Genuine Resolve

Klaus stood in utter shock as he saw Karma's true face. He never expected that a fellow member of Wallpaper, especially the leader, would also be a demigod.

The realization hit Klaus like a ton of bricks. He couldn't believe he hadn't recognized Karma's voice and body structure earlier. The brown hair and green eyes now seemed so obvious. But the idea that a demigod could also be his graffiti group leader was so far-fetched that he had subconsciously dismissed any possibility of it.

"How?" Klaus said softly, staring at Karma, who was revealed to be Tyler Justice.

"I could say the same about you," Tyler responded with a smile.

The two looked at each other in astonishment, realizing they had met before their departure to Higher World. For a few seconds, Klaus couldn't believe it was real until he was finally certain.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Avalon, formerly known as Aura, asked, looking between Klaus and Tyler.

Klaus and Tyler turned to Avalon, then back to each other, before Tyler laughed and decided to explain.

"Yeah, we met a few times when I was out of town," Tyler explained.

"And what is this Higher World you mentioned earlier?" Cody, formerly Ghost, asked, suspicion in his voice.

Tyler glanced at Klaus before continuing with his explanation. "It's just a nickname for the place where my family stayed. I met Klaus there a few times."

Cody didn't seem entirely convinced, but for some reason, he felt that Karma was telling the truth.

After what seemed like a roller coaster of emotions, Wallpaper had finally revealed themselves to each other. Klaus chatted with the rest of the team for a while until Tyler eventually decided to call the meeting to a close.

As Klaus was heading home, he heard a voice behind him attempting to grab his attention.

"Hey, NightSh... I mean Klaus."

Klaus turned to find Avalon hesitantly trying to grab his attention. He stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. Seeing this, she took a deep breath and pressed on.

"Oh, um... I know you're a busy guy, and you don't have to say yes if you don't want to, but I feel like I still need to thank you for what you did a month ago. You know, saving me from that car."

"It's fine, you're not obliged to do anything you don't want to," Klaus replied, turning to continue on his path home.

After a few seconds of silence, Avalon decided to persist. She hurriedly rushed after him.

"Actually, I want to. It's not out of guilt; it's my own choice."

Klaus stopped and turned to face her once more.

"What exactly?" he asked.

Avalon took another deep breath before she finally spoke.

"W-Would you mind if, uh, we went out to dinner sometime?"

Klaus's expression instantly shifted to one of utter confusion.

"Huh," he asked, turning to face Avalon. Her words caught him off guard, understandable given the circumstances.

"Yeah, not like a date or anything. I-I mean, that'd just be weird, right? Considering we technically just met... haha. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is... I couldn't do this before since we hadn't revealed our identities yet, but now that the opportunity is here, I want to repay you for what you did, if you let me."

Klaus genuinely didn't feel like accepting her offer. It felt like unnecessary stress, so he decided to decline.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass. But thanks for the offer," Klaus responded as he continued walking.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun," Avalon persisted. "We can do it Saturday night."

"Today's Saturday," Klaus commented.

"Oh, well, it can be next week. If you're not busy then," Avalon continued.

It was evident that Avalon was not going to let Klaus get out of this without trying everything she could. Even though Klaus wasn't planning to do anything at that time, he didn't feel like going out to dinner. But as he stared directly into Avalon's eyes, witnessing her soft expression as she awaited his response, he knew there was no way he was going to say no.

"Fine," Klaus finally responded after a deep sigh.

A big smile filled Avalon's face as she swung her fists in joy.

"Nice, I'll text you the details and everything before then," she said before waving Klaus goodbye and heading home.

Klaus couldn't shake the feeling that his decision might not have been the wisest, but strangely, it didn't bother him as much as it usually would have. With that thought lingering, he made his way back home.

Upon reaching his house, Klaus found Shade seated on the front porch, head bowed. As Klaus approached, Shade looked up, a smile spreading across his face.

"Finally, you're back," Shade greeted, rising to meet Klaus.

"Yeah," Klaus replied, settling onto the stairs beside his brother, who joined him.

CONVERSATION

Shade: Lemme guess, Wallpaper meeting?

Klaus: More or less.

Shade: Cool, so any issues, new art, or what?

Klaus: Not exactly, Karma just wanted us to reveal our identities to each other.

Shade: Oh wow. Honestly, I'm more surprised that it took this long, to be honest.

Klaus: And it turns out Karma was actually Tyler.

Shade's expression turned to that of surprise before he responded.

Shade: Wait, Tyler Justice? The demigod?

Klaus: Yeah.

Shade: Wow. Small world, am I right?

Klaus: I guess.

Shade: I figured you'd say that.

After Shade's playful giggle, Klaus found himself smiling in response. But as Shade's gaze drifted skyward, his cheerful demeanor slowly ebbed away.

"What's on your mind, Shade?" Klaus inquired, noticing his brother's unusual mood.

Shade kept his eyes fixed on the heavens as he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"I was actually waiting for you to come back, so I could say goodbye."

Klaus's heart skipped a beat at the unexpected revelation, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"What?" he exclaimed.

Shade's smile returned as he turned to face Klaus directly.

"Relax, brother. It's only for a month. But it's good to see that you do care," Shade reassured him.

Though Klaus felt a wave of relief wash over him, confusion still lingered in his mind.

"Don't make jokes like that. But seriously, why are you leaving?" Klaus pressed for an explanation.

Shade rose from his seat, his expression turning serious, a rare sight for Klaus.

"You watched the final battle between our team and Ash, didn't you? It was clear to everyone the class difference between Lance, Drake, and I," Shade began, his tone heavy with self-reflection. "I was weak, easily outclassed, and couldn't even keep up with any of them. That feeling of total worthlessness, it hurt, you know."

A heavy silence hung in the air, punctuated only by the soft rustle of leaves.

"I know what you mean," Klaus finally confessed, breaking the stillness. "I felt the same way when I fought against X. The pain of being clearly inferior to your opponent. I kept getting up, hoping to finally do something significant, but all I did was just delay my defeat by a few seconds."

At that moment, Klaus felt a profound empathy for Shade, realizing the depth of his brother's struggle. The pain he felt in his own battles paled in comparison to Shade's, leaving Klaus with a better understanding of his brother's agitation.

"So, what exactly are your plans?" Klaus inquired after a contemplative pause.

"Well, I spoke with VI, and he provided me with coordinates to a place where I can refine and master my abilities," Shade elaborated, outlining his intentions.

"So, you're planning to head there and spend a month honing your skills," Klaus summarized.

"Look, I know it might seem impulsive, but you don't need to worry about me," Shade reassured him.

"It's okay. I support your decision," Klaus affirmed, surprising Shade with his immediate support.

Shade hadn't anticipated Klaus's swift understanding, but he was grateful for his brother's endorsement of his pursuit for strength.

"Thank you," Shade acknowledged. "And don't worry about Mom; I caught up with her at work and managed to sway her opinion, albeit just barely."

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, brother," Shade remarked after a while of silence before extending his hand for a handshake.

Instead of a handshake, Klaus got up and embraced his brother, taking a moment before responding with a simple, "I guess."

After a brief interlude, Shade bid farewell and embarked on his journey.

As Klaus entered the house and settled on the sofa, he noticed the sun setting, indicating that it was already evening. With the television playing softly in the background, Klaus lay in silence until an interruption from the local media news team caught his attention.

"We interrupt this program to provide some tragic news regarding the vice president of the European Parliament's passing. According to the available information, the vice president was assassinated, having been shot directly between the eyes. At present, there are no leads or suspicious persons within a ten-mile radius. However, there is speculation that the masked vigilante widely known as X may have been respo...."

Immediately, the television was cut short by Klaus who turned it off, preferring silence over the name that was being mentioned. His mother had just arrived from work so he decided to stay with her for a while until she was ready to head to bed as it got dark.

As Klaus lay on his bed, he stared at the ceiling like he always did before drifting into thought. He felt like there was something he was supposed to do that he was ignoring, but he decided to drop any thoughts about the Gods and demigods in the meantime.

Abruptly, the melody of his ringtone pierced the silence of the room. Initially reluctant to interrupt his reverie, Klaus hesitated, assuming it was likely Rose attempting to engage him in some trivial matter. However, as the persistent chiming persisted, curiosity got the better of him, compelling him to investigate the caller's identity.

Klaus' phone suddenly appeared from the top of his desk to the palm of his left hand, indicating the use of his Burst Speed. He checked the name of the caller, only to realize that it was an unknown number. Klaus was even more hesitant in answering the phone, so he decided to dismiss it and drop the phone at the side of his nightstand. But as the number kept calling, he became fed up and decided to answer.

"Hello?" Klaus asked in frustration.

"Ah, finally! You picked up," the voice on the other side of the line responded.

Judging by the extremely unique style of speech, as well as the tone, Klaus could almost instantly identify the person even though it was through the phone.

"How the hell did you get my number," Klaus asked.

"Really? You're asking ME that question?" Link responded as Klaus let off a sigh after hearing his response.

"What do you want, Link?" Klaus asked, trying not to waste any time understanding why Link kept calling him.

"Well..." Link continued in a cheeky tone. "I got bored, so I decided to check out the closest demigod around my area based on satellite maps. And it turned out that you were the closest person, so I decided to give you a call."

"A call for what exactly?" Klaus asked.

"You're not making this any easier for me, y'know." Link continued as his tone of voice seemed to sound a bit higher.

Link then took a second before he finally explained why he was calling.

"From the explanation I'd already given, I'm sure you've already pieced out what I wanted to say, but yeah, I decided to call so we could hang out."Link said.

"Link, it's 9:30 pm. I'm sure most would agree that this isn't the right time for hanging out." Klaus responded with a slight sign of exhaustion in his voice.

"Not now obviously," Link then cut in and said. "I meant tomorrow. And I checked your schedule and it doesn't seem like you'll be busy."

"Ever heard this concept called privacy?" Klaus then asked Link in response to his statement.

"Don't blame me, man. Hacking a phone for me is just like blinking. Also, you're not making it any harder with your accounts having the same password."

"Are you kidding me?" Klaus chanted in frustration to Link.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. So you still down to hang out tomorrow?"

And as Link asked the question, Klaus dropped the phone. Link called one more time, but Klaus decided to turn his phone off, dropping it back on his nightstand immediately after. But in less than a minute, the phone somehow proceeded to power back on and ring once more.

This made Klaus extremely frustrated as he instantly rushed downstairs, dropping his phone in between the sofa cushion in the living room and returning, all in under a second. He knew, based on what had just happened, that just putting his phone on mute would not be enough to prevent Link from calling so he was sure that this was his best option.

Klaus lay in silence for a few more seconds until suddenly, a digitalized sound queued from his window. Immediately, what seemed to be a small drone swooped into Klaus' room as if flew and landed on his desk.

"Oh my Gods," Klaus whispered to himself as the top of the drone flew open, displaying what seemed to be a hologram of Link above it.

"Hey, what's up?" the hologram of Link said to Klaus.

"Are you serious right now?" Klaus responded in annoyance.

"Look..." Link started. "I know how you are. And I know you won't accept my offer unless I pester you."

"You're not making my decision any easier, you know that, right?" Klaus said to Link's hologram.

"Yeah, but I'm making you have one at least," Link replied.

Klaus knew that he definitely wouldn't have agreed if Link had simply just asked, and he was also aware that Link would continue to pester him if he declined the offer.

"*sighs* Fine, alright," Klaus finally responded. "Seems like I just keep getting forced to do stuff today," he whispered to himself.

"Yes," Link cheered out. "You can come by tomorrow morning and we'll hang out. I'll leave the drone here so tomorrow it'll guide you to my address."

"Alright, now can I please have some sleep," Klaus then stated.

"Right, see ya," Link responded.

After Link's response, the hologram turned off and the dome of the drone closed. The drone also seemed to power down as it remained on Klaus' desk. And finally, after what seemed to be too long for comfort, Klaus managed to get some sleep.