I didn't know how long I cried for. It could have been hours or days, for all I knew.

When I finally pulled away, my eyes were red and puffy. My face was a mess. But I felt a little better.

"Thanks, sweetie," Aunt Jinny smiled at me and wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her pink hoodie. "I needed that too. You have no idea how long I've wanted to give you that hug and just be here with you."

I laughed weakly.

She winked, her eyes twinkling.

"So, uh... What happens now?" I asked, wiping my nose.

"We chitchat. Catch up a bit. And then I'll probably go back into the void I've faded in and out of since the night of the Cataclysm. I'm not sure if I can visit you like this again, and I don't know when. It's not exactly easy for me to do this. Like, I'll watch over for your crib for a bit, find myself spacing out, everything goes dark for who knows how long, and suddenly I'm watching you play with Albert in a sandbox. Or I'll stand still for a year and find myself in Canada. But somehow I have knowledge of what happened to you."

I frowned, and she laughed.

"Hey, don't pout. I'll still be watching over you and your sister, and maybe I can drop in for a chat again. But I'm pretty sure this isn't a permanent thing and I'll fade away eventually."

"But I..."

She shook her head. "No, no. You need to focus on living your life. You've got friends and a family and a whole future to live. Don't waste it worrying about me, okay?"

She smiled and patted my shoulder. "You're a strong, talented, smart young lady. You'll do great things. And I'll always be watching, okay? Just make sure your sister eats a cookie or two sometimes. Tell her to enjoy life."

I nodded, wiping at my eyes again.

"But anyway, I've got a bit of time before I have to go, so let's chat. Tell me about yourself. What's new with you?"

I shrugged, smiling weakly. "A lot. It's been a wild couple of weeks. Since I managed to transform and save Albert and the others."

"Mmm. That was a tough fight. You did great. And you found your sister, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's really sweet. We've been growing closer and closer. It was really sudden, though. I didn't exactly expect her to show up with a barbecue sauce cannon cackling like a cartoon supervillain, though."

Aunt Jinny snorted. "I know where she gets that from. I mean, if I were raised like her I probably would have been that way. But that's a good thing! I think you two will make a great pair. Just like your mom and I were."

I smiled. "Yeah. She's been a lot of fun to hang out with."

I paused, biting my lip. There was something I had to ask her. So many things, actually. But above all, I wanted to know about the little contradictions in her final moments. What was real and what wasn't.

"I'm sorry," I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

She blinked, confused. "What for?"

"For what happened to you. You deserved better for everything you've done for the world. I'm sorry that you got the worst of it. I'm sorry that you didn't get to have a normal life."

"Oh, sweetheart." Aunt Jinny hugged me tightly. "It's not your fault."

I sniffled. "I'm just... I'm so sorry."

"I know." She pulled back and cupped my cheeks. "But I'm happy you're here, and you're safe. That's all I ever wanted for you and Stella. You're all safe. That's what matters. And, frankly, I'd do it again if I had to. The Warlords were a shadow that loomed over the world for decades. Mortifera Nox was the worst of them. I was never scared of them, but the world was. And they needed someone to step in and be the one to put the monsters to rest. To be a hero. That's why I became Magical Girl Star Bunbun. And that's why your mother followed my lead, and became Magical Girl Star Nightingale."

I nodded, wiping my nose. "Yeah. Speaking of which... I wanted to ask you something," I said. "What about the rest of your magical girl team? Star Foxtrot and Star Monarch? What happened with them? There are so many things that don't add up about the final battle. And what happened to our father."

"Oh, I guess I should tell you." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Monarch's been AWOL since I died. I think I know why, but I can't tell you. But I know Foxie is still alive out there."

That startled me. "Wait, really?!"

"Yeah. That's a story in itself. I'm not supposed to be sharing it, but I think it's something you need to know. You see, the whole reason we were able to get in and win that battle was because your mother was a double agent."

"Huh?! How...?"

"The official story is that Nightingale Eclipse betrayed us because Mortifera Nox showed her the 'truth' of the Guardians. A supposed lie about how the Guardians are the ones who created the monsters and the villains in the first place, to keep themselves in power. They used the threat to control the world. Eclipse bought it hook, line and sinker, and she betrayed the Knights and joined Mortifera Nox. Mortifera Nox told her that she was seeking the truth behind her world. Of the World System and the atrocities the Guardians committed to power our world. Nightingale Eclipse wanted the truth, and she wanted to find out the secrets that the Guardians were keeping from us. She was always a little too curious for her own good, and she took it upon herself to become the enemy's ally. She turned on us, and then she killed Storm Vixen, aka Star Foxtrot. Or at least, she was supposed to. That was all a ruse."

I blinked, confused. "A... ruse?"

Aunt Jinny grinned. "Yup. The whole thing was a trick to get us access to the fortress. Your mother realized that Mortifera Nox was beyond batshit insane after a while, and she had a change of heart. But she'd already soiled her hands with the blood of multiple high-ranking heroes, and she wasn't in a position to just back out and switch sides again cleanly. So she came up with a plan. A while before we were scheduled to launch the assault on the fortress, she reached out to us and let us know that she was on our side. She was going to help us get inside, but she couldn't do it alone. Nobody told me this until the eleventh hour, of course."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I would have tried to stop her. My entire motivation was to have her come home, and the plan involved putting herself in mortal danger every step of the way, while maintaining her cover with one of history's worst psychopaths and most powerful sorceresses. She was one of my best friends, and I would have done everything in my power to keep her from risking her life like that. But the higher ups decided that it was too risky to let me in on the plan. So they kept it from me. They told Foxie and Paladis Shield, but not me. I was the only member of our team who wasn't in the loop. And they needed me to fight her to sell the act. Whether she made it out alive or not."

"So when Nightingale Eclipse stabbed her, she was faking it? But there was so much blood on the video they leaked of their duel!" I cried out. "Then again, it never made sense to Albert that she'd just challenge my mother to a duel, when there was a small army of heroes surrounding her. She could have just turned and fled, but she stuck around when it was hopeless. Storm Vixen was known as a hit and run skirmisher, not the type who engages in prolonged pitched battles. Even if she was a phenomenal duelist. But if it was a fakeout, that would make sense. He'd never shut up about it to me a year or two ago."

She smiled sadly. "Yep. And I was the only one who didn't know we were putting on a show. She stabbed her, yeah. But it was a controlled strike. Storm Vixen was wearing a hidden constructed vest under her regalia that would release a bunch of fake blood when she was stabbed. Your mother stabbed her and shattered her aura, but she did it in such a way that she wouldn't actually hit any vital organs. Then she made a big show of killing Foxie, and made sure to do it in front of a bunch of the other villains. So she 'killed' her and gave up her body for experimentation and Mortifera Nox's revival magic, but she was really just faking it. Then she went to the fortress and waited for us to arrive. She opened the gate for us, and we stormed in."

I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing.

"But wait... Then why did she disappear? And where's Storm Vixen now?"

Aunt Jinny shrugged. "I don't know. Something must have gone wrong, but I don't know what. I wish I did, but it's incredibly weird. After the battle was over, and Mortifera Nox was dead, Foxie and your mom were nowhere to be found. They were just... gone. I learned during some of my lucid phases that there was a big manhunt for them, and they were declared missing and presumed dead. As for me, I did learn the truth after your mother and I fought in our so-called legendary duel. She was getting ready to fake her death and reveal her double-agent status to the whole world. But then... Well, that's where it got strange. Your father and I both fell into a portal Mortifera Nox opened up. And it would've been the end of the world if your mother hadn't closed it. We ended up somewhere else. Somewhere far away."

She paused and took a deep breath. She seemed to be choosing her next words carefully.

"It was another Earth. A parallel universe if you will, dealing with the same monsters you fought during the Cataclysm. But it was a lot worse than anything you've seen in this world. There were no Knights in this world. No native Magical Girls. No heroes or villains. Just a world that was on the brink of destruction. We saved the city we found ourselves in, but we were stuck there. We couldn't find a way home, and we didn't have a way to contact the Guardians. They had no idea where we were. And that was the end of that. But we weren't the only outworlders there."

"So... What happened to you? And how did you get back here?!" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Ah." She smiled sadly. "I... well. I died. That's... not something I can really remember. My memories from that time are hazy. But I remember that your dad and I were together. And the last time I saw him, he was still alive, and I was dying. I was wounded fighting some incomprehensibly powerful eldritch monstrosity that was threatening the city. And, I... Well, I tried to stop it, and it killed me."

I blinked. "What?!"

"I was a Knight, kiddo. But I'm still human."

"But you're one of the strongest magical girls who's ever lived!"

Aunt Jinny grinned. "Well, yes. I was pretty awesome. But I was still mortal. And I was no match for that thing. It was too strong, and its abilities were downright unfair. I tried to hold it off for as long as I could and create openings for the woman I was with, but... Well, I couldn't do it. And that was that. The end of my story. The next thing I knew I was by your crib watching you grow up. Like watching a montage where time didn't move in straight lines."

"But what happened to dad?!" I asked.

Her expression darkened. "He's not... I don't know if he's still alive. He might not even still be in that world anymore. He could be anywhere. But I'm sure he's still out there. Probably looking for a way back if I know him. But he was attached to the plight of the people in that world, and I know he's not the kind of man to leave them behind. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to help them."

I felt a pang in my heart. Our father was likely still alive. Somewhere. But we might never see him again.

Aunt Jinny gave me a weak smile and ruffled my hair. "I'm sorry. I wish I had better news for you."

I smiled sadly. "No, it's okay. I'm glad you told me. At least I know the truth now."

She grinned and hugged me again.

"But the good news is, help did come for that world. Magical girls from yet another parallel Earth showed up and saved the day. They even sealed that monster and banished it somewhere in the void between worlds. But that's another story."

"Wait, what?!"

Aunt Jinny laughed, but it was a bitter sound. "They had a champion. Just like me. Another Magical Girl who was their so-called Strongest in History. And believe it or not, I was no match for her when we sparred. She could wipe the floor with me if we went all-out. And she did, maybe ten out of twelve rounds."

"Seriously?! You were no match for her?"

"Yeah. We were on friendly terms, though. She was really nice. Your dad and I were found by her, and spent a few days with the people of her world while we recovered. She's an interesting character. Reminded me of The Sovereign, even. But then an all-out invasion happened and we had to go find her husband and children and... I think that's when I died. My last thoughts were that they pulled it off, though."

I blinked, incredulous. "What the hell?! That's crazy."

She laughed and patted my head again. "It was a little crazy. I'll give you that much. And you should know, the Terran Magical Girl who helped save that world? She's from a parallel universe to the one we were in, and to this one. I'm pretty sure if anyone can figure out why or how that happened, it's Elio Hinokawa."

"Hinokawa...?" I whispered, repeating the name. It was the first time I'd heard my father's last name. I'd always wondered what his family name was.

Aunt Jinny smiled wistfully. "He's out there somewhere. And I'm sure he's doing his best."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I blinked. "Wait, Hinokawa? Isn't that a Japanese name?"

"Yup. Why?"

"I don't look the slightest bit Japanese..." I frowned.

But then again, that did explain a few things about my bone structure and almond-shaped eyes. I'd often wondered where I got them from. Maybe they were inherited from him.

I'd always thought I had some Middle-eastern features or even Native American, but maybe that was my mind filling in the blanks with something plausible.

Aunt Jinny laughed. "I mean, he was like half-Italian on his mother's side, and your mom's fully Italian. So the odds were against you looking much like a Japanese person, genetically."

I looked down at my workout clothes and sighed.

"I definitely didn't get these from mom, though."

I gestured to my chest and Jinny snickered.

"Yeah, your mom's tatas are... something else. The most comfortable things in existence. Why, the night you were probably conceived—"

"Jinny, I swear to God!"

She just snorted and kept laughing.

"But yeah. Elio was a good man. Your mom and I loved him dearly, and he was a great friend. I was a bit jealous your mom pined after him so hard, but she was really into it when we had a threesome and—"

"Oh my God! I don't need that mental image! Cut it out!"

She laughed and I buried my face in my hands. She just kept grinning. I shook my head and sighed, looking back at her.

"Never meet your heroes. Here I have Arcadia Vox. THE Arcadia Vox, my childhood hero. The coolest person in the whole world. And she turns out to be a total goofball and a huge pervert."

"Hey, I'm not a pervert!" she protested. "I'm just a healthy young woman in her 20s who might have a thing for Mediterranean women. And one man. And... a few other things."

I sighed and shook my head, smiling. She laughed again. It was a pleasant sound. She was so full of life. It was a shame she was, well, dead. But in that moment, I was glad she was here.

I was glad to have met her. She was just so... so cool. So amazing.

So real.

"Um. Thanks," I said.

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For everything. Seriously."

She grinned and winked. "I don't know what you're thanking me for, but you're welcome. Anytime. Now then. I know you wanna ask me more, so fire away."

I thought back to the vision I had after I'd gotten injured during Tesseract's training exercise. I'd seen Arcadia Vox in some unknown city going up in flames, with a giant, horrific monster in the distance.

"Jinny. Back when I almost died two days ago, I saw... something. I think it was a vision."

"Vision?"

"I saw you from the perspective of... I think it might've been dad. You were in some kind of city with a big, burly guy and some others. There was a massive, horrible monster. I think it was the same one that killed you and that you mentioned. You were about to fight it, and... the dream ended. I remember the man was carrying a baby girl."

Aunt Jinny bit her lip. "Oh. That's freaky. I don't know what to say, kiddo. The thing is, we did have a baby girl with us. I can remember that much. But I don't remember anything else about her."

I frowned. "I wrote it off as just a dream, but... if you do remember something like that, then that's not just a coincidence. I think it means something. I'm not sure what, though."

"Well... it could be a memory from that world. As for how you got it... well, beats me."

I sighed, and Aunt Jinny gave me an apologetic look.

"Yeah, I know it's frustrating, but you have to remember, there's a lot about magic that we don't understand yet. If I were being generous, your dad might be experimenting with sending mental messages through parallel universes or something. I wouldn't put it past him to do something crazy."

I chuckled weakly. "Yeah, maybe."

"Look," she said, "I don't want you to get hung up on this stuff. I know it's important, but you can't dwell on things like this forever, okay?"

"I just... I need to know what happened. If he's still out there, or if he's really gone."

"I get that," she replied. "But I'm not the one to answer those questions."

I nodded. "Going back to the thing with Storm Vixen. What happened to her after my mom opened the gates?"

Aunt Jinny frowned. "That's the part I don't know. After your mother and I had that big fight in front of Mortifera Nox's fortress, and everyone thought she'd been killed, she was supposed to ambush Mortifera Nox for the killing blow. She never showed up, but your mother confirmed she was alive and Mortifera Nox hadn't had time to use any of her creepy necromancy or mutagenic tech. So we still have no clue what happened. She just... disappeared. I'm not sure where she is, or if she's okay. I'm not even sure if she's still alive. Your mom was very clear that she was alive when our battle ended. But she didn't show up when your father gave the signal that all of Mortifera Nox's lieutenants and heavy hitters were preoccupied and it was time to strike."

"Do you think she could be behind all this?" I asked. "Somehow?"

Jinny shook her head. "No. I know her. She wouldn't do that. She's a hero, through and through. She wouldn't join forces with a villain like that. She might lose seven out of ten times against your mother or me, but she was an awful matchup for Mortifera Nox. Their powers and styles clashed really badly. If she'd been there to help us, I'm pretty sure we could have taken Mortifera Nox out a lot easier. She would have gone down before she could open the gates."

I nodded. "But what about Star Monarch? She's been MIA since the whole saga with the Nightmare of Nox began. Do you have any idea where she is?"

Jinny giggled. "Oh, I know exactly where she is. She retired and we actually had plans to raise our kids together, but... well, you can guess how that turned out. I'm not even sure if she knows the truth about what happened. The whole thing was kept secret by the Guardians. They didn't want the public to find out that Mortifera Nox invited the apocalypse by opening a portal. And that the hero community barely stopped her from destroying the world. Or they would've known the Guardians weren't the nigh-omnipotent beings they pretend to be."

She looked away for a second, biting her lips. "Star Monarch was a Class Six magical girl. But against the scope of threats we were dealing with? It wasn't enough. She felt she was holding the team back, and she was. The last few battles she was involved in were the kind where you either won overwhelmingly or you died. There was no in between. The last one in particular had a superpowered madman yank in a giant asteroid and nearly wipe out all life on the planet. The Guardians had to break their non-intervention directives and step in and stop the rock themselves when I couldn't, and they covered the close call up. That's the kind of scale we were working at. And Star Monarch was not that. Your mom was the most powerful of us, at the time. She's Class Nine. I was Class Eight. So was Foxie. Star Monarch was Six, borderline Seven."

"Wait, you were only a Class Eight?" I asked.

Jinny laughed. "Class Eights are some of the strongest people on the planet. Most of the top tier Guardians are only Class Sixes, and a lot of the strongest monsters and villains you can run into are Class Sevens. There are only a handful of Class Eights in the entire world, and they're the cream of the crop. Probably less than two hundred at any given time. Class Nine is the stuff of legends. And there are very, very, very few of them. I guess her retirement motivated me to become stronger, because the day she announced she was quitting, I started training like crazy, and that's when I started to really improve."

I nodded. "But, what do you mean 'at the time'? You're the Strongest Magical Girl in history, aren't you? You're Class Ten, right?!"

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "Sienna, none of us were born that way. We grew. I was the Strongest Magical Girl in History by the time I was 25, not when I was 18. It's a slow process, and it takes a lot of effort to get that strong."

I blinked. "But, you died at 26, right?"

Jinny grinned. "Yeah. And I was still getting stronger. But really, I just wanted to retire and see you and Stella grow up. I was getting a bit burned out on the whole 'savior' gig. It gets old after a while. Your mother, on the other hand? She was a total adrenaline junkie. She loved fighting. And I'm sure that if I hadn't gotten myself sucked into a portal, I probably would have been the one to hang up my boots first. I mean, come on. Fighting a bunch of weirdos in spandex all day? It was fun and all, but I was tired. And I was looking forward to having a normal life. But then, you know. Portal. Alternate universe. And death. It's not all sunshine and rainbows being a hero."

I laughed. "Yeah. I can definitely understand that."

"But anyway," Jinny continued, "Star Monarch retired, and I don't blame her. Happily married and living a happy civilian life with a good man she met in college, too. And I'm happy she had a happy ending, but I'm sure she'd be kicking herself if she knew the full extent of the mess we're in now. So, uh, don't tell her."

I blinked, and then nodded. "Yeah... I figured if someone would know more about what happened it would be Star Monarch, since she's the one who wasn't there when things got really bad."

Jinny nodded. "She was a good friend. And I miss her. But I'm glad she got out while she could. She deserved to have a normal life, you know? And I hope she's happy and safe. Because if she isn't, I'll kick her ass myself."

I laughed. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She was a badass. And she was smart, too. At least, er, if I can trust any of the animations and dramas and comics about you. Which, I guess maybe I can't."

Jinny grinned. "Oh, trust them. We're all pretty badass. Except for the times we're not. But yeah, I'm glad she retired. I hope she's still living her best life."

I furrowed my brow. "Wait. Does that mean I have another aunt I can meet?!"

Jinny laughed, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Maybe! It's a small world, after all. And if you ever do figure out who she is, tell her I said hi. And that I miss her. And that I'm sorry for not being the friend she needed."

I smiled. "I will. I promise."

She sighed. "But yeah, Star Monarch was a good friend. Sadly, she probably doesn't know much about the current situation. But if you do figure out who she is and where she lives, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. She's a total sweetie and the mom of the group, and I'm sure she'd love you."

I nodded. "I'll be sure to tell her that, then. I mean, if I can figure out her civilian identity."

Jinny snorted. "It's a small world. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Eventually."

I laughed. "Yeah. Maybe I will."

"I'm sure you and Celeste will catch her attention eventually, and if she's half as good a woman as I remember, she'll reach out to you."

She paused, eyes furrowed in concentration. "I am concerned about that Braveheart Kitsune, though. I'm sure your sister sees it too, but I'm fairly certain he's Foxie's kid. And that means that the only reason he wouldn't know who his mom is and why he said the things he has, is that something happened to her. As rambunctious as she was, she's not the type to be a deadbeat mom. So I can only imagine something awful happened to her. She was strong enough that she would've left a crater before coming to our aid."

Jinny shook her head. "Foxie wanted to raise her son with Monarch's kid. We talked about it a lot, you know? To the point it wasn't even a cliche death flag. We were going to be family, and nothing was going to stop us from being happy together. So the idea of her just abandoning her own child? It doesn't make any sense. Nothing about her disappearance that day makes sense, Sienna. She was one of the strongest Magical Girls alive. She should have been there, at the end. She should have been with us, fighting alongside us. And she wasn't. And that doesn't make sense. She wasn't dead. Your mother would have known. But she just up and vanished into thin air."

I frowned, feeling a chill run down my spine. "That's... concerning."

She nodded. "I know. I'm not sure what to make of it, either. But it's something you should keep in mind. Something's off. I'm not sure what it is, or why it happened. But it's definitely not right. And I'm worried about Kitsune, because I don't want to believe that his mom is dead. I want to believe that she's still out there, somewhere. I can only hope she's safe and sound and that she just got separated from us somehow. But the longer she's gone, the more I worry. And the more I wonder what happened. What could have possibly made her vanish like that, without a trace? Without even saying goodbye? I am fairly confident the final battle would not have been as big of a shitshow if she'd been there with us, and the fact that she wasn't concerns me. The plan was to leave enough in her tank to handle Mortifera Nox, and your mother and I were there to take on the rest."

She paused, her eyes distant. "We should have all come home that night, Sienna. It should have been a victory party with a lot of cake and a lot of hugs. It wasn't supposed to go down the way it did."

I nodded. "I know. But we can't change the past, can we?"

I imagined a childhood where Stella and I got to grow up together, with our father and mothers. Where the three of them were still alive, and a fox-eared auntie would come by for tea. She would giggle with another blonde, motherly woman, as their children fought with me and Stella over who'd get the drumsticks at dinner.

A life that didn't have any monsters in it. Just a normal life, with family. A life where we all lived happily ever after. It would have been a nice life. But that wasn't the world I lived in. That was a fantasy. A dream.

And that was the problem with dreams. They always ended.

Jinny smiled sadly. "No, we can't. All we can do is try to make the future better than the past. And I think that's what you and your sister are doing, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. We're trying to figure out the truth behind the Cataclysm. We wanted to figure out what happened to you, and our dad. And I guess you gave me a couple of puzzle pieces, but the picture's not exactly coming together. But I guess that's not really the point, is it?"

Jinny smiled. "No, I suppose it's not. Every answer creates more questions, sometimes. That's just how life is. But I'm glad you and Stella are together. You two are good for each other. You need to take care of her, and she needs you to keep her in check. And your best friend Albert? Keep doing your thing and look after him too. He's going to be the heart and soul of your group. And he's a smart boy, even if he doesn't know how smart he really is yet. And I know you guys can do it. You're a team. Don't ever forget that."

I smiled. "Thanks. I definitely won't."

She grinned. "Good. Now then. Any other questions? I have a strong feeling that our time together is almost at an end, and I have no idea when the next time I'll get to talk to you will be. So shoot."

I thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"Do you think you could do this with Stella, somehow? I mean she's your daughter. I'm just your niece. Step-daughter? This is weird."

Jinny laughed. "Well, yes and no. I consider us both your mothers, but you and Stella have a special bond. She's your sister, and that's a powerful thing. I have no idea why I wound up dying and haunting you specifically, though. Maybe it's because of a quirk of fate. Or maybe it's because you're the one that got the short stick in life. I dunno. But I do know that you're my daughter all the same, and I love you. And I love Stella, too."

I felt a pang in my chest, and I had to blink back tears. I couldn't bring myself to call her 'mom' before, but now? Now it felt right.

"I wish I could have met you sooner."

She smiled. "Me too, Sienna. Me too. And I wish I could have been there to help you grow up. To ease the burdens of your mother's sorrows and your father's absence. To watch you grow into a strong, brilliant young woman. To hug you on your birthday. To kiss your scraped knees. But I wasn't. And I can't. I'm not even sure how much of me will stick around after today. I'm not sure what's going on, to be honest. But I do know that I love you, and I'll always be with you. Even if I'm not physically there. And I'll always be watching over you and your sister, even if you can't see me. I promise."

I smiled, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. "I know, mom. And I promise to take care of her. We'll figure this out. Somehow, someway."

She nodded. "You're strong. And I'm proud of you. Now go. Be the hero the world needs, Sienna."

"I will, mom. I will."

She smiled and hugged me again.

"I love you, Sienna."

I smiled back, hugging her tight.

"I love you too," I whispered.

"And... please don't tell Stella that you got to talk to me. It's not fair that I'm here talking to you and not her, but it is what it is. Tell her you get visions of me. Of you. Of your father. But they're not real. Or they weren't, until now. But don't tell her we actually got to talk. She's going to be jealous. So don't tell her the truth."

I frowned. "Why not? She deserves to know. I can't keep this from her. This isn't fair to her. It's not fair that we get to have this moment and she doesn't."

Jinny sighed, her smile turning bittersweet.

"I know, but I'm afraid that's just how things are. You'll have to trust me on this one, kiddo. And don't worry. I'll find a way to make it up to her."

I frowned, not liking that I was being asked to lie. But, I did trust Jinny, and she was right. It wasn't fair that we got to talk and Stella didn't.

I nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I won't tell her. At least not yet."

She smiled. "Thanks, Sienna. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

I sighed, and nodded. "She'll probably hate me. And I'm sure she's gonna find a way to track you down. And she's gonna demand to talk to you. And she's gonna hate you too. For dying on her. And not being there to raise her."

She chuckled. "I'd deserve that, wouldn't I?"

"Yeah. You would."

She just smiled sadly, her eyes warm.

"Goodbye, my sweet, precious child. I love you so m—"

And then she was gone. It was sudden, and she didn't even have the chance to finish her sentence.

I stood there, feeling her presence leave, the warmth in the room leaving with her.

The world went dark.