“Val Kinton, Pyrolysis.”

  Lillian turo Val and smiled at him, patting his shoulder. He shot a grin in her dire as he got to his feet, walking from the line of chairs set up in front of the huge crowd. She watched him asd the steps as his parents came out to meet him. Behind them, her parents were waiting. She was . Her fiaogether in her p and she looked down at her feet for a moment, her heart thundering in her chest. She rahumbs over one another before reag up to py a bit with her hair, Why am I so nervous?

  “It’s not nerves, you’re just excited.”

  She turned and looked at Marc, “You’re a scary mind-reader.”

  He sniffed and shrugged, brushing his hair to the side and sitting regally in the folding chair. His smile twisted up just slightly. “Hardly, it in on your face.”

  She clicked her tongue and looked away, leaning forward to catch her breath before looking up to see Val standing face to face with Sonya. He gri her as he took off his nyard and ha to his folks. Her heart swelled for what had to be the dozenth time that day. Sonya reached down to the sta front of her and picked up the metal card, handing it to him. He took it gratefully before turning and throwing a fist in the air, “WOO!”

  A round of ughter and whoops in reply answered him from the front row from east a coast graduates alike. Alex luo his feet and did a little dance while John just shook his head and chuckled in that oddly meical way he did, g. Val cmbered dowairs with his family, waving to a few people who were waving at him. He turo one of the camera drones and fired off some finger guns and a wink before making his way back to his seat.

  Lillian’s breath caught ihroat and she looked up from where she sat into those swirling pink eyes. Sonya smiled down at her, her cheeks dimpling with barely suppressed pride.

  “This graduate,” Sonya began, “Has received a Most Promising Hero award as part of her achievements during this camp. Remarkable doesn’t even begin to describe her,” she cleared her throat, “Lillian Landrey, Crusader, please step forward.”

  Lillian nearly sprung to her feet. “Ma’am!” She blurted and got a few chuckles from behind her. She flushed and marched her way over to the steps, her mother and father waiting for her. Her dad her as she walked past and up. Oep at a time. She could barely hear anything except the beating of her heart. She alighted oage and stood there, face to face with the person who had takeeps to make her journey even possible. Lillian broke into a smile, “Hi, Sonya.”

  “Lily,” Sonya said quietly and wi her, “I’m so proud of you.”

  Sonya gestured to Lillian’s parents and Lillian looked down at her nyard, reag up to take the e in her hand and run her fingers over it. She’d worn it every day and had nearly fotten about it. She slid her thumbs up into it and lifted it over her head before holding it gently in her hands. There were so many memories in it that it felt heavy. She turo her parents and her mother held out her hands. Lillian swallowed and ha over. This is really happening. This is really, really happening.

  She turned back to Sonya who already had her card at the ready. A tiny pieetal that would be the marker for the beginning of her new life. She reached out with shaky hands, Oh e on don’t drop it! She swallowed and took it. It was cold but it warmed quickly under her touch. She lifted it to her eyes and saw her faext to the name: Crusader. She followed the words down to the ability-tier line, “Growth-type?” She mumbled and gnced up at Sonya whed at her.

  “Had to list a whole new category just for you and a few others apparently,” Sonya said with a smirk, “gratutions Lillian. You’re a hero now.”

  I’m a Hero.

  She spun and looked out over the crowd as chills ran up her spine and down her skin. Cameras fshed as the nerves melted away. A hawk's cry rang out and Alphonse swooped down from the sky, alighting on her shoulder. He spread his wings and threw his head ba a screech. She turo him and ughed before throwing both fists into the air, joining him.

  “I’M A HERO!”

  –

  She could still hear the cheering. It echoed in her mind in that dark room. She ran her fingers over the sheets and pulled them to her face, breathing in. She let out a sigh and pushed herself up to a sitting position, white hair tumbling around her faore night, mm? Tomorrow we leave. She listeo the silen her thoughts and snorted. Of course she’s asleep. Silly girl. At least it doesn’t feel like she’s drifting away this time. Just resting. Ishtar ed her arms around her legs aed her on them, staring into the dark spad let her thoughts wander. She sighed and slipped off the bed.

  Restless.

  She walked away from the bed to the mirror and stared into it. She’d never revealed to Sonya the face she saw in the mirror. Sonya had never asked, to be ho, the girl had just assumed it was the same. She reached up and touched her cheek and ran her fingers along the scars that covered her face, the strong jawlihe cuts along her ned looked down at her hands. More scars. More marks of battles that she’d fought, that Sonya’d fought. Her real hands and arms were petite but in the mirror, she was taller, more muscur.

  She cleared her throat and turned away from the refle. I have my owy now, I ’t avoid it any longer. I even look different, to a degree. She smiled a little, Like an older sister, I guess.

  She walked from the mirror to the wardrobe and stopped in front of a photograph. Sonya and Lillian sitting happily on the beach, smiling. She ran her fingers over it, “I’ll keep carrying it for you,” she murmured, “Until you’re ready.”

  “How long will that st?” A voice came from the air and she frowned, her fingers g into a fist. She turned her head and looked up at the glowing being floating over her, somehow not illuminating the room. She was blonde and pale skinned, beautiful in a motherly way. It was as if she was blessed by Aphrodite herself. Ishtar smirked at the thought.

  “Pandora, it’s been a few days,” Ishtar said.

  “You’ve been busy,” Pandora said softly and lowered herself to sit down on the bed. She rest her hands in her p and tilted her head. “Are you alright?”

  Ishtar clicked her tongue and looked away, “I am…” She choked and scowled, shooting a hateful gre at Pandora, “Passable.”

  “Don’t bme me for the rules that govern your ability,” Pandora said with a raised eyebrow, “You and I both know that it is a reasonable price to pay for what it is capable of.”

  Ishtar sighed, “My very being is a price to pay for her,” she said and leaned against the wardrobe, looking down at the floor. She couldn’t meet Pandora’s gaze even as the entity looked at her with . Not a sound proceeded the entity appearing before her, a hand outstretched to touch her cheek. Ishtar turned away and marched towards the mirrain. “No. I don’t have those kinds of… feelings. It isn’t how I was made.”

  “Made,” Pandora repeated, “You’re cruel, even to yourself.”

  “I’m me,” Ishtar grunted, “Who else is going to do it?”

  “Ishtar,” Pandora murmured, “You ’t really believe that you o disappear for Sonya to be whole, you? After everything you’ve said to her?”

  “We’re both hypocrites, aren’t we?” Ishtar growled, staring at herself.

  “You really are a lot like your namesake,” Pandora sighed and shook her head, walking up to stao her. Pandora’s refle didn’t appear in the mirror. Just a proje. Yet that hand that nded on Ishtar’s shoulder felt so painfully real. Ishtar’s head sagged a little and she rest her head against the mirror. “You take far too muto yourself.”

  “She’s not ready,” Ishtar repeated. “If I give it all back, it’ll destroy her. She’ll break. She’ll colpse u all aroy herself. I have to hold on to it as long as I .”

  “For someohout feelings, you certainly care a lot,” Pandora quipped.

  Ishtar rounded on her with a snarl, “You!” She bit her lip and held up a finger, pointing in what amouo a goddesses face, “Y-you!” She squeezed her eyes shut as her throat tightened again and again. Every response dying. Every remark a fgrant lie. She ran her fihrough her hair and exhaled, “What am I supposed to do?” She asked in exasperation and sat down on the vanity bench, “Stay? Be a burden on her mind? Allow myself to slowly crack her sanity until there’s nothio salvage? I’ve takeo mend some of the damage but…” She trailed off and her shoulders sagged.

  “But?”

  “But she’s still pnning on self-destrug. She feels like she belongs in this world, that much she’s gotten past. She enjoys life, but she doesn’t think she deserves it,” She scoffed, “Idiot girl. Stupid.”

  “That’s your primary personality you’re calling an Idiot,” Pandhed.

  “So what?” Ishtar snarled and looked up at her, “What are you even doing here? Why do you keep b me? You just swoop in whenever I’m in trol and alone and- and- what? e advid over my problems?”

  “Someone has to,” Pandora murmured, looking a little hurt, “You said it once yourself that the only person who talk to Sonya about the hard stuff is you,” she said, “But if that’s the case, who be there when you’re struggling? You are indomitable.”

  “When I’m gone and merged back with her, she’ll be just as indomitable,” Ishtar said with a sigh, “She’ll be who she o be, she just o open that bridge up.”

  “You don’t o-”

  “tions do I have?’ Ishtar demanded and got to her feet, “Tell me!” She put a finger on Pandoras chest and got into her face, “Oh mighty arbiter, heir to my namesakes legacy, fallen goddess, why don’t you enlighten me?”

  Pandora’s face went stony and Ishtar ughed, “Of course I figured it out! hua’s little story at the camp? It’s obvious! I took that information from Sonya for now, she doesn’t o worry about it while she has bigger problems,” She threw her hand out wide, “All of it, all the terrible realizations about the world. I know! I know what that pce was in the bas and the only reason Sonya isn’t obsessively trying to get bad quer it a herself killed is- is-” She caught her breath, “Because I’m holding her batil she’s ready. Ready to deal with all this. Ready to deal with knowing you do this and bother her. Ready to…” She choked and it wasn't on a lie this time.

  A tear trickled down Pandora’s cheek, “You…”

  Ishtar let out a sigh and walked back over to the bed, holding her head in her hands. “All the weight of the people she’s killed. The heaviness of murder. She doesn’t realize how much it really weighs on a soul, I don’t wao feel this! Not without wanting to live through it!”

  Ishtar didn’t react as she felt the proje sit down on the bed o her. A warmth pressed against the side of her and she tried not to aowledge it. A hand ran up and down her back, “You’re doing it again,” Ishtar muttered.

  “I ’t help it, I am my mother’s daughter, after all,” Pandora said with a light ugh, “I worry for you. I have watched you for a long time and have e to care. That said, I am gd about ohing you just said,” she added with a small chuckle.

  Ishtar grunted and turned her head slightly, gng at the being out of the er of her eye, “What?” She snapped.

  “You aowledged you have a soul,” Pandora said with a smile, “That’s a good first step, and it opens the door for some options. For you, anyway.”

  Ishtar sat up and turo face her as something in her chest tightened and warmed, an odd feeling she had never experienced before. She blinked and tilted her head, fused by the ‘emotion’ she searched Sonya’s memories for what it was. Sonya had felt it before, yes, there it is. Hope? Her lips thinned and she swallowed, “tions?”

  Pandora looked her in the eyes, her golden gaze burning with light and distant power. The goddess reached up and touched her cheek. “Let’s talk.”

  –

  Sonya was a bundle of energy that m, it felt like she’d slept for days. She bounced on her heels and stretched her arms up high over her head, grinnio ear. She let out a noisy sigh and gnced over at Marta who had finished pag their bags and was arranging them in the living room of the instructor suite. Marta gnced up at her, “You seem to be in a good mood this m,” she said brightly.

  “Slept so good!” Sonya replied, w her shoulders a little, “A bit stiff though, but that es with a deep sleep, yeah?”

  “You’ll sleep eveer at the apartment,” Marta said.

  Sonya sighed dramatically, “Home sweet home,” she paused and tilted her head, “Well, not for long. The new pce is almost ready. week I think?”

  “That’s what Bckrazor said,” Marta agreed. “I’m looking forward to the ertai ter that Amos designed.”

  “The o the beach house not enough for you?” Sonya asked.

  “Well, I mean-” Marta scoffed, “Amos said the new one makes it look like tioys.”

  “You do some impressive things with tioys!” Sonya challenged.

  Marta gave her a deadpan look, “Ma’am.”

  “I’m serious!” Sonya decred, putting her hands on her hips. The two stared at one another for a long time before bursting into ughter. She sat down on the coud stretched out her legs, “Euclidia will have the portal open soon?”

  “Yes ma’am. We’ll gh with the recruits and the other ASTA members to the Guild House,” Marta said, “Then after that, we’ll assist with the opening parts of orientation before heading bae. Bluestar has the rest covered.”

  “Well! In that case,” Sonya said with a grin, “Shall we go?”

  Marta nodded with a smile of her own, “As you wish.”