Understanding

...

Meanwhile, at another part of New York, Someone had discovered the news of the arrest of Silas Crane.

Felicia Hardy stood on the edge of the balcony, her smooth, white hair flowing and swaying from the wind, the cool night air brushing against her face.

New York was quite beautiful at nighttime, with thousands of colorful lights dotting the scenery, however, her expression was blank and cold like the wind, not in the mood to take in the view in the slightest. She had other things she was concerned about.

She stepped back inside her lavish penthouse — once her parents', now hers alone. The space was far too large for someone her age, but Felicia had grown used to the hollow feeling it gave her. After her father's death, followed shortly by her mother's tragic accident, the luxury estate, the Hardy fortune, and everything that came with it was hers.

But it wasn't the wealth she wanted.

She didn't care about the penthouse, the wealth, or the large inheritance that came with her family name. All Felicia cared about was finding the people responsible for her father and mother's death and making them pay.

She'd been training for two years to do exactly that. Walter Hardy, once the world's most notorious thief, had raised her from a young age to be sharp, agile, and always one step ahead of everyone else. She just never thought she'd need those skills for something other than stealing and heists.

After her parents died when she was 14, alongside her thief skills, she began learning how to fight and 'hunt'. She harboured a deep grudge, one that will only fade after the death of the perpetrator who killed her parents.

Her father used to have worked for Tombstone. He had always kept his hands clean, even when running high-stake missions, not ever considering harming someone innocent during his missions. But the world he operated in wasn't so kind. Tombstone, one of the biggest names in the criminal underworld, had taken everything from her.

Her parents, her childhood... her very world had shattered that day.

The news about Silas's arrest earlier had spread quickly. Silas wasn't just another regular thug, he was a key piece in Tombstone's plan.

After all, Silas was a person she had even stolen sensitive information from to find a way to deal with Tombstone.

And then there were other rumors. A new vigilante emerging in the city. Although the police tried to hide it, she suspected he was the reason Silas got captured.

She moved through the penthouse, her bare feet silent against the cold marble floor. The sounds of her footsteps were non-existent, as if she was was a ghost, showing her proficient skills in stealth.

There were paintings she had stolen on the walls and even beautiful gemstones at some parts of the building. These had brought her great joy when she had successfully stolen them in the past — the thrill of the heist and the satisfaction of achieving the impossible.

But now, she didn't feel much. It's not like they could be traded for her parents' life...

Throughout her life, she thought money could buy everything, but she eventually learnt that it was simply false.

This was the harsh reality that had weighed on her mind for 2 years now.

"A vigilante, huh?" She muttered. 'This person is someone that only targets criminals, so his disposition is likely upright, helping those in need...'

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but remember when she got saved by that boy, as she curled her lips slightly.

This vigilante had piqued her interests.

Felicia slipped her mask over her face. As a thief, she had already garnered a reputation. Many knew her as Black Cat.

'If this new vigilante is targeting all the criminals in New York, he was either brave or foolish. Although the police tried to take all the credit and hide the involvement of the vigilante, blowing up an entire warehouse just wasn't something the police would do...' This was how she came to the conclusion that someone else played a key role in the capture of Silas Crane.

He had men guarding that place at all times, fully armed and trained, yet they had all been captured...

It took her weeks of planning before she managed to steal those documents from right under their nose so she knew how difficult it would've been.

'This vigilante... is undeniably quite good at what he does, even good enough to take down Silas. Maybe he could help me...' She contemplated.

...

Some time had passed.

A figure shrouded in darkness walked slowly toward his home.

After retracting his symbiote, Sol stood in front of his apartment, his body tired and his mind heavy. As he reached for the door, he hesitated for a moment before opening it, already prepared for what's about to come.

As Sol stepped inside, the familiar warmth of home enveloped him. He closed the door quietly behind him and glanced toward the kitchen, where his mother sat at the table, arms crossed, a look of deep concern etched on her face.

"Hey, Mom," he said, forcing a casual tone as he kicked off his shoes. "Sorry I'm late. Got caught up with some stuff."

His mother didn't respond immediately. Her piercing gaze remained fixed on him.

Sol tried to ignore his mom's sharp gaze as he moved toward the kitchen, trying to maintain his calm and 'natural' facade.

"Caught up with that 'friend' of yours?" she said, her voice tinged with worry. "You've never been this late before. What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Just some last-minute plans, that's all."

"Last-minute plans?" She raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting from concern to suspicion. "You didn't answer any of my calls. Eight times, Sol. This isn't like you."

Sol rubbed his nose, feeling a sense of guilt from lying to his mother. But it wasn't like he could just tell her he was out fighting criminals and that he was a vigilante with alien super powers.

"Yeah, my phone ran out of battery. Sorry about that. I only recently charged it at a friend's place." Sol replied, already coming up with an excuse.

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time," she said, her tone sharper, believing what he said but still not happy about how late he was. "You've been acting differently since this morning. If something's going on, I need to know."

Sol's eyes slightly constricted from surprise. She already saw through him!

He felt his heart race, and for a moment, the facade he was wearing crumbled slightly. Mothers had a really good intuition when it comes to their children, which was really scary.

But how could he explain the chaos he'd just experienced... and the danger?

"It's really not a big deal," he insisted, though his voice felt a little unbelievable.

"Not a big deal?" she challenged, her voice rising slightly. "You're coming home hours late without a word. It's a big deal to me, Sol. You're hiding something."

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He felt trapped between his desire to protect her and the burden of his secret life. Instead, he remained silent.

The silence stretched painfully long as Sol thought of various excuses, but he felt like none of them would work.

Seeing her son have such a complicated look and was in inner turmoil, her expression softened.

She sighed softly, feeling she may be overreacting. Kids his age probably did these kinds of things. She just didn't think it would be today.

She knew her son was an extremely smart and talented person. Growing up, she felt so lucky that she raised a child like him. She thought it would be difficult like how all her friends had described — saying how raising a child was a nightmare and that they can sometimes be like little devils.

But such a situation never happened to her. Sol had been a good kid throughout all her life, so she just felt something bad had happened for him to be acting like this.

After feeling the silence suffocating him for too long, Sol tried to reassure her, "Mom... I'm sorry... but pleas–"

However, before he could finish speaking, to Sol's surprise, his mom suddenly stepped forward, closing the gap between them as she wrapped her arms around him.

Sol stiffened at first, caught off guard by the sudden embrace. But then, he relaxed.

"If you can't tell me right now, it's okay," she whispered, her voice gentle and full of love. "I don't know what's going on, but I trust you, Sol."

She continued, "So... you don't need to come up with excuses. You're a good kid. If it's too much, if you're not ready… I'll wait. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here."

His mother's embrace was soft, comforting, like a promise that everything would be okay. Sol felt his emotions stir. Smiling slightly, he spoke in a low voice, "Alright Mom... I promise... I'll tell you eventually. Everything."

He couldn't tell her yet, but her trust in him gave him a sense of warmth.

She pulled back slightly, just enough to meet his eyes. Her hand reached up, pinching his cheek gently.

"Just promise me," she said with a small smile, "whatever it is... you'll be careful."

Sol nodded. "I'll be careful..."

They stood there for a while longer. No more questions. No more anger. Just the understanding that when the time came, she was there if Sol needed her.

After having their heart to heart, Sol went to his room, feeling grateful for how understanding his mother was.

After recollecting himself, Sol then decided to check his system. He had remembered the notification when he defeated Silas Crane.