Chapter Text
It had been a normal day. The streets had been no busier than usual, which is to say, they were filled with people. Those people walked forward, as per usual. They boarded trains and trams, holding onto grubby railings and paying no mind to anyone else. And when they reached their stuffy offices, they sat down and worried about themselves. They worried about their bills, and their bosses, and their businesses.
Tommy had rolled out of bed, tugged on his clothes, and had begun the journey to school. Not that it was a long journey, of course. The dormitories - a word that still sounded ridiculous - were only a five-minute stroll away from the institute. Well, it was called an ‘institute’. But that was just a fancy way of saying ‘the place we ditch the problem children’.
During his five-minute stroll - the depute rector of the institute always called it a stroll, anyway - Tommy hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. The shrubbery was green. The pavement was the colour of concrete. His shoes were black.
The incident occurred once the institute came into sight.
Loud voices came within ear-shot, and their brutish laughter boomed across the road.
Tommy turned to see what the commotion was.
Three teenage boys had crowded around someone. Someone who was on the floor, clutching their stomach.
It was none of his business.
But, when he got a closer look and saw that the person on the floor was Tubbo , it became his business.
Without thinking, Tommy barreled across the road, throwing himself between Tubbo and the boys. While he was slowing down he almost toppled over, but he quickly regained his balance as he threw up his hands.
“Now, now, fellas,” the blonde blustered, “I think it’s best we all move along now, yeah?”
The tallest of the three scoffed and sized up Tommy. With a deep voice that clearly wasn’t his own, he spat, “Mind your own business.”
“Exactly, that’s what I’m proposing! We all mind our business and enjoy this lovely morning.” ‘Lovely’ was generous, it was mild at best.
Behind him, Tubbo got to his feet. Between the five of them, Tubbo was easily the shortest, though he was still clutching his stomach. Tommy assumed he had been pushed over and kicked.
Creativity was dead; torment should at least be innovative. A kick to the stomach was so… predictable .
The tallest - the only one in possession of a tongue, apparently - looked at Tommy once more. The other two stood with their arms folded, but Tommy didn’t feel scared; they looked like the cover of a bad boy band album than a threat.
Eventually, the tallest boy nudged his head forward. Without another word, the three brushed past them, leaving them alone.
“Thanks, Tommy.”
“Don’t mention it, Tubbo.”
They walked together, side-by-side, and entered the institute.
☆════ ⋆★⋆ ════☆
The school day was uneventful.
When the bell tolled at the end of the day, Tommy was more than happy to return to his dorm. A few more hours of shut-eye wouldn’t hurt him. He walked back with Tubbo, who excitedly recounted his day, reminiscing over his ‘super cool’ science lesson. Tommy took interest in it; he wished his classes had been as fun. Latin was useless, and history was boring. P.E. had been torture, but that was nothing new.
They parted ways - Tubbo’s room was in a different building - and Tommy threw himself into his bed immediately after locking his door.
The room was silent, save for Tommy’s steady breathing. His eyes grew heavier as he settled into his plush bed sheets. Maybe he would just sleep through the whole night. That would be good, he thought.
Light erupted in front of his half-shut eyes.
What?
Like a disturbed bird taking wing, his blue eyes shot open.
The creature was bright. The creature was unnatural. The creature was… well, it sure was.
Tommy rubbed his eyes, but its image wasn’t wiped away.
So, instead, he let out a loud scream. And he scrambled back, body pressed against the wall, for good measure.
“Hello!”
With his back to the wall, Tommy could get a good look at the thing .
It was small, no bigger than a finch. The pure white exterior shone brightly, the only tarnish being two black slashes across its face, forming the letter ‘X’. Its body was conical, with a round looking head, twin halos rotating around the sphere. Along its sides were four wings, though they didn’t appear to be soft, instead, they looked sleek and manufactured.
“Hello!” It repeated, unmoving from its position, which was in front of his face, floating.
The voice was shrill and overly cutesy. But that was the least of Tommy’s problems.
He had never taken drugs before, but apparently, he never needed to; not when a floating something or other was in his room.
“H-Hello?” Tommy managed, incredulously, blinking at it.
Upon getting a response, it whirred to life, a small black line appearing, forming a sort of smiley-face. Once it began to speak, the black smile moved into shapes, and Tommy felt acutely aware of how unnatural it looked.
“Greetings, I am XD!”
“Greetings, I am delirious. If you’ll excuse me, I need to wake up now, bye-bye, little nightmare thing .”
Tommy pinched himself, right between his thumb and forefinger.
He looked up.
It was still there.
He pinched himself again, harder.
It laughed.
“I have identified that as sarcasm. A human form of self-expression.” XD seemed rather proud of itself.
Shaking his head and exhaling a ragged breath, Tommy looked at the creature. Good news; it didn’t seem hostile. Bad news; it looked suspiciously like an alien.
When confronted with a small adorable creature that can fly, running doesn’t really seem like an option. So, in true Tommy fashion, he decided to talk to it.
“What the hell are you s’posed to be?”
Perhaps a bit too aggressive, but the creature didn’t seem to care.
“Thank you for asking! I am XD, your new guide and partner. Due to your exceptional quality of soul, you have qualified to be a hero. Celebrations ahoy!”
A… hero?
“I don’t… that doesn’t sound right .”
With a prideful look - if XD was even capable of giving a look - it started rattling off details. “I assure you, I don’t make mistakes. I’m magic, you see? As a hero, you’ll act as a force of good in the world, protecting the innocent and fighting off unseen threats. There are other heroes, so you won’t be alone.”
“This is insane.”
“This is your cosmic duty.”
Tommy looked between XD, his door, and his window. He definitely could make a run for it. But… with a magical creature in his room? How could he run?
“Alright then… Do I get magical powers then? How does this work? How do I benefit from this?”
“Magic is a must for any aspiring hero! Every hero gets a unique power and a unique weapon. They also get a title and a special hero form! Your identity is a treasure, after all.” XD chittered away, clearly enjoying the conversation.
Tommy’s brow furrowed in concentration, trying to make sense of it. “So… would my ‘title’ be a codename?”
“Most heroes choose their own codename. But their title cannot be changed. For example, one of our brightest heroes goes by the name ‘Dream’. His official title is ‘The Nightshade Hero’. Are you following?”
He nodded. It made sense.
“To unlock your own celestial power, you just have to do one simple thing.”
It sounded sketchy. Like one of those ‘too good to be true’ things he would see on the internet.
Tommy always believed in them, though.
So, with a heavy stomach, he asked; “What do you need me to do?”
XD let out a high-pitched giggle - at least, Tommy assumed it was a giggle.
“You need to say this ‘I swear to protect this world until my dying breath, under the divine name of XD.’”
Dying breath?
Chills took wing around his spine, frightening the common blues at the pit of his stomach. He wanted to say no. To chase XD away.
But…
He also wanted to be someone else. Someone much bigger than himself. Someone bigger than the mundane life he led. Someone who didn’t have to go to school. Someone with power, and the ability to help others, and to protect what was right-
Tommy wanted to be a hero.
“I swear…” he began, laced with uncertainty, “to protect this world… until my…”
XD stared at him expectantly.
“Until my dying breath.” He finished all at once, afraid the words would choke him if he didn’t free them.
As soon as he finished speaking, brilliant light erupted through the room, cascading across dust-covered books and forgotten wrappers. Tommy shielded his eyes feebly, but it didn’t help - nothing could have.
“So be it. Consider yourself a hero - scouted and blessed by XD. I give you the power and the strength to metamorphosis into your truest form. With pleasure XD invites you to the stage, to become ‘The Mischievous Hero’.
“To accept this power, grab ahold of the avatar before you; grasp it firmly in both hands, and imagine yourself, free as a bird and fierce as a lion.”
Surrendering himself to his newly chosen fate, Tommy fought against the blinding light and wrapped both hands around XD.
The light dimmed, and Tommy could have sworn it was flowing into him.
Once the room cleared up, Tommy managed to open his eyes, in shock from the whole event.
He was in even more shock when he saw baggy checkered sleeves covering his arms.
Looking down, his entire outfit had changed. The checkered sleeves led up to a plain white shirt, with a black and red graphic of a raccoon’s face printed onto it. Baggy black cargo pants had materialised over his long legs, obscuring the tops of expensive-looking red trainers.
After taking a moment to breathe, he ran over to his cracked mirror; his hair, once a consistent golden hue, had a single white streak bolting down. A slim red mask covered the areas around his eyes uselessly.
As if that would conceal his identity, his eyes were blatantly exposed, and his dark circles were hardly his single defining characteristic.
“I think it suits you,” XD commented, hovering close to Tommy.
“ I look like a skater boy who got hit by a Hot Topic truck. ”
“Hero forms reflect who you are on the inside!”
“Oh, great, just great! I sell my soul away, and I look like this ? I wanted to look cool, XD!” Tommy whined, tugging at the sleeves, as though he could pull another outfit from them.
XD whizzed around him, looking him over. “Hm, how about this!”
The creature - an avatar, perhaps - lit up again. As Tommy shielded his eyes once more, a red neckerchief settled around his throat.
It didn’t impress him. But, seeing the hopeful little thing , Tommy forced a smile. “It’s… an improvement.” XD let out a high-pitched noise of delight.
Angering XD seemed like a bad idea. Tommy was rarely opposed to annoying people, but even he knew when to quit it.
“Alright then, Mischievous Hero, you’re all started. Time to start avatar customisation! You may change my name and appearance to suit your needs. Might I suggest changing me to match your ‘raccoon’ emblem?”
“Uh, yeah, sure. Do what you want.”
“Alright then! Beginning metamorphosis!”
Within the blink of an eye XD had transformed into a small, fluffy looking creature. With its round ears, long tail and dark markings, XD was undeniably raccoon-like. It looked more cartoonish in its features, but the tiny thing was his ‘partner’ now, apparently.
“Is this form satisfactory?”
“Yeah, whatever works for you. You said I could give you a name, right?”
“Yes, you may!"
Tommy thought about dishing out a crude name. He looked into XD’s newly chocolatey brown eyes, and couldn’t bring himself to do it, though.
“Sam. You can be Sam.”
The raccoon went still for a moment, before springing back to life once more.
“Hello! My name is now Sam. What may I address you as, hero?”
Tommy thought for a moment. There was a lot in a name. And there were a lot of potential names. Using his own name felt wrong; this was unprecedented, sure, but he still believed in a new start for himself. During an art class, it couldn’t have been more than a week ago, they handed out colour charts. His outfit was sort of red… maybe he could use that.
He pulled up his rucksack and started rifling through it, finally pulling out a colourful piece of paper. After scanning it for a few seconds, he turned to Sam, who had been peering over his shoulder.
“How about ‘Vermilion? Can I change my name later on, in case I think of something better?”
“‘Vermillion’ sounds like an excellent name! You can change it if need be, but I don’t think that will be necessary.” Sam’s approval meant something to Tommy at least. He hadn’t given Sam his real name, but maybe they already knew it - Sam was magic, after all. It seemed a little too late for that anyway.
“Alright then. I’m Vermilion; the Mischievous Hero. That’s such a dumb title, what does that even mean?”
“It’s who you are on the inside. Mischievous!”
Tommy thought about it. It made sense, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. Why couldn’t he have been ‘The Manly Hero’, or ‘The Super Cool Epic Hero’?
Sam lit up again - this time, Tommy didn’t bother shielding his eyes, it was just a brief flash. A small red rectangle fell into Tommy’s hands - he struggled to catch it, grabbing it by the tips of his fingers.
He turned it over. “Have you just summoned a magic iPhone ?”
“This is your communicator! I hear humans use a version of these to talk to their grandparents, and to update their friends on their sustenance of choice!”
Maybe Sam didn’t know everything. Not properly, at least.
Tommy found the power button and clicked it. The black rectangle came to life. A drawing of XD - who must have been the mascot for this weird superhero squad - whizzed past the screen, lighting up a ‘homepage’. There were four icons; ‘Hero Chat’, ‘Hero Card’, ‘Nightmare Tracker’, ‘Open Rifts’.
He scanned the screen, leaning against his desk.
“Alright, I’m ready for the explanation. What the hell are ‘Open Rifts’?”
“Let’s go through them one by one, shall we?” Tommy nodded, knowing he didn’t really have a choice. “‘Hero Chat’ is a messaging service used to contact other heroes. ‘Hero Card displays your information. ‘Nightmare Tracker’ shows you where Nightmares are; terrifying monsters that roam other dimensions, threatening the human race! ‘Open Rifts’ allow you to travel to open rifts - where Nightmares reside. It’s essential to a hero’s work!”
“Wait, slow down, what’s a ‘Nightmare’-”
“Why don’t you open up your ‘Hero Card’? It will display information about your unique power and weapon.”
There was a tense beat where the two stared at each other. Tommy wanted answers, but he also wanted to live through to the morning. So, he hesitantly tapped on ‘Hero Card’.
Name: Vermillion
Title: The Mischievous Hero
Avatar: Sam - The Rambunctious Raccoon
Weapon: Atë’s Hoverboard
Power: Quick Getaway - Can create a distraction that guarantees escape
Victories: 0
Allies: N/A
There were a few more details, such as height and weight, but it was the ‘weapon’ and ‘power’ sections that caught Tommy’s attention.
“So, I get a hoverboard?” he asked, cautiously looking over to Sam.
“Yes! And you get a special power as well, it’s listed there.”
“Sam. This seems kind of useless. How am I supposed to win any fights?”
“With your wit and cunning!”
“ My ‘wit and cunning’ isn’t going to stab monsters, Sam. ”
Sam let out a noise, it sounded almost like a ‘pfft’, but Tommy couldn’t be sure. “You’ll be fine! You won’t be fighting Nightmares alone. The hero fatality rate is surprisingly low.”
That wasn’t reassuring.
Sam continued, clearly unaware of the dread setting in across Tommy’s face. “Why don’t you open up the ‘Hero Chat’? I think it’s time you met everyone!”
Tommy clicked on the icon. He was a little nervous; yes, he was a ‘people person’, and he enjoyed talking to others but talking to a bunch of genuine superheroes? No amount of charisma was going to stop the nerves.
A texting service came to life, the top option being ‘Hero Group Chat’. The messages started filing in.
Vermilion has joined the chat.
Descant: A new hero?
Snapdragon: ??
Vermillion: GREETINGS FELLOW HEROES
Halo: 0_0 No need to yell
Dream: Hello!
Vermillion: APOLOGIES, HALO
King: Shut up. I’m trying to sleep.
Descant: Hello Vermillion, it’s nice to meet you!
Vermillion: Thank you, Descant
Vermillion: That’s a stupid name, but I don’t care that much
Vermillion: Just a little bit
Vermillion: To clarify, I only CARE a little bit, the name is VERY stupid
Descant: I revoke my previous statement. It’s ADEQUATE to meet you.
King: That’s nice, goodnight.
Snapdragon: Geez, King’s so anti-social, what a weirdo
King: Snapdragon, I can and will snap you in half
Snapdragon: I’d like to see you try ;P
King: YOU AND ME, HQ, TOMORROW
Snapdragon: You’re on - hey, Vermillion, you can come and hang with us tomorrow. We’ll show you the ropes.
Vermillion: I could defeat both of you with one hand tied behind my back
Dream: I hate it here.
Descant: Agreed.
King: SLEEP
King: LET ME SLEEP
Dream: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TURN OFF YOUR NOTIFICATIONS, KING
Halo: STOP YELLING YOU MUFFINHEADS >:(
Vermillion: I feel like I came in at a bad time
Descant: It’s always like this.
Vermillion: Oh, well, guess I’m right at home here.
King: I WOULD IF I COULD, DREAM, BUT SHROOMS WANTS ME TO BE SOCIAL
Vermillion: King, are you high right now? High on shrooms? That is unacceptable. This is an intervention.
King: Shrooms is my avatar
King: I am not high
Vermillion: We’re having this conversation because we love you, King. We want what’s best for you
Snapdragon: King. You can’t go on like this.
King: Why are you people like this?
Dream: Ignore the avatar, just go to sleep
King: Fine, goodnight
Vermillion: GOODNIGHT KING!
Halo: I’m going too, I’m working early tomorrow! It was nice meeting you, Vermillion :)
Vermillion: WORK IS FOR LOSERS, BUT YES, GOODBYE
Halo: :(
Descant: So, Vermillion, what’s your title?
Vermillion: ‘The Really Super Awesome Super Cool Gamer Hero’
Descant: I think you misspelt ‘The Terrible Liar Hero’
Dream: XD told me he was ‘The Mischievous Hero’
Vermillion: SNITCH
Descant: Wow, that’s a pretty lacklustre title
Vermillion: And what’s yours, muffinhead
Vermillion: Muffinhead
Vermillion: Muffin
Vermillion MUFFIN
Dream: I see you’ve found the censorship feature. You can thank Halo for that
Vermillion: MUFFIN YOU
Descant My title is ‘The Symphony Hero’, which is leagues better than ‘The Mischievous Hero’, I’ll have you know
Snapdragon: He’s got a point
Vermillion: Snap, I thought we were friends…
Snapdragon: We’ll see.
Dream: And on that note, I’m off. Have a nice night, guys
Snapdragon: BYE DWEAM
Vermillion: There’s too much flirting here
Descant: This is tame.
Vermillion: For muffin’s sake
Vermillion: Whelp, guess I’m signing off too. I’ve got an early morning too, much like the muffin man
Snapdragon: THE MUFFIN MAN
Descant: Goodnight, hope this wasn’t too jarring for you, Vermillion
Vermillion: GOODNIGHT, BOIS
Tommy clicked out of the chat and exhaled.
“So, how was it?” Sam asked from across the room. The raccoon let him navigate the conversation alone; the privacy was appreciated.
“It was… an experience. They seem nice enough.”
“That’s great! I’m sure you’ll meet them soon. There are a few rifts that are always open - those are the HQ rifts. Heroes can use them to train, or to ‘hang out’. Humans love to hang out.”
“Sam, how do I change out of my…” he struggled to remember the term. “Hero form?”
“Easy, you just imagine yourself turning back to normal.”
Easier said than done.
Still, Tommy pictured his hero form changing back into his usual outfit. Pressing his eyes tight, he willed himself back to normal.
When he opened them, he was Tommy once more.
“Hey, it worked!"
Sam nodded, “Of course it did! You should have a new app on your communicator now.”
Sure enough, Sam was right; the ‘Transform’ app had appeared. Tommy didn’t need it explained to him.
As he looked at the phone, a notification appeared in the ‘Hero Chat’.
He opened it and noticed that there was a new chat open.
Snapdragon has started a chat with Vermillion.
Snapdragon: You on for tomorrow?
Snapdragon: Me VS. King, at the training ground. Your avatar should know the way.
Vermillion: Sure thing. One question, though; nobody’s gonna get hurt, right?
Snapdragon: Ofc not, we’re all friends. We can show you a few tricks
Snapdragon: Ask your avatar to contact mine, and they’ll set a reminder on your phone. My avatar’s called Blaze, btw
Vermillion: Sure thing
Vermillion: I’ll be off, then
Snapdragon: Kk, bye
“Sam? Can you contact…” Tommy checked the message again. “‘Blaze’? Ask them about tomorrow, Snapdragon says you’ll set a reminder.”
“Sure thing!”
“I’m going to bed now. Do you need a place to stay?”
“Nope, I can just disappear until you need me! Call my name and I’ll appear!”
With a pop and a spark, Sam was gone.
Tommy climbed into his bed.
He was out like a light.
His dreams were filled with midnight flowers and curious figures. A revolutionary, a mushroom king, a knight and a masked man fought. Their boots trampled the purple flowers, but the heroes didn’t care; they were locked in a dance of life and death.
As a large axe fell, the purple flowers turned red - Tommy woke up, sweat trickling down his forehead.