Cory hummed. “Well … if you really think that way,” she said and rubbed her head with her wings. “Maybe try saying hi to her once in a while at least? An upset Raea is no good for anyone, especially me.”

Andrea grunted. It was her go to response when she wanted to decline but, at the same time, let the other party know she entertained the thought. She’d definitely see Raea in the future though—once Pyre finished his invention. Maybe it’d be today if she were lucky. Her snack dispenser had said there was a commotion. “I’m going to find Pyre,” Andrea said and waved at Cory. “Don’t get burned by Raea.”

Cory nodded and watched in silence as Andrea rounded a bend. Her brow furrowed as she sighed. Something about Palan’s sister reminded her of an ambitious harpy seeking the position of matriarch. Young harpies always had something to prove, but they quickly learned after a lightning bolt to the face. She just hoped the lightning bolt striking Andrea would be like a slap on the wrist. Not that she was underestimating Andrea, but Cory didn’t think a demon child stood a very high chance against an angry beyond-archangel existence.

Andrea reached Pyre’s laboratory unobstructed. In front of the door, there was a line of demons and angels, shackled with red manacles. She skipped the queue, saying hi to the familiar dwarf assistant along the way. The inside of Pyre’s lab was a mess. The walls were stained with blood while empty vials, some shattered, littered a corner of the room. Dozens of contracts lay on a desk while some were resting in tanks of liquid. However, the most noticeable object in the room was the statue of a faceless, androgynous figure laying on its side. Dozens of wires were connected to it, leading to a contraption that ended up creating golden droplets in a vial.

“I didn’t say you could come in yet,” Pyre said without turning around. He was staring at the liquid-creating contraption, waiting for a droplet to fall. His hair was disheveled and frayed as if electricity had passed through his body recently. His lab coat was stained with dried blood, and the whites of his eyes were filled with veins, making them as red as his irises. “Get back in line.”

“Hi, Pyre,” Andrea said, ignoring the half-angel’s command. She sat on a couch, the only clean piece of furniture in the room. It was also where Pyre slept. Andrea’s voice lilted as she spoke, “How’s it going?”

Pyre groaned. “Not today, please,” he said. The droplet of liquid fell, and Pyre turned a knob, shutting off the contraption. The statue glowed with a golden light for a brief instant. “I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. I managed to condense what I call the Creator’s essence. With this, I can establish a contract between two people. I tested it on a couple, and the lowest level contract was formed. I’m testing different parameters for the contract now to see how much I can manipulate this, and maybe, I’ll figure out a way to reverse engineer its effects.” Pyre licked his lips as swirled the liquid in the vial before he rang a bell. The dwarf assistant shuffled an angel and demon into the lab. “I have to learn about the properties of the contract forming material before I can devise a way to break it apart.”

Andrea blinked. “So it’s not done yet?” she asked and tilted her head.

“It’s a crucial first step!” Pyre said and raised the vial into the air. The angel and demon flinched at Pyre’s unkempt face. He truly looked like a stereotypical mad scientist. He grinned at the prisoners with wide eyes. “Now what unreasonable contract should I impose on you two…”

Andrea sighed as she slid off the couch. That’s what she got for bringing her hopes up—disappointment. She shook her head as Pyre cackled, and she closed the door behind herself, cutting off the wild laughter. The angels and demons in line paled at the sound. Andrea glanced at them before shaking her head. Another one of her brother’s sayings appeared in her head, “Only fools kept slaves.” Yet Palan had enslaved the snack dispenser and another harpy that she hadn’t met but heard about. The crazy encyclopedia had to hurry up before her brother lost even more of his senses. Maybe he’d advocate for peace and equality if he was left in DIv’Nya for another year. Andrea shuddered. How horrible.

Wasn’t there something she could do? Andrea sighed as she exited the building and raised her head. She was greeted by the sight of the floating cube in the sky—another universe-breaking thingamabob. What was wrong with Div’Nya? A blonde-haired centaur ran past her before stopping and trotting backwards. The centaur lowered her head and said, “Andrea! Good afternoon.”

“Cherri, right?” Andrea asked. Apparently Palan had nominated this centaur to be his spokesperson after taking over the tribe. Another one of Palan’s sayings drifted through her thoughts, “Having servants is the same thing as giving someone a knife and asking them to stab you in the back.” Andrea bit her lower lip and glared at the centaur.

Cherri stiffened and took a step back. “Y-yes?” she asked. Her eyes watered. She was a bit ashamed about being intimidated by a child, but she consoled herself by remembering Palan’s terrifying power. It wasn’t shameful to be scared of that person’s sibling. Wait, wasn’t she the one who greeted Andrea? Why did it seem like she was the one being interrogated?

Andrea sighed. Well, it made sense for Palan to have unreliable subordinates. There’d be less of a chance for them to backstab him. But that didn’t explain why he didn’t just destroy the tribe in the first place. It’s not like they did anything for him other than make that stupid statue. She glanced towards the east where the construction was taking place. Okay, maybe the statue did look a bit cool, but still. She shook her head and grabbed Cherri’s arm, causing the centaur to tremble like a scared puppy. If she was going to fix her brother, she’d have to know the extent of how far he was broken. “Tell me everything you know about Palan.”