-The Hub, Meeting Room, 9:30 pm-

Reinstar and Jin were communicating with Zeracakja on the monitor. They had finished explaining the events of today. The elderly man's features appeared as a mix between troubled and relieved.

"This entity did not follow you?"

"No." The shinobi folded her arms tightly against her chest. "But if it did, I would not have been aware. As we departed, I sensed its gaze upon us, like feeling someone was drilling holes into your back. Not a killing intent, rather... twisted amusement." Her attention switched to Jin. "If you were there, you would believe me."

"I do not doubt your experience. The kids were perturbed when you returned. Lina and Jack were satisfied by finishing the mission, yet I know they were equally unnerved. I was under the impression it led to a world, not a being capable of wish granting."

"In that case, I order Guardian to refrain from that mountain." said the elder. "I will consult others about this temple and the entity. As long as you have ensured it won't be discovered or difficult to open, then you have done your job well. It is a relief you are still alive, Jin. What are your plans moving forward?"

"My intention is to stay here." Jin smirked. "If I return now, I won't see Pilot when he returns. I am worried about Selen-ja and Blair. I am still assigned to the Radiant, correct?"

"Correct." The man grinned. "That's fine. I should inform you that the princess intends to visit the Radiant."

"HER MAJESTY!" The blonde canokian shot straight up, mouth agape in shock. "She is coming?" He slammed his fist on his chest, then screamed out in pain. "Augh... then I shall remain here to greet the princess when she arrives."

Amusement danced in the shinobi's eyes. "Ah, idiot."

An amused smile crossed the elder's features. "Is there anything else?"

"There is something else. Jake and Tina's grandfather gifted Tina a red feather."

"A red feather?"

"It has a story. The legend of the phoenix."

"Phoenix? The bird of rebirth and death?" the old man grew interested and troubled.

"Yes, their grandfather bought it and told them a story. Of course, it's lengthy and boring, so I will tell you the short version. The bird rescued a little girl from danger and made her a shrine maiden. The phoenix visited every month until the girl's death of old age. They had such a fascinating friendship that the bird gifted her... or cursed her the power to be reincarnated. So that the bird will see her in the next life. However, the bird was dying after that and vowed to return its friend in the next life." She sighed. "Left behind a feather that will react to the new shrine maiden."

"A captivating tale." Jin interjected.

"Who knows if that tale is true." the shinobi sighed. "The tale could've changed due to word of mouth and lack of documentation."

"Is it still in Tina's possession?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm, what is your opinion?"

"The feather protected her from succumbing to Piper's Melody. I considered taking it, but I changed my mind, and asked her to it lock up. We'll monitor for anything unusual; Jake surely will."

"If the situation changes, retrieve it."

"Of course." Reinstar nodded. "So, have you heard anything from Pilot? I know it's been a few days since he has been gone?'

"We talked earlier this morning, but we won't be able to communicate with his team after he enters the region."

A scowl creased on the blonde knight's face. "If the mission wrapped up earlier, I would have immediately joined him."

"Not with your injury." reminded the shinobi. "Go rest."

The Guardian Head nodded. "Calm yourself; you do not need to be overly eager. Is there anything else to report? Anything on Selen-ja and Shadow Radiant?"

"Still isolated." frowned the shinobi. "But she reported that if they are still trapped for the next 40 days, come and help find the Count."

"That is a positive development."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Other than that, nothing else to report."

"Then forward the written report. Good job everyone. Dismiss." the elder finished with a smile.

The monitor powered down. The shinobi turned around with a relieved expression. "Delivering a report to a superior can be nerve-wracking." She noticed her companion's pensive expression. "Pilot hunting down the one who betrayed your former team... how do you feel about that?"

A scowl formed on his face at the memory of the forced disbanding of the team. "Again, if the mission concluded earlier, I would have joined him. If Pilot or Jarlon get their chance at revenge, so be it. It may settle the darkness within them and give our squad a much-needed closure."

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-Orlando Household, Kite's Room, 9:50 pm-

Ryu curiously peeked his head into his little brother's room, where he saw the young boy sprawled on the bed, tossing a ball on the ceiling. Since returning from the hospital, the young boy had been in a mood. Recalling the memories of his Dummy Doll, their mother was in a frenzy at the news when she called him. Their father was also worried, but could not come from his trip, even though it was just a four drive from his work-related task. It may not have made a difference if he returned. Kite was fine. The father had a brief discussion with the young brother before going back to work.

Listening to that cloaked person was tempting. Ryu briefly thought about getting his father demoted from his current job and removing the workaholic trait. But the manner in which the cloaked entity spoke and Lina's efforts to grasp the full scope of its abilities led them to conclude it was worth taking that risk. The spiky redhead pushed those thoughts aside and walked through the door.

"Hey."

"Hi." the kid lazily spoke. "You need something?"

"Wanted to see how you are doing? Are you feeling 100% awesome or 50% uncool? We can go downstairs, devour some ice cream, and make those monster cookies with 'Red Menace' flavor."

"Uh... not tonight... tomorrow."

"Okay." The spiky redhead nodded before leaving the room.

"What happened today was eerie." The boy stopped tossing the ball and then sat up while looking at the older brother with worry. "Ya know, my last thought was worrying more about if mom would throw away my card collection.

"I would not let her. Those cards will be a fortune someday."

"Yes," he chuckled. "That... made me feel bad. I felt more like dad, who, by the way, sounded worried and told me not to stay out in the sun because I would get heat stroke, not about the Death Melody. He believes that to be another conspiracy and that I am smarter than to fall for that." He scoffed. "Whatever."

"He does care."

"Sure... sometimes I just want him to quit his job, stay home for three months, and then use his connections to get another job."

"... huh... what if there was something that could grant us that desire?"

"Like... wishes?"

"Yeah?"

"Like a genie?" Kite scowled. "That's stupid. Even if something like that does exist, you don't go seeking genies... or djinns."

"Huh?" Ryu sounded puzzled. "Why?"

"Bro," Kite had a sly smile. "I thought being older would give you more wisdom."

"Hey!"

"When I started LARPing, I researched how to keep the game fun. I have not learned a whole lot, but I thought genies were cool at first, but researching them changed my view on them. Actual djinn, they say, are demented jerks that tend to twist the wish to harm the 'master'." He raised both fingers, making the air quotes gesture. "I created a story around that where some of us lost our stomach just to lose weight."

"Ah... I guess LARPing can be educational."

"Whatever, I don't want some wish-granting jerk screwing around with our family. If there is one, then I hope no one disturbs it."

"Yeah." The redhead chuckled nervously. "That person would be in trouble."

"On second thought, let's go ruin the kitchen and make monster cookies."

The spiky redhead's eyes twinkled. "Now you are speaking my language."

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-Ishida House-

Seated on a chair out in their fenced backyard, Tina gazed at the stars with an expression heavy with sadness.

"Tina."

Hearing her brother, she turned around and offered a faint smile at her approaching brother. "Hi."

"Are you okay?" He looked genuinely worried.

Taking a slow breath, she shifted her gaze to the stars. "I thought I was... but... I'm not." She sniffed, wiping a tear away.

The Radiant's brows furrowed with empathy. "Seeing... that thing take on dad's face made those feelings come out, right? I felt the same too."

"It..." Her voice started straining. "It came flooding back. I... thought I was over it. I... thought... I could move on." She faced her brother with anger mixed in the tears. "That jerk had no right to do that!"

"I know." He scowled. "What's worse is he may have tried to bring him back regardless of how we felt. He wanted everyone to get what they thought they wanted... I'm glad I resisted."

"I... if you all weren't there, I... might have..."

"Honestly, me too. I think the only thing that made me not want to is what happened to the piper and that... cloak being." Rubbing the back of his neck without realizing he was. "The way it talked, its gaze felt like it was mocking or something. I wanted to leave."

"Me too. Lina... did she know?"

"I think she just wanted answers. She wanted to know the risks before granting our desire. The points she made got me thinking about what would happen if we wished dad back."

"I don't want to think about it." She looked at the night sky. "Dad told me stars are for admiring and not wishing. He hated the movie Pinocchio."

"Only for the puppet coming to life and not a wish-granting fairy."

A faint chuckle escaped her lips. "I know, but wishing and stars lead me to that... are you going to fight puppets?"

"I expect to fight a lot of things. Puppets? Extra crispy for dad."

A playful smirk crossed her face. "You better." Her smile waned. "I think I need time to recover again. Hopefully, it will be a shorter time than losing him the first time."

"Yeah... you want to look at the stars?"

"Sure."

"Kids." The duo looked up to see their mother standing in the doorway; she looked worried. "Are you okay?"

Jake nodded. "We... just miss dad. Looking at the stars brought up old feelings."

Their mother gazed at the stars, and a small smile touched her lips. "Let's make s'mores; he wouldn't want us to be miserable. Jake, grab two more chairs." Then she walked inside.

The spiky raven grimaced. "And the possibility of something bringing him back to life comes to her ears. It would break her."

"Protect mom?"

"Definitely." Jake nodded with resolve