"First of all, we're thankful to hear that you all are alright."
Kismet's Base, Cook Islands. Belinha was standing inside a white room with a hologram of the Board of Heroes in front of her.
"When we lost all the satellites in a second, we couldn't help but panic."
The Head Silhouette spoke with a calm voice.
"Belinha, are you okay?"
A male silhouette asked with a tone full of concern.
"Yes, Father. I'm one of the few members who barely receive any damage."
"What about mentally?"
A female silhouette spoke with equal concern.
"Do you think you can continue as the leader of Kismet?"
"The board determined that I was the right person for the job, so I will fulfil my duties."
Belinha flashed a smile.
"I'm okay, Mother."
"Alright, we'll take your word for it."
The Head Silhouette spoke up before Belinha's mother.
"Now then, Belinha. Give us a report of what happened when the feed was cut."
Sometime later, Belinha left the white room.
"How did it go?"
Outside, Batu was waiting for her.
"Where are the others?"
"In the living room resting."
"Then I'll tell you when we're all together."
She said as she walked off.
"First off, the GHF plans to announce our survival to the world."
After gathering the rest of Kismet, Belinha started to brief them about what happened.
"I believe they will spin a narrative of us driving Alala away or something to make us, and the Heroes by extension, look inspiring."
"Well, that's to be expected. The problem is Sinvula and Alala might take offence and come at us harder next time."
Batu paused a bit before adding—
"Especially now that we know their true identities."
"Huh? We do?"
Mira asked while looking confused.
"Wait, Batu. You were awake?"
Impactor asked. Batu looked away with his ears red at the tips.
"Alala's bloodlust prevented me from moving, so I just stayed down."
He mumbled, ignoring Impactor, who was looking at him in shock.
"Did you tell the Board their identities?"
Belinha shook her head at Mikel's question.
"Wait, why not?!"
Mira stood up.
"Because they would kill us..."
Bojana mumbled with a weak voice.
"If we talked...The Calamities would kill us and the status quo would break."
"I don't understand."
Mira sat back down after hearing the fear in Bojana's voice.
"The Calamities may be Supervillains of the highest order, but they still take breaks because they have another life outside villainy. If we reveal their identities and take that other life from them, the restrictions they put on themselves would be gone. They would be Alala and Sinvula and just Alala and Sinvula. In simpler terms, they would be far worse than they are now."
Belinha sighed.
"Especially considering their true identities."
"....Can you tell us their identities?"
Mikel asked.
"We won't talk if that's your decision, but I think it's fair that all of Kismet knew."
"I was intending on doing so in the first place."
Belinha took out a tablet.
"Let's start with the less shocking of the two."
She showed the tablet to Mikel, and the twins looked at it as well. It was showing a news article about an upcoming young millionaire from the Philippines.
"Hiraya Del Rosario, a 24-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the CEO and founder of the tech company Nikolus that develops and sells software and AI programs as well as managing digital currency and online gambling rings."
Mikel read with a confused expression.
"Wait, this is Alala?"
Belinha nodded.
"I recognised her because one of my hospitals was looking to develop AI that can help us run the administrative duties."
"Wait, 24?! Alala is in our age group?!"
Impactor sprang to his feet.
"I thought she was at least in her early 30s!"
"Why does her age matter?"
"No, Belinha. He has a point."
Batu surprisingly backed up Impactor's outburst.
"Think about the Albania Massacre. The incident that named Alala as the third Calamity."
"Albania and Yugoslavia were in the middle of an intense decade-long war when a masked female mercenary, who was fighting on the Yugoslav's side, destroyed several cities in Albania in a single night. She then went out to destroy the Yugoslavs who were trying to reprimand her. Eventually, she rendered both sides unable to continue the fight and they were forced to sign a treaty."
"I remember that."
Mira spoke up.
"Everyone was afraid she was going to destroy everything."
"Soldiers who fought in the war all resigned after witnessing her power."
Mikel added. Batu nodded.
"That was 6 years ago, and Alala is 24."
Belinha's eyes slowly widened.
"Alala became a Calamity at 18...I see, that is quite terrifying."
She took the tablet and pressed a button. It started projecting a video for all to see. It was a video of Hiraya cutting the ribbon for a children's hospital.
"One of the reasons I considered working with Hiraya is because of her philanthropy."
Belinha skipped through several pictures and videos for them to see.
"Schools, homeless shelters, orphanages, hospitals, etc. Hiraya has built these across Southeast Asia and is seen as a saintess."
She cut off the projection.
"Kinda ironic since she's responsible for a lot of turmoil in the region."
".....So, she's a sociopath."
Impactor said. Belinha looked at him with a bit of surprise before nodding.
"Considering she was a war orphan herself and is now creating kids like her, it's safe to say she is."
She put away the tablet and took up a magazine titled Heroes Weekly.
"Alala's identity is big on its own, but it's Sinvula's who can shake the world at its core."
Bojana and Impactor nodded in agreement.
"Even you agree, Celso?"
Kira was surprised to see someone indifferent to most stuff react how he did. Belinha showed them the cover of the magazine. On it was someone they all recognised.
"Why are you showing us Amadi Albrecht?"
Mikel asked while stretching for the magazine. He came to a realisation just as he was about to touch it. He looked up from the magazine and at Belinha and repeated this a few times. Belinha silently nodded.
"What....That's...That's impossible...."
Mikel and the twins were visibly shaken.
"I saw him on TV so many times. All the girls around me had a crush on him when I was growing up."
Impactor slammed his fists together.
"If I knew he was Sinvula, I would've hit him harder."
"No, Celso! You don't realise how big a deal this is!"
Mikel grabbed the magazine and showed Impactor.
"This is the heir of the Albrecht Clan, one of the biggest supporters of the GHF since it was founded!"
"Huh? Biggest supporters? Sinvula the supervillain?"
Mikel nodded.
"The Albrecht Clan is an integral part of Hero Society as a whole. They developed our equipment, funded our projects, and even helped spread the federation's influence across the globe!"
"Damn, they do all that?"
Impactor began to understand why his teams wore gloomy expressions.
"That's not all...."
Batu spoke up.
"Even before the GHF was founded, the Albrecht Clan was considered Heroes by the traditional sense. They use their abilities to save people all over the world from natural disasters and war-ridden areas. Even during the Great Race War, they sided with neither the Normies nor us Superhumans. They just helped whoever they could. True heroes by every definition."
"And now, the heir of such a family is the greatest terrorist in the world...."
Impactor looked at Amadi's picture on the magazine.
"...I wonder how it turned out that way?"
"I don't know, but we can't let this information get out."
Belinha spoke with a serious tone.
"I don't know about Alala's identity, but the Albrecht Clan and by extension the Board of Heroes must know Sinvula's identity and chose not to act. This means they're aware of the consequences of revealing this information or trying to stop him directly. So, we'll do this."
She faced her teammates.
"We will continue to fight Sinvula and Alala regardless of their identities! We will do what the Global Hero Federation couldn't and thoroughly defeat them!"
She clenched her fists.
"Am I clear?!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Kismet shouted in unison and she nodded. That's when Impactor's question from earlier played in her mind.
"I wonder how it turned out that way?"
She paused and mumbled as if to herself.
"....I remember Mama and Papa stressed while talking about something happening in the Albrecht Clan 9 years ago....That must've started it all."
Frankfurt, Germany. Amadi had arrived at a vintage-style mansion with the name Albrecht on the gate. The gates opened as he approached them and dozens of people in suits lined up, creating a path leading straight to the mansion.
"Welcome home, our Fürst!"
Amadi placed his hands in his pockets and glared at the mansion for a while before smiling.
"Tell the Kaiser I'm back."
His smile grew into a smirk.
"We have something we need to discuss."