"Can you come to the kitchen?" the melodic voice of Ethan’s muse asked from around the corner.

  "Coming!" Ethan got up from his computer desk and walked the tiny distance to their small kitchen.

  His girlfriend, Treya Jordan, was busy making a mess of the countertop. "Can you pull the casserole out of the oven?" she asked as she finished dressing a salad.

  Ethan grunted in affirmation and slipped on a pair of oven mitts before squeezing into the small space behind Treya, sliding the oven door open and pulling out a delicious, mouth-watering casserole dish that he set on a cooling rack. "Anything else, hon?"

  She shook her head, "Nope. We'll be ready to eat soon. How long until our raid starts?"

  He glanced at the clock, "We've got thirty minutes."

  "Did anyone say they weren't going to make it over the chat?"

  Ethan shook his head and began to pull plates out of the cabinet, "Nope. We should have a full group tonight. Finally, we can clear The Labyrinth. Although another guild already got world first."

  Treya turned around with a pouty look on her face, "When did they do that?"

  Ethan smiled and brushed her hair out of her face, "Earlier today." He leaned in and kissed her before carrying the plates to their coffee table. The house had just four rooms; bathroom, bedroom, living room, and kitchen. Expensive for the size, but the location was walking distance from the campus and made the cost worthwhile.

  In short order the two were eating and chatting about the events of the day with the television set to the local news in the background. Ethan just finished telling her about the incident at the mall. The incident had been on his mind all day, and even though he should have been doing some pre-raid setup for their game – farming components for potions and elixirs, getting world buffs, and enchanting gear – he was instead fixated on refreshing social media to find out more information about the event.

  "...A little kid?" She clarified.

  Ethan nodded and swallowed his bite of the delicious chicken dish, "Mhmm. It was so weird. It's like he was making people fight with just his words. There’s tons of videos out there!”

  She frowned slightly and gave him a quizzical stare, "You're fucking with me, right?"

  "No!" Ethan said as she shook his head, "I'm telling you the-"

  The news reporter caught his attention as he turned to face it, turning up the volume.

  "This just in! Chaos at Westfield Mall. We go live, now, to our correspondent on the scene - Aaron Restor." The news anchor said as the video shifted to a young man with brown hair and violet eyes.

  Ethan turned up the volume.

  "Thanks, Chip! It was a strange day today. Multiple reports - corroborated with the video which we will show after this segment - state that all sound stopped for approximately ten minutes in a mile radius around the mall. During that time, fourteen people were injured. Reports and video show a small child in a jumpsuit, assumed to be an escaped mental patient, being the only source of noise as he ordered people to fight. Thankfully, no serious injuries were suffered, and the child vanished into thin air. Roll the clip, Chip!"

  The news channel switched to a video shot from above - the second-floor food court. It showed the same scene that he had experienced but also what happened after he had run out – and the sound, oddly enough, was cutting in and out. Unlike the social media videos he had seen which did have audio.

  The child continued to point at people and order them to fight, giggling all the while. The brawling escalated and after a few minutes, the child cocked his head to the side and stared right at the upper level; seemingly into the camera. Ethan felt the gaze chill him to the bone - it was dead, lifeless. As if the person who was supposed to be there wasn't there. The child grinned, "The Entity said there will be more," and then vanished, disappearing into thin air.

  The video changed back to the news anchor. "Thanks, Aaron. Authorities are still searching for the child, as well as trying to figure out the discrepancy between recordings. If you know this individual or can provide any clue as to where they can be found, or have video evidence of the event, please contact the number on the screen below…"

  The broadcast continued as various experts weighed in on what was going on and Ethan was glued to the screen.

  Treya’s voice came from his side, "...Babe? Come on, the raid is starting."

  He shook himself from his reverie and glanced around; Treya was sitting at her computer desk and booting up the game they both played quite a bit in their free time. He was so engrossed with the news report that he hadn't even noticed his girlfriend had cleaned up dinner. She, on the other hand, seemingly dismissed the news report entirely.

  "Er, right." He walked over to Treya and kissed her on the head before taking his position at his computer, booting up and logging into the game.

  Hours passed as Ethan fulfilled his role of support. He healed other people and made sure they didn't die but was also able to help deal some damage. He was a relatively quiet gamer and attributed that to his level of concentration. Being the healer took a lot of focus in managing cooldowns and timers, monitoring mechanics, and also weaving in damage – which barely any healers did, despite it not costing them mana.

  Treya, on the other hand, as the guild leader for their online community was extremely vocal. She was shouting out orders, giving encouraging speeches and rallying lost morale when they all died to a boss. In general, being an excellent manager.

  Hours passed and they wrapped up their gaming session, saying goodbye to guild mates. Ethan stood up and stretched, logging off.

  Treya turned and smiled, "That was good! We got a lot of loot, and I think you topped the charts again. So close to a world-first...maybe next expansion we’ll beat them."

  Ethan grinned feeling a sense of pride wash over him, "Hell yes. Are you going to stay up to do the officer meeting?"

  Treya nodded, "Yup. Just a little bit. Tired already?"

  "Mhmm. I'm going to hit the hay,” Ethan felt a massive migraine coming on, and knew the sooner he went to bed, the sooner he could surrender to the blissful embrace of unconsciousness.

  "I won't be long." She turned back to her computer and began typing rapidly while talking to the guild officers through the microphone.

  Ethan went to the restroom and performed his nightly ablutions, glancing up in the mirror. His black hair was cut short recently and it gave him a scruffy appearance. I might need a new barber, he thought as he ran his hand through it. He shut the lights off and went to the bedroom, dressing down and slipping under the covers. He pulled out his phone and set it on the charger, scrolling through his news feed again.

  He could still feel the pulsating of his brain, that verge of a splitting headache which had plagued him since childhood after long gaming sessions – something he put up with because Treya cared so much about her gaming. I need to put the screen do-

  "Oh, shit…Babe!" He got up and hustled to Treya.

  She put a hand over her microphone and turned to him, "What?"

  Ethan held up the phone in front of her, "People are getting superpowers!" There was a short article about a man with metal skin who was terrorizing a local shopping center.

  "Pfff," she scoffed. "Bullshit."

  "It's all over the news!" Ethan shouted as he ran to the television and turned it on. The news channel showed a live feed from a helicopter as the reporter from earlier, Aaron, was providing narration.

  A huge man - easily six foot something - was tossing police around and seemed to be laughing as several flashes went off next to him.

  "-And bullets appear to do nothing. Police have been trying to take down the criminal who has been identified as Juarez 'The Beast' Citro for the past hour. According to sources within the department, we can confirm he appears to be wearing a type of metal suit-"

  He was interrupted as one of the police officers was thrown forty feet into the air before crashing down onto the ground and going limp. The police officers withdrew and fired round after round at the seemingly metal man, who dashed down an alleyway.

  "-He just threw that officer! Wow, what crazy strength!" There was some hushed conversation before the anchor's voice returned. "We're going to lose our live helicopter feed as police are demanding airspace clearance, but we'll keep track and give you updates as soon as we have them!"

  Treya had gotten up and walked over to stand next to Ethan. "Holy shit…" she whispered in shock. He put an arm around her as she continued, "No, it can't be superpowers. It's got to be some type of military hardware. Like an experimental exoskeleton, or something." She was always calm and rational, and she squeezed Ethan’s shoulder tightly, knowing he would rather jump to conclusions.

  Ethan sighed, "You're probably right. Who in their right mind would give a criminal superpowers? Must be some stolen tech." He turned the television off and kissed Treya on the cheek, "I'm going back to bed. Sorry for interrupting your meeting."

  She grinned and returned the kiss, "Get under those covers. I'll be in soon."

  Ethan nodded and returned to the bedroom, shutting his phone down entirely as he pulled up the covers. After a few minutes, he felt Treya slip in next to him and cuddle him from behind. He quickly fell asleep in her arms, just before the pulsating in his head increased.

  Ethan wasn't a particularly vivid dreamer. He never remembered them, which made this whole situation very odd.

  Ethan was asleep - he somehow knew that - but he was also…aware. He looked around at the black void surrounding him and felt a jolt of fear. Where am I? He thought.

  As the thought raced through his brain the environment changed. He was floating on an enormous ocean of sparkling white and yellow shimmers. The undulating waves under him buoyed him on the surface and the stark, black sky above was a swirl with thousands of galaxies and stars.

  He hadn't seen such beauty before; the closest experience to this was photos and concept art from astronomers showing distant galaxies. But even that couldn't hold a candle to the gorgeous display in front of him.

  He was transfixed and couldn't tell how much time passed; an eternity for all he knew. The liquid under him shifted and he felt himself sink below the surface, surrounded by the shimmering light and feeling a sensation as if he was sinking into a warm pool.

  A voice, soft and angelic, whispered in his ears. "What do you want?"

  He looked around, seeing nothing. "Who is there?”

  "What do you want?"

  Ethan felt himself blurt out a phrase as if the voice was drawing on his innermost thoughts. "I want to help people."

  The voice sounded…pleased? "If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?"

  He pondered for a few moments. He wasn't as involved with comic books and heroes like Treya was, but he was an avid gamer. In every game he had ever played, he was a healer or support class. Something like a priest or holy warrior, serving a higher calling and using the power of divine light to bring justice and truth to others. Not always support – a few times he would be the tank, absorbing hits for the party, or even going to a damage role if the situation called for it.

  Whatever was talking to him must have been able to read his mind as he felt the satisfaction in its next words, "Bring your light to others."

  Ethan jolted awake, sitting upright and breathing heavily as he shuddered. What a crazy dream, was the first thought he had as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. He felt a shudder go through him as the cool wind of the cracked window caressed his skin.

  Did she leave the light on? was the second thought that went through his head as he glanced up. No…she turned it off.

  He could easily make out the features of the room despite the darkness. To his sight, it was completely illuminated. He squinted and was able to see flecks of dust on the bookshelf he had neglected to pick up in their last deep clean, the particles easily discernible against the wood grain. It was hyper-focused, and everywhere he looked, he could see every small detail of the room. Glancing down, he could see every individual, tiny thread of the sheets.

  He shook Treya, "Babe, wake up," he said softly, panicking.

  "Mwah…" Treya slowly sat up and looked at him before her eyes went wide. "What's wrong with your eyes? They're glowing." She sounded scared.

  Ethan threw off the covers and ran to the bathroom, feeling his heart thumping in his chest.

  He looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes still had white sclera, but his irises were bright gold and the pupil was a rainbow of various colors depending on the angle…and they were glowing with a soft golden hue which faded as he held his lids open to examine it closer, but increased in brightness as he leaned back and away from the mirror. Two small headlights coming from his skull.

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  Activating. Ethan heard a voice next to him.

  "Gah!" He backed away from the mirror and glanced around, "Who was that?"

  "Who was what?" Treya asked, having joined him in the bathroom, still sounded distressed. She had also grabbed the baseball bat from behind the bedroom door, and held it at her shoulder.

  Nobilis. I am your Curator and advisor. Initiating Imbued Protocol.

  A line of scrawling text appeared, floating in the air in front of Ethan. It was a solid black background with glimmering, golden text.

  -----

  [Imbued Status Screen]

  [Ethan Winters]

  [Power – Holy]

  -----

  Again, Ethan heard the voice as if a person was standing next to him. The voice was gentle but didn't seem to conform to a specific gender. It was almost robotic and mechanical; like an artificial intelligence chatbot.

  Treya grabbed Ethan's face and stared at him, "What happened to your eyes?" she whispered.

  "I don't know! And I can hear a voice right next to me. You can't hear it?" Ethan’s heart kept racing, and he felt flush.

  She looked worried and let his face loose, "Okay…let's calm down…we should go to the hospital and get you checked out."

  You are now Imbued. Cosmetic changes are a side effect.

  "What's Imbued?" Ethan whispered.

  You refer to them as those with superpowers. You can manipulate holy light and use divine-themed abilities, similar to the games you have dedicated your free time to play. Would you like to know more?

  "Erm…not now,” he replied, not sure if someone was playing a trick on him, or if this was the real deal. I saw the news – that guy had metal skin. He had superpowers. So…what, did I just get chosen also? At random? Maybe everyone who was at the mall? There was something that kid said…something about an Entity?

  Understood. I will be present should you need any information regarding your powers, and how to activate them. I can also provide additional support should you need guidance.

  "Ethan, you're scaring me." Treya had backed off into the living room and was staring at Ethan.

  He turned to her and frowned, "I think I have superpowers,” he replied as he took several deep breaths.

  She shook her head, "That's not possible."

  Then I need to test this out. If I do have super powers, and they are inspired by holy oriented classes, then maybe something super simple. "Erm…Nobilis? Can I do simple things, like…making light?" Again, a scrawling line of text appeared in the corner of his vision.

  -----

  [Imbued Interface Accessed]

  [New Ability Created: Illuminate]

  [Effect: Creates a light source that can be controlled by the user]

  -----

  Ethan felt a rush of warmth in his temples and held up his hand, instinctively snapping his fingers and tapping into…some source of power as the words came to his lips as if it was second nature, "Illuminate." An orb of soft, yellow, and white light appeared in his hand as he tossed it into the air, floating about as he willed it to slowly circle the ceiling fan. He felt all of that anxiety in his chest release, and let out a laugh. A laugh of relief that he was not crazy. And there was an exhilarating rush. I have super powers!

  Treya's jaw dropped and she backed up against the wall, "What the hell?"

  Ethan smiled and walked over to her, hugging her close, "I have superpowers!" He chuckled before breaking out into laughter and pulling away. "I'm still me, sweetie." He ran a hand through her hair trying to reassure her. “I haven’t changed. But holy shit, real, actual super powers! And something called Holy as a power source,” he began talking fast, rattling off ideas. “I bet I can do healing, maybe even warping because I was able to get that neat light-warp spell in the raid tonight- Oh! Maybe I could even manifest armor and weapons!”

  Treya calmed down and her posture slackened from its tense state. "That's…great," she whispered, looking up at him with a grin, "Are you going to dress up and fight crime?"

  Ethan shrugged, still feeling hyped up. "I don't know. What I do know is I don't want to go back to sleep. We gotta try some of these powers out! Hey, Nobilis."

  Yes? The voice came through a little less robotic and monotone. It was male, but still vague; like multiple voices were overlapping and shifting.

  "What are some other powers I have?"

  If you desire a place to test your new Abilities, then I recommend traveling to somewhere isolated.

  -----

  [Imbued Interface Accessed]

  [New Ability Created: Heaven’s Gate]

  [Effect: The user creates a portal through a realm of pure, holy energy, which enables long-distance travel to known locations]

  -----

  Ethan grinned and waved a hand to his side, "Heaven's Gate." A shining, white portal opened next to him and Treya. She gasped as a bright tunnel opened up before them. Ethan felt slightly winded and took in some deep breaths; it felt like he had just done a set of push-ups. Note to self, using these Abilities costs energy.

  He composed himself and wrapped an arm around Treya’s shoulder. "Come on! We're going somewhere amazing."

  He picked her up - with surprising ease that caught him off guard - as he walked into the portal, stepping down a corridor of soft, white light. She clutched to him, the baseball bat dropping down to the corridor before being slid backward into their living room – as if it was pushed away from the realm of holy energy.

  A minute passed as he walked in silence, and she whispered, “Where are we?”

  “Some holy dimension,” Ethan replied. “I think…it might be reasonable to assume that my holy power comes from this dimension. Like I draw on it? Anyways – we are traveling to somewhere I can practice!”

  He was holding her in the middle of a desert; the sky shining brightly as he had opened a portal through space taking them to a dark site. One of the few places in the modern world where the night sky was unobstructed by light pollution; he had been there earlier that year on a field trip for his astronomy class.

  Treya gasped as he set her down. "It’s…we are really far from LA, aren’t we?”

  “Not too far. The Amboy Crater.” Ethan smiled and stared up into the amazing galaxy above, "I wanted to be somewhere out in the open to practice a little.” He was practically buzzing with excitement.

  She turned her head to him, "Come on, try out some of these powers!"

  Nobilis spoke in Ethan’s head, The Archives indicate that heroes and those with powers name their Abilities. I defaulted to activation phrases for your powers based upon this knowledge. Would you like to disable verbal-activation mode?

  "Can I use powers without speaking?" Ethan asked, feeling barely-contained as he just wanted to experiment with these new Abilities.

  Nobilis’ voice was more defined now, definitely masculine, and almost gentlemanly in a way. Taking on a faded-posh British accent. Yes. You can instead think the activation phrase. Also, we can correspond in this fashion. Mind to mind, instead of you speaking aloud.

  Okay then, Ethan thought back, Let's test this out.

  I will activate an offensive Ability corresponding with a simple attack “spell” from these games your Holy power is inspired by. And since you seem to be using the innate System frequently, I will remove the Interface Access notification. Less clutter.

  Nobilis sounded very polite, and the voice refined even further until Ethan could finally make a decent comparison to fiction. He sounded like an upper-class, British butler for royalty. Ethan’s own, internal, Alfred Pennyworth.

  -----

  [New Ability Created: Holy Smite]

  [Effect: The user projects holy energy in a variety of forms, based upon intent (lethal, nonlethal). Range is equal to line of sight.]

  -----

  He held his palm out towards an outcropping of rocks, "Holy Smite!" He shouted out as an arc of gold and white energy covered in sparks launched from his hand at lightspeed and slammed into the rocks. He was surprised at his ability to track the beam with his eyes, despite knowing how ludicrously fast it was traveling.

  The effect of Holy Smite is changed based upon intent. Currently, you may use it to subdue an individual with holy light, or pierce and slice with a projected blade of divine power.

  Ethan nodded his head and focused on cutting the rock in half, "Holy Smite!" Once more the beam shot out before flattening itself into a three-foot-wide blade. Instead of splashing against the rock, the arc of energy sliced through the outcropping as the debris tumbled down to the desert floor. Ethan looked down at his hand as the bright glow faded. He felt giddy, ecstatic, and despite being a bit winded he was grinning like a jackal.

  "That was incredible! There was just a flash and then the rock split!" Treya grabbed Ethan's back and squealed with delight.

  Would you like me to verbalize your abilities for her to hear?

  Sure?

  Ethan heard the same voice, but this time it appeared that Treya also heard it as Nobilis spoke out loud in the immediate vicinity, "These are your preset Abilities that come along with the power designation of Holy. Not just inspired by your video games, but also prior Holy users.” A screen appeared, floating in front of Ethan, but Treya seemed to be able to see it as well. “I can limit who can view this, at your direction.”

  -----

  [New Ability Created: Chosen of the Light]

  [Effect: If the user should die, they will return to The Archive, and after one month will self-resurrect. When this occurs, the user will become stronger. Subsequent deaths result in an additional month to resurrect.]

  [New Ability Created: Divine Protection]

  [Effect: The user is immune to aging, diseases, and poison.]

  [New Ability Created: Healing Touch]

  [Effect: Those that the user touches are cured of wounds and afflictions.]

  [New Ability Created: Holy Barrier]

  [Effect: The user has innate protection against physical damage. Can be activated to create a shield around the user that absorbs a set amount of damage before breaking.]

  [New Ability Created: Holy Sight]

  [Effect: The user’s visual processing speed is 10,000 times the baseline. Their vision works in any environment, enables instant interpretation of distances, and can pierce illusion or concealment.]

  [New Ability Created: Leap of Faith]

  [Effect: The user can turn into a beam of light and rapidly travel to anywhere they can see.]

  -----

  Treya shook her head slowly in disbelief, "You've been hearing that voice? And seeing these…screens?”

  Ethan nodded and frowned, feeling despair wash over him. The elation he felt just a few moments ago was replaced by a crushing realization at the Chosen of the Light power he just learned was affecting him. "I can't age…and if I die, I come back." He grabbed her hand and felt sadness well up in him, "You…you know what that means…right? One day…"

  She seemed to understand as well and her excitement faded as the gravity of what his powers did to him were revealed, "...You'll outlive me…I'll get old and sick eventually. Well…the sick part isn't a problem with that healing thing you can do now…but…"

  Ethan nodded solemnly before kneeling next to her, "I'll be with you for as long as we have. I promise to always come back home to you…I'm yours, now and forever. I don't have a ring…but will you marry me?"

  Treya smiled and nodded, "Yes! About time!" She lightly smacked his head, "You should've asked me five years ago. But better late than never." She smiled and pulled him up, "Come on! I want to see some of these other powers. We can get a ring later." She giggled, "I'm going to be married to a hero!"

  Ethan could tell that she still was pained from the realization of what these powers meant for their future…but that she was also trying to push those thoughts aside. After all, they were both relatively young, only in their late twenties. We have so much of our lives ahead of us.

  He looked up into the sky and focused his gaze, "Leap of Faith!" He shouted. The shimmering golden light enveloped him and, in an instant, he was plummeting towards the ground from far up in the sky. The wind rushing past him and howling in his ears. He felt winded and was panting from exertion.

  Leap of Faith will self-correct for both orientation and velocity. It also is costly in terms of stamina or energy.

  That's good. Thanks, Nobilis, he thought back. "Leap of Faith!" Again, the golden light enveloped him and he appeared next to Treya, standing on the ground.

  She glanced between him and the sky, "That looked like fun!"

  Ethan smiled, "I wish I could do it with you."

  -----

  [New Sub-Ability Created: Rescue]

  [Effect: The user can summon a visible object or person to their location. Energy cost is higher depending on size.]

  -----

  Ethan smirked and looked up again, "Leap of Faith!" Once more he appeared in the sky and began to plummet. But he could make out Treya on the ground under him despite being thousands of feet in the air, her hair flowing gently in the breeze and an enormous smile upon her face. He grinned and raised a hand towards her, "Rescue!"

  "Ahhhh!" Treya was suddenly next to him, screaming in fear as he reached a hand out to grab her. She looked sideways at him, panic in her eyes as the two plummeted to the ground.

  "Having fun yet?!" Ethan yelled out over the roaring wind, making sure his head was close to hers so she could hear him.

  "Do something!" She screamed back. Her voice was panicked but mixed with excitement - just like when they rode roller coasters. That sense of exhilaration of being in a near-death experience that sent tingles throughout a person’s body.

  "Leap of Faith." Ethan vanished and appeared on the ground, looking up and spotting Treya, knowing the exact distance he was from her down to the attometer. "Rescue."

  She vanished and appeared next to him, standing upright. She leaned over and gasped, sucking in lungfuls of air before laughing with giddy excitement, similar to the exhilaration of a roller coaster. "That…was…awesome. Scary…but awesome."

  Ethan let out a weary chuckle, feeling very tired, "Just because I can…" He put a hand on her shoulder, "Healing Touch." He took a knee as his eyelids fluttered, and he knew he was nearing his limit.

  A soft, yellow glow surrounded Treya and she began coughing before spitting out a chunk of black goop. "Gross! What is that?"

  Ethan shook his head, "No clue.” He pushed himself to his feet. “But I healed you of any disease, poison, or other physical affliction you were suffering."

  Treya looked up at him with shock, "Cancer runs in my family…what if you just cured my cancer?"

  Ethan’s eyes widened at the realization, "...That would be such a game changer. I could heal a ton of people."

  "Later…I want to do one more of those falls…maybe two. Or three." She grinned the wide grin that she only did when they tickle-fought on the couch during their favorite movies, "Maybe more."

  “Give me a little breather,” he said as he walked over to the sliced-in-half rock and sat down on one of the halves.

  She sat down on his lap and giggled, gripping him tightly and holding him close. “This is amazing. And I realized something. At least, I think I realized something correctly. You might not age, but humans only degrade because they can’t really heal – or something like that, I’ll have to ask Becky. But you might be able to just keep healing me. Every week, or something, and keep me young forever!”

  Ethan rubbed her back as he felt his breathing steady a bit. “That…that would be good to find out.”

  After recovering a bit, he stood up and repeated the death-defying Ability use. Warping himself up and immediately warping Treya up to him. Each time he waited longer and longer before warping them safely onto the ground, playing a game of chicken with his powers and testing his reflexes paired with his enhanced vision.

  They were whooping and screaming with excitement, and both thoroughly out of breath after the sixth time.

  Treya smiled and grabbed his hand, "My boyfriend, the hero."

  Ethan nodded, "Here's the big question…what should I do?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I have these powers now. What should I do with them? I mean, you know, aside from using them."

  Treya turned to face him and grabbed his other hand, staring into his eyes as she smiled, "You're going to do good. Go out, fight crime, save citizens, et cetera."

  Ethan nodded, "Are you okay with it?"

  She nodded, "As long as you come home to me. Hero or not, you're still my man, and I'll support you no matter what you decide…but not using those powers would be a slap in the face to whatever gave them to you."

  "You're right," Ethan whispered as he pulled her in for a hug.

  "...I know. I'm always right-" Treya pulled away and grinned mischievously, "We have to make you a costume to hide your identity, come up with a cool name-"

  "If I do this I'll probably have to drop out of my program. Plus, the student loans still need to be paid back-"

  Treya put a finger to his lips, "You've seen what comic book heroes have turned into. They are massive money-making franchises. You're a real-life hero. Once you've made a name for yourself you can probably get an agent, sell merchandise, heck, maybe even a movie deal. Don't worry about the money." She looked up once more and smiled, "We'll work something out. We always have."

  Ethan smiled. We have always figured things out, haven't we? He just held her close and enjoyed the moment. But Treya broke the grip and stared up at the skies. Ethan looked up as well. Dark sites were all across the world, and without light pollution the wonders of the cosmos laid out before them.

  They spent a few more minutes stargazing. "I wonder if your powers will let you go to the Moon," Treya commented finally breaking the silence.

  "I don't think I'd be able to survive up there. I'm not a cosmic hero like Supes,” Ethan replied with a slight laugh.

  "Well, a girl can dream." She held up a hand and pretended to grab the moon with it, holding an imaginary one in her palm. “I’m still going to keep doing my program, get into NASA, and get up there. And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be able to go to space.”

  He lifted her once more, "Heaven's Gate." The shimmering white portal appeared, and he walked through.

  As he continued down the tunnel, he felt Treya squeezing his bicep. "You weren't this muscular yesterday. Heck, you barely hit the gym. Have you been going behind my back?"

  Ethan just smiled, "I guess it comes with the territory. Heroes are just shredded, I guess." He flexed his pectorals a bit and was quite pleased with the new musculature.

  Treya giggled as they exited the tunnel after a minute, emerging in their living room as the portal shut behind them. "Why don't we see what else has changed?"

  Ethan grinned and carried her to the bedroom, shutting the door silently behind them.