Valeria tried to concentrate during her afternoon classes – but couldn't. Her cheeks were still hot, flushed, and beads of sweat were pouring out across her body. It felt like she had run a marathon, and in some ways, she had. Her lunchtime confession was completely exhausting – but in a good way. It felt good to pull back the curtain for once. Cathartic. Rejuvenating. All she had to do was say the appropriate number of Hail Mary Prayers and all would be forgiven. Amen.

Bullshit.

Valeria had more baggage than most realized. More than she realized. And while she still had a long way to go, it felt good, having a personal victory for once. She had friends who supported her and didn't have ulterior motives for their friendship. She had a good guy who still liked her – and as far as she knew – still wanted to get in her pants. Things seemed to be clicking into place, with the exception of one thing.

Her gaze settled over Erin's vacant seat and the uneasiness returned. Luckily, she was distracted by a text from Frank on her brand spanking new – and well deserved – iPhone.

Ninja training today after school. Xun says don't be late – or else.

Valeria's lips pulled back into a smile. She knew Xun Guan – the leader of the Ninja guild here in the US – had another exhausting training session planned today. The young ninja was almost as tough as Jada, but they got along well. Maybe too well, because Xun kept pressuring her to join their Blitzflag team. She had resisted at first, stating she had a lot on her plate. But Xun's persistence paid off. Valeria acquiesced six weeks ago, and Blitzflag had consumed her life since. Weekends were spent at the Coterel Training Hall running endurance drills, practicing creeping techniques to avoid detection, and wall climbing – skills crucial to play the capture-the-flag-like game.

Blitzflag provided a crucial distraction. She was riddled with anxiety after the Midas Vault incident, worrying about Erin and the Shadow Knight. It also provided the perfect excuse to avoid Sai, back when she thought their factions were on the brink of war. Blitzflag training cleared her mind and gave her something else to focus on. It was also fun as hell – but more importantly – Jada considered it a reasonable excuse to rescind the order to join the cheerleading team.

Thank God, Valeria thought to herself. She didn't want to be around those annoying jocks and cheerleaders any longer than she had to. Who did Jada want her to be? Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Distracted by the afternoon bell, she exhaled with relief and gathered her things. Exiting the school, she met up with Sai and his friends at the school bicycle rack.

"Want to go to the video arcade?" James asked.

Valeria shook her head. "Can't. I have Ninja training with Xun today."

"Xun," James said awkwardly, testing the word out in his mouth. "I remember her from your headquarters." His lips pursed as he tapped a finger against his chin. "How old is she by the way? She wouldn't happen to be –"

"Oh please, James," Roberta cut in with a laugh. "You'd have better chances with Sheri."

"Sorry," Valeria said, checking her phone. "Now you know why I'm busy all the time. Maybe we can hang another time?"

"Sure," Sai said with a grin. "It'd be nice to hang out and play games again –"

"And maybe finally finish our campaign," James added. "Once we finish the Princess Arelina campaign, we have a lot of good options for the next –"

"Are you serious?" Jon asked. "Valeria probably has better things to do –"

James pointed a finger at him as he interrupted. "It might be good to learn as much as possible about D&D, with some of it turning out to be real and all."

Valeria looked over at James with surprise, realizing he had a point. They had played the game a few times over the past few months, but Valeria hadn't paid attention, with most of her time spent stealing glances at Sai. While most of the game was imaginary, some parts had turned out to be real. Xun had made her memorize most of Sun Tzu's the Art of War, and a select passage about the Essentials for Victory came back to her.

She will win, who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces

.

Her friends didn't have any known powers, but that didn't mean they were useless. "He's right," Valeria said. "While I'm training, you guys can help me with research." She pointed to James first. "Since you're obsessed with D&D, I want you to learn about the game – characters, skills and all. Try to find info about Shadow Knights too."

James beamed at her. "You got it, boss."

Valeria turned to Roberta next. "I remember you and Frank talking about mythology a while ago. You're into that stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Roberta said with a grin. "I love that stuff. All modern stories are based off older myths; whether it's Roman, Greek, or any other ancient mythology."

"Alright," Valeria replied, "You focus on mythology then. I want you to find any hints about Shadow Knights in ancient myth," she said, pausing a moment. "While you're at it, see if you can find anything about objects that show the future." Valeria remembered Jada's description of their faction's Artifact – an ancient object that helped its user achieve a future they desired. Jada had used it with the hopes of capturing the Shadow Knight, but her plan had backfired; the Shadow Knight had an artifact of their own. Now he had two, and Valeria needed to stop him from getting the other three. But it might help to know exactly what kind of mythical object she was looking for.

When Roberta agreed, Valeria turned to Jon next. "You're a hacker, right?"

"Yeah. What did you have in mind?"

Valeria bit her lip, tempted to spit out the truth. She missed Erin. She wanted to know if Erin felt the same way or had abandoned her. But she tried to make her request more...discreet. "I haven't heard from Erin in a while. Think you can hack her phone?"

"I can try," he said, massaging his chin. "Give me her number."

Valeria passed on the information and let out a sigh. "She hasn't responded to any of my texts in months. I'm not sure what happened to her, but I need to find out. If you can't hack her phone, maybe try her parents?"

Jon considered this a moment. "Maybe. Erin's dad is the head of Astral Pharmaceuticals, right?"

Valeria considered this a moment, remembering that Mr. Tyrell was the head of the Celestial Faction. Could his pharmaceutical company be a front? Or better yet – did it have something do with their headquarters? Coterel was in New York. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume the Celestial headquarters was here too. "This Astral company," she said, tapping her chin, "do they have any buildings here in the city?"

They all laughed.

"Are you kidding?" Jon asked, clutching his side. "They have one of the biggest skyscrapers in the whole damn city. You can see it from here for crying out loud." He pointed to a cluster of skyscrapers along the horizon. One of the modern buildings differed from the others, a golden star pulsating from its rooftop like a Christmas tree. Is that where you're hiding, Erin? Valeria thought. "Okay," she said, trying to formulate a plan of action. "Try to hack Erin's phone. If you can't get hers, try her parents. And while you're at it," she said, pointing to the skyscraper, "find out as much as you can about that place."

"Roger that, commander."

"What about me?" Sai asked, the eagerness detectable in his voice.

A smile tugged at her lips. She knew exactly what she wanted to do with Sai, but that would have to wait...for now. Her cheeks flushed, she avoided eye contact. "Help the others for now. I'll get back to you."

"Aw come on," Sai protested. He stopped midsentence; his eyes widened as he focused on something behind her. "Umm, excuse me. Can we help you?"

Valeria noticed something different in Sai's eyes. It was too subtle to be fear – no, his eyes narrowed, reflecting a hint of concern. Turning, she followed his gaze and found Viktor close behind her, studying them with his lopsided grin.

"Ah, yes," Viktor said, brushing loose strands of hair behind his diamond studded ear. Grinning at Sai, he placed an arm around Valeria's shoulder. "I wait in front of school, Valeria. I wait fifteen-minute. Did not know busy with friends."

Valeria felt odd, standing there with Viktor's arm draped around her. Normally she would have been uneasy with such an intimate gesture from a boy, but Viktor was different. Instead, she focused on Sai. His eyes widened and his gaze intensified as it shifted between them. Was he jealous? Shaking Viktor off, she said, "This is Viktor, my new bodyguard."

Pointing with his thumb, James asked, "this pretty-boy is your bodyguard? Seriously?"

"He's an Assassin," Valeria said, shrugging her shoulders, "and I trust him."

James' eyes went wide, his face paled. "That guy," he whispered to Valeria, "that guy's an Assassin, like –"

"No worry," Viktor cut in with a laugh. "I'm very friendly guy. You need more time – or I wait in car?"

Valeria shook her head. "No, I think we're done. Later all."

"Wait, V," Sai pleaded.

Curious, she turned toward him with an eyebrow raised. When he didn't answer right away, she placed both hands on her hips. "Yeah?"

"N-nothing," he said, groaning under his breath.

"Next time," Viktor said, placing an arm around Valeria's shoulder again, "have something important to say to girl, yes?" Leaning close to her, he whispered, "Trust Viktor. Laugh, and walk away quietly, yes?"

Confused, Valeria didn't laugh. But he was her bodyguard and decided to trust him. When they reached the parking lot, she removed his arm and pushed him – hard. "What the hell was that all about?"

Laughing, he removed his keys as they approached his beat-up Volkswagen. "You thank me later for important lesson."

"That was a lesson?" Valeria asked, arms crossed against her chest. When she refused to get in the passenger side, Viktor exited the car, placed an elbow against the hood and used a palm to cup his chin.

"Da, devushka," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Always leave boys wanting more."

"Ah," Valeria said, cocking her head to the side, "so you're a bodyguard and a love guru? Just great."

"Groan now, thank later," he said, motioning to enter the car. When they both closed their doors, he removed his keys. "Good day in school, yes?"

"I guess."

"Good...very good," Viktor said, trying to ignite the engine – but it didn't start right away. Cursing in Russian, he kept turning the key, but the engine whined back at them in pitiful protest. Frustrated, he slammed both hands against the steering wheel and the engine ignited with a bang.  The exhaust sputtered behind them, releasing black smoke everywhere. "Very good!" Viktor cheered as he looked over at her with a toothy grin. "Everything very good when Viktor protect you. Off we go!"

Valeria buckled her seatbelt and held onto the dash for dear life. Groaning, she closed her eyes and focused on trying not to vomit as the old car jolted back and forth through traffic on their way home.

#

Twenty minutes later, Valeria entered the Pipino townhouse and found Frank and Jada waiting for her in the foyer.

"How'd it go?" Jada asked.

"Other than almost dying in Viktor's old car...nothing happened," Valeria said, dropping her bag near the stairs. "No Shadow Knight at the school." Letting out a sigh, she added, "Erin wasn't there either."

"I'm not surprised," Frank said, patting her shoulder gently. "Xun's waiting in the living room. We'll join you in a bit."

While they left for the kitchen, Valeria slowly approached the living room, creeping forward without making a sound. Xun was one of her favorite instructors; she was young enough to be cool, but formidable enough to instill fear. Curious, she peeked into the room expecting an ambush, but the room was empty. "You're sure Xun is here?"

"Yes, I am."

Following the sound of her voice, Valeria crept into the room. She had mastered Xun's creeping technique and navigated the room without making a sound. She hugged walls and crawled behind furniture to avoid detection, but no matter how hard she looked, Xun was nowhere to be found. Before she could react – a camouflaged figure partially detached from a nearby wall and punched her shoulder.

"Gotcha, protégé!"

Massaging her shoulder, Valeria took a moment to process what she was seeing. Somehow, Xun's entire body shared the same beige and flower coloring as the nearby wall. Everything – even her face and eyes – were a mixture of beige red and nearly rendered her invisible; her outline was only detectable when she moved.

"Impressive, huh?" Xun asked, stepping away from the wall. Her form reverted to normal; her robe-like Aegis was familiar again with its black and purple highlights. She removed her hood, allowing long silky hair to flow past her shoulders.

"Whoa!" Valeria exclaimed, eyes widening. "How'd you do that?"

Grinning, Xun paced in front of her. "This skill is called Camouflage. It combines a Rogue's inner stealth with the magic properties of the Aegis, allowing us to blend in with environments like a chameleon. Meet me back in here with your armor, and we'll begin."

A few moments later, Valeria returned to the living room dressed in her black and green Aegis with a haphazard gait. The room was still spinning, remnants of nausea bubbled underneath with desperate claws, trying to find its way out. With one hand against the wall for support, the other cupped her mouth in a desperate attempt to avoid puking her guts out. From the beginning, she had always felt disoriented after equipping the Aegis, but the magnitude of these effects had doubled since the Midas Vault.

But that wasn't the only thing that had changed. She knew the nausea would pass – and once it did – the power would follow. While Valeria couldn't quantify it, she knew the Aegis' power had been magnified too. The suit enhanced her senses; her vision was shaper and clearer, her ears more sensitive to the faintest sounds. But most importantly, her strength and speed were doubled.

"Are you okay?" Xun asked from somewhere inside the room.

"I'm fine!" Valeria said, closing her eyes. She removed the hand from her mouth, clutched her chest, and focused on her breathing. Her heart pounded inside her chest with resounding force, but she could feel the warmth emanating from her core. Heat fanned across her entire body, radiating to her toes and fingertips. With one last breath, she opened her eyes and stood erect. She was ready.

"Let's see if you can find me this time," Xun said.

Valeria scanned the room, her newfound power enhancing visual details of the room she couldn't see before. It didn't take long to spot Xun this time. She was camouflaged along the wall near the TV. Valeria reached for a nearby pillow and threw it, hitting Xun in the face. Simultaneously, she leapt over the couch with lightning quick speed, grasped her disoriented prey and threw her to the ground. Maintaining a defensive stance, she waited for Xun to retaliate, but she never did.

"I yield!" Xun sputtered, lying supine with hands upward. After Valeria helped her stand, she backed away, eyeing her with suspicion. "Okay – I've kept this to myself the past few weeks, but now I'm going to say something. Since the Midas Vault, your skills have improved so damn much. What happened to you in there?"

Valeria bit her lip, unable to think of a good lie to answer with. She didn't know exactly what happened either and settled for the truth. "I don't know."

"Xun!" A nearby voice bellowed.

Valeria leapt forward and turned on a dime, her instincts taking over. She maintained a defensive stance, but her eyes widened as another camouflaged person detached from the wall. While she had spotted Xun easily with her suit, she had somehow missed her.

Jada's camouflage faded into her normal clothes as she approached, thrusting a finger at Xun. "We discussed this! No questions about that day, period! If I catch you asking my protégé about the Midas Vault again, I will relieve you of duty. Do I make myself clear?"

Xun trembled as she stood erect, her head lowered. "Yes, Sovereign."

Sighing, Valeria placed both hands on her hips. She wanted to protest – but knew better. Jada was in dictator mode and messing with her in this state would unleash a shitstorm. Instead, she would need to disengage dictator mode, and Valeria knew just the trick.

"It was my fault, Sovereign," Valeria said, maintaining eye contact. "I have a question about Camouflage, if that's okay?"

Jada leaned backward with arms crossed against her chest. "Of course. You are supposed to be learning about that skill," she said, turning to frown at Xun, "instead of being interrogated. What's your question?"

Valeria resisted the urge to smile. Dictator mode disengaged – teacher mode engaged. "Xun told me the skill required an Aegis, but you were able to do it without one. How'd you do that?"

"Let Xun explain the skill first, and then I'll give you an answer." She turned to Xun. "Proceed."

Nodding, Xun donned her hood. "First, fully equip your headgear."

Valeria obeyed, pulling the hood over her head, and slipping the face shield on.

"Next," Xun said, approaching the wall, "You stand near the environment you want to blend in with. Once set, you can either say – or think – the word Camouflage."

Valeria backed up to the wall and said, "Camouflage." She waited patiently, but nothing happened. "Why isn't it working? Why can't I... transform or whatever."

"Reciting the word like a spell isn't enough," Jada said, rolling her eyes. "We're not lazy ass wizards." She grabbed Valeria's hand and placed her palm against the wall. "You have to touch the surface with your hands. You have to feel the environment you wish to blend with and imagine yourself as part of it," she said, reaching for the wall and touching it. Splashes of beige and red flowers crept up her arm, morphing like a chameleon.

"When you really master this skill," Xun added, her voice laced with admiration, "a Rogue can use their inner stealth to accomplish this skill without an Aegis, like the Sovereign. I still haven't mastered that, Sovereign."

"You can't force it," Jada said, a subtle smile tugging at her lips. "Inanimate masses do not bend to our stealth, even with an Aegis. But if we surrender to them," Jada said, bowing as she closed her eyes, "our stealth bends, lending us a new form." She retreated to the wall, and her entire body camouflaged. "Don't worry. It took me ten years to master, and Frank can barely do it without his Aegis."

"Don't tell them that!" Frank protested, dropping his camouflage and appearing from a wall across the room. Unlike Jada, he was dressed in his armor. In classic Frank fashion, he greeted Xun warmly and engaged her in small talk, while Jada detached from the wall and interrupted them.

With a moment to herself, Valeria tried to decode the cryptic Dr. Strange-like explanation Jada had offered. Part of her wanted to laugh, as different story tropes came back to her in this moment. There is no spoon. Use the Force. Our choices show what we are more than our abilities. Grinning, she turned to Jada with a sudden realization.

"I think I get it now," Valeria said, a grin tugging at her lips. "Stealth is a Rogue's magic. An Aegis augments our stealth, like a wand for a wizard. But you," Valeria said, pointing at Jada, "Are so powerful you don't need an Aegis or a wand like Dumbledore, huh?"

Jada pinched the bridge of her nose. "First Yoda – now Dumbledore?" Exhaling, she shook her head. "How many times do I have to tell you, girl? Rogues are not heroes; I am not a good guy, and neither are you." Turning to Xun, she added, "Continue your lesson. Frank and I will be upstairs if you need anything."

Maintaining her erect posture, Xun saluted her. "Yes, Sovereign. Again, I apologize about –"

"Xun," Jada interrupted, her tone less harsh, "remember what I taught you – never apologize. I also remember telling you to use my name in this house."

"Yes, Sov – er – Jada. It won't happen again."

Curious, Valeria examined Xun as Jada spoke. Beads of sweat dabbed her forehead, a hand trembled behind her back. She maintained eye contact with Jada, hanging on every word. Valeria realized she had another thing in common with Xun; they shared the same admiration and fear. When Jada bid them farewell and left the room, she turned to Xun and asked, "You're afraid of her too, aren't you?"

Exhaling, Xun wiped away a bead of sweat. "Yes, but not in the way you think. I'm more afraid of disappointing her."

"Why?"

"You have no idea how lucky you are," Xun said, pointing a finger at her. "People would kill to be her protégé."

"You sound jealous."

"I am," Xun said, the desperation noticeable in her voice "You have no idea how powerful she is, and how much she could teach you." Sighing, she examined a wall nearby and caressed it. "I used to live here too, long ago."

"What?!"

"Jada broke the rules with me," Xun continued, tracing her fingers along the wall. "When I was seven years old, she rescued me from an orphanage outside Shanghai. She had a daughter – but secretly took me in as a second child. I stayed here until my thirteenth birthday, when I was old enough for my accommodating ceremony... nine years ago."

Valeria clasped a hand over her mouth, resisting the urge to instinctively reply, you've got to be shitting me. The Rogue Faction had that weird rule about families having one kid or one protégé, but it wasn't surprising that Jada considered herself above the rules. The bigger question was: why Xun? Jada had found Valeria using the foresight of the Artifact; had she found Xun the same way? Were they both chess pieces in Jada's game?

"Let me guess," Xun continued, a smile crossing her lips, "Did she teach you how to harness your anger by running laps?" When Valeria stared at her wide eyed, she laughed. "Thought so. She hasn't changed much over the years, and neither has Frank. He taught me too. I'm sure he'll make you watch old heist movies like Rififi soon enough."

"If you were in this house back then," Valeria said, processing her thoughts, "you knew their daughter. You knew Bianca."

Xun's smile eroded at the mention of her name. Her shoulders slouched, her head lowered. "Yes, I knew her. We were friends – hell – she was like a younger sister to me. She was a protégé too. A gifted one, just like you."

Silence hung over them for a long awkward moment. Once again, Xun seemed different.  The confident, tough, and Jada-like instructor was finally displaying new emotions. First there was her admiration and fear of Jada, and after mentioning Bianca, she looked downright despondent. Valeria wondered if tears would follow, but they never did. Collecting herself, Xun returned to an erect posture and regained her adamant exterior.

"And as a gifted protégé," Xun said, her tone stringent, "You need to practice the Camouflage skill. So, let's get to work."

Groaning, Valeria decided to avoid pressing her further. Like Jada, there was so much more to Xun than what met the eye. They had more in common than she realized, and she respected her now more than ever. But deep down, she still felt conflicted. Xun appeared to be completely devoted to Jada and didn't understand how manipulative she was. It was tempting to tell her the truth and remove the wool covering her eyes.

But now was not the time. But she hoped to confide in her...someday