The pawnshop had fully collapsed, bringing in a small crowd. Alton dragged Hannah from the wreckage carrying her on his back panting. Looking at the mess, he caused he groaned, wincing in pain. "Shit, maybe I went a little overboard there?" As Alton was relaying the information to himself, Hannah began waking. "Easy, easy. Take your time."

Hannah glanced around, confused, still dazed. "What? Where am I? I'm not dead?"

"Not yet, anyway? Can you stand it?"

"What?"

"I said, can you stand?" Alton said, slightly louder.

Hannah rubbed her eyes, coughing. "Yeah, yeah, I think so."

"Good." He replied, putting her down. "This has all gone to shit, hasn't it?"

Alton began walking through the crowd as Hannah cleared her throat, confused. "You didn't kill me? Why?"

"Truth be told, I just couldn't bring myself to doing it. You remind me too much of that damn girl; it frustrates me. I would give you up to the Blight Father, but even that couldn't change my mind. I wanted to save you, so I stabbed him in the back and killed him."

Hannah blinked serval times before pulling a face of disgust. "Eh?! You just killed him? Just like that?! Poof dead? Seriously… Damn it, I tried killing that bastard twice and failed and here you are doing it on your first attempt. Hey, wait, I thought heroes don't kill."

Alton scratched his neck, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, well, I'm still working the whole hero business here… The question is now what? I took down the evil dictator and saved the girl; what more does Acceptance want from me."

Standing in the crowd, the chatter all went silent for a short moment. Alton didn't even notice this until he saw serval of them staring at him. He didn't even know how to respond as a payphone rang, and each of the watching crowd simply pointed to the phone, not saying a word. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Alton approached the phone, staring wearily at it before answering. "Did you honestly think you killed me, Alton?"

Alton's face went pale as his whole world shattered. "That's not possible… I killed you."

"Yes, you did." The Blight Father replied with a playful tone. "You really don't understand the situation you're in now, do you? I said I intended for my reach to be everywhere; I didn't mean ruling; I literally meant I am everywhere. Don't you see Alton, you've messed up big time now. You cannot run nor hide. We are everywhere; we are the bartender who served you that drink last night; we are your teachers and law enforcers. We are in your homes, your schools. We are Mortem, and we are the incarnation of death."

The phone hung up as Alton dropped in, staring on with a blank look. Hannah walked, overlooking troubled. "Who was that?"

"Are you well enough to walk? Run perhaps?"

"What's going on, Kurt?"

"Answer the damn question!"

Hannah jumped at this, nodding. "I can."

"Good. I want you to go back to the apartment… No, that's not safe anymore. Just get out of here. Skip town, anything you need to get out of here. I've fucked up big time now."

One random civilian in the crowd latched onto Alton's shoulder, staring at him with a cold dead look with matching yellow eyes. "You most certainly have Alton Brantley."

Throwing them over his shoulder, more people from nowhere began attacking Alton, who quickly put down anyone else who ambushed him. Holding his waist in pain, he was pinned to the floor by serval people. Bashed and bulged, Alton phased through his attacks, blasting them all with a smoke bomb stumbling around before falling to his knees vomiting. Still seeing Hannah staring horrified, Alton waved his hand, gagging. "What did I just say?! Run!"

"Why are you doing this for me? I'm just a villain."

"You don't have to be…" Alton whispers, shaking at the legs. "I know what you will become. So, you must go now!"

The crowd, once watching the pawnshop, was all defeated, all apart from one bystander. Kira whistled, admiring the carnage. "Wow, just wow. Did you do this, Alton? It's something else I'd say. The new you always cease to surprise me!"

Alton stood up, looking weary at just the sight of the Syndicate daughter. She turned to Alton smiling. "I take it you're here to kill me… Wait, you called me Alton."

Nodding to this claim, Kira tapped her cheek, laughing. "I sure did. Does it send shivers down your spine? Do I make you nervous, Alton? After seeing the spectacle you put on at the club two weeks ago, you confirmed that you are undoubtedly not Kurt Hatching. It doesn't bother me, though; I prefer the new guy."

"Two weeks… Shit, so time really is out of whack here… So now what? I killed your father. Are you going to kill me?"

Kira shrugged her shoulders, playing the whole thing off. "I'm not angry or whatever; the old gimp had it coming to him. You did me a favour, though, as now I'm in charge of the family, so thanks for that. They won't stop coming for you no matter what. Unless I have anything to say about it." Kira held her hand out with a sinister sadistic smile. "You can stop all of this now. Join me, Alton; you make me feel so alive. It's nuts. I'm crazy over you, so how about it? You'll be the king of Syndicate and rule this city by my side."

"You know I'm really sick and tired of this family trying to recruit me…" Alton grumbled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm going to have to decline that one, Kira."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough; no isn't an option. I'd hate to do this, especially how one-sided a fight would be in your condition. But whether you wanted it or not, you will be mine." Kira threatens, crackling small explosions in her hand, letting her power loose. However, all the blast were blown behind her exploding far from Alton's position. "Huh? I see; you just don't know when to quit now, do you, Hannah?"

Hannah held her hand out as serval small tornados flew around her. "Not in the slightest, Kira. You ordered Kurt to kill Geostruction, knowing all too well we were roommates. You all really are twisted, aren't you?"

"Isn't that a little hypocritical coming from the likes of you? Geostruction feared a super-villain who's ruined dozens of lives and robbed hundreds. Tell me, why would a low life villain protect someone like him? A superhero and your natural enemy."

Hannah held her palm out, letting a storm relish on full display. "Well, you know the saying. Enemy of my enemy is my friend. For some reason, despite all odds, Kurt spared me and made his own life a living hell for me. I intend to find out why, so yeah, I'm going to fight alongside him."

"Whatever… I suppose you should be able to entertain me for a short while." She replied, cracking her fingers. Hannah spun her hand around, calling on an electrical polearm holding it behind her before stabbing it into the ground. Kicking it forward, the polearm spun in the air forcing Kira back as Hannah grabbed onto it, propelling herself forward into a spinning motion. Ducking under the blow, Kira explored the area around her. Simultaneously, Hannah blasted into the sky, challenging all her built-up electricity into her weapon before throwing it at the ground, causing a ripple of lighting, which blew the area up. Crashing down, Kira appeared behind, swiping her hand around, causing an equal explosion in size and matter. Hannah had barely avoided the attack leaving a burn mark on her left ear. Spinning her polearm around, an intense blizzard swept through, blinding everyone.

Alton glanced around, sighing. "Zinnia's powers are more than just electrical manipulation; she can control and manipulate the whole bloody weather system. So that's how my powers feel like to go up against…"

Kira stood still as snow began piling up, waiting for Hannah to make a move. As expected, Hannah came in, attacking Kira on the spot. Blocking her attacks, Kira was disarmed and held against her will. Kira smirked, shaking her head. "Not so fast." Her crimson red eyes glowed in the blizzard before she blew herself up, sending Hannah flying back into the payphone and cutting the storm close. Kira stared on at her victory, approaching a downed Hannah, ready to end the battle. "I've been looking forwards to pealing the life from your very eyes, Trost."

Hannah lifted her head up, looking past Kira smirking. "Yeah, well, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer." Kicking Kira back, she was blasted by a smoke bomb exploding, crashing the girl into a nearby café. "Thanks for the backup, Kurt."

Alton held his hand out, picking her up. "Anytime… So, does this makeup for trying to kill you?"

"Hmm. Let me think." She debates punching Alton in the stomach, winding him and forcing him onto his knees, coughing. "Now we're even."

"I deserved that…" Alton whispered, pulling himself together, walking towards where Kira was sent. Finding the shop empty, he sighed. "Seems our lovestruck mental patient has escaped. Just our luck."

Hannah folded her arms, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, if she ever decides to show her face again, we'll be ready. You know, for a moment, I thought you might have actually taken Kira's offer."

"Seriously… Would you?"

"Maybe. Alone yes, I wouldn't stand a chance against the family. But with you, we might have a chance. So how about it, let's call a temporary truce as a hero and villain until the greater threat is dealt with?" Hannah suggested.

Alton gave a small nod smirking. "You know what, I think I might have found my reason for being summoned here. I'll do it. I'm going to purge both Mortem and Syndicate from this city and save the day. Like a hero."

The two shake hands as Hannah shakes her head, scoffing. "Why do I already regret this decision?"

"Trust me, everything will turn out perfectly fine this isn't my first rodeo against the family. I think it's time I end this dispute with them once and for all."