Sonya swam in darkness for a time, driftiween thoughts and dreams.

  When she opened her eyes she was greeted by the sound of cicadas and the warmth of the sun above her. She smiled, basking in the radiance for a moment and sitting up straight. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head as versation carried on nearby. That was a good nap. She thought and crossed her legs beh her, absently toug the bat knife on her hip.

  “Oye!” A voice called out, she turned and spotted a familiar face hustling over. A young man in fatigues slid to a stop rinnio ear. He had a mess of dark hair on his head and tan skin, his brown eyes were sparkly with e. “Hey Senior!”

  Sonya raised an eyebrow aed her on her palm, “Sup, newbie. Excited?”

  He threw his hands in the dire of where most of the versation was taking pce. A crowd of people were gathered around what looked like a pair of marble pilrs that had burst from the ground. Between them, a swirling vortex of teal light was crag and ing. “You crazy? Of course I’m excited! My first time in a dungeon! I’ve been training for this!” He put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, “I won’t let anythi past me.”

  Sonya chuckled and reached out to flick him in the forehead, he winced and stepped back while she wi him, “Easy there, I know you’re excited but don’t overdo it. Survival es first for us scouts, got it?”

  He covered his forehead and frowned, “Yes ma’am…” He mumbled.

  She clicked her tongue and owards the crowd, “Why don’t you go introduce yourself over there, kid, I already know you.”

  He grinned and started in the dire of the other heroes gathered, “Okay!” He paused and gnced back, “And it’s not kid, anymore! It’s Wanderer!”

  Sonya chuckled, “Yeah yeah,” She waved a dismissive hand a back to rexing. She reached for her poud tapped it once, opening it and slipping her hand ihe magical space hidden within. The things those stists e up with, it's crazy. Monster cores really ged the world. She mused and pulled out a of sugary soda, pressing the cold against her fad humming delightedly. All so I have a cold soda on a hot day.

  “Sugar high before the run?” A soft voice chimed out behind her.

  Sonya froze and the out a sigh, falling bato her bad looking up at the person who’d snuck up ohe woman was tall, with an athletic build. She had jet bck hair that hung loosely over her shoulders and a pair of abyss bck eyes to match. As always, she was beautiful. hua squatted dowo Sonya and tugged a strand of hair back over her ear, smiling at her. Sonya returhe smile, “Hey you.”

  “Hi Sonya,” hua said and reached out to tap her nose, “Are you being a good senior?”

  “Yeah,” Sonya said, lost in hua’s face, “I won’t bully them too much.”

  “You better not,” hua ughed as Sonya took her hand, runnihumb over the ring oher woman’s finger. “What’s wrong?” hua asked.

  “Nothing,” Sonya fibbed a little, “Just… good to see you. Being a Mythic-grade hero keeps you busy.”

  “I know, but after this run I’ll have some time,” hua said softly, pying with Sonya’s hair, “I pined a bit to the Guildmaster.”

  Sonya snorted, “Good! He deserves some grief now and then!”

  “How about we check out Shinjuku, it’s not far from here,” hua suggested.

  “That sounds great,” Sonya breathed and rexed on the grass, “Hey hua, I-”

  “Bck Lotus!” A man called nearby, “Need some help with briefing some of the new guys, you join us?”

  Sonya sighed, “Duty calls.”

  “That it does,” hua murmured a over to pe Sonya’s forehead, “Time to wake up, sleepy head.”

  Sonya blinked, “Huh?”

  –

  “...well she’s definitely alive.”

  That was Amos’ voice. ht, I bcked out.

  “Where’d all this blood e from?” Marta groused, “What did she do to herself?”

  “No idea, I don’t see any wounds,” Amos grunted. “Probably some weird shit with her powers.”

  Sonya winced involuntarily, a bit of guilt swelling up in her gut. Irospect she probably should have been a bit more forthing about what she pnned on doing. How was she supposed to know it would be so inte wasn’t a good excuse, she admitted to herself.

  There ause and then silence. Ah. They saw me wince.

  “Sonya…” Marta growled.

  Sweat began to bead on Sonya’s forehead.

  “I know you’re awake…” Marta pressed.

  Sweat dribbled down Sonya’s face.

  “Quit pying dead!” Marta barked, “You aren’t getting out of this!”

  Sonya groaned and cracked open an eye, gng wearily over at Marta. Her body still hurt like hell but it wasn’t as bad as she figured it would be. Marta stood o her bed with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. Sonya gave her best smile, it wasn’t very ving. “Heeey Marta, you get me a Soda?” She asked, trying to sound both cute and weary at the same time.

  “You…” Marta growled and raised an irritable fist.

  Amos quickly got between them and held up his hands, “She’s still hurt, probably, Marta! You whack her oer!”

  Sonya grimaced, “O-or we could not whack me, that’s an option!” Sonya suggested only to get a glower from Amos. “Okay maybe I deserve that,” She admitted and shrank a bit into the bloody sheets.

  “What the hell happened?” Amos demanded, crossing his arms. “And ing around the bush! Straight answers.”

  Marta crossed her arms, “And no fibbiher.”

  “She ’t,” Amos pointed out.

  Marta raised her eyebrows and g Sonya, “What do you mean ‘she ’t’?” Sonya shrank a bit more into the sheets and looked away nervously. “She ’t lie? Are you saying that she’s leading a double life and she ’t lie? Is that the drawback for Broker?” Marta demanded.

  Sonya offered an even weaker smile tha one, “Haha, Surprise!”

  Marta cpped her hand over her eyes and groaned. “You’re pletely nuts, Sonya.”

  “So I’ve been told,” Sonya sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “Brot an upgrade, it evolved,” She expined and looked over at them, her expression serious. The two of them stiffened befoing through a variety of expressions aions as she expined how Merger worked and what she’d put herself through. She detailed everything as best she could, though she carefully omitted what had triggered Broker’s evolution. That was way too hard to expin.

  “That was reckless,” Marta said finally.

  “I know,” Sonya nodded, “But I had to do it,” She began before raising a hand to cut off their protests, “After what happened, I couldn’t let myself not do it. I his power to aplish my goals and to…” She trailed off, “...protect you guys. I ’t bear to let that happen again.”

  Marta’s hard expression softened a little, “You could have warned us. We’re your team, Sonya.”

  Sonya sighed, “I know, I just got swept up in it,” She tried to sit up and the two of them immediately went into fretting mode. “I’m fine! Just sore,” She grumbled, sitting up straight and looking down at her blood-matted hair. “And gross. I need a shower,” She muttered and slid to her feet. She stumbled ond Amos caught her. She smiled at him and pulled away, f one foot in front of the other as she made her way towards the bathroom.

  The two of them exged looks behind her, “Abilities evolve?” Amos said thoughtfully.

  “Guess so,” Marta said and looked at Sonya’s back as she disappeared into the tiled room, “We o get stronger, Amos.”

  “Yeah, we do.”

  –

  The day, Sonya found herself out in the garden again. This time going over her gains. She could feel the enhas throughout her body, more than just on an instinctual level as was on with most abilities. It was like every muscle in her body was hardwired into her brain in such a way that she could perceive the raw data of how much they could output. Her senses had increased in acuity as well but thanks to Enhanced Sensory Processing, it didn’t feel as overwhelming as it should be. Her mind was taking all the data in as easy as it was to breathe. Every st cataloged and identified in an instant. She could faintly feel the wind shift arouhe ges iy and pressure. She could even sense her phone in her pocket, the energy inside of it as well as the signals that came a.

  She held out her hand and trated, in an instant a stick of luminous energy formed in her palm. She gripped it and tur over to exami. It was as thin as a bde. “Been a while since I used a knife,” She said thoughtfully and focused a bit harder. When nothing happened she screwed up her fad squi the bar of light, trying to picture what she wanted. Genius Level Intellect wasly helping, it only improved her natural itive talents. e on… I’ve got a superputer in my head, I do this! She groused inwardly, e on… like a knife, like a knife.

  After a few tries she finally got the stick to curve and shift in shape. It was crude, but it looked like a fairly standard kit knife. She sighed and released her hard light power, “Progress I guess…” She grunted and flopped onto her back before frowning. “...I never got that soda yesterday.”

  A tingle went through her mind, a signal to her phone, someone was calling her. She trated on it for a moment and answered her phoally. Heh, Teopathy rules.

  “Hello?” She said aloud.

  “Hello Madame ovna,” Bera said.

  “Madame Lucci! How are you?” She said delightedly, sitting up.

  “I’m well, would you mind if I came over to visit?” She asked, “I looked over that young dy’s portfolio that you gave me.”

  “Oh?” Sonya brightened, “What did you think?”

  “Well, if you would sider not poag her from me, I would love to have her appreh me here, if possible,” Bera said.

  Sonya froze and gowards the part of the building where Mikay was still holed up in her room. She swallowed before letting out a breath, a smile crossing her face. Yeah, this is for the best. She thought, “You know what, I think she’d be thrilled.”

  “Good, I’ll be there in a few hours,” Bera said, “See you soon, Miss ovna.”

  “See you soon,” Sonya repeated and disected the call.

  A few hours ter, Sonya was ba the garden again, sitting quietly and enjoying the fresh air. Bera had e and Mikay had been surprisingly eager to speak with her. Sonya had been so worried that the girl wouldn’t e out of her room, but she was relieved she’d been wrong. She smiled to herself thoughtfully as she meditated on her new abilities some more, deg how she wao practice them going forward.

  I need a martial arts instructor. Hero Scout bat is passable, but I’ll need better than that.

  Her thoughts were cut short when she felt the air shift nearby. She caught a st in the air that she immediately identified. She opened her eyes and looked up at Mikay. She was dressed in a patterned suhat set off her looks quite nicely. Sonya took a moment to admire her before standing up, “How’d it go?”

  Mikay cleared her throat, “It… looks like I’ll be staying here a while longer,” She said, meeting Sonya’s gaze.

  Sonya’s smile didn’t break even as her chest tightened a little, “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thank you, Miss-” She cleared her throat, “Sonya, for everything, I mean it.”

  Sonya opened her mouth but Mikay held up her hands, “Please, let me say something,” She tinued and looked down at the ground before looking back up at her. Her eyes were determined, strong. She’d e out of the fire tougher, the frailty having been burned away. “I… I know this-we-were just a fling, but you were so kind to me. You went so far for me.”

  Mikay’s fiaogether in front of her, “Sonya, you love too hard. Yoing to end up hurting yourself one day,” Mikay said finally, “I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but I think you o hear it. You take some things too seriously. You be pyful, but you’re just c up, aren’t you?” She said and then brandished a smile that made Sonya’s heart melt.

  “Sonya, you o go have some fun, stop holding back. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for me.”

  For a moment, a fleeting moment, Sonya saw dark eyes and long bck hair superimposed over Mikay’s own looks. That same smile, ear, and a bit sad. Worried. Sonya’s hands fell to her sides. She eechless.

  “That’s all I wao say, I have to go get packed,” Mikay said a out a breath, “Good bye, Sonya. Thank you again, for everything.”

  Just like that, Sonya watched her go. There was nothing she could say. After all, she was right.