“You boys deserve it,” Professor Mephisto insisted. “Believe it or not, the ILV wasn’t even aware of this ‘Core’ planet you talked about. Without you two, they might never have known it exists,” she said. Obsidian put his arm around Caelum’s shoulder. “It was all Cael,” he told the professor. “It was all his idea.” The professor’s eyebrows arched. “Well, Caelum, congratulations. You’re responsible for what could quite possibly be the greatest achievement in all of super villain history.” She stopped for a moment. “You’ll be responsible for the genocide of the superhero race,” she said finally, with a smile that revealed her jagged, stalactite-like teeth. “Oh,” was all Caelum said.
…
“Oh?” Obsidian seethed. “We’re given this…show more content… The whole bus ride there, they had sat beside each other in tension-filled silence, neither boy sure of what to say. Obsidian shut the door gently behind them. They made their way into the kitchen. “I have some leftover evil spaghetti from last night if you’re hungry,” Sid said. Caelum shook his head. “I’m not.” Sid pursed his lips. For some reason, the kitchen seemed too small for the both of them. “This whole thing kind of sucks for you, huh?” he said. “More than kind of,” Caelum replied, his voice shaking. “But it’s all my fault. I revealed the planet to the ILV, and I wasn’t truthful to you about who I am.” He combed his fingers through his wispy hair. “Stupid.” Obsidian squinted at him. “You lied to me,” he said. Caelum erupted into a tidal wave of tears. “I know I did! We’ve already established that! It was stupid of me, I know.” He rubbed his nose with his fist. “No,” Sid said, his lips slowly curving into a smile, baring his pointed incisors. “Think about it. You lied to me. You. A superhero.” Caelum sniffled. “I don’t…show more content… “Oh, my freaking Satan!” he yelled. “Professor, you’ve gotta stop that thing from going off. Please.” Professor Mephisto rose from her chair and glided over to Obsidian. She stared him in the eye. “Fight me,” she hissed. Sid gave the Ring of Fire a twist around his middle finger, then thrusted his hand toward Professor Mephisto. A trail of lava blasted out of the ring and hit her in the arm. “Damnation!” she shouted, doubling over. The lava began to erode at her skin, revealing the bones underneath. She reached for her trident with her other hand. “Cael, what are you waiting for?” Sid rumbled. “Shoot!” Caelum’s eyes widened. “Oh, right,” he said. “It’s time to rain on your parade, Professor!” He flicked his wrists, and two steady streams of water blasted her in the face. She pummelled to the floor. “Nice one!” Sid called. Caelum grinned. “Did you hear my pun?” Professor Mephisto shakily stood up. The skin on her left arm had fully disintegrated. With her other arm, she struck Sid in the leg with her trident. Blood oozed out of the perforations. “Holy cow!” Caelum shouted. He swooped over to Sid. “Are you
