Scarlet wanted to jump with excitement after hanging up with Rachel; this was exactly what she wanted. She’d secretly always wanted a sister—mostly little, but how wrong she was with the benefits of having a big sister—and ever since Molly’s departure to keep the Beast distracted, Scarlet didn’t know how to help her new family.

Blood leaked out of micro-cuts they made in her skin to form a portal as she waved off Selvaria, Fiona, and Melissa, stepping through to reach Zippy; the mansion took on a semi-transparent film while peering through walls to find Gisele.

Most of the day crew were sleeping; the lunar phoenix had been doing her best to train with Scarlet when she got some downtime—they both were scared of becoming useless to Rachel.

She did a quick scan for Nemesis and Mara, yet, unsurprisingly, it would take the pair a bit of time to return to the ship; it might be best to pick them up since they didn’t have the best transportation feats.

Strolling through the halls to reach the gathering room her sister used to talk to the Empress of China, Scarlet’s thoughts flitted between subjects; it was challenging not to ponder the ominous warning Rachel only told her. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach with the fact she’d come to her over anyone else.

Sure, she was ‘supposed’ to be this uber-powerful, ultra-vampire creature after being Twilight’s chosen—which didn’t have the same sting it once had in her gut—but, for a while now, she’d really started to doubt her capabilities.

A bitter taint marred her mood as she tried to shove it down, opening the door to wake Gisele, sitting atop an armchair with her head buried in a wing. “Psst. Hey!”

The bird quivered, opening an eye while peeking through her feathers to see if she was being addressed, and realizing her mistress was gone.

“Yeah! You better hurry,” Scarlet warned, seeing the ruffled phoenix quickly scan the empty room. “Here, take my blood portal to get a head start,” she offered, seeing the thankful look in the pet’s eyes as she gave a soft chirp and dove through.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Scarlet moved to the window to study the rain outside, melted by the atmospheric dome around Cahira’s dragon turtle; the woman probably had some kind of hatred for snow since she could have let it gather on the house.

Everything I do affects the outcome of Nemesis’ fight, and Rachel trusts me to be able to handle this burden for her… That’s huge for her. No, she’s been trusting more people lately. Maybe it’s because of how big things have gotten, and she can’t be everywhere at once. Still… She trusted me with this.

Her focus shifted to the black-flamed fireplace, watching the fire flicker on the single, seemingly eternally burning piece of wood keeping it lit. Someone close to Mythic or one of our members is going to die tomorrow? That’s terrible, and I know Rachel has to carry that knowledge with her… How much more isn’t she willing to share?

Puffing out a low groan, she rubbed her head; feeling her emotions go up and down was so annoying. She wanted to be useful—a good sister—to be reliable like Rachel was. It all came down to the same thing.

I’m the issue… I’m too timid. I’m not confident. I have traumas… Why is it so hard for me to just say I can do it myself? Rachel’s so confident… ridiculously confident. How does she do it? She always has an answer or direction to everything while I’m stuck in my head, worrying I’ll mess up something. I always mess up something. Why would Twilight even choose someone like me?

A sudden wave of anxiety hit her as the bird left, and she dropped into a chair, using the time it would take for Nemesis to get back with the mermaid to punch herself back into gear; she wanted to jump over and get them—desire and the determination to see it through were not connected—and Scarlet rubbed her eyes, staring at the floating blood cycling around her.

I wasn’t always like this… I was a little scared of the world, but mostly because my parents were vampire freaks, and I didn’t know how to let anyone in on that embarrassing side. Heh. Turns out they were literal cultists… Wow, I have a messed up life.

“Mmmgm!”

Rolling around her neck to, ironically, loosen up, given she had no blood in her body, Scarlet leaned back, hugging her tight stomach. I’m the chosen one. Heh. What an origin story, huh? I’m supposed to be the OP heroine in the novel, not some terrified, helpless little girl, struggling to cope with crap…

She could hear Maria’s grunt that everyone had baggage—mixed with some cursing—while at the same time saying everyone needed time and their own way to deal with it. There was a lot to unpack with The Oscillation, yet the part that frightened her the most was that everyone else seemed to get over their troubles relatively quickly, leaving her in the dust.

A small smile and bloody tear crossed her face as she went to the kitchen, thinking about how amazing her time with Molly had been; she’d treated her like a real daughter, and, even for the short time they’d known each other, it felt so real.

Opening the fridge, she took out one of the blood cupcakes that she’d perfected with the Korean goddess of the hearth. The time she’d taken to make eating a joy for her and discover new ways to explore how this new body reacted to various foods touched her heart.

I want to help Rachel and you… My second mom. I don’t want to be a burden on her, and it’s about time I get off the ground. It’s all so confusing, though…

Savoring the taste and letting the heat in her face and chest die down, she closed her eyes, remembering each year of her life and how normal it had been.

Scarlet knew every family had their embarrassing secrets, and the weird ritualistic dungeons and dragons’ stuff was what she thought was hers. She didn’t want to let friends know she couldn’t hang out that weekend because she had an old barn to go to where they’d role-play some satanic ritual to some blood god for her parents, and she was supposed to be the virgin center point or something.

Yes, her parents were weird sometimes—super weird—but everything else was totally average: parent-teacher conferences, cool vacations, fights about school stuff, boys, or grades. Her parents had respectable jobs and responsibilities—they loved her, and that was the hardest part. It wasn’t some fake life like she’d initially broken down over; they truly did what they thought was best to protect her, and it was all because of Revilla.

Her heart chilled as the image of the eldritch Hades Lord’s face came into mind; all the pain in her life—the fear instilled into her parents—was mostly her fault. Scarlet wasn’t going to overlook Twilight’s part in all of it, either; they inserted themselves into her life for their own ends, using her like a toy.

If it was Rachel… she’d get even, Scarlet thought, drawing strength from her role model that had helped stabilize her life. Rachel doesn’t take crap lying down; she punches back. I want to punch back.

She worked around her jaw, studying the cupcake wrapper and playing with the inside of her fangs with her tongue. Accepting the things in her life was hard; Scarlet wasn’t sure what she’d wanted her life to look like, but this certainly wasn’t it, and not how she wanted to feel—only she could change that.

Mom and Dad did their best. I know that now. Killing Dad was just… a horrible accident—I was scared, and my blood acted on its own.

Crimson tears fell from her eyes as she let the pain in; she didn’t want to accept it was her fault, and, even if it was an accident, she did do it; the fact of the matter wasn’t going to change—Rachel’s example taught her that.

Rachel pushed Molly into revealing who she was, and there was no way she would ever want to put her mother in that position, yet she’d done it without knowing; it was the first time Scarlet had seen her stalwart champion of a sister utterly break down, yet she only allowed it for one night.

The next morning, Rachel accepted what she’d done and was now pushing forward to find a solution; Scarlet wanted to do that—she had to do that—to reconcile with her mother’s actions.

Mom was always doing her best for me. Revilla took advantage of her. My mom’s not a bad person… She was fooled into believing she was the protagonist, making moves to save her future daughter and countless universes. I just hope she can forgive herself…

Untwisting her heart, Scarlet took a deep breath, allowing her bloody tears to enter the stream floating around her; the shadows of her past wouldn’t obstruct her vision of the future any longer. Her little, sacred, and innocent life had been broken, but it had also awakened something else within her to push through the pain.

The shards of hatred for those that had stolen her life budded within her breast—Twilight and Revilla—she would bring a reckoning against those that bit her; she wasn’t meant to be a heroine, but a predator of the night. If that’s what Twilight and Revilla made her, she’d use it to exact her own revenge while protecting what she had left.

Leaving the house, Scarlet entered the downpour, blood forming an umbrella to defend against the rain. She stood at the foot of the open gate, scanning the gentle ocean waves as snow obscured Paris in the distance.

Her abilities had advanced quite a bit since first meeting Rachel, but what Scarlet most cherished was the example her big sister had provided; she’d walked ahead of her, holding her hand, and keeping her grounded until she could stand again.

I have to be someone she can rely on… I owe so much to her, and I have to start pulling my own weight. Molly, my mom, and all of Mythic need me to grow up and act like an adult—I’m eighteen, dang it—if Rachel thinks someone will die, I need to step up and do my part to stop it!

Scanning for Nemesis with her eight-kilometer vampiric vision, she had to wait several more minutes before the pair came into view; the Lion King was carrying the mermaid, who seemed to be in a bit of a mood, given the color of her blood. Her blood formed a portal for them to use, Nemesis jumping through without hesitation.

“Mmm-hmm-hmm,” Mara shivered, rubbing her shoulders as Nemesis put her down. “I am not accustomed to being touched in… Oh, and he’s gone,” she snarled, glaring after the man’s swift exit; he did offer Scarlet a happy wave before jumping back through.

“Eh-heh. Sorry,” Scarlet shrugged, pulling herself out of the rabbit hole she’d internally gone down. “Are you okay?”

She ran her fingers through her soaked green hair and sighed. “Tired, agitated, and a bit in my emotions, I’m afraid. Well, I’ll be off to sleep in a cold bath.”

“Hope you feel better in the morning,” Scarlet said, watching her march through the rain to the manor.

Turning back to her portal, she steeled her nerves; something was coming, and it had to do with that Ying Yue Jiang, the Myth of the Jiāngshī; luckily, Paris was small, and she found the terrorist with her overpowered eyes—although, it could be an illusion, she reasoned, due to the talismans and hazy barrier around it—since Rachel had shown them the video of the undead hopping vampire.

Entering the flurry on the other side, Scarlet was a bit shocked at how much snow had built up; she’d filtered it out before. Her feet sunk a good several inches into the powder, and she sat on her blood as it took on a chair shape—it had been Alexa’s idea.

Directing it with her desires, Scarlet floated into the air, feeling like a vampire boss; this was the first time she’d used it in public since it was a bit embarrassing in front of Rachel. It wasn’t as if the thing was cushioned or particularly comfortable yet—she had a ways to go when it came to its design—but it was serviceable, and she had enough left over to act as a hovering umbrella disk—it also doubled as a shield—even if thin.

Fingers intertwining, Scarlet took to the skies of Paris, tinted red eyes illuminated as she channeled her unique sight into finding her prey; Nemesis was using the monster’s scent to track where she had been, while Scarlet could discover her current location with relatively minimal effort.

A few things did snag her attention, though; pulling her focus to a large gathering of over a hundred people, moving through the streets. None of them particularly stood out, and she flew closer to the location, following the flow of their blood while filtering out clothing items to spot the items they had in their coats.

All of them have knives? Well, that’s not weird at all, she internally hummed.

They ranged from their early twenties to sixties and were all heading to the same park; the streets were mostly empty, excluding knight patrols, police, and a few very overwhelmed snow plows that had their work cut out for them trying to keep at least the main roads clear.

The storm was a perfect cover for anything odd, and this certainly was that.

She glided silently through the storm, crossing her legs and humming while keeping track of Nemesis’ swift run to the place where the Chinese terrorist had last been seen; so far as Scarlet could see, she wasn’t anywhere near the area, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other traps lying in wait for him.

Still, it would take quite a bit to get past the Lion King’s thick fur; he was the definition of a bruiser, and probably only Selvaria could beat or match him. She was the giant monster, and he was the little one; then, they had their cute cat-girl-tentacle-monster mascot, Melissa.

Honestly, Scarlet was shocked anyone would want to pick a fight with them; Mythic was getting completely stacked with powerhouses. Then again, they were up against big names, as well—the Nazi occult faction, eldritch followers, anti-religious cults, Twilight, and the Northern Chinese Empire.

Scarlet pulled in her black lips; yeah, they did have a lot of enemies. This knife-wielding group of one hundred people drew her mind to the first of the bunch—knives, plus a specific number of people, in the dead of a nighttime blizzard—it was always Nazis; she hated Nazis, and Wolfgang affirmed that belief.

Her vision narrowed when filtering past the streets of Paris to the crypts below, spotting many more people moving around, and quite a few of them were knights, who appeared to be working with the Nazis because there was no logical reason a bunch of normal people should be vandalizing the catacombs at this exact moment.

The more she searched for answers regarding the strange movements, the more curious she became, filtering out outfits to see what they hid beneath their bundled-up attire. Guns, vials of blood, various plants or artifacts being placed in specific places near the park the one hundred people were gathering at—none of it would have stood out had it not been for the blizzard, which was a bit funny to Scarlet.

Doing a quick check on Nemesis, she saw him still in pursuit of the zombie vampire chick’s past movements, but Scarlet had already spotted her; she was in a graveyard adjacent to the park, waiting, with her stiff legs crossed, for something to happen. Eight undead were around her, blood black to her eyes, with talismans on their foreheads.

That’s not creepy at all… I can break the spell if I just cut them off; it shouldn’t be that hard, but… Rachel told me not to get involved in the fight. I can investigate, though!

Feeling proactive after resolving herself to get out of the rut she was in, Scarlet pulled her blood back into her body to act as a shield for her heart in case anything did happen before vanishing into the shadows.

Materializing like the predator she was behind one particular group she’d singled out—one that had an armed escort and two knights with them—she held her hands behind her back while stalking them. Darkness collected around her, obscuring her from all senses—well, unless they turned their flashlights behind them and saw a big black thing following them, but she could slip into the corners easily enough to evade the easily telegraphed movements.

She slowed as twelve shadows moved near the walls in a fold of space she could occupy, undetected until she’d come closer, meaning they were reasonably powerful; yet, they failed to perceive her through the cloak of darkness, and she continued after them at a bit more of a distance, listening to two men talk to one another in the center of their detail.

A dark-haired man wearing glasses stood in the center, cleanly shaven, well-dressed in a full suit, and speaking in a heavy German accent to a grizzled old man that seemed to have no business being with the handsome leader. They spoke English, in part, Scarlet thought, for the shoddily dressed man.

“...to the degree that was specified. Our measurements are not to be questioned; German architects are the best, and I have the very top under my service. It will be done precisely at 3 a.m., as you specified, it will take place during the second Witching Hour.”

“Mmgm.” The old man’s grunt was amused as he turned his head to the side, and Scarlet wasn’t sure if he was acknowledging her, the German, or the catacombs itself; he had a southern accent from the United States that she recognized. “I’ve created this blizzard for you to have the needed cover, but I suspect we will see more resistance after my previous attempt to break into the sanctuary was foiled… You’re sure this man of yours can be trusted?”

“Hmm-hmm. Oh, ye of little faith, Wizard. If you have what it is I brokered, then it will be done. How does one go about collecting something from that which cannot be found? You have me curious as to how you obtained the artifact he requested.”

They turned into a corner, passing through gates that had been opened with more knights standing guard. Scarlet’s gut was tight with anticipation; they were going to lead her to the traitor, but there seemed to be quite a few of them by the knights, and she also learned a few key bits of information.

The wizard’s sunken dark eyes creased with amusement as he slowed to a stop at a junction, appearing to ignore the German’s question.

“Something wrong? I assure you, I have put everything I have in France into this strategy you’ve laid out; our security is airtight, and contrary to your fears, Mythic has been split in many directions. I received a report from an officer on our payroll that their leader has entered a powerful Crystal that should keep her busy for days.”

“Hmm.” The man stroked his ratty beard, turning to scan the way they’d come, passing right over Scarlet, yet she couldn’t be sure if he was simply entertaining her presence; he appeared calm and collected on the outside, but, internally, he was a rabbit chased by a wolf. “Nothing can go wrong, Heinrich…”

“I told you not to call me by my Legend,” the German growled, thrown off his previous topic by the command, and Scarlet had to wonder if The Wizard had done it on purpose as they continued on their path.

Is he trying to get me to attack or expose myself? He’s the person Rachel was most wary of besides the Chinese assassin, and all of this is his plan. Maybe I should make a move now; this isn’t the fight with Nemesis and Ying Yue… Is this how we prevent the disaster Rachel felt was going to happen?

Her thoughts washed away when entering a small opening, where one could branch into eight directions, and a golden light materialized another man in a well-tailored suit, holding a stopwatch—Scarlet’s fingernails dug into her palms.

“Sir Comte de Saint-Germain,” Heinrich greeted, adding a grin and holding out his hand.

Germain took it, similarly flashing his teeth, yet it faded, lingering on the darkness where she hid. “Stefan… Hmm. Well, what a surprise… This isn’t right…”

“Excuse me?” Heinrich muttered, motioning for his men to search the area; the shadows scattered to methodically scour the halls, and Scarlet remained perfectly still, having faith in her maxed proficiencies and skill levels. “What is wrong—nothing should be wrong—Wizard?”

The old man stroked his beard again, vision wandering. “There certainly is something… off around this area; I hear whispers of eyes and ears unseen, but it would do us little good to delay for such paranoia. You have the item?”

“I do…” Germain said, his smile returned before producing a silver key. “One of the famed Keys of Fate, from the Vodun mythos that will unlock the future. Be warned, the moment it is used, it will return to the goddess Gbadu, and it can indeed open up the door to the fate you seek to bring about.”

Scarlet’s heart stopped; she hadn’t even seen the item on him, yet it appeared out of thin air, and the wizard produced a tiny gear from inside the folds of his pockets.

“From a place that cannot be, and should not come to be.”

“Excellent!” Germain chimed, holding it out while keeping his other hand palm up to receive the item, The Wizard doing the same.

She had to stop this exchange; this had to be why Rachel had her follow Nemesis.

Moving through shadows, she drew the attention of the twelve guards, rushing to attack her as blood pooled to allow only her to slip through; she snatched the key out of Germain’s shocked hand, shouts being heard, but she was already gone by the time most discovered anything was wrong.

Exiting in a random hallway within the catacombs, Scarlet pumped her arms. “Yes!”

“Quite the trick, young lady; I am quite impressed.”

Scarlet spun around; Sir Comte de Saint-Germain leaned against a wall, wearing a charming smile while waving the hand with his open pocket watch. “No… No. No… Where’s the key!” she growled, noticing it was now gone from her hands and sending her blood to spike around the man. “What did you do?!”

“Oh? Heh. I’m afraid we haven’t met,” he laughed, not finding a shred of fear in him. “Are you… talking about this key? I haven’t given it to the terrible men I’m doing business with yet. You must have traveled back in time by coming into contact with me.”

“I did… Huh?!” Scarlet filtered through the stone and earth to find herself floating in the sky, still on her throne observing things. “You… What happens… I’m confused—you’re the traitor!”

Germain snapped the lid on the watch closed with a cheery ring in his voice. “Indeed, I am! Ho-ho. Well, of sorts, I suppose. Rachel certainly is quite the conundrum because I did not see this coming, which is so, so fascinating. Solomon’s warning turned out to be the words of wisdom I needed.”

“I am going to give them the key they need, but… what do you say we make our own deal, Ms. Scarlet? I could have your mother freed—no charges—she would be a free woman to live with you again. How does that sound? Oh, and we can even stop this little calamity you’re so worried about. Shall we make a deal?” he finished, producing the key to flip it in the air.

Crap. I wanted to be like Rachel, but I didn’t want to enter purgatory mode off the bat! Ugh! What should I do? Okay… Okay… Chill. Chill. He’s just staring at me—I don’t have Hyper Mental Acceleration—give me a break!

“You seem to be having trouble with the first offer, my dear. Might I sweeten the pot then?”

Huh? Silence was good? Right… Rachel tailored this through her misfortune sensing; I have her on my side already! Okay. I’m not alone!

“Go on…” Scarlet said, eyes narrowing and causing her blood spikes to fracture into needles around him. “No funny business; you’ve already shown me you’re a time traveler, but now that I’ve seen you, I can find you anywhere.”

“Haha. Quite frightening! No. I am not a fighter,” he protested. “How about I tell you the exact way to screw up The Wizard’s plan because, I assure you, he has taken notice of your presence and is more than likely devising how he will deal with you—he has the aid of beings beyond understanding, after all, but I have my own tricks. Interested?”

Scarlet firmed her resolve, reflecting his expression not to show fear of messing this up. “My mother, stopping this plot The Wizard has, and everything I need to crush him… for what?”

Sir Comte de Saint-Germain’s golden eyes twinkled as they went to one of the bloody needles trapping him.

“No!” Scarlet instantly replied. “My blood is a part of me; you can’t take any of it!”

“Everything has a price, dear,” he whispered. “My interests lie in the thing you carry, and I need only have you accompany me for a short while; I don’t require your blood but to only use it for a moment—I assure you, no harm can come to you—me, on the other hand… heh, I might be biting off more than I can chew. Isn’t that fun?”

Scarlet saw the madness for knowledge shimmer within his golden globes, seeking that which was forbidden; it was something she could use, as uncomfortable as it was, but she also had one more fear.

I don’t think I have much of a choice, and there is always a price… I just hope I don’t create another Relica for Twilight to infect by doing this.

“I’ll listen… That’s all I promise for now. What do you want… precisely.”

“Well, won’t this be a fascinating partnership?” he sighed and chuckled when she removed her barbs. “I keep my bargains, which is why I will deliver this key, yet that doesn’t mean I cannot take it back or void its use after delivery,” he chuckled, showing a devilish grin. “Let’s do business!”