Raphael blinked once, twice, as though he hadn’t heard right. "Pardon me... did you just say... blood?"
Hermes’ patience was thin. The Night Cyclops was still groaning above them, its glowing eye rolling like a lighthouse of death.
"Yes. Blood. Yours. Mine. It’s the only shot we’ve got."
Raphael gave a soft, incredulous laugh, though there was no mockery in it. "That’s... unexpected."
"I thought you’d say ’ridiculous’ or ’fucking weird’." Hermes muttered.
The younger man studied him carefully, golden light reflecting in his mask.
"I suspected something earlier," Raphael said. "When you pulled strands of hair from your comrades. I thought it was panic, or ritual. But no... it was deliberate."
Hermes stiffened. "...You saw that."
"I can see in the dark," Raphael explained, simply. No accusation. Just fact. "So it’s true. You... absorb powers."
Hermes scowled, not denying it. "The name of my ability given by my system is actually Power Thief, not Copy Cat."
Instead of recoiling, Raphael inclined his head, almost respectfully. "An extraordinary gift. You can have any power in this world."
Hermes barked a humorless laugh. "Funny. Most people have a different reaction..."
"Most people are fools." Raphael’s voice was steady, almost reverent. "And you are not."
Hermes grimaced, uncomfortable with the praise. "Save the buttering up for someone else. What matters is this: I can copy your power if I get your DNA. That part’s obvious. But if you drink my blood, you’ll get my copy of it too."
Raphael blinked. "Wait. You mean to say... two of us could wield the same gift at once."
Hermes nodded sharply. "Exactly. That’s what we need. Two beams instead of one."
"...And that’s the only way?"
Hermes’ jaw tightened. The truth was uglier than he was willing to share. He wasn’t about to explain to golden-boy Raphael that there were other cruder, more shameful ways to share DNA. But that might be too much information.
"Yes," he lied. "That’s the only way."
Raphael studied him for a long moment. The rooftop quaked under the Cyclops’ shifting weight, but Raphael didn’t look away. Then, finally, he smiled faintly, bowing his head.
"Then I place my trust in you, my Lord."
"Don’t call me that." Hermes muttered.
But Raphael was already tugging off his glove, offering his bare wrist.
"Take what you need."
Hermes didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Raphael’s arm, bit down hard, swallowed the heat of sunlit blood. It seared down his throat, burning in a way no other power ever had. His veins lit up gold, crackling beneath his skin.
[Power Thief Ability Activated
You have stolen the Paragon Ability.
The flood of immense power nearly caused him to buckle where he stood. Light itself thrummed through his body, an unbearable weight made bearable only by fury. He staggered, gasping.
Raphael steadied him with a hand. "And now me?"
Hermes offered his wrist. "Don’t hold back. I can handle it— OW!"
He didn’t expect Raphael to just go CHOMP! and drink his blood without hesitation.
A strange glow flickered around him, brighter than before, his golden aura swelling like dawn cresting the horizon. He continued drinking, his hands gripping onto Hermes’ arm tightly.
"That’s enough!" Hermes finally pushed him away.
When he lifted his head, there was gratitude in his eyes. He wiped the blood off his mouth with a sheepish smile.
"I apologize. I’m not a vampire, I promise. It’s just... It tastes so good.." Raphael whispered.
Hermes stiffened at the word ’vampire’, remembering his little hallucination.
With a slight bow: "Thank you... my Lord."
Hermes turned away before the words could crawl under his skin. "Yeah.... We’ve got work to do."
His whole body was covered in golden aura. His beast form wasn’t that different. It was still him, but with six golden wings and six halos...
And six glowing eyes.
Raphael was stun-locked for a moment, as if he was going to cry from the sight. But then—
The Night Cyclops loomed above, tar-spit dripping from its jaw. Its one eye widened, gleaming like a false moon.
"Now!" Hermes yelled.
Hermes and Raphael soared into the air!
Twin beams of light exploded from their eyes, carving through the rooftop darkness like swords of the sun. The Cyclops shrieked, body sizzling where the rays struck. It swatted at the beams with its massive arm, but the flesh melted under the assault.
Hermes gritted his teeth, the light burning hotter than his fire ever had. His whole body trembled with strain.
"Then press harder," Raphael called back, voice calm despite the chaos. "Hold nothing back."
They shifted in tandem. Hermes cut across the monster’s chest. Raphael aimed higher, scorching its throat. The beams crossed, doubling the blaze.
The Cyclops reared, staggering. Its tar spit shot outward, wide and desperate. Hermes dove left, Raphael right. The sludge splattered harmlessly onto the marble.
"Again!" Raphael barked.
Hermes nodded once. They surged upward together, firing anew.
Their beams converged on the Cyclops’ single eye. The monster bellowed, a sound that rattled the tower’s bones. Its oily flesh boiled, sloughing off in smoking sheets. The air reeked of burning asphalt and sulfur.
Hermes’ vision blurred from the brightness, but he held steady. He could feel Raphael’s presence beside him, unwavering, pushing just as hard. Not competing. Matching. Supporting.
The Cyclops’ wail grew higher, a keening death-rattle. Its colossal body convulsed, trembling, melting.
With a final scream, the monster burst apart in a rain of black ash!
For an instant, the rooftop was brighter than midday. The light was so fierce it reached beyond Haven City, painting oceans and skies, dazzling entire countries who would later swear they had witnessed a second sun.
The Cyclops was gone. Only drifting cinders remained, fading into the night.
Hermes staggered, vision white and spotted. Around them, the rooftop erupted in chaos. People were blind, clutching their faces, stumbling.
And then came the cheers.
The cameras found Raphael immediately, their shouts echoing, every lens pointed toward him.
Hermes’ gut twisted. This was why he hated the spotlight. Why he couldn’t let them see. The second anyone realized he had Paragon’s power, they’d tear him apart.
Raphael turned, about to speak, about to share the recognition.
But Hermes was already gone.
His six wings started flapping. He shot upward and away, vanishing into the horizon before a single camera could capture him. Only Raphael’s sharp eyes followed his silhouette against the fading glow.
The crowd roared, chanting Paragon’s name, blind to the truth.
Raphael stood silently amid the celebration. He looked out into the distance where Hermes had disappeared, the cheers ringing hollow in his ears.
Softly, reverently, he whispered to the night.
"Someday... the world will know your true divinity, my Lord."