“Imagine a world where the Deep is dead,” Luna said, her voice serene. If she was startled by Kara’s apparent nonchalantness to their violent deaths, then it didn’t show. “Rather than having the Deep eventually end humanity, wouldn’t you rather have them expand, populate further, and continue this humiliating way of existence for a few more thousand years?”

“Well don’t stop there,” Gaia said, rolling her eyes. “Go on!”

“They’ll end up killing themselves. Isn’t that a more fitting ending than being killed by a weapon? Wouldn’t you prefer a slow end, from billions to millions, to thousands to hundreds, until the last human breathes its last, alone, in a barren world it has consumed?”

Gaia’s face, little by little, returned to a smile. Instead of killing all of them with her finger, she instead chose to scratch her chin with it. The electricity pressed against her skin. She didn’t seem angry anymore. “Oh, you dastardly clever woman, I do enjoy it when you speak my language.” She stroked her chin, bending her finger until it pointed at Luna with the electrical bomb. The Locust was unable to identify her skills. “I do prefer that, I truly do—it’s just righter, more fitting,” she said, shaking. “But I’ve already guaranteed our supremacy, and—and—honestly? All the death and destruction?” she shook the bottle. “A means to an end. I couldn’t care less what happens.”

“A means to an end to what?”

“Hm,” Gaia said, back to her frown. “I’m sorry, who are you again? You don’t even know what we’re talking about—do you even know who any of us are?”

“You’re Gaia,” she said, and turned towards Kara. “And she’s Kara.” She turned towards Nico. “I haven’t gotten your name yet.”

“Nil,” Nico said.

“That’s cute,” Gaia said.

“What is?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said.

“I’m going to if you don’t tell me,” Nico said.

“Even more of a reason not to.”

“So—just to clear things up,” Nico said. “You don’t want Kara to hunt the Deep because…why? Are you afraid she’ll die?”

“Meh,” Gaia said, shrugging. “Not afraid—I know she will, but it’s her life, her stupid choices. She does got the nuke though. Really need that for all my plans to work, ya know?”

“And those plans are?”

“Yeah just let me tell you,” Gaia said, chuckling.

“So if we give you the sword, you’ll go away?”

“Sure I will, but what’s the point? She’s barely a quarter of the woman she is without it.”

“In that case, why not give us a year?” Luna said. “You said it yourself—there is ice skating and rock climbing, amongst a few other hundred things to keep you occupied for the rest of time. We will fail when Kara dies, in which the sword will deliver itself back to you.”

“Is that how long it’ll take for you to convert the world with the chosen one’s side, o holy priestess of love and peace?” Gaia said, smiling. She leaned forward, pressing her hand against the floor and whispered into Luna’s neck. “I see you.” Her voice lingered in the air for a few moments before the smell of burnt fleshed replaced it. She sniffed and looked down at her hands. It was scorched. She groaned, falling back on her butt. “Oh, baby you were so close,” Gaia said, clicking her tongue.

She pressed her index and thumb together, squishing the ball. When she spread them a string of vibrant electricity extended from each. “This close. Still, impressive words got you this far—I usually solve my problems by zapping it until it stops rattling—so out of respect, and because you got them nice thick thighs, I’ll let you guess again before I start cooking.” She pressed her fingers together, causing the electricity to combine. She held the ball like a marble. It was beautiful.

“Nil,” Luna said.

“Huh?” Nico said, turning his eyes away from it. “What’s up?”

“Do you have a guess as to why Gaia shouldn’t fear that we would conquer the world through faith in a single year?”

“Fearing is a bit too much,” Gaia said, taking a drink. “More of a—or like a splinter under the nails. So tiny, but potentially day ruining. Really, you should die happy knowing I’m not underestimating you.”

Nico sighed. Killing the Deep? World Conquest? Making cult mainstream? Yesterday he was struggling to kill a couple 2-star fairies, and now he’s hearing this crazy talk.

He didn’t know what was happening. He couldn’t tell who’s serious, who’s lying, and who’s insane enough to be telling the truth.

It’s not that Nico didn’t believe Kara could accomplish great things, with the damage she did to the Iron House even without the Howl, she has more than done enough to earn her a spot in history, but the feats they were talking about required more than individual prowess. While Kara might be the key to controlling the Deep, there were still many moving pieces.

So how do I get this across? Nico thought, looking at Kara’s still body. How do I show—oh for fucks sakes. Nico shoved Kara. She leaned to the side and fell over. They stared wordlessly, even Gaia, as Kara’s chest regularly rose and sank with each breath.

Gaia snorted. She held her mouth and laughed into it, bending over. She stood up, swaying from left to right. Her laughter shook her body. She extended her hand to Luna. Luna dropped a black key on it. “Tell the cutie she has a week to try, fail, and give up, otherwise I’ll start my grand plan to conquer the universe without her, which the universe is very unlikely to like.”

“I’ll come up with something,” Nico said, smiling.

“The other cutie,” Gaia said, patting Nico’s head.

“I’ll try to come up with something as well,” Luna said.

“You’re not cute, Luna, you’re gorgeous.” She walked towards the bike—in the general vicinity of the bike. It was more of a squiggly line. “Good luck with your little schemes. If nothing else, I’m sure it’ll be entertaining to hear about.” She inserted the key into the bike and rotated the handlebar back until it made a click.

An explosion resounded in front of their faces. The bike skid off uncontrollably, going dangerously close to tipping over. Gaia’s pants scrapped the ground. She righted herself in the last moment. In a few seconds the roaring engine faded away.

“Bye,” Nico said, waving his hands slowly. She was cute too, if slightly mad.

“I…I didn’t think she would fall for that,” Luna said, staring at Kara’s still body mouth agape.

“So—Gaia. Sounds awfully close to Kara.” He wondered what their history was. If they chose similar handles, then they must have at least been close. Or maybe that’s a diversion. Gaia did call Kara ol’ teach though.

“It is,” Luna said, distracted. Nico could see doubt and confusion slowly made its way on to her face as Kara’s regular breathing went uninterrupted. “And…and who are you?”

“Before that,” Nico said. “Can you tell me what’s happening back in the 3rd City?”

“As you can see,” she said, smiling. “I am a priestess of the Sun. I came from the 5th City to do many things, the first of which to make sure the world doesn’t end.”

Nico nodded. “A good place to start—but I was under the impression that the 5th City was an isolate state.” They didn’t trade nor even participate in the Games. Their stance was that they wouldn’t play with Cities that killed its own people, which was every city but them.

“You would be surprised,” Luna said, laughing. She breathed out, relaxing her shoulders. Her voice grew quieter. “The 5th City isn’t a city—it’s a nation.

“The difference being?”

“The 5th City is controlled by its people, not by barons. This means we don’t kill people that can’t pay rent.

Oaf. Hard to argue against that. “The 3rd City doesn’t kill anyone though,” Nico said. The monsters did that.

Just like the people Kara cut down.

“We live on the same Earth. Things are getting out of hand with the threat of the Deep over us.”

“So why are you here,” he said, spreading his arm over the empty field. “Instead of at the 3rd City, doing whatever it is diplomats do?”

“Because I failed,” she said. “I proposed a plan, and they declined it.”

“What was it?” Nico asked.

“To destroy the Deep, instead of profiting, or in the case of the 4th and possibly the 3rd City, worshiping it. I’d requested to take in the refuges of the 4th Fall back to the 5th City, but the city also refused this.”

Without the Deep, there would be no monsters. Without the monsters, there would be no Rankers. The market for health potions and Memory Cards will take a large hit, but most of all landowners will become obsolete, setting people out into the world to live freely.

So of course none of the Syndicate refused. Nico expected them to fight for the Deep before they would fight against it—he said none of this out loud, and as far as he was aware, did not react in anyway, yet Luna spoke as if he did.

“There was a chance it would help. I had to take it,” she said. “If the Deep is gone, then we won’t have to fear our Cities being destroyed. Even more importantly, without monsters, we can focus on raising our children to be more than killers.”

“Why didn’t they give you the refugees?” Most of them were kids. Dan was one of them.

“I’m not certain yet, but I am afraid it is not for good reasons.”

“So you do want Kara to kill it?”

“Nil,” Luna said, slowly. She furrowed her brows. She seemed to struggle with a thought. “Is—"

Nico shook Kara’s shoulder. She flinched. With clear reluctance, she stood up and waddled past them.

He looked back towards Luna. There was no reaction on her perfectly shaped face, no indication that anything was or was not going according to her plans, yet he understood the dismay she felt at finding out that Kara was not the type of person she hoped for.