I get off my couch with a stretch and a yawn. I didn't actually sleep, but I feel rested. At least I tell myself I feel rested. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I slept. It's a silly thought. 'Sleep's for the birds.' I'm pretty sure that's what they say. I rub my eyes and stagger across my lounge room to the door Bones knocks on in a made-up beat.

Before I get to it, the door bursts open. Bones still has his foot up in the air and looks extra guilty. While his attention is being a criminal, I shake off the lingering sleepiness and straighten up. "Guess they don't care so much about security down here, huh? Sorry about the door Cap. Thought you were dead."

"Why would I be dead?"

"I don't know. Why'd you make me wait so long?"

"I was on my way."

"You were probably wasting time stretching."

"You stretch more than I do. And you don't even have muscles."

"Why does that matter?"

"Stretching is for your muscles."

"If I don't have muscles, how can I do this?" Bones does nothing despite his setup. Instead, he walks past me and jumps onto a couch, taking up the entire thing alone. Before I can counter, Gene, Lana, and Remny walk through the door.

"Sorry, Jim," Remny says with a chuckle. "I tried to tell Bones he shouldn't."

"You said I couldn't," Bones says from the couch.

"No worries," I say, looking at my fallen door. I can probably fix it, but not right now, in front of an audience. I don't trust hinges, especially magically summoned hinges — though I'm not sure why. Besides, the added scenery of the forest is pleasant. "I kind of like the open-door policy anyway."

"Grundle disagrees."

"Grundle was a bear. And mean. And he ate me. If offering yourself up as food to a stranger doesn't count as hospitality, then what's even the point?" The three ladies follow Bones' lead and make themselves cozy on my second couch. Bones doesn't budge from his lounging position, so I sit on the third.

"Sure, serving yourself on a platter is respectable once. Twice, it starts to get repetitive. Three times, it's weird. Eleven times… that's just bad management."

"It was only eight." Gene corrects the inflated number, which I appreciate because eleven times sounded accurate but obsessive — to Bones' point. "But no more bear talk for now." The Matron eyes Bones and me, daring us to test her.

"Fair enough. What brings us all here?" I ask. Bones said planning, which makes sense, except I'm not much of a planner. That was more of a Li thing to do. Jim's just a doer." I want to ask what Lana and Remny are doing here. I've no way of wording it without sounding like an ass, so I let my eyes do some subtle work.

"I know you two do not like to plan." Gene once again singles Bones and me out with her eyes, and at this point, I'm starting to feel attacked in my own home. Instead of a bear, I let in a wolf. "But if you are taking Remny into the Greater Shadow Realm, we must prepare.

"We're taking Remny?" All my previous work is squandered in one fell swoop. "No offense, Remny." I try to recover. "Why are we taking Remny?" And fail.

"Do you know the Shadow Lord?"

"Draxxo? Yeah, we're on a first-name basis. We're friends.

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"I do not think you are a partial judge when it comes to friendship," says Gene.

"What do you mean? I make friends all the time — you, Lana, Nette and her spiders, Cru, Glimmer, Bloom, and Sil."

"Jim, Sil tried to kill you," says Gene. "She is not your friend."

"So did Cru, Fury, and Nette. You kind of killed me with your shadow fog, and Bones has actually killed me."

"Six times now. Hey, I'm catching up to Grundle. And the bear's dead. The record's basically mine." The skeleton doesn't hide his double fist pump.

"Yeah, actually, I don't think I can count Bones as a friend."

"Hey!"

"Draxxonicus is different. He is very manipulative. Even now, he has plans to take advantage of your so-called friendship. You have to trust me on this."

"Very well, but why are you letting Remny go into shadow?"

"If there is one place safer than at my side, it is at my side in the Greater Shadow Realm." Gene won't be joining us in the realm, at least not this version of herself. However, her clone will be with us in one of her beast forms. But what is this talk about safety in shadow? Last time I was there, I was bait for many beasts. "Draxxonicus will move mountains, even put his life at risk to keep his granddaughter safe."

"What?" Yup. I'm a certified ass. Might as well make that my official class. At the same time... Granddaughter?

"Called it!" Says Bones, lying to himself and everyone in the room.

"Remny's father, Dreguar, is mine and Draxxonicus' son." Gene lets out a long sigh and inhales deeply. Remny reaches for her hand and holds it in her lap. "When the Lord of Shadow became obsessed with power, he used me to create hunting grounds for himself. He promised me he was doing it for our family. He was blind to his greed, obsession, and cruelty. I could no longer stand the sight of him. I took our son and fled from Draxxonicus' side. To keep us safe, I tampered with the portals restricting the Shadow Lord and other powerful demons from entering our realm.

"My son never forgot his father, and after years of cultivating, it was safe enough for him to return to see his dad. I may despise Draxxonicus's choices, but he was always a good dad, and it pained me to see Dreguar grow up without him. The two were able to mend what I broke between them. Dreguar was convinced he could repair our relationship as well. He couldn't. We hurt each other too deeply. My son couldn't repair us, but he kept his relationship with his dad strong, and when he had a child of his own, Remny, he made sure to take her for visits.

"Papa is obsessed with me, or he was. I was his precious gem. He used to spoil me so much with weapons, armor, cultivation tricks, and all the treats I wanted," Remny says fondly. When he learned that we were being threatened and he could not help, he was devastated. He tried to convince Dad and me to stay in shadow with him, but we could not abandon our family. I just know he will be overjoyed when he sees me again."

The innocence of Remny's youth is sweet and scary. I just want her to keep her in her pocket of fond memories and blissful thoughts. Now, more than before, I'm convinced taking her is a terrible idea. What if Draxxo betrays her. My aches thinking of it. She has to be kept safe. I look to Gene for a voice of reason. The Matron is every bit as defeated as I am in this regard. She holds her tension momentarily and releases it with a smile as Remny turns to her for confirmation.

"You were the world to him." Gene balances her emotions and tries to curb expectations while not destroying her granddaughter's dreams. "I can not imagine him not rejoicing when he sees you."

"And when he does, I will convince him to join us here. He will get closer to me, progress with his cultivation, and escape the bounds of death he so greatly fears. I will not return to him as a helpless granddaughter but as his salvation!

Gene, are you sure about this? We have enough chips to bargain with to not send Remny. At least let us test the waters before you send her. I know she will want to see him, but we need to wait for her sake.

I know. I agree. My heart aches thinking of sending Remny. If I don't, though, she will feel it as a betrayal and resent me. If I were stronger, I could deal with that. For now, I'm too weak to let her harbor those feelings. That is why Lana is going as well. She will be Remny's personal guardian and buffer. I was wrong about her, and I believe she will be the key to navigating through hard circumstances.

If this is your wish, you have my word we will keep her safe.

Thank you.

We spend the next two hours planning and discussing the Greater Shadow Realm. Since where we enter is a mystery, we prepare for all different scenarios. We talk about the gear we need and how to stay safe. Luckily, Gene's clone will be with us the whole time.

By the time we are done planning, we can hear the celebration of our new home getting started.