"That doesn't look good," Evan said, frowning.
"What is it?" Alexander asked, looking at the noble boy.
They were up on a hill outside of the fake Oleander city, far enough away that they couldn't hear Pied's song. They didn't know how long they'd have to wait out there before the fighting was over, but it was starting to get annoying, and all three of them were getting a little anxious just sitting there, knowing their bodyguards were engaged with several dangerous villains.
The only one of the three of them that had any sort of idea for how the battle was going was Evan, who had a pair of binoculars, though for the past hour or so, the boy hadn't been able to see anything noteworthy. That was until now.
"Well, don't just stand there, spit it out?" Alexander barked out. He was worried if his daughter was okay, and Evan's remark had caused his stress to nearly double. "What do you see?"
"People?"
"What?" Alexander frowned and gave a confused look. "It's a city. Of course, you'd see people."
Irene set her book down and frowned. "Do you mean the city's people?"
"Yeah." Evan nodded.
Irene let out a heavy sigh. "That's not good."
"It isn't?" Alexander asked.
"No." Irene shook her head. "Pied's music isn't being played anymore."
"What!"
"That's why the streets are starting to fill." The girl nodded. "All the people that were in a daze are no longer in one and are wandering out. In other words, the heroes no longer have an easy battlefield where they can go all out since they're now going to have to go out of their way to keep the people safe. Things just grew a whole lot worse for them while giving the villains a serious edge."
"Damn it." Alexander bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "You're kidding me."
"I think it's everyone." Evan winced, still looking through the binoculars. He could see hundreds of people exiting the buildings, all looking around in confusion as the streets began to get more and more crowded. "If Pied's music isn't playing anymore, then maybe that means the good guys won?"
"Yeah, right." Irene let out a soft snort. "As if it would be a good boon for us. No, something must have happened to Pied."
"I hope he's okay." Alexander rubbed his head, feeling a dizzy spell start to overtake him. "He's just a kid. Damn it, this is so screwed up!"
Irene stood up and fiddled with her glasses and then began to walk down the hill, heading to the city. "Where are you going?" Evan asked, lowering his binoculars. "We shouldn't head down to the city just because Pied's music is playing. In fact, we should stay up here even more since this means the villains might win."
"I'm not going to stay put." Irene shook her head. "Claymore will need me."
"What does that mean?"
"Really, he's a horrible hero." Irene let out a soft yet sad chuckle. "As bad as they come, I dare say he could even be the weakest hero. Despite that, though, he's an amazing knight. Claymore's real abilities only show themselves when I'm in trouble. After all, it's a knight's duty to protect his lady."
"What, so you're just going to charge in and get put in danger?" Evan questioned.
"Yep." Irene looked back and managed a faint smile. "The heroes are helping us. It's only natural that I try and help them as much as I can." She turned back and began to walk once more.
Alexander nodded his head and walked down the hill, falling in line beside her. "You're a kid, and I'm an adult. I couldn't live with myself if I let you march off into danger like this, so I'll be coming with you."
Evan let out a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "This is totally stupid and insane, but sure. Let's do it." He caught up to the two of them and smirked. "Let's go help our heroes."
***
Calamity level threat was a term first coined by Mr. Sini. It refers to a threat that, if left unchecked, could eventually end in the annihilation of the human race. It is said that whenever the Beast comes to Earth, its actions always cause a butterfly effect that can lead to a great disaster unfolding.
Because of the Beast arriving in Oleander, Director Ward used the distraction to send out a small task force into the Wastelands, hoping to salvage any DNA or items of interest that had been left behind after the Victorian's battle with the Emperor. Little did anyone know, something was waiting for them. Among the members of this task force, Skin Walker had been present.
The energy the Beast gives off is unlike anything else found in the universe. A particle, or radiation, that defies space and time and bounces around at infinite speeds, altering the course of fate as it moves. This energy is also known as Miracle-Maker. Once, this energy was harnessed by the Emperor and was used to repair and bring back the Ruler known as Lucifer. This occurred after a great battle between Full Monarch and the Beast up on Mars. This time, something similar happened. Miracle-Maker allowed the tiniest of cells that were left behind to regain a small semblance of life, allowing that which was dead to awaken.
In other words, thanks to the Beast attacking Oleander, the energy it gave off awakened what was left of Wish's shattered soul, allowing the once-dead villain to reform her body, devour Skin Walker, and repair her broken soul with the shards of others.
And thus, Wish was back.
"Did you miss me, Cindy?" Wish had a large smirk on her face and casually flipped her long white hair with one arm. Her other arm was hooked around Cora's waist. Fiery wings jutted out of Wish's back, allowing her to fly, and she hovered above the bowl filled with golden liquid. "I only ask because I missed you! I missed you so much that I used the powers I got from Skin Walker to take on your appearance!"
"How the hell are you alive!" Cinder yelled out in rage.
Wish giggled. "I already told you. The Beast brought me back. It took me quite some time to recover to my full strength. I had to lay low and pretend to be Skin Walker for a bit, who in turn was tasked with pretending to be you. I went along with it, and part of me knew you'd return. Truth be told, I was planning on going on a mass killing spree while I looked like you, doing as much evil stuff as I could, but luckily for you, the Emperor had need of me in here, so I never got the chance. Still, it was fun pretending to be you. I used to be so jealous of Sky, you know. She was born with everything I didn't have, and through our connection, my blood always boiled when I saw through her eyes. What a fool I was back then, though. The real one I should have hated was you. You cost me my chances at being a Lord!"
"You did that to yourself!" Cinder shook her head and clenched her fists. "Sky is the Lord of the Land and Life now! You shouldn't exist!"
"You're right." Wish scowled. "I'm no longer a Lord. I've lost many of my Lord powers as well. I can no longer control or distort the bodies or souls of other people. By absorbing Skin Walker's soul, though, I was able to regain my ability to twist my own body around and expand and multiply my cells. I've also gained the same neat trick you have."
"Neat trick?"
"Oh, don't play dumb." Wish frowned and glared down at the hero. "When you died to the Beast, you were only able to come back thanks to the Lord of the Sun. It wasn't without a cost, though. Both of your souls were shattered and broken, and the pieces were reforged into something new. Normally, a Super has two souls within their body, and Lords typically have three, yet you and I only have one soul within us now. This is because the soul that contained our powers and the soul that was our humanity have merged, creating a near-perfect fusion. Yet it isn't perfect yet. The fact you don't have your fire powers is proof of that. The one soul that is within your body is still broken and shattered. That's why you had to consume Parasite and that shard of Green Wolf. You took those small pieces they had and smashed them along the walls of your broken soul in an attempt to repair it, yet your soul is made up of fragments of a Lord's soul, which is vastly stronger than a normal Super, so it wasn't able to plug all the holes."
Cinder nodded, vaguely understanding what was being said. She could recall Parasite going into her body, and then that villain vanished. Back then, she had also heard the voice of the Brightest Star, yet they hadn't spoken since then. Sky had also told her about how her soul looked. Instead of the vibrant ball of fire, all that was left was a black hole, one that would need to be filled with a power near the level of a Lord for her to be truly fixed.
"I've eaten a lot of souls." Wish practically purred. "I figured it out when I was taking in Skin Walker's. You've only done two so far, and you don't know how to fully trigger it, but I've mastered it. Do you know what that means?"
"That your soul is as bad as mine and is just a bunch of hobbled-together pieces?" Cinder snorted.
"It means I'm finally going to get my revenge." Wish licked her lips. "I'm not the Lord of the Land and Life anymore, but that's okay. Thanks to you, I can be better. That connection to Sky is fully gone, but the soul within me is still just as massive due to once being entangled with a Lord's soul. I'll use you to feel it up! I'll plug my damaged soul with your ruins, and when they fuse, the Lord of the Sun will be reborn through my body! I was a fool for trying to become the next Emperor; screw all of that! I'm going to be the next Full Monarch! You were right, Cindy! The Sun is better than Life! Look at how much I've already practiced with my future powers!" Wish's wings twitched and then grew jagged, unleashing waves of hellish flames that blasted all throughout the cave that they were in, melting the walls and shaking the entire underground area.
Cinder growled and drew her sword, swinging it through the air. Her blade made contact with several of the beams, and was able to hold strong, but her own body didn't have the force necessary, and she was launched off of her feet and sent flying back. She twisted out of the way of several other beams and swung out with the case Lois had given her, using it as a makeshift shield. Whatever it was made of was strong and sturdy, blocking the beams.
She had already been pissed that Queen Cinder had fire powers, but now that she knew that it was actually Wish who had them, that was practically making her blood boil. The audacity of that bitch...
"Cinder!" Cora's shouting caused Wish's barrage of fire to stop.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about you." Wish let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, but you have to be sacrificed so this world can keep on living."
"Cora!" Cinder yelled out. "Hang on! I'm coming—
"Whoops." Wish casually let go of Cora, dropping the girl into the bowl.
"No!" Cinder screamed out, and her eyes went wide as she heard Cora land with a splash. A second later, though, she heard the liquid continue to splash, and Cora gasped. Cora's head then poked out the top of the bowl. She was swimming in the liquid.
Wish landed on the rim of the bowl and folded her arms while she stared down at Cinder. "I don't really know why Legend's stupid little ritual is the way it is, but in order for it to work, she has to die by drowning." Wish clapped her hands together, her smile growing. "So, hero, you get to do what you do best, and that's save someone. If you can beat me before that cutie drowns, then you can jump in and save her. Of course, I'm not going to make it easy for you." Wish stepped off of the side of the massive bowl and dropped down to the floor of the cave, standing in front of it and facing Cinder down. Her flaming wings twisted and changed, becoming large arms made out of fire with hands on the end of them that swiped at the air.
Cinder growled again, and her grip grew tighter on her sword. "How the hell do you even have fire powers in the first place!"
"They're not real powers." Wish lovingly ran her fingers through the flaming hands that poked out of her shoulder, and somehow the fire was solid and didn't burn her. "It's an artificial power that was created by me and the Emperor." Wish casually reached into her robes and pulled out a torn golden card. The card was torn down the middle and had the symbol of fire on it, along with the words 'Prometheus' written across them.
Cinder let out a groan. "Really? You have one? I knew it was too good to believe that only the good guys would get them."
"Becoming aware of the state of your soul is one of the first steps to messing with your own as well as others." Wish explained casually. "By dividing pieces of my own soul and using my own power, the power I was born with, and not the ones I had as a Lord, I was able to transmute those shards into different aspects of a soul, which in turn were refined by the Emperor's own manipulation of souls and placed into these cards. Since souls are what hold power, these cards were able to, in turn, also hold power, though it's fickle and weak." Wish admitted. "That said, once I do absorb your soul, the shards within you will merge with the shards in me, and recreate the Lord of the Sun which will be housed within my body, allowing me to become the next holder. Do you get why I'm telling you all this?"
"Because you're a cocky bitch?"
"Because it doesn't matter what you know." Wish stalked forward slowly. "It simply doesn't matter what you do to me-"
Cinder stabbed her blade through Wish's mouth, the weapon coming out the other end. Wish barely registered it and somehow smiled while the sword went through her head. Not being deterred at all, Cinder twisted the blade and turned it, ripping Wish's head clean off. Then she punched out as hard as she could, shattering the woman's torso and blowing it to bits. As bits of Wish rained down, Cinder ran forward and jumped toward the bowl.
She never reached it, though, as Wish's body bubbled and reformed, one of the flaming hands launching out and wrapping around Cinder's leg, dragging her away from the bowl. Cinder twisted and tried to rip her leg out of its grasp, but it held on tighter and then launched her through the cave, letting go. Cinder felt herself being sent flying back, and she rammed into a stone wall, shattering it. Before she could stand back up, Wish casually pointed at her and fired thick beams of bones from her fingertips. The bones expanded and formed into a cage that wrapped around Cinder, pinning her to the wall.
In the bowl, Cora gasped and sputtered, trying to stay afloat, but it was getting harder. The liquid was strangely sticky, like swimming through jello, making it impossible for her to move to the edge and pull herself up. It was taking everything she had to stop herself from drowning. "Cinder!" She cried out again.
"She's busy!" Wish yelled back. Wish turned back to Cinder, her smirk growing. "See, I told you I didn't have to be worried. I can still heal just like I used to be able to do. I'll admit, my ability to change people's bodies doesn't work anymore, so no more making people pop, but I can still do all my other stuff, and once I get a good enough hit on you, I'll kill and eat you up. How does it feel being cooked alive by fire powers!" Wish sneered, and her flame hands launched out two massive balls of fire.
Cinder ripped her way out of the bone cage and felt the orbs of fire smash down next to her. They exploded and blanketed her in their fire, but she had swum in magma, so it was nothing that she couldn't handle. Her sword turned red hot, and her clothes began to get burned away, but she stood her ground and marched through the flames. As she stepped out, her eyes met Wish's smug look.
"I'm a little annoyed that you look the way you do." She admitted.
"You are?" Wish cocked her head to the side. "Aw, but I thought you'd be so happy to see me?"
"Now that she's the Lord of the Land and Life, Sky looks a lot like how you do now," Cinder admitted. "It makes me feel a little bad because you two are even more identical now. I really hate the thought of harming her, but at the same time, I think I'm really, really going to enjoy what I do to you."
"That sounds kind of hot." Wish laughed. "You know, I think part of me actually loves you!"
"I'm going to make sure that you stay dead this time."
"That's what you said the last time we fought, Cindy." Wish winked.
Cinder growled, and she lifted up the case Lois had given her. It had a button on the side that she clicked, finally opening the case. A black light shined out, and then it hummed and enveloped her. She had expected it to be a new costume, but what she didn't expect was the recording that she heard, which turned on once she pressed the button.
"Hey, kid." Mr. Larison's voice made her eyes go wide as the light covered her body, and the suit began to form. "I've been pretty busy lately and was dealing with my own new suit. I told Boy Genius to make this for you, and I guess he did if you're hearing this. I- I don't really know what I should say, but... I'm glad you're alive."
Wish took a step back as the case dropped to the floor, which was now empty. The villain raised an eyebrow. "Okay? This is new? Damn Cindy, isn't this like your third suit? I'm kind of flattered that every time we fight, you always seem to have a new one."
"Shut up." Cinder's tone caused Wish's smile to fade. The hero looked down at her hands and opened and closed them a few times, processing what she was seeing. This was her most distinct suit yet. Her first costume had been a basic jacket she threw on, along with a medical mask to hide her identity. Her second one had been a suit crafted by some random suitmaker that Myth knew and had been a full-body suit that lacked a proper symbol, and she had added a torn cape and the helmet Mr. Larison gave her to it. Her third suit was crafted by Boy Genius, and it had been a mix of black, red, and gold. It had actual bits of armor built into it and had been the most sturdy one yet. That was until this one.
This new suit was more on the side of armor than her previous ones. It wasn't skin-tight either. A black breastplate covered her chest, and beneath it, she had on some sort of bodysuit, but it didn't have sleeves, and it was cut off past her feet. Gauntlets covered her hands, which were shaded red, and there was a kilt or skirt around her waist that was also red. The outfit had various silver lines across it, similar to the ones that had been built into Battery's outfit, and she finally had a proper cape. It was long and red and flowed behind her, and stitched into it in back was the symbol of a butterfly. She honestly didn't really know if she liked it more than the last one, and she also realized that there was no helmet, leaving her black hair free to fall behind her down her back.
The message Mr. Larison had recorded wasn't done either and kept going. "At first, when we met, I was going to turn you into a weapon. You were the Lord of the Sun, and I thought the world needed an icon. A shining beacon of light. After your death, however, I've taken that mantle and burden upon myself. Never again will you be required to be the light in the darkness. I don't think such a role would suit you either. You save people no matter who is watching and no matter how badly it'll affect you. If I am to take up 'his' role and become the next Full Monarch, then the role of light has already been taken. In the dark is where you will shine. A hero who saves everyone in need and is there for the people at the bottom who can't see the light. You are hope. You are the force that will guide them. You got this, Cinder."
There was a click, and the recording turned off.
"The hero in the dark?" Cinder made a slight face and moved her arms and legs up and down, getting used to the new costume. It was a little weird not having a helmet, and the skirt was also an odd choice, but she was able to lift her legs just fine, and it didn't seem like it would get in the way. The bodysuit also meant she didn't really need the skirt since her lower half was already covered up. The suit itself partially reminded her of the Victorian's, and she wondered if Mr. Larison had even seen the suit before he gave it to her. "He's talking like I'm not about to go and yell after him the next time I see him." Cinder sighed and shook her head but couldn't help the faint smile that found its way onto her face. "I'm glad he made this for me, though." She placed her hand over the chest plate. "God, it feels good to be in a costume again."
"You know, I was being nice by letting you get used to that suit, right?" Wish called out. "Also, don't forget, Cindy, a girl is drowning, so maybe hurry it up."
"Right." Cinder nodded, then threw her sword as hard as she could at Wish. The blade impaled itself into Wish's head, and the villain let out a mad laugh and launched out a wave of spikes and fire. On instinct, Cinder lifted her arm. This costume fit her perfectly, even more than her last few had, and the design was created for a reason, or at least she hoped so. She could already feel a strange connection to the suit, and she knew what it was. A sleeve suddenly formed along her arm, one made out of silver, and the silver lines all lit up for a moment. A shield sprouted out and blocked the bones and fire with ease, and she shoved her way through them. The shield pulled itself back into her costume, the sleeve also vanishing, and she struck out with a powerful punch, easily blowing Wish's body to bits once again.
"It's useless, you know!" Wish's crazed laugh bounced around the cave as the broken body parts all forced themselves back together, and Wish struck out with bone claws. The claws dug into Cinder's chest plate, tearing part of it off, and also sliced into the bodysuit. "Ha! Already tore your new costume up."
"Look again."
"Huh?" Wish's eyes went wide, and she watched as strange silver fabric bubbled out of the costume's wounds, and Cinder's suit instantly repaired itself, fixing all the damage.
Cinder smirked and punched again, ripping off Wish's head. "Finally! A costume that I don't have to worry about breaking! This suit will repair itself lickety split!" Just as Avalon had once used the Lord of the Sea and Depths Pod to create a trident for Poseidon, Boy Genius had used her own Pod to create this suit for her. She could feel it. The costume was alive, and just like Kevin, it was here to keep her safe and follow her orders. She grabbed her blade, which had still been poking out of Wish, and ripped it out, slicing the girl in two.
Wish growled and healed and struck out, ramming a fist directly into Cinder's face, sending the hero smashing back. "So what? It doesn't matter if you have a costume or not. Newsflash! You can't beat me!"
"We'll see about that." Cinder spat out some blood and stood up. Her costume changed slightly, and the skirt twisted and formed a scabbard, which allowed her to sheath her sword. She went into the fighting stance Mr. Larison had taught her and launched herself at Wish again, striking out with a one-two combo. Her blows tore off limbs and reduced Wish to mush, but the girl would just heal back. Worse yet, Wish was able to fight back against the onslaught.
"I'm serious." Wish spat out, and fire danced across her hands as she rammed them directly into Cinder's gut. "You can't beat me. Think about it. My healing is just as good as it used to be! You never had the power to kill me back then, and now that you don't have access to your fire, you definitely don't have it now! I'm unkillable! You, on the other hand!" Wish formed a whip made out of bones and muscles, and it caught on fire, ramming into Cinder's stomach and smashing the girl into the ground. "You're very killable!" Wish launched forward and sent out another massive blast of fire, which exploded into Cinder's side.
Cinder felt herself drop a bit as the stone began to melt. Her costume repaired itself, but her own body didn't have that luxury, and she was forced to go on the defensive, lifting her arms up in an effort to block. Her shield reformed as Wish reached her, the villain forming a pair of jagged bone-knuckle dusters. Wish struck out, ramming her fist into the shield over and over again, and even took a page out of Cinder's book, firing jets of flame out of her elbows, causing her arms to rocket forward. Her two massive fire arms also struck out, ramming into the shield, and she began to push Cinder back. Cinder gritted her teeth and tried to withstand the attack.
Letting out a yell, Cinder shoved herself forward and used her shield to smash into Wish's body. Wish withstood the blow and managed to strike past the metal shield, ramming a fist directly into the side of Cinder's head. Cinder felt her neck nearly snap from the force of the blow, and she gasped, dropping to her knees. While she was on the ground, Wish began to brutally kick her over and over again, ramming into her stomach, but she fought through the pain and clasped her hands together. She stood back up, swinging both her arms out, and blew Wish's torso off her lower half. Wish only smirked, though, and all the blood that flowed out of her lit up and ignited, going off like a massive bomb.
The blast sent Cinder crashing back, and she rolled across the stone floor, letting out several choking gasps as smoke covered her face. Thanks to her enhanced senses, she was able to roll out of the way in time. Wish's lower half grew a jagged bone buzzsaw that attempted to slice her in two. Wish's upper half, meanwhile, put itself back together, the girl fully healing.
"I seriously forgot how annoying it was to fight you." Cinder winced and rubbed at her head, feeling the scar that was across it burn and ache. She hated to admit it, but Wish was right. As she was now, she lacked the power to put the former Lord down for good. Even if she could, though, that didn't matter. The real issue was saving Cora, who didn't have much longer left. Bone spikes and fire orbs blasted through the air, and Cinder took off running, using her super speed to move across the cave. Wish was just as fast as her, though, and kept blocking off her attempt to run toward Cora's side. Cinder felt some of the spikes slice into her, but she ignored the pain and instead shot a look toward Cora.
Cora kept struggling and was sinking into the water, having to crane her head back awkwardly in order to keep breathing. Wish noticed her look and let out another cruel laugh. "Aw, looking at other girls when I'm right in front of you? What would Sky think, Cindy? She and I do look alike, after all."
Cinder smashed her fist into Wish's stomach, blowing a hole through it, but that was a bad idea, as it turns out, because Wish once again turned her blood into mini bombs, which went off. Cinder felt her skin turn a nasty red as the blasts tore into her arm. That pain was nothing compared to the one she got moments later when Wish's bone dusters rammed into the side of her head, cutting part of it open. She ripped her arm out of the girl and jumped back just in time to dodge a series of bone spikes.
Breathing heavily, Cinder tried to steady herself as she watched Wish's smirk grow. More fire danced across Wish's body. "Fine." Cinder placed her hand on her stomach and felt her costume shift as it brought something to her hand. "You want to play with powers that don't belong to you? I'll match that energy." A golden card appeared in her hand; without missing a beat, she tore it in half.
Wish's eyes went wide for a moment. "Really! You used it? Which one did you get? Actually! It doesn't matter!" Wish crouched down and fired forward, turning her hand into a drill. "Spoilers, my card is the strongest one, and the others were all rejects that had lame powers!"
Wish wasn't wrong. The power really wasn't that useful.
Cinder felt it appear in her head, and unlike Wish's, it wasn't a permanent ability. Gabby had said they could only use the power once. Her card was Athena, and it was supposed to give a person wisdom. What exactly did that mean? Well, she figured out what it meant as the power went off. For a moment, her brain felt like it was going to explode as an idea was forcefully shoved into her head. Wisdom, the ability to create a plan. Whether that plan would be good or not, though, remains to be seen. At the very least, the idea that was shoved into her did do something. It gave her a possible way to defeat Wish. The card told her only one thing.
She had to die.
Cinder felt unbelievable pain explode through her as Wish's drill tore its way past her chest and came out her back. In an instant, she felt her heart explode, and she died.
'Really...' A familiar voice let out a heavy sigh. 'You died again? Do you really expect me to save you again?'
Cinder felt her vision slowly fade as she stared up at the glee-filled eyes of Wish. Despite the fact that she was dying, Cinder forced a smile on her lips. "Looks like I can finally hear you again, Brightest Star."
Everything faded, and for a second time, Cinder 'died'.