User blog:GamerNerd i/Power Corrupts: Stephany, Aftermath Witness

I'm legitimately scared that my old friend will find this, since... Well... Suffice it to say that I don't ask the real-life inspirations for these characters for their permission to publish. It's just that this one in particular is far more obvious than most of the others.

In any case, I deeply apologize to that old friend for "using" you.

Stubborn Watcher
Of all the people Stephany cared for, Aidan wasn’t quite high on the list, even more so after they’d parted ways for high school.

So why didn’t she go through the portal like he had instructed? Well, it certainly wasn’t because she was interested in seeing him. It’s just not every day that you see an old friend in a situation that could have been ripped out of an action movie.

Stephany had managed to stay hidden for most of the fight, ducking behind what was left of the bleachers. She pulled out her sketchbook and worked furiously, silently and quickly drawing whatever she saw. She paused briefly whenever Aidan got stabbed to see whether he’d get back up. Watching him be impaled, however, broke her silence.

Stephany covered her mouth quickly. She retreated completely out of view and held her breath for a few moments. Convinced that she was in the clear, she peeked her head out again... And came face to face with Rotom. She fell back in surprise.

“Zzzrt? What’re you doing here?” The small drone demanded. It was clearly angry, but it was also too adorable to take seriously. “You were zzzuppozed to go with the other ztudentzzz!”

“What... Are you?” Stephany asked in awe. She reached out to touch Rotom’s metallic body but retracted her hand after feeling an electric shock. “Did... Did Aidan make you?”

“Zzrt? Make me? No!” Rotom buzzed. “But that’zzz not important right now. It’zzz not zafe for you here.”

“You think I didn’t know that?” Stephany scoffed. She hoped she was feigning her confidence well enough. “I’m not here because I don’t want to be here. What are you going to do about it?” At that moment, a large chunk of concrete building landed only a few feet away.

“Zzeeing that I cant ztop you from ztaying, we need you to join uzzz for a while. Ezpecially zince you have no defenzzze from the rockz.” Rotom looks behind Stephany. “Oh noezzz! Run!” Then he flew away.

Stephany turned around and saw another huge rock coming right at her. She braced herself and turned away. Then she realized that nothing had happened. Looking where the rock was, she instead saw a boy.

“Ms... Stephany, was it?” He said, holding a pebble in his hands. “I’m Frey. I believe you’re an old friend of my dad? In any case, I should have you join us.”

Mending Wounds
Stephany never thought that she’d see so much blood at once. Especially not from a former classmate. For a moment, she wondered whether red would continue to be her favorite color.

Nadia raised an eyebrow at her as she too crouched over Aidan. Both his clothing and the surrounding grass was soaked. Another girl knelt beside her, using a needle and thread to close up the wound. Frey was walking around, shrinking the falling debris around them into harmless pebbles.

“Just what I needed,” Nadia muttered, hands glowing golden over Aidan’s wound. “First I’m possessed to destroy my school, then I impale my partner, then I discover that there’s a witness I’m acquainted with who can testify to my role firsthand. Absolutely brilliant.”

“Why did you do it?” Stephany asked simply.

Nadia gritted her teeth. “I didn’t do it because I wanted to. Didn’t you hear me just now? I said I was possessed.”

“Riiiiiight...” Stephany glanced at the wound but was unable to focus on it for very long. “Will he live? Not like we were close or anything.”

“He’s lived through worse,” Nadia said. She stared intently as the girl worked. “At least, so he’s told me. But he lost a lot of blood before this one too, so I can’t be sure.” She then muttered inaudibly under her breath.

Stephany pretended not to hear what she perceived to be an insult. Frey spoke up. “Mom, the debris is heading for other areas nearby. Should I...?”

Mom? Stephany thought. ''How? This kid’s like... ten?''

Nadia again muttered something in frustration. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

Frey nodded and whistled. A creature swooped down from out of nowhere and carried Frey away. Stephany looked after the flying boy. Was that a giant moth he was riding?

“Wait, who’s going to protect us then?” A broken window frame landed noisily nearby. Only Stephany flinched.

Nadia didn’t respond. Instead, she held her staff in one hand and muttered something like an incantation. A lavender barrier settled over the group. Then she tossed the staff to Stephany. “If you care enough about keeping us alive, you will.”

“What? Me? Why me?” She stammered. The staff was warm to the touch. “I-I can’t-“

“You won’t have to do anything. The barrier is powered by compassion,” Nadia interrupted. “Literally all you have to do is care about protecting us.”

“Oh,” A piece of concrete hit the barrier. The staff glowed brighter for a second. Stephany instinctively clutched the staff tighter. “So, uh...” She stared at the girl stitching Aidan’s wound. She too seemed to be little more than a kid, despite the way she expertly handled the needle. “Who... Are these two?”

Nadia said nothing. Instead, she reached over. Stephany drew back. “Just say it, you don’t need to touch me.”

“If you want to know, you may as well know the whole story. And it’s a long story.”

Reluctantly, Stephany allowed Nadia to touch her temple. In a flash, she saw everything—the attempt, the interrogation, the performance, the reunion. She sat silently, stunned for a moment. “Your... Children?”

“As Aidan puts it, 'Fate has a strange sense of humor.'” Nadia said simply. Stephany was dumbstruck.

The other girl tapped Nadia with her bloodied hands. “Mother, this side is finished.” Nadia ran her glowing hand over the stitches. Stephany watched as the stitched cut closed before her eyes.

“You want to know more, don’t you?” Nadia asked as she flipped Aidan over. Stephany looked away again as the girl began switching the other side of the wound. “I can see it in your eyes.”

Stephany had never seen Nadia this calm, never heard her voice this quiet. Was this really the outspoken, brash girl she knew? “I do, but if this is supposed to be a secret, then...”

Nadia shook her head. “Azura—my daughter, here—and Frey—my son—are secrets that Aidan and I guard more closely than our powers. In fact, you may have seen me use them already. Remember those seniors on our first day?”

“Of course I do. That was when...” On the first day of high school, Stephany had been surrounded by a group of seniors who had gone a little too far with the typical freshman teasing. Suddenly, they had all fled. As Stephany turned around, Nadia simply walked by and smiled, a strange yellow ring glowing on her finger. “Wait, you did that? I thought-”

“You should know from watching that yellow is the light of fear.” Nadia smiled mischievously. “With my experience, it’s not hard to scare away people.”

“Isn’t that from a comic book?”

Nadia nodded. “My powers come from print sources—books and literature of all kinds.” She pointed to the staff in Stephany’s hands. “It took forever for me to create that. Materials from planet Nok, carved into the shape of Gandalf’s staff. In the head, you have water from three different mythological traditions: the Greek river Lethe, the Norse well Mímisbrunnr, and the Egyptian Sea of Chaos. Three worlds, five different representations of powerful magic, all combined into a single weapon. You hold in your hands a power that could counteract an entire nuclear blast, in the correct conditions.”

Stephany stared at the staff. To think that a large, glorified stick like this could prevent destruction on the scale of Hiroshima... It was difficult to wrap her head around it.

“Mother, father’s lost a lot of blood,” Azura said shakily. “I’m no doctor, but even if I patch this up...”

Nadia sighed. “For now, close the wounds. I’ll... Figure something out.” Azura nodded and went back to work.

“Why are you telling me this now?” Stephany asked. “You’ve obviously been keeping this secret for a while. Aren’t you worried that... That I’d rat you out?

“That’s... That’s the thing,” Nadia said. “This is temporary. I can’t let you go away with this information. I’m obligated to make sure the secret doesn’t spread.”

Stephany’s eyes grew wide. “What?” She stammered in panic, “Are you saying that-“

“I’m not going to kill you, my god,” Nadia interrupted. “Calm the hell down. I can’t just do that. I mean, I could just kill you, but that’s the most inefficient way to do it.” Stephany still had her eyes wide. “Oh my- It’s an amnesia spell, okay? There’ll be a one day gap in your memory. It’s not going to be bad. Even if you did feel pain, you wouldn’t remember it.”

Stephany relaxed a little while Azura tapped her mother again. Nadia closed the wound along the stitches, then flipped Aidan over again. His face was ghostly pale.

“His heart is beating, but faintly,” Nadia observed. “You were right, Azura. He needs his blood to be replaced.” She stood up. “Stand back, both of you. This... This might be disturbing.”

The Ritual
Azura moved behind and next to her mother. Stephany stood. For the first time, she noticed just how large of a puddle Aidan was lying in. It was sickening, but it was nothing compared to what Nadia was about to do.

Nadia chanted musically, composing a poem on the spot. Her hands moved into an almost prayerful position. Stephany noticed that she had put one of her rings back on—the red one. It glowed faintly—as did her eyes. A blue pendant also glowed on her neck, its sapphire light contrasting with the red. Stephany was reminded of one of her shows about a group of alchemists—Nadia, performing this seemingly unholy ritual, would have fit perfectly into that universe.

“''Great mistakes have I made, / For a once-bright light now fades. / Asclepius now, please heed my call, / Do not let this defender fall.''” Her hands come apart. A ball of red energy forms between them. “Blood was shed, / The day is won, / But the sacrifice made was no fun.”

Drops of red appeared to come out of the soaked earth. They all gravitated toward the orb between Nadia’s hands. Azura stared and inched backward. Stephany looked on in horrified curiosity. Nadia continued to chant. The drops increased in size as they merge, and more rose out of the ground to join them. The red energy continued to grow. Stephany noticed red streaks leaking from Nadia’s fingers.

She also noticed someone clinging to her. She looked, in surprise, at Azura hugging her arm as if Stephany was her mother. Strangely, she didn’t have the heart to shake her off. Frey dropped in beside his sister, somehow making no noise despite his hard landing.

“''Blood is sacred; / The water of life, / Where it spills are signs of strife. / Cleanse this ground on which I stand / And make this warrior once again grand!''”

With the final verse, Nadia pushed out the blood-red orb. The energy drew in all the surrounding droplets in the air, then dive-bombed directly into Aidan’s mouth. His unconscious body was forced to swallow the entire orb.

For a terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then Aidan began coughing, sending small drops of red through the air again. He sat up slowly and wiped his mouth clean of the blood. Color began returning to his face.

“Urgh, God,” he said weakly. “I know I’m the one who’s partially a bloodthirsty beast, but not even the wolf wants to taste yours, N. What’s up with that?”

Nadia knelt next to Aidan. She tried to smirk, but couldn’t hide her relief. “Greek ichor and Norse frost giant-Aesir blood, mixed with my own. No good?”

Aidan wiped his mouth again. “Worse than rotting flesh.” Nadia laughed uneasily and pulled Aidan up into a hug.

Azura tore away from Stephany and joined the embrace. “Father!”

Aidan smiled at her. “I’m proud of you. Fear is a difficult opponent, even more so for you.” He felt his torso through his shirt. “...And do I have you to thank for these stitches?” Azura didn’t respond but buried her face in Aidan’s jacket.

Frey walked up slowly and managed to wriggle into the bundle too. “You too, Frey. I kinda want to see exactly what you made your mother see to dissolve her Will.”

Frey looked at Nadia with a questioning look. “Yes, I saw it,” she said. “I never liked clowns anyway.”

In the midst of this, Stephany had pulled out her sketchbook. The embrace was touching, if sappy. After doodling a little, she realized that, despite the unnaturally small age difference, the four looked closer than just friends. She recognized the pure joy of the hug. While it was exaggerated like a movie, it was still oddly genuine. Nadia, Azura, Frey, and Aidan… It seemed like there was a family bond. Not just in the “we’re really close” sense, either. Somehow it felt more… Legitimate.

Then Aidan noticed her.

The Soul of a Drawing
“Steph?” he stuttered, pulling away from the group hug. “What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to-“

“Obviously, I didn’t listen,” she retorted.

“Have you-“ Aidan turned to Nadia. “Has she been here this whole time?”

Nadia shrugged. “I assume so. Rotom found her after I… You know.”

Aidan’s face fell. He glanced at Stephany’s drawing. “Did… Did you draw that just now?”

Stephany looked down, then up again. “I mean, it’s a bunch of people hugging. I wouldn’t normally draw that. So yes.”

Aidan came over and took a look. “Are you sure? No offense, but our hug was like… A minute long. You drew this in a minute?”

“Uh… Yes?”

Aidan looked over at Nadia doubtfully. “I know we should wipe her memory, but… I dunno, N. Something’s… Not normal here.”

Nadia rolled her eyes. “Are you sure it’s not just because you’re old friends?”

“What? No! I swear!” His voice shook a little. He gestured to Nadia. “Come here and look.”

She did. She also looked concerned. “Just to be sure... Close your eyes, Stephany.”

Stephany did so, reluctantly. She felt the warmth of Nadia putting her palm on her forehead.

“Now, visualize what you saw just now,” Nadia instructed. “Imagine your drawing coming to life. Watch it move, just like...” Nadia trailed off. “...Mater Athenae.”

“Well... My instincts were correct,” Aidan muttered.

When Stephany opened her eyes, the drawing in her sketchbook was moving, just as she had imagined. She dropped the book in surprise. The image froze when it hit the floor. “Wh- What?”

Nadia and Aidan were both looking at Azura, who was helping her brother revert some of the damage to the campus.

“I guess it makes sense,” Aidan said, thinking out loud. “There would have to be one here too. In which case...” He and Nadia locked eyes, debating silently.

After a moment, Nadia spoke cautiously. “I don’t know, Aidan. You know what Pix and Lex said about recruiting people...”

Stephany brushed the dirt off her sketchbook. “What do you mean, recruiting?”

“Steph, you’re one of us,” Aidan said slowly, “That means that technically we don’t have to wipe your memory anymore. But in exchange, you get the full insanity of our... Profession.”

“I- I don’t know.” Stephany’s voice wavered. “W-What do you think?”

The Recreators shrugged. “I mean, you’re getting more of a choice than we got,” Nadia said. “We were kinda just... Thrown into this.”

“And like I said, the other option is wiping your memory,” Aidan said. “My guess is you don’t want to do that. Not like it’d matter since you wouldn’t remember it anyway…”

“F-Fine!” Stephany stuttered. She didn’t really understand what she was getting into, but she was sick of hearing about having her memory erased. “Just start training me! Or… whatever…”

Nadia and Aidan had another silent conversation. Or at least, part of one. They couldn’t seem to keep it completely between themselves.

“We could get in huge trouble for this…” Nadia whispered.

Aidan laughed. “You know, N, I’m surprised that you’re the one worried about rules this time. It’s not like you.” “I mean, this is… A lot bigger than us,” she said.

Aidan laughed again. “Says the girl with dimension-warping magic.” Nadia gave Aidan a stink-eye, which he ignored. “Anyway, don’t worry about getting in trouble. I’ll take full responsibility. This was my idea anyway.” He nodded to Stephany. “N, you know this place better than I do. Help the kids out. I’ll start right away. C’mere, Steph.”

Nadia went without saying anything. But as she turned to look back, her emerald eyes flashed a bright green. Stephany started to think that maybe she would regret this decision.

Aidan’s reassuring smile put her slightly at ease. His hands were in his torn jacket’s pockets, a posture that apparently hadn’t changed in the two years they were apart. “So this generation’s Recreator of the arts is you, huh?” He said quietly. “Who’d’ve thought. Three of us in the same general area... Strange.” He waved off his thoughts. “Anyway, are you sure about this, Steph? You sounded pretty... Pressed.”

“Honestly, no, I-I’m not sure. I just don’t want to hear you talk about how you can erase my memory.”

Aidan shrugged. “Won’t press it, but just know that it’s an option. Anyway, seeing that you have the innate ability already, I don’t think you need anything much more than a tool and some... refining.” He pulls a green notebook with a gold star out of his pocket (even though there’s no way it would have fit in that pocket) and gives it to Stephany. “Try this. It’s normally meant for words, but Maxwell is terrible at drawing, so...”

She took it and did a few quick doodles—butterflies, bees, that kind of thing. Each one peeled itself off the page and began fluttering around. Stephany’s eyes widened like a child at the aquarium for the first time.

“Now, obviously I can’t have you training in this world. Conveniently, I know just the right dimension. Dangerous, but not inherently violent or frightening.” An orb forms above Aidan’s right hand. In it, Stephany saw figures fighting an army of strange purple creatures. Some figures were humanoid, but grey and seemingly void of life. Others were... Inhuman, but shone with vitality. “So, tell me... Would you rather be a Plant or a Zombie?”

Postscript

 * If you're here from Discord, this story actually directly ties into Vergel's PvZH role-play. At least, it does for my character. That wasn't the original plan, but it kinda worked out that way.
 * Again, I want to apologize to the friend I so painstakingly recreated for this story without realizing it.
 * My god I need to stop writing sappy stuff at the end of these stories.