Sora’s consciousness roused to the brightening sunlight as it moved across the sky, illuminating the room Emilia and she shared. A giggle vibrated her chakram as she found the inside of her ring around her daughter’s small fox body at an angle, her tiny paws holding her tightly against her belly.

Sometime during the night, she must have lost control over her fox form since she hadn’t mastered it yet, resulting in Emilia nuzzling through the center. Figuring the eight-tailed pup would wake up soon since the light was getting stronger, Sora let herself be smothered in her daughter’s silky fur.

To Emilia, a week had gone by, but every morning Sora left, it was a little more than six days in the chamber before she got to see her daughter again; tonight marked the end of the sixth week if including the time accelerated room since she’d begun her training.

Sora’s full view of the room with her overarching vision allowing her to see Emilia’s pendent, resting on the dresser beside the bed; the precious jewelry her daughter had personally crafted was a treasure to her in those long six days.

Learning to control her Null-Void was proving to be more challenging than she imagined, and even taking on the shape of a fox, which was the second most natural thing she should be able to transform into, was still causing her trouble. Still, the last two weeks had been worth the practice to experience cuddling up to her daughter’s little body.

Typically, she went to the chamber at 8 A.M. and returned at 8 P.M. Sora saw it as working Sunday through Friday, having today—Saturday—off with her daughter to recuperate and bond. They had time to talk until Emilia’s bedtime at 10 P.M., before waking up around 6:15 A.M. to begin the day.

It was decided Fridays were an exception, though, allowing her daughter to stay up until 11 P.M. to watch movies and bake goodies, which meant sleeping in a bit on Saturday. Currently, she guessed it was around 7:30 A.M.

A short flare of non-lethal Null-Void flashed into existence a foot away as she projected the force to the spot, fashioning her fox body to float around to Emilia’s back and cuddle up to her. Her movements caused a short groan from Emilia as she held Sora’s Chakram tighter to her body and snuggled back against Sora’s fluffy stomach.

“Mmh-Mom … I want two more chocolate puffs—I’ve been a good girl—please,” she mumbled in her slowly rousing mind, still trapped by her dreams, and making Sora want to giggle.

Chocolate puffs, huh? A sneak peek into next week's treat?

Leaning in, Sora whispered, “Just this once.”

“Mmgm … I love you, Mom … Eh … Huh?”

Sora smiled as her daughter’s eyes cracked open to stare around the big bed they sat on and the brightening light shining in through the soundproof windows; she was sure the city was already bustling with Vulpes, but every inch of it was spelled for comfort.

“Finally waking up?”

The young fox yawned, little baby teeth showing as she stretched out against her body and got up to stare between her legs, tails flying high into the air. “Heh—hehehe, Mom, I have your ring!”

“Oh, no! What will I do?” Sora laughed. “You’re holding me hostage?”

“Fufufu!” Emilia hopped away, bouncing on the squishy bed to give her a playful grin. “I’m in control now; I get all the popcorn!”

Sora’s form expanded in a flash of flames to show her more human form, lying on her side while supporting her head; she didn’t even need to shower or dress, crafting her figure to perfection. “You really aren’t going to share any with me next time?”

“Nope! You ate almost all of it yourself! Humph, I’m looking out for you, Mom—you might get fat!”

“Me? Look at my stomach,” she said, rubbing her belly to draw the girl’s focus while creating a double of her Chakram while sliding her real one up and around her daughter’s fur. “I’m perfectly toned; I even have a bit of muscle! Didn’t you feel it?”

“Nu-uh! Hehe, you’re all squishy to snuggle up to!”

“Eh-heh, that’s because you weren’t snuggling against my stomach.”

“Part of it—hey! That’s cheating, Mom! Get back here!”

Sora’s Chakram playfully shot from around her daughter’s body, phasing through it and causing the replica to vanish; the little fox darted around the room, taking to the air to chase her ring and trying to snatch it with her teeth.

“Hehe, you’re gonna have to be faster than that to catch me. Got any magic tricks?”

“How about … this?!”

Seeing past Emilia’s multiple illusions of herself with a bit of amusement as she tried to pin her against the ceiling, Sora let herself get caught. “Oh, which Emilia is the real one—so many fluffy tails flying in the air…”

Hovering up as she proudly snapped her jaws around her actual body, Sora right behind her unsuspecting daughter, causing her to squeal as she snatched the little kit out of the air to hug against her bosom. “Mua-haha! Who has who, now?”

“Hehehe, I give! I give!”

“You ready for a shower?”

“Ooh, and you’re gonna help me with my tails?!”

“Aren’t you big enough to do them yourself?” Sora questioned, flipping her around to give her a small smirk.

“Eh-hehe, well, yeah, but I like it when you help me—there’s just so many of them!”

“Are you lowkey bragging?”

Emilia’s mischievous eyes drifted to the side. “I mean, I do have five more than you, Mom—it’s a lot of work, hehehe!”

“Hmm … I guess I have no choice then, huh?”

“Mhm! Oh, I can start the shower without touching the panel now, too!”

“Can you now—why don’t you show me?”

“Okai!”

Sora released her daughter for her to twirl in the air, red flames engulfing her to reveal the girl’s eleven-year-old body; her silky red nightgown fluttered with her tails as she zipped through the open door to the shower room down the hall.

“C’mon, Mom! Hurry!”

“So much energy in the morning,” Sora giggled, hovering to the ground before walking to join her. “Have you started making the products yet?”

“Huh, oh, for showers? No, not yet. White says he’s going to teach me how to combine natural ingredients and how to tell which ones will work for it in, umm … two weeks? Mom, see—look—I can do it!” she excitedly pivoted, pointing at the warm flowing rain that suddenly fell from the ceiling.

“Very nice! You’re getting so much better at using your magic than I was, and you’ve only been at it for a week, you talented girl!”

“Nuh-uh! Not at all,” Emilia protested, sliding off her nightgown and running to the cubby in the right corner of the room, outside of the spray to check on the clothing she’d laid out the night before. “I can’t do all the crazy clothing stuff you did yet, and White says my Outer Body Technique could use some work, but Ms. Tola’s helping me with that.”

“That’s nice. I think you’re a little genius, though,” Sora doubled down.

Shedding her Null-Void cobalt dress—she could only make the two types of outfits so far, not including the apron—to step into the shower, Sora let the liquid slide down her skin. Her Chakram floated nearby; her daughter seemed to love polishing it in the mornings.

She sat on one of the wooden benches they’d both carved together earlier that week, looking through the curtain to smile at her frowning little girl. “Something wrong?”

“No, it’s just … I want to have more outfits like you had when you were my age. Wearing the same clothes feels weird, but I know Rayla and Luna always wear the same two dresses … I don’t know.”

“Have you created any new outfits; it looks like you have.”

Emilia pulled out her night bun, set the elastic band with her nightgown, and walked to her, ears folding down and ducking a little as she stepped under the spray. “No, I haven’t learned how to do that yet—weaving fabric together—but not the complex stuff you did. I made some with Tola helping, but I want to make them myself—we use illusions to have fun and imagine new styles, which is fun.”

“Mhm?” Sora responded, pulling her bangs back as they absorbed the water. “How soon until you learn how to transmute and shape clothes?”

“I need to better visualize it, White says.”

“The Outer Body Technique?”

“Mhm … How did you do it so easily?”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say it was easy, but Aunt Inari spent quite some time teaching me it. I think it was because I could use it to teach myself a lot of things rather than relying on a teacher to jump me through the hoops.”

“Is that better than what White’s teaching me?”

“I don’t think so. It was probably good for me at the time, and it was really helpful; I was in a bit of a different circumstance than you. We’re not rushed on time now, so you can become more well-rounded than I was.”

Emilia's lips pulled in as Sora used a duplicate Chakram to snatch one of the conditioners from the rack on the wall. “Mom, is training hard for you?”

“Why would you ask that?” Sora hummed.

The magic of the shower sensing she was applying product to Emilia’s ears and hair, creating a temporary barrier on the spots to let it soak in; it was a little silly compared to just magically cleaning their locks, but it was the experience that mattered.

“You come back so tired sometimes … I get to have so much fun with Ms. Tola, White, Rayla, and Luna, but you’re working so hard. I want to work harder, too.”

“Hehe, you want to know a little secret?”

Emilia’s light blue eyes widened, looking up and nodded as Sora worked the conditioner into her radiant copper locks. “Mhm!”

“I don’t sleep very often, and if I want to sleep with you, I gotta dump a lot of my energy, which means I do a super big project every time I’m about to leave.”

Sora grinned and winked at her daughter. “I play a little, too. Kari, Aiden, and I have games to see who’s faster or hide and seek.”

“What about Ms. Lizzy?” Emilia asked.

“Eh-heh, well, we try not to bully her.”

An accusatory look crossed her daughter’s face. “Mom, bullying is bad! You’re not supposed to bully Ms. Lizzy! She’s nice.”

“Haha, I know! I know! We’re trying to help her, but she’s trying to learn how to use her magic like you are.”

“Oh … Umm, will she join us?”

“Eh … I think she’s a bit too attached to Aiden for that,” Sora snickered, leaning in to whisper, “the lovey-dovey kind.”

Emilia’s ears wiggled, a rosy grin spreading across her cheeks. “Really? Ms. Lizzy likes Uncle Aiden? Oh, I should tell Luna and Rayla, hehe!”

“Shhh … We don’t want to embarrass her.”

“Mhm! Mhm!”

Sora smiled, knowing her daughter wasn’t even aware of the situation she’d put White and Tola in; Emilia genuinely loved the dynamic she felt between the pair.

Moving to her tails, Sora enjoyed the morning talk with her daughter before doing the same for her. Finishing, Sora instantly dried herself by devouring the water and reconstituted her cobalt dress.

They helped each other with their hair, Emilia pulling Sora’s hair into a long, high-wavy ponytail while Sora did Emilia’s in Dutch braids.

Heading downstairs, it was 8:07 A.M. when they made it into the kitchen. Sora took out some of the strange green eggs they had in the Realm with some kind of unknown meat that tasted like pork to make breakfast omelets; there were a few vegetables that she chopped up to sauté.

“Mom, you’re missing your apron!” Emilia called, sitting on the island chair while adjusting her green dress. “When you cook, you gotta wear an apron.”

“Totally right!” Sora chuckled, presenting herself as the article appeared over her dress. “Better?”

“Better! Oh, umm, what are we having for lunch today?!”

Sora smirked, turning back to her items. “Kari said she wanted to make lunch for us since you had our mysterious destination picked out for our hike. Eyia said she was going to make something, too.”

“Oof … Do Aunt Kari and Aunt Eyia know how to cook?”

Emilia had started to refer to specific individuals in their party as more family as they went on; Sora was slowly getting used to it. At least she didn’t have to answer questions about her father, which was a bit ironic; it did make sense why her Aunts thought of Emilia more as Sora’s sister than a daughter, but she didn’t care at this point—this was their relationship.

“Hehe, your Aunt Eyia, probably … Your Aunt Kari … heh-hehe, yeah, I’m a little concerned, too.”

“Hmm, maybe she’ll surprise us!”

“Yeah, we’ll see. She has some weird shake stuff she makes in the mornings when I’ve trained with her,” Sora muttered, thinking back to the ungodly smelling ooze the Fenris Wolf gulped down like a cherry smoothie. Sora shivered, recalling the scent. “Let’s hope it’s something normal.”

Laughing while spending time with her daughter and not worrying about having everything ready by a particular time, Sora had a peaceful morning with her daughter. It had been nice using some of the cooking skills she’d learned from her caretakers when a little girl.

Sora motioned for her to join, to Emilia’s glee, and she floated over to help cut up ingredients, humming melodies Sora didn’t recognize which Tola had taught her; apparently, certain areas in the Vulpes Realm had a rich musical history that came with dances they’d made for the Vulpes Council.

Once they had eaten, they moved to some stretches and physical exercises that Sora did more as a method of habit than anything else, now that her life wasn’t so rushed. Spreading out her rings and spinning the micro-layers was like arching her back and twisting her hips.

Her daughter loved the exercises, even if their dresses weren’t the easiest to do everything in, and Sora figured her next goal was crafting herself workout attire. In fact, she decided the next six weeks would be dedicated to mastering her non-lethal Null-Void clothing skills.

Leaving the house at 10 A.M. to meet the gang at the big fountain in the Blue Section of the city, Sora giggled, watching Emilia practice her flight control while keeping her dress in a proper position.

The attitude of the Vulpes moving through the streets had changed, and many were now heading into the countryside to experience what it was like to farm or live outside of the city walls. It was fun seeing the nearby village Vulpes entering the colossal capital for the first time.

Since entering the Vulpes Realm, everything seemed to have changed, and Qebhet's soothing, radiant aura could be felt across the entire place, helping to uplift and guide the child-like foxes into a new golden age.

Her aunt had rebuilt much of the Realm Core—at least, Sora figured from the 12th Dimension down—tweaking it to better accommodate the current population of growing Vulpes. It was a paradise, and Loral acted as the petite snake goddesses’ right hand.

Looking up at the shimmering spheres in the heavens, Sora could only see the blue and yellow planets past the blue atmosphere and clouds. Vulpes were being carried to the other worlds to explore and find the place they most wanted to settle down.

There were many new areas to discover, including towers of esoteric tombs for advanced magical study or to learn the history of places across Existence and far beyond this Realm. It seemed Amy, her gorgeous grandmother and the first Vulpes, had spaced many records of Existence and its creatures for advanced study, depending on the dimension.

As Sora saw it, this Realm was fashioned like a house, and the higher you climbed, the more interesting things you’d find. She had no reservations about coming back and further exploring this place at some point, and maybe with her grandmother herself; after all, she had eternity, which was an unusual thought.

Making it to the fountain, she found Kari in brown shorts, a black tank top, and her hair done up in a high ponytail. She sat on the side of the fountain, a picnic basket beside her that Sora had no doubt was spelled to have extra storage; even from this distance, she could smell the sandwiches inside.

Aiden and Liz were nearby, talking about some game they’d been playing with the local kids that the Vulpes had never done back in her little town. It involved spinning your magic around tops in a miniature obstacle course to reach the end the fastest. Apparently, the kids had schooled them.

Many new things came to the capital from various communities around the Vulpes Realm, introducing the population to fun activities.

Tola would be their teleportation guide today since White had taken the day off to have some personal time; Sora thought he was probably trying to detox himself from the blue-furred fox’s presence because it was more than a little clear to her senses that both had it bad for each other.

Although Sora had to wonder if White had someone waiting for him, a girlfriend, or wife—perhaps multiple for all she knew—in some other Realm because she had no doubt Tola wouldn’t be hard to pull in. He was resisting her clear signals like the plague.

Rayla and Luna, the devious little twins, hadn’t made it yet, but Sora had no doubt they’d be showing up soon.

The final addition to their party was the stalwart blonde Primordial; it was still odd to think Eyia, who called her Sister, was supposed to be one of the Founders’ mortal enemies. Jin and the Valkyrie had been undergoing pretty vigorous training in the higher dimensions of the Realm.

On the downside, Jin was engrossed in meditation at the moment, but Eyia jumped at the opportunity to spend time with her.

It had been slow, trying to convince the serious Valkyrie she wasn’t the worst thing since Fenrir for the blunder of unraveling the City Core by asking it to recreate the Primordial Realm she’d known for most of her life. At least they were past the worst of it now.

Emilia zoomed out of the sky to spin around Tola, drawing everyone’s attention. “Hey, Ms. Tola! Look, I’m doing so much better now!”

“You are,” Tola clapped, wearing what appeared to be Emilia’s design of clothes; a straw hat, brunette dress, and sandals.

She seemed to take the girl’s advice about simple earrings, a necklace, and an ankle accessory; for some reason, Inari had chosen to imbue Emilia with just about all the knowledge Sora had on Earth fashion. So, she could see why her daughter was so disgruntled about her current wardrobe, and nothing Sora had previously made her fit Emilia any longer since shrinking in size.

“So, you’re looking cute today,” Aiden complimented as Emilia waved at them.

Liz nodded. “Did your mother do your hair? I’ve never seen braids like that.”

“Oh, yeah, she did—they’re called Dutch braids! Thanks! Umm, I’m going to learn how to make more soon. Eh, have you seen Rayla and Luna?”

Eyia brushed back her bangs, golden dress fluttering around her knees as she turned to point down one of the streets. “I sense them making their way here; they seem anxious.”

Sora stopped a little ways away from the group, catching Kari's comfortable smile while following Emilia's bounce between conversations; it was nice learning more about her as she became more open and sociable. “I can smell those sandwiches; at least they seem normal.”

Kari rolled her eyes, scratching her left wolf ear as it folded down. “Another comment about my shake—look, you still haven’t tried it, so you don’t even know.”

“Do I need to when it smells that bad?”

Liz poked her head around Aiden’s shoulder to grimace. “Seriously, it smells rotten.”

“C’mon,” Aiden snickered, “it’s not that bad. I mean, I’m not a fan of peanut butter, but it is kind of Kari’s thing.”

“Huh?” Sora lifted an eyebrow. “Wait, it tastes like peanut butter? Hey, I’m made out of Null-Void here—I eat basically everything—and that smells disgusting. It doesn’t resemble peanut butter at all.”

“Guess Chakram fox girls have a delicate stomach,” Kari mused. “I don’t know what to tell you; Aiden doesn’t think it’s bad.”

“Peanut butter?”

“Wanna try some?”

“Mmh…” Sora suspiciously glanced between the Fenris Wolf and Homā Bird. “Why do I get the impression you two are conspiring on this?”

“Because you’re scared,” Kari shrugged, giving her a challenging smirk. “Can’t take the heat, Ring Girl?”

“Hmm, fine—tomorrow, I’ll see if it tastes like peanut butter.”

“Among other things,” Aiden added. “Still, mostly peanut butter.”

“Mhm…”

Her daughter snatched her attention as she cheered, and Sora looked up to see the twins unsteadily floating through the sky.

“You two did it! You’re flying!”

“Y-Yeah,” Rayla forced a laugh, having cut her hair at her shoulders to differentiate from her sister’s long hair. “I’m faster than Luna!”

“Not—woah, ugh—heh, safe! Not by much!” she huffed, landing beside her proud older sister. “I’m better at other stuff, too.”

“You’re both flying!” Emilia cut in, zooming in to carry the two into a dizzying spin that left them helpless in her daughter’s arms. “Hehe, we can play sky games now!”

“Eh—E-Emi—I can’t focus…”

“Emi!”

They laughed as the girls slowly lowered to the ground, with Emilia supporting the unstable twins.

“So, are we ready?” Sora asked. “Where to, Navigator Emi?”

Emilia threw a fist into the air. “The Ruby Fall Caves!”

“Where’s that?” Kari asked, crossed legs tapping a little.

“Planet Red!”

Aiden smirked. “Creative name.”

“Really?” Emilia blinked. “I thought it was kind of plain—I wanted to name it Crimson Dawn—because it shines in the morning!”

“Oh?” Liz questioned, looking into the heavens. “I can’t see it.”

“Well, when you can see it, it shines.”

Sora nodded. “Great. Tola?”

Magic enveloped them, and they were transported to the location.

Blinking, Sora made an impressed note in her throat with the others while spinning in a slow circle; the rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon caused the roseate mountain range to glow, casting a dazzling display against the tinted clouds high in the sky.

Green rivers flowed inside the sierra, curving and twisting with the tremendous pressure they were under to shoot out sparling ruby mist once exiting to collect into floating pools that gathered to rush over the flat edges.

Unusual gem-encrusted animals moved slowly in packs to the streams, and further down the valley were yellow-leaved trees that branched into a lush jungle valley.

“Wow,” Sora whispered. “Where to next?”

Emilia pointed down a path that led to a fissure in the mountain, leading into its obscured crimson depths. “The caves! White said it’s magical!”

“Alright!” Kari grinned. “Ready for an adventure?”

“Mhm! Oh, I’ll lead the way—c’mon, Rayla, Luna.”

The twins were still spinning around in circles, overwhelmed by the site.

Sora chuckled and fell into step as Emilia held up her dress and jumped into the ankle-deep, slow-moving crimson water, kicking it up a bit. “Hehe, it’s so pretty!”

Liz and Aiden talked to one another about the sights, but Sora’s attention was taken by Eyia as she neared.

“How is your training, Sister?”

“Heh, hard, but probably not as hard as Jin and you are going! How about you?”

“It is good … Jin is not happy about her progress, though. I do not know how to help her.”

Seeing her somber look and unimpressed attitude toward the sight, Sora figured she’d seen much grander on her island or was more concerned about Jin. “Hmm … Is she weak?”

“No, surprisingly strong, Sister,” Eyia instantly replied, deep blue irises lifting to look at the heavens. “We are nearly evenly matched.”

“Near—meaning you tend to win?”

“I do. Is that a problem?” she asked, blinking innocently.

“Eh-heh. Would you enjoy losing all the time?”

“No … I would not. I do try to win at everything I do. Jin is the same way … I suppose we are harming each other?”

Sora shook her head, catching Kari trying not to look like she was listening; she doubted the Fenris Wolf would offer her own thoughts, considering how Eyia felt toward her. “Have … you ever trained with anyone before?”

“My father when I was young … I only saw combat after that. It is amazing how strong Jin is without such training and refinement.”

“Heh … Just give her time. You’re doing great, Eyia; she’s not frustrated at you.”

“I see…” A brilliant smile moved her eyes. “Thank you for your advice, Sister. Haha, I do see great potential in your daughter. When will you begin her weapon training?”

“Ugh…” Sora breathed in and hissed out the breath as they entered the river to reach the caves. “I … can’t say, hehe. She’s a Vulpes, but I guess learning weapons wouldn’t be a bad thing … Eh, I think I probably need more of that in a few weeks.”

Eyia’s eyes sparkled. “I would love to instruct you, Sister!”

Knowing this was precisely where she was leading the conversation or to bring it up to her daughter, Sora nodded, fearing how brutal the weapons master would be on her. “I can’t wait…”

Kari snorted, drawing Eyia’s glare, but Sora just laughed it off.

The cave closed around them, showing dazzling beams of color that swam through the air like fish in slow rhythms. Strings of luminescent puffball creatures flowed with the gentle breeze filtering through the curves, generated by the moving water that parted around their bare feet, having abandoned their shoes for Tola to store.

A gentle hum that sounded like a choir of women played in the background by how the water vibrated the pink string-like plants that grew into the gemstone mountain, green roots releasing pulsing lights that scattered through the crystal to cause emerald streaks to join the weaving ruby waves.

It really was magical, and the melody and patterns they made changed the further they went into the cavern until they arrived at a hollowed-out section with a sapphire the size of a six-story building that bathed them in a cool glow, decreasing the temperature in the area and causing white flowers to cycle in a rhythmic pattern in the gravitational force it generated.

The flora appeared to wrap its vines around the gem until its petals touched the surface, sending its seeds out to attach their own as its parent died in real-time in perfect harmony.

Continuing on in awe, they made it beyond the mountain to a sea of golden grasslands, spotted with ruby-trunked trees, crying a slow mist that was carried across the plane.

Finding a good spot up a small natural path to a rise in the crimson ridge, they had lunch, talked, and went over the things they’d seen. Tola and Eyia explained various phenomena they’d observed in the inner-workings, and Emilia showed off her skills in crafting jewelry by making a piece for everyone present.

Sora couldn’t have been more proud as she tried to teach Rayla and Luna the process, the student becoming the master, passing on the knowledge White had taught her in their secret lesson. She couldn’t do anything super complicated like the pedant she’d made with his help, but simple stuff was doable.

Rayla and Luna got a necklace with the first letter of their name imprinted on the front that the two adored.

Likely remembering the conversation they had earlier, her daughter giggled while crafting a phoenix wrist charm for Liz, who was ecstatic about the imagery, and a heart necklace with a fox head and two fluffy tails linked to the chain in a heart shape for Aiden.

Everyone but the twins and Tola eyed the symbolism with grins, but Sora couldn’t guess why Aiden would be giving her an accusatory look as her snickering daughter revealed the gifts.

Kari got a necklace of a ruby moon, not that she was a werewolf, but Emilia got a hug and praise from the Fenris Wolf, nonetheless.

As for Eyia, Sora was impressed when her daughter revealed two ruby earrings with dangling spears that resembled the legendary weapon of her father. There was a bit of confusion after Eyia took them, tears welling up in the Primordial’s eyes and making Emilia panic a bit, glancing at Sora to know what she did wrong.

Sora didn’t have to move as Eyia pulled her. “I—I will treasure this gift for as long as I live, Emilia … First, your mother invites me into her family, and now her daughter has accepted my instruction in honoring my father!”

“Huh?” Mind blanking, Sora had no clue what the Valkyrie just said. “I-Instruction?”

In contrast, Emilia’s eyes widened in delight. “I-I get to practice swinging spears and swords and stuff with you, Aunt Eyia! Yes! Can I learn how to throw my mom really far—like the Olympics disks thing!”

Sora was losing touch with the conversation. “Huh? Throw me like—”

“Ah, I believe Jin has spoken of such activities to me! I will show you the proper way to use your full body to send a projectile to the greatest effect! I shall speak to your current master and discover a time that will best suit you!”

“Yay! Can Luna and Rayla join?”

Rayla and Luna bounced up and down.

“Please! I wanna know what a sword is!”

“Spear, too! What is a spear!? I wanna throw a disk, too!” Luna cheered.

Aiden leaned over and whispered. “Think you lost this one, Sora.”

“I—Eyia … egh…” She trailed off as the twins, Valkyrie, and her daughter’s big eyes moved to her. “If … it’s just light training—nothing dangerous.”

“Of course, Sister! They will learn the proper way to handle weapons! I cannot wait for tomorrow!”

“Me, too! I’m gonna throw my mom so far—like a frisbee!”

“Eh-hehe … like a frisbee,” Sora sighed.

The twins jumped up and down, excitement bubbling over at the random turn of events. Once calming down, Emilia fashioned the final two pieces for the remaining party.

Emilia made Tola a wrist charm of hearts to celebrate their friendship, and her final product was a bracelet that said: Best Mom Ever!

Regaining her bearings, Sora hugged her daughter, and Kari got out the sandwiches she’d spent the morning making; they were pretty simple, but she’d made over five dozen, and most went right into her belly. Sora ate six, Emilia teasing her about getting a big belly to everyone’s entertainment.

Exploring the area more and enjoying each other’s company, they went back to the capital for dinner, everyone pitching in to make the dishes at Tola’s instruction.

They ended the night by telling ghost stories on a snowy winter mountain to the far north beside a fire to set the tone; Rayla and Luna got scared, but Emilia comforted them, being the ‘big girl’ she was.

Kari’s witch story got a jump out of her, though, when she jumped at the huddled kids, causing a short scream from them as they hid their faces in the blanket Tola created for them.

It had been a good day with her daughter, and at 9:45 P.M., they went home to prepare for bed; she couldn’t believe they’d actually had a whole week without the universe collapsing around them, and Sora settled into her fox form to cuddle up with her daughter.

Maybe these three years won’t be too bad…