I felt my blood go cold as I looked at 'Sunny' with fresh eyes. As if sensing my in-depth perusal, Sunny finally dropped whatever facade she had about her power.

I watched as her power exploded from her chest in bright lights, like an aurora borealis of gold, orange, red, and black.

If the ball of power I carried in me was a spark of energy that could fill me up, whatever this person had was a sun whose heat had no match. This wasn't witch energy I was feeling coming off in waves. Nor was it like anything I've ever felt. I thought my grandmother was powerful, but this was way above her pay grade.

I turned to see if Wyatt was seeing this, but his expression was blank with the same level of tenseness.

Mortals would be oblivious to this. But I, a witch in a normie's body, recognized what kind of powerhouse I was staring at.

"You're a deity." My voice came out as a gasp. It hurt to breathe as the energy expanded and filled up the area. Wyatt's grip was so tight it became painful, and I spared him a look again. He was pale now, and maybe he knew what I did.

A weird chipper sound almost broke the tension with its little jangle. "First prize goes to my lovely relative Gwendolyn." Sunny laughed, "Oh, you guys probably don't know what that sound is. It's a lottery chime. I don't think this world has casinos. Seems strange, but maybe I'll give the idea to a mortal who amuses me. The sound means you win a prize when you hear it." It rang again, and she wiggled in rhythm with it.

I wet my dry lips with shaky effort. "Your power hurts." I managed to get out through gritted teeth. My right hand was burning. I looked down briefly to see the old scar from the Wishing tree. It looked fine, but what wasn't okay was the feeling of sizzling flesh of an old wound.

"You're the only one in this world who could sense the scope. I haven't had a chance to show off in a long time." 'Sunny' said with a giggle but her power grew stronger and I gasped. She was holding back? The bright glare of her strength swelled, and I closed my eyes as I tried to leave the table.

"Enough, you're hurting her!" Wyatt yelled; he let go of my hand but was using his arms to furtively protect me. I'd thank him if I wasn't trying to catch my breath.

'Sunny' puckered her lips and squinted at me, "Am I? This is her prize for getting the first question correct. I'm showing her who I am."

"That's a bullshit prize," I said, glaring at her through my fear. If she wanted to kill us, she would have done so already. What did this 'God' want from us?

'Sunny' held out a hand, and a coin appeared. It traveled across her knuckles as she looked at me. "I suppose it is." She said slowly and flipped it into the air, catching it casually. She glanced at it and gave a short sigh. Like a candle, her power was extinguished in the next few seconds, and I could finally breathe.

A gust of wind swept through the table, knocking over the abundant table of food as a child might knock over a tower of bricks.

The being known as Sunny disappeared before anything could splatter her fine suit.

Wyatt turned to me and held out a single finger that air wrapped around, and I watched transfixed as he sent the spores and John several feet away from us. His gaze was fierce as he hurriedly said, "No matter what, she will not hurt you." He emphasized both of those words. "Be bold and don't be afraid."

Before I could question him or say anything, 'Sunny' was back with a fierce expression. "Wasting food is a sign of bad character and morals Attarib."

Attarib? I looked at Wyatt, who was glaring at Sunny. Should I call him Attarib?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wyatt said with a straight face, but he had yet to retract the finger that spun the offending gust.

'Sunny's eyes narrowed, and I gulped as the fire in them grew. I watched the flames lick her face as they burst forth, and in horror, I saw the fire melt away the flesh of her skin. Glaring white facial bones grew red, then black under the crackling heat of her eyes. The snap and hiss of broken bones soon went silent. I couldn't see anything but the brunt, black, headless person who used to be my cousin.

The fire wasn't done.

It grew until it consumed all of her. What had started as a spark became an inferno as red sparks became a bright blue flame. Nothing was safe, and before I had time to react, Wyatt had grabbed me and held me princess-style as he flew, yup, this stinky boy can fly, into the air.

The transformation was long, yet neither Wyatt nor I tried to escape. I had forgotten John, but he looked rather bored by the whole thing. The smell alone should have bothered him. It was so offensive I almost gagged. With a flick of his wrist, Wyatt changed the direction of the wind to keep us both away from it.

That meant we had more time to watch in horror as the transformation continued.

The melted flesh was soon joined by ashes and the fallen limbs of 'Sunny.' A naked woman stepped out of that inferno, and under our eyes, the floating spark spores covered her bare skin. By the time they floated away from her, she was adorned with a brand-new suit...only this one was made of black steel. Instead of the eerie skin changer cousin, a new woman stood out. I had no idea what the heck was going on.

Wyatt did, but he was tightlipped and silent no matter what I tried to do. My throat was too tight to talk, but he knew what my pinches and elbow smashes meant! Worse of all, he landed the two of us down across from the now armored melty-faced woman!

"I was so tired of wearing that pathetic character, but I didn't expect to lose it so easily." She was who Sunny said. Her voice was joyful with a twinge of regret as she kicked away melted flesh with several sweeps of her feet.

As if the fire had burnt her from the inside out, her flesh was now black without a single hint of char. It looked smooth and like it was craved from night, not destruction.

"I bet I look familiar, Attarib." She said with a savage grin.

I could feel something niggle in the back of my head.

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "You look nothing like my father."

"Your father is black?" I said with disbelief. Wyatt is the whitest boy I know.

Before Wyatt could respond, he was attacked. The spores floating around without a care or ill intention turned violent. Wyatt pushed me out of the way of their assault, but he probably shouldn't have. They ignored me and went all in on him. He used his abilities to push them away, but they were numerous and explosive. They suicide bombed him, setting off one after another.

There was little that I could do to stop them. For all my efforts, offensive plant manipulation still needed to be added to my skill roster.

I turned to look at 'Sunny', who was sipping away on a giant iced drink.

"Stop!" I found my voice and attempted to reach out to the spores. They hadn't been my friends like most plants, but they were generally tolerant of me. They ignored my cries, but sadly, 'Sunny' did not.

"Why so sad bug?" She said with a concerned expression. "This is a mild punishment for ruining my meal."

"Stop," I said, turning to meet her eyes. I may have shaky legs, but if what Wyatt said was correct, she won't hurt me. I could ignore that he hadn't told me his name was Attarib. I hadn't been truthful about my true name either.

I can't help him fight, but I can reason with this person. Wyatt didn't deserve this.

"Then give me something that makes it worth my while." 'Sunny' said with a smirk. A coin appeared on her palm to roll across her knuckles.

What could I give? Anything I could offer was something this being could get better undoubtedly.

"I don't have anything," I said.

"Give me your body." She said.

My body? What use would it have had to her?

"I can see you trying to process this, so let me simplify it for your pea brain. I want access to you. No matter where you go I can follow."

Why would she want something like that? Wait..."Can't you do something like that already?"

"There are restrictions, but enough about that. The clock is ticking."

I looked at Wyatt, who was still battling with the flaming spores. She was right. Time was being eaten up by this. It wouldn't be a problem to promise this, right? If this diety really wanted to do anything to me it would be now. Wyatt said she wouldn't...so...

"I grant you permission to my body," I said, and the world started spinning until I closed my eyes.

I reopened my eyes to find myself in a dungeon. The damp air was moldy and thick, and I covered my nose at the offensive scents that assaulted my senses. When I was finally brave enough to open my eyes and look around, I saw that the scene wasn't much better.

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It was dark, dirty, and almost pitch black, and I wanted to cry. This is a worse prize! I should have kept my mouth shut, and maybe the Goddess wouldn't have sent me to a dungeon. Dealing with a painful amount of energy was better than this.

I reached out into the void, attempting to find something to pinpoint just where I was exactly. I could feel something wiggle on the back of my neck as I moved.

Oh yeah, that old guy put something in the folds of my hoodie. I reached awkwardly to dig around until I pulled out a funny looking locket. The thing looked ancient, and I couldn't make out the inscription or the design on the star. The cold metal felt strange, and I could feel power pouring off it.

I pursed my lips and attempted to put it in my space. It went without a fuss, and I looked at a label for the first time in a long time.

Name: ??????? ????? ??????????

Age: ????

Life Expectancy: ☥☥

I hiccuped nervously when I saw that and mentally exited my space, taking a flashlight on my way out. There were two ankhs for life expectancy. What did that mean? And why was everything else full of question marks?

I turned on the flashlight to inspect my so-called prize and dropped it when the light shone on one very decrepit Wyatt.

A strange growth of affection had me throwing caution to the wind as I lunged forward to grab Wyatt into a tight hug.

How was it that he was present during the worst moments in my life? He looked like he'd seen better days, and finally, I could return the favor and help him out of whatever trials we had been tossed into. His long hair had been cropped short, which was regrettable, and aside from some filth and clothing turned rags, he looked alright.

Wyatt stirred under me in more ways than one, and I stiffened.

"Have I met your standards for a night then, lass?" Wyatt slowly drawled out and I backed away instantly.

Wait, this isn't Wyatt. He didn't have an accent, and he certainly wouldn't get hard over me. I fumbled for the flashlight and shone it on the man, hoping a better look would show me who I was dealing with.

"Not kind to point the light directly in me eye." His accent was less thick this time, barely noticeable, and I felt my shoulders relax stupidly. It was Wyatt, but not my Wyatt. I imagined the Wyatt I knew over the one before me. My Wyatt was muscled with long hair and a fake smile to hide his true nature. This Wyatt had short hair and a ton of scars. One of the scars had even taken his eye. The one eye he had was glittering and almost feral.

When I hugged him, I didn't notice the chains on his legs that connected to the walls. This place was filthy, dark, and clearly a prison. How long had Wyatt been subjected to this?

"Who are you?" I said, wetting my lips and moving the light so it wasn't directly on him.

"Wyatt." He said slowly as if tasting the name.

I narrowed my eyes, wondering if this was a shapeshifter instead of the real thing. Even if it was, could I leave someone that looked like Wyatt alone? Of course, other thoughts arose, but I didn't have time to go down more than one line of thought.

"I'm not here to sleep with you. I'm going to help you get out." I said, moving closer to inspect what I could do now. He needed to be cleaned and fed because he was clearly starving and losing whatever muscles he had.

"Why?" The voice was hostile, not grateful, and I snorted.

"Because you're my friend, and friends help each other," I said, moving his face to inspect the almost closed hole where his eye was. "Remember that no matter what happens next."

I didn't get much out of him after that. He moved his body, barely helpfully, to let me clean him, and he ate the food I pulled out of the space without question. It was weird sitting next to a Wyatt that didn't chatter.

The dungeon was thick with neglect, and the mess likely blocked the exit, so that had to go first. I had just finished and was wiping what I could of the dungeon clean when I could hear someone call my name. "Oh, I think I'm being…" But I didn't get to finish that sentence.

I found myself back at the clearing with Wyatt and Sunny. It was the Wyatt I knew, though, and I found myself grabbing his face the moment I saw him to inspect his eyes. He had won the battle with the exploding spores and came out scorched, but all right.

"It felt so real seeing you in that dungeon," I said, moving his head around.

"It was real," Sunny said with a laugh. "Your prize was a trip to one of the previous versions of this world."

Wyatt's bright blue eyes met mine, and I froze, unsure how to process that. Why would he be rotting in prison? Who could do something so cruel to him? What happened to Lucia or Lucas that they weren't there…I pulled away to sit back down in my seat. There were too many questions and not enough time to answer them.

"Time for the next game!" Sunny clapped her hands, eager to move on. "Since my lovely Gwendolyn already went, it's time for you, Wyatt."

Sunny waved, and Wyatt disappeared from the clearing.

She turned to me, "While we wait, let's play another game. His might take awhile to finish."

"Gwendolyn, which one is the real Sonja?" 'Sunny' said, and I felt guilt shoot through me. I hadn't forgotten the little girl, but I had certainly done what I could to bury the memory of her deep down. She was intrinsically part of Grandpa Evan's living memory, which was hard to think about.

Two pictures were put in front of me, and I stared at them. They were identical in every aspect. It was like one of those spot-the-difference puzzles, but both were the same.

I didn't get a timer like Wyatt. Instead, I got 'Sunny's' intent gaze as I struggled. The scene depicted was one of my last moments with the girl. Happiness and sadness battled within me as I held up the two pictures. There had to be a tell that one of these was not her.

"Time's up, your loss!" 'Sunny' said, and before I could respond, John stepped forward and held out a screen to 'Sunny.'

"Well, it looks like the Girru luck strikes again. Even though you didn't answer in time, Wyatt cleared the next stage." 'Sunny' sighed and waved an impatient hand towards me.

I landed, yet again, in the dungeon. All the work I put into cleaning and looting around for an exit had gone to waste. It was messier than before, and Wyatt was nowhere to be seen.

"Shit." I nervously looked around for Wyatt. Did he already leave?

"You came back." A hoarse voice behind me growled, and I instinctively started to run away. A rough hand grabbed my wrist, and I yelped. That 'Sunny' said Wyatt cleared a stage so why was I back here. How was this a reward? Why did Wyatt want me here?

"You said you'd help me escape." This Wyatt said.

I did. And I'm a witch of my word. "Let's get you out then." It was easier than it had a right to be. It was only this easy because I could pull out tools from my space. Wyatt watched me wordlessly bring out tools after I used a flashlight to give us a visual.

He had a hand on me the whole time, though, which was distracting. Did Wyatt always have such big hands? And why was every Wyatt I met so touchy feely with me? However, this one had a good reason; I vanished before his eyes last time.

He was soon freed, and before I could enjoy my hard work, the wind began to whip around the room.

I watched, horrified and transfixed, as air spun in tight circles, gaining speed and power only to wrap around Wyatt's outstretched free hand. Wyatt had a savage smile, the first smile I've ever seen this Wyatt have.

"You didn't even need me!" I said above the roar of the wind.

"I couldn't use all of my powers with the chains," Wyatt said, and I blinked. All? That meant he had some powers he was still able to use? How many powers did Wyatt have?

"Bang." He said before shooting off the wind that wrapped around his arm like a cannon. The wall never stood a chance, and I breathed a mouthful of fresh air in among the rubble.

Dust was inhaled as well, but it felt so good to have fresh air. "Let's go!" Wyatt said, and since he was still holding my hand, he practically dragged me outside. We were in Green's Mountain near the town square where Caelis was annually held.

So it wasn't too surprising that we came across the wishing tree on our way. It looked vastly different from usual.

It was proud, strong, and virile whenever I saw it over the years. Now, it looked like a true weeping willow, gaunt, with no leaves and no wishes tied to it.

It was winter, judging from the snow that was stacked everywhere. "Why hasn't anyone put a wish on the tree?" I said, hesitating to touch the prickly thing.

"The world ended not that long ago. People are busy fighting over resources, not wishes." Wyatt said, looking around us, assumingly for company.

Wait, how did that 'Sunny' greet us? She called us wishers. "Wyatt, have you ever made a wish on that tree?" I said, and he gave me an incredulous look before shaking his head.

"I wonder if you do, that means we'll meet again…" I said I was unable to stop myself from wondering outloud. I made one and sealed it with my true name and this body's name. What if Wyatt made one too? Is that why we met?

As I stood there, my mind boggled over how things could play out, Wyatt let go of my hand. He reappeared before me, and I watched, horrified, as he tied a slip of paper to the tree.

"So I guess this means we'll meet again." Wyatt looked back at me with an eerily sweet smile.

I hiccupped and stared at him transfixed. I opened my mouth but was ripped from the moment, just like last time.

Instead of landing back at the tea table, I was carried by a strange man. It wasn't Wyatt, and it wasn't John or any other man I'd seen before.

Long golden brown hair fell in a disarray of curls that lankily draped across my body. The man was muttering strangely, and when he noticed I was awake, he tossed me a cruel smile. "Welcome to the land of the almost living." He said, and his voice was roughly hoarse as he switched languages to one I could understand.

The man's eyes flickered like hot coals, and I gulped. Was this 'Sunny's' proper form?

"What am I supposed to call you?" I said when I had finally wet my mouth enough to speak.

"Destiny or fate will do. For everything you've done was predestined by me. I thought you would pull out something that would shock and prove yourself worthy of my attention, but alas, it's hard for mortals to entertain me for long. So let's wrap this up."

He spoke caustically and unbearably rude but I could not look away. Why was he carrying me so gently if he was fed up with me? His power wasn't roaring to cause harm, and I was held snugly in his arms. Why was this God so contradictory? Nothing he'd done had caused actual damage, and he seemed to help us.

"So, my dear. I want you to figure out who I am for our final game. What is my name?" He said this as he gently set me down, holding one of my hands as my feet touched the ground. And I finally got a look around. We were underground, but it was a small, barely lit room. There was a table in front of me, and he gestured towards it.

"All the clues you need are right there, Gwendolyn." He said before sitting down in midair. He crossed one leg over another and propped up his head with a hand and all but became a statue. It was reminiscent of something, but I turned away from him to peer at the table.

There was a strange assortment of things on the table. Nothing too apparent for which God I was dealing with. This was going to take a lot of work. I would have to draw upon everything I knew to narrow it down.

"Do I have a certain amount of time to figure it out?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "Time here is limitless. Though he might get impatient." His hand was still propped up on his chin, but he was sitting in the air. This could be a clue. Anything could be a clue. I'd have to go over everything we talked about.

I wanted to ask who the he that might get impatient was, but I figured it was the man John from before or even Wyatt. Better to focus on questions that pertained to his name.

"How many chances do I have to get it right?" I said. I needed to know this even more than the time allotted. If it was endless, I'd just run through every God and Goddess I knew.

A smile grew on his face as his leg moved. "One." He said. "But I'll answer two questions that won't give it away."

I hiccuped as I realized I just asked him two questions and one before he announced the final gambit. His laugh broke the tension, "We can start now, my dear Gwendolyn."

"Are you a god or a goddess?" It had to be my first question, so I shot it off first.

"Both." He said with a twist of his mouth. It was a sardonic smile at my expense and made me regret asking. "I can be whatever I want to be when the mood fits. Gender doesn't matter to me."

Well, that did nothing to narrow it down. I thought bitterly as I racked my mind for the final question I could ask. I looked down at the table. There were three lit candles in the middle of the table. It barely showcased the items on it correctly.

Three mini statues of men were on it. They were old and broken in far too many places. I could tell it was from the Babylonian Empire. The cuneiform on the base below could help me narrow it down, but it was incomplete because it scratched off in several places.

There was a gold coin, a gold necklace, and a golden blade that looked like part of a set but were spread across the table as if to hide the connection. Or it was just carelessly tossed. I tried to take a step back and not touch anything. Not everything had been thrown at random. That could speak of some kind of chaotic God. He certainly fit the bill for that. And for tricksters.

There were countless trickster Gods, and that wasn't counting my world of Gods. He could be from any world, even this world as well. I froze at that thought. The three main Gods I heard about seemed familiar, but I swept that thought under the rug like many things. But it had rang a cord when I first heard it, and there were three sets of three on the table.

Three seemed to be an essential number to this God. I took a few moments recalling everything he had said to me from start to finish.

"You all but told me from the start, haven't you," I said, looking at this God with fresh eyes. How could I have been so blind?

The only response I received was a more broad smile.

"You have more than one name. This isn't fair." I said. Many deities seemed to have a slew of names depending on their place in history. This one was the same.

"What's my name, Gwendolyn?" He demanded, his eyes glowing hot in the room that seemed to blacken around me.

He must be talking about 'her' first name. The erased one cursed from existence by 'her' mother, the Goddess of Destiny. That had to be the one, so I opened my mouth and said it.