"Is it just me or did we have the best night ever?" Regan yawned.

Bay half-smiled. "It was fun."

Iris nudged Regan. "We should...get some day clothes on." she got up and headed for the door.

Regan leaned her head back. "But why? What's the harm in staying in PJs a little longer?"

Bay laughed. "Good point Regan."

Iris sighed and sat on Bay's bed. "Okay, if we aren't changing, then what are we gonna do?"

"I have an idea!" Regan gasped. "How about we play the new Spider-Man game I brought...!" she leaped from the bed and pulled it out of her bag.

Bay snatched it from her hand and turned it to the back. "What is it with you and Spider-Man anyways, really?"

"Oh I don't know. I guess I just saw the first movie in the Spiderverse trilogy and...nevermind." Regan rubbed her arm and laughed nervously.

"Oh uh right. Sure." Bay whispered.

Iris glanced at her with narrowed eyes.

Regan took the game back and clicked open the its package, slipping the disc into the tiny slot on Bay's XBox. She grabbed the controllers and handed them out to her friends.

"Actually, I don't really feel like playing. You two can start without me." Bay put her controller back on the table with the console and TV.

"Okay sure..." Regan replied distractedly.

Bay got up and left her friends alone. She headed downstairs and immediately the smell of freshly buttered cinnamon raisin toast and eggs hit her. She poked her head into the kitchen and saw three plates on the island, but no mom.

"Mom...?" Bay called, cautiously stepping over to the island.

A shadow flashed behind her and she spun around. She cautiously took a step back toward the stairs but something sharp flew through the air and sliced Bay's arm.

"Ow ow ow..." she sucked in breath and held her hand over the scar.

"Well hello. Water-Skater." a voice behind her laughed.

Bay spun around, still gripping the cut. "You must have me confused for s-someone else."

A tall boy stepped out of the shadows. He bore down on her almost like a mountain.

"You." Bay growled.

The boy laughed. "It seems you remember."

"Of course I do! You were stalking me, idiot!" Bay shouted.

"Bay! What's going on down there? Why are you screaming?" Iris appears coming down the stairs.

Bay widened her eyes. The boy turned his head around. Bay lifted her leg and kicked the boy hard. She ran past him and toward Iris, crashing into her and tumbling on the wooden steps.

"Bay what is going on?! Where'd that scar come from?!" Iris panicked.

Bay pushed her friend up the stairs as much as she could. "Iris listen, I need you to go upstairs and get Regan out of here. Now!"

Iris nodded and ran up the rest of the stairs. The boy groaned behind Bay and focused back on her. Bay flipped herself around.

"You're coming with me whether you like it or not!" The boy leaped for her.

Bay kicked him again and sent him tumbling back down. "Oh no I'm not."

She scrambled up more of the stairs. The boy quickly recovered from the hit and followed her. He grabbed her leg and laughed. Bay tried kicking him again, but he caught her other leg. She gasped.

"Like I said, whether you like it or not." the boy growled.

"Get your hands off her!" Rune flew down the stairs and landed on the boy.

The boy grunted and let go of Bay's legs. Rune wrapped webs around him. Bay moved to the top of the stairs and sat there.

Iris peeked out of her friend's room. "Oh good." she breathed a sigh of relief.

Bay turned her head around and smiled. "Glad you made it. But I told you to get Regan out of here."

Iris walked over to her and helped her up. Bay caught the glimmer of the boy's eye in the corner of hers and shoved her friend to the side. A metal robotic arm gripped her.

"Bay no!" Iris cried.

Bay groaned when the arm got tighter. Her cut burned.

"Let her go!" Iris screamed.

Regan poked her head out of Bay's room and widened her eyes panickly. "No no no." She rushed out completely and ran down the stairs, helping Rune with the boy.

"Regan, what are you...?" Iris trailed off and shook her head to clear it before going back into the room and grabbing the pocket knife on Bay's dresser. She came back out in a frenzy and dug the sharp end deep into the metal arm.

The arm shot sparks out and broke. Bay fell and coughed. Blood dripped from the cut on her arm. "Iris, you saved me..." her head buzzed.

"Anything for a friend. A best friend." Iris replied.

"Bay! Get her out of here! Now! More guys are coming!" Rune shouted. "Regan and I will try to hold most of them off. This is up to you Iris."

Iris nodded confidently and helped her friend up. She tapped on the small watch on her arm and a spiral portal opened before them. Iris walked Bay toward it and stepped them inside.

"No!" the boy shouted. "She got away. Again."

"That's right. Good luck getting her now." Regan growled.

Rune grabbed Regan's hand and she looked down. She read the look in his eyes and nodded. She flipped something put of her pocket and threw it down. A explosion of smoke was left, leaving the guys coughing.

One of them brought up a hologram of a man. "Sorry sir." he gasped for air. "She got away again. And her friends too."

The man slammed his fist against his desk. "Worthless. Here's what you'll do now, disguise yourselves, all of you. And get me the girl!!"

"We'll get to it right away. And we won't fail you again." the guy said confidently.

"If you do fail me again, I'll have your head!" the hologram disappeared.

She gripped the ancient relic tightly, feeling the power running through it. Her friends stood behind her, anxiously waiting for her to store it in the protective wooden box laced with siren’s blood that they acquired in a grueling chess game with a disgruntled giant. The bloody game had left most of their team injured but the former prince, Ian, had lost a leg. The relic’s power throbbed in her small grasp, a voice spoke her true name in her mind.

Phoebe, daughter of the forgotten!, the relic’s voice echoes in her mind as it reminds her of her purpose. Her birthright.

“Magenta, put that monstrosity in the box already! Why are you just standing there?!” Diana, the muscular huntress, snapped, itching to get out of here and back to the fresh air above.

Phoebe, not Magenta, studied the relic with a gleaning grin tugging at her lips. What a shame that they won’t be leaving, Phoebe mused as she stared at the relic which fit so well in her palm. The relic, a small bird statue encrusted in rubies, gleamed with a shine reminiscent of a moonless night, its eyes luminating with a predatory gaze. The relics' corrupted desires and need for hell-bent destruction melded well with Phoebe’s vengeful one’s. It was getting restless, screeching for a taste of blood and behind her stood the most desirable platter…but it will not eat just yet.

“Is it messing with her mind?” Ian asked in a voice filled with anxiety.

Phoebe could just tell he was running a hand through his luscious golden locks and had to resist rolling her eyes. She heard him take a timid step closer and she turned, cloaking her deceit with a show of feigned concern.

“I’m fine, just admiring its exquisite craftsmanship,” she said, fighting against time to achieve her destiny.

“Here, in this crumbling temple?” Interjected Clover, a tall mage with healing powers.

Phoebe looked over at Clover with studious eyes. “You know once we leave here everyone will clamor for our find. Please, just give me another minute.”

Phoebe turned around, hiding the view of the relic from her friends with her body. The relic is no longer screeching for blood but calling her name with a desperate desire for usage.

Daughter of the forgotten, let us bring fire to this world. Let us bring about your birthright!

She brought it close to her lips, then, with a sudden gusto, tilted her head back, swallowing it whole like a ravenous snake.

For a moment, she felt herself unraveling, every imprint of her is erased and rewritten by the relic’s dark power. Heat filled her. Her vision blurred. There was a loud ringing noise in her ear, a signal of her rebirth. There’s lava in her pure-blood veins. She closed her eyes, body heavy, feeling like it’s falling from the clouds like heavy rain. She does not fall, strength from her pureness keeps her from falling down. At least, that’s what she told herself as she took heavy breaths and kept her posture straight.

Her eyes opened, burning like her hatred for those not like her and she stares at the ground that now has the red shine of the relic’s rubies. Confused, she’s terrified by the light as the relic’s power consumed her like the sweetest delight, reshaping her into the embodiment of her people's lost values.

In her heart, the hatred instilled in her before she could speak shone like a fire setting a house ablaze. Phoebe’s mind drifted to her mother’s constant reminders.

“Our values have been forgotten,” her mother would say as she brushed her fingers through her hair as she held onto her tight. “They give too much to those who aren’t worthy. They’ve forgotten our principles but you my dear, you will restore our greatness and erase the outsider’s corruption on our land.”

Phoebe’s people, the Forgotten, prided themselves on their pure bloodlines, intermarrying to preserve their ancestral features. It was a woman’s duty to give herself to their revered men even if they were on a shared family branch. At night, the forgotten men would go for a hunt, ropes in hand, fire in the other, looking for those of the modern kingdom and reminding them of what society has forgotten. Women weren’t allowed on their hunting nights but that didn’t stop them from upholding their society’s principles well.

Drifting back to the present, Phoebe’s blood boiled like a captured outsider’s body in the community’s giant pot. Whenever those of the modern kingdom stumbled upon them, they would be imprisoned, tortured, and then they would become their meal. Phoebe always wondered why they would eat something so impure but her father had waved her question away.

“We clean the meat well and anything we consume is instantly cleansed for that is how our purity works.”

As her father said that, Phoebe thought of the raw chicken meat her aunt consumed years ago and how it had left her dead days later. Was there a certain element that triggered their purity? Did they have to believe with all their hearts?

Phoebe believed in the forgotten’s cause. She’d sacrifice anything to see if it comes to fruition, even herself. As the relic’s power devoured her, Phoebe felt herself evolving, her humanity draining away as she morphed into an elevated creation. Her skin got paler, eyes turned all white, and her hair resembled freshly fallen snow.

It was getting closer. The full merger between her and the relic’s dark power. Yet, something odd happened just when her transformation was nearing its end. She felt a sharp feeling in her back straight through her chest. Looking down, Phoebe saw the point of a blade protruding from her chest. Her head turned and she saw Diana who looked at her with fury in her eyes.

“We will not be forgotten,” Phoebe sputtered out.

Diana’s eyes narrowed in recognition. “You’re one of those…”

Diana’s teeth gritted, continuing. “You will never be remembered.”

Just as she said that the crumbling temple collapses on them all.

Her veins burned as her blood turned to ash, the skin around them blackening and cracking with the heat. The pain was excruciating as she watched a rust-red blade start to grow out of the previously empty hilt. She didn’t know what the relic did, but it had to be powerful for it to be hidden away like this, so she probably had a far better chance with it in her hands than if she kept running. Her pursers’ blood would hopefully appease the forgotten god she had just stolen from, and she hoped hers would understand her desperation.

Time meant little to her at the moment, the pain still blinding, so she measured her progress by how long the sword was. By the time it was as long as her forearm, she heard shouting. By the time she heard footsteps, a sword longer than her arm had grown, tip sharp and sides serrated. Her entire left arm and shoulder were black and burning, but she didn’t have time to focus on that. Sweat dripping from her brow from the heat and pain, she forced herself to move behind the door. The builders of this room either had too much time or were far too paranoid for their own good. Pillars crowded the room, breaking up light and rendering it moot quickly, and alcoves built into the walls and the pillars themselves made for excellent hiding places. The door itself wasn’t much better. It was staggeringly too large for the room. To see her, the men would have to go to almost the center of the room, move around an additional pillar, and hope to notice the alcove tucked as close to the door as the builders could presumably get it. In short, she had the time to plan her moves once the first one appeared before she had to fight for her life.

By this point in her quest, fighting for her life wasn’t an unusual position for her, but it was the first time she’d do it with a sword. The only reason she even knew how to hold the thing was because of her mother.

Lantern light was now visible under the doorway, almost blinding in its intensity, as the first person arrived at the room. She could hear him shout in a language she didn’t know, telling his friends he had found a room. She heard him mutter to himself about how dark the room was, watching the edge of the pillar for the second he rounded it. His friends were far behind him, she could hear them arguing about going down a staircase a hallway over. If she could kill him quickly, she could leave before the others arrived. His footsteps echoed like cannonfire, but she held still, eyes closed to avoid the blinding lantern light.

There

His footsteps rounded the pillar, and she darted forward, covering the ground between them faster than she thought possible. He screamed, or maybe she did, and then he was dead. As soon as she opened her eyes, she had to slam them shut again from the pain, blindly stomping out until she hit glass and broke the lantern. When the spots stopped dancing in her vision, she looked down at the corpse in front of her. The blade had sliced clear through his torso, bisecting him. It was over, and she had to grab onto the gouge in the pillar next to her for balance. She had seen plenty of bodies, but none this close, not so quickly she had killed them. The blood had never been fresh before.

It didn’t matter. She had to leave. The men in the hallway over had heard and were coming toward her. She could hear them draw their swords and knew at least one of them was silver. She wouldn’t last long against that one, not while she was still so weak. It wouldn’t be hard to pick them off. She could get out of this situation slowly if she needed to, though.

Some part of her mind piped up, scared and confused about what was happening, but the men were getting closer and she could feel their lantern light already. Her sword trailed through the bloody mess on the floor and she scrambled out of the room, taking off deeper into the temple. It was familiar ground, a home turf advantage. Her god would understand. If she were to continue her quest, her pursuers needed to be dead and she couldn’t kill them all at once. They needed to die. A bit more sacrilege would be nothing but a passing memory once her quest was finished.

Over the course of 6 days - she could feel the sun rising and setting - she picked off the rest of her pursuers. They got antsy to leave after their fifth death, but she ensured they had no escape routs. No loose ends. By the last day, there was only the one with the silver and two others left. Kill the extras first. A much more manageable battle. As expected, the man with the silver was the hardest to beat, but even he only managed to land a single hit, one her sword repaired easily enough. She wondered what her mother would think about her sudden swordsmanship. She hoped she would be proud.

On a whim, she picked up the silver sword. It was heavier than her, and her sword clearly didn’t like it, but it was a good weight. Don’t let it touch me. It was a short sword too, which would be useful if she was ever in a room too small for hers to comfortably fit. It didn’t matter. Maybe she could even dual wield! Both swords worked fine as one handed weapons, and those in her town who could dual wield were always touted as been especially skilled. That is unneeded. So, against the urging of her sword, she collected the dead man’s scabbard and fit it to her waist. She let her sword drag through the man’s blood as she walked away.

Leaving the temple under the cover of night, she began making her way south once again. At the pace she was going, she could reach her destination in a week. Three days if she ran when the sun was up too, but she would reserve that for once she was further away. The light would be blinding, a major disadvantage. If any more of those men were around, she didn’t particularly want to approach them now that she didn’t had the advantage of the temple’s confusing layout. Maybe once she learned to dual wield and had finished her quest she could return to tie up loose ends. What was the quest again?

Beacon lands on a random rooftop, having just beaten a bad guy and saved what was stolen.

It is an old medallion.

Scorch had taken it from the museum right before its grand opening of the exhibit. The medallion was the center piece of it.

Thankfully, it was a quick battle. Their powers are similar in nature with both of them revolving around heat. She’s more experienced with her powers, so after a short time, she was flying away with the medallion.

She grips the ancient relic tightly, feeling the power running through it.

Honestly, she feels great! Even though the battle was over quickly, she didn’t expect to have this much energy. Her light is brighter, more intensity behind it.

Glancing down at the relic, it’s white glow pulses. Connecting that light to her newfound energy, she drops it like a hot potato.

The relic boosted her powers. It made her feel strong. Invulnerable.

She aims her arm downwards at it, and her light shoots from her hand and surrounds the relic. Now it is in a light bubble that she can control, so she doesn’t need physical contact with it.

Returning it to its rightful place is first on the list. They need better protective measures if this medallion will be in a museum. The kind of energy it gives off is dangerous. Anyone can get sucked into that level of strength. Even her.

That’s why it must be kept safe.

Who knows what that could do in the wrong hands.

OoOoO

Brainwash groans in annoyance.

He and Scorch had a deal. If he retrieved the medallion, then Brainwash would let him go. Forget his wrongdoings. A clean slate.

But he failed against Beacon. Not that he was going to let him slide through without consequences anyway. Scorch was a villain after all. Can’t let him run loose.

Mentally berating himself, he miscalculated the timing of Beacon. He won’t let that happen again.

Sighing, he gets up from his chair and puts on his suit which mostly consists of the typical latex super suit.

Placing the mask on his face that just goes around his eyes, it doesn’t obscure that much of his features, but it won’t matter soon.

Soon everyone and everything will know peace. True peace. Under his rule.

You know what they say, if you want something done, you do it yourself.

She gripped the ancient relic tightly, feeling the power running through it. The emerald was so powerful and now it is now in her possession. She now had the ability to make Forever Potions and there was no stopping her now. She was crazy, she wanted power, but with the ancient emerald relic she now thinks she can do anything with it…

(Inspired by Aphmau MyStreet Emerald Secret Season 4)

She gripped the ancient relic tightly, feeling the power running through it. She could feel new power coursing through her veins. she felt a warmth consume her. Out of fear, she drops the relic, breathing heavily as she stares wide eyed at the relic. What had it done to her? She feels different.. something she cant quite place... something she cant reach... She feels a sharp pain and falls to the ground, her back feels as if its being torn to shreds, or as if something were sprouting from them... Screaming out with pain, she feels as if she gained control of a new part of her body. She feels dizzy as she stumbles, struggling to stand up, a new weight added to her that puts her off balance. There's something strange going on.... she feels heavier... She shakily turns her head, her eyes widening as she sees... feathers? no, not just feathers.... wings.... She... grew wings!? How!? Why!? Was it the relic!? All these thoughts run through her head, overwhelming her. Her breath quickens as she tries processing all that's happening. She shakily stands up, stumbling and grabbing the wall for support. Her new wings are heavy, putting her off balance. It hurts, but all she can think about is how in the world she grew a pair of wings just from touching a stupid piece of metal. The relic. She looks over to where she dropped the relic, gasping as she sees it looks completely different. the relic which was once a rectangular piece of gold with a small ruby in the center, now has intricate engravings and designs, the once red ruby is now completely clear, see through like a diamond. What... happened..? She hears a voice running up the hall, her partner. He runs into the room, gasping and taking a step back as he sees her, golden feathered wings on her back, large wings at that. He takes a moment to silently process this, then runs to her side, concern written on his face as he holds her up. The adrenaline slowly dissipates and she starts feeling the pain. The pain of suddenly sprouting wings from her back, excruciating pain shoots through her body, tears streaming down her face before the agony becomes too much, causing her to pass out in his arms. Leaving him astonished and distraught, holding her tight in his arms as tears stream down his face...

I ran up to the chest, and with a bit of prying, eventually got it open. Inside, there it was. The Staff of Hades. I gently lifted it, becoming suddenly invigorated by the energy within the bident. It seemed to be teeming with power, I felt it coursing through my veins. This was what I needed to use to take the throne of my kingdom, to become the queen that the people need. I walked out of the cave, feeling more powerful than I could even fathom, and plotting my now half completed plan for my rise to the top. I stood outside, in the middle of the forest, and looked back at the cave when I heard a sound. A flock of birds flew overhead, and I had the genius idea to make myself a quick dinner. Aiming the bident in the middle of the flock, I tried to make it do something to take down one of the birds. I had almost given up, but suddenly a course of angry flame came shooting into the sky, taking down three birds, fully cooked through. This was more powerful than I thought.

I think of you all the time. All of your smiles cloud my mind. I wish I could turn back time, Everything I see relates to you and I.

The sun shines like your amber eyes, The birds sing, which makes me happy Because you would sing with them.

I think of you all the time.

Mystery object Ancient art Full of power On a lark

Tour the ruins Wanting more Finding truth What’s in store

Stepping back from the altar Candace nearly tripped. Forgetting the sizeable gap in between the floor and the raised altar. Catching herself on a pew she was met with a loud creak. Yet in her hands was some book. Careful to not drop it onto the marbled graveyard. It was heavy though. Each page felt like it was moving or writhing as she clutched it. Yet the dullness of the church around her remain well past it’s lifespan, nothing about it moving except to crumble. Candace retraced her steps. Through the back door by the altar and up the steps to the courtyard. Floor by floor and suddenly Candace is met by a knighted figure, that wasn’t there before. In instant fear Candace ran the other way, back into the heart of the church and back towards the room of worship where she got the book. Setting it back down on a pew she left again. Tiptoeing up the stairs she was just on. Yet whenever she made her way back to where the knight would’ve been it was no longer there. But how? Metal like that would’ve made some seriously clunking. Quickly Candace returned to grab the book once more, yet entering she saw the book was gone.