My fingers gripped the metal, slick with sweat. My gloves had been torn, my cape ripped to shreds. My last bit of strength was the only thing keeping me from meeting my brutal end in the lava pit below me. Then I caught her eye in the haze of red and orange colors, her fiery eyes more vibrant than the hues swarming my vision. Though crippled by an injured leg and ruined dignity, she ran to me until she reached the edge.

A strained laugh escaped my lips. “He fell into the lava. We did it. Now you just need to go retrieve the-“

My heart skipped a few beats as my hands threatened to slip from the metal bridge I was dangling from.

“I’m coming for you!” Red called.

“No!” I shouted. “This bridge is barely hanging on. It will collapse if you walk on it.”

_Thanks to Ridged. _I had almost went down with him.

Red stood near the bridge, just one step away from damning us both. She stood like the lava bubbling below me, except more welcoming and less deadly. Her red body suit shined like rubies under golden rays, her mask the same color except guarded by a few strands of blond hair. Then one of the ropes holding the bridge snapped, making it turn partly on its side.

“White!” Red screamed, her voice cracking.

I still held on by the rails, but it would not be for much longer. “Once you get the Electro Star, you will be able to terminate the shadows eating the Earth.”

“_We_ are getting the Electro Star,” Red protested, but I could feel the lava heating my skin from underneath my white suit.

“I believe I’ll meet you in another lifetime, Red.”

“Don’t talk like that! If a rope of the left side broke, you could swing over to the other side and land on that platform over there.”

“Clever, Red. Your deductive reasoning is intriguing.” I could not tell her the part where the impact would most likely knock me into the lava pit.

“Before I go, there’s a secret I want to share with you,” I added, moving a shaky hand to my face.

Red covered her mouth as if I were committing a treason. Outside of here, I would be, but not on the verge of an inevitable death.

She watched as my white mask fell into the lava.

“D-Dad?”

Then her sobs cracked through the air, sending chills down my spine despite the lava below. I always imagined revealing my identity to my daughter with a smile on my face saying “how did you never guess?”. But I could see the wheels turning over in her mind, the pieces coming together like an invisible puzzle. At home, I only pretended to be adamant about where she was going when she had to save the city. I always showed up after her to the scene. I always got home before her so she assumed I was there the whole time. And now I closed my eyes with a smile, the vision of Emmy- or Red- in my mind.

“Dad, please! You’re the only parent I have left!”

My heart burned. Everything was on fire. I tried to keep breathing. “I love you, Emmy. I’m so proud of you.”

“Wait- STOP!”

Then another rope snapped, sending the bridge swinging towards the concrete wall. Then the lava did not feel as hot. It felt like a warm hug from Red, from Emmy, and I was ready to embrace it.