Villains

Chapter 7: Villainess

Kaldur looked up at the building and frowned before moving to the alley and climbing up the fire escape. Nyx's signal was close.

She was a criminal. She's attacked him four times now and stolen countless valuable objects.

But Kaldur felt like if he could just talk to her, she would let him help her. He'd checked her records.

The night after he woke up from the concussion, before school today, Kaldur spent the whole night looking up everyone he could about her. Justice League records, police reports, conspiracy websites. Kaldur even found a social media page that hadn't been used in years.

Nyx hasn't killed anyone. She's never put someone in the hospital. She's never stolen anything more than her target, unless something prevented her from getting it.

Nyx seemed like she got in, she got out, and did nothing more. It was exactly the same way she acted at school, as if she didn't really care.

Her old life had been so different. Kaldur had seen her in pictures on her old social media. Just like every other careless teen, she didn't hide any information about herself or her family.

Nyx would be smiling in pictures at the beach with her family, doing strange dance videos, talking about herself in third person, wearing clothes that showed way too much skin, and tons of pictures at parties where some of the kids in the background looked drunk.

And her mask was gone. Kaldur listened to her voice, which sounded beautiful, especially compared to the raspy whispers she spoke with now.

Then she went missing for three months and everything changed.

Kaldur reached the window and peered through. He saw Nyx sitting on the ground, staring at her shaking hands. Next to her, a young boy, her brother, laid on the ground, his eyes closed.

There was water all over the floor and the front door had been kicked in.

Something happened. Did someone attack them? Kill her brother!?

Kaldur opened the window and Nyx's head whipped around. He stepped inside and Nyx stared at him.

"Ny-"

Nyx couldn't contain it anymore.

There was just so much pressure bearing down on her from all sides. Maximilian. Vandal Savage. Aqualad.

Kaldur.

She broke.

The water on the floor rose up slowly in tiny droplets, simply floating around the room as Nyx collapsed to the ground and sobbed.

Kaldur walked forward quickly and paused. What was he supposed to do?

He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Nyx and she jumped forward, scaring the shit out of Kaldur. She buried her head in his shoulder and hugged him back.

"Do something," she whispered. "I don't want to do this anymore."

Kaldur pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Then why are you?"

"He'll kill him. He'll kill Cliff if I don't do what he wants. Just like he killed everyone else, but I can't- I can't take it anymore," she cried. "I can't do it."

"Who?" Kaldur demanded. "Tell me who."

Nyx looked away. "Maximilian Moore."

Kaldur blinked.

Maximilian Moore was a man in Atlantean legends. He supposedly helped Vandal Savage build Atlantis but refused to make a pact with Klarion when the chaos lord was destroying the city. After the pact was made, Maximilian tried to ambush both of them, but was killed in the attempt.