Treya had calmed down enough after a few hours in the conference room and just being in a neutral environment. While she was sitting there, Ethan kept her company just rubbing her back reassuringly. It wasn’t the first panic attack he had helped her through, but it was the first one that had her dealing with an Imbued, and she kept asking for reassurances that everything would be okay.

  And he could not answer her honestly. The only place he could keep her safe from everything was his Sanctuary – but if he brought her there, she could never leave. It would be exile to safety.

  Maybe, he thought, I could bring a lot of people in there at once? Bring in everything that modern life could want? Maybe Alice with her power could somehow make it so that there’s an internet connection in there. Hey, wait. Nobilis, how the heck did she pull me into her Sanctuary?

  The Curator replied in an enthused tone, I said you cannot enter. I never said you cannot be invited in.

  Ethan sat up straight, I can go visit Stormbringer?

  If he allows you to do so.

  Ask him for me, Ethan thought back as he looked at a now-slightly-concerned Treya. “I’m good, hon. Just talking to my Curator.”

  She nodded and squeezed his hand, “Thanks.” She sounded wiped out, utterly exhausted from the day’s events.

  Ethan tapped the circular speakerphone in the center of the room, and a peppy voice replied. “Front desk.”

  “It’s Radiance. Can you ask Fred to come in here?”

  “Will do, Mr. Radiance!” the line hung up.

  A few seconds later, Fred came into the room with that cocky-lawyer smile and cockier swagger. “Whatcha need big man?”

  “How’s the move going?”

  Fred checked his watch; a neat, gold piece on his wrist that was doubtless encrusted with diamonds or something else valuable. “Finished about twenty minutes ago. Want to hear the full set of features?”

  “Yes, please,” Treya replied softly.

  Fred sat down and began listing items from his phone. “It’s a nice, big place. First floor is a two-door garage with an attached single-sized one – we converted the single-size garage to a concrete room with a metal door – a non-defined place for you to do your portals to and from. The other half can hold your armor, gear, all that stuff.”

  “Good,” Ethan replied. “I was getting a bit concerned about using the skyscraper constantly as my go-between for warping around.”

  “I also took the liberty of getting you both some simple, discrete sedans of middling make and value – nothing too ostentatious. Should let you fly under the radar if you decide to drive around.”

  “What about my old Ford?” Ethan asked. The first car he had bought with his own hard-earned money and the vehicle that he took Treya to their first date in.

  “Your prior vehicles are in storage. I wouldn’t just scrap them,” Fred replied with that suave smile. “Now. Other items. It’s two stories above the garage – you got the standard living room, dining room, kitchen. Upstairs is the master bedroom, guest bedroom, office, and some other spare rooms we can kit out to what you want.” He set his phone down and leaned back, “Your stuff is all moved in, and I’ve used my Ability to make binding contracts with a specific moving company and all their movers – you both are safe. Same with a construction company I work with. So, we can make changes if you want.”

  Treya stood up, walked over to Fred, and gave him a hug which he awkwardly accepted from his seated position. “Thank you…so much.”

  “Hey, thank your hubby-to-be over there! His merch has already raked in three-million dollars.”

  Ethan felt his heart skip a beat, “What?”

  “You heard me,” Fred replied with a grin. “We’ve run out of stock four times now. Trying to get more distributors.”

  I…holy…I’ve never had that much money, Ethan thought. Even if I just get fifty percent of that…that’s a life changing amount. He looked up at Treya who had walked back to her seat next to him. Not that we need it…but still. Being a superhero is going to pay off big time.

  Fred stood up, “I also have state-of-the-art security set up. Constant monitoring of the inside and outside of the home – again, people I’ve contracted with my Abilities. Proximity detectors, heat sensors – everything.”

  “You’ve thought of it all,” Ethan said as he stood up, clasping Treya’s hand.

  Fred chuckled, “You’re not the first celebrity I’ve signed who had to uproot and move everything. Normally it’s to avoid rabid fans.” He interrupted himself, “Oh! Also, you’re placed back from one of the surface streets, and all the buildings around you are equal height…but unoccupied. I’m saving them for other heroes on my payroll. You might have some Imbued neighbors here, soon enough!” He flipped his phone around and Ethan saw a feed into the home from a camera. “There you go – now you can portal in.”

  “Thanks, Fred. I’m going to drop Treya off, then head to see Stormbringer.”

  Fred’s face screwed up in confusion, “But…umm…he died. Can you talk to dead people?”

  “In a way,” Ethan replied. “Heaven’s Gate.” He opened the portal and stepped through with Treya, letting it shut behind them.

  She sighed and shook a little bit in his hand as they took in the living room – their same couch was there, their medium box-style TV was on the same dingy, wooden cupboard, and their old, bruised coffee table was in the center of it all. She turned to him and hugged him, “I…I’m going to miss our old place,” she softly said.

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  Ethan ran a hand through her hair, “I know. But this place is going to be safer. And you always did say you wanted a craft room.”

  “I did,” she replied as she pulled away. “Come on, let’s look around!”

  They toured the house and by the end were in their new bedroom. White, clean walls without the ancient wallpaper that was peeling near the ceiling. A new light fixture. The bed was the same, though, and Treya lay down in it. “I’m tired, hon. I’m going to nap.”

  “You do that,” Ethan said as he rubbed a hand on the outside of her thigh. “I’m going to visit a friend.”

  She nodded then shut her eyes. Ethan leaned over to the old alarm clock and clicked the button for the ocean noise.

  Did you get his permission? Ethan asked.

  Yes. His Curator Tempest has given us permission to visit. Return to your Sanctuary.

  “Ascend Beyond,” Ethan said as he opened the opaque, magic-symbol-lined portal and stepped through.

  Nobilis greeted him at his arrival point. The dapper, well-dressed Victorian-era butler dipping his head slightly. “We are going there,” he said, pointing to the end of the road in Ethan’s Sanctuary a few miles away.

  Ethan turned and began walking alongside his Curator, “I had a question.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You mentioned when I first died that I could only change this place on a subsequent death.”

  “That is correct,” Nobilis replied with a slight frown. “Don’t die just to change things.”

  “No! Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ethan replied hurriedly. “But is there a way to…connect my Sanctuary to the real world? Like, for example, if I wanted to add in stuff like plumbing, internet access, you know; modern luxuries?”

  “A local network, yes. Not anything that can connect to the outside,” Nobilis replied. “Everything else is feasible. Air conditioning, heating, plumbing – all of it. All modern luxuries.” He sighed, “But please do not die over and over just to keep changing your Sanctuary. Come up with your list of changes, and the next time you die, then you can implement them all in one go. Think of everything you possible can.”

  “Fair enough,” Ethan replied as they reached the edge of his Sanctuary. The endless skies and distance road going on further in his sight, but obviously a dead end as Nobilis put his hand against an invisible barrier, grabbed something and turned it. A yawning, black door appeared – a circular vault-style door. He stepped through, and Ethan followed.

  They emerged in a dimly lit space. Glowing, green crystals were on the walls, and they were up on a catwalk made of some unknown, black metal just like the vault door. Glancing back, Ethan saw his real name etched in the same dim green crystal above the door.

  “Welcome to The Archive,” Nobilis said as he approached the rail and gestured down. Ethan could see all the way to the bottom thanks to his sight, and Nobilis kept talking. “We are in your moon. The Archive’s physical location – even though it is also in an extradimensional space. It is…complicated.”

  “Not really,” Ethan replied. “You needed a real-world object to anchor it to. You chose the center of the moon.”

  “Ah,” Nobilis replied with a bit of enthusiasm. “You’re sharp. Yes, it is anchored to an artifact at the center of the moon. The Entity’s throne room, as it were. Come, this way.” He led Ethan down the catwalk, past several doors – including one that read “Cheat Code” along the top.

  At that door, Ethan paused and stared daggers into the object, activating Sight Beyond Light but seeing nothing except the same green glow as the crystals – blocking all sight into the space. Grunting in frustration and irritation. “This fucker…if he let me in, I’d fucking end him.”

  “You could try,” Nobilis replied. “But Imbued on Imbued violence is strictly prohibited in Sanctuaries and The Archive.” He arrived at a door labeled “Nathan Martinez,” and knocked politely. “Tempest! We are here!”

  The door opened and Ethan saw this other Curator. A gorgeous, olive-skinned and brown-haired woman dressed in a floral-print dress with pumps and a multi-colored shawl around her neck. “Nobilis. Pleasure to see you.” She looked over at Ethan, “And you are Radiance.”

  Ethan looked at Nobilis, “Is it okay to tell her my name?”

  “I wouldn’t,” Nobilis replied. “Keep your secrets as you can.”

  Tempest stepped aside, “Come on in. Nathan is waiting.”

  Ethan followed the two Curators and was greeted by something out of a playboy magazine. A huge country estate on the coast. They were standing up on top of a cliff with a railing behind them, and at the edge of a huge pool.

  A well-built and muscled young man with a prominent scar on the side of his buzzed head was swimming before popping his head up. He flashed a toothy grin and swam to the edge, hauling himself up in his floral swim trunks as his Curator walked over to him and wrapped an arm around his mid-section, and he wrapped one around her shoulder. “Well…look who lived.”

  Ethan couldn’t speak. He wanted to say he was sorry, to apologize for bringing Stormbringer with him before he was ready to fight a villain. To apologize for his weakness…but he couldn’t say anything. He just stood there as the waves of regret washed over him at the same pace as the tide rolling against the beach below.

  “Umm…dude, you good?” Nathan asked.

  Ethan nodded numbly, “I…I’m sorry. You’re dead because of me.”

  Nathan sighed, “Yeah…kind of your fault.” He frowned, took a step forward, and with the speed of lightning punched Ethan in the face.

  Ethan went spinning to his left and collapsed on the ground. He could have withstood the blow, as given his armor and his improved Holy Shield that was always active, Stormbringer’s punch was far weaker. But he let it hit because he did deserve it. Turning over, he stood up as Nathan stomped over with anger writ across his face. “I can only apologize,” Ethan said.

  Nathan growled and punched again. This time at Ethan’s gut. He let the blow land, but stood firm as the barrier crackled and sparked with gold energy against the lightning-infused fist. “You fucking let me die!”

  Ethan grabbed his forearm firmly, “I couldn’t do anything!” he shouted back, feeling that sorrow and regret explode into anger. “If you were-”

  “If I was what? Stronger? Faster? Not led into a fucking ambush?” Nathan pulled away and scowled, crossing his arms. “You called me on that radio, I paused mid-air to reply – and got blown out of the sky.” He tapped the side of his head, “Fucking teenager with a wheezy voice shot me through the chest, and then double tapped the head.” He snapped his fingers, “Lights out, I wake up here.”

  Ethan felt that regret even more succinctly. If I hadn’t tried to contact him…he would still be alive. Once more, that regret, that pain, crashed into him and he felt absolutely miserable. “I…I can’t…I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “Yeah, well…I got a hot lady to keep me company for my eternity here,” Nathan said with that scowl drawn tight into an unreadable look. “Now get the fuck out of my paradise.”

  Ethan used Leap of Faith to get to the door and immediately exited. He walked back to his Sanctuary with Nobilis a step behind, and when he entered and Nobilis had followed, he shut the door and sank down next to the invisible wall. Unlatching and ripping off the helmet, he put his head in his hands and cried tears of frustration, regret, and anger. Frustration that he wasn’t forgiven, regret for what he had done, and anger at himself for inadvertently causing another person’s death. Someone who trusted him. Who saw him as a mentor if only for a short period of time.

  Nobilis sighed and tapped his cane on the stone road. “Throwing yourself a pity party will not help in the slightest. Get over it. He’s dead, he’s trapped in his Sanctuary and can’t come back-”

  “What if he can?” Ethan asked as he looked up through tear-streaked eyes. “The Holy power, the video games I draw my Ability ideas and concepts from- resurrecting people is one of the main things a healer does!”

  “You cannot bring the dead back to life. Imbued or otherwise,” Nobilis replied with a dour, understanding, but firm tone. “Just let it go. You have more important, pressing matters to attend. Your soon-to-be wife, for instance. Your world. Many Imbued will die in the coming years. Some might even be your friends. You will outlive them all.”

  Ethan just sat there, knees curled up next to his chest, and took a deep breath. “I know,” he said softly. “Ascend Beyond,” he whispered. The portal opened next to him, and he got to his feet, grabbed his helmet, and went through the doorway.