Millions of stunned eyes looked at the empty space where an urn was supposed to be. A cold breath of wind brushed against Lure’s skin, causing her to shiver. The impossible had yet again triumphed.

Sinistra, who was standing ten meters way, crackled in laughter and couldn’t stop herself. Although Lure wanted to ask her best friend why she laughed so madly, an order compelled her to move out and observe her surroundings. Several high-ranking heroes moved in the air and were investigating, though they couldn’t find any evidence for a theft caused by an Empowered, since no ability signature energy was found.

As everyone was about to calm down because no immediate attack followed, the sky changed its colour to a vivid violet. Letters in a bloody red appeared one after the other and formed a sentence: Fight for The Judge! The civilians started to shout and ran away while the superheroes were flabbergasted. Unable to comprehend the situation, everyone advanced disorderly.

“Shift! Shiiiiift!” a hero trumpeted.

Everyone except the present heroes or villains disappeared. This was a countermeasure meant to stop the spreading of panic. Apparently, the NIP managed to recruit a foreign S-rank Empowered who specialized in special displacement, and the civilians were transported to different overlapping dimensions.

Several thousand heroes were given the order to move out, secure the city and look for the assailants.

Lure approached Sinistra who was grinning as if she had won a price in the lottery. She seemed unusually smug today.

“What is so funny?”

“Everything?”

“Care to explain?”

She sighed. “Everything is so stupid. This just adds another level.”

Ura sprinted and caught up. Nearly sobbing, she said, “Don’t leave me. I’m too weak.”

Sinistra shook her head, “You aren’t. We, E-ranks, might be the weakest now, who had the right to participate in this event, but in a few years, we’ll bloom.”

Lure chimed in, “Besides your ability is damn useful for this mission.” Sinistra nodded as well, which caused Ura’s face to show less stress.

“I'll then tag along.”

While they moved together in a group, Lure observed the letters in the sky which changed: Join us. You’ll further hear from us in your dreams.

Neither did this message make much sense. As Sinistra had said, nothing really made sense anymore.

So they want to steal our hope as well, clever thieves. The unknown enemy’s objective was obvious: stealing the last symbol that still demonstrated humanity’s hope.

The trio stumbled mindlessly through the city. Like everyone else, they had no clue where to search. As they moved from block to block from city to city, an idea popped into Lure’s mind, and she took the watch out of her pockets. Her own karmic thread became visible – watery pink, demonstrating her light sins committed in her lifetime. Albeit her newly found skill wasn’t powerful enough to see her companions’ threads, she discerned another big tree-like thread which she felt was somehow connected to the urn. She couldn’t though explain how she knew this; ah this sweet whispering, she felt it. It was but a feeling that guided her.

“There it is.” She pointed towards the sky where an enormous thread radiating in black purple was connecting two dimensions. The watch gave her the ability to see through dimensions, it seemed, and could unveil what was generally hidden to the human eye. A dark gloomy realm lay behind the physical world, clearly distinct from The Heavens.

“What is there?” asked a sceptical Sinistra, “a fly? I only see that message a little on the right.”

Ura shook her head. “Neither do I. My ability detects nothing unusual.”

In their defence, they didn’t possess some mysterious artefact gifted by the foremost hero of the age.

Her friends trusted Lure, however, she felt like she was trying to convince them that a mysterious teapot was circulating through Earth’s orbit. The fastest way to show them what she meant was without a doubt giving them the artefact, which she did.

“Nope, still nothing, perhaps it’s broken,” joked Sinistra holding the watch in her hand.

“I don’t want to say it, but my ability shows nothing.”

“Why can only I use the artefact?”

“Wasn’t it given by Huic? He must have had a purpose in mind.”

Hm, Sinistra’s speculation is probably right. Maybe it’s sentient like in the movies. Lure tried to communicate with it via thought, but to no avail.

She explained to them what she saw and her friends believed her.

Ura sighed, “Crazy. However, I’m glad to know you or else I would still naively believe that life can’t be more complex than I thought.”

Sinista argued for a solution. “Well, I know this information broker. One of the very shady kind... He dabbles in shamanism and mysticism as well.”

“A crook,” exclaimed Ura. Her philosophical education had armed her with weapons against human stupidity.

“Wait. He may be a nutcase, like many conspiracy theorists, but he is a damn well-known broker, though his prices… He might know a way to heal your father as well, just saying.”

Lure started contemplating. What Sinistra had said was at least a first trace, although she had painted him as shady…

“Hm, why do you believe that he is shady?”

“Oh, well… Erm, he doesn’t care for money. He trades for various things, mainly knowledge and favours, sexual favours included."

Both Lure and Ura blushed.

“No need to precise this!” shouted Ura.

“Hey Ura, you’re even more childlike than Lure, haven’t you yet…”

“Please, Sinn, don’t tease her.”

Sinistra stuck her tongue out. “Don’t mother the kiddo.”

A voice message interrupted their conversation: “Everyone return.”

Half an hour had passed since the search. The group returned as ordered.

The graveyard looked as triste as before, especially since it appeared as if it could start raining at every moment, and the sky was grey. A security perimeter had been arranged, and a mass of people was guided away from the graveyard, followed by several heroes with downcast heads. Lure understood why; for those heroes, it must have felt as if someone punched them in their guts. It was a matter of dignity and the whole NIP was sullied by those assailants. Worse, the whole world witnessed the failure of the heroes.

Although, Lure didn’t really care about the symbolic value of the urn, nevertheless, she felt personally attacked as well, since Huic’s heritage was attacked.

Yesterday, it had been announced, that several S-rank heroes would today speak for the deceased Huic, and that the civilians were allowed to put flowers near his tomb.This ceremony was meant for everyone, so even the million people waiting outside the graveyard had the right to honour his deeds.

“Everything is a mess,” stated Sinistra in a matter of fact. She was hauntingly yawning and demonstrated her boredom and reproach at the same time.

“You have already said that at least three times today,” Ura’s voice was a little bit vexing.

“Because it is true, the heroes couldn’t do anything.”

“You are part of the heroes, of us. I should remind you.” Ura was about to shout, and her voice was raised.

Luckily the cameras had been turned off, else their behaviour would be too shameful.

Lure witnessed as a rift was forming between her two friends. Although she didn’t feel like a hero either, she nevertheless thought that the NIP did everything to honour Huic’s memory.

“We should leave the graveyard; you both are a disgrace. Sinn, please do me a favour and respect Huic’s heritage, and Ura, Sinn is grumpy since this morning. You’re better than this.”

Ura rowed back, “Sorry, I became too emotional.”

“Tz. I’m gonna take a stroll. Stirring some trouble.”

Both teenagers watched as their friend moseyed away without any care in the world. Lure knew that it was pointless to further inquire what had happened; Sinistra wasn’t the type to open up if she felt troubled.

Doom and gloom.

Life is trouble, and trouble is life.

Once again, a voice spoke to both Lure and Ura, “To every member of the Anti-Suicide Squads, leave the security perimeter. I repeat. To every member of the Anti-Suicide Squads leave the security perimeter. We have found the culprit.”

Lure recognized Lumiere’s domineering voice, one that was both arrogant and let the average listener tremble in fear.

The rest of the students assembled outside on the street and waited for further instructions. Hastily several S-ranks who she didn’t recognize arrived and transported the students back to the school. Once they reached their destination, they were ordered to go their dormitories while they weren’t allowed to leave. Everything happened so quickly. A lot of the teenagers faces showed signs of apprehension and confusion, with big wave-like furrows appearing on their forehead. A mystery, truly, it was a conundrum.

“Where is Sinistra?” asked Ura innocently.

Which caused Lure to reply with a short, “Oh,” reflecting for a time, she exclaimed, “shit, this rebellious gal.”