Sora’s head bobbed back and forth as her three chakrams hovered around her, blasting the chocolate soldiers as Nari played the battle music she was undoubtedly dancing to with Emilia.

Unable to slip through dimensional boundaries beyond a very short distance yet, she floated forward, snatching a chunk of chocolate on her way to bite into it—sweet, but nothing special.

It turned into an arcade shooter, her Null-Void beams naturally targeting based on perceived danger; the most overpowered part about her father’s side was that her energy acted more like a living entity, devouring whatever it came into contact with.

As could be expected, it was a power struggle, meaning if she was weaker than the force she was pushing against, Sora would be all but helpless; luckily, it was possible to even break difficult-to-digest elements if she had enough time, yet in-motion attacks were an entirely different topic.

When it came to the walls around her, they were a stationary barrier—about as dense as the city’s material—making it not worth attempting to chew through. Laughing, Sora was reminded of the crazy people in the World Records that ate things like planes; while bodies could be incredible, not everything was designed for them.

Leaving the thoughts in the back of her mind, Sora smiled while scanning all the little hidden things Nari had placed in the wide hallways; it was far more intricate than she initially thought, with many secret passages or triggerable events.

Seiōbo was the creator of everything, but it came from Nari’s imagination based on various media she’d consumed on Earth when following Sora’s life, which was interesting.

Phasing through a painting of White as a Dark Knight, overlooking a big valley, she followed the staircase up to reach the place she’d sensed Kari; she lifted an eyebrow upon seeing the teenage wolf girl.

“Hmm? Hehe.”

“What—Sora?” Kari mumbled, squinting her eyes as she held a pair of glasses up to her nose before lowering them, testing her sight with the new outfit she wore.

Hosting a light-gray, long-sleeve blouse and black, knee-length skirt, she looked fairly cute, and seeing the wolf wearing circular glasses was pretty funny; her daughter was going for more of a teacher vibe, Sora figured.

Kari’s thick, black tail swayed to the left as she removed the articles to rub her watering eyes. “Ugh… These things are so… weird. I never got why humans wear them; how can they have bad eyes—is this what it looks like?”

The girl squinted through the spectacles, big amber irises magnified. “Uh… yeah, screw that…” she mumbled, tossing them to the side to vanish in sparkling dust. “I can’t even see with those things on, and they don’t stay in place!”

“Pfft. Considering we don’t have human ears, I'd say not,” Sora snickered, giving her a thumbs up. “Looking cute, by the way! Skirts suit you since you’ve got nice legs.”

“Thanks… eh, heh—can’t say the same about you in those dresses!”

Frowning, Sora glanced down at her red gown. “Why? I think I pull it off—I got nice flaming hair, my tails are on fire, and I’m pretty hot all-round.”

Kari shrugged, plucking at her blouse with a thoughtful hum. “Maybe I’m just not used to seeing you dress like that. It just looks off—kind of like how I’m dressed… I guess it has a place in the blouse and skirt for my tail—and it’s not too restrictive, stretching when I bend.”

A little disgruntled by her evaluation but happy Kari was being honest, she floated closer to circle the wolf, chakram still eating through the random mobs the second they turned the corner. “We had girls that dressed like this in school… well, heh, maybe not how I’m dressed unless it was a formal dance.”

“Never went to those,” Kari muttered. “I mean, yeah, I’ve seen humans wear those kinds of gowns, but they were always the older women.”

“True…” Sora mumbled, twisting to examine her figure. “I am kind of a mom now, but I’ll grow more in the next six months—heh, I think you will, too!”

“My mom says I will; it’s whatever… eh, I guess it’s not bad on you now that I see it,” she admitted, giving her a critical stare as Sora spun in a short circle to let it flare a bit.

“Oh. Changing your mind?”

“The fire-like hair helps.”

“Right? C’mon, give yourself a second look!” she urged, asking the Realm—that they were still in—to make a mirror.

Kari’s lips pursed to the side, her left hand moving to her hip as her tail went left and right while studying her clothing. “Hmm… I was never into the whole fashion thing—clothes were clothes, and they did their job—a dress certainly isn’t good for sporting events.”

Sora grinned. “These are magical clothes that Emi made for us; I’m sure they have special properties, plus they look super cute! Hehe. I bet you’d wear shorts and a sports bra every day if we didn’t make other outfits for you.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Kari mumbled, hopping on her left and right foot to show the elastic short shorts underneath the bouncing skirt. “I guess it’s not too restrictive, and she made the short heels have a grip—but I’m still not used to it.”

“Uh-huh, and there’s nothing wrong with trying something new!” she countered. “C’mon, what would you tell Emi if she were here?”

“Right… Umm, well, I guess the wrist ribbons make it so the sleeves don’t fly up if I push, which is nice… the tail opening is better than yours, too, Sora.”

“Ouch!”

“It’s true, heh, and the little crimping and flair add a unique touch—this v-pattern collar is nice, and she did well on the bra—some good support.”

“So, you do like it!”

“Yeah, sure… it’s just clothes,” she repeated.

Sora gave her a dull look; she shouldn’t have expected anything more. Kari was far more of a practical girl, only thinking about her next battle or challenge.

This entire thing was for Emilia to show off her talents in fashion, and Sora thought her daughter had made some fantastic outfits, but it mostly went right over Kari’s head. It wasn’t the wolf’s fault, and she had complimented Emilia, which was the best she could hope for.

Kari stepped forward, throwing out a few punches before her claws extended to send a short-ranged slash of condensed spiritual energy that took the form of black marks to rake through space, surprising Sora.

“Ooh! Wait, when did you learn how to do that?”

“Hmm… recently, and I got the idea from some of the monsters we’ve seen. I learned I need more ranged attacks like you through all this.”

“Good thinking!” Sora chimed. “Ready to find Aiden and Liz?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Kari groaned, stretching her arms before transforming.

“Mmh?” Sora floated back as the three-meter-tall wolf shook out her hair, noticing the light-gray streaks now running down her fur. “Looks like Emi made your blouse also give you highlights!”

Kari shifted her body to examine herself in front of the expanding mirror, a low rumble in her throat. “Interesting… like the girls at school would do to their hair? Huh. I actually like that.”

Nice! Good job, Emi; we’ve got her!

“It does look good! Maybe she could make some clothes that cause more changes like that. What do you think?”

“Like?”

“We’ll have to experiment!”

Swinging her long, streaked tail back around, Kari grunted. “Sure. Ready?”

Victory! We’ll get you into fashion somehow!

“Yup!”

Hovering beside Kari, she giggled at how annoyed the wolf was getting at her chakram, instantly targeting and destroying the chocolate soldiers as they neared, Sora passively studying the artwork.

“Could you leave some for me?”

“Hmm? Oh, did you want to do something? By all means!”

She snickered at Kari's dirty look, and Sora allowed the wolf to take the lead.

Progressing through the floors, she was a little surprised when Kari proudly found Aiden and Liz first by their unique spiritual pulses.

“Got them—they’re this way!”

The Fenris Wolf jumped through a fake wall, bringing them up a spiral staircase to an extensive library; however, something instantly made Sora’s heart stop as she pulled ahead of Kari, almost forcing her out of the air upon seeing the pair.

Liz and Aiden were across the long aisle, seemingly so self-absorbed they didn’t even notice their entry, and for good reason; thanks to Sora swiftly entering Spy Mode, a triangular Null-Void barrier was created on instinct to stop Kari and any sound from escaping.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!”

“Huh?!”

Kari struck the barrier, creating a crack in her relatively newly learned defense, but fortunately, she was just running—though the crack showed just how physically strong her friend was.

Recovering, a mischievous grin split across Sora’s lips as Kari puzzled out what was going on, ears slowly pulling back. “Is she…”

“Shhh…”

They watched with bated breath, hiding within the void-like bubble that took far more energy than Sora would have liked, given how unskilled she was in this technique.

In the dim lighting of the hallway was a litter of chocolate soldiers, mostly melted, that stained the carpet and tile floors, but in the cleared center were Liz and Aiden.

Aiden had a black shirt and pants on, showing bits of fashion from bead and leather bracelets to a shell necklace and earrings, yet it was his colored cheeks that had Sora’s stomach swirling and a goofy grin in place.

Across from him was Liz, dressed in a rather warm-looking, short-sleeve, rogue sweater, snow-white skirt, matching thigh-high tights, and a chocolate-themed bowtie that matched the sweet item between her lips.

Leaning forward, hands held behind her back and a teasing look in her eyes, Sora knew exactly what the girl was doing, mirroring one of the romance movies they’d seen in teaching Tola; the devilish fox girl was taking lessons because, without a doubt, she was looking for her second kiss.

“The thing—she’s trying to do the thing?” Kari mumbled, throat becoming sticky.

“Shhh!” Sora repeated, hair coming unbound as her true chakram floated ahead to expand, becoming a telescope for them to sneak peek. “Hmm-hmm. Looks like Tola hasn’t been the only one—”

Fingers coming to her mouth as Aiden leaned forward, she blushed; he opened his lips and took a bite for the girl to push forward, swallow the remaining, and give him a peck before dancing back with a giggle.

“She did it!” Kari mumbled in disbelief.

Sora didn’t know the two had gotten that close, but she was obviously the initiator in the event by her twitching ears and wagging light-pink tail.

“Aww, and she looks adorable,” Sora cooed, her own tails weaving at the quick, wholesome kiss.

Drawing Kari behind the bookshelf, she released her barrier and jumped out as the two savored the experience. “Aiden, Liz!”

“Huh? Oh! Eh-heh, hey, Sora… Kari!” Aiden stammered, Liz swiftly hiding her face as she choked, coughing a little from the remaining saliva and chocolate in her mouth.

“Woah, don’t you look nice—a new red dress—streaks, too, Kari? Cool.”

Giving them a mischievous smile as she floated to a stop, Sora could now see why the two wanted some personal time today; Liz was probably preparing herself for this all week—it was perhaps Aiden’s second kiss—for Liz, she couldn’t be sure, considering the sex rituals the Council forced; then again, it could be regarded as a first since she had no memory of those incidents.

“What were you two doing?” Sora poked fun. “You’ve got some awfully red cheeks!”

“Just, eh—hanging out until you came… took your time, by the way!” Aiden interjected with a forced grin.

Kari gave the two of them a slight smirk with her wolf-like eyes. “Is that right?”

Liz may have been the initiator and lead when it came to the romance, but clearly, Aiden was her knight in shining armor, coming to her rescue by the way she acted, and she loved it. Sora could practically see Nari and Emilia watching the scene with sparkling eyes; the twins didn’t quite get romance yet.

“I’m just… eh-heh, we were tasting some of the chocolate,” Liz mumbled, directing them to the destroyed soldiers.

A playful smirk in place, Sora slowly nodded. “Mhm. I’m sure you were sharing the sweets. Hehe. Anyways, should we get going?”

“Yeah, for sure!” Aiden jumped up, taking Liz’s hand and causing another blush to cross the woman’s cheeks; to be fair, she was less a fox and more a cougar in this relationship, being quite a bit older than the seventeen-year-old boy.

Flying behind them, the Vixen Founder giggled with Kari as they gave each other knowing looks; slowly, her new friend was opening up and acting more like a girl.

It was still a little surreal being friends with the person who bullied her for so many years and in such a short time, but that went to show how much they’d been through together. She couldn’t wait for Wendy and her to get closer, too, and Mofupsi could get in on it, as well.

Following behind the love birds—one literally a firebird—she couldn’t help releasing a soft sigh as she thought about Eyia; if there was one problem in her life now, it was the prejudice the Valkyrie had against Fenris Wolves, which was more than understandable since Kari’s grandfather had killed her father.

Sure, she disagreed with throwing the blame on Kari, but Sora could still understand her hatred and combined with the brutal environment she’d grown up in, there wasn’t much of a grasp on friendship or forgiveness for the Valkyrie. She saw Jin more as a rival than a friend, yet there was a budding connection there.

Thinking about the Nordic girl as they went through the hallways, her chakram once again auto-targeting the soldiers, she noticed Liz and Kari content themselves to eat the remains at this point.

All thought vanished when they turned a random corner, Sora not paying attention to where the pair was leading them; Elder White met them on the path, sitting atop a blanket and seemingly waiting just for them.

“Eep!”

Sora laughed when Liz instinctively hid behind Aiden. “White, hehe, I see you’ve been well!”

A big grin split Aiden’s lips. “Oh, we got all those statues on the way here, right?”

“Yeah, I smashed the last one,” Kari replied, circling to the opposite side of the man as they surrounded him. “That was forever ago, though.”

“My Queen! Eh?” he coughed, sounding the part of a wise old man. “I do not know of this White you speak of… I am but the simple peddler you met before.”

“Right, right! So, we completed your challenge, so…”

“Yes, of course… Might I ask for one last thing?”

“Sure,” Sora returned, seeing everyone else shrug their own acceptance.

His head lowered, stroking his beard and putting his fingers into his robe to take out a tarnished pendant to present it to her; they glanced up as the ambiance changed, light focusing on the disguised Vulpes.

“You have proven yourself to be the one to reclaim this land… We are so small and weak, yet you are the light in our heavy hearts, overcome by doubt. I am so sorry it took this long for us to realize…”

Sora took the necklace as he offered it, his voice filled with emotion. “The seas of the dead rose, and we could not prevail, but with you as our strength, blessed Queen, we ran like tears through the flood of holy rivers.”

Opening it, Sora’s smile softened upon seeing the dual picture of Seiōbo and Nari, both faded and showing brilliant smiles that Sora figured the women had taken during their trip into the past. “My aunts were once so bright…”

“Indeed, my Queen… Please, do not be wrathful toward the two High Ladies of our once-great land that served you… Heavens help us—we could not reclaim their innocence, but… but we cannot accept this fate—the curse we bear by the true orchestrator behind this madness… Save our noble sovereigns for the sake of us all, I beg of you.”

Sora puffed out a long sigh, shaking her head before forcing a chuckle. “Don’t tell me…”

The tower shuddered, bookshelves falling away as the floor above cracked and several figures floated overhead—they’d unlocked the secret ending by completing the tasks—and her adorable, little daughter hovered between her two controlled aunts.

“Mia-ha-ha-ha! I fooled you, Mom! It was I, the Dark Princess of the Despairing Abyss, the entire time! Nia-ha-ha-ha!”

The entangled twins, barmaid Tola, Eyia, and even Liz, gasped in total surprise at the twist.

“No!” Liz muttered. “How? You were captured!”

Rayla nodded vigorously. “Yeah! We helped!”

“It was Evil Aunt Nari that corrupted us!” her twin confirmed, and Sora didn’t miss a confused Jin sitting at a floating table while sipping tea to the side; Skeleton Steven and the server were nearby, bringing Sora’s thoughts back to the hilarious breakfast.

Tola clapped her hands in her bonds. “Most impressive and evil, Princess. You made all the evil and cursed items.”

“Yes! It was I that did all of this to take my mother away from her protective lands; I will make the whole world into chocolate!”

“Oh!” Nari grinned. “I can get behind that, little niece! We join forces! Mia-haha!”

“No, Aunt Nari!”

“No?”

“You have been my puppet this entire time! Who gave you the idea of a chocolate world?”

“It was you, Little Princess Niece! Evil and good at the same time—oh! Oh! OH! You tricked me—not a chocolate world?”

“Not a chocolate world… a chocolate universe!”

“Wow… Princess Emi for president of the universe!”

“Chocolate!” the twins sang, weaving back and forth.

Sora chuckled.

“Huh? Why do you laugh, Mother? I have orc—orces… set up all of this! Haha!”

She held up the pendant that not-White had given to her, to her cherished gift from her daughter, doing what she knew would be the line of thinking Emilia would use. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t know your thoughts, my unruly daughter?”

“No! Not grandpa’s old pendant! Where did you…”

White stood up, shimmering to put on shining armor. “I have been keeping an eye on you, my granddaughter! You are not the one in control, My Princess!”

Kari lifted an eyebrow. “ANOTHER twist?”

“Yes! Watch as the Heart of Flames reveals the true orchestrator!”

“Bleh-bleh!” Emilia protested like a vampire, holding up her hands as the burning pendant—the first gift her daughter had made and given to her—the light revealed a little imp in the girl’s shadow.

Two chakrams shooting out to surround it, they fired; the fiend gave a short squeak and had a defeated look on its face as the beams hit, causing a nova of flowers, light, and confetti to rain around them.

Sora flew forward to smoothly catch her daughter out of the air as she play-fainted, falling like a feather into her arms as the others were released, and they ended up in a flowery field.

The evil outfits the three wore vanished to be replaced by cute clothing her daughter had fashioned, and they all giggled at the change of events; it was just the kind of half-thought-out adventure she’d come to expect.

“You won, Mom! You saved me!”

“Always!” Sora mused, leaning in to nuzzle the girl and cause a giggle. “Those were some amazing clothes.”

“You think so? Aunt Kari threw away my glasses, though… I tried to make them work for her and see amazing stuff, but I messed up.”

“It’s okay; we’ll get her into fashion and cute clothes, even if it takes a bit. Right?”

“Yeah!”

“You want to show everyone your special clothes?”

“Mhm!”

Sora noticed a look cross her blonde aunt’s face at their reunion that brought a small frown to her lips; it didn’t last long, though. “Hmm… try to get Kari on some new streaks for her fur—she seems to like it a lot,” she winked, making Emilia giggle.

Setting her down as the others gathered around the twelve-year-old—other than her aunts—Sora walked to stand beside Nari, watching her daughter happily take requests from everyone, including Jin, on fashion choices.

“Want to talk a bit, Aunt Nari?”

“Hmm? No, I’m fine! It was enjoyable. Wasn’t it? Emi has such an imagination—mmgm…”

Her big sister’s four tails pressed against the blonde’s side, shoving her closer to Sora. “Go on—don’t make a scene.”

“I wasn’t… Umm, sure; we can talk,” she muttered, brushing back her bright, blonde locks before transporting them to a tall mountainous library, seemingly on the Topaz Planet.

Nari stepped forward to lean against a railing, holding her left arm while looking off into the snowy wonderland; silence ensued as Sora followed her example, using both arms to examine the valley.

Her aunt’s non-corrupted attire was dazzling on her—a lilac, thigh-length dress with an open, long-sleeve, white blouse underneath—and the woman’s golden irises wandered for something to take her attention.

The immature, giggling girl she’d known when her aunts had first returned had changed; sure, she’d played into Emilia’s desires, but there was a new level of maturity behind her sparkling, topaz irises. Sora could see why this woman dazzled the other Second Generation Founders by her visual appeal alone.

“Emilia is such a fun child,” Nari whispered, yet there was longing in her distant eyes. “It reminds me of playing with my own mother. Hmm…”

“I can’t imagine how you feel, Aunt Nari… Everything you knew changed instantly—your sisters grew up without you.”

“Mmh… it’s not just that,” a strained smile came to Nari’s face, holding back tears. “My sisters knew me—Seiōbo knows so much about me… but I don’t know them—not anymore, and trying to give me memories of our time together doesn’t help.”

“Because it’s not you?”

“Mhm. It’s some version of me I don’t know, and looking at Emilia trying to build memories with you that aren’t planted or shared from your own experiences reminded me of that. Emi and I are fairly similar in that…”

Sora pressed her back against the railing to stare up at the mountain-like building, the frigid high-altitude winds blowing her dress against her legs. “Hmm. I would say Emi and you are similar, but… your situation is far worse. Emilia has me and everyone else to build new memories with, but you know you had an entire life before this… people expect certain things from you.”

“They do,” she sighed, big, golden ears twitching as she managed her fluttering locks. “I seem to have always been the troublemaker in our family… the little sister that needed protecting, and I never grew out of that… until the day I was murdered…

“Heh, which feels impossible, by the way… Some cyclops killed me? Really… not even a Second Generation Founder or one of these Primordials—how pathetic was I, and then to cause Inee to go on such a crusade… I’m the worst little sister.”

Sora let her statement stew in her mind for a few seconds. “The worst little sister… I used to want nothing more than to have a little sister—someone who looked up to me—that I could teach and be relied upon, and I guess I get that in Emi, which is awesome.”

Turning to look at her somber aunt, Sora puffed out a long stream of air. “Are you looking for me to agree with you?”

“I don’t know… It just feels better to talk about it with you than Bobo. Heh, what would Mother think of that… I’m running away again, I suppose.”

“Mmh, maybe… or you’re just looking for something internal. If you want to change, maybe you should look to your Shadow; Aunt Seiōbo is preparing to face her own. You two could practice together, but I don’t know you, Aunt Nari, but I want to—hehe, the only Aunt Nari I know is the one that likes to do pranks.”

“Hmm-hmm. I’m sorry for my first behavior, Sora,” her aunt chuckled, blushing a tad.

“Haha!” Sora floated forward to embrace her struggling aunt; it seemed Seiōbo wasn’t the only one that needed to come back to have someone to talk to. “Don’t worry about it! We’re family, and I’ll always be here for you.”

“You’re so cute, Sora! I’m so happy for Mia, having a daughter like you—maybe I’ll have one myself one day…” she trailed off, exiting her hug to gaze at the bright heavens.

“Mia and Inee are off trying to rescue our Mother, and Bobo’s struggling with her own troubles she won’t tell me about… Haaa. I’m not the smartest of our family, Sora, or the strongest—eh-heh, I guess all I’ve ever really had going for me was my spiritual radiance… my looks—but I’d like to help my family more.”

Slight smile brightening, the golden glow the Second Generation Vulpes naturally released hit Sora like a wave of solidified awe at her brilliant face. “If you or Emi needs me, just send a pulse through the Spiritual Plane, and I’ll fly to your side—to talk or anything else. If I have a second chance to live better, I want to take it.”

Fire burning in her chest at the sincerity of her two aunts, doing their best to move beyond this impossible situation they’d been reborn into, all Sora could do was throw her arms around the woman again and hold her tight.

“All I’ve… ever wanted was a whole family, Aunt Nari… I love you!”

“I love you too… I never thought I’d have more family to love…”

Crying in her comforting golden aunt’s arms, Sora felt the thirst for meaning in the woman’s Core radiating out; she’d been experimenting while accompanying Seiōbo through her past, and now Nari was seeing something she wanted to pursue.

It may have seemed like an easy conversation, but she knew how crushing it must have been for Nari to voice the weight that was on her heart. Finally, they were healing, which meant their forced link to Sora was also thinning, and eventually, they would be free to leave if they wanted.

If that happened, she was positive it would be for the right reasons, much like her other amazing role models; there wasn’t a person she respected more than her fabulous aunts.

Spending a few more minutes calming down, they laughed about some of the strange things humans did, including the many utilities they required that, for some reason, amused Nari to no end.

Returning to Emilia, they finished the day by narrowing down a few clothing sets before making plans for a big festival in three weeks to celebrate Nari and Bobo’s return—the Holiday of Chocolate—where her little chef would have something special for the connoisseur!