The spread and substantial escalation of danger of an antithesis have usually come down more to random chance than anything remotely tangible. However, there are some situations in which we can say that the antithesis will grow faster. These factors mostly come down to the amount of sunlight and water they can get. Obviously, the amount of biomass also plays a role, but since the antithesis can convert any biomass, even that in the soil, into more of them, this statistic has been proven incredibly hard to keep track of.

All this to say, when you see a hive, kill it with fire acid or anything else you can get your hands on. If you can’t kill it, then call for backup. Don’t wait until you are strong because they will outgrow you, and then we will have a massive outbreak on our hands.

--Public messages to all Samurai provided by the Nachtwächternetzwerk group after a hive went untouched for a long time, resulting in a massive incursion.

You know what? Sex is great, so I don’t begrudge anyone for having it. I do wish, however, that some people keep in mind that others still have to use the same body afterwards. Fuck, my back hurts, and my legs still feel like jelly. Why can’t Maniac ever take it easy with anything she does?

Despite all of my complaining, I still managed to find my way back to the orphanage, not that I didn’t want to stay with Katelyn and the other two. I should have really asked for their name, but after Maniac’s statement, it all became so awkward. So, I would rather go back to the orphanage for a bit to reassure everyone that I am okay.

As I walk in, I am greeted by several of the children running around wildly, and Amira tries her best to get them all to behave. Everything suddenly changes as one of the children spots me and shouts: “The candy lady is back!”

I smile as the children crowd around me. “I have a name, you know.” I say as I take some candies out of my pockets,and start handing them out.

“Evelin, you are back.” Amira says, once the children have all gotten something.

“Yes, I am.” I say, handing another piece of candy to Amira.

“I was worried about you. First, Ashley, Skylar, and Roy came back without you. Then, a few hours later, a guard came by to drop off the groceries, and you’re still nowhere to be seen.”

Ah, right, the groceries. Kind of forgot about those, or I guess Maniac mostly forgot. We should really start to write stuff down so we can keep better track of stuff like this.

“I am sorry. There was this fight, and this Samurai, and it all became rather complicated,” I try, and fail to explain.

“Yeah, they did tell me you were in a fight with a gang of all things. Don’t you know how dangerous those people are?” she says exasperatedly.

I pause, thinking about it. “To be honest, I actually have no fucking clue how dangerous they are.”

Amira suddenly whacks the top of my head with her open palm. “No swearing”

I look around at the children as I rub my head. “Yeah, right, sorry, I will be careful next time.”

“Anyway, I was in no danger. I am a professional.” I say with a broad smile.

“That is why I don’t like you picking a fight. The kids could have gotten hurt.” Amira says.

“That is why I picked the fight, diverting attention and all that, putting all the attention on me, making sure the rest could escape.” I say, trying to calm down the worry.

“Evelin! You are back!” Ashley shouts excitedly upon seeing me.

I give her a small smile and wave, “Yeah, I am. I hope I did not worry everyone too much.”

“No, it is fine, but you do owe us an explanation, the other you is straight up crazy.” she says with a big smile.

“I will, but first, I have to find out how much trouble I am in for returning late.” I say, looking back at Amira.

“Why are you back so late anyway? Did the saint tie you down to get all the answers out of you or something?” Ashley says in a joking tone.

“Something like that.” I say, feeling my face heat up slightly.

“You sly dog, you definitely have to dish now. Sorry, Amira, this is important. You can punish her later,” Ashley says as she grabs my hand and pulls me back into her room as I give Amira an apologetic look.

The room is much the same. Skylar is at a desk working on something. She turns around at the noise we make, her eyes going wild. “You’re back!” she says.

“You bet she is, and she is going to spill everything, roommates honour and all that.” Ashley says with a wicked grin.

“Roommates honour? What the hell is that?” I ask, making sure the door is closed before I let out the swear.

“It means that if something exciting happens to one of us, you have to share it, like how Skylar had to tell me she kissed the girl two streets down.” Ashley says, all smiles.

“You’re a lesbian?” I ask while looking at Skylar as her face goes ever so slightly red.

“Bisexual, actually.” she corrects me.

“That is cool. I wish I were bisexual. I would love to see what all the fuss is about, but men still don’t do it for me,” I say, trying to breathe some levity into the situation.

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“Yeah, yeah, all my friends are gay. I know all of this already. What happened with the saint and all that?” Ashley says, motioning at me to speak.

“Uhm, well, in the fight, or before that, my other personality took over; you might have noticed some changes.” I say with a smile.

“Yeah, you were cackling something fierce. It made me wonder if there used to be a psych ward here.” Ashley says.

“Yeah, well, so that was her. My roommate in my head, my headmate, I guess. Anyway, after the saint’s intervention, I noticed that she kind of had a thing for my headmate and decided to let her handle the rest.” I pause, unsure how to continue exactly.

“And then what happened? Spill.” Ashley almost demands.

“Well, my headmate got drunk, and they fucked. Like a lot, my body is still really sore to the point that I feel like going to bed and doing nothing else for the rest of the day.” I say in one breath.

If I expected them to be surprised, I could not be more wrong. Ashley is jumping up in the air in excitement, and Skylar is just laughing.

“I expected you would be more surprised.” I say, just a small bit disappointed.

“Well, we do have eyes, and we saw how Lameach looked at you, or, I guess, the other you, so when you did not get home last night, we kind of assumed the two of you had hooked up.” Ashley explains.

I nod. “Yeah, I thought the two of you were smart.”

“Of course we are. Skylar over there is going to become the best bio engineer this world has ever seen,” Ashley says while waving at Skylar, who blushes profusely.

I quirk an eyebrow. “Really, the best?” I say with a smile.

“I am not sure if I can be the best, but I will try.” Skylar says, looking both shy and sure of herself at the same time.

“Well, I believe in you. Where do you plan to study?” I ask curiously. I know Zurich has some things going on, but there are a lot of other options out there.

“I don’t know. Wherever I get let into or find a sponsor for.” she says, looking nervous, and a bit unsure.

I smile, the traces of an idea forming, “And what if you could go wherever you wanted?”

“I don’t know. I have not really considered it. I have just been trying my best to study so I can pass the tests, that all of the other details stopped mattering.” she says.

“Well, think about it. Who knows what options the future holds?” I say, giving her a smile.

“You say that as if you are going to become her sponsor or something?” Ashley says in a questioning tone.

I shrug. “Why not? Roommates honour and all that.”

“You’re rich or something?” Ashley asks.

“Or something,” I say.

Ashley gives me a questioning look. “What is this ‘or something’?”

I look at both of them. “Promise you you can keep a secret?”

Both of them nod: “We promise.”

I show them my hand. “Lyssa, can you give me a few more candies?”

Three candies appear in my hand, all wrapped in a purple wrapper with a white mask on it. Both of them gasp as they see the candies appear.

“You’re a saint?” Ashley whispers and shouts at me. “But how? You don’t even look all that saintly! I guess with the healing, it makes sense, but still.”

“Well, that is kind of the point. I don’t really want people to know, I like keeping my identity a secret, mostly.” I say

“Then why tell us?” Skylar asks, a bit confused.

I shrug. “Because when this mess is all over, I am taking you all with me. If you want, that is. You won't have to worry about food or shelter and can freely study whatever you want,” I say.

Both of them look at me, shocked, not seeming to comprehend what I just said. “Why?” Ashley finally says, and it sounds so weak like she is about to break into a million pieces.

“Because I can and want to, because you are right here in front of me, because when I was hurting and confused, you gave me a place to stay, expecting nothing in return.” I say, smiling softly as both of them cry.

It is hard to describe the emotions that I see go over their faces, but I feel like I can relate to their feelings at least a bit. It is the realisation that they will finally be free and don’t have to struggle anymore for survival, that they can just be.

I give them a moment, and Ashley actually comes in and hugs me, her whole body trembling as she keeps repeating “Thank you” in my ear.

I pat her back, letting whatever emotions she is feeling run their course. Once she is properly calmed down, I let go of her, smiling at her.

“So can I trust you two with hiding my identity, then?”

Ashley nods profusely. “Yeah, of course, no problem. I do wonder, though, what you specialise in?”

I pause thinking about it for a bit. I mean, I do tech pretty well, but that is mostly just me using my experience and less samurai equipment. “Swords and drugs mostly.” I say as I scratch at my cheek.

Both girls just blink at me, stupefied. “I guess I can see the swords with how good you are in close range.” Skylar finally says after the long silence.

“And you could not see the drugs with how she was giggling the entire fight?” Ashley asks, a bit mockingly.

I hold up my hands in defence, “At the start, they were cheap and rather useful.” I say, trying to defend myself.

“And now?” Ashley asks.

“Now… they kind of… make me feel good.” Yep, like it or not, I was addicted. Luckily, it is protector stuff, so it is not directly harmful. But the high I got from all that power was unbeatable. “I guess I should technically replace them, but I really don’t want to do that.”

Ashley gives me a dubious look. “Aren’t saints all, like, don’t do drugs, kids.”

“You are definitely hanging out with the wrong saints for that kind of advice.” I say simply.

“I have not hung out with any saints before,” Ashley says.

I give her a wink, “Well, stick with me, and you will have ample opportunities.”

“Ooh, I definitely will. Do you need a secretary or anything?” she says with a smile.

I scratch my head. “Maybe. How good are you at managing people?”

“Wait, seriously?” Ashley asks in surprise.

“Well, yeah, kind of. We definitely need a trial period, but we are severely lacking in trustworthy management people, so if you are interested, I definitely could put you in there somewhere.”

“We?” Ashley chokes out, still blinking at me with big eyes.

“Yeah, a few other samurai and I started a company together. It is mostly mercenary work at the moment, but I think cheap healthcare and some other welfare projects are coming soon.” I say matter of factly.

“That sounds like a lot of stuff to take care of,” Skylar says.

“That is why we need a lot of people that we can trust,” I say, looking at Ashley.

“Should I help too?” Skylar asks.

“No, you should focus on school first. Go get an education. Then, if you want to work for us, you are more than welcome to join.”

“I see. I will do my best at school then.” Skylar says with a happy smile.

“That's the spirit!” I say, stretching myself out. “You know what? I am kind of hungry and am craving pizza. Let's go make some.” I say with a smile.

“We don’t have the ingredients,” Skylar says.

“I am a saint. I have all the ingredients you would ever need.” I say with a wink as I walk to the door, the two girls quickly following behind me.