"For those viewing the hologram, I'll start the next chapter here. Everything changed with the Vacating of the Icari to Cinder. I know what people thought of me—Maybe even think it in the present-tense. Yes. Celindria is a blind spot for me, but I took Korac's parting words to heart.

"Why would Celindria summon Nox for a confrontation during the Vacating? To gloat? To punish him? And was I wrong for trusting her account about the corporal punishment?" I glanced at Korac. "The look in your eyes... It was the same sincerity I always saw when we were alone together. On your word alone, I knew I would investigate Celindria."

Korac toasted his drink with a dash of irony in the gesture. 'Too little, too late,' it said.

After the tense pause stretched on for a while, Kyle threw his hands up in frustration. "Well, what did you find?"

"Nothing. Celindria had vanished after the Vacating. I went to our designated rendezvous and found a message carved into the sand."

Do not seek me. I must fly on my own to mend this broken heart.

"Decades passed without word. In the absence of a leader to organize their revolution, people gave up on the cause and migrated away. The settlement fell into ruin around the indomitable fortress." I gestured toward Lucas, then at Caedes. "The Brethren refused to stay in Egypt and moved on to form council at a secret location, the capital of what remained of Icarean-human relations. Would either of you like to tell us about this time in your lives?"

With Pehton cradled between his legs, Caedes answered over her shoulder. "I collected the remaining half-breeds and their offspring for the relocation. Some, like myself, were born with nacres. We tracked these lines which had disseminated across the world. Eventually, rumors of the Traitor Prince circulated, stirring trouble in your search for Celindria. When you returned to Earth—"

"You're getting ahead of me," I said with a raised finger and a friendly smile.

Caedes saluted in return and summarized, "My life was political, diplomatic, and more violent than you may think, but certainly not worthy of a Verse."

Pehton kissed his cheek. "You'll tell me sometime."

Caedes' words rumbled from his chest. "Yes, ma'am."

Korac's laughter was abrupt and ended quickly. "Sorry." He did not look sorry.

The moment which followed was comfortable, and Lucas killed it. "My Verse is much more duplicitous."

"No shit!" Smith called from the back of my study.

Silence grinned, amused.

My foremother is prone to mischief—

Is that where I got it from?

Little you snickers in your fort. I'm grinning at you, and I know it's the spitting image of Silence's signature beam.

I said, "Lucas, please regale us of a spy's tale."

He hopped his butt up onto the couch between Tumu and Lamassau. Ignoring their considering glances, Lucas began braiding Andrew's hair. He said, "The Mother asked me to look after her descendants." He shot a knowing look at her. "Were you aware of how complicated a request that was, old friend? Everyone is your descendant."

Silence lived up to her namesake, smiling at him with affection and patience. A little gratitude.

Lucas continued. "Applying my judgment, I interpreted 'descendants' to mean Xelan and the Progeny. As for Nox... I saw the madness building in him from afar. I knew you would feel sorrow for him, Mother, but there was nothing I could do."

Silence bowed with her head, thoughtful in her steel eyes.

Finishing with Andrew's braids, Lucas stood, saying, "I sought the Traitor Prince and set him on his way to find Celindria while I maintained record on the expanding Progeny line. None of whom had manifested traits as extraordinary as the first or current generations."

Andrew murmured, "Did you feed this information to the Cult of Night?"

True vacuous silence filled the room.

Lucas stared down at his lover, who didn't even look up at him. The rest of the people watched the moment happen, uncomfortable with the implications.

"Yes."

Korac, who'd received the information from CoN, asked, "If your orders were to track Silence's children, why would you give Nox and I intel on their whereabouts?"

I wanted to know that as well, but I believed Lucas was always well-intended. Whatever the cause, it was a good one.

"For the same reason I informed the Icari of Xelan taking his new Progeny to Cinder. My aim was to reunite the quarreling brothers—To reunite the Mother's family. Imminent desired the information as well, but I never imagined Celindria would reveal herself. Even with my access to the Probability Matrix, I couldn't predict what would come of those decisions. Nothing has gone as expected with this particular rope we braid."

Rope.

One made of nacre.

In the two dreams where you came to me, Rayne, you wore braided nacre rope.

"I did, Superman. Now continue with the story."

"Silence, can you confirm?" Tumu asked a reasonable question.

She said, "I am grateful for your trust, and I ask you to grant Lucas the same. He speaks the truth. With each action the Shadow takes, you forge an unpredictable path in the Probability Matrix. One which feeds us with infinite outcomes. Yet still, you choose what cannot be expected." With the last, Silence grinned. "It must have driven Imminent mad."

Lucas bowed to Silence, deep and formal, before saying, "To continue with my story, I sought a friend."

"Me!"

We all spared a glance at Smith, who looked entirely too excited to feature in my Verse.

With a nod toward his companion, Lucas said, "Yes. For those of you not privy to this information, Smith goes back to the early years. After The Brethren migrated, I found this soldier in the mountains who smiled entirely too much—"

"Hey!"

"—Oh, that is not the first time you've heard someone say it. He became my initiate, and he was the only member of Imminent for whom I'd revealed the truth about Silence and the truth about me. Also, my intentions for the Progeny, the Traitor Prince, and the mad Night King of Cinder."

You're smiling.

The preteen version of you shakes your head against the pillow, incredulous. You even let out a little laugh before admitting, "I can't help it. It's such a ridiculously dramatic name for him, but I kinda like it."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I don't tell you, but you often beam when you talk about Nox, and it kills me.

I love you, Callahan.

You direct that beautiful ray of an expression onto me, and it warms me through. You say, "I think I've loved you my entire life, Superman. Ever since I was her age."

The little version of you giggles and beams up at me as well.

Wherever you are, I hope you're safe.

"Keeping telling your Verse, old man."

In my study, I said, "Smith."

He stood at attention. "Your imperial majesty?"

I shook my head at him, but said, anyway, "Read volume one thousand three hundred and ninety-eight. Page four-fifty seven."

Smith saluted and set about the task with grinning enthusiasm.

I couldn't stop pacing across my stronghold, now several stories tall and wider than a Cult of Night compound. No one from The Brethren knew the location. Only...

Well, the Icarus I awaited had proven trustworthy over the millennia since Celindria had disappeared. I trusted him to help me. But three more hours? I was pulling my hair out—Physically. The blood under my fingernails was mine for once.

News.

Actual word had come of Celindria's whereabouts, and a lead of where she would appear next. I could finally ask her why she'd banished my people and promptly disappeared, leaving me alone in this world once more. Was it Celindria's right to leave and live how she wanted? Yes. I would never dream of shackling someone to me, but...

Where were the other Progeny?

What had happened to Devis? One day he wanted to meet with me regarding the Pretiosum Cruor, and the next he was gone. Where in the Twelve Worlds was T.a.o.? Andrius had left with a caravan, but it had never arrived at its destination.

More hair came out.

This was my fault.

After three hours of this spiral, a knock sounded at my door. I crossed the rope bridge spanning the ravine and surveyed the security slot before answering the door for the only person I trusted with the location of my stronghold.

Lucas stepped through, putting me to shame with his expensive robes and slicked-back hair. He took one look at me and sighed. With his hands linked behind his back, he said, "Dear Prince. We have been through this before, have we not?"

"Tell. Me. Please."

In my study, Lucas shared, "Xelan regularly checked in with The Brethren and lived with me, sometimes for centuries, to integrate with the Progeny families, but I could tell he was restless to find Celindria. I knew of one contact within Imminent who'd expressed interest in helping him."

Korac looked between Lucas and me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is it who I think it is?"

Tameka spared me a curious glance.

In the story, Lucas said, "Celindria was last seen on Gait, and my contact awaits you there."

In my study, Korac shook his head, exasperated. "A few hundred years is all you waited—"

Sagan chafed her husband's arms and whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek. Korac hung his head, and Sagan gave us a nod to continue.

Lucas said, "I promised Xelan to take him only if he gave himself some time to clean up and recover. Within a fortnight, I arranged with Imminent to travel through the conduits of Enki, unimpeded. We arrived on Gait to be greeted by a parade of Lyriks."

Miy said, "I was there, but not me, obviously." She shot a nasty look at Pehton before glancing at me. "Triss seemed especially excited to meet you. Razor had promised you as a pet."

I pretended to clean an eyelash from my eye to hide an incredulous smile at the notion.

Korac asked, "What were you first impressions of Gait? The world you knew I'd come from."

I gazed into the purple sky of another world without stars and tasted metal, lingering in the air. The smell of street food, pollution, and waste marred the illusion of pristineness from the freshly packed snowfall. The space-scrapers competed to pierce the stratosphere of a world filled with uncertain mysteries. A ziggurat claimed the center, reminding all the planet's citizens of their debts to society. Convicted or born here, the Vast Collective deemed them all 'less' and deserving of this purgatory.

"Welcome to Gait, your highness."

The red-feathered Lyrik curtsied in her armored minidress, keeping those yellow eyes on mine—

In my study, Echo whistled a soft cry. Korac appeared at her side as if he'd learned to Seamswalk. He and Karter tended to her while Sagan smiled softly from her pallet beside Pehton and Caedes.

Back to my story.

"Thank you for hosting me, but an escort of this magnitude is unnecessary..." I left a lilt at the end of my sentence, asking her name.

The Lyrik smiled, and it was... gorgeous in a hard way. I knew with little interaction that she was lethal and wouldn't hesitate to slit my throat on command. "I am Triss, and the escort is for security reasons. Enki is seeking you, and they offer a pretty price." She let me see her eyes sweeping over me, assessing, before returning them to my face. "Officer Tumu should offer more. Please. Follow me."

Technology across the Twelve Worlds varied greatly. The closer the worlds were tethered to Enki, the more advanced they were as a civilization. Gait was the most advanced world I'd seen. Projected signs in the sky, neon lights, vehicles lumbering above—Not to mention sanitation and water works. The metals... their compositions were so fascinating. I wondered if our parade could spare a minute for me to collect some samples—

We turned a corner and encountered a most inspiring structure. A glass and steel warehouse with a revolving door leading into the twilight. More Lyriks flanked the door as we entered what the sign above called, "Razor's Emporium of Exotic Experiences."

Exotic. Experiences.

As we entered the room lined in antiqued mirrors and floored in parquet, I was dazzled and a little uncertain. Leaning into Lucas, I muttered, "What kind of contact is this—"

"The best kind."

When I sought the owner of the voice, I found myself gazing at the mezzanine. A man stood up there in clothes like I'd never seen before and shiny shoes, leaning in an obviously practiced pose on the banister which bunched his shoulders and emphasized his boxer's build.

But that's not why I was staring at him with my mouth on the verge of dropping open.

This stranger was the first person I'd seen with white hair like Korac's. His eyes were white, and his pupils were split into two crescents in each eye. When he spoke again, I listened for a familiar elegance to his cadence.

"Prince Xelan, I can ease your troubles."

Korac.

I found your family.

In my study, Echo giggled and whistled in gentle excitement. It was the only sound in the room. Korac lifted her from the bed and rocked her in his arms.

After a stretch of quiet reflection, Pehton asked first, "So, you could see through his perception field?"

"Yes."

Tumu went next. "You never told me what he looked like to you. Or that he looked the same as Korac."

Feeling slightly exposed, I pushed my fingers through my hair, saying, "At first, it's because I wasn't aware others couldn't see him as I did. I quickly learned the way of it, and discerned that if it was a secret Razor wanted to keep, then I would keep it for him."

"You knew he was my brother from the onset," Korac stated this as fact, with no accusation or venom, but still managed to sound unhappy about it.

I fidgeted under the scrutiny. "Not your brother, no, but it was quite apparent he was kin to you."

Tameka took my hand in hers, asking, "What happened next?"

"What would you want in return for 'easing my troubles?'"

Lucas coughed into his hand.

Beside me, Triss grinned.

My question hovered in the whiskey lighting amid the reflective tin tiles on the ceiling.

When a full minute had passed, Razor transformed. It was the only word I had for the dramatic shift in his demeanor. The lines at the corners of his eyes, the tilt of his brow, the curve of his lips, and the hollow of his jaw—All of it smiled at me with the deepest sincerity.

"Trust me."

I felt the words simply by staring into Razor's face. I knew then I should only do the opposite.

In my study, Matt raised his hand.

"Yes?"

He asked, "Is that how..."

I was already nodding before Matt finished his question. "Yes, Ginger. I see a similarity in you, and I recognized it the day I met you. This might sound a little insane, so bear with me, but it's also how I knew I could trust you."

With that congenial smile on his face, Razor answered my question. "I only ask that you work for me here, at the Emporium, until we resolve both of your little hereditary disputes."

Lucas and Triss looked at me for my answer.

Glancing around the place, which I imagined as full of bodies during the night, I considered my current living situation. Alone, ripping my hair out, and unable to maneuver myself any closer to Celindria. Or preventing the resurgence of Nox on Earth. Perhaps it was about time I let someone adopt me. For a little while.

Lucas gave a brief nod, as if he'd heard my thoughts.

That was good enough for me.

"When do we begin?"