Two weeks later

***

Alden lay in a hospital bed and watched the rain splash down on the windows and flow down the glass into a stream. Wummy was lying next to him with a handheld video game console on his lap and occasionally chirped to remind him that he had paused the game.

He frowned and turned it off. The chirp was too similar to the high notes that rang in his ears after the disaster. Both doctors and therapists told him the same thing – the whining would most likely stop on its own, but it might not have been.

The console was given to him at the Healing House, when his broken arm and wrist had just healed. He should play it often...... About maintaining the flexibility of the rehabilitated limb. But he mostly uses it to distract himself from other things.

Effective. Sometimes.

But at the children's hospital to which he was transferred a few days ago, things are not so good. The Healing Home gives a sense of soothing that ordinary hospitals can't match. Everything Alden saw in the here and now reminded him that things had gone wrong and would never get better.

He is also a source of some employee gossip. He knew this because he heard several people talking outside his room, and they thought he was asleep at the time.

Poor thing lost his parents in such a horrible way. They still haven't been contacted by any other families.

Do you know if he saw this happen? God, I can't imagine that trauma.

It's not like vile gossip. They all felt sorry for him. They are all well-intentioned.

But Alden hated it.

No one will tell him the truth about what happened. Not the whole truth. Not even a grief counselor who spends so much time talking about being honest and open about his feelings.

His home was destroyed and his parents were killed in a supervillain attack. The heroes hired by the city of Chicago fail to keep the villains under control without collateral damage.

Alden didn't know what that meant.

How did they die? Why can't he see their bodies? Which supervillain? Why...... Why do they want to hurt Alden's parents?

If one more adult told him that it was all a terrible accident that would be impossible for a man his age to understand, he would throw the console on their lying smiles.

Just as he was thinking this, Nurse Amanda knocked on the door and walked straight in. At least she wasn't smiling. In fact, she frowned, worried.

"Alden, dear," she said. "Someone has come to visit you. Now, if you don't want to see her, you don't-"

"Who is it?" He asked quickly.

Alden has seen a number of different visitors. His teacher had visited him three times and had brought handmade "Get Better" cards from the entire third-graders. Several nurses from the treatment home also came. The conductor of the children's choir at his father's old church drove in from Nashville overnight with a plate of cupcakes and cheese straws.

Visitors are nice. The room was filled with the cacophony of visitors so that Alden didn't have to hear his own thoughts.

"I'm Hannah Elber, dear. Superheroes. ”

Alden froze, his thoughts involuntarily flashing back to his dark, dilapidated bedroom. Flickering lights and a corpse – the corpse of a villain? - Lie there and tear up. This memory has a strange feeling, as if it belonged to someone else. But at the same time it is too detailed and clear.

He hadn't seen Hannah or Arjun since the day it happened.

He had been in the bubble for a long time, covered with a blanket. When the quilt is removed, he and Hannah sit alone in the back seat of a van.

She wrote him a lot of notes explaining what was happening and what was happening.

You're hurt, but you'll be fine.

My mantra is to keep you safe and calm.

We're going to the House of Healing.

They will help you.

It doesn't hurt.

I will stay with you until you fall asleep.

Where are my parents? Alden thought over and over again, hoping that this issue would be resolved. Where are they? Did you save them too?

Now, of course, he knew she didn't.

"You don't have to see her," Nurse Amanda said again, seemingly mistaking his silence for fear. "Just because she's a superhero, doesn't mean she can do whatever she loves. I'll tell her you-"

"I want to see her!" Alden cried and almost fell out of bed in such a hurry. His abdominal muscles were a little uncomfortable, but now that they were almost healed, he barely noticed. Hannah will know something. Maybe she'll explain why everything went wrong. "Where is she?"

The nurse stared at him. "She was at the check-in counter downstairs. Give me a minute, dear. She'll come to you. ”

###

"Oh, man," Hannah Elber whispered, staring at her own reflection on the polished metal of the elevator door. "I don't think they're going to let me in, Clay. I'm going to have to be a hooligan and climb to the side of a building or something. ”

"It's going to be a great picture on the six o'clock news," her friend said dryly through earplugs. "I'd love to see you give it a try. Every time you fail in gym class, you fail on the rock wall. ”

"I should have come earlier," Hannah said, ignoring the jab. "But I've been waiting for them to find the child's aunt so I can talk to her and get permission, it's just that they never seem to find the lady, and that's what makes it all so." Worse

"Hannah, it's not your fault that his parents died."

"It is."

"Not really."

"Shut up."

"Nope. You have to stabilize a building. In a frantic situation, fight against villages with eerie powers. You're not perfect. You've done your best. Arjun has done his best. This is not enough. All of us make mistakes at some point in our careers. That's what it's all about. ”

For a moment, both of them fell silent.

"Is he ......" Clay hesitated. "Will he be okay?"

Hannah closed her eyes. "You should look at his face, Clay. Killing civilians has always been his greatest fear, and this time he must take down the villains...... He will never trust me to do my job again, so why would he do it? ”

"Hannah, no one blames you. Not even Arjun. ”

Hannah shook her head. "I promised him." She whispered. "I told him I would support him. I told him he could give it his all. That's the whole reason why we work together. That's the whole reason why we have room for a pair here in Chicago and not anywhere else. And I-"

Behind her, the lady at the check-in counter cleared her throat. "You can move on, Ms. Elber. He was in room 3703. ”

Hannah turned around and smiled brightly at the other woman. "Thank you so much! Have a nice day. ”

"Wow, you're really public image-conscious," Clay muttered through earbuds.

"It's a big part of the job. In order to do this, this is the least I can do. ”

###

When the superheroes arrive, Alden is alone. The nurse begged to be alone with the client, but she eventually relented. Still, he could hear her whispering rules and warnings to Hannah through the door.

His heart was beating wildly.

Agitated. Nerve. A little scared.

He had only seen the hero once before the accident. It was in first grade. The school held a special rally, and a hero named Electric Yoyo came to explain safety in an emergency.

"Heroes are helpers, just like firefighters and cops," Yoyo said, tossing a small ball of green lightning on the stage as he summoned it back to himself as if it were a pet. "Our power may seem scary, but that doesn't mean we're going to hurt you. If one of us gives you instructions, be sure to follow them so we can keep you safe. ”

Yoyos are fun. He handed out pencils and stickers.

Alden couldn't imagine that he would tear a man in half.

Finally, Hannah interrupted his thoughts by pushing the door open. She had a nervous smile on her face. Her hands were in the pockets of her biker jacket, which now looked like normal clothes, uncoated with the glow of magic. Her brown hair was combed back into two French braids.

"Hey, Alden!" She said. "I just came over to see how you were doing. May I? ”

She didn't come an inch closer until he nodded. With that, she walked over to the chair beside his bed and sat down. The vinyl crunched under her weight.

They looked at each other for a minute without blinking, then Hannah licked her lips and said, "Oh, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Hannah." Hannah Elber. Me and my friends—"

"I remember," Alden said quickly. How could I forget?

"Oh. Good. I guess maybe you won't be because of the spell. It's unusual that you're awake inside. Well...... How do you feel? Have they healed you all? ”

"I'm fine. My ears make a lot of noise. They have to keep me here until they're sure my stomach is okay. ”

"Right. You've been stabbed by a chunk of metal. It flies in straight through your window. That must have hurt. I'm very sorry for that. ”

It hurts. He remembers feeling very much pain before getting into the bubble. But that memory was like the rest of that night. It's clear, but it feels like it belongs to someone else.

"I've never seen it," he said.

"What?"

"The piece of metal I was stabbed in. I've never seen it. I didn't think to ask until they brought me here and no one knew where it went. ”

There was a strange look on Hannah's face for a moment, but then she nodded. "Yes. I understand. I'd like to see that thing too. They may have disposed of it, though. I don't think they can put bloody shrapnel around the treatment house. But I can ask to determine if you need me to do that? ”

Alden nodded. He was relieved that talking to Hannah was so easy. She didn't treat him as a child. "Ask me if I can get it."

"Yes," Hannah said, saluting him. "If you're curious what that is...... I took a closer look at it. I'm almost certain it's a saw blade. ”

"A saw?"

She used her fingers to make a faint triangle. "There's such a big piece around you."

Alden thought. Then he asked, "Do you want to see my scars?" ”

"What?"

"From the stage. Do you want to see my scars? It is purple. ”

Hannah blinked. Then she laughed. "Ever had I?"

Alden nodded. Both the doctor and the nurse told him that the scars were cool. It's great to get confirmation from a superhero. He pulled up his hospital-issued pajamas, revealing a long, raised scar on his left side. It was dark purple and hung down at a slight angle from his lower ribs.

Hannah also made a lot of hype about it.

"Funny scars are like superhero collectibles," she told him. "That's great."

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore."

"I'm happy," Hannah said. "They have a real healer to come and treat you because it's a superpower-related event. Usually you have been discharged from the hospital, but the healed body may recover suddenly. This is very rare, but they are extra cautious of you due to your strange reaction to my patient waiting bubble. ”

"Silver Bubble Spell?"

Hannah nodded. "I'm sorry," she said. "Normally, if I put a creature in it, they lose consciousness. If I realized you were awake there, I wouldn't let you see it...... That one. ”

Alden felt his face collapse. Oh yes. I have important questions for her. She probably won't stay long.

"Is that the villain who killed my parents?" He asked. "That man...... On my floor? ”

"Yes," Hannah sat up straight, her hands folded on her knees. "yes, that's the bad guy. Didn't anyone talk to you about him? ”

Alden slumped heavily on the pillow. He clutched the blanket tightly. "Nope. No one answered my question with actual answers. They just say something nice and doesn't make any sense. ”

He heard Hannah take a deep breath.

After a while, she said, "Well, it's not fair to you, but maybe they just don't know enough to tell you everything." I'm not sure how much information the average person actually has right now. There may be a lot of gossip and only a little bit of truth. Can I answer your question if you want? It doesn't have to be today. We can wait for you to be discharged, or—"

"Why do wicked people kill my parents?" Alden immediately asked, twisting the blanket in his hand. "Is he trying to rob us? Or is he angry with them? Why...? ”

He thought and thought. Maybe if there is a reason for the terrible thing that happened, then everything would make sense.

Hannah swallowed. "Well, he's a U-rate. Do you know what that means? ”

"Unique."

Several of Alden's favorite heroes have unique classes. They are not necessarily stronger than other heroes, but they possess unusual powers that do not fit the normal categories that people are granted when they are chosen by the Atonan system.

"Right. As far as we know, he was summoned by the system only a few months ago. He got his unique curriculum and his first skills. Instead of registering and living on the island of Anisidora or another heroic district, as he should be, he began to use power over civilians. ”

It's an unexpectedly familiar story for Alden. In movies and TV shows, supervillains almost always refuse to recognize their power and abide by the law.

He didn't realize that this was something that could happen in real life.

Hannah sighed. "He has a power that has never been seen before. And it's really powerful and deadly. ”

"What power?"

"Hmm...... It's horrible. Are you sure you want to know more? ”

Alden nodded.

"Okay," the superhero said. "It's some kind of transfer ability. It draws strength and vitality from his targets – and perhaps something else – and transfers them to him. So the more people he hurts, the more powerful he becomes.

"They're throwing an early Halloween party at a club a few blocks away from your apartment building. He went there and began to drain people's energy. The people at the party spent ...... It took a long time to notice. It's loud and crowded. He blended in, killing several people until someone finally realized something was wrong and called emergency services. ”

She moved in her chair, which creaked again.

"The other heroes working in Chicago were busy, and the special didn't realize how dangerous the situation was. So they only sent me and Arjun.

"When we arrived at the club, the situation was ...... It's bad. The villain's power is self-sufficient. The more people he kills, the stronger he becomes. And as his strength increases, the speed at which he kills will also be faster. When we got there, he moved almost like the speed-agile type, which was terrible for us because Arjun and I didn't deal with the mental specs of real super-speed. ”

She became quiet, and when Alden looked over, he saw that she was staring into the distance, her lips closed.

He didn't want her to stop talking. Until he knew everything.

"What type of saint are you?" He asked, feeling a little proud that he had memorized the correct name of the person chosen by the system. "What power do you have?"

She shook her head and turned to look at him. "I'm a adjuster. Grade A. I know this doesn't tell you much because there are so many kinds of adjusters. I focus my skills on stabilizing and freezing isolated parts of reality. ”

Seeing his expressionless face, she shrugged her shoulders apologetically.

"yes, it's a bit complicated. Think about the bubble you're in. I recently received that spell. It creates a space where nothing inside changes. I don't think it really stopped time...... None of the people I've asked have been able to get a direct answer. But that's pretty much it. So, even though you were badly injured, you stopped bleeding when I wrapped the bubble around you. Your brain should also stop functioning, but magic can be weird at times. ”

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Alden said. "I couldn't move. I couldn't get excited or scared as I normally would. ”

"I'm very happy. I'll look into this spell more so I can figure out what's going on. I thought you might be scared of being stuck there. ”

Alden had never thought before that superheroes might not understand their powers. How can you cast magic if you don't know how it works?

"Anyway," said Hannah, "we have to stop the sucker, that's what they call him now." We tried to slow him down with my spell so Arjun could catch him. Arjun is an S-class barbarian who focuses almost purely on physical strength. The S-class has a lot of power, so even if this guy starts to drain him, he should be able to stop him. But my aim or cast speed isn't fast enough. And none of my spells are invisible, so when I tried to set the traps, he just dodged them. ”

She sounded frustrated.

'He ran out of the club and we chased him down the street. He was too fast for us, but he kept stopping and attacking people, so we managed to keep up. We must ...... I told Arjun that we had to take him to another enclosed space. A place where no one is. If he runs with all his might in an open area, we will lose him, and we can't afford it. Often, newbies who aren't used to extreme speed don't perform well in tight spaces. But almost everything is residential. The first empty building we saw was the one across from your house. ”

Alden knows this. That building is being remodeled. When completed, it will also be an apartment. He hopes that many families with other children will be able to move in so they can send each other secret flashlight messages through the windows at night.

"We managed to chase down the villains there," Hannah said. "Arjun chased him to fight, and I stayed outside to block the exit and stabilize the building so that it wouldn't collapse completely and damage the neighboring buildings. It's hard for Arjun to exert his full power without destroying everything. I became his assistant so that he didn't have to concentrate on these things in the heat of battle. So...... As a battlefield support, my job is to keep bystanders safe and ...... Let Arjun know what his options are. ”

She stopped talking. And her silence lasted for a long time, making Alden start to feel uncomfortable.

She was frustrated.

Is it because something went wrong? Something must have gone wrong, because when the battle was over, the villain didn't die in the empty building across the street. He died in Alden's bedroom.

Alden's parents also died.

"I'm building stable zones and need them to absorb Arjun's attack power, but my distribution is too weak. The Body Extractor is starting to show off some strange energy skills that we haven't figured out yet. He was emitting these pulses, which were almost like explosions centered on his body. They are going through my spells. Shrapnel began to fly, like that piece of metal that passed through your window. ”

She stared at his stomach as if she could see the scar through his shirt, and continued. "So I focused more and made my spells more powerful in smaller areas so that nothing could pass through them. And I'm ...... I made a terrible mistake. Arjun suddenly asked through communication if the middle of the exterior wall on the seventh floor could withstand a big impact, and I said yes. But I was in such a hurry that I counted the wrong windows. Instead, I held steady in the middle of the eighth floor, and when he grabbed the aspirator, they both crashed through the side of the building, and the momentum carried them all the way through the street into your apartment. ”

There were tears in her eyes.

The roar in Alden's ears seemed to grow louder all at once. His lips trembled.

"I'm very, very sorry, Alden," Hannah said. "It's my fault. No...... You may hear some things, all kinds of speculations and rumors from others. But you should know the truth. Arjun is doing what he is supposed to do. He did everything right in a bad situation. Your parents died because a teenager thought it was cool to be a supervillain, and because I made a stupid, terrible mistake in a serious situation. ”

Alden's vision blurred. A loud, painful sobbing welled up inside him. He tried to stop it, but it was like trying to stop the tide. He started crying, just like they did when they first told him about his parents' deaths. It just doesn't stop. His body ached as a result. His pillow was wet.

Nurse Amanda burst into the room, and Alden screamed, "Get out!" Please don't bother me! "It was too loud and it gave him a sore throat.

Superhero Hannah Elber (Ha

ah Elbe

Ran away from him, as if he had attacked her. Nurse Amanda ran to him and whispered to comfort him. For some reason, Alden could not understand in the burning pain of the moment, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted.