Ethan hung up on his agent and opened the text messages from dozens, no, hundreds of hospitals that had reached out to him. How do I pick? He thought as he scrolled mindlessly, more staring at the screen than actually reading it.

  Nobilis replied, Your agent said to focus on children’s hospitals, did they not?

  Yeah, Ethan replied in his mind. He used the phone’s search function to find children’s hospitals that had sent him requests. UCLA has a children’s hospital, and I’ve already been there once. It wouldn’t be stirring the pot too much. He put the phone inside the protected encasement in his greave and stood up. Heaven’s Gate, he thought as he manifested the portal and stepped through.

  He appeared in front of the main hospital complex and was immediately set upon by dozens of reporters, who were all shouting questions over each other.

  “Are you here to heal people for free?”

  “How much is curing someone of cancer going to cost?”

  “Are you really Radiance, or a new hero taking his identity on?”

  “What do you have to say about people who call you the new messiah?”

  “What size shoes do you wear?”

  Tons of voices, flashes of light from pictures, and a crowd that thronged around him, begging for him to heal them. Ethan was very glad the armor he took from his Sanctuary was fully encompassing and completely concealed his facial expressions, because he was unsure what he would be emoting at that moment.

  Raising his hands, he gestured for calm, and people did after a few seconds. “I am the same Radiance that Full Metal Gangster hurt before. I won’t be charging people for healing. Now, if you will please, there are sick children who need tending.”

  People began clamoring, begging, and he was overwhelmed by the crush of people who were pushing in – grabbing his armor and pleading for healing. Desperate people who wanted their ailments cured, to be saved from sin, who saw him as their savior.

  This is an inconvenience, Nobilis commented wryly, as if he was turning his nose up. Honestly, they should learn proper decorum.

  Circle of Healing, Ethan thought as he activated the Ability and the spheres of glowing light shot skyward before expanding into an intricate, runic symbol pattern. It flashed gold, and all around Ethan he heard people vomiting, coughing, and spewing up the diseases and afflictions plaguing them. And now I make my getaway. Leap of Faith, he thought as he warped past the still-recovering crowd and got to the hospital entrance. He had to lean against the wall as he sucked in deep breaths.

  A security officer came over, “Mr. Radiance?” he asked hesitantly.

  Ethan swallowed down the bit of saliva that had pooled in his mouth and nodded as he stood upright, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m here to help out. Children’s Hospital director asked for me.”

  The security guard led him to an elevator and thankfully the entry was empty, leaving Ethan with a few moments of peace. As the two stood in the elevator, the security guard spoke out of the corner of their mouth, “Thank you, by the way.”

  “For what?” Ethan asked as he stared at the icons above the elevator door, waiting for it to get to the top floors where he assumed offices were located.

  The guard chuckled, “Standing up for the little guy. Not just healing people who pay you tons of cash.”

  Ethan glanced at the guard, “I think my powers shouldn’t be used for money.”

  “You believe what some of them saying? You’re Jesus Christ come back or some shit?”

  Ethan let out a barking laugh, as he knew the truth of the matter. “No, I’m not him. I’m just a guy who got powers and wants to do good with them.”

  The guard nodded and grinned ever-so-slightly, “Good deal, man.”

  The elevator arrived at the top floor and the guard led Ethan through several hallways until they arrived at a room labeled “Director”. After a brief introduction, and many thanks on the woman’s part, the entirety of the patients in the children’s hospital were gathered to the largest rooms in proximity to one another.

  Ethan stood at the center, and saw all the kids who were looking at him with awe, hope, and for a few, fear. Here we go. Circle of Healing. Once more the gold-white orbs flew up, then spiraled and flattened into discs filled with runic symbols whose meaning was completely foreign to him. He felt a rush of energy leave him, and he staggered, reflexively reaching out and finding the security guard who helped support him.

  The children began puking, vomiting, some screaming in fear as the effect manifested. But after a few seconds the results were apparent. The pallor had left the children’s cheeks. Looks of tiredness, sickness, and despair were replaced with beaming, joyous smiles. And Ethan felt a warmth in his chest, not from any power he used or side effect, but a warmth of knowing that he was doing the right thing.

  The kids began hugging parents and grandparents, nurses gave little cheers, and Ethan was overwhelmed once more – but this time by the kids who were swarming over and he spent the next thirty minutes just saying “you’re welcome” to the hundreds of kids who came swarming over from the various floors.

  He did hear a commotion at the farthest end of the ward for the floor he was standing on, and looking over saw security guards trying to hold back reporters. Ushering the kids away, he walked over to the arrayed cameras and people holding microphones. Illuminate, he thought as the sphere of light floated next to him, behind his helmet, casting a bright, near-blinding light that silenced the clamoring and overlapping voices.

  “Plenty of people need healing. My power can affect a one-hundred-foot radius around me…but is tiring.” He put on as positive of a tone as he could muster, smiling under the helm to affect his performance. Thank you, little theatre elective in college. Coming in clutch right now. “We all need to work together. Please, check my agent, Fred Lark’s website, for a soon-to-be-released list of locations, times, and dates where you can come and be healed.” He let the sphere of light fade to nothing and lowered his voice, still gentle and soft, but stern. “I cannot be everywhere at once. I cannot heal everyone in the world…but I’m going to try my best to help as many as I can.”

  One reporter in the back raised his hand, and Ethan recognized Aaron. He pointed, “Yes, the Imbued correspondent.”

  Aaron pushed his way through to the front of the line of reporters, eliciting a few minor curses from them, but his broad smile was on full display. “Aaron Restor, Imbued correspondent. Radiance, are you going to be accepting money for your services?”

  Ethan shook his head, “No. I will not accept money to heal people. However, if you feel the need to donate, then I ask you to donate to those in need in your community…pay it forward.”

  Another reported shouted, “Radiance! Are you at all concerned that the medical system is going to be bankrupted by you healing everyone you can get to?”

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  Ethan did not quite know how to respond. He was well aware that the medical industry in the United States was top-of-the-line when it came to quality, but was extremely expensive. And, it was the only first-world nation with a government-run healthcare system. “I…I do not plan on disrupting things,” he said noncommitally. “I just want to help people.”

  “But your helping is going to cost jobs, won’t it?” the reporter asked.

  Ethan felt irritated. And that came through in his tone ever-so-slightly, but enough that the reporter flinched back a nudge. “No. People will still get sick, people will still die. Doctors, nurses, the support staff like janitors – all of them will still be needed.” He chuckled in an attempt to try and drive the serious note from his tone, “I’m not going to be able to heal the whole world.”

  Die enough, and you might be able to, eventually, Nobilis commented.

  Ethan waved his hand, Heaven’s Gate, he thought as he stepped through and to the skyscraper once more. Kneeling to grab his phone from the armored compartment, he checked for the next location, coordinated via text, and after getting a livestreamed video feed, used Heaven’s Gate once more.

  The whole day was spent doing nothing but crisscrossing the country, taking small breathers, and healing huge groups of people at major hospitals. By the time ten-o’clock his local time rolled around, he was sitting atop the skyscraper, preparing to choose his next location when he received a call from an unknown number. He answered, “Hello?”

  The voice that came through was speaking English in a heavy, Japanese accent. “Is this Radiance?”

  “Yeah. Who is this?”

  “King Blood with the IRE. Petal told me about you, and that you want to help.”

  Ethan sat up straighter against the pole he had been leaning back against. “Yeah. I’ve been traveling around today healing. But I can only do small areas.”

  “I see,” the voice was cool, calm, and collected. “Well, I wanted to call and make introductions, and make sure you had my number. I plan on calling on you if disasters happen. I can’t travel like you can, and having a first responder who can heal could save a lot of lives.”

  “Mind me asking what you can do with your powers?” Ethan asked.

  King Blood chuckled, “I can control blood, including siphoning it or making it. Constructs, as well. How about you?”

  “Holy powers,” Ethan replied.

  “I saw something on a forum about your called-out powers being used in a video game…GRIMLOCK, was it not?”

  “That’s right,” Ethan replied, knowing that he was referencing the game that Ethan had played near religiously with Treya, becoming one of the top competing guilds in the world.”

  “Aha.” The voice was satisfied. “Well, I too, once played…and followed the world first competitions…a bit over a month ago, before I got my powers, one of my favorite guilds lost its main healer…who also played a priest, cleric, paladin multi-class…” Ethan felt a pit in his stomach as King Blood said the words, “You were that player, weren’t you?”

  Ethan’s blood ran cold and he swallowed a knot in his throat. He tried to respond, but didn’t know how to reply without outing himself. He didn’t have to, thankfully, as King Blood chuckled and kept talking. “Ah, well. Thankfully I don’t think anyone else has picked up on it. Plus, my guy has been working on scrubbing some information.”

  “Thanks,” Ethan whispered.

  “Don’t mention it. Have you seen the Imbued website? With the powers, names, and all known information?”

  Ethan nodded, “Yeah. I saw it.”

  “That’s an effort by a buddy of mine. The Imbued Reference Database, which is technically a sub-company under the IRE. It’s a way for us to figure out who to call in case we need a specific skill set. I wanted to see if you’d be willing to give me more information to pass along to him, so that we can better update the website.”

  I’d advise against it, Nobilis stated sternly. Work with them if you desire to do global good, but do not give away more information than you already have. There is safety in secrecy.

  “I’ll have to pass,” Ethan replied.

  “A shame, but I understand.” King Blood’s voice was slightly disappointed, but resolved. “I will reach out if an event occurs where your currently known capabilities can be of use.”

  “Thanks,” Ethan replied. “Oh, since you’re hooked in internationally, how are Imbued being received across the world?”

  King Blood sighed, and sounded dejected. “It really depends on the politics. China, for instance, has created a nation-wide Imbued agency. I heard that some countries, like Russia, have militarized their Imbued. The United Kingdom was hiring out each Imbued as independent contractors. It really just depends.”

  “How many are out there?” Ethan asked.

  “Over a hundred-thousand,” King Blood stated. “It seems like the first wave – you and about nine-hundred others – were given some of the most broad…power sets, for lack of a better term. The second wave that occurred two weeks ago resulted in more…narrow power focus.”

  The first ones selected were given access to more powerful sources, Nobilis confirmed. Then, as The Entity saw the way chips were falling, It began assigning more specialized roles and uniquely tailoring Abilities.

  I got lucky, then, with being able to do so much with holy energy, light, and all the stuff I can do.

  Very lucky.

  Ethan spoke, “Understood. Well, I’m going to focus on mostly Los Angeles for the time being, minus some healing. But definitely call me in when something big happens!”

  “Will do. Take care, Radiance.”

  “You too, King Blood.” Ethan hung up and frowned. “Militarized Imbued,” he whispered. “So, we are going to see superpowers used in war.”

  Inevitable, Nobilis replied. What will happen - if history repeats itself - is this. First, the countries and nations will seek Imbued to bolster their own interests. Those Imbued will realize they hold all the power and take control. They will solidify their control over their region, before either invading other regions or fending off invasions themselves. Eventually they will kill each other off or die off, and humanity will idolize them as gods and myths before moving on. The cycle will repeat.

  Ethan frowned, “I’m not going to let things get to that point,” he stated as he stood up.

  Oh? Do you intend to crush the rest? Become the one god of the world and rule? You have immortality, and a power set suited to bringing it all to a new golden age.

  “…I don’t know,” Ethan replied feeling completely out of his depth given the gravity of the situation and how small he felt in that moment. “If things started devolving…I’ll do what I need to do to keep Treya safe. I don’t want to, but if things degrade like you say they will…I may not have a choice.”

  He looked down at the city, seeing the hundreds of thousands of floating orbs that signified a person’s soul. His vision able to see across to the horizon with sharp acuity. “I want to focus on smaller scale, first and foremost. Help out the Mayor’s new Imbued department. Get things as best as they can be here.” He shrugged, “Maybe Los Angeles can be the example the rest of the world follows.”

  Ah, the city on the hill, to use a Biblical turn of phrase.

  “In a way,” Ethan replied as he glanced up at the moon. “But it’s late, and I promised Treya. Heaven’s Gate.” He opened the portal stepped through to his bedroom. “Hey hon, I’m home!” he said.

  “Running a raid!” she shouted back.

  Ethan doffed his armor and got it all put away in the closet before using Denial of Light to make it invisible. He walked up behind her, leaned around her shoulders, and gave her a kiss on the head. “Sorry it’s so late.”

  “We’re mid-pull! Dinner is in the kitchen, under the foil,” she said, fully focused on the task at hand.

  Ethan just chuckled, went to eat, then went straight to bed, laying down and succumbing to the sweet call of night.

  His dreams were dark and stormy. Ethan saw Stormbringer, heard his enthusiasm as he flew off. Heard the loud bang bang of gunfire followed by the static of the radio. He felt the crunch and wet, slapping sounds of his body hitting the concrete floor of the warehouse. The laugh of FMG, and the sneering face of Cheat Code that was just barely visible under the half-helmet that he wore.

  Ethan felt the blinding pain against his chest and bolted upright in bed, covered in sweat, heaving breaths as his heart raced. Treya sat up at his sudden movement, “What is it?” she asked softly.

  Ethan couldn’t respond. His tongue was in knots. His throat was dry, parched, and he felt sick to his stomach. He just hugged Treya and clung to her. A solid rock in the sea of troubles.

  It is just a nightmare of recollection, Nobilis said softly, in a fatherly way, in his mind. You are all right. You are alive.

  I’m alive, Ethan thought as his heart, still racing, ever-so-slowly began to slow its pumping.

  “Babe? You’re squeezing really tight,” Treya wheezed out.

  Ethan released her, “Shit! Sorry, I…” he just put his head in his hands, feeling that movement of his body being raised up and slammed back into the floor. His stomach was doing flips, and he darted out of bed, running to the bathroom to void his stomach with retching coughs. Gripping the sides of the porcelain throne, he felt his body quivering in revulsion as he gasped for air.

  Treya joined him and gently rubbed his back. “It’s okay, hon. You’re with me. It’s okay.”

  “I…” he swallowed down the last bit of bile and wiped his mouth on the towel hanging nearby, still damp from a shower. “I died…Stormbringer died. He died because I didn’t stop us. He wasn’t ready!”

  “He was an adult,” Treya replied as she rubbed his back a bit more firmly. “He made a choice…it’s okay, sweetie. You did your best.”

  Did I? Ethan thought as he pushed himself up, rinsed out his mouth at the sink, and shakily got back to bed. As Treya continued to say soft, sweet nothings, that thought repeated itself.

  Did I do everything I could have?