Archer looked up at the spot where he noticed the two. They were still invisible but that audible gasp confirmed their location.
"Quiet!" Said another voice in a hushed scream of panic and the sound of someone trying to cover up someone else's mouth.
"You're not much quieter either." Archer said as he picked another raspberry from the bush.
"…!" Archer could feel the silent panic from the two. He judged by their body language, or rather vibes as there was no body to perceive, that at the very least these two weren't necessarily looking for trouble.
"You know, if an actual adult found you. It could be a lot more trouble. Would you mind telling me why you two are here?" Archer asked gently.
After a few seconds, of the two deliberating, in which Archer heard a few quiet whispers, he managed to pick up the fact that they were wondering whether or not to greet him, a girl appeared out of nowhere. She had green hair, a pink and white dress and a large blue bow tied around her waist, on her back were transparent shimmering fairy wings with green highlights.
"Mariel!" The invisible one shouted out.
"What? We've been caught, it'll be easier to deal with one mortal than if they panic and contact everyone here." The one that Archer assumed was Mariel said to her invisible compatriot.
"Uuuu, fine." The other one said before appearing, she had completely inverted colours in comparison to Mariel and looked a lot less confident.
Twins huh? Or are they clones? Archer thought as he watched. Either way, they seem rather close. Also… powerful. Hmm. As the two finished arguing they approached him.
"Hi there." Mariel said speaking kindly to him, "Uh, I know we aren't supposed to be here. But believe us, it is very important to find them."
"Hmm." Archer said looking to Mariel and then to Sariel, "Are you two looking for someone to accept a quest or something?"
"Wha- what makes you say that?" The Mariel stammered out.
"Clearly you two aren't human. I can see that you are more than a couple of simple fairies. Don't seem very aggressive and a bit new to this. Your sister I assume, is focused on that thing she is holding which is likely sending her information of some kind." Archer explained.
"Uh, yes. What are you? Some sort of detective in training?" Mariel asked taken aback.
"Something like that. Who are you looking for?" Archer said wanting his curiosity itch to be scratched.
"Do you know if someone named Archer Griffen is around here? He should be an agent or in training right now." Sariel asked softly.
Archer chuckled, "You're kidding. You want me? Why?"
"You're Archer Griffen?!" Mariel said, perhaps a bit too loudly and in an ever so slightly insulting manner.
"Yeah that's me." Archer said with a laugh.
"But, how? He was like huge! With a massive helmet and black cowl!" Mariel said completely floored while Sariel simply stared at him in disbelief.
"I wear lifts and use some other tricks." Archer said shrugging.
"Are you sure you won't get any taller in the next few years?"
"Probably not according to the doctors. They said I hit my growth spurt." Archer said raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Sariel? What do we do now?" Mariel asked whispering to her sister.
"I mean, if he is Archer, and it makes sense that he is, then we continue." Sariel said looking nervously down at her scry.
"You sure?"
"He should have the same talents, he just looks different." Sariel said with a helpless shrug.
"Alright, uh, Mister Griffen. I am Mariel, this is my sister Sariel and-"
"You're looking for help to stop something terrible from happening in the future?" Archer guessed.
"Uh, yeah… how did you know?" Mariel said once more shocked by Archer.
"You mentioned my helmet. I just recently switched to it and haven't taken any field missions with it yet. You mentioned me growing bigger in a few years, so clearly we've never met before this. You're a power fairy… thing. I assume time travel is involved. Raspberry?" Archer said offering a few to them.
"Why do you assume time travel?" Sariel asked.
"Well I am aware of time travel, never seen it before, but a couple of my predecessors have and the looks on your faces tell me that I'm close enough to the truth." Archer said as he popped another berry into his mouth. The two looked at each other and gave a small nod.
"Alright then." Archer said and pondered for a second, "I assume that this might be a longer conversation? Come on, let's get out of here before we get spotted then." Archer said leading the two to a quieter area.
***
"You sure you two don't want anything? There's a little bit of everything here." Archer asked as they sat themselves down at a table inside a small diner, "Savory, sweet. Plenty of different beverages as well." He said as an older lady came to take their order.
"Oh, Archer dear, who are these lovely ladies?" She said cheerfully.
"Oh, they're out-of-town friends visiting. I'll have a small classic poutine and a lemonade please." He said.
"No, we're fine we didn't bring any money on us." Mariel said as Sariel stared hungrily at a picture of a massive parfait. The two of them were currently in more normal streetwear as to not attract any unwanted attention.
"Are you sure? The sweets are particularly good, made fresh every morning." The waitress tempted.
"Don't worry, it's WDO money paying for whatever you order anyways." Archer assured them.
"Well… then." Mariel said before the two hurriedly ordered half a dozen different desserts. Once the dishes were selected and the waitress left, Archer looked over to the two.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Archer said.
"Um." Mariel fell silent and looked at her glass of water nervously as they waited for the food to arrive. She looked over to her sister and nudged her to speak.
"Oh. Um." Sariel realized that she would have to be the one to explain, "As you have correctly guessed, we know what will happen in the future. We are gods." Sariel said, feeling really embarrassed saying that out loud.
"Hmm." Archer pondered, "New ones right?"
"Huh, you're not shocked?" Mariel asked surprised.
"You're pretty integral to the history of the WDO." Archer looked taken aback, "How much do you know about the WDO?"
"They're a group of humans who strive to protect the world." Sariel said repeating the basics of what she was taught.
"Yes, but do you understand the timeline of events for the WDO?"
The two of them glanced at one another before admitting, "Not really, no one's ever told us."
"Well here are the broad strokes." Archer said as their drinks first arrived, they thanked her and waited for her to leave before Archer continued to explain using his hands to gesture as he talked, "The world always had heroes, or at least do-gooder vigilantes throughout history. About sixty-something years ago the damned apocalypse nearly occurred."
Archer noticed how both seemed to stiffen up as he said the word apocalypse, "This whole event is what caused the world to be as it is now, why so many people have powers and rifts to other realities and universes what-have-you these days." The two nodded along, they already knew this part.
"But back while chaos was running rampant, WDO was officially formed. Now before all this, they existed as a group of friends trying to do the right thing, or something like that. After being the human defence force for the world they continued to defend. Other groups began being formed alongside as time went on."
"Like Trinity Academy." Mariel mentioned.
"Yes." Archer said nodding, "Places like that eventually came around and overtook the WDO as the place where you become a hero."
"Why is that? Did the WDO lose credibility?" Mariel asked taking a sip of her chocolate milkshake, unconsciously giving a small smile as the sweetness touched her tongue.
"Not really. Just popularity. As the threat of conquerors disappeared, so did the need for heroes to have the amount of responsibility that a WDO one would have."
"Are you saying that the WDO teaches better than any other school?" Sariel asked looking interested.
"I'll admit I'm biased, but at the very least a lot of these superhero organizations do a lot of advertisement and public sponsorships. Many of the big-name heroes have contracts for various businesses." Archer said giving a shrug.
"The WDO doesn't do that?"
"Maybe a few members might take a sponsorship if they're greedy, but as a whole, it isn't supposed to." Archer said.
"Why not if that's normal for superhero divisions?" Sariel asked.
"These days the world is peaceful enough that superheroing is a business. One in twenty-five people has something that makes them superhuman, via magic, mutated genes, or whatever. Granted only a portion of those would have significant powers, but still everyone knows at least somebody like that these days. Dimensions to strange dungeons with tons of loot are also accessible. It is what it is. The WDO has always been happy being in the background anyways." Archer said as their food arrived.
Before Archer was placed a bowl of freshly fried fries covered with cheese curds that oozed under the smothering of steaming hot gravy. Before the twins were six different types of baked goods and in the middle was one massive strawberry parfait that stood towering over it all.
"That makes sense." Sariel mumbled to herself as she helped herself to a lemon custard tart.
"What does?"
Sariel looked uncomfortable answering and her sister took charge, "We always wondered how things managed to get to the point they are right now. We knew that heroes were a lot more common now, so we wondered how something so terrible could happen in just a few years now."
"Oh, so this thing occurs in a few years then." Archer noted.
"Oh no!" Mariel gasped covering her mouth looking scared that she had said too much.
"Don't worry. I didn't hear anything." Archer teased, "I should tell you another thing about the WDO that should be important for you two to know."
"Uh, yes. What is it?" Mariel asked recovering.
"I don't think your coworkers are very big fans of the WDO. Which might explain your lack of knowledge." Archer said between mouthfuls of potato and cheese.
"We are aware but we don't know why."
"Well, this second-hand information by the way. So do take this with a grain of salt. But the past generations interacted with gods. A few of them, rather often actually."
"Generations?" Sariel asked, who at this point was taking notes on the new information Archer was divulging.
"It's a bit of an unofficial nickname people part of the WDO made. The originals from sixty years ago are generation one. They were the main cause of stopping the world from being destroyed. I'm a generation three in training and the ones currently around and active are generation two."
"I see." Sariel said writing it all down.
"But back to why the other gods don't like the WDO?" Mariel asked.
"Right. Well, for some cases in order to complete something, the heroes needed a god or something they had. But, no offense by the way, gods can sometimes be…" Archer trailed off trying to find the gentle way of explaining things.
"Conceited? Vain? Childish?" Sariel said her hand clenching around her pen.
"Uh, you said it, not me." Archer said, "Yes and in response, fights broke out or maybe they stole it. Either way, bridges were burnt." Archer paused for a moment, "Oh also infidelity."
"What? The gods cheated with humanity's greatest heroes loved one?" Mariel said aghast as she spooned herself more parfait.
"Yes and no." Archer said, "Uhhh, it went both ways." He said and Sariel dropped her pen and Mariel stopped eating the parfait.
"How? How did they do it? Who to? How are they alive?" Mariel asked.
"Not really sure for the first two. For your third question, don't forget. These people saved the world. They were pretty strong." Archer reminded them.
"Huh. So that's why we're kept in the dark so much about your group." Sariel said reading what she wrote.
"Now. Would you mind answering my question?" Archer asked.
"Of course." They said in unison nodding their heads.
"What exactly do you want me for? Apparently some world-ending event will occur in a few years and you think I can stop it?"
"You are aware of what is happening with Trinity Academy correct?" Mariel asked.
"Yes. Fiftieth anniversary of the armies of the damned being beaten back. Three times the influx of first years from not only all over the world but from other worlds and dimensions as well, travelling through portals. Some of these students may be spies or agents of chaos." Archer said.
"That is what indeed will happen. Which is why we want you and I suppose the rest of the WDO to help by going there."
"We're already going to send someone there to play crowd control."
"What? Who?" Sariel asked surprised.
"I don't know for sure, but it's likely either going to be Phoenix Cooper or Everly Foster. Winning money is on Everly, she's been extremely excited at the prospect."
"I know those names. They appeared in different failed timelines." Mariel said recalling.
"We have different failed timelines now?" Archer said with a smile.
"Mariel!"
"Oh!" Mariel gasped panicking and covering her mouth again.
"Don't worry. Besides I should know these things shouldn't I?" Archer said with a hearty laugh as he polished off his poutine.
"Yes. I suppose." Sariel said nodding grimly, "You should know that we've looped nine times already and this is the last chance we have."
"No pressure then."
"Which is why we believe we need to ask you. You've always seemed to do well no matter what. We think you can stop whatever goes wrong at the academy."
"There are better choices."
"Not available to go to a school for three years or more depending on how bad it gets." Sariel argued and Archer shrugged in response prompting her to continue, "You won't be the only one, other gods are also picking others to try and stop everything. This is the only way else we risk damaging the world if we directly try to intervene any further."
"Doesn't sound like I need to help much then. Besides, this whole academy thing is really just a way for people to obtain a license and the credentials needed to become a hunter or adventurer. I don't need that license as my current occupation covers it for me already." Archer said looking uninterested.
"But they all failed before. We've seen your credentials and history through this period. You can do this, the other people who might be able to help can't be moved from their current positions. We can't let the whole world know, that's why we want you."
"But what if I can't?"
"It's a risk we're willing to take." Mariel said, "The world's going to end and we need your help to try something. Please you're a hero."
"A hero in training." Archer corrected and immediately looked guilty as they stared at him with their puppy dog eyes, "Okay, okay. I was joking." Archer said with a chuckle.
"Really?" Sariel said her eyes glimmering with hope.
"Why not? It is my duty to uphold good and whatever." Archer said leaning back in his seat, "If I know that the world might end I'm not just going to sit around and ignore it. Besides helping out two cute girls is a nice little bonus." He said giving his most charming wink.
Immediately the two went beet red and began to make all sorts of noises from their mouths in panic. Archer only laughed in response.
"Wow! You two are not good at this huh?" Archer said, assuming that these new gods likely never had time for romantic relationships. I'm not much better either. He thought to himself.
"Cute? Uuuu…" Sariel said covering her face.
"You are a dangerous bad man! We made a mistake!" Mariel said her face bright red and shrank back defensively from him.
"Ha ha!" Archer laughed as he got up from his seat, "I'm going to pay for the food now, you two should probably head off before someone notices your uniqueness. Don't worry, I'll see if I can get myself shipped over. It sounds pretty fun."
I have to save the world huh? I'm becoming a real superhero. Shame that I have to move out though. He thought amusingly as he walked over to the counter.