A/N: Welcome one and all to my newest fic, a Celestial Grimoire featuring an SI/ OC. Current rules that I'm running with are 100 points per 1k words, with a roll every 2k words. If a roll is too expensive, I can 'bookmark' it for later or pass on the roll, but gain 100 points as compensation. I'm actually trying a new tactic with this story, which is writing my stuff ahead of time, so I already have the next two chapters pre-written. If my characters actions seem weird, erratic, or random, it's because his plans and mine as the author's, shift as the Grimoire spits out new stuff. Also you might notice in the middle of chapter 2 that I stop rolling the Grimoire mid-chapter, because it just kept messing with the flow. Starting from about the middle of chapter 2, rolls are banked until the end of the chapter, where they are then rolled and granted in the following chapter. As always, this fic will be crossposted on A03 and spacebattles, though the latter is where I am most active if you want to come and say hi. Also crappy A.I art and a character information page to keep track of perks and such. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys and just remember that reviews give me the willpower to carry on!

Chapter 1

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

My mind shattered under the weight of Eternity. An infinite number of possibilities and worlds flowed through my mind as I fell through a void teeming with stars. Falling for what seemed like forever… I hit the ground with a jolt, my eyes flying open, a sharp exhalation leaving my lungs as I sat up and looked around. Where…?

I was greeted by a simple bedroom, just the bed I'd fallen out of a moment ago, a dresser, a closet, a mirror, and a desk crammed in the corner. An unfamiliar computer was blinking in sleep mode and there was a scattering of clothes on the floor where they'd missed being thrown into the hamper. I felt confusion, uncertainty, then…

Pain. Searing pain, reaching all throughout my body and into my very soul. I felt something slide into place, a sea of stars and sheer power. Knowledge filled my mind and I knew that I had been selected to wield the awesome might of the Celestial Grimoire. That in of itself was a bit of an Earth-shattering revelation. Not everyday that you become a budding sorcerer with near infinite potential. With the Grimoire came another gift: Memories. Mine, yet not. The first thing they told me was that I was now on Earth Bet.

Hell. Superheroes. Villains. Endbringers. Scion.

The idea that I was now in a grimdark superhero setting filled me with extremely mixed emotions. On one hand, dimensional parasites that infect people to get data from them (because somehow despite millions or billions of years worth of existence they didn't have creativity), then blow up the Earth and millions of possible alternate realities at once in some futile attempt to try and halt entropy. On the other hand, superpowers. I'd always felt like something was missing from life. A… spark. It's what drove me to bury my nose into books, video games, and fanfiction so readily. An escape from the mundane reality of just working and bills…

But now the fantasy was my reality. I had a chance now to be something other than another worker in the machine. I could be… basically anything I wanted.

That feeling made me grin wide, until I prodded the memories that had belonged to my dimensional doppelganger.

It was… bad, to put it mildly. I'll be the first to admit that while my life had it's challenges that made me want to dive into any other reality, it had stability. I didn't have to worry too much about bills because I had a steady job. I had a pretty tight knit family that were all good people and a close circle of friends that were my lifeline. My doppelganger hadn't had any of that. In this reality, my parents had still split shortly after my birth, but rather than remarry, my mom remained a single mother until a local gang run by a supervillain ended up shooting her. A West Coast 'franchise' of the Empire 88 at that. For no other reason than that she'd been of Asian descent. My grandparents had been heartbroken at losing their youngest daughter and had taken a trip to their ancestral homeland of Japan. Then Leviathan happened. My dad would have taken me in, but the small town he'd been living in had been paid a visit by the Slaughterhouse Nine. So 'Mak' as I chose to call my doppelganger (rather than the ridiculous name our mother had bestowed upon him) had bounced around between aunts and uncles until he finally had enough and moved across the country to Brockton Bay for college. After several depressing years of college with little to no highlights, he hadn't had the money or motivation to move back to California and had instead stayed in Brockton Bay. Drowning in student debt and hard pressed to find a good job with his heritage in the Nazi capital of North America, Mak had only seen one way out of a life that's only highlight was binge drinking on weekends.

My eyes drifted to the bottle of pills and empty bottle of whiskey on the nightstand. I shuddered, like I'd stepped on my own grave, which in a way, I had. I found my phone and searched through the messages. An email notifying me that I'd been fired. Also a message from the landlord that rent was due… another email about the state of my bank account or rather the lack thereof… and then still more demands from money from the college. Nothing social within the last year, just work and debts.

Fuck. I didn't even have every single detail, just the highlights. Mak had it rough. Great start to a new life.

Guess I'd better make the best of it.

First place I went was the bar. Between all the impending bills and other bullshit coming Mak's, no, my way, I did not feel like being completely sober, but I also didn't want to drink in that cramped little apartment where this version of me had died. So I ended up in a little dive bar at noon on a Tuesday of all days. My double had managed a somewhat decent apartment stuck in that little no man's land between the Empire Eighty-Eight and the ABB, not quite Downtown, not quite the Docks. The dive bar was definitely of the Docks variety though and smelled like cheap liquor and body odor. Not my usual kind of place, but I didn't feel like getting jumped in Empire territory. A hundred different ideas for what I wanted to do with my new powers (once they started appearing) swirled about in my head as I threw down a couple bucks for a glass of cheap beer and a shot of even cheaper whiskey. I downed the shot, gestured for another, then sipped at my beer. Surprisingly enough, I was far from the only person there. At least ten other guys meandered about the place, the largest group wearing rough work boots and jackets that just screamed 'blue collar'. Dockworkers maybe? I know employment was rather hit or miss for the Union these days, so they must have been on call or just taking a lunch break.

There was a certain amount of tension in the room too. It didn't take me long to realize it was the hostility being radiated by a couple blond white guys that were glaring nastily in my direction and the careful glances that the dockworkers were occasionally giving me too. I took a swig of my beer, downed the second shot of whiskey, then gave the blonds a wry grin and raised my glass.

"Don't worry gents, I ain't no Bad Boy. My blood ain't pure enough for Lung." I said with mock cheer.

And I was actually telling the truth. Lung made it his mission to recruit all Asians, but he seemed to only want the purely Asian folk and left half and half guys and gals like me alone.

"So that means no one will care if we drag you outside and beat your sorry yellow ass?" One of them asked with a sneer before spitting off to the side.

"Oi, Jordan!" One of the dockworkers bellowed from their table. "Keep that shit to yourself, you ain't at the Eagle."

I half smiled to myself as I noted that two of the four Union guys were minorities, a black guy and a Hispanic guy. Damn I loved those few times when being a minority actually paid off.

"And you, kid!" The dockworker who originally spoke turned his gaze onto me. "C'mon over here for a minute. Bring your beer."

Ah damn. They were all bigger, more muscular than me, and I didn't have any abilities yet."What can I do for you gentlemen?" I asked cheerfully as I took an empty seat and offered a small nod to them all. Never hurts to be polite.

"Don't go antagonizing folks around here." The large black man grumbled before the guy who invited me over could speak. "I can tell you're not normally a Docks boy or a Bad Boy for that matter, you ain't dressed for either. Jordy ain't Empire, he's just a racist dick sometimes and got good reason to hate the ABB."

"Yessir." I raised a hand in surrender. "I'll mind my manners. Sorry."

The dockworker who had invited me gave me a once over and frowned. "Why's a downtown looking office boy out here on a Tuesday looking to get piss drunk?"

I let out a small and depressed attempt at a laugh. "Well between Lung making us look bad and the Empire having their hands in everyone's pockets, there ain't a lot of steady work for a guy with my eyes. I just got fired because my boss is a racist prick basically." I explained shortly. I took a swig of the beer and wished I had another shot of whiskey. "Not like I have anything better to do right now."

"That right? No family, no friends?" One asked sympathetically.

"None worth mentioning." I shrugged apathetically.

In point of fact, my aunts and uncles on the West Coast probably would have been happy to help me out or take me in, even after years spent away in the Bay, but the original Mak had been too stubborn/ depressed to beg for help and I didn't want to get them mixed up in the shenanigans I was going to be getting up to soon.

"You ever consider the Union?" A different guy asked. "We ain't what we used to be, that's true, but it's honest work."

"Pft, yeah, when we got any." Another muttered under his breath. "Don't get the kid's hopes up."

The guy who had invited me over gave me a once over. "You could make a good dockworker if you applied. Got the right build for it, even if you are a pencil pusher. You work out?"

I shrugged again. "Did some blue collar stuff before college." That, plus good genes, left me with a hefty build and while I wasn't a body builder, I had moved around my fair share of heavy crap. "To be honest, I'd never considered the Union. Didn't think you were taking anyone else these days."

"If you can pull your weight or have some specialized skills, we might be able to hook you up now and again. Work ain't steady, but when we need the hands, we need the hands." He said.

"You got a number I could call?"

He grunted and then fished a business card from his pocket. "Here. Head of hiring, his name is Danny Hebert."

And there it was. My first brush with that name. "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks uh…"

"Kurt Waters." The man introduced himself. "That's Derrick, Juan, and Gerry." He pointed to the men one by one who all tipped their glasses toward me in acknowledgement as they were named. "Anyway, lunch is over, gotta get back to it. Stay safe uh… Sorry, never got your name."

"It's Mak. With a 'k'."

"Well good to meet you, Mak. Keep your nose out of trouble."

The dockworkers paid their bill and then left, leaving me alone to finish my drink. After a lot of thinking while slowly sipping away the mediocre beer, I finally got up to go explore the city.

-+-+

I didn't have powers yet. That didn't mean I couldn't prepare.

The first thing I did was start hunting for a lair. I already knew that Ma- my current apartment wasn't going to be an ideal base of operations. The Docks seemed like the logical place to start, considering how many abandoned buildings the area held. I walked down the various streets, eyes wandering about, noting the large amount of homeless and junkies, but also the simple people going about their day to day life. Brockton Bay was a shithole, but people still had lives to live and errands and chores to do. Not like they were all jobless and starving, just poor as hell. I did note several groups of young Asian men and women clustered on certain corners, usually near businesses that were Asian owned. Them, plus the tags (red and green in color) made me suspect that they were either ABB fronts or at least affiliated in some way.

As I was walking I felt a lurch within as my soul reached out into the void and chose a star at random. I let out a bellowing laugh at the sheer luck of it all, as both my lair and housing issue was solved at once.

A Quiet Hotel (Cultist Simulator, 100cp): A lovely hotel with the words "Overlook" emblazoned at the entrance. During the day, bustling caretakers tend to the precincts, at night cold winds sweep the orchards. This countryside hotel is managed by the spirits of the dead, who keep things stocked and tidy for their ignorant guests. In the gardens there's a particularly large hedge maze where the influence of Winter wanders, while the ballroom soaks with the influences of the Heart from the floors above.

I knew precious little about the Cultist Simulator, but a free place to stay? Sign me up. Between one blink and the next, a dilapidated city block across the street was suddenly a beautiful hotel, somehow blending into this part of the Docks, making it seem like what had once been a grand hotel, slowly faded into obscurity. Not messy or rundown, simply… old. Stately. No one seemed to pay it any heed, as if it had always been there. It was a good deal smaller than the perk described and I knew instinctively that if I permanently moved, then this place would follow and contort itself to fit in wherever I went.

Curiously, I walked in and approached the front desk. A tall, dark skinned man in a well tailored suit and glasses gave me a wide smile as I entered. "Welcome, dear guest, to the Overlook. How might I be of service today?"

"I'd like to check in." I said confidently, taking a leap of faith and trusting in the power of the Grimoire.

"Of course sir." He pulled a small metal key from behind the desk and slid it toward me. "Room 307. One of our finest suites. Please, make yourself at home and feel free to call upon the staff for any of your needs."

"Thank you…" I nodded to the somewhat familiar looking man and found my way to the suite.

The room was opulent compared to my usual standards. A large sitting room with an attached kitchenette, a bedroom with a large king sized bed, and a bathroom with a massive clawfoot tub, complete with silver inlay and a copper spigot. It all gave off the vibe of a classic Victorian-era hotel, only the finest of materials having been used in it's construction.

All in all, I was more than happy with this new arrangement. I was a guy who liked his creature comforts and being homeless on the street was certainly not my idea of a good time. Now I could focus less on the issues of 'food, shelter, and money' and more on 'being a real goddamn superhero'.

With some of my most immediate problems out of the way, I quickly moved the most important essentials out of my apartment and into the Overlook. Basically just some clothes and smaller electronics. Not like I had anyone to help me move the t.v into my suite and I had a feeling that I wasn't going to have much time or interest in just sitting around watching shows while I was on Earth Bet.

After that was done, I signed into PHO and began to do some research. I needed to know everything about the capes I was going to be going up against, even if the information wasn't the most accurate. Most of my meta knowledge was extremely skewed by fanon and I didn't want to go off half-cocked and make dumb assumptions that might get me killed. I found some interesting and helpful information, though a lot of the wiki profiles were incomplete or just had a lot of speculation. It was both insightful and maddening at the same time. I got seriously bored after a few hours of note taking and decided to go find a latte somewhere to relax.

While I probably could have just used room service, I figured that a chance to stretch my legs might do me some good, so I threw on a jacket, ignored my umbrella despite the cloudy gray sky, and walked off into the city. The portion of the Docks where I was now was technically claimed by the ABB, but in practice it was too much of a fringe territory (not to mention poor) for the pan-Asian gang to actually do much with. Luckily for me though, it led pretty quickly to the Boardwalk, allowing me to go from a run down neighborhood that had far too much graffiti for me to be comfortable, to a fairly upscale stretch of shops and restaurants. I selected a cafe at random because I liked the sign and sat down in a booth with a small sigh of contentment while sipping my hot drink.

Then the universe decided to screw with me. Because why not?

I was in the middle of debating whether to get a pastry or not when I spotted a pair of green eyes attached to a blonde girl, her hair up in a classic French Braid. The freckles across the bridge of her nose and smile that I could only describe as 'fox-like' made me instantly suspect who it was. Lisa Wilbourn. Tattletale. She was also in for a cup of coffee it seemed, eyes dancing across the room of people and out onto the Boardwalk beyond. She had a laptop in front of her and was occasionally typing things in between watching people with a distant expression. Probably using her power to gather information or something like that.

Then those oh so dangerous Thinker eyes landed on me and her expression shifted. The smile became a tad forced and the eyes lost their smug glee. I met her gaze for a moment, remembering that she wasn't actually psychic, just good at reading people. I glanced away and went to search for something on my phone, but didn't get anywhere before the girl had crossed the room and slid into the seat across from me, laptop and all. She flashed me a quick smile that didn't reach her eyes and then went back to typing away like she hadn't just sat near a total stranger for no good reason.

"Uh… hey?" I tried to initiate a conversation. "Can I help you miss…?"

"Tell Coil that I don't appreciate being followed by incompetent buffoons on my day off." Lisa said without looking at me. "If he's going to have someone spy on me, at least hire a professional."

Ah hell. This is really not a conversation I'm ready for. Or want to have at all for that matter.

"I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding…" I said carefully. "I don't work for Coil."

Her eyes flitted back over to me momentarily and began analyzing. "Hm. You're telling the truth… but then how do you know who I am? Don't lie, I could tell you recognized me or at least you had a description of me… And you didn't skip a beat after hearing Coil's name."

I kept my eyes steadfastly on my drink and began taking measured sips. I was in dangerous territory and I really wasn't too keen on this conversation.

"So what are you? Information broker? Thinker? Yeah, you do know a lot… But not as much as you think." She tapped the side of her cup thoughtfully while staring at me. "People are pretty hard to read in general, but you're even more difficult. If you didn't have such obvious tells and body language, it would be nearly impossible."

Careful… I thought to myself, trying my best to keep my face as blank as possible and limit any fidgeting. She isn't truly omniscient, she can be tricked or led to false conclusions by her own power. Don't screw this up.

"I'm just a newcomer to the Bay. Well, relatively speaking. Went to college here and have been trying to make a career here ever since," I said as honestly as I could, summing up my double's experience before he took the quick exit.

"And you chose the Nazi capital of America as well as the place that's already predisposed towards fearing and hating Asians thanks to the rage dragon because…?" Lisa asked me slowly.

"Didn't want to go back home. Couldn't come up with anything better." Honestly dude, what were you thinking? "And now I just plain can't afford to get out."

"Not an uncommon story. The name's Lisa," she finally introduced herself, extending a hand in greeting.

I took it warily and gave her a small nod. "Mak."

Her eyes narrowed. "A truth mixed with a lie…"

"You mean a nickname?" I asked with a small scoff of amusement.

"Sure, Mak is a nickname, but it both is and isn't your real name. You don't give it instinctively, like you're having to hold yourself back from giving a different name," she said analytically.

That was uncomfortably close to the truth. Needed to divert attention. "Could say the same for you 'Lisa'," I said with included air quotes.

Her eyes widened a fraction. "Oh how the hell do you even know that?"

I grinned and just sipped my coffee smugly. Score one against the Thinker.

"This must be how other people feel when talking to me," she lamented. "Still Mak, I will figure you out. I always do."

"Sure," I said agreeably. "Until then though, I'll give you this," I gestured for her to lean in.

Eyes suspicious, she leaned forward, still on guard, but looking starved for information, information that I did indeed have.

"He doesn't control fate or destiny. He's a two path precog," I informed her. "In one timeline he gets up, has a nice breakfast, does the crossword, then goes to his nice cushy desk job. In the other timeline, he kidnaps you from your loft, tortures you for information or maybe just shits and giggles, then shoots you in the head and gives the corpse to his pet psychopath."

A plethora of emotions crossed Lisa's face at that, horror and revulsion chief among them, but they also warred with confusion and interest. "How the hell do you know all this?"

"Trade secret."

"Bull. You're pulling information out of your ass that you have no right to know," she accused.

"Let's just say I'm a limited, but oddly specific type of precog and leave it at that," I said vaguely, shrugging when she turned a glare on me. "It's the closest thing to the truth that wouldn't leave you questioning your own existence."

"So you admit you're a cape then?" She pressed.

"Not really a cape yet, no costume or identity. I do have powers, but I'll give you this fun tidbit: I'm not a parahuman." I instantly cursed myself internally. I never was good at keeping secrets or holding my cards close to the chest. I just loved being able to hint and tease and hold information. It was a ton of fun and felt satisfying knowing what others didn't and them knowing that you knew something.

It was a horrible way to feel around a Thinker, one who I had probably just pissed off and intrigued in equal measure with my words. I began to think that maybe I was putting myself into a bit too much potential danger, when the light of my soul reached out once more into the infinite expanse and plucked a star out. The power offered was great, an impenetrable shield along with the potential for magic and prophecy, but the cost was far beyond me at this point. The Grimoire within hadn't gathered enough power yet and while I sensed I could 'bookmark' the power, it wasn't really what I wanted at the moment.

"What was that?" Lisa asked, sitting up straighter in her seat, eyes boring into me.

"What was what?" I asked innocently.

"Something just… happened. I don't know what, but your eyes went out of focus and my power just screamed nonsense at me," she explained.

"Ah. Different aspect of my power. You really don't want to know," I told her truthfully.

"Why?"

"Because if I told you, then Coil would torture the information out of you," I said bluntly. "Some information is dangerous to even possess."

"You are driving me crazy. My power tells me you aren't lying, that you have some kind of weird knowledge about who I am and who my friends are, even some kind of… fondness? But that doesn't tell me how you know this, why you feel like that, or who the hell you even are beyond just 'Mak'," Lisa complained. "It's utterly infuriating."

"Yeah, I get that. Like I said, just think of it as a weird precog power," I suggested while finishing my coffee. "Anyway, I got to go. Places to be, people to see."

"No you don't. You don't have a large social circle. Or even one at all really, beyond coworkers, and you just got fired," she deduced.

"Guilty," I admitted. "But I've had bad luck lately and I don't want to linger around any longer. Wanna come see my magic haunted hotel?"

Lisa's eyes narrowed. "Pretty sure that you're old enough that what you're suggesting is illegal."

I let out a derisive snort and reached over to flick her forehead, making her flinch and look baffled for a moment. "Yeah, not like that dummy. You're too young, plus I know you're ace. And even if we were of equal age, I wouldn't have a shot in hell with a cute gal like you. I'm being serious, I own or at least live in, a magical haunted hotel. It's pretty sweet, might make a good place to hole-up if you ever need to avoid Coil. I guarantee he wouldn't be able to get any bugs in there at least. Anyway, come by if you ever feel like hanging. It's in the Docks, called the Overlook. See ya."

I gave her one last wave before departing through the streets, eyes alert and checking to see if she'd take me up on the offer. After seeing nothing for a few minutes, I continued on my way through the winding streets of Brockton. It would have been nice to have an ally or even a friend.

I really can't blame Mak for ending things early.
-+-+-

Brockton Bay, believe it or not, seemed to be downright boring when I did my first walk about. Sure, there was the Protectorate's floating fortress that looked like it was straight out of a sci-fi novel, but as I roamed Downtown, there was no cape fights, no patrolling heroes, no outright villainous activity. Where was the chaos, the all but open war on the streets?

Maybe fanon is just playing with my head?

I stifled a sigh of boredom and continued down the street, taking in the clean streets, the prosperous businesses, and the general ordinary urban atmosphere. The only thing was though, that it was predominantly white. I was used to seeing a lot of multicultural people and businesses, but here, everywhere I could see, all the larger and healthier businesses were being run and staffed by caucasians and the people on the street were the same. I saw the occasional minority running around, but they always did so quickly, keeping their heads down and weaving through the streets quickly and discreetly. It was only because I was keeping a keen eye out that I even noticed.

Right, Nazi capital of North America.

Now I'm not the most patriotic person, but knowing that there were goddamned Nazis in what was now my home rankled fiercely. It definitely pissed me off more than Lung giving us Asians a bad name. But I couldn't exactly do anything about all aforementioned Nazis unless I actually saw them and I wasn't about to start being a racist bastard myself and assume every white blond guy running around was a Nazi or affiliated with the Eighty-Eight in some way. That would be fucked up and I had to hope that while the Empire and it's ideology was far spread in this city, it wasn't so much as entrenched in the people's psyche as it was passively accepted because it was better than the alternative of an Asian Rage Dragon who also happened to (maybe) run a human trafficking ring.

Judging by the amount of hostile, fearful, or generally uneasy looks I was getting as an Asian man just boldly walking down the street without a seeming care, I had my work cut out for me in the long run.

I just love uphill battles.

After about an hour of random sight-seeing and getting a general feel for the more affluent area of my new city, I finally began to meander back in the direction of the Overlook. I did finally spot a flying cape, one of New Wave if the white costume was any indication, but which one was a mystery to me due to the distance. Once I was back in that little no man's land between the Docks and Downtown though, I was in for a rude surprise.

I didn't think anything of the car pulling up behind me, but then again, I was never the most observant person. Every city I'd lived in up until the Bay had been pretty safe so long as you were in the right neighborhood. I didn't have any experience with the bad ones.

I most certainly took note when I heard slamming car doors, jeers, and then rough hands grabbed me before shoving me against the side of a building. Pain wracked my body and my head bounced off the wall, sending my vision swimming. I had barely enough sense to recognize the two blond guys from earlier in the day, back in the dive bar. They had three other fellas with them this time around, all of them with closely shaved heads, some sporting tattoos that screamed 'Empire'. They had me locked down, each arm pinned by a large skinhead.

"Hey Jordan righ-" I began to speak, but then a fist was slamming into the side of my face. I hadn't ever been punched before, not with any actual aggression like that and the shock of it burned through me even worse than the blow itself. The world spun and I tasted blood in my mouth.

"Mouthy fucking chink!" Jordan spat, slamming another fist into my gut, making me double over and puke out a weak stream of coffee and bile. His eyes were bloodshot and I'd spent enough time around my step-dad to recognize the smell on his breath. He'd been drinking, maybe doing some kind of drugs too. "Your kind is what makes this town such a shithole. Things would be a million times better without you."

I was hacking and coughing, trying to clear my throat as it burned from emptying my stomach. "Look man, I'm just a normal guy. I pay my taxes, work my butt off, and just lay low. I'm not-"

"SHUT UP!"

That blow took me straight on the side of my head, the force of it making my head bounce off the wall once again. My vision blurred and thoughts muddled even further.

"Its you and your kind's fault, taking our jobs, our homes, hurting our city!" Another fist buried itself in my stomach, but this time I'd braced for it. Still didn't tickle. "You take my sister and then just walk around like an innocent bystander!" Another blow, this one to the ribs.

"Jordan, you're gonna hurt yourself like that," one of the skinheads chided. "Here."

He handed Jordan a baseball bat.

Oh hell.

Everything felt distant. I wasn't reacting how I expected (crying like a bitch) or how I wished I would (fighting back), but instead I felt a cold detachment settling over my mind. These people were beating the hell out of me. Headblows could easily kill. Now they had switched to the bat. I wasn't walking out of this completely whole, that was almost certain, in fact they probably meant to kill me here. Just another statistic of racial violence in the Bay. Maybe they'd even try to spin it as a gang fight, Empire Eight-Eight versus ABB.

Oh God, I don't want to die…

Jordan reared back and struck me hard in the ribs. I felt something crack and I let out a scream as searing fire spread through my body. Every breath unleashed a fresh wave of agony as my lungs pressed against my now cracked or broken ribs. He hit again and I felt an arm break.

They weren't just killing me. They were making sure I suffered before I went.

"Please, stop…" My voice was raspy from screaming and the taste of blood was still heavy on my tongue. "Last chance to just walk away. I don't know you guys, you don't me, just leave it."

Jordan hesitated, taken aback by my level tone and lack of fear. What did I know that they didn't, to give me such balls of steel in the face of these odds? Then his face hardened and he pulled back to deliver what was almost certainly a headshot.

Then the thing I knew (or rather, prayed) would happen, happened.

Cocky as it may sound, I was a wielder of the Celestial Grimoire. A free agent. Unbound by fate and destiny, all that crap.

I wasn't meant to die here. Some things, the great Narrative of Life couldn't let come to pass.

A red forcefield appeared between the bat and my head, deflecting the blow even as it shattered. Two beams of energy the same color flashed out of the sky and struck the two men keeping me pinned. Each of them howled in pain and quickly jerked back and away from me. The entire group backed off as a young woman in a white and red outfit landed in front of me, each hand glowing with red light.

"Back off," she said warningly. "One chance to walk away and that's only because I have to get your victim some medical treatment. Come at me and I'll put you down hard and if I ever see you again… Well you'll wish you hadn't."

They began muttering amongst themselves, but my pal Jordan stepped forward, bat still brandished. "He's a fucking squinty eyed bastard, why are you protecting scum like that!"

"He's a human being, unlike the five sacks of garbage I see in front of me," the hero replied angrily. "So get in the truck and start driving or else I start blasting and it won't be on low power either." Her hands shimmered dangerously.

One of the skinheads with a visible iron eagle tattoo stepped up and grabbed Jordan. "C'mon kid, let's get out of here."

The blond guy sneered down at my beaten and battered form, shot a glance at the angry hero standing between them and me, then turned tail. The five men piled in and drove off with a screech of rubber on pavement.

My vision blurred as the young woman kneeled in front of me, anger replaced with concern.

I had just enough time to think how pretty she was before darkness took me.

I woke up to the sounds of beeping machinery, the smell of bleach and some kind of warm broth, and the overall 'hospital' vibe. A dainty hand was resting on the back of my own and my vision came into focus to see a girl wearing a white robe staring at me from beneath a hood.

I blinked blearily at her, confused. "You're uh… Panacea, right? Why are you here? Why am I here? Actually, where even is 'here'?"

She withdrew her hand and gave me a very weary look. "You're at Brockton General. My cousin rescued you from a bunch of skinheads. They beat you pretty damn good."

"Shit, I was really bad enough that I needed you?" I asked, stretching the arm that had been broken tentatively and taking a deep breath of air through unbroken ribs.

"You would have lived, but it wouldn't have been comfortable. Crystal- Laserdream felt bad and brought you here for some healing," she informed me.

"Oh well uh… Thank you. Really," I said earnestly. "You ever need anything in return-"

"I don't take payment from those in need. You were just an innocent being beaten on by a bunch of racist thugs. It's my job," she interrupted me. "Thank me by staying out of trouble."

"Will do. Thank you, Panacea."

She offered me a weary smile, but nodded. "Sure. Doctors are going to want to do some tests, make sure you don't have a concussion or anything since I can't do brains. Laserdream might stop by to check on you, you were pretty out of it when she brought you in."

That said, she left, leaving me to feel a swell of power fill me. Of course the Grimoire offers me power after getting beaten near half to death.

Old Soul (Golden Sky Stories, 100 cp): Most guardian spirits have existed since long before the humans inhabited the land, and arguably, they're the original inhabitants even if the humans may claim otherwise. Spirits for mountains and rivers, spirits for forests and fields – all of them have had ample time to develop their spirituality.

You're a bit of an odd case, while you're a bit newer than the other guardian spirits, you still benefit from a similar boost to your magic capabilities. In addition to this, whenever you travel to a new area, you'll be able to glean a little bit of information about it from the animals nearby. You could try talking to plants too, but you have to realize that plants generally don't give you very much information, being static as they are.

I cursed internally, but had no choice but to take the power. I needed every edge I could get right now. I felt a tingly sensation fill my body and realized that it must be magical energy actually beginning to circulate through me. Too bad I still didn't have anything in the way of combat, but beggars can't be choosers..

A doctor came by and performed some basic tests, quickly determined that I didn't have a concussion, and then allowed me to leave. They took my contact details and address though, so I was sure that I was going to be finding a great big bill in the mail pretty soon for doing absolute jack all. American healthcare at it's finest.

I took the quickest on foot route back to the Overlook. Night was falling by this point and rather quickly. I didn't want to deal with a repeat of the absolute beat down I'd suffered earlier. As I was crossing a rather busy street, I heard a voice calling out, nothing too unusual, except that it came from the sky. I stopped once I reached the sidewalk, eyes scanning the air.

"Yeah, stay right there!" A loud voice and then I was quickly able to see the white and red costumed figure of Laserdream as she landed gracefully in front of me. "You're alright! Hospital said they discharged you, but I just wanted to double check. Amy put you back together alright?"

I froze like a deer caught in the headlights as the blonde girl circled me like a hawk, scanning every inch of me with genuine worry on her face. "I-I'm fine." I stuttered out nervously. It didn't help that she was seriously beautiful, her bright blue eyes standing out stunningly from her white and red outfit, blonde hair kept out of her eyes by a magenta headband. "You're Laserdream, right? Thank you for saving my life." I said earnestly. "I don't know why those guys were beating on me, but… well I don't think they were intending to stop before you stepped in."

She grinned widely and I felt my heart skip. Goddammit, I'd always had a type. Hint: Supergirl has always been my favorite female superhero. "It was no problem," she said easily. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"No, no! I mean- It's not like anyone else was going to help me." My eyes squeezed shut for a moment, the memory of my bones breaking coming to the forefront of my mind for a minute. I shook my head to clear it. "I'm Mak."

"You can call me Crystal," she said easily, warm smile not faltering in the slightest from my chronic awkwardness. "Technically I'm not working right now, even if I've still got the costume on."

"Crystal… That's a nice name."

She let out a small laugh, shaking her head slightly. "Yeah, you said that before."

"Did I?" I wracked my brain, not coming up with anything.

"You were pretty out of it at the time," she informed me. "While I was taking you to the hospital you woke up once or twice and kind of rambled a bit. Never for more than a few seconds. Part of the reason I wanted to get you to the hospital was I thought you might have a head injury, which my cousin can't really do much about."

"Ah, I uh… sorry? I mean, for anything I rambled about or whatever." I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, memories of when I'd had far too much tequila surfacing. "I can get weird when I'm out of it."

"Nothing to apologize for," she giggled slightly, grin taking on a playful edge. "You said I was your second favorite member of New Wave. Whose number one?"

"Oh, Panacea for sure. Don't get me wrong, I think your whole team is great, but being able to heal like that? It's amazing." I said right away, no thought needed.

"You didn't tell her that once you woke up, did you?" Crystal asked hopefully.

"I uh… shoot, I didn't, was kind of tongue tied and confused while she was around and she booked it out pretty quick." I frowned at my own lack of action. It's not like I could wave a wand and magically fix all of these people's issues, but I had to start somewhere. Having actual contact with a key chara- no, person and all I could do was make some idle chit-chat? I had to do better.

"If you ever see her again, do that. My cute little cousin could use the pep talk," she all but ordered me.

"Will do. So uh… what brings you out here right now?"

"Well I was planning on checking on you in the hospital, but you got out before my patrol was done. So why are you walking at night when you just got the crap kicked out of you barely an hour ago?" She demanded to know.

I paled slightly. "Because I didn't think to use public transportation…? Shit, sorry, I'm not from a big city like this. The town I grew up in was like a third the size of Brockton."

"Well then allow me to escort you to your destination," she said with a faux chivalrous bow. "If you'd allow me, kind sir?"

"I'd appreciate that." I said with an equally faux curtsy. "My destination is the Overlook Hotel, if it pleases you."

"Oh, that old place?" Crystal asked, confirming my suspicion that the hotel had been retroactively added to the memory of the city. "You just visiting some college friends here in the Bay or something?"

"Ah, no." I glanced away, feeling oddly ashamed. "Couldn't afford my apartment anymore. The manager at the Overlook gives great weekly rates though."

She blinked in surprise, but then nodded. "Okay, as long as you aren't in danger of being on the streets. C'mon on then!"

She began to lead me down streets and side alleys that I wouldn't have taken on my own due to their sketchy nature, but her confident demeanor, not to mention the costume she wore, served to keep any ill intentioned miscreants away from us. After a couple of minutes of her cheerfully walking on air, I finally broke down and asked the question that had been on my mind the entire time. "Why are you doing this?"

"Hm?" Crystal asked innocently, turning to look back at me even as she casually drifted a foot off the ground. "Doing what?"

"You're being especially nice to a guy you've never met before. I bet you've rescued all sorts of people and don't escort them all home one by one or check on them in the hospital. So why? I'm not really worth it, I'm sure you could be doing more important things with your time." I said, looking down at my feet as I managed to force all of that out.

I would have kept walking, but I felt myself stop as a red forcefield appeared in front of me, halting my progress. Crystal floated down slightly, just enough so that she was eye level with me. "First off, I do actually escort people like this more often than you'd think. I can't every time of course, but when I can spare a minute, I like to. Reminds me why I decided to be a hero in the first place. Second, you were attacked barely an hour ago by some skinhead, Empire Eighty-Eight wannabe gangers. If anyone deserves an escort, it's you. Third, you are worth it, don't believe otherwise. You're a human being for Christ's sake." I opened my mouth to object, but she powered on. "So don't try and tell me what to do with my time, if I want to make sure you get home safely, then I'll damn well do that."

She spun on her heel (metaphorically) and continued floating down the street, the forcefield vanishing and allowing me to quickly catch up. We walked in tense silence for a minute, before I spoke again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. Just… You really are a superhero, huh?"

Crystal shot me a look out of the corner of her eye and sighed. "Just a girl doing her best in this shithole of a city."

We kept going in silence again, but a lot of the tension had left and pretty soon she was smiling and doing little tricks in the air. Before long, we had arrived at the Overlook.

"Well Mak, I can't say it was a pleasure, because I'd rather you not have gotten beaten that bad, but it was nice to be able to help. Look uh…" She glanced at the entrance to the Overlook, then at me, then at the distant city. "Capes usually don't get their powers by accident. It's usually on a bad day. A day like today. So," she reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a card. It wasn't a PRT card like I expected, instead it was a New Wave one, her personal one by the look of it. "If you happen to start I dunno, shooting lasers from your eyes or something, give me a call. New capes don't last long in this city without backup."

I took the card, feeling surprisingly emotional at the concern and care in her voice. While I hadn't been on this Earth long, I was still burdened by my counterpart's memories and his loneliness and depression was definitely having an impact on me. "Thank you, Crystal. Really. I appreciate everything you've done for me today."

"Thank me by taking the offer seriously," she said with one last wry smile before waving and accelerating off into the night sky.

I watched her go before walking inside the Overlook, giggling hysterically to myself.

Hell of a first day in Brockton Bay.
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