I started down of the stone brick path, without seeing anything. I walked back to the church with slow, heavy step. For the first time in ages, I did not know what to do.

Envy was coming. This was not something the king would be able to stop. Even when I was at my full power, with an army of millions, I still lost every direct confrontation with the demon.

I had even died to him once. It was nothing like when I was slain by the king. That was planned. Necessary.

My death at Envy’s hands was different. Our armies clashed. The land was torn. His overwhelming power decimated everything. In the end, my head was ripped from my shoulders.

The only time I had ever won against Envy is when all five Calamities fought together. Even then, with an ambush prepared, we still failed to kill him.

This time I would be alone. No reinforcements would be coming. All the doorways to the realms beyond were closed. I made sure of that long ago.

I have to move up my timetable. I needed my Chronicle, or everyone will die.

I stopped. in the distance, I could see the dimly lit church. My mom. My dad. My brother.

Family.

It would be so much easier if I simply left. I could disappear into the night. They would be sad and worried, but…

NO! I Don’t want to leave them!

Tears formed in my eyes, flowing freely down my face. I cannot do that to them. They only just got over the loss of my death, but the way things are now, I will never be able to protect them from what is coming.

There was only one other option.

…

I would have to tell the truth.

Every step I took, I could feel my legs shaking. Deep breaths, I have stood alone against armies. I have seen entire worlds burn to ash. I have faced torture and even death itself. Yet, somehow this was harder.

What if they reject us?

It is not too late. I can simply turn around. Disappear, and I will forever be remembered by them as their sweet little daughter. A memory frozen at that moment.

No. They deserve to know the truth.

“Wren, sweetheart, there you are. You cannot wander off like that. More of those creatures could appear at any moment.” Said my mom, rushing over to me.

I shook my head. “The Demonkin will not be able to appear inside the city walls again any time soon.”

“And, how would you know that?”

Taking a deep breath, I spoke. “Mom, Dad, Charly, I need to talk to you. You might not like what I have to say, but I have to say it.”

I led my family into a private room at the back of the church. I turned to look at each of them. The tension I felt, caused my muscles to tighten.

“Wren, what is wrong?” My father asked.

Steadying myself, I steeled my gaze. “That day, when I died… I did not come back because I awakened my innate talent. I was able to come back because I had help… but I did not come back alone.”

“What are you saying?” my mother asked.

I held up my hand, green flames ignited for all to see. My mother gasped. Father’s eyes narrowed, and Charly stumbled backwards.

“That day I met a woman wrapped in green flame. A woman you all know of very well. She offered me a deal. I could live again, but so would she. Together, we would become one person. Not entirely Wren, but not Aurielle either. I am something new.”

My mother had her hands clasped over her mouth. “Are you saying you are not my daughter?”

“Mom, I am and always will be your child.” I replied with a forced smile. “I am simply more now.”

My father spoke. “I noticed you have been acting differently this past week. More mature, willful. I tried to rationalize the personality shift was because it had been so long since you were healthy. Now… how much of what you do and say is my daughter, and how much is her.”

“I… don’t know. Aurielle lived… a very long life. Her memories eclipse a lot of who I am. I have trouble remembering things. Merging with a person like this is new. The body before this one was a woman, comatose since birth. Before that was a stillborn fetus still in her mother’s womb. I never tried merging two souls together like this before. I do not know what we will become.” Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, praying for acceptance. That they would not reject me. What I have become.

“I am still very much Wren. If it was just her tonight, I would not be so scared. Aurielle would have left. Disappearing into the night forever.”

“Why Wren? Why did you have to take my sister?” asked Charly.

“She was dying. A child, so very much like I once was. If you saw a child dying in front of you and knew you could save her, even if it meant she would never be the same, would you not save her?”

Charly opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The room grew silent. The sound of my own heart beating in my ears.

My father was the first to speak. “Why tell us now?” he asked. “You could have kept this a secret and we might have never known.”

“An invasion is coming.” I replied. “A war unlike any this realm has seen in nearly four hundred years. The Demon will flood this realm in blood. The king cannot stop it. I might not be able to stop it either, but I have to try.”

“You said Demon not Demonkin…the stories the church tells us…”

“They are all true. The church never lies about the war.”

“How long do we have to prepare?”

“A few months, less than a year for sure. Envy will want to act before I can return to my full power.”

“Then we had better get busy.” Said my father. “A lot can be done in a few months.”

I looked up at my father. “And… w- what about me?”

“What about it?” my father replied with a smile. He placed a warm hand on my head, ruffling my hair. “You said it yourself. You are still wren, my daughter, and that will never change. Though it may take some time to get used to the new you, the tears on your face right now prove that my daughter is still right here with me.”

Charly stood quietly, looking down at the floor. His eyes shifting away from mine.

My mom spoke next. “Wren, no I want to say this to Aurielle, thank you for bringing my daughter back to me.” She kneeled down and hugged me tightly. “The day I thought we lost you was the worst day of my life. Now that you are back, I will never let you go. No matter how much you change I will always be here to remind you…”

“You are my daughter.”