Ronnie, Taran, and Maya said goodbye to Phillip at the front steps of the Magic Lodge and began their trek back down the winding gravel path. Ronnie stifled a yawn. It had been a long, weird, scary day, and he was exhausted.

“Can’t Phillip just poof us home?” he nudged Maya. “I’m so tired!”

She laughed. “Not if you want to keep all your organs on the inside. Phillip can appear around the Lodge because he has a clear mental image of his surroundings. Even then, it takes an incredible amount of focus.” She shook her head, still awed. “I could maybe pull off a tandem teleportation with Arcanus, but he’d be doing all the heavy lifting.”

Ronnie grimaced. “Through the puke tunnel, it is then…,”

“Alright, it’s arranged,” Taran announced, jogging to catch up to them. “We’re to report to dad and the others as soon as we get back.”

“So we finally know who is doing all this,” Ronnie ventured as they continued down the dark path. “But I’m still unclear on the why?”

“Based on what Phillip showed us, this particular Shadowghast did terrible things but was stopped by a group of knights before he could complete his plan,” Taran replied. “When we fought, he said some things that now make more sense. It feels like he’s looking to finish what he started.”

“Syndicate heroes are basically the knights of the modern era,” Maya offered. “These disasters we’ve been responding to, they’re tests. When the test is passed, and everyone is saved, he appears. He’s got to be taking the kidnapped heroes somewhere.”

“Are we sure they’re still alive?” Ronnie immediately regretted asking the question. The panic that flashed across Taran’s face was almost too much to bear. “I mean, what are his plans with them?”

“Everything we learned today indicates that Shadowghasts need energy on a massive scale, so even a dozen superheroes probably wouldn’t be enough to trigger a catastrophe. He’s also been stealing mystical artifacts, so there has to be a bigger reason for the disappearances.”

“If he’s collecting powerful heroes for another purpose… he’s already got seven. How many more does he need?” They had reached the bottom of the hill, and the brick wall yawned open as they approached.

“It doesn’t matter because we’re stopping him this time.” Taran squared his shoulders, ready to walk through the misty portal. “Let’s go find my dad.”

The second trip through the portal was more manageable, but Ronnie still needed a moment to collect himself on the other side. Despite nausea, he marveled at once again traveling so far in only a matter of moments. After a brief respite, the three ran to the main elevator. Ronnie drummed his fingers nervously as the elevator rose to the peak of the building. “It’s not a big deal,” he thought to himself. “You’re only meeting Crimson Cosmonaut — the man who hates you — in the most secure part of headquarters.”

The elevator opened, and Ronnie openly gawked at the Control consoles as they rushed past. He would have been begging Maya to show him around any other day, but Ronnie couldn’t help but feel like he was trespassing. Taran led them to a room at the back of the building, and a pair of large doors slid open as they approached.

Warren Webber sat at the far end of a wide table. He was out of uniform but flanked by two costumed heroes. Ronnie immediately recognized Iron Dragon and the Green Man. He kept his head down, now positive he wasn’t meant to be here. Standing before two of the most famous heroes in the world proved once again how serious their mission was. Would this ever feel normal?

Taran took a step forward to explain what they had learned. He reviewed the timeline and their theory about how all of the disasters were tests, speaking with a level of calm and confidence that Ronnie couldn’t help but admire. Despite the awfulness of everything, Taran was growing in this new role, practically thriving. Ronnie took a moment to watch Warren absorb the report. Was he seeing the same growth?

Maya shared what they knew about the Shadowghast and the Black Death connection. Green Man closed his eyes at the revelation, and Ronnie was sure that the ancient hero had a history with this kind of threat. Something thought defeated long ago was again ready to bring destruction to the world.

Warren stood as Maya finished. “Excellent work, Taran,” he said. “This is a remarkable discovery. Maya, thank you for utilizing your contacts to bring us this information.”

“Actually, it was mostly Ronnie’s discovery,” Taran spoke up. “He was the one that noticed the pattern that started all of this.”

Warren turned to Ronnie, who did his best to hold eye contact. “Very good,” he said, giving a curt nod. “We’ll work with our contacts to confirm this new information by the new moon and will be prepared to face this Shadowghast if everything checks out. You’re all dismissed.” Green Man and Iron Dragon filed out a back door as Maya gathered the files they had shared.

Warren called out as the younger heroes turned to leave. “Mr. Nolan, a moment if you please?”

Ronnie froze in place. What?! He shot Taran a pleading look, who nervously shrugged.

“We’ll be waiting outside,” he whispered before the doors slid shut behind him.

Convinced the temperature in the room had just plummeted, Ronnie turned back to the center of the room. The glossy conference table was the only thing that separated him from arguably the most powerful being in the galaxy.

“Mr. Nolan. I wanted to speak with you after our… discussion the other night.” Warren casually rested his hands on the back of his chair. Ronnie noticed that one of them appeared to be wrapped in a small bandage.

“Sir, are — are you still hurt?!”

“Oh, this? Doctor Peters assures me I’ll be fine in a day or two. Though I seem to be healing slower than usual, which is frankly a surprise. Not many things that can do that, you know.”

Ronnie did know; everyone knew. Crimson Cosmonaut was invulnerable to nearly everything!

“Sir, again,” he stammered. “I’m so, so sorry about that. I couldn’t have known—”

Warren waved his good hand in dismissal. “Consider it more ability research. You need to be ready for whatever comes next, and this power of yours may be instrumental in stopping the Shadowghast.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help, sir.” Ronnie shifted on the balls of his feet anxiously. This was such an awkward conversation, and he needed it to end.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Warren nodded and cleared his throat. “Now, the reason I kept you.”

This was it. An ultimatum was coming. Leave my family alone, or you’ll never finish your training. “Sir?”

“How is he doing? With everything?”

Ronnie allowed himself to exhale and tried to hide his relief. He stepped closer with a timid smile. “Taran is doing the best he can. Worried about his mom, obviously, but focused on getting answers. As you can see, that’s been pretty successful. Strangely, not having to hide from you, not having that weighing him down, seems to be helping.”

“He’s always been so driven, despite everything… but I find myself worrying about the stress of it all. Our family has been through so much.” Warren trailed off for a moment before snapping back to the present. “Well, it’s clear to me now that you care for each other a great deal. And I’m grateful that Taran has someone he can lean on in a time like this.”

“Thank you, sir, that means a lot.”

Warren shook his head with a sigh. “Enough of this ‘sir’ business, Mr. Nolan. Ronnie.” He smiled weakly. “I’ll let you get back to your evening. Thank you for everything and for speaking with me just now.”

Ronnie nodded and turned to leave.

“Oh, and Ronnie, one more thing?”

“Yes, sir? Sorry — Warren?”

“If you break his heart, I will literally throw you into the sun.”