"No. No. No." Von mocked. "I think it's time for my fun."

Aegon shook his head. "Doesn't matter if you kill me or not, my people know I went after you, so you're still gonna die."

"Says who?" Von asked immediately. "You? Let's test that theory, shall we?... I want you to say you attacked me out of nowhere, for no reason and completely unprovoked."

Like a switch being flipped in someone's brain. Aegon's mouth opened despite his brain's disagreement. "I attacked you out of nowhere, for no reason and completely unprovoked."

Von's grin spread. "Do you get it now?" He stood in front of Aegon. "There's no truth or lie when I control the entire narrative. Just whatever I want.".

Von pranced over to the dumpster. Running his working hand across the body, "why don't you come here and cut off your fingers like you did mine."

Aegon's legs involuntarily began to move, step by step no matter how hard he tried to fight back in his head.

Reaching the dumpster, he pulled the top open, the edge still red with Von's blood.

He gently placed his right hand on the edge and waited for Von's command.

"Do it now." Von whispered intently.

"..."

Yet nothing happened.

"...?"

The command was given yet the urge, the uncontrollable force that pushed him internally, just wasn't there anymore.

Von noticed this and screamed. "What are you doing?! I said—"

Aegon's hand shot out from the edge of the dumpster and punched Von in the throat—cutting his words short.

"Krr! Urck!" Von coughed. Weaving for breath and turned back into a scrambling rat. "H— How is that possible?"

"I have no idea." Aegon answered honestly. "But I don't think I care much."

He outstretched his hands, aiming to use his fire but—

It didn't work.

"...?"

His affinity was down too. "What the hell is going on here?" He muttered under his breath. Bringing his fingers closer to examine them before he heard the footfalls.

They echoed throughout the alley as an unknown figure marched towards them.

They both turned to the source of the sound, unsure of what, or who, they were expecting.

Hourglass figure through the long black coat, sharp heels making the steps they were hearing, shoulder length dirty blonde hair and green eyes.

Green eyes that Aegon could've sworn he'd seen on someone else before.

He looked closer. Squinting his eyes.

Those were Quinn's eyes. More specifically, those were Quinn's mother's eyes.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Name | Kate Orvin. / [ Alias: Spectra. ]

Faculty of Soulcraft | Affinity: Spectrum.

Rank: Former Paragon Of Veltharion.

God Trait | The Only One. [The ability to temporarily cut others' pull to Aether. Although, she cannot keep it for a long time depending on how many people are in the vicinity and how powerful they are.]

NOTE: SHOULD BE DEAD.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"Hello, Aegon." Kate said simply. "Sorry about the affinity thing, my God trait doesn't exactly have a specification button."

"It was you." Aegon muttered. "When our affinities stopped during the mercenary attack, that was you."

She folded her hands behind her back. "I had to— We had to make a point—"

"A point?!" Aegon cut in. Eyes wide, "Heroes were there, children were there... your daughter was there."

"Those people aren't heroes..." She gestured to Von at the back. "But I guess you're already figuring that out for yourself."

"What about the children?" Aegon turned completely to her now, ignoring Von in the corner.

"You were all capable of handling yourselves and there wasn't supposed to be any casualties—"

"Casualties?!" He interrupted. "Someone died. Our principal died."

Kate avoided his eyes for a second. "I know. Alice Morwen—she was a friend."

"And you caused her death."

"The fight wasn't planned. It wasn't supposed to happen." She countered. "If it was don't you think an elite group of trained mercenaries would be able to take more than one person out."

"Then what was the point of it, any of it?"

She sighed. "To stop the policing of superheroes," she stepped closer. "Being a superhero should be a selfless act that someone takes on because they want what's right in the world...

Not men who believe they're Gods and are willing to kill anyone who opposes, not someone looking to make a quick buck or be famous.

Not criminals masquerading as saviours." She gestured to Von. "... And certainly not disgusting pigs who think they deserve the world because they have a government licence."

Aegon didn't know what to say. She was right, everything she said was true.

"Everyone who helps the process of turning this into a business should be killed, we have to change the society... first the nation then the continent." She continued.

"Everyone and everyone should be allowed to be a hero but you're not getting laid for it. Get a real fucking job..."

She trailed off as she saw Von trying to get up.

~Tchk!~

With just the loud snap of her fingers, an ethereal green light formed around Von and without much ceremony they solidified and held him to the ground.

The light formed chains and shackles that held him at his legs, neck and ankles.

As solid as a physical construct.

She turned back to Aegon. "That's the point of everything I'm doing, I want a world where we're all equals... but for that to happen the current world we live in has to be burnt to the ground."

'Oh, fuck. She's crazy.' He thought internally but tried not to show anything out. "You ordered the Omniblade hit on me."

"My informant took me you were onto them so I had to clear complications." Spectra said smoothly. "I was protecting my own."

"At the expense of my life?" Aegon took a step back. "Is it Quinn?"

"I can't reveal that information yet." She raised a finger. "I think you're on the right path, but you haven't gotten the full picture here."

"What full picture?"

"You're still going after the individual dirty superheroes... but the truth is, the entire industry is filthy. V.A.L.O.R, C.A.A, the private sector—they are all weeds and the only way to handle them, is to root them out."

She stretched her hand. Aegon watched as a gun materialised into them—aimed at Von.

Who immediately sensing danger began to squirm for a way out, but the chains held him in place.

~BAM!~

The bullet echoed and all her previous contrusts disappeared, leaving Von's body slumping to the ground in a dull thud.

Aegon wasn't scared. He was planning on killing Von anyway so there wasn't really much of a difference who did it.

But what bothered him was how a hero who was the poster child for what a superhero should look like got like this.

"What happened to you?" He thought aloud.

She turned to him, a little taken back by his question. "Let me tell you how this nation poisoned me."

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