Sora lay sprawled on her bed, her tail weaving absently between her legs, the faint echo of the day’s coaster and revelations playing through her thoughts.

  Lifting her tail up, she watched red flames flicker along the tip as she absently practiced channeling her magic. She stared at the ceiling, eyes tracing the patterns of faintly glowing veins embedded in the stone—ancient protections that she still didn’t quite get. Nothing could quite distract her enough, though.

  Kari deserves better, Mom… So much better.

  She closed her eyes. Her stomach churned as images of the Shadow Pit flashed behind her lids. The darkness had reached out for Kari like it knew her. No, like it wanted her. And her sister was still out there somewhere…alive. Sora squeezed her eyes tighter.

  Too many questions, always more questions.

  The sound of the door creaking open drew her ears upright. She lazily turned her head and opened her eyes as Eyia stepped inside. Her golden hair was slightly tousled and gleamed like frost under the faint light of the magic along the ceiling. Her radiant armor didn’t make a sound as she gestured behind her, ushering Nerida inside.

  “Come,” Eyia commanded with a welcoming calm. “You are not allowed to collapse before fully entering the room, young fish warrior!”

  “I told you, I’m more human than fish… I think. I don’t even know that much about my body.” Nerida stumbled in, her aquamarine hair clinging to her damp skin. She groaned, barely making it three steps, chest heaving, before collapsing to the floor, limbs sprawled like a beached whale. “But I know I’m not designed to run! My feet are killing me… I can’t… I just—Eyia, what is wrong with me?! Am I just a fish out of water?”

  She sounds a lot less shy…but Eyia has a way of pulling people out of their shell with that innocence of hers.

  “Nothing is wrong with a fish with legs.” Eyia, unperturbed by the complaint, dropped onto her bed and crossed her arms, nodding approvingly. “Good strides have been made in increasing your physical fortitude. If my sister can heal your muscles, you will be able to go even harder tomorrow!”

  Sora had to wince at that.

  “Harder?!” Nerida’s head snapped up, sneakers off and massaging her feet, eyes wide with horror. “How… How could I possibly go harder? My legs don’t exist anymore! Can we try swimming instead of running tomorrow?”

  Sora snickered, tail twitching toward her as her red flames turned sapphire with a desire. “I wouldn’t double your workload. Eyia isn’t the type to cut out one exercise for another but she’ll add onto it!”

  With a flick of her tail, a wave of blue fire arced toward Nerida, swirling gently around the exhausted siren. Nerida yelped, choking as she flailed for a moment before the fire surrounded her, soothing warmth replacing the ache in her muscles. The flames dissipated, leaving Nerida blinking in disbelief. She pushed herself to her knees, patting her limbs as if checking that they were real.

  “What… Is there anything you can’t do?”

  Sora puffed out a soft chuckle but didn’t answer.

  Yeah, there’s a lot of things I can’t do… Like dig myself out of all these mysteries that keep burying me alive. Kari wants to bring back Eric…to fight him? I laughed it off when we were together. I mean, it’s huge! But…is that really a good idea? It’s Eric we’re talking about here! The dude eats people for fun and twists his sister like a pretzel to prove a point…

  Nerida stared at her for a moment, seeming to notice the distant look in her eyes. The siren’s expression softened as she asked quietly, “Hey… Is something bothering you?”

  Eyia moved to sit on her bed, folding her hands in her lap, her gaze now focused intently on Sora as well. The Valkyrie tilted her head, no doubt silently wondering if she should ask or if it was something she didn’t want to talk about. She was learning social skills so fast.

  Sora sighed, her mouth drawing into a thin line as she shook her head, eyes still locked on the ceiling. “It’s just, Kari deserves better… So much better.”

  The weight of those words hung between them, thick and heavy. Nerida and Eyia exchanged glances. “What do you mean?” Nerida asked, her voice cautious. “I know I don’t know a lot about my, erm…roommate, but I noticed she wasn’t back, and it’s almost curfew. Do I…want to know?”

  “It’s not something I can share,” Sora quietly stated. “Not without Kari’s permission. I’ve just got a lot of questions. Always questions.”

  Eyia’s brow furrowed slightly. “Where is Kari now? As the singing warrior proclaimed, the wolf is not in their lodgings. And not to change the subject of matter, but Wendy and Nilly will be here soon. Wendy was very…sick? No. Mmm. Unwell this morning? And I do not feel Kari nearby.”

  It’s not where Kari is…but what’s going on inside her that worries me. I can’t wait ‘till Mary gets here. It should be tomorrow, right? I think she comes tomorrow. One week in to see how we’re doing. But Wendy is a whole different problem, and Nilly’s been off…

  Sora’s lips pressed together briefly before glancing toward Eyia and Nerida. At least the valkyrie was doing better and helping out Nerida, which took some weight off her chest.

  “Where’s Kari? She’s stupid and defying curfew, but…doing it with Jin.”

  Eyia’s eyes widened and Nerida sat straighter, pulling inward to listen rather than join.

  “She is with Jin? I suppose she is a well respected instructor within Avalon at the moment… But is it acceptable to break the rules like that? Jin is not that amiable toward other Founders…I have found, so I am surprised she would accept her company. Jin has an extremely low threshold for annoyance.”

  Sora snorted, body shaking with silent laughter while shooting the blonde a creased eye. “Jin, low threshold? I mean, kind of, but she’s also super bored, I bet. Maybe even a little depressed, though she’d never admit it.”

  “Depressed?” Eyia repeated, testing the word on her tongue. “Jin has spoken to me about this word. I find it a difficult word to transpose upon the dragon. Jin does whatever Jin feels like doing. Few can stop her since she can swallow the planet should she choose to.”

  “She can do what?!” Nerida coughed, looking even more alarmed as Sora tilted her head in acknowledgement. “Tell me she’s joking! The dragon lady who wants to fight us in this big battle royale can eat a planet?!”

  “Oh, quite easily.” Eyia nodded, matter of factly. “If I fought my hardest, then I believe I could vanquish Jin, using all my power, yet she is not so convinced. She refuses to test it.”

  “Pfft. I bet she does,” Sora mumbled with a melancholy smile, her focus returning to the ceiling veins that pulsed with faint light. “Jin doesn’t take anything seriously that doesn’t interest her…but Kari seemed to do that. She wants to get stronger. She…even asked me if I’d see if you’d help train her, Eyia.”

  “Me?” The valkyrie sucked in her bottom lip, chewing on it for a moment. “The wolf asked me to train her? I offered it before, though I told her that it may be difficult for me to navigate my emotions toward fenris wolves. And she told me it matters not if she is strong or not. Last I spoke, she had no intent of building her power. Why has she changed her mind?”

  Sora smiled faintly, her gaze lowering from the ceiling to meet Eyia’s. “That’s like her… Things change, though. Maybe she realized that being strong…sometimes matters more than you want it to. Seriously, you should see her, Eyia. She’s like a totally different person after today… I’m happy for her. And…I’m worried—”

  Before Eyia could respond, the door opened again, and Wendy entered, her steps lighter than usual but her face clouded with thought. Her hoodie was slightly rumpled, and her tail flicked sharply behind her, betraying her agitation. She stopped just inside, glancing between Sora, Eyia, and Nerida. Nilly was in cat form, resting on her shoulder, only it was adorable kitten Nilly.

  “Am I…interrupting something? Oh. Have you met my newest attachment?” she asked, jabbing a finger at the big-eyed kitty.

  “Meow!”

  “Nilly!” Sora flicked her tail back and jumped up to accept the heart-melting furball. “What happened to you? You’re a little, super cute kitten!”

  The rumble that vibrated through the tiny Cat Mom, tickled her cheek as she held the black cat up to her face. Touching noses with Nilly, the kitten sneezed and shook her head. Sora giggled as she sniffed her and licked the tip of her nose.

  “Meow.”

  “Okay. You deserve some milk! All cuteness aside. Is she okay, Wendy?”

  “Already ahead of you,” Wendy snickered, taking off a shoulder bag and a bottle of creamy white liquid. “Nope. She’s good… More than good,” she whispered as Nerida and Eyia moved to mirror them, looking entranced by the adorable little girl. “We had a great day. So, did I interrupt something?”

  “Nope. Just girl talk.” Sora responded, not wanting to ruin the mood by mentioning Kari to her sensitive sister. “What about you? You look like you’ve had an interesting day. How did Nilly end up like this?”

  “You could say that.” Wendy snorted, unscrewing the bottle and watching Sora create an invisible bowl to pour it into with her magic. “Let’s just say I’ve got some conspiracy theories running around my brain. But for now, how’s my least favorite wolf girl doing? Still brooding or…”

  “She’s training with Jin,” Sora replied, her tail flicking lazily while begrudgingly giving up Nilly to Eyia to hold up and examine. “She’s got stuck in her head that she needs to get strong enough to—well, just stronger. She’s been through a lot today.”

  “I’m sure we all have,” Wendy muttered, moving to sit beside Nerida on the floor and pulling around her giant, puffy tail to hug. She glanced at the siren, who was still stretching her legs experimentally. “Guess Eyia’s boot camp didn’t kill you yet, huh? I smell Sora’s magic on you. Healing?”

  Sora’s eyes widened. Did she make progress? How did she know it was healing magic?

  “Barely,” Nerida groaned, but her lips curved into a shy smile. “I’m starting to think she’s part demon or devil and not a warrior angel.”

  “I am nothing of the sort!” Eyia balked as if she’d been offended. “Demons are brutes who hold no elegance nor strategy. Devils are lazy and deviants. Tomorrow, we shall push even further beyond your limits!”

  “Wait, no I didn’t mean—” Nerida paled. “I’m sorry!”

  Sora chuckled softly, feeling some of the tension in her chest ease as Eyia gave her a questioning look. “It’s not a punishment, Nerida. It’s her promise to make you strong enough to handle yourself so that the devils and demons can’t hurt you.”

  “Indeed!”

  The warmth of her friends surrounded her, grounding her in the present as Wendy jumped in to offer her own teasing remarks. With curfew in effect, the next few hours were filled with joking and tentative stories passed between them.

  Sora could tell her brown-haired sister was keeping a lot of today's activities private, but she seemed to be a lot more upbeat than that morning. Nerida was building her stamina, which Sora took as not only for her ‘physical stamina’ but also her lung capacity. Eyia knew what she was doing. Bedtime finally came and Nerida returned to her room.

  However, Kari didn’t return that night.

  Slipping into bed, Sora snuggled under her blankets, spotting kitty Nilly curling up on Wendy’s chest, over the sheets. She smiled and closed her eyes, settling in. Her thoughts returned to the questions bubbling up about not only her mother, but Noelia, as well.

  It’s not only Mom who should know about Tiri… Is that why Noelia kept us hidden when we went to check out the forest? Is all of this a part of some big plan? I can see it…

  Kari’s determined face, burning with new purpose filtered up. If she didn’t find out this way…then would it have affected her this much? I don’t think so… I can see why Mom might hold back on it…but at the same time, it’s her little sister, Mom. It feels…wrong to hold that back. But what if holding it back brought her back because of the shock… Of feeling her again. Really feeling her sister.

  “Sora?”

  Eyes fluttering open, she glanced over at Wendy, surprised how much time had passed since she’d settled in. Wendy was staring up at the ceiling, stroking Nilly. It seemed, Eyia had fallen to sleep like a bag of rocks.

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  “Hmm?”

  “I’ve heard…that all Kumiho have been cured of their need to consume human flesh.”

  “Uh-huh? That’s cool. Avalon is kind of insane. The fae have lived for, like…forever, so I guess they’d have a lot of answers to a lot of monster problems.”

  “No, I don’t think that’s it,” she mumbled in return, voice softer and laced with a hint of caution. “I asked around with Nilly today, and…it only happened a few weeks ago. When…”

  Sora’s tail straightened slightly under the covers. “…When my mom intervened and brought everyone back to life… That’s really nice of her. I mean, it was probably my mom. Right?”

  “Yeah…” Wendy cleared her throat. “I thought so, too, because…who else could perform magic on that scale. To affect every vulpes across, like…everywhere in our world, Avalon…realms beyond it. Did she tell you about that?”

  “Umm… No. No, but I mean, my Aunt Inari did a sort of similar thing with all the Nogitsune. So, it makes sense she’d want to help out other foxes. Maybe she did it for a reason.”

  Her eyes widened and she sat up as Diane’s warning hit her between the eyes.

  “Wait, the Kumiho that escaped the Foundation! You don’t think that has something to do with it?”

  “…Yeah, her… Umm. Hmm. I don’t know. I just…thought it was interesting. And what if it wasn’t your mother who did it?”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  Sora scooted back to lean against the headboard to stare at her sister in the dark, but Wendy’s focus was on the pulsing, faint veins of light on the ceiling.

  “Maybe nothing. I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking today. Maybe my brain’s just cooked…not that I have a brain.”

  A small smile pulled at Sora’s mouth at her dry joke. “I can ask her about it when we get home but I guess so can you. Is there a reason you’re investigating this, ahem, conspiracy?” she asked with a light laugh. “I’d love to help.”

  Wendy absently waved her hand and settled back in. “Naaa. You’ve got a ton of stuff on your mind. I just wanted to see if your mom told you about doing something like that. Uh… So, we’re going to see Aunt Rose? She’s been a little restless lately.”

  Sora followed her pointed finger to the ceiling between them, where the black thorns pulsed like a beating heart, only discoverable by them. She didn’t know if she should smile or frown.

  “Not just that… Tomorrow, it’s me and you, Sis. ‘Kay? Actually…”

  “Hmm?”

  Staring at the thorns, Sora felt a cold chill run down her spine, her mind returning to her conversation with Kari.

  Do we really need to wait five more weeks to talk to Mom about Tiri? Mom made my own realm. It’s a super easy trip. We could go and be back in thirty minutes. But…is that the right thing to do? Did Kari think about that and let it slide? I can’t believe I didn’t think about that.

  Her stomach twisted at the thought. Kari had seemed calmer than before but…this is her sister. If it had been Wendy…she’d be all over that. Kari wouldn’t just sit around waiting if she thought there was something she could do. Would she?

  What is she even doing with Jin? I don’t think we’d get kicked out, but rules are here for a reason. Then again, Jin is Jin…but is Kari using that as an excuse? What if she’s using Jin’s authority and boredom to bypass the curfew and look for Tiri on her own? No, I should bring it up to her and not go in circles with it in my own head. It’ll only drive me crazy.

  Copper locks bunching on her pillow as she shook her head, Sora forced a smile and puffed out a long breath. “Just thinking about complicated things. No. Tomorrow, it’s you and me. Wendy.”

  “Mhm times two?”

  Sora chuckled at her light smirk. “Sorry… We’ll figure out your power. I know it hasn’t been easy for you this last week… Nothing has been easy for you. But I’m always on your side.”

  There was a short pause, Wendy’s eyes drifting to Nilly as she gently stroked her head and folded down her ear. “…Yeah. I know you would. Thank you for never abandoning me…”

  She pulled Nilly closer to kiss her nose, making the kitten yawn and scrunch up her face in protest. Wendy pulled her under her sheet to settle on her chest and protectively pull the covers over her until just her head was poking out, the cat yawning and lying down.

  “We all need someone who will never abandon us… Thanks, Sis. Night.”

  “Night! Love you.”

  “Love you.”

  Swapping to her side, Sora folded her ear against her pillow and streamed out a long breath. It wasn’t long before her mind wandered into the dreamscape.

  The warm haze of sleep cocooned Sora as she clutched the edge of her pillow, ears twitching at the soft hum of magic pulsing through the dorm. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the weight settling on her face, muffled purrs vibrating through her skull.

  Nilly’s velvety fur tickled her nose as the kitten nestled into her, rumbling with satisfaction.

  “Mmm… Huh—mmpf?” Sora groaned, her arms flailing weakly. “Wha—Nilly?!”

  Her voice came out muffled as she tried—and failed—to sit up. The little kitten meowed softly, pressing her paws into Sora’s face before hopping down onto the bed. Wendy’s teasing laughter drifted from nearby as she opened her eyes to see the merest hint of dawn in the window.

  “Morning, sleepy tail. Thought I’d start your day with a cat attack. Nilly volunteered.”

  “Meow.”

  “Volunteer, huh?” Sora muttered, rubbing her eyes and flicking her tail out from under the sheets. “Great. Betrayed by the mother of all cats…who is still a kitten. I’ll remember that.”

  Nilly gave an innocent tilt of her head, hopping onto Eyia’s bed to rub against her face, while Wendy grinned—somehow, the stealthy cat actually managed it! Wendy stood near Sora’s wardrobe, hair adorably messy, her usual tanuki-squirrel tail puffed and swaying lazily behind her. Despite the untamed look, she seemed oddly upbeat, her eyes sparkling.

  “C’mon,” Wendy said, tossing a shirt toward her. “We’ve got a date with Aunt Rose and Null-Void training today. Time to get moving. I picked out a few training outfits for us—figure we’d try not to look like total disasters in front of her, right?”

  Sora chuckled sleepily, stretching before swinging her legs off the bed. “Sure. Can’t let her think we’ve gone full slob mode when she’s chained to a freaking black hole… Wait, no, she is the black hole-like thing.”

  “Right? She’s weird.”

  “Super weird.”

  “Dad’s side is weird.”

  “And mysteriously cool at the same time.”

  “True!”

  She watched Wendy move around the room, gathering clothes and muttering softly about colors. The sight made her smile as Eyia held Nilly up, glaring at the adorable black kitten, her split, red-tipped tail swaying. It was a nice change—Wendy had been so off-kilter lately.

  “There will be one day that I shall foresee your attacks, Cat Mother!” Eyia hummed, her ice-blue eyes fixated on the kitten as if she was the ultimate foe.

  “Meow!”

  She quickly zeroed in on them. The blonde sat up, her locks shimmering like frost in the illuminating room as the veins along the ceiling brightened.

  “You are preparing for today’s journey to…train?” Eyia asked, rising with a stretch as Nilly hopped off to attack a spaghetti strap dress thrown atop Wendy’s bed.

  “Yup. Something like that,” Sora confirmed, throwing off her nightgown and pulling on a tank top and shorts her brunette sister tossed her. “Not bad choices. Wendy and I need a bit of one-on-one time. It’s…kind of a personal thing. Did Kari return last night?”

  Eyia frowned thoughtfully. “Ah. You will be skipping my training again today? Regrettable. As for the wolf… No. I only sense my pupil in the room across the hall. Is there the possibility Jin once told me in that…I, eh, stink?”

  Sora winced, hearing the vulnerability in the blonde’s voice. “What? No! Jin’s stupid. You smell just fine, and we’re not trying to avoid you, Eyia.”

  Wendy gave her a hidden stare that said, ‘speak for yourself’ that made her return a light glare. Oh, c’mon! Eyia just wants to make sure we’re strong enough to take care of ourselves.

  Her sister lifted her eyebrows and pointed at her chest, where the brooch gleamed.

  Okay, I get you’re worried you might blink her out of existence, but we need to dedicate some time for her, too!

  “Yeah, sorry, Eyia,” she returned. “We’ll get back to it after today. We’re not dodging you on purpose. Promise! Besides, tomorrow’s Jin’s big tournament thing, right?”

  Eyia’s cheer rebounded. “Indeed! Tomorrow is the great event—both a tournament and battle royale for the victory of bragging rights. The victor can give the punishment games of the losers. A fitting incentive, no?”

  Sora blinked. Both Wendy and her tail went totally stiff, fur bristling.

  “Punishment games? I didn’t hear anything about punishment games! And a tournament or battle royale? Which is it?”

  “Yes!” Eyia’s voice grew animated, hands gesturing as she over-explained in that charmingly blunt, awkward way of hers. “It is both simultaneously, for Jin enjoys variety and many forms of combat. There are rounds and individual matches, but also group clashes on the final day for a wealth of points! Truly a test of versatility and stamina!”

  “Ahhh… Okay,” Sora replied with a grin, shaking her head while exchanging looks with Wendy. “Yeah, that sounds exactly like Jin. Well, don’t worry about us. Wendy and I have our own training to work on. A secret weapon kind of thing.”

  Please, Wendy, save us! Jin can’t prepare for something she doesn’t know, right? Null-Void will give us the edge because I’m useless! Wendy? Wendy?!

  Her sister had a thoughtful gleam in her green eyes while examining herself in the mirror on the closet door. It was that, ‘I may be an enemy or friend. Depends on the deal’ look on her face.

  Eyia’s eyes sparkled, her posture straightening. “A secret weapon? Marvelous! I eagerly anticipate seeing this in practice during the tournament! It will be a grand spectacle! I shall be vigilant and cautious of your unexpected comeback.”

  Wendy snorted softly, and Sora couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Eyia gave a respectful bow before looking for a change of clothes for herself.

  “Very well. I must prepare for my morning meditation and private tutelage of my siren-fish student. Good luck with your training, Sisters,” Eyia encouraged with a proud smile before stepping out the door.

  With the room now quiet, Sora focused on her morning routine. A quick snap of her fingers ignited a shimmer of cleansing magic that rolled over her skin, leaving her feeling refreshed without a single trip to the bathroom.

  Wendy perched on her bed, already dressed in leggings and a loose-fitting green hoodie. She fiddled with her sleeves, watching Sora dress but remaining uncharacteristically quiet.

  Finally, as Sora slipped on her sneakers, Wendy hesitated, then spoke softly. “Hey, um… I didn’t mention this yesterday with everyone around, but… I met with Aiden.”

  Sora paused mid-motion, straightening slowly. The image of the blonde firebird came to mind—his broad smile, rainbow eyes twinkling. She blinked and forced herself to keep her tone casual. The brunette had a nonchalant posture that didn’t fool her. Something was up.

  “Oh?” she asked while tying a knot. “How’s he doing? Obviously, I haven’t really had the chance to catch up with him this week…but you knew that. Is he okay?”

  Wendy tugged at the hem of her hoodie, her gaze dropping for a moment before meeting hers. “He’s good. Really good. There’s a whole pack of vulpes girls that were swooning over him but he’s been settling in here better than I thought he would.”

  “Swooning fox girls, huh?” she mumbled, tasting a somewhat bitter flavor in her mouth for some reason. “Can’t say I’m surprised. He is super cute, has a good smile with eyes that are, well, like a rainbow. So, yeah.”

  “Mmm. I’m sensing…”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing is right,” she said with a forced laugh, twiddling with her hoodie straps. “He’s learning a lot from the instructors, he says—stuff about his powers that even Alva didn’t teach him. Seems like he’s…growing.”

  Sora nodded slowly, sensing there was more Wendy wasn’t saying and wanting to bite into it. At the same time, she wanted to totally drop it, which didn’t make sense.

  “That’s good. He seems kind of a natural at all that flashy stuff. I mean, he is a Founder, like us. Did you…talk about anything specific? About what he’s been doing the first week? Any new friends?”

  She gave her sister a casual glance and wanted to curse her out at her expression. Oh, c’mon! I’m not asking if he has a girlfriend. Has he met anyone? Mentioned anyone? Talked about anyone he admires… Asked about me? C’mon!

  Wendy hesitated again, biting her lip. Her tail swished nervously behind her. “Yeah, kind of… I asked him to look into some things for me. Nothing big, I think,” she added quickly, waving her hand dismissively. “Just…people around here. Fae and stuff. I’m kind of nervous about some people. I figured he’s got a good nose for trouble.”

  “Nose… His nose sucks.” Sora raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued and considering how protective Wendy had been recently. “Fae stuff, I assume? You’re talking about Aelion. Aren’t you?”

  Wendy stiffened slightly but nodded, looking away and accepting Nilly onto her lap. “Yeah, well, I guess I wasn’t going to get that past you with how I’ve been acting. He is kind of sus. Anyway, I just wanted to be cautious and he seemed pretty invested in it once I told him about the guy.”

  Did he now? Heartbeat increasing, Sora smiled and straightened to study her sister as she continued. There was no way she could voice her thoughts. How ‘invested’ are we talking?

  “You’ve got enough on your plate without more people messing around. I didn’t want to worry you with it.”

  Sora’s heart warmed at the protective tone in Wendy’s voice but she couldn’t help but feel a tad exasperated. Sure. I’ve been pulling my tail fur out but I wouldn’t mind Aiden thinking and worrying about me a bit. He’s a reliable guy.

  She smiled, got up, and stepped closer to playfully nudge her shoulder. “You’re always looking out for me, huh? Thanks, Wendy. But, hey, you don’t have to keep everything bottled up, too. We’re in this together, Sis. We have today together. We can talk and chill while training.”

  Wendy smiled back, though it was tinged with a hint of guilt. “Yeah… I know. Thanks, Sora. Sometimes I just…mess up, and I don’t know how to approach it.”

  “I totally get that! No, I’m not mad you asked Aiden to look into Aelion. It’s totally you. Thanks for looking out for me.”

  They shared a quiet hug before Wendy clapped her hands together and hopped to her feet, her mood shifting back to light-hearted. “Alright, enough of the heavy stuff. Let’s get to work. Aunt Rose is waiting, and I’ve got a feeling she’s gonna have a lot to talk about.”

  “Oh, joy,” Sora muttered, grabbing her jacket to pull over her tank top and spotting the thorns crawling out from under their beds like a horror movie. “Guess we better be ready for anything. Auntie is…a prisoner after all. No telling what is going to happen with her.”

  With a final glance at the mirror to check their outfits, Sora shook herself out and stood across from Wendy, holding out her hand. “Ready to see what’s agitating Dad’s side of the family?”

  Wendy took it and tapped her brooch with her free hand, cheeks puffing out before releasing the air. “Yeah, well…about that. You see, she sort of is giving me the impression she doesn’t want us to go…but I want to go.”

  Lips becoming a line, Sora gave her a curious stink-eye. “Oh? Well, I trust you since you’ve got the Null-Void sniffer. Me, not so much. So…you going to open the way? Magic for me is like second nature, so I assume…”

  “Yup. I got you! Hold on… Countdown from three. Nilly?!”

  Taking her other hand, Sora chuckled as the cat jumped up to land on top of their clasped hands. “I guess she wants to come… Nilly is one of the few who can.”

  “True. Happy to have you joining us in First Class, Ms. Cat Mom,” Wendy giggled.

  The kitten’s tail flicked, her gold eyes sparkling mischievously. Was it just her imagination, or did those eyes seem far older for a moment? Sora shook the thought off.

  “Meow!”

  Sora closed her eyes, counted with kitty Nilly, and felt a sudden, disorienting tug, like her entire being was stretched through a pinprick of light. For an instant, there was no up, no down—just a void swallowing them whole.

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  + All my commissioned artwork is up for free on my Patreon!

  Current Books on Amazon and Audible:

  Series Books

  The Oscillation

  Book 1 - Chaos

  A Tail's Misfortune

  Book 1 - Transformation

  Book 1 Audible - Transformation

  Undying Empire

  Book 1 - Foundation

  Novellas (Stand Alone; Same Universe)