Through Heaven's light

by Elia41

There is no magic on Earth Bet. But nothing says there is no magic anywhere else. Taylor discovers it as, trapped in the locker, her mind sends a desperate call - and is answered by the most unlikely being.

14. Vigilance 2,4

Vigilance 2.4

I walked through the halls of the appropriately-named Infinite Library. The place was a circular building of limited size. Outside. The inside, as befitting a place with Infinite in its name, was basically endless. A pocket dimension holding nearly all the knowledge in the world, there was very little you could find that hadn't been recorded in the books and, as I discovered, data crystals set in the shelves. Yes, data crystals. They were crystals about the size of my hand that contained filaments in which were encrypted large sums of knowledge. To read it, there were devices similar in use to computers that were made of a pedestal and a mirror. They activated by setting the crystal in a hole in the pedestal, then the information would appear on the mirror and you could interact with it as if it was a tactile screen.

The Infinite Library was Sapientia's Realm and Lisa's new home. To say she loved the place was an understatement. She completely abused the absence of time in Heaven to amass gigantic amounts of information and spent her time not sleeping and eating in a special room that held all kinds of devices meant for information gathering. Just as I was dedicated in my duty as a healer, Lisa made a point to use every tool at her disposal to fill Heaven's lack of knowledge about parahumans. She and Sapientia got along wonderfully because of that.

She was currently levitating in front of a large spying mirror, two crystal-readers on each sides and a large semi-circular table holding books and data-crystals behind her. A Selfless was with her, handing her whatever she asked for. I noticed a half-finished fruit bowl on the table.

"How are things doing?" I asked.

To my surprise, Lisa cringed.

"Bad news: my powers are gone. It happened no long after I started using this place. Too much of Heaven's will, I think."

I looked down. Lisa's superpowered intuition had been my main reason for rescuing her, thinking she and Sapientia could find benefit at each other's side.

"So… how is it doing, now?"

"I'm okay, if that's what you're worried about. I still miss my powers sometimes but Sapientia offered that I became his student. I said yes, of course. Sages of Sapientia are dedicated to gathering and preserving knowledge. I won't be able to replicate my powers, but I learned several spells that are pretty useful. So, no hard feeling. Besides, Heavenly magic works by rewriting Reality. I'm a friggin' reality bender! How is that not cool?"

I smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"So, not that great a loss, then. Want to return on Earth now you're not a cape anymore? I bet Sapientia could give you a suit and a mask like mine. Coil would be fooled."

"Not interested right now. I'm having way too much fun skimming through those books and crystals. Speaking of which, the researches are going steadily. I found something pretty interesting about Triumph and Battery's powers: they didn't get them through trigger event. They bought a vial from an organization called Cauldron that granted them the powers they have. I'm currently researching Cauldron's location and endeavor."

"How soon do you think you'll know?"

"Hard to tell. Without my super-guessing, it will be harder to make the right connections and figure the different pieces of that puzzle – and how they fit. By the way, I also looked for a way to get back a Coil, the man who tried to kill me. I found some things that may interest you."

"Bring it." I said as I joined her side.

Lisa grinned and the picture changed to feature what looked like an underground base.

"Coil is the man who recruited me, Grue, Regent, Bitch and Spitfire. The others had the choice. I didn't. Coil found my power too interesting, too dangerous. So, the moment I was caught, he sent men to kill me knowing I would never willingly work for him. But I'm not the only one who met that fate. There is another parahuman, a young Thinker with powers just as interesting as mine that he's forcefully keeping. Her name is Dinah Alcott. Her power? She is about the most powerful precog in the world."

I watched as a man in a black suit with a white snake crawling on it entered a room where a young preteen was held. I instantly recognized her condition.

"He drugs her!?"

"That's his only way to keep her under control. She wouldn't obey otherwise. Anyway, Dinah Alcott can predict the outcome of any situation. Combined with Coil's power, which happens to be the creation of two simultaneous realities which he can maintain or collapse, it allows him to determine the best course of action to reach his goal." Lisa smirked. "The reason he had no problem having the Undersiders caught? It was a distraction while he was kidnapping her. And the Heroes fell for it hook, line and sinker."

"Well, you didn't." I grinned. "So... rescue?"

"Of course, rescue! You know where Dinah is. Think you can teleport in, take the girl here to be cured and bring her back to her family?"

My outfit appeared on me.

"It isn't scry and die, it's scry and save. Coil may be clever and have a seer, but he cannot counter what he knows nothing about. He may know about Savior - heck, all of Brockton Bay does! - but not even he knows what my powers truly are. He can't do anything against divine intervention."

"Excellent."

I smirked. Coil had kidnapped a little girl, forced Lisa to work for her and tried to kill her. I was going to make it all for naught. He had wasted the Undersiders to get Dinah. Once she was rescued, the moron would be short one villain team. His loss. I closed my eyes and teleported directly in Dinah's cell. The girl looked at me with glassy eyes.

"...Are you an angel?"

"No. I am a savior."

I took her, turned to a camera in the room and flipped it the bird. Then, I teleported to the belvedere and lay her on the altar.

iudra tilb pirio

Purify her body. I knew the drug had been removed when she groaned. I uttered a bams before she could pull herself together and rode Azure to the Infinite Library with her in tow. Lisa grinned.

"That was short. Coil is barely beginning to make his move."

"I wonder what he'll do. There's no way he could find about Heaven and, with my ability to teleport, I daresay I could extract someone from the Birdcage itself."

"That's about the biggest boast I've ever heard."

"Heh, I recovered Dinah from Coil's super-secret base. You find me the right location and, with my teleportation and my arsenal of spells, there's no goal I can't reach."

"I get it back. This is your biggest boast."

"It's not a boast once you pull it out. It's a fact."

Lisa grinned with her vulpine smile and turned to the mirror.

"Congratulation: you are officially on Coil's shit list."

"Good for him. Where do the Alcotts live?"

Half an hour later, I was walking to the Alcott household, Dinah still asleep in my arms. Caritas had placed a small sigil at the back of her neck that could only be visible to angels and parahumans. The moment someone tried to hurt her or take her away against her wish, I would be informed of her location and what I was up against, giving me time to prepare. This kind of magic went far, far beyond what I was able to cast. But I was a human and Caritas was a Heavenly Virtue. It was normal.

I rang the doorbell and was greeted by Dinah's mother.

"Ms. Alcott? Good afternoon. I am Savior and..."

"Dinah! You brought Dinah! Wait a minute, I'm calling my husband!"

I entered the house, located the girl's bedroom and lay her in her bed. She would wake up in an hour. Ms. Alcott went to see me.

"Thank you so much for saving our daughter! I was so worried when I heard those men had kidnapped her!"

"They will not do it again." I grinned. "If someone tries to hurt her, I will know. And I will not be happy."

"I trust you. Can I serve you something? Soda, orange juice?"

"I do not feed during service. Thank you. Now, if you do not mind, I shall take my leave."

"You're not staying?"

"I have not chosen to become a Hero in the hopes of receiving praise, merely to do what was right without compromising my true identity. Your daughter will be safe. This is, to me, the most important thing."

I was about to leave when I heard noise outside. Screams. Gunfire. My first reaction was to take Dinah's mother and hide her under the table, intimating her to stay put. My hand went to my sword and I warily pushed the door. The noise had stopped, replaced my whimpers and groans. I peeked out, ready to unleash the first spell that went through my mind… and looked dumbfounded as Azure in his dog form sat on the back of a man I recognized as one of Coil's mercs. I opened the door and looked at the scene. They were about twenty, all armed with machine guns and black faceless commando clothes. All of them were unconscious or in too much pain to move. I looked at my guardian angel.

"Really?"

Azure yapped and rubbed his face against me. I scratched him.

"Good boy."

"Is… Is it your pet?"

I turned to Ms. Alcott. She was watching me with a phone in hand and terror on her face.

"Indeed. His name is Azure. I used my powers to enhance him beyond that of a regular man. Only a trained parahuman should be able to defeat him."

"It's the first time I see him…"

"Despite his enhancements, Azure is not invincible and I may have befriended the Heroes somewhat, but I still desire to avoid the company of capes."

I didn't mention Panacea in case Brandish caught word and turned her anger on her. Her situation saddened me. I wanted to defuse it but, the way I felt things, Brandish would club me in the head rather than hear a single word I said. I'd have to act carefully if I wanted to defuse the situation. Maybe use Glory Girl as a dampener… The sound of sirens reached my ears. Ms. Alcott grinned.

"I called the PRT. You should stay and tell them how you rescued my daughter…"

"I am afraid this is not how I operate. Take good care of your daughter, Madam."

On this, I teleported in Heaven. Lisa grinned.

"I saw Coil using his powers. Given the fit he's throwing, something went wrong with them. Very wrong."

I frowned.

"What happened? Why didn't he use his powers to collapse the reality in which Azure dealt with his men instead of leaving them be caught?"

"You are a Sage. You wield Heaven's will. Coil tried to collapse that reality, but it's the other that did, the one where he kept his men from going. The reality where you got involved became the actual continuity."

I frowned. Without her intuition, it would be hard to guess what went wrong with Coil.

"What do you think happened?"

Lisa was silent a moment.

"Coil is too used to his powers to make a mistake, and given how angry he is at that moment, he didn't keep the current reality on purpose." She started thinking. "Heavenly magic works by rewriting reality. We know from previous occurrences your powers trump parahuman powers, even though we don't know why. My guess, and I'm not sure whether it's accurate or not, is that Coil couldn't collapse the reality where you got involved because of your and Azure's presence. You two irradiate Heaven's will, the potential to twist reality. Coil's powers weren't strong enough to counter that and 'your' reality remained."

"Sounds like a valid explanation. I wonder what Sapientia will think of it."

"Hey." Lisa grinned. "Actually, when it comes to parahuman powers, I know more than he does."

I couldn't help but smile. Losing her powers hadn't taken her smugness away and I was wondering what she would be able to do once she'd trained for as long as I did. Given each Virtue had different values, their followers didn't share the same role. Followers of Caritas, the Virtue of Kindness, were healers and protectors, those who put their life on the line for the sake of others. Followers of Fortitudo, the Virtue of Courage, were the mighty heroes of legend, whose might was unrivalled on the battlefield. Proud generals, valiant soldiers, monster slayers were his favored ones. The followers of Credo were prophets and spiritual leaders, those who kept people's faith going strong and thus made sure Heaven's will kept its incredible potency. The followers of Sapientia were the lore masters, the sages and scholars, the ever-wandering historians always hunting for knowledge about myths and legends, or simply the customs of mortals. As long as it was knowledge, it deserved to be recorded.

I wondered what kind of student Lisa would be. As for me, I fit more in the selfless healer category, though I was no slough in a fight. Can't really blame Caritas for being worried. Some capes like Miss Militia or Lund were strong. And let's not get started on the Protectorate…

"I'm going home." I grinned. "Tell me when you got something on Cauldron."

"Okay. Actually, it seems Coil's power also feels inert. One more power in a vial."

"So they give powers to Heroes and Villains."

"Maybe they do. Maybe they don't. Maybe Coil used to be a Hero before turning to villainy. Or maybe he was a good guy who turned a villain after getting his powers."

I nodded and returned home, wondering what kind of adventure I'd get in while Lisa was looking for info on Cauldron.

…Looking back at it, I should really have enjoyed that week more. I fought non-powered thugs left and right, raided several caches belonging to the ABB, the Empire and the Merchants, had my fun time interfering with a scuffle between Dauntless and Krieg… Note to self: avoid anyone belonging to the Empire for the rest of the month. I have no idea what Krieg was swearing since it was in German, but the intonation alone was enough to tell it wasn't nice at all. In my defense, I did set his behind ablaze. Dauntless was laughing like a maniac after that.

Panacea was the only cape I interacted with on a regular basis. We often met at a hospital to cure a ward or two, then I walked her back home. I was wandering the streets, enjoying the peace of the night with Azure, when I heard footsteps and a humming voice. I could tell it was a teenager and, with the clanking his steps made, he was wearing armor. There was a second set of lighter footsteps along and they were coming from behind me. I closed my eyes and listened to the humming.

We all agree, as far as we can see,
It's just the way of the world,
That's how it's meant to be.
There's right and there's wrong,
There's weak - oh, and there's strong.
It's just the way of the world
And that's how it's meant to be.

Take the motion from a spinning wheel and watch it stop,
Take the danger out of a naked flame and what have you got?
If you take the anger out of a broken heart, you feel no pain.
Could you swear if you had that second chance you wouldn't do it again?

It took me a moment to recall the song. "The way of the world" by Genesis. I turned to see Clockblocker and Nightshroud coming my way. Given the slight bobbing of his head, Clockblocker was apparently the singer. For a second, I was tempted to teleport. The thought died when Nightshroud waved at me and his partner stopped singing.

"Hey, Savior!"

I tensed for a moment, remembering how I had methodically dispelled Grue's darkness during the bank robbery. Let's hope he wasn't the kind to hold a grudge…

"Savior." The Ward in black greeted me. "Good evening."

"Good evening to you too. Are you two on patrol?"

"Yep." Clockblocker grinned. "Things have been pretty quiet so far. Didn't think we'd meet you tonight. Out to patrol too?"

"I am merely enjoying the peace of the night. The quiet is as soothing as healing patients alongside Panacea. The stress and agitation of the day are not for me."

"Yeah. And there are less people out to see you too. Do you know you're the most elusive cape of Brockton Bay? What people know about you can be counted on one hand. Your thread on PHO is filled with speculations."

"And I intend to keep it that way. My identities as a Hero and a civilian are entities I wish to keep as separate as possible."

"Wonder why you're so mysterious." Nightshroud mussed. "Clock has a point. Only a handful of capes are as mysterious as you are, and even fewer manage to hide their gender like you do."

"Being androgynous has its uses. I would not be able to disguise my gender as efficiently if I had curves or a heavyset body. Now, shall we please stop talking about me?"

"Not a chance, Mister Eidolon-lite. You're too interesting. Besides, I didn't get to thank you properly for saving me during the robbery and the bomb attack. What do you think…"

"What did you call me?"

Nightshroud's face was hidden by a black mask with two yellow eyes, but I could tell at his voice he was smiling.

"Your new classification. After the robbery, the PRT revised your ratings and ranked you Trump 9, Eidolon-lite. Apparently, there was no other way to assess you given your sheer versatility."

"I guess Eidolon is ranked Trump 10." I muttered.

"Got that right. By the way, what's that giant blue griffin in a golden armor doing at your side?"

I all but froze in my steps. Clockblocker could see Azure's true form? Damn, I should've been more careful!

"What blue griffin?" Nightshroud asked. "All I see is a big Leonberg. Nothing to worry about."

This made me sigh in relief. There was a card I kept for situations like that.

"I agree, your eyes must be mistaken. Azure is my pet Leonberg and my partner. I do not call for him very often as, despite the enhancements I provided him with, strong parahumans like you could still take him down and I value his life too much."

"I still see him as a big blue griffin."

"Then buy glasses. If Savior says it's a Leonberg, it's a Leonberg. Don't try to argue with the pseudo-Eidolon. Or do you want your powers messing up like Browbeat and Aegis?" Nightshroud shivered. "He managed to single-handedly turn the tables against us by acting as support. People like that, I stay on their good side."

"A wise decision." I agreed. "By the way, nice song back then. You sing well."

Clockblocker's face was hidden beneath a full-white helmet, but I could tell from his stutter that I hit an embarrassing point.

"Really? You think so? Usually, I'm only average." His voice lowered considerably. "Always been better at writing songs than singing them. So… you think I'm a good singer?"

"To be truly honest, I heard better. But you do have skills."

"Thank you!"

He was beaming now. Putting a hand on his chest, he cleared his throat and started singing. It made me revise my judgment. He was good. Why he thought he was only average, I had no idea but, if he put himself into it, he could definitely be a professional singer outside costume.

Creeping up the blind side, shinning up the wall,
Stealing thru the dark of night…
Climbing thru a window, stepping to the floor,
Checking to the left and the right…
Picking up the pieces, putting them away,
Something doesn't feel quite right.

Help me someone, let me out of here!
Then out of the dark was suddenly heard:
"Welcome to the Home by the Sea."

Coming out the woodwork, thru the open door,
Pushing from above and below,
Shadows but no substance in the shape of men,
Round and down and sideways they go
Adrift without direction, eyes that hold despair,
Then as one they sign and they moan:

Help us someone, let us out of here!
Living here so long undisturbed,
Dreaming of the time we were free
So many years ago,
Before the time when we first heard:
"Welcome to the Home by the Sea."

Sit down, sit down
As we relive our lives in what we tell you…

Images of sorrow, pictures of delight,
Things that go to make up a life,
Endless days of summer, longer nights of gloom
Waiting for the morning light,
Scenes of unimportance, photos in a frame,
Things that go to make up a life.

Help us someone, let us out of here!
Living here so long undisturbed,
Dreaming of the time we were free
So many years ago,
Before the time when we first heard:
"Welcome to the Home by the Sea."

Sit down, sit down
As we relive out lives in what we tell you -
Let us relive out lives in what we tell you -

Sit down, sit down
Cos you won't get away.
No, with us you will stay
For the rest of your days - Sit down
As we relive our lives in what we tell you -
Let us relive our lives in what we tell you –

I couldn't help but clap at the end. Nightshroud was clapping too and Azure's tail was waving in his back.

"Nice song." I smiled . "You have a gift."

Clockblocker bowed.

"That was 'Home by the Sea', by Genesis. Hope you enjoyed."

"Definitely. I don't think I heard the Wards mention your singing before." Nightshroud noted. "You should do it more often."

"Well… It's a bit of a secret. The only reason I sang is because Savior was here and he said he likes my singing, so… Let's say it was a thank you gift. But you'll never hear me do that in costume! Humming doesn't count."

He was flustered. Cute. I wondered what he looked like under his costume. To what I heard about him, Clock was the smartass of the Wards. The rebel with a funny side. He and Shadow Stalker were about the most popular of the Wards, Shadow Stalker for her dark and edgy anti-hero attitude and him for his rebellious and fun-loving personality. But, and I was here to prove it, people could be very different in and out of costume. Aside from the fact I was nice, my Savior and Taylor personas had nothing in common. Even though the Ward in white was playful and funny, I couldn't trust him. Not without knowing who he was as a man. For the umpteenth time, I regretted being unable to see within people's hearts. Too distracted by my thoughts, I didn't notice he's grabbed my arm. It made me flinch and remove it.

"Please, I would appreciate if you did not touch me. I am not fond of physical contact."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just… Wait, are these real swords?"

"They are, but rest assured that they never tasted blood. I usually use the flat of the blade or the pommel to fight. The edge and end have a different purpose than causing wounds."

"I'd pay to see you use them." Nightshroud smiled under his mask. "It must be quite a sight."

"I am a healer, not a fighter. I try to avoid direct conflict when I can."

"You must be someone interesting to be with." Clock commented. "I wonder who you are under your mask. I bet you're super-sweet and totally selfless. Maybe a bit of a bookworm too."

"I am wondering the same about you, but there are rules to respect and I intend to do so." I looked away. He had almost managed to nail who I was. Almost. "The person under the mask is often very different from the Hero everybody knows."

"He's right." Nightshroud smiled. "Remember how Shadow Stalker just couldn't believe her arch-nemesis was just a guy who wants to protect his family?"

Clockblocker chuckled.

"Aegis has to physically restrain her from jumping at your throat and I ended freezing her. But the best part was Vista drooling on you and being unable to decide whether to have a crush on you or Gallant."

"She is younger than my sister." Nightshroud cringed. "Now, talking about funny moments, the realization that I'm one of the tallest capes was interesting to say the least."

"Ahem, you're about six feet tall outside costume! Dauntless, Battery, Miss Militia and Velocity are smaller than you, and the only one in the Wards that may rival you in size is Aegis! And even then, it's only by half an inch. You are a friggin' colossus!"

"What about Armsmaster?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Taller by an inch. He barely has to raise his head to look at him in the eyes."

I smiled. Teenage shenanigans and all. Fun times, it seemed, but I preferred the peace of the Gardens or discussing with Lisa. She was an even bigger smartass than Clock and had the powers to match, but I liked her. Then I realized the two Wards had dropped several clues about Nightshroud's identity and some of Clock's more private hobbies. Not that I didn't know them whenever the black Ward was concerned, but I felt ill-at-ease to find out they felt comfortable enough around me to disclose them.

"… Do you not mind revealing those things to me?" I asked. "Some of what you said is rather private."

"You're a good guy. Everybody knows that. With a name like Savior, a name you earned at that, there's no chance people would mistake you for a bad guy. You saved us, we trust you, it's all good."

"Thank you." I smiled shyly under my mask. "I was expecting you to be more wary of me given my powers…"

To my surprise, Clockblocker sighed.

"You know the world is a bad place when basic human decency is unexpected. Seriously, you and Panacea must be among the few true, honest-to-goodness nice people in Brockton Bay. I think that's why people like you. The world may slowly be going to hell, but selfless people like you make the ride smoother. Kinda like going to sleep and not waking up instead of going down with a bullet in the brain."

"That's dark." Nightshroud frowned.

"That's true. Everybody knows it. The specialists think civilization is going to collapse in about twenty years – at best. And now there's a new Hero who comes around healing people and troll the villains while helping the Protectorate? Hey, if he wants to help, why not let him do his bloody job!? The world is already dark enough as it is without seeing threats where there are none!"

I looked down. He had a point. I wasn't going to save the world by spending my nights healing people in hospitals. Besides, I knew I couldn't save the world. Simply using my powers to help was enough to me. The Heroes were fighting an uphill battle and losing, and my presence wouldn't change a thing to the balance of power. There would need to be more Sages, more people willing to take actions to reverse the trend. Not going to happen. Not right now, anyway.

I was taken from my dark thoughts by Caritas's subtle call in my head. I turned to the Wards.

"I am afraid I need to leave you. There is someone I need to meet urgently." I smiled under my mask. "It was a pleasure walking to your side. Good night."

"Good night to you too." Nightshroud smiled.

"Yeah, see ya!"

I nodded and teleported to Heaven. I appeared in the belvedere. Caritas was here, worry on his face and his posture betraying his nervousness.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"The Infinite One called for a gathering." Caritas winced. "And he did not sound happy."

---

And here we have it. Yeah, it's not instant but parahumans staying in Heaven or Hell do lose their powers after awhile. That, and Lisa needed a good nerf. Infinite Knowledge + super intuition + no linear time = I know everything right now. Too much of a game breaker... And, despite being the jokester of the Wards, our Clock guy has some strangely somber depths.

For the reviews...

- DarkEmress: we'll be seeing Canary soon, don't worry. And yeah, sounding like a gentleman is why Savior speaks like that. Well, all of Heaven speaks like that, anyway.

- Greatazuredragon: not only that, but it royally messes with precog powers since they can bend Reality at will and Scion knows nothing about Heaven, so the Shards can't plan ahead of Sorcerers and Sages. Case in point: Coil.

See you soon!