LXXIV

We settled in the living room, the air thick with the strange mix of excitement and exhaustion that only came with late-night discussions.

“I’ll get some coffee,” I said, calling for Leora in the kitchen. She appeared moments later, tying her apron and looking every bit like the housewife she aspired to be, even though the hour made it less than ideal.

Leora raised an eyebrow. “Coffee? This late?”

I shrugged. “Just a cup.”

Selena, sprawled on the couch beside me, snorted. “I’m not stupid enough to drink coffee now. Glass of milk for me.”

“Of course, your highness,” Leora grumbled sarcastically as she turned back to the kitchen.

I turned to Atropos, seated directly across from me, her posture impossibly straight. “What about you? Anything?”

She hesitated for a moment, her gaze briefly flicking toward the kitchen. “I’m fine with anything.”

I smirked, recalling a small detail from the novel—Atropos had a weakness for chocolate. “Leora, make that a hot chocolate for her!”

Another grumble echoed from the kitchen, but I knew Leora didn’t mind. If anything, she loved any excuse to make drinks or snacks. She’d once told me her dream was to own a café someday, though that dream was far on the horizon. For now, she was content as our everyday mundane housewife, balancing the quirks of our strange little family.

True to form, Leora emerged minutes later, carrying a tray laden with cups: coffee for me, milk for Selena, and hot chocolate for Atropos. She managed it all in one go, setting everything down with practiced ease.

I flashed her a grin. “Thanks, Leora. You’re the best.”

“Flattery won’t get you out of cleaning duty tomorrow,” she shot back with a smirk before settling in the armchair to my right.

Selena was on my left, lounging with her glass of milk in hand, while Atropos sat primly across from me, her hands wrapped around the warm mug of hot chocolate.

Atropos sipped delicately before speaking, her tone measured. “Reynard, I came here because I need your help.”

I raised an eyebrow, leaning back into the couch. “Help with what, exactly?”

“The technology we’ve developed—DIVINE—it’s ready. But we need someone with practical experience, someone who understands aura and its intricacies, to validate the next phase. That someone is you.”

By intracices, she meant the ‘themes’ or the ‘Gift’ itself.

I blinked. “You’re asking me to… what? Join your project?”

Atropos nodded, her gaze steady. “You’ve seen the results aura can achieve, the potential it holds. You’ve also seen the dangers. Your insight is invaluable.”

Selena scoffed, swirling her milk. “Let me guess, Bob sent you? This reeks of his overreaching ambition.”

Atropos didn’t flinch. “Bob trusts me to make this decision. And I trust Reynard to give us the perspective we need.”

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.

Leora placed a hand on my arm, her touch grounding. “Rey, this is your decision. Whatever you choose, we’ll support you.”

I leaned back in my seat, the coffee cup warming my hands as I stared at Atropos. Her expression was calm, calculated, as always, but I could sense the urgency in her words.

“I made it clear to Bob,” I said evenly, “I have no plans of working for the Association.”

Atropos tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes never leaving mine. “How about working with the Association? The next phase of the plan is already underway, but we’d have a stronger position if your perspective was in play.”

Selena let out a low whistle from my left. “That’s got to be an achievement, right? One of the Big Three wants to work with you on equal footing, Reynard.”

Leora, seated to my right, shot her a sharp look. “Not funny.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

I turned back to Atropos, narrowing my eyes. “What do you mean by ‘perspective’?”

Atropos set her cup down carefully, her movements precise. “No one knows where the leak came from, but word of your precognition has started circulating in the hunter circles.”

Selena raised an eyebrow. “So what?”

“Precognition,” Atropos continued, “is very rare. It’s not a stretch to assume that the moment this information spreads, the biggest factions in the world will take an interest. They’ll want Reynard, either by hook or crook.”

Biggest factions? Probably refering to the Big Three… and no, it wasn’t anime.

Leora crossed her arms, her voice tense. “And here I thought we’d faded into obscurity by now.”

The Big Three—shorthand for the Government, the Hunter’s Association, and the World Order. Entities so powerful they practically defined the world’s balance of power.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “It’s probably the Prophet’s work to spite us. I knew the moment I told anyone about my precognition, it would eventually come out. But this soon? That’s unexpected.” I chuckled dryly, trying to ease the tension. “Besides, I’m not exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to precogs. I’m the discounted version you’d find in a thrift shop.”

Atropos’s gaze didn’t waver. “Discounted or not, your insights could save lives. With your help, we can avoid as much bloodshed as possible.”

Leora shook her head, her tone firm. “We’ve got our own problems. Don’t add to them.”

Selena swirled her glass of milk thoughtfully. “Leora’s got a point. Every time we stick our noses into something bigger, it bites us back tenfold.”

I sighed, feeling the weight of their words and the implications of Atropos’s offer pressing down on me. “You’re asking a lot, Atropos. My family’s been through enough already.”

Atropos’s voice softened, though her resolve remained unshaken. “I understand. But the world is changing, Reynard. The cryptid threat grows by the day. This technology we’ve developed—it could give us a fighting chance. And if the Association doesn’t act, someone else will. Someone who might not care about minimizing collateral damage.”

Leora’s hand tightened on her cup. “You’re asking him to walk into the lion’s den. Again.”

Atropos met her gaze. “I’m asking him to help us make the den safer.”

The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of the decision looming over us.

Finally, I leaned forward, setting my coffee down. “I’ll think about it,” I said quietly. “But no promises.”

Atropos nodded, her expression unreadable. “That’s all I ask.”

The conversation shifted after that, drifting into lighter topics, but the weight of her request lingered in the back of my mind. This wasn’t just about technology or progress—it was about the future of our world. And whether I liked it or not, I was now a part of that equation.

I’d be frank. I wanted this to happen.

The change. The upheaval. The dismantling of an ancient system that had left so many trapped in ignorance while a privileged few reaped the rewards.

But I didn’t want to take responsibility for the bloodshed it would cost.

It was selfish. I knew that. Yet, as we sat in the living room, pretending everything was fine, I tried to keep those thoughts buried.

We talked about Leon’s birthday gifts—his first toolbox, the toy sword Selena had insisted he needed, and the art supplies Leora had picked out. Atropos sat opposite me, sipping her chocolate with a faint smile that seemed almost… human. She listened intently as Leora and Selena recounted Leon’s shenanigans at the party.

“At one point,” Leora said, gesturing animatedly, “he tried to climb onto the table to blow out the candles before we were even done singing ‘Happy Birthday.’”

We bought two cakes, so yeah… Leon could blow the candles a second time…

Selena smirked. “That’s because I told him the louder he blew, the faster the candles would go out.”

“Selena,” Leora groaned, “he nearly knocked over the cake!”

Selena shrugged. “What can I say? I’m the fun aunt.”

Atropos raised an eyebrow, her voice calm but curious. “Fun aunt? What exactly qualifies you for that title?”

Selena leaned back, grinning as she crossed her arms. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that I’m the only one who takes him to the park without freaking out over cryptids lurking in the bushes. Or the one who taught him how to throw his first punch—proper form and all.”

Leora shot her a look. “He’s six, Selena. He doesn’t need to know how to fight yet.”

“Tell that to the kid who tried to steal his crayons last week.” Selena’s smirk widened. “Leon handled it like a champ.”

Atropos tilted her head, clearly intrigued. “You’re teaching a six-year-old combat techniques?”

“Not just any combat techniques,” Selena said, puffing out her chest. “Practical self-defense. You never know when some cryptid—or nosy neighbor—might try something.”

I glanced at Atropos, half expecting her to chide Selena, but instead, she seemed… amused.

“You’re awfully proud of this ‘fun aunt’ persona,” Atropos said, her tone dry but not unkind.

Selena leaned forward, pointing a finger at her. “That’s because I am the fun aunt. And you’re just jealous because you’ve been too busy playing mad scientist to actually spend time with Leon.”

The room grew tense for a moment, the playful banter teetering on the edge of something more serious.

Atropos set her cup down, her expression neutral. “Perhaps. But I’d like to think my contributions to his future are just as valuable.”

Selena snorted. “Oh, sure. Because nothing says ‘I love my nephew’ like destabilizing the global order.”

I cleared my throat, trying to diffuse the situation. “Alright, that’s enough. Leon doesn’t need a competition between his aunts.”

Leora shot me a grateful look, while Selena leaned back with a smirk, clearly unbothered. Atropos, on the other hand, regarded me with that same piercing gaze she always had, as if she could see straight through my façade.

And maybe she could.

Because the truth was, as much as I wanted to protect my family, part of me couldn’t help but hope for the future Atropos envisioned—a world where aura wasn’t a secret, where everyone had the chance to rise above the mundane.

I just didn’t want to be the one to make it happen.

“Leon’s lucky to have all of you,” Atropos said finally, her tone softer now. “He has a family that cares deeply for him. That’s more than most can say.”

For a moment, the room was quiet, the weight of her words sinking in.

And then Selena ruined it.

“Still the fun aunt, though,” she muttered under her breath, earning an exasperated sigh from Leora and a chuckle from me.

Some things never changed.

~074