She was tired, so tired...Everything hurt, nothing was worth it, armies could be shattered at her front door, worlds may as well burn for all she cared...

  Only ohing was sure on Elizabeth's mind, vengance would be hers...She would bathe in the blood of thousands if it was needed, but she would have her holy revenge!

  "Eli-Eli what are you thinking about with that creepy smile?" Rossie asked while punctuatiatement by squishing harder.

  "Gyaaah, I surrender! I will not bathe in the blood of a thousand! I SWEAR!" Elizabeth admitted her defeat quickly enough.

  Rossie was cheating of course, as they were resting on the grass after running another four hours. Elizabeth's feet were currently sore beyond the normal human limits (Acc to her professional judgment), and as such Rossie was giving her a massage.

  Or mostly just fondling her feet/legs while she imitated a slug on the floor uhe vicious attack of a fourth preschool grader with a bag of salt. Yes, Elizabeth was just pretending to melt on the floor as Rossie toyed with her feelings(feet) with one hand and the other assaulted her heart (legs).

  "So?" Rossie asked after the ruthless assault she had done, relenting just barely enough to give her enough use of reason.

  "Sorry, just thinking while admiring the sky." Elizabeth answered back, she really liked how blue it looked, "hought much about it, but half a year under a perpetual starless night was awful..."

  "It's okay now Eli-Eli, did you get exp or skills from this though?" Crified Rossie, as it seems she wasn't asking about her curreional status.

  "Oh...Yeah, I got something." Elizabeth answered trying to not think too much about it, "I got a level and some options for skills. Rejected or deyed most of those. I will try to get a variation of [Body of Mana] as a body movement skill ter."

  She had gotten the idea from how her body within the ruined city behaved, that one was mostly made of mana and didn't seem to get tired, or hurt...At all.

  So she wondered if it would be possible to create something like that in the real world, she would experiment with [Shift] and find the current limits of this one, and work from that to make a new skill, she could probably use one of the skills [Alexander's Talent] left behind...

  But for now, it wasn't something she o deal with immediately, so she would take it slow, there were more important things to deal with right now. Such as Rossie, or Rossie, and Rossie...And Rossie's parents.

  "Hmm...that was fast, maybe you will be able to achieve the goal before the new year starts after all," Rossie said while pying with her toes. "Did you think how to move those points?"

  "Yes, I already did actually." Answered Elizabeth, refusing to eborate on how she had bumped her stitution, agility, aerity with those points.

  She would overtake Rossie in endurane way or the other!

  Mostly because she had more status points per level to spend, and after the test update?

  That would snowball harder, against normal people. It seemed Rossie was still getting fourteen points, so maybe former [Heroes] got the same treatment?

  At least her [Mother] had stated that she would never get less than 21...But the part that implied that at least one person got 20... And it wasn't her...

  She shuddered at the mere thought of someoh that much power... It should be one of the [ars], but most of her memories about them pced her [Father] at the top, so she never paid attention to the rest. Who was the seost powerful?

  "Rossie, who is the most powerful Metahuman right now?" And so she asked to the girl who enjoyed pying with her toes way too much.

  "Hmm...Either the [Beastmaster] or [The Juggernaut]. Maybe [The Warlock]? But that oly got injured and had to impnt a new arm...For o isn't your crush [Shadow Pact] sorry Eli-Eli, but he is among if not the weakest." Rossie answered as such.

  ht, she...liked [Shadow Pact]? That...felt wrong?

  "I really liked him huh...?" Elizabeth answered thinking ba that, she had the memories of being a fan girl...But somehow...They felt... Distant? More like, there was some [Longing] but it didn't feel like [Love] but...[Familiarity]?

  "And I don't have a crush on him." Elizabeth defended herself, she knew how a crush felt. She didn't feel the same towards [Shadow Pact] as what she felt towards Rossie.

  "Sure...You have your [Hero] Crush Eli-Eli, I will only have a problem if he answers you back ?", Rossie said smile on her face like she would never have a ce.

  Cut...I mean, Rude!

  "Anyway! What is on the rehab doc?" Elizabeth said trying to steer the versation back away from her nonhero crush.

  "Hmm....You walk and run well enough, your reflexes seem to be okay too..." Rossie started saying while massagihighs, "...respoo stimution seems good enough too, so maybe we move towards fine movements?"

  Rossie tinued fiddling with her lower body for a few seds, only to say "Eli-Eli? You there ??" Gettio focus on the versation once more.

  What?

  "Oh, yes!" Elizabeth said, cursing all the gods she knew (minus Papa and Mama) for the skill that girl had with those hands, "Fine movements, sure. I do that, my hand movements are the fi ever!" She said while flexing both her hands and grabbing grass here and there to throw around.

  What better way to prove her point than pying with grass, it was the reasonable answer!

  "Right...Okay the's head home!" Rossie casually said while liberating her legs from her vicious and devilish fingers, leaving her with her bare legs atop the grass. All the while the girl stood there looking down on her, judging her with a pink glint behind her eyes, demandio just say the word so she could unleash untold horrors upon her lower body.

  "...." And Elizabeth just looked up, a mb ready to be chopped into fine pieces. " I get some help to stand up?"

  But she wouldn't relent, not yet, she had standards! She would do things the right way! She would ask for her hand to her parents first before relenting!

  "...tsk? " Rossie it seems was happy enough to help her though, "Sure." Even if she seemed somewhat grumpy about it.

  But Elizabeth would pretend to not notice how she still smiled at her when their hands touched, "Thank you Rossie ★ " She only needed some time to know how to deal with their retionship.

  Besides, Rossie seemed to enjoy herself enough as it is, so really, no one was suffering from this anyway. Right?

  The return home was easy enough, they just o walk bao one even gave them a sed look, no sir.

  "...Rossie?" Elizabeth said in a low voice, "...Do we o...Go like this?"

  " you promise me to not fall again?" Rossie answered back.

  And that was the problem, wasn't it? She couldn't make that promise, mostly because she had tried that one already and failed at it. She tripped while ign the height differeweereet and the sidewalk.

  She, of course, didn't hurt herself (Besides her pride), the problem was that this particur one was the sed time, the first had been because she got overfident in herself and tried to walk normally.

  After that one Rossie had grabbed her by the hand, like a little girl, but since she fell again...And since she didn't want to hurt Rossie she also let her go...

  Rossie had decided that the only way to make sure she didn't fall again was to give her a piggyback ride, so she was a sixteen-year-old girl, practically an adult. Was getting a piggyback ride, in public...In a very public setting.

  "I give you a princess carry if you like?" And Rossie was enjoying it, as this was the sed time she suggested that.

  "...I'm okay." So Elizabeth surrounded and just hid her fa Rossie's back, she...Wasn't heavy nor tall (Or not more tall than Rossie), so it was easy enough for the pink-haired girl to carry her.

  Elizabeth also felt how Rossie was casting buffs to increase her strength and boost her own stamina, so she was aware that the girl wasn't overstraining herself.

  But!

  That!

  Wasn't!

  The!

  Point!

  That wasn't the point!

  It was still embarrassing!

  She was the knight in the equation! She had the armor! (Wasn't sure if that was still saved on her [Shift] skill) And besides...Who even hears about a [Healer] piggybag their [Hero] to their home!?!?

  What kind of story was that?!?

  "We are almost there Eli-Eli ?," And more importantly, why was Rossie enjoying it so much?!? Was she an S? She was an S all right.

  "...Okay..." And while she didn't want to admit it...She liked it too...Just a little...ONLY A LITTLE OKAY!

  Who doesn't like to be treated with care...BUT SHE WAS STILL THE HERO IN THIS RELATIONSHIP OKAY!?!?

  ...Not that there was one...She still needed Rossie's parent's blessing.

  Not that she would stop even if they didn't get it... But if that was the case why seek it? Because it was the right thing to do of course.

  "Home sweet home ?," Rossie said while l Elizabeth, they had arrived at their apartment while she was busy thinking about useless stuff.

  She stretched after being released from the vicious fortable and nice-smelling back of the pink-haired girl, all the while pretending to be angry about the treatment of course, she had pride!

  She would never admit how fortable, or nice, or sweet, or lovely was Rossie's back!

  NEVER!

  "We got mail..." And as such she missed the moment when Rossie went to retrieve some letters that they had sent their way, who even uses letters these days?

  "Anything iing?" Asked Elizabeth, "Everything okay Rossie?" And she added as such after seeing the frown on Rossie's face.

  She was...Angry, "The school sent us an ao your call, " Rossie said in a calm tone, so this obviously meant that she was seething internally, "They will [let you] take a test to decide if yood enough] to re-ie."

  Rossie almost spat those words out, "That is uhe promise I sign a tract to finish my education with them," And after saying that she grabbed the letters in a rush, opening them with liberal use of magic. "The bastards...."

  The others had different emblems on them, she didn't reize them, but most had the same variation of the words [School] on them, "...I'm sorry Eli-Eli, but they will only allow you to take the exam on the MPI, the other schools rejected it uhe premise that they 't allow a metahuman that is so far behind the curve, since you just became an [Inductee] on the system they fear you will give them bad press..."

  Oh, yeah, she could somewhat imagihat...Not really, "So the MPI gave me bad fame with the other schools to make sure I couldn't go there, then will lock you up in a traake sure you finish education with them?" Elizabeth surmised her current theory.

  "Yes, that is uhe premise that you fail the test. If you pass they will allow me to tinue as normal," Rossie smirked at the letter while throwing it away, "The bastards."

  Well, that was easy enough to solve, wasn't it?

  "So I only o pass the exam, who they will throw against me?" Elizabeth asked while reading the letter, "I assume a C-tier?"

  The letter didn't say who she would fight against, only that they would allow her to take the test and the date of said test.

  "It will not be someone easy, they will at the very least be C-Tier, they had promised a High D-Tier. That is why I said you needed a C-Tier, but now...Now we 't be sure." Rossie mumbled to herself.

  Did they really o go back to school though?

  If someone else asked her if she wao go back there, she would answer No. She didn't feel the o go back, she could make do as it was, she khat she had enough potential to make a living as a [Hero] on her own, or as a [Vilin] if it was needed.

  "It will not be a B-Tier, if they try that I will join the main antagonist of that goddammed school," Rossie mumbled to herself while navigating on her holopad searg for notices and news about the other students of the MPI.

  But she wanted Rossie to finish her studies there, Elizabeth could make a living as a solo [Hero] on her own, but Rossie he correct certifications to work as an [Official Healer], and while people might not refuse [Healing] while under duress, they could still refuse to pay afterward if they found out their [Healer] wasn't [Saned].

  She was aware that people like that existed, mostly because her instinct told her so, even if she wasn't sure from where that feeling came, had she grown up that mu isotion?

  Did she distrust humanity that much?

  She wasn't sure, "It will be okay Rossie. So, when is the test?" Elizabeth decided to shelve that for ter musings.

  Rossie didn't seem happy with her nont answer, but still answered her "In four months, you only have four months instead of the other half year I wao dedicate to your rehab." Yikes.

  Half a year in rehab? That would suck, so something good came from this in the end.

  "Wipe that smile out of your face, if whoever tests you hurts you I will castrate him, amputate his hands, and feed him those till he pukes flowers," Rossie said with a smile on her face while giving her another letter.

  Yikes.

  "Elizabeth Starbright will have a writte on March 4th....Followed by a practical exam and a mobat the day...." Read the letter, so she would o also study while trying to find a way to earn enough experience.

  If only she had an easy way to get experience..."Seems easy enough, I only he [Exp] then." Elizabeth mused to herself, she would probably o level up her [Skills] at some point, but for now, she would delegate that to the sed pne.

  Her specialty was mana manipution, so she would make do with what she had at hand, then after finishing those exams, she would move on to fog on [Skill] levels. Not that she expected many problems from that.

  So far the only skill she wao level was [Minion Summoning] sihat would allow her t back Beato and Nyx. And maybe Sebastian, that little f#cker o answer some questions.

  "You aren't as worried as I thought, did you decide that we don't need school?" Asked Rossie somewhat miffed.

  "Of course we o go, we he proof that we do what we say we do!" Said Elizabeth as if that was the most obvious thing.

  She of course didn't hat one particurly, since her thing was either blowing things up or spreading a of shadows across a city without aig it. Maybe interdimensional invasions too...If the ce was around.

  But Rossie...Rossie was a [Healer], and even if she sometimes showed a dark side (Her smile was cute whehought of the dismembering of is), she still had a higher calling...And that one needed some certifications to shut up the more vocal members of society.

  So yes, they would go to the stupid school, and yes. She would take their stupid tests. But at the end of the day... She would win, not because their tests were easy. They would probably do a sneaky sneaky and put her in a test more advahan needed, cliches be dammed.

  No, she would win because she was Elizabeth Starbright.

  Daughter of [Odyssey] The Goddess of [███], [Travel], [Space], [Exploration] and [Magic].

  Daughter of [Mainframe] The God of [Foundation], [Strenght], [Bulwark], [Family] and [Growth].

  She was the daughter of the first two asded [Gods], and more importantly.

  She would win because Rossie deserved to graduate as a [Healer] if she wao be a [Healer]. Anything else between Rossie's Diploma and her?

  Well, she didn't mind hoeople she would o [Destroy] to achieve her goals.