As Sonya's merry skipping came to a stop in front of the door leading to the judge’s room, she took note of the sole person inside. Her smile widened even more, and she pushed in, her gaze settling on Lillian. The up-and-coming hero was sitting on the couch; she’d barely moved. Her eyes were fixed on the screens floating around her, and she was taking notes now and then on a tablet. Lillian set the tablet down and turned to her with a tired sigh. “Back already?”

Sonya held up a bag of chips and chuckled. “I got my snacks.”

Lililan chuckled and looked up at the screen. “Teacher left.”

“She did,” Sonya nodded. “Off being the world’s finest.”

Sonya sat down, and the young hero glanced at her with a smirk. “You’ll have to pick up the slack, not like you two were getting anything productive done flirting the entire time.”

You actually did it? Sonya chortled inwardly.

You told me to, you little brat! Ishtar protested.

“It’s a shame, but I’ll live, I guess,” Sonya said with an exaggerated sigh, slumping a bit more into her seat and crossing her legs. The fighting was picking up on the screens, and it looked like they were much further into the city. “They’re in the Middle Zone, right?” she asked.

“Mhm,” Lillian grunted, her eyes downcast.

She flicked her eyes a few more times towards Sonya before Sonya turned her way. “If you’re going to ask a question, young lady. Just do it. Still fretting after everything Chunhua and I taught you. You never change in some ways.”

Lillian flushed and cleared her throat. She took a deep breath before fixing Sonya with a stare. “How long?”

“Mm?”

“How long did you know about… him? About why I should trust my instincts,” Lillian asked pointedly. She looked down at her hands and clenched them tightly.

Sonya stared at her for a second and let her mind handle the instinctive response. She looked towards the screens again and closed her eyes, remembering another life. “I honestly liked the guy at first. He seemed like good people. I respected his work ethic and how far he was willing to go to make an impression. That changed over time. Something about him seemed off.”

“Did you know before you brought him on?” Lillian asked.

“Yes.”

Lillian shot to her feet. “Sonya!”

“Sit down,” Sonya scolded her, and Lillian sat, her fists clenched. Sonya looked at her and held her gaze. “Let me ask you something. Would you rather have a dangerous factor outside your control or in it?”

Lillian blinked. “What?”

Sonya looked back to the screens. “Lillian, he was going to become a hero one way or another. With his ability and growing reputation, how long before another guildmaster suggested him for International? What can the Pandora Committee do with a gut feeling? With sketchy suspicions? He passed the truth verification, Lillian.”

“You could have warned us,” Lillian croaked.

Sonya turned slowly to face her and gave her a hard look. A tiny, tiny bit of Imperious pushing out to make her point. Not enough to be noticeable as an ability, but enough to make the girl’s heart slow just a bit. “And what good would that have done? Sow discord in one of my guilds without any definitive proof? Lillian, I did the best I could.”

“But he-”

Sonya nodded. “And he’ll pay for it. I promise. Because one day he’s going to do something so arrogant he can’t take it back, and people will start wondering…”

–

Otis walked past the ‘guard’ that was stationed in the front entrance of the Guild Hall. The man apparently had some sort of ability that allowed him to save and load information, even his own. It was a useful trait for a guard, being able to upload his own eyewitness information and thoughts to a digital format. Fortunately, as long as he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he wouldn’t have any reason to think about a particular moment.

Anonymous worked just fine. Otis didn’t need to burn extra power to Pause him.

He grinned at the pair waiting for him at the door. “Is he here?”

“Yeah,” Felwinter said. “He’s waiting for you in the car.”

Otis glanced towards Riot and looked him up and down. “Sticking with that look, huh?”

Riot’s shaky lips twisted up into a smile, and he tugged at the exotic sleeved shawl. The necklaces hanging around his neck glittered with that same rainbow hue as his threads. “I thought it fit. My old mentor tried to dress me up into someone I’m not.”

“Good for you,” Otis said with approval and walked out the doors with his two first Heralds. He blasted Anonymous out. It was still a bit of a pain doing it intentionally, but having skills to grow with him instead of a flat, unchanging ability was far better in his opinion. “How are things going with the side project?”

“Mel told me they’re almost done,” Riot said. “A test case went out to Dharan.”

Otis raised an eyebrow. “Did they at least use the trinket I gave them?”

“Of course. No footage will be maintained.” Riot nodded and rubbed his neck. “Majesty, when am I getting started on my part?”

“We’re almost there,” Otis said. “Just a bit longer and you can begin.”

He glanced up towards the cloudy sky overhead. He hadn’t figured it would be overcast, but that was New York for you. He shrugged as they approached the car. Felwinter opened the door, and he slipped inside, smiling at the sole occupant. “Young master! You came a long way to talk. Tell me about your concerns.”

–

“They’ll start wondering where his loyalties really lie,” Sonya said. “They’ll start wondering why he’s so ‘perfect’. If it’s a ruse or not.” She clenched her fists and sat back a bit. “When that happens, there will be people who will side with him. I guarantee it. He’s already planted the seeds of confidence.”

“You really think he’s that dangerous?” Lillian asked.

“I think…” Sonya breathed, “I think you need to be ready for him. I think you need to be careful. I can hold him back as long as possible but I am who I am. The other option is trying to fight him but…” She gave Lillian a sidelong look.

“...He’s invincible.” Lillian sighed, understanding. “I just wish Val hadn’t-”

Sonya nodded. “I know you’ll do the right thing at the right time. I trust you, Lillian.”

“I just feel like there’s something coming. My gut is telling me that all hell is about to break loose and there’s nothing I can do about it,” Lillian said and looked up at the screens.

Sonya nodded. “Then do what you can and respond when the other shoe drops, because it will.”

–

Kerauna crouched atop the office building overlooking the squat headquarters of the East Coast ASTA Guild. Her smile spread across her face as a trio walked out of the building and slipped into a car. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but that really didn’t matter. All that mattered was that all three of her targets were in one place. Charon wasn’t her favorite person amongst the Inner Circle, but he was a fun guy. Smart too and easy to get along with when he wasn’t being pretentious.

Ultimately, he was family.

No one crosses our family, she thought as energy continued to build overhead. Power collecting in the clouds. She grinned broadly, energy dancing on her teeth and behind her eyes. “Naughty, naughty, Otis. Sneaking out when you’re in trouble! Time out is called time out for a reason!” she snickered to herself. “Shouldn’t you be doing your time and being a good boy?”

She rose to her feet and held her hand up. Riot was there, so she’d be doing as she was told. So what if the other two were present? She’d drop a bolt and skedaddle.

“Don’t worry, since Momma isn’t here, Auntie Kera will handle your spanking!” she snarled. “Just sit still for a little longer…”

–

“What happens then?” Lillian asked.

Sonya smiled to herself. “Then all the rats will start coming out of hiding,” she said. “All the bugs and ticks and parasites hiding in the shadows will scurry out into the open, and the opportunity will present itself to clean house just a little more.”

“He’s still invincible though.”

Sonya nodded. “Baby steps. Little by little, that’s what it's going to take to beat a real monster like him.”

Lillian frowned at her, the wheels turning behind her head. “Do you want to force an encounter between him and Ishtar or something? She seems like the only person who can handle him. I don’t like the idea of working with a villain, though.”

Sonya shrugged. “Then don’t. You are a hero, Lillian. A good one. Probably will be one of the greats in the future. I believe in you more than you can possibly imagine,” she said with a smile and looked at the girl. “Have faith in yourself and keep following this path you’re on. You’ll be in the right place at the right time, even if I have to play some games to make it happen.”

Lillian smiled at her. “That sounds like you.”

Sonya laughed. “Yeah, I’m a bit sneaky when I want to be. But we’re in a world full of unfair powers and sneaky people using them. This isn’t a game. There isn’t just one person with an almighty power. So I’ll play by their rules as best I can.”

–

The airport terminal was bustling, crowded with faces coming and going as announcements chimed overhead. He frowned. He hadn’t shaved in quite a long time, but it was necessary in this case. The mask wouldn’t apply properly otherwise, and it wasn’t like it would take long for his beard to grow back. He was pretty sure it had something to do with a minor side effect of his ability at this point. He shook his head and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

A woman approached him, and he glanced at her neck, where a skin patch covered her return mark. She met his eyes and inclined her head before gesturing towards a van waiting for him.

“Tikanis,” he said quietly.

“Malista,” she replied, and they walked over. She opened the sliding door, and he climbed inside, meeting the eyes of the half dozen men sitting within. All of them radiated honed mana. Abilities that had been practiced with the help of his gaze. This was how he would compete. An inexperienced Heroic or Mythic was no match for a Rare or Epic that had unlocked all of their instincts through his guidance. They knew their powers far better than anyone should at this time in the game. They were professionals.

One of the men handed him a gun, and he rolled it over in his hands.

“The target?” he asked.

“Intercepting shortly. We’ll have time,” one of the men grunted. “How are things in France?”

“Almost ready,” Mimir said. “Let’s move.”

–

“I only wish we could be the ones setting the rules,” Lillian said and rested her chin on her knuckles, watching as a pair of heroes saved one of their own from an Armored Brute. She nodded slowly and wrote something down. “A few of them have begun taking advantage of the fact that they’re top heavy.”

Sonya glanced at the screen. “Thoughts on Nietz?”

Lillian shot her a look before closing her eyes and nodding. “While I don’t like the ‘just following orders’ excuse, he seems alright.”

“You aren’t wrong to feel that way,” Sonya said and eyed the screen where Nietz grew in size before snapping a clawed hand out at one of the large wingless dragon-like creatures that was attacking the other heroes from afar. He tossed it into the sky where Kong flew by and struck it with his staff. The monster exploded. “I think, though, that being forced into a choice between one bad route and another makes things murky.”

“What do you mean?”

“They threatened his license and Locke’s,” Sonya said bluntly. “He was willing to lose his, but she couldn’t afford to. He stayed for her.”

Lillian scowled and looked back at the screen. “I still resent him.”

“I didn’t tell you not to,” Sonya said. “Only to allow him to show you just the kind of person he really is. There’s a difference between someone like him and a real bootlicker.”

–

Astaroth adjusted his tie.

The suit was exquisite. The rings were beyond expensive. The cologne would have paid for a small home amongst the rabble. The thought of it made him euphoric - lesser creatures scuttling around on the ground like the parasites they were. Cattle that had no better purpose than to suffer to make their meat more succulent. He sniffed the air and tasted the terror on the other side of the door, licking his lips and letting the seconds pass to draw it out. Like basting a turkey, he thought as he graced the handle of the door with his fingertips.

He pushed the door open and smiled broadly. “Prime Minister.”

The older man sitting behind the desk was pretending to look busy even as the sweat added a stink to the space. The human finally looked up at him and forced himself to brighten, getting to his feet and walking around the expensive furniture and through the room coated in wallpaper infused with gold foil. He held out a hand. “Lucian! You came.”

Astaroth looked down at his hand and then up at him again. The Prime Minister withered a little beneath his stare and pulled his hand back. “...Later then?”

“When we’re done and you’re worth touching,” Astaroth said.

“O-of course. I’m… hoping things are going well with your campaign? I s-saw the polls. You’re soaring, sir,” The Prime Minister babbled.

“Yes,” Astaroth said. “I’ll be leaving for my speaking tour this afternoon. A few days of talking to the unwashed creatures to convince them to give me what is already mine.”

“They’ll submit, I’m sure,” the old man doddered. “I’ve m-made arrangements to spread as much positive influence as possible for you.”

“Good,” Astaroth growled. “You’ve served me well.”

“Th-then? May I join you?” The pathetic creature pleaded.

Astaroth grabbed him by the face, and the man let out a gasp before devolving into screams of pain. “Yes. Welcome to the fold.”

–

Lillian was quiet for a while, thinking about what Sonya said. Sonya rested her back against the couch again and opened the bag of chips, popping it open and taking a few bites. She hummed to herself as the heroes on the screen broke through the line of intensified fighting. The monsters started out as creatures from a Common dungeon and had burst into becoming Uncommon. Yet time had allowed them to grow and change; they’d become monstrously strong, and most were now Rare with a few obvious Epics scattered about.

Case in point.

A gathered group of heroes was thrown back as a lanky entity made of metal rather than straw rose up from among them. It spun, and wind battered them away before it raised its hands, and bolts of electricity danced around it. A few of them were struck, and one nearly fried as bolts rebounded within their metal armor. A wave of green from one of Hammond’s conjured creatures saved another life.

“They’re almost there, but it’s still daytime. It’ll be asleep,” Lillian said.

Sonya smirked and winked at her. “Then they just have to wake it up.” 

–

“Huff… huff…”

Nietz panted, planting his hands on his knees as the other heroes ran past him. His stamina was waning. They’d been going since dawn. Bodies of monsters were everywhere along with, very rarely but still heart-achingly too often, a body of a human being. Heroes were dying for this, pushing themselves to the limit in order to make history and have a chance at greater power. He wondered if this was going to become a norm. If the lust for greatness would override the self-preservation of ordinary people from now on.

I guess it depends on what comes of the rewards, he thought.

Kong landed next to him. “You good, friend?”

Niets reached out and slapped his ally’s arm. “You know it! Just catching my breath.”

“It’s clearing!” Someone shouted. “The mist is clearing!”

He blinked and looked up, Hammond hurrying over to stand with him as the fighting slowed just a little bit. Everyone was looking up. The mist that still roiled around the heart of Dharan was dissipating; the rainbow sparks and particles of monster formations were ebbing. A shape began to grow visible in the cloud. An enormous mountain of hard scale coiled into a ball. The vague description of the anchor beast hadn’t even remotely prepared them.

Kong whistled. “I think… this isn’t a fight one person can handle.”

Nietz set his jaw. “Then we’ll all give it a shot.”

–

“This isn’t going to be easy for them. Some will die,” Lillian said quietly. “Where are the others?’

“Coming back from their break now,” Sonya said, putting her phone down. “I just let them know.”

Lillian turned to Sonya. “Thank you.”

Sonya snorted. “For what?”

“For being so upfront with me. I don’t blame you - for Val. How can anyone predict madness?” She sighed. “Or control a real monster?”

Sonya got to her feet and walked over to the girl, taking a knee and reaching out to place a hand on her cheek. She looked her in the eyes. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but things are going to get harder before they get better. I just need you to be strong for me. Can you do that, Crusader?”

Crusader set her jaw. “I won’t let you down, ma’am.”

“I know,” Sonya said and moved back to her seat as the others approached outside. “Just remember that not all plans go the way we expect, and that things don’t start or end simply. It’s how we adapt to the changes that define us.”

–

Ma did not like it. He did not like it one bit. This plan was absurd. The others were out of their minds for agreeing to it. There was a difference between targeted politicking and a few minor schemes where no one suffers lasting physical harm and this. He was aware that it was merely a contingency - that hopefully Qilin would make her own move and he wouldn’t have to be party to this madness. On the other hand, he’d seen Qilin with Chernovna. He knew in his gut that her loyalties had shifted.

He glared at the false Dubois, still wondering what happened to the original, while the representatives finished making their preparations. ‘Dubois’ looked his way and smirked at him smugly. “We’ve got a reporter ready to catch everything as it happens.”

“Only if Qilin doesn’t do what she’s told,” Ma repeated. “We’re putting a lot of lives at risk.”

“Since when were you soft?” Polina laughed at him, checking her phone as men came and went, dropping boxes off and unpacking them. “Quit whining, Ma.”

“Since we nearly killed a girl barely old enough to call herself an adult. Since we put our homelands at risk for that insipid injunction!” he barked. “This is out of control. I wanted to weaken Chernovna’s connection to the Committee, not burn a nation to the ground.”

“Since when did you care about Nepal?” ‘Dubois’ asked with a frown. “Besides, China’s elite heroes will intervene in time.”

“Not without casualties!” Ma stomped his foot and marched towards the fake. “Listen here, you-”

The room got cold.

All of the air left Ma’s lungs.

He felt like he was being judged. Like his heart was being weighed on scales. Every muscle locked, and every instinct in his body screamed to flee, to hide, to cover his head and wait miserably for an end that he could not escape.

“Found you,” a young woman said, her voice hauntingly soft. He and the others turned slowly to see a green cheongsam, a soft, bored face, and a pair of long antlers rising up from them. Her eyes shone with starlight as she tilted her head up and looked down upon them like insects even as her expression turned… unsettling. She was blushing, smiling, excited.

“Q-qiiln! Is it done?”

“Ma,” she whispered. “Do you want to be here?”

The whispered words filled the entire room, and he swallowed hard. Every rational thought told him to say yes, to show his loyalty to that woman and let this pass him by. Survival instinct would tell him to be complicit, to just follow orders. Yet he just… couldn’t do it.

“No.”

“Ma!” ‘Dubois’ shouted. “What are you doing?”

Qilin was in front of Ma before he could even think of drawing mana. She grabbed his chin and looked at him, looking through him, before letting go. “Then throw yourself at her mercy when the time comes. As for the rest of you…” She smiled. “...I will protect her,” she said dreamily and plucked a hair from her head. It glowed and pulsed, and she started to move.