Chapter One: Power Equals Consequences

The sun was just coming up on the horizon. There to greet it was Lux Aeterna. She had changed a lot in four years. Her white hair was several inches shorter, now in a spiky pixie cut. Her caramel skin shone with a unnatural luminescence as the metal underneath it reflected the sun's rays. She had grown leaner, her frame becoming more like a feline's. Her titanium tail swished back and forth as she stared blankly into nothing.

"Home sweet home, right?" A voice from behind her snickered. Cruel insults were on the tip of her tongue as she made no move to greet her poor excuse for a counterpart.

"Hello Atrum," She said and heard a laugh.

"It's Adrian now, actually. I'm human now or at least, I'm trying to be." There was a slight sensation on her arm and her senses flared. She pulled away immediately and turned so her body was facing him. Hearing him gasp, she regretted this.

"It's a price I had to pay. You don't get all this power without a few consequences." She sighed.

"Have you seen Morgan yet?" He asked and she shook her head. It wasn't because she ashamed of her disability but because she knew Morgan would only blame herself.

"I was planning to see Bruce first, but he's at the League headquarters. I'm hoping he gets my message and returns to Gotham soon." She mused.

"Well, I've got your room ready if you're tired. Which I doubt because you're shaking with excitement." She could hear the grin in his voice and knew that he was right. She had been waiting months, stuck in training at Eros, and now she free to roam as she pleased.

"I'll be there later." She said and, after Adrian told her the address, stepped to the edge of the building and allowed herself to submit to gravity's whim.

Falling was a quite a feeling but flying was so much better. In a burst of white fire, she soared into the early morning sky. She knew doing this was precarious, someone would spot her and then the news of her return would be spread. She just hoped she could steer clear from Morgan for a decent amount of time.

"Virgil!" Virgil jerked awake to the sight of Daisy sitting on the edge of his bed. A small smile graced his features as he sat up to greet her. She didn't look happy.

"You have some explaining to do." She hissed.

"Sorry, long night. Is something wrong?" He asked and she threw her hands in the air in exasperation. He watched as she walked over to the closet and began pulling her clothes out. Immediately a light went off in the back of his head. Their three year anniversary dinner was last night and he had missed it.

"Daisy..." His words fell on deaf ears as she shook her head and continued to pack. He opened his mouth to say more but she turned around and held a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Don't even try to apologize. This has been a long time coming and last night was the final straw. You're obviously not equipped for this kind of relationship and I understand that, Virgil. I just hope we can go back to being friends. But for right now, I don't want anything to do with you. You don't know how stupid I felt last night, sitting in that swanky restaurant and everyone knew I had been stood up."

If only he could tell her and he had tried so many times over the last three years but it just never felt right. Being with her, no matter how much he tried, never felt right. So he watched her go and decided that maybe it was for the best.

Once there was no longer a sign of her and knowing he couldn't go back to sleep, Virgil suited up and leapt out his window to begin an early morning patrol. As he flew, he did his best to forget Daisy and the mixture of anger and hate on her face. There was a slight tightening in his chest and he had to land on a building so he would lose his balance and fall. Closing his eyes, he took deep breaths and looked up. What he saw scared him to death. It was white fire and only one person could conjure it.

"Lux..." He said before jumping on his disc and taking off after the trail of fire. Calling out her name again, he saw her slow down before coming to a complete halt.

"Lux!" He stared at her in wonder. She looked so much different now but she was the same girl he had befriended four years ago.

"You weren't supposed to see me." She whispered before looking over at a nearby building and gesturing that he follow her. Once they were on the roof, Virgil allowed himself to really study the new Lux.

"I've been having a bad morning and patrolling was the only way to my mind off of it." He explained and she nodded her head.

"At least you aren't Morgan, I don't think I would have stopped if she had been with you." Lux admitted as she stepped closer to him, "Of course, I can't really know if she's with you or not. So I'll have to trust that you're alone."

"What do you mean...?" Virgil trailed off as her eyes came into view, "but, you led me to this building."

"There's still some sight there and I can make out large forms but essentially, I'm blind as a bat." She explained.

"How...?"

"Look, now isn't the time, okay? There's some business I need to take care of so we'll have to have this conversation later. Just know this, power equal consequences." He then watched as she took off, disappearing into sun's rays. Virgil just started after her, not fully believing that she really come back. And what did she mean by what she had said? Power equals consequences?

He wondered if he should tell Morgan and Richie but he remembered her distressed face and decided against it. As he resumed his patrol, he wondered when they would meet again. He didn't even notice that the tightening, hollow feeling in his chest had been relieved.

There you go, Lux is back but she won't show up again for another chapter or two. We have to introduce our antagonist. Excitement!