Sonya held her position in the air, arms crossed behind her back as the sky above cleared. The last of the cloud coverage dissipated with First Wind’s death. She mused briefly about the notification and grinned to herself. I was hoping for an improvement like this, she thought. Remember that idea I brought up to you, Sister? she thought as the Heroes turned to face her. I think Colin and Ozzie are going to be very excited with this news.

Ah yes, your ‘End User License Agreement’ idea, Erina commented.

Yeah, that’s the one, Sonya thought as Crusader raised her weapon and pointed it at Sonya. Sonya raised her eyebrows and smirked behind her helmet, tilting her chin up a little. “You have something you want to say, little hero?” she asked and, with a flash of movement, arrived at eye-level. She reached up to put a clawed fingertip at the tip of the girl’s sword, tilting her head to look her in the eyes. “I’m all ears.”

Look at her hair, Erina said.

I see it. She’s almost there, Sonya thought.

Crusader scowled, a bead of sweat tracing down her brow as the Heroes took up positions around Sonya. All of them were raising weapons and preparing for a fight without a hint of hesitation in their eyes, even as she heard their hearts pounding in their chests. Afraid but resolute. Courage, genuine courage. Crusader lowered her sword and swept it towards the ground, a line of golden fire stretching out at her feet between her and Sonya. “We will never bend to you, Ishtar,” she growled.

Sonya tittered out a laugh. “Never say never, little hero. I have ways of breaking you.”

Crusader’s eyes flashed with golden heat. “Then bring it on,” she bit out. “We will protect this world from monsters like you to the bitter end.”

“Monster? I seem to be doing most of your monster hunting for you these days,” Sonya scoffed, waving a dismissive hand towards First Wind’s still body. “Kill stealing is rude, by the way.”

“He was our responsibility,” Crusader said. “Not yours, Villain.”

Sonya felt a bit of static in the air around her head, and with a flex, she pushed it away, Augment Reality overriding whatever Snow was working towards doing. The girl stepped back and raised her weapon, pointing it at Sonya. She chuckled and shook her head. “Adorable,” she teased and crossed her arms behind her back. Crusader took a step to the right and put herself between Snow and Sonya. “I certainly hope you’re capable of backing that up. It would be a shame if First Wind was my last challenge out of your number.”

Crusader stood up straighter. “I can’t beat you now, I know that, but one of these days you’re going to make an arrogant mistake, just like another monster I’m hunting…”

–

Kaidan let out a gasp, hands on her knees as she retched onto the ground. Her skin was still crawling as the terror tried to work its way out of her mind. There wasn’t even a source anymore; she was just afraid. She convulsed and retched again, coughing and slapping her palm against the floor as a pair of light footsteps walked past her. She looked up with a glare at the brat who had pulled her mind through a sieve, squeezing it for every ounce of terror it was capable of. 

“Was that… necessary?” she wheezed. “You didn’t even-” She gagged. “-kill them!”

“I’m not stupid enough to put my life on the line fighting an enemy I can’t yet beat,” Melinoë said with a huff and stopped in front of her, looking down with those wide, heartless eyes. Something shadowy reached up behind the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder - a lingering specter that peered down with her. “Of all of us, I figured you would be the one least inclined to make that mistake.” She yawned and shrugged. 

“If Tianmo hadn’t shown up, I would have-”

“But she did,” Melinoë said with a scoff. “She recognized your mutated freaks and tracked you down in a matter of an hour. Learn something from that.”

“I won’t be lectured to by a child!” Kaidan snarled and got to her feet. She stormed towards the girl and put a finger in her face. “My babies will tear you to pieces. Your little haunts have a limited range, but I can be everywhere.”

The lights flickered overhead, and Kaidan bit her lip, drawing blood as drowsiness started to grab at her. Melinoë narrowed her eyes in response.

“I’m stronger than some fucking hospital patients, brat.” She lowered her hand and tilted her chin up. “That said, I won’t forget the rescue.”

Melinoë smirked, and the air shifted to their left. A red crack formed in the air, and a fist plunged through it before a pair of disfigured hands grabbed on to either side and tore it open. A twisted, malformed mockery of the man they’d cloned poked his head through, vacant, monstrous eyes staring at them before forcing the portal open completely. The Rift-amalgam staggered out of the portal and lumbered to the side as another shape stepped out. Kaidan stiffened as those blue eyes locked with hers, and she lowered her head. “...Otis.”

Otis crossed his arms behind his back and looked Kaidan up and down. “You’re still alive.”

She swallowed hard as he approached her, and something worse than the manic terror that Melinoë brought settled into her mind: Bone-chilling dread. It was sourceless, not from an ability, but from the way he carried himself. He was considering killing her. The dreamweaving brat she could deal with. An immortal who could warp flesh with a touch? Not likely. He leaned down a bit and tilted his head to look into her eyes with that perfect smile that made her queasy. “What am I going to do with you, Doctor?” he asked before brightening. “I’m in a bit of a mood today. Got some bad news about a trip I have to go on. So here’s what we’re going to do…”

He grabbed her by the chin and tilted her head up to look at him straight on. He tilted his head. “You get to choose,” he said with a snarl. “I modify you or your ability,” he hissed. “Either way, I’m going to turn you into one of my Heralds, and it is going to hurt.”

–

“...One of these days, you will slip up. No one is perfect, Ishtar.” Crusader said flatly.

Sonya barked out a laugh. “You’re quite right, no one is perfect. Case in point, it would appear that I have underestimated you heroes.” She raised her clawed hand and gestured to her left with a sweeping gesture, getting the coordinates from Blackrazor before opening a portal. “Not a single one of you came to me. Not a single traitor, despite my offers of power and greatness. I really could have turned you into a queen, you know that?”

Crusader scoffed. “I believe you, and that’s the problem.”

Atta girl, Sonya thought before linking the portal. Carla stepped through and glanced around, looking a little bewildered but otherwise fine. “A deal’s a deal. I keep my word. Heroes, your Chairwoman has been returned to you unharmed.”

Crusader’s eyes widened, and she reached for Carla, pulling her over as the other heroes moved to crowd around her. The young hero turned back to Sonya and frowned. “...At least you do have one redeeming quality. It’s a shame you use all that power for yourself.”

Sonya tittered out a laugh. “I take care of my people.”

“Until it stops benefitting you,” Crusader shot back. “You’ve said it yourself. If they aren’t good for business, they aren’t worth keeping around…”

–

Mimir looked down at the small object, reaching out to run his fingers over the smooth stone. A jolt sent his hand back, and he examined his fingertips with a slight frown. The building had been under heavy security, but it hadn’t been a problem for his team. He exhaled hard and shook his head. He hadn’t wanted it to reach the point where he had to take this step, but it seemed like things were accelerating. He was running out of options, and those monsters were getting stronger.

“Sir,” one of his men grunted, approaching from the side. “I just got a report from the team in Southern France.”

“They got the people out of that death camp?” he asked flatly.

“Yessir, the civilians are safe. Astaroth will know something’s coming, but we’ve already had the lower cells dispersed and hidden ahead of time. Hellion is just waiting for him to spring the trap,” the man said before glancing down at the object. “Is that…?”

“Pandora’s Box,” Mimir said reverently. “Where all this madness began.”

The vigilante shifted on his feet and cleared his throat. “...If I could ask you, sir, what are we doing here that requires us to… do what we’re doing?”

Mimir stroked his beard and looked his way. “A box needs to be opened by someone.”

The young man paused and then furrowed his brows. He looked to the box and then up at Mimir again. “Why haven’t I heard about this person?”

“Because he turned into a monster so hateful even Ishtar is plotting against him,” Mimir said. “An immortal monster that I fear is about to wake up from a long stupor of Pandora Sickness. When he does, the world will become a very frightening place.”

There was a long pause as the words hung in the air, and the young man looked down at his feet, swallowing hard. “How do you kill someone like that? Someone even Ishtar is wary of?” he asked, looking up at Mimir. “He has to have a weakness, right?”

A radio crackled on Mimir’s belt, and he reached for it, tapping the call button twice to confirm he was listening. The voice on the other end spoke up. ”We’ve retrieved the target. On our way to the safe house to lay low until your signal.”

Mimir let out a weary sigh. “That’s what we’re about to find out. As for the cost of that information, I only hope that you can continue to follow me afterwards.”

–

Crusader threw out her arms. She clearly saw a chance to spill her guts. Sonya understood what she was saying, she felt it deep in her heart, but her path was already set, and she knew where she was going. She smiled as the girl went on, her chest swelling with pride. “Where does it end?” Crusader demanded. “What’s the point of causing all of this? Hurting all of these people? What good does it do?”

Sonya floated up and crossed her legs. “You tell me,” she said playfully.

“Avoiding the question,” Crusader bit out. “You talk like someone else I know, but at least she helps people. At least she cares! You’re just a-” She shook her head and clenched her teeth. “What are you after, Ishtar?” she demanded as all the heroes watched. “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

“The death of a certain man,” Sonya said with all the cold she could muster. Her good humor vanished like dust on the wind. She tilted her chin up and looked down on her. “And the world that follows it. My world.”

Crusader held her gaze and narrowed her eyes. “That isn’t up to you. We’ll guide the world forward.”

“Stop me then,” Sonya shot back. “Prove me wrong. Prove that you all won’t end up like him…” she said and jerked her chin towards First Wind’s corpse. She snorted out a laugh and rose into the sky. “Until then, little heroes,” she turned away before pausing and glancing back at Crusader. “Oh! And… Crusader?” she said brightly before fixing the young woman with a stare. “You have my attention.”

With that, she shot away with a ripple of sound and a shudder in the air.

–

Crusader let out a gasp and nearly collapsed as a few of the others hurried over to grab her, hauling her to her feet as she steadied herself. All of them were shaking, and even she didn’t have the wherewithal to cast her gold flame about and soothe their hearts. I just spoke with Ishtar, face-to-face, and survived. She covered her face and let out a shaky breath as a small hand slid up her back. She glanced back at Snow, who smiled at her and wrapped a protective arm around her despite still technically being on duty. No one said a word.

“You got Ishtar to talk.”

Crusader looked up, momentarily startled before she remembered that they’d earned the Chairwoman’s freedom. All the heroes quickly turned to snap a salute as the woman raised her hands with a chuckle. “At ease, please. This is not the time nor the place.”

“Are you okay, ma’am?” Crusader asked.

“I’m fine. They were oddly hospitable,” she said dryly. “Apparently, she made a bet with you all or something, and she charged her men with protecting me until it was done.”

Crusader let out a sigh of relief even as the others gave her looks of concern. She met their gazes and knew what they were thinking. “You have my attention.” She felt the pit in her gut grow wider even as she clamped down on it with all the resolve she had. She closed her eyes and took a breath. I swore I’d be on the team that brought her down when I joined the Hero Camp. Getting her attention is only natural.

The Chairwoman was the first to speak. “Hero Crusader,” she said and glanced up to where Ishtar had been floating when she gave her ominous declaration.

Crusader followed her gaze and nodded. “I know, but she made one big mistake today, just as I said she would,” she declared. “She made us stronger,” she said. “We’ll be ready for her next time.”

–

Sonya landed atop a building near her destination. The others were close by, but she needed a moment to breathe. She released her Declaration Form with an effort of will and felt the seemingly endless stamina vanish in an instant. Her body felt worn, the injuries ached, and there were wounds she hadn’t even noticed. She pulled off her helmet and couldn’t even summon up the strength to dismiss it into her storage space, setting it down next to her and letting out a groan.

You stayed in that form for a while. I’m surprised your impressions didn’t run out, Erina said.

“I’ve got mine and Ishtar’s,” Sonya said wearily. “I’ll be fine come tomorrow.”

Was it alright to say all that to Crusader? Erina asked. In front of so many? Personally, I would have demonstrated my strength to them and left without a word, perhaps a little monologuing.

Sonya shook her head and rested against a wall. “I needed to hear it from her, from them. I needed to test that conviction one more time.”

Are you finally satisfied? Erina asked.

Sonya smiled. “Yeah, I am. The heroes don’t need me to unify them anymore. They can manage themselves. I hurt Otis today in a way that he can’t easily recover from.”

Then a major part of the plan is complete, Erina said. Where to next, my dear villainous sister?

Sonya grinned and slowly pulled herself to her feet. She flexed her aching hand and held it out, creating a portal as her jade heart thumped with exhaustion. “Craftsman is connected to Otis, we’ll find him. Majordomo is still missing. So that leaves only one target to concern myself with for the immediate future.”

You never did get to see Paris in the previous timeline, Erina pointed out. Of all the places a skirt-chaser like you could miss.

Sonya laughed. “I’m going to cause so much trouble.”

–

Astaroth adjusted his tie, frowning a bit at himself in the mirror. The fit was a bit off today. That tailor would have to be reprimanded. He shook his head and glanced towards the pair of demons kneeling to his left. “You brought news for me?” he asked. “It better be something good. I have a speech in a few minutes, in case you’ve forgotten.”

The first of the twisted figures raised his head before quickly lowering it again, not daring to meet his auspicious gaze. “Great Demon Lord,” he said and pressed his head to the ground. “Forgive me, but I have not found Mimir yet, and…” He swallowed hard. “...the southern chattel farm has gone quiet.”

Astaroth’s eyes narrowed, and the demon’s head collapsed like a tin can. He crumpled to the ground in a heap before he turned to the second. “I certainly hope your news is better than his, for your sake.”

The second demon glanced at his former comrade and then up at Astaroth before cracking a smile. “You’ll be pleased to hear that Dubois’s soul stone is broken.”

Astaroth raised his eyebrows. “He’s dead, then.”

“Yes, sire,” the demon said and inclined his head. “The replacement to the Committee you arranged for is already being ‘vetted’ by Parliament. The sanction that Dubois called for will be lifted within the week. We have already prepared the invitations.”

Astaroth smiled.