Chapter Text
“Are you really sure about this?” The young man sitting at the counter frowned as he looked over to the young teacher in front of him.
“Yes. I am.” The young woman with the long black hair tied into a ponytail who was wearing a teal cardigan, white button-up shirt, blue jeans, and a short purple scarf grumbled in an annoyed tone. “Got a problem with that?”
”Don’t you think you should be researching something a bit more…realistic? Weren’t you going to join the research field as a historian?”
“I’ve told you already, Johnny. I’ve made a change of plans. This is what I want to do now. I’ve made up my mind, and nothing anyone says to me will change that.”
“Well…okay, then. Give me a sec.”
Sophia Sterling let out a short breath as her coworker and the current library assistant, Johnny Thawne, tapped away at his computer. To think she would get so much backlash over what she wanted to study as a profession. Truthfully, she had been expecting it, but not so much from literally everyone and in such large amounts. She knew why, but considering the things that were happening in New York at the moment, Sophia had to wonder why this was the thing people drew the line at.
“Okay, got it.” Johnny hummed as he took out a small notepad and wrote a few things down before tearing it off and handing it to Sophia. “Here’s the list of all the relevant texts.”
“Thanks.” Sophia smiled as she scanned over the list briefly before nodding. “This should do it.”
“Just make sure you don’t regret this. I know you’ve always been more adventurous than others, but please stay within reason. Keep your expectations realistic, y’know?”
“Yes, I know, Johnny.” Sophia rolled her eyes as she began walking off. “I know what I’m doing, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t question me on it,” Sophia growled as she headed towards an isolated table within the library.
Perhaps proper introductions are in order. This is Doctor Sophia Sterling, a young woman who was a professor teaching history and mythology in a local university in New York City, and she had been hoping to begin as an actual historian working out in the field. However, things had taken a…strange turn recently, and now she was looking into a slightly different career path. One that required a more open mind.
Making sure no one was nearby before she got started, Sophia nodded to herself as she sat down and placed all the books she had gathered onto the table. She gave them all a suspicious glance before she took the first and gave it a much more thorough look. All of these books at a similar topic, one that not even Sophia herself expected to get so entrenched in.
“Magic…” She muttered before rubbing her forehead a little. “Jesus…”
Going from a historian to someone who would be researching magic and similar mythical things. How was this her life now?
And more importantly, why was the idea becoming more and more interesting the further she allowed herself to delve into it?
Now wasn’t that something? A topic she would have scoffed at like her fellow academics was now something that interested her to no end, and it was now something she was convinced should be studied as deeply as other things, like history and science. Magic was just as important, yet it was the thing humans knew next to nothing about. Most even believed it did not exist.
Hopefully, she would soon change that. She just had to get a proper foot into this specialized field.
So she began poring over all the books she had gathered. She had grabbed everything that was on the list given to her, as well as every story or fairytale that might be related. She had a huge stack of books at her table, and after multiple hours, she managed to skim through most of them. And yet–
“Nothing,” Sophia muttered in disbelief as she nearly threw the last book down onto the table. “Absolutely nothing! How is it that we don’t have any kind of text describing this?”
Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation as she grumbled. After a few more grumbles, she stopped and set all of the books aside. She took a deep breath and then collected her thoughts once again.
“Magic. Kingdoms. Fairies. Elves. Trolls. Deities and gods. Tons of stories have those same elements. But not a one matches exactly.” Sophia frowned as she pushed the books aside before shoving her hand into her large bag and pulling out another book. This book, unlike the others she had gotten from the library, was much older in appearance.
It looked like a book made in a bygone era with how the cover was slightly withered and stained with age. The book was stitched together at the seams, too, showing its old-fashioned build compared to newer books printed nowadays. Its pages were even yellowed, and the book had that old, dusty smell to it, the stench stuck to it from how long it had been stuck in her grandparents’ attic in that old chest.
The book had no title on the cover, with it just being a simple blue leather cover. However, the moment she first opened it up, she saw the name of the book addressed within its text.
“The Wotnot…” She mumbled. Sophia once again took a quick look around her before opening up the strange book. “So many similar elements, and yet not one other book matches what this one describes. Why is that?”
The Wotnot appeared to be entirely unique when compared to other books on similar topics. While it has typical traits other magic-fantasy stories and mythos have, the story it tells is something else entirely. Even rereading it to make sure she had it all memorized and understood its content, Sophia still found herself entranced by the tale of magic written within its pages.
Long ago, high among the clouds, there lived an Enchanted Kingdom of Fairies and Elves. It was a mighty kingdom, though not one without struggles. Namely, the Trolls and the other creatures cut from the same cloth as them. The Fairies and Elves were extraordinary with magic, granting them abilities such as flight, alchemy, barriers, and other things. Trolls, on the other hand, were not as talented with magic. Instead, they were gifted in their physical strength and technology, building machines that could match and even surpass the other races and even magic.
For a time, the two groups were able to coexist and live in harmony, with the Trolls lending their machines to the Enchanted Kingdom in exchange for the magical expertise of the Fairies and Elves. This peace would not last, though, once the Troll’s new king, Thorn, came to power. While the Enchanted Kingdom’s king, Solon, was away from his kingdom, Thorn began inciting the Trolls to rebel and wage war against the other races, despising how the other races treated them as lesser beings when he saw them as superior due to their greater physical strength.
And so, when King Solon came back from his travels, the entire land was in chaos as Thorn led his Trolls against the entire land. Thorn nearly succeeded too, having taken advantage of the Enchanted Kingdom’s magic and resources. The alliance between the two races allowed Thorn to create a stronghold on top of a volcano as well as an army of powerful machines for his soldiers to use against the kingdom.
However, he was not expecting Solon to hold a power much greater than anything Thorn could get his hands on: The Elements of Power, the very reason Solon had left his kingdom vulnerable in the first place.
The Enchanted Kingdom, for countless generations, had been the keepers of a mythic tome called the Wotnot. The gods themselves had forged the book in order to maintain control over nature and the elements themselves, and the way the Wotnot was to do this was by containing and empowering creatures that would become known as the Elemental Warriors.
Within this world, the rain that fell, the plants that grew, the very earth itself–all of it was made possible due to the very existence of these Elemental Warriors. They are ancient creatures, having been powerful and mythical beings even during the time they were alive. And after death, they’re power, legend, and spirit were so strong they remained, and with their permission, the gods were to use them to harness nature itself.
The Wotnot was made to hold and protect the Elemental Warriors’ spirits, as well as harness their powers for the greater good. In truth, the Warriors needed the Wotnot just as much as the Wotnot needed them. Without the Wotnot, the Warriors would not have a single fraction of their power over nature and would be unable to do anything for the creatures living in the world, and without the Warriors inside the Wotnot to control the Elements properly, the world would fall into chaos as nature overtook everything.
To further the magical power of the Wotnot, the gods also created a magical jewel called the Element of Power, a one-of-a-kind gem that allowed whoever wielded it to use transformation magic in order to transform as the Elemental Warriors contained within the Wotnot themselves and wield their power. The wielder would gain all of the powers of the Elemental Warrior they had become, granting them the powers of nature and the elements themselves.
Before they left after having completed their duty, the gods commanded the ancient races of the land that if darkness ever threatened to envelop the world, they must seek to combine the power of both the Wotnot and the Element of Power to make use of the Elemental Warriors therein to save themselves.
However, the gods were also aware of moral greed that was in many living within the land, and to prevent this miraculous power from falling into the wrong hands and imbalance all they had created, the gods gave the Wotnot and the Elemental Warrios to the Elves and Fairies and the Element of Power and the knowledge to use it to another race called the Sargothans, wise soothsayers who could divine the future with their magic. In doing so, the gods believed the people of the land would be forced to work together in order to properly utilize what they had made should the need ever arise.
That did not happen, unfortunately. Instead, the opposite occurred nearly immediately after the gods had granted their gifts to the mortals. The Elves and Fairies wanted the Element of Power, and the Sargothans wanted the Wotnot. War was inevitable, and after many generations, the Fairies and Elves eventually won over the Sargothans. However, it was only then that they realized their mistake. Throughout the ages, both groups became so entrenched in hate and greed that they forgot that the power would only work if they united and worked together. The Elves and Fairies obtained the Element of Power, but without any Sargothans remaining, they had no way to obtain the knowledge of how to use it.
The gods immediately retaliated, furious with the Elves and Fairies that dared to defy them and claim all the power for themselves. To punish them, the gods stripped the Elemental Warriors from the Wotnot and hid them across the land, and the Warriors, now removed from the Wotnot and its power that fueled them, reverted to their original, weakened forms: the Elemental Sprites.
Without the Wotnot’s power, the Elemental Sprites were powerless, and since they were now hidden within only the most remote and dangerous locations in the world, only the bravest adventurers could ever even so much as catch a glimpse of them. And thus, the world was brought to the brink of chaos and ruin. Ironically, it was that ruin that actually brought the people of the world to unite and work together, having no choice but to do so to survive the uncontrollable Elements that now assaulted them.
And so, the Enchanted Kingdom would strive for generations to regain the Elemental Sprites and complete the Wotnot once again. Some were fueled by the same greed for power that led them to this predicament, while others truly repented and wanted to atone, and others still only believed they had no other choice in the matter as part of their punishment from the gods. Even so, the Kingdom would tirelessly search for the Elemental Sprites, with generations of Kings and Queens searching for them while maintaining their kingdom.
And, after fifteen generations, King Solon had found the last Elemental Sprite and finally completed the Wotnot. King Thorn stood no chance against its full power of the Wotnot and all of the Elemental Warriors.
In absolute rage over the betrayal of Thorn and the Trolls, Solon used the power of all the Elemental Warriors to banish the Trolls, nearly destroying them all in battle himself. Not willing to stand for this, Thorn swore vengeance, and he began to create a scheme to kill Solon and take over his kingdom.
He contacted the last known survivor of the Sargothans and the current royal advisor to King Solon, a being known only as the Mystic, and organized an ambush for Solon. The Mystic lured Solon to Twycross Village, telling him to go alone and tell no one, and once he arrived, Thorn and his five warlords jumped out of hiding and ambushed him.
Solon received mortal wounds and would have surely perished, but in his dying moments, Solon did one last heroic act for the people of the land. Using the last bits of his magic and his very life force, Solon cast the Ultimate Curse on Thorn, turning the Troll king into stone at the cost of Solon’s life. The Wotnot was heavily damaged, and the Elemental Warriors were once again returned to their Sprite forms and scattered throughout the world once again; however, peace returned to the land as the Trolls retreated to lick their wounds. And while they had lost their great king, the Enchanted Kingdom would remain strong as they once again began their search for the Elemental Sprites.
And so far, that’s all the book has told Sophia. There was a lot more within the pages of the ancient tome, but Sophia couldn’t read any of it. It was all written in some unknown language she had never seen before, and it didn’t match any language that she could find online. In fact, when she first found the book, all of it was written within this mysterious language, but suddenly, the story she just read changed to English the longer she had it, though only for her, it seems. Perhaps it was due to what had happened recently with her, but she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was the more she read and understood, the more she would uncover within the book.
Of course, those weren’t the only things she thought she might have to do in order to gain more pages of the book, but she wasn’t really looking forward to that possibility.
With a sigh, Sophia closed the book and got up from her chair.
“Nothing I can do about it right now, I guess. Since the only information of relevance is in the Wotnot, all I can do is wait until more reveals itself to me or if I find a lead.” She muttered as she began to put the books she had taken back in their place.
Once she was done with that, she left the campus library and started to walk back to her meager apartment. As she walked through the crowded sidewalks, she took out her phone and frowned at the time.
“It’s really late. How long was I there reading? A few hours?” Sophia wondered out loud when she saw it was past 9 p.m. “At least when it’s this late, crazy things are usually kept to a minimum.”
That was one of the few comforts Sophia had managed to find while living in New York City. While villains were a usual thing in this city, the crazies usually struck during the day, for whatever reason. They probably wanted the attention and infamy that comes with performing their crimes in broad daylight.
That also gives them the chance to try to one-up the authorities like the police or even S.H.I.E.L.D. And sometimes, if they’re especially insane, they’ll do it to pick a fight with one of the heroes who operate in the city, like that thunderer, Thor, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, or the newcomer, Iron Man.
Thankfully, that insanity meant that there were hardly any villains around at night. Sure, crime still happened, but that was usually normal crimes with normal people. Y’know, things the normal police could handle. When it was just that, Sophia found herself a little more assured that things would be fine whenever she found herself walking about at night.
BOOM!!!
Sohpia stopped and groaned loudly when she heard the very large explosion that occurred a few blocks down before she palmed her face. Of course this happens the moment she thinks about how unlikely a villain attack was to happen at night.
The building that the explosion came from just so happened to be where a bank was, so Sophia could imagine what was happening at the moment. Her suspicions were proven right when a person wearing a security guard outfit was sent flying through one of the windows. Shortly afterwards, a bunch of men dressed up like playing cards of all things began to file out of the building, armed with guns and holding bags full of money.
And then, their leader came out, walking proudly ahead as she twirled a pocket watch she was carrying. Sophia had a decent view of the woman, but she had a hard time believing what she was seeing. The blonde woman had painted her face white with what appeared to be black whiskers added to the makeup. She was wearing a matching white bunny outfit and white stockings, as well as furry white boots, a pink bowtie with white polka dots, a blue jacket, and white rabbit ears. She even had a fuzzy rabbit tail to make the whole look come together.
The woman continued to twirl her pocket watch as she strutted down the road, a pink umbrella in hand as she smiled ever so proudly. She came to a stop once she was beside the man dressed up as the king of spades and caught her pocket watch in her hand to check it before nodding to herself.
“Very well done. Right on time, as expected. I knew a practice session would be good for us. It would be in poor taste for us to make our grand debut and not be punctual about it. I do so hate being late or delayed in such matters. As the new mistress of mayhem and queen of crime, I must be certain that I show the city nothing more than absolute grandeur.” The woman smiled as she put away her watch.
“What now, boss?” The King of Spades asked.
“Is it not obvious? We return to our headquarters and plan the genuine crime! Perhaps we could even scale up our plans and pilfer a larger, more affluent target. Soon, not even the likes of Tony Stark will be safe from the White Rabbit and her gang!” The woman cheered happily. “Now, darling, be a dear and call over our ride, if you would.”
“Will do, boss.” The man nodded as he got to work on that.
“White Rabbit?” Sophia questioned, squinting at the gang leader as she hid behind a nearby building in an alley, all while everyone else nearby ran for the hills. “Someone must be obsessed with Wonderland.”
Sophia then bit her lips as she looked around. No cops in sight, and at this hour, who knows when they’ll arrive. Even if they arrive within the next fifteen minutes, these guys would probably have escaped. The likelihood of Iron Man arriving was low. No one had seen him work at night, so while it was possible, it was just as likely that he was asleep like any normal person at this hour. Thor was even more unlikely, having only appeared in the morning and afternoon thus far. Spider-Man was the most likely hero to arrive at the scene, but Sophia hadn’t seen him in a while. That left S.H.I.E.L.D. to maybe pick up the slack, but honestly, considering their track record, they were probably on the other side of the country dealing with the Hulk or some other major threat.
And so…that left Sophia to handle this herself. Great…
“Sigh… One of these days, I’m just going to let it happen and not get involved.” Sophia grumbled as she walked further into the dark alley she was hiding in before pulling down her cardigan and shirt sleeve, revealing a golden bracelet with a large red gem inside it. The moment she saw it, the gem began to glow with a mythical aura as she sighed. “Okay. No big deal. This lady’s only just starting out as a criminal if this really is just a rehearsal, like she said. Shouldn’t be any problem for me. I hope…”
And so, Sophia let out a tense breath before she closed her eyes and focused, and not a moment later did a bright light surround her.
“The ride is on its way, boss.” The king of Spades told the White Rabbit.
“Very well done. Mayhaps we might visit that fast food facility before they arrive. ‘Burger King,’ I believe it was called. I never once was allowed to dine at such a place before, so I’m quite curious as to what might be served there and how it might taste.” The White Rabbit hummed as she tapped her chin. That’s when her artificial rabbit ears twitched a little as her ‘innocent’ smile vanished in an instant.
“Boss?” One of the cards who noticed her sudden shift in expression asked.
“Quiet.” The White Rabbit hissed as her ears twitched about. “Do you not hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“That burrowing noise! It sounds like…” The self-proclaimed queen of crime mumbled before her eyes widened as she looked below her. “It’s under–!”
She never got to finish as something burst from the earth itself and slammed into her chin, knocking her several feet into the air before landing right on top of a nearby car. The goons all gasped as they watched their boss be sent flying, and they all stared at the creature that had done it.
It was something they had never seen before. It was some kind of plant creature with a head that matched the appearance of a Venus Flytrap, but this strange…thing had crazed, red eyes staring right at them with maniacal glee. It had four leaves flopped down on top of its head, and it had a very thin stem that acted as its torso, along with very thin arms and feet that were large leaves similar to the ones on its head, though they were smaller. The most eye-catching part of the creature, though, was its hands. Attached to the thin arms were red, spiked orbs between three opened-up leaves, the same orbs that were used to uppercut the White Rabbit away.
“Wha-What the hell is that?!” One of the card goons shouted.
The plant creature turned quickly to look the card dead in the eye before its mouth twisted into a terrifying grin.
“Pummel Weed!” The monster cried out in a twisted, snarling voice that sent shivers down the spines of all the goons.
That’s when Pummel Weed rushed right at the goons, sliding over to the nearest card and slamming both of his ‘hands’ into the card’s face, sending the now unconscious goon flying into a wall. Pummel Weed then turned and slammed another punch into a different card, nearly knocking him down before slamming his other hand into the goon’s chin to send him back up.
Oddly enough, Pummel Weed was fighting like a professional boxer, sending out quick jabs and uppercuts to make short work of all the goons, who couldn’t even touch him due to his lithe frame and surprising swiftness. In no time at all, Pummel Weed knocked out nearly all of the card goons and was handling the last one, delivering a swift and brutal combo right to the card’s face before ending it with a powerful, wound-up uppercut.
Pummel Weed giggled to himself as the card flew in the air and landed back on the ground heavily. After he had finished laughing proudly at his work, Pummel heard a groan and turned to where the White Rabbit was slowly getting back up. She glared at him as she took a good look at what he had done to her men.
“Aren’t you a naughty plant! Taking out my loyal henchmen with such brutish methods, how so very droll of you. And, might I say, you are QUITE late!” She screamed angrily. “We had already finished with our current engagement before you arrived! And to take advantage of that and catch us while we were off guard is highly inappropriate! It’s obscene! Disgraceful! Every other so-called ‘hero’ makes sure to arrive at the scene on time, allowing both sides to properly duke it out! Have you no shame!?”
Pummel Weed actually tilted his head in confusion at the long rant the woman had given before simply shrugging. The White Rabbit let out a loud, furious shriek at that before aiming her umbrella at the weed in front of her and firing a barrage of razor-sharp carrots at the hero who dared defy her.
Pummel Weed immediately gasped before ducking down into the ground, dodging all of the carrots that implanted themselves into the street where he once stood. The White Rabbit hummed as she surveyed the area, not seeing the plant anywhere anymore.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, deary!” She called out as her fake rabbit ears began to twitch once again. “No matter how you try to avoid it, I will have your head for this!”
That’s when she swiftly turned and fired an explosive carrot in a seemingly random direction. Well, it wasn’t so random, as the moment it exploded, Pummel Weel was not out from under the ground and skidded across the street with a few burns covering his leafy body.
“There you are.” The Rabbit smirked as she hopped off the car she was on and slowly began to approach the creature with her umbrella still aimed at him. “I will say you put on quite a lovely show, deary, but you missed the mark ever so slightly.” She then took out her pocket watch and smirked as she shook her head. “Tsk, tsk. It would seem as though you have run out of time. So, in the words of John Kramer: Game Over.”
The White Rabbit fired another barrage of razor-sharp carrots at the downed Pummel Weed. It would have been the end of him if not for the bright light that began to coat him and twist his form. The carrots hit, but they did not hit Pummel Weed. Instead, they hit a massive boulder that suddenly appeared where the plant warrior had once been.
“What?!”
The White Rabbit gasped right before the boulder began to spin with a blue aura. The boulder then launched itself right at her, knocking her away. Once she had recovered, she slowly got up, only to see the boulder still spinning. It then slowed to a halt before four legs and a large head came out of the boulder—no, the shell that had hit her.
“What in Wonderland are you?!”
The creature in front of her was completely different from the plant boxer that was Pummel weed. It was a small creature with a head and feet that were similar to an elephant’s, which had two tusks sticking out of the creature’s mouth, and a rock shell that looked similar to an armadillo’s.
“Major Ruin!” The creature bellowed in a deep, rocky voice before it curled up and began to spin again, the same blue glow surrounding it before it shot off at the mistress of mayhem.
“Oh, so you think you’re a popular blue hedgehog, now do you?” She snarled as she aimed her weaponized umbrella at Major Ruin. “So you wish to bring about my own ruin, do you? I will not let you! Let’s see if you can handle something of this caliber!”
She then fired another barrage of carrots, but these ones were entirely made of sharp steel that could pierce even the toughest of boulders. She had made them in the case of Iron Man showing up to ruin her schemes, but she was more than willing to use them now.
Major Ruin spun across the streets, somehow weaving through the onslaught of steel carrots flying at him. Despite seeming not to be able to see while he was curled up, the creature had surprising mobility, control, and awareness of where he was and where he was going. That was how Major Ruin was able to quickly close the gap between him and White Rabbit and smack into her once again.
The Rabbit was knocked into a brick wall so hard that it cracked from the pressure. She slowly fell to her knees as blood began to drip out of her nose and lip. That’s when her snarl grew even more as she aimed her umbrella once again.
“That’s it! You’re toast, monster!” The queen of crime screamed as the tip of her umbrella glowed for a moment before a massive laser was shot from it.
And just as the laser approached the living boulder, Major Ruin somehow leapt high into the air, above the laser, while still curled up. And then, while still in the air, he somehow stopped his descent as he spun in midair, spinning faster and faster as the blue glow coming from his body began to completely engulf him. And once he had gathered enough speed, Major Ruin shot off like a bullet, colliding into The White Rabbit for the final time with all of his might.
All of the air was knocked out of the White Rabbit’s lungs as she flew through the brick wall behind her. Major Ruin landed back on the ground and uncurled himself before turning to look at the bruised, groaning rabbit lady who was now muttering in her sleep as she lay on the pile of bricks she had been knocked into.
Major Ruin actually lifted his head up high, proud of the work he had done. That’s when he started to hear police sirens getting closer. That’s when Major Ruin grumbled and lowered his head. Of course, the cops are only now arriving after the bad guys are already taken care of. With a sigh, Major Ruin shook his head. He knew he couldn’t be here when the police arrived.
And so, bright white light once again appeared, wrapping around Major Ruin and morphing his body into a drastically different form. Once the light had dispersed, Major Ruin was gone, and in his place was a large purple bird. It was about the size of a large dog and had a large, yellow beak that was similar to a toucan’s. Parts of the bird’s plumage were curling and had different, bright colors coating the tips of those feathers. The large bird had dark red talons, and tanned yellow feathers covered its belly, though most notably, there was a red spiral mark on its belly as well.
Without missing a beat, the bird spread her wide wings out before pushing off the ground and flying off at incredible speeds, leaving everyone who was still watching dazzled and mystified. The large bird continued to fly over the city as it let out a heavy breath.
“That was close. Good thing I have Whirlybird with me and God, that is still a ridiculous name…” A feminine voice came from the large bird, named Whirlybird, despite the large avian not opening its beak at all. That’s when Whirlybird spotted the place she was looking for and flew right to the building’s rooftop. Right after landing, light covered Whirlybird’s form, before Sophia emerged from the light.
“Phew… I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Sopjia muttered as she looked back down at the red gem on her new bracelet. “Still, I’d rather not get used to this sort of thing. Fighting super villains is way above my pay grade.” After stretching a little, Sophia walked over to the rooftop door and pulled out a key ring she had in her purse. “Thank goodness I had them make me keys for the roof.”
And so, with a tired smile, Sophia unlocked the door and entered her apartment complex. After walking down to her tiny apartment, she tossed her things onto the coffee table before plopping down onto her thin mattress and passing out immediately.
After a night like this, sleep was the best way to end it. Now, if only she had a comfortable bed…
“Yaaaaaaaaaawn…”
“That was a big yawn. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?”
“AAH!” Sophia let out a yelp at the sudden voice as she spun around in her chair to look at who had startled her, only to see a man she hadn’t been expecting to see. “D-Doctor Pym?! I thought you were still in Africa!”
“I just got back, actually. Had to cut the visit short due to certain circumstances.” Doctor Henry ‘Hank’ Pym smiled as he offered Sophia a small wave. “Sorry if I startled you, Doctor Sterling. I saw you nodding off as you graded some papers and figured you weren’t too busy if that were the case.”
“Hmm…I’ll think about forgiving you.” Sophia huffed before returning a smile. “And if you must know, I did have a fairly late night yesterday, and classes have been rougher than usual today.”
“I hear you. I keep getting students asking about my travels instead of paying attention to my lectures.” Hank laughed. “I understand that they’re curious, but I personally find my lectures on entomology just as fascinating.”
“Only you, Hank. Only you.” Sophia chuckled as she shook her head in amusement.
She still remembered how shocked she was to find out one of her co-workers was Doctor Pym, a world-renowned scientist known for discovering an entirely new particle, now dubbed the ‘Pym Particle’ in his honor. His work with the particles was famous in all parts of the world, specifically for his work as the hero ‘Ant-Man’.
However, here, he was simply a fellow professor who was asked to teach science classes, specifically biology and entomology. Sophia heard Hank was ecstatic about the offer and jumped at the chance to teach. It’s funny. Getting to speak and work with Hank just showed her that he would much rather teach than be a superhero. It was a little hard to believe, but now Sophia couldn’t imagine him in any other way.
“So, I’m sure you’ve heard this question from your students a ton, but really, how was Africa? I heard from Janet that it was for some S.H.I.E.L.D. project she wasn’t told about.” Sophia asked.
“Well, they said it was classified, so that’s why. I can’t tell you much, but it was quite fascinating. I even got to see the outskirts of Wakanda.” Hank replied as he got a cup of coffee from the nearby coffee maker and walked over to hand Sophia a cup. “Here.”
“Thank you.” Sophia nodded as she took a drink from the bitter liquid. “Hmm…so Wakanda? I didn’t know there was anything of interest in those parts of the woods.”
“That’s what everyone thought, but perhaps there are treasures there we never realized before now. Maybe if we keep up this line of work, Wakanda might become a powerful nation and global market. I think that would be nice.” Hank noted. “What about you? I heard from Janet that you’re researching some ‘weird stuff’, as she put it.”
Sophia groaned as she dropped her head into her palm.
“Of course she’d call it that,” Sophia mumbled. “Why does everyone think I’m crazy for trying to look deeper into this stuff?”
“That stuff being magic?” Hank questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Please tell me you didn’t come back to the states just to tell me to give up on this…” Sophia frowned when she heard the questioning tone Hank spoke in.
“Hey, I’m not judging. I'm only curious.” Hank replied as he raised his free hand up defensively. “I just found it strange that you would go from history, mythology, and religion to fantasy, occult, and magic. So why did you suddenly change the field you were researching?”
“W-Well…” Sophia stuttered a little before clearing her throat. “It’s just something that caught my interest, really. And when I stopped to think about it for a moment, I realized how we know nothing about the subject. Not really. Stark has essentially mastered robotics, Banner was an expert in Radiation, specifically Gamma, Reed Richards has traveled to another dimension, and you’ve discovered a new particle all around us to use. We’ve come so far in the field of science and history and every other field, but nothing has been done in the field of magic.”
“Sure, that might be because magic doesn’t exist, but I don’t think that’s the case. There are still plenty of things that happen that science can’t explain, that magic could. So I wanted to be the first to really gain an understanding of the topic. If we learn more about magic, who knows what we might be able to do? I’d like to think it’d help a lot of people.”
Hank hummed after Sophia explained her line of reasoning before nodding and offering her a small smile.
“Well, I can’t say whether I personally believe in magic, but there is that Thor character flying about through the city recently, so perhaps you’re on the right track. If you make a breakthrough, maybe we’ll be able to take a giant leap in human progress.” He admitted fondly.
“Exactly! If we can truly harness magic, it’d be a huge breakthrough everywhere! Think of how it would change the way we view history and science! Could you imagine the possibilities?”
“It certainly does sound promising if it’s possible.” Hank then frowned. “Though I think I'd better warn you. If you are the first one to truly make a breakthrough like this, you’ll be opening the floodgates for everyone to take part in it, including criminals and the government.”
Sophia froze as chills ran up her spine. The very thought of people like the White Rabbit from the previous night wielding things like magic terrified her. The power she had was already terrifying in its own way, so seeing it in the hands of someone insane would be a nightmare. And then adding to that the thought of something like S.H.I.E.L.D. taking advantage of magic or even her power was even worse.
“R-Right. I’ll keep that in mind.” Sophia nodded slowly.
“Good. Now, enough talk about dreadful things like that. Have you any leads in your research?”
“Something like that. I found an old tome hidden in my grandparents’ attic after they passed away. It detailed things I’ve never heard of before, and I can’t find anything regarding its contents anywhere. I think it might have been something magical that found itself here on Earth, so maybe learning more about it would be a good place to start.”
“Really? There’s nothing about its contents anywhere? Strange.” Hank pondered a bit before he snapped his fingers. “That reminds me, I heard something else that might be related to your topic.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Have you heard of those strange creatures that have been seen running around lately?”
“C-Creatures?” Sophia stammered nervously.
“I heard that three have been spotted as of late. A walking plant creature with human features like hands and eyes, an elephant-armadillo hybrid wearing a stone shell with spikes, and a large purple bird that resembles the shape of a phoenix from afar. From what the rumors are saying, they’re new heroes. Or maybe even a single new hero becoming all of those creatures. They were even spotted last night dealing with a criminal going by the name White Rabbit. Thankfully, they took care of her and her gang, and now they’re all going to the Vault. No one knows what they were or where they came from, but if they’re involved with magic, then maybe you should try looking for them if you can. They might give you some valuable insight.”
“R-Right. I’m not sure about going out to find some magic hero, though.” Sophia let out a forced laugh as sweat began to form on her brow. “A-Anyway, I need to get back to class soon. I have a lecture to give on the Hundred Years’ War.”
“I should probably get back to my office, too. I still have genome patterns to modify.” Hank said as Sophia got up from her seat. “It was good to see you again, Doctor Sterling.”
“Same here, Doctor Pym. I hope we can talk like this again. Maybe once I get a boyfriend, we can go on a double date together. I’m sure Janet would like it.”
“Ha ha, maybe.” Hank chuckled.
After waving goodbye, Sophia left the facility room, and the moment she shut the door behind her, she let out a huge sigh of relief. How in the world do heroes do this whole ‘secret identity’ thing? It always feels as though Sophia was walking a tightrope every day.
“It’s fine. No big deal.” Sophia muttered to herself as she straightened her posture and walked off to the lecture hall. ‘No one can tie me to the creatures anyway, so it’s fine.’
That was true. Who would ever suspect a normal university teacher to have suddenly gained an almighty magical power made by the gods of some fantasy world? Sophia knew she wouldn’t have bought it at all if it hadn’t happened to her.
She could still remember clearly how it happened. The day after her grandfather’s funeral, Sophia had been told that he had left a few things for her in his will. So when she finally had time, she drove down to her grandparents’ old home and dug around through the junk that was in the attic. That’s when she finally found what her grandfather had noted. An old chest withered with age.
After breaking off the old, rusted lock, Sophia opened the chest and examined what had been left for her. There were many things, ranging from memorabilia and neat trinkets she remembered her grandfather had mentioned to her as a child.
But right when she thought she had gone through it all, that’s when she spotted the book. Compared to the rest of the items, the book was still in pristine condition, despite the visible age it showed. Picking up the book, Sophia couldn’t find the title, so she flipped open the cover, only to discover she couldn’t read a word of it.
When she brought it up to her mother, her mother suddenly frowned before nodding to herself. That’s when her mother handed Sophia the gold bracelet with the red gem inside it. She told Sophia that she was told to keep it safe until she found out who inherited the book. After that, she had been told to hand over the bracelet if she felt they were worthy. Her mother didn’t fully understand her father’s words, but as Sophia’s mother, she obviously trusted Sophia dearly.
Now even more curious about what was going on, Sophia began to investigate further into the matter. While her mother had no idea what Sophia’s grandfather had planned, Sophia was determined to figure it out.
That’s when she discovered that parts of the book had suddenly changed into English after she received the bracelet. That’s how she discovered its name, the Wotnot, and what the gem inside the bracelet truly was. Deciding to humor the mythical tome, Sophia did as it said when it described using the Element of Power, and she suddenly found herself within the body of Pummel Weed.
That’s when Sophia finally began to believe the words written within the book.
‘Why did Grandpa have the Wotnot, and why did he leave it for me to inherit?’ Sophia thought to herself as she walked through the halls. ‘Whatever the case, I will understand everything about this power. And tonight, I might finally get some answers.’
That’s right. She had a new lead to pursue, so there was a bit more pep in her step today. Hopefully, that lead won’t lead to more trouble.
“Of course it can never be that easy…” Sophia growled as she hid behind a large tree.
Once she had finished her business at the university, Sophia walked over to the nearby park, where there were rumors of some kind of strange creatures that could be seen hiding within the shadows of the trees. Sophia was opening that perhaps it was an Elemental Sprite, but once she searched around the place long enough, she discovered it was definitely not that.
Sophia was now hiding behind a tree with a panicked breath she was doing her best to stifle. Once she had managed to calm down enough, she slowly peered out from her hiding spot, only to be greeted with glowing white eyes staring at her in disdain.
Sophia let out a squeak of a gasp as she nearly fell over in fear. There, a few meters away from her, was a large shadow monster that was easily over eight feet tall. It had a lanky frame that was constantly shifting about, as though the creature’s own body wasn’t a stable thing, and its eyes were empty white orbs that shone brightly like its sharp teeth.
It glared at her before growling and moving away, back into the shadowy area of the park. Sophia felt relief rush over her body as her heart continued to pound heavily in her chest. Sophia knew what that was. It was mentioned in the Wotnot.
“Why is there a Shadow Troll here?!” She muttered as she stared in the direction the beast wandered off to.
Shadows Trolls. They were creatures detailed within the Wotnot as foes that previous wielders of the Element of Power, like Solon, had to face. The book mentioned how they were high-ranking soldiers who were part of Thorn's army. As their name suggests, Shadow Trolls are beings made of entirely shadows, causing them to favor dark places more than bright ones. Due to their existence, the only thing that can harm them is pure light magic, most notably light magic coming from souls.
None of that answers the most concerning question of why a Shadow Troll was in New York in the first place. Not only should there be no trolls anywhere in the Big Apple, but the Shadow Trolls were supposed to have been completely destroyed if the Wotnot has described events accurately. So why did Sophia run into one just now?
Sophia wanted to run away. The Wotnot made it very clear just how dangerous and powerful certain trolls were, and the Shadow Trolls were at the top of the food chain aside from Thorn himself. She would be way in over her head if she tried to take it down by herself with the level of skill and experience she had at the moment.
Unfortunately, she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Not when she caught sight of what was in the troll’s stomach.
“Why? Why does that troll have to have one of the Sprites!?” Sophia shouted as she held her head.
The Elemental Sprites. As she read before, they were the weakened forms of the Elemental Warriors she could transform into using the Element of Power. In total, there were twelve warriors, each one representing a specific aspect of their element, with each element having two warriors.
Despite that, when Sophia obtained the Wotnot and the Element of Power, there were only three warriors held within the Wotnot at the time.
Pummel Weed, a hot-blooded warrior of the nature element who keeps the harvest bountiful and helps the fruits of the land to ripen.
Major Ruin, a warrior of the earth element that ensures mountains remain sturdy within the world.
Whirlybird, a warrior of the wind element who ensures that the winds remain healthy and strong.
So, Sophia decided that she should search for the remaining Elemental Sprites if she ever got the chance. While it was unlikely for her to find them all, considering her job as a profession that only grants her enough to provide for necessities, she still thought it would be for the best to complete the Wotnot once again.
And now that she’s found one, it’s in the belly of a Shadow Troll. Great…
“Things can’t possibly get any worse…” Sophia grumbled to herself.
Nothing else she could do about it but swallow her fear and just go for it. She had no idea how she would even hurt the Shadow Troll, but she couldn’t just leave the Sprite in the hands of a troll. Taking a shaky breath, Sophia steeled herself as best as she could before getting back up and slowly walking through the park in the direction she saw the troll go.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally spotted it. The huge mass of blick shadows that blended neatly with the dark around it. Its glowing white eyes opened when it heard Sophia approach, and it snapped its large head to her before sending her a glare. Sophia flinched a little at it, but kept her ground as she stared it back in the eyes.
That show of strength seemed to amuse the troll, who proceeded to stand up to its full height before letting out a belting roar that shook Sophia to her core.
And then it disappeared into a swarm of bats that surrounded Sophia and the entire surrounding area. Sophia wasted no time in transforming into Whirlybird before flying off into the air. She flew high until she was high enough to survey the area, but she couldn’t see where the troll had gone.
That was until the bats flew up to Whirlybird and completely blocked everything from view. Whirlybird began to swipe her wings around, shooting out blades of wind in every direction to push away the bats. A few of them flew away from the massive bird after that, but they just as quickly gathered behind her and reformed the Shadow Troll, who knocked Whirlybird back to the ground.
Whirlybird groaned a little before she gasped and jumped out of the way of the Shadow Troll’s claws that swiped at her. Regaining her bearings in the air, Whirlybird once again sent out a barrage of wind blades at the troll, only for them to go right through it.
Grimacing, Whirlybird landed a fair distance away before shifting with a burst of white light. Once the light died done, Major Ruin remained in the bird’s place. The shell-wearing creature curled up quickly before rushing at the troll, who seemed to laugh at the attempt as it caught Major Ruin in its hands and tossed him away like a baseball.
Major Ruin cried out as he was thrown before another burst of light turned him into Pummel Weed as he landed. The plant warrior turned to glare at the troll before rushing at it with a quick burst of speed, delivering a punch that would have knocked away any other opponent. But against the shadow troll, his spiked, nubbed hands only phased through the troll.
Pummel Weed was left to stare in disbelief at his hand that was going through the troll, all while the troll seemed to take some sick pleasure in watching the warrior’s confusion. After getting his fill, the troll back-handed Pummel Weed and skidded across the ground like a stone skipping across the water. After friction finally stopped the warrior, Pummel Weed groaned loudly with his face on the ground before reverting back to Sophia.
“Okay…None of that worked…” She groaned as she slowly got up. “But what now? None of my attacks can hurt it since it doesn’t have a physical form. How does someone kill a shadow?”
The troll seemed to find Sophia’s struggle funny, as it laughed boisterously before sending out waves of bats and shadows to attack her. Sophia leapt out of the way as she racked her brain for a solution.
‘The only thing I can think of is using light to beat this thing.’ Sophia thought as she dodged out of the way of another swipe from the troll. ‘But how would I use it? Would a flashlight work? The sun? How strong does the light need to be?’
She knew too little about the troll to come to a conclusive decision. She gritted her teeth in frustration as she realized there was no way to destroy this creature on her own. If only she had something she could use against it.
That was when something cold grabbed her leg. She froze up when it latched onto her, chills crawling up her spine at the sensation it gave her. Looking down, all Sophia saw was a bright white…thing with large claws digging its way out of the ground while holding onto her.
Sophia reacted in a very reasonable manner.
“AAAAAAAAH!!!” She screamed as she kicked the thing as hard as she could, managing to hurt it enough for its grip to loosen. She quickly moved away in a panic, and it was only now that she was further away that she saw what was happening.
The shadow troll was letting out a loud cry with its arms raised, and it was that sound that was causing these things to pop out of the ground. These things didn’t look like trolls at all, but considering they were being summoned and seemingly controlled by the shadow troll, Sophia had an idea of what they were. The Wotnot mentioned them very briefly when mentioning shadow trolls.
“So those are lost souls…” Sophia shivered as she stared at the spirits that were now slowly meandering towards her. That’s when Sophia paused and stared at the spirits for a moment, and that’s when an idea hit her. “I wonder… I have to try.”
Sophia quickly transformed back into Pummel Weed before rushing over to the nearest Lost Soul. The soul took a swing at him, but he blocked it easily with Pummel Weed’s strength. He pushed the soul back before throwing a spiked jab right at its strangely shaped face. It staggered back a little, allowing Pummel Weed to charge up its fist, which began to glow a light blue, before rushing at the soul in a lunge, delivering a brutal lariat that shattered the soul apart.
The pieces of the Lost Soul fell to the ground and began to melt and fade away after having been defeated, but Pummel Weed immediately dived for it, reverting back to Sophia as she lunged for the pile. Thankfully, she managed to grab the largest remaining piece of the broken soul right before it faded away. As soon as it was in her hands, Sophia did her best to turn to the Shadow Troll, even as the colors of her vision began to invert.
Once her target was in her sights, she put all her strength into her next action: She tossed the piece of the lost soul right at the troll.
The piece of the lost soul soared through the air, shining like a beacon as light trailed behind it. The Troll’s eyes widened, but it didn’t have time to do much else before the soul hit it right in the chest. The Troll let out an unholy shriek, clutching its twitching form as it rapidly diminished into nothingness.
In no time at all, there was nothing left of the shadow. Nothing except the tiny Sprite that was bouncing around happily, now free from the dark clutches of the monster holding it within its belly.
Sophia let out a tense breath as she walked towards the little Sprite, crouching down to look the strange creature in the eyes.
“I’m glad I was able to free you from that thing.” Sophia smiled warmly as the Sprite hopped into her arms. She picked it up like a baby as she stared curiously at the little being. “So…how do I get you back into the Wotnot? Do I shove you into the book or something?”
No answer came from the Sprite. Instead, it began to float up out of Sophia’s arms. The Sprite then began to giggle innocently, before flying right at Sophia. The Sprite became transparent as it flew inside Sophia. The ghostly impact knocked Sophia backwards, and as she tried to catch herself from falling, a vision entered her mind.
She saw the Sprite she just…absorbed melt away, turning into puddles of water, but then those puddles began to grow and grow. They began to shake excitedly until they were more like a pond. Then, they began to slide together, giving the water a solid shape. Fines appeared on this creature's back as octopus-like tentacles formed underneath the torso. A large gaping jaw swung open to let out a battle cry as it aimed its arm cannons proudly.
Deep Blue. That was the name of this warrior. The name simply came to Sophia upon seeing the warrior’s form.
Sophia felt the magical energy swell around her as the warrior adjusted to being connected to her and the Wotnot again. It was rejuvenating! Like she had just gotten back a part of herself she never knew was missing all her life.
Once the feeling was gone, Sophia tested her hands, opening and closing them as she smiled. This was good.
Letting out a breath, Sophia looked around before making her way back home, transforming into Whirlybird to do so. She needed to leave before anyone spotted her, and with the screams that Troll let out, she wouldn’t be surprised if someone called the cops to investigate. Either way, her job here was done, at least for now. There might be more Shadow Trolls out there, and they might have the other Sprites.
If that were the case, then she would have to be the one to take them out. That seemed to be the duty of whoever held the Element of Power. Even if she wasn’t a hero, she didn’t hate this responsibility placed upon her. It was actually a little exciting.
Thus ended another day in the life of Sophia Sterling, the holder of the Elements of Power. All in all, it was an average day.