Meeting back with everyone after tucking Punkin to bed in Eve’s quarters,Cer is given a tour of the ship and greenhouse designed by Claira that was originally gifted to Eve, now bestowed upon Punkin.

Casting an enchantment over Cer after finishing the tour, Eve explains to Cer how her crew will guide Cer around the hundreds of vessels she commands.

Now able to hear the voices of Eve’s crew and feel their mana threads, Cer feels more at ease for the guidance and thanks Eve for allowing access to all of the Valkyrie for Punkin’s entertainment.

With growing amusement and a bit irritation by the seeming favoritism, Akiraion asks Cer, “Why do you get special guidance while we have to explore on our own and get lost?”

Chiming in before Cer can respond, Eve exhales, “Because Cer is already lost. This isn’t for Cer. I’m doing this as a favor to Claira. I am not allowing full access just for fun. I owe Claira this much to make sure her spawn is trained and well-cared for, which also means I have to help Cer, the father of Claira’s spawn.”

Looking past Eve, Cer responds,

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Eve. I am not lost. I’m back with Pupu and we are safe here on the Valkyrie. I don’t need to be anywhere else. Pupu doesn’t need to live the lives we all lived. She doesn’t need to become like us. We can live our purpose, but let’s not put our burdens on the next generation.

From here, La Gateau and Kala can bring some bees and turn the greenhouse into an apiary. We can conduct all our business here and use it as our homebase as the rest of you go out, cleanse, shrive, and seal.”

Shaking her head intensely against the idea, Eve interrupts Cer, “Nope. You all can’t stay here. This is the Valkyrie and unless you want to be driven mad or die, you can’t stay. It is no place for the living to stay. No living being aside from Belle and myself can make a round trip on the Valkyrie. It is always a one-way trip for the living and the ferried. It is the covenant to which I am bound. So nope, not a chance. We are headed to the Mystic Evermore where you all must depart with any ferried souls. The unferried stay with me on the Valkyrie. You can set a homebase or port to where you need to with La Gateau, Cherub, and Neko if she comes back. Demons won’t go to the Mystic Evermore so you’ll be safe for the time being. I don’t know if you can rebuild an apiary there, you’d have to ask Miyas once you are there.”

Recognizing the name Eve just mentioned, Cer changes the course of the conversation, “Fair enough. I know you all too well to know that you keep your covenant as you would your life. We will go and meet Miyas. What is Miyas doing in the Evermore?”

While not looking at Cer, Eve responds with her chin in the air in an expression of smugness. “Long story short, I stranded her there. You know, witches are secretive and though we are hags of the same coven, I know she is keeping information from me so I stranded her there. She doesn’t like people anyways, so it’s not like she is really being punished.”

“YOU DID WHAT?!?!” responds everyone simultaneously.

With a tone of rhetorical shock, Kali questions the obvious, “I sure hope you did no harm to your own coven…you do remember the magic that binds us right…”

Interrupting Kali from proceeding with her witch canon, Eve responds with defensive annoyance. “I know, I know. You think I would still command the Valkyrie if I was forlorn and cast out the coven? I am headed intentionally to find Miyas to make this right. It has only been a couple of years of being stranded. Time is different for our coven. We don’t experience it like the rest of you. We don’t age like the rest of you. As long as nobody hunts us down, we are practically immortal.”

Realizing she has said too much and provided too many secrets of her coven, Eve quickly redirects the conversation. “Don’t you all have some talking to do? Seems to me like you all haven’t seen each other in a long while and there are troubling things for you land witches. I have also just been informed,we have a guest coming this way.”

Before anyone could respond, a figure carrying an object on its back begins to appear within visibility of the mist.

“WHAT?!?! KALI? You got more pets?” shouts Neko with enthusiasm and excitement.

“NYA!!”

Without warning or hesitation, La Gateau disappears and apparates next to Neko, landing a solid paw upon Neko’s cheek before disappearing and reappearing behind Kali.

“WHAT WAS THAT? TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME!!” shouts Neko as she disappears and reappears behind.

Within a couple of minutes, Neko and La Gateau port back and forth numerous times, evading each other as they try to land strikes upon one another.

Snapping her fingers, which drives her two knitting needle wands into the ship’s floorboards, two invisible domes of force instantly appear separately around Neko and La Gateau, trapping them within and preventing them from porting.

Chucking, Cer jokingly introduces the new guest. “Family, meet Family. Neko, perhaps you remember La Gateau and the other Mehti Gamheers. Yes, this is Neko folks. Told you she was a furry cat too didn’t I?”

Hearing Cer mention Neko’s name, La Gateau ports to Neko and embraces her with a warm hug, joined by Runt and Akiraion with tears flowing down.

“We’ve missed you! Where have you been?” shouts Runt.

“I woke up and couldn’t remember what home looked like. So I couldn’t find my way back!” responds Neko, filling with sadness, shame, nostalgic joy, and warmth at their reunion.

“Seems like everyone has been getting lost and having a hard time finding their way home. Can’t imagine what missing home is like since I’ve never really had one.” responds Eve with a distant non-chalant tone.

“Sure you do. It isn’t always a place. It can be a person or thing.” responds Kali as she pets Cherub and stares into the distance. “We will all eventually find home. We can also miss what we never had but only dreamed about. That longing tells us that might be the home we need to realize and manifest.”

“Enough babble!” chimes in Kala, cutting off the conversation to avoid feelings of sentimental longing and saudade. “Time to get on the same page of our unwritten books.”

Agreeing with Kala, Cer cocks and eyebrow and sits down on the floorboards and invites everyone to gather in a circle. “Right…Neko and I have many things to share about the Mecca. And I am sure you all have surprising news for me too, since you all left the safety of Haeven.”

Chiming in, Cer reminds everyone the covenant Vow of the Empath and Akashic Bond. “Remember everyone, ‘Listen’ shares the same letters as the word ‘Silent’. In our magic bond, we must be silent in our minds, bodies, and spirits to listen to and become aware of the truth and magic of what is said and unsaid, seen and unseen. ‘License’ and ‘Silence’ also share the same magic letters. To have internal silence is to give license for the external to be seen, heard, known, and understood. ”

Providing space to speak, Cer raises an open palm to Kala, inviting her to speak. “Kala, please start. Since you left the Apiary with Pupu, I am curious how you two ended here.”

-Break-

After what seems like hours of updating each other and planning what to do, the group is interrupted by Eve with a change of discussion, “Belle informs me that Pupu is now awake. I will send Belle to escort her here.”

Upon Eve’s command, Belle howls and disappears off into the mist.

“Now you all know what you need to do, within half a day’s time, we’ll have arrived and you all can get the hell off the Valkyrie.” asserts Eve in a semi-joking manner.

“Easy for you to say, you have the easy job of sailing back and forth.” snarls Kala.

“I think we all have difficult tasks ahead of us. How will we find each other and communicate when we need each other?” asks Akiraion.

Directing everyone’s attention to Cer, Kali smirks, “Ummm, didn’t I give you Kala’s candles Cer? You lost those already?”

“Actually I know I forgot something. I’ll be right back!” yells Neko as she disappears into an unseen black mirror.

Contemplating aloud, Cer brings a sense of gloom to the company, “Guess she is going to get the box of candles. At least we can port wherever we need to go once we get a proper shriver and scribe. We need to get all the witches and wielders back together if we are going to prevent another cataclysm. I hope our plan works. It’s been so long since we all began hiding… I’m not sure where anyone is or who is even alive”

Barely audible for anyone to hear, Kali mumbles under her breath, “We found each other didn’t we? May mana flow in our favor and may our mystic forever bind us together.”

In response to Kali, Cer whispers back to break the silence, “Yes.. May we forever remain bound.”

As they sit in silence, contemplating their own paths and the potential dangers that lay ahead of each other them, a bright howl breaks the silence of their thoughts followed by a lively giggle.

“WEEEEE. Belle is a HORSE DOGGIE” squeals Punkin as she approaches, straddled on Belle’s back.

“Interesting, everytime I tried to ride Belle, she would snap at me” says Eve as she watches Punkin ride Belle with envy.

“Silly madman Eve. You are too big. You will squish Belle.” giggles Punkin.

“You calling me big? You wanna fight you little squirt?” chides Eve,

“No. I will win because Belle said she will bite you if you are mean to me.” tauntsPunkin as she sticks her tongue out at Eve.

“Come Pupu, say your goodbyes to our friends. They have to go on their way now.” interrupts Cer.

“NOOO! I just waked up. I wanna play! Why they have to go?” whine Punkin.

“Because we have more friends to find and visit. You want to meet some more of mommy’s friends?” asks Cer, hoping to entice Punkin to travel without whining.

“YES! More friends and we can have a potty!!” It will be fun!” claps Punkin as she gyrates in excitement.

“Okay then, I see land approaching. Time for you all to get off my vessel.” shouts Eve as she tries to hide her sadness for their departure.

Nudging Punkin forward, Cer encourages Punkin to bid farewell,“Say bye to our family Pupu.”

“They are family? We are family?” asks Punkin as she looks up at Cer with genuine curiosity and excitement.

“Family is whom we choose, not just who we are related to. Some people get lucky to choose the ones they are related to. All of us are lucky to call anyone family.” responds Cer, with a warm crooked smile directed at the others.

Without any warning or words, Kali, Kala, Akiraion, Runt, Cherub, Neko, and La Gateau step into black mirrors and vanish without looking back, each one with somber expression and a sense of longing in their hearts.

With sadness in the heart, and hope on the mind, Cer stresses internally about the promises made to Claira and the others. We must remember, when we put our families first, we make our legacy last. Go find our kind and kin.