Desmond opened his eyes and stared out in front of him. There was a wave of fire surrounding him as he came to his senses. When his eyes adjusted he could see that his entire body was encased in a realm of flowing green energy. Desmond's body began to move out of the explosion, unscathed, and move toward the coastline. He gaped in awe, seeing the smoke billowing from the remnants of the airplane that smoldered in the water below.

     "Whoa..." he said, his body was moving closer to the city. As he neared the land he could see a woman with brown hair, and her eyes closed, concentrating with intensity.

     It was Olivia.

     A feeling of immense joy, elation, and relief filled Desmond at the sight of his old friend. Desmond was placed gently on the ground and he simply stared in astonishment at her.

     Olivia held up her hand, "Sorry I wasn't able to help you out at the hangar..."

     But Desmond didn't let her finish. He embraced her before she could speak any more. Desmond held her body, caressing it and not wanting to let go. At that moment, at that specific time, he had never felt more complete. It was then that he realized: he needed Olivia.

     "I've been in an intense debriefing the last several days," Olivia stammered as she, too, was overcome with some emotion. "Everything was cut short, though, when news of a Black Dragon operation being discovered was heard..." Olivia looked out across the water. "There was also a police report of a samurai vigilante."

      "I...uh...," Desmond started, while he shook his head. "Yeah, that was...uh, me. But how did you know I was on the plane?"

     "We heard your broadcast," Olivia answered, looking into his eyes. "But you weren't able to hear us because you weren't on the right frequency. That's when I was dispatched out here."

     "Who dispatched you?" asked Desmond.

     "C.I.N.A.," answered Olivia. "But that's not important."

     Desmond opened his mouth and began to say something, but stopped.

     "The Shadow escaped," Olivia flatly stated. "His goons are being taken in but he himself is not in custody."

      "So he's still out there?" asked Desmond. "He can create more bombs?"

     Olivia averted his gaze. 

     Desmond sighed, "Then it isn't over."

      A small group of people had begun to form around the two as they talked. Looks of disbelief creased their faces upon seeing Desmond Pierce with Olivia.

     "Is that Desmond Pierce?" someone asked, raising their iPhone to take a picture.

     "It's never going to be over," said Olivia, braking away and gesturing for him to follow her. "Come with me though."

     "You know..." Desmond stopped in his tracks. "How about...we get a drink?"

     Olivia seemed a little flabbergasted, "What are..."

     Desmond chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. Moments prior he had just escaped death by plane, but now he was asking a girl out.

     Desmond smiled, standing in front of her, "A drink. You know, what people do when they want to get to know each other better..."

     Olivia gave him a fond look, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "I'd like that."

     He smiled back, looking at her face, "I would say that we've...done enough for today."

     Desmond took her hand, knowing that it might be a little awkward. But, strangely, it all seemed right. They walked away from the crowd of people, away from the smoldering wreckage of the plane, and even the threat of the Shadow. For the moment, everything was safe...even though the Shadow was gone. It was time to take a little break from it all.

     But Desmond knew that, next time, he would be able to face the murderer without batting an eye. He was free from his burden and Desmond knew that his dad would have been proud. Even if it was for a little while, they were free.

     He and Olivia were free.

**

One week later...

     News about Desmond being a vigilante had gone viral all over the globe. The planet was stunned as a once-selfish billionaire turned around to aid in stopping the Black Dragon. There was also a universal note of disbelief that he was a vigilante. Memes flooded the internet, podcasts eagerly discussed the issue, and every joke that could've been made was made. 

     Meanwhile, the hunt for the Shadow remained fruitless; it was as if he'd disappeared off the face of the Earth. Nevertheless, Desmond ignored the increased paparazzi, and the ever-looming threat of the Shadow, as he went to his penthouse suite for a final time. It would be the last time he would be able to be in it before it was torn down. 

     He stood, overlooking the city, a changed man. His ordeal at the temple, the struggle with the Shadow, and his confrontation of his troubled past had combined to form a life-changing experience. Desmond Pierce was no longer what he had been, the only question was what he was going to be.

     "During the extraction of many of the Black Dragon operatives," the Chief of Police had said during a public meeting, "we were accompanied...by a hooded vigilante. This vigilante revealed himself to be Desmond Pierce; CEO of Pierce Enterprises..."

     The whole room had gone into an uproar and Desmond was surrounded by the paparazzi since then. The whole world became suddenly divided on its stance with him. Some were with him, while others were even more against him than before. The United States Government was even scrambling to have Desmond taken into custody.

     He could have denied it all, but he didn't. His name was Desmond Pierce, and being the vigilante was who he was. It was his duty to protect the world, even if it meant going in a different direction than anyone had ever gone before. If donning the hood and swords was the only way he could protect people then it was a sacrifice he was going to have to make. 

     "Put him in jail!" 

     "Lock him up!"

     "He's a monster!"

     People screamed at him from the streets like he was an animal. Everyone wanted a piece of him to shred. At least he had Olivia; someone he could talk to despite the fact that C.I.N.A. kept taking her away to constantly brief her.  

     The wind whipped at his face, stinging a little because it was getting colder. Desmond put his hands in his pockets and sighed. He knew he would never be able to rest until the Shadow was caught. But Desmond now had something to fight for: bringing justice to the Black Dragon. He also had someone to fight for, that being Olivia. Going through the same experience had brought the two closer, but where that would lead was a mystery. One thing was for certain though: Desmond was going to protect her at all costs and not lose her the same way he had lost his parents. 

     Desmond Pierce took a deep breath and stared out into the world he knew he would have to face. Like the Shadow said, the world was changing. Desmond was going to need to try and deal with the repercussions of his actions, and he reflected on the predicament as he turned away from the miraculous view a final time. But whatever came his way he was sure he would be able to handle it. 

     Because he was Midnight.

     But, in the back of his mind, Sensei's words echoed:

     "Know that fear can be forgotten, but it can never be destroyed..."

     Like a ghost, the old Desmond Pierce would forever haunt his soul. 

**

     At the base of the tower, shrouded in darkness and only softly illuminated by the moonlight, stood a peculiar man. He was dressed in a black suit, had a black tie, and a matching black fedora sat upon his head. The man was silent, looking up at the skyscraper towards Desmond Pierce. For several moments he stood there, contemplating a small dilemma. 

     Then he turned, vanishing into the night. 

Epilogue:

     Thousands of miles away, on another continent across oceans, a wall began to crack and give way. The crack spewed a dim light into the darkness, the first light the interior had seen in thousands of years. There were urgent cries of excitement as the dust began to clear and strange men dressed in expeditionary gear entered.

     "How far did we clear?" a worker asked, wiping sweat from his forehead; in his other hand he held a battered shovel.

     The leader of the expedition stepped forward, "Get your flashlights out! Be very careful in there..."

     An eerie silence ensued, several workers fumbling on their utility belts and drawing out beams of light that pierced the darkness. Eagerly, the beams searched the interior of what they had assumed had been an old temple. The temple was thousands of years old and built by an ancient civilization that had long since disintegrated into the winds of history. The leader of the expedition, a bearded man of forty, cautiously stepped into the cavernous interior of the ancient temple.

     The ceiling of the temple was like a dome, and it stretched hundreds of feet up into the blackness. Painted on the walls were curious depictions of people and animals working while the gods they worshiped stood high above. There were gods painted in bright colors that looked as if they were benefactors to humanity, but there were others that were more sinister looking and were situated below.

     "Whoa," a worker whispered, his flashlight beam falling upon a rather secluded painting.

     It was tall and black, with a hood stretching over its towering figure. The people around the image seemed to be screaming and crying...or dropping dead. Its face resembled a skull and its arms were stretched outward.

     "El Diablo..." a worker whispered to herself. 

     "Everyone watch your step and make your way into the center of the dome," the leader instructed, carefully stepping around large pieces of stone. "And whatever you do, don't touch anything."

     "Sir?" a worker asked, nodding forward. "I see something."

     The team moved further into the temple. In the center there was an elevated pedestal with a strange object on it. As soon as a beam of light touched its surface the artifact began to pulsate and glow. It was an orb, about the size of a large grapefruit, with a cascading array of colors erupting within it. The exterior had a glass-like pigmentation, shielding the outside world from the swirling rainbow of colors within. Everything about the artifact was perfect, but it also seemed...alien.

     "That's the artifact?" a worker asked before he moved forward with his hand outstretched.

     "No!" the leader exclaimed, pulling his worker back. "Don't touch it! It was never meant for the hands of mortal men!"

     "Then how are we going to transport it?" another worker asked.

     "Get the crane," the leader instructed. "We're going to pull this thing out of here, and then we're going to show it to the world."

     "For thousands of years, the artifact was thought to be a myth," an astonished worker whispered, falling to his knees. "Now it's right before us..."

     While the workers bustled around the artifact, the orb seemed to brighten in the darkness and the shadows shifted around it as it was removed from its resting place.

To Be Continued...