"King?" Katy asked with a tilt of the head upon noticing Daz at the classroom's now-open doorway.

Cathy, likewise, inclined her head and asked, "High King?"

Madison squeezed them both and said, "Cute!" Mr Barrier didn't seem fazed by her erratic movements, the same as always.

Daz sighed and shook his head. "Three peas in a pod," he commented before moving behind the teacher's lectern. "How you tolerate it is beyond me, Mr Barrier."

Madison deadpan stuck her tongue out at him while the blue ball of fur atop her head wobbled in response. What that wobble meant, Daz may never know.

He glanced between the two twins nestled between his fiancée's arms. They were a bit larger than his memory recalled. "How old are you girls now?"

"Nine," they both answered simultaneously.

'Time sure does fly... They were barely eight when they first came into my courtroom requesting to form a group and activities around Rimmy... They then went on to eventually initiate the creation of the Crystal Cathedral,' Daz thought. 'They've accomplished more in their short nine years than most adults have in their entire lives.'

"If I remember correctly, your classes were cooking-based. Novice Alchemist and Novice Chef, yes?" Daz asked. "They don't exactly sound like tamer classes."

There was no accusation nor suspicion in Daz's voice, only curiosity. A handful of possibilities came to his mind and each one only gave him more questions. He'd ask them once he'd gotten an answer.

The two girls gently tugged at Madison's clothes, a signal they had come up with over the past year to get her to stop holding them, so frequently did she do so. While reluctantly, the Wingless Angel did as they wished.

They brushed off their dresses and stepped forward before they held hands. "Completed a main quest," Katy said.

Cathy nodded and added, "Earned a few tokens."

"A Class Upgrade Token or a Class Change Token?" Daz questioned in surprise. ''A' main quest? Not 'the' main quest? A simple childish misspeak or does that mean they have multiple or got a new one upon completing their old one? Interesting.'

"First one," Cathy answered.

Katy then said, "Also got a token to make the system see us as, uh..." She furrowed her brow, trying to search for the best way to explain.

Madison cut in and helped the girl by saying, "The, system, treats, them, as, one, person. Separate, quests, skill, sheets, and, status, but, grow, when, the, other, does."

Daz's eyebrow rose. "That sounds incredibly powerful. So if you, Cathy, bought some stats... let's say 50 Strength. Katy would also gain 50 Strength free of cost?"

The girls nodded in unison.

"And you have perfectly mirrored statuses? The same stats, alignment, class, everything?" he followed up.

Again, he was met with a happy set of nods.

"Incredible. How do your skill slots work? Do you still have only 50 and each skill gained or purchased goes to the both of you, or does it work differently?" Daz asked.

Katy explained softly, "Slots doubled. If Cathy gets a new skill, I get to choose if I want it. If I say yes, I get it. If I say no, I don't."

"Doubled... 100 slots each... What a fantastic boon..." Daz stroked his jaw in thought. "What's the token that allowed this to happen called?"

"Uh... System?" Cathy questioned with a furrowed brow before she smiled happily. "Right! Soul Syncra- Syncre- Synchronising Token!"

Daz smiled slightly at her verbal fumbling. 'It's refreshing to see a child actually acting like a child for once. I can't recall Rose ever fumbling a word past the age of four.'

He immediately called upon the system to tell him whatever it could regarding this newly discovered token. 'How can a Soul Synchronising Token be acquired, System? Also, what are the limitations and restrictions of usage, if any exist?'

He did receive an answer but it wasn't one he was very pleased with.

Golden-level system access is required for that knowledge. Confirmed access level of the host to be emerald-level.

Confirmed. A [Soul Synchronising Token] can be obtained as a reward from a quest/mission/objective/life goal system or a similar such system. It can also be purchased from the system directly for [10] merit stars if the host meets the requirements to use it.

Platinum-level system access is required for that knowledge. Confirmed access level of the host to be emerald-level.

Confirmed. Limitations of [Soul Synchronising Token]: 1. Can only be used once per host. 2. Is immediately bound to any host who earns one.

Restrictions of [Soul Synchronising Token]: 1. Can only be used by a host whose soul is (at minimum) 98% in sync with their sync partner. 2. Can only be used by a host who shares the same species and race as their sync partner.

Daz frowned. 'That means Maddy and I can't earn one. We are vastly different people and I already know our souls look and feel nothing alike.'

Out of curiosity, he activated his Soul Vision. Before him the souls of Madison, Cathy and Katy appeared. Mr Barrier appeared no differently besides a slight glow appearing around him however that was normal for the strange creature.

Madison's soul looked slightly different from the last time Daz had looked. it was a bit larger and firmer now. He had little idea why, but that was a good thing. From his and Mu's observations, the larger and more solid a soul was, the stronger it was and the harder to manipulate it became.

The twins had ordinary small and somewhat transparent souls. Typical of young children. This was why such souls were rare to see among the dead. They were too weak and degraded far too quickly. Unexpectedly, however, there was the tether of white energy that stretched from Cathy's soul to Katy's.

Their individual souls were weak and young but the tether was thick and boundless. Daz felt even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to break that tether. It seemed... indestructible.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

'They truly are linked at the soul... One entity just manifested in two different forms. Incredible. I can't even tell the difference between their souls...' He had one final question for the girls, and this one left his lips before his emotions could even think to stop it. "What happens if one of you dies? Do you both die, or do neither of you until the other does as well?"

The girls, surprisingly, despite the coldness in Daz's tone, didn't get scared or hesitant to answer. "Don't know," Katy said.

Cathy nodded. "haven't died, so can't answer."

"Hmm... That's fair enough. We've gotten off track, haven't we? You got two Class Upgrade Tokens, yes?" Daz asked, warmth returning to his voice.

----------------------------------------

Madison sighed in relief. She knew how much Daz liked to experiment and she wouldn't have hesitated to shout at him if he'd asked the twins to do anything dangerous to satiate his inquisitive mind.

She knew Daz would never hurt someone without reason but her mind couldn't help but worry about the twins. To her, they were akin to Rose and she loved them dearly.

Mr Barrier jiggled a little bit as he adjusted himself atop her head.

Madison didn't understand the strange fluffy blue creature much but him acting like this was one of the few cues of his that she was able to pick up. It meant he wanted attention.

Too often did Mr Barrier get ignored since people had come to see him as nothing more than an accessory of hers.

She reached up and brought him down to her chest and then began cuddling him like a plush toy.

'Daz had better behave... I know he wants distractions to keep his mind off of Sandy and the other deaths, but I won't let him mess with the girls!' she firmly decided as she glared at the man she loved and was engaged to.

----------------------------------------

Daz noticed Madison's gaze and he just shook his head in response. She should know there were lines he wouldn't cross, regardless of his mood.

Katy and Cathy went on to explain that while they had the same main quest, their rewards were different.

Katy had gotten both of the Class Upgrade Tokens while Cathy had received the only Soul Synchronising Token.

Interestingly, they used the Soul Synchronising Token first. Since they had done that, the first Class Upgrade Token derailed them from the chef tree of classes and planted them on the tamer tree.

The second token them gave them their current class, one which Daz was very intrigued by.

The twins now shared a class called Exotic Wildlife Befriender. It was, to Daz's understanding, a rare type of tamer class.

Tamer classes on their own weren't very special. New Earth had a staggering population of cats and dogs on account of about a third of its population owning and interacting with a pet when the system struck.

There were even some more obscure animals being used as familars like snakes, rats, rabbits and even some wolves, oddly enough.

The only reason he'd held onto the Frost Phoenix's egg for so long was in part due to not a single such person having a class befitting such a creature. It would have been like putting a world-class sushi chef in charge of the mass production of store-brand garbage.

Not only would it be an insult to the chef but also a complete waste of their talents. That was how Daz felt about the Frost Phoenix.

Katy and Cathy's Exotic Wildlife Befriender, on the other hand, was perfect. It gave multiple bonuses to their contracted companions based on how rare they were and how much potential they had.

Also, unlike most tamer classes, their upper limit on the number of companions they could master was substantially greater. The average tamer of New Earth could control from one to three animals, beasts, or monsters.

Katy and Cathy, meanwhile, had no such upper limit. The catch though was that they could only become the owners of beings with a certain level of exoticness.

No matter how hard they tried, a common tabby cat or golden retriever would be impossible for them to train.

That was a restriction Daz was most pleased with since it served his goals perfectly.

"I need to let you both know now if you agree to become the masters of this egg," Daz said, holding the ice-cold blue egg atop his palm, "that you have to accompany me on a potentially dangerous journey. I intend to go to the frozen states a little bit northeast of us. They just so happen to be the ideal place to incubate a Frost Phoenix egg. It is not a trip I am taking for fun, however. It will be filled with dangers and perils, I would imagine. I will, of course, endeavour to keep you both safe no matter what, but I can't lie and say there isn't a chance that you may die."

'Children or not, they have experienced more suffering than most people could have even imagined before the system came. That goes for all survivors. I hope they don't think poorly of me for being so harsh and frank, but I suspect they do not mind,' Daz thought while he watched the twins look back and forth between one another for a few moments before seeming to come to a collective decision.

"Will the Guardian be there?" Katy asked.

"Rimmy?" Daz seemed surprised by the question. 'It shouldn't matter if I tell them. Regardless of their choice, they won't be leaving this room without entering a system-sanctioned NDA.'

Both girls nodded at his questioning tone.

"Yes. His core shall come with me. His main body is required to stay here to help those still injured from the Truthian's attack, however," Daz answered.

"Then we'll come!" Cathy replied in a cheery voice.

Madison wore a look of discomfort in her eyes. "If, they, go, dangerous. I, come, too."

"Of course, Maddy. I wouldn't have it any other way," Daz said with a smile.

----------------------------------------

"I would be happy to offer one of my clones to act as Beta, Brother," Mu agreed. "I actually know a reaper who can use her clone as my one's stand-in. She is new to our species but she is loyal and will do as I ask."

Daz had come to Mu's isolated home, pulling him away from his Ember usage to request his help.

The Death Reaper looked away from his kin to stare at the scarred and barely healing city in the distance. "You are troubled."

Daz nodded grimly. "I would be a fool to lie about it. Yes, I am. Everything that happened two days ago... So many people left dead, all because of our lack of vigilance."

"Is that what you truly think?" Mu asked. "How can one be expected to prepare for what happened? You put too great of a burden upon yourself. You look back and punish yourself for not winning against the army of tanks when you only had a few loosely clothed peasants and hardly a pitchfork between you all to share."

"We should have tightened our borders sooner," Daz protested. "We could have done so much more."

"And suffered elsewhere for it. Restrict the people for their sake, they accuse you of stealing their freedom. Do nothing at all for fear of upsetting them, they accuse you of being lazy and responsible for all ill deeds that fall upon them. You balanced your responsibilities as high king of New Earth and as the supreme general staring down the barrel of a frighteningly powerful weapon as best as you could have," Mu claimed.

Daz shook his head. "I'd rather have people screaming at me for being cruel than to see so many die. If we had the measures in place then that we have now, nowhere near as many people would have lost their lives so needlessly."

"Perhaps. However, Brother, we cannot change the past, only the present and future," Mu said as he turned to lock eyes with his fellow reaper. "We have both made mistakes that led to the deaths of innocents. I know that pain. Allow me to lessen yours, if only by a small fraction."

Daz nodded. "That, I can agree with. Even if it's only a gram or two, some weight off the shoulders is better than none."

Mu reached over and placed his hand atop Daz's head. Immediately a black wisp of pure suffering as thick and long as two arms crawled out of his head and into Mu's palm.

The Death Reaper frowned. "You are in a far worse condition than you were when I first gained this Ember. This is not good. How you do not wallow in despair at all hours is a mystery to me."

Daz shrugged as he stood up, now feeling ever so slightly lighter than he did when he arrived. It wasn't much of a difference, in all honesty, but it was something.

"When you've lived without any way to express yourself beyond love or hate, you subconsciously bottle things up. You subconsciously bottle everything up. Most people's bottles are made of glass, mine is made of steel," Daz replied.

Mu frowned. "I fear the day your bottle explodes and sends shrapnel every which way."

Daz chuckled a bit. "That's why I have you, Brother. Upset as I am, I can't ignore that this whole situation is a fantastic time for you to gain even greater mastery over your Embers of Suffering, Fear, and Loneliness. The stronger you get, the better you become at being my personal therapist, right?"

"Haha, that is true. Still, try to expel some of your negative emotions on your own. It is not healthy to rely solely on me and my powers," Mu advised not as a subject, but as a close friend. "I do not wish to be the core of an addiction."

"When the Truthians are gone and all that's left are distant threats and long-term goals, then yes, I will try my best to lighten your workload," Daz said in good faith. "I'm no fan of addictions either."

He thought back on how harsh he'd been with Lyle and his heroin abuse. It was not apples to apples, but the parallels were there. He would not become such a wreck, being forced to rely on Mu's help every waking moment of his life.

"What will you do now? I trust you will prepare more before venturing into what could be yet another mythical city," Mu asked, changing the subject to something still just as serious but less... personal.

Daz stretched as he answered, "I'm going to spend a fuckton of my merit points. I've stopped upgrading my skills for far too long, I think. I need more immediate power and, in all honesty, I don't doubt that as I wait and hoard my money, more and more people like my father grow stronger than me. Distant threats are still threats all the same."

Mu smiled. He wasn't aware of Daz's Future Vision nor of its warnings, so he was entirely supportive of this new mindset of Daz's. "Do you need help choosing upgrades and new skills? I have some time so I can offer my opinions to you if you'd like."

"Thanks, but that's not necessary," Daz answered. "I've been thinking this over for months."