“Oh, Ruthen and Nocturknight got their own fandom tag on Fan-Hub now,” Matis noted, looking at his phone over his food.

“Hey, you’re okay?” Igne asked, as Flow choked on their juice. “Should I slap your back, or…?”

“People write fanfiction about them?” Flow asked. “They only appeared in public once.”

“Yeah, but what an introduction it was!” Igne said. “They were the first to put up a decent fight against a warlock, let alone winning.”

“I guess so, even though Bianca wasn’t really a warlock. She was just controlled by someone else.”

“For all we know that might be the case with any of the others as well,” Matis pointed out. “Either way, people are excited. So far we only had supervillains and everyone was wondering where the heroes are. It’s good to know that there are some people with awesome powers who are willing to use it for good and not just to run amok.”

It was true that the records about them went viral online in no time and made it into all the news after the assault on the Botanic Garden. While none of the guests recorded the actual fight as they were all under Poison Rose’s control at the time, the security cameras were running and it didn’t take long for the footage to leak. (Luckily none of it seemed to point towards the identity of the heroes.)

Flow opened up Fan-Hub on their own phone and made a quick search for “Ruthen and Nocturknight” – but this accidentally brought them to the shipping tag, which was apparently also a thing. There was quite a few works for how little time had passed. Flow really hoped Natasha would never find these, things felt awkward enough as it is. Funnily enough it seemed like there was no consensus about the heroes’ genders and thus what category the ship was, so it was up to individual interpretation. Most works were tagged as F/M, but M/M and F/F interpretations weren’t rare either. They quickly navigated away before seeing something they really didn’t want to.

“Looks like we’re public figures now, whether we like it or not. Maybe we should at least give our correct pronouns so people know how to refer to us? Or the less they know for sure about us the better it is?”

There didn’t seem to be a good way to do it anyway, unless they gave an interview or something, but Flow doubted Natasha would be up for it. They kind of felt like they weren’t either.

“I wonder if they’re looking for new recruits,” Igne said.

“Who?” Flow looked up, raising an eyebrow.

Igne grabbed the croutons and dumped enough into their bowl to absorb all the soup.

“The Enchanters! I’d help them fight evil.”

“I love your enthusiasm, but you can’t even fight Richard,” Matis said. “How you’d deal with a warlock?”

“I’d learn how to get powers too,” they smiled brightly, stuffing soaked bread into their mouth. “Ruthen and Nocturknight would teach me their secret.”

“That’s assuming that there is a secret. Maybe they were just born that way and that’s it.”

“And they kept it hidden, then recently decided to reveal themselves? I don’t buy it. Those guys are at least our age, probably older. And let’s not forget about the warlocks. You know what I think?”

“This is going to be fun,” Matis smiled, leaning on the table.

“The warlocks and the Enchanters must be from the same group originally. Like some researchers or something, studying paranormal stuff. No one took them seriously, until they actually found something. Like an alien device that gave them powers. They swore a vow to keep it secret so it doesn’t fall in the wrong hands, but then some of them turned out to be assholes and started to use their power for evil. The others couldn’t interfere because of the secrecy oath… but then Nocturknight and Ruthen couldn’t take it anymore, so they made costumes to fight the warlocks.”

Igne slapped the table with excitement.

“Now they’re stuck between their old comrades who want to keep everything under wraps and the warlocks, hunted by both of them! They must need more people to help them out!”

“That’s a… really fleshed out theory,” Flow said.

“Maybe you should write some fanfiction,” Matis joked.

“Come on, it’s not that far-fetched,” Igne insisted, gesturing widely. “We know that advanced aliens exist, they left a giant freaking robot orbiting the sun. They must have left other stuff lying around, we just haven’t found them yet. Or at least however did, they kept it for themselves.”

“The Sentinel is at least several million years old. Probably the only reason it’s still intact is that it’s in outer space. Anything complex left on the planet would be destroyed by the weather,” Matis said. “And besides, if a group of random people stumbled upon something that gave them amazing powers, they would probably try to keep it secret…”

“Just like what I said!”

“… then try to find a way to make as much money with it as possible. People without moral restraints would especially do that. Wrecking buildings in the Ghost District, attacking random people, what does that achieve? The warlocks almost all seem to be attention seekers and adrenaline hunters… which might mean that’s exactly why they got their powers.”

He fell silent, scratching his chin.

“What are you thinking about?” Flow asked, biting into a green apple.

“Well, if we speculate anyway…” he shrugged. “Bianca said she doesn’t remember much, but someone was manipulating her, giving her powers, right? Everyone assumed that it was one of the warlocks, someone trying to stay in the background, but… that doesn’t really add up with the warlocks’ usual style, right? So, what if it’s the other way around? If this Sorcerer person is actually some kind of mastermind and he uses the warlocks the same way he used Bianca? Only this time he failed, because the Enchanters intervened before he could convert her to his side completely.”

Flow tensed up. Should they try to divert him from this train of thought somehow? They still knew practically nothing about the Sorcerer, except that he was ruthless and ready to hurt anyone in his way. If Matis figured out too much would that make him a target? And if he could guess this much from the little he knew how long it will take before he uncovers them?

But then Matis shrugged with a chuckle.

“Yeah, guess we know way too little to figure things out just yet. But it’s fun to make some theories.”

“I still like my secret society idea,” Igne said. “But guess if there’s only one powerful bad guy behind everything that makes the job easier for the Enchanters. They just have to find him and beat him up.”

“Maybe we’ll find out the truth eventually,” Flow said, as they scanned the mess hall. “Hopefully.”

“She usually brings her own lunch and eats alone somewhere,” Matis said.

“Huh?” Flow looked at him.

“You’re looking for Natasha, right?”

“How…?”

“It’s not that hard,” Igne shrugged. “There’s like three people in the school you talked to more than once. Two of them sit here, and she’s the third one.”

“It’s nice to see someone getting along with her,” Matis added. “She always seemed kind of a loner.”

“Honestly I don’t really understand what’s her deal either,” Flow said, leaning back in their seat. “Sometimes it feels like she holds some kind of grudge against me…”

“That sounds like her. I mean, that’s how she acts with everyone.” Igne said.

“… but she then just goes and puts her life on the line to save me!” Flow shrugged desperately.

“Her life?” Matis chuckled. “I get what you mean, but I don’t think Richard would go near that far.”

“Look, I can’t say I know much about her,” Igne shrugged. “She’s a year above us and I barely talked to her. But as far as I can tell, the person she interacted with the most was Richard when they got into fights over him being an asshole. She never tried to befriend anyone and turned down everyone who tried to approach her. So if she talks to you then she must appreciate your company.”

“Yeah, she’s probably just very…” Matis stopped, trying to find the right word.

“Natasha?” Igne suggested.

“Natasha.”

“That would be reassuring if there weren’t other factors they don’t know about.”

The thing is, Natasha didn’t really choose to hang out with them. She chose to be Nocturknight – and that meant working with Ruthen. But was she really okay putting up with Flow too as part of the deal? It was hard to short things out with so many secrets involved. Maybe they should ask Artemis or Nox for advice? Artemis seemed pretty helpful last time…

“No. I know what they would say anyway – I should talk to her directly, and figure out what’s going on. If she really doesn’t like how things are…”

They touched the Enchant on their chest. They really liked this new part of their life, but if working with them really made Natasha uncomfortable they had to rethink, maybe find a better arrangement. But before thinking about that, they had to tell her their worries and get a straight answer.

“Thanks.” They stood up, tossing the apple’s core into a compost bin. “I’ll go and try to find her. It’s better to talk than trying to guess what the other thinks.”

“Wise words from a wise person,” Igne winked, pointing a finger at them.

“She likes to eat her lunch in the backyard,” Matis said. “If you hurry you might catch her there.”

“Thank you!” Flow said, already running.

<>

The corridor leading up to the backyard exit was mostly empty, so Flow launched themself with full force. That is, until they bumped into someone and fell on their butt.

“Ow… I’m so so-”

“Oh ho ho,” an all too familiar voice chuckled. Flow looked up at the grinning Richard. “Talk about someone who can’t learn their lesson.”

“Yeah, guess that’s fair,” Flow sighed as the huge boy pulled them up by the neck.

“See, that’s why I can’t go easy on little rats like you,” he said. “I spare you one time and do you learn? No, you become even more insolent. Do you think your new bodyguard will be there every time you piss me off?”

“Wait, which version you’re going with now?” Flow asked. “Did you spare me last time, or did Natasha save me? You should get your story straight.”

Richard smashed them against the wall. All they felt was a little tingling as the Enchant’s protection activated and absorbed the force of the impact that’d normally knocked the air out of them.

“I will be enjoying this,” the boy said, raising a giant fist.

“Letting him hit me until he runs out of breath would be funny, but it could draw suspicion,” Flow thought. “ Probably I should just play along and pretend how scared I am and how badly he beat me up, so he’ll leave faster.”

“Look, I’m still not sure what’s exactly your problem with me, but I’m sure if we’d just talk we could work out some-”

Suddenly, a short boy with brown hair in red clothes stepped next to them. Flow couldn’t tell where he was coming from, it was like he stepped out of nothing. He was so quiet, Richard didn’t even seem to notice him before the boy spoke next to him.

“You really should think twice before you pick a fight with them,” he said.

“Huh?”

Richard turned around and stared at the kid. He seemed too young for high school, he might be 12 or 13. He was rolling a coin between his fingers as he returned Richard’s stare from under his red baseball cap.

“Don’t you know?” the boy asked. “The kid you’re trying to harass is no other than the famous hero, Ruthen. They could snap your neck with a single move if they wanted.”

Now that made Flow stop breathing for a moment.

Richard, on the other hand, broke out in laughter.

“What? This assplug, Ruthen? Is this some shitty prank? And who the hell are you? Did your parents drop you off at the wrong building?”

“No,” he answered dispassionately. “Is that what you tell yourself about your parents?”

“What did you say?”

Suddenly it felt like Richard’s voice could cut icicles. He let go of Flow and turned toward the young boy.

Flow felt their Enchant going off with the familiar pulsating feeling. A strange energy filled the corridor, all the doors creaked and bent like something was pushing against them.

“Whatever,” the strange boy said. “Why don’t you go and look for another playmate? The grown-ups have things to talk about.”

Richard snarled.

“You know what? Fine. Kicking the ass of a dot like you would be embarrassing even for me.” He turned back to Flow. “But don’t think we’re done.”

He power walked toward the exit Flow was heading to and left the building.

“Interesting,” the boy said. “You know that bracelet he’s wearing is a ticking bomb, right? It’s not characteristic of the Order to take a risk like that. Was it your idea to let him keep it?”

“Who are you?” Flow asked, staring intensely at the kid. He didn’t seem like a threat, but Flow was certain he was holding some kind of Artifact. And that could mean anything.

“It would be more appropriate to introduce yourself first,” he pointed out. “But of course I already know you. You’re Flow Corvin, but you don’t like to use your last name. The name you do use is Ruthen and you must think you’re really good at hiding it. Me? I’m Scarlet Wind.”

Something clicked in Flow’s head. They heard that name before.

“You were that kid standing at the top of Alexton Tower before it collapsed, but then nobody found you. Everyone thought that you’re…”

“Please,” he interrupted. “Could you not call me a warlock? My associates love that stupid name, but I find it annoying.”

Flow bit their lips. Maybe they should transform now, before anyone else shows up in the corridor. But they felt like that would immediately escalate the situation and getting into a fight with this kid somehow felt wrong, even though he was clearly dangerous.

“What did you do to Richard?” they asked instead. “He wouldn’t back off like that just because you put up a little banter.”

“Natasha must sense the magic too, she must be on her way here… But if she ran into Richard leaving the building he might hold her up, or give her the wrong idea about what happened.”

“He’ll be fine, I just used a little mind-control on him with this,” he held up the coin he was playing with. “Here, you can have it.”

He threw the coin toward Flow. With their enchanted reflexes, they caught it easily, only to feel a wave of energy running over them. It was startling, even though they could feel that their protection absorbed most of it.

“Yeah, it is an Artifact all right.”

“Why are you giving this to me? Do you want to give yourself up?”

Scarlet Wind laughed.

“You think that’s my trump card? No, listen, remember my master’s offer you two amateurs were so quick to refuse? He decided you still deserve a chance to be part of his new world – but you have to prove yourself first. I’m here to challenge you.

“I made two coins like this and used the other to buy something in the city a few days ago. By now it can be anywhere, waiting to find its way to someone with a strong enough intention or emotion to activate it. I’m giving you this so you know I mean business. The other one, you have to find and collect it yourself.”

“I refuse.” Flow said. “I’m still not interested in being in your team, so why should I play along?”

“Then don’t,” he shrugged. “Let that dangerous Artifact go feral and affect innocent people, that’s not a problem for us . Now if you’re done bluffing horribly, there’s another condition. This one is not coming from my boss though – it’s coming from me.

“You and your friend have twenty-four hours to procure the other coin. If you don’t, I win something from you.”

He pointed at Flow’s chest.

“Your Enchant. If you fail, I want the power of Disentropy . And I will have it.”

“And what the Sorcerer thinks about you cooking your own steak?” a new voice asked.

Flow turned toward the exit to see Nocturknight standing there in her full garb. She held her sword on the ready.

“Natasha Alexton… sorry, I won't twist my tongue with your ridiculous alias. And don’t be silly, of course my master won’t care. He tasked me to come up with a challenge for you and this is it. He left the specifics for me to figure out. He couldn’t care less if I took some magic toy from you if you fail.”

He snapped his fingers, summoning a swirling black portal in the air behind him. He stepped through with one leg, then turned back toward them.

“This world belongs to those who have the strength to take it for themselves and the determination to hold it. Nothing else matters. The sooner you learn that the less you will hurt.”

He vanished.

“No you won’t!”

Nocturknight dashed past Flow, jumping toward the shrinking portal.

“Wait!”

Flow grabbed her coat, almost making both of them fall.

“What are you doing‽” she shouted.

The portal closed.

“You don’t know where that thing leads! You could run headfirst into the warlocks’ nest – or it might tear you apart if you don’t have the artifact that opened it! And we have to take this to Artemis,” Flow held up the coin. “Or we might just end up giving them back. I’m not even transformed! I’m sorry but we have to work together!”

“His right hand was still at this side!” she groaned, pulling away her coat from Flow. “I thought I might be able to grab it and pull him back before he vanishes completely.”

“I… I didn’t notice that,” Flow said. “It looked like you were about to…”

“I can’t explain all my thoughts if we have to act on a moment’s notice!” Nocturknight flailed with frustration – a bit dangerous as she was still holding her sword. “Yes, we have to work together, but that means you have to trust me. Even if it looks like I’m about to do something really stupid. We’d never be able to beat Poison Rose if I questioned all your actions.”

Flow’s shoulders fell.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

She huffed.

“It’s fine. Looks like we have to skip class, I hope your parents won’t be too difficult about it.”

“I’ll figure out something, it should be okay.”

“Even though I can see that becoming a problem if this will be happening a lot.”

“Wait, and your parents?”

“I can handle it. Okay, then transform. The sooner we get this coin to Artemis the sooner we can start the actual Artifact hunt.”

“Transform?” Flow blinked. “You want to cross the city in costume?”

She smiled and winked at them.

“What did I say about trust?”

<>

The wind blew into Ruthen’s silver locks as the tram sped through the city center with the two Enchanters on top. They laughed, a mixture of thrill and euphoria running through their veins. They felt unstoppable.

“You’re right, we’ll get there much faster this way.”

“Told you,” Nocturknight answered. “I mapped out some paths throughout the city in the past few days. We can take advantage of the speed of the traffic, but also we can bypass jams and change direction easily – and it’s completely free! Guess there’s some benefits to being a superhero.”

A blue bus pulled up next to the tram.

“That doesn’t stop until the shopping district. There we can switch to the tram toward the Ghost District, we’ll be at the shop in a few minutes.”

Ruthen nodded. From a car between the tram and the bus, a little child looked out at the two costumed figures with an amazed expression. Ruthen smiled under their scarf and waved at the kid, then pushed themself from the tram. They made a somersault above the car and landed gracefully on the top of the bus.

“I know that it can be dangerous if too many people learn about magic, but I wonder, if we find a way to deal with the Sorcerer, maybe we could make the Enchants available to the public? There’s so many issues that could be solved with a little spell. My Disentropy alone could heal so many sick and injured people…”

They frowned.

“Maybe that’s exactly why Scarlet Wind wants it? He didn’t seem crazy about the whole villain thing, the things he said almost sounded resigned. If he, or someone he’s close to is sick maybe he got into this to get help? But why does he want my Enchant when the Artifacts seem to be so much more powerful…?”

Nocturknight landed next to them.

“Whoops.”

The end of the street was closed off because of road works, so the bus took an alternate way, now heading toward a bridge that went over the road. It was high enough for buses – but there wasn’t much extra space for hitchhikers at the top.

“I don’t know if we can lay low enough for that. Maybe we should get off?”

“Don’t worry, I was practicing some new tricks too,” Ruthen said.

They took off their scarf and started to spin it like a lasso. As the bus passed under the bridge, they threw the scarf upwards. It wrapped around the railing.

Ruthen looked at Nocturknight, offering their hand. Holding each other, they pulled themselves up and landed on the railing just as the bus vanished under them. It was a small bridge with only one lane. Not wasting a moment, they jumped over the rushing cars, at the other railing, then dropped down, just as the bus emerged from under the bridge.

Nocturknight landed safely, but Ruthen fell a bit too close to the edge and losing their footing they started to wobble. Nocturknight jumped toward them and caught their hand, keeping them from falling down from the bus. A gust of wind snatched her hat as she held the other tightly. Ruthen reached out with their free hand and caught the flying hat, just before she pulled them back into safely.

“Thanks,” they said, then they spun the hat in their hat and offered it to Nocturknight. She took it and put it on with a smile.

<>

“So the Sorcerer is already sending his best soldiers after you,” Artemis said. They were all sitting in the same spacey backroom where he told them about everything the first time. Flow and Natasha were both munching on some cookies Nox served them to gain back the energy they used up on their way here. “That’s really worrying.”

“That’s not all,” Flow said. “They know who we are.”

“I was afraid that might happen. The Enchants can do only so much to protect your identity – they can hide you from cameras when you transform, but the Sorcerer has magical ways of spying on people.”

“Wait, so you’re saying he could be watching us right now ?” Natasha asked.

“No, not here. He can’t see into the Mistworld. Also, I’m not sure about the full extent of his powers, but he probably can’t just find you instantly at his will – he might be able to do that with other humans, but the Enchants are mist magic, so they should throw him off somewhat. But he can observe places, so once he knows where you are, he can follow you around.”

“That’s just great,” the girl said. “All I need is a stalker with scrying powers.”

“I understand the concern, but it’s not as bad as it seems,” Nox said. “He can’t see and hear everything all at once, I’m sure that would be too overwhelming, no matter how powerful he is. Between operating the warlocks and looking for new victims to create cursed Artifacts, he can’t be watching you all the time.”

“Even though that’s true, things are still getting more and more dangerous,” Artemis said. “I feel like I should remind you that you can quit, nobody can hold it against you if you don’t want to be involved in this anymore.”

“No way,” Natasha shook her head. “That bastard is already onto us, he made it pretty clear that he has an interest in us. I’m not willing to believe that he will just leave us alone if we turn tail. I want to fight .”

Flow nodded in agreement.

“You said Enchanters used to give people hope. I wasn’t sure I can really do that, but apparently the little we already did was enough for people to have a bit more faith. I don’t know yet if I’m worthy of that, but I don’t want to just quit before giving my best.”

“In that case, you have to prepare for things becoming more intense from now on,” Artemis said. He reached into his commode and presented them with the ornate black box again. “It’s still a bit early for this, but I want you both to pick a few more Enchants. Don’t wear them all the time, just keep them at hand. Being able to switch powers mid-battle can be a real game changer.”

“With a bit more practice you’ll be able to wield them together, getting access to all of their powers. But that’s pretty draining so you shouldn’t experiment with that on the field.” Nox said. “Art and I are constantly looking for new potential wielders, so you have more help… even though we are more careful now with what items we use. But there’s not many people out there with such a powerful glow as you have.”

“However in emergency situations, you can recruit the help of temporal wielders,” Artemis added. “We did it a few times ourselves when we did not have human Enchanters.”

“Temporal?” Flow raised an eyebrow.

“Most people can’t wield an Enchant for long, but even humans with an average glow can use them for a limited amount of time. If you ever find yourself overwhelmed by the warlocks, you can pick someone you trust and give them an Enchant. Once the crisis is averted you take them back.”

“That sounds risky.” Natasha said. “Why involve more people and not just use the Enchants ourselves?”

“You can do that, but don’t underestimate the strength in numbers,” Nox said. “Having multiple Enchants won’t make you any stronger, quicker or tougher than one does, it just lets you use all their special powers. Sometimes that’s a good strategy, and sometimes having more empowered people is better. It’s your call.”

“I know it’s hard to ask for help when it can put someone else in danger – we’re dealing with that doubt every day when we ask you two to go out there,” Artemis said. “But don’t forget, you don’t have to deal with everything alone.”

<>

As the tram left the Ghost District, Ruthen and Nocturknight jumped off and made their way at the top of a lower building nearby. They looked toward the more populated areas of Pollapolis.

“So what?” Nocturknight asked. “Should we just wander aimlessly until our Enchants go off? We’re looking for a single coin in a city – I’d say it’s like looking for a needle in the haystack, but that seems easier honestly.”

“Guess this is when we should follow our instincts?” Ruthen shrugged.

“Then better we get down to it. It surely won’t come to us, so the more we move around the greater the chance is that we get into its vicinity. From how far we can sense magic anyway? Sometimes I wish it would be a more exact science.”

Ruthen looked around and noticed a small scene not far away from their waypoint. A car seemed to have crashed into a tree and next to it a middle-aged woman, looking distraught, was looking for something on her phone.

“I have an idea,” Ruthen said. “Yes, we should look for the coin for sure, but until we find it, how about we make use of our time a little more?”

They looked at Nocturknight.

“The Sorcerer sent us a message. Don’t you want to do the same?”

“How?”

Warping their scarf around a tree, Ruthen jumped off of the building and swung right at the top of the damaged car. The woman jumped back in surprise, looking at the short cloaked figure on her vehicle.

“Don’t panic!” Ruthen held up their hands. “Sorry for alarming you, I just wanted to check if you’re okay. I’m Ruthen.”

They jumped down from the car, trying not to startle the woman even more.

“R… Ruthen? I remember you from the news. You’re one of those…”

“Enchanters. Are you okay? Do you need medical help?”

“No, I’m fine, it’s just my car that’s totaled… sorry, but is there an emergency or something? Aren’t you guys after the warlocks?”

She looked around warily.

“We are, but don’t worry, you’re not in danger. It’s just a little… let’s call it community service I guess.”

They turned toward the car. It didn’t look good, the front of it was flattened like in a cartoon.

“Okay, let’s give this a look.”

Using their enhanced strength, they pushed the car a little further from the tree and opened the hood. Then they jumped back as a big cloud of black smoke flew out. The hood fell to the side as one of the hinges broke.

“Are you… sure you’re qualified for this?” the woman asked doubtfully.

“We’ll find out in a moment. Disentropy!”

Magical power covered the car for a moment. The bent bodywork returned to its original shape. The black smoke vanished. Even the broken hood clicked back into its normal position. Ruthen shut it and turned to the woman.

“Give it a try now.”

Blinking, she sat in the driver seat and turned the key. The car started immediately.

“This is amazing!” she said. “How could I thank you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ruthen said cheerfully. “Just be careful as you head home. Goodbye!”

With that, they swung away.

“That’s how you send a message?” Nocturknight asked as they returned to the roof. “By fixing a car?”

Ruthen opened up Herald on their phone and made a quick search on their name.

“Here it is, she already posted it. Ruthen just fixed my car – I wouldn’t believe it if it didn’t happen to me. Heh, she says it even fixed that clicking sound that made her go crazy.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Look, people are curious about us now. I don’t know if I like it or not, but that’s just how it is. If they're going to post about us either way, why don’t we make sure that the Sorcerer understands that we’re not backing off? That we’re not afraid to go out and help people? Of course saving their lives is good enough, but if we’re at it, why don’t give them a little more hope than that? Give them a bit of… magic? If they believe we might show up and help with whatever troubles them that might prevent them from falling prey for the Sorcerer.”

“I don’t know… I feel like we should conserve our energy and focus on our objective. We can’t use our power indefinitely, remember?”

“I’m not saying we should go out of our way to help everyone. Just let’s keep our eyes open while looking for the Artifact, all right?”

“I guess… the most of it will be you anyway. Your power to fix things can help a lot with everyday issues. All I can do is cut things into pieces. I almost feel like I should switch to another Enchant and save Singularity for battles where we have to go all out.”

“Well, you can always get cats down from trees.”

She gave them a flat look.

“Are you teasing me?”

“Maybe.” they flicked her hat. “Catch me if you can.”

They threw their scarf at another building and swung away.

“Seriously?” she raised her arms. “All right. You asked for it.”

With a running start, she jumped after Ruthen.

<>

I just saw Ruthen and Nocturknight save two office workers from a burning building!!

Nocturknight cuts out a man from a crashed car – wonderfully he has no injuries

Amateur theater troupe say Ruthen saved their show – their lead sprained an ankle just before the performance, but they somehow healed it with laying on hands

Nocturknight and Ruthen is reported to save several cats stuck on trees around the city

I had a meltdown in the supermarket today. It was awful, but then Nocturknight showed up and got the security guards to let me in the staff room and leave me alone until I calmed down

“Why did you go to the supermarket?” Ruthen raised an eyebrow as they scrolled through the news.

“There was some asshole who live streamed the whole thing through his phone,” she frowned with anger. “I took them aside and… convinced him to delete it. I wish I could just kick him in the balls then and there, but I figured that making a bigger scene would just make it worse for that kid.”

“Some of these stories seem to be made up for the sake of traction but guess there isn’t much we can do about that. The important thing is that people seem to be happy to have us around.”

“Yeah, but we still have no idea where the coin is. We were on the way for hours and I didn’t sense anything.”

“I was thinking about it and I guess it’s okay if we take a break,” Ruthen said. “Scarlet Wind said the coin needs someone with the right emotion or intention to activate it, so we can’t be even sure it will happen today. However, if we don’t find it before his arbitrary time limit, he’ll show up to take my Enchant.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t want to face him with our powers depleted.”

“Also, we were performing heroic feats all day and Flow and Natasha were missing all day. I’m not saying people will connect the dots just because of that, but we should take care of our incognitos too.”

“We should get some food and rest and switch to passive surveying.” she nodded. “If we get news of anything paranormal that's not us then we just run there to check it out.”

They jumped into an abandoned alleyway, far from prying eyes.

“Disenchant!”

“Hey, Igne just messaged me,” Flow looked at their phone. “They’re asking if I’m feeling better… oh yeah, I was faking being sick, so they wouldn’t look for me in school. Hopefully it doesn’t get back to my parents, I’d hate having to explain that.”

“Yeah, we should come up with an emergency alibi at some point,” Natasha said, checking if she had all her belongings on her. Transformation had this strange effect that seemed to remove all the stuff you normally had on you, but if you needed something later, you just happened to find them in your costume. Convenient for sure, but just a bit too mysterious for complete comfort.

“Matis says if I’m feeling better, I could join them. They’re hanging out in a cafe in the shopping district.”

“Great,” the girl said, turning toward the exit of the alley. “Have fun.”

“Wait! Actually don’t you want to join? We need to refresh, but if something happens it might be safer if we’re close.”

The girl looked at them, but only for a moment before turning away.

“Or we might get trapped in a situation where none of us can transform safely. We know that Scarlet Wind will probably target you but that also could be a distraction, having us thinking that we know his next step. Let’s split up, if he comes after one of us, the other can strike from an unexpected direction.”

“Uh, okay, good plan I guess…” they wiped their forehead awkwardly, like they were swiping away nonexistent bangs. “But are you sure…?”

“About what?” she blinked at them.

“I don’t know. That aren’t you mad at me?”

“For what?” Natasha shook her head.

“For earlier. The thing with the portal and Scarlet Wind, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, mistakes happen.”

“Then is there something else?”

She frowned with frustration.

“What’s this about? Why are you so sure that I’m angry?”

Flow crossed their arms before their chest and looked away.

“I don’t know. I had this feeling since we met, that somehow I annoy you. I wanted to ask about it earlier, but then whenever we transform we seem to work so well together. We took down Poison Rose and her army on our first day. And today was a lot of fun… well okay, maybe fun is not the best world. Wait, actually yes. I had fun spending the day with you.

“But then… I don’t know, when we’re just our normal selves… I know these are just disguises and we’re supposed to be the same under them. But sometimes it really feels like you’re a different person when you’re Nocturknight.”

Natasha put her hands on her hips, now staring at the enby with furrowed brows.

“Well, I am me, and a stupid costume won’t change that. And I don’t know what you're getting at, other than implying that I’m being dishonest with you.”

“That’s not what I meant. I just… if I’m making you uncomfortable I’d like to know, so I can do something about it.”

“No, that’s not it,” the girl said firmly. “You’re trying to frame this like I’m the one having a problem with you. But it’s pretty clear that you have some issues with me or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. So for both of ours sake, stop beating around it and spit it out.”

Flow felt their face burning and their heart thumping. They turned toward the closed end of the alley and looked at a heap of junk. They kinda felt like burying themself into it and staying there until they could forget about this whole interaction.

“Look, I’m sorry. I can get anxious about these things and sometimes I get carried away with the scenarios in my head. Probably I’m the one creating the whole problem again…”

“So that’s how it will be from now on?” Natasha asked coldly. “You expect me to play with open cards but if I ask the same then suddenly it’s nothing? Geez, that must be convenient, always having the other being the bad guy.”

“That’s not what…”

“Not what you meant, get it. But if you won’t tell me what you do mean then I have to come up with some interpretation, don’t you think?”

Flow took a deep, jagged breath to calm down.

“Okay, that’s fair. I think what really bothers me… what I really wanted to ask this whole time…” they tried to keep looking at her while talking, but they couldn’t help turning their gaze away before continuing. “Are we… really friends?”

Natasha’s eyes widened and she took a surprised breath, but didn’t say anything.

“Just because…” Flow continued slowly. “After all the stuff that happened to us, the magic and the battles and all… it’s kinda hard to not see you as a friend. And honestly I can’t just turn that off the moment we change back. I know that our incognito is important, but you saved my life, we share what’s probably the biggest secret of the world, it has… weight. And it’s not like I can talk about this stuff with anyone, we’re together in this. I want to do this right and be on your side whether we are Nocturknight and Ruthen or not. But I have no idea if this is also how you feel about it, and I guess that starts to mess with my head.”

“I see,” Natasha said after a moment of silence.

“So, this is the part where you also say something, or…”

“Tell me about your family,” the girl asked suddenly.

“H… huh? Okay, what do you want to know?”

“You live with both of your parents right? Any siblings?”

“Yeah, I have a sister. She’s at university, but took a break this year for an internship.”

“A sister, huh? Okay. Do you love her?”

Flow blinked with confusion.

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Okay. And would you want her to be an Enchanter?”

They froze.

“What do you mean?”

“Think about all the crazy things we do. You saw me jumping off buildings and trams. Sword-fighting a supervillain. I saw you drain your life force to turn a horde of zombies against their master and I let myself be affected by her power on purpose. Do you think we could just let the other do any of that if we were close before getting into this?

“That’s what happened today in the school, isn’t it? You stopped seeing me as an Enchanter doing my job – you just saw your new friend doing something reckless.”

“Wasn’t you the one lecturing me about being reckless?” Flow asked quietly.

“Yes, because I have to be able to trust you when we’re on the field. That means knowing that you won’t just throw away your life for a pointless heroic gesture. Look…”

She fell silent for a moment. Then she looked Flow into the eyes.

“I can’t do this without you, okay? You’re my partner. But the reason we work so well together is that our partnership has a reason. If we start to get entangled in stuff outside of that…” she looked at the dirty concrete between the two of them. “… we’ll pay a price you don’t want to.”

Flow looked at her for a few moments.

“That… sounds pretty heavy. But I guess I understand. Thanks for being honest.”

“So…” Natasha gave them a side-look. “Are we okay?”

“Sure.” Flow forced a smile, then giggled a little. “Sorry, it really feels like I should say something else, but I can’t figure out what. Guess I’m just happy that we cleared that up.”

Hiding their hands in their oversized hoodie, they walked past the girl and headed outside of the alley.

“Make sure you get some rest,” they said.

“Yeah, you too.”

Natasha stood there until the enby’s footsteps faded away behind her. Then she put her back against the nearest wall and slowly slipped down on the ground.

“What the hell did I get myself into again?”

She sat at the base of the wall and stared ahead blankly until she felt wet droplets running down on her face. She looked up and her vision went blurry with a splash.

It was raining.

<>

Stepping into the cafe, Flow noticed Igne’s colorful coiffure immediately. It was a nice place at first look, they were making an effort to give the interior a cozy feeling. Small tables in slightly separated boxes with plush armchairs instead of normal chairs. There was a bit of background music, but it wasn’t too intrusive – each table had its own speaker, allowing the guests to adjust the volume to their liking, and apparently it was limited so you couldn’t turn it way up to interfere with others too much.

Flow stepped to the table with Igne and Matis and greeted them.

“Hey.”

“Hey, glad you could come!” Igne said. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, much better,” Flow said, their face turning a bit red. “My stomach was feeling weird after lunch and I panicked that it’s food poisoning. But after a little rest it feels alright, I probably overreacted a bit.”

“Oh, so then it wasn’t…” Matis scratched his face. “Nevermind.”

“Huh?” Flow gave him a confused look while they sat down.

“You know,” he shrugged. “After lunch, you ran away to talk to Natasha. Then you never came back and suddenly texted us that you were feeling sick. I didn’t want to assume, but I was afraid that she might’ve said… I don’t know.”

“Oh,” they blinked. “Should I…?”

Admitting to a lie just to lie about the reason seemed like a good way to get into an overwhelming spiral of deception until eventually they had no idea who knew what. But Matis was pretty insightful, and even if they couldn’t be completely honest to their friends, being open about as much as they could was tempting, especially given the circumstances.

“Okay, you caught me,” they sighed with an awkward, guilty expression. “You’re right, I talked to her and after that I felt like I needed a bit of time, so I reported sick.”

“Aw man,” Igne sighed. “I hoped that… well, hoping that you actually had food poisoning would sound stupid, doesn’t it?”

“But it wasn’t that bad,” Flow tried to assure them. “Turns out, she wasn’t mad at me as I thought, so that’s good to know. But also, I don’t think we’ll hang out much in the future.”

“At least not as Natasha and Flow.”

“It’s fine, really,” they said. “I just wanted to know if she wanted to be friends with me and she doesn’t. It’s better that we’ve cleared that up, I can deal with it.”

“Too bad, I really thought she could use some company,” Matis said. “I know some people are just not that comfortable with others and it’s not good to push them to open up, but she sometimes seems so wary of others… honestly I’m kinda worried about her home life.”

“Isn’t her mother dirty rich?” Igne asked.

“Having money doesn’t mean that she treats her well.”

“I know, I’m not that stupid. It’s just, Mrs. Alexton always seems so nice on TV, it’s hard to imagine that she would be terrible to her kid.”

“Alexton?” Flow blinked as the dots started to connect in their head. “Wait, you mean Agatha Alexton ? Owner of the Alexton Networks?”

“Yeah, she’s Natasha’s mother,” Matis said. “Well, her adoptive mother. She was an orphan.”

Flow’s jaw dropped.

Tell me about your family.

Do you love her?

“It’s easy to forget that you’re from the conglomerations,” Igne said. “It was big news around here when she got adopted. I was very young but I still remember the stories everywhere. They presented it like some real life fairy tale, penniless girl adopted into riches, you know?”

“Wait, the building what's destruction Scarlet Wind was involved with was Alexton Tower… it was her family’s property, but she didn’t say anything. Did she think I’d know? Or… is her family somehow connected to the warlocks? That’s why…?”

No, that was going too far. The warlocks attacked people and caused chaos just for the sake of it. They couldn’t make up conspiracy theories about Natasha just because they wanted a valid reason to be angry at her.

“Hey, you’re okay?” Matis looked at them with worry. “Sorry, maybe we shouldn’t talk about her…”

“No-no, it’s fine,” they said. “I just feel a bit silly. I made up this story in my head, that we’re going to be best buddies, but turns out I don’t know even the most basic things about her.”

“Well, I can’t really blame you,” Igne said. “She didn’t just save you from Richard, she also went out of her way to make sure you have people to hang out with. That’s kinda strange, even for her.”

“I remember her from elementary,” Matis said, thinking. “It’s not like we ever talked, but she used to get into trouble quite often. But then after the adoption she was removed from class and got home schooled, up until she entered high school. It must be hard to get back among others after being separated for so long. And from what I collected, some people took her being distant and reserved as arrogance because of her upbringing.”

“That’s sure what Richard thinks about her,” Igne said. “They were in foster care together for a while and he has this fixation that Natasha looks down on him because she got adopted, and into a rich family on top of that. But that’s stupid, you don’t need money to hate Richard’s guts. He’s been a bully since kindergarten.”

A young waitress stepped to their table.

“Hi, sorry for the wait! I just saw that there’s a new person here, can I get you something?” she asked Flow.

They looked up from their thoughts and noticed that the girl couldn’t be a few years older than them. She had green hair and she was wearing round glasses.

“Bianca?” they asked with surprise. “Hi, didn’t expect to see you here.”

She blinked, then recognition lit her eyes.

“Oh! Flow, right? I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

“It’s okay, it was a pretty busy day when we met,” they laughed. “For everyone I guess. What’s up with… how are you doing?”

They didn’t have the chance to really check on Bianca since the Botanic Garden. They wanted to ask her if she feels any better, but then she might not be comfortable talking about that to Igne and Matis – or even to Flow for that matter, they didn’t know each other that well after all.

She smiled.

“Much better, thanks. We talked a lot with Chile since then and, well… it will take time before we can trust each other the way we always did before. But none of us wants to lose our friendship and we know that we’d never hurt each other on purpose, so guess it’ll work out eventually.”

“That’s great,” Flow said and they meant it. But there was a bit of bitterness. “Yeah, guess even the oldest and strongest friendships can be challenging to manage sometimes. You can’t just speedrun a bond like that.”

Bianca gave them a confused look.

“Oh right, you’re from our school, right?” Matis asked Bianca quickly.

A bit late, Flow remembered the social protocol for this situation and clumsily introduced everyone to everyone else.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Bianca said. “Would you like anything else?”

“Another cola please,” Igne said, drinking the last of their drink.

“I’m fine,” Matis nodded toward his half eaten apple pie.

Flow quickly skimmed through the menu, feeling bad for holding up Bianca so long during work.

“Guess I’ll try the chocolate cookie ice cream. And a cola for me too.”

“Sure thing.”

She pulled out a worn looking notepad from under her belt to write down the order, but her fingers fumbled. The notepad fell on the ground and slipped under the table.

“I’ll get it,” Igne offered.

They grabbed the notebook that fell right next to their feet and raised it. It opened on a random page, near the end.

“Wow,” Igne said as they saw it. “Did you make this?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bianca said with a flustered smile. “I sometimes sketch when I have the time.”

Flow took a peek and saw a pretty detailed pencil drawing in the notebook. It was colorless and the lines were a bit messy, but it was still easy to recognize that it was a portrait of Nocturknight from up close. Her eyes turned to the side, like she was looking out for danger – or maybe checking on someone on her side. Flow noticed that Bianca drew a few freckles, even though it was hard to notice them under the mask.

“She did get a good look when Nocturknight carried her to the rooftop. Hopefully it won’t be an issue if she crosses paths with Natasha in school.”

“That’s amazing, you’re talented,” Matis said.

“Thanks. It’s just some doodles, but you’re really nice.”

“I almost forgot that you probably spent the most time with the Enchanters – even though after today’s news there will probably be a lot more witnesses,” Igne said. “Did you draw Ruthen too?”

They handed back the notepad to Bianca. It was just an accident after all, and even though they were curious, they didn’t want to intrude on her privacy on purpose.

“I draw a lot of people for practice,” she said.

“Avoiding the question?” Flow thought.

Did they envy Nocturknight for having such a dedicated fan already? Well, maybe. It felt a bit silly, as they weren’t even sure if they wanted to have any fans at all, but maybe it was just their self-doubt acting up again. Everyone daydreams about being admired by others every now and then, right?

And it’s not like they could blame Bianca. The bitter it felt to admit this at the moment, Nocturknight was cool. Being Ruthen felt liberating, like the power and disguise let them leave the person they were behind, so they could do things they would never try as Flow. But for her, it just seemed to click.

“She was already helping people before. Maybe not with huge things, but what did I do? It’s like she was already a hero, she just missed her powers.”

Whatever happened or will happen between them, they won't regret introducing Natasha to Artemis, Flow decided. If someone, she was really meant for this job.

“They’re so awesome, both of them,” Igne said with a fanciful expression. “Maybe one day…”

Flow couldn’t help but smile.

“Guess I can always count on Igne’s support.”

Bianca got their orders and they chattered away until it was time to head home.

“It’s my turn to treat everyone, isn’t it?” Igne asked, opening their wallet.

“Wait,” Matis pulled out his own. “If you’re going to pay anyway, don’t you want to exchange my loose change?”

“You keep hoarding small change like some dragon,” Igne scolded him teasingly. “I bet you don’t have a bed at home but sleep on a huge pile of coins.”

“Guess even I have some messy habits,” Matis shrugged, handing a handful of change to them.

Flow felt like electricity was running over their skin as their Enchant started to pulsate on their chest. They gasped.

“Igne, put those coins do-”

Wind blew through the closed room, making the people around them grunt. Igne let go of the coins, spilling them on the table and floor until only one remained in their hand.

“Whoa. I feel… different.”

They absentmindedly pocketed the coin and grabbed the edge of their table.

“What are you doing?” Matis asked.

Igne lifted the table with one hand, their arm not even trembling. They laughed.

“This is amazing! It’s like it doesn’t have weight at all.”

That was when Bianca rushed to them to check out what the scene was about.

“Hey guys, is everything okay?”

“Yes, I’m feeling amazing!” Igne said cheerfully. As they gestured widely with the table, it slipped out of their hand and crashed against a wall with incredible speed, breaking into pieces. People screamed but luckily nobody got hit.

“Whoops, sorry,” Igne laughed. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

“Okay, so this coin obviously isn’t about mind control,” Flow thought. “ Did Matis have it on him this whole time? Maybe we can only sense Artifacts when they’re active – makes sense, I never sense anything in the shop, even though it’s full of them.”

This was looking bad. They needed an excuse to get away and enchant themself before Igne goes completely out of control, but they couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t be incredibly suspicious at the moment.

“Okay, what’s the big idea?”

A big, muscular guy with long blonde hair came out from behind the counter. He was wearing the same white shirt and black pants combo as Bianca, so Flow guessed he was another employee, but he might’ve been the owner as well. In any case, the way he clenched his impressive fists besides his trunk suggested he wasn’t a fan of guests looking for trouble.

“Frank, please get the other guests out of here,” Bianca told him quickly. “I think Igne got… warlovified.”

“Warlovify? Tell me that’s not going to be a word from now on.”

(It totally will.

                       - Wisp)

It took only a moment for the people around to understand what’s going on and start to run outside, screaming about a warlock attack. The ones who weren’t close enough to hear Bianca picked it up quickly and followed order.

“… or that works too,” the girl sighed.

“You sure I shouldn’t stay?” Frank asked, measuring Igne, like he was trying to assess the threat.

“Go.” Bianca looked at him sternly.

He nodded and hurried out, leaving Bianca, Matis and Flow alone with Igne in the cafe.

“Look, sorry about the ruckus, but there’s no need to panic,” Igne said with a grin. “I’m fine.”

“This happened to me, remember?” Bianca said. “I know it feels overwhelming and it’s easy to lose yourself to the power, but you have to keep it together and let go of it, or you might end up hurting someone.”

“But you were turning into an evil zombie-making villainess! That’s not happening to me, I’m still myself.”

They raised their arms, stepping back. Accidentally, they kicked their armchair flying through the room and smashed a window.

“At first I was myself too,” Bianca pointed out. “I just had this power suddenly that I couldn’t control.”

“And that’s exactly what seems to be happening to you,” Matis added. “Igne, I think you need help.”

“Did you hear a voice?” Bianca asked. “Or saw a shadowy figure maybe?”

“She thinks Igne was tricked the same way she was. But this time the Sorcerer didn’t use Igne to create an Artifact, he had one of his lackeys leave one lying around until someone stumbled upon and activated it,” Flow thought. “But why? If they can create such powerful things themselves then why do they need to use people?”

“No, none of that happened to me,” Igne said. “I’m telling you guys that this is different. I’m sorry about all the damage, I’ll pay for it okay? But I think it’s about something bigger. About my…” they bit their lip.

“About what?” Flow asked.

“My destiny, okay?” Igne said. “Look, I always wanted to be strong, so I could help people. And teach a lesson to scum like Richard. I think this is a sign, I think… I think I have to join Ruthen and Nocturknight as an Enchanter!”

They turned around and walked toward the door.

“I think if you really want to help them you should sit down and wait for them to arrive!” Matis suggested.

“No way, people might need my help right now!”

They pushed the door to open it, but instead it fell out together with its frame and a big chunk of the surrounding wall, crashing on the ground.

“Whoops,” Igne chuckled. “It’s okay, I just still have to get used to my new strength.”

“We need to calm them down until the Enchanters arrive, or people will get seriously hurt,” Bianca shook her head.

“I…” Flow looked at the ground, their voice shaking a bit. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do it. I still remember in the Botanic Garden, when our classmates lost themselves and attacked me, I just can’t…”

Bianca put a hand on their shoulder.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to.”

“I feel like such a coward,” Flow said. “You were affected much worse back then, yet you go after Igne.”

It really did feel wrong to use what must be a traumatic experience for Bianca just to excuse themself but they really needed an alibi.

“If that’s what you feel then that’s what you feel,” Bianca said. “No need to compare yourself to others.”

“Besides, it’s not the smartest idea to go after them either,” Matis said. “But I got some experience with talking sense into Igne, and Bianca understands what they’re going through better than most people would. We have a decent chance to achieve something, but there’s not really a reason to put you at risk too.”

Flow nodded.

“Be careful out there.” “And don’t get hurt before I catch up to you.”

<>

The street was in chaos as people ran everywhere screaming. Broken benches and lamp posts marked Igne’s way and attempts to interact with their environment in any way.

“Igne!” Matis shouted at his friend. “Just stop, you must see that you can’t possibly help anyone like this.”

They turned toward him with a frustrated expression.

“I know, I’m not stupid, okay?” they said. “I can’t control my power. But I have to find Ruthen and Nocturknight. Ruthen can fix everything, right? Then they show me how to use this properly and everything will be okay.”

“Igne, watch out!” Bianca screamed.

A panicked bypasser ran through the road without looking. As they stepped right before a car, the driver had no choice but to pull sharply to the side, running up on the pavement. The vehicle spun around, right toward Igne.

The enby looked up, but all they could do was to raise their arms defensively as the side of the car hit them. It broke in half around Igne, both pieces slipping several meters before stopping on the concrete. Igne looked down at their unharmed body with disbelief.

“Did someone say ‘fixing’?”

Ruthen looked down at the street from one of the still standing lamp posts, then jumped down and ran to the front piece of the car, where the driving seat was. They opened the door – it clanked on the sidewalk as the hinges broke off.

The driver’s head was leaning on the steering wheel, the airbag didn’t seem to open for some reason. They seemed unconscious, blood and some other, clear liquid dripping from their nose. Then the smell hit them – bitter and a bit metallic, reminding them the taste in their mouth when they bit their tongue on accident, only much more intense – and they had to stop breathing to avoid losing the ice cream they just had.

“Are they okay?” Ruthen heard Igne’s worried voice.

“Please, let this work…”

“Disentropy!”

The magic enclosed the driver and a moment later he raised his head, blinking.

“Wh- what just happened? There was a kid on the sidewalk… are they okay?”

Ruthen let out a big sigh of relief.

“Yes, nobody got hurt. But your insurance company is going to have a day.”

They stepped away from the car and turned to the teen next to them.

“Look, Igne…”

“Whoa, you know my name?” they stared at Ruthen with surprise.

“Err…”

“Wait, I get it!” Igne slapped their forehead. “It all makes sense now! You guys must have kept an eye on me, waiting for my powers to activate, right? You knew I was one of you all along.”

“Look, I’m sorry Igne, but it’s not like you think,” Ruthen shook their head. “You have accidentally activated an Artifact.”

“A what?”

“Okay so…” Ruthen felt lost for a moment. “There’s this power called glow that some humans have, and some people can channel it through… it’s really hard to explain it simply, but do you know the stories where wizards make an enchanted or cursed object? Then they lose track of it, just for a normal person to find it, and it causes all kinds of troubles?”

“Y… yeah.”

“It’s that. You have one of those on you, that’s why you’re so strong and invulnerable. It’s the coin your friend has given to you.”

Igne reached into their pocket, fiddling with something.

“So… it’s not my power? I wasn’t even chosen for this, it was just a stupid accident?”

Ruthen gave them a gentle look.

“Listen, maybe I don’t know you that well, but I’m sure you’re a really good person. My… my hero sense tells me so. There’s lots of ways someone can be a hero. Right now, all you have to do is hand me that coin to make sure that everyone is safe.”

“But, okay, wait…” they backed off, away from Ruthen. “Maybe it wasn’t my destiny, but it might still be? I have this power now, right? So it could be used for good. Much worse people could have gotten it…”

“It’s too dangerous,” Ruthen said. “Artifacts are powerful but they have their own intentions. You can’t just use them at your leisure. The more you rely on them, the more their intention will overcome your own.”

“Then what about you?” Igne asked desperately. “Your powers are coming from somewhere, don’t you have one of these Artifacts too?”

“That’s… complicated.”

“No, it’s not,” Igne said, hanging their head low. “You just don’t think I’m cut out for the job.”

“That’s not what…”

“It’s okay, I understand. I was only a hero for a few minutes, but all I did was break everything and endanger people. But I can do much better than that!”

“Igne, it’s not about you, I promise…”

But they weren’t listening. Igne stretched their arms and white energy enclosed their body. In a moment, their outfit changed into a cobalt spandex, highlighting big muscles that, Ruthen was pretty sure, didn’t exist before. Their chest was decorated with the symbol of a flaming I and a yellow-orange cape appeared on their shoulder, waving dramatically in the wind.

“Igne, why don’t you listen to Ruthen?” Matis asked their friend. “You used to believe in them so much.”

“And I still do,” Igne said. “But soon they will believe in me too!”

They jumped up at the top of a nearby building, cracking the frontispiece in the process. A few pieces of debris fell down, one of them almost hitting Matis, but Ruthen managed to pull him away in the last second.

“Watch out!” they called out, as another chunk of concrete fell toward Bianca. They spun their scarf, but before they could wrap the girl into it to pull her away, a black and red blur flew through the air. Nocturknight cut the debris into two pieces and it fell on the ground harmlessly, avoiding Bianca.

“Let’s get the civilians out of here before dealing with that kid!” Nocturknight looked at Ruthen.

They nodded and quickly scooped up Matis while she grabbed Bianca.

<>

“Sorry, looks like this keeps happening,” Nocturknight said as she put Bianca at the top of a skyscraper in safe distance from the battlefield.

“I don’t mind at all,” the girl said, adjusting her glasses after the intense trip through the air. “Uh, I mean, I’m just happy that you and Ruthen are here to look out for us. I saw how many people you helped just today. I’m sure you’re really busy and all, but I was thinking if you liked…”

“Sorry,” Nocturknight interrupted. “It would be cool to chat but I kind of have my hands full at the moment,” she nodded toward where they just came from.

“Oh right, Igne needs you,” Bianca smiled awkwardly. “Silly me, go and save the day.” She stopped for a moment. “As you do.”

“Okay, I’ll be back later to get you down!”

She pushed herself away from the building, landing on another. Ruthen’s scarf made it easier to travel this way, but with enchanted strength and speed you really didn’t need it.

“Nice Bianca,” the girl sighed to herself, sitting down on a nearby pipe. “Really smooth. Well, there’s always a next time.”

<>

“Here, you should be safe,” Ruthen said. They brought Matis to a store building, left empty by the people escaping the ‘warlock attack’, however Igne was heading in the other direction.

“Wait,” Matis said, as the Enchanter turned to leave. “I know that Igne acts unreasonably, but you two won’t, uh, hurt them right?”

Ruthen turned back.

“Don’t worry, I know they’re usually not like this. The Artifact cherry-picks the emotions it needs to fulfill its purpose and amplifies those, while oppressing their reason and the emotions that would prevent them from acting like this. We might have to clash with them, but we know that they’re not the enemy. We do our best to stop them without anyone getting hurt.”

Matis sighed.

“It’s so frustrating. They were always hotheaded and got into a lot of trouble, but I always could… reach them before. I felt so helpless as they refused to listen to anything I said.”

Ruthen looked him over, contemplating something.

“You two are really close, right?”

“Igne’s my best friend,” Matis said, stroking his left arm. “I… back in elementary, I was bullied a lot. The teachers were either helpless or didn’t take it seriously… Igne was the only one who stood up for me. They even got into trouble for picking fights because of me. I tease them a lot and try to keep them away from trouble, because I’m really afraid that one day they will overreach themself and get seriously hurt. But the truth is, I always admired how driven they are. They’re fierce, but also the most caring person I ever met. If something happened to them I…”

“There’s a way you might help us help them. But it’s risky so please, think about it carefully before you say yes.”

They reached under their scarf and pulled out a small, hourglass shaped pin.

“This is called an Enchant. If you put it on, it will allow you to transform into a hero and it will give you powers similar to those we have.”

Matis’ mouth opened agape.

“Are you serious?”

“But it’s only temporal,” Ruthen said. “Enchants work differently than the Artifacts I was talking about, so you don’t have to worry about losing your mind. But it’s fueled by the energy of your own soul, so most people can’t wear them long before it drains them. After helping Igne, you have to return it to me.”

Matis took the Enchant and looked at it in his hand.

“I want to try. I’d be too nervous if I had to just wait here and think about what might happen. I want to do something.”

He put on the pin.

“Okay, now what?”

“Touch it and say…”

“Enchant me!”

The magic engulfed Matis’ body, creating his new outfit: light orange overalls, similar to the color of sand, with a wide cowl covering his head. Instead of a mask, his glasses were replaced with orange edged goggles to help him see.

“Wow,” he looked at himself. “Should I come up with a name or something? I mean, if it’s just a one-time thing anyway…”

“You probably still should try to hide your identity, but we can worry about that later. Now listen, the Enchant will increase your strength, speed and toughness, but it also gives you a unique power called Momentum. By calling it, you can freeze time for a short period.”

“What? That sounds insanely powerful,” Matis blinked. “Are you sure you want to give this to me?”

“It will be fine, just be careful using it. It’s not unlimited, the longer you stop time the more energy it will cost. And when you do so, while you’ll be able to move and move things around, everything will be much harder, kind of like when you’re underwater, so don’t get caught off-guard by that either.”

“I can’t swim, but I guess I get it,” Matis nodded.

“Then let’s not have your friend wait any longer!”

With that, Ruthen and their new recruit jumped into action.

<>

Igne proceeded to jump from skyscraper to skyscraper, leaving damaged buildings in their path. They were so absorbed in trying to find people in trouble, they were left completely unaware of the screams of people below as debris was raining on them.

“Singularity!”

Igne spun around to see Nocturknight’s blade flash toward them. A pink lock of their hair fell on the cracked concrete at their feet.

“Hey! What was that good for?” Igne complained, holding their severed hair.

“Take it as a warning,” she said with a stern expression. “You might be invincible by normal means, but my blades can cut through everything. That includes you. If you push this to turn into a fight you might get seriously hurt. Just give me your Artifact and let this trail of stupidity end here.”

“I don’t get why you’re against me. We should be working together!” Igne said. “I know what’s going on. The warlocks must have found a way to manipulate you and turn us heroes against each other.”

“You’re completely out of it, you know that, right? You’re ignoring reality and keep skipping to whatever fantasy lets you do whatever you feel like. If you don’t stop, I won’t guarantee your safety.”

Nocturknight took on a fencing-like stance with her long-sword.

“They’re too far gone to buy my bluff. Is their raw strength enough to bypass my protection? This can turn messy really quickly…”

“Now that’s enough banter I think.”

Ruthen swung to the roof with another, hooded figure.

“Who is that?” Nocturknight raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, who’re you?” Igne turned to the new person.

“I’m, uh, Sandstorm. I’m here to help.”

“Sandstorm?” Ruthen thought. “Because of his costume, or because of the sands of time?”

“Seriously?” Igne snapped. “He’s good enough to help you but I’m not?”

“No!” Sandstorm objected. “I only agreed to this to…”

As they glared at him, Igne’s eyes glowed up with red light.

“Heat Vision‽”

“Watch out!”

Ruthen quickly pulled Sandstorm to the ground, just as two rays of red energy shot out of Igne’s eyes. Whoosing over the two of them, it hit a nearby building. With a rumble it started to collapse.

Ruthen jumped on their feet, raising their hands toward the building.

“Disentropy!”

The upper half of the building stopped, floating diagonally in the air, like it didn’t know what to do. Some pieces of concrete returned to their place, but others broke down almost immediately, just to stay in the air like some urban asteroid field. The wind carried distant screams from the building toward them.

“What are you doing?” Nocturknight shouted at Ruthen. “You can’t fix a skyscraper!”

“No, but I can earn some time so the people there can evacuate! But I don’t think I can do much else while maintaining this power. You two have to deal with them.”

“Okay new guy,” Nocturknight spun her sword. “Let’s see what you can do.”

“Sandstorm, use your power and search Igne for a coin,” Ruthen said. “If you can take it while time is still we can end this without a battle.”

“No! I can fix this!” Igne said.

They pushed themself away from the roof, rising into the air.

“Of course they can fly too!” Nocturknight snarled.

“Igne, don’t do anything reckless!” Ruthen pleaded.

They flew to the floating building.

“I’ll just help them to get out faster!”

But as they tried to open one of the windows to get in, a big chunk of the unstable wall broke. Debris and screaming people fell through the air.

“Momentum!” Sandstorm shouted.

Suddenly, everything went very silent as the world seemed to stop around him. The screams of the falling people, the traffic, even the wind was cut. He looked around and saw that everything was standing still. Many things however gained a series of afterimages, like a visual echo of movement.

Sandstorm looked at all the people stopped mid-air who had fallen out of the room which Igne destroyed the wall of. Their faces froze into terrified grimaces as they were falling into certain death.

“I have to do something. It would destroy Igne if anyone got hurt because of them… but what can I do? I can stop time, not rewind it…”

Breathing felt hard and it took a moment before he realized, it’s probably not just stress but a side-effect of this strange power. He started to better understand the whole under-water parallel Ruthen used. His head felt a bit dizzy too, looking at the world in this stopped state was just a little too much to process for his brain adapted to boring old physics.

“Okay, try to think. Ruthen said I could move things, it would be just hard. So I must be able to do something, right? Maybe… go down the street and put something there for them to safely land on? Maybe I could search for a truck full of plushies or pillows, then… no, that’s ridiculous. The truck wouldn’t start and it would be way too big to just move it myself. It would also take too much time, I need to hurry before my power runs out.”

He looked around and saw Ruthen standing at the edge of the building. He stepped to the young hero.

“I bet you could figure out something. You trust me with this power, I can’t waste it and let everyone down.”

Sandstorm looked at the scarf hiding Ruthen’s lower face. Could he just…?

He grabbed the scarf, and with a bit of effort, pulled it away. It left a faint ghost-image in its place.

Without it, the silver haired Enchanter looked even more youthful, almost childish. They probably could pass as his classmate with no problem… he looked at their frozen expression. The brown eyes under the mask widened in a flash of genuine fear, their mouth opening to shout… suddenly Matis realized that he was locking eyes with someone in the same boots he was in. Some kid, thrown into this terrifying situation, trying their best to not mess up.

They almost reminded him of…

Sandstorm shook his head, he had to hurry. He turned toward the collapsing building and looked at all the people hanging in the air. Then at the scarf in his hand.

“I saw Ruthen use this as a kind of lasso as they swung us here. They could just throw it at things and the scarf wrapped itself around them tightly like magic. But can I use it that way too?”

He spun the scarf in his hands and threw it at the nearest man in the air. The scarf secured itself around his waist, and with lots of effort, Sandstorm reeled him over his building and put him on the rooftop safely.

“One is done, like a dozen left…”

One by one, he pulled everyone into safety. But he wasn’t done yet, the air was still full of debris, ready to fall onto the street the moment time returned to normal. Using Ruthen’s scarf as rope, Sandstorm descended from the building, and slowly pushed anyone in the danger of getting hit away from the impact area. Finally, with his last strength he returned to the rooftop. Gasping for air, he fell on his knees.

“No!” Igne shouted.

Debris fell on the street below. People screamed but amazingly, nobody got hit.

“What’s going on?” a confused woman asked on the rooftop. “I thought… I was falling…”

Ruthen was still focusing on preventing the building from collapsing, so it was Nocturknight who connected the dots first.

“Sandstorm, you did all of this?” she looked at the kneeling boy, who still had Ruthen’s scarf.

He nodded tiredly.

“I think I could use a break.”

Nocturknight let out a deep breath.

“You deserve it. Good job.”

“Okay,” Ruthen said, gritting their teeth from the exertion. “Igne, if you really want to help us, do what I say exactly.”

“Wait, you’re going to encourage them?” Nocturknight looked at them dumbfounded.

“Look, if this building comes down it brings half the street with it, and I can’t keep it much longer. Sandstorm is tapped out – guess you could take his Enchant and use Momentum instead, but even then, I don’t think we can get everyone to safety in time.

“The problem is that my Disentropy can’t move such a huge mass. But if Igne could move the building to its original position, it could fix the cracks – at least enough to stabilize it until everyone is in safe distance.”

“But… what if I mess up again?” Igne asked in shaking voice.

“As I see, everyone left the building,” Ruthen said. “And it’s already collapsing, it can’t get much worse than that. All you have to do is fly to the top and very carefully tilt it upright. Could you do that?”

“I’ll try.”

Following Ruthen’s orders, Igne slowly pushed back the floating building into vertical position. With a flash of light, the huge cracks mended themselves – it was far from being usable, but it wasn’t about to fall over either. Ruthen sighed with relief as they finally let their power drop.

Igne descended to the rooftop, their head hanging low.

“I’m so sorry.” their outfit changed back to normal. They held up the coin. “Guess I wasn’t being very hero-like. Sorry for causing this much trouble.”

Ruthen took the coin from them.

“It wasn’t your fault that you fell under the effect of a magical Artifact. It just shows that you really wanted to help people. And in the end, you could take control of your power, then give it up. That’s something to be proud of.”

“I think seeing how Sandstorm helped everyone reminded me why I wanted to be stronger in the first place.” They looked at the hooded hero. “Thank you for going so far to help me. And I’m sorry that you had to clean up my mess.”

“Heh, I’m glad I could be of help,” Sandstorm said, scratching his head.

“I guess congratulations are in order.”

Everyone spun around to see a boy dressed in all red at the edge of the building.

“Scarlet Wind!” Nocturknight spat.

“Scarlet Wind?” Igne repeated. “You mean, the warlock boy? I always thought he was older.”

“Even though you had to ask for help, technically you overcame my challenge,” he continued, ignoring Igne’s interruption. “So I will respect my own conditions and won’t try to take your Enchant today Ruthen. However…”

He pointed at the coin in Ruthen’s hand.

“I’ll be taking that.”

Suddenly, a transparent plastic orb appeared around the coin. It raised into the air and flew right toward Scarlet Wind’s open palm.

“Momentum!”

Sandstorm vanished from Ruthen’s side and appeared next to Nocturknight. He held up the plastic ball with the coin victoriously.

“I got it!”

Scarlet Wind scoffed and pointed toward him. A spiked iron ball appeared right above Sandstorm’s head from thin air, then obeying the call of gravity, fell on the boy.

“Ouh!” he cried out as the spikes and weight pinned him to the ground.

Nocturknight quickly freed him by cutting the ball in half and took the orb from him.

“You two stay put,” she ordered Ruthen and Sandstorm. “You already used up most of your magic, but I’m almost full.”

She hid the ball in her clothes and stepped toward Scarlet Wind.

“Listen up, boy. I don’t want to hurt a kid, but you’re threatening people’s lives. If you don’t back off now this is going to turn bloody.”

He turned his head to the side a bit.

“How interesting. I was sure that was my line.”

He held up his hand as a long metal chain appeared in it. The chain was going to the air where it connected to a giant ax blade – big enough to cut a person cleanly in half.

With a loud thud, the blade landed on the rooftop, creating a cloud of dust. Scarlet Wind raised it by the chain and spun it above his head like it was weightless.

“With a name like that, I thought his powers have at least something to do with wind,” Ruthen filtered between their teeth.

“Then you should learn that assumptions will get you dead,” the short boy said, throwing his weapon toward Nocturknight.

She dodged deftly, letting the blade pass her and fly over the edge of the building. She expected Scarlet Wind to pull the chain to get back the weapon under control, then try again from a different angle.

But then the blade simply made a turn in the air, coming backwards on her other side. The chain bent around Nocturknight, threatening to restrain her mid-jump as the blade changed direction, aiming at her again.

“My power is to create physical objects, which I have perfect telekinetic control over,” Scarlet Wind explained calmly. “The chain has nothing to do with how I control the blade, it’s only here to limit your movement.”

“Limit this!”

She cut through the chain at two places, before it could completely warp around, freeing herself from the trap. She landed on the roof.

“Singularity!”

Her sword changed into a bladed staff and she hit the incoming blade in the air, pushing it far away. She didn’t know the limits of Scarlet Wind’s telekinesis, maybe cutting his weapon in half would just let him attack with both parts. She couldn’t risk that and she couldn’t waste the brief opening she just created.

“Singularity!”

Her weapon changed again, this time into a blade boomerang. She threw it, but at that moment a giant metal shield appeared in the air, covering Scarlet Wind’s body completely.

“That won’t help you!” she shouted.

“If he doesn’t even try to dodge, he will…”

The blades cut the shield in two, revealing an empty spot where the boy stood a moment ago.

“Behind you!” Ruthen screamed.

Nocturknight spun around to face Scarlet Wind, holding a spear.

“Did you forget about my other ability?” he asked as the portal closed behind him.

Then he stabbed her in the chest.

Nocturknight fell on all fours. The boomerang that was on its way back to her vanished from the air. She touched her chest, expecting blood pouring from a gaping wound, but she didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. But it ached like hell where the spear hit her and she could barely breathe.

Scarlet Wind looked at the bent and cracked head of his spear and let the weapon turn to dust in the wind. Then he looked down at the kneeling girl.

“You got a big mouth for the softy you actually are, don’t you? You don’t have it in you to kill me with cold blood.”

The ax blade from before flew over the kneeling girl, positioning itself right above her neck, like it was hanging from an invisible guillotine.

“Let her alone!” Igne shouted, running toward Scarlet Wind. They were caught by a giant floating gauntlet the size of a man. It raised them into the air then pressed them into the ground.

“Igne!” Matis shouted. He tried to jump up, but he couldn’t stay on his feet and fell right back. He used up too much energy already.

Ruthen gritted their teeth and threw their scarf. It warped around Nocturknight’s waist and they pulled her right next to themself.

“What are you doing?” the girl objected. “I still have some protection left, but Igne and Sandstorm…”

But without listening to her, Ruthen reached under her coat and pulled out the plastic ball with the coin inside.

“Is this all you want from us?” they held up the ball for Scarlet Wind to see. “Then here, you have it. Take it and leave us alone!”

Everyone stared at them with disbelief, with the exception of Scarlet Wind who only gave them a contemplating look. Then he raised his hand and the ball flew right into his palm.

“See you later,” he said simply, as he walked into a portal and vanished from their sight.

<>

After making sure that Igne was all right and getting them down from the roof, the three Enchanters found an empty building away from prying eyes.

“Disenchant!”

Sandstorm turned back into Matis and handed the pin to Ruthen.

“Thank you for trusting me with this. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“You were doing amazing,” Ruthen assured him.

“Yeah, let’s hope it won’t come to that, but if the need arises can we reach out for you in the future?” Nocturknight asked.

Matis blushed.

“Well, it was scary, but I think I do want to help if I can. Uh, also, I hope I don’t sound ungrateful or anything, but if there’s ever a situation, could you consider Igne too?”

“Already ahead of you,” Ruthen smiled under their scarf.

They waved goodbye and left the boy alone to come up with a story about where he had been during the chaos.

As the two Enchanters rushed away, Matis took out his phone and opened the picture he made of them back in the Botanic Garden. He zoomed into Ruthen’s face.

Then he opened Herald on another tab and went to Flow’s profile, zooming on their friend’s profile picture.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” he told himself.

This will require further investigation.

<>

After leaving Matis, Ruthen and Nocturknight stopped at the top of yet another building to regroup after everything.

“Hey,” Nocturknight said, looking away from them. “I still have to go and get Bianca, but before that I just wanted to tell…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Exactly. Wait, what?” she looked at Ruthen with surprise.

“You were right. I keep mixing my personal feelings into our job as Enchanters and this cost us an Artifact today.”

“What are you talking about? Scarlet Wind was just too powerful, it wasn’t your fault.”

“If I hadn't made so many bad calls today we might have faced him more prepared. First I tried to talk to Igne, based on what I know about them as their friend, but it just made things worse. Then I involved Matis…”

“Yes, and he was doing great!”

“Yes, he did. But asking for his help led Igne damaging that building in the first place, and it gave Scarlet Wind another target. If I just used Momentum to get the coin myself to begin with, we could close the Igne situation more quickly and then set an ambush for Scarlet Wind, instead of being caught off-guard like that. That’s what I would be doing if I were thinking as Ruthen instead of Flow.”

Nocturknight stared at them.

“Ru… Fl… listen, you’re not two different person! You can’t be Ruthen and not be Flow, those are the same. And it’s very easy to judge your past self based on your current knowledge. Don’t you think there’s a bunch of things I’d do differently today if I knew what I know now?”

“I know. I just wanted to tell you, now I understand better what you were talking about. I want us to be able to work together. So I will try to keep my distance better from now on.”

With that, they swung away on their scarf, leaving Nocturknight alone with the descending sun.

< ⋁ >

In the Sorcerer’s dark realm, a portal opened. Scarlet Wind stepped out and looked at the shadowy figure standing alone in his dimension.

“The Enchanters have passed the test,” he reported dutifully.

“That was expected,” the Sorcerer said, still turning his back at the boy. “What about the real trial?”

“It was Ruthen who first realized that they are outmatched and they gave up the Artifact without hesitation. Nocturknight was ready to fight until death, but not to shed blood herself.”

“I see.”

He waved his hand, summoning a magic screen that showed records of Flow and Natasha in various places throughout the past few weeks.

“These two…” the Sorcerer murmured to himself, apparently forgetting about his servant. “I’ll need to study their synergy further.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<>

Flow collapsed into bed, their limbs feeling like lead. They still had homework today, but they felt sick by just thinking about touching it – they just pushed their face into their pillow, hoping to black out and waking up feeling better.

Their phone buzzed. Against their better judgment, they reached out for it and looked at Al’s message.

Flow sighed to themself. How did Al do this, figuring out if something was wrong even from miles away?

There was a knock.

“Come in!” Flow called out, trying to hide the tiredness in their voice. They just wanted to sleep.

But none of their parents stepped into their room. In fact, nobody opened their door at all.

There was another knock, and this time they could tell that it wasn’t coming from the door. They stood up and looked around in the small room that was furnished with a bed, a nightstand, a carpet and a big pile of cardboard boxes that still held most of their belongings from Lakeside. They will definitely get around to unpack them any day now.

Flow stepped to the window, the only place where the knock could be coming from, and opened the curtains. They found themself looking at Nocturknight balancing at their windowsill.

She waved at them.

Flow quickly opened the window and let her in.

“Hey. Sorry for breaking in like this, but we need to talk. I just needed some time to get it together what I wanted to tell you.”

“Okay, but are you sure about this? What if someone sees you like this here?”

She shrugged.

“We can always say that you unwittingly picked up an Artifact and I came to secure it. Look, I’m not saying this often, but… I owe you an apology.”

“Huh? Why?”

“For everything that I said earlier. I… I asked you to be honest with me, but when you finally did, I couldn’t do the same. I’m just not used to all of this.”

“All of what?” Flow looked at her with confusion.

“Having… being close I guess.”

She crossed her arms and turned toward the box pile. It didn’t look like she was bothered by the mess, more like she just wanted to look anywhere else instead of at Flow.

“When you asked if we’re friends… I wasn’t expecting that. I think I felt cornered. And that feeling… that brings some bad things out of me.”

“Sorry,” Flow said. “I didn’t want to make you feel like that.”

She turned back to them.

“And I never wanted to make you doubt yourself. Flow, you were amazing today. You chose the right person to recruit. You were right trusting that Igne would do the right thing at the end and that helped us avoid a useless and difficult battle with them. And when everything came crashing down in the end, you remembered that we’re supposed to protect lives, not Artifacts.”

She told all that with one breath, like she was repeating a practiced speech. Even if that was the case, it was enough to let Flow speechless for a moment. She took a deep breath and continued.

“I think what I’m trying to say is that you’re a great Enchanter. And also… a great friend.”

Flow stared at her for a moment, until eventually she started squirm uncomfortably.

“So, will you say something, or…”

“I…” Flow spoke up. “I’m feeling so stupid for saying this, but you’re still enchanted.”

“Huh?” the girl looked down on her costume. “And?”

“I know it’s ridiculous, but I kinda came to expect Nocturknight to be friendly with me. It’s always when… we’re just ourselves when things get so confusing.”

Nocturknight bit her lips, looking at the closed door.

“Are you going to say that it would be harder to explain why Natasha is here than Nocturknight?” Flow sighed. Then they shook their head. “No, I’m sorry. It already means a lot that you came to tell me this, I shouldn’t push you to…”

“Disenchant.”

Wind ran through the room and Natasha looked at Flow.

“Here, it’s just us you see?” she said, then took a big breath. “I’m your friend. Or at least… I hope I can be.”

They opened their mouth, then closed it.

“Would you like to sit down?” they asked eventually, gesturing awkwardly at their bed. Now they really wished they had a chair.

Natasha sit down at the edge of the bed and Flow sat next to her, making sure to leave enough space for her.

“It’s just hard, you know?” she said in a low voice. “When we’re fighting together it’s just the two of us, so of course we watch out for each other. But when we turn back… you have a family you love. You have a few friends.”

Flow’s phone buzzed on the nightstand and Natasha looked at it.

“You have the people from your earlier home. But I… I don’t have anything like that. You’re already my only company as Ruthen, but at least I can repay that as Nocturknight. But it feels unfair to expect you to fulfill that role as Flow as well.”

“So…” they looked at her. “What you were actually afraid of was that if you were friendlier then I would find you too much?”

“I don’t know.” she kicked off her shoes so she could pull up her legs to hug her knees. “It just feels wrong to put that much pressure on a single person.”

“Hm.” they stared ahead. “Maybe I was the one not realizing how much weight this has to you. I said I’d be on your side as Flow, because I felt like that’s what a friend would say. But now that I think about it, it does sound like that it could become overreaching at times. I had only one real friend in Lakeside, and part of me was always afraid when he’d start to feel like I'm a burden.”

“Yeah.” Natasha said simply.

“But you know, the only reason I already have two friends here is you,” Flow looked at her. “Igne and Matis told me about the times you helped them. I’m sure there are many more people with stories like that. They would probably be glad to be friends with you… I know I would.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want them to be my friends because they’re grateful or because they’re idealizing me. I’m not a knight in shining armor, I don’t help others out of affection or good will.

“There are so many things in this world that piss me off, things I know I can’t change. Not even with this.”

She took her star shaped pin and looked at it.

“I always try to keep my distance, but then always comes a point when I feel like if I don’t do something I’ll just go crazy with rage. But then when people come and thank me afterwards that just pisses me off even more, because I know it’s not my job to keep people like Richard in check, or to make sure that Matis won’t suffocate from the lunch.

“Being a good samaritan can make someone’s day better but on the long run it only creates an excuse for a fucked up system to not change anything. I don’t want to play that role. If people start to have expectations of me helping them, I will let them down eventually, so it’s better if they don’t expect it to begin with.”

“Well, I can understand that,” Flow said. “But I don’t think that’s really what friendship is about. You don’t have to keep helping others to be their friend. It’s just the fact that you care about these things that makes you the kind of person worth befriending. But… guess it must be really scary to open up to a lot of people, so I won’t push you.”

They scratched their head.

“How about this? I won’t say that I’ll always be there because I don’t want to promise something I might cannot keep. But I can be there… sometimes, you know? And we can try and do things together that don’t involve saving the city… just to see how that works out.”

Natasha looked at them.

“I think… maybe… I might like that.”

Flow smiled. She used three tentative expressions, yeah. But it was something.