"I'm sorry, Taylor, she doesn't want to talk to you or see any visitors."
Taylor let out a deep sigh, unable to contain her disappointment.
"That's okay, Mrs. Barnes." She said into the phone. "I understand."
"I'll let you know as soon as Emma is feeling up to taking visitors, dear, I promise."
"Thanks."
"Stay safe, Taylor."
The line went dead, and Taylor put the landline's handset back into place.
It had been two days since Emma had been attacked, and though she had been released from the hospital, she was still refusing to see anyone except her family.
She couldn't blame Emma for not wanting to see her, as much as it hurt. Taylor had shut down for the past year after her mom had died, how could she blame Emma for doing the same after what had happened?
But it made Taylor feel so helpless and afraid. This wasn't a problem she could solve with her powers. She couldn't punch Emma's trauma away.
All she could do was try to make the city safer.
A quick look at the clock said it was only 1:00 PM or so. Dad wouldn't be home until six, if not later.
Quietly, Taylor grabbed the house and locked up, before slipping out.
Five minutes later, she was once more flying above Brockton Bay, looking for trouble to deal with.
Hearing the sound of a child crying, Taylor swooped down near the richer part of town, in the suburbs, where she found a small boy with brown hair sobbing on the sidewalk, next to a tree.
"Hey," She said, looking around for the kid's parent or guardian. "Is everything okay? Are you lost?"
The boy was dressed in clean, expensive clothes and didn't seem hurt, so that was something.
"Kitty!" The boy said tearfully, pointing up at the tree.
Taylor looked up…and saw a small white kitten on the higher branches. It had well-groomed, fluffy white fur and a collar around its neck. It must have been the kid's pet.
It was also obviously unable to get down.
Huh. A bit stereotypical in her opinion, but… well, she was here to help as a hero, right? And no hero would just ignore a crying kid, even for something so small.
Taylor floated up, gently reaching out the cat. It backed away, but she was faster and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, dropping back to the ground a moment later.
"Is this your cat?" She asked the boy, offering the kitten to him.
"Kitty!" The boy said, overjoyed, taking his pet back.
Taylor smiled at the boy cuddling the cat, before taking off again.
Now, to find some real crime to tackle.
Over the next few hours, Taylor stopped a mugging, a robbery, broke up a gang fight and interrupted a drug deal. That last one was admittedly an accident, since she just happened to land for a rest where the two were, and they ditched everything as they ran.
She felt so bad she didn't even go after them.
It was honestly a little disheartening to realize just how much crime there was in Brockton Bay. Not that Taylor had ever thought her home city was particularly safe, her parents had drilled her on what kind of people to avoid for as long as she could remember, but still.
It was all small stuff for now, nothing that would make the news, especially without villains around. It did sort of make her realize that villains probably had days off of crime as well, which would be annoying if she just spent hours flying around and found no one.
More than that however , the real problem was that her mind kept drifting back to Emma.
Her best friend had always seemed so strong, so bold. Whenever Taylor had hesitated, Emma had always been eager to jump on the next adventure, to delve into the unknown, to try out the newest, most daring thing.
Seeing Emma as she had been that day, holding her as she wept, bloody and bruised…Taylor hoped she was never in that position again. That Emma was never in that position again, hurt and vulnerable and needing to rely on someone she thought was a stranger for support.
Taylor let out a frustrated sigh.
She didn't know what to do. She really wanted to talk to Emma, to at least see her…and maybe she could. Taylor Hebert might not be able to visit her best friend, but in her transformed state, she could at least check in on her from a distance.
Pleased with her logic, Taylor flew towards Emma's house. The flight didn't take long, and soon she was hovering some distance away, using her enhanced eyesight to peer in through Emma's window.
It was still closer and more visible than she would have liked to be, but unfortunately, her enhanced senses weren't that good.
Emma was inside her room, curled up on her bed. But she wasn't alone. Her older sister, Anne, was with her, an arm curled around her younger sibling.
Emma wasn't crying, but she was unusually still and quiet, content to seemingly just let Anne chatter on to fill the silence, curling deeper into her older sister's side.
It was a deeply personal, intense scene and seeing it like, without either Emma or Anne's consent, made Taylor feel like an intruder.
…this had been a bad idea.
Taylor fled, rocketing away as fast as she dared. What had made her think she could spy on Emma on like that? That she should intrude her privacy like this?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Taylor only stopped after completing several circuits of the city…and then realized where she was.
Looking down was the street where she had met the old man…the Wizard, and the building where he had given her her powers.
Taylor hadn't dared to go back yet, part of her afraid that it would all turn to be some trick or dream of the night. How else had she gone from her room to some strange building? She hadn't wanted to test things, but…maybe it was time to finally do that.
Flying downwards, Taylor landed in front of the old building. It was strange yet nondescript, utterly unremarkable in any way. It wasn't even breaking down. It wasn't in peak condition, exactly, but it also wasn't in perpetual disrepair like a lot of buildings around Brockton Bay.
It just looked…normal. Too normal.
Wavering for a moment, Taylor steeled herself. No turning back.
She marched towards the door, seizing the door handle and flinging it open, almost ripping it off its hinges.
Entering, she slammed the door behind her, looking around the inside.
It hadn't been a dream after all.
The inside of the building didn't look like a building at all. It was a vast, cavernous hall, far larger than should have fit inside the building. It was large enough to host a thousand people comfortably, in fact.
The ceiling rose nearly a hundred feet above her head, and around her were great pillars and arches of stone in a fashion that vaguely reminded Taylor of ancient monuments she had seen on television.
Most prominent of all, though, were the seven statues to the side of the hall.
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF MAN, read the inscription etched on the wall behind them. It was in a language Taylor had never seen before, had no idea how to read, but she understood it all the same. She had understood it the first time she entered this place, even before being given her powers.
The statues themselves were hideous, demonic, three times as large as any real person. They stood on an upraised platform, burning braziers in front of them casting an ominous light. And in the same language as the inscription above, there was a description of each statue on a plate below them.
PRIDE. ENVY. GLUTTONY. ANGER. HATRED. LUST. SLOTH.
Taylor swallowed, turning her gaze away from the statues to the throne at the end of the hall.
It was large but simple and unadorned, carved from grey rock.
It was also empty.
Taylor's heart sank. Had she come all this way here for nothing? Had the old man just left after giving her her powers? Had he-
Her thoughts were interrupted as a door behind the throne slid open, and the man she had been looking for emerged. He was old, dressed in white robes, with soft, pleasant features and long white hair and a thick beard, both of which reached his waist and contrasted with his dark skin. His features were soft and pleasant, his eyes surrounded by smile lines.
"Taylor!" The Wizard smiled broadly at the sight of her. "It is good to see you. I was wondering if you would ever come back."
Taylor opened her mouth, but before she could respond, something else emerged from the door behind the Wizard.
A tiger. An enormous tiger with orange fur and black stripes…standing on two legs as it followed the Wizard out.
A tiger dressed in a suit. It was wearing black slacks, a white shirt and a smart green jacket. A tie with a tiger-stripe pattern hung around his neck, and a bowler hat the same shade of green as the jacket was perched on top of his head, covering his ears.
"Ah, where are my manners?" The Wizard said, looking between the tiger and the gobsmacked Taylor. "Taylor, this is my old friend, Tawny. Tawny, this is my new champion, Taylor Hebert."
"Greetings, Champion," Tawny said, tipping his hat. "It is an honour to meet you."
"Hi," Taylor said uncertainly. "Um…are you a parahuman? Did your power make you look like that?" She had heard of parahumans being warped by their power before, seen some on old B-movie horror, so maybe this was that.
The Wizard let out a laugh at her question. Tawny, fortunately, did not seem offended at the question.
"No, I am not a parahuman," Tawny said simply. "I am a tiger."
"...really?"
The Wizard chuckled again, striding forward. "Taylor, I do not mean to be rude, but you are a champion of the gods, standing here in the Rock of Eternity at the centre of all space and time. Is the idea of Tawny here being a talking tiger really all that difficult to believe?"
"No," Taylor admitted sheepishly. Not that she really believed or understood the entirety of what that meant. Still when he put it like that, it did feel rather foolish. "Sorry, Mister Tawny."
"It is quite alright, Champion," Tawny said simply. "I understand that you are new to all this and an adjustment period is needed."
"Now, Taylor, I am glad to see you, but I must admit, I am curious as to why you have returned here now, after several weeks. And I sense great turmoil in your heart," The Wizard said, stopping in front of Taylor to look her over. "Is something wrong?"
Taylor wrung her hands, hesitating for a moment. But the Wizard's expression was honest, open and kind. He reminded her of Dad, before…everything.
"Well, uh, you see…"
The Wizard nodded attentively as Taylor finished her story, and she waited anxiously for him to listen.
"You did not do anything wrong, Taylor," The Wizard said finally. "Indeed, you did everything one could reasonably expect."
"But Emma is still so…" Taylor trailed off. "I don't know how to help her."
"You have already helped her," The Wizard said gently, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You saved her from being hurt, and comforted her in the aftermath. She will need time to recover, yes, but that is simply the way of things."
"I just feel like I should be able to do more," Taylor whispered. "What's the point of having all these powers if I can't even help my best friend?"
The Wizard sighed softly. "I understand your conundrum, Taylor. I too have struggled with these questions before. To have magic in your hands, to wield the power of creation itself and yet be unable to fix everything that ails those you love…it is a heavy burden to bear. But it must be borne. You cannot force your friends to get better, not even with all these powers. You must give Emma space and time, and I am sure she will return to you."
Taylor nodded, feeling a lump in her throat.
"You ask what is the point of having these powers?" The Wizard continued. "As I already said, did you not help Emma already? Would you rather that you did not have powers and she was dependent on the stranger you encountered for support?"
"No!" Taylor said quickly. "Of course not, I just…"
"I understand," The Wizard told her, his voice kind. "But I did not give you these powers so that you could fix everything that ever went wrong in the world, Taylor. I gave them to you simply so that you can do what you can. I promise, in time, your friend will heal and you have already helped with that.
Taylor nodded, feeling a lump in her throat. How long had it been since she had talked to someone like this? Since she had had someone she thought she could go to for advice, depend on?
Not since before mom died.
"Now, Taylor, why don't I make you a cup of hot chocolate before you go?" The Wizard suggested, guiding her towards the door behind his throne.
"You have a kitchen here?" Taylor asked, surprised.
The Wizard chuckled again. "Taylor, I am a Wizard. I have everything here."
And that was that.