Aisha looked down at the scene of carnage from her hovering platform, a silhouette of sleek, authoritative power. She was encased in a skintight catsuit of matte black polymers, her form undeniably heroic. The only breaks in the darkness were flashes of stark white: rigid piping and structured armour panels on her shoulders, cuffs, knees, and shins. A black mask covered the lower half of her face, concealing her identity from anyone who didn't know the girl behind the emerald eyes.
Exalibar shielded his eyes from the subtle glow of her board. "So, are you going to get down from there, or are you just going to judge us from your 'high' ground?"
Aisha rolled her eyes, a gesture that was somehow visible in the tilt of her head. Flicking her wrist, the hoverboard descended, and she jumped off, landing with a dancer's grace amidst the wreckage. She took in the piled cars and the row of unconscious men, bringing a hand to her forehead in disbelief. "Exalibar…" she sighed, the name a whole sentence of exasperation. "What is this?"
Exalibar gestured vaguely. "There is a perfectly normal explanation… that Sky will give you."
Sky stared at his brother, aghast at the betrayal. "The audacity of this boy!" He turned to Aisha, hands raised in a placating gesture. "Listen, before you arrest us… he started it! We are the victims here!"
"I know that," Aisha said, her voice calm. "I've been following the situation since the gala."
"You were there?" Exalibar asked, surprised.
"Yeah, didn't you see her with Dylan?" Sky added.
Exalibar shrugged. "Nope."
"Because your eyes are only for Chloe," a teasing lilt in her voice.
"Is that a hint of jealousy I'm detecting?"
"I'm with Jack, remember?"
"Well, yeah, but we both know who the bet—" Exalibar's words were cut off as Sky smacked the back of his head. "OWW!"
"Shut up, you smug bastard," Sky grumbled.
"Anyways," Aisha interjected, "I'm not here to arrest you. I'm actually here to help."
She waved a hand, summoning her hoverboard. Reaching underneath it, she retrieved a small vial filled with a glowing green liquid. She walked over to Sean's moaning form, pried his jaw open, and forced him to drink it. A series of sickening snaps and pops echoed in the street as broken bones realigned and knit themselves back together at an accelerated rate. The worst of his injuries faded, though deep bruises remained.
"Whoa. What is that?" Exalibar asked, intrigued.
"My new mana-based healing serum," Aisha explained.
Sky blinked. "What does it do?"
Aisha looked at him, shocked by the blatantly obvious question. "It heals people."
"From what I'm seeing," Exalibar cut in, mind already having dissected the process, "it uses the user's own mana and forces the body to convert that energy into whatever is needed to restore itself to an optimal state. Basically, it induces a form of conscious regeneration. Although its effectiveness is limited by the patient's innate mana reserves, which is why not all his injuries are fully healed."
Aisha was visibly taken aback, mask doing little to hide her surprise. "Actually… yeah, that's exactly how it works. How did you know that? You aren't an alchemist."
Exalibar shrugged. "Well, no. But I'm not a dumbass. It's pretty basic stuff."
"See?" Aisha said, a note of triumph in her voice. "This is why I wanted you to join me in being a hero. You have the mind of an alchemist."
"But I'm not one," he stated flatly. "Quite frankly, I don't fall into any neat category. You know that's why I can't join you. I'm a liability in the field."
Aisha gestured broadly at the four piled-up SUVs and the neatly arranged goons. "The damage you did here says otherwise."
Exalibar's shoulders slumped as he remembered. "Yeah, about that… can you fix my car? I recently bought it, and SOMEONE destroyed it."
Aisha's eyes glinted with opportunity. "Tell you what. I'll fix your car and all the damage to the street… if you agree to go on one hero mission with me. You don't even need to do anything."
"Tch. A hundred and thirty thousand isn't even a lot of money," Exalibar deflected.
"And," Aisha added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "I won't tell your parents—who are currently on their way—about what happened here."
Sky burst out laughing. "Bro! She's blackmailing you!"
Exalibar shot him a look. "Us. SHE IS BLACKMAILING US"
Aisha shook her head, a sly smile in her voice. "Nope. Just you."
Exalibar looked from the wreckage to Aisha's unwavering gaze. He was optionless. "I… I have nothing to say."
"Say you will," she pressed, switching tactics. Her voice softened. "Can't you do this one thing for your literal best friend?"
"Emotional blackmail now?"
"Just do it," Sky advised.
Exalibar let out a long, defeated sigh. "Fine. Fine! Just one mission. BUT… you gotta make me a suit like yours."
Aisha clapped her hands together, ecstatic. "DEAL! Now stand back. This will take a lot of energy and concentration."
She raised her hands, and a vibrant green energy rippled through the air around her. She closed her eyes, her focus turning inward. In her mind's eye, she saw the street—the composition of the asphalt, every layer down to the gravel base. She saw the cars—the twisted chassis, the shredded engine blocks, the molecular structure of the steel and glass. She saw how it was, and with immense will, she imposed upon reality how it was supposed to be. The green energy flared, and the world became her alchemist's playground. Metal untwisted, glass flowed back into windows, and the scarred asphalt of the street smoothed over as if it had just been laid. In less than a minute, the street was pristine, and Exalibar's cruiser sat gleaming in its driveway, good as new.
Aisha dropped to her knees, breathing heavily, the glow around her extinguishing. "There," she panted. "It's done."
"Thank you Aisha," Exalibar said, genuine gratitude in his voice.
He then walked over to a dazed Sean, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him up. Exalibar looked him dead in the eyes, his own gaze cold and promise-laden. "If we ever hear a word about this," he said, his voice dangerously quiet, "it will be more than your cars and bones that are broken." A terrifyingly pleasant smile spread across his face. "Now, I don't know what caused your injuries, but I do hope you get better." He dropped Sean back to the pavement.
The battered young man needed no further encouragement. He scrambled to his feet and scurried over to his still-unconscious men, the events of the night already blurring into a traumatized mystery.
Exalibar turned back to Aisha, who was still catching her breath on the ground. "Can you still get home?"
She shook her head weakly. "Not if I still needed mana to power my board."
"Guess I'll have to drop you off, then," Exalibar said. He glanced at his brother. "Sky."
Sky, already knowing what was coming, nodded. "Don't worry. I'll cover for you."
"Thanks, bro." Exalibar turned, a new, eager glint in his eye as he looked at his perfectly restored car. Aisha tossed a newly created set of keys into his hand. "Let's see if my alchemy was able to fully restore a V10."