[ Nightwalker: Did they save him? 😊 ]

'Did they save him?!... Did they fucking save him?!' Her sadness turned to rage. She crushed the phone in her hands—startling the doctor.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him." She said under her breath. Shutting her eyes tightly to prevent her tears spill over.

She turned and exited the hospital. Immediately taking to the skies and before she realised it.

She cratered the ground of the train tracks. Dust and debris bellowed up as she rose up.

Nightwalker merely watched with a smile. "Oh, you're back. Guessing they didn't save him. What a shame."

"Why?" She spoke through the cloud of dust. "W— Why do this?" Her voice was shaky.

"You really don't listen, do you?" Nightwalker said monotonously. "I wanted you to know the cost of being powerful, there are no such things as secret identities in this world."

Gritting her teeth, she burst through the smoke. Hovered above him, her shadow completely engulfing his figure. "I'm gonna kill you."

"You could definitely try." He raised his eyes to hers. "But a lot of people will die in that process."

"Not if you don't have your powers, they won't."

She was referring to her God trait, The Only One, where she could take the abilities of any awakened in her location.

"..."

Nightwalker didn't answer, he took a minute to mull over what she meant before it clicked.

"Ohh!" He said. "You're talking about your God trait, right? Since you're still new to God traits, lemme tell you how it works.

You can take my affinity but my body constitution will remain the same, which means that killing hundreds to thousands won't even break me a sweat."

Her fists curled at her side. "What is it that you want?" The words were heavy and repetitive but what else could she do. "You've won. Nightwalker, you won."

"I don't feel like it have." He tilted his head again. "One. You're still hovering over me and two. You still haven't rejected the system's message."

"That's what this is about..." She gradually lowered herself to the tracks. "You killed my husband, are threatening hundreds—because I said I'd go for the next trial."

"Honestly, because you're my friend I'm gonna be totally honest," He raised a hand to cover the side of his mouth and whispered. " Yes... I don't like the idea of someone being more powerful than me.

In fact, I fucking despise the idea. So, just because we're friends I'm gonna give you another chance to save them."

"..."

She had no reply so he continued.

"Reject the trial and I'll walk away, right now. I won't destroy this train and I won't kill these people.

I promise, scout's honour."

Every single cell in her body was itching for her to punch him. To beat him to a pulp, but she knew better than that.

He'd been a Paragon longer than her so, she knew that she couldn't beat him alone in a one on one fight.

At least, not without thousands as collateral damage.

And for now, all that was important was ending the bloodshed. She met his eyes finally.

"You'll stop this once I reject the trial?"

"I promise that no one on that train will die by my hands as long as you reject the trial. PS, I'll know if you're lying... If I don't see you in twenty four hours, I'll just come back here and make sure they're all dead."

She shut her eyes, her stomach churned now when staring at him. She was physically repulsed by him.

With her mind, she enlarged the system notification.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

[ SYSTEM WARNING — NEXT TRIAL EVENT. ]

[ 24:00:00 remaining for choice of Next Trial commences. ]

The system message flashed in her retina, as bright as lighting and more deadly than a death sentence.

Host is presented with two options.

1. Accept the Trial and risk it all.

2. Reject it now and system will permanently dissociate, leaving host at current rank. Forever.

[ Yes. ] [ No. ]

Choose wisely. This is your last day. Good luck 😊

03:43:25… 03:43:24… 03:43:23… ]

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"N— No, I reject the trial." She said completely defeated.

The system popped up yet another verification message.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Is Host certain? Once rejected all system's shutdown.

° Trials will be forever removed.

° Power level stays the same forever.

° System shutdown.

Confirm response.

[ Yes. ] [ No. ]

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"Yes, I am certain." She said. And the system turned off. It was completely gone.

"Are you happy?" She spoke to Nightwalker, still not looking at him in fear she might throw up or throw a punch. "It's done."

"Thank you." He said, finally rising from his lotus sitting position he'd been in for hours. "PS, if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill your daughter."

He didn't wait for a response before blasting off into the sky.

Leaving Spectra standing in the tracks, a train incoming but still far away, her husband dead, her child who was barely two years old was threatened, and the feeling of powerlessness washed over her.

The next few days felt very numb, she hadn't been seen out as Spectra for about three days now. The world still think she went for the trail.

But she wasn't even thinking about them, she'd been in her apartment with her daughter, Quinn, spending as much time with her as she could before she did something incredibly stupid.

They'd already cremated Liam's remains and now it sat on the table, a constant reminder that this life was no for non awakened, and also, how she failed.

Her eyes would always drifted from her husband's ashes in the vase to her baby daughter cooing in her lap.

What was she to tell her when she grew up?

That a co-worker had used his life like a carrot to dangle in front of her while she did nothing but run after the stick like a bunny.

Or worse. That she couldn't do anything to fight back, that she'd have to put on a smile when they called for her help like nothing was wrong.

"Fuck that."

She dressed Quinn and packed her a bag. She left the house and headed for a friend's.

They weren't close but they'd partnered a couple of times before.

~TO TOK.~

The door eased open to a lady with platinum blond hair tied in a lazy hurried bun, a simple brown vest over a white shirt.

The former principal—Alice Morwen. Although, she wasn't the principal yet.

"Uhh?" Alice was a little confused to find a lady standing out her door with a baby and a packed bag. "Sorry, who are you?"

It was in that moment Kate realised no one else knew who she was.

She was still Spectra to the other heroes.

"It's me, Alice." She said softly with a smile. "It's Spectra. And I kinda need a big favour."

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