A yawn parted Sora’s mouth as she stretched out her exhausted muscles, smacking her lips before opening her eyes to be met by darkness. Momentarily surprised, her fuzzy mind eventually realized she wasn’t looking at the world as a chakram.

Her Null-Void human frame dispersed sometime during the night, small vibrations rippled from her sickly true body as her chakram quivered; her stretches and yawns were actually her spreading micro-rings and unique wave patterns.

Unable to see as a chakram due to her nerve system being utterly shot after harming herself in her body’s attempt to expel Kari’s substance, Sora debated what she should do.

Emilia obviously wasn’t here, which meant she’d woken up already and let her sleep, but she had no clue how long she’d been passed out.

Deciding to take her fox form instead of her humanoid, since the Null-Void manipulation wasn’t as complex, the world cleared in the far more narrow viewing angle; it didn’t feel the best to use whatever organs she used to produce the substance.

“Ugh… I don’t wanna move… How is it worse than yesterday?”

Giggling sounded above her, causing Sora to roll to the opposite side on her decently made sheets she had slept on; Nari was floating in the corner of the room on a little fox throne.

“Hmm… Am I dreaming, Aunt Nari? I wouldn’t doubt it. I’m freaking… blegh.”

Her golden-furred aunt’s chair glided through the air to sit beside her bed; Sora swore she took the opposite side to hear her groan while flipping back to the other side.

“Well, well, well,” Nari mused. “Bobo will be happy to see fifteen hours of sleep has shown you a bit of how messed up you are right now.”

“Uh-huh…” Sora mumbled, following the blonde’s pointing tail to the window—where the window was supposed to be—and where a thick silk curtain was pulled across it. “Oh. Did Emi make that so the light wouldn’t wake me up?”

“Of course! She’s been the little nurse fox since waking up.”

Her aunt shimmered as her throne expanded to fit her mischievous, teenage girl figure, crossing her legs and leaning against her armrest. “I must say, I’ve grown a tad jealous of the attention sick women receive.”

It suddenly hit her that Mary, Ashley, and Nathan were currently over, adding stress to the weight against her chest. “How is everyone—are Ashley’s kids going to be alright?”

Nari chuckled and winked, more twinkling light encircling her aunt, and the magic she smelled at work made Sora’s lips part in understanding; she was the magical watchdog, keeping an eye on her.

The magical construct pointed to the door. “Why don’t you ask the ladies yourself; I let them know you were awake; as for your mother, she spent her time with Kari, Wendy, Mofupsi, and—before leaving—Emilia this morning.”

Vision drifting to her mother’s bracelet and daughter’s necklace on the bedside table, Sora’s stress began to leave; she had a connection to two of the most important people in her life. If only there were something she could get from her father.

The Null-Void Fox’s thoughts turned to the door, a soft knock sounding as Ashley and Mary peeked inside, their quiet entrance trying not to cause too much of a commotion from those below. Sora could hear Luna, Rayla, Emilia, Ashley’s kids, and Zeri—Mary’s adopted male vulpes teen—playing downstairs.

Nari vanished with a wave and a smile. “Bobo and I should be back by the end of the week with a late present after consulting with Mia. Love you, and hope you feel better!”

The blonde’s mouth drew in upon seeing her discolored chakram on the bed. “That… doesn’t look good, Sora.”

Settling in, Sora let her tired rings rest on the pillow as the two women gave her encouraging smiles. “Hey, Mary, Ashley. Heh. Yeah, it looks worse than it is… I think. I’ll be down for a week or so, but that just means not exercising my Null-Void—so not that bad. What’s everyone up to?”

Mary sat at the foot of her bed to smile at her. “We’re getting along fine. We weren’t expecting you to suddenly become sick; your mother said it was an advanced virus of some kind, but you weren’t contagious, and it would pass with rest.”

Ashley nodded, rubbing the back of her neck with a short chuckle. “I’m not going to lie; I thought it was impossible for someone like you to get sick. I guess viruses always find a way, huh?”

It dawned on Sora that they hadn’t been told it was Kari that had caused her system to go into full panic mode; Reverse-Existence popped into her head as a name, yet that wasn’t exactly right since that would be the same thing as Null-Void, which it wasn’t.

Sora was happy Kari wouldn’t be blamed for something that wasn’t really her fault in the first place; it had been her that asked to taste the substance in the first place.

“Uh… yeah, hehe. I’m just feeling totally spent; it’s just that blegh feeling—ugh, I just wanna watch dramas,” she mumbled, shifting her head against the pillow and creasing her ears a tad to keep the two in focus. “How’s Emilia handling it? It sounded like she was having fun with the others.”

Mary shot a cryptic smile at Ashley, who returned it before the blonde answered.

“Your daughter has been plotting with the other children all morning, and they’re almost ready.”

“For? Wait, heh, I guess that’s the surprise,” she weakly snickered as—finally getting a moment to rest—curiosity bubbled to the surface. “So… while I’m waiting for them, why not catch me up on how things are going with all of you—oh, and could you get Alice to come in, too?”

“I’d love to chat!” Ashley chimed, motioning to Mary to start. “I’ll go get her—our husbands are helping the kids right now.”

Sora’s ears flicked up, three tails bristling with the magical word. “Don’t tell me—Nathan and Alice are married—and I wasn’t invited?! I practically brought them together…”

“Oh! No. No. No,” Mary swiftly interjected. “Ashley meant our husbands. We don’t know how Nathan and Alice’s relationship is coming along ourselves. Right?”

Ashley’s head bobbed up and down. “Mhm. It seems to be going well, but we’ve been pretty focused on settling into our new lives in Inari’s Realms.”

“Plural?”

It was Mary’s turn to wave the blonde off to fetch the pink-furred vulpes. “I’ll explain that.”

Ashley waved as she exited to get the fox, and Mary hummed, looking up at the ceiling, and Sora abruptly realized how strange it was for the pair to be seeing in the near pitch-black room.

“It’s been nothing but a dream, Sora… Honestly, you’ve blessed my life more than you know. Your aunt has so many realms and universes she manages, and she fit us inside a multi-solar system network of a vulpes empire.”

Recalling how in love her former psychiatrist was with sci-fi, she could imagine the woman in total heaven on some big spaceship, traveling the stars, but she shattered that vision.

“We’ve been living on a small planet with more or less a town population, helping the community and learning the culture.”

“You’re not planet hopping?”

She shook her head. “Haha. Sure, it would be fun, but my first priority is Zeri, and constant moving isn’t good for children; stability and allowing him to branch out naturally by rebelling while being understanding where acceptable and strict where needed is my approach.”

“Huh. I guess you are a psychiatrist that specializes in teenage development.”

“Well…” Mary giggled, flashing her teeth. “For humans, sure, but vulpes have their own biological differences that I have to adapt to, which is why being in a community where I can speak to vulpes mothers and observe how their children grow is important.”

Sora’s eyes fell to her sheet as she thought about the past ten weeks and how much being around Rayla and Luna had helped her daughter grow.

Puffing out a long sigh, she looked at the door; Ashley seemed to be held up—likely the kids—but it gave her time to speak to Mary as the topic came up.

“Mary… can I get your opinion on some things?”

The woman settled in with an understanding nod. “I figured you’d want to talk before I left; raising children isn’t easy, and all mothers seek help from those they trust around them.”

“Hehe. Yeah, well, my case is a bit unique… like yours, I suppose, and I don’t want to steal your thunder,” she mumbled, feeling a tad tired after so much talking. “We can talk a bit later—I need to rest my voice a bit—mind telling me about Zeri and the planet?”

“Of course. Hmm… well, let’s just say, he’s beginning to understand the draw he has on girls… let’s say.”

Sora lifted an eyebrow.

“Not what you’re thinking,” she mused, shaking her head. “Zeri’s been sheltered so much when it comes to romance and surrounded by women all his life; so, he’s kind of dependant on getting attention from women, but, as he’s been conditioned… he kind of friend-zones every love-struck girl.”

“Oof.”

“It’s… a bit hard to watch sometimes,” Mary chuckled. “He adores spending time with the girls, helping them with their magic and studying, yet Inari assured me that his aura is unique in that it may draw the opposite sex’s attention but also acts as protection to abate the lust that would cause them to jump him… at least for those near or below his aptitude.”

“The mothers?” Sora hesitantly questioned, remembering the near manic, toxic heat she’d felt from the women in Mofupsi’s former district.

Mary breathed a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, your aunt put me on a planet with fairly stable and capable kitsune that wished to understand the family experience. It is a bit awkward during parent gatherings… where their agendas are far more… liberal than human society tends to be in regards to their daughters selecting a partner.”

Playing with her brown hair, having grown a few inches since Sora had last seen her, Mary hissed. “Vulpes are… interesting, and magic plays an unusual role in the society since they do teach the art of seduction—which was hard to swallow, but a part of their culture, I suppose—and Zeri has…”

Sora could guess where it was heading and wondered how she’d feel if the roles were reversed for her own daughter. “Zeri’s become the ultimate prize since he can resist them?”

“More like… he’s immune,” Mary weakly chuckled. “Plus, he’s so sweet that I don’t know if he could ever choose a single partner. Mmgm.”

Seeing Mary’s sour expression, Sora giggled, wincing at the pain, but it was too rich not to laugh. “I’m guessing that’s not a problem in vulpes culture?”

“Not… at all,” Mary groaned, rubbing her forehead. “It’s… a culture shock, but it is rare for vulpes to settle down with a single partner, which is… hard for me to understand how jealousy wouldn’t play a huge downside to a functional society.

“To me, it just sounds like knock-up girls, have your fun, and move onto the next prospect, but I guess that is what vulpes typically do to men, and vulpes’ pregnancy period is… far shorter than ours.”

“Hmm-hmm. Sounds rough.”

“It’s fun to learn more about a different species’ culture…”

She paused as Ashley knocked and opened the door, popping her head in with a grin; Sora could hear the children outside, bouncing up and down with excitement.

“It looks like they’re ready!”

“Exciting,” Sora whispered. Pulling herself up a bit, she felt as if her ribs were cracked but resisted the pain. “I can hear you out there, Emi. Hehe. What have you been planning?”

Her daughter’s smiling face came into view as Ashley opened the door for them to come inside, presenting hand-drawn pictures. “We made our own projection show and adventure!”

“Ooh!” Sniffing, Sora’s eyes snapped to the floor. “Uh… is someone cooking something?”

Emilia nodded as the children excitedly filed inside. “Mhm! White, Tola, and Nathan are making a big pot of special soup that makes people feel good—are you feeling okay to watch our show?”

“Yeah! Ack—just choked on my spit,” she lied, accidentally touching her chakram with her fox body. “Umm. Let’s see it.”

Emilia bounced inside, and it warmed Sora’s heart to see Zeri, Luna, Rayla, Cedric, Josie, and her daughter work together to make this magical show; Emilia led the magic, seeming to act as the conductor for her vulpes friends to lift the drawings off the pages to Sora’s amusement.

The kids’ drawings went through a simple plot of a heroic frisbee that had healing powers, who went around the world, healing hurt animals and resolving conflicts between creatures. It had to be inspired by Josie because the little 7-year-old was starstruck while explaining the plot.

Emilia’s was far more lovely-dovey and seemed to follow several tropes of the romances they’d watched the previous day. It was probably more of a self-insert as the heroine searched for her true prince charming that would break her curse to never touch a living thing without it dying.

It was a bit darker of an undertone than Sora thought her daughter realized, but considering the events that they’d overcome, that wasn’t too surprising.

Each of the kids had their own tailored stories to try and entertain her, being less violent or dramatic than that Sora craved.

Partway through, Tola brought up a warm, creamy stew that was absolutely divine, and to make things better, her daughter used her magic on the spoon to feed her; it was certainly a lot cleaner than she expected, considering the girl just needed to drop each spoon-full into the center of her chakram.

After twenty minutes, their simplistic stories came to an end, and she assured them all their efforts weren’t wasted; still, planning this all day for it to only take up twenty minutes was a tad comical to Sora. It was more fun to see how hard they’d worked to make this vision come true than the plot or stories themselves.

And, to Sora’s shock, her daughter hesitantly revealed a book she’d gotten for her birthday, a romantic drama that Sora did not want her daughter reading as she offered to do just such a thing.

Nari had been the one to give it to her, likely taking inspiration by peeking through time to see her interests, and it was certainly a book her dubious aunt would select, which wasn’t all bad in the right situation.

A nice candle-lit bath while losing herself in the volume was in order at some point this week—in solitude—where she could fully enjoy the heart-pumping drama of the third and final book in the series.

Dodging the sugar-inducing smutty novel reading, Sora made sure Ashley confiscated the book to place in her drawer with a few other novel gifts she’d received from her golden-haired aunt.

Instead, she was able to get support from Mary and Ashley in watching her dramas, and even if someone like Ron would make fun of her, Vampire Diaries was one guilty pleasure she enjoyed—it hit home even more after turning into a vulpes—and how could Ron bash her taste, he had a supernatural, goddess of a wife.

Ashley gave her a thumbs up at the choice with a wink; of course, she’d watch that one when she had alone time—for tonight, Asian Drama Night was on the menu to enjoy with her daughter.

She had Ashley usher the kids out so she could speak to the other moms and Alice; the children heading off to be babysat by the men around 7 p.m., Emilia excited to share her treats with everyone.

The energy it took to handle so many people surprised Sora, and she was growing tired, but there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d pass up this opportunity to get back into dramas.

Ashley closed the door, leaving Tola, Alice, Mary, and Ashley with her; Emilia had created chairs for each woman.

Finally able to get real answers and speak to other women—some experienced mothers even—Sora couldn’t believe how interested she was in pursuing this topic; it filled a piece within her life she hadn’t even known existed.

Letting them gossip, just wanting to feel a part of the conversation as she built strength, Sora happily listened to each woman’s own problems and joys.

Tola was the first person to have the spotlight fall on; the over 30,000-year-old vulpes council member had been saved by Alice from White’s tempting presence since she could feel the draw as well and empathized.

It seemed the pink-furred vulpes had come to terms with seeing Tola as more of a person and not a goddess in her time among humans because she was totally comfortable speaking to the struggling, blue-furred vulpes.

The last week had been challenging for Tola in her fight to remain strong against White’s natural allure to strip him down and tie the fox to the bed posts; unlike Zeri, White’s aura wasn’t quite as soothing, which likely contributed to his loss of faith in love.

Mary followed every word the councilwoman spoke, concerned for her adopted son and not wishing him to follow down the same dark route; they offered their support to the woman, who only had five more weeks before she’d prove White wrong—she could resist his lustful aura.

Alice went next, resonating with Tola as she expressed her own concerns when moving through the human worlds; the new sensations of experiencing raw emotional energy from humans were difficult to resist—much like sweets—but she felt doing so helped to draw her closer to Nathan.

Nathan and her couldn’t escape the omniverse since it was in Primordial space, but Inari had given them the means to slide between multiple universes that were under her protection.

The pink-furred fox was obviously head over heels with how she talked about the former policeman, and the tumultuous emotional waves that followed her weaving two tails made them giggle. It felt so exciting to use her magic to travel the world, taking down monster criminals to fund their ventures and free those the law couldn’t protect.

Ashley’s life was far less glamorous or dangerous, yet the days of her going around those circles as an investigative reporter was in the past as her family went on the adventure her children always wanted.

Brandon and her piloted some magically constructed family spaceship—something Sora expected from Mary—and went around various worlds in the omniverse, using the enchanted guidance system to teach their kids all about the universe they lived in.

Mary voiced her approval of the teaching method, saying she’d probably do the same in time, but first, she needed to acclimate Zeri to a proper, stable culture to help him develop; he’d grown up in an extremely toxic environment, and she feared how he might react once realizing exactly what his childhood was like without the tinted glasses.

He’d thought the vulpes around him lived in total bliss and were his best friends, always needing his help; it never occurred to him that the angels surrounding him had barely constrained demons, claws only inches away from tearing him apart, every day of his life.

Perhaps an even greater mind-shattering moment was learning how most of the women he’d connected with over his life were killed in the brutal gauntlet of the Yellow District when he believed they’d gone on to obtain everything they wanted—emotions so debased, he couldn’t comprehend them with his innocence.

At last, it came time for Sora, and propping herself up on a pillow in fox form, she stared down at her chakram while going over so many questions in her mind, yet one bubbled to the surface.

Looking up at Mary, she whispered, “I need to leave the vulpes realm in 16 weeks to help Jin deliver something important to her sister… It’s going to be dangerous, and with the time acceleration chambers, it’s more like two more years for me. Emilia’s doing well here—she has friends—and I don’t know if I should take her with me.”

“Hmm…” Mary sat back with a nod. “What are your options?”

Ashley leaned to the side, holding her stomach as she thought about her statement. “Yeah, it’s hard to think that’s your only solution, considering how much power you have. What about that bracelet your mother gave you?”

Tola shook her head. “That’s way too powerful—a weak version, possibly—but Mia explained how difficult it was to make something to communicate across Existence without drawing attention.”

“I suppose so,” Ashley sighed.

Sora frowned while studying the dark curtains her thoughtful daughter had made. “No, I have thought of some things… I think I’m going to have Emi join me to get stronger; I need to learn more about my vulpes magic again, and she needs to learn how to defend herself. It’s just…”

Mary rolled around her neck. “Mhm. It’s different when facing the threats you typically deal with, and your Null-Void has become a major game changer in how confident you are in battle.”

Alice’s lips pulled together as she listened. “I… don’t see why it would be that much trouble? Isn’t Emilia far stronger than me, or even most of the vulpes in this realm? Is the problem her losing friends or being in danger?”

“All the above,” Ashley chuckled. “Hmm… I bet you’ve considered even bringing Rayla and Luna with you.”

“I have,” Sora mumbled, carefully shifting her three tails uncomfortably. “They don’t have parents and have grown so fond of Emi, but… I can’t bring them into our chaotic world, either. Emi is my daughter, and I cannot see her ever wanting to leave me…

“So, I’m left with pulling her away from here, which means she needs to be trained in combat. Eyia has started to teach her how to fight with weapons, yet using magic to hurt rather than create… will be a big change for her. I don’t know if she can kill either—not that I have—I’ve had the intent before, but… yeah.”

“None of us do,” Mary whispered. “We never know what we are capable of until the situation presents itself, yet that shouldn’t stop you from preparing your daughter. You’re immortal, Sora—she’s immortal—and you’ll deal with so many threats.”

She forced a laugh, running her fingers through her hair. “She already has. Life isn’t fair, and I know you want her to have a normal childhood, but some things are also not realistic. I know I have to adapt to Zeri’s biological urges when they finally awaken and have to prepare him for that.”

“I agree,” Ashley smiled encouragingly. “Pulling Rayla and Luna—two girls with so much potential to help their home—is also harming this realm, and just because they will be apart for a time, that doesn’t mean they’ll stop being friends. Kids are stronger than you think.”

Tola and Alice didn’t seem to have much to add to the conversation as Mary finished giving her advice.

“Emi is very attached to you as her mother, Sora, and she wants to be like you; teach her that the world is harsh and how to respond to it. The duty of a parent is to prepare their children for the dangers of the world, not shelter them from it but expose it in small doses to help them know how to act rather than hide.”

“Even if it hurts them?” Sora asked, knowing it would be so hard for her daughter to leave her friends behind.

Mary leaned back and closed her eyes, appearing to view something in her past. “Wasn’t it your aunt that told us pain is a part of life, Sora?”

Sora’s ears pulled back as she thought back to her aunt’s lecture. “It was… Maybe I should go back and listen to it again. I need to prepare Emilia for the world… not shelter her from it.”

Ashley giggled. “Just for the record, sheltering and protecting are not the same thing. We do need to protect our children using our experience, which, frankly speaking, is still limited and flawed, but that’s why we seek help from others to correct our warped worldview.

“Still, as mothers, we do the best we can to guide—not build—our children into men and women that not only ourselves but themselves and others can admire. Tough, but compassionate, and strong enough to take on the world that will challenge them.”

“Plus,” Mary jumped back in, “we always need to be the person they’re not afraid to go to, which doesn’t mean we need to be the ‘easy’ or ‘strict’ parent, but the understanding one that can adapt to their unique situation. We need to be the balance of the two.”

“Balance…” Sora chuckled. “The Balance between Persona and Shadow.”

Mary’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! Yes. Persona is the world, and Shadow is our inner inhibitions; we develop a mask for a society that confines our negative aspects—think racism or other prejudices—which helps us fit in, while our uniqueness within the Shadow contends with that mask to express ourselves.”

“I get it! I get it!” Sora laughed, wincing at the pain that spread throughout her chakram.

“Hehe. Sorry,” she sheepishly said, making the other women giggle. “Thank you, Mary, Ashley, Alice, Tola.”

The pink-furred vulpes shook her head, tails weaving behind her. “I don’t know what I really did to help, but I’m glad you’ve figured out what you want to do.”

Tola wove her magic around Sora, creating a warm atmosphere that eased her pain a tad. “I believe we should let you rest.”

Mary and Ashley nodded in agreement, but Sora wanted to know two more things.

“Uh… where’s Kari and Wendy?”

Alice got up to stretch, spreading her tails out. “Mmmgmg… They said they’d be training together for the next few days—something about control and beating you up next time.”

“Pfft… Sure. They can dream,” Sora snickered, making the others laugh. “Oh, and where did Mofupsi go?”

Tola rose to her feet and dismissed their chairs, absently answering her. “She asked White to further instruct her on the many things your mother taught her.”

Sora mirrored Ashley and Mary’s reactions, face dulling with the picture coming to mind.

Mofuspi! You better not be doing what I think you’re doing. Tola and White are in a courting game; you can’t throw a wrench in the middle of that!

Hoping she was wrong, she let the women leave to send in her daughter for popcorn and drama night; she could enjoy her dramas on the special device White had crafted to play the movies—even Alice had an unsure look on her face about the two being alone together.

All dirty thoughts vanished when her daughter floated into the room, ready to begin their relaxation night, and Sora was ready to let her brain turn off.

Sora didn’t even last two episodes before her head drifted to the side, and she passed out; day one of ‘Operation Recover’ was over.