Rachel chuckled as she guided the party back through the crowd, heading toward a nearby clothing store across the street. Traffic on the road had been diverted due to the active crime scene, but the police activity was also bringing a throng of people running to try and catch a glimpse of the action.

The other four girls were too busy with their own discussion to fully notice her frown; Scarlet had become the subject of question as Heather asked about her sucking the blood out of Deodato rather than incapacitating him while Bree and Serah were trying to get caught up on the situation.

The soft light released by her skin attracted more than a few eyes of Miami’s tourists and locals, but her mind was elsewhere. Rachel’s ears twitched as a few sirens from ambulances headed their way, rerouted from different parts of the city to handle the group she’d broken. Now that the fight was over, she pondered a few things that didn’t click with her; the topic that weighed most on her heart was the angst inside her chest to seek out more conflict, it still hadn’t gone away.

Her fingers tightened into fists, tail twitching with irritation. Why am I so aggressive right now? Is it Lunar Pride … is this feeling Lunar Pride?

When an answer didn’t come, she slowed her pace, brow creasing as her vision fell to the black pavement; the others didn’t seem to notice. Why is The System not answering me? I want to know if this is Lunar Pride. Nothing … which means it’s not. What is it? Why am I feeling this way?

Her jaw locked, and making a split-second decision; she activated Emotional Detachment. She took a long breath as the pulsing urge to rush over to a reporter and spin a story faded, and the agitation dissipated, locked inside a box her ability created.

The others turned their attention to her as she paused on the sidewalk in front of the store. “Rachel,” Scarlet pleaded for help but paused as she caught her emotionless expression. “Wait … Ms. Heather, please … Rachel, what’s going on?”

Bree and Serah frowned, moved around Scarlet to get a better look at her. “What’s with that look?” Serah mumbled.

Activating Accelerated Mind, Rachel relaxed her posture, closing her eyes while breathing. Normally, if Lunar Pride is affecting me, then The System will let me know why I’m acting in a specific way. However, it’s utterly silent about this. Lunar Pride was definitely involved with my confrontation with Elena, but this is something else entirely. Why?

I’m not getting answers, which means it's not a part of my abilities … meaning, this is either just me being pretty aggressive right now, which might be some kind of natural change to my physical Lunar Hare body. Although, I’m fairly sure I could get an answer from The System if that’s the case. If it’s not internal … it’s external.

Serah and Bree took a step back, faces creasing with concern as she opened her eyes. Rachel slowly turned her head, ears held high in the air as she scanned the environment, sniffing the air.

“What are you doing?” Heather asked, folding her arms indignantly while glancing between them.

The scents that filled her nose provided a mixed blend of sensations; she’d rarely actively used her sense of smell before to search for threats, but the experience was more than a little interesting. She could smell rats in the area; several people smelled like urine, and a lot of different perfumes, deodorants, and people’s natural musk were quite potent. However, no scent particularly stood out to her as a possible cause of her behavior, and the boxed emotions were only growing stronger.

Her ears, however, returned far more information than her nose; she filtered through the voices and sounds every person’s muscle movement left within range. She could tell by how a person moved if they were a nonhuman Demi or not, and there were a few very big Demi in the area that was likely Trolls or Giants by the conversations surrounding them.

After a moment, she centered on one individual that piqued her sensitive ears the most. She turned to stare back at the cafe, vision narrowing. That person … their movements don’t sound normal. If I was closer, then I could get a better grasp, but they’re rubbing their arm without a sound, and they’re not breathing, and no one is paying any close attention to them.

The people moving in slow motion returned to normal speed as she deactivated her skill. “Scarlet,” she pointed at the direction of the person, “look over there, behind the cafe on the next street. Who’s leaning against the wall?”

“What are you talking about?” Heather asked in frustration. “Are you just dodging the question?”

“Over there?” Scarlet asked, eyes turning Vampiric as she filtered through the crowd and building.

Bree and Serah wore frowns as they moved closer to Rachel, following her finger. “Hold on with the questions. Is there a threat, Rachel?” Serah asked.

“Maybe,” Rachel muttered. “Something’s off with how they sound…”

Her words died in her throat as Scarlet stiffened; even with Emotional Detachment, it took a moment to fully process what she was hearing.

“Oh, have you finally discovered me?” Relica asked with a playful hum. “I wondered how long it might take; my, how easy it would have been to attack you both. Oh, I suppose I kind of did … oof, but I was just having fun!”

Scarlet’s jaw locked as anger flashed across her features. “Relica!” Scarlet growled, and before Rachel could say anything, shadows surrounded the Vampire.

Heather jumped back. “Son of a … where the f...”

“Wait,” Serah’s tone dropped, tone serious. “Rachel, you found…”

Rachel never expected Relica to be casually stalking them, and that she’d found a way to hide from her hearing. “Yes,” she quickly moved through the crowd with the three law enforcement officers trailing behind her as she spoke. “Scarlet’s gone to confront Relica; she’s a high profile terrorist that the military is currently pursuing.”

“Say that again?” Heather demanded. “That’s crazy…” She paused as Bree pulled out her phone.

“I’ll tell the Assistant Director; she’s a Demi terrorist, and a dangerous one from what I’ve read.”

“We shouldn’t approach her like this!” Serah demanded, a lump dropping down her throat as she jogged to Rachel’s side. “There are too many potential hostages!”

Rachel ignored the suggestion, pushing through the throng to get to the Sorceress. Her cold red eyes quickly found the fastest route through the blockade; Scarlet appeared beside Relica, blood enveloping her, and Rachel noted that the woman made no attempt to resist, chuckling at the furious Vampire before her.

The packs of tourists and locals quickly moved away from the incident as they realized red liquid floating around a person against a wall with what appeared to be a red-eyed monster-lady glaring at the helpless woman.

“My, my, Scarlet. You’re taking this a bit too personally! I’m not here to fight; no, I have something much more interesting to deliver than death. Although, I did have a little fun with your Lunar Hare friend.”

Scarlet’s fingers tightened against her palms. “You … the way Rachel’s been acting? This isn’t even really you, though … where are...”

Relica giggled. “Honey,” she said in a sweet voice. “I’m not stupid; no, I’m far from it, and of course, I’ve discovered ways of creating body-doubles.”

“Cut the bull!” Scarlet growled. “Why are you here?”

With Heather behind her, the officers blocking the storefront let them by, and Rachel swiftly walked toward the incident that people were beginning to record. “I would agree with you, Serah, if she hadn’t already figured out that Scarlet and I had discovered her, and it appears like she’s attacked me already.”

Bree slowed down, gut tightening as she slid her hand in her purse, and Serah soon followed her action. “Wait … she has mind-control powers, right? I remember reading in…”

Rachel turned as she slowed to a stop, keeping her expression emotionless. “She’s basically a demigod Sorceress Legendkin; yes, she seems to have manipulated my emotions, which is why I’ve been more aggressive than usual, but I’m handling her manipulations with my own abilities at the moment.”

Quickly thinking through the situation, she explained her thoughts to the officers. “Scarlet has detained her, but it’s only a body-double, which is why I didn’t notice her … her body doesn’t sound like the original, so I can’t compare them. She’s here to deliver a message to us, and it appears as if she had a little fun manipulating me.”

Rachel’s jaw locked as Lunar Pride cut past Emotional Detachment. She manipulated me … I did put the police department in a bind because of it. It was probably some kind of enrage effect, and I had no clue it was even happening. I can’t be manipulated like this again.

“Hold up,” Heather pressed her tongue against her cheek for a moment as she glanced between them. “You’re serious? There’s a terrorist around that corner?” She turned and barked at two officers out of the four that had shown up outside to help with the crowd. “Springer, Hatch, on me!”

Both men glanced at each other as she unhooked her gun from around her waist, and quickly ran to join them. She looked up at Rachel, face set. “Okay, your buddy’s got the terrorist pinned down, right?”

Rachel held up her hands. “Calm down. If Relica wanted to fight, we’d have a whole lot of bodies on our hands, and she’s likely watching us as we speak. She’s not just some random thug; she’s dangerous to me and Scarlet, meaning normal humans don’t stand a chance.”

“Wait, what’s goin’ on?” Springer mumbled, taking out his Glock once he caught the Sergeant’s weapon unholstered.

Bree stepped to the side as David picked up, and she began explaining the situation. Rachel continued while she relayed. “This is a body-clone of Relica that we’re dealing with, and she’s here to give me and Scarlet a message. After that, she’ll probably release the spell, destroying her double, but she’s got a … hazardous personality.”

Heather’s nose twisted. “I hate this new Demi crap! Body-doubles? What kind of fictional bull is that?”

Rachel shook her head. “Look, I know you’re still on pretty high alert after all the gunfire and the possibility of being shot when clearing out the building, but this needs to be a conversation. Give us time.”

Heather looked up at her ears, still stiff as she scanned the city for Relica’s real body; Bree and Serah also seemed to catch her hint.

A lump dropped down Heather’s throat. “What about potential hostages.”

“There likely are some,” Rachel confirmed. “Scarlet and I will do what we can, but there’s no telling who might be under her influence; in South Beach, she forced teenagers to attack Scarlet, and she mind-controlled children. In addition, we don’t have Maria here to confirm or dispel anything.”

Perhaps I was too complacent, thinking Maria could handle any kind of status effect that might affect me, but this proves I need some type of defense myself.

The three women and two men shifted nervously as they followed Rachel around the corner, and they got their first glance of the Sorceress.

Relica looked no different than any other Miami resident, throwing the officer’s off a little as they saw the woman wrapped in crystallized blood. Scarlet seemed like an assailant, the entirety of her eyes glowed crimson as she glared at the woman, nose twisted with disgust.

The Sorceress’ soft hazel eyes, long black hair, tied back into a high ponytail, loose pink shirt, and tattered blue jeans gave her an unassuming atmosphere. She wore brown-strapped sandals and several pieces of jewelry; knowing Relica, they could have even been enchanted. In all, she seemed like a beautiful Miami young woman out on a nighttime stroll through the city.

“Rachel,” she grinned, showing her perfect white teeth. “It took you quite a while to get here, but I suppose explaining the whole backstory was pretty time-consuming! How are you? By the way, loved the work you did there; it was quite entertaining.”

Scarlet’s lips pursed to the side. “What’s the plan, Rachel? You heard about the body…”

She paused as Serah pulled out a badge, holding it high in the air. “FBI, clear the scene! You two,” she pointed at the officers Heather had brought. “Get these people back.”

Mumbles swept the crowd, and a few people quickly left upon hearing Serah’s shout.

“Aww,” Relica hummed with an amused smile. “She’s worried about the people. Well,” she smirked, head rolling to the left to stare at a man and woman. “Let’s get all this tension out of the way first.”

“Relica…” Scarlet warned, her fangs showing as she snarled.

“What?” She innocently asked as three men, and two women removed their shirts and pants, showing their bright underwear. “If I don’t do this, then all of this boring posturing won’t cease! Yes, as you can see, I have my little puppets here.”

Bree mumbled a curse, continuing to update David.

A bunch of people that heard Relica’s statement took off running after seeing the hostages’ actions, but several men and women turned their cameras on the people with interest.

“You said you weren’t here to fight,” Rachel repeated, posture lax as she stood before the bound woman.

Relica’s smile turned curious as she studied her. “Hmm … what kind of ability is giving you that resistance? My Provoke spell seems to have hit a wall; there was nothing about this in the military record.”

“Military record?” Rachel asked. “You were able to access the files the military has on us?”

“Well,” Relica smirked, giving Scarlet a wink. “I have a small group of people that I’ve gathered together, and it’s shocking what a Lieutenant Colonel’s credentials will get you. There were a lot of weaknesses and personnel to exploit with all the chaos happening.”

“What do you want!” Scarlet barked. “Can you just leave me alone?”

Everyone turned their focus to Bree as she put her phone on speaker, and the officers began ushering the onlookers that refused to leave away.

“I am Assistant Director of Demi Affairs, David Ross. You prefer going by the name Relica?”

Relica rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, David Ross, Assistant Director of whatever, you’re boring. You want to know my demands, of course … you’re all a waste of air. It’s simple, David, shut-up, and if I hear one of your people or these police officers speak, then my hostages will cut themselves! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Cut themselves…” Heather’s frown deepened as Relica’s smile grew, and a woman took her long fingernail and ran it down her wrist, drawing blood.

The woman seemed perfectly calm as she turned to smile at the officer. “Please shut-up, or I’ll keep cutting myself; the Mistress is talking.”

The few lingering people soon understood this was not a joke, and ran for their lives; Relica ignored the panic. “That, I am! Oh, maybe we’ll move onto an orgy with them next; those are fun to watch, and they’ll be covered in blood. Now, where was I?” Relica pondered, and the officers turned white, realizing the impossible situation they were in. “Right, I was about to talk to these lovely Mythickin.”

Rachel kept her eyes trained on Relica. She’s in complete control, and her threats are more than real; she’s likely to do something even more drastic before this ends just for fun. Scarlet painted her as a control freak, and once things started getting out of her hands, she began breaking down. Relica’s a planner and has set things up to allow her the best opportunity to achieve her goal, which is just to talk with us? There’s more to it, but what?

As if on cue, Relica said, “Now, first things first, Scarlet…” The Sorceress turned her sparkling hazel irises to her. “Have you seen to the arrangements for your father’s funeral?”

Scarlet’s eyes widened, and she reflexively took a step back, hand gripping her arm. “W-What? What do you mean? Why would…”

“Why else?” Relica asked with a sweet smile. “Your mother wants to know.”

Crap… Rachel took a step forward to put a hand on Scarlet’s left shoulder as her blood began to liquefy, part of it returning to her body as if to protect her. “Scarlet, she’s saying it to get under your skin, relax.”

“B-But … how…”

“She read the military file on us,” Rachel reassured, but internally, her mind was quickening.

I thought about it before, and this tips the scale pretty hard in that direction; Relica was likely the one that broke Scarlet’s mom out of custody, but why? Scarlet made it seem as if she came face to face with her inner demon, and if the first thing she did was go after her mother, then … could she have been given instructions by The Reaper?

Of course, it could just be her obsession with Scarlet herself that drew Relica to her, but within that time-frame? There’s no way she would have gotten all the proper information to plan something like that without direct instruction. Maybe, but it would be a quick sell; I’ll know when we discover how long the Lieutenant Colonel went missing, and I’m sure they can figure out when our data was accessed by his credentials.

In any case, it’s impossible to know for sure at this time, and at the same time, it’s unlikely Relica knows how bad Scarlet’s PTSD is about her family. That wouldn’t likely be in the report. If Relica and Scarlet’s mother are working together, that could spell a lot of trouble for us, and there are also those random gangsters that went missing after Scarlet used her Fear Aura on them. There’s a lot of loose ends here.

“Did you come here to taunt Scarlet, or do you have a real purpose? Wait,” she gave Relica a testing smirk, “you’re just a messenger, aren’t you?”

Relica’s smile fell. “Well, you don’t need to be rude. I’ve set up this whole scene so we could be nice and friendly! Now,” she grinned at Scarlet, “could you retract this little net, or should I have the orgy start?”

Scarlet’s fangs pressed against her lower lips as she cursed, glancing back at the hostages as the women put their hands on their bras and men on their trunks. “You’re sick…”

“Oh, Scarlet,” Relica giggled. “Who doesn’t love a good orgy? I mean, let’s go back to the good Greek days and dispense with all this constrictive social fabric about marriage and saving yourself for someone that will never come. You know, I did weasel out of your mother that you’re a virgin!”

“Cut it out … you’re such a…” Her cheeks were bright red as she hugged herself, retreating a few more steps.

Rachel moved with her, squeezing her shoulder again; the two officers, Heather, Bree, and Serah were all stiff as a board as they watched, teeth grinding, but every so often, they glanced over at the bleeding hostage to reinforce their need to be silent. “It’s okay, Scarlet, let her go.”

She heard the first ambulance arrive down the opposite street, moving through the crowd, and Heather slowly backed up toward the wall, likely trying to get back to the entrance to report the hostage situation happening out front. However, Rachel heard several people that had been in the crowd already on a call with the local department.

Relica licked her lips, and even her clothes seemed to be made of some other element that didn’t make a sound as she shifted her body. “That’s better! Oh, and you,” she pointed at Heather. “No more movement.”

She opened her palm, “Anávo̱” A ball of blazing red fire appeared between her fingers. “Anymore movement and I’ll burn your right breast off; although, I doubt you’ll be missing much,” she giggled.

“No, you won’t,” Scarlet’s nose twisted, and her blood spread out, pointed spear tips forming.

“Party pooper,” Relica huffed; she closed her fist, and the fire vanished. Smile returning, she held her hand behind her back while facing Scarlet. “Now that we’re done with all the posturing bits, let’s get down to business!”

“Wait,” Scarlet swallowed, tongue wetting her black lips red with her own blood. “You broke my mom out of jail?”

“Mhm! I did, and she’s quite the lady. You might even say we’re as close as sisters, now! I think she likes me a lot.”

Scarlet shook her head. “No … no, Rachel’s my sister.”

“Well, at least to your mom, I’m like a sister,” Relica shrugged with a soft sigh. “There are some wonderful plans she’s discussed with me. Oh,” she reached into her back pocket, taking out a piece of black folded paper. “Oof, it’s been pressed into a curve, but what can you do when you have an awesome figure like mine?” She boasted, slapping her butt while giving one of the male officers a smirk. “I know you were looking.”

His nose twisted, lips pursing as he glared at her, continuing to keep his silence.

“Are you done boosting your fragile self-esteem?” Rachel asked dryly. “If you wouldn’t mind, I have places I’d like to be.”

“Ooh, important!” Relica mused while leaning back against the wall; she folded her arms under her chest, bunching her shirt while tapping the paper against her side. “Fair, fair, after all, I’ve got many things to do myself.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Rachel huffed, giving her a bored expression to hurry up the exchange, and Bree tried to hide a smile.

“There,” Relica mumbled, hazel eyes scrutinizing Rachel’s face. “This is what makes you interesting. I read some fascinating notes about how a few military personnel reported your behavior, and after meeting you in person … you don’t disappoint. You’re calculating, cold, ruthless,” her teeth flashed. “Yet, at the same time, you have a passion that burns beneath that cold mask, or it could be the opposite at times. I think having you around would be quite fun! You sure you don’t want to join us?”

Scarlet’s head snapped to her, and it was a little painful seeing how worried Scarlet was, but the emotion was boxed into Emotional Detachment; she knew Scarlet didn’t believe for a second she would leave her, but the possibility of being blindsided again was likely killing Scarlet inside.

“No, you aren’t my type, Relica. Scarlet and I want nothing to do with whatever you have planned.”

“Mmh, pity,” Relica mumbled, lifting the paper to tap her lips. “I expected as much, but Adele had a bit of hope she’d join with us; she understands you aren’t quite ready yet.”

“For what?” Scarlet asked, voice fluctuating between anger and fear. “What does she want from me? Does she want me to kill everything?”

“When you’re ready, you’ll know,” Relica hummed mysteriously. “Well, I’m sure your little government friends will want to look into this.”

Relica tossed the black paper to Rachel, and she easily snatched it out of the air as it veered off course. Partially expecting some kind of trap, Rachel activated Wenet’s Minor Protection with the moon overhead, feeding her energy. Everyone’s eyes focused on her, and she could smell the anxiety being released by the humans.

“Oh, pretty,” Relica commented. “Some protection in case of a trap? You are pretty sharp, but I have to disappoint you. No, we are on the same side now, girls! That there is a little invitation that Terrell got his hands on before his untimely death. Great work, by the way; tell your Fairy friend.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she read down the contents of the letter:

To those strong enough to take what they want, come join the Free Nation! Take what is yours and prove yourself above every single creature. Cuba is gone, replaced with true freedom. Do whatever you want! You want slaves, money, power, a brotherhood, then join the Free Nation of Alanefgoi. However, to be accepted, you must bring something of value to the Nation. We are the New World Power!

“Hmh,” Rachel frowned, putting her hand on her hip to demonstrate she wasn’t impressed, but internally, her blood was boiling with the challenge. “What does this have to do with us?”

Relica tilted her head, ponytail bunching at her collarbone. “Didn’t you read the back?”

She turned the paper around, eyes narrowing. “America will fall!”

“So … you set all this up to tell us there’s a Demi group that’s preaching Demi superiority, and they took over Cuba. Ah, can’t forget the kill Americans propaganda. What are you getting out of this?”

Relica rested her head against the bricks. “Mmh, let’s just say that we have an invested interest in some of the players, and it would be good having someone opposing those players; honestly, I can’t think of anyone better than your little rag-tag group that the military is bound to call upon. Maria can get you an in, too! She knows the right circles.”

“You want us to go against an army of criminal underground Demi that wants to prove they’re the strongest?” Scarlet asked, shooting a worried glance at Rachel. “That’s … umm, huh?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s the best of every nation,” Relica shrugged dismissively. “I mean, let’s be honest here, their whole promotion is kind of sketchy, to begin with, and it’s only cycling high-end criminal circles. Basically, it’s a lawless zone with rival factions trying to scrap power for themselves; however, once they’ve established a power chain, then they’ll be quite dangerous, and ready to move to new ventures.”

Her hazel eyes sparkled before flashing purple. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to be so interested in this, Rachel; it seems I have a lot to learn about your abilities. You have an amazing poker face!”

The agents gave her deep frowns, but Rachel kept her bored scowl in place. “Is that the message?”

“It is. Oh, this has been fun!” She breathed a sharp breath through her teeth while staring at the half-naked men and women. “Ah, I’d forgotten about them … mmh, what to do? It would be a waste to just leave them after so much work.”

Rachel gave the humans a calculating stare before humming. “Have you seen how long your mind-controlled victims can spin in circles before your spell no longer is strong enough to compel them?”

Relica gave her an incredulous grin. “What a random question? I love it!” Her smile turned dubious. “Although, I understand it’s just a means to keep them alive. Still, that does make me wonder … okay, okay,” she giggled. “You win, they can go free; well, until next time, toodle-oo, girls.”

Relica snapped her thumb and middle finger, causing the men and women to collapse as she released control, and after waving, her body, clothes and all, seemed to disperse into shadows.

Rachel released Wenet’s Minor Protection as the Sorceress vanished, and she stared down at the piece of paper. A lawless zone meant to weed out the weak, building an army to attack the U.S. Interesting plan, but it seems more like a pipe dream. No, that’s just the propaganda show-message; they’re planning something different, and that’s why Relica and Adele are interested.

Yeah, Tom would be locked onto this, and it will likely take a week or more for him to get the proper information to send us in. The Crystals and the new power struggles in the world. My body’s hot, just thinking about it. Contacting Tom should be the first thing I do after calming everyone down; he needs time to get all the facts.