like Leo is probably his twin."

    Zack whistled. "Damn, this is some star wars ish. Anyways, what''s the plan?"

    "The cops and fire department should be here soon. I suggest we fall back and reassess the situation."

    "Sounds great, mind telling me how you''re gonna separate the wonder twins over there?"

    I turned to look back at them, and I was speechless. Leo had him by the arm and was swinging him around.  Using the fire from his mouth to increase his speed. Till he stopped and slammed his brother into the wall. Who immediately jumped and shot fire at the wall. Propelling himself backward and kicking Leo in the face. Then they went right back to clocking each other.

    Are those two even human...

    "I''ll take care of them. Did Bean get all the cameras? And is everyone gone?"

    "The cameras are all handled, as for people I have no idea. The cafeterias pretty empty though."

    Right, I should be cautious. No summoning then.

    "Okay, get Bean here and ready. I''ll get Leo to leave, and once you get him out. Send Bean to take my place with the lookalike. And I''ll follow suit."

    "While you do that I''ll tell Bean to grab some footage. See if we can spot this freak coming in." Zack said as he held up his hand to me.

    I nodded and clapped his hand, and then he took off.

    "Let''s go!" I yelled and concentrated my strength.

    I only added a little bit so my mist wouldn''t be too noticeable. Luckily for me, the blue embers didn''t make it stand out as much.

    I activated my eyes and watched the two, waiting for an opening. Once it arrived, I launched myself at the lookalike, and I buried my fist into his face and sent him flying into the wall. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Let''s jump him!" Leo immediately cheered.

    I tripped over my words a bit. I really didn''t expect to hear that.

    "N-no, we gotta go!" I yelled.

    "What!? He''s right here!"

    "Leo! This isn''t the right environment! The police will be here soon. And something tells me he isn''t gonna go down easy. Plus your dad is an unknown variable. We need to leave!"

    He opened his mouth to talk, but he stopped midway and just stared wide-eyed past me. I turned around and saw the lookalike darting at me with his claws held out to attack me. I immediately darted forward at him and rammed my head into his. He yelped and immediately grabbed his face as he stumbled back.

    I could feel the cold trail of blood sliding down my face. And it felt like someone was bashing my head in still, but I just ignored it and turned back to Leo.

    "I said go! Now!" I demanded.

    His eyes got wide, and he looked like he wanted to argue. But he just turned around and started running. For a moment there, I felt a wave of relief.

    Then that was quickly shattered as I felt something scaly ram into my cheek. I caught myself and spun around with a right hook.  As I turned I could see his new face. His hands and skin were covered in shiny indigo scales. He held his ground and immediately came back with another punch to my face.

    We went back and forth, trading blow after blow. It was difficult to keep up with him. He was just as fast as Leo, so my eyes were barely keeping me on par with him.

    As I went to jump back, I slipped on something wet and fell back. I looked ahead and saw my doom. I immediately went to summon armor over me.  If someone happened to see I''d just have to deal with it!

    But before I could get the armor on, I felt a gust of wind sweep over me. And then a black figure swooped in and kicking my assailant in the face.

    Leo''s lookalike dropped to the floor and started to roll back.

    "My eyes!" He roared as he curled into a ball and held his face.

    I felt my confidence rise as my hero landed in front of me. Brandishing a very familiar dark green hoodie. It was Icarus!

    He didn''t say a word. He moved his hand to his lower back and seemed to grab something. Then he threw whatever he had at Leo''s lookalike. It looked like a little yellow ball, and as soon as it made contact with the floor, it exploded! Letting this yellow dust fill the whole cafeteria. The wind picked up and spread it around. And Leo''s lookalike screamed in horror, spazzing on the ground like a dying bug.

    But I seemed to be just fine for some reason.

    The hooded man kneeled down to me and whispered.

    "Don''t talk, and follow my lead." He picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

    I didn''t question it. I just accepted it and let him carry me out. Which was really trippy! The area around seemed really wavy, like there was a glitch in the system. We were going fast, like my boosted speed fast! And we were going without a sound. However, I noticed that I couldn''t breathe at all!

    Luckily, it didn''t take us long before we arrived at the gymnasium. He headed straight to the broken back door and suddenly I could breathe again.

    He set me down and I started to gasp for air. He seemed like he was breathing hard, but he kept moving forward like this was nothing.

    As we walked outside, I nearly leaped out of my skin. Lux, Zack, and Leo seemed to just materialize out of thin air! Which didn''t help my already faint breathing. Bean stood behind them and changed and kneeled down, prepared for us to get on.

    "I''m aware that Thadius can''t make himself completely blind to other senses while invisible and flying. So I''ll make us silent in the sky if you can just block off physical perception." Icarus said between breaths.

    Bean nodded and lowered himself, then we all hurried on.

    "Zack, are the girls safe?" I asked as we climbed on.

    "Yeah Val got Alexis out whenever the fire alarm went off. She helped guide a safe path out for the students."

    I sighed with relief and sat back as Bean took off. Icarus sat near the edge with his hands held out. It seemed like the wind was cooling around him. Making his hoodie shift as he concentrated.

    "So, what exactly is going on chicken little?" Zack spoke up.

    "Once we land I''ll be able to give you full disclosure. For now, I need to focus." He grumbled back in a strained voice.

    He really seemed like he was spending himself right now. I wonder if he was doing a lot before he got me.

    "Lux, not like I didn''t want to see you. But why exactly are you here?"

    "He thinks Leo''s father would use me as a hostage to get Leo. So he came and got me."

    "What about dad?"

    "Well, I didn''t think about him¡­" She admitted.

    "I sent him a fake email about winning the lottery. Last I checked he''s about an hour out from here. But can you all be quiet till we get to safety? Muffling sounds isn''t as easy as you''d like to think." He groaned.

    "You act like he can hear us way up here!" Zack complained.

    "Can you say for certain he doesn''t have a gift that lets him do that? Or that he hasn''t sent out someone who can?" Icarus snapped back.

    Zack went to open his mouth but didn''t say a word. He just folded his arms and sat back.

    "Whatever.." He mumbled.

    I looked away from the two and focused down on the city below. And I noticed something odd. All the lights that would illuminate the streets like a starry night, were gone.

    I wonder who turned out the lights¡­

    ¡­.

    We flew for a bit, eventually landing in the middle of some woods. As he descended, I could see a gigantic old mansion below us. And it looked like something from a horror movie...

    The place was at least two stories tall and was made of bricks. As we landed, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I stared into the void of the curtainless windows on the second floor. And it felt like the house was glaring at me.

    Without a word, Icarus leaped off Bean with a gust of wind and landed in front of a first-story window. He placed his hand on it, then I felt a breeze start to come in. The trees swayed and the cold air wrapped itself around me.

    It was a good few minutes before he moved his hand from the glass and the wind stopped.

    "Alright, the coast is clear." He pointed up to the second story window."That''s the way inside. I advise letting Bean fly you up."

    It was weird, he was far away from us. Yet I could hear him like he was talking next to me. Did he know how to throw his voice or something? No that''s gotta be the wind somehow. I ignored the thought and just focused on my surroundings as Bean flew us over to the window.

    Icarus did a big jump and landed on the windowsill gracefully. I could see the wind coiling around him like a gentle tornado as he maneuvered down and opened the window. Then he quickly climbed inside.

    Bean flew closer and we all carefully climbed through the window.

    "Follow me, we''re heading to the basement," Icarus said and quickly left the room.

    I looked around as I walked, and it seemed like this place was frozen in time. We were coming through what looked like a little girl¡¯s bedroom. I didn''t dwell on it though. Mainly because I caught a glimpse of a doll in the corner. Even with the powers to level a city, those things still made me uneasy.

    The floors creaked and moaned as he followed Icarus down the steps and the halls. Every place seemed furnished, almost like they left out in a hurry. There was even a ball of yarn and needles lying in a chair. I wonder what happened here.

    Soon we walked through the kitchen and went through a door in there, which led downstairs. As we came down the steps, I became speechless. The basement was huge and fully furnished, it seemed like some old guy''s bachelor pad! Couches, mounted guns, a pool table. They even had a huge fish tank built into the wall. However, the water was murky and dark, and seemed like it was hiding something sinister. I know it wasn''t possible for a sea monster to be in there. But I couldn''t help but think about the Kraken shooting its tentacles out from the tank at us.

    And knowing our goddesses, they just might do it for funsies¡­

    As we all came down, Icarus faced us. He reached up and slowly removed his hood. His snake-like dreads fell down and laid on his shoulders, and hung in his eyes. He quickly looked away and made a strong effort to avoid eye contact. Yet I could still see his shining jade eyes. He reached up and scratched the back of his head.

    "Well, for starters. I''m Rushon Atlas. It''s nice to officially meet you all."

 Chapter 61 - Daedaluss workshop

    This was Icarus, Jack''s star pupil. I don''t know what I expected, but somehow this isn''t what I imagined. He seemed normal. Not that, that was wrong or anything. But I expected him to exude some sort of presence. But it just felt like staring at some kid on the street.

    "Alright, bird poop. Mind explaining what''s going on now?" Zack blurted out.

    Icarus turned toward Zack, but he didn''t look him in the eye. He just stared down to the floor, moving his hand up and fiddling with one of his dreads.

    He did kind of remind me of me...

    "Yeah, I recall you saying you didn''t really believe in your own theory that much. So what brought you here exactly?" I spoke up.

    "Oh, well that was a lie." He said nonchalantly.

    "I''m sorry what?" Zack asked.

    "At the time of me calling you, I was already close to your home."

    "So why didn''t you say that then? Wouldn''t it have been better to have us well prepared with a serious warning!?" I asked.

    "Theoretically speaking, yes. However I wanted to test you. I wanted to see how you two would work in a situation like this, what choices you''d make with the same exact information I had. Granted you don''t know Jormungand as well as I do. But that hardly mattered in the overall decision making."

    "What if someone would''ve gotten hurt!? We could''ve stopped the dance from happening and avoided the risk entirely if I would''ve known before tonight."

    "And what? Let Jormungand know that you were onto him? Think about it. The dragon Twin knew exactly what school you go to . Plus it''s reasonable to assume he knew where Leo was going. And let me ask you, how do you think he knew that?"

    "What does that have to do with anything?"

    Then, for the first time. He looked up at me, and stared into my eyes. It sent a chill over me, his deep green eyes seemed like they could see everything. Every secret, every lie, every mess up.

    "It means someone''s leaking information about you. And if you would''ve pulled out earlier and stopped the dance, there''s a good chance he would''ve known and acted on that. Potentially raising the risk of people dying, like your sister."

    His voice was different, it was firm. Not a shed of doubt in it. Even if it was all hypothetical, he sounded so sure of it. Like it was a common fact.

    "I-I never thought about that.."

    I mumbled as I looked away.

    "Wouldn''t the risk been the same since you called Stryder?" Leo asked.

    "Yes, and no. Like I said before, I had already gotten Lux by that time. Plus I had secured a good visual of everything I needed. If Stryder chose to pull out when I gave him the option. It would have been clear. The big idea here is I am an unknown variable. He has no idea I''m here. We caught him in the middle of his plan. We took all his bargaining chips, and stopped his attack. All because he didn''t suspect we knew anything. And if you somehow told the traitor among you what I knew it wouldn''t have mattered. I already had the bargaining chips, and a functional escape plan."

    "Wait, wait hold up, hold up! I know you said leaked info, but Traitor!?" Zack blurted out.

    Rushon then looked back to the floor and fiddled with his dreads again.

    "Well technically it''s not confirmed. The reality is it could be a third party working for Jormungand. I have no evidence either way. However I''d imagine the simple option would be to pay or threaten someone for information. But a spy with a more covert gift among his ranks Is also plausible."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "Well come on then batman! What''s the percent on this!"

    "This isn''t Death Note ya know.." Rushon huffed and looked up to the ceiling. "But if I had to say. I''d say the traitor option is about sixty percent. The likely candidates would be the girls."

    My stomach dropped, and Valentinas smile crept into my mind. She was with me all night, she knew everything that was going on. No, no, no! Please no! There''s no way she would do it.

    "Valentina wouldn''t¡­" I mumbled.

    "Stryder." Lux called out, but I couldn''t even look at her.

    "Normally I''d be more considerate of your feelings. But there is no time for this sentimental stuff. Valentina, and Alexis are both on the chopping block. We need to be realistic and keep this possibility in mind."

    As those words left his mouth. A fire ignited inside of me. What am I doing? Doubting Val like that. After all she''s done for me, is my faith in her that shallow?

    I looked up at Rushon, and he met my eyes. Carrying that same intensity from before. But I didn''t yield this time.

    "Don''t say anything like that about Valentina again." I said firmly.

    His eyes widened for a moment, then he looked back to the floor.

    "Let''s just move on to a more suited topic. Leo, your father usually has guards and underlings correct? How often is it that he sends Elo out?"

    "Elo?" Zack said." Whose Eeyore?"

    "My brother, that''s his name." Leo replied.

    "The hell kind of name is that!? That''s just Leo swapped around!"

    "He changed his name a little bit after our mom died. To make a point that he was the lesser twin." Leo focused back on Rushon. "But to answer your question, only in dire situations. Elo was his best soldier."

    "That''s what I thought, so the fact that he was here with no back up says a lot. To give you all some context. He had a war with Gildas forces a while back. Arthur took advantage of this and chose to attack both forces. Imprisoning most of his army, and leaving him wounded."

    "Wait, Gilda hurt the guy who can only be hurt by dragons?" Zack squeaked.

    "Irrelevant, and incorrect question."

    Zack grumbled.

    "The point I''m making is that his army must be really low if he''s using Elo to attack. Which means he''s more vulnerable. Theoretically we can stop him by locating him and restraining him."

    I hate to admit it, but this adds to his traitor theory too...

    "He''s not the type to get his own hands dirty. Gilda was a rare exception to the rule." Leo added. "It might be hard to find him."

    "Well he kinda messed up attacking Leo at the party then." Zack said as he flopped down on the old leather couch. Dust flew up into the air and rained down on him. "Ah spider!"

    Zack shrieked and shot up, he lit his hand ablaze. The green fire illuminated the horror show of a bachelor pad as he beat the couch cushion.

    Rushon held out his hand, an intense gust followed and coiled around Zack''s hand. Snuffing the fire out.

    "This place is indeed flammable ya know." Rushon sighed.

    "Well, I found him first actually. He probably planned to assassinate or kidnap me when I inevitably ran from the party." Leo mumbled. "Which shows how much we lucked out."

    We lucked out. It was like all the pieces to the puzzle just fell into place. Because of my stupid decision, all we did was luck out. If Leo hadn''t noticed Elo, he''d probably be dead. All because I made some stupid decision, because I wanted to be with Valentina! What''s wrong with me!

    "Is that enough evidence for you?" Rushon asked softly.

    Did he turn this whole conversation just to convince me!? I took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. I''m so selfish, I don''t deserve to be here. I know Rushons right, but it pisses me off that he played me like this. But can I blame him? Does that mean he''s trying to convince me Valentina is a traitor!? Is that what this leads too? That would mean she''d be the cause for almost killing Leo...

    "Stryder are you okay?" Lux called out to me.

    She took a few steps over to me. My thoughts felt like sticks poking at my head.

    "Dammit! Just leave me alone!" I yelled as I punched the wall behind me.

    My fist slammed through the wood like it was glass. My whole body trembled as I tried to breathe.

    "Stryder, I know what you''re thinking."

    I heard Rushon speak up.

    "Your right, I''m an idiot! I don''t blame you for testing me, or taking over. I''m stupid." I continued to look away from him and balled my fist.

    Then a gentle hand rested on my shoulder. Making my whole body tremble.

    "Stryder, Your feelings aren''t invalid, and I don''t blame you for your decision. Don''t forget what Jack taught you. You''re a human, not a machine. If you made the right decisions all the time, and only helped people. You''d never be able to really enjoy the big blue sky, and the people who follow in those steps won''t be able to either. They''ll all just be staring at the ground their whole lives."

    I hesitated, but I looked back up to him. Meeting his shining jade eyes.

    "But Leo could''ve been killed. How can you say something like that!"

    "Leo''s changing because of that heart of yours. Are you going to stand here and abandon your heart because of one mistake? I know you had him in mind too when you chose to stay."

    "But.."

    "Do you know why Jack isn''t training me anymore?"

    "No?"

    "It''s because they think you''re more worthy it than I am. You''re going to be the next big hero. You and all your flaws. Do you really think someone like Jack would lie to you about your heart?"

    I just looked away from him again.

    "I''m nothing special. You thought of everything! You should be the one who gets this."

    "But I''m not, you are. Don''t use this moment as a time for closing up. Learn from it, be better. I did that so you can learn to have a wider scope."

    He stepped back from me and turned to everyone else.

    "To continue, there''s one last glaring issue to discuss here."

    He went into his pocket and took out his phone. He displayed his green android and clicked the power button.

    "Your kidding me right? You not having charge Is a ''glaring issue''?" Zack huffed.

    "Pull out your phones." Rushon demanded.

    "Hey mines dead.." Lux called out.

    "What? So is mine!" Zack cried.

    That''s when I remembered the lights, all the lights in the city below were gone. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone. And sure enough, it wasn''t turning on.

    "Did he blast an E.M.P?"

    "It would explain why the police never arrived, and why the fire alarm suddenly stopped." Rushon added.

    Huh, I never even noticed that while I was fighting Elo.

    "Is his gift with electronics!?" Zack asked.

    "I was never able to find an answer to that. Even with the fight with Gilda, his power is unknown officially. I have theories though." He turned and looked at Leo''s feet. "Leo, do you happen to know what powers your father has?"

    "Yeah, he''s a dragon just like me." He grumbled.

    And for once, I saw Rushon smirk.

    "I see, it''s like a game of pok¨¦mon then."

 Chapter 62 - Icaruss curse

    What he said was right. This wasn¡¯t the time to lose heart, especially in front of Leo. I needed to focus. Even though I¡¯m saying that, I can¡¯t help but think about Rushon. The jokes people make about him, the fact Jack left him for me. He has all the reasons in the world to hate me. Yet he¡¯s right here, saving my skin, giving me advice. Is it just because he believes in me too?

    ¡°So what now bird poop?¡± Zack yelled from the floor.

    ¡°Well, that question leads to more questions.¡±

    ¡°What do ya mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, that depends. Leo, what is it you want to do about Elo?"

    "Kill him." He replied immediately.

    ''I see, you''re just as brave as always.''

    I remembered Elo¡¯s words when we were talking. He even brought up much how he liked everyone being so carefree.

    "Leo, are you sure there''s no way we can talk to him?" I asked.

    "Yes."

    "Why is that?" Rushon asked.

    This time he was looking up at Leo. But rather than an intense look, he was wearing a sympathetic one.

    "Because he''s a monster!" Leo snapped. "I know you two heroes want to think he''s some damsel in distress. But he lost his humanity a long time ago!"

    "How is he any different from you?" Rushon asked.

    Leo growled.

    "Because I was never afraid! Because I chose to surpass our father! Because I didn''t obey like a little soldier! I didn''t kill innocent people because I was afraid!"

    "You two are no different."

    "THE HELL DID YO-"

    "He killed because of fear, you killed because you wanted to be stronger. It may sound like two different things. But in the end, you both have blood on your hands because you''re afraid."

    "I''m not afraid!"

    "You''re afraid of being weak, you''re afraid you''ll never be able to avenge your mother. But most importantly, you''re afraid you''ll become just like him."

    "Shut up! What do you know!?" Leo roared and charged at him.

    He leaned back and tried to punch Rushon in the face, but Rushon easily moved out of the way. Which only made Leo angrier, going in again and again at him. Till Rushon ducked down and slammed his palm into Leo''s stomach. He gasped and immediately flopped onto the floor. Coughing and gasping for air.

    "Leo!" I cried and ran over to his aid. "Don''t you think you''re going a bit too far Rushon!?"

    "No, Elo is a victim too. Just because he''s shackled by fear doesn''t make him any less human. Yes, he''s committed horrible acts, and he needs to be punished for that. But even so, I think he deserves a chance to look up at the sky too."

    "Your delusional, and when you die trying to save that pathetic piece of crap. I''ll laugh at your grave." Leo growled.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "If I can manage to get through to him, we''d also have a better chance fighting Jormungand."

    I wonder how much of this is about care, and not just a strategy.

    "Regardless our first step needs to be getting-"

    Rushon stumbled as he walked toward us. He grabbed his sides and then immediately threw up. Water gushed from his mouth like a fire hydrant. Leo quickly rolled back and stood up. While I stared in shock at the spiraling water that constricted around him.

    "Don''t fly too high, but more important, don''t fly too low. If you fly too low, the waves will weigh you down and you will perish. Poor little Icarus."

    I heard her words whisper into my ear. No, the Goddesses!? But why!?

    A dazzling bright light sparked next to the rippling water. Growing into a floating flame, the intense heat immediately grasped my skin.

    Suddenly Laughter filled the room as the flame slowly began to fade. Revealing a pale, yet red-stained arm, and a long flowing red dress.

    There was no doubt about it. This was one of the Goddesses. Soon the fire faded to nothing but smoke, revealing the Red goddess. She looked exactly like mine when she appeared. Flowing hair like she was swimming in the water, a long dress, and pale skin. The only difference was the color and her eyes. Instead of a Galaxy, I saw hell.

    Her eyes were crackling with purple flames and contorted skeletons. Showing a whole other world in them, It was like staring into the underworld. I averted from her gaze and looked back to Rushon, who was flailing around in the water.

    "L-let him go," I stammered out.

    My body felt heavy, like I had weights tied to me. Not to mention I had the food coma feeling coming in. Like I needed to take a nap. I had to focus, but I managed to keep myself up to face her.

    "Oh? Someone who''s not kneeling?" She snickered.

    Kneeling? I looked over to the others, and I was in shock. Everyone was face first on the ground kneeling to her. Zack, the great destroyer of worlds, was bowing!?

    My knees started to buckle, but I didn''t weaver.

    "Let him go," I croaked out.

    "I see, you are interesting.."

    Suddenly the water that held Icarus froze. The floor rumbled beneath my feet and rocks shot up beneath Rushosn''s ice cube and held him in place. The goddess looked over to the ice and flew closer to it, staring intently at Rushon.

    "How I love to watch you struggle," She whispered.

    She turned away from him and looked back into my eyes. I almost peed myself as her eyes met mine.

    "I''d love to see how Icarus would react to being saved by the one who took his world away from him." She purred as she flew closer to me. "I''ll release him once you all have defeated Jormungand. See Icarus lied to you. He had a plan to defeat Jormungand all by himself. But chose to save lives over the mission. Letting his wings get wet."

    She flew back to the icy prison and ran her fingers over it.

    "Being saved twice by the man that you want to surpass." She whispered to the ice. "I wonder if you''ll accept your fate now?"

    Then without a word. She vanished. That''s when I collapsed onto the floor, and I gasped for air. I hadn''t even noticed, but I didn''t breathe that entire time.

    "W-what the hell was that!?" Lux coughed out.

    "My stupid Goddess." Zack groaned.

    "Your kidding. This loser can defeat dad all on his own!? No way!" Leo panted out.

    "I don''t know. The guys seemed kind of O.P." Zack panted.

    I stood up and walked over to the frozen Rushon. I could see his mouth wide open and his body slumped in the water. Like he had just breathed his last breath.

    "He got his wings wet so we could save lives," I mumbled.

    I doubted his intentions, was it because I was jealous? Even now, am I still jealous? He let himself down like this so he could save Us, and probably Elo.

    "You''re a real hero, Icarus." I sighed and turned back to the group. "We''re gonna save him, no matter what!"

    "Yeah, mind telling me how?" Leo grumbled.

    "Well for starters, Let''s have Zack and Bean go out. Gather some Intel in the city. We can figure out the rest from there."

    "That was terrifying.." Lux managed to stammer out.

    Zack got up and walked over to me. Then he held his fist out to me.

    "Let''s save old bird poop and kill a dragon! Show them who the Alley of justice is."

    I smiled and nodded.

    "You two are idiots," Leo grumbled.

    He looked over to Rushon.

    "Maybe he has a point. I''d like to ask how he knows so much about me. So let''s do this." Leo said as he held his fist out to ours.

    "Woah, Woah wait! You''re actually gonna kill an unkillable dragon!?" Lux stammered out.

    "Well, he''s not unkillable. If Rushon can do it the mighty Destroyer of worlds can definitely do it. Plus Lizard breath over here is no weakling. Let''s wreck this Dragonite! " Zack snickered.

    "Right!" I laughed and we all fist-bumped. "Will stop Jormungand! Save Rushon and get our city back!" I declared.

    "And maybe save Elo," Leo Muttered.

    ¡­.

    It was an hour of silence. Zack and Bean were still gone. I was worried about him, but I just tried to put my faith in him. Besides, I think I should be more worried about Leo. He''s been staring intently at Rushon for awhile now.

    I should really talk to him. I got up from the couch and walked over to him.

    "So, tell me about Elo. You said he was a scary cat? What do you mean about that?"

    Leo sighed as he leaned against the wall, and dropped down onto the floor. I walked over and sat down next to him.

    "Exactly what it sounds like, I swear he''s afraid of his own shadow¡­"

    "How can someone so fearful kill a person?"

    "Because he''s more scared of my father than anything else." He sighed and looked over his hands. "When our father trained us, it wasn''t pretty. Elo was sensitive. We went hunting but he couldn''t kill, when we needed to steal or lie, he couldn''t do it. So when we got back home, he''d take him to the room. Where he tortured him for every mistake. This went on for years."

    A fire started in me. I balled my fist and tried to contain my brewing anger.

    "I see." That was all I managed to get out.

    "I was different. Dad couldn''t get me to fall in line. Well, that was until he threatened mom."

    "He what?"

    "He''d beat her, threatened to sell her. He''d threatened so many unspeakable things to her if I didn''t comply. The last order I disobeyed was killing one of his rivals kids." He stopped talking and looked over his hands. "Mom broke her hand later that day, it was gonna be her eye next. And I couldn''t let that happen. So, that was the first time I killed someone."

    "Leo.."

    "Rushon was wrong. Elo and I are different. I was always strong, he wasn''t. And as a brother, I didn''t do anything. Even when my mom asked..." His voice cracked and he moved a hand over his face. "She begged me the night before she died, and I turned my back on him! I left him!"

    I could see tears streaming down from his hands. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes. I moved an arm around him and pulled him against me.

    "I''m just like my dad!"

 Chapter 63 -Jormungand

    ¡°Get off of me!¡± Leo growled as he elbowed me away.

    ¡°Leo, it¡¯s not-¡±

    ¡°Hey Leo, I know exactly how you feel,¡± Lux spoke up.

    She got up from the couch and strolled over to us.

    ¡°You have no idea what you''re talking about." Leo huffed and turned away from her.

    ¡°I watched my dad beat Stryder to the ground every day after my mom died. Not only did I watch, I did things to get him to get beat. And I enjoyed watching him suffer.¡± She kneeled down to Leo but he refused to look at her. ¡°I was bitter, I was hurt, and I was jealous. Can you relate to that at all?¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°I always wondered what it was like to be as innocent as him. Someone who could still see the good in the world even after they suffered. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn¡¯t a good person. I was always more like dad, and he was always more like mom.¡±

    Lux moved her hand out and ruffled Leo''s head.

    ¡°What the hell are you-!¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s okay.¡±

    Leo smacked her hand away.

    ¡°How is that okay!?¡±

    ¡°I looked up to my mom just like you looked up to yours. It doesn¡¯t make you a monster because you¡¯re different. You''re just you, and that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m bolder and aggressive just like my dad is. But that doesn¡¯t make me him, and my mom didn¡¯t love me any less for it. Be honest with me, do you think your mom had favorites?¡±

    He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Then he sighed.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t that type of person.¡± He mumbled.

    ¡°Exactly, and neither was my mom. So don¡¯t be afraid to embrace who you are. Once you do that, that¡¯s when you can really make a change to be who you want to be. Jack helped me embrace who I am, and now. I think I¡¯m ready to face the world, without a mask. You should wait on judging your brother until you get that mask off.¡±

    "I see, that puts some things into perspective for me." I could see his cheeks turning red. "Thanks for that."

    Lux snickered.

    "Of course, us in the bad sibling club have to stick together right?"

    The bad siblings club¡­?

    "I suppose." Leo said with a smirk.

    "Lux, I''m glad you got things figured out." I spoke up, which made Lux jump.

    She chuckled and scratched the back of her head.

    "Yeah, well Jacks been really good for me, ya know?"

    "No, he''s not the one facing the issues head on. That''s all you, give yourself credit." I stood up and walked over to her, and she did the same."Don''t forget that I love you. As far as I see it, you''re the best sister anyone can ask for."

    Lux''s cheeks turned red and she looked away.

    "Well I have a long way to go before I agree to that. But thank you. I love you too, Mr. Grown man." She chuckled.

    "This doesn''t change what I said before though." Leo said as he stood up. "I still don''t think we can reason with Elo."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    I turned to him.

    "I understand, however, that doesn''t change how I feel." I looked over to Rushon. "He believed he deserved a chance at redemption. So I''m going to do whatever it takes to give him a chance to see the sky in Rushons place."

    "I don''t think I''ll ever understand that idealistic mentality."

    "It''s one of Stryders specialties."

    "Like I said before, we''re going to win. No matter what, we will take our city back."

    "Yeah!" Lux cheered. "Even though I can''t do anything but hide!"

    "And you''re doing great."

    Lux opened her mouth to talk, but she stopped as we heard creaking coming from upstairs. Creaking that sounded like footsteps.

    "Lux go to the back, just in case, Leo against the wall by the door." I said as I summoned light armor over myself.

    I stood in front of the doorway and waited. The creaks crept closer and closer, making their way toward the steps. It''s probably just Bean and Zack. But in the event Jormungand found us, I can rush and give them time to leave. Maybe even a surprise attack would work.

    My mind went blank as the sound of creaking steps slithered into my ear. I held my hand out and got ready. Then something hit me. I only hear one pair of footsteps. This reality only made my heart start to race. That means it can''t be Bean and Zack. The place had no lights, and the staircase upstairs seemed like an endless abyss. Which only set me more on edge.

    However, I breathed a sigh of relief as the small goblin fumbled down to the last step.

    "False alarm, it''s just Bean. Where''s zack?"

    "Master Zack has engaged in combat with the one known as Jormungand and Elo."

    "He what!" Leo cried as he ran over.

    "Yeah is he okay!?" Lux squeked as she ran over to us.

    "No time, we''re leaving now." I said as I darted up the steps.

    "Wait we need a pla-"

    "If we don''t move right now Zack could die! Just tell us on the way. Let''s go." I demanded as I continued up.

    Zack what the heck are you thinking!? Don''t die on me.

    I rushed to the front door and kicked it down. I turned around and saw Bean running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He leaped over the broken door pieces and Leo followed behind. Then, Bean started to shift and turned into his flight beast form. I hopped on and so did Leo, then we zoomed off.

    "So explain what happened!" Leo yelled over the rushing wind.

    "We intercepted a smoke signal, which we later found was caused by Valentina. Upon landing Jormungand and Elo were present. Alexis seemed to be on the side of Jormungand, but restrained for some reason."

    "Wait was Alexis the traitor!?" Leo yelled.

    A pit formed in my stomach as a wave of relief washed over me. Did I really not want it to be Val this bad?

    "That is an unknown. The last visual I had was Master Zack going to save Valentina and Alexis."

    "Did he have a plan in mind!?" I asked.

    "Not that I''m aware, as soon as he saw the scene. He just moved."

    Zack maybe impulsive, but running into a fight without a plan wasn''t like him.

    "Thank you! It would be best for you to watch! In the event we lose,take Leo back and protect Lux."

    "What!?" Leo cried.

    "Think about it. We just lose if you die, or get captured. Me and Zack can stall Jormungand. You can take down Elo with Bean. Then come back to assist us."

    "Do you really think you can handle my father!? Hell, do you think Zack''s still alive!?"

    "This is the destroyer of worlds we''re talking about. One invulnerable dragon isn''t gonna kill him that easy!"

    "It''s sad that I believe that!"

    I knew the situation was dire right now. But hearing Leo say he believed that. Made me smile. He was starting to get it, hope.

    Soon we were over the city again, and the first thing I noticed was the gigantic pillar of smoke. It was coming from the downtown area, and Bean wasted no time zooming toward it. As we grew closer I could see the battle unfolding. Sparks of Zack''s green flame flashed like a firework show below us.

    "Down there!" I yelled at Bean who zoomed.

    Thank goodness for these new railings! I would have flown off! As we descended down he started to slow, and I saw Elo rushing at Zack. Who was expertly dodging his blasts by jumping around on his solid air trick. Just as we were about to land, a funnel of fire shot out toward us. There was no time to dodge, the blast Pierced through Bean and sent Leo flying.

    "Leo!"

    The red mist started to secrete from Bean''s body as it faded. I tried to look for Leo, but there was too much smoke and mist.

    I leaped off the remains of Bean''s body and tried to land near the action. I dropped and rolled to my feet, and as soon as I looked up. I was greeted by Zack''s flying body. I tried to catch him, but he just slammed into me and we both fell back.

    "Elo, get your brother. I''ll handle the Heroes." I heard a smooth voice call out.

    "Zack, you''re okay?" I groaned.

    "I wouldn''t consider getting ping ponged by the godfather okay. But sure." He groaned as he rolled off of me.

    We both sat up and I looked ahead of us. I could see the silhouette of a man walking through the smoldering green flames. He extended his hand out, and it immediately extinguished the fire.

    He was wearing a dark obsidian suit that seemed flawless. Not a piece of ash, scorch marks, nothing. He ran his fingers through his fluffy blonde hair and shook his head. Opening his eyes to reveal the all too familiar piercing blue eyes.

    "Is that him?" I asked as I stood up.

    "Yeah, that''s Leo''s daddy. Valentina and Alexis were followed apparently. But thanks to your nerd girlfriend I was able to find them and get them away."

    "Now boys-" Jormungand started.

    Without a word I dashed at him. I summoned an Albion blade and went in for his face. But he was fast. As I thrusted the blade at him; he was already on the left side of me. He didn''t strike, he just gave me a smile.

    A shiver ran down my spine as I met his calm expression. I felt like I was just an insect to him.

    I jumped back, and got some distance between us. But as I landed, I noticed I didn''t drop. I looked down, and I noticed I was standing on air. This was Zack telling me he had me. Just trust him.

    I shot forward at him again and slashed at his neck, just barely missing. I started to increase my speed and activated my eyes. I spun around and landed on the air on the right side of him. I kicked off  and launched myself forward. But I didn''t bother attacking. I landed back on the old air plate and shot myself above him. I tucked my legs in and kicked off on another plate and launched myself down at him. It was like he knew what I was planning. I saw him moving away as soon as I came down.

    I stabbed into the ground where he was at and dispelled my sword. I went to reset myself. But he was already upon me. He rammed his fist into my face and I flew back, and immediately slammed into a wall. I gasped for air as the wind got knocked out of me, and I dropped onto the ground. That must''ve been a wind wall...

    "You good?" Zack asked.

    I coughed and forced myself up.

    "Yeah, I''ve felt worse."

    "Where are your manners? Attacking a man without even hearing what he had to say." Jormungand sighed.

    "Shut up. I''m going to erase you for what you did." Zack growled.

    "Now Zack, do you think that''s the kind of language Annual would like to hear."

    "Keep her name out of your disgusting mouth!" Zack roared.

    "Ya know, if you keep talking to me like that. Maybe I''ll have to give her a visit in the hospital. What was the room number again? Two or four right?" He said with a smirk. "I think you need to-"

    My body was screaming. It was like a vice grip was tightening every part of me. But it was at that moment, nothing else mattered. My body just moved, my powers just activated, I was right in front of him.  Every part of me wanted it.

    I wanted to kill him.

 The Destroyer of Worlds

    -Before Stryder arriver-

    It was like the whole town was asleep. Not a sound, not a single light. I was starting to think this was pointless. Who does Stridiot think he is anyways!? Bossing me around. Like the enemy is just gonna be out in the open.

    Just when I was about to turn around, an explosion broke the silence of the night. It puzzled me a bit, I''m sure if it wasn''t dead silent I would''ve missed it. The sound was really soft. I turned toward it and saw puffs of smoke rising to the sky. But why were there puffs and not just a tower of smoke? It kinda reminded me of a smoke sig-

    "Oh zeppelin that''s a smoke signal. Hiya Bean! To the sign! Lower your speed and go invisible, this could be a trap."

    I held onto the railing and Bean began to morph. The veins popped on his body, and his green skin became ashen in color. Once he was completely grey we took off. When we got close, the tower of smoke abruptly stopped. I scanned the area below as Bean descended down. There were three people running around behind a warehouse.

    When I got right above them I could tell who they were. It was Alexis, Valentina, and some old dude with a mullet. Alexis was in handcuffs and Valentina was staggering back from the mullet guy. He looked like he had a gun pointed at her. He snatched Alexis by the hair with his free hand and yanked her to him.

    I gritted my teeth, I can¡¯t just run in yet.

    "You stupid privilege tramp. This is my tool, and you can''t have her." He snickered.

    "She''s not a thing! She''s a person!" Valentina roared.

    "Whatever, doesn''t matter now. It''s not like your dumb smoke signal did a damn thing. So let me show you what you get for not listening."

    He started to laugh and turned his head toward Alexis. Then he clocked her in the face. She fell face-first onto the ground and he immediately stomped on her head. Next thing I knew I was shoving my hand into his face. The last thing I saw was the shock in his walnut eyes as I roasted him alive.

    An explosion sparked from my palms and sent the trash flying back into the side of the building. Where he started screaming for his life. I dropped down to my knees and picked Alexis up.

    "Hey, you okay!?"

    She coughed and turned to face me. Blood was dripping down her nose, and her eye was swollen.

    "Zack?" She mumbled.

    "Yeah, it''s me, it''s me."

    "Ahhh! It burns! It burns!"

    I looked over and watched the guy I roasted spaze on the ground. Right, he wasn''t dead yet. I needed to rectify that soon.

    "Zack! You have to warn the others! They''re here for-" Valentina cried from behind, but I stopped her.

    "I know, we need to hurry up and get out of here. They¡¯re trying to use you both as bargaining chips."

    "I''m so sorry Zack.."Alexis sat up and stepped back from me. "I''m so so sorry. I didn''t mean to."

    "Hey,  calm down what are you talking about?"

    "We don''t have time for this right now. Pepper spray isn''t gonna hold the dragon forever!" Val yelled.

    "Val you just go! I don''t deserve to after what I did!"

    "No way!" Val demanded as she ran over to us. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ''You have a traitor.''

    Icarus''s words rang in my head.

    "Alexis, you''re the traitor aren''t you?" I asked.

    Her eyes started to shine as tears started to come down.

    "Zack please she didn''t-" Val started, but I stopped her.

    "It''s okay." I gave her a smile and moved my hand on her head. "I''m not mad, and I''m not gonna let anyone hurt you again."

    She sniffled and she looked away from me.

    "But why.."

    I pulled her in and I kissed her softly. Taking a moment to enjoy how warm her lips were. When I pulled back. I could see her wide amber eyes staring at me in disbelief.

    "You really think the mighty destroyer of worlds would be mad at such a little thing?" I chuckled. I felt gross, Stryders smiling face popped into my mind. His ignorant, naive smile. "A hero doesn''t care about dumb stuff like that."

    Suddenly I was reminded of the severity of the situation as a loud explosion sounded off from behind. I looked back and the door was on the ground, while the door frame was engulfed by blue flames. Elo stood in the doorway and glared at me with his puffy blue eyes. Geez, Valentinas got some guts to fight that.

    "Val, take Alexis out of here." I stood up and started to walk toward Elo "I''ll take care of him."

    "Zack! No, you-!" Alexis cried.

    "We don''t have time for this, come on!" Valentina cried.

    I continued forward and watched as Elo walked through the flames. He glared at me and I crossed my fingers. Summoning my vines under the ground.

    "You''re not allowed to leave!" Elo ordered.

    I smirked and pulled my ring finger into my palm, creating a wide barrier of solidified air in front of me. Then I flicked my ring finger and created another smaller one to the left of me. I looked to my right and saw the dust from the ground pick up around something. Great, Bean must''ve caught on.

    I had my vines at the ready, so I gave him a smirk. I turned around and pulled my pants down, then smacked my butt.

    "Show me what you got Beta Leo!¡±

    He snarled and charged me. I quickly turned around and hiked my pants up. My hand was held out waiting for him to crash. Just when he was about to leap at me, I saw him turn and jump right. Making him run headfirst into Bean!

    Bean fell back into the wind wall and for the first time ever, I saw the air crack like glass behind him. I didn''t hesitate and summoned my vines around Elo, and flung him toward me.

    "I see you didn''t take the bait! But that''s okay!" As he came in close I leaped forward and slammed my palm into him, and let a huge green explosion loose. Sending him flying back into the wall. "Don''t underestimate the wizard of the Alley. You think you can just run past me?"

    I started walking toward him and dispelled the solidified air, then summoned more vines to wrap around him. Steam seeped off of him as he struggled to break out.

    "I''m on board with Leo. You suck. Bean, go tell the others what''s going on."

    "Master Zack, is that really wise?"

    "Yeah." I snapped my fingers, and the vines around Elo erupted into red flames. "These are my enchanted vines, they''re fireproof. I definitely can''t move him from this position without risk. These vines aren''t as flexible. So I''ll hold him here while you get the others."

    "Right." He agreed.

    I heard the gross slushing of his body as he shifted back into normal flight mode. Then I felt the huge gust of air as he leaped into the sky.

    "So, before I kill you." I walked over to him and kneeled down, then tapped my palm with my ring finger and summoned a small air shield in front of my face. "Tell me what you did to make Alexis betray us."

    I moved the vines slightly so he could talk, and he immediately shot fire at me. The air shield protected me and I just waited till he was done. Once he finally came to a stop, he started laughing hysterically.

    "S-she had the only natural reaction to this situation. You''d betray your friends too if you knew what you were up against."

    "Man, you really are lesser Leo. What? You''re gonna cower in fear your whole life?"

    I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard someone behind me start clapping.

    "Excellent work Wizard of the Alley. Truly stupendous. You managed to fulfill my wishes even before I asked for it."

    I turned around, and I felt my heart start to race. There stood a man in a dark suit, with bright blonde hair. Blonde hair. This must be Jormungand.

    Alexis''s beaten face and tears came to mind. He caused all this to happen. I held out my hand and rapidly shot fireballs at him. But they all just exploded halfway to him. I solidified the air in front of me and protected myself from the recoil. Once the smoke faded, I saw a much more spikey Elo standing in front of Jormungand.

    He must''ve cut the vines with his body. Damnit! No, I won''t lose here. I''ll beat them both before Stryder and Leo get here. I''ll make them pay for what they did to Alexis!

    I pointed toward them and glared, summoning fire over my arm.

    "You''re gonna pay for what you did to her."

    "Hmm? Why are you blaming me for what that poor girl''s father did?" Jormungand asked.

    "Her what!?"

    "That man whose face you''ve disfigured. He was the one who forced the poor girl. Why not kill him first?"

    "Tch, you think I''m gonna fall for tha-"

    "He is no liar! My father would never dirty his hands with something that trivial." Elo snapped.

    My eyes widened at that. I looked over to the guy, I hadn''t even noticed he was still whining on the ground.

    "No, that''s not enough." I looked back at them. "You sent Elo after my friends, and then let this douche bag beat her!¡± I crossed my fingers, letting my vines shoot out from the ground around us. "I''m gonna kill you!"

    I jumped up and solidified the air, then I darted to Jormungand.

    "Father, can I handle him, or get the girls!?" Elo yelled.

    "Let the girls go. They''ve served their purpose. Let''s play with our friend for now."

    I jumped off the plate and rocketed myself toward him with my fire.  I summoned a cocoon of Vines around Elo, and then created air plates between him and his father. As I came down to Jormungand, I went to blast his eyes with fire. But he just stepped out the way as I shot. I added more firepower and cushioned my fall. Then turned to blast at him again.

    From the corner of my eye, I saw Elo slice through the vines and start darting toward me. Damn, the air plates definitely won¡¯t hold. I shot fire below and rocketed myself into the air. I dispelled the air walls and recreated one below my feet. I looked back to Jormungand and I forgot how to breathe. A gigantic golden fireball zoomed toward me! I solidified the air in front of me and summoned my vines to wrap around me.

    My body was shaking, If that thing hits me I¡¯m gonna die! I heard glass shattering, that must''ve been my solid air. I felt an intense heat grasp at my skin, then it was like a truck rammed into me! I went flying back as the blast exploded against my vines. Then it felt like a sledgehammer slammed into my back. I went flying and crashed into the ground.

    Did that freak of nature punch me when I went flying!?

    "You should be grateful. You got to see what a real fireball looked like before you died, Destroyer of worlds." Jormungand chuckled.

    My head was spinning and I wanted to throw up. No, It''s not over yet. I solidified the air beside me and pulled myself up on it.

    "That''s cute, you think that was something." I chuckled as I stood up. I stumbled back and looked up at him. "Now, time for me to show you what the destroyer of worlds can really do."

 The honor student

    -Before Zack arrived-

    "Come on we gotta hurry!"

    My heart was pounding so hard against my chest, I was scared it was gonna just break out. You and Alexis need to get out, You and Alexis just need to get out. I kept repeating this in my mind to keep myself focused. But Stryders face kept coming back into my mind. I know he¡¯s strong, but I hope he¡¯s okay...NO I need to focus on the task at hand.

    I rushed through the dark band hall and made it to their back door. I opened it up and didn¡¯t see a single person around. Perfect, thank goodness my hunch was right. I turned to see where Alexis had got, but she was dragging her feet coming over.

    "This can''t be happening, this can''t be happening.."

    I could barely make out what she was saying while she chewed on her thumb. But she repeated it so much I started to decipher it.

    "Hey snap out of it! We need to focus on getting out of here! I texted the boys we were leaving already! So we need to keep our word. They¡¯ll worry about us.¡±

    I pushed open the door and snatched her hand, then threw her outside.

    "This is all my fault Val" Alexis cried.

    "What are you talking about?" I asked.

    I took out my phone and went to call my dad, but for some reason, it didn¡¯t turn on. Did I seriously forget to charge my phone!? At a time like this!? Wait a second. I looked up and noticed the street lamps in the distance were all off, and I didn¡¯t hear anything. No sirens, no cars moving in the distance, just the screams from panicked students. Did someone turn the city off?

    "This has to be my dad. I didn''t think he''d do something like this. I didn''t-"

    I turned around and grabbed Alexis¡¯s shoulders, then forced her to look me in the eyes. But she just averted her gaze.

    "Hey, look at me," I demanded.

    Alexis¡¯s shoulders slumped, and she bit her lip. I could feel her shaking in my arms. She slowly raised her head and looked me in the eyes.

    "I told my dad about them¡­"

    "About who?"

    "Zack and Stryder, I told him that they were the Alley of Justice." She sniffled.

    A pit formed in my stomach. Her father? Could he actually be behind all this? Wait, Stryder did say something about someone watching them.

    "We need to get away from here, but we can talk along the way."

    I let her go and clasped her hand firmly. I gave her a confident smile and tried to calm her down. Her body shook more violently this time, and that¡¯s when I noticed she was looking past me. I turned my head, and my heart started to race again.

    Even in the darkness, I could see his amber eyes, staring me down like a snake. It was like he walked straight out of an old western movie. The mullet, boots, he even had a big silver belt buckle. The only thing he was missing was the cowboy hat.

    "It breaks my heart princess. Seeing you betray me like this again. What did I tell you about talking about things?"

    He took a step forward and I moved in front of her, then reached into my purse.

    "I have a gun, and I''m not afraid to use it."

    "Oh? Is that right?" He hummed.

    It was like my heart was gonna come up through my throat. Calm down, be strong, be strong. If you falter even a little he¡¯ll know your bluffing. Even with those thoughts, I couldn¡¯t keep my hands from shaking.

    He smirked at me and took one step back. Which made me relax, but then he quickly darted at me. I froze and when he came he punched me in the face. My world went spinning and I fell back onto the muddy ground. My ears started to ring and I watched as he stepped to Alexis. She screamed but she was silenced by one punch to the face. Her body lifelessly fell back against the wall. Then he scooped her up.

    "You''re gonna pay for disobeying me, princess." He huffed.

    I looked down at the mud on my dress. There was a moment of hurt seeing it ruined like this, but it did give me an idea. I forced myself up and charged him, before he knew what was even going on I had already rammed him with all I had. He stumbled back and started to slip on the mud behind him.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "You little-!"

    Alexis sat up and bit down on his arm. He screamed and started punching her face. I dashed forward at his legs, but he immediately kicked me back in the face. My world started shaking and my body felt like a sandbag. I dropped back to the ground and my eyes started to get heavy. Alexis never once stopped biting his arm. Get up! Get up! Help your friend! She¡¯s fighting for her life! You need to move!

    I watched helplessly as he moved her to the wall and slammed her face into it, again and again.

    ¡°Stop..¡±

    It was like he heard me. He immediately stopped, and I watched blood run down Alexis¡¯s face. I blinked, and when I opened my eyes they were gone. Then, everything just went black.

    ¡­.

    Suddenly the light came back to my eyes, and I felt the cold wet mud on my face. I had a massive headache, but it was manageable. I looked around and saw the splatters of dried blood and muddy footprints on the ground.

    Right, Alexis!

    Plan A to make him slip and fall failed, however, plan B is still doable. I smile proudly at the fresh mud prints on the ground. Now All I need to do is call Stryder or the cops.

    I went into my purse and took out my phone charger. I connected it to my phone, but nothing happened. Wait a second. I looked back to the street lamp and saw it was still off. Everything was off. But why? Did we get hit by an EMP? Wait, this means I¡¯m alone. I couldn''t call Stryder, I couldn''t call the police. I can still run home and- The thought was taken over by memory of Alexis bleeding face. She needs help, right now.

    What would Stryder do?

    I balled my fists and stood up. Then I stretched and took in some deep breaths. He wouldn''t even think about it, he''d save her. So that''s what I''m going to do!

    I followed the trail of mud for as long as it lasted. It wasn''t a long trail to follow, but it was enough. They came to a stop near an industrial area by the school, right off by a sidewalk. Leaving me hundreds of building options...

    I prowled around behind the buildings and stayed hidden in the shadows. I decided to check out every abandoned shop first. Which was really hard to do in the darkness, everything old seemed abandoned. After a while of searching, I caught a lucky break.

    "I can¡¯t take it anymore! I need to get my smokes from the car!" I heard Alexis¡¯s dad grunt.

    "Your smokes aren''t more important than the mission." I heard someone growl from inside.

    "Like your daddy, dearest is gonna care that I took a smoke break. Or are ya nervous about being alone with a girl?" Alexis¡¯s dad snickered.

    He walked out of the building and turned to walk down the road. I didn''t see any cars around this street. So he probably parked far away, which was perfect for me. As he made his way far down the road, I snuck around to the front. The door was still cracked open, and I took a peek inside. My stomach dropped when I saw him. It was the blonde kid from the dance! The one that attacked the boys! Does that mean he won!? No, calm down. I know Stryder wouldn¡¯t die that easily. Yeah, he¡¯s basically Superman, he¡¯s gotta be fine. My legs started to buckle as I stared at him.

    No, focus, you need to stay strong to save Alexis. It¡¯s your turn to be a hero.

    I moved back to the shadows and crept to the back of the building. Once I got to the back, I started banging on the back door. Then I took off to the front of the building. No surprise when I came back around to the front, there was no fire boy insight.

    I swiftly moved inside to the small waiting room. Which surprised me for how big the place was on the outside. There were two doors behind the reception desk, one was cracked open and looked like it led to a hallway. While the other was tightly shut. He definitely ran down the hallway, and they were congregating in this area and not some room down the hall.

    I ran over to the shut door and opened it up, and I had a  wave of shock and horror wash over me. Alexis was there, but she looked like she lost a street fight. Dried blood stained her face, and bumps and bruises were all over her. She had handcuffs on her for some reason. I kneeled down and examined the cuffs, they weren¡¯t attached to anything. This means I can definitely move her.

    She groaned and tried to open her eyes. But her right eye was the only one that would open, her left was too swollen. Every part of me was on fire, this was unacceptable! They''re not getting away with this!

    "V-val what are you?" She mumbled.

    I kneeled down and slung her over my shoulder.

    "Hey, his sense of smell might be as good as Leo''s. So he probably didn''t think twice when I was outside because my scent was on your dad. So to surprise him, I''m gonna need you to let off an aphrodisiac wave. Are you able?"

    She bit her lip like she wanted to fight it, but she reluctantly nodded. I smiled and I got her up. She could barely walk, so I practically carried her to the hallway door. I set her on the left side of the door, and I laid up against the right side.

    Minutes felt like hours as we waited by the door. Pink mist flowed off Alexis¡¯s body and filled the small room. It got hard to stay focused. I was thinking about Stryder a lot. His ocean blue eyes, his strong arms. I chewed on my lip as I imagined how soft his lips would be. It was like I hadn¡¯t eaten in days, and the only thing I was craving was him.

    "What the hell.." I heard someone grunt down the hall.

    The voice snapped me back into reality, and I readied myself. Holding firmly to my pepper spray. As soon as the door opened I turned and met his eyes, then my pepper spray did.

    "Ah not again!" He roared and grabbed his face.

    I kicked him aside and he stumbled back. Then I grabbed Alexis¡¯s hand and dragged her down the hall.

    "Don''t stop letting out the spray!" I yelled.

    I saw a big sign ahead of us that said ''Auto body shop''. I pushed through it and came out to a huge open area. There was an unfinished room being built to the right, and the back door to the far left of the room. I tugged Alexis to the back door, but she dropped as soon as I did.

    "Leave me, Val, I can barely move right now.." She coughed.

    "No way, I''m not leaving you."

    Dammit, we''re not gonna get far if I have to carry her. I looked around the area and tried to think. What can I do, what can I do? I saw tires, gasoline containers, oil, oil pans, and a toolbox.

    He breathed fire and looked exactly like Leo. If I go with my earlier assumption that he has the same abilities as Leo, a fire would be useless against him. I doubt we can even get down the road before he starts chasing after us again either. That''s when it hit me. I''ll just have to take a gamble.

    I picked up Alexis and carried her over to the back door, then I turned back and ran to collect items. Banging and screaming echoed throughout the shop, but I just ignored it.

    I grabbed a canister of gasoline, a tire, a few random documents, a lighter, and a few pieces of construction wood. I opened the backdoor and went outside. Alexis did her best to fumble her way out the door. I didn''t dwell on her though. I went to the huge trash can and opened it up.

    To my horror, it was practically empty. Not my lucky day I guess. I tossed the papers and the wood inside. Then I struggled, but managed to put the tire on top of it all. Then I poured gasoline over it all. I pulled out a piece of paper I saved and lit it with the lighter.

    "What are you doing?" Alexis coughed out.

    "Letting everyone know we''re here."

    I tossed the paper in and everything lit up immediately. I stepped back and took out my pepper spray and carefully cracked the top slightly. Then threw it in.

    I jogged over to Alexis and kneeled down to pick her up.

    BOOM!

    I squealed and almost dropped Alexis as an explosion went off in the trash can. I took a breath and let my shaking legs settle. Once I was calmed down enough, I moved out. Now, let¡¯s see how far we get.

    "Val you shouldn''t have saved me.." She whispered.

    "What are you talking about? You''re my best friend."

    "They didn''t know who you were, and now they do."

    I grunted and trudged forward. It was like carrying a rock!

    "So what." I groaned. "I couldn''t live with myself if I didn''t do something."

    I heard her start to sniffle.

    "Why? I''m not worth anything¡­"

    "Shut up, don''t you ever say that again about someone I love so much. You''re my best friend. I don¡¯t regret coming to save you. This is something I wanted to do.¡±

    Then, something hard bashed into my back. The wind got knocked out of me and I dropped onto the ground. He must''ve recovered. I sat up and turned around, and there he was. It was Alexis¡¯s dad!

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk, little lady. I let you go back there and this is how you repay me?" He sighed.

    Get up, get up. You''re not done fighting yet. Stryder wouldn''t let something like that keep him down!

    I coughed and forced myself up. He had Alexis held up by the hair like she was some kind of fish.

    "Let her go.." Grumbled.

    I took a step forward and stumbled, but I didn¡¯t fall. He sighed and went into his pocket, pulling out a pistol.

    "See, this is a lot more real than the gun you had a while ago."

    He walked over casually to the trash can, which was now spewing a gigantic black pillar of smoke. Then, he just kicked the lid back on over it.

    "I know that won''t hold long. But I''ll clean it all nice and good once I deal with you."

    No! No! It''s all over. Please, please! Stryder! Tell me you saw this. Please tell me you did! Tears started to run down my face, and my body ran cold.

    Please come save me.

 Chapter 64 - A falling star

    With all my might I kicked Jormungand up into the sky! Then I rocketed myself up at him and rammed my fist into his face. He went flying back and I started to fall back down. I abruptly stopped falling and landed on something. When I looked down and I noticed I was standing on air. A smile tugged at my lips and I turned back toward Jormungand.

    The sound of broken glass echoed beneath me as I launched myself at Jormungand. He was spinning around in the air like a rag doll, and I came in and slammed my fist into his face again. He flew and I landed on the air again, then immediately chased after him.

    There wasn''t any thought to it, I just left my fate in Zack''s hands and kept attacking. I didn''t care if he''s supposed to be immortal. I didn''t care if there''s no way we could win! I''ll make sure to break him so he can never move again!

    I came around this time and snagged his arm. I squeezed it with all my strength and tried to break it. Then I spun around in the air and threw him at a building. Well, technically I threw him through the building. He blasted through the wall and came out on the other side. I went to follow up, but I stopped on the solid air when Zack popped up behind him.

    A gigantic vine shot up from the ground and snatched Jormungand up, and flung him toward Zack. Who blasted himself forward and slammed his arm into Jormungand. A huge explosion went off that bathed the sky in emerald flares.

    I followed Zacks lead and rocketed myself at the flying Jormungand, and rammed my fist into his back. His body flew and clipped the corner of a building, and I quickly launched myself back at him.

    Zack blasted himself beside me and we both went in screaming. When we got close, an angelic ray beamed off of Jormungand. I summoned armor over my body and prepared for the worst.

    The wind picked up and I lost all my momentum, and it sent me flying back like an explosion! I crashed onto a roof top and started rolling until I hit the ledge. I took a moment to breathe, and that''s when the vice grip on my arms tightened. Sweat ran down my face, and my whole body burned! My insides were getting roasted!

    I started panting, but I forced myself back up. This was fine, even if every part of me melts away, that''s fine. I''m not gonna let this guy hurt anyone anymore.

    The shining ray''s slowly began to fade, and a shiver ran down my spine. My mind went to mush and I stared at Jormungand''s new form, he turned into a dragon!

    His golden scales glittered like a polished gem, and his body towered over me like I was an ant in the grass.

    "You think I give a damn that you digivolved!?" Zack roared.

    He stood up and held his hand out to him, and sent a gigantic fireball his way . Right, right! Who gives a damn how big he is!?

    I activated my strength and embraced the pain, then launched myself up at him. I zoomed past the fire ball and punched Jormungand with all I had. My armor shattered on contact like I was hitting concrete. The worst part was he barely moved this time.

    I dropped down as the fireball came in and landed on the air below. The green hell fire crashed into Jormungand''s face and enveloped his body, but he didn''t seem to move. I launched myself back up and uppercutted him. His head flew back and he staggered.

    Then something snagged my ankle and flung me away. I looked down and saw  Zack¡¯s vines, the vine threw me back and I saw Jormungand''s gigantic spiky tail swinging where I was. I adjusted myself in the air and eventually slid on the solid air below me.

    "Stryder you cracked his scales on your first strike." Zack called out from behind. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    I didn''t rest this time, I kept my strength going. I knew if I stopped now I''d just collapse.

    "G-gotcha, that means we''re doing something then."

    "Let''s do Meteor shower."

    "Then we should go for the belly, I remember Leo being weak there."

    "Alright." Zack replied.

    I grabbed Zack''s arm and leaped high into the air.

    I landed on the solid air and looked down at the smoke that surronded Jormungand. I jumped into the air and started spinning Zack around, and gained momentum. He sparked his flames and enveloped himself in fire. Then I threw Zack down at Jormungand!

    He pierced through the smoke and crashed into Jormungand''s face! His golden scales flew into the air, and Jormungand wailed like a demon.

    I landed back down on the solid air and prepared myself. I focused everything into my legs, and it felt like they were going to explode. Then, I blasted myself at Jormungand. I quickly shifted all the power to my fist and when I came in at Jormungand, I aimed to punch through him. I poured every ounce of energy I had into this.

    As my fist made contact, A wave of excruciating pain slammed into my arm. Then, I felt Absolutely nothing. He flew back and slammed into a building across the way.

    I dropped and landed on the air. I looked over and saw Zack kneeling next to me. His right arm was burnt, contorted and steaming. I glanced down at my own, and it wasn''t looking any better.

    "Stryder, can you move?" He panted.

    "Yeah, my right arms done though."

    "I''m gonna go below and set a trap. Get him more to the left of that building he''s dented into. You''ll do the finishing blow. I¡¯ll clear you a path for you to run at him."

    "Right!"

    I stood up and charged at him. It felt like every part of my arm was tearing apart. I bit down on my lip and the blood gushed down my mouth. It wasn¡¯t helping at all. I wanted to scream, I wanted to just drop down and never move again. My whole body felt like it carrying a hundred extra pounds.

    Just endure it! Just endure it! You need to win! If you cry now everyone could die! So suck it up and move!

    I came up as Jormungand peeled off the building. I grabbed his face and forced my strength to keep going, it threatened to burn my body away, but who cares if I turn to ash! He¡¯s going down first!

    I held him up by his head, and then slammed it back into the building! Then grated his face against it and charged left. Every solid air step broke underneath my feet as I charged, I wasn''t able to control myself anymore.

    "AHHHHH!" I screamed and tried to shut out the pain.

    Once we reached the end of the wall, I pulled him off and threw him to the ground. Vines shot out and wrapped around him, then dragged him down. I summoned the biggest sword I could think of and speared it down at him.

    The vines slammed him down on his back, and the sword stabbed right through his stomach. I came down behind the blade and stomped down on the sword''s massive guard, sending the blade even deeper in. I jumped off and spun in the air,  landing next to Zack.

    We looked at each other, then back to Jormungand. Whose dragon form was getting smaller and smaller. Until he was just human again, with my huge sword stabbed through his body.

    "Is he dead?" Zack asked.

    Just as I was about to let myself drop, Jormungand coughed up blood. My heart started to race as he sat up from the ground. He moved to his side and pulled the sword out of the ground, then ripped Zacks vines away.

    It made my skin crawl watching the blood pour out from around the blade. It was like looking at a broken faucet. My sword took up his entire torso in his human form, and he moved around like it was just some inconvenience!

    "You two are gonna pay for this." He grumbled.

    W-what!? How is he still alive!? I thought maybe people assumed he was unkillable because of the scales! But could he seriously only be killed by a dragon!?

    I took a step forward and held out my good fist. Zack stepped forward with me and held out his good one. We stood side by side and glared at him.

    "Then bring it on!" We both roared.

    "Ah, ah, ah my wizard. Have you forgotten the deal you made?"

    A woman''s voice crawled into my ear, and for some reason my body felt warm. Then, I noticed everything was suddenly brighter. I looked up, and I forgot how to breathe. The dark night was consumed by a clear blue sky.

    "W-what?" I mumbled.

    "Well, I guess that''s it then." Zack sighed. "I knew the tank felt empty."

    "What are you talking about?" I asked and looked over at him.

    My whole body shuttered. I saw her eyes, the purple flames of hell. It was Zack''s goddess!

    "Just like Faust made a deal, and a promise he couldn''t keep. So did you, my child." She wrapped her arms around Zack and pulled him into her.

    "I made a deal with my goddess when you were fighting Jormungand. That if she gave me more manna, we could kill this S.O.B.." He chuckled. "Guess our best wasn''t enough huh?"

    "Zack what did you bet!?"

    "My child bet his dear life, on you Stryder. He thought no matter what, Stryder could figure it out."

    Her fingers slid across Zack''s cheek, and my stomach dropped. He looked over to me and smiled,

    "Hey, you got this. Take care of Annual for me, alright?" He hummed.

    I stepped toward him and immediately collapsed. My lunch came up and I vomited on the ground. It was like the world was shaking.

    "No, no, Take me instead! Make a deal with me! I''ll go! Please!"

    "Oh no young hero, he''s mine. I still want to see if you can prevail. After all, Arthur believes you''re special."

    I forced my head up to beg some more, but my breath was taken away. For a moment everything was silent. I watched as the goddess stabbed her arm through Zack¡¯s chest. His eyes were wide in shock, his blood splattered onto the ground and onto my hands.

    "Ahhh!" I screamed.

    I forced myself to sit up and crawl forward, but I immediately dropped. So I grabbed at the ground and dragged myself over to him. He didn''t die like in the movies. There was no smile, no peace. His eyes were wide open, and he looked terrified. My tears rained down as I grabbed at his shirt.

    "Zack, come on, come on!"

    I shook his body, but he didn¡¯t move. There was no use. He was dead.

 Chapter 65 - Leo vs Elo

    ¡°Dannazione che fa male.¡± I grunted.

    The dust started to settle and my head stopped shaking. I sat up and looked around, I was in some kind of factory. Rubble was scattered around me, and I found a hole in the ceiling. More than likely where I came from. I need to get back to Stryder and Zack.

    I forced myself up and looked around a bit more. I noticed a lot of pipes and container machines. This was some kind of chemical factory. I needed to be careful.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re as tough as ever. Even when you get blasted by Dad¡¯s fire, you still come back in one piece. Leo.¡±

    His voice bounced off the walls around me, and the faint taps of his footsteps started to grow louder and louder.

    It was Elo, I took a breath and turned toward the sound. Then I watched him emerge from the shadows.

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill the Alley of justice that easily.¡±

    He stopped and stared, his eyes grew wide and he tilted his head to the side.

    ¡°Father¡¯s going to rip your friends apart.¡± He started to laugh. ¡°Bit by bit! Piece by piece!¡±

    ¡°Stryder and Zack aren''t going to die that easily,¡± I said firmly

    He abruptly stopped laughing and stared again.

    ¡°That defiant attitude is finally gonna come back around. Father told me I can do whatever I want to you. As long as there¡¯s a corpse when I¡¯m done."

    ¡°Let me ask you, do you want to kill me because father told you to? Or because you want to?¡±

    I clenched my fists and morphed into my draconic form. Elo looked at me and smiled. His body slowly being consumed by his blue scales.

    ¡°I think this is the first time you¡¯ve asked me how I felt.¡± He croaked and held out his hand, displaying his claws to me. ¡°And if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m Itching to kill you¡±

    I pit formed in my stomach as he said that. I never realized it. I never once asked how he felt about anything. When he cried I just told him to suck it up, when he got tortured I told him to just be a man  and when mom died I forced him to make a decision.

    ¡®Don¡¯t forget your brother¡¯

    My mother¡¯s words slithered into my mind. I always thought he was just dead weight. I looked into his eyes and stared at a feral beast. Not even remotely resembling the brother I knew. I created this.

    ¡°Elo, right here, and right now. I promise to listen to you.¡±

    I took a breath and thought about Icarus. He was right, I was no better than him. Those deaths he caused, I have my own hand in all of them too. I started to smile and stepped forward.

    ¡°What''re you smiling about!? You Getting cocky!?¡±

    ''Face him without a mask.''A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Lux''s words came into my mind, and I let my scales down. I looked over to him and shook my head.

    ¡°As a representative of the bad siblings club, I promise to face you without my mask. I¡¯ll look at you for who you are, Vergil.¡±

    His entire body shuttered as I said that name. He stumbled back and glared at me.

    ¡°Father killed that name.¡± He grumbled, and let his scales fade away. ¡°But after I kill you, father said I can be the new Leo!¡±

    ¡°You can never be me,¡± I replied. ¡°No matter how hard you try, you¡¯ll always be Vergil, and that¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mocking me right!? That¡¯s why you took off your scales! You think you can just kill me without them don¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to win this.¡± I held up my fist to him.¡°But I want to face you, as I am. The real me.¡±

    ¡°That cocky attitude is what got mom killed in the first place!¡±

    He charged at me and I prepared myself. He came in and threw a left hook. I went to block but immediately felt him slam his right fist into my face, it was a fake! I stumbled back and he immediately followed up with a barrage.

    ¡°I¡¯m not weak anymore! I¡¯ll prove it! My existence matters! I¡¯ll become you! And it¡¯ll finally end!¡±

    He punched me in my jaw and I fell to the ground. I quickly rolled back onto my feet and spit the blood out from my cheek. My face stung, but I was used to pain like this.

    ¡°Vergil, I don¡¯t even want to be me. I was always jealous of you.¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± He roared and charged me again.

    I could tell he was getting flustered. He came at me with his fist already raised. So it made it easy to counter. He swung at me and I grabbed his arm and flipped him over my shoulder onto the floor.

    I looked down at him and he winced, he raised his arms up to protect his face. That¡¯s when I remembered. When dad made us spar, I¡¯d always drop down and wail on him. I could kill him right now. Stryders face came into my head, and I stepped back.

    ¡°W-what?¡± He stammered.

    ¡°Vergil, I¡¯m not the same person I was before. I¡¯m sorry I forgot you. I wasn¡¯t a good brother.¡± I held out my hand to him.

    He slowly lowered his arms, and looked me in the eyes. He tilted his head and reached out for my hand. I went to grab his, but he shot out and grabbed my forearm. He hopped up and pulled me in, then slammed his fist into my stomach. I vomited and immediately felt him ram his fist into my face and I was sent flying back. I crashed onto the ground and started rolling.

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You abandoned me! You left me to die! You beat me! You only think about yourself! That¡¯s why mom died you selfish piece of crap! It¡¯s because you wouldn¡¯t listen! Because we wouldn¡¯t just obey!¡±

    I coughed up the vomit in my mouth and forced myself back up.

    ¡°I am, I am a monster, I am a piece of crap. I did only think about myself, and I did have a hand in Mom¡¯s death. Because I let my anger consume me. But Vergil, we can do this. We can both change.¡±

    ¡°How dare you talk like that! It¡¯s been my dream for years! I killed, I stole, I destroyed. So I can be more like you!¡± I saw tears start to flood down his face. ¡°I was torn apart every day so I can become Leo!¡±

    ¡°And I helped destroy you because I was jealous. I hated how close you and mom were. How after a job you could still cry for the people we killed. After I let that part of myself die, I was desperate to feel again, I wanted to know what it was like to not see people as objects. I wanted to be like mom, I wanted to be like you.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve just obeyed!¡± He ran at me and punched me in the face.

    I flew back and crashed into the ground, blood leaked from my nose like a broken faucet. My mind faded in and out. Then it was like I was in a dream. I saw my mother. She was pushing herself off the ground after my dad hit her. Yeah, this was from when I refused to kill that girl. She gave me a smile as I cried over her. She just kept telling me it was fine, that it didn¡¯t hurt. My dad tried to beat her into submission. But she kept standing up and telling me that it didn¡¯t hurt.

    Yeah, your right mom. This doesn¡¯t hurt.

    I pushed myself off the ground.

    ¡°When her face was down in the dirt, and she was getting beat to death. She said this doesn''t hurt.¡± I grunted and forced myself to stand up.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°No matter what dad threw at her, she never stopped fighting." I faced him and glared into his eyes. ¡°She said this doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! If she¡¯d just listened she¡¯d be alive right now!¡± He roared.

    He charged and punched me in the face, but I held my ground and swung back with a headbutt to the face.

    ¡°She fought so we wouldn¡¯t turn into this!¡±

    He quickly shot back and punched me in the gut.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can win!¡±

    I reached down and grabbed his head and rammed my knee into his face.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know unless we try!¡±

    "Mom didn''t want us to die like idiots!¡±

    He came back in and punched me in the face. I tanked the hit and came back at him with one of my own. Then we started trading blows, tearing into each other with all we had. Staining ourselves and the ground with our blood.

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯d like what you became!? What we became!?¡± I came in and kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying back. He crashed and rolled onto the floor. ¡°Even when mom was getting beaten, tortured. She never stopped fighting for us. So why should we stop fighting!?¡±

    I heard him growl and his body started to change. His blue scales shined and started to poke out like a porcupine.

    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± He roared and charged at me. Slashing his claws at me in a frenzy.¡°She was a fool! She died because she couldn¡¯t see how powerful he was! She was a fool like you!"

    I summoned my scales and clashed with his arm. The porcupine scales stabbed into my arm, but I swung hard enough to make him stumble back. I dashed at him, and my mom¡¯s face came to mind. I opened my mouth, and with everything I had, I blasted him with fire! A crimson explosion went off and sent him flying back into the wall. I panted and started to walk over to him.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather die than let everything mom stood for go up in smoke.¡± He coughed but didn¡¯t move. ¡°So tell me, are you ready to let it all go to waste? When you have your answer come find me.¡± I turned and started to walk down the hall he came from.

    The warmth of the sun suddenly wrapped around me. I strolled and stared at the windows in shock. There was a clear blue sky outside. Was it morning already? No, couldn''t be. I bet those idiots have something to do with this. I smiled and took a breath.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys, I¡¯m coming.¡±

 Chapter 66 - The twin dragons

    ¡°You¡¯re still standing huh? You remind me a lot of my son ya know? And I bet you¡¯ll kneel just like him when I get to your sister.¡± My father teased.

    My knees started to buckle and it felt like my legs were sandbags. The fire that raged inside started to flicker as memories of my mom flooded my mind. Her empty eye socket, her broken wrists, and her bruises. I even started to hear her faint screams like I was there. What should I do? Is he gonna attack Lux if I move? Should I just wait?

    Zack and Stryder laid face down on the ground, while my father stood over them. His clothes were ripped and torn to shreds. His diplomatic appearance was now that of a barbarian. Those two idiots managed to do all that, but it still wasn¡¯t enough.

    What should I do? If I run in he might act on his threat, or even just kill them. Can I sneak in and assassinate him? No, It¡¯s broad daylight, and they¡¯re in the middle of the street.  If I just sit here they both may die! Wait, if I do anything at all he¡¯ll still just kill Lux. Why do I care so much!? I need to just prioritize the mission, she doesn¡¯t matter. I tried to lift my leg, but it didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Ya know for someone so strong, you resort to dirty tricks pretty fast.¡± I heard Stryder croak. I watched as his mangled body forced itself up from the ground and faced my father. ¡°Leo didn¡¯t bow to you, Zack didn¡¯t bow, and neither did Valentina. You''re nothing but a coward, and I¡¯ll never bow to you. We will beat you.¡±

    "You ignorant boy."

    As soon as he finished, he immediately slammed his fist into Stryder¡¯s stomach and sent him flying. He crashed and bounced on the ground, flying past me in the alleyway. I stared as Stryder coughed up blood on the asphalt. The weight that held my leg down started to fade.

    Am I gonna sit back and let my dad kill more people? Lux will end up just like my mom if I sit here like this. Haven¡¯t you had enough regret?

    ¡°I¡¯m the only one who sees things for how they are! I¡¯m the only one who can¡¯t die! I¡¯m the only one who can solve the world¡¯s issues! I was born for this power! You children could never understand! I¡¯ll start by burning you to ashes! Then I¡¯ll make an example of you and burn the entire damn city to the ground!¡± My dad roared.

    I won¡¯t run away anymore.

    My dad flung his head back and golden sparks leaked from his lips. Then he flung himself forward and a huge golden ball of fire soared toward Stryder. That¡¯s when I ran. I leaped into the air and blasted the biggest fireball I could at the golden flame. They crashed into each other and exploded. Embers fell around us like rain from the sky. I turned back and looked toward Stryder, who smiled at me.

    ¡°You finally came, huh?¡±

    I smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late.¡±

    I turned back toward my father and glared.

    ¡°Ah my son, have you-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you gotta say, and I¡¯m not gonna pretend like I do. Say what you want, think what you want. I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Someone¡¯s gotten cocky."

    ¡°You killed mom, you destroyed Vergil, and you wrecked my city. I¡¯m not afraid anymore, and I¡¯m not running away.¡±

    I leaned back and shot a fireball at him, then dashed to the left of him.

    ¡°I appreciate this son. Delivering yourself to me on a silver platter.¡±

    I summoned my scales over my body and prepared my claws. Once he blocked the little fire with his arm I leaped in and tried to slice his throat open. He swiftly dodged my strike and jumped back. I opened my mouth and jumped, letting smoke pour out from my lips. When the smoke was thick enough, I moved my hand over my mouth and blasted fire out between my fingers.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to die today Leopold!¡± His voice roared from my left.

    I turned toward his voice and watched him burst through the smoke. He was slower than usual. He swung for my face, and I managed to just barely dodge him by ducking.

    ¡°Give me the best you¡¯ve got, old man!¡±

    I dashed forward at him and tried to punch his lights out, but he simply weaved his head to the side and dodged me. I jumped and tried to swipe him with a spin heel kick, but he still managed to dodge. I blasted fire out from my mouth and spun around again and connected my kick this time.

    He stumbled back and I landed on my feet. Then it felt like a bullet blasted me in the face. I stumbled back and saw my red scales flying in the wind. Then another punch came right at my face, but I saw it this time. I let him strike me and before he could pull back, I grabbed his wrist. My blood seeped from my nose, and I started to feel giddy.

    I pulled his hand in and chomped down on it with all my might. Then I simultaneously blasted fire out and punched at his head. Before the fire even really got started he rammed his head into me and my jaw loosened.

    "That''s the best you''ve got!?"

    I smiled and went to attack, but he beat me to the punch and decked me in the face. I stumbled back and watched my scales fall away. I tried to retaliate, but he just started to beat me over and over again. I gritted my teeth and tried to hold my ground, but it was just too much. I stumbled and tripped over a rock and fell back on the ground.

    Suddenly I was blinded by a heavenly light that consumed the area. I sat up and held my hands out. He was gonna erase me!

    Before the flames could touch me, something blue exploded to life and crashed into my father. He went flying with the blast and blew a hole into a building.

    I rubbed my eyes and looked up, and there stood Vergil. His eyes were closed and he was taking deep breaths.

    "Vergil?" I grumbled.

    "C-can you hurry up? If we wait any longer. I-I I''ll freeze up."

    I smirked and stood up.

    "Right."

    My father pushed himself back up, and his eyes grew wide once he laid them on Vergil.

    "Elo, you better think long and hard about this. You know you won''t win, and when you fail. I''ll tear you apart again."

    Vergil took a breath and closed his eyes.

    "I-I won''t be afraid anymore. W-when mom was scared and shaking, she always stood back up."

    His entire body shook as he spoke, and his eyes never left the ground. He really was petrified.

    I took a few steps ahead of him.

    "Like I said before, just shut up and fight. We don''t give a damn about what you have to say!"

    I dug my feet into the ground and ran at him, I looked back and I saw Vergil by my side. I turned back around and I saw my dad''s glowing gold eyes. He decked me in the face and I fell back. But Vergil came in right after and clocked him, I rolled back onto my toes and rocketed myself forward with my fire breath. While dad stumbled, I came in and kicked him in the chest. He stumbled and Vergil and I went in. I punched him in his jaw to Vergil, who punched him back to me. I uppercutted him and Vergil punched his throat.

    Dad would retaliate and hit one of us, but the other just followed up when he was vulnerable. He made an effort to hit me the most, but Vergil''s thorny scales made mincemeat of his skin when he did. His blood flew in the air and rained over our bodies, and our scales and blood painted the ground. I could see his movements getting sluggish, and we capitalized on that. Being petty, I went to kick him in the nuts. As soon as he keeled over from that, Vergil leaped in and put his entire body into a punch to the face that sent him flying.

    I smiled and held out my hand to Vergil, who looked at it in confusion. Soon his face softened and he high-fived me.

    "Let''s keep it up, the idiots must''ve done a number on him. He''s moving a lot slower than before. I don''t think his body has recovered yet." I added as we started to walk toward him.

    "It''s just like when he fought Gilda then. My scales are close to not existing though, so we need to be careful." Vergil added.

    "Right, one hit in a fleshy part and were done. His right side is the most sluggish. I can play decoy while you attack. Then we both go to rip his head off after he staggers."

    "A-alright." He stammered.

    Then we both darted.

    But we both skidded to a stop as our father started to glow. The wind picked up and rocks started to fly into the air as he flew up into the sky. His body started to grow and his wings expanded out.

    "No! No! We have to run, we''re gonna die!" Vergil screamed.

    I turned to him and he went to run. I grabbed his arm and yanked him back over to me.

    "Like hell we¡¯re gonna die! We have to stay and fight!"

    "We''re just gonna die like the whole damn city! Let''s just regroup!"

    "If we leave he''ll just kill everyone here!"

    "So what!? If we die no one else can kill dad!"

    "Boys!" Stryder roared.

    I noticed a huge shadow above me, we both looked up and saw Dad¡¯s fire coming down. I shoved Vergil out the way and with all my might I blasted my fire at his flame. Which almost immediately got taken over. Then a blue flame came next to mine and it started pushing back. I looked over and saw Vergil next to me. Our flames combined and we fought him with all we had with our purple fire. But his flame just slowly pushed us back. Crap! We''re stuck! If we stop we''re gonna get fried! And if we keep going we¡¯re eventually gonna get consumed by his fire!

    Dammit! Was I wrong? Should I have just prioritized the mission!? Now everyone¡¯s gonna die because of me. Dammit! Dammit!

    "AAHHHHHH!"

    Something roared from behind me, I turned to the side and saw a blue blur shooting past me. It left a misty blue trail behind it, and that''s when it became clear. It was Stryder!

    He soared up at my father and punched him in the jaw. His fire faltered and Vergil and I pushed it. Our flame consumed his and blasted into his mouth. Then boom! Our flame blew his head off!

    I was silent. Not a breath came out. I just stared at his headless dragon form fading away into dust.

    I fell to my knees and let my whole body loosen. It''s over, it''s finally over. Then, I caught a glimpse of something big falling from the sky. I squinted my eyes and then it clicked.

    "Stryder!" I screamed and started running to him.

    "Congratulations my child. I''m very proud of you. Your gift for defeating Jormungand, is to spread your wings."

    I tried to process what she just said, but my legs suddenly were lifted off the ground. I looked down, and I was flying! I looked back and saw the dark crimson wings. It didn''t take long to get used to the feeling before I zoomed off toward Stryder.

    I came upon him and I started to get wobbly. I caught him and started going down. Crap I wasn''t used to it yet! I crashed through the siding of a rooftop that made Stryder gag and skid on the roof. I lost a lot of strength and flopped on top of him.  My entire draconic form faded away, and I felt drained.

    "You did it, Leo." Stryder coughed out.

    He moved a hand up and ruffled my hair. Then he gave his iconic stupid smile. But for whatever reason, my eyes started to get blurry. I felt the cold streams of tears sliding down my cheeks.

    Flashes of my mom came into my mind, the people I killed, Vergil''s screams for help. I gripped his shirt tightly.

    "It''s over, the nightmares over." I cried out.

    "Yeah, it''s over." Stryder hummed as he wrapped his arms around me.

    And then I just cried.

 Chapter 67 - Wings made of Wax

    ¡°You are saved today little bird. For the knight has slain the dragon, and saved the boy. You were completely and utterly useless, Icarus.¡± The witch whispered into my ear.

    Embedded on the crystal walls were scenes from each fight, I watched as Stryder and Zack fought Jormungand. Then next to that came the fight with Leo and Elo. The witch was right, in the end, they didn¡¯t need my help at all.

    ¡°That¡¯s right Icarus, they may have been able to defeat Elo early on too if it wasn¡¯t for you. You thought you knew best, and that thought process got Zack killed.¡±

    The ice block around me cracked and soon shattered. I fell face-first onto the floor and heard the Witches cackle all around me.

    ¡°Failure, failure,failure,failure,failure,failure,failure,failure,failure,failure,failure,failure.¡±

    My witch¡¯s voice bounced all around me. I looked around desperately for the source, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. My heart started to pound against my chest, and the air got thin. I started to pant and tried to just ignore it. Then, the lights snapped on, and took my breath away.

    ¡°B-but how?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve just left us alone bird poop!¡± I heard Zack roar from behind me.

    I turned around, and my stomach twisted into knots when I laid eyes on Zack.  His dark green eyes peered into my soul, and it sent a shiver down my spine. I took a step back, and my entire body trembled. There was a gaping hole in his chest, that leaked blood from it like a broken faucet.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I just-¡±

    ¡°You wanted to prove you mattered right? Look where that selfish confidence got you? That¡¯s why I left ya know? Because you¡¯re so selfish!¡±

    I chewed on my lip and tried to keep my body from shaking. Then, I turned around and faced the voice. Be strong, Jack taught you to be strong.

    I looked up from my hood, and my eyes met my father¡¯s. He looked tired, yet I could see the fire of hatred in his eyes.

    ¡°You were so selfish, that¡¯s why I left your mom. Because you were a terrible son. Only focused on how you felt.¡±

    Even though this wasn¡¯t the first time I heard it, the words still made my body tremble.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why the family hates you. Because you made dad leave me.¡±

    I heard the voice from my half-sister speak up, and I turned toward her.

    ¡°Sis I-¡± I tried to speak but she cut me off.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t say it. Your not family, you¡¯re a leech.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention careless, you let me get that money Rushon.¡±

    Tears came down my face, and I started to pant again. No, I don¡¯t want to look.

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Can¡¯t even look at me? Just like before when you weren¡¯t looking hard enough. You gave me the money I used to end myself Rushon.¡±

    ¡°I- I didn¡¯t know!¡±

    ¡°Is that really your excuse? Tell that to my parents!¡±

    "These tricks won¡¯t gonna work on me!¡± I roared.

    "Don''t get the wrong idea little bird. These are just your own thoughts and feelings, personified. No tricks here. This is all just you.¡±

    After she spoke, all the apparitions started to chant.

    "Failure!"

    "Failure!

    "Failure!"

    "Rushon! Are you there! Are you okay!?"

    Suddenly all the voices came to a screeching halt. I wiped my eyes and looked around, and nothing was there. Was that Aella¡¯s voice?

    "Rushon! Tell me if you¡¯re okay!" She screamed again from a walkie on my side.

    I reached back to it, then answered it.

    "Y-yeah I''m fine."

    "Oh thank goodness, I hadn''t heard from you in hours. Is everything alright? You don¡¯t sound okay.¡±

    "Yeah, I wasn''t needed here after all," I muttered.

    "What are you talking about-"

    "Can you give Jack a call for me? I need to investigate something."

    "Well hold on-" A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I took the batteries out of the walkie and took a breath. Maybe, maybe Stryder would be better suited to have her by his side instead of me. I took a breath and looked around the room. Right, the power was back on. I looked out one of the small windows down here, and I saw it was night. The visions she showed me were in the daytime, so was any of that real? Was she just messing with me again?  Wait the powers back on, that means that it couldn¡¯t have been an EMP, or maybe I don¡¯t know how EMPS work that well..

    "Rushon!" I heard Lux squeak from the closet.

    She opened the door and fell face-first onto the floor. I walked over and held my hand out to her.

    "Are you alright?"

    "Y-yeah, is someone else here? Did the boys come back yet?" She asked.

    I felt my stomach churn as she asked me that. Zack''s face came into mind. Did he really die?

    "I''m not sure, it might be best if you-"

    I pulled my hand back. Wait, what if I''m wrong again? What if that vision was true? Maybe I should take her with me, she is a nurse. But what if the vision was a lie, and the area is still dangerous?

    "Icarus?"

    "I- I umm think.."

    I looked away from her and scratched the back of my head. My phone rang loudly and snapped me back to reality. I took it out and looked it over, it was Jack.

    I answered.

    "H-hey."

    "Icarus, I finally got your message. I¡¯m back at the Beowulfs apartment, what the hell¡¯s going on!?¡±

    ¡°I have Lux with me, and she¡¯s safe. Go to the downtown area, you¡¯ll find the Alley of justice there, I think.¡±

    ¡°You think? Dude are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll bring Lux there.¡± I quickly hung up the phone.

    I took a breath and relaxed. Right, Jacks here, he¡¯ll know what to do now.

    ¡°Icarus? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to the city, come on.¡±

    ¡°You did it to prove yourself to him, didn¡¯t you little bird?¡± My witch whispered into my ear.

    I turned toward the voice, but nobody was there but Lux.

    ¡°Icarus, are you okay?¡±

    Did I imagine it? Or was my Witch actually doing something?

    I chuckled.

    ¡°Who knows,¡± I muttered.

    ¡­

    ¡°Oh no..¡± Lux mumbled as we grew closer to the destruction.

    I carried her in my arms, as I hopped on the air down to the scene. Once we were close enough to Zack¡¯s body, my stomach dropped. The visions were true, he really did die.

    ¡°Zack! Zack!¡± She shrieked and struggled to get out of my arms.

    I let her go once we were close enough to the ground. She stumbled but managed ran over to him. She put her head to his chest, then to his neck. I saw the color drain out from her face as she realized the truth. Tears came streaming down her face, and she grabbed a hold of Zack¡¯s shirt.

    ¡°Why! Why!¡± She repeated it over and over again.

    The pit in my stomach only grew deeper as I watched. Should I go console her? Do I have the right to go do that? I took a step forward.

    ¡°How could you face her? After all, you may have gotten him killed for your pride.¡± The Witch''s voice whispered to me.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it have been me..¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Yo!¡± I heard Jack call out from behind.

    I turned and saw Jack walking over, he had two snowmen carrying Stryder and Leo to us. From out the corner of my eye, I saw Elo peeking out from the alleyway. Jack seemed to notice as well and held his hand out to him. I used my wind to throw my voice toward him.

    ¡°Relax, it''s Elo, he helped stop Jormungand,¡± I called out.

    Jack lowered his hand and nodded. I walked over to him but I didn¡¯t look up at him.

    ¡°So Icarus, what¡¯s the plan here?¡±

    I opened my mouth but immediately closed it again. Don¡¯t, you¡¯ll just mess things up again, Just let Jack handle it.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, what do you think we should do?¡±

    I looked up at Jack finally, and his eyes got wide as he stared at me. Then, right beside him, was my WItch. Who smiled ear to ear. Her fiery hell eyes stared deep into my own, and I looked away again.

    ¡°Icarus-¡±

    ¡°Stryder!¡± Lux cried.

    We both turned toward her and watched her run over to the snowman. Crap, I was taking him away from Lux now! Should I say something about checking the immediate area? Maybe even teleporting would be good to do if the electricity is back on? What if that¡¯s the bad call though? What if It leads to someone seeing everyone maskless and hoodless. Wouldn¡¯t that make Jack¡¯s job harder and-

    ¡°Look, check the perimeter with your wind. See if we have any witnesses, once we¡¯re in the clear or you spot someone, will warp out of here. In the meantime, I¡¯m going over to her. I¡¯ll trust you about Elo.¡±

    Trust me?

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, well I think I¡¯m sure about it. So far that vision I saw was right, but maybe I missed something. Maybe my head got it wrong.¡±

    ¡°I-If it¡¯s any consolation to you two, I can¡¯t really move anyways,¡± Elo called out and dropped next to some rubble.

    Jack nodded to him and looked back at me.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have a talk after this,¡± Jack said right before he ran off to Lux

    ¡°This is why he left you, all you do is disappoint him.¡± I heard her whisper again. ¡°You know he wasted his time training you. He should¡¯ve been here from the start, maybe the extra training would have saved them.¡±

    Just ignore it, just ignore it. I took a breath and walked over to the outskirts. I decided to start with the buildings, walking around abandoned places always calmed me down. When I got inside I took a moment to breathe and just explored, not a single soul in sight. Once I got to the third floor, I sent my wind out to sense for people. That¡¯s when her whispers finally came back.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve called Jack sooner, you made that mistake.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve just called Arthur and told him your concern. But you wanted to prove you can be a hero too.¡±

    ¡°Now someones dead. He¡¯s dead, because of you! Lux is crying because of you!¡±

    ¡°Your parents divorced because you weren¡¯t good enough, you lost Jack as a mentor because you weren¡¯t worth anything! And now you¡¯ve gotten someone killed because of your failure! Oh wait, this isn¡¯t the first time is it?¡±

    My heart started to pound again and Theseus¡¯s face came into my mind. Flashes of his lifeless corpse flooded my mind. I fell against the wall and my heart rammed against my chest. I started to sweat and my lunch tried to come up. The image of Theseus was burned into my mind. Then that Witch started to laugh.

    ¡°Aww you just can¡¯t save anyone can you?¡±

    I grabbed the wall and started to ram my head into it. I wanted it to stop! I wanted it all to just stop!

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!¡±

    ¡°I can make it right, my child.¡± She whispered.

    I stopped banging my head and felt something cold running down my face. I looked forward and I saw the red stain of blood on the wall.

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°Come outside in the Alley. If you wish to die, and in exchange for your life. I¡¯ll bring back what was taken from them.¡±

    ¡°You mean, trade my life for Zacks?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Of course, after all. Haven¡¯t you noticed?¡± She gestured toward the window.

    I got up and walked over to it. The blood trickled down my face and blurred my vision. But I could see it clearly. Jack and Lux over by Zack¡¯s body.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone and forgotten all about you. You¡¯re just holding him back, and you know Aella would be better off with Stryder. Your death would finally make your life matter.¡±

    I blinked and suddenly I was in the alleyway. The witch stood before me with a wide grin. Her dress flowed in the breeze, and her eyes didn¡¯t show hell this time. They were just lifeless and clear.  She slowly held her hand out to me, and for once. I felt sure of something again.

    Yeah, the world would just be better off without me, wouldn¡¯t it? Maybe now, everyone can be happy. I started to laugh, and tears came down my face. Aellas face came to mind, then my mother¡¯s. Then finally Jacks. Mom might even get back with dad, my sister won¡¯t hate our family any more, and Aella can find so much more without me.

    Just when I was about to shake her hand, a cold hand snatched my wrist away from her.

    ¡°Just what do you think you¡¯re doing here?¡± Jack growled.

    I looked over to him, but I immediately looked away.

    ¡°The boy seeks retribution for his worthless life by sacrificing it for my child.¡± She hummed.

    Jack growled.

    ¡°I dare you to call him worthless again.¡±

    ¡°Oh? The mighty Jack frost, or should I say, Jack Frey?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what deal he wanted to make. He¡¯s not making it with you!¡±

    She chuckled.

    "Don''t fool yourself, Mr.Frey. You only care about this boy because he reminds you of your late sister. You''re just afraid to lose that again. Just replace him like you did her. You already haven''t you?"

    My body ran cold. A replacement huh? Was that all I was?

    "No, no one can replace Anna." He took a breath. "Rushon is his own person, and I believe in the person that he is. He endures for others so they don''t have to feel pain. He does everything in his power to save others even if he''s mocked nationwide." He let go of my arm. "I believe Rushon will be better than all of us. He''s ten times better than me, then Stryder. He''ll be the one to change the world around him."

    "Zack died because of my failure Jack! I''m not a hero! I''m a failure! A mistake!"

    "No, you''re not. I talked to Lux about everything, there''s nothing you could''ve done better. Sometimes in life things just don''t work out, no matter how hard we try. There''s no point in sulking in the what-ifs. Just learn and move forward."

    "But-"

    "Have you forgotten what you did for Aella? Do you think she''d smile knowing you killed yourself!? Do you think Stryder would be happy to know you did this!? Do you think I¡¯d be happy!? I didn¡¯t train you because I had to ya know. I did it because I believed in you.  So don¡¯t go wasting everything you fought for because of some stupid Witch!¡±

    "Without you calling me out, I never would''ve tried to save my brother." I heard Leo croak from behind.

    It made my body shake to hear his voice. I turned back around and saw Elo carrying Leo over his shoulders. He looked battered and bruised, but he still faced me with an intensity in his eyes.

    "Leo.." I muttered.

    "You are the reason we made it this far, and I don¡¯t say things to be nice. That¡¯s just the fact of the situation. Lux would¡¯ve been taken, Stryder would have been killed by Vergil, and dad would¡¯ve caught Val and Alexis.¡±

    ¡°You were a factor we didn¡¯t take in, you alone are the reason things didn¡¯t work out. You''re the first person since Gilda and Rex who made my father panic like that.¡± Elo spoke up.

    Then the witch burst out into laughter. She swung her hands, and everyone vanished. Then, everything seemed to get brighter. I looked up, and the sun had come back to life.

    "Well, little bird? Will you try and spread your wings made of wax? Or will you choose to drown in the sea?"

 Chapter 68 - Feathers in the sea

    "Congratulations my child, you have defeated Jormungand." My Goddess whispered.

    I opened my eyes, and I stared deep into the cosmos that was held within my goddess¡¯s eyes. She didn''t say a word, she just stared back into my eyes.

    "I-I didn''t d-do anything. That was all Leo." I managed to squeak out.

    She flew higher into the air with a smile etched onto her face. Then the cold sensation of something mental was under me. I looked down and it was like I was laying down on Zack''s solidified air.

    "It was because of your ability to defy Jormungand that gave Leopold the strength to fight. It was also your acceptance of him into your group that spurred him on to change. Lastly, it was your punch that staggered Jormungand, letting the twins triumph. As far as I see it, my child, you had a heavy hand in this victory."

    "I suppose.."

    I stood up from the floor and faced her. This didn''t feel like the last few times. I was nervous, but not afraid. My heart raced, but I didn''t feel helpless.

    "For your victory, a new ability will be granted to you. The true symbol of the knight¡¯s class. His blade."

    She held out her hands, and a blue flame erupted to life. The cold air that wrapped around me seemed to vanish in the presence of it. The flame began to flicker, and fade away. Soon leaving behind a smoking Albion blade.

    "This blade has a class of its own and will grow as you do. It has a special place in your new enchanted items inventory. You may choose to evolve your Ascalon blade, or create enchanted equipment for yourself."

    "Is this what Weislung has?"

    "Now three of the seven knights hold their special blades. Arrow, Weislung, and now Stryder. Keep me entertained, my knight." She said with a laugh.

    Haze started to flood the area around me, soon stealing my sight of the stars. I closed my eyes, and suddenly it felt like the sun was beaming down on me. I opened my eyes, and I stared at the ceiling. I looked over to my right and saw my kitchen. This means I''m home.

    I sat up and something slid down from my chest. I looked and saw a sheathed blade. The handle was the same as the one from the vision. I turned around and found Lux asleep on the couch. Then I caught a glance at Zack asleep on the floor beside me. Wait, ZACK!?

    I popped up and punched him in the chest. He grunted and immediately sat up.

    "Ah! The hell i-!?"

    "Zack!" I cheered and tackled him.

    "I was promised hundreds of virgins after I died. Not a Stryder."

    "Shut up idiot and hug me! You''re alive!"

    "Do I have to?"

    I just ignored him and hugged him.

    "Where the hell am I? Your place?"

    "I said hug me!"

    He groaned and wrapped his arms around me. Then I tighten my hug like he was gonna vanish. Then the floodgates opened, and my tears streamed down my face.

    "I told you, you got this, cry baby." Zack chuckled.

    "Awww, aren''t you two cute?" Lux purred.

    Zack immediately threw me off of him.

    "Did you just take a picture of us!?" Zack shrieked and threw me away from him.

    "What? Me? Nonsense, I''m totally not sending this to Valentina and Alexis right now."

    I sniffled and rubbed the tears from my eyes.

    "Does that mean they got away safe?" I asked.

    Lux sat up in bed and looked over to me and nodded. "Yeah, Alexis and Val are at the hospital. A few scrapes and bruises, but they''re okay."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    "Thank goodness.." Zack sighed.

    ¡°Hey, does this mean Icarus got out?" I asked.

    "Oh, right." She set her phone down and looked away from us.

    "Lux, what happened?"

    "We won didn''t we?" Zack asked.

    "Yeah, we blew that bastard''s head off!"

    Those words felt foreign coming out my mouth, my heart raced as Jormungand''s face came into my mind. Even if he is dead, I still hate thinking about him. I looked up and even Lux looked a little surprised.

    "You did, but the Goddess made a deal with Icarus. That in exchange for Zack''s life, they''d take Icarus''s."

    A shiver ran down my spine.

    "He did what?" Zack spat out.

    "No, he.." I stopped and looked over to Zack, whose eyes were wide open.

    I looked back to the ground and just stared at the wood. This is my fault.

    ''Icarus had a plan to defeat Jormungand all by himself''

    That''s what the Goddess said. We were the ones holding him back. Because of my leadership and horrible planning. Icarus gave up everything for us.

    "Nobody asked him to do that! I made the deal! I was ready to die!" Zack roared.

    "Jack tried to stop him, but the goddess shut him out. Then the next thing we know, your body appeared next to Stryders." Lux mumbled.

    "This is a load of crap!" Zack roared and punched the floor. "Why me!? What the hell did he go and do something like that for!?"

    "Lux, where''s Jack?" I asked as I stood up.

    "He wanted to be alone when he saw Zack''s body appear. Something broke in his eyes. Then he just flew away..." Lux mumbled.

    "Lux, do you know where Leo and Elo are?"

    "Not a clue, they went to go talk somewhere I think. It was just me and Donum who brought you two back."

    I nodded.

    "We should go see the girls. Make sure Alexis is okay, and ask her about the people who abducted her and Alexis."

    "What? At a time like this!? Shouldn''t we be searching for Jack? Or trying to square up with the goddesses!?"

    "We need to prioritize the mission." I balled my fists. "We can''t let our emotions cloud what needs to get done. Making sure the girls are safe, and seeing if Alexis is willing to talk about what happened is the most important thing."

    "So we''re just gonna leave beta-Leo alone with Leo!?"

    "When you were, when you were dead. Elo came back and helped us. Whatever Leo did reached him. I have faith in Leo."

    "I''ll drive us." Lux perked up and hurried over to the door.

    I turned to it and something snatched my collar. I looked back and saw Zack glaring at me. I grabbed his wrist firmly and stared back

    Into his eyes.

    "Are you trying to tell me to continue on like nothing just happened? Like you didn''t just tell me someone gave up their future for me?"

    "No, I''m telling you to get your crap together and keep moving forward. Icarus died because we were weak and naive. He saved everyone again and again. All we accomplished was stalling Jormungand. We need to honor the lives we have by staying focused. So this doesn''t happen again."

    He continued to glare at me, and we stared at each other for a bit. Then he finally let go of my collar.

    "Fine." He walked ahead of me to the door. "Let''s get going then."

    ¡­.

    "Valentina won''t be back for a while. Her dad took her home, and he looked worried sick." Alexis chuckled.

    She was laid back in the hospital with bandages all over her. Her right eye had a patch on it, her neck had a brace and her lip was busted.

    "How are you feeling?" Zack asked as he sat in the seat next to her.

    "A lot better now that you''re here." Alexis smiled and reached her hand out to Zack.

    He took her hand in his own and sighed with relief.

    "That''s great to hear, I promise I''ll visit and-"

    "Alexis, we need to ask you something about the people who abducted you."

    Zack turned back to me and shook his head. Alexis looked to Zack, then to me.

    "C-can we please talk about this later? My head isn''t exactly-"

    "We need to do it now!" I demanded.

    "Hey! Don''t you see she''s not okay idiot!?" Zack shot up and shoved me back from the bed.

    "Did you already forget who died for you!? Or did you only care about coming here and kissing up to some chick you don''t even like!?"

    I shoved him back and into the wall.

    "You''re just mad because she didn''t like your ugly face, right? The loser who lost the girl he simped for, for years. And the same loser who almost got us all killed!"

    "Boys!" Lux yelled and ran over to me.

    "At least I wasn''t just support the entire fight with Jormungand! You couldn''t do a damn thing without me! And as for dating, I''d rather be ugly than a man whore. You''re gonna turn out to be just like your dad."

    SMACK!

    Lux smacked me hard and I stumbled back. She glared at me and then turned back to Zack.

    "Both of you get the hell out of here. Right now."

    I grumbled, but I complied and walked out. I glanced back and Zack was right behind me. Then as we left the room, Lux yanked both of our collars and dragged us away.

    We both complained and struggled to keep up with her as she took us down the steps. All the while doctors and nurses watched us go. Eventually, she took us outside near the trash and slammed us against the wall.

    "What the hell is wrong with you two!?" She roared.

    I just turned away from her.

    "Hey! look at me ya little turd!"

    I hesitated, but I turned my head around and met her eyes. It was like staring into a raging tsunami.

    "What you said in there was completely uncalled for, and how you treated Alexis like she was just something. Was also uncalled for."

    "But we need to-!"

    "She''s a person, she was abducted and abused. You don''t demand anything of her till she''s ready to talk, you should understand that better than anyone."

    A memory of me and mom came into mind. She¡¯s right.

    "Right.." I mumbled.

    "Prick," Zack grumbled.

    "Oh! You think you''re in the clear!? You need to get your head in the game. We didn''t come here to just make kissy faces. Stryder was right, whoever attacked Alexis and Val is still on the loose. The fight isn''t over yet."

    "Didn''t you just agree with me though!?" Zack yelled.

    "I agreed that she is a person who needs to be handled with care. No offense, but you didn''t exactly look like you came in there ready for business. Also what you said was uncalled for too."

    "Do you both understand?" She asked as she looked between us.

    "Yes.." We said in unison.

    "Now apologize to each other."

    I looked at Zack, and he looked back at me. We didn''t say anything at first, but eventually, I broke the silence.

    "I''m sorry I said what I said to you. I didn''t mean it."

    "I''m too, or whatever."

    "Good!" Lux chirped. "Now I''m going back up and fixing what you idiots did. I don''t care what you do, just don''t come back here. And no fighting."

    With that, she stomped off back into the hospital. I took a breath and looked up to the sky.

    "What''s wrong with me."

    "Nothing, you were just looking ahead. Everything you said is right. I just didn''t want to think about this anymore."

    I looked over at him. He stared at the ground like he was waiting for it to give him the answers.

    "I can''t blame you, I''m sorry for not taking your feelings into consideration. You probably have a lot going on right now."

    He chuckled.

    "Stryder, I don''t care about all of this hero stuff. I never did. I''m only here because you''re my friend, and I hated the Red steel gang. I didn''t sign up for all of this."

    A cold chill ran over me. It was my fault then that he died. Because I dragged into something he didn''t want to be in.

    "I''m sorry, that would explain why you didn''t want to bother with this so much."

    "Hearing Icarus died for me really got me thinking, ya know? Like what is my life even worth? I''m not like you or Icarus. I don''t have any grand goals in mind for my life, I especially don''t care about people in the way you two do. Hell, if I''m honest. I''d always thought I''d go out drinking, or end up just like my old man and just waste away." He held out his hand and looked it over. "But apparently to others, my life is worth so much more than that."

    "Zack, your path is your own. It''s okay if you don''t want to be a hero. We don''t believe in you because we want you to do what we say. We believe because it''s you, and we want you to live."

    He smiled some and looked up to the sky.

    "We were real dicks in there. I only thought about my feelings."

    "And I only thought about the mission." I sighed."Let''s go find Jack, we should check on him."

    "Plus he might know some info on the guy too."

    Zack said with a smile. He turned to me and held out his fist, I smiled and bumped his fist with my own.

    "Right, sounds like a plan." I chuckled.

 Chapter 69 - The Vultures

    "So where does Snow white want to meet us at?" Zack asked

    "He said him and the cannoli brothers are headed to the abandoned city. I''m assuming he means the twins. But something that struck me as weird was his tone, sounded pretty normal." I replied.

    "Huh, you''d think it would take longer to get over losing his favorite."

    I sighed and slid my phone back into my pocket. ''You''ll never hear about it, because everyone there is already dead''. He has lost everything before, I can''t imagine what that would do to somebody.

    "Well, maybe he''s just used to it. He has been through a lot more than you and I."

    "Pppffft, I''d like to compare notes."

    I rolled my eyes.

    "Anyways, let''s stop by the apartment. I left my sword there."

    "What? Don''t you summon weapons?"

    "Well yeah, but I got an upgrade. Finally got something that might not break against Weislungs blades."

    "Are you really thinking about fighting him again? You literally turned into a Stryder kabob."

    "Yeah, but I mean. I really enjoyed the fight. He was really good, I was able to go all out without thinking about it too."

    "How have I known you all these years and never known you were a masochist? Is that why you always leap in to stop fights?" He teased.

    I shoved him and started walking.

    "I don''t necessarily like pain, but I love giving my all in a fight. There''s just nothing that feels better."

    I looked over to Zack, and he just stared at me in disgust.

    "W-what! You gotta problem!?"

    "No, just didn''t know you were at the point where you were admitting stuff like that to yourself." He smirked and walked ahead of me. "I see you''re finally flying on your own, huh?"

    I smiled and followed behind.

    "Something like that, I''m still nowhere near where I need to be."

    "Hey, at least you''re doing better than me." Zack chuckled.

    But, what exactly does that mean? I thought about the hospital talk and decided to just leave it be. That''s something he''s gonna have to learn to deal with.

    ¡­.

    I was frozen in place as I stared eye to eye with a ghost. Zack''s jaw dropped and I rubbed my eyes to see if this was just a trick. No, even after that he still stood before us.

    Jack, Leo, Elo, and RUSHON! We''re sitting back on rubble eating. He''s alive!? How is he alive!? What!? Is this a joke!? A deal with the devil!? What!?

    "Oh, hey!" Jack cheered and waved over to us.

    Zack and I walked over and stopped in front of them. My eyes never left Rushon, who was eating a box of Chinese food. Zack walked over to Rushon and stared him down.

    "U-umm hey?" Rushon said.

    Zack didn''t respond, he just grabbed Rushons cheeks and yanked on them.

    "Ah! That hurt!" Rushon yelped.

    "What the hell¡¯s going on here!?" Zack yelled.

    Jack picked up his can of Sprite and looked over to the twins, who were eating meatball subs.

    "Oh, lunch." He replied.

    My eyes twitched. Lunch, did he just say lunch!?

    "No, we mean what''s going on with Rushon! We heard he died! Did Lux lie to us!?" I yelled.

    He held up his finger toward us and then started to chug his Sprite down.

    "I''ll kill him," Zack grumbled.

    Jack then pulled the can away and gasped for air.

    "Man that hit the spot!" He cheered, then tossed the can aside. "Alright, For one, rude. He was eating." Zack growled. "Two, Lux didn''t technically lie. We all thought he died."

    "So what happened!" Zack roared.

    Jack held up his finger and shushed Zack, who ignited his hands on fire. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "I got some new spells Snow Cone! If you don''t start talking I''ll try them out on you first!"

    Jack smirked and pointed at Zack.

    "That''s it right there, you and Stryder both got upgrades right? Stuff you usually get from winning matches? Didn''t you find it strange Zack you got new spells? Even though you supposedly lost?"

    "Well, I didn''t really think about it."

    "Technically speaking you won your bet with the goddess. With that boost of your mana pool, you provided less stress on Stryder, who was able to still punch Jormungand hard enough to let Vergil and Leo blast his head off."

    Zack''s eyes grew wide.

    "So what was with that whole Icarus gave up his life crap!?" Zack roared.

    "Well that was real, he made an agreement to die for you. But the witch only did that to make fun of him." Jack grumbled. "She laughed and told him that his choice meant nothing, because Stryder accomplished it already. She did all of that extra just to crush his spirit some more."

    "I''m starting to think we only won the bet so the goddess could torture Rushon some more." I sighed.

    I looked over at Zack and watched him stomp over to Rushon. He snatched his collar and yanked him to his face, making Rushon drop his food.

    "Tell me why."

    "W-what?" Rushon stuttered.

    "Why did you give up your life!?"

    Rushon just looked away.

    "Answer me!"

    "It''s just, it just seemed like the right thing to do."

    "I''m not a hero! I''m not trying to change the world! I''m a selfish guy who barely knows where he''s going in life! How is dying for me the right thing to do!?"

    Rushon looked up into his eyes and grabbed a hold of his wrist.

    "Because even if you don''t intend on doing it, I''ve seen the lives you''ve changed. It''s not about being perfect or wanting to change the world. I saved you because I saw value in your life, you matter to a lot of people."

    Zack dropped his shirt and Rushon let go of his wrist. Then, Zack took a step back and continued to glare at him.

    "I didn''t ask for that ya know," Zack grumbled. "I didn''t ask for any of that! I don''t care about this stupid place like the rest of you idiots!"

    "And that''s fine, I never said you had to. It''s your choice what you do with your life. Just like it''s my choice to decide if I''ll give up my life or not."

    Rushon looked up, but this time he had his intense stare. While Zack continued to just glare at him.

    "You''re an idiot," Zack grumbled.

    "I guess, but that''s just who I am." Rushon chuckled, and softened his stare.

    Zack didn''t say another word, he just stomped back over to me.

    "Feel better?" I asked.

    "Shut up." He grumbled.

    I looked over to him, and his eyes met mine. He seemed lost.

    "Zack, you okay?" I asked

    He immediately looked away from me and stepped forward.

    "Well, it looks like the devilishly handsome Zack is who you all should cheer for!" Zack said, followed by a hard laugh.

    "Zack are you-" I started, but he just yelled over me.

    "Without me the loser Icarus couldn''t have accomplished anything!" Then he pointed toward me. "And without me, you''d be dragon chow!" Zack started to pretend to flex. "All in a day''s work for the mighty destroyer of worlds!"

    "You died, remember?" Leo spoke up.

    "Yeah, I guess your right. I was completely useless during that fight with Jormungand." Rushon replied.

    "Yeah, but it was your planning that got us that far," I said and elbowed Zack. "Plus the goddess even said he was able to beat Jormungand on his own."

    "Blah, blah, blah,  details, details. I really doubt that flightless bird could do that. I mean we knocked that guy around town and stabbed a sword through him! And he still didn''t die. And Icarus is just a glorified air conditioner."

    "Don''t underestimate him, he could fight you both at the same time and win," Jack spoke up.

    His tone made me uneasy, it was suddenly serious.

    "Jack! No, I really couldn''t. I''m barely sure I could beat one of them."

    "Ha, I wouldn''t want to fight me either." Zack snickered.

    What was Zack''s angle? Why is he suddenly on the attack like this for Rushon?

    "Then let''s put it to a test? A quick sparring match?" Jack suggested.

    "Wait Jack no! We don''t need to do this! Seriously, I''m not on their level." Rushon pleaded.

    Jack walked over to Rushon and moved an arm around him, then pointed at Zack.

    "Didn''t you train every day so punks like this wouldn''t look down on you? Didn''t you give it your all to be able to look people in the eye? Don''t let him disrespect the hard work you''ve put in."

    "Pfft, yeah, sure I''m down." Zack chuckled.

    I grabbed Zack''s arm and yanked him over to me, and I made him look me in the eye.

    "Just what the hell do you think you''re doing. If I didn''t know better I''d say Rushon was just some random guy on the street to you."

    But Zack just yanked his arm back.

    "Didn''t I already tell you? I''m not a hero. So are you gonna fight or not?" He demanded.

    "Both you guys have upgrades right? Might as well try them out." Jack said as he moved his arms from around Icarus.

    I growled, Zack really triggered Jack. I looked over to Rushon, who still hid his face behind his hood. A part of me was curious, I haven''t seen him go all out. Something itched on the inside. I didn''t want to fall for Zack''s games, but I really wanted to fight him.

    "Sure I''m in," I mumbled.

    "Are things always this lively?" Elo asked.

    "Only with these idiots. ." Leo sighed.

    Jack reached over and snatched Rushons hoodie from him, then he took a shiny belt from around him.

    "No gadgets, and you better not hold back," Jack said as he walked over to Leo and Elo.

    No gadgets!? Jack really had faith in him. The memory of his fight with the fire girl came into mind. I didn''t want to say this out loud, but I didn''t think he could beat me or Zack one on one. Let alone together. He''s strategic, so maybe with prep time and gadgets. But he''s fighting us naked right now.

    "Alright, let the match begin!"

    Rushon looked up and moved the dreads from in front of his face. His eyes met mine, and it sent shivers down my spine. His jade eyes shined brightly, and it felt like he was peering into my soul.

    The wind started to pick up around us, the dust from the ground flew into the air, and then suddenly became violent.  I summoned light armor over my body and activated my eyes, just when I was about to charge him. A huge tornado formed around me. Separating me and Zack. It was dark from the rubble and dust it picked up, I couldn''t see a thing.

    Then, the tornado abruptly stopped and all the flying dirt and debris dropped. That''s when I noticed, Rushon was missing.

    "W-what the hell!" Zack yelped.

    I looked over, and I was speechless.

    Zack was laid out on the ground with Rushon sitting on his back. His foot rested on top of Zack''s head and held it down. He noticed me and picked up a pebble and I prepared myself and summoned a blade.

    "You know, a tornado can even make a pebble pierce a tree? Enough force and anything can be a gun." Rushon mumbled.

    Then he reeled his arm back and launched the pebble to the left of him. It sounded like something popped when it left his fingers, which was followed by an agonizing scream. Red mist started to leak from the sky, and I watched as Bean materialized from it. Just to flip onto the ground.

    The red mist was steaming out from Beans head. Does that mean he managed to one-shot him!?

    Zack pushed his head up.

    "H-how did you even see-"

    "I sense the wind remember? Bean maybe invisible, but I could sense him through the air current. Just like how I sensed the very dense layer of solidified air you had and went around it."

    Rushon said and then shoved Zack''s head back into the ground with his foot.

    "The loser of many worlds is out!" Jack cheered,

    How, how did he do it so fast!? Did he get stronger since he fought Helios comet!? Was he just holding back!? He didn''t even do that good against Rex as much as we did!

    Rushon stood up and Zack started gasping for air. I summoned light armor over my body and held out my new sword. Then Rushons body got all wavey, like when we were at the school. I activated my strength and increased my speed. Then the wind picked up, and another funnel of dirt and debris surrounded me.

    This time the dirty seemed to be directed toward my eyes. I had to close them, and as soon as I did I felt his kick slam into my stomach and sent me flying. I crashed against the ground and started to tumble back. I tried to just roll onto my feet, but it was like the wind was keeping me rolling.

    I used my strength and finely rolled onto my feet and held my ground against the intense gusts of wind. I forced myself up and increased my strength output. Then summoned the heaviest plate armor over me.

    CLUNK!

    Something hard ram into the back of my helmet. I quickly turned and swung my sword behind me. The funnel dropped, and I saw Rushon jumping back.

    "Your sneak attacks don''t mean anything If you can''t touch me!"

    I felt this tingling sensation in my palms, like something was gonna burst out of them! I swung my sword and an azure blast came out from my blade. Air coiled around Rushon and he managed to change trajectory mid-air to dodge.

    I smirked and charged in at him. This match was mine now! This armor was not only a good defense but with my strength activated it barely even slowed me down! I came in with a flurry of slashes and blasts. Rushon didn''t falter though. His body was blurry again, and he managed to dodge everything I threw at him. Even with my eyes, he was faster than me.

    "I''m sorry, did you think you had the advantage up close?" He asked.

    What!?

    He blasted forward at me, and I went to slash at him. He dodged in mid-air and spun his body around to where he was coming at me upside down.  Then he grabbed my helmet and covered my eye holes. I went to attack him, but suddenly my whole body malfunctioned!

    My ears popped, and it felt like my eyes were being pulled out of their socket. I closed them, and suddenly it became hard to breathe. I gasped for air, and it felt like I was gonna pass out. I staggered back and suddenly I felt lighter, and I was able to breathe again. I opened my eyes and saw my armor was gone. Before I could think why, his leg slammed into my stomach. Which kicked all the air out of me again.

    I was sent back and slammed into a wall. Then I heard a loud crunch next to my ear. I gasped for air and keeled over. That''s when I felt the burning pain in my side, did he break my ribs!? I looked over and saw rubble fall from a hole in the wall next to me. Then I saw it, a rock was embedded in there.

    That was almost my head...

    "I guess your powers do work on concentration then," Rushon said as he stepped toward me.

    "Like I said. Winner, Icarus." Jack called out.

 Chapter 70 - Looking to the sky

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to break your ribs!" Rushon apologized over and over again.

    I just chuckled and waved him off.

    "Don''t worry about it, really. I appreciate you not holding back." I glanced down at the ice that was healing my side. "Besides, Jack can fix me no problem."

    "Yeah, what the hell was that at the beginning of the match!? You threw out that shy guy routine real quick!"

    "I apologize, I let my emotions get the best of me," Rushon mumbled.

    "Don''t apologize Rushon, trash needs to be taken out every once in a while. Well, the trash and Stryder." Jack snickered.

    "Who you calling Trash!?" Zack roared.

    "The guy who lost the match in the first thirty seconds," Jack replied.

    "Or better yet, the guy who tried to use wind defenses against a wind bender," I added in.

    "Hey! Whose side are you on anyway!?"

    "Not yours."

    "What, do you two need couples therapy?" Jack asked.

    Zack and I simultaneously growled. Which only made Jack laugh.

    "That has to be cheating! You''re freaking overpowered! I got nothing to fight against you!" Zack complained.

    "That''s not it at all, he won because he worked harder than the both of you combined," Jack snapped.

    "This is just your fault then! Because you have favorites! Clearly, you actually trained him!"

    And for once, I didn¡¯t disagree with Zack. It was painfully obvious he trained with him more.

    "What? You get some easy money and you suddenly think everything should be handed to you?" Jack scoffed.

    "No! It''s just not fair that-"

    "I''m not gonna beg you both to train ya know? I''m not that type of guy who plans things out. If you want to train, you can tell me and we will. Last time I checked, you two only ever ask for heals and rides. Which is fine, I don''t care what you do. But don''t go insulting someone''s hard work because you''re too lazy to work for it like he did." Jack pointed to Rushon. "Show''em the scars."

    "W-what? Do I have to?" Rushon stammered.

    "Just do it." Jack huffed.

    Scars? Did Jack give him scars?

    Rushon took a moment and removed his shirt. Then walked over to us. I was at a loss for words as I scanned his body. He was fit, but his body was a canvas of war. Scars of all shapes and sizes riddled his body. I never even noticed the scars on his neck.

    "How did this happen..?" I mumbled

    "It''s nothing really I-"

    "Didn''t you notice he never used a wind attack that sliced you? Even the tornado that surrounded you both only pulled up debris. It''s because he can''t make a tornado that size that''s strong enough to do anything like that.  However, he can make small ones that are close to his body." Jack said.

    "And you hurt yourself while doing it?" I asked.

    "A curse from the goddess." Rushon mumbled." That''s why I usually only wear metal boots. When I do a tornado kick that shreds, it protects my feet."

    "His ability to increase his speed, the wavy thing. He can''t breathe while he does that, which means it has a pretty short time of effect." Jack added in.

    "It only expels wind resistance on me, it doesn''t really do a whole lot. I have to use that while simultaneously creating more wind resistance for the opponent. Then push myself forward with selective gusts of wind."

    "I think you get the idea, his powers are incredibly underpowered and restrictive. Objectively speaking,  your powers are leagues above him. It wasn''t because he was born lucky that he won, he won because he worked hard every day to get to where he is. He asked me constantly to train. He''d even pass out because he''d skip meals to get stronger." Jack looked over to us and glared. "So I don''t want to hear you crying about being weak again."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    A wave of guilt washed over me. I may not have said anything, but I was definitely undermining him.

    "I apologize Rushon, for undermining your work." I looked up for his face, but he was staring at the ground.

    "I figured from that look you had, you thought so too." Rushon chuckled and quickly moved to put his shirt back on. "It''s no problem really, in all honesty, it makes me kind of happy. To have someone as powerful as you think I''m strong."

    "Ha! You just told me your weaknesses! You''re definitely going down next time!" Zack cheered.

    "Really? That''s all you gotta say?" I asked.

    "The mighty destroyer of worlds must rise like a Phoenix. Mark my words bird poop! Next time we fight, I''m gonna turn you into chicken nuggets!"

    "I highly doubt that." Jack sighed.

    "I''ll be waiting, Wizard of the Alley." Rushon hummed. Then he turned toward Jack. "Hey, since my break is over, can I go back out and do some more claims?"

    Jack groaned.

    "Kid, don''t you know what a break is?"

    "Aren''t you the one who just forced me to fight?"

    "It felt good though right?" Jack teased.

    Rushon put his hands in his pocket and looked away.

    "No comment." He mumbled.

    Jack started to laugh.

    "Awe look at that, my little psychopath is learning to enjoy fights." Jack chuckled and ruffled Rushons head.

    "Are you trying to make heroes or murderers?" Rushon grumbled.

    "Whatever gets me paid faster." Jack snickered.

    "Hey umm, what are claims exactly?" I asked.

    Jack looked down to Rushon, and then back to me.

    "Well go on, brag about yourself a little." Jack encouraged and shoved Rushon forward.

    Rushon sighed and attempted to look at me, but opted out and stared at my shoulder instead.

    "Since Arthur started funding me, I use my money to help fix destroyed stuff in battles. I know it can be hard when people lose stuff like their cars or homes. So I try to take note of who and where I am, so I can come back later and repay them for the damages."

    Zack looked over to me and shivered.

    "Eww, it''s like having two of you..."

    I can''t believe I never thought about that before. I''ve spent all my money on such frivolous stuff. Yet I never considered what I could do to give back to the everyman. This guy, at every corner. I just learn to admire him so much more.

    "Well, let me come with you. We can get a lot done together. After all, it was me and Zack who wrecked the city."

    "Well, actually before any of that. Let''s have a developer update talk." Jack said.

    "A what?" Zack asked.

    "He means talk about recent, and future events." Leo took a bite of his sub. "Idiot."

    "Uuuuugh!" Zack whined."Can''t we talk about anything else!?"

    "Just shut up," I sighed.

    "What!? Is it hate Zack day or something!?" He grumbled.

    "For one, Icarus has a theory here that somebody with powers was the cause for all the electricity to go out," Jack said.

    "And you completely ignore me..." Zack mumbled.

    ¡°Wait what?¡± I asked.

    "It''s suspicious how sudden the electricity came back on, not to mention EMPs usually have permanent damage. But my partner says all the electronics in the area seemed to just be turned off like someone hit a button." Rushon said.

    "Considering how this death game works, it could be anyone." Jack sighed. "But the techno swordsman is technically an option."

    "It would make sense, it would''ve been a good opportunity to see me in action," I added in.

    "You should contact Lizbeth, see if she has any more info on them. I''ll call my info broker and see if he has any leads." Jack replied.

    "We should also check the gifted board app. We can search for all the higher rank tech users." Zack suggested.

    "Right! I haven''t even used that yet!" I groaned. "My minds been all over the place.."

    "Don''t worry about it, life has been intense lately. Just focus on the now." Rushon replied. "Next thing on the agenda is Alexis''s father."

    "Alexis'' father?" Zack asked.

    "Her father was the one who manipulated her into working for us," Vergil spoke up. "That guy you burned when you saved her, that was her father."

    "Errat Luceat is his name. I did a little research and found out he has an intense criminal record. It seems like he was under some child endangerment laws recently too. To be more specific, around the same time we all got our gifts from the witches." Rushon said.

    "What are you trying to say?" Zack grumbled as he balled his fists.

    "Her powers are of that of a succubus, and the file shows that she was involved in his criminal activities only recently. So, it sounds to me like she suddenly became useful to him. A.K.A he forced her to use her powers so he could continue his crimes.¡±

    Zack growled.

    "I¡¯ll roast that son of-"

    "Easy tiger, none of us like him. But he''s gone M.I.A. So we need to focus on locating him." Jack added. "So we need to keep a lookout."

    A pit started to form in my stomach. Alexis must be dealing with a lot right now. Her own dad roped her into all of this. No wonder she didn''t want to talk about it.

    "Yo kid, you know anything!?" Zack yelled over to Vergil.

    Vergil looked away from Zack, who started to stomp over to him. I immediately grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back over to me.

    "Calm down Zack, I''m sure Rushon has already questioned him enough."

    "Nah man! He punched me into concrete!" He roared.

    I closed my eyes and sighed.

    "Zack that''s in the past, we need to look-"

    "Does anyone really love me?" Zack sniffled.

    I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. Zack had tears streaming down his face and his hair was a lot more wild than usual.

    "Well you gonna apologize to the destroyer of worlds!?" I heard Zack yell, but he yelled from somewhere else.

    I looked over to them and my jaw dropped. Zack was there, yelling at Vergil. While also crying in my hand.

    "W-what the heck is-"

    ¡°Why does everything always blow up in my face! I try so hard, Stryder!¡± The crying Zack wailed.

    "What''s happening!?" I yelled over to Rushon.

    "If I had to guess, maybe Zack''s new spells involve cloning? Judging by its mentality, maybe it¡¯s different parts of Zack? Or maybe the clones all have one hard arched type they embody?"

    "I''m sorry for what I''ve done," Vergil mumbled out.

    "Sorry''s not gonna cut it.¡±

    "Zack relax!" I called out.

    "But if I relax too much I''ll become a bum! And then my wife''s not gonna love me anymore!¡±

    "Wait no, not you Zack, the other-"

    "Then I''ll get fat and eat Reese¡¯s all day! And then my kids will hate me! And I''ll be just like my dad!"

    That was really specific¡­

    Leo stood up to face Zack, but Zack had already made his move. He reached down and pinched Vergil''s arm.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Vergil squeaked.

    ¡°Alright, now we''re even.¡± Zack snickered.

    Leo¡¯s eyes grew wide, and he sprouted a genuine smile.

    ¡°You really are stupid, aren¡¯t you?¡± He chuckled.

    Zack held out his hands and an emerald flame erupted in his palms.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m getting real tired of you all roasting me!¡±

    ¡°Do people only like me because I''m a clown? Am I just a joke to you?¡± Zacks clone whined.

    ¡°Hey, hey easy now. You''re not a joke buddy.¡± I assured the clone and gently patted his head.

    Then he hugged me and buried his face into my chest.

    ¡°Wow, something more pathetic than you,¡± Leo mumbled.

    Zack shut his fire off and clapped his hands, then the clone vanished.

    ¡°Stryder gets a freaking lightsaber, and I wind up with a clone who needs a therapist!? Why did I even wake up today..¡±

    ¡°Uh oh, you better be careful. Starting to sound a lot like that clone of yours.¡± Leo teased.

    ¡°You wanna fight Charmander!¡±

    Then Leo and Zack started to argue, I ignored the yelling and walked over to Vergil. He seemed really uncomfortable. I kneeled down to him and looked him in the eye, and he immediately averted his gaze.

    ¡°So Vergil, I think I remember our first conversation at the dance. You said it was nice to see everyone being so carefree. To me, that sounds like someone who wants to see people happy.¡±

    ¡°So what, I was too scared to do anything about it..¡±

    ¡°You were too scared, you¡¯ve faced your fears now though. So I wanted to ask, did you want to join the Alley of justice?¡±

 Chapter 71 - Repent

    "No."

    I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. No? Did Vergil just say no?

    "What!? Why the hell not!?" Leo roared.

    I looked over to and saw that he was veggie wrapped in Zack''s vines. While managing to still hold onto an entire handful of Zack''s hair. I decided to just ignore it and focus back on Vergil.

    His eyes were focused on the ground, and I could see his right arm shaking.

    "I-Its because I don''t deserve to, I''ve done horrible things." He held out his hand and scanned over his palm. "This hand is soaked in so much blood."

    "But you already made up for it when you slayed Charizard!" Zack croaked, still in pain from Leo''s hair pulling.

    "This isn''t some stupid game! Those people had lives, they had families!" He moved his hand over his face. "I don''t deserve anything but to rot in a cell. I deserve to be tortured. I''m a terrible person."

    "How is rotting in a cell gonna help anything?" I asked and moved my hand on his shoulder. "In order to repent, you need to live to make up for your wrongs."

    Vergil promptly smacked my hand away.

    "And what would you know about it!? I read your file, I know about your mom. Yours was an accident. My victims begged me to stop, and I still did it anyway. Because I was so worried about myself."

    Leo blew flames from his mouth and burned the vines off. Then he finally dropped Zack¡¯s hair.

    "Then what about me?" Leo said as he stomped over to Vergil. "Am I not a living testament to what Stryder says? If I decided to rot in a cell I wouldn''t have been able to talk to you, and we wouldn''t have defeated father."

    Vergil looked away.

    "Let me ask you, Leo. Do you know what it''s like to have nightmares of things you''ve done?"

    "What?"

    "I remember them, I remember each and every person I''ve killed. I remember their names, and sometimes at night I can even hear them." He grabbed his head and started to chuckle. "You were able to turn off how you felt, I wasn''t. I don''t understand why you''re envious of me. My mind is a living hell¡­"

    "Then let me understand, let me help bear the burden, let me walk beside you. I spent years running away from you, and I won''t let you be all alone again! This is a sin we both bear, so we should finally bear it together!"

    "You''re different from me Leo." Vergil stood up, his blue scales consumed his body and bat-like wings sprouted from his back. "You need to be free."

    Then he flapped his wings and took off into the sky. Leo growled and quickly changed himself.

    "Torna qui!" He yelled and blasted off after him.

    I looked over to Rushon and Jack, who just watched like we did.

    "Should I go after them?" Rushon asked.

    "Nah, I don''t think there''s much you can say here," Jack replied.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Zack whistled. "It¡¯s a problem that they can fly now."

    "It''s a problem that you can talk, but you don''t see me complaining," Jack mumbled.

    "Rude." Zack huffed.

    ''Not much you can say here¡¯, that reminded me of the night Jack talked to Lux. That was something I couldn''t help with. Just like right now, this wasn''t something I could help with, but I know someone who can.

    "I''ll be back guys, I need to make a phone call," I called out.

    "We should get going anyways, I need to call Arthur and see if he can fix the Jormungand mess." Jack sighed.

    ¡­.

    I took a deep breath and faced the hospital door. A pit grew in my stomach and I raised my hand to nibble at my nails. I caught myself and forced my hand into my pocket. Just relax, you just need to apologize. There''s no reason for you to be scared.

    I took another breath and pushed open the door. Alexis turned her head with Excitement, but her smile soon faded when she saw my face.

    Off to a great start...

    "H-hey Alexis," I said as I forced a smile on my face.

    She glanced away from me and forced a smile on.

    "Oh hey Stryder, good to see you." She mumbled out.

    I moved and sat down in a chair next to her, then I set the flowers and Reese''s next to her stand.

    "Reeses? Did you know they were my favorite?" She finally looked me in the eyes, and my heart raced.

    Crap! What do I say? Do I just apologize? Wait no she just asked me a question. Do I tell her I knew because I used to be obsessed with her? No that''s weird, she''ll think you''re a creep. Wait, would doing that ease the tension? No, wait! She likes Zack, maybe I can be smooth with it.

    "Reeses me loved you, sorry realization." I spat out.

    Her eyes got wide, and so did mine. Smooth Stryder! You were supposed to be smooth! Then she just started to laugh.

    "Oh my gosh, I haven''t heard you panic in a long time!" She chuckled and bared a genuine smile.

    I took a breath and facepalmed.

    "I''m such a dork.."

    "So were you just confessing your love to me? Or the Reeses?" She giggled.

    "Wait no, no! I was trying to say I knew what you liked because I used to be obsessed with you." Did I just say that out loud!? Stop! Stop talking! "But I thought that would be weird, so I thought I should just apologize for earlier. Then I remembered you liked Zack, and I thought if I said something smooth that It would-" I clasped my mouth.

    Alexis¡¯s cheeks were red, and she couldn''t stop laughing now.

    "You''re so adorable!" She chuckled.

    I sighed and rubbed my face.

    "Zack makes this whole nervous talking thing look easy.."

    "Well, he is a good confidence man. I don''t know why I fall for those types. But it''s a good thing you''re not confessing, Valentina would be pretty mad."

    "Yeah, no kidding. My love life is already complicated enough.

    "Trust me I know, I can see your attraction levels remember?" She teased.

    "I could just die now," I mumbled.

    "Don''t worry, I''m flattered. Whenever I got my powers, I noticed you always thought I was beautiful. Even when I thought I was a mess. Gave me a big confidence booster."

    I smiled at that.

    "I''m glad my stupid thirst could be used for good." I chuckled.

    She nodded.

    "So, I''m guessing you still want to talk? About everything?" She asked hesitantly.

    I looked up and saw the glitter in her eyes start to fade.

    "Yes, and no." I took a breath. "I want to ask how you were feeling. I''ve come to the realization that I haven''t been a good friend to you. In the past or recently. If you don''t want to talk to me, that''s fine. I just wanted to apologize and let you know. That I''m here for you."

    Her eyes grew wide, then she looked away.

    "Lux told me you lost a friend, and that was why you were so demanding. So I understand. But really, I should be the one to say sorry. I''m the one who betrayed you." She mumbled.

    "Wait, what do you mean?"

    "I felt so guilty seeing you two earlier, that''s why I didn''t want to talk." She moved her hand over her chest. "Even now my heart won''t stop pounding. I don''t want to lose the only real friends I ever had.." Her voice cracked and her shoulders shook.

    I moved my hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile.

    "Don''t worry about it, we know about your dad. We know he made you help him. We don''t look at you any different for it."

    "You don''t understand! I''m the one who told him your identities!" She cried. "I''m the reason your friend died, that you guys were hurt, that Val got hurt. I hurt everyone.."

    I turned her around to face me, she was chewing on her lip and a tear was coming down her eye.

    "And we''re all just glad you''re okay. Not one of us blames you for what happened."

    "You should! I''m a terrible person! I''m just like my dad..."

    "No, you''re not. Those tears you have are proof of that alone. The fact you went with Valentina when you did too. You''re different.

    "How can you say that? I hurt you, I hurt you all."

    "It''s because I care about you. That small stuff doesn''t matter to me. So if you can forgive me, I''ll forgive you too. Then you can apologize to everyone else. Even my friend who died, he came back. So you can tell him how sorry you are."

    Her eyes became watery and her lip quivered.

    "Thank God." She moved her hands over her eyes and started chuckling. "I''m so pathetic, look at me crying."

    "You know there''s nothing wrong with tears." I chuckled. "I cry all the time."

    "M-my dad used to say only weak people cried."

    "That''s because he''s weak, it takes real strength to let your feelings out. To show your weakness to others, and Alexis you''re one of the strongest people I know."

    She blushed and bit her lip, then more tears streamed down from underneath her hands.

    "Shut up, you''re gonna make me cry a river."

    Great, I''ve made another girl cry...

    BRING! BRING! BRING!

    I jumped as my phone screamed for my attention. I quickly grabbed it and went to silence it, but when I saw the contact I hesitated. I looked back at Alexis and she just waved me off.

    "Well go on, shew, shew, I don''t want you seeing me balling like this anyways." She chuckled.

    I opened my mouth to protest, but this call was actually important.

    "Thanks!" I replied and got up.

    "I''ll only forgive you if you go buy me a milkshake!" She called out.

    "Gotcha!"

    I quickly walked out of the room, then answered the phone.

    "Stryder! hellao! haow ahh yah! ih'' fayls loike it''s bayn forevah! sohry, Oy meessed ya cohl!"

    I smiled at the sound of her voice, I hadn''t realized how much I missed her cheerful gleams.

    "Hey don''t worry about it, I know you''re probably busy. But first, how have you been?"

 Chapter 72 - The Flying Dutchmans return!

    It had been a week since the Jormungand attack. The military was called in to assist the police in the investigation of what they''re calling ¡®the light¡¯s in the sky incident''. We were put under martial law, and have a strict ten PM city-wide curfew. Plus the entire downtown area has been condemned for investigation.

    Rushon decided to stay for a little while and investigate the investigators. So he''s been assisting Donum in making sure they''re not coming close to guessing me and Zack¡¯s identity. Donum even managed to get us some papers that excuse us for being out late, something about us working late at a fake address. The number for our boss directly calls Jack, but I''m hoping it never comes to that. I don''t trust Jack''s acting skills.

    Valentina and Alexis have been interrogated by the authorities over and over again. They decided the best solution was the truth, just the truth minus Jormungand. They pinned most of it on Alexis father trying to kidnap her because she ran away. And Valentina came in to save her with the power of science!

    So, we''ve decided to just lay low for a little while. Do our best to not ruin their

    stories, and pray Donum and Rushon can ruin the investigation.

    ¡­.

    "Any luck with Vergil?" I asked Leo.

    Leo didn¡¯t say a word, he just stared at the boulder before him. The wind whistled through the trees and sent a gentle breeze our way. Making Leo''s golden locks fly in his face, right before he started punching the boulder. Which cracked on impact.

    "That whiny little idiot is sitting in that abandoned building sulking!" He started punching the rock more rapidly. Sending shards all over the place as he abused it. "He barely even eats! He just lays there like he''s ready to die! But he''s too chicken to die! As if that''s a bad thing!" He leaned his head back and a huge fireball shot out and obliterated the boulder.

    Leo huffed as smoke rose from his mouth.

    "I see, not going well."

    I hesitated, but I walked over and put my hand on his shoulder. I yanked my hand back immediately however, because it felt like I touched a stove.

    "No, it''s not going well! It''s been a week and all he does is sulk!"

    "Well, how are you feeling specifically?"

    "I don''t understand it. He''s so illogical! What does sulking solve!? What does hiding in an abandoned building do!?"

    "Leo, sometimes it''s hard to get up, ya know?"

    "No, I don''t know." He huffed.

    "I can relate to your brother, kind of."

    "Well please elaborate." He growled and smoke rose up from his lips.

    I chuckled nervously and leaned against a tree.

    "It¡¯s really hard to understand unless you¡¯ve been there before. Which is why I can understand him. I was that way after I got kicked out of martial arts. There were just some days where I''d lay in bed all day. I wouldn''t eat, I wouldn''t drink. I just get up to use the bathroom."

    "But why!? That did nothing for you right? So why would you do it?"

    ¡°Hhmm, It just felt like the world was against me ya know? Like no matter what I tried, the world was just gonna spit in my face. So I didn¡¯t even want to try.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "When I feel like lifes beating me down, I tell life it hits like an old hag. So I guess I half get it.¡±

    ¡°Ya know, it¡¯s not technically a bad thing you don¡¯t understand him. Sometimes we just gotta accept that¡¯s just how some people are.¡±

    "And how the hell is that gonna help me!?" He snapped. "I don''t think I need to respect his depression! I need to-"

    "I''m not saying respect his sulking, I''m saying respect the fact that he''s emotional. Accept that you can''t change the fact that he''s just gonna overly feel things and react to them."

    "And then what!?"

    "Then admit that you''re probably not someone who can help him. You can be there for him, but you don''t know how to help someone like that. Someone who feels on a deep level like him."

    "So you go talk to him then!"

    "You saw how well that went already, Leo. This isn''t a job for you or me. So I called someone who might be better at this than us." I hummed.

    "Who?"

    "You''ll see, she said she''d text me once she arrives."

    "She?"

    "You''ll see." I snickered.

    Leo folded his arms and squinted at me.

    "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?¡±

    ¡­.

    "Oy meessed yah sao much leo!" Elizabeth cheered.

    She ran over to tackle Leo, and he immediately shot up into the sky. His dark red wings stretched out as he stared down at her.

    "I knew I had a bad feeling..." Leo huffed. "And where the hell¡¯s the treasure chest you owe me?"

    "Waowh! yah cahn floy naow!"

    "Don''t change the subject!"

    The wind coiled around Elizabeth''s feet, and she leaped into the air after him. He wasn¡¯t adapted to flying yet and she easily snagged him in the air. Then they started to zoom around like a broken jet.

    "Get off of me!"

    "Buh'' Oy meessed yah leettle leo! Yah''ve graown sao much!"

    "Well that¡¯s too bad!" He roared.

    Leos screams of rage eventually evolved into random bursts of fire. While Elizabeth just laughed the entire time. The two flew around the abandoned island like a kicked-over bottle rocket. They zoomed around and around, until they started heading down toward me!

    I panicked and hastily summoned armor over my body. Just when I was about to brace for impact, a huge gust of wind came in. I saw a dark green blur, and suddenly Leo and Liz were separated. They crashed into the ground, and Rushon landed in between the two.

    "So, this must be Elizabeth of the seven swordsmen." He mumbled.

    "Oh! yah myde a new friend!" Elizabeth cheered.

    She sat up from the ground, then leaped toward Rushon. A huge gust of wind came in from both sides, and I could barely keep my eyes open. It was like the two were fighting tornado to tornado. The wind around Rushon exploded and he fell back. His hood flew from his face, and exposed his bewildered eyes.

    "How did you disrupt my current!?" Rushon grumbled.

    Elizabeth just giggled.

    "The queen of the says must be able t'' rayd the woind roigh''? Aw else we daon''t knaow wheah the sheeps gawnna gao!" She gave him a smile, which seemed much more like a challenge than anything else.

    "Hey, Lizbeth why don''t we ca-"

    "Yoah supah cute! Whoy weah yah hoidin yoah fuyce?" She cheered over me.

    Rushon didn¡¯t falter however, he just stared intensely back into her eyes.

    "I can see past your tricks."

    Elizabeth smirked and backed off.

    "Smaht, and cute. Oy theenk Oy''ll loike yah."

    "Tatakai!" I heard screeched from above.

    When I looked toward the sky, I was met with deranged creamy eyes and a blade. I used my strength and increased my movement speed, then grabbed my Ascalon blade. Just barely guarding against Weislungs attack.

    A sadistic grin etched itself onto his lips, and his blade was slowly consumed by his holy white flame. I released the energy in my blade and coated my sword in an azure fire. I didn''t think it was possible, but Weisses smile grew even wider. Then I sent the energy out after him! He seemed to have the same idea, because both of our blasts collided at the same time.

    I was sent flying and crashed against the ground. I rolled back and popped back up on my feet, and I saw he barely moved at all.

    "¨¡, watashi wa anata ga yoku natta no o mimasu! Anata ga eta mono o misetekudasai!"

    "I still don''t know Japanese!"

    "He basically said, he wanted to see how strong you''ve become." Leo translated and walked over to me.

    Of course, he knows japanese...

    "That sounds like fun to me. But first, we should focus on the task at hand. Leo, can you translate?"

    He nodded.

    "Damatte suwatte anata no orokana mutt. Watashitachi wa koko ni konakattanode, anata wa anata no iwa o tatakawa seru koto ga dekimasu. Dakara, kanry¨­ suru made machimasu."

    Weis¡¯s eyes grew wide and he pointed his blade at Leo''s throat.

    "Dare o zasshu to yonde imasu ka?" Weiss growled.

    Leo grabbed the blade and stepped closer to him and glared into his eyes.

    "Watashi wa anata o zasshu no sun¨­fur¨¥ku to yonde imasu!" Leo roared back.

    The wind picked up and within seconds, Rushon was in between them.

    "N¨¥! Ittai darena no ka-"

    Rushon quickly held up what looked like his phone. Then this robotic voice started talking.

    "Kare ni shazai shimasu. Kare wa ani no koto o shinpai shite irunode, kare wa hont¨­ni kanj¨­-tekidesu. Kare no kuch¨­ wa mushi shite kudasai." The robot said.

    "Hey! I didn''t ask for you to do that!"

    "And Stryder didn''t ask for you to call him a mutt either." Rushon huffed.

    Weis nodded then leaned into Rushon.

    "Lata, you, me. FIGHT!"

    Rushons eyes got wide, but he nodded. He typed on his screen and then the robot replied.

    "Ry¨­kaishimashita. Sore wa k¨­heidesu."

    "Leo what all did you say to him!?" I snapped.

    "Stryder!"

    Before I could even react, some beast crashed into me! I groaned as I hit the ground and my eyes met the sea. She stared down into my eyes and gave me an enchanting smile. Which made my heart skip a beat.

    Come on Stryder, focus on the task! Say something!

    "Focus hot pirate Vergil mission."

    Seriously, why do I even exist? Her cheeks became scarlet and she giggled.

    "Ih'' fayls good t'' knaow Oy cahn steell myke yoah wehds jumble. Even if Oy''m nawt the one yah wahnt." She mumbled the last part, which withered my nervousness away.

    "Lizbeth I-"

    She then promptly popped up on her feet with the wind. Then looked off into the distance at the abandoned buildings.

    "Sao! Wheah''s thiies vuhgil blokk Oy nayd t'' use moy chahms on?" She giggled. "Finohly toime t'' shaow moy stuff as an oolly of justoice."

 Chapter 73 - Elizabeth set sails!

    OH MY GOSH! IT WAS A SECOND LEO! He didn''t lie to me! He really did have a twin! I peered over the boy who seemed to have molded with the floor of the abandoned building. There was food and drinks scattered all around him, but it didn¡¯t seem like he touched any of it.

    A shiver ran down my spine as the room shifted. The bottles of water turned into cans of cheap beer. While the pungent aroma of cigarettes strolled into my nostrils. My heart raced as I laid eyes on the matted embers of my mother¡¯s hair. Just as fast as the image came, it left. Leaving Leo''s reflection to take her place. I see, he''s just like her then.

    I commanded the wind to carry me toward the windowsill. Once I was close enough, I climbed over onto it. The kid had a good view here on the second story, it overlooked the roaring sea so perfectly. Too bad he¡¯s too dead to enjoy it.

    "Hoi-yahh theah! haow ahh ya cutie!" I cheered

    He shifted a bit, but only curled up a little bit more.

    "Elizabeth of the seven swordsmen?" He mumbled.

    "Oh! yah''ve heahd of me!?"

    "Have you come to turn me into one of your zombie slaves?" He sat up from the floor and leaned against the wall."I beg you, please don''t make me hurt anyone else."

    I see this kid really knows his stuff.

    "Oolroight'', on one cawndeetion thaen!"

    "That being?"

    "Yah answah ooll of moy questions! And leesten t'' everything Oy hahve t'' sie."

    He sighed.

    "Sure, I''m having a hard time understanding you. That might just be because I''m dehydrated though."

    "Probahbly nawt! Ya say, Oy naevah foineeshed school, and bein eow'' alone at sea raylly maesses weeth ya hayd."

    "I apologize, I didn''t mean to offend." He mumbled.

    I forced out a laugh and slid down into the building.

    "Nao, nao it''s oolroigh''. even faw people weeth moy accent, Oy tohk a biieh'' funny."

    "I see, well, what can I help you with?"

    Alright Elizabeth, speak like normal people! You can do it!

    "Well, Oy heard yah wanted t'' tohk t'' someone who understands haow yah fayl. Sao, Oy figured Oy''d share moy storay weeth yah. Is that alright?"

    He huffed.

    "Sure, anything to not be a zombie."

    Stryder would kill me¡­

    "Waell, Oy''ll stat off fram when Oy met Stryder." A smile etched itself onto my face as he came into mind. "Oy wanted t'' keell him the most.¡±

    He raised a brow.

    "Why is that?"

    "Because Oy hyted myself.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that a bit paradoxical?¡±

    I quickly shook my head.

    ¡°Oy didn¡¯t want t'' believe a good puhs''n existed. Loife was a lawt aysier when the wohld was dark, and everyone was just a monster loike me. It gyve me an excuse faw ooll the bad theengs Oy did, faw ooll the bad theengs that happened t'' me."

    Vergil started to cough and quickly covered his mouth.

    "Are you alright!?" Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    He nodded and cleared his throat.

    "Let me ask you, do you still feel it? The weight of everything you did?"

    My palms started to tingle as his words came out. I moved my hand to my pocket and nodded.

    "When Stryder shaehd his loife weeth me, Oy saw a man who hahd every raysawn t'' hyte the wohld. T'' attack ih'', t'' reject ih''. Buh'' he deedn''t. Nao mahttah what he was fyced weeth, he oolwhys stood tohl. He deedn''t fall faw my chahms and deedn''t stop chysin aftah me. He looked at me loike Oy was a puhs''n" The tears started to well up in my eyes and I had to stop. I took in a deep breath and refocused myself. "Then, Oy felt moy heartt staht t'' open up. Oy rayloized that Oy''d dun sao many horrible theengs t'' sao many people just loike hiiem. Oy felt deesgusted, buh'' even sao. Even weeth that blood thaht stained moy feengahs, he believed in me. And saw me faw who Oy could be, nawt who Oy was."

    I smiled at Vergil, a warmth rose inside me. Everything started to fall into place. Right, it''s my turn. I can finally start repaying you for everything you''ve done for me. Maybe now I can walk beside you!

    "How can you smile? You said it yourself, you killed innocent people! Did you just forget them!?"

    He shouted with an intense glare.

    "David, Sean, Kenneth, and Dennis. The leest goes on, Oy remembah ooll of thaeh names. Oy''ve also veezited ooll of thaeh graves and thaeh familydys." I started to play with my hair and I averted from his intense gaze. "Oy wahnt t'' be a hero, just loike hiiem. Oy wahnt t'' be able t'' puh'' a smoile on people''s fuyces."

    "Do you really think you have the right?"

    "Vuhgil, ahh past doesn''t defoine who we geh'' t'' be, and Oy wawn''t let'' ih'' keep hawldin me daown. Stryder fough sao hard t'' bryke these chines. Ih'' would be an insult t'' laeh'' ooll hiies hahd work gao t'' wuyste!"

    "But that will never change what you did!"

    "Oy knaow ih'' wawn''t, Oy''m nawt troyin t'' justify moy existence. Oy''m gaowin t'' be a hero because Oy wahnt t'' be. Because he believes in me, because Oy wahnt t'' finohly stawp hating myself! If Oy laeh'' the darkness wiien, thaen whaht? Do Oy say t'' everyone who''s just loike me? Do Oy taell them ih'' naevah gets bettah? Thaht nao mahttah haow hahd yah troy yah''ll oolwhys be whaht yah weah!? Nao! Oy will nawt geeve in. Oy wahnt t'' leeve and shaow people who ahh just loike me thaht ih'' can geh'' bettah."

    Vergil looked away from me. I saw tears falling from his eyes.

    "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I can''t do anything right! I''m a mistake! I was just a tool! I wasn''t even a tool that was wanted! How can I ever expect to be anything!? The world would be better off if I just disappeared."

    "Do yah theenk Leo would agray!? He tawld me yah helped keell Jormungand. Yah weah an asset. Nao, thy wouldn''t hahve even wawn if ih'' wahsn''t faw yah. yah stood up t'' yoah abusah, even whaen yah weah scared. thaht tykes courage."

    He buried his face in his hands and started balling. I moved over to him and took his hands into my own. Then pulled them down to see his face.

    "Vuhgil, yoah loife mahttahs. Oy heard abeow'' yoah mother. Ih'' hurt leo t'' tohk abeow'' ih''. Buh'' he tawld me about her, faw you. He said t'' taell yah t'' remembah yoah mothers love and hiies love. yah mahttah t'' a lot of people."

    "Do you think¡­.that my mom would still love me? Even after all of this?"

    "Vuhgil, Oy can''t answah thaht faw yah. Buh'' she doesn''t sound loike the type t'' geeve up on hah kids. She sounds loike the type who''d foigh'' faw yah, nao mahttah whaht happened. And don¡¯t fohgeh'' ya bruthah." I chuckled. "He mie be ruff around the edges, buh'' look at ooll the food heah. it''s because he caehs abeow'' yah."

    He sighed and wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

    "Can I really be someone like you? Am I allowed to?" He mumbled.

    I smiled and rested my hand on his cheek, then turned him to face me.

    "Yah daon''t need me t'' validate that. Yoah loife is enough t'' sie yah cahn change."

    He nodded and more tears ran down his face. He smiled and kept wiping his eyes.

    "I-I¡¯m sorry, I just-" He moved his hands over his face again and his body shook. "It feels like you just gave me wings!"

    I smiled and pulled him into me, and he buried his face into my chest. Then he just continued to ball his eyes out.

    "hy vuhgil, whoy daon''t yah come weeth me?" I giggled. " Oy''ll haelp yah on yoah pahth t'' redaemption!"

    ¡­.

    "¨©kagen''ni shite!" Weis screamed as he charged at the cutie with the dreads.

    The wind that coiled around the dread head had me puzzled. It wasn''t harsh, but his entire body was blurry. The flow of wind was all over the place. It was like the wind was trying to fight Weislung, while the wind almost seemed nonexistent on him. Weis slashed at his head and he managed to dodge it. The wind propelled dread head¡¯s leg up as he kicked for Weis¡¯s side, who parried just in time with his blade.

    What''s with this guy? He has such control over the wind. He''s controlling four different currents at once! How can he think straight right now!?

    "Ms. Elizabeth, I think I can stand on my own now," Vergil grumbled.

    I looked down at a rosy-cheeked Vergil, Who was cradled in my arms like a baby.

    "Oh! r-roigh''!" I descended down and let Vergil out of my arms. "Troy spraydin yoah weengs."

    He nodded and stumbled to his feet, I wondered if the anamorphic types need to stretch their animal parts from time to time. Oooh! Maybe if I think about it real hard I can get shark parts! Wait! Would Stryder still think I¡¯m cute if I did that!? My mind swirled with thoughts but soon came to a stop as I saw Vergil start changing. Blue scales slowly consumed his body, and his bat-like wings sprouted from his back. It was like watching a horror movie! Awesome! His wings stretched out and I immediately ran my hands over the leather-like surface.

    "Oooh!" I purred.

    "Vergil!" Leo yelled.

    I turned back and saw a fully draconic Leo flying over to us. He dropped down next to me and smiled wildly. Vergils eyes grew wide and he immediately looked away.

    "Hey, how are you-" Leo started to talk, but Vergil interrupted him.

    "I''m sorry."

    "What?"

    "You fought so hard for me to be free, and I was so caught up in my own self-pity. I''m sorry, I almost wasted my chance."

    Leo stared speechlessly at Vergil. His wings started to vanish, and soon he was just a normal human again. Then, he punched Vergil in the face. Making him dropped onto the ground.

    I immediately flew in front of him.

    "Whaht was thaht faw!" I yelled.

    However, Leo wasn¡¯t even looking at me. He was looking past me at Vergil.

    "You better be sorry!" Leo roared. "You really had me scared, ya know?"

    His voice shuttered at that last part, and I lowered my guard. I remember a time when he said he wanted to kill his whole family. Now, look at him. I turned to Stryder, who was watching Weis and the cutie go back and forth.

    You really are amazing, and you don''t even know it.

    Then in the midst of the fight, Weis stopped and looked over in our direction. The wind stopped and the dread head landed.

    "Dragon!" Weis yelled and squatted down.

    White energy coiled around his leg, and he leaped over to Vergil. Then started to run all around him.

    "He was like this when I first fully changed,¡± Leo mumbled.

    "I. Want. It." Weis said in his best english accent I¡¯ve ever heard.

    "Ummm, thaht''s a puhs''n Weis," I mumbled.

    A see-through screen popped up in front of them.

    ''Become dragon samurai class''

    I blinked a few times.

    "Whaht''s hahppenin!? cahn yah myke thiies naow!?" I screeched to Weis.

    Leo looked over to Vergil, who was just now sitting up and rubbing his face.

    "What''s happening?" Dread head called out.

    "Train. I train." Weis forced out and pointed to the screen.

    "Well hold on let''s not rush anything," Leo called out.

    "We don''t even know what this mea-"

    Before Leo could finish. Weis had clicked the yes button for Vergil. The screen vanished and a blue katana dropped from the sky and landed on his chest.

    Then we all were silent.

    "Dragon! Mine!" Weis cheered.

    Then Leo decked him in the face.

    "What the hell did you just decide for my brother! Baka!"

    Weis got up and clocked Leo in the face. Then they started going at it. I walked over to Vergil and kneeled down.

    "Oy''m sohry faw thaht. He cahn be-"

    "No, I''m actually happy." Vergil hummed and reached down for the katana handle.

    He took it in his hand and lifted it up.

    "This is my chance at a fresh start right? I can let go of everything. With this change, I won''t be Elo anymore." He chuckled happily.

    I smiled and ruffled his head.

    "Then waelcome aboahd. Oy''m yoah captian, and Weis is yoah sensei!" I giggled.

 Chapter 74 - Chapter 74 - Alley of Justice international!!

    -Back in the abandoned towns harbor-

    "So, you''re really not staying?" I asked.

    Elizabeth shook her head and gave me a warm smile.

    "Oy theenk ih'' would be baest if we gao. We cahn geh'' a hayd staht on ahh journay." She giggled. "And we gawt a new maembah!"

    Elizabeth jumped over onto Rushon, who immediately hid his face. Jack walked over to Rushon and rested a hand on his head.

    "I''m proud of you kid, go have an adventure. Make sure to send me pictures." Then he patted his head. "Oh, and I''m so telling Haruto on you."

    "H-hey! It''s not like that!"

    "Raylly it''s nawt! Oy just theenk it''s cute whaen he''s embahrahssed!" Elizabeth snickered. "Plus Oy wahnt t'' leahn haow t'' command the woind loike he does!"

    "Ah look at that, the student becoming the master huh?" Jack chuckled.

    "N-no way. I still have a lot to learn. So I think training with these guys may do me some good. I want to be stronger." Rushon took his hood off and smiled at Jack wildly. "Then I''ll come back and beat you."

    Jack''s eyes got wide, and then he started to laugh.

    "I look forward to it, problem child."

    I stepped forward toward him and he moved his attention to me.

    "I promise the next time we see each other, I''ll be a worthy leader" I held out my hand to him. "Thank you for everything, you taught me a lot. We couldn''t have done any of this without you."

    Rushon smiled and shook my hand.

    "You''re a great leader already, just need a little work here and there. I can''t wait for our rematch."

    He let go of my hand, then someone yanked me back. I stumbled and watched Zack step forward. Rushon squinted at him, and Zack immediately looked away.

    "Thank you, for sacrificing yourself for me. I hate to admit it, but I don''t think we could''ve done any of this without you. So yeah.."

    Rushon smiled and he stepped closer to him. Then punched his shoulder.

    "Make sure your sister gets to enjoy her time in the sun alright? I''m sure that''s something she''d love to share with you."

    He looked back to Rushon and smiled.

    "Right," Zack hummed.

    He''d been so depressed the past few days, it was good to see him like this. Speaking of depression. I looked over to Leo and Vergil, who were talking up a storm. It''s crazy to think that they tried to kill each other not too long ago. I walked over to the two, and once I grew close Vergil turned toward me and bowed.

    "I''m sorry again for lashing out at you!" Vergil said quickly.

    I chuckled nervously and waved my hands at him.

    "Hey it''s alright, seriously it''s okay. S-stop bowing, it''s embarrassing." I chuckled.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "O-oh alright, sorry," Vergil said again.

    "If you say sorry one more time, I''m going to punch you," Leo grumbled.

    "Oh in so-" Vergil clasped his mouth.

    Then I just laughed.

    "Relax, none of us hold it against you. We all get sad Sometimes. The important thing is that we get back up."

    Vergil looked up into my eyes and smiled.

    "Ya know, everyone here is so carefree. It''s nice to finally feel like that myself. Thank you, I have to thank the Wizard too before I leave. Oh and Icarus!" Vergil bowed again, then ran off.

    I turned and watched him go, and I couldn''t help but smile.

    "I swear he''s helpless." Leo Sighed.

    I looked back over to him.

    "How are you feeling?" I asked.

    Leo folded his arms and looked away.

    "I''m concerned that if my father returns, I''ll be the only one who could fight him. Because Weislung is an idiot." He grumbled. "But, I don''t think I''d change anything either. It''s ironic to think that a choice Weislung made for him gave Vergil the chance to finally do what he wants. I don''t think I''ve seen him smile like this before." He took a breath and smiled. "It makes me feel warm, if that makes sense?"

    I smiled and ruffled Leo''s hair. His cheeks turned red, but he didn''t swat me away.

    "I''m so proud of you Leo." I hummed. His eyes grew wide, and I could see they were getting watery. "You''re a good brother."

    He smacked my hand away and quickly turned from me.

    "S-shut up! Geez, do you like making people cry!? You sadist!"

    I chuckled and shook my head. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Elizabeth beaming at me.

    "Oh hey, what''s up Lizbeth? Are you about to head out?"

    She nodded.

    "Mmhmm, Oy just wahnted t'' sie thank yah. ih'', ih'' feels raylly good t'' be a hero." She chuckled. "Oy daon''t hyte lookin at the mirrah anymoah ethia, and that''s ooll thanks t'' yah."

    "No, it wasn''t all because of me. I helped, but you went out and did all of that work yourself. Visiting the families, and burying the dead. That takes strength."

    Her smile faded and she averted from my gaze.

    "Ih'' huht sao much Stryder, Oy''ve huht sao many people." She slowly turned her gaze back to me. "Buh'' ih'' fayls good t'' knaow that the me that diied that is dayd."

    "Right, you''re the new Elizabeth. A member of the Alley of justice. Second in command!" I cheered.

    "Second in command!?"

    "Yeah, well Zack is officially second in command. But you''re more like a branch team. I trust you to lead that, and add more people, like Vergil. So it''s kind of like second in command."

    "Y-you trust me!? t-tao layd?"

    I nodded.

    "Not a single doubt in my mind. You''re going to change the world." I looked over to Vergil. "You''ve already started here. Hey who knows, maybe one day the Alley of Justice will stretch all over the globe!"

    I chuckled, yeah right. However, Elizabeth had a determined look on her face.

    "Roigh''! laeh''''s change the wohld!" She cheered. I smiled and held out my hand, and she immediately high-fived me. "The oollay of justoice international is gawnna come bahck weeth a bunch of new crewmuytes!

    "Just you wait, we''re gonna have a bunch of new members too." I snickered.

    "Oh? Someone trying to challenge the Knights of the round?" Jack purred from above.

    I looked up and saw him gliding over us like he was floating in the water.

    "Is that a problem?" I asked defensively.

    "Easy kid, I''m just messing with you. I think Arthur would be proud. Someone else who shares the same vision as him."

    "Weah gawnna crush yah! Just yah wait!" Elizabeth roared and stuck out her tongue at Jack.

    "Elizabeth!" I cried.

    Jack started to laugh.

    "I like the sound of that, I can''t wait to see how you all develop." He yawned. "You''ll never beat me though."

    "weell say!" Elizabeth huffed, glaring up at Jack as he laughed.

    ...

    We all sat on the shoreline and watched as the ship slowly rose in the air. The sun began to set and painted the sky in a fiery glow. We all waved as they started to fade from our sights.

    "Welp, now that all the noise is gone. Maybe I can actually sleep." Zack yawned.

    "For once I agree, this week has been a pain." Leo groaned.

    "Pfft, you guys are lame. Who doesn''t love a little excitement?" Jack chuckled.

    "We need time to recover from all the other excitement, Jack." I huffed.

    We all turned toward Bean, who awaited us in his flying form. We all got aboard and then we were off. I closed my eyes and leaned back against Bean''s railing. The cool air hitting my face, and only the sound of the rushing wind in my ear. It felt so relaxing.

    However, that moment would vanish, as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I almost immediately chucked it off the side. I groaned and took it out.

    My agitation soon would vanish as I saw it was Annual who texted me. I unlocked my phone and looked it over, it read:

    "Hey, meet me at our special spot in an hour. And don''t tell Zack! ;-)"

    Don''t tell Zack? Great, another piece of excitement...

 Chapter 75 - Princess Annual

    Don''t tell Zack? Why didn''t she want me to tell Zack? Then again, I had about a thousand reasons to not invite Zack to pretty much anything. So I suppose it technically didn''t have to be special. Not to mention they''ve been together almost every day. Maybe she just wanted a break. Or maybe she''s got some serious news she wanted to tell me.

    At first, I thought the flickering embers were just the sparks of passing fireflies. However, the closer I got, the more dazzling the flames became. I moved my hand back to Ascalon. Was that Annual? Or was that someone else? My walk started to turn to a jog, then my jog turned into a full-on sprint.

    Was this all just a trap!? Is it the person who turned off the electricity!? That would explain why Zack couldn''t come. I drew my sword, and once I was close enough I leaped into the fire. I summoned flame-resistant armor over me and landed in the middle of the ring of fire.

    However, when I looked around, I noticed that the trees weren''t engulfed in flames. They just had little lanterns attached to their branches. I immediately scanned around for my enemy and readied my blade. Only to stop as I spotted Annual, who looked like she was gonna piss her pants. She was wearing a red floral dress. Her hair was curled and her caramel-like skin seemed to shine against the light of the lanterns.

    "Annual?" I asked and dispelled the armor.

    "H-hey." She stammered out with a nervous smile.

    Maybe there isn''t anything going on. Maybe she just wanted to surprise me. Huh, maybe everyone isn''t out to kill me.

    "Sorry, I saw these lights and.."

    She chuckled and shook her head.

    "You''re just proving my hypothesis."

    She ran over to one of the trees and grabbed a basket that laid next to it. I took my sheath from off my back and sheathed my sword back into it.

    "And what might that be?" I asked.

    "You are just as stressed out as Zack and need your future wife''s love, care, and affection."

    I chuckled.

    "I''m fine, really."

    "Oh? So did you or did you not just leap into a potential fire with your sword drawn and ready?" She asked as he started walking back toward me.

    I nervously looked away from her.

    "In my defense, this was sketchy," I mumbled and turned back to face her.

    "Yeah, normally people investigate, not attack the non-living fire."

    She stopped in front of me and held out a basket. Inside was a bottle of lemonade, four plastic-wrapped brownies, and a bag of Swedish fish. All of my favorites.

    "Brownies are still your favorite dessert right?" She asked.

    "Y-yeah." I was speechless, she had all my favorites. She even remembered my favorite cheap snacks. What was this for? Maybe something happened. "Annual, is something the matter? Is everything with Zack okay?"

    "What matters is that you haven''t said thank you, or complimented my dress!" She huffed.

    "O-oh right! Thank you!"

    She started to sway her hips, and let her dress dance. The heat rose to my cheeks as I watched her a bit too closely. I saw her smirk, and I immediately turned away.

    "You do look really good in that," I mumbled.

    She snickered.

    "That''s better."

    She grabbed my wrist and lead me to the middle.

    "I heard your dance got ruined. So I decided I''d make it up for you." She hummed. "And clearly you need a break. Take off the jacket and put the sword down. Just come dance with me."

    I looked her over curiously.

    "Are you sure there''s nothing wrong?"

    "Stryder, you don''t always have to worry about fixing things. And you don''t always have to worry about me. We''re friends, this relationship is fifty-fifty. It''s obvious you need a break." She giggled. "So come on, take it off already!"

    My shoulders relaxed and I gave her a smile.

    "Whatever you say, princess." I chuckled and bowed to her.

    "That''s more like it, and eat a brownie while you''re at it. I spent a lot of time on those." She huffed.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "Since when can you bake?"

    I took off my jacket and set my sword down on top of it. Then I kneeled down unwrapped a brownie from the basket.

    "If you just follow the instructions it''s easy." She chuckled. "Cooking is so much fun! Especially all the plant recipes!"

    I opened my mouth to take a bite, but then I hesitated.

    "You didn''t put broccoli in this? Right?"

    "Of course not."

    I nodded and took a bite.

    "I put spinach in it."

    My eyes got wide and I stopped chewing.

    "You what?" I asked with a mouthful.

    "I put spinach in it dummy. You don''t exactly eat a healthy balanced diet ya know? Now finish it! I bet you can''t even tell."

    I started to chew again.

    "You''re cruel."

    "Oh hush, I bet it''s not that bad."

    I swallowed and sighed. Honestly, I couldn''t even taste it.

    "Well princess, I''ll be honest. It wasn''t that bad."

    She smiled smugly.

    "Great, that means I''ll be good at cooking all your dinners in the near future."

    I rolled my eyes.

    "Still on about that?"

    Then I heard some slow violin start playing. I turned toward the sound and saw a speaker the size of a basketball laying in the grass.

    "So my knight! I decree that you must have one dance with me. To celebrate the fact that I can dance again." She snickered.

    I turned back toward her and my thoughts were whisked away. Her deep forest green eyes seemed to beckon me closer, teasing me with the thought of adventure. While her long hazel hair seemed to glisten against the lantern''s glow. However, none of that compared to her smile, it was confident, bold, yet gentle and inviting. At this moment, she really did look like a princess.

    She reached her hand out for me to take, and I hesitated. I was just a peasant, a street rat in dirty clothes. Yet, she still snatched my hand with her own and pulled me in.

    "Now don''t be shy. Hand on my hip, and will hold this hand up for a bit." She instructed.

    I nodded and slowly moved my hand to her waist. My face was hot, and my mind started to overload. Don''t let your hand slip, but don''t hold her too firmly, and also don''t forget to be loose! I looked up and she stepped a bit closer.

    OH MY GOSH SHE''S REALLY CLOSE, and she smells so nice....I looked up to her eyes and she smirked at me.

    "Oh? Does someone like having me like this?" She teased.

    Then she started to sway with me around the open field. I took a breath and looked up into her eyes.

    "N-no comment.."

    She chuckled and stepped back.

    "Alright! Spin me!"

    Spin? Spin!?

    "How do I do that!?"

    "Just hold your hand out."

    I nodded and did as she asked. I held my hand out for her and she twirled around, her dress dancing in the wind. I noticed her feet were bare, and she had on the biggest smile I''d ever seen. It was like watching a fairy. Soon she came back in and let go of my hand. She snaked her arms around my neck and pulled me in close. My hand stayed on her hip, and my other hand stayed halfway in the air.

    "Ummm."

    "I''ll allow you to rest that hand against my waist as well. But no funny business Mr." She giggled.

    I nodded and slowly moved my hand to her waist, then we just swayed.

    "This isn''t so hard I guess." I chuckled.

    "Don''t worry, we''ll have plenty of more dances to come."

    "Where do you get this confidence from? I definitely want to buy some."

    "Well, when you''re so sick you can barely walk. A confident expectation is all you really have. So I learned to dream, even beyond what''s reasonable."

    "Huh, that''s actually really admirable."

    I noticed her fixing her hands, and slowly pulling me closer to her. My heart started to race, and my mind went blank.

    "So tell me, what''s going on Stryder?"

    I blinked a few times, coming back to reality.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well I talk to Zack every day, and this whole Jormungand event has really done a number on him. So I can''t imagine what it''s been like for you."

    Suddenly the image of the goddess running her hand through Zack came into mind, and I averted from her gaze.

    "It''s nothing, I''m totally fine," I said with a chuckle.

    Then she moved a hand to my cheek.

    "Don''t do that, don''t shut me out. Stryder, I love you. I want to be there for you the best I can, alright?"

    I stopped swaying. Did, did she just say I love you? Should I say it back? Valentina''s face came into mind, and my body tensed up.

    "Hey, hey, easy cowboy. You don''t have to say it back." She whispered. "It kind of just slipped out, but I definitely meant it. Tonight isn''t about that, I just, I want you to lean on me too."

    "Annual, I don''t deserve you. I''m sorry I can''t say it back in the way that you mean it. I do love you a lot, but I can''t say it honestly. If...if I think of someone else too." I mumbled.

    My heart started to pound against my chest. I hated saying that sentence. After all this too.

    "Hey, I said it''s okay dummy." She whispered.

    She moved her arms around my waist and hugged me, then rested her head on my chest.

    "You were honest, even though it made your body shake and made your heart race. I know you didn''t want to say it." She mumbled.

    We stopped dancing and I just held onto her.

    "It''s been hard Annual," I mumbled. "I let Zack die, I wasn''t even remotely ready for Jormungand. I took a risk...because I wanted to dance with Val. And it almost got Leo killed. Then I lost against Icarus, I yelled at Alexis, and now it seems like I don''t even understand Zack anymore." I sighed."It feels like everyone is counting on me, and I know I''m not meant to do it all. But, it''s starting to feel like I just can''t do anything. I feel like a failure."

    I squeezed her a bit more. I felt myself shake, and it didn''t feel like I had much control. My whole body was just malfunctioning.

    "Stryder.." She mumbled.

    "But I''m supposed to be the leader right? I''m supposed to keep smiling no matter what. But honestly, it feels like everything is slowly slipping from my fingers. It''s all just been luck, without everyone else, we''d all be dead."

    She looked up at me, and I had tears threatening to leak from my eyes. She reached up and gently brushed them away before they fell.

    "Stryder, you don''t need to be perfect. It''s okay if you lose. The team you built wasn''t built because you were superman. It''s because people believe in your ideals, with your dream. You''re going to fail, over and over again, and that''s fine."That doesn''t make you any less of a leader, or a hero."

    "But what if someone dies because of me, Annual Zack almost died because I was weak!"

    "Stryder, you can''t take responsibility for a decision my stupid brother decided to make. It isn''t your fault, if anything he''s frustrated at himself right now."

    "Am I, am I enough?" I asked.

    She looked shocked and pulled me down to her more.

    "Stryder, you''ve always been enough. You don''t need me to tell you that." She whispered. "I loved you before you got powers. You have such a gentle and caring heart, you always see the best in people, and you''re so awkwardly enduring. Just you being you is enough."

    I was dumbfounded, I had nothing to say. My mind was quiet, and I was at peace. Like everything made sense again. I found myself leaning into her, and she leaned back into me. I pressed my lips against hers, and she pressed hers into mine. Everything just felt right. I was scared this feeling would just vanish. So I pulled her in close and kept her wrapped in my arms. I didn''t want this moment to ever end.

    I wonder, do I love her?

 Chapter 76 - Chapter 76 - Challenge accepted

    It was five A.M, and the entire team was bunkered up in my living room. I was barely conscious, and Zack was practically using my shoulder as his pillow. I eyed Valentina and Annual who sat on the couch across from me. My heart started to race when Annual met my eyes. Then I glanced down at her lips and mine started to tingle. I remembered the warm sensation that blessed my lips just a few days ago. What would Valentina think? I wonder if she already knows. The warmth started to trickle away. Would I lose her if she knew?

    "Well come on lizard breath, I''d like to go back to my beauty sleep."

    Zack yawned and ripped me away from my thoughts. Just ignore it. Focus on the mission. I glanced over at Zack and saw him nodding off again.

    "If you drool on me, I''m hitting you," I grumbled.

    Leo walked over from the kitchen and stared at us in surprise. Leo and Lux were the only ones wide awake. While the rest of us looked like Zombies.

    He huffed and a small flame came out of his mouth. "Alright, we''re definitely being watched."

    Zack perked up when he said that.

    "Didn''t like, an arc just end!?" Zack groaned and rolled off of me.

    "This is real life idiot, breaks don''t exist unless your lucky or stupid." Leo fired back.

    "Your lucky I''m barely awake barney, or I''d kick your-"

    "Can we focus, please? I still have class ya know." Lux snapped, which seemed to silence the idiot.

    "Right, I spoke to Icarus about it. He says his informant has noticed odd habits with our camera systems, and so have I."

    "What do you mean?" I asked.

    "Well for starters, they move directly in our direction every single time one of us is in an area of sight. Even if some of the cameras aren''t meant to move."

    "Sounds like we finally get to fight Magneto swordsman." Zack yawned.

    "More than likely, Icarus''s partner has a hard time hacking into the cameras during those moments of movement. She says it''s unlike anything she''s dealt with, as if the system had a brain and body of its own." Leo added.

    "Wait, I just imagined a swordsman Magneto. Were sooo gonna die." Zack said, but we all just ignored him.

    "So what do you suggest we do about it then?" Valentina asked.

    "That''s the trickery part. I have no real idea. Destroy the cameras and she knows we''re on to her, ignore them and risk being stalked."

    "Oh, Leo!" Annual chirped and raised her hand.

    "Yes?"

    "Wouldn''t she already be onto us because of Icarus''s friend?"

    "I don''t think so. I asked and she''s been jacking the cameras back way before the Jormungand event. So I don''t think they''ll assume us automatically. However, it''s safer to assume the worst here and stay vigilant. They may see this as a push to strike."

    "Jack, did your info guy get any information?" I asked.

    "Totally, but the boss man called and said I would lose pay if I told you." Jack sighed.

    We all turned toward him, and he just yawned.

    "You''re kidding, right?" I asked.

    "Just know Arthur doesn''t think it''s anything you can''t handle."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He does value saving people, so that at least is reassuring.

    "Can you confirm or deny the camera activity is the tech user and not Arthur?" Valentina asked.

    "Good question book nerd, it''s definitely not Arthur. However, I can''t confirm if it''s just the technomancer."

    "Wait, are you implying there''s more than one person!?" Leo snapped.

    "Who knows, guess you''ll just have to find out huh?"

    ¡­.

    "Dude look! We ranked up to A class!" Zack cheered down the empty school halls.

    I wiped the sweat from my face that was still raining from basketball practice.

    "Can you explain to me why that''s a good thing? It just means we gotta deal with more people wanting to fight us¡­" I huffed.

    "Bro, have you seen our message board!? We''re totally popular." He held out his phone and showed me his page.

    It was an image of him holding out a green flame in the alley. Which brought into question how they got that photo in the first place. His mask was on in the photo thankfully, and it looked like it was taken without him knowing. The only information below that was his alias name WIZARD, and his win-loss record with other gifted. Which was surprisingly huge. I don''t remember fighting that many people¡­

    "Zack, why is your fight history so big?"

    However, he just ignored the question and clicked the message tab that was attached to his image. Which I admit, had a huge number of messages.

    He scrolled down and clicked on one particular one. It was a girl with chocolate skin and purple hair. Her face was hidden behind what looked like a bridal shroud. Her message was simply.

    "Message me some time ;)"

    Then he scrolled down to another and another. Showing he had fans in all shapes and sizes.

    "You¡¯re not stupid enough to actually message them, right?" I asked with a raised brow.

    "What!? Of course not. Think I''d risk Annual or Alexis like that?"

    "If you''re thirsty enough, maybe."

    "Hey! What do you take me for!? A common perv?"

    "Don''t pretend like I didn''t cut up secret photos you took of girls. You creep."

    "Why are you so mean to me¡­?"

    "I''m just being honest."

    We stopped at the soda machine in the hall and I started putting quarters in it. I definitely needed water after all that practice. As I put the third quarter in the machine, it started to shake. I stopped and took a step back, then looked back toward Zack.

    "Hey cut it out!" I snapped at him.

    I looked back to the machine and I saw purple sparks coming from the little display glass.

    "Don''t you think I would''ve pranked somebody by now if I could do that!"

    I turned back to the machine and a red blur shot out from the slot. Then slammed into my face! The soda exploded all over me and I stumbled back. Before I could even register what was going on, another soda crashed in my stomach, then another and another! I stumbled back and slipped on the soda, then dropped onto the floor.

    Then the halls were filled with Zacks laughter.

    "OH MY GOSH THAT WAS GREAT!" He cackled out while holding his sides.

    "Shut up," I grumbled and forced myself back up.

    "That''s what you get for making fun of me! Karma! Ha!"

    "Shut up!"

    ...

    "I feel so gross.." I sighed and pressed the crosswalk button.

    "Karma sucks doesn''t it?"

    "Hey, if karma is starting to manifest itself. I think you should be worried."

    "Ppffft as if I believe in that crap!"

    The sign changed and Zack started to walk ahead of me. I took a moment to take my sticky shirt off, and as I moved it from over my head. I saw a car speeding down the road. It looked like sparks were coming from the hood. Just like with the soda machine.

    Zack didn''t seem to react as the car got closer, and it only got faster. I used my strength and leaped at him, knocking him out of the way just in time. I sat up and saw Zack was face first in a puddle. He rolled over and shook his head like a wet dog, letting all the dirty ghetto water fly.

    "The karma gods are real¡­" Zack mumbled.

    "Why didn''t you move!?"

    "I-It was my turn!"

    "Clearly the car didn''t care about that! You should''ve avoided it!"

    We both looked down the road and saw that the car was still just zooming down the road.

    "Think you can chase it down?" Zack asked.

    "I would, but I''ll probably get caught by cameras. Which isn''t wise since the Jormungand search is going on."

    "So we just let that guy get away!?"

    "Tell Bean to track it."

    "Ooof, can''t do that one chief, spa day."

    He stood up and started to dust himself off. I followed his lead and tried to wrap my head around what he just said.

    "Spa day?"

    "Mmhhmm, him and Annual. They went to get manipetties."

    "Bean? The troll?"

    "Mmhmm."

    "So on the day we were told that our stalkers are here, you decide to let our only good tracker leave. For a manipette?"

    "Hey, he had some stank raptor claws. Besides, I didn''t think they''d attack literally right after the meeting. They''ve been stalking us for a while, and they didn''t do anything."

    "Huh, that is kind of strange. Icarus said they''ve been watching us for a while. Yet they''re attacking right after our conversation."

    We both started to walk again, pretending like we didn''t just almost die. I glanced around to see if the police were coming, that''s when I noticed how empty the streets were. Nobody but me and Zack. Which was odd this time of day.

    "You think they could hack our phones?" Zack suggested.

    "At this point, nothing would surprise me. Maybe they even bugged the apartment."

    As we continued down the road, I noticed some sparks coming off of the payphone. I stopped in my tracks and snagged Zack¡¯s arm.

    "Ah! What the hell ma-"

    RING! RING!

    We both turned toward the payphone and watched it ring again.

    "Did...did that fossil just ring?"

    "Take another look, the street seems completely empty too. This has to be a setup.¡±

    "Think we should answer it?"

    I stared at the old rusted payphone, it definitely didn¡¯t look like it was supposed to function. Nobody was around either, this had to be some kind of trap. However, this may just be a safe way for them to remotely communicate with us. But why now? How did we trigger the enemy?

    I looked up to examine the booth again and I became speechless. Zack had already stomped over to the damn thing!

    "Zack! Don¡¯t just walk up to it.¡±

    Zack snatched the ringing phone and glared at it.

    "Come out here and fight me like a man!"

    And here we go¡­I quickly ran over to his side and prepared myself for whatever may happen. I was expecting an attack, but I got a soft feminine laugh instead.

    "The truth is, you heroes you haven''t seen anything yet!¡±

    Then just a child-like voice took over.

    "You have yet to see our grand magica!"

    "Hey, you get off!" The feminine voice roared over the phone.

    "But you said you wanted to intimidate them! Nothing can be more intimidating than grand magica!"

    "Save your stupid magic for the wizard!"

    "Wait! I can send Henry through the phone! Watch!" The kid yelled.

    Then the phone handle started to shake, and Zack and I watched in horror as a horse¡¯s hoof came through the phone! Zack then immediately slammed the phone down, and everything stopped.

    "Did¡­.did a horse''s hoof just come through the phone?" I asked.

    "Oh good, you saw that too." Zack fell back against the phone booth. ¡°I was starting to think I ate one too many Reese¡¯s cups.¡±

    "So, a possessed soda machine, a possessed car, a magic possessed phone booth, and now a teleporting horse hoof?"

    "Sounds like someone challenging the mighty Zack.¡± He held his fist up to the sky. ¡°Challenge accepted!¡±

 Chapter 77 - Into the hole like Alice

    "So what the hell are we supposed to do?" Zack grumbled.

    I took my phone out and tried to unlock it, but it wouldn''t turn on.

    "Looks like it''s Jormungand all over again, but the real question is. Where did everybody go?" I mumbled.

    I scanned the desolate streets and soon came to a stop. There in the middle of the road was a white bunny. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times, but it was still there.

    "Hey Zack, there''s a bunny over here."

    "Huh!?"

    Zack pushed himself off the wall and walked over to it. I followed behind but had my eyes activated. Zack kneeled down to it and stared it in the eyes.

    "I am the mighty destroyer of worlds, I have conquered dragons, returned by death, and slayed a knight." Zack then snagged the bunny''s ears and held it up to his face. "You will take me to your leader!"

    "Dude, it''s just a bunny¡­"

    "Well, this bunny had balls enough to not hop away when faced with overwhelming power. Maybe I''ll ke-"

    A golden leak suddenly sprung from the rabbit and showered Zack''s face.

    "Ahh!"

    He shrieked and dropped the rabbit, then the rabbit swiftly double-kicked Zack in the face. He dropped onto the ground and I busted out laughing.

    "Oh my gosh, that was great!" I laughed and held onto my sides.

    "AHHHH! It''s in my mouth! It''s in my mouth!"

    Zack spazzed and started spitting on the ground. Pink smoke appeared over his body and slowly formed next to him. It shaped into a humanoid body, then turned into him. However, his clone looked pissed.

    "Help!" Zack demanded.

    "Who the hell are you talking to runt!" The clone yelled.

    Ah I see, this must be Zack''s rage. Zack stopped spazzing and took his shirt off, then wiped his face.

    "Your master is talking! Fetch me some soda!"

    The clone glared and jumped onto Zack¡¯s chest.

    "Ah!"

    The bunny hopped over and jumped on top of Zack. He wiped his paws off on Zack¡¯s stomach then hopped off.

    "I''m the destroyer of worlds, you homeless!" The clone cheered and held his hand out, where a green flame erupted to life.

    I quickly dashed over and sliced the clone in half. Which got Zack to start breathing normally again.

    "Maybe you should focus on-"

    "I''ll cook that damn bunny!" Zack roared, an emerald spark sprung to life and launched Zack up into the air.

    I looked over and saw he was chasing after the bunny. I paused for a moment. We''re really about to chase a bunny? Should we even be using our powers? I looked around one last time. No signs of life anywhere.

    "Guess It''ll be fine.."

    With that, I activated my strength, then dashed after them. Zack blasted forward, it looked like we were headed for the business area, and again no people.

    So we have a magic boy who can teleport animals, and make people disappear. It sounds like his magic has a correlation with living things and transportation. Then there''s the swordsman who controls all the technology around me. We''re definitely at a disadvantage here in the city, and the woods are probably no better.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    I summoned a chain and lassoed it around Zack''s ankle. Then I yanked him back down toward me.

    "Ah!" He yelped as he crashed next to me.

    He quickly shot up and got in my face.

    "What the hell was that for huh!? You wanna go too!" He yelled and held out his flames toward me.

    "Just trust me, I have an idea."

    ¡­.

    "So can you tell me how hiding behind an abandoned building is gonna help a damn thing?"

    "I''ve crushed all the somewhat functioning machinery inside here practicing my Lancelot. Plus the only road here is seriously blocked off. Meaning cars can''t get here. So she loses the advantage of the terrain."

    Zacks agitated face went to a small smile.

    "Ppfft, is that what you call it?" He started to laugh. "Lancelot!?"

    "Shut up! You''re the one who told me I should name it!"

    "But calling it Lancelot!? So freaking lame!"

    "Rushon called his moves after storms, so I figured I''d do mine after warriors. Anyways! That''s not the point! If Arthur thinks she''s not a threat, then we don''t have to prioritize chasing her for any reason. We can have her come to us instead."

    "What if magic boy sends hordes of animals after us? We are surrounded by woods."

    "Honestly I''m counting on that. It''ll let us know his abilities are specific with animals, it seems like our mobility is better. So we can just move toward the abandoned island after this if he does."

    "Ah, look at you taking advantage of things. Didn''t think you could use the fact she''s not a real danger against her."

    "It''s not like we have a choice, I can''t exactly protect a city that''s not even there right now," I mumbled.

    "Hey! Idiots!" I heard Leo¡¯s voice roar from above.

    We both looked up and saw the dragon boy soaring. He spiraled down and attempted to land, however, he just face-planted into the ground. I see he can still barely fly. He got up with dirt on his face and in his hair.

    "I can''t find anyone, it''s like they all just vanished." He announced.

    "Yeah, we think we found the tricksters. We''re trying to bait them out." I replied.

    Leo turned back into his human form and started dusting himself off.

    "I see, I ate three disk drones while following your scent."

    "Wait, you ate them? Like how one eats a taco?" Zack asked.

    "My digestive track has an acidic-"

    "So if we play fetch with you we need to buy a hundred disks then huh?"

    "Don''t make me hit you," Leo growled.

    "Tada!"

    We all turned toward the noise, and not one of us spoke a word. There standing in the woodline was a dark-skinned boy, who looked like a washed-up magician. There were two painted four-point stars under his eyes, the end of the stars stretched down to his cheeks. One was pink and the other was blue. Then to top it all off he had a magician''s cap on.

    "Are you the bastard who sent a rabbit to piss on me!?"

    "I''m sorry,  what happened?" Leo asked.

    "Don''t ask." I sighed.

    "Yes, it is I! The great magician of the cosmos! Wiz! It''s time to show you what real Magica is! With my lovely assistant, Penelope!" He cheered and held out his hand to the woods.

    But nobody replied.

    "I can smell you ya know, so unless you want to get cooked. I suggest you get out here." Leo huffed.

    We suddenly heard a shriek coming from the woods and soon outran an obsidian mecha suit. Its surface was slick and shined off the sun and it gave off an ominous vibe. However, her cute screech from earlier definitely ruined that. My eyes trailed down to the blade that was in her hand and I got excited. It was a pitch-black handle and a dark purple blade, one side of the blade had something black and mechanical on it. It kind of reminded me of a  Katanas shape.

    She stood beside Wiz who took off his hat.

    "You guys wanna see a magic trick! Huh? Do ya! Do ya!" He cheered excitedly.

    I''m starting to see why Arthur wasn''t worried.

    "Sure, why not," I said.

    "I gotta trick for ya! Wanna see how I can make your head." Zack clapped and fire erupted in his palms. "Disappear!"

    "Oooh! Yeah! That''s a good one! Show me after mine!" The kid cheered.

    He showed us his hat, and I swear I saw the flaming gates of hell in there. "Nothing to see but the ashes of your forefathers right!?"

    "Ummm." I started but he continued.

    He reached inside the hat and then pulled out a piece of paper.

    "Abra ca MAGICA! Zack''s entire police record!"

    "My what!" Zack roared.

    "All thanks to my lovely assistant! Bow Penelope! Then we get to see the headless trick!"

    Zack stared in shock, while Wiz just bowed. Penelope elbowed Wiz.

    "Did you forget why we came here!?"

    "Oh right!" Wiz jumped up and tapped his hat."

    "We''re here to challenge you, seven swordsmen of the Alley!" Penelope announced.

    I couldn''t help but smile. A challenge, just what I''ve been waiting for!

    "Alright! I accept your challenge." I stepped forward and Zack seemed to calm down.

    Leo stepped forward with me, but I turned and saw Zack block his path.

    "Don''t, you''ll probably just get in his way, I know that look anywhere.." Zack mumbled.

    Wiz tapped his hat again and set it beside him.

    "I hopped off the plane at L.AX

    With a dream and my cardigan

    Welcome to the land of fame excess (woah)

    Am I gonna fit in?"

    "Is that¡­" I mumbled.

    "Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time

    Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign

    This is all so crazy

    Everybody seems so famous"

    "It''s Miley Cyrus!" Zack said with a snap of his finger.

    Just as Zack said that the knight dashed at me. The kid followed right behind her. I activated my eyes and dashed in myself. She slashed for my face and easily ducked and dodged it. While the kid ran in with a furry of really bad punches.

    Honestly, I was kind of disappointed. They were slow. I dropped down and rolled onto my hands, then activated my strength and popped up into a handstand kicking them both. They stumbled back and I bent my arms down and threw myself up into the air, spinning around and kicking the knight in the face. Her helmet shattered on contact and her purple hair danced in the wind as she flew away.

    "No! My assistant!" The magician cried.

    He charged in and started swinging wildly at me. He was sloppy, really sloppy. I didn''t even use my eyes, I just weaved him normally. A flash of purple came from the corner and looked up and saw the girl''s armor sparking with electricity. However, what caught more of my attention was the sword. It looked like the whole thing turned into electricity.

    The kid punched my stomach, and I grabbed the small cape on his back. I pulled it over his head and picked him up.

    "Hey! Who turned out the lights!" He cried.

    I looked up and saw her charging me. This time, her speed was incredible. I activated my eyes, then chucked the kid at her face. She dropped back onto the ground and they both went rolling. Then her blade hit the ground and a huge explosion went off.

    Once the dust cleared, they were both lying flat on their backs. It¡¯s apparent they both suck at close quarters. Taking her out of her environment definitely lowered the scale, and the kid¡¯s specialty seemed to be that hat. I wonder why he set it down.

    I scratched the back of my head and sighed.

    "Hey look, can we just talk? I don''t think we''re gonna get anywhere like this."

    The girl coughed and quickly sat up.

    "No way! I''m not done!" She grumbled and grabbed her sword.

    Electricity sparked around her, and the kid followed her lead. This time grabbing his hat.

    "I got my hands up, they''re playing my song

    They know I''m gonna be okay

    Yeah, it''s a party in the U.S.A.

    Yeah, it''s a party in the U.S.A." The hat continued to sing, I almost forgot it was even playing.

    "Time for real magica!" He announced, with a much more focused face.

    He held out his hat and reached inside. He grabbed bunny ears, but something white and gigantic was coming out! He yanked it and a bunny the size of a house dropped out beside him.

    I sighed and closed my eyes. I activated my strength, then dashed at them with all my might. Within seconds I was behind them, I spun around and summoned two blades in my hands. Then held them both at their throats.

    "No, I said we''re done."

 Chapter 78 - Territory wars and enchiladas!

    "Wow! That was some crazy magica!"

    The magician squealed in delight.

    "H-how did I lose so fast¡­" The swordsman mumbled.

    "What is it you want? And what did you do to our city?" I demanded.

    "Oooh! Ooh! I know! I know!" The magician cheered. "I asked the big assistant ladies to send them away!"

    "The what?"

    "He''s talking about the curators of the game. Those twelve beings." The swordsman mumbled. "And the plan was to make you forfeit your territory."

    "Bring them back," I demanded.

    "Sure!" The magician cheered.

    He pushed my blade aside like it was a toy, then clapped his hands together. A blaring green light erupted from his palms, sending an emerald shock wave out that grazed over us all.

    "MAGICA!!"

    Zack blinked a few times and started patting his body, guessing the shock wave spooked him. Leo didn''t seem to be too concerned and just trudged over to the pair.

    "Hey! wanna see a trick!?" The kid cheered and ran over to Leo.

    Seeing them together, they both looked about the same age. Even though Leo had the mean mug of an eighty-year-old.

    "No," Leo said flatly and tried to walk past him.

    "Hey, midget! How did you get my police record!" Zack roared.

    The magician giggled. "A great magician never tells his secrets!"

    "He thanked his supposed assistant earlier for it." Leo glared over at her. "I bet she hacked the police department and printed out a copy for herself."

    The girl''s eyes grew wide, and her cheeks tinted a faint red color. She immediately turned away and hid her face.

    What was that about...wait, Leo did say he noticed cameras all turning to look at him when he walked. Did she have a crush on him? Wait no, I need to focus.

    "Explain this territory thing," I asked.

    "What? Do you really not know?" She squeaked.

    "He doesn''t like phones!" Zack spoke up.

    "Well, you''re one of the small territories. You haven''t gotten eaten by Rex or Gilda yet."

    There goes that name again, Gilda. That''s the one Leo said could kill Jormungand.

    "So, what? Did you want to take our small area and try to fight for territory?" I asked.

    "Something like that Yeah¡­" She mumbled.

    "So tell me, did you really help Jormungand then? It doesn''t sound like you wanted him to really get this land either."

    "My objective wasn''t to obtain territory till Jormungand fell. There''s a power vacuum now that needs to be filled. I planned to build up my information till I had a clear plan, but that idiot over there ruined it!" She grumbled.

    We turned to the magician, who was now pulling meatball subs out of his hat. While Zack happily stuffed his face.

    "What''s your name?" I demanded.

    "P-Penelope!"

    "Penelope, my friends died in the Jormungand event." I grabbed her shoulder and made her look at me.

    Her sapphire eyes grew wide, but she immediately looked away. Not saying a word.

    "Another friend of mine is in the hospital because she was beaten to a bloody pulp by one of his minions."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "I''m...I''m sorry I-"

    "Innocent people were attacked, and their homes were destroyed. Do you realize that!?"

    "I- I didn''t think about it."

    "So what? Do other people''s lives not matter to you?"

    "No that''s not it!" She yelled. "I just didn''t want to stay locked away!"

    "Locked away?"

    "Jormungand gave me a chance to be free! He said if I helped him I could see the world!"

    "So you were okay with killing innocent people as long as it meant your freedom!? Do you know how selfish that sounds?"

    "And what do you know about it!" She yelled and shoved me away. "Don''t you lecture me like you know anything!"

    "I don''t need to know anything to know that you''re selfish," I said flatly. "Willing to stomp over anyone else just so you can get ahead."

    "Well, I didn''t try to kill you! I just wanted you to forfeit!" Her voice cracked and I could see tears brimming from her eyes. "I-I didn''t want to hurt anybody. I just wanted to leave my hell!"

    I opened my mouth, but Leo put a hand on my shoulder.

    "I can understand," Leo replied. "I''ve killed a lot of people for power, I stomped all over my brother''s life to get away from my version of hell. Be honest, if you couldn''t kill Stryder. What makes you think you have the stomach to lead a territory?"

    Her feet shifted nervously and she started fidgeting with her fingers.

    "I umm, I figured I''d elect someone for that.." She mumbled.

    "You''re just a scared kid." Leo spat out. "You just thought it would be the safest option, having a territory and being its eyes. While someone like the Alley of justice protected it."

    "How did you know¡­?"

    "You said you wanted them to forfeit. That usually entails partnership. Gilda''s territories are all governed by people he appoints, and he''s taken a lot. But his kill record is surprisingly small for someone in his high grade."

    I stepped back and took a breath. She really was just a scared kid. I needed to calm down. It was odd to see Leo being the calm one for once.

    "You have enchiladas!" Zack cheered.

    "All thanks to MAGICA!" The magician cheered.

    I glanced over to the two idiots and saw they had a whole Mexican dinner on the ground around them. I see their friends already¡­

    "Why not join us," Leo asked.

    Which made me blink a few times, he''s recruiting already!?

    "W-what!? Me!? Join you!?"

    "With your eyes we''d have a tactical advantage, not to mention you want protection. I think this arrangement would satisfy both our needs." He held out his hand, then glanced at me. "Besides, if you want to learn to be free. This Is the best place to be."

    Leo offered her a small smile and I was speechless. When did he grow up so much? Did I blink and miss it? Memories of the past weeks flashed in my mind. His breakdown with Icarus, and his fight with his father. Then the talk he had with Vergil. He was a completely different person.

    I walked over to her and nodded in agreement.

    "If you join, you''ll need to repent for your actions. We can start by helping the city, and you apologize to a few people who were specifically hurt by you."

    She blinked a few times.

    "I knew you were¡­.bold and stupid, but." She looked at Leo, her cheeks turned red again and she shook his hand. "B-but I''m happy to join! A-and apologize!"

    "Hey, Zack you should-"

    I turned back to Zack and my words left me. Zack''s leg was halfway into the magician''s hat. While the magician was nowhere in sight. We both didn''t say a word, we just stared at each other. Then he slowly descended down further into the hat.

    "I''m going to find el Dorado, you pleb."

    Then with that, he dropped into it. Well, I guess they both dropped into it then¡­

    "We...we should go home." I sighed.

    ¡­.

    "So you made that suit? It''s not magic?"

    "Mmhmm, I don''t have magic per say. I can communicate with technology. My sword is probably the closest to magic I get."

    I watched from the kitchen and smiled at the two. I knew Leo was just interrogating her, but she seemed to enjoy the attention. I texted Rushon and Jack about all of this. But no one responded.

    She joined so easily, I wonder if it was because she was out of options? Or was it because she has a crush on Leo? Probably both. This was weird, having such an easy win.

    Then again, she just made me more aware of this Gilda guy, and then there''s Rex too. Even with all my growth, can I even fight him? If they try and move in on my territory I''ll lose for sure.

    I glanced over at the magician''s hat and sighed. Those idiots hadn''t come out in hours. The only sign of life I got from it was the occasional screams for joy and random Miley Cyrus lyrics.

    I took out my phone and went to the gifted app, I should probably look at my profile. When I tapped the app, the screen turned to a dark blue shade. The words welcome hero appeared, then flashed to my profile.

    It was a picture of me with my mask on and sword out. My name here was just ''Knight''. I had a lot of messages in my tab, and my win loss record was a lot smaller compared to Zack''s. Seven wins to five losses, not entirely terrible.

    I went to my messages and I had a lot of challenge requests, and I guess you can call it fan mail? People saying my fight with stone inspired them, how they were impressed I beat so many A tiers. Some people even wanted to join the Alley of justice!

    "Wow¡­"

    A warmth rose in my chest as I read comment after comment. I didn''t even realize what kind of impact I had on the community! I was really inspiring people!

    "AHHH!"

    I jumped and looked toward the hat. I watched as Zack rocketed out with a horse''s mouth chasing after him. The horse''s mouth retreated back into the hat and Zack shivered and clung to the couch.

    "Demon!" He hollered.

    The hat shook again and the magic boy popped out. Putting the hat back on his head.

    "Hey! Henry just wanted to eat." The kid huffed.

    "My socks are sacred! I''ve worn these things since freshman year! He can''t havem!"

    "What?"

    The entire room said in unison to the two''s conversation.

    Before I could get a word out my phone went off. I looked it over and saw it was Jack. I quickly answered it and ran off to my room.

    "Hey, Jack what''s up?"

    "Hey kid, we need to talk."

    I shut the door behind me.

    "Oh right! The two new-"

    "Arthur proposed that you give up your territories to him, and I agree."

    I opened my mouth, but the words didn''t come out. He wants what?