The hero responsible for saving dozens of lives by distracting Cicero’s opening attack watched the scene race away from them as they were dragged into the sky. The high winds from their ascent were whipping wildly from within the helmet they used not for protection, but to hide their identity. It was the smartest move. Most of the heroes who fought the smaller foes and the guardians who kept the bigger threats in check preferred obscurity. The lives of those who’d been outed became too complicated for the rest to even want to emulate. There were others who soaked up all of what came with being chosen, basking in the light of social media stardom. This hero, held at the end of an outstretched arm, quickly looked away from the clouds before them and to something far more dangerous: me.

Until this, I’d resumed my old life, but in a trance that I could enter so my true self could rest while the body played the part. I went to work, I hung out with my friends, everything was as it had always been, except now it was so menial I could literally do it in my sleep. Part of me was always watching, observing, but never really there. When no one was looking, I’d come back online and scan the day for points of my particular interest. There was a lot going on outside the town limits, and with everyone too wary to abandon safety in numbers, it was all going unchecked. Those who said things were coming apart at the seams had no idea what an understatement their pessimistic outlook truly was.

These heroes who appeared more recently were a phenomenon. They were like us, strong, but not. While they did attain sharpened senses, they weren’t close to what we were capable of. However, they did retain their personalities and many of them still struggled with their newfound might. What they did do, however, was take care of the minor threats that picked at the edges of our territories, leaving my kind the luxury of rest for the next Cicero-caliber attack. While a monster glowed like a hot rock to us, heroes could not be detected, in that they shared no difference than the average human. When I realized I could take the form of anyone I can remember, I began to shapeshift instead of covering up to hide my identity. A lot of us were unsure of what to think of the newcomers. They were clearly friends, yes, but could they also be challengers some day?

I wanted whoever this was to be shaken, as well as know who’s in charge, so I let my natural state shift, revealing exactly who I was to them. Since this all began, my autopiloted self was much more social since any shred of insecurity could no longer manifest. I laughed hard and partied harder, made strategic connections with former rivals my old life developed in the community. Those who knew, Brett and the others, were baffled by the transition until I explained it to them and they had just as much fun with my zombified self as anyone else. Even though I spent most of my time at the derelict curling club building, I kept my apartment in case the role I played brought anyone home after a wild night out. To think, my life was as good as it could get within my old circumstances, but within my new ones, I couldn’t care less.

I figured if this hero could take that much from Cicero, they could survive a kinetic blast from my palm blowing the helmet clean off its straps. I didn’t feel much beyond what it took to play my true role, but even I was surprised when the hero was none other than Jennifer Silver. I knew her for a long time as all do when living in a community as small as ours; it was more recently when we dated for almost a year where we saw the… intricacies of each other’s character. She was one of the members of the original group I met at the curling club, as well as the one who threw herself at me that night. I directed her attention downward with a long glance, so that she could see the clouds beneath us, and the sprawling farmland mosaic beneath even that. It was a long way down.

She promptly explained to me that a few days after we hooked up, she started feeling better. She woke up from only good sleeps with more than enough energy to take on the day. Every morning she was greeted with a welcome change; her teeth straightened to perfection, her hair grew stronger, among other things I advised her to skip telling me and get to the point. Born with a hereditary immune-deficiency, Jen lived with chronic illness and was on a pile of medications, but it’d been days since she took even one pill. Last week she came across a minor creature stalking the edges of the town, and told me of the instinct urging her to correct its presence. She was amazed by the resolve she faced it with, and the beating she laid down before it limped off to die. “I’d never felt so alive!” She exclaimed, then looked down again, “Well, until now….”

There were groups forming on social media, so with a burner account, she joined one for people like her, for answers. The hero phenomena spread like wildfire. There were only a thousand members of the biggest group when she joined, and it had grown tenfold since. Although there was a plethora of theories and origins for them, the most common method of hero ascension was through sexual transmission by guardian. She saw my gaze drift into contemplation as I considered the ways of my hedonistic autopilot, “I’ve seen how busy you’ve been out there,” She said, “So we can both assume there’s more than just me.” Her judgemental tone meant nothing when held up to one fact: Jennifer Silvers was also Mrs. Slivers, meaning her husband was not going to appreciate this if the knowledge went mainstream.

My mind as it was also applied in retrospect. A lot of what I did during my active time was look back on life, to study it through the new lens. Memories fogged by the passage of time were unlocked in crystal clarity and with this, I was able to make corrections. It was alarming to see what had been subconsciously tailored to fit an unconscious narrative. Knowing the actual truth and acknowledging it was the key to paramount confidence in the present and of the future. It was no wonder my sleeping self was succeeding at everything he tried. In Jen’s case, this wasn’t the first time she’d cheated on someone with me, and I wasn’t innocent on my side of that either.  For the longest time I thought it was because she was bored or trying to manipulate me, when in fact, she was just as drawn to taking the occasional hit of our chemistry as I was.

I weighed the options of letting the others who were about to be heroes know what was coming. I had leverage on Jen, and would some of them also, but some I would not. I wasn’t ready to have my identity revealed, and at least one loose cannon among my affairs would drop it on a dime. I dropped Jen off where no one was looking and told her that she could contact them if she wanted, but to never tell them who I was. The name Hellkite was given to me through miscommunication and the twisting of rumours over my first kill. I kept it because I liked it, and it was the only one I was comfortable using. She confirmed from her online group that many like me were taking on new names for their new selves. It helped everyone let go of who we used to be, and I got it. Of everything I’ve gained, have been able to see and feel, I was surprised that I didn’t think there would be consequences of falling to lust, let alone that I still would. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d been duped into propagating for the greater purpose of protecting the realm. I wasn’t about to stop anytime soon but was going to be more selective with my ‘hero creation’.

There was a mundane passing of days of playing human, going to work, and pretending to be one of the masses at the mercy of monsters. I went to enough of the town meetings to keep up the illusion of concern, where I listened to the people make their plans to further fortify the town against attacks. A network of communities colluded to rewrite immediate society; trips to the city or even anywhere were no longer possible without an armed escort. Because of this, collective gardens progressed nicely, reducing carbon footprints, and teaching self-sustenance, but only in the name of survival, and never piety. I nodded my head with the majority, spoke seldom, and anything I had to say that would help, I filtered through Brett, who was usually leading the gathering.

It was after one of these sessions adjourned, I decided to walk home a different way than usual. There’d been rumblings out there in the territory. I couldn’t quite tell where they were yet, and assumed they were either far above or deep below the surface. While not stronger than before, I could sense a general direction of where to look, so that was the plan. After my talk with Jen, I reluctantly joined some of the online forums to see what my kin had to add, but they were not the talkative type. The heroes were the ones who kept the feeds active, with plenty of documentation, pictures, and relevant video. I was learning more than I could on my own. There were hundreds of verified creature variants that could appear from thin air or even beyond.

I was just crossing the street, lost in both the autopilot and deep in thought. A scream from a bystander brought me back to the surface; by the time I looked to where everyone was watching, it was too late. A car raced through a stop sign not by neglect, but with intent. The driver: I knew her as all townies know each other. If the timing was right, she’d realized she was a hero just a few days ago, and judging by the look on her face, she’d pieced the rest of it together. The gig was up – everyone was going to see what was about to happen, so I leaned into it. A snap of the fingers ignited the fuel tank, sending back end of the ride upward. While I hoped it would have driven her attack off course, the car slammed into me, or rather was slammed into me by the detonation.

She crawled out of the twisted wreck as I, along with the rest of the hundreds of onlookers watched. Her mischievous smile, the one that drew me to her that night last week, told me her true intention: to out me as Hellkite. Why she sought retribution for enlightening her I’ll never know, or not at least until I decided an ample punishment. Until then, I nodded, turning full circle so no one could deny what they just saw, “That’s right,” I confirmed, loud and clear, “I’m Hellkite.” Before anyone could utter a syllable, I streaked across to the newborn hero, and like Jen, took her to the clouds for a little chat.

Hellkite V: Top Dog

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