Pain trailed through the top of her head, and Hope couldn't help but reach up and rub at the scar that was there. Even after being shrunken down, the wound Wish had left on her was still there. A jagged line that went all the way across her forehead. It suddenly ached and burned as she stared at Kevin, a sick reminder of everything she had gone through in her battle with Wish.
"Are you really Kevin?" She asked startled, though she knew without a doubt it really was him.
Of all the people to run into, this might have been the one she was least expecting. To be honest, she hadn't really thought about him at all since the Wish incident. A fact that made her a little disgusted with herself. Some hero she had been. She had failed to save him from ending up in such a bad fate, transformed into a monster by the Lord of Life's hand, and then taken away by the Emperor to do God knows what.
Now here he stood dressed in clothes but looking much like Mars King had back in the day, only smaller and slimmer. The teen's eyes roamed over her own changed form, and he frowned. "I wasn't sure if it was you or not when I first saw you. You've changed a lot. I mean, you were pretty tall for a girl, but now you look like a kid? This some sort of power or something you have?"
"It's complicated." She sighed. "Wait! Why am I being casual with you? I bet the Avalon, or the Emperor sent you to come get me!" She clung to Meta's arm and pointed at the red-skinned monster. "Get him, Meta!" She waited, but Meta didn't budge. "Meta?" She looked up at the girl's face.
Meta had her head cocked to the side and looked between her and the Mars King lookalike. "Did he call you Hope?" The girl asked firmly. "And he said you were tall? And you 'look' like a kid? Are you not a child? Also, the Emperor is after you? Ah. Those drones I destroyed earlier. They were meant for you, weren't they?"
She felt a chill go down her spine as she looked into Meta's green eyes. They suddenly looked a lot more scary. She could tell the girl was studying her up and down, processing everything that had been said. She had totally forgotten once again that this was a villain. One who had casually taken down those guards and Avalon's drones. One who she could tell was very, very powerful. Maybe even stronger than someone like Wish had been. If Meta turned on her, she was basically screwed.
"Furthermore, are you a follower of the Emperor?" Meta's hand found its way onto her rapier, and her gaze now stared at Kevin. Green energy began to crackle out as the girl slowly drew her weapon. A crowd had started to form around them, but it quickly broke apart when Meta's blade was fully unsheathed. Everyone decided it best to not pay them any mind, seemingly avoiding Meta's wrath. "If you are, then you should know that I am not on the side of the Emperor. In fact, I'd say I'm against him and what he stands for. The one I follow is not him." Things were going from bad to worse in such a short amount of time. She wouldn't be fast enough to escape if Meta decided to fight. Not with the level of speed the girl had shown.
Thankfully, though, the dangerous silence that was starting to fill the void around them was broken by Kevin. "I'm not with the Emperor." The young man finally said, folding his arms. "I might be a monster, but that doesn't mean I follow him. Believe me, it was bad choices that led me down this path. That girl you have with you is a friend of mine. I'd appreciate it if you let her go."
"Let her go." Meta looked down and realized she had Hope's shoulder in a death lock, digging her fingers into the girl's skin. Meta let go and stepped away but kept her weapon drawn. Some people in the crowd stopped and looked at them, but most had seen stranger things during their times and kept moving around them. "Is this man really someone you can trust?" The villain questioned.
Hope stared up at Kevin and then looked back at Meta. Kevin once again spoke up. "Look. I want what you want. I'm trying to get out of this place as well. I escaped from the place the Emperor stored me at and am just trying to find a way back to the real world. I don't want to work for him. I was forced to obey Wish. She kept her cells deep inside of my DNA and forced me to obey her or she'd hurt me. Not just physically but mentally. I could always hear her voice. The Emperor hasn't done that yet. I think he's still trying to decide what to do with me and the other two weapons Wish created. This could be my only chance." He held his hand out toward her. "Do you want to escape with me?"
She stared at the hand, feeling her mind race. Kevin had been a bully. He started off as one of the smartest kids in school and got all the highest scores at any physical activity he did. In a world where Supers existed, he had been born as a normal human who reached the top of humanity's limits. Maybe it was those limits that had broken him just as they had broken so many others. He had fallen into abusing substances to perform better and even joined Wish, becoming a monster. He had done a lot of horrible things, but what choice did he really have when the option was to be turned into something worse by Wish? Not even death would have been an escape for him.
As a human, he had done some pretty bad things. Bullying others and even nearly fighting her at one point, which felt like it was years ago now. As a Super, he had followed someone equal to the Emperor in terms of cruelty. Yet now his eyes were pleading with her. Heroes hadn't come to save him from Wish, nor had they been there for him when his life spiraled out of control. All the bad things he had done, there was no taking those back, but if a hero stepped in now, if one helped him, would it stop him from walking down a worse path?
"I don't think he's a bad person." She jumped a bit when she heard Meta speak. The girl spun her weapon around and slid it into her belt once more. "I am not good at reading people, though. Do what you wish, Ms. 'Hope'."
She winced a bit at the way Meta spoke her name. She got the feeling Meta wasn't happy about the fact she lied. Then again, she was sure Meta hadn't given a real name either, so it wasn't like the girl could be that mad.
Slowly, she nodded her head and made up her mind. "Alright Kevin. If you want to escape, then you can come with me. Meta here was about to take me to the exit." She shot a look back up at the gray-haired woman. "You're still going to help me, right, big sis Meta?" She asked, doing her best to put on a puppy dog look.
"That doesn't work now that I know you're not actually a kid." Meta poked her in the cheek. "That said, I will fulfill the promise I made and walk you both to the exit of Hell Land."
"Who is this girl?" Kevin asked, narrowing his eyes as he studied Meta up and down.
She stepped between them both and raised her hand. "I don't really know, but she's nice, so behave, Kevin!"
Kevin's arms folded, and he turned away. "Yeah. I'll try." He was quiet for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Thank you, I guess. I've gotten really lost in this place, and some of the Emperor's guards have been near the exit waiting for me, so I had no way of actually escaping until I found you."
"His grunts are at the exit?" She bit her lip. "So can we even get out?"
"You have nothing to fear." Meta calmly sheathed her sword once more, and the energy finally died out. "We won't be leaving through the main entrance."
"What do you mean?"
"The way we'll be using is a backdoor exit." Meta explained. The girl walked through the crowd, and they both followed after her. "Big realms like these usually have two gates connecting them to the real world. The front exit is at the beach and is how most villains enter and leave. The way I'll be taking you is a secret, and you'll have to be ready for danger once you step out of it, but it will take you back to the real world."
She nodded her head and walked alongside Kevin as they stalked through the large crowd, heading for one of the rides in the distance. She hoped Meta wasn't just taking them there to get on another one. She was sure the girl had used the following card as an excuse for why they got on so many today. She looked up at Kevin, who kept his eyes forward. "Are you okay?"
"Not really." The teen spat out and winced. "My head hurts still. My entire body, in fact. It's like I'm wrestling with another me in my head. Sometimes I feel my emotions just change and swell on the fly. It really pisses me off."
She nodded her head slowly. The Emperor's power to turn people into monsters wasn't one he got from being a Lord. At least she remembered hearing something similar to that when he was explaining Ego's to her. It was likely the power that allowed him to become a Ruler. Because of that, Wish's methods for creating Supers had to be different. Now that she thought it, Kevin and those other two still had red blood compared to the black blood everyone else had. They also all looked human for the most part. Though now Kevin really didn't since he walked around in his Mars King form. How did Wish change them? It was like she had made actual Supers instead of the monsters the Emperor created. Not to mention, with Wish dead, how did Kevin and the others still have powers? From what she knew, it was Wish's DNA and cells, but Wish was long dead.
Right?
"Why do you look like Mars King?" She questioned nervously.
"Don't know." Kevin shrugged. "Just felt right. After Wish died, I haven't been able to change back. I still have my powers and can alter my form and stuff, but my skin won't grow back." He brought up his hand and caused it to grow and stretch, twisting it into a red horse that was the size of a small baby and attached directly to his wrist. "I'm like a shapeshifter or something, I guess."
"That's pretty cool!" She shook her head and got herself back under control. "What happened when the Emperor took you-"
"I don't want to talk about it." Kevin's teeth ground together, and his fist clenched tightly, shaking. "I just- Can we just focus on getting out of here?"
She nodded slightly. "I understand." She wouldn't say she forgave him for some of the stuff he had done, both as a human and as a Super, but she also wouldn't say all of it was his fault. Especially the part that involved Wish. She still didn't have her powers and was still stuck in such a small body, but she was happy that at the very least she was able to help him out and possibly finally save him from the darkness that had swallowed him whole.
"We've arrived." Meta called back to them. She looked up and found that they stopped in front of a large merry-go-round. The ride itself had a long line of people waiting to get on it, and instead of horses, it was large dragons or mean-looking cats people rode on. The thing spun at crazy speeds, causing the people who rode it to become blurs. It was faster than even a jet, and just the thought of being on it made her stomach flop a bit.
"You're not going to say we have to ride this thing to get out of here, are you?" Kevin questioned.
Meta's face remained blank and emotionless, but she was sure the girl was experiencing the closest thing she had to a smile. Finally, Meta shook her head. "Sadly, there is no need for us to get on it."
"Sadly?"
The girl walked to the back of the ride, going around it where they were out of sight of the line. The ride was placed onto a large, sloped platform, and so moving behind it, they were at the base of the platform directly under it. Meta reached out and placed her palm on the stone, pushing it in and causing cracks to appear along it as it opened up into a doorway. "This is the doorway." Meta explained. "It's sort of like two gates linked up. It will take you to the actual exit. You'll need to be careful when you appear back in the real world, though, because you'll be-"
"Yo Meta!" A loud voice from up above cut the girl off. They looked up just in time to hear the flapping of wings as a blonde-haired boy in a coat dropped down. Michael twirled his hat and smirked. "I was looking all over for you. You weren't at your usual rides- Who are these guys- Oh yeah, father wants us to return to him- Wait, seriously, who are these guys, and why are you showing them the exit?" He looked at the red demon and the young girl smirking. "Hey, my name is Michael-"
"They were just leaving, brother." Meta cut him off and stepped in front of him. "I was just showing them the exit." She looked back at Hope and Kevin and nodded.
Hope turned around to enter the doorway. She didn't know who that Michael guy was, but he was seriously giving her the creeps. She turned back to look at Meta one last time. "Thank you. You're a good person." She stepped past the doorway with Kevin, and it began to slowly cover itself up, sealing back.
The last thing she saw and heard before it fully closed was Meta finally showing the smallest hint of an emotion. It was a smile. A sad one. "No." The girl said. "I'm actually a very bad person." And then the doorway sealed shut, leaving her and Kevin alone.
Kevin was the first to look around while Hope processed the words she had just heard. They were in a strange tunnel. One made of stone that stretched out for about twenty feet. She could hear Hell Land above them. They were under the ride. At the end of the tunnel was a glowing blue portal. The gate that would actually lead them to the real world. She'd have to figure out what Meta meant later. Right now, all she wanted was to be in the real world again. There was so much her friends needed to hear. Not to mention she had a lot of information the Victorian would need.
"Are you ready?" She asked, looking up at Kevin.
"Ready as you are. Thanks for taking me with you..." He grumbled.
"Don't mention it."
They walked to the portal. Gates could come in all sorts of shapes and forms. Some were like the Bad Timers, where you walked directly through an object to enter the realm. Others were like the elevator the Sub Enforcers used. This one sort of reminded her of the portal she and BB had created when they busted into the Wandering Coin realm. That portal had allowed her to see past it and into the realm like a window. This one was much the same, but all she saw was darkness. It spooked her out a bit.
She wasn't the only one either, as Kevin's eyes scanned it up and down. "It'll be okay." She said, half to reassure him and the other half to convince herself. He only nodded. Slowly, they stepped forward. "Oleander, here I come!"
She regretted having her mouth open instantly. As soon as they stepped through, she felt massive pressure smash into her and dropped as there was no floor. A chill worse than any other hit her, and her mouth was flooded with water. It was pitch black, and she realized with horror that they were underwater. She began to drop as the water pulled her down, and she felt a horrible pain along her body. She was drowning.
They were somewhere in the middle of the ocean, deep below... That was the hidden entrance.
Her body was too heavy to swim, and she kept dropping further and further, and already her lungs felt like they were about to explode!
Everything slowly faded away, and she felt her eyes close...
***
The Emperor looked around the room he was in, scanning it up and down. It was a large office room. One with shelves and desks carved out of expensive wood and a soft carpet that served as the floor. Several large portraits of famous moments in history were placed on the wall. They were paintings of people like Full Monarch or Lucifer, ruins of the first city the Beast attacked, and a group photo of the first ever Enforcer team. Each book on the many shelves was expensive as well as being one of a kind.
The room alone cost more than almost all of Hell Land. It was who sat behind the desk though that was truly important.
If you were to ask the world who the Owner was, no one would be able to give you an answer. To many, he didn't exist, and they had no idea of who such a being was. To some though, those on the Enforcers or those high enough in ranking of the Hero Branch would know the horrors in that name.
The Owner, also known as the man who nearly helped the Emperor bring the world to ruins. Better known now for setting up and managing all of Lucifer's Murder Games. A Monster who had grown beyond his creator and formed his own faction all with his own strength.
"I assume there is a reason you asked to come to this meeting, Sir?" The Owner asked, giving a respectful nod to the one who created him. "After all, this was supposed to just be a conversation for me and Master Lucifer."
The Emperor turned his head slightly and found the second-greatest villain in the world standing next to him. Lucifer's face remained blank and impassive, but he could tell the man was angry. Lucifer's fingers tightened around the massive tome he held, and his golden eyes glared down at the Owner for even daring to allow the Emperor into the meeting.
"Indeed, there is." The Emperor remained in his armor. It was his greatest protection from Lucifer's Dead Virus. Unlike Lucifer, he pulled out a chair and took a seat in front of the desk. "Lucifer and I are working together at the moment."
"Don't get it twisted." Lucifer's voice came out almost like a hiss. The man opened his book and began to flip through some of his pages. "We are not on the same side. Just because you are a Ruler like me does not mean we are a team, little Nier."
"You did agree that you needed me in the next Murder Game you're doing, though." The Emperor stated in a blunt tone. "As such, if you're to discuss the games with the Owner, then it is only natural that I be here to give my own thoughts."
"I only need you because it means we can finally have all four Rulers at one place." The leader of the Immortals looked down on the man in the armor. "Your time came and went. You failed to take the world over just as I did. Both of us failed in our attack. Destroyed and beaten by Full Monarch. Though in your case it was your own arrogance. Your son-"
"Alpha is not my son."
"-the one you raised yourself. Turned against you. How fitting. Now here you are corrupted and broke like myself. Forced to accept a dark gift. We might both be Rulers, we might both have walked the same path, and we might both despise the Lords, and the one you called Alpha, but we are not teammates."
The Owner tapped his finger down on the desk as his eyes roamed back and forth between the two villains that stood in his office. "You better not get into a fight and ruin anything in this room. This desk costs more than a village and was handcrafted by Ms. Hell Hound herself." He stated in his typical robotic tone.
Sixteen years ago, during the great war, the Emperor had forced nearly every villainous group to kneel before him. Those that were too strong or too proud were wiped out or given a worse fate. They were turned into monsters. The Owner hadn't been a villain before his change, but after becoming a monster, he was left with no choice but to work for the one who had made him.
Even today, Monsters didn't have a lot of choices for what they could and couldn't do. They either had to be heroes or villains. The world gave them no other option.
The Owner was not your typical monster. He had been a human, one who did not have any powers. Humans still possessed a soul, or Ego, but unlike Supers, who had two, his kind had just one. When the Emperor created his monsters, he injected a new Ego into the host. One that would rampage and destroy much of the first. For many, this Ego granted them new powers if they already had them, or their first taste at being a Super, if they were a human before. It would also likely spell their doom.
The rampaging Ego would break their body and soul, forcefully merging with it on a level a power shouldn't reach. A full Inversion, one in which the host no longer remained in control. With the host out of the way, the power was free to evolve and change with no restriction. This is what created most of the giant monsters that still roam the planet today. Once humans or Supers, they were unable to tame their power and become something almost similar to the Beast in terms of purpose.
The Owner, unlike many other monsters, was able to tame the new Ego. It didn't destroy his soul. It merged with it. A balance. One that allowed him to rise above his human self. Now he stood, not as a monster, but as a Super that could rival many of the greatest groups in the world with his mind.
He didn't have skin. Instead, he was made of pure metal. His head was robotic-looking, with a pair of antennae poking out the top. He looked very machine-like, with steam coming out of various cracks along him. Most of his robotic body was covered by an expensive business suit he wore complete with a red tie. He tapped his fingers on his desk and scanned the two strongest villains up and down, the computer inside of him processing what he should say next. Like Golden God, he was someone who had become a machine upon changing into a monster. They were the same kind of species as Beta, the hero of the Enforcers.
"Every year, Master Lucifer asks me to get things ready for his game. I was told this year you would be competing, sir. Might I know what you will be bringing as forces for these games? Will you be an obstacle or a player?"
"Whatever is easiest." The Emperor replied. "The details are not important. The only thing that matters is that this game has the four Lords and the four Rulers present. Only then can we truly settle the score." He looked toward Lucifer. "I assume you are fine with that."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "You know that only one of us will be able to reach the end. We both have a different idea for what it should be... Unlike Lords, our kind isn't meant to work together. By the end of my next game, mark my words, there will be only one Ruler left standing. One Ruler who will finish the task the Shadow gave to us."
"That Ruler will be me."
Lucifer's tome opened, and he glared at the man. "It will be me! I was around since the beginning! I was there when you were just a Lord. I was the first Ruler, and I will be the last!"
"We shall see." The shadows in the room seemed to almost come to life, and the Owner sighed as both the Emperor and Lucifer summoned one of the members of their armies.
In an instant, Lucifer found himself surrounded by hundreds of metal blades as the shadowy form of Polaron appeared behind him. At that same moment, the Emperor was coated in a layer of ice and frozen to his chair as the hero that once went by Snowdawn stood directly behind him. Neither Snowdawn nor Polaron held any emotion within their eyes. One was formed out of darkness itself in the mirror image of the man; the other was a corpse pieced together by the Dead Virus. Both were long gone.
"That is enough." The ice and shadow vanished as the Owner's fist smashed down into his desk, shattering it. Apparently it wasn't as important to him as he had claimed. The robot took a moment to collect his thoughts and let out a deep sigh, causing steam to flow out of a pair of holes in his head. Both the Emperor and Lucifer turned their attention toward him. Golden eyes, as well as a fiery gaze, dared him to raise his voice again. "My apologies. I seemed to have lost my temper. That said, have either of you considered the task it would be to get all Lords into the game as well as the last two Rulers? Last I checked, the remaining Rulers are not on our side. One is pretending to be a good guy, and the other has died so many times his soul and emotions have shattered away, leaving him twisted and changed into the monster that caused the Hero Branch to leave an entire city behind."
"Legend won't be hard to tame." The Emperor spoke up and dusted some of the snow and ice off of his armor. "He was once a hero, but after dying so many times, he was unable to balance the dark soul within him and has transformed. Even he has his uses as a mindless Ruler. The real issue, however, comes in the form of the hero known as Battery."
"Yes, your son." Lucifer spoke up.
"He was a tool. Nothing more. Nothing less." The Emperor growled. "When I first found him, I knew there was something special about him. He enabled me to chase after my plan in the past. I believed that with him, I could create a world in which the Beast would never attack. Now I see how foolish I was trying to use him. Upon his death, he revived as a Ruler as well. It was quite the shock for me. Unlike Lucifer and I, he has died the least amount of times. Each of our deaths has taken bits of our emotion and mind away. Thanks to Avalon, I was able to restore most of mine, however, which was why it took so long for me to come back in the first place. Alpha, on the other hand, has only died a handful of times now. The darkness is only just now starting to numb his mind and heart. He hasn't awakened as a full Ruler yet. The Ruler of Creation and Destruction needs to be nudged a little more."
"So he needs to die more?" The Owner questioned.
"No." The Emperor shook his head. "It is true that death can have a greater effect on us. It takes away part of our souls and minds, but it won't be enough. Not for Battery. He assumed he wasn't a Ruler anymore, and the truth is I did as well. Full Monarch, with the power of the Cosmos, was able to reverse and repair Battery's damaged Ego in their final fight. This should have cured Battery, but it seems something went wrong and he became a Ruler all over again once he died. It did reset him though. He'd have to die a numerous amount of times to reach the same point as Legend, or like me and Lucifer, he would have to willingly give in and let the Ego within merge with him. He's been keeping it at a distance for quite some time now, however."
"If that's how it is, then leave it to me." Lucifer turned away from the two men in the room. "I know just how to break his spirit. I'll reduce him to the same sort of mad animal Legend is. Speaking of Legend, I even know how to get our fourth and final member to play as well. This will truly be the last Murder Games I perform. One with Lords and Rulers. After this, it will all be over. My plan will come at last."
"You're wrong. It will be me that reaches the end." The Emperor lowered his tone and stared at the man's back. "I will be the one who does the duty as a Ruler. I will be the hero that saves this planet once and for all."
Lucifer didn't bother to look back at the man and walked toward the door about to leave. "We shall see, Nier. We shall see."
Outside of the office doorway, he found his children. The Immortals. Uriel stood near Gabriel, the two arguing about something. Gabriel was hanging off of Uriel's arm, and the wires that formed her dress moved out, choking the pretty man. In the other corner, Michael stood along with their newest sibling. Lucifer looked Metatron up and down, taking in her gray hair and the military outfit she wore. "I have a job for you."
"Yes, father." She kneeled down, keeping her head low. Meta didn't meet his eyes.
He placed his hand on her head, running his fingers through her gray hair. "You're the newest Metatron, so I expect you to uphold the standards of what this name means. My last child that held your name wasn't able to follow my orders. We'll be starting the Murder Games up soon enough. This one will have all four Lords. Do you know what that means?"
"The Lord of the Sun will be there." Meta questioned. Her face showed a flicker of emotion once again. This time one of malice and hate.
"That is correct, my child."
"Finally." Meta breathed out and gripped the handle of her sword. "I'll finally be able to take my revenge on the Lord of the Sun. I'll be the one that slays the false hero that calls herself Cinder."