Media City.
Stephanie walked down the wide, softly lit corridor of the luxurious mansion, her bare feet silent on the cool marble floor. She stopped at a familiar door, knocked once, and pushed it open without waiting.
Inside the magnificent bedroom, her younger sister Catherine Pearl Noble sat cross-legged in the center of the king-sized bed, eyes locked on her phone.
The room was bathed in the soft blue glow of the screen, casting shifting light across Pearl’s focused face and the expensive silk sheets.
"Cat," Stephanie said.
The sound finally pulled Pearl’s attention away from the phone.
"I keep telling you to knock," Pearl snapped, irritation flashing in her eyes.
"Did knock." Stephanie kept her voice even. "You didn’t hear it because you were glued to your phone."
"Just say whatever you came to say." Pearl’s tone made it clear she wanted to get back to the screen.
"I wanted you to come watch the Lady Vega presentation with me."
Pearl lifted her head. "Who still wastes their night on Lady Vega? Everyone at school is gonna be talking about Glitch tomorrow."
"Glitch? Who the hell is Glitch?"
"The guy who dropped Flamebird." Pearl’s eyes were already back on her phone. "He went live a few minutes ago. Over four thousand viewers. I’m still going through the comments."
『And if you knew your own sister was Lady Vega? Would you still pick some nobody over her?』
"I’d pick the Glitch stream over literally anything right now," Pearl said, as if she’d read the thought right off Stephanie’s face.
"You need to sleep," Stephanie replied. "You’ve got school tomorrow, and you commute to another city for it. Don’t forget that."
"Come on. Is this because—"
Stephanie pulled the door shut.
She had a beautiful mansion. A sharp younger sister. A major contract with IronClad, one of the biggest names in the industry. And yet she still couldn’t shake the quiet feeling that something was missing, something she didn’t have a name for.
She walked back down the long corridor toward the living room. The massive wall-mounted TV dominated the elegant space, Cloud News playing with perfect clarity.
The panel was deep in discussion about the Lady Vega premiere. A glowing banner crawled along the bottom of the screen:
THE SEXIEST HERO IN THE WORLD OFFICIALLY SIGNS WITH IRONCLAD.
『What a stupid headline. 』
Then the banner changed.
FLAMEBIRD’S LICENSE SUSPENDED BY THE HERO BODY.
Stephanie froze.
『Wait. This rando actually got Flamebird benched. 』
『Glitch!? 』
She unlocked her phone and searched the name.
"Glitch. Who are you?"
The search results flooded her screen. A black mask with sharp gold stripes dominated nearly every image. Half the teenagers online had already changed their profile pictures to him.
『This is insane. I worked for years and barely got noticed. This guy blows up off one stream and two days of footage. It doesn’t add up. 』
"A hundred and sixty thousand followers," Stephanie murmured, staring at the number in disbelief. "And the account isn’t even verified yet."
『Glitch... You might actually be something. 』
She tapped the follow button.
Her phone started ringing, Daniella.
"We’ve made it, girl," Stephanie muttered sarcastically to herself, half a second before she answered.
"We’ve made it, girl!" Daniella’s excited voice burst through the speaker, bright and buzzing with energy.
****
The silver Bentley Flying Spur glided smoothly through the glowing streets of Mayvel.
In the spacious backseat, Izzy sat in a sleek long black dress that hugged her figure, the fabric shimmering faintly with every small movement. Marvin Bliss sat beside her, relaxed and composed.
"How was the night?" Marvin asked, a quiet note of pride in his voice.
"It was... good," Izzy replied, more relaxed now, leaning back against the soft leather. "The one thing that caught me off guard? Lady Vega didn’t even show up to her own thing."
"That’s the industry," Marvin said with a small shrug, the city lights washing across his face through the glass. "Heroes at her level are always off fighting something. For all we know, she’s off-planet tonight."
"Really?" Izzy’s eyes lit up, a bright, genuine smile breaking across her face.
"Really." He nodded. "I hope you enjoyed meeting some of the rising names."
"Yeah." She was practically glowing. "The woman with the black and white hair—"
"Priscilla," Marvin corrected gently, keeping his smile in place.
"Yeah. I liked her."
Marvin watched her for a quiet moment, studying the excitement in her expression.
『I need to move fast, before anyone else gets to her. This is real talent. 』
"Have you thought about the contract?" he asked, his voice soft and measured.
Izzy nodded.
"Good. Then let’s make it official."
"Yeah."
In the rearview mirror, the elderly driver glanced back briefly. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a kid rush headfirst into this world.
"So you’ll sign tomorrow?" Marvin pressed.
"Yeah. I’m ready." She couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.
"Smart. You’re going to make a fortune off this."
"Money’s not the point," Izzy said plainly, looking out at the passing city lights. "It’s purpose. Doing the work. The cash might follow, but I don’t do it for that."
Marvin looked at her and smiled.
『Isabella Garcia. You don’t know nothing. 』
"This is my stop."
The Bentley pulled over smoothly. The driver stepped out and opened her door.
"Thank you, Marvin." Izzy climbed out, the cool night air brushing against her skin.
She took one step, then turned back to the open window. The tinted glass slid down smoothly.
"There’s something you should know," she said, leaning in slightly.
Marvin looked at her.
"I’m not in college." She paused. "Sorry. I lied. I’m a—"
"Are you eighteen?" Marvin cut in, completely unbothered.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"Then it’s fine." He settled back into his seat. "We sign tomorrow."
Izzy smiled, relieved, and walked off down the sidewalk. Marvin watched her go from the backseat, eyes tracking her figure until she faded into the night.
『I already knew you were in high school. 』
The Bentley pulled away silently, leaving Izzy alone under the streetlights.
"Yes!" She shouted to no one, her voice echoing down the empty street.
She dissolved into a swirl of sparkling white mist and reappeared halfway down the block, closer to home. Another joyful burst of mist, and she rematerialized right in front of her door, heart racing with pure adrenaline.
She was still grinning ear to ear when she stepped inside, the cool night air following her into the warm house.
『I need me a hero name. 』
She shut the door behind her, then bounced around the living room like she couldn’t contain the energy, spinning once, laughing under her breath. Her black dress swirled around her legs as she moved.
Then her eyes landed on the framed photo on the shelf: a younger version of herself squeezed happily between Bishop and Ren.
『Oh crap. Ren. 』
The guilt hit her like cold water. The failed plans from earlier came rushing back all at once.
She grabbed her phone from the counter, fingers trembling slightly. He hadn’t called or texted back.
She dialed his number anyway, pacing the living room.
『Please pick up. Pick up, Ren. 』
The line connected after two rings.
"Yes, Z." Ren’s voice came through, calm but distant.