I dropped out of school after Mama died. I didn't see a point in pretending to be normal anymore. Part of me wanted to burn the whole city of Chicago to the ground and go back to Tokyo. I had it all planned out in my mind: I would announce myself as the Empress and take my rightful place at the head of the Empire. I would do everything Papa had prepared me for.
In the end, I couldn't bring myself to set a single fire. Pathetic, I know. I still left though. Papa had left all his fortune to Mama and me, and Mama had left everything to me. As a result I had more money than a seventeen year old could do anything with. Buying a plane ticket to Tokyo was easy, as was getting myself a small apartment in the city.
I lived quietly, I kept to myself. I didn't work, I didn't take over the Empire like I swore I would. Mostly, I was just angry. At myself, and at my mother for leaving me, for killing Papa. Slowly, I deluded myself into believing that Mama was the real villain in all of this. Papa had a reason for everything he did, a method. It was for the greater good of his Empire.
Mama made herself a hero, for what? She didn't like being a freak, so she flew around and saved people who didn't even ask for her help just so she could feel better about herself? She was weak. No wonder she fell apart after killing Papa.
I wouldn't be like her. I wouldn't. Someday I would find a way to make myself worthy of taking Papa's place in the Empire. I wasn't ready yet, that was all. I was Empress by blood and title only- I needed to do something big to prove I was truly worthy of that name.
Years later, when I heard the rumors about the world renowned superhero Blacklight building a team of young heroes, I knew it was my chance. I died my hair, gave myself a hero name, and donned Mama's costume. I would return to America and present myself as a new hero. Blacklight would choose me to be amongst his ranks, I would gain the trust of all his little proteges, and then I would destroy them all- an entire generation of would-be heroes, wiped out by a single person.
That was how I was going to make my name as the Empress. I would make Papa's Empire greater than it had ever been before, encompassing the entire world. I would make my father's memory proud.
But nothing ever goes according to plan.
Now I was standing over Blacklight, and he was dying, but I wasn't the cause of it. I wasn't laughing, I wasn't even smiling. My heart pounded in my chest, terror in every breath I took. "Get up, you have to get up," I urged.
There was thick smoke all around me, and I could hear the shouts of the few remaining Sentries as they tried to organize themselves. We weren't entirely sure what had happened. There had a sound of thunder from the basement of the headquarters, so loud it woke everyone from their sleep. When we went to investigate we came upon a battle.
Tifanos and Zachariel had somehow separated from Miguel, and now they were fighting for the fate of our entire planet. Either a world where everyone suffers under the reign of a demon, or one where every hint of evil is purged. And unfortunately for me, neither option seemed like one where I would survive.
I dropped to my knees and shook Blacklight's shoulder. "Come on, please! You have to help us fight them! Blacklight, you have to help us!"
He shook his head weakly, blood dripping from his nose. "I can't. I'm only Miguel now. I'm human. I'm sorry, but it's up to you. Work together, do what you can to save humanity."
Angry tears fell from my eyes, sizzling against my burning skin. "This isn't fair! I'm not a hero, I never was! I was supposed to be the one taking over the world, how can you expect me to save it?"
"I saw promise in you from the beginning. All three of us did, for different reasons. You have it in you to be a hero. You just don't want to accept that."
I shook my head. "But now I have to or else the world is over, right?"
Miguel said nothing, and for a moment I worried he was already dead.
"Isn't there anything you can do to help us? You've lived with them for over a century, don' you have anything that can help us?" I begged.
After another terrifying stretch of silence, Miguel held a hand out. "Get me something to write with."
I rushed to one of the overturned desks and grabbed a pen and scrap of paper, all but hurling it at him. He wrote with a shaking hand, then gave me the slip. "If you cannot force them back to their realms, then this is the only other option."
He died. And as disgusting and improbable as it was, I was upset about it. So much for being a villain. I took a deep breath, clutched the paper in my hand, then rushed over to the remaining Sentries.
The Sorceress and the Necromancer were both flipping though large, leather-bound books filled with runes impossible for me to read. "Nothing, I have nothing," the Sorceress growled, slamming the dusty book shut.
The Necromancer shook his head. "I don't do this kind of spell..."
Azazel looked up from his pacing when I joined them. "Blacklight?"
"Dead," I panted. Everyone's expressions turned grave. I held out the slip of paper. "He gave me this."
The Sorceress took the paper and unfolded it, her eyes widening as she read it. "This... this is old magic. A binding spell." She looked up at me with a horrified expression. "What does he mean by giving us this?"
"He said if we can't force them back to their realms, then this is the only option."
The Necromancer read over the Sorceress's shoulder, his expression darkening. "If this is our only option, we're doomed. Does Blacklight really expect one of us to make this sacrifice..."
I clenched my fists. "I don't understand magic, but I take it this is something big. Whatever it is, whatever sacrifice needs to be made to make it happen... I'll do it." Oh god, if Papa could hear me now. I could hardly believe the words were coming from my mouth.
The five other Sentries looked at me in shock.
I shifted uncomfortably. "It's death, right? I need to die to make this happen? I've got nothing left to live for at this point, and you're all good people. Good heroes. The world needs you, not me. So... I volunteer as tribute." The joke fell flat.
The Sorceress shook her head. "Cherry, did you hear me? This is a binding spell, the binding spell. You wouldn't die you would..."
Oh.
Of course. If we couldn't send Tifanos and Zachariel back to their realms, we would need to contain them somehow. We'd need to bind them to a vessel. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only thing to do.
We'd essentially have to create a new Blacklight.
I didn't give myself time to think about what that meant. If I gave myself that opportunity, I knew I would back out. This had to be done. It had to. I nodded, standing straighter. "Yeah. Okay, yeah, I'll do it."
The Sorceress and the Necromancer set to preparing the spell casting area. A circle similar to the one I'd found Miguel dying in, though this one seemed to be the exact reverse. I moved to a corner and sat down, listening to the chaos of the battle happening close by. Was I really willing to have that battle continue inside my head? Would I even survive? I shut my eyes tight in an attempt to block out all thought.
"Alright, Cherry, we're ready for you."
I walked on shaky legs to the center of the circle, feeling as though I was inside a dream. How I managed to keep from fainting is beyond me. The five stood on the edge of the circle around me. They passed a knife around, using it to cut small slits into their palms. One by one they pressed their bloody palms into the circle, then they clasped hands.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"A life is needed in order to complete the spell. It may be cheating, but if we each offer a fifth of our lifespan, it should work just as well," the Sorceress explained.
My heart thudded. A fifth of their lifespan? Each of them? "Guys, no-"
"We all need to make sacrifices for this to work," Ocarina cut me off. "It'll be worth it in the end."
Goldstreak shrugged. "What are heroes for after all?"
Heroes.
"Ready?" the Sorceress asked. Everyone nodded, and she began to recite the spell Miguel had written.
The circle glowed eerily, and the chaos of the nearby fight silenced. The smoke cleared instantly and both shadow and light began to swirl above me, whipping my hair around me.
I'd never in my life considered myself a hero. For as long as I could remember, I wanted with every fiber of my being to be the exact opposite. I thought being a villain would fill the strange emptiness I'd felt inside myself since childhood. I always thought that once I took my father's place, I would feel complete.
But maybe that's not what I was meant to do with my life. Maybe I always felt empty because I was meant for this. It's a dumb thought. Probably wishful thinking. Yeah.
As the howling wind engulfed me and the energy of both an angel and a demon bore down on me, I didn't feel fear, or panic, or... anything, really. I felt calm. The energy hit me hard, and I wasn't sure if I screamed or not. I saw the most blinding light and the deepest, most horrifying darkness all in one instant.
The rest of the Sentries flew back... and then there was complete silence. For a moment, I wondered if it had worked. And then a voice spoke from some dark corner of my mind.
Well... isn't this an interesting development.
Fascinating indeed.
I heaved a heavy sigh, both of relief and acceptance of my fate. "Hi guys... welcome to your new home."