As I floated in the strange void that I’d been sent to, after being made to abdicate as the crown prince of the Endless Red Empire, and being sentenced to exile, a certain memory would play in my head. My mother stood in front of the conversion pod that would transform my physical body into pure energy. She looked…distraught. An expression that I saw a lot lately.

The Prince she’d married had been a good thing for here, and helped my mother to move forward in her life, but thawing her icy heart had apparently opened the woman up to a great deal of pain. Making me wonder if the Prince’s influence had been all that good for. Making me wonder if my influence was all that good for her. Making me think that perhaps my exile was a good thing, since lately, it seemed my presence was the biggest source of her pain.

The tall and imposing monarch seemed almost shrunken as she stood in front of the little window of my conversion pod. Her normally hearty, red-brown skin seemed pale and ashen. Her handsome and haughty triangular face was almost as crumpled as the tissue she was holding. It’s a good thing, my stepfather, Liam stood beside her supporting her, because the woman almost seemed to be on the verge of a collapse, and my indoctrination had taught me that it wouldn’t do for the people in the room to see their leader so weak.

She placed her hand on the window and began speaking. It took me a while to realize what she was saying. I couldn’t hear her words because the conversion pod was completely air-tight, but I could still hear her thoughts. However, even in that case, I had been taught that outside of certain circumstances it was impolite to invade the sanctity of someone’s mind. So, it took a second to realize I was supposed to be listening in.

“My son…I cannot apologize enough for what I have done and what I must now do…Here now my final commands for you…”

Understanding that I was being addressed. I saluted to let my mother know that I was awaiting her instruction.

“First, consider yourself freed and graduated of all bonds and binding terms…While you must never return to the Endless Red, I wish for you to live freely and according to your own wishes, desires, and ambitions…and I affirmatively order you to allow no further constraints to be placed upon your person…I raised you to be an Emperor, not a slave…and even if you will no longer be a citizen of the Endless Red, I still expect you to live with the dignity, honor, and nobility of our people…”

“Second…I want you to understand that what I did was wrong…What I had others do to you was wrong…What am I doing now, for all that it is for the greater good…is wrong…And I command you to never again allow anyone to harm you as you have been harmed…No, I say to you now, that I wish for you to place all efforts in defending, taking care of, and look after yourself, my son…I have failed you as a mother, but you have gone above and beyond as a prince, and you ‘are’ deserving, of dignity, respect, and if you so wish it…love…Do not allow yourself to be taken advantage of for any reason…You are not a tool…You are not a prop. You are not a weapon…You are you…You are a person…and that’s all that is required of you. Allow no one to tell you otherwise!”

“Third…There is no third order....I am finished giving you orders, and you are finished taking orders…You were born to be a ruler, not a slave… You might not quite understand all that has happened…and when you do I’m sure it will be thoroughly unbelievable for you…but I simply wish for you to know that despite the horrors you have had inflicted upon, despite the trials you have had to face, despite that path you have been forced to walk…You are loved. I ‘do’ love you, my son…Even if my attempts at showing it were thoroughly, thoroughly, flawed…and your siblings hold you in their hearts as well…So long as the Endless Red exists you will always be loved and remembered by our imperial household…With those final words, I bid you to find happiness, my child…Find happiness and become your own person,” said my mother. The Crimson Empress.

Then there was pain that wasn’t quite as bad as being integrated via supernova had been, but still a little worse than being dropped into a universe in the middle of a big crunch. There were blinding lights that turned me into light. Then suddenly I was here. Waiting in the darkness. Listening to the whispers that seemed to emanate from my neighbors.

It was dull in the darkness. Occasionally creatures that looked like amorphous inky blobs on stilts, would show up and eat some of us. I got eaten a few times, but after the third time, they stopped eating me, because I kept melting my way through the innards of the ones who ate me.

Sometimes beings of light with countless eyes and wings would appear to take a bunch of us away. However, they never came to the part of the darkness that I was in. I’d only ever see them from far off. Observing the bright beings from a distance.

I killed time by sleeping. I’d close my eyes and use my crystalized consciousness to create complex simulations. Essentially, less fun, more realistic, ‘games’. Combat simulations. Science projects using, mathematically-emulated, virtual universes. Battles and wars that were based on my memories, with a few tweaks each time to keep things fresh. When playtime grew dull, I’d brush up on my knowledge of the classical arts, literature, history, and etiquette.

I didn’t know what kind of manners would be required in my new environment but it would be good to have a general awareness of such, so I didn’t look like some kind of feral beast. Other times, I’d mess around with my powers. I was able to use and manipulate a broad variety and energies and materials. However, since the core of my abilities came down to simple vampire mental energy manipulation, I still generally identify myself as a psychic.

Eons went by, while I slept and trained. It honestly didn’t seem that much different compared to the life I’d lived before. At some point, I realized that sometimes the great heap of sleeping souls would occasionally sink by several milliliters. It was initially too small a change to be worth noting, since the actual size of a soul was a very variable thing, but I was bored enough to eventually start paying attention.

Further observation with my psychic senses, resulted in the realization that the space around us was siphoning the souls away somewhere. Satisfied with this discovery, I went back to the old routine of training and sleeping. It’s not like I do much of anything else. Suddenly, I felt myself falling. First I fell down. Then I fell up. Then something grabbed me by the leg and pulled me sideways, not-so-gently turning me around. I heard a voice for the first time in forever. Deep, but intelligible. There was screaming, followed by more voices.

I was pulled into a blinding, too bright light. Brought sticky, and wet, into a realm of cold, sterile light. A hand grip my ankle, before brusquely changing my orientation, and slapping me on the bum. I didn’t cry but I ended up coughing instead. Gasping as I took my first breaths in my new life. Expelling mucus and what I quickly realized was amniotic fluid, from my lungs.

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Reina fussed with her daughter. Playing with the little girl’s rich, slightly curly, brown hair. Unsure of whether or not she wanted to tie it up in pig-tails, or simply brush it and let it flow free. Well, technically Emile was Yijun’s little girl, but the Dunkels didn’t really see a reason to differentiate amongst their three children. This was why Reina felt no guilt about the fact that Yijun was one stuck chasing their family’s little hellion, Thad, after Yijun lost the coin toss. Some things just work out. Reina had always feared that her family was going to end up a small one.

Her pregnancy with Thad had been one of the hardest things she’d ever gone through and by the end of it, the doctors had said there was a good chance she’d never be able to have another, or if she did, it would be at the risk of her life. Yet, here she was, proud momma of two little boys and one little princess. This and the love of her husband and wife, made Reina glad that she hadn’t left during those terrible days when the anger and betrayal, and conflicting sense of guilt, had made her pack her bags with the intent of going back with Thad, to live with her kinfolk outside of Grand-Basin City.

The front door opened and in walked her husband, Ferdinand carrying a big black case.

“I’m here…I’m here…Told you I wouldn’t be late,” said Ferdinand. Sounding a little out of breath. A thin layer of sweat had gathered on his brow.

Reina’s eyes tilted towards the big clock in the hallway and confirmed that her husband was actually fifteen minutes late, but she decided to let the matter slide. Since she and Yijun still weren’t exactly ready either.

“Okay, thanks, love. Welcome back…You clean up and…” said Reina. Giving Ferdinand light a kiss on the cheek. Wrinkling her nose as she felt a bit of bristle there.

“I shall get the camera set up and ready, father,” said reedy, yet austere, little voice of their family’s middle-child. Eddy.

“Agh!… I mean, hah…ah, yeah…Sure, kiddo, hehe,” said Ferdinand. Stifling a scream, covering it with an uncomfortable laugh, and then touseling the boy’s hair.

Reina shifted her gaze to her second son, while her hands still rested on her husband’s shoulders. The boy was quiet as usual, and he had a way of just sort of sneaking up on you. It was bad enough that more than once, Reina had semi-jokingly threatened to bell him like a cat lest he give someone a heart attack one day.

Yet, for all his oddity, the boy was generally the easiest of the kids to handle. Proof in point, he was currently the only one of the three Dunkel children who was fully dressed. Wearing dress pants, his shiny-black temple shoes, and a little black blazer. He was even wearing a tie. Properly tied too…Which begged the question of where on earth he learned to do that. Reina certainly hadn’t taught him, and Ferdinand…Ferdinand needed Reina’s help whenever he needed to dress proper to meet their bosses.

There were tons of little moments like that. Where the boy would just do things, or reveal bits of uncanny knowledge that had Reina wondering about the boy a bit. Though, then again, the boy’s mother was a bit mysterious as well. Which is part of what had attracted Reina to her. Yijun could be a bit like the sun on a cloudy day, dazzling yet obscure. The boy’s odd knowledge had somehow made the five-year-old the family’s go-to tech guy. Whenever Ferdinand brought home some old world contraption that none of them could figure out, the boy would get it working in less than five minutes flat.

Which was why, in all likelihood, little Edward was probably going to end up the family’s cameraman today. The case that Ferdinand had just brought in held one of those big complicated professional cameras, of the sort used by the pros in the department stores, and in the magazines. Yijun and Ferdinand had a photographer pal that was willing to lend the family one of his spares.

Reina’s folks over in the state towards the country’s east coast, were constantly badgering her for some pics regarding the family. They hadn’t been entirely on board with the whole polyamory thing, feeling that it was more of a rich person thing. A thing only for the new world nobility. Her family, the Wilsons, weren’t poor folk, but they were definitely as common as dandelions. Yet, the family had been eager enough at the mention of kids. Children were precious in this world. A world where lives could be stolen away at any moment.

Beyond that, Reina had liked the idea of showing off her three children, and her two wonderful spouses. She wanted her family to see the happiness she’d found herself in the GBC. Reina had a hunch that Yijun really wanted this too, though the other woman was a bit more surreptitious, and close-mouthed when it came to her folks.

Reina’s wife had shown an amount of enthusiasm that topped her usual borderline manic enthusiasm. Making Reina even more eager to make this happen. Thus the family was having a picture day. The adults and the kids were going to dress up in the Sunday finest, and see if they could make some pics worthy of putting on a postcard.