The crowd was silent for a moment before cheers erupted for a large portion of the crowd while others murmured to one another. Rachel lay motionless and unconscious. The match was over. Tabitha had won. She stood over Rachel’s prone body while she held her broken leg. The medic team rushed over to check on her first before moving to see Tabitha who had sat down on the arena floor. Her broken leg was at an odd angle. They checked to see how bad Rachel’s head injuries were and began performing healing. With a touch of their hands, Tabitha’s leg snapped back into place after a few seconds. I was unsure of how Rachel’s injuries fared because they were mostly internal. The referee stepped up to the arena and began speaking to the crowd as the two fighters were given emergency treatment.

“Wow, what an amazing fight. I think that was one of our bloodiest ones this year. I first want to thank Tabitha and Rachel Jace for their amazing performances as well as everyone who came out to watch and support them. Please give them a round of applause,” he said as he worked to entertain the crowd while everyone waited.

The audience cheered some more while I clapped softly. I wasn’t sure how to feel. I had only known Rachel for a few days, and she had been nice, but she was no longer Legacy. I would likely lose some revenue from this, and Tabitha would likely stick with her supplier. At the same time, I felt this battle was set on her birthday. It was supposed to be a time for celebration. Instead, it was a day of loss and failure. I wasn’t sure what Rachel would do next, but I knew I should be there for her. It was probably what my old self would have done.

Medics woke Rachel up after confirming that her head injury wasn’t life-threatening. Next, they helped both her and Tabitha up. Tears rolled down Rachel’s face, but she did not make any sounds other than a few pained whines from her injuries. Tabitha was smiling and waving not concerned that her leg was mangled. For her, it was probably the best day of her life. Recently 18 she had just won the title of Legacy, one of the dynasty heroes. Her name would go down in the history books regardless of how long she held the title. Medic moved around the two of them trying not to disturb the ongoing event and the announcer’s spiel. As the two were healed they were given water to drink and some food to wash down as the healing took its toll.

“Now would Tabitha please take the crown.”

In this case, it was Rachel’s mask but very much symbolized a crown. The black and yellow mask was now heavily scuffed from the fight and was stained with blood. One of the cheek guard sides was bent and almost falling off after the punishment Tabitha wrought it. Tabitha took her own helmet off and it dropped to the ground. It was also heavily chipped and broken. Rachel’s repeated swings at her face had made the visor crack and other parts lose. Tabitha turned and put her weight on one foot and winced as she hopped to Rachel. Rachel lowered her head slightly and Tabitha took the mask off her head. She didn’t put it on as it wouldn’t have fit properly. Instead, she raised it above her head with her arms in the air, a big grin on her face. The crowd cheered some more. Her parents on the front row seemed to cheer the loudest and overpower all other noises in the arena.

I looked over towards Todd Jace. He was sitting almost opposite me in the front row. He held a scowl on his face but clapped regardless. He could not go against tradition no matter how he felt about the metaphorical crown being lost. Rachel’s mother just sat there not looking disappointed or happy. She did not choose to clap with everyone else.

“Congratulations. As per regulation from this day till six months hence Tabitha Jace will hold the title of Legacy after which the grace period will end, and qualified challengers may take her on. Rachel Jace. From this day onward you will no longer hold the title of Legacy, nor will you be able to challenge the current or future Legacy for the title. I and everyone else thanks you for your time as the bearer of Legacy. From this day onward there will be a new dawn for the hero Legacy. I and many others wish you the best of luck and strength as you Tabitha Jace take on the mantle of Legacy.”

Rachel’s tears had stopped crying and held her head high as the last words were spoken. She looked over to her parents, to me, and to others in the crowd. She wiped away her tears mixed with blood. Her eyes were now red, bloodshot, and puffy.

“Now Rachel if you would like to share some final words with the crowd you may,” said the referee. He handed her his microphone, and she took it unsteadily in her injured hand. The medics stepped away from her as she was given the floor to speak. She looked again at her parents and then around to the watching eyes of the crowd surrounding her.

“I. I stood here years ago in the place where Tabitha now stands. For several years of my life, I have fought as Legacy. As the best hero, I could be and as a symbol of my family’s legacy. Now our Legacy,” she said as she turned to Tabitha briefly. “I have worked as hard as I thought I could and then pushed past to do more. I have enjoyed every moment of being this icon and near indestructible force. But my time is up and Tabitha, you must take on the mantle, as I can’t hold it any longer. May I give you some words of advice from my own experience as Legacy and my immediate predecessor? First is that I hope you enjoy every moment of your time in the Legacy costume. It is yours now and you have earned it. You won’t be allowed to wear the colors afterward. The second is don’t be too arrogant during your first six months as Legacy. There will be at least one of our cousins or siblings that wants to take the crown from you. I wish you a long reign as Legacy. Third, represent who you, me, and everyone else has seen Legacy do and be. They are big shoes to fill, and they won’t get much easier. Finally, fuck you for doing this today of all days. You just had to force it to be today. Not…”

The medics stepped up and began taking the microphone from her. She wrestled with it briefly before it was taken by the referee.

“Well, those were some nice sentiments and somewhat expected words from Rachel as the time for transition can be a hard one,” said the referee as he reigned in the crowd. “I’m just glad I didn’t get a black eye this time,” he said laughing a little. Some of the audience members laughed as well knowing the origin of his joke and a previous black eye.

“As the current Legacy, it is now your turn and you may share some brief words with the crowd before the medics help clean you up,” the referee said to Tabitha.

A medics nearby had already pulled Rachel away and off the stage as it became Tabitha’s turn to speak. Rachel had resumed some of her crying off to the side but few paid attention to her as the referee passed the microphone to Tabitha.

“First off I want to thank my parents and my brother especially for pushing me to be the strongest I could be. I would not have made it this far without you. If you had not helped me push myself mentally and physically and train to win then I would never have beaten this record and become the youngest mantle holder for the Legacy name. My good cousin Rachel has been a great Legacy, but it is now my turn to use the title. I wish her well and that she does not get discouraged by this loss. Rachel has been amazing, and I used to watch her early fights as a child. Now it is her turn to sit down in front of the TV and watch me fight those who try to face me. Now that I have this title I will still continue to improve my skill and surpass those who wish to fight me for as long as I am able. I am already familiar with the responsibility that this title requires. I will take on these challenges with open arms and beat every single one of them. I hope to meet you all again soon in a grey and yellow suit. Thank you all for being here tonight may the strength of the dynasty reign forever.”

The crowd softly clapped this time as Legacy was escorted off the stage and given a hand to walk with to the medics. People in the stands had already started exiting and heading to the street. I looked back to the backyard and to Tabitha who was on one corner of the arena speaking with some people as she was healed. Rachel had already left the arena stage and I wasn’t sure where she left. Her father walked across the arena and left towards the exit quickly. People around me continued to chat about the battle and discuss the highlights. It was times like this that I wished I had superhuman abilities. I suspected many of the audience members had seen the battle much easier than I had. With a few exceptions like the final bout, the fight had been a blur of motion. All of the kicks and jabs had gone past me because I could barely perceive it.

‘I guess I should go see if I can find my sponsor. I don’t think he is the type of person I should keep waiting around. He seemed quite angry I had canceled school and other extra-curricular plans.’

I followed the crowd down the steps but turned left instead of right as I exited and headed back towards the ramp. I saw him waiting and I recognized who he was from a glance despite never meeting or seeing a picture of him before. John Malone wore a light gray suit and colorful tie that looked brand new. Compared to my more casual party attire I had come in rags. He turned to face me as I approached. He had black hair and a short beard speckled with grey. His eyes stared down at me and into my soul.

“I am surprised the first time I hear from you; you decide to quit classes and go party,” he said firmly.

“Rachel requested I show up to at least one of her birthday parties and this one happened to coincide with the fight,” I said reciting what I had heard from her. “And I am mostly glad I came. The transfer of a mantle isn’t often so I am glad I could see this one. Even if I didn’t like the outcome.”

“Where did you go? I could not contact you for a few days. You promised that you would stay in contact.”

‘So, he knew that I disappeared from the warehouse for a few days. What was I doing? How much does he know?’

“I was busy taking care of something that came up. I didn’t expect to be out of contact for so long. In the future I will try to let you know,” I said vaguely.

“What did you do? What happened? Have you thought about my offer?” he asked more insistent.

“Nothing important just some personal stuff. I thought you wanted to hear about my school,” I said sidestepping the question. I didn’t have a good answer for it because I was still investigating, and I didn’t want him doing his own investigation verifying my claims to be false. I would rather stick with being vague.

“As for why I submitted my cancellation for my classes I wanted to take a break from school to focus on projects related to my work. Again, I should have kept you in the loop, but I was busy with other things until Thursday. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Maybe you can remind me of this offer.” I asked sensing his disapproval. I would rather get this topic done as soon as possible. I didn’t want to go to school and if he could see that I was trying to drop classes then he could probably see how badly I would end up failing them.

“I may reconsider pulling you from school if you can prove that you no longer need to waste your time in the classes. It is technically more profitable now for me to have you focus solely on manufacturing. I will also require you to make a few things for me than usual, not in the database. I don’t have any right now but will have something soon for you to build. You will have two weeks to prepare it for me. I will provide all of the materials necessary to make it. I can also get you that assistant in a month. Do you agree?” he asked. From his tone, I knew I had no right to refuse, and things would be worse if I did so.

“I will make whatever you send over as long as it is only a once-a-month thing,” I said back trying to compromise. “I need to make time for our customers and personal projects as well. As for an assistant I don’t need one immediately but will let you know if that changes. If that can happen I can make this work,” I said bluffing. I didn’t need any assistant watching me right now that could spot that I am a fraud while I am working.

“Good I will accept your modified terms. If you need any specialized parts let me know and I can see if my sources have them for your ‘personal projects’. There is one last thing I need to discuss with you.”

“The outcome of the fight?” I guessed after he decided to come directly here to watch the fight then meet me instead of visiting the warehouse.

“Yes. How do you think you will handle this?” he asked.

I paused thinking. I had thought about this while the fight ended, but I wasn’t clear about all of the implications of what it meant to lose the Mantle Fight. Whether Rachel or Tabitha bought products from me was ultimately not up to me and I wasn’t sure what he was referring to.

“I’m not sure yet honestly. I was expecting Rachel to win, and I should have accounted for her loss. What would you recommend?” I asked pushing the question back to him.

“I will meet with Tabitha’s father as he has some control over her, and I should be able to push him to switch suppliers. On your end, I will need you to contact Tabitha and present your best work to show regardless of which young Jace lady holds the mantle of Legacy you will make the best super suit and items. It shouldn’t cause too many waves to have her switch suppliers at the turn of her career. To start with after you send some initial messages you should begin preparing a prototype for her costume. I will send you measurements needed for Tabitha when I get it.”

“I can work on getting that done. Was there anything else you needed, or should I just check back when you visit?”

“I’ll contact you. Just don’t vanish off the face of the earth again unless you do so permanently.”

I laughed a little before realizing he was dead serious. I stopped. He turned around and left the backyard having nothing left to say to me. I relaxed a little now that he left. I looked around and saw that there weren’t many guests around. They had all avoided us. In the distance, workers were busy cleaning up the remains of the party but didn’t seem to care that I was around. I turned around and navigated my way around the arena until I reached the front of the house. More people were milling about at the front of the house discussing the day’s events.

I was just exhausted and ready to return home. My list of things that needed to get done had grown longer and it seemed like this ‘break’ I was supposed to be on would not resemble a break at all. I hoped that Hercules would not visit next week because his daughter was no longer Legacy. At least that is what I hoped because that was the main reason he wanted to visit.

I stood in line and waited my turn for the valet service when a lady who looked to be the age my mother would be approached.

“I think I saw you at the birthday party earlier today. Is that right?” asked the lady.

“I was there this afternoon,” I answered.

“Great. I am glad I did not miss remembering. My name is Linda. And I already got your name from Rachel, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“I’m glad Rachel told you about me. She has been a good friend.”

“I know. She is going to be moping around the house all day tomorrow. Make sure to give her a call. Losing a prestigious title like this has left her distraught. Her emotions are all over the place. I hope she can confide in you.”

“I will be there for her and speak with her tomorrow,” I said repeating the positive platitudes I knew. “I remember a while back when I lost everything I thought I knew and had to get back on my feet and make a new life out of the new normal. Even now I am adapting to those changes,” I said speaking of my recent experiences.

“Have a good day then,” said Linda.

“You too.”

I left her and she walked to her car parked in the driveway of the house. I had to wait for my car in the valet’s hands. I gave the valet lady my ticket and she brought the car around from the parking lot of cars. I unlocked my car with my phone and got inside. The soft cushioned seat felt great after sitting in the arena for almost an hour. My stomach rumbled and I felt the call of food. I decided not to make food at home and picked up my dinner to go instead.