Chibiyu: Haha, I am so many chapters ahead of what I have updated :D

Nick: She will probably be done with this story when she posts this chapter.

Chibiyu: Yeah, probably. But we still have quite a few chapters left. I think.

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'Change the world, Nicholas. With us, you can.'

Make it right, child.

Nick took a deep breath to brace himself for what was going to come. "Give me the power to do so."

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"Get him!"

"Get the Four!"

The armies closed in rapidly and Nick simply closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. He listened to his family struggle to get to him, to protect him. He heard the two bodies collide in a sickening crunch as they fought to be the first to get to the one Normal. He felt the air shift as bodies flew passed him. But all the while, he never moved; not even a single flinch.

They will destroy themselves before they get to us, the Bane whispered, voice solemn.

'Fools.'

Both sides are willing to murder for one thing.

'Power.'

And none of them know, Nick silently added as he repeated the words the Bane once told him, that the most powerful is often the one who is afraid to use it.

Who can use what little they do have to change the world.

'Who knows the consequences of it all.'

Nick opened his eyes once again and carefully eyed the ones around him.

Exclamations of shock and fear tore through both sides as fighters remained suspended in the air, as fists couldn't get flung forward, as those who ran were stuck on one leg, and those foolish enough to use their powers were forced to watch their chaos still. They all had the same look on their face as they tried to struggle to get loose from the invisible chains that bound them.

"What is this?" Technotron fearfully asked as his sparks burnt out in front of him.

"It's the menace!" The Council elder accused. He glared at Nick, who stared calmly back.

"It is," his answer was short and brisk. If the listeners would have been allowed to shudder at his tone, they would have. "I am not going anywhere tonight," the teen informed the elder. He turned towards the Villains. "And the Four is mine." He stepped away from the ones trapped in his telepathic hold. "The sooner you accept those two things, then the sooner we can find the Normals and stop whatever plan Necrophere came up with."

Nick's eyes flew to Kevin's as he felt something trying to pry into his mind. "Don't!" Nick harshly ordered. "If you feel this power, you will want it more than you can imagine. Stay out of my mind."

Kevin dropped his eyes, probe retreating. "Sorry."

Nick nodded once. "You wanted to make sure it was me talking. I get it."

"Is it you?" Joe questioned. He blinked when Nick turned to him and let out a cry of surprise when he fell to the ground, face first. He pulled himself up and smiled slowly at his younger brother. "You've proved your point, Nick. You can control it."

"He most certainly cannot!"

"Shut up!" Joe roared. He narrowly restrained himself from punching the elder in nose. "You don't know my brother!"

"He is a Normal. I don't need to know more."

Joe scoffed. "I thought that way once too. But it is wrong! Yes, Nick is a Normal, but he is the strongest person I know!"

"And better than any of us at out-smarting Villains!" Kevin added as he threw a wink to Nick.

The elder was not convinced, but it wasn't him who spoke next. "That is only because he is a Villain himself." Every person who heard his drew in a breath and stared at the woman with heavily lidded eyes.

"Lilith," Nick hissed, "You're not helping."

The woman in black turned and scowled heavily. "And neither are you. The Four is an object for the Villains. You're keeping it from its people and its purpose. It wasn't made to stop fights, but to ignite them."

"Unless its waiting for a larger fight to ignite," Nick whispered to himself, the Four being flicked through his fingers. "Yes," Nick turned to the frozen crowd with a louder voice, "I am a Villain. But that much was obvious." Again, he flicked the Four through his hand before letting it fall. "But the Bane chose me as well."

"It is mistaken!"

I do not make mistakes.

Nick smiled at the anger that was left unheard by the mass. "It didn't like that." The Elder backed down from this statement. "In fact, it doesn't like you either."

He is a coward.

"It's calling you a coward," Nick relayed every word from the Bane and began flicking it through his fingers to gather attention to it. "It says Heroes aren't meant to cower in the back of a war. No, they are meant to charge forward and save those whom they are supposed to love. But you did not. And it is unhappy with you all."

So very unhappy, the Bane sighed, letting Nick to translate its guilt-inducing disappointment and fizzle of anger. You are not the people that should be admired.

Nick left that last bit out, having a feeling that it was only for his ears.

"The Bane is corrupted," the Elder replied with ignorance on his face. "Corrupted by the views of this youth and by the evil hanging next to it. It must be purified! We must take it back and lock this boy away!"

Much to Nick's dismay, the entire Hero community, minus his family, joined in enthusiastically.

"The Four will be ours!" Florice shouted from somewhere unseen. "The Bane is corrupted! The Villains will soon win!"

Nick took a step back as everyone began to struggle. Joe ran in front of his brother and tried to pull him away, but both knew it was too little done and done too late.

At once, all of the mental chains that held the Supers were broken. Nick gasped out in obvious pain and Joe had to support his brothers weight for a split second.

"He can't even fully use it!" Tac happily informed, "If he could, then we wouldn't have been able to break its hold!"

'I may be powerful,' the Four grumbled, leaving Nick to wince from its anger as Joe desperately tried to get him to move faster. 'But I'd like to see him trying to hold that many people have not having done so for seventy years.'

"Come on, Nick!" Joe urged before he took a look at his brother's face. He sighed before hefting the protesting body over his shoulders and continued on. "Shut up and stay still," Joe ordered with a low voice that Nick had never heard before.

Nick allowed himself a small, sad, smile directed to the back of Joe's head. Even though he was considered a monster in the eyes of his own kind, Joe still thought him otherwise. His family still thought him otherwise.

But even now they were fighting for a useless cause.

For it is useless to fight for someone who has paved his own path.

'Though not because you're a Normal with an expiration date.'

No. Because your path leads you away from them. And they fight to keep you by their sides. Are you sure you're ready for this, child?

Nick took a breath and pushed away the throbbing behind his temple and did his best to ignore the shakiness of his limbs as the adrenaline began to run low. He offered no answer to the Bane.

"Joe," he breathed out, but the Hero saw it as well. The ground split open and vomited green. Sparks began to dance, their crackles merry. Ice formed under the runner's feet. The Villains fought to slow them down. The Heroes were waiting for the Villains to tire themselves out before they tried their own means.

Nick stared at the sabotage, helpless. He didn't dare try to do anything, not with Joe at such a close range to his inexperienced hand. Fire would solve everything, but it could also prove the Heroes right. And the Bane wasn't meant to be a apart of such violence. Not meant to be used for such selfish means like running from your own plan because of fear. And using it at such a time...

He couldn't risk it. And Joe seemed to know this too as he never once called for Nick's help.

"We're going to be fine!" Joe shouted as he tried his hardest to keep moving and not lose his footing. "We can do this!"

Nick pressed his forehead to the side of Joe's head, unable to do anything else. With his lips right above his brothers ear, he managed to breathe out: "Thank you for trying."

Joe let out a heart-wrenched scream as Nick pushed himself away from his brother, the Four helping him get out of the death grip. It forced Joe's arms open with telekinesis and allowed Nick to slip right under his brother's arms.

He faced the charge once again. Joe was back quickly; he stood in front of Nick, arms wide as if to shield him from view. He gave Nick a short nod and a determined glance.

"I don't know what you have planned, but I trust you."

Nick smiled at his brother and gently put his hand on Joe's back. "Thank you."

There is no going back now, young one.

Nick nodded. He'd had his many chances to turn back and taken none of them.

Do you regret it?

He only regretted what would happen if Joe remained in front of him.

"You have to go, Joe."

"No way. I won't be too late to save you. Not this time. You'll be okay, Nicholas."

Nick sighed as he removed his hand. "But you won't be."

Joe swallowed passed the lump in his throat and forced his voice to remain calm and flat. "I don't care. I will protect you this time." Joe glanced back to Nick quickly, wishing he could ask his younger sibling to run from this madness. But the weariness Nick carried in his face told him that even with him holding back the hoard, Nick wouldn't make it very far on his own. "Just," he whispered as he felt Nick take a step back when the ground started shaking. "Stay close to me. And don't try to help. It won't help the Heroes views on you."

'He is lying.'

He sees your struggles.

Nick nodded once, unable to smile from Joe's observation. He took a step closer to his brother to regain the distance he tried to put between them. But Joe was too smart for him; too observant for his own good.

"It will be alright!" Joe shouted just before his fist came into contact with Florice's outstretched reddened fingers. Nick winced at the crack as they bent back too far. She screamed out and fell back, her plants now withered behind them, but the anger in her eyes told them that she wasn't ready to give up even though she did back down. "Good thing she never had proper time to regain her full strength," Joe mused, not allowing his true relief to show. Florice at full power was something no one could really stop.

He heard Joe take a low breath as the air began to freeze in a cage around them, which left no escape. Cascadea strutted through the opening she had left and smiled. She met Nick's horrified glance as he tried to plead with the Villain who once let him live.

"Will me," she whispered chillingly. She flicked her wrist, the water in the air freezing into spikes. "But I shall not obey." Nick stepped forward at this and both of the pendants flashed with anger.

With a punch, she hurled the spikes towards Joe spun around and pulled Nick against him, making himself a shield.

"No," Nick whispered as he squeezed his eyes shut. Joe heard this, arms tightening to restrain any movement from the younger. Nick felt Joe tense as the milliseconds dragged by and as the temperature continued to drop as the attack got closer. Nick's fingers clenched around Joe's shirt and he held his breath.

"Thrill me," Cascasdea laughed after a minute of silence, "But I will still prevail."

Joe pulled away and glanced over, confused at the slow rise of steam. "I told you not to use it!" Joe rounded on his brother, who stood, shell shocked.

"I had to," Nick muttered as he touched the Four. "She would have killed you."

"Can you handle this?"Joe questioned angrily as he threw Nick behind him again. "Don't try to help."

Nick offered no answer to the question or the order.

Cascasdea leaned against her ice, which effectively blocked the hoard, who still struggled to remain standing on the ice. Unseen from behind his brother's bulk, Nick touched a finger to the ice as well. He sensed the danger, therefore, he would end it. It was the way he worked.

The Villain flinched back with a gasp, side covered in a red, angry burn, her ice now evaporated in a heated steam. Joe reeled back and punched Nick, none too lightly, in the arm.

"I won't stand around and let you get hurt!" the Normal finally yelled as he forced his way to his brother's side. "Let me help."

Joe shook his head stubbornly. "Go do what you need to do!"

"That can wait," Nick hissed, "This can't."

"I don't like this."

Nick just shook his head. "And I don't care." With that said, Nick turned to face the struggle, nothing but steely determination on his face. Joe saw this and sighed before he let himself nod.

"Alright. But one shred of doubt, and I'm stopping you. Got it?"

Nick smirked and allowed himself to briefly lean on his brother. "Thanks, Joe."

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Chibiyu: I don't like this chapter. Not one bit :/ Until Next Update!