The Man Emperor

Phi Mu Lambda: Friendly Wizarding Fraternity

Seth Montes

Helmut again raised a brow at Harper, calling her Chucky. He didn’t get the reference, but he guessed he didn’t introduce himself, so nicknames seemed applicable. “My name is Helmut Spielzeugmann. It’s a pleasure to meet you. And I assure you I would not waste my time peeping on female students.” He didn’t blush, but he did look at her with a grimace. He was not as lascivious or ghoulish as she assumed.

"I... won't even try the second one..." Seth said with a defeated tone. He had repeatedly repeated Helmet's second name in his head, but to no avail. He couldn't pronounce it! There was no way, indeed, that he unravel that kind of mystery right here and now. He was also afraid that he may accidentally cast a spell in the process. Maybe even an advanced one that he never knew about before. He just knew that something like that might happen!

"Shall we?" she nodded in the direction of the common room's table tennis table which was currently being ignored in favour of retro gaming...

Seth mostly listened in when Harper talked about the rules. "I have not participated in this game before," Seth said, interrupted for a second when Munnin randomly cawed and earned a side eye from Seth. "But... I will see how I fare." Maybe he could do with a little bit more beer than he's usually allowed himself to take. But would the fraternity like him anymore if they got the unfiltered Seth here? He was a telepath specialist, after all, and there are a lot of thoughts that he read that he'd rather erase from his memory. And yet, those sorts of things tended to burn themselves into the mind, like a brand in the side of a cow's ass.

No! He must win this game! He must win, as he always has! He can imagine Mom cheering him on at this moment, screaming and yelling. Go get them!

"Imagine having fought that long, and that hard. Only to be just... picked up. And walked off an edge to oblivion by a being so... committed to your destruction they didn't care about their own life because they already know they've won at this life, and you've lost. And you're unable to do anything to affect your fate." He continued speaking quietly to no one in particular. "And all you can do is writhe helplessly, as the unthinkable becomes... inevitable."

He turned away from the tv screen, opening his mouth and emitting a large cloud of smoke from his lips. "Fuck."

...what?

Seth didn't even try to read what was on Abisu's mind. Such words can only come from insane, mad thoughts. And he didn't want to have such thoughts at the moment. He didn't want to have portents of doom swirling in his brain. Not here, not now. There's a game to play! "Who's first?" Seth asked.

Just Another Hero [Invite-Only]

Ueno Haru - Sol Invictus

---

Location: Le'Nombril Restau

Food…

Here Haru was, away from his usual area of operations, walking to the exclusive area of the renowned Le'Nombril Restau. Very French, and very fancy. He wore his hero costume, outwardly consisting of a white cloak emblazoned with golden symbols that generally represented the sun. A helmet with an angelic-looking halo mounted behind it obscured his face, ensuring that the public only knew him as Sol Invictus and not as Ueno Haru.

At this time, Haru had been given a mission by Sir Nighteye. Rumors of a Nomu sighting had been circulating around and round here, and it was heavily implied that someone's actually mass producing those things again. Such gossip must always be taken seriously; the creatures, the resurrected corpses that had been jammed to the brim with as many Quirks as inhumanly possible, are and always have been difficult to get rid of. Haru recalled that Endeavour usually just burned their heads off… and again, does it really count as dead, if it already died? Nomu are just fleshy automatons, are they not? Very powerful automatons, one should add, but Haru pondered, as he ate the last remnants of his meal, whether the “license to kill” that could be acquired through interning in Hawks’ agency was needed to permanently take those out.

Hawks’, Best Jeanist’s, and Endeavour’s agencies were already looking into it, Sir Nighteye said. Haru needed only to join their efforts. He had only entered the Executive Top, though, when he heard a woman scream from the nearby street. Then, Yusuke, the quirk copyer in the class, made a hole in the floor using a mass of flaming snakes. “Of course it appeared just now!” Haru grumbled as he rushed to the three that were preparing to get into the action in the street below.

“Hey!” Haru called out to them. They were probably not aware that one of the Nighteye's interns (and another classmate) was already here. “I was sent here by Sir Nighteye to aid in the investigation, but it looks like we're going to fight… I'll go with you now.”

The thought of blasting the wrath of the sun into the Nomu’s face coursed through Haru’s veins as the nearby lights began to dim, their photons consumed by Haru/Sol Invictus.

Just Another Hero [Invite-Only]

Tokoyami Izanagi

ヒーロー
ヒーロー

The Void Hero: Watcher

_{^D.O.B October 31, 2XXX | ^{Age 20} | ^Class A}

Mimoto
Mimoto

Tokoyami Izanagi

Shigoto
Shigoto

Hawks Agency

Joretsu
Joretsu

B(?)

由来
由来

Origin

_Rising
Izanagi had not been given a good lot in life. Born into a family of extreme mutants with dark, shadowy quirks that were all completely villainous at first glance, Izanagi has had to contend with consistent discrimination and hatred for most of his life. If not for his rather inhuman appearance that reminded many of a mythical tengu that would seek to bring sorrow and despair to those around them, then he would be picked on for his quirk. His was a dark and evil quirk, his classmates teased. He could only possibly become a villain. While his parents and the rest of the extended family were very supportive, there was only so much that could do when many people either look at him with nasty expressions or outright deny service on restaurants and other such establishments. Something was deeply wrong with society outside of the cities, and there was little being done to curb this rot.

Of course, he didn't get the worst of it, because he was relatively "normal" looking compared to other members of his family, who could be described as "eldritch creatures" in appearance. His father, for instance, is a walking, waking shadows with strange eyes that spoke in interlaced, distorted voices, making all that saw him feel dreadfully afraid, even if he eas in fact one of the nicest people ever. But Izanagi watch this happen, even when members of the Creature Rejection Clan attacked them and other mutants in their town only to be fended off by a newly minted Gang Orca.

Truth be told, during his middle school years, he genuinely considered turning into a villain out of spite. He goes mad and transforms once, and now everyone thinks he's a monster? Well, I'll give them a monster, he thought. That is, until he learned that his cousin, who had a similarly terrifying quirk, entered a hero school, UA itself. Curious, Izanagi would ask his more heroic-minded cousin on his mother's side, Fumikage, about what made him want to be a hero despite being constantly seen as something “evil-looking.” Eventually, over the course of a year of thinking and self-reflection, Izanagi decided that to be a hero was the way to go. For one, he will prove those quirkist idiots wrong. And for two, he heard that saving people was the best feeling to ever have. And three… it just felt right.

性格
性格

Individuality

_Personality
As much as he would like to pretend to be this dark, brooding character, Izanagi’s veil is far too thin. While he initially had doubts when he entered Eirei Academy, his classmates had proven to be infinitely more accepting than the people in his middle school, not minding that he could turn into a beast of total darkness and destruction. As a result, he has adopted a horridly casual disposition, giving people embarrassing nicknames and asking for headpats, all the while being a rather friendly, if not speaking scantly. Izanagi has proven to be extremely protective, too. His major personality flaw, though, is that he can be somewhat stubborn and unreasonable if he believes in something, or someone. This could be attributed to his quirk, as it feeds on and perpetuates emotion.

Support Items
Support Items

Tools

_{Shrouds of Darkness}
Smoke grenades that release vast amounts of black smoke that obscure enemy vision.

Fighting Style
Skills

Handy Skills

_{Hand To Hand}
Not every fight needs to be bitten and stomped in half. Sometimes, you just need to punch them really hard in the face.

_{A Really Good Singer} If Eirei has a choir, then he’d be it's lead bass.

能力
能力

Meta Ability

Quirk
Quirk

Shadow Griffin

_Quirktype
Mutant Transformation

_Quirkodds
Awakened

_Quirkwork
Izanagi’s quirk allows him to turn part or all of his body into a semi-solid shadow that resembles a gryphon… if a gryphon had a crow's head instead of an eagle's, had a horn on its head, had sharp teeth inside the beak, and was made out of pure darkness, and had no wings. When he first started, he could only turn parts of himself into what would become the greater whole, but eventually, he was able to successfully fully transform for the first time since he was a kid without going into a berserk rage.

Unlike the quirk of his older cousin, Tokoyami Fumikage, Izanagi does not get empowered by darkness or debilitated by light. Rather, it becomes stronger and controllable when its user is motivated by what he believes to be a righteous cause, goes berserk if rage and other similar negative, powerful emotions are at the forefront, and is weakened by feelings of sorrow and regret. Izanagi uses his desire for a more peaceful and just society as an anchor, keeping his quirk at its strongest possible state.

When transformed for a long time, he would often forget that he is, in fact, a person, and starts acting more like a cat. He will demand attention and pets, going as far as purr when that desire is granted. Embarrassingly enough, he will remember it all when he finally decides to turn back.

---

Ueno Haru

ヒーロー
ヒーロー

The Luminous Hero - Sol Invictus

_{^D.O.B August 5, 2XXX | ^{Age 19} | ^Class 2B}

Mimoto
Mimoto

Ueno Haru

Shigoto
Shigoto

Nighteye Agency

Joretsu
Joretsu

C+

由来
由来

Origin

_Rising
Haru was born to a quirkful father and quirkless mother, and on the day of his birth, the doctors and nurses found themselves awed- and somewhat blinded, by his luminant majesty (and befuddled by the blue skin mutation). The fact that his powers were so involved with luminosity came as a surprise to his father, a mid tier Pro Hero whose quirk allowed him to manipulate nearby shadows. Still, Haru would be patiently taught how to control his quirk by the age of three, as his passive absorption of light eventually made it difficult to look at him without sunglasses.

Over this time, he would be instilled with the values that would eventually foment into the desire to become a hero. This glimmering child would eventually grow up with a strong moral compass of right and wrong, good and evil, and the nuances that may exist in between. While he lived in a rural area with a low population (and thus little crime), watching the news of villains committing villainy and heroes stopping them with their heroism inspired him to desire to become a hero. Of course, every kid his age wants to be a hero, but he had a strong, flashy quirk in a rather literal sense. So, everyone around him thought that, yes, he should become a hero.

He would especially admire the Symbol of Peace, the number one hero of Japan, All Might. The news of All Night's death when Haru was six years old was a truly devastating event, but at the same time, knowing that All Might died defeating the greatest villain of all, All For One, also kindled inspiration. He would be always told this by his father: “Be willing to sacrifice if you truly must, but never seek it out.” As his father was one of those Pro Heroes who kept their true identities secret from the public, Haru would pick up on it, realizing the rationale behind the secrecy. So, in his pursuit of becoming a hero like All Might and his father, he chose to attend his father's Alma Mater, Eirei Academy.

性格
性格

Individuality

_Personality
Loud. Tries to be helpful however he can. A little awkward when he runs out of things to say. Haru is, in many ways, like his quirk: overbearing, attention-grabbing, and bright, with a stupid smile that's visible because he deliberately kept the lower part of his costume’s helmet open. Unlike his idol, though, he eventually runs out of words to say, as if he had a prepared script for certain situations. In those times, he becomes awkward, like he doesn't know what to say as he scrambles to think of something new. Either way, he likes being a ray of sunshine, because he quite literally is. However, just like the sun itself, he can be a little unpredictable and violent when agitated or irritated. He tries his best to curb those tendencies, as any hero student should, but it is not easy.

Support Items
Support Items

Tools

_{The Inward Lights}
Haru’s costume incorporates hundreds of tiny, activateable light emitters that point inward, allowing him to be of use even in dark places. However, he's nowhere as strong as he would be under a summer sun.

_{Blackout Visor}
Protects Haru’s eyes from his own light shows by automatically dimming whenever he uses a powerful move. It is also equipped with night vision goggles to allow him to navigate when he darkens his current location with his Quirk.

Fighting Style
Fighting Style

Handy Skills

_{Let Him Cook} Haru is a masterful cook, utilizing even leftovers to make good soup. As a result, everyone in the dorms look forward to the day of the week when he's assigned to make food.

_Pianist
Haru plays the aforementioned instrument with decent proficiency. He played in a band during the last Cultural Festival.

能力
能力

Meta Ability

Quirk
Quirk

Photomancy

_Quirktype
Accumulation/Emitter Hybrid

_Quirkodds
Awakened

_Quirkwork
Haru’s Quirk allows him to absorb and store nearby photons to fuel his abilities. It has rather versatile applications; he can create orbs to illuminate dark places, emit powerful laser beams from his hands and eyes, blind enemies with flashbangs, and provide heating either through passive emission of warm “sunlight” or physical touch.

For the less intensive applications (warmth and lighting), the passive absorption of light throughout the day is more than enough. However, when firing beams or emitting blinding flashbangs, Haru will start consuming photons at an absurd rate, to the point that a 1 meter radius around him can become completely lightless whenever he uses a powerful move (and thus impossible to see in and out of without thermal goggles or a search type Quirk). As such, he has to keep changing positions in a fight to fully utilize his Quirk.

He will generally keep releasing absorbed photons over the course of a day, as storing too much at the same time can cause dangerous side effects such as nausea and fatigue. It's easy to tell when he has too much, too, as he'd quite literally be glowing by then.

When he's wounded, it would be apparent that his blood is glowing, at least when exposed to air

---

Just Another Hero [Invite-Only]

Ueno Haru

ɴᴀᴍᴇ
Ueno Haru

ᴀʟɪᴀꜱ
The Luminous Hero - Sol Invictus

ʟɪꜰᴇᴛɪᴍᴇ
08-05-2XXX (in numbers) · 19

ꜱᴛᴀɢᴇᴘʟᴀʏ
Haru was born to a quirkful father and quirkless mother, and on the day of his birth, the doctors and nurses found themselves awed- and somewhat blinded, by his luminant majesty (and befuddled by the blue skin mutation). The fact that his powers were so involved with luminosity came as a surprise to his father, a mid tier Pro Hero whose quirk allowed him to manipulate nearby shadows. Still, Haru would be patiently taught how to control his quirk by the age of three, as his passive absorption of light eventually made it difficult to look at him without sunglasses.

Over this time, he would be instilled with the values that would eventually foment into the desire to become a hero. This glimmering child would eventually grow up with a strong moral compass of right and wrong, good and evil, and the nuances that may exist in between. While he lived in a rural area with low population (and thus little crime), watching the news of villains committing villainy and heroes stopping them with their heroism inspired him to desire to become a hero.

He would especially admire the Symbol of Peace, the number one hero of Japan, All Might. The news of All Night's death when Haru was six years old was a truly devastating event, but at the same time, knowing that All Might died defeating the greatest villain of all, All For One, also kindled inspiration. He would be always told thus by his father: “Be willing to sacrifice if you truly must, but never seek it out.” As his father was one of those Pro Heroes that kept their true identities secret from the public, Haru would pick up on it, realizing the rationale behind the secrecy. So, he chose to attend his father's Alma Mater, Eirei Academy.

ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ
Let Him Cook! - Haru is a masterful cook, utilizing even leftovers to make good soup.

The Art of the Piano - Haru plays the aforementioned instrument with decent proficiency. He played in a band during the last Cultural Festival.

ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴇᴍ
The Inward Lights: Haru’s costume incorporates hundreds of tiny, activateable light emitters that point inward, allowing him to be of use even in dark places. However, he's nowhere as strong as he would be under a summer sun.

Blackout Visor: Protects Haru’s eyes from his own light shows by automatically dimming whenever he uses a powerful move. It is also equipped with night vision goggles to allow him to navigate when he darkens his current location with his Quirk.

Qᴜɪʀᴋ
Photomancy – Accumulation
Awakened

Haru’s Quirk allows him to absorb and store nearby photons to fuel his abilities. It has rather versatile applications; he can create orbs to illuminate dark places, emit powerful laser beams from his hands, blind enemies with flashbangs, and provide heating either through passive emission of warm “sunlight” or physical touch.

For the less intensive applications (warmth and lighting), the passive absorption of light throughout the day is more than enough. However, when firing beams or emitting blinding flashbangs, Haru will start consuming photons at an absurd rate, to the point that a 1 meter radius around him can become completely lightless whenever he uses a powerful move (and thus impossible to see in and out of without thermal goggles or a search type Quirk). As such, he has to keep changing positions in a fight to fully utilize his Quirk.

He will generally keep releasing absorbed photons over the course of a day, as storing too much at the same time can cause dangerous side effects such as nausea and fatigue. It's easy to tell when he has too much, too, as he'd quite literally be glowing by then.

When he's wounded, it would be apparent that his blood is glowing, at least when exposed to air.

Super Move: Supernova - Absorbs great amounts of light, dimming much of the surrounding area. This charged up energy is then released either as the mother of all laser beams blasting in a single direction, or a flashbang so bright you might as well have the sun right on your face. He becomes deathly tired after his move, however, and repeatedly using it is extremely risky.

Phi Mu Lambda: Friendly Wizarding Fraternity

<Snipped quote by The Man Emperor>

Harper Thane

"Actually, I just got lost, what the hell is this place?" Harper asked in her (natural) rather posh sounding Home Counties accent. She gave a well acted look of alarmed confusion,

@Dyelli Beybi

Seth Montes

When Seth heard that Harper was just lost (or so she said), he immediately tensed up, trying to remember one of those more obscure spells. Was there even a spell for... forgetting? His specialty was telepathy, so mind-related spells would come easier for him, would it not? Ah, this was a conundrum! Could someone actually wander into the pocket dimension? He was pretty new here, so he wasn't sure. His hand reached for his wand, preparing to cast something, just something-

before abruptly grinning, and pulling her wand out of her back pocket, in part so Seth could see it, but also so she could flop down on the couch, next to Helmut, without damaging it. Wands were expensive, "So, want to show us your party tricks?" she asked the pair with a roguish grin, "It seems fair since you've seen mine - getting alcohol."

"Best one gets to join me for a friendly match of beer pong."

"Ayyyyy, yawa, Seth grumbled as he saw Harper pull out her own wand. "Don't joke like that! I thought about erasing your memory for a second there! Though I don't actually know a spell like that... yet... I think..."

Munnin cawed. Seth immediately rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I can talk to animals," he added, since Harper asked what his 'tricks' were. Telepathy is my specialty. Though it is quite... uh, how do I put it... distressing to use it here, in this college. There are many things I don't want to know that I do know now."

Seth took one of the beers and popped it open. "To be clear... I told Munnin here to peck me if I took more than one."

Phi Mu Lambda: Friendly Wizarding Fraternity

Seth Montes

As reality shifted and warped around him, Seth blinked at the bright, strobing lights. New sights, new smells, strange new habits to lay witness to and gaze upon! That is what joining the fraternity (and sorority, for there were also girls here) entailed. He had, truth be told, never seen a disco ball before. He had only danced (freestyle) to disco music, for it was, as some others might say, 'a vibe.' Either way, as he strode into the pocket dimension, he would be in the tail end (hah, tail) of a heated argument with the crow sitting on his shoulder. It had only been answering in caws, as a crow should, but Seth appeared to be holding an actual conversation with it. In his native tongue, no less, so unless there were other telepaths here that locked into his surface thoughts at the time, no one could understand him well as he basically cursed out the animal with a word that was sourced from Spanish. Maybe the crow had been insulting him or his family?

It took him all of one second to change his mood from supremely furious and melodramatic to that of pleasantness. He had brought with him a small karaoke set, the kind that you could bring in a backpack. Before he would start setting it up for the impending wave of silliness that would take over the party as soon as the drinks began filtering into the magical bloodstreams of the magical people here, he would nearly bump unto a cart filled with beers pushed by no other than the girl named Harper. Seth knew her from the class list and the Facebook Messenger group for one of the subjects they were classmates in, but they otherwise had no contact. "Ah, sorry," Seth said as he narrowly stepped away, "Harper, was it? Of course you'd be here. You're also... magic."

He looked over to the crow, who had just cawed, and hissed. "Shut the hell up!"

Phi Mu Lambda: Friendly Wizarding Fraternity

Seth Montes

Character Description

Name: Seth Montes
Nationality: Philippines/US
Sex: Dude
Age: 19
Appearance:

Strengths and Weaknesses

Speciality: Telepathy
Any Unique Spell: Dominion - Seth can influence the minds of animals, to do what he wants. This spell also allows him to, as he claims, “know their every desire and thought.” He can establish a connection to one critter at a time, though he seems to prefer talking to an orange cat that he named Behemoth the Destroyer, and a crow that he granted the moniker of Munnin. It's been claimed by some other mages that the animals he talks to are slowly getting smarter whenever he uses the spell on them, but he has always said that such claims have no basis in reality.
Non-Magical Skills: Cooking, Microsoft Office, taking notes, the piano, and karaoke.
Misc. Weaknesses:

Background:

Major: Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM)
Backstory: Seth hails from a pretty well-to-do Filipino family that migrated to America just a few years ago. Everything he did for most of his life can be summed up in one word: okay. He did well in school and never got a C, but not too well to be considered truly exceptional in any way. He was always in his own head. He would still be pressured to succeed, though, so in tests, he would wish that he could read the minds of the smartest kids in class so that he could copy their answers. He wished and wished until that wish came through. Seth actually heard a classmate's thoughts for the first time… which were essentially in the vein of “this wasn't in the lessons.”

The Magic Inspectorate would come soon enough, appearing out of nowhere in Seth's room and making him scream till he fainted. Still, they ended up teaching him to harness his magic. They noticed that he was more predisposed to telepathy… and had a special ability to actually connect to animals’ minds. Quietly acknowledging the potential for espionage from this spell, Seth was tutored by the Inspectorate to enhance his telepathic abilities.

Soon came college, and his family decided to leave the Philippines to instead settle in America. He would be sent to Arizona State University, and joined Phi Mu Lambda, as seeing other magic folk had been a rare occurrence so far.

Still, he talks to a cat and crow, even argues with them. Most would find that weird.

Phi Mu Lambda: Friendly Wizarding Fraternity

Funni cat man

Character Description

Name: Seth Montes
Nationality: Philippines
Sex: Dude
Age: 19
Appearance:

Strengths and Weaknesses

Speciality: Telepathy
Any Unique Spell: Dominion - Seth can influence the minds of animals, to do what he wants. This spell also allows him to, as he claims, “know their every desire and thought.” He can establish a connection to one critter at a time, though he seems to prefer talking to an orange cat that he named Behemoth the Destroyer, and a crow that he granted the moniker of Munnin. It's been claimed by some other mages that the animals he talks to are slowly getting smarter whenever he uses the spell on them, but he has always said that such claims have no basis in reality.
Non-Magical Skills: Cooking, Microsoft Office, taking notes, the piano, and karaoke.
Misc. Weaknesses:

Background:

Major: Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM)
Backstory: Seth hails from a pretty well-to-do Filipino family that migrated to America just a few years ago. Everything he did for most of his life can be summed up in one word: okay. He did well in school and never got a C, but not too well to be considered truly exceptional in any way. He was always in his own head. He would still be pressured to succeed, though, so in tests, he would wish that he could read the minds of the smartest kids in class so that he could copy their answers. He wished and wished until that wish came through. Seth actually heard a classmate's thoughts for the first time… which were essentially in the vein of “this wasn't in the lessons.”

The Magic Inspectorate would come soon enough, appearing out of nowhere in Seth's room and making him scream till he fainted. Still, they ended up teaching him to harness his magic. They noticed that he was more predisposed to telepathy… and had a special ability to actually connect to animals’ minds. Quietly acknowledging the potential for espionage from this spell, Seth was tutored by the Inspectorate to enhance his telepathic abilities.

Soon came college, and his family decided to leave the Philippines to instead settle in America. He would be sent to Arizona State University, and joined Phi Mu Lambda, as seeing other magic folk had been a rare occurrence so far.

Still, he talks to a cat and crow, even argues with them. Most would find that weird.

Phi Mu Lambda: Friendly Wizarding Fraternity

Something something windgardium leviosa...

Marvel: Judgment Day

Zahariel Jackson

Krakoa

Zah, as his comrades often called him, dipped back into his home, located near the southern coast of the living island of Krakoa. The fact that the nation of mutants is also on an island whose ecosystem that acts as singular hivemind consciousness still hasn't escaped him. When he first came here through a portal, he remembered how Krakoa used to be a hostile entity. Alas, Krakoa allowing them to settle on its was perhaps due to the fact that the governments of the world fear mutants and those like them, and a living island certainly is in the list of entities that the ignorant and fearful baseline humans thought of as a threat.

And so, what they have here is a delicate symbiosis; Krakoa and the mutants defend one another.

Part of that defense is assessing and taking out threats, and as a member of X-Force, Zahariel had done exactly just that. Sometimes he only needed to ask nicely; sometimes, he had to gaslight them; and on a few occasions, he needed to resort to measures that he was, admittedly, not proud of. But it's not like the CIA and Dora Milaje doesn't do the same thing, don't they?

"You are home early," Grudge, his… well, talking cat, grumbled. "My food box has not been filled for six hours."

"You know you can tap the button to get yourself more, yeah?" Zah answered the talking cat. He wasn't sure why the cat even talked. Maybe it was his imagination? No, no, visitors already noted that the cat could talk. Maybe the cat was also mutated? Yeah, that's right.

"I want you to put it there," Grudge answered.

"... Why?"

"Because I want to."

Zah shook his head. Sighing, he took off his glasses and tapped the feeder, allowing it to disgorge more cat food. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," the cat answered, and began to gorge herself.

With that little incident done, Zah let himself out of the door, finding one of the few true friends he ever had, the empathic mutant Johannes Brahms, waiting at the railing.

"You called for me, Zah?" Johannes asked. "What is it?"

"The voices, they're… rather persistent," Zahariel confided. "They're annoying."

"Oh, much more than that, so it would seem," Johannes scoffed as his empathy went to work. "You're afraid, yes?"

Zah slowly nodded. "Admittedly, yeah," Zah replied, looking down towards the other buildings below. "I know that I pull power from another dimension, just like… a few others. Well, we both know that. But the voices seem to know my most personal… things. I'll have to take a break, first. I need to get this sorted."

"Excellent life choice," Johannes nodded in return. "Who are you going to?

"Someone who's familiar with things like parallel dimensions, especially seemingly malevolent ones," Zah replied. He thought for a moment, and then found his answer.

"Of course… the former Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange. He'd know everything about this, hopefully…"