"For those of you unaware, last night my team and I encountered an unaffiliated Cape who raided an illegal nightclub hidden inside a warehouse run by the Triad. They captured twenty-seven members, including FrostWyrm and Shock&Awe. They did this without injuring anyone, including the gang members," Arbiter said.

Wait what? There's a new Cape in town?

"Was this who was responsible for the light show last night?" Titania asked.

What light show? What the hell are they talking about? Someone needs to start explaining and giving some context.

"I couldn't believe what I saw last night. I thought for sure it had to be multiple Neuvohumans going at it. You're saying it was one guy?" KnickKnack asked.

"Yes and yes. Please, no more interruptions during my report. As I was saying, last night my team and I made contact with a new Cape called-"

[16 Hours Ago]

(Miles POV)

"Hey, sorry about that. I was just finishing something up," Nobody said.

"No problem, Nobody. I'm here and ready for your signal," I responded.

"Good. I need you to take care of something when you begin. There is going to be a jacket inside the back office, along with some filing cabinets. I need you to incinerate the jacket and secure all of the files. Bring them back to the base once you finish."

"I understand, I'm ready," I said confidently.

"I know you are. Start with something big and flashy, through the ceiling in a minute and a half. I'm going to agitate the gang into attacking you."

"Understood," I said as the line stopped.

Standing on top of the warehouse that Nobody told me to come to, it's really clicking for me now. I get to be a Cape. A real one, not like the corporate cookie-cutter mold that the Heroes' Union demands of its members. No, I am to be the greatest Cape Quinstin has ever known. To rise above the putrid waters, the bottom-feeding sharks at the Union dwell in. Nobody has grand plans for this city, and I know he'll make it better than it ever could've been. We will root out the rot festering inside the Capes and Cowls of this city, until only Neuvohumans that Nobody has created exist. Originally, I assumed Nobody was going to have me be a Cowl in order to accomplish the task of destroying the Heroes' Union, and I was prepared for it. Hell, I was ready to. I owe the man everything. Instead, he's making my lifelong dream true; it's as if he stared directly into my soul and plucked forth my greatest desire. I get to be a hero.

Inside me lie three immense wells of power: light, fire, and electricity—more than I've ever had before. Before I left my apartment, I checked to see what changes the abundant energies were causing me physically. My skin is lighter, glowing like holding a flashlight against your hand. My eyes are blinding orbs of gold, my hair is standing on end, and golden electricity continuously arcs off me. The color of my hair has changed to resemble lit flames; a mixture of oranges, reds, and yellows. I check myself one final time to make sure my identity won't be discovered. My disguise is temporary, only until I get my suit from The Merchants. So I'm wearing a blue hoodie, jeans, work boots, and a bandanna to cover my face is all that amounts to my costume. My design for the suit is already done, and I instantly knew what direction I wanted my costume to go. Something sleek and otherworldly, like an angel. Getting a hyperweave costume made by The Merchants is so unreal.

Ever since he gave me these powers, I have spent every waking moment training to understand and master the abilities I now control. And as I've gotten acclimated to my new powers, I've begun to understand just how powerful I am and can become. I'm brimming with power; it's an intoxicating feeling. A high I didn't know was possible. Anything is possible with my abilities; no Neuvohuman is my match. Well, maybe Vivienne is too much for me to handle, but it would be close. None of the frauds at the Union can hold a candle to me; they don't deserve their powers or their positions. Especially Titania. I'll take everything she has: her fans, her friends, her rank as the top Cape, and eventually her life. I'll show you just how far the drop to the bottom can be.

The Triad owns the illegal club I'm standing on top of, and the plan is to use them as a stepping stone for my Cape debut. I had considered hiding my capabilities a bit, but the boss wants a show—a complete and utter defeat for the Triad. Every single member currently here is coming with me. It'll be easy too. Nobody's here, I'm sure of it. Somewhere below me is the boss, the villain who made me a hero. He and the innocent can leave, but no one else. To that end, I need some friends to watch the doors. The three energies inside me respond to my will, springing from the tips of my fingers in the form of liquid strands as they swirl around me. Blue flames coalesce into the form of four tall, featureless humans, then yellow light encloses them in thick armor like that of a knight. Through their helms, you can see the fury of the raging fire where their eyes would be. A hole opens up at the top of their armor, and flames spill forth, forming plumage, and then the flames spill out the back of their armor, creating flowing capes. Electricity arcs off my hand, weaving across their armor, etching designs into the armor. The sides of their helms have feathery wings and five overlapping circles on the top near the forehead. Solid gold crosses formed from hardened electricity are embedded into the chest pieces they each have. The electricity continues to carve ornate designs into the rest of their armor before creating tower shields and one-handed poleaxes for each.

With only a thought of intent, the four of them jump away onto adjacent rooftops. They move swiftly despite their bulk. Each of them perches carefully, waiting to drop down on any criminals who might try and escape. There's no doubt in my mind that they will all accomplish their task without harming any of the escapees. Once they are all in position, I get ready to make my entrance. It needs to be perfect. Strike fear into the Triad and create awe within the hearts of the city's inhabitants. I'm not just a Cape, I'm a Hero.

It's finally time. The inky darkness of the night sky above Quinstin is destroyed as a twenty-foot diameter sphere of flame appears. Like a sun blinking into existence in the vast emptiness of space, light spills out in every direction. The sun I've created transforms, growing longer and thinner. A great blade of fire, the size of a semi truck, stabs through the roof of the Cowl's club. I dissipate the blade and bring the flames over to myself, spinning them around me like a tornado, molding the inferno to create a spinning bubble of fire. I open the well of electricity, letting it pour out of me. The golden sparks join the raging pyre as I drop down through the hole I made.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"What the fuck? Who the fuck is that?" Someone asked.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! KILL HIM!"

I will save this city from its false idols. All will bear witness to a true savior. A true hero will rise from the ashes of the unworthy icons. The Heroes' Union will be reduced to cinders through a great conflagration that burns away their lies. I am the punishment for their mistakes. I am the penance for their sins. I am the ghost from their past, come to take his revenge. I am restitution, I am justice, I am Atonement.

Bullets sail through the air as all hell breaks loose. The metal is incinerated as it comes into contact with my bubble. My orb splits in half, unfolding into gigantic butterfly wings flapping lightly to keep me afloat. I look around at the now-empty club, save for the criminals I am here to apprehend. Twenty-five normals and two Cowls. Shock&Awe and FrostWyrm are no match for me. I have no doubt a few of the rats managed to slink away. They will not get far; my paladins will quickly capture them. I spot a single dead woman out of the corner of my eye, crushed to death beneath the stampede. Is that a gunshot wound in her abdomen?

I refocus on the task at hand. To the gang's credit, none of them used my lapse in concentration to make a break for it. Their weapons need to go; thin needles of solidified flame form at the ends of my wings. Floating forward, closer to them, some scramble to reload while others stand and stare. A single hard flap sends the needles flying through the air, each hitting a gun in a member's hands. They melt holes through the firearms, rendering them useless. The Triad drops their guns to the floor as they grow too hot to be held. Before they can try anything else, thick chains of light emerge from both of my hands, snaking through the air to wrap around the Triad like boa constrictors. The normals try to struggle and wiggle their way out of their bindings, but they don't have a way to break my hardlight constructs.

I left the Cowls unmolested as a show of force. Shock&Awe has his batons out, and he's supercharging them with electricity. He isn't as easily demoralized as his unpowered compatriots, but he'll join them in despair soon. FrostWyrm ice claws are out, and he's not scared at all. Either that or he has a perfect poker face. Descending to the ground, I absorb the electricity and fire back into myself and walk toward the two Cowls.

"Who sent you?" Shock&Awe asked.

"Nobody," I answered.

"Bullshit. Was it that Cavallaro bitch?" He continued, ignoring my answer.

"I would never align myself with such immoral people. I am not a Cowl," I snapped at him.

"A Cape, then? Well, you fucked with the wrong group."

The two men look at each other, nod, and charge me together. One coming from my left and the other from my right. It was smart to split and try to get me in a pincer attack. It won't work, but it was smart. I inhale deeply, reaching for the electricity inside myself and slowly creating an invisible electromagnetic field. Nobody said the previous electricity power owner used this as a form of proprioception. FrostWyrm is the faster one, reaching me thirty seconds before Shock&Awe. He swipes at me, slashing his claws at my torso, hoping to get a glancing blow at least. But it's futile, I can feel the exact moment that he begins to move even slightly. I continue to let him attack me, dodging effortlessly as he maneuvers my back toward Shock&Awe.

Due to my sixth sense, I know exactly where the other Cowl is, how close he is to me, and which foot he leads with when running. There's another ability I've found through my training and experimentation is to supercharge myself with electricity. Opening the well even wider, I flood my body with the energy. Power surges through me, sparks and bolts arcing off of me. Every part of me feels more, and every attack by Frostwyrm seems like he's underwater; it's so slow. I crouch down, avoiding his slash, and the swing from behind by Shock&Awe. Diving behind FrostWyrm, I kick out at his calf, dropping the man to his knees. I place both of my hands on his shoulders and send a pulse of electricity through him. A nonlethal amount, obviously; I'm a hero after all. My strike drops him, and his icy claws disappear as he passes out.

Shock&Awe swings both of his batons at me, and I block both with a single thin strip of hard light. Again and again, I block his hits, and they rebound off. He's getting frustrated, it's clear by the anger evident on his face. I jump back, palm outstretched, and a small burst of fire jets out at him. He holds up his batons to try and protect his face, but I kill the flame before he can get burned. Have to rise above. His defensive action allows me to retake the momentum, and I rip the batons out of his hands. He's taller than I, but with so much energy coursing through me, I lift him up by his costume. The criminal smiles and puts his hands on my arm, laughing hysterically as he activates his own ability.

"You idiot," Shock&Awe said, pumping electricity into me.

This will be an interesting thing to check. I start absorbing all the energy he's giving out, letting it refuel my well. More and more volts enter my body, filling it up with even more power. The Cowl's face is shocked; he can't believe what he's seeing. He's got a good amount of juice in him. For five minutes straight, he sends as much charge as he can muster until he runs out. I thought that I felt powerful earlier, but that was nothing compared to this feeling. It's a level of pleasure unimaginable by the human mind. I can already see scorch marks on the floor from lightning blasts coming off me unintentionally.

"What the hell are you?"

"I am Atonement, a new Cape to this city. And your kind is not welcome anymore."

I give him a jolt, and he goes limp in my grip. The rest of the captured Triad members have stopped struggling after seeing me dispatch their strongest with ease. Yes, give in to despair. Cowls are not welcome in this city. Nobody's only after Neuvohumans, civilians have nothing to fear from him or us. Their lives will only benefit from his plans. Dragging the two Cowls over to the rest of the group, I drop them and then put them in hard light chains as well. This next part needs to be a secret. Spreading my fingers out, I put both hands toward the defeated gang and cast chain lightning toward them. Low voltage bolts jump from my fingertips, hitting bodies and then jumping to the next and the next until every single one of the Triad members is unconscious.

My powers let me live out a fantasy from when I was a teenager playing DnD: having magic and casting spells. I'm basically a 12th-level wizard. God, it's been years since I played. Being stuck as Phantasmo made social opportunities quite slim. Could I get Momentus to play? Before I lose myself to figuring out whether Vivienne would be an elemental barbarian or an infernal fighter, I start working on my second objective.

Before I head to the second floor, I look at the dead woman again. Something about her is out of place. No other civilians were killed, and it's an anomaly that sticks out. Does she have something to do with Nobody? But why was she killed? It's sloppy compared to his usual methods. The gun is still lying on the floor off to the side of her body, and I make a decision based on the off chance that it does have to do with Nobody. Summoning a bluish white ball of fire, I hover my hand over the gun, creating a cobalt tornado that incinerates it completely.

The Heroes' Union will be here shortly; there's no way that my light show earlier went unnoticed. Still overloaded with electricity from Shock&Awe, I rush up the metal stairs to the second floor, making a beeline for the door to the back. The hallway is deathly quiet; it's like I've entered a different realm. It's so detached. Sprinting down the long hallway, I ignore the bathroom and breakroom and open the door to the office. What awaits me inside is a crime scene out of one of those gore-porn horror movies. From the woman covered in bloody foam and chemical burns to the man who looks like he was in a fight with a sawmill. The smell of everything is enough to make me gag. Thank God, I brought a bandanna.

Nobody did a number on these two. The sloppiness of this place makes me realize I'm definitely right about the dead woman. This isn't the meticulously planned violence of a mastermind. This is rushed, and it's clear he didn't come here with this in mind. I see bloody footprints all over the room as well as handprints. I conjure a floating platform of hard light to stand on as I step inside. Can't have my footprints in this room. I spot the jacket immediately and throw it inside a cube of hardened fire. Then I blast it with electricity and fire to be sure it's completely destroyed before reabsorbing the fire. This isn't enough. I open the two filing cabinets and stuff their contents into a hard light box, then I knock the cabinets over to make the room even more chaotic. Using the bucket beneath the woman, I pour chemicals all over the room in places where I see evidence, including the two bodies.

Stepping off my platform into the hallway, I dismiss the construct. The box with the files flies closely behind me. Back into the main room of the club, I see that my captives are still sound asleep. I don't know how long the cleaning took because the excess energy is still overflowing within me. It's actually starting to get painful. I might need to discharge it just to relieve some pressure. The file box I made is large enough for me to stand on, and I use it to fly up to the roof through the hole.

Floating higher above the warehouse, I spot my four silent sentinels below, and two seem to have caught someone. With a thought, all four converge on the warehouse, entering it to watch my prisoners. The two rats they caught join their buddies down below, and my constructs stand guard over all of them. In the distance, I see someone flying toward me and realize that the Union is almost here. A strange feeling fills my chest, a mixture of nervous excitement and the overload of energy surging through me. I stand up straight, check my outfit one more time, and wait for whoever is coming. Now, who did they send to meet me?

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