After arriving home and meeting with the officers, Steve accepted two boxes containing the partially charred belongings of Helen and George. The three officers snapped a salute. Steve ground his teeth, his jaw tightening as his hands shook violently while clutching his mother's box. He knew he had the power to slaughter the entire flock of wyverns that had hit the base, but he had found out too late. He looked at the lead officer, a man in his late thirties.
"How did it happen, sir?" Steve asked.
"A portal opened in the sky. The wyverns swarmed out and attacked instantly. We fought back, but they were too many, and reinforcements arrived too late. They were overwhelmed. We are truly sorry for your loss," the officer replied.
"Are those monsters still there?" Steve asked.
"The superheroes have likely finished them off by now, even if they were slow to arrive," the officer answered bitterly, his voice trembling slightly.
"Superheroes are useless," Steve muttered.
"We'll be going now. Once again, our condolences. They were both invaluable to this country. You and your sister should be proud of them," the officer said.
"Thanks," Steve replied flatly.
As the officers headed back to their car, Steve felt a surge of resentment. They talked about how heroic his parents were, yet these three were the ones still breathing. He fought to suppress his rage and turned to Erica. She was standing like a statue, George's box in her arms and tears streaming down her face. The cat remained at her feet.
"Erica, I'm going out for a bit," Steve said.
"Where?"
"Business. Just watch the house," Steve said curtly.
"Fine. I might go out too. Take your keys," Erica replied.
"Yeah. I'm going to my room first to put Mom's things away," Steve said.
"Me too."
They went inside and headed to their separate rooms, the cat following them up. Once inside, Steve set the box on his desk, opened his status screen, and tapped Auto-Equip. "Swooosh." A tornado of prismatic light engulfed him, and he transformed into the Black Paladin. He threw open the window and vaulted out, using his enhanced human abilities to streak through the sky at high speed.
The cat peered through the cracked door of Steve's room, then trotted over to Erica's room. Erica was sitting on the edge of her bed, the door wide open. The cat jumped onto the bed and placed a paw on her hand to comfort her. But Erica suddenly set her box aside and stood up. She closed the door, took off her glasses, and set them on the table. She pulled up her status screen and hit Auto-Equip.
"Swooosh." A black and white aura swirled around her like a cyclone. The light shattered, revealing Erica as Grey, complete with her black and white angel wings. She looked down at the cat, who was staring at her with its mouth hanging open.
"Watch the house. I won't be long," Erica said, forcing a small smile.
She opened her window and took flight, "clap... clap," soaring toward the ruins of the defense base. The cat, left alone on the bed, hopped down. "Swooosh." A blue, portal-like aura enveloped its body until it transformed into Nyla, complete with her black cat ears and tail.
"Wait... them? It's actually them? Seriously?" Nyla whispered, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
Nyla shifted back into her human form, sat on the edge of Erica's bed, and looked around the room.
"I had a feeling Erica was Grey... but Steve? I never would have guessed he was the Black Paladin. I have to help them... but how? I can't let them catch me. I guess I'll just start by watching the house," Nyla muttered, still trying to process the revelation.
***
Meanwhile, "boom," Steve landed at the defense base—or rather, what was left of it. The site had been leveled and burned to ash, leaving nothing but charred rubble and rising smoke. No living wyverns were in sight; their carcasses littered the ground as military personnel loaded them into transport trucks. Steve's fists shook as he stood there with his head bowed.
Suddenly, "kraaaah!" A shriek erupted in front of him. A wyvern with a broken wing, already tossed into a truck, turned out to be alive. It lunged to swallow a nearby soldier who had already covered his face in terrified resignation. With explosive speed, Steve blurred into motion. He shoved the soldier aside and caught the wyvern's beak in both hands. "Craack!" He ripped the creature's jaws apart until the top of its head was torn clean off.
He tossed the remains aside and looked at the soldier, who was sitting on the ground staring at him in total shock. Several other soldiers behind him were equally stunned.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
Steve saw a man in a tight red suit with flame motifs on his muscular frame and a mask. He shoved past the soldiers and stood in front of Steve.
"Who are you? What division are you with?" the man demanded.
Steve remained silent, staring at the man through his helmet with a sharp, piercing gaze.
"Cat got your tongue? Take off the mask," the man said, reaching for Steve's helmet.
"Grab." Steve caught the man's wrist. But suddenly, "boom," the man's wrist exploded, forcing Steve to release him and jump back. The man smirked.
"The name's Boom. You touch me without permission, I blow you up. I'm from Division One, so don't mess with me. This is my area of operation. You better get lost," Boom sneered.
Steve listened to Boom brag about his "area of operation" while looking at the wyvern corpses riddled with blast marks. He finally spoke, his voice low and steady.
"This is your area, right? Then why did you arrive so late?" Steve asked.
"Huh? Why rush? Superheroes always show up at the last second. Besides, the basketball game wasn't over when this place got hit," Boom said, shrugging his shoulders.
"I see," Steve replied.
Without another word, Steve launched an uppercut that sent Boom flying into the air. Steve leaped after him, closing the distance instantly. Rocketing upward, Boom grew furious. He aimed his palms at Steve and triggered a series of explosions, but Steve tore through the smoke, protected by a grey barrier. "Thwack!" Steve landed another uppercut to Boom's chin, sending him even higher.
Steve caught up to the soaring hero, whose mouth was already bleeding. He grabbed Boom by his costume, pulling back a fist to finish it.
"He-hey! We're on the same side! Don't hit me! What is your problem?" Boom screamed.
"Because you were late, my parents are dead. What kind of hero are you? And you're wrong—we aren't on the same side," Steve roared.
"Wait... you... Black Paladin... is that you?" a girl's voice asked from behind him.
Steve turned, and his eyes went wide. Erica was hovering behind him in her Grey form—but she had forgotten to put on her mask. She was crying, frozen in place as she stared at him.