Now outside of the large mansion, with Nia asleep and Yseress trying to keep her distance, Rachel had a decision to make—a few, in fact—and she had to make them in the next few hours they had left on their turtle ride back from Florida City to Miami.

Zippy, Cahira’s Dragon Turtle, seemed to have slowed to a more casual pace in the sea, rather than its blitz from Miami by air; considering it was typically a bit under an hour’s drive, it appeared that the large creature needed his rest.

Coming to a halt, she released a soft sigh that drew Anthony and Scarlet’s gaze.

A curious grin brought Scarlet’s left fang into few. “Yseress again? Hmm-hmm. The more you talk about her, the more I want to meet her.”

“Just thinking about a few things I need to address. As for my little Nephilim, heh, she’s shockingly shy, but I don’t think she’s ever had a real social circle and is trying to cope with not manipulating or watching her back all the time.”

Anthony rolled around his neck, managing his hair; he didn’t do the best with it, considering he’d likely never worn it to its current length. “It makes sense, coming from Hades. What’s on your mind, though; is it something that needs to be dealt with right now?”

“Hmm. Probably, to be honest,” Rachel muttered, folding her hands behind her back to play with her braid. “I think I’ve put it off long enough, and I’m just worried about the implications.”

Scarlet jumped ahead of her to walk backward in their slow stroll around the side of the mansion. “Who does it affect?”

“What I’m thinking about right now… Possibly a lot of people.”

“Heh, so nothing new?” she giggled, shooting Anthony a look.

“Not wrong! Rachel’s so independent that she’ll do everything herself; it’s a part of what makes me love her so much—she doesn’t just think things through— she acts, getting things done.”

“Right!? I don’t know how she always does it! Rachel always has the answer; isn’t it amazing?”

“Eh-heh,” Rachel hissed, pulling down on the top of her hair a bit. “I wouldn’t say always, Scarlet, but yeah… For loving the chaos of battle so much, I ironically like a rather orderly life, if that makes sense.”

Her vision fell to the soft grass as she stopped, making Scarlet and Anthony give her their full attention.

“Alright… Give me your thoughts on this…”

She began organizing her thoughts, the pair folding listening, arms folded; Rachel kept careful track of the little girl walking their way—she still wasn’t totally sold on Jaenona.

“Izanami told me how to purify Yseress, and I plan on doing it, but I’m a bit hesitant on the possible after-effects.”

“Your connection to Hades, or are you talking about what it would do to her?” Scarlet asked, eyebrows pulling together.

Anthony motioned for them to move to a corner of the mansion to lean against the stone foundation. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves, Scarlet; let’s hear the full story and Rachel’s own thoughts.”

“Ugh, sorry, Rachel. Heh, sometimes I do kind of assume stuff.”

“It’s fine,” Rachel chuckled, taking her boyfriend up on his offer.

Pulling her braid over her shoulder to play with it, Rachel puffed out a long stream of air. “There are so many things I have to take into consideration… If I want to purify her, the best way to do it is through the Seed.”

“Mhm?” Scarlet nodded.

Clearly not understanding what she meant, Rachel leaned her head against the stone; to be fair, she hadn’t done an excellent job explaining it. “Not my Seed; she’s ‘between’ Nia and my Seed, but she isn’t a ‘part’ of it… I mean, in a way, I guess—Izanami can feed off it through her, but that’s proximity thing, I suppose.

“What I need to do is have one of the twins Wolfgang manipulated give her a Seed, and as you know, Scarlet…”

“Yeah… Your promise to Alexa.”

“Mhm, but my worry is how the Seed will be affected by coming into contact with a Nephilim that can then be passed on.”

Scarlet’s arms tightened around her knees. “Ooh… Yikes. Uh, I didn’t think about that. It was supposed to be used for humans, right? Will it even work with Yseress since she’s not half-human? And what about what Jaenona said—her being Devil, Angel, and Divine?”

Rachel’s full lips pulled in; that hadn’t even crossed her mind—there were so many dots and information swirling around in her head, she couldn’t keep everything straight—and that was a problem.

“Anthony?”

Arm resting on one of his knees, a low hum rumbled in his throat. “Jaenona sees the world—everything, really—in a completely different way than us, and she can’t lie… If she says Yseress are all three, then I believe her.

“Now, what that means, I can’t say, but I think we should get her opinion since she has the most insight—strange as it might be—of these Seeds. Although, heh, I understand if you still don’t trust her.”

Letting his own opinion weigh on her mind for a second, Rachel let the ensuing silence go on; whether she liked it or not, the little Eldritch girl would be here soon enough. In the end, she settled on her previous judgment in dealing with the ambiguous entity.

“If I am trusting her to be around my family… I guess until I have reason not to, I’ll trust her. It’s just hard when she seems so sure of such cryptic things without explaining her reasoning, and it’s insane how just mentioning a name can draw city or country-ending threats to our location…”

A low growl reverberated in her throat as she scratched the back of her head, seeing the cheery, white-haired five-year-old casually walk around the corner more than a dozen meters to their left. “Mmgm… I suppose it is just her nature.”

“Master, I have finished entertaining the little human growths,” she happily replied, sitting across from them. “There were many questions as to my parentage and our relation, but they were puzzled by my origination in The Dream.”

Scarlet forced a smile. “I—heh—bet they were.”

“Did you have fun?” Anthony asked, a soft, almost fatherly smile on his face as he looked at the child; in a way, she was somewhat of an innocent child regarding their Existence and way of life.

“Indeed. I was quite proficient in their game of hide and seek, yet my advantage of transformation was nullified in this powerful word they used called cheating, as they named it, and thus I became quite terrible at the exercise.”

A mix of a laugh and sigh bubbled up in Rachel’s chest as she leaned against Anthony’s side to rest her head against his shoulder, and he accommodated her, earning a victory herself.

“What was this ‘Queen of Tag’ and how you were too overpowered?”

“Mmh. Yes, they had a game wherein the goal was to be a hunter or prey—an infection game of concept that was quite entertaining—and I was the only one to not be afflicted by this disease. I became the anti-virus, uncursing those stricken until I stood victorious.”

Scarlet giggled. “I’ve never played a tag game where you could reverse tag and win.”

“Oh?” Jaenona brushed back her locks in the light breeze, glancing to her left as if following the movements of something interesting only she could see. “It can only be achieved once there are less than ten unaffected left, and, as I was told, we are to be the saviors of this place called Cuba, returning those taken to their loved ones. Is not that a place you were at Rachel?”

Rachel’s amusement tempered at the context; she hadn’t followed that particular storyline, but it made sense the children would come up with a game to express their inner turmoil and hopes.

“It was… Jaenona, can you give me an answer about these Seeds?”

She sat a little straighter, yet her smile didn’t falter. “If I can be of assistance, I will.”

Scarlet’s brow set, leaning forward to listen intently.

“There are twins that have Seeds which can be duplicated to others. What would happen if it was given to Yseress?”

Leaning it open for her to explain however she saw fit, Rachel waited, but it didn’t take long for the girl to give a response.

“Indeterminable.”

“I see. Hmm…”

“Ahem,” Anthony’s fingers tightened against his thighs. “That’s not what she means, Rachel.”

“Go on…”

“Hmm?” Jaenona blinked, lips falling a tad as she glanced between them. “It is indeterminable since I have not been able to identify these Seeds as I have seen Yseress; if I am to understand the effect of something, I must first experience it.”

Rachel rubbed her forehead; perhaps she had too much on her mind recently, but that was no excuse—she needed to be at the top of her game. Yet, ever since meeting the Deep Ones, things were somewhat spinning beyond the scope she could see—no, maybe it was after connecting everything in Cuba.

“Haaa… Naturally,” Rachel grumbled. “If I brought you to them, could you give me a determination… As well as what might happen if Yseress were to transfer it to a human.”

“Ah-eh—Rachel…” Scarlet stammered, visibly linking the train of thought. “I mean, yeah, it would mean the twins wouldn’t need to come to your house, but… Mmh, I guess this is why you’ve been worried, because—right, she’ll need to send it to someone else, too.”

Figuring there wasn’t a better time to do it than now, Rachel got to her feet, prompting the others to do the same. “Let’s see Clay, since he’s taking over for Tom…”

Rachel led the way to the high-ranking military man, being the closest to their group, thus granted a lot of clearance to handle the many top-secret missions and information they brought; he had all of Tom’s authority while acting in his place, which meant he might just turn their request away until the man awoke.

However, upon explaining the situation to him, he would allow it so long as they’d share the analysis; anything regarding the Seeds was of top priority to the military.

Heading up to the top level of Cahira’s mansion, where the twins had been isolated, only able to have contact with their Demi caretakers to not transfer the Seeds unknowingly.

The military couple that watched them were both Champion Demi and wanted to adopt children; as such, they’d been hand-selected by Clay to have the opportunity to become the orphans’ parents since all the cards seemed to align.

Clay had some reservations about the two new parents being excluded from the transfer, to which they pleaded to be present, and, with Anthony’s interjection, the man was swayed in their favor.

In any case, they’d need to give the Seed to someone today because of Wolfgang’s killswitch, forcing it to be spread or kill the host, and being the initiators of the Seed, they showed no other ability than this.

The two young twins’ eyes lit up upon seeing the smaller silver-haired child that happily greeted them, and the encounter didn’t take long as Jaenona took both of their hands for a moment.

Once finished and waving the disappointed kids off, they left to converge on the end of the hallway, looking out at the grounds from the window.

“Well?” Clay asked, seeing Anthony’s tight expression; he’d likely gotten an internal sneak peek into her investigation.

Rachel’s stomach had experienced cramps the entire time the Eldritch entity performed her examination; it was hard to know if the girl was a master at deception or utterly free in her expression.

Jaenona’s cheer had diminished while moving between the twins' hands, and her vision was still distant. Arms folded, her grip tightened around her elbows upon giving her diagnosis.

“Mmh… I understand you have difficulty in grasping the abstract concepts of the Eldritch, so I have worked through a proper example with my master… You see them as Seeds or plants, and I can express it as such:

“What I have noticed about these Seeds is that not all of them are of the same plant… tree… or bush, if you will, but two sources. Some are riper than the others, and the nutrients each have obtained are not of the same quality…”

She held up her hands to illustrate her points. “Consider it in tiers or levels… dimensional boundaries and the functional barriers each expansion can break through. Some trees can only grow so tall or wide, and some, no matter the care, will never reach a certain peak—they are not all equal.

“As to the source, one was deprived of nutrients while the other was brimming with life—the lesser is greater, the greater is lesser—the husk of a higher Seed offers a greater return than the fully nourished lesser Seed.”

Yet another thing I have to add to the puzzle! Rachel internally snarled. Two Trees that offer different degrees of Seeds.

“Which are we?” Scarlet spontaneously asked, hands knotted behind her back. “Did mine come from the weaker tree?”

Jaenona giggled. “That is funny, Scarlet. No, I suspect Twilight had an initial role in the Greater Tree’s decay, and in its end, it spread its unripe fruit into the maelstrom, either with help from Twilight or without I cannot say, nor if another being played a role. All Legendkin and Mythickin fall into that Unripened Fruit category, or so far as I have seen.”

Clay ran his hands over his bald head. “Ugh… So, all other Demi are from the Lesser Tree… meaning what? Do they not have the same opportunity to grow as those with the Higher Seed?”

Jaenona’s body shook with laughter. “You humans have such odd ways of viewing things! Opportunity is before all, and it is in seeking what one wishes that brings release to these Seeds, yet their path will not be easy, but as they feed on your dreams, anything is possible, which is why the Crystals create the chance for advancement…

“Oh! Hmm-hmm, my apologies, Master,” she bowed to Anthony as he gave a short chuckle, “not what you believe dreams to be, but what I live them to be.”

Rachel only half followed her odd wording; not in the typical dream but The Dream that completed and unified her Eldritch race. “Does that mean these Seeds are from The Dream?”

“My goodness, Rachel,” she smiled, having a rather annoying look on her face that made Rachel feel like she was a school child.

“The Dream is present in all Reality—that which is, hmm, simply is—I experience but a small sample of its chorus in our Existence, and that The Corrupted Dream follows the same counterbalanced hymn. I can express no more than the root of what I see. I see what you are thinking, and, no, Clay, there are those among the Aberrant that same Greater Tree has touched.”

Knowing they could get into more detail later after she processed the repeated revelations that were coming, Rachel bypassed that to discuss the fundamental question this latched onto.

“So, you’re saying the twins’ Seeds are from a lower-dimensional tree, and they have a high Rank, as we could say, but their Grade is low, or capped. Where is that cap?”

“Divinity,” she instantly replied. “Essentially, the 7th dimension is barred to them without a mutation; they could never combat the Eldritch.”

Then what was the purpose of this Lesser Seed, and how did they get mixed together… Did she hint that the Crystals were a direct response to the Lesser Seeds? Was someone trying to limit the number of people or block the Greater Seeds from connecting to more compatible candidates?

“Is that the type of Seed that the Twins have?”

The little girl nodded, a frown touching her lips again as she seemed to penetrate Rachel’s very soul. “Very minor in terms of nourishment, and, as you say, Grade, yet the complexities are what you are concerned with… How such a union would affect Yseress?”

Everyone went silent as they waited for an answer, the girl holding her hands behind her back and puffing out a drawn-out sigh. “I have been attempting to bridge the convoluted mess that such an action would bring with my master, and… It is… challenging.”

Her vision wandered a little, creasing her left eye. “The issue is not the Seed itself, and even Yseress herself would not have much of an effect on its design… No, the entanglement comes in Yseress’ resonance with you, Rachel.”

Jaw tightening a tad, Rachel internally cursed as the illusionary smirk of the fallen Creation Deity came to mind. Izanami… I should have known you were working your own angle, even with this, and you wouldn’t have given me all the information.

“What did Izanami leave out?”

Jaenona gave an uncharacteristic shiver. “If you were to have Yseress take this Seed, it would be given a slight initial, mmh… bump to its initial Grade by her connection to Divinity and the Infernal, thereby enhancing the effects of whoever it next was transferred to, yet the true mess comes when it corresponds to the Greater Seed in Rachel, which will thereby affect the linking Dream…”

Anthony shook his head as she looked to him for help. “I can’t make sense of what you’re trying to say to me internally, Jaenona! Erm… Are you saying it will become a pseudo-greater Seed for a short while when sparked with Rachel’s Seed, but it will swiftly decrease in Grade as that link goes out further?”

A bright smile lifted her cheeks. “I believe that is the answer!”

“No way!” Scarlet’s eyes were practically glowing. “You mean, if—if we do this, then Alexa can get a Super Seed!”

“Super Seed,” Rachel chuckled, glad she’d asked for the Eldritch girl’s recommendation. “Already giving them names.”

“It makes sense!” she defended with everyone’s smirks. “We have the ‘Normal Seeds,’ ‘Super Seeds,’ which are just the typical enhanced or supercharged stuff, and then you have the ‘Mega Seed’ we have!”

“I guess that works. Hehe. I’ll wake Yseress to do the Seed transfer just before we go; sound good, Clay? It will mean that the subsequent power will increase after my step-sister, which I’m sure you’ll like.”

Anthony cleared his throat. “Oh, and—eh—Jaenona wanted to make sure you knew that your resonance to the one Seed would have a slightly lesser effect on its twin, so…”

Clay glanced out of the window with a deep frown. “It’s a steep decline, so far as I understand, so we’d probably want to select SEALs to receive this enhanced Lesser Seed first. How strong of a bump are we talking, Jaenona?”

The girl looked up at Rachel with a wry smile on her lips. “Rachel is connected to the Source Dream that passes through hidden paths of the guiding force, which directed the Seeds here—a string of sorts—and that reverberation will bring a new failing Essence to find a new home to fulfill its fading wish.”

“Translation, Anthony,” Scarlet muttered. “Eh… Mythickin or Legendkin—can Alexa be a Mythickin or Legendkin?!”

“Umm… Yes, I believe so?”

Jaenona ran her fingers through her hair before checking her roses. “Mmh. It will be a challenging transition, and I suspect the Seed’s rapid growth will have some initial adverse effects on her spirit or health, yet she may grow into it with resolve.”

“Alexa can do it!” Scarlet adamantly stated. “I believe in her!”

Now having her answers, Rachel put a hand on Scarlet’s shoulder to pull her attention. “Can you go talk with Fiona to see if she can fly us home when we get back to Miami and explain the details about stopping by tomorrow? I wanted to spend some time with Anthony.”

A big grin came to her voice. “Mmh-heh, time with Anthony, hmm? Yeah! Unless she's still out in the ocean, it gives me time to see what Selvaria is up to—unless she’s still out there too?”

Rachel nodded.

“Oof. Yeah, she’ll love to see what happens to Alexa; we’re gonna surprise her by doing a bunch of cosplaying and dress-up. Nia came up with—” She swiftly snapped her lips shut. “Eh, anyway! Hehe. I’m going to go see Fiona and Nora!”

Watching her rush off, Rachel figured Nia wanted to keep it a secret because Nia was afraid she’d make fun of her. She had no issues with cosplayers; Alexa just so happened to be one—not that she’d even known until recently— it just wasn’t Rachel’s thing.

Maybe I’ve got a bad rap for not liking that stuff with how I reacted to Nia and our outfits…

Putting it in the back of her mind, she broke away with a few words to Clay as he went to ponder some of the things they’d just learned; Anthony walked after her with Jaenona beside him, assuring the new parents of the twins they’d be back before leaving to take one of the Seeds.

Understandably, with this being the last day until Wolfgang’s threat of killing the holder unless they transferred it, they were antsy for the kids to be rid of the responsibility.

Casting her hearing like a net to get an update on things, Rachel didn’t say much to Anthony as he took him to the place they shared their first kiss, the head of the turtle, behind the walls.

She smiled, Maria—Unicorn mama-bear—was getting the many children ready for bed, Rachel couldn’t help but laugh silently at the difference of temper when kids were in the equation.

As for the owner of their all-terrain-vehicle, Cahira, the Pirate Queen had been somewhat distant and help up in her luxurious room after learning about the Eldritch encounter and receiving a message in a bottle from a passing seagull; her First Mate ran intermediary between anyone attempting to talk to her.

From her mumbles, Rachel knew the woman had gotten another map and Legend’s Quest that might be just what Yseress needed to recover, especially to feed the Seed for purifying her, meaning they wouldn’t need a Crystal.

She had to talk about it with the Pirate Queen, yet her hesitation was a tad worrying; it could wait until she wasn’t so preoccupied. It was at least evident there was something unique about this adventure that had her agitated, and, eventually, Rachel figured the woman would come to her about it.

A new conversation did catch her ear, though—Fiona and Nora—the sisters were getting to know Mara and Nemesis more, to Scarlet’s ire; Nora more interested in Nemesis, Fiona ecstatic to find another person who could sing—perhaps better than her.

The Fairy had a theory that as they practiced, she might be able to unlock her Singing Branch; ability use or doing things in relation to said skill tended to free more features in their Seed, and she had plenty of points to distribute after Cuba to work with.

Attempting to get her mind straight, Rachel turned a long sigh to Anthony that had him giving her a half-smile.

“Rough night, huh?”

“Everything’s gotten so complicated. I just want most of this to fade into the background for at least a week or two to let myself chew on all this meat that’s been put in front of me.”

“Fair! If you need help with the load, I’m here. You got something on your mind?”

“Too much!” Rachel laughed with her boyfriend as they jumped over the wall to sit against it—the place they’d shared their first kiss had Rachel’s tail twitching—and not soon after, Jaenona popped up beside Anthony out of mist.

Rachel wasn’t sure how she felt about the creature being near; she was essentially a parasite. On the one hand, she did recognize there were things Jaenona knew that she wanted answers to, yet on the other, she wanted personal time with her boyfriend.

After some thought, she figured her mother would provide plenty of opportunities in the days to come; Jaenona had no clue what she’d done to herself when taking on the body of such an adorable little girl.

Giggling at the internal thought, Anthony leaned over to nudge her side.

“What’s up? Share the joke!”

“Just thinking about what awaits Jaenona when we get home; between Scarlet, Alexa, Nia, and my mom… Hehe.”

The girl’s head cocked to the side. “I am looking forward to learning more; your way of life is so… simple and yet convoluted that it piques my interest.”

“Way to say we’re stupid monkeys,” Rachel mused, staring out across the dark, choppy waters of the starlit Atlantic Ocean; the moon filled her with energy, helping to restore her resting Living Denier’s reserves, all in preparation to thoroughly enjoy being spoiled once back home.

Jaenona pulled her legs up to her chest, happily observing Selvaria’s playful jumps and tricks with her new mini-Leviathan; she was teaching her the ropes and seemingly in the middle of an imitation game with her pet.

Rachel couldn’t help but momentarily take note of the Eldritch entity’s little maid outfit, complete with suspenders, skirt, stockings, and perfectly ironed white shirt—it really did give her an adorably bright appearance for what she was.

“Hmm… C’mon, share the load!” Anthony urged, holding out his hand for her to interlink her fingers; Scarlet apparently wasn’t the only one who enjoyed touch, making Rachel giggle at the realization.

“I suppose I do hold everything tight to my chest…”

Which isn’t good for a relationship, but we all have our problems! she internally rationalized.

“Hmm. Thinking about Yseress, what is going to happen to Nora? I didn’t want to push when Fiona was near, but you skimmed over going into detail with Nia awake.”

“She’s sleeping?”

Preparing herself, Rachel nodded. “She gets really attached to people, and I suspect you saw that. She’s the type to accidentally blurt secrets out; Yseress is sulking, too. Hehe. She doesn’t do well with being poked and prodded for living as a she-devil all of her life.”

“Mmh… I couldn’t tell, haha! Both of them seem great. Although, I wouldn’t call it a secret, and heh, Nia is a living outfit, so it makes sense she’d get attached.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm. Nora?”

“Right. Right. Let’s see if we can answer your really deep questions. To make it clear, I’d need to consult my tiny partner,” he said with a sad smile. “I don’t think I could give you a concise answer.”

Jaenona breathed a short sigh, arms tightening around her shins as her smile fell. “So many questions; is it not better to experience—mmh, no, I suppose it is my failure to adapt to your way of life.

“Let me see… Nora is… what you could call a Holy Horror, but in truth, your understanding of the Eldritch and its connection to terror comes from your inability to grasp the unknown and, as you call it, the abstract.”

“True,” Rachel whispered. “I’m not so afraid of the unknown but want to understand it so I can decide how to handle the situation.”

“It isn’t so simple, Rachel… The Greater Seed within Nora had an essence of the Crimson Taint, which was how she could manifest the Eldritch forces your kind so fears; it provided a unique scenario where we could purify and expand its weave with The Dream beyond its intended purpose.”

“DNA resequencing, or are you talking about it being weaker than it is now?” Anthony questioned, still seemingly trying to put together the puzzle.

“Uncomparable, and yes, all these Greater Seed or Lesser Seeds are not equal, as I explained… How to expand it? Mmh—how challenging this is!” she huffed, showing a tad bit of haughtiness Rachel had seldom seen before—she couldn’t help but think that it was rather cute.

“This was something not on the spiritual or physical level but the Intelligence, which is a concept you cannot fathom in the slightest.

“The mind is a function of Intelligence, but such a comparison is like… mmh, a grain of sand in a universe; it is a complex system of conceptualization that transcends your limited grasp of Existence… Meaning: evolution, purpose, identity, reflection, a spark of the higher oscillation of what is beyond Existence—I cannot say it clearer, and still, my example is tainted.”

Rachel rubbed her throat, knowing they were coming to an impasse and possibly not even on the same page. “Let’s not focus on Intelligence then and focus on Nora’s direction… I know Fiona is worried, and I want some way to assure her when she does come to me in private. Is Nora a puppet of the Mecroaf… Fated to do their will?”

Smiling softly at the word, the little girl rose, looking at the giant head of the submerged baby Dragon Turtle before walking around Anthony’s legs to move beside Rachel. She placed a hand on her breast. “We do not succumb to the dictates of Fate, Rachel—allow me to show you a glimpse of The Dream.”

An image of what Anthony saw flashed across her mind; an itching against her mind that plucked an unusually lulling tune made her stiffen. Braided, snow-white hair, even longer and thicker than Rachel’s own, flashed into focus with many ornaments laced between. Nora’s body was as the void—not black—devoid of something fundamental.

“The song is clear—Nora is on a journey of ascension unlike any I can express, yet all is within her choice to reach out and grasp; opportunity is what the Mecroaf offer—the Eldritch path is but a half of the equation… I am not frightened by the unknowable; I rejoice in the maddening chaos that transcends Fate’s dictates.

“What is she?” Jaenona giggled. “Unknowable to all but the Mecroaf and Outer Gods, which terrifies Fate and Destiny… Karma’s revenge… Yet, one uninvolved in this conflict will save her from the Path of the Broken—She is breaking free—harmony once again restored. Past, Present, Future—One Eternal Round—all-in-one, all-is-one, the one to illuminate the way; Nora will bridge the divide within the cycle.”

The cosmic-eyed girl’s fingers were about to leave her chest when Rachel’s own voice bubbled through as Jaenona explained; a being of darkness whispered through the girl’s words, making her pause—an ethereal fight against some powerful foe—and she refused to lose.

“More… Not enough.”

A ringing—almost precisely like The Oscillation—pulsed within her for half a second; it was as if the girl was a tuning fork drawing out something profound within her.

Pausing while listening to the haunting shadowed echo that she couldn’t be sure was her Seed, her, or something else, yet it was as frigid as ice on her thigh; a haling shower of a hurricane, needle-like rain dancing over her skin as someone stood across from her, yet she was alone—above all, all below her; alone again—only a torturous path no one appreciated until she was gone.

“Oh… How unexpected,” Jaenona whispered, her head tilting to the left as she removed her hand. “An echo in your Dream—so pretty and unique… Chaos.”

Rachel was forced to reach out and snatch her as the girl sagged, eyes defocusing. “Jaenona?!”

“Listening to the song… I am no longer so unified with Magthera…”

Heavy cosmic eyes closing, Jaenona fell into a deep slumber.

“Anthony?”

“It’s okay…” he chuckled, reaching over to take her and lay the resting child beside him. “She really is weak, and trying to do even the simplest tasks like listening to the lingering song the Mecroaf left with us takes a lot out of her. She should be fine by the time we get to your house.”

His tone grew more serious after making sure she was resting beside him. “What did she mean by an echo in your Dream?”

Pulling her own legs up, Rachel brought her hair over her shoulders and leaned her head against the stone wall to scrutinize the semi-clouded night sky; the moon would dip behind cover soon. “I… couldn’t tell you. Jaenona brings so many answers and questions that it’s maddening; all I know is that it was as if I was saying I needed more of something to beat something else.”

“Is what you two see in that song sure to happen? It almost seems like Fate… Those plucking strings and the notes she played.”

Why do I feel so hollow after that echo…

Anthony shrugged. “I’d say it is less a certainty and more a map as to the Mecroaf’s goals, or… maybe it’s more how they see the melody’s sway, but I honestly couldn’t tell you for certain; I’m just happy to have you back…”

Filing away the information—unable to release the emotions—Rachel let her mind go blank while leaning over to kiss him. Their intertwined grip tightening as she melted into his soft lips; it steadily progressed until their tongues met and, satisfied with that, she settled into his arms, letting the stresses of her complicated life fade for at least a few hours.

Nothing good lasts forever, and it was a delightful trip to Miami Beach’s pier, all things considered, but eventually, she was forced to leave her boyfriend’s gentle but strong arms to gather their group; Fiona accepted the task of being their taxi since it was a quick air trip.

On their way out, she suddenly realized her mother’s food would be the first she had eaten in quite a while, mostly living on a lunar diet; Rachel licked her lips, trying to rid herself of the echo.

Typically, she could detach herself from most things, but this time it touched in a way she couldn’t shake, and all she could do was try to overshadow it with whatever was happening around her; hopefully, her mother’s amazing cooking could fix that.

Rousing Yseress, Rachel held her breath as she met with the kids, allowing them to come out into the hallway to peek around the corner to not be too scared of her; the others were forced to not be present since the deviless was shy, so Rachel and the kids’ parents were the only ones present.

Rachel bent down as the older of the twins grew brave enough to take her third peek to see if the sickly Nephilim did her best to remain patient beside the window and hide her barb-like tail behind her legs.

“Psst. She doesn’t know what a cake is!”

“What?” the little girl whispered back.

“Yeah! She totally doesn’t. Ask her to describe a cake as the password so you can come out.”

The girls looked at each other with amused curiosity, seemingly willing to test the unbelievable claim that anyone didn’t know what a cake was.

“U-Uh, Ms. Yes-lady!”

“Yseress…”

“Yes-lady—you gotta tell us the password, s-so we know you’re not a bad devil lady!”

“Huh?” She shot a light glare at her off-handed smirk.

“Rachel, I wasn’t told there would be—”

“Yeah!” The younger called out, still behind the door. “Describe a cake to us! Devils don’t know about cakes; s-so you got to tell us about cakes!”

“W-What?! Cakes! Rachel—why would you tell these children a devil’s weakness!” Yseress blustered, cheeks darkening their original purple tint with her embarrassment. “I do not know what a cake is—how can I describe it, Rachel; humph, are you wasting all of our time for your entertainment!?”

The girls were utterly baffled at her exclamation and flustered tone and began to giggle.

“You don’t even know what a chocolate cake is?” the younger laughed.

“Chocolate? How does a pancake and chocolate cake differ?!” Yseress demanded, now making the parents laugh at her seriousness. “It makes no sense—how does a pan and chocolate and—”

“What about a carrot cake!” the older snickered, nudging her sister.

“Carrots? How do you have a sweet chocolate mix with carrots to make cakes—are they connected? This is infuriating, Rachel! I don’t care for this… this running joke you have. I live in Hades; I do not know—hmm?”

“Shhhh!” the older girl hissed, peeking out to glare at Yseress. “You can’t say that word; it’s a bad word!”

“What?! How… else am I supposed to say where my home—previous home is?”

“Heck! Mom and Dad say heck!” the little sister matter-of-factly corrected. “Say it, too!”

“Heck… Ugh. Please, kill me, Rachel—I am not made for this world of… cakes.”

“Haha! Isn’t she silly?!” she teased, making the girls laugh. “Can you help us now?”

“I-I can!” the elder offered, bravely stepping forward to match up to Yseress. “L-Lady yellow demon… give me your hand!”

“I am NOT yellow—is she ordering me like one of those dogs Nia wants?!”

Shake! C’mon, hehe, play along!

“I… hate you, Mistress… With a passion.”

My job as a mistress is secure!

“Hmm!” she sassily responded, giving her a quick, pointed smile before taking the twin’s hand as her little sister peeked around the corner.

Rachel’s gut tightened as Yseress began to change as she’d heard her own transformation described, flashing in and out, yet with her hyper-accelerated mind, she could see thousands of minor variations flaring with each before returning to the original every other flash.

When it settled, Rachel’s ears tilted to the left as the girls ogled the devilish fallen angel; their parents quickly drew the older daughter back.

Yseress retained her tattoos, yet the woman’s horns had slimmed, curving up more elegantly, and her wings filled in with black feathers instead of the blood-like webbing they had before.

Rosy lips parted to show small fangs as she looked down at herself, fingers sliding over her horns and pointed ears, and a slight tremble ran through her bones. “Mistress… I have never felt… I cannot express the feelings I—I can sense the dew from heaven just outside of my grasp. How is this possible? There’s something more—”

She winced, stumbling to the side of the hallway. “So much… noise.”

Moving forward, Rachel chuckled. “You can explore all the new stuff later; maybe you should rest.”

“Perhaps… that is wise—the pull of Hades is—”

“Heck!” the little sister shot from the doorway. “Angels should know that!”

“Hmm-hmm. Indeed, we should… I am a naughty angel, though.”

“Ooh! I didn’t know there were naughty angels!”

“I’m glad, Yseress,” Rachel laughed, helping to support her trembling legs. “Why don’t you rest; my mother will want to know everything about how to take care of these new wings.”

“Hehe… count me in that query.”

Oddly compliant for the wise-crack Nephilim she typically had known, Rachel let her disperse into feathers, this time that shimmered with a red light before combusting to collect into her body; there was an unusual bell sound made her ears twitch once pulling into her Core.

Brushing it aside, she thanked the two girls and assured them the naughty angel would be okay and she’d do her best to fix her cursing problem.

Mason, Jessy, Anthony, Jaenona, Scarlet, Fiona, and Nora waited out front, questioning if it had worked as the Fairy took them to the sky.

The Unicorn barely made it in time to wave them off after getting the last child to bed; unlucky for her, he would be sneaking out with some buddies soon to test her patience. Tomorrow night she would be joining them for the big talk about Twilight.

With that, they flew into the Miami night, and Rachel found a new sense of anticipation and dread unlike any she’d faced in Cuba—her mother.