"You actually killed him..." Alexander noted softly.
Paragon collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily. "I told him I would." She wiped her face clean with her sleeve while her wooden sword slowly shrank back down to its normal size, the dragon vanishing and fading away. She did her best to not look at what was left of Skull Daddy. He definitely didn't have a skull anymore... "I guess he shouldn't have tested me."
Alexander frowned and folded his arms. "You shouldn't have done something like that."
"He was trying to kill the people I promised to protect," Paragon argued. "Not just you, but the others below us as well. I won't just stand by and do nothing."
"I understand that." Alexander tried to explain. "It isn't the fact that he died that's bad; bastards like him should burn in hell, but you're just a kid-"
"It's not the first life I've taken, and it won't be the last," Paragon said flatly.
"That's a depressing thing to say." Alexander trailed off awkwardly.
"Being a hero isn't sunshine and rainbows." Paragon managed to stand back up; wobbling a bit, she managed to sheath her sword. "I can't save everyone, but I can at least save the people that are in front of me at this moment. It doesn't matter if I'm a kid or not. I'm the only one who can do it."
Off to the side, Alice Ward managed to find her discarded phone. The older lady's eye twitched a bit when she saw how fried the device was. She wouldn't be able to stream or update her viewers until she got back to Battery's camp. She'd have to take June's phone or her husband's. "What are you planning on doing now, Paragon?" The older woman questioned.
Paragon didn't answer for several moments. Instead, the young hero looked out toward the edge of the stadium, where the ramp that led to the underground parking lot was. Sensing that the fighting was over, the people down below were finally starting to come back up. "I don't know how many people are in the Skull Boys group." Paragon finally said. "On top of that, that bug guy managed to get away. He could return when I'm gone or come back with even stronger villains. None of us can stay here, so I guess I'll be looking for a new place to stay. I think I've pretty much gathered everyone willing to work with me across this part of the city anyway, so it's high time we move out."
Alice gave a slow nod, a small grin on the older lady's lips. "And what are you going to do about your hair?"
"My hair?" Paragon felt her eyes go wide, and she reached out to grab part of her hair. She let out a soft curse when she saw the white locks that were tangled between her fingers. Just as Cinder once had the issue, she couldn't seem to force herself to change back. She was stuck in her Lord's Battle Mode.
'You didn't think it would really be that easy, did you, sweet Sky? Now give me my body!'
"Great." Sky let out a sigh. "I guess this is the rest of my life now; I'll just have to figure out how to tune her out."
"Tune who out?" Alexander asked.
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
Alice studied the healer for several moments. The woman looked the girl up and down. There had been a rumor going around that Paragon had become the Lord of the Land and Life, but most people didn't believe it. For years, people thought that she had been one until the girl's own mother came out and claimed Paragon wasn't. Now, though, it seemed as if things had changed and the rumors of her being one this time were true. Without a doubt, Paragon was the newest incarnation of the Lord of the Land and Life.
Cinder, Whisper, Poseidon, and now Paragon. All four Lords this time around seemed to have one thing in common with each other.
The story was starting to become interesting now...
"You should stick to the underground," Alice called out once everyone had finally made it back to the surface.
"What?" Alexander shot a look toward the local celebrity, but she was already leaving. "Where are you going!"
Alice made it to the stadium's exit gate and turned back with a half-wave. "Sorry, but I have had zero interest in actually staying with you guys for very long. I got the footage I need, and I'll be heading back to the safety point in Battery's zone. Not only is it the most guarded place, but filming him in action has been a game changer for my viewer count. I do hope you will all take care and not die. I'm rooting for you, Paragon."
"What did you mean about sticking to the underground?" Paragon asked, folding her arms.
Alice gave a lazy shrug. "You said you needed a new place to stay. The surface of Oleander is a dangerous place. Of course, the world beneath our city might not be any better, but who knows? Someone like you might be able to make it work. From what I've come to learn, you, Lords, seem to have a bad habit of doing the impossible."
And just like that, Alice Ward turned and walked away.
The rest of them all stood in the stadium, many of the people looking toward Alexander or Paragon. Alexander rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before managing to give a faint grin. "Well, Paragon? What do you say? It's up to you. We'll follow you and go wherever you need us to."
"I guess it won't hurt?" Paragon shrugged, then let out a sigh. Something about Alice Ward rubbed her the wrong way. Then again, she never really liked the Ward family due to how shady they had been lately. "Does anyone happen to know where a subway station is? We can start there."
One of the people in the crowd, an older man, nervously raised his hand. "I used to be part of Moore's Cleanup Squad. I think I know a nearby subway station that could have survived the battle with the Beast. It'd be large enough to hold us all, but we'd have to figure out food and other stuff."
Paragon nodded and gave a small grin. She looked out at all the people she had managed to gather up so far. It wasn't much. Many people in Oleander were still suffering, but it was enough. She could at least say for certain she was making a difference, even if it was just a small one.
"Let's go then." She finally said. "Before that Cockroach bastard comes back."
***
Present Day...
"So Alice Ward is the one that put the underground base inside of your head?" Hope asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's right." Paragon nodded. "I don't really like her or her family, but I must admit since I've followed her advice, none of my people have been in danger."
"Alice Ward always creeped me out a bit. She'd always ask weird interview questions." Hope shuddered a bit but managed to quickly brush those memories away. She had woken up a bit and managed to get some energy back after finally taking a break. She sat across from Sky. The two of them were still in the junkyard, sitting cross-legged next to a makeshift campfire Sky had managed to make with her powers. She was a bit jealous; it seemed that she got weaker, and everyone else in her life had grown. Chances were, she'd be the one getting saved by Sky now instead of the other way around. "Did you ever beat that Cockroach guy you told me about?"
"Nope." Sky shrugged casually. "He never showed back up. I kept waiting for him, but nothing happened. Maybe he left the city, or maybe he got killed by some other villain group or one of Battery's Giants. I don't really know, and I don't really care."
"Noted." Hope awkwardly trailed off. It had been a little shocking hearing how Sky murdered two villains. It wasn't the first time the girl had confessed to murder, and she really couldn't talk since she had nearly killed Wish, Kevin, Casey, and Hannah several times. Still, she hoped one day the world wouldn't be so dark and that someone like Sky wouldn't have to kill. It had been the same in Full Monarch's time as well. She still recalled the memories Avalon had forced her to watch. Full Monarch had seemingly offered a chance to surrender to every villain he fought, even the Beast, and they all turned it down. People just seemed to have something in them that made them want to not lose. A feeling she could relate to. "What happens now?" She slowly asked after sitting in silence for several minutes.
"What do you mean?" Sky looked back at her.
"You heard my mom." Hope let out a soft snort. "She doesn't want me to be a hero. It's going to be hard to sneak out."
"It never stopped you before? You once told me you were hiding the fact that you were a hero."
"Yeah, but that made me feel like a huge jerk for lying to my mom." Hope bowed her head down, letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't think I can do that again. Also, my dad is smart, and he'd see right through me."
"Mr. Lauren is pretty on point at times." Sky nodded.
Hope smiled softly and nodded. "Dad's amazing. Thanks for keeping him and my mom safe while I was gone." She leaned forward, hitting the other girl lightly on the shoulder. "You're the best, Sky!"
Sky looked away, now with a slightly red face, and cleared her throat. "R- Right. Well, either way, I think what you do now is pretty obvious."
"It is?"
Sky nodded and reached out, grabbing Hope's hands. "We can keep them all safe. Not just your parents but everyone in my group. I've been managing everything by myself, but with Battery gone and you back, I'm sure we can expand the area. We can fix Oleander and stop any threats before they appear! I'm sure your parents won't mind if you help me out, after all, they're part of our group as well and also help provide. It'll be almost like one big happy family!" Sky had a light in her eyes and an actual smile on her face, but it slowly began to fade as she stared at Hope. "Hope?"
Hope didn't have that light, and the girl also didn't smile. Instead, she had a guilty look on her face.
Sky studied the look for a moment before the girl finally let go and scooted away. "You're not planning on staying and helping fix Oleander, are you?"
"I do!" Hope said quickly, though the girl was unable to look the other hero in the eyes. "I want Oleander to be back to how it was, and I want to spend time with my family. I'd love to be on a team with you and keep all those people safe, but-"
"Battery." Hope looked almost as if she had just been punched in the stomach when Sky spat the name out.
"What about your sister?" Hope said quietly. Sky's eyes changed for a moment. The look of rage switched to one of sadness. "I heard she is in Battery's group. It's thanks to her that his Giants are able to be in nearly every city and have managed to kick out all the Enforcers. I saw the strand of one on the back of their heads. Wouldn't you like to speak to her and learn what's going on?"
Sky's hands balled in a fist. "Of course, I want to know what's going on. I'd like to figure out why the hell she signed away her soul and why she's going against everything Mom stood for, all so she can stand next to Battery. I'd also like to know why she changed her name, her costume, and her entire way of acting. Of course, that is something I'd like to figure out, but she isn't taking any of my calls. Not to mention, it's my fault she ended up the way she did. Because I wasn't there for her, I couldn't be. I was stuck in Oleander, helping its people out, while she stayed in Lillian. I had your father and mother to help me, but she had nobody."
"Then you understand how I'm feeling." Hope urged. "We can get to the bottom of this. I'm sure the two of us could march into Rose and demand answers-"
"I can't leave Oleander!" Sky shook her head. "I have to keep the people there safe. Battery's Giants pushed all the villains to the underground. We're likely going to have to move once more because of him. Not to mention, I know his Giants can't do everything. They aren't perfect. I can't leave those people alone; they won't be able to get food or survive without me."
"Are they really that fragile?" She had a hard time believing that. She had seen firsthand that people could survive on their own without Supers.
"I don't care if they are or aren't. I'm not risking it." Sky wiped at her eyes, wincing. "I failed to save my mom, my sister, and you. I- I can't fail again. I don't care what I have to do or how much I have to change. I'm going to keep my people safe. That's the kind of hero I want to be. B- Besides. My sister is strong and smart. I know she can manage even without me."
Hope reached out and gently took Sky's hands, squeezing them. "Okay. So you don't want to leave Oleander. You want to stay and rebuild it and keep its people safe. I understand, and I get that."
"I want you to be there with me, too," Sky said quickly. "When I learned that you were alive, that was what made me double down in my efforts. I don't want you to go. This is what your parents were yelling at you for. All of us are worried about you running off and..."
"Dying again?" Hope gave a sheepish smile and looked up at the night sky. Her eyes traced the many stars above as well as the cracked moon. There was a faint glimmer of gold above, no doubt the Victorian standing on the moon all by herself. "You said your sister can manage all by herself. Well, sadly, I don't think that's the case for Mr. Larison. He's an idiot. Even more so than me. He's the kind of person who will come up with a plan and try to force it to happen. He wanted me to take over as the next Full Monarch, but he couldn't understand that's not who I am. The way he's acting now, it all happened after I went away for a bit. When we first became heroes, I promised him I would make sure he didn't die, and yet I broke that promise. It's only natural that I find where he is, so I can say that I'm sorry. Also, I'd like to maybe punch him in the face and try and snap his senses back."
Sky let go of Hope's hands and folded her arms. "Why do you care about him so much? He lied to you, hid information, and even tried to force you to become something you're not. I don't get it."
Hope let out another sheepish laugh as her smile grew. She could still remember it. The first time he saved her life, the first time she declared he'd be her sidekick, the first time they fought Intake together, and Green Wolf, and so many others, the first time he taught her how to throw a proper punch, the first time he helped her discover her powers, the helmet he gave her, the shield he gave her, and the first time that they stood up on a roof and did something she never got to do with her father. Just because her father was finally back didn't mean that the hole Mr. Larison had seemingly filled was gone.
"He's my friend." She finally said. She had already lost Armin. She didn't want to lose anyone else.
"Didn't the Victorian say she'd give you her powers or something and help you beat Battery?" Sky frowned. "If your plan was to run off on your own like this, then why didn't you take her up on her offer?"
"I don't want to do it for the Hero Branch or for the Victorian. I don't want to kill Battery either or even beat him in a fight. I'm just going to come to him as Hope Lauren and punch him in the face until he becomes my friend again!"
"You haven't thought any of this through, have you..."
"Nope!"
"Don't sound so proud of that fact!" Sky let out a heavier sigh and shook her head. "So what, you're just going to leave Oleander and somehow get all the way to Rose? You know that's halfway across the world, right? Rose isn't connected to any of the other cities and is somewhere in the middle of a massive wasteland, surrounded by a bubble to keep the people inside safe. It isn't exactly a place just anyone can get to."
"I'll find a way." Hope shrugged and giggled. "Besides, I don't plan to set out on my own. At least not for a bit. You told me to rest, and so did my parents. That's just what I'm going to do." She leaned forward, her smile growing. "Don't worry. Cinder and Paragon are sure to team up again. I'm sure of that fact. As soon as I'm done getting Battery back on the right path, I'll rush right over and join you. We'll fix Oleander together."
"And what will you do if I've already fixed it by then?"
"I'll tear it down so we can fix it again!"
"Hope!"
"I'm kidding." Hope held her hands up defensively. "It was just a joke."
Sky slowly calmed down and nodded her head. "Are you really sure about this though? Do you think you can actually help him?"
"I have to try. It isn't just Battery that I'm worried about." Hope squeezed down on her new shield, which rested next to her. She stared at her reflection softly. "So much changed with everyone. I don't think I can help Myth out without the others. I'm not just doing this for Mr. Larison. It's for Lois, Thaddeus, and Armin as well. I don't think things can ever get back to the way they used to be, but I'm going to at least make sure the people I care about don't have to suffer, not just physically but emotionally as well."
Sky stood up and offered a hand down to Hope, who took it. She pulled the raven-haired girl up to her feet. "If you're really sure and you promise to get as much rest as you can first, then I guess I'll allow it. I can't control you after all. That said, we should get back."
Hope squeezed the other girl's hand before letting go of it. "Go on without me."
"Why?" Sky narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her wooden sword.
"I promise I'm not about to run off!" Hope held her hands up again. "I just need to deal with something else first. I'll be back at the base in no time. I'd like to spend time with my mom and dad before I set out after all. Oh, and can you keep this all a secret from them?" She clasped her hands together and begged. "I don't want to lie to them anymore, but I know they'd never let me just leave Oleander and go be a hero. I still need to figure some things out before I go, and I'll find a way to tell them somehow."
Sky studied the Lord of the Sun silently for several moments before finally turning away. "I won't lie to them." That was all the Lord of Life said as she finally left.
Hope stood in the junkyard silently as she waited until her enhanced senses could no longer hear Paragon. The healer likely ran at her top speed to get back to the base, given how paranoid she had become. Sky truly was taking her role as Guardian seriously. It made her feel a bit guilty for forcing Sky to stay out here with her for so long. She was sure the girl had been worried about her people the entire time.
Hope looked around the empty junkyard. Her little rampage from earlier had torn down a lot of the walls, leaving several new piles of scrap metal. Thanks to the state of Oleander, no one had bothered to come to investigate the noise she had caused. She didn't need to worry about any civilians sneaking up on her while she lacked a costume. Despite how alone she should have been, though, her enhanced senses were finally back and working better than ever because she was able to hear a faint sound.
It was small, barely audible even to her, yet she could tell that it was getting closer to her—a slithering sound, one that was faintly getting louder.
"You can come out now. Also, why were you hiding?" She called out.
The pile of junk next to her squirmed and twitched as something began to pull itself out. It was small, only about the size of a backpack. The thing was covered in what looked like red leather and had a squarish shape for its body. Two stubby arms and stubby legs also poked out of it. It didn't have a head; instead, it had a face directly on the front of it.
"That girl looked like Wish." The red box said in Kevin's voice. The teen shuddered a bit and shook his small arms and legs. "Really creeped me out. I have nothing wrong with you batting for the team that you do, Lauren, but seriously, out of every fish in the sea, you choose the one girl that looks like Wish? You couldn't have picked any other bitc-"
Hope lazily flicked Kevin, shoving him onto his back. He flailed around a bit, seemingly unable to turn himself over. "What's with this new form?" She asked curiously. He had been seemingly changing a lot. In the beginning, he looked mostly humanoid, but then he seemingly changed into a teen version of Mars King. After that, he became a weird backpack, an outfit for her to wear, a strange slime monster, and even a full-blown hero suit that gave her powers. Kevin's powers were seriously impressive.
"I can't grow back to my normal size!" The red square hissed. His flesh bubbled up a bit, and he shifted from a square shape to a basketball-like form. He began to bounce on the ground several times, seemingly out of anger. "This happened once before, also when I had been working for Wish."
"It did?"
"Yeah! Remember how I can make all those clones and other things? Well, doing that takes a lot out of me. The more I stretch and change my shape in weird ways, the more I lose some of my cells. I have a healing factor, and my cell count always eventually returns to normal, but with how much you've forced me to use my powers today, I've lost a ton of mass! It's sort of like burning calories, in a way. Now I'm all small until I get a lot of food back in me!"
"Okay? What do you want me to do about it?"
The ball began to rapidly smack her over the head over and over again. "You're the reason this happened to me! Find me food or something! This entire city is a dump, and I don't know where anything is anymore!"
"Ow! Stop that." She caught the ball and glared down at it. "Don't make me pop you." She dropped Kevin back to the floor, and he began to bounce once more. "I don't get it, though. In the fight with Wish, you made a ton of clones and were constantly changing your form and doing crazy stuff. I don't think I made you do anything on that level today. Why didn't you shrink down back then?"
"Back then, I had Wish's cells inside of me," Kevin explained. "I still had limits to what I could do, but those limits were nearly a hundred times greater than what they are now. I didn't get weaker or anything since you finally took Wish out, but I no longer have her endless power source fueling me. It's the same with Hannah and Casey as well. Hannah can no longer create a limitless supply of bones, and Casey now has a limit to how much blood he can use. We can still heal and have way more flesh, bones, and blood in us than normal humans, but we have limits now. And my limit just so happens to make me small until I can get some food in me."
Hope nodded, seemingly understanding. "I get it. Okay, then yeah, I guess it is kind of my fault you're the way you are. I managed to get my height back to normal thanks to you, so it's only fair I help you out. Why'd you come running back here, though?"
"Don't really got anywhere else to go." Despite being in a perfect ball shape, she could tell Kevin shrugged. "No ma or pa back home for me."
"Really?"
"Never knew who my dad was, and my mom died about three years ago after she overdosed on some bad stuff," Kevin said casually. "I was living from couch to couch with some friends or staying with Ashley before all the Wish stuff happened."
"Can't you go bother Ashley then? I'm sure she'd help you out-"
"Hell no!" Kevin yelled out. "Are you dense or what?"
"What?"
"Do you have any idea what I said and did? I can't look her in the eyes or ask her for anything. Someone like me shouldn't even step foot in front of someone like her."
"If you stick around me, it's only a matter of time before you run into Oxide again, you know." She said flatly.
"No, it's not! I heard what you were telling your girlfriend-"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Hope said with a red face.
"You're planning on leaving Oleander, aren't you!" Kevin announced loudly. "I don't know how you're going to do it since the ocean is cluttered with dead ships and the bridge is gone, but when you do, I want to come with you. I have nothing left in a shithole like this." Arms sprouted out of Kevin's body, allowing him to fold them. He kept bouncing, so he only managed to stay at eye level with her half the time, but when he did, he had a serious look on his face. "I don't care where you're going, but when you leave, I'm coming too."
"Are you sure? I mean, I'm not exactly going anywhere, but that'll be good for you. I'm heading for Rose, and I doubt those people would let you stay since you're a..."
"Monster... Yeah." Kevin let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "I'll find somewhere to stay. It doesn't have to be Rose. You're going to have to go through several different cities to get there anyway."
"I do?"
"Wow, you really have thought none of this through, have you..."
Hope folded her arms and let out a snort. "It'll work out somehow. I'm sure. Just so you know, if you're coming with me, then you can't act like a villain or do anything like that. I'm a good guy, and I expect you to act like one as well."
Kevin grumbled a few things under his breath. "Too much work. I'll just turn into a backpack or something, and you can wear me like we did on that island earlier today."
"You expect me to just carry you for free and do all the work?" She frowned before rubbing her chin. "Then again, I am in need of a new costume." She hummed before slowly eyeing the red ball up and down. "I have one condition."
"What's that?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at her.
"We won't be able to call you Kevin while we're out in the field. You'll have to call me Cinder, and I'll need a new name to call you as well."
"Uh oh..." Kevin suddenly didn't like the look he was seeing.
Hope grinned and grabbed the ball, using her new strength to mold him as if he were clay. The former villain hissed out at her but went along with it as she made him take shape into a backpack once more. She slipped it on and announced as loudly as she could. "From this day onwards, you shall be Baggy! Sidekick to Cinder!"
"I am not going by the name Baggy!" Baggy, the backpack growled out.
"Do you want out of Oleander or not?" Cinder responded flatly.
Baggy grumbled some more before settling into his new shape. "You're seriously the worst, you know that?"
"And you make for some damn good fashion."
And just like that, the first day of Cinder's return came and went.