A rather large spider skitters across the Barnes family's lawn, its mind consumed with thoughts of revenge.
What should I do to her?
Should I just kill her with a sliver of the original's power?
The spider's dark musings are interrupted when it notices a strange, wispy shadow moving near the edge of the Barnes' property.
Curious, it uses a fraction of its mana to turn invisible, cloaking itself from sight.
Silently, the spider follows the shadow through a window and into the Barnes home.
There, it witnesses a shocking truth.
As the shadow rematerializes, it takes the form of a black-clad figure with an athletic build. The figure removes her mask — revealing Sophia.
Sophia… is a cape?
But which one?
The spider searches through its vast network of memories, tracing through what it remembers of the city's heroes. Eventually, it recalls an image — a new Ward being recruited. Her name: Shadow Stalker.
She has the exact same powers as Sophia.
Sophia is Shadow Stalker.
Sophia is a hero.
For my original self, this might be shocking.
But for me? It's simply how the world works.
The strong take what they want, and the weak can't do anything about it.
Still, my original body is me — so I have to think of a revenge plan that makes them suffer and benefits me.
[Half an hour later]
After thinking it through, I've come up with a foolproof plan — one that benefits me and makes Emma suffer.
The plan is simple: I'll give her powers.
It may sound counterproductive, but there's a reason.
With power comes strength.
With strength comes conflict.
And with conflict comes data.
Data that my original self can use to grow stronger.
It's a perfect plan. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
And as a bonus, my original body will get to witness Emma's suffering firsthand — watching as she struggles to survive day after day.
Fighting for your life every single day… that's true hell.
And the best part? She'll unknowingly be giving her worst enemy — me — everything I need to make her weaker.
But how do I give them powers?
And by them, I mean both Emma and Sophia.
Yes — I'll grant Sophia extra powers as well, so I can monitor her.
The problem is, I don't know how to grant or track them simultaneously.
Still, I'm sure my other self heard my thoughts.
She'll probably figure it out soon enough.
It's not my problem anyway.
All I have to do now is hunt down other capes and absorb their powers.
For now, though… I think I'll postpone my revenge plans.