The barber's scissors had snipped away more than almost all his hair.
Now, his white locks were short and slicked back, neat and sharp. No more tangled mess, no more shadows hiding his face. He even had his beard shaved clean off, making him look his age.
Flamestar paid the talented barber before walking out with Arthur, "When you said you wanted a haircut, I can understand why." Admiring his youthful appearance.
Arthur didn't respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
Flamestar pressed the ring on her finger, and in a shimmer of light, her hero persona disappeared.
Her long blonde hair rested gracefully over her shoulders, while her green eyes shone brilliantly. She wore mainly light blue makeup and nail polish with tiny white stars. She slightly tugged her white dress, so it was at the very least past her knees, "From now on, call me Vanessa Star. Looks like our car has arrived."
A sleek black car pulled up to the curb. The doors opened, and two young women in crisp maid uniforms stepped out, bowing slightly.
"Good afternoon, Lady Vanessa," said Becky, one of the maids who had long black hair reaching her lower back. She had a perfect, curvy figure and was in her late twenties.
"This must be young Arthur," said Cassie, a brown-haired woman with an afro standing by Becky. A much leaner woman, she was in her early twenties.
Vanessa pointed to them, "Arthur, meet Becky. She will be watching over you guys and acting as your caretaker. Cassie over there is my personal maid, but she will also be looking after you guys on Becky's breaks. And this," she faced the stern-faced man behind the wheel, "is Hans, our personal driver and head of security."
Arthur gave a stiff nod.
Becky entered the front next to Hans while Cassie sat between Vanessa and Arthur. Vanessa crossed her legs and leaned back, "There are benefits to being a top ten hero. This is one of them."
Arthur glanced at Becky, who was staring at him in the rearview mirror before looking away, "Not my type of car, to be honest. I prefer something more expensive. Does hero work pay a lot?"
"It depends on what hero path you follow, but first, you should know that you are sharing a space with three others. Think of them as siblings or teammates."
Arthur stared out the window, "Teammates, huh? Do they know?"
"Yes, they do know about you and who you are. But they're not as critical as you believe. They mainly see you as a reforming hero. There are times I will ask you to go on missions together or solo, so you better be prepared," she stated after sipping her tea.
"As long as they are cool with me, then we won't have problems," Arthur replied.
Vanessa clapped her hands together, "Super, now how many types of heroes are in this world? I'm mainly referring to the superhero industry," asked Vanessa.
Cassie passed a cup of tea to Arthur, "When did protecting lives become an industry?"
Vanessa sipped her tea before replying, "Quite a few years ago. After so many popular heroes were making a name for themselves and needed funding for their services, this act of volunteering soon turned into an international billion-dollar industry. With rules and regulations that keep this business surviving."
She held up her right finger, "First, the Celebrity Heroes. They sell their image and their brand. They're the type of heroes that have lots of merchandise, endorsements, public appearances. For example, Glamourbabe is the top-selling celebrity hero for the past ten years. Their hero identity is their mask, and their mask is their fortune. They are heroes you've seen on TV most of the time. It's honestly mostly a risk-less path to take, especially if your powers are useless. Important note: these heroes are the only ones allowed to arrest people during the day and receive a quota of arrests."
A second finger joined the first.
"Then, there are the Keepers. No fame. No glory. Just the mission, regardless of how risky it is. These heroes carry our industry because they uphold what we call the hero code. Sadly, not many pick this path because not only is the pay little, but the risk is just way too high. They are free to arrest at night, but they are not allowed to steal arrests from celebrity heroes," she explained.
Arthur frowned, "Which one are you?"
Vanessa smirked, "Both. Don't get me wrong, I'm a business girl. I want Flamestar to be the figure that keeps the people happy, but at the same time, I'm not bending over for my boss so they can have more money in their pockets. I became a hero so that I can protect anyone, no matter what it is."
She leaned forward, her gaze sharp, "But you will be going down a different path. For now, you are a Keeper."
Arthur exhaled, "I still find it hard to believe that you actually want me to work with you?"
Vanessa exhaled, "When I became the number ten hero, I was given permission to access classified information about things we shouldn't know about. One of them was Empire Gold's death tape."
She continued, "After analyzing it, I noticed that there was gunfire which wasn't present in the news version, and it wasn't edited like the other one."
Arthur faced her immediately, "Wait, they knew about the gunfire?"
Vanessa slowly nodded her head, "Which made me suspicious of the Association for another reason. If Empire Gold was the number one hero... why did they spread the news of you killing him instead of having Kaizer being the reason for his death? Which caused three reactions: people are mocking his death because a child killed him, some people want you dead, and finally, many people actually believe it was Kaizer, which made people suspicious of them using a child as a scapegoat. Not only that, Kaizer was given a lighter sentence after you were in the world spotlight. And now he is off the grid somewhere."
Arthur clenched his hand, rage burning in his eyes, "You don't mean—"
She nodded her head, "I feel like the Hero Association wanted him dead, but I can't confirm that or explain why. Eventually, I'll find out the truth behind all of this."
The car slowed to a stop.
"Now then," Vanessa said, sliding out after Becky opened the door for her, "Let's meet your new family." She looked at the Star Penthouse.
Vanessa, alongside Arthur and the two maids, waited patiently for the elevator to reach the top floor, "Oh, Arthur," Vanessa called out.
"Yeah?" he replied.
Vanessa had a suspicious smirk on her face, "Just know, you can either call me mommy or mom. Since I'm taking care of you."
Arthur glared at her but turned his attention to the elevator when it reached its final destination.
The elevator doors slid open to reveal the penthouse's lavish interior.
Before Arthur could take a full step inside, a muscular man's massive fist was already flying toward his face.
A gauntleted blue hand intercepted the blow mid-air.
Arthur's spectral knight had materialized in an instant, the impact sending a shockwave through the penthouse that made the chandelier sway dangerously.
"Tch. Not bad," the man growled, his muscles bulging as he pushed against the knight's grip.
His brown hair whipped around his face.
Vanessa sighed, "Duke, we just had this place redecorated—"
Her protest was cut off as Bruce's hand touched her shoulder.
In a blink, Vanessa, Becky, and Cassie vanished from the combat zone, reappearing safely on the penthouse's observation balcony twenty feet away.
"Sorry, mom," a timid man adjusted his glasses nervously from his new position, "But you know how Duke gets when testing new recruits."
Vanessa's eyes twitched as she folded her arms, "Bruce, did he tell you to do this?"
Bruce nervously teleported away, hiding from Vanessa's wrath.
Back in the main room, the battle escalated. Duke's second punch sent the knight sliding back three feet, the third cracked its breastplate, and the fourth—
"Enough!" A feminine voice cut through the chaos as her Trigger flared.
A green aura surrounded both Duke and the knight, freezing them mid-swing.
The coffee table that had been floating toward the ceiling was gently lowered back to the floor.
Duke strained against the invisible force, "Annie! I was just—"
"About to make me clean up another broken penthouse?" Annie interrupted, her twin ponytails swaying as she walked between the frozen combatants.
She tapped the knight's frozen fist, "Interesting construct. Feels... cold." Her blue eyes narrowed at Arthur, "And angry. Very angry."
Arthur remained silent, but his left eye's red hue deepened slightly.
Annie held up her hands, "Relax, newbie. We're all friends here." She released her hold with a flick of her wrist.
Duke stumbled forward before catching himself, while the knight dissolved into blue embers.
Bruce teleported back in, nervously adjusting his glasses, "S-sorry about that. Duke's... enthusiastic."
Duke cracked his neck, "Had to see if the stories were true." He extended a massive hand toward Arthur, "You alright, bro?"
Vanessa reappeared in a swirl of flames, her maid entourage following through the now-open balcony doors, "Are we done with the warm welcoming?" She clapped her hands, "Now that introductions are properly made—"
"Wait," Annie interrupted, her eyes suddenly glowing brighter blue.
"There's something else." She turned to Arthur. "Your knight... it's not just a construct, is it? It's—"
Arthur's left eye flashed red. Annie gasped as her psychic connection severed abruptly.
"Don't dwell into someone else's personal matter," Arthur finished coldly.
The room began to feel tense.
Vanessa's laugh broke the tension, "Now, now, Annie, we talk about looking into people's minds. Besides," she threw an arm around Arthur's shoulders, "This guy is your new little brother, so best respect his boundaries, okay?"
Annie rubbed her temples but smirked. "You're right, sorry. It's a habit of mine. Must say, it's impressive that you canceled my abilities like that."
Bruce approached the group, "Um, should we... show him his room?"
Duke grunted, hefting a dumbbell, "After he lifts a few sets."
Vanessa rolled her eyes, "Later. First—" She produced a sleek black card from her dress, "—we're going shopping. You really need a new set of clothes since I can't let you wear that trench coat forever."
As the team fell into their natural rhythm of bickering and banter.
Arthur sighed and quietly muttered, "This is my life now." With a slight smile on his face. The sound of their voices—teasing, warm, alive—washed over him, a stark contrast to the cold silence of Ironhold. Once, he'd been a pariah, a name spat in rage; now, these strangers called him brother. Could this noisy chaos be home, or would his past shadows reclaim him? For now, he let the smile linger, a fragile anchor in the storm of his new beginning.