Matthew was in a car. Again.
Only this time, he was in charge of helping Mr. Grey navigate as the man drove a silver minivan down the winding suburban streets. Fill, Yang, and Fire Fists were in the back seat, fully clothed in obnoxious outfits that reminded Matthew of Halloween costumes.
For one, Yang was literally wearing what looked like a white and black martial arts robe with a bandana strapped around her head, cut with eyeholes. To Matthew, she looked like a female version of Zorro.
And Fill? He was wearing what looked like a leotard. His suit was skintight, cut at his biceps and middle-thighs, and was baby blue with orange accents. Around his waist was a utility belt, stuffed with what Matthew assumed was food. The boy had been snacking the whole car ride, which was the source of his annoyance. It was hard to stay focused when every ten minutes there was the sound of a bag opening or the crunch of his chewing.
Finally, there was Fire Fists—or "Fists", he heard them called him—who was hardly wearing a costume at all. In fact, it looked like all he was wearing was a loose sweatshirt and a strange pair of pants.
Neither him nor Fill had a mask.
And thanks to his own stupidity, neither did Matthew.
A voice rang from all the way in the back of the car, a voice that Matthew probably would never get used to casually hearing. He had almost forgotten that Jason and Platinum occupied the trunk.
"Did we get lost?" Platinum asked. "How's our little co-pilot doing?"
"I think he's doing an excellent job, sir," Fill answered. "Absolutely flawless. I've only seen that road sign over there three times."
"Shut it, Fill," Yang interjected. "You have not. He's doing his best."
"Keep quiet. Focus." Mr. Grey scolded from the driver's seat. "Matthew, what's the next turn?"
Matthew looked down at the phone he had been given, squinting at the GPS. "Take a left in point eight miles, then continue on that road for another mile."
"How much longer?" Asked Jason.
"About fifteen minutes," Matthew replied.
Mr. Grey added to that, "Is everyone ready? Focused and prepared to adhere to the plan?"
"Yes, sir," was their consecutive reply.
Even Platinum and Jason chimed in.
"Okay, good, like we've established this villain is going to be no easy foe. If something happens and we are overtaken, you kids know what to do."
"Yes, run and find backup," Yang recited.
Matthew hated the sound of that. It literally felt like he was living the definition of insanity; doing something over and over all while expecting a new outcome. He only hoped that it wouldn't come down to them fleeing and leaving Amberchase's best hero in the hands of his twisted guardian.
"Matthew. Matthew?"
He hadn't realized he had spaced out until he heard Mr. Grey calling his name. He turned towards him and blinked.
"What's the next turn?"
Matthew quickly looked down at the phone, his eyes widening as he rushed to comprehend what the GPS was telling him. "Uh...take a left here."
As the car veered left, Matthew heard Yang speak up. "We've really gotta get you a hero alias. You can't waltz in there going by your real name."
At first, he was caught off guard by the proclamation, but he soon replied with: "I have one, actually."
"You do?"
"Yeah, I go by...Vulpus."
"Pardus and Vulpus?" Fill snorted. "What are those supposed to mean anyway?"
Yang scoffed. "You're such a meat-head."
"Says you, you dork." Fill combatted. "You're always playing video games."
"Oh, why thank you. I'll take that as a compliment, considering that video games actually led to me knowing what the word Vulpus probably means. Ever play Pokemon, Fill?"
"I've heard of it."
"I rest my case," Yang proudly said. "If you had played Pokemon you would've known. Vulpus is Latin for fox."
There was a frown in Fill's voice. "How do those two things tie together?"
"There's a fox Pokemon called Vulpix."
Matthew couldn't help but smile as he listened to their conversation, which put his mind at ease for a brief moment. He knew what Pokemon was, he had even watched Ben play it on her little Gameboy, but he had never made that connection before.
"... I want to hear his reasoning. Why did you choose the name Vulpus, Matthew?"
"Oh," he was caught off guard yet again as he tardily joined back in on the conversation. "Well, that's a bit...personal."
"Yeah, Fill, have some respect." Yang scolded with a teasing laugh.
"Sorry! I thought it was a simple question! No harm was meant!"
"It's okay, it's okay," Matthew insisted. "It's just...It doesn't really matter right now. Like Mr. Grey said, we have to focus on the mission."
To that, Matthew could've sworn he heard Fill mutter, "Brown-noser", under his breath, but he didn't really care. If anything, he was a little annoyed with Fill and his flippant attitude.
Though, a new, gruff voice joined the conversation. "Just shut up, Fill."
Matthew couldn't turn around in his seat, but he knew the speaker had been Fists. It seemed his warning was enough to shut Fill up, too. Thank God. They only had eight minutes until their arrival and that brief moment of blissful banter had now left him vulnerable to his tumultuous emotions.
This time, with so many lives at stake, he had so much to lose. Before, when it was him and Cecilia, the magnitude of the situation seemed...lesser. Maybe that was a figment of his nervous thoughts.
Either way, his hands shook as they held the phone, growing clammy as he grew lost in thought. His heart beat so fast he could hear it in his ears. Now it was five minutes until they'd be there. Five minutes until he would have to put an end to all of this.
Matthew reached into his core and found all three idios that he had been given, alive and easily accessible. He had received the low-down from their original owners, so he was trained well enough, but he couldn't help but worry about being so... unprepared. He supposed it didn't matter when you had Amberchase's number one hero on your side.
He glanced down at the phone and read that there were two minutes until their arrival, then looked out the window and noticed as the world began to become more and more familiar. The neatly trimmed hedges, the manicured lawns, the emptiness, the silence. Everything. It was unfortunately... home.
And soon, a familiar estate appeared on his left. He quickly told Mr. Grey to stop the car and the minivan jerked to a halt.
"Woah, what's going on?" Fill exclaimed.
"Can't you tell, dumbass?" Yang laughed. "We're here."
~ ~ ~
For better or for worse, Matthew was paired off with Platinum. He supposed it was smart, considering Matthew carried with him Yang, Mr. Grey, and Jason's idios. It was just...hard to be around someone as important as Platinum. Matthew didn't know how to act.
As the teams prepared to depart, Mr. Grey reminded Matthew's team of their role and where to enter the building. Matthew listened, bobbing his head whenever the teacher demanded their attention, but otherwise... he was too far deep into his head again.
Only when he heard Jason say his name did he gasp and look up. Jason was smiling as best as he could.
"Hey... be careful, okay? I-I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Matthew blinked. Did he mean that? Really? After everything he had done?
But before Matthew could reply, the older boy pulled him into an awkward hug. Though it had been intended to be comforting, it still made him squirm.
When Jason pulled away, Matthew took a step back. "I'll make this right. We'll get Cecilia back."
Jason blinked, then nodded in understanding.
A firm, but gently hand landed on Matthew's shoulder. "Let's get going, kiddo."
Matthew looked up and found Platinum, a skyscraper of a man, smiling down at him reassuringly. All Matthew could do was nod and wave farewell to the other group.
"Take care, Vulpus." Yang saluted. "See you on the other side."
"Yeah, be safe." Fill added.
Fists just bobbed his head.
Matthew just mustered a smile and turned away, following Platinum as they headed across the lawn to the right wing —the wing opposite of the secret cold storage. Their objective was to distract Pardus as the others worked on freeing the captives, an idea that worked pretty well in Matthew's mind. It kept the students away from Pardus, and if needed, gave Matthew the opportunity to fight him one on one while Platinum helped the others.
"There's a window on the lower level that we can enter through, but we have to figure out a way to disable the alarms," Matthew told Platinum as they stopped and hunkered down a hedge that overlooked the main entrance.
"Great, and we don't have a matter manipulator with us to take down a wall." Platinum mused. "Is there anyone inside that you are on good terms with that can let us in?"
Matthew thought for a moment before his mind flashed with a familiar face, a warm voice, and a gentle smile. "Beatrice..." He muttered.
"Beatrice?"
"She was one of Pardus's servants who helped me, but I couldn't find her a few days before I left..."
"Do you think he fired her?"
"No, Pardus doesn't, um, fire people. He disposes of them."
"So, he kills them?" Platinum asked.
"I... don't know. They vanish. He's been keeping this little foul hobby of his under the rug for years, so I doubt he'd risk firing anyone and have them tattle on him."
"So this Beatrice woman," Platinum began. "If she still worked here, where would she be?"
Matthew thought for a moment. "Well, it's almost noon so she'd probably be setting up for lunch."
"Is there a kitchen window or something that we could signal her through?"
Matthew nodded. "Yes, but we are going to have to cut around back, and usually, there are lots of guards patrolling there."
Platinum grinned. "We can take them. No big deal, hm?"
"Yeah..." Matthew said slowly. "We can."
Platinum punched his shoulder. "That's the spirit!"
Matthew just frowned and chafed his arm, standing to peek over the hedge at the main entrance. Right now there were two male guards standing at the door, chattering amongst themselves.
Matthew lowered himself back down. "We have to be careful not to be seen by the two guards at the door, so make sure you keep low to the ground as you travel from hedge to hedge."
Platinum nodded. "Lead the way, Vulpus."
With that, Matthew lowered himself down and sprinted along the hedges to the wall of the right wing. Then, pressed himself against the white brick, checked the window, and jumped to the wall divide between panes. Only then did he usher Platinum to follow.
In different circumstances, he might've laughed at the clumsiness of the professional hero as he struggled to make his way over to Matthew, but now it only made his heart race even more. Once again he was seeing just how fearlessly reckless heroes were. It was a miracle that Platinum reached him, let alone unnoticed by the guards.
Matthew sighed and continued once Platinum was following, and after hopping between windows, reached the gardens that were behind Pardus's estate. Surprising enough, there weren't as many guards as Matthew had expected. In fact, there only seemed to be two guarding the door and a few out towards the great big oak tree that sat on a hill.
Matthew pushed away from the wall and crawled over to a shrub that was blooming with white flowers, Platinum close behind. Only when they were hidden did he turn to him and say, "We've got to quietly take out those guards. Any suggestions?"
"Leave it to me," Platinum said with a wink.
And before he knew it, the professional hero had risen to his feet, crouched down and sped towards the guards at the door, taking care of them with a few, powerful blows to the head. In fact, Platinum had moved with such stunning speed that they barely had time to let out a panicked cry.
When Matthew rose out from behind the shrub he saw Platinum at the door massaging his knuckles. Incredible.
Platinum, as far as he knew, had an idio that enabled him to increase the strength of his muscles, making him stronger, more agile, and...faster. To a villain, he was a near-impossible foe to face. And Matthew was now a witness of his shocking level of skill.
He shook himself out of his thoughts as Platinum looked around and pointed to the guard uniforms, then at the door. Matthew got the message. He nodded and hurried over.
"I know these uniforms are going to be a little big on you and, well..." Platinum looked down at himself, "A little small on me, but we'll blend in a little more if we put them on."
Matthew thought for a moment. "It won't be much better if we put those on. We will still look suspicious. Guards usually aren't allowed in the estate. They have their separate quarters back behind the gardens."
Platinum thought for a moment before waving a finger at Matthew. "You're a smart boy. Good point."
Matthew didn't know how to respond to that so he just nodded and turned towards the double doors that led inside. "Well, I suppose we won't be needing Beatrice anymore."
"Yeah, but we don't have much time. As soon as these guards wake up, they'll warn the whole estate that there are unwanted visitors." Platinum said.
Matthew reached for the handles and pushed the doors open. "Then let's go."
As soon as the air from inside hit his face, Matthew gagged. Pardus's scent filled his nose; that stench of mint and cologne. But, as Platinum closed the doors and they passed through a sitting room of velvet furniture and golden light fixtures, a different smell filled the air. Food.
Platinum grabbed Matthew's arm and pulled him behind a navy sofa as a female servant clopped by and continued into the hall that led to Pardus's dining room. As she passed by, Matthew's heart leaped into his throat.
Beatrice.
Her marbled grey and brown hair was tied into a neat bun atop her head. She tried to keep her shoulders high as she headed down the hall with a tray of what looked like steaming soup, but Matthew could tell she was tired. Exhausted.
She looked miserable.
He clenched his fist. What had Pardus done to her?
Platinum must've sensed some uneasiness, for his hand gently touched his shoulder as Beatrice disappeared down the hall. "Is that her? Beatrice?"
Matthew nodded, a muscle in his jawline feathering.
"I see," was all Platinum said.
Matthew sharply rose to his feet. "That bastard is usually in his study at this hour. It's upstairs, past my old bedroom."
"Okay, Mr. Grey and the students are probably inside the basement by now. Where's the nearest stairwell?"
Matthew pointed down the hall that Beatrice had appeared from. "Down that hall at the end. There are also stairs at the front entrance, but that would be too risky. I'd rather run into some servants that risk being tattled on by a butler or footman. Usually, the servants are more... understanding. Pardus isn't too kind to them, so they typically had a soft spot for me."
"Alright. Lead the way, kiddo."
With that, Matthew weaved around the furniture in the sitting room, peered down the opposite hall, and turned down the one that led towards the kitchens. From there, he sprinted past the kitchen doors and up the flight of stairs that were waiting at the end.
Before he knew it, he was looking down the hall that led past the catwalk that overlooked the main entrance, his bedroom, and finally the study, whose doors lay open. From where he stood, Matthew could see the piano that lay in front of a window with swirling, white curtains that danced in the wind. He could almost hear the music he used to play on that beautiful instrument, feel his fingers on the ivory keys.
Pardus had never complained about him playing. In fact, he was convinced the man enjoyed the fact that his little dog knew some tricks. Even if those tricks had been self-taught. But now, in Matthew's absence, the piano just sat solemnly there in front of the window, void of the music it once produced.
How sad for Pardus, he thought bitterly before proceeding down the hall. Though, as he passed the closet that used to be his bedroom, he ran his fingers along the dark wood. Then, faced forwards and slowed his pace as he approached the study. He could hear soft humming from within.
Platinum reached out and set his hand on Matthew's arm, causing him to turn and look over at him. When their eyes met, Platinum gave him a reassuring smile that clearly read: Be brave.
And brave he'd be. For Cecilia. For Jason. For Micah. For himself. He'd risk everything, right here, right now, to mend his fate. And so Matthew slowly let the air flow in and out of his lungs, soothing his anxious heart.
Then, he cleared his throat and stepped into Pardus's study.
And as he turned, his blue eyes met the piercing ones of his old guardian. Pardus didn't even flinch from where he sat at a grand, oak desk. It was almost as if he was expecting him.
"Ah, Matthew, funny I'd see you here again. Have you come back to apologize for your sins?"
Matthew swallowed hard, balling his fists so that his hands wouldn't shake. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I am."
"Oh?" Pardus raised a brow, folding his hands on his desk. "And how do you expect to do that."
Matthew glanced into the hall and Platinum stepped into the room.
Pardus's eyes widened with shock, recognition, disbelief, Matthew couldn't tell. But whatever it was, made his skin crawl. He looked over at Platinum and found that the idolized hero bore an unreadable expression.
"Matthew you brought... Platinum?"
"Yes," Matthew grit out, bowing his head. "To atone for my mistakes. I'm sorry, sir."
"But why is he not frozen? How did you get him here?" Pardus asked, slowly rising from his seat.
"I used a perception manipulation idio to subdue him and convinced him that I was his wife, bringing him home. He is completely pliable."
Pardus stepped away from his desk slowly and carefully, his eyes glued to the tall man that stood beside Matthew. Today he was wearing black trousers, a white, button-down shirt, and a light blue tie. And, as he drew closer, Pardus's stench grew stronger.
But Matthew refused to look away, even when Pardus took hold of Platinum's chin with his thumb and index finger, examining his face. "I'm very impressed with you, boy. I will have to find it in my heart to forgive you for your disobedience, but for now... you still have much to do to earn back my trust."
Matthew swallowed hard and nodded. "That is understandable, sir."
Pardus stepped away from Platinum with a sigh, dusting off the front of him. "For now, you should return to your room." He paused. "Or, you know what, head down to the dining room for some lunch. My treat."
My treat. He acted like it was a privilege to be fed.
"I would like some alone time with dear, Platinum before I freeze him and add him to my magnificent collection," Pardus added. "Thanks to you, It's grown so much. Now, all I'll need is that little AEM boy you took from me. But that is another day's discussion, hm?"
Matthew didn't like the idea of that, but nodded and peeled towards the door anyway, making sure to depart slowly and glance at Platinum as he left. Their eyes met for a brief second before Matthew faced forwards and lifted his foot to step out of the room. But, he was halted at the sound of thundering footsteps and heavy breathing.
Matthew was plowed aside by a guard that was clutching his head as he ran.
He didn't like the look of that. Not at all. Matthew carefully stepped back into the room, grabbing ahold of the idios within himself.
"Sir, there— there's been an infiltration!" The guard stammered. "These— these kids from the hero school—!"
Pardus turned and knocked everything off his desk with an angry roar. "I should've known! You brought those rats to my estate with you, didn't you, Matthew?!"
Matthew's fists balled just in time for yellow flames to begin to flow up his arms. "Platinum, alert the others."
"But—"
"Do it!" Matthew begged. "This is my fight. I need to do this. I need to be the hero, for once."
"Oh, you think you're a hero now, Matthew?!" Pardus laughed. "I should've expected this, it seems. Your mother was, after all, a hero. A weak, pathetic hero."
Something flickered from within his heart. Sadness? Longing? But Matthew knew Pardus was only trying to get inside his head. He pushed it away and knit his brows as Platinum quickly fled the room to alert the others.
"I'm going to be everything you're not, Pardus," Matthew said. "If that means being a hero and your worst enemy, so be it. But I will not be your servant anymore. I've grown."
"And grown you have, in the worst of ways," Pardus hissed. "You should be disappointed in yourself. I tried to make you into something incredible. You failed me. You failed Micah."
"No, that's where you're wrong," Matthew laughed. "This is where I avenge him."
And, with that, flames curled up Matthew's shoulders and filled his eyes with golden light. He screamed and sent a pillar of flames at Pardus, which met against his ice with a sound loud enough to rattle the house.
Fire and ice.
Hero and villain.
The fight for freedom began. Matthew knew he couldn't get too close, for Pardus's idio was stronger the closer he was to his foe. So he played the defensive, soon moving to stand behind the piano as Pardus advanced on him. It was soon set ablaze in the turmoil.
Matthew didn't have time to dwell on it, or even think about it at all. Thanks to Red Sun's idio, he wasn't affected by the heat. In fact, it fueled him.
He growled and crawled atop the piano, and fought off Pardus's attempts to ice him from higher ground.
"You're a clever boy, aren't you?!" Pardus's laughter echoed all around him. "So smart, so ambitious, it's such a shame that you chose the wrong side."
"Shut up!" Matthew spat, sending a wave of flames down at him which were met with a pillar of ice. It wasn't helping that the ground was now wet from all the melting. Pardus had the upper hand.
Now there was desperation in Pardus's voice that he couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. "I was training you, Matthew! I was forging you into something better! Why did you betray me?!"
"Because you tortured me!" Matthew screamed back, his voice breaking. "If you really cared, you'd let me go! You wouldn't be fighting me!"
"You're about to take all I have left, Matthew!" Pardus pled. "Can't you see that?"
"Don't make me the villain!" Matthew growled back. "You locked me in a closet for three years! Starved me, beat me, shamed me! You're the villain! Not me! I never wanted this!"
Their fighting stopped momentarily, leaving a moment of painful silence. "No, Matthew. That's not entirely true. After all, you had every opportunity to run away from me, to abandon my missions, to not capture heroes for me. You chose to continue. You chose to come back."
Matthew's knees wobbled as he stood atop the flaming piano. And at that moment, he let his words sink deep. Pardus had succeeded in his little game of manipulation. "That's not true..."
Pardus took a step forward, glancing down at the legs of the piano that were about to give. "Yes, it is. You know in your heart that it is. A part of you liked the life you lived. A part of you saw your potential. It wasn't just me who had a vision."
"No..."
"You're just a boy, Matthew. You need guidance. Shelter. Love. Give this up. It's not worth losing this fight."
Matthew looked down at his hands, at the flames, at the room. He saw all the damage and it scared him. But, his moment of realization was cut short as the piano caved from under his feet and crashed on the ground, knocking Matthew to the floor with a pained yelp.
Surprisingly enough, Pardus didn't advance on him. Didn't freeze him. He just stood there, looking down at the broken boy on the floor. And took a step forward, laying out his hand.
As Matthew got his bearings, he looked up at him— his guardian, his tormenter— and saw the reflection of the flames in his eyes. That malice. That triumph.
"Join me, Matthew. Give this up and everything will be forgiven. Let me continue to train you. Let me give you the support and compassion you need and desire. Let me finish what I started."
Matthew's wide, fearful eyes trailed down to Pardus's outstretched hand. The yellow light from the swirling flames all around him flickered on the tips of his fingers, his palm. He couldn't focus on what the hand was, rather what it meant. If he took it, it meant returning back to the life he lived. The assignments. The closet. The loneliness. The hunger. The pain.
It was the shock he needed to shake himself out of his helpless trance. He couldn't return to the life he lived. Not when he needed freedom. Not when he needed to do what was right for Cecilia, for Jason, for Micah. It was then that he remembered what he could do. What his idio could do.
A smug smile crawled up Matthew's face as the flames around him vanished into himself. "Alright," he said, reaching out and taking Pardus's hand. "I'll join you."
Light sparked between their palms, causing a milky sheen to appear around Pardus's body. He pulled his hand away, looking down at himself. "What have you done?"
But it was too late for Pardus. Matthew shook away Jason's idio and accepted a new one. One that was cold and biting. Pardus's own idio.
Then, he raised his hands and froze Pardus over, stopping when the ice reached his throat. He didn't stop as he screamed. He didn't stop as he begged Matthew to free him. He let it happen. He let the villain get a taste of his own medicine.
And when Matthew was finished, he took a step back, panting from exhaustion. "This is what you deserve, Pardus. This was how all your victims felt as they were frozen and left to rot in your cold storage. This is what you did to Red Sun and White Lotus. Now you'll finally feel what they felt. This is their revenge."
Pardus barked a laugh. "After all these years, Matthew, after all that I've done for you... I thought you'd be more grateful. I thought you'd be loyal to me."
Matthew scoffed. "I was never loyal. I was just afraid. Too scared to rebel. But no longer."
"That's quite the shame, Matthew. Quite the shame." Pardus sighed, clicking his tongue. "You know, I always thought blood would be thicker than water. I guess I was wrong."
Matthew frowned, his words rattling inside his head. But, before he could open his mouth and ask him to explain the meaning of that phrase, the sound of heavy footsteps entered the room. Matthew turned to find Platinum standing alongside a group of police officers. When the hero saw Matthew and the scene that laid before him, his eyes widened.
"Matthew... you did it."
Matthew ignored him and spun towards Pardus, voicing his question. "What did you say? Say that again! What did you mean? Explain—!"
But Matthew was cut short as two paramedics entered the scene and began to usher him out of the room. When Matthew didn't comply, they were a little more forceful, but no less gentle, with their methods, insisting that he step outside as the police took Pardus away.
And when one of them reached out and touched his arm, he quickly pulled it back. "Don't touch me!" Matthew snapped, frustrated tears brimming in his eyes. "I need to know! I need to—"
But it was no use, the paramedics only continued to insist, and eventually, Matthew agreed reluctantly to be escorted out of Pardus's study.
As he turned towards the door he threw one last glance at his guardian, his tormentor, he found him looking back at him, wearing a coy, triumphant smile. One that said he knew something that Matthew didn't.
A taunt.
A tease.
And before Matthew turned away from Pardus, he glared at him. Then, he turned away and complied with the worried paramedics, who led him through the halls of the estate he had called home. They led him down the stairs and past the curious gazes of the servants. Led him past Beatrice, who gasped when she saw him, but made no advance when she saw the defeated look in his eyes. And finally, led him out the front doors and into the lawn.
Yet... even though Matthew was victorious, even though he had earned his freedom, he was still left without answers. Pardus had won what little of the fight that he could. He knew that Matthew would dwell over his words until he came running back to him. Yes, Matthew had defeated him, but he hadn't won. Pardus had won. He'd dealt a crippling blow with those cryptic final words.
As the paramedics guided Matthew outside, the boy finally collapsed, falling to the grass on his hands and knees, his fingers digging into the cool, moist grass.
And he cried.