EDIT: What the fuck is this glitch not saving my formatting when I C&P into the Doc Manager? Fucking FFN.

Excerpt from the Diary of Vasily Ramirez

June 23, 2293

Richard graduated from U.S.A.E.I today. I've never seen him with a larger grin on his face as he hugged his friends. He spoke about them so rarely, I was shocked to see just how many people he aligned himself with. Not to mention the young lady clinging to his arm as they mingled with the rest of their class.

It is good to see that he has people in his corner.

However, as I sat alone in the section for families I had the most melancholy feeling. This was an experience that Melissa should have lived. I found replacing myself with her in all of the major moments in his life I witnessed to be immeasurably saddening. His first steps, watching as he boarded the bus for his first day of school, dressing him up for prom. These achievements should have been shared with his mother and father, yet not a single one was. It's heartbreaking.

And yet, I cannot help but be thankful Melissa did not have to live to see what Sergio has become.

This is all too much for this old heart. .

Seeing what my son has transformed into, seeing what he has done and plans to do. What he plans for Richard… it has aged me more than any strife I faced in my younger years. For seventeen years I have watched his degradation… only to realize with the help of others that I have been blind my whole life.

I can't stand by and collect evidence forever. Something must be done about this "Purifiers" terror group.

I refuse to involve the Heroes in this. Regardless of my past grievances with their kind, this is my old wound to mend. A broker has given me the information I need. The group is meeting soon and when they do, I'll go and confront him. If need be, I am confident in my abilities to subdue him. I may not be as powerful, but my mastery of our family's Quirk goes much deeper than his.

As I write this, I am experiencing a startling moment of clarity. "Subdue him"? What am I saying? What has this come to? This is my son. I've watched him grow and loved him for thirty-seven years. Over half my life I have spent as a parent, trying my best to nurture him. Make him into the best possible version of himself.

Yet somewhere along the way I made a mistake. I must have. I firmly believe that no human is born evil, but what does that say about my parenting skills when that is precisely what Sergio has grown to be? The father in me is screaming out at any thought of a move against him, but the part of me that has always strived to be a good person is telling me that Sergio has become a Villain that must be stopped.

And it must be me who stops him. In order to save others, I'm tasking myself with betraying every familial moral burned into me by my own father. "Family is the greatest gift a man can receive," he used to say. I wish he were still here. I desperately need his council.

I'm sure my skill is enough… but, if it comes down to it, if my powers are not sufficient… I could use it.

It has taken years to master, mostly due to the fact that I can't physically practice like I can all my other techniques. However, the principles and breathing patterns are solid. It's not like any of the other Howls I've developed, but the core elements of our Quirk are still present.

There are… of course, the risks involved in such a technique.

There is a very, very high probability of the technique rupturing my esophagus and tearing my throat apart, which would be… messy to say the least. I am also not entirely sure that I can limit the technique once I've released it, leaving it to devastated beyond my control. Its destructive power could be monstrous, which is why, up until now, I have not written about my work on it.

It is my magnum opus. The most brilliant, terrifying technique I have ever seen. It is the peak of our Quirk and the height of my genius, as conceited as that sounds.

It is… my Final Howl –

"Hey!" Clara cried as the diary was ripped from her hands. The ten-year-old leaped from her chair, ready to beat the ever-loving crap out of Garrett for, once again, stealing her stuff. Then she recognized the looming figure of her father, and immediately, her indignation was cowed at the cold look in his eye.

"What have I told you about unauthorized reading, Clara? You're supposed to be preparing your mind to learn the intricacies of our Quirk," he said harshly before looking down at the book he'd stolen. To Clara's surprise, his angered expression dropped and was replaced by one of pure shock, an alien look to her. Of course, it only lasted a moment before being replaced by cold fury. "Where did you get this?"

"I found it," Clara muttered, unsure of how to proceed. She was used to the screaming and violence her father usually put forth, but something about the quiet, simmering anger he was displaying unnerved her. After a tense moment that surely felt longer than it was, Richard snarled and tossed the book into the small, blazing fireplace that had been keeping the library warm. Clara swallowed her cry of protest, knowing it would do no good and just invite further punishment, and sat back down in her seat.

"If you find any more belongings or remnants of that man you are to tell me immediately. That coward nearly killed your grandfather and left everything but the house to strangers." Clara frowned at his declaration. 'Guess his plan to kill his kid didn't go as intended,' she thought grimly and, for a moment, wondered if the world would have been better off if it had. Richard's lip curled as he spun around and paced toward the door. "That man set our movement back decades in a single night, ruining everything my father worked for. He is the type of person this world has no room for. Idealistic fools who believe in the good of others."

His voice trailed off as he exited the room, though Clara heard him continuing to rant to himself as he made his way toward his office. Since he'd given no inclination to follow, Clara assumed she was to stay and continue her studies. However, the moment she heard his far-off door click shut, she sprang up and bolted to the fireplace with her heart in her throat. To her relief, the book had been thrown with such force it had cleared the flames and laid against the back wall of the fireplace, a bit crispy but otherwise perfectly intact.

Ignoring the flames, she darted her hand in and grabbed the book tenderly, then yanked it back, pausing to smack the sleeve of her sweater, which had been smoking slightly. 'You say he's a coward, but he seems to be the only sane one in our family line,' she thought, with a glare towards the library door.

Sitting back down at the table, she grabbed a random book ("A Pure Family" the cover read) and propped it open. Taking one last furtive look at the door, Clara slid the diary inside and flipped to the very last page, where she'd left off.

It is… my Final Howl. A rapturous rhapsody that will transform the very understanding of our Quirk's power. To compare this with every Howl that has come before it would be like comparing a sneeze to a hurricane. Its destructive potential is immeasurable… and terrifying.

…I intend to hide this diary and its secret away in case I fail.

Neither Sergio nor Richard know the secrets of this house as I do. I cannot trust Sergio with this power and I fear that if I fail, Richard will follow his path to damnation. Hiding away my life's work is the hardest thing I have done up to this point. It will not last at the top of that macabre list.

If some distant relation of mine is reading this… it means I failed to stop Sergio. I've seen – through a decade of research, snooping, and bribery – the vision of the world the Purifiers seek and it is a cold, dark place where difference would be discriminated against implicitly. If the Purifiers still pose a threat, or, god forbid, their vision has come to pass, I beg you. Use the knowledge I have written. Create a better world than the one I leave behind.

I have no right to ask, but I fear I must. Undo the sins of your ancestors… the sins I myself have committed. It is the only way to "Purify" our bloodline from its past.

I've left everything besides the house to Iris to give to her daughter. Perhaps it is not the best form of penance, but it felt right in the moment. I've made sure my lawyer will not allow Sergio and Iris' family in the building at the same time, I'd rather he not find out until I am cold and dead in the ground.

I… am delaying now. There's no reason to write any of this down, not really. If I succeed, then all of this worrying would have been for nothing. I would spend the rest of my days grieving my son, but the world would be safe. If I fail, then my only hope is that someone will find this diary after years of indoctrination at the hands of Sergio or, god forbid, Richard and be aware enough to realize their upbringing was steeped in lies and bigotry.

Neither outcome is very likely.

I suppose this is the end of my story. If you have read through my lifetime of research and discoveries, I hope the good I have tried to do has shone through the melancholy and pain that has plagued my existence. I cannot say I die without regret. In fact, I find myself drowning in an ocean of them. Above all else, there are two that have paved my path for years now, the ones that inspire the most mourning.

Melissa. Richard. I am so sorry.

Purpose of a Hero

Hector had spent his entire life surrounded by personalities much larger than his own. People who thrived in the spotlight he spent his time shying away from. As a kid, it was always his older sister, Quirkless though she may be, that stole the attention of everyone with her intelligence and wit, charming their parents, teachers, and friends from the moment she was able to speak. Once he hit high school, her spot had become shared with Dominick and Rune, both of whom commanded respect and fellowship in very different, but just as effective, ways. He shouldn't have been surprised to have been paired with yet another as his mentee.

The moment her father and the Villains had begun their fight, he had to physically hold Clara back from leaping into the fray. The death glare she sent him as he locked his hand around her wrist would have made even the most fearless Hero shrink back, but Hector just met her eye and pulled out his HAND phone. When he spoke, he tried — knowing it was in vain — to inject as much authority into his voice as he could. "The Villains destroyed his. We need to call for backup in his stead."

"We are his backup," Clara argued. Hector frowned and tightened his grip as she again tried to rip free. On one hand, he could understand her frustration at seeing her parent being attacked. On the other, they were still just students, and despite having his provisional license, the instructors had impressed the need for restraint on them during their final tests.

"We are not allowed to engage unless the situation is dire enough to warrant it. Your father is a Hero, Clara, and a damned strong one if he made it to the Number Three slot. Trust him," Hector hissed. Clara's face went red with anger, and she finally yanked her arm free, though she made no move to leap off the roof. Hector knew better than to sign in relief (it would just piss her off), so instead settled for beckoning her closer. "I'll show you how to report an SOS."

"I already fucking know how to do it!" Clara hissed. Hector raised an eyebrow when, despite her insistence, she stepped a bit closer and glared down at his HAND phone's screen. Bemused and tense, Hector walked her through the procedure of sending out a "Code Three Mayday" without a single word spoken between them. Clara narrowed her eyes and looked back towards the battle. "Code Three is a bit high for a bunch of punk who are gonna get their asses kicked."

"In my limited experience, it's better to be safe than sorry," Hector said, watching as a trio of bees crept out of the holes in his wrists. Silently, he sent them on their way to do some scouting of the area, with one beelining towards the direction Vesuvius had disappeared. He turned and watched as Seismos brutally clashed with the horned man, then dodged out of the way of another Villain's spears.

It took him a moment to realize that the group of nearly a dozen had been cut down to three, though only two appeared to be actively engaging in the melee; the third had skulked off to the side and stood ramrod straight as smoke began to waft off his body. 'Odd that we haven't heard any of his attacks. From what I've read about him, even with the dampener, his voice should be cracking windows at this distance,' he thought, his eyes narrowing. He was just about to call on a few more scouts to venture towards the battle when a flash of light erupted from the smoking man. Fire rose into a tidal wave around his body, though it did not appear to be damaging him.

Beside him, Clara swore as the burst of fire nearly consumed Seismos, only to instead wash over the horned-Villain. Hector watched the battle with narrowed eyes, a feeling in his gut telling him something was wrong. A quick glance at his HAND showed that their SOS had been received, but help was still a ways off. 'Obviously this was a planned attack by Vesuvius and these guys, so they must be confident enough that they can beat Seismos. However… so far it hasn't looked like it. Only three remain and they're woefully unbalanced, or at least unconcerned about causing the others harm. They can't be this uncoordinated for such an intricate operation, so they must have some sort of trump card. But then if that's the case, why wait until they were down to a quarter of their force to use it?'

Down below, Seismos landed a heavy hit on the horned villain before grabbing the spears of the other and pulling him in close. Hector was pulled out of his thoughts as Clara held up a hand to shield her eyes. The fire billowing around the last Villain had grown over the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. The two of them watched as Villain shouted something, then thrust his arms forward. For an instant, it looked as if the fire had consumed Seismos, and out of the corner of his eye, Hector saw Clara's face lose all color.

It was when the Howl broke through the flames that Hector's heart sank. "Clara… are you able to hear your father's attacks?" The girl turned to face him as Seismos stood victorious and pulled out a pair of binders. She frowned in thought before her eyes became as wide as dinner plates. She didn't even answer before Hector let out a soft curse and pulled out his HAND. In a flash, he raised the threat level to "Code Five" and bit the inside of his cheek, considering his options.

"What the fuck is going on?" Clara demanded. Hector didn't answer right away, his mind whirring. He put away his HAND and sent out a pheromone to wake his bees, feeling comforted by the thousands of lifeforms beginning to move within him.

"They have a way to cancel out his Quirk. Judging from the fact he can still use it now, it must utilize a specific area that takes time to set up. I was wondering why they were losing so poorly if they'd planned this before, but their goal most likely wasn't to beat him outright," Hector explained as he led the clearly furious and bewildered Clara back down the fire escape, pausing just long enough to glance inside to make sure his plants were still alive – his mother often forgot to water them. As they reached the bottom, he lifted his arms and dozens of bees came buzzing out from within his body. "They're stalling for time."

"So we get to go into the fray after all? About fucking time," Clara said lowly, not looking entirely pleased with the situation at hand. Hector sighed.

He'd been dealing with big personalities like hers for his entire life, so he knew better than most what would happen next. He'd known as soon as Vesuvius had arrived. 'I can't physically stop her and putting her to sleep with venom wouldn't be the greatest way to earn her respect or solve this situation. All I can do is steer her in the right direction and hope I'm quicker than the Villains,' he concluded. The Queen crawling out to sit on the side of his neck gave him just enough courage to turn to Clara and keep his heartbeat steady.

"Head over to Seismos and be ready to support him. Do not engage unless you have no other choice," he said, turning on his heel and walking the opposite way, a black, buzzing cloud forming around him. He didn't see the surprised look she gave him as he tweaked his pheromones to signal a 'Battle Ready' formation for his hive. 'I have a bad feeling about this. There's too much we don't know.'

"Where are you going?"

"To find whoever it is they're stalling for," he replied without looking back.

Clara watched until he turned a corner and the buzzing faded. 'Not that I'm complaining about potentially getting to shit on some two-bit Villain wannabees, but why the hell does he look so worried. So what if they can counter his Quirk, he'll still kick their asses. Nice of him to get his head out of his ass and let me join the fight though,' Clara thought as she strode towards the intersection they'd been overwatching just moments before. As she made her way through the cramped alleyway, a feeling of dread began building in her stomach, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Then, as she took another step she noticed the ambient sounds of the city abruptly stop. If not for her enhanced hearing, she wasn't sure if she'd have noticed right away. Her brow furrowed as she took a step back and flinched at the sudden explosion of sound returning. 'What the fuck?' She advanced a few steps until the sound was gone again and opened her mouth in a shout, but nothing happened.

Clara felt her heartbeat thrumming in her chest as she took in a measured breath and let loose a low-powered Howl. Even at a lower frequency, it should have at least moved the trash can she'd aimed it at, but it didn't move an inch. 'This isn't just a way to silence us… it completely negates the vibrations that sound creates,' she realized, frowning deeply. She held her hand right up to her ear and tried snapping her fingers a few times. Predictably, she heard nothing.

'That means we can't use our Quirks at all,' she thought, her fists clenching. Now she knew why Hector had been so perturbed. If both she and her father were stripped of their firepower, it wouldn't take too much to beat them. Especially if the other Villains still had access to their Quirks.

Before she could even comprehend her actions, Clara took off at a sprint, her feet slapping soundlessly on the asphalt. Just before she burst out of the alleyway, she skidded to a halt at the sight of an unconscious man lying in a heap. Vaguely she recognized him as one of the Villains that her father had blown away. She shook her head clear and glanced out onto the street.

Her eyes had barely found her father, her vision of him blocked by a yellow school bus before the horned villain charged in to maul his stomach.

The air erupted out of Clara's lungs, though without sound she couldn't quite tell if it was a gasp or a soundless scream. Her shock was quickly replaced with anger as she turned and scoured the alley for a weapon of some kind. Her eyes landed on a section of rusted piping bolted to the side of the building, and with adrenaline thrumming in her veins, she ripped a large piece free.

She didn't bother with a stealthy approach as she broke from the alley, sprinting as fast as she could toward the Villains, who appeared to be communicating with hand signals. None of them noticed her until she plunged the jagged end of her makeshift weapon through the chest of the gray-skinned Villain (who she could have sworn had already been fatally injured by her father).

They definitely noticed their compatriot collapse in a spray of blood, with the spear-finger Villain whirling on her with wide eyes. Before she could take advantage of their surprise, her gaze drifted to the grievous injury on her father's stomach. She nearly gagged but was pulled back to reality by a hand grabbing her by the collar of her costume. She squawked as she was lifted off the ground by the horned villain.

As Minos raised her to eye level with himself, Clara struggled against his hold. She saw his free hand shooting sloppy, one-handed signals to the others. Clara growled and swung her leg as hard as she could from her hanging position, slamming it into the Villain's cheek, though he seemed fairly unphased. 'Fuck me!' Her vision narrowed to a pin and she launched another kick at Minos, this time aiming slightly higher.

She saw the Villain's mouth drop open in a startled cry as her steel-toed boot connected with his right eye. As she'd expected, the sudden pain made his grip loosen and she twisted free, landing upright and springing towards the flame-wielder. Cain seemed just as surprised as Minos and, as such, reacted much too late when she slammed her fist into his hooked nose. He reeled back with a spurt of blood, though Clara was unable to press her attack as three black spears sliced through the air towards her.

Forced to backpedal, Clara lashed out with her leg just as Franken got back to his feet, the metal pole still jammed into his sternum, knocking him back to the ground. She turned, instinctively sucking in a breath to Howl, but faltered and narrowly dodged out of the charging Minos' path, rolling under his outstretched arms. 'How the hell did you lose to these punks, old man? This is just pathetic,' she thought, her mouth curving into a smirk. With her newfound confidence, Clara grabbed a hunk of asphalt that had been ripped up earlier in the fight and threw it with all her might at Cain, who only just managed to avoid taking it in the face.

Yet another whish of spears shot past her head and her instincts screamed at her to blow the idiot to hell with a Howl. Her smirk transformed into a snarl, Clara rushed at Lancer, trying to get in close to limit his ability, but was cut off by a hand grabbing onto her ankle. 'Why won't this bastard stay dead?' She thought, yanking her appendage forcibly free. She'd barely taken a step when pain laced across her cheek, a long black spear carving deep into her face and jarring off of bone.

Clara felt herself cry out in pain as her injured cheek became slick under her hand. "Fucker," she mouthed, glaring at Lancer, who met her eye with a bemused sort of triumph. Tasting blood on her tongue, she did her best to compartmentalize the stinging ache – just as Ms. Honoka had told them in one of their earliest lessons – and planted herself upright.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Minos knelt over Franken, signing something unintelligible to her. The horned Villain, seemingly content with his ally's condition, got back to his feet and turned his gaze back towards her father. Clara winced as she, too, found her eyes gravitating towards him.

Seismos looked like shit. In the few moments she'd been distracting the Villains, he'd managed to miraculously get to his feet, but he looked remarkably unsteady. His stomach was a mess of red bleeding through his gray costume and there was an odd lumpiness to it that made Clara's stomach roll.

She and Minos took their first steps towards the incapacitated Hero at the same time. However, Clara was so caught up in reaching her father before the Villain, that she didn't recognize the air around her beginning to heat up. Only the briefest flash out of the edge of her vision alerted her to the growing firestorm raging around the block, and at its center, Cain grinned wildly at her. 'Damnit. If I could use my Quirk I could annihilate that guy. His fire looks like embers compared to Flame Idiot's.'

The man began signing rapidly at her, which only seemed to make the fire behind him grow larger and more intense. Clara responded with her own form of sign language: flipping the Villain off before bolting after Minos.

When she felt the heat beginning to sear at the back of her neck, she leaped to the side and threw her arms over her head. She peeked out and saw Minos stumble from the intensity of the flames, a grin on her face. 'Dumbass.' While she couldn't hear it, she could tell Cain was swearing up a storm after, once again, hitting his ally with an attack.

Clara had seen Minos shake off a similar burst of fire earlier, so she knew it wouldn't damage him. To her delight, however, it did manage to stop him in his tracks as he was forced to put out the small fires simmering in his beard and on his clothing. She scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the Villain before any of the others could land a hit.

'This is a bad idea, but I can't let him get to Dad until he's a bit more lucid,' she thought as she got close. Taking a deep breath, Clara planted one foot on the curb of the sidewalk and launched herself up onto the Villain's back.

She felt Minos jerk in surprise beneath her and threaded her fingers into the thick mane of hair hanging down to his shoulders, grabbing on with all her might. Minos let out a silent roar and whirled around, nearly throwing her off, which only made her grip grow tighter. 'Okay, step one done. Now what the fuck do I do?'

Minos tried to reach back and grab her, but the muscle mass in his arms made it nearly impossible for him to get to her once she curled in on herself. Feeling as if she had a good enough grip, Clara released one of her hands and began pounding her fist over the top of the Villain's head; Though it didn't seem to have any effect aside from making Minos even angrier. She swore as, instead of trying to reach and grab her, Minos flung his head down, again nearly sending her off as his hair flipped with the movement.

Scrambling to keep her position, Clara threw an unintentional roundhouse kick to the side of the Villain's head, making him stumble a few steps. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to retract her leg and Minos grabbed onto it with an iron grip. She yelped soundlessly as he attempted to yank her off his back, though her grip held strong for the moment. Using her unrestrained leg, she continued kicking her assailant in the temple and jaw until he gave another wrench and one of her hands came free along with a large clump of the Villain's hair.

'Shit!' As her grip continued to loosen and her assault seemed to have no effect, Clara pawed uselessly at the man's hand, unable to pry his fingers free of their death grip on her calf. In her desperation, feeling her other hand just seconds away from being ripped free as well, Clara lunged for the only other part of the Villain she could reach… his horns.

An instant before her grip was pried loose, Clara's free hand latched onto Minos' horn and clung on as he violently shook his head, trying to throw her off. As her other hand came free, she instantly joined the other, and she did all she could to counteract his pull. From her left, she caught sight of Lancer aiming his spears at Seismos and, in an act of desperation, she shifted her body weight, as if she were about to let go, and allowed herself to be pulled hard by Minos, just barely able to keep her grip.

She grinned as her plan worked and Minos stumbled sideways as his head was lurched to the side. His misstep put them right in the path of the spears and Clara winced as one nicked her side, though that quickly turned to triumph as the other three plowed into Minos' unprotected back, each piercing his skin with a spurt of blood. His grip faltered and she quickly drew her legs back to where he couldn't quite reach. She felt his roar of pain reverberate through her body as he gave another shake of his head before angling down and breaking into a run.

Clara noticed his trajectory just soon enough to grit her teeth and shift all her body weight onto his right horn, veering him off the course that would have slammed them both into a solid brick building. She had only a second to appreciate her idea working before Minos instead crashed shoulder-first into a light pole, the impact mixed with the unexpected blow nearly throwing her off.

Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived. While she hadn't been thrown off, she had been jarred just enough for her leg to once again slip free of its foothold and into Minos' range. She swore as his hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled. Her grip on his horns was much more secure than it had been when she'd been grasping his hair, but though it made it easier to hang on – her entire upper body was wrapped around them and kept in place by her interlocked arms – it also put a lot more strain on her body.

Then, her body shifted and she let out a silent gasp as the tip of Minos' horn broke the skin around her abdomen. While she wasn't in immediate danger of ending up like her father, one false move or too much time in that position – it seemed like every small movement dug the razor-sharp horn further into her – and she would be in trouble. Clara unlaced her arms and began pounding her left fist at whatever part of Minos' face she could reach, though the jostling made both her grip weaken and the horn drive deeper.

There was another almighty tug and Clara felt herself in freefall. For a horrifying moment, she thought her grip had finally failed, but then she felt the horn still tightly grasped in her fist. She hit the ground hard and grunted as she rolled, trying to get back on her feet as quickly as possible. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she stared down at the somehow bloody horn in her hands until it hit her, and she whipped her head back up just in time to see Minos stumbling back. The hands that had surely left some nasty bruises on her legs now pressed against the right side of his head, where one of his horns had once been.

Neither of them took advantage of the other's position, Clara too bemused and Minos still in agony, but that – nor his grievous wound – didn't stop Seismos from darting forward and slamming his fist into Minos' chin, actually succeeding in making the mountain of a man go briefly airborne. Almost immediately, he fell back to his knees, blood dribbling down his chin, while Clara had to dive away from Lancer's spears.

She hit the ground in a roll, but as soon as she got back to her feet, a weight hit her between her shoulder blades and sent her careening back to the ground. Clara cried out as teeth sunk into her shoulder and she was just able to turn her head enough to see Franken latched onto her, his black eyes staring sightlessly at her.

Thankfully, the Villain was fairly light, so Clara was able to push herself onto her hands and knees before springing backward and crashing into a parked car, the impact being enough to loosen Franken's jaw. She whirled around and plunged Minos' horn directly into the zombie's neck, coating her costume with flecks of brown, sludge-like blood, before kicking him away.

From the heat on her neck, she was able to sprint out of Cain's blast radius and found herself face-to-face with Lancer, who looked just as surprised at their positioning as she felt. Their staredown only lasted an instant before Clara curved away from his spears and sank the horn deep into his thigh. 'This thing is fucking effective, no wonder dad's all fucked up,' she thought.

As if guided by her train of thought, Clara glanced back in her father's direction and a shiver ran down her spine as she met his baleful glare. 'Well fuck, guess I'm probably going home for Christmas after all.' Movement caught her eye and she found Minos once again bearing down on her, half his face covered in blood and the other half twisted into pure hatred. Breath catching in her throat, Clara rolled to the side to avoid his charge, came back up, and threw a punch as hard as she could at his stomach, only for it to send a shockwave of pain up her arm.

Minos turned on her and raised his fists above his head, bringing them down and narrowly missing Clara as she scrambled away. His next blow caught her in the chest with the force of a speeding car and threw her backward. She struggled to her feet, only to be forced to drop as a wave of fire streamed overhead. She glanced back at Cain, only for Seismos to grab his outstretched wrist and throw him into a nearby wall.

Her breath came in short, loud bursts, and her grip tightened on the Villain's horn. This time when Minos charged, he kept low to the ground, keeping his head raised this time, and held his hands out, ready to catch her if she were to dodge. Clara grit her teeth and, left with no other option, planted her feet and lowered her shoulder. 'This could hurt.'

For a brief, delusional second, as Minos collided with her, she felt satisfaction that she was holding him back, stopping his charge in its tracks. Then, her feet gave way to his momentum and she was flung through the display window of a bakery, crying out as glass carved into her exposed flesh. She barreled through several tables and a rack before finally hitting the far wall and stopping.

"Fuck me," she groaned, rolling over onto her back and staring at the ceiling. She listened as Minos roared in pain, clutching the horn that was now stuck fast into his sternum, and shakily pushed herself to her feet. Over the Villain's howling and her own labored breathing, she heard an odd yet vaguely unfamiliar noise in the distance.

She watched as an odd black cloud descended on the streets outside, encasing Minos and the other Villains in a crawling blanket. It was only when a small, black and yellow insect landed on her nose, buzzing happily, that she realized she could hear again.

Then she realized what the familiar sound emanating from the black cloud was and allowed herself a smile. "So this is what he means when he calls it a 'swarm.'"

Purpose of a Hero

Well that was only a month. Not too bad knowing my track record.

This chapter was a bit odd to write considering 95% of it was unable to have dialogue between combatants, but I think it turned out alright. Next chapter is the last of the non-"filler" chapters of this Arc. There are 2 more chapters before the Meet the Kazanis Arc, which is a fun one.

Let me know what y'all think and, for any of the new folks FFN finally told me followed the story, we have a discord server if you're interested in learning my process, discussing the story… or yelling at me to stop Shiny Hunting and write, just shoot me a DM on here, Twitter (same ) or Reddit (ImBuixy). The latter two are easier since I can send links on them.

Next Time on the Purpose of a Hero:

Chapter 67: Pure