There’s a loud scream somewhere on the side of the building, without hesitation, I dive into the garden heading toward its location. It’s dark and all that I can see in front of me is foliage, I wait for another scream or sound to lead me in its direction.

Continue point two miles east

What?

The directions Omni has given were unfortunately, directly through a wall.

Can I teleport without seeing my destination?

In Novus anything you can imagine-

Yeah, yeah. I know!

I jumped at the wall, luckily flying out of the other side, but nearly losing my balance as soon as my feet hit the ground. I take a minute to adjust my footing and take in my surroundings. I start looking for the source of the scream and find Bella cowering on the ground. Hovering above her is a figure holding a dagger high in the air. Whatever it was, was in a blood red cloak, and their face was mostly covered with a tattered black scarf. Trying to act quickly, I teleport into them knocking the figure to the ground. I focus my energy in my right hand, hoping to materialize a weapon.

Hell fire.

The familiar green ball of fire, levitates a few inches above the palm of my hand. Two yellow eyes look up at me in horror, glued to the flame in my hand. The reflection of the flame, glistening, in his reptilian eyes.

Those eyes looked familiar...

I pick him up by shirt, “Who are you?”

He doesn’t say a word; his eyes stay fixed on the flame and his lips remain unmoving.

I shake him, “I said who the fuck are you?”

He laughs and his lips curl into a smile, “You’re an abomination.” I didn’t notice at first, but the blade is still in his hand. He slowly raises it to himself, “Down with the founder! Down with the witch!” I watch as he lodges it into his own neck, the twisted smile reaching all the way to his eyes before they fade into nothing. I toss him to the ground, the fire in my hand disappearing into a small cloud of smoke.

I look over at Bella, her ears are flat, and her fur is spiked up in fear. I offer a hand out to her, “You’re alright.” She hesitates, but when I don’t pull away and my gaze remains persistent, she accepts my hand. I slowly pull her to her feet, “Did they hurt you?”

“Bella! BELLA!” Antonia's voice cut the quiet night air harshly.

Bella rolls her eyes, “I’m fine.” She wipes off her clothing, removing the dirt from when she had fallen to the ground.

Antonia comes flying in faster than expected, an explosion of a silk red bathrobe. “Oh! my precious baby!” she grabs Bella's face and kisses her repeatedly. She squeezes her tightly, “Please be more careful.”

“She’s alright. I think they were after me,” I say as I kick over the dagger in the dead man's hand. As expected, the same cross was engraved into its handle.

“You’re a witch?” her eyes and tone are disapproving and guarded.

Bella pushes away from her mother’s death grip and shoves her slightly, “She saved me.”

“But,” Antonia's eyes narrow and she bares her back teeth. “She’s a witch.”

Bella shoves her with more force, “She saved my life! Does that mean anything to you?” I watch as an outburst that has likely been building for years, boils over into a massive explosion. “And if it wasn’t for you! I’d be off training to become a bounty hunter and I’d be able to defend myself!”

Antonia backs down, her ears going flat as her expression falls. Shame overcasts her feline eyes and the drop to the corpse on floor, which easily could have been her daughter if I had heard her scream.

I stand, drowning in awkwardness, mortified and unable to leave or speak. “It uh... wasn’t a big deal,” I laugh awkwardly.

“Bella. Go to your room. We will talk later,” Antonia says with her back to her daughter.

“But mom-”

“Bella!” she turns to look at her daughter. Her voice is stern and demanding, and Bella can do nothing but stay silent and walk away. Once the sound of her footsteps has disappeared, Antonia looks at me. “Who are you?”

“Nobody I-”

“No,” she says with the same tone she used on her daughter. “WHO are you?”

“Eileithy-”

Antonia simply shakes her head, and a displeased grunt comes from behind her closed lips.

I sigh deeply, “The Founder.”

Antonia looks me up and down, her green eyes glowing in the darkness. “Come we with me,” she turns on her heel. She moves quickly, and quietly, almost as if she is stalking prey; or perhaps she was just being cautious after her daughter was attacked. We reach a far corner of the resort, and climb a lovely stone staircase that is crawling with vines. The stairs lead to two elegant glass doors, decorated with metal leaves and cat silhouettes. She pushes her way through the doors, her long robe trailing behind her against the deep wooden floors. Finally, we reach her terrace, where we find a wooden table, engraved with intricate carvings. An array of symbols I don’t recognize, but they somehow seem familiar; as so many things did. Carved vines moving up each leg of the table, and beautiful flowers blooming on the tabletop. In the center is a glass ball, a crystal ball, with fluffy white clouds passing slowly within. She sits in a throne like chair at the far end and picks up a long cigarette from ashtray. She takes a long drag and stares at me intensely, her gaze burning holes through my calm exterior.

“Sit,” she says as she lights her cigarette. All of the sudden I notice an accent that I had never noticed before, something exotic and European. I was either a lot less aware than I thought or this accent hadn’t been there before.

I sit down as I take in my surroundings, my eyes falling back to her as I finally relax in the chair. “Who are you,” I raise an eyebrow at her.

“Some call me Madame Antonia,” she smirks as she takes another drag from her cigarette.

Was it Italian?

“Are YOU a witch?” I ask immediately. Turning her own suspicious behavior on her.

“No,” she laughs and shakes her head. “I am more of a genie,” her eyes glow vibrantly as she says the words.

I narrow my eyes at her, “What’s the catch?”

“The Founder has not lost her touch,” she smiles. “There is no catch. You saved my daughter, I owe you a favor.” She ashes her cigarette, “You may ask me three questions.”

“Why no wishes,” I joke slightly.

Unamused by my mockery her eyebrows flatten, “Questions can be wishes.”

I clasp my fingers together and bite the side of my cheek while I think. I wasn’t to fond of trusting genies, there was ALWAYS a catch. Kind of like a trickster. But it also wasn’t common for them to be settled with children, so maybe she wasn’t like the others. “Is Nescius where I’m meant to go?” I ask.

“Is Nescius where you feel you should be?” she smirks at me.

“If you’re going to speak in riddles then never-”

“Do not ask questions you know the answer to,” she interrupts me. The women I was sitting across from, was nothing like the women I had encountered when I first arrived.

It was all a cover up.I wonder who she was hiding from...

I look at her for a moment before I ask my next question, “should I restore my memory?”

She pauses, ashing her cigarette again, and then extending a hand across the table. I never noticed the array of charm bracelets, decorating her slender fur covered arm. I look at it, questioning it, before I grab it and she grips it tightly.

Her eyes turn milky for a few moments, and then she gasps for air. It’s a few seconds before she comes into focus, her eyes immediately going glassy. “My child...,” she places my hand between hers and holds it tightly. “You have known such pain,” she caresses my hand like a loving mother.

I feel her words wound me, but I know she is just telling me the truth. With a grimace on my face, I continue to listen to her spea.

“But this pain... this pain has always kept you going. The mistake you made was when you let it break you,” she offers a sympathetic smile. She releases my hand gently, and begins to remove one of the bracelets from her arm. After it’s off, she places it around my wrist, clasping it in place. “Take this... I have several more,” she puts her cigarette back up to her lips. “Now,” she says as she exhales. “I want you to get the fuck out. First thing,” she gets up from table. “You bring trouble,” she says as she heads for the doorway.

“But that was only one question,” I protest as she begins to walk away.

She turns back to look at me, “You have all the answers I could give you. I cannot help you dear Founder.” Her face looks like she wants to say more, but she turns away and continues toward her bedroom.

I slouch in the chair, her words ringing in my head and reverberating off of my skull. I play with the bracelet she gave me absentmindedly, wondering why she had given it to me and what purpose it might serve. I was going to hold onto it. Just in case.

I wake up in the bed, with Kenai perched on his pillow next to me. I roll over and see Ozzy passed out without a shirt on, his stomach is uncovered, and my eyes roam freely down his body. To my surprise one his them opens and he smirks at me. “See something you like?” he teases. The smile on his face was sickening and charming all at once.

Ugh.

A pillow flies from Arachne's direction, “too early for that shit.”

“And that is why you’re single,” Ozzy replies as he throws the pillow back.

“I’m single because men are dumb,” she snaps back.

“Agreed,” Kenai says with his eyes still closed. “No offense Oz.”

“None taken,” he laughs as he moves into a sitting position. Arachne tosses the pillow at him again and her throws it back aggressively, “offense taken!”

We all laugh for a moment before I let out a long stretch, my bones and joints popping, and making unhealthy noises. “Well there’s a teleporter and hour from here,” I say casually.

“What?” Kenai sits up on the pillow. “And you know that how?”

I shrug, “just do.”

“I thought it was unfair you were the only one who got Omni,” Ozzy added.

“I designed her after all,” I sass back.

“Omni?” Kenai and Arachne ask.

“Nothing,” I answer quickly. I narrow my eyes at Ozzy and he holds my gaze confidently, unbothered by my silent threat.

“Okay what is with you two?” Arachne asks.

“We’ve got history,” Ozzy answers as he jumps up from his bed. He saunters to the bathroom as he hums something familiar, but I can’t quite remember what it was.

Arachne looks intrigued, “like past life link status?”

“Yeah,” I say as if I’m remembering last night for the first time. "What is that?”

Arachne scoffs almost, “fate.”

Fate. Pilot. Is uncontrollable. A factor not created by you, nor anyone else. But an unignorable factor that must be addressed. When Ozzy, made his advance, the kiss you shared activated your past life link.

Past life link?

Yes. A feature created by you, that did not exist in the human realm. The ability to see your past lives. When you move onto you next life, you respawn, with all of you prior knowledge. It simply requires an experience, for example a kiss, to awaken these memories. A sometimes painful factor.

Omni why didn’t you tell me who he was?

Because Pilot, I knew that he would.

It seemed as though, Omni knew Ozzy better than I did.

“Has it happened to you?” I ask Arachne.

“Uh no... This is only my second life,” she looks away shyly.

Oh god. She was a baby.

“Wow,” is all I can say.

“So how many times have you met?” Kenai asks curiously. He flaps his wings a few times as he outstretches his arms.

“A few,” I say in a high voice.

Ozzy emerges from the bathroom, “you two are awfully nosey.”

I watch as he adjusts himself and my eyes roam to places I wish they wouldn’t. So I get up from my bed quickly, knowing I need to escape this tiny room. Once the covers are off I notice I’m not wearing pants, and I sink back down into their shelter.

“No please... continue,” Ozzy smiles as he crosses his arms and waits.

“Should we leave?” Arachne interjects.

“Seriously,” Kenai giggles.

“Those pants were not comfortable to sleep in! Alright,” I look at all of them defensively.

“Well I’m going to shower... I’ll try not to use all of the water,” Ozzy says as he retreats back into the bathroom. He shuts the door behind him, and the sounds of the shower turning on follow quickly. My mind couldn’t help but wonder what he looks like in that shower...

What the fuck! Him and his demony sexual energy and shit!

Pilot is had been more than a hundred years since you-

OMNI DON’T YOU DARE!

Yes, Pilot.

I lean back on the bed, “I need a cold shower.” I close my eyes, inhaling deeply, and exhaling slowly.

Arachne’s face twists in disgust, “I do not see what you see.” She laughs and shakes her head, but she looks towards the closed bathroom leaving me unconvinced.

“I do,” Kenai bats his eyelashes. “He’s got this scary... sexy and mysterious thing going on,” he pauses for a minute. “But the whole size difference would never work and you know he’s not gay,” he laughs. “But a girl can dream,” he grunts sexually as he stares off into space.

“You know I didn’t see it,” I laugh at Kenai. “Not until the link.”

Once we’ve all showered and purchased new clothing from the Lucreverse store, we close up the room and head to the front desk. Bella is slouching at the front desk, but her posture stiffens when she sees me approaching. She looks relieved, “I thought you had already left!” She runs from behind the counter and hugs me, “Thank you.” She squeezes me, and after a moment, I relax and hug her back. It looks as if she might cry, “I don’t know what you did. But she’s letting me train!”

“I’m sorry?” I honestly don’t know what she’s talking about.

“She wants me to be able to protect myself! To be a bounty hunter!” she squeals.

“Oh! That’s great!” her excitement is contagious. But I can’t help but worry about her fate, she seemed so delicate, and when death stared her in the face.... she couldn’t move. But this was Novus, worrying about people like Bella would only get you hurt.

Antonia appears from doorway behind the desk, “leaving so soon?” She smirks like a smartass as she meanders her way from around the counter.

The accent was gone. No surprise there.

“I do hope your stay was... satisfactory,” her tone was sultry. But it had lost its earlier desperation and it had become alluring. She looked at me from head to toe, her eyelids dropping slightly. “It has been so interesting making your acquaintance,” she grins.

Um... was she coming onto me?

Pilot, based on body language Antonia seems to be making a sexual advance.

Right?

Yes, Pilot.

I could see Ozzy in my peripherals, his eyes wild with confusion, and his mouth hanging open. “Wait a second,” he says with a smirk.

I offer her the keys, waiting for her to present her palm so I can give them to her. “You have a lovely establishment,” I smile as I drop them into her hand.

She grabs my hand swiftly and pulls me closely to her. She whispers in my ear, “Be careful child. Of things and those around you.”

I pull away from her, staring into her eyes as her words register. I say nothing but offer a slow nod in response, and she smiles in return.

“Good luck outlanders,” she clutches her daughters arm pulling her close. Her voice shifts to that of the desperate women we met when we first arrived, “Come back again soon lovely's.” She winks, and her and Bella retreat into the room behind the check-in counter.

What an interesting woman; one I would not soon forget.

“Did you two almost make out?” Ozzy pops into my vision with a grin.

I shove him, “Fuck off.” Turning away from the desk I head towards the gate, dreading the endless desert on the other side. The metal latch burns my skin slightly as I go to unlock it, along with the bars as I push the gate open.

Omni how far is the teleporter?

Calculating... approximately one hour north.

Thank you, Omni.

“This way ladies,” I confidently put one foot in front of the other. Heading towards the location Omni has directed me in, and hoping for the best.

Eventually, we reach a pyramid in the middle of the desert, not massive in size. Probably roughly the same as a small building, the doors are made of sandstone and are sealed shut. I knock on them once, sand falling from the ancient doors. To my disappointment the don’t appear to move. “Shit,” I say to myself. After a moment, a mechanical sound comes from deep within the pyramid, causing me to take a step back.

Welcome Founder. Please, step away from the doors.

There is a bright light leaking through the cracks of the door as they begin to slide open, disappearing within the walls of the pyramid. Once they are open they reveal a large empty room with a small pool in its center. The room looks ancient and unoccupied, a feeling as though I had stepped into ancient ruins. The pool is dry and littered with sand, as is if it hadn’t seen a single drop of water in years, centuries even. I approach the pool as everyone else investigates the room around me. There is a console a few feet in front of me, near the pool, and I decided it’s worth investigating. The screen is nearly covered in sand, so I brush it off with my hand carefully to try and get a better look. To my surprise the screen lights up, and words are displayed on its monitor.

Welcome.

I try to push the screen but I’m startled by a loud buzzing noise.

Maintenance required. Please confirm founder status.

A handprint appears on the screen and I instinctively place my hand on top, it scans a few times before the screen changes.

Welcome Founder. Begin maintenance?

The only option on the screen is a yes or a no, I hesitate before pushing yes.

Evaluating damage...

There is a long, excruciating, pause before another message appears.

Critical damage. A system reboot is required. Begin reboot?

This time there is no choice, only a yes appears as an option on the screen. I click and wait for what’s next, unsure of what exactly I had just done.

Pilot?

Yes Omni?

It appears the teleporters were sabotaged. Somebody, did not want them operational.

How do you know?

The damage was done at an internal level. The teleporters cannot be destroyed, you designed them this way. It appears a user hacked the system.

Hacked the system? You mean they hacked Novus?

No. This was at a much smaller scale, I do not expect the would have the ability to hack something as intricate as Novus.

Right...

But Pilot. It is worrisome.

Thank you. Omni.

Arachne popped up by my shoulder, “What are you up to over here?” She sounded like a curious child, which made me laugh a little.

“You know... I’m not sure,” I say honestly.

Ozzy appears at my other side, “Just don’t break anything.” He jokes and nudges me to the side slightly to get a better look at the console in front of me.

Kenai flutters over and hovers above the screen, trying to get a better look for himself. “Are you sure we should be touching anything in here?”

System reboot complete.

The same voice from earlier fills the room, but surprises us all just as if we heard it the first time. Well, everyone except for Ozzy.

Caution. Step away from the portal.

Arachne and I make eye contact and ask the same question simultaneously, “The portal?”

Before long, the ground beneath us begins to shake, and we all grab one another to keep our balance. Engravings within the pool begin to show from beneath the sand as they to glow ominously. Water begins to fill the pool from the bottom, materializing out of thin air as there was no faucet or drain. It stops once it reaches the brim and I notice the surroundings inside the pyramid for the first time. The walls are decorated with hieroglyphics that are painted in gold, all of which are telling a story that I do not understand. There are pillars around the room that had somehow gone unnoticed before, elegantly carved as if there were a temple of the egyptian gods themselves. It seems as if I wasn’t the only one who noticed, because we all sat in silence as we looked around the room.

“The last time I was here I was with...” Ozzy trailed off as he looked in my direction. I went to meet his stare but he looked away from me, as if looking at me might cause him some sort of pain.

“It’s beautiful,” Arachne says in awe.

Kenai flies up to be at eye level with me, “Did you make this?”

I look at him for a bit before I answer, “I think so.” I smile to myself, unable to hide how proud I am of my own creativity.

Arachne approaches the pool, “So if this is the portal, do we just... go for a swim?” She jokes but the look she gives the pool makes me think she’s more serious then she intended to let on.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Kenai responds.

“Pretty much,” Ozzy says casually.

We all turn to look at him, a similar look of what-the-fuck on each of our faces.

He laughs, “I’ll show you.” He walks over to the pool with the same confidence he approached anything in his path. He gingerly dips the toe of his boot in and lets out a scream that slowly morphs into his demonic alter ego.

“Shit!” Arachne reaches to try and pull him from the water. She his half hesitant, as his scream is slightly threatening and very unapproachable.

He throws his head back and laughs, “I’m just fucking with you.” His voice slowly shifted into his normal tone, causing his laugh to sound deep and maniacal. He takes his foot out and rears back as he holds his nose closed, “See you on the other side.” He jumps in without hesitation and literally disappears into the water.

WHOA!

Arachne looks into the clear water, “should we be concerned?” She looks towards Kenai and I before looking for some sign of Ozzy in the water. But, other than water, the pool is empty.

Kenai floats into my line of site and makes his way over to the pool. He takes a look at it, “I really hope that I don’t die.” He flies high up in the air and twirls gracefully before he lands in the water with a comical plopping sound.

“You know us bugs really aren’t a huge fan of water,” she grimaces as she leans over the pool inquisitively. “But I can’t be the last one or I’ll be a pussy,” Arachne holds her nose and closes her eyes. I watch as she lets her body fall backwards into the pool. “Holy fucking shit I really hope this is a good idea,” she says quickly before she hits the water.

I laugh to myself as I take the few steps needed to reach the pools edge. Something in me causes me to hesistate, it’s almost as if my legs won’t move anymore.

And then something happens.

It‘s like I’m in the room but I’m not at the same time.

It’s like I’m here but I’m not here.

I look to my right and there’s a man standing next to me, a man I was sure was not in the room a moment ago. He has scruffy brown hair and a peppered stubble on his worn but handsome face. He is dressed like badass form of your stereotypical archaeologist, with a pair of thick rimmed glasses. Which was odd because, nobody had things like impaired vision in Novus.

His eyes swim with worry, “You need to go! Now!” He grips my shoulders and shakes me violently.

I can feel the tears building in my throat but I’m not sure why. “Dad please! I can help you! Let me stay and fight!”

“And if we both die than what happens to Novus? What happen to our creation?” his tone softens. I watch as he stares at me, looking as if he is fighting the urge to cry. “This is the only life we know now...,” he trails off. “I can’t lose you,” he kisses my forehead. His voice is shaky and coated heavily with sorrow.

“Please...” I plead into his chest. I can see the tears from my face leaving a mark on hia shirt, but I don’t try to fight them. “I can’t do this alone Dad please,” I beg hysterically. I hold on to him as if my embrace might stop him from leaving me.

He grips me tightly, “Novus was never mine. I served my purpose.” He kisses me on the forehead again and then begins to push me away reluctantly, but I cling to him in protest. “I love you so much,” is the last thing I hear him say before he shoves me violently backward. I try to grab on to him but he pulls away as I fall into the pool, my heart being pulled from my chest and left with him by the pools edge.

Pilot?

I remember where I am for the first time in several minutes, but what felt like more of an eternity. I must have collapsed from shock because I am on my knees at the edge of the pool. I can see my reflection in its surface, my face is soaked with tears, and my eyes are empty... lost. I could feel the pain in my chest, the pain of a million heartbreaks flooding in at once. It felt like the weight of it might cause my lungs to collapse.

And then it became harder to breath, my chest began to heave as I started to hyperventilate. A heartbreaking cry of pure agony escape from my lips. I would of screamed but my body just simply could not put in the effort.

He’s gone.

He’s fucking gone.

Pilot you must collect yourself

I take a few deep breaths in an attempt to stop myself from crying, but it seems like an impossible task.

Pilot...

Her sweet, robotic, voice sounds almost concerned and it comforts me in a way. After what seems like a long time, I slow my breathing enough to calm myself. Soon after I can form rational thoughts again, and process Omni’s voice properly.

He’s dead.

The tone of the sentence was more of a statement than a question, but I was still expecting an answer.

Yes.

I sat for another long moment before I could think of what else to say, my lip quivering as fight the urge to cry.

That’s why... that’s why I wiped it all. All the memories, all the-

Yes.

Everything...

Omni doesn’t speak for a while, and I’m not sure why. It was little characteristics like this that made her seem more human than some humans.

The loss, was understandably, too great for you heart to endure. You had spent centuries with one another, your bound was... unbreakable. Together you created this life, this world, and me.

I didn’t know what to say anymore, I was trying to get my mental state to a point where I could function. All I could do was listen, and wonder why I would have chosen to break my own heart twice instead of endure the pain once.

The loss of our Founder was felt throughout all of Novus.

I knew she was trying to comfort me, but it didn’t seem like anything could right now.

Pilot?

Yes Omni?

This may come as inconvenient, but if I am correct that teleporter has dropped your friends in the center of the Nescius underground. This area is highly patrolled by Nescien guards, outlanders will not likely be welcome-

Shit!

I wipe the final reminisce of my tears and struggle to get to my feet. I take one step back and run at the pool, diving head first into its waters.

I hit the ground sloppily, nearly losing my footing, but I feel Ozzy’s hand pull my arm roughly backward. He stopped me from hitting the ground face first, and possibly doing some damage to my ego. I turned to thank him but I am distracted by the heavily armed men encircling me and my friends. They all had matching armor that reminded me of a gladiator; it was all in white, gold, and black. Their clothing was heavily padded and black, in attempt to protect them from bullets and other projectiles. Their chest plates were white with a golden lion's head jutting out from its center. White leather shoulder armor was strapped over their chest, with an intricately painted N in the center of each shoulder. They each had a belt, stocked with ammunitions and an assortment of grenades. A pistol made entirely of gold, mounted on each one of their thighs. It looked more like a symbol or a trophy than an actual weapon. Every single one of them sporting a helm just like the Romans used to wear but with a face of a lion. Their mouths were left uncovered so they could, unfortunately, speak freely.

But on top of that, they all had an assault rifle, pointed at me and my friends.

“Who are YOU?” he spoke slowly and precisely. His condescending tone causing my eyebrows to immediately furrow in anger.

I didn’t say a word, I only glared. I could feel my rage boiling over and the power building from within me. An unignorable urge to destroy absolutely everything in my path.

Pilot, compose yourself.

“I said,” he spits off to the side. He starts to walk towards me, his steps are slow and cocky. His irritating demeanor matching the infuriating smile moving up his lips. “Who the fuck are you?”

Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow creeps from Ozzy’s direction along with the familiar feeling to flee. I start to lose control and know by now that my eyes have gone a milky white; due to the gasp in reaction from the crowd.

The beefy, obnoxious, man takes a few more steps towards me and laughs in my face. “Do you fucking speak English?” The crowd of men around him laugh in response to his douchebag behavior.

I could kill them all.

Pilot, aggressive behavior is not advised as it will make you a target.

I don’t fucking care.