Tension easing as she watched her sister-in-law stare at her shimmering dress in disbelief, Rachel couldn’t help but feel a tad bit amused; it had been Alexa who said she was ‘a grown woman’ and could make her own decisions.

“What can I do, Rachel?! I don’t want to be stuck being thirteen forever!”

Nam looked like he was about to collapse, and she didn’t blame her brother; having a 13-year-old angel as a wife was bound to get him looks.

A Mystickin was something else entirely, and so far as Rachel could tell, this was Izanami’s plot in response to Twilight and Revilla. Having been forced into plans against her will, the Fallen Creation Deity had acted; it gave Yeseress a path forward yet also caused this mess.

“Let’s calm down,” she coolly prompted, crossing her arms under her bust, using Emotional Detachment to keep a straight face. “Jaenona, what happened?”

Everyone’s focus shot to the thoughtful 5-year-old, watching the crystal tears that formed from Alexa’s eyes.

“Mmh. Chaos sparks new growth.”

“What does… does that mean?” Nam mumbled. “Will Alexa be able to—what happened to my wife?”

Molly got up to guide the angel back to sit between them but had trouble with her fluttering wings. “It’s not all bad… umm, can you…”

“No… I don’t know how these things—n-no, don’t touch them…” she winced, backing away and almost tripping. “Wha… I’m so light—I can’t even feel my own weight!”

Scarlet held out a hand before retracting it. “Eh—mmgm… Guys, give Alexa some room; she needs to get used to her body… I had a lot of trouble when I first changed, too.”

“B-But you’re not thirteen!” Alexa cried, quaking as she reached up to poke her halo. “It’s like… a part of my body…”

Yseress hovered by the door to the kitchen with a half-smile. “Do you know nothing of angels, Darling? You’re a little flutter bug now; gah, you’re bright, too.”

“No! I don’t know anything about angels!”

“Look at the benefits!” the Nephilim snickered. “You don’t need to brush your teeth or use the restroom anymore, and—as the rumors elicit in Hades—your husband will have a, heh, radiant time between the sheets! Should I mention your youth, as well?”

“Yseress…” Rachel growled, shooting a disapproving glare her way.

“I only speak the truth, Mistress! Heh, but silence me if you wish.”

Nia was practically having a heart attack at how adorable she was and the fact they were now around the same age; Nia looked a year older, giving her the sugar rush of big-sister vibes.

Her father rubbed his mouth with a calm demeanor that Rachel inherited from him, thoughts working through the future possibilities this brought in regards to their family—both negative and positive—while her mother tried to deal with the flood of emotions she felt.

Anthony leaned against the side of his chair, a low hum in his throat as he likely talked to Jaenona in private while studying Alexa, and after a pause came between Alexa trying to understand her flaring emotions, he carefully spoke up.

“Yseress…”

Rachel shifted her feet to see both parties as her boyfriend addressed the Nephilim; she wasn’t particularly concerned about what Alexa was but how it happened and the new branch.

Feathers covering much of her body in the doorway to block out Alexa’s glow, her now-gradient neon-blue and red irises drifted to him in the small gap in her wings; the Nephilim's black appendages were far thicker than the petite angel's.

“That is my name.”

“What are you?”

A small smirk creased her eyes. “Have we not gone over this? I am a Nephilim… although,” her leer wandered to the smiling little girl, “your little pet seems to believe I have Divine in me.”

Jaenona covered her giggle with a hand, cosmic gaze swirling with nebulae, stars, and planets. “As I understand it, you must question this Seed to obtain such an answer—it would not be wise to assume such is the same—much like Alexa’s transformation!”

Rolling her eyes in a patronizing way, Yseress gave the girl a pointed half-smile. “I will entertain you, creature… Seed, what am I…”

Rachel’s ears twitched as the woman’s lifted lips slowly fell. “This… must be a joke.”

Interest piqued as the woman’s wings shivered, opening up enough to see her upturned strong horns and pointed ears sticking out of her obsidian locks, Rachel's eyebrow lifted with interest.

Is it that bad?

Her tight-lipped expression said it all as she asked the same question over and over again to likely get the same response. “It is impossible! I refuse to be… Ugh—why did I not see it before?!” she hissed, reaching up to run her fingers down the ebony horns. “The Myth of Lilith… How is this possible, Mistress? I refuse to be Satan’s partner!”

“Wow! Big name,” Scarlet gasped, chuckling nervously. “Uh… do you, umm, steal babies?”

“I have never done such a sport in any of the worlds I have taken part in destroying!” Yseress barked, making Alexa, her mother, and Scarlet jump as she crossed her arms and adopted a scowl. “Neither am I this ‘wanton’ sex fiend that is Lilith; I stayed quite clear of such crowds in the Infernal Pits, so do not lump me in with those Devils!”

“Sorry! Sorry! I was just, heh, wondering.”

A mischievous lilt touched Rachel’s tongue while she cocking her head and ears to the left; snickering, she asked, “Are you sure, Yseress? I believe you’re being called out by the Seed; do I need to open up a Tinder account for you?”

“A what account?” the Nephilim squawked, made more hilarious by her ruffled feathers and indignant tone. “I do not know what that is, and refuse whatever you are insinuating! My Lady, you have slid into the role of ‘Imp’ far too easily, Mistress, and I am no ‘night hag’ and will not be characterized as a ‘screeching owl’ like—like some heinous tramp!”

Rachel’s smirk fit the Nephilim’s characterization perfectly as she looked to the side with a helpless shrug, humor making the others giggle. “If the Seed fits.”

“It does not fit!”

“Delusion doesn’t look good on you, Yseress, and to think you don’t even know what Tinder is.”

“A made-up word, no doubt—knowing your track record—Nia…”

“Uh-heh… it’s real, Big Sis…” the bunny girl whispered, sinking into her cushion at the woman’s open-lipped stare.

“It… does not prove your point, Mistress, even if this was not one of your silly games to confuse me with pointless human practices!”

“An old woman are you now? So sad,” Rachel sighed, “we may need to start looking for retirement homes soon, Nia.”

“No! Big Sis!” she forced a laugh; the bunny didn’t do well in these circumstances, so she just went along with whatever was directed of her. “Ack—n-not that I think… Big Sis—don’t go…”

Rachel internally snickered as the embarrassed woman vanished in a flurry of black feathers that gradually burned away, and not into her Core this time; the Nephilim had teleported into the sky to pout.

“Way to go, Rachel,” Nia growled, ears standing up as she glared at her. “Why do you always tease Big Sis? It’s mean.”

“It’s hardly one-sided, Nia,” Rachel mused. “It’s just too simple to get under her skin like this; she’ll wise up—probably, hehe.”

“Still mean—but what did I expect of your fat… mmh, butt!” she stuck her tongue out before jogging outside to try and be there for the woman she admired. “Sorry, Alexa; I’ll be back in a second.”

“No… It’s fine…”

“Big Sis… Where are you?”

Nam didn’t seem happy with her by his expression. “Is that really where your mind is right now, Rachel?”

Holding up her hands in her defense, Rachel backed up to lean against the wall. “Hmm… To be honest, it does help curve a bit of my tension, and Yseress is the type to get hung up on comparing her Seed to whatever Lilith she knows; we can’t be sure it is even the same person or entity.”

“True,” Anthony hummed, his focus still on the innocent Eldritch girl. “As we learned, there’s far more to this Crystal and conflict than we originally thought. Could you explain to them what you told me, Jaenona?”

Everyone went to the edges of their seats to listen to the blinking, white-haired child. “Mmh… Part of the allure of these Seeds is their attribute to absorb, resonate, and evolve to the Essence they are interacting with.”

She played with a lock of her hair, her smile falling as she studied the fibers. “It is… challenging, as I previously stated, to express this in a way you can understand my experience, yet Master has aided me in this sliver of truth. Much of this is of the surface level that has many intricate helical unities…

“The duplicate function—as he calls it—harmonized with the Lesser Seed spreading in Yseress Essence to spark with Rachel’s Greater Seed, thereby causing a unification of duality that joins into a pairing…”

Seeing many of their blank looks, Anthony cleared his throat. “Rachel’s Seed shared some strands of DNA, I’m guessing, to create a somewhat clone of the Greater Seed.”

“Why make it so complicated?!” Alexa cried, wings fluttering with agitation from her standing position, still unable to bend them like Yseress.

“Haaa…” Rachel scratched the base of her ear. “Jaenona doesn’t try to… She has a hard time grasping the way we think or experience things, but yes, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Go on.”

“My apologies,” Jaenona whispered, ears drooping along with her eyes, making Alexa and Molly lurch forward in guilt.

“It’s not your fault!”

“No—yeah, I’m sorry, Jaenona; I didn’t know… It’s just hard… to feel these weird whispers and… quivering I guess… Oh, heh, now I’m having a hard time describing it! I guess I can relate now… Yeah, this sucks…”

The girl’s vision lifted to Rachel. “When Yseress and Alexa’s spirits touched, there was a reflux in the pulse that attuned her Seed to the Greater Seed’s source; it is still not of the same grade as yours but it has reached… a middle ground of sorts… I cannot seem to find an easier way to express it.”

Alexa bent down to pat the girl’s head with a small smile, seeming to have calmed down. “It’s okay, Jaenona; it means a lot that you’re trying to help us understand… So, what does that mean, Rachel?”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Hmm… correct me if I’m wrong here, Anthony, but what I got from that is, well… a Seed that can be boosted into higher tiers for a short time. Right?”

He nodded, stretching out his arms. “Yeah, that’s what I got. Mystickin is an enhanced Lesser Seed that got super-charged by whatever our Seeds came from.”

Alexa glanced at her small, left wing with a frown. “Does that mean… What does that mean when I need to pass this Seed to someone? Will they become an angel or magical girl too?”

Rachel tapped her side. “Good question. Yseress’ Seed absorbed what it could from my Seed, which then passed onto you, but unlike us, which have a basis around some particular Myth or Legend…”

She paused, a low growl in her throat. Then again… Selvaria is a ‘specific’ type of Myth—a Leviathan—while Fiona, Maria, and I… a few of us, actually, don’t have that classification but are more general, like Lunar Hare. There has to be a difference in that, as well, considering Adelle’s comment about our Seeds absorbing other entities’ Essences.

“Rachel?” Nam prompted.

“Hmm… Just thinking through a few things. Unlike us, who have a key foundation for our Seeds to collect around, your Dream was probably totally without base; you saw how pretty Yseress was, and that combination of angelic and magical girl collided into… that.”

Her father’s focus shifted to his daughter-in-law, hands now folded in his lap. “So, if she were to pass that on to Molly accidentally, would she become some drama character she’s obsessed with?”

“I could?! Ooh, interesting,” she mused, making them quickly attempt to discourage her.

“Let’s wait, Mom!”

“Yeah, we don’t know enough—”

“It could be way worse; I know you like cute things like me—what if you turn 8 years old?!”

“That wouldn’t be so bad,” she playfully chuckled. “Think of all the fun we could all have!”

Rachel shook her head. “Mom… We should perform a few experiments before putting this Seed anywhere near anyone else in the family, and, yes, she has to get rid of it within the week or it will kill her.”

“What kind of experiment?” Anthony asked, folding his legs and looking at Jaenona. “Do you think it will make the next person an angel or devil? It could have an effect based on Yseress herself that changed the Seed to make everyone devils or angels.”

Nam hissed. “It certainly sounds possible—of course, anything seems possible at this point… Will Alexa remain… this young? I don’t know if we can sleep in the same bed if she’s…”

“Nam! It’s still me—even if I’m… I totally get where you’re coming from—heh, it’s just—don’t leave me sleeping alone!”

Molly promptly jumped into the conversation. “It doesn’t matter what she looks like—not when we know the truth, Nam—and none of us are going to think bad things we know aren’t true.”

Scarlet got up to hug Alexa, starry eyes watering again as she looked up at her husband. “We’re here for you, Alexa; it was really hard for me to accept… how I am now, but Rachel was there to help me through it. You’re not alone.”

“It’s just… out of everything I imagined… How could I not have thought this could have happened?” she cried, burying her face into Scarlet’s shoulder as they came together. “Magical Girls are always young, or teenagers at best, but—but I thought I’d just have cute transformations… not actually turn into a teenager again…

“And we don’t even know if I can grow older or if it will take thousands of years! Nam’s powers don’t make him immortal—I don’t think…”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, voice a tad hoarse as he put a comforting hand on her back.

“So… so he could grow old and die and—and leave me alone… It’s just too much to think about…”

Rachel puffed out a long breath and pushed away from the wall. “I figured it wouldn’t turn out totally happy, and, to be honest… this is better than the worst-case scenario I thought up, but why don’t Nam and you take some time to sit together upstairs—cool off a bit. Other than your age…”

“Which is a big deal, especially when married—I’m worried about Nam!”

“I’m not saying it isn’t, I see what you’re saying,” she returned to the red-faced angel. “I’m suggesting we don’t need to rush things. Talk it over with Nam, and figure things out between you; General Tom is coming over tomorrow with Fiona, Maria, and Nora for the big talk.”

Her mother rubbed her temples before brushing back her bangs. “You’re right, Rachel! Let’s all cool down a bit; let’s get everyone set up in rooms and the inflatable mattresses out for the living room. Want to help me, girls?”

Jaenona nodded with a beaming smile.

“I have looked forward to this part; I learned well from Master Park, so it would be my pleasure, Lady Park… Is that wrong, Master?”

“Ugh-heh… No, but you don’t need to call her lady.”

“I should call Master Park by the title but not his daughter-in-law? I am confused… Hmm?”

Her mother stood to pick up the little girl and hug her. “You’re too adorable! How can you be so mature and innocently clueless at the same time?”

“Hehe. It is because of what I am, Lady Park.”

“Let’s work on names together! Scarlet, Rachel, will you help me with the clothes? Umm, Honey, you need to get ready for bed, right?”

“Haaa… Yes, there is a lot of work to do tomorrow, and it goes without saying Nam will need time away.”

Her brother rubbed his forehead before reaching down to take Alexa’s hand and guide her toward the hallway to get to their bedroom. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll always be here for you, Alexa… I just don’t want you to feel awkward.”

“Looking at myself as a kid does make me feel awkward,” she mumbled, vision centered on the wooden floor. “I don’t care what I look like—I’m still an adult.”

Keep thinking that, Rachel internally sighed, knowing there would be many who, no matter what was said, would judge Nam for having an underage wife. Good luck, Bro, and now, heh, she’s her dad’s little angel again… Oof. Yeah, that could be trouble.

She followed her mother, Scarlet, and Jaenona out of the room while Anthony was left to stew in his own thoughts; he appeared to be pondering something regarding the Seeds, so Rachel left him to it.

Besides, her mother was operating on a high that was concerning; she was overwhelmed and torn between so many girls now coming into her house while trying to process the rapid changes that were happening.

Pausing at the foot of the stairs to see Nam helping his embarrassed wife take each careful step up—sideways since she couldn’t bend her wings—Rachel instinctively knew she would likely have what it takes through this to take part in Mythic.

That was if she got over the age issue, and a smile lifted her lips upon thinking about child labor laws; then again, Nia and Jaenona fell into that category, but she still filed away the comment for poking fun later.

Life is always sending me curveballs, but at least I can laugh at them.

* * *

Swaggering out of the house with Jack, Nemesis, and Mara, Cahira purposefully maneuvered along a hallway that didn’t have Maria’s little kids snoozing.

She shot a half-smirk at Wilkins with a wink. “Best be keepin’ ol’ Speedy and the tikes sound an’ sleepin’; ya never be knowin’ what a Pirate be hidin’ behind her back. Eh, Jackie?”

“Aye, ya be speakin’ truth, Love! Never too careful!”

The undies-stealing pirate made a wide gesture with his free hand as they exited the manor. “So, we steerin’ yer lil beastie ta meet our little, northern lass of an upstart?”

Cahira smoothly spun away from him to put a hand on her hip, bottle in the other as she downed the content and dropped it to the grass. “Ya not be havin’ the Queen Anne's Revenge on ya, hmm? Was hopin’ to catch a ride on the famed Bloody Lady of the Sea!”

“Haha! A fool I’d be, Mi Sweet, if I be thoughtless enough to bring such a prize inta open seas; she be restin’ safely with mi trusted crew!”

“Ooh! Who ya got workin’ with a dog such as yerself, Jackie?”

Nemesis and Mara watched their back and forth with furrowed brows as they silently trailed after their slow amble to the gated exit ramp that opened on Cahira’s desire-fueled prompt; Zippy truly was her greatest treasure as a Legendary-Class Ship.

“What did ya sneak ta Miami on if ya didn’t… Eh-hahaha—that tiny ship, Jack—ya be pullin’ mi leg if ya be thinkin’ I’d trust ya to sail this cute thing ‘cross the Atlantic! Did ya steal the Queen Anne with this prize? Where ya hopin’ ta steal ol Zippy, as well?”

Jack hopped down to put a proud hand on the small wooden railing of his black and yellow-striped ship, hosting a strong four cannons on the right side of its uncomfortably small deck-level dual cabins.

“Why ye be burnin’ mi stalwart princess?! She got me safely ‘cross wind and sea ta be stealin’ yer rum, so I would caution ya not ta judge 'er by the size of ‘er mast!”

Mara took one look at the vessel and shook her head. “This… can’t sail on the ocean—no shot.”

Nemesis grunted, looking it up and down. “I could do it.”

“Uh-huh… You’ve never been on a boat in your life.”

“Fair enough, Jack, and, Mara, be forgettin’ Zippy be coutin’ a ship, as well!”

The mossy-haired lass shot a finger to the head—well over six times larger than Jack’s entire ship—poking out to wish her a happy trip away. “That… is not a ship—he’s a turtle—a cute turtle, but a turtle nonetheless.”

“Aye?”

Jack and Cahira looked at one another like she was crazy.

“Be seein’ what ya please, Lass!” Jack roared. “Ya be willin’ ta test mi princess’ speed, Mi Fiery Queen?”

Cahira gave him a smug half-smile, right hand on her hip as she snapped with her left for a roar of displaced water to make Jack grab his railing in thrilling surprise as blue flames erupted to the left of his small ship to reveal the monstrous Dreadnought-Class vessel she’d gotten as a bonus for the Legend’s Quest; it seemed a good enough time to use it as Sadie’s approaching pirate ship swiftly threw down its anchor at the surprise appearance.

Jabbing her thumb up at the iconic coat-of-arms lit up with the bright spotlights on deck in the gentle breeze, displaying the seahorses, heart, boar, and phrase—Ye Loyal Krewe Of Grace O'Malley—plastered for all to see.

“I think we be takin’ mine, Jackie Boi.”

Mara clapped at the intimidating steel vessel, and Nemesis somehow whistled.

“That is what I call a ship, Nemesis.”

“Not wrong.”

Jack held his hat in the short torrent of displaced wind that rocked his boat against Zippy’s side, leveling an impressed stare up at the behemoth. “Hehe… Well, drown the ships to the sea, ya be as fierce as yer legends say, Love; where’d ya find a fleet such as these—ya be hoggin’ all the spoils from yer seafaring brothers? And ta be able to hide ‘em with a snap of yer fingers? Got anything more up yer britches?”

Cahira jumped onto his deck to slide past the pirate with a twinkle in her eye while moving to climb up the metal ladder welded to the side. “A lass worth her time don’t be given away all ‘er secrets, Jackie; ya best be packin’ a healthy supply o’ gun powder ta wet mi appetite if ya be lookin’ ta see what be hidden beneath mi blouse, ya savvy-dog!”

“If it be the powder ya be after,” Jack laughed, “then all ya had ta do was blow mi a kiss!”

“Too easy!” Cahira roared, swinging a foot off the ladder to smirk down at him. “Why would I be the one ta be chasin’ the tail when I got the finest on the seven seas! Savvy?”

He stared up at her rear with a toothy half-grin as she stole his line. “I can’t be arguin’ there, Love! I best be steppin’ up mi game if ya be open for the hunt, hmm?”

“Mi sails are plump with wind, belly filled o’ rum, and an appetite fer adventure, so ya best be quick if ya be hopin’ to snuggle next to this fine rump, Jackie!”

“I be settin’ full course, Mi Sweet; best be keepin’ a close eye on yer stern, or it may be catchin’ a’flame!”

Cahira hopped on-deck with a laugh as Nemesis jumped the full height with Mara sitting on his muscular arm, making her jealous. “Ya had room on yer left arm, ya know?”

Mara gave her a testing grin. “There’s a line of being too thirsty, Cahira.”

“Haha! Tis be a joke—hmm-hmm—unless it be not! Do I lie, Jackie?”

“Not from where I be standin’, Mi Queen!”

“Unbelievable…”

Joking and laughing with Ward as she used her earned Legendary Feat to pilot her ships without being at the helm, Cahira kept a sharp eye on the two newcomers.

Jack wouldn’t betray her since he needed her for multiple things, and he didn’t have the pirating level to steal something as grand as Zippy by the Quest Level he had, which meant he was looking for a hand to get him back in the game.

He’d have to had put a ton of points into Ship Theft to have gotten Teach’s ship, yet it had been a rather hectic battle with the U.K. at the time, and so far as she could tell, in the heat of battle, he’d tricked the crew into boarding a navy vessel to take it before running off when Blackbeard was busy fighting on a neighboring ship.

It must have given him a ton of Achievement Points, yet it was clear he didn’t want to spend those on Teach’s ship or the tiny one he had, which meant this Legend’s Quest was for his own, and she could guess the name.

Her flaming eyebrows came together while studying Sadie’s small vessel—a giant compared to Jack’s—and that said something. Ward was a cunning man, and he’d played a risky game, but it seemed to have worked out so far.

Sadie wasn’t a big-shot like her or Teach, and Cahira could see the girl playing all sides so long as she was paid; the question was why she was here. It could be in pursuit of Jack, and it could be for something else, yet a big grin came on as the man next to her cursed—a new ship was coming into view on the moonlit horizon.

“Aren’t we the popular ones?”

“Eh-hehe… I brought ya a bit of trouble, hmm?”

A smirk lifted Nemesis’ black lips. “Is it a fight?”

Cahira patted the Lion King’s muscular arm, sampling the unbelievably soft fur with a curious hum in the process; he would be the best cuddle bug. “Hehe. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, but… He certainly isn’t a friend—a pirate hunting pirate—well don’t we have a gathering!”

“Who?” Mara sighed, glaring at the swiftly approaching ship. “Is that… a skull under a bone… with a heart and dagger?”

“Be the Legend of Stede Bonnet… The U.K.’s bootlickin’ scum.”

Cahira snickered. “I take it ya got a history?”

“Ye could say as much; the sod has been tailin’ me fer weeks ta fetch mi bounty, and be wantin’ ta take the Queen’s Anne ta sell ta the highest bidder, includin’ ol’ Blackbeard himself.”

“Well, don’t we have a good ol’ group o’ cut-throats—mmm, Jackie?” Cahira cheered as she pulled next to Sadie’s ship to see the pale-faced girl eyeing the colossal cannons on the Dreadnought. “Why don’t we have a bit of fun!”