Jacob found himself lying face first on the floor with what felt like his sheet draped over his head. He groaned softly as he pushed himself up, tossing the sheet aside. He was lying next to his bed in Doctor Derrow's apartment with Bernie sitting next to him, snuffling at his hair and whimpering in concern. Jacob let out a sigh of relief as he reached out to pat the dog's head. Thank heavens, that had all been a dream, and now he could put strange armors and freaky voices out of his...

  As his hand touched Bernie's head, the gleam of the silver shone brightly in the sunlight. What was more, the sheet was in fact a scarlet cape. Jacob sat up, and sure enough he was still wearing the armor, his hair was still silver, and his eyes shone brighter than ever. He let out a moan as he covered his face with a hand. The nightmare continued, yet he refused to wake.

  "Which means I'm wanted by the police; Again!" he grumbled. "How? How could this possibly get any worse?!"

  "Honestly, lad. Stop asking that question."

  Jacob seized, and he heard Bernie growl protectively. Jacob dared to remove his hand, and there he was. Jacob had recognized Merrick's voice, but now there was a face to go with it. He was a tall fellow with dark skin and a bald head. His silver beard was cut short to a point and embroidered with gold thread. He an English air to go with his accent, and he was dressed in a white shirt with a grey vest and trousers as well as a hooded shoulder cloak. He also carried a cane with a bronze dragon head for the handle. Even worse, for Jacob at least, was that he wasn't alone. Nina was standing next to him, looking a trifle uncomfortable as she wrung her hands on a ruffle of her dress. Jacob looked from her face to Merrick’s, and then he sunk down until he was lying on his back.

  "Why me?" he moaned. "Why, oh why, oh why?"

  Merrick gave his head a sad little shake, and he turned to Nina.

  "Bang up job you did this time, lady. Really in control of his emotions."

  Nina sneered at him.

  "One, I didn't even want to awaken his powers yet! You and Gloria insisted upon it. Two, it's been a nonstop deluge of nonsense since before he even met us, so excuse me if I was trying to break him in easy. Also, what were you thinking making him fight?! Why didn't you just make him invisible?"

  "Wait what?" Jacob asked, tilting up his head. "I can turn invisible?"

  "Now look what you did!" Merrick barked. "I was trying to ease him into that."

  "You literally threw him to the lions!" Nina snapped. "The armor is meant for defense, not offense! That was supposed to be the whole point!"

  "You and I both know this isn't going to end peacefully." Merrick retorted. "The boy needs to know how to defend himself, especially now that his blood has awakened."

  "Only because we decided to trigger it early!" Nina shot back. "Now he has a silver target painted on his body!"

  "But it was you that begged him to say the words." Merrick said coyly. "You're far from the innocent party here."

  "At least I'm not an idiot warmonger that sired an entire mythology that centered around kidnapping children!"

  "Well at least I didn't sire a son that toppled a kingdom!"

  "You leave my baby boy out of this!"

  "You leave my progeny out of this!"

  "OLD FOOL!"

  "FAT SOW!"

  "FAKE BEARD!"

  "FALSE HIPS!"

  Jacob watched as the duo bickered endlessly, unable to do much else. But then, the star on his chest flashed, and a third figure appeared. She was regal in her stance but possessed a powerful aura. She was dressed in a modest black dress lined with goose down as well as wore a large, black rimmed hat with her silver hair tied in a bun. She shot him a brief glance, once again revealing a pair of glowing gold eyes and a slightly crooked nose, before marching over to the two squabbling adults. She raised a hand, materializing an umbrella with a hand carved into a raven’s head, and then she soundly whacked the both of them in the head. That ended the fighting most swiftly, and they both shot her wounded looks.

  "What was that for?" Nina asked with a pout.

  "I'm surrounded by crazy women," Merrick muttered.

  "Hasn't the boy had a difficult enough day without you pea-brained squirrels butting heads?" the elderly woman rebuked in a firm tone. "Merrick, you should've had him retreat rather than fight. Now the local law sees him as some sort of villain as well as the guilty party. His anonymity is completely compromised. As for you, Nina, you should have better prepared him. You've had ample time to speak with the young man and help him ease into things, as was your request. Clearly, you're not as up to the task as you insisted. Like always, it falls to me to fix your blunders."

  Merrick sneered at that.

  "Excuse me, madam, but this is as much your fault as ours, if not more. After all, you're our queen."

  The woman's eyes blazed, and she thrusted out her hand, blasting him back with an invisible force.

  "And as your queen, I order you to shut up!" she snapped. "One more word, and I will banish you back into the void!"

  Merrick did not reply, opting to remain on the floor as Nina soundly sealed her lips and went rigid. Something told Jacob it would be better if he followed suit, and he went perfectly rigid as the woman turned back to him and approached. All at once, her intensity faded, and a relatively sweet look overtook her face. She knelt down to look at him more closely, taking his chin into her hands. As he looked her in the eye, he could see a sky blue beneath her gold glint, as well as an overwhelming melancholy.

  "You've your mother's eyes, dear, but your father's strength. It's all but uncanny; you're a perfect blend of the both of them."

  Jacob blinked, and he felt a rush of courage.

  "You...you know my parents?" he managed to say, though his voice trembled.

  The woman nodded her head.

  "Indeed. That pendant you wear, the Sterling Star, is an heirloom that belonged to your father. It is the representation of your family line, and the powers born of your blood."

  She stood up straight again, and Jacob likewise got to his feet.

  "My name is Gloria," she went on. "As I'm sure you've deduced by this point, I am not human, nor is Nina and Merrick. We are what is known as Lumino Sapiens, beings composed entirely of light."

  She took a step back as the other two joined her, and all three shed their humanoid appearances to become pillars of pure light. Merrick was was a spinning vortex that emitted gold flashes whilst Nina was like a translucent body of water that fluidly moved hither and to. As for Gloria, she was the most radiant by far, resembling a kaleidoscope of many colors and hues that continuously fluxed and changed. A moment later, they resumed their human forms. Gloria adopted an amused grin as she took in Jacob's utterly awed expression.

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  "Aye, it's a bit much to take into your human mind. These forms just make communication and interaction a wee bit easier."

  Jacob was sure he tried to speak, but all that seemed to come from his mouth was an agonized squeak.

  "And this is why it took me so long to talk to him." Nina sighed. "We couldn't even explain it to his father in a convenient manner."

  That gave Jacob a jolt.

  "My father?" he asked. "What'd he have to do with anything?"

  "Quite a lot, really," Gloria replied. "You see, boy, we come from a completely different realm of existence. Not necessarily another universe, per se, more of a different frequency. A cataclysm occurred, destroying our home and forcing us to flee to your world. Suffice to say, there was a fair amount of culture shock, and our first impression of humanity was...lackluster."

  "More like you're all bloody psychopaths," Merrick muttered, though he was silenced by a hard glare from Gloria.

  "Our people are a bit unique," she explained. "We're not so much physical beings as much as personified concepts. Nina is a personification of empathy, allowing her to sense the feelings of others and thus connect to them on a powerful level if not outright manipulate a person's emotional state."

  "But I'd never do that without consent!" Nina said quickly, though Jacob noticed an accusatory look from Merrick.

  "As for Merrick," Gloria continued. "He is knowledge personified. He has an endless capacity to learn and in turn impart information. This can be as simple as articles he's read from a book to experiences he's either observed or undergone personally."

  She drew Jacob close.

  "Personal advice: don't inquire about his love life. Believe me, that's a horrible rabbit hole to fall down, and I'm deeply ashamed of him."

  Jacob did have a good imagination, but he somehow felt queasy all the same. He fixed Merrick with a gross look, to which he simply replied with a shameless shrug.

  "As for me,” Gloria continued. “I am power personified."

  Gloria spread out her arms, and a brilliant and powerful light illuminated from her body.

  "The Light is channeled directly through me. It is as essential to my kin as air and water to yours. I command it with pure absolution."

  She dimmed.

  "These powers flow through you as well because of your father, who was to be our ambassador so that we could interact with humanity. We wished to impart our wisdom so that mankind could grow and move beyond their petty violence and hatred."

  Her smile faded, and she looked down at her feet.

  "But we were arrogant. I was arrogant. We put too much on your father and forced him into a role he was unable to fulfill. Worse yet, we inadvertently put even greater obstacles into his path that doomed him to failure, and in the end we caused more damage than your entire species ever had, before or since. Your father fell, but his last wish was to see you and your mother protected. Thus, my brethren and I sealed ourselves into the Sterling Star, creating the armor you now wear so that we might protect you from those that would wish you harm."

  Jacob was utterly without words. He tried to say something, to come up with any kind of response, but all he got was a headache. He clutched at his head, gave it a shake, and then he let out a scream.

  "This feels like a freaking fever dream!" he exclaimed. "If it weren't for the fact that I'm actually wearing the evidence, I'd still think it was some sort of coma induced nightmare. This is just crazy!"

  "Jacob, please!" Nina pleaded. "I understand how you feel, and by that I mean I can literally feel what you're feeling. You're confused, lost, and terrified, and that's just me putting it lightly. But you must believe me when I say we only want to help."

  She rubbed at her arms.

  "We failed with your father, and by extension it's our fault you have been separated from your mother."

  Another jolt ran through Jacob.

  "My mother! Wait a second! Where is she? Please, can you tell me anything?"

  "If only we could," Merrick said with a sigh. "But alas we know not."

  "But you're all knowing!" Jacob countered.

  "No, I'm all learning," Merrick countered. "It’s a subtle difference. I can attain information and in turn relay it to you, but now I'm much more limited. I can only go so far from the Sterling Star, and youv'e been away from your mother for...how old is he?"

  "Fourteen going no fifteen in three months, four days and six hours," Nina stated.

  "Thank you, Lady. Even if I had a decent idea where you were before Laramie took off with you under his wing, I'd have no way of finding the place again, and that’s saying Desiree was even still there."

  Desiree. That name was the biggest jolt of all. On some instinctual level, Jacob recognized it as the name of his mother, triggering an ancient longing buried deep in his soul. He found he could no longer stand, collapsing onto the bed and making the springs creak.

  "What of my uncle? Is he out of your range?"

  "I've been searching, but no luck thus far,” Merrick said sullenly. “I truly believe he is alive and somewhere in this city, but so far I've found very little. I'm sorry, boy. Truly."

  Jacob flopped onto his back. He looked utterly lost and felt completely helpless. All he could do was stare up at the ceiling, still reeling from everything. Gloria approached, and she sat next to him, gently taking his hand into her own.

  "I too am sorry,” she said. “Truly, I am. I understand the utter madness of this situation. Your father had quite the similar reaction. Nina, care to recall his exact words."

  "An indecipherable mess of witchcraft, sorcery, and mind numbing fantasy, my lady,” Nina replied.

  Jacob didn't even know his father, and somehow he felt closer to him than any other. He sat up again, and he looked to the trio.

  "So what now? What happens to me?"

  The trio exchanged glances, and Gloria stood.

  "That falls to you, dear," she said. "We're not going to push our influence anymore than we have. Right, you two?"

  Nina nudged Merrick with the sharp end of her elbow, prompting a glare from him, but they both nodded.

  "Our role is purely to help you come to terms with the powers you now possess. They can be useful, but you're not quite as capable with them as your father was."

  Jacob quirked a brow at that.

  "Meaning what exactly?" he asked.

  "It's like this," Merrick said. "We're full Lumino Sapiens, and your father was half Lumino Sapien. This makes you only a third Lumino Sapien, which makes you a human infused with an energy that does not naturally occur for your species. Know all the times you've fallen unconscious? That's because your body literally cannot withstand the Light beyond a certain limit. Go too far, and, well..."

  He drew a line across his neck, and he tilted his neck like it had been snapped. Jacob balked at him before his eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed onto the bed.

  "Oh bother," Nina moaned, before wheeling on Merrick. "Did you really have to tell it to him that way?!"

  "What, I was being straight with him!" Merrick retorted defensively. "He found out the easy way as opposed to literally burning himself out."

  Gloria rolled her eyes and palmed her face.

  "Bollocks!" she cursed under her breath. "At least this can't get any more complicated."

  It was at that moment the door opened as Howard, Deborah, and Lance poked their heads in to see three ethereal beings hovering over the prone Jacob garbed in silver armor. Gloria blushed deeply as she and her cohorts moved to the side, and she offered a friendly grin.

  "We can explain."

  ..................................................................................................................

  Meanwhile, in a location undisclosed, three sets of eyes watched a television screen as sudden news bulletin played.

  "Video footage courtesy of the GDPD body and dash cams revealed a staggering sight of the Biannual Bizarre Bazaar after what could only be considered an act of domestic terrorism. The assailant was a young man dressed in what can only be described as medieval armor and no visible weaponry who vanished in a blast of light. Eye witness reports, as few as came forward, stated the assault was the work of the Lowtown Legion, but assurances from the police commissioner as well as the mysterious shut down of all electronic devices have left only one culprit to blame: the mysterious Midtown Knight..."

  The tv was switched off as the three formed their council.

  "Nice work with the media. Albeit in a broken sort of way."

  "Best I could do all things considered. What with your maniac hit squad nearly burning the entire city down."

  "Yes, yes, I was there, don't forget. Appearances and all that fluff. How did we turn out, by the way?"

  "Quite masterfully in fact, sir. A decent number of businesses already about to crack from the mere stress of the situation has completely caved in. Expect the new properties to be under a number of your aliases by the end of the week."

  "Excellent. I'd say phase two is about ready then."

  "Ready?! We're still dealing with fallout from phase one! Heck, fallout from phase zero is still giving me a rash!"

  "I’ll send you a gift basket of aloe lotion for your contributions. Just keep the media in the dark and let the grownups do the important stuff."

  "One of these days..."

  "Yes yes, bang zoom to the moon and all that outdated jargon. Now off with you. There's work to be done."

  "Yes. Very important work to be sure."