Before we start the one-shot, I want to explain why it is so late. There will be some darker themes in my explanation, so here is your trigger warning. If you want to skip this and go straight to the one-shot, I won't be mad.

First off, the following two parts are the size of three big chapters, and that takes more time...

But the real reason is that I'm struggling. If you have followed me for a while, you may know I suffer from clinical depression, PTSD, anxiety, and more. It comes mostly in waves, and sometimes things trigger it, sometimes it just happens naturally. I was going through a really rough patch for a few weeks, and I learned something a few days ago that stopped everything for me.

I learned that on November 16, 2020, one of my childhood friends took his own life.

He was the kid everyone knew, who made everyone smile. We had an inside joke that I could never pronounce his last name correctly, and when I had no friends, he sat with me in the library now and then, just to make sure I was okay. I lost contact with him when we went to high school, though I knew he was still in the area. We saw each other at the occasional football game or party, and it was like nothing changed. But then I learned from a phone call a few days ago from one of our mutual friends about his decision. I never even knew he was struggling, struggling in the same way I do.

I've dealt with grief before in my life, but this is something I can't even properly put my head around. IRL, I struggle to emote properly and let people know just how much they mean to me, and I have that nagging thought that keeps gnawing away at me.

If I stayed in contact with him, if I let him know what effect he has on this world, could it have changed the outcome?

I hate the feeling of being powerless, of not being able to help or change something. But I know life is all about being powerless sometimes. A lot of my struggles goes into my writing. One of the ways is with Sophie. Last chapter, Sophie had a major panic attack.

That is because I write my characters as if they live and breathe just like us, and Sophie has been through shit. But in the original KOTLC books, she never showed any signs of her PTSD, and I grew tired of it. All of the characters just feel like cardboard cutouts. I want characters to scream and cry, to be angry, and have people around them who know how to help and heal each other. Because that is what real people need. And though my friend had that, it still wasn't enough to make him think he deserved to stay.

I'm still going through denial and this has only worsened my depression. Not only is one of my childhood friends dead, but I'm burnt out and tired from school and my home life. And I don't want to go back to the dark places in my mind that I fought out of. This story makes me so happy, and so do all of you. You have no idea how much I love to see you all enjoying the story of Amalia Hera Morretti.

I see almost every single one of your comments and questions, and I try to answer all of them. Your theories make me smile as you all try to figure out the mysteries of this world I created. So you can imagine my surprise when when one of my readers contacted me, asking to create an AAD community book. It's called AAD and GOMLS Community, Assemble! Which is the snazziest name I've ever seen. Though I won't create an AAD community book myself, this reader took it upon themselves to create one! So don't only interact with my book, but theirs as well!

It seems like a really fun idea and I'm excited to see what you all come up with!

After this post and part 3 coming out tomorrow, I'm going on a one to two-week hiatus to try and settle down, try to recharge, and deal with not only my depression but my grief. I know I've been gone for a little while, but this is an official and short hiatus. This one-shot part is the size of three normal chapters to kinda make up for it and finish this bit of the Homelands short story. But, I still want you all to read and comment! Tell me everything you think about my stories, all of your theories and criticism. Make posts on my board, comment on chapters, talk with one another! Discuss what is going to happen to Sophie and Ruy's relationship or the best Soruy moments, or how they are going to take down Mephala, or conquer the Neverseen! I will try to respond to them, even on hiatus, though I might be a bit slower.

Please, if not for them then for me, tell someone you think might be struggling how much they mean to you. You don't know when they will be gone.

I miss you, Johnny.

Thank you for all your love,

Mallory

(Turn down the music if you play it, it gets intense pretty fast and it's just meant for the background. But it fits the vibe)

Sophie and Ruy fell through the whirlpool and landed on their feet in a solid black room, sopping wet and out of breath.

The landing didn't hurt, but there wasn't a shed of light in the entire room.

Sophie only knew Ruy was still there because of his panting.

"Why didn't it hurt?" Sophie whispered.

"The material the floor is built with." Ruy quietly answered, "It absorbs all of the shock and disperses it."

Sophie gaped as a small exit split through the room of solid black, blue light shining through.

Sophie and Ruy glanced at each other, only seeing the outline of their bodies from the blue light.

But they stepped through into the light.

"Oipho," Sophie cursed in Inalian, gaping at the long glass tunnel running along the ocean floor. The bright white light reflected into the water, lighting it all up so you could see the various fish and sea creatures perusing outside the glass tunnel.

Ruy just kinda blinked at it, "They've upgraded since I've been here last."

The tunnel was dead quiet, the only sound was the echoes of their footsteps and gentle sloshing of the ocean breaking far above them. The moonlight broke through the ocean's surface to reflect long beams that dissipated right above the tunnel, you could very faintly hear the sound of the Santa Monica pier above.

"Game face on, Blondie" Ruy whispered.

Sophie let the amazement on her face melt away as the tunnel grew wider and other tunnels branched off, her expression growing cold and uninterested.

It was a pretty empty base, but those who were inhabiting it looked like they could kill Sophie just by blowing on her.

"Where are we going?" Sophie whispered.

"I have two places in mind." Ruy whispered back.

The tunnels turned into metal rooms with messy plans with menacing soldiers surrounding strategy tables. Or they were glass rooms lined with more weapons than Sophie can count.

The Black Swan had no idea these guys even existed. Just how large is the Neverseen operation?

Ruy nodded to an Omega that passed them, the Omega returning the gesture and not even sparing a glance at Sophie. The Omega didn't even notice Ruy slid their card out from their belt.

Ruy soon stopped in front of a large metal door and slid the card along the scanner.

"The archive," He whispered to Sophie. Ruy locked the door behind them and explained.

"This is the archive of all known Omega operations. Since we are looking for the Omegas in Inalia, we should look through the files since the Fall of Inalia." Ruy brought her to the very back of the room and hucked off his jacket, throwing it over the back of a foldable chair. Sophie squinted around in the darkness, finding a small strand hanging from a connection of lightbulbs. Sophie pulled on it, watching the lights flicker on.

But Ruy reacher over her shoulder, Sophie freezing at the warmth of him behind her, and pulled the string again.

"No good. No one is supposed to be in here." He whispered, the breath of his voice blowing against the back of Sophie's neck.

Sophie shimmied away, glaring at the various boxes and files.

Ruy wasn't kidding when he said the Omegas were kinda out of the loop. This reminded Sophie of the old archive of the library across the street from her house when she lived with the humans, dusty folders and dustier papers.

Ruy's hands flickering with blue light, a blue shield encasing his hand that shone a gentle blue light onto the folders he pulled out.

Sophie glanced at her hands, remembering the gentle blue and white lightning her father could summon.

The last time Sophie used her charger powers, she blew up a wild flock of Carvo birds.

Sophie took a deep breath, imagining her veins spanning across her arms and body. She imagined the little bits of electricity traveling to her hands, the flickering power flowing through her veins as water flows through a river.

Sophie resisted the urge to squeal at the sight of gentle white lightning adorning her fingertips, her own mini flashlight that lit up the rows of boxes.

Ruy glanced over his shoulder at the lightning the was now encasing her wrists and palms, Sophie trying thread the tiny bolts through her fingers. Sophie smiled at him victoriously, and he just turned back to his files, "Neat trick."

Sophie humphed, but started searching through the files, the light of her lightning illuminating the pages for her.

It was a series of operations Sophie had no idea about. Sabotages of Elvin records, displacement of Vatarian families in order to keep Inalia in the Neverseen's hands.

The Omegas took orders directly from the Lord Regent, and there were no incidents of any rebellion.

"Ruy, there is nothing here." Sophie mumbled. Ruy looked just as tired as her, and they didn't have all the time in the world.

Ruy ran a hand down his face, "I have one place in mind, but, I wouldn't recommend it Blondie."

Sophie groaned, running her finger over the tips of files from a box that was behind all the others.

"Well, we're already here, aren't we? Let's do it-" Sophie didn't realize she passed it at first, but she knew that symbol anywhere.

Scrawled on one of the little folders was an empty arrowhead.

The symbol of the Cyevan Assassins. And the family crest of the Morretti family.

Sophie blinked at the fairly large file before whipping it out of the box.

"Blondie, what are you-" Sophie splayed the contents over one of the tables, shifting through them.

"Woah," Ruy breathed.

It was her entire family.

Not just her father and aunt. But her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, all going back far too many years.

A file on Great Uncle Claudio, the very man who told Sophie's father about their heritage.

Grandfather Damien and Grandmother Hypatia, Allesandro and Maria's parents.

Great Aunt Carlotta Morretti, former Assassin mentore, their second cousin Irena Morretti, the Assassin that liberated the lands south of Rensianca, Great Great Grandfather Armani, Assassin Mentore and master spy.

Gabriel Morretti, Celso Morretti, Diomedes Morretti...

Sophie flipped through all of the pages in a flurry, her eyes widening and her breath catching more with each name. There was one thing in common with them all.

Deceased.

Morretti, deceased, Morretti, deceased, Morretti, deceased.

Sophie remembers what they say about her family.

"They were hunted like dogs."

"Slaughtered like animals."

Sophie felt sick. Ruy smartly slid the large file away from her.

"They have files on everyone in my family, going back generations," Sophie mumbled with her head in her hands, the lightning adorning her hand not even bothering her. Ruy flipped through the massive folder himself, scanning over the various names and files.

Sophie took deep breaths, the lightning growing stronger. She often forgot how big her family was once.

Ruy cringed looking through the files, "Soph, these don't belong to the Neverseen."

Sophie spun around, "What?"

"They always watermark any documents that belong to their archive," Ruy snatched another file he was looking at, holding them for comparison. He was right, they were different. The one about the Morrettis had smaller print, more off-color paper, an unfamiliar watermark on the side of the page, but the Neverseen were signed off on it.

"But why is it here?"

"One of their allies I'm guessing. An ally of theirs that really doesn't like your family."

"But who-"

Light filled the dark archive room, the creaky door announcing someone's entry. Ruy and Sophie dropped to the ground, peeking through the boxes on the rickety shelves.

"I'm telling you, Jericho, I saw someone in here." A voice whispered.

Sophie and Ruy glanced at each other, and Ruy gently grabbed her wrist. He led her through the maze of shelves, both of them not even allowing their boots to scuff the floor.

"You're a paranoid person, I am a busy man. The Omegas in Inalia asked for reinforcements-"

Sophie froze in her spot, even though Ruy kept tugging on her wrist.

"Reinforcements? Why-"

Jericho shushed the other Omega, his eyes trained on the back tables where they were previously working. Sophie kept her eyes on Jericho through the gaps of the shelves, even as Ruy dragged her through the room. Jericho's brown hair was buzzcut, his skin a dark brown that contrasted his green army jacket and black pants. His eyes were an aqua blue that harshly scanned over the room. Sophie looked at Ruy, who was turned to the propped open door. He gripped her wrist a little bit harder, shuffling both of them back as the other Omega in the room looked around a bit. Jericho's eyes looked tired, his eyebags were dark, but he was an absolute beast. Made of pure muscle and power, every step he took made her shiver.

"Someone is in here, you're right," Jericho muttered.

For a few moments, Sophie and Ruy remained as still as a mouse tucked behind one of the shelves. Ruy's grip on her wrist tightened as he stopped breathing, trying not to make a single noise as they tracked Jericho's footsteps.

Ruy reacted before Sophie could. He threw himself over her, his shields quickly humming to life over them as Jericho's hands slammed down upon them. Jericho growled as he shook off the pain of Ruy's shields, but the Inalians were both running.

Sophie and Ruy somehow lost each other as they darted through the maze of shelves that went so high it looked like they touched the ceiling. Sophie glanced through the shelves to see Ruy outrunning the other Omega. But where was Jericho?

Sophie skidded out of the shelves, the exit in sight.

But then Jericho grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back.

"Blondie!" Ruy called out, but the other Omega wrapped their arms around his neck and pulled him back into a shelf, knocking it over. Sophie felt the lightning ignite her blood, and she threw Jericho's arm off her shoulder, spinning on her heel to collide her lightning drenched fist right into his jaw. Jericho stumbled back, flipping over a desk and landing on the concrete floor with a smack, lightning searing his face. Sophie slid across the concrete to where the other Omega had Ruy in a headlock.

"What the hell-" From the floor, Sophie wrapped her legs around the Omega's knees. Ruy got the memo and elbowed the guy in the stomach, loosening his grip on his neck and sliding out. Now that Ruy was free, she locked ankles together and brought her legs down. The Omega came down hard, crashing into a table and unable to fight out of the corkscrew Sophie had put him in. He tried to wrassle out of it, but this Omega didn't seem to have the muscle mass of the others, and Sophie was stronger than him.

Sophie rolled over the corkscrew and moves her knees around his neck. He gasped and sputtered for air, but soon he stopped fighting, going unconscious. Sophie got up, gasping for breath.

"Let's go, let's go-" They both darted out into the random hallway and tried their hardest to blend back in.

"What's your plan?!" Sophie hissed to him as they sped walked through the hallway.

"I have another place in mind, but we don't have any time, they are going to raise alarms-"

A piercing screech made everyone jump and made Sophie look over her shoulder.

"Too late," She muttered. Jericho's hand was still on the alarm button as he glared at them, blood dripping down his head. His eyes widened at Ruy, and he snarled.

"Ignis."

"Fuck the plan- go! RUN!" Ruy barked at her. Sophie and Ruy dodged out of the way of Omegas and sprinted, side by side.

"STOP THEM!" Jericho screamed.

The mission started as a silent infiltration mission, and now Sophie and Ruy were running from a bunch of seething super soldiers.

"This could not have gone worse!" Sophie yelled as she ducked underneath a pair of arms trying to grab her, kicking their knees out from underneath them. Ruy rammed his fist into the face of an oncoming soldier, using his shields to slam others into the wall behind him.

"Just keep running!" Ruy yelled.

"Well, duh!" Sophie barked.

They turned the corner and Sophie cursed.

A dead end.

But Ruy ran to the wall at the end of the hallway feeling around the wall, and finally pulled out a small panel. He put in a code, muttering to himself.

The wall split into a massive glass room, easily the size of an army base. At the very back was a raised office space, sleek and secretive.

Ruy grabbed her by the waist and practically threw her in, following behind and clicking on the keypad on the other side. Jericho and the other Omegas skidded around the corner just as the door began to close. Jericho wore a face of pure anger, sprinting towards the two of them. but the door closed right in his face. Ruy wrote in the lock code and slamming the keypad, breaking it.

Sophie and Ruy panted, trying to ignore the angry pounding on the other side of the door.

"I want an executive order to open this door!"

"But sir-"

"I WANT IT NOW!" Jericho roared.

Sophie glanced at Ruy in worry, but he waved it away, "This hanger is old, it will take them at least 20 minutes to open it."

Ruy straightened and pointed to the office space near the back.

"That's an old office that belonged to the former commander of this place. They were the ones in charge of this Omega base during the time of the Fall of Inalia. We might get some files from his old shit." Ruy jogged over to the office, clicking his tongue in disapproval at the lack of stairs.