Society of Heroes: Battle Against the Universe (Two Months after The Dawn of Man)

Part One:

Eastway City, New York – Present

The familiar voice was racking the back of Ro-wan’s mind, reading aloud an old memory and pushing it to the front of his thoughts:

“Ah, distinctly I remember – it was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor…”

Bartholomew…?

Ro-wan’s vision was shaky and fleeting at best; he could see for a moment the poor, wooden one-roomed hut cluttered with books –a blur of graying, dull colors and a darkly glowing fire for light. Despite his blurring sight, he recognized the place from his childhood and the man that sat in the center of the small room, reading from one of the books.

“Eagerly I wished the morrow, vainly I had sought to borrow, from my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore…”

What is it that you’re reading, Bartholomew…?

Ro-wan felt himself become light-headed as he tried to recall if he had asked that question in the past or if it was a thought from his present consciousness.

Then he heard his own voice: “‘And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting…’”

“What is that, lieutenant?”

“Oh, I was just…thinking about a poem someone told me once…”

The coolness of the ship stirred Ro-wan’s memories, but the voices and images all seemed muddled. He could see the metal interior, the uniforms, and the flashing lights on the monitors, yet he could not make out anything in detail or with any sense of clarity. His mind wandered in out of each cabin and corridor at lightning speeds, bits of memories from different days and hours mingling and intertwining to create a blinding vision of color and sounds, incomplete and haunting.

As his vision became darker and more violent, quaking with the furious and violent tremors of a great and damning force, his voice was still speaking in the back of his mind, “It goes like, ‘And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, and the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor…’”

And then came Bartholomew’s voice again, “For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore…”

The ship no longer felt cool; he felt as though he was burning up. His breathing was growing increasingly louder and more erratic as the images were spiraling out of control, descending into a nightmarish and debilitating madness. He could see the bodies, smell the blood, hear the screaming, taste the stale air, feel the prickling fear on the back of his neck – sense the terror and danger that surrounded him.

And his voice continued over the chaos, a misplaced memory from long before the destruction had begun, “‘And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor; shall be lifted – nevermore…’”

“…nameless here for evermore.”

An overwhelming and tremendous emotion was pushing aside any coherent thought that hoped to make sense or piece together the frightening memories he saw – all he was left with was scattered and jarring images, sounds, and smells, all mixing together into one terrifying and nonsensical burst. But a single image flashed consistently throughout, although quick and blurred – the silhouette of the cause of this terror: some sort of fiendish, grimacing monster, distorted by Ro-wan’s fear and shaky memories, but eyes still flashing red. There was one last swell of screams as the whole world seemed to quake and crash around him into darkness. Ro-wan felt his heart drop and he sucked in a deep breath of air as the ship became pitch black and he felt as though he were plummeting through the darkness toward his death. And, in that instant, he heard Bartholomew’s voice shouting out to him with both anger and desperation: “Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!”

Ro-wan awoke suddenly and in a sweat. He was staring up at the daytime sky and the two tall skyscrapers that he was lying in between, wide-eyed and unblinking for a long moment. At his side was the Scarlet Fighter, who gave his shoulder a gentle nudge and said, “Hacker – hey, Hacker…”

Ro-wan shifted his eyes to see the Scarlet Fighter knelt on the pavement beside him. “What happened…?”

The Scarlet Fighter gave him a smile. “You got a pretty good clonk on the head – knocked you right out for a few moments there.”

Ro-wan gave a self-loathing scowl as he sat muttered, “Great…”

“Hey, is Sleeping Beauty awake yet?” an annoyingly familiar voice called out from above and Ro-wan looked up to see Flame, a brash young man dressed in blue and with blue flames to match, hovering a good distance over them. He then cracked a grin and said, “Glad to see you’ve finally decided to join us again, Boss. You don’t expect me and Sparkler to do everything for you, now do you?”

With a few snickers, Flame was off again, heading back toward the fray – a battle with the nefarious Gang of Villains, five former foes of the Freedom Brigade (although there numbers had dwindled to three as two of their members were imprisoned at the moment).

“That guy…” Ro-wan grumbled bitterly.

“Now, now, Hacker,” Scarlet Fighter quickly began, hoping to quell the rising tension in his voice. “We are a team, after all, and it’s only been a month; I thought you were going to try your best to give them a chance.”

“Flame’s not even that original of a name, anyway…”

“But his flames are really pretty.”

“And whoever heard of blue flames?”

“Well, Flame says that blue flames are actually hotter than red or orange or yellow ones…”

“That guy…”

Ro-wan sat up, but felt both light-headed and groggy as his breathing became laborious. He tried his best to ignore it and stand up, but felt himself burning up as he rose to his feet.

The Scarlet Fighter frowned with some concern as she stood up with him, placing a cool hand against his forehead. “Actually, Hacker, I think you might have a fever…”

Ro-wan now groaned in disgust, afraid that she was right. “This is embarrassing…” he mumbled, cheeks turning pink while his legs began to wobble.

“Well, you can’t help it if you’re sick…” the Scarlet Fighter reasoned sympathetically, quickly steadying him by allowing him to lean on her. “Everyone gets sick.”

Since when do superheroes get sick? It’s so pathetic…

Focusing his sight and trying to recall where he had been before having passed out, he saw that they were in front of a bank, which had its glass doors and windows broken and shattered. Yes, that’s right…there was a bank robbery…

Ro-wan racked his brain a little longer when suddenly the Scarlet Fighter cried, “Watch out!” She swiftly stepped in front of him, Ro-wan barely keeping his balance as the white, transmutable energy came pouring from her palms to form a protective shield around them just as a mountain of a man – standing eight-feet tall and with thick, muscular arms and legs like stone – attempted to slam his enormous fist down upon them. Instead, he began thrashing and swinging at the white shield that now surrounded both the Scarlet Fighter and Ro-wan.

Ro-wan glared at the monstrous man as he recalled he was the reason he had been knocked out to begin with. Giant…I remember…

“You just stay here, Hacker,” the Scarlet Fighter instructed, looking over her shoulder at him with an assuring smile.

“But, Scarlet, I can – “

“Don’t worry – I’ve got this one! You just relax and rest a bit so you start feeling better!”

“Yeah, but – “

As Ro-wan tried to protest, the white shield diminished and was transformed into a force beam that blasted Giant down the street – and the Scarlet Fighter quickly pursued her opponent. Ro-wan grimaced in self-contempt. Wasn’t I supposed to be the leader of this team…?

However, as he looked around, it seemed that his team was faring quite fine without him. Flame was engaged in combat with the villainess Nails, whose shiny black nails shot out of each of her fingers over three yards like sharp steel blades, attempting to impale her foe. Flame just gave a cocky grin, skillfully dodging her attacks while her nails dug into the ground, ripping apart the pavement as they blasted through and across the street. As her nails collided with the pavement, Flame’s grin widened as he flew above and behind her, unleashing his blue flamed attack toward her.

Meanwhile, Sparkler, a young woman dressed in a white leotard with gold boots and belt and with dark red hair, stood on the ground and was surrounded by a dozen copies of the same sly villain – Duplicate, who had the power of multiplication. But Sparkler remained steadfast, a small sphere of colorful energy forming in each of her palms. With a quick spin, a flurry of these spheres went hurling at the various copies, exploding with a mix of illuminating color and light as they hit each one, like miniature fireworks. The copies quickly disappeared and the original Duplicate collapsed to the ground, defeated. Nails, too, fell to her knees, her hair fried and her clothing singed from Flame’s attack. That left only the flying Scarlet Wonder, whose latest weapon of choice – a white, sparking sledgehammer – went swinging against Giant’s thick skull with a thudding clunk. The sound of his ringing head remained a moment longer before he, too, slipped to the ground, unconscious.

“How are things going over there, Hacker?” the voice of the Space Guardian, who was stationed at the Society of Heroes new headquarters (former headquarters of the Freedom Brigade) crackled over Ro-wan’s computer arm band.

“Fine…” Ro-wan admitted begrudgingly as he gritted his teeth. “The threat has been detained, anyway.”

Although I had little to do with that…unfortunately…

“Ah, that’s good to hear; the Gang of Villains is kind of washed up these days, aren’t they? Although it brings back some memories – maybe I should have come, too, for old time’s sake. I remember the time…”

Ro-wan could feel a headache coming on, although he wasn’t sure if it was because Zakzy had begun reminiscing or because of the fever he and the Scarlet Fighter had presumed he had been afflicted with. As this headache quickly progressed into a migraine, Ro-wan interrupted, “Can I talk to you when I get back to headquarters?”

“Okay…is everything all right, Hacker?” Zakzy asked warily.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Ro-wan lied quickly before ending the communication as the sound of police sirens came from the distance.

“So what now?” Sparkler asked, flying over to where Hacker stood along with Flame and the Scarlet Wonder.

“You and Flame can stay here until the police arrive,” Hacker ordered. “You can give them a report and make sure that the Gang of Villains are secured and taken away safely.”

“So it’s just you and me, eh, Sparky?” Flame cracked, leaning his elbow on her shoulder and giving her a crude grin as he glance behind her, particularly eyeing her backside.

“It’s Sparkler,” she answered unenthused, glaring at him with disdain.

“Well, like I always say, if you’re Sparkler, you can call me Firecracker,” he remarked flirtatiously with a large grin, but Sparkler remained unimpressed.

“Can someone other than Flame stay with me?” Sparkler asked flatly and Flame frowned a little.

“Sorry, I can’t, Sparkler,” the Scarlet Wonder answered. “I’ve got plans.” She then smiled giddily and said, “I know we’re supposed to keep our identities a secret and all, and not to give too much away, but…it’s my first day of college!”

“Really?” Ro-wan asked in surprise before blushing slightly and shaking his head. “I mean, it’s really not appropriate for us to be discussing our personal lives.”

“Why do we have that stupid rule again?” Flame asked.

“So that people like you don’t harass their fellow heroes during their off-hours for dates,” Sparkler noted sharply.

“That wasn’t exactly the reason…” Ro-wan remarked cautiously, glancing worriedly at the annoyed Sparkler, who was still glaring at Flame with contempt while Flame was giving her a malevolent smirk back.

“And, hey, boss, why can’t you stick around?” Flame then asked.

“Hacker can’t stay! He’s sick!” the Scarlet Wonder quickly spoke for him. “He has a fever.”

Ro-wan frowned, wishing she hadn’t said that as both Flame and Sparkler looked at him with some worry. “You’re really sick, kid?” Flame first asked, more serious than usual.

“Perhaps one of us should escort you back to headquarters,” Sparkler then offered.

“No, no, I’m fine…really…” Ro-wan told them; he knew both Sparkler and Flame were older than him – at least by five years if not more – but he still hated when they treated him as if he were a child. He then smiled and added, “Besides, I’ve already got plans, too.”

Flame laughed. “I can’t imagine a stick-in-the-mud like you having actual plans.”

Ro-wan gritted his teeth somewhat bitterly. “Very funny,” he grumbled. “Anyway, I should get going.”

“Are you sure you’ll be all right, Hacker?” the Scarlet Wonder pressed one more time.

He gave her a nod, his cheeks becoming rosy again. “Sure; I’ll be fine. Thanks, though,” he answered with a bashful smile and then flew up in the air.

However, his smile soon dissipated as soon he was up in the sky. He felt light-headed still, but the cool air was helpful – but his thoughts were growing more disconcerted as he thought of the dream he had just experienced. “Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!” he repeated in his mind, the sound of Bartholomew’s desperate voice making the memory of the dream all the more frightening. He then frowned, not entirely sure of the meaning of the lines, but was soon overcome with an obstinate determination to discover their meaning.

Star City, California - Present

While the Society of Heroes in Eastway had just thwarted their own bank robbery, Thomas and Maiko were in the process of foiling their own, although their culprits were only a band of masked and armed bank robbers rather than a villainous gang with superpowers. The take-down of the group was rather simple for the skilled and proficient fighter Maiko and the magically powered Thomas, particularly as they were up against a rather unorganized group of thugs. As two of them haphazardly shoved money into two large sacks, the other three kept their guns aimed at the customers and staff, who were lying face down on the floor.

It was then that Maiko entered, smiling decadently as she casually strolled into the building. Upon seeing them, she remarked playfully, “Oh, I’m sorry – is this the middle of a bank robbery? How rude of me to just walk in!”

“Get on the floor, lady!” the one closest to the door shouted at her, clearly ruffled by her sudden appearance in the bank.

“And put my neatly pressed skirt on that dirty floor?” she asked with a laugh before giving the man a smirk. “Now come on – you don’t want to shoot a pretty girl like me, now do you?”

“I said get down!” he shouted again and Maiko let out a sharp chuckle before darting toward him and swiftly kicking him in the face before he even had a chance to shoot. Instead, as he fell backwards, he shot aimlessly into the air, hitting the ceiling and causing the customers and staff to let out a cry of fear.

“Now, now, there’s no need to panic,” she insisted lackadaisically, giving the robber she had knocked down a hard kick to the stomach with her high-heeled stilettos and then kicking his gun away.

“Shoot her!” one of the other two ordered and the two robbers began firing on her, although Maiko scoffed at their poor and slow aim and darted for them, sliding down as she reached them and taking them both out with a sweeping kick to their ankles. As they both fell, she grabbed onto their heads and slammed them together, effectively knocking them out. “That was almost too easy,” she muttered in disappointment.

“Freeze or I shoot her!” one of the robbers now spoke and Maiko turned her head slightly to see that the two robbers who had been stuffing their bags with money in the vault had emerged, one with his gun pressed against an unwitting hostage’s head, who let out a wailing sob.

“Ugh…I hate this sort of melodrama…” Maiko complained when unexpectedly the ground underneath them began to shake.

“What…what…” the robbers stammered when suddenly the floor underneath them broke open and out came huge, thick vines, quickly entangling them and pulling the guns from their hands before they could even blink. As the two robbers hung in the air, wrapped in the strong vines of what seemed to be a large and menacing plant, Thomas – dressed as Gambler – appeared at the doorway, holding the four of diamonds in his hands.

“New card, eh, Gambler?” Maiko commented. “I like it, I like it.”

“I guess plant manipulation is kind of handy,” Gambler admitted with a grin. “At least it means we don’t have to worry about tying them up, right?”

“Although, cutting away all these weeds is going to be a hassle,” Maiko noted, looking around at what appeared to look more like a jungle than a bank at the moment, all five bank robbers now thoroughly caught in the vines. “But before they make us pay for the floor you totally damaged, let’s blow this scene, shall we?”

“So that’s twenty-two of fifty-two cards,” Maiko commented after she and Thomas had returned to Thomas’s small studio apartment. “Unless you include the Joker, of course.”

Thomas gave a nod. “I wish I didn’t keep pulling the same cards all the time, though,” he replied dejectedly as he wrote on a poster board in magic marker.

“Well, you’ve got one new one today – besides, it’s better that you keep pulling the same ones than pull the Joker, right?”

Thomas frowned a little. “I guess that’s true…” He then stepped back to reveal the board he had been writing on – one that listed all the cards, filling in the powers of the ones he knew whenever he pulled a new card. The latest addition to the board was the four of diamonds, which he had filled in as being plant manipulation. The other twenty-one he had pulled were filled out on the board as well:

1. Ace of Hearts - Fire

2. Five of Hearts – Ice

3. Two of Spades – Shrinking

4. Ace of Diamonds – Super-strength

5. Five of Clovers – Elasticity

6. Ace of Spades – Flight

7. Three of Spades – Water

8. Two of Diamonds – Animal manipulation

9. Queen of Diamonds – Magical Shield

10. Nine of Hearts – Invisibility

11. Seven of Hearts – Phasing

12. Eight of Hearts – Teleportation

13. Four of Clovers – Increased Senses

14. Four of Spades – Magnetism

15. Six of Spades – Growth

16. Two of Clovers – Energy Blasts

17. Four of Hearts – Weather Manipulation

18. Jack of Hearts – Super-speed

19. Jack of Spades – Electricity

20. King of Hearts – Wind

21. Ten of Spades – Sound Manipulation

As Thomas studied the board with a frown, Maiko gave a sigh, stretching across the couch. “I don’t see how this helps any, Tommy – it’s all still the luck of the draw, so what does it matter if you know what each card stands for? They’re all blank until you pull the card, anyway.”

“I know…but maybe one day I’ll actually come up with a way of being able to look at each card before pulling so it won’t be such a…”

“Crapshoot?” Maiko finished for him with a smirk.

Thomas frowned, but didn’t protest. “Besides, it’s kind of nice to know what they all are, anyway – at least then I can kind of pray for the card I want.”

“You really think that helps?”

“Knowing my luck, probably not,” Thomas admitted glumly.

“How ironic that a person with such bad luck gets saddled with a power that is so dependent on luck, eh, Tommy, love?” Maiko teased.

“Hey, I was pretty lucky today – I think I did a good job taking out those bank robbers,” Thomas reminded her.

“But I still took out three while you only took out two – and I took out mine sans powers.”

“You know, you really do brag a lot,” Thomas noted with a glower, taking a seat beside her on the couch.

“It’s not my fault that I’m so talented and naturally gifted,” Maiko gloated with a grin. “After all, not everyone is born beautiful and athletic.”

“I still want to know how you learned all that martial arts stuff,” Thomas grumbled. “And I know it wasn’t in some women’s defense class at college.”

“Hey, maybe I’ll teach you a couple of moves one day,” Maiko kidded, elbowing him playfully in the ribs.

Thomas gave a half-smile and turned on the television. “I guess I’ll just catch the news before I’ve got to head to work…”

“Waiting tables all day and night must be so dreadfully dull.”

“Well, maybe if someone pitched in with the rent, I wouldn’t have to do it so much,” Thomas reminded her sharply.

“Tommy, Tommy – my mere presence here should be enough for you,” Maiko brushed him off.

“So you say,” Thomas argued before turning his attention to the news where Regina Parker reported.

“While in Star City, new hero Gambler successfully apprehended five bank robbers during a heist, elsewhere in Eastway, the young Society of Heroes continues to make a name for itself, filling the void of the disbanded Freedom Brigade. Today, the group – aided by newest recruits Flame and Sparkler, took down the Freedom Brigade’s old nemesis, the Gang of Villains…”

As Regina Parker continued her report, Thomas frowned in disappointment while Maiko gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I guess you were outdone again, huh?”

“Those Society of Heroes guys are really something,” Thomas replied dejected, slouching forward in his seat.

“So you’ve done a lot of cool stuff – you took out the Human Gun, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, and practically destroyed the whole Star City Museum,” Thomas commented cynically. “Besides, after that it’s all been all these pathetic robbers and crooks – nothing like the Gang of Villains or anything.”

“Well, it’s better to start small, especially in your case considering your powers are kind of…unpredictable, to say the least,” Maiko reasoned. “Besides, you’re still learning and it’s really only you doing the fighting when they’ve got a whole team.”

“Yeah, except you take out more guys than I do most of the time – you even said so yourself.”

“I was only kidding, Tommy, dear,” Maiko insisted. “I mean, you’re the one they’re always reporting about, not me.”

“That’s because you choose to be all incognito…hey, you think that maybe I should try to join their team?”

Maiko frowned warily. “Join their team? You mean the Society of Heroes? But wouldn’t that mean you’d have to go all the way to Eastway? That’s just across an entire continent.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I’ve got much going on here…”

“Well, I thought the two of us were kind of a pretty successful duo thus far – why mess with a good thing, Tommy, sweetie?”

“It’s not that…I mean, well…I like working with you and all, obviously, but sometimes I guess I kind of feel…”

“Jealous?”

“A little bit,” Thomas admitted.

“Well, from what I hear, the Society of Heroes is pretty particular when it comes to selecting their heroes – both Flame and Sparkler were sought out to join; so was the Scarlet Wonder, if the rumors are true.”

“How do you know?”

“I have my ways,” Maiko answered evasively and then shrugged. “Either way, if they haven’t sought you out yet, that means they’re probably not interested. Like I said, your powers are pretty unpredictable – it might end up making you more of a handicap or a hazard than a useful asset.”

“But I’ve been doing pretty good work – no worse than the Scarlet Wonder, Flame, or Sparkler before they joined the Society of Heroes – and I never even heard of that Hacker guy before the Society was created.”

“It’s not only that. They might think you’re dangerous,” Maiko answered, more seriously than before.

“Dangerous…?”

“Think about it, Tommy; remember how you were just saying how you wanted to maybe find a way to decide which power you were choosing, rather than relying purely on luck? Well, take it further than that – say if you’re able to figure out a way not only to choose the card you want at will, but are able to use all the cards at once? Say if you come up with a way to override all the rules the cards currently have and are able to use every single power without any sort of restrictions whatsoever? You do remember that you have 52 unique powers at your disposal – you would be unstoppable if you ever did figure out a way to access all the powers at any given time without any limitations; even Captain Justice and the Freedom Brigade wouldn’t be as powerful as you. Not to mention if you pull the Joker, whatever that’s supposed to do.”

“I never really thought of it like that…but I’ll never be able to figure something like that out and, even if I did, I’d never do anything bad with it,” Thomas reasoned.

“I know that and you know that, but other people might not see it that way,” Maiko said gravely, purposely keeping her eyes averted.

Thomas frowned. “I guess…but how would any of them even know about the cards, anyway? Or the rules they have or the whole Joker thing?”

“Well, they do see you on the news everyday with a new power, so I’m sure they’ve got some idea you’re not a one-trick pony,” Maiko said. “Besides, certain people have a way of figuring these things out…”

“Sort of like you do?” Thomas pressed.

Maiko gave a smirk and a shrug. “Don’t worry about it, Tommy – you’re probably right about the whole thing. It’s more likely that they think you’re still a greenhorn that they haven’t asked you to join yet than some sort of paranoid delusion about your abilities. After all, who could be intimidated by someone like you?”

Thomas scowled a little now. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you pretty much have ‘gullible sap’ written across your forehead, Tommy, dear,” Maiko answered matter-of-factly. “How do you think you got yourself mixed up in this whole mess to begin with? Oh, and no one can be that threatening when they’re as scrawny as you are.” She then let out a laugh.

Thomas’s scowl remained. “Do you ever have anything nice to say about me?”

She gave a playful smile. “Don’t stress so much, Tommy, love – you know I think you’re a sweetheart.”

Thomas let out a sigh, his eyes still glancing at her skeptically. “Anyway, I should get going to work,” he said, standing up from the couch.

“Have fun waiting tables – maybe I’ll stop by and give you a big tip!”

“I could use a big tip, considering I never seem to get anything but meager ones.”

“I’ve told you, Tommy, that you’re a good-looking kid – all you’ve got to do is flirt a bit with the customers, and I’m sure they’ll give you some hefty tips in return.”

Thomas frowned a little worriedly now. “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

Maiko now frowned herself. “Oh, yeah – I always forget that your clientele are of the unclassy, seedy variety. Maybe you could get bigger tips if you weren’t working at such a sleazy joint.”

“At least it’s a job, even if it’s a lousy one,” Thomas muttered. “Anyway, I’m off.”

Maiko smiled and gave a wave. “Bye, Tommy! See you tonight!”

Thomas smiled and waved back before leaving his apartment. As soon as he was gone, Maiko’s pleasant expression became grave and serious. She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, saying coldly, “Seven here.”

“Yes, Seven; your report?” a voice spoke on the other end.

“The target is shaping up to be a model citizen. I told you he was a sweet kid. I feel more like a glorified babysitter more than anything else. There’s another problem, though – I think he wants to join the Society of Heroes, which might make it difficult for me to keep an eye on him.”

“Do not let that happen. It’s imperative that you keep an eye on him – and the cards.”

“I know – and I’d hate to think of him hanging around those spandex-wearing goody-goodies,” she joked before becoming serious again. “However, it seems rather unlikely he’ll be able to join at this point and I’ll be sure to persuade him to not join if the opportunity does arise. Other than that, the mission is going according to plan. He is being carefully watched, monitored, and instructed by myself – I am certain there will be no problems.”

Author's Note: For those who may be interested, all the lines that Ro-wan and Bartholomew are reciting/quoting during Ro-wan's dream are from Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven." The lines, however, are not all in order, but are mixed up in places, and not every line from the poem is included. Also, what "quaff" and "nepenthe" actually mean should be discussed in the next chapter since they're kind of significant to the story (although I suppose readers could just look it up beforehand), just in case people were wondering about it (as I know when I first read the poem, I was confused as to what those words meant).