#multifandom gift exchange 2020

[syrupwit]

Letter for Summer of Horror Exchange 2022

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Hello there, and welcome to my letter for Summer of Horror Exchange! I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to read this letter. I hope that it will provide you with clarification, inspiration, or whatever else you may happen to be seeking from it.

I have requested fic only for all fandoms. Although I’ve written more for some sections in this letter and less for others, rest assured I would be thrilled to receive a gift for any of the requested fandoms, horror subgenres, characters, or groups. Should you have any questions or need clarification on something, please feel free to reach out through the mods.

Please see the table of contents below:

01. Likes and Subgenres 02. Do Not Want (DNW) 03. Fandom - Dishonored 04. Fandom - Dragon Age 05. Fandom - The Magnus Archives 06. Fandom - Stellar Firma

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01. LIKES AND SUBGENRES

I have a very long list of likes here. For more horror thoughts, my Multifandom Horror Exchange 2020 letter is here. Previous exchange letters can be found in this tag.

Here are some of my general horror likes:

Bittersweet, cathartic, or happy endings

Dark comedy, gallows humor, absurd/surreal humor

Hostile settings and atmospheres that could themselves be a character

Building, lingering senses of dread

Corruption arcs

Unreliable narrators

Repressed feelings and resentments that explode into tragedy

Survivors of horrific events becoming a monster themselves, by accident or on purpose

Characters thinking and making strategic/logical decisions to defeat the horror, even if they fail, don’t survive, or end up playing into the antagonist’s hands

Characters doubling down on poor decisions as a result of their flaws

Characters who are canonically enemies or frenemies having to cooperate to survive

Canon divergence AUs

Here are some likes or just thoughts that I have with regard to horror subgenres:

Comedic Horror: absurd or surreal situations and humor derived from that; mood whiplash; irony, farce, and parody; trope subversions, trope deconstructions; that thing from, for example, the Scooby Doo movies where it seems like maybe the supernatural or horrific thing is maybe mundane but then ooh it isn’t mundane after all

Cosmic Horror: the sense that characters are pitted against amoral, indifferent forces that might not even recognize them as something significant enough to be hostile toward; feelings of awe or even sacredness evoked by such forces; tragically successful attempts to comprehend the incomprehensible; the ancient, alien(ating), and enormous

Folk Horror: distinctive melding of place, time, and community; violence buried in the (possibly very beautiful, possibly very wounded, possibly both very beautiful and very wounded) landscape; violence endorsed and perpetuated by community and tradition; genius loci; isolation, helplessness, unrightable wrongs

Gothic Horror: ingenues experiencing moral dilemmas in gorgeous, gloomy environments; family secrets and restless revenants scrabbling to burst from crumbling crypts; heightened emotion, obsession, sensuality, feelings of claustrophobia and fatalism; ooh the darkness of the soul is stylized and pretty

Paranormal Horror: occult detectives; occult investigations; occult detectives conducting occult investigations; an investigator faking or exaggerating a haunting that turns out to be real; specialized equipment and Very Serious Explanations a la the Edwardian occult detectives Thomas Carnacki and John Silence.

Science-Fiction Horror: moon's haunted (no, seriously); cyberpunk dystopia; scientific or technological advances create new horror or horrifying situation; scientific or technological advances disturb or enable some sort of existing horror; anything to do with the nature of consciousness, time, distance, physical properties of reality that become more horrifying because they're comprehensible

Supernatural Horror: cool/creepy magic stuff; ghosts and hauntings; witches, particularly old women witches of ambiguous morality; situations where a person who is possessed or cursed or given the ability to do something horrible is not a passive victim of supernatural malevolence, but makes a choice to let something possess them/take on the curse/pursue doing the horrible thing.

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02. DO NOT WANT (DNW)

Explicit, onscreen cannibalism (references are fine)

Harm to children

Harm to pet animals (the existence of ghost pets is OK, and it’s fine to mention pet animals that have canonically died, but I don’t want to read about injury, abuse, or noncanonical death of pet animals)

Characters depicted as under age 18 involved in sexual situations

Characters having sex explicitly without mutual sexual attraction (I love G- and T-rated shipfic and would be fine with sex not being mentioned at all, but for works featuring sexual content, I don’t want it to be outright stated that the characters are not attracted to each other)

Real-life hate speech or hate crimes (discussions/mentions of real-life bigotry are fine)

Bestiality

Scat

Necrophilia (sexual activity involving ghosts or sentient/possessed undead is OK, just not inanimate corpses or remains)

Sexual activity involving worms, spiders, or insects

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03. FANDOM - DISHONORED

Horror Subgenres: Cosmic, Folk, Gothic, Supernatural

Requests:

Solo - Ivan Jacobi

My favorite creepy city administrator from Death of the Outsider! I'd love something about pre-canon municipal politics; something where he matches monstrousnesses with another occultist or cultist; or something post-canon where he acquires the chance to compare his expectations of the Void to his experiences.

Solo - Kirin Jindosh

Plentiful opportunities for horror with an amoral scientist of this kind! I have a slight preference for scenarios where Jindosh encounters horror, rather than is the horror, although the reverse would be pretty cool -- for example, perhaps a guest who means him harm comes to a bad end in the Clockwork Mansion. What about his time at the Academy, any failed experiments, incidents in the process of creating the Clockwork Soldiers...?

Note: I'm fine with including or exploring Jindosh's nonlethal fate, although I would prefer that it not be played for comedy or be the main source of horror.

Solo - Billie Lurk

Billie would make an amazing horror protagonist, and she's had a pretty varied career. What sorts of terrible things has she encountered over the years?

Solo - Vera Moray | Granny Rags

I love witches. Tell me more about Vera Moray's transformation into Granny Rags, and the secret little wars she waged in her years on the streets of Dunwall.

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04. FANDOM - DRAGON AGE

Horror Subgenres: Cosmic, Folk, Gothic, Supernatural

Requests:

Group - Amell & Mouse

I completed the Mage origin segment for a friend’s entertainment, neither of us having played it before, and we both audibly went "Ooooo" when the twist with Mouse happened.

Tell me more about deceptive deal-making demons and a mage's pride! Maybe Amell spends a little more time with Mouse during their Harrowing, or they meet again in dreams or during the Broken Circle quest? Non-shippy interactions and Amell/Mouse are both great. I have no preference for Amell's gender.

Group - Amell & Jowan & Mouse

Same as above, but with added Jowan! I have such a soft spot for Jowan and his poor decisions.

I'd love something where Jowan, Amell, and Mouse meet in a dream at some point pre-canon or early in canon, or in the Fade during the Redcliffe Castle arc. I can see Jowan being super tempted by Mouse, while Amell is more cautious, and then maybe Amell recognizes Mouse and problems ensue.

Shippiness is fine and welcome for this request, as is gen or Jowan/Lily. Again, I have no preference for Amell's gender.

Group - Anders & Justice

I rolled into DA2 with no expectations besides “it takes place in a city” and was immediately blindsided by Anders. Then I played Awakening, and… SIGH. I love these two. Please tell me more about the inflexible morality of Fade spirits, and possession, mutual corruption, downward spirals. <3

Non-ship Anders & Justice or shippy Anders/Justice are both totally cool with me, as is either one of them being "the horror" to the other. I'd also love to see them facing down some horrifying opponent pre-DA2, during DA2, or in a post-canon worldstate where Hawke spared or ran away with Anders.

Solo - Branka

Branka is creepy as hell and I'd just like to spend a little more time with her, particularly in the lead-up to the Broodmother situation, her thought process and corruption. Just... YIKES. I love that section of the Deep Roads so, so much.

Solo - Rica Brosca

Rica! I love that the relationship between her and Brosca can be one where they’re both protecting each other in their own ways. I love that Rica manages to achieve success and fulfillment within the bounds of her society, even though that success/fulfillment is bearing a filicidal, ruthless (if reformist) noble’s son and maybe seeing Brosca publicly honored, should they survive.

Orzammar is a dangerous place. Even after Rica has won her happy ending, what problems might arise for her? Alternately, what if she stumbles into trouble while noble-hunting pre-canon?

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05. FANDOM - THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Horror Subgenres: Cosmic, Folk, Paranormal, Supernatural

Requests:

Group - Adelard Dekker & Tim Stoker

Look, they're both resourceful supernaturally-informed types who appreciate items with combustible properties and have an interest in thwarting the Stranger! They could meet in an AU or encounter each other pre-canon. Dekker seems to collect friends; I think he and Tim could have fun, or misunderstand each other, or work together, possibly with Dekker as a mentor to Tim. Shippy Dekker/Tim is great too.

Group - Agnes Montague & Gertrude Robinson

This is one of the relationships that I would have most liked to see further explored in the show. Jon says they met only once -- what if he's wrong, or what if they interacted more in an AU? I totally ship Agnes/Gertrude, but I'd also just love to see more platonic interactions for them.

Solo - Harriet Fairchild

An incredibly minor character (she shows up briefly as a skydiving instructor in MAG 21, “Freefall”), but I’m so curious about her. What is her relationship to Simon Fairchild, and how did she become associated with the Vast?

Solo - Mary Keay

Once again: I love witches. Mary is so terribly, wonderfully creepy, and I would love to read about her encountering phenomena that interest her, matching wits with a comparable opponent, or showing up as the horror in someone else's story.

Solo - Gertrude Robinson

My favorite character in the show! I'd be happy with just about anything about her -- pre-canon adventures, early career experiences when she still had illusions about heroism, AUs where she became an avatar of any power or survived and foiled the Eye's plan. I really love the contrast between her "more cardigan than woman" persona and ruthless campaign against the fears, so outside POV on Gertrude would be particularly lovely.

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06. FANDOM - STELLAR FIRMA

Horror Subgenres: Comedic, Institutional, Paranormal, Science-Fiction

Group - David 7 & Trexel Geistman Group - David 7 & Trexel Geistman & Hartro Piltz

Lumped together because I'm interested in the same sorts of scenarios for both groups. I'd love to read about these characters confronting a comedic or semi-comedic horror together, and for the Institutional Horror subgenre, I'd also love to read about serious aspects of/takes on the dystopian environment of Stellar Firma.

Regarding shippiness, I ship every permutation of David-Trexel-Hartro and really enjoy their platonic interactions.

Solo - Trexel Geistman

Trexel is already the world's greatest detective -- what if he were an occult detective, too? Alternately, I'd love to read about more horror shenanigans along the lines of The Magnus Archives… in SPAAAAACE. More serious horror would also be welcome!

[skogmancalahan]

ARAGORN for the lovely @scxundress from your multifandom gift exchange secret santa, I hope you have a wonderful new year!!

[nicknelsonnn]

“The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, and pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.”

happy holidays to @senalishia <3

for the multifandom gift exchange! @darkalinas @scxundress

[winterrhayle]

nova and adrian snuggling🥰

for @idkchatie!! i was your giftie :) ,merry christmas💕

[degenderates]

Happy holidays, everyone! To celebrate, Sakeenah (@scxundress) and Maven (@darkalinas) will be hosting a multifandom virtual gift exchange! You can be in any fandom to participate, but we ask that you at least be involved in one of the following fandoms so that it will be easier to match you up with someone:

✦ Harry Potter ✦ Star Wars ✦ Marvel ✦ Tolkien books ✦ Leigh Bardugo books ✦ Marissa Meyer books

To participate, please reblog this post as well as consider giving us a follow @scxundress and @darkalinas ! Then read the information below and fill out THIS form and you’re all set! Entry deadline is November 30th.

For more information about the exchange, please read below the cut:

Any content creators are welcome, whether you create edits, fanfiction, fanart, gifsets, moodboards, or playlists! During the exchange, you can send anonymous messages to your giftee to get to know about them and their likes/dislikes, so make your you have your ask and anon feature ENABLED to participate!

Gifts are due on December 31st. Please tag us @darkalinas and @scxundress and use the tag #multifandom gift exchange 2020 when you post so that we can make sure everything went through! If you haven’t received your gift by January 1st, let us know so we can contact your gifter. If you need to get an extension, let us know via ask or DM so we can notify your giftee! We want to make sure this is a pleasant and fun exchange, so to keep everything going smoothly, please make sure we’re in the loop:)

As a final reminder, no ship-shaming is tolerated. There is a place in the google form for you to list likes/dislikes, and that will be that!

[alecjamesartino]

A Butterfly Trapped in a Nightmare

hey everyone! this is my contribution to the Multifandom Gift Exchange 2020, hosted by the amazing @darkalinas and @scxundress. my giftee is you, @nobellrenaissance; this is the... thing i did for you xd. at first, i had no idea what to give you, and then, it came to my mind this ‘art’. as you will notice, i experimented a little (too much) so this is the final result :’) hope you like this fanart of nova having danna trapped in a jar. happy new year! <3

ps: i also did a small poetry xd (its even weirder than the draw itself) 

Look at you know,

trapped in my cage of glass

I would let you go,

but we both know who I really am

I’m Nightmare, your nightmare

And who (what) are you?

A butterfly trapped in a nightmare made of glass

I won’t let you go

I won’t let you

I won’t

I

...

[janisarkisian]

You Drew Stars Around My Scars

Happy Holidays!! @the-sunflowerstar!!! I was your gifter from @darkalinas and @scxundress‘s gift exchange! I hope you like this nodrian fic I wrote for you!

Word Count: 1295

Pairing: nodrian (nova x adrian) 

Nova could so perfectly remember the last Christmas she experienced with her family. Evie had been small, and grumpy, so she couldn’t really partake in the festivities, but Nova had loved baking Christmas cookies with her Mom, and all the amazing memories. She could still practically taste the cinnamon of her mom’s snickerdoodle cookies. To this day, they were still her favorite. 

She could still see her dad’s smile when he said the word “Christmas.” He had playfully tackled her, and she ended up collapsing in a fit of giggles before she could truly fight back. She could still perfectly picture the fire he had failed to make twice in the fireplace, the one that had made their whole apartment feel like a home. 

Somehow, she had managed to get a frilly, green Christmas dress on Evie without putting her to sleep. Evie had been extremely intelligent, like Nova herself, for her age, and was walking already. She could even say a few different words. That had shocked the whole family. Still, Nova had danced around with Evie on her toes, and for that night, it had seemed like there was no Age of Anarchy. There were no Renegades, no Anarchists. Just one family, and one normal Christmas. 

In her whirlwind of memories, Nova had started crying. Evie could have been with her at that very moment, celebrating Christmas, if she had not chickened out. 

No. This was what she was supposed to be working on with her therapist. She couldn’t blame herself for this, even though it partly was her fault. She couldn’t change the result of terrible things that had happened all those years ago. All she could do was accept it, and remember her family in the best way possible. 

Sighing, she looked up at the fairy lights she had prompted Adrian to put up in his room. She had a feeling that he had put them up just for her, and the thought of it put butterflies in her stomach and made her pulse flutter. They always calmed her, especially when the normal lights were off like they were right now. Almost, in a small way, the environment reminded her of the warm feeling she had gotten from her own apartment as a child. In Adrian’s bedroom, there were no issues she had previously faced, and none were yet to come. It was just one bedroom like her apartment had been. 

“Nova?” She heard Adrian from the stairs that connected his bedroom to the general floor of the Mayor’s Mansion. 

 “Are you okay?” He asked her in a voice that Nova knew by heart. It was full of kindness, and care, some of the things she liked most about him. 

Shaking her head no, she tried to speak, something that had always been hard for her when upset.

“N-no,” Her voice quivered gently. His eyes were so soft and caring. Nova thought it must have been her imagination, the way he looked at her. It was so full of kindness and love, all the things Nova had never truly experienced for herself.

 “Do you want to talk to me about it,” Adrian asked, gently placing his hand on her arm to steady her shaking. 

“Yeah. I think I do,” She said, still a little shaky. Adrian was still looking at her, and it made her feel better to know that he always wanted her to take her time. He would never rush her, he would never leave. He was always there for her. “So, what happened is I started having memories about my family on Christmas Eve. No traumatic flashbacks. Just good ones. They still hurt a little though.” 

“They would have been so proud of you,” His smile crinkled and widened just enough that Nova could see the little dimple above his cheek that she always prided herself on getting to see. 

“How do you know?” She asked, uncertain. She had done so many terrible things that she was aware of. Maybe she had been guilt-tripped and manipulated, but she had still done them. She had been faced with a decision between doing right, and doing wrong. and every single time she had chosen wrong. She had been very, very wrong. 

“Dad always says that whenever you do good things, even just simplethings, like smiling or playing with Max, he always sees your father in you. And I bet you have so much of your mother in you too. Trust me, they would have been so proud.” 

A small grin started to appear on her face. “Do you really think they would have been?” 

“I know they would have been.” She sat with him there on his old, musty couch for what could have been minutes, or could have been hours. She had always been used to the silence of nights, so being in a basement with the lights off, in silence, that just made it so much better. 

Finally, the self-doubt started to arise again. It had never been uncommon for her. The only difference was that now she cared to do something about it. 

“Hey, Adrian?” She said softly, her breath still caught from the tears that had only recently cleared up. 

“Yes Baby Girl?” He said with that look in his eyes that made Nova want to fall in love with him all over again. She wished she could. 

“Can I have a hug?” She asked, almost embarrassed that she had such an absurd request. 

“I’ll give you as many hugs as you want. All I want is for you to be happy, and if that means hugs, I’ll hug you until the day I die, Nova Artino.”  As she wrapped her arms around Adrian, she felt all the anxiety, stress and worries that had been piling up inside her flooded out. It was just her and Adrian. No one else mattered. No one else was there. 

They remained silent, and Adrian’s fingers worked their way through her hair. She would probably never admit to him how much she enjoyed it. Actually, she loved it when he touched him at all. 

“Ew! You two are gross!” Tearing away from Adrian’s embrace, she turned to see Max fake-gagging on the staircase.

Nova turned to Adrian, grinning. “Did you hear that?” She asked Adrian, still grinning, “He thinks we’re adorable.” 

Max opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, she put her arms around Adrian’s neck, pulled him close, and kissed him. 

She was absolutely positive that this was better than the first time they had kissed. When they had kissed the first time, she had been so troubled, and so touch-starved. Truthfully, she was still touch-starved, and every time she neared Adrian, she became more so. It was that when they kissed now, they weren’t enemies. They were just two kids who were over-the-moon for each other. 

“Can you guys stop?” She heard Max’s adorable yet annoying voice in the background. 

In response, Adrian pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. Laughing, Max started to make his way up the stairs, “I’ll just tell Dad and Pops you two don’t want your Christmas Eve gifts then….” 

Letting her lips leave Adrian’s Nova looked at Max. “Gifts?” 

“I knew that would get your attention,” Max grinned, “I heard Simon saying he got you a pretty great gift.

She looked over to Adrian, who was grinning as wide as Max, and he nodded in confirmation. 

They all started up the stairs, and Nova stopped. The feeling she was experiencing was like no other, and for once, she felt happy. Just plain happy. There was no added stress or anxiety, just happiness. 

“Nova? Are you okay?” Adrian looked at her, puzzled. 

“Yeah,” She smiled. “I’m happy.”

[redassassin]

please don’t say you love me

happy holidays @darkalinas!! here’s an extra-angsty nodrian fic for the gift exchange hosted by you and @scxundress!! 

wc: 1388

tw: death, angst in general (i went all out)

Nova’s eyes filled with tears as she stood over Adrian, gun in hand, finger hovering over the trigger. 

“Pull the trigger, Little Nightmare,” Ace whispered behind her. “You can make the decision for yourself now. His parents made the decision for you all those years ago. It’s your turn, Nova. Pull the trigger.”

Adrian only stared at her, still shirtless, a hand pressed to his arm where Honey had cut away his tattoo. 

“Pull the trigger, Nova. Kill him. End this, and we will start anew.” 

Perhaps the worst thing was that Adrian didn’t say anything. He wouldn’t even look at her, instead staring blankly past her. She could tell that he was in pain. He sat so still that the only sign of movement was the shaky rise and fall of his chest. 

Pull the trigger.

Her mouth moved this time, whispering quietly to herself. 

A chill swept over the room, announcing the arrival of Phobia. He settled behind Ace, watching her from the shadows. 

Nova adjusted her grip on the gun, her hands sweaty and her arms shaking. This was her revenge. She had been waiting for this for 10 years, and yet, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t. 

She remembered the night where she’d lost everything. Evie’s silenced cries, the dull thud of her parents’ bodies hitting the floor. Her labored breathing as she stood over the sleeping hitman, waiting for the Renegades to come, whispering over and over to herself to pull the trigger and that the Renegades would come. 

The Renegades didn’t come, but Ace Anarchy did. He had saved her, and raised her and fueled her hatred for the Renegades, using her as his weapon to destroy. 

She’d been blind for so long. They’d never cared about her, Ace especially. They hardly cared for each other. When she’d killed Ingrid there was no mourning. In fact, they’d hardly mentioned it. 

She wasn’t an Anarchist, not anymore. They’d never truly been her family, and could never replace the family she’d lost. Of course, she would rather die than become a Renegade. 

She wouldn’t kill Adrian. She couldn’t kill Adrian. 

“No.” 

Adrian’s eyes snapped to hers, something incomprehensible on his face. 

“No?” Ace laughed. “You dare defy me? He is a Renegade. The very thing you despise more than anything.” He scoffed. “I always knew you were weak. Just like your parents. Unable to do what needs to be done. I should have had you killed too.”

“You did it. It was you.” Her voice quavered, barely over a whisper. She wanted to scream, to yell, to ask him why, how he could kill his own family, but the battle still raged around them, getting closer and closer. Her jaw clenched, heart pounding in her ears. 

In that moment everything was clear. Ace would stop at nothing for power, and she could stop at nothing to stop him. He was right, this was her one chance for revenge, but not against the Renegades. Against him. 

This ended now. She spun around, pointing the gun at Ace. 

Pull the trigger.

Her arms started to shake, finger twitching over the trigger. 

Ace sneered. “Even now, you can’t do it. Pathetic. Kill him.” He motioned at Adrian and Phobia moved in the shadows, his scythe glinting. 

Nova squeezed the trigger. 

She winced at the blast as it echoed around the chamber of the cathedral. Ace stared at her, eyes wide as he stumbled back. 

A loud crash sounded from below. Nova looked over the edge to see the Captain climbing up the wall. He was climbing impossibly fast, determined to save his son. 

A shadow loomed behind her. Phobia raised his scythe, ready to end Adrian in the same as Callum. 

Nova acted without thinking. As the blade fell she ran to him and pushed Adrian to the side. He gasped in pain, and a second later in horror. The scythe was embedded in her stomach. Ace laughed, hand pressed to his thigh. 

“I guess it was all for nothing. How’s it feel, Insomnia, to die for nothing? You sacrificed your life for him, but you’re outnumbered. He will die, and you will watch. If you even last that long. Maybe I’ll make him watch as you bleed out, helpless, and then kill him. Or maybe I’ll keep him around just long enough to make his parents watch.” 

Nova stumbled back against the wall, hand pressed to her stomach, praying that the Captain was close and could at least save Adrian. 

Something clattered behind her and the Captain launched himself at Ace. They disappeared from Nova’s view and Phobia floated after them, leaving Nova and Adrian alone. 

Adrian watched as Nova pressed a hand to her stomach, staring at the blood that stained her hands. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, still staring at her bloody hand. 

“Nova!”

Adrian rushed to her side, kneeling beside her and gathering her in his arms. One hand was pressed against her stomach in an attempt to stop the blood loss.

“You’re going to be okay, Nova. I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

“Adrian.”

He stood up with her in his arms, looking around desperately for anything to help, but everyone was fighting. 

“Adrian. There’s nothing you can do.”

He looked down at her, and Nova could see tears forming in his eyes, threatening to fall. “No. No,” His voice broke. “I have to do something, there has to be a way-”

She reached up, cupping his cheek with her hand, still smeared with blood. He sunk down, still cradling her in his arms. One of his hands covered hers, squeezing her hand slightly. His tears began to fall, splashing gently against her face. 

“Nova, I-”

“Please don’t say you love me,” Nova whispered. 

“What?” He choked out.

“That makes leaving so much harder.”

“You are not dying. You can’t. I love you, Nova. I have for so long.”

Adrian just shook his head, holding her closer and burying his face in her hair. 

“Adrian.” 

“I love you.” He whispered once again.

Her hand slipped from his cheek, smearing blood down his face as it fell to his chest, right over his heart. 

“Nova!” Her eyes were starting to glaze over and her breathing was ragged as her eyes struggled to focus on him. 

“Make sure we win, Adrian. Destroy him. Destroy my uncle. He can’t win.” Her words slurred together. Adrian cupped her face. Her skin was so cold and pale, it was as if she was a ghost. 

Her eyes started to unfocus, and he shook her gently, bringing her eyes back to his. 

“Hey, look at me. We’ll win, and you’ll be there to see it. Just hold on, Nova. Hold on. For me.” He took his hand off of her stomach, threading his blood-soaked fingers through hers instead. He kissed her hand, ignoring the metallic taste of blood. He held her hand against his cheek, closing his eyes and leaning into it, searching for any warmth that might remain. 

“Adrian?” 

He opened his eyes. The pain behind his eyes broke her heart. 

“I love you.”

Adrian smiled, ever so slightly. He leaned down, kissing her as gently as he could, only for a second. When he pulled away, she was smiling, her eyes closed. 

Adrian’s suit was covered in blood, his helmet discarded beside them. His attempts to stop the bleeding had been unsuccessful, and they were both soaked from the blood pooled around them. 

Nova’s breathing was forced, and her eyes unable to stay open. She gave his hand a weak squeeze before her hand loosened its grip and her hand fell open on the ground. 

“Nova.” Adrian shook her, gently at first, then harder. She didn’t wake. 

He fumbled for her pulse, desperately waiting for anything, just one beat. 

“Nova, please. Please don’t leave me, it’s almost over. We’re going to win, Nova. Everything will be fine, it’s almost over. You can’t leave before it’s over. Please.” He broke down, cradling her head against his chest.

An explosion rang through the air near them. Wiping his tears away, Adrian stood up with Nova’s body in his arms. He brought her to the sidelines, away from harm, and donned his helmet. 

Adrian only knew one thing.

The Anarchists were going to pay. 

[teawithhoneyharper]

hi!!!!!!!!! so this is my drawing for @healing-winston-pratt​ for the holiday gift exchange ( by @scxundress​ and @darkalinas​ )! i was already super intimidated to be making art for one of the best artists in the fandom but to make things worse i chose to draw ur fav character!!! i attempted two linearts of winston with some pops of color :) i sincerely apologize since the lighting in my house sucks and i usually just do pencil sketches so i suck at coloring. also unfortunately i only have like one color for lighter skin tones and when i tried to use it it just looked really awful so i erased it and that may be why he has a slight sickly pallor about him i apologize!!!!!!! anywho i hope you have an amazing new year <3

[novannna]

Not My Burden to Bear

Happy Holidays @addies-invisible-life!!!  I was your gifter for the Multifandom Gift Exhange, hosted by @darkalinas and @scxundress.  I wrote you a nodrian hurt/comfort one-shot!  I hope you like it <3333

WC: 1803

Adrian watched Nova as she lay on the couch, a book spread across her lap.  Her lips were twisted in a frown, and her hair hung low over her eyes.  She hadn’t turned the page in a while, and just seemed to be sitting there, pretending to read.   

“Nova, what’s wrong?”  He asked finally, his voice full of concern.  

She started.  “Nothing,” she said quickly.   “Why?”

Adrian sighed, and rose from his chair, settling down against Nova.  “You don’t seem okay.”

She scowled.  “I’m fine.  Just reading.”

“Uh huh.”  Adrian was even more worried now.  “You wanna watch a movie or something?”  

Nova shook her head.  “I’m reading.  Go sketch or something.” She flapped her fingers at him, attempting to shoo him away.   

Adrian didn’t budge.  

Nova groaned, and set her book down.  “Adrian,” she said, clearly annoyed.  “I said I’m fine.  So… please let me be.  I promised Narcissa I’d read this book.”  

“Nova, you can always talk to me.  I’m here for you, you can tell me anything.”

Her face softened.  “I know, Adrian.”  

He wrapped his arms around her, then rose.  “I’m going to make some tea.  Want any?”  He knew that always made her feel better.  

She shook her head.   “I need to go to therapy soon. In fact, I should go get ready.”  She groaned, and pushed herself to her feet.  

“Okay.  Have fun!”  Adrian smiled at her.

She nodded, but she seemed distracted.  “Yeah.  You too.”  

---

“Narcissa, I need your help,” Adrian said into the phone.  

“Hi to you too,” her dry voice responded.  

“You know Nova better than anyone except me, and probably Leroy, but I don’t know how to find him, so I need you.”  

“M‘kay.  One sec.”  He could hear her moving around, and muffled words.  He couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.  Static came from the other end.  

He tapped his fingers impatiently against his leg.  

“Okay.  I’m listening,” Narcissa said at last.  

“Nova seems really upset today.  I don’t know why, and she’s trying to pretend she’s fine, but I know something is wrong.”  Adrian cringed.  He felt like he was betraying Nova, talking to Narcissa about her feelings.  She wouldn’t like that.  

“Yeah.  That would make sense,” Narcissa replied.  

“What’s bothering her?”  Adrian demanded.  “I’m worried about her…”

“Does Nova talk about her parents a lot?  Or you know.... Ever?”

Adrian shook his head, then remembered he was on the phone. “No.  I just know that she watched them die, and it was Ace’s fault.”  

“Adrian,”  Narcissa said softly.  “It happened today.  She still feels really guilty over it.  She thinks that if she had been faster, or smarter, or stronger she could have stopped it.  And this year…” 

“It’s the first year since she figured out what really happened....” Horror crawled across Adrian’s face.  

“Yeah,” Narcissa said heavily.  “This is probably the worst it's ever been.  She’s the only one left to mourn them.  It’s probably pretty hard for her today.”  

“Shit.  I had no idea.”  He frowned.  “Why didn’t she say anything?”

Narcissa scoffed.  He could imagine her rolling her eyes at him.  “It’s Nova.  You think she would talk about it?”

Adrian shrugged.  “Fair.  What should I do?”

“I don’t know.  Talk to her?  You know Nova better than me.”

Adrian nodded, distracted.  “Ok.  Thanks for telling me, I’ll see what I can do.”  

“Hey Adrian?”  Narcissa said, her voice tight.  

“Yeah?”

“Be careful with her, okay?” 

Adrians face softened as her words came over the phone.  “You know I will.”  He set the phone down, and sighed heavily.  Of course.  It made perfect sense.  This was probably a miserable day for Nova.  Her parents deaths were hard enough on their own, but now that she knew that Ace had killed them… he inhaled sharply.  Her whole world had been turned upside down, and now she was alone on the worst day.  Adrian had to do something.  He had to fix everything.  He had to help Nova.  

--- 

Nova cracked the door open, wiping her hands across her eyes.  She felt absolutely miserable.  Everything hurt.  Every single year this day was hard, but it never hurt this bad.  

It normally was full of thoughts about what she could have done better.  Maybe if she had used her power on the man right away, her parents wouldn’t have been shot.  Maybe if she had grabbed Evie first, she could have escaped right away.  

Maybe if she hadn’t run, the man would have never found Evie.  

That one thought plagued her constantly.  If she had made some noise, or let the man see her, he never would’ve found Evie.  he never would have killed her.  He would have killed Nova instead.  The world would be better off anyways.  

Nova sniffled.

No, that wouldn’t have changed anything because Ace was the one who had ordered the attack.  Her own uncle assassinated her family.  His brother.  And every year he mourned with her, pretending to miss them the same way she did.  And she had believed him.  She had believed his lies.  He killed her mom.  He killed her dad.  He killed Evie.  And it all still felt like her fault.  

“Nova?”  She heard Adrian’s soft voice ask quietly.  

She wiped her eyes quickly.  

“Narcissa told me about… y’know.  Everything.  Stars Nova, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”  

She collapsed into his arms, and burst into tears.  

“Hey, it's okay.  It’s alright,” Adrian said, rubbing her back.  

“I miss them,” Nova sobbed into his shoulder.  “I miss them so much, but I keep going back to last year, and the year before that, and the year…”  she broke into a loud sob.  “I keep remembering how Ace was the one who made me feel better.  And- and it turns out he was the one who killed them.  It turns out it was all his fault.  I held onto him, while I cried.”  

“I know,” Adrian murmured.  

Nova pulled back.  “I just want them back.”

“Hey, I know you do.  I know how you feel.  If I hadn’t made Phobia, my mom would still be alive.  But there was no way to stop that from happening.  The past happened, and none of it was our fault.  We were little kids, and we didn’t know any better.”  

“But what if I could have saved them?  Or at least Evie?  I keep thinking about it, seeing all the ways I could have done it better.”

“Nova, you were six!  You couldn’t have been expected to save them.  You couldn’t have fixed anything.  None of it was your fault.”

Nova nodded mutely, and wrapped her arms around his body.  

Adrian held her tightly, and gently rocked them back and forth.  

“Thank you,” Nova said quietly at last.  “For everything.”

“Of course Nova.  I love you.”  He tilted her face up to his, and scooped her tears away with the pad of his thumb.  “There's one more thing I wanted to show you.”

“What?”

“It’s a surprise.  Would you rather stay in though?  I understand if you just want to stay home.  We could watch a movie, or just sit if you want…”

“No.”  Nova shook her head, and attempted a smile.  “I’m okay.  You can show me.”

“Okay.”  Adrian linked his arm through Nova’s and led her back out the door.  “Just let me know if anything is too much.”

“I will.”  

“Promise?”

She nodded.  “I promise.”

---

Adrian pulled the car into a small parking lot, and opened the door for Nova.  

“Where are we?”  She asked bewildered.  

“You’ll see.  Are you okay?”

She attempted a brave smile.  “Better.  It’s still hard to think about them.”

“It’ll never get better.  You can’t ever get over the pain.  But I find it helps to remember that you still remember them, and love them and miss them.  It means that they still exist, and matter.”  Adrian slipped his hand into Nova’s and squeezed it gently.  

He led her through a small iron gate, and to a large willow tree, the long boughs covering a stone bench from view almost completely.  

“What’s happening?” Nova asked, confusion in her voice.  

“You’ll see.”  Adrian spread the leaves apart, and pulled them through.  

Inside the leafy green cove, two twin stones lay on the ground.  

Nova fell to her knees as she stared at the inscription carved into the gray marble.  Tala Artino and David Artino.

“How?”  Nova asked, her eyes glassy with tears.  

“I asked around.  I knew there was a cemetery for those killed in the Age of Anarchy, and I know my dad had made sure your parents were buried.  It wasn’t hard.”  Adrian stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling awkward for some reason.  As if he was intruding on something sacred.  

“Adrian I-....”  Nova trailed off.  “Thank you so much.  I never thought I’d be able to see them put to rest.”  Twin trails of tears snaked their way down her cheeks.  

“Of course Nova.  I’d do anything for you.”  

She looked at the two headstones one last time.  “Where’s Evie?”  She asked at last.  Pain flashed across her face.  

“That was the other thing I wanted to tell you.”  Adrian cleared his throat.  “Nova, I think it’s possible she’s alive.”

“No.”  Nova shook her head.  “That’s impossible, I heard her cries…”  Nova took in a shuddering breath.  “I heard her cries stop after a gunshot.  She’s dead.  She can’t be alive.”  

“Nova, I can bring my drawings to life, you can put people to sleep with your touch.  Are you really going to argue about what’s possible?”

Hope spread across her face.   “You really think she’s out there?”

“The report said there were three bodies when my dad came.  When they picked up your parents, there were only two.  I’m not saying she is alive, but… she could be.”

“‘Could be’ is enough for me.”  Nova turned to face Adrian, hope and joy gleaming in her dark eyes.  “Adrian, will you help me find her?”

He smiled.  “You know I will.”  

Nova hugged her arms tight to her chest, and let herself smile at the two twin headstones.  “If she’s out there, I promise you I’ll bring her home,” she said into the empty air.  “I couldn’t save you… but maybe I can save her.”  She hugged her body tight to Adrian, and brushed a kiss against his cheek.  “Let's go home,” she said.

“Of course my star,” he replied, kissing her forehead.  

Nova walked away from her parents two headstones, feeling lighter and heavier than she had in years.  But now… now she didn’t need to bear the burden alone.  She would find her sister, and she had help.  She squeezed Adrian against her, and leaned heavily on his shoulder.  He wrapped his arm around her, and together they walked out of the cemetery. 

Tag list: @honey-harper-official @nobellrenaissance @thepurpledragon4444 @nova-artino @phobidawg @janisarkisian  @furrytamayarae

(let me know if u want to be added or taken off my tag list!!!)

[makhis]

“How do you walk so fearlessly?” she’d simply shrugged and said, “It’s just walking.” But that wasn’t true. It was better than walking. When others walked the wire, they fought it—the wind, the height, the distance. When Inej was on the high wire, it became her world. She could feel its tilt and pull. It was a planet and she was its moon”

Multifandom Gift Exchange for @kilioferebor (hosted by @darkalinas and @scxundress)

[senalishia]

And here is my gift for @bookishfangirl14 for the Multifandom Gift Exchange! Blake and Yang enjoying a peaceful afternoon in the sun.

(Thanks once again to @senshistock for the pose reference!)

[acciomanorian]

“You’re power serves you because thats its purpose, because it cannot help but to serve you.”

Grishaverse —> Leigh Bardugo

Here is the second of your Secret Santa gift @tragicdeadgirl! Merry christmas and happy new year!!

[pictures-over-words]

Mistletoes, Cookies, Laughter, and Kisses - Harry/Ginny Christmas Fic

Hi, @whyiask!

Ta-da, I was your Secret Santa! :)

Here’s your Secret Santa gift for the Multifandom Gift Exchange 2020 Event. A big thank you to @darkalinas and @scxundress for hosting the event! :)

@whyiask, you mentioned Harry Potter being one of your favorite fandoms and Harry and Ginny being one of your favorite ships, so I wrote you some holiday fluff. This is what came from my mind. I hope you like it! I hope you had a great Christmas! I’m wishing you a Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! :D

Rating: T 

Harry and Ginny were at their home on Christmas Day.

Ginny was in the kitchen baking cookies. She was on a break from playing on the professional Quidditch team “The Holyhead Harpies.” This team was an all-female team. The team was currently doing well. They were winning championships.

Harry was sitting at their dining room table currently finishing up his Gingerbread house. He had put the finishing touch on his house and then set back in the chair to look at his creation. Ginny smiled from the kitchen as she saw this. He nodded his head in satisfaction and then looked over at the house that the love of his life made. He thought Ginny’s Gingerbread house was better than his. Ginny smirked. Harry was on a break from working as an Auror. An Auror was a wizard or witch who acted as highly trained law enforcement officials for magical governments.

They were both on Christmas Break from their professions and they couldn’t have been happier. Harry and Ginny were really enjoying their time together. They were also engaged.

Ginny was in the kitchen looking at the stove when Harry came up behind her with a surprise hug from the back. Ginny squealed and laughed. He complimented Ginny on her Gingerbread house telling her how much he loved it. She told him the same. He continued hugging her from the back and then held up a mistletoe above them. Ginny laughed at this.

“You know you don’t need a mistletoe to get a kiss from me, right? Come here.” Harry let go of her. Ginny then grabbed him and kissed him hard and passionately on the lips. He then smiled at her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“Alright, we aren’t going to kiss anymore. We don’t want to burn the cookies.” Ginny winked. Harry laughed at her comment and then left the kitchen.

It was then the night of Christmas Day. After lots of phone calls talking to their loved ones on the phone, Harry and Ginny then needed alone time to themselves.

 They had ordered food to be delivered to them from this nice restaurant for wizards and witches. They ate their dinner. They then were eating chocolate and drinking Butterbeer after their meal. Ginny’s cookies turned out to be amazing. They were cuddling on their couch in the living room and watching this Muggle film called “The Holiday” which they turned out to really enjoy.

After the film was over, they opened gifts. They each gave each other Christmas cards with lovely messages inside for the other. Harry gave Ginny a heart shaped gold necklace along with a gold ring with the initials “G” on them for her name. Harry was the most famous wizard in the wizarding world and these items were expensive. He was loaded with lots of money. He was definitely going to get these things for his fiancée. Ginny loved the gifts.

Ginny gave him a book of reasons why she loved him and a black notebook with the initials “H” on them. Harry loved to write in his spare time. They each got things with the initials of the other and they both adored how they had the same brain and thought alike. They then shared another kiss.

Harry loved Ginny. Ginny loved Harry. They loved each other all the same.

[obsidianfr3sk]

Falcon in the Dive

Summary:  Piercing into the sky and higher, Ace thrived. The weak cowered, but the fittest, like him, survived. He didn't wait until the darkest hour, he didn't wait until they spring alive. He, with claws of fire, devoured like a falcon in the dive.

AO3

As my contribuiton to the Multifandom Gift Exchange 2020 (hosted by the wonderful @darkalinas and @scxundress), here’s a gift for my little sister and favorite villain apologist (?) @alecjamesartino. As soon as they told me I was your gifter... well, I was really happy!!! And then x’d I knew I had to write something about Ace and this song just... LIKE I JUST KNEW I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT ACE INSPIRED IN FALCON IN THE DIVE, ALL RIGHT???? I JUST ✨K N E W✨

Before y’all start reading xd I need to... kinda clarify something. So, I don’t know if you know, but I actually based all of my fics on this timeline made by @honey-hippie-harper and @healing-winston-pratt, and I kinda just started to create my headcanons from it. But, today I decided to throw all of them through the freaking window and base this fic on this timeline, made by my giftee:’))) She uses it for her fic Love and Anarchy (which you should totally read!). That said, this work has nothing to do with my other fics (for example, Rise of the Renegades or The Origins), I’m just experimenting with new headcanons:’)

Another important thing x’d On this fic I mention Leroy’s eyes turn green when he uses his powers and that Hugh’s eyes are gray instead of blue. This are not my headcanons, they’re actually from this drawing made by @healing-winston-pratt​. Go check it out and reblog it!!) 

Now... well, my dear little sister Alec, I hope you like this gift. I know how much you like Ace and the Anarchists, and I have never written anything about them (Begginings and Endings doesn’t count, it was from David’s POV x’d) so this was a complete challenge for me. But what kept me going was... thinking that I was doing this for you. And honestly, your timeline just gave me so much space to play with new headcanons and scenarios, so thank you for that:’)) Personally I consider myself someone with a extraordinary imagination, but you, Alec, left me dumbfounded (quedé dirían en mi tierra). You are so young, and brilliant, and adorably deathly that I just want to hold you and protect you from the the bad things that happen on this world:’) 

I’d say I love you but I’m akward so I’ll just say I’m really fond of you. I think you have a lot of potentential and I hope I get to see you become a wonderful woman. Felices fiestas✨✨✨ 

Knock in the doors, lock up the city,

track him down through this town,

and be quick about it... now!

How the devil can I ever prevail when I'm only a man?

I can never be duped by that scurrilous phantom again.

Year 0, month 0

“I thought you were going to be taller.”

Ace stopped looking at the chandelier hanging over his head to look at the woman to his right. “Sorry?”

“I thought you were going to be taller,” she repeated almost yelling.

“Fuck, Honey ...”

Ace turned to his left. “What?” Honey asked. “I’m just saying, geez.”

The young man's eyes went from dark to toxic green.

“Leroy,” Ace interrupted, “your chair is ... burning.”

Leroy removed his hands from the armrest of the chair he was sitting in, cursing underneath. There were drops of a greenish liquid coming from his fingers and the wood smelled like a burnt tree. As he did his best to clean up the mess he had made with his powers, Ace turned his attention back to Honey. “Did you think it was going to be taller?”

Honey tucked one of her blonde curls behind her ear. She was wearing a white coat with rhinestone as buttons; a group of prodigies had given it to her in exchange for allowing them to join their ranks. Ace had replied that it was not necessary to pay any kind of tribute and that anyone who agreed with the values of the Anarchists, could consider themselves as such. Despite this, one of the boys insisted on giving Honey the coat, because from the moment he saw it, he thought it was “fit for a queen”. That was the moment when Ace's theory was confirmed: Honey had a weakness for compliments and gifts. She accepted the coat with a smile and even defended the boy when Leroy muttered, “Ahem, simp.”

That was also the moment when he realized that Leroy's weakness was driving Honey out of her mind.

Regardless, Ace could tell that they had some kind of… appreciation for each other. The first time he saw them use their powers was when Honey sent a cloud of wasps to a group of cops who tried to get Leroy into one of their trucks and when Leroy burned the face of a guy who had grabbed Honey from wrist strong enough to make her scream.

Those two were powerful and loyal without falling into blind fanaticism. Ace needed people like that in his ranks.

The whole world needed such people in its ranks.

“I mean, yeah,” Honey continued. “I had heard so much about Ace Anarchy that… well, I have to admit I did build up some expectations.”

Ace fixed his gaze on Honey's feet. She was wearing heels. Obviously. “Why don't you get off those stilts and say it to my face?”

Honey burst out laughing right away and Ace too. He could even see Leroy trying not to smile before crossing his arms on his chest.

The three were on the seat of the cathedral, Ace sitting on the main chair where the priest who officiated the mass sat, and Honey and Leroy on the chairs to the sides, generally reserved for the seminarians who helped during the celebration. He had taken the table out of the way with his powers and stored it in a cellar, in case it was needed again. During those last three weeks that they had been using the cathedral as a base, Ace had given some speeches there. The light coming from the windows illuminated his face and the crucifix behind him made him feel a kind of power that he could not describe. Also, the main chair was wide, tall, and shiny. It would have looked like a throne if it were covered in some golden metal...

Stop it.

“I think no one else is coming,” said Leroy. “we better get out of here. These chairs are uncomfortable.”

“Use a cushion, like me,” Honey commented, proudly displaying the small cushion she had placed on the chair to make it easier to sit.

Leroy couldn’t look more disgusted. “Why would you put your ass on the same cushion you use to sleep?”

As his allies began to argue again, Ace put his arms on the sides of the chair, focusing on the immense doors of the cathedral.

As far as they knew, Ace was waiting for recruits. It was a fairly common thing to happen. Many prodigies (like the simp and his henchmen) had been flocking to the cathedral, seeking help, acceptance, or a chance to prove themselves worthy of being within Ace's close circle. It was a bit tiring at times, but at the moment he couldn't afford to turn them away without even bothering to see what their powers were. If he knew something, it was that no power could not be taken advantage of in some way, and if that way could benefit him, the better.

But at dusk, the chances of people coming to the cathedral began to disappear, because at night the city became dangerous. Thus, Ace knew that he would not receive any new potential recruits until the next morning, and he knew that his allies need to rest and eat something.

However, he also knew that David could be the one to walk through that door at any moment.

Ace was still furious with him. He probably would be furious with him for the rest of his life. David was a condescending, deluded guy who didn't bother to think outside the box for the good of those who were like them.

But at the end of the day, that guy was his blood (whoever he liked it or not) and he wanted to make sure he was still alive.

David Artino would never miss an opportunity to exercise his authority as an older brother and scold him for the first reason that crossed his mind. He could see him hiding like a mole in some hole in the city, losing his mind to the chaos that his younger brother was slowly planting in every corner of planet Earth.

However, he could also see him being killed in the street by an angry horde who knew he was a prodigy, or by a group of policemen who mistook him for one of the hundreds of protesters that had filled the city, and although the thought made him uncomfortable, it might be best if things stayed that way.

After all, if David went out to the real world, the world that was out there right now would probably kick him to the ground, take out his eyes, and eat them before stabbing him and letting him there to die.

Yes, things should stay that way. With Ace Anarchy alive and building the world as it must have been from the start, and with the Artino brothers dead, buried in a sealed tomb from which not even their souls could escape.

He was about to stand up when someone knocked on the door. Honey’s bees, which had been quietly resting on the church pews, began to buzz like watchdogs barking at the presence of a stranger.

Alec knew those four knocks.

Honey and Leroy suddenly fell silent and settled into their chairs almost unconsciously. Ace put on his helmet and then, with a wave of his hand, he slightly opened the cathedral door.

His hair was longer than normal. He recognized the same coat he was wearing the last time he saw him, but he had changed his pajama bottoms for faded jeans. He had a mysterious blow to the head and the deepest circles under his eyes he had ever seen. That, plus that unkempt beard, made Ace even more certain that, had he seen him on the street, he probably wouldn't have recognized him.

At least until he saw his blue eyes. David had unmistakable blue eyes.

“Good evening, fellow anarchist,” Ace greeted from his seat. “How can we help you?”

David gripped the door and frowned. “Alec?”

The bees buzzed louder and Honey turned to see him. “Do you know him?”

Leroy and his toxic green eyes seemed to ask the same question.

“You don't want to mention that name here,” Ace warned, ignoring his allies. “Seriously.”

David did not reply. Not that he expected him to. “Come in,” he assured him, nodding slightly. “Us Anarchists are willing to help any prodigy. We fight for all of them. Even for those who prefer to give in to the system that oppresses us in the first place. "

His allies fell silent. Ace knew he wasn't going to be wrong about them; they were fully aware that their opinion was not necessary at that time.

David's old sneakers squeaked on the marble floor of the church. The white shoelaces were stained with dark blood. “I… I looked for you everywhere,” he muttered.

“I didn't go anywhere,” he replied. “I was always here.”

He resisted the childish urge to ask where he had been, precisely because that was it. Childish. Something that only a kid would do.

And Alec James Artino, the kid, was dead.

David reached the first step of the altar and Ace stood up. “Don’t.”

His brother stopped before taking another step. He even stepped back and put his hands to his chest, as if his heart had ached at that simple word.

You see? Weak.

“I'm not here to take you anywhere,” he assured.

Ace gave a mocking laugh. “So?”

“I'm here to join you.”

The smile faded from Ace’s face. However, he did not interpret it as a sign of weakness, because immediately, he was able to recover from the blow and remain expressionless as his brother's gaze pierced his like stakes.

Even with him there, right in front of Ace, standing in the middle of the cathedral, he knew that David didn't belong there. He was not an Anarchist like them. Something was missing. Maybe courage. Maybe it was determination.

Perhaps what he lacked was that spark of life that rage gave when it started a fire in the depths of your gut.

So why bother?

Before the question slipped from his lips, the answer came to his head and it all made sense to him.

Ace was right. The day anarchy was born, the Artino brothers had died, but there was no one alive to bury them. The ghost of David Artino had spent days searching for his only remaining family, wandering around town like a beggar.

Because deep down, he needed him more than Alec had ever needed David.

How did he explain that the little brother he was looking for was dead, and now only the man he had become remained?

He knew how to explain it, but David was stubborn. Even if Ace chose the most appropriate words for the situation, he could never make him see things the way he wanted him to. At least not if he knew Alec was dead.

He did not know that in an ideal world, the only one still alive was Ace Anarchy.

It wasn't the perfect scenario, but the perfect thing about that scenario was that David didn't need to know that just yet. Alec's ghost could come out of his grave as many times as necessary and Ace could use that to his advantage for as long as he wanted.

That would make the ghost David very happy. And if David was happy and he could take advantage of that happiness, then Ace would be happy too.

Ace removed his helmet and laid it gently on his chair. When he returned his gaze to David, his eyes were full of tears.

He also tried to cry, but couldn't. Therefore, he decided to extend his arms and allow David to stumble his way to him, giving him the strongest hug he had ever received while stroking his hair and sobbing: “I missed you so much, my little nightmare.”

Alec took Ace by the arms and placed them on David's shaking back. “I missed you too.”

But he was lying. He wondered if ghost David was lying too.

He better not.

***

I wasn't born to walk on water,

I wasn't born to sack and slaughter,

but on my soul, I wasn't born

to stoop, to scorn, and knuckle under.

A man can learn to steal some thunder.

A man can learn to work some wonder.

Year 4, month 7

When it all started, Ace did not like to think of himself as a leader. At least not a leader like the previous ones. God, just thinking about becoming one of those who used to rule the world before he turned things around made him feel sick.

However, over time he grew tired of explaining to each of those who arrived, full of desire to prove something (to the world, to Ace, and themselves), that he was not a leader as such. Little by little, he started to ignore those types of comments and just let himself go with the flow.

At least until David noticed his unconformity with the matter and approach him to talk about it.

It was a couple of months after he arrived. Ace was saying his prayers before going to bed when someone knocked on his door.

Four times. As always.

He quickly crossed himself and muttered, “Come in.”

David came in, holding a candle and wrapped in a robe that "the simps" had given to Leroy (it hadn't fit him, but David was so malnourished that it was like the robe had been made for him.)

Ace put on his robe too. “How can I help you?”

David fixed his gaze on the figure of the Virgin Mary that Ace had on a ledge. “Were you praying?”

“Of course,” he answered, feeling a little defensive.

David scoffed. “Wow.”

“What?”

“I thought ... I thought you didn't do it anymore.”

Ace rolled his eyes and pretended to arrange the covers on his bed (they didn't need to be arranged, he was very meticulous about that matter). “How can I help you?” he repeated.

David finally took his eyes off the Virgin Mary and turned to see him.

It surprised him he still had bags under his eyes. He thought that now that he slept in a decent bed, ate decent food, and no longer had to go through the same stressful situations that he went through before, his face would start to look more youthful again.

Maybe the bags under one’s eyes were like expression or acne marks. They would always be there.

Just like experiences.

Then David started talking to him. A lot. About how he had noticed his discomfort when people called him a leader. About him believing that he shouldn't feel that way because being placed in such a position was completely expected and even natural for it to happen. (“Don't interrupt me.” “I wasn't going to.” Oh, but he was going to.) About if he really wanted things to work out, the world was going to need someone to guide it down the path of good, and David did not doubt that someone was Ace.

They spent several hours just ranting about it. There was a point where the two of them were lying on his bed, Ace covered by his red blanket and David tightly holding a pillow against his chest. The candle was getting smaller and smaller, and David had chosen to place it next to the figure of The Virgin Mary as if it had been lit for her from the beginning.

Only that there was a God who saw everything, and that God knew that the candle had not been lit for her.

Ace was staring at the wooden ceiling when David told him, “I could never be a leader.”

“Why?”

Obviously Ace knew that David could never be a leader, but he wanted to know why his brother thought that way.

David clung to the pillow tighter. He wasn't looking at the ceiling; he looked at Ace. Sideways, but he was looking at him. “I don’t know. I think it's just not my… personality. Even when the guys and I were out there doing the… protests and stuff, I never led any of them,” he explained. “I've always been more of a follower.”

Ace did not answer. Yet he hoped David would interpret his silence as a sign that he had agreed with him.

“But on the other hand, you... Alec, you are a leader.”

His jaw clenched when he heard his name. He had to work on it. “What makes you think that?”

“Because… seriously, why wouldn’t you be a leader?” He turned around so he could look at him and Ace felt obligated to turn to see him as well. Only that he decided not to. “People look after you. They know you are a leader and they follow you. See how much you've changed in a matter of weeks. Inadvertently, you have led people up to this point in history. No one had ever come this far. No one except you.”

Then, Ace couldn't take it anymore and turned to meet his brother's eyes. “But won't that make me like everyone else?”

“Everyone else?” asked a very confused David.

Because David never understood anything.

“Like all the other leaders,” he replied, trying not to lose patience. “Leaders who are corrupt and selfish and—“ His brother interrupted his monologue with laughter. Much to someone who had complained when he tried to cut him off in the middle of a ridiculously long explanation. “—What’s so funny?”

“I’m sorry,” David replied smiling. “It’s just… forget it.” He put a hand on his cheek and kept laughing underneath. “Alec, you’re not going to be like the other leaders.”

“And how are you so sure of that?” he asked a little louder than he wanted to.

David hardly seemed to notice. “Because you are not like that. You are not evil.” He sighed. “Now… there is the potential for evil everywhere, but the only way to combat it’s if more people choose goodness. If more people choose heroism. And you… you are one of those people. I am sure.”

And with those words, the candle extinguished, and Ace decided that it was time for both of them to go to sleep. He allowed David to stay the night. It was not like he had given any sign of wanting to go back to his room anyway. Ace spent most of the night awake, but not necessarily because his older brother's snoring kept him from sleeping.

What kept him from sleeping was thinking that maybe... maybe he was right. Maybe Ace did have to start taking the role of leader. After all, human beings were like that. They were always looking for someone to follow, someone they could cling to that would protect them in some way or another. That someone could be the parents. Older brothers. God himself.

But sometimes that someone was not looking for what was best for them. For example, Ace and David's parents never made the slightest effort to hide how much they hated their children. He was still a kid when his brother took him by the hand, put a coat on him, and told his parents that they were going out to the park. Ace didn't want to go to the park; he wanted to stay home to play with his wooden cubes, but David told him that if he went to the park with him, he would give him a surprise on the way home.

However, they passed the park and David went to a clothing and suitcase store that was near the dock where various boats full of tourists departed. On his way out, he bought his younger brother a lollipop and two one-way tickets to Gatlon City.

They never looked for them. Although if they had, he doubted they would have found them.

For a long time, Ace didn't fully understand what had happened. He just knew that he was never going to see his parents again. Regardless, it was not a thought that haunted him. After all, he hated his parents. And he didn't feel bad about it. Ace had David. David would never hurt him in any way.

At least that's how it was until he grew up. He grew up and realized that David had lied and stolen to get them out of Italy. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing; they would never have survived in Italy anyway. The bad thing was when David lied to him and robbed him for his own benefit. He lied to him about Gatlon's hate towards prodigies and he stole money from his savings when what he earned wasn't enough to pay the monthly rent on his apartment.

And then… there was God.

God existed. Clearly. It was one of the few things Ace didn't feel like he needed proof for. However… God hadn't always been there for him. God had been used as a weapon for hundreds of years to attack prodigies like Ace...

Yes, God was not going to save him. He wasn't going to save any of the millions and millions of prodigies that were counting on Ace Anarchy. God was not a hero.

But Ace could be.

So from that day on, Ace began to be the head in practically all the operations that the Anarchists carried out. Nothing happened without him finding out and approving it first. He recorded numerous videos and wrote dozens of speeches that they would use to spread his word around the world. Prodigies from all countries began to rise against their respective governments, and although some of them gave them what they wanted, the vast majority made the mistake of underestimating them and denying their more than reasonable requests.

Because, well, Ace didn't find anything outrageous about a bunch of people asking their governments to recognize their basic human rights.

Sometimes the prodigies of those places could take down their governments by themselves. However, on a couple of occasions, Ace had to travel to those places to give them a hand. They weren't too far away, so Ace could use his powers to transport himself there, and he still had enough strength left to turn the helicopters and tanks that they sent to try to finish him into unusable pieces of metal. There wasn’t a single place where he had not succeeded, and there was not a single place where people did not make him a symbol and call him a hero.

Not even a single one.

That was why he did not understand people who wanted to leave the trenches.

The first time people from the cathedral had explicitly told him that they wanted to resign were the Benitez twins, Fénix and Tritón. He was a water elemental and she was a fire elemental, who had fought alongside Ace and hundreds of other prodigies like him when they took over the government palace of their country and liberated the population. They were young but strong, like most of those who joined the cause. They spent a year and six months helping on missions that Ace, Honey, or even Leroy assigned them, and never received anything other than good comments from their superiors...

“Then why do you want to leave?” Honey asked them.

She, Leroy, the twins, and he were in what had been the bishop's office after he summoned them all to a meeting where they would assess the situation. Not because he felt a special affection for them; they weren't too different from the other people Ace had in charge of. He just wanted to know why and approve the situation.

Like he always did.

Tritón smiled charmingly at Honey. He and his twin sister had the same curly black hair, but she never smiled. “As we said before… it's nothing personal,” he replied. “Fénix and I were never mistreated here, but... we want to find our own way in life.”

Honey and Leroy turned to see each other. Leroy looked quite indifferent to the situation as if he wished to be in his lab, looking for new ways to finish burning his eyebrows, while Honey seemed quite suspicious regarding the true intentions behind Tritón's words and Fénix's deadly silence.

Ace stood up and looked out the window.

“Are you going back to Mexico?”

“Yes. But not to the same place we came from.”

“And how are you going to—“

“Stop overwhelming them with so many questions, my Queen,” Ace interrupted while turning around. “They are old enough to make their own decisions.”

Tritón sighed in relief, and Fénix didn't even look up to see him. “They had already packed their things, apparently,” and he pointed to the backpacks they were carrying. The same ones with which they had arrived at the cathedral.

“Yes, it's just… we didn't want to make a big fuss about our departure,” Tritón replied. “We want it to be respectful and press-free, please.”

That comment managed to make him smile slightly. “I see no reason to keep you as prisoners,” he said, addressing Honey and Leroy. “If they want to leave, they can.”

Leroy raised his only remaining eyebrow. “Can they?”

“They can,” he repeated. He turned slightly to continue staring out the window. It was a lovely day out there. “Wanting to look for something more than what we are capable of offering is a valid reason to leave.”

“Not that we’re filling like something’s missing here,” Tritón said. “On the contrary, we have never been more… blessed. We promise that we will always keep in mind all the things the Anarchist taught us. We will be on your side even if it is from a distance.”

Now it was Honey's turn to raise an eyebrow. “I don't know, this is too—“

“Excuse me, Queen Bee,” Tritón interrupted, “but ... we're in a bit of a rush.”

“An ally has promised to take us to the border in his truck,” Fénix said, speaking for the first time during the entire conversation. “He's going to pick us up in an hour and it's a long way to the meeting point.

Ace looked through the window to find David welcoming some of the prodigies who had come out to find more supplies for the cathedral. He pointed out where they were being kept and offered to help them carry some boxes up the stairs.

Ace had to go to check on that.

“Acey...”

“Take care of yourselves, Tritón and Fénix,” Ace said, heading for the exit. “Thank you very much for your loyalty. Let me show you the door.”

The twins looked at each other, immediately nodding slowly and leaving the room, walking in front of Ace, shoulder to shoulder, and muttering something. As they walked down the stairs, Ace was too busy thinking about the new shipment that had arrived to care about their conversation, until he tried to overhear them and realized they were speaking in Spanish.

They never spoke Spanish. Not in the cathedral. No one could have understood them if they did. What was the point of hiding something?

Unless they are hiding something.

He turned his attention back to the backpacks they carried. Yes, they were the same ones that they had brought the first day they arrived, but now they seemed fuller than before. And when Ace said fuller, he meant it. Those backpacks were about to explode.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs. The twins kept walking as if they hadn't realized that Ace was no longer with them. Honey and Leroy caught up with him, while Honey was saying something about this situation making her babies (the bees) very nervous, and she knew that was a bad sign. Leroy replied that those "babies" should take a Xanax, but he didn't sound too convinced of his words either.

Fénix took his brother's hand and Tritón looked back, making contact with Ace's dark eyes.

The backpacks. The backpacks were too full.

Ace used his powers to rip them off their shoulders, at the same time he grabbed them from the collars of their clothes and lifted them like a mother lioness would have carried her cubs. The two cried out in shock but fell silent when they came face to face with Ace.

Neither of them said anything. Not even Tritón. They only held on tighter by the hand as Ace opened their backpacks, dropped their contents on the floor, and revealed that they were carrying, along with their personal belongings, tons of food and hygiene items taken directly from the cathedral warehouse.

The warehouse that David was supposed to watch.

“My bracelet!” Honey exclaimed. “That... bitch was taking my bracelet!”

A group of bees returned the bracelet to her queen. Honey thanked them in a low voice and immediately, her face was completely changed by her anger. “How dare you?” she asked Fénix putting a finger on her chest. “How dare you disrespect me like that ?! Is that how you were going to pay the man who was going to take you to the border!?” But Fénix didn’t say anything. Again. “Answer me!”

“More like how dare you!” Fénix suddenly yelled. Honey took a step back from shock. “How dare you take everything from people who have nothing!”

“Fénix... por favor...” Tritón whispered.

“Shut the fuck up, Diego!” she yelled at his brother. “Tell me, Harper! How do you sleep at night?” she kept asking. “How do you sleep at night knowing that you have helped destroy the world as we know it? How can you reason that what you’re doing is right?!”

“Eleonor! Eleonor, por favor!”

Fénix started to try to free herself from Ace's grip, but that only made Ace cling tighter to the collar of her blouse. “How dare you even think you’re the good guys?”

Then, she looked him dead in the eye and spat, “How dare you call yourself a hero, Alec Artino?”

Ace thought hearing his name was going to make him lose his mind. Yet some way or another, his face remained expressionless. Even when Honey slapped the shit out of Fénix and the bees began to fly around her, stinging every bit of skin that wasn’t covered by her clothes. He also remained expressionless when he heard Tritón yell at Honey to leave her sister alone, calling her a "pinche vieja bruja" in the process, or when Leroy (who didn't understand anything, but knew it wasn't a compliment) held both of his wrists to prevent it from forming a wave of water that would drown all the bees instantly. It did not cause him anything at all to hear the poison melting Tritón's skin, making him cry in pain, or Fénix yelling and cursing.

And he didn’t even flinch when he broke Tritón's neck. Or when he left Fénix alive just the exact amount of time for her to process what her actions had caused to the only family she had left before breaking her neck too.

Ace dropped what was left of the Benitez twins. The bees moved away from the body and returned to Honey as if they were children hiding in their mother's skirts after having been lost for hours in the market, and Leroy let go of Tritón’s wrists without saying a word. Ace looked around and realized that a big amount of people had watched the entire scene from a distance.

One of those people had been David.

At that moment, Honey's bracelet fell off her hands. Ace picked it up with his powers and Honey whispered, "Thanks, Acey". She tried to put it on, but her hands were shaking so much that Leroy reached out (reluctantly) to help her adjust the clasp.

She didn't take her eyes off the corpses. “Someone come pick them up,” Leroy ordered.

Ace pointed to the first group of people he encountered. “You,” he barked. The trio of anarchists trembled slightly. “You’ve heard Cyanide. Clean up this mess.”

He turned to tell Leroy and Honey to go with him to the office, but they had already made their way to Honey's quarters, while she was babbling about something insignificant and a cloud of agitated bees followed them. David was also not where he had last seen him, but found him turning his back on him and putting the supply crates in the warehouse.

The warehouse that was his responsibility. The warehouse that the Benitez twins had managed to steal from it without anyone noticing.

David couldn’t stay there. He would have to get him a new position, the sooner the better.

Being a hero was not doing things that everyone considered right. Being a hero was to be a revolutionary, one who was willing to make sacrifices to protect the people who were on his side. Especially when those sacrifices meant the death of traitors who only sought their own benefit, completely forgetting the rest of them.

To protect the people who were on his side. Not the enemy. Never the common good.

The common good was not something Ace believed in, because that would mean looking after his oppressors, and they had never looked after prodigies at any point in human history.

Why start doing it now that the tables have turned?

Perhaps those thoughts made him more than just a revolutionary. Ace was probably a visionary.

But did those thoughts make him a villain too?

***

And soon the moon will smolder,

and the winds will drive.

Yes, a man grows older, but his soul remains alive.

All those tremulous stars will glitter,

and I will survive!

Year 10, month 11

For a lot of people, the answer was yes.

Being a visionary was the same as being a villain.

No one had ever said that to his face, but Ace knew it was what they were thinking. He saw it on the journalist’s faces, who came from time to time to the cathedral to report the latest advances in some important mission or some notable event. He felt it in the air of the cathedral, where some of his allies bent down every time they saw him as if they were not worthy to look him in the eye. He felt it every time he looked at his brother's expressionless eyes, working in the basement that served as a workshop where he created weapons for the Anarchists.

However, none of those silent reproaches mattered to him. Ace knew what he was doing was the right thing. Even if that made him not fit into the perfect image society had in its head of what a hero should be.

Ace had learned that there were no heroes or villains. Not like everyone thought.

The world would one day understand it as well as he did. But in the meanwhile, he had to sit down and observe that embarrassing spectacle.

They had managed to fix the TV that was at the former’s bishop's office. The only channels that were still actually broadcasting anything, besides the same old shows over and over again, were the news channels. But then he decided to do it just when it was absolutely necessary, for example, when they lied or got too close to a truth the public didn't need to know.

After all, freedom of speech was a human right.

Leroy was sat on the comfy chair Honey always sat on when they were in Ace's office. David offered Honey his chair and she said that she expected no less from someone as chivalrous as him (“Definitely some men should start taking your example”), but then added he shouldn’t worry about it, Ace was surely going to allow her to sit on his desk. Ace didn't see why not. She even brought her pillow with her. She put it over the desk, at the exact place she was going to sit on, and had her eyes fixated on the TV like she were a little girl watching colorful cartoons.

They were broadcasting from the West Zone of the city. An Anarchist truck was on fire in the background of the image. The trio of prodigies that Ace himself had sent to exchange some weapons for medicines with the usual gangs they always trade with, were tied with a chrome chain as if they were animals. The sky was still blue, but the evening light made the clouds turn orange and illuminated the faces of the two figures standing at the base that held the statue of a man with a copper-colored helmet.

Ace had never seen that monument as an ode to himself. He didn’t even know it was there until David told him about it, after going out to the city to visit that girlfriend of his. It seemed that some prodigies had come together and built it on their own. They hadn't left a signature or a way to prove who were they, but they did leave a golden plaque that read: "Long live to anarchy".

To anarchy. Not him. He was just the face they had given it.

He thought that everyone would think the same, but apparently, that pair didn't see it that way.

Because again, apparently, that pair shared a single brain cell.

One of them had brown skin and his cape flapped in the wind. His entire body looked slightly translucent, probably due to the nervousness that caused him to have that many people looking at him. Ace had met enough prodigies to identify when their powers gave away their mood. However, most of the general public would not be able to know exactly what he was feeling, because a black mask covered most of his facial features and he was not saying a single word.

He was terrified.

Poor little thing… sure.

The other was blond and his eyes were full of courage. The more words that came out of his mouth, the more his cheeks turn red and the tighter he clenched his fists. He was also wearing a mask, but even someone less observant than Ace could tell exactly what he was feeling.

“…and now this!” he yelled at the crowd. “Now this statue! A statue in the middle of the city, as if having experienced firsthand all the misfortunes that his anarchist reign has brought to our lives has not been enough, now he wants to constantly remind us that he won. He won—” His voice cracked, and he tried to hide it by coughing. Honey burst out laughing. “—and he will keep winning until someone stops him!”

The boy in the cape put his hand on the monument. “You know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of loss.” He became invisible and within seconds, he was sitting on the statue's outstretched arm. “Because Ace Anarchy has taken away from us so many things—” He jumped off and fell gracefully onto the base again “—that he took our fear with him.”

“That’s why we are here,” the other continued. “We are fed up with Ace Anarchy and his government, and I'm sure you are too.” He took a deep breath and smiled at the nearest camera. “But we don't blame you if you still don't understand. There is nothing wrong with being paralyzed with fear. That is what Ace Anarchy has wanted us to do during these ten years that he has been in power. The good news is that there is a cure for fear, and that cure is hope.”

A young, dark-skinned reporter pushed her way through the crowd. Her microphone had a number five printed on it, and Ace recognized the channel immediately.

He had killed one of its journalists after she refused to stop digging graves. He had to do it; if she dug too much, she would surely have found Alec Artino's body.

After all, freedom of speech was a human right. Messing up with the dead was just a quicker way for you to end up like them.

“Georgia Rawles, for Channel Five,” the reporter said with a heavy breath. “I think we're all asking ourselves the same question about—” She tried to search for the correct words, but the time was running out and she couldn’t find it, so she sighed and just blurted out, “Who are you?”

Leroy rolled his eyes. “More reporters like her, please...” he mumbled sarcastically.

She handed the microphone to the one with the cape. For a few seconds, he was almost completely invisible, but the insistence of the reporter Rawles brought him back to reality and his voice did not tremble as his legs did when he said: “We are that hope.”

The other boy tapped Georgia Rawles’ shoulder and she swiftly passed him the microphone.

He never stopped smiling. “We are the Renegades.”

Georgia Rawles drew back slightly. He couldn’t tell whether her expression was one of horror or joy because right after replying, the boy smashed the monument to anarchy with a single blow and turned it into pieces.

They both jumped from the base before the monument could crash them. Dread Warden and Captain Chromium ran towards the city, without any reporter bothering to follow them.

Ace turned off the television with his powers, and for about five seconds, neither of them spoke.

“They're not good at picking aliases,” Honey spat out of nowhere.

“So that’s the problem you have with this?” Leroy blurted out.

“Dread Warden… that has nothing to do with his powers,” Honey explained as if she were explaining to a five-year-old why the sky is blue. “And Captain Chromium is too… cheesy to be a real alias. Are we sure they were serious when they gave their names to the reporters from the first channel that arrived on the scene?” She cleared her throat and said (trying so hard to imitate the voice of a teenage boy whose voice hadn’t change yet), “He won,” before burst out laughing again.

“How mature of you…” David muttered.

“Do you have something to say, brother?” Ace asked.

For a second, he thought that David would not answer him, as he had been doing lately whenever he asked him that question. However, this time he did not remain silent and turned to see him. Not in the eyes, of course. “Actually, I do.”

Ace leaned back in his chair. “Go ahead then.”

“I don't think we should take this lightly.”

Honey scoffed. “Who says we are taking this lightly? The invisible twink and his lesbian boyfriend hate us, so what? They’re not the first ones, like… get in line, girl.”

“Well, you don’t seem too worried about the whole situation, to be honest.”

“It's because Honey doesn't shut up about the names thing, right?” Leroy asked in a slightly teasing tone.

“It's just my marketing major talking,” Honey said, slightly kicking him, barefoot. “I know about branding and stuff.”

“You dropped out.”

She put on her left heel and kicked Leroy. “You too!”

David massaged his temple. Ace turned around in his rotating chair and looked out the window. The sky had turned the same color as the clouds.

“Alec,” David called him. “It seems like… they—the Renegades think of themselves as heroes, and… they see you as the villain. I don't know, they could be a real threat, you shouldn't ignore them.”

Ace really wanted to tell David to just go back to his workshop. What did he know? They were just a couple of children who had destroyed a monument, who hadn't even been able to reveal their true identities and hid the entire time behind their masks, like criminals.

They were not a real threat.

But then, the seventeen-year-old Ace Anarchy appeared on the other side of the window, challenging him to finish that sentence inside his head. The seventeen-year-old Ace Anarchy who had dismantled entire governments and liberated millions of prodigies simply by wearing that helmet and its powers.

And when Ace blinked again, it was no longer the dark eyes of his old self that were staring at him from the glass, but the gray eyes of Captain Chromium, with that smug and arrogant smile, that he used to charm the cameras moments ago, passing his fingers through his hair as if his life depended on it.

Ace couldn’t look away from him.

He resembled Ace, but it was not enough. The old Ace didn't smile at his oppressors and he didn't have an unhealthy obsession with his hair either. He did not seek to protect people to win their affection, because he didn’t care if people like him or not, he knew he was doing the right thing.

The old Ace was not a kid playing to be a superhero, because superheroes didn't exist in the first place.

When he blinked, none of them were there anymore. Just his present self.

He smiled at himself to regain confidence.

Ace had learned that there were no heroes or villains. Captain Chromium was going to have to learn it too, and soon. Ace was willing to be the one to teach him that lesson.

And he would, whether he liked it or not.

***

There was a dream, a dying ember.

There was a dream, I don't remember,

but I will resurrect that dream,

though rivers stream and hills grow steeper.

For here in hell where life gets cheaper.

Oh, here in hell the blood runs deeper!

And when the final duel is near, I'll lift my spear and fly!

Year 20, month 5

The main difference between Ace and his brother was that David always fled at the first sign of danger. Always.

When the boys at his school began to suspect that he was a prodigy, David skipped school for weeks, getting his clothes dirty enough to make it look like he had spent breaks running after a ball along with his bullies. When his mother slapped him with the hot metal spoon, yelling he would not eat dinner that night, they both hid in the closet of his room, while David hugged him tightly and sobbed, telling him he rather be dead. When his father came home from work a few hours later and almost killed him, David took them both out of that house and out of Italy.

He said it was because he knew that the next beating would be the last and that when he was gone, Mr. Artino was going to focus all his anger on Alec, who would end up having the same fate as David. He didn't want that for his little nightmare.

What he didn't count on was that if Ace had been in his place, he would have turned around and slammed the bullies into the concrete wall of the school. He would have endured hunger and weariness with dignity and would have killed his father before he could touch a single one of his hairs. Ace wouldn't have turned his back on his problems. Ace would have fought for himself, just as for twenty years he had been fighting for all prodigies.

And now this.

He always knew that David didn't have what it took to be an anarchist. He was too deep in his own thoughts to even make an effort to listen to him. Ace had decided not to bother to explain to him the whole situation because there was no force on Earth able to change his mind anyway, and he had much more important things to worry about.

They were both sitting in the tiny white dining room in the apartment where he, Tala, and the girls lived. Ace had arrived unexpectedly so she had put more water to boil because the one they had put in for breakfast had cooled down. She apologized for the inconvenience, but he assured her that there was no problem, she could take all the time she needed. David had a cup of cold tea in his hands. He had never lost that disgusting habit of biting his nails.

No, David was not an anarchist. But Ace never thought he was a traitor.

Not until now.

The kettle began to boil at the same time the baby cried from the other room.

Tala turned off the stove and Ace could tell she was debating between pouring his tea or going to see what was going on.

“Don't worry,” Ace said walking towards her, “I'll serve it, you go take care of your daughter. Would you like me to make one for you too? "

He knew he intimidated people, but Tala took it to another level. She looked at her feet the whole time, her hands were shaking and she didn’t even answer the question before running into the next room, where Nova was complaining about her little sister's cries.

Ace took another splintered mug from the cupboard. With his powers, of course. The place looked clean (they probably spent a lot of time cleaning for lack of other hobbies), but he didn't trust them. “I've always said it: Tala is a lovely woman,” he said.

David didn't even flinch.

He had never been good at hiding his feelings.

“How does she like her tea?”

“Uh?”

He put his hands behind his back and opened the jar where they kept the chamomile tea. “How does Tala like tea?” he asked again.

David finally came back to reality. “Oh… three of sugar. She likes to add three spoons of sugar.”

Ace tried his best not to roll his eyes. I see this wife of yours wants to give herself cavities.

By the time the tea was served, the baby had stopped crying and Tala left the room again, with Nova following her. “Uncle Alec!”

David and Tala turned to see her with a single exclamation on their lips.

No.

But they didn't say anything. It was too late. Nova was already hugging his legs and Ace was stroking her strands of poorly cut hair. “Good morning, Nova, how are you?”

“Terrible,” Nova replied in all honesty. “Evie has been si—“

“Tala, Alec made you some tea,” David interrupted suddenly.

“Oh, that’s true.” He levitated the cup towards her and couldn't help but smile when he saw her recoil as the cup approached her, wondering if this was how she would see the barrel of a pistol approaching her forehead. “With three tablespoons of sugar. Just the way you like it.”

For the first time, Tala looked at him. “I don't like my tea with sugar,” she said in a calm voice. She shot David a stern look. “I thought we have talked about it.”

David looked so... small and weak. “I forgot about it. I'm sorry.”

But that "I'm sorry" didn't sound at all like the "I'm sorry" someone says when the only wrong they've done is forgetting how their wife prepares her tea.

It was the "sorry" of a traitor.

It was the "sorry" that Ace was waiting to receive.

Then he held out the other cup. “I apologize, that was my mistake. Take this cup then. I don't like to add sugar to my tea either.”

Tala accepted the cup. She took a sip and Ace recognized that micro-expression of disgust as she felt the hot chamomile water touch her palate.

It didn't surprise him that she had lied to him. That whole family was full of liars.

Nova turned to see her dad, laughing as only a child could laugh. “Oh, silly papà…” she said, hiding her head in his uncle's neck.

David smiled almost imperceptibly and raised his arms slightly so that Nova could run into them.

It reminded him a lot of when he wanted Alec to run into his arms.

But, like Alec, Nova didn't go to him. She liked being in her uncle's arms. “Oh, silly papà” Ace repeated. “Silly, silly papà...”

And the imperceptible smile disappeared completely.

“What were you saying, Nova?” he asked. "Moments ago. Are you having a terrible day? "

Nova knew immediately what he was talking about. She wasn't too busy drowning in the bitter taste of her lies. “It's just that Evie hasn't stopped crying for days,” she exclaimed with a face of pure exasperation. “We have given her everything, but nothing calms her down, and I always have to—”

“Alec, I have to tell you something.”

David had stood up and his fists were clenched on the splintered table. His knuckles had turned white and his bushy eyebrows betrayed the real nervousness behind all that facade of sternness.

He was so pleased by the image that he didn't even comment on how inappropriate it was to interrupt a woman when she was giving her point of view on something, or when Tala took advantage of this seemingly distracting moment to snatch Nova from his arms.

That was the moment. David was going to ask for forgiveness. He was going to break as he had broken that night when they were hidden inside the closet and just as he had begged his abusive father before he smashed his head against the nightstand. He would tell him that he regretted betraying him and that from now on, he would agree with him on everything. He would accept that he had never been anything but a coward who escaped trouble at the first opportunity and would run into Ace’s arms one more time.

That was the time for David to choose Ace as the god to whom he would pray for mercy.

That was the moment.

But of course, it would have been too dangerous. Therefore, he was not at all surprised, when he looked down at his teacup again and blurted out, “Evelyn has been very ill, and… we have run out of options. You know I wouldn't bother you with this if it wasn't important, but I wanted to know if… you know.”

“If I could get some medicine for Evelyn?”

David nodded energetically. “That's right.”

Ace pretended to stop to think about it. He wanted to see the desperation in his eyes and wanted him to suffer at the thought that he might never get the much-needed medicine for his little daughter.

He wanted David to suffer in every possible way he could, and when he thought it was going to break, Ace replied, “I think I have a contact that could help us with it.”

“When will you—”

“And with that medicine, Evie is finally going to stop crying?”

Now it was Nova's turn to interrupt him. If he weren't so blinded by the pain he wanted to inflict on his brother, he probably would have had found the act of Nova being the one interrupting her father delightful.

Tala tried to hide Nova with her arms when Ace approached them, but it was useless because he used his powers to gently pull Nova towards him, making her laugh out loud at the feeling that the levitation caused in her entire body. “I assure you, Nova, that with that medicine Evie will stop crying,” he replied, brushing a lock of hair from her face. “But in the meantime, you have to help your mom and papà, and keep doing what you say you do to calm her down. Now… how do you calm down your little sister?”

“I put her to sleep.”

David threw down a chair and ran over to Nova. Ace felt like she had been snatched from his arms again.

Having the two of them there, side by side, made him more aware of how similar they looked. Although Nova had always been a perfect mix of her two parents, Ace was much of the idea that one could know a lot about a person by looking into their eyes.

Nova had the same eyes as her father, but without the golden details that gave away the stardust that David was able to manipulate since birth.

The fact that their eyes were very similar but not identical could mean a lot of things. Perhaps it was that Nova had the worst quality of her mother and the only prodigious thing inside her was the half of the blood that ran through her veins. It would be a shame. The world did not need the oppressors to continue to reproduce with the oppressed and to gradually extinguish the spark with their inferior genes each prodigy had. It was only one of the thousand ways in which they were slowly annihilating them.

However, it could also mean that Nova was not like David, but not in the sense of being or not being a prodigy. Maybe those golden sparks were actually that her brother's soul had been born rusty and that was what would never allow him to see the world as Ace did. Instead, Nova did her name justice and could symbolize a new beginning for them, much like the supernova that granted them their powers had been.

For a second, she saw Nova not as a child, but as raw and pure potential.

Did he know? Was David aware of how precious was what his rough hands were holding?

“She sings her to sleep,” he explained hastily. “Nova loves spending time with her little sister, and she loves carrying her. Whenever she cries she insists that we let her hold her and that always calms her down. It is like—”

“Magic?”

David hesitated. “Yes… magic.”

Nova played with the collar of her dad's shirt, thinking about God knows what, until something made click inside her brain. “Uncle Ace!”

“Yes, Nova?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but David silenced her with a severe look.

Ace offered Tala his help with washing the dishes before leaving. He assured them that he would be back as soon as possible and asked Nova to kiss little Evie goodnight for him. He gave Tala a quick (and unrequited) kiss on the cheek and a handshake to David.

The same hands that could have defended themselves from the abusers, that could have stopped the burning spoon before it slapped him, and those that could have wrapped around their father's neck before blood stained the old carpet in the room.

He decided that there would be no survivors. Not even the ghost of David.

David always ran from danger, but now he was the danger that could destroy what it took Ace years to build. Ace wasn't running from him. Ace noticed it, faced it, and defeated it.

Because, in the end, Ace Anarchy was the real danger.

***

Piercing into the sky and higher, 

and the strong will thrive.

Yes, the weak will cower while the fittest will survive

If we wait for the darkest hour,

'till we spring alive...

He had already been to the dome of the cathedral on other occasions. The first time he had done it, it was dark. The entire city was in lockdown and there was not a single light because Ace had managed to uproot the building that provided basic service to all the city. Then, he thought that maybe, just maybe, that night the sky would be so clear that he would be able to see the stars. And what better place for stargazing than the dome of the cathedral.

He was right. He could see every last star. Their light was not like the light posts in the parks or the lamps in his old room. Their light was energy, it was strength, and it was sheer power.

They were so present in the sky and seemed so close to his fingertips that he felt one of them himself. But he did not believe that his energy, his strength, and his power was similar to that of any of those stars; it would be like reducing himself to being something that he was not, so he could fit into a mold that he did not to fit in and please people who did not appreciate him.

And like that, under the stars and on the dome of that cathedral, the birth of anarchy was announced with the explosion of a supernova.

Ace Anarchy was a supernova. Ace Anarchy was born on that dome.

Now he wondered if he was going to die there too.

Hugh Everhart was in front of him. He didn't move a single muscle and he didn't make a single face, not even when Ace spat his name like it was a blasphemy. With one hand he held his spear and with the other, he clung to the piece of cloth that passed through his chest and that held a baby dozing on his back. He took a step forward, and Ace imitated him, too blinded by adrenaline to even think that this image was too good to be true and that Hugh Everhart would never give himself up like this, on a silver platter, and without his allies by his side, unless he didn't plan on giving himself up in the first place.

It was the worst mistake he could have made. And he didn't even notice it until he began to feel… that.

It was as if he was being absorbed. Someone ran their hands from his head to the tips of his toes, causing the feeling of lightness with which he had lived for so long to gradually fade away. The cars he launched, the walls, and the corpses he used as weapons against the friends and relatives of the dead were growing heavier and Ace had never carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. At least not that way.

Never like this.

The fire inside him was getting smaller, and smaller, and the only thing that seemed to remain was a single spark.

Ace stepped back, but Hugh Everhart kept on walking towards him.

There came a time when there was no more dome Ace could stand on and he fell to his knees.

For that thousandth of a second, he felt the presence of Tala and the baby behind him, looking at him with a deadpan expression. David's ghost, made of the same stardust that his fingers could manipulate, laid his hand on his shoulder and a tear, bright and white, fell on the fabric of his trench coat.

It was a pure tear, waiting to be paid for with another tear that was just as pure as the first one. But Ace had long since lost the ability to cry.

Hugh Everhart pulled the helmet off his head with such force that he backed away a couple of meters. The air swiped away the ghosts of his brother, his wife, and daughter, leaving only Alec Artino, with his knobby knees and messy hair, looking at him as the lost child in the middle of the battlefield that he was.

He ran towards him and wrapped his thin and fragile arms around him telling him that perhaps it was time to accept his own humanity.

Because… what is Ace Anarchy without his helmet?

His enemy readied his spear and Ace turned to see the boy asking the question, who was looking at him as if his mere presence was the answer.

What was Ace Anarchy without his helmet? Was he that weak child, with a stuffy nose and restless hands? Was he the man he saw in the reflection of his eyes, with a sloppy beard and deep dark circles?

Was he the ghost he would soon become?

Alec held Ace by the cheeks, with those bony little hands that were always cold, no matter how many gloves he wore or how many times David wrapped his around them and rubbed them to keep them warm.

And then he asked him, “How do you kill a god?”

The answer was what brought him back to reality and the one that made him realize, that it had only been a couple of seconds from the moment he fell to his knees and now that he was standing up, Alec’s ghost fading for the last time.

Because David and Alec Artino should have died completely since day one. In a perfect world, the only one alive was Ace Anarchy.

Someday, that vision of a perfect world would become real, and neither Alec nor David would be there to intervene.

Someday...

The only thing that remained inside of him was a spark, but even a single spark could start the biggest of fires.

How do you kill a god?

How do you kill Ace Anarchy?

Oh, my little nightmare.

You don’t.

And with that, he spread his arms and leaped straight into the flames.

...then with claws of fire, we devour like a falcon in the dive!