We ready up some breakfast after we get out of the shower. Chloe decides it’s a good idea to tease me about how I’ve ruined yet another one of her outfits, to which I respond with that most appropriate gesture of indignance. This time it’s Chloe’s turn to feign apology as she flips the eggs overhead and back into the pan. To which I can only laugh, given I’ve just flipped the bird.

I don’t know why she doesn’t just use a spatula, but given that we had to fight literal devils not an hour ago, I’m not going to begrudge the bit of levity to start out our spring break.

It’s hard to believe that this time just yesterday we were in school, going about ordinary lives, and here we are now, fighting giant vermin and literal spawn from the depths of hell. Echoes of my past life must be helping to calm my mind against the maelstroms of this upheaval, but I can’t imagine Chloe is handling it well. She smiles, we tell jokes about the absurdity of this new world, but I can’t help but worry that it’s all just a front, a façade to try to power through everything that has happened these past eighteen hours.

As soon as she sets our plates down, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her into a big hug. We stand in silence for a moment, and Chloe wraps her arms around me.

“You okay, Sera?” she asks.

“I’m fine,” I say. “But I’m worried about you. I’m sure dealing with all of this can’t be easy, and I want to make sure I’m here for you as much as I can.”

Chloe starts to cry, and I don’t say anything. She buries her face in my shoulder, and I encourage her to let out all her fears and frustrations and worries about everything that’s happened. And I’m reminded that, even though there are plenty of psychopaths that are relishing the opportunity to let their basest impulses run rampant, there are just as many people like Chloe who are just trying to make sense of and find meaning in the end of the world.

I hold her like that for about five minutes, handing her napkins every so often to help her wipe her tears and blow her nose. Once she’s fully cried out, we sit back down and I encourage her to take a long and deep drink of water. I do the same; I’m still feeling a bit lightheaded after suffering a bunch of injuries and being healed by Chloe’s spells. We take a bite of the ham and cheese omelettes. I swear it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.

“You seem so calm about all this, Sera,” she finally says. “I have no idea what I’m doing or what I’m supposed to be. Everything I thought I knew is a lie. I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I–”

“It’s okay, Chloe. No matter what, I’m here for you. All the way.”

“How can you be so calm about this, Sera?” she asks. “How can you just see the world falling apart before our very eyes, and just calmly accept that that’s the way things are?” Her voice is tinged with anger, but I know it’s the anger of feeling helpless and the frustration of not knowing anything. Even as she hurls invectives at me, I remain stubbornly calm and let them brush off me until she’s had a chance to let it all out.

I decide I need to tell her about me. Everything I know, which still isn’t much.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say. “But I ask that you tell no one else. Not even your parents, nor any of your or our friends. I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how.”

She nods.

“When the System Integration happened yesterday, I got a notification about anomalous data appearing. Something about me didn’t mesh well, and It resolved the discrepancy by giving me a trait called [Touched by the Multiverse]. It hinted at a past life that I had in another world. A world with the same System that we have now, I’d imagine.”

“But… We’ve known each other since we were like five! How can you be from another world? You grew up here, and if your parents found you in some sort of space pod somewhere, don’t you think they would have told you by now? Or at the very least, the government would have been involved?”

“I don’t know for sure,” I say. “My guess is that someone in another world died, but some part of her was able to carry over and reincarnate as me. I don’t have any memories of my old life but–” I choke up a bit. “I want to know. I want to know who I am, why I’m here, and who I once was. Something did awaken in me.”

“When you started screaming on the couch?”

“Yeah. It felt like some memory of mine was trying to resurface. Nothing came of it, but I think my being here has something to do with the System. I don’t know what, but I plan to find out.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” she asks.

“I don’t know. For now, I think we have to play the System’s game and see where things progress.”

“This isn’t a game!” Chloe shouts.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I know. It’s definitely not a game. But all we can really do is play along, see where things go, and make sure we both survive. I promised you yesterday that I’d say by your side through whatever befell us. And no matter what happens, I will do just that.”

Just as I reiterate my declaration, the rumble of the garage door opening echoes from across the house. I grab the pitchfork I yoinked off the Hellspawn and position it toward the door to the garage. I hope that it’s just Chloe’s mother returning home, but I’m not going to ignore the possibility that there’s some [Saboteur] class that can hack the opener. Not when I have a [Mechanist] class myself.

We wait for several seconds. Time seems to slow down and I grow tenser, not wanting to deal with another fight so soon. Or at all, but I know that’s not an option. I ready [Flash of Insight] as well, just in case.

We all breathe a sigh of relief as the door opens and Chloe’s mother walks in. She tries to set her stuff down on the counter in an orderly fashion, but Chloe rushes up to hug her before she gets a chance. I lower my weapon and approach slowly, keeping my respectful distance as mother and daughter embrace and enjoy a cathartic reunion.

“Oh, Chloe dear,” Mrs. Jacobs says. “I’m so glad to see you here, safe and sound. Sera said she was with you, but I couldn’t help but worry. That’s just what mothers do. Someday, when you’re a mother yourself, you’ll understand.”

Chloe blushes. “Mom,” she says in that specific tone of a kid being embarrassed by her mother.

A solid minute passes, and her mother doesn’t let go. I consider trying to get their attention, but I don’t bother. Mrs. Jacobs needs this, and Chloe does too, as much as she doesn’t want to admit it. A few more minutes pass before the two break it off and Mrs. Jacobs turns to me.

“Oh, and thank you too, Sera, for looking after my daughter.” She brings me into a hug, which is mercifully much shorter than the one she just gave Chloe.

“By the way,” she adds, “should I ask where you got that?”

“There were some Hellspawn who tried to interrupt breakfast. We took care of them, and I took one of their weapons just in case any others get some ideas.”

“And that explains why you looked like you were about to attack me the second I came inside.”

“I wasn’t going to take any chances,” I say. “By the way, can you get the garage door closed and outside the doors locked? I’d feel a lot safer once you do.”

We get situated. Mrs. Jacobs heads to her bedroom to take a quick shower and get changed while Chloe and I make another round of omelettes for her. I make a little extra because the fighting from before has made me hungry again. Chloe notices but doesn’t say anything.

Mrs. Jacobs returns with pretty great timing after about ten minutes. Once she gets a chance to start eating, I ask the question that’s been on my mind this whole time.

“So, what’s it like out there?” I finally ask. “Chloe’s been keeping tabs on social media, but I’d like to hear firsthand.”

“It’s not good. There are plenty of people just trying to do their jobs and go about their days, but there’s so many incidents that the police can’t handle it all. The National Guard has already been recalled, but right now, the police aren’t able to do more than keep the essential infrastructure protected. Fire stations, prisons, the power plants and major electrical infrastructure, waste and water treatment. The most essential components of our infrastructure. Naturally, that means there’s plenty of businesses relying on volunteers from their staff to protect their own, and there are constant protests down at City Hall.”

“What do you think will happen?” Chloe asks.

“Well, I suspect they’ll have to call in parts of the army and move them to key cities and locations to maintain domestic order until we all have a chance to adjust,” Mrs. Jacobs says, completely matter-of-factly.

“Considering the immense unrest, there’s already a declaration passing through Congress to give the president and senior military officers the authority to suspend Posse Comitatus and habeas corpus federally until order can be restored. Given the pressure from major business leaders and, well, basically all the major power brokers, I suspect the declaration will pass as soon as the Senate has enough members to make quorum and take a vote. The President has already indicated that he’ll sign it through his staff, but he’s currently in hiding and not available to the media.”

All this so quickly. I guess the situation is a lot worse than I’d initially hoped.

“So, an allegedly ‘temporary’ martial law,” I say. “I guess it’s preferable to complete pandemonium and widespread chaos by superpowered actors.” Not by much, I add, but I have to remember that the relatively well-off Jacobses are used to thinking of law enforcement in a positive light. I also doubt the martial law is going to be anywhere near as temporary as people are hoping or expecting.

Mrs. Jacobs nods. “So what are you two going to do? Sera, if you need a ride back home, I would be more than happy to–”

“No!” Chloe says. “We need to stay together!” She grabs on my hand. “Sorry, but– She said she would protect me, and I–”

“We can’t ask her to do something like that, Chloe! Besides, I’m your mother and it’s my job to–”

I cut her off. “No. This is something I want to do.” I pause for a moment, as I don’t want to tell her everything I’ve just told Chloe. “I think it would be best if we stayed together for the time being. There’s a dungeon where the basement used to be, with giant rats and spiders both. We were attacked by Hellspawn, as in, little red devils, a short time ago. And I think things are only going to get worse, not better. I don’t want to leave you and Chloe to fend for yourselves without me, and I don’t want to be stuck at home by myself.”

Mrs. Jacobs, to her immense credit, takes it in stride. “I don’t know if there are any grocery stores open, or how much food they still have in stock, but we should probably see about getting what we can. Heaven only knows how long it’ll be before we see our supply chains secured and get food shipments back from the distributors.” She sighs. “I guess it’s a good thing for my health that I gave up cigarettes eight years ago, but in times like this, those cravings sure do come rushing back.”

“Should we go ahead and leave now?” I say. “I’d like to be done and back as soon as possible.”

“Give me a few more minutes to grab a couple of things, but then, yes. I agree.”