The Dark Queen was a difficult woman to communicate with. Her limited understanding and her short temper were her main flaws. Luckily for all the Shadows she didnt participate actively in the political life. For unknown reasons she had withdrawn in the last few millenia and Haures was basically their ruler. But he still was the Queen's second hand man so he had to report to her. An obligation that didnt turn into a habit.

So,as the years went on the Queen had become more and more suspicious of her subject's methods of ruling and thus she contacted regular surprise visits. Haures was always able to throw her off track and make her believe that things were going according to her wishes and beliefs. In reality,after her withdrawal,many laws had been modified and unesssarry cruelties had diminished.

This was an other surprise visit but gor the first time,Paimon was afraid. He trusted his brother to handle the situation smoothly but he also knew the talent of their Queen to detect behaviours driven by emotions.

Right now all three were sitting in the grand living room. Haures,with the excuse that he didnt feel comfortable,didnt sit next to the Queen. After all,there was always the danger of her detecting two energy signals from his body.Paimon decided to sit in a chair in the corner of the room so as to hear the conversation but also hide his reactions.

"As you can imagine, I'm here because the recent turn of events has created some problems for us."

"Most of which i have dealt with already."

"No you havent. But dont worry. Im not angry. In fact I' m here to give you the solution to everything."

"I'm not sure i understand,your Majesty."

"With Thanos....unable to perform his duties,i was concerned that souls wouldn't be able to turn back into universal energy and we would have to deal with a lot of lost souls. However,as it turned out,a "soul guide" is no longer necessary.Souls have learned to return to the void all on their own."

The Queen was so excited but Haures was so shocked he couldn't speak. And she was quick to see this.

"Why the silence Haures? I thought you would be happy to finally be rid of that "project" i assigned you. I know it was difficult for you and i dont blame you for attempting to.....separate yourself from him,at times. But your devotion and dedication to your work not only has earned you my respect but now your freedom from that extra unpleasant responsibility."

Paimon wanted to intervene. The Queen was torturing his brother. That kind of behaviour she was talking about was true,but old. She was referring to Haures's first reactions when he was first tasked with the care of a baby Shadow. A behaviour he later regretted.

"There is something,my Queen,i still dont understand. Even if Thanos is no longer needed,he is a Shadow. What happens if he is reincarnated?"

"Yes,unfortunately due to my delay,i can not detect Thanos's energy which he is already inside a carrier,which is uncommon,taking into consideration his royal blood. However,there is a solution. When he is born,Haures,i want you to bring him to me."

Things were not looking promising.

"But,how?I dont even the carrier."

"You will find him or her. I have confidence in your skills."

"And what do you plan to do with Thanos,once he is reincarnated?"

"Evaporate his energy,of course. I already told you,we dont need him.I will make sure he is never reincarnated again."

"I will do what is within my abilities your Majesty. Now if you please,i happen to have a very busy scedule today.Im sure,we will communicate more frequently from now."

"Of course. I will see myself out then"

Once the Queen had left,Haures just stood in the middle of the room looking at the door. He had a look in his eyes,one Paimon was familiar with. His brother had a plan in mind,a reckless one for sure. Haures was a responsible Shadow,so when he had a dangerous plan in mind,it rarely ended well.

"Paimon,give me your phone."

"Why?"

"I need to speak with your ex."

"The Queen of our enemies.Why?"

"We have to leave here. If Thanos is born here,he will perish and i will not be able to mask my energy patterns for much longer. We need to escape into the human world but we also need an ally to inform us of the developments while we are gone. Eve is the only one the Dark Queen will not bother and she has pretty good knowledge of our intel. So,i will not say it again,give me your phone."

"No,this is not a plan. This will most definitely end up in a disaster. If we go to the human world,then the energy of Thanos within your body will start to transform into matter meaning i would have to bend space inside your body so you will be able to carry a baby while maintaining your physique. Needless to say the stress it will be for your body and energy structure. And i dont even know how to extract Thanos from your body under those conditions. No way."

"Staying here isnt a solution,is it? We can always return on the last month,turn Thanos back into energy and then extract him. Hopefully,she will have changed her mind by then."

Paimon stayed quiet for a few moments.

"Okay,you are right. The Dark Queen wont change her mind. But the least we can do is get both of you out of here quickly. We will not ask for Eve's help. She may like us but she will not be able to mask her emotions. The Dark Queen will see right through her. Besides,our Queen likes to brag about her plans and Eve is a smart girl with respect for the universal balance. She will help us in her own way."

"You have much trust in her."

"You too. We live in 5 days. I know a world we can escape to.Only Johanna will know. We need her medical knowledge."

Haures still seemed worried even though only Paimon would be able to tell that so he did something he rarely did. He hugged his brother.

"We will save him." Paimon tried to reassure him

Haures didn't reply.