Jason and Matthew stood in front of two metal gates, both feeling small in comparison to the giant brick building that loomed in the near distance.

TAFAH, Jason had called it. The Academy For Adolescent Heroes. As someone who had only ever been homeschooled, Matthew didn't honestly know why people wanted to go to a place like this. Thankfully, he would never have to.

The policeman managing the gates that had left with Jason's ID soon returned with two visitor badges, then waddled back to his booth and pressed the button which made the gates slowly creak open. And, only as they stepped through, did Matthew notice the man waiting for them.

He was surprisingly tall and of Asian origins. He had short, spiky black hair, piercing grey eyes, and pale skin. His hands were neatly folded behind his back and his dark, slender brows were knit with curiosity. The way he was dressed and the neatness of his formal attire told Matthew that he was likely a teacher, but because he had never attended a normal school, he wasn't quite sure.

"Crap," Jason muttered from beside him. "The policeman must've told one of the counselors about our arrival."

Matthew frowned. "The counselors?"

Jason gave him a curious expression, but then dismissed it. "Never mind."

As they approached the man shifted his arms from behind his back to the front, neatly folding them. His grey eyes swept them, evaluating, judging, before he said, "Welcome to TAFAH. Who might you two be?"

Matthew let Jason respond, suppressing the tempest in his anxious stomach.

"Um, my name is Jason and this is Matthew."

The man's eyes swept from Jason to Matthew, and miraculously, Matthew felt even smaller. "Hm. And what are you doing here?"

"We are here to visit with Platinum," Jason answered once again.

The man, who was still due to introduce himself, turned his piercing eyes onto Jason. "Did you call in advance? You are aware that he is a busy man, right?"

Jason was taken off guard by his sharp words. "I am, uh, very aware. This was just... last minute. He is close friends with my girlfriend White Lotus and we need to speak to him about a recent event."

The man eyed him for a moment which seemed far too long before nodding and gesturing for them to follow. "Come, I'll take you to him. You may call me Mr. Grey."

Mr. Grey. Matthew noted, wondering if that was his actual name or a name that was given to him because of his eyes. Either way, it didn't matter.

He kept quiet as he followed alongside Jason, trying not to look over at the cluster of teenagers playing tetherball. He caught sight of them as they stopped their game and stared, watching as the little group headed across the courtyard. Out of the corner of his eye he counted three of them: a girl with light hair dipped in pink dye, a redhead, and one other that he couldn't quite see out of his peripheral vision.

Before Matthew could dwell further on their wandering eyes, Mr. Grey led them through a pair of doors and up several flights of stairs. A few clusters of students flew past them as they climbed, but they were too consumed in their conversations to take notice of the strange visitors. Thank God.

When they reached the top, the stairs opened into a long hallway with large windows, a tall ceiling, and rows of doors. Unlike the other floors they passed, this floor was quiet.

Mr. Grey headed for a door at the end of the hall and suddenly pulled to a stop. "This is Platinum's office. Thankfully, he is not teaching right now. You are lucky that you came at a good time."

Jason breathed a sigh, combing through his hair. "Thank God. And thank you."

"Don't thank me," Mr. Grey said, rapping on the door. "Thank Platinum. He is dedicating his precious office hours to you."

A surge of anxiety coursed through Matthew's body as he watched the teacher knock on the door. There was no going back now. He only prayed Jason had the courage to carry the conversation, because Matthew sure couldn't.

"Yes, uh, I'll be sure to thank him. Don't worry." Jason said.

There was a pause, a fraction of a second, before the door opened. Matthew's breath was knocked from his lungs. There, standing in the doorway, was a man a few inches taller than Mr. Grey, with short blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a warm smile. Had Matthew not known who he was, he would've mistaken him for just an ordinary person. But this man was no ordinary person. He was Amberchase's top-ranking hero, a title that he had held now for a record-breaking period of time. It was Platinum.

"Hello there, how can I help you?" He said, looking between the three people standing in front of his office door. "Taivan, who have you brought?"

"This is Jason and Matthew," Mr. Grey said. "They told me they have some urgent news regarding your friend White Lotus."

Platinum's smile faltered a little. "Oh? Well then, come in, come in."

Jason stepped into the office, mumbling his thanks to Platinum as he held the door. Matthew followed, mustering an awkward smile as the door closed behind him and Amberchase's top hero passed by him to get to his desk. It was impossible not to panic in his presence. It was as if he was in the presence of a god.

Platinum crossed the room, now standing behind his desk, and sat down, folding his hands. "Alright, before you begin, do you mind explaining to me who you are and your relation to Cecilia?"

Cecilia. Not many heroes knew her real name. Platinum and White Lotus had been close.

"My name is Jason Gallager," Jason nervously began, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Platinum's desk. "I am Cecilia's boyfriend. You, er, might know me as Red Sun."

"You... you're the vigilante that she kissed her in front of—"

"Yes, I am him."

Matthew looked over at Jason curiously, trying to remember if Jason had ever mentioned being kissed in front of something. And what that something was.

Platinum laughed. "Well, I'm glad to have finally met you. I was waiting for the day she would bring you here and introduce you to me."

Jason mustered a smile, which quickly fell. "Unfortunately you're meeting me in, uh, unfavorable times." He paused, gesturing to Matthew. "This boy has been working under a villain that the media nor the heroes know about yet. He's been making Matthew go to Amberchase for years, find heroes, lure them to him, and freeze them. It is, uh, ironically how we met."

Matthew nervously laughed and smiled when Platinum's eyes turned onto him, curious but kind.

Jason told Platinum about everything, and only when he accidentally stumbled over details did Matthew interject and explain them with more clarity. He told him about how he met Cecilia, about how she wanted to trade herself for her beloved, and how they were now desperate for help.

Platinum listened, his expression calm and understanding, though Matthew could see worry behind his eyes. And, when both he and Jason finished talking, he folded his hands on the table and sighed. "Well, that's quite a story."

Both Matthew and Jason exchanged a look out of the corner of their eyes and nodded.

Platinum combed through his hair before looking over to Matthew, collecting words for a moment. "Son, can you tell me the name of this villain?"

"Pardus," Matthew said.

"No, no. His real name."

Matthew hesitated, but not because he didn't remember it. Not because he didn't know it. He knew it. Far too well. He was just so used to fearing the consequences of using it. But, after a moment, he worked up the strength to say: "Richard Whittle."

Platinum looked down at his hands for a moment. Then back up. It was a strange gesture, one that snagged Matthew's curiosity, like a bug on a web.

Then, Platinum asked, "And you can lead us to his location?"

Matthew nodded.

"Alright, let me just talk to Taivan for a moment and see how he wants to approach this." Platinum said, rising out of his desk. "Excuse me."

Then, he politely weaved around them and stepped out the door. Silence stirred between Jason and Matthew once he left, and Matthew began to bounce his knee.

"Did we do the right thing by coming here?" Jason asked.

Matthew stopped bouncing and looked over at him. "I... don't know. A part of me wants to say we did because, as you said, we are confiding in the best heroes in Amberchase for our help. But, the other part of me says no for the same reason. I just... don't want Pardus to get ahold of them too, especially if they bring students into this mission."

"I doubt they will," Jason said. "That would be... too much."

Matthew shrugged. "I grew up with mercenaries. The best way to train children is to immerse them into the dark, dangerous world."

Jason frowned. "But...they're kids."

"I'm a kid."

Jason was silenced. He knew that Matthew was right.

Thankfully, the door soon opened and Platinum stepped back inside, but didn't close the door behind him. "Alright." He sighed. "I'm going to need you two to follow me to the courtyard."

Jason slowly stood, daring to ask, "Why?"

Their fears were answered with: "We are meeting with some of our elite students."

~     ~     ~

Matthew was almost hiding behind Jason as a small group of teenagers approached, following behind Mr. Grey like ducklings in a row. Each of them looked around Matthew's age.

One was a tall boy who guiltily reminded him of Micah at first, but the boy's sullen frown, as well as other characteristics, quickly changed his mind. He had straight, messy chocolate-colored hair, olive skin, and a pair of deep blue eyes, far darker than Micah's had been. He was wearing a jean jacket over a white tee and ripped blue jeans. Something about him reminded Matthew of one of those greaser boys from the old movies he'd watched when he was younger.

The one beside him was another boy who was just an inch or so shorter than him, but with a very different energy. He had a certain swagger to his step that made it plainly obvious that he was some kind of jock, or a wanna-be one at least. He was wearing one of those school jackets with the leather sleeves and felt front, and had one of his hands stuffed into the pockets of it, the other holding a half-eaten apple. He had white-blonde hair, freckles, and startlingly orange eyes.

And finally, besides the jock, was a girl with a smirk that spoke volumes about how she thought of herself. She had pixie-cut white hair, deep black eyes, and pale skin. She was dressed in a plain black tee, baggy Adidas sweatpants, and Jordan sneakers.

Mr. Grey stopped and gestured to the three students, stepping to the side."Matthew, Jason, meet Fire Fists, Fill, and Yang."

The greaser boy bobbed his head but said nothing.

The jock gave him a cocky grin and peace-signs.

And the tomboy winked.

"Hi," Jason said. "I'm, uh, Red Sun and this... this is Vulpus."

Matthew gave an awkward wave, aware of the eyes that shifted onto him.

"Wait, pardon me, but you're Red Sun?!" The girl spoke up, eyes wide. "You're White Lotus's boyfriend?!"

Jason combed through his hair, nervously laughing. "Yeah, that's me."

Yang opened her mouth to add something, but Mr. Grey interrupted her.

"Now, now, Yang," He scolded. "Settle down. This is a serious mission. A mission that you, Fire Fists, and Fill-Up have been specifically chosen for. This is an honor and it must be taken seriously. You may get however many autographs or ask as many questions you want later."

Yang fell silent, nodding.

Mr. Grey turned his attention to everyone, pacing as he spoke. "I have told them about the villain we are facing. All three of them know the magnitude of the situation, and each of them have very specific roles." He stopped pacing and pointed to the greaser boy. "Fire Fists has an idio that enables his body to reach extreme temperatures when he's emotional, which is useful when thawing ice."

Fire Fists bobbed his head again.

Mr. Grey proceeded, pointing to the jock. "Fill has a strength idio. He's got a bottomless stomach and endless appetite, but the more calories he eats, the stronger, faster, and more physically improved he gets. He's a valuable asset and can fight off trouble if needed."

That obviously went to Fill's head, because somehow his cocky smile grew.

Finally, Mr. Grey pointed to Yang. "And Yang, here, has a healing idio. Just what we need to treat anyone with injuries and help the captives after they are thawed."

Yang nodded, unable to hide her smile.

Mr. Grey turned back to Jason and Matthew. "Now, I am aware that Red Sun is an AEM, but what can Vulpus do?"

Matthew, who had spaced out for a moment, was jostled back to reality when Jason elbowed him. Embarrassment turned his face red, and he stumbled over his words. "I can, uh, copy people's idios."

"Copy them?"

"Yes, when I come into contact with someone's skin, I can replicate their idio. They collect in my core and—and I can switch between them."

"Is there a limit to your abilities? How many can you collect at a time?"

The question caught Matthew thinking for a good moment. "Well, the one time I tried to use five idios at once I passed out from exhaustion, so I think five is my limit. I do best with three."

"Do you need to train with the idios you collect? How do you know how to use them?"

"Well, I, uh, don't. I just... improvise."

"You improvise?"

Geez, so many questions. "Yes, I do. Sometimes It doesn't work out too well, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Mr. Grey nodded, then stuck out his hand. "Take my idio."

Matthew looked down at his hand, then back up at him.

"I can 'stall' people's idios for up to a whole minute, but because you are new to using my idio, you'll probably only be able to 'stall' people's idios for a maximum of fifteen seconds."

Matthew blinked, nodded, and slowly took ahold of his hand. Like a marble falling into a jar, Mr. Grey's idio joined Jason's in his core. He switched it on and looked down at his hands. "How do I use it?"

Mr. Grey gestured to his hand. "Touch my hand again."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Matthew frowned, looked down, and took his hand again. A silvery sheen flashed across Mr. Grey for a good five seconds before disappearing. A twinge of triumphant excitement buzzed throughout Matthew.

"Good, good. That's exactly it. Try again."

Matthew nodded and took hold of his hand again, focusing on keeping the facade up for longer. This time, the sheen lasted for five seconds longer before vanishing. He was improving, at least.

Mr. Grey shrugged. "Good enough. You seem to be a very adaptable boy. We will practice some more when we are en route." He paused and turned, stroking his chin as he looked between his three students, then turned back to Matthew. "What other idios are you currently holding?"

"Uh, just Red Sun's and yours."

"Perfect, take Yang's idio."

Matthew looked over at the girl that strutted forwards, throwing out her hand to him. "Here ya' go."

He looked up at her, then down at her hand, awkwardly taking it. He soon released it, trying to shake the heat that came to his face. It wasn't because he thought she was exceptionally pretty or anything, it was because he had touched a girl's hand. A real girl his age. And for a moment, his mind went spiraling back to Ben.

Yang tilted her head to the side at his silence. "Hey, uh, are you okay?"

Matthew snapped back into reality. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine."

"Okay, good. You zoned out for a second. My idio is really simple. Once you activate it, press your hands against the area you want to heal. Then it really just...does its job."

A wonderful explanation, really. Matthew sighed. He would just have to figure out her idio on his own, likely in the midst of chaos. "That's it?"

"Yeah," she said. "I would demonstrate, but it seems nobody here really needs healing. And I could injure someone but—"

"That won't be necessary," Mr. Grey said. "I'm sure Vulpus will be able to figure your idio out."

"Are there any limits that I should be worried about?" Matthew asked her, looking down at his hands.

"Yes. Just be careful not to use it too much. Like any other idio, overuse will likely exhaust you."

Simple enough. "And what exactly is that point of overuse?"

"Depends on the injury. Larger injuries take more strength, so leave those up to me." She winked, flexing one of her biceps.

Matthew nodded, his ears heating at her gesture.

"Perfect. Now that everything is settled we must prepare to leave." Mr. Grey said, pivoting towards the school. "Students, go get your suits on. We will meet back here in twenty minutes. Don't be late."

Matthew watched as the students turned and sprinted off into different directions, each heading for what looked like dorm facilities. What an interesting place this was. He hated to admit it... but it wasn't all that bad here. In fact, it seemed almost...nice. It was almost a dream come true to be trained among some of the best heroes in Amberchase. These students were pretty lucky.

He had hardly realized he had spaced out again until Jason reached over and tugged on his arm. "Come on, Matthew."

Matthew hurried with him after Mr. Grey, but not without taking in the school and all of its glory before slipping into the belly of the beast. He didn't know what laid before him in the future. He didn't know if they would succeed. But a weight fell off his shoulders as he slipped inside the school. He finally found help, people who were willing to assist him in his plight.

It was enough to ease his restless, tumultuous mind.

And so, with the help of Amberchase's best heroes and trainees, he prepared to set off for Pardus's estate.

And hopefully... end it all.