Page 49 of Villainous Rise

I shoved the thought away because I was going to lose my mind if I didn’t. I filed it in the mental cabinet labeled “Cipher Problems I Don’t Have the Emotional Bandwidth to Process Right Now.” That cabinet was getting dangerously full.

I pulled up the assessment form on my tablet, as the fighters entered the arena to thunderous applause and the match began. I was grateful for the distraction. The email from Alliance PR continued to glare at me with its red exclamation mark, but I swiped it away. Later. Everything could wait until later.

About fifteen minutes in, the camera panned to show the reaction of the crowd, then cut to a platform where junior Heroes were watching. A young man in a blue and silver costume was gesturing excitedly, demonstrating something to his companions.

Then it happened.

The Hero suddenly clutched his chest, his face contorting in pain. He staggered backward, his body convulsing violently. Before anyone could react, he pitched forward over the railing, plummeting toward the arena floor.

Helios and Valor, who had been arguing about some inane point of the matchup, went silent.

The camera lingered just long enough to show the unnatural angle of the junior Hero’s limbs, the stillness that could only mean one thing, before cutting abruptly to a commercial for energy drinks.

“Oh god,” I whispered.

Helios had gone pale. “That was Sunspot. He was just promoted last month.”

Valor stared at the screen, for once without a quip or comment, his perfect features frozen in shock.

Two deaths. Two people had died during televised matches in the same week, people who weren’t even the combatants. It was unheard of.

Havoc turned to Valor and Helios, who were still staring at the screen in stunned silence.

“We’ll meet later to discuss what we observed of the match techniques,” he said, his voice unnaturally calm. “For now, I suggest you both take some time to process what we’ve witnessed.”

Valor nodded mechanically, his usual swagger absent. “Should I cancel tonight’s interview?”

“No,” Havoc replied. “Just keep the focus on your training, not on today’s tragedy.”

Helios looked like he might be sick. “I knew him.”

“All the more reason to take the evening to collect yourself,” Havoc said gently. “Annie, stay behind please.”

The two Heroes filed out, leaving silence in their wake. I couldn’t shake the image of Sunspot’s body hitting the arena floor. The unnatural stillness that followed.

Havoc waited until the door closed before saying, “I heard from the Aegis last week.”

My stomach tightened. The Aegis rarely reached out directly unless something significant was happening. “About what?”

“Remember the Keeper?” he asked.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, like I could shake the image of her blood from my memory. “I can’t forget.”

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Havoc handed me a tablet with a spreadsheet displayed. “Twenty-three deaths in the last month. All labeled as natural causes or equipment malfunctions. That junior Hero? He’ll be on this list.”

I scanned the list, my eyes widening. “That can’t be right.”

“It is. Fifteen ‘natural causes’—heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms. Eight technical failures.” Havoc’s voice was grim. “The Aegis wanted an investigation, and they wanted me to lead it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” I demanded. Twenty-three people dead while I’d been worrying about coffee deliveries and fake dating arrangements.

Havoc sighed, the lines around his eyes deepening. “Because you’ve barely been hanging on, Annie. I’ve watched you jump at shadows for months. Then I dumped Helios and Valor in your lap on top of everything else.” He gestured toward the tablet. “This felt like one burden too many.”

“That wasn’t your call to make,” I said, heat rising in my cheeks. “I⁠—”

“It was exactly my call,” Havoc cut me off, his voice firm but not unkind. “I’m responsible for you, not just professionally.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up his hand.